2.22. Stay?

"I'll leave you here."

After they'd stretched, taken showers, and drank some water, Sae brought Y/N to the changing room door. Y/N'd shoved all his kit into a bag, as well as his boots, and was pretty much ready to go. As for Sae, he was finishing off brushing his hair.

They'd given it a little thought. Y/N would return home for now, and Bluelock would provide for anything he needed. He wasn't entirely sure if it was a good idea to stay with Sae - wouldn't the man find him a bother?

And besides, after the game, Y/N wanted nothing more than to be alone. He wasn't upset, but rather, he was wholly drained. Playing just for 45 minutes had been tougher on him than a whole day of Sae's training. Add into it the mental strain of Kuroi appearing, and the rush of excitement when he'd managed to finally understand himself, and he was completely and utterly worn out.

It was just past four when they separated. Y/N waved Sae goodbye, promising to call him at a later point. Sae'd took the phone he gave to Y/N with him, so Y/N had to fetch his own from Anri.

He headed across the corridor, towards the Bluelock changing room. There was no sign of Kuroi, nor his sponsors - they'd probably been cleared out by security. Not that he was complaining, of course.

Y/N hesitated by the door for a second. Chigiri wanted him there, but did everyone else?

Before he had a chance to think it over, the princess himself opened the door, one hand holding a towel to his wet hair. Pink eyes immediately widened, glancing up at Y/N, and a small smile curled onto his lips.

"Hey!" He let go of the door handle. "I was just coming to find you. The coaches back to Bluelock leave soon, and technically, you're still part of Bluelock..."

Y/N felt his own smile grow on his face. He let Chigiri take his wrist in a loose grip, leading him into the changing room. "Sounds good..."

Inside, it was like a hurricane had happened in a very, very local area. Firstly, Y/N noticed the smell of sweat hanging in the air, probably coming from the match clothes strewn over the floor. He inched closer to Chigiri, giving the boy's hair a sniff and taking in the scent of apples. No sign of any sweat. Definitely the old clothes...

Right after that, he spotted Anri, standing next to Ego at the back of the room. The woman was crying with joy, hugging a clipboard to her chest as she rubbed at her eyes. Ego... Y/N didn't know how to feel about Ego. He'd obviously had something to do with Kuroi being at the game - the commentators had called him a 'manager for Bluelock'.

But last, he realised that most of the players were looking at him.

It was odd. While walking to the changing rooms, Y/N had noticed the protective way that they'd surrounded him. The U-20 team seemed normal. But here, all the Bluelock players were gazing at him with different expressions to normal.

Reo had a guilty, ashamed look on his face. Igaguri was gazing at him with something along the lines of wonder. Isagi looked almost sorry for him. Actually, a lot of them looked sorry.

Y/N stood there in the doorway. The players had been mid celebration, waving their shirts, squirting bottles of water at each other, and talking excitedly between them. But the longer he stood there, the more people fell quiet.

Something's wrong...

"Y/N?"

That was Chigiri, glancing back at him. "You okay?"

He lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. "Why's everyone looking at me strange...?" Chigiri froze. He gulped, pink eyes flickering to the players, then back to Y/N. A sinking feeling grew in Y/N's stomach. "Chigiri...?"

The forced smile sent his way only made his nerves worse. Chigiri took a gentle hold of his arm, tugging him back out of the door and into the corridor. "Let's talk out here, yeah?"

"You're scaring me." Y/N mumbled. "Why does everyone look worried about me?"

Chigiri sucked in a deep breath. He hesitated, fidgeting with his hair. "Before I say anything, I just want you to know that it doesn't affect how I think about you. I'm not going to treat you any differently if you don't want me to..."

"Chigiri, what is it?"

"And you don't need to keep things so hidden. I'm your friend. I want to help you."

Something sickening twisted in Y/N's stomach.

Chigiri noticed, taking a step forward. He extended both hands, offering a hug. Y/N skittered backwards, sudden panic rising inside his throat. "When you were gone... a lot happened."

Y/N noticed the flash of hurt in his eyes when Y/N didn't accept the hug. "Talk." That sounded wrong. Too harsh. Too commanding. So he added on a whispery, gentle 'please' right after.

"Ego invited Kuroi to talk to us. And he told us about Ascension, and especially about you. Your strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and..." Chigiri paused. "Other stuff."

Y/N didn't respond.

"And in the game, I was subbed off after the first half. The other substitutes were telling me that something happened between Ego and Kuroi. Ego invited Kuroi into the stadium, to try use him against you. But then apparently, Kuroi betrayed him."

That's why Kuroi was there... That's why he was trying to order me around? He told me to miss the first shot?

"And he said if Bluelock lost, then the U-20 team and Bluelock would both belong to him, and a bunch of other people from around the country."

Y/N swallowed hard. "W-why?" He didn't want to know the answer.

Chigiri met his eyes, with an incredibly soft, gentle gaze. "He said the Ascension Project reopened today. That's why he wanted to take you."

Ascension... reopened?

Everyone knows about me?

Ego tried to control me?

Y/N was staggering back before he even realised what was going on. It was in his natural response, really. To run when something bad happened. To try and shut down his emotions before they got the better of him, to block out whole sections of his memory and pretend it was normal.

But before he could run away from his problems again, Chigiri's hand was clasping his shoulder, tugging him gently back. He made it clear - if Y/N still wanted to run, he could. But he just had to consider staying.

"You won't treat me any different?" Y/N murmured. He didn't take another step.

"No." Chigiri swore. "I'm not interested in the past you. If you don't want to remember it, if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. What matters to me is the Y/N I know now. The freakishly fast, inhumanly hyperactive, and amazingly fun person who is probably the strongest boy I know."

"You sure about that?" Y/N's voice grew quieter. "I sure as hell don't feel strong."

"You were already strong before, managing to get on with life after that project." Chigiri replied quietly. "But now? You're even stronger. You're standing here, talking to me about something like that. You faced Kuroi head on and broke his fucking nose."

"I did, didn't I?" Y/N laughed breathily, lowering his head for a second.

"You really did." Chigiri's fingers tightened just a little on his shoulder. "So... stay?"

Y/N turned around.

"Stay." He confirmed. Then in one swift motion, he wrapped his arms around Chigiri's waist, burying his face into the other boy's neck.

Chigiri was more than happy to oblige. He chuckled under his breath, embracing Y/N back just as warmly. His hair was still wet, the towel now slung over his shoulders and probably getting Y/N's shirt wet. But did it really matter?

The corridor was empty. Previously, the noise of the crowds had been incredibly loud. But now, it was silent. Their breaths echoed off the concrete walls, figures casting a single joined shadow across the floor.

Thankfully, nobody came out of the changing room. The time was for them, and them only.

They stayed like that for a good few seconds before Y/N inhaled. "I'll... um... I'll get to talking about that project some other time."

I'll make sure everyone else doesn't bring it up." Chigiri quietly responded. "Whenever you're ready, you can talk."

Y/N laughed into the curve of his neck. "Maybe in seventy years."

"Does it matter?" Chigiri chuckled. "I said whenever, I mean whenever."

🥕🥕🥕

"Here's your phone, Y/N!"

Anri handed the device back to Y/N with a smile. "Ego has saved each of your phone numbers. We're all going to have a break, and we'll contact you on this number when the project recommences."

"Thank you." Y/N replied, immediately turning it on. It felt strange, weighing the device in the palm of his hand. He hadn't touched it for what felt like years...

He was back in the Bluelock facility. They'd received all their belongings, with all the clothes being freshly washed, it seemed. Everyone else was quick to change back into their own stuff, Y/N the only one not changing.

Sae'd let him keep the clothes he'd worn to the match - a pair of loose black trousers and an oversized dark red hoodie. They were exactly his size, which was a little surprising, but Y/N had just shrugged it off as Sae being omniscient.

On the bus back to the Bluelock facility, Y/N had slept a decent amount. It was nearing eight pm, and once everyone had retrieved their belongings, there was going to be one final meal in the cafeteria before they all headed their separate ways home.

He was still drained as hell, but hopefully, the meal would be nice and relaxing. Then it would be heading home, back to his apartment for the first time in months. And finally, he would be able to rest.

"Y/N!"

A smiling Isagi walked over to him, dressed in a dark blue school uniform. "I just wanted to say, you played really well today."

"Thanks!" Y/N smiled back. "Just a shame I didn't win, but definitely next time."

"Depends if I'm on the other team." Isagi shrugged. "But really though. Four goals?"

"Yeah, four." Y/N nodded.

"You probably could've made it five."

"I'm glad I didn't." Y/N laughed. "Breaking that fucker's nose was worth a hundred goals."

"And Ego kicked it too...!" Isagi's eyes widened. "His nose will probably be really damaged."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Of course not. He deserves it."

Both the boys' heads looked up. A calm electronic voice rang from the ceiling. "All players, the cafeteria is now open, as well as the Bluelock Wifi network. You are free to leave the project, through the green exit lines at ankle height."

It was followed by a bright dinging sound.

A few of the players immediately took off in the direction of the cafeteria, clutching school bags to their chests and putting on the rest of their clothes. Others legged it right for the green lights, probably intending to get out of Bluelock as soon as possible.

As for Y/N, he walked with Isagi to the cafeteria, both of them laughing. Compared to the years before, Y/N was the happiest he'd ever been. His heart was so much lighter than before, his head was so much clearer, and even his body felt more relaxed, more loose.

He knew what he wanted. He wasn't being controlled, wasn't being judged by anyone. Y/N's voice echoed off the corridor walls as he chattered with Isagi, smiling wide.

Goodbye, Kuroi.

Goodbye, Mother.

Goodbye, Father.

I won't miss you.