Red, Gold, and Blue (Chigiri, Bachira, Isagi x Fem Reader)

Chapter 13

Later that night, I'm approached by none other than the honeybee while the rest of Team Z is busy getting themselves ready for bed. I just know everyone will be going to bed happy tonight. After all, sleeping after you accomplished something awesome during the day is the best feeling ever!

"Hey," Bachira murmurs, a hand scratching the back of his head awkwardly, "Can I talk to you for a minute, alone?"

Oh... no... I hope he's not mad at me. He doesn't seem angry, just a bit melancholy.

"Of course!" I exclaim brightly, trying to brush it off as if nothing happened at all out of the ordinary.

I trail a few paces behind him as he leads me to a fairly secluded hallway just outside of Team Z's room. And then, he turns around to face me once we reach the end of it.

"I've been doing some thinking," he begins tentatively, "And I think we should just agree to be friends and nothing more."

I nearly feel my heart come to a stop as these words slip past his lips.

What?! He's the one who's always getting all romantic and flirty with me! And now, he just wants to stop?!
"Is this about the chocolates?!" I ask, probably a bit too loudly, "I swear, it really wasn't a big deal!"

He leans against the wall, staring into my eyes all the while.

"It was to me," he murmurs, "Because I really do love you, Y/N, you know?"

He... what? He just blurted that out so nonchalantly! He really is strange...

As he notices the shock on my face, a small smile creeps across his own.

"I was actually planning on asking you to be my girlfriend," he admits nervously, "I was going to do that tonight. But... I've been doing some deep thinking and I don't think I can take much more of this. So, let's just be friends and nothing else, because I'll always be your second choice. And while it's flattering that I'm the one you come to every time someone's upsetting you, it can also be a lot to handle because I don't want to be playing defense on default, until you need me to fill in for one of your players because they're hurt. Sometimes it feels like you're always pursuing Chigiri and Isagi, chasing after them, and then when you come down from that high, you expect I'll be there, waiting for you with open arms. Y/N, I respect your choices and I want you to be with the person you really love. But I can't keep chasing after you once you've tired yourself out from chasing those two. I'm not a fall-back plan, in case your other romances don't turn out the way you want. And I sure don't like being taken for granted."

I open my mouth to speak, but I'm so stunned that no words come out at first...

I really deserved all of that, didn't I?

"I... I don't favor the other two over you," I assure him desperately, "I just trust you so much that I feel comfortable laying all of my emotional problems out in front of you! You're like the home I return to after a long day out of the house. Isn't that a good thing?"

He smiles softly.

"But if what you say is the truth, why do you need more than that?" He asks gently, "I don't quite understand... Although, like I said before, I completely respect your decision to pursue anyone you want. That being said, I'm not technically obligated to be one of the candidates. So, from now on, I'd prefer it if we stayed friends and nothing more, for the sake of my own feelings."

I can't help but feel as though I've let him down. Ugh——why'd I have to go and mess everything up in such a stupid way?! I'm such an idiot!

"O-okay," I concede, unsure of what else I could possibly say, "'Friends' it is."

His honey eyes brighten a little as I agree to this and he beams gently at me, before squeezing my shoulder softly and then walking away, leaving me all alone in the hallway.

Tears begin to cloud my vision as I watch him leave, having stepped by me so indifferently. But deep in my heart, I know he's right. Ever since I got comfortable with the boys, I've been actively pursuing the others, chasing after them since they're a bit more elusive——whereas I just blatantly assumed that Bachira would wait for me until my conquests either ended or failed, because he's always been there for me since the start. Now, whenever the two of us hang out it's always because he suggests it. Even when we kissed, it was only after he approached me and asked me to hangout with him, since I had already been all over the other two beforehand. And I mean, he got me a gift with the goal he worked his ass off to score, and I just handed it to someone else like it meant nothing to me. If someone had treated me in the way I did him, I'd probably be resistant to continue our relationship as is too. After all, no one wants to feel like they're the last resort, a Plan B in case A goes south.