PLEASE NOTE: off-page death of a parent, specifically a father. his cause of death is left blank on purpose. stay safe!
-joy
☆☆☆
AT NINE YEARS OLD, hyouma runs the world.
kind of.
as the representative of his class, he ran like a bat out of hell in the marathon during the sports festival, bringing them their one and only victory with ease.
so the next day he goes to school, he's not surprised when he's bombarded with compliments by his classmates.
"chigiri-kun, you were amazing yesterday!"
"you totally owned that marathon!"
"man, you should've seen the other classes' faces when they saw how fast you were!"
"at this point, chigiri-kun can even compete with those high school grown-ups!"
hyouma flashes them a polite smile. "thanks."
he sets his bag on his desk in silence, propping his head against his palm as he stares at the view beyond the window. it's a bit of a strange one: a handful of kids passing a ball back and forth using their feet. one of them sticks out like a sore thumb with his height, and also because he keeps kicking the ball out of bounds. but hyouma must keep his vibes as an olympian.
"chigiri's so cool...."
"pretty guys with pretty abilities are a different breed."
"i'm gonna confess to him when we graduate."
"he rejected the whole class in one go when we were in first grade, i don't think you'll have a chance."
"i bet he's making a plan on how he's gonna destroy those four-b guys at the next festival."
"nah, i wouldn't be surprised if an idol agency scouted him and he's contemplating their offer...."
the breeze from the window causes some of his fringes to sway majestically, and it makes the whispers around him grow louder.
heh.
'praise me more.'
obviously, hyouma's cool. his pretty face has nothing to do with how fast he runs, he just has always loved running. no, don't confess to him, he's not ready to reject the entire school in one day yet. he doesn't care about four-b. he didn't get scouted, unfortunate 'cause it would've gotten the people talking more.
he slides a hand over his mouth, hiding the unruly smirk on his face.
hyouma's life is as easy as the marathon is. he's born with genetics that happen to be conventionally attractive, he found his talent just by the age of six, and people adore him for those reasons. if hyouma was another lucky bystander who gets to breathe within hyouma's distance, he would wax lyrical poetry about him, too.
running the world couldn't have been easier.
okay, maybe it can be a bit better. for example, his sister can be less annoying...
"i want you to play soccer with me."
...and the guy standing in front of him can repeat and hear himself say the ridiculous joke he just told hyouma.
it takes a few seconds of himself blinking at the intruder to register his words. is this a fellow fourth grader talking to him right now? his voice is way too monotone, even his dad doesn't sound like that; and the old man's dead.
"sorry, what?"
"i said, i want you to play soccer with me."
not even asked, but said. hyouma's not against the sport at all, but who is a guy who wears a dang formal dress shirt with an absurdly fancy collar in this temperature to tell him what to do?
hyouma shifts his gaze back to the window. he has to keep his cool like the cool man he is. "why should i? sorry, but i don't know you." that one's definitely making it out to the cafeteria gossip.
"i'm l/n y/n, and i want you to play soccer with me," y/n says. a horribly nice name, by the way.
"again, why should i?"
"what else do you need? you asked for my name, and i gave it to you."
this is getting on hyouma's nerves. "i don't see how that owes you to have me play soccer. with you, mind you."
"you run fast. you have the potential to be a world-class striker." someone needs to tell victorian boy to hear himself right now.
"nice try, but if i run fast then i can be the best at every other sport."
"but i like soccer, and i like your speed. so i think you should play soccer with me."
with that logic, it's no wonder hyouma never notices him. he has decided that he's tired of arguing with someone who probably has soccer balls for brain cells, and will be gracious by ignoring him.
"chigiri-san?"
no response.
"are we playing soccer together or not?"
no response.
"you were amazing yesterday, by the way."
no resp— his chin is yanked and he's forced to meet e/c eyes.
woah.
hyouma has seen livelier eyes from the fishes by the riverbank.
what is this kid's problem?
"you were amazing yesterday."
"thanks." hyouma forces a smile. be mature, be mature, be mature—
"no problem. now play soccer with me."
BANG!
hyouma slams his hands against the wooden table. the noise startles everyone in the class, making them snap their heads to his desk.
curses, his reputation!
hyouma laughs awkwardly, rubbing his nape. "...sorry! there were... bugs on my table." he frowns, eyebrows furrowing at y/n. "l/n, are you okay? you must've been scared."
'get the hint, fish eyes!'
y/n tilts his head at him, and hyouma waits for him to blink. he doesn't.
then, he cups hyouma's ear with both of his hands. "if i say i was scared, would you play soccer with me?"
hyouma is given no choice but to nod his head.
after letting go, y/n faces their classmates and takes one, big breath. "yeah! i was scared." he freaking yells in his voice that shows absolutely zero fear, or anything for that matter.
'idiot! who would believe you if you say it like—'
"thank goodness hyouma was there to protect you from the bugs!"
"was it a spider? it was really loud...."
"hyouma's as cool as always! looking out for l/n-kun even when he was scared himself!"
they crowd hyouma's table, more like y/n.
it kinda pisses hyouma off, and it reminds him of a quote from one of his sister's horrible otome games.
'everyone circles the victim, but never the hero.'
for context, at least as far as hyouma recalls when his sister rants his ear off, the victim was the heroine who was supposed to get cursed by the bad guy until a side love interest stands in front of her and takes it for her. the main love interests who were conveniently in the same party as the heroine fusses over her while the side love interest dies. one less rival, his sister supposes.
but hyouma doesn't want to be the forgotten hero who crumbles into dust! he doesn't want to watch y/n take all of the glorious attention as he dies, and may his mother forgive him for cussing inside his head, but damn it!
positioning himself strategically so that the crowd can get a three-quarters view of his face, hyouma pushes his hair back. casually. "as long as i can protect our friend l/n, bugs will never be scary to me."
"chigiri-san...." y/n mumbles, but why are his eyes suddenly starry? all hyouma did was repeat the line the side love interest said as his final words! don't go falling in love with him now!
"chigiri-kun, isn't that the same hand you used to crush the bug...." someone points out, and the others follow her line of sight.
someone else gags. "ew! chigiri has bugs on his hair now! stinky!"
heck no! this is not the cafeteria gossip he intends to make out! the bugs aren't even real and his hair smells perfectly like his sister's strawberry shampoo!
the moment hyouma opens his mouth to defend himself, the person he least expects beats him to it.
"it's okay, the bug on his left hand was invisible, and the one on his right was an ant," y/n firmly declares.
'your bullcrap isn't gonna work twice—'
"ants are bugs...?" someone muses. hyouma wants to scream, 'how are you just gonna skip over the invisible part?'
"yes." oh my god. "they're from the same family as butterflies."
"woah! no wonder why we draw the weird body first before the wings!"
"l/n-kun's really smart!"
"it's always the quiet ones at the back who know the most...."
again, they flock over to y/n, heaping praise on him like they did to hyouma when he got here. hyouma doesn't try to get the attention back on him anymore, fearing he'll be misunderstood again. he doesn't trust y/n to have any leftover luck to save him for the third time.
hyouma silently turns back to the front, ignoring the creepy, unblinking stare boring into the back of his head, courtesy of y/n.
☆
y/n didn't stop staring at him, with the most unsettling starstruck eyes he ever felt, until the bell rang and another classmate pulled the dude into their seats, which were conveniently just two chairs behind hyouma, making it a free real estate for y/n to watch him for the rest of the day.
(before y/n could approach him, hyouma had to run out when the first few seconds of lunchbreak started. he swore he heard someone whisper "soccer" to him when he was peeing.)
after what may be one of the weirdest school days hyouma ever had, classes are finally over. he can't wait to wash his hair again when he gets home.
now he just has to somehow escape the breathing vintage porcelain doll that unfortunately takes the form of hyouma's classmate, y/n.
'after teach leaves, run straight out of the door! don't even look behind you! you got this, sports festival track star!'
unfortunately, as today is not at all his lucky day, hyouma is being held in his place by a firm grip on his shoulder just as their teacher steps a foot out of the room.
'crap.'
"chigiri-san," y/n murmurs in his ear, hyouma can only shudder underneath his hand. "play soccer with me."
with a click of his tongue, he swats y/n's hand away. "no! i'm not interested!"
y/n finally blinks at him. "i thought your mom signed you up for a half-day soccer camp."
hyouma can feel his heart stop with a thump.
how... how does he know...?
"the girl next to me who heard from the guy in front of you who eavesdropped when you told the guy next to you told me."
"are you a mind reader?" hyouma's jaw drops.
"no, you spoke your thoughts out loud," y/n says in his matter-of-fact tone that makes hyouma want to strangle him.
crossing his arms, hyouma glares at him. it has only come to his attention now that the doll is half a head taller than him. "so what if i'm interested in soccer? that doesn't mean i have to play with you."
"you have to." y/n says. "because we're gonna win the world cup together. i can't win without you, and you can't win without me."
the irk mark in hyouma's head is about to tempt him into headbutting the soccer balls out of y/n's brain. "nonsense! i can win without you!"
"really? then prove it to me. let's go one-on-one in the field now."
"you... i'll make you regret sitting two rows behind me!"
"fine."
"fine!"
when he sees y/n turning away with a light pep in his step, hyouma realises he walked right into it.
☆✮☆
to their dismay, the field is occupied by the soccer club.
"should we do this another day?" y/n has the audacity to ask hyouma and his pride.
he glares. "no. i'll destroy you right here right now."
y/n tilts his head at him. insufferable. "okay. i'll make them get out of our way."
huh? "wait—"
"excuse me, coach! me and chigiri-san need the field for ourselves." before hyouma can stop him, y/n shouts into the distance. and after a moment of thought, he adds, "please."
hyouma wishes for a soccer ball to collide with the idiot's face. "are you insane? what do you think you're—!"
hyouma is interrupted once more by y/n. he's beginning to think that y/n's more annoying than creepy.
"shh. that tall guy is about to give us the field."
'he looks like he's about to beat you up, but okay.'
the guy stomps over to them, and the rumbling vibrations beneath hyouma sets the alarms in his head off. he mentally prepares his legs to run as if it's the starting line of a marathon again.
for an elementary school kid, the person they're facing is beyond taller than y/n and questionably muscular. instead of the coach, he's most likely the president of the soccer club, actually is, judging by the bold comic sans letters of "leader" etched across his cap. corny.
oh, and he's also the same person hyouma saw from the window this morning.
y/n clears his throat and straightens his back, it's almost comical. "good afternoon, sir."
"sir?" he snarls. "i'm twelve! just like you!"
"i'm nine." y/n takes a step back, and hyouma follows to hide behind him. he may be prideful, but he's not gonna fight someone who looks like he can rip him to shreds. the taller one out of them both, obviously y/n, would be the one to do that.
he bends himself to meet y/n's eyes. "don't talk back to your seniors! i've gone against a junior high and won! they even called me 'hulk' since i was just as good as the real brazilian striker."
y/n tilts his head. hyouma wonders when will it snap from the number of times he's done it today. "i went against a future professional. i lost, but he said i put up a good fight."
"future professionals are nothing compared to actual pros like junior high students! they're stronger, cooler, and faster!" hulk huffs, puffing out his chest.
"i disagree." y/n wholeheartedly takes a step towards him. "no one is faster than chigiri-san."
'l/n! don't bring me into this!'
"chigiri... who?" ouch. and it's not even hulk trying to be rude, he looks genuinely confused. bur more importantly...
"him," y/n says as he drags hyouma in front of him.
...there goes hyouma's safety. his pride was sacrificed for a few seconds just to get betrayed by y/n.
"i will fight him and make him play soccer with me when he loses."
hyouma turns to glare at him. "what makes you so confident that i'll lose? if anything, you should be scared. i am the track star of this season after all." clenching his fists, hyouma tries his best to not choose violence, especially when the guy near them looks like he'd join in.
y/n puts his hand on his chin. "but i'm the one with experience in soccer, though?"
before hyouma can land a punch on y/n's annoyingly inexpressive face, hulk breaks in between them and pushes hyouma away from y/n.
"there, there! i like your resolve, kids." hulk pats y/n on the back hard enough that he stumbles. "what about this instead, you and chigiri will go against my team and i. if you two win, i'll let you join our crew!"
nodding a little too eager than hyouma thought y/n's apathetic self could do, y/n looks at hulk with those stars in his eyes again.
"let's do it, chigiri-san. a captain like hulk would be good for you."
"i see that you have good eyes!" hulk chirps as he pats him on the back, y/n stumbles the second time.
hyouma scowls at them before turning his head.
"no."
"it would be nice if the track star chigiri could make use of his amazing speed in a sport like soccer."
hyouma clicks his tongue, the tip of his ear that's poking out of his hair can camouflage in them if y/n would try a bit more.
"i'll beat you at your own game, hulk!" hyouma stomps over to one side of the field. "hurry up and get your team to play!"
hulk snickers. "simpleton."
"simpleton," y/n echoes.
"shut up!"
☆
"what's our strategy?" y/n asks with no ill intent whatsoever.
"i run and you do soccer things. that's the strategy." hyouma answers with fully ill intent. the intent is to somehow absolutely demolish y/n as his teammate.
"chigiri-san..." y/n looks at him in something too close to pity. "you don't know the rules."
"yes, i do." he does not.
and aggravatingly, y/n knows that. "no, you don't."
"go warm up or something! stop bothering me, i know what i'm doing."
"i'm always prepared for soccer, you should be the one warming up instead."
does y/n have a disease that makes him spout bullcrap each time he talks to hyouma? or is it part of his soccer victorian boy syndrome?
"would it kill you to just go?"
"it would, because i'm your teammate. if i go, then you can't win the world cup without me."
turning to face him, hyouma rolls his eyes. "it's a match between children. it's not that serious."
(the second time hyouma provokes an emotion from y/n, it's something akin to anger.)
"it is to me." there's a slight trembling in his voice as he glowers at him. "i don't want to do this with anyone else. it's you who i want to win with, chigiri-san."
hyouma opts to stay silent, not like he has anything more to say, and instead goes to stretch his quadriceps. they've known each other since like, what? midday? but hyouma doesn't understand y/n, and that should be enough for them to not play together, let alone forever. why doesn't y/n get that?
"alright. let's win this one, boys!" hulk's roar magically reverberates throughout the open field. whoever nicknamed him is correct. a genius, even.
hyouma doesn't need to look back to know y/n is following behind him. hyouma stands idly in the middle of their pitch, y/n stops on the right wing close to him. this is not how soccer works, but it's not as if there's anything else they can do as a two-man team.
hulk's team has hulk himself as the goalkeeper, four guys spread in front of him horizontally, another four guys, and another three guys. while hyouma's team has nothing but y/n and a dream. awesome.
"chigiri-san," y/n calls out. his tone is back to the impassive one hyouma first encountered.
hyouma resorts to humming in response. he's still adamant about not looking at him, it's embarrassing, but hyouma can't look at him after he's offended y/n. he doesn't care if y/n doesn't care. why is hyouma here, anyway? oh, right. it's 'cause he has pride to maintain, even if it's in front of the kid who looks like he belongs in a graveyard, six feet under. it's like every interaction he has with y/n is to test how much more his ego can endure.
'it's annoying.'
"stay there, chigiri-san. i'll take care of everything else for you."
"as if i'll listen to you. i'm here to prove something, not have you do all the work," hyouma huffs, but still positions himself closer to y/n.
"okay. then run and look at me from time to time."
"is that the only strategy you can come up with?"
"maybe."
the whistle doesn't give hyouma a chance to snap back. mercilessly, one kid is charging at them while dribbling a ball, and at least four dudes are circling him.
"...y/n, are you sure we even have a chance? what the hell is that?"
an eleven versus two like this is not in hyouma's textbook knowledge of soccer.
"don't worry, we'll figure something out."
hyouma wouldn't believe him even if he wasn't wearing that ridiculous, cuffed long-sleeved dress shirt. so let him retract a few things from his previous statement, hyouma's team has nothing but y/n.
and as though to prove his statement correct, y/n throws himself into the middle of their opponent's crowd, and emerges with a ball under the control of his feet.
what the hell—
"chigiri-san!"
hyouma's legs move before he can think, he's suddenly near the touchline with a bunch of dudes trying to catch up to him and y/n is yards away from him in the centre but he kicks the ball and it lands in front of him and he can't think of anything but he—
the ball flies over someone's foot sliding before him, then through hulk's fingertips.
GOAL!
what... just happened?
one second he was looking at y/n and the next he—
"nice one, dude!" the owner of the foot stands up and gives him a pat on his shoulder.
someone also gives him a pat on his shoulder. "that speed-up was superb! you were like messi out there."
someone else snorts. "you're just saying that 'cause you don't know any other players. anyway, good job!" he grabs hyouma's hand and high-fives it.
"i bet the only other player you can name is also ronaldo...."
—he surpassed everyone.
as they bicker on and on, he hears hulk's voice roaring to get back into position. his reddened palm is a reminder of his short-lived goal, but his legs take it as a note to turn it into something perennial.
a familiar, but just a better sense of accomplishment overwhelms him. it's like finding out how fast he can overrun the other kids all over again. except, he can cycle back to this moment endlessly—the haze of being one with the wind only to wake up when he's declared winner—until this sport has more to take than to lose from him even if hyouma himself has nothing left to offer.
hyouma loves running, but he thinks he might like soccer even more.
when he glances to the centre of the field, he finds a smile tugging the corners of y/n's lips.
he looks at hyouma as if he's the treasure he's been looking for.
✮☆✮
though after roughly thirty minutes of losing by a mile besides that one goal, hyouma is now drowning in his sweat.
the other guys are gasping for their life. especially hulk, he's pouring a water bottle over his face while encouraging others to do the same. the puddle of mineral water whirls its way near hyouma, one stretch of his arm and he'll be touching it, but he's too tired to be grossed out.
the sunset is all shades of pretty, the kind that his mom would snap pictures of. the kind where his sister would daydream on and about on her balcony. and hyouma would admire the image before helping his mom prepare food, and then knocking his sister out of her daze, yelling that dinner was ready.
hyouma closes his eyes, taking in everything the sky has to extend to him. the light relieves him when his muscles start to throb. this state of contentment is almost like an aftercare for his first game; he's not fulfilled considering his lack of victory, but he's at ease knowing he's found something he will devote himself to.
soccer is a lot of fun, hyouma thinks.
the gliding of someone's slides becomes louder as it inches closer to him. it comes to a halt at the same time hyouma feels a shadow looming over him, blocking the sky that taught him what it meant to be truly content.
when he opens his eyes, and just as he guesses, he sees y/n towering over him. his face is void of a hint of the smile he showed earlier.
"hello," hyouma tries.
"hello."
y/n doesn't say anything else, so hyouma goes back to closing his eyes. he only opens them again after a moment when y/n asks him,
"do you want to get up?"
hyouma purses his lips, contemplating, before reaching his arm out for y/n to take.
y/n pulls hyouma up to his feet. hyouma knows he looks awful right now—his hair sticking up everywhere from sweat and static, shirt and shorts a sweaty wrinkled mess, a face that glows from the late afternoon gaze as the millionth sweat drips down to his neck.
(but when y/n tucks hyouma's hair behind his ear, he realises he can be adored all the same.)
"your speed... no, the existence of your athleticism exists to support the perfect striker in you." y/n's hands are warm when they hold hyouma's face. "just like soccer itself, my sole reason to be in this field is to make you a star. as long as i'm here, i won't let you know any greater joy than scoring."
the gust of wind feels colder than usual when it hits his face the moment y/n lets go. as y/n reaches a fist out to him, hyouma rearranges the first emotion he discovers from y/n: he's more stubborn than he is persistent.
"chigiri hyouma, play soccer with me. you and i will win the world cup together, side by side."
hyouma still doesn't understand y/n. he doesn't know if what he's truly after is a trophy, or something much more unattainable. still...
as he bumps y/n's fist with his own, the roll of hyouma's eyes contains something that he's yet to recognize as fondness.
"try not to fall behind," hyouma taunts, smirking.
a hint of a smile flickers across y/n's face. "who knows? maybe i'd be the one to leave you behind."
"i'd kick a ball to your head before you even have a chance to. and please, call me hyouma, y/n."
the weather forecasted rain, but it appears to be a false prediction as the sky seems clearer than ever when reds and yellows stumble into one another for a scene in y/n's eyes.
(his sister screams at the pure otome game energy from y/n's declaration when hyouma tells her about his day.)
☆✮☆
the soccer club surprisingly welcomes them with open arms. hulk says it's because he and y/n have the determination the club's looking for, but hyouma knows it's because half of the sixth-graders are about to graduate and they can't keep a club running unless it has seven members. hyouma feels like the criteria should be higher for a soccer club, but it is what it is.
"oi, y/n! tell your junior to hurry up unless you two don't want any popsicles!" hulk yells, his shirt can be barely called a t-shirt with how cracked its golden retriever print is.
"we're the same age!" hyouma can only hope that y/n doesn't take the senior-junior jokes they've been getting seriously. he slides into his sandals, which he switches the cleats out for after practice, and shoves the rest of his belongings in his magenta tote bag. "let's go, y/n."
despite being the only two left on the field, y/n has enough patience to always be waiting for hyouma. maybe it came as a package along with his stubbornness.
it's also part of something he's been noticing. it's a bit odd, honestly; the dude only goes to the club hangouts if hyouma's there. if hyouma says he won't be joining, he'll leave to god knows where with only a nod as a farewell.
what a weird guy.
"chigiri-san, you didn't zip it all the way off," y/n says, but he zips hyouma's tote bag for him anyway. he's also done this countless times since the first week they got accepted.
"huh? oh, yeah, thanks."
though it's been months, hyouma is still not used to y/n's... antics. sometimes he'll do this or straight up hold his bag, most of the time he smooths hyouma's hair. it's getting hard to keep track of how inconsistent y/n is in the things he does, honestly.
y/n nods his head in hulk's direction. "let's go."
hyouma only hums in response.
☆
the soccer club is incredibly rowdy.
"that last aice is mine!"
"no, it's mine!"
"aice is so overrated."
"you're overrated! you're literally about to graduate."
"no, no. he's right—"
it's to be expected when they're being led by someone called hulk, after all.
"has anybody seen that one dog-shaped ice cream?" hulk asks, glancing around before walking up to y/n and hyouma, the only two to stand idly in front of the entrance. at least two teenagers have cursed them for blocking the way by now, but hyouma won't move unless y/n moves. which, the latter surprisingly hasn't.
"the one they're fighting for is the dog-shaped one," y/n answers.
"aw, shucks! it's my fav since it looks like my own pup."
the hell is that supposed to mean? "i'm getting dorayakis." hyouma walks away from them to go search in a random aisle.
"me too." hyouma can feel y/n following closely behind him, as he always does.
hyouma keeps his eyes forward. "you like dorayaki?"
"no, i'm getting it since you're getting it."
hyouma's eyes want to falter to y/n, and it feels a little like losing.
☆
after giving the poor seven eleven cashier hell with sweaty kids brawling on the counter to pay first, only for them to pay in multiple one-hundred yen coins. as they walk back to school together, the team chugs down their convenience store goodies like their lives depended on it.
"aice is kinda crap for this one."
"don't look at me like that. i'm not switching after you scratched half of my face."
"at least the dog's kinda cute!"
"it's missing an eyeball from the production process."
"there you sixth graders go again, using old people words...."
hulk turns to hyouma and y/n, ignoring the conversation (that hyouma is sure will escalate into another fight soon) in front of them.
"speaking of dogs, i want to show you two this pic i took of pup yesterday! that reminds me, i'm worried if she's tearing the couch out right now since she's home alone...."
"pup? you named your dog pup?" hyouma looks at hulk incredulously. with how he flaunts his dog merch every second he gets, hyouma expects the pet's name to be something worth praising too, like a major constellation's name or whatever. yun, even.
"i was nine when i named her! it's not that bad, right y/n?"
y/n hums nonchalantly.
hyouma scoffs. "you should worry about where you're going after elementary."
"oh, come on! obviously my moms are deciding that. i'll think about adult stuff when they tell me to. don'tcha agree, y/n?"
this time, y/n gives a proper answer after tucking the dorayaki's wrapping in his pocket.
"me and hyouma are taking over the world as world cup champions, so i'm following him wherever he goes."
"when the hell did we discuss that?"
"when you promised you won't leave me."
"when?!"
"don't remember." y/n shrugs. "now, i guess."
the stars that have begun to appear above them are trying to imitate a constellation, but it only looks like a faux bridge to hyouma.
understanding y/n will prove to be impossible.
☆✮☆
ever since they were welcomed to the soccer club, he and y/n have also been going to afternoon practices together. they're only mandatory once a week, but y/n insists (and by 'insists', hyouma means y/n can and will manhandle him if needed) on going to them from monday until thursday. but strangely enough, never friday.
hyouma just knows it's because y/n is secretly running a soccer cult filled with his fellow creepy victorian children. not like it's any of hyouma's business. hopefully, it'll never have to be.
and now, a few weeks later, hyouma finally gives in and decides to observe y/n.
so naturally, as y/n's good, erm, soccer buddy and fellow future world cup trophy holder, hyouma begins to find his own eyes darting behind him whenever he can.
and one thing to note from his observations, y/n has no friends.
hyouma has seen kids come and go by his table to make small talk, but the only responses y/n would make are limited to: nodding, humming, and if the opponent is lucky, y/n would throw them a glance before going back to his book.
hyouma can't tell if he's a nerd or just terrible with people. he has a feeling it's both.
y/n's not that bad. his only flaw might only be that he doesn't move a single muscle of his face, and maybe his voice is always weirdly monotone, also he dresses like a victorian boy with those ribbons thing on dress shirts of his. despite all that, he's not that bad! he... he once laced hyouma's cleats for him! and uh... he was the one to get him into his favourite sport...?
maaaybe y/n is too much of an enigma. hyouma doesn't know anything about him, and that curiosity made him start to watch him like a freak. which is insane because the freak between the both of them is supposed to be only y/n, not hyouma who can run the universe with his legs if he tries hard enough.
hyouma lies his head in his arms. he listens (eavesdrops) from his desk as another one of their unfortunate classmates approaches y/n. hyouma can't see who it is from his faux sleeping position, but judging by their voice, it seems to be the girl that sits next to y/n.
"l/n-kun! did you do the english homework today?" she chirps. hyouma can hear the slight screech of her chair when she pulls it.
"yeah." y/n says dryly.
"wow! um, it was hard, wasn't it? thankfully, my mom helped me with it!"
"it was, so i had someone do it for me, too."
"what?"
"what?"
"oh, well... anyways! is your book that fun? i always see you reading it even at lunch break."
hyouma's beginning to feel bad for the girl now, like he does with every classmate and their failed attempts to start a conversation with y/n.
hyouma imagines y/n flipping over a page before responding to her. "i guess so, it lets me learn things that aren't allowed."
"aren't allowed as in... illegal?"
"what's illegal?"
"it's, uh, what you just said, not allowed."
"oh," y/n says, pondering for a moment. "yeah."
"i see!" she shouts, her voice as squeaky as her chair when she abruptly stands up. "i think the teacher just called me, bye!"
"really...? i didn't hear anyone." y/n mumbles, but the girl's footsteps are already echoing down the hallway.
hyouma takes that as his cue to wake up.
lifting his head, hyouma glances at y/n.
after taking a deep breath, he gets up and sits on the empty seat in front of y/n.
"hey."
no response. hyouma's a bit of a reader himself, but what is y/n reading that's more interesting than talking to hyouma?
"i said, hey!" crossing his arms over the chair, hyouma raises his voice.
y/n finally looks up from his book. glancing his eyes down to take a peek at the paperback in y/n's hands, hyouma tries to make out the title from the footnote of its page.
'sos—soccer... nomics.'
oh, he's definitely a nerd.
he glances at y/n again, and finds dull e/cs staring back at him.
"do you need something?" y/n says with zero interest in his tone, but he closes his book anyway.
hyouma paused.
right.
why was he here again?
the objective is to observe y/n, and what comes after that is never thought by him. in fact, he doesn't even remember why he's observing him in the first place.
is it from pity? because he notices how y/n has no friends whatsoever, or is it from a sense of debt? since y/n is the one to get him interested in soccer?
hyouma can't think of any other reasons. is there ever one in the first place? his mind is too foggy all of a sudden.
does it need a reason in the first place? y/n approached him first, and to be frank, his reasoning makes no sense. but maybe that's also because hyouma doesn't fully understand y/n yet.
...oh!
so that's it! hyouma wishes to know more about him!
"no, i just want to be here." grinning, hyouma leans into y/n's desk more.
y/n props his cheek against his hand. "why?"
"no reason. do i even need one?"
y/n hums. "if you want to talk about your soccer, then we can do it after school during practice."
it's hyouma's turn to be confused now.
"what? i don't only approach you when i need something, do i? do i seem that low to you?"
y/n widens his eyes. "it's all we talk about so i'm assuming...." he trails off. oh, he's also most definitely terrible with people.
sighing, hyouma runs through his hair with his hand in frustration. his partner may be a bit more of an idiot than he thought.
"i don't— i don't just want to talk to you about soccer. i... i want to be friends with you... too." hyouma mumbles as he averts his eyes. he can't believe the day when he tells someone that would come. for the kid who looks like he time-travelled from the eight-hundreds nonetheless.
the silence that comes after it drags longer than hyouma's pride can take.
he turns to glare at y/n, but his gaze softens when he sees how y/n looks at him, as if he just told him he's the author of the soccernomics.
'his eyes are all starry again.'
hyouma averts his gaze again, and he doesn't look anywhere except for the shiny wooden floor. he can't let y/n see how those stupid eyes got him smiling like he's the author of soccernomics.
"well? are we friends or not?"
hyouma guesses y/n is nodding vigorously, so when he takes a peek at him—
"yes!"
the clouds overcast the sun, but hyouma feels like today is the sunniest summer has ever been.
☆✮☆
love isn't a foreign concept for hyouma. in truth, he's sure at least eleven people in his sixth-grade class like him.
years have gone by, and hyouma is no longer terrified by y/n now (not that he's ever been in the first place, he just thinks he should point that out). and having known the male for so long, he just knows y/n might be one of them. for years hyouma has caught him watching him from afar multiple times, but each time, y/n merely nods his head. he's no longer scared when y/n does that no, but besides that!
hyouma has a mission today, and it is to buy his oh-so-dear sister a bouquet for her soon-to-be girlfriend. and being the cringe romantic his sister is, she requested one with red roses so the girl can be reminded of her red hair and eyes. he doesn't think she needs to since the girl she's trying to woo already looks at her like she's the only woman out there ever. yuck.
unlike his sister, hyouma has no time to spare for something silly like a crush. his first and eternal love is soccer, end of story.
hyouma takes the florist and marches to leave, only to find a peculiar sight across the street from him also doing the same thing.
it's y/n standing outside of a garden shop with a sprouting seedling bag in his hands.
this is not very victorian cult boy of him, or maybe it is?
if it is, then the half-a-decade-old mystery has been solved. is this where y/n goes on fridays? to find plants in grow bags and sacrifice innocent nature to whatever soccer devil he's worshipping?
just kidding. hyouma is just not over how y/n still dresses like a wealthy son from the victorian era. though, he loves to exaggerate when it comes to y/n. it started because of his slight fear when he first met him, but now he's doing it to tease him, even if it's only inside his head.
"oh, it's you, hyouma. good day." without checking if the street is safe to cross, y/n skips over to him, the sprout in the bag bouncing along. "what's that you're holding?"
"...just some roses for my sister." hyouma says, raising his head to look at y/n. it's annoying how he still has to do that every time they talk.
"that's nice. you must adore her a lot."
"no, i'm being forced to do this. it's not even for her, it's for her girlfriend." it's future girlfriend, but whatever. those sapphics are probably gonna be kissing and holding hands on their porch the second the girl gets her flowers, anyway.
y/n tilts his head. "good for them, but how are you being forced?"
his neck hurts already, so hyouma begins to walk away. "she said she'd get me eden hazard's nonfiction book. by the way, do you read stuff like that, too? you know, soccer things." hyouma has known the answer for years, and y/n knows that. he asks simply to divert the topic, since there's something inherently embarrassing about admitting which man you like most from the sports world, but maybe that's just hyouma.
"i do." y/n catches up beside him and stands on the outside of the sidewalk, closest to the street.
'this seems familiar.'
hyouma has seen his sister doing the same to her alleged friend countless times outside their home, the same friend she's buying a bouquet of red roses for. if hyouma doesn't know any better, he would think y/n likes likes him... or something... haha....
he's not, right?
the only thing they have in common is that they both like soccer. not only that, hyouma barely knows anything about y/n. aside from that, he's a soccer-obsessed freak every day except for friday, when he sacrifices plants for the victorian slash y/n themed cult he's leading.
but... y/n was the one who approached him first, and bothered him until hyouma agreed to play soccer together... and promised to make him a star, out of all things, so that he wouldn't know any joy greater than being with him... on the field. as two men, who happen to be playing soccer together.
yeah, y/n doesn't like him. he just likes him as a striker. it's not that big of a deal.
except, y/n takes soccer as a very big of a deal.
then that... would make the possibility of y/n having a crush on him low, but never zero.
"i do."
an inscrutable voice echoes in hyouma's head, unhelpfully supplied with an image of stardust scattering in y/n's eyes.
this— this can't be!
l/n y/n likes chigiri hyouma?! what a joke! y/n isn't a love interest of hyouma's from one of his sister's otome games, they're just two guys who happen to both be lovely and like soccer!
...right?
the image turns into something worse, a view of y/n's small smile accompanied by the sunset.
right?!
"...ma? hyouma?"
suddenly, a voice breaks hyouma out of his reverie. he blinks at y/n's hand waving in front of him.
hyouma tries his best not to be shaken by the main character of his thoughts breathing in front of him. "what's wrong?"
"you've been out of it for a while. are you okay?"
no. if you don't stop with your acts of service, i'll think that you're in love with me. "yeah, all good."
"thank goodness." the ghost of a smile y/n gives him does not help to ease his turmoil. "oh, and, is this your house?"
glancing as he didn't realise he was staring at y/n the whole time, hyouma was indeed in front of his home, the house of the chigiri family.
"it... is."
he shudders. did his legs carry him to his house without him knowing? the human body can be both amazing and terrifying at times. ̶g̶o̶o̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶y̶/̶n̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶.̶
"then i'll be going. see you at school next week, hyouma." with that, y/n nods and turns his heel.
"wait!" hyouma shouts, grabbing y/n's arm before he can even make his first step.
tilting his head, y/n examines him up and down with his eyes. "is there something wrong?"
"i have something to show you at home— my home. i got a bunch of novels that can improve our mindset about soccer, i haven't checked any of them out yet, but i wanna do it with you."
"oh..." y/n says meekly, "but why me?"
"who else would it be if not you?"
and then y/n lights up, as in the air surrounding them suddenly feels like the sun is beaming a spotlight on them. if the tomato sprout in y/n's seedling bag was wilting, it certainly isn't now.
"you're right, hyouma and i are friends after all."
"yeah, we are." hyouma reassures nonchalantly as he creaks the gate open. "thank god nee-san's out until six today, so we won't—"
"what do you mean by 'thank god'?"
his sister interrupts, leaning on the door with a lopsided grin.
"nee-san!"
"pardon my intrusion," says y/n, ever so polite (not really), as he slightly bows.
"oh my goodness! are you the one hyouma won't stop blabbering about?" she croons, eyeing y/n just to coo at him.
"he talks about me?" y/n tilts his head, and hyouma can only hope it's not out of amusement.
in a heartbeat, he shoves the bouquet into his sister's face before she can reveal anything else.
"nee-san, you're embarrassing me! take your flowers and leave!" he whisper-shouts, desperately begging with his entire being for her to get a hint.
"but what about that book about the soccer dude you're obsessed with? am i buying it for you or not?" his sister chuckles, making no effort to lower her voice, as if she's trying to embarrass hyouma more.
"i hope a bird shits on you and your ugly flowers."
"the flowers have the same colour as our hair and eyes, but thanks for the good luck!" her eyes settle on y/n. "though, with your guest here, getting the girl later won't hurt." she winks at him.
hyouma doesn't know what's more irritating: her being aware that her crush reciprocates her feelings but still insists on the mutual pining, or her prioritizing torturing hyouma over her (absolutely!) cringeworthy grand confession.
my god, it's like she only exists to annoy hyouma. beating the crap out of her and becoming an only child sounds so tempting right now. if y/n wasn't here, maybe it could've come true.
y/n nods awkwardly, putting his plant down behind their gate. "i'm sorry for bothering you."
shoving the flowers back to hyouma, who catches it with a yelp, she croons at y/n again. "aww, you're so sweet! hyouma should take notes of that part about you instead of what book you brought that day."
"um... what?"
out of all things.... hyouma clicks his tongue. "don't listen to her! just get inside!"
after hastily shoving the stupid roses back into his sister's hands, hyouma grabs y/n's wrist before making a run for it.
"hyouma, welcome back!"
why does his mom have to schedule a day off today out of all days?!
"i'm home, mom! can't talk now! sorry!"
blurring past the picture frames lining up in the hallway, they get to his room at the end of the corridor. he pushes y/n in and shuts the door with a bang.
"who's that with hyouma? he's unusually in a rush."
"his boyfriend. don't worry about it."
good thing he threw y/n in first so he can't hear the muffled voices of hyouma's family outside.
sighing, he glances at y/n to find him admiring the piles of novels and scattered dvds hyouma never bothers to sort out.
'crap, i forgot to clean up! i would've done it if i knew someone would be coming over!'
y/n picks up an otome game disc. his sister must've stored it in his room when he ran an errand for her. fuck. "hyouma, you like this type of stuff?"
the illustrated wink on the cover is almost mocking. even when his sister is not in the same room as him, she still manages to ruin his life.
he immediately snatches the game from y/n. "no, that's my sister's. her room has no more space left, so she uses mine as a dumpster."
looking around for a place to hide the dvd, he looks at his desk only to find it thrashed with stationeries and opened notebooks.
"are those your sister's as well?"
"...yeah, she's a pain like that."
imagining one of the notebooks as his sister's face, hyouma slaps the game on it before slamming the book shut.
he turns back to y/n with a smile. "you can sit on the floor." he cannot let y/n find the match notes he took about them both the night before on his bed.
sliding a jacket that hyouma has forgotten exists away with his hand, y/n sits with his knees tucked to his chest as he leans his back on hyouma's bed. hyouma should really start cleaning his room more often.
trying not to let the regret consume his whole, hyouma grabs every book on his ghost-reads shelf—because why would he read self-help books willingly after buying them—and tosses them in front of y/n.
y/n marvels at the books scattered everywhere in front of him. "that's a lot. you're really into this stuff, huh, hyouma."
hyouma rolls his eyes, pointing a finger accusingly at y/n. "you're one to talk! i see you bringing a different one every week."
"so your sister was right about you taking notes of what book i brought that day?"
y/n's gaze has never felt this burdensome. "no! she's lying! i told you to not believe anything she says." hyouma huffs. it's not not a lie unless he admits it, which he never will, thanks.
"whatever you say," y/n murmurs. "i've never seen any of these before."
"how?" there are dozens of copies of any of these basic arse books displayed in the front of local bookstores and libraries, it's hard to believe that y/n hasn't at least read any of them once.
"i don't go around much." y/n hums as he flips through an untitled book hyouma forgets he owns, save for the words 'ambition: what is life without?' on the right corner in the back.
the dust from it makes y/n blink for two solid seconds. hyouma counts it before he asks, "then where did you get your reads?"
y/n puts the book down. "someone gave them to me." he mutters, rubbing his eyes.
his answer is too vague, hyouma can't dissect anything from that, can't understand y/n more than that. what is there to understand when there isn't even something to understand in the first place? hyouma has already started to feel bitter about the word.
this isn't even the first time; it's always been like this even before hyouma befriended him, and hyouma goes for the same route each time. thinking that maybe he's being impatient, maybe he shouldn't prod on. maybe being friends isn't how they should—
(he buries those thoughts into the back of his mind, and leaves them to rot like everything with y/n.)
"...hyouma? are you okay?"
(if y/n had asked if there was something on his mind, would hyouma be honest with him?)
hyouma smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "yeah. you were saying?"
"i was just asking where you got yours. are you sure you're okay?" y/n asks. hyouma's known him long enough to recognise that he's concerned for him.
"all good." hyouma sits across from y/n, propping one knee up to lean his head against. "my sister bought most of them from bookstores she finds during her walks."
more like she throws them at hyouma and turns them against him any time he refuses to do her a favour. siblings are so fun to have around.
"i already knew it, but she's nice." she's very much not. "bookstores sound cool."
"then let's shop at one," hyouma offers without thinking.
y/n blinks. "now?"
hyouma rolls his eyes as he desperately tries not to think of what prompted himself to say that. "no, not now. we're still gonna be hanging out in here for the rest of the day. we'll schedule a time and date one day, though."
plus if hyouma were to come out of his room, his sister would definitely tease him (and y/n) until her (not) girlfriend picks her up. the thought sends a shiver down his spine.
"okay, one day." y/n nods, staring down at his knees with something a little suspiciously like a tug on his lips.
hyouma wonders if it would surprise y/n if he were to lean in and softly press against them using his own lips.
but moving on!
"y/n, you should read this one!" hyouma grabs the first thing he sees and pushes it to y/n. "i read— i mean, i heard it's really good!"
"overcoming storms in life? told by the weather?"
"um— yeah! it tells about the stages of... uh, you know! yeah! just read it, i think you'll like it!"
"i thought we're here to improve our mindset for soccer?"
"well...!" hyouma completely forgot about that the moment his sister appeared. "in order to win the world cup, you'll be going through a lot of tough things in life, like, especially with your relationships. so... if you overcome them, then you'll be closer to our goal!"
thankfully, y/n seems to buy it. he nods as he admires the book with a newfound appreciation. "i trust you."
"i'm gonna," he stumbles, snatching the dusty book beside y/n. "read this one."
he doesn't think about how highly suspicious he seems. he refuses to know and can only hope y/n doesn't notice anything, that's his current ambition to match up with the title of the book in his hand. he lies down on his back and snaps open the spine of his decades-old paperback into a makeshift roof that perfectly hides his face.
hopefully.
☆
how long has it been?
blinking as he adjusts his eyes, hyouma's vision is filled with nothing but clouds and stars.
he wakes up with a blanket over him. the room didn't feel this cold before he slept.
he glances to see his air-conditioner turned on to twenty degrees celsius, he doesn't remember doing that.
he also doesn't see y/n anywhere when he looks around again.
hyouma begrudgingly gets up with a groan, the blanket slipping off of him. he realises it's the one from his bed.
he walks past the neatly stacked books. and just as he reaches for the door handle, he freezes when he hears two familiar voices outside of his room.
his sister's laughter echoes between the walls. "hyouma's been smiling a lot more ever since he told me you guys became friends. i don't know what you see in him, but thanks for that!"
"it's nothing to thank me for. i like hyouma."
his heart drops.
"he waits for me when we go to the cafeteria or practice together, he gets all impatient before checking if i have everything i need with me, and then acts all angry when i forget something but still waits for me, anyway. he says he doesn't need them anymore when he lends me his pencils, but i'll see him buy more in the school's stationery store."
it feels like his heart is hammering against his ribcage the more the words flow out of y/n.
"he's kind. i was happy when he asked me to be his friend. sometimes i think i don't deserve him, but i would also think that i wouldn't let go of him at all."
hyouma turns to lie on the ground he slept on, ignoring how the dusty book next to his pillow on the ground is gleaming brand-new again,
"i hope he feels the same way."
and forces the erratic beating of his heart to sleep.
(as the rain prattles gently against his window, chigiri hyouma is reminded that he is a treasured friend of l/n y/n.)
☆
when hyouma wakes up, a blanket is draped over him again, and the air conditioner unit is still set to twenty degrees celsius.
but there's no y/n with him, or muffled voices outside his room anymore.
hyouma scurries through their hallway, past the walls lined with all sorts of framed pictures: the last one being a photo of himself as a toddler, his sister, and his mother posing in commemoration of their new, current house. and finds his family near their table of four.
"i'm up. where's y/n?"
"hyouma! your fancy friend left an hour ago. he's as polite as he looks! you should bring him over more often." his mom chirps, setting up placemats over the table. "be a dear and help me set up the table."
"sure, i'll ask him about it."
hyouma holds his breath as he passes by his sister stirring a pot of curry. and just when he thinks he's in the clear when he reaches the cabinet, she clears her throat.
"should i dress up as y/n instead of santa this year?"
hyouma points a plate at her. "do you want to die?"
"language!"
"yes, mom."
his sister snickers and when he narrows his eyes to glare, he notices something beyond the window behind her, near the gate of their house.
a particular seedling bag, with a sprout of a supposed tomato, is more or less drowning in the fine drops of rain.
the bastard forgot to bring it home with him.
—ADDITIONAL TIME!
"hyouma," y/n calls out, his hands behind him, as if he's hiding something.
"what?"
"give me your hand."
though confused, hyouma does as he says.
y/n hands him a purple-red snap hair clip, the size is no larger than his index finger.
"a hair clip?" hyouma mumbles, examining the accessory. it's in his favourite colour. "why?"
y/n's lips tug up into a small smile. "your hair's getting long."
—☆
shout out to @yunq1ao i stole their alt's handle for the title and every other sentence that hints about bridges and clouds and the title of their fic and their name and everything alike. thank you yun !! i wrote nearly everything here with you in mind.
anyways please ignore how everyone is canonically from different prefectures for the sake of my fic's logic🔥 yeah i lied abt updating faster bc i forgot i write slow and edit even slower LMFAO
oh and also don't point out how the sidewalk rule is technically not an act of service ^_^ let chigiri (and me) be delusional !