Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

It was early morning when Ness made his way to Ego's office. Even though the PxG match was over, they still had to remain here for a few days—something about legal reasons or whatever. Not that it mattered much to Ness.

Just as Ness was about to knock on the door, it opened. He watched as the coaches filed out of the office one by one. Ness assumed they must have had a meeting.

Imagine having to sit through a meeting at 8 o'clock in the morning and listen to Ego yap the whole time. Damn, that’d make me suicidal.

Ness decided to wait until all the coaches had left before going in. He nodded and wished each of them a good morning as they passed. When he thought the coast was clear, he stepped forward, only to accidentally collide with Loki.

"Ah shit! My bad, bro," Ness apologized quickly.

"Nah, you're good. Sorry for stepping on your foot," Loki replied, just as apologetic.

Before Ness could enter the office, Ego appeared in the doorway. "They're not here yet—traffic delays. Come back around 11," he said flatly.

So my Aderall hasn't arrived yet, well shit...

Ness just nodded and wished Ego a good morning, though the man had already disappeared back into his office.

Loki, who had overheard their exchange, looked curious but didn’t comment. Instead, as they started walking together, he said, “Good morning, by the way.”

Ness glanced at him. “Morning, Loki.”

The two fell into step together, heading in the same direction since their facilities were near one another. The silence between them felt slightly awkward—at least to Ness, though he chalked it up to being a socially inept introvert. Loki wasn’t exactly the most extroverted guy either, but Ness figured he leaned more toward the ambivert side of things.

When they reached the PxG facility, Loki stopped, taking a deep sigh that caught Ness’s attention.

“What’s wrong? Not looking forward to heading in there?” Ness raised an eyebrow, amused by the clear reluctance on Loki’s face.

Loki let out a humorless laugh. “I think I’d rather jump naked off the Eiffel Tower than step into that lion’s den.”

Ness nodded knowingly. He’d seen firsthand how insane the PxG players could be—completely unhinged, lacking any sense of manners or class.

“If it makes you feel better,” Ness said, dead serious, “I’m not looking forward to going into that psycho pit either.” He shuddered at the thought, making Loki burst out laughing.

"Understandable," Loki agreed with a smirk as they started to go their separate ways.

Before Loki could get too far, Ness called him back. "You doing anything right now?"

Loki turned, curiosity flashing in his eyes, but he shook his head. "Training starts later, so I’m free. Why?"

Ness decided to be honest. "I’m bored, and everyone else is crazy. Wanna hang out?"

Loki blinked, a bit surprised by the invitation, but then he smiled. "Sure, why not? Come to my room—I brought my PS5 with me."

Ness’s eyes lit up. "Dude, swear to God?"

Loki nodded, his own excitement growing. "Hell yeah, I did. I couldn’t leave my baby all alone."

As they walked through the PxG facility, the silence between them felt heavy at first. Loki glanced at Ness out of the corner of his eye, then broke the ice.

"Didn’t think you’d be the type to ask someone to hang out," Loki said, his tone light but genuine.

Ness shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. I’m not exactly a social butterfly. Desperate times call for desperate measurements."

Loki chuckled. "Noted. Guess I should feel honored then."

"You should, indeed," Ness shot back, though his tone was more amused than annoyed.

They passed a group of PxG players messing around in the hallway, their shouting echoing through the facility. Loki sighed. "See? This is why I need my PS5. These guys are... intense."

"You’re telling me," Ness muttered, glaring briefly at the chaos. "Half of them act like they’ve never heard of personal space."

"Yeah, and the other half think trash-talking at full volume is a skill," Loki added, shaking his head.

Ness smirked. "You seem surprisingly normal for someone in this madhouse."

Loki glanced at him, pretending to be offended. "Surprisingly normal? I’ll take that as a compliment... I think."

They turned a corner, Loki leading the way. Ness looked around, taking in the small details of the facility he rarely paid attention to before.

"So," Ness started, trying to keep the conversation going, "what kind of games do you play?"

"All kinds," Loki replied. "But mostly FIFA and RPGs. I’ll warn you now—I’m pretty damn good at FIFA."

Ness scoffed. "Please. You’re talking to someone who mastered Ultimate Team in two weeks. You’re not ready for me."

"Oh, it’s like that, huh?" Loki grinned. "Alright, we’ll see. Don’t cry when I hand you your first loss."

"Big talk," Ness retorted. "Better back it up."

They arrived at Loki’s room, and Loki unlocked the door, gesturing for Ness to step inside. "Welcome to my humble abode. Try not to touch anything valuable."

Ness raised an eyebrow. "Why? You afraid I’ll steal your trophies or something?"

"No," Loki shot back, smirking. "I’m afraid you’ll knock them over. You seem clumsy."

Ness rolled his eyes as he stepped inside, taking in the neat but lived-in space. The PS5 sat proudly in the corner, already hooked up to a massive TV.

"Alright," Ness said, cracking his knuckles as he sat on the floor in front of the console. "Let’s see what you’ve got."

Loki grinned as he grabbed the controllers. "Prepare to be humbled, my friend."

Loki handed Ness a controller and navigated to FIFA on the PS5. "Alright, pick your team. I’m about to give you a lesson in humility."

Ness smirked, quickly selecting his lineup. "You talk a lot for someone who’s about to lose. Hope you can back it up."

Loki grinned as the game started. "Oh, I’ll back it up. Don’t worry."

The first five minutes were all banter as they figured each other’s playstyle out. Loki scored the first goal with a slick play, earning a loud groan from Ness.

"That was luck!" Ness protested, glaring at the screen.

"Luck? That was skill, my friend," Loki said smugly, leaning back on his hands. "I told you I’m good."

"Yeah, yeah, let’s see how smug you are when I destroy you in the second half," Ness shot back, leaning forward in determination.

The game continued, each of them pulling off impressive plays and scoring goals, all while trash-talking mercilessly.

"Wow, you call that defense? My grandma could’ve stopped that and she's disabled," Loki teased as he scored again.

"Shut up, you're horrible," Ness grumbled, his lips twitching into a reluctant smile. "At least I don’t spend my life playing FIFA. Maybe you should try touching some grass."

"Coming from the guy who admitted to mastering Ultimate Team? That’s rich," Loki quipped, laughing.

"Alright, alright, focus. You’re distracting me," Ness muttered, determined to even the score.

Despite the competitive edge, they were having fun. By the time the game ended in a draw, both were grinning like idiots.

"Not bad," Loki admitted, setting the controller down. "You’re better than I thought."

"You’re not too shabby either," Ness replied, brushing off imaginary dust from his shoulder. "But next time, I’m taking the win."

Loki chuckled. "Big words for someone who barely held a tie."

Ness leaned back against the couch, glancing at Loki. "You know," he said after a pause, "you’re pretty cool to hang out with. I didn’t expect that."

Loki blinked in surprise before his smile softened. "Thanks. Same to you. You’re not as intimidating as you look."

Ness raised an eyebrow. "Intimidating? Me?"

"Yeah," Loki teased. "You’ve got that whole 'I’ll bite your head off if you talk to me' vibe going on."

Ness rolled his eyes but couldn’t help smirking. "Maybe I just need better company."

Loki laughed. "Glad to be of service."

They fell into an easy silence, the initial awkwardness gone. For the first time, Ness felt like he wasn't completely out of place in the chaos of PxG

Glancing at the time, Ness groaned he had just one more hour before training started

"What's up?" Loki asked, amused by
Ness's sudden outburst.

"Training in an hour,"' Ness replied, dragging a hand down his face. "I'm going to kill myself, dude."

Loki snorted. "I feel that on a spiritual level. You have no idea. Coming to Blue Lock might've been the worst decision I've ever made."

"Same here, Ness said, deadpan" Every breath I take makes me regret it more."

They locked eyes for a moment before bursting into laughter, the kind that eased the tension neither of them realized they had been carrying.

"God, you have no idea how good it feels to finally have someone normal to talk to around my age," Loki said, leaning back with a grin as he started setting up another game. "Alright, pick your team, Ness."

Ness smirked, scrolling through the options. "Alexis is fine."

Loki raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eye. "Alexis, huh? Very well then. But it's Julian to you now."

Ness let out a mock groan. "Of course, you’d go full roleplay mode. Fine. Let’s see if 'Julian' can keep up with me this round."

The match began, their earlier camaraderie carrying over into their playful competition. Loki pulled an early lead with a sneaky goal, earning an exaggerated groan from Ness.

"Seriously? How do you score that easily? Do you bribe the AI or something?" Ness accused, glaring at the screen.

"It’s called skill, Ness," Loki teased, flashing him a smug grin. "You might want to look into it sometime."

Ness rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress his grin. "Okay, asshole. Keep talking while you can. You’re about to get crushed."

Despite his big talk, Loki held the lead through most of the game. By the time it ended, Ness was leaning back with his arms crossed, scowling at the scoreboard.

"Don’t say it," Ness muttered.

"I didn’t say anything," Loki replied innocently, though the smirk on his face said otherwise.

"You’re thinking it, though. I can feel it."

"Okay, fine. I’ll say it," Loki teased. "You suck."

"Rematch," Ness demanded, already grabbing the controller to restart the game.

Loki laughed, shaking his head but agreeing anyway. "Alright, but if I win again, you owe me something."

Ness raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Loki shrugged. "I don’t know. We’ll figure it out when I win."

"Big words," Ness said with a smirk, leaning forward with determination. "Let’s see if you can back them up."

As the rematch began, their laughter and trash talk filled the room, an unexpected but welcome escape from the intensity of PxG life. For the first time, Ness found himself enjoying someone’s company without feeling the need to keep his guard up.

When Ness lost for the third time that morning, he groaned dramatically and slumped onto Loki’s floor. "Fuck my life. My pride is torn apart."

"Dude, stop being so dramatic," Loki said, rolling his eyes as he joined Ness on the floor. After a moment, Loki glanced at him thoughtfully. "You know what I just realized?"

"What?" Ness mumbled, his voice slightly muffled as he covered his face with his arm.

"We’ve never actually talked before," Loki said, matter-of-factly.

That made Ness sit up straight. "Shit, you’re right."

"Of course I am. I’m always right," Loki replied with a grin.

Ness tilted his head, letting out a scoff. "Oh, of course, you are, oh humble being. Please allow me to be graced by your divine presence."

Loki burst out laughing. "Bro, no offense, I know Kaiser’s your friend, but that’s exactly how I imagine he talks 24/7."

Ness shrugged nonchalantly. "None taken. We’re not cool anymore."

That piqued Loki’s curiosity. He stood up and shuffled through a box under his bed, eventually pulling out some snacks. "Are thou willing to bear thy soul to me, good sir?" he said in an overly dramatic fake accent, making Ness laugh and throw a pillow at him.

"Shut the fuck up, dude," Ness said, but he accepted the snacks Loki handed him—a bag of chips and a Fanta. Loki grabbed some candy and a bottle of cola for himself.

"Come on," Loki said, popping open his cola and settling back down. "I’m listening."

"You nosy bitch," Ness muttered, though he couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Guilty," Loki said with a grin, grabbing a handful of sour patch kids and immediately groaning. "Damn, these are way too sour."

Ness smirked, munching on a chip. "That’s what you get for being a nosy bastard."

"Totally worth it," Loki replied, waving him on. "Spill."

"Alright, Julian. So, mid-game, this dude looks me dead in the eyes and goes, 'Find another king. I don’t need you anymore.' Like, first of all—ouch, that hurt. Second of all, he pulled some shit on live stream that was so embarrassing, my ego hasn’t recovered since. I can’t lie."

"Naaaahhh," Loki said, grinning mischievously. "I’m not tryna instigate, but me personally? I’d have already sent bro six feet under—permanently enrolled in the undergraduate program."

"Not trying to instigate, my ass. You liar," Ness said, shoving him lightly.

"Oh no! My cover is blown," Loki replied with mock horror, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"And that’s not even the worst part," Ness continued. "You know during our last game? He straight-up told me to quit football because I’d drag down every team I joined."

"Shit," Loki muttered, shaking his head. "Don’t listen to him, bro. I think you’re great. Plus, didn’t he miss a goal so bad people online started calling him an astronaut? Like, ‘NASA better claim that ball.’"

Ness stared at him, deadpan for a moment, before bursting into laughter. Loki joined in, laughing so hard he nearly choked on his candy.

"Dumbass! Be more careful," Ness said, patting his back as Loki coughed between laughs.

"Ugh," Loki groaned, wiping tears from his eyes as he leaned back. "I hated the last game."

Ness raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "Why? What happened?"

Loki’s expression twisted into annoyance. "That bastard Isagi called me a 'speed merchant.' How rude is that?"

Ness scoffed, shaking his head in solidarity. "The audacity. That guy’s insufferable. He called me 'Kaiser’s dick rider' once."

Loki winced in exaggerated sympathy. "That’s brutal. Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past him to escalate. I swear, when I told him it’d take centuries for Japan to produce even a mediocre striker, the look in his eyes... I swear he wanted to call me the n-word." Loki shuddered at the memory.

Ness couldn’t help but laugh as he casually munched on a handful of chips. "I can’t lie, dude’s got issues. Wouldn’t be surprised if he turns out to be bipolar or something."

Loki smirked, leaning forward. "You’ve gotta admit, though—it takes some kind of skill to know every insult in existence and somehow drop them at just the right time."

Ness snorted, trying not to choke on his chips. "I’m telling you, if bro existed in Avatar: The Last Airbender, he’d be a master of ‘slur bending.’"

Loki’s eyes widened before he burst into laughter. "That’s diabolical—but not insane. I’ve thought the same thing."

For a moment, they just stared at each other, processing how ridiculous the conversation had become. Then, as if on cue, they both erupted into uncontrollable laughter, the sound filling the room.

As their laughter settled, Loki leaned back against the bed, tossing another handful of sour candy into his mouth. "Man, I swear, Blue Lock feels less like football training and more like a survival show. You’ve got Isagi trash-talking like he’s on Twitter, Kaiser strutting around like he’s royalty, and don’t even get me started on Shidou. That guy’s straight-up unhinged—freaky with it."

"Don’t remind me," Ness groaned, dragging a hand through his hair. "I thought Kaiser was bad, but Shidou? He’s chaos in human form. One minute he’s scoring an insane goal, the next he’s either threatening to bite someone or—God, this is real—coming down his pants. Legitimately, every game he’s in should be rated PG-16. Like, what do you even mean he yelled, ‘Ahhh, here comes the dopamine, I’m about to come’? How is he not embarrassed?"

Loki practically wheezed, clutching his stomach. "Yeah, and the worst part? He’s proud of it. Calls it ‘being passionate.’ Dude, that’s not passion—that’s a damn safety hazard."

"Facts," Ness agreed, shaking his head with a chuckle. "And let’s not forget Rin. That guy’s got the emotional range of a brick wall. I can never tell if he’s plotting my downfall or just zoning out."

Loki snorted. "Rin? Nah, he’s like a robot with a grudge. I bet if you beat him in a game, he’d pull up a PowerPoint presentation on why it’ll never happen again."

Ness doubled over, nearly choking on his chips. "Stop! I can actually picture that!"

Loki sat up, his voice dropping into a robotic monotone. "Slide one: ‘Why I'll Become A Better Striker Than Sae Ever Was.’ Point one: Pure skill advantage. Point two: Weakness exploitation.’"

"Point three," Ness added, barely able to breathe through his laughter, "‘Because I said so.’"

They both dissolved into uncontrollable laughter, Ness nearly toppling off the bed as Loki wiped tears from his eyes. The ridiculousness of Blue Lock’s players had never been more entertaining.

They both collapsed into laughter again, the kind that left their sides aching and their cheeks sore. It felt good to let loose for once, free from the usual tension of training and competition.

When the laughter finally subsided, Ness glanced at Loki, still grinning. "You know, you’re actually pretty funny."

Loki raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a sly smile. "You say that like you expected me to be a total asshole."

"Well," Ness teased, smirking, "you’re French. Asshole energy kinda comes with the territory."

Loki gasped mockingly, clutching his chest like he’d been mortally wounded. "Bro, Ness, that’s gotta be racist—but fair enough." He shrugged before tossing a candy at Ness. "You’re not so bad yourself. For someone who claims to hate everyone, you’re actually decent company."

"Don’t get used to it," Ness said with a grin, popping a piece of candy into his mouth. "I still hate everyone."

Loki snorted, leaning back. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. But now that we’re all buddy-buddy, does this mean I get to call you my bestie? Bestie, pick a new team, let's play again."

"Hell no to both," Ness replied quickly, rolling his eyes. "Losing three times to you has has hurt my pride enough. Anyway, gimme your number." He tossed the controller aside, his tone more demanding than polite.

Loki shook his head, laughing as he reached for his phone. "Not even asking, just straight-up demanding is crazy."

"You’ll survive," Ness shot back with a smirk.

After exchanging numbers, Ness pulled up Instagram and immediately sent Loki a follow. Loki followed him back without hesitation.

"Alright, now I’ve gotta document this humiliation properly," Ness said, snapping a quick photo of the two of them sitting on the bed. The controllers were in view, the TV screen showing Loki's latest victory, and Ness looking dramatically defeated. He added a caption:

He set the post to play "Champagne" by G-Sounds as the background track and uploaded it.

Loki’s phone buzzed with the notification, and he couldn’t stop laughing when he saw the post. "You’re such a drama queen," he said, holding back more laughter.

"Hey, I gotta own my loss somehow," Ness replied, feigning seriousness.

Loki decided to return the favor, opening his Instagram story. He snapped a candid shot of Ness flipping him off while he grinned smugly at the camera.

He added a caption:

To top it off, he chose "Ce soir ne sors pas" by GIMS as the background song and uploaded it.

When Ness saw Loki’s post, he groaned. "You just had to one-up me, huh?"

"Obviously," Loki said with a grin. "Gotta let the world know I’m undefeated."

Ness shook his head but couldn’t help laughing. "You’re insufferable, you know that?"

"And yet here you are, still hanging out with me," Loki shot back, smirking as he grabbed another handful of sour candy.

"Yeah, yeah," Ness muttered, unable to hide the small smile creeping onto his face. "The bar is low, I'm aware."

As they both sighed, the fun atmosphere began to fade as the reality of training loomed over them. They stood up from the bed, stretching a bit before grabbing their things.

"Well, I guess we have to face the face reality at some point," Ness muttered, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Training’s always the worst part of the day. I swear, it's like the worst chapter in a book you just wanna skip."

They walked out of the room, chatting casually as they made their way through the PxG facility. The familiar buzz of conversations and the occasional shout echoed in the halls. It was the same routine—chaos mixed with the stress of training, but for some reason, it felt lighter with Loki around.

As they passed by the cafeteria, the distinct sound of arguing reached their ears. Ness looked over and spotted Shidou and Rin in the middle of yet another heated exchange. Rin’s usually cool demeanor was gone, replaced by a look of annoyance, while Shido stood there with his signature cocky grin.

"Are you going to stop them, or are we just gonna let them go at it?" Ness asked with a raised eyebrow.

Loki shrugged, a nonchalant expression on his face. "I don't care anymore. Let them fight it out."

Ness laughed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I figured you'd say that. The ‘too cool to care’ act really suits you, huh?"

Loki shot him a playful smirk. "Hey, if they want to throw down, that's on them. I'm not getting involved unless it's something worth my time."

"Guess it's a good thing I don't have that level of chill," Ness teased, watching Shidou and Rin continue to argue. "But sure, whatever, let them do their thing."

The two of them kept walking, the sounds of the argument fading behind them as they made their way toward the training area. Despite the usual intensity of the atmosphere, something about walking with Loki made it feel a little lighter.

"Training’s gonna suck," Ness sighed, leaning against the wall as they passed the entrance to the training grounds. "Loki, why aren't you in BM, bro?" he asked dramatically, making Loki throw his arm around his shoulder.

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual, dude," Loki replied with a grin, making Ness groan even louder.

As they were about to split off, Ness pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of them. He pouted at the camera while resting his head on Loki's shoulder. Loki wore a mock-sad expression, and the caption read:

Loki quickly picked up his phone and replied with a comment:

They both burst out laughing at each other's over-the-top captions, the dramatic responses making the moment feel even more ridiculous. It was a rare moment of fun amidst the usual chaos of PxG, but neither of them would trade it for anything.

As they reached the point where their paths would diverge, Ness turned to Loki with a dramatic sigh. "Well, bro," he said, throwing his hands up, "I guess this is it. The end of our brief but powerful alliance."

Loki raised an eyebrow, playing along. "I know, man, it's heartbreaking. How will I ever survive without you by my side?" He dramatically placed a hand over his heart. "The agony."

Ness smirked. "I know, right? It's like a piece of me is missing. But we’ll survive. We’re strong."

The two of them shared a fake, exaggerated look of grief before laughing.

"Stay strong, brother," Loki said, giving him a half-hug before pulling away. "Go out there and do whatever it is you do at Bastard München." He gave Ness a playful shove.

Ness shoved him back, grinning. "I'll make sure to carry your spirit with me in every training drill, bro." He saluted Loki with a mock serious expression.

"Do it for the team," Loki said, turning to head toward the PxG training ground. "And remember, if you need someone to blame for all your losses in the future, you know where to find me."

Ness threw a mock salute back at him. "You know I will."

With one last shared laugh, they parted ways. Ness walked back toward Bastard München, feeling oddly lighthearted, while Loki made his way toward the PxG training ground, already mentally preparing for the chaos that awaited him.