Work Text:
Niko couldn't help it. Despite Anri taking their belongings when they entered the Blue Lock facility, he was able to smuggle in one shonen ai dojinshi. As there were no CCTVs inside bedrooms, Niko was able to openly read it in peace--in front of Aryu.
So when Hiori knew about it, he asked Aryu if he could hang out with Niko for a bit in their shared room. Since there were only 23 people left in the facility (the Top 23 who made it to the Japanese U-20 team), Aryu just nodded and told Hiori he'd be hanging out with Chigiri and Yukki and talking about fashion and beauty.
Niko was curious when he saw the light-haired fairy boy come in the room.
"Niko-kun, can I ask somethin'?"
"Go ahead."
"D'ya have... a dojinshi widja?"
Niko paled, yet Hiori could not make out the expression of his eyes coz, well, Niko's eyes had always been covered.
Hiori came in and closed the door. He strutted inside and sat on Aryu's bed across Niko.
"I know we've been talkin' 'bout manga and anime and dojinshi and stuff, and was glad someone 'ere inside Blue Lock love 'em," Hiori said.
"You ever only see me reading from my phone," Niko said, remembering how it was his pastime during the Second Selection when he and Hiori were teammates.
"Can I borrow?" Hiori asked.
"I'm almost through with this, so yeah, you're the only one who I will lend this book. You're the most trusted person here who loves unofficial manga," Niko said as he handed the physical copy to Hiori.
"But ya said yer almost finished..."
"I have my phone, no worries," Niko told him.
Hiori took the dojinshi and examined the cover. He realized it was a shonen ai manga.
"You like shonen ai?"
"Yup," Niko confessed. "I love 'Banana Fish.'"
Hiori squealed and flailed his hand. He said he was a fudanshi too. Soon, their convo soon delved into the BL dojinshis they had read over the years.
"Ne, ne," Hiori started, lowering his voice.
"Why are you almost whispering?" Niko asked. "There's no hidden recording devices here, are there?"
And Hiori squealed again. Niko knew Hiori was calm and polite and nice, but it always took him by surprise whenever the light-haired fairy boy would squeal. He might as well be used to it.
"What's wrong?" Niko asked nonchalantly again.
"Have ya ever noticed some guys 'ere act like characters from dojinshis?" Hiori asked him.
From behind his bangs, Niko blinked. He definitely had. And he thought he had gone crazy, owing to the restrictive and controlling environment in Blue Lock. He had to agree when he heard Kurona said once (with his poker face on) that Blue Lock was making him crazy.
"Aiku and Sendou," Niko supplied. "They didn't act lovey-dovey inside the Italian stratum, but they sure had their intimate times. Fukaku also told us it was an open secret among the OG U-20 squad that these two were lovers."
"Are they?" Hiori asked. "But, what of that talk of Sendou eyein' celebrity girls?"
"Eh, don't believe him. He's only doing it for connections," Niko said. "He and Aiku shared kisses. I happened to see it."
Hiori flailed his hands in excitement. And they echoed in unison.
"Nagi and Reo." "Nagi-kun an' Reo-kun."
"Kunigami-kun an' Chigiri-kun," Hiori said with a smile.
Niko looked at Hiori in the eyes behind his bangs. He was sure there were hearts all over the fairy boy's face. Hiori shared the hero and the princess acted their fairy tale roles in the German stratum, and he, Kurona, and Yukki once saw Chigiri clinging on to Kunigami's arm possessively.
"There's also this... thing 'bout 'em makin' love in random places where Kunigami-kun was sure Kaiser could see ta make 'im jealous," Hiori supplied.
"Whoa! Kaiser? The Michael Kaiser? Who is his crush? When did it happen?"
"Durin' the game against Manshine," Hiori shared. "Kaiser expressed admiration fer Chigiri-kun where Kunigami-kun can here. And I swear, I heard it! And I started imaginin' a love triangle story 'bout the three of them!"
Niko gasped in delight. There was a love triangle indeed during the NEL.
"And ya know, Ness-kun wasn't havin' any'uv it. He's jealous. Not only did Kaiser obsess over Isagi-kun, he obsessed over Chigiri-kun's beauty too."
"I can see that, though. I mean, many guys had a crush on the pink princess. Excluding me, of course," Niko said in defense.
Hiori sneered. "Ya sound so defensive when ya say it."
"I'm not. Just telling you the truth. And I like Charles Chevalier."
"Well, ya should get ta know him too," Hiori said.
"Speaking of the French sector... I've heard strange things about Rin and Nanase too," Niko said. "You and Nanase are friends. Surely you knew about it."
Hiori grinned. He sure did. Karasu told him anecdotes of Rin being excessively strict towards Nanase one time, and it made every Blue Locker in the French stratum wonder what the heck happened. And they learned Nanase promised to work for Rin in exchanged for training. And that Rin made Nanase his property.
"His property?" Niko asked, his voice raising a notch higher. "What's Nanase to Rin? His phone?"
But the grin on Hiori's face made Niko think that the "property" thing meant something else. Something more like the stuff of shonen ai. But what made Hiori grin was the fact that Rin once got angry at Nanase for ignoring him.
"Ignoring the great Itoshi Rin??" Niko asked, part of his jade eyes peaking from his bangs. "That's new. Coz many people either leave him alone or try to get his attention. Like my roommate here."
"Yep. 'Tis weird," Hiori said. "But when I asked Nanase-kun 'bout it, he said it was coz he was talkin' with Zantetsu-kun 'bout somethin', and Rin-kun called him. But Nanase-kun was too busy 'splainin' to Zantetsu-kun, hence Rin-kun's anger for being ignored."
"Hmm, the way I see it, must be that Rin expected him to answer coz Nanase's his student... or he's the tsundere prince who jealously cannot stand his property talking with another guy."
Hiori said something about Isagi and Bachira, of Karasu, Otoya, and Yukimiya, Sae and Shidou (and it was also rumored that something hot and sultry happened between Shidou and Reo during the Second Selection, according to Kurona and Igaguri). There's also that rumor between Chigiri and Barou during the Second Selection.
"Speaking of Karasu, aren't you two lovers? Why's he with Otoya and Yukimiya?"
"Oh, I just let Yukki an' Otoya borrow mah Tabito~" Hiori said before putting his palms on his cheeks.
And in Niko's mind, "Why is he acting like a shojo magical girl?"
He swore, he could see shojo bubble filters around Hiori. And Niko's mind began to race crazily, making scenes of Hiori and Karasu in a relationship together. He could envision the two going on dates or cuddling on the couch while watching documentaries on the television. He could imagine the two making out by the doorway, or Karasu--
"Stop it!" he thought to himself. He had to stop thinking of lewd thoughts.
Why was he imagining something ridiculous between the resident crow and the sheep in front of him? Something must be so serious with his brain right now, making scenes of the people inside Blue Lock.
"Ya okay, Niko-kun?" Hiori asked, breaking Niko's stream of thoughts.
Niko shook his head. "It's nothing. I might be crazy and in need of psychiatric evaluation."
"Me too," Hiori said as he stood up. "Well, thanks fer lettin' me borrow this. Gotta keep this."
Niko watched as Hiori inserted the book inside his shirt to be tucked under his armpit. But Niko did not complain. After all, he knew Hiori smelled good and--
Wait! Stop! Why was he thinking of Hiori that way? He did not want to be part of a shonen battle story hiding some shonen ai in the storyline. He just wanted to be a spectator.
Anyway, he knew Hiori was particular with grooming and cleanliness too (but not as much as Barou's over-the-top standards).
"Good night," Niko said.
Hiori bid him good night as he walked towards the door. He asked Niko if he could turn off the lights, and Niko nodded. Hiori turned the lights off and exited the room. With him just alone in his room, Niko took his phone and looked for the title of the shonen ai he was reading (the book which he lent Hiori). He knew there was an online version of it.
What chapter was he in again?
--end--