Chapter Text
Wednesday July 14th - Blue Lock facility, Screening room - 9:00 am
“Well my diamonds in the rough. You have all worked hard and have somewhat evolved. I guess you all deserve a break” Ego announced disappointment clear in his tone. “Also because the Japanese Federation is on my back about keeping teenagers hostage which frankly, I am not doing.” He grumbled the last part out.
“Anyways, you are all free to go for a week BUT i expect every last one of you to be in top shape or else you will be getting locked off just like your old buddy Nagi Seishirou.” Out of the corner of Niko’s eye, he could see Reo visibly stiffen as Nagi’s name was called out.
“Anri should have all of your phones and personal belongings so she will be at the entrance of the building when you leave. Goodbye for now, my diamonds in the rough.” With that, the connection from the tv broke as players started to spill out of the screening room.
Niko was excited to finally have a break from soccer for once. He hadn’t watched anime in forever so that’s basically what his week entailed.
…
Well more or less.
Charles found out from Hugo who found out from Loki who found out from the coach who found out from the Japanese Football Federation who found out from Ego that Blue Lock was getting a week off.
So, Charles naturally stole Loki’s wallet and surprised Niko by buying plane tickets to go visit him in France. Niko was planning on buying the plane tickets anyways but now he just saved a bunch of money so there’s really no downsides. As long as Loki doesn’t find out.
Regardless, that was a Charles problem if Loki ever did find out. And he’s sure that even if Loki did catch on, Charles would somehow manage to get out of it.
So, Niko practically ran out of the control room seeing as his plane left Japan at 11:00. It was 9:25 so he was really cutting it close especially since his house is not close whatsoever to this blue prison and he STILL had to pack.
He made it home in record time and told his parents he would be back in 3 days. Surprisingly, they didn’t really care that he was going across seas to France and just told him to be safe, text them when he arrives, and that they love him. They also gave him money to convert into euros if needed.
He made it to the airport at 10:30 and he had no idea how he got through security and all that just in time for the plane to leave.
He checked his ticket and found that Charles bought him first class seats to and from France.
“The French have always been charming I suppose” he murmured softly with a small smile. Well he was going to need the rest so it all worked out.
He had downloaded a couple anime episodes on his phone before he left just in case there wasn’t any on the plane. He was right. There weren't any on the plane. So, he watched Madoka Magica for a while then he set his phone down when his food got served. It was surprisingly good for a plane. Honestly, the fact that he was in first class probably had something to do with it as well.
Niko was exhausted already and it was getting late so he went to the washroom to do his skincare, brush his teeth, put on his little green alien headband to get the hair out of his eyes, get into his pajamas, and then walk back to his cubicle, make himself comfortable in this bed-like thing, and quickly fell asleep.
He woke up about 9 hours later feeling completely refreshed and awake then he had felt for a couple months. Kudos to Blue Lock for making them sleep on these horrible beds. It was around 6:30 am and there was only about 45 minutes left on the plane ride so he got ready for the day before packing up all his belongings and looking out the window at the parisian scenery.
It was completely different from Japan but still beautiful in its own way. The soft morning sun seeped in through the window and cast a beautiful glow on Niko's face.
The plane finally landed and he recovered his backpack and carried the gift bag he got Charles. He checked his phone and was bombarded with messages from him that didn’t send though on the plane.
Wednesday July 14 - 1:00 pm
Charles ⚞^. .^⚟: i hope you boarded the plane safely niko !
Charles ⚞^. .^⚟: do you like the seats i bought you? heheh ;)
Charles ⚞^. .^⚟: only the best for mon chéri!💞
Charles ⚞^. .^⚟: i will text you tomorrow and pick you up right away when you land !!
Thursday July 15 - 6:15 am
Charles ⚞^. .^⚟: nikooo!!
Charles ⚞^. .^⚟: mon chéri !!
Charles ⚞^. .^⚟: i am making my way over to the airport right now
Charles ⚞^. .^⚟: i was tracking your flight from my phone
Charles ⚞^. .^⚟: YOU ARE ALMOST HERE !!!!!
Charles ⚞^. .^⚟: i can’t wait to spend time with you i’m very excited
Charles ⚞^. .^⚟: à bientôt mon amour💞💞
Niko bit back a smile feeling bubbly all over at the love Charles was expressing towards him through the phone.
Niko -`♡´-: hii char ! i have all my belongings and i’m at terminal 3.
As soon as he sent the message, he heard his name being yelled in the distance. Confused, he turned around only to be met by Charles running at him full speed - which was very fast mind you, and getting full body tackled by the taller boy.
Niko let out a grunt of surprise before laughing in sync with Charles.
Charles then took his face in both hands and kissed him hard. He felt all the emotions Charles was trying to convey through the kiss and he relaxed into him as he kissed him back.
Niko broke the kiss in a fit of giggles before hugging Charles, wrapping his arms around him tightly, and murmuring softly in his ear : “i missed you char”
“I missed you too mon chéri” came the hushed reply from the boy on top of him.
They stayed like that for a few more seconds before Niko gently pushed Charles off him and picked up his things that had slipped out of his grasp when Charles had jumped on him.
Niko took the bag that had Charles’ present and handed it to him. “Here I got a gift for you Char”
Charles excitedly took the bag and opened it at lightning speed. When he saw the box, his mouth dropped down to the floor in shock.
“Niko… did you seriously get me new cleats!!” The Nike box was vibrant orange, contrasting with the interior of the blue bag.
He carefully took the box out of the bag. When he opened it,he was greeted with the sight of beauty. It was the new limited edition soccer cleats. They were shining and very expensive. Niko’s card is now most definitely in debt. While Charles was excitedly inspecting his new soccer attire, Niko spoke again. “There’s still more things in there.” He said shyly.
Charles put the cleats back in the box carefully and set it down on the floor. He then looked into the bag and saw an envelope. Confused, he grabbed the envelope and opened it. Inside, there were numerous photos of him and Niko, taken during the Neo Egoist league. He carefully looked through every photo. He found his favourite one. It was a selfie he took when Niko wasn’t paying attention. His teal eyes were gleaming with the reflection of the light from the stadium they were in. His mouth was slightly open, due to them just having finished training.
Charles took the photo, and put it in his clear phone case. His phone case was decorated with stickers but the photo sat untouched, perfectly on display.
Charles looked in the bag again, and the last thing he found was a cheshire cat stuffie. He took the stuffie and hugged it tight to his chest. It smelt like Niko. He would cherish it forever.
“Come on Niko, I have your gift at home! But, I want to show you around the city first. You can drop your things off in my room and we can head out. Unless you’re tired and want to rest first we can do that too!” Charles was speaking at lightning speed. He pulled Niko up by the arm and started walking to the exit with him in tow.
“I’m not tired Char, I slept during the whole flight. I really want to explore the city so we can do that.” Niko reassured Charles.
“Okay !!” Charles said with a blinding smile, his snaggle catching on his lip and breaking skin. “Ouchie !” He exclaimed, frowning.
“Are you okay Char ?” Niko asked, worried.
“Yes I'm okay mon chéri. This happens often” Charles explained, trying to stop the bleeding by licking his lips.
Before Niko could ask any more questions, Charles had already started running, pulling on Niko’s arm to make sure he came.
“The bus to get home is here ! We cannot miss it” Charles yelled back toward Niko
Niko also broke into a run after realizing the situation. “Do you have money to pay ?” He yelled at Charles
“No, it's free!” Charles yelled back
They had reached the bus in time and, just as Charles had said, there was no fare to pay.
15 minutes later, they arrived at the bus stop near Charles’ house.
“Okay let’s go Niko! This is our stop” Charles cheered as he and Niko stepped off the bus. They walked to Charles’ house and dropped off Niko’s gift in his room.
It was still pretty early as it was only 7:30 am. Charles’ whole family was still sound asleep so they got in and out of the house with no problem.
They went outside, rode to Paris, and Charles gave him a tour of all the major sights to see. Niko took about a thousand photos. It was beautiful. The scenery and Charles both. When it got later during the evening, Charles took Niko to eat in a park. There were fairy lights everywhere, there were a bunch of flowers, and there was a gazebo where you could eat in peace and quiet. Charles had brought food for them to enjoy while they were out.
They stayed together for a bit, relishing the quiet peace and silence. When the moon was at its brightest, they shared a kiss, illuminated in the moonlight. Unbeknownst to them, someone had taken a photo of them at that moment.
Both still cherishing the after glow of the kiss, the stranger came up to them and offered the photo they took. The pair shared a smile as they took it, fixated on the perfection of it. They both thanked the stranger and Niko pocketed the photo. Eventually, they both got up and headed back, both worn out from the day.
Just like earlier in the morning, the house was asleep. Charles and Niko got ready for bed, with a little bit of teasing from Charles about the headband Niko always wears. He still finds it cute though.
After they finished getting ready, they both changed into matching pajamas and got comfortable in Charles’ bed. It was a pretty cool night so Charles had put a lot of blankets out to make sure they weren’t cold.
When they both settled in, Charles wrapped his arms around Niko from behind, and buried his face into the back of his neck.
Soon enough, they both fell asleep, sheltered from the outside world for tonight.