Chapter Text
Charles skipped into the dorm room, chattering excitedly to himself in French.
« Je suis tellement excité ! »
The moment he stepped inside, he noticed someone sitting on the couch in the living room.
Oh! Right! I have a roommate.
Without a second thought, he hurried over with a bright smile.
“Bonjour! Je suis Charles! Charles Chevalier!”
He says with absolute excitement and enthusiasm.
His roommate looks up. Looking… well, Charles doesn’t know what he’s looking like.
Because his hair is covering his eyes!
His roommate finally replies after what felt like ages.
“You’re loud… very loud… I’m Niko. Ikki Niko.”
Charles pauses at his comment.
He felt like he was at the perfect volume (for France).
But, of course, this wasn’t France!
“Well, Niko!” He pauses before continuing.
“We are roommates, and I heard you’re also 15! That makes us both the youngest in Blue Lock!”
“We should get along, yeah?!” he says with pure excitement.
Niko looks at him.
Maybe annoyed, maybe confused?
Again, we wouldn’t know because he’s covering his freaking eyes! 😠
Charles finally speaks up.
“So… what position do you play?”
Before I continue this horrible, lazy story, the position is: Niko is sitting on the couch, and Charles is standing behind the couch.
Niko looks up at him, maybe looking at his eyes.
Again, how would we know? (My last time, I swear.)
“I play defensive midfield… how about you…”
Charles practically beams at Niko’s question, obviously just loving the conversation.
“I play attacking midfield!” he says very proudly.
Niko puts his head back, positioning it toward the ceiling.
Charles leans down to look at him.
“Are you always this quiet?” Charles asks, still loud.
“Are you always this… loud?” Niko questions back.
“You could say that!” Charles exclaims, leaning closer.
Niko rolls his eyes.
“I know I can,” he says matter-of-factly.
Charles reaches out and touches Niko’s fluffy black hair.
Niko leans his head down slightly, pulling away from Charles’ touch a little.
“Nikoooo…” Charles whines.
“Can I please play with your hair?”
Niko replies in a neutral tone.
“Charles, why do yo—”
Charles cuts him off with another whine.
“I’m a really touchy personnnnn, please, Niko!!”
Niko groans reluctantly and lifts his head back up.
Charles goes straight into touching his hair.
After a while, Charles slightly moves his bangs to the side.
As Charles looks down, he sees the prettiest teal eyes he’s ever seen. They’re big doe eyes, like an ocean.
Something he did not expect from somebody like Niko, who covers his face with his bangs.
Niko suddenly sits up quickly, fixing his hair.
Charles steps back.
“Did I do something wrong?” Charles asks hesitantly.
“It’s fine,” Niko says in a normal voice, but with a firm undertone, still fixing his hair.
Charles stands awkwardly behind the couch, unsure how to proceed with the conversation.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Charles mutters under his breath, as if saying it to himself.
“It’s fine,” Niko repeats, his tone hardening.
Charles glances around the living room nervously, suddenly finding the carpet very interesting.
Niko turns to him, his face covered by his hair again.
“It’s fine. I just didn’t expect you to do that, so… I guess I reacted like that. I’m not… I’m not mad at you, Charles.”
Charles nods slowly, still very interested in the carpet.
“Yeah… that’s my bad.”
Niko stares at him.
“I’m serious, don’t beat yourself up over it.”
Niko pauses, then continues.
“It’s not that big of a deal for you to act like this. I’m not mad.”
Charles finally looks up, confirming Niko’s words.
“I’m alright, Niko!” Charles attempts to exclaim.
Niko stares at him.
“Charles,” he states.
Charles kicks at the floor with obvious nervous energy.
“I’m fine! I’m okay! This is okay! We are okay!”
He says the sentence with anxious energy.
(I wanna make a Niko covering his eyes joke again but let me stop.)
Niko rolls his eyes and leans back on the couch.
“Charles, you need to sit down...”
Charles looks up immediately suddenly his energy is back.
“With you?!” Charles says excitedly
Niko looks back.
“I wasn’t directly saying that.. I was saying like maybe in your room or something...”
Niko paused. He glanced back at Charles, not wanting to make him spiral again.
“You’ve been out here ever since you walked into the dorm. But if you want to, I guess.”
Charles skips around the couch and jumps next to him
“So!” Charles starts. “You're Japanese??”
Niko looks down at him and mutters quietly
“Mhm.”
“And I assume you’re French,” Niko questions back.
Charles nods quickly
“I've never seen a Japanese person have such.. pretty eyes like yours!”
Niko tilts his head the opposite way.
“Thanks...” he mutters.
Charles leans forward, obviously seeking eye contact.
“I’m serious, Niko! They’re so pretty!”
“I said thanks...” Niko says quickly and quietly.
Charles leans back
“Okay!”
“Okay!”
For a few seconds, the room goes quiet.
Charles sits there happily, swinging his legs slightly while Niko stays leaned back on the couch.
Then, suddenly, Charles’ eyes light up.
“Can I see your room?”
Niko blinks.
“My room?”
“Yes!” Charles says immediately.
Niko looks at him.
“Charles… your room is literally right next to mine.”
Charles pauses.
“Oh.”
A second later, his smile returns.
“Then can I see it anyway?”
Niko stares at him.
For a moment, he considers saying no.
But then he remembers how quickly Charles started blaming himself earlier.
So instead, he sighs.
“Fine.”
Charles immediately stands up.
“Yay!”
Niko gets up from the couch and starts walking toward the hallway.
Charles follows right behind him.
The moment Niko opens his door, Charles looks around with curiosity.
“You have so many books!”
Niko glances back.
“Yeah.”
Charles walks around slowly, looking at everything.
“Your room is so neat!”
Niko shrugs.
“I like it like that.”
Charles looks around again.
“You don’t have many decorations.”
“I don’t really need them.”
Charles nods, thinking about his answer.
“Hm…”
Niko looks at him.
“What?”
“Nothing!” Charles says with a smile.
Niko stays quiet.
Charles continues looking around, picking up random things and examining them.
“Niko, what’s this?”
“Charles.”
“Okay, okay!”
A few seconds later, he’s looking at something else.
“Niko, what about this?”
“Charles.”
“I’m just curious!”
Niko watches Charles happily explore the dorm, touching everything he probably shouldn’t.
He lets out a quiet sigh.
Niko looks at him.
He’s weird.
Not annoying.
Just weird.
This was going to be a very long year.