The sun hangs low on the horizon, casting a golden glow over the soccer field. Practice runs long, and Nagi groans internally, glancing at the time on his phone. 5:43 PM. You've been waiting for him for over ten minutes now, and he knows you hate when your plans are delayed.
"Hey, Nagi! Where's the fire?" Bachira calls out, his signature grin in place as they wrap up their drills.
"Yeah, what's with the rush?" Chigiri chimes in, running a hand through his damp hair.
Isagi jogs over, hands on his hips, curiosity written all over his face. "You've been weird all day. What's up?"
Nagi slings his bag over his shoulder, already half-turned toward the exit. "I gotta go."
"To where?" Shidou pipes up, leaning against the goalpost with a mischievous smirk. "You've got some hot date or something?"
For a moment, Nagi hesitates, but the thought of you sitting alone at the park with the picnic you worked hard to prepare spurs him into action. He's never been one to explain himself much, but this time, he feels compelled to say something.
"Yeah. I have to pick up my aisai bento," he says casually, as if it's the most normal thing in the world.
A beat of silence follows.
"A-aisai what now? This dude pulls bitches?" Otoya asks, raising an eyebrow.
Karasu narrows his eyes. "Wait... isn't that what you call a lunch made by, like, a wife for her husband?"
The field erupts into chaos.
"WHAT?!" Bachira practically shrieks, bouncing up and down. "Nagi's married?!"
"Who would marry him?" Shidou cackles, earning a glare from Reo, who's been quietly stretching off to the side.
"Nagi, explain yourself!" Isagi demands, looking somewhere between shocked and impressed.
But Nagi doesn't bother. Instead, he shrugs, his long legs already carrying him toward the gate. "It's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal?!" Chigiri echoes, incredulous.
"Waitâdoes Reo know about this? I thought Reo and him were for lifers," Karasu asks, turning to the purple-haired striker.
Reo smirks knowingly, standing up and dusting himself off. "Of course I do. But it's none of your business."
The team erupts into protests, firing off questions in rapid succession, but Nagi tunes them out. His mind is already at the park, picturing you sitting on the blanket you packed, probably frowning at your phone as you wonder what's keeping him.
When Nagi arrives, you're exactly where he thought you'd be, the picnic blanket spread under a blooming tree. Your bento boxes are neatly arranged, but your expression softens the moment you see him.
"You're late, Seishiro," you tease, though there's no malice in your tone.
"Practice ran long," he says simply, dropping down onto the blanket beside you. Without missing a beat, he leans over to rest his head on your shoulder, letting out a contented sigh. "Sorry I made you wait."
You smile, brushing a strand of hair from his face. "It's okay. You're here now."
As you open the bento you made, Nagi's teammates are still back on the field, collectively losing their minds. But Nagi doesn't care.
Right here, with you, is where he belongs. And as he takes the first bite of your cooking, he decides it's more than worth the teasing he'll endure tomorrow.
the end.
something to snack on .áï¹