3.16. Timmy The Braincell

Y/N slammed his forehead into the table. "Please, stop."

"Skibidi rizz."

"Please, I'm begging you."

"Don't tell a sigma male what to do, you beta."

"My ears are bleeding."

"L + Ratio, sussy impostor."

Y/N groaned. Shidou, who was hovering around him like an annoying mosquito, just grinned. "Gyat damn."

"Fuck off."

"Quirked up white boy. Is he goated with the sauce?"

All Y/N had wanted was a snack. He'd headed to the cafeteria, looking to snag an apple. But instead, he'd been met with Shidou, who sounded like he'd been spending way too much time on Tiktok. No amount of begging would get him to go away.

Sitting next to him at one of the tables, Kiyora Jin bit into his own fruit. He looked completely unbothered by Shidou, shoulders loose and relaxed. Y/N gaped at him. "How do you put up with this?"

Kiyora didn't even look at him. Y/N tapped him on the shoulder, repeating the question as Shidou continued to spout random words in his ear.

"Have you been mewing recently?"

"Pass me the apple. Fanum tax."

"Only in Ohio."

Turning, Kiyora just stared blankly at Y/N, like he hadn't even heard the question. Y/N frowned. Then he noticed the earplugs in his ears, just visible under his black, curly hair. "Ah. I need to get some of those."

Kiyora continued to stare at him. He didn't even blink, electric blue eyes blank. Y/N just shook his head, motioning 'never mind'. He finished off his apple quickly, trying his best to ignore Shidou.

Then, an idea hit him.

Y/N looked towards the far side of the cafeteria. He widened his eyes, tossing the apple core in the bin and covering his mouth with both hands. "Whoa!"

"Huh?" Shidou stopped for a second, trying to track where Y/N was looking. "What is it?!"

"Sae!" Y/N pointed behind one of the furthest pillars, giving Shidou an astonished expression. "It's him! You know, the midfielder!"

"Really?!" Shidou's head whipped towards the pillar. "Where?!"

"Behind the pillar!"

"Ohmygodimgonnabus-"

"He's gonna get away! Quick!" Y/N urged.

Shidou took off towards the pillar at mach speed. Y/N gave it a second, snuck Kiyora a relieved grin, and dashed towards the opposite exit at a full sprint.

He made it through the doors before Shidou even got close to the pillar, disappearing into Bluelock's maze of corridors. Y/N rubbed at his ears, sighing. "Who gave that guy access to the internet?" Leaning against one of the walls, he complained.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Y/N always hated it - it made him feel like he was underground, in some cave. But in some situations, like now, it was useful for preventing a certain noodle-eating coach from sneaking up on him.

He turned, spotting Ego Jinpachi walking down the hallway towards him.

"Y/N. I was just looking for you."

The man was dressed in the exact same shirt since the start of the project, a black button up that hung loose around his skinny frame. He looked at Y/N through his rectangular glasses, his expression serious.

Y/N exhaled. He leant even more into the wall, head tilting up to look at the ceiling. "What do you want?"

"Come with me, and I'll tell you." Ego replied. "It's private to you."

"Private?" Y/N didn't look at Ego. "You already know everything you need to about me."

"It's something new. Not a bad thing."

"Then surely you can tell me?"

"It's confidential. Come with me."

"Why."

"Come with me."

"I really don't like you." Y/N pushed himself off the wall, rubbing at his forehead with a palm. He groaned. "Fine. Make it quick."

They headed down the corridors. Y/N let Ego guide him, through a few identical concrete hallways. Every single one was lit up in the same way, with lights at both head and foot level. Ego didn't even look at the signs posted on each intersection, knowing exactly where he needed to go.

Eventually, they reached a door. Unlike most of the other doors in the facility, which were automatic or wooden, this one was a dull slab of metal. Punching in a code into the keypad next to it, Ego opened the door. Y/N discreetly memorised the code for later.

They headed into a simple room. Three concrete walls, and a fourth wall seemingly made entirely out of monitors. Ego took a seat in the single spinny chair, leaving Y/N to stand. "I'll be blunt."

"When are you not?" Y/N muttered.

"Your current auction value will be released after the next game, which is FC Barcha against Ubers. But, I will tell you in advance, it isn't accurate."

Y/N stilled. He swallowed. "What?"

"This isn't a bad thing." Ego replied. "Because, you have received a private auction bid. No matter what your auction value is at the end of the Neo Egoist League, this bid will not change. Nobody will be told about the bid. You will have a chance, to choose between your ending value, or this one."

Y/N let it sink in. "What... what if this bid is lower than my final one? Why would I choose a lower value?"

"Because, Y/N." Ego leant forwards. "The team that bid for you is La Real."

La Real?!

La Real was the pinnacle of the Spanish league, and one of the best single teams in the entire world. With big names filling all of their rosters, and a secondary U-20 team, every single player there was incredible. Born and bred for the game. And they want me?  Y/N's eyes widened. Wait, that's Sae's team! And that idiot from the World Five, Leonardo Luna...

"It's not just you." Ego murmured. "Michael Kaiser's current auction bid is 320 million. This is also a bid from La Real - except, he doesn't know it yet. It will be announced after the next Bastard Munchen game."

"Where's the logic in that?"

Ego shrugged. "It's what they wanted. But, it's a good opportunity. La Real is one of the strongest teams in the world, regarded by a lot as the best team."

"Wait." Y/N frowned. "You still haven't told me the bid from them. How much?"

"Four hundred and fifty million." Y/N's heart leapt into his throat. Ego continued, picking up a nearby tablet to read off. "This is the message sent alongside the bid."

"While this bid is over 15 times Y/N L/N's current value, we believe that his current potential has not been displayed on the world stage yet. Even if he doesn't show more, we are more than happy to train him further, as we believe he will be worth the money in the end. The bid value will not change."

Y/N opened his mouth to talk. Ego raised a finger, cutting him off. "The captain, Luna, has stated that while he may not immediately be put onto the main starting eleven, he will definitely be put on in our U-20 team, alongside the likes of Sae Itoshi, and Michael Kaiser should the latter accept his own offer."

Placing the tablet back on the table, Ego tilted his head slightly. "Do you want to accept immediately? Or wait. This offer is indefinite, so there is no penalty to waiting."

Y/N moistened his lips nervously. "I'll... I'll wait. Can you tell them I really appreciate the offer, but I want some time before I make a decision?"

"Of course."

Y/N's mind was racing. I'll be on the same team as Sae... He was incredible in the U-20 game, without even trying. It would be so easy to score goals with him. And the money, too. I wasn't even aiming that high...

He hesitated. "Anything else?"

"No, just that." Ego gave a slight shake of his head. "You're free to go."

Y/N stood up. He thanked Ego quietly, making his way out of the door.

As soon as he got out of the room, though, he broke out into a smile. Because he'd got an offer, way beyond what he'd expected before. It wasn't just any random team, it wasn't even a good team. It was La Real. An already stacked team, filled with the world's best in every single position.

And they wanted him.

🥕🥕🥕

Why am I doing this?

Y/N stood in PXG's wing of Bluelock.

With Bluelock being designed like a pentagon, each team had their own space of sorts. Training rooms, lounges, dorms, and anything else they needed was all contained close together. Y/N had made his way there alone.

He hadn't spoken to Rin since the U-20 game. The other boy hadn't messaged once on the Bluelock group chat, and neither had he made an effort to speak to him in and around the facility. Sae's warning was loud in his ears. Be careful with my brother.

Because of that, Y/N hadn't sought him out. But it had been nearly two weeks into the Neo Egoist League, and he really didn't want to keep having to keep ignoring him. And, I still haven't congratulated him on his game against Ubers.

Moving forwards a bit, Y/N knocked on the first dorm room in the corridor. The noise echoed, on both sides of the door. "Hello?"

There was the sound of footsteps on the other side of the door, and within a few seconds it opened. A boy with black hair, and light blue eyes peeked through. He wore a headband, and Bluelock's standard-issue casual clothing. "Hello?"

Y/N blinked. The boy's face lit up with recognition, and he opened the door fully. "Oh, Y/N! Good to see you."

"Uh..."

"You're looking good." The boy nodded. "Trying out Prince's new routine, right?"

Face heating slightly, Y/N awkwardly coughed. "Uh..."

"How've your recent games been?" Doing well? I heard you met the Ubers guys."

Y/N's face grew even more red. He hung his head, voice growing soft and embarrassed. "Uh... Sorry, who are you?"

The boy's face froze. Then, he burst out laughing. "Damn, that hurts." He joked. "A fellow Bluelocker doesn't even know me."

"I-I'm sorry!" Y/N rushed to apologise, but the other boy just waved it off with a smile.

"It's fine." He extended a hand, nodding cheerfully at him. "I'm Nanase Nijiro. Pleasure to meet you."

Y/N thought he recognised the name from somewhere. After the second selection. He was one of the guys that made it through... what team was he in again?  He gratefully accepted the hand. "Y/N. You already know me."

"Yup." Nanase chuckled. "So, why're you here? Not for me, I presume."

"Yeah... I'm here for Rin?"

Nanase nodded. "He dorms with me. But he's not in, like always."

"Oh."

"Maybe try the quiet room?" Nanase rubbed at his chin. "I think... he's usually in there, meditating. Down this corridor here, to the right."

"Okay. Thanks, Nanase." Y/N gave him a little wave, getting one back. Then, he headed for the quiet room.

I mean, how mad can he be, right? Sae just said something small... maybe he's forgotten about it already. And I'm just going to say hi, it's not like I'm gonna bring it up or anything...

Through an open door, he peeked into the room. While the majority of rooms in Bluelock were simple concrete, this one had a wooden floor, and softer, more yellow lighting. A few simple chairs sat around the room, but Y/N didn't look at any of it. He just stared at Rin, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

He was facing away from Y/N, hands in his lap as the sound of his quiet breaths filled the room. Y/N hesitated by the doorway. Then he very gently knocked twice.

Rin took his sweet time reacting. He glanced over his shoulder, Y/N hopefully meeting his turquoise eyes. "H-hi..."

Rin cocked his head. He stared at Y/N.

Y/N stared back.

He didn't say a word, frozen there like a deer in headlights. His heart thumped faster, and he swallowed anxiously. Why isn't he saying anythin-

"Why are you here?"

Y/N sagged with relief, shoulders slumping just a bit. Because it wasn't Rin's angry voice, nor even his annoyed voice. He just sounded curious. "Rin, I- I'm sorry."

He immediately forgot about the whole not bringing it up thing. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't know he was gonna say that, and I didn't know your relationship was, you know, that bad, and I don't wanna get in the way of fixing that, and I wasn't thinking, and I just wanted to play like I always did, and I-I don't wanna keep having to not- not talk-"

"Y/N." The small boy's agitated rant was cut short. Rin scrunched up his face slightly. "What are you talking about?"

Y/N paused, confused. "I-I'm just trying to say sorry..."

"For what?"

Y/N stopped. Rin just looked up at him, still seated on the floor. Y/N stammered, fidgeting with his fingers. "For what Sae said... after the U-20 game."

"What did he say?" Rin frowned blankly. Y/N frowned too.

"Uh... something about you not changing the future of soccer... something something something..." He mumbled.

Rin's reply was flat and unimpressed. "Over a month ago."

"Y-yeah... you were ignoring me... and you didn't wanna talk, so I figured I'd give you space..." Y/N gulped. "Was a month not enough...?"

Rin's eyebrow cranked up like a drawbridge. He shifted so he faced Y/N. "I didn't want to talk."

Hesitantly, Y/N shook his head. "You didn't?"

That drew an annoyed groan from Rin. He looked away from Y/N, shaking his head. "I thought you didn't want to."

"What?"

"You're always the one that starts these conversations." Rin muttered. "And then you just stopped."

Y/N's mouth dropped with disbelief. "So you're not angry at me."

"No." Rin sighed. "You're not angry with me?"

"No. Why would I be?"

"Why would I be?"

"Sae told me so!"

"Sae hasn't spoken to me for years!"

"How was I supposed to know that?!"

"Maybe the fact that I monologued about him for like twenty minutes?!"

There was silence. Their eyes remained on each other, before Y/N laughed with relief, and Rin huffed. Y/N sighed, leaning against the doorframe. He ran a tired hand down his face, giving Rin a small smile. "Fuck, I'm stupid."

"We're stupid." Rin corrected. He didn't smile, but the confused expression on his face faded a little. "Nobody ever taught you clear communication, huh?"

"You're one to talk." Y/N grumbled. "You never thought to just- approach me?"

"You never thought that I wouldn't still be pissed? After a month?"

Y/N laughed quietly, face flushing with embarrassment. "I guess not."

"Fucking single-braincell..." Rin muttered. "Get in here. Close the door."

Y/N closed the door. "Hey, don't insult that braincell." He walked towards Rin. "His name is Timmy."

"What?"

"You heard me."

Rin just stared at him. "I'm already regretting this."

"Too bad!" Flashing him a bright smile, Y/N plonked himself right next to him. He tipped his entire body sideways, head knocking against Rin's shoulder. The other boy just watched, cross-legged with his hands resting in his lap. "You're stuck with me now. I'll do whatever you're doing."

"I'm meditating."

"I'll join."

"Last time you tried to meditate, you suffocated yourself."

"That was a one-off." Y/N gave him doe eyes, peering up at him. "So... lemme join? I wanna know how your practices are going. And your holiday after the U-20 game."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"No."

"I won't stop following you until you say yes."

"This isn't fair."

"So say yes."

Rin drew in a deep breath, jaw tightening with frustration. He let it out slowly. "Fine. Just copy what I do, except for closing your eyes."

"Why not?"

"Because then you can't see me to copy me." Rin deadpanned. "Common sense, much?"

"Timmy doesn't specialise in common sense." Y/N replied just as seriously. "He's predominantly a sauce guy."

Rin stared. "Your single braincell is dedicated to source? What's source?"

"Sauce." Y/N corrected. "Ketchup. Soy sauce. Mayo. Lemon. Wo-ster-shir sauce." He frowned to himself at the last word.

"Wor-stir-shyre... w-worster." Y/N's frown got deeper. "woster, no, not quite right..."

"What the fuck." Rin sighed.

Y/N gave up after a few tries. He knocked his head a second time against Rin's shoulder, grinning. "Play the music or whatever, let's do this meditation shit."

"Music?"

"There's no music? What do you listen to, then?"

"I don't know. My breathing? Nothing?"

"Sounds boring."

Rin gritted his teeth. "Then, why are you here?"

"Timmy told me to stay."

"Fuck Timmy."

Y/N laughed quietly. He didn't move, keeping his temple against Rin's shoulder. "Eh, forget it. I think I'll have a nap."

"Now?" Rin blinked with surprise.

"When else?"

Y/N closed his eyes, and before Rin could protest, was snoozing away against his side.