sour 𝜗𝜚

either way, the tablet caught you up on everything you weren't there to witness. hugo scored a goal just before the half-time break, and while you can acknowledge that he's a very talented player, your impression of him is still that he absolutely despises you. oh, and that he has some penchant for physical contact considering how close he was to isagi for a good part of the match (you are acutely aware that football is a contact sport, but it wasn't put-your-chin-on-their-shoulder kind of contact!). you shudder at the thought. hang in there isagi…! maybe after the match, you and him could form a support group…

shaking your head at the thought, you sigh in relief as you finally locate loki's damn phone. the device sits on one of the benches unsuspectingly, and next to it lies a book. huh, loki didn't say he was missing a book. it wasn't charles's, that you were sure of, and you don't recall seeing anyone from blue lock bringing a book to training. hm… maybe it was someone from the french team?

you slipped the phone into your pocket and took the book, flipping it open to see if any name was written on it. instead, what you found was blank page upon blank page upon blank page, not a single drop of ink on the pristine white pages. maybe it was someone's new notebook? but even those would have names written on them somewhere…

with another, more exasperated sigh, you leave the training room and make your way back to the locker rooms. maybe if you were lucky, you would arrive after they leave and you wouldn't be in such terrifyingly close proximity to hugo. it was unlikely, you know that, but a girl can hope!

the walk wasn't long, the training rooms less than 10 minutes away from the pitch. you could hear some boots against the floor and muffled conversations as players and coaches entered their respective locker rooms. maybe you should just join the japan team room, and then head into the france locker room when the break ended…? ah, but you wouldn't be able to ask if anyone was missing an awfully blank book…

steeling your nerves, you close your eyes and take a few deep breaths . you will be brave this one time and go into their locker room, regardless of hugo! but before you do… damn you loki for putting you in this position!!!

now, you were ready. well, not really, but sometimes in life, you don't get a choice. this was one of those times.

walking down the hallway, the doors at the end automatically slid open just as you arrived. immediately, probably over twenty pairs of eyes shot to you. this really is your worst nightmare!

"um, i'm really sorry to interrupt, but i have loki's phone…" you hold up the device as evidence, an apologetic tone to your voice. the coach nods in acknowledgement as you scurry to where loki was sat on the bench, a little too close to hugo to your liking. you could feel his eyes on you the whole time, but you tried your best to ignore it just like you did before the match.

loki nods at you in thanks when you hand him the phone, while charles waves at you enthusiastically. just as you were about to celebrate surviving this ordeal, you remembered the book in your hands. since you're already here, you might as well…

"and uh, does this book belong to anyone here? i found it in the same spot as loki's phone, if it helps…" you hold it up for everyone to see, and a wave of refusals makes you put it down. guess you'll just hope that someone comes looking—

"it's mine." the hairs on the back of your neck all rise, and your back straightens instinctively at the voice. you knew exactly who it belonged to, but you were praying that you were hearing things and he didn't say that.

to your misfortune, which you find to be becoming a pattern around him, the owner of the voice and the book magically appears in front of you and takes the book out of your hand. but that's not the only thing his hand grabs, no, because your poor hand holding the book also got taken hostage by hugo.

…is this the part where you beg for your life? because it really was starting to feel like it, if not some public humiliation ritual…

"thanks for finding it." hugo murmurs. you didn't even get the time to be baffled that he just has a completely blank book for no reason, because he was leaning a little too close to your face. any closer and his lashes would be touching your face! has he no concept of personal space?!

his other hand, hiding behind his back, places something in your arms. a first glance tells you it's something dark blue, the fabric soft. a second glance, and charles's loud gasp, tells you that it's a jersey. a third glance tells you that it's hugo's jersey, his name written in big capital letters. you were starting to feel really lightheaded.

"you should wear it, and watch only me." he all but demands, and maybe it's just because you're terrified, but it also feels like he's leaning in closer with every word. frantically shaking your hand free, you bow to the coach in apology and dash out of the room as fast as you can without fainting. the jersey is still clutched in your arms, a little too tightly for your own liking. you stand just outside of the japan locker room, trying to catch your breath and calm your poor heart that was beating a million miles a second.

what on god's green earth just happened?! and what are you supposed to do with his jersey?!

and once again, damn you julien loki!!!

hugo was extremely grateful to loki.

thanks to loki, his dream of winning the world cup four times will be realised, and so too will his dream of wedding you. if loki hadn't forgotten his phone, then you would've never found his book, nor would you have come into their locker room, and hugo wouldn't have been able to gift you his jersey.

the whole room is quiet, almost everyone except their coach staring at where you once were with a combination of wide eyes, open mouths, or hands on their faces. hugo pays them no mind, sitting back down on the bench, eyes trained on the book you held just a moment ago. his fingers brush the places yours were, feeling the lingering warmth from your hands. if he closed his eyes, he could feel your hand in his again…

"what just happened???" charles gawks, oddly reminiscent of the first time hugo met you, the cup in his hand having taken a skydive to the floor. the other players make similar sounds of surprise, having just witnessed perhaps the most shocking thing in all their time of playing in the team. hugo, mechanical and blunt and unfeeling and — you get the idea, hugo, trying to make a move on a person of the opposite gender?! and someone from the opposing team, no less!

they didn't even know hugo could do that!

their coach doesn't even bother to silence them. there was only a few more minutes left of the break anyway, so they might as well take some stress off (if they were even feeling any) by… freaking out over hugo's impossibly bad "rizz."

"their poor manager looked like she was about to collapse…" renoir mumbles, chapa nodding in agreement.

"she looked like she was going to file a restraining order against him…" camus mutters, taking another gulp of water.

"hugo, there's no way you're going to make her like you by acting like that!" leyden laughs, while most of the room nods in agreement.

"thanks for bringing her here, loki." hugo says sincerely, finally looking up from the book. loki only stares at him with a mix of exasperation and bewilderment, and mentally, he apologises to you for putting you in this position.

"you really are hopeless, hugo…"

when they make their way back to the pitch a few minutes later, hugo searches for your figure at the benches. to his dismay, you aren't looking at him, and you're not wearing his jersey.

(logically speaking, there was no way you would ever wear it during a match so long as you're on the opposing team, but a man can dream...)

the beginnings of a pout form, but he steels his expression. hugo glances at isagi through his lashes, when an idea pops into his head.

"hey, isagi yoichi…" hugo calls, seriousness in his voice and an intensity in his dark eyes. "what's your little manager's number?"

"…?"

(by the benches, you sneeze.)