Chapter Text
Chigiri felt the cold bite of the Akita wind as he stepped off the train, pulling his jacket closer to his body. He had been excited about this trip, thinking it would be a great chance to reconnect with Kunigami after everything that had happened at Blue Lock. He hadn't seen or talked to Kunigami in months—since that damn Wild Card.
He hadn't expected to see the Kunigami he once knew—strong, reliable, always with that warm, dependable smile. Because after everything the orange-haired man endured in the wild card program, he had changed, and Chigiri wasn’t ready for just how much.
When he found Kunigami's home, the person who opened the door wasn’t the same guy he remembered. Sure, the muscles were still there, and his face hadn’t changed. But the warmth was gone. In its place was something cold, detached, and hard to recognize.
“Kunigami,” Chigiri started, offering a smile he hoped would break the ice. “It’s been a while.”
Kunigami just stared at him, not moving to invite him inside. “What are you doing here, Chigiri?”
Chigiri blinked, a little taken aback by the bluntness of his question. “I wanted to visit. See how you’ve been. You… you haven’t answered my messages.”
“There’s nothing left to talk about.”
The words hit Chigiri like a punch to the gut. He had expected distance, maybe some awkwardness, but not this. Not total rejection.
“That’s not true,” Chigiri insisted, stepping forward as if he could close the distance between them physically, but Kunigami stepped back, his eyes hardening.
“No, I’m not. The person you knew, he’s dead. And you need to stop pretending he’s going to come back,” Kunigami said coldly. “Go home, Chigiri. There’s nothing for you here.”
Chigiri opened his mouth to argue, but the door shut in his face before he could say another word.
He hadn’t cried immediately.
Chigiri had managed to keep it together as he walked back to the train station, the weight of rejection pressing down on his chest with each step. But as soon as he sat down on a bench in the quiet, empty station, the tears started to fall, no matter how much he tried to blink them back.
Kunigami didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. The thought echoed painfully in Chigiri’s mind, deepening the ache in his chest. They had shared so much at Blue Lock—stolen kisses, lingering hugs, moments that felt like love. They had acted like a couple, and for a while, it had felt so real. But since Kunigami returned from the wild card, he wasn’t the same, and that distance hurt more than Chigiri expected. He wiped his eyes furiously, frustrated with himself for breaking down in public. He couldn’t believe it had come to this.
"Princess?"
Chigiri flinched, startled by the voice, and looked up to see Barou standing in front of him, arms crossed, a scowl plastered across his face.
“Oi, are you crying?”
Great. Just what I need. Barou, of all people.
“No, I’m not,” Chigiri snapped back, wiping his eyes aggressively as if that would make the obvious tears disappear. “Why are you even here?”
“I’m live here, dumbass. Not that it’s any of your business.”
Of course, Barou was from Akita. He had forgotten in the haze of everything.
“Right,” Chigiri muttered, turning his face away, hoping Barou would just leave him alone. The last thing he needed right now was someone like him around.
Barou didn’t move, though. He sat down next to Chigiri on the bench, completely invading his space as if he owned it. “What the hell are you doing here? You don’t look like the type to visit Akita for fun.”
Chigiri glanced at him, still not in the mood for small talk. “I was visiting someone. Didn’t go as planned.”
“Let me guess. Kunigami?” Barou asked with narrowed eyes, clearly picking up on the red eyes and the defeated tone.
“How did you—”
“Heard he was back after the Wild Card shit. Seems like he’s turned into an asshole,” Barou said bluntly, leaning back against the bench.
“Yeah... You could say that.”
Barou watched him for a moment, then let out an exaggerated sigh. “You are pathetic, crying at a train station. Get up.”
“What?” Chigiri looked at him, confused.
“You’re not going to sit here all night like a sad little princess, are you?” the raven stood up, towering over Chigiri. “Come stay at my place.”
Barou was offering him a place to stay? Barou, the guy who didn’t seem to give a damn about anyone but himself? “Why would you—”
“I don’t need a reason. You look like shit, and it’s pathetic seeing you like this. Let’s go before I change my mind.”
Barou’s place was surprisingly cozy and meticulously tidy, much more than Chigiri had expected. He had pictured something chaotic and messy, but then again, Barou had always been strict about keeping things clean, especially during those days in Blue Lock when he’d yell at him and Nagi for messing up their shared room.
Chigiri had gone straight to the shower, grateful for the chance to wash away the exhaustion from the day. When he stepped out Barou was sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone.
“You took long enough,” the older muttered, glancing up briefly before tossing a towel at Chigiri. “Come here.”
Chigiri frowned but approached. “What?”
Without another word, Barou stood up and started drying Chigiri’s hair, ruffling it roughly with the towel.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Chigiri yelped, trying to pull away.
“You dry your hair properly or it’ll get all tangled.”
Huh? Since when did he care about things like this?
“Sit down,” the taller ordered after drying Chigiri’s hair, grabbing a brush from the table.
“You’re not serious.”
“Do you want your hair done or not?”
“I can do it myself.”
“I said, sit down.”
With a sigh, he sat down, letting the older get to work. Barou was surprisingly gentle, his fingers deftly moving through Chigiri’s long hair, brushing it out with ease.
The redhead bit his lip, trying not to enjoy it too much. He wasn’t used to this kind of attention, especially from someone like Barou.
Despite his gruff words, there was an odd sense of gentleness in the way Barou handled his hair as if he didn’t want to admit he was being considerate. Chigiri was too surprised to protest anymore and let Barou continue.
Just then, Barou’s two little sisters bounded into the room, their faces lighting up the moment they saw Chigiri sitting there with his hair being dried by their big brother. They rushed over, eyes wide and full of excitement.
“Is this your girlfriend, Shoei?!” the younger one squealed, practically bouncing on her toes. “She’s so pretty!”
Chigiri’s face turned red. He waved his hands, laughing nervously. “Wait, no! I’m not—”
“What? He’s not a girl!” Barou’s brow twitched, clearly irritated.
Chigiri smiled, though a bit embarrassed, and clarified, “I’m a guy.”
The two girls gasped in unison, their eyes growing even wider. “No way! You’re too beautiful to be a boy!” the older one exclaimed, peering up at him in disbelief.
Barou, still drying Chigiri’s hair, snorted at their shock, his lips curving into a rare smirk. “Told you he wasn’t a girl.”
Then the sisters quickly recovered from the surprise and looked at Chigiri with pleading eyes. “Can we do your hair? Please, please, please?”
Chigiri blinked, glancing at Barou for approval. His scowl deepened, but he said nothing, so Chigiri gave a small nod.
The girls cheered and quickly got to work, or at least, they tried. Their small hands fumbled through his long hair, attempting to braid it but mostly ending up tangling it even more. Chigiri winced as his hair was pulled in every direction, though he tried to be patient with their excitement.
Barou, however, was less forgiving. After a few minutes of watching them turn Chigiri’s hair into a bird’s nest, he growled, “Alright, that’s enough! You’re making it worse.”
The girls pouted but stepped back as Barou took over, grabbing the brush with a huff. “Move over,” he muttered as he sat down behind Chigiri, settling into his task.
Chigiri glanced over his shoulder, a bit amused. “You think you can do better?”
Barou shot him a look. “Shut up and sit still.”
Chigiri sighed, letting Baro take control. To his surprise, Barou’s hands were careful as they moved through his hair, brushing out the knots his sisters had created. Despite his usual roughness, there was a surprising gentleness in the way Barou handled the task, his fingers skilled and precise as he sectioned off Chigiri’s hair for braiding.
“I didn’t know you were so good at this,” Chigiri teased softly, feeling oddly comfortable.
“I’m not," Barou grunted. "I just know how to get it done right.”
“You’re not as rough as I thought you’d be.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Barou muttered, though there was no real bite in his voice. “You’re so spoiled.”
“I’m not spoiled!”
“Whatever, Princess,” Barou smirked as he tied off the braid, giving it a light tug.
Chigiri huffed, crossing his arms but didn’t argue. It wasn’t worth it.
Over the next few days, Chigiri found himself relying on Barou more than he expected. He had originally planned to head home after Kunigami's rejection, but Barou convinced him to stay. Not that the older said it nicely, of course. He’d said something along the lines of, “You’re not leaving yet. I need someone to kick around on the field.”
The Akita resident king had a weird way of showing he cared, but Chigiri wasn’t going to complain. He was spoiled, wasn't he? But he couldn't reject when Barou offered to dry his hair every day and sometimes even help with his hairdo. It was strange at first, letting Barou take care of him in these small ways, but Chigiri found himself getting used to it.
Barou still had his usual bad mouth, calling Chigiri “spoiled Princess” more times than he could count. But underneath the teasing, Chigiri started noticing something else... Barou was always there, making sure he ate, making sure he slept, even dragging him outside to explore Akita when all Chigiri wanted to do was mope.
The more time they spent together, the more Chigiri found himself drawn to the older. It wasn’t just that Barou took care of him. It was that he pushed him. Challenged him. In a way, Barou was the opposite of what Kunigami had become. While Kunigami had shut him out, Barou had stepped in, offering support in his own gruff, crude way.
And everything shifted the day before Chigiri was supposed to head home.
They were sitting on a bench at the train station, waiting for Chigiri’s train to arrive. It had been a surprisingly quiet day between them, neither knowing how to handle the looming goodbye.
“Looks like you’re finally leaving,” Barou muttered, his arms crossed as he stared out at the tracks.
“Yeah,” Chigiri answered softly, looking down at his hands. He wasn’t sure what to say. He hadn’t expected to feel this reluctant to leave. Not after everything.
“You gonna cry again like the last time you were here?” Barou teased, though there wasn’t much bite in his voice.
“Shut up. I’m not crying,” Chigiri huffed. “You’re such a jerk, you know that?”
Barou shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. “Better a jerk than a crybaby.”
“I’m not a crybaby, Barou. Stop treating me like I’m made of glass.”
“I’m not,” Barou said simply, turning his gaze toward him. “But you’ve been acting like everything’s gonna break since you got here. Someone’s gotta keep you in check.”
Chigiri stared at him, unsure how to respond to that. Despite his harsh words, Barou’s actions had always been the opposite. The older had been taking care of him in his way this entire time, and now that Chigiri was about to leave, he realized how much he was going to miss that.
Miss him.
The train’s distant whistle broke the silence, the sound making Chigiri’s heart sink. He wasn’t ready to go.
Barou shifted beside him, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. “You’ll be fine, Princess. You’ll figure it out. You always do.”
Chigiri blinked, taken aback by the uncharacteristic softness in Barou’s voice. Before he could even think about what he was doing, Chigiri blurted out, “I don’t want to go.”
Barou stiffened beside him, his eyes flicking toward Chigiri in surprise. “What?”
Chigiri bit his lip, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. “I said, I don’t want to go.” His voice was quieter this time, more unsure.
The words hung in the air, the weight of them making Chigiri’s heart race. He wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he expected, but what he didn’t expect was for Barou to suddenly lean in and kiss him.
The kiss was rough, unpolished, and caught Chigiri completely off guard. But the moment their lips met, Chigiri felt something warm bloom in his chest, a feeling he hadn’t expected. He froze for a second, but then kissed him back, slowly closing his eyes as he melted into it.
It didn’t last long. Barou pulled away quickly, as if realizing what he’d done, his eyes widening in shock. “Shit,” Barou muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t—”
Chigiri blinked, still processing what had just happened. His heart was pounding, and his lips tingled from the contact. Barou had kissed him. Barou had kissed him.
“I— I’m sorry,” Barou said gruffly, refusing to meet Chigiri’s gaze. “That was… I shouldn’t have—”
Before Barou could finish, Chigiri grabbed his collar and pulled him back down, crashing their lips together again. This time, the kiss was more certain, more deliberate. Chigiri didn’t care if they were in the middle of a train station or if the train was coming. All he cared about was the way Barou’s lips felt against his, the way his strong hands gripped Chigiri’s shoulders, pulling him closer.
When they finally broke apart, Chigiri was breathless, his face flushed. He stared up at Barou, his fingers still gripping his collar as if he were afraid to let go.
“I liked it,” Chigiri whispered with a shaky voice. “... the kiss.”
Barou stared at him, his usual confidence wavering for a moment. He was silent for a beat, then sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re a real pain in the ass, you know that?”
Chigiri smirked, a little bit of his sass returning. “Yeah, well, you’re an idiot.”
Barou rolled his eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “You’re seriously into this?”
Chigiri nodded. “Yeah. I am.”
Barou let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing as he stared down at Chigiri. “Then… you wanna try this? Dating, I mean.”
“Yeah," Chigiri confirmed as his heart skipped a beat. "I do.”
For a moment, neither of them said anything, both of them still processing the whirlwind of emotions that had just hit them. Then, Barou stood up, offering a hand to Chigiri.
“Come on, your train’s here, and I’m not dealing with you missing it because you’re too busy swooning over me.”
Chigiri laughed, taking his hand and standing up. “Swooning? You wish.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Princess,” Barou grinned, pulling Chigiri close as the train pulled into the station.
When the doors of the train opened, Chigiri hesitated for a second, glancing back at Barou. “You’ll visit, right?”
Barou raised an eyebrow. “You think I’d leave you alone? Don’t be stupid. I’m not letting you run away that easily.”
“Good.” Chigiri smiled, his heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks.
With one last kiss, Chigiri boarded the train with excitement. He watched Barou stood on the platform, arms crossed and smirking like always, but there was something different in his eyes this time.
The train pulled away, and Chigiri leaned back in his seat, a wide grin spreading across his face. He didn’t know what the future held, but he was excited to find out.
And as far as Barou was concerned, Chigiri was pretty sure he had found something worth holding onto.