Ascension│Bluelock x male reader

3.13. Artificial Ego

"Hey, Reo."

Y/N leant both elbows on the table, resting his chin on his palms as he waited for the instant noodles to cook.

Barou, Reo, and Yukimiya sat around the table, just outside the Family Mart's glass doors. It was relatively dark, the street being lit up by an old series of yellow street lamps, half covered in dirt and dust. But sitting next to the store's bright lights and large windows, Y/N could still see the others.

It was quiet. With it being so late at night, barely anyone walked the streets. Instead of the typical daytime noise, the sound of cars honking, people chattering and meeting up, the only noise was the distant, ever-present hum of the city. For the boys at the table, it was like the world had paused, life outside halting as they took in the night air.

Being as sleep-deprived as he was, and with the early hour of two-thirty am ensuring nobody would be around to hear and judge him, Y/N sighed deeply. "Reo."

"Yeah?"

"What is it like, having a dream?"

Across the table, the purple-haired boy's eyes flickered up. He hummed thoughtfully, fingers idly scratching at the table. "Hmm?"

Y/N's face scrunched up a little. "I mean, what is it like having something you really, really want? Like a big end goal you're working towards."

"Like winning the World Cup?"

"Yeah. Like that."

"I mean... it's not 'like' anything. I want it, so I work towards it in any way possible. If that requires me to team up with a natural soccer prodigy, or if it requires me to train twice as hard as everyone else, then I do it."

Y/N listened carefully. He picked out one part in particular. "How do you know if you want it?"

"I guess... hmm." Reo pressed his lips together, looking at Y/N with something along the lines of sympathy. "It's just like wanting anything else. Just more important, I guess."

"Important?"

"You think about it more." Reo clarified. "I want to win the World Cup. And it's on my mind a lot, whether I like it or not. I'm pretty sure the more you want something, the more you'll think about it."

Y/N frowned slightly at that. "What's the difference between wanting, and a dream?"

"Not much. A dream is just something that I really, really want."

Y/N fell silent at that. He lifted the corner of the ramyun lid, peering inside to see if it was cooked. A small tendril of steam rose from the bowl, lit up yellow by the nearby streetlights. He let the lid fall again. "What about you, Barou?"

"Huh?" The tall boy blinked, not expecting the question.

"What does having a dream feel like?"

Silence. Yukimiya and Reo both glanced at Barou, who was very carefully looking anywhere except Y/N's imploring eyes. The man swallowed, moistening his lips. All sign of the usual arrogance, the usual uptight, brash nature was gone, replaced by a normal teenage boy in the darkness.

"I don't know either." Barou finally admitted. "I don't like using that word."

Y/N nodded once. He drew his legs up to his chest, leaning his cheek on his knee. "Then, what?"

"What?"

"What word do you like to use?"

Barou thought. "I like calling it a plan. A dream sounds too fantastical. But a plan makes it sound more real. More doable."