Ascension│Bluelock x male reader

4.4. Moments of Life

Y/N had never truly understood life.

What was the point? All life had done was hurt him, stop him from doing what he wanted. Life threw endless challenges with no reward at him, life gave him the shittiest hand possible, life made everything harder than it should be.

And yet, he clung to it with some deep-rooted desperation.

Over the next few weeks, in both the break after the NEL, and the training that followed, Y/N L/N realised moments where he truly understood what living felt like. Where he felt whole.

Moments like...

Heading back to Bluelock's compound in a shameful hobble, his stomach stitched and hip burning. Ego and Anri kept by him.

"Y/N, are you sure you're okay? We can use a wheelchair."

"N-no." He managed. "I don't... I don't want to."

"Really, Y/N, it's not a problem-"

Ego's voice. "He can choose for himself, Anri."

Y/N continued walking slowly. He made it in through the doors. And though he was hurting, he'd never felt more alive knowing Kuroi was gone. Knowing that he wouldn't need to look over his shoulder anymore. One of the chains keeping him down, locking him to his past, had been broken.

Sure, he hadn't heard back about the Ascension Project. But Y/N didn't care. They wouldn't come for him again. And that was all he needed to know.

The moment the doors shut behind him, Y/N sighed. He drew in a breath of cool, filtered air.

To a lot of the Bluelock participants, a facility like this was a prison. Most of them were out now. But to Y/N, it... felt strangely comforting. Bluelock was safe. And it was also the place where Y/N had finally managed to rid himself of his demon.

If he hadn't come to Bluelock, who knew?

But there was no point in the what if. So Y/N turned his eyes forwards, and began to head to his room.

Moments like...

Opening the door to his room to find Barou stripping his bed of sheets, Niko on the other side sorting Y/N's things neatly into drawers. A few more of the Ubers were in the room as well, the coordination from the game carrying right over to make them a perfectly synchronised group of cleaners.

He stopped in the doorway. "What?"

"Hi." Niko muttered, not paying any attention at all. Then he froze, looked across the room at Y/N, and stopped cleaning. "Y/N?!"

"Hey." He gave a small, tired smile back. "What're you all doing?"

Niko hurried over, reaching a cautious hand out. He poked at Y/N's cheek, speaking slowly. "Uh... cleaning?"

"Why?"

"I don't know." He let his finger fall from Y/N's face. "Barou told us to, and he's kind of the captain. In everything."

"Oh."

On cue, Barou's eyes lasered in on Y/N. He grumbled under his breath. Y/N barely caught it. "So much goddamn dust in here... you don't clean your air filters at all."

Y/N blinked. Then, heart warming, he managed his way into the room. "What can I help with?"