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The laminated turf grazed the soles of his feet as he made way to his usual spot. The field seemed odd when the floodlights weren’t gracing it with their warmth, but they weren’t needed at this hour. The waxing gibbous and accompanying stars were more than enough to light the way, right to the middle of the practice field. Isagi let his towel fall beside him as he situated himself flat on his back. Sighing in delight, he aimlessly gazed above; beyond the dull, concrete walls that imprisoned him at Blue Lock. He doesn’t remember when he realized it, but the football fields where decisive matches take place every day don’t have roofs. Coupled with Blue Lock being in the middle of nowhere means the stars are on full display come night.
Ever since then, like clockwork, Isagi went out of his way on certain nights to lay alone and look at the stars. To watch how they burn, how they twinkle, and even how some sit stagnant in the sky. He couldn’t help but relate it to a field full of footballers; certain stars burning brighter than others while some merely glimmered. Nevertheless, they all contributed to the scene displayed before his eyes.
It was a scenery unmatched against the suffocating ceilings of Blue Lock. Now that he thinks about it, he’s grown exhausted of the concrete behemoth that surrounds him. It’s not just the towering walls and ceilings; there are no windows anywhere. He seriously took the vast, windy scenery of his hometown for granted before coming here.
But a part of him is glad he did, because without this rude awakening, he would have never come to appreciate the views he had; the simple yet impactful pleasures he was surrounded by prior to Blue Lock. This epiphany is yet another byproduct of being locked away; confined within walls to do nothing but fight through football. It never ceased to amaze Isagi just how much of an impact Blue Lock had made on himself. He only expected to master his power and eventually become the #1 striker, but the stars that exist every day, immortally, turned out to be just as valuable a lesso-
The silent, yet sudden creak of the field door stopped his thoughts. Startled, Isagi snapped his gaze towards its direction. The figure seemed to hesitate for a split second, as if deciding whether to bother Isagi or not. But it finally emerged beyond the heavy door and made its way straight for him. Isagi felt a bit nervous, but he wasn’t sure why. It’s not like they overheard his thoughts; raw and embarrassing as they were.
“Yo, dumbfuck”
Ah, Rin.
“You have such a way with words,” Isagi replied.
A stupid grin found its way across his lips. “Why?” He thought to himself. Did I really grow fond of Rin’s half-assed attempts of friendliness? I mean, we have gotten along better ever since training started…but undeniably, a rift between us still existed. And by no means it was Isagi’s fault. Rin just lacked any interest in becoming closer. His one and only goal is to step on Blue Lock on his path towards Sae. Nothing and no one else mattered; not even companions.
And for some reason, that bothers Isagi.
Isagi’s thoughts were once again halted. He was so distracted that Rin seemed to suddenly appear out of thin air, right above him. He looked down at Isagi expressionless. It’s that same poker face he wore all the time; except when Sae is ever brought up. Then he gets infuriated.
“Then…you’ve noticed it, too?”
Isagi’s heart collapsed. Because for a split second, he thought Rin was referring to the thoughts that just ran rampant through his head.
“HUH?” was all he could muster.
Rin pointed casually towards the sky as he settled on his back. It seemed like…he planned to join Isagi? He was stunned. It was too unexpected, especially from Rin.
“The sky, dumbass. The fields are the only place where you can see it. The retractable roofs roll off at night, for whatever reason. Bet it’s Ego.”
“Ah, yeah!” He let out a relieved chuckle, “I noticed it during one of my matches on Team Z. I wondered why the floodlights felt so warm, but turns out it was the sun…”
Isagi let his sentence drift toward the stars.
“And since we get free time after dinner to do whatever we want, I come out here before I bathe. It’s relaxing, and…much better than the view of the ceiling.”
Silence.
“You’re not wrong. If I must keep looking at concrete, I think I’ll go insane” Rin replied.
From his peripheral, Isagi could see he lay with both arms behind his head. Super casual for the usually stiff & serious Rin.
“Then…You’ve been stargazing too? Maybe on a different field?” Isagi asked, trying not to sound as curious as he truly was.
“No…actually, I’ve been meaning to try it some time, and I noticed you walked in here some time ago and never left. But I thought you’d just be practicing.” Rin’s gaze stuck to the sky the entire time. Isagi opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted before he could finish.
“Can’t sleep?” Rin asked with his face now turned to him. Isagi felt a tinge of emotion at this. “Tomorrow’s already the U-20 match. I don’t blame you if you’re restless.”
“Yeah. I decided to come here and try to calm down, maybe get sleepy. If I’m being honest, though…” Isagi pondered for a moment before finishing his thought. A mischievous grin spread across his face when he turned to Rin.
“I can’t help my excitement. It’s the same feeling I used to get on nights before going on a school field trip. I really just want to play against Japan already.”
Isagi noticed a slight tremble in his hands. He turned his attention to them, outstretched above him against the light-littered sky. This marked just one of the numerous times his eagerness physically manifested. Ever since coming to Blue Lock—no, actually, because of Blue Lock—Isagi has felt excitement and pressure in the best way possible. This sensation, of challenge after challenge welcoming excitement and growth, was invigorating. And tomorrow, at the middle of that field, Isagi hopes to manifest this feeling into goals.
“Pfft” Rin blew through his lips.
“All that eagerness just to get your ass handed to by me. How much you wanna bet you won’t even score once?” Rin’s tone was its usual seriousness, and yet Isagi could swear he felt a bit of playfulness within it.
“HA” Isagi jolted off his back to look at Rin. “I’ll score more than you, and even throw in a goal using the back-shot I used against you!” He exclaimed with a smile.
“Don’t flatter yourself, you just got lucky one time…” Rin remarked with a playful punch to Isagi’s shoulder. His annoyed, cold stare slowly melted into a gentle one. Isagi wanted to desperately say something, but the words wouldn’t dare to slip through his lips. For he himself wasn’t sure about his own feelings about Rin or their relationship.
All Isagi knew for sure was that he had never felt this comfortable with anyone before. Most surprising to Isagi of all, however, was this feeling was towards someone as irritable and serious as Rin. But Isagi already noticed Rin’s slightly changed attitude towards him. Sure, Rin’s the same crabby person as he was the day they met, but he undeniably wasn’t as serious as he used to be; especially when it came to Isagi.
Little by little, throughout the last 2 weeks of training, the two got to practice their synergy just as Ego wished. They became accustomed to their playstyles to the point where they could read each other almost perfectly. Not only on the field, but Isagi memorized Rin’s routines and mannerisms like the back of his hand. Rin’s early morning jog around the field before breakfast, his afternoon meditation session following regular practice, his nighttime bath routine, skincare regimen, and even his exact teeth brushing routine. Even the little nervous tic of wrinkling his nose when Rin was deep in thought.
Huh. After reciting this in his head, Isagi realized just how familiar he was with Rin.
He wondered if this would amount to anything between them. Did Rin even notice this change himself? Did he stay attentive to Isagi? Did he even care about Isagi? And even if he did…did he yearn for more between them? Like Isagi was starting to?
“You okay?” Rin’s inquisition brought Isagi back down to Earth.
“You look like your pondering something hard there, Socrates” Rin followed.
Isagi tightened the grip he held around his legs that were up to his chest, burying his chin deeper between them. He let out a small giggle before turning up towards the sky.
“I was just thinking about these last 2 weeks. I know we’re still competing against each other, but…” Isagi hesitated for just a moment. However, he decided now was as best as ever to be honest about his feelings. Realistically, this was going to be one of the only chances he’d ever get to say it. They were always surrounded by others throughout the day; this moonlit silence before a decisive game for their futures was the last time to be upfront with Rin. So Isagi continued with every ounce of confidence he could muster.
“I’m glad I got the chance to play with you more…and to grow closer to you. Even for providing me with some of the most challenging obstacles in my football career. I just felt like telling you this, since tomorrow might be the last time we ever play together again.” Isagi pushed through the initial embarrassment and warmth rising on his cheeks to share his final thought:
“Rin…Thank you”
And with that, Isagi buried his entire face into his knees. He couldn’t bear looking at Rin right now, but the curiosity was clawing at his brain. He raised his head and prepared to apologize for his sudden spiel, but the scenery before him left him speechless.
Rin’s bewildered expression was topped with flushed cheeks. It was an incredible mix of confusion, surprise, and embarrassment. Honesty, it was adorable. Such a stark yet welcomed difference from his poker face. This was the first and only time Isagi has ever seen him with such intense emotion plastered on his face (save for his anger whenever Sae is mentioned).
And he loved it.
Isagi wished he could take a picture to remember it forever, but he knew it would stay ingrained in his memory for as long as he cherished it. That thought alone birthed a smile across Isagi’s face. It didn’t last long, though, because flustered Rin sent a hand flying toward Isagi.
“OI” Rin finally let out in response, a bit of shakiness present in his voice. He raised himself off his back with his arms behind him, eyes wide. “The hell did that come from?”
“S-Sorry” Isagi’s eyes darted to Rin, then back towards the sky.
“L-Like I said, I don’t want to regret anything in case we never see each other after tomorr-“
Isagi didn’t get to finish the thought, for a sudden warmth embraced his left hand.
His face dropped in shock as he looked down. Rin’s right hand wrapped around and atop Isagi’s. It was incredibly smooth and delicate, yet radiated such warmth. Again, the feeling of comfort. A feeling that only Rin could give him.
“I’m sorry that I’m not good with words…” Rin started. A slight blush remained on his face. It suited him well, Isagi thought.
“But I feel the same way, dumbass.” He finished. A soft smile found its way across his lips. His eyes turned gentle and thankful, only making Isagi’s heart burst further and more furious. "Fuck, I could get used to this," Isagi remarked in his head. It made him chuckle, which turned into a full out laugh.
“Oi, don’t laugh” Rin quickly remarked through his teeth. “It’s not funny, I’m being honest here.”
“No, nonono, I wasn’t laughing at you, I’m laughing at my-“
“OI, BRATS” A bombastic voice rang from above. It made them both jump, pulling their hands away from each other as if just caught doing something wrong.
“Go the fuck to sleep” Ego ordered through the loudspeaker. “You’ll have plenty of time after the match to make-out, love birds.”
A bright red greeted both their faces as they looked at each other in shock. But for some reason, it threw them into a fit of laughter.
Rin was the first to get up. He offered his hand to Isagi, helping him up on his feet. But even as they walked towards the door, neither of them let go. Neither of them wanted to; deciding to savor each other’s grasp for as long as they could. Thankfully, it was so late that all the other players were already in bed; giving them just a bit longer. Just a little more time.
And Isagi thanked the stars they left behind for bringing them together, for setting up this chance, and for this one last night.