Chapter Text
It was 1am, and Bachira had made the mistake of starting a new series way too late in the day, finding himself engrossed and unable to stop. Normally he’d be fast asleep by now, but kept promising himself “one more episode, just one more and I’ll go to sleep,” except he didn’t.
What broke Bachira out of his fixation, his eyes shifting from the screen after hours of staring at it, was his doorbell ringing.
Who on earth was awake at this hour?
This could be a trap, the brunette thought to himself, if he wasn’t careful he could get attacked. But when the bell rang again after a long wait, something just clicked, compelling him to pause what was on the screen and jump off the couch.
Something about it, the lack of hastiness perhaps, made Bachira’s stomach twist for some reason, he had a hunch already on who it was. Peeking through the peephole, Bachira’s suspicions were confirmed, there he stood, drenched from head to toe in the same clothes he wore since their afternoon practice, was Isagi Yoichi.
The door swung open, startling the person outside. He took a few steps back, mouth opening and closing like he wanted to say something but could not find the words for it. It was becoming apparent that Isagi wasn’t ready for this, not expecting the resident of the apartment to actually answer, but Bachira did, and worry was coursing through him at this very moment.
“Isagi…? What are you doing out at this hour?” Bachira blinked, staring at the man by his front door.
“Sorry…Bachira, could I possibly stay the night?” Isagi softly whispered, voice barely audible from the sound of the raindrops hitting the concrete floor behind him.
“You don’t even have to ask, come inside.” Bachira ushered him in, stepping out of the way.
Reluctantly, Isagi started moving, taking one step after the other, his left foot followed his right foot till he found himself standing at the entrance of Bachira’s apartment. He was soaked, rainwater dripping right into the wooden flooring.
“Ah! I’ll get you a towel, hang on.” Bachira exclaimed, disappearing into the bedroom for a few seconds. He returned with a number of clean fluffy towels, throwing one over Isagi’s shoulder and a smaller one going over his head as Bachira ruffled his hair dry. “Come inside, I’ll make you some tea to warm you up.”
“Sorry about this…” Isagi muttered, head hanging low the whole time. There was a crack in his voice, like he was holding himself back from crying, Bachira knew him long enough to recognise his various tones, something was on his mind.
Holding both of Isagi’s hands in his, Bachira guided him over to the couch, laying another towel on top for Isagi to sit on. It got cold in his apartment at night and the brunette wasn’t the biggest fan of using his heating system, the buttons too complicated for him to figure out.
“I’ll go make some tea.” Bachira announced, heading over to the studio’s kitchen.
The kettle was filled, switch flipped as it gradually heated the water up to the required temperature. It was quiet save for the sound of that, a few clinks and cabinet doors being closed as Bachira retrieved his favourite brand of tea from the shelves and filled his favourite mug up with boiling water. Honey was on brand for him, as he squeezed a sufficient amount into the tea before stirring it, watching the syrup disappear as it melted in.
Making his way back to Isagi, Bachira noticed a detail he missed earlier, his cheek was very much bruised. Was he attacked? Did he fall? Ambushed by any chance? Bachira had to know, but at the same time he wanted to give Isagi enough space to talk comfortably about it.
“Tea is ready~” Bachira masked his concern with a cheery attitude, handing the hot mug over to his teammate.
“Ah, thank you…” Isagi murmured, accepting the beverage. He brought it up to his face, taking in the aroma of honey and Ceylon tea before taking a sip. The sigh that escaped his mouth said a lot, Isagi needed this.
“Bachira…It’s Kimiko, she broke up with me.”
“ WHAT??”
✿✿✿
Kimiko, the love of Isagi’s life, all he ever talked about day in and day out, had ended their nearly two year relationship. Something wasn’t right, it just wasn’t, Bachira could sense that. Everyone knew Isagi was head over heels in love with her, opting out of gatherings from time to time to hang out with her. They even lived together, moving in a year into their relationship. Some thought they were going too fast, but he seemed happy to be with her, this being Isagi’s first relationship and all.
It seems Kimiko didn’t think the same.
Everything unravelled on that day.
Following their daily practice sessions and meetings, Isagi mentioned that he was gonna head home for the day, most of them did, too tired to do anything else. He’d picked up a few items from the store and returned home at around 7pm, only to find a pair of suitcases sitting near the entrance.
Isagi couldn’t speak, couldn’t find it in him to state his typical “I’m home~”. Kimiko would usually be there to respond “Welcome home!”, except she wasn’t around. He could hear shuffling coming from the bedroom, and the shadow of a person walking around, seemingly in a hurry of sorts.
Somehow, Isagi willed his body to move, to step inside, it was his apartment after all, why should he hesitate? He quietly took his shoes off, placing them on the little shelf they kept in the corner. He noticed that all of Kimiko’s shoes were gone, a single pair kept near the door for her to wear. The umbrella stand still had both of theirs sitting in it, although Isagi did remember the forecast predicting rain so she would have needed it for later.
But wait, when is later, why is just accepting the fact that she is leaving?
Isagi hesitated, not sure how to approach this, it was clear Kimiko was packing up to go, but for what reason? Would she even tell him if he asked? One step after the other, Isagi approached the bedroom, spotting an open suitcase on the floor as Kimiko shoved the last of her garments in it. It seems she didn’t notice him coming in initially, as she was startled the second she turned around to find Isagi standing near the doorway.
“Yoichi! I…I can explain.” she started, tripping on her own words as she tried to come up with an explanation.
“Was it something I did?” Isagi asked, his tone barely registering a whisper.
“Huh?” Kimiko shot him a confused look.
“Was it…something…I did?” Isagi articulated, voice wavering ever so slightly. “Because why else would you be rushing to leave thinking I won’t be home anytime soon?”
The jacket in Kimiko’s hand fell to the ground as she dropped both arms to her side in defeat, staring at nothing but the floor they stood on. Silence enveloped the room, with the only source of sound coming from the wall clock Kimiko insisted they get. Isagi loathed it, the constant ticking sound that wouldn’t stop, but he put up with it for her, for his girlfriend.
“I just…don’t see us working out.” Kimiko blurted out, fidgeting with her hands as she said it. “I mean, you’re never around, you try to make the time for me but when I need you the most, you have work. I thought dropping hints here and there might do but you ignored every single one, and just the other day you got me a tuna mayo onigiri, you KNOW I prefer pickled plum!”
“It was an honest mistake-”
“This isn’t just about the onigiri!”
Isagi had no words, he honestly didn’t. Physically, he just stood there, but mentally, he was beating himself up over it. Had he just missed the signs all this time? Was he in reality a terrible boyfriend? Did Kimiko fall out of love with him because he prioritised his work over everything else? It wasn’t exactly his fault though, Isagi, as well as everyone else in Blue Lock worked hard to get to where they are now. To throw it away for one person would be unreasonable, Isagi thought she’d be understanding of that.
“It’s just not what I expected…from when we first started hanging out.” Kimiko muttered, picking her jacket back up and stuffing it in the suitcase. At this point she was done packing everything, zipping the bag up and starting to wheel it out. She was stopped as Isagi stuck a hand out, grasping her arm gently but firmly. She lowered her gaze, trying to avoid any eye contact, but Isagi was looking only at her. He hesitated, but the question was seriously weighing on his mind.
“Kimiko, in all honesty, did you even love me? Or was this all pretend?”
The sound of a slap echoed throughout the room, a dumbfounded Isagi staring wide eyed at the wall in disbelief as he processed what just happened. Kimiko froze in place, realising what she’d just done, arm still held out where she hit Isagi’s cheek. Her nails were long, well maintained and regularly manicured, but they were also sharp at the edges, causing Isagi’s skin to bleed.
“Yoichi…I…” Kimiko stammered, backing away slightly in horror. She just hit Isagi, slapped him right across the face, it wasn’t even his fault, his question being asked in full earnest.
“I get it, it’s over, I’ll give you some space for now.” Isagi interjected, turning back to look at her for one last time. “But just know, I loved you this entire time.” Tears welled up in his eyes as he walked away, not even daring to look back.
Kimiko wanted to call out, she wanted to apologise, but she knew Isagi would not be hearing her in this state. Such a thing had happened before during one of their rare fights, he’ll just be gone for a while and come back, Kimiko thought. Ultimately it’d make it easier for her to leave, as she planned to do so before he got back, but he did not return that evening.
✿✿✿
Isagi went on a walk.
It was one of his favourite things to do, especially when he had a lot on his mind.
In this case, it was a plethora of things. In the end, it all circled back to what he might have done wrong throughout his time with Kimiko.
Things were starting to get clearer the more he thought about it, and Isagi was very much regretful.
He was new to this, his very first relationship. He had no interest back in school, everyone knew that, so when he was approached later on in life, enjoying Kimiko’s presence and wanting to go the next step, there was zero hesitation between the two of them. Isagi did remind her how busy he’d be during the football season, and how he wouldn’t be around much when they needed to train, but she seemed very much okay with it.
That is, until she decided she was not in fact okay with it.
“I wish you didn’t have to go.”
“It feels like you see your teammates more than you see your own girlfriend.”
“You guys should just move into a single house together.”
They felt like harmless comments at the time, but she was serious, and Isagi just laughed it off.
I’m the fucking worst.
It did rain too, as expected, Isagi only hoped Kimiko didn’t forget her umbrella, she was prone to doing that sometimes… This time it was Isagi’s turn to forget his, but somehow, the rain was a little calming to be under. With the way it poured, the droplets masked the tears running down his face, no one would be able to tell he was crying, save for the few whimpers he let out. Isagi occupied a bench for a while, finally choosing to seek shelter in the closest place he could think of, Bachira’s apartment.
Bachira, his closest friend.
✿✿✿
“I’ve heard enough.” Bachira finally interrupted.
“Bachi-”
“No woman is worth getting yourself sick over!”
Isagi fell silent once again.
Bachira had a point, one had to put themselves over anything else, but how was he supposed to do that when the assumed love of his life just walked out on him like that?
“I just don’t want you beating yourself up over this, it wasn’t your fault.” Bachira reassured him, placing a hand on Isagi’s shoulder as he said so.
The gesture may or may not have triggered something, because in a matter of seconds Isagi’s face scrunched, sniffling as the tears started to roll down his cheek one after the other. They pooled in his eyes the more he squinted, rolling down one after the other. There was no stopping them now that it began, Bachira could only direct Isagi’s head to lay on his own shoulder, letting him cry as much as he wanted to. Isagi cried a lot, even more so than he did earlier. Somehow, talking about it only made it worse, and he couldn’t stop himself. Minutes passed, he continued to cry, and Bachira just let him. His arm found its way around Isagi’s shoulder, providing some much needed warmth and comfort along with it.
“It’s okay, let it all out, you went through a lot, and it’s not your fault.” Bachira continued to reassure Isagi as he sobbed. He was shaking uncontrollably, both from his pent up emotions and from how cold he was, and Bachira could do nothing but put another blanket over him.
“Just let it out.” The brunette whispered, gently carding his fingers through Isagi’s hair. This seemed to help a lot, providing a calming effect for the troubled man.
“Bachira…I don’t know what to do.” Isagi finally spouted. “I thought we had something special.”
Sometimes, one’s first love is not in fact the one, Bachira only wished he could say that, instead he opted to comfort his best friend instead.
“I promise you it’ll be okay, you can get through this.”
Bachira was not going to allow anything otherwise to happen.
✿✿✿
Isagi cried for a good thirty minutes, letting all his pent up emotions and stress out, Bachira had rarely ever seen him like this and if he had to be honest, it was worrisome. After Isagi was done, he’d suddenly gone limp, collapsing right onto Bachira’s lap.
“I-Isagi?!” the brunette yelled, only realising seconds later that his friend had simply fallen asleep, exhausting himself from all the crying. His nose was red, while his eyes were puffy and dyed a similar colour. Residual tears stained his cheeks while his parted lips showed signs of dryness, cracked and peeling. Of course, there was the nasty cut on Isagi’s cheek too, and while it had already stopped bleeding, it was bound to leave a mark for a little while.
Bachira hated seeing him like this.
Where was the Isagi they all knew, the Isagi that smiled back, the Isagi that laughed at all their jokes, the Isagi that fell for their pranks, and finally, the Isagi that encouraged everyone on the field.
“I’ll never forgive her for this.” Bachira whispered, gently rubbing his thumb on Isagi’s cheeks.
Freeing his lap from the hold Isagi had on it, Bachira managed to retrieve a proper blanket and pillow for his friend to sleep on. There was no way he could move him to the bed although he would have preferred a comfier spot for Isagi. The two had very similar builds and Bachira wasn’t that into building strength as others were. He slipped a pillow under Isagi’s head and covered him up with the bigger blanket, still keeping some of the towels on for warmth, content that Isagi was comfortable, Bachira patted himself on the back for a job well done. Lastly, Bachira retrieved a bandaid from the first aid box, picking a green coloured one and laying it over the cut on Isagi’s cheek. It might be a completely useless addition, but at least it wasn’t exposed.
Bachira was glad it was a Friday, the weekend giving them time to recover from a busy week, but something told him they’d be busy with something else. In all honesty he didn’t want Isagi going back to his place, it’d probably hurt too much, knowingly living somewhere that was meant for two people. But seeing as Isagi was knocked out at the moment, Bachira simply opted to leave a spare change of clothes on the table before going to sleep himself. He took one last glance at the sleeping person before turning the lights off in the living room.
✿✿✿
Isagi most definitely woke up numerous times during the night, Bachira knew this because he himself had a hard time sleeping. The brunette could hear the occasional sneeze as well as numerous coughs coming from the other room. Of course, he should have known, Isagi’s clothes were drenched, he was in the rain for god knows how long, he did not change out of those clothes either.
How I could forget such an important thing, Mama always warned me about it. Bachira kicked himself for it, now Isagi was sick and he was partly to blame.
Morning did not want to come but it eventually did, the sun shining right onto Bachira’s face from the enormous window he had in his room. In his rush last night he’d forgotten to close the curtains, getting an exclusive ticket to the morning light that prevented him from sleeping any further. His body felt a little stiff, having slept a little under four hours, but he knew the person outside definitely had it worse, and he was going to have to check on Isagi eventually.
Bachira willed himself to put on a cheery attitude, he had to show Isagi some degree of positivity, considering how much he was and will be going through for a while. He threw on a quick outfit, opened the door to his room and was prepared to greet his friend.
“Good morn~!” but Bachira stopped himself right in the middle, Isagi was not there, not where he should have been. “Isagi?!”
Running around the place, Bachira’s first thought was to check the front door, Isagi’s shoes were still there, that confirmed he hasn’t left. Going back to the couch, the blanket and pillow remained where they were, the towels however were all gone. The spare change of clothes were also not there, but Isagi’s phone sat on the table instead. The distinct sound of the washing machine running caught Bachira’s attention, finalising his prediction.
Okay, good, Isagi is in the bathroom then.
Putting one ear to the bathroom door, Bachira could hear some water running. He let out a sigh, content that Isagi was just treating himself to a much needed shower. Sure he might use up all the hot water, but so be it, Isagi needed it more right now.
Bachira decided to fix them some breakfast in the meantime, digging into his cupboards for another mug to use and pulling out an extra plate and cutlery set. He rarely had people over for meals, most of the time eating by himself, so he saw no reason to carry several of the same item. It was his mum, Yu, that urged Bachira to at least invest in an extra set or so, never knowing when he might need them. And she was right, as he planned on having Isagi stay over for as long as he needed.
While he preferred rice for breakfast on most days, Bachira decided on bread this time, having purchased a loaf that looked good in the store the other day. There were plenty of slices left for the both of them, although he wasn’t too sure what Isagi’s appetite would be like. Nevertheless, he placed four slices onto the baking tray and stuck it in the little toaster oven he had. Bachira pulled some eggs out of the fridge and started on frying them up, and it was at that point that he heard the bathroom door open, a clean and changed Isagi emerging from it.
“Oh, something smells good.” The blue haired man commented, rubbing a towel on his head as he stepped out of the bathroom. His voice was a little congested, that was obvious to spot. Bachira also noted his still puffy eyes and red nose, but that would need some time at least.
“Just in time! The toast is almost done.” Bachira cheerfully responded, sliding the eggs onto each of their plates. “Take a seat, I’ll make us some coffee.”
A smile appeared on Isagi’s face, this was a good sign, Bachira was glad, the healing journey was only just starting. The brunette placed both their plates on the table, motioning for his friend to take the seat across from him as he prepared some black coffee for them both. It wasn’t his favourite beverage to have, but their coach was constantly lecturing Bachira over his sweet sugary choices, so the compromise was that he was allowed them only if he had a zero calorie drink for breakfast.
“But wait, I thought that agreement was only for weekdays.” Isagi noted, taking a bite of his toast.
“Week…day…WAIT, it’s SATURDAY!” Bachira exclaimed, completely forgetting he was allowed to have whatever he wanted on that day.
And so he did, running to the cupboard for a couple packets of sugar, some honey, as well as the milk in the fridge. Bachira mixed up his favourite little concoction, a look of joy on his face as he happily stirred it. Out of the corner of his eye, he also noticed Isagi smiling at him, lowkey making him a bit self conscious about it.
“I-Is there something weird on my face?” Bachira questioned.
“Hm? No, why would there be? You just seem very happy about your coffee.” Isagi chuckled, although there was a mild hint of pain in his eyes.
Ah, right, Kimiko liked her coffee sweet too.
Obviously this was going to take some time, one does not simply recover from a physical injury overnight, the same could be said about a broken heart. But what else would Bachira be able to do, he was his friend, previously a bystander, he was not involved in any way. Yet, it was clear that Isagi confided in him, and him only, not Chigiri, not Rin, not Reo, but Bachira. They all lived nearby too, Bachira was confident it was no coincidence Isagi ended up near his doorstep.
But in order to heal, one had to make an effort, and even if Isagi wasn’t ready to begin that journey, the least they could do is be there for him until he feels comfortable enough to start. This is where Bachira is inserting himself into the narrative, he will be the one to raise the anchor, the captain to lead the ship, and should Isagi reject the notion, then so be it.
“Isagi, how about you crash at my place for a while?”