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The human body had its limits, and it was up to every person to familiarise themselves with such. Athletes were typically experts in that field, training their bodies to be stronger than ever while also prioritising their own health, they barely ever exceeded that 100%, and they didn’t have to.
Blue Lock was all about seeing just how far the players could push past the limits of their own bodies, while making sure they didn’t crack.
Isagi was sometimes bad at that.
✿✿✿
One kick after the other, each ball went flying only to be stopped by the nets of the goalpost. One shot after the next, the balls started going rogue, hitting the pole or completely missing the post. Isagi was way past his limit at this point. There was no stopping him though, they had a few days left till their next match and he was determined, determined to stay in the starters lineup, as well as actually make a difference.
The screen in the training field flickered before the all too familiar face of Ego Jinpachi made an appearance, his slightly annoying voice echoing as he told the striker off.
“Time to give it a rest, go to sleep, Isagi Yoichi.”
“Yes sir…”
Isagi sighed as he put all his equipment away, placing the footballs back in their designated spot and leaving the field. He was the last one out, everyone else having already gone to have dinner and then sleep. But Isagi felt like he had no time to waste, and if he had to skip such luxuries then so be it. It’s not like he was even that hungry, his appetite suppressing itself due to mild bouts of stress.
Truth be told his joints were starting to ache a little, he could use a bath if the option was there. Isagi gathered his stuff from the shared room they slept in, heading to the baths that were luckily still running. Perhaps there were other players on the same boat, although it wasn’t that late to begin with, Isagi thought.
A quick rinse under the shower and Isagi was fully submerged from his shoulders down to his toes, the hot water doing wonders in soothing his sore limbs. It was then that Isagi realised just how exhausted he was, not wanting to leave while also simultaneously reminding himself not to fall asleep in the bath. The quiet atmosphere was a little jarring too, leaving him to his own thoughts that spiralled to negative ones. But what else was he supposed to do? Give himself a pep talk?
The silence didn’t last for very long, as another voice made itself apparent soon after, and it was the last one Isagi wanted to hear right now.
“Well well well, if it isn’t Little Yoichi, having a little late night soak I see?” Kaiser teased.
“Mm.” was all Isagi could muster as a response, stifling a yawn in the process.
The warmth of the water was starting to do its thing, as the blue haired boy felt himself sinking deeper into the water, barely able to move from how tired he was. His thoughts were getting hazy, his hearing a bit dull as the water slowly poured into his ears. His hair floated on the surface the further he sank till there was nothing of him left to see.
Ah, this feels amazing.
“It’s good that you’re spending so much time working on yourself but do you know what time it is? Athletes need their rest too you know” Kaiser continued, as he headed for the showers to scrub himself clean.
“…”
The eerie silence immediately caught Kaiser’s attention, turning around to try and find even a hint of life in the area, but all he could spot was the presence of bubbles that were not supposed to be there on the surface of the water.
“YOU FUCKING IDIOT.” Kaiser cursed, dropping his shampoo bottle on the floor as he ran to the bath.
With no time to waste, the blonde jumped in, his arms frantically searching as he tried to grab at anything under the water until he finally managed to pull Isagi up by the arms. His lack of response as Kaiser called his name definitely brought worry to the German player as he desperately tried to nudge him awake.
“Tch, where are his fucking friends when you need them.” Kaiser cursed once again, dragging Isagi out of the bath and onto the floor.
Isagi let out a groan the second he was laid out onto the floor, with Kaiser checking his pulse and making sure he didn’t swallow too much water while he was under. But going from very warm to very cold was making Isagi shiver uncontrollably, his body firmly protesting the change in atmosphere. Kaiser clicked his tongue at the realisation, hurriedly running to the lockers and retrieving a few towels, as well as throwing on his own robe.
“Cold…” Isagi muttered, curling in on himself.
“Hey, if you’re awake can we at least move elsewhere?” Kaiser poked at him, earning a grunt in response. “I’ll take that as an affirmation.”
Isagi’s smaller frame came in handy at certain times, this being one of them. Acting fast, Kaiser wrapped Isagi up with several towels, hooked his arms behind the striker’s knee and back as he gently lifted him up. A little yelp of embarrassment escaped Isagi’s mouth when he realised the situation they were in.
“Come on now, how else am I supposed to pick you up?” Kaiser grumbled.
“I…cannot refute that.” Isagi complained, resting his head on Kaiser’s shoulder. “You’re warm…”
He couldn’t see from this position, but a pair of blue eyes were definitely watching over him, whilst also sporting a bit of a blush.
In theory, Kaiser should have just deposited Isagi in his own bed, but having to deal with potentially nosy roommates was not something he was in the mood for.
On the other hand, one of the perks of being the team’s Ace was being given his own room, something Kaiser was incredibly grateful for at the moment. Had he been rooming with anyone else it would have been one question after the other. He couldn’t blame them though, in fact he’d probably do the same depending on the players in question.
Walking over to his bed in the corner of the room, Kaiser cautiously lowered Isagi onto it, covering him up with the duvet. The person in his arms had managed to fall asleep on the walk there, but it didn’t seem like a very deep one. It only then dawned on Kaiser that Isagi was very much naked besides the towels, and that his clothes were still kept in the lockers near the bathroom. Sighing to himself, the blonde headed back, retrieving Isagi’s garments and dressing him in them, it was no easy task, Kaiser had never done this before, but Isagi being unconscious made it easier to avoid any awkward eye contact.
“He won’t remember any of this.” Kaiser muttered to himself, staring at the now fully clothed and sleeping person in his bed.
“Remember what?” The other voice caught the blonde by surprise, his head swerving to look for the source. ”I’m right here you idiot.”
“Ah.”
Isagi was now awake.
There’s a chance he was awake all this time, but Kaiser had no way of confirming that. Instead, he took to putting on an intimidating front, the kind that gives off “If you dare speak a word of this to anyone I will make your life miserable.”
“Relax, Kaiser, I wasn’t planning on telling anyone to begin with.” Isagi sighed.
“Not even that shark friend of yours?”
“Not even him.”
“I see.”
Kaiser’s shoulders loosened after that, pulling a chair up and sitting himself near the bed, getting comfortable the second he sat down. Isagi on the other hand seemed a little fidgety, not sure how to relax on someone else’s bed, much less his current rival’s.
“Yoichi, there’s something bothering you.” Kaiser blurted out.
“Actually, there’s several.” Isagi responded.
“Care to share?” Kaiser tilted his head to one side.
“It doesn’t really concern you…” Isagi turned his head away.
“I’m happy to listen, if it helps.”
I’m frustrated.
Isagi was frustrated, at a lot of things actually, himself, his lack of progress, his inability to beat Kaiser. There was the fact that he could do nothing but assist, his high school’s shitty motto still ringing in his head from time to time. Sure football was a team sport, but that’s not what Blue Lock was created for.
“I mean, how can I even call myself a striker when I’ve done everything but score a goddam goal?”
Sure it was all in the past, but Isagi keeps thinking about what would have happened if he didn’t pass to Tada, or if he didn’t assist Kunigami in the First Selection games, how different things could possibly be. Perhaps, he was the one to be getting interviewed instead of Kira, or he would be treating someone else to their first steak for passing to him, a lot of thoughts ran in his mind that he was unable to turn off. The Neo Egoist League didn’t help either, with everyone’s eyes on him and expectations at an all time high ever since he scored that winning goal and gave that memorable interview. He was starting to understand Yukimiya’s initial point of view, how he got special treatment when others probably deserved it more.
“Beating the U-20 team felt amazing, but ever since then I haven’t felt like I’ve been improving as much as I want to, maybe I did just get lucky with it.”
“There’s no such thing as fucking luck, YOU made those happen, never forget that.”
Huh.
Isagi couldn’t help but turn his eyes back to Kaiser, having avoided his gaze this whole time. Somehow, he thought maybe his ears weren’t working well, because he could have sworn Kaiser just tried to give him reassurance, the last person he’d expect that from.
It was Kaiser’s turn to be frustrated, taking it out on Isagi. What do you mean his current rival was still worried about something his sorry excuse of a teammate said, there was a reason Isagi was chosen and not Tom or whatever the fuck his name was.
“Tada.”
“I do not care.”
Unable to control himself, Kaiser reached over to Isagi, readying a weapon with his thumb and index finger as he harshly flicked him on the forehead.
“Oww, what was that for?!”
“For trying to fucking drown yourself because of some self pity! Are you out of your mind?!”
“It wasn’t intentional!”
Yeah, sure it wasn’t, but one could only consider what would have happened if Kaiser, or anyone else for that matter wasn’t there, the thought made the blonde shudder in his place.
“Are you cold?” Isagi softly asked.
“Well duh, I’m in my bathrobe and it’s freezing in here.” Kaiser sarcastically replied.
That was a lie of course.
With that said and done, another issue presented itself, it was evening, they needed to sleep, but there was only one bed?
“I’m not sleeping here.” Isagi declared.
“Oh yeah? I’d like to see you walk out then.” Kaiser grinned, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.
It was mildly amusing to watch, Isagi was not moving at all yet his facial expressions said a lot. He was huffing, grunting, sucking in deep breaths before trying again, but it was no use, he could not move.
“Thought so, your body’s too exhausted to even lift an arm up.” Kaiser declared. “Oh and don’t think I’m gonna sleep on the floor for your sake, just give me a few minutes and I’ll join you.”
“It’s not like I can go anywhere..” Isagi mumbled.
Kaiser took his time, he knew Isagi wasn’t going anywhere, not in his condition at least. The showers remained deserted, his shampoo still strewn on the floor where he left it, and Isagi’s bath towel laid on the edge of the bathtub. It would have been annoying to explain things to anyone so Kaiser was a little relieved everyone seemed to be fast asleep at this hour, giving him the chance to take a quick shower before throwing his pyjamas on and heading back.
By the time Kaiser returned to his room, Isagi was fast asleep, lying down comfortably on his back while the duvet covered his body up to his chin. The steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed was reassuring to see, with the faintest of snores coming out of his mouth.
Kaiser would be lying if he said he didn’t find Isagi adorable like this, too used to the glares and stink eye he’d get when they played in their matches. This peaceful side of him was…a revelation to say the least, the urge to protect growing even stronger than before.
With eyes beginning to droop, Kaiser got back to his evening routine, this was one thing he was strict about doing, his nightly skincare, as well as brushing his hair after unwrapping it from the towel it was in. A quick check in the mirror and he proceeded to slowly slip under the covers, joining Isagi in bed.
The blue haired boy barely shifted at the sudden dip of the mattress, eyelids wrinkling a little before going back to their static state. Kaiser was ready to curse himself if he’d ended up waking him, not wanting to disturb his restful sleep. But this also had the blonde wondering, why did he care so much?
It’s obvious, Kaiser was worried, but Kaiser also knew what that frustration felt like.
Don’t think about it too much, Michael, it’s time to rest. Kaiser thought to himself, turning the bedside lamp off before cozying up under the covers, as far as he could cozy up at least.
Sure the bed was big enough for them both, but it wasn’t meant to accommodate two people, so Kaiser wasn’t able to get as comfortable as he wanted. Isagi didn’t seem to mind however, for starters he didn’t have much of a choice, but he was also basically knocked out for the evening.
As Kaiser laid there, staring at nothing in the ceiling, he realised this wasn’t going to work, he was not a back sleeper, but if he turned to his side, the distance between them would shorten.
You know what, we are not going to speak of this either way, fuck it.
Kaiser shifted to his right side, getting ever so close to Isagi, he turned to his side, in what he could only assume was the sight of his rival snoring away. The window provided barely a smidgen of light that allowed Kaiser to really take in Isagi’s facial features, his closed eyelids, his thin brows, his small nose, and his slightly parted lips as he breathed in and out.
Ah Yoichi, despite how average looking you are, you’re still one of the most beautiful sights I've seen.
“Well sorry for not being a handsome fuck like you.” Isagi broke Kaiser out of his thoughts.
“Eh?” The blonde blinked in confusion, not sure if he’s dreaming or not.
“You said that out loud.” the striker turned to him, blue eyes illuminating ever so slightly.
“I thought you couldn’t hear me.”
“Sorry to break it to you but I’m a light sleeper.”
Well this was awkward.
Nevermind that, Kaiser stopped caring a few ticks ago. Reaching over as he embraced Isagi in his arms. While he did get a few protesting statements out of the blue haired boy, there was nothing he could do about it, although Kaiser did feel the slight dig of Isagi’s fingers in his waist.
“That hurts y’know?” Kaiser sarcastically whined.
“You’re crushing me!” Isagi complained.
“Oh don’t be ridiculous Yoichi, it’s just a hug, don’t tell me you’ve never been hugged before?”
Isagi fell silent after that.
Oh?
“I should have known you’d be new to this, just relax then~” Kaiser whispered into Isagi’s ear. Hugging him even tighter, he felt the boy shudder in his arms. “You’re not cold are you?”
“No it’s just…I didn’t expect you to be so…buff.”
Kaiser was thankful they were laying in the dark, because the blush that crept up on his face would have been very obvious, and Isagi did not need to know how much a few words could have an effect on him.
“Just…go to sleep!” Kaiser muttered, trying to calm himself down.
“Aha, I can feel your heartbeat, did I make you blush?”
“Shut it.”
From Isagi’s point of view, Kaiser’s hold on him was like a weighted blanket. It calmed him down, his breathing steadied as he let himself be guided into the realm of sleep.
✿✿✿
They woke up the next morning more energised than ever. The sound of Ego’s voice once again echoing as part of a morning announcement. Isagi could barely hear it with one of his ears pressed to Kaiser’s chest while the other was covered by the blonde’s arm, shutting him out of the outside world. At some point in the night Isagi regained his ability to move, taking that opportunity to entwine himself in Kaiser’s hold.
Kaiser heard it though, the news of a “missing player” that did not return to his room that night. The sentence was cut short as soon as the screen in the room flickered, Ego letting out an “ah” at the scene in front of him before stating “False alarm, he has been located, carry on.”
Isagi stirred a little, indicating that he was starting to wake up, but Kaiser just wished they could stay like that for a little longer. He tightened his hold on the smaller boy, hearing a slight gasp come from him in surprise, Kaiser giggled at this, looking down to find a pair of blue eyes staring up at him.
“Good morning Yoichi~ Did you sleep well~?”
“Better than ever.” Isagi yawned, resting his head back. “I don’t wanna get up.”
“How will you beat me if you don’t practice?” Kaiser smirked.
“You’re insufferable, you know that right?”
“Only when I need to be.” Kaiser giggled, patting Isagi on the head. “Also, the next time you’re feeling sorry for yourself, come to my room instead, can’t have you falling asleep in the bath every time you overdo it like an idiot.”