Chapter Text
It was supposed to be a simple, normal match; Isagi devouring both of his teammates and opponents like it was supposed to be but that expectation was thrown out of the window when the fan favorite blue lock soccer player suddenly stopped moving, immobile in the midst of screaming and raging green field— questions of why he suddenly stopped and a hand grabbing his collar. Isagi tried to swallow his cough until he couldn’t, until his last memories of their match against Ubers was him coughing and staining someone else’s hands with blood and everyone's blurry visions running towards his direction.
Isagi Yoichi is not to be unfamiliar with the said disease. He heard about the hanahaki disease be it from his peers on his old football team ( “Bro, you should pick someone in your league or else you’ll develop that disease.” ) or the gossiping school girls in his old school ( “Have you heard what happened to the girl in 1A?” “No, what happened?” “You will not believe this but she is in the hospital now because she got rejected!” ), he could also remember seeing people die from it on the news ( “Victims of the Hanahaki Disease are getting concerningly high! Is there no hope for people in unrequited love?” ).
He just couldn’t believe that he will remember himself as a kid watching the news about people dying from it only years later, he will see his own face in the television of his hospital bed with the same headline.
‘THE BLUE LOCK’s POSTER BOY, ISAGI YOICHI IS DIAGNOSED WITH THE RARE HANAHAKI DISEASE— IS THIS THE END OF HIS FOOTBALL CAREER?’
He felt like the world has already given him a death sentence— marking an end to his dreams and maybe; his insecurities whispering to him that maybe they are right because not even Isagi can deny both facts that he is bedridden and he can’t count the tubes connected to his body with the amount of wires tangled together.
For years, he was confident that such disease would never affect him; he knew he wasn’t popular with girls, and just for the fact that football is the only thing that kept his world rotating.
He loved and still loves every single one of his friends.
That’s why he couldn’t wrap his head around who could it be the person he one-sidedly fell in love with? Who could have caused his flowers to grow?
A week passed and the coughing was worsening; It was not only blood, he also coughs flowers, a specific plant of genus, a blue anemone. The first week of his stay in the hospital was boring and stressful; Only doctors, nurses, his parents and one of his mentors were there. Ego was there. It was surprising to everyone and Isagi to see the known soccer-obsessed (not as if Isagi is in any position to call people that) prick personally visit him; but nothing could have prepared Isagi when the first words that came out of his mouth was, “Who is it?” It took Isagi by surprise but he answered truthfully (and hoping that his mentor will tell him what to do in this situation.) “I don’t know..” Isagi breathes, hoping more words will come out to explain how confused he is but it never came and the tone of his voice was enough for Ego (Like always. The adult never fails to read Isagi like an open book, to see his heart when Isagi tries hard to keep them hidden under his sleeves.) “You can get it removed.” Isagi can feel Ego’s watchful eyes on him, both of their gazes down on his hands holding the blankets.
If Ego saw him shaking and the hue of his knuckles gone white from how tight he was gripping the fabric, the older man didn’t comment on it, “If the decision was up to me, I wouldn’t let your ego die here, but it’s you.. Your decision." The machines in Isagi's room sounded a beep. Isagi heard him heave a sigh before he stood up. "Don’t disappoint me, gem.”
Isagi remembered coughing blood the moment Ego left and how the day ended with his mother sobbing and his father shouting because ( “The flower on his throat is growing rather faster than normal.” ) Isagi didn’t know or refused to remember if the words he heard came out from the doctor’s mouth or the nurse’s but he wanted to remember how cold the following nights have become in the middle of summer.
On the first day of the second week of his stay, he started hating everything; Don’t get him wrong, he loved watching his team on the television but also hated the fact that he can’t play. The fact that he is not on the field himself, hated how the German player he swore to devour is leading their team to victory and remains number 1 on their auction ranking. So to say that the same person he was cursing in his mind just hours ago is his first visitor from Blue Lock, it shocked him that Isagi had to scratch his eyes just to make sure he is not dreaming or hallucinating. “Was? Du kannst du nicht glauben, dass ich hier bin?” Isagi stared at the foreigner, head slightly tilted in confusion (If Kaiser found him adorable enough to want to lean in and kiss the confused Japanese boy senselessly in front of him, the said boy doesn’t need to know about that). “I can’t understand you.” To which the taller boy just clicked his tongue at and before Isagi could even make a snarky remark, something bounced on his bed. “Trage es.” It was the micro-interpreter, it was like the ones from Blue Lock. Isagi couldn't understand the man but he watched Kaiser point at his ear and get himself comfortable at the edge of Isagi’s bed while he wears the micro-interpreter.
When Kaiser saw Isagi finish, “It’s pathetic to see the state you are in, clown.'' He took it as the cue to start making Isagi’s blood boil. “Shut up, Kaiser.”
"No."
The blonde opened his mouth and repeated, “No, you are the one who should shut up, Yoichi.” A beat. Isagi heard a beat and a familiar big hand with an unfamiliar gentle touch on his chin, “How are you going to strip me naked when you are being pathetic like this?” The German guided Isagi's face upwards and there, he saw an emotion flashed through Kaiser’s blue eyes and he just couldn’t stop himself from saying, “I didn’t ask for this.” And there it was again, the gentleness that Isagi never knew he would ever see on Kaiser, especially not on his deep ocean eyes. “I know, feelings are futile. That’s why tell me, who are the flowers you are coughing for?” Isagi softly giggles at what the older man said.
Ofcourse, the Emperor would think such a thing as love is useless; Isagi had those in mind but he still answered Kaiser truthfully, “Trust me, I am also asking myself that same question.” The raven can’t remember how long they stayed staring at each other, how long Kaiser was holding his face and how long they were, for the first time both comfortable basking in each other’s presence (Isagi doesn’t know about it but this was not the first time for Kaiser). All Isagi could remember was someone knocking on the door, and from the voice, “Kaiser, I apologize for interrupting but Noah is searching for you.” Isagi could tell from the voice that it was Ness.
With that, Kaiser squeeze (for what they both thought the last time) Isagi’s face before letting go and standing up, “Get the surgery, Yoichi.” Isagi can’t remember what Kaiser mumbled after those words, he just hoped that the German wasn’t insulting or making fun of his face in his own language after he exited Isagi’s room. That night, Isagi watched Bastard München played without him again, and if Isagi saw Kaiser moved his lips before kicking a goal — he isn't even sure if he was hallucinating and read it wrong instead because no way that German chihuahua will ( “For you, Yoichi.” ) dedicate a goal for him, right? right.
The fans seemed to disagree with Isagi because even though Kaiser used a broken, out of google translation japanese; The line ‘ For you, Yoichi. ’ and both of their names were trending that night.
The next day, his second visitors came around afternoon. The check up was done and the day was going great because he wasn't coughing any blood or flower petals. He knew it was them when he saw a bald head running to his door room head on and by how the same same man immediately and shamelessly ran toward his hospital bed just to kneel beside it while crying. “It’s not the same without you, Isagi! I know it should be good for me but it’s just that-” To that, Isagi just nodded. His hands moving to give soft pats in Igaguri’s shaking shoulders. “Isagi..” Every single one of his roommates was there that Isagi just had to smile at them. “Hey, guys.”
Isagi remembered that day as the day they had a hard time calming the crying Igaguri mostly just Raichi just screaming at him while Yukimiya, Hiori and Kurona was telling him things about their practices, how the team was in shambles for the first week Isagi was admitted and even now; they are still having a hard time catching up to the two white people in their team now that Isagi is not there to solidify their place on the team. Isagi tried to disagree about that only to be dismissed by Kurona who also asked to stay longer when everyone left. “Remember when you called me your planet once?”
Reminiscing that exact moment of their last play, Isagi felt embarrassed, “Oh, yeah,” Isagi chuckles and then stops as if he realizes something. “Did I somehow offend you by calling you that?” “No!” The red haired looked shocked by how loud his voice came out. “No, that’s not what I meant..” Kurona seemingly sighed and Isagi watched his friend as he patiently waited for him to feel comfortable enough to talk (it’s not as if Isagi has better things to do when he is stuck on his bed).
“I just think that I should be the one calling you that.” Isagi tried to process what Kurona just said and then failed, resulting to him staring at the red haired man and letting out an, “Huh? Is that a joke? Sorry but I didn’t get it.” Isagi awkwardly lets out a light laugh and scratches the back of his head in embarassment to which Kurona just dumbly stares at him at first before chuckling, “I have no idea how someone can be so oblivious and smart at the same time.” Isagi doesn’t know why but he felt offended by Kurona’s words.
The day ended just like Isagi was hoping for, the night was miraculously warm and for the first in second weeks, he remembered how to smile again.