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Using his forearm to wipe away the sweat clinging to his forehead Isagi reaches for his water bottle and takes a huge sip. He's currently sitting with stretched-out legs on the training field of the German stratum – completely alone. Isagi has no idea how this happened because the others were with him until a few minutes ago. Then, after paying a short visit to the restroom, everyone was gone without leaving a single trace when he returned.
Isagi can't wrap his head around why nobody left him a message or something. He's pretty sure he hasn't forgotten about an important meeting or whatever either. The only good thing about the situation is that he has the field all to himself, but training without the others has gotten kinda boring at this point if he's honest. All Blue Lock members may be rivals, but at the end of the day, they all are young adults who want to be surrounded by friends. That includes himself as well. Isagi has gotten used to being surrounded by his friends.
Maybe something has happened that forced them to stop training? It was his initial thought when he returned to the field to find it empty, but he couldn't think of a possible reason. Furthermore, there were TV screens located in every damn hallway and even above the freaking sinks in the restrooms.
Isagi still denies his surprised squeak the first time he suddenly heard Ego-san speaking over the speakers when he was in the restroom whenever Bachira brought up the topic. Much to his annoyance, it happens a lot and Bachira almost always gets the better of him.
His friend's teasing smirk appears in his mind, but Isagi shakes his head to get rid of it before it can take root. He's certain that nothing serious happened, so Isagi simply makes the best of it. After finishing his brief break, he trains a bit more but not really much or on a serious level. It's more like fooling around and testing a few things that come to his mind.
Without company, he grows tired pretty quickly though, so he decides to call it a day and hit the showers. He's secretly hoping to find the others there, but reality is a cruel little thing. Isagi realises that when he finds the showers are as empty as the training field.
Sighing in defeat, he peels off his drenched body suit and manages to get rid of the sweaty fabric after several minutes and countless failed attempts. “Honestly, which idiot came up with the idea to create the best striker in the world while wearing tight as fuck body suits?” He grumbles under his breath as he steps out of his underwear as well and drops everything in the basket for dirty clothes.
Afterwards, he steps under the hot spray of the shower and washes away the grime and sweat of the day, enjoying the feeling as the hot water rushes over his body. When Isagi's certain he's properly cleaned, he dries himself off and slips into more comfortable clothes, a simple Blue Lock shirt and sweatpants.
Putting on his slippers, he begins his march towards his room in the German stratum. The corridors are like a labyrinth but with his spatial awareness, he always finds his way around. However, the same can't be said about everyone.
He still remembers how often he spent hours looking for Nagi when the tall male got lost during the second selection. Since it happened a lot, - at least thrice per day - he suggested Nagi didn't try to find back by himself anymore and just sat down when he was unsure where to go and wait until Isagi found him. And found him Isagi did. At first, he struggled but over time he began to understand the creature that is Nagi Seishiro.
Sometimes he discovered Nagi in a corridor where his teammate leaned against the wall, other times he sprawled out across a couch in the small resting areas that could be found everywhere in the facility. Sometimes, Isagi found Nagi even in supply rooms that were meant to be locked. How the white-haired male ended up in those was beyond him, but no matter what, Isagi never got mad at him. How could he when Nagi's graphite eyes became so much brighter the moment he saw Isagi had found him, a hidden smile tugging at the tall male's lips?
A small blush finds its way to Isagi's cheeks. “Stupid genius,” he mumbles with fondness under his breath, shoving his face into his shirt to hide the red that is tainting his cheeks. But suddenly he's ripped away from his thoughts by a loud yell from somewhere nearby.
“Whats?!” Someone yells, the voice sounding awfully similar. Isagi is certain he has heard it before but can't put his finger on the person to whom it belongs.
“How did these two manage to keep this a secret from everyone?” The voice adds bewildered after a brief pause, seemingly asking someone else. Isagi summarizes the owner of the voice is not alone although he still can't connect it to a face in his mind.
Isagi knows it's impolite to eavesdrop, but curiosity gets the better of him. He needs to know whose voice it is he hears, otherwise, he will think about this for the rest of the evening and probably can't find any sleep either. He has to walk through this corridor to get to his shared room anyway, so it's not like he's doing it on purpose.
When he gets closer, the mysterious voice speaks up again. “I seriously can't wrap my head around this. On top of this, this is Blue Lock, the same Blue Lock that is run by your sadistic friend.”
“We are not friends,” another voice clarifies instantly, a voice Isagi is all too familiar.
'This is the master,' Isagi thinks to himself as he recognizes Noel Noa's voice immediately. 'This means the other voice must be...'
“Does it matter in the end though? I think it's the kids' decision what to do in their free time, the little bit they have here. I'm more concerned about your sudden interest in Isagi. Thought you hated the kid for ruining your parade during the game, Chris,” yet another voice added, one Isagi instantly connected to Marc Snuffy, Ubers' master striker.
“Looks like my guess was right...” Isagi mumbles quietly to himself as he continues to listen.
“Shut it!” Chris responds with a snap. “I'm not an immature brat who's going around holding grudges over nothing. Besides, if this is really true then...” Chris trails off.
There's a brief pause in the conversation before Chris speaks up again.
“Noa, can I-”
“No,” Noa shuts him down immediately, already knowing where this is going.
“You don't even know what-”
“No,” Noa repeats.
“Would you at least let me-”
“No.”
“You are doing this on purpose, aren't you?”
“Yes.”
“This is why I hate you, you damn cyborg.” Chris retaliates, but the scrapping of a chair across the floor hints that he's not trying to ask again whatever he wants to ask. Isagi wonders what this has to do with him though. He would be lying if he said he didn't want to know, but he was hardly in a position to just go up front and ask them.
Shaking his head, he decides it's better he forgets about what he has heard and finally gets back to his room. He still has to pass the room the master strikers are currently sitting in. Of course, he could use another route, but that would be too much of a hassle. Therefore, he will walk by and pretend he doesn't know about their presence.
With his plan set, he begins moving again, making sure to make no noise at all. When he passes by the door, his head despite his best attempts, turns sideways so that he can look inside. Isagi silently curses his curiosity. At least, he can confirm that the master strikers have indeed assembled just like he figured.
They are already engrossed in a new topic, the last one seemingly forgotten already. They don't notice him when he walks by which is honestly a big relief. He doesn't want to face all five master strikers at the same time, trying to come up with an excuse why he may have listened to their conversation. That would be far too much for him to handle all by himself.
However, Isagi's relief crumbles to dust when one of them turns their head and catches him red-handed. Marc Snuffy's hawk-like stare locks him in place as those analyzing eyes pierce through him, forcing his entire body to shut down. Isagi thinks it's over for him, a sheep about to be slaughtered, but much to his surprise, the master striker suddenly smirks before he motions with his head for him to move one. Then he returns his attention to the ongoing conversation of the other master strikers, pretending that he has never seen Isagi.
Isagi blinks and has no idea what's going on, but he's not going to question Snuffy's mercy. Sneaking past the room without getting caught again, he makes it back to his shared room in one piece.
“Finally,” he breathes, his shoulders sagging from the motion. Furthermore, he can hear a commotion inside, countless voices overlapping. Not only did he make it back to his room but he also found his friends at last. They will get a piece of his mind for leaving him behind just like this!
“Why did you leave me behind?!” he asks with fake hurt as he enters with fast steps. He's about to throw more accusations at them, but every word in his mouth dies instantly when he gets a grasp of the situation inside the room.
There's not one pair of eyes looking at him, not two or three, not even ten. There are like thirty or maybe even more pointed at him because the room is positively crowded. It takes Isagi one swing of his head from side to side to count every face he knows, concluding that for some reason every Blue Lock member except for one is currently inside his room. There are even some of the foreign players here as well.
Some of the players lean against the walls, others sit on the floor or beds, but all of them are somewhat positioned so that they can look at the little notebook Hiori is holding. Isagi is completely lost and has seriously no idea what the hell has happened. Also, is that Ego-san in one of the screens in the background? He must be imagining things, so he ignores the fact that there's a chance Ego-san is constantly spying on them.
“What's going on guys? Did I miss something?” He asks bewildered after returning his attention to all the people present.
Thirty plus some more pairs of eyes look at him with blank expressions. Behind him sounds the click of the door getting closed. When he cranes his head backwards, Isagi comes face to face with Rin who's leaning against the door, staring him down or maybe even through him? Isagi can't say for certain.
“That's what we want to know, wannabe hero,” his rival calmly says, but Isagi swears he sees something flash in Rin's eyes that's akin to confusion, maybe even curiosity. Now he really wants to know what the fuck is going on.
Before he can come up with a proper retort, he hears shuffling behind him. Turning around, he has to lean his head backwards to look the person standing in front of him in the face. It's one of the regulars of the English Stratum.
“Your name was Agi, right?” Isagi asks but doesn't get an answer in return. Instead, Agi is just looking at him like he's some sort of alien. It's honestly a bit offending.
“Your ecosystem picked my interest, Isagi Yoichi,” Agi suddenly says after he has finished his analyses or whatever he has been doing. Nagi told him Agi did the same with him. Nagi also told him that Agi was a sicko. Isagi had scolded him for saying something as rude as that but now he understands why Nagi said that. He makes a mental note to apologize sometime later.
But again, before he can say anything, there's someone else basically jumping into his face. “You traitor! How could you keep something like this from your best friend?” A harsh chop on his head that makes Isagi wince tells him who the culprit is.
“Bachira?! What the hell? What was that for? Stop chopping me on my head out of nowhere every damn time.”
“Nope!” Bachira retorts with a pout – Isagi has never seen Bachira pout before. “You deserve this right now, this and way more!” With another chop, he makes his threat a reality.
There would have been a third one, but suddenly Isagi is grabbed by the shoulder, a hand tightly digging into his flesh. This time it's Reo Isagi faces, a Reo who's literally fuming.
“You are fucking dead,” he seethes, sending a chill down Isagi's spine.
“Cool down Reo!” Isagi stutters immediately, hoping to appease his fellow Blue Lock friend. It doesn't work how he wants to because if anything, Reo only gets even more angry. Isagi is sure Reo is about to punch him for an unknown reason, but a sudden clap saves him from such a fate.
“Alright, ya guys. Give the man some space to breathe. The dude has no idea what's going on, so we should at least fill him him, don't ya think?” At that moment, Isagi doesn't care that Hiori titles himself as an ultra-sadist. Right now, he's more like an angel to him who saved him from a painful fate.
Reo releases him with a snarl and Isagi uses the chance to get as close to Hiori as possible. “Thank you,” he mouths at Hiori who in return just smirks. “Don't thank me too soon, lover boy,” he says. As if Isagi isn't confused enough already, he's completely lost now.
“Lover boy? What do you mean?”
“Better look for yourself.” Hiori offers the little notebook which Isagi accepts with suspicion rising high. Once he looks at the screen though, all suspicion is forgotten, especially when he reads the headline of the news channel that seemingly holds all the answers for the current events.
Surprise interview with Nagi Seishiro, the headline says, causing a bright smile to appear on Isagi's face and stars to spark in his eyes. He, of course, doesn't notice, but his friends and rivals do.
“Oh, Sei gave an interview? How did this come to be? And why didn't he tell me?” Isagi asks himself more than anyone else. He totally fails to notice how the room becomes deadly silent at the usage of the pet name, countless eyebrows rising, his every move being observed.
Isagi, however, is still unaware of this as he's lost the entry on the site. He reads through Nagi's answers and chuckles to himself because the answers are so much like Nagi's. He's basically giving one-word replies the whole time. Isagi feels sorry for the reporter who did the interview. This lasts until the next question and Nagi's answer to it.
Isagi reads the first sentence and his face becomes blank, his soft smile gone without a trace. He reads half of the next sentence and his eyes become as large as saucers. He finishes the sentence and his face is crimson red by then. He absorbs the final sentence and his whole head is emitting steam.
'You didn't! You freaking fucking didn't, Sei!' Isagi screams internally as he goes over Nagi's answer again, making sure he got it right. Unfortunately, the words don't change, no matter how often his eyes fly over the letters. Suddenly many things make a lot more sense and he can say for certain he doesn't like this development.
Isagi goes over the lines one final time to make sure he's seeing them correctly.
“Nagi-san, is there something you want to share with us aside from your football career?” The reporter asked.
“Yes, there is,” Nagi said in return.
“And that would be?”
“That Isagi Yoichi is my boyfriend and that I'm his boyfriend. I'm his and he's mine. So hands off.”
Isagi swears he wants to sink into the ground from mortification. He loves Seishiro, but right now he wants to throttle him.
“So it's true,” Hiori chirps with a smirk that Isagi can only describe as ultra sadistic. Whenever did he think it was a wise idea to call an ultra-sadist an angel? Stupid.
“You and Nagi really are...”
Isagi blushes even harder before Hiori can finish his sentence. Lucky or not, he couldn't have done it anyway because chaos erupts like a ferocious storm. Every person present is suddenly in Isagi's face, asking him questions about his relationship or throwing threats at him. He can't understand a single thing because the words turn into one huge mess, a mixture of countless voices overlapping.
“I...I...we...” he stutters for a lack of a better answer. He has seriously no idea what he's supposed to do in this situation. It's so overwhelming, that he thinks he's about to faint at any moment. The worst part is, that he can't even see Nagi right now and ask why he made their relationship public so suddenly. Ah, he really wants to see Seishiro right now and hit him in the shoulders for putting him into this situation without warning.
As the chaos gets more and more wild, Isagi suddenly gets pulled by the back of his shirt from the centre of the crowd. He has barely time to register what's happening before it's too late. He only notices how someone is pushed into his spot before the door to hell closes right in front of his nose, saving him from certain death.
“Consider this your reward for winning against me in the last match, fucking clown.” An all too familiar voice spats at him from behind. Turning around, Isagi can't believe he comes face to face with none other than Kaiser.
“You?!” Isagi exclaims shocked, not believing his eyes. For a brief moment, he activates his meta vision but even then Kaiser is still standing in front of him. “Tch, fucking clown. Go already before I push you back inside,” Kaiser spats again and then turns around, leaving Isagi alone in the hallway, completely stupefied.
In his state of confusion, he says the first thing that comes to his mind. “Thank you.” It's barely more than a whisper, but the quietness of the hallway carries the words to Kaiser's ears who visibly shudders at them.
Kaiser turns around for a brief moment before turning away again. “Disgusting,” he says, but if Isagi is not fully mistaken, the word lacks the spite that normally rings in everything Kaiser says.
However, there are more important things at the moment. Scrambling to his feet, Isagi starts running, his goal already set as he makes a beeline for the English stratum.
“I will fucking kill you, Nagi Seishiro,” he mutters as a new blush forms on his skin after the recent events settle in his mind.
XXX
Nagi lies on top of his comfortable bed and is alone in his room, something he's not sad about. His phone lies beside him, fully charged at 100%, an absolute novum for him. He has installed several new games he found on the internet the other day, but couldn't bring himself to start playing, another novum. Thinking was hard and he was thinking right now, so he had no energy for anything else.
Earlier, there had been a commotion or something, some people trying to shake him awake but he was too exhausted from today's training, so he ignored every attempt. After a while they gave up and left him alone, leaving for some unknown place but honestly, Nagi could care less about it at the moment.
That's because he's in a very sour mood, has been ever since the day before. Nothing extraordinary happened until late afternoon when Reo came to him, showing him something his friend found extremely funny. Nagi didn't find it funny. Not at all. If anything, it infuriated him, something that had never happened before to him. At first, he didn't know what emotion overtook him, but when Reo said he looked angry, he received the final puzzle piece.
In his eyes, it was very justified to be angry. How could he not after Reo showed him the posts on social media after the most recent game of Bastard München?
“Kaisagi, the Neo Egoist League's best couple,” one of the posts said and it was everything he needed to see. Unfortunately, Reo kept pestering him with the posts, increasing his sour mood by the minute. Only when Reo saw the scrunch on his face did he stop, suddenly worried about him. But the damage was already done. Of course, Nagi didn't blame Reo. He didn't know, so it was not like he did it on purpose.
Still, Nagi clenches his fist at the mere thought of the shitty posts. Best couple his ass! Had they forgotten how poorly the prick treated Isagi after their game? How he harshly grabbed Isagi by his fluffy hair Nagi loves to brush through?
It has been a few days since then, almost two weeks he believes, but he still remembers it like yesterday. Back then he had snapped and smacked the prick's arm away, catching Isagi before he could fall and collected the shorter male in his arms without saying a single word. When he's honest with himself, Nagi wanted to do a lot more than just smack away the prick's arm. However, Isagi's sleeping form craddles in his arms calmed him done enough so he didn't do anything rash. Isagi wouldn't have approved of him getting into trouble. Still, he had glared at the prick with a storm brewing in his normally calm eyes before bringing Isagi to the infirmary. He stayed with him until he was kicked out by the nurses, much to Nagi's dismay.
Of course, he didn't fall asleep that night. Only when Isagi messaged him he was okay Nagi did find some peace. It was not enough though, so he sneaked out of the English stratum in the middle of the night and went to Isagi's room, borrowing him for a while without anyone noticing. Well, Isagi called it kidnapping - Nagi might have thrown Isagi over his shoulder and walked away - but after a kiss on his boyfriend's lips, nothing was said about the topic anymore.
Nagi thought everything would be fine afterwards, but apparently, he was wrong, hence, his current mood. But fate was with him. A reporter came by earlier that day and requested an interview with one of the players.
Nagi, seeing his chance, volunteered, much to the shock of the entire English stratum. He couldn't help but think this was kinda rude of his so-called friends, but he had more important business to deal with. Nagi thought it was funny though how Chris almost fainted. Maybe Agi was right after all and it was important to be an annoyance. The guy was still a sicko though, no matter what Isagi said.
Anyway, answering the questions of the reporter was a hassle, but he pushed through them, waiting for the personal question that was bound to happen eventually. He knew from Reo that reporters loved to dig into the lives of people, something he couldn't comprehend and didn't want to. However, he could make use of it.
So when the question came, Nagi used it to his advantage and set the minds of people all over the world straight. Isagi likes to call him a genius and he starts seeing why. It was really a masterful plan he came up with.
The only downside was that it would take some time before the effects rippled through the world. Until then, Nagi had to wait and have a sour mood but it's okay. For Isagi, he can endure this suffering.
Suddenly, the door flies open and his world brightens instantly. Why has his been mood sour again? He doesn't remember and doesn't care either. “Yoichi-” Nagi starts, but is interrupted by an accusing finger pointed at him.
“Nagi Seishiro! I will fucking kill you,” Isagi shouts from the top of his lungs. That's not the greeting Nagi expected. Counting one and one together, Nagi guesses Isagi found out about the interview. Judging from Isagi's reaction maybe his master plan wasn't as masterful as he initially had thought.
“Should I have been more direct about it?” Nagi asks immediately as he pushes himself up into a leaned-back position, seriously worried he didn't manage to bring his point across the way he wanted to. Isagi blushes instantly which makes Nagi smile softly. His boyfriend looks the best with his cheeks flushed crimson red. Nobody can tell him otherwise.
“Wha...? No! That's not what I'm talking about! I'm talking about how I was basically grilled alive by our friends ten minutes ago. I'm certain Reo was about to punch me!”
Oh, that was definitely not a part of his master plan. Nagi averts his eyes and deflates, feeling shame rise in his chest. Maybe he shouldn't have ignored the earlier attempts to wake him after all.
“Sorry,” he breathes and adds, “But don't worry about Reo. He wouldn't have punched you. That was just this best friend approval thingy he is always talking about. He's always saying how he wants to come across as very threatening to test your character or something. I think it's funny.”
“Even so it was no fun for me,” Isagi whines. “Worst is, Kaiser-”
“Tsk.”
Isagi's ramble stops immediately after his ears pick up the noise. He blinks and then does again, unsure if he is just imagining things. Considering that Nagi turns on his side and away from him, he probably didn't but he can't imagine Nagi making such a sound. This was Nagi after all. There's only one way to find out though, so he tries again.
“Worst is, Kaiser-”
“Tsk.”
Again the foreign noise echoes through the otherwise empty room but this time Isagi is certain he has heard right. Still, he can't believe it and needs further evidence.
“Me and Kai-
“Tsk.”
“Kai-”
“Tsk.”
That's all Isagi needs to hear. Nagi Seishiro, the Nagi Seishiro, just tsked.
“Sei, are you angry?”
“Yes,” Nagi answers honestly. Isagi can always read him like an open book, so there's no point in lying. “But not at you, so don't start overthinking your pretty head. I will poke your nose if you do,” he clarifies.
The empty threat causes Isagi to smile softly.
“I just don't like this prick and I don't like the shit in social media either.”
“So you just made our relationship public in an interview?”
“...yes.” Damn, if Yoichi puts it this way, Nagi's masterful plan doesn't sound very masterful anymore. He starts pouting.
“Did I mess things up? I did, didn't I?”
Nagi hears how Isagi comes closer, closing the distance between them, feeling how the warmth of the other is slowly crawling into his consciousness. Ah, he has missed that feeling. Always makes him feel better.
“No you didn't, Sei,” Isagi reassures, patting his head. Nagi leans into the touch and almost purrs. “At some point, they would have learned anyway. I didn't like the stuff on social media about me and tsk-guy either.” Isagi's way of using the weird noise he has produced in the last minute or so causes Nagi's lips to tug upwards but only slightly. He's still pouting about his own silliness.
“Not gonna lie though. A small heads-up would have been nice.”
“Sorry.”
“Don't feel bad, Sei. There's no need to be sorry,” Isagi grins, kneeling to where Nagi is lying on his bed. “Now stop pouting.”
“I'm not pouting.”
“Oh, really? And what is this then?” Isagi asks while poking Nagi's mouth pulled into his cross-shaped pout.
“My mouth.”
“Yeah, and why is it shaped like this?”
“Dunno, just feel like it.”
“You are silly, sometimes. Have I ever told you that?”
“Rude.”
“Silly and loveable. Better?”
“Mhm.”
A sudden soft sensation on his cheek pulls Nagi away from the silly banter. He sees how Isagi smiles at him and Nagi is sure his heart is about to burst. Would it be wise to ask for more? Probably not because the heart is important, but right now, he doesn't care. He wants to be greedy.
“Booo, wrong.”
“Huh, why?”
“Make me feel better kisses are supposed to be here,” he says while pointing at his still pouting lips.
Isagi breathes a soft laugh. “Silly genius.”
“Your Silly Genius,” Nagi corrects and then pulls Isagi forward, their mouths finding each other at last. It doesn't take long before Isagi is dragged onto Nagi's bed by the white-haired male. Pulling the covers over them, they cuddle and exchange many more sweet kisses until they fall asleep. That night Isagi does not return to the German stratum anymore. It's also the same night in which Nagi and Isagi individually receive the best friend approval from Reo and Bachira because there is no way their friends wouldn't see their cuddling bodies while the two are deep in slumber.