Chapter Text
Rin would say he’s being a jerk right now. A jerk alpha.
Well, he didn’t know, okay? He didn’t know that Shidou was an omega. How the hell was he supposed to know? Shidou didn’t look like one. Rin bit the inside of his cheek hard, the taste of blood sharp and bitter against his tongue, the sting grounding him just enough to realize that he was doing it again. He's thinking the stereotype, perpetuating the exact bullshit he despised hearing from other people.
And it didn’t help at all that now Shidou wouldn’t even acknowledge him.
Not in practice, not in the cafeteria.
Not in the gym, during downtime, during meals, during the fucking weekly games with the others.
It was like Rin had suddenly turned invisible to him. And maybe he should be grateful for it. Maybe this was what he had wanted all along, less noise, less chaos, less of Shidou’s grinning mouth and hungry eyes nipping at the corners of his focus. Shidou had been relentless before, impossible to ignore.
Now he wasn’t relentless anymore.
Now he wasn’t anything.
And Rin hated it.
He hated how much space it took up in his head, hated the gnawing anxiety growing like rot in his chest, hated the way he kept replaying that goddamn moment.
The stupid, careless words slipping out of his mouth, bitter and thoughtless.
"Omegas don't belong on the field."
He hadn’t even meant it like that.
It had been reflex, something ugly he spat out without thinking, without looking. He hadn’t known Shidou was there. He hadn’t known Shidou was listening.
And he sure as hell hadn’t known that Shidou was an omega.
No one had told him. There were supposed to be no omegas in Blue Lock. That was the whole point. Survival of the strongest. No holds barred. No "weak links."
Fuck.
Fuck, he regretted it so much it made his chest ache.
Maybe Shidou hadn't just overheard him. Maybe he'd actually heard him, for real, for the first time, and Rin had cut him deeper than he even understood.
Rin gritted his teeth, fists clenching at his sides.
He could still see Shidou sometimes across the field, in his periphery. Fast, brutal, burning with that same violent, magnetic energy but it was different now. Sharper. Colder.
Like he'd shoved all the messy, stupid, brilliant parts of himself behind a wall and was only giving Rin the parts that would cut.
And Rin... Rin didn’t know how to fix it.
He didn’t even know if he could.
He didn't even know if Shidou would let him try.
The sharp buzz of the timer echoed across the field, signaling the end of practice.
Without missing a beat, Shidou jogged toward the sidelines, towel slung around his neck, water bottle already in hand. His movements were sharp, efficient, like he couldn’t get off the field fast enough. And Rin caught it the way Shidou’s eyes flicked to him once, brief and disdainful, before he huffed, rolled his eyes dramatically, and stalked to the farthest possible spot away from him.
Rin let out a low, frustrated groan under his breath, dragging a hand through his sweat-damp hair.
Great.
Shidou thought he was a jerk alpha now.
A typical, dumbass, stereotype-proving asshole alpha.
He crouched down to retie his cleats unnecessarily, just for something to do with his hands, ears burning even as he pretended not to notice Shidou’s deliberate avoidance.
In the background, he could hear Bachira's bright laugh, Isagi’s voice trying to sound reasonable, Aryu’s melodic, drawling commentary. Their conversation blended together in a blur of noise, but Rin caught snippets.
Something about the game this weekend. Something about a new strategy. Something about hair products. Typical Aryu.
Rin exhaled sharply through his nose.
Tsk.
From the way Shidou was acting, like he couldn’t even stand to breathe the same air as Rin, it was obvious now.
This was it.
He was seeing it: the omega side of Shidou that nobody ever really talked about. Not the heat cycles or the instincts or the body stuff—but the emotional part. The part that sulked. That held grudges. That hurt.
He grimaced, standing up, shoving his hands into his pockets. The others were still chatting nearby. Without thinking, moving almost on autopilot, he approached them.
The moment he stepped into their circle, the conversation stuttered awkwardly to a halt.
Bachira blinked up at him, bright-eyed and curious.
Isagi looked cautious, already sensing some kind of incoming disaster.
Aryu merely cocked his head, perfect hair shimmering in the late afternoon sun.
Rin stared at them, expression blank, posture stiff.
Then, in the most Rin way possible, blunt, flat, no inflection,he asked.
“What do you do if you… need an omega to forgive you or something.”
A beat of silence.
Bachira’s eyebrows shot up so high they practically disappeared into his hairline. Aryu made a soft, delighted sound like he'd just heard the juiciest gossip of his life. Isagi choked on his water.
“What the hell, Rin?!” Isagi spluttered, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
“That’s kinda random, bro,” Bachira said, grinning in that way that made Rin want to punch something.
“Who did you piss off~?” Aryu sing-songed, leaning in, obviously loving this.
“Just answer the question.”Rin scowled, arms crossed tight over his chest.
“Hmm, well, omegas are kinda sensitive sometimes. You gotta, like… show them you’re sorry? But not in a ‘pity’ way. In a real way. Like—uh, heartfelt!”Bachira bounced on the balls of his feet, humming thoughtfully.
Isagi nodded seriously.
“Yeah. And don’t make it about you. Like, don’t say ‘I didn’t mean it’ or ‘you’re overreacting.’ That’ll just make it worse.”
Aryu tapped a manicured finger against his chin.
“Sincerity is key. Maybe… a gift? Something thoughtful. Not just ‘sorry’because anyone can say sorry. You need to prove it.”
Rin processed that slowly, feeling a headache form behind his eyes.
Heartfelt.
Sincere.
Prove it.
He had no idea how to do any of that.
He barely knew how to express himself under normal circumstances, let alone now when the stakes felt so terrifyingly high.
He glanced toward the far end of the field where Shidou sat, stretched out lazily in the grass, head tipped back, sun catching on the pale strands of his hair like a halo.
Untouchable.
Unreachable.
And yet Rin's chest ached with the weight of wanting, needing, to bridge the gap somehow.
“Fuck,” Rin muttered under his breath.
“Ooooh, is it Shidou?!” Bachira grinned wider, sensing blood in the water.
“Wait, no way. Shidou?! Seriously?” Isagi’s eyes widened in horror.
“An omega scorned. How tragic! How romantic!”Aryu gasped dramatically, clutching his imaginary pearls.
“Shut up,” Rin growled, feeling heat crawl up the back of his neck.“Just tell me what the hell to do.”
Bachira exchanged a look with Isagi and Aryu, then shrugged, mischievous as ever.
“Well,” he said cheerfully, “if it’s Shidou... you're gonna have to work extra hard. He's not the type to forgive easy. Especially if you hurt his pride."
Rin grimaced, feeling the full weight of that land heavily on his shoulders.
Of course he had.
Of course he'd hurt Shidou in the worst possible way.
And now fixing it wouldn't be as simple as just saying sorry.
He was going to have to show him. Somehow.