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“I’ll have rum, and my friend here…” Bunny placed a hand on his shoulder. “What would you like?”
Isagi suddenly felt like he was put on the spot. He wasn’t sure if it was the atmosphere of the bar, or if it was Bunny that was making him so nervous. Well, he was in an entirely different country, after all, but he thought he was doing pretty good so far for being alone. “I-I don’t drink, I’m only seventeen,” he said, feeling sweat on his brow.
Beside him, Bunny studied him for a second, as if something dawned on the guy. Maybe he hadn’t realized Isagi’s age. Nonetheless, he leaned in with his deep green eyes and soft smile, and Isagi’s heart flipped inside his chest, “come on, this is how we celebrate here in Spain! Have you ever drank before?”
“I have!” Isagi clarified quickly. “My parents like beer, so I’ve had a little.” He usually wasn’t so eager to please, but something in the hum of the music floating inside the bar, and the gentle eyes training on him, waiting for him in anticipation, made Isagi not want to put a wet towel over the warm embers of this night. Bunny had just won, inside that colossal stadium housing thousands of cheering fans, all shouting his name when he scored the decisive goal.
The man’s eyes glimmered, but Isagi could only think about the way they had looked dimmer on the field. Sadder. “Great! I think you should try some rum, too. I’ll get you some with cola, okay?”
He locked his arm around Isagi’s neck, pulling him close in excitement. There was heat radiating off of his sturdy body and broad shoulders. And even the cologne he was wearing smelled warm, rich and deep like sugar and spice. Isagi dared to glance up at his features—there was something different and softer in the way he presented himself off the field versus on it.
Isagi wanted to preserve it. So before he knew what he was saying, a weak okay had slipped from his mouth.
“And a Malibu with cola for my friend!” Bunny happily told the bartender, who went to work on their drinks with practiced speed. “This one was one of my favorites when I started drinking. It’s a nostalgic taste.”
But Isagi squinted at him in suspicion. “You’re not lying to me again, right?”
Bunny laughed at that. There was a dusting of pink high on his cheeks. “No! I promise, tonight I will be good. Sorry about that, haha! You just looked too…” he trailed off, deciding against finishing his sentence, but Isagi kept his eyes on him, full of wonder.
“You’re happy, huh? Congratulations, Bunny.” Isagi was the first to pull back from the one-armed embrace, settling back on his stool. He still wasn’t used to affection from foreigners. The ones he met so far thanks to Blue Lock he’d wanted to claw out with his teeth on most days. After negative past experiences, he was all the more delighted by Bunny’s friendliness.
“I had a bit of champagne with the guys before I found you again, but I’m happy, really, because you’re celebrating with me.” The corners of Bunny’s eyes crinkled, the same way they had back at the restaurant.
Isagi blushed, distracting himself with the lines and dents on the bar table. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather be with the rest of your team right now? Why me? I mean, we only just met this morning.”
“Are you doubting me? I just think you’re beautiful.”
His breath had caught inside his throat, and he could feel his ears prickle with heat, unsure how to respond. Thankfully, though, the bartender saved his moment of malfunction with their ready drinks. Isagi took his, a glass of a dark amber liquid glimmering amidst cubes of ice. He carefully sipped through the straw, then he lit up at the unexpected taste. Blinking in surprise, he turned his head to find Bunny already watching him. “Hey, this is good!”
“Can I taste?”
“Yeah,” he went to pick up his glass, but Bunny surprised him for the second time that night. Instead of going for the drink, he chased the taste from Isagi’s mouth by pressing his soft lips on Isagi’s, savoring the coconut-infused rum, before he pulled back with a lick of his own lips.
His hand was still resting on Isagi’s nape when he whispered into his ear, “Sabroso.”
A chill ran down Isagi’s spine, and it cued all the blood inside his body to rush to his face. He pulled away in that same instant and hid himself, finding refuge in his drink that was almost entirely gone for how fast he started sucking on the straw. How had he already drank so much? “I thought you promised me there will be no more tricks tonight,” he muttered, severely embarrassed.
“It’s not a trick. I said you’re beautiful.” It was unfair how calm the man could sound. After seeing him in the stadium, and now experiencing something like this for the first time, something so out of Isagi’s range, it only made clear how big the gap was between them.
“I-I heard you! But that was my first kiss, you know! I don’t think I can give you want you really want, Bunny.”
Bunny’s mouth shaped into an ‘o’. He set his drink down gently against the wood, and his voice felt closer. “How do you know what I want? What is it?”
Isagi couldn’t look him in the eye. He felt out of place here, he missed soccer and fresh air and being able to think with a clear mind. What had they been talking about again? “I don’t know, someone with experience. This is my first time in this country and I don’t know what I’m doing, but all I know is soccer and I’m here to learn more about it. That’s all there is to me.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Isagi lifted his head to the Spaniard, whose soft eyes never wavered. Why was it always so easy to trust his word? “What?”
“I can teach you with my experience. We can start with soccer. Tomorrow, at the FCB training grounds.”
“Huh?” Isagi squinted and blinked at him, as if it would help make him hear better. “Huh?!” he repeated, louder.
“Oh no, he’s a lightweight!” Bunny laughed, his bright and bubbly laugh that was followed by a soft, thin smile had resurfaced. The image contrasted greatly with the bulk of his shoulders, but to Isagi, he was perfect. Suddenly, he really wanted to ask him about his scar.
But he would save that for another day, if what Bunny said was really true. He’d come to Spain for this purpose, to see Spanish soccer firsthand, just as Ego intended! He wouldn’t let this opportunity pass up…
Once they’d both finished their drinks, Bunny lent him a hand to grab onto. “Do you need help getting back to your hotel? I want you to be well rested for tomorrow.”
“You’re freaking serious, right?” He took Bunny’s hand with ease. He was starting to understand how alcohol had an effect on people, making them act past their better judgement. Maybe he shouldn’t be trusting a man he’d just met, but Bunny… he was nice and he had a great smile and he played soccer.
“I really am serious, now sshhh, you’re loud,” he cooed as he guided Isagi out into the quiet night. A chill had wrapped around Isagi’s skin, save for the hand guiding him through the streets while holding onto his. Isagi was relieved, finally, and excited for what was to come.
He would get to train with Barcha very soon.