Archive of Our Own

“Oh, by the way, Noa.” Lavinho called out to the other Master Striker, catching not just his attention, but everyone else’s as well. Their attention was drawn to the conversation between the two, way too curious about what could ever be said between two of the best. “Really tiny favor, can I borrow the little star Isagi for a moment?”

“What?” Noa looked at Lavinho with a raised eyebrow, not at all comprehending what intentions the other had with the players under his care. Aside from the fact that Isagi was a well known name due to his last play in the match against the Japanese Youth Team, Lavinho had no reason to interact with, much less need to “borrow”, another Blue Lock player from a different wing. 

“It’s just really quick, I got something for him.” Lavinho beamed with two thumbs up, as if that was enough to soothe Noa’s worries. It was not enough to soothe Noa’s worries at all. If anything, it exemplified it. 

“Isagi.” But Noa wasn’t the type to impede on one’s free will. If Isagi wasn’t comfortable with Lavinho’s request, Noa wasn’t scared to shoot the other striker down. “For as long as your practice is not affected, I do not mind. It’s your choice.”

“I don’t mind, either, Master Noa.” Isagi bowed his head, cheeks a bit flushed at the sudden attention on him outside the field. He hadn’t even done anything to warrant such scrutiny, and yet here he was.

“Great! See ya later, Blue Lock’s Heart!” Lavinho cheered and waved, already heading back with the rest of his team. 

Isagi internally groaned because he already knew what to expect from Lavinho. Only one person had connections with the Master Striker and had any business giving Isagi something through Lavinho, of all people, as if he was some kind of carrier pigeon. Once Isagi got his hands on his phone, he’s going to have a large fit.

“What was that about?” Hiori commented on their way back to the locker rooms. Isagi glanced at his friend and gave a sheepish smile.

"I have no idea.” Isagi said, like the liar that he was. He knew exactly what was going on and he internally screamed at how not subtle the two idiots were in approaching him. 

“You’re turning out to be a bigger superstar, huh?” Igaguri commented with a laugh. Isagi laughed along because there was far too much truth to that than he liked — especially if any of them knew why Lavinho called him aside. “First, you get subbed in because you’re a fan favorite, then a different Master Striker got their eyes on you! What’s next?”

“If you disappear off to Barcha, stay there and don’t come back.” Raicha barked out, poking at Isagi’s shoulder as he did. 

Isagi was pretty sure that wasn’t allowed but he shook his head and voiced it anyway, “I don’t think that’s allowed…“

“Why wouldn’t it be?” This time it was from Yukimiya, something bitter and sharp in his tone. Isagi blinked at the sharpness from his own teammate, taken aback. “You already got subbed in because you were a ‘fan favorite’, why wouldn’t you be transferred if you just asked?” 

“Hey now.” Hiori chimed in, and he stepped between Isagi and Yukimiya, “It’s not Isagi’s fault or choice that he got special treatment, Yukimiya.”

“It is out of my control.” Isagi agreed and looked at Yukimiya head on, not one to back down either. It was reactions like this that really irked Isgai — as if his own battles and efforts amounted to nothing just because he was lucky enough to get special treatment. It was reactions like this that made Isagi all the more hesitant to share his relations outside of Blue Lock with anyone. "I just received an opportunity and I used it to my full advantage. I didn’t ask for it nor did I expect it, but you can’t ask me to step back and let it go to waste.”

Isagi huffed and before anyone else could add anything to it, he rushed off ahead and finished his after-match rituals in a hurry. Isagi wasn’t personally hurt by Yukimiya's words — he wasn’t wrong that Isagi got special treatment. It was just the reminder that his efforts were so easy to overlook when things like “special treatment” or “connections” were brought up that frustrated Isagi. Was effort that easy to forget when something special happened? Was Isagi’s struggles from first selection up until now suddenly non-existent? They were all in Blue Lock together, struggling to the top together — was his effort so infinitesimal that he needed special treatment? Why was it that Rin being Sae’s brother was just… expected for him to be good but Isagi just had to have cheated somehow?

The thought soured Isagi’s entire mood which he hadn’t even counted on when he learned about Lavinho wanting to meet with him. His semi-good mood was gone and replaced with the need to sulk. 

It just proved to Isagi that he could never tell anyone in Blue Lock just who exactly he was connected to. 

"Master Lavinho?” Isagi knocked on the door, calling out to the Master Striker as he waited for a response. After he had finished showering in the locker rooms, he hadn’t stayed and instead walked past Yukimiya and the others in his haste to meet with Lavinho. He even ignored Kaiser and focused on his destination. He knew that if he stayed there any longer, he might snap and say words he couldn’t take back. 

“Isagi, right? Get in.” The door slipped open and Lavinho gestured at Isagi with a large grin. Isagi laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, but he stepped inside the room anyway. He scanned the single room meant for the Master Strikers and noted the mix of simplicity in terms of the bed and the contrast in complexity for the different screens and player stat tracking system. 

“Uh, did you need anything from me?” Isagi ducked his head down and avoided the personal space portion of the room, sticking closer to the computers and screens. That was a safe spot to be in, he’ll just avoid reading the different player stats and — oh, did Bachira just improve in his dribbling technique again? 

“Right, I called you here to give you this.” Isagi’s gaze snapped to the large box in Lavinho's hand. His jaw dropped at the sight, and he internally cursed his luck. There was no way that he was shameless enough to shove a whole box into Lavinho’s hands just to play delivery man? “Bunny told me to give it to you! Said it was a few gifts.”

“Ah… that's…” Isagi internally suffered in silence. Oh, he was so embarrassed on Bunny’s behalf. "I’m really sorry about that…”

“Oh, it’s no problem, kid!” Lavinho laughed and passed the box over to Isagi, ruffling his hair while he did so. Isagi huffed and held the box close to him, eyeing it like it potentially contained a bomb. It might’ve, knowing Bunny. “Didn’t know you and Bunny were close. He doesn’t do this kind of thing often.”

“Ah, we met when we were younger.” Isagi chuckled and he thought of the logistics and possibility of opening the box without prying eyes. He weighed his options and sighed. One prying eye was better over three — worse yet, that one of those three had it out for Isagi. “If it’s not too much trouble, Master Lavinho, can I open it here?”

“I don’t see why not, I’m a bit curious about what’s inside.” Lavinho gestured towards the bed, practically shoving Isagi in his bid to usher him over. “Bunny didn’t tell me anything.”

“That sounds like him.” Isagi mused, half fondly and the other half in exasperation. "I didn’t even know he had something for me.”

Lavinho chuckled and they both sat down on the bed. Isagi cleared his throat and set the box in between them, already debating how to further explain this, knowing that “just knowing” Bunny wasn’t going to cut it if he gave highly specific gifts. Isagi swallowed the slight worry before he pulled the box open to the sight of quite a lot of things inside. He blinked at the variety of them all and snorted.

The first thing he pulled out was a black and red cap with a small bunny logo at the front. He scoffed immediately, knowing that Bunny kept mentioning how he wanted to send Isagi his merch. Isagi then flipped the cap and blinked at Bunny’s signature in bright red pen against the black of the cap.

Lavinho whistled and let out a laugh, “Signed merch. That’s worth a lot, considering Bunny hates the media.”

“I know.” Isagi chuckled. Even though he knew Bunny long before he became well known and famous, the older teen always avoided people’s attention on him when they got too close. Fans that cheered in the audience was enough for Bunny, they didn’t particularly have to get close. “I’ll keep this safe though, knowing him, he’ll want me to wear it.”

Lavinho’s snort was enough of an agreement that Isagi could get. So, he set the cap aside gingerly before he grabbed the next thing he saw. Which happened to be a soft dark blue hoodie with printed designs on the front and back. The front bragged Bunny’s usual logo (a bunny with a cross scar across it’s eye that mirrored Bunny's own) and the back featured a large stylistic number 19 with the name 'Bunny Iglesias' sandwiching it from top and bottom. At the hem of the back, there was a much smaller signature of Bunny in black marker. 

“What is he doing? Marking these?” Isagi scrunched his nose as he brushed his thumb against the signature. 

“Well, it sure makes it one of a kind.” Lavinho pointed out, and Isagi made a considering noise. It made it a hassle, that was for sure. Especially if Bunny paraded the fact around. 

“It’s a little embarrassing to see but his merch has always been comfy.” Isagi had evidence left behind in his closet at home. He had a bad habit of stealing some of Bunny’s hoodies because of how nice they felt. It seemed like Bunny took that into account with the gift considering it was bigger than Isagi was. He wouldn’t be shocked if it was Bunny’s size or just a size smaller. 

Isagi folded it and set it aside just to dig through the rest of it. He knew the first two were the most personalized one, since the rest of the items inside the box were just random knick-knacks of Bunny’s merch like badges, memopads, pens. The next few things Isagi saw that caught his attention was another medium box inside and a bunch of his favorite snacks and sweets shoved into one corner. 

He grinned and grabbed at the box, turning it over in his hands as he wondered what was inside. He pulled the lid open and blinked at the stuffed animal inside. It was a rabbit with floppy ears and a cute jersey — Isagi recognized the merch. It was Bunny’s top selling plush toy that really sold his branding. Except there were major differences.

Where Bunny’s plush was a pure white with red button eyes and an embroidered scar that matched his own, the plush in Isagi’s hands was a dark blue with a brighter shade used for the buttons and it lacked the usual scar. Bunny’s plush also sported his usual Barcha kit with the black sleeves, the back showing off his usual number and the plush’s nickname (lovingly named BunBun by the press and Bunny’s manager). Isagi’s plush instead had Japan’s usual jersey with black sleeves and the back sported the number 11 and…

“Yo-chan? Really?” Isagi hissed as he gripped the plush toy. He wanted to shake it around and toss it against the wall, the cuteness aggression and normal aggression slowly taking over. 

“Oh, that looks different.” Lavinho laughed and reached over for the plush. Isagi let him have it because if he kept it with him then there was a high chance he might chuck it against the wall. Honestly, Bunny could be incredibly sweet in the most infuriating ways. “Oh, yeah, do you know these kind of things have some kind of voice message attached to it? The usual ones just repeat some of Bunny’s usual lines or the few things he spoke in an interview but I wonder…“

Before Isagi could reach out to stop Lavinho, his own voice — much younger — echoed in the silent room, “Bunny-nii-yan is the greatest striker ever!”

Isagi’s face burned and he buried it between his knees and palms as he groaned. Bunny is an embarrassing older brother. He was the worst. Isagi wanted to un-adopt him immediately. What the fuck was that? Oh that was embarrassing he was going to kill Bunny for that. 

“Nii-yan?” Lavinho laughed, glancing at Isagi’s hunched form before he shook his head. “What does that mean?”

“It’s… a different way to say big brother.” Isagi dragged a hand down his face. He huffed and glared at the plush before his eyes softened. He hadn’t realized Bunny actually kept the recording. “He dared me to say it before and recorded it. I thought I deleted it.”

“Bunny as an older brother…“ Lavinho tapped his chin and carefully tossed the plush back into Isagi’s arms. “Are you sure about that, kid?”

“He has his quirks.” Isagi flicked the plush’s nose before he set it down and looked back inside the box it came in. He noticed an envelope and snorted, “But he’s… good.”

“Good.” Lavinho echoed in amusement.

Isagi shrugged and took the letter out, reading it’s contents which were written in Bunny’s messy and clumsy Japanese. At least he was getting better, Isagi mused.

[ Hey, Yo-chan. I saw your latest goal against Japan’s team and seeing your rapid improvement makes me want to die. You’re a step closer to your dream and catching up to me, so don’t stop and don’t let idiots hold you back. You’re almost on the world stage, so I made this little thing as an advance present. If you’re going to be some big name like me, you’ll have your own merch line. As your older brother, I started these in production. Don’t worry that message is just for you and me (I have my own version of this dumbass). If you won’t pick the quote for the rabbit, I’ll pick it and you'd hate that won’t you? So, hurry up. ]

Isagi rolled his eyes at the crass language that Bunny used in the letter but he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. The fact that Bunny had unconditional faith in Isagi’s abilities to not just reach the world stage but be just as well known as Bunny was — it touched Isagi. After the rollercoaster that the past few days and minutes had been for Isagi, the letter soothed him. It anchored him in ways that only Bunny could do.

Bunny was always so sweet in the most infuriating ways. 

“Thanks a lot for this, Master Lavinho.” Isagi beamed at the other striker as he began to repack the box. If he wanted to keep all of this under wraps, he’ll either have to hide it in the dorm or ask Anri to keep it away for safekeeping. “I appreciate it.”

“No worries, kid.” Lavinho leaned back and grinned up at him. Isagi bowed down a little, to show his gratitude. If Lavinho hadn’t allowed him to stay, he either wouldn’t have the time to unpack and see the goods or he’d risk showing everyone what he got and being forced to answer questions. This was the better alternative, even if it felt like overstepping. “Bunny’s a good player and he’s decent off the field. It’s good to hear he’s got someone besides himself out there, somewhere.”

Isagi blinked at Lavinho before he laughed and tilted his head, “Does he look lonely again, Master?”

For the briefest moment, Lavinho was taken aback by Isagi’s bluntness and the cruelty behind the words. Isagi looked at Lavinho for a moment, just a bit confused at the surprise towards his factual statement. Then he blinked again and paled a little, realizing how downright mean he sounded.

“Wait- Master-”

“Ah, you two are really birds of a feather.” Lavinho stood and patted Isagi’s shoulder with a laugh. Isagi flushed a little at the statement. The few that knew about their brotherly relationship had always pointed out their differences — like night and day. Dark hair on light hair, dark eyes on light eyes. A foreigner and a local. Someone who smiles with a fake grin and someone who bled sincerity everywhere he went. Not once were they likened to one another.

Not until now.

“Thank you?” Still, Isagi was hesitant to take it as a compliment. After all, not a lot of people enjoyed being likened to someone like Bunny. An insincere and hollow being that existed for the pure reason of existence. At least, up until he met Isagi. 

“You should start heading back, before Noa accuses me of stealing you away.” Lavinho slowly led him out and Isagi ducked his head in thanks, nodding along to his words. "You’re a good kid, Isagi. Keep it up!”

“Thank you for all this, Master Lavinho.” Isagi bowed one more and nodded at him as he left. He glanced back just in time to see Lavinho wave at him before he retreated back to his room. Then, Isagi was left to walk the halls of Blue Lock on his own.

Well, not completely — not when there were cameras watching his every move now. 

Isagi sighed and made a slight detour, rather than heading straight back to the Germany wing. He couldn’t just bring a whole box after meeting with Lavinho and not expect them to snoop around about it. They might end up accusing him of favoritism again or something. This meant he had to drop the box off with Anri first, maybe even request for his phone while he was at it. He had someone to shout at if he ever found the privacy for it.

As he walked the empty halls, only his steps echoing back at him being the slightest sound, Isagi thought back to the days that led up to his relationship with Bunny. 

He was ten years old when his parents had to go on a short business trip to Spain. Something about a project popping up in the country that needed his dad’s supervision. They packed and left for the country on the idea that they'd be staying for short term. A few weeks turned into a month and suddenly they had been there for a year. It would have been both boring and lonely for Isagi had he not found a friend just one month into their stay.

Due to the nature of his dad’s work, Isagi understood how to speak some English. He had absorbed the lessons well, especially when some of the news about Noel Noa were in the very langauge. This also meant that while he was in the process of learning Spanish, he could still communicate with most people around him in English when needed. 

It seemed like he needed it badly now.

“Are you lonely?” Isagi crouched in front of a white haired teen who had sequestered himself away from the others in the park. Either the other teens didn’t notice him and Isagi only did because of his heightened senses, or they were purposefully ignoring and ostracizing him. Isagi knew what that felt like and he also didn't have any friends. “You look lonely.”

“What?” Isagi tilted his head to the side with a frown. The teen either didn’t understand English because he responded in Spanish or he just didn't know how to speak the language. That would be a little bit of a problem but Isagi was learning Spanish anyway. “What do you want?”

Isagi beamed when the other switched to something he could understand and leaned close, “I want to play!“

“There are other kids here.”

“They don’t want to play with me.” Isagi pouted and it was only half true. He had tried to reach out to them and play soccer, something that he enjoyed doing. He learned that Spain held soccer as a big thing when it came to sports so he had some hope that the kids his age would be interested and invested in the sport just like him. He was both wrong and right.

The first time he played against them, they clearly held back and were angry that Isagi managed to beat them and be “selfish” with the ball. They called it unfair and asked for another match. Isagi readily agreed, always interested in a rematch that never happened in Japan when his friends just left him when he got “too much”. What greeted him was the rest of the kids bullying him the entire game — shoving him and tripping him to get the ball, things that would’ve been called a foul during a normal game. 

When Isagi lost, it didn’t even feel enlightening. He lost because the others didn’t like that he won and bullied him into losing instead of playing fair. When they asked for another game, a little more mocking and mean, Isagi slowly declined and walked away to practice on his own. 

Their actions didn’t kill Isagi’s spirit, but it opened up his eyes to the obvious gap between what he learned in Japan and how others played outside of the country. It was interesting — it made Isagi fired up all the more. He just needed someone who wasn’t mean or mocking to play with so he could test out his new ideas. 

“Liar, I saw you play with them.”

“They pushed me around…“ Isagi went from crouching to sitting on the ground. He rolled the ball between his legs dejectedly, there might’ve been a chance this one wouldn’t want to play either.

“That ball… you want to play soccer?” Isagi perked up at the name of his favorite sport and nodded eagerly, hoping that the teen knew how to play soccer and didn’t just know about it. His face scrunched at the confirmation and Isagi deflated a little, “You like playing it?”

“Yes! There’s a certain… uh- happiness to it!” Isagi stumbled over the words, still a little unsure about the words he was saying. Though, he hoped that his excitement and tone were enough to communicate the sheer love he had for the sport. “The way you can make plans and score goals- it’s the best!”

The teen stared at Isagi for a long, quiet moment. As the seconds ticked by, Isagi slowly deflated when he realized that he might not even get to play with the older teen. He had been looking forward to it, considering how nice he was up until that moment. Once more, Isagi was reminded that not everyone was as into the sport as he was and how it could easily unnerve some people. 

“Ah, never-”

“Bunny.”

“Huh?” Isagi blinked at the sudden change in topic. He tilted his head to the side and blinked again, not processing the word for a second. “Bunny… rabbit?”

“It’s my name.” Bunny stood up and reached out a hand. Isagi’s eyes lit up and he took the hand, pulling himself up with a slight bounce in his step as he beamed up at him. “I’ll play with you…?”

“Yoichi! Isagi Yoichi- ah, wait, uh- Yoichi Isagi. You can call me Yoichi, Bunny-nii!” Isagi laughed, stumbling over his introduction before correcting himself. He set the ball down and kicked it outwards, bringing them both out of the secluded corner and into the light again. 

“Alright.” For the first time since Isagi first caught sight of the older teen, Bunny smiled. 

That was the beginning of Isagi and Bunny’s relationship. From there, Bunny seemed interested and even endeared by Isagi that he introduced himself to his family and offered to tutor him in Spanish and English after playing with Isagi for a week. In return, Isagi taught him how to speak and write Japanese. Then, they went from meeting up to play soccer in the park and field to meeting up in cafes and restaurants and watching movies. 

Bunny had been such a positive and uplifting fixture in Isagi’s life while they were in Spain that Isagi’s parents practically treated him like their second son. Isagi went from calling him Bunny-nii to Nii-san to Nii-yan. 

The day Isagi was set to leave, just a year after they met, Bunny gave him and his parents his contact so they could keep in touch. Right before Isagi’s flight, Bunny crouched down in front of him and smiled.

“Take care, Yoichi. Be the best in the world, okay?” He pulled Isagi into a hug and the other clung to him, already feeling the emptiness of not having Bunny at his side. “I'll go and catch up to you in the mean time. We'll be the best together.”

“Silly, you can't be the best at the same time as me.” Isagi snorted but he didn't let go of the hug just yet. “Don't stay lonely, nii-yan.”

“I’ll try.”

The farewell almost made it sound like the two would never meet each other again. Isagi wondered if it really felt that way or if it was their kid minds that made them believe it was forever at that moment. Whatever it was — it hadn't lasted long. 

After all, just a year before Isagi got into Blue Lock, he visited Spain with his parents again. This time, it was for liesure. This time, Isagi had called Bunny excitedly over the phone and arranged a meeting instantly. 

This time, Isagi barreled over to his older brother and jumped into his arms.

“Nii-yan!” Isagi laughed, almost dropping his bags as he greeted the older teen. Bunny snorted and kept the both of them in balance despite the sudden weight of Isagi in his arms. Their height difference was more pronounced and Isagi spotted a scar on Bunny’s face but the smile — it was Bunny’s smile. 

A mix of somethig fond and something lonely — always solitary and detached. Though it typically melted away whenever Isagi was around or spoke to him.

“Yo-chan, why are you here?” Bunny raised an eyebrow but the small smile on his face betrayed the fact he was happy to see Isagi there.

“We saw the news, congratulations on becoming a New Gen Striker!” Isagi’s eyes sparkled as he shook Bunny around, excited for his brother’s newest achievement. Bunny laughed but his eyes dimmed and his smile faltered, just slightly. Isagi blinked at the action and frowned, “Uh, I’ll go with nii-yan for a moment!”

“Stay safe you two.” His mom laughed and waved them off, already lugging their bags towards the hotel. Isagi nodded and called out a quick farewell before he dragged Bunny outside and into what he knew was Bunny’s favorite restaurant. Had he planned for their hotel to not just be near Bunny’s place but also near his favorite restaurant? Maybe, no one could judge Isagi’s meticulousness.

"Ah, Yo-chan what are you-?”

Isagi spoke over Bunny by ordering their food and sitting down beside Bunny, trapping him inside the booth table Isagi picked just for this reason. Bunny blinked at the actions before he snorted.

“What are you doing?”

“You didn’t look happy, nii-yan.” Isagi faced him with a serious face, searching Bunny’s face and eyes for anything for a sign. Anything for him to understand what was going on. 

“Why do you say that?” Bunny raised an eyebrow and leaned back. He was deflecting — a bad habit that Bunny had back when Isagi first met him. Isagi sighed and crossed his arms, staring at Bunny for a longer moment. “Stop looking at me like that, Yo-chan.”

“Your eyes lost that spark you usually get when you’re happy and your smile dropped.” Isagi pointed out, easily pinpointing the exact expression changes that indicated that something was definitely wrong. Even if it had been years since he saw Bunny face to face, his ability to read people’s emotions and faces hadn’t dwindled in that time. Rather, Isagi believed it only got better. “You’re not happy being a New Gen member. Why?”

“Ah, that’s rude, Yo-chan. I’m glad of where I am.” Bunny laughed, his smile still far too fake for Isagi’s liking.

“Nii-yan… you look lonelier than the last time I saw you.” Isagi spoke slowly, searching Bunny’s face for any hints. Anything for Isagi to break through and pin down so that his brother could just talk to him. “What… happened between you and Sae?”

“Why do you think it's about him?” Isagi caught it immediately, the slight crack in his voice — the slightest slip in his facade. 

Just last year, Bunny had mentioned that he met Itoshi Sae, Japan's Treasure, and found that playing against and with him was interesting and fun. From then on, it was hard not to hear about Sae from Bunny during the few times that they spoke to each other. Isagi was happy that Bunny had looked just a little less lonely during that period. Bunny also looked genuinely happy. 

Now, whatever little happiness was gone and Bunny exuded a far deeper chasm of loneliness than Isagi had seen before. 

“You stopped talking about him and you never mentioned him in the span of twenty minutes we’ve seen each other, that's a new record.” Isagi listed down, raising an eyebrow at Bunny as if he could let anything past him. “I didn’t hear any news in Japan about Sae, so…“

“Your attention to detail really makes me want to kill myself.” Bunny muttered and Isagi easily reached out and smacked the side of his head in warning. His habit of saying such cruel words about himself originated when Isagi just a week from leaving Spain. 

It seemed like Isagi had been the first person to bring light and happiness to Bunny’s world and the fact he was leaving pushed Bunny a little too far. The first time Isagi heart that, he bawled the entire day to the point that his parents had to speak to Bunny. From then on, Isagi had clung to Bunny even tigher and closer — not once wanting to leave Bunny’s side. 

Then, Isagi left for Japan and Bunny did it again. During one of their calls, he mentioned wanting to do it and Isagi almost begged his parents to book a flght back. That caused another talk between Bunny and his parents. That incident is what made Bunny and Isagi talk to each other about things for once and Isagi to start calling Bunny a lonely idiot that should find friends. 

Bunny called him a hypocrite for being so mean and Isagi huffed. Later, Bunny’s words would lose it’s meaning and Isagi would still call him lonely. It was only much later that they would make it a small joke — something light hearted that wasn’t meant to meany anything deeper. Bunny would want to kill himself and Isagi would insult him and call him lonely. It worked between them and when things started to be serious, they’d talk about it through the night. 

Now that Isagi was back and speaking to Bunny face to face, he made true to his promise that he would smack Bunny if he said those things again. 

“Nii-yan, come on." Isagi watched, in real time, as Bunny's resolve slowly crumbled. 

“You worry too much, leave some of that to me.” Bunny poked at Isagi’s head before he flicked him off. Isagi snorted and rubbed at the spot but continued to stare at Bunny with a raised eyebrow. “Soccer… isn’t as fun.”

“Huh?”

“You make it fun, Yo-chan.” Bunny leaned against the table, resting his chin on his fist as he stared off. “But you can’t always be here and you’re stuck in Japan. Just get scouted already.”

“What about-”

“Let’s not talk about that.” Bunny shook his head. He shot Isagi a small smile, this time a little more sincere but all the more lonely. “You… hurry up and bring me a challenge again.”

“You’re so bossy, nii-yan.” Isagi dropped the topic for the moment, not wanting Bunny to close off further when they first got to see each other again after so long. He smiled slightly but looked off to the side, “I think… it’ll be a long while until I can do that.”

“Hm?" Bunny glanced at him. 

There were a lot of things Isagi wanted to open up to Bunny about. Things that he never mentioned during their calls because he wasn’t quite sure how to feel if Bunny would hang up and never answer again. Things he hid from Bunny because of something like shame and disappointed clouded his vision. Things that… felt much better to be shown than said. 

“Let’s eat first.” Isagi smiled, bright and sincere, because between the both of them — he was always much better at hiding his own faults than Bunny ever was. “Then, we can play a game. Like old times.”

“Ah, you should just tell me that you missed me.” Bunny teased and he didn’t even know just how right he was. Isagi had missed Bunny so much, especially considering how they played against and with each other in a way that Isagi felt free — in a way that Isagi knew he was at his best. 

So, Isagi played against Bunny. Rather than words to explain the constricting feeling in his chest, Isagi lost possession of the ball to Bunny within the first minute. Rather than words to explain his stifled creativity, Isagi hesitated and missed the way Bunny pulled a fake on him. Rather than words to explain the horrible pressure of just how different Japanese soccer was to the rest of the world, Isagi watched as Bunny scored a goal.

“What’s wrong with you?” Bunny snapped, eyes narrowed as he stalked close to Isagi. He wasn’t even happy over his goal like he used to be. Maybe Isagi didn’t give him a big enough challenge like he used to. Bunny scoffed when Isagi stayed quiet, stepping closer and grabbing Isagi’s arm, “Yoichi. What happened? Are you hurt somewhere? You should have told me.”

“No, it’s…“ Isagi trailed off, not sure how to put it in words. He wasn’t sure how to tell Bunny that years of their ego had been broken in a single moment, with a simple phrase. He wasn’t sure how to tell Bunny that Isagi wasn’t the same brother he had said goodbye to a few years ago. 

“Yoichi?”

“You know you can’t always depend on me if you feel lonely.” Isagi forced out a laugh, beaming at Bunny at a last ditch effort to salvage whatever they had. He had been wrong — he never wanted to see Bunny look at him like that ever again. He didn't want to lose his brother. 

“You love soccer.” Isagi blinked at the sudden change in topic. He tilted his head at Bunny as he tried to connect the dots on where this was going. “You love soccer more than I enjoy life.”

“Nii-yan!”

“But-” Bunny flicked Isagi’s forehead, as if the action alone could convince Isagi to tell him the truth, “You played like it was a chore. What happened?”

“I just don’t feel-”

“Oh stop lying to me, Yoichi.” Bunny rolled his eyes and Isagi deflated a bit, caught in his own lie. Bunny shook his head and threw an arm around Isagi’s shoulders, "Come on, whether you play like shit or not, you always put your all into it. This time… you didn’t play like you loved it. It’s making me sick.”

“I’m sorry.” Isagi ducked his head down, refusing to meet Bunny’s gaze. It was a bit shameful that he, who dragged Bunny into enjoying the sport as something more than a shackle to his heart, showed signs of losing enjoyment in the sport that he loved. The game used to be fun — up until ideals clashed and Isagi didn’t feel like he was playing the same game. 

“Don’t apologize, dumbass.” Bunny sighed and Isagi winced a bit. Then, he felt a large hand ruffle his hair and he let out a surprised yelp, “Since you won’t tell me what’s wrong, let’s do it this way. If you quit, I’m quitting.”

“What!?” Isagi stiffened and he pulled himself from Bunny’s hold to glare at the older teen. He couldn’t believe what he said! Quit? Bunny Iglesias, quit soccer? The newest generation eleven striker, quit soccer at a time like this? Just for Isagi? “You’re being stupid, nii-yan. Come on, quit? Now? You’ve reached new heights and I can tell that you love the game. If it’s because of me-”

“It’s because of you that I like soccer.” Bunny poked at the area between his eyes. He snorted and crossed his arms over his chest and Isagi likened him to a pouting child. “What am I supposed to do now that the kid brother I'm trying to impress doesn’t even like the game.”

“I still like the game!” Isagi paused and glared harder at Bunny, “And I’m not a ‘kid’.”

“Really? Could’ve fooled me.” Bunny scoffed and leaned down. Now, they were face to face. A glare and a smug smirk. “Doesn’t seem like you enjoy the game much.”

“And what’s going to prove to you that I still like it?” Isagi raised an eyebrow, his worries and sadness forgotten. What did they matter when a far more pressing concern was in front of him.

“What was that dream of yours?” Bunny tapped his chin. Then he beamed and Isagi felt slight dread at the words that would no doubt come out of that smug mouth. “Right! To be the best in the world, right? Well, I caught up since the last time we met but you’re not that far off… So, why don’t you hurry up and beat me? We can't both be the best at the same time, after all.”

Something in Isagi flared at the challenge. It was something familiar, something hot — something safe. It was the kind of challenge that Isagi enjoyed rising up to meet. It was the kind of challenge that easily lit something back inside of him. 

It was the kind of challenge Isagi wasn’t afraid to face head on.

“You’re on, nii-yan.” Isagi laughed, poking Bunny’s chest. Suddenly, everything around them disappeared. Nothing mattered to the two except for this singular moment — this promise. There was no more Itoshi Sae or Ichinan High. Instead it was just two strikers with an insatiable thirst for the thrill that they could only find in each other. 

“All bark and no bite.” Bunny teased and patted Isagi's head much to his chagrin. “Show me results, Yo-chan. Show me progress that’ll make me want to die.”

“Bet.” Isagi laughed and tackled Bunny into a side hug. 

Bunny really had an incredibly insufferable way of cheering him up. The memory slowly ebbed away and Isagi chuckled under his breath. He thought back to the letter and beamed, his chest swelling with pride. It seemed he was halfway there, just as Bunny said. He just needed to improve some more, adapt to other playstyles and go back to the way he and Bunny used to play. 

Isagi was glad that Bunny gave him the gift. Not only did it erase his worries and made him smile amidst the chaos that was Blue Lock — it hardened his resolve. It reminded him of what he was fighting for. It added another step to his journey to being the Number One. 

He’d have to defeat everyone in Blue Lock, lead Japan to victory in the U20 World Cup and then he’ll challenge Bunny again. He’ll go against his brother again but this time with his everything in the game — his heart, soul, and ego. 

Isagi stopped in front of the door and knocked slightly. When Anri opened the door, Isagi beamed up at her.

“Miss Anri, Lavinho gave me a package from my… family in Spain. Is it okay to have it stored away for the moment? I don’t want it getting lost.” Isagi hummed and tugged the box open slightly to grab some of the sweets Bunny gave him. He peeked at Anri with a hesitant smile, “Are these… okay?”

Anri blinked down at him and laughed, shaking her head, “I can keep the box away. As for the treats… I’ll keep it a secret for as long as you don’t slack off on your training.”

Isagi straightened, “Don’t worry, Miss Anri! I won’t.” 

"I’m sure you won’t.” Anri nodded at him and Isagi smiled again. He waved at Blue Lock’s manager and ran off, already counting the minutes in his head that he was gone. It wasn’t like he was out for too long and he hadn’t missed training yet. He was just a bit worried his roommates might’ve thought he suddenly switched wings and clubs all of a sudden. 

Since then, the Neo Egoist League continued on without a hitch. Isagi had a smal hunch that he was being monitored and watched by Bunny throughout it all. The thought was a mix of both touched and a tad bit concerned. Maybe he should find a way to remind Bunny to find a new hobby without being too obvious that he was contacting someone outside. Even so, Isagi couldn’t find the time to contact Bunny anyways, in between training for the next match and strategizing on how to get one over Kaiser.

So, the Neo Egoist League ended with Isagi not even contacting Bunny once since he received the box. He should have known that kind of outcome would only lead to more problems, considering the type of personality Bunny had. 

"It’s a miracle that Ego is preparing some kind of closing ceremony.” Hiori straightened from his seat, beaming at his roommates as they began packing their things. Isagi hummed in agreement, checking over his stuff one more time while also reminding himself to get his box from Anri.

“A miracle, miracle.” Kurona agreed to the side.

“It’s more of a miracle that he’s letting the JFU boss him around without fighting back.” Yukimiya snorted and Isagi wondered just how much of a fight would Ego throw back for it to be clear to them. So far, Ego had been able to get away with a lot of things lately. 

“Ah, there’s something I have to get.” Isagi scratched the back of his neck as he smiled at his friends. He couldn’t exactly tell them what he was getting — even if they had gotten close. That was too big of an info drop for all of them to handle. It might also seem like some kind of doorknob confession or something. He’ll just find some other time to tell them he happened to be close enough to the other New Generation Striker to call him older brother. 

“Aright, Mister Number One.” Yukimiya teases, his eyebrows arching upwards as Isagi laughed. They both had gotten far in terms of their relationship compared to the beginning of the Neo Egoist League. Now, Isagi found a way to overcome his own insecurities and rise with his effort.

“Don’t bump into Kaiser or Ness along the way.” Hiori called out just as the door slid closed behind Isagi. 

Isagi snorted at his friend’s antics, shaking his head. He walked through the halls and thought about his journey ever since he first stepped foot inside. That time, he had still been stuck in the murky waters of ‘One for All, All for One’, not even Bunny’s challenge managed to push him towards breaking the status quo. Not when it was him against the rest of his team and his own coach who decided who was benched or not. 

Though, the second that Blue Lock broke that ideal down and introduced a new one to Isagi — saving him from drowning in the murky waters — he had taken to it. He hadn’t hesitated and used everything in his disposal to grow and be better. Now that he’s reached the top in Blue Lock, all that was left was to stay there and bring victory in the U20 World Cup. Then, and only then, can he try and challenge Bunny again. Maybe, they’ll both be happier when they do.

“Ah, Isagi, are you here for your box?” Anri smiled at him. Isagi sweatdropped when he glanced to the side to see Ego’s piercing stare cut through his soul. It seemed he had arrived at a bad moment considering Anri was in a meeting with Ego. Though, when Isagi moved just a little bit closer, he realized there were far more people inside the room.

It wasn’t just Ego that Anri was meeting with, the other Master Strikers were in there too. 

“If you’re busy, I can come back later.” Isagi bowed his head, both apologetic and absolutely mortified at the scene he had stumbled into. 

“Oh no, it’s fine! We were just wrapping up.” Anri waved the concern away. She moved away from the table and gestured at Isagi to take a seat, which Isagi hesitantly took. He cleared his throat and looked anywhere but at anyone in the room.

“A package?” Ego mused and leaned forward, his gaze still pinned on Isagi. This time there was a bit of curiosity in it. “I ensured that no one was able to receive any packages while in Blue Lock to avoid distractions.”

“That was…“

“It came from me!” Lavinho crowed and raised his hand. Isagi refrained from smacking his face into his hands as everything came crashing down. 

“During that time?” Noa raised an eyebrow, seemingly remembering the small interaction back in the first match of the Neo Egoist League. All of Isagi’s hopes that he had forgotten about that were dashed immediately.

“You gave him something?" Even Chris Prince was interested now. Isagi sighed and slumped in the chair, hoping he could disappear into it forever. Maybe he should’ve just asked Anri to send the box to his house or something. “Didn’t think you knew him personally to do that.”

“If you did, it must’ve been a disappointment that he picked a different club then?” Snuffy teased, chuckling as he leaned back. Lavinho laughed at their assumptions, waving them away.

“It wasn’t from me. Someone just used me as delivery service, that’s all.” When Isagi heard it from his mouth, he swore he’d give Bunny the talk down of the century. Maybe he’ll tell him to go die or something. No, nevermind, Bunny would like that and agree.

“Who?” Loki raised an eyebrow, glancing between Isagi and Lavinho with a sharp eye. Isagi looked away and the action was enough to leave him face to face with Ego — who was silently listening and observing the interaction.

“Bunny Iglesias.” Lavinho beamed and Isagi knew, right then and there, that he wasn’t going to be able to recover from this. “I didn’t know the kid was Isagi’s older brother. He sent some signed merch of his, sweets and a cute plush gift.”

“Master Lavinho…“ Isagi didn’t stop himself from hiding his face in his hands this time. This was incredibly embarrassing even if he loved the gifts Bunny sent him. He could already imagine the reactions.

“That dead eyed asshole?” Loki's voice was tinged with disbelief and amusement. It was clear that none of them expected that level of doting from Bunny Iglesias, Barcha’s Black Sheep — the resident asshole. 

"He’s not that bad…“ Isagi weakly defended him, because of course he would. Bunny was an asshole but only Isagi could call him that to his face. 

“You’re related?” Snuffy squinted at Isagi, no doubt trying to find any form of resemblance. 

“No… but we’ve known each other for a while.” Isagi coughed a bit, “And my parents treat him like their son… and I do call him nii-yan…“

“That was unexpected.” Snuffy mused but didn’t pry further, merely sending Isagi a nod at his explanation. Suddenly, Snuffy had shot upwards in Isagi’s mental rank of favorite strikers. 

“Unexpected? That’ll explain his attitude on the field.” Chris Prince scoffed and Isagi scratched his cheek as he compared the way they played internally. He wasn’t sure what Chris Prince meant considering Bunny’s playstyle favore airborne attacks that were only possible because of his towering height. Isagi depended more on positioning and efficiency. Even their attitudes on field were different, with Bunny being completely focused on the game he barely says a word while Isagi wasn’t scared to be a little mouthy.

“Here it is!” Anri chose that exact moment to walk right inside, carrying the box with her. Unexpectedly, she also had someone beside her. 

Isagi perked up at the familiar frame and, immediately forgetting who was around them, lunged at Bunny to shake him around in disbelief which made for an amusing sight considering their height and build difference, “Nii-yan? How did you get in here… When did you even get here? Miss Anri, how is he-?”

“He called in advance and considering Barcha and Lavinho were here, Ego allowed him entry for the closing ceremony.” Anri nodded as she handed the box to Isagi. 

“You didn’t call, dumbass.” Bunny answered simply, ruffling Isagi’s hair. “So, I got on a flight.”

“You… you could’ve just called!?” Isagi looked at Bunny with his jaw dropped open. Then, he huffed and realized he couldn’t refute whatever argument Bunny would use against him, “Nevermind that. You passed by mom and dad, right?”

“I’m not a heathen.” Bunny scoffed and poked Isagi’s head. For all the asshole exterior that Bunny displayed, he was always soft for Isagi’s parents. He’d get rough and mean with Isagi at times but he’d turn into the perfect angel and son in front of them. Isagi called his act bullshit, Bunny never denied anything. 

“Well-” Isagi was cut off by a cough and he jumped. He turned and flushed slightly, forgetting they were in a room full of people. Specifically, they were in a room filled with soccer stars. 

“While the reunion of two brothers is quite the sight to see…“ Ego drawled from the side, clearly the one to have interrupted the moment, “We have other matters to attend to. Iglesias, Anri will lead you to your room. Isagi, I’ll give you five second to leave before these idiots realize what’s going on.”

Isagi blinked then snapped to attention, bowing sharply at Ego’s words. He beamed at his sort of mentor, “Then, I’ll be heading out. Sorry for intruding.”

Then, like a coward, Isagi turned tail and ran. Even if he left Bunny behind to deal with the fall out, better him than Isagi. He had already embarrassed himself in front of all of them by walking in on their meeting. Not just that but he had let his guard down and acted like that in front of them too, the second he relaxed when he saw Bunny. Just the thought of it sent Isagi’s face into another flushed state. 

Once he managed his proper escape to his room, he looked down at the box in his arms and considered it for a moment. Bunny was already there and there was no doubt that if Isagi wore anything else, his brother would complain and whine for hours. 

He shook his head and set the box down, kicking it under his bed for the moment. He’d continue thinking about it the next day — leave it as a problem for future Isagi rather than present Isagi, especially when present Isagi was far more focused on packing the rest of his things. 

In hindisght, present Isagi now wished he strangled past Isagi for leaving this problem to him.

“Is that… merch, merch?” To think that a simple question was the catalyst that started it all. It even came from one of the most innocent of all players — someone that shouldn’t have even been the center of any chaos. 

Isagi slowly turned to Kurona, caught between surprise and resignation. He couldn’t even blame his friend for pointing it out loud — where almost everyone could hear the comment — because it was surprising. The entirety that they were in Blue Lock, none of them were capable of bringing or using anything from outside the pentagonal halls. So, the fact that not only did Isagi have an outfit from outside the standard Blue Lock issued clothes — it was merch.

“Didn’t take you as a fan of anyone.” Hiori noted as he circled around Isagi, his sharp eyes already dissecting him slowly. He was sure that the hoodie covered the top name behind him but even then — there weren’t a lot of ‘Iglesias' famous enough to have specialized and custom merch made for him. Anyone with eyes would’ve easily figured out whose merch the hoodie belonged to based on the logo at front alone.

“Really? I was a fan of Noa, this isn’t that much different.” Isagi shrugged as he easily deflected the topic and hoped no one had the guts to continue it. Or, at the very least they’d take his incredibly logical and realistic excuse and go with it. 

“Noa’s the Number One, that’s understandable.” Yukimiya pointed out and Isagi wished he stopped being the voice of reason and logic sometimes. He always knew what questions to ask and what details to point out. "But Bunny Iglesias? He’s part of the New Gen Eleven. Are you telling us that you’re that big of a fan of his to have merch of him sent over?"

“Maybe?” Isagi internally shivered at the idea of being that kind of fan. He loved Bunny, he really did, but he’d rather be found dead in a ditch than to be caught as an obsessed fan of his. He already had big enough of an ego, there’s no need to inflate it even more. 

“You're a fan of that soulless freak?” Isagi’s skin prickled at the familiar voice spouting such bullshit tainted words. He turned just in time to see Kaiser walk into the room with the biggest scowl on his face and a glare directed straight at Isagi's hoodie.

Great, Isagi thought sardonically, not only was Kaiser an ass to him but he was an ass to his brother too.

“What about it?” Isagi raised an eyebrow in return, ready to get back into whatever verbal sparring match Kaiser wanted to throw them both into. Even if he had seemed off and isolated after the PXG match, it seemed like a conversation with Ness made him bounce back. Not perfectly, Isagi saw a few cracks, but he hadn't lost his spark. 

“Hah, you couldn't even admit your admiration for me.” Kaiser scoffed and leaned close. He flicked the hoodie’s drawtring absentmindedly, “But you wear his colors and name so proudly? That hurts, Yoichi. I thought we had something.”

“You're joking.” Isagi bit off an incredulous laugh from slipping past his lips. He’d be caught dead than wearing Kaiser’s merch. For Isagi, there was a fine line between admiration and liking a player enough to buy merch of them. Kaiser was smack dab in the middle of his admiration group — his skills and abilities on the field were to die for in Isagi’s eyes. On the other hand, most of Isagi’s merch were of established soccer superstars. Bunny was an exception because he was a narcissist and had brother privilege. “I wouldn’t be caught alive or dead buying your merch. It’s tacky.”

“So you have seen it.” Ness noted with a smirk and Isagi should’ve known that where one was, the other followed. He watched as Ness scanned the hoodie with either thinly veiled disgust or thinly veiled apprehension. “How else would you have known?”

“I saw it because it was right next to his merch.” It was a lie — plain as day — but no one needed to know that. Isagi only had the slightest idea of what Kaiser’s merch looked like when he searched up what the New Gen Eleven merch lines were like after he got the gifts from Bunny. 

“I’m surprised their merch has this good quality.” Isagi jumped when Reo showed up beside him, no doubt coming from the England wing. He turned just in time to see Reo tug at the hem where the signature is. “Huh? It’s signed?”

“Wow, you must really like him!” Bachira launched himself at Isagi and wrapped his arms around tight. Isagi couldn’t help the snort this time. Right, totally not because he had a brother with an ego bigger than the sun. “Lavinho talked about him a looot, but he doesn’t sound like the fun type.”

“He’s Barcha’s Black Sheep, of course he sounds boring.” Isagi internally groaned when even Lorenzo seemed to join the conversation. Did these people not have anything else to do? Don’t they have somewhere else to be? Whatever.

“Eh, black sheep?” Yukimiya glanced at Isagi and then at the hoodie with a considering hum, “You have weird taste, Isagi.”

“Weird- what!?” Isagi flushed as he looked at everyone wildly. What the hell kind of thoughts were running in their minds right now?!

“Why is he the black sheep? Haven't been caught up on the New Gen lately.” Chigiri sauntered closer, also eyeing the hoodie like he wanted to dissect it and somehow be able to lobotomize Bunny from that alone. 

“Because he’s the only one from Barcha that looks dead, even when he plays.” Kaiser mused as he lorded the information above everyone. Isagi wondered, lightly, if Bunny was able to tell Kaiser to fuck off the first time they met. 

“He’s not as flashy as Micha, over here, but everyone still keeps their eyes on him.” Lorenzo snickered and Isagi watched as Kaiser turned his glare to his fellow New Gen. 

“What is in the Spain air to churn out dead faced players?” Aiku literally had no reason to join the conversation but butted in anyway. Isagi could already see the dumpster fire that would result from this. 

“Spain churns out great players." Was all Rin said but Isagi knew the other was already too invested in the conversation, what with the way he glared heatedly at Isagi like he was the source of all his problems. 

“Oh, do you think Sae-chan knows him?” Shidou was also a part of it now. Isagi wished he could just disappear into the floor. Of course, Sae knew who Bunny was — he just wasn't sure where the two stood with each other because Bunny didn’t want to talk anymore. “Do I have to fight him for Sae’s attention?”

“This is useless.” Barou added but with the way he glanced at Isagi with narrowed eyes showed that he didn’t think it was all that useless. “So what if the idiot has merch of him? He’s my rival.”

“Get in line.” Rin snapped and Isagi hoped that no one would light the fire more.

“What's this? A welcoming committee?” It seemed like Isagi’s hopes were crushed immediately the second he heard the irritating tone that Bunny liked to use when he was feeling particularly nasty. 

“Who invited you?” Kaiser turned sharply and Isagi wondered if there was something there. Maybe Bunny and he were really brothers if they both got under Kaiser’s skin that fast. 

“Ego.” A clear lie, considering Anri admitted he called in. “Look, he even brought along our dear striker.” 

Oh no, Isagi closed his eyes as he pinpointed the exact kind of sharpness underneath Bunny’s words and tone that denoted a serious grudge. 

"Shut up.” Sae stepped away from Bunny, a sharp and icy glare on his face. Isagi wondered until where their similarities ended — first, Kaiser and Bunny had history the same way Isagi and Kaiser did. Now, it seemed like Bunny and Sae had deeper history, which Isagi hoped he’d never have with Rin. He was fine with their relationship now as opposed to whatever tension charged situationship Bunny and Sae had currently. 

“Eh, that's Iglesias-san?” Bachira whispered close to Isagi, still clinging to him like an overgrown sloth. “He’s tall.”

“He does look dead-eyed.” Hiori noted with a hint of amusement. Isagi wondered just when exactly in the conversation did everyone have the time to surround him like some kind of group security detail. 

“You’re late to the party, Bunbun.” Lorenzo laughed as he slung an arm around Bunny's shoulder. Isagi watched, sharply, as Bunny laughed alongside him. His smile had yet to reach his eyes and his posture was still as tense as ever. Maybe to anyone else, Bunny looked like he owned the place but rather he just looked ready to bolt at any given moment. Either that or break someone’s arm. 

Isagi hoped Bunny wouldn’t break Lorenzo’s arm. That would be a headache and a half.

“I’m just on time.” Bunny snarked right back as he easily shrugged Lorenzo off. “Why should I come over when Blue Lock already deals with little Mihya.”

Isagi choked on air, the laughter escaping him before he could control it. From the corner of his vision, he noticed how everyone’s attention snapped towards him. Rather than acknowledge any of that, Isagi focused his entire attention in the way Kaiser bristled at Bunny’s comment, Sae sneered at the two, and Bunny merely beamed at them like nothing was wrong with the world.

“So, that’s his type...?” 

“Doesn’t act that different from Kaiser.”

“You’re the same as ever, Bunny.” Kaiser snapped, eyes narrowed as he stepped away to stand closer to Ness, who in turn looked downright annoyed by Bunny’s presence. 

“And you’re not?” Bunny stepped forward, his entire movement and tone a challenge. He tilted his head and then his gaze flicked to Isagi for a brief moment before he locked on to Kaiser again, “Ah, my bad. You have changed…“

“You-!”

“I did not allow you two entry just to start fights.” Ego’s voice boomed over the speakers and Isagi glanced away. Even when Sae hadn’t done anything, Ego still lumped him together with Bunny much to his chagrin. Now, Isagi really wanted to know what was up with those two. "You might be special guests but that does not mean we will be making special considerations when a fight breaks out.”

After saying his piece, the mics shut off and Ego was once again just another silent observer to the chaos that was about to unfold. Isagi knew that chaos just about to descend — especially when Bunny suddenly got that glint in his eyes when he turned to face them.

“Couldn’t help but notice I have a fan.” Isagi wanted to smack that smug smirk right off Bunny’s face, more so when he confidently sauntered closer. 

“Back off.” Isagi blinked when a taller figure stood between him and Bunny, completely blocking the other’s access to Isagi. He blinked again when he realized it was Rin that scowled at Bunny. 

“Rin's right, you don’t need to stand so close to greet a fan.” Hiori beamed at Rin’s side and Isagi squinted at his friends. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on in their minds but he was certain that he could handle himself. After all, he took Kaiser’s interaction in stride easy enough. 

“Thought you hated fans?” Bachira mused, his tone light and airy and deceptively off-handed. Isagi almost applauded how well Bachira played up the tone. He would've used the same tone and sentence against Bunny as well. 

“Where’d you hear that?” Bunny wasn’t the type to back down, either. He easily side-stepped Rin and got into Bachira’s personal space. It was here that Isagi was caught between amusement and bewilderment when Kurona, Yukimiya, and Chigiri moved forward in tandem and Reo tugged him back and further away from the commotion. 

Isagi wondered when they were able to find the time and effort to practice something like that to make it look seamless and effortless. 

“He didn’t have to hear anything from anyone.” Yukimiya beamed at Bunny as Kurona nodded right at his side.

“Even if he did hear it from anyone,” Chigiri continued, “is he wrong?”

The silence that followed was deafening. The tension was thick enough that Isagi wanted to whistle to cut through it. Somehow, Bunny had gotten into a weird staredown with Rin while Shidou and Aiku egged them on to the side. Isagi wanted to applaud Bunny's odd ability to get on everyone’s nerves by just existing. 

“Ah, it’s getting really troublesome.” Isagi turned when Reo muttered under his breath. Then, he smiled at Isagi as he threw an arm around his shoulders, “Let’s go somewhere else, Isagi."

He barely spared a glance backwards at the chaos that unfolded. He was sure he heard Shidou and Bunny bickering, to the point that even Sae was dragged into the equation, but he pretended like he hadn’t. Ignorance is bliss, and Isagi just narrowly escaped having to deal with Bunny’s narcissistic habits. 

Since Isagi learned his lesson once, he stopped wearing the Bunny merch around. He went back to the plain old Blue Lock issued jacket, so there were fewer questions and hassle when dealing with everyone else. It was this action that made Bunny look at him from across the room with the sulkiest pout Isagi had ever seen. It was the kind of pout that usually followed Bunny being more insufferable.

Isagi just knew that Bunny had something up his sleeve to inconvenience him further. 

“To my number one fan,” Isagi should really stop wishing for peace of mind when Bunny was around, “I got you your favorite.”

It was far from Isagi’s favorite. Rather, it was one of the few dishes that Isagi avoided eating. He wasn't a particularly picky eater with specified food that he’d never eat for one reason or the other but he was still human. Isagi still had a few dishes that he’d much rather avoid eating for the peace of his own mind. If Isagi hadn’t known Bunny that well, he’d think Bunny was trying — and failing — to poison him.

“Bullshit.” Ness’s sudden appearance made both Bunny and Isagi jump from their spot. Isagi watched as Ness methodologically swapped out the dish with Isagi’s actual favorite. 

“That’s…“ Isagi blinked, looking between the dish in front of him and Ness. He didn’t remember mentioning his favorite food to the midfielder before so he was taken aback by the action. 

“Even with your rank, you have shit choices for food.” Ness scoffed and Isagi gaped at him. Out of the entirety of the Neo Egoist League, this might’ve been the first time Ness was even a smidgen amicable to Isagi. “Goes to show just how big of a difference you and Kaiser still have.”

Isagi’s nose twitched at the slight comparison, but he couldn’t help but notice one thing: Ness’s tone and the look in his eyes contrasted the cruelty in his words. It almost made Isagi flush at the attention he was getting. Which was why Isagi couldn’t even protest when Ness took a seat right next to him, their bodies flush against each other. Ness beamed at Bunny, his gaze and smile far sharper than it had been with Isagi.

“You can leave now, Yoichi doesn’t need another rival when Kaiser is right there.” Ness tilted his head and Isagi blinked when Kaiser stepped right up behind Bunny with narrowed eyes.

“Stealing from my spoils again, you vulture?” Kaiser sneered as he moved to sit on Isagi’s other side, effectively sandwiching him between the two German players. Isagi spluttered at the sudden proximity of the two, suddenly at a loss for words when Kaiser leaned forward and smirked at Bunny. “Go find different prey, you damn animal. This one’s mine.”

"When did I ever become anything of ‘yours’?” Isagi hissed as he elbowed Kaiser away, accidentally scooting closer to Ness in a bid to get away from Kaiser. 

“Obviously, when you became Kaiser’s rival.” Ness laughed and pressed down on Isagi’s shoulders, keeping him in place. “Challenging Kaiser isn’t something you can just walk away from.”

“You two…“ Bunny narrowed his eyes and Isagi froze when he heard that tone of voice. It was the horrible, no good, ‘I am your older brother’ voice that he used when he was particularly protective. Considering Isagi’s track record of being pushed around in Spain for multiple reasons (his obsession for soccer and his height being one of the few), Bunny had developed a weird need to bully them all back. “…Really need to find a better hobby than bothering people. People don’t exist for your satisfaction.”

“You act like you’re the same.” Kaiser scoffed with a roll of his eyes. He smiled sardonically and threw an arm around Isagi’s shoulders, much to his chagrin, “At least Yoichi knows us intimately.”

“What-!”

“Right.” Bunny slammed a hand on the table, his smile turning sharp, “Then, I’ll leave you be.”

Isagi shoved Kaiser away and stood up, just in time to avoid Bunny swiping the contents of the table off and spilling everything on Ness and Kaiser. He gaped at the sight before he snapped into action and grabbed some napkins from a nearby counter. 

“He-hey! You didn’t have to do that!” Isagi sent a slight glare at Bunny, half reproaching and half exaperated. He couldn’t exactly shake his brother side to side for that when they had the whole cafeteria as an audience. 

“They started it.” Bunny shrugged and turned to leave. Isagi tracked his movements for a moment before he sighed and dumped the napkins on Kaiser. He turned to help Ness out, carefully wiping down the, thankfully, not hot soup from his shirt and shorts.

“He really is an animal.” Kaiser clicked his tongue as he stood and shucked off the sweater, leaving a black tank top behind. He dropped the sweater to the floor with a disgusted look.

“You’re right.” Ness nodded along to Kaiser’s words as he patted Isagi’s shoulder in thanks. “He’s alone because of his attitude.”

Isagi’s eye twitched a little and he narrowed his eyes at the two, “That’s rude.”

“What?” Kaiser raised an eyebrow.

“Yoichi, you can’t possibly-”

“Bunny is new and I’m sure he meant well, he just doesn’t know me like you guys do.” Isagi called bullshit on his own words because he was completely aware that Bunny knew what he was doing. That and out of everyone in the halls of Blue Lock, only Bunny saw every side of Isagi there was to show. He knew him better than anyone else did — only being beat by Isagi’s own parents. “Stop antagonizing him when you also started it.”

“A first name basis?” Kaiser's smile twitched just a little bit and Ness stared at him wordlessly.

Isagi winced at his slip up. He never had the experience of calling Bunny by his last name, not when they both immediately referred to each other by their first names. It felt weird to call him that and Isagi had just fallen back to old habits. 

“Ah, that-”

“I see how you pick your favorites, Yoichi.” Kaiser chuckled and walked past him, their shoulders bumping against each other as he did so. 

Isagi couldn’t even dissect what Kaiser had meant by that when both of them left without another word. At least Ness had the decency to turn back and smile at Isagi one last time before they left. He sighed and looked down at the ruined table. 

“We can share, Isagi.” He turned when he heard Reo call out to him. He sent his friend a grateful smile and approached him.

“Thanks for that, Reo.” Isagi grabbed a pair of chopsticks on the way back, intent on taking just a little from Reo’s portion.

“Isagi, do you mind if I called you Yoichi?” Reo leaned close as he held food up to Isagi’s face. He jolted at the action, eyes widening slightly as he turned to the side. He had been caught off guard by two things: Reo’s question and the fact he was seconds away from feeding him.

“I can eat on my own just fine, Reo.” Isagi laughed and hoped that was enough to deter Reo. Sure, there were times that Bachira did the same with him and Isagi kept losing the battle with how pushy Bachira was but this was Reo. He was sure he’d see some sense.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Reo leaned against his fist, his eyes going half-lidded as he raised an eyebrow. Isagi swallowed and blinked — Reo really was pretty with his hair down. “Humor me. Come on, take a bite.”

“That…“ Isagi wondered if Reo was just used to feeding people, with how he constantly fed Nagi. At the thought of their locked off friend, he internally winced. He sighed and gave in, “Fine.”

“Tell me what else you want, Yoichi.” Isagi almost choked when he closed his mouth around the chopsticks and food, taken aback by the sudden use of his name from Reo. Distantly, he heard wood and plastic breaking. That didn’t matter, though, because Isagi found he was actually fine with Reo calling him by his first name. It wasn’t even that weird since he called Reo by his first name already. 

“Ah, I’m fine with anything you have, Reo.” Isagi beamed and turned when he heard a plate shatter. He blinked at the source of the noise as Rin turned around wordlessly and left the mess of broken ceramic where he last stood. “What-”

“Can I call you Yoichi, too?” Isagi yelped when Bachira jumped on his back. Isagi flailed for a moment before Reo steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. Isagi blushed but sent Reo an appreciative smile. “You can even call me Meguru in return!”

“Bachira…“

“Just Meguru.” Bachira buried his face in the nape of Isagi’s neck and he shivered at the feeling. 

Isagi chuckled and patted Bachira's arm, “Alright. I didn’t want to impose-”

“You’d never impose with me!” Bachira laughed and Reo rolled his eyes at the side, patting Isagi’s shoulder before he retracted his hand. Isagi snorted and shook his head at his friend’s antics. Due to how busy and hectic their schedules were during the Neo Egoist League, he had forgotten just how chaotic they could be. 

Isagi hoped that the scene Bunny caused in the cafeteria would’ve been the last one. He really, really should’ve known not to hope for peace when Bunny’s around. He’ll get back at the fucker later — be the chaos that ruined Bunny’s peace in return.

Even when the closing party was just days away, Ego had allowed the players access to the different gyms, equipment, and fields. While neither Ego nor the other Master Strikers required them to do any drills or training, everyone in Blue Lock got restless easily. This meant that some of them kept up their usual routines.

This meant that Isagi bumped into Bunny and Sae in one of the relatively peaceful gyms. 

Isagi walked inside the gym and regretted ever following a semi-strict training routine. He blamed the fact he followed Rin all over the place during second selection and developed something of a routine because of it. Now, here he was, halfway through the gym before he stumbled into what he'd consider to be an unholy matrimony between sexual tension and bitterness. 

“I can leave.” Isagi laughed awkwardly and he already turned to exit the gym when a steady hand grabbed his shoulder and twisted him back. He locked eyes with a teal-green pair and felt his soul leave his body right then and there. If he thought Rin’s glare had been intimidating, it’d melt against the absolute derision that coated Sae’s stare. His stare alone was enough to convey at least ten different ways he could end Isagi right then and there with various gym equipment. 

“Oh no, stay.” Bunny wrapped an arm around Isagi’s shoulders and leaned down to smush their faces together. Isagi prayed that he had enough patience to deal with Bunny self-sabotaging himself in front of his horribly hidden crush-slash-ex-situationship. It honestly took until the U20 match for Isagi to finally get what was wrong between Bunny and Sae. It was also that exact moment that Isagi wished he never realized the truth. “I’ve been wondering how my number one fan trained.”

“There’s footage.” Sae snapped and he took a step forward. Isagi inched away, which horribly, happened to be right into Bunny’s personal space. This might’ve been the first time that Isagi wasn’t at all comforted by the larger frame of his somewhat brother. Somewhat because after this was all over, Isagi wondered if he should un-adopt Bunny somehow. “You can watch that later. Isagi, leave.”

“Right!" Isagi untangled himself from Bunny so he could rush out only to be yoinked right back by the hem of his jacket. He cursed internally and imagined Bunny jumping right off a cliff. Maybe that would be enough to keep him from smacking Bunny right off him. 

“No, he stays.” Bunny's smile turned dangerous and Isagi really, really wished he hadn’t been dragged into this weird fight they had. He didn’t want to play the sad child of two divorced parents role. “I have so much to talk to him about. Maybe some tips on training — fix his form.”

My form is fine, thank you very much, Isagi wanted, dearly needed, to snap at Bunny. 

“He can fix it himself.” Another step forward and Isagi counted the tiles on the ceiling. Maybe if he pretended like he wasn’t even listening, they can go back to being at each other’s throats without Bunny using Isagi as a shield. “You’re being a coward for running away.”

“More of a coward than you?” Isagi was now so infinitely sure that Bunny was suicidal because what the fuck.

“Bunny.”

“Sae.” 

Yoichi wants to leave, Isagi thought with a small twitch in his eye. 

Maybe if he slowly unzipped his jacket-

“What-!?” Isagi groaned when his escape proved futile because in his desperation to leave, he bumped right into a torso that had way more similarities to a brick wall than a living human being. “Isagi?”

“Eh- Rin?” Isagi blinked up at his friend and rival, surprised at his sudden appearance. He jumped a little when Rin’s grip around his arms tightened when he looked at the other two in the room with them. 

“Skipping on training, Isagi?” Rin asked yet his gaze was firmly pinned on both Sae and Bunny. Isagi squawked at the sudden accusation. “There’s no use being complacent now that you’re at the top.”

“As if.” Isagi scoffed and he shook off Rin's grip to glare up at him. “I was just about to train when I was interrupted.”

“I didn’t interrupt anything.” Bunny slung an arm around Isagi’s shoulders and dragged him back. Isagi prayed for patience because if he received strength, he’d elbow Bunny in the stomach and then shove him to the floor. But Isagi loved his brother (it was a bit debatably) and he wouldn’t hurt him like that. “I was just saying that I could give my fan here some tips."

“He doesn’t need your tips.” Rin hissed and grabbed Isagi’s wrist, tugging him away from Bunny. Isagi let himself be dragged between the two, his lips twitching in displeasure. “He was doing fine without you.”

“But he could do better, yeah?” Bunny grinned and Isagi really, really wanted to shake him. He loved Bunny, he also wasn’t against learning from him again now that he unlocked more skills on the field. What made the entire thing annoying was Bunny using those facts as a way to somehow get back at Sae or annoy him — something that Isagi did not appreciate at all. 

“If he needs a personal trainer, he doesn’t deserve the top spot.” Sae chose the exact moment to butt in, seemingly unable to stay out of anything related to Bunny despite his early avoidance. Isagi would’ve been a little insulted at what Sae insinuated had he not been busy internally cursing Bunny out. 

“He just needs to train. With me.” Rin tugged Isagi back only to be stopped by Bunny stepping closer to them both and sandwiching Isagi between them. 

“What can you teach him?” There it was again, that endearing yet annoying protective tone of his. Isagi just wished Bunny focused on his relationships rather than Isagi’s. 

“The idiot doesn’t need a teacher.”

“I beg to differ.”

“What he needs is to leave.” Sae snapped and dragged Isagi away from the two who were inching dangerously closer to each other and close to squishing Isagi between them. Isagi had half a mind to thank Sae for the save when — “You too, Rin. Get out.”

Isagi wondered who let Sae take charge of the gym and capitalize it just for his little hate fuck with Bunny. While he looked up to and admired both Bunny and Sae, he would not recover with the knowledge that they might either kill or kiss each other in the gym. They should at least have some decorum to do it in the private rooms, or something.

“Who let you decide on things.” Rin snapped as he turned his ire on his brother this time. The new fire of anger ignited by Bunny only fueled the flames that was his previous anger at Sae. The burning inferno reflected in Rin’s eyes as he swiveled between trying to glare at either Sae or Bunny, unsure who to be mad at the most. Isagi almost pitied Rin for his indecision. He should be like him, hating both of them in equal measure for their antics.

“Who made you the boss?” Bunny sneered and Isagi closed his eyes and counted to ten. Before he could even reach it, Rin had already grabbed Isagi by the wrist and dragged him away.

“The place is filled with insufferable people. Let’s go somewhere else… Yoichi.” All protests died before they even left Isagi’s throat. He clicked his mouth shut and stared at the back of Rin’s head with wide eyes, his cheeks heating up slightly.

“Yeah… okay.” Was all Isagi answered in a daze, blinking as he was dragged out. The last thing he heard, or even bothered to process, was Bunny and Sae’s last banter before the doors slid shut.

“Hold on, who let him call Yoichi that?”

“Since when were you on first name basis with him?”

“Ah…“

“Don’t listen to those lukewarm idiots.” Rin's voice cut through the haze that was Isagi’s mushy brain. He blinked and shook his head. 

“It’s… they’re using the main gym.” Isagi faltered for a moment, at a loss for words.

"We can continue in my room.” Isagi refrained from letting his jaw drop at the words that came out of Rin’s mouth. He hadn't expected that from the normally private and cool Rin. 

“Continue what in who’s room?” Isagi turned when Yukimiya showed up right beside them, a kind smile on his face as he looked between the both of them. “I thought you two went to the gym?”

“Occupied.” Rin snapped but his glare softened since he last looked at Bunny and Sae. It seemed like Rin learned to tolerate everyone else in Blue Lock, either that or his usual annoyance to everyone was at a level lower than what Sae and Bunny achieved. 

“Bunny and Sae were there.” Isagi explained a little further at Yukimiya's questioning look. When he heard the names, something like realization dawned on his face and he nodded. 

“Well, there’s another free gym in the old England wing.” Isagi relaxed at Yukimiya’s words, always comforted by his friends presence and solution finding skills. 

“Ah, then we can go there.” Isagi peeked at Rin for his thoughts, “Right, Rin?”

Rin glanced back and slowed his brisk walk to let Isagi and Yukimiya catch up. He paused and sighed, “Fine.”

“You’re joining us, Yukimiya?” Isagi beamed at his friend, glad that finally he had achieved peace again. Maybe Bunny was suffering in the gym with Sae but that was his own fault. 

“Of course. Training with you is always a treat, Isagi.” 

Since then, Isagi had never known peace. He wasn’t quite sure if everything would’ve been chalked up to coincidence, Bunny’s penchant for finding trouble, or Blue Lock’s horrible timing. Either way, everything always tied back to Isagi and Bunny interacting before someone interrupted them.

After Isagi trained with Rin and Yukimiya, he left a little earlier to the locker rooms. It just so happened that Bunny was there as well. Before he could even get a word in, Shidou and Karasu barged right in and started animatedly talking to Isagi. Mid-way, when Bunny tried to butt in, Shidou and Karasu turned their attention to him and began to spout the craziest things that Isagi just sneaked in and out of the showers while the trio were preoccupied with their verbal sparring.

During Isagi’s free time, he sequestered himself inside the monitor rooms and flipped through the clips that Ego sent him to study. Halfway through this, Bunny slipped inside and silently sat beside him. They watched through the clips in silence and for once Isagi was finally comforted by his brother’s presence. The tentative peace was only broken because Aiku, Barou, and Hiori had stumbled in and squeezed between Isagi and Bunny. By that time, Hiori had engaged Isagi with an in depth analysis of the clips while Barou and Aiku glared and spoke to Bunny respectively. 

Even when Isagi had gone to the soccer field to practice, Kunigami, Chigiri and Kurona had showed up to suggest a short two versus two game that pointedly excluded Bunny. At this point, Bunny looked genuinely annoyed at the Blue Lock players and Isagi was exasperated. While he was flattered that everyone seemed eager to get between him and Bunny because of their initial interaction, he begun to miss hanging out with his brother. 

He was initially happy that Bunny showed up in Blue Lock, even if it came with the initial annoyance of having to hide their connection. He was hoping to find excuses to train with and play against, or with, Bunny again. Yet, somehow, every single time was thwarted either because of Isagi’s friends from Blue Lock or because Sae was insistent on taking up Bunny’s time. 

Everything actually came to a head in the cafeteria during dinner. 

“Yoichi, I have something for you.” Isagi looked up from his conversation with Hiori to see Bunny standing just across from them. Bunny beamed down at him, smiling genuinely for the first time since the Kaiser and Ness incident. 

"You didn’t have to…“ Isagi scratched his cheek, unsure how to approach this. Bunny had clearly chosen a more direct and public approach, seemingly fed up with all the interruptions from the others. 

“Oh no, I wanted to.” His smile turned sharper now and the words seemed directed to everyone else rather than Isagi. He slowly set down a familiar plush, but of a different color, in front of Isagi. “I accidentally brought this one with me, so I thought you should have it since you’re such a fan.”

Isagi knew it wasn’t an accident, Bunny had brought the plush as a planned gift for him. Isagi also knew that this could’ve happened in private but Bunny was nothing but petty. If he were to liken Bunny’s actions to something, it would be similar to a predator marking his territory. In more crude terms, he was pissing everywhere. More specifically, he was pissing everyone off.

“I’m a little honored.” Isagi chuckled and took the plush. It wasn’t the custom made one that Bunny designed after him, rather it was the usual Bunny themed one that you’d see on the shelves. By the smirk on Bunny’s face, Isagi bet that there was something a little different about the plush and didn’t want to test that in front of everyone in the room. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Bunny winked and turned away, saying nothing more considering his actions already spoke volumes for him. Isagi discreetly rolled his eyes at the action. Clearly, Bunny only wanted to rile up everyone in the cafeteria for practically interrupting any chance he had to spend with Isagi. 

“Who the hell does he think he is?” The voice surprisingly came from the next table over as Barou stood up and glared at the plush.

“You don’t have to keep it, Isagi.” The smile on Hiori’s face sent slight shivers up Isagi’s spine and he was glad Bunny actually left. 

“Ah, but I want to.” It slipped out before Isagi even knew what he was saying. He pulled the plush close to him and narrowed his eyes at his friends, “It’s rude to throw away a gift.”

“So you’re just accepting any gift?” Ness mused from the other table, his eyes gleamed with a wild light. 

Isagi hesitated for a moment, realizing there was a trap somewhere there. Yet, he knew that he couldn’t just say no or else he’d sound like he was playing favorites and pushing the whole ‘Bunny’s fan’ agenda further. He sighed, “Yes. People put thought into giving me something, I wouldn’t just reject it.”

The silence that followed only marked the calm before the storm. 

The next day greeted Isagi with absolute chaos that he regretted not telling anyone of the truth behind his and Bunny’s relationship.

“You like soft things, right?” Kurona and Hiori chorused together as they each held a plush. Hiori held onto a lobster plush while Kurona had a cute shark one. Isagi melted at the sight of them and he accepted it readily, arranging them on his bed alongside Bunny’s plush. 

“Thanks guys.” Isagi beamed at them and he laughed when they tackled him into a hug, shaking his head when Hiori ruffled his hair. 

“Here, since you asked what I used before.” Yukimiya handed a perfume bottle in his hand when they were n the locker rooms. Isagi chuckled and placed it in his locker for safe keeping.

“Thanks, Yukimiya." He didn’t even try to ask where his friends got the chance to buy gifts considering they were still inside Blue Lock. He hoped they hadn’t bothered Ego too much. 

The second he stepped into the cafeteria, Isagi’s arms were full of trinkets and gifts.

“You deserve only the best.” From Reo as he placed new cleats of his exact size in his hands. 

“So you won’t forget me during the break!” From Bachira when he gingerly placed a small canvas with a painting of a bee and a small sprout. 

“Don’t forget your routine.” From Rin as he shoved a teal colored yoga mat into his arms. 

“You should be our fan instead.” From Kaiser as Ness handed two signed Bastard München jerseys to him, one from each of them.

By the end of it all, Isagi was practically swamped that he had to set them down on a nearby table. He scanned the items with a small, fond smile. He was glad that he had some things given to him in memory of his friends — even receiving some things from not so close acquaintances. Isagi internally reminded himself to sort each of them and store them properly for when they return home for the short break. 

"Hah, it seems like you have more fans than me.” Isagi turned just in time to see Bunny snatch up the signed jersey from Kaiser. His face scrunched up a bit before he dropped it down and smirked at Isagi, “You didn’t tell me you were this liked.”

“Of course he is.” Reo butted in with a cold smile, his hand on Isagi’s shoulder like a claim. “Definitely more liked than you are.”

“He’ll always have gifts from us.” Bachira added as he dragged some of the gifts away from Bunny, like a dragon protecting his hoard. 

“So territorial.” Bunny whistled and leaned against the table. By the glint in his eye, Isagi already knew what was coming. “But I’ll always be his first priority, right Yoichi?”

Isagi watched as everyone collectively bristled and he sighed. He's had enough of this weird back and forth and decided to end it right then and there. Screw whatever thoughts and reactions everyone had — two days were already tiring enough for Isagi.

“Stop antagonizing everyone, nii-yan.” Isagi stepped around Reo and Bachira to reach Bunny and slap his arm with a scowl. He shook his head and turned to everyone, “Stop getting riled up by him, too. He’s just being an asshole.”

“So harsh, Yo-chan.” Bunny pressed a hand to his chest with a deep sigh, shaking his head. “Did you even listen to the custom message from my gift?”

“I think I can already guess what it said.” Isagi actually listened to it but he wouldn’t admit that he had. Bunny would just rub it into his face or something. Still, Isagi was glad it wasn’t something self-depricating like ‘Your progress makes me want to die’. If anything, the message was sweet and it made Isagi tear up just a little. A short ‘You’re doing great’, whispered as if the message was forbidden or just for Isagi’s ears only. 

“Isagi…?” Hiori narrowed his eyes as he looked between him and Bunny. Hiori seemed to be the first to clock the truth of their relationship and Isagi beamed at him.

“I’m really sorry about his attitude the past two days, guys.” Isagi scanned the crowd and then he shrugged, “He gets like that sometimes but I’ve learned to live with it.”

“Ouch, your words make me want to die.” Bunny sighed, resting his chin on the top of Isagi’s head. 

“Then go die you lonely loser.” Isagi scoffed as he waved Bunny away, “You’re literally going in circles with-”

“Okay!” Bunny shoved Isagi to the side, interrupting his words. Isagi laughed at the mandhandling, sticking out his tongue at his brother. “You’re a horrible brother. I want a new one.”

“I’ve long since planned to un-adopt you since you got here.” Isagi sniped right back, his words and tone sharp. Despite it all, deep down, both of them knew the words meant nothing. Not when they were both so deeply entrenched with one another. 

“Hold on… You’re brothers?” Reo cut in, his brows furrowed in confusion. 

“You don’t look like brothers.” Kaiser raised an eyebrow.

“We’re not blood related but we’ve known each other long enough that we might as well be.” Isagi explained with a shrug. Bunny had always been someone Isagi looked up to and cared for like family — whatever he felt for him was completely different from what he felt for the rest of his friends and rivals in Blue Lock.

“Now that they know, I can finally say this.” Bunny straightened and narrowed his eyes at everyone. Isagi’s nose twitched but he was too late to say anything when he continued, "I’ve been really pissed at some of you coming over and dragging Yoichi around like some doll-”

“Nii-yan!”

“-and touching him all over, too.” Bunny spoke over Isagi’s horrified protest. “What? You think I was blind to your affections for-”

“Nii-yan, shut up before I make you!” 

“-my brother? As if. You’re all way too obvious and I know Yoichi’s only been humoring you all because you’re-”

Isagi launched himself at Bunny because he was not ready for Bunny to reveal that Isagi was weak to pretty faces and there was an abundance of it in Blue Lock. Not only that but Bunny knew Isagi much longer than anyone else, he already knew what to look for in Isagi’s expressions to tell when he liked someone. 

“Do not listen to this asshole, he does not know what he’s talking about.” Isagi beamed as he gripped Bunny’s face in a bid to shut him up. Bunny hadn’t even flinched when Isagi climbed on top of him and clung to his face like some weird sloth. 

“I didn’t think I’d see the day Bunny actually cared for someone.” Lorenzo laughed, slamming his hand on the table as he grinned. “You’re really a miracle worker, Number One.”

“So Iglesias-san isn’t as lonely as we thought?” Karasu mused with a little bite to his words.

“No, he's still lonely.” Isagi announced. Then, he paused and turned his gaze to Sae on the other end of the room. he wordlessly raised an eyebrow, whether in question or challenge, it didn’t matter. Sae reacted to it just fine — he turned away but his ears were burning red.

“You’re really so cruel, Yo-chan.” Bunny peeled him off easily, setting down with a roll of his eyes. Then, he turned to everyone else, “You all don’t have to worry too much. I’m on a whole different level than you.”

Despite the truth in the words, everyone couldn’t help the twitch in their face in annoyance. Isagi saw this and realized that even knowing that Bunny was his brother, there would still be some level of competition. He shook his head and sighed.

“You are all insufferable.”

“But you love us, right?” Bunny mused. 

"I’ll admit that when you and Sae-”

“Moving on.” Bunny straightened and shoved Isagi aside lightly.

Isagi laughed and watched as Bunny immediately got into a heated banter with Kaiser and Ness, no doubt feeling far more comfortable annoying those two as opposed to everyone else. He shook his head and moved closer to his friends.

“Don’t mind him, really.” Isagi smiled at them, “He's playing a different game than all of you.”

“Being related to someone so lukewarm…“ Rin stood beside Isagi as he spoke, “No wonder you started off tepid, Yoichi.”

“Rin…“

“Well, if he’s Yoichi’s brother then we’ll just have to learn to adapt, huh?” Bachira teased as he leaned against Isagi’s other side.

“We will be seeing more of him, yeah.” Reo agreed.

“If I beat him, usagi-chan, will you look at me more?” Shidou leaned in close and Isagi snorted at the challenge.

"You’ll have to go through me first.” Isagi smirked, “The only one allowed to beat nii-yan is me.”

“Get in line, peasants.” Barou barked out, pushing past the others. “Isagi is my rival.”

“Rich coming from fourth place.” Rin sneered.

Isagi sighed as another argument rose all around him. Even without Bunny there to stoke the flames, Isagi was still subjected to the usual chaos. It just meant his connections and relationships in Blue Lock have finally crossed over to the one relationship he kept close to his heart before he even entered the facility. Maybe someday, Bunny will find some friends amongst Isagi’s own and he wouldn’t be so lonely anymore. 

Isagi smiled at the thought.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad that Bunny showed up. Next he'll just make sure that Bunny and Sae get over whatever weird thing they had going on.

OMAKE:

“If you ask me, either that Mikage kid or Sae’s brother is in the lead.” Bunny leaned back and Isagi hissed at the sudden change of topic.

"What?” Isagi leaned forward, hoping he was far enough to reach Bunny and smack him. 

“Mikage caught you off guard and fed you, I’d say that's a point.” Bunny shrugged and Isagi felt his face heat up, “As for Sae's brother, well… I’d say I’m biased and I’d be right. I am biased.”

“His name is Rin.” Isagi dragged a hand down his face in hopes of wiping off the redness in his cheeks. “And what are you even talking about?”

“Your suitors. Mom and Dad should know.”

“They should not!” Isagi screeched and reached for Bunny across the table.

“We should not, what?” Iyo walked inside with a bright smile, Issei just right behind her with the rest of the food. “You two are as lively as ever!”

“Know about Isagi’s-” Isagi long since jumped across the table and tackled Bunny to the ground. As the two roughhoused on the floor, Iyo laughed and leaned close to Issei as she whispered.

“Personally, I like Meguru. What about you, dear?”

“Those two foreigners have always been sticky with our little Yo-chan but I’m more inclined to that model boy.” Issei chuckled. 

“Well, whoever Yo-chan picks, I’ll support him.” Iyo beamed as she set down their food, a mix of both Japanese and Spain cuisine. 

“Hopefully Bunny would think that as well.” Issei laughed.