Work Text:
“Spinning out on what to say or what to do”
They had been there for days.
Days without doing anything truly productive—let alone remotely fun.
It was… detestable. Way too much. Ness couldn’t stand it.
Although, to be fair, maybe he’d already resigned himself.
As if this had become part of his routine.
A routine that was hollow. Absurd.
He spent hours pacing. Training. Looking for the bottle Kaiser swore he’d lost.
Football was supposed to be magical. Fun. But this? This wasn’t anything like he imagined.
And really, what had he expected? A fairytale?
With a bunch of lunatic Japanese players thinking they could win the World Cup?
It felt more like an asylum in disguise.
---
“Finding reasons for my constant change in mood”
He couldn’t explain how he felt. It was complicated. Tangled.
He thought he was annoyed. Maybe?
Well, he had seen Yoichi today. And sure, something churned in his chest.
Because yeah, that same day, Yoichi complimented him.
Said he had a physique that even he was jealous of.
What the hell was that supposed to mean? Ness wasn’t stupid.
That was flirting.
And that was definitely the reason why Ness was pissed off.
And annoyed.
And absolutely not embarrassed.
And definitely not interested.
---
“Said I’ll see it to believe it, but who knows the actual truth?”
“Isagi looks at you too much,” Kaiser pointed out.
Of course he’d notice. He was obsessed with every tiny movement Isagi made—even the human ones.
Ness felt the interest prickling against his skin. Of course he noticed.
He wasn’t usually — besides being useful — all that eye-catching. And that attention… it lit him up in soft flames.
“Maybe he’s trying to use me against you. Ever think of that?” he said, folding clothes onto a chair.
But when he turned and saw the scowl Kaiser was aiming at him, something twisted in his stomach.
“No. I don’t think so,” Kaiser replied. “He’s smarter than that. He wouldn’t try to flirt with my midfielder.”
Ness’s ears burned.
And not from embarrassment.
From how ridiculous all of this was.
Because he knew — he knew perfectly well — that the only reason Kaiser said that was football-related.
And that… that brought him crashing back down.
It made him feel invisible again.
---
“’Cause I’m sure now, I’m sure”
Isagi didn’t just brush his hand.
He touched his ass. Intentionally.
Ness saw it.
Saw the way he did it. Saw his stupid smile as he turned to celebrate a goal that happened thanks to him.
(A goal, by the way, meant for Kaiser.)
And that only confirmed what Ness feared: Isagi wanted to use him against Kaiser.
What a shameless bastard.
Even Ness, with all his tricks and grudges, wouldn’t have dared to steal Bachira just to manipulate him.
Maybe it was Isagi’s meta-vision messing with him.
Maybe…
Maybe not.
---
“’Cause days blend to one when I’m on the right beaches”
Kaiser skipped breakfast again.
He swore Isagi had spiked his food. Told Ness to stay away from the “blue rat.”
So why was Ness talking to his biggest rival?
“And… when I saw him, it felt magical. That’s what your legacy’s about, right?” Isagi spoke as if Ness were a celebrity, not a pawn on some weird chessboard.
“Yeah, I used to love magic as a kid. I guess I still do,” Ness replied dryly.
He tried to sound cold — a wall. But it didn’t work.
“You’re amazing, I swear. Every time I rewatch the games to study, you’re the only one I can’t read. And that says a lot! Like, wow. Seriously.”
And he kept going.
Talked about his vision. About how he kept a tempo no one — except maybe Chigiri — could match.
About how he even stopped to think whether passing to Kaiser was actually the best move.
So many compliments… Ness felt like he was going to explode.
It was too much.
Too much for someone who grew up not knowing if he was even worth looking at.
---
“And the walls painted white, they tell me all the secrets”
“I figured out why Isagi keeps following you, Ness.”
Kaiser’s icy voice made him freeze.
They were in the same bed. Ness was watching a Harry Potter marathon, Kaiser was reading.
What caught his attention was the book. He couldn’t see the title, but he recognized the romantic symbols, the question marks…
“Oh yeah? Well, of course you would figure it out, Michael. Tell me,” he said sarcastically.
“Isagi’s in love with you.”
…
“Eh?” was his brilliant response.
Mouth half open. A popcorn stuck on his tongue, unchewed.
His body froze.
He looked at Kaiser, expecting a joke. A smirk. Some kind of twisted tease.
But nothing.
“If this is because of that book— Michael, it’s fine if you want to beat Isagi, but… I don’t see myself anywhere else but with you. You know that, right?”
Kaiser rolled his eyes, shut the book with a snap, and flicked Ness’s forehead.
“Idiot. I’m saying—don’t wait for shit to spiral before you do something.”
---
“Don’t wait for the tide just to dip both your feet in”
His cheeks burned. He swallowed hard.
Isagi Yoichi, with his deceptively average height, had him pinned against the wall.
Hands holding Ness’s thighs. Sliding down.
“WHAT the hell is wrong with you?!” Ness screeched.
Isagi smiled with that dumb but somehow warm glow on his face.
Peach-pink cheeks.
One hand creeping up Ness’s hip.
Did he take lessons on seduction? Because he was terrible at it.
“You don’t have to hide it anymore, Ness. I heard everything! I know you like me. And we work. We could work. Ignoring Kaiser, of course.”
So that was it.
Fuck.
Ness had told Kaiser that he kind of liked Isagi.
Not that he wanted to marry him!
Still, he said nothing.
Because there was nothing left to deny.
And… Isagi already knew.
---
His lips crashed against Isagi’s cracked ones.
(Seriously, did he even take care of himself? Idiot.)
He buried a hand in the younger boy’s hair and tugged, earning a hiss.
He grinned. Then laughed.
And if the next morning Isagi followed him around like some loyal puppy, acting like a clumsy but devoted knight...
No one said a thing.