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Isagi had always been somewhat of a special case in Reo's eyes, although he was too prideful to admit that at first. Instead, he was sour about Nagi choosing Isagi over him and behaved like an angry kid that got its candy stolen, projecting his own weakness onto Isagi and making himself believe he was better than the other striker.
It should have been clear from the outset that such an approach, such a mindset, could only lead to failure, but Reo was too preoccupied with protecting his useless pride to notice. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before he stumbled upon the bitter truth and fell face-first to the ground.
It hurt back then, badly, but it taught him a vital lesson: forcing others to bear the responsibility for your own shortcomings wouldn't do him any good. Only if he faced his weaknesses head-on and tackled them with his own mind and body could he overcome them. It was hard, but that was the only way to achieve his goals, becoming a better version of himself.
With the lesson learned, Reo stopped being petty towards Isagi, although he kept his distance. He knew he should apologise to Isagi for his bratty behaviour, but found no courage to do so. Turned out, he didn't need to. Reo had learned that Isagi was an asshole on the field, but once he stepped off the pitch, his character made a backflip, and he became what Reo could only call a saint.
A chance encounter in the monitoring room taught him that much.
Kind, charming, pretty, warm. That and so much more was Isagi when he was not running across the field, his ego barking and snapping like a feral animal at anyone who dared to step too close.
Reo was helpless back then, lost and without aim. He felt like giving up, that he should let his dream be a dream and just become the puppet his parents always wanted him to be. But Isagi showed him the way unintentionally. Simply by being himself, Isagi saved Reo when he told him they were the same with a soft smile.
In that moment, something clicked inside Reo's head. The knowledge that if he had met Isagi under different circumstances; that they could have been more, something else, hitting him like a truck.
Friends, best friends, brothers not by blood but by heart, lovers. All was possible with him, Isagi erasing the concept of impossible from Reo's wits.
Isagi was radiant, like a sun in human shape, when he smiled at Reo, who was flabbergasted from the sheer sincerity that was Isagi's smile. It wasn't often that Reo found himself at a loss for words, but in that moment in the tiny monitoring room, words failed him, and he didn't mind one bit.
All he wondered was if this side of Isagi was what Nagi saw too, what attracted him to the striker with his blue doe eyes and made the lazy genius chase after him. If so, then Reo felt incredibly stupid for not noticing sooner and being petty about it. Had he noticed when Nagi did, then maybe he would have done the same. Isagi was worth the price he had to pay.
Isagi left him alone then, Reo staying behind and poring over his spiralling thoughts, each connected in one way or another to the other striker, each telling Reo more.
But Reo was stubborn, not feeling like he deserved more. He stayed in Isagi's orbit, spiralling around him like so many others without ever trying to get closer. Not when they won the U20 World Cup, not when Nagi started calling them Blue Lock's Brain Duo, never. Reo always kept his distance over the years, only allowing himself to admire from afar.
Until he didn't, or rather, until Isagi had enough, his ego barring its fangs.
Of all places it could have happened, it was a post-game locker room. Reo and Isagi were the only ones left inside; the others already done with their showers.
“You know, I have noticed your lingering stares for a while now, Reo.”
Reo's breath hitched. Isagi's dry comment hit him out of nowhere. His knowing look, locking him on the bench, only made it worse. There was no buildup to it, no warning, nothing at all. It flashed like lightning from the sky, hitting its mark deep inside Reo's chest.
He panicked, tried to deny it, but words failed him miserably. Even if they didn't, the prominent flush on his cheeks would have given him away. Reo flailed his arms in a desperate attempt, making a total fool of himself.
Isagi was unimpressed by his antics, his gaze lingering, gauging his reaction and taking it apart. Then he sighed, deeply.
“I told myself over and over again that I would wait till you're ready, but I have waited long enough. If you won't make the first move, then I will.”
Before the meaning of Isagi's words sank in, the other striker had already stepped into Reo's space, blue doe eyes full of determination. This close, Reo felt Isagi's body heat prickling on his skin.
“What are you- mnpf!”
Before he could finish that sentence, he was pulled down by the back of his neck. His lips met another set moving against his with determination, and all Reo could do was to allow it happen, allow the sun to pull him closer until he burned.
His brain stopped functioning when Isagi kissed him, his body switching to autopilot. He responded with the same fervour, one hand sinking into Isagi's raven hair while the other snaked around his lower back, pulling them flush together. They made noises at that, each devouring the sound the other produced.
Isagi was always special in Reo's eyes, but never in his wildest dreams would he have dared to imagine Isagi would choose him over all the others. If Isagi had one thing aside from an ego that could conquer the world, then it was an endless amount of admirers, each one hoping they could steal his heart away.
When they parted, Reo was dazed, dazed and happy. Looking down, he found Isagi looking equally out of it. A moment passed, then another and two more afterwards. Then, Isagi's lips split into a bright smile that looked too much like a taunting smirk.
“See? That wasn't too difficult, right?”
Reo scoffed. Of course, Isagi would ruin the moment and make fun of him for having no courage. Yet, Reo didn't think that was a bad thing about Isagi. If anything, it made him unique, more desirable.
“Says the one who dragged me into a kiss in a freaking locker room. Anyone could have walked in on us!”
Isagi's smirk grew in size. “I didn't have the impression you were worried about it that much.”
He tapped Reo's hand, still pressing on his lower back to make his point. “Possessive much?”
Isagi said that while waging his eyebrows suggestively. Reo scoffed again, but found no suitable words to deny it. After having tasted the sun, he wouldn't give it to anyone.
“You look cute when you're pouting,” Isagi breathed into his ear next. Reo's face bloomed red, and Isagi only laughed in return, throwing him the same smile that started everything Back Then In The Monitoring Room.