Chapter Text
After the match against the sub-20, Rin didn’t know what to think. Of himself, the victory, his brother, Blue Lock… Everything.
He should be happy, right? He won, well, the team did, so he technically beat his brother. But Rin felt like he did not, he scored a goal, sure, but it wasn't the goal, which Isagi had stolen from him.
Rin didn't even feel like himself at the moment, the last minutes of the match were like a fuzzy memory, he was aware that he had been in a trance of some kind, and wasn't sure that he was still immersed in it. Bursting his frustration on Isagi Yoichi by declaring him his rival in the heat of the moment maybe was not the smartest decision he ever made, but once again, why did it matter? Nothing did anymore, not since his stupid fake try of a big brother decided to crush both their dreams selfishly.
Everyone had left the locker room already, even Isagi, who for a strange reason stayed back trying to check on him, the bastard. Rin decided that it was enough moping for a day, so he shakily got up from the bench he was resting on, trying not to crumble down. He was obviously tired and exhausted from the match, willing to admit that maybe he did push himself too hard, even if it had not been enough. But it wasn’t just physical exhaustion, his mind was at a breaking point too, and he wasn’t sure of much shit he could take before he exploded.
After arriving at his dorm, he started to prepare his luggage. Ego had given them all 2 free weeks out of Blue Lock before having to return to the facilities to continue their training, so he would leave tomorrow. After a relaxing packing session, due to his teammates being out there celebrating, Rin went to the room he always used to do his yoga sessions, surprised by a familiar face already using the space.
“I knew you’d come eventually, I already have your mat prepared.” Said the familiar voice with a too-well known smile that right now was making Rin even more nauseous than he already felt.
“Why are you here? Fuck off.” Rin clicked his tongue, reluctantly sitting down on the mat Isagi had taken for him “Shouldn’t you be celebrating your victory with the others?”
“Our victory, Rin. I didn’t win that match on my own.” Isagi sighed, chugging down some water from his bottle before letting out a tired chuckle. “I was trying to copy some of those yoga poses you always make, and damn it, dude, I don’t know how you’re able to survive that.”
Rin ignored Isagi’s whines, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at the other boy “Your name is the one that had the public yelling at the end of the match, not mine, not anyone else’s. You’re the one my brother- Ugh, never mind.” He started doing his yoga routine then, decided to ignore Isagi for the rest of the day, but he remembered something then. “You didn’t answer my questions.”
“So you push me away but then act all curious, huh? Interesting.” Isagi laughed, automatically trying to mimic Rin’s poses once again “To be honest, I was feeling a bit… Overwhelmed? Something like that. Also the guys started drinking, and I don’t drink so I literally had nothing to do there, and I figured you’d come here.”
“So you decided to come here and bother me, nice.” Rin grumbled, changing his pose “If you’re bored go bother someone else, or use your phone, like a normal person.”
“You have the nerve to tell me about normal? Really, Rin, you’re something else.” After some grunts and groans, Isagi admitted defeat and stopped trying to follow the younger Itoshi’s yoga routine, which he was sure could function as a torture system if proposed, and finished one of his water bottles in a single gulp. “And why are you here sulking then? We won, and you beat your brother, didn’t you?”
Rin froze, his brain screaming at him to leave that room, to stay far far away from stupid Isagi Yoichi and his stupid questions. He could always ignore the older boy, but was certain that he wouldn’t stop pestering him until he got an answer.
“I did not beat my brother, he made sure I didn’t make the mistake of even dreaming of it.” As if anticipating the Why? What do you mean? He continued speaking, “Sae came to me after the match ended, and told me that maybe japanese football had a future, and that you’re the one who will make that future possible, Isagi Yoichi.”
Now it was Isagi’s turn to freeze, blinking for a couple seconds until he found how to form a sentence again “Wait, what? Itoshi Sae said I was the future of japanese football? Really?!”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.” Rin groaned, a bit annoyed that that was what Isagi decided to pay attention to. But again, why would he? It’s not like they were friends, so he didn’t have to expect otherwise. Before Rin could continue swallowing in self pity and overthinking even his name, Isagi, as always, surprised him.
“I’m sure that felt like shit, right? I mean… It’s obvious you want your brother’s approval and- Wait, don’t kill me yet. I am an only child so I can’t really understand what you’re going through but… I know the feeling of frustration when you want to prove yourself but feel like you can’t and- I’m rambling.. What I mean to say is that I’m here, Rin. We’re rivals now, but we can also be friends.” Isagi said with a smile, softly nudging Rin’s shoulder with his own.
Rin found himself looking at Isagi as if he’d grown a second head, and scoffed “I don’t need friends, those are a distraction.” He looked down at his hands as he sat down normally, the yoga routine now forgotten in the back of his mind “But yeah, that felt like shit…” He murmured
“You say you don’t need friends, Rin, but I’m pretty certain you do. And even if you act like you hate my guts, I’m sure you can at least tolerate me, or you would have kicked my ass already.” Isagi’s smile was still there, maybe a little less cheerful, but still there. “So, as you decided on your own that we’re rivals, I decide that we’re friends.”
“Tch, you’re relentless and a pain in the ass, did you know that?” Rin groaned, accepting fate by accepting that Isagi Yoichi was now going to be his ‘friend’ “Fine, whatever. But don’t you dare bother me or follow me around everywhere like a lost puppy, I can’t have you acting like that creep who talks about monsters.”
“You mean Bachira? Yeah he can be a little… eccentric, but he’s a good guy. And don’t worry, I think I’m not as clingy as he is.” Isagi turned around to Rin, lifting his water bottle to him “Water?”
“No.”
“Rin, you haven’t rested after a huge ass match and you’re still training, drink.”
“I don’t need it-
“Rin.”
Rin grumbled, snatching the bottle from Isagi’s arms “Whatever.” He took some sips, frankly, he was really thirsty. He put the bottle down and looked up at the ceiling, then back at Isagi. “Are you leaving tomorrow?”
Isagi blinked at Rin initiating a conversation by himself, and nodded “Uh, yeah, like everyone else I guess. Why, you staying or something?”
Rin shook his head “No, I’m leaving too. But they did give us the choice to stay here, I was simply wondering.”
“Nah, I miss my house, my parents… I need to be a little free before returning, you know? I miss the fresh air.” Isagi got up from the ground, extending his hand to Rin, who surprisingly took it to stand up as well “Maybe we could hang out when we leave?”
Rin looked at Isagi like he just said the biggest idiocy ever known to mankind, his left eye twitching “Are you being serious right now, Isagi?”
“Quite.” Isagi nodded, the smile not leaving his face “Come on, Rin. It’ll be fun! I have already planned a day with the guys, you should come too. I’m sure they won’t mind.”
“Maybe they won’t, but I do.” Ren tsked as he wiped the sweat off his face with a towel “I’m not interested in wasting my time surrounded by people who don’t give a shit about me.”
"Maybe they would if you didn’t push everyone away, Rin.” Isagi sighed, walking towards the door with the other boy following close behind “I’m just saying you should give them a chance, just like you’re doing to me.”
Rin scoffed “You’re giving yourself this ‘chance’, Isagi. I have nothing to do with it.”
Isagi laughed, shrugging as they both started leaving the yoga room “Maybe, but I don’t see you complaining, much, so I’ll take that as a win and approval from your side.”
Rin wanted to grab a pillow and scream into it until he no longer had air in his system, why was Isagi so damn persistent? He wanted to fucking relax, for once. No thinking about Blue Lock, no thinking about his pathetic excuse of a big brother, and no thinking about a blue haired idiot who apparently found amusement in bothering the hell out of him. These ‘holidays’ as that Ego freak had described, were supposed to be just him and football, not him and stupid distractions.
“I am certainly not planning to hang out with lukewarm scum.” Rin said as he headed towards the facility’s bedroom, not bothering to look Isagi in the face as he walked forward “So don’t insist, and let me sleep in peace. Are we clear?”
Isagi was nothing if not stubborn, so he shrugged, sprinting a bit so he could stand by Rin’s side “You can’t stop me from trying, Rin.”
Rin rolled his eyes as the bedrooms finally appeared into his visual field, making a beeline for his bed. He sat down, gaze lost until he felt the weight of the bed next to his change.
“You really should go celebrate and leave me the fuck alone.” Rin lowered his voice, it sounded deeper now, threatening “I really don’t want to be next to a rainbow person right now.”
“A what now?” Asked Isagi innocently, and genuinely confused. He shifted a bit away from Rin, like he could feel the tension in the room growing due to Rin’s growing irritation. No, he could feel it, watch it even, how the younger Itoshi’s aura became darker than usual. “Okay, okay. I suppose I should let you sulk in peace-
“I’m not fucking sulking.”
“Sure. Anyways! I really don’t feel like partying, and I’m sure as hell you’re not gonna go to sleep already. So what do you say we have a match?” Isagi proposed, already getting up and looking for a soccer ball.
Rin was, once again, confused by this brat’s weird behaviour. He raised an eyebrow judgingly, looking up from his hands to check on Isagi’s completely cheerful and genuine demeanor “You’re not joking.” He didn’t ask, affirmed.
“Of course not, duh! I never joke when it comes to football, you know that.” Isagi threw Rin the ball, who caught it in the air lazily, without having to move an inch or show any kind of effort. “Come on, Rin. Don’t be a pussy.” He smirked, knowing that nothing was better than some provocation to rile the other boy up and make him play along to his silly, improvised little game.
“Who are you calling a pussy again?” Once again Rin’s voice sounded deeper, dangerous in a way “How do you even want us to have a ‘match’? We’re two people.”
Isagi’s smirk grew, extending his arms in a signal for Rin to give him the ball back “I’ll explain it as we play.”
Rin didn’t really trust Isagi, god, the boy was a moron. But he honestly didn’t have anything else to do apart from indulging Isagi’s antics or self-pitying himself, he begrudgingly supposes that the first one is the best choice.
“This is going to be such a waste of time…” He sighed, like his time was more valuable than the other’s, which he thinks it is, and returned the ball to Isagi. “So? Enlighten me.”
And then, Isagi made him play a stupid, nonsensical game that he had probably gotten out of his ass a second ago.
“You smiled!” Isagi yelled the first time, the first of many stupid comments he kept throwing at Rin.
“Was that a laugh?”
“Oh my god it was a laugh! Didn’t know you could have that facial expression!”
Rin’s eye was twitching by now. Fine, maybe his stupid body decided to laugh, was that a crime? Obviously he knew how to laugh, stupid Isagi, he simply had no reasons to.
"Okay, I’m done with this shit, that was enough idiocy for a day.” Rin said after a while, throwing the ball away. “Have you even packed your stuff?”
The smile disappeared off Isagi’s face as soon as realization hit him “Damn, I had totally forgotten! Well, it’s okay, it’s not like we have much to pack around here.”
Rin saw Isagi as he started to pack in panic, as much as the boy said it was ‘okay’. He rolled his eyes, really, how stupid could humans be?
“Fucking hell, you’re stressing me out.” The younger Itashi complained, helping Isagi rearrange the absolute chaotic mess he was making out of his bags
“You’re helping me?” Isagi asked, dumbfounded.
“I’m helping my brain not to collapse and shut off forever because of your idiocy, as well as my eyes for having to see such a thing.” Rin grumbled “Now that’s a good packing, I won.” He said, sounding kinda proud of himself.
“You won- since when did packing become a competition?!” Isagi groaned, but he couldn’t deny that he was amused “Anyways, thanks for the help, Rin.”
“Whatever.” Rin brushed off as he went to lie down on his bed, Isagi following the same course of action soon after.
“I hope I see you during the holidays, Rin.” Isagi smiled as he covered himself with the sheets, facing the wall.
“And I really hope you don’t.” Rin bit back, shifting so he could face the other wall.
And just like that, both boys fell asleep, excited in their own ways about everything that was to come.