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Isagi’s day couldn't get any worse.
He’s been in a mood all day. Frankly, after PXG and Bastard Munchen’s final match, closing out the Neo Egoist League.
He’d won, so what’s the problem?
His eyes water as he lies on his bed, looking up at the particularly blank ceiling. Suddenly he’s back in that match, sweat dripping down his face as he sees Noa and Kaiser, muttering about their next play.
Next play without him.
He shifts in his bed again, hearing the faint sounds of cheers and celebrations coming from outside from the twenty three players who managed to survive.
“That play was a victory for you.”
“I don’t trust you anymore.”
Isagi doesn’t move from his bed as a single tear rolls down his cheek.
How weak.
He hadn’t left his room since the match, immediately rushing to the showers and right into the Bastard Munchen living quarters. Slamming the door to his room with way more force than necessary.
The guys of course, went to check up on the boy. Bachira being the first person at his door in the middle of a celebration— because of course he would.
Hell, he even managed to drag Rin along, but still— all Isagi did was plaster a smile on his face, brushing it off.
“Are you sure? Isagi you’ve been in your room all day, Rin and I brought you food but it’s getting c—“
“I’m fine, Bachira.” His words are firm, not harsh, just exhausted. His grip on the door is tighter than necessary, dark blue strands of hair untamed, eyes red and sunken.
He’d been crying
Now it was Rin’s turn to speak. He’s not known to be a talker obviously, but when he does speak, it’s low, calculated, but more importantly deliberate. “Whatever your deal is, It’s lukewarm.” His voice cuts through Isagi’s firm one. Taking a step backward as he grips Bachira’s arm.
“Dwell on whatever shit you have going on, but we know who this is about.” He huffs, not in annoyance, more of frustration that Isagi just won’t open up to the two boys.
The man named Noel Noa goes unsaid. But they all know it.
Silence falls over them for a long moment before Isagi just shrugs, grip still knuckle white against the door. To which Bachira lets out a soft sigh.
“…We’ll be here for you Isagi, promise.” Bachira finally speaks again, it’s a bit lower, but carries the same meaning.
With that they left. Leaving Isagi alone with drowning thoughts. Regret fills his mind immediately. He should’ve just opened up. Should’ve told them how he felt. But deep down Isagi knew he wouldn’t. Wouldn’t let them see how much that man had gotten to him.
The boy manages to fall asleep. For how long he’s not certain, not until he wakes from a particularly cold nightmare, waking up in a pool of sweat. Fear of rejection fills his mind once again.
Turning to the right, he shifts as he looks at the nightstand, on top lays a clock that reads 1:32 AM. A stiff groan leaves his mouth as he gets up, deciding he needs some fresh air and maybe a gallon of water.
However— since blue lock is a literal prison the cafeteria was closed, because why would Ego allow midnight snacking?
Speaking of Ego, Isagi would now have to go all the way up to Ego’s office and ask him about opening up the Cafeteria so he can chug down a bottle of water— and maybe a few snacks.
Yeah— no way he’s saying yes.
Maybe he’ll run into Anri and she’ll thankfully say yes and have some patience to deal with him.
After knocking on her door for five minutes straight, all he got was absolute silence. Meaning there was no other choice but to go to the man who told Nagi Seishiro to literally fuck off after he got eliminated.
Isagi’s surprised to see the man awake, although when has he ever seen him sleeping? Pretty sure this man doesn’t know what the word sleep is. Because his office door is wide open and those monitors are extremely bright.
He knocks on the very wide open door, still not wanting to be rude as Ego doesn’t even flinch from his monitors, most likely already aware of the boy’s presence in the first place.
“It’s late.” Is all the man manages to say. Which is shocking for a man who can talk someone’s ear off.
“I’m thirsty.” Isagi replies, seemingly giving the same energy back as he deadpans, looking at the stacks of paper, documents, and instant cup noodles in his trash bin.
“You wouldn’t be thirsty if you had eaten along with everyone else.” Ego sighs, running a hand down his face. As if he was debating his next words lightly. “Or if you hadn’t been crying. It makes you dehydrated, you know.”
Silence falls over the two for a moment. A moment too long actually.
Defensively, the boy tries to utter anything that could make him seem less weak or pitiful than he believes he already sounds. “I was not—“
“Spare me the details, your eyes are red, you have bags under your eyes and your voice is croaked.” Ego snapped, more frustration that Isagi dared to try and lie to his face more than anything else.
He turns to face him, chair spinning once as Ego’s hands come up to cross against his chest, eyeing the boy with ease.
“Besides, your little pets are quite loud about your absence.”
“You mean Bachira?”
“The other one too.”
Something thumps in his chest at the thought of Bachira and Rin being concerned about him, so much to the point where Ego overheard and is now basically confronting him about it.
“Not my pets, just my friends.”
“Is that not the same thing?” Ego snorts, though it doesn’t reach his eyes as arguing about Isagi and his friends isn’t why he’s allowing this conversation to continue.
“No it’s not the same thing.” Isagi hisses, now slightly upset and even more defensive.
“For a boy who just told Julian Loki to be a man and admit that he lost, you seem to not want to admit something is bothering you. Instead you try and fixate on me calling your “friends” pets.”
“What’s your deal? I’m just asking you to open the stupid cafeteria so I can drink water! Is that so hard for you to do?” Isagi snaps, not even realizing the sharp tone in his voice.
Ego doesn’t reach, he just stares at him. Assessing him, like he already knows exactly what’s been tearing away at the striker.
“This all could’ve been avoided if you’d just drunk water when necessary. The question is why didn’t you?”
“Literally that doesn’t matter! What matters now is that all I want is to drink fucking water and you’re making this into a big deal!”
“I thought this would make you stronger.” Ego’s voice cuts through any thoughts Isagi originally had. He sighs, loud and rough, rubbing his temple before he reaches down into his mini fridge that Anri bought him and grabs a bottle of water, throwing it at the boy.
Isagi barely manages to catch it, thrown off by the choice of words that left Ego’s mouth. Confused by the statement at hand.
“Noa. He’s a great player—“
“Don’t start.”
“And a good leader—“
“Ego—“
“But he’s a complete and utter fool.”
That managed to shut Isagi up.
“He’s a dickhead, an asshole— whatever word that may make you feel better. But he’s all about himself. I thought you would’ve known that by now. Anyone who is successful is about themselves.” Ego counters, looking at the boy fidget with the water bottle.
“I—I do know that.” He mutters, looking down at the floor, nails digging into the plastic.
“Exactly. The question now is why are you letting him get to you like this?” Ego gets up, stretching slightly as he grabs his coat that’d been thrown over his mess of an office.
For once, Isagi had no response.
“Come on, we’re going out.” He mutters, already walking past Isagi to leave.
“Wait— what-? I don’t even have any shoes on—!”
“Then find some.”
With five minutes to grab any sort of clothing Isagi has, he throws on a navy blue sweater that has “blue lock” written on the top left corner, which isn’t subtle at all. Black sweatpants and the cleanest slippers he could find that are definitely not his.
Isagi wonders where they’re going at two in the morning, he figures it’s somewhere important that Ego is leaving blue lock grounds. All to find themselves at a local twenty four hour convenience store.
Honestly the boy can’t tell if he’s grateful or genuinely irritated considering all he wanted to do tonight was cry and be alone. Just to be dragged outside of blue lock to a convenience store to grab ramen noodles and coffee.
“What do you want?” Ego grumbles, already picking up the spiciest pack of noodles available and the blackest cup of coffee ever.
Isagi grimaces before shaking his head.
“‘m not hungry.” He shrugs, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweater.
Ego simply glares at him, throwing a packet of normal noodles at the boy's face before turning to the cash register.
It takes Yoichi Isagi to realize an hour into this weirdly calming night that this is Ego’s fucked up of trying to cheer him up. He only realizes this when they’re sitting outside of blue lock eating ramen staring into the night sky in silence.
It doesn’t help that both of them are as social as orchids. But the ramen does help.
“You said you knew Noa,” Isagi muffles between slurps of Ramen, his eyes less red now, even a bit more lively. “before the neo egoist league.”
“We went up against each other a few times.” Ego kept it brief, clearly not wanting to overshare, but still willingly to tell him something. “didn’t exactly get along much.”
That earns a small hum of acknowledgment from the boy, staring at his half eaten ramen as he fidgets with his chopsticks.
“…did you know he’d do that?” He mumbles now, voice barely above a whisper, as if he’s dipping his toes into hot water, afraid he’ll get burned. “use me.”
The words are so soft that Ego would think he’s talking to a different boy. Not the same one who tells German prodigies to get on their knees, or calls other players idiots, clowns— hell every curse in the book.
Not— this.
It’s unfamiliar territory.
“I figure you had a connection with the man. Considering how highly you talked of him. I also know Noel Noa is a selfish man, and what his true ego is.”
“So that’s a yes.”
“It’s close to one.” Ego sighs, taking a small sip of his black coffee. “I didn’t know he would affect you this much. I expected you to talk shit— say you would defeat him, which you did. What I didn’t expect was—“ He paused, taking a glance at Isagi who looked much younger than he is, eyes too big, yet closed out, like he was afraid of trusting any sort of mentor again. “this.”
Isagi laughed, but it's weak, barely even a laugh. “Pathetic?” He asks, expecting a snarky remark from the older man.
“Hurt.” Ego corrected him, which caused silence from the boy, shoulders tensing in an instant.
Isagi shouldn’t be tearing up, probably. This is— after all the second time he’s teared up this night. And now in front of Ego? The man who hates any sort of emotional connection. Wonderful.
Yet Ego makes no move to tell him to cut it out, shame— or even belittle the boy in any way. He just sits there, taking another bite of his own ramen.
Isagi decides to speak again, even with watery eyes and a croaked voice.
“…you mentioned you thought this would make me stronger. Noa’s betrayal I'm assuming.”
“It will.” He corrects again, this time his own words. “I know that now, but like any good thing it will take time.”
“How much time?” The question seems genuine. It makes Ego pause, choosing his next words carefully.
“As much time as it takes you to realize that his words are irrelevant. Him using you only made you stronger. Unlocking your true ego in the process.”
“Which is?”
“Wanting to destroy him.”
Is he that easy to read? Isagi tries not to look too shocked, but he is. Because of course he wants to destroy Noel Noa. The man he looked up to since he was a child, just to use him to make Kaiser stronger. It stings.
“And you’re supporting this?”
“I’m simply encouraging it. Not exactly fond of the man myself.” Ego shrugs. Tossing his empty ramen cup into the nearest trash can, leaning back against the pavement.
“…you’re being weirdly kind to me.” The boy raises a brow, watching Ego with a skeptical expression.
“If this is your version of kind you need therapy.” The older man deadpans, fixing his glasses slowly, as if trying to do something with his hands, maybe even his way of fidgeting if Isagi wasn’t going insane.
“Well for you—! This is super kind.”
“It’s not.”
“Yes it is!”
“Just shut the fuck up and eat your ramen.”
The two walk inside the blue lock facility like nothing happened, it might be around four in the morning— maybe five honestly it’s a mystery.
Ego— again being weird walks the boy back to the Bastard Munchen quarters, waiting for him to step into his room.
“Are you sure you aren’t possessed?”
“Are you sure you aren’t being insufferable?”
“Okay— fine. Not possessed." Isagi grumbled, putting his hands up in defeat.
Silence falls on them for what it feels like the tenth time this night— morning? It doesn’t matter, what does matter is who will speak first.
Isagi thinks he might have to, considering there is only so much awkwardness he can handle, until Ego’s hand grabs Isagi’s shoulder.
Huh?
“…what are you doing?” Isagi blinks, not uncomfortable, more awkward than anything else, but when has he not been awkward this night?
“Chill out.” Ego scoffs, before giving his shoulder one singular pat.
Isagi will most likely never forget that, and will immediately be telling all of his friends actually.
The hand jerks back almost instantly, like he’d been burned before he clears his throat. “Sleep, or don’t, just don’t bother me with shit like this again.” Ego mutters, taking a glance at those watery eyes as he begins to move away.
“Thank you.”
The words left Isagi’s mouth before he could take them back. The older man tenses.
“I didn’t do anything. I just fed you, and maybe knocked some sense into you.”
Isagi, for once that night, actually smiles, watching Ego walk away. A small part of him wishes he didn’t leave.
But for now, he desperately needs sleep, and to apologize to Bachira and Rin.
But that can wait.