Work Text:
It was a fine August morning when Isagi’s phone rang.
The male, now 22 years old and playing as a professional football player, groggily opened his eyes as the deafening ringtone of his phone rang away, not giving a shit about whether Isagi just woke up from his sleep or not. The space beside him was empty and cold — Rin must’ve gone first for some reason. Maybe an errand he had to run, or maybe Sae called him over to his house for reasons unknown to Isagi.
He checked the time. 6.05 am.
Groaning, he tapped on the green phone icon and brought the phone up to his ear. As if his morning couldn’t get any worse, a loud voice blasted into his ears.
“ Good moooorning sleepyhead! ” Isagi recognized that sing-song voice from anywhere.
“Oh my god, Bachira, it’s six in the fucking morning .” Isagi’s throat was dry as a desert, and he was still half asleep, fresh from a dreamless night.
“ And I don’t care! ” The blue-eyed male could basically picture the shit-eating grin that Bachira wears on a daily basis. “ What were you doing last night anyways? Getting frisky with Rin again, are you? You don’t think I forgot about that hickey on your neck from a few days ago— ”
“Shut your mouth, bee boy.” Isagi interrupted Bachira with a curt insult. If he were facing the black-and-yellow haired male, Bachira would’ve just pouted. “Just get straight to the point so I can sleep for some more.”
“ Fine, party pooper. ” There it was, he could picture, no, hear the pout on Bachira’s face. “ Chigiri invited us to go ice skating a few days from now. ”
“Hm? Why so?” Isagi perked up at the mention of the redhead’s name. It was rare for someone like Chigiri to invite someone to go out. If anything, he would’ve expected Bachira to be the event organizer and invite everyone to go out on an outing in a waterpark. Or camping. Hell, maybe even a trek back to the Blue Lock facility for old times sake (though Isagi would rather not go back to that damn building).
“ Beats me. My theory is that it’s for old times sake. A reunion of sorts, y’know? ” He could hear some shuffling in the background. “ Anyways, how’s your football career going? ”
“It’s going fine, yeah. Honestly would’ve never expected Blue Lock to be of any help in finding a team for me. If anything, that was possibly the most mentally-exhausting and torture-filled place I’ve been in my whole life. I felt like I was a guinea pig , Bachira.”
“ To be fair, we all wanted in. Perhaps we were too consumed by our dream of becoming the best striker, hm? ” Bachira hummed. “ Anyways, I’ll send you the location to the place Chigiri mentioned. ”
“Wait, one more thing.”
“ Hm? ”
“It’s August . How are we going to skate?”
Silence. Then, raucous laughter. “ Oh, Isagi, you airhead! Who said anything about outdoor skating? ”
⛸️
“ISAGIIII!” A loud voice was the first thing he encountered when he first walked into the building.
A half-asleep Isagi totally forgot that indoor skating rinks exist, and Bachira took that chance to generously bash him with insults of being an airhead 99% of the time. According to the bee boy, that 1% is the genius that comes out when he’s playing football.
“Bachira!” He managed to slip in a greeting before he was knocked down by an incoming Bachira, the two of them slamming into the ground. Ignoring the curious spectators (of which, some of them are laughing), he tried to pry the male off him, but it was no use. Along with him getting heavier, he was also much stronger.
“Get off me, monster.” Despite the less-than-pleasant term, the two knew that it was more of an affectionate term rather than an insult. Bachira did so with a smile, also helping up the blue-eyed male off the ground.
“How are you, striker?” He winked at Isagi. He noticed that Bachira had gotten a little taller than when they first met — he was actually an inch or two shorter than Bachira now. He maintained his black-and-gold bob cut, and his golden eyes glinted with that same fervor and hidden danger. He was currently wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with baggy sleeves, a graphic tee overlaying the white top. He also wore denim shorts and sneakers, paired with knee-high socks. Around his waist was a belt adorned with chains that had charms and accessories.
“I’m doing fine, monster.” He smiled back. “How long has it been since we’ve seen each other in real life…five years, give or take?”
“Mhm! You’ve definitely grown.” A hand went up to his hair, much to his annoyance.
“Hey! Just because you’re an inch taller than me doesn’t mean you get to pat me!” He tried to swat the golden-eyed boy’s hand off his head, but Bachira didn’t seem to budge.
“As a member of the Egotist Four, I have the privileges to do so.” Bachira gave him a shit-eating grin. “I think you’ll need to learn to share some privileges. Don’t let Rin get all the VIP offers, Isagi.”
The blue-haired male sighed, defeated. Isagi was usually rather persistent and stubborn, but he figured today he would play into Bachira’s schemes. If not now, when?
“Anyways! I’m so surprised that we both have off seasons around the same time, y’know? Is it fate? Or is it a mere coincidence?” Bachira hummed as he grabbed a packet of gum from his bag while the two walked deeper into the building.
“Maybe it’s just a coincidence. I’m not really one to believe in fate and stuff.” Isagi shrugged. “Ah, by the way, where’s Chigiri?”
“Chigiri’s with Kunigami.” Bachira casually hummed, popping a piece of gum in his mouth. “Kuni messaged me a few minutes ago that they might be late because Chigiri’s still drying his hair and applying some hair care products.”
“Sheesh.” Isagi pressed his lips into a fine line. “So…we just, wait?”
“Yep!” Bachira proceeded to blow a bubble, getting about touching the tip of his nose before it popped.
“Anyways, Bachira, how’s your football career going?”
“It’s going good, duh!” He chuckled. “I’ve gotten more famous as well. They dub me as ‘the monster’ whenever I’m playing, partially because of my reputation on Blue Lock TV or whatever that is. I’m waiting for the day that the Olympics come around. I’ll try my hand in applying for the Japanese football team.”
“Huh. Me and Rin also had that idea.” Isagi noted.
“Boyfriends think alike.” Bachira shrugged.
“Oh? You’re early.” A familiar voice made the two heads turn towards the entrance.
Walking into the building was Chigiri, in all his gorgeous and slender beauty, accompanied by Kunigami, who was a few steps away from the redhead. Isagi noted that the man had certainly become taller, but underneath the skin-tight turtleneck, he could see that his body was toned from all the exercise and training he did as a pro football player. He also wore a pair of studded combat boots that matched Kunigami’s own pair. His hair was braided, but unlike the side braid he wore during his time in Blue Lock, it was his entire hair that was braided.
Kunigami meanwhile, had certainly gotten more muscular, however his appearance hadn’t changed much from his post-Wild Card appearance. He was wearing a cargo jacket that overlaid a white shirt, as well as black leggings that complimented his leg muscles well. His orange mop of hair was also kept mostly the same, save for a bit of trimming after the Wild Card made his hair a bit longer than his initial appearance.
“Chigiri! Kunigami!” Bachira, once again, ran towards the pair, knocking the both of them with himself as well. Shaking his head while laughing, Isagi walked towards the group, of which all were laughing with smiles, even Kunigami. Isagi was thankful that he had reverted back to his old self. His Wild Card personality was one that he prayed he would never revisit.
“Bachira, Isagi!” Chigiri laughed, standing up after Bachira had the courtesy to pry himself off of the pair. “I’m so glad you could make it in time!”
“You’re the one late here, Chigiri!” Isagi pointed out.
“I miss you guys too.” Kunigami smiled.
“Kunigami! Seems like you’re back to your normal self, hm?” Bachira turned towards the orange-haired man.
“I’m thankful, yeah. It’s all because of Chigiri that I’m now back to normal.” He looked towards Chigiri with adoration and affection in his eyes.
“Okay, lovebirds, this alumni reunion is nice and all, but why are we here?” Isagi interrupted.
“I invited us four here for old times sake. Y’know, a nice reunion while we all have the same off seasons?” Chigiri shrugged. Seems like Bachira’s assumption was right. “Do you guys know how to skate?”
The three of them shook his heads. “Do you, Chigiri?”
“I actually do, yeah.” He nodded, much to Isagi’s surprise. “Prior to my ACL injury, I actually took ice skating lessons to improve my leg muscles and my balance, so that I don’t trip over when I run at top speed. It’s been a long time since I’ve skated, and from my last ice skating lessons, I’m nowhere near professional, but I can glide over the ice without falling on my ass every five seconds or so.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Bachira looked at the three of them. “Let’s go, Egotist Four!”
Isagi chuckled at that name, one that the black-and-yellow haired male made up when they first reunited after the Second Selection, back when they were still persevering their way through the rigorous system of Blue Lock. They walked towards the receptionist, making the necessary payments (courtesy of Chigiri) and grabbing their rental skates and gloves. Chigiri was adamant of not paying for a trainer, stating that he would be happy to become their teacher on the ice.
As Isagi finished tying the shoes, he attempted to stand up, but quickly sat back down due to how unstable it felt. Well, it wasn’t a surprise, seeing as ice skating boots are just glorified boots with a blade attached to the bottom.
“Shit, wow.” He breathed. “Chigiri, how did you manage to walk in these?”
“Just waddle. It’s not easy at first, but you’ll get used to it.” The redhead said as he also finished tying the skates. Standing up, he waddled towards Kunigami as the orange-haired man struggled to stand up without falling over.
Bachira meanwhile, was walking naturally. Just as natural as he would"ve when walking on a pavement with his sneakers.
“How are you not falling over?” Isagi looked towards Bachira with shock and confusion.
“Dunno.” He shrugged. “It’s fun though! Walking on blades. It tests your balance.”
“No shit, Sherlock.” Isagi grumbled, managing to stand up on his own. Taking Chigiri"s advice, he waddled towards the entrance of the rink.
It was actually quite empty, despite being right in the middle of summer vacation. Save for a few people doing a few twirls and double axels, it was barren. Breathing in, he stepped onto the ice, and immediately fell on his ass with a thump.
“Isagidiot, you don’t just walk on the ice!” Bachira’s taunting voice called his name from behind.
“Ha ha, very funny, bee boy.” He glared towards the incoming male, wearing his signature shit-eating grin. Despite his taunting attitude, he was nice enough to help Isagi on his feet, the blue-eyed male making sure to grip the edges as he did so. Bachira meanwhile, took his first steps onto the ice.
He too, fell on his ass the moment he stepped into the rink.
“Cold, cold!” He hissed as he struggled to get up. Isagi, being the generous and benevolent pro football player he was, helped Bachira up as well, the golden-eyed boy taking his place beside Isagi, also holding onto the railings.
“Damn. How did Chigiri skate in this?” Bachira mumbled.
“Lots of practice, Bachira.” Chigiri hummed, dragging Kunigami behind him. “It’s okay if you hold onto the railings if you can’t balance yourself. Try to walk around the perimeter of the ice rink to get used to the feeling of walking on ice.”
The pair finally made their way into the rink, and while Chigiri was still standing, Kunigami fell on his ass as well.
“Chi, you know I can’t skate for shit.” Kunigami grumbled, red on his cheeks from embarrassment.
“Oh come on, muscle brain, you’ll be fine!” Chigiri laughed, helping Kunigami up. They then skated towards Isagi and Bachira, both of which were holding onto the railing for dear life.
It took a while, but with Chigiri explaining the basics of skating, it wasn’t long before Isagi was able to glide on the ice on his own, albeit a little slowly. He still was getting the hang of being on the ice, but compared to his state 30 minutes ago, he would give himself a pat on the back for improvement.
Bachira meanwhile, picked up quickly on the basics. If Isagi looked to the side, he could spot Bachira speeding on the ice, cold wind going through his black-and-yellow hair as a big smile was plastered on his face.
“Isagiiii! Look at meee!” He waved to the blue-eyed striker as he continued gliding across the ice with little effort.
Chigiri was mostly preoccupied with a struggling Kunigami, who was approximately in the same crisis as he was half an hour ago — apparently he had the ambidexterity to shoot the ball with both his left and right feet, but he apparently didn’t have the ability to balance himself on the ice.
As the couple passed by Isagi, he could hear a continuous string of curse words come out of Kunigami’s mouth, all while Chigiri was laughing in amusement.
“Chigiri, for the last time, you know I can’t skate, you ass—”
“Skating won’t kill you, Kuni.” The redhead turned to face his boyfriend. “Besides, Bachira is having fun over there.”
“What is he, some kind of adapting monster?” Kunigami mumbled under his breath, but Isagi could pick it up. Oh, he hoped that his ability to adapt could be applied in ice skating, but apparently that adaptability only came in clutch whenever he’s playing football.
“Who knows?” Chigiri shrugged with a smile.
Speaking of the devil, Bachira glided over to Chigiri and Kunigami, but not before grabbing Isagi, who was coincidentally nearby the pair, and dragging him over to the couple. “Isagidiot, seems like you can’t skate yet?”
“It’s only been thirty minutes, Bachira.” Isagi sighed.
“But you’re the adapting egoist!” The golden-eyed boy turned towards him. “If anything, you should be the one who adapts first.”
“Apparently my adaptability only comes in handy during matches.” Isagi grumbled, slightly frustrated at that fact.
“Aw, that sucks.” Bachira pouted, but Isagi could hear the underlying sarcasm in the boy’s voice. He then glided towards the edge of the rink, grabbing a few of the ice shavings that had piled at the rim of the ice rink.
“Bachira, what are you doing—” Kunigami turned to face Bachira, but was rudely interrupted when a snowball slammed squarely into Kunigami’s face. In response to this, Chigiri proceeded to fold over in laughter, resulting in him falling and landing on the ice face-first.
“ Not funny, Chigiri!” A frustrated Kunigami muttered. The redhead in question was still laughing however. Still angered by Bachira’s actions, he attempted to make a dash to the laughing male, but immediately fell face-first onto the ice.
The three of them laughed.
“Oh, honey, not to be that person, but damn do you suck at skating.” Chigiri mentioned as he was standing up from his earlier fall.
“I’ve been saying that for the last thirty minutes, love.” Kunigami sighed, sounding defeated. Nevertheless, a smile was evident on his face.
“When we get home, we’re doing our skincare together, ‘kay?” Chigiri hummed as he helped the orange-haired male stand up.
“Okay.”
“Hey, egoist! Heads up!” Bachira’s voice snapped Isagi out of his trance, but before he could ask why, he saw an incoming snowball that aimed for his face. In an attempt to avoid being splattered by ice shavings, he tried to duck, but apparently his reflexes had gotten a bit rusty, because before he noticed, he felt the cold sensation of ice hitting his face in one fell swoop. Unlike Kunigami however, he fell on his ass due to the power the throw had.
“What the fuck, Bachira!” Isagi grumbled, cleaning the ice off his face. Bachira meanwhile, was elated , holding onto the railing as he clutched his stomach from laughing so much. He could somewhat feel the stares of multiple spectators looking on in confusion and shock at the presence of not one, but four prominent strikers and former Blue Lock contestants, but in all honesty, Isagi couldn’t care less.
After laughing his ass off for the nth time, he grabbed another ball of ice shavings, sticking his tongue out in a cheeky way. “Chigiri, you’re next!”
“Oh no you don’t.” The redhead glared at the black-and-yellow haired male.
The two then set off on a cat-and-mouse chase, with Chigiri attempting to avoid Bachira’s attacks. Isagi and Kunigami meanwhile, decided that it was enough ice skating for now, and slowly made their way to the exit of the rink.
“Fucking finally . I can walk like a normal person again.” Kunigami sighed in relief as he finally got his feet out of the rental skates.
“I’m just as delighted as you are, Kunigami.” Isagi chuckled, returning the skates to the rental station, not forgetting to thank the person guarding the station.
While Bachira and Chigiri were still playing cat-and-mouse, Isagi decided to treat Kunigami with some hot chocolate at a nearby food stall. “To make up for that steak you gave me on our first week, y’know?”
“Sheesh, you’re still on that steak?” Kunigami chuckled, taking a sip of the hot chocolate, muttering a “thank you” towards Isagi.
“Well, it’s the first thing I’ve tasted after days of rice, miso soup, and natto . I can still remember that stinky bean smell, fuck.”
Kunigami merely laughed in amusement. “Oh, by the way Isagi, where do you live now?”
“Hm?” Isagi looked towards the orange-haired male after he took a sip of his own hot chocolate. “Ah, well, I now live with Rin. The Itoshi family is apparently stacked , probably thanks to Sae’s career.”
“Rin? Itoshi Rin?” Kunigami’s eyebrows raised up in curiosity. “You got together with him?”
“Yeah, apparently. In all honesty, I’m shocked too.” Isagi laughed. “I think I have had feelings for him since the Second Selection, though I’ve never realized I had a crush on him up until before the U-20 match. I think, around the Neo Egoist League, he visited my team’s wing and we opened up our feelings for each other. He apparently also had feelings for me, but it was only from before the U-20 match.”
“Ah, makes sense.” Kunigami nodded. “Oh, that reminds me, a few days ago, Bachira sent me a photo while you were hanging out with him in Ginza. It was a photo of you with a…bruise — sorry, hickey , on your neck.”
Immediately, he felt his face heat up. Isagi didn’t even know that Bachira snapped a photo of his exposed neck. He was doomed .
“Did he send it in the group chat?”
“Yeah. He deleted it shortly after, telling us to not tell you about that photo he took. However, I am a kind friend, and so here I am, telling you about it.”
“Oh, I am going to murder Bachira.” Isagi grumbled, feeling the pent-up annoyance starting to crack through the walls.
“Hey hey, you two!” Speak of the devil.
He didn’t even let Bachira get a head start. The moment he saw that bob cut with yellow highlights round the corner, Isagi made a mad dash for Bachira, much to a surprised Chigiri.
“Bachira, get your ass here!”
“Wait, wait, why?!” He hated to admit it, but Bachira was fast. Not as fast as Chigiri, but he was able to keep up with Isagi’s speed, narrowly escaping the jaws of one angered Isagi Yoichi.
“You motherfucker! Sending that picture in the group, seriously?!”
“Wait, who told you that?!”
“That’s for me to know and for you to shut up!”