Chapter Text
Pat pat pat
It's the middle of the night. Isagi's cheeks are flushed with a burning red tint, his fingers curled into tight shaking fists before one rises to his head and scratches its back. His breathing is irregular, matching the wild rhythm of his pounding heart. How many times has he felt like this in the last week? Too much he concludes.
Taking a deep inhale of fresh air he heaves a heavy sigh as he raises his gaze to a very familiar-looking door. Well, all doors in Blue Lock are essentially the same but this one in particular Isagi is familiar with. More than he should, in fact.
He feels pathetic about it and should probably slap himself for what he has been doing the past week. With all the cameras around him, he's resisted the urge so far. There's no need to make himself look like an even bigger creep than Ego probably thinks he already is. Yeah, Isagi can do without that.
Honesty, he's surprised he hasn't been called out for his behaviour yet. Isagi is pretty sure Ego sees him on his monitors. It's impossible he's not aware of his nightly trips. For some reason though, he had let it slide until now. Isagi had no idea why, but does he want to no? Probably not. That's why he will take advantage of the situation for as long as he can to hopefully get his heart and brain back on track.
Like every night he stands in front of the room where Nagi, Chigiri and Barou are soundly asleep. He calls out each of their names on purpose, a pathetic attempt to mask his true intentions of why he's here and who his heart yearns to see.
Everything his mind can think about is a certain tall genius and how Isagi is desperate to touch the ridiculous soft snowy hair again and watch in endearment how Nagi melts under his touch when he rubs a good spot.
He wants to blame Bachira for his dilemma and strangle him for putting this idea into his head, but if he's honest with himself, no one but he is to blame for his nightly marches to this very door. Well, he and Nagi too because the tall genius with a lazy attitude Isagi finds endearing, fluffy snow hair that is so touchable, genius playmaking on the soccer field that draws Isagi in like a moth to a flame and an easy to get along with nature is the source why he stands where he does.
Nagi has conquered his innocent teenage heart by storm, grasping it with a lax and yet firm hold that stirred the desire for more in his chest. It's ridiculous how much he's affected at this point. The mere thought of Nagi not getting out of bed, grumbling and moaning something about Nagi of the dead has him squealing like a child would over a bag of candy.
When his imaginary self walks to the side of the bed the tall genius rests on, puts his hand into the fluffy crown of snowy hair and begins to pat Nagi awake, coaxes the genius with words of encouragement and affirmation, Isagi wants to kick his legs when silver eyes slowly blink open and look at him with disapproval but also what looks like contentment. Not to mention the sheer softness and adoration he can see in the look he receives.
Isagi feels his cheeks burn when his helpful brain progresses the scene in his mind further and further, leading to Nagi more or less resting on his back as they walk or rather waddle through the hallways, face buried in Isagi's neck as they slowly make their way to the cafeteria.
"This is mortifying..." Isagi mutters under his breath, hiding his flushing face under his palms at his spiralling thoughts while he tries to get his brain back under control by shaking his head from side to side. It does little to get Nagi out of his head except that he feels a little bit dizzy now. Nagi has turned into a constant in his brain and clings tightly to it like a koala would do. It's not any kind of koala at that but one with Nagi's face and hair, essentially looking like a mini version of the genius stuffed in a koala costume. Isagi feels like he's about to faint from the sheer cuteness he's facing in his head.
It's ridiculous how much beside himself he acts when Nagi is involved. It feels like the tall genius has become more vital to him than oxygen, water and food combined. Isagi never thought he could feel this strongly about someone, especially not if he had known the person for just a few weeks.
Yet Nagi wormed his way into his heart and this is why Isagi stands in front of the metal door again, driven by his yearning to see Nagi again. Logically speaking, there's only one way he can act to elevate his longing. Take a step forward and enter the sensor's range connected to the door. That's all Isagi has to do. Nothing more, nothing less. It might be embarrassing, but it was the smartest action he should take in order to get back on track.
But, despite his high soccer IQ, Isagi is incredibly stupid. He doesn't act on his burning emotions and instead stays like a perverted creep outside, every fibre of his being yelling at him to finally get his shit together and get a move on.
Easier said than done.
He had never felt like this about anyone before and had no idea how he was supposed to deal with his racing heart and the heat that rose to his cheeks every time he remotely thought about Nagi.
Standing a respectful distance away from the automatic door the raven head debates his best course of action like he did the prior night too. And the night before that too as well as all the other nights this past week. Not that his pondering in the past brought him any further than it does now.
His thoughts spiral in an endless loop, puzzle pieces swirling in a furious storm that sets him on edge. His heart is in a frenzy, beating so rapidly that Isagi is afraid it might jump out of his chest at any moment.
Unconsciously, to cope with his restlessness, he starts walking up and down in front of the door, a hair's breadth away from getting into the range of the motion sensor.
His usual tick to put his thumb and pointer finger under his chin which Nagi loved to point out and mimic when given the chance kicks in too, the dark eerie corridor filling with his mumbling as he goes through the countless plans his mind conjures only to discard them a moment later because they won't work out.
Lost in thought as he was, Isagi failed to notice he was getting closer and closer to the sensor's detection range until he breached it. Acknowledging his presence the metal door slid open and his brain came to a complete halt at the sudden development. Meanwhile, his heart was doing backflips in his chest, in danger of exploding in a vapour of red filled with nothing but excitement.
There in the hallway only lit by poor artificial light stood Isagi in front of the opened door. He could hear soft snores and even breaths from inside, taking him back to the time when he was still part of the team.
Despite his character, Barou was a surprisingly quite sleeper. Once the guy was asleep, nothing remained of his boisterous loud maid king attitude. On the other hand, Chigiri was a heavy sleeper, turning out to be the loudest snorer among them. There was a new sound Isagi didn't recognize at first, but knew it had to be Zantetsu who joined the team recently.
That was of no importance to Isagi though. He wanted to say he cared for his former teammates, that he missed them but he did not. At least not in the same way he cared for and missed the source of the even breaths that made his ears tingle.
His every sense was hyper-focused on the soft breaths he would recognize everywhere. He could stand in a large hall with hundreds of sleeping people and still find his way to them without fail the moment he entered the building. They were like a magnet and being the matching pole, Isagi was drawn to the owner of the even breaths like a sailor lured in by a siren.
They were the first thing in the morning he loved to wake up to since he first heard them, giving him the strength to rise from sleep first thing in the morning and making it possible to drag himself out of bed and walk to the owner of the even breaths to wake him too. If Isagi could wish for something then it would be to hear those sounds every morning for the rest of his life because they brought him such a strong sense of peace.
He could be high on adrenaline, sink into a furious overthinking session or cuss the shit out of his maths homework. The moment he picked up the even breaths everything else became meaningless to Isagi. He was back in the time when the Second Selection had started and it was just Nagi and him and nobody else. Just the two of them were in a room when Isagi first heard Nagi's soft breathing and was lured to it like a moth to a flame, reaching out to brush his hair and getting addicted to the sensation.
Suddenly, a single thought pushed all others away, clearing his brain from the mess of his overthinking. The past week, his brain was constantly on full throttle, never granting him a moment of repose. It was switched on the whole time, thinking and pondering what he should do about Bachira's suggestion, if it was okay to go along with it or not. But when that lone thought settled in his body and soul, Isagi faced a clarity and tranquillity he hadn't had in a long time.
Nagi. I miss you.
There it was. The truth. Finally, it was out just like that and completely uncomplicated. He missed Nagi and wanted to see him again. Bachira was right. He's really stupid. He could have had it so much easier without all the personal drama. But that didn't matter any more. He had more important stuff to do now.
Placing a palm on his chest, Isagi inhales deeply through his nose and then releases all the air in his lungs through his mouth. He saw Rin doing this in preparation for his ridiculous yoga sessions. Isagi hates that it actually works to calm himself down. He repeated the same notions a few more times before he turned towards the still-open door which looked like it was waiting for him to get his shit together and get inside already.
Unlike a week prior, he was ready this time. His heart pounded like crazy, running several marathons at once but that was to be expected. He was about to do something ridiculous many would probably call creepy, but he didn't care any longer. He missed Nagi and wanted to have him back. It was as simple as that. His dignity mattered little in comparison.
Taking the first few steps, he stood in the doorway, his ocean eyes lingering on the sleeping form of the person he missed so much and longed to see. Isagi didn't see his face since his back was turned to him, yet he could sense he was resting peacefully. Isagi could not only tell from his even breaths but also from the air of tranquillity surrounding Nagi's body.
Just by looking at him sleeping so peacefully, Isagi felt the same peace settling in his heart and soul. However did he manage to function without this for so long? Maybe he had long become Isagi of the dead and was a walking zombie without having noticed it.
Carefully, making sure he didn't make any noises that might rouse the others, he stepped closer to Nagi's bed. The last thing he wanted was to be caught red-handed. It was enough that Ego knew about his newly developed nightly habit. No need to spread it any further than that.
After taking a few steps into the room, the door closed, forcing Isagi to stop momentarily. He needed to adjust to the now dark room unless he wanted to trip over a random object. Silently, he praised maid Barou and his cleaning mania because the room was tidy, far more than his current room. Honestly, Isagi was the only one who kept his section of the room somewhat in order, not that it mattered because the others constantly messed up his side too.
He waited for roughly a minute before he tiptoed further towards his aim. The advantage of having 2.0 vision in both eyes is it comes along with naturally integrated night vision. Isagi was not on a cat's level of course, but he could see almost as good as if the room was lighted. When he concentrated on a single point, he could even take a guess on the colour. Only some outlines were a bit blurry, especially of smaller objects.
Nagi's fluffy hair, on the other hand, was like a beacon in the darkness. Isagi was magically drawn to it like a man possessed. He closed the remaining distance and finally arrived at the spot where he felt he belonged, beside Nagi.
From this close, he could see his sleeping face and immediately noticed something that made his heart beat a little faster. Nagi was grimacing in his slumber, something Isagi had never seen before. It caused instant restlessness and worry inside his chest.
He didn't wait any longer. He was done with wasting time. He had done enough of that in the past week, so it was more than due to get a move one.
Bending down, he carefully moved his right hand closer to Nagi's hair, afraid he might do something wrong because it had been a while. The motion proceeded in slow motion, the familiar feeling of Nagi's warmth wrapping around each of his fingers. Then, the tips of the first hair strands brushed against his fingertips. It was instant defeat.
All hesitation vanished from his body and Isagi went for it, giving in to his primal urge. His hand dug deep into the white snow hair, the comfortable texture of Nagi's fluffy crown putting his mind at ease. It was just as he remembered. It hadn't changed in the two weeks he hadn't touched it, still soft and tender despite Nagi's 3 in 1 shampoo crime.
Oh, how he had missed this. Nagi must have missed it as much because he leaned into the touch instantly, nuzzling his head against his palm like a touch-starved kitten. The distorted grimace disappeared too, replaced by a small uplift of his lips, the tiny almost smile that Isagi found so endearing and pulled on his heartstrings. He found himself smiling too.
Isagi's fingers moved with trained precision, finding Nagi's favourite spots. His scalp was like a control panel. Each spot he caressed caused another sound to fall from the tall genius' lips. Some were sighs of contentment, others quiet groans when Isagi found a blockade and gave it special attention, ensuring that Nagi was feeling comfortable.
Isagi wondered if, in one of these days, he could make Nagi purr. He was always good for a surprise and Isagi wouldn't be surprised if Nagi could purr like a content little kitten. He knew if that day should ever come he would suffer a heart attack from an overload of endearment and adoration.
They were back to their usual dynamics and Isagi only came to terms slowly with how much he had missed this, to brush Nagi's head, to caress it, to give it the attention and love it deserves and to watch him melt under his touch.
It calmed his mind, brought him peace and tranquillity. Patting Nagi's head like this felt like coming home and if he could choose, he would spend the rest of his life like this.
“Nagi...” he cooed, losing himself in the small bubble that seemed to appear whenever they were like this. Isagi wished the moment would last forever because, with Nagi like this, he felt like nothing could upset him or put him in a foul mood.
But like every other good thing in the world, this one too had to end eventually. Nagi stirred suddenly under his touch, a familiar premotion crawling into his consciousness.
Nagi was in the process of waking up.
“Come on, lazy genius. Time to wake up. You don't want to sit in a crowded cafeteria, right?”
“Naaaagi, heyyyy. Wake up, sleepyhead. We have a long day ahead so no more sleeping for you.”
“Nagi? Nagi, come one. I know you can hear me. It's time to train so get up. I'll pat you more when you stand up for me, 'kay?”
Phrases he would normally mutter to coax the tall giant from slumber for good filled his mind, each dancing on the tip of his tongue. But suddenly he remembered something as Nagi stirred once more, his whole body twitching, a definite sign he was in the process of waking up. Oh no!
They weren't on the same team any more and Isagi is not supposed to be here. Shit! Nagi grumbles and Isagi knows he will open his eyes at any moment. Panicking, he reluctantly detaches his fingers from Nagi's addictive curls and leaves the room in a rush.
Nagi, who slowly wakes up from his sleep, takes a bit to understand who he is and where he's currently located. Once he has a sluggish grasp of everything and looks at his phone, he groans at the time displayed. 3:50. Nagi of the dead was almost a given. Yet, his brain was more focused on the realistic dream he had about dream Isagi, wondering if it was just his imagination or not.
Unbeknownst to him at this point in time, it was not a dream and reality instead, the culprit cowering just outside the door, his beaming red face buried in his legs as he whispered silent apologizes for getting so into it that he accidentally woke him up.
Later that night or rather early morning, Isagi returned to his room and plopped into his bed, not caring that it made Bachira who was sleeping in his bed again bounce up and down. Surprisingly, he was already awake and wasn't offended or mad about the sudden bouncing. Instead, he seemed to enjoy it, giggling like a small child on a trampoline. Seriously, sometimes Isagi wondered from where Bachira got all of his energy. It was ridiculous sometimes.
After he had calmed down, topaz eyes looked expectingly at him. “So?” He asked, the knowing smile evident in his voice. Isagi knew what Bachira wanted to know and he didn't try to fight it. It would be pointless anyway. Besides, Bachira's advice did help, so he had every right to know how it went.
“You were right. It worked. I miss Nagi.” A content smile found its way to his lips as he went back to the moment when realisation struck him like lightning. It was embarrassing to admit openly, but he trusted Bachira so it was fine.
“Thanks, Bachira,” Isagi added after a few seconds of silence.
Bachira in return grinned widely. “Of course, it did! It was my advice after all! Did you expect anything else?”
Isagi stared at his friend for a moment. “Honest answer or friendly lie?”
Bachira gasped at that. “Is this how you treat the guy who ensures you have a proper love life in the future?”
The raven head sputters at the unexpected comeback, heat crawling on his face. “Don't say it like that!”
Bachira simply pulls one of his eyelids down and sticks his tongue out. “Blegh!”
“Urgh, sometimes I don't believe you,” Isagi huffs annoyed, but smiles nonetheless. “Still, Bachira. Thank you for your help. Couldn't have figured this out without you.”
“You're welcome, brother ♪ That's why I'm here. Now to the important stuff though!”
Isagi raised an eyebrow in confusion. “The important stuff?”
Bachira grins. “Yeah, like when is the marriage between you and Nagicchi?”
Isagi's face explodes in a face of crimson mortification and embarrassment. “BACHIRA!”
“Nyahahaha- Oof!”
Bachira's mischievous catlike laughter is interrupted by a pillow that got chucked straight into his face.
“Shut up you two!” Rin yells enraged, looking like he's about to have a fit. Not that that is anything new. He's always close to having a fit. Isagi briefly wonders if he and Barou would get along well. Chances are not too bad.
Unaffected, Bachira removes the pillow from his face. “Don't be like that, Rin-chan. I know you were listening and are rooting for Isagi and Nagicchi.”
“He does have a point...” Aryu suddenly chins in out of nowhere, adding oil to an already bright flame. Apparently, he had listened too and Isagi was not certain how he should feel about it. He's not a real-life sitcom for fucks sake!
When chaos breaks out the moment Rin jumps out of his bed, going straight for Bachira, Isagi sighs and decides it's best not to think too much about it. If they want to listen, they can just do it. He doesn't care anymore.
Bachira jumps out of bed too and of course, views it as a game of catch and runs away from a pissed of Rin. As yells and laughs fill the room, pillows, bottles and anything that is remotely throwable gets tossed around, Isagi opts to pretend he doesn't know any of his roommates and turns to his side, getting in some much-needed sleep.