Chapter Text
Isagi Yoichi is the one that can change Japanese football.
The door to the changing room opened and Isagi Yoichi walked in with a smile on his lips and sweat clinging to him like a second skin. A method only the human body can develop to avoid frying the brain and everything else attached to it or regulated by it after intense activity that can overheat and turn them into dead people.
What a beautiful way to function...
Rin was captain of Blue Lock 11 but in that moment, he knew he wasn't captain. Surely, the captaincy might be his for this forsaken match, but he could already see the future. It would belong to someone else, because even if they won today as a team, Rin couldn't force himself to say anything to them with a celebratory tone.
Because he wasn't celebrating.
He was mourning.
Again.
"We did it," Reo said with all the happiness Purple Bun could muster.
"Yeah," Nagi always so apathetic to everything.
And wouldn't Rin like to be like the giant sloth? Yes, because if he was like Nagi a lot of things wouldn't hurt inside his chest. Because if he was a bit just like Nagi, maybe he wouldn't be playing a game he hated for a brother that hated him.
"How was the interview, Isagi?" Bachira asked in that bubbly way of his.
And Rin hated it. That fucking goal was the one Sae was praising a few minutes ago. It was all inconsequential to the great Itoshi Sae, but in Rin's world it wasn't. Since that snowy and cold night, he had always been chasing a ghost that seemed to hate him more than anything. All this time grieving the absence of his beloved Nii-chan and clinging to a game he hated only to feel close to a person he wasn't sure existed anymore.
"Felt weird," the blue haired boy said.
Rin took out the captain armband and placed it on the bench.
Little Rin would have been happy to be elected captain, even if it was based on Jimpachi Ego's biased mind. But little Rin would have cried himself sick to know he had to play against his beloved Nii-chan. He took out the blue lock sweater and placed it beside the armband. It was automatic and it was simple.
Until his smartwatch buzzed on his wrist and through the black fabric of the undershirt, he read the letters, trying to make sense of them through the haze he was in. The happy voices of his teammates hollering around, combined with the sound of running water was saturating his senses.
So, Rin rised from his spot and walked out, like some sober nanny that left behind a gaggle of drunk men. Teenagers in this case and the only one that was younger than Rin himself was Niko. And even Niko was high with the win, in his own way.
Rin made sure the click of the door behind him was soft, like the kind of sound ghosts do when they appear in a place that is lonely. No humans to scare, no racing hearts.
He was sitting at the far corner of the bench of the hallway and even there, the voices of his teammates reached his ears. He was overwhelmed by everything going on around him: the noise of winning, the smell of sweat... the heartache. It was weird how his head didn't ache yet because it was only static, but his heart was on fire.
His mind wandered toward those memories that kept him chains, that showed him patterns he wanted to cherish, to treasure close to his heart, because they were the only thing that remained from the brother he had once. He was a striker because Sae fed him passes and it nurtured his instinct. But he knew how to play as a midfielder as well, because he wanted to see his brother shine after a goal.
The same Nii-chan that used to take him out during sunny days, the same Nii-chan that asked him if he wanted to go to a football match with him. The same Nii-chan that used to kiss him good night and bought a phone charger with a blue light in the middle, so Rin wouldn't be afraid of the dark...
That same Sae... where did his brother go?
Why can't I follow you there?
For a long time, after Sae Itoshi came back from Spain that snowy night, Rin had asked himself if maybe his brother was in heaven and this was his doppelganger, some impostor that hated Rin because Rin would know the difference between him and the Nii-chan that the doppelganger killed.
Rin had asked himself if the only way to reach Sae was to kill himself and follow his brother wherever he was. Maybe, Rin could die and turn into a guardian angel for Sae. Help him out of wherever his brother was, take his pain away even if just barely.
Because Rin missed his brother and in moments like this, when he was sure Sae would have at least smiled at him before the match started, were the moments that hurt the most. Because the Sae Itoshi that stood beside him before they even set foot in the turf, didn't even acknowledge him.
And Rin was sad that wherever his Nii-chan was, he might never reach him. His head and hands felt hot, hotter than the sun in spring. And he was sure that fire would reach his eyes soon enough. He wasn't sure why or when, but a small tear scaped his eyes and a knot formed on his throat.
Do winners cry like this?
Maybe, if they won a match knowing the person that taught them how to love the sport was already dead.
"Rin, look at me for a second, dulzura." The voice said in a language he learned and kept learning only to feel closer to the Nii-chan he had no more.
So, Rin raises his head, gazing inside brown irises, lines of red adorning the edges while white, platinum hair framed those orbs. In front of him, Bunny Iglesias was standing. He helped Rin up, taking him out of his trance for a moment, long enough to have the attention of the younger Itoshi.
"Let's go somewhere where you can breath, sí?" The spaniard asked hm and Rin nodded.
Without thinking too much about it, Bunny covered Rin's body with something he wasn't sure what was but it was warm and comfy, like receiving a warm hug after days of being left to freeze in a blizzard.
"Are you okay?" The Spanish man articulated in soft Japanese, a bit wonky, but sure enough for Rin to understand.
Rin's nod was barely there. It broke Bunny's heart, to see his beloved Rin like this.
The roar of the changing room faded quickly as Bunny led Rin away. The corridors of the stadium, usually echoing with footsteps and hurried whispers, were relatively deserted now, offering a blanket of comparative silence. Rin, still wrapped in the heavy warmth of Bunny's jacket, felt the fabric—and the Spaniard’s steady, guiding hand on his elbow—as the only anchors in his spinning world.
They stopped just outside a rarely used utility staircase, a place where the fluorescent stadium lights hummed faintly but the noise of the celebratory crowd couldn't penetrate. Bunny turned, his hands immediately going to Rin's face, cupping his jaw gently.
"Better, Rin-chan?" Bunny murmured, using the Spanish equivalent of the honorific Japanese associated with someone close. He spoke low, in a voice that was melodic and soothing, the exact opposite of the celebratory shouting they'd left behind. "Here we are. Look at me." Rin's red eyes, usually blazing with focused intensity or icy contempt, were simply vacant, like polished stones reflecting nothing. "Tell me," Bunny prompted, his thumbs brushing soft circles against Rin's cheeks, forcing a presence that cut through the static in the younger player's mind. "What did he say, my little genius? What did your brother say that stole the light from your beautiful eyes?"
Rin swallowed, the dryness in his throat immense. He couldn't form the words in Japanese, the language felt too common, too blunt for this particular, acute pain. He needed the delicate sound of the Spanish he'd painstakingly acquired.
"Dijo... que Isagi... era mejor," Rin finally managed, the words catching on a breathy hitch. He said... that Isagi... was better.
The pain in Bunny’s own eyes was immediate and deep. He had witnessed the entire interaction after the whistled was blown signaling the end of the second time. Knowing Sae as he did, because they were rivals for a while, he knew those things might not be nice. Sae wasn't a nice person, but he thought he might be nicer to his little brother.
Bunny was a witness of how Rin had poured his entire being, his distorted, beautiful philosophy of football, into that match, all for one man's approval. So, he didn't offer the empty platitudes of 'He's wrong' or 'You played well.' Rin would have seen through that. Instead, Bunny pulled Rin into a tight, warm hug, burying his face in Rin's hair and inhaling the scent of sweat and grass.
"Nothing has been decided yet, Rin," Bunny sighed against his head. "None of you had faced the whole world just yet. That might be Sae's perception, but maybe that might not be the world's. Some people are too stupid to see a gem when they have it in front of them." A curse aimed purely at Sae, but delivered with the gentleness of a lullaby. "Let him be blind, then. Let the ice-prince miss the sun that shines only on you."
He pulled back slightly, holding Rin at arm's length, his grip firm. His red eyes were serious, intense, radiating an unshakeable belief.
"Escúchame, Rin. Listen to me," Bunny commanded. "You did not lose. You were magnificent. That entire field was a dance, and you were the choreographer and the star. Sae can declare whatever he wants about Isagi's future, but tonight, you were the reason Blue Lock did not break. Sae didn't see you. But I did. I see you."
Bunny tilted Rin's chin up, forcing their gazes to lock.
"The Rin I see right now, the one whose heart is breaking over words—that Rin is the one who still fights for the ghost of his brother. It is time, mi amor, to stop playing for the ghost. Play for yourself. Play for the sound of the ball singing after you strike it. Play to shatter the world, just because you can."
Bunny leaned in, his voice dropping to a fierce, possessive whisper. "You are a good player, Rin. But you need to love yourself to love football a little bit more."
He held Rin's stare for another long moment, letting the certainty of his words sink in. He could feel the tension in Rin's shoulders slowly begin to ease.
"Hypocrite," Rin said to him, but at least he was talking again and not in that ugly state where the world is too much, spinning too fast, hitting him too hard.
Bunny finally released Rin's face, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Come. The air in here is stale. Let's go outside and breathe. We can watch the stars—or maybe we can find a ball and I can watch you shoot until the sunrise."
He smiled, a gentle, genuine curve of his lips.
"What do you prefer, mi rey?" Bunny asked softly.
Rin didn't answer immediately, but the tightness around his mouth had softened. The sharp, internal agony hadn't vanished, but Bunny's steadfast presence, the Spanish words that felt like a secret shared only between them, had created a vital distance from the immediate wound. He simply tightened his grip on the jacket Bunny had given him, a silent acceptance.
"Away from here." He answered in a whisper.
"Vamos, pues," Bunny confirmed softly, understanding the silent signal.
Let's go, then. His brain supplied him with the words.
They moved toward the exit, taking a back service route. Soon, the stale, recycled air of the stadium was replaced by the crisp, cool air of the late evening. They stepped out onto a dimly lit, quiet section of the parking lot where only team transport buses remained.
The sky above the stadium was a deep, velvet black, studded with distant, uncaring stars. Rin stopped, leaning against a concrete barrier, and finally let out a long, shuddering breath.
Bunny stood beside him, maintaining a comforting proximity without demanding attention. He pulled out a bottle of water he'd snagged on the way out and silently handed it to Rin.
"Drink, Rin," he instructed gently. "You left everything on that pitch. Give your body something back."
Rin took the bottle, twisting the cap off and drinking deeply. The simple, mechanical act was grounding. He looked up at the Spaniard, whose red eyes now seemed almost black in the low light, but whose expression remained open and warm.
"¿Por qué..." Rin started, his voice still hoarse, but then paused, searching for the right word. "...por qué te importa?" Why do you care?
Bunny leaned against the barrier next to him, turning his body so he was facing Rin completely. He didn't hesitate.
"Because you are the best thing that has happened to me in a long time, guapo," he said, using the casual Spanish equivalent of a teasing nickname. "And because I like the Rin who is honest. The Rin who fights for everything. The Rin who is just a little boy trying to be the best, not the ice fortress the world sees. And because I am afraid that Rin might disappear if left alone too long."
Bunny reached out, his hand resting on the small of Rin’s back, a steady, warm pressure.
"I'm not lost." Rin stated.
"The world wants you to be a monster, Rin. Sae wants you to be his punching bag. Isagi wants you to be his rival. But I just want you to be Rin. And Rin, right now, maybe isn't lost, but Rin is hurting."
He tilted his head, the corner of his mouth twitching into a slight, earnest smile.
"Besides," Bunny added, his tone lightening slightly, "if I let the best talent in the world sit here and go static, what kind of teammate would I be in the future? I need you sharp, mi jugador favorito. Who else will scream at me in a mix of Spanish and Japanese when I miss a pass?"
The corner of Rin's mouth twitched, the ghost of an almost-smile touching his lips before vanishing. It was a fleeting moment, but it was there.
"Tonto," Rin muttered, calling Bunny foolish. It was the first true inflection—the first hint of his usual scornful nature—that had returned since Sae’s declaration.
Bunny beamed, genuinely relieved. "Yes. Call me foolish. Call me anything you like. As long as you speak."
He pushed off the barrier, stretching his arms high above his head with a yawn.
"It is late. I think what you need most is not more talking, but rest. A proper sleep where you dream only of dismantling defenses and sunshine, not of broken promises."
He walked over to the sleek Blue Lock transport bus, pulled out his phone, and typed a quick message to the driver, securing a quiet ride back.
"I'm allergic to sunshine." Rin said, blinking slowly, the tiredness clinging to him.
"Liar." Bunny said, leaning in and dropping a kiss to Rin's temple.
"My feet hurt," Rin mumbled so suddenly, that Bunny had to stop himself to make sure he heard correctly.
"Want me to give you a piggy ride?" The Spaniard asked, turning on his heals slightly to face Rin.
He saw fair skin turning red. Rin was blushing preciously, and it was all for Bunny's eyes. Rin nodded shyly, his body standing upright only because of stubbornness.
"Okay. Hop in, then." He said and crutched down to make it easier for the Japanese striker.
Rin's body was warm and slightly damp against his own and Bunny felt... happy.
"Are you hungry?" Bunny asked after a beat of silence.
It was a truce, a promise to leave the Sae topic to rest.
Bunny didn't push when Rin hesitated, simply keeping the silence open until the younger boy nodded, a small, tired movement against Bunny's cheek. When they were in a barely used entrance, he walked toward the parking that was a few meters away from the entrance. He unlocked his temporary vehicle and crutched down again.
"Come on, then," Bunny said softly, while Rin climbed down from his back.
"Thank you," Rin stated, shoulders sagging again under the pressure of being... always the best. Someone's rival. Sae's brother.
What would any of them think when they learn I was the one that crushed Sae's dreams? But that wasn't his concern right now. Right now, he had to take care of Rin.
Rin sat in the co-pilot seat and Bunny leaned in to click the seatbelt in. Rin's smell was that of sweat and something tangy-like. Rin was smelly as hell, like rotten onions, but he couldn't care more. This was the smell of someone that had left a part of his body in the pitch, and a part of his soul in the turf.
"Don't crash us," Rin whispered, without fire, without bite.
"Promesa," Bunny said lifting his pinky close to Rin's face.
"What are we, six years old?" The Japanese asked but the next second, he sighed and intertwined their pinkies.
"You are six..." He stuck his tongue out to Rin. "Teen. And I am eighteen." He stated softly.
"Ha ha." Rin made the sound as if he had been personally offended.
For Bunny, all of this was good. Rin was coming out of the haze, out of his shell. This was good and he would cling to it with his both hands and feet and then, with some other part of his body. He climbed behind the steering wheel and pulled the car toward the road.
Is this like Stranger Things? He asked himself, his eyes on the road, the computer giving him directions through the speakers of the car. Damn it.
The drive back to the facility was silent. Rin sat pressed against the window, the glow of the city lights reflecting in his vacant eyes. Bunny sat right beside him, his presence solid and unmoving, a quiet weight of support. He didn't try to fill the silence with talk, knowing that what Rin needed now was just peace.
When they arrived, the apartment complex building was hushed, most people still out doing something or the other. Bunny didn't know much about Japanese culture, and he was sure that besides their discipline, the Itoshi brothers weren't exactly paramount of the Japanese culture or a good reference to understand their daily lives. When they climbed out of Bunny's car, Rin stumbled and Bunny knew... He knew Rin was done for today, so he led the striker towards the lift.
Instead, he steered him silently toward the room he had labelled as Rin's room—always meticulously clean, always sterile, Bunny opened another door and gently guided Rin inside the bathroom. "Shower first, mi rey," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper. "Wash the stadium off. Wash the sadness off."
While Rin was in the shower, Bunny did what he knew Rin would never ask for: he meticulously smoothed the wrinkle out of the duvet, plumped the pillows, and set a fresh bottle of water on the small desk. He stripped off his own sweat-dampened clothes, putting on a soft, oversized t-shirt and loose athletic shorts, then went to the kitchen to sort out something light for the younger player.
Crackers and milk, Bunny settled for that, because he needed to go grocery shopping. He searched for another source of vitamin and calories, something umami in taste. When he found goat cheese, he smiled to himself. Maybe, having the clean lady around wasn't so bad, because now the apartment was clean and stocked with food to not die of hunger.
Bunny settled to waiting and fished his phone from his pocket pant.
Lavi - 21:23
Found your beloved childhood bride?
Bunny - 22:12
You are so gross
And he ain't my childhood bride
Lavinho - 22:14
Semantics
Bunny - 22:15
You wouldn't know what semantics is
Even if it fucked your brains out :P
Lavinho - 22:17
Rude
I raised you better
Bunny - 22:18
Nuns and teachers raised me :P
Bunny took the nighttime snack into Rin's bedroom and settled himself on the plushy rug, careful to not spill anything. Rin emerged moments later, hair damp, dressed in a plain t-shirt and pajama pants. He looked younger, the sharp angles of his face softened by fatigue and the lingering vulnerability. He looked toward his bed, but his movements were slow, burdened.
Bunny raised up again, maybe this kind of squats will be good for his shape, and walked over, taking Rin's hand—a contact Rin usually recoiled from, but accepted tonight. He led Rin to the bed and pushed him gently onto the mattress.
"Lie down," Bunny instructed, his voice low and soothing. "You are exhausted. Let go."
Rin sit on his side, curling into a tight, defensive ball, facing the wall. Bunny hesitated for only a second before making a decision. He wasn't leaving. Rin was too fragile, too close to shattering, to be left alone with the static in his mind.
Bunny slipped into the bed beside him.
"Brought you crackers and milk," he stated softly, pointing towards the food. Rin's pretty eyes following his hand.
"Not hungry," he stated in short, clipped words.
"But athletes need food to sustain their muscles," Bunny pointed out. "Eat. They are whole crackers and cow milk."
Rin furrowed his brows for a second and looked up at him.
"What other kind of milk are there?" He asked, unfurling and taking the plate towards his body.
Bunny hummed, low and thoughtful.
"Think Gonzalez said there was soy milk," he started listing while Rin ate the crackers and the cheese. "Goat milk, by the way how does the goat cheese taste?" He asked, looking in Rin's direction.
"Not bad," Rin said slowly, softly, defeated.
Bunny hated it.
"And almond milk, coconut milk," he continued, trying to keep Rin's head away from the pitch and the match.
"Coconut is a fruit," he started looking in Bunny's direction.
"God has a weird sense of humor, doesn't he?" He added after a beat. "Many fruits don't produce milk. But kangaroos produce milk and we don't drink kangaroo milk. Why do you think is that?"
"You are disgusting," Rin said after he finished the glass of milk Bunny left for him.
And he smiled at the comment. It wasn't aimed at him precisely, sometimes words went missing inside Rin's head and as the listener, you needed to fill in the gaps. If you don't, you might end up hurt. So unlike Sae, which phrases and sentences are always so full of words. No one could ever mistake a word the midfielder said.
"And so is mushroom, but people eats them anyways," he stated and aimed his smile at Rin.
And Rin pushed his face away.
"Lay with me or get the fuck out."
"Yes, mi rey." The mattress dipped, and Rin tensed immediately. "Okay?" he asked before encasing him, when Rin nodded, Bunny made his move. Before Rin could protest, Bunny moved carefully, wrapping one arm over Rin’s waist, pulling him back against the solid warmth of his chest.
"I'm tired," Rin admitted and Bunny took it for what it was: vulnerability.
"It's okay, mi amor," Bunny breathed into Rin's damp hair. "I am not asking you to do anything. I am not asking you to analyze. I am only asking you to feel this. To stay in this bed a while longer."
He held Rin tight, not aggressively, but possessively, protecting him from the ghosts of his past and the cruelty of his brother. Rin's back was against Bunny's front, the Spaniard's steady heartbeat a slow, rhythmic drum against his shoulder blades.
Rin fought the urge to pull away for, maybe, five seconds. The instinct for self-isolation was immense, but the exhaustion was greater. He felt the warmth, the safety, the utter lack of judgment pouring off the man behind him. This embrace was a physical, irrefutable statement: You are valued here.
Rin finally allowed his body to relax against the heat of Bunny's body, a profound tension leaving his shoulders. He felt Bunny's chin rest lightly on the top of his head.
"Sólo duerme," Bunny whispered. Just sleep.
And for the first time since the final whistle, Rin's mind found a space that wasn't static. It was just a quiet, shared darkness, the sound of a heartbeat, and the immense, tender weight of someone who finally saw him. He closed his eyes and, protected by Bunny's embrace, finally succumbed to sleep.
Sae was impatient, the pink demon was taking an awful lot of time putting his number in Sae's phone and he was ready to kick Shidou into moving faster. Kitsune was already done and Sae wanted to be done as well.
"Why the impatience, Lashes Senior?" Aiku asked him and Sae rolled his eyes.
"None of your business, selfish captain." He stated, finally reaping his phone from Shidou's hand. "You are too slow for this, demon." Sae stated and dumped his phone in his pant pocket.
"Somewhere to be, Tensei-chan?" Aiku asked again, as if it was any of his business.
Sae sighed and said nothing, before taking his handbag and walking the fuck away from there.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and Sae read the message displayed on his smartwatch.
Michael - 21:29
So, was it fun?
Sae - 21:50
I hate Japan
Michael - 21:51
I thought you had mission in Japan.
Something regarding someone you broke.
Sae - 21:52
Are you my consciousness now?
Michael - 21:52
The day you die would you like to know you were just like my father to some Japanese kid?
You know what I expect from you.
Sae - 21:53
I know. I'm on it.
Michael - 21:53
Ok :]
Love you.
Sae - 21:55
Love you too, princess.
He sighed. This was going to be hard. Still, he walked towards the opposite changing room and rammed his hand on the door. Some guy that looked as if his hair was a homage to the BVB team opened the door.
"Oh, hi." He said in a whisper.
"Where's Rin? I'm driving us home." He stated, looking over the guy: yellow and black hair.
See, a walking homage to the BVB.
"Oh, Rin-chan..." the man turned on his heels. "Rin-chan..." The yell nearly rendered him deaf. And when the boy's face paled he knew something was wrong. "Where's Rin-chan?" the boy asked to everyone in the room.
And everyone shrugged their shoulders.
Fucking incompetents.
How hard can it be to keep track of a moody, sixteen years old? I just did it on the pitch, and it was bigger than here.
He sighed and entered the room himself.
"Rin!" The yell rendered the room deaf, because he knew how to shout due to that French idiot.
But his brother didn't come out, not to brood in his direction or to insult him.
Sae sighed. Pleasing Kaiser was becoming a monumental task.
He sighed and let it be. Rin will come out from his hiding spot whenever he feels ready.
"Give me a call when he is done brooding." He said to the BVB's fan haired themed and walked out of the room.
He wasn't in the mood to wait.