You'll never walk alone
By ArokuRaita
Disclaimer: Blue Lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura and this fanfic was written nonprofit.
15. Encounters
There were more strikers relaxing in the ofuro, so Nagi couldn't make out with Isagi, who seemed to let go of his previous discomfort. Barou was nowhere to be seen.
"Maybe we should get going, Nagi", his teammate said after a moment.
"Yeah, and let's play rock-paper-scissors to see who will sleep in the single bed"
The black haired boy looked at his tall and hardy roommate. If Isagi ended up in that bed, would the others be OK with that? Maybe the king would, but…
"What if I win? Will you accept it?"
"Of course, and I'll get in there with you, too"
"B-But Barou is there!"
"Why do you care about him? He doesn't care about us, does he?"
"Even so…"
"Isagi, you worry too much. I just hope he's a heavy sleeper"
"Because you want to play video games until late, huh?"
Nagi stared at him.
"Yeah, but most importantly because I want to play with you"
"I'm not a video game!"
The hall was empty and quiet. Nagi got closer to his partner. Their height difference was notorious and made Isagi look defenseless. Unconsciously, Yoichi stepped back.
"Really? Then why do you have these buttons here?"
His right hand sneaked under Isagi's shirt and caressed one of his nipples, which instantly got erect.
"Ahn!— Nagi, please, not here…"
With a sigh, Seishirou took off his hand of Isagi and scratched his head.
"Sorry, I got carried away… Wanna keep going in the room? I'll be quiet"
"S-Sure"
In their room, they found Barou sleeping like a log in the single person bed. Nagi was expressionless, but his annoyance was clearly present in his voice.
"Can I knock him awake?"
"Wait... The room seems cleaned up. I guess Barou cleaned for us?"
Nagi was so upset that he forgot he was going to make Isagi feel good.
"Oh, well. It's a bother to think about this. I'm going to sleep"
His partner's sudden change of mind startled Isagi. But that wasn't all! Wait, I have to sleep in the bottom bunk bed again? Geniuses are so demanding!
Well, things weren't going as expected. After turning off the lights and trying to get comfortable in the lower bed, he listened to Nagi climbing down. The bunk bed creaked a lot.
"Wait, Nagi! Barou's gonna wake up!" He whispered.
The king gruntled in his sleep.
"So?" The white haired striker shrugged while laying over Isagi.
"It would be really bad if he finds us making out! What if he rats us out to Ego and he expels us?"
"I could visit you in your house… I'd say 'hi' to your parents and go with you to your room. We could play video games, and then I'd do something like this—"
Nagi's lips caressed Isagi's. With his tongue, he tried to open Isagi's mouth and french-kiss him. When Isagi moaned a bit loud, Barou started to talk. Or so it seemed.
Fuck-fuck-fuck, we woke him up! Isagi closed his eyes and hid under the blanket, as if that action could make him invisible.
"Calm down, Isagi. He's babbling in his sleep. This king is really annoying"
Nagi got up and turned the lights on. Barou didn't move. Then, Nagi pinched his nose while Isagi looked at him in horror.
Barou started to breathe through his mouth.
"Oi, stupid king. Wake up!" Nagi shook him to no avail. Then, he got on the single bed and started jumping over Barou, who sneezed.
When Nagi got tired, both strikers looked at Barou in awe.
"Wow, he really is a heavy sleeper. I respect him an inch more" Seishirou said.
"That means he can't rat us out!" Even so, Isagi still tried to keep his voice down.
"Yeah. Seriously, you worry over nothing. Now try to jump over him, Isagi"
The blue eyed boy frowned.
"Why? You just did it and nothing happened. I'm not gonna do that"
Nagi scratched his chin, pensative.
"We need to be sure that both of us can't wake him up. Maybe he hates me and that's why he blocks me in his sleep, but what about you?"
Isagi didn't look convinced, but then he nodded.
"OK, here goes nothing…" Then, he got close to his royalty-like teammate and whispered "Barou".
Immediately, Barou's red eyes opened up and fixed on Isagi.
"What"
Isagi paled.
"W-well, I was looking for something I lost, I turned on the lights and I w-wanted to know if you were awake… Before keep looking for it…"
"Did you really wake me up for that, peasant?"
"Y-Yes, I'm sorry…"
Barou clicked his tongue.
"Well, keep looking. And when you find it, turn off the lights. Now fuck off"
He closed his eyes and his expression changed, as if he was in a deep sleep.
"Oi!" Nagi shouted. Barou didn't move. Nagi looked at Yoichi with his eyes glowing.
"Isagi, do that again!"
He just moved his lips to form two words: "What? NO!" When he woke Barou up, he imagined himself as Victor Frankenstein after recognizing his sin in his awakened monster's eyes. The horror! I won't let that happen again!
"Ah, well. You'll just have to keep quiet, then" Nagi said while turning off the lights and holding the shorter guy in his arms.
It wasn't difficult for the black and white haired pair to make out, because Barou slept all night. However, every time Isagi made a sound, their new teammate seemed to react with mumbles and movements, as if it was unpleasant to hear him in his sleep.
Besides that, everything was going pretty well for both of them.
However, Barou still was a non-cooperative teammate and that could have dire consequences. That's why Isagi tried to talk to him the next morning. Nagi was still sleeping —it was Isagi's fault, of course— and he would probably play a video game before breakfast, so the king and the blue eyed striker were the only ones of their team in the cafeteria.
It was a perfect moment to ask Barou about his plays and stuff. The sturdy guy was already eating and Isagi felt a bit awkward about interrupting him. Like last night.
"Is this seat taken?"
"Do what you want"
Outside the field, Barou was quite calm. He still was arrogant but not so much, or so it seemed. Isagi went straight to the point.
"Barou, if I may ask… What is your ideal play?"
Huh? I was expecting some stupid small talk... Maybe he sensed that I hate that?, Shouhei thought.
"What's with that question? And what do you plan to do after hearing it?"
"I plan to synergize with your play style. And for that, I need to understand your ideal match"
Isagi had a hunch about that and it was correct.
"Move according to my wishes for the sake of my goal. The end"
"But… Wasn't that the reason that you guys lost to us? Won't you consider a more team-oriented play style?"
"Huh? What the hell? The only reasoning we lost is that Naruhaya wasn't moving accordingly"
The blue eyed striker started to lose his patience. Why did everyone else have to bear responsibility for failure except him?
It was difficult to make him see the big picture. Barou said to Isagi that he should've chosen Naruhaya if he wanted teamwork.
"If it's something I can easily mimic, then it won't do. 28 meter range shot. Charge power. I wouldn't be able to master them, even if I train all my life. If you pair up with me, I'll make you shine brighter"
Barou was surprised at Isagi's proposal. He had never seen a peasant so eager to please his king and that was a bit… arousing.
I want a queen like him, godammit.
For a fleeting instant, he wished to avoid his imperial rule about spouses fit for a king, but a betrayal to himself would be unforgivable.
"Ha, if that's so, then you should do what I tell you"
Isagi looked at his teammate walking away and ate his breakfast feeling frustrated.
Coordination between Reo, Kunigami and Chigiri was better than ever. They were outstanding players separately, so when they got together, their plays' quality sky-rocketed.
Kunigami pointed that out to the others when they finished training, but the red haired striker didn't think it was enough.
"We gotta hurry up and move forward, else they will clear without us"
But it was difficult to pick a new player. They had to be careful about whom they choose.
"What do you think, Reo?"
The purple haired one was looking at the ball. His hair covered his face.
"As long as I can win against Nagi, I don't care about anything else"
When he raised his head, his teammates felt a chill down their spine.
"I will make him say that he needs me"
Rensuke looked into Reo's eyes. Even with a below-average perception someone could find, under his fiery fury, a tiny remainder of sorrow.
"Is that a lingering affection you have for him?"
"No. It's revenge"
Chigiri smiled.
"How spirited"
Reo was sure that his feeling was pure rage. Chigiri, who had talked the most to him, thought it was a bit different: jealousy and resentment, with a more or less big chunk of abandonment. But that would be too overwhelming for Reo to hear and could shake his capable and tough guy front. So he said nothing.
And Kunigami… Well, he was happy with Chigiri. Every night was fun, tender and peaceful. They really complemented each other well. It isn't better than with Isagi, but— it's so different! Isagi was easy-going and almost helpless, and Chigiri is so frank and sarcastic…,the orange haired guy thought while drinking water.
Even so, sometimes he could find himself remembering the black haired guy's skin's softness, his lips, his nipples, his warm and humid manhood and twitching entrance…
An imminent match with Isagi was the best to test their improvements, but at the same time, it was a source of tension for everyone in the team.