Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

—- —- 1) To insure you his property gets sleep before an important match —- —-

Budum

Budum

Budum

No matter what Nanase did he couldn’t stop his heart or mind from racing. He hadn’t been sleeping well the past couple of nights but at least he could fall asleep. With every beat of his heart Nanase was overwhelmed with a singular thought.

What if I don’t make it on the U20 team?

He tried and tried to ignore the possibility but it was hard to disprove a notion that was so far true. He could hope and pray all he liked but he never cracked the top 23 in any of the rankings. The closest he got was his current rank 24. If he didn’t play better than he’s played in all of the NEL he could kiss all the months of Blue Lock and years of soccer training goodbye.

“Rin, are ya awake?” Nanasae asked Rin fully expecting him to either already be asleep or just straight up ignore him. Rin replied in an annoyed tone “What do you want this time Bumpkin?” Nanasae hesitantly responded “How do ya fall asleep when ya nervous ‘bout a game?” Rin asserted “I don’t get nervous before games.”

After a brief moment of silence Rin ordered “Come here.” Nanasae asked “Why is standing at da foot of ya bed gonna help me?” Rin turned over and tapped the spot in front of him and ordered again “Come here.” Nanasae walked over to sit on Rin’s bed. Rin commanded “Put your back to me.”

When Nanasae did as he was told, he felt a strong pair of arms gently wrap around him and a faint breath on the nape of his neck. Even though his heart rate wasn’t slowing down nearly fast enough, he found paying attention to the rate at which Rin’s heart rate and breathing were slowing down to be quite comforting.

Whenever he thought Rin was finally asleep, he felt a gentle grip on his hand. Rin whispered in Nanasae’s ear “You will qualify for the U20 World Cup because you’re MY property.” Nanasae couldn’t help but to smile and thank Rin. Luckily for Nanase, that one bit of encouragement was just enough to calm his nerves enough to sleep.

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—- —- 2) When he has to play on the same team as his brother —- —-

The hatred for the concept of Buratsuda 3 was one of the few things the whole U20 team could agree on. However, that hatred did not apply to the idea of playing on a team with Sae Itoshi. Having another strategist and all rounder midfielder was something that was seen as a net positive for the team. At least that was the majority sentiment.

Rin detested the idea that he would ever have to play on the same team as his brother ever again. He even went as far as to tell Ego not to play him in the Spain game. Ego said “Rin, I will accept your choice to not play in the Spain game under one condition. You will not be touching the pitch for the whole two days I have allotted for Sae formations.” Rin agreed “deal”

The first day was surprisingly productive for Rin. As soon as his anger about the mere sight of his brother somewhat settled down, he found viewing his team from an outsider's perspective quite useful. Ego fed into this by asking him questions like “What should I tell him about the play that he made?” and “What would you have done differently in his shoes?”

The second day, however, was a different story. It was Isagi teams day. Seeing Isagi not just effortlessly adapting to Sae’s play style but challenging him, made Rin go mad. Isagi ordered Sae “Stop silently staring into our souls and tell us what’s on your mind.” Sae replied “If I did that we’d be here all day. If you insist I’ll give you my thoughts on this play.” Sae then proceeded to thoroughly dig into all 22 players on that pitch for 10 minutes before Ego cut him off “This is not the time for long lectures. It’s time for soccer. We don’t have all day.”

Something about Isagi getting his brother mildly fired up was the last straw. Rin turned to Ego with all encompassing determination in his eyes and demanded “Put me on that pitch right now.” Ego responded “If I put you on that pitch you’re going to be playing against Spain.” Rin insisted “If that’s what it takes then I’ll crush Spain with my own two hands.” Ego replied “That’s what I thought you would say.”

At lunch that day, Chigiri got a notification from his phone reading “delayed start tomorrow at noon”. Chigiri took a long dramatic sigh and said to Isagi, Bachira and Reo “We have a noon delayed start tomorrow.” Bachira responded “Yay!” Chigiri clarified “That means we’re probably gonna play into the wee hours of the night.” Bachira responded “Yay! Hopefully we get to play outside.”

Reo said “Honestly I’d like a morning off.” Chigiri responded “I would too but I don’t think my knee will like playing too many hours in the same day.” Bachira responded “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” Nanasae walked up to the table as Isagi wore a maniacal smile and commented “So he finally broke.” Nanasae jumped slightly and let out a slight “eek” before quickly stabilizing his lunch tray. Nanase said “Ya gotta stop sayin’ creepy stuff like dat when I approach da table wit food.”

Isagi apologized “I’m sorry I wasn’t trying to scare you. I just get in my head sometimes.” Chigiri asked “What do you mean he finally broke?” Isagi responded “I’m pretty sure Rin finally got tired of sitting on the sidelines and is finally gonna play with his brother.” Reo added “That would explain why practice today is getting extended. I had a theory that the reason why Ego allotted only 2 days for Spain training is because Sae could only fit 2 days into his schedule to play with us. This further proves my theory.”

Isagi’s theory was quickly proven true whenever Rin was center forward in the afternoon formation. Isagi teased Rin from the other side of the pitch “Welcome back, Genius.” Rin scoffed at him and ordered “Shut up wannabe demon king. If I were you I’d be preparing to get your ass beat.” Isagi replied “In your dreams.”

The chemistry between Sae and Rin was just as predicted, extraordinary in the most dysfunctional way possible. Sae took Isagi’s and Ego’s advice in the most toxic way possible, by giving some pointers to his other teammates and opponents while absolutely tearing into every single play Rin made.

After Nanase assisted Rin with a goal he celebrated with a small “Yay” and a small pull down of his fist. Before Nanase could congratulate Rin with his goal, Sae scolded “Number 17 (Nanasae’s number) you need to stop relying so much on making eye contact with Rin whenever linking up with him. Skilled defenders can pick up on that. Try to instinctively follow him so you can limit your eye contact.” Nanasae nodded and thanked Sae “Thank ya fa tellin’ me. I’ll work on it...”

Before Nanasae even finished Sae had glared at Rin and rhetorically asked “Now you, where do I begin?” Rin snarkily replied “calling me by my name is a good start.” Sae ignored him and continued his lecture “Your defense was extremely sloppy. It was too hyper focused on Isagi that you didn’t notice the opportunity that I had to utilize to gain possession. Your positioning wasn’t terrible if the blue haired one was the midfielder but the pass you made me give to you was an insult to my talent as a midfielder. Don’t get me started with that shot. It was way too risky and it was just an excuse to prove yourself in front of me.”

Rin responded with a nonchalant “Kay.” However, it was obvious Rin was anything but nonchalant. Getting torn into bits after every single play was hard enough for any player to handle but especially when that brutal criticism came from the family member that the player claimed to hate.

After a couple of plays Aiku asked Ego “Sae is going too far don’t you think?” Ego responded “Probably, but this is what Rin needs to grow. He’s a very extrinsically motivated player. Everything he does traces back to what his brother thinks or what he thinks brother thinks. Even his goal of beating Isagi is tied to that goal because he sees Isagi as a benchmark to beating his brother due to Sae’s newfound interest in Isagi.” Aiku responded “I see. I’ll try to stay out of it then.”

Almost everyone didn’t stop playing practice matches until 10:30 PM. Chigiri and Yukimiya were the only two players that got out of the last formation because Ego didn’t want to risk putting too much strain on their previous conditions. Bachira asked everybody “You all want to tell ghost stories and play games on the outdoor field.” Shidou responded “Fuck yeah! I’m game! Sae you should join us!” Sae coldly responded “I’d rather kill myself and I have an 8 AM flight to Madrid tomorrow.”

Isagi replied “That sounds super fun, but I don’t have any ghost stories.” Karasu assured him “Don’t worry I have enough to go around.” Chigiri responded “I’d love to but because I missed night practice, I don’t get the delayed start.” Reo wished “Good night Chigiri. I’ll make sure to come in quietly to not wake you.” Chigiri thanked Reo.

Nanase asked Rin “Is it ok if I go hang out wit dem a bit?” Rin answered “Do whatever you want.” Nanasae said “I just wanted ta make sure ‘cause I didn’t wanna wake ya…and…” Rin cut him off “I’m fine. It’s not the job of property to care for his master.” Nanasae smiled and replied “Ok lemme know if there’s anythin’ I can do fa ya.” Rin looked away with a slight blush and responded “kay.”

Nanase only made it to about 12:30 till his body was too tired to continue. He crept in only to notice that the lamp light was on and Rin was still awake. “I’m back” Nanasae announced as he awkwardly shifted back to his normal posture. Rin commanded “come here.” Nanasae complied with the order and asked “Are ya ok Rin? I’ve neva seen ya up dis late.” Rin ordered “Shut up.”

The difference between his current situation and the night before the U20 game was like night and day. Rin gripped Nanase with so much force that Nanase almost cried from the pain. Rin’s heart rate and breaths took what seemed like forever to slow down. Rin’s grip took even longer to fully loosen. It was truly a miracle Nanasae was able to get any sleep that night.

Beep

Beep!

BEEP!

The sound of Nanasae’s alarm rang through the room as Nanasae slowly mustered up the energy to turn off the alarm. He laid in bed for a bit longer until Rin ordered “Get up you Bumpkin. You’re going to be late for practice.” That was the push Nanasae needed to sit up. After a couple minutes of dissociating and a couple of glares from Rin, he finally started to get ready.

Whenever he took off his shirt, he realized the true extent of how badly Rin had squeezed him last night. He was covered in multiple long bruises. Nanasae was not the only one to notice. Rin ordered in a more stern voice than usual “What the hell happened?” Nanasae immediately averted Rin’s gaze and shyly admitted “Well ya see…last night…” Rin cut him off “spit it out already.” Nanasae continued “ya kinda squeezed me a little ta hard.”

Rin asked “Why didn’t you say anything?” Nanasae responded “Cause ya told me not ta say anythin.” Rin sighed and defended himself then ordered “That’s not what I meant when I said that. Come here.” Whenever Nanasae complied, Rin pulled up his shirt and told him “Let me look at it.” Nanasae blushed a bit and responded “ok”

Rin stared for quite a long time until he started to run his fingers along Nanasae’s bare chest. Rin ordered “Tell me when it hurts.” Nanasae responded “Got it.” At first Nanase felt a little bit ticklish and nervous but things slowly started to change. He started to notice how smooth Rin’s fingers were gliding across his skin and how warm his breath felt against his chest.

Nanase slowly covered his face with his shirt as his thoughts started to places it had never been around any one let alone Rin. He thought ‘Why does this kinda feel good ‘n why am I startin’ ta feel so…hot inside.” Whenever Rin started to press with more force, he had to bite his lip because he knew the noises that would come out of his mouth wouldn’t come from pain.

After what felt like a confusing horny eternity, Rin finally stopped and commented “You didn’t say anything,” Nanasae responded “It hurt a bit but it wasn’t too bad.” Rin said “If you say so. Just be careful about questions you might get in the locker rooms.” Rin’s tone turned threatening as continued “What happens in this room stays in this room. Got it.” Nanasae immediately replied “Of course. I won’t tell a soul. I’ll say I was tryin’ some new things in solo practice.”

After the bruising incident Nanasae and Rin didn’t do anything that would be considered beyond platonic. That was until after the U20 World Cup where they both ended up playing on the same pro team and living in the same apartment…

Chapter Text

It felt like one minute Rin was playing a pre-season practice game and the next minute he had been running his fingers through the hair of his roommate as he was crying into his chest. After 10 minutes of silently comforting his roommate he asked a question he’d asked Nanase once before.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Realization after realization hit Rin like a tidal wave. Every little sign his roommate hadn’t been himself had come flooding back to him. Before Nanase could answer the question Rin admitted “You did but I didn’t notice.” Nanase smiled for the first time in a long time and responded “I know ya aren’t da type of master to abandon his property after they get a couple of bruises. So what are ya gonna do now?”

— Flashback—

The Blue Lock players only got a short break between the end of the U20 World Cup and when they were thrusted into the world of professional soccer. By some miracle (me ignoring cannon) Nanase and Rin were on the same team. Nanase arrived 4 days early with Karasu and Shidou so their PXG friends could show them around the city and help them move into their new player apartments.

Every new nonParisian new player was highly encouraged to share an apartment with another nonParisian new player in the same apartment complex. The goal was to make sure they found community in Paris so would be less likely to leave due to homesickness. Zantetsu decided to play for Manshine City which meant that Karasu, Shidou, Rin and Nanase were the only ones going to the apartment complex.

Karasu said “I would love ta live with ya Nanase but one of us should live wit Rin and da other should live with Shidou. I don’t wanna ta subject anyone else ta da hell dat is livin wit dem.” Nanase responded “Livin wit Rin isn’t dat bad. Honestly I’d rather live wit him dan live wit someone as unpredictable ‘n messy as Shidou” Karasu responded “I’ll live wit Shidou. He’s a bit much but it seems more fun den livin with Rin.”

Nanase was walking back to the apartment complex around 10 PM on the official move in day when Karasu asked “Ya ready fa Rin to move in?” Nanase answered “I’m startin’ ta think he’s gonna live alone and I’m gonna get da place ta myself. He hasn’t me if/when he’s movin in.” Karasu responded “Oof. If ya get a place alone I’ll make sure to crash at yer place sometimes so ya don’t get too lonely.” Nanase thanked him as he left the elevator.

Nanase entered his place and noticed it looked the same as he left it 5 hours ago. It was only when he took off his shoes that he noticed an unfamiliar pair of shoes. Nanase went to Rin’s door and knocked on it. The door immediately flew open. Before he could apologize, he noticed Rin was dead asleep in a bare bones room with an unpacked suitcase. Nanase thought ‘this is going to be an interesting year.’

— Signs Rin should’ve noticed Nanase wasn’t himself —

1) He was rapidly falling behind in practice

Nanase knew things were going to be different in Paris but he was still pretty confident in his abilities. He knew he wasn’t the best player and it would take him 10 times the work to get the results he needed to survive but he also believed that if he could survive a soccer cult he could survive anything. In some aspects he was correct. He actually found the drills and workouts slightly easier than in Blue Lock.

However, playing on the pitch was a completely different story. He somehow had to stand out and blend in at the same time with an already established team. To make things worse by the first week they separated him from Rin claiming ‘he was too reliant on Rin’. Which wasn’t entirely false but destroyed the majority of the specialization work he did during the NEL and U20 World Cup.

“Tweeeeeeeeeeeeet!” The whistle blew.

Nanase knew what was going to happen before the coach even opened his mouth. “Nanase out! Jean in!” His coach yelled. Nanase ran off the field and got some water. After Nanase finished his water, he sat by the coach. “You know why I subbed you out Nanasae?” His coach asked. Nanase replied “cause my passes were wit Shidou are still sloppy and I let Rin get past me again.” His coach said “Pretty much. You’re an Olympic level player and I expect you to play like one.” Nanase responded “Yes sir.”

2) He was always tired

“Where’s dinner? This is the third time in the past two weeks it hasn’t been ready by 9!” Rin yelled from across the apartment. Rin and Nanase got into a system where they would alternate cooking dinner every couple of days so they could maintain their diets without having to spend too much time and energy cooking. Nanase yelled back “Sorry Rin I fell asleep! I’ll go start dinner. I’m makin somethin’ quick so it should be ready in 30 minutes.”

At dinner, Rin brought up “You need to stop napping after practice. It’ll mess up your sleeping schedule and makes dinner late.” Nanase responded “I know it’s just I feel like I don’t have da energy to do anythin’ even keep my eyes open.” Rin didn’t press further and they continued to eat in silence like they always did.

3) He stopped hanging out with friends in the weekends

At the beginning of season Nanase was out almost every weekend with Karasu, Charles, Shidou and some of his other NEL friends until he just wasn’t. The first couple of weekends Rin didn’t say anything or think much of it. That was until he realized how much he missed the alone time he got from Nanase being gone.

“Why are you here?” Rin asked Friday evening. Nanase looked confused and answered “Cause I live here?” Rin clarified “You used to be gone for a lot of the weekend when we first moved to Paris.” Nanase responded “I’ve jus been really tired.”

The next weekend, Rin asked again “Why are you here?” Nanase responded “Cause I don’t have da energy ta deal wit a lotta people tonight. Why are ya wonderin?” Rin admitted “I like a little alone time and I got used to you being gone on Friday nights.”

Nanase suggested “Next weekend I am gonna be out Saturday night wit Hiori and Isagi cause they’re staying in town fa an extra day afta our practice game. If ya want a long term solution we can set a time where I leave da place for somethin like errands.” Rin replied “sure.” They then talked about times that would work until eventually deciding on Saturday afternoon from 2-4.

4) He stopped asking Rin to hang out

At first Nanase asked Rin to do everything with him. “Rin do ya wanna go to this cafe wit me?” Nanase asked. Rin responded “No. Go yourself.” Nanase later asked “Rin wanna go explore da city wit Karasu n’ I.” Rin again responded “No. Go yourself.”

After the second week Nanase stopped asking him to do fun things and only asked him to do things that were necessary. “Rin can ya come wit me ta help me wit some paperwork?” Nanase asked. Rin replied “You need to learn French by yourself and not rely on me.” Nanase defended himself “I have been tryin’ but it’s been hard ta find study time because of how hard practice has been.” Rin responded “How is this my problem?”

Nanase looked visibly frustrated for a second but then his face changed to disappointed. Nanase confessed “I just need some help and I hoped I could rely on ya for it. I’ll go talk to Shidou and Karasu and see how they are dealin’ wit French bureaucracy." Rin let out a quiet “I-” as Nanase stormed out of the apartment.

Rin or Nanase never apologized or even talked about it again. Like all of Nanasae’s other problems it just went ignored.

5) He stopped talking

At the beginning of the second half of their practice match against Bastard Munchen, the whistle blew. Nanase looked up to see he was getting subbed out again. All the hopes that he had been improving were completely crushed. Whenever he rushed off the field he heard the words the coach was saying but he couldn’t focus on what he was saying. He was too busy using every ounce of his remaining strength to not cry on the spot.

He felt hopeless in a way he didn’t know if he’d felt before.

The hard work that let him barely survive Blue Lock had finally failed him. The plan of ‘just work harder’ failed when Nanase couldn’t revolve his life around soccer like he could in Blue Lock. He had language barriers and cultural barriers on top of learning how to adult before even turning 18. The worst part was he felt like his support system wasn’t there for him in the way he needed it to be.

He was physically there for the end of the game but he was completely checked out. He didn’t run to his teammates to congratulate them like he normally did after games. He didn’t run off to see his good friends on Bastard after the team huddle. He just turned to Rin and said in a soulless tone.

“Let’s go.”

At first he gave Nanase his space. He didn’t expect Nanase to come out when he finished dinner so he knocked on the door and said “Dinner’s in the fridge when you’re ready.” A couple hours after dinner he felt the urge to check the fridge to find dinner untouched. An hour later he checked again to find the same results. After the third time the urge got so bad that he went to check Nanasae’s room again.

“Bumpkin, are you awake?” Rin asked as he knocked the door. Nanase faintly replied “Yeah.” Rin asked “Can I come in?” Nanase responded “Why?” Rin said “You haven’t eaten dinner.” Nanase explained “I’m not hungry.” Rin walked a couple steps away until a gut feeling told him that Nanase was lying. Rin walked up to the door saying “I don’t believe you. I’m coming in”

Before Nanase could protest, Rin had already entered his room. The second Rin entered his room he knew something was wrong. Nanase’s room was a mess and his bed was full of tissues. Whenever Nanase tried to avoid eye contact, Rin noticed his face looked like he’d been crying. Rin walked to his bed and sat down.

“What’s going on? Don’t even try to tell me nothing’s wrong because I’m not leaving till I have an answer.” Rin demanded. Nanase didn’t even try to hide anything. He immediately pulled Rin into a hug and started crying his eyes out. At first his cries were silent, but as soon as Rin laid down and pulled him to his chest, Nanase couldn’t hold back.

—- Back to Present —

Rin turned red as a cherry as he uttered the 2 words that he almost never let himself say.

“I’m sorry.”

Nanase teased “Fa what.” Rin turned his head to avoid eye contact and replied “For not noticing that something was off.” Nanase continued to tease “and”. Rin continued “for ignoring you.” Nanase repeated “and” Rin continued “for not helping you with shit I had the time and skills to help you with.” Nanase smiled and responded “I forgive ya. I know this change has probably been hard on ya too.”

After a bit of silence, Rin suggested “I can help you with French and English sometime if you would like.” Nanase teased “and do fun things wit me sometimes.” Rin responded “That’s pushing it.” There was another long pause until Rin continued “Fine, we can study in a cafe.” Nanase teased again “and.” Rin blushed again “I’ll go try a new restaurant with you once a week so we don’t have to cook as much.”

“We gotta deal.” Nanase responded as his stomach growled. He let out a slight giggle and continued “Ya made enough dinner fa me, right?” Rin stood up and replied “Of course. If you’re just going to eat dinner I’m going to go back to my room. Let me know if you need anything.” Nanase smiled “I’m good, thanks” he paused for a second before blushing and continuing “well actually I wouldn’t mind cuddlin’ ya again.” Rin responded “Fine. Just for tonight.”

Bonus:

Nanase walked into Monday morning practice with an enthusiasm he hadn’t had in weeks. He knew spending time with his best friends on the U20 team (Isagi and Hiori) was going to help him feel a lot better. However, what helped him the most was something he didn’t expect. He didn’t think opening up to Rin would result in him offering to help.

When he ran into his coach, he greeted him “Hey coach.” His coach responded “Hey Nanase, you were exactly who I was looking for. Do you have a minute?” Nanase looked a little surprised before responding “Sure.” They then went to a spot away from everyone else. His coach said “I wanted to talk about yesterday. Can I ask you a question.” Nanase looked a little worried and replied “ask away.”

His coach asked “Do you know why you were recruited for PXG?” Nanase admitted “I thought it was ‘cause my synergy wit Rin but afta ya seprated us I don’t know.” His coach explained “Because players like you are hard to come by. The level of improvement you showed in the short time from the beginning to the end of the NEL was something most players take their whole career to achieve. I’m hard on you not because I don’t think you can make it but because I know you can.”

Nanase looked completely shocked. He gave a flustered response “Thank ya coach, really it means a lot. Honestly I haven’t been at my best recently. Getting adjusted ta PXG and Paris in general has really taken a lot outta me.” He pause for a second and smiled before continuing “However, for the first time a while, I see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Chapter Text

“Say it again.” Rin ordered in English as Nanase took a sip from his barely touched tea. “I was sleeping when Rin woke me up to study” Nanase said in English. Rin commented in English “You finally got the structure of the past continuous tense but your accent is still really strong. The L in sleeping shouldn’t sound the same as the R in Rin.” Nanase nodded and responded in English “got it.”

Like most of their hour long study sessions, they studied for almost 2 hours. When they exited the coffee shop Nanase asked “Ya have any plans fa da rest of da day?” Rin responded “You aren’t gonna learn English or French if you don’t speak them.?” After Nanase repeated the question in English, Rin responded in English “I plan to go home to watch film in preparation for season or study French.” Nanase replied in English “You have time to spend with me.”

Rin asserted in English “Did you not hear me?” Nanase nodded and responded “I know what you said. You can study and watch film later. You do not know Paris. You stay inside all the time. I want to enjoy our last weekend before season.” Rin responded in English “I am content being a homebody thank you very much.” Nanase said in English “I am going to talk in English. It is now an English lesson. Come on, Rin.”

Nanase grabbed Rin’s hand before he could refuse. Rin stumbled slightly not expecting Nanase to be comfortable with him enough to touch him. Nanase started rambling on about what he had planned for the rest of the day as Rin tuned out the majority of what he said.

Nanase asked “What do you want to do?” Rin responded “I want to go home but since that’s not an option. I’ll do what you want to do. Just don’t do anything too touristy.” Nanase admitted “I don’t know what ‘touristy’ means. I think you have not been to the Eiffel Tower. You avoid things like that.” Rin took a long sigh and accepted his fate. Nanase wasn’t wrong, Rin hadn’t actually seen the Eiffel Tower.

When they arrived at the Eiffel Tower, Nanase said “Isn’t this cool.” Rin responded, “It is just a tall tower.” Nanase replied, “A tall tower we can see the city.” Rin corrected his English “A tall tower that we can see the city from the top of.” Nanase asserted “You want to see the top of the tower.” Rin sighed and replied “Are you really bad at English or just ignoring me?” Nanase smiled and replied “both.” Rin ended up letting Nanase drag him to the top of the tower.

After they finished going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, Rin asked “Are we going home?” Nanase replied “No. We are going to the Notre Dame Cathedral.” Rin followed up “Why do you want to go there? Neither of us are Catholic.” Nanase responded, “It is pretty.” Rin accepted his fate and let Nanase drag him to the train station. When they got into the Cathedral Nanase asked “Isn’t this pretty?” Rin replied “Yeah it’s kinda pretty but there are too many people.” Nanase asserted “If you don’t want too many people, then I will take you to the Luxembourg garden.”

Rin had actually been to the Luxembourg garden a couple times but didn’t tell Nanase that. He used it a couple of times as a nice place for a run when he needed a change of scenery. When they arrived Nanase immediately started talking his ear off about the park and random life stories “…and then a pigeon attacked me. I don’t know why. I did not have food.” Rin tried to pay attention to correct his English, but quickly tuned him out.

However, Rin wouldn’t describe his presence as purely annoying. It was a nice background noise for tuning out his worries for the season and enjoying the scenery. When Nanase took a break in talking, they both overheard a conversation. The woman said “I can’t wait for football season. I have a feeling PXG is going to win the Euros.” The man said “You say that every year and they always get beaten by Bastard or Re Al.”

The woman said “I know but this year will be different. They got a couple players from the team that won the U20 World Cup. Apparently a couple of the strikers are close to as good as Loki.” The man said “That’s good. Not gonna lie Loki and Charles were low key carrying the PXG offense last season.” Nanase turned to Rin and asked “Aren’t you excited for season? I’m so excited to be in a stadium full of fans again.” Rin responded in typical Rin fashion “I’m here to beat Sae Itoshi. Nothing else matters.” Nanase replied “Of course you would say that.”

They walked in silence until Nanase softly said “I hope I play this season.” Rin assured him “You will.” Nanase was caught off guard not expecting Rin to pay attention to anything he was saying.” Nanase replied “Really ya think so?” Rin continued “You may be shit at soccer but you work harder than every player on that team. If you keep up your pace, I bet you can play a couple minutes by the end of the season.”

Nanase smiled and genuinely thanked him “Thank you so much for believing in me. I will train harder.” Rin remarked, “I assume you want me to do all the cooking this week, again.” Nanase awkwardly smiled and replied “I would like that.” Rin rolled his eyes and responded “Ugh fine I will.” Rin didn’t actually mind cooking. He found that it was quite relaxing and got his mind off of soccer.

After their walk, they got dinner at this place by the River Seine. Nanase asked, “Do you like the food?” Rin responded “it was ok.” Rin was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was, especially since he was a super picky eater when it came to western food. After they paid, Nanase asked “Before we go home, can we walk on the river?” Rin responded “We can walk by the river.”

They walked a couple blocks until they found a good place to look at the river. Nanase said “Hey Rin.” Rin responded “Yeah” Nanase gave a bright smile and continued “Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun.”

Rin was speechless.

The way Nanase smiled made him feel like he was staring directly into the sun. So pure and bright that it almost blinded him. The warmth of his smile caused Rin’s cold heart to warm up slightly.

Rin couldn’t help but to smile slightly and enjoy the moment.

Chapter Text

Nanase had better adjusted to his new life just in time for another major change, soccer season. It was exhausting on so many levels due to the constant travel, more intense practices and less personal time. However, it was fulfilling on so many other levels. He got to see his Blue Lock friends and see the results of all his hard work. He was only playing for about 5-10 minutes every other game but in those 5-10 minutes he was proving his worth more and more.

“I’m getting so hard at the thought of seeing my beloved Sae!!!” Shidou exclaimed on the train to Madrid. Rin remarked “Absolutely disgusting. I hope he files a restraining order against you.” Karasu commented “I wish I had the level of delusion you have.” Shidou responded “He is head over heels for me. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

Nanase suggested “I think he would be more head over heels fa ya if ya didn’t make such vulgar comments bout him.” Shidou assured him “Nah that’s the reason he’s in love with me.” Rin ordered “Shut the fuck up lukewarms.” Nanase thought to himself ‘I hope playing against Madrid doesn’t get Rin too worked up.’

Rin did get ‘too worked up’. He was in destroyer mode for about half of each half. During the first half it really messed up the PXG formation due to lack of experience with destroyer mode and having a Loki centered formation in play (The only time Rin went into destroyer mode was for 5 minutes during the preseason practice game against Bastard Munchen). By the time the second half came, the formation was catered towards destroyer mode Rin. Rin was able to score 2 goals that half which was the first time he scored multiple goals during a half (Loki was the only player who had done that this season).

Final score: 4-3

Winner: Re Al Madrid

Nanase felt great about how he played that game because he stayed on the field for an entire half without being subbed off. Rin’s mental state, however, was not great.

In the PXG locker room…

“I swear to God I want to strangle that rat tailed cunt (Kaiser)” Shidou exclaimed. Charles added “I know, we were so close to winning but he just had to score in the 2 minutes.” Loki remarked “I’m more surprised about how well you two were able adapt to Rin in the second half. You two thrive in chaos but that was a different level of chaos. It even took me a bit to adapt.” Charles responded “It wasn’t as chaotic as I’m used to but the new flavor of chaos was so fun to play with. I wanna play Madrid again!” Shidou added “Of course I adapted well. I gotta play well with my future brother in law.”

Rin spoke up in a deadpan tone “Don’t give yourselves a pity party.” Rin removed his head from his hands to reveal a face consumed by pure hatred. He continued in a tone drenched in venom.

“It was not enough to win.”

Once again Rin was consumed in self hated disguised as hatred for his brother.

An air of silence covered the room like a blanket. That was until Shidou being Shidou couldn’t let any form of silence last. “Chill out Bro. I’m mad we lost too but we did just alter our entire play style on the fly because of someone” he fake coughed “you” he fake coughed “so let us celebrate that accomplishment.” He smirked and continued “You’re lucky I worked with you and didn’t just curb stomp you on the pitch for not giving the ball in my golden zone for an entire half.”

Rin stood up and yelled “Shut up you psychotic whore before I strangle you!” Shidou egged him on further “Do you always threaten people when you have no good response to their argument. If you wanna go I’ll gladly kill you right here right now.” Before Rin could throw the first punch Loki restrained him and scolded them “Stop you two. You aren’t children anymore so stop acting like it.”

Rin calmed down enough for Loki to let go of him. Rin immediately grabbed his stuff and stated “I’m leaving.” He left the room with a new blanket of silence so heavy that even Shidou didn’t speak up again.

Nanase walked out with Charles, Karasu and a new member of PXG. The new member commented “Um so that happened…I knew they didn’t like each other but I didn’t think it would escalate that far.” Charles added “I thought the couples therapist Loki requested back in Blue Lock would be able to stop their fighting for good.” Karasu responded “Honestly, I didn’t think dey would make it dis far in da season without gettin’ inta a fist fight.”

The new member asked “Have they gotten into fist fights before?” Karasu replied “Oh yeah, Shidou was at one point put in a straight jacket due to a particularly bad fist fight. Dat was one of da reasons Shidou was temporarily ousted from da Blue Lock facility ‘n played wit Sae fa a bit. It was nothin short of a miracle dat they played on da same team during the last game of da NEL, on da Japan U20 team n’ now on PXG.” The new member responded “Wow, there’s so much I don’t know about you Blue Lock players.”

Nanase spoke up in a solem tone “I don’t think I can explore Madrid wit y’all tonight. I think I need ta be wit Rin tonight.” Karasu replied “That’s totally fine. I respect yer decision. Howeva, I personally think dis is Rin’s problem n’ ya shouldn’t force ya self ta deal wit his problems. Especially since I know ya were really excited ta be in Spain fa da first time. If I rememba correctly he was part of da reason ya came inta my place cryin bout how much trouble ya were havin wit French beurocracy n’ Fance in general.”

Nanase took a second to consider what Karasu said, however, his decision didn’t falter. Nanase confidently replied “I’m not gonna lie to ya dere was a moment when we first moved here dat he was a big jerk, but he’s really been dere fa me recently…well actually he’s been dere fa me since Blue Lock. He just has a weird way of showin his appreciation sometimes. He’s da reason why I’ve been startin ta not need my Mikage earbud as much, why I can stay so late afta practice” he paused and teared up slightly “n’ why I’m as happy as I am right now. Thanks fa ya care Karasu but I still want ta go see Rn.”

Karasu responded “If dat’s what ya truly want ta do dan go fa it. I’m here fa ya if ya need anythin.” Charles and the new player added “We are here too.” Nanase thanked them “Thank y’all so much. Really it means a lot. Lemme go see if I can catch up wit Rin.” Nanase waved goodbye as his friends were telling him “Bye, good luck”

“What are you doing here bumpkin?” Rin asked as Nanase entered their shared hotel room. Nanase set a plastic bag filled with takeout on the hotel room desk and responded “Makin’ sure yer ok ‘n eat dinner.” Rin ordered, “Leave, I can take care of myself.” Nanase sat at his desk and asked “Do ya really wanna be alone or are ya just scared of openin’ up?” Rin spat “shut up.” For the first time, Nanase ignored one of Rin’s orders and ate his food in silence. Rin proceeded to ignore his existence.

After over an hour of silence, Rin was the first to speak up. “Come here” he ordered. Nanase immediately stopped what he was doing and stood by his bed. Nanase asked “What do ya want?” Instead of answering his question Rin posed one of his own.

“Are you willing to do anything for me?”

Nanase was taken off guard by the question and stuttered out “w-where is d-dis c-comin’ from?” Rin clarified “How much can I hurt you before I lose you too.” Nanase noticed the pain in his voice when he said ‘too’ and assured Rin “I’m still yer property. Whatever you do I’ll take it…I care bout ya a lot, so please let me be dere fa ya.” Rin got up from his bed and stood towering over Nanase. Nanase gulped feeling a slight bit of fear expecting the worst. However, he was caught when Rin silently pulled him into his arms.

They stood like that for a couple minutes, until Rin asked him a question in an uncharacteristic slightly awkward tone, “Can I bite you?” Nanase turned red trying not to immediately assume a sexual connotation and nervously responded “umm…well…sure I guess…Can I ask why?” Rin bluntly answered “I want to destroy something but I don’t want to impair your ability to play.” Nanase let out a sigh of relief and responded “I’m fine wit dat. Just don’t bite in any place too visible cause I don’t think either of us want our teammates asking questions bout it.”

Rin nodded in understanding then ordered “Take off your shirt.” Nanase blushed slightly and said “ok” as he took off his shirt. He sat on the bed then turned away trying to hide his growing embarrassment flush from Rin. Rin ordered, “You better tell me if it hurts too much.” Nanase replied “I promise I will-”

Before he even finished his sentence, Rin’s teeth were lodged right below his left collar bone

and then above his pectoral

and then he moved right

and then right again

and then he was already under his left collar bone

and then, everything Nanase was repressing came flooding back to him.

He thought ‘Nanase come on get ya self together. Stop thinking bout dis like dat-’ a bite came temporarily interrupting his train of thought. He continued his train of thought ‘stop thinking bout him like dat-’ he was interrupted again by a particularly hard bite. He slightly winced and once again continued his train of thought ‘I can’t he’s my-’

His body betrayed him and let out a moan.

Rin immediately stopped and looked up to check on him. Nanase immediately averted his gaze in embarrassment. Rin asked “Am I being too rough?” Nanase gave an embarrassed reply “Uh no…no it’s just…no dat’s not da-” Rin cut him off and asked “Do you like it?” Nanase responded even more embarrassed “uh well-” Rin cut him off again and assured him “I don’t care if you enjoy it. Better you enjoy it than silently suffer like you did last time.”

Nanase admitted “I’m enjoyin’ it a lil bit.” Rin responded “ok then” before immediately taking a particularly strong bite out of his hip. Nanase immediately folded. All hopes of staying relatively quiet were off the table. Rin in turn held nothing back. He even drew some blood towards the end.

After Nanase came down from his high he knew there was no going back to the way things were…

Bonus:

“I’m done” Rin stated after his last bite. He immediately went to the bathroom to pull a bath for Nanase. He then went to grab some antiseptic from his soccer bag, before ordering Nanase to “apply antiseptic before taking a bath.” Nanase proceeded to thank Rin and take a bath while Rin ate dinner.

After his bath, he laid in Rin’s bed waiting for him to cuddle him again. This time Rin was gentle. He placed his arms in a spot away from any bruises and softly wrapped his arms around Nanase. No words needed to be said except soft “thank you” whispered into Nanase’s ear.

Chapter Text

Nothing had changed…

“Dinner’s ready!” Rin yelled from the kitchen. Nanase yelled “Comin!” before walking into the kitchen. He took a good look at the food before giving the same smile and compliment he always gave when Rin cooked dinner “Thank ya fa da food. It looks delicious as always.”

…but at the same time everything had changed.

Nanase’s mind had changed. He was crushing over Rin more than he’d like to admit ‘He looks so cute in ma apron. I’m so happy he makes me dinner durin’ da week. I just wanna give him a soft lil kiss on da cheek and tell him I love h- Nanase get ya shit togetha! Ya know ya shouldn’t date ya teammate especially when dey ya roommate.’

To say Nanase was going insane would be an understatement. If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t know how much more he could take.

“Hey Bumpkin, I decided your homework for this week. You're going to write me a letter in French and English.” Rin told Nanase. He responded “Dat works.” Ever since season started, it was impractical for them to study together every weekend so Nanase proposed that Rin give him homework.

Nanase decided this was the best opportunity to confess his feelings. Even if Rin didn’t accept his feelings, the letter would make him understand why Nanase fell in love with him and why he felt like he had to confess.

He wrote and rewrote the letter so many times that he was starting to lose more and more necessary rest. The breaking point came whenever he slept through his alarm and was almost late for practice.

“Wake up Bumpkin!” Rin yelled while shaking him. He jolted awake and asked “What time is it?” Rin answered the “30 minutes before practice”. Nanase jumped out of bed and started “Oh no. Oh no. Thank ya fa wakin’ me up Rin.” He somehow got ready in 10 minutes and had a protein bar on the train for breakfast. He arrived to practice with less than 30 seconds to spare.

The day before his letter was due Nanase promised himself ‘I’m gonna write da letta one more time ‘n if I can’t get it right I’m gonna write a completely different letter.’ He spent an hour and a half writing the letter on the kitchen counter, until he got a call from Rin. “Where are you? You were supposed to be here 5 minutes ago.” Rin asked.

Nanase frantically responded “Wait dat was today. I swore it was tomorrow. I’m headin’ over right now.” Nanase ran out the door as fast as he could. It was hard enough getting Rin to go to the movies once let alone twice, especially if he was late (He wanted to watch a movie with Rin next month as well).

After the movie that Nanase definitely didn’t cry during (he did), he decided he was going to write a different letter. He needed more time to make the decision to confess to Rin and felt like he didn’t have the language skills to properly convey his feelings in a language other than Japanese. He wrote a different letter to Rin role playing as his pen pal.

“I finished my assignment.” Nanase announced. “Wait really?” Rin responded. Nanase defended himself “Why would ya think I wasn’t goin’ ta do me homework.” Rin answered “You normally turn in your homework earlier in the day, so thought you were going to ask for an extension. That’s all.”

Towards the end of the season, he reached a breaking point. He broke his promise of confidentiality, when he made the impulsive decision to tell Hiori everything the second he got slightly tipsy. “Wow…just wow…I don’t know how ta react ta what ya just told me.” Hiori stated. Nanase apologized “Sorry if I made ya uncomfortable.”

Hiori clarified “Ya did nothin’ wrong. I’m just baffled at like every decision Rin made. How does someone think dat squeezin’ someone wit all deir might isn’t gonna hurt dem? Den thinks sliding deir fingers across bruises will do somethin’ fa dem. Also, how does someone think bitin’ deir teammate is da best solution fa losin’? Den decides ta continue bitin’ deir teammate afta he confessed to be inta it while seemingly actin’ like there’s nothin’ non platonic goin’ on?”

Nanase confessed “He does seem pretty insane when ya put it dat way.” After Hiori took a second to process everything, he suggested “If ya want ma honest advice I wouldn’t confess yet. If what ya have been tellin’ bout how ya have been playin’ dis season is ta be taken at face value, den ya holding’ on by a thread. Potentially sourin’ ya relationship wit a star playa on da team ain’t worth it.”

Hiori took a long sigh and continued “Dat’s the advice I wanna give but I know ya won’t listen ta me. I know if I was in ya shoes I wouldn’t take dat advice either. Ma more practical advice is if Rin ain’t going home fa all of off season, den ya should confess ta him in da period between da end of season and when ya have ta resign ya lease. Dat way if things go sour, ya got time ya fix it n’ if things still don’t work out at least ya’ll won’t have to live togetha.”

Nanase responded “Thank ya. Dat makes a lotta sense. Ya so good wit dis stuff.” Hiori sighed and responded “I have ta be cause some one gotta stop Isagi ‘n Kaiser from doin’ stupider shit dey doin’ now.” Nanase asked “What are dey doin’ now?” Hiori said “Oh, ummmm…I thought Isagi already told ya… Well, ya didn’t hear from me but, dey been on ‘n off hookin’ up since blue lock while also claimin’ dere’s no feelings involved.” Nanase responded “I don’t know too much bout dere dynamic but I even know dat’s a lie.” Hiori replied “Exactly.”

When the season ended, operation confess to Rin had officially commenced…

— Attempt 1: fancy dinner —

Nanase used the end of season as an excuse to get Rin to go out to eat at a fancy place with him. He was watching a YouTube video on how to tie a tie for the 12th time, when Rin busted into the room. “Hurry up, Bumpkin we’re going to be late for our reservation.” Rin ordered. Nanase defended himself “I’m almost done. I just need ta tie ma tie. I don’t want ya ta have ta tie ma tie foreva” Rin sighed and ordered “turn around and let me tie your tie. I’ll teach you how to tie your tie later.”

Nanase relented “ok fine.” He turned around to see the beautiful sight of Rin with his hair slicked back wearing a suit. His heart couldn’t help but to skip a beat even after seeing Rin in a suit plenty of times during season. Rin approached Nanase and tugged his collar. Nanase tuned his head away to hide his blush as Rin tied his tie. When Rin finished he announced “Done. Now let’s go.”

Nanase took them to a fancy sushi place. After they got their drinks Nanase asked “Are ya goin home durin’ break Rin?” Rin answered “Maybe for a couple days but probably not. I need to keep up my training if I hope to beat Re Al and Bastard next season.” Nanase replied “Yer always so diligent. I plan to keep up ma trainin’ too. Howeva, I’m gonna visit ma family fa 2 weeks cause I’m quite homesick.”

Rin assumed “You want me to book my trip when you’re out of town.” Nanase responded “If ya don’t mind.” Rin asked “When are you leaving?” Nanase replied “The day afta we resign our lease and I’ll return exactly two weeks lata.” Rin asked “Want me to fly with you there or fly back with you?” Nanase answered “Fly home cause I think ya will want some time away from me.”

Rin asked “Why do you think I would want that?” Nanase was about to reply ‘Cause I love ya ‘n I don’t know if dat will make ya uncomfortable or ruin our relationship’ but his mouth said very different words “Cause I know I tire ya out especially ‘n it’s off season so I’m gonna drag ya out ta more things.” Rin ordered “Listen to me closely because I’m only going to say this once.”

Nanase nodded as Rin continued “If I really didn’t want to do something I wouldn’t let you make me do it.” Nanase smiled and responded “Thank ya fa sayin’ dat. I sometimes get worried ya hate bein’ wit me.” Rin ordered “I don’t hate you so don’t ever think that again.” Nanase smiled and lied “I won’t.” He thought ‘Wait till I confess until sayin’ stuff like dat.’

— Attempt 2: walk in the park —

Ever since their English day, Nanase and Rin would always run or walk (depending on their moods and how close games were) together in Luxembourg Garden whenever they had time. Nanase asked “Wanna walk again dis time?” Rin responded “We had our walking day the day after season ended. We need to keep up our shape.” Nanase admitted “Yer right.” As they started their run Nanase thought ‘Dang it. I was hopin’ da casual but romantic environment of a run would give me da courage ta confess. Oh well Rin does have a point. I can’t stop trainin”

— Attempt 7: Rip off the band aid —

The first two weeks of off season flew by fast. It wasn’t as relaxing as Nanase thought it was going to be but he couldn’t complain too much when he got to train with Rin again. He also got some newfound free time which meant he could finally get Rin to watch his favorite show ‘Slam Dunk’. After their 6th episode of the day Nanase checked his phone to see the time. That’s when he looked at the date and realized he only had 3 days left.

Nanase thought ‘Dang it. I don’t have almost any time left. I could probably confess ta him sittin’ by da flowers when we take a break on our run or…’ he mentally slapped himself then continued his train of thought ‘Stop it Nanase! You don’t have time ta wait fa a big moment. You gotta do it now.’ Nanase turned towards Rin and told him with confidence “Don’t start da next episode just yet. I need ta tell ya something.”

Rin turned to face him and slightly teased him “oh really now.” Nanase nodded and assured him “Yes I do.” Rin asked “What do you want to tell me?” Nanase was about to respond when he noticed how focused on him Rin was. He was used to always being slightly ignored and pushed away so the newfound attention was jarring. Nanase thought ‘Why ya starin’ at me so intently, Rin? If ya keep dis up I’m gonna get cold feet’ Rin shifted his gaze away from Nanase’s eyes to an area Nanase couldn’t figure out. He continued thinking ‘…Wait where is he starin now? Is he even starin at me?’

Rin looked like he was about to say something then stopped. He suddenly relaxed his gaze and ordered Nanase “Come here. I’m tired of waiting.” Nanase moved close to Rin giving him a look of sheer confusion. Rin ordered again “Come closer.” Nanase moved closer as Rin did the same.

When they were centimeters apart he tried to ask Rin ‘What’s goin’ on?’ but only made it to “Wh-” till he got cut off by the impossible, Rin’s lips on his. He didn’t know why and was too distracted to think about anything other than the message Rin’s kiss was trying to tell him

‘I’m done waiting.’

Nanase kissed him back in a way that said

‘me too’

When they broke for air, Nanase finally had some mental clarity and stopped Rin from kissing him again. Still flustered from the kiss, Nanase was only able to muster a vague “why?” Rin answered “I don’t make a habit of snooping through your stuff but when you leave a letter addressed to me on the table, I assume it’s your homework and read it.” Nanase looked defeated and replied “I was so worried bout confessin’ ta ya before we resigned out lease, only ta find out ya already knew.”

Rin responded “Yeah pretty much.” Nanase slightly giggled at the absurdity of the situation. Rin blushed a little and asked “Can we kiss again, Nijiro?” Nanase turned red after hearing his first name come out of his mouth for the first time. Nanase mustered a quick “O-of course.” He paused for a second then smiled and slowed his speech back to a regular pace “Ya can even cuddle me tonight if ya want.”

Rin gave a faint smile and responded “I’ll take you up on that offer.” before kissing him again…and again…and again.