Chapter Text
Tunnel Before Kickoff
The stadium was alive hours before kickoff. Weeks before the match headlines scrolled worldwide, all of them having 3 names: Rin, Isagi, Kaiser.
No mention of Ness, Reo or anyone else. Because once again… It wasn’t about them. Kaiser. Isagi. Rin. Always Kaiser, Isagi and Rin.
Reo swallowed, his throat was suddenly dry. He glanced at the rows of fans in the front. They waved banners, giant flags with Kaiser’s crown logo by his fans and clown face by Rin and Isagi's fans. Rin and Isagi's fans had their names and faces painted in scarves, shirts, posters, etc.
Reo’s stomach twisted. It all made him feel small, like a child watching giants. It reminded him that he and Ness were still just background characters.
He clenched his fists, nails pressing into his palms.
He looked up, and for a moment, Ness was watching him. The quiet steadiness in his gaze was grounding, like an anchor in a storm. Reo exhaled and forced a grin.
But as he turned his gaze forward again, he caught sight of Kaiser glancing back at them. Just a flicker, but long enough for Reo to see the sharpness in his eyes and the irritation in the twist of his mouth.
The referee blew the whistle and the players began walking out.
Reo lifted his chin. Fine. If the world thinks this is only Kaiser vs. Isagi and Rin then I’ll prove them wrong.
Kaiser’s POV
Kaiser had been through countless camps with Ness before, but this one felt different. Wrong, somehow.
He’d known about the whole “Reo + Ness” thing from the media. He hadn’t care about all that garbage. Why would he? Ness had always been loyal. Always there. Always his.
Kaiser thought it would be like a dog seeing its owner again. Wagging his tail with eager eyes, running back without hesitation. He thought the second Ness saw him, that loyalty would snap back into place, like gravity pulling something small toward something larger.
But the last two days in camp… Ness hadn’t looked at him once.
Every time Kaiser caught sight of him, Ness was with Mikage Reo. Eating meals together. Stretching on the pitch together. Whispering and laughing like idiots on the sidelines.
Kaiser’s jaw tightened at the memory. He’d tell himself he didn’t care, that it was pathetic for Ness to waste his time with Reo, but then… why did it bother him? Why did it get under his skin, seeing Ness smile at someone else?
Even now, in the tunnel, Ness was looking at Reo, like they could talk with their eyes.
Kaiser’s smirk never slipped, but something twisted deep in his chest.
Why the hell did it matter? Ness was nothing more than a servant. A tool he’d used to set up his goals. That’s all.
So why was it so hard to look away?
Why did he want to walk over, grab Ness by the arm, and order him to not look Reo anymore.
Ness continued looking at Reo and then they smiled at each other. Kaiser felt his guts twisting with anger.
Why did it matter? Why was he watching the way Ness’s eyes softened when he looked at Reo? Why couldn’t he tear his attention away??
Kaiser didn’t know the answer. Didn’t want to know.
All he knew was this: when the whistle blew, he’d remind Ness and Reo where they belonged.
Even if he didn’t understand why it mattered so damn much.
Reo's pov
He sent a sharp pass slicing through Germany’s midfield. Rin caught it cleanly and spun around a defender. The Japanese side surged forward, fans screaming with anticipation.
But then a shoulder slammed into Reo’s chest hard.
Reo almost lost his balance. The ball was twenty meters away, nowhere near him. When he turned, Kaiser was there, smiling like a wolf.
“Careful, Mikage,” Kaiser purred. “You might hurt yourself.
Reo’s blood boiled. “The ball isn’t even here.”
Kaiser didn't answer and jogged past him.
In the 35th minute, Reo sprinted wide, dragging a defender with him to open space for Isagi.
And then he got shoved again. Kaiser slammed into him from the blindside, sending him sprawling across the grass.
Reo spat dirt, fury igniting in his chest. He glared at Kaiser.
“What the hell is your problem?” he hissed.
Kaiser shrugged, smirking,.
“I don't know what you're talking about."
Reo's jaw clenched. It wasn’t an accident. Kaiser was hunting him.
Second Half - Ness’s POV
Ness wiped sweat from his forehead as the second half dragged on. His chest burned, his legs ached, but none of it compared to the tension coiled in his stomach.
Because Kaiser wasn’t passing to him. Not once.
Every time Ness drifted into space and raised his hand, Kaiser either ignored him or chose another option. Sometimes he forced a selfish shot from twenty-five meters out. Sometimes he dumped the ball to a less open teammate. But never to Ness. It was maddening.
Ness knew how the politics of the game worked. He wasn’t naive. Kaiser was the star that team was built around, like planets around the sun, and If Ness didn’t orbit him, then he’d be benched..
And yet, Kaiser wasn’t giving him the chance.
By the 60th minute, Ness felt like he was being erased. Running invisible. Playing his heart out only to be cut off at every turn.
He forced himself to keep calm and keep running, but his jaw clenched tighter each time Kaiser’s eyes flicked over him and dismissed him.
What the hell are you doing, Kaiser?
Reo’s POV
Reo saw it coming before it happened. Kaiser had been stalking him all game, fouling him even when the ball was nowhere near. It was only a matter of time before he tried again.
So when he felt Kaiser closing, Reo braced himself.
Kaiser’s shoulder clipped him, not even the hardest hit of the match. But Reo let out a scream like he was dying.
“AAAGHHHHHHHH!”
He threw himself sideways, clutching his shin with both hands, and tumbled. Once. Twice. Three times. He kept going, roaring as he rolled across the grass, thirty whole meters, until he ended up near the sideline, writhing like a bug crushed by a slipper.
The referee blew her whistle and gave a yellow card to Kaiser.
Ness watched in amusement. It seemed like Reo wasn't lying about watching Neymar highlights.
Reo was still groaning dramatically on the turf, clutching his leg like his career was over. The trainers jogged out, only for Reo to wave them off with a martyr’s sigh, sitting up slowly like a man resurrected.
When Reo finally stood, brushing grass off his shorts, he caught Ness’s eye. There was a glint there, and a sly little grin that screamed told you so.
Kaiser’s blood boiled. A yellow card because of that clown screaming and rolling like he’d been shot..
Fine. Let Mikage have his little performance. Let him bask in his cheap drama.
Ness’s POV
The next chance came in the 74 minute. The ball was at Kaiser’s feet, and Ness sprinted into a pocket of space that was wide open and at the perfect angle.
“Kaiser!” he shouted, raising a hand.
Kaiser glanced at him, smirked, and fired a wild shot straight into Japan’s defender. The ball ricocheted back into midfield, killing the attack.
Ness froze. For a split second, frustration surged so hard he almost screamed. Kaiser just jogged back, grinning like nothing had happened.
The crowd didn’t notice. To them, it was just another blocked shot. But to Ness, it was a message.
Why? Why are you doing this to me?
Kaiser’s POV
Kaiser knew Ness was frustrated. He could see it in the way Alexis’s hand shot up, in the way he kept darting into space like a good little playmaker.
But Kaiser never looked twice. Never gave him the ball.
Because every time he thought about passing, his eyes flicked, and there was Mikage Reo, always hovering near, always exchanging glances with Ness.
So he shut Ness out and cut him off. If Ness wanted to act like he wasn't Kaiser's little dog and belonged to someone else, then he’d get nothing. No passes. No recognition. Not while Kaiser was on the pitch. It felt like punishing himself, too, killing his chances to score more goals than Isagi in this match, but Kaiser's mind was more occupied with Ness and Reo now.
Reo’s POV
The commentators’ voices echoed in the air, blasting over the speakers:
“Once again, it’s Kaiser versus Isagi and Rin at the center of it all! These geniuses-"
Reo clenched his jaw, tuning them out.
And for some reason, his mind drifted to Nagi.
He could picture it so clearly it almost hurt. Nagi, sprawled lazily on some couch, phone in one hand, TV remote in the other. Half-watching the match, half scrolling through social media. Probably yawning, complaining about how noisy the commentators were.
Would he even notice Reo out here?
Reo’s chest tightened. In the back of his head, he imagined Nagi’s eyes flicking up at the screen. Maybe just for a second. Maybe just to see him.
Would he recognize the new Reo? The one who wasn’t chasing him anymore? The one who had found a rhythm with someone else?
Or would he shrug, roll over, and fall asleep halfway through the second half?
The thought burned more than any foul Kaiser could deliver.
Doesn’t matter. Let him watch. Let him ignore me. One way or another, I’ll make sure he sees me.