Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Why don’t we get together, Usagi?” 

“Might as well if you keep calling me pet names like that.” Isagi scoffed and the next moment he turned to look at Shidou, he almost regretted those words immediately. “No. No way.”

“What’s the matter? Am I not hot enough for ya?” Shidou stuck his tongue out teasingly. Isagi questioned for all his life why he even decided to be friends with Shidou in the first place. Scratch that, he questioned why he even decided to reach out to Shidou during their break from Blue Lock in the first place. That was the initial start to it all — especially since he had been curious about how Shidou had achieved flow state. From there, it went downhill and they both exchanged numbers and regularly texted each other. This led to the current predicament, just a day before they were set to return to Blue Lock.

“You and I both know we like someone else.” Isagi pointed out logically because he was not about to stoop to Shidou’s level and hit him with a crazy response to his crazy idea. After all, the only other reason they got closer together was because Isagi had let slip his slight adoration of Rin through his rambles, and Shidou called him out on it. Then, it devolved to them both rambling about their respective Itoshi brother crush. “Why do we need to date each other when we’re aiming to try and date those two.”

“To catch their attention, duh?” Shidou rolled his eyes and spoke as if it was Isagi who was the idiot between them both. That was barely true considering they both had impressive soccer intelligence even if Isagi’s plain face and Shidou's dirty comments hid them. 

Isagi stared at Shidou, uncomprehending. 

“Don’t give me that look, Usagi.” Shidou huffed and flicked his forehead much to Isagi’s chagrin. He immediately made his displeasure known with a small shout and swatted Shidou’s hand away even as the other continued, “Clearly, neither of them want to give us the time of the day. So, why don’t we give them a reason to?”

“Dating each other won’t work unless they have a reason to be jealous.” Isagi added again, because he had to be the logical one between them both. But he had a point — what was the need to date each other when being jealous required either Rin or Sae to have liked them in the first place. 

“If it fails, we can just keep dating each other cause that just means we never had a chance in the first place.” Shidou beamed and Isagi wondered if soccer was the only thing Shidou was intelligent in. Scratch that, soccer and interpersonal relationships probably. From the short moments Isagi shared with Shidou, he was way too perceptive over the small details — more so when it came to emotions and feelings. “That sounds like a win-win to me. We either get with those two or we get with each other. I don’t mind that.”

“Why are you so sure that this’ll work?” If you can’t beat them, join them but Isagi at least needed to know the foundation of the house he was about to build with Shidou. That was, before it would all topple down and crash into them. 

“They chose us, didn’t they?” Shidou leaned in close, practically crowding into Isagi’s space and face. Isagi blinked at their proximity, they were close enough to feel each other’s breath against their lips. Then, he processed what Shidou said and barked out a surprised laugh.

"What?” Isagi backed up slight, incredulous at the absolutely insane assumption Shidou made. Chose them? Isagi could say that Sae had chosen Shidou out of everyone in Blue Lock, even his own brother. Yet, Isagi could barely remember any significant time when Rin consciously chose him. Second selection didn't count, not when he was practically required to choose. “Sae chose you but-"

“Oh, stop acting like you and underlashes junior weren’t exchanging loving glances that entire match.” Shidou yanked at Isagi’s bangs, causing the other to yelp and stumbled forward. Much to Isagi’s chagrin, he dropped right into Shidou’s waiting arms and once there, Shidou refused to let up on his grip and he went limp in his arms. 

“You’re the worst, Shidou.” Isagi sighed and tried to fight down the blush that overtook his face when Shidou mentioned whatever looks he saw him and Rin exchange during the match against the Youth Team. Honestly, was Isagi that obvious? Even Barou practically called them soulmates. “And we weren’t exchanging anything!”

“Yeah right.” Shidou snarked back. Then, he hummed contemplatively as he rested his chin on top of Isagi's head. “What was it that he said? Only look at me?”

“Shut up!” Isagi began flailing again, his face an embarrassing bright red as Rin’s words and voice unconsciously played back in his head. Shidou merely laughed and pulled Isagi closer.

"Well?” Shidou sang out, eyes shining with mischief. Isagi called back to the nickname that Sae had lovingly called Shidou — demon — and he couldn’t help but think that he was about to make a deal with the devil. This was either going to so well or it would explode all over their faces. 

“How are we even going to do this?” Isagi raised a question instead but Shidou read between the lines, as he always did, and knew immediately that he had convinced Isagi to follow along his idea.

“Easy! I’ll be your overly touchy and clingy boyfriend and you can keep acting all cute and flustered, Usagi-chan~” Shidou teased and Isagi rolled his eyes. He huffed and leaned forward, pressing his flushed face against Shidou’s chest.

“Like this?” He peeked up, allowing just one eye to show as he looked at Shidou through his bangs. It was like this that he saw Shidou blink down at him, a slight flush taking over his cheeks and ears, before he laughed. Shidou ran a hand through Isagi’s hair and messed it up.

“You’re a little minx, Usagi. How you didn’t get into Rin’s pants yet is a mystery.”

“Shidou!” Isagi squawked out, slamming a fist against Shidou’s chest. His face had already calmed down from his earlier blush and now he felt the heat rise to his cheeks again.

“If we’re going to be dating starting now, you should start calling me by my first name.” Shidou smirked down at him and Isagi rolled his eyes.

“Then you should too, Ryusei.” Isagi paused and made a face. Shidou raised an eyebrow at it before Isagi continued, “Ryu-kun. There, that’s better.”

“Haha, you’re so cute, Usagi-chan.” Shidou cupped Isagi’s cheeks together and pressed them together as he cooed. Isagi rolled his eyes and poked at Shidou's forehead in retaliation.

“I thought I said you can call me by my first time.” Isagi huffed. It was odd that he was the only one that could call Shidou by his first name. Though, Shidou skipped multiple steps and chose to call him by a cute nickname already. 

“Ah, are you saying I can’t call you my bunny anymore?” Shidou puckered his lips and Isagi dodged the attempt at a kiss by ducking his head down and covering his mouth with his hands. Honestly, if they acted like this more in Blue Lock too, they wouldn’t even need to admit they were dating and just let everyone assume. “You’re my cute little bunny.”

“I guess that’s fine.” Isagi rolled his eyes and hoped that Shidou wouldn’t find a different nickname to butcher his first name with. Though, bunny as a nickname was already intimate and cute enough, he guessed. 

“Why don’t we practice a bit, Usagi-chan.” Shidou smirked and Isagi felt dread. Before Shidou could do anything, Isagi slipped out of his hold and put distance between them. 

“Okay, hold on! Let’s set down rules.” Isagi waved his hand around and watched as Shidou laughed at him. He groaned and dragged a hand down his face. Of course Shidou was just fucking around. He always did that and Isagi should’ve known after knowing and hanging out with him for a few days. “Whatever, keep laughing.”

“Alright, alright.” Shidou backed off and that’s something Isagi actually appreciated about him. At first glance, Shidou seemed like the clingy and overly touchy type of guy that doesn’t know when to back off. In reality, he teased and joked but knew where to draw the line. “No kissing?”

“Cheeks.” Isagi amended because if they really never kissed, then they’d be called out immediately and it wouldn’t work. He hummed and tilted his head, “But we can always fake some things if that’s fine. If we just use the angles right and let people do the assuming…“

“Oh, you’re diabolical off the field, Usagi-chan.” Shidou cackled and leaned back closer. This time, Isagi just let him and grinned back with equal intensity. “Knew you’d be fun.”

“Everything else is on the table.” Isagi rolled his eyes and kept them back on track. He scanned Shidou’s face before his eyes trailed down his neck and much lower, “Though, I don’t think we should do any marks?”

“Why not? It’ll sell it more.” Shidou chuckled. He paused and then grinned, a hand wrapping around Isagi’s waist and pulling him closer. Isagi gripped Shidou’s shoulders and narrowed his eyes at him in suspicion.

“What are you-”

“Let’s start~” 

Isagi tugged at the high collar of the Blue Lock issued jacket. He was half glad that it was high enough and Isagi had a choice to zip it fully, so that it wouldn’t display the obvious marks Shidou left on him the day before. He had screeched and shoved Shidou off, berating him for doing it in public but the damage had been done and just this morning Isagi was greeted by the sight of a hickey. Not just a hickey either, he could make out the outline of Shidou’s teeth as well. 

He was half glad that he was able to get back at Shidou the second they passed his apartment. After all, it wasn’t fair that it was just Isagi that got the marks. At least, that was Isagi’s reason for shoving Shidou inside his apartment and pinning him against the wall and biting down hard. 

The second he entered Blue Lock once more, he was first greeted by Bachira’s enthusiasm which easily transferred back to him. He chuckled and scanned the rest of the room for one specific person. He kept half of his attention to what was going on and the other half to looking for his crush and rival. It wouldn’t be Blue Lock without him, after all. 

The second he spotted Rin, he grinned and excused himself from the group that was slowly forming that consisted of Blue Lock players and the previous Japan Youth team players. 

“You’re here, Rin.” Isagi noted casually with a smirk, remembering the challenge and declaration the other made right after the match against the Japan Youth team. It was what spurred his crush even more and pushed that blind admiration to something more affectionate and heated. “Though, I shouldn’t have expected anything less. It isn’t Blue Lock without you, Number One.”

Rin scoffed, only sparing the smallest glance down at Isagi before he refocused back on the blank screen across from them, “Shut up, wannabe hero.”

“Usagi-chan!” Whatever response Isagi had was interrupted by Shidou calling out to him and immediately barreling into him. Isagi let out a small ‘oof’ at the sudden impact and he blinked when arms immediately wrapped around his waist. “There you are! You know, I missed you all night.”

Isagi rolled his eyes at the dramatics. Honestly, if Shidou wasn’t always this energetic and forward, he’d comment on the fakeness and insincerity of his entire act. What kind of idiot would believe that? Except, Shidou was just that kind of guy. Always so sincere in his words and expressions that no one would ever doubt that he was bullshitting them to their face. 

“We saw each other yesterday, Ryu-kun.” Isagi patted Shidou’s hand and laughed, sneaking a small glance at Rin. All he saw was the thunderous expression on Rin’s face as he glared at Shidou. Then again, that was his usual expression whenever he was forced to interact or be near Shidou. “If you really missed me, you could’ve asked me to stay.”

The greatest lies always had some seedling of truth. Shidou was Isagi’s friend, probably one of the closer ones in the same vein as Bachira. The same could also be said about Shidou seeing Isagi as a close friend and confidant as well. Their words could always be misinterpreted as something more intimate, closer, and romantic. But there was some truth to it that they both actually enjoyed each other’s presence as friends. 

If Shidou had truly asked, Isagi would’ve stayed. Isagi was also sure that Shidou did miss him. 

“You met up with Shidou over the break, Isagi?” Chigiri asked, eyebrow raised at their close proximity. It was probably odd considering their initial meeting was tense and awkward. 

“I didn't know you two were close?” Bachira commented with a tilted head and a bright smile, looking at Isagi like he was waiting for some signal that would require his intervention. 

Isagi chuckled and waved his hands around, “Oh, well, we realized we had similar interests after I reached out and I guess we just got close.”

“So cold, Usagi-chan.” Shidou cooed by his ear, still practically draped over him. Isagi immediately recognized the tone Shidou used and glanced back just in time to see him zip down his jacket just enough to show off the — insanely massive hickey what the fuck there was no way Isagi made that. “Is that all you have to say when you left this on-”

“Shut up!” Isagi hissed and turned around to slap his hands around Shidou’s neck as his face burned. He pressed his face against Shidou’s chest as he muttered under his breath, “Ryusei you idiot! Why are you so shameless?”

“Don't be so shy, sweetheart!” Shidou laughed even as Isagi tried to drag him down by the neck. It was because Isagi was busy covering Shidou’s neck that he couldn't stop Shidou from pulling down his own collar and flashing a peek of his marked neck to the rest. Isagi let out a strangled sound of protest as he moved his grip from Shidou’s neck to practically hide inside Shidou’s jacket to hide his burning face. “Everyone has to know we match.”

“You're the worst, Ryu-kun.” Isagi’s voice was muffled as he gripped the back of Shidou’s shirt and hoped he could disappear further into his jacket forever. This was already going so bad. It was the worst and to make things so much worse was Rin saw all of that.

“Isagi, there’s no way-” Chigiri cut himself off as he looked between Isagi and Shidou with a slightly distateful look.

“You know you can tell us if he’s bothering you right, Isagi!” Bachira stepped closer, a dangerous smile on his face as he locked his gaze on Shidou. He easily met that glare and in response, wrapped one arm around Isagi’s waist as a taunt. 

Isagi, knowing that things would only get more heated, pulled away from Shidou and playfully slapped his hand away. He only laughed in response and backed off but he didn't close his jacket which left the hickey on full display. Isagi huffed at that and straightened his own jacket because he wasn't as shameless as Shidou — whether this was fake or not. 

“He's not bothering me, Bachira, don't worry.” Isagi soothed his friend and by the look that he sent him, he knew he had some explaining to do. He waved his hands around to further placate him all the while he knew that Shidou was smirking right behind him, no doubt riling Bachira up again. “He’s just shameless.”

“I’m hurt, Usagi-chan.” Shidou reached out to rest a hand on Isagi’s shoulder once more when another hand slapped it away suddenly. Isagi blinked when he was suddenly manhandled away from Shidou and right next to fucking Itoshi Rin. 

“You’re disgusting, insect.” Rin sneered, his glare pierced right into Shidou’s very soul. The other merely snorted and raised an eyebrow in return, tilting his head in challenge. 

“Got something to say, underlashes junior?” Shidou stepped forward, gearing up to fight again. Isagi pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to distract himself from the fact that Rin not only grabbed him away from Shidou but looked ready to murder Shidou right then and there. If Isagi was being honest, it was incredibly hot and he wasn't sure he was ready to let those thoughts consume him when Rin was right there. 

“It's clear now why you're not good enough, not when you're so busy doing things that aren't soccer.” Rin snapped back and Isagi saw a brief flash of something in Shidou’s eyes before he stepped between them in case they started fighting again.

“Alright-”

Isagi thanked Ego or whatever upper being there was when the screen flashed and the speaker crackled with the voice of their coach. He wasn't sure he was ready to stop these two monsters from going for each other's throats this early into Blue Lock. He shot Shidou a raised eyebrow as he punched the other’s arm. All Shidou responded with was a shrug before he turned to listen to Ego with his regular smirk. 

(Isagi was far too busy looking at Shidou to see Rin’s jaw clench at their proximity, his glare getting more and more heated towards Shidou the more Isagi paid attention to him. Isagi was meant to look at him and only him. He had declared them both rivals before the break. What had changed? 

Had Shidou stolen the attention from Rin once more?)

Once the selection was over and Isagi sneaked a peek at Shidou’s choice, he blinked. He sighed and turned to the other with a deadpan stare before they were meant to move forward.

“Ryu-kun.” He called out and Shidou turned around like an obedient puppy. There were a few incredulous stares at the sudden obedience from the normally contradictory teen. Those same eyes widened further with shock when Isagi gestured for the other to bend down close and Shidou complied without much fuss, “Don’t be a bother.” 

“You know I'll do anything for ya, babe.” Shidou winked but Isagi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He had that tone of voice again, the kind that marked Shidou’s impending mischief. “But you gotta pay for it. How about a kiss?”

Isagi merely blinked, slow and purposeful, before he rolled his eyes and leaned forward and pecked Shidou’s cheek. Then, he flicked Shidou’s forehead and turned around, “There.” 

“Such a tease, Usagi-chan.” Shidou whined and Isagi huffed out a laugh. 

The entire hall was silent before there was a snap. Isagi turned to the source of the noise and blinked when he saw Rin’s bag strap had snapped in half between his two hands. When his eyes trailed upwards, he fought the flush that threatened to overtake his face at the sight of Rin’s deadly glare targeted at Shidou. Huh, Isagi thought with slight dizziness, maybe he should reevaluate himself if he found Rin’s jealousy hot. He wasn't even sure Rin was capable of being jealous but he was proven wrong. 

(Rin wanted nothing more than to step forward and punch the smirk right off Shidou’s face. Isagi Yoichi was his. Shidou had no business taking all that attention from him like that. He already had Sae because Rin wasn't stupid and he knew Sae had given his number to the insect, so what the fuck was he doing with Isagi now?)

Isagi turned away sharply, intent on squashing the heat and absolute admiration he had for Rin before he could do something he'd regret. Like completely overturn his and Shidou’s plan because he couldn't help but be enamored over Rin’s jealousy. If he just ignored the heated stare he felt prickle the back of his neck and keep moving forward towards his chosen stratum, then he would be able to survive the rest of NEL with the vision of a jealous Rin seared into his brain. 

He wanted to see more. 

With how busy the Neo Egoist League got, the next time Isagi and Shidou’s little agreement became relevant again was when Isagi got dragged off to the side in a deserted hallway with Shidou. He glanced at the corners and the walls, unsure whether there were cameras now that the reality of the NEL had been revealed to them after their first official match. Shidou smirked and leaned in close, his lips brushing against Isagi’s ear.

“Keep it up, I found out Sae-chan’s watching.” He whispered and Isagi huffed slightly before he reached up and pressed a hand against Shidou’s nape. He brought the other lower and decided to return the favor, not one to be left in the dust.

“So, you want to give him a show?” Isagi only barely stopped himself from letting his gaze wander to where he pinpointed the camera. Shidou was too much of a genius to have placed them in this specific location for no reason. Clearly he had something in mind for Sae after he orchestrated the entire thing with Rin. Isagi was far more content with going with the flow, merely meeting him in the middle and challenging him further rather than orchestrating anything. After all, Shidou seemed to enjoy it and who was Isagi to take it away from him. 

“He has premium access, that freak.” Shidou reached around and gripped Isagi’s waist, his nails digging deep and Isagi wondered if they would leave marks later. Oh well, they were well covered by their kit anyway. “I'm sure it's to keep an eye on his lil bro but I won't let an opportunity slide.”

“Premium access, huh.” Isagi licked his lips and smirked. He always enjoyed a challenge and Shidou was full of them, even if he never said it out loud. He wrapped both arms around Shidou’s neck and pulled him closer so they were face to face. At this angle, from the camera’s point of view, it wouldn't be clear what exactly they were up to. “Then let's give a premium show.” 

Isagi tilted his head just so and let his hand grip the back of Shidou’s hair. Shidou smirked back and pushed Isagi against the wall, one of his hands gripped his waist while the other ran higher and cupped Isagi’s cheek. To the camera, it definitely looked like they were making out. It was a shame considering all they did was smirk at each other and let their hands roam freely, silently challenging each other. 

“How's it going with Sae?” Isagi whispered casually, even as one of his hands moved lower to grope Shidou’s ass. Shidou bit his lip to stifle the clear laugh that was threatening to slip out at his action, instead taking his revenge by slipping one hand under Isagi’s shirt and pushing it up. 

“He barely texts back but I know he wants me.” Shidou responded equally as low, the audio obviously not being picked up by the camera. He pressed closer and moved his head away, choosing instead to press light kisses along Isagi’s neck. 

“Well-” Isagi sucked in a breath, eyes wide, when Shidou nipped at his skin. He internally groaned at the fact he'd be littered with marks again — right after he just healed from the previous ones, too. That was unfair, he'll just have to leave more marks on Shidou in return. “The fact he gave you his number and responds at all should be a clear indication.” 

“You're fucking right as always, Usagi-chan.” Shidou breathed out against his neck and Isagi shivered. He gripped the back of Shidou’s shirt as he let his head tilt back. Shidou laughed against his neck, teeth grazing his skin, “Keep going, sweetheart. Actually- did you like what I pulled at the start? I told you it’d work.”

“Hmm…“ Isagi hummed as Shidou continued to pepper his neck with more marks. Honestly, at this point he should just monopolize the entirety of the Blue Lock bandaids with how much he planned to use to cover up the marks. “Yes. Rin was so hot. The hottest I’d seen since the match against the Japan Youth Team.”

“That’s not fair.” Shidou whined against his skin and Isagi's eyes flashed open. He tightened his grip on Shidou’s shirt for a brief moment as he waited for Shidou to keep going. “You get to see Rinrin’s reactions but I can’t.”

Isagi bowed his head, hiding the fact he rolled his eyes at Shidou’s comment with his bangs. He huffed and switched their positions with a quick pivot. Then, he pushed Shidou against the wall with a wide smirk. Shidou blinked down at him in slight shock before an equally challenging grin spreaad across his face. 

“I’ll give him a reason to react.” Isagi promised and pressed close, nipping and biting at Shidou’s neck to leave his own set of marks. Then, because he was feeling a bit bold, he licked Shidou’s neck and muttered against his skin, “If he’s not going to react, this'll be a waste of our time.”

“As if you’re not enjoying this as much as I am.” Shidou purred right back, hands slipping inside Isagi’s shirt once more. His fingers trailed along Isagi’s back and every touch left goosebumps all over his skin. “I really wouldn’t mind if we just stuck together, Usagi-chan~”

“If they don't like us back, sure.” Isagi chuckled because he also found their entire arrangement fun. 

“It’s a deal.”

(Somewhere in Japan, a remote was thrown against the hotel room wall as bright teal green eyes burned with anger and annoyance. This was the first time since Spain that Sae had felt more than indifferent and it irked him beyond belief. Where the fuck was Ego and why wasn’t he telling those egotistic braindead idiots to go back to playing soccer like they were supposed to. 

He couldn’t believe he had thought Japanese soccer was still salvageable.

He still hadn’t stopped watching.)

“If you have nothing better to do.” Isagi jumped away from Shidou, and looked around wildly. He had half expected Ego to actually show up until he realized that his voice came from the crackle on the speakers. “Then go practice, you lumps of talent. If not, then lock off.”

“Hah, always interrupting right when it gets fun.” Shidou sneered, staring straight at the camera now that they were “caught”. As if they hadn’t orchestrated the entire thing to be caught. Their entire relationship was made to be a performance, a beautiful script that needed an audience. Without one, they just shed all pretenses and went back to gushing about their crushes again. “Damned four eyes.”

“If you have an issue with it, you can gladly walk off.” Was the only response before a click echoed throughout the hallway, effectively ending the entire conversation.

Isagi huffed and rubbed at his neck, already feeling it tingle with the promise of bruises in the morning, “You’re really an insaitiable beast.”

“Look who's talking.” Shidou pointed at his own neck and Isagi looked away, refusing to acknowledge that maybe he had gone a little too far. It wasn’t like it mattered much considering Shidou was shameless. Isagi didn’t have that thick of a face, normally. At least, without a proper challenge. “Maybe I should call you puppy instead with how much you like chewing on me like a toy.”

“You’re the worst, Ryu-kun.” Isagi shook his head and poked at Shidou’s chest to drive the point home. Still, they were wasting precious time that could be spent on practicing to get better. Shidou could afford to slack off a little, considering his overwhelming genius. Isagi still had a lot to catch up on, especially with Kaiser there to get in his way every single time. Isagi glanced at the camera briefly before he got on his tippy toes and pecked Shidou’s cheek, “I’ll head back to practice.”

Shidou grabbed Isagi’s chin before he could run off with his victory again. He smirked and kissed Isagi's forehead which felt far too intimate and sincere than Isagi had first anticipated. His face flushed slightly at the gesture, “I’ll see ya at the top, sweetheart.”

(Sae clicked his tongue and shut the television off by throwing the other remote at the screen. He’ll be able to pay it back later through his manager but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the fact that Shidou needed to answer him right now because he was absolutely sure he and Isagi weren’t close like that.

If anything, he expected Isagi to be closer to Rin.

It seemed like he was wrong about his brother, again.

It seemed he continued to be wrong about his brother over and over.)

When the day was over and Isagi had the time to check his phone during his break, he let out a low laugh when Shidou’s texts exploded his notifications. It was filled with utter filth about how Sae had finally been the first to text him and how hot he definitely sounded if he had the chance to speak those words out loud. Isagi easily filtered most of the kinky talk and understood that Sae’s jealousy seemed to be just a little different from Rin’s. 

After all, where Rin seemed to distance himself and ignore Isagi ever since that incident — Sae seemed to cling more towards Shidou. 

Which, Isagi thought, was unfair. 

It proved to further be even more unfair when part of the NEL had been interrupted because of Sae’s insistent and unannounced visit to Blue Lock. He had practically forced his way in and Ego couldn’t do anything about it (he sat back and laughed) which meant the NEL had to go on pause after the second round of matches. Isagi found the entire situation to be both incredibly hilarious and incredibly unfair. 

Why did Shidou get the slightly less emotionally constipated Itoshi?

Not that Isagi didn’t love Rin any less, or anything. 

“Yo-chan!” Isagi turned at the call of a nickname he was sure he hadn’t given anyone the liberty to call him. He turned just in time to see three things happen simultaneously. First, Shidou came barreling towards him with the biggest smile of a man who just won the lottery (which he technically did considering Sae literally broke into Blue Lock for him) and was definitely the one to call Isagi that nickname. Second, Rin’s face pulled into a complicated expression which was a mix of annoyance, frustration, and jealousy before it smoothed over to his usual glare pinned against Shidou's back. Lastly, Sae’s entire expression shut down completely and turned even more glacial than before which Isagi was quite shocked considering he hadn’t expected that to be possible.

“Ryu-kun.” Rather than let his observations of the three show on his face, he smiled almost fondly at the sight of his friend and definitely fake lover for this entire visit Sae planned to have. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to try to train with you.” Shidou shrugged carelessly and Isagi had to ignore the urge to roll his eyes at the other. He had multiple audiences, two of which were the most important. 

“In the German stratum?” Isagi mused instead because he was a good friend and he always let Shidou do what he wanted. Most of the time. As long as it didn’t involve punching Rin’s beautiful face in. 

“You’d never visit the France stratum.” Shidou slung an arm around Isagi’s shoulder and from the corner of his vision, he noticed the way Sae seemed to freeze all over and Rin made some kind of aborted motion that made him looked like he spasmed in place. It was cute. “So, I had to come over."

“If you asked, I would’ve.” Isagi spoke easily, not at all bothered that Shidou was currently putting at least sixty percent of his body weight into his side. His words had some semblance of the truth in them since he was always a little curious how things went with PXG and their Master Striker. He had heard they also had a genius or prodigy like midfielder with them. 

“Well, well, is this your rumored boyfriend, Yoichi?” Immediately, Isagi’s face soured and he glared harshly at Kaiser with a snarl. The sight made Shidou blink down at him before he smirked and tugged Isagi closer to him by wrapping a hand around his waist.

“I am his boyfriend. Got a problem with it, blondie?” Shidou taunted back easily, eyeing Kaiser up and down. Isagi knew that his bias would shine through in this and he would gladly watch Shidou beat Kaiser up any day, any hour and any second. Which meant that he would not be liable for any injury that was about to happen to anyone.

“Why am I surprised?” Kaiser drawled out, equally eyeing Shidou up and down. He paused, dramaticall and uselessly as Isagi would have it, before he continued, “Of course you’d pick a loyal dog as your boyfriend.”

Isagi immediately sprung into action. He moved forward and placed a hand on Shidou’s chest before he stared Kaiser down, “Don’t waste your breath on him, Ryu-kun. He doesn’t have room to talk considering his loyal service dog needs a tighter leash lately.”

Kaiser looked down at him and bingo — there it was, a flash of anger and irritation before it was smoothed over with Kaiser’s usual grace. Isagi reveled at the fact he was able to make Kaiser lose his composure, even for a just a second. 

“You really have a way with words, Yoichi.” Kaiser narrowed his eyes at Isagi and let out a dramatic sigh. He passed him and Shidou but not before giving them one last glance filled with so much derision, Isagi was half glad looks couldn’t kill. “Don’t try to fuck on the field now.”

“What an asshole.” Shidou whistled as he watched Kaiser leave the field. He wrapped his arms around Isagi and rested his chin on his head as he snickered, “You had to deal with him this whole time?”

“It’s been hard.” Isagi hummed and he tried not to notice the way both Itoshi brothers started glaring heatedly at the both of them. While seeing jealous Rin was hot, being on the receiving end of Sae’s cold hard stare made Isagi want to run. 

“You should come over to PXG then.” Shidou paused and hit the nail on the coffin with his signature smirk, “I’d treat you a whole lot better than him.”

“Maybe you should’ve done a lot more convincing when we were choosing.” Isagi teased back, ignoring the creeping feeling of danger at the presence of a jealous Sae. Instead, he danced with the devil and leaned closer to Shidou and tilted his head, “Maybe I would’ve considered it.”

“Oh?” Shidou was smart and Isagi was glad he caught on immediately. He pressed close and suddenly it was like the rest of the world disappeared. It was just him and Shidou, nose to nose, and challenging each other with their eyes. “How would I have convinced you, Yo-chan?”

“I think you know.” Isagi smirked when he felt Shidou’s hand wrap around his waist and teasingly squeezed his ass. Isagi wanted to call him out for his hypocrisy, calling Isagi the minx when Shidou had equal amounts of audacity thrumming in his veins. 

“You really get my blood pumping, Yoichi.” Shidou muttered, low and sinful and oh wow the only other person who Shidou said that to was Sae. Isagi stopped himself from glancing at the two brothers, knowing that if he had it would be seen as provocation. 

“Who else could, if not me?” Isagi had the most shit eating grin on his face as he spoke the words. He won’t provoke them with his looks, he’d prefer doing so with his words. 

“Show me your best on the field, Yo-chan!” Shidou beamed, seemingly satisified with their wordplay for now. Isagi merely laughed when Shidou pressed a wet kiss on his cheek. When he pulled away, Isagi returned the favor with a far more tame peck against his cheek. 

“I’ll devour you.” Isagi promised when he pulled away and he forced himself to look at Kurona and Hiori who were both gaping at Isagi like he had grown a second head. If he hadn’t he would have to face the fact that he repeated the same words to Shidou that he had to Rin. 

(Rin wasn’t sure what exactly he was feeling aside from the rage that bubbled hotly underneath his skin and behind his eyes. Isagi was his rival. Shidou just kept walking past the line over and over again. He had hoped that Isagi being in a completely different stratum would keep the two away from pawing at each other like dogs in heat. It seemed that he was wrong, especially when he had found fucking footage of those getting on it in a hallway of all places.

He stopped caring that Sae was right there beside him anymore because that didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was Isagi wasn’t looking at him.)

(Sae took back everything and anything nice that he had said or thought about Isagi Yoichi because he had no reason to be this close to Shidou. Sae had chosen Shidou first. He had seen his potential and unlocked it completely and utterly in the match against Blue Lock. Who had given Isagi the right to his leftovers?)

Isagi was sure that at some point, both Rin and Sae would have to snap before Sae was chased out of Blue Lock by Ego and Anri for good. After all, this is the prime time for Shidou to finally get Sae while he was still in the vicinity. Isagi was sure that Shidou would get Sae’s attention first before Rin got his head out of his ass and tried anything with Isagi. When it was all said and done, Sae had chosen Shidou first and he seemed to be the more emotionally stable of the two brothers. 

Even if his jealous stare was absolutely cutting and terrifying for Isagi to deal with.

“Practice is starting to get a little repetitive.” Shidou commented off-handedly while Isagi and the rest were resting. This time, Isagi invaded the French stratum much to the chagrin of the different Master Strikers. Isagi wondered what exatly Ego had said for them to stay out of whatever drama was going on or maybe they just really didn’t enjoy the idea of meddling with teenage bullshit. Loki aside, the Master Strikers were all full adults, after all. 

“It’s supposed to be repetitive.” Isagi snarked back with a roll of his eyes. Though, Shidou had a point and Isagi itched for another official match. That couldn’t happen while Sae was there, a little ultimatum that Ego had put forth. Isagi wondered how much Ego knew before he discarded the idea completely. It was probably a coincidence.

“I’m craving for something interesting.” Shidou smirked and leaned over Isagi’s sitting form. He blinked up at the towering striker with a raised eyebrow. They managed to get on Rin and Sae’s collective nerves by constantly acting close and touching each other in ways that bordered inappropriate — much to the continuous suffering of everyone else who experienced it as an unwilling audience. 

“What did you have in mind?” Isagi prompted, knowing that Shidou had something particularly nasty to say. It was fun, bantering with Shidou in this manner. He could honestly get used to it. 

“Why don’t we head over to my room for some privacy, yeah?” Shidou leaned in closer and Isagi’s eyebrows shot up at the blatant and perverted flirt. It wasn’t like they were even going to pull anything once in the privacy of the room with no one to watch so Isagi wasn’t all too bothered by Shidou’s wording. 

Their audience, on the other hand, was another matter entirely.

“Demon.” It seemed that was the final straw for Sae since he snapped and turned his glare towards Shidou instead. His voice was whip sharp and far icier than it had been before which was a new record considering the only emotion he’s ever heard from Sae was something along the lines of ‘you’re not worth my time’. “Stop wasting my time and get over here. We’re going to practice again.”

A single glare from Sae was enough for the field to empty out completely in record time which left just him, Rin, Shidou and Isagi. 

Shidou laughed and acted reluctant in separating from Isagi when he clearly was far more excited to head over to Sae. Maybe Kaiser had some merit in calling Shidou a loyal dog because he looked like a cute puppy who got called by their owner. Even though he had initially complained about practice, he seemed far too thrilled to start doing it with Sae again. An amused smile tugged on Isagi’s lips and he moved as well, whether to join Shidou or leave the field altogether, it didn’t matter since a harsh grip on his upper arm stopped him from doing anything else.

“Isagi…“ A shiver ran up his spine at the dark and almost angry way that Rin called out to his name. If Isagi was more honest, he’d admit that he shivered every time Rin called his name, angry or not. Yet, there was just something so sinful in the fact his anger made him sound far more possessive and far hotter to Isagi than anything. 

“Rin.” Isagi only glanced back slightly. He can’t seem too eager to talk to Rin, not when he was supposed to be technically in love with Shidou. 

(Rin ignored the way his stomach did flips when Isagi finally, finally looked at him after paying far too much attention to the useless, insignificant roach.)

He barely had time to react, say anything or even glimpse at what emotions flashed through Rin’s face before he was dragged off the field and into the locker rooms. Then, Rin pushed him further in and into the showers. Distantly, Isagi remembered that this was one of the few places that didn’t have any cameras for the sake of privacy and propriety. Though, those thoughts and everything else stopped mattering to Isagi the second his back hit the wall and Rin’s lips pressed harshly against his own. 

Isagi’s gasp was immediately swallowed by Rin as he pressed closer and kissed him like he had every intention to devour him completely. His hands pressed against his shoulders, firmly keeping him in place as he caged Isagi between himself and the wall. Isagi’s entire face flushed at the fact that his goddamn crush was kissing him so deeply that his knees went weak the second Rin’s tongue pressed inside his mouth. 

Isagi gripped Rin’s arms and his eyes slipped closed as he felt himself drown in the sensations of Rin completely and utterly dominating him. He shivered and looked at Rin with half lidded eyes when he finally pulled away. Isagi leaned into his touch, especially when Rin cupped his chin and swiped his drool away with his thumb.

“Did that insect ever kiss you like this or are you just that easy?” Rin sneered, his words sharp and mean and Isagi felt dizzy with the fact that he loved it. Or maybe, he just loved everything that was Rin, Rin, Rin.

“No, he-”

“Good.” Like that, Rin pressed close again and captured Isagi’s lips with his own. This time, his hands moved and gripped at his waist. Isagi shivered at the touch and pressed against the wall to try and escape the overwhelming feeling of Rin’s attention being solely on him. It was addicting, it was beautiful — it was dangerous. 

Rin scoffed into the kiss and his free hand sneaked under his shirt and Isagi groaned when he felt the skin to skin contact. Where playing around and touching Shidou was a challenge, a game of cat and mouse with no clear winner or loser — Rin was different. It was a wholly and entirely different experience that only brought Isagi to his knees had he not been supported by Rin’s tight and unyielding grip.

“You’re mine, Isagi.” Rin spoke against his lips. Then, he moved along Isagi’s jaw and buried his face in the crook of Isagi’s neck. Harsh bites and sloppy kisses were peppered all over his surprisingly, and thankfully, clear neck. He stifled a moan as he tilted his head back and gave Rin more access to his neck. “That disgusting and useless insect should have never entered your line of sight. Focus on me and only me, Isagi."

“Rin.” Isagi panted, his hands clawing at the back of Rin’s shirt for any leverage against the monster that was utterly and completely devouring him against the wall. If he thought jealous Rin was hot, then he was ready to admit his mistake. Possessive Rin was far hotter and Isagi didn’t even know why he was hesitant with this plan in the first place if this was the kind of outcome. “Rin. Rin-”

“Break up with him.” Rin bit deep and harsh into Isagi’s shoulder, like a claim that marked Isagi as his. The feeling made Isagi shudder and bite his lip or else a particularly sinful moan would have slipped out. “You don’t need that insect when I’m the far better choice.”

“Wait-” Isagi’s eyes snapped open and a bit of clarity returned back to him. Fuck, he forgot that everyone practically believed Shidou and him were actually a thing. While it was incredibly hot that Rin was doing all this with him right now but it would be unfair if Shidou and Sae didn’t get together either. “Rin, hold on-”

“What?” Rin snapped, his teeth digging deep into Isagi’s skin. For the briefest moment, Isagi saw stars and he only wanted to melt into Rin’s hold completely. That was for a brief moment though and he let his mind clear up as he lightly pushed against Rin’s shoulders. “Don’t tell me you still want to stay with that roach.”

“It’s just not-” Isagi stuttered out, unable to find the words to explain the situation. If he revealed their plot right now, then it would end in a failure for Shidou if he didn’t manage to get Sae. If he didn’t, he risked losing Rin because it would sound like he was madly in love with Shidou. Worse yet, he would be the biggest sounding asshole if he chose to not break up with Shidou and still get with Rin. 

“Isagi.” Rin’s grip on his waist turned bruising and nails raked against Isagi’s bare skin on his back as he growled into Isagi’s shoulder. He pulled away slightly, just enough to glare down at Isagi and bite his bottom lip. 

“Ryusei and Sae must be waiting for us!” With a burst of strength, Isagi shoved Rin off him. Rin blinked at Isagi, dazed with his jaw dropped at the audacity that Isagi showed, before he snapped out of it once more when Isagi grabbed his wrist and dragged him back outside. Rin shook his head and tugged back, watching Isagi stumble a bit at the force.

“Isagi, you lukewarm idiot, I don’t fucking care what those two dumbasses think.” Rin reversed the grip and tugged Isagi closer until he was able to encase him completely in his arms. "Stop trying to run away and tell me, here and now.”

“Rin-”

“What is there to like about that stupid roach?” Rin growled and he bit down on Isagi’s ear. Isagi swallowed and forced himself to focus on the task at hand. 

“He’s not that bad-” Isagi’s defense for his friend died on his lips as a strangled and choked groan slipped past as Rin dragged his nails against Isagi’s thigh. It dragged up, up, up and- “Rin!"

Isagi was such a useless fucking simp because all his bravado was lost the second he was face to face with Rin. 

“Tell me, Isagi.” Rin insisted once more and Isagi uselessly fished for whatever control he had left to blurt out.

“Ryusei and I were just faking it to get Sae’s and your attention!” Isagi was glad Rin froze at that exact moment because he was dangerously too close to completely unraveling Isagi and turning him into a brainless doll for him to use. While Isagi would love nothing more than to do just that, there was a time and place for everything and he wasn’t going to have his first time with Rin in the Blue Lock locker rooms. 

“What.”

“I’ve liked you since second selection.” Isagi grasped at the newfound confidence and grabbed Rin’s wrists in his hands. He twisted around and brought them to his chest as he looked at Rin in the eyes meaningfully. Rin merely blinked down at him, expression a mixture of incredulity and shock. “I’m pretty sure I liked you the second I saw you. There’s just something about you that draws me in.”

“You-”

“No, fucking listen. You wanted me to tell you so I’m telling you.” Isagi snapped, cutting Rin off. If this was his time to finally confess his feelings then he’ll take it. “I like you, Itoshi Rin. I’ve liked you for a long time and if you don’t like me like that, I’ll just settle with Ryus-"

“Who the fuck said I didn’t like you back.” Rin snarled as he shook Isagi’s grip off and grabbed his shoulders. Isagi wondered if he should keep namedropping Shidou again if it gets Rin all worked up like this. It was hot. “Don’t you dare go running back to that… that thing. You’re mine. I wouldn’t have fucking touched you if I didn’t even like you.”

A weight lifted right off Isagi’s chest at the verbal confirmation that yes, Rin did like him back. It was like a dream come true and all it took was fooling around with Shidou to push Rin to actually do something about it.

“If you liked me that long ago…“ Rin stopped and glared down at Isagi, the jealousy fading away as he demanded, "Why didn’t you say anything, lukewarm? You didn’t have to let him touch and kiss you like that!”

Isagi remmebered the marks they left on each other and the cheek kisses they gave. If Isagi were honest, they all paled in comparison to Rin’s searing hot kiss and every single touch he pressed against Isagi’s body. 

“I didn’t know if you liked me back.” Isagi shot back instead, his face flushing. Plus, it had been Shidou’s idea and Isagi struggled with saying no. “It was just a crush.”

“But with the insect?” Rin’s face twitched like the thought was so disgusting that he had a physical reaction to it. Isagi rolled his eyes and huffed when Rin shook him, “Why him?”

“Because we’re friends?”

“Since fucking when?” Rin sneered and Isagi opened his mouth and then promptly closed it. In retrospect, Isagi and Shidou’s friendship probably came from left field. Even Chigiri and Bachira were unnerved by it at the start before they left it be when Isagi seemed happy enough. 

“Since we both found out we liked an Itoshi.” Isagi sighed, knowing that the only way to soothe Rin was to throw Shidou under the bus with him. In Isagi’s defense, it was the full truth. He had reached out to Shidou just to learn about his flow state and how he got there but it devolved into them talking about Rin and Sae. Even Isagi had been shocked at how well they got on together.

Rin stared at Isagi unblinkingly. Isagi blinked at him.

“Rin?” Isagi raised a hand and waved it in front of Rin's face, watching with fascination and a little fondness when he barely twitched. “Rin? Don’t misunderstand me now, Ryusei doesn’t like you. He likes-”

“We left them.” Rin bit out.

“Yeah.” Isagi agreed and then the reality sunk in. He watched as Rin’s face went through a myriad of emotions and he laughed, grabbing Rin’s arm. “Wait- Rin, hold on.”

“You left that freak with my brother!” Rin accused Isagi, eyes narrowed as he finally seemed to move on from his initial anger. 

"I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Isagi rolled his eyes and gently took Rin’s hand in his own. He intertwined their fingers together and tugged him out the locker rooms, “Come on, I have someone to break up with.”

Isagi was so sure that Sae would have the stronger impulse control between the two Itoshi brothers.

He was completely and utterly mistaken. 

Isagi shoved Rin back into the locker rooms, pinning him to the wall and coevering his eyes in a panic. He panted as he pressed his body against Rin’s in an attempt to keep him from moving.

“Isagi-”

“No, we are not going out there.” Isagi wished he didn’t have to see Sae and Shidou in the middle of the field. He wished he could erase the vision of Sae practically straddling Shidou and the both of them straight up dry humping where anyone could walk in on them. Isagi prayed that Ego either shut the cameras to that field or he decided to not watch because that was horrifying. 

“Isagi.” Rin huffed and tugged at the hand that covered his eyes. Like this, a little more tame and not so mad, Rin looked adorable. Isagi threw all thoughts out the window because if he kept them, they’d consist of his friend and his crush’s brother fucking in the soccer field. 

So, he pressed forward and captured Rin into a kiss. It wasn’t fair that Rin was the only one to devour him. He had promised to devour the other, after all. It was only fair that Isagi made that promise real. If Rin happened to be panting and covered in bite marks when it was all over, Isagi would plead guilty. 

Everyone needed to know who Rin belonged to officially.

(Earlier, out in the soccer field, Shidou watched Sae with a half calculating and half interested gaze. He had only known Sae for a short while and even when they texted and met each other one more additional time during the break, Shidou was only ever greeted with the same indifferent and slightly interested stare. Now was different.

Now, Sae looked at him like he wanted to eat him. Or kill him. Or both.

Shidou was fine with both. He wholeheartedly welcomed both.

“You and Isagi.” Sae deadpanned, his voice teetering on the edge of the emotion called anger. 

Shidou was entranced — more than he initially was. 

He fell for Sae’s playstyle, his beautiful destruction and complete control over the key that unlocked Shidou’s full potential. He only continued to fall for his looks, his voice, his personality — his everything. Where everyone else saw an ice cold wall, Shidou saw a hot furnace that was waiting to burn bright. Where everyone saw indifference, Shidou found a speck of playfulness.

Shidou wanted to dig deeper and explore more of Itoshi Sae. 

“What about us?” Shidou grinned, keeping with the play. He had seen, from the corner of his eyes, that Rin dragged Isagi off into the locker rooms. He wondered if Isagi would get the beating of his life or the beating of his life. 

“Relationships like that are a waste of time.” Sae turned away and Shidou didn’t let himself be fooled by those words like Sae was trying to fool himself. 

He just got verbal confirmation that Itoshi Sae was jealous.

“Yeah? Well we sure make full use of our time together.” Shidou continued to tease, continued to push buttons and see where the line was. He was always so curious about where that imaginary line was for Sae. He hadn’t reached it, no matter how insane his comments were, during the Japan Youth Team match. He still hasn’t reached it now, either. “Do you wanna hear all about it?”

“We’re here to practice.”

“Ya know, Usagi-chan gets all cute when he’s red and under me.” Shidou pushed on, uncaring of the rising tension in the air. He smirked and leaned closer, his chin almost resting on Sae's shoulder as he continued, “He makes the best sounds that makes my cells explode and-”

Shidou grunted when his back hit the artificial grass that made up the soccer fields of Blue Lock. For a brief moment, he wondered if Sae had tossed him into the ground out of annoyance. It wouldn’t be odd or out of character for him to do it and Shidou was ready to get back up and push his buttons some more. 

That was until he felt a heavier weight on him, pinning him down. 

“Oh, what’s this, lashes?”  Shidou grinned, wide and knowing. He had pushed the right buttons to get Sae to react, at least. Though this was a kind of reaction that he hadn’t expected from the normally indifferent Itoshi Sae. It was kind of hot. Maybe he should piss Sae off more. “You do know that-”

“Shut it.” Sae pressed his hand against Shidou’s shoulder, keeping him in place as he glared down at him. Shidou wondered if the other would glare more at him if he grabbed his waist right at this moment. “You shouldn’t even be with him.”

“Are you here to tell me what to do out of the field too?” Shidou challenged right back. Shidou had already long fallen for Sae when he had chosen him to play as his striker during the match against Blue Lock but seeing him now made Shidou fall for him even more. He was ethereal like this. “I didn’t know you were this interested in who I fucked-”

Rather than speak his mind or tell Shidou to shut up again, Sae easily let his actions speak louder than words and captured Shidou’s lips into a deep and passionate kiss. Shidou easily and willingly reciprocated, the urge to grip Sae’s waist had taken over him completely and he hoped that bruises would form. If Sae gave him the chance, maybe he’ll let him mark him too. 

Shidou groaned into the kiss when Sae, surprisingly, grinded against him as he deepened the kiss. Shidou bucked upwards and opened his mouth to let Sae’s tongue in, giving him the control as he let one of his hands slip under Sae’s shirt.  

“Break up with him.” Was the first thing he said as he pulled away, eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked down. 

For the briefest moments, Shidou blinked stupidly up at Sae, uncomprehending of the words that just slipped past his very kissable lips. Then, he blinked again and the fog cleared up enough for him to laugh out loud.

“If things go really well, maybe I will.” Shidou smirked and there was a brief flash of confusion before the annoyance came back. With how things seemed to be going in the locker room, Shidou would eat his sock if those two didn’t come out looking like they’ve had the hottest hate sex. So he was more than sure that he could do this with Sae — Isagi would kill him if he cockblocked himself and ended up cockblocking him too. 

“Absolutely not.” Sae huffed and leaned in close. Shidou admired him at this proximity, counting the long lashes that framed his beautiful teal eyes. Sae was truly a unique kind of beauty that Shidou wouldn’t mind getting wrecked by. It was thrilling to have his attention solely pinned to him — to have the one person that made soccer both fun and exciting focused completely on him. “Choose, Shidou. Me or Isagi.”

How the hell did Sae think Isagi was winning when he said his name like that?

“Thought you knew the answer to that already?" Shidou grinned and he used his free hand to pull Sae back into a searing kiss. If Rin was still being a dumbass about this whole thing, Shidou would make it up to Isagi somehow — later. 

Shidou groaned into the kiss and bucked his hips upwards to meet Sae’s sinful grinding. He hadn’t known that Sae could get this freaky. Then again, it could be the jealousy and anger. Whatever it was, Shidou made a mental note later to piss Sae off again. This was hot as fuck. 

“I would’ve known the answer.” Sae panted against his lips, eyes narrowed to glare at Shidou. “If you hadn’t gotten together with him.”

“You’re the first to make me feel something incredible on the field, lashes.” Shidou laughed and pulled him close, wrapping his arms around Sae’s neck. “Usagi’s just fun to have around as a friend.”

“Friends don’t normally kiss and leave marks on each other.” Sae shot back and Shidou really, really wanted to be ruined by him at this point. 

“Nah, we were just playing around.” Shidou paused and thought back to the heated glares Sae sent both him and Isagi the entire duration of his stay. He laughed and tugged at Sae’s hair, “But if you want, I’ll stage the biggest, most dramatic breakup ever.”

“I don’t care.” Sae pressed their foreheads together and his next words made Shidou’s blood sing. “As long as you’re mine and only mine.”

Shidou is going to buy all of the kintsuba for Isagi when this was all over because he hasn't felt this happy out of the soccer field in forever.)

“I expected this from Shidou.” Isagi was starting to regret coming clean to both Itoshi brothers now. Especially when both him and Shidou were sat on Sae’s bed in his private room while both brothers glared down at them simultaneously. “But you actually went with this, Isagi?”

“He can be really convincing?” Isagi tried, shrugging uselessly because there really was no proper defense for this. 

“Maybe if Rinrin wasn’t so cold, Usagi wouldn’t have come crawling to me.” Shidou stuck his tongue out and Isagi rolled his eyes before he nudged him with his elbow. Shidou sighed, obviously not hurt by Isagi’s action but acting like he had been stabbed all the same. “So mean…“

“Stop calling him that.” Rin glared at Shidou, completely bypassing his anger at Isagi for the moment to deal with the pink annoyance. At least now he knew who to go to if he wanted Rin to stop being mad at him. 

“What? Usagi?” Shidou raised an eyebrow in challenge and Isagi leaned away, not wanting to get in between whatever that was. “No can do! I started calling him my little bunbun before we thought to fake date."

Isagi wondered if Rin was about to pop a blood vessel and he laughed to ease the tension and stood up, tugging at Rin’s arm before he decided to lunge at Shidou, “It’s fine, Rin.”

“Really?” The sharp glare was pointed at him this time and Isagi dipped into what Shidou called his “minx” abilities.

He blinked up at Rin and suggested, “You can always call me Yoichi.”

He watched, in real time, as Rin’s ears then face flushed a deep red. All anger fled his expression as his face twitched with a multitude of expressions before it settled on pressed lips and a slight glare. Isagi laughed and wrapped his arms around Rin’s torso.

Shidou whistled and snickered, “Wow, you’re so fucking whipped, RinRin.”

“Ryusei.” Isagi, once more, watched in real time as Shidou straightened and turned wide eyes at Sae. A slight flush took over his face and he opened and closed his mouth before the dopiest grin spread along his face. 

“You don’t have to be jealous, Rin.” Isagi muttered under his breath as he pressed his forehead on Rin’s shoulder. “Ryu-kun and I literally spend most of our time together either talking about soccer or about you and your brother.”

“Ryu-kun?” Rin huffed but wrapped his arms around Isagi’s shoulders all the same. He laughed and leaned in close.

“Because obviously Sae wants to be the only one to call him Ryusei.” Isagi whispered and glanced at the two to see them in their own world as well. He smiled softly at the sight. He was glad they managed to straighten this out after all.

“But you’re letting him call you Usagi.” Isagi forgot how much of a brat Rin could be and he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah cause you’re the only one who can call me Yoichi.” He might not see Rin’s face at that moment but the red ears spoke volumes. 

“Fine.” Rin tightened his grip around Isagi and he snuggled into the touch. 

“Fine.” Sae repeated from the side as well and Isagi blinked at the timing. He turned just in time to see Shidou raise an amused eyebrow at Sae. The older Itoshi looked between them both and scowled, “You two aren’t allowed to be alone together.”

Shidou laughed and leaned back against the bed, “Don’t be so jealous, babe! You know we aren’t like that.”

“Ryu-kun is fun but he’s a friend.” Isagi pulled away from Rin so he could speak to Sae properly. Though, he was still in Rin’s hold and he didn’t particularly complain. 

“It’s not that anymore.” Rin scoffed and Isagi glanced up at his boyfriend because that’s what they are now. “We can’t trust you two to not give us a headache.”

“Would you look at that, Usagi.” Shidou smirked and Isagi could already see where this was going. Maybe Rin did have a point. “They’re talking to each other properly and it’s because of us.”

“That’s nice.” Isagi responded casually, beaming at Rin. He watched as Rin’s eyebrow ticked slightly before he reached up and pinched Isagi’s cheek. “Hey!”

“This is exactly what we mean.” Sae pinched the bridge of his nose. Well, sucks to be them both. Isagi and Shidou had been pining for them both for almost a month because they were both emotional wrecks. They both deserved a little payback. 

“You should’ve just told me, Yoichi.” Isagi blinked and he laughed. He shook his head and poked at Rin’s arm.

“No, I wanted you to confess to me first.” Isagi shrugged and he and Shidou easily shared a high-five. It was one of the few things they had discussed with each other. How they wanted their crush to do the confessing. They had come to consensus that it would be much hotter and cuter and they were right. 

“It isn’t fair that we had to like you two and end up confessing just to be rejected.” Shidou sighed and Sae shot him an unimpressed glare. Shidou grinned back, shameless as always.

“And what if we hadn’t fallen for your trap?” Sae raised an eyebrow, arms crossed over his chest as he made his displeasure known. Shidou grinned and Isagi wondered if this was his love language — pressing buttons and watching as his lover react to them accordingly.

“Then, Usagi and I would get together!” It spoke volumes that Sae actually reacted this time, stepping closer and pressed a hand on Shidou’s shoulder like he was staking a claim. Then again, so did Rin as he tightened his grip around Isagi’s waist and pressed his face into the crook of Isagi's neck. 

“No.” Terrifyingly hot, both Itoshi brothers echoed the same sentiment. Isagi and Shidou shared a meaningful look before Isagi yelped when Rin bit into his skin.

“Eyes on me, Yoichi.”

“Rin!” Isagi’s face was flushed a deep red. It was one thing to be touchy but it was another for Rin to bite him wile Sae and Shidou were in the same room. 

Then, horrifyingly, Sae leaned in and pressed Shidou against the bed to kiss him stupid. Isagi averted his eyes and decided that if that was the game they were playing, then he wasn’t going to just lose.

He turned around, wrapped his arms around Rin’s shoulders and pulled him close. 

“You want my attention, Rin?” He whispered against the other’s lips, eyes staring intently into beautiful teal ones. Rin looked back, equally enraptured. Instead of answering, Rin pressed his lips against his and quickly deepened the kiss. Isagi loved how easily he riled Rin up with a few words and a meaningful look. Where playing around with Shidou was a game, kissing Rin was a battle akin to their rivalry on the field. Except, Isagi would never relent to Rin on the field the same way he does when they kissed.

“Next time.” Isagi blinked when Rin broke away from the kiss at Sae’s words. He looked down at Isagi with a kind of fire in his eyes and it made Isagi want to mark Rin completely and utterly. “You tell us what you want. Don’t go behind our backs and scheme.”

“But it’s more fun that way.” Shidou whined and Isagi glanced back to see him practically wrapped around Sae. He snorted at the sight but internally agreed. After all, Rin was always so much hotter when he was fighting. Isagi might allow some things, as a loving boyfriend, but he had a little thrill in seeing Rin struggle. Just a little. 

“This is exactly why we won’t leave you two alone.” Rin shot Shidou a disgusted look and Isagi laughed.

“Alright, but you two would have to deal with double dates.” Isagi smiled sweetly, even when Rin shot him an utterly betrayed look. He shrugged at the sight and glanced back at Shidou who was equally smirking at Sae who looked like he was already suffering just thinking about it. “I can’t just stop being friends with Ryu-kun!”

“Usagi has a point!” Shidou pointed and pressed a kiss to Sae’s cheek. "He’s so much fun, you won’t just deprive me of that, will ya?”

Both Isagi and Shidou burst into laughter when Rin and Sae shared a similar pinched expression at the thought. They both looked exactly like brothers at that moment and it warmed Isagi’s heart.