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Isagi’s blood was on fire. He couldn’t quite get a grasp on what he just did, though he was vaguely aware that he had scored at least. The game felt so long, and yet so short at the same time. Before he knew it, he was being lifted up high on the shoulders of his teammates. They were congratulating him, ruffling his hair, practically throwing him around in their excitement. Yet now that he was so high up off the ground, his eyes scanned the crowd of people in the stadium. They roved in search of one specific person until he saw a familiar gold gaze locked onto him, an ecstatic expression on Bachira’s face.
It was then that everything came into clarity, all at once the roaring of the stadium, the announcer’s booming voices over the intercom, his teammates' praises of him. And with the noise came the sudden realization of what had actually just happened.
Holy shit, we won… A grin spread across his face then and he joined in on the shouting. Isagi had played countless games before, had spent years in the Blue Lock program, and when he finally graduated and was picked to play in the Japanese National Team like he always dreamed, he had set his sights on witnessing this moment first hand. And at the age of 21, he had finally managed to do it. He had won the World Cup for Japan. And on Japanese soil, no doubt.
Drink’s practically crowded the table at the bar, in fact Isagi was certain that nobody had even ordered food. His team was so excited to start celebrating that they had carried him all the way there, or dragged him along by his arm to start the party.
“Isagi, get over here, you gotta try this!” Raichi and a few of the others had seemingly ordered a large cacophony of drinks that Isagi couldn’t even begin to name.
He shook his head, “No, no…Thanks, but I think I’ll stick to regular sake instead…” It was the only thing he was really used to and he didn’t want to be totally wasted on the night of his big win.
“You guys are pigs, you know that…Just cause he won doesn’t mean you can trash the place…” Chigiri’s annoyed tone spoke from behind. He had a disgusted look on his face as he eyed the crowded tables full of forgotten drinks.
“Ah, let ‘em be. This is a big day for everyone, they’re gonna drink themselves to sleep tonight.” Kunigami said with a lazy smile.
“Don’t encourage them, Rensuke…” Chigiri sighed.
“If they make too much of a mess, I’ll clean it up. I just hope the staff don’t get sick of us…” Kunigami eyed the poor bar attendants who had been busy making drinks for just about everyone in the team and their friends who had tagged along. It would be a busy night for all of them, certainly.
Isagi also looked around, as he noticed that there was someone who had yet to show up to the party.
“Hey…where’s Bachira?” Isagi asked. In truth, he had been looking for Bachira all night since they had corralled him into this bar, but he hadn’t seen him anywhere. For some reason, he was suspiciously absent from the party. Isagi felt a small pit form in his stomach, a sense of disappointment he wasn’t used to when it came to Bachira.
“I texted him a while ago, but I don’t know if he ever responded.” Chigiri said.
Isagi’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he immediately took it out.
Monster: Hey! Come outside! On the balcony!
Monster: I have a present!
Isagi’s head shot up and he looked to where the bar’s balcony was. Outside, Bachira waved at him from the window with a smile on his face. “I’m going to the balcony. See you guys later! Oh, and please don’t put any more on my tab…I don’t think my wallet can take it anymore…” He quickly left the others to party without him, and slipped outside into the cool night air.
Bachira grabbed Isagi’s arm and dragged him out of sight of the big balcony window. “Ah, hey Bachira, where are we going?” Isagi asked. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to say hi to him, or hug him.
“No time for questions, just keep moving! It’ll be totally worth it, I promise!” Bachira said as he continued to pull Isagi along. He followed close behind, smiling.
Soon, Isagi found himself in a pretty familiar place. The lampposts and signs were a dead giveaway, but once they stood in front of the fenced in soccer field Isagi was certain of where they were.
“Is this…Ichinan’s old field?” It looked a bit different after all those years, but the more he looked around, the more he was certain of it.
“Yeah, but that’s not the surprise.” Bachira said. He turned Isagi around fully, and then pointed up. “ That is.”
Isagi was left speechless. Normally, the Ichinan field would sit directly behind his old school and he remembered how he would always have to rush to practice from one side of the building, to the other. Yet what greeted him now on the side of the building was a mural that was not there before, one that showed him in his jersey and a ball beneath his feet in the middle of play. It covered the entire side of the building, and was unmistakably a portrait of Isagi playing on the field.
“I…This is…” He didn’t know what to really say. “This wasn’t done…today? Was it?” It couldn’t have been, such work would take a month at least. Bachira scoffed.
“Of course not. We started working on it a while back when you were in France.” Bachira answered. “We had to work quickly too! We wanted it to be done in time for the World Cup, you know, as a present for when you won.”
Isagi choked out a laugh, as he felt tears brim his eyelashes. “And what if I had lost, huh?”
“Eh, we’d come up with some reason. And making it to the World Cup is still a huge deal!” Bachira nudged him.
“Who’s this ‘we’ you keep mentioning…?” Isagi couldn’t imagine Bachira painting it all by himself, though it wouldn’t have surprised him if Bachira tried anyways. He’s amazing like that… Isagi thought as he glanced at Bachira.
“Me and Mom, obviously. She was really happy to do this, when I brought it up to her. This is her biggest mural yet, you know.” Bachira sighed. “I’m not that good at art, but I learn quick. See, I did the grass there beneath your feet!”
“Oh really? What else did you paint…” Isagi and Bachira walked up to the mural, and the two spent a while as they went over all the small details. Bachira and Yu, his mother, had split most of the work pretty evenly. Bachira got to paint the grass, and the ball, and his mother spent time painting Isagi’s jersey and his cleats.
Bachira was really proud to have done Isagi’s face. “Wow, it looks just like me.” Isagi said in a wondrous tone.
“My mom kept having trouble with it, because she kind of hasn’t seen you in a while…” Bachira chuckled. “Great thing I’ve got such an amazing memory, huh? I couldn’t forget your face if I tried.”
Isagi laughed alongside him, as he stared up at the mural. His gaze landed on Bachira’s again and they looked into each other's eyes for a moment. “This is incredible, Meguru.” Isagi said with a soft smile. “ You’re incredible.”
Bachira looked away just then, as he blushed in that familiar way that Isagi loved. “Geez, this is supposed to be a gift for you, you know…” Bachira said.
Isagi laughed, “Yeah I know. Thank you…” Isagi felt an indescribable warmth fill his heart the more he continued to look into Bachira’s amber eyes, and soon he leaned towards Bachira and pressed his lips against his. They had shared many kisses before, in secret mostly so that there could be no scandal involving rivals on different teams. Though this kiss was sweeter somehow, and was different from the casual affection they had grown to show one another over the course of their relationship.
Isagi placed his forehead against Bachira’s with a content smile on his face. “I love you.” Isagi had also said this many times before, but it also sounded sweeter than normally.
Bachira threw his arms around Isagi’s neck in a tight hug, “I love you, too! I’m glad you liked your present, at least…for some reason I felt really nervous when we were planning it, but eventually I got the hang of it as you can see!”
“Meguru.”
“And let me tell you, learning to paint in like a month is no easy task, even for me. My mom had quite the work cut out for her when she handed me those brushes, but it all turned out perfectly in the end!” Bachira rambled on.
“Meguru…” Isagi said again with a chuckle. He always does this when he’s happy…
“I’m thinking maybe I could even paint more murals in the future, of course when I’m on break. I can’t give up my soccer career to be an artist that’d just be ridiculous-”
“Will you marry me, Bachira Meguru?” Isagi could perfectly see the moment when Bachira’s brain caught up to what he heard. His eyes widened as he looked at Isagi, who had that same content smile on his face.
“ What…? ”
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you. If you’ll have me, anyways.” Isagi shrugged as if it was the most normal response to anything. As if he hadn’t asked Bachira something absolutely insane.
Bachira seemed to short circuit for a moment, before he began to speak again. “I…But we’ve only been dating for 3 years now!” He exclaimed.
Isagi’s head tilted to the side, “Oh? Really? It seemed so much longer to me.” he said. “Besides, I’ve loved you for more than 3 years. You know that, right?” Isagi could recall exactly the moment he had fallen in love with Bachira Meguru. It hadn’t happened 3 paltry years ago, or even 5. He hadn’t even noticed he’d fallen for Bachira until he was ripped away from him during the Second Selection, all those years ago when they were all so new to Blue Lock.
Bachira searched Isagi’s eyes, “But what about soccer! You’re going to give up playing or what? We can’t married so soon-”
“That’s fine. I can wait.” Isagi said. “I’ll wait for as long as I have to. Even if it means waiting for you to win your own World Cup!” He laughed at Bachira’s shocked face. Bachira babbled as if trying to find some other excuse for why this couldn’t possibly happen. “We’ve spent so long trying to catch up to each other…I guess waiting isn’t normal for us, huh?” Isagi commented, and this finally made Bachira break out of his haze.
“You would wait for me…? Really?” Bachira’s voice was so small then, tinged with a vulnerability that Isagi hadn’t heard before.
“As long as it takes.” He answered.
Bachira smiled, as tears beaded along his eyes. “Then yes, Yoichi. I will marry you! Maybe not…right now, though. In a year or two, perhaps. Or when I win my own World Cup…”
Isagi smiled wider and kissed Bachira again, though he couldn’t fight off the pure joy that radiated throughout him in that moment. It was a fire that was hotter than the one he felt when he had one earlier that afternoon. Did I really win the World Cup just a few hours ago…? It felt like it had already happened a lifetime ago.
The longer he pressed his lips to Bachira’s, the more he couldn’t believe today happened. In his eyes, he had achieved the impossible twice in an evening.