Archive of Our Own ^beta

Although Isagi Yoichi was an only child in his household, his compassion for other people was almost as big as his obsession with soccer. Being the only child, he received twice the amount of love from his parents. They taught him how to be kind and generous to people, regardless of their status, age, or personality.

One habit he picked up from childhood was 'kissing the pain away.' His mother always kissed the bandages and scratches he got from playing football when he was a child, saying that it would help take away the pain, which, in child Yoichi's personal opinion, it did.

On some nights when he had nightmares, his mother would enter his room and accompany him until he fell asleep again, but not before giving him forehead kisses that often helped him calm down.

This little ritual became the norm for the blue-eyed football player. Even after graduating from middle school and moving up to high school, he still had the urge to kiss his classmates' bandages or when they showed him their papercuts.

Although this little quirk did not go unnoticed by Yoichi's closest friends. They sometimes indulged in the raven's smooches after accidentally injuring themselves or when sharing their sadness and frustrations. It reminded them of their own mothers, and they appreciated the presence of their motherly friend, finding comfort within their circle.

But that might not be the case in Blue Lock, a place where hormonal, impatient, and egotistic teenagers are locked in with one goal in mind: to be the number one striker.

Each and every person in the facility used their own companions as stepping stones to climb higher in the rankings and be better than the next person. So the least they would expect was a kiss from one of the players.

It happened first with Bachira and Isagi practicing dribbles before heading to bed.

The bicolored player was doing his usual dribbles when he accidentally scratched his arm with his own fingernails.

"Ouch.” Bachira stopped his dribbling and checked the scratch he accidentally caused on himself. “Oh well, I guess it's time to trim these nails," he exclaimed.

"Let me see."

Bachira didn't expect the raven to suddenly grab his wrist to examine the tiny scratch. He watched as Isagi's face contorted into a frown while he pointed out that the wound was bleeding.

"Just in luck, I always keep bandages in my pockets. Here, let me put one on," the blue-eyed football player offered.

"Yes, please!"

Bachira happily obliged as Isagi took out a bandage and applied it on his wound.

"Thank you-"

Warmth from Isagi's lips was felt on his skin, making him stand completely still, shocked by what happened. The bicolored player couldn't fathom if what he saw was real or not.

The raven noticed the staring and instantly pulled away. His cheeks slowly turned pink from embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry! It's a habit of mine. You must have felt really uncomfortable-"

"No! It's okay," Bachira cut him off, "You didn't make me feel bad or anything. In fact, I feel ten times better."

"That's a relief."

He could see the panic in Isagi's eyes disappear and be replaced with a more relaxed expression.

"Man, I didn't expect that from you! Considering you're usually foul-mouthed on the field, Isagi-kun."

"Yeah, it's kind of a thing I picked up from my mother. I usually do it to comfort my close friends at Ichinan High, so I didn't really think it through," the raven said sheepishly while scratching the back of his neck.

With excitement on his face, Bachira asked, "Then does that mean you think of me as a close friend, Isagi?"

"Of course! I thought you already knew that," the raven replied while ruffling the bicolored player's hair. Then he added, "But this will not change my goal of becoming the best striker in the world."

"Oh, I know. Since Isagi-kun is also my rival, afterall."

With that, both of them continued their dribbling practice. Although Bachira's thoughts were on the lingering sensation he felt on his arm and how soft Isagi's lips were.

The next time it happened was during the 4v4 playoffs. Chigiri was doing his usual skincare and haircare routine in his dorm room with the rest of his teammates.

His achievements so far had earned him enough points to get a hair straightener. Aside from football, he had always loved styling his hair and experimenting with different hairstyles.

Currently, he and Isagi were in the dorm room, each doing their after-practice rituals. Chigiri was cleaning himself up, while Isagi was busy thinking of ways to devour the abilities of the Blue Lock players.

He parted a section of his hair, and another hand reached for the hair straightener. Unbeknownst to him, his hand went a little too high, and his fingers brushed against the heated part of the iron, making him jolt from the pain.

"Ack!" He stood up from his chair and clutched his stinging hand.

"What's wrong?" the other person in the room perked up from his bed and shifted his focus towards the redhead.

"Burned my finger," he replied weakly, not used to feeling pain aside from his knee where he had broken his ACL, an injury that had scarred him ever since, making him fear bodily injuries.

"Then what are you standing there for?"

"What?" Before he could finish his sentence, his wrist was pulled towards the door, and he was dragged to the hallway heading towards the bathroom.

"Isagi-kun, I'm fine. It's only a little bit of skin."

"I would have believed you if I hadn't seen that expression on your face."

Embarrassed, the redhead stopped refuting and let the raven drag him towards the bathrooms. After arriving at the desired location, he noticed a few players taking their after-practice showers. Some heads turned towards the pair, curious about the reason for their arrival.

Isagi pulled him to the nearest sink and turned on the faucet. Slim hands gently took his injured hand and placed it under the running cold water.

"Does it still hurt?" the raven asked.

"Only a little bit."

"You should be more careful next time, especially when handling hazardous devices."

The redhead huffed at this, amused by the berating. As usual for Isagi, always caring and attentive. He might spurt insults on the field, but he's so soft to things outside football.

Quite a gap moe.

The blue-eyed player turned off the faucet and took the initiative to dry Chigiri's hand. After throwing out the used tissues, he dug into his pajama pocket and took out an ointment.

"This will help the burn," he explained as he applied the salve to the burned areas.

"Do you always carry that around?"

"I picked it up from our dorm's kit before coming here. You were so out of it that you didn't even notice."

"The burn was painful, you know. How would you like it if-"

Isagi ignored him and pulled the redhead's hand towards his lips, kissing the pain away, just like his mother always did.

They stayed like that for a couple of seconds before Isagi pulled away, observing the shocked expression on the redhead's face.

"Is it still painful?" the blue-eyed football player asked, concern written all over his face.

"No. Tha-, thank you." The sprinter meekly replied, feeling his face warming up. With this, Isagi smiled at him with relief on his face, releasing the other's hand.

"Well, I have to go back to the room. Glad I could help."

With that, the raven left the bathroom, leaving Chigiri clutching the hand that had touched those pillowy lips. His face was as red as his hair as he said out loud, "I'm never washing this hand ever again."

Meanwhile, the occupants of the bathroom wore envy on their faces, clearly longing for the raven's kisses and murmuring that it should have been them.

Although one occupant was quietly observing and noticing how to obtain a smooch from the most desired person in Blue Lock.

From all the people in Blue Lock, the least he expected to see inside his room was Itoshi Rin. The teal-eyed player entered just as he was about to head to bed.

"Can I help you?" he asked warily.

An awkward silence filled the room as Isagi waited for a reply from Rin.

"My cheek hurts," Rin answered in such a monotone voice that it took a while for Isagi to process his answer.

"What?"

"I said my cheek hurts, lukewarm brat."

"Yes, I know. What am I supposed to do with it? And between you and me, you're the brat here."

Isagi's eyes flew towards Rin's reddening cheek. It appeared as if a soccer ball had hit him directly at the base of his cheeks. Pity swelled inside the blue-eyed player as he remembered the times he was hit by a ball, earning bruises from each experience. His motherly impulse rose even higher when he remembered that Rin was technically younger than him.

"Have you placed an ice pack on it yet?"

Rin shook his head briefly. Since his cheek was still red, it might be from a fresh encounter. The swelling would start soon. With this thought, Isagi stood up from his bed and took the other player's wrist, leading him towards the facility's medical room.

Ego was so high-strung about keeping the players in shape that he provided them with a small room containing medical supplies necessary for small injuries during training. The items needed for Chigiri's maintenance could also be found there.

"Here we are. You should sit on that chair," he pointed to a nearby stool, "while I prepare the ice pack."

Surprisingly, Rin obeyed his orders without making a fuss for once, which shocked Isagi internally.

Did the impact affect his brain as well?

After preparing the ice pack, the blue-eyed player dragged another stool to place it next to where Rin was sitting.

"Please excuse me," he said as he gently placed the ice pack on the swelling cheek. The teal-eyed player flinched a little, causing Isagi to withdraw his hand.

"I'm sorry. Did I-"

Rin immediately captured his wrist and pulled his hand back to his cheek, surprising him. His own cheeks warmed as well when the taller teen's hand remained on his.

They remained in their current position for a while in the quiet medical supply room while Isagi moved the ice pack from time to time, lifting it to check if the swelling had gone down. After a few minutes, he removed the pack from Rin's cheek, concluding that it would have to do.

"I think that's enough. The bruise will probably stay for a while, but it won't be a hindrance during a match," Isagi said as he stood up to clean the used supplies.

He felt warmth on his wrist for the second time that day, making him whip his head back to Rin's face, giving him a confused look.

"Where's my kiss?" Rin did nothing but demanded like a little kid, not receiving candy at the doctor's office.

"I don't, I- what?" Isagi spluttered, embarrassed by their close proximity and the question hanging in the air. Rin remained quiet as he patiently waited for Isagi's mini episode of mumbles. It was quite a funny scene to witness.

"Why do you, I don't understand- that's not-you know what? Fine." He cave.

Isagi gently grabbed Rin's uninjured cheek to direct him towards him. He steeled himself and closed his eyes, slowly leaning down.

Soft lips pressed against soft skin, lingering for a while. Rin tried to relish the moment, while Isagi just wanted to shut him up.

The blue-eyed teen pulled away, forcing Rin to drop his hand from Isagi's wrist.

"I didn't know you were such a baby," Isagi commented, though it might have been meant as an insult, but the blush on his cheek might say otherwise. Rin's lips pulled into a smirk as he watched Isagi clumsily maneuver around the room to clean up.

"I feel better now," Rin said as he stood up from the stool, content with what he had just acquired. He strode from his spot towards where Isagi was.

Isagi turned around from the cabinets only to find Rin standing directly behind him. He stood frozen in shock as he felt Rin lean down and kiss his forehead.

When Rin pulled away, Isagi immediately turned around and headed towards the exit, leaving the other frozen in the medical supply room.

What the hell just happened?

Word spread around the facility like headline gossip. Players kept coming to Isagi with bodily injuries. It started with bruises or small scratches, then turned into "I had a nightmare. Can I sleep with you?" and "Isagi-kun! My heart hurts. Comfort me, please!" This put the player in a predicament where he babysat fully grown teens, giving kisses here and there.

The growing confusion within Isagi continued to grow, not knowing why people were treating him like the resident mother. But one thing he knew for sure: no matter how much others pleaded, it wouldn't stop him from becoming the number one striker in the world. Maybe a mother and child bond was also a form of a chemical reaction.