"𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒆'𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒌𝒊𝒅'𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔."
~ Synopsis: you broke it off with the bllk boys many years ago. But it seems they just won't leave you alone: how else would you justify the fact that your children's favorite football player, out of all players in the world, is your ex?
~ Characters: Itoshi Rin and Isagi Yoichi
~ Aged up characters!! They're all around 28-35 here, including you!! Also I cussed a lot here lol
You weren't unfamiliar with that name. Why would you be? You dated for almost 4 years after all. High school sweethearts or whatever you'd like to call it, your relationship looked like it came straight out of a fantasy book.
He was perfect, to put it simply.
Always supported you in whatever you did, clearly cared for you and your needs and noticed the most unimportant details (that are actually the most important ones in a relationship): how you liked your coffee, when your shoes were untied, that the volume of your TV was always at an even number. He noticed.
He was comprehensive too. Afterall, he agreed to the break up even though he loved you to the core of his soul.
You see, you were the one who suggested the break up. You loved him too - and loving is letting go. You knew about his aspiration to be a worldwide known soccer legend. And, since you were aware of how unforgiving and demanding the athlete world was, you decided it would benefit him to focus all his time and energy on his career instead of on a relationship.
After hours of a heartfelt talk, you both decided to break it off - a mutual break up that hurt even more than if you fought and break up after, because you both still knew you loved each other to bits, but that was exactly why you both agreed to it.
Saying he agreed to the break up doesn't mean he didn't fight against it though - trust me, he did. He argued and denied and even fell to his knees at one point, but inevitable agreed to it, because if it meant it'd make you feel better he'd do anything.
He even tried to continue as friends, but you denied, saying you didn't want to be a distraction (he fired back saying you'd never be a distraction, but you weren't really buying it. So, you blocked him everywhere while repeating to yourself that it was "All for him", but was it really? Or was it your own thoughts and insecurities that got too loud? You didn't really like to think much about it or your head started to hurt - and your heart too)
So, it was safe to say you were familiar with the name Isagi Yoichi.
Actually, it seemed you saw it even more constantly now, almost ten years after the break up.
"And Isagi Yoichi, with a header, ties the game for Bastard München! This is one of the world's best in action, ladies and gentlemen!"
You were a football fan at heart. That was one of the things that got you and Isagi closer: your shared interest for football. So it wasn't a surprise that it was also your son's favorite sport.
"Mom, look at Isagi's goal!" Your son, Yuko, pulled at your skirt while you cooked to catch your attention, pointing at the TV "He's the best!"
It was a surprise, thought, that Isagi was his favorite football player.
"He is, huh?" You smiled, and Yuko feverly nodded his head up and down.
A gentle silence settled between the two of you. Yuko was the product of a relationship with a jerk you thought could be the love of your life. Turns out you were very wrong and, the moment you announced your pregnancy, he ran and disappeared, blocking you everywhere and leaving you with a positive pregnancy test and crushed spirits.
But you were not weak. You weren't just going to sit down and let this asshole ruin your life, so you persevered. You carried Yuko for nine months with pride, and it was safe to say you wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for him.
Your son was the one you held dearest to your heart, the one who got you through the darkest times of your life, your best friend...
"I want my birthday party to be about him!"
...and also the one who made you lose your head at times.
With a sigh, you crouched down to match his height
"Yuko, dear, I thought we had agreed on your party being about the Avengers. You were so excited about it too, saying you wanted - who was it, oh! - the Hulk to come? I invited him, and now you want me to uninvite him?" You put your hand on your chest, faking a fearful expression "What if he gets mad and crashes the party? Or worse - eats all the cake in secret?"
Your son only giggled, patting your head
"Don't worry, momma! The Hulk can still come to my party!" He quickly ran back to the living room when he heard the referee's whistle signaling the beggining of the second half, and you followed him "I'm sure he's an Isagi fan too! Everyone is, since he's the best!"
Then, just as you were about to crash out, an almost unadible whisper came from Yuko
"You think..." He looked at you with hopeful eyes "You think you can invite him for my birthday party, mom?"
"I'll see what I can do, dear"
You kissed your son's temple and went back to the kitchen, not really able to focus on the food anymore.
What could you do? I mean, technically you could hire a look alike. Your son probably wouldn't even be able to notice anyways - he'd be happy and you wouldn't need to go through an emotional torment like you were right now. Win-win situation.
But you just couldn't. Something about knowing you could get him exactly what he wanted and didn't just because of your own stupid feelings made you feel like the worst mom ever.
But would Isagi even agree to it? He probably had you blocked already, or didn't care about you enough to go through such lengths anymore. Maybe he wasn't in Japan at the moment, or his PR team wouldn't let him, or he changed his number.
The chances of him coming to the party were slim, so you decided to try. Since he'd probably refuse anyway, you would at least feel better since, well, you tried. It wouldn't be your fault that he didn't come, and you could finally rest with your hired look-alike.
With shaky hands, you grabbed your phone, going straight to the message app.
You unblocked him, wincing at the old texts you just couldn't bring yourself to delete. You typed and deleted your message at least thrice before settling for a simple: "Hey, Isagi. I know it's been very long, but can we talk?"
You quickly shut your phone and slammed it screen down on the kitchen counter, not expecting a quick response - actually, not expecting response at all.
So, accordingly, when your phone ringed, you jumped.
You let it ring once, then twice. On the third ring, you finally picked up the call. You didn't see the caller ID, but you already knew who it was.
"...hello?" You muttered, and you hated how weak it sounded.
From across the phone, Isagi muttered your name. Almost like a prayer, like he couldn't believe it's been so long since he last said it. He said it through a hushed whisper, and you could hear the pure devotion in his voice. He spoke like he wasn't worthy of your time or even your thoughts, and it left you puzzled.
"Hi!" He continued, a little too enthusiastic when compared to the way he said your name "You said you wanted to talk. What is it?"
His voice sounded different yet the same. More mature, sure, but it was the same tone. The same excited way of speaking he used when talking to you about soccer, and you could practically see his 18 year old self gesticulating like a crazed person while explaining why this formation was better than that one.
It made you internally giggle.
Isagi called out your name again, pulling you out of your thoughts.
"Sorry" you muttered. An awkward silence settled between you both. You pinched the brige of your nose and sighed, mentally preparing yourself to go on with what you were about to do.
You were already regretting it.
"Isagi" you whispered his name softly. Your son was in the room next to yours, and you didn't want him to hear. You didn't want give him false hopes - even thought you knew in your heart things weren't going the way you originally thought. Yoichi calling you, and not simply texting like a normal person would, was enough to make you realize that.
You heard Isagi make a sound through the phone when he heard his name, clearly overwhelmed - and perhaps even happy to hear you call him again, even if it was only his surname "I need a favor."
"Of course!" You could practically feel him smiling through the phone "What do you need, babe?"
"I-I m sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"It's alright, Isagi." You smiled bitterly "It's no big deal" you sighed again, swallowing hard "Anyways, I need to talk to you about something very important."
His eagerness actually unsettled you.
You cleared your throat and continued
"I know this will sound insane, but if it's not much to ask..." you took a deep breath, mentally preparing yourself. Then, not any louder than a whisper, you continued "...could you come to my son's birthday party in two weeks?"
An uncomfortable silence filled the call, and you were quite literally feeling like you were about to faint.
Then, came Isagi's response.
"Only if you're in Japan, of course!" You were feeling a little embarassed "I-I totally understand if you can't come! Honestly, I don't know why I called. You're a famous player, after all! You probably have much more to do than spend your time on a silly birthday party..."
"And I'm really sorry for wasting your time, I didn't mean to! Anyways, you can just pretend this never happened..."
"Actually, just block me. Forget I did this please. I just thought..."
You got silent the moment he screamed your name.
Damn. For someone who was trying to act nonchalant and cool, you were really playing the pathetic part.
You heard Isagi sigh from across the screen.
Then, what he said next absolutely shocked you.
You answered something very smart amongst the lines of: "Really?!"
"Yes" he chuckled, but you felt something different in his voice. When he answered the call, he was happy. Overjoyed, even - and you knew that because you knew him. But now, even though he wasn't downright crying, you could feel a tension on the way his words came out. Almost like he was sad. Strange. "But, uhm... Won't he mind?"
"He?" You were confused. You thought he was taking about your son. Why would he mind that his favorite player was coming to his birthday party?
"Your... husband." Isagi uttered that last word like it physically hurt him to get it out.
"I'm not married, Isagi." You deadpanned
Now, it was his turn to come up with a very smart reply: "Wait- are you serious?"
"Yes" you said with a confused expression. Then, a little calmer than you were moments before, you continued "Yuko, my son, is sadly also the son of a jackass who abandoned me the moment I got pregnant. His stupid father never took responsibility, so I raise him as a single mother. You're his favorite football player, so, if you could come to his little party, it would mean the world to me- him. To him"
For the nmpth time that call, the line went silent. Then you heard a noise that sounded like the phone being thrown. Then...
"YES!" you heard Isagi shout, so loudly you had to remove the phone from your ear, even if his mouth was nowhere near the speaker. You carefully put it against your ear again, only to hear running from the other end. Was this idiot really running and jumping from joy across the screen? Then, the sound of hustling came, signaling he really had let the phone down to run and just picked it up. A screech came out when he grabbed the phone again "Y-you heard that? I thought I had muted the call!" He stuttered, and you started to smile "I'm not saying 'Yes' as in 'I'm glad that jerk left you alone and now you're a single mother', I'm saying it as in 'Im glad you don't have a husband'! N-not that I wouldn't be happy if you did have a husband! I would be happy for you, really. But like... You know what?" He interrupted himself, irradiating joy "Just-just send me the date. I promise you I'll be there. Like, pinky promise. I'll bring gifts and all! It will be Yuko's best birthday party ever, I swear!"
He calmed down a little at your genuine words, and his voice came out meek when he replied:
"You're welcome." You could feel his smile through the screen "And [Name]?"
"...don't block me again, please"
He ended the call, the sound of the rings a sharp contrast to the softness of his voice and the impact of his words.
"Mom, come look at this cool move Isagi did last match!" Your son shouted from the living room, but all you could do was stare at your black phone screen, eyes unblinking.
Trust me, you were watching Isagi's move up close.
Rin hated meet and greets.
He liked his fans, but he hated interacting with people in general. So, having to interact with hundreds of people for more than 2 hours? Absolute hell. Just fucking kill him with a chainsaw already, won't you?
He usually didn't really engage in conversation. He just signed some autographs, posed for some pictures and that was pretty much it.
Today was another day of an excruciatingly boring meet and greet.
'It will be over soon, it will be over soon', he kept repeating to himself. He could see the end of the line of fans and practically feel the softness of his hotel's bed mattress already. Only a few more minutes and he'd finally leave.
"Mr. Rin?" He heard a high pitched voice call out. He looked from left to right but saw no one. "Right here!"
Okay, it wasn't really a toddler. Probably a bit older - around 5 or 6 - but still a little kid. It was a girl, hair in pigtails and toothy grin widening when he noticed here.
Rin thought it was a little weird. His fanbase wasn't mostly made out of kids - Bachira's had many more. Rin was used to interacting with boys and even girls - he was popular among them for some reason - but children? No one prepared him for that. So, he just did what he did best: he stayed silent. This kid was the last one on his line anyway. The others wanted to meet the other members that were on the same table as him: Isagi, Nagi, Bachira, Barou and others.
The kid didn't seem to notice his silence - or, if she did, she chose to ignore it. She continued speaking.
"I really like how you play!" She held her hand up for him to grab, and he awkwardly did (after Isagi nudged him to do so, because he was just staring at it, confused).
The moment he shook her hand, his breath hitched pathetically. It wasn't anything bad, no. It was just, the moment he looked at her better, he noticed... her eyes.
Her eyes were familiar. He couldn't pinpoint where he knew them from though (he could. He just didn't want to).
He shook his head to get rid of the strange feeling and just continued staring at the kid in silence.
"I want to be like you when I grow up!" The girl smiled "But my mom says I shouldn't. She says I should choose another player to have as an inspiration, like Isagi or Bachira!"
A vein popped in his neck. Then, in his usual flat tone, he fired back.
Isagi hit him on the thighs, and he could hear Bachira laughing from across the table, but he didn't really care.
"I'm gonna tell her you said that!"
"Go on. I don't care" he crossed his arms.
"She's right there, actually!" The girl smiled. Then, she shouted "Mom, come here!"
Rin could hear a sigh from the mom, who stepped aside from the line to let the girl talk to him.
Damn, this woman really hated his guts, huh? Not that he gave a fuck anyways.
"Ohhh, she's coming!" The girl continued giggling and teasing
"Again, I couldn't care less."
The moment the mom stepped into the light though, Rin's soul quite literally shivered.
You, his ex. The person he loved the most. Actually, the only person he ever let near his heart.
You looked more mature. Definitely prettier, even though he thought it was impossible for you to look prettier. You changed, and he did too - but his heart still did that stupid backflip the moment he saw you.
"What is it, darling?" You crouched down, head patting your daughter's hair.
Rin took advantage of your moment of distraction to fix everything wrong about himself. He fixed his posture, combed his hair with his hands and even drank a bit of water - even though he choked on it and almost died. You didn't really look though, so he just ignored it (Isagi didn't. He was rolling from laughter). He did all of this to look nonchalant and composed in front of you. It's been 9 years since you broke up, so he wanted to show you he was doing just fine, as if the mere sight of you didn't ruin him completely.
This fake composure quickly vanished the moment he uttered your name, interrupting your kid.
Gosh, he hated how vulnerable he sounded.
You looked up, a nameless emotion swimming in your irises - there it was. The girl's eyes came from you. They were the same as yours - the same beautiful tone he missed so much, but didn't want to admit.
"Rin." You muttered. You wanted to sound confident - but you just sounded like someone who had explosive diarrhea. Your voice failed and you wanted to hit yourself for that. To ignore the embarrassment, you looked back at your daughter "So, sweetie?"
Rin looked at your daughter. Then you. Then back at your daughter. Then a fearful expression appeared in his eyes, clearly begging for your child to keep her mouth shut...
"No I didn't" he quickly shot back
"But you did!" She pointed at him "He said you're very stupid, mom!"
"Shes lying." He got up quickly, his chair making a screeching noise that made everyone cover their ears "I did not say that, [Name]."
"Liar liar pants on fire!" Your daughter fired, giggling
"Oh, so you think I'm stupid, Rinnie?" You looked at him with a smirk and oh he was absolutely melting.
He thought he had gotten over you. He really did. You were nothing but past to him - till you came back. And now he was hooked - again.
"No." He said way to quick "She is" he then pointed at your daughter
"Hey!" She crossed her arms, glaring at him "I'm not stupid!"
"You're right, you're not' Rin crossed his arms back, a faint sign of a smirk on his lips "You're a liar."
"Mom!" She hugged your leg "He's mean! You're right, I should've been a Bachira or Isagi fan!"
You only giggled, and Rin forgot how to breath for a second. The whole world seemed to stop when you looked at him, and, if he searched hard enough, he was sure could see his 14 year old self in your eyes. The one that was crazy in love with you (but if he really searched hard, he could find it hidden inside himself. It was only that you brought it out)
He wanted to live forever in this moment.
"Miss? You really need to go. The event is ober"
Rin never wanted to strangle a bodyguard like he wanted to right now.
He didn't even notice that you were the last people there. Neither did he noticed all his teammates attentively staring at the display in front of them.
"Oops, I'm sorry!" You smiled awkwardly at the bodyguard, then quickly grabbed your daughter's hand "C'mon, love. Thank Mr. Rin for his time"
"Thank you, Mr. Rin!" Your daughter bowed, and Rin doesn't know why but he bowed back. Thank you for bringing your mother back to me, I guess.
"Let's go" you turned to leave. You were almost leaving again - away from his grasp and he couldn't do anything about it. He had to think fast. How to stop you, how to stop you, how to...
"Wait, mom! I forgot to ask for an autograph!"
Oh, bless your adorable daughter.
"Really?" You sighed, then let go of her arm reluctantly "Go on. But do it fast!"
Your daughter nodded. Then, she quickly grabbed a paper and a pen that someone (Bachira) casually and conveniently handed her and went up to Rin again.
He grabbed the pen with shaky hands. His mind was running so fast that he forgot his own signature. What the fuck was happening to him? Was he scared?
Him, Rin Itoshi, scared to make a move? No, it couldn't be.
...maybe he was a little afraid of you having a family already and maybe he'd sulk about it for days on end if you had, but that's pretty much it!
"Psst, hey!" He heard your daughter mutter. She put her little hands to cover her mouth and whispered, like she was sharing a top secret with him. And she was, because the next words that came out of her mouth shocked Rin' entire being "She's single."
That was all the confirmation he needed.
Your daughter went back to you skipping, smile on her face and a paper with a signature and a combination of digits that strangely looked like a phone number.
Iloveisagiiloveisagiiloveisagi
