Surprise Visit @ Barcha

Rin knew the layout of the new Blue Lock facility just fine, regardless of the fact that he hadn't done much exploring beyond the Paris X Gen wing.

Until now.

He'd been meaning to visit Bachira. He'd just been putting it off. It wasn't for any lack of affection. Quite the opposite, actually. It was just easier to miss him when he wasn't around. Seeing him in person the once was enough to lose all of the footing Rin has felt he'd gained since coming back here, but he supposed that he'd have to learn to walk the line between pro soccer player and good boyfriend eventually.

You could hear the music from down the hall. By the time he got to the actual doorway to Spain's common space, it was booming, despite the metal door being slid into place. Rin wondered, for a brief second, if he should just turn back. The only reason he decided against it was because of the cameras. It was bad enough he was showing up here. Chickening out and turning around at the last second would be worse. It would make him an indisputable loser.

He clicked the button to open the door. It slid open without a fight. The music crashed into him something fierce, and despite his almost immediate headache, he stepped inside anyways.

The one benefit was that nobody really seemed to notice him.

Save for that white and green haired one, who was lounging in a bean bag by the door. He flashed him a thumbs up and greeted him, "Yo, Rin. Sup?"

Rin didn't respond.

The rest of the team, save for a couple other outliers, who Rin could tell had found their places due to exhaustion and wish for a break, were locked in some dance circle, moving in time with the high energy music. Rin didn't know much about Spanish dancing and wouldn't pretend to, but he assumed that's what it was. It was mostly feet and hips, and the arms came along with it, swaying in time without taking over the show. From what he'd seen from the teams' dribbling from the instant replays he had been watching, it explained a lot.

Lavinho was there too, standing behind a makeshift music station, doing his own version of dancing, moving his hands like he was DJing in the air, sunglasses on despite the room having no windows.

It was quite the different vibe over here.

It didn't take him long to see Bachira. Bachira didn't see him, though. Not right away. He was swept up in the music as much as the moment, eyes close, smile wide, like he was stuck in perpetual laughter. His cheeks were flush with effort. Rin had to make an effort not to smile. It looked like he was having so much fun.

It was another team member who noticed Rin first, taking it upon themselves to nudge Bachira's arm and motion towards the door. Bachira's eyes opened, his smile falling in surprise, but when he looked over, a wholly new smile appeared. Then, the dancing was abandoned and replaced with running over.

Rin thought Bachira might just keep running until he reached him and leap right into him. He wouldn't have put it past him. Rin didn't open his arms or anything, not wanting to make a fool of himself if he was wrong, but he braced himself for it. Right before Bachira reached him, he stopped running and caught himself dead in his tracks, as if remembering himself. He then just stood there, a foot or two away, smiling.

"Hi," Bachira said. Rin barely heard it over the music.

"Hi," Rin said back.

Then, the music quieted. Not turned off, not even really became quiet in any sense, but lowered. Lowered enough that when Lavinho lowered and said Looks like we have a traitor in our midst! into the microphone Rin hadn't even realized was there, it overpowered the room.

Rin couldn't help but twist his face in half confusion, half offence. He wasn't sure which of them the comment was aimed at. Bachira rolled his eyes and kind of laughed.

"Looks like Julian Loki's little pet, Itoshi Rin has wandered into our den," Lavinho continued.

The confused offence also continued. Since when was he Loki's pet? What the fuck went on over here?

"Are you looking to learn some tricks of the trade from a real coach?" Lavinho seemingly asked him.

Again, Rin didn't respond. He didn't feel the need to and he felt his answer wouldn't have really carried over the barely lowered music anyways. He let his face answer for him.

"Loki doesn't need any help from you, old man!" Bachira yelled over his shoulder.

"Old man?" Lavinho said, in what was very obvious mock offence. "Loki is fresh out of diapers. He needs all the help he can get!"

"Are you just bitter because you're a couple years from being back in diapers?" Bachira shot back.

Lavinho jabbed a finger at Bachira and tilted his head so he could see him above his sunglasses. "I don't need any backtalk from you, mister sleeping with the enemy! You're already on my shit list."

"Please!" Bachira said back. "This team would be nothing without me!"

And then they both laughed, like this was all great fun. Which it was, Rin realized. It was a very different vibe over here compared to France, but it was not one he would label as unpleasant.

He wasn't quite sure why, but Rin was suddenly reminded of when he'd asked Bachira about his dad back on one of their fake dates. I don't have one of those, he'd answered. As he thought about it, he liked watching this interaction ever more.

"That's it," Lavinho decided. "Dance circle, get the intruder!"

The music picked back up, and suddenly it was Rin being swarmed. Bachira's face fell, the fun it had held suddenly dissipated all at once. Rin couldn't quite hear it, but he could see him yelling Wait, stop! and trying to swat arms away from Rin. Rin was trying to pull himself out of the gripping hands too, but there were just too many of them, and he soon found himself on the dance floor, crowded in on every side by a bunch of people who suddenly found themselves on his personal shit list.

Bachira was not among them. Being tall, Rin had the benefit of sight, and saw he'd actually gone over to the music set up. Lavinho was still laughing. Bachira still looked horrified, his eyes and mouth both pleading something desperate. Lavinho hadn't let go of the mic, so Rin heard it when he said, what? Your boyfriend's no fun or something?

Because they were close enough together, he also heard it when Bachira said, not really.

It stung more than Rin cared to admit.

But the music lowered again. Lavinho took the mic back up and said, alright, alright, he's had enough. Let him go. They did. Rin was grateful for that, he would readily admit. He didn't much like being touched, especially by an army of soccer players at the beck and call of some overgrown child. But alas.

When Bachira took his arm and pulled him out of there, however, he was reminded that he didn't hate being touched universally.

"We're leaving!" Bachira yelled.

"Yeah, yeah," Lavinho called after them. "Mind the cameras, huh? But have fun on your date with Sae's brother."

Rin didn't know if that comment was especially pointed, or if it was simply general knowledge that it would come across as a dig, but his jaw clenched anyways.

Bachira glared over his shoulder and spat, "Sae-chan is Rin's brother!"

Rin's jaw unclenched. All damage was repaired in those five words.

They walked along the Spanish hallway, not touching, but close enough side by side that it was deliberate. They could have touched. Rin was tempted. But even Lavinho was telling them to mind the cameras, so he figured it was probably a half decent idea.

"I'm a little tired for practice," Bachira admitted after a stretch of silence. "But we could go to the studio gym. Do some yoga and meditate a bit?"

Rin had already completed his own personal yoga and mediation before coming. He'd had to, to even gather up the nerve to walk over. But he knew that was hardly what Bachira was suggesting, so he agreed.

The got into the room, unrolled yoga mats, and sat there. They did stretching in much the same way they practiced. Eager enough so that anyone looking in would think they were indeed doing yoga, but half hearted enough that it was easy and they were able to talk.

"I miss you," Bachira said again. But then, he giggled to himself and added, "No dirty tricks this time."

Rin snorted in what might have been construed as laughter. "I respect the tactic."

Bachira hummed. Rin felt stupid. It was all he needed to inform him that he'd focused on the wrong part of the confession. He cleared his throat.

"I miss you too," he said. Bachira hummed again, happier.

"Things are still going well?" Bachira asked.

"Yeah," Rin said. "You?"

"Yeah."

There wasn't really much to say on the soccer front. They'd had yet to play each other, but they watched all of the other's games and texted about them during the moments they got. Plus, there was the suffocating sense of being in the actual facility. It was easy to forget about when you were on your own, doing nothing but existing in the demanding environment. But when you were trapped in these quiet moments, with someone you wanted to share private moments with, it was damn near impossible.

"Break will be here before we know it," Rin said, assuring both Bachira and himself.

"Yeah," Bachira agreed. "Christmas, right?"

"Yeah."

Another moment of silence passed between them. They shifted positions and found themselves both sitting cross legged, facing each other.

"Do you like Christmas?" Bachira asked.

Rin shrugged. "It's okay, I guess."

"What does an Itoshi Christmas look like?" Bachira asked. It was sad in the way he asked it, despite his efforts to hide it. Rin wasn't offended. He could hardly defend himself. "I can't picture it,"

"Pretty depressing," Rin admitted. "Sae never comes home, not that that would make it any less depressing, and we don't really have family nearby, so the three of us normally open presents and eat a quiet dinner. If my parents make it through the day without fighting, I consider that a Christmas miracle."

"Wow," Bachira said with a nod.

"Yeah," Rin agreed, eager to get off the subject. "You?"

"Far less depressing," Bachira said. He wasn't apologetic about it. Rin wasn't insulted. "I mean, it's just the two of us. But we have fun. Presents, dancing, baking, music. All the good stuff. But we usually order in. It never makes sense to make a big dinner for the two of us."

"That does sound less depressing," Rin agreed.

"Maybe you can come over," Bachira said. "My mom would like that."

"So would I," Rin said.

"Alright, then it's settled. You're officially invited to the Bachira Christmas celebration," Bachira decided. "Maybe you could even sleep over."

Almost loud enough for the microphones to pick up. But Rin didn't say anything. He was too busy entertaining a sudden intrusive thought of if we're still together by then. But he didn't say anything that aloud either.

"Sure," Rin said.

Bachira didn't notice his inner turmoil. He leaned in a bit, still grinning, and said, "And then, I'm going to make up for everything I've wanted to do to you since being in here."

A jolt of something shot through Rin upon hearing this. Fear, he initially thought. Or nervousness, maybe? But he didn't cringe from it. It didn't terrify him. It took him a second to identify it as excitement. It wasn't an emotion he'd become accustomed to. But he felt it now, full fledged and alive.

Before Bachira could lean back, Rin grabbed the front of his shirt to stop him.

"What?" Bachira said, his face filling of shock. "Too far? I'm sorry-"

"I'm not mad," Rin cut him off, pulling him closer.

The shock didn't dissipate. Bachira whispered, "Mind the cameras."

"Fuck the cameras," Rin whispered back.

With one final pull, he closed the distance between them, and everything he'd been trying so hard to forget he missed came flooding back in. Mind the cameras. How fucking stupid of him. How stupid of both of them, all of them, for caring about anything more than how this felt. It felt good. And it felt eager. There was no further hesitation on Bachira's part. He even continued all the way past the gap and onto Rin's lap, making Rin feel ever stupider, with all the brain power he could manage in that moment, that all of the reservations had been his own.

He decided that whoever was watching could say or decide whatever they wanted about what they saw. Let them talk. He was too busy counting down the days until Christmas to care.

They stayed like this for a while, intertwined and kissing each other over and over until eventually the motion sensor lights flicked off and left them in the dark. Bachira pulled away, just enough so they could talk.

"You don't think we could be still enough to keep the lights off, do you?" he whispered.

"I sincerely doubt it," Rin said back, regretfully but honestly.

Bachira threw his head back in laughter, which Rin knew because he saw. When the lights flicked on. At this realization, Bachira doubled over in laughter and flopped right backwards, back onto his mat and off of Rin's lap.

He didn't mind. It was a beautiful sight, watching him all twisted up in his own amusement. See, I can be fun, Rin found himself defending in his own mind. And come Christmas, I'll show you fun.