Chapter Text
Anri had extremely high hopes for this interview going in. Isagi and Bachira — though powerful, passionate, and determined spirits — were often excellent in front of the camera, boosting ratings and bringing in all kinds of virtual traffic. They weren’t like the younger Itoshi or Shidou who might end their careers any day now from their social media presence. Sure, Isagi could be blunt and Bachira wild, but they’d never not deliver.
So, after having gotten confirmation that they’d be fine meeting up, she found herself sitting in a nice German apartment, courtesy of the Neo Egoist League program. “Thank you so much for this opportunity,” she began, looking first at Isagi, and then shifting to the other. “And thank you, doubly, Bachira-san, for making the trip here from Spain. I hope it wasn’t inconvenient.”
“Not at all, Anri-chan! It’s always great to have an excuse to see Isagi-kun! Hey—” Here, he cupped his mouth so only Anri could see, but they all knew Isagi could hear. “Do you think he’d play a game with me if I asked?” It looked like he still wanted her to respond, despite it.
Why not play along? “I’m absolutely positive Isagi-kun would never turn down a game. I believe you are the same way. Am I wrong?” Once again, she looked back and forth between the two.
“Absolutely correct, miss,” Isagi hummed bashfully, lightly scratching his cheek. “Of course I’d play with you, Bachira! Anytime, anywhere. It’s been a while since we’ve got to meet on the field, huh?”
“Way too long, yeah! We played allll the way at the beginning of the N-E-L and now my days are Isagi-less! Oh, what is this poor maiden with a fragile heart to do!?” Emphasizing the dramatics, Bachira draped a hand over his forehead and leaned directly into Isagi’s shoulder, making the other laugh before shoving him off.
There was plausible deniability that these two were more than friends. To be honest, Anri had kept a sharp eye out for any signs of romantic bonding between all Blue Lock members — both to make sure everyone was staying in line, but also, to see what they as a project could and couldn’t get away with.
If the best strikers of Japan were in homosexual relationships… would they be more forgiven due to their fame? Or would it destroy them? Would they put their careers over love? Would the announcement of a relationship bring in a completely different demographic of viewers while alienating long-time fans?
Was she putting the cart before the horse?
Oh, shoot. She completely missed how Isagi responded to Bachira’s acting. Nothing that couldn’t be watched back, but she had no way to act on it now, so it was best to just move forward. “Well, speaking of ’maiden’, I’m gonna start with some fun nonsense questions to get you warmed up, is that okay?” The two nodded curtly, jumping back into their more on-camera, professional personas. “Excellent! Okay, this one was pulled off of Twitter when the official Blue Lock page asked fans what questions they’d want answered. Actually, most questions were vetted for the actual interview, but we took the more fun ones for these pre-rounds. That being said — Do either of you have fantasies of the future involving the other?”
Day 1: Wedding, “It’s always been you”
An absolutely adorable blush overtook Isagi at the question, but Bachira seemed completely unphased, smiling brighter than ever. “Absolutely!! Why, my greatest fantasy is to have a football themed wedding with my beloved Egoist!”
Both Anri and Isagi completely sputtered, “A wedding!?” in unison, their eyes meeting afterwards. Which, of course, made Bachira just laugh and laugh.
“Sure, why not? It’d be on a field… Camp Nou specifically! Everyone would be gathered and then, BAM! WHAM! SHAZAM! Both of us would come in, kicking a ball around, until finding each other at the podium. Alter? Goal? Whatever it is. I think we’d still be in our uniforms, too. Hey, hey, Isagi? Do you think they make tuxedo football uniforms? We should get some! Anri-chan, can you make that happen? Oh, how exciting! Isagi and I are getting soccer-married!” From here, Bachira began humming happily, swaying side to side, while Isagi looked completely frozen. Had he been shell shocked by the sudden announcement? Wait. Was this an official confirmation of their relationship!? Should this interview even be aired—!?
(Anri couldn’t see it physically manifest, but everyone who knew Isagi, including herself, could tell he was trying to puzzle piece a response together. How cute that he used his football mentality even in times like this. You got this, Isagi-kun! She rooted for him, mentally, taking a moment to bring a fist to her chest in solidarity.)
But the least she could do was help the poor guy while she waited for him to get there. “I see, I see! That seems pretty thought out and extravagant. When would this be happening? Or, how soon, I mean? Don’t you both have games coming up in roughly three weeks?” Though she was just playing along and doing her job, the way Bachira’s eyes lit up like sunshine at her pseudo-approval made her heart so warm. His affect on the world had been noticeable, but to see it up close was always so stunning.
Thankfully, her trick had worked for Isagi in the meantime, letting her not get pulled into the sun’s orbit.
“You’re correct. Bastard Munchen and FC Barcha have different games. Bachira is going up against Ubers, and myself Paris X Gen. I’m really looking forward to it, so, I’m sorry, Bachira. I cannot accept your proposal yet, because I’m not the number one striker yet.” Despite the apology, Isagi’s entire aura became engulfed in passionate fire.
It was truly impossible to tell if this was just a bit the two were doing to rile themselves up, or if they really believed they couldn’t get married until they proved they were the best. The plausible deniability of their romance made Anri breathe a sigh of relief for their sakes.
Even better, the rejection only seemed to make Bachira happier. “That’s my partner for you! Football will always be the first priority. But no worries, Isagi~ When I become the number one striker, then you’ll be so infatuated with me, you’ll have to say yes to my proposal! Well, well, that just means I’m going to have to absolutely demolish Ubers with my dancing, all to win Isagi’s taken heart.”
Oh! What a nice, egotistical response, Bachira-kun! Anri thought to herself, before cutting in to lead the conversation again, saying, “Does this mean that Isag-kun will marry whoever the number one striker is, no matter who it is? Provided it’s not him, of course! We are rooting for you, as always, Isagi-kun.”
“No, no!” A light and airy snicker left Isagi. “While I may be married to football most of all, I will always pick Bachira—”
Here, a flustered Bachira then karate chopped Isagi on the head, pouting, “Isagiii, you can’t just say things like that! It’ll get my blood pumping too much, and we’ve got a long interview ahead of us.”
Removing the hand lodged into his crown, Isagi just laughed more. “Sorry, sorry—”
“Now I know you’ve been hanging around Kurona-kun, nyahaha!”
“— Heh, sorry, again. His double words are infectious. But I do mean it! No matter what team, whether we’re passing or fighting, Bachira is my favorite. Has been since the moment I met him and he helped me stay in Blue Lock.”
Now they were both blushing, but not uncomfortably or embarrassingly. Bachira took a deep, happy sigh before adding, “It’s the same for me, Isagi. It’s always been you, my partner.”
… And who was Anri to interrupt the moment?
She let them have this silence between them, still unsure of whether this was romantic or just intense. Based on the conversations she’s heard on the field from many different players, it really could go either way. Plus, Ego would probably just say something about how ‘Love is both distracting and a motivator’ if anything ever did come out of it. Surely Ego would protect his diamonds in the rough if they were under scrutiny for something as silly as same sex romance, right? Yeah. Yeah, he definitely would.
“Well, how wonderful, I say!” Feeling passionate about her own conclusions, Anri decided to continue, finding the time she allowed them sufficient. “So then, besides the soccer-wedding — which I do want an invite to, Bachira-kun, please — Do you two wish to ever play on the same team together? Or are you happy with where the Neo Egoist League has taken you? To be clear, this is still tied into our fun warmup question of: ‘Do you have fantasies of the future involving the other’?” A producer behind the camera held up their hand, signaling that they’d have to move on, soon, so she was happy to get them back on track.
However, she wasn’t ready for the two of them to erupt into, metaphorical, passionate flames, engulfing their entire beings once again. “No matter where we are, no matter what jersey we wear, I hope to be on the same field as Bachira.”
“Even if we’re apart, I know he’ll always come get me, and that our egotastical dance will never, ever, end.”
And then, together, “Does that answer your question?”
It… It sure did. Now it was Anri’s turn to be flustered, momentarily covering her face behind a hand being brought up to her lips. But she was a professional, and recovered just as quickly. These two were a handful, yes, but she knew this interview would already be a hit with all of their fans, so she just smiled back at them, her own passion coming out in their powerful auras. “It does, I’m very grateful, and admittedly pumped up, myself at the declaration. Think you’re all warmed up, boys? Then, let’s get into the real questions…”
The interview must go on!