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Michael Kaiser was back at Bastard after five seasons with Real. Where he won lots of trophies and money but in his mind was getting back to his first team and winning with them after Noel Noa left for Barcha.
This transition was a secret, even for Yoichi who was starting the preseason matches playing with Ren Johnson, the new English midfielder.
Their preseason was a tour around the United States and during this time, both players built a new synergy that was almost like reading each other's minds.
“Surprise!!” Was Isagi’s passes welcome to his apartment when he arrived after the two weeks of preseason. Kaiser was wearing a Bastard München shirt, his number was the nine “I asked for my usual number 10 shirt, I couldn't use it at Real since it was Sae’s so back then I was their number 9 but it's ok. I will recover my number”
“When did you return?!” Isagi asked and he couldn't deny he was a bit surprised but also happy to see his boyfriend there.
“During the preseason. I asked to be handled carefully because I wanted to surprise you” he smiled and wrapped his arms around him “tomorrow will be my first day”
“I'm so happy to have you here again” they shared a sweet kiss and after dinner they watched a movie and fell asleep together.
The phone problems began the next day. Kaiser met the guy who has the number 10 shirt.
Ren who was becoming Kaiser’s least favorite person. He was working with Yoichi and it seemed effortlessly smooth and fluid that Michael was getting a bit jealous. Also he was noticing both of them staying extra time watching videos and analysing plays together.
The big problem was that Ren clearly was a great complement for Isagi since Ness was dealing with a surgery after a nasty injury against Real at the final of the Champions league. Kaiser went furious with the defender but the damage was already done, this was one of the main reasons why he didn't accept the extension of his contract with them.
During those five years Kaiser and Isagi only spend Christmas and summer together and they see each other on their free days. They were far from each other but they still managed.
He and Yoichi were in a relationship since the end of the U-20 World Cup in Japan. Now they play together and are fighting for the same goal.
However, not all is going as smoothly as they wish.
It was the final of the German Super Cup against Berserk FC and against Kunigami. They were tight and there was only one chance to score.
Kaiser was making reckless attacks that were stopped by the defenders until Ren picked the ball and started a new attack.
His and Isagi's passes were precise and it felt like they were reading each other's minds, they passed one, two, three defenders until Isagi was in the goal area and with a perfect pass, he scored the last goal.
The crowd went crazy as Bastard München won the match and their first big trophy of the season. All their teammates ran to hug the heroes of their team and all the cameras were on Isagi and Ren’s chemistry which made Kaiser jealous.
At the conference, the journalists asked both players questions about the match. Kaiser was analysing the plays in his head as he was waiting outside.
He remembered how connected they were back in the PXG vs Bastard. How Yoichi’s freedom made him mad but also gave him an opportunity to be more creative, something he never felt before and he hasn’t felt in Real or Germany, and now someone else was stealing that from him.
He noticed how those two barged with each other during practices and remember his friends saying “ Yoichi is only doing it to make you feel jealous ” or “ He is a diva, he only wants your attention ” fueling his anger and insecurities.
When they were back to their apartment, which still had unpacked boxes and scattered soccer gear, the tension boiled over into a heated fight. Kaiser, pacing the living room, accuses Isagi of deliberately sidelining him, his voice sharp: “Yoichi, you’re passing to Ren like you used to in the NEL, is he your new partner now? like...I... I’m not even here! Are you trying to pick a fight, to get my attention or something? It’s like you’re psychoanalyzing me and testing my limits!”
Isagi, stung by the accusation, snaps back, “Michael, I think my friends were right when they warned me about this, they kept saying ‘he’ll try to pick a fight to get attention,’ but after five years, I had hopes and I thought you’d trust me! Your ego-driven runs are like thunder, drowning out my calm, and it’s throwing off our game! or do you think I forgot your solo attacks?”
The fight weaves in football specifics, Kaiser said “Your precise, calculated passes to Ren echo our time at the NEL, and you are leaving me feeling like a third wheel on the pitch!”
Isagi retorts “Once again Kaiser, who kept going to do solo attacks? I know you are a super star, I always thought that but you love to have the spotlight on you and do plays that disrupt our team’s new dynamics, which make it harder to integrate you into our evolving strategy!”
This fueled Kaiser’s accusation “It’s clear that my friends told me this would happen... that you’ll put your focus on Ren is a deliberate jab to provoke me, and it’s a way to test my devotion now that we moved in together and also we’re sharing professional stakes”
“Oh come on Michael... all Bastard München knows your flair for dramatic confrontations, and they suggested that you would be the one seeking attention by escalating our on-field disconnect into a personal battle”
After this both decided to go to separate rooms, their hearts were still beating hard and they were both hurt but mostly, they were prideful and wouldn’t admit they were both making mistakes. Kaiser storms to the balcony while Isagi retreats to the bedroom, each stung by the other’s words, their whole relationship had been like fire and rain, a metaphor that rings true as their opposites collide.
As the night settles, Isagi walked to the kitchen and made himself and Kaiser a sandwich and started to watch some old NEL footage on his laptop, specially that time they play against Rin and how they were so connected, as the screen was glowing with their past brilliance, Kaiser, drawn by the sound, joins him, Isagi handed him the sandwich he made for him and they watch in silence, the same thought echoing in their minds “ We drive each other crazy, but I wouldn’t change a thing. ”
Isagi was cold headed, always thinking five steps ahead while Kaiser was a different kind of German, more passionate and impulsive. Both of them love their opposites but they also drive each other crazy because of their huge differences.
After a while, Isagi decided to break the tension, admitting, “I’m not trying to psychoanalyze you, Michael, I just want us to find our rhythm again, like we did back then.” he said pointing at the screen as they watched the Kaiser Impact being used as a long pass.
Kaiser nods, confessing to him “I was scared of losing our unique spark... both in love and on the field” he also confessed his personal vulnerabilities “If I have to be honest, the secrecy of my transfer was meant to be a surprise for you but as the time goes by it also trigger my paranoid that you had emotionally bonded with Ren during those weeks before my transfer was officially announced”
Isagi felt his heartbeat racing, Kaiser wasn’t the kind of person to be honest with his emotions but this time he was and Isagi felt proud of him and even more in love, he was so moved that he decided to be honest as well “I have to admit that the strain of living together and syncing on a new team feels like balancing your fiery intensity with Ren’s effortless rhythm... You aren’t an easy person to deal with and even though I know I picked you above other options that might be safier... I still wouldn’t change my mind”
They reconcile with a quiet embrace and a sweet kiss, they reached an agreement to communicate openly rather than let assumptions fester. To mend their on-field dynamic, they plan a new training routine blending Kaiser’s explosive flair with Ren’s synergy, ensuring Isagi’s passes flow to both without favoritism, turning their clash into a stronger partnership that honors their differences.