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ruruumin · 13 days ago

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race to your heart

₊˚ ᗢ itoshi rin x gn! reader.

⤷ inspired by my experiences playing wmmt, 3.1k words.

it is once in a blue moon that rin would agree to any of the blue lock boy’s shenanigans. they were always bringing up the most absurd ideas: whether it be buying all the popsicles at the local convenience store to win the prize (something he has done with ease) or going to the mall to buy new cleats, he found hismelf dragged. this time, he accompanied the rest of the team on their short trip to the arcade.

curtsey of nagi, they were able to find a local arcade that had very little people. surprisingly, there were hardly any kids. some middle-aged men stood over ancient machines and people in their early 20s playing with nostalgic smiles. while a few other guys left to play street fighter or other games, rin stayed around with the most rowdy group: isagi, bachira, nagi, and reo. the five of them decided to take up one corner of the arcade, settling on a game that nagi has been constantly raving about, wangan midnight maximum tune, a popular racing game.

bachira decided to sit out and just watch (an uncommon sight that had the rest of the group scratching their heads. apparently he wasn’t interested in racing games and just wanted to watch isagi). nagi and reo already had their own bana passports, a way of saving progress and upgrade cars in the game. this left rin and isago to sit down in their seats, swiping their cards and using guest accounts to play.

isagi decided to choose one of the porsche that was displayed, reo had picked out a purple dodge viper for himself, and nagi was scrolling through his garage (trying to choose the slowest one for fairness). the white-haired man sat at the very left, with reo, rin, and isagi following the line up.

the first game was truly something to behold. while bachira was off to the sidelines, cheering on isagi, nagi and reo were neck and neck with each other. rin’s eyes twitched in annoyance as every time he tried to make a smooth turn on the highway, isagi would crash into him, hitting the back of his car and effectively slowing him down.

it would eventually end with nagi in first place, rin (miraculously) in second, reo in third, and isagi last. the purple-haired man would have been in second place had he not hit the center barrier in the tunnel, causing him extra time. midway through their game, someone had come up from behind rin’s chair, standing a few feet behind with their nose buried in their phone. dressed in a simple black hoodie and mask, it was clear they were waiting for him to give up his spot.

instead of giving a staredown as he always did, nagi was the first to speak up, turning his head around to reo as his eyes darkened. a look that he could only describe as impulsive and egotistic.

“reo. get out.”

“huh?”

“get out,” he says more carefully, “i want to race them.” pointing to the figure in the back.

wordlessly, reo gets out of his seat, choosing to stand beside nagi now as the person he’s been waiting for sits down. as if nothing happened, they pull out two cards, using the first to swipe for credits; 7249 CREDITS REMAINING, and the second to scan their bana passport.

rin taps the steering wheel, raising his eyebrow as the mysterious person goes through their garage. nagi looks strangely serious. this person must have been something else if his entire attitude did a complete 180. did they meet before? was this some kind of ongoing feud that happens in wangan midnight? rin wanted to leave already.

regardless, instead of playing with his slowest car, nagi finally chooses the one he’s been using the most: a beautiful silver supra that had been max tuned. while isagi and rin chose any car they found interesting (with the latter choosing the skyline gt-r v-spec ii), the person beside him chose a midnight black, nissan fair lady 350z. so while not entirely fast on long stretches of road, it is a cutthroat killer amongst turns.

the game starts on a very basic highway map. the moment the countdown had finished, rin and isagi were immediately left in the dust, a gap that spans more than 3000 meters showing up rather instantly. this left rin in a state of shock. he knew those bana passports were good but he never expected them to give the other person such a huge leg in a race.

at this point, did he even have a chance to win?

this new player quickly outmaneuvers nagi’s best turns, keeping close to the railing to cut him off. weaving through the crowds of yellow pak man cars, they avoid nagi’s attempt at sliding next to them. the sounds of gears turning, pedals shifting, and the clicks and slams of their gearstick were enough for everyone to realize this match was leaning completely in this person’s favor.

finally when the game comes to an end, they turn to rin, tugging down their hood as they tilt their head to the side. this was their chance to see this strange, mysterious racer that beat them. everyone was on the edge of their seat, wondering what would come out of their mouth:

“why’cha play if you were gonna lose?”

pure arrogance.

✦

from that day on, rin decided to buy a bana passport. it wasn’t that he loved the game per se, and as much as he wanted to convince himself it was because of his own ego, it was little more than just that. he would frequent the arcade after practice, making sure to do so whenever nagi and the other boys are too tired to go anywhere afterward. he would rather die than be caught dead at an arcade trying to max-tune his car.

he decided to stick with the skyline gt-r v-spec ii. not only because it was the first car he drove but he liked the way it felt.

when he first started out, he was unaware of how much money had to be dumped into this game for you to consistently be able to tune your car. not that it was a problem, he was just flabbergasted at how much time passed. he spent all the credits he had on his card in a matter of minutes. he had to play through the story modes several times before he was even able to reach the next level of tuning. but despite of it all, it gave him a peace of mind that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

as he was practicing, he learned quickly about your name, hearing it whispered in the arcade. they would always point to one corner of the arcade, turning up their noses and leaving the other way, talking about how they’ll never get to win whenever you’re around. this would leave you playing alone with three empty machines beside you. but you never let that bother you, only continuing to swipe your card and play alone.

it only started to change when rin took the seat next to you, making up the excuse that the other two machines had loose steering wheels. as much as you wanted to say something about having a bana passport to race with you, he already pulled out his card and scanned it, immediately shutting you up. regardless, you hardly spared a glance at him, choosing to focus on your own screen rather than the cryptic soccer player suddenly wanting to sit beside you. locking in his car, the two of you play a few games together.

and while it always ends with your win, he’s beginning to learn more about you, like the habits you have as you drive, the way you flick the gearstick with the tip of your fingers, or the lifting of your foot every time you reach a tight corner. it goes as far as noting the times your lips would press tightly against each other, the pink tip of your tongue swiping across the edges.

its cute—huh? he immediately turned off his brain, not wanting to entertain the idea that there was something about you that interested him. and it definitely wasn’t the way you concentrated on the game or how easily you beat everyone else around you.

“you keep staring at me, is there something on my face?”

“ah–erm, no, there isn’t.”

there goes your first interaction with him. absolutely humiliated at himself, he closes his mouth, glaring at you to mask the way his heart leaps up in his throat.

✦

it felt like any other weekend. the sun was beating down on you as you entered through the doors, surprised to see rin already in his destinated seat. from the looks of it, he was already playing a few games before you came in.

sliding into the seat beside him, you swipe your card, glancing up at him for a moment before tightening your grip on the steering wheel. if he could be described with one word, it would be owlish, because his focused eyes were blinking slowly. why was he so surprised to see you? tapping your bana passport on the side of the machine, you lean back into your seat, turning the wheel to select your favorite car.

from the corner of your eye, you can see that his skyline gt-r was max tuned, a feat that could only be accomplished if he came by regularly.

in a rare conversation, rin speaks up: “why do you play alone?”

you raise your eyebrow at the sudden question but think nothing of it.

“no one else wants to play with me.”

with the screen counting down from 3, you adjust your gear shift to the lower side. the raven-haired man taps his fingers against the steering wheel, fixing the weight of his foot to the pedal. soon, the race starts and you’re both speeding down the long strip of highway, weaving in and out of traffic.

its relatively quiet for a moment with nothing but the sound of your gear shift moving and the screeching of car tires. despite rin’s recent practices, there were still a lot of difficult sharp turns that had him scratching the back of his car.

“is there a reason you only play this game?”

what’s with the sudden interview?

“...probably the same reason you play soccer,” even for a second, your eyes didn’t leave the brightly colored screen. your fingers had a tight wrap around the wheel. they moved in sync with the corners that were steadily approaching your view. “my brother and i played this game when we were younger. at the time, i barely knew anything about cars, so i chose the only one that i knew.”

“that guy from tokyo drift likes to drive the fair lady too, i decided to use his car.”

reaching a straightforward path, rin was able to catch up to you. the whizz of the engine pairs perfectly with the long stretches of road. it was music to both your ears. at the halfway point of your race, the two of you entered a beautiful mountainous field. autumn leaves cover the screen like an orange sea.

“i won my first race with that car.” stepping off the pedal, you hit the brakes once to adjust the direction of your car, “our hometown had a lot of small tournaments for wangan. decided after seeing my brother play that i wanted to be the best in the country.”

rin found himself grinding his car against the road bumper, slowing down significantly for you to make a smooth turn inwards. it’s getting increasingly more difficult to see your weak spots. every time he finds himself close to you, every twist of the road pushes him even farther away. it still impresses him to see this kind of skill.

“it’s a pretty difficult feat, there are a lot of people who play this game in japan. regardless, it felt nice to dream big for once. we’d hop from arcade to arcade, attending tournaments that happen once in a blue moon, playing against other racers from every prefecture.”

“how was that?” he asks, the two of you continuing onto an upwards highway.

“i won, obviously.”

having done so in the heart of tokyo, your shoulder was being vigorously pulled from side to side, your brother’s arm wrapped tightly around your neck as he smiled gleefully at the screen. there it was, your name in bright flashing lights, illuminated by a gold plate. your mouth was still left agape at your sudden victory. despite it being a small game with no significance in the real world, knowing that you were the best fueled you with indescribable confidence and joy.

flicking your gearstick, you make your way down a narrow curve, the tip of your car barely scraping against the railing. this effectively cut rin off from passing you on your right. “when he left for college, he stopped playing completely.”

“he said he had no time and that i was wasting my life away.”

do you want to go to round 1? you asked, tapping away at a steam deck you had in your hands, mashing buttons together. sitting on the couch with nothing more but a hoodie and shorts, your laid-back clothes contrasted your older brother’s tidy suit, a gift from your mother when he started applying to jobs.

you’re still playing that stupid game? grow up already. he loomed over you, staring down with a glare sharp enough to cut down even the thickest of trees. you’ve done nothing for yourself since i left for college. the only thing i heard from mom was that you were going off to the arcade just to play games by yourself. shouldn’t you be thinking about what you want to do in your life?

you let out a loud huff, out of all people, why are you lecturing me? i just asked you if you wanted to play a game together, like old times. does spending time with me not matter anymore? you just got home too so let’s go.

bouncing to your feet, you quickly made your way towards your brother, raising your hand in a high five that he turned his nose towards. having pressed your lips together, the air grows tense and heavy. why wasn’t he joining you this time? did spending time in college change him this much? your brother sighed when he saw your downturned reaction.

it’s not about spending time with you because you don’t do anything but go to the arcade. and because of that i’m starting to think: maybe i shouldn’t have taught you that game, your brother pulled back his hair, shaking his head in disappointment and grief, then you would actually be good at something else other than video games.

you might be the best now, but you’re nothing in the end.

rin’s car kept close to your tail, bumping into it when you found yourself weaving through tightly packed yellow cars. the pak man logo was beginning to bleed into your eyes at this point.

“how did you… get over it?” your brother, he means. he can’t say it out loud. he thinks if he did, it might come out wrong. or that perhaps he’ll say too much that's too personal. regardless of what the reason was, it made his lips dry and his tongue feeling a little cold.

“i like this game.”

your answer was clear and concise because really, it was as simple as that. although you were hurt by your older brother, resenting him for the last few years of your life, at the end of the day, what kept you going was your love. that's what separates you from rin. the difference that he was looking for was right here, staring at his face with an open paw. it was unlike the hatred that brewed within him. it didn’t bear the same fangs as he did.

soccer to him was a battlefield. a fight to the death. anything outside of it was just a waste of time. friends, family, what good is it if it's not for soccer? this kind of thinking had led to him feeling more lonely than he would have liked. and while you were alone by choice, you looked happy. you were comfortable in the silence you led because deep down, you knew who you were.

you liked playing games because it made you feel happy. could rin say the same about soccer? does he love it? does he enjoy playing it? when he thinks about it, the only thing that comes up is his hatred towards sae and how good it’d feel to beat him at his own game. there wasn’t much to love about soccer itself other than his desire to beat sae.

did he even want to win the world cup at this point?

unknown to his inner conflict, you hold your breath, watching the screen blare with a warning: 308 KM LEFT! DON’T GET CAUGHT! rin is only a few meters behind you. enough to catch up to you if he was able to make the proper moves to do so.

“but...even if this small time thing won’t last forever,” from the corner of his eye, there was a faint smile loosely hanging onto your lips, “this game made me happy.”

and with that, you end the race in first place, rin following only three seconds behind you. as much as he wants to be annoyed with himself at another loss, he was a little speechless. aside from sae, what made him love soccer the way he does now?

the things you said were beginning to turn gears in his head. he should be enjoying soccer. even if everyone else thinks it might be a lukewarm dream, it makes him happy to think about what could come, it gives him reason in his life.

“do you want to play again?” you ask, pointing to his steering wheel.

“oh,” rin breaks out of his trance, fumbling with his card, “yeah. we can do one more round.”

the only person in the entire world who can reduce him to a bumbling idiot is you, the same person he’s been trying to beat in a racing game for the past month and a half. god, he felt stupid (about you).

“what were you thinking about?”

swiping your card against the reader, the two of you start another match. this time, you decide to race on a simple highway map. you would consider it one of your favorites. it’s easy and familiar and you like seeing the night sky above you as you drive forward.

“i guess i was going to ask you to come to my soccer game,” his words come out softer than he wanted them to be, “if you want to. i won’t be sad if you don’t show up.” he added that last part to convince himself more than you.

a laugh escapes, “you’re a funny guy, rin-rin.”

“shut up, don’t call me rin-rin.”

#₊˚ ᗢ rurumin #blue lock x reader #bllk x reader #bllk rin x reader #rin itoshi x reader #itoshi rin x reader #rin x reader

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