it would've been sweet
Past!Sae Itoshi/F!Reader, Oliver Aiku/F!Reader
word count: 12.8k (fuck, i’m so sorry)
summary: You would never come before soccer.
But you let yourself pretend that he was spending time with you because wanted to, not just because you were around and he was bored.
warnings: angst, unrequited love, unprotected sex, sae is terrible at feelings, rin is better but still bad
note: this is not a love triangle fic. kinda jumps around from “present day” which is about 3-4 years after where we currently are in the manga, right after Sae leaves for Spain, to the start of the manga when the blue lock program started. I tried to make it obvious where time settings changed without labeling but i know it’s different perspective wise since i literally wrote it. This is also based on my own personal canon that Rin softens up a bit as he gets older and that he and Sae never make up.
[ao3][ko-fi]
“What do you think?” The question has you looking up from the mirror to where your boyfriend stands, dressed up and clean shaven, which has you tilting your head. “Is it bad? I tried to match your dress, and-“
“No, baby, it looks great! Just don’t recognize you when you don’t look scruffy.”
“The rugged look gets all the ladies,” he comments, coming closer to place a gentle kiss to your forehead as you sigh. “I know you hate these things, but I appreciate you going so we can suffer together.”
“Yeah yeah,” you mumble playfully, earning yourself a kiss. “You just like seeing me dressed up.”
“That’s just a bonus. You look just as beautiful when you just wake up, wearing my jersey, or naked, or-“
“Alright, lover boy. We’re going to make the car wait too long.” Your scolding has him helping you to your feet, mindful of the heels you had on as he guides you out of the bedroom of the hotel suite. It was going to be a long night of talking to soccer players, soccer executives, and their guests about soccer - your least favorite thing to talk about in detail.
You honestly hate soccer.
It was the source of heartbreak, your first and only, and you let the stupid sport continue to contribute to your emotional pain. Maybe you’re a masochist; continuing to surround yourself with the sport despite loathing it entirely, dating a man who played professionally, and wanted you at all of the events he could get you to.
Supporting your best friend as he traversed professional soccer while hating what it had done to both of you. What it did to his brother to cause both of you the worst emotional pain of your lives.
There are times when you think about Itoshi Sae, mostly when he comes across your television before you change the channel. He was once your best friend, with a chance that there could’ve been more had he not gone to Spain. But you’d never come before his soccer career and, at thirteen years old you couldn’t dream of asking him to stay. Not for you. All of Japan would have crucified you for trying to hold their treasure back from the greatness that came with the world stage.
But that didn’t stop you from wishing things could’ve been like they were before. When you were both happy and he actually seemed like he enjoyed soccer and you enjoyed watching him. Back when he had appreciated you and your support, back before he went to Spain all those years ago.
Time passes, though. He made his choices, destroyed his relationship with both you and his younger brother like it was nothing to him. Switched to midfield, changed his dreams, acted like you meant nothing to him. He was still revered on the international stage, still loved by Japan, and deep down perhaps you still loved him too. But that wasn’t something you had time to think about, you had a life to worry about.
He certainly wasn’t thinking about you, why put energy into thinking about him?
It was easier to just say that you hated soccer, even though both you and Rin knew what that statement actually meant: you hated Itoshi Sae.
You knew you’d never come before soccer, but still you felt special that Sae would make time for you between his busy soccer schedule. Granted most of that time was spent in school or just a half an hour before or after school, but it was still time he made to spend with you , specifically. He didn’t talk to just anyone, but he talked to you. A perk of being his neighbor since you were five, you supposed.
Recovery days from the strict training regimen spent either at his house or yours, meant to be studying for exams but instead taking turns watching videos on your phones. His were always related to soccer, insane hat tricks and compilations of the best strikers, while yours tended to be more on the funnier side or were cake decorating videos since he found those to be relaxing.
You were at every match, cheering him and his brother on as they dominated the pitch and wishing the best for their careers. They loved soccer and loved playing together, Sae always telling you in private that he did see a future for himself and Rin in soccer at the national level. Playing for Japan as the best strikers in the world, exchanging passes until they got to the World Cup - hopefully Japan’s first so they could mark a huge claim in the history of Japanese soccer with one of them scoring the winning goal based on a pass from the other.
Sae meant the world to you, but you always knew that you’d never come before soccer. But you wouldn’t want to, he deserved to chase his dream and you wanted to support him through that as you trusted he’d support you in yours. That’s what friends did.
You loved Sae, and you felt deep down that he loved you too. But you’d never come before soccer. Especially not when he was recruited. Just thirteen years old, not even in high school yet, and he was going off to Spain. Japan’s Treasure, your treasure , and he was leaving you to go pursue his dream. As he should, and you don’t feel bad about it.
After all, you knew you would never come before soccer.
You didn’t go to high school alone, you had friends outside of Sae to hang out with, but you still felt so lonely. To go from talking to him every day, watching him play and practice with his brother, to just…nothing? It sucked. You still go to support Rin, watching his matches at the very least and tutoring him when he swallowed his pride and asked , but life without Sae felt empty and you hated it.
“Have you heard from him?” You ask after a few months of radio silence from the elder Itoshi brother, and your heart drops when Rin shakes his head. “Oh, I guess he’s really busy then. I know he has to learn Spanish too, on top of practicing.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he’s just busy. He’ll call when he gets time.” Was all Rin could say, and you give your own nod of agreement before pointing out that he forgot to carry the four. “Wasn’t thinking.”
“You never do,” you tease, ruffling his hair and earning a startled “hey!” from the younger brother. “Always thinking about when you can go kick the ball around next, when you should be thinking about these entrance exams.”
“I know I’ll get the minimum score required to get into my school of choice. Soccer will carry me the rest of the way and then I won’t even need to worry about graduating.”
Always following in his brother’s footsteps, Rin was chasing his own dream that he shared with Sae. His optimism was inspiring and infectious, bringing a grin to your face before you redirect him to the practice questions you’d provided. For a kid so talented at catching the right angles to kick the ball and score, he sucked at geometry. Maybe he was better suited for physics.
Rin joining you at the high school was nice, you felt better knowing that he wasn’t starting school alone, even if he was just as lonely as you were without his brother around. Sae was irreplaceable to both of you, and yet neither of you had heard a word from him - not even a text at Christmas or either of your birthdays. He’d been gone for about four years, and you still waited for him when you should’ve given up. Any sane person would’ve given up, but you still had a deep love for Sae. Whether that was as your friend or if you had genuine feelings for him, you’d never figured it out before he left, but you hoped distance truly made the heart grow fonder and he’d do something about the fact that he’d cut you and his brother off completely.
And then you get the news you were waiting for.
“He’s coming back soon,” Rin comments as you eat lunch together, on a bench under a tree where you always ate together. “Something to do with his passport is what my mom said, but he’ll be back in about a month.”
“I’m sure you’re excited to see him again,” you comment, trying to ignore the butterflies in your stomach at the thought of seeing him again. Sae coming home was huge, and you couldn’t wait to hear about what he’d gotten up to while in Spain. You’d watched almost every single one of his matches, even bought a jersey to wear while you watched him play. A long distance good luck charm is what you’d sent to him when it was delivered - a text that got no response from your best friend.
The snow was falling when Itoshi Sae was meant to return. Out of respect for the family that missed the eldest son, you don’t stop by their home for a few days. When you saw Rin at school he was visibly upset, more closed off than he’d been just a week ago when he was practically vibrating with excitement at seeing his brother again.
“Do you want to talk about it?” You ask after school, watching as he adjusts his gym bag on his shoulder while you put your shoes back on. “You’re clearly upset, Rin.”
“He gave up on our dream. That’s all there is to it.”
You don’t believe that, but you know better than to pry into Rin’s feelings. The fact that he said anything was enough, especially as it related to his relationship with Sae. It was just unfortunate that the brothers who were once so close now had an entire ocean between them, both physically and in their relationship, courtesy of Sae.
‘Sae is in town again. My mom said he asked about you.’
It wasn’t unusual to get a text from Rin, Sae’s intent to put distance between him and anybody who might’ve loved him had brought you closer to the younger Itoshi brother and maintained that relationship even as he went pro. It was now Rin’s jerseys that you collected and wore as good luck charms, anything with Sae’s name tucked away in a box so you wouldn’t have to look at it since you couldn’t bring yourself to throw them away. Even the stupid notes you’d pass back and forth with him in school - you’d kept everything.
‘Respectfully, I do not care’
‘You do though. I’m not stupid.’
‘You are, I remember tutoring you dummy’
That gets a thumbs down reaction from Rin, and you sigh when your phone lights up with Rin’s name and picture. He couldn’t leave well enough alone, it seemed. Neither could you, most days.
“Rin, please let me pretend to not care,” you request before he can even attempt a pleasantry. You know why he was calling, and you didn’t want to bring up the feelings you were trying not to deal with. “I ask for very little of you aside from a discount on your merchandise and for you to tell your teammates I said hi and am currently single.”
“You’re fucking annoying, y’know that?”
“You tell me every day. Now what do you want, I’ve got exams to study for.”
“I’m also in town at my mom’s request. It’d be nice to see you.” There was another shoe that hadn’t yet dropped, you knew there was always another shoe when Rin was around. He didn’t like that being his reputation with you, but there was nothing he could do about it when he was…the way he was. Much better than when he was a teen, though, but still awful. “My mom said that Sae was also going to try to get a hold of you. But I wish he wouldn’t.”
There it was, the other shoe.
“What happened to not giving a fuck about what he did?”
“You’re still not over him. Seeing him isn’t going to make that any better, no matter how hard you try to ignore it, and I don’t want him to hurt you.”
“Rin, it’s been like eight years, give me a little credit please? I don’t want to see him, so I won’t.” It should be that simple, Sae didn’t know where you lived, so he couldn’t hunt you down. You’re sure his mom might’ve told him where you were going to school and what you were studying, you always caught up at Rin’s big matches and when you were closer to home for the holidays. She always treated you well, and your continued closeness with Rin made her feel better about how her youngest son was doing emotionally. You were like her bonus daughter, Rin’s older sister figure, a member of the Itoshi family complete with Christmas gifts and calls on your birthday, which was fine since Sae was never home for those events anyway.
“But you’ll see me?”
“You’re buying lunch, Rinnie. Or maybe a nice dinner? Haven’t decided.” But you know how it’ll turn out. Rin sitting on the floor against your couch with some horror movie playing as he betrayed his diet for once with sodium rich takeout that he’d complain about eating in the morning. Rin was predictable, unlike his brother who had always surprised you.
You never told Rin that Sae had texted you on your last birthday. Wishing you another healthy year, standard greeting for a birthday. You agonized over it for six hours before finally deleting it so you wouldn’t have to look at it again, knowing that responding would open a door you didn’t think you wanted to go through. Maybe he got the memo, but you’re not sure that Sae ever got the memo despite how smart he was.
“You’re a brat. But I wanted to make sure you weren’t crying because his name came up.” He knows you too well and you hate it, but you do appreciate that he cares in his own rude way.
“You’re such a jerk. I’ll see you when?”
“Tomorrow, unless you’re busy.”
“Tomorrow is fine. I’ve got class but that’s in the morning.”
“See you at noon. I’ll pick you up.” And then he hangs up on you, never bothering for pleasantries like saying “goodbye”. Those few seconds are extra time he could spend in the day working on his dribbling, or something stupid like that.
But unfortunately he’s right, the mention of Sae bothering to ask about you - having the nerve to want to see you - after almost ten years of silence was incredibly frustrating to the point where you can’t stop the tears from welling up or the dam from breaking so your tears could flow freely. Your notes were ruined, teardrops making the ink bleed on the paper which would make you need to redo the page.
In another universe, the one where at some point he chose you , he’d be right there studying with you. You wouldn’t be crying over him again, you’d be at the very least happier. He’d be teasing you in his own dry way for putting off your studying, and for teasing his brother so much. You think that you’d be having much more fun in that world where Sae was with you and not married to a soccer ball. Maybe he would’ve married you instead?
But he’d never choose you over soccer. He’d never be the one who chose you over the pitch, that just wasn’t Itoshi Sae. Trying to think of a world where he put you first was stupid and a waste of your time. You had exams to study for.
You tried to avoid him while he was back after what he’d said to Rin. Renewing his passport is what his mother said, and you understood that to be a somewhat lengthy process so you knew he’d be around for a while. At least a week or two, maybe longer depending on his paperwork.
But in all your effort to avoid him, you end up running right into him on your way home from a mall trip with your friends. Rin wasn’t around, he’d gone off to some soccer camp, leaving you to do things with other people and without him tagging along in the back so you wouldn’t have to walk home alone.
If Rin had been there, you’re sure he would’ve clocked Sae and directed you down a different street. But Rin wasn’t there, and you’re face-to-face with Itoshi Sae while snow falls between you. It was cold, about as cold as his eyes when they met yours, and you want nothing more than to go home but you’re sure it’s not going to be that easy. Sae was never easy to deal with, even when you were friends.
“Hey.”
“That’s it?” you ask, rolling your eyes when he shrugs. “You’re gone for four years with no contact and all you have to say is ‘hey’?”
His expression doesn’t change, and you feel yourself only getting more frustrated at that. It shouldn’t be new to you, he’d always been on the drier side, but given the history that he chose to write - the chasm he’d put between you - you can’t help but be mad.
“You still cry when you’re upset. That’s a habit you should try to break.”
“You do not have the right to say anything to me about what I should or shouldn’t do, not after what you did.” That gets at least a change in expression, a glimpse of an emotion crossing his features as you adjust your gloves. But as soon as it’s there, it’s gone. He was always very good at masking his feelings.
“You act like there was an obligation to keep in touch.”
“That’s a joke, right? We had been friends since we were five and you say there was no obligation to stay in touch ? I knew and understood that soccer was always your priority, but you could’ve at least sent a text . If you didn’t want me in your life anymore, all you had to do was say so and I wouldn’t have spent four years worrying about you.” Your voice gets softer as you speak, your eyes no longer able to meet his as you feel the geyser of emotion start to bubble up in your chest. “But you made it crystal clear, so I won’t waste any more of your time. I have to get home.”
“Let me walk you.”
“I’d rather walk into traffic,” you retort, stepping around him so you can continue on your way home. “You don’t get to pretend to care just because you’re back in town. You’ll leave as soon as you can, I’m sure. You clearly were happier when you didn’t have to see me every day.”
“You’re impossible.”
“That’s rich, coming from you.”
“Can you stop for a minute?” The request actually makes you stop, but you don’t turn to look at him. You can’t, not when you’ve been crying because he sucks as a human being. “I wanted to see you, when I didn’t have to.”
“You also hurt your brother when you didn’t have to . Did you come all the way back for that?”
“What happened between Rin and I is none of your business.”
“Then what happened in Spain that you came back like this? This isn’t you , Sae!” You have to look at him now, need him to see just what he’d done to you. Before he left he hated it when you cried, even if it was at a movie, but now he looks unfazed at the tears streaming down your face. Who was he now? Just some soccer machine? “I want my friend back.”
The conversation ends when Sae closes the distance between you. The kiss is harsh, needy, but exposed a truth in both of your actions and that truth was in experience. You both had been kissing other people, and you’re not sure how to feel about Sae trying to date. Hypocritical for sure, but could you be blamed?
“That doesn’t fix anything ,” you murmur when he pulls away, and he only sighs as he comments on how frustrating you were. “And I don’t forgive you for hurting Rin. I won’t ever forgive that.”
“It’s still none of your business.”
“Just fucking walk me home.” At this point it’s best to give him what he wanted. Arguing with Sae wasn’t easy when you were kids, and it’s obvious that he’d become more difficult while he was away.
You never told Rin that Sae kissed you that night.
Rin had left for Blue Lock at that point, telling you that his new goal was to destroy Sae and you’d only nodded as you wished him luck. At that point you only understood it to be a potential recruiting session, with the expectation that he’d be back in a couple weeks.
Instead he was gone for months, and you saw a lot of the elder Itoshi brother in the younger’s absence. You never told Rin about that either.
Quiet evenings with Sae watching you study for classes he’d never have to take, his own book in his hands and letting you sit in slightly uncomfortable silence. You don’t ask about Spain, you don’t talk about soccer in general because you hate that he used his experience with soccer in Spain to hurt his brother. But it “wasn’t your place” to intervene in their sibling quarrel, so you leave it all alone. You tell yourself that you don’t care, but the way you care for Rin tells you that you needed to in order to protect him since he was like a younger brother to you. Even if you were trying to protect him from his older brother.
You let Sae spend time with you, you let him take you to dinner and make tea for you, you ignore your parents' questions about why he was around after you’d spent so many nights crying over him. You didn’t know, but you knew that he’d hold your hand sometimes while you ate in private and always left you with a kiss on the cheek on your doorstep. Sometimes you exchange kisses that escalated into heavy makeout sessions on your bedroom floor, and other times you sit in silence while you work at your desk and he stretches on your floor.
It was everything you had wanted from Sae, but you knew that you were simply a placeholder and nothing more. He was only around to see what the Blue Lock Program could produce, to see if a half decent striker could rise up to represent Japan and make their soccer decent for once. Once his curiosity was satisfied or disappointed, he’d leave again since his passport had been renewed. You were just a way for him to pass the time while he waited for something interesting to happen.
You would never come before soccer.
But you let yourself pretend that he was spending time with you because wanted to, not just because you were around and he was bored. What hurt you more was the fact that you were okay with his selfishness, because it meant spending time with him almost as if he’d never left. It meant for some purpose he wanted to be with you .
Until he didn’t want that.
You never told anyone how Sae told you after the loss in the match against the Blue Lock Eleven that your relationship to Rin was holding his brother back. How Rin would never rise to meet his own goals when you were tying him down to you. How Sae himself knew you would hold him back and that he’d be going back to Europe to play for a decent team. The words you’d always feared he would say cut so deeply after the months you’d spent at each other’s sides, and that’s when it truly has set in that you were a convenience to Sae - someone he knew would always take him back despite the pain he caused you - someone he could use and throw away as he pleased.
Rin never knew what Sae had told you while he was in Japan last, and it was for the best. Rin had felt defeated after that match, hearing that Sae was more interested in Isagi than his own brother who was working so hard to exceed his brother’s level of talent. Knowing that Sae had stomped all over your heart would only make Rin more homicidal in his play style, and he needed a break from additional emotional issues.
And four years later you find yourself laying on your couch with Rin sitting on the floor in front of you, takeout container in his hand while you play with his hair. He’d doze off on the floor soon, the food coma kicking in and you’d finally look at your phone where a text from Sae sat waiting for a response. He’d sent it the night before, asking if he could see you while he was around. You think about what it would be like to have both brothers on the same page again, to have Sae spending time with you consistently, to be happy with them both in your life.
But you know deep down that soccer would always come first to Sae. You can’t forget or forgive what he’d said to you four years ago, but maybe he’d actually apologize for how he’d treated you if you saw him? But was it even with seeing him if that wasn’t a guarantee? There wasn’t even a guarantee that it’d be a pleasant meeting, Sae just sucked like that.
“You’re thinking too much,” Rin comments, tilting his head back against the couch cushion so he could look at you. “Oh, that’s the Sae face.”
“I do not have a ‘Sae face’.” Your retort is met with the familiar deadpan stare you often got from Rin when he thought your argument was stupid. He only sighs in return, and you try to adjust your expression to be less like whatever it was previously. “What does that even mean?”
“You look like someone kicked your dog, to start. You’re also crying.”
You were? Rin reaching up to wipe them away had you embarrassed, mumbling about allergies even though you both know that was a lie to save face when you didn’t need to do that for Rin. Sae had him just as fucked up as you, the last time they met on the pitch resulting in a heated exchange that made worldwide sports headlines for weeks. You’re surprised Rin didn’t risk a red card to play more aggressively against his older brother, but the yellow card he did get was worn like a badge of honor when you scolded him for it later.
“I’m sorry Rin. He texted me, is all, and I don’t know that I want to see him. Last time I saw him, it didn’t end well.”
“Does it ever end well with him?”
“No,” you mumble, letting him sit you up so he could get on the couch with you. It’s not long before you’re laying on him, head on his shoulder as he reminds you that you don’t need to see Sae and definitely don’t need him in your life. You were about to get your degree, and a job out of it too based on the internship you’d finished, and you did it all without Sae. Neither a of you needed Sae, and you both understood the universal truth: Sae would always choose soccer first. Before his brother and certainly before you. Putting effort in when you know it won’t be reciprocated was for fools.
“Seeing him might give you closure, but you need to figure out when you’ll stop running back to him and giving him that power over you.”
“You’re annoying when you’re right.”
“I’m only saying that he only does this to you and I’m getting sick of it. You can make your own decisions, but I don’t like seeing you cry over him. We’ve done too much of that.”
You had, and Rin truly was annoying when he was right but you know you’re lucky to have him - someone who knew exactly what it felt like to be pushed aside and put down by Itoshi Sae. By someone who once cared so much and wanted to see you succeed, then flipped the switch and became the biggest asshole you’d ever met. What you’d do without Rin, you weren’t sure.
“Thanks for putting up with me all this time,” you whisper, tears welling up again but this time because you’re so grateful for him. He’ll hate it when he realizes you’re crying again, but you think this time he’ll keep it to himself.
“You’re my big sister, putting up with you is kinda my job,” he murmurs, kissing your head as he adjusts his back. “But I cannot sleep on this couch.”
“ You put us here, shithead.”
Despite all your best intuitions, you text Sae back. You do tell Rin that as he’s leaving your apartment the following morning, and he leaves you with the suggestion that this be the last time you communicate with Sae. There isn’t an ultimatum there, but you know that you can’t keep allowing Rin to clean up the messes Sae left behind. Despite your close relationship and mutual understanding of how much it sucked to be emotionally fucked by Sae, it wasn’t fair to Rin that he picked up the additional emotional labor that was you crying over his brother or looking like you wanted to cry at the mention of him. You had a “Sae face”, for fuck’s sake - that could not last.
It’s always cold when you see Sae as adults. Mostly because it was the mid-season break in the middle of winter, but you also find it fitting that the weather fits how you feel the conversation should go. Indifferent, signaling the end to a one-sided friendship and the way he continued to keep you at arm’s length. Sae never felt warm, even down to the way he looked at you, it was a cold indifference that made you feel like you were stranded in the arctic with no way to truly understand what you did to be left that way. But you’re here now, standing in front of him as he watches you, not a sliver of interest in his expression that made you feel like he wanted you there despite the request that you come see him and make the time for him that he never made for you.
“Hey.” Your greeting is about as level as you can manage, trying to maintain the cold indifference he always met you with. He looks tired, moreso than usual, which has you concerned but not enough to ask. He wouldn’t ask you if you were okay, that same courtesy should not be extended even if the words dance on the tip of your tongue with a need to be bitten down to keep yourself quiet.
“It’s cold out here, we should head into the hotel.” And he’s gesturing to the lavish building to your left, the building you hadn’t noticed because Sae gave you tunnel vision. “I don't have time to get sick.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” But you follow him anyway, loosening your scarf as he leads you to the elevator before your gloves come off to get tucked into the pocket of your coat. You aren’t sure how long you’ll stay, but you’re not trying to overheat either.
“My mom says you’re almost done with university.”
“Yeah, I graduate in the spring.”
He only nods as the elevator stops, and again you’re following him down the hall to what is only the second door you see in the entire length of the hallway. Lavish hotel, lavish suite, you’d expect nothing less of Japan’s Treasure. Your boots are carefully removed before you take off your coat to hang up, acutely aware of how Sae watches you as he does the same. He was always watching, and you hate the way he could figure you out in seconds but never let you into the locked vault that was his brain. There was so much you could’ve learned if he’d just reciprocated some level of trust, but the last time you understood Sae was when you were in middle school - before Spain, before Blue Lock, before he broke your heart for the first time.
“Why’d you text on my birthday?”
“It was your birthday, wasn’t it? It’s polite to do that.”
“You haven’t done that in almost ten years.”
He gestures to the table on the other side of the suite, two plush chairs waiting for you both to sit and talk. That’s what Sae wanted, you supposed - to talk for the first time in four years. So you sit, tucking one leg under your body and nodding when he offered you some tea.
But then he’s quiet; watching as you sip at the tea provided, holding the mug in your hands as a way to close yourself off from him. He couldn’t hurt you if you didn’t let him in to do that.
“I want to make one thing clear, Sae.” You finally break after a couple minutes of unsettling silence, setting your cup down on the coaster before folding your hands in your lap. “I don’t have time to fuck around so please just get this over with and call me a stupid and hopeful girl that’s holding you back so I can go home.”
“Is that what you expected to get?”
“It’s the last thing you said to my face, so yeah.” He only nods at that, knowing that there was no denying that statement. “I can’t keep doing this, letting you show up every four years just to butter me up and then tell me to fuck off. I can’t keep trying to be your friend if you can’t even give me five minutes that I deserve when you’re not benefiting from it directly.”
He’s silent, and you continue to sip your tea while letting him process that. After a moment he stands, still saying nothing as he crosses the suite to get to a small box that sits on the dresser in the room. It looks expensive, a cherry wood case that is set delicately on the table in front of you. It’s as he sets it down that the sleeve of his shirt rides up a bit, revealing a familiar braided string of yarn that you’d made at a scouts camp. It was much too worn to be anything else, and your hand catches his wrist before he has the chance to sit down again.
“You’ll spill your tea.”
“Shut up,” you whisper, setting the mug down with your free hand before dragging your index finger along the bracelet until it catches the two beads that were braided side-by-side into the yarn. Black and white, “like a soccer ball” is what you’d told him all those years ago, and the way he smiled as you tied it around his wrist made you feel something your eight year old heart hadn’t been able to compute. “You still have it.”
“I’ve always had it. I only take it off to shower.” He speaks so softly you barely hear him, the hand on your cheek bringing your attention away from the bracelet and to him as he squats in front of you. “And I know I’m a piece of shit, Rin made sure to tell me at our family dinner a couple nights ago, but I guess I just wanted to let you know that I have been thinking about you and I’ve had you with me like you kept me with you all this time.”
“Why didn’t you ever just say that?” Your question has him sighing, and you look at him expectantly as he averts his gaze to look at the box instead. “If you’ve known all this time that I wanted you and you kept this - why not just say something?”
“I guess I just have to complicate everything.” You know that’s a joke - it has to be an attempt at one - and you can’t help but shake your head before you also look to where the box sits on the table waiting for you to open it. “I got this for you, putting it in the mail felt too impersonal.”
You don’t comment on how impersonal usually suited him just fine, not wanting to kill whatever moment you were having as your hands leave him to carefully open the box. You’re not sure what you’re expecting, but to hear an old pop song you’d enjoyed while he was spending time with you while Rin was at Blue Lock wasn’t it, and the tears well up in your eyes as it’s fully opened and you see a very old picture of you with Sae at one of your birthday parties pressed into the lid. Cake frosting on your face as you’re laughing, Sae’s finger still covered in frosting in the frame as he looks so proud of himself for getting you like that. Printed onto glass, a memory that you’d never forget because that was when Sae was happy , and preserved somewhere other than your heart (and apparently with one of your parents).
Then he pushes a button on the side of the box, the soft base lifting slowly to reveal a bracelet that looks so much like the one you’d made for him all those years ago. Only where he had two beads, this one has a small metal plate with a date on one side and you turn it when you see kanji on the other.
“‘Thank you for being my harbor’?”
“You’ve always been a safe place for me to come home to. A harbor for me to dock in. Even when I suck.” The explanation makes you chuckle as you wipe some stray tears from your cheek, commenting about how he spent too much time looking at the ocean while you watch him turn the bracelet over in your hands. “This was our first day of kindergarten. The day you decided you were my best friend.”
At that moment you don’t care about his career or potential for injury when you launch yourself at him. Arms tight around his neck as he barely catches you in time to cushion your fall as he hits the carpet below you.
“I didn’t think you had a heart,” you tease, earning a huff from the man below you but no other comment. “Thank you, Sae.”
“I’d try to stay for you.” His voice was almost so quiet you didn’t hear it, and you can’t stop yourself from kissing him in your excitement to hear him say that.
“You mean it?” You don’t get a verbal response, instead his lips reconnecting to yours in a kiss that was less exciting but not lacking in passion. A warmth that rarely emanated from Sae made you feel like you were on fire, but he always made you feel like that when he kissed you. “Sae-“
“Don’t think too hard about it,” he instructs, hand coming to rest on the back of your neck. “Do you want this?”
“What is this ?”
“Currently? I think sex,” he mumbles, kissing along your jaw where he could reach in this position “After that? I’m not sure.”
“Yeah, we’ll figure that part out later,” you murmur, tilting your head back to give him better access to your neck. “But now, sex is good.”
You hate how easily your shirt comes off, his task that was exploring your neck barely interrupted by pulling the fabric over your head with your bra following shortly after. You have to sit up to allow yourself the space to undo the buttons of his shirt, and he helps you by starting from the bottom to complete the task faster. The shirt and his undershirt are shed quickly after he sits up, his hands then occupying themselves with your breasts as your mouth meets his once more. Your hands undo his pants, fumbling in search of his length that you’d felt getting hard beneath you while you were kissing him. It’s easy for him to push you both up while he bridges his hi[s, supporting you with just one hand while his other helps you push his pants and briefs down so you’d have the access to him that you wanted. His length is hot in your hand, a soft groan escaping him as your hand blindly explores previously uncharted territory.
“Is someone sensitive?” you ask, smile on your face as he scoffs. Your own pants start to get wiggled down your hips, and you cooperate as he adjusts your body to ensure he could get your pants and panties off without needing to pull too far away from you. His ability to manhandle you shouldn’t be surprising, considering the intense strength training all professional athletes worked through, but for it to be Sae shuffling you around with little effort was something unexpected. Maybe it was because you consistently still pictured him as the same young teenager, the untainted version of Sae that loved you, but you can’t dwell on that when you feel a couple fingers slide through your slick folds.
His fingers ease into your cunt, it seemed like he was trying to match the easy pace of your hand with his thumb rolling against your clit shortly after your thumb runs along his tip. Like in all things, Sae is meticulous and observant and he worked diligently to get you ready to take him. He felt big in your hand, but without having a proper look at his cock you’re not sure if he was over or under preparing you so you’re trusting him while his fingers work expertly inside you. It’d be weird to ask how many people he’d been with, considering he clearly didn’t care how many people you’d been with - did it actually matter if you were here now? Probably not, but you always worked overtime thinking about what Sae was possibly up to without you.
“Ready?” He’s asking you as he pulls his hand back, but not looking at you as his attention is redirected to your neck and shoulder. “Don’t wanna cum in your hand, would rather do that inside you.”
“Condom?” you ask, wincing at the way his teeth gripped the skin at your jawline, before he let out a hum that sounded like a no.
“Not necessary.” The confirmation of his thought has you smiling, bumping your head against his as he looks up at you.
“How do you know I don’t want to trap you into giving me your money to raise a prodigy child?” you tease, earning yourself an exasperated sigh as he nips the shell of your ear.
“You’ve had access to Rin’s money for years and all you ask for are jerseys and tickets.” You’re mad that he knows that, but you’re sure that Rin has probably thrown it in his face once or twice that you don’t ask for much at all outside of basic human decency and how Sae couldn’t give you that. “He’d give you anything you asked for, maybe not a kid though.”
“He can’t give me you.”
“He’d kill himself before agreeing to that,” he murmurs, peppering kisses around your cheek as he eases you onto his length. “Gonna take all of me? I know you can.”
You could, but not without effort. Sae wasn’t excessively girthy, but he was longer than others you’d taken. You liked that you were on top, having more control over this despite his hands on your hips guiding you down as he whispers in your ear how well you were taking him. You don’t take his entire length on the first pass, but he’s still enamored as he leans back against the bed to properly take you in.
“You’re really pretty when I’m stretching you out like this.”
“Only when you’re fucking me?”
“All the time, you’ve always been pretty,” he responds, hand around your neck to keep your gaze locked on his. “But this is something special. Not just anyone gets to see you like this.”
That much was true, you were selective about who had access to you despite working overtime in college to do whatever you could to forget about Sae. You think mostly it was to keep your image clean for Rin, despite him never asking for the intimate details of your life that could tarnish your image in his eyes.
“Thinking too much,” he scolds, gently tapping your cheek to refocus your attention on him and only him . “You wanted my attention so bad, be good for me then.”
“You chased me this time,” you counter, rolling your hips against his and pulling a hiss from between his teeth. “So shut the fuck up.”
“Bossy,” he murmurs before pulling you in for another kiss. It’s more calculated than you’d expect for having his cock buried in your cunt as his hands help you ride him. There was a universe where you and Sae were like this all the time, you’re sure of it. One where you’re happy and in love with each other to the point where you can’t keep your hands off one another. A universe where it didn’t take eight years for him to say that you meant something to him - where he didn’t run from experiencing a human emotion to maintain a cool composure on the field. It was probably a world where he didn’t play soccer, and would probably never be the universe you lived in currently.
“Why are you crying?” he whispers, the hand that wasn’t holding your neck carefully rubbing your side in an effort to calm you down. You have even realized that you were crying, how embarrassing. “Does it hurt?”
“No, it’s okay,” you murmur, trying to reassure him as you continue fucking him, but you know you don’t believe it. “Thinking too much, like you said. Missed you a lot, y’know. This is nice.”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t think so much,” he comments with a sigh, brushing his nose against yours as you shrug.
“Do something about it, then.”
He moves quickly at your challenge, your back hitting the plush carpet with a soft thud as he changes the position so he was on top. Your hands settle on his chest as he kisses you, the coil in your stomach tightening with every deep thrust into your pussy. His kiss is sloppy, needy and so uncharacteristic of the usually very meticulous man you’d come to know and love but hate most of the time.
“Sae, please,” you whine as he pulls away, cheek pressed to his as he presses his face into your neck.
“Keep saying it,” he requests, nipping and sucking at the skin he can get to as he pounds into you, one hand gripping your leg to bring it up to his hip for the deeper angle that has you seeing stars. “Let the whole hotel know who’s got you.”
“S-Sae,” you moan, his hand finding your clit bringing a choked gasp out of your lips that has him grinning into your skin.
“So good for me, you like the way I fuck you?”
“God, fuck yes!” You’re thankful his suite is so large, preventing many, if any, people from hearing how desperately you were missing for him. “S’good Sae.”
“I know,” he grunts, the sound coming from deep in his throat and sending a shiver down your spine. “Fuck, you feel great. So good for me.”
Your core continues to tighten with every thrust, signaling the beginning of the end for you, and you hope he’s also close because you’re not sure you could handle any more. You didn’t have the soccer stamina like he did.
“Sae, I’m gonna cum.” That gets his attention, leaving your neck with an open mouthed kiss before he’s looking down at you again. He’s smiling as his hand pushes your hair from your face, kissing your forehead as he feels your walls begin to constrict around him.
“Come on, baby, you can cum for me,” he murmurs, hands cupping your cheeks as he forehead rests against yours. “C’mon, beg a little bit for me as you do, yeah?”
“Sae, please,” you whimper, gripping his forearms as he grinds his hips into yours. His pelvis rubs against your clit with every stroke of his hips, his own normally controlled gaze unfocused as he feels his own end approaching. “Sae- yes, fuck - SaeSaeSae please. I’m gonna-!”
His moans are less intelligible as he tries to hold out through your orgasm, you barely make out your name among a string of curses until he finally stills as warmth floods your core. One small thrust followed by a second push his seed deeper into you, the press of his lips kissing away the tears that had rolled down your cheeks.
“The floor is not where I’d wanted to do this,” he murmurs but you only try to shake your head because you truly did not care. “You okay?”
“You’re going to have to check for a rug burn, but I’m good. More than that.” Your assurance comes as he pulls out, helping you to sit up before pulling you to your feet with him so he can help you to the bed on wobbly legs. He tells you to stay put for a moment after laying you down, and you watch from the bed as he leaves for the bathroom.
When he returns, he turns you on your back so he can check your skin for rug burns as requested while his other hand brings a washcloth between your legs to clean up the mess he’d left. Always striving for efficiency was Sae, and you appreciate the care he puts into getting you ready for bed. You honestly wouldn’t have expected that of him but, then again, this entire night was something you wouldn’t have expected from him.
“You look fine.” Is all he says before placing the softest of kisses between your shoulder blades, bringing a smile to your face before he goes to put the washcloth back into the bathroom. This time when he comes back he pulls you into his side, letting you rest your head on his shoulder while you continue to bask in the afterglow of having sex with Sae.
“Are you okay?” you ask, uncomfortable with the sudden silence despite the way he was relaxed beneath you. It wasn’t odd for him to get quiet, but after sex it felt odd. Was he regretting it, or trying to figure out how to ask you to go back home? What if this was all for him to get some closure he was looking for?
“Yeah, I’m okay. Just thinking.”
“Want to share with the class?”
“You asked what happened in Spain, and I never told you,” he murmurs, hand rubbing your back as you look up at him. “Never told anyone, really.”
You hum, gently tracing patterns on his chest with your fingertips as he sits in the silence. You weren’t going to say anything that could break his train of thought, not wanting to destroy whatever vulnerability he was going to extend to you.
“It’s different when you leave Japan. I know Rin has probably told you about some of it, but him exploring at seventeen or eighteen was vastly different than being thirteen.”
“I’m sure. You had to learn Spanish too, right?”
“I did, which is fucking hard when your English also isn’t great.” So at least you were right about that much, the stress he was likely under was unimaginable. “My translator worked overtime.”
“I’m sure.”
“But I think the worst of it was just how alone I was. A child, so hyped up and for what? The rug was pulled from under me very fast; not speaking the language created a lot of barriers for me, along with my age and obvious inexperience with how the real world works. Thought I knew everything, but I didn’t know shit.”
“I mean, you were just a kid still, did they not-“
“They didn’t care. I could’ve been a toddler and they wouldn’t have given a shit. And they taught me quickly that everything you have can be taken away from you. I guess initially I didn’t want them to try and take you, too. Then it was just, everything changed. I had to change my entire mentality about soccer to succeed there and it took over. And I can’t break it, or else I break my soccer.”
“You realize that’s not a good excuse to have acted like a complete dick for the last ten years, right?” You ask, propping yourself up to look directly at him. “Like all you had to say was ‘Spain sucks, I’m miserable, and I don’t want to push you away but I know I suck’ and I would’ve tried to understand more. But then you did the rest of it, and did irreparable damage to Rin and I.”
“I know,” he sighs, his eyes closing as you roll yours. “I know, and nothing I can do will fix that. You just wanted to know, and I owed you that.”
“You’re pretty hot when you’re vulnerable.” Your attempt to lighten the mood lands, earning a snort from the usually collected Sae before he opens his eyes to look at you again. “I’m serious!”
“I’m sure,” he mumbles, settling more into the bed while trying to pull you back down into him. You don’t let him get you easily, pulling back against him so you could continue that eye contact with him.
“Are you sticking around this time?” The question has him sighing, and you feel bad for ruining the moment but you know you need to talk this out. “I meant it when I said I can’t keep doing this. If you’re not sticking around, or if you’re going to leave without saying anything and cut me off again, then we’re done on all fronts. I can’t keep waiting for you to choose me.”
You think you know the answer when he sighs, but you let him pull you down into his chest this time. You’d enjoy it while it lasted, you supposed, the consequences would be felt in the morning. Sae was finally yours , even if it was only for a night.
You wake up alone in the hotel suite, still naked but neatly tucked in by who you could only assume was Sae. The woven bracelet is tied around your wrist, which gives you hope, but looking around the room tells you that he’d left entirely. No suitcases, no remnants of the clothes you’d shed on the way to the bedroom, your own clothes neatly folded at the end of the bed. He did exactly what he told you he wouldn’t do, which has your stomach dropping as the tears well up.
Deep down, you knew he wouldn’t keep his word. He would never choose you over soccer, after all.
You feel ashamed as you leave the hotel, the snow still falling and you’re tempted to walk all the way back home to just marinate in the emotions you were feeling. But you don’t, instead calling for a taxi where the driver listens to you sniffle in your own misery with a sympathetic look on his face. You hate being so vulnerable, exposed in public for having your heart broken and the pieces stomped on by someone who grew up with you, but it’s another thing you can hate Sae for.
Coming home to Rin sitting on your couch was not what you wanted exactly, but pulling off your layers and then flopping on the couch beside him was what you needed. He’d be disappointed that you’d bought into Sae’s lies once more, but he’d be relieved to hear that you were completely done now. You’d learned your lesson one too many times, and now you could both move on from this constant cycle of heartache.
“What happened?”
“Details you don’t need, for starters,” you sigh, earning a gagging sound from Rin that makes you roll your eyes. “But I told him if he left like he did the last two times, not saying anything and just going ghost that I wanted him to never talk to me again. And when I woke up he was gone. Like he was never there.”
“Bastard.” Is the only thing to leave Rin as he pulls you into his side. “But I suppose he finally made his choice.”
“He’d always made his choice, I’m just an idiot.” He doesn’t have anything to say to that, and you just lean into his shoulder while you try to fight back the next round of tears. You appreciate that he doesn’t want to make you feel worse by telling you what he thought, but the silence was horrifyingly loud. “I should shower.”
“I’ll make some breakfast for you.”
After you were clean and had eaten, Rin left for his own training regimen and you sat on your couch while staring at your phone as it vibrated on the coffee table. Sae had already called twice, this would be the third time he’d called. You don’t want to answer, but you know you have to or else he wouldn’t stop calling. But maybe he’d come back if he thought you hadn’t made it home? Could you manipulate him into your apartment so you could yell at him in person?
No, that wouldn’t really fix anything. He’d probably just try to fuck you into being docile again, and you didn’t want or need that.
“You selfish piece of shit.” Is how you start when you answer, standing up from your seat. “I can’t believe that I believed all that shit you said! But classic Sae, right? Tell me what I want to hear and then fucking leave without a word!”
“I’m sorry-”
“You’d fucking want to be! I’m so tired of you jerking me around like this, and then Rin feels obligated to pick up the pieces of the heart you shatter time and time again! He deserves better than to clean up your mess both with me and with your family.”
“I had a flight to catch.”
“Then you say that, dick! Don’t give me some expensive gift, fuck me, then leave!”
“When was I supposed to tell you?”
“I dunno, maybe when we were staring at each other in those chairs? Or when you were taking off my clothes? Or, and here’s a crazy thought, when we were laying in bed and I told you flat out that if you left like that again you could consider me gone for real!” You don’t know when you’d made it to your bedroom, but you’re sure you owe your neighbors an apology for how loud you were yelling into your phone. “Like always, you know just what to say to get me close to you and then you fuck it up because you’re selfish, arrogant, and think that just because you can kick a ball really well that you can just treat me how you want?”
“It shouldn’t matter.” Is what you’re met with, and you have to stop yourself from screaming into the phone as your response for how upset you were. “You should know, especially after last night, that you do mean something to me.”
“Sure, but I just can’t do this shit with you, Sae. I can’t be with you when you’re here and then not exist when you’re gone!” You yell into the phone, knowing that as soon as he didn’t like where the conversation was headed he’d hang up. You’d at least gotten to say your piece, make sure he knew just how upset you were and how deeply he’d fucked up. Saying that you should know when he never made you feel anything like that until last night? Absurd and you hoped he’d learn after this that you have to communicate. “I told you that if you left the same way again that I wouldn’t be waiting for you when you came back. I’m done waiting for you, Sae. I can’t keep hoping that one day you’ll choose me because you want to instead of it being because I’m convenient for you.”
“You think it’s out of convenience?”
“When have you ever given me a reason to think otherwise?”
There’s only silence on the other line, so you hang up after a couple moments of giving him an opportunity to respond before flopping back onto your bed and riding the way it bounced until you eventually settled. There wasn’t anything to look forward to, he’d never choose you and you couldn’t put your life on hold in the off chance that hell froze over and he did choose you over soccer.
But you had a graduation coming up that you needed to prepare for, Sae was not ruining that for you.
After you graduate, however, things get a bit boring. Work and more work, an endless repetition that exhausts you. If Rin would be a good younger brother and put in a good word for you with one of his teammates, you’d volunteer to be a trophy soccer wife and just travel. Would it be a waste of your degree? Absolutely, but there had to be more to life than whatever this was. Even if you had to act like you at least enjoyed soccer, it has to be more interesting than the life you had currently. People think it’s cool that you’ve got pictures with Itoshi Rin on your desk and are able to get them passes to matches you simply don’t want to be at, it gives them something to talk to you about and see you smile for once instead of having your head down in your work.
But you know part of the misery is tied into the fact that you can’t stop thinking about Sae. Yes, you’d cut him off after he’d left you, but there was so much history that you were severing that it hurt to do and think about. If Rin asked, you were doing just fine, even if he knew you better than to believe that.
Your prayers always seem to be answered in the form of Itoshi Rin. You hadn't exactly told him how miserable you were, trying to put on a good show for him whenever you had the chance to talk. You even left to get drinks with coworkers a couple times and let someone take you out on a date. You were trying to be social, because you knew it would help him worry less about you.
But the next time Rin is in the country, he shows up on a Saturday evening and tells you to get dressed as you’re in the middle of preparing vegetables to cook for dinner. He never showed up without calling, so this had to have been an impromptu decision for him to show up in relatively nice clothes instead of his usual gym or travel wear.
“You could call , asshole. I wouldn’t have started cooking.”
“It’s just vegetables, they’ll keep for another day. Now go get dressed, casual but nice.”
You comply, but not because Rin told you to. The notion of going out with someone you didn’t see every day at work was enough to make you cooperative, is at least what you would try to say if he asked why you tagged along if you managed to get a complaint out.
“Where are we even going ?”
“Dinner with some of my teammates. Apparently they miss you despite passing my phone around in the locker room to talk to you before every match.”
“Do they know I’m single?”
“I think it’s painfully obvious on your instagram.” That has you poking your head out of the bathroom to look at him as he goes through your closet while you try to make your hair more presentable for dinner with sports celebrities. “I’m surprised I haven’t seen four cats running around here at this point.”
“Go fuck yourself,” you retort, flipping him off before going back to your task that was taming your hair. “Pick out something cute!”
“You’re so annoying,” he calls, earning himself another middle finger extended out of the doorway of your bathroom. “You’d better be dressed in ten minutes.”
You’re finished getting ready in nine, probably a personal best but only made possible because Rin picked clothes out for you - saving you both the agony that came with you rifling through your closet for the right outfit. Choosing and then doubting yourself to choose again only to end up going back to your original selection. He hated that, so it made his life much easier to pick the clothes and get you into the car.
“Where exactly are we going?” It’s the third time you’ve asked, you see Rin’s eye twitch in annoyance at the question since he’d told you that you were going with him to dinner with some of his teammates. He didn’t tell you where, or who all would be there, but you did enjoy everyone he played with so you couldn’t be fully upset at not having details. “Who all is going to be there?”
“We’re going to that one sushi place we went to on your birthday last year. Not sure exactly who all from the team will be there, but Aiku will definitely be there since he has been asking about you nonstop. Missed seeing you at matches when we’re playing here. Are you satisfied?”
“You should tell him I hate soccer and only went for you in the first place.”
“You don’t hate soccer, you hate what it did to you.”
“Same difference.”
“Behave in there,” Rin warns once the car is parked, and you look over at him with an unimpressed stare as you unbuckle your seatbelt. “I told them ahead of time not to mention Sae.”
“So they know your brother fucked me then left me?”
“No. Just that you two were once close and now the ties are officially severed but you’re still grieving the loss of that friendship.” He was so good at covering for you, but you also know that he was happy that you’d finally chosen yourself over choosing to chase Sae that he’d do anything to make that choice easier for you to heal from. “You’re going to have a good time. If not, I’ll kill them.”
And you did have a good time, sitting between Rin and Oliver proved to be very entertaining while you were paid close attention to by both men. Rin per usual was a bit distant from his teammates, but would lean in to speak to you and make sure you were doing okay. On your left, Oliver was switching between speaking to you and chattering to his teammates. He asked questions about how you’ve been doing, interested in your studies and excited that you’d graduated. He knew how hard you worked from past conversations and hearing Rin try to figure out how to send care packages from different countries to get you through exams, and he told you that he was proud of you for such a big accomplishment.
“Let me take you out to celebrate. Just the two of us,” Oliver requests, his smile nothing short of charming despite Rin’s scoff behind you. He never let Rin’s attitude deter him from what he wanted, and you did like that about Oliver. The fact that he was handsome just happened to be a plus.
You want to say no, you really do. The thought of spending time with people outside of your apartment, without Rin to act as a buffer and remove you from the situation when you started to get emotional was terrifying. But the nudge from Rin happens, and you know that it’d be for the best that you develop habits that don’t include crying over Itoshi Sae and and you need to make more friends that weren’t at your job. So you nod, smile on your face as you tell Oliver that you’d really like for him to take you out.
A couple years pass by, and you end up in a serious relationship with Oliver Aiku. It’s a very public affair, him flying you out for matches and always kissing you very passionately after victories - one time practically jumping into the stands to get to you. He loved you loudly, proudly, and would show you off at every opportunity to the point where you spent more time working remotely from whatever country he wanted you in than being in your office.
His pride in being with you is what brought you to an annual gala, complete with the nice expensive dress that coordinated beautifully with his suit. The pocket square even sparkled in the light like your dress did, a very important detail to him as he was dress shopping with you.
And he liked to be by your side, hand held in his or his arm around your waist as you chatted with his teammates or other players that you knew through him and Rin, but he also gave you space. If you excused yourself, he’d check in only briefly to make sure you were okay before letting you know to let him know if you needed him. And when you excused yourself at this gala, telling him you were going to use the restroom before getting more champagne for the both of you, he let you go with a kiss on your cheek and a gentle but discrete pat to your ass with a grin that you couldn’t help but adore.
You know that you love Oliver; you love the way he treats you and the way that he loves you - with no question or hesitation to tell and show you how much he cared. Rin didn’t hate the relationship, he just wished Oliver was more mindful of the environment before making a scene after matches, but most of all Rin was happy that you were happy. His brother wasn’t a constant source of emotional pain for you anymore, Oliver made sure of that, and that’s all Rin truly wanted for you: happiness and to feel like you were chosen for once. You knew you’d never force the ultimatum that was you or a soccer career, but knowing that Oliver would drop anything except for a match to get to you if you needed him meant so much more than you think he’d understand after your history of dealing with Sae. A history that he has gotten bits and pieces of, but not quite the full story. Rin would never dig up that history without your permission, but you share bits and pieces when he asks well timed questions.
You love Oliver, but running into Sae as you leave the restroom has you stopped in your tracks and you can tell he’s also put off by the sudden rendezvous. While you were always at these events at Oliver’s side, you’d managed to avoid crossing paths with Sae since he very rarely showed up to them. You hadn’t seen him since that night, and were hoping that you’d never have to see him again after you’d officially severed the ties that bound you to him. But here he was, and you stand in silence for a moment before he realizes that you’re not going to say anything to him.
“You look well,” is all he says, and you nod with as straight a face as you can muster. You couldn’t make a scene here, fighting Itoshi Sae at a JFU event would get you blacklisted and possibly Oliver too.
“Thank you, you also look well.”
“Aiku, huh?”
“He never thought I was holding him back. He’s stayed with no hesitation about his career,” you comment, leaning against the wall of the hallway as Sae nods his understanding. “Why’d you leave that night? Don’t bullshit me, either, we’re too old for that.”
“Truthfully, I was scared. You deserved better than what I was prepared to provide, so I left for your sake.” You’re not buying it, but you would let him live in the delusion that he was doing what was best for you rather than what was best for him . Whatever he needed to sleep at night. “He makes you happy?”
“Yeah,” you murmur, the thought that he also had made you happy when you were spending time with him dying on your tongue when you swallow. That wouldn’t fix anything for him or for you. “I love him, and he loves me.”
“The way he makes out with you after matches says enough.”
“And you have no place to comment. You had multiple chances, and you chose to push me away every time and go silent so we couldn’t even talk about it. You ran , Itoshi. Oliver doesn’t run.” He sighs, and you roll your eyes at the fact that he wasn’t leaving and was also blocking the hallway so you couldn’t leave easily either. “Would there ever have been a time where you chose me? Or tried to be with me when you weren’t on a break from playing?”
“Why are you so obsessed with causing yourself pain?,” Sae asks, and you shrug while doing your best to keep the emotions at bay. “You still want to cry when you’re angry, but you’re better at stopping yourself now.”
“Maybe I’m just so used to you hurting me, I don’t know what to do when you’re not.” You know that cuts deep, he visibly flinches at that which you wouldn’t expect to see him do in public. “I need to get back before he comes looking and then tries to deck you.”
That has Sae turning to move past you and into the men’s bathroom, leaving you to take a couple deep breaths before leaving the small hallway and making your way through the various players, executives, and their guests to get back to Oliver. On occasion someone would greet you and you’d stop to chat for a moment to avoid being rude, which results in Oliver making his way to you since you’d been gone for so long.
You’re conflicted as you dance with Oliver, your head resting on his shoulder as he sways with you in time with the song playing. Sae had been your ultimate wish, and it would’ve been a dream come true to have him choose you at least once. But to know that it wouldn’t have ever happened, not because of Oliver but because of soccer ? A re-entry of the knife that had been thrust into your heart all those years ago.
“Everything okay?”
“Why do you ask?” You look up from his shoulder, smiling when he leans in to kiss the tip of your nose.
“You were gone a while, and you didn’t come back with the drinks, and you looked a bit upset which is why I went and scooped you up.” He paid such close attention to you, and he kissed your nose again with a soft smile that made you melt all over again. “I’m assuming you ran into him.”
“Yeah, but it’s fine. He’s stupid, and I have you and you make me the happiest lady in the world.”
“He fumbled the most beautiful girl in the world, like the idiot he is.”
And you hate soccer, you truly do, but you hate more that you had to dig that grave up again every time you saw Sae - even if it was just in passing. Sae’s impact on your feelings is something you’re not sure you’ll ever have control over, and it’s not fair to Oliver that you’re so easily impacted by another. Oliver was warm , with a smile that could melt glaciers and held you like he would be your defender set to protect you from any harm. You deserved to bask in the sun after spending so long chasing after Sae in the cold darkness that came with his uncertainty.
“Do you wanna go fuck in the bathroom? Might make you feel better.”
“Tempting offer but I kinda enjoy you being a starter on the team and also employed.”
“You just like a man in uniform.”
“Yeah.” Your agreement has him grinning, you weren’t at all shy about liking how he looked in his gear. “But you’re my favorite man in uniform, Captain.”
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RAW REACTIONS TO JWCT
Spoilers below the cut, and warning it's long. My thoughts are all over the place rn so you'll get more organized posts tomorrow
Ep. 1
“Just the one.” FML
Darius you’re such a funny little guy
“I’m not talking about the island I’m talking about what happened after.” AHHHHHHH. The way this line was delivered and animated.
The family photos on the wall feel so symbolic.
It’s sad how Darius has to go through this process of grief again.
What’s Brand doing to get himself into trouble?
*soft music plays* “And here with me live are the improbable survivors of the Jurassic World incident, the Nublar Six” CAN YOU HEAR ME FUCKING SOBBING.
Ben scrunched over that little compute please I can’t 😭
What’s especially sad about Darius’ grief is that he’s not just sad and depressed as if he’s accepted her death, it’s that he pushed himself into a sort of state of almost denial where he’s still calling her and stuff.
These raptors are freaky
1st episode over yayyyy
Ep. 2
Not the keys Darius
The tensionnn
Ben and his driving skills
Ben’s poor van
Ben still being the well prepared man he is
Ben…I’m concerned what is that board you have going on there
Why are these grown ass men living such horrible lives? Eating canned cheese out of a dirty mug? A spoon in a boot that makes sloshing noise?
Ben back at it w the shaving cream/ whipped cream.
Darius is so unconvinced
BEN throwing Darius phone out like it was nothing plssss and his reaction
BROOKLYNN I MISS YOU
She’s so pretty though
Very ominous great way to emphasize Ben’s paranoia
These poor traumatized kids
“Is your friend okay?” “No.” PLSS I’m glad he knows it
THE FUCKING FORESHADOWING
OH THE SUSPENSE
Ep. 3
Sammy’s ranch is so cuteeee
SAMMY MI AMOR THEIR REUNION IS JUST SO PRECIOUS
The locs thing omg
“Have you seen my pitchfork” she asks casually as if she’s a witch hunter during the Salem witch trials
What do you mean Sammy isn’t talking to her parents
Their reunion is soooo cute
Sammy you are a queen and I love you.
FUCK YOU CARL
I forgot we were in Texas lmao
OH MY FUCKING GOD IT’S SAMMY SEEING BROOKLYNN FOR ME 😭 now it’s definitely for sure that Sammy died her hair in honor of B. Brooklynn’s jacket 😭
SAMMY 😭😭😭 “or Yaz pulling away from me”
FUCK OH MY GOD CARLS DEAD
Got me ugly crying
Ep. 4
Darius’ humor is immaculate
Everybody’s calling Ben by his full name and I love it
WHAT? GIRLFRIEND??
Nooo the brothers are fighting
Kenji has… downgraded
Oop- no the money loss
Sammy that kick was awesome marry me plz wait no u have Yaz marry her and then marry me
I knew they were fighting but god damn he rlly just shut the door or Darius like that
Kenji I love you dude but take this seriously
Ooh the tension
Ouch, brooklynns death
Double ouch, Kenji blames Darius. Of course
OH MY GOD HE’S OUT OF PRISON
“Once you lose my trust, you lose it. Forever.” Damn. Hang on let me go check off Kenji and his daddy issues off my bingo card rq
The girlies aren’t in a good place 😭😭 “why did she say something?” Plssss
I love how Sammy car jacked Ben by tickling him for his keys
Them abandoning Darius with Kenji 💀
I love the rock climbing scene
“where were you the night Brooklynn died?” Oop- we’re doing up this now?
OH!? oh
Awww fuckkkkkk 😭
That’s another mark on my card
YAY BROOKENJI IS OVER
but also damn… poor Kenji
“Wait how do I get back down?” You’re so real Darius
Aww bumpy noooo
Ep. 5
DANG THAT COMPY GOT SWEPT UP
“Hey that song kinda reminds me of that” *turns music off* oh
“Not taking family advice from a kid who hasn’t called his own mother in over a month.” OH. WERE YOU SILENT OR WERE YOU SILENCED. THE BOYS ARE TAKING SHOTS AT EACH OTHER
YASAMMY
“Oh yeah, Darius warned me. LMFAO
Ohh she told you Benjamin. No more carob.
The gyrosphereeeee
Oh fuck this guy whoever you are.
“Free the Dino’s.” YESSSSSSSS
I had a feeling we’d see kenjis dad
“Did you have Brooklynn killed?” Oh going in hot ig
Oh shit- DAMN BEN AFTER ALL THIS TIME
OK, I feel bad for Sammy because even after all of these years, she makes one mistake by spying for mantah corp and people still kind of hold it over her head, even her best friends. that must suck
Ooh the tension
“Don’t do the Japanese thing. You know I don’t speak it.” Ooh we’re bringing the culture too! JW ain’t playing
Oh shit-
YOU DONT MANIPULATE MY SON ANYMORE OH SHITTTTTT
AHHH SAMMMYYYYYYYY
I love how Ben and Sammy take down a Dino abuser just as a little side quest
Aww they’re so cute OH MY GOD WTF HE’S THE “WEVE GOT A PROBLEM DUDE”???
Poor kenji THATS RIGHT YOU STAND UP TO HIM KENJI FUCK YOU DANIEL
“Im not afraid to get my hands dirty” oh shit-
OH FUCK CAN THEY CAMOUFLAGE??
OHH SHIT
WHO TF IS THAT SHE LOOK LIKE A FUCKING DOLL I WANT MY MOM HELP
FUCK OH MY GOD FUCK WHAT THE HELL
POOR KENJI
THAT CANT BE A FUCKING REAL PERSON
WHO TF IS THAT IN THE CAR??
AWWWWWWWW FUCK KENJI IM SO SORRY
Ep.6
YAZ MY SWEET GIRLY HIIII AWW POOR GIRLY DAMN NOT EVEN A FULL MINUTE IN AND WERE ALREADY BRUNGING IN THE TRAUMA
she’s so pretty thoughhhh
Aww brooklynnn
AWW THE BABY TALK
Aww the trauma poor baby I just wanna give her a hug
“Any particular reason I’m here and not Sammy?” Ooohh
Awwwww
Yaz I love you. You’re so pretty, and cool, and just a bunch of good things
OH MU GOD THAT PIC OF THEM IS SO CUTE
Are you gonna answer the phone Yaz?
YAYYYY SHE PICKED UP
MY GIRLIES I LOVE THEM
“Wait you’re coming here?” You can hear the panic in her voice.
IM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU YAZ
Yaz is definitely suspicious.
AHHH THEY SAID THE L WORD
I love this episode already
It’s so amazing that they’re actually addressing their mental health. I don’t think I’ve ever heard children’s shows say the words traumatizing and ptsd.
Oop. So this is where you live Yaz?
Awwwwww she’s waiting for them AWWWWWWWWWWWW (MORE LIKE A SHRILL SHRIEK) THEYRE REUNITED
I LOVE THEM SO MUCH IM CRYING
Awww I love Ben and Yazs friendship so much
Ooh time to drop the news
This place is so pretty and nice and Yaz genuinely seems to be happy. Also she knows people :)
“Benny Boy.” Aww
Sammy is not enjoying this place lmao
“You’re favorite.” Oop-
UH OH IM SCARED I DONT WANT TO SEE THEM FIGHT I THOUGHT I WAS READY BUT I DONT KNOW
WE GIT THE SCENE
BEN GET YIUR GOOFY ASS OFF THE GROUND
IM SCAREDDDDD
Oh shit
AHHHHH
OH FUCK FUCK I DONT WANT TO SEE THEM AGRUE DIDNT WE HAVE ENOUGH OF THAT IN CAMP CRETACEOUS
I love that Sammy is trying to protect Yaz but she is taking it a little too far. Ben is me, I can’t see I’m blinddddd blinddddd blindddd
But also Yaz you didn’t keep in contact??
Oh shit Yaz has a point though *shrieking*
Not the fucking time Ben
I take it back this isn’t my favorite episode I don’t love this episode
Ben struggling to give advice plssss. I love you dude
I love Yaz and Ben’s friendship so much though
“When me and my girlfriend—“ the swoop up, like right Yaz. “I’m sorry girlfriend?” Right. That’s what we’re all wondering
“Why does everyone act so surprised when I say that?” BECAUSE YOU’RE GAY??
OH FUCK OH FUCK PEOPLE ARE DYING OH FUCK RICH DIED
I DONT KNOW WHO HE IS BUT HE IS DEWD. EATEN. GONE OH SHIT POOR YAZ
aww poor Sammy I just thinks Yaz needs some great room.
Sammy was definitely abt to say “how the hell”
WE GOT THE OTHER SCENE
The little side eye Ben gives Yaz after “big Ben’s got moves” <3<3
OH FUCK THEY ARE TRAPPEDOh dpw is here they got it
the little hand hold <3<3
OH FUCK THE DPW IS NOT THERE THEY DONT GOT IT THE DPW IS MAKING IT WORSE FUCK I HAD A FEELING
OH FUCK THEYRE FAKLING IN THE WATER
OH MY GOD WTF
Ep. 7
Oh they are under under.
My worst fear lowkey
oh shit…
OH SHIT THEY ARE SO CUTE AWWWW
poor kenji… awww fuck this is so sad.
Who is this guy??
Uh oh… the dpw
Kenji poor baby
WHAT ARE YALL JUST DOUING SITTING THERE???
Ben really? Ductape
That’s my strong girls
Nah this shit is terrifying
Oh thank god
Oh shit we’re finding out what happened
Aww a little girl
Oop corruption… but for a good cause?
Oh shit
How tf did Brooklynn not feel those footsteps?
Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.
Is Brooklynn actually dead? Moment of truth.
Awww no no no no 😭 Darius fuckkkkk 😢
I can’t believe they actually showed a pool if blood. Brooklynns pool of blood
Wait so they saw her dead body? So she’s actually dead? Or what?
Oh fuckkkkkklk 😖
STOP 😭
AWWW YASAMMY IS SO FUCKING CUTW AWWWWv
Not the random Italian 😭
OOH FUCK NOT THE PASSWORD UH OH
STFU DUDE
Ben was WAITING to throw those phones
Yaz I love you. “I am so going to haunt them from beyond the grave.”
I KNEW THE ROOM WE SAW WAS BROOKLYNN’S PLACE
Her house is so cuteeee
Please Sammy your voicemail 😭 I love how we’re getting to hear everyone’s voicemail
Awww
Oooh the plot thickens
Oh shitttt BROOKLYNN WTF ARE U DOING?
A FEW MILLION?? PASS THAT ON OVER RIGHT OVER HERE
OH SHIT
Ep. 8
WTF ARE YALL DOING WHY ARE YOU DIRECTLY IN THE CAGE WITH THE DINO ARE YOU ACTUALLY INSANE ATP YOU’RE GIVING IT A FREE MEAL YAZ WTF ARE YOU DOING YALL ARE TESTING FATE RN
KENJI YOU CANT BE SCREAMING LIKE THAT ALSO WTF WAS THAT SCREAM but also I can’t judge that’s me when I see a spider
Oh I forgot abt all of those voicemails Darius sent
Aw lowkey poor dinosaurs
Who is he?
Kenji you’re such a goofball. Eew no I take it back gagging barfing gross wtf
No Brooklynn what’d we say abt the baby talk pls no
Yes, Darius I am sufficiently uncomfortable
Uh oh the boys are tussling I’m getting flashbacks to Ben and Darius
Awww dariusssss 😭
Camp fam try not to get recognized by strangers challenge quick, start
Damnnn Sammy that was smooth.
Darius… why are you in that gross ass tub
Camp fam boys try not to be gross challenge
WHATTT
HANDS TO MY MOUTH IM ACTUALLY SHOOK RN
WDYM “I WAS IN LOVE WITH BROOKLYNN”
I DIDNT THINK THERED BE DINOSTAR WTF
OMG
Please get out of the fucking tub
You don’t know what’s been done in there
Are we just abandoning all self respect we have
HOLY SHIT
oh is it the video? The video of her death?
Bumpyyyy
Oh fuck…
YAZ 😭😭😭 “boo.” Please I love youuu
Right, that’s my reaction lmao
Oop Brooklynns mad
Nah cause she stared at that dinosaur for 3 straight up seconds girl has your time on numblar taught you anything??
In my Abby Lee voice: “BROOKLYNN HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?!”
no wonder your ass got ate
I’m sorry that’s mean.
I love you girly
Oh fuck.
Girly is dead
😭😭😭
“You and me, we’re brothers right?” STOP YOURE BREAKING MY HEART 😭😭😭😭😭
Stoppppp
Will we ever find out why Darius wasn’t there??
Oop dinosaurs
What’s wrong with bumpy??
AHHHH SHE SAID IT SHE SAID THE CHAOS LINE “maybe not”
“What are you looking at?” Pftttt
Uh oh. He’s dead…
Oh well
Oh now they’re really looking
“Yeah I don’t like that at all.” Yeah but I loveeee you Sammy
Ep. 9
Poor Sammy but girl you need to chill
Bumpy???
Awww. I love yasammy and seeing them work through the it issues. ASWWWWWWW
OOH the gangs all here
How tf did Darius and Kenji scale that fence
Oh shit,
Miss ma’am you are too pretty to be participating in nefarious acts like this
Lmfao “okay we get it you’re a climber”
What did I tell you girl? Way too pretty to be doing this shit
Come on Kenji put those protein drinks to work
Yaz wearing a crop top 🥰
Awww bunny nooo fuck fuck
Awww Ben 💔
Oh fuck no I would not be climbing up there
the gangs all here
Okay kenji
Damn Sammy you stay trying to knock kenji out I love you ❤️
Also the part where Yaz is covering both their mouths? So badass
Awww reunion how sweet
PFTTT DARIUS
BUMPY NOOOO 😭
Oh so when they said international they meant international
Oh shit…fuck… Brooklynn :(
LMFAO BEN
Oh…Ben
Bumpy…
OH SHIT BUMPY IS SHE HAVING…
OH WAIT SAMMY’S SO PRETTY
FUCK WAIT BUMPY
NOOOOOOOO WTF
OH WAIT WTF
SAMMMYYYY
STOP FOOLING US
YALL R SO WROMG FOR THAT
LMFA “DON’T THINK ABT IT BUD”
cmon did you rlly have to ruin the happy moment?
Ep. 10
HOLY SHIT LAST EPISODE
Oh the plot THICKENS
SAMMY I LOVE YOU
OKAY BIG BEN OH SHIT BIG BENS DOWN
SAMMY I FUCKING LOVE YOU
OH SHIT OH SHIT THE TENSION IS INCREASING
NOOONOT HER SHE SCARES ME
AHHH I WANNA GO HOME
SHE CANT BE FUCKING REAL
oh shit…
WAIT so it was the atrociraptors that killed Brooklynn???
OH FUCK HOW IS THIS A KIDS SHOW
YOU KNOW WHERE WHAT!?!?
OH FUCK
OH FUCK IT SMELLS THEM
OH SHIT
OH FUCK?
what if it’s Ronnie?
Oh it’s Mateo okay.
TORO??
Aww yasammy
DAMN THAT SHOT WAS COOL THE TREX AND THE EXPLOSION
HE PUNCHED IT
AHHHHHH YAZ SAMMY YASAMMY OH MY GOD “MY GIRL” OH MY FUCKING GODDDD
NOW THAT WAS A SHOT STRAIGHT FROM TEXAS
THE KICK!?.
OH MY GODDDD HES ABOUT TO DO THE THING
HES DOING THE THING OH MY GOD THE PARALLELS
HOLY SHIT THIS SCENE IS INCREDIBLE
THAT FUCKING ROAR
Oh?? The Broker??
HAHAHA THATS WHAT YOU GET
WHY IS THIS BITCH STILL ALIVE AND HERE?
OH FUCK BYE BITCH WITH THAT UGLY ASS HAIRCUT
Lmfao not them shitting on kenjis camper
Are they going to Brooklynn’s apartment?? Abroad??
THE LOOKS OF SHOCK ON THEIR FSCES RIGHT BEN THAT WAS MY REACTION
AWWW NOT THE UNREQUITED LOVE TROPE
AWW FUCK :( :(
YAY WERE GOING ON AN ABROAD JOURNEY
JESUS FUCK MATTEO
OH MY GODDDD WERE GOING ON A TRIP IN OUR FAVORITE CARGOSHIP
RONNIEEEEEE HI DARLING
OH WAIT WTF RONNIE WHATE R U DOING DONT TELL ME…
wait…… is she texting…
Wait wait wait this could be either good or bad but I’m thinking good
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HOLY FUCKING SHIT I WAS RIGHT WE WERE RIGHT RUGHT
OH MY FUCKING GOD OH MY GODDDDDDDD WE WERE RIGHT
OH MY GOD SHES ALIVE AND SHE LOOKS SO BADASSS
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