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Kaiser pulled Sae closer, pressing his face into the crook of Sae’s neck and breathing in his warm, soapy scent. Michael Kaiser was a man of extremes: he was comfortably used to the luxury and opulence of having everything, and he was achingly familiar with the cold emptiness of being nothing at all. But in this moment he figured he wouldn’t mind returning to nothing again, so long as it meant he could continue holding on to this man who he loved so dearly.
Sae sighed softly in his sleep, squirming in Kaiser’s grasp. Kaiser fractionally loosened his arms, and Sae turned over, wriggling up so that Kaiser’s cheek was pressed against Sae’s sternum. Kaiser savored the easy rise and fall of his chest, slowing the tempo of his own breathing to match Sae’s. When he pressed his ear against the thin fabric of Sae’s pajama top, he imagined he could hear the steady rhythm of Sae’s heart, beating the same melody as his own.
The hotel room was silent, save for the ticking of the clock on the wall and the sound of their breath.
“I love you,” he whispered, letting the words float away into the air of their hotel room. He said it every day, practically every chance he got, but it never ceased to shock him how sincerely he meant it each time. “I love you, Itoshi Sae.”
Sae mumbled something incoherent again, a hand threading through Kaiser’s hair and pushing his face further into Sae’s chest in a vain attempt to quiet him.
Kaiser stifled a laugh.
Tomorrow they would wake, wrapped up in each other like this, and spend one last lazy morning together before the World Cup began in earnest. By next week they would both be neck deep in the tournament, likely too busy with matches and training to see each other during the day and too exhausted to spend time together at night. In a month, they would be preparing for the finals, nerves running at an all-time high as they played some of the most important games of their careers. And after the World Cup? Kaiser couldn’t say.
Nothing was a guarantee in their lives. Tomorrow, at practice, Kaiser could suffer a career ending injury. Next week, Sae’s team could lose in a shocking upset and get knocked out in the round of 16. By the next World Cup, the tides could turn and new players could step on the field, pushing them both out of their place in the spotlight at the top of the football world. This was the life of professional athletes.
Today, at least, they had peace.
The moment was so perfectly serene that Kaiser had an itch to ruin it.
He didn’t want to ruin it, necessarily, but the hour crept later and later and Kaiser was just so stupidly in love that he couldn’t fight the urge to indulge himself, even if the nagging voice in the back of his head said it could end badly.
“Hey, Sae,” he whispered, this time loud enough to be heard. “Baby, wake up.” He shook Sae lightly.
“Mmm? What is it?” Sae’s voice was soft and hoarse from disuse, his eyes still closed.
Kaiser wriggled upwards so that they were at eye-level. “Sae, look at me.”
Sae finally blinked his eyes open. “Mihya? What time is it?”
The nickname rolled off of Sae’s tongue like honey, making Kaiser’s heart swell. He brought up a hand to run through Sae’s hair, pushing his bangs away from his face. “Late. Early. I don’t know.”
“What do you want?” Sae’s eyes were already drooping closed, sleep fighting to take him again.
Kaiser cupped Sae’s cheek with his hand, thumb caressing the ridge of his cheekbone. “Sae, will you marry me?”
“Huh?”
“Marry me. Please. I know our lives are crazy and unpredictable but I can’t imagine my life without you. I don’t want to.”
Their eyes met, Sae’s still slightly unfocused from sleep.
“I know I can’t do much for you, but I can give you all the love I have. I don’t want to love anybody else, Sae. I just want you. Please say you want me too.”
They were still for a moment, and Kaiser could see the gears turning in Sae’s head as he considered Kaiser’s words.
Kaiser’s chest felt tight. “I’m sorry, that was stupid of me. It’s nothing. Just a thought I had. You don’t have to answer me now.”
Sae grasped Kaiser’s hand, pulling it off of his cheek and threading their fingers together.
“Okay,” he whispered. He released Kaiser’s hand and tugged it towards his mouth pressing his lips to Kaiser’s palm in a sleepy approximation of a kiss. “I’ll marry you.”
Sae turned over, and promptly fell back asleep.
The following is an excerpt from the article ‘Love and Football: The Michael Kaiser and Sae Itoshi Story’ from the magazine Football Weekly:
Our reporters sat down with football power-couple Sae Itoshi (Midfielder of the Japanese National Football Team, 2026 World Cup Champions) and Michael Kaiser (Golden Boot Winner and Forward of the German National Football Team, 3rd place in 2026 World Cup) for an exclusive look into their relationship both on and off the field.
[...some sections cut for relevancy…]
Okay, last question. I see those rings on your hands, congratulations on your engagement! I’m dying to know: who popped the question, and what was it like?
Kaiser: I did! We both had a few weeks off after the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, so we decided to take a trip to New York for some sightseeing to celebrate. I secretly booked out part of Niagara Falls and proposed to him at the top of a waterfall there. I got down on one knee and everything. It was beautiful!
Sae: That’s not true.
Kaiser: What do you mean? We have pictures and everything, Sae.
(Reporter’s Note: Here, Kaiser pulled his phone out from his pocket and showed Itoshi, the interviewer, and the camera crew his lockscreen, which was a beautiful picture of himself and Itoshi embracing with the waterfall in the background. Itoshi immediately turned away when shown, calling the picture “disgusting”. At this, Kaiser demanded Itoshi show his own phone lockscreen to the crew. Itoshi’s lockscreen was a picture of Kaiser on one knee during the proposal. Itoshi refused to comment on this. After this brief interruption, we returned to the question.)
Sae: The first time he actually proposed to me was a couple days before the start of the 2026 World Cup. It was the middle of the night and I was asleep, and he shook me awake and just straight up asked me if I would marry him. I thought I was dreaming or something, so I just said yes then rolled over and went back to sleep. I didn’t realize it wasn’t a dream until I woke up the next morning and he was just staring at me like a creep. I don’t think he slept at all that night. We didn’t end up talking about it much until after the World Cup, though, because we were so busy.
Kaiser: Well yes, that’s true. But I don’t think that counts, because I didn’t have a ring.
Sae: It counted to me. The ring you got was ugly anyway, we had to go and exchange it for a different one afterwards.
Kaiser: You wound me, Sae.