Work Text:
Point to the sky, jump up and down
Shall we go another round?
You grew up in the same neighbourhood as Rin and Sae. Your mothers were close friends, which led the three of you to meet often, and build a strong friendship from an early age. If your parents were coming home late because of work, Rin’s mother would invite you over, and the other way around. In the rarer occurences that both their parents and yours were not home, the three of you would eat out together. The night would be spent away playing games or watching a movie at whoever’s place was the closest.
You were around 16 at the time. Looking back, weren’t your parents too trusting to leave you with two teenage boys?
After all, everyone knew that Rin liked you, and you liked him too.
Rin wasn’t vocal about his affection, and while his words were quiet, his gestures said it all; from picking you up from your classroom to walk home together to getting your favourite treat at the convenience store, he even remembered the name of the song you were practising for your club activities.
He was a 16-year-old with a crush, and you were the same; always cheering for him during his football matches, meeting on weekends to watch horror movies, walking along the river bank where you would ultimately get ice-cream and sit down together.
And where did Sae fit in all that? Well, Sae was your silent observer.
He would send you on errands to the convenience store for him, always prompting hiw brother to go with you because ‘it’s dangerous to leave a girl wander alone at night’. Said convenience store was located in front of your appartment complex.
Sae was the kind, reliable big brother of two naive lovebirds.
But Sae was also going to become the best striker in the world, with Rin as his second, and you, the promising songbird of the choir club, would be their biggest supporter.
That was your dynamic, that was your friendship.
When news of Sae leaving for Spain went from being a vague date to becoming a clear reality, the three of you met up at your favourite ramen shop and shared one last dinner together.
You would meet up again when Sae came back.
You would come back there together and catch up.
Little did you know, that it would be your trio’s last dinner for a very long time.
In my right hand was an empty memory, I stood at the ends of an unknown world
Struck by an unending rain
RIN: Don’t bother for today.
Nothing could have prepared you for Rin’s text. He didn’t pick up his phone when you tried calling him. You thought against contacting Sae; it was too early for his flight to arrive.
Sae was coming back today. You and Rin had agreed to pick him up at the airport together. You were already at the train station when the text was delivered.
There was a cold lump of air forming in your throat as you read it again.
What was happening?
Did the two of them fight?
What should I do?
It wasn’t as if the three of you had never fought before. Both brothers could be quite hot-blooded, especially on the football field, and their passion for the sport sometimes shadowed your love for singing, leaving little room for you to share your stories with them.
Still, it had never come to a point where Rin wouldn’t pick up your call and cancel on you last minute without an explanation, especially when Sae was involved.
You glanced at the clock above you. Soon, the train for Haneda airport would be departing.
You took a tentative step forward, but a clear, familiar voice stopped you in your tracks.
“There’s no need for that, (Y/N)”.
Before you could call out his name, Sae placed a finger on his lips. Right, he had become quite famous in your neighbourhood, even more so when his accomplishments in Spain reached Japanese news.
He probably didn’t need attention after his flight. Maybe he arrived earlier?
The two of you left the train station, walking down the river bank that led home, the exact same spot where you used to go round and round after school.
The air was cold, and somehow, thick. It had snowed the day before. Your surroundings were covered in white. Each step you took painted dark dots on the pavement.
“I thought you were coming back later today,” you said, as the two of you walked side by side.
“I arrived two days ago, stuff happened. Sorry I couldn’t contact you earlier.”
“It’s fine. I’m just…”
I’m worried about Rin.
You said you arrived two days ago, did you already meet up with him?
Did you two have a fight? Is that why he’s not here?
“I wish Rin was here with us,” you said at last, swallowing all unsaid sentences. Somehow, they seemed to stick and burn at the back of your throat.
Next to you, Sae remained silent, marching forward.
Sae, you look thinner. Are you alright?
Did something happen in Spain?
“We missed you. A lot. How about we get lunch, the three of us?” Again, you swallowed more of the sentences burning on your tongue, hoping they would force everything unsaid down your throat at once.
The football player stopped in his tracks and turned to you. Various emotions were reflected in his eyes.
While his furrowed brows warned you of silent anger, there was no hiding the plain sadness and pain that made his voice croak.
“(Y/N). You don’t have to force yourself.”
A ting of sharpness resonated inside your chest. You hated how your lips shivered, how your eyes widened in surprise.
How your own voice started to tremble.
“I… I would like… the three of us…t-to…”
To talk about what happened?
To stay together?
What could you do when they were not telling you anything?
The air around you was cold, because it snowed yesterday, or so you told yourself.
You had known Sae and Rin long enough to understand something was wrong, but they both refused to communicate, to tell you anything.
Sae walked by your side, yet he felt so distant.
Rin loved you, and his love was quiet, but right now, you hated his silence.
For the first time since you had known him, Sae looked hesitant. Unspoken words left you to read the waves of emotions swirling in his eyes, and it was your feelings, rather than your head, that decided to reach conclusions.
“It’s something Rin and I have to figure out,” Sae spoke after a short time. “Just the two of us.”
“There’s really nothing I can do?”
Sae shook his head, “It’s not about you.”
You knew his words didn’t mean to hurt, but there was no denying the growing emptiness inside your chest.
“When the two of you deal with… with whatever this is, can we go back to how we were before...? Thre three of us?”
Sae didn’t meet your eyes. He didn’t turn back, nor did he resume walking. He remained still in front of you, but his eyes refused to meet yours.
Sae, why do you look in such pain?
The sight was burnt in the back of your mind, and it would continue to haunt you for a very long time.
"Goodbye" is stuck at the back of my throat
I said thank you, like I was trying to cough
You hadn’t heard from Sae ever since that day at the river bank. A few days later, he flew back to Spain. Meanwhile, you were back at the exact same spot, but this time, with Rin sitting next to you.
“I’m going to join Blue Lock and defeat that idiot big brother. Then, everything will be back to normal.”
Rin’s eyes were empty, distant. He was staring at the river.
The wind was cold as you hugged your knees together.
“Do you think we can be together again?”
Rin answered immediately, “I know we will.”
But Rin, not once have you looked my way since we arrived.
Sae left, now you’re leaving too.
I know it’s not about me, I understand.
But being left alone with nothing but my thoughts…
It hurts.
“I hope you’re right.”
If Rin noticed how small your voice sounded, he didn’t mention anything.
You vaguely remembered him walking you home, how your mother greeted him and asked him to stay for dinner, how he politely declined and left.
You were not able to sleep that night.
I want to tell you how I feel,
even though what I wish for won't come true
The world wasn’t going to stop because of three people. With Rin’s departure for Blue Lock, you were left to your own device. The promising songbird of the choir club was a nickname given to you during highschool, and it was also the flashy title of an article about you that was released upon your debut as a solo artist.
Raw, powerful emotions delivered in poetic finesse.
A pretty voice among many others.
Carefully hand-picked words conveying genuine human feelings.
Cliché songs about love, coming of age and finding yourself.
Critics watched your every move. Anything you said, wore or did would be used as a weapon against you.
Was it how Sae felt back in Spain?
While your debut met with fair success, you had yet to get used to people’s stares and sharp words from the public opinion. Your manager had caught you watching football news on your phone and gave you a ticket to the upcoming match that had Blue Lock facing U-20. She thought it would provide you with a nice change of pace.
“I heard those guys were up against the National Team and Sae was flying back for the occasion!”
Your manager knew Sae like many citizens did: as the football genius who left to train in Spain. She had no idea the two of you were actually friends.
“You should go, (Y/N). The president got you a VIP ticket! You did a great job for your debut, you can rest a bit now! ”
That was the story of how you saw Rin and Sae again after several months.
Rebel against the fate that descends.
Yes, bloom vibrantly, with glory.
In the numerous shoujo mangas you’ve read in your childhood, the heroïne would always go the extra mile to cheer up the male protagonist. If her love interest was recovering from a bad previous relationship, she would try to talk with the other party, sometimes going as far as plan a meeting between the two so they could talk one last time. It didn’t matter what her love interest was going through, the heroïne would always be there.
You often wondered: had you been like that heroïne, would Rin and Sae haved talked to you?
Would they have shared their feelings with you, told you what was wrong?
You would never know though, because you were not that type of person, and Rin and Sae knew as much.
You knew that whatever was happening between them, it had nothing to do with you. It wasn’t your story, it was theirs.
It was something they had to figure out on their own, without involving you.
Were you selfish for wanting to get involved? Did that make you a bad person?
Should you force your way through like the heroïne wishing to ease the pain of her beloved?
You wouldn’t, because it wasn’t you, because it wasn’t what you wanted either.
What you wanted was for them to know you would be here for them both, no matter what happened.
And when the match that had Blue Lock playing against U-20 came to an end, when you saw how Rin and Sae opposed each other on the field, you knew that you had to remind Rin and Sae once more, that you were their biggest supporter.
That was your dynamic.
That was your friendship.
I purposely took the longer way home
Just to be with you a little bit longer
YOU: My flight is in the afternoon too. Let’s eat together at the airport. I’ll be waiting in the Lounge area.
Haneda airport was always brimming with people. You took a gamble this morning, sending a quick text and turning off your phone on your way there. Traveling inside the airport was a maze, almost worse than walking around Shinjuku station.
You looked up at the departure schedule on the big screen above your head. Still two hours to go. You couldn’t tell how many times you had to turn around and ask your way to Minatoya Lounge.
You took a tentative step leading to the right corridor, but a familiar voice stopped you in your track.
“I’m here, (Y/N)”.
You turned to find Sae to your left. He was wearing his tracksuit from Madrid and a black face mask. His eyes wandered around for a bit.
“Where’s your manager?”
“I didn’t— I mean, she wanted to buy more omiyage.”
“Is that so.”
“What about yours?”
“Dunno.”
Typical Sae.
“I booked the Power Lounge North. Let’s go.”
Before you could ask him more information, Sae was already making his way. You followed behind, unsure of what to do with this newfound information.
The area was spacious, velvety one-person armchair beautifully aligned behind a matching low table in the black and gold interior. You spotted some more private spots, hidden from the prying eyes by rich wooden walls, not that you would be needing any more privacy given your current situation.
Sae dropped his dufflebag on a larger couch, in the middle of the room. “Where are you flying to?”
“I’m going to Fukuoka. There’s an artist who’s interested in collaborating with me.”
“I see. And? What did you want to talk about?”
Sae had always been very observant.
He showed his affection similarly to Rin: it was quiet, it was through his gestures, through the way he treated you.
If you were sad, he wouldn’t give you comforting words, instead, he would stay next to you, taking you out for a treat that would bring a smile on your face.
If you were angry, he would give you the space you needed, but he remained a few steps behind, watching over you until you were ready to talk or move on.
If you were happy, then he would be too, quietly gazing as always.
And if you were struggling with words, he would patiently wait for you, just like now.
You opened your mouth, then closed it.
The sentences you had forced yourself to swallow down ever since that day were spiraling in your head, each of them trying to get out before any other, but you silenced them all.
If the Itoshi brothers showed their affection through their actions, you could do the same, right?
Sae’s voice didn’t stop you when you took a step forward and hugged him.
“Take care of yourself, Sae,” you said, softly.
The football player said nothing, but you felt a slight shift on your side, as his head lowered in a silent nod.
Something told you that this time, your voice and actions did reach through.
Once he was seated inside the plane, Sae glanced at his phone one last time. His open tab was an article he was reading before spotting you at the airport.
The rising artist of the year, (Y/N), has charmed all kind of people with her beautiful voice and heartfelt songs. The young solo female singer is set to prepare a collaboration with veteran star and role model, Aimyon. The two artists will meet in Tokyo next month. (READ MORE)
Sae couldn’t help the light smile stretching on his lips.
Fukuoka huh?
You had always been a bad liar, although to be fair, it was his fault for making you worry this time.
SAE: (sent a location)
SAE: 3PM, Tokyo time.
SAE: Don’t make her wait.
Words don't have to always be spoken,
Just by being there, they will only grow stronger
And it makes me long for you more
Rin coud not imagine a life without you; you had always been there since the beginning. How could you just suddenly disappear?
“Rin, Sae, this is the daughter of mommy’s friend. Be nice to her, alright?”
You were his playmate, his friend, someone he grew to care for. It was normal to always have you around, but time had taught his younger self that your presence was not something he could take for granted.
“I’ve made up my mind. I’ll confess to (Y/N) today!”
“Guys! Yuuto is going for (Y/N)!”
“Give up man, she’s way out of your league.”
“Shut up! We never know!”
His younger self hadn’t prevented from Yuuto doing anything, but he had felt strangely relieved upon hearing you had rejected him.
Why did that make him feel better at the time?
Was it because your relationship would remain the same?
Or was it because your relationship could still change for something more?
Rin couldn’t talk to you about it, and even back then, he would have rather ran ten laps than asked Sae for advice.
What made him love you?
Now that he had defeated his brother during the match against U-20, he was ready to push higher and become the best striker in the world.
But what about you? What would become of your relationship?
What should he do?
“Rin, I’m here! Sorry for being late.”
Your distant, muffled voice chased his thoughts away. Rin raised his head to see your figure running towards him. The weather was pleasantly warm, but still windy. Your dress seemed to be dancing along the wind with each step you took.
“My manager… needed m-me a the studio,” your voice was raspy as you tried to catch your breath. “It took a bit… a bit longer than expected.”
“It’s fine. I’ve just arrived.” A lie. Sae sent him there 15 minutes ago. Stupid brother.
“Good then,” you looked up at him expectantly. “So, what are we doing today?”
RIn looked around, “We’re close to Inokashira Park. We can go there, then stop at a café or something. You like that kind of stuff, right?”
Back at Blue Lock, Rin had seen his peers fawning over idols to give them motivation to do their best. More precisely, he had seen Igarashi and Raichi bark like animals in front of a black and white skimpy beach picture of said idols stuck on their locker before a match. While he held no respect whatsoever for them from the very beginning, this very experience had destroyed any change of heart he might have ever had about those two.
And yet.
Somehow.
When you smiled at him and told him you were happy to spend some time together, the idea of having a picture of you in his room didn’t sound too bad.
“Rin, are you alright? Your face looks red.”
How lukewarm.
“I’m fine. Let’s go," he turned around, and led the way.
“I wonder if the cherry blossoms will be out early. That would be nice,” your voice trailed behind him, soft and curious. He could picture you looking around in wonder.
“Might be a bit too early.”
“You might be right… By the way, Rin?”
The two of you were walking side by side. Rin stopped in his tracks to glance at you.
There you were, taking a step forward in front of him, smiling again.
“Rin," you said, smiling even brighter. "I like you.”
The world wasn't going to stop because of three people.
Sae was back in Spain, then Rin went back to Blue Lock, and you were back in your studio.
While you hoped for Rin's and Sae's relationship to mend overtime, you weren’t sure how long it would take, nor if it would happen at all.
Perhaps they would be playing against each other soon again.
Perhaps they would be playing together as well.
You couldn't predict any of that.
However, what you did know for sure, was that tonight, you were going to have dinner at your favourite restaurant with your boyfriend and best friend.
And nothing would change that.