Chapter Text
It was before the U-20 matches. Training was held on a waterlogged field on the outskirts of Tokyo. The kind of gray day where everyone keeps their head down a little more, speaks a little less, slips a little easier.
Everyone except Shidou.
He was shouting, sprinting, grinning like a kid. Charging through everything in his path — everything except one person: Sae Itoshi.
He spotted him fast. Too fast. He knew his face, of course — everyone did — but in person, Sae had a presence no video could capture. A kind of distant calm, almost violent in its control. It was magnetic.
And Shidou? He liked that. No — he loved it.
So he pushed. Every sprint, every challenge. He wanted to be seen, tested, judged. He even provoked the others, as usual — one reckless slide tackle too many, a goal scored while ignoring the coach’s instructions, a cocky grin thrown at the staff.
But never at Sae.
There was a moment, during a one-touch drill, where their paths crossed — literally. Shidou was in full motion, about to throw his body like he always did. But Sae was the one in front of him.
And he slowed down. Just a bit. Barely.
But just enough to avoid slamming his shoulder into Sae’s jaw.
Sae stopped. Slowly turned his head.
Shidou gave him a calm smile. Not mocking. Just… honest.
Then, in a voice just loud enough to be heard, he said,
“Didn’t feel like wrecking you, y’know?”
Sae stared at him. A long silence. The kind that could’ve been icy — but there was no anger, no contempt. Just… a flicker of surprise.
And maybe, just maybe, a spark of interest.
The rest of the session went on. Shidou returned to his usual storm-like self. But every time Sae came near, he eased up. Not out of fear — out of awareness. He adjusted. Matched the rhythm.
And Sae… started following his movements out of the corner of his eye. Quietly.
In the locker room, post-shower steam drifted like clouds above the benches. The air was thick with effort — muggy, heavy, calm. No one spoke too loud.
You didn’t raise your voice when Sae was around.
Except Shidou, obviously.
He came out of the shower with a towel slung low on his hips, hair messy, and sat next to Sae like it was the most normal thing in the world. He grabbed a clean shirt from his bag, half-pulled it on, and said casually:
“I like playing with you. Feels like you kinda channel my energy or something. I dunno — we should team up more often.”
Silence. Heavy.
A few guys looked up. Some exchanged quiet glances.
Because no one talks to Sae like that. Not so… normally. Not so relaxed.
And more importantly — no one expects Sae to reply.
But he does.
He calmly zips up his bag, then lifts his gaze to Shidou, not a trace of annoyance in sight.
“You adapt fast. That’s rare.
Yeah, why not do it again.”
Shidou froze for half a second, caught off guard. Then his grin widened — not cocky this time. Just… genuinely happy. Touched.
“Was that a compliment?”
Sae raised an eyebrow slightly, reached for his water bottle, looking away.
“Maybe.”
A soft laugh bubbled up from Shidou’s chest — almost childlike. He leaned back against the locker behind him, totally content, like he’d just scored the goal of a lifetime.
No one said anything around them.
But a few guys exchanged quiet, puzzled looks — like they’d just seen something shift, and weren’t sure what it meant yet.