Chapter Text
Sae wasn’t particularly interested in the Japan soccer team. Not even when he had learned that Blue Lock players had managed to make it on the group, but after seeing Bunny’s infuriating face on his TV screen and the fact that he would be playing for Spain in the U-20 world cup?, Sae was pissed.
He kicked himself for being so impatient, it was quite embarrassing to be rattled by one person but the shame didn’t stop him. As soon as he got the idea in his head he reached out to his manager to get in contact with Ego.
From their previous interaction, from when he offered to take Shidou off their hands for the U-20 game, It seemed like Ego was open to negotiation, and even more now considering they would need more money to fund their little team.
Ego had told him there was outside money now, the people had spoken, and they loved Blue Lock. The silent millionaires pouring money into the soccer team like it was personal entertainment.
The offer was simple: Sae knew his worth, he would play for Japan but only when they played Spain. In return, Sae had agreed, very reluctantly, to help coach the new Japan team. As well, Ego had managed to persuade him into training with them too, framing it as– ‘syncing up with the players and their individual egos.’
Ego’s counteroffer had been pitched like it was no big deal. All he had to do was play with them every few days, giving the players tips, and strengthen their weak spots.
Sae could do that in his sleep.
He’d studied their techniques before, when he had first seen Shidou's play style. He had analyzed what worked and what didn’t. Pretty easy gig all things considered, and to him it was all worth it to face that bastard, Bunny.
It didn’t go over his head, however, that he would be dealing with his little brother’s drama too. He was not looking forward to quelling that teenage dumpster fire, nor at having to deal with the fights that would come with it.
Sae’s overall plan was not to stoke that fire and stay away as much as possible. Observing his brother and treating him like everyone else. He chose not to acknowledge how much of a headache the thought was giving him.
However, there was someone that Sae was passively ready to work with– Ryuusei Shidou. That absolutely disgusting pervert that was way too interested in him.
It didn’t cross his mind until after he had made all the arrangements with Ego and Anri, but he had been startled into remembering when Shidou sent him an article of his new contract with the Japan team, with a question mark and a winky face attached to it.
Then it all came back to him, he had given that horny devil his number– and even worse, Shidou was back to using it.
He was so grateful that Blue Lock all but banned phones when in the facility, not having to deal with that demon's incessant messaging was a peace like no other, but now that they were out and officially traveling, Shidou had gotten it back.
It started small, with a– “u miss me?? :)” popping up after a few months of silence. And quickly devolved into sending useless information and personal thoughts.
Sae never responded apart from leaving him on read, he had his own life, and the little demon never seemed to care about getting a response anyway.
But sometimes, Shidou would send clips. Clips of him playing, photos that were taken of him, any news of Sae really– and sent alongside them were the most embarrassing, shameless, and perverted messages he’d ever seen.
Shidou: *Video Attachment*
Shidou:Damn Lashes ur makin me blush, luv it when you pull off that move
Shidou: Lets do that together soon ;3
Shidou: *Video Attachment*
Shidou: U make my heart explode <33
Shidou: *Attachment*
Shidou: SAEEECHNNN you didnt say u were a model???
Shidou:you look so good i almost creamed my pants
Shidou: SAEEE OMFG WERE IN THE SAME COUNTRY
Shidou:?? hotel location when
Sae had to mute Shidou on his phone just to save himself the awkward embarrassment he felt reading them. He could never place the weird feeling he had when Shidou sent him stuff like that, and he didn’t care to. Opting to just ignore them and forget about it.
He didn’t have any time to think about that horny demon, well.. He used to not have time. Now he was faced with the awful realization that he would be seeing Shidou again.
All those pent up feelings returned tenfold after the realization. The irritation of reading those messages, the shame he felt when Shidou interacted with him, it was all so tiring to think about.
He hadn’t dwelled much on what happened at the U-20 match, Shidou was one crazy striker, one that he’d intended on testing. The demon was good, decently so, but still had his flaws. He had an inability to work well with others, he was headstrong and cocky, never thought through what he was doing until he was already there. But, if Sae could just tame that wild beast, he’d have a great player at his finger tips.
Talent like that shouldn’t be wasted. His only concern when deciding to play with that devil was his seemingly uncontrollable attitude. He did not account for the fact that Shidou would bend so quickly to his will.
Sae had seen Shidou’s face when he made the first goal, that look of focus that adorned his tanned features as he geared his whole body into the kick. The instant relief in his demeanor when he had scored, and the subsequent look of pure bliss after. It was like watching his demon turn into a succubus, hellbent on the pleasure of his goal.
Sae was almost entranced watching Shidou’s reactions, he’d never seen someone so caught up in his own playing. Never that early in a match, never just because they enjoyed the thrill of catching the ball and scoring.
Shidou’s face was tinted a bright pink as he savored his victory, eyes rolling back. The display was borderline pornographic and Sae couldn’t help but instinctively recoil watching it. But the demon had caught him hook, line and sinker, with just how easy they worked together. Shidou was a very dangerous bomb and Sae couldn’t help but pull the pin.
He couldn’t help himself, every subsequent goal his fiery demon scored was like watching a piece of art being made right in front of him, from the pass, to the catch, right down to the reactions after. And every time, Sae was pulled into Shidou’s enticing fire, just watching it unfold.
However, that's all he allowed himself to think, to feel, anything he felt for the demon off the field was swiftly pushed to the back of his thoughts. He never allowed himself to think of much other than soccer to begin with, but since Shidou was now tied to those thoughts, it was harder to stay away.
And now he was here. Face to face the obsessive demonic striker he had tamed.
Sae wasn’t nervous, he didn’t get nervous anymore. But he had to admit, standing in front of a room full of soccer players who didn’t particularly like him right now was definitely making him feel a bit uncomfortable.
Ego and Anri had told him to come in at 6pm. However, they did not tell him that he would be the last one in the room. So when he had strolled through the temporary Blue lock training facility and entered the meeting room, he was greeted to over a dozen faces turning to stare at him.
Anri quickly waved him over to stand right by her and Ego. So he made his way up to the front, trying not to make eye contact with anyone there. He could practically feel the hole Rin was burning into his head, and he could hear the soft gasps that bounced off the walls. What a pain.
Once he had taken a spot standing next to the pair, they started to go on about formations and positions players would be in, setting up specific training regimens for each striker and more importantly, they laid out their season timeline. Including telling the group that Sae would be playing in the match vs. Spain and not any of the ones before.
There were grumbles and rude questions about that arrangement but he didn’t pay any mind to them.
He was getting slightly annoyed with why he was even asked to be there, he wasn’t speaking, nor did he intend to. So he carefully scanned the room, most had stopped looking at him by now, focused on Ego’s presentation, except… Shidou.
Those bright almost neon pink eyes caught his own for a moment, and Sae felt an uneasy pulsing in his heart, a vile and nauseating feeling that raked itself over his skin. He should have looked away, but he just ended up wrinkling his nose, giving Shidou a cold stare.
The demon just returned his look with a small smile and a wink.
Sae rolled his eyes at the gesture and fixed his gaze onto the blank wall dead ahead of him, waiting for this awful nightmare to be over.
He was too tired from the plane ride to engage with these lukewarm players, he’d much rather be soaking in a bath and bordering on sleep. He had a hard time sleeping ever since he had first flown out to play professionally. An excess of flying tended to do that.
His solution was usually to take a hot bath, execute his strict bedtime routine, and take his prescription sleeping pill.
He must have been zoning out too much thinking about it because he was startled by Anri, asking him to say a few words to the group. Suddenly, all eyes were on him as he blinked away the blearyness he felt.
The room tensed, noticeably so, as Sae took a step forward. For no reason he could explain, he glanced at Shidou, who was already looking at him with an intensity that bordered on obsession. Like he was hanging off every breath Sae exhaled, and waiting for any words to grace the silence of the room.
He looked away quickly and spoke up, “I won't be here every day, so don’t disappoint when I am. You're in the big leagues now. Act accordingly.”
And with that, Ego clapped his hands, telling the group to disperse. Everyone got up, filing out of the meeting room, talking, and laughing amongst themselves. Sae just watched, waiting for the room to clear before he made his way out. He didn’t feel like being around anyone at the moment and he had to discuss some things with Ego regardless.
Mostly where he would be staying when he was here, where they would be staying outside the training facility and all the places he was needed at through the season.
Ego had given him a nice set up in the temporary facility, a personal bathroom, nice bed and even a mini kitchen so he could be left alone for a while. Sae liked a straightforward agenda, so he was very pleased with the specific hotels, game days and designated times for everything.
He had also asked Anri to type up some files on all the Blue Lock players so he could match it to his own personal notes. The publicly documented Neo-Egoist league matches were something he chose to watch in his spare time, often writing down anything of note he saw in the plays. He liked to stay on top of important things happening in the soccer world, even if that included new or old talent.
“Here you go, Sae!” Anri smiled at him, handing him a small stack of papers and a few file folders. Sae nodded at her, taking them and walking off. He mindlessly flipped through the stapled notes as he exited into the now quiet hallway.
He didn’t even manage to make it a few feet out when an all too familiar voice called out to him.
“Sae! Mr. Lashes Senior! It’s so nice to see you!” Shidou’s voice rang through the empty space. He was leaning against the white wall, smiling like a crazy person.
Good lord.
Sae rolled his eyes, "I'm not dealing with this right now.” he mumbled, walking past the demon swiftly.
The striker huffed loudly, kicking himself off the wall to follow Sae, “So cold!, ugh i’ve missed you, everyone here is so boring.”
He decided not to respond to that, instead picking the pace to walk to his new room. Apparently, the demon can’t or won't take a hint.
“So… where are we going then, Lashes?”
Sae thought it was a little ironic that the demon called him ‘Lashes’ when the blond's eyelashes are much more pronounced.
He shrugged off the weird thought and pushed forward, “To my room.” He was much too exhausted to say much else. But then– this was Shidou he was talking too.
“Wow, didn’t know you’d be so forward, Sae. I’m flattered~”
The demon’s comment confused him for a solid second before his tired brain started turning again. He grumbled loudly, his whole body untensing from the pure annoyance he felt rush out of his system.
“No you perverted idiot.” He bit back, harsher than he’d intended. “I'm going to my room. You are not coming with me.”
Shidou whined, actually whined and huffed. He really couldn’t tell if the demon was faking how annoyed he’d sounded or if he was really that put off by Sae’s tone. He didn’t ruminate on it for long though because Shidou was back to his perky self in an instant. Practically bouncing off the walls like he was excited.
He really should have kept his mouth shut, he was way too weary to think clearly but it was like the thought slipped out before he had the chance to bury it down.
He stopped, turning to face the man that had been on the back of his feet for the entire walk, “Why are you so excited to see me, Demon?” He pressed, obvious displeasure seeping into his tone.
Shidou paused for a moment, his face completely blank. It irritated Sae even more. Here the demon was, making a big deal out of bothering him but he couldn't even handle one question back? Sae almost scoffed in his face.
“Cuz’ I like you. Duh?”
What?
He was at a loss for words, the admission was almost casual, like it was a clear as day thing, like it wasn’t the mind-fuck of the century.
“Excuse me?” He was boarding on pissed now, was this some kind of joke?
Shidou leaned in a bit, just enough to pop himself into Sae’s personal bubble, “I like playing with you, I love our chemistry on the field, and honestly? I think you're hot.” The demon smiled, and threw his hands up, placing them both on the back of his head. “Seriously man, you're the entire package! I can’t wait to get to know you more ♪~”
Sae was lost. So very lost and completely out of his depth. He felt his face scrunch up as he tried to sort out his thoughts.
He couldn’t even say anything before Shidou spoke up again, “Listen, I don't care how you feel about me, just keep feeding into my ego and we can make pretty hot explosions on the field, m’kay?” He chirped, and just like that. The demon swiveled around and left, leaving Sae utterly speechless in his wake.
What the hell just happened?
He just watched as the demon bounced on his heels, seemingly undisturbed by what just happened. Sae squeezed his eyes shut and deeply inhaled. These were impressions for another day, another week, hell, maybe another month, but not now. Right now he was tired, severely exhausted.
He quickly retreated to his room, looking over the player files to fill the awful hole Shidou had left in his thoughts.
His nighttime routine was muscle memory by now. Take a shower, or soak in a bath, go through his skin care steps, and go to sleep.
He had hit his pillow in no time, finally alone and in the quiet of his personal room. He hadn’t even bothered to go to sleep on his own, opting to take those stupid pills as soon as he unpacked them.
He wanted this day to be over as soon as possible and to sleep away any awful notion hanging over his next week.
What an awful perverted idiot. He could hardly even stand to deal with his tiresome attitude.
Shameless, absolutely shameless.