Chapter Text
ENCRYPTED MESSAGE(S) WILL NOT BE SHARED OUTSIDE OF THE ORGANIZATION
BUNNY IGLESIAS – SAE ITOSHI
BUNNY IGLESIAS:
Congratulations for clocking in on your first day on the job!
I’m going to be your guide! :D
SAE ITOSHI:
Thanks.
BUNNY IGLESIAS:
Wowwww so dry?
SAE ITOSHI:
Fuck off Bunny.
BUNNY IGLESIAS:
So cruel !(⋟﹏⋞)
After all I’ve done for you??
SAE ITOSHI:
If ruining my life is considered doing a lot for me, sure.
BUNNY IGLESIAS:
Sooooo dramatic mi hermanooooo
[A/N. My brother]
SAE ITOSHI:
Stop calling me that.
BUNNY IGLESIAS:
Just because of what happened doesn’t mean I see you any differently !!
SAE ITOSHI:
But you never really saw me that way, now did you?
BUNNY IGLESIAS:
Hmmmmm I think you’re thinking too much into it ! <3
SAE ITOSHI:
Shut up.
BUNNY IGLESIAS:
Awww are you sulking?? Don’t be like that! ૮₍ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ₎ა
See, it’s a bunny hehe
Like me
ITOSHI SAE HAS SEEN YOUR MESSAGE
Hello???
¿A dónde fuiste, hermano?
[A/N. Where did you go, brother?]
Rude.
₊˚⊹౨ৎ ₊˚⊹
The air in Madrid was hot and humid, clinging to Sae’s skin in an unfamiliar yet exciting way as his hopeful eyes raked over the city in front of him.
The city he would call his home for the next four years.
He clutched the passport in his hand; face filled with awe. He carried a hint of weariness from the long airport trip, yet he felt energetic all the same. Night had befallen in Madrid, bright, artificial lights illuminating the streets.
“Sae,” his manager said, “this way.”
Sae nodded; eyes still glued to the majestic sight in front of him.
“Okay.”
He followed his manager into the sleek, black car, shifting to get comfortable in the seat.
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
YOU HAVE 5 NEW NOTIFICATION(S)
rin👶🦉💚
Hiii big bro!!
How was your flight???
Amazing i hope
Oh
Mom told me you aren’t getting the messages yet
Cus you’re on the plane
Let me know how first class is!!
I heard its superrrr expensive
Lol i beat Hakuho’s soccer team at school today
Everyone said they were super hard but it was really easy
Im sure you would have loved it
Actually
You probably would’ve said they were lukewarms
I dont know tho
They seemed to have a lot of potential
One of the kids who was playing against us
Is the mikage heir
Did you know he plays soccer??
i sure as hell didn’t
He was pretty cool tho
We talked for a bit
His friend (?) im not really sure what their relationship is
Was super lazy
He almost fell asleep mid game!!
But hes also pretty good at the game
He's very interesting
But i made a friend! I think you’d be pretty proud of me for that
It's the mikage heir
His name’s Reo
Sooo if your soccer career doesnt work out
We can always count on him to fund us!!
Just kidding lol
You’ll do great in your career
I just know it
Well moms calling me for dinner
Gotta go!!
Text me when you see this!!
Sae couldn’t help but smile as he read the countless messages his little brother had sent him, silently snorting at some parts, and pouting at others. His manager glanced at him, probably thinking he was a little crazy. The car ride was quiet and peaceful, save for the low commentary on a soccer match coming from the car’s radio. Sae mindlessly watched the buildings that blurred past in the blink of an eye, before finally, they reached their destination.
“Estamos aquí.” [A/N. We’re here.] The driver said, voice gruff and harsh.
Sae’s manager mumbled a quick, “Gracias,” signalling for Sae to get out of the car.
Sae got out of the car, taking his luggage with him as the driver handed it to him.
The driver huffed and nodded one last time, before driving off into the distance. Sae’s manager looked at him and smiled, “there’s no need to be nervous.” He said. Sae had to stop himself from rolling his eyes—him, nervous? No way. If anything, his heart was racing from the excitement and the thrill of it all, opportunity just in his grasp.
“I’m not nervous.” He mumbled, grunting as he lifted his luggage onto the sidewalk. Him and his manager made their way to the large, automatic door of the building, which was beautiful, Sae noted. It seemed to span a considerable amount of distance, and the buildings were long and sleek.
“This way, please.” His manager pointed. Sae had realized that it would probably be best to learn his name; he squinted, trying to read the small, silver pin placed neatly on his jacket.
“Thank you, Mr. Dabadie.” Sae had squeezed out, voice low.
His manager only smiled, eyes creasing under his glasses. As soon as they stepped foot inside, Sae was greeted with a rush of cool air, contrasting the humidity he had felt just seconds before. He let out a sigh of relief to the new temperature. He glanced around the office of the building, bright, white lights still on even though it was so late at night, accompanied with the low hum of what he assumed to be the AC.
“This is the front desk,” Dabadie gestured to him. A woman with bright lipstick and neatly combed hair looked up at him and gave him a nod.
“Name?” She said, words practiced.
“Sae Itoshi, ma’am.” Sae said, accent clean and smooth.
The woman, Carmen Iglesias was her name, typed something quick onto her keyboard, the sound of clacking taking up the entire room.
“Alright.” She spoke again, “make your way to floor three, please.” She pulled open a drawer, digging through it for a moment before taking out a grey keycard, sleek in design.
“Use this for your room,” she pulled it out of the card sleeve and flipped it over, “here is your room number.” She placed the card on the granite counter for Sae to grab, in which he did, slowly, as if he was still processing the fact that he was here.
In Madrid—following his dream, er—one of his dreams.
“Thank you.” He replied, polite.
The woman gave him a warm smile, before going back to typing away at her desk.
Girolan Dabadie nodded his head as Sae turned to look at him. “The elevators are this way.”
₊˚⊹౨ৎ ₊˚⊹
The ride up the elevators seemed to go by slowly, excitement gnawing away at Sae’s chest. He couldn’t help it, really, the idea of something new and refreshing being one he was really looking forward to. In the one minute he was on the elevator, he worried about numerous things, very unlike him.
Would he look too mean?
Would he seem arrogant? Well—he didn’t really care about that question. He was just worried people wouldn’t try and approach him, that they would think he’s mean or cruel or something else entirely that they would not want to interact with—
Sae wasn’t stupid, nor was he ignorant. He had seen the looks people had given him as he walked past them, the way they’d shrivel up their nose and walk faster. He noticed the distance people would place between him and them—for what? He hadn’t done anything to them, yet at a glance, they acted like they knew everything about him. Sae clenched his jaw, trying to ward away any thoughts.
Right now, he had one goal in mind.
Make it onto the team, and play well.
The elevator doors opened smoothly, with a soft ding, and Sae and Girolan stepped out. Much to Sae’s surprise, a group of boys, ten of them, all seemingly around his age or older, were standing in a straight line, wearing the Real Madrid uniforms.
“¡Hola!” One waved to him; Sae responded with a simple wave of his hand, still clutching the keycard.
“This is Itoshi Sae,” Girolan said, “he’s the newest addition to your section of the Real Madrid Youth team.”
He then patted Sae on the back. “I’ll be taking my leave now. Report to the front office downstairs for your schedule tomorrow. I’ll show you around. Goodnight.” And then, he looked up, waving a: “¡buenas noches!” to the team.
He turned around and left—and Sae had never wanted him back more.
The way these guys were staring at him…was not like how he was stared at in Japan. Not in admiration, or in loathing, but rather as if he was prey to be devoured—making him break out into a cold sweat, hands going clammy.
“¿Cómo estás?” [A/N. How are you?] A boy with dark hair and tanned skin asked.
Sae nodded, movement stiff, and gave him a thumbs up.
“Bien.” [A/N. Good.] He muttered, so quietly that one would have to strain their ears to listen.
“¡Aye!” Another one turned towards his teammates, “supongo que no es muy hablador.” [A/N. Guess he’s not much of a talker, ay?]
Sae, with his limited knowledge of Spanish, could barely make out what they were saying, a deep sense of dread settling at the pit of his stomach while he watched a few of them snicker.
“El pequeñín va a tener mucho que aprender.” [A/N. The little one's gonna have a lot to learn.]
Sae shuddered as the team broke out into full laughter.
“¿De verdad crees que alguien como él puede seguirnos el ritmo? ¡Será mejor enviarlo de vuelta a su propio país!” [A/N. Do you really think someone like him can keep up with us? Better to just send him back to his own country!] A tall, blonde boy with thick curly hair, brown eyes, and a mole under his right eye shouted.
The glances and the snickers came too easy—almost as if this has happened before.
“Leo, ya es suficiente.” [A/N. Leo, that’s enough.] A cold, detached voice said. It belonged to the man standing in the far right corner of the line of players. Sae looked up at him, bright teal meeting ruby red. Sae could feel the man, whose hair was a pale lilac, and who had two scars on his right eye and nose, bore holes into Sae’s own.
He sniffed, the cold air finally getting to him.
The blonde boy, who Sae could only assume to be Leo, tightened up, lips pursing into a frown.
“Lo siento,” [A/N. I’m sorry.] he mumbled quietly. He glanced down to the floor, awkwardly shuffling his feet.
“Not to me,” the unsettling, albino man spoke, his English accent smooth and rich, “to him.”
He pointed a long, bony finger at Sae.
Leo scowled, before sniffling out a half-assed apology to Sae.
Sae only shrugged, not understanding half of what they said, yet he knew it would have been better for his own good to not know.
“Hm,” the man with red eyes smiled—his color palette seemed akin to that of a rabbit, an albino one you’d come across in the middle of the night, Sae thought. One that you would follow, until it led you down a rabbit hole—almost like that tale, Alice in Wonderland, that Rin used to make Sae read when they were younger.
What was it’s name?
Ah, the white rabbit. Constantly reminding poor Alice of her goal, constantly reminding her of the everlooming watch that ticked, refusing to stop for anyone. Logical in the story, yet illogical in nature.
Sae gulped.
“I’m Bunny Iglesias.”
Oh—what a perfect name for a man like him.
He walked forward, stopping just short of Sae and raising a hand.
Sae, albeit hesitantly, shook it, as if Bunny was going to bite him.
“I’m Itoshi Sae.”
“It’ll be a pleasure working with you.”
“…Likewise.”
₊˚⊹౨ৎ ₊˚⊹
The first few days took Sae a little bit of time to adjust, but slowly, he was able to fall into a rhythmic pace, similar to his pace back home in Japan. The kids on the team were mean—Sae realized, and he didn’t mean to sound childish, but he couldn’t help the way his body shuddered at their devilish grins, or the way his fight or flight seemed to activate whenever a group of them passed by in the hallway.
Itoshi Sae learned things very quickly, and that includes languages.
At some point, he cursed himself for this ability, now able to pick up every little jab they sent his way.
Leo and his friends had walked by him the other day, and Sae had to deal with their heavy, unfortunately stinging comments about his looks—or even worse, his soccer skills.
Look at him! Leo had said, the club’s hiring useless models! Didn’t know Real Madrid wanted their benches to look pretty too.
Sae kept his head hung low, swallowing down the urge to spit at him, scream at him, claw at him.
He wasn’t sure why he felt so affected by their words—he had heard something similar in Japan, but that had never stopped him. After all, he was the best they had to offer.
That’s right.
He was Japan’s best.
Here, in this foreign country, he was absolutely nothing.
“Tch.” He bit his lip.
Sae never really talked much—all the other kids, even the foreign ones from different countries in Europe, seemed to adjust really quickly, weaving their way into the loud normalcy that was life in Real Madrid, a normalcy that Sae was starting to feel like he would never achieve.
He sat alone at lunch, keeping his eyes on his food and nothing more, tuning out the loud chatter around him.
Days passed by with him following this monotonous structure, another set of drills, another few taunts and curses thrown at him, another day of isolation.
Worst of all, he thought, biting down on his cold metal spoon, lunch tasting like straight plastic, they were right.
Itoshi Sae did not fit in here. Sighing, he put his head down onto the white table, the cold pressing his temple. A wave of weariness washed over him, and suddenly his bones ached and his eyes grew wet.
He only looked back up as he felt something, similar to a tray, plop onto the table, at the seat across from him.
He looked up to see Bunny Iglesias, giving him a warm smile, yet his eyes seemed distant.
He immediately straightened up, rubbing his eyes with vigor. “What do you want?” Sae asked, tone more biting than he was going for. He tried to muster up a glare, but he wasn’t certain about how it looked, grumbling at Bunny’s chuckle. Grabbing his spoon, he stuffed a spoonful of tasteless, cold salad into his mouth.
“I want to be friends with you,” Bunny replied, resting his chin on his hand, soulless eyes glinting with amusement.
Sae thought the sight of Bunny’s eyes were very uncomfortable, no wonder Leo and all the others refused to make eye contact with him.
During matches, Sae would notice how everyone seemed to follow him. Their passes would always be perfectly curated, and even when they weren’t, Bunny would still reach them and score the most majestic goals.
It was almost like magic, in a way, with the way he moved and the way he jumped so high he seemed like he was flying—almost like Icarus, yet Bunny knew how high or how low to go, that was another very unsettling thing about him.
He always knew.
Normally, Sae would watch him from the bench, Real Madrid preferred putting a midfielder like Leo in, one who was cocky yet cunning, filled with ego and the skill to back it up. Sae had watched him in envy, the way his striking confidence engulfed the whole field, the way his passes were understood in an instant. In the rare moments Sae was on the field, his movements felt disconnected from the rest, like he was playing with a whole other level in mind. Or, as Leo liked to put it: a whole other country.
Sae shook his head. “I don’t.” He said, coldly.
“No?” Bunny asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why not?”
Sae let out a huff, like Bunny was a toddler and this was Sae’s fifth time explaining a concept as simple as two plus two.
“I know what your goal is.” Sae crossed his arms, nodding. “You’re probably working with Leo to mess with me.”
Bunny listened to him, face filled with curiosity. “Why would you think that?” He inquired, politely, as if Sae was the real toddler and he was talking him through something.
“Because why wouldn’t you?” The words came out harsher than Sae expected, but he didn’t care enough to apologize. “This whole week you guys have been messing with me—” And at that, Bunny frowned.
“He’s still doing that?”
“Eh—what do you mean…? He’s always been doing that.”
Bunny let out a sharp exhale of frustration, massaging his temples. “Guess I’ll have to talk to him later.” He paused. Smiled. It freaked Sae out. “He never listens the first time.”
Sae shut his mouth—well shit, he thought, he wasn’t supposed to say that, now was he?
“Very well then,” Bunny cleared his throat, picking up his tray, “enjoy the rest of your lunch.”
Bunny walked off, leaving Sae alone at the table. Sae pretended to not care, looking down at his tray, but from the corner of his eye, he saw Bunny walk over to the loud table that was Leo’s, who lifted a hand out to greet him. Bunny grabbed his hand, and pulled Leo onto his feet—and Sae saw how quickly Bunny’s expression changed. His calm, nice demeanor switched in an instant, face now haunting and cold. Bunny whispered something in Leo’s ear that made his eyes widen and turn to where Sae was sitting. He narrowed them, and Sae almost thought he would storm over to where he was sitting and finish Sae off right then and there, but he didn’t, seemingly swallowing his anger at Bunny’s words.
Sae could have sworn he saw a vein bulge, but Leo only nodded, rubbing the back of his neck as Bunny let go of his hand—his now shaking hand.
As if he knew Sae was watching, Bunny gave him a quick wink, before turning back to sit at the table with Leo and his friends.
Sae grumbled and rolled his eyes, a ghost of a smile creeping up onto his face.
₊˚⊹౨ৎ ₊˚⊹
“Oi! Itoshi! Get your head back in the game!” Someone barked, shoving Sae onto the ground. At the force of the shove, Sae startled, suddenly way more aware of his surroundings.
What—what was happening? He hadn’t even remembered being on the field, let alone actually being given passes.
“If you can’t keep up, they’re gonna bench you!” Leo snickered from the other side of the field, “Though, you’d be used to that, wouldn’t you?”
“Aye, Leo, didn’t I tell you to stop that?” Bunny said, raising an eyebrow, already walking over to help Sae up.
Leo just shrugged his shoulders, mumbling, “I was just trying to hype him up.”
Bunny gave him a condescending look, and Leo’s shoulders slumped inwards. “Fine. Whatever—go protect your baby or whatever.”
Bunny shook his head, losing all faith in Leo. “Ignore him.”
Sae grabbed his outstretched hand, pulling himself back up onto his feet.
“I plan too.” He said, calm, like the words didn’t affect him at all. In some way, that was true—the more he heard it, the more he believed it, the more it felt like it was always a part of him and not something about his own volition. Like the words were carved into his bones from birth—that it just took some time for them to bloom in front of him, for him to gaze at and see on his own.
It was simply natural.
Maybe their words were right—maybe he shouldn’t even be here—but the concept of ‘natural’ was not something he would submit to on a mere whim.
“Hey,” Bunny patted his shoulder, “get your head back in the game, okay? We still have half an hour.”
Sae jolted out of his overthinking state once again, swiftly nodding at Bunny and sending a light glare over Leo's way.
Bunny leaned in close to Sae’s ear, his eyes already staring down at a group of players from the other team that were huddled in the middle of the field.
“See that one, over there? Number ten? He can intercept your passes. You know why?”
Sae shook his head.
“It’s because you’re predictable to him. Now, can you predict any of these players?”
Sae paused for a moment, pursing his lips.
“That one,” he spoke, lifting a finger, “number five. He’s constantly trying to drag you to the left side of the field, where he’s strongest. He usually falters when players penetrate their defense near the penalty arc.”
“Hm, so what do you think we should do?”
“Drag him out to the right—his weakest side. Then, when number four eventually follows, you have the left side open from the penalty arc to the corner arc. For someone like you, that should be enough space to score a goal.”
“Ah. I see.” Bunny looked down at Sae, an expression of recognition and positive surprise. He placed a hand on Sae’s hair and ruffled it, laughing at Sae’s instant change in his face, from a serious, dedicated one to that of a wet cat.
“Well then, let’s try that, shall we?” Bunny grinned, flicking Sae’s nose, in which the younger stumbled back, hands shooting up to swat him away.
Bunny signalled the rest of the players to meet up to where the two were, and from there, they got into a huddle. As each player snaked their arm around another, Sae slumped his shoulders at the lack of weight on his—did no one want to interact with him? Really?
Rather, he’d understand that he may have come off as a little arrogant or blunt, but didn’t they all?
Bunny snaked an arm around Sae’s shoulder, so casually that Sae almost didn’t notice.
“According to Itoshi here,” he said, cocking his head to Sae, as everyone was eager to listen. “We got a new strategy to try.”
After Bunny explained it to the rest of their teammates , those of which had such a furious fire in their eyes and such an expression fueled by hunger, Sae’s heart felt a little lighter. They ended it off with a chant and dispersed, everyone making their way to their positions.
“Okay,” Bunny sang, “you’ll be our conductor today, alright Itoshi?”
“…Me?” Sae sounded skeptical, “you want…me to lead today?” He raised an eyebrow. “Bunny, is this your idea of a joke?”
“Ah, no, jokes are supposed to be ridiculous. Come on! Show em’ what you got.”
Sae gulped, swallowing down any worries that rose up his throat, almost like bile.
The whistle blew.
Like an instinct—like a second skin, Sae rushed towards the ball. He took a deep breath as he snatched the ball from one of the cheap defenders the other team had placed.
God, how he missed this pace.
His dribbling was inconsistent, Sae noted, there were too many openings and no benefits.
He made his way down the field, a little reluctant to pass his perfectly curated magic to someone he couldn’t even guarantee actually knew his name—proper name that is.
Ah—well, he had too. Looking up, numbers four and five were already waiting for him.
Without looking, Sae sent the ball all the way to the right side, curving it into such an intoxicating arc that four and five had to look up in awe. Really, it wasn’t anything special, Sae had cleared the ball like that many times before.
But maybe it was because it was the first time he was allowed to shine here.
Carlos Alvaraz, a right winger on their team, the boy with tanned skin and dark hair, received it. He smiled at Sae from across the field, to which Sae responded with a small smile of his own. He sprinted down the field with incredible speed, weaving through the few defenders they had there.
And, lo and behold, just as Sae prophesized, numbers four and five made their way to the right.
Carlos saw this opening and passed back to Sae, who was all set to receive it when—
Leo.
“Not bad, Itoshi! But you’re gonna have to do way better than that before you even think about replacing me on the field.” He had caught the ball mid-air—he was much taller than Sae was— and dribbled it, running through the now open field (thanks to Sae), and sending a long pass to Bunny, who accepted it with a very neutral expression, slamming the ball into the goal.
The overhead speakers buzzed, an echo of Sae’s miscalculation.
He clenched his jaw and looked away, already storming off to the bench—where he was sure he’d be sent.
Why him? He’d never be given the opportunity to shine as long as someone like Leo was on the field, dictating every little move and every little pass—Sae was sick of it.
He stormed up to the bench, angrily grabbing his water bottle and sipping away.
Leo, Carlos, and Bunny followed suit.
“Hey, Itoshi! That pass was awesome, man!” Carlos lifted a hand out, to which Sae reciprocated with a tiny lift of his own.
“Hm—awesome is a bit of an exaggeration, don’t ya think?” Leo snickered, shoving his hands in his pocket.
Sae heard a few of the benchwarmers laugh too.
Fuck them.
Fuck them and their stupid, good for nothing bench.
“Tch.” Sae exhaled, overly irritated and not very good at hiding it.
“Oi, didn’t I tell you Itoshi would lead?” Bunny said from behind, expression akin to that of a mother whose orders had just been disobeyed.
“Bunny, he wouldn’t have made it!” Leo retorted, in which Sae scrunched his nose up.
“How would you have known? Your head’s too far up your ass for you to have seen anything.” He mumbled from behind his water bottle.
Or—he thought he had mumbled it, but apparently not; on field players and benchwarmers alike started cackling and snorting.
Sae looked back up to see Leo fuming with genuine rage and Bunny watching with nothing short of amusement and glee.
“What?” Sae tilted his head, as innocently as possible, “did I say something?”
“Oh—I’m so gonna—” Leo was in the middle of rolling up his sleeves, clearly about to lay a punch on Sae when he was stopped by Bunny’s hand.
“Woah, you’re not gonna hit a fourteen year old for telling the truth, are you?”
“Tch.” Sae swore he heard Leo’s veins pop and his jaw clench so tight it would lock, “let me at him!”
“Drop it.” Bunny said, tightening his wrists, “or you’re on the bench the rest of the week.”
Leo contemplated it for a moment, before deciding that laying a hit on Sae wasn’t worth the effort, huffing.
“You got lucky this time.” He grunted, shoving Sae’s shoulder as he walked past him.
Sae barely lifted an eyebrow, his words now not affecting him.
Like before—it was like the words were carved into his bones, shaping him, yet he wouldn’t let it define him, not at all.
His eye twitched, then he crushed the plastic water bottle in his hand.
Okay—maybe it did affect him a little bit—so what?
He put the water bottle down, and looked towards their coach, expectantly, ready for him to tell Sae to sit his ass down on the bench and reflect over what a lukewarm performance he had done.
But he hadn’t, rather, a rare occurrence of a smile appeared on his face, a smile that seemed to hold many things within the countless wrinkles on the man’s face.
“You youngsters and your ambitions.” He sighed, nostalgia seeping through, before looking at Sae, soft brown eyes meeting the new-found ferocity in Sae’s own. “Itoshi, stay on that field. Pérez (Leo),” he barked, “you’re subbing out for Guerrero.”
Leo looked appalled at this statement, making a noise Sae could only compare to a stupid animal. Sae inwardly snickered, a smirk slowly appearing on his face.
Their coach turned to look at him again. “Keep playing like that, and we might just put you in starting for more matches.”
“Yes, coach.” Sae nodded.
Bunny and Sae and the other players, save for Leo, made their way back to the field.
The air was thick with the scent of fresh, muddied grass, as Sae pressed his cleats into it.
“Look at you,” Bunny remarked, “replacing Leo as our midfielder.”
“I’m not replacing him.”
“Oh?”
Sae clenched his fists. “I’ll prove I’m better than him. Just you wait.”
“Hm, such ferocity, it’s making me feel a little jealous.” Bunny muttered under his breath.
“What was that?” Sae turned to look at him.
“Nothing at all,” Bunny gave him that polite smile that had started to freak him out a little less, and their attention was turned back to the loud announcement speakers.
Bunny walked forward, just shy of the ball, ready for kick-off.
The whistle blew once more, and thus, the game began anew.
Sae ran forward, strides now laced with confidence, receiving the pass Bunny set out for him with ease.
And after that—it was like a spark of sorts connected between them, unspoken words hanging in the air.
There was no need for verbal communication, their phrases encoded in every pass they made.
In a fleeting glimpse, Sae and Bunny made their way through the defenders, with the ball still under Bunny’s control.
But instead of scoring, the glory that was the net right in front of him, he passed…to Sae. The ball stopped right in front of him, as if it was waiting for him to snipe it.
Sae didn’t give it any thought, however, kicking it into the net like it was an instinct—something that was really carved deep into his bones—a second skin—nature’s law—a bed of flowers that just took some time to grow in front of him.
Sae blinked, and the ball went from touching the arch of his cleats to the net.
The loud speakers buzzed again, signalling the end of the game.
The scoreboard blinked, proudly displaying the fruit of Sae’s labor.
Real Madrid YOUTH: 5
Valencia YOUTH: 3
“Isn’t this just sweet…” Bunny said, voice yearning for something Sae could not understand.
“Yeah…” Sae breathed, eyes in awe at the beautiful score in front of them.
“YEAH! ITOSHI!” A group of people said from behind them. Sae jumped, before being jumped by at least four other people, his face hitting the ground with a hard shove.
The loud sounds of buzzing were replaced with unfiltered laughter and joy, making its way through Sae’s ears and heart.
He groaned under the pile of people on top of him.
How he loved this sport.
₊˚⊹౨ৎ ₊˚⊹
Weeks turned into months of scores and all, Sae’s magic warping into something that he could grasp in his hand. Sparks of ego wisped around him like a second skin, his now sun-kissed skin glistening against the hot Spanish heat.
And play after play after play did Sae prove himself.
Not only that—Sae’s heart slowly started to warm, the cold frost thawing at an outsider’s embrace.
He had made some friends here.
So far as to say, ‘brothers’, of sorts.
Stolen and subtle glances to the funny faces behind their coach’s back to the eye rolls and sleepovers and pillow fights and fist fights and everything Sae never thought he’d have in Madrid came to him, as if he was whisked away into a dream where the sky was thick shades of violet and pink and the stars shone bright yellow. The grass was fresh and clean and carried stories engraved in the dirt in the form of fast and light—slow and heavy footsteps that ran across the once clean slate of land. His world felt swimmy and swirly and so child-like it was almost embarrassing to feel giddy at—yet he could not help the bubbly feeling that rose in his chest, and he could not help the smile that crawled onto his face in those fleeting moments of joy that felt as though they could last forever.
Itoshi Sae had made a place in Madrid.
And for that—he would have had to thank Bunny for it all.
The first handshake they had made felt cold, akin to a hospital seeping with antiseptics and the dying breath one had never known. It felt forced and sterile, uncomfortable and closed off.
Then he sat down with Sae at lunch. It felt a little more open, as if the locked door creaked a bit more, just letting out the feel of sterility, but not close enough to let anyone in.
Then came the soccer match against Valencia’s youth, and that door blasted open, the sounds of cold, calculated beeping of the heart replaced with an erratic song with beats that jostled around.
He belonged here.
He had been surrounded by a group of his teammates when Bunny walked over to him.
“Hermano!” Bunny called, “what’s up?” He stretched his hand high for Sae to high five it, and Sae returned it, hands clasping around Bunny’s.
“Nothin’ much, just training. You?” He raised an eyebrow.
Bunny giggled—grown ass man mind you—and sighed. “Nothing. Hey, why don’t we have a sleepover tonight? My room.”
“Sleepover? What’re you, five?”
“Ehhhhhhhh, would ‘football analytics watch party’, sound more adult?”
“Now you’re just making no sense.” Sae shook his head, a hint of a laugh behind his words.
“I’ll see you at eight,” Bunny nodded, walking away.
“See you…”
₊˚⊹౨ৎ ₊˚⊹
“God! Why do you look so sentimental?” Bunny chuckled, glancing up at Sae, who was sitting at the edge of his bed.
“I’m not sentimental…” Sae muttered, face dusted pink. “I’m just…I don’t know.”
“Hm.” Bunny put his arms underneath his head. “Just cause I’m going to Barcha doesn’t mean you have to cry about it..”
Sae scoffed, picking up a satin pillow and throwing it at the older’s face. “Like I’d ever.”
Bunny let the pillow hit his face, breaking out into a full blown laugh.
Tiredness had settled deep into both of the boys’ bones, waves of fatigue washing over them. Sae’s eyes felt heavy, as he flopped onto the bed.
“I’m tired.” He breathed, eyes already closed.
“Mhmm…me too.” Bunny responded.
“Will…we see each other again?” Sae asked, voice low and quiet and carrying waves of fragility. He dug himself deeper into the bed, clutching his blanket.
“Yeah, of course.”
“No—not just on the field.” Sae responded, quickly, sounding a bit on edge.
Bunny softly exhaled, propping himself up onto his elbows. His eyes softened as he looked at Sae. “Sure we will, hermano.”
Sae huffed, hiding his face in the pillows. “You better keep your promise.”
₊˚⊹౨ৎ ₊˚⊹
It had been a few weeks since Bunny’s departure, and Sae was starting to regain his ground again. Thankfully, the confidence he had built hadn’t crumbled when Bunny left, rather, it started to grow, building itself higher and higher.
He was sent down to the front office to greet a new foreign player for their team. He waved quick goodbyes to his teammates—friends—Lucas, Carlos, and Rory, before making his way down the long hall and down the stairs. There, he greeted Carmen, and then turned to look at the new player.
He had off-white hair, deep yellowish-grey eyes, and a small mole in the corner of his right eye.
“Hello,” he said, friendly and bright.
“Yo.” Sae greeted back. “I’m—”
“Itoshi Sae! I’ve heard a lot about you in Japan.”
“Ah, then we can save the introductions. I know a lot about you too, Kira Ryosuke.”
₊˚⊹౨ৎ ₊˚⊹
Give and take a few months, and Kira ended up fitting into Real Madrid, much faster than Sae had his first few months here. In fact, he and Kira ended up as good friends, and soon, Kira was able to some-what fill up the Bunny shaped hole in Sae’s heart. Parts of him, if not all, missed Bunny. Soccer wasn’t the same without him. Sae wondered if this was how Rin felt when he left for Spain.
He was sitting at a bench, drinking water to cool off after one of his long runs to no specific destination. The sun was melting into the ocean, bright orange mixing with the deep blue. He remembered that he and Bunny met at this beach a lot, he’d probably have met with him today too, if it weren’t for his match.
“Ah,” Sae breathed in the cool breeze.
“I suppose it is a nice beach, isn’t it?” Someone said from behind him.
Sae jumped.
“Who—”
“Relax,” the person dismisses. He leaned against the cobble-stone edge, watching Sae with weary eyes. He blinked, tilting his head. “Just came here to offer something.”
Sae scoffed. “What? Like some fucking drugs?” He scowled.
“No.” The voice responded. He got up from his spot, and walked towards Sae. “How would you,” he pointed a finger at Sae, “like to be a hero?”
Sae’s breath hitched. “...What?” He blinked, then furrowed his brows again. “Are you messing with me? Knock it off.”
The person, fat and short, with a grimacing smile, laughed, heartily. “No, no. Of course not!”
“Knock it off.” Another voice said behind him. It was a tall, lanky man, with a bowl cut, wearing thick-rimmed glasses that rested on his nose. “We’re being serious. If you don’t want the offer, we’ll leave you be.”
“Ego!” The fat man said. “You must try to convince him a little bit more!” He rasped.
Ego just stared at him. “It’s his choice. Not mine. Not anyone else’s.”
Sae nodded along.
“And you guys are…?”
“I’m Burasuta! And this is Ego!” He pointed with his short, stubby fingers. “So, the offer?”
Sae pressed his lips into a thin line. “I’ll consider it.”
Burasuta smiled again. “Good! Hey, I’ll give you my contact info—”
“We can grant you anything.” Ego interrupted. His eyes were laced with something darker. More determined.
“Anything?” Sae asked.
“Any wish. Of course, you have to be able to handle the karma. Assuming you’ve never had powers, you can’t wish for anything too big, such as ending world peace. But you’d never wish for something like that, would you?” Ego asked. "You'll be a hero for the rest of your life.”
“Ego!” Burasuta hissed. “You’re scaring him!”
“Fine.”
Burasuta looked back at him, surprised. “What…? Are you—”
“I’ll do it. I’ll become a hero.”
“Hmph.” Ego huffed. “What’s your wish, diamond in the rough?”
“My wish…” He closed his eyes.
He thought of everything that happened in the past few months, past few years of his life.
Rin.
Their parents.
Bunny.
His teammates.
Kira.
Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes. The sea roared, the sun peered through the waves.
“Is to never be left behind again. No matter the cost.”