characters: itoshi sae Ć gn!reader
warnings: fluff, hurt/comfort, established relationships, heavy codependency, burnt out sae, word vomit, sae is an idiot thatās too in love, and sae whoās emotions are all over the place.
synopsis: the world itoshi sae once envisioned is so hazy, barely non-existent anymore. and itās all because of you.
note: the nicknames/callsigns "mi amor" and "mi vida" mean "my love" and "my life".
aged up characters | please read at your own risk!
my singular interest is becoming the best in the worldāis something itoshi sae remembers saying to someone with much conviction.
sae reminds himself to never let his mouth speak such nonsense driven by his now crippling ego. sae wants to go back in time, tell that stupid interviewer that he doesnāt care about being the best in the world if it means being the only one in your universe.
itoshi sae fell in love, to put it simply.
his singular interest is you. it doesnāt matter when, where, or what happensāitās only you, the one and only other piece of his dull soul. when sae loves you, he feels it overwhelmingly all over him, too. he feels his body tingle with tenderness, he hears his breath shudder when talking to you, and so much more. at first, it was weird. although after a long run? it became addictive.
he longs for you in every way, even if youāre already his. sae doesnāt quite understand why, but he also feels like it also doesnāt matter; because he deeply misses your soft giggles that warm his neck when youāre too close to him, he misses your scentāfuck, he misses everything about you. so, naturally, sae feels like his heart is being ripped apart with every flight he has to take back to spain. during many occasions, sae almost begged you to go to him: interlocking your hands together until he reaches the entrance of the airport, not bothering to let go until you have to pry yourself away from him; and even staring sadly into your eyes with the faintest pout on his lips.
perhapsāno, sae is fairly certain about thisābeing away from you is one of the most agonizing things he has to experience in this life of his. sae wishes to curse his soccer team, his manager, or even anyone who arranged such a game far from home. or rather, far from you.
youāre so far away; heās in his lukewarm apartment in spain, while youāre in your homey abode in japan. it sucks in his bedroom here. itās awful, boring, and you-less. his bedsheets are soft, sure, but nothing will compare to the feeling of hugging your waist and burying his face into your soft skin. he takes a deep breathāit could be that heās merely dreaming this boring setting, when youāre really lulling him to sleepāthatās why heās stuck in it, yeah. yeah noā¦fuck, again, sae misses you far more than his patience could handle.
tiredly finding his phone on his mattress, his hands find its way to your contact in an instant, and he calls you. timezones be damned, because sae canāt take it anymore.
āshit,ā sae feels his lips twitch, wanting to let an amused breath be heard by you over the phone. āuhhā¦hello?ā it seems that only now do you think youāve picked up the phone, voice dry of sleep.
āhi,ā saeās voice is muffled by his pillow, his face burning up as it still hasnāt adapted with his slippery tongue pouring affection onto you. āwhatās wrong? itāsā¦uhm, 4am here, you know?ā your voice is much clearer now, and itās accompanied by a loose giggle into the phoneās speaker. sae knows you have an answer to your own question, heās that obvious. āmn. sorry. i-ā saeās heart beats louder and faster when he hears your giggle once more become a tune to his ears. ālove me? miss me?ā you complete his thoughts, and sae holds onto every second of it. he hums quietly, nodding guiltily even if you couldnāt see it. āās okay calling me, sae. but iām a bit sad right now.ā your voice acts, and sae practically sits up his bed, phone pushing harder onto his ear to hear whatās happening.
āmhm, i was dreaming about you, and thenā¦you woke me up.ā you groan rather loudly, however, easing some weight on saeās shoulders. āsorry for that too, mi amor.ā he apologizes like heās committed a sin; although deep in his heart thatās all for you, it probably is considered a crime. āfine. but do know that itās suuper unfortunate.ā saeās heavy sigh of relief widens the smile on your face. god, the tension of amusement on your end is enough to be felt by saeāwho knows what sae would do to see you with that pure smile right now.
āis it really unfortunate now? was the itoshi sae in your dream better than me? your real boyfriend, speaking to you right now?ā instinctively, sae pouts as his eyebrows twitch to furrow, hoping for the answer his childish self wants. āhmm,ā saeās jaw slackens in disbelief, did you really have to think about it? his pout worsens, he canāt believe you had it in you to tease him when youāre probably half asleep, although, he may or may not really mind. āi like the sae in my dream better, maybe.ā sae now scoffs, rolling his eyes pathetically. āmi vida, why are you like this?ā sae questions, but that doesnāt particularly matter. at least, not when despite anything your personality gives him, heāll accept.
āarenāt you curious, though?ā you continue to tease.
āhmph. of course i am.ā and saeās adoration for you continues to indulge.
āremember when you took me on our first date?ā your voice goes softer now, fond of the memory and storytelling. ādo you think iād forget?ā how could he, though? how could sae forget how he regretted planning such a boring dateāall because he didnāt think heād fall into such a deep trench to love you? ācāmon, donāt be so down now, sae. itās a good dream, promise.ā itās most likely, because as youāre thinking of the words to say, sae hears your covered yawns consecutively.
āfelt like i relived our first date, you know? really nostalgic. we were walking out of the convenience store late november with a bag filled with your favorite popsicles.ā your dream is spot on already. saeās heart beats a little faster again. āthen, we went to your favorite spot by the sea. it was extra cold, too. but we still ate the popsicles.ā you laugh, warming saeās thoughts as he reminisces about the chilly winds of the evening that you dared not complain about. instead, sharing countless of frozen popsicles sae still feels numbing his tongue with the kindest, most precious smile heās ever seen.
āyeah, i remember that. whyās the sae in your dream better, then?ā youāre a bit silent, as if unsure of what to explain.
āmi amor?ā you only hum, still thinking about it, it seems.
sae gulps slowlyāanxiously. because sometimes, itoshi sae wonders deep in his complex emotions that heās weary of.
āmhmm, iām still here.ā
sometimes, itoshi sae wonders why out of all the people that couldāve and shouldāve treat you better, you decide heās the one.
āitās just that, i guess i missed having you around right beside me? ah, but i think iām just speaking nonsense, itās almost past four thirty.ā you donāt spout such things as nonsense, anything you have to speak about, sae withholds with utmost seriousness.
right now, itoshi sae is at that spiral of sudden insecurity.
āyou- iāll go home as soon as i can.ā sae mutters, voice wavering as a part of him is scared. of what? losing you? a bit childish, still. he knows youāll understand, everything and anything heāll go through. itās why he fell in love so deeply in the first place. youāre the first person to give him back the amount of love he never knew he was even capable of. donāt leave now: his heart whispers.
āsae, wait,ā he canāt hear you, at least, not when his senses are fully enveloped in the listing of available flights back to japan as soon as possibleāat 2am in spain in a bit looks promising enough for him.
āsae, listen to me first? youāre not going back here yet, you still have a game next week.ā you remind him, but sae doesnāt care. āthat doesnāt matter, current team iām with is pretty shit. anyway, i miss you a lot, too. so itās alright.ā sae feels his stubbornness root from his core and out all across his body, and he feels guilty.
āitoshi sae.ā just before sae could click his booking of the plane ticket, your stern voice halts his actions. a thin coat of sweat heats his palms as he fidgets with one finger. āmad?ā he asks, throat clenched. āno, not at all. just, letās talk, okay? promise me youāll listen.ā sae hears movement from your line, youāre probably beyond serious right now, sitting up on your bed, back resting on your headboard as your eyes look at the ceiling. āā¦sure.ā itās a promise.
āyou know why youāre in spain, right? to pursue your dreamāyour passion, sae.ā he wants to shake his head and deny everything, he wants to tell you to not continue any longer, because eventually, sae wouldnāt even know what to answer. āand iām here back home, because i also have my dreams here. you understand that, donāt you? you miss me, and i miss youāthatās so normal, because i love you and you love me back, right? youāll come home when you can, but not now,ā why? is something sae wants to ask. ānot now when your goal is right in front of you.ā noāyouāre not right on that one. āyou donāt have to forfeit anything related to your dreams for me, you know that. iāve told you that, yet youāre still as stubborn as ever, huh?ā you let out a breath, your voice is neutral yet still heavy of sleep in hopes to reach him.
sae isnāt giving anything up, truly, he is not. his career from soccer has already gone shit, anyways. ever since heās given up being the worlds best striker, heās felt empty; trying to compensate with his new, still shitty, ambition of being the best midfielder there is. realistically, sae canāt give anything great up when everything is already lukewarm in his life.
however, in this life of his with only you matters; when the circumstance is him defying you as his sole dreamāthen, he has nothing to lose.
āi would quit football for you.ā sae whispers, shocking not only you, but himself at the bluntness.
āyou wouldnāt.ā sae knows he shouldnāt, because you wouldnāt like that.
āi would, if you wanted me to.ā rationally, heās an idiot to say such things. because all his life, itoshi sae has been so inhospitable, never understanding certain lengths people would go through for another. all his life, heās never felt like this. the version of himself three years agoāthe him who stated that he has no other interest aside from being the best in the worldāwould curse him off, never to accept this current state of his. even though sae knows how to act, he throws out all that rationality when itās you heās thinking of.
to quit soccer for you? he would fucking do.
but is it for his own selfishness? he doesnāt know.
āi donāt want you to.ā he knows. your voice a tad bit disappointed at him, and heās a tad bit disappointed at the answer. āyou canāt just throw everything out for me, sae. i wouldnāt like that.ā reluctantly, sae closes the tab for booking flights with your low voice looming over him. āwhy? would you rather me be in spain for who knows how long?ā sae tries to humor, although his voice falls far too seriously once more.
āiād rather have you here with me. butā¦ā saeās breath hitches, clutching on his phone harder, eyes moving too much.
ābut?ā please, his heart begs, be something heāll want to hear. tell him to go back to japan, tell him to leave everything behind in spain. please, his heart begs again. again. and again.
āhm, not if it means you giving up something youāve worked hard for in the very beginning. that would be a waste, no?ā fuckāhow many times will his mentality scream at him? itās not a waste. nothing is a waste for you. if him abandoning his career means being with you for as long as you allow him to, then itās okay. if you being with him means he certainly has something to love and hold up to, then itās beyond okay.
āmi vida, i-ā sae lets out a shaky breath, he doesnāt know anymore. the corners of his eyes burn, and it starts to warn him of tears. āmi amor, whatās really wrong?ā you answer back, voice so clear it makes him look to his side to see if youāre possibly with him in spain. now, he thinks youāve pierced through a barrier sae never realized has been built. it crumbles, almost instantly, too, and sae confesses the first thing eating at the back of his mind: āi miss you so much. i want to go back, itās so lonely here.ā because youāre not here, is what sae wishes to express further.
āare you tired?ā now, sae understands a part of him better. through the years of dating, heās subconsciously relied on you for anything and everything. what matters to you is his guide on what should also matter to him.
itoshi sae, now understands that your love and care for him is one of the sole basis of his composure.
āvery much.ā his voice is so fragile, and sae hates how heās aware youāre aching for not being there to physically comfort him and his collapsing mental figure.
heās desperate, so please, do something about it. his body pleads entirely now, tears frantically pouring down his face with nothing to solace it. you hear him sniffle, hiccupāeverything. you hear it. you wish you understood the underlying need of his, but he wouldnāt blame you if it were a bit later, as well. because sae only now discovers just how far the roots of his distress reaches.
āi see. then, come home, mi amor. iāll be here waiting for you.ā
Ā© takotakigum | do not repost, translate, or plagiarize my works.