ayumy1

[ayumy1]

Scored My Heart pt3 progress

So...I've been getting a lot of activity from the previous parts and I feel really bad for making everyone wait for part 3 for almost 2 months.

I am actually writing it...it's just taking a while.

I'm already at 3.5k words and there are still more scenes I want to add. I really don't want to make a part 4. I think I'm semi-ready to move on from this fic.

I have made an extra part to dump extra ideas that I decided to cut from the story (mainly to reduce my workload for pt3 and because some of them are just for fun). I'll publish that when pt3 is done too.

As for a estimated publishing time...I'm gonna be realistic. It's probably gonna be in May.

Thank you for your support. I really wasn't expecting it receive this much attention as my first fic. (or maybe I'm just a stingy reader).

Like I literally wasn't expecting people to follow or repost. So thank you (ㅅ´ �� `)⊹₊⋆

(I'll be deleting this post when I publish pt 3)

[ayumy1]

Scored My Heart Part 2

Itoshi Sae x Male reader

Part 1 | Part 2 (<-You are here) | Part 3

Synopsis: The reason why Sae gave up his shared dream with Rin was because 'he' scored his heart.

Content: Fluff, romance, humour, tiny bit angst/miscommunication

wc: 4.3k

Note: Thank you for waiting, I'm sorry this took a month. Part 2 was getting much longer than planned and I felt a little bad for making people wait for so long, so I decided split it to make a part 3.

Language colour code: Spanish | Japanese

"I'm so bored." Y/n whined as he watched his mother cooking dinner.

It has been two days since Sae departed Spain to return home for the first time in four years. It was the longest Y/n had ever been separated from Sae since they became friends. Nothing felt the same anymore. whether it was training or watching anime.

"Y/n, why don't you call Sae, then?" his mother suggested.

"No." grumbled Y/n, "I'm not clingy."

Earlier that day during training, his teammates noticed his gloomy mood and teased him about being very attached to Sae. At this point, everyone was rooting for the striker and midfielder duo to hurry up and get together.

"Y/n...do you like Sae romantically?" she asked carefully. The older L/n knew the answer, but wanted to confirm if he knew it himself. There was no doubt that he would mistake any other question pertaining to romance with the same emotion as playing soccer.

"Hmmm...apparently." Y/n hummed, rocking on a chair.

"Apparently?"

"I did a test online." he proudly grinned, pulling out his phone to show a screenshot of his result.

"And, why did you do an online test?" sighed his mother, her eyebrow twitching slightly. If he wasn't so stupid at times, she would've smacked his head at his obliviousness, but it was best not to decrease his brain cells, if he had any.

"[Insert random teammate] did one and found out he wasn't attracted to girls," defended Y/n, knowing he had irked his mother somehow, "But don't worry, I figured something out myself! I don't like guys or girls."

But his confidence suddenly deflated and became hesitant to continue.

"Y/n?" she called out in concern, wiping her hands and walking over.

"Uhh...I only like Sae," he mumbled. His face was flushed red as he tried to avoid eye contact with his mother, to prepare for the onslaught of teasing. But she only smiled and gently ruffled his hair.

"Then, why don't you tell him?"

His mothers words echoed in his head, and before he knew it, Sae was about to return. Since his flight would return in the afternoon, the coach allowed him to skip training, but Sae had stubbornly promised he would be there in the second half.

Y/n was initially overjoyed to be able to see his friend sooner, but the joy was soon replaced with dread as time ticked on.

At one point during a break, all heads, except for Y/n who was lazing on the floor with his eyes closed, turned to spot their maroon haired midfielder in the distance. They were about to call his name, when they noticed the boy's finger against his lip. So they settled with waving instead.

"Did you miss me, captain~" a voice startled Y/n. His eyes shot open to meet his favourite teal eyes peering down on him. This season, Y/n was chosen as the captain, with Sae and another teammate sharing the vice-captain title. With Y/n as a striker, Sae as a midfielder and the other teammate as a defender, they were considered the pillars of the team.

"Y-you're back, Cariño." stuttered Y/n. The whole team's eyes widened in surprise. (Dw you'll get the translation soon, just be oblivious like Sae now)

"So, you finally thought of a nickname when I was gone." he said, offering a hand up, which Y/n accepted.

As captain, Y/n decided to give everyone nicknames for 'team bonding'. But in reality it was just an easier way for Y/n to memorise faces, but nobody really knew that except for Sae and the coach. Nicknames we derived from their appearance or any special fact affiliated with them. For example, one of the guys had a pet crab and hence was dubbed, crabtaker, a pun on caretaker. But Sae had always remained Sae.

"Uh, yeah." Y/n lied with a smile. He had accidentally let the term of endearment slip, since he'd heard it multiple times in a movie he recently watched with his mother. It was clear Sae didn't understand it, but since he had pointed it out, he couldn't just change it.

Whilst Sae was relieved to be spared from any teasing related to not having a nickname due to being, 'too special to the captain', he would rather die than admit he sort of missed being called by his first name in an endearing way.

"Break is over, back to practice!" the coach called out.

"Welcome back." Y/n said, squeezing Sae's hand before running onto the field.

Some of his teammates immediately congratulated him with slaps, immediately assuming they'd become official.

"Y-you're back, Cariño." a player teased.

"Yes, I'm back in your arms~" another teammate role played, being embraced in a hug.

"Shut up!" Y/n shushed them with a flushed face. He was so glad Sae was far enough to not hear what was going on. "You two, a lap around the field now."

"Yes, captain." they groaned.

It had been about a week since Sae returned, and Y/n kept up with the nickname, unable to confront Sae with the truth.

"So, how's it like dating our captain?" a random teammate asked, resting an arm over Sae. Y/n had been called off the field to discuss things with the coach, so they all swooped at the opportunity to know the tea.

"Dating? We're not dating?"Sae responded, very confused.

'"Huh?....HUUUUUUHHHHH?!?!" They were hoping to rile up and tease Sae in some sort of way, but now they were the ones getting flustered.

"B-but he calls you..."

"Y-yeah he calls you that...thing?!"

"Cariño? Is it something special?" asked Sae curiously. Based on everyone's nicknames, Sae had automatically assumed it was something about his appearance or something.

"It's what...l-lo...lo-lov"

"Lovers do?" Sae completed, to which they all nodded. Sae contemplated their words, he was hoping they weren't pulling his leg. For the past year, Sae had been trying to drop small hints towards Y/n to gauge his reaction. But the oblivious captain was dense, always thinking about soccer, which Sae couldn't really blame him for.

"Hey, what are you guys doing? Don't stop training because I'm not watching you." Y/n interrupted, having returned from his impromptu meeting.

"Uh..."

"They were just asking about how my trip was." Sae replied, to which the others fervently nodded.

"Ok, well you can talk about that during our break." Y/n said, accepting Sae's answer as the truth, "We've got a team to crush tomorrow."

Later that night, Sae searched up the meaning behind his nickname.

Cariño [noun] translates from Spanish to 'dear', 'darling', or 'sweetheart'. Used to address a beloved person as a term of endearment, typically to a partner. (Pls don't kill me, I got this info from multiple sites)

He flopped on his bed, his head only filled with Y/n. Soccer was currently the biggest thing in his life, followed by family and friends. But before he knew it, Y/n was starting to become an unlabelled category on his own.

Sae was well aware of his feelings, but refrained from acting on them in case of irreversible repercussions. But maybe tomorrow, he would try something bolder in response.

To say Sae was nervous was an understatement.

It wasn't because of opponents they were facing today or that his performance was down, due to his lack of sleep last night. But rather because he had finally decided what to do about his infatuation with Y/n.

With responsibilities as captain, Y/n had been busy even before warm ups started. Apparently, their opposing team had an inadequate number of players due to a cold spreading around. Their whole midfield was missing, so they obviously had to forfeit the game, but the coaches and captains discussed the possibility of a friendly match. Sae could barely get a chance to talk to Y/n, which only worsened his nerves.

"For this game, Sae will be captain." the coach announced to the Re AI youth team, who were waiting patiently for the game lineup.

"Huh?!"

"What?!"

"What about Y/n?"

"He's joining the other team," he continued, "[Insert best defenders] too. From their lineup, they'll have a strong offence and defence, but a weak midfield. We'll have the opposite. I want everyone to see the problems and grow to fix them. It is a game to our disadvantage. You never know what may occur to cause player substitution, so be prepared to play an unfamiliar lineup."

The coach then began listing the lineup, to which Sae ignored. Whilst he knew his role of an offensive midfielder would have to adjust to the current team formation, his eyes wandered to Y/n, who was listening intently to the coach.

Over the past years, Y/n had grown both physically and mentally. His eyes were sharper, his hair was neater and his voice deepened, still accompanied by the occasional voice crack.

"That is all." finished the coach, snapping Sae out of his thoughts. The team began to disperse into small chatter, with most heading to the players temporarily departing the team.

"It was an honour to be your teammate! YOU WILL LIVE ON FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS!"

"We're not dying." one of the defenders that was changing teams said.

"CAPTAIN! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE NIGHT YOU TOASTED TO MY EYES?! THAT NIGHT!"

"WAS IT A LIE WHEN YOU SAID YOUR TIME WITH ME WAS THE MOST ENJOYABLE OF THEM ALL?!"

"You guys know, this is only for ninety minutes, right?" Y/n sweatdropped, as a few players clung to his shirt. One even rubbed his eyes so hard that they became red and teary.

"Could you not touch him so casually, YOU HOMEWRECKERS?!!" another player yelled, "Captain has soccer practice with me now, let's go captain. Today I'll have you master 'Twinkle twinkle little kick'."

Obviously those players were dubbed the 'dramatic dumbasses' that always loved to embarrass others with their antics. On the other hand, there were the 'aloof onlookers' that could only watch with second hand embarrassment and try to pretend they weren't associated. They did, however, find it slightly entertaining and shared the same sentiments such as missing their teammates, but were dead set on taking that to their grave.

Y/n was beginning to regret introducing his teammates to anime, which he initially did to help them connect with Sae. But the midfielder was so absorbed in soccer, the only shows he knew were for children.

"If you don't come back on time, we'll hunt you down. Right, Sae?" a player threatened. Everyone turned to Sae, who had yet to say anything since the lineup was announced.

"If we win..." he began, "Then we don't need him anymore."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"YOU'RE RIGHT!"

"LET'S WIN, CAPTAIN SAE!"

"BYE Y/N!"

'"Wha?" Y/n let out a noise in confusion. The teammates that were crying over his departure were now happily shipping him off, quite literally. They grabbed his limbs in an attempt to carry him away. "HEY, I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU GUYS WIN."

"Good, don't go easy on us, Darling~." answered Sae, trying his best to not stutter. Thankfully, the dumbasses' fooling around, had calmed down his heart to execute his plan. "I'm returning the favour."

Y/n froze, second guessing what he had heard, either nobody noticed or cared about what it could mean. The small moment of shock allowed his teammates the chance to 'deliver' him to the other team.

The kickoff started awkwardly, as both teams attempted to compensate for the lacking areas. Due to their familiarity with each other, the youth Re Al team was the quickest to adjust and managed to score in the first twenty minutes.

Y/n was conflicted. Every time they managed to steal the ball, it could never reach Y/n, since Sae controlled the midfield.

Whilst he was very proud of his former team for pulling through, he was losing his mind with his current team. His 'captain' was a defender, which was completely fine. But under these circumstances with no strong midfield, the captain had no plan to distribute the players strategically in an offensive formation. They couldn't win purely on defence.

He was overconfident, believing that the opponent main force without Y/n would crumble. He was also stubborn and didn't believe in the Re Al's defenders that moved teams, so they were positioned in areas that could barely utilise their skills.

"WOOO! LOOKS LIKE YOU WON'T NEED TO COME BACK, Y/N!" Y/n's former teammate shouted, at the half time break. So far, Y/n's team had barely attempted a play in comparison to Sae's team that was trying every moment they could.

"Y/n come over here." his captain called.

"Tch." Y/n spat in annoyance to himself.

"I need you to be the midfielder." he ordered.

"No." muttered Y/n.

"No?! I am your captain. YOU listen to me, I'm doing this to win." the captain retorted.

"To win?," Y/n began, tempted to pummel the guy into the ground. "All you've been doing is a joke...IF YOU WANT TO WIN, I'LL SHOW YOU HOW."

Y/n stormed off to his position, whilst Re Al could only watch in anticipation and wariness, knowing that Y/n was gonna find some way to leave that captain stunned.

The kickoff started with Y/n, who immediately began charging to the goal without passing to anybody. He swiftly weaved through his former teammates as he was already familiar with their style.

Until he reached Sae.

They began to joust for the ball, each performing their own moves to out manoeuvre the other. Unfortunately, as partners, they had learnt counters to each other's skills and were quickly exhausting all ideas.

Luckily, Y/n recalled a move he saw on tv the other that he had yet to try out. He attempted to imitate it, passing the ball to his hind leg, twisting and chipping it up and out to fake it to one side before kicking it behind, twirling to bypass Sae.

He began to sprint forward towards the goal and let his instincts take over. The ball powerfully soared and curved into the net of the goal post, evading the keeper's outstretched arms by a mile.

Sae's heart wildly pounded in his chest as he watched Y/n turn around to him and beam like the sun. It was at this moment that he realised he wanted every one of those smiles to be directed at himself. Whether it was from everyday life to playing soccer even if they weren't on the same team, Sae wanted nothing more in that moment then to be beside Y/n.

With Y/n as the centre of attention, it was too late to notice that one of the former Re Al defenders were open to receive the ball. Together they began charging to the goal, swiftly passing their former teammates with short one touch passes back and forth. It was a tactic Sae recognised, since it was something he practiced with Y/n.

"Not so fast, Darling." the midfielder intercepted. Y/n paused for a second, realising that Sae had called him 'darling' for a second time. He was certain he wasn't hearing things wrongly.

Luckily, the defender was quick to aid Y/n to protect the ball. There were less than five minutes left and the score was tied.

Everyone else could only watch as Re Al youth's top three, hoping to catch the ball if it strayed off.

Y/n L/n, captain and ace of the team with their best defender and co-vice captain, against Sae Itoshi, Japanese prodigy and co-vice captain. Re Al's coach simply grinned from the sidelines, it was exciting to watch the former teammates vying to beat each other.

Sae's attention shifted to the defender, scanning for openings and pressuring him to falter.

"You better catch up, Cariño." Y/n teased, before stealing the ball from behind the defender, surprising everyone. Since time was rapidly running out, he was desperate to score in order to prove someone wrong.

He sped forward before shooting, the impact resonating throughout the entire field.

The 'dramatic dumbasses' raced forward to crush Y/n into a hug, forgetting that they were on the opposing team.

"CAPTAIN, WE NEVER DOUBTED YOU!"

"NOT FOR ONE MOMENT!"

"THAT'S DEFINITELY A LIE!" Y/n yelled whilst being suffocated.

"I'm sorry." the captain apologised, facing Y/n.

"It's all good, it was a learning experience for everyone." forgave Y/n before joining his teammates, who were waiting for him to head out to their local bakery.

"Granny, we're back!" exclaimed one the players, as they all entered a small cozy bakery. An old lady at the counter was very welcoming, always giving out free snacks and insisting they call her 'granny'.

Everyone picked out their favourite bread and pastries with the exception of Y/n. Ever since the game finished and the adrenaline had worn off, Sae's choice of word continued to echo in his head. His mind went into overdrive, analysing all the reasons why Sae would call him 'darling' in Japanese, when no one but he could understand. The worst possible outcome was that Sae was just playing along and it would just be an inside joke between friends that kept his hopes up and nothing more.

He was aware of his teammates' shipping tendencies, so if Sae didn't find out himself, they probably told him.

"You're not getting anything?" Sae nudged the boy in concern. Everyone

"I'm not hungry." replied Y/n.

It was a half-truth. Normally, he would get very hungry but his stomach was already filled with dread, guilt and anxiety. Whilst Sae might totally reciprocate his feelings, his mind was clouded by negative thoughts.

"You're not sick, are you?" questioned Sae, reaching an arm to check Y/n's temperature, "Hm...you're fine."

It was actions like these, that Y/n realised he couldn't stand if Sae was doing this out of friendship. He needed to tell him now, clear up everything, make a barrier and move on. He'll even move teams if it makes it better, they could both continue soccer without any trouble. He was still getting offers to join other soccer clubs, even the coach of the team he played on today offered him a position. FC Barcha would happily take him too. Obviously, when they made it to the top they'd meet again. But hopefully, Y/n would get over Sae by then.

Gradually everyone split off home, with Y/n and Sae together heading to the L/n household. Y/n had decided it was best to do it before they arrived because if it all went wrong, then at least they could part ways on some random street instead of somewhere memorable.

"Sae." Y/n called out, tugging on the boy's jacket so they could stop for a moment. His gaze was downwards as he couldn't bear to look at Sae's eyes. It would only weaken his resolve. “I’m sorry. It was a mistake.”

The midfielder gaze softened at the boy, waiting patiently for him to expand. It was clear from the way Y/n was gripping Sae’s jacket, that he was afraid.

“I-I…I’m sorry about your nickname.” he stuttered, “It was an accident. You weren’t supposed to have it.”

Sae’s heart dropped.

He wasn't supposed to have it.

Were the caring gazes directed at him, actually towards someone else? Like when you think someone is waving at you, only to realise it was to someone behind.

He grabbed Y/n roughly by the shirt, teal eyes staring down at the striker's frightened [insert eye colour] eyes.

"WHO?" Sae demanded.

"Huh?" uttered Y/n. At this point, the boy was willing to quit soccer if it meant he left Sae on neutral terms.

'I TAKE IT ALL BACK! MAYBE I SHOULDN'T GO PRO ANYMORE. I'LL BE A FARMER AND CUT OFF ANY CONTACT TO THE WORLD.' Y/n cried internally, 'IT'LL JUST BE ME AND MY SOCCER TRAINED ANIMALS. IF IT MEANS SAE WON'T HATE ME.'

"WHO IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE IT?" the midfielder repeated with jealousy and anger. Despite outwardly channeling his emotions onto Y/n, Sae was actually angry at himself.

He was known as a soccer prodigy, the best player in Japan and considered to be a highly favoured candidate for the New Generation World XI. An unparalleled playmaker for his age with quick reflexes and an analytical vision.

But, he couldn't even notice that his feelings weren't reciprocated. Perhaps he was projecting onto Y/n, and that everything he was seeing was deluded by his infatuation.

"N-nobody." Y/n replied, "Nobody's supposed to have it. I just accidentally said it, because it was in a movie I watched when you were gone."

Sae loosened his grip on Y/n, "Sorry...I shouldn't have yelled at you...or grabbed you like that."

"No, I'm sorry. I should have cleared it up that day, but I realised you might have felt left out without a nickname." apologised Y/n, averting eye contact once again, "The guys told you what it means, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, you don't have to force yourself to 'return the favour' anymore." he smiled bittersweetly, quoting Sae's words earlier that day. Before Y/n could turn away, Sae gently grabbed his forearm and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm not forcing myself to do anything related to you. I do it because I want to and because I love you." he confessed into the striker's ear, "You've helped me so much in ways you don't even realise. From helping me settle here, being my friend and teaching me. I would've been alone and bullied without you."

Sae paused, noticing that the boy he was embracing was sniffling slightly. It was time to pull out the cringy line if it meant he would smile. "You've scored my heart, so let me have yours."

Y/n choked out a laugh, trying to remain quiet and serious at the words he had just heard. The midfielder simply smiled, pulling away from the hug but keeping a hand wrapped around the striker's waist.

"You already have mine, Sae." chucked Y/n. Their heads were dangerously close together, as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Can I?" Sae whispered, averting his attention to Y/n's lips. With a small nod of permission, they both leaned forward into a light kiss.

(This depends on the reader's height. If you're shorter or the same height, Sae might bend down a little and use one hand to hold your chin and the other on your waist. If you're taller, he'd pull you down with one arm on and be on his tippy toes if he needs to. His other hand would then caress your cheek.)

"Your fever's gone down a little," Sae noted, packing away the thermometer.

"Sae, kiss." demanded Y/n. He was currently tucked in bed with a wet cloth resting on his forehead.

"No." rejected Sae, "I don't wanna get sick before I travel."

"So you'd get sick for me any other time?"

"Maybe" he bashfully replied, "But I need to go back to renew my passport, so not this time."

"But Sae, I won't be able to kiss you for a few days." Y/n whined, tugging Sae's arm for emphasis.

"Sometimes I wonder how people dealt with you when you were sick, before." he sighed, "Weren't you sick just before we met? You survived then."

"You remember when we met? I was so stupid back then." groaned Y/n, trying to hide his face under the covers.

"You were cute," admitted Sae, "But I had no idea what you were saying."

"Good." Y/n replied. But Sae was bursting with curiosity about it.

"Tell me and I'll give you a kiss. No lies." he smirked, offering an undeniable reward. A healthy Y/n would immediately reject the proposal, and find some other way to kiss Sae. Keeping his pride was more important. But a sickly and dazed Y/n would do anything to get Sae's affection, especially in the form of a kiss.

"Coach told me not to bite you, because the last time he introduced me to a guy...I bit his hand," Y/n recalled.

"You bit a guy?!" laughed Sae, who was absolutely losing it.

"Stop laughing! I was young and stupid! I wasn't paying attention and there was suddenly a hand in front of me. I didn't know he wanted to shake hands!" the sick boy raised his voice in defence, which resulted in a coughing fit.

"Who was it, are they on the team?" Sae managed to ask between chuckles.

"It's worse..." Y/n coughed.

"Come on tell me," Sae pushed, "Or no kiss."

"...Leonardo Luna"

Sae literally began crying at how hard he was laughing, his mind trying to imagine what had happened. It was no wonder when they happened to meet the first string Re Ai team, Y/n was quieter than normal.

When he calmed down, Sae stood up to leave.

"Hey, my reward." demanded Y/n, sitting up.

"I'm not kissing you now, I'll do it when I come back." he replied, turning his back.

"HUH? You traitor!" Y/n pouted and looked away, "I don't need you anymore. I'll get someone else, maybe [insert teammate] will love me."

Before he could process what was happening, a hand grabbed his chin and a foreign material was pressed against his lips. Sae was kissing him through a face mask.

"I'm the only one you need," Sae claimed, "Wait for me, I'll come back quickly to give you a real one."

Before he could leave, Y/n quickly cupped Sae's cheeks and pulled him in for another kiss. The kiss was firm, as if they were trying to memorise each other's lips despite the barrier.

Still holding Sae's face, Y/n gazed seriously into his partner's eyes.

"Take your time, okay?" he smiled, "Spend time with your family and make sure you talk to Rin properly."

"You're my family too." Sae retorted.

"Keep that up and you could get a Spanish passport. Then you wouldn't have to keep going back." joked Y/n.

"One day." was all he said before pecking the sick boy's forehead before leaving the room. The boy was too stunned to speak.

Sae headed towards the kitchen, where Y/n's mother was beginning to cook dinner.

"Thank you for taking care of him," she thanked.

"No problem, L/n-san." he replied.

"Sae-kun, how many times do I have to tell you?" she reprimanded, "You're basically my son, you don't need to address me so formally. Especially since you're dating."

"I'll work on it." Sae blushed, "I'll be off now."

Part 1 | Part 2 (<- You are here) | Part 3

Note: Thank you for reading. I'm really happy that so many people liked the first part. I was really shocked that people followed and reposted it too. I'm sorry about the bad punctuation etc. in the first part, I've gone to edit some of it. Part 2 isn't thoroughly edited either, I will get to it one day.

This was only going to be a two-shot, but I got more ideas and before I knew it, a month already passed. So I decided to split it into a three-shot. Thank you for being patient. I was having a lot of trouble with the middle sections and a part of the draft didn't save properly which I lost T-T

Fun fact, I didn't plan the JJK reference, I only added it after what was there got lost, I couldn't remember exactly what was there before and got reminded of that JJK stroll scene.

Part 3 is when Blue Lock starts and U-20, so hopefully it'll be a little easier to write and be published earlier. But don't set your expectations too high. I have an extras/headcannon chapter that I will also release with or after part 3.

I was also really tempted to cut this chapter when Sae confesses with the title :p but decided against it

[ayumy1]

Masterlist

DO NOT COPY OR FEED TO AI

Blue Lock

Scored My Heart - Itoshi Sae x Male reader

The reason why Sae gave up his shared dream with Rin was because 'he' scored his heart in a way nobody else could. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 *check my profile for the progress announcement*

[ayumy1]

Scored My Heart

Itoshi Sae x Male reader

Part 1 (<- You are here) | Part 2

Synopsis: The reason why Sae gave up his shared dream with Rin was because 'he' scored his heart in a way nobody else could.

Content: Fluff, humour, a tiny bit of angst

wc: 3.2k

Note: This is my first bllk fanfic and reader fanfic. So I apologise in advance for any ooc or weirdness. This is a male reader fanfic for plot purposes, if you don't feel comfortable reading, don't.

Language colour code: Spanish | Japanese

Life in Spain was hard for Itoshi Sae. Very hard.

Despite being a step closer to reaching his dream, understanding the coach and his teammates was another matter entirely.

All trainings required a painful amount of scrutinising to understand what was going on. Whether it be what plays to execute to what he wanted to eat at team dinners.

Of course the coach tried to make things a bit easier by using a translation app or using actions instead of words. He obviously didn't want to lose such a promising player due to a lack of hospitality, but the only promising comfort he could provide was to wait for something next week. At least that's what Sae could decipher.

True to his word, something did come the following week. Rather it was not a thing. But a person.

"Y/N L/N, YOU DARE COME LATE AFTER MISSING A WEEK OF TRAINING!" screamed the coach hurling a soccer ball to the newcomer.

"Chill out, coach. I came here as fast as I could." the figure named Y/n L/n dismissively replied as he effortlessly chest trapped the incoming ball.

"Haaah...I'm gonna retire early because of this kid," the coach sighed, "What kind of idiot gets sick in summer?"

"The special kind!" he grinned.

By now everyone had crowded around the boy, either patting him on the back or teasing him mercilessly. Sae could only spectate on the sidelines in slight envy.

It was not long before the coach barked out orders to continue the training exercise, whilst the latecomer began warming up.

"Sae!" the coach waved over, to which he promptly jogged over. "This is Y/n L/n. He knows a bit of Japanese, apparently... Y/n, this is Sae. Don't bite him."

"THAT WAS A ONE TIME THING!!!" exclaimed a blushing Y/n, who recalled the memory with great embarrassment whilst trying to swat his coach away.

Sae could barely understand the conversation and watched the coach walk away, leaving them behind.

"Sorry about that, I promise I don't bite. Trust me. It was a one time thing with some guy who plays soccer. I don't know if you know him, he's kinda famous. But ever since then, coach never lets me live it down..." Y/n rambled on.

Sae just stared. Even if the boy spoke Japanese, he wasn't even sure if he'd catch it all.

"Oh, you don't understand me..." the boy suddenly realised, "Uhh...My name is L/n Y/n. But uh... Y/n okay".

Sae's eyes widened, hearing Japanese in a foreign country felt weirdly comforting. At least there was finally someone he could talk to without fear.

"Itoshi Sae. But Sae's fine." introduced Sae. "I'm a striker, what position do you play?"

"Uhh...(Insert favourite food)." Y/n cluelessly answered, praying that the question was about his favourite food.

Sae burst out laughing. It was the first time he ever laughed since arriving in Spain. Once again, Y/n was flushed in embarrassment. This was now the second time he messed up an introduction to someone his coach brought.

As soon as Sae caught his breath, he began motioning to himself and an imaginary soccer ball. Before pretending to kick it with precision and power towards an imaginary goal. He then pointed towards Y/n with a questioning face.

"Ah...Same!" Y/n enthusiastically replied.

In the distance, the coach was gathering everyone up for another exercise.

"I should go now. It was nice meeting you." Sae said before running off.

Y/n stared at the retreating figure, he couldn't wait to tell his mum about Sae. Maybe excluding the part about his own poor excuse of Japanese.

"Y/N, QUIT DREAMING AND FINISH YOUR WARM UPS!"

A few months had passed since Sae arrived in Spain. With the help of Spanish classes and Y/n, he'd gradually been able to feel more at ease and understand everyone. As usual training was harsh and the overbearing heat wasn't helping anyone's will to live.

Except for Y/n.

"Hey! Did anyone see that goal just now!" Y/n beamed. He was currently the only one out on the field, whilst the others took an extended break out of the sun.

"Alright, gather up!" called the coach, "We're ending today's practice here. I don't want any of you getting heatstroke or what not. Make sure to rest and stay hydrated. Understood?"

"Yes, coach."

"Especially you, Y/n! No more soccer today." the coach sternly reaffirmed.

"Hmph, fine." huffed Y/n in a pouty manner.

Everyone slowly trudged towards their bags before bidding farewell to each other. Sae was lost at what to do. His routine for the past few months consisted of training, class, eating and sleeping with barely any time for himself. Noticing his distress, Y/n decided to muster up his courage.

"Sae, wanna come to my house?" Y/n asked. With the help of Sae, Y/n's Japanese had also been improving.

"Sure." replied Sae.

"Cool, you can meet my mum. She's Japanese, so you can actually talk to her!" he exclaimed.

"You're half Japanese?" Sae asked, adjusting to Spanish. He gradually picked up Y/n's speaking habits. Such as using Spanish when he was excited or using Japanese to mess with people or a combination of both if he got too comfortable and lazy. Only when Sae switched languages with him, did Y/n notice.

"Ah, I did it again." Y/n sheepishly smiled. "Yeah, I learnt most of my Japanese from her. I guess I don't really look the part, I probably spend too much time in the sun."

"I thought you learnt Japanese from anime." stated Sae, "You're always quoting random lines."

"Shush, only you hear that." Y/n playfully glared as he guided Sae back to his home.

Time seemed to fly as the pair spent time together sharing stories, discussing hobbies and touring the L/n household. Then the topic of family came up.

"I have a brother called Rin. He's gonna be the best striker after me." Sae proudly.

"Wait... you're the best striker after me!"

"Huh, no way! You're behind Rin." retorted Sae.

Before Y/n could argue back, the click of the front door unlocking attracted his attention. He grabbed a Sae by the wrist and rushed to the door.

"Welcome back!"

"I'm back," the female who stepped into the house replied, "Oh, is this Sae-kun you've brought back?"

"Mhm"

"It's nice to meet you, L/n-san." Sae politely greeted.

"Likewise, Sae-kun. I hope Y/n hasn't caused you too much trouble. Would you like to stay for dinner? I can cook Japanese food if you're feeling homesick." she offered. They continued to exchange words in Japanese, leaving a very clueless Y/n to look back and forth.

With the addition of Sae, the home was filled with laughter. It had been a while since the L/n's were able to accommodate for another.

"Thank you for the dinner, it was delicious." complimented Sae.

"No problem, Sae-kun. You're welcome back anytime." replied the older L/n.

"Sae, you can come over everyday!" Y/n offered, oblivious to what his mother had just said.

"Hahaha...that's just what your mother just said, idiot."

"Oh."

Sae's lungs clawed for air as he hunched over trying keep his composure. He couldn't do it. He couldn't score. The defender's that swarmed like bees were tight knit and unrelenting.

The only reason they won was because of Y/n's goals again. A goal that soared beautifully in the air with deadly speed, to a place nobody could reach. Everyone could either watch in fear or awe over and over again.

That was the true essence of a striker.

"Dammit."

Every opportunity given to him always resulted in passing. It was like it was the only thing he could do.

"Sa-" Y/n hesitated. He knew the frustration of his friend. It had been multiple games since Sae had scored and it was clearly weighing heavily on his mind.

What is the purpose of a striker, if not to score?

It was obvious to everyone that Sae was stressed, tired and most of all homesick. Y/n signalled to the coach before dragging Sae to the locker rooms.

They walked home in silence, hand in hand, with Sae lagging behind a little. It wasn't until after they snacked and showered that Sae began to talk.

"Sorry."

Y/n motioned Sae to sit down and turn around, so he could help dry his hair.

"For what?"

"I failed."

"Huh?" Y/n' questioned, like Sae had three heads, "I thought you were sorry for eating my food."

"I wouldn't apologise for that" Sae quickly replied.

"Hmph, meanie. I was joking." huffed Y/n, "You didn't fail me. You failed yourself...This might be wrong for me to say to a striker, but your assists are amazing! Like better than (Insert team's midfielder), because your passes are like really precise, so they're really easy to kick in the way I want. The ball always goes 'BOOM' when I receive it from you. But from others it's always like 'baaaaam' and there's nothing special behind it. Obviously it's different when I move it up the field because then it's always a 'BOOM'. If that makes sense...?"

By now, Y/n's hands had already stopped drying Sae's hair and were waving around to imitate the sounds he made. He peeked over to see Sae's reaction, expecting joy from the compliment or anger from the insult as a striker. But was shockingly met with a blushing Sae.

"Uh...Sae?"

"You idiot, I can't understand you when you speak so fast in Spanish." he seethed and pushed Y/n's face away. His face clearly counteracted his words laced with annoyance.

"But if you didn't understand, why are you a tomato?" Y/n inched closer to whisper in his ear.

"Shut up!"

"HAHAHA! YOU SWITCHED TO JAPA-GWAH!"

Sae tackled the cackling boy and they wrestled around the room, knocking into the shelf and bed of Y/n's room. It wasn't till a stray soccer ball from an upper shelf smashed into the back of Y/n's head, creating a domino effect that unfortunately ended with their foreheads colliding.

"Why on earth do you have a soccer ball on the top shelf?!"

"For moments like these!" Y/n exclaimed, using the opening to capture Sae into a tight hug.

"Hey! Let me go!" Sae yelled, struggling to break free.

"I'll teach you street soccer."

"Huh?"

"I'll teach you street soccer." Y/n repeated.

"I understood the first time, idiot"

"But you said 'huh'"

"How does that even benefit you?" muttered Sae.

"If it means I get you as my partner on the field, I'll do it." stated Y/n with determination.

"...Fine."

"One more thing, you're staying over tonight. There's salted seaweed in the kitchen. No take backsies!"

For the next year, Sae and Y/n trained together to share each other's respective techniques and observations.

"I have a terrible self-awareness of whoever's behind me, when I have to trap a high ball mid air." Y/n randomly spilled.

"Don't tell me that, we're probably going to play each other in a warm up match." Sae panicked.

"Good." beamed Y/n, "Then I should learn how to fix it then."

"What if we play each other in the future?"

"Then it'll be even more fun! Just imagine it." Y/n happily replied. "But then again, if you apply for citizenship, we can play on the national team together."

"True. The Japanese team is lukewarm." Sae thoughtfully answered.

"Lukewarm?"

"Shut up." Sae half-heartedly glared, "I can't score when I'm anxious."

"I know." said Y/n, causing Sae to drop his head in disappointment. "Everyone can see your anxiousness on the field, which is why they take advantage of it. You gotta feel the desire to make them tremble under your skill and drop dead as you plow through the enemy territory...and finally score where no one expects!"

"...Did you take that from an anime?" laughed Sae.

"Hey! I was trying to help you and this is the thanks I get?"

After lots of teasing and laughing, they continued to practice diligently at mastering each other's style and it was not long until they could show off their practice.

'You're all...lukewarm,' is what Itoshi Sae mindlessly repeated in his head.

A defender approached from his left, causing Sae to pause with the ball on the outside of his right foot. By protecting the ball on the opposite side, he swiftly performed a roulette and passed them with ease. Another charged directly for him, allowing him to flaunt his speedy double touch.

He was readily approaching the goal, eyes piercing into the soul of the goalkeeper who could only cower in fear and beg for mercy.

This continued for many games, Sae would not only assist the other strikers, but also score himself, bringing great joy to everyone on the team, except for the coach. He was no doubt that he was ecstatic about Sae's growth, but the problem lay in the team composition. If Sae was a striker, he'd need to fuel his ego even more and focus purely on being a scorer. But if he was a midfielder, he'd need to focus on stamina only, creating and executing plays.

Whilst performing both was possible as an attacking midfielder, Sae was registered as a striker and needed to make a decision about his position. No coach would be willing to create a team featuring a player that couldn't pick a position.

"Sae!" the coach called out, to talk privately after another victory.

"Yes, coach?"

"Sae, do you like to score?"

"Yes."

"Then why do you pass?"

Sae hesitated, for he didn't know the answer at first. Initially passing was a way of evading the enemy due to fear. But now, he had grown to overcome that and charged powerfully with a desire to score a goal.

"Because it's just as fun." Sae began.

"Fun?" questioned the coach, motioning him to expand.

"Dribbling past the enemy, only to pass to another," Sae explained, "is like..."

"Tch, you lukewarms. You're not worthy of seeing the full extent of my powers." a voice suddenly filled the silence.

"Y/n, why are you here?" the coach sighed, not surprised at all.

"I'm hungry," replied Y/n, "So am I right?"

"Ehh, I don't know?" Sae responded.

The coach exhaled a deep breath, there was no point in shooing Y/n away, he'd most likely find out sooner or later.

"Sae, look up Alvaro Recoba and if you like his play style, then I'll be placing you as an attacking midfielder." the coach announced.

"M-midfielder?" both boys stuttered.

"I can't have you stealing the midfielder's job, if you're a striker." explained the coach, "You'll have to pick."

Sae nodded and allowed Y/n to drag him away.

"Goodnight, boys. Don't sleep too late." the older L/n reminded them before heading off to bed.

"Okay." they replied. Time passed quickly whilst Sae and Y/n were huddled together on Y/n's, watching videos of the Uruguayan midfielder, Alvaro Recoba.

"Woah! Can you do that, Sae?" Y/n nudged. The maroon haired boy was unresponsive.

"Uh...Sae?" asked Y/n with concern.

Instead of answering, Sae posed his own question. "Are we still partners, if I become a midfielder?"

His thoughts orbited around his friendship with Y/n and soccer. Would they still have their personal practice time? Would Y/n abandon him to practice on his own? Or even worse, never want to play together anymore?

Y/n sat up straight and grabbed Sae's shoulders firmly to the other's surprise. They stared for a while in silence.

"Don't play soccer or be a striker to be partners." Y/n firmly stated. "Never do something like that because it'll only make you empty. Got it?"

"Yeah." replied Sae, he was shocked at his friend's piercing gaze.

"If the only thing that changes is your title, I don't see why we wouldn't be." Y/n began, his seriousness seeping away, "In fact, you'd be my official partner because my goal is just as good as your goal. Without you, I wouldn't have scored in the first place."

Sae just nodded, allowing the words to sink in properly. After watching a few more videos, they retired for the night to their respective beds, or in Sae's case a futon. With his mind at peace, Sae could rest easily, unbeknownst that Y/n's mind was whirling with memories. It was going to be a long night for Y/n, who just gazed at the blank ceiling.

The next morning, Sae woke up well rested to the sound of oil sizzling and the smell of miso soup. His friend was messily sprawled in his bed, still snoozing away.

"Good morning, Sae-kun." L/n M/n greeted Sae, who just arrived in the kitchen.

"Good morning L/n-san." replied Sae, who kept insisting to call her L/n-san.

"Is Y/n still asleep?" she asked. It wasn't unusual for him to sleep in, but it was increasingly rare.

"Mhm." Sae hummed as he accepted the plate of fish sprinkled with salted seaweed from her. The table had already been set with cutlery, bowls of miso soup and rice.

They began to converse about daily life, even though they had heard most of it from the yapper, Y/n.

"You're curious about why Y/n told you that, right?" M/n guessed, when she noticed Sae's hesitation after mentioning the conversation that occurred last night.

"A bit." admitted Sae, "But I don't think Y/n's comfortable about it, since it involves his father."

There was no doubt that they both deducted the reason why Y/n was sleeping in this morning.

"You're so patient, Sae-kun." M/n proudly smiled, resting her chin against her palm. "I'll tell you anyway."

"Eh?" Sae's eyes widened in shock.

"You've figured out most of it... and I trust you, Sae-kun." she said knowingly, standing up to grab a photo album off a nearby shelf.

"Y/n learnt soccer from his father at a young age." she began, showing a photo of a young Y/n and a man posing with a soccer ball. As she was flipping through the album, the man had stopped appearing in the photos. "They played everyday, until he passed due to a car accident when Y/n was eight. From then, he played soccer for his father and slowly lost himself. My only regret is isolating myself and not noticing earlier."

An awkward silence settled between them. Sae was at a loss of words, should he share his condolences or had it been too long since it happened? Or would it be better to promise to take care of Y/n?

"Thank you for being his friend." M/n added.

"Thank you for telling me and taking care of Y/n. I'm very grateful to call him my friend and I promise to take care of him." Sae stood up and bowed.

"Now...would you like to see more photos of Y/n?" she smiled sweetly, lightening the mood. She quickly grabbed another album containing embarrassing photos of Y/n such as tripping or being smacked in the face by a ball. Sae could only sweatdrop at the abundance of photos.

"Morn-" Y/n sleepily shuffled into the kitchen, "GAH! WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT THOSE!"

For the rest of the day, Sae couldn't make direct eye contact with Y/n without the images imprinted into his head from appearing.

Part 1 (<- You are here) | Part 2

Note: Thank you for reading. I hope it was clear to understand. I have plans to make a part 2.