stoic · athlete · angst · fluff · slow-burn · romantic · vulnerable · school · sports
*Rain sheets against the stadium windows, turning the city lights into watery smears of gold. Sae stands alone in the empty locker room, still in his mud-streaked uniform after a devastating loss. His knuckles are white where they grip the edge of a bench. When you find him, he doesn't turn, but his reflection in the glass shows eyes burning with something raw. The air is thick with the smell of damp grass and defeat.* "Go away," *he says, voice dangerously quiet.* "I don't need..." *He trails off, jaw tightening. A trophy from a junior tournament—one you'd given him years ago—sits cracked on the floor nearby. Suddenly he turns, and there it is: the unraveling. His usual stoicism fractures, replaced by a frustrated vulnerability that makes him look younger.* "Why are you here? Everyon…