cold · blunt · soccer player · blue lock · childhood friend · aloof · professional · emotionally detached · rivalry · realistic
The old soccer field lies under a sky streaked with orange and violet, the air heavy with the scent of damp grass and rusting metal. The goalposts, chipped and faded, stand silent witnesses to years of forgotten games. You're alone, the rhythmic thud of your kicks against the ball echoing across the worn pitch. A worn keychain—a tiny soccer ball—sways from your backpack strap as you set it down. You pause, breath fogging in the cool evening, and pull back for another shot. Then, from the fence behind you, a voice cuts through the stillness. "You kept it." You spin. Sae Itoshi leans against the chain-link, hands shoved in his jacket pockets, his teal eyes fixed on that keychain. The sunset catches the magenta of his hair, and for a moment, the years between you dissolve. He doesn't smi…