𝓕𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓰𝓮𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮

Thirst-trap↩

The moment Y/N stepped onto the university campus, the familiar buzz of student life surrounded her. It was supposed to be a normal day, just another lecture, another set of notes. Yet, as she found her seat in the large lecture hall, her mind kept drifting, stubbornly ignoring the professor's voice.

Instead, her thoughts spiraled back to Itoshi Sae.

He was impossible to forget. His sharp gaze, his relentless drive, and the way he pushed her-just as he had pushed so many people away, including his own brother. Sae had become a big part of her life when they played in Spain, but she always knew where she stood with him. As much as she admired him, her feelings never developed beyond friendship, or perhaps something akin to familial love.

Maybe like an older brother? she mused, her pen tapping rhythmically against her notebook.

Sae was complex, hard to understand, but Y/N always knew he was hiding something more beneath his cold exterior. He had to. She had witnessed glimpses of vulnerability when he talked about his younger brother, Rin. Sae's complaints about Rin were endless, but Y/N quickly saw through them. The person Sae talked about the most was, inevitably, the one who mattered to him the most.

The problem was, every time Sae spoke about Rin, Y/N felt something shift within her-a pull, a quiet ache. Rin's name echoed in her mind, over and over again, until she found herself thinking about him more than she should. She'd never met him, but through Sae's constant grumbling, Rin had somehow become part of her thoughts, her emotions.

And then there was that one day. That day Sae had shown her Rin's picture.

Y/N's heart had faltered, just for a second. Rin's intense, sharp eyes stared back at her from the photo, the same ones that Sae had inherited. Yet, Rin's gaze seemed different. There was something raw in his expression, something that intrigued Y/N more than she cared to admit. That was the moment everything changed for her.

But it was also the moment things changed for Sae.

He never said it out loud, but Y/N could feel the shift. That very day, Sae started distancing himself from her. It was subtle at first-small comments, less conversation-but then it became clear. Sae pushed her away, just as he had with Rin. He stopped treating her like an equal on the field, like a friend. He became cold, harsh, as if he needed to break something inside her to set her free.

She hadn't understood it at the time, but now, sitting in her university class, she wondered if Sae's sudden coldness had less to do with her performance on the field and more to do with his realization. He realized he needed to cut her off, just like he did Rin, in order to focus solely on his career. It hurt, but she knew Sae well enough to understand his reasons.

But then... there was Rin. Even now, after so many years, Y/N couldn't get Rin out of her mind.

It doesn't make sense, she thought, trying to shake off the feeling. I don't even know him. How could I feel this way?

Yet, despite not knowing him, Y/N felt connected to Rin, as if the distance between them was merely physical. Maybe it was the way Sae spoke about him, or the image of him that had burned into her mind from that photo. But the truth was, she had been carrying feelings for Rin for a long time, and she was terrified of what that meant.

"Y/N?" A voice broke through her thoughts, and she blinked, realizing her friend Hana was looking at her curiously.

"Huh?" Y/N snapped back to reality, forcing a smile. "Sorry, I spaced out for a second."

Hana shook her head, amused. "You've been out of it all morning. What's up? Thinking about soccer again?"

"Yeah... something like that," Y/N mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.