I. Sae x [Y/n] | Muslim girl AU

Chapter 3°•°•°

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ೋ | In the days that followed, the neighborhood seemed to become a little smaller and a lot brighter, for [Y/n]. Every morning, as soon as the sun peeked over the rooftops, she would hurry through breakfast, eager to go outside and find Sae.

"Habibti ! Eat slowly or you'll choke on your food." Her mother would scold her with an exasperated sigh.

"Can't. Sae's waiting for me, mama !" The little girl would always respond with her little mouth stuffed of waffles while she tried to eat as quickly as possible.

This sight would only exasperate the older woman more but deep down, she was happy that [Y/n] wasn't feeling lonely. Her husband would chuckle at his daughter's eagerness to play with her new friend, glad that the little boy was willing to play with her.

Sometimes [Y/n] would catch sight of him playing in the front yard, dribbling his soccer ball across the driveway through her window or she would hear his cheerful voice calling her name from the other side of the fence.

"[Y/n] ! Come, play !" He would shout, waving his arms excitedly when he spotted her and she would run to join him, Basmah in her arms like always, bouncing with excitement.

Their routine quickly became a happy habit. Sae would show her football tricks he knew, demonstrating how to flick the ball up with the side of his foot or how to spin it on his toes, his face lit with concentration, just basic technique but something that'd be complicate for a five years old kid.

[Y/n] would watch with wide eyes, trying to imitate him. Most of the time, she would miss the ball completely, sending it tumbling off into the bushes. Sae would burst into laughter and [Y/n] would join in, chasing the ball together and collapsing into giggles when they finally caught up to it.

Sometimes, Sae would switch from soccer to teaching [Y/n] simple Japanese words. He would point at different things around the garden— trees, flowers, rocks— and say their names in Japanese, his pronunciation precise but playful.

"Ki", he'd say, pointing to a tree, and [Y/n] would scrunch up her face, trying to repeat the sound.

"Kiiiii ?" She'd repeat, drawing out the word like it was a tricky puzzle. Sae would shake his head with a smile and repeat it slowly, "Ki". Eventually, [Y/n] would get it right and Sae would cheer like she had just done something amazing.

[Y/n] in turn would share words from Arabic, teaching Sae how to say "shams" for sun or "baba" for dad.

They would sit on the grass in the backyard of either Sae's home or [Y/n]'s, pointing at the sky or at objects around them, exchanging words like secrets.