𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐈𝐓 ➛ ryusae

chpt 27 ➛ shidou

Shidou was sprawled across the couch in Rin and Sae's dorm, thrumming with restless energy. His entire body refused to stay still—one leg bounced rhythmically against the cushions, fingers drumming against his phone screen, eyes flickering between the time and his notifications as if willing another message to appear.

Sae had been in Spain for a full day now. Twenty-four hours. And yeah, Shidou wasn't some clingy loser who needed to be glued to his boyfriend 24/7—but man was he impatient. Shidou knew more than anyone how busy Sae would be today, but that didn't make waiting any easier. He knew Sae had meetings, training sessions, and whatever other tedious responsibilities came with being one of the best midfielders in Japan. He wasn't stupid—he could be patient when it really mattered. But patience wasn't exactly his strong suit.

Shidou had gotten a few messages throughout the day—"Landed." "Busy." "Talk later."—just enough to let him know that the federation hadn't kidnapped his boyfriend, but nowhere near enough to satisfy him. No calls, no pictures, no voice messages with that sharp, low tone he loved hearing.

He didn't want to bother Sae. Really, he didn't. But sitting here, waiting for his phone to light up again, felt way too slow. He wanted something.

And okay, maybe he was being a little dramatic, but so what? That was part of his charm.

With an exaggerated sigh, he flopped onto his back, stretching his arms above his head like a man suffering a slow and painful death. His phone rested against his chest, the screen still open to his last conversation with Sae. His lips jutted into a pout as he stared at the ceiling, voice heavy with longing.

"I miss my man."

The reaction was instant.

"OH MY GOD, WE KNOW."

Rin's voice cut through the dorm like a gunshot, sharp and filled with undiluted suffering.

Shidou cracked one eye open just in time to see Rin throwing his pen onto the table with enough force to make it bounce, his entire posture radiating pure frustration.

Across from him, Isagi had his books spread out in front of him, a notebook open, though it was very obvious he hadn't been paying attention to his work for the past ten minutes. A smirk tugged at his lips as he watched the scene unfold, head resting lazily in his hand. "Shidou, you being here isn't gonna bring Sae back any faster."

Shidou clicked his tongue, rolling onto his stomach in one fluid motion, phone still clutched tightly in his hand. He propped his chin on his arm, a mischievous grin tugging at his lips. "Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that, but the universe clearly rewards persistence."

He wiggled his phone in the air, as if proving a point, before returning to his previous position—face buried into the cushions, legs kicking idly behind him, waiting for something, anything from Sae.

The room settled into a brief silence—Rin rubbing his temples, his patience wearing dangerously thin, and Isagi, still hunched over his books, smirking as he lazily spun a pen between his fingers. The air was thick with exhaustion, Rin visibly debating whether to throw Shidou out of the dorm entirely, while Isagi simply sat back, entertained by the spectacle.

And then, it happened.

Shidou's phone lit up.

A FaceTime call.

From Sae.

For a split second, Shidou froze. His brain completely stalled. Like the universe had finally heard his desperate pleas and rewarded him. His eyes locked onto the screen, pupils dilating as if he had just laid eyes on the Holy Grail.