Starting a family was never part of Sae’s plan— he had thought about settling down with someone once he achieved his goal of being the best midfielder, but that was a distant notion, pushed back for years later. Right now, soccer was his priority and a child would only tie him down.

It was exactly what he told himself when you introduced him to your toddler. Your relationship had started off as a fling; you became his new manager after the previous one quit. At first, things were strictly professional between the two of you, but an impromptu visit to a bar one night changed that. The next morning, he woke up next to you. Since then, you started seeing each other more, until he grew to like you. And then he began loving you.

When things became official between the two of you, you asked him to come over to your house. Sae had never been able to visit before; you would always either stay at his place or at a hotel when he needed to see you. He hadn’t expected to be greeted by the sight of a three year old toddler watching him with a mix of wariness and confusion. You had a child.

He immediately had his doubts, growing more uncertain as you introduced the kid to him. He hadn’t signed up to be a goddamn father. He almost wanted to get mad at you for not telling him sooner, but then he looked at the kid and his anger faded. Maybe.. maybe he could just give this a shot, treading carefully.

He hadn’t expected to grow so fond of your child, but the two of them now inseparable. He was so gentle with your child, as if the kid was made of glass. He always denied it when you teased him about it, but he had grown to love the kid.

He was now in your living room. You had gone out to run some errands, and he was babysitting. Your three year old laid fast asleep on his chest while he scrolled on his phone, a hand securely supporting the toddler’s bum. He turned off his phone as he heard the door unlock and greeted you with a nod and a small smile as you entered the living room.