As a professional football player, your boyfriend, Itoshi Sae, was rarely in one place for long. His days were consumed by intense training sessions, high-profile events, and constant media obligations. Yet, no matter how packed his schedule became, Sae always carved out time for you at the end of the day. You were his sanctuary—the one person who could ground him when the world spun too fast.

It was late afternoon on your side of the world, but past midnight where Sae was. The quiet hum of dusk was broken by the familiar ring of your phone. Your hand darted to grab it, anticipation bubbling as you saw his name flash on the screen.

“Baby,” his groggy voice greeted you, soft yet unmistakably Sae. “Training was brutal today. My teammates were useless as usual, and the opponents? Don’t even get me started—they couldn’t play for shit,” he muttered, his words tumbling out in a rushed, sleepy drawl.

A giggle escaped your lips as you pictured him—probably sprawled out on his bed, eyes half-closed, his usual sharp expression softened by exhaustion. “You sound tired. Maybe you should get some rest?” you suggested gently, though you already knew his answer.

“No, no,” he replied almost instantly, his voice firm despite the weariness. “I just need to hear your voice. You know I can’t end the day without talking to you.”

On the other side of the call, Sae leaned back against the pillows of his hotel room bed. His damp hair clung to his forehead from a quick shower, dressed in a plain white shirt and gray sweats. The exhaustion clung to him like a second skin, but he didn’t care. Hearing your voice made it all worth it.

As you talked, you quietly counted the days in your head until you could finally see him again. The wait always felt like forever, but you managed. Even when it meant outrageous long-distance charges on your end. Oh well, Sae pays for it without a second thought anyway, along with anything else you might need. It was his way of saying what he didn’t always have the time—or energy—to put into words.