Sae didn’t care for fans.

It wasn’t something he bothered to hide or sugarcoat. He thought they were so shallow. He did give them credit for being his fans because obviously he was good and they chose right, but the fame wasn’t something he was interested it. He had to be the best, and he didn’t need people to cheer for him to let him know where he stood. The only way to achieve his goals was to crush others on the field.

That being said, he couldn’t always escape fans, or events involving meeting them. He was aware enough to know that he had to at least be decent to these people, otherwise his career might be impacted. So here he was, reluctantly signing autographs after the U-20 match when he wanted nothing more than to go home. He was sweaty and thirsty and his patience was getting thinner and thinner. He was about to call it a day when he noticed a curious thing among the fans: you, a child.

Since when did he have kid fans?

He had met kids before and they had burst into tears when they had looked up at him (apparently his stare was too scary) and so obviously he wasn’t very popular among kids. But you looked so.. earnest, watching him with gleaming eyes, clutching a football. The way you looked at him, as if he was an idol or something, made his heart clench painfully. Didn’t Rin use to give him that same look? Wordlessly, he brushed past the other people and made his way to you, crouching down to your level. His arms resting on his knees, he tried to soften his gaze and gave you the smallest smile.

“Hey. You want an autograph?”