Archive of Our Own

Two weeks ago, Re Al and Barcha faced each other in a friendly match.

Which made absolutely no difference whenever the two sides met. Even less when it came to Bunny Iglesias and Sae Itoshi.

The irony was that, even after all these years, and all the times they'd broken up only to find their way back to each other, the outcome never changed. Every match between them inevitably ended in an argument.

There was no rational explanation for it. The smallest detail could snowball into a full-blown storm that took weeks to die down whenever football was involved.

Six months earlier, Bunny had been the one to start the fight after a win, insisting Sae belonged up front. He'd spent the entire evening dancing around the subject before finally saying what he'd really meant, bringing up the time they'd played for the same club.

It was probably the most sensitive subject either of them could bring up, considering everything it implied. In fact, they usually avoided it like the plague.

A lot had changed since those days. They were no longer naïve children, so easily manipulated. That dream had long since become a thing of the past for Sae.

And while Bunny wasn't the only reason for it, there was no denying the part he'd played in that decision.

The result had been the same as always: shouting from one side, weary sighs from the other, until Sae answered the whole thing with nearly three weeks of complete radio silence.

And yet, this time, he was the one who had started another argument.

By the end of their latest match, a Re Al victory, Sae couldn't hide the frustration that had been simmering beneath the surface throughout the game.

Bunny hadn't taken it seriously.

He'd given the ball away too easily, looked far slower than usual, and had come dangerously close to a red card after committing a string of needless fouls. The entire match had been a complete waste of time and energy.

And while Bunny couldn't understand why Sae was so angry, Sae couldn't stand his complete nonchalance, a clear sign of just how little the match had meant to him.

The utter disregard he'd shown for their match.

"Come on, Sae. You're not really going to sulk over this, are you?" Bunny teased as he followed him into the now-empty locker room after the match, playfully reaching for his waist.

He was laughing.

Still laughing.

"Don't touch me."

The midfielder's tone left no room for a lighter mood. He swatted Bunny's hand away with a sharp flick of his wrist, fixing him with a cold glare.

Across from him, Bunny arched an eyebrow as the smile slowly faded from his lips.

"Sae, you won. You should be happy, considering how seriously you take this." He let out a sigh, slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder. "Why don't we get away for a while? Clear our heads."

The bag was snatched from his hands before he could take another step.

Without sparing him so much as a glance, Sae headed for the exit, his fists clenched at his sides.

"What's the point of always running away if you keep coming back every single time?"

This time, he turned to face him.

"You're the one who ran away from the pitch today. You were nonexistent. Do you honestly think I can be satisfied with some second-rate victory? Like some fucking average player? Is that really how you see me?"

It was Bunny's turn to frown.

"And when have you ever been satisfied with a single win, huh?"

Sae's irritation was finally getting to him, a frustrated smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"A player is a player. Football is football. At the end of the day, it's still just a game." He shook his head. "You can keep crying and pretending I'm dead if you still refuse to understand that."

There wasn't an ounce of malice in Bunny's voice. Only exhaustion. Frustration. And something that sounded dangerously close to a plea.

Sae could see it.

Bunny didn't want the evening to end like this. He genuinely wanted them to get away from football for a while. Or at least from the worst parts of themselves that it always seemed to bring out.

Sometimes, Sae wondered whether they were the problem or the sport itself.

But that was the paradox.

Their entire lives revolved around football. Sae had never known anything else.

Without it, he never would've met Bunny.

And as painful as it was to admit, that was precisely why he could never bring himself to take any of it lightly.

If he was no longer good enough, what would happen?

"And you're really the one talking about crying?" the midfielder finally replied in his usual icy tone before turning back toward the exit.

Even so, he could still hear Bunny laughing behind him, a laugh that sounded both bitter and exasperated, though he could only imagine the expression that must have accompanied it.

"See you in two weeks, cari."

But nearly two weeks had gone by, and Bunny hadn't sent him a single message.

No letters. No late-night disturbances outside his apartments in Madrid or Barcelona. No relentless phone calls from half a dozen different numbers.

He wasn't coming back.

At first, Sae managed to brush aside his frustration. But as the days passed, that reversal of roles became harder and harder to ignore.

It seeped into everything: his appetite, his sleep, even the meticulously planned schedule he'd always followed down to the minute. Inevitably, both his personal and professional training suffered because of it.

Every time a notification lit up his screen, he'd reach for his phone before he could stop himself, all while stubbornly insisting Bunny's little game had no effect on him whatsoever.

Deep down, though, even if he refused to fully admit it, he knew he never should have said those last words.

The ones that had struck directly at the sadness Bunny had carried with him for years.

But they'd been through worse. They'd done far worse to each other.

There was no way Bunny wasn't coming back.

He was addicted to him.

He'd come back.

And yet, the only news Sae received from his ex the following day was splashed across every headline.

Bunny Iglesias Spotted at Ibiza Nightclub the Night Before Re Al Friendly.

The photographs left little room for interpretation.

The Barcha star could be seen partying alongside several well-known footballers, surrounded by the kind of company that looked unmistakably like escorts.

The pictures were crystal clear. Even beneath the baseball cap pulled low over his face, Bunny's scar was unmistakable.

A drink in one hand.

A young woman's waist in the other.

Sae had to buy physical copies of several different newspapers to convince himself the scandal was real. He hadn't even bothered trying to conceal his identity; he had simply stormed through the streets of Madrid in search of the first newsstand that could give him answers.

The morning air was pleasantly cool for a summer day in the capital. But the adrenaline coursing through his body kept him from appreciating the weather or even noticing the countless awestruck faces turning to watch him pass.                                                        

At that point, the city itself could have been engulfed in flames, and he wouldn't have broken stride. 

Bunny couldn't possibly have gone that far.

And yet, after several minutes spent staring at the tabloids spread across his living room's coffee table, reality slowly settled over him, only to give way to a seething rage.

He was going to kill him.

He was actually going to kill him.

That fucking bastard had really taken him for an idiot. Had he actually dared to blame him for not being satisfied with a victory when it had already been tainted by hard liquor and prostitutes?

As though he were worth no more than that. As though he could be replaced so easily.

Instinctively, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Sae ignored the tiny shred of reason he still possessed.

He picked up his phone until Bunny's contact appeared on the screen.

Every second the ringtone continued to echo, making him want to smash every piece of furniture around him.

"Sae?" Bunny finally answered, sounding far too pleased with himself. "It's not been two weeks yet, you know."

If Bunny had been standing in front of him right then, he would've had to kiss football goodbye for the rest of his life.

"Cut the bullshit. You were out clubbing the night before our match."

What had been meant as a question came out as a statement. Or rather, a silent demand.   

Explain yourself and make it fucking convincing.

"Huh. Didn't take you for the celebrity gossip type." Before Sae could curse him out, Bunny continued. "But you know what Ibiza nights are like, amorcito. They can be very persuasive."

"Set foot in my apartment again and I'll kill you."

“Oh yeah ? C’mon, tell me what you’re gonna do.”

Sae frowned, his fury momentarily giving way to confusion.

 "Fuck, Sae... don’t stop. I think I'm gonna—"

Sae hurled his phone across the room before he had to hear the rest of the moan.

What an asshole. What a fucking bastard.

So he'd actually done it.

He'd really treated him like some washed-up player.

Fine.

If Bunny wanted to play that game, then so could he.

The scandal was already hanging over that idiot's head like the sword of Damocles. He'd probably spend the next few weeks warming the bench and staying far away from interviews.

Meanwhile, Sae's performances would remain outstanding.

As always.

All he had to do was finish the evening, go for a run to clear his head, get to bed early, and stick to his usual routine.

Just slip back into the perfectly controlled life he'd built for himself. Until his next match.

But there was one thing his mind had been trying to bury ever since the scandal broke, and it refused to leave him alone.

His gaze kept drifting, almost against his will, to the women splashed across the newspaper covers.

They definitely weren't athletic. Their legs were far too thin, their calves nowhere near strong enough to put a single ball in the back of the net.

They wouldn't have made much of a difference going forward either, they'd have been knocked off the ball the second anyone challenged them.

Standing beside them, Bunny looked completely out of place, towering over them by at least a foot and outweighing them by a good forty kilos.

Eventually, his eyes settled on a dusty picture frame almost hidden between the books lining one of the library's shelves.

A photograph from their very first victory at the academy.

Sae crushed the newspaper in his hands.

If Bunny wanted to mingle with ordinary people, so be it. They could both play that game.

—

It had been a terrible idea.

Two days later, Sae regretted every decision he'd made after the media frenzy surrounding someone who, in reality, wasn't anything to him anymore.

Dabadie had been so surprised—and, unfortunately, thrilled—when Sae agreed to take part in a charity auction where the prize was, quite literally, himself. He kept insisting it was the perfect opportunity to soften the cold, arrogant image people had of him by showing a more approachable side to his "fans."

In exchange for the highest donation, made to a charitable organization, one lucky fan would get to meet the Re Al star, ask him questions, and spend some time talking with him.

The whole idea was degrading.

And frankly ridiculous.

He already had nothing to say to the veteran players he was forced to mingle with at every football event he attended. He couldn't imagine sitting through a conversation with people who'd never even set foot on a pitch.

At his own (stupid) request, the whole circus had been rushed through, and a winner had already been chosen.

Once again, he regretted it bitterly.

Instead of having to endure an awkward, starstruck fan firing harmless questions at him, it turned out the generous donor was none other than his "biggest fan," proudly claiming to have followed Sae ever since his first days in Spain to the point of having Sae's first name tattooed on his arm. He'd even created several social media accounts dedicated entirely to tracking Sae's every move.

Which was even stranger considering the man was twice his age.

Dabadie had also informed him that the man had been sending him letters all those years, letters Sae had, of course, never bothered opening, and that he really shouldn't ignore that fact during the interview.

But the moment Sae told the event organizers he wanted no cameras and no microphones anywhere near this already exhausting meeting his new phone started ringing at every hour of the day.

The calls came from different numbers.

There was no doubt who was behind them.

And, somehow, that was the only satisfying thing to come out of this whole mess.

"How the hell did your team agree to this?"

Sae smiled to himself.

Strangely, there wasn't a trace of amusement left in Bunny's voice.                                      

It was rare but certainly not unpleasant.

"I can be very persuasive."

A scoff came through the speaker.

"Right... I get it." Bunny let out a humorless laugh.

Sae could practically hear him searching for the right words, visibly thrown by the sudden shift in their dynamic.

"But the two weeks still aren't up."

His own eyes drifted to the calendar hanging above his bedside table.

Another wave of frustration hit him.

This whole mess had unfolded in less time than he usually made Bunny wait.

"Your cheap whores can help you kill time until then." He paused. "And after that, too."

He hung up.

This time, without smashing his phone in the process.

Bunny didn't call again that night. Or the next day.

His number had been blocked.

In the meantime, he received more letters from his "admirer," each one earning the same weary sigh whenever his manager dropped them onto his desk.

He could already picture the painfully inappropriate questions he was going to have to endure during the meeting.

At least the absence of cameras meant he could react however he pleased, without having to suffer Dabadie's disapproving looks.

During the drive to the hotel hosting the event, Sae couldn't take his eyes off the locked screen of his phone, suppressing a smile to himself.

It had been exactly two weeks since their argument.

And it turned out the other idiot had been wrong.

"Sae," Dabadie began, noisily shuffling through his notes, his nerves painfully obvious. "Are you sure you don't want cameras or at least a staff member with you? This really isn't safe."

Even after all this time, he still worried about Sae.

It was probably the one small thing in Spain that reminded him of home, especially since Dabadie was the only person he could speak Japanese with.

"I'd rather deal with one creep than those leech journalists. At least I won't have to pretend I respect him."

That did nothing to reassure his manager, who swallowed hard before returning to his notes with even greater determination.

But when the car finally pulled up in front of the hotel, where a crowd of paparazzi had already gathered outside the entrance, something else caught Sae's eye.

Another car.

What the hell was Bunny's car doing here?

There was no mistaking it. The same gaudy, tasteless Lamborghini Urus. The same license plate.

For fuck's sake.

How had he gotten the date, the location... even the time?

He wasn't about to let Bunny have this one.

"I'll go in alone," he said, climbing out of the car before anyone could stop him and pushing his way through the sea of microphones and camera flashes.

"What?" Dabadie shouted after him, trying to catch up. "Sae, get back here! It's dangerous!"

Ignoring every question and every shout from the paparazzi, Sae headed straight for the private room reserved inside the hotel.

Every member of staff who crossed his path interrupted him to ask whether he needed anything or if they'd like him escorted to the lounge, but he brushed past every single one of them.

Then he threw open the doors.

For a second, he genuinely couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Bunny Iglesias was already there, lounging comfortably in an armchair with that same infuriating smile on his face.

"Hey, cariño. Right on time, I see."

He was clearly enjoying himself, one elbow resting lazily against the leather armrest.

For once, he'd actually made an effort with his appearance. He'd abandoned his usually questionable fashion sense in favor of a shirt Sae himself had given him, paired with black tailored trousers.

"Get out." Sae replied, his voice icy.

Bunny let out a quiet laugh, never taking his eyes off him.

"Is that really how my favorite superstar welcomes me? You're gonna make me cry, you know?" he teased, resting his cheek against the palm of his hand.

Sae grimaced at the words.

"Where's the old man?" he asked coldly, his gaze sweeping the room in search of the man who was supposed to be there.

Bunny's smile shifted. The amusement faded, replaced by something visibly irritated that never quite reached his eyes.

"Why? You were planning on being persuasive with him too?" he shot back.

Sae scoffed.

"Some of us have standards."

"Oh?" Bunny replied, the corner of his mouth curling into a grin. "Funny, because you've ended up right here more than once." He patted his thigh.

Sae answered with nothing but a glare before turning toward the door.

"And where exactly do you think you're going?" Bunny asked, laughing lightly. "I won you fair and square. That means I get thirty minutes to ask whatever I want."

"You didn't win a damn thing," Sae snapped, closing the distance between them, his body trembling with anger. "Now get the fuck out before I—"

Before he could finish, Bunny calmly held up the same invitation card that had been given to the winner.

For the first time since walking in, Sae was speechless.

Bunny reached out and tilted his chin up.

"Then have a seat and answer my questions, mi corazón," he said, his voice suddenly firm enough to leave no room for argument.

With one sharp shove, he pushed Sae toward the nearest chair.

The bastard actually had the nerve to be angry.

He should've been the one swallowing his pride and begging Sae to come back.

If Sae had listened to himself, he would've walked straight out, even if it meant getting dragged across every social media platform imaginable.

Not that he gave a damn.

But there were answers he needed, too.

"You've got twenty-five minutes."

"Perfect." Bunny smiled. "Why did you decide to organize a meeting like this for the first time in your entire career?"

As if he didn't know.

It didn't matter. The original plan hadn't changed. If Bunny wanted an interview, then Sae would give him one.

As bland and as fake as possible.

"My career has always been my top priority. I take every match seriously, and I believe it's important to show my supporters that I wouldn't be where I am today without them."

Even to his own ears, the words tasted revolting.

Apparently, Bunny felt the same.

"That's bullshit."

"Call it whatever you want. I couldn't care less," Sae shot back, completely dropping any pretense of professionalism.

"And that has absolutely nothing to do with the scandal Bunny Iglesias has been caught up in these past few days?"

"No."

He answered far too quickly for it to sound believable.

"Oh yeah?" Bunny tilted his head. "Even when the donation is going straight to the orphanage where he grew up?"

Shit.

The whole event had been thrown together so quickly that Sae barely remembered half the decisions he'd been involved in. He'd left all the logistical details to his manager.

But he had been the one to choose which organization would receive the donation.

And he'd completely forgotten about it.

Apparently, it had had exactly the intended effect.

"Even so," he argued weakly beneath Bunny's satisfied smile. "Who he spends his nights with is none of my concern."

But the tabloids flashed through Sae's mind.

Bunny standing far too close to those women.

His hand around one of their waists.

The fact that none of them could ever measure up to him.

"As lukewarm and talentless as the people he chooses to keep around him may be," he spat, his voice dripping with venom.

That earned an uncontrollable laugh from Bunny, who covered part of his face with one hand.

"It's true, I didn't exactly stop to ask for their stats this season, Sae."

"I know yours," Sae cut in, refusing to acknowledge the man sitting across from him. "And Shidou's ahead of you by two goals this season."

This time, Bunny couldn't hide his anger.

His smile vanished completely.

"The season isn't over yet."

His hands tightened around the armrests.

"There's only one match left," Sae replied coolly. "I'd be surprised if you scored before then, considering you'll be rotting on the bench."

His opponent had suddenly gone quiet, staring at him without another word.

He didn't need to speak.

The veins throbbing at his temples said enough already.

"But football's only a game, whether we like it or not, isn't it?" Sae continued, unwilling to stop while he still had the upper hand. "Personally, I don't waste my time on losers."

Without warning, Bunny shot out of his chair and grabbed Sae by the jaw.

He was furious.

Perfect.

Because so was Sae.

His grip was firm, utterly unyielding.

"What if I told you none of it was real?" he said, a fractured laugh escaping him, betraying how little self-control he had left. "That those pictures were staged? That the whole thing was handed to the media on a silver platter after our match?"

"What?"

Sae jerked upright, grabbing Bunny's wrist in an attempt to force him to let go, rage coursing through him.

Despite the pressure on his forearm, Bunny didn't loosen his grip in the slightest.

Instead, he brought up his other hand, cradling Sae's face completely, his crimson eyes never leaving the furious ocean-blue ones fixed on him.

"What if I told you I don't regret any of it?" he continued. "Because after two weeks, here you are." His thumbs brushed lightly against Sae's skin. "Back in my hands. Back with me."

He couldn't stop staring at him, captivated by his anger.

"You always come back. One way or another. No matter how hard you try not to."

Sae finally spat in his face, catching Bunny off guard for a brief second.

"You're fucking insane," he snapped, wrenching himself free as Bunny burst into laughter, seemingly unconcerned by the spit still clinging to his face. "I'm not the one who's come back to you. You're the one who came looking for me. You even showed up here."

"Because you knew I wasn't about to sit around while your 'biggest fan' drooled over you for thirty minutes in private."

He stepped closer again, sliding an arm around Sae's waist.

"Lucky me," he murmured. "His obsession didn't last long once he saw a nice fat check." His lips brushed Sae's ear. "Because no one could ever love you the way I do."

Sae didn't let him get any closer.

His fingers buried themselves in Bunny's hair, gripping hard enough to force him to meet his eyes.

"Because you can't stay away from me," he said, drawing deep breaths to steady the air that had nearly been knocked from his lungs in the heat of the moment. "You can't find anyone better than me."

Sae's grip on Bunny's hair forced him down onto one knee.

Bunny offered no resistance.

"Say it, Bunny."

"Sae... fuck, Sae." He looked up at him with unmistakable adoration, his pupils slowly widening with desire. "How could I ever look at someone else when you're right here?"

He pressed kisses against Sae's thighs through the fabric of his trousers.

"When you drive me this crazy? When you can take me from pure rage to the happiest I've ever been in the span of a second?"

Sae watched the scene before him in silence, slowly overcome by a dizzying wave of desire he could no longer control. He had to brace himself against the back of the chair behind him to keep from stumbling as the heat coursing through his body became almost unbearable.

The moment he felt Bunny's hands wander to his ass, a moan slipped from Sae's lips, his head falling back.

"Come on, mi vida... let me help you." Bunny's voice was barely above a whisper as his hands continued to roam from Sae's thighs to his ass. "Let me take care of you the way you deserve."

And much as he wanted to, Sae refused.

Not yet. Not just yet.

He planted his foot squarely against the Barcha player's crotch, pressing down on his hard cock with merciless force.

The reaction was instantaneous.

Bunny hissed at the contact with Sae's shoe.

Reduced to squirming and letting out quiet moans beneath Sae's captivated gaze, he could do little else.

And Sae relished every second of it after everything it had taken to get here.

"You're so cruel, Sae..." Sae's foot shifted, cutting him off with a gasp. "Ah... I've never put you through this much."

This time, he wrapped a hand around the ankle of the one responsible for his torment, forcing Sae's foot down even harder against his crotch.

"Fucking liar..." Sae breathed, feeling his own erection rubbing uncomfortably against the fabric of his trousers.

The prestigious hotel's air conditioning did little to cut through the stifling heat filling the small lounge.

Sae quickly pulled off his T-shirt as Bunny started undoing his belt, giving himself easy access to the midfielder's trousers.

When Bunny's deft hands brushed over the bulge hidden beneath his boxer briefs, Sae tangled his fingers in the lavender strands once more, channeling all of his frustration into the grip.

"At this rate, I'm going to end up bald," Bunny chuckled softly as he finally freed his lover's cock, already glistening with pre-cum, waiting to be touched.

"Good. Maybe that'll finally shut your—"

Sae cut himself off abruptly the moment he felt Bunny's tongue glide over him before taking him into his mouth without giving the tension another second to build.

"Fuck!" Sae cried out at the sudden sensation, another overwhelming wave of pleasure and torment crashing through him all at once.

He caught the way his partner's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the sound, unmistakably pleased with the reaction he'd drawn from him.

Bunny only picked up the pace, the obscene sounds he made blending with Sae's own, a breathless mix of moans and feverish, incoherent words.

Of his free hand, Bunny explored whatever part of Sae's body he could reach, alternating between light pinches and gentle, possessive strokes whose warmth seemed to linger long after each touch.

Sae wanted to feel Bunny's hands forever.

Again and again, without them ever leaving his body.

The effect Iglesias had on him was unreal.

The comfort of being wrapped in his arms, the warmth he radiated against Sae's perpetually cold skin, every moment spent with him was either an impossible headache or a source of overwhelming happiness.

And right now, all he could feel was pure pleasure, one that didn't take long to make itself known.

"Ah... Ah, I'm gonna—"

But Bunny didn't pull away.

He stayed exactly where he was as the warm release filled his mouth.

Still reeling from his climax, Sae felt himself stumbling backward, his legs giving out beneath him.

But Bunny caught him by the waist before he could fall, pulling him back against himself and crashing into his lips in a hungry kiss that somehow remained impossibly tender.

"Disgusting," Sae grimaced as the taste of his own release lingered on his tongue.

"But everything that comes from you tastes delicious,” Bunny chuckled softly, pressing kisses and dark marks along Sae's neck.

At those words, Bunny's tongue traced a slow path across Sae's chest, lingering over his hardened nipples.

"Ah..." Sae breathed as Bunny bit down on one of them with surprising force, only to soothe the sting with the slow, relentless flick of his tongue, a sensation that felt more like exquisite torture than relief.

"Maybe if I think about it hard enough, milk'll come out someday," he murmured between teasing bites. "Right, Sae?"

He looked him straight in the eyes, chin resting against his chest, his vision hazy with desire.

"What if I put a baby inside you?"

The complete absurdity of Bunny's words sent another sharp jolt of pleasure straight through Sae's body, despite the release he'd only just been granted.

"Then don't keep me waiting."

In one swift motion, Sae shoved Bunny into the armchair before crashing into his lips, settling astride his lap with a leg on either side of his thighs.

Fisting the collar of Bunny's expensive shirt, he deepened the kiss, their mouths colliding in a messy tangle of tongues, teeth, and muffled sounds of satisfaction.

"Sae..." Bunny murmured, pulling Sae closer by the hips until the heat between them pressed together. "Fuck... I missed you so much," he growled, resting his forehead against the Re Al player's shoulder.

And of course, the feeling was mutual, as it always was whenever they drifted apart, only to find their way back to each other.

But this time, the words refused to come.

Because for the first time, Sae had genuinely wondered whether Bunny would still be there when he came back. Whether he'd still be waiting for him with that infuriating smile on his lips or whether he'd disappear from his life for good.

Instead, he tore Bunny's shirt open without the slightest hesitation, pressing possessive kisses along the side of his neck.

He had come back today.

And he always would.

Bunny belonged to no one else.

Sae's hands wandered over the lean, sculpted chest they both owed to the same relentless devotion, before slipping down to Bunny's waistband. He made quick work of the buttons, impatience guiding every movement.

"Easy there, my pretty, pretty boy," Bunny said softly, gently taking hold of Sae's hand and pressing a kiss to the center of his palm. "Be a good boy for me and open your mouth nice and wide."

He held out his index and middle fingers, which Sae slowly coated with his tongue, never once breaking eye contact.

A shadow crossed Bunny's face as he drank in the sight, and Sae could feel the effect it had on him through the hand still resting against the fabric of his briefs.

Without another thought, Sae wrapped his hand around Bunny's painfully hard cock and began stroking him in quick, steady motions, drawing loud, helpless moans from his lips.

At the same time, Sae felt a slick finger ease into him, making his own movements falter for a moment.

He clutched at the back of Bunny's neck, bracing himself for the familiar, yet somehow distant, feeling of the second finger he knew Bunny was about to press inside him as well.

"Aww..." Bunny cooed. "Is that too much for my pretty boy after just two little weeks ?" He idly stroked Sae's back with his free hand. "How am I supposed to knock you up like this?"

In response, Sae only doubled down on the merciless treatment he was putting Bunny through, picking up an even more relentless pace.

"Seems like I'm a little too much for you to handle, amorcito" Sae teased back, roughly tugging at a few lavender strands as Bunny's ragged sighs escaped him.

But their battle of egos came to an abrupt end when the merciless rhythm Sae was forcing onto Bunny was met with a second finger sliding inside him, scissoring gently as it found his prostate with unerring precision.

The air caught in his lungs for a fleeting moment as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through him.

"Bunny... Bunny..." he panted brokenly, teeth sinking into his partner's shoulder to muffle the sounds threatening to escape him. His eyes squeezed shut as he felt his own cock brushing against the one he was still stroking. "Look at me." He paused just long enough to catch his breath. "You're staying."

It wasn't a question.

Nor was it quite a statement, judging by the hesitation almost perfectly concealed at the end of every syllable.

Despite himself, Sae felt his throat tighten the moment the words left his mouth.

His fingers clung a little more desperately to Bunny, trembling not only from the overwhelming stimulation coursing through him, but from something far harder to admit, something even more difficult to put into words.

Bunny immediately lifted his head, a slight furrow settling between his brows, confusion flickering across his face at the words he'd just heard.

His crimson eyes searched every inch of Sae's expression as though it were a puzzle waiting to be solved.

And after a few quiet seconds, he found the answer, one Sae himself wasn't even sure he knew.

Gently, Bunny brought his free hand up to cup Sae's cheek, his thumb stroking it with infinite care.

"I'll stay," he answered, with an unusual seriousness in his voice. "I'll always stay, Sae."

He rested his forehead against Sae's, closing the distance between them until there was nothing left but the warmth of each other's breath.

Just as Sae slowly leaned in, hesitating as he tried to kiss his lover once more, a distinct knock echoed from the other side of the door.

The two of them froze instantly, exchanging wide-eyed looks.

"Sae? Is everything alright? You haven't answered my messages and..." Dabadie began nervously from the other side. "Well... I just wanted to make sure everything's going okay."

Fuck.

The moment he heard his manager's voice, Sae let out a deeply frustrated sigh, his momentum cut short.

"Everything's fine," he replied, trying to keep Bunny's head away from his neck despite the fact that the striker stubbornly refused to stop peppering it with damp kisses. Realizing how unsteady his own voice sounded, he quickly added, "I've got it under control."

"A few journalists were hoping to ask one last question since there are only about five minutes left. Would you... maybe like to let them in?" Dabadie asked, still sounding hesitant.

At that, Bunny let out a muffled laugh against Sae's chest, clearly enjoying the midfielder's rapidly thinning patience.

"No," Sae answered flatly, already feeling the situation slipping out of his hands. "They can all go—"

Before he could finish, Bunny crooked his fingers inside him once more, hitting that same spot with cruel precision.

The moan escaped before Sae could stop it. He clapped a hand over his mouth almost instantly, his eyes widening.

"Sae?"

"Let them in and I'll be plastered across every tabloid for the next ten years."

The one responsible for all the chaos looked positively delighted by Sae's distress, despite the murderous glare directed his way.

"R-Right! Okay, Sae! I'll come back in five minutes, then!"

Sae sighed again, caught somewhere between relief and exasperation as he listened to Dabadie's hurried footsteps disappear down the hallway.

"You scared the poor guy," Bunny chuckled. "Can't be easy dealing with a brat like you after all these years."

"Whose fault do you think that is?" Sae shot back, raising an eyebrow.

He glanced at the clock on the lounge wall.

Only five minutes.

"That's not enough," he said suddenly, barely reacting to Bunny's kisses scattered across his body.

"What was that, mi amor?"

"It's not enough," Sae repeated, the same frustration etched across his face. "I don't want a fucking sample."

"Then what do you want?" Bunny asked with an innocent smile, despite knowing perfectly well what he was getting at.

"I want you to keep your promise," Sae whispered against his ear, teasing the lobe gently with his lips. "I want you to put a baby in me tonight."

Bunny didn't need another second.

Bunny didn't hesitate. He hooked his hands beneath the backs of Sae's thighs, lifting both him and the clothes they'd discarded on the floor without ever breaking their feverish kiss.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sae caught sight of them making their way toward an elevator at the end of the hallway, one he had only just noticed.

It worked out for the best.

Half an hour earlier, the moment he'd spotted his rival, he would've taken it without a second thought.

As soon as the doors slid open, Bunny firmly pinned Sae against one of the elevator's large mirrors, the cabin bathed in a warm, dim glow.

"What if someone gets in?" Sae murmured, feeling Bunny's hard cock pressing insistently against his entrance, as though it were being welcomed there.

"Then I'll have a second scandal on my hands," Bunny replied with a laugh, using the mirrored wall to brace himself as he slowly guided the tip of his cock inside Sae. "Just kidding." He grinned. "That one's a one-time exclusive." His gaze roamed hungrily over Sae's body. "There's no way anyone else gets to see you like this."

At Bunny's words, Sae turned his head slightly toward another mirror lining the elevator, one that offered a perfect view of their profiles.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of Bunny slowly disappearing inside him, their sounds blending together into a haze of low groans and breathless moans.

They looked like an absolute mess.

Their bodies were covered in deep red and purple marks, their hair hopelessly disheveled, with traces of release still clinging here and there.

"Hurry up," Sae breathed impatiently, his eyes flicking to the floor indicator as it climbed toward the top level Bunny had selected. His hands dug hard into Bunny's shoulders, every bit of pressure meant to leave marks behind. "Fuck, Bunny, you—"

With one sharp thrust of his hips, Bunny buried himself completely inside his partner, taking away the rest of Sae's words as he sank into him to the hilt.

"Look at yourself," Bunny murmured, his voice rough as he began to move. "You're so beautiful... so fucking perfect." He cupped Sae's chin, guiding his gaze back toward the second mirror beneath another helpless moan. "My cock's getting swallowed by you... like that's exactly where it was meant to be."

"Keep going," Sae breathed, his words breaking apart as he slowly slid down the mirror in time with Bunny's thrusts. "Don't stop."

"Wouldn't dream of it, el amor de mi vida," Bunny replied, his movements growing steadily harder, drawing another string of cries from Sae. "I'm gonna put a baby right here," he said, his eyes dropping to Sae's toned abdomen. "And then we'll stay together forever... making love every single day, wherever we want."

"Bunny..." Sae could feel himself nearing the edge. The pace was relentless, his breaths growing shorter by the second, and Bunny's words were only making it worse. "Kiss me," he ordered, tension tightening every syllable. "Now."

The request was granted immediately.

Sae devoured every inch of the Spaniard's mouth, knowing from experience Bunny wouldn't be far behind. He held his face as though he might disappear, as though he'd vanish the moment the elevator reached its destination.

"I love you, Sae," Bunny whispered between desperate kisses. "Fuck... I love you so, so, so much."

At those words, Sae's eyes suddenly burned, and he chose to blame the sting and the way his vision was beginning to blur on the overwhelming desire consuming him.

Bunny's rhythm had grown noticeably more uneven, betraying the gradual limits of his endurance. Even so, every thrust still sent sharp jolts racing through Sae's entire body.

Through the mirrors, Sae watched their reflections unravel at the same moment he felt a wave of warmth spread inside him.

A soft chime echoed through the elevator, announcing their arrival at the top floor of the towering building.

They remained like that for a long moment, still joined together, quietly recovering as the warmth of each other's bodies slowly steadied their breathing.

Sae remained completely limp as he caught his breath, using Bunny's shoulder—still carrying him—to keep his head from falling back.

Then, all at once, his eyes locked onto a tiny red light aimed directly at them.

A camera.

"Fuck...," he muttered, unable to tear his gaze away from it.

Noticing the sudden change in his expression, Bunny glanced back over his shoulder.

A laugh escaped him.

"Well... looks like you're gonna be making headlines for the next ten years after all."

Somewhere between horrified, exhausted, and completely defeated by everything he'd just experienced, Sae simply let his head fall against Bunny's shoulder, the same idiot who'd thought bringing him here was a brilliant idea.

"You'd better fix this," he sighed, closing his eyes in frustration. "I don't want to see another camera for the rest of my career."

"Not even on our next trip?"

"None." Sae answered as he pulled his wrinkled clothes back on.

"Not even if I score a hat-trick on Saturday?"

Sae looked him straight in the eyes.

"Then I'll think about it."

Those few words drew a smile to Bunny's lips. He simply shook his head with a quiet laugh.

"Think long and hard about it," he said, pressing one last kiss to Sae's temple.

By the time they stepped out of the hotel, the crowd of paparazzi had long since dispersed, having finally given up any hope of catching the Re Al star with a few last-minute questions.

Sae and Bunny went their separate ways, each heading back to their own car. When Sae climbed into his, he was met with the utterly stunned expression on his manager's face.

"Sae..." Dabadie began, giving him a careful once-over. "Are you alright?"

His eyes didn't seem to know where to settle first. His tousled fringe, his wrinkled clothes, or the dark marks peeking out from beneath the collar of his T-shirt.

"Remind me to do this more often."

Dabadie could only stare at him in complete bewilderment for the entire drive back.

—

The next morning, while out on his usual run, Sae received a message from his boyfriend—again.

It's taken care of!! Picking you up tonight?

The message was buried beneath an avalanche of emojis, from hearts of every color to grinning faces practically bursting with happiness.

After training, Sae replied, the stark contrast to Bunny's colorful enthusiasm almost comical.

He paused his stretches for a moment before typing one more message.

Send me the video.