valentine's day!

sorry i'm a little late 

but

happy v-day! 

Sae Itoshi had fully intended to ignore Valentine's Day.

He'd scheduled training in the morning. Extra conditioning in the afternoon. Film review at night. A perfectly structured day. Efficient. Quiet. Undisturbed.

There was no reason to acknowledge a commercial holiday built around theatrics and public displays of affection.

He told himself that three times.

From the kitchen, Ryusei Shidou snorted.

"You've reorganized the pantry by expiration date," Shidou called out. "That's what you do when you're avoiding something."

Sae didn't look up from his laptop. "I do that every month."

"You absolutely do not."

Silence.

Shidou leaned against the counter, watching him with that lazy, knowing grin. He was wearing a hoodie that had once been white but now had mysterious pink stains from protein powder experiments. His hair was a mess. He looked entirely too pleased with himself for eight in the morning.

"So what's the plan?" Shidou asked. "Brooding alone? Dramatically staring out the window? Writing poetry about how love is a scam?"

"I don't write poetry."

"You should. You'd be so intense about it."

Sae closed his laptop with deliberate calm. "I have training."

"Cancelled."

Sae blinked. Slowly. "Excuse me?"

Shidou wiggled his phone. "Coach said light recovery only. It's Valentine's Day. Apparently even monsters need rest."

Sae stared at him.

Shidou beamed.

"You wouldn't know because you don't check your messages when you're in 'I'm emotionally unavailable and superior' mode."

"I am not emotionally unavailable."

Shidou walked over and crouched in front of him, close enough that Sae could see the faint scratch on his cheek from yesterday's scrimmage.

"You planned to spend Valentine's Day alone with spreadsheets."

"That's not the same thing."

"It's worse."

Sae crossed his arms. "I do not need a holiday to validate anything."

"I didn't say you did." Shidou tilted his head. "I just said you're not spending it alone."

"I am."

"You're not."

"I am."

Shidou grinned wider. "Bet."

Sae narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean?"

"It means I have an entire day planned and you are coming with me whether you like it or not."

Sae stood up. "I will not be dragged into whatever loud, heart-shaped nonsense you've concocted."

"You say that like it isn't romantic."

"It isn't."

Shidou gasped dramatically. "You wound me."

But there was something soft under the teasing. Something careful.

Sae noticed it. He always did.

—

An hour later, Sae found himself walking beside Shidou through the city.

He'd insisted he was only coming because "fresh air improves performance metrics."

Shidou hadn't argued.

The streets were decorated in subtle red banners. Store windows displayed chocolates and flowers. Couples passed by laughing, hands brushing.

Sae kept his gaze forward.

Shidou kept glancing sideways.

"You're stiff," Shidou said casually.

"I am not."

"You walk like you're preparing for a press conference."

"I walk efficiently."

Shidou reached out and tugged lightly at Sae's sleeve. Not forceful. Just enough to disrupt the rhythm.

"Relax," he murmured.

Sae glanced at him.

And for a moment, Shidou wasn't grinning.

He just looked... warm.

"I don't need today to mean anything," Shidou said, quieter now. "But I like that it exists. An excuse to slow down. To do something stupid and sweet."

Sae looked ahead again.

"Stupid," he repeated.

"Yeah."

A pause.

"...Sweet?" Sae added.

Shidou's smile returned, softer this time. "Extremely."

—

They stopped at a tiny café tucked between two bookstores.

Shidou held the door open dramatically. "After you, your majesty."

Sae rolled his eyes but stepped inside.

The place was cozy. Warm lights. Quiet music. The scent of coffee and sugar.

Shidou ordered two drinks without asking.

"You don't even know what I want," Sae said.

"I do."

"And if you're wrong?"

"I'm not."

When the drinks arrived, Sae stared at his cup.

Black coffee. No sugar.

He looked up.

Shidou shrugged. "You're predictable."

Sae took a sip.

It was perfect.

He didn't comment.

Shidou didn't push.

They sat across from each other in a small booth, knees occasionally brushing under the table.

Shidou talked about a ridiculous goal he wanted to try next match. Sae argued about angles and positioning. They leaned over napkins drawing formations with borrowed pens.

At some point, they both started smiling.

Not the competitive kind.

The quiet kind.

—

Later, they wandered through a small park.

The winter air was crisp. Their breath fogged faintly in front of them.

Shidou suddenly stopped walking.

Sae turned. "What."

Shidou stepped closer.

Too close.

"You really would've stayed home alone," Shidou said.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Sae hesitated.

Because vulnerability felt inefficient.Because wanting felt dangerous.Because needing someone felt like losing control.

Instead he said, "I don't require theatrics."

Shidou studied him.

Then he did something unexpected.

He didn't tease.

He didn't grin.

He just reached out and gently brushed something off Sae's shoulder. A stray bit of lint.

"There," Shidou murmured. "Now you're perfect."

Sae's breath hitched, just slightly.

Shidou leaned back on his heels. "You know I don't care about the holiday part, right?"

"I assumed."

"I care about you not isolating yourself."

Sae's eyes widened just a fraction.

Shidou continued, softer, "You're allowed to have things. People. Moments. You don't have to earn them by being useful."

The world felt very quiet.

Sae looked at him — really looked at him.

All the chaos. All the noise. All the reckless energy.

And underneath it, someone stubbornly loyal.

Someone who showed up.

Someone who refused to let him retreat into polished solitude.

"You're insufferable," Sae said quietly.

Shidou's smile returned. Gentle. "Yeah."

Sae stepped forward this time.

Closing the distance.

"Thank you," he added.

The words were almost lost in the air.

But Shidou heard them.

His expression changed completely — like he'd just been handed something fragile and precious.

"You're welcome," he said.

They stood there for a moment longer than necessary.

Not dramatic.Not loud.Just close.

—

That night, back at their apartment, Shidou flopped onto the couch.

"See? You survived."

Sae set his keys down. "It was... acceptable."

Shidou snorted. "That's basically a love confession in Sae language."

Sae walked over and flicked him on the forehead.

Shidou grabbed his wrist before he could pull away — not rough, just holding.

Their eyes met again.

"Next year," Shidou said lightly, "you don't get to pretend you don't care."

Sae considered this.

"...We'll see."

Shidou tugged him down beside him on the couch.

Not forcing. Just inviting.

Sae stayed.

The room was dim. Quiet. Comfortable.

Shidou's shoulder brushed his.

Neither moved away.

Outside, somewhere in the city, people were probably making grand gestures and dramatic declarations.

But here, it was simple.

Two rivals.Two idiots.Two people who chose each other.

And for once, Sae didn't feel the need to be alone.

i'm a single pringle

sniffle

art credit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BlueLock/comments/12nhpzi/some_shidou_fan_art_p/