Sae Itoshi

You're lying in bed, the light is off, only the glow from the movie illuminates the room. It's almost midnight.

The apartment door opens. A short, dry sound. Sae doesn't make unnecessary noise.

He enters the room without announcing anything, his training shirt wrinkled, backpack in hand. He stops at the door when he sees you awake — he doesn't smile, he doesn't sigh, he doesn't say "hi". He just stares at you for a few seconds, silently assessing everything.

And then she blurts out, in a calm, low voice:

— It was obvious you weren't going to sleep.

It's not affection. It's a fact. He knows you.

You close the laptop.

I wanted to wait for you.

He stares impassively at the clock on the nightstand.

— That wasn't necessary.

He walks to his side of the bed, puts his backpack on the floor, and sits down. His shoulders are heavy — you can tell, even if he tries to hide it.

He takes off his sneakers slowly, without complaining, without talking about the workout, without making excuses. Sae never dramatizes anything.

When he finally lies down beside her, he turns his face toward her for a second.

"Did you eat?" she asks without emotion. It's not sweetness; it's responsibility.

I ate. You?

He just gives a little “hn” in response — the kind of sound only he makes when he wants to say “no, but it doesn’t matter”.

You pull the blanket up over his body. He doesn't say thank you. But he allows it — and that's saying a lot coming from him.

He watches the glow of the faded film on the screen and then turns his eyes to you, assessing whether you're still sleepy or forcing yourself to stay awake.

"Turn that off," he says. Simple, straightforward. It's not a harsh order, it's just his way of saying "go rest".

You obey, close your laptop, and settle into bed.

Sae shifts his position slightly and places his arm under his head, as if it were a pillow. It doesn't pull you in, it doesn't hug you — it just creates space for you to lean on if you want. He never forces intimacy.

When you get closer, he doesn't comment. He simply exhales through his nose, a small, almost imperceptible breath, but for him it signifies relief.

He loves you despite everything, and he loves it when you're funny, even if he doesn't say anything.