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Ryuusei cracked an eye open at the faint, familiar click of a light switch. A warm sliver of light spilled from under the slit of his dorm door, cutting through the darkness of his room.
Again.
He internally groaned, burying his head into his pillow. This was the third time this week. And he’d just moved into the U-20 dorms at the start of this week!
Almost every night, a little past midnight — right when Ryuusei was winding down for bed — some inconsiderate bastard turns on the common area light outside his dorm room and leaves it on for an obnoxiously long time.
The first time, he let it go. Annoying, but whatever. The second time? Suspicious, but perhaps a coincidence. He could deal with that. But the third?
The third time was a goddamn pattern.
Ryuusei was sick of it. Whoever this was, they were about to get an earful.
Kicking off the warmth of his blankets, he slipped out of bed and padded towards the door, like a cat on a hunt. The handle turned quietly, and as he cracked the door open, the dim light flooded into his dark room.
His gaze swept the common area, landing on a figure seated at one of the tables, fingers wrapped around a steaming mug.
Itoshi Sae.
For a second, Ryuusei’s brain didn’t comprehend it. His frustration short-circuited into stunned silence. The Itoshi Sae?
No, no way. He’d expected some random dumbass — maybe Sendou, because that guy pissed him off daily so it wouldn’t be a surprise to be at night, too. Or maybe some U-20 extra who didn’t understand basic dorm etiquette. But Sae? The one who dragged him into this team, gave him the chance to play real football, and freed him from Blue Lock’s cage?
But now, regarding him sitting there at nearly one in the morning looking like he hadn’t slept in days, it made much more sense.
Ryuusei wasn’t stupid. Sure, he may not be the most intelligent, tactical and analysing player out there, but he wasn’t blind either.
He’d noticed how the pink-haired midfielder moved during training; just a little off, lacking his usual sharpness which he’d seen from all the clips of Sae that Ryuusei had seen online. There was exhaustion concealed within his jaded expression, subtle but there.
And now, up close, it was even more obvious. The way the mellow glow of light emphasised the shadows beneath his eyes; deep crescents tucked under thick, long lashes. Ryuusei watched as his fingers curled tightly around the mug, like he needed the warmth to stay grounded.
Had the genius not been sleeping?
Ryuusei squinted at Sae, noticing how his eyes were downcast, fixed on the translucent green liquid inside the cup. Steam curled lazily in the air, before dissipating into nothing. There was something unsettling about the stillness of it all.
Ryuusei clicked his tongue, stepping fully into the common area with a slow, exaggerated stretch. “Damn, Sae-chan, didn’t peg you for the old man tea-drinker type,” he drawled, voice laced with its usual playfulness.
No reaction. Not even a glance. Sae just took another sip of his tea, movements slow, mechanical.
That only made Ryuusei’s smirk widen. He leaned against the table, tilting his head to peer into Sae’s mug like he expected to find something exciting inside. “Wait, hold up, don’t tell me you’re drinking this to help you sleep?”
Silence.
Ryuusei’s bright pink eyes blinked right in front of Sae’s face. “…You do know tea has caffeine in it, right?”
Finally, Sae looked up, beryl boring into cerise. “I know.” He said simply.
Ryuusei let out a low whistle. “Damn. Didn’t take you for a dumbass either.”
Sae exhaled quietly, setting the mug down with a soft clink. “Go back to sleep, little demon.”
Aw, what a cute, daring nickname. “Ohhh, trust me, I’d love to,” Ryuusei gestured vaguely at the ceiling, “but someone keeps turning on the hallway light in the middle of the night~” He shot a pointed look at Sae. “And what do you know, mystery solved. It’s you. Congrats, Sae-chan! You’re single-handedly ruining my sleep schedule.”
Sae didn’t dignify that with a response. He just reached for his mug again, fingers curling around the ceramic. But Ryuusei wasn’t letting this go.
He slid into the chair across from Sae, propping his chin up with one hand. His smirk didn’t waver, but there was something just a little too sharp in his gaze now. “So? What’s up, genius? Don’t tell me you’re just that addicted to late-night tea drinking sessions.”
Sae stared at him, expression unreadable. Then, after a brief moment, “Go to sleep.” He repeated.
Ryuusei snorted. “Not when you’re sitting here, shining bright-ass light through the gaps under my door.”
Sae downed the rest of his tea in one motion, then stood up abruptly. “I’ll turn it off from now on, then. You should’ve told me earlier if it was bothering you.”
There was something about the way he said it: flat, final, like he was cutting something off. Like this conversation was just another loose end he had to tie up.
Ryuusei didn’t respond, but instead observed Sae silently, fingers drumming idly against the table. Sae placed the empty mug in the sink, movements calm. Too calm. Mechanical, like he’d done this a dozen times already. As if this wasn’t just a bad night.
It hit Ryuusei, suddenly, that it probably wasn’t. He replayed the last few nights in his head. The lights. Always around the same time. The silence that followed. The fatigue that clung to Sae’s plays at practice.
Ryuusei realised that Sae hadn’t woken up to make tea. He probably hadn't even fallen asleep.
Ryuusei sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Y’know,” he called out, “if you actually wanna sleep, maybe try not drinking caffeine before bed.”
Sae didn’t react or argue. Just walked past him, and towards the light switch. With a soft click, darkness swallowed the room.
Ryuusei sat there for a moment, blinking as his eyes adjusted, watching the hall and where Sae had already disappeared, retreated back into his room.
-
Sae did stay true to his words.
The next couple nights, there were no erratic lights slipping under his door, no soft clicks of the light switch at all. The darkness had been suspicious at first, too perfect, but Ryuusei hadn’t thought too much about it.
Sae wasn’t exactly predictable, but if he said he wasn’t going to stay up all night, then maybe he actually meant it.
But then, on the third night, Ryuusei woke up to the faint murmur of a voice.
It was muffled, barely audible through the walls, but something about it pulled him out of sleep. He frowned, still half-dazed, straining to listen. The voice was low, clipped: Sae.
Ryuusei’s eyes widened slightly. The hell?
He could just about make out Sae’s voice, hushed but tense, the words indistinct but undeniably sharp at the edges.
He knew Sae wasn’t the type to talk to himself, which meant he was on the phone with someone. But who on earth could he be even calling at this hour? Or maybe he was talking to a U-20 member? Still groggy, Ryuusei sat up, rubbing a hand over his face. He had no intention of getting up.. until he heard Sae’s voice rise.
It was sharp, heated, frustrated even.
Ryuusei blinked blearily at the wall, heart drumming a little faster. Sae was arguing with someone in his dorm room.
The words were muffled, tangled in the static of sleep still clinging to Ryuusei’s brain. But something felt off. The rhythm of Sae’s voice, the way his words flowed…
Wait. That wasn’t Japanese.
Ryuusei furrowed his brows, straining to catch something familiar, but he couldn’t make sense of it. The syllables rolled differently. Faster, harsher.
Ah. Spanish.
That made much more sense. Maybe he was on call with one of his teammates from Re Al. Ryuusei let out a quiet groan, flopping back onto his pillow. If it was just some stupid Madrid teammate, then whatever, let Sae argue all he wanted. But his voice was loud. Way too loud for whatever stupid damned cursed hour it was right now.
Ryuusei cracked open an eye, picking up his phone from the nightstand. His phone screen glowed dimly in the dark, the time glaring back at him: 3:17AM.
He closed his eyelids again. Then opened them. Why the fuck was Sae on his phone at 3AM?
Ryuusei pushed himself up, raking a hand through his blond messy hair. It was way too early for this. He could try to ignore it, just let Sae deal with whatever the hell he was dealing with, but the irritation was already bubbling in his chest. He tightened his jaw.
Sae should have been asleep. The whole reason Ryuusei had backed off in the first place was because Sae said he’d stop staying up all night. Well… now that Ryuusei’s thinking back on it, Sae never really stated that he’d stop staying up. Just that he’d stop turning on the lights.
With a huff, Ryuusei shoved the covers off and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He didn’t even bother making himself look presentable before storming and throwing open his door. The hallway was dim, the air cool against his skin as he crossed the short distance to Sae’s room.
He didn’t knock or hesitate at all. Just grabbed the handle and shoved it open.
“The fuck are you still doing up?” he growled, voice thick with sleep and irritation.
Sae didn’t even look up at him. He was sitting on his bed, back propped up against the headboard, phone in hand. His expression was unreadable, his posture relaxed — but his grip on the phone was tight.
“Hey, I’m talking to you, y’know.” Shidou stepped towards the bed.
Sae’s eyes flicked up, barely acknowledging Ryuusei before looking away again. “What do you want?”
Ryuusei scowled. “It’s three in the morning. Who the hell are you even talkin’—no—shouting to?”
Sae glared at Ryuusei. “Doesn’t matter. Go back to sleep.” That dismissive, flat tone? Yeah, no. Ryuusei was not having that.
“Not when you’re being loud as shit,” Ryuusei shot back, stepping further into the room, letting the door shut behind him. “Seriously, who even calls at this hour?”
Sae sighed, rubbing at his temple. “Time zones exist.”
Ryuusei blinked furiously. Time zones — oh, right. Madrid. His gaze dropped to the phone in Sae’s hand. Sae had angled the screen away, but Ryuusei caught a glimpse before he could hide it.
Luna.
Ryuusei’s lip curled in disgust. Ugh, that guy.
He didn’t know much about Luna; just that he was some Spanish prick on Sae’s team. Actually, Ryuusei had seen the name before. That blond guy who was a member of the World Five that Blue Lock had to play against in whatever selection it was. And yeah, maybe it was petty, but he didn’t like the guy.
He had the feeling Luna was fake as hell, one of those guys who acted all buddy-buddy with everyone but is actually a dick to people who he thinks he couldn’t take advantage of.
And right now, he was definitely pissing Sae off. Ryuusei glared at Sae with an unamused expression, as he shifted his weight. “That your teammate?”
Sae didn’t answer immediately. His fingers tapped once against the back of his phone, slow and deliberate, before he mumbled, “Yeah.”
Ryuusei scoffed. “And what, he just had to call you at ass-o’clock in the morning?”
Sae exhaled, exasperated. “Time zones,” he repeated.
“Right, right, time zones,” Ryuusei muttered, clenching his jaw. “You still should’ve been asleep, though. It’s three in the morning so you should just tell him to fuck off.”
Sae shot Ryuusei a look that was sharp enough to cut through steel. “Stay out of it.”
Ryuusei grinned, wildly and impishly. “Nah,” he said easily. And before Sae could react, he reached out, fast and sure, snatching the phone straight from Sae’s grip.
“Demon,” Sae hissed, as he sat up straighter, turquoise eyes dark with irritation, but Ryuusei was already turning away, lifting the phone to his ear.
“Hey, Luna~” Ryuusei sing-songed in a high-pitched voice, so sweet it sounded fake and mocking.
There was a pause, then a voice on the other end, Spanish words spilling out, quick and questioning. Ryuusei stared at the phone blankly, not able to understand anything. Oh well, he didn’t give a shit anyway.
“Listen, jerk,” Ryuusei continued, fumbling his way through a garbled mess of broken Spanish, English and Japanese. “You let be Sae, alone. You—” he paused, trying to recall the word. “Uh. Annoying. No…bothersome?”
A laugh crackled through the speaker, low and amused. And then, clear as day, a smooth, confident voice answered in perfect English, “You really butchered that, amigo.”
Ryuusei narrowed his eyes at the phone like it had personally offended him. Then, with absolutely zero hesitation, he hit the end call button. There. Problem solved.
Sae let out a slow, deliberate sigh. “You are such an idiot.”
Ryuusei tossed the phone back onto the bed with a grin. “Yeah? But at least I got him to shut up.”
Sae dragged a hand down his face. “That was unnecessary.”
“You were arguing with him,” Ryuusei pointed out. “And you should’ve been asleep.”
Sae didn’t say anything to that, which only made Ryuusei more suspicious. He crossed his arms, tilting his head. “Speaking of which, what’s up with that? Thought you were actually getting sleep now.”
Sae hesitated.
It was brief. Barely a flicker in his expression, barely a moment of silence. But Ryuusei caught it. And then Sae said, too smoothly, “I am.”
Ryuusei narrowed his eyes. “Liar.” Ryuusei watched him, carefully, as something unsettled twisted in his gut. He had assumed Sae was fine — if the lights were off, and there were no signs, then there was no problem. But now? Now Sae was awake at three in the morning, arguing with some random asshole, and… yeah. Sae was definitely not fine.
“Hey.” Ryuusei’s voice was quieter now, less teasing, more serious. “You having trouble sleeping?”
Sae’s fingers twitched against the sheets. Just for a second. A tiny movement. And that was all the confirmation Ryuusei needed.
Sae turned away, refusing to answer. Ryuusei rolled his shoulders, boring holes into the side of Sae’s pretty face. Then, before he could think too hard about it, he turned and headed for the door. Sae blinked at him, a slight look of confusion visible from the cracks of his pristine facade.
Ryuusei grabbed the doorknob, swung it open, pausing. Without turning around, he smiled, “Gimme a second, ‘kay?”
As he walked out, Sae sat there, frowning, eyes narrowed as the door click shut behind him. He stared at it for a long moment, utterly baffled. What the hell was that about? But, barely a minute later, the door swung open again.
Ryuusei walked back in. With his pillow and blanket in hand.
Sae gave Ryuusei a death stare, deadpanning. “No.”
Ryuusei grinned, easy and sharp, before shutting the door softly. “Yep.”
“Demon…” Sae finally said, his voice tight, his gaze darting away. He didn’t know how to refuse without sounding weak. “You’re not sleeping here. Get out.”
Ryuusei plopped his pillow down upon his blanket on the floor beside Sae’s bed. “You’re not going to convince me to leave,” He declared, folding his arms with a defiance that masked his worry. “So just let it go.”
Sae pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re fucking unbearable.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Ryuusei laid down on the floor, sprawled out like he belonged there. “But if you’re not sleeping, I’m not sleeping.”
Sae stared at him with a dubious expression. “That’s the dumbest logic I’ve ever heard.”
Ryuusei smirked at him, his iconic impishness showing. “Don’t care~”
Sae’s scowl deepened. “I could kick you out.”
“You could try,” Ryuusei shot back lazily, already shifting to get comfortable. “But you won’t.”
Sae’s fingers twitched like he was considering strangling him. Then he let out a sharp breath, about to snap something back when a voice interrupted them.
“…What are you two yelling about?”
Both of them turned toward the door. Aiku was standing there, hair slightly disheveled, heterochromic eyes lidded with sleep as he leaned against the doorframe. He looked… amused.
Sae’s eye twitched. “He’s trying to move into my room.” He explained, hoping that the Captain would help him out from this annoying excuse of a human being.
Instead, Aiku blinked once and snorted, his laugh deep and rough. “Good luck with that,” he said, smirking. “That guy’s stubborn as hell.”
Ryuusei beamed. “See? Even Captain-chan gets it.”
Sae rolled his eyes. He wanted to kill both of them.
Aiku chuckled, shaking his head. “Anyway, keep it down. Some of us actually like sleeping.” He gave them a lazy wave before heading back down toward his own room.
Sae turned to Ryuusei again, clenching his fists at his sides as if wanting to argue, to tell Ryuusei to get lost. But the words didn’t come. His mouth felt dry, and his chest hollow, like he was teetering on the edge of something fragile.
With a small shake of his head, Sae muttered a curse under his breath, then pulled the covers up as he laid down fully on his own bed. “Don’t expect me to make you feel comfortable.” He murmured.
Ryuusei’s usual smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “I wasn’t asking for comfort,” He clarified, laying down on the floor with his body facing towards Sae.
Sae let out a long, frustrated sigh, “You’re so stubborn, you know that? It’ll get you killed one day.”
Shidou’s laugh bubbled in the tranquility. “Sae-chan’s worried about me? I’ve come this far, and look at me, I’m absolutely thriving!”
Sae closed his eyes. Seeing Ryuusei defiantly shivering on the cold floor felt wrong. Too wrong. He hated this. He hated it. He hated how easily he was letting Ryuusei worm his way into his personal space. But he couldn’t deny it — he knew, deep down, that he’d feel guilty if he let Ryuusei sleep on the floor like that.
Reluctantly, Sae cracked open his eyes and made room on the bed, motioning silently for Ryuusei to come. Ryuusei raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “Wow, Sae-chan, you’re letting me sleep with you? How straightforward~”
“Shut up and get on before I regret this.” Sae muttered quietly, turning away so Ryuusei wouldn’t see the light flush on his face.
Ryuusei picked up his pillow off the floor and placed it on Sae’s bed. “Anything for my sweet Sae-chan!”
Sae huffed, the sound barely audible in the dark room. He leaned over and flicked the bedside lamp off. The two lapsed into comfortable silence.
Ryuusei could hear the rustling of the sheets as Sae shifted again, clearly trying to get comfortable. But it didn’t seem like sleep was coming anytime soon for him. Sae kept tossing and turning, the sheets scrunching up around him in frustration.
Ryuusei didn’t sleep either. He wasn’t going to — not yet. He waited, glimpsing at the slow rise and fall of Sae’s chest in the dim moonlight slivered past the thin curtains. Every time Sae shifted or sighed, Ryuusei felt it in his bones. The frustration was thick enough to cut through the air. He wasn’t about to let it linger.
After what felt like forty minutes of torturous silence and restless movements from Sae, Ryuusei’s patience caved. He pushed the sheets off, swinging his legs off the bed. He wasn’t going to wait any longer.
He stood, stretching, his muscles sore from the tension of the night, before making his way to the edge of the bed. “Hey, pretty boy. Get up,” Ryuusei commanded, his voice firm.
Sae groaned from the bed, his eyes still closed as if to block Ryuusei out. “Why, what are you doing?”
“I’m making us some hot chocolate. You need it,” Ryuusei said bluntly. “C’mon. You’re not going to sleep anytime soon, are you?”
Sae shook his head exhaustedly, as if the idea of getting up for hot chocolate was the last thing he wanted to do. “I don’t need hot chocolate,” he grumbled, his tone sour.
“Well, I need hot chocolate. So you’re coming with me,” Ryuusei said with a small grin, already turning to leave the room.
Sae let out an exaggerated sigh, clearly unwilling to budge at first. But the stubbornness in Ryuusei’s tone — there was no escaping it. Sae reluctantly swung his legs out of bed too, slowly.
The silence had settled thick between them, but not in a way that felt comfortable. It was the kind of silence that carried weight, like there was something Sae wasn’t saying, something left unspoken that neither of them wanted to be the first to acknowledge.
So Ryuusei ignored it… for now. Instead, he wandered into the kitchenette, opening cabinets with practiced ease. His hands moved on instinct, pulling out cocoa powder, sugar, milk. Sae hadn’t asked for anything, but Ryuusei was already making a habit of doing things for him before he even had the chance to refuse.
The sound of the stove clicking on filled the quiet. Ryuusei poured the milk into a pot, the soft hiss of liquid meeting metal breaking the stillness. Behind him, Sae hadn’t moved much. He was sitting on the small table, the same one that Ryuusei had found him sitting on, sipping tea all those nights ago. Sae was clearly restless, fingers absently tapping against his knee in a slow, steady rhythm.
The tapping was getting on Ryuusei’s nerves. Not in an annoying way, but in a way that made him notice it. Something that made him start to pay attention.
After a while, he glanced over his shoulder, stirring the mixture in the pot. “Are you always this quiet?”
Sae didn’t answer at first. When he finally did, it was with a suspicious, unimpressed glare. “Are you always this annoying?”
Ryuusei snorted. “Yeah. Get used to it.”
Sae didn’t respond. His fingers tapped once more against his knee before curling into his palm, like he was trying to stop himself from doing it.
Ryuusei turned back to the stove. “What’s keeping you up?”
He wasn’t expecting a real answer, so he was only half listening when Sae mumbled, “Nothing new.”
The words barely registered at first. Ryuusei kept stirring, inspecting the way the cocoa melted into the milk. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that the response clicked.
Nothing new. Not jet lag? Not just couldn't sleep tonight, but every night… Nothing new, huh?
Ryuusei stopped stirring. His grip on the spoon tightened just slightly. He turned his head slowly, gaze sharpening as he looked at Sae. “You don’t sleep much, do you?”
The briefest hesitation, the flicker of something fearful in his expression before he schooled it back into indifference. “Tch.” Sae averted his gaze, leaning back further against the chair. “What kind of question is that?”
Ryuusei let out a slow breath. He turned off the stove and grabbed two mugs, pouring the hot chocolate without looking away from him. “A pretty good one,” he said casually. He walked over, setting one of the mugs in front of Sae before dropping into the seat across from him. “And you just gave me my answer.”
Sae clicked his tongue, annoyed, but he didn’t deny it.
Ryuusei surveyed him closely, eyes narrowing slightly. “How long?”
Sae didn't meet his gaze, only wrapping his hands around the mug, but he still wasn’t drinking from it.
“Hey.” Ryuusei leaned against the table. “How long?” He repeated.
Sae exhaled through his nose, clearly irritated, but this time, he answered. “…It’s not a big deal.” That wasn’t really an answer, though.
Ryuusei arched an eyebrow. “Right. Because people who sleep fine totally say things like ‘nothing new’ when asked why they’re awake at—” He checked the hanging clock. “—4:08 AM.”
Sae didn’t know how to.
After a beat, Ryuusei shifted. “Insomnia?”
Sae nodded. Guiltily. “Just drop it.”
Ryuusei did not drop it. Instead, he leaned closer, insistent. “Have you tried pills before? Like melatonin or something?”
Sae’s lips pressed into a thin line. For a moment, he didn’t react. Then, with a grunt, he shifted in his seat, his fingers tracing the rim of his mug absently.
“Yeah,” he muttered, voice low, almost resigned. “Luna gave me some when I was younger. Thought it would help.” His gaze dropped, shoulders tense. “It didn’t.”
Ryuusei tilted his head. “How’d it make you feel?”
Sae closed his eyes briefly, uncomfortable. His voice, when it came, was quiet. “Like shit. It didn’t help me sleep. Just made me groggy all day. The whole point is to feel better when you wake up, but I just felt worse.”
Ryuusei let out a thoughtful hum. “So… what? You just stopped trying stuff like that?”
Sae shrugged. His fingers tapped against his mug. Once. Twice, before going still. “Didn’t feel like wasting time on it. I manage fine.”
Ryuusei watched him carefully, his instincts prickling. Sae’s walls were high, his tone dismissive, but Ryuusei could see through it.
“Sae-chan,” he said, directly, “you need to sleep.”
Sae’s eyes snapped up, sharp as a blade, but there was nothing behind them but exhaustion. “I’m not asking for your help, Ryuusei,” he said flatly. “I’m fine.”
Ryuusei just watched him, eyes narrowed — not angry, or smug, just… meticulously, in that way he rarely let anyone see. Then he rose from the chair with a stretch, picking up both mugs (after asking Sae, “You done with that?”) and rinsing them in the sink.
Sae said nothing, but his eyes followed him silently.
Ryuusei dried his hands, then turned and jerked his chin toward the hallway. “C’mon. You’re not gonna sleep out here on that chair.”
Sae blinked. “I’m not sleeping in there either.”
“Well,” Ryuusei said, already walking toward Sae’s dorm room, “then I guess we’re both not sleeping. Might as well be not-sleeping somewhere more comfortable.”
Sae sighed but followed him anyway, slow steps trailing behind. He didn’t know why he did. Maybe because arguing with Ryuusei was pointless. Maybe because he was too tired to come up with a better excuse.
The room was dim, quiet, cooled by the hour. Ryuusei flopped onto the bed without ceremony, arms behind his head, like it was the most natural thing in the world. “You coming, or do I have to tuck you in?”
Sae stood at the doorway for a second longer, debating. He hated how easily this idiot made himself at home. Even more that it didn’t bother him as much as it should’ve.
He muttered something under his breath and climbed in beside him, pulling the blanket up to his chest. Ryuusei didn’t say anything, didn’t push. Just stayed still, breathing slow, like he was already on the edge of sleep — but Sae knew better. He could feel it in the way Ryuusei kept perfectly still, like he was trying not to intrude.
Sae’s eyes stayed open. He stared at the ceiling. Sleep still hovered somewhere far off, unreachable. But the quiet wasn’t so suffocating now.
“You tired?”
Sae hesitated. “…Yeah.”
“That’s the worst,” Ryuusei murmured. “When you’re tired but your brain just keeps running laps.”
Sae didn’t answer, but his throat tightened. Ryuusei shifted, not closer, just enough that their shoulders brushed. Barely. The contact was light, noninvasive; but grounding.
“I’m not here to fix it,” Ryuusei said, softer now. “Just figured… if you’re gonna lie awake, I might as well do it with you.”
Sae closed his eyes. For once, the silence didn’t feel like failure. Ryuusei wasn’t asking him to be better. He wasn’t offering cures or lectures or pity. Just warmth. Company.
“Do you do this often?” Sae asked quietly.
“What, crash uninvited and ruin people’s perfectly good isolation?” Ryuusei grinned into the dark. “Only for you.”
Sae let out a breath, short and shaky—almost a laugh. The tension in his body eased a little.
They lay there for a long while. At one point, Sae shifted slightly, arm brushing against Ryuusei intentionally. “You’re not gonna leave?”
Ryuusei looked at him, in the dark his pink eyes were clear and steady. “Nope, I’m not going anywhere.” He whispered back.
Sae’s fingers curled against the blanket. His breath began to slow, not fully asleep, but not fully awake either. The kind of drifting that only happened when your body felt safe, even if your mind hadn’t caught up.