𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝙳𝚊𝚢 𝙵𝚘𝚘𝚕 - 𝙺. 𝚂𝚊𝚔𝚞𝚜𝚊 𝚡 𝙾𝙲

Chapter Twenty - Replacement Toothbrush

Chapter Twenty

Sleep. It was one thing Sajima had adjusted to never having enough of, and despite having spent the late afternoon and evening the day prior working, she was still running behind. Missing a deadline was never an option, so she spent a few extra hours working on Saturday once Kaneshi had gone home. A few had turned into several, and by the time Sajima yawned and looked over at the clock, it was five a.m.

Most people would have groaned or complained that they'd stayed up all night and couldn't sleep all day, but Sajima wasn't the type. She became so accustomed to functioning on only a handful of hours of sleep that sometimes it was easier to stay awake, and today was no exception. After stretching out her arms and back along her chair, Sajima looked down at her desk and all the scraps of screentone paper that littered it.

Two more pages. Just two more, and then I can drop this off and enjoy my day with Sakusa...

A dreamy sigh fell from her upturned lips at the thought of the man in question. Thanks to him, yesterday was the best day she had had in a long time. Once they had cleared the air, things felt so much more comfortable between them, and he surprised her more than once. Remembering how he kissed her cheek so softly and how low his voice was when he murmured against it made her melt all over again. Sajima certainly hadn't expected that, and she also hadn't expected him to be so playful afterwards. It was very unlike him, but it made her wonder if perhaps she saw a side of him no one else knew. Maybe he allowed himself to have a little more fun, which made her quite happy.

An hour later, ten blocks away, Sakusa shut off his alarm and sat up. He rubbed his eyes, and after a mere moment, he remembered what today had in store for him. A sleepy smile crept onto his lips as he recalled the time he'd spent with Sajima the day before and how important it was to her that he felt he could be himself in her presence. Sakusa didn't like that she'd put herself through so much to try and do so, but it meant a lot more to him than he led on.

Sajima was the first person to immediately accept his flaws with no intention of wanting to change them. She never asked for details or tried to pry. More than that, Sajima sparked so many emotions within him that he nearly forgot he had and being able to feel comfortable without rationalizing every little thing was freeing. It may have been entirely unheard of for Sakusa to chase someone and hike them up over his shoulder in a public space (or any space) like he had, but indulging her was worth it. She had fun, giggled, squeaked and smiled more than he had witnessed in one day. He wanted to make her happy, even if it meant he looked like a fool to everyone else.

Getting to spend the day with Sakusa felt like a dream to Sajima. They had their coffees just as usual and then headed to Minoo Falls for a short hike and a scenic view. The routine they'd built quickly felt natural, and while she was surprised that someone like Sakusa would give her the time of day, it made her immensely happy that he did.

After their descent from the small mountain, the pair stopped for cold drinks before deciding to walk back, both unwilling to admit aloud that they wanted to spend more time with the other. Sajima still had to finish up the screentone on her final panel and bring it over to Takeuchi by one in the afternoon, so they wanted to make the most of what time they had together before meeting for dinner that evening. Distracted and lost in conversation, they hadn't noticed the dark clouds rolling in and were caught unexpectedly by a crack of thunder and a sudden downpour.

Sajima squeezed Sakusa's hand and began to pull him in the direction of her apartment. "My place isn't that far! We can get there if we're quick!"

"Mine's closer," he pointed to a tall building only a block away and changed their course. "We can call you a taxi from there."