𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐈𝐓 ➛ ryusae

chpt 16 ➛ sae

A few days had passed since then, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Sae felt at ease. The weight of his decision was still there, lingering in the background, but it no longer felt like it was pressing down on him. Shidou's words and presence had grounded him, and now that they were officially together, everything between them just felt... easier. 

Isagi and Rin sat sprawled out on Sae and Rin's couch, Isagi beaming with excitement to debrief about Aiku's party, which Sae and Shidou had skipped because, as Shidou had put it, "Why bother when we can have more fun here?"

"Alright, alright," Isagi said, waving his hands like he was delivering groundbreaking news. He was leaning so far forward he was one poorly-timed comment away from falling off. "You'll never guess who Kaiser was making out with at Aiku's party."

Rin, who hadn't been listening to one word that Isagi bad been spouting was scrolling through his phone, and didn't bother looking up. "Who cares?" he muttered, but his tone betrayed just enough interest to stay in the conversation.

At the dining table, Shidou and Sae were halfway through a breakfast-turned-lunch situation. Sae was busy trying to enjoy his toast in peace, but Shidou had his legs kicked up on another chair. He perked up instantly at Isagi's tone, his grin spreading like wildfire.

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Shidou said, leaning forward like a kid at storytime. "Hit me with it, who's Kaiser been swapping spit with? Please say it's someone scandalous."

Isagi's smirk grew wider. "Ness."

There was a brief, stunned silence. Then, Shidou erupted, his laugh loud enough to rattle the cheap dorm walls. He slapped the table hard enough to make Sae's drink wobble, earning a glare in the process. "No way! Ness and Kaiser? You're lying. And I was here convinced Ness wanted nothing to do with his ass."

"I'm serious," Isagi said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "They were all over each other. It was so bad I think they might've started practicing synchronized breathing."

Shidou howled again, practically gasping for air. "Oh my god, this is the best thing I've heard all week. Someone please tell me there's video evidence."

Sae, ever the picture of restraint, took a slow sip of his water before commenting. "And this is exactly why I avoid these parties like the plague."

"Oh, come on, Sae," Shidou teased, turning his attention to him with a dramatic pout. "You would have never spoken to me if you 'avoided these parties like the plague'."

"Oh please," Sae replied, his tone flat. "Of course I would have spoken to you one day or another."

"Fair enough," Shidou said, shrugging as if he didn't already know that. "But you can't tell me you're not even a little curious about how it all went down. I mean, come on. Ness and Kaiser? That's like watching a soap opera in real time."

"Not even a little," Sae said firmly, setting down his cup with an air of finality.

"Liar," Shidou shot back immediately, nudging Sae's arm with a smirk.

Isagi was too busy laughing at their exchange to jump in, but Rin took it upon himself to keep the story going. "That's not even the worst thing that happened at the party," he said, his voice cutting through the noise. "Aiku tried to chat up some girl, but her sister showed up. Turns out, he was already hitting on her earlier in the night."

Shidou froze mid-laugh, his face lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning. "No way. Please tell me they found out at the same time."

"They did," Rin confirmed, his expression one of pure disdain. "And then they both threw their drinks at him. He spent the rest of the night hiding behind Karasu and Otoya."