Chapter Text
Fifteen minutes later, Rin is stuck.
Sae radiates heat like a dying furnace—trembling, sweat soaking through the blanket, plastering Rin to his side.
“Now you’re sweating all over me,” Rin mutters.
“That’s you,” Sae says without opening his eyes. “You’re projecting your sweat onto me.”
“That’s not even—” Rin grimaces. “You’re dripping onto my face.”
Sae rolls just enough to peer blearily at him. His pupils dilated, wet, glassy, reflecting the light. Then, with deadly calm:
“Hallucinations are another symptom of your weak constitution.”
Rin glares, throat full of curses, while Sae—satisfied—shuts his eyes like he’s drifting into a cozy dream he just earned.
Rin’s hand curls around the pillow.
Warm, relaxing images flash before him:
Rin: lounging on the beach—somewhere tropical, foreign—sipping from a coconut.
Sae: dead, face down floating in a swamp of his own creation.
Rin: zero chill, zero cares.
It could work. But he’ll have to pick a country without an extradition treaty.
Rin lifts the pillow, but before he can make a violent decision, Sae’s nose begins to run.
Reflex overtakes him. Rin snatches a tissue from the nightstand, presses it against Sae’s face.
“Blow,” he orders.
Sae lies still.
“Blow!”
Sae shakes his head, in earnest, like he’s scared, like he’s some stupid troll hoarding snot for next Halloween.
Rin wants to dump milk on him.
“Just blow already,” Rin hisses.
Finally, Sae exhales with such force that mucus splatters onto Rin’s hand.
Normally, Rin would be disgusted. He’d gag, shove Sae away, maybe even wipe it back on him.
But something’s wrong with Rin.
Something’s happening.
He just thinks: it’s Sae’s snot.
And wipes it away like it’s water.
He wipes Sae’s face too, gentle despite the mess.
Sae exhales again, softer. Rin hears the faint whistle of air through his nose—finally, Sae can breathe again.
Warm, validating images flash before him:
Rin, on stage in front of all of Blue Lock, receiving his best caretaker award.
Sae hands it to him, places a hand to the small of his back, leans in and says, “Thank you, for taking such good care of me.” Quiet enough that it’s a secret soft moment shared just between the two of them.
The mattress whines as Sae rolls over and buries his damp face against Rin’s chest like he belongs there.
Rin doesn’t fight it.
Rin embraces it.
With a hand pressing against Sae’s back.
Within minutes they’re both asleep, Sae drooling openly on Rin’s shirt.
Rin hating how much he doesn’t hate it.
Rin hating how he secretly loves it.