Zephyr {Sae Itoshi x Reader}

First Aid

Two spectators eventually broke up the fight, each holding a boy back. Sae's shirt was wrinkled and a large bruise and already begun forming under his left eye.

Ito looked in even worse shape. His nose was misshaped and bloody, and it appeared as though one of his teeth had been knocked out.

This is all my fault, I thought disdainfully. But I didn't ask Sae to jump in like that; he was mad at me too.

Ito shot me a darkening glare, but Sae sized him up straight away, getting in our path. Without a word, my somewhat-boyfriend stormed out the cafe, taking several spectators with him. Within five minutes, everything had gone back to its usual stupor.

"Sae..." I drifted off, unsure of what to say.

"Save it," he snapped. "Have some self-respect." Sae's words stung, but he spoke them in barely even a whisper. He wasn't yelling and there wasn't a tone of disappointment in this voice. It just seemed... somber.

Although his words were harsh, I knew he was right.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "You shouldn'tve done that for me."

Sae took a seat at the counter and shot me as deadpan glare. "If you think that I shouldn'tve, then maybe your head is more screwy than I thought."

We sat in silence for a while. Meaning, three hours. Three painful hours Sae sat there while I made people's coffee. All he did was scroll on his phone; I couldn't imagine what he was doing on there. All I knew was that he would quickly be on the headlines.

Prodigy Soccer Player Enters Brawl, I imagined it would say.

Sae Itoshi, Gone Off the Rails?

Are Redheads Really Soulless? Read This and You'll See Why.

Guilt tugged at my heart, but I just didn't know what to say. I couldn't articulate how grateful I was? Sorry I was? Confused?

I took a quick glance at my phone and saw that Ito had blown it up with texts. Sae raised his eyebrows at me, so I set it face down by him so he could see I wouldn't respond.

My coworkers had left a few minutes early, leaving just the two of us alone. But Sae stayed until it was time to close, just sitting there, drinking his coffee in silence.

It killed me.

"Can I clean you up at least?" I asked.

Silence.

"Please," I repeated. "Let me help you. Just this once let me thank you properly."

Sae's blue eyes were killer. I couldn't read anything that was going through this mind, not that I could most times anyway. He was normally quiet, not silent. But this? This felt deadly.

I watched the way he slightly winced when he blinked. I watched as he subtly combed through his messed-up hair. I watched as he chewed on his slightly swollen cheek.

But that was all because I didn't stand up for myself.

I stood up for myself once. The night of the bar. But up until then, I'd never considered it. I'd always thought that since Ito was the only guy to like me, that whatever I got was what I deserved. A slutty outfit was all a male wanted from me.

But Sae Itoshi just did the unexpected.

As I was working, these thoughts continued to swirl around in my mind over and over. Vi's words, Sae's words, Ito's words.

Why not my own words?

"My plans were canceled tonight," Sae said, finally, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Let me walk you home."

Plans? I thought. Oh right, where he goes after the cafe every evening.

I popped below the counter and grabbed a conveniently close first aid kit. "First, this."

Sae rolled his eyes. Well, one eye. The bruised-up one didn't roll too well. "You're too stubborn about this."

"And you're too tough to take a thank you."

I sprayed some disinfectant on a wipe and held it up to his face. With a short nod, Sae let me take care of him, just a little bit.

I was painfully aware that the cafe was empty. It was just us. Alone.

"You know I think you're stupid, right?" Sae asked suddenly.

I paused and shot him a dirty look. "Back at you, knuckles. You're the one who went brawling."

"You're the one with the jackass boyfriend."

"You're the one who..." I couldn't think of anything else. "...Has dumb hair."

"You're illiterate."

"You're picky."

Sae raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you really got me with that one. Picky. Oh no, I think my heart is breaking."

I laughed loudly and Sae cracked a smile. I finished with the first aid kit and packed it back underneath the counter.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

Sae nodded and headed towards the door, holding it open for me. We then walked into the night, a gentle breeze peacefully blowing about.