It was a long night, time dragged on and Sae periodically questioned why he was still there. Logically, he knew it didn't necessarily have to be him. After all, he was merely the first emergency contact due to paperwork technicalities, his manager had established this. Ego was still listed as the second emergency contact. Let Ego come and sit in this sensory hell and look after one of his projects. He'd ensure Shidou was well after all the time he'd dedicated to him. And yet. Despite this. Sae stayed. Why?
Was it because Shidou had asked him to stay all desperate and pleading? Was it because of what happened in the locker room? Sae scoffed inwardly at the thought, shutting it down immediately. Tssk no. He wasn't so pathetic as to let something so insignificant impact his routine. This was a major inconvenience. Sae glowered. The idea was laughable. No, it was purely practical.
Maybe it was because he'd chosen Shidou and saw the potential in him to be that striker worthy of his passes. He could raise Shidou up to greater heights, heights he himself never could have achieved. Sae had chosen Shidou, seen potential in the chaos that was the demon, and invested time in shaping him. Leaving now would render all that effort meaningless. Despite what Rin thought of him, Sae wasn't a quitter. That's all there was to it. He'd make sure there was going to be no lasting injury to the demon and then take him home. This would be his charity work for the year.
But when it was time for them to finally leave, Sae was running on fumes and armed with bandages and instructions on how to care for Shidou. Sae's exhaustion had nothing on Shidou's, who had a heaviness about him now. His movements were sluggish and disorientated, eyes glassy and he swayed ominously on the spot when he had to support himself. He seemed not even to have the energy to make flirtatious jokes or spout ridiculous statements.
Once he'd got Shidou in the car, Shidou almost immediately passed out, slumping against the window. Sae huffed loudly in frustration as he roughly tried to shake Shidou awake before stopping himself – remembering the demon's concussion. Sae didn't know where he lived and if there was someone there to care for him. He should have asked his manager for it; he was so fucking stupid. For a brief moment, Sae considered dumping him at a hotel and calling it a night. But then again, there was the issue of there being someone to monitor him, and the thought of more decision-making made his head pound. God this fucking demon, always pushing him in directions he didn't want to go. Fine. He'd take Shidou back to his apartment, let him stay the night and drop him off first thing tomorrow. He didn't care anymore. All he cared about was sleep. Even an hour of sleep sounded blissful right now.
When they arrived at his apartment, Sae enlisted his driver's help to haul a barely lucid Shidou up the stairs and to the door. It was no easy feat. He struggled with the keys in the lock, pushing most of Shidou's weight onto his driver as he got the door open. His driver then transferred Shidou back to Sae, draping Shidou's arms around his shoulders, like they were playing an absurd game of pass the parcel, except the prize was a tired and concussed little gremlin who was heavier than he looked. Between them, they managed to wrestle the demon through the door in a chaotic dance of grumbling and near-stumbles.
Once inside, Sae rummaged in his pocket, pulling out some bills from his wallet and shoved them into his driver's hand, giving him a curt nod. His driver smiled at him, suppressing a yawn as he waved goodbye and Sae half-carried, half-dragged, Shidou further into the apartment.
Sae stood in his dimly lit living room, light from the early morning just beginning to creep in. Shidou leaned heavily against him, one arm slung around Sae's shoulders like an oversized child. He dithered slightly on the spot, considering where to put him before rolling back his shoulders and heading towards his bedroom, slowly dragging Shidou along, who seemed to be stirring next to him due to the jostling.
Shidou laughed quietly in his ear, "Aww, are we going to your bedroom lashes? Didn't think I'd get this lucky."
"Shut. – Up." Sae panted. The comment irked him more than he cared to admit as he dumped Shidou none too gently on his bed. "Just go to sleep."
Shidou spread out, stretching across his bed, getting comfortable. Sae avoided his gaze; the hospital gown was much too thin. He'd already been trying and failing not to catch glimpses of Shidou's ass since they left the hospital. He pushed the thought of Shidou being practically naked from his mind. He looked at his bed longingly, now occupied by a six-foot-one demon sprawled out across it. He supposed the couch could do for one night. But Shidou, just like in the hospital, grabbed his wrist.
"Just stay here lashes. You need to sleep too," Shidou murmured, yawning softly.
Sae hesitated, torn between his desire for distance and his bone-deep exhaustion. The demon was right, and Sae was too tired to think about this further. He felt dizzy and disorientated, strung thin from lack of sleep and stress. Ignoring the voice in his head shouting that this was a bad idea, that he wasn't to entertain this. He pulled his hand free from Shidou's grasp but crawled into the bed next to him. He lay poker straight on his back, staring at the ceiling, determined to ignore the demon sprawled beside him. Shidou wiggled back closer to him, his warmth brushing against Sae's side. Sae moved imperceptibly, creating the tiniest gap between them.
"Behave yourself demon. Try anything, and I'll choke you to death," he warned, completely serious.
"Don't threaten me with a good time," Shidou laughed sleepily.
Sae rolled his eyes and hissed at him in frustration. He was beyond talking now.
"I'll behave pretty lashes. Goodnight," Shidou mumbled, yawning.
Sae relaxed next to him slightly, listening to the sounds of Shidou's breathing becoming deeper and slower as Sae too, succumbed to sleep.