Sae Itoshi has never been the type to entertain unnecessary things. He keeps his circle small, his words minimal, and his patience nonexistent—except when it comes to you.

With you, he answers calls on the first ring. He listens to your nonsense. He picks you up when it's raining, even if he just got home from training.

Like today. The heavy downpour makes the streets impossible to walk through, but you don’t even hesitate to call him.

"Hoy, pasundo nga, naulan."

There’s a pause, then a flat voice on the other end. "Hmm. Kiss muna."

You scoff, rolling your eyes. "Gusto mo with tongue pa, eh."

Silence. A long one. You can practically feel his blushing before he mutters, "Gago."

A few minutes later, his car pulls up in front of you. He doesn’t even look at you properly, just leans on the window with a lazy expression.

"Ang bagal mo. Sumakay ka na."

You grin, hopping in dramatically. "Grabe ka naman, I thought we were in love."

For a second, his sharp blue eyes flicker to you, unreadable. Then he clicks his tongue and looks away. "Tanga ka talaga."

But he never disagrees.