It had started out as a joke.

Now, it was keeping him up at night.

Satoru had always had trouble sleeping; whether it was stress or nightmares, insomnia wasn’t something foreign to him.

Initially, the break room couch had seemed like a good place to rest. He could lounge there, away from prying eyes, and catch a few minutes of sleep between lessons and meetings. But the real reason he’d started coming to the break room more often was because of you.

And then you left for a mission, and Satoru’s world was flipped seven times over.

It wasn’t even a long mission, just a few days, but Satoru found himself unable to indulge in any sort of nap. He hadn’t realized until now how helpful those naps were, especially with his inability to sleep at night.

He had tried everything. Hugging a pillow, imagining your soft breathing, nothing was working. He needed you to fall asleep.

By day three, Satoru was running on nothing but a few lucky hours of sleep and sugar. Today you were coming home, but now Satoru had another thing to worry about.

His newfound dependence on you.

What the hell was he going to do?

..

Yes, your honor, breaking into people’s houses was bad, but what if you have probable cause?

Careful not to wake you, he lowered himself onto the edge of your bed.

The soft mattress felt like a cloud compared to the break room couch, and for a moment, he simply sat there, watching you. He was actually going insane.

Slowly, he eased himself down, lying beside you.

The bed dipped under his weight, and he held his breath, hoping you wouldn’t stir.

As he settled in, he felt an immediate sense of calm. It was ridiculous how just being near you could have such an effect on him.

"Mmh.."

He mumbled, finally at peace.