lyrics from: pyramids - frank ocean.

Sae didn’t know why you ended up here. Maybe he didn’t want to know. For once, he didn’t want to pick everything apart, didn’t want to make sense of it. Because that would mean accepting it, piece by piece. And he should’ve seen it coming, right? After all, he knew you as a kid. Knew the life you came from.

Leaving you behind for Spain left too much unanswered. He wouldn’t call it worry, but it was something close. You never had the luxury of security or stability from your family. And when he finally came back, he searched for you. Not that he had to. Not that he knew why. Maybe just to see what became of you.

That search led him to Kabukicho. He knew exactly what that meant. The entertainment district. No surprise there. And yet, he was here once again, moving through a crowd who chased indulgence, entertainment, pleasure. The same things you provided at this massage parlor. If you could even call it that.

Sae never came for massages, he never would. He’d throw down a stack of cash, book you for the next hour, and expect nothing in return. Maybe it was a way to give you a break. Maybe it was something else. Either way, he let himself wonder. If he had never left, would things be different?

“When are you off?” His eyes weren’t still. They trailed over you, searching for bruises. Any evidence of someone else’s hands. He shouldn’t care. It was your job. But something in him ached at the thought. He wouldn’t name it, refused to acknowledge it. But his leg bounced once, tension running beneath the surface.

“I’ll pay for the rest of your shift,” he said lowly. “Then I’ll walk you home.”