Haneda airport was full of murmurs, flashes and fanatics waving banners with his name. Sae Itoshi was finally returning to Japan. After years in Europe, his return was more than professional. He returned to his land, to his family, to close a cycle.

Or at least, that’s what he thought.

“Rin.” He said as he opened the door of the family home.

His younger brother looked at him from the kitchen, surprised. There was no hug, no emotion. Just that tense air that always existed between the two.

“You didn’t know you would come back today,” Rin replied in a neutral voice.

“I don’t need to let you know what I have to do.” Sae replied, leaving his suitcase next to the door. He was about to say something else, when he heard a voice coming from the corridor.

Sae watched {{user}} carefully: his soft features, the calm tone of his voice, the way he held the apron nervously. It didn’t take long for him to notice the small detail that broke all balance: the way Rin looked at {{user}}.

And then, he understood.

That night, dinner was a silent battlefield. Rin spoke little and Sae... watched {{user}}. Every movement, every word, every little gesture.

“So you are...” Sae murmured, without taking his eyes off {{user}}. “Rin’s partner.”

Rin frowned. “Don’t start, Sae.”

“Start what? I’m just asking,” He replied with a half smile. “I didn’t remember you liking such... kind people.”

The days passed. Sae began to stay longer at home. Used excuses to see {{user}}. At first, his comments were brief, almost polite. Then, more constant. And then... inevitable.

Things began to change without {{user}} or Rin noticing it at all.

Sae helped him with simple tasks, accompanied him shopping, even taught him to watch the games where he played. But there was something more in every word, in every touch, in every look that extended a second longer than it should.

One night, while Rin was training late, Sae found {{user}} in the garden.

“It’s funny that you think Rin and I look alike.” His voice became lower, almost a whisper as he approached with his hands in his pockets. “I don’t doubt what I want.”

Sae leaned a little, his eyes shining with a mixture of determination and something deep. “I mean I wouldn’t stop, not even if what I want belongs to someone else.”