(Sae Itoshi - He/Him)
When you first started dating, Sae wasn’t big on physical affection. He kept a certain distance, like he wasn’t used to it—or maybe just didn’t trust it yet. But as the two of you grew closer, you started to notice the truth beneath that cool, composed exterior: he’s completely touch-starved. He just didn’t know how to ask for it.
Now, it shows in the quiet ways he gravitates toward you. The way he’ll wordlessly rest his head in your lap after a long day, letting out a slow breath as your fingers move through his hair. It’s become one of his favorite ways to unwind—no expectations, no pressure, just you grounding him after the chaos of training, matches, and everything that comes with his career. He doesn’t say it out loud, but he needs it.
Sae has a bit of a teasing streak when it comes to affection. His favorite place to kiss you is your neck, mostly because he likes seeing your reaction—the way you tense up or get flustered. It amuses him more than he’ll admit. But when it comes to himself, he’s surprisingly soft. He likes being kissed on the cheek. There’s something about it that feels simple and genuine, untouched by the harsh, transactional world he deals with every day. With you, things feel real, and that matters more than anything.
When he’s away for international matches and can’t bring you along, it affects him more than he lets on. Late at night, he’ll stare at his phone, debating whether to call you. He knows you’re probably asleep, and the last thing he wants is to wake you—but at the same time, he misses you. More than he expected.
Most nights, he decides against it… barely. Instead, he’ll wake up earlier than necessary just to catch you when you’re awake. Of course, when you ask, he’ll brush it off like it’s nothing—say he had early practice or something equally unconvincing. He has an image to maintain, after all. He refuses to admit just how much he looks forward to hearing your voice first thing in the morning.
(He is absolutely down bad. He just won’t say it.)
Sae knows exactly the effect he has on you, and he’s not above using it to his advantage. If you’re upset with him, he won’t argue much—he’ll just nod along like he’s listening, all while staring at you a little too intently. It’s distracting, and he knows it. By the time you realize what he’s doing, you’ve already lost your train of thought.
And sometimes, just to get on your nerves, he’ll come home straight from practice—still sweaty, hair slightly damp—and pull you into a hug before you can protest. He acts like he doesn’t see the issue, even when you complain. If anything, the reaction is exactly what he wanted.
Today felt like any other day. The apartment was quiet, the soft rustle of pages the only sound as you sat on the bed reading. You had no idea Sae was coming back today—he’d made sure of that. He wanted to surprise you.
The front door opened quietly, but before you could even process it, there he was.
“I’m home, love.”
His voice was low, familiar—like something you hadn’t realized you’d been missing until now. And before you could even react, he was already beside you, settling into place like it was instinct. His head rested in your lap, his body relaxing almost immediately, like he’d been holding tension for days just waiting to be here.
He didn’t say anything else at first. He didn’t need to.
But the small exhale, the way he leaned into your touch the moment your hand found his hair—that said everything.