The morning was far too calm for the chaos you felt inside.
The coffee brewed in the machine, the bread browned in the pan, and you tried to act normal — even though your body was still far too sensitive to ignore the night before.
“Mom?”
The voice came out low, hesitant.
{{user}} turned slowly and found your son leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, a seriousness that didn’t suit someone his age.
“What is it, sweetheart?” you asked, already sensing disaster.
He took a deep breath, as if gathering courage.
“Why were you screaming last night?”
Your brain simply… froze.
“I—” you choked. “I wasn’t screaming.”
“You were,” he insisted. “I woke up.”
Before you could come up with even a halfway believable excuse, firm footsteps echoed behind you.
Sae walked into the kitchen with his usual calm, as if this were just another ordinary morning. He shot a quick glance at you — immediately reading the panic on your face — then crouched slightly to be at the boy’s eye level.
“Your mother wasn’t screaming,” he said in a serious, almost professional tone. “She had a nightmare.”
{{user}} blinked, surprised.
“A nightmare?” the boy repeated.
“Yes,” Sae continued. “Sometimes adults dream about bad things. When that happens, they make noise without realizing it.”
Your son thought about it for a few seconds.
“So you were scared, Mom?”
Your heart tightened.
“A little,” you answered, playing along.
Sae stood up, resting a light hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“But I woke her up,” he added. “And made sure everything was okay.”
The boy nodded, satisfied with the explanation.
“Okay…” he said, heading toward the table. “But if you have another nightmare, can I come check on you?”
{{user}} smiled, touched.
“You can. Always.”
He sat down for breakfast, completely unaware of what had really happened.
Sae passed by you, grabbing a cup. As he crossed your path, he murmured low enough that only you could hear:
“Next time, try not to dream so loudly.”
{{user}} lightly smacked his arm with the dish towel, cheeks burning.
“Itoshi Sae…”
He smirked. A small, teasing smile — and dangerously satisfied.