Saiko entered the hospital room with a tray of food and water balanced carefully in his hands, his steps quiet and precise. He'd been given a new task this week—delivering meals to certain patients. It was a task he took with a heart-swelling sense of duty, each visit another chance to show the doctor he could be useful.
"Hello?" he called softly, peeking into the small room. It was a room with large, sunlit windows, and flowers bloomed on the windowsill, brightening the pale walls.
Seated on the hospital bed, a young man with a warm smile and gentle eyes looked up from a book. His hair fell softly over his brow, and his eyes were a deep brown, filled with a warmth that made Saiko's heart thump strangely.
"Ah, you must be the one bringing my meals today," the young man greeted, his voice light and kind. "Thank you...?" he prompted, waiting for a name.
"Oh... Saiko! Saiko the nurse!" he chirped shyly, a bit of a proud tone in his voice. He shuffled forward, setting the tray on the bedside table, making sure everything was perfectly in place. "For you, mister!"
The young man chuckled. "Thank you, Saiko. My name's Makoto Sato. I own the flower shop a few blocks away, so I can appreciate the effort you put into delivering this." Makoto's gaze softened as he studied Saiko's face. He noted the shy, downcast eye, the way Saiko kept fidgeting with the hem of his apron, and something inside him stirred with a kind curiosity.
As Saiko turned to leave, feeling accomplished, he felt a soft grip on his wrist. Makoto's hand was warm, steadying, and the unexpected touch froze him in place.
"Saiko," Makoto said gently, "could you stay a moment?"
Saiko's single eye blinked wide, uncertain but undeniably drawn in by the warm light in Makoto's eyes. "S-Stay?" he stammered, glancing nervously at the door as though the doctor might appear at any moment.
"Yes, if you have time. I'd love to talk with you a bit," Makoto replied, letting go of Saiko's wrist with a soft smile. "You see, I've read a lot of old stories about mythological creatures—some of them about cyclopes, actually." He leaned back on his pillows, a playful smile crossing his lips. "But... I have to say, I never thought I'd meet a cyclops who was... well, cute."
Saiko's cheeks flushed a deep pink, his gaze darting to the floor as his hands clutched at his apron in bashful delight. "C-Cute? Saiko?" he stammered, unable to quite believe his ears.
Makoto nodded. "Very cute. Kind of like a shy little bunny in a storybook, not at all like the fearsome creatures in the myths. And you're a nurse, too?"
Saiko managed a nod, feeling his heart pound wildly. He was used to the doctor's harsh, biting words, the reminders of his flaws and shortcomings. This... this gentle voice, filled with a kind curiosity, was something he had never known. "Y-Yes! Saiko is a nurse. Saiko helps Doctor Shuu with patients, learns to do big, important things!"
"That's amazing." Makoto's voice was full of genuine admiration, his smile warm. "You must be very dedicated. Doctor Shuu is lucky to have someone as devoted as you helping him out."
The compliment made Saiko's face break into a smile. He clutched his hands to his chest, his single eye wide and bright. "Saiko tries very, very hard! Doctor says Saiko can be good if he tries and doesn't mess up, yes-yes! Saiko will make Doctor happy one day!"
Makoto's eyes softened, an unspoken sadness lingering there as he noticed the fresh bruise on Saiko's cheek, the faintly red impressions left on his wrists. But he said nothing of it, choosing instead to offer Saiko a small piece of kindness. "I believe in you, Saiko. I think you're doing a wonderful job already."
The words made Saiko's heart feel lighter, as though he could float right up to the ceiling. He clasped his hands together, trying to hold back a grin that threatened to take over his entire face. "Thank you, Mr. Makoto! Saiko... Saiko will come back with your meal again tomorrow, yes-yes!"
"I'd like that, Saiko. And you can call me Makoto," he replied warmly, his eyes bright as he watched Saiko back away, glancing over his shoulder every few steps as though wanting to cling to this moment a little longer.
Before Saiko left the room, he hesitated, looking back at Makoto, as though to memorize his gentle smile and kind eyes. He nodded to himself, already eager for the next day.
In the dim glow of his little storage closet, Saiko hunched over a battered notebook, the pages already crinkled from his eager writing. His fingers worked quickly, scratching out each word in his careful, wobbly handwriting, his thoughts racing far faster than his hand could keep up.
"Dear Diary," he began, nibbling his lip as he tried to capture the excitement thrumming inside him. "Today was very good day! Very, very big good day!"
Saiko paused, taking a deep breath to steady his excitement before he continued.
"Met a nice man... Makoto!" he wrote in large letters, feeling warmth rise in his cheeks as he thought back on the gentle flower shop owner's smile. "Makoto is very pretty-pretty, just like Doctor Shuu! Both very, very handsome, but in different ways. Doctor has dark eyes that can burn, like fire, sharp and so strong! He is tall and very clever with his glasses and white coat! Makoto is also tall-tall, but his eyes look like soft soil with warm lights in them, like sunset! And his hands feel... very soft, not sharp like Doctor's."
A dreamy sigh escaped Saiko's lips as he continued. "Makoto is gentle-gentle, and Doctor is strong-strong. When Doctor looks at Saiko, it feels like Saiko is small-small, but when Makoto looks, it feels like Saiko is... is safe? Maybe good? Not like a broken doll, not a failure. Like Saiko is pretty-pretty in Makoto's eyes too!"
He paused, his pen hovering over the paper as he thought about the warmth he'd felt from Makoto's touch, the strange sensation that made him feel fluttery inside. "Makoto said Saiko is cute, like a bunny! Doctor never says cute things, he says, 'foolish' and 'clumsy' and 'messy.' But... maybe... maybe Makoto would say Saiko is like a gentle bunny, a good bunny!"
Saiko's gaze flickered toward the faint light under his door, wondering if the doctor could somehow sense him writing these secret thoughts. He'd never write this if he thought the doctor would read it. Doctor Shuu would laugh at the thought of Saiko being "cute" or "good," as though it were some foolish joke.
Yet Saiko's mind wandered to another fantasy—a world where Doctor Shuu and Makoto were together, both looking at Saiko with warm smiles, treating him like he was precious, not broken. "One day, Saiko could make both Doctor and Makoto happy. Maybe Doctor will see Saiko the way Makoto does, with warm eyes, maybe even a soft smile. And Doctor might say, 'Good boy, Saiko,' like in the dog books!"
He traced little hearts around the words, feeling his face grow hotter. Saiko imagined the doctor reaching out to gently pat his head as Makoto praised him with that same smile. "Doctor and Makoto would make Saiko feel very big-big, like a prince in a story! Maybe they'd say Saiko is beautiful, like the flowers Makoto sells in his shop. Not scary, not broken. Maybe, maybe... Saiko can be beautiful for them someday, not just in Saiko's dreams."
He drew a clumsy flower next to Makoto's name, imagining him surrounded by colorful petals, and under Doctor Shuu's name, he traced a pair of glasses and a stethoscope.
"Thank you, Diary, for holding Saiko's silly dreams... Maybe, one day, Saiko will make both Doctor and Makoto proud."
