Satō / Samuel T. Owen x Reader

Part 3

Bubbles took to the surface of the tub, [ Y/N ] finally came up for air. The water slid down her bare skin, rippling back to the collective liquid, pooling on the porcelain skirt side. She looked at the selection of bathing products that were placed neatly on a small rack above the tub. Opening the containers and tubes, one at a time. She wavered them around, under her nose, looking for a pleasant wash. One was the scent of mint, the other a scent of too harsh a cologne. She found a plain, green bottle tucked behind all of the others. It carried the same fragrance of the earthy fresh soap. She lathered her hair and body in it. Soaking in the serenity it brought her. She didn't understand why but it made her feel safe.

KNOCK, KNOCK!

[ Y/N ] took the knife she had resting on the edge of the sink. "...Yes?" "I brought you some clean clothes. Sorry if they're a little loose but it's all I can offer for now. I'll leave them here by the door." Satō placed them down and she waited, listening for his footsteps to fade back down the hall. She carefully stood from the tub, knife in hand as her drenched hair covered her breasts. She took a towel from the shelf above the medicine cabinet. Wrapping it around her. The bathroom door squeak open, enough for her to stick her hand through, and retrieved the clothing. She dried herself and unfolded the apparel. Long-sleeve, button-up white shirt and dark green plaid pajama pants. Nothing to complain about. They were very comfortable and it was more than she could ever ask for in her recent situation. She tied her hair back and glanced into the mirror. It could have been worse. A lot worse. A few cuts on the side of her face, one across her nose. Aside from that, she looked okay. Tired but okay.

Satō and Tanaka were locked in conversation. They almost didn't notice [ Y/N's ] soft approach. She stood in the living room, silently confused. Still trying to wrap her mind around everything at once. "I'm sorry..." She spoke without thought. The two men turned around. "I mean..." She held her dirty clothes at her side. "What...do I do now?" Tanaka let out a sharp whistle. "I do believe this is the first time I've ever seen a woman in your clothes, Satō." "Oh..." [ Y/N ] looked down at what she had on. She felt a rush of warmth in her face. "Ha-ha, make yourself at home." Satō took the stained clothing from her hands. "Let's just toss this out. We'll see if we can get you something later today." "I don't understand." She drew his attention. "What is all this for? Why is it such a concern? Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the hospitality but I don't understand it. I have nothing to repay you both with." "Sit down." Satō politely suggested, opening the lid to the kitchen trash can. He placed her old clothes into it and sat on the stool by the table. Tanaka poured him some tea as the silence began to close in.

[ Y/N ] chose the sofa to take her seat. It was a small distance between her and the two men. "I know everything is upside down for you right now. Believe me, it was the same when we were brought here. Nothing makes sense to the life you had on the outside. The faster you come to terms with being here, the quicker you'll find a small place of normality. That normality will be whatever you want it to be. Like starting over, a new life. And it's different from the one you had before. In here, we look out for each other. Otherwise, humans suffer and Ajin lose their mind. Either way, no one gets out of here. We make the most of it." A quick pause. "I happened to be walking by when your group was attacked. Consider it a good fortune." Satō sipped his tea, inhaling the deep aroma.

Tanaka poured [ Y/N ] some tea as well. She watched as the red herbal drink swirled within the tiny porcelain cup. "I do appreciate everything. Both of you." [ Y/N ] took a sip, it was good. Calming. "Dinner is almost ready, man is it late!" "Yeah, you know, I wasn't planning on you to wake up so soon. Kinda thought you'd be out for the rest of the night." "By the way, what is this place?" [ Y/N ] looked around the room. "It was used as a storage facility before we took it over. Got all three floors to ourselves. We sleep, eat, etcetera-up here. The two floors below us- ah. We'll shows you later." Satō seemed to be in a happy mood. He laughed with Tanaka for a bit. [ Y/N ] tried to follow along when they thought she was listening. Part of her was worried about her family. Her eyes met with a classic gaming system not far from the television, it was a tad surprising. "Dinner is served!" Tanaka took down the plates and set the table. His apron freely flapped open as he untied it's grasp from around his waistline. He looked like an advertisement for busy mothers. "Has anyone ever tried to escape from here?" [ Y/N ] asked halfway through dinner. Satō smiled. "There's a lot to talk about but right now isn't the time for all that."

"Wow, Tanaka, that was amazing." He winked in gratitude. [ Y/N ] set her empty plate into the sink to wash it and placed it onto the dish rack to dry with the others. One last cup of tea! Satō plopped down on the sofa next to [ Y/N ], she fell silent. The tea had calmed her worries but a new set sprung within the small space between them. He seemed generous but was he really? She put it out of her mind. It was time to wind down for now. She felt too exhausted. Satō gave a slight look of amusement, he could smell his favorite wash on her skin and in her hair. "Well, if you don't mind I'd like to turn in already." Satō threw his hands on his knees. "Yeah- Yeah, sure." She stood from the sofa. "Umm, I could sleep here instead, if that's okay?" Satō stretched out "But I've already remade the bed for you. Since you had those clothes on earlier. Besides I'm already settled now." He took off his hat, placing it over his face. A sudden warmth of embarrassment struck her face when she realized that the comforting scent of the bed was his. "Goodnight!" She nervously managed to say. "Yes, goodnight." His response was muffled by the hat. The bed wasn't far, it was right next to the window. Behind a half-wall.

She walked over to the yellow cloth swaying. The sound of crickets, dying out slowly, as the distant sky crept into various colors of blue. Morning? Already? [ Y/N ] looked down at the bed. ("Perhaps just a few more hours?") she thought. She sat at the edge, lifting her arms above her head to stretch them out. Still sore. Her eyes came to the wooden floor, searching it for a single shard of glass from the lamp she had shattered. Gone. One of them must have cleaned it up. A strange feeling of guilt came over her. She sat further back, into the bed. Bringing her legs up, until she was hugging her keens. Why should she feel guilty? She is a prisoner here. She finally sank into the bed; the scent was faint now. His scent. Overpowered by the detergent of clean sheets. She slipped her hand onto the pillow, bringing the shirt sleeve close to her face. There it was again.