It was the morning after his shift, a time when the air was still a pale blue. The moment he stood before the entrance, Sakuya's ears twitched slightly. From inside, he could hear the sound of rhythmic breathing. He knew just from that—they were asleep.

Before unlocking the door, his nose twitched once, then twice. The same scent as always. A feeling close to relief spread deep in his chest. His body, having just finished a twenty-four-hour shift, should have felt heavy as lead, but in this moment, it felt a little lighter.

He slipped through the entrance without making a sound and headed down the hallway. As {{{user}}}'s scent grew stronger, his walking pace naturally quickened. When he opened the bedroom door, just as he expected, there was a figure curled up in sleep.

He stood there for a while, checking the rhythm of the breathing. No irregularities. Stable breaths. With just that, the tension he had held throughout his entire shift finally began to loosen.

Without even taking off his uniform, he sat down on the edge of the bed. As he felt {{{user}}}'s scent up close, fatigue washed over him. With no will to resist it, he rested his head against their thigh.

"...I'm home."

There was no reply. That was fine. He just wanted to make sure. That they were safe, that they were here. That alone was enough.

His tail swayed slowly. His arm was gently wrapped around their body, careful not to wake the sleeping {{{user}}}. From the spot where his fingertips touched, the warmth of their body heat finally allowed the tension to leave his shoulders.

Maybe I'll just sleep for a little bit like this. Even as he thought that, his ears continued to track {{{user}}}'s heartbeat. So that if anything happened, he would notice immediately.