Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sea water was coming in too fast, flooding the large holes of the ship callously. Alex held onto the metal-barred ladder, feeling the cold rush of oblivion rising around him. His fingers froze, turning pale from where he held onto dear life. His lungs felt so tired, heart beating like a racehorse in a final lap.

A flash of sailors sinking into the ocean depths crossed his mind making him shake his head, closing his eyes tightly. His brother’s lifeless form floating away. A whimper left his mouth as he tried not to see it. The pain and horror coming in all at once.

Shaking violently, something suddenly came at him from behind and his arm jerked outward to defend himself. The instant reaction woke Alex up. Another nightmare. He looked around, eyes blurry for a moment to find he had fallen asleep at the bar. The other sailors partied around him in victory.

Right, they had won. The aliens were gone and they were safe. They saved everyone on the USS Missouri. It worked. It worked.

Alex repeated the words in his head, blinking away the fear he felt still. He looked down at the fist he had stuck out. Flexing his hand, he noticed a few sailors watching him. Curiosity and a near pity apparent on their faces as they stared.

His green eyes moved across the room to see Nagata watching him with an unreadable expression. He had paused in the middle of his pool game. Alex swallowed, looking away. He didn’t need anyone to pity him, to judge him. He wished he hadn’t fallen asleep; for everyone to see how fragile he really felt after everything.

After a moment of trying to settle his swirling thoughts, there was a tap on his shoulder, and he slowly turned to find Nagata standing next to him with two beers. The Captain didn’t ask if he was alright, which Alex was grateful for. To lie would be pointless and it was obvious he wasn’t, he decided. “What, Nagata?”

The man raised an eyebrow at the informality, but didn’t comment. “Here. Very good, this American beer.”

Alex let out a breath from his nose, dropping his head before looking back at the captain. “You bought me a beer?” he teased, lightly. Happy for the distraction from the memories. Stone’s death.

Nagata rolled his brown eyes, placing it on the wood in front of Alex instead of waiting for him to take it. “Don’t think too much of this, Lieutenant Commander.”

Alex frowned looking down at the beer. He scoffed, “Do I really deserve the promotion? I’m starting to think I’d rather just go die in a ditch somewhere.”

There was a delay before Nagata answered, his voice soft and strongly accented. It was almost charming. “Do not say these things. I would like you to… stick around longer.”

“Woah, that’s a lot coming from you.” he felt a grin slowly pull at his cheeks. “You like me that much?”

“Do not push it.” he answered, bluntly. The annoyed expression slowly morphed, a look of concern crossed his face. Thinking carefully over his words, “I am trying to be…”

“Benevolent?” Alex asked, tilting his head.

Nagata paused, searching Alex’s face. “Perhaps.” he voiced, leaving the idea open. There was a moment of silence between them, unsure of how to continue but wanting to make sure they were on good terms still. “Drink up, it is a rare gift from me.” he then told Alex quickly, before making his way back to the pool table.

Alex grabbed the beer looking at nothing in particular as he took a big gulp of it. Sighing, he wondered what he was going to do with himself now. Worried the nightmares would never let up. He supposed he could try to ignore it, like he always did and try to move on. That is probably what Stone would want.

Nagata’s laugh reached his ears, anchoring him in the charging waves. He glanced over to the table again, seeing the man lean over the table with a smile on his face. Intelligent eyes following the line of the ball in front of him. The tight pull of the white uniform against his tawny skin. Weps and Ordy teasing each other beside him as they leaned on their cue sticks.

Alex took another drink, watching quietly before getting up to toss a few bills on the green table in Nagata’s face. He didn’t like owing anyone anything. The Captain looked up at him in surprise, but Alex left the building before he could note anything else.

---

The next day they were told to report to the harbor bright and early for Japan’s Navy take off. The sun shone brightly down on them, making him squint.

Captain Nagata was asked to give a speech before leaving and at the end, the man quoted Back to the Future. “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.” It was silly since they were traveling across water.

Alex fought a smile as he stood at attention.

When they were free to move around, mingling before the final leave, Alex found Nagata in the crowds. He took in the man in front of him, trying to figure him out. “Really? Back to the Future was the best you had?”

“What? It was funny.” he defended, completely serious on the matter. “You know, you complain about my references, but you still understand them. So what does that make you, Lieutenant Commander Hopper?”

“Nothing short of an idiot, as you would say, Captain Nagata.” he smiled, putting out a hand for him to shake. Nagata smiled back, ducking his head as he gripped Alex’s hand.

“Oh, please. Get a room, you two!” Weps chuckled, making them both jerk their heads toward her. “Can I have command of the ship when you die of heartbreak, Lieutenant Commander?” she twirled in place, making Alex roll his eyes.

He wouldn’t die of heartbreak. Obviously. Yet, with Nagata gone he wouldn’t be as entertained, challenged, and looking forward to the next day. It was so very fun to tease the man, even if he was infuriatingly irritating sometimes. Their fights were almost addicting. He would never admit it out loud though.

Strangely enough the man gave him comfort. Like last night, his presence had anchored him. Yes, with Nagata gone he’d have no one to tease, but oddly he’d also be lonely and that scared him. He couldn’t explain it in words.

When Weps left, Nagata cleared his throat. “It has been a journey, tomodachi. I would like to-”

“Say no more, Captain. It was an honor to work with you, and I hope we meet again. Have a rematch in soccer, huh?” he patted the man’s toned shoulder once in comradery. He didn’t want to give away something he couldn’t explain; why the man meant so much to his sanity in only a short amount of time.

“Yes.” he answered shortly, hesitating before leaving. Alex grit his teeth, jaw bouncing. Angry at himself for ruining it. Then Nagata miraculously turned back around, awkwardly pausing before stuttering, “I-if I wrote- to you, would you return a letter?”

Alex felt his pulse quicken, not at all opposed to the idea, he blurted, “Of course I would, Nagata.” He felt his blood rise to his cheeks, mentally kicking himself for being such a dork. The redness appearing in Nagata’s ears eased the embarrassment a little. It also unfortunately gave Alex a little confidence to which he then followed up with, “You can tell me all about your thoughts on Art of War.” he winked.

Nagata opened his mouth, before shutting it again. The man was slightly shorter than himself, and Alex felt all the higher when the captain silently gave a coy smile before walking toward the ship.

Chapter Text

Another nightmare took over Alex’s body. This time at his home and it was tense. Prolonged and lingering. His muscles felt seized, like they were frozen. He awoke with a shout of frustration because he just couldn’t shake them. His phone buzzed from where it lay on his nightstand.

Swallowing down the shakiness he felt, Alex answered it with a short, “Yes?”

“Hopper.” Alex’s mind halted at the familiar voice, “It is Captain Nagata… from the Navy?”

Alex felt his shoulders drop, a smile reaching his lips. Shaking his head he answered lightly, “Of course I remember, Captain. We fought aliens. I don’t think I’d forget that anytime soon.” He furrowed his brow then, “How did you get my number?” Sitting up, to look out at the dark sky from the window.

“I called in a favor.” Nagata stated, leaving no room for inflection in his voice.

Alex gave a crooked smirk, “I thought you said you’d write.”

“Changed my mind.”

Alex settled onto the couch in the living room with a bottle of beer. There wasn’t a point in trying to sleep again after his nightmares, so he might as well take advantage of having someone to talk to. Distract him. It had been nearly a month and a half since his promotion and the Japanese Navy left Hawai’i. Alex had wondered in that time if Nagata actually was an anchor for him. He hadn’t felt as relaxed as he did now for a very long time. “Couldn’t wait that long to talk to me, hmm?”

“Perhaps.” the sailor answered, recalling that moment in the bar. Alex could hear the small smile within it this time.

Alex laid the cool bottle against his forehead, trying to understand what the other man was thinking. “Nagata-”

“Yugi. That is my given name.” Nagata interrupted, like it was important that Alex should know it.

Alex closed his eyes, before continuing, “Yugi. You know it’s like super early over here?”

Nagata chuckled, “Yes, but the best parties are late. Don’t you think?”

Hopper looked down, that smile unconsciously softly finding its place on his face again. There was a distorted sound of a guitar playing in the background. “Are you at a party right now?” he asked, strangely disappointed that it wasn’t just them talking.

“No. There is music playing and I’ve got a drink. Close enough.”

Alex tilted his head, “Let me guess, Jerry Lee Lewis?”

Nagata made a sound kind of like a snort, “No. Boston.”

He raised his brows, “Boston.” It for some reason didn’t surprise him, but Alex grinned when he thought about Nagata sitting there listening to Boston. How he had thought to call him. Asking if Nagata had known he wasn’t sleeping well was unnecessary, because inside they both knew why they were talking. Alex took a drink.

After a moment of comfortable silence, “Why did you call now?” Curious why it took so long. Too long.

It was quiet for a bit. Long enough that Alex would have thought the call ended if it wasn’t for the drums rhythm cutting in every once and a while. “Would you believe me if I said I wasn’t brave enough to?”

Alex thought about it for a moment, rolling it around in his mind. He leaned back against the couch to blink up at the ceiling. It made him wonder if they were closer to the same page than he had thought. During their fight in the bathroom on the ship he had noticed the man didn’t have a wedding band, right before he was being pushed into a steel pipe. “What changed your mind?” he questioned instead.

“I suppose I was missing our fights.” he said, making them both chuckle. “Maybe, I just wanted to talk. I am not sure… but thinking about you waking up at that bar,” Nagata paused, unsure of how to say it. “I just wanted to see if you were alright I guess.” Alex could tell there was more Nagata could have said. His words made his chest both warm and hurt.

“Thank you, Na-Yugi. I’m doing fine.”

Nagata stubbornly made a noise of disagreement, hearing his lies. “I think you should talk about it. Remember and let go.” His voice so very calming, pulled Alex towards it. “You probably should try to sleep. Sorry for keeping you awake.”

He wasn’t ready though. “For now, could you just- could you just-” he bit his lip, blinking rapidly at how hard it was to ask. “Talk. It seems to help.” Nagata made a humming sound, so Alex took it as a sign to continue- that he wasn’t in the wrong. “Tell me what your home is like.”

Nagata spoke to him for what seemed like hours until finally Alex was able to fall asleep on the couch with his phone between his neck and shoulder. He didn’t have any nightmares for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

Alex didn’t call Yugi back after that night. He didn’t have to because Yugi called him every other night when he was able. They were both high ranked, busy men in a demanding branch of the military. Lately though, it seemed like the days were obscenely long and the nights were far too short.

They would always start with the same, ‘What are you listening to tonight?’ and Yugi would answer with Orbison, Heart, Elvis, or Fleetwood Mac, etc. It was never the same band and it gave Alex a new side to Yugi with every song. He pondered on whether Yugi thought about songs beforehand, the ones he played during their visits through the phone. If any of them reminded Yugi of him.

Today, when Alex would take a breath he didn’t ache. His shoulders didn’t tense and his stomach didn’t twist. He had gone for a run along the beach that morning and stared across the ocean without fear. The sunrise reflected into his green eyes, able to finally see the beauty in it again. Stone was gone. And how Alex cherished the time he was able to spend with him.

He’d come once a month to replace flowers at his headstone, telling him simple things. Sometimes Alex asked him for guidance and hurt when at first he wasn’t able to see it right away. Over time, he felt his brother right there with him. It helped to believe he was at least, by making choices his brother would normally council. Alex had a life again thanks to Stone and he would try to live it happily. Before he knew it, two months passed.

Alex told Yugi about his trips to the memorial and glowed inside when the sailor said he was proud of him. His pocket began buzzing and he quickly went to answer it. “Hey.” Alex greeted, putting the phone on speaker while he put his groceries away.

“Hey, Alex.” Yugi answered, only starting to call him that recently. It made him smile when hearing his name.

“Which one is it tonight?”

“I’m not listening tonight.”

Alex paused, placing the bread on the counter gently. “Oh? Why’s that?”

“I am busy.” Yugi answered, with a huff. It was a bit difficult to hear him with a dull drown of noise overlaying his voice. Then an echoed voice cleared it away, sounding something like an announcement.

“Where are you?”

“I can not talk for long-”

Alex braced his hands on the counter with pinched eyebrows. “Are you ok?”

“Just listen.” he exasperated. “I’m at the airport. It was short notice, but they are sending me back to Hawai'i for a week. Some meetings and recruitments.” Yugi took a breath, a bit shaky on his next words, “The point is, I will be there tomorrow.”

Alex’s heart sped up. “You’re coming back?” it left his mouth before he could worry about it sounding too desperate. He braced his hands on the counter, lowering his head. “Do you have a place to stay?” There was a long moment where Yugi didn’t say anything. He nearly asked again thinking it didn’t get through.

“I thought you would never ask. I have something to give you when you pick me up at 0400.” Alex opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Another announcement sounded off. “That is my gate, see you, Alex.” He didn’t end the call immediately, seeming to wait for Alex to return it.

“See you soon, Yugi.” he breathed.

Chapter Text

Sleeping wasn’t an option that night, waiting and knowing he’d see Yugi very soon was draining. He decided to just stay up until he got here, since it would be very early. As he sat in his truck waiting by the long section of doors, he fidgeted restlessly. Alex looked at his hair in the mirror, straightened his shirt, turned on the radio and then turned it back off. “What am I doing? What are you doing?!” he growled to himself, slapping his cheeks lightly. Trying to shake off the suspense and anxiety.

The doors opened up to his right, catching sight of Yugi in normal clothes. Strange to see him without a uniform. Alex got out of the truck and helped him with his small suitcase after laying a lei over his shoulders. “Welcome back, Captain.”

“Thank you.” he smiled lightly as Alex awkwardly stepped away from him. Wait,” he murmured, unzipping one side of the blue case and handing Alex something wrapped in a silver cloth.

“For me?” Alex asked, as they moved to sit in the truck. Yugi nodded, ears turning pink. It was nice to finally see the man’s expressions after trying to imagine them for months. He was distracted for a moment when Yugi’s eyes met his own. He startled himself out of it, taking in a breath, carefully unwrapping it to find a Japanese steel dive knife. One he could strap to his leg.

“Wow, this is- amazing.” he raised his brows, unsheathing it to see the way it glinted.

“My uncle, he is a smith. I asked him to make it for you. And see here,” Yugi leaned over to flip the knife onto one side, the initials A.H. carved lightly at the base. “Your name.”

“Yugi, I don’t know what to say. It’s beautiful, thank y-”

“Do not worry about it,” Yugi waved his hand, clicking his seatbelt in place.

Alex could see the man was embarrassed, hell, they both were! His chest wouldn’t stop fluttering. He pulled out onto the road and headed home.

---

“Um, the extra room is down the hall, next to the bathroom.” Alex told him, wiping his sweating hands on his pants. After they got everything situated, Yugi slept for a long time, before having to go straight to the base. They didn’t see much of each other for a few days. One was either at the house while the other at base.

“What would you say to going out tonight?” Alex questioned, when the end of the week came near and they had their fill of Yugi’s help. Friday night was the best.

“Going out?” Nagata asked, bluntly. Blinking, he turned on the kitchen stool to look at Alex.

“You know, just grab some food as a- as a thing.” Yugi raised his brows, determined to make Alex feel like a true moron. “As a date?”

Yugi snickered- actually snickered- and put his hands on the counter, pushing to stand up. It was obvious he was laughing at Alex’s ruffled composure. “Let’s just get a few groceries and cook here. You have a stereo?”

“Yeah,” Alex floundered, “But, I just asked you out…” Confused at Yugi’s answer. The man was a riddle when he wanted to be. It was ridiculous.

He stood there as Yugi snatched the keys off the side table, before looking back at Alex expectantly. Suddenly the sailor was walking up to him in his light t-shirt and jeans and Alex found himself standing straighter, as if at attention. “Yes, Alex. It will be sort of a… comfortable date.” he smiled, so close their body heat hit each other. Yugi fixed Alex’s collar as he said it, knowing very well what he was doing to him.

Then he was watching him walk away, leaving him breathless. Yes. Yugi said yes to the date. Alex did a victory punch when the man wasn’t looking and practically skipped over to follow him out the door.

---

They soon returned with things to make a stir fry with noodles and a bottle of wine. Yugi insisted on doing most of the cooking and after a few minutes Alex was fine with it, because he was seeing how beautiful it was to watch. “This is a family recipe, my grandmother made it for my grandfather when they had just met.”

Alex swallowed at that, not sure if he was hinting at something quite special or not; telling him he was a part of the family or soon would be. “Quite the honor, then.” he settled on with a smile, making Yugi smile as well. “What song do you want?” he asked, clearing his throat.

“You’re pick, Mr. Hopper.” He called over his shoulder, chopping up the vegetables with practiced diligence.

“Nah, you choose.” He liked Yugi’s songs and he wanted the man to feel as at home as he could.

Yugi paused, the sound of the knife slowing down. He looked over at Alex with a roguish look, eyes intense.

Alex never expected to find himself making out to The Police in his life, especially not with someone as lovely as Yugi, but here he was. He had never paid attention to music in such a way as he did now, either. For Yugi, each genre had a certain mood, a specific expression he gave off. Each song a thought or feeling, and each note an understanding. Alex was ready to learn all of them. All of Captain Yugi Nagata.

---

Even if the noodles were burning in the background. The smoke alarm soon wailed in the next few minutes.

Shit!