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Hoshina thinks that today has started off brilliantly, this morning at dawn he had done enough training sets that his body is more satisfied than ever. The division’s latest recruits have also spared him from any trouble as they are hard at work training and there has been no kaiju alert for the last few days, granting him reprieve from the never-ending onslaught of paperwork and other duties.
It has been a brilliant day, really, and together with the news of him having to go to the 1st Division to attend a monthly meeting in Captain Ashiro’s stead is fun for him because he gets to go out and rain on another certain Captain’s parade with his presence.
It is supposed to be a brilliant day, so why right now is said Captain pinning him against a wall and leaning down with the most lecherous grin ever known to mankind?
“Have I said that you’re very pretty, Hoshina?”
Hoshina’s smile has never dropped so fast as he stares bug-eyed at Narumi.
Huh?
As his brain goes into overdrive trying to come to terms with the fact that he’s just called pretty or did he really just get called pretty, Narumi leans in further and suddenly his hand is cupping Hoshina’s left cheek.
Rough fingers stroking his cheek, Hoshina’s first reaction is to automatically stiffen, any words on his tongue ready to question Narumi’s action vanished in an instant. He can’t seem to think as Narumi’s thumb brushes the corner of his lips, all of his brain cells appearing to focus on that very miniscule action rather than the entire bizarre scenario itself.
“Huh?” He lets out a confused sound.
Narumi’s head tilts to the side, exposing the expanse of his nape before it’s concealed by the black compressed shirt he’s wearing because that is one other thing that’s vastly different than usual; Narumi wearing tight clothing rather than the loose ones he usually prefers.
In fact, there’s a lot of things that have been different when Hoshina first set foot in the division grounds less than half an hour ago. The members were training hard like usual, but they appeared to be very energetic today, seemingly motivated to the brim. Hasegawa supervising them all actually looked less stressful, a relaxed happy smile on his usually stern face that had Hoshina double-looking to make sure he’s seeing things right. Not to mention there were no antagonistic looks thrown at him, in fact everyone who he had stumbled upon had saluted and smiled at him, chirping a good afternoon, Vice-Captain Hoshina before they glided past smiling and laughing. Hoshina was starting to think the 1st Division had been turned into a kiddy center instead of the rowdy high school environment it was before when he encountered Narumi.
He had stopped, literally frozen in the middle of the corridor because that couldn’t be Narumi. His hair was slicked back, revealing his eyes that usually stay hidden and he had a contemplative expression on his face as he regarded Operator Kurusu with a lazy smile. His back straight and posture refined, not to mention the tight black compression shirt he was wearing or the baggy army trousers that fit him a little bit too much, he was dazzling - a word Hoshina would have never used to describe Narumi Gen. Ever.
Operator Kurusu looked as if he was a fresh college graduate, bright-eyed with clear, smooth skin and shiny, non-greasy hair as he talked animatedly with Narumi. Hoshina just stared as they wrapped up their conversation, Operator Kurusu bowing to Narumi while Narumi patted his shoulder before he walked away, humming loudly, his coat fluttering behind him.
Narumi looked away to see Hoshina there and his first reaction was not to curse him out but to greet him jovially.
“Hi there, Hoshina!”
And somehow, somehow that leads to Hoshina in this difficult position where his back is pressed against the wall and Narumi looking down at him smiling.
“Stop overthinking, Vice-Cap.”
Breaking out of his trance, Hoshina stiffens more when he notices just how close they are. Narumi says, smiling as his grip tightens. “You’re so pretty when you’re blushing like this, Hoshina.”
“Captain Narumi -” Hoshina begins, eyes trying not to look at Narumi’s eyes or the quirk of his lips. He opts to stare at his forehead, getting extremely cross-eyed and finding his body temperature rising a bit. “I think yer sick. Pleasegetofffme.”
He makes a noise at the back of his throat when Narumi’s fingers tuck his hair behind his ear. Narumi leans in, whispering, his breath sending tingles down his neck. “Do you know your ears turn really red when you’re flustered?”
Hoshina shoves him, watching infuriatingly as Narumi doesn’t stumble at all, instead looking casual as he raises his hands in mock surrender despite the victorious smirk on his face.
“Captain Narumi.” Hoshina inhales, trying to calm himself down while ignoring how fast his heart is beating. “That was an inappropriate display of behavior. Do it again and I’ll file a complaint with the higher-ups.”
Narumi’s eyebrow raises at the threat, but instead of bursting out a stream of profanities, he throws his head back and laughs. Hoshina watches with an increasing sense of dread as Narumi laughs heartily, which looks stupidly good on him as he wipes fake tears away from his eyes before he exhales heavily, fingers splayed across his tell-tale grin and his voice sounding very amused as he regards Hoshina.
“That’s cute.”
Hoshina steps back when Narumi takes a step forward.
“You should do it again, Hoshina.”
Hoshina takes another step back, finding himself hitting the wall again as Narumi advances forward leisurely, glowing eyes intense and tongue slowly licking his lips.
“Narumi!”
Stopping, Narumi’s face changes as he turns to look at Hasegawa, who is approaching both of them. Hoshina relaxes, confused and frazzled about what just happened, but doesn't have enough time as he registers in their interaction when Narumi starts speaking.
“The meeting will start in ten more minutes, right, Hasegawa?”
Hasegawa stops, nodding to Narumi. “Yes. And it appears you’ve met Vice-Captain Hoshina. I hope he treats you well, Soushirou.”
Suddenly being put on the spot, Hoshina catches Narumi’s eyes glinting sharply as he smiles at him. He follows his instincts to defuse the situation immediately. “Haha! Yea, Captain Narumi is a bit different than usual today. He’s friendlier!” He chuckles.
Hasegawa nods, “I’ll fill you in on the details while we walk to the meeting. Narumi, have you -”
“I have all the documents at the ready.” Narumi tosses him a grin, winking as he nudges Hasegawa with his elbow. “Don’t worry, Eiji! I’ve had it all sorted!”
“That’s good.” Hasegawa smiles, and Hoshina stares as if he'd just magically grown some hair.
“I’ll be going first then! I need to talk to Rin about some touch-ups for the meeting! See you, Eiji and Hoshina!”
Hoshina stares more as Narumi rushes forward, walking at a fast pace as he disappears from view. He can’t help but blurt out. “What is wron’ with him? And why did he call ya by yer first name?”
Sighing, the common visible sign of distress shows in Hasegawa’s demeanor as he explains. “He has been like that since last month. A kaiju incident, remember the scale-6 mushroom-type Honju?”
Hoshina racks his brain, remembering the extermination of that mediocre kaiju a month ago because he was sure he goaded Narumi on social media, but there was no response to it. He heard it had been carried out smoothly, so he couldn’t really see the connection there with Narumi’s current personality change.
“Narumi’s mask broke, so he had to inhale excessive fumes from the honju. We found out it was some sort of after-effect for the species that could temporarily alter the brain functions. And he called me Eiji because he told me he appreciated me.”
A short silence in which Hoshina spends digesting the information and the absolute bombshell dropped at the last sentence. “So, his personality changed?” He then remembers the happy, optimistic aura he is in and can’t help but add in. “For the better?”
“He’s doing his paperwork, he’s managing the troops with a more hands-on training routine, he’s conversing very well with the operators. He’s.” Hasegawa pauses as if struggling to find words. “Easier to handle.”
Hoshina wonders if he’s dreaming right now because what on earth did he just listen to? A Narumi Gen that is not easier to wrangle into place, but actually willing to cooperate with everyone? Hoshina feels dread remembering how Narumi had treated him, coy and if he dares to say it, flirty. So, what was with that?
He is snapped out of his thoughts when they find themselves in front of the meeting room. He is about to shove any of the memories earlier somewhere far inside his mind, but it is futile as he sees that his assigned seat is beside Narumi himself.
“I hope you don’t mind, Eiji.” Narumi speaks up, nearly giving Hoshina a scare from how unexpected and friendly it is. “I know you may want to discuss the logistics with Tachibana, so I moved your seat next to his.”
Hasegawa nods and it shows just how huge his trust is towards Narumi because he hasn’t even considered the logistics of Hoshina sitting next to him. “That’s alright. Thank you, Narumi.”
“Anything for you, Eiji.”
He moves to go sit next to Tachibana, and they instantly engage in a conversation. Hoshina turns to look back at Narumi who is honest to god, holding out his seat for him. “You should take a seat, Hoshina.”
No one is batting an eye at their Captain holding out a seat to his sworn enemy. Hoshina contemplates what will be the consequences if he shoves him away in this public setting, but he looks at the clock and sees it’s nearly time to start the meeting so he shuts his mouth and slips into his seat.
As the meeting starts, Hoshina tries to make himself comfortable. His guard is not down, as with every input that Narumi contributes to the meeting, he gets easily reminded that this is not the Narumi Gen he knows or is familiar with. He’s calm and rational, almost pensive if not for the concentration he has as he listens to others presenting their findings and opinions. He doesn’t lash out when he disagrees, simply refuting in a professional manner so who can even blame Hoshina for having his guard up when he’s sitting next to this kind of Narumi Gen?
One of the operators is discussing their data about researched kaiju activities when Narumi leans in. “You should really relax, you know.”
Hoshina throws him a bewildered look at the suggestion. He is ready for anything else that Narumi may add to throw him off, but surprisingly he doesn’t do that. “You’ve been tense this whole time, that’s not good. We still have an hour to go.”
Hoshina has tried hard to ignore Narumi’s presence, but the remark is too absurd for him to just ignore. “Since when do ya even care about my well-being?” He hisses out.
Narumi’s eyes seem to twinkle, as if Hoshina had just uttered something amusing. “I always have.”
He returns back to his original position while Hoshina just stares at him, his cheeks suddenly feeling hot despite the coldness of the room. He ducks his head, willing the heat to go away as thoughts swirl inside his head. Speaking about the coldness, he steals a glance at Narumi and his sleeveless shirt. Isn’t that person cold?
Everyone is wrapped with at least one outer layer, even Hoshina who can usually stand the cold is still feeling a slight chill with his uniform jacket, but here is Narumi who is still only wearing his compressed shirt. His fist is tucked underneath his chin, a pen in his loose grasp as he listens attentively to whoever is speaking, jotting a few notes down as he does so.
It shouldn’t be an appealing sight, but somehow Hoshina can’t stop looking at every shift of his muscle as he moves to scratch his cheek or the slight peek of his tongue as he writes. It’s so undeniably Narumi.
“- tain Hoshina?”
Blinking, Hoshina snaps his head to face forward as his name is called out. He fumbles to turn his mic on. “Sorry, can ya please repeat that?”
The operator repeats the question. “I was asking for your opinion about the new module we will implement …”
Hoshina focuses on the meeting after that, a bit ashamed that he got distracted. However, focusing also means being aware of the intense gaze directed at him throughout the duration of the meeting. Narumi doesn’t even bother to hide that he’s blatantly staring at him, if the small smirk toying on his lips is an indication to his self-awareness.
He is glad when the meeting ends, standing up and trying not to appear too eager to get out of the room. Unfortunately, Hasegawa calls him over to discuss the meeting notes, so he reluctantly changes his direction to heed the man’s order. He tries not to let out a sigh of relief when Narumi exits the room, holding a file loosely as he chats with Shinonome.
Usually, discussing meeting notes takes a considerable amount of time, but this time it’s shortened as Hasegawa points out that Narumi had scribbled out anything worthless prior, crossing out and emphasizing on many lines to which he thinks fits the rough outcome of the meeting. Hoshina looks through them, pleasantly surprised at how organised they are, leaving little work for him and Hasegawa to sift through. Narumi’s childish, barely-legible handwriting remains the same, and it has Hoshina staring at wonder at how even a drastic personality change can’t change that.
As they finish, Hasegawa stops him. “Can you help me deliver these to Narumi’s office, Soushirou?”
He gestures to a small stack of papers. It’s a routine for him to assist Hasegawa everytime they finish, Hoshina nods despite the slight hesitation he feels at having to go to the office of the mentioned person. “Sure.”
Hasegawa thanks him, leaving Hoshina alone. He easily lifts the papers, skin prickling a bit when he leaves the cold meeting room. Narumi’s office is a short trip away, which makes it easier for him to drop by whenever he visits the base.
Knocking the door, he waits for a response. Narumi answers, “Come in!”
Hoshina opens the door and immediately pauses when he looks inside.
It’s clean.
There’s no sight of the unhealthy shut-in lifestyle the occupant previously had, everything is spotless with no sign of trash around. It looks like an ordinary Captain office, neatly organised with sunlight spilling in through the flowy dark curtains. The television on the table has a black screen, no game console that is usually plugged in to be seen and the only trace of Narumi Hoshina can see is the shelves of his collectibles and figurines, but even those look out of place.
Despite the familiarity Hoshina has with this place, right now it feels absolutely foreign.
Narumi sits behind the desk, stopping his writing to peer up at Hoshina. “Your business?”
Him being so diligent catches Hoshina momentarily off-guard. It takes him an embarrassing few seconds to remember why he is here. He salutes. “I’m here to deliver some paperwork from Vice-Captain Hasegawa.”
“At ease.” Narumi commands. Hoshina doesn’t try to think too much about the authority in his voice as he goes to hand them over.
Narumi is silent as he goes through it, flipping each page and eyes quickly skimming through the content. Hoshina tries not to shift in place, wishing this will end as soon as possible. His wish is not granted as Narumi beckons him forward with a wave of his hand. Hoshina leans forward just as Narumi taps one of the many sentences typed on the document.
“Can you please elaborate on this?”
Just hearing the word please coming out of Narumi’s mouth is enough for Hoshina’s brain to short-circuit, too surprised that he actually forgets what Narumi's asking in the first place. His dry tongue twisted, he opens his mouth only to immediately close it again, the clicking sound vibrating through his skull.
“I’m sorry, Narumi-san, but can ya repeat that again?”
Narumi’s eyes flicker upwards and suddenly, Hoshina is transported back to their almost compromising position before this, with him pinned to the wall and Narumi taking delight in it. This feels oddly the same and Hoshina doesn’t like it one bit.
“Here.” Narumi leans back into his chair. “Move around. It’s easier for me to show you.”
Hoshina hesitates to comply, but he doesn’t voice it out as he does as told. He puts an appropriate amount of distance between him and Narumi, leaning forward to look at the paper Narumi’s holding out for him.
He is about ready to read the sentence when Narumi moves closer, and suddenly there’s a chest pressed to his back and Hoshina belatedly realises with a flush that Narumi’s now draped all over him, caging him in.
“You’re very distracted today, Hoshina.” Narumi says, his breath tickling his exposed nape. Hoshina doesn’t quite manage to suppress the shiver it causes. “Why so?”
Inhaling sharply, he tries to downplay his frustration. “Yea. If only ya can move away.”
Narumi hums, the low rumble an intimate sound with how close they’re pressed to each other. “I don’t think I can.”
Hoshina counts from 1 to 10, trying not to elbow the man behind him in the guts as he chooses a more civilised route. “Why?”
“You’re too pretty for me to do that.”
The paper slips off Hoshina’s fingers, landing with a loud smack on the table before fluttering down to the floor. This time, Hoshina feels his cheeks burning and his heart beating loudly in clarity as he struggles to find a proper response.
Narumi coos. “Aw, you’re blushing.” His fingers curve around Hoshina’s cheek and Hoshina is weak to the touch, allowing his face to be turned around. Narumi smirks at him, a few escaped strands of hair falling over his bright eyes giving him a roguish charm that has Hoshina’s throat becoming dry. “Red is a good look on you, darling.”
Hoshina burns. He spits out, finding the energy to struggle his way out despite the position he’s in. “Stop talkin’ nonsense, Narumi-san. Lemme out before I kick ya in the balls -”
“Feisty, but I always like that about you.”
“Hu - HUH?!”
Hoshina’s struggle ceases as he stares dumb-foundedly at the man. “Yer - I. Ya -”
“Is it that shocking?” Narumi tilts his head, frowning before he reverts back to a suave expression. “Let me correct that. I like everything about you, Hoshina.”
He takes Hoshina’s petrified silence as a sign for him to continue, his hand firm. “You’re devastatingly pretty. When I first looked at you, I thought that you had the prettiest hair. Your squinty eyes are adorable, and I love it when you tilt your head when confused. The first time I saw you swinging your sword, I wondered which idiot approved of a man this pretty to be allowed in the force?”
Hoshina, astonished and nearly speechless, can let out a whisper: “But you hate how I look.”
“Oh, you know I don’t.” Narumi grins, his fingers twirling a few of Hoshina’s longer strands of hair. “You look silly sometimes, but never ugly.”
He leans in, nose brushing Hoshina’s cheek as he kisses his hair, just shy away from his skin and Hoshina lets him, finding himself powerless as he grasps the edge of the desk for support.
“You’re strong. You beat me in close-quarter combat, the only one who is able to do so. You have the skills and dedication. I’ve heard of your former instructors talking about you and they said you don’t belong here, but they were wrong. I had never seen such a more fitting man, and you proved them wrong, didn’t you?”
“That’s -”
“I was so angry when you turned my offer down.”
“You -” Hoshina blinks, watching as Narumi pulls away to grab one of his trembling hands, bringing it close to him as he attempts to remove his glove. “You were?”
Narumi scoffs. “Who won’t? You’re perfect.”
“Yer wrong, Narumi-san. I’m not perfect -”
Clicking his tongue, Narumi bites down, tearing the glove away with his mouth and spitting it out, exposing Hoshina’s hand to his eyes. Blisters litter his skin, calluses bumping and curving; to which Narumi drinks them all in.
“I was so angry that I had to look at your past battle recordings. I saw how many times you had experienced near-death, reckless as you were back then. I was frustrated because if I had seen you earlier, I could have spared you from all that misery, but I was frustrated too because you were too selfless. You still are and it’s maddening. I could have gotten all of that if I had gotten to you earlier.”
Narumi’s personality should have been different, but somehow this time as Hoshina finds him trapped and his hand kissed by revered lips, he wonders if Narumi has changed at all.
He should be because the Narumi he knows won’t spill his heart’s content like this, nor will he be very affectionate and forthcoming towards him. It’s dizzying because he should not be the Narumi Gen Hoshina knows, but he is in one way or another, still the same Narumi Gen after all.
“You’re beautiful, powerful and have a kind heart. What is not to like?”
Hoshina’s breath stutters in his throat as Narumi says those words, slowly kissing the tips of his fingers, his lips gently sliding over the ridges and calluses formed from years of combat. He kisses each finger, turning his hand to smooch the corners and the dip of his palm while Hoshina can only bear to watch, his heart beating wildly as Narumi tilts his head upwards, their noses brushing as Narumi whispers, quiet and true.
“I like you, Hoshina.”
The kiss is soft, Narumi’s hand cupping the back of his head as their lips meet. Narumi’s lips are rough, a bit scabbed over in an endearing way. It’s warm, Hoshina’s hands finding themselves wrapped around Narumi’s shoulders and opening his mouth to deepen their kiss. With no hesitation, Narumi delves in, hooking his hands under Hoshina’s legs to lift him up onto the desk, papers scrunching beneath him but Hoshina only spares them a second of guilt before he is enraptured by the vision of Narumi above him; grinning in triumph before pecking him on the lips.
He tastes like coffee and sour candy, a combination of flavours that has Hoshina chasing his lips. Narumi chuckles, leaning down to continue kissing him, not allowing themselves to be separated at this moment.
Hoshina is more than happy to oblige him.
“Oi, bowlcut. What are you looking at?!”
Narumi is fuming, his shaggy dual-toned hair a mess as he scowls at Hoshina.
Hoshina, standing in the middle of the corridor, merely replies after a few seconds of silence, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Nothin’. Congrats on retrievin’ back your old personality. We didn’t miss ya.”
Narumi spews out a string of profanities, cursing Hoshina out until Hasegawa berates him, stopping him from throwing more creative insults about his hair and eyes. Hoshina just watches with a smile on his face as Narumi is manhandled by being lifted by the scruff of his uniform jacket, screeching to be let down.
Hasegawa threatens Narumi to behave and be on time for the meeting before leaving them be, having to go survey an emergency that Operator Kurusu had reported to him, his wails a clear signal of his distress. Left alone with Narumi, Hoshina waits for Narumi to say something, anything that tells him he remembers what happened between them.
There’s none as Narumi stays quiet, still regarding Hoshina with hostility.
His head ducked, Hoshina turns around, walking away.
“Wait.”
Stopping, Hoshina doesn’t bother turning around. He can feel Narumi fidgeting.
“Hoshina.”
Hoshina hums in acknowledgement and does nothing more. Narumi curses, and this time Hoshina turns a bit to catch him running his hand through his hair as he taps a foot, a hand on his waist before he faces Hoshina, bottom lip bitten and eyes hard.
“Come to my office after the meeting.”
Hoshina stares.
Narumi blushes.
Hoshina laughs. Narumi screams profanities at him. “Yer making it sound like I’m some sort of dirty secret of yers!” Hoshina cackles out. “Am I yer dirty lil secret, Narumi-san?”
Too busy laughing, he doesn’t hear Narumi stomping towards him until he is yanked by the collar and suddenly he’s being shut up with a kiss.
An embarrassed sound escapes from his throat as Narumi kisses him with fervour. Both hands around his face, he kisses him, stealing all the breath in Hoshina’s lungs as he wobbles backward, Narumi’s hand on his back preventing him from falling down as he is kissed thoroughly within every inch of his life.
When they stop, they’re both panting in each other’s arms. Narumi looks ruined, lips shiny with spit and skin flushed red and Hoshina thinks he doesn’t look that far off.
“So.”
Licking his lips, Hoshina watches as Narumi tracks that movement before he blinks and looks up at him. Hoshina grins as Narumi flushes a deeper red.
“Ya have anything else to say to me, Narumi-san?”