Work Text:
Ichikawa Reno never really felt bothered about not being in a relationship. His goal was only to become stronger, so that he could protect the people he cared. He wanted to be strong as fast as possible, but that was when he met him.
"Ichikawa, starting today you'll be joining the First Division."
Reno gave his salute, visibly shaking a little due to him being overwhelmed. How could he not? He was being asked personally by the captain of the First Division to join in. Proud, happy, and even sadness filled his heart. Still, he had to move forward to reach his goal.
"Captain Narumi will be here soon, just wait and make yourself comfortable," said Hasegawa before he close the door.
Reno took this chance to observe the office. It wasn't like what he expected, instead of only documents, the room also being filled with games, manga, and even anime merchandise. Rather than a captain's office, it felt more like a collection room.
"This...." Reno's eyes widened in surprise. "Isn't this—?"
"The limited scale Gundom figure?"
The sudden appearance of Narumi Gen shocked Reno. He fell onto the floor immediately, so scared thinking that it was a ghost. Relief was visible on his face, glad the fact it was never a ghost that scared him off.
"I take it you have interest in collecting stuffs as well?" Gen chuckled as he extended his right hand. "Get up."
"Ah right! I'm sorry!" Reno gladly accepted the hand, standing up with the help of Narumi. "Ichikawa Reno, pleased to meet you sir!"
"There's no need for formality," said Gen. He pointed at the chair in front of his desk. "Sit down, okay?"
Reno was quick to follow Gen's order, sitting in front of the captain as he sat behind the desk. He could see Gen's hands rummaging on something, thinking that it probably a box full of random work-related stuff. Much to his surprise, the captain gave him a small Gundom figure. It was still new, so it added more surprise to him.
"Here, take it." Gen pushed the small box toward Reno. "Welcome to the First Division, Ichikawa."
"Wha— captain, are you serious giving it to me for free?" Reno took the figure in his hands. "It looks new too, I can't just accept this!"
"Relax! I have plenty of same thing, and besides," Gen smiled widely as he put his chin on the back of his hands, "it feels nice knowing someone love Gundom as much as I love it!"
Oh, Reno could feel his heart about to jump out of his chest. The moment he saw Gen's smiling face, it brought heat to his face. He was being reduced to a mere red tomato in front of Gen.
For the first time, Ichikawa Reno fell in love and it was with his captain.
Reno's routine as the new member of the First Division always started with training, then the whole day he just wrote down some reports and went out to kill some kaijus. Eating with everyone else had always been something he looked forward too, a perfect way to end his day. Well, not so perfect before he could meet Gen.
"The bug is making my performance a bit wonky, I hate it so much!" Gen groaned in annoyance as he showed his last night match's score to Reno. "Look at it! My rank dropped again!"
"That's certainly bad. Have you tried to file a complaint?" Reno asked Gen, but his attention soon being diverted to the clock in Gen's office. "Oh shoot, I have to go back now."
Reno was about to leave the room, but Gen was quick enough to caught him by his shirt. Both of them exchanged stare for a few minutes with silence filling the room.
"Sir...?"
"Come on, stay! Have a match with me!" Gen grinned. He gestured at the electric stove and pot on the corner of his room. "Let's have a late noodle, yeah? You're not going to let your captain eat alone now, are you?"
Reno's face turned beet red. Before he could even process his thought, his head moved on its own; he was nodding in agreement. Red bloomed even more as he saw how excited Gen become. Watching him rushed to get stuff for them to eat.
Oh, he just fell more for Gen.
"You eat with him in his office?!"
Reno nodded to answer Kikoru's question. "What? Was it that weird?"
"You idiot!" Kikoru smacked Reno's shoulder. "Even I never get to do that!"
"Huh? But you're his disciple...."
"My point exactly! God, you're so stupid I want to beat you up in combat practice!"
Reno really couldn't understand why eating with Gen alone in his room seem to bother Kikoru, but he secretly took pride in it. He did something that possibly couldn't be done by anyone else with Gen. Oh how his heart were being filled with butterflies and rainbow.
"Oh Ichikawa, you're here too?"
Reno was quick to turn around, startled with how close Gen's face against his. Perhaps his blushing face became a thing for Gen to enjoy, because he started to laugh. Of course, Reno felt a bit annoyed seeing that.
"I'm sorry, it's just too funny—!" Gen wiped the tears from his eyes as his stomach got hurt from too much laughing. "Anyway, are you free tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?" Reno was quick to pull out his phone to check his schedule list. "Yes sir, I'm free tomorrow."
"Great! Come by my office tomorrow, you have to accompany me to Akihabara!"
Reno was baffled by Gen's request. Before he could even ask any more question, Gen and Kikoru were already on their way to the reinforced training room. His heart skipped a beat when he saw turning around to wave his hand at him, smiling before being dragged away.
'Was that... a date invitation?'
Oh, Reno couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.
Spending two hours or more to get ready was something that Reno never did before. However, this time he did it. He woke up super early, getting ready while trying not to wake up his roomates. He put on his best and comfortable clothes, styled his hair, even put on some make up just to look good. It was exciting and nerve wracking, far more than trying the Number 6 suit.
"Ichikawa! What are you doing this early?" Kafka popped out his head from behind the shower room's door.
"Please stop appearing like that, senpai!" Reno scolded him without even looking, too busy styling his hair. "I'm getting ready for my day off, why?"
Kafka blinked his eyes, showing an obvious expression of confusion. "Where are you going anyway?"
"Akihabara with Captai Narumi, he asked me to come along with him," Reno quickly rushed to go out. Before he went to Gen's office, he stopped in front of Kafka for a brief moment. "Senpai, wish me luck!"
"Oh yeah!" Kafka looked at Reno's slowly disappearing figure, a bit confused. "Why did he ask me for 'good luck'...?"
With excitement filling up his heart, Reno walked to Gen's office. He thought the captain would still be in his futon, sleeping and he ended up have to wake him up. To his surprise, he already saw Gen standing in front of his office's door with phone in his hand. Reno froze up on the spot, admiring how Gen still looked so good even with the simplest outfit.
Oh, it would be nice if he could hold his hand and—
"Ichikawa? Hey! Ichikawa!" Gen waved his hand in front of Reno's face. "Earth to Reno?"
"Wha— whu?" Reno snapped back to reality the moment Gen used his name, surprised to see him this close. "I'm sorry captain, must be the lack of sleep catching up."
"Is that so? Well then, let's go!" Gen grinned as he show him his car key. "I'm driving! Also, just call me Narumi is fine. I hate formality when I'm not on duty."
It must be a dream, right? Well, appearantly not and Reno's heart couldn't stop beating as if it wanted to jump out and scream all of his feelings to Gen. A car ride that supposedly took 30 minutes felt like ten, that waa just how focused Reno on Gen he failed to notice the time passing by.
"Whoa!" Reno's attention focused on a sign that say 'puppy café'. He stood in front of the café's window, watching the puppies gather around the customers.
"Ichikawa, why are you standing here? Let's go inside," said Gen as he suddenly pull Reno into the café.
To say Reno was only happy should be an understatement, because he felt like in heaven! A delicious strawberry cheesecake, nicely brewed tea, puppies, and having Gen by his side was his definition of perfect day. He just let the puppies flocking around them, snuggling and biting playfully.
"Narumi senpai, look!" Reno picked up a white Samoyed puppy, snuggling his cheek against it. "I always want to have a Samoyed, maybe when I get to buy a house on my own. What about you?"
Gen was silent for a few seconds, thinking about what kind of dog he'd get. "Maybe a Golden Retriever? They're cute."
Reno was smiling at Gen as he pet the puppy on his lap. His smile was the kind of smile that would let people know that he was in love. Dreamy and distant smile, yet somehow it was dazzling. "I'm sure you'll get one, senpai."
'I hope the person who's going to accompany you to live that life will be me.'
"ICHIKAWA! FALL BACK!!"
Reno ignored Hasegawa's order as he kept pressing forward. Equipped with Number 6 suit, he stood firm on the front line as Gen's replacement. He should've fought with Kikoru, but she was being given another task to defend the other side. Even with Hasegawa's help, Reno still overwhelmed. He could feel his body started to get frozen, making it harder for him to move.
"ICHIKAWA!!" Hasegawa's voice was loud. He saw Reno finally stumble on the ground, falling head first with his body covered with tiny bits of ice.
Reno was having a hard time to keep his eyes open, even moving his fingers became a hard task. He could only stay there as he saw a yoju made its way toward him, ready to attack and devoured him. He closed his eyes in fear, but a loud sound of something screeching along with something akin to a cannon made him open his eyes. To his relief, it was Gen with Number 1 suit standing as a wall to separate him from the monsters.
'Is he... saying something?' Reno thought to himself, because he felt like he heard Gen say something. He was trying to stand up, hoping to be able to help. However, with his body continue to froze up, he couldn't do anything other than letting his exhaustion took him to sleep.
Time surely had pass, because now Reno found himself on a comfortable bed. He noticed that he was not wearing any shirt and to add to his confusion, there was an extra pair of hands around his waist. When he looked around, he found out the hands around him belonged to Gen. Seeing him without any shirt on, he could only think that he was trying to warm him up with skin to skin contact. Although it felt like he was taking advantage of Gen's kindess, he still let his greed got the best of him.
'I'm sorry captain. Just this time, let me sleep in your arms...' was what Reno thought as he went back to sleep.
"Huh? You want to make chocolate?"
Reno nodded his head to answer Kikoru's question. "Yes, can you show me the ropes?"
It was February 13th, the day before Valentine's Day and Reno had make a plan. He didn't really care if it'd make him look like a fool, he just wanted to get his feelings out of his chest. The plan? He was going to confess to Gen. Having no experience in chocolate making, Kikoru became his one night teacher for the sake of his smooth confession.
Kikokur being Kikoru, of course she was confused on why Reno even liked someone like her mentor. She always saw him as a childish and cocky person, but she knew he had been the kindest among them beside Kafka. If she compared him with the old man, Gen was just a bit reserved than Kafka.
"Well, I suppose I can," said Kikoru with a shrug. "Grab your apron and get ready."
"Yes!"
The kitchen of the First Division base suddenly became busy, despite only having two people in it. The sweet smell that came from the sugary treats would make anyone who happen to pass by drawn inside, eventually discovering both Kikoru and Reno making some chocolate.
Reno himself was trying his best into making the chocolate, shaping it without a crack. A miss or two was spotted, but he did a pretty good job for a beginner. He put it in a box and put it in the fridge before rushing to the dorm area. He needed that beauty sleep so much so he could look his best.
—or so he thought.
"Ichikawa?! What happened to you?"
Reno couldn't even lift up his head to look at Kafka, too tired from lack of sleep. "I'm going to be just fine, senpai...," said him. When he tried to close his eyes for a few minutes, he saw a shadow of Gen passing by and immediately stood up and picked up his bag of chocolate. He had to stop him right there, now.
"I told you I have something to— huh? Ichikawa?" Gen immediately stopped walking the moment Reno blocked his way.
"Captain, there's something I'd like to talk to you about. Can we—" Reno wasn't even being given the chance to finish his speech, as Gen immediately cut him off.
"Perfect timing, can you go with me now? I have something to talk to you as well."
Reno's heart almost dropped to his stomach, hanging by a thin thread. He made no sound, only a gesture of yes by nodding his head. He walked behind Gen, tailing him like a puppy following its mother as they both walked up to the rooftop.
"So quiet...," said Reno as they both finally arrived at the rooftop. "The breeze here, it's nice."
"I know, right?" Gen chuckled as he close the door. "Well, Ichikawa what is it that you want to talk to me?"
Reno took a deep breath, mustering courage for the possibility of getting rejected. He took the chocolate he made out of the bag and hand it over to Gen. It felt embarassing already to give Gen something he made on his own as a first-timer, but even more embarassing because his whole hands were trembling like crazy. The words wouldn't even come out of his mouth, too nervous to even speak.
'Come on Reno, say something! Say something or your image will forever be tarnished!' Reno kept telling himself. He looked up at Gen with determination. "Captain! Will you—"
"Will you be my boyfriend?"
They both looked at each other as if one of them was hallucinating. The eye contact was so long, too long because both of their faces started to turn red. While Reno turned his face away, Gen was laughing his heart out.
"What's so funny, captain?"
"Well," Gen took out a chocolate bar from his uniform pocket, "I guess we both share the same plan."
Reno took the chocolate from Gen's hand while Gen took the one he made. He couldn't stop staring at it, losing words to describe his own feelings. All he could do was to look at Gen, hoping he would be so kind to explain everything.
"Well," Gen nervously rubbed his neck, "let's just say I have a crush on you after my visit to the Fourth Division. I know I sound like a stalker but it's really love at the first sight, ok?!"
Love at the first sight, the same thing that Reno felt when Gen gave him the Gundom figure. He began to think back to their previous encounter, realizing a pattern of Gen's behavior that just not make sense. Begging him to stay for a match, café hopping together, and the skin-to-skin warming after his overheat were finally make some sense. It was subtle and could be seen as a captain trying to be kind to a new member of his division, but it wasn't.
"I have zero plan in letting you go," said Gen. He pulled Reno by his waist, embracing him as he kissed his lips. "So, I guess I can tell everyone that you're mine now, right?"
"Captain, I— is this really happening?" Reno looked at him with both hands now on Gen's shoulders.
"Duh, of course! And stop calling me by my title when we're not on the field fighting, now you have to call me Gen."
"Then you have to call me Reno as well." Reno tiptoed slightly, kissing Gen on his cheek. "By the way, chocolate sounds good with fried chicken and milkshake. How about we go grab that?"
"Deal," Gen nodded. He held Reno's hand tightly, kissing the back of his hand. "Shall we?"
"Yup!"
Ichikawa Reno fell in love with Narumi Gen and he was the happiest he ever been.