Work Text:
The rain outside barely touched the warehouse roof, only a steady whisper of droplets sliding down steel, tapping like a clock that refused to stop ticking. kosei sat slouched at his desk, eyes fixed on the stack of reports in front of him
Dim lamp overhead threw a tired, amber glow across his face– highlighting the dark circles under his eyes, the pen tapping restlessly against paper, and the soft sighs he kept letting out between pages
He hadn’t eaten. again.
Meanwhile, behind him, the sound of slow footsteps echoed through the narrow office– sorato's. he didn’t speak right away; just watched for a bit. the faint blue light from the window outlined kosei’s messy hair and the stiff set of his shoulders
He looked.. worn out..
Maybe even lonely
Sorato tilted his head, voice dropping to something soft, playful
“ .. Kosei ”
No answer. just the scratch of a pen
“ Kosei. ” He tried again– slower this time, like a whisper crawling up kosei’s spine
“ What? ” came the impatient reply, low and rough, like he’d bitten back another sigh. sorato smirked at that, “ nothing. you just look too serious. It’s kinda cute. ”
Kosei froze halfway through a line, eyebrows twitching. “ cute? ” he repeated, disbelief dripping off his tone. “ sorato, I’m working- ”. but before he could finish, sorato stepped closer. then closer again– until kosei could feel the warmth of him, the faint brush of his breath against his neck. the chair creaked slightly as sorato leaned down, arms looping around the young boy's waist from behind
the pen clattered out of kosei's hand.
“ Sorato- what the hell- ”
“ Shh, ” Sorato whispered, resting his chin lightly on kosei’s shoulder. “ just stay like this a bit. you’re always so tense. ”
Kosei’s heartbeat went wild. his body stiffened, yet his voice faltered– somewhere between anger and confusion. “ you’re- heavy! get off!! ”
“ Hmm.. ” sorato’s hum rumbled low, amused. “ You say that, but you haven’t moved. ”. kosei cursed under his breath. “ that’s because you’re holding me down, smarty ass!! ”
Sorato chuckled softly, the sound brushing past kosei’s ear– too close, too warm. “ you know, I think you’re adorable when you’re mad. ”, which, that got kosei to turn slightly, eyes narrowing. “ you think this is funny? ”
“Not funny,” sorato replied, tone dipping lower. “Interesting.”
For a moment, they just stared at each other. The air between them thickened– the kind of silence that said too much without words. kosei tried to look away, but sorato didn’t move. his breath ghosted over kosei’s neck again, slow, deliberate.
“ Sorato, for fucks sake- i still have a lot to do right now! besides, we need to be early because sayuki-san and ayu-nee is coming here again tomorrow- plus, we're gonna have another investigating kaiju task, which means- i need to be up very very earl- ”
“ You’ve been working too hard, ” sorato murmured, cutting him off. “ don’t you ever... want to feel something else?”. kosei’s hands clenched on the desk. “ what are you even- ”
“ Human experience, ” sorato interrupted softly, his voice brushing the edge of teasing. “ I want to feel it.. with you. ”
That was when kosei turned bright red. he spun in his chair so fast it startled sorato, who stumbled back half a step, confused but still grinning. “ WHAT are you saying?! ” kosei barked, though the stammer in his voice made it sound less furious and more flustered. “ do you even hear yourself- ”, sorato shrugged, leaning on the wall like he owned the place. “ i do.. and i mean it.”
Kosei’s glare faltered. his mouth opened– then shut again. for someone who talked back to anyone without hesitation, he suddenly had no idea what to say. his heart was pounding way too hard
Sorato tilted his head again, voice softer now. “ don’t you want us to feel eachother, kosei? ”
That did it
Kosei felt something twist in his chest– embarrassment, maybe, or something worse. his face burned. he looked away sharply, trying to keep his voice steady ; “ you.. you really don’t know when to stop talking, do you? ”
Sorato’s grin grew wider, pleased he got that reaction. then kosei stood. without warning; he grabbed sorato’s collar and pulled him down to his level
The sudden movement made sorato’s breath hitch– they were close– too close– faces barely inches apart.
Kosei’s voice dropped, quiet but dangerous;
“ You think you understand what you’re asking for? ”
Sorato blinked, startled by the change in tone. “ i- ”
“ You don’t, ” kosei cut him off. “ and if you did, you wouldn’t be teasing like that.. ” his eyes glinted under the light, sharp yet trembling with something he refused to name. “ the aftermath wouldn’t be so pretty. ”
Sorato’s voice came out smaller than before, though curiosity still danced in it. “ wouldn’t either of us enjoy it? ”. kosei’s lips curved into something between a smirk and a grimace. “ depends, ” he murmured, then paused, gaze flicking down– just for a second. “ but you’d probably end up starving than before.. ”
The words hung there, charged. sorato’s throat went dry. he could feel kosei’s hand still gripping his collar– not tight, but enough to keep him there, frozen
Kosei leaned in slightly, close enough that sorato could feel his breath against his neck– not quite a touch, but it sent shivers running down his spine
Then, out of nowhere, kosei let go
“ Go to bed, ” he said, voice firm again, turning back to his desk
Sorato blinked, taken aback. “ wha- but- ”
“ Now. ”
There was no arguing with that tone
Sorato hesitated, then sighed and retreated toward the door, throwing one last look over his shoulder. his expression was confused, maybe even a little disappointed, but… softer than usual. and when his footsteps altered away from his ears, kosei slumped back into his chair, face buried in his hands. his heart wouldn’t stop racing
There’s no way I just did that, he thought. no damn way. he stared at the reports again, but the words blurred
His lips twitched– just slightly– into a reluctant, flustered smile
“ .. That idiot. ”
And again, kosei had no sleep. all credits to that unintentional convo he and sorato had last night