Archive of Our Own

“We're gonna get married after graduation.” Narumi said it so casually, it almost sounds like a joke.

Hoshina nearly choked on his tea, eyes widening as he slowly turned to stare at him. For once, he genuinely hadn't expected those words to come out of Narumi's mouth—especially not in front of a group of barely sober college students who were still passed out around the beach house.

But upon hearing it, even their eyes went wide as if they're being dunked with cold water.

XX

It all started after their heart-to-heart walk along the shore the night before.

There were still things left unsaid. Questions still hanging between them, and wounds that hadn't completely healed. But neither of them felt rushed anymore. Waiting for their timer to end. 

No. 

They had all the time in the world to start again—or perhaps, simply continue the relationship they had once shared.

The smell of toasted bread and freshly brewed tea drifted through the kitchen as the morning sun poured in through the windows. Narumi leaned lazily against the counter, absently munching on a piece of buttered toast while Hoshina stood beside the sink, rinsing dishes they'd used for breakfast.

Tachibana wandered into the kitchen first, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He blinked at the sight before him."Oh. You two made up?" His grin quickly turned mischievous. "Did you fuck it out while we were sleeping?"

Narumi answered with an immediate eye roll. "For the record," he said between bites, "we did make up."

He swallowed before pointing his toast at Tachibana."And second, no. We don't fuck it out because someone like you would've probably ruined our fun."

"Touche." Tachibana lifted both hands in surrender, laughing. "So... what happened then?"

His curiosity wasn't exactly unfounded. The entire committee had spent weeks watching Narumi mope around while preparing for the beach trip. Thanks to Hasegawa's inability to keep secrets, everyone had learned the two had taken a break.

And throughout the trip, it had been painfully obvious. Now, overnight, everything seemed to have flipped.

Hoshina answered first, his voice calm as ever. "We walked on the beach last night."

He took another sip of his tea before glancing toward the living room, where groans and sleepy complaints signaled the others were beginning to wake.

"They're up," he murmured, nudging Narumi lightly with his elbow. "We should start making breakfast."

Narumi groaned dramatically without looking up from his toast.

"I was enjoying the peace."

More bodies began to stir beyond the kitchen. Narumi sighed. "And I assume everyone wants to know what happened?"

Tachibana shrugged. "Not me, necessarily. But I'm pretty sure Ashiro and Hasegawa are dying to hear the whole story."

"Then go wash your face first." Narumi waved him away with the hand that still held his mug. "Let me enjoy another minute of peace before I get interrogated."

Tachibana clicked his tongue but raised both hands in surrender. "Fine, fine." He shuffled off toward the bathroom, still yawning.

Unfortunately for Narumi, that brief moment of peace lasted only thirty seconds.

One by one, the others dragged themselves into the kitchen, each looking like they'd barely survived the night. Someone was nursing a headache, another was searching for coffee and Ashiro and Kafka somehow managed to wrap an entire blanket around themselves like a burrito.

The sleepy chatter slowly filled the room as everyone reached for breakfast.

Narumi, being Narumi, decided that if he was going to tell everyone, he might as well drop the biggest bomb possible

The effect was immediate.

Every single pair of eyes shifted between the two of them, trying to determine whether they had actually heard him correctly or if their sleep-deprived hangover brains were playing tricks on them.

Hoshina himself froze. "...What?"

Narumi didn't even spare him a glance.He simply took another bite of his toast as though he'd commented on the weather instead of announcing their future marriage. 

It was Igarashi who finally managed to break the deafening silence. "...What do you mean you're getting married? What the hell happened yesterday?"

Narumi merely shrugged, completely unfazed by the collective shock surrounding him. "The usual," he replied around another bite of toast. "We fought. We made up. We decided we want to get married. What's there to question?"

A chorus of incredulous groans answered him almost immediately.

Ashiro, blanket still wrapped around her body, looking personally offended by how casually he'd summarized what should have been an hours-long explanation.  "You both have been miserable for weeks," she exclaimed. "Then you disappear for one night, and suddenly you're planning your wedding? You seriously expect us to accept that without any context?" 

Narumi shrugged again, "Pretty much."

Hoshina continued staring at him, still trying to process everything that had just happened. 

Eventually, Narumi met his gaze.The corner of his mouth curled upward into the smallest, most unapologetic grin. He reached over, giving Hoshina's shoulder two gentle pats that somehow felt even more teasing than reassuring.

"Hoshina doesn't exactly look like he's agreeing willingly," Shinonome observed dryly, folding her arms.

Narumi looked at her without the slightest hint of hesitation.

"Of course he will. He loves me." Then, after a brief pause, he added with a grin that only grew more insufferable, "And I love him."

An audible chorus of exaggerated groans and gagging noises immediately filled the kitchen. "Oh, that's disgusting."

Narumi snorted at their reactions, looking far too pleased with himself. "Anyway," he said, stretching lazily before grabbing the towel hanging over the back of a chair, "I'm taking a shower before you drunkards flood the bathroom."

"...Gen."

Narumi was already halfway toward the hallway.

"The fuck? You're just leaving me here?"

Without bothering to turn around, Narumi simply lifted one hand into the air and gave him a lazy wave.

"Ask Soushiro."

The bathroom door slid shut only moments later.Silence settled over the kitchen once again. Then, almost comically, every single head slowly rotated toward the unfortunate soul Narumi had abandoned behind.

Hoshina.

He closed his eyes for a long moment before letting out a slow, resigned sigh. Before he could even consider making an escape, the girls reached him first. "As expected," Hoshina sighed quietly, already accepting his fate.

They leaned across the table with barely restrained excitement while the guys busied themselves with preparing breakfast, pretending not to listen despite the fact that every one of them had noticeably stopped what they were doing.

"So?" Ashiro leaned forward eagerly. "Did he beg you to take him back?"

"Was he pathetic?" Shinonome added.

"Did he cry?"

"What exactly happened?"

The questions came so quickly that Hoshina barely had time to process one before another was thrown at him.

Instinctively, he took half a step backward until his hips bumped lightly against the kitchen counter. One hand drifted to the back of his neck, rubbing it absentmindedly as warmth slowly crept into his cheeks.

"It... wasn't exactly like that," he admitted.

"Then what was it like?"

Hoshina hesitated for a moment, searching for words that somehow didn't feel adequate enough to explain everything that had happened the night before.

"We just..." He smiled sheepishly. "...talked."

The room stared at him.

"...That's it?" Igarashi asked flatly.

Hoshina couldn't help laughing softly. "Yeah... that's it." Well, how could he explain some mystical force had somehow bound them together. The cause of the strain in their relationship, but also the answer to their own longings? Hoshina wasn't about to explain that nonsense. 

His smile gradually softened, his thoughts drifting back to the beach, to the waves, to the silence they'd shared before finally speaking honestly to each other.

"We talked about everything we'd been avoiding," he said quietly. "Our misunderstandings... our past... and where we wanted to go from here."

For a brief moment, the kitchen fell silent again. His expression had changed without him noticing, the tension that had followed him for weeks replaced by something undeniably gentler.

Ashiro narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"...That still doesn't explain how your conversation went from 'we talked' to 'we're getting married.'"

Hoshina paused to think. "...Honestly?"He let out a helpless laugh, shaking his head."I'd like to know how his brain made that leap too."

Laughter finally erupted throughout the kitchen, dissolving the last remnants of tension. One by one, everyone returned to making breakfast, still teasing Hoshina between bites and occasionally throwing another question his way.

From somewhere down the hallway, Narumi's muffled voice echoed through the house.

"I heard that!"

Hoshina simply shook his head, unable to stop the fond smile tugging at the corners of his lips. And somehow, after everything they'd been through, it felt wonderfully normal.

Before any of them realized it, the short graduation getaway had come to an end.

XX

The deafening roar of explosions tore through the static crackling in Hoshina's earpiece as the battlefield erupted into complete chaos. Yoju continued to pour onto the ruined streets without end, drawn to the overwhelming presence of the numbered Kaiju, their shrill cries swallowed by artillery fire and the relentless barrage of explosions. Every squad was stretched to its limits, desperately holding the line while the captains fought at the center of the battlefield. Through the thick veil of smoke and dust, Hoshina caught sight of the two towering figures. Kaiju No. 1 and Kaiju No. 2 stood motionless before their massive bodies finally gave way, crashing into the earth with enough force to send another tremor through the city.

Hoshina allowed himself to breathe.

Then the world around him glitched.

The ringing in his ears drowned out every other sound as the smoke hanging over the battlefield warped strangely before his eyes. It was as though reality itself had stuttered, and he found himself in the center of the destruction, right beneath the honju's lifeless body. 

Standing atop the lifeless body of Kaiju No. 2 was a figure Hoshina would recognize anywhere. Even through the haze and ash, the silhouette was unmistakable.

Narumi Gen.

Relief washed over Hoshina with such overwhelming force that his knees nearly gave out. They had survived. Narumi had survived. Against impossible odds, they had actually won. 

Yes, that was it.

But Narumi remained motionless atop of the carcass. Hoshina immediately sensed something’s wrong. His heartbeat thundered so violently against his ribs that he couldn't hear anything else.

"Gen!"

His eyes widened in horror when Narumi's body collapsed, his feet gave away and he was about to fall from the Kaiju's body. 

Narumi's gunblade slipped from lifeless fingers and clattered loudly against the cracked pavement, the metallic clang echoes. A second later, Narumi's body followed, collapsing forward without resistance.

"No..."

The word escaped Hoshina before he even realized he had spoken.

His body moved long before his mind could process what was happening. He reached Narumi just as he began to hit the ground, catching him in both arms with enough force that they nearly stumbled together. Narumi's weight slumped heavily against him, completely limp, and a cold wave of dread immediately settled into Hoshina's chest.

This was wrong.

Everything was wrong.

Hoshina ripped away Narumi's damaged mask, desperately searching for any sign that he was still there. "Gen?" he whispered, his voice already breaking. 

Narumi's eyes remained shut, his breathing so shallow Hoshina almost couldn't see it, blood slowly spilling from the corner of his lips and staining his already ruined uniform.

The frantic voices flooding through his earpiece barely reached him.

"Captain Narumi's vitals are dropping!"

"We need medical support immediately!"

"Get a medic over there! Hurry!"

"We're losing him!"

The battlefield exploded back into motion around him, soldiers shouting orders and rushing toward their captain, but Hoshina couldn't hear any of it anymore. Everything beyond the man in his arms became distant. His hands instinctively pressed against Narumi's wounds, desperately trying to stop the endless flow of blood despite knowing how futile it was. His palms were already slick and warm, crimson slipping through his fingers no matter how hard he pressed.

"No... no, no..."

His voice trembled uncontrollably as panic clawed its way into every corner of his mind. "Stay with me, Gen... come on..."bHis hands shook so violently he could barely keep pressure on the wounds anymore. "Please... just say something."

Nothing.

Narumi didn't move.

"Gen... no..." His voice fractured into helpless sobs, "Please don't leave me. Not again." His fingers tightened around the back of Narumi's ruined uniform as though terrified someone would tear him away. "I can't... I can't lose you again."

The words came pouring out before he could stop them, carrying every memory of the life they had shared before fate had stolen Narumi from him. They had promised each other a future—a home, a life amidst their chaos.They had finally believed that happiness was something they were allowed to have.

It couldn't end like this.

Not after everything.

"Please..." Hoshina whispered, his voice barely audible beneath the distant sounds of battle. His tears soaked into Narumi's hair as he held him tighter, desperately clinging to the warmth that was slowly slipping away. "Come back to me... please... don't make me live through losing you again.”

XX

“Soushiro!”

The voice reached him before anything else.

Strong hands gripped his shoulders, gently but insistently shaking him awake. Hoshina's eyes flew open, his breath catching painfully in his throat as his lungs struggled to remember how to breathe. His heart pounded so violently against his ribs that it almost hurt, echoing the image that still clung stubbornly to his mind. Sweat soaked through the back of his shirt, leaving the fabric damp and cold against his skin as he fought to separate nightmare from reality.

For a while, everything was a blur.Then the room slowly came into focus. The familiar ceiling. The curtains swaying softly in the evening breeze. The golden light spilling through the bedroom windows. 

Their room. Or, more accurately, Narumi's room—they decided to lay together once more ever since they returned from the graduation trip. After spending hours wandering the beach together, talking until sunrise, exhaustion had finally caught up to them. They had promised each other ‘just a short nap’ right after they arrived back at their apartment. 

Apparently, they'd slept through most of the afternoon. Hoshina finally settled on the face beside him.

Narumi.

Only then did Hoshina realize he'd been clutching the front of Narumi's shirt with trembling fingers.

Hoshina closed his eyes for a brief moment, relief washing through him. The image from the nightmare still lingered—blood staining his hands, Narumi's body growing colder in his arms.

When he opened his eyes again, Narumi was alive. Looking at him with concern. "...Bad dream again?" Narumi asked gently.

Hoshina nodded. "...Yeah. A dream."

Narumi didn't say anything else at first. Instead, he simply brushed a few damp strands of hair away from Hoshina's forehead before letting his fingers slowly comb through the rest. The familiar gesture was soothing, grounding him. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Hoshina hesitated before scooting closer until he could rest his forehead against Narumi's shoulder.  "I saw you die."

Narumi's fingers paused only briefly before continuing their gentle rhythm through his hair.

"It was... different this time." Hoshina swallowed. "It wasn't your funeral."

His grip tightened around Narumi's shirt. "I was holding you." His breathing became uneven again as the images resurfaced. "You died in my arms... after Kaiju No. 1 and No. 2 were defeated."

His brows knitted together in frustration. "It felt like a memory. One from our past life." He shut his eyes tightly."But that isn't right. I'm not near you when it happened. As far as I remember... I only saw your funeral."

He let out a trembling breath. "So why did I see that? Why is it still showing me things? Why is it still trying to hurt me?"

Without another word, Narumi wrapped both arms around him."Soushiro..." He rested his chin lightly atop Hoshina's head. "I'm right here. As alive as I've ever been."

He drew Hoshina even closer until there wasn't the slightest bit of space left between them. "We're here," he murmured. "In a world where we don't have to fight anymore. A world where we don't have to worry about Kaiju... or losing each other."

The words sounded reassuring.

Almost.

Because Hoshina knew Narumi was saying them for himself just as much as he was saying them for him.

"I know," Hoshina answered softly. He really did know. Logically, he knew. Emotion, however, had never cared much for logic.

"It's just...Now that all those memories are back..."

His hand drifted unconsciously to Narumi's heartbeat beneath his shirt. "...they feel real once again."

"So do you."

Narumi answered immediately. "So if your stupid memories are trying to convince you otherwise..." He leaned down until their foreheads touched. "...then let me remind you what's real."

Hoshina couldn't help smiling.

Narumi pinched his cheek lightly before abruptly changing the subject. "Anyway. No more sad thoughts. We're going back to sleep. And tomorrow..." A grin spread across his face. "Let's go on a date."

Hoshina chuckled, the heaviness in his chest easing little by little. "...It's been a while. With classes and exams.”

"And a certain someone who was too busy pretending not to miss me."

Hoshina gave him an unamused look. "I already apologized."

Narumi folded his arms. "Not enough."

"...How many more apologies do you need?"

Narumi didn't hesitate for even a second.

"The rest of your life."

Hoshina blinked.

"The life we never got to live together."

The teasing smile on Narumi's face softened into something quieter. "I want every day we lose."

His fingers intertwined with Hoshina's. "And this time...I'm taking it all back."

A faint hum escaped Hoshina.

Narumi narrowed his eyes immediately. "...What's with that reaction?" He poked Hoshina's forehead.  "And while we're at it, why did you look so confused earlier when I said we're getting married after graduation?"

Hoshina sighed through a smile.

"...Gen. We're still college students."

"So?"

"So... announcing that we're getting married right after graduation is kind of a huge thing."

Narumi looked genuinely unconcerned, almost offended that Hoshina found the idea so surprising. "I don't want to wait anymore," he said simply, though the easy confidence in his voice gradually gave way to something quieter. His smile faded at the edges, and his gaze dropped to where their hands rested together. 

Absentmindedly, his thumb traced slow circles across the back of Hoshina's hand, grounding himself before he continued. "I already made that mistake once. I lost years, Soushiro. Years that should've been ours." His words came slower now, each one carrying a weight that neither of them could ignore. "I don't want to see you cry over a stupid marriage certificate. I wasn't there to put the ring on your finger.” His voice faltered. "...I wasn't there when you took my name. I was supposed to be. That was my place."

The room fell into a heavy silence. The golden light spilling through the curtains bathed Narumi in warmth, but it couldn't soften the guilt written so plainly across his face. 

Hoshina just smiled softly. He knew that look all too well. It was the same expression Narumi wore whenever he blamed himself for something that had long since slipped beyond anyone's control. 

 "Gen," he murmured softly, waiting until those pink eyes reluctantly met his own. His thumb drifted upward, brushing tenderly along Narumi's cheek before cupping the side of his face. A small smile gradually found its way onto Hoshina's face, warm and reassuring despite the lingering sadness in his eyes. 

"For now," he said, brushing a stray lock of hair away from Narumi's forehead, "let's get some more sleep. Tomorrow is our date, remember? We'll talk more."

Narumi huffed dramatically, pretending to be dissatisfied with ending the conversation there, but he offered no real resistance. Instead, he immediately slipped an arm around Hoshina's waist. 

Hoshina smiled to himself as he relaxed against Narumi's chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat echoing beneath his ear. Wonderfully, reassuringly alive. 

With every beat, the lingering fragments of the nightmare dissolved a little more, replaced by the undeniable warmth of the man holding him. His breathing gradually steadied, the tightness in his chest finally easing as exhaustion reclaimed him. Wrapped safely within Narumi's embrace, Hoshina closed his eyes once more, allowing the familiar heartbeat beneath his cheek to lull him back to sleep. 

XX

"Come on, why are you being so slow?"

Hoshina was already dressed and had his jacket on, standing near the bedroom door with his arms loosely crossed as he waited. One look was enough to tell him that Narumi had made absolutely no progress toward getting ready. He was still wandering around in his sleep clothes, hair a complete mess from their sleep, looking far too comfortable for someone who had promised they were going on a date.

"Wait a bit, Soushiro." Narumi's voice came out rough with sleep as he rubbed at one eye. "Why are you even up so early anyway?"

"We've been sleeping the whole day, Gen. I think that's enough sleep." Hoshina glanced at the clock before looking back at him, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, you were the one who said we were going on a date."

Narumi let out a long yawn, stretching his arms above his head before letting them fall limply at his sides. "You do realize I've been working on that damn trip on top of studying for exams, right?" He looked at Hoshina with a wounded expression. "And I didn't even get an inch of your affection to make up for it."

Hoshina stared at him for a second before snorting. "Don't be such a wimp. You were once the strongest captain, weren't you?"

Narumi's expression immediately soured. "And you should already remember that I hate paperwork with a passion." He grabbed the towel hanging over the back of a chair and slung it over his shoulder with a dramatic sigh. "I can't believe I'm stuck with the same idiots in this life too. What are the odds that I'd somehow end up seeing Hasegawa again?"

He paused, his face twisting in disbelief. "And he's still bald!"

That earned him a laugh. Hoshina covered his mouth with one hand, shoulders shaking as Narumi continued to look personally betrayed by the universe.

"Well," Hoshina managed between laughs, "just as you're 'stuck' with me in this life, they're probably fated to be with us too."

Narumi responded with a pout, apparently dissatisfied with that explanation. Instead of arguing, he simply walked over to Hoshina, closing the distance between them until he could slip both arms around his waist. The sudden closeness made Hoshina's laughter quiet into a softer smile as Narumi rested his chin against his shoulder, the towel slipping from his shoulder and landing forgotten on the floor.

Narumi breathed him in slowly.

There was something familiar about Hoshina's scent, but there were also things that were new. The perfume he wore now was different from the one Narumi remembered from another lifetime, yet somehow the familiarity remained beneath it all from their current relationship. It was strange how the smallest details could change while something as simple as the comfort of having Hoshina in his arms remained exactly the same.

"I'd rather get stuck with you for eternity," Narumi murmured against his neck.

Hoshina felt warmth spread through him at the words, his heart giving a small, traitorous flutter. He shook his head, though the smile on his face made it impossible for him to pretend he wasn't affected.

"Yeah, yeah." Hoshina gave Narumi's shoulder a light push. "But I don't want to be stuck with someone whose drool from last night is still sticking to his face."

Hoshina reached down, picked up the fallen towel, and tossed it directly at his face. "Go shower."

The towel landed squarely over Narumi's head.

He stood there in stunned silence for a moment before pulling it down, his expression one of complete indignation. "How dare you."

"Shower."

"You're supposed to be nicer to your future husband."

"Shower, future husband."

Narumi huffed but finally turned toward the bathroom, muttering something under his breath. Hoshina watched him disappear with an amused shake of his head before heading toward the kitchen to start preparing for their date.

Narumi's shower was surprisingly brief. He didn't want to keep Hoshina waiting any longer than necessary, especially after realizing how much he'd been looking forward to spending the day together. He dried his hair, put on one of his better T-shirts with a pair of jeans, and finished the look with a jacket. Nothing particularly fancy—just something simple and comfortable, an outfit he'd worn countless times before.

It was almost instinctive.

In fact, as he looked at himself briefly in the mirror, a strange sense of familiarity settled over him.

This was the kind of thing he used to wear on their dates. Even before. 

Some things really hadn't changed at all.

He walked into the kitchen expecting to find Hoshina waiting impatiently by the door, but instead found him standing at the counter, carefully packing sandwiches into disposable paper bags. Narumi stopped in the doorway and tilted his head, watching as Hoshina wrapped the last one before placing it neatly alongside the others.

"Aren't we going out to eat?" he asked, genuine confusion coloring his voice. "What's with the sandwiches?"

Hoshina looked over his shoulder.

Then he smiled.

It wasn't the teasing smile he'd worn earlier or the smug one he'd used when throwing the towel at him. This one was softer, carrying a quiet sort of nostalgia. "it's been a while since we ate at our place. I want to start from there."

Narumi's expression softened. 

Our place.

The words lingered in Narumi's mind for a moment.

Ah.

That bench.

The place where everything between them had changed in this life. 

A place that started as nothing more than a quiet little spot they frequented whenever they wanted to escape the lunch rush on campus. Back then, neither of them had given much thought to how often they ended up there together. It was simply somewhere they could sit without being bothered, away from the noise of the cafeteria and the endless stream of students rushing between classes. 

They would eat beside each other. Somewhere along the way, however, that quiet companionship had shifted into something softer—something neither of them had consciously acknowledged at first, but both had instinctively allowed themselves to indulge in.

And now, after everything that had happened, they were going back there again.

"Sure," Narumi said without thinking, the answer leaving him almost immediately. It had been a while, after all. The last time they had eaten there, Hoshina had still been confused about the strange feelings between them, and their lunch had been painfully quiet. Narumi could still remember the awkward silence between them, they had finished eating without exchanging more than a handful of words before going their separate ways.

"The campus should be pretty empty now that finals are over," Narumi added, glancing toward him.

"Exactly." Hoshina's smile widened as he picked up the packed sandwiches. "We'll have so much alone time. Seriously, if you're not going to be such a lazy ass, we could've had a proper full meal already."

"Aww." Narumi's lips curled into a teasing grin. "You want me to cook?"

"Unfortunately, you're a great cook." Hoshina sighed dramatically, shaking his head as though this were a personal inconvenience. "Then and now. Such unfairness."

Narumi laughed under his breath. "Next time, then, love."

Hoshina looked at him for a second before grinning. "Yeah. Next time."

He lets the words settle between them. "There's a next time."

Something about the certainty in his voice made Narumi's chest feel strangely warm. There was no hesitation anymore, no uncertainty about whether they would still be together tomorrow or whether their time would once again be stolen from them. There would be another date. Another lunch. Another evening. Another ordinary day where they could simply exist beside each other without wondering how much time they had left.

Narumi reached over and gave his hand a light tug. "Now come on."

Hoshina relented with a quiet laugh, handing him the paper bags before slipping his jacket again. Together, they stepped toward the door, leaving the quiet apartment behind as they headed back to the campus that had unknowingly witnessed the beginning of their second chance. 

XX

"Let's take a picture first."

Hoshina sat down on the bench before Narumi could even protest, shifting comfortably against the backrest as he pulled out his smartphone. He placed the paper bag beside him, pulled out one of the sandwiches, and held it up between them before making little motions toward Narumi's mouth.

Narumi stared at him for a second.

"...Seriously?"

Hoshina simply smiled at him. "Come on."

With a quiet huff, Narumi leaned closer and played along, smiling toward the camera as Hoshina raised the phone. There were a few clicks in quick succession, capturing them in various poses.

Hoshina lowered the phone and immediately began scrolling through the pictures, completely absorbed in reviewing their little collection.

Narumi, meanwhile, had already decided that if the sandwich was still being held in front of him, there was no reason to wait. He leaned over and took a bite straight from Hoshina's hand.

Hoshina glanced at him from the corner of his eye, one hand still scrolling through the photos while the other remained holding the sandwich. After a moment, his expression brightened and he turned the screen toward Narumi.

"Look how adorable we are."

Narumi glanced at the pictures. "We are." His eyes immediately dropped back to the sandwich. "And I'm hungry."

Hoshina laughed under his breath before deciding to feed him properly, holding the sandwich up again and letting Narumi take another bite. Narumi, naturally, looked far too smug about the entire arrangement, chewing happily while leaning into Hoshina's hand.

It wasn't every day they got to be this disgustingly sweet in public.

They were infamous enough around campus as it was, and as members of the student council, they both knew better than to make a spectacle of themselves. There was a certain reputation they had to maintain, after all. 

But there was no one around today.

The campus was practically deserted after finals, leaving them with an empty field, quiet walkways, and a bench that felt like it belonged entirely to them.

So, naturally, they were going to take full advantage of it.

Narumi was halfway through another bite when he noticed Hoshina didn't eat. Instead, Hoshina had his phone raised again, the camera pointed directly at him as he recorded.

Narumi paused.

"Soushiro."

"Hm?"

"You're not eating?"

"I will. Just a moment."

Hoshina didn't even bother looking away from the screen. He simply adjusted the angle, capturing Narumi sitting there and eating his sandwich.

Narumi's cheeks slowly warmed beneath the attention.

"What are you doing?"

"Recording."

"I can see that. Why?"

"You look cute."

Narumi immediately reached for the phone.

"Give me that."

Hoshina laughed as Narumi successfully stole it from his hand, flipping the camera around until it was pointed at Hoshina instead. The sudden change made Hoshina burst into laughter, and Narumi couldn't resist taking advantage of the opportunity.

If Hoshina wanted a video, then Narumi was going to make one too. He turned the camera back toward himself for a second, then pointed it toward Hoshina, who was still laughing.

He picked up a piece of sandwich and held it out toward Hoshina.

"Say ahh."

Hoshina looked at the camera.

Then at Narumi.

A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.

"Ahh." Hoshina leaned forward and took the sandwich into his mouth, but instead of simply biting down and pulling away, he deliberately made a tiny show of lightly licking Narumi's fingers afterward.

Narumi froze.

His hand remained suspended in the air, phone still recording. His entire expression went blank.

Hoshina's eyes immediately crinkled with amusement. He took the phone back, turned the camera toward Narumi's stunned face, and held it there for several seconds.

"What's with the face?" Hoshina was already laughing as he ended the recording.

Narumi stared at him, cheeks still faintly pink. "We're in public, if you must know."

Hoshina raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you care about public opinion, 'Captain Narumi'?"

Narumi scoffed, straightening his jacket with what little dignity he had left.

"If you must know, I am still a respectable member of the student council."

Hoshina gave him a look before glancing back down at the video."Keep telling yourself that when it's only convenient for you."

The moment the video replayed, Hoshina broke into another fit of laughter.

Narumi's face fell. "Delete that."

"Nope."

Hoshina hugged the phone closer to his chest, grinning shamelessly. "It's my treasure now."

Narumi pouted, looking away with an offended expression, but he didn't argue any further. After all, he knew there was no chance Hoshina was actually going to delete it.

"Then send it to me later."

"Of course."

Hoshina finally turned off the phone and slipped it back into his pocket before reaching for one of the sandwiches himself. He took a proper bite this time, chewing comfortably as he leaned back against the bench.

For a while, neither of them said anything as they munch on their sandwiches. The silence was comfortable, and they both indulged themselves in the moment. 

Narumi's gaze wandered toward the empty field in front of them. He leaned back, letting his shoulder brush against Hoshina's. 

“”Say, I've been meaning to ask." Narumi glanced sideways at him, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. "You've been taking videos a lot ever since we started dating. Do you usually do that? Or what? Are you practicing to be a vlogger or something?"

He said it as a joke, his tone light and playful. Honestly, he wouldn't have minded either way. If Hoshina wanted to document every ridiculous moment of their relationship, then Narumi was more than happy to let him.

Hoshina didn't answer immediately.

He seemed to contemplate the question for a while, eyes drifting toward the empty field in front of them. The last of his sandwich remained in his hand, and without thinking much about it, he held it out for Narumi. Narumi accepted the offering without complaint, taking the last half from his fingers as Hoshina leaned back against the bench.

"No," Hoshina finally said. "Before you, I wasn't the type to take videos. Hell, I don't even like recording myself." A small smile appeared on his lips as he watched Narumi finish the sandwich. "Back then, I was just excited that I had a lover. I wanted to record every detail if I could."

His voice carried a fondness that made Narumi's smile soften.

Hoshina shifted closer, eventually resting his head against Narumi's shoulder. Their bodies settled naturally. Their hands found one another, intertwining quietly in the moment. "I loved looking back at those videos," he continued quietly. "All the silly things we did. All the dates we went on. The little club activities we joined together. Even the stupid things that didn't seem important at the time.But..."

He paused.

Narumi glanced down at him, waiting.

"Once I got my memories back," Hoshina continued, "I realized this simple thing had much deeper meaning to it."

Narumi's fingers tightened gently around his.

"What do you mean?"

Hoshina was quiet for another moment, as though he were trying to decide how much of the past he wanted to bring into the peaceful afternoon they were sharing. "Do you know, Gen..." His thumb brushed slowly over Narumi's knuckles. "Auditory memories are one of the easiest things to lose?"

Narumi tilted his head. He wasn't entirely sure where the conversation was heading, but he could hear the tension underneath Hoshina's words.

"No," Narumi admitted quietly. "What about it?"

Hoshina's gaze remained fixed on the field.

"Well..." He took a slow breath. "After you were gone, maybe three or four years later—I don't remember exactly when—I started forgetting your voice."

Narumi went still.

Oh.

So that's what he meant.

Hoshina continued before Narumi could say anything, his voice growing softer as though he were speaking to a memory rather than the person sitting beside him.

"Of course, the Defense Force had your voice recordings archived. And believe me, I searched for them. I listened to whatever I could find." His fingers tightened around Narumi's hand. "But the voice you used at home... the one you only used when it was just the two of us..." He swallowed quietly. "That wasn't something ‘Captain Narumi's’ recordings had."

His smile was small and sad. "And I missed hearing it, Gen."

Narumi's chest tightened.

He could picture it now.

Hoshina alone somewhere, years after his death, searching through old recordings just to hear a voice that had once been so ordinary. A voice he'd probably never thought twice about while he was alive. The voice that greeted Hoshina in the morning, complained about paperwork, called his name from another room, laughed when they were alone, and softened in ways no recording made for the Defense Force could ever capture.

"I regret not taking more videos before," Hoshina admitted. "All the time we managed to spend together. I had pictures, and I know I'll never forget your face. I remember the way you looked, the way you smiled..." His voice faltered for just a moment before he continued. "But your voice..."

Narumi listened quietly, not daring to interrupt.

There was nothing he could say that would erase the years Hoshina had spent without him. Nothing that could return the memories that had faded no matter how desperately Hoshina had tried to hold onto them. So instead, he simply turned his hand beneath Hoshina's and squeezed it, giving him something warm and present to hold onto.

Hoshina rested his head more firmly against Narumi's shoulder.

"I guess the regret carried over." He murmured. 

Perhaps that was why Hoshina's phone was always in his hand now. Why he recorded the stupid moments, the dates, the meals, the teasing, the laughter. Why he wanted proof of the ordinary things that neither of them would think twice about today. Because once upon a time, those were the luxury they couldn't afford.

Narumi lowered his gaze toward their intertwined hands, his thumb brushing gently across Hoshina's fingers.

"Then keep recording," Narumi gave him a small smile. "Record everything you want."

His voice softened.

"Record me being annoying. Record me sleeping. Record our dates. Record me cooking."

Hoshina's lips twitched. "Especially that."

"Hey."

A quiet laugh escaped Hoshina. Narumi squeezed his hand again.

"And when you're old and tired of looking at my stupid face, we'll watch them together and complain about how young we used to be."

Hoshina stared at him for a moment before his expression softened completely.

"...Together?"

"Of course." Narumi leaned his head gently against Hoshina's. "This time, you won't have to watch them alone."

"I know."

The words settled between them. Narumi's thumb continued to brush absentmindedly over the back of Hoshina's hand before he hesitated, his expression shifting into something more cautious. There was a question he'd been carrying now that his memories returned, one he'd been too afraid to ask because he wasn't sure whether he truly wanted to hear the answer.

"Soushiro," he said carefully.

"Hmm?"

Narumi swallowed, his gaze drifting toward the empty field before returning to the man beside him. "How was your life... after I was gone?" His voice was softer now. "I want to hear about it. Did you..." He paused, struggling to phrase the question. "Did you find someone? Did you get to live happily until you were old?"

His fingers tightened slightly around Hoshina's.

"How was it?"

There was a brief silence before Narumi quickly added, "You don't have to tell me if it still hurts. I'm not trying to make you dig up something you don't want to remember."

Hoshina shook his head, his expression surprisingly calm. "It's fine." He let his eyes fall shut, leaning back against the bench as though searching through a memory that existed somewhere far beyond the life they were living now. "It's all in the past, Gen. A lifetime ago, literally."

He took a slow breath. "Where should I start?"

For a moment, he simply stared at the sky before answering.

"I think I died around my mid-30s. During a subjugation, it's not that surprising. Honestly, not much changed even after you were gone. Life just... continued. Everyone grieved, everyone eventually moved on, and the Defense Force kept going. There were new recruits, new captains, but our missions remained. The world didn't stop just because you weren't in it anymore."

"I expected that much," Narumi murmured.

There was no bitterness in his voice. If anything, it was the quiet acceptance of someone who had always known that the world would continue without him. Still, a strange ache settled in his chest as he remembered the conversation they'd once had—the one where his ghostly hands had traced the name carved into his own tombstone, forced to confront the reality that his life had ended while Hoshina's had continued.

Hoshina's fingers tightened around his.

"I kept my promise, though," he continued. "I visited your grave whenever I could. Sometimes I'd go after a mission. Sometimes I'd just go because I had nothing else to do. or when I..missed you" A faint smile touched his lips. "I even visited your orphanage in your place."

Narumi's eyes softened.

"The kids still remember you," Hoshina said. "They'd tell me stories about you. Some of them were stories I'd already heard, and some of them..." He chuckled quietly. "Some of them made you sound like a completely different person."

Narumi snorted.

"I bet they exaggerated."

"Probably." Hoshina's smile widened. "But I think part of the reason they remembered so much was because I kept bringing you up. I made sure they knew that you hadn't just disappeared."

Narumi looked down at him.

"You're doing far too much, Soushiro."

Hoshina shrugged.

"It's the only thing that could occupy my time. Outside the Defense Force, I didn't really have much else."

Narumi's expression changed at that.

"You didn't find someone new?"

The question left his mouth before he could stop it. Immediately, he felt something twist unpleasantly in his chest.

It was ridiculous.

He was dead in that life. He had left Hoshina behind. He had no right to feel jealous over something that had happened after his death, especially when Hoshina had deserved every opportunity to find happiness again. If someone had come into Hoshina's life and given him the love Narumi had failed to give him, Narumi knew he wouldn't have wanted to take that away.

He would have wanted Hoshina to be happy.

He just...

Didn't like the thought of someone else being the one to make him smile. But still… 

Hoshina noticed the slight tension in his hand and gave him an amused glance before shaking his head.

"Nah."

He paused, then added with a small smile, "I was a Narumi by then, remember?"

Narumi blinked.

"I wore the ring and everything."

The answer hit him harder than he expected. 

“Yknow,” Hoshina looked down at his own hand, as though he could still feel the weight of that ring around his finger. "My family was furious when they found out. They kept telling me that, yes, you might have been Japan's strongest soldier, but you were still a dead man. They wanted me to give up on you and move on. They wanted me to marry someone they chose and start a proper life."

He gave a small, humorless laugh.

"But when have I ever listened to my family? Especially when they told me to give up."

Narumi couldn't help smiling faintly at that.

Hoshina's smile softened. "Besides, I couldn't bear having anyone else. Not because I thought I was somehow obligated to remain alone, but because..." He hesitated, searching for the right words. "I couldn't imagine giving someone else the kind of love I'd given you. And I couldn't bear the thought of making someone else carry the same grief I carried."

His gaze lowered. "As members of the Defense Force, we both knew that any day could be our last. You taught me that better than anyone. I didn't want to promise someone a future when I knew there was always a chance I'd leave them behind with the same kind of pain you left me with."

Narumi's smile disappeared.

Hoshina continued quietly, "So I was content carrying your name alone."

His thumb brushed absently over the place where the ring used to rest. "It felt..." Hoshina paused, his voice softening. "It felt like a part of you was still alive with me." 

His gaze lowered to their intertwined hands, his expression carrying a tenderness that seemed far too old for the young face he wore now. "And until the very end, I didn't want to leave you either. I didn't want to die and leave you alone when there was nobody else left to see you, nobody else who remembered you the way I did. So I prayed that, when my time finally came, I'd be allowed to rest with you." 

Hoshina gave a faint, almost embarrassed smile, as though admitting something so vulnerable made him feel exposed. "I suppose even after all those years, some part of me still believed that if I couldn't have you in life, at least I could find you again at the end."

Narumi couldn't find anything to say.

For all the short time he'd spent imagining what Hoshina's life might have looked like after he was gone, he had never once imagined this. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he'd always hoped Hoshina would eventually fall in love again, find someone who could hold his hand through the quiet years, grow old beside him, and give him the ordinary happiness Narumi had failed to provide. 

He had wanted that for him. He still did. If Hoshina had found someone else, if he'd built a family and lived a long, peaceful life, Narumi knew he would have been grateful. He would have wanted nothing more than for Hoshina to be happy, even if that happiness had eventually stopped including him. 

But hearing the truth now—that Hoshina had carried his name long after his death, that he had continued visiting his grave whenever he could, that he had gone to the orphanage in his place and kept his memories alive for children who had once loved him, that he had carried the grief all the way to the end of his own life—hurt in a way Narumi had never been prepared for.

Not because he wanted Hoshina to regret loving him. Not because he wished he'd chosen differently. It hurt because, for the first time, Narumi truly understood the depth of what Hoshina had given him. He had been loved not simply for the years they had shared, but through every year they hadn't been allowed to have. Even death hadn't been enough to make Hoshina let go. And somehow, knowing that made Narumi feel both impossibly loved and unbearably guilty at the same time.

His throat tightened. Narumi slowly lifted their joined hands, turning Hoshina's palm upward before pressing a trembling kiss against his knuckles. His lips lingered there for a moment longer than necessary, as though he could somehow apologize through the gesture alone. When he finally lifted his head, his eyes were already shining.

"I'm—"

"No."

Hoshina stopped him before the word could become an apology, gently placing a finger against Narumi's lips. His gaze remained steady even though his own chest ached at the sight of him.

"Don't," he whispered. "I don't want you to apologize."

Narumi's eyes widened slightly.

"You've done enough," Hoshina continued, his thumb brushing gently against Narumi's cheek. "You've apologized for a lifetime you didn't even get to finish. You've carried guilt for things that weren't your fault, and you've spent all this time thinking you somehow owe me something because you died." His voice softened. "You don't."

Narumi's lips parted, but Hoshina shook his head before he could argue.

"Like I told you before, I don't regret loving you." A small smile appeared on his lips, warm and painfully sincere. "Not once. Not even when it hurt. Not even when I had to say goodbye to you. I would still choose you, Gen. Every time."

Narumi's lips trembled.

Hoshina felt it beneath his fingertip.

The composure Narumi had been desperately trying to hold together finally began to crack, his bright pink eyes glistening as tears gathered along his lashes. He tried to blink them away, but one stubborn tear slipped free anyway, tracing a quiet path down his cheek.

Hoshina's breath caught. 

Even now, with his eyes wet and his expression broken open by emotions he rarely allowed anyone to see, Narumi was beautiful.

But more than that, he looked unbearably human. 

Just Gen.

His Gen.

The man who had loved him once, lost him, and somehow found him again.

Hoshina barely had time to breathe before Narumi suddenly moved. His arms wrapped tightly around him, pulling him forward with such force that their chests collided and Hoshina was left momentarily breathless. He instinctively curled his arms around Narumi in return, feeling the tremor running through his body as Narumi buried his face against his shoulder.

"I don't deserve you," Narumi whispered, his voice breaking against Hoshina's shoulder. His fingers curled tightly into the back of Hoshina's jacket. "I don't deserve your love."

Hoshina closed his eyes, one hand slowly moving up to cradle the back of Narumi's head. He could feel the unevenness of his breathing, his shoulders trembled beneath his touch. 

"You keep saying that," Hoshina murmured, holding him closer as Narumi's fingers remained curled tightly into the fabric of his clothes. "But you keep forgetting something."

Narumi didn't answer. His face remained buried against Hoshina's shoulder, his breathing still uneven as he tried desperately to regain control of himself. Hoshina gently rested his cheek against his hair. 

"You don't get to decide whether you're worthy of my love," Hoshina whispered, his fingers slowly threading through Narumi's hair. "That's my decision."

Narumi's grip tightened around him.

"And I already made it."

For a moment, Narumi simply held him, as though those words had struck somewhere too deep for him to immediately respond. When he finally lifted his head, his eyes were red around the edges, tears still clinging stubbornly to his lashes. He looked almost frustrated by how much he was crying, wiping at his face with the back of his hand before another tear betrayed him.

"I love you, Soushiro."

His voice cracked.

"I can't even express how much I love you.." He let out a shaky breath, shaking his head helplessly. "It's not enough. None of them are enough."

Hoshina's heart squeezed painfully at the sight of him. He reached up and gently wiped away the tear tracing down Narumi's cheek, his thumb lingering there for a moment.

"I love you too, Gen," he whispered. "More than you know. More than I could ever put into words."

That only made Narumi cry harder.

A breathless laugh escaped Hoshina, fondness warming his expression despite the tears threatening his own eyes. Of course he did. After everything, Narumi was still Narumi—too stubborn, too emotional when he finally allowed himself to feel, and completely incapable of accepting love without wondering whether he'd somehow earned it.

Hoshina loved him for it.

He loved him for the man he had been, the man he was now, and every version of him that had existed between those two lives.

Narumi's gaze softened as he looked at him, his eyes shining with tears and something warmer beneath them. Slowly, he leaned forward until their foreheads brushed, their breaths mingling in the small space between them. Then he closed the distance and their lips met.

Narumi's hands rose to cradle Hoshina's cheeks, his thumbs brushing gently beneath his eyes. There were no words that could possibly contain everything he was feeling. So instead, he poured it all into the kiss—the love he'd carried from another lifetime, the grief he'd never gotten to express, the relief of having Hoshina in his arms again, and above all, the overwhelming gratitude of being given another chance.

Thank you.

For finding me.

For waiting.

For loving me.

For choosing me again.

Hoshina understood every word without hearing a single one. His hands came up to cover Narumi's, fingers gently overlapping his as he returned the kiss with the same tenderness. His heart felt impossibly full, almost aching beneath the weight of everything they had survived to reach this moment.

When they finally pulled apart, they remained close, foreheads touching as they caught their breath.

"Soushiro," Narumi whispered.

"Hmm?"

"I promise I'll make you the happiest person alive."

Hoshina smiled. "I already am."

Narumi frowned immediately.

"Not enough."

Hoshina blinked.

"You deserve so much more."

Before Hoshina could even ask what he meant, Narumi suddenly stood up, grabbing the paper bag from beside the bench.

"Come on."

Hoshina looked up at him, utterly confused.

"Where are we going?"

Narumi held out his hand.

"Fuck graduation."

"...What?"

"I'm buying you a ring now."

Hoshina stared at him for several seconds before a laugh escaped him. He couldn't help it. The emotional conversation they'd just shared had apparently lasted exactly long enough for Narumi's impulsive nature to take over again.

"With what?" Hoshina asked, still laughing as he took Narumi's hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "Your part-time money?"

Narumi's expression twisted into a pout, and it looked ridiculous over the tear streak face. 

"I'll figure it out."

"Gen."

"I'm buying you one now."

"You don't have to."

"I know." Narumi squeezed his hand. "That's the point."

Hoshina's laughter softened into something warmer.

Narumi continued, already dragging him toward the campus gates with the determination of someone who had made an important life decision and refused to reconsider it. "I'll buy you a proper one later. A really nice one. Something you'll actually like. Something I can put on your finger properly when the time comes."

He glanced back at Hoshina, his expression suddenly gentler. "But I want you to have something now."

Hoshina looked down at their joined hands, his chest tightening with affection. "You're ridiculous."

"I've been told.”

Hoshina laughed again, squeezing his hand. "Fine. Let's go, then."

Narumi's grin returned immediately. "We still have a date to go to."

And just like that, they left the quiet bench behind, walking hand in hand toward whatever came next.

They had already lost one lifetime.

They weren't going to waste this one.