Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1
Hibino Kafka had worked for Monster Sweeper inc for years. At thirty years of age, he was one of the seniors at this point, and had taken plenty of newbies under his wing for their first day. He had an abundance of knowledge when it came to different species of kaijuu, and how to dispose of them. So really when he showed up for another day of work, he didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary.

The kaijuu they were working on was huge, as usual, with thick skin that took time to cut through. The area the corpse lay in had been sealed off from civilians, and rubble and debris littered the street around the corpse. Not the defense force’s cleanest job, Kafka thought. But still, they had eliminated the threat and saved the day. They were the heroes of the nation, and the first line of defense against these monsters.

And now Kafka and his team were on the scene, taking care of the nitty gritty work of disposing of the damn thing. It was a thankless job, with a mediocre pay and less than stellar benefits. But someone had to clean the mess and Kafka had signed up to do just that - he knew all this when going to the job interview years ago. He was nothing if not thorough, at least. Working hard as sweat crept down his back and muscles ached from the intensive labor. They had until the end of the week, and had Kafka not done such jobs countless times before, perhaps he would be stressed about such a tight deadline. As it was, it was just another days work.

That was until something caught his eye. Kafka was doing a cursory sweep of the perimeter around the tail of the fallen kaijuu, when something flickered in the sun at the edge of his vision. Turning his head to further investigate he saw a pile of rubble and dust, and there, sticking out from underneath was a blade. Kafka carefully pulled the weapon from under rocks and debris, and concluded rather fast that this was a piece of defense force weaponry. He held the thing in his hand for a moment and marveled at the lightness of it. He himself worked mostly with heavy machinery, in order to cut the thick hides of various kaijuu. This however, was a sleek and light weapon, made for precision and speed. The blade glinted in the afternoon sun, even now as it was covered in dust and dried kaijuu blood.

Kafka wondered then how it got left behind. In all his years doing this job he had never encountered weapons left at the scene before, but then again, the blade was left under rubble so it had most likely been dropped in the midst of battle and consequently lost in the heat of the moment. While Kafka had plenty of experience with various parts of kaijuu disposal, for the first time in years he was stumped. What exactly did he do now?

Kafka scratched the back of his head as he turned the sword over in his hand. It’s not like he could just show up at the third division and hand it back right? Was there some kind of protocol for these situations, or did he somehow have to dispose of the weapon? So Kafka did what any worker would do and went to his boss, feeling almost like a rookie again.

His boss was standing near the head of the kaijuu, nose buried in a clipboard as he oversaw the work being done in this end.

“Hey boss, uh, what's the protocol for finding weaponry?” Holding the sword away from his body at an awkward angle, he walked towards the other man. Was this even how you were supposed to hold a sword? Kafka remembered his mum teaching him how to hold a kitchen knife when he was younger, a sword wasn’t much different right? Only way bigger and possibly more deadly depending on the hands that held it. Kafka felt awkward holding the blade, even more so when his boss gave him a flat look.

“Report it to the defense force, I have the email back at the office. There’s an obligatory questionnaire, just the basics, where you found it and what sort of weapon it is. Someone will be by to pick it up in a day or two, I suppose.”

“Ah,” came Kafkas eloquent reply. He should have guessed it would involve paperwork, not exactly his favourite thing to do. Right after intestine duty.

His boss waved his hand dismissively: “Go fix that now and then get back to work. We have a deadline after all, and we are way behind as is.”

Kafka raised a brow looking after the other man. His boss always stressed about the damn deadline for cleanup. Even though they always managed to finish on time. Kafka idly wondered if perhaps existing in a state of perpetual stress was simply part of his personality. Well, whatever, he thought to himself, as he got in the company car and started driving towards the office. He had placed the sword carefully in the back seat, casting glances at it here and there in the mirror as he drove. It truly was a beautiful sword, elegant in its simplicity. Kafka wondered how many kaijuu might have fallen to this blade. Kafka had, at this point in his life, pretty much given up on joining the defense force himself. He had just failed the recent exam, and his confidence had taken a blow as a result. Every year it happened. He took the exams and he failed, again and again, and with each passing year he became more and more discouraged. He only had one chance left at this point. The age limit was thirty one for joining the force, next year was truly his final exam. He wanted it so bad, to join the force and live up to the promise he made as a child, but as adulthood hit him he realised that childhood dreams are just that, dreams. No matter how hard he worked or how much he wished for it, it seemed Kafkas destiny lay not in fighting kaijuu on the front line, but rather sweating like a pig while cutting them up after the battles were already won.

He suddenly felt a wave of resentment towards the sword resting in the back of the car, the damn thing represented everything Kafka couldn’t achieve, everything he was not. Letting out a grunt and shaking his head free of such thoughts, Kafka focused once more on the road ahead of him. Let’s just get this over with. He thought.

The office was empty since everyone was working on the kaijuu. Kafka sat down and started on the email, describing how he found the weapon and what it looked like. Should he attach a photo? Might as well, he thought, maybe someone would recognise the sword and the situation would be cleared up quickly. Holding the sword in one hand he opened the camera on his phone and took the pic, once more hit with the awkwardness of holding the damn thing. After the mail was sent, Kafka wrapped the sword in a piece of cloth and ultimately decided to put it in his locker, not really knowing where else to store it until it was back in the hands of its rightful owner. He then returned to work for the rest of the day, not thinking much more of it until the next day.

The next morning Kafka overslept. The battery in his beat up old alarm clock had unfortunately decided to give up on life and so Kafka stumbled into work 30 minutes late and looking a right mess. He cursed under his breath and tried in vain to fix his bed head with his fingers as he ran across the parking lot towards the office. The others were most likely already at the scene working on the kaijuu, meanwhile Kafka hadn’t even gotten his work clothes on yet. Kafka hadn’t been late for work in years so hopefully his boss wouldn’t be too pissed at him. Still, it was a shitty start to the day, that’s for sure.

In his frantic state, he hadn’t noticed the person standing in front of the main entrance until he was right behind him. The man was shorter than Kafka with a bowl cut. He couldn’t see his face as he stood facing the door, but he seemed a bit lost in Kafkas opinion, looking around like he didn’t know where to go.

“S’cuze me, can I help you?” Kafka was slightly out of breath from running - man, he should really stop smoking. The man turned around and Kafkas brain short circuited for a moment. Holy shit, he was pretty. He was clearly younger than Kafka by a few years and, as mentioned, slightly shorter. His shoulders were wide though, and the way he held himself exuded confidence. Slim red eyes found Kafkas and the man smiled at him.

“I’m looking for an employee actually, someone at this company apparently found my sword yesterday so I’m here to pick it up.”

“Oh,” Kafkas eyes widened, “that was yours?” Okay, Kafka usually wasn’t this dense, but cut him some slack, he didn’t exactly have a stellar start to the day. The man kept smiling but did lift his eyebrows slightly.

“Yep, it’s mine, as I just said.” Kafka felt his cheeks heating up, today really wasn’t his day. Dammit, get it together, Kafka.

“Right, yeah, uh- it’s in my locker inside, just give me a sec.” Kafka went through the front door, expecting the other guy to wait outside. When he heard footsteps behind him, he turned his head and saw that the man had followed him inside. That was fine too, he supposed, guess the guy was eager to get his sword back.

Kafka tried to be subtle as he studied the guy from the corner of his eye. Kafkas brain was itching with familiarity, hadn’t he seen this guy somewhere before? His brain wasn’t functioning right this morning and he quickly gave up on trying to think at all. Damn, he craved coffee and a cigarette - unfortunately time wasn’t on his side today, guess these pleasures would have to wait until lunchtime.

They made it to the locker room and Kafka beelined for his own, quickly unlocking it and tenderly taking out the wrapped sword. He suddenly doubted whether he should have cleaned it, it was covered in dirt and blood after all. Or maybe not. He might have ended up just ruining it somehow, Kafka wasn’t exactly gifted with nimble fingers or sword polishing skills. The man unwrapped the sword and gave it a quick once over, the edge of his lip curled in a wry smile.

“Man this is embarrassing, I’ve never dropped my swords before. What a rookie mistake.” He laughed to himself as he wrapped the sword once more. “Thank you. What did you say your name was again?”

“No problem, it’s just part of the cleaning job after all. And I didn’t, my name is Hibino Kafka. Nice to meet you and thank you for your service.” He was quick to add the last part only now, remembering this guy was in the defense force. Damn Kafka, get it together, man. The man’s eyes swept over Kafkas face, a smile planted firmly on his lips.

“Hibino Kafka, nice to meet you,” he said, “my name is Hoshina Soushiro, Vice Captain of the third division.” He said it so casually that Kafka took a moment to fully register the words. Today really wasn’t Kafkas day, it surely had to be illegal to be this big of an airhead. Kafka knew exactly who this guy was - he had literally seen him on tv hundreds of times. Holy shit, Kafka was such an idiot!

And eloquent as ever, Kafkas response to Hoshinas introduction was then to smack himself in the face and let out a loud “FUCK.”

Hoshina stood there stunned for a moment, eyes widening comically and then, to Kafkas utter horror, he proceeded to laugh at him. “What kind of reaction is that?” Hoshina was wheezing with laughter, bending over and clutching his stomach. Kafkas face was on fire and he suddenly wished a kaijuu would emerge from beneath his feet and just swallow him whole. This interaction really wasn’t going well - had Kafka always been this socially awkward?

The worst part was perhaps that even in his embarrassment, he still had half a mind to admire just how handsome Hoshina was when laughing. Way to go, Kafka, not only did he make a fool of himself in front of an attractive guy, said attractive guy was also the vice captain in the very division Kafka had tried to join for years at this point. Maybe Kafka should just move to a foreign country, live on some small island out there in the big wide world, build a shed and farm the lands.

In the real world, Hoshina seemed to finally get his laughter under control, standing back up as he wiped his eyes, violent laughter reduced to small giggles as he looked at Kafka once more. “You’re a funny guy, Hibino, I haven’t laughed like this in ages. Ah, how refreshing.” He let out a happy sigh as he said this.

“Ah, glad to be of service?” God, Kafka just wanted this interaction to be over with, he had to look like such an idiot to this guy.

Hoshina gave Kafka a calculated look, and then asked: “Say, Hibino, are you single?”

What? Just, what? Where the hell was this conversation going? Was he making fun of him? Kafka stared at Hoshina, not knowing what was going on any more. “Uh, what?” This had to be some sort of fever dream, Kafka was most likely still at home sleeping. Yes, that’s it, this whole day was just a dream and soon the alarm would ring and Kafka would wake up.

“You single?” Hoshina repeated himself, then frowned. “Maybe that’s a bit too direct. How about this then, can I get your number?” Hoshina was looking at Kafka, his expression seeming earnest. Even so, Kafka couldn’t help but ask, “why?” Damn, okay, that sounded super rude, but Kafka was really out of his element here. He didn’t exactly have a lot of experience with flirting or dating or anything really, and he couldn’t help but think that the Vice Captain had to be messing with him. Or maybe he was totally full of himself and made a hobby out of asking random people for their numbers? Like an ego boost or something. With the way he looked, Kafka thought he certainly didn’t need it, the man was hot. But all people had insecurities right?

Hoshina giggled again, smiling wide as he answered. “Well, firstly, I think you’re cute, I mean look at you, you're like a big puppy. And secondly, you did find my sword, so if you wouldn’t mind I could maybe buy you a coffee as thanks? I certainly wouldn’t mind talking more with you, as I said, you’re a funny guy. I like that.” Okay, that was definitely very forward, but in Kafkas flustered state, perhaps being direct was the appropriate approach.

“Oh uh y-yeah! Sure, hold on.” Kafka rushed to his boss’ office and got one of the company cards. He flipped it over and scribbled his name and number on the back, returning to Hoshina and handing it to the other man.

“Thanks,” Hoshina said, studying the card for a moment and then slipping it in his pocket. “Well, Hibino, it was nice meeting you, but I should get going now. I’ll text you.” Hoshina winked (WINKED) at him, and just like that, he left. Kafka stood in the locker room, stunned and out of it. Did that seriously just happen? Had Kafka maybe hit his head at some point and was now hallucinating, or in a coma? No way, Kafkas mind couldn’t make this stuff up, he really wasn’t that creative. He looked at the analog clock on the wall of the office and nearly screamed. Shit! He was over an hour late for work at this point and he still hadn’t even changed his clothes, let alone gotten to the site. As Kafka rushed to get ready and jumped in one of the company cars, he almost managed to push the morning’s encounter to the back of his mind. Almost being the key word here.

Chapter Text

2
The rest of the day went by in a blur. Kafka did his job on autopilot, trying desperately to keep his thoughts from wandering. The interaction from the morning had rattled him, surely Hoshina was fucking with him. Why would a guy like that want anything to do with Kafka? The ego boost idea was still very much on the table. And yet, Hoshina had looked so earnest in the moment he had asked for Kafkas number, like he truly meant what he’d said. Kafka was a confused mess and several times got chewed out for being distracted during the day. He let out a deep sigh of relief when lunchtime finally rolled around.

He was currently enjoying a most heavenly cigarette and a coffee with way too much sugar when Hoshina once again crept into his thoughts. Had he texted Kafka yet?

Suddenly he became uncomfortably aware of the phone in his pocket. His hand slipped down and clutched the phone, and yet he didn’t dare to pull it out and look. Did he want Hoshina to text him? Would he be upset if he hadn’t? A wave of anxiety hit him, and he took a deep breath trying to calm down. Get it together Hibino, you’re a grown man dammit, not some blushing schoolgirl. He did it quickly, like pulling a bandaid off, ripping the phone from his pocket and staring intently at the screen. No new messages. He should have breathed a sigh of relief, this was proof that Hoshina had been messing with him after all. And yet what Kafka felt was unmistakably disappointment. No one ever flirted with Kafka, no one ever showed interest. Kafka had tried to put himself out there, but turned out dating was harder than he thought. Kafka wasn’t ugly, but he wasn’t much in the way of looks either. People liked him for his easy-going personality, but apparently most didn’t see him as someone worth dating. Aside from a few drunken hookups, Kafka didn’t have much experience when it came to any of that stuff.

He was a hopeless romantic at heart though, and he would rather be waterboarded than admit it out loud, but he most certainly had a soft spot for cheesy romance dramas. He would stay up late at night with a beer in hand and binge the shows, while wiping tears and snot from his face. Damnit, Kafka loved love, okay. But as with his dreams of joining the Defense Force, the older he got, the less confident he became of achieving his dreams. An actual relationship didn’t seem like it was meant for Kafka at this point. He didn’t do much except work, and the only people he really socialised with were his colleagues. He wasn’t exactly interested in anyone he worked with, they were great guys but none had caught Kafkas interest, at least in a romantic way.

When Kafka finished work he was beat, all he wanted was a shower and a beer, and perhaps a smoke or two. He dragged his body back home to his shitty apartment. The place was tiny, it barely fit more than his futon in the living area. The kitchen was tiny and the balcony had water stains on the concrete. He practically had to stand on top of his toilet when using the shower. It wasn’t much, but it was home.

Kafka had lived in the place for years at this point, it was familiar and safe. The neighbors were chill too. An old lady by the name of Miss Yoko lived next door . She never made much noise, and she would sometimes bring Kafka her leftovers, claiming she had made too much food and a young man like himself needed to eat. She was sweet, and Kafka made an effort to help her out, carrying her groceries and such whenever he could. On the other side of Kafkas place lived a man in his 40’s, he was a standard salaryman and worked insane hours in Kafkas opinion. He was up at the crack of dawn, and often didn’t come home until late into the night. Kafka wondered if the guy ever slept, or even had free time at all. Seriously, what was the point of working so much and still only being able to afford a one bedroom shitty apartment like the one he lived in. Still, Kafka was in no place to judge anyone, they all lived in the same shitty building, and it’s not like Kafkas job was particularly glamorous either.

Kafka was too lazy to cook anything tonight, so he went by the konbini and bought some rice balls and sandwiches, along with a six pack of cold beers. The new episode of “my sweet office romance” would premiere tonight, and Kafka had every intention of watching. He was desperate to find out if Komi and Ryo finally made up from the fight they had the previous week. The last episode had ended on a huge cliffhanger, and Kafka had almost screamed in frustration when the outro song started playing. Those two idiots better end up together, or Kafka might just go on the internet and complain like a sane adult. When he got home he jumped in the shower and then practically collapsed on his worn futon. Beer in hand and snacks disguised as dinner spread out on his tiny table, Kafka turned on the tv. He was three beers deep when his phone buzzed. With the drama show going, Kafka had been completely immersed and forgotten everything about the events of the day, but as the screen of the phone lit up the anxiety suddenly returned. Still, he looked at the phone and turned down the volume of the tv.

Unknown number: Hi, sorry for the late text, got caught up with work

Unknown number: This is Hoshina btw ;)

Holy shit. Kafka was stunned that Hoshina had actually texted him, especially after he had convinced himself that the other man had just been messing with him. Another text pinged on screen.

Unknown number: So how was your day?

The other man was clearly trying to start up a conversation, and for some reason, Kafka felt like a deer caught in the headlights.

Me: Hi, no worries about texting late. I only got off work recently and I’m usually up late.

Me: Just had a standard day, nothing exciting about cleaning up kaijuu guts.

Was that ok? Kafka didn’t text people much, he really wasn’t used to this. It’sjust a conversation dammit, don’t overthink it. Kafka smacked his cheeks and shook his head, trying to cool down.

Unknown number: I wouldn’t say that. Getting up close with kaijuu isn’t something most people get to do. But I get it, work is work right?

Kafka quickly saved Hoshinas number on his phone, before trying to figure out how to continue the conversation. Next step was getting to know the other man right? What kind of person was Hoshina? Kafka knew of the other man’s skills as a kaijuu hunter. He had seen Hoshina’s achievements on the news plenty of times, and had stumbled on pictures and gossip online a time or two. But he had a chance now to get to know this man on a personal level, really get to all the stuff underneath the public image. At least he assumed he had such a chance, Hoshina had texted him after all. But Kafka couldn’t just bombard the other man with questions right off the bat, that would just be annoying right?

Me: Yeah work is work. How about you, how was your day?

Good job, Kafka, very casual let’s go! Kafka grabbed his beer and realised it was empty, he got up and walked to the mini fridge to retrieve another. By the time he sat down again, he had received another text.

Hoshina: Ugh just boring paperwork, and then I got made fun of for dropping my sword. It really was a rookie mistake. Anyway thanks again for taking care of it while it was away from me.

Me: Haha you make it sound like you’re talking about a precious pet or something and not an object.

Hoshina: Excuse your mouth ‘object’?? I’ll have you know that sword is my dear child not some mere object >:P

Kafka let out a huff of laughter at that.

Me: Yeah yeah, you birthed it yourself and everything I’m sure. I bet the labour was intense.

Hoshina: Exactly ;) Anyway, could I get you a coffee sometime? As thanks for saving my dear child from the cold harsh elements.

Oh right, the coffee thing, Hoshina had mentioned something like that this morning, but suddenly Kafka was unsure. Was it just meant as showing thanks, or was it like a date thing? Would it be weird to ask? What were Hoshinas intentions? Once again, Kafka caught himself thinking way too hard about this whole situation. Maybe he should just go with the flow, and see what happened. Hoshina seemed nice, and Kafka had enjoyed the conversation so far. He wouldn’t mind talking more with the other man.

Me: The cold harsh elements indeed. It’s May truly the harshest month of all.

Me: Coffee sounds nice!

Hoshina: Great :D What's your schedule like this weekend?

Me: Our deadline is Saturday, but Sunday I’m free.

Hoshina: Great, I’ll see you on Sunday then ;)

Me: See you Sunday.

Oh, well, that went smoothly, Kafka supposed? Maybe the beers had calmed him down but instead of feeling nervous, he felt kind of excited. Doing something to break the same old monotonous routine would be good right? And if it wasn’t a date thing, then maybe at least Kafka could make a new friend. Feeling good about the exchange, Kafka looked up and screamed out loud when he realised the drama episode was over, and he totally missed half the plot at the most crucial time. His salaryman neighbour then smacked on the wall, yelling at Kafka to shut the fuck up. Today had been hectic emotionally, but as Kafka went to bed later that night, he felt a ball of warmth settle in his guts. He let out a contented sigh as he fell asleep. Maybe this could be the start of something good.

Chapter Text

3
The rest of Kafkas week seemed to pass at a snail’s pace. He hadn’t chatted further with Hoshina, apart from when the guy sent him the address of the cafe he wanted to meet at. It was a good forty minutes from Kafkas place, but at least public transport was an option in the city. Work was tiring, but as Saturday rolled around all remains of the kaijuu had been removed. Another job done, Kafka thought, hoping that he could at least get a couple of days to relax before the next kaijuu corpse was thrown his way. As per usual, the boss invited the crew out for drinks to celebrate meeting the deadline yet again. The guy really stressed about deadlines, considering they had never missed one. They went to the typical rundown izakaya. The boss was friends with the owner, and they usually received some minor discounts whenever they went there. The place had certainly seen better days. The counter was always slightly sticky, despite Kafka seeing the owner wipe it down several times during just a single evening. The snacks were alright, nothing out of the ordinary and most importantly; the beer was cheap. The crew all managed to squeeze into the tiny space of the bar, and soon drinks started flowing and the conversations followed along. The guys would complain about this and that, and poke fun at each other. Kafka relaxed into the atmosphere that only occurred after a long week of work.

His thoughts kept wandering, though. He thought about Hoshina, and what their meeting would be like tomorrow. Talking over text had been fine, but then Kafka thought back on their first meeting, and how he made a fool of himself. His cheeks heated at that particular memory, and he quickly swallowed his beer to try and shake those thoughts. It tasted like Shit in all honesty, but Kafka supposed you got what you paid for. This place was known for being cheap, so one shouldn’t enter and expect a gourmet experience.

Kafka tried halfheartedly to join various conversations, but ultimately lost interest, and instead nursed his beer by himself. Some of the guys seemed to notice. Kafka was usually an energetic guy, but he brushed off their concern, saying he was simply tired after the day’s work. They turned back to their conversation and Kafka looked at his phone to check the time. It was almost midnight at this point, and Kafka had agreed with Hoshina to meet at noon the following day. He finished his beer and bid the others farewell. They teased him about being an old man, and he laughed at their antics as he went out the door. It wasn’t a complete lie that he was tired - kaijuu cleaning was tough work, and Kafka wasn’t getting any younger.

When he finally got home and crawled into bed, sleep evaded him. He tossed and turned, got up to smoke a cigarette, went back to bed, and turned some more. Dammit, he was starting to get annoyed. He had plans tomorrow, why the hell couldn’t he just sleep? Ah, actually maybe that was why. Kafka had felt the nerves creep into his mind as the week had progressed. The liquid courage he had possessed on the night he had been texting Hoshina had long since left his system, and while he had drunk a few beers that night, it had done nothing to calm him down.

The main concern of Kafkas was what the hell a guy like Hoshina could possibly want from a loser like him? Kafka was a total failure, he hadn’t passed the exams for the Defense Force, despite his numerous attempts. He had a mediocre job, mediocre looks, the only thing he seemed to have going for him was his easy-going personality. Still, that felt like a lie at times. On the outside, Kafka would smile and laugh about failing the exams. “Next year for sure!” he’d say, trying to portray confidence. Yet as the years went by, Kafka felt himself crumbling more and more. Doubt crept into his heart. He felt discouraged and frustrated, and had no outlet for these feelings. Was he truly not good enough?

He had made a promise to his childhood friend, to stand side by side and eliminate the kaijuu. Mina had surpassed Kafkas wildest expectations long ago, and now she was the captain of the third division, known all over the country for her great achievements. Kafka was beyond proud of her, she was truly amazing. For so long he had tried desperately to stand by her side, and yet, here he was, thirty years old and with nothing to show for his efforts. God, he was such a failure.

It only occurred to him then, in the midst of his pity party, that Hoshina would know Mina - she was technically his boss, and he was her vice captain. That just made the whole situation so much worse in Kafkas mind. Shit. Once again, he wondered just what the hell Hoshina wanted from him. He gave up on sleep, and instead went to have another smoke. He cracked open a beer as he stood on the tiny balcony, looking out over the empty street. A cat ran across the road, and in the distance a car alarm sounded. The calm of night crept into his mind, and he took a deep breath. Come on Hibino, find your courage. Did he want to meet with Hoshina? He came to the conclusion that the answer was yes, the guy had initiated contact and now Kafka was curious. Perhaps he should just go into this with no expectations. Whatever happens, happens, right?

He finished his beer and yawned. He looked at the time - it was almost 3am at this point, and it seemed he finally felt tired enough to try sleeping again. He just hoped he wouldn’t be too beat up tomorrow, he had to get up at a reasonable time after all.

When he fell asleep, he dreamt he was lying on the back of a huge kaijuu turtle, looking up at the skies. The soft rocking of the turtle's steps and the movements of the clouds above lulled him into an almost meditative state. He looked to the side, and Hoshina was laying beside him, gazing up at the clouds above. Kafka returned his gaze upwards, getting lost in the white fluff.

Kafka woke up as his alarm sounded. He crawled out of bed with a groan, and slowly got ready for the day. When he checked his phone on the way out of the door, he saw that he had received a text:

Hoshina: I’m on my way, might be a little late sorry!

Me: That’s fine, I’ll wait for you.

At least he wasn’t in a hurry, Kafka thought to himself. The trip was uneventful, and before he knew it, Kafka had arrived. He looked at the sign of the cafe, big cute letters proudly proclaiming that the place had “the cutest cats in all the land!” Wait… was this a cat cafe? Looking through the window confirmed Kafkas suspicions. Cats seemed to roam the whole shop. People sat on the ground at low tables as the furry creatures crawled all over them. Kafka held no particular love nor hate for cats, though he remembered the cat he and Mina had cared for when they were kids. The cat had died during a kaijuu attack, and Mina had been devastated.

Kafka was so caught up in these memories that he didn’t notice Hoshina approaching.

“Hey Hibino, there you are.” Kafka startled slightly as the other man tapped his shoulder. He turned around and looked, and was once again struck with how damn pretty this guy was. Hoshina smiled at him. “Sorry for being delayed. I had requested the day off, but somehow work still got shoved in my face.”

“Did a kaijuu appear?” Kafka couldn’t help but ask. If that was the case, Hoshina shouldn’t waste his time here, the people needed him!

Hoshina just laughed though. “No, no, nothing like that, just more boring paperwork. I’ll get it done later,” he waved dismissively, and Kafka certainly related to his dislike of paperwork. That stuff was boring as hell, and he could imagine, being Vice Captain and all, that Hoshina had plenty of it.

They entered the shop, and a waitress immediately greeted them and showed them to a low table with pillows to sit on. She explained the rules around handling the cats; basically you couldn’t lift them, but if they crawled in your lap of their own free will that was fine. She handed them menus and fluttered off to some other table calling for her attention.

Kafka considered the menu. He hadn’t had his morning coffee yet, so he decided on a black coffee with sugar. He looked up at Hoshina, who seemed dead set on luring a fat orange cat to his side, making pspsps sounds and wriggling his fingers at the animal. The cat just gave him a flat look and turned its back.

“Damn,” Hoshina laughed, “I’ve been here so many times, and that one in particular never wants anything to do with me.” He sighed and looked at Kafka.

“I assume you like cats then?” Kafka asked. Hoshina hadn’t even looked at the menu, but he did just say he frequented the place, so he probably already knew what he was having.

“Yeah, they’re very elegant creatures. And damn cute on top of that.” Another cat had decided to approach, and was rubbing against Hoshinas' side. Hoshina scratched the cat behind the ears, and Kafka could hear it purring faintly.

He took this time to just look at Hoshina for a second. He wore neutral dark clothing and a baseball cap, he also had a black face-mask pulled down under his chin. Kafka guessed he was trying not to draw attention to himself, plenty of people would recognise him after all. The Third Division was on the news often, and Kafka knew many people treated them like celebrities, gossiping about division members and sharing pictures of them on different platforms on social media. Still, Kafka knew nothing about Hoshina as a person, except now for the fact that he liked cats. Kafka opened his mouth with the idea of starting some vague conversation, only to realise that all of his social skills seemed to have vanished for a moment. What the fuck, this had never been a problem before in his life.

The waitress returned out of nowhere and for the second time today, Kafka was startled. She took their orders and then left them alone again.

“So Hibino, what do you normally do in your free time?” Hoshina asked. Kafka tried to think of something, he really didn’t have much going on beside work. Panicking a bit about his silence stretching on for too long, he just ended up blurting out one of his deepest secrets because why the hell not.

“I love tv dramas!”

Silence stretched for only a few seconds, and Kafka felt his cheeks heating up. What happened to not even water boarding could get that info out of him? Hoshina laughed then, and while Kafkas cheeks were burning, he also didn’t feel like Hoshinas laugh was meant in a malicious way.

“Haha, okay well, colour me surprised. What, like cheesy romance stuff?” Hoshina snorted as Kafka nodded. “That’s cute.” He said it so casually, smiling at Kafka all the while.

Cute. Kafka didn’t think anyone had ever called him cute, he was a grown man! Men weren’t cute… Well, looking at Hoshina, he may have had to retract that statement, Hoshina sure looked cute sitting there. Several cats had migrated to his side, and his smile seemed so bright all of a sudden.

Conversation flowed much easier after that outburst, and Kafka fell into the calm atmosphere with open arms. The waitress came back soon with their drinks, Hoshina had ordered a double espresso latte, but Kafka supposed with a job like Hoshina’s one might need the caffeine.They talked about Kafka's job, and the intricacies of kaijuu disposal. They talked about the weather in the coming weeks, and how it was supposed to get warmer still. It was easy talking to Hoshina, he was actually a nice guy, and not some egocentric idiot like Kafka had first accused him of.

“When did you decide you wanted to join the Defense Force?” Kafka asked. They had already talked about Kafka's job, so he might as well return the favour.

“Ah, I come from a long line of kaijuu hunters actually. It’s in my blood and all.” Hoshina said, while absentmindedly petting the latest cat to approach him. Kafka sipped his coffee and nodded.

“That’s cool, and you fight with blades then? I don’t know anything about sword fighting myself, but I’ve seen you on the news, and you make it look so easy.”

Hoshina smiled. “Oh it’s anything but easy, but I’ve spent my whole life training with blades, so I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Kafkas' cheeks heated once more as he hurried to verify that yes, it was indeed meant as a compliment. Hoshina just laughed. He laughed a lot, and Kafka had to admit that he liked it. His laugh made Kafka feel like he had bugs crawling around his stomach, or was it called butterflies? Anyway, Kafka just knew he wanted to hear that laugh more.

The fat orange cat decided to reappear at Kafkas side then, and Hoshina’s eyes widened at the sight. The cat looked up at Kafka expectantly, Kafka looked dumbly back at the cat as he reached his hand out. The cat sniffed the hand, and apparently deemed Kafka worthy of his attention, because the fat thing then crawled into Kafkas lap and made itself at home.

“No way!” Hoshina exclaimed. “No fair. I’ve wanted his attention for months, and you only just got here. The dumb cat knows it too.” Kafka laughed at that.

“Maybe you’re just too desperate? Or maybe he deems me more handsome, and better at petting.” Kafka couldn’t help but feel a bit smug that he had been chosen over Hoshina. Hoshina hummed and looked at Kafka.

“You are handsome, I agree with him on that. And I wouldn’t mind being pet like that…”

Kafka blushed, and Hoshina sent him a wink and then snorted at Kafkas expression. He probably looked like a tomato at this point. Damn Hoshina for making him flustered again and again. Kafka was beginning to suspect the guy knew exactly what he was doing.

He still didn’t know if Hoshina just had a flirtatious personality, or if he was actually flirting with Kafka. His lack of experience, and less than stellar self image really made themselves known at this moment. Should he just ask? Fuck, what if they were on a date right now? It would totally ruin the mood if Kafka popped a question like that. Or what if Hoshina was just being friendly? No matter what, Kafka believed that opening his mouth right now would only mean trouble. Either he would ruin what was a potential date, or he would just make Hoshina feel awkward about Kafka's lack of social skills. Better to just stay silent, and try to enjoy Hoshina’s company, no matter the intentions of the other man. That’s right Hibino, just enjoy the moment, don’t overthink it.

Hoshina asked then, what drama show Kafka was watching currently, and Kafka decided to just say fuck it and gave Hoshina an in depth explanation of “My sweet office romance”, complete with rambling about what oblivious idiots Komi and Ryo were. Sharing his love for cheesy romance with another person actually felt quite nice. Hoshina nodded and laughed along, as Kafka talked and just let his big nerd heart show itself.

“Well, hopefully they get their shit together soon” Kafka finished his rant with a sigh. They had finished their drinks, and the sunspots on the floor had moved quite a distance while they sat there. As if on cue, Hoshina’s phone buzzed where it lay on the table. He looked at the device and then groaned.

“I’m really enjoying myself, but unfortunately I might have to go soon. Do you mind?” Hoshina looked apologetic, and Kafka immediately shook his head and assured him that it was no problem at all. He looked at the time, then and realised that they had spent the better part of two hours just sitting here talking. Kafka had totally lost track of time, Hoshina’s company was just so easy to be in. They got up, and as Kafka reached for his wallet Hoshina beat him to it, and paid for both of them.

He smiled at Kafka and said, “My treat, I invited you after all.”

When they got outside, Hoshina pulled up the mask from under his chin and turned to Kafka, eyes squeezed tight in a smile. “I really enjoyed myself today, mind if I text you again some time, Hibino?”

“Of course! I had fun.” Kafka smiled at Hoshina, and then stopped to wonder what protocol was now? Did they hug? Shake hands? Hoshina broke his internal monologue by making the decision for him, as he pulled Kafka into a tight hug. He smelled really nice, like soap and cologne. Kafka tried discreetly to breathe him in as much as possible, while the embrace lasted. Hoshina then let go, gave a happy wave and walked the opposite direction of where Kafka was going.

As Kafka walked towards the station to get on the train back home, the feeling of bugs returned in his stomach. His body felt light, and he almost had a spring in his step as he walked along the street. He found himself going over their interactions in his mind, blushing once more, as he remembered Hoshina’s flirtatious comments. God, he really hoped Hoshina was actually flirting with him. Kafka felt all kinds of giddy on his way home, he really was acting like a blushing school girl, and at the moment he only felt slightly embarrassed at the thought. Maybe being a school girl was kind of nice if this is how it felt. Kafka got home, and tried not to be too desperate and immediately check his phone. It was a lost battle, but he was rewarded with a text from Hoshina.

Hoshina: I had fun today! Hope you did too. Mr. Fat Cat seemed happy to meet you ;P

He had attached a photo he had apparently taken of the fat red cat resting in Kafkas lap. Kafkas face wasn’t in the photo, and Kafka was vaguely grateful that Hoshina hadn’t just taken a pic of him without asking. He saved the photo on his phone, as a trophy for winning the cat battle. This was a huge achievement in Kafka's world, and he couldn’t wait to rub it in Hoshina’s face a bit. The cat chose HIM after all.

Me: I had fun too. I’m sure Mr. Fat Cat would love to see me again.

Hoshina: Yeah, yeah, Mr. Fat Cat loves you more. Gloating isn’t a good look on you Hibino ;) But I’m the jealous type, so I don’t think I could bear to see such a cutie stolen away from me by Mr. Fat Cat. It might just break my heart :,(

Wait, wait, wait, did he mean Kafka was the cutie? And was Hoshina jealous of a cat? Kafkas face was once again tomato red, and he grumbled to himself, sure that Hoshina knew this as well.

Me: You’re a real smooth talker Hoshina.

Hoshina: I know ;) glad to know it’s working.

Jesus, this guy!! He knew damn well how flustered he was making Kafka, and he clearly loved every moment of it. Kafka needed a beer and a smoke, and desperately hoped he could survive the storm that was Hoshina Soushiro.

Chapter Text

4
In the days that passed, Kafka was practically glued to his phone. Hoshina and him had texted non stop since their coffee date, and Kafka was having a blast. Hoshina was funny, if a bit mischievous, and it seemed as if it had become a personal hobby of his to rile Kafka up. Not that the older man minded at all, he quite enjoyed their banter. He was just so easy to talk to, and nonsensical conversation flowed freely between them.

They talked about everything and nothing. Kafka would talk about the latest episode of his tv drama, and Hoshina would respond with some obscure meme Kafka didn’t get. When he expressed his confusion, Hoshina would laugh and call him an old man, and Kafka would respond by saying he would have Hoshina reported for elderly abuse. All in all, Kafka was happy with the outcome of this. To think all of this started with a sword trapped under the rubble, and now here he was, being force fed the latest memes and scolded for texting like a grandpa by a guy who was way too pretty for his own good. Kafka may have said that at one point, and Hoshina responded by sending a selfie of him blowing a kiss to the camera. Kafka didn’t want to admit just how long he spent just staring at that picture with glowing cheeks. Hoshina would seriously be the death of him.

Work continued with some smaller clean up jobs, and Kafka was grateful that he was able to relax a bit. He managed to clean his humble living quarters and even restocked the fridge so he had actual food in it, and not just beers and ketchup.

The quiet never lasts forever, so when the kaijuu alarm sounded Kafka wasn't exactly surprised. He went outside and saw his elderly neighbour waddle down the hall and he quickly ran to her side and offered her a hand. “Miss Yoko, let me help.” She grabbed his bicep in a surprisingly firm grip and smiled up at him. “Oh, young Kafka, thank you dear.” Together they went to the evacuation centre. The place was packed with locals and many grumbled about the inconveniences of kaijuu appearing. Kafka found a chair for Miss Yoko and she thanked him by pinching his cheeks and shoving a handful of sweets in his face.

Kafka absentmindedly chewed on a piece of candy as he watched the tv in the room. The news were reporting live on the kaijuu; it had emerged not long from where Kafka lived. The third division had just arrived at the scene and Kafka was hyper focused on the screen hoping to catch a glimpse of Hoshina. Was he there? He had to be, but where? Was Hoshina ever scared, facing these monsters? Probably not, the guy had been born to a family of kaijuu hunters, fear most likely wasn’t a part of his vocabulary. His prayers were answered when Hoshina appeared on screen. The camera work was shaky and clearly zoomed way in, Kafka wouldn’t have known who was on screen had the news reporter not announced it.

“On the offensive we have Vice Captain Hoshina! He seems to be paving a way for captain Ashiro, truly formidable work!” Kafka was enthralled, Hoshina was incredibly fast, moving with ease through the cracked landscape. He beelined for the belly of the kaijuu and was attacking the legs, clearly trying to stop the beast from progressing further through the city. The kaijuu was a huge clumsy thing with stumpy legs, but what it lacked in speed it made up for in the defence. It was coated in thick armour all over, and Kafka held his breath as Hoshina disappeared beneath the beast. Would he seriously be able to cut through that armour? Kafka had seen his sword up close, and it seemed impossible to him that such a small weapon would do any damage to this particular kaijuu. He was proven wrong, however, when the beast collapsed, its leg muscles giving up beneath it.

Captain Ashiro took the opportunity and shot the kaijuu straight between the eyes. Gore and blood exploded all over the surrounding buildings - not that Kafka was too concerned with that at the moment. He hadn’t seen Hoshina emerge from beneath the kaijuu, and the thing had just collapsed completely. Was Hoshina still beneath the creature? Kafka was sweating and struggling to stay calm. Surely Hoshina had made it out, he was a professional with years of experience, this was child’s play. Right?

The news cut to a reporter who had rushed to the scene as soon as the kaijuu was confirmed dead, she was standing with the creature behind her, talking animatedly to the camera, and there! In the background, Hoshina emerged, walking towards the reporter, eyes curved in a smile. Somehow he looked even hotter fresh out of battle. Dust coated his uniform, and Kafka had never thought much about it but those Defense Force uniforms really didn’t leave much to the imagination. Hoshina was built like a greek good, firm muscles and wide shoulders out in the open. He was on the lean side but that made sense with his fighting style. He moved with such grace and elegance, like the cats he admired so much. Kafkas stomach did a funny flip and he made an effort to swallow the drool that had been collecting in his mouth. Hoshina looked to be completely unharmed, and Kafka let out a deep breath he had been holding. The reporter spotted the vice captain and rushed towards him.

“Vice captain Hoshina! Magnificent job today! Do you have any comments on the strategy of today?”

A microphone was shoved in Hoshina’s face, but his smile remained.

“Well, my job is to support the Captain, the kaijuu was weak near the knees so I knew in order to immobilise it I simply had to focus my attacks there. Captain Ashiro really did all the heavy work today. I’m just glad to know no one was hurt.”

The reporter clearly wanted to keep him longer, but Hoshina waved at the camera and then went out of frame. The reporter turned back and rambled out praise for the third division, thanking them for their service.

The evacuation centre was emptying out now that the threat was over, and Kafka returned to Miss Yoko to offer her his arm once more. They went back to their building and Kafka only just made it through the front door when his phone rang. He hoped for a moment that it might be Hoshina, but was ultimately disappointed when he saw that it was just his boss.

“Hibino, let’s go, we have work to do!” His boss already sounded stressed, he had probably been given the deadline already and was hyper focused on it. Kafka groaned and confirmed that he was on his way. Right, of course his company would be the ones to clean up the kaijuu, it had attacked in their part of the city after all. Kafka made it to the site and saw his colleagues putting up the tape and fences to keep out civilians. It really wasn’t far from his apartment, and Kafka felt grateful that he didn’t have to find a new place to live. This had been a little too close to home.

Kafka had vaguely hoped that perhaps he would see Hoshina at the scene, but the third division was long gone by the time Kafka and his colleagues got there. So Kafka took out his phone and took a selfie in front of the dead kaijuu. Kafka had never taken a selfie before but Hoshina had sent a few and he wanted to send something back. He ended up retaking it at least a dozen times. He was feeling self conscious and didn’t like the way he ended up looking in most of the pictures. Fucking hell, when had he gotten this vain? He normally didn’t care what he looked like, but for some reason he wanted to look good for Hoshina. In the end, he managed to take a picture that wasn’t too bad and quickly sent it before he lost his nerve.

Me: Cleaning up your mess yet again. You looked really cool today.

He pocketed his phone and went to work. He couldn’t spend all day looking at his phone after all.

The kaijuu was a nightmare to work on, they had to bring out the heavy duty machinery just to make the smallest cuts in its thick plating. Kafka had a newfound respect for Hoshina at the end of the day, the Vice Captain was beyond skilled, being able to cut through the hide with his swords like he did. Kafka got home later than usual and was ready to just pass out at this point. He hadn’t had time to check his phone all day, and when he did, he saw that Hoshina had responded quite a while ago.

Hoshina: You’re adorable <3 Thank you for your service.

Hoshina: and I always look cool, especially when I know big cute men are watching ;)

No matter how many times Hoshina called Kafka cute, he still blushed every time. Also, being called adorable did funny things to his stomach. Kafka wasn’t used to being praised like this and he had to admit it felt really nice, but maybe that was because Hoshina was the one praising him. When people at work told him he did a good job his stomach didn’t flip and his breath didn’t catch in his throat. But all of that happened whenever Hoshina threw sweet words at him. Oh my god, did Kafka have a praise kink? Or maybe just a Hoshina kink… he quickly pushed those thoughts aside, better not to think about that too deeply.

Me: man I’m beat, sorry for the late reply, working on this kaijuu is a nightmare!

Me: I don’t know how the hell you managed to cut it and make it look easy. You’re amazing man.

He didn’t expect Hoshina to respond as fast as he did, maybe he had been sitting with his phone when Kafka texted him. At any rate, less than a minute later, Hoshina replied.

Hoshina: not as amazing as you :P

Me: nothing amazing about what I do. You’re the real hero.

Kafka was sure Hoshina was just teasing him again. At least until the next message dinged on his screen.

Hoshina: don’t say that, I admire you greatly Hibino. The job you do is essential and important, that’s not a personal opinion that’s a fact. You’re a hard worker and it honestly pisses me off that you cleaners don’t get more credit for what you do for this country! >:/

Kafka was stunned, he sat there just staring at the words on screen for a few moments. Hoshina admired him? Truly? Kafka didn’t know Hoshina felt so strongly about this topic until now, and he couldn’t help but be charmed by Hoshina’s compliment. If anyone was to be admired, it was Hoshina! He was a hero after all. Kafka was just some cleaner. But clearly Hoshina disagreed with that train of thought, and Kafka was once again blushing trying to type up an answer.

Me: thank you. No one’s ever said that to me before. I obviously admire you too. Anyway I’m really about to pass out so I’ll talk to you later?

Kafka let out a loud yawn as he typed, his eyes were itching and his head felt like it was filled with cotton.

Hoshina: well I mean every word and don’t you forget it! Now go to bed Hibino, I’ll talk to you soon. Sleep tight <3

Kafka plugged his phone in its charger and plunked down in bed. As he lay there he couldn’t help but think of Hoshina. What were they? Hoshina was always sending hearts and stuff with his messages. And they had drunk coffee together. On top of that was all the flirty banter and the sweet words that did funny things to Kafkas insides. But were they dating? Maybe Kafka would have to ask Hoshina about this, because being in this state of uncertainty wasn’t ideal. Yeah, he’d do that the next time he saw Hoshina in person. Doing it over text just felt wrong. Kafka fell into the clutches of sleep quickly after that, and if his dreams consisted of bowl cuts and cheeky smiles, that was no one’s business but his own.

Chapter Text

5
Life went on, Kafka spent all day cleaning kaijuu guts and all his free time texting Hoshina. It had been weeks since he had seen the other man in person, but Kafka didn’t mind too much. Hoshina was a busy person after all, kaijuu were constantly popping up and Hoshina had to be ready at a moment's notice. The Defense Force wasn’t exactly known for its long holidays. Still, Kafka started thinking it would be nice to see Hoshina again, or at least hear his voice. He expressed this to Hoshina one night, and the next second his phone rang.

“H-hello?”

“Hello, handsome.” Kafka could hear Hoshinas' smile through the phone.

“What the hell, man?! Quit teasing.” Seconds into the call, and Kafka was already flustered. That damn devil knew it too. Hoshina laughed at him and Kafka was struck by how much he had missed the sound.

“What? You said you missed me. So here I am, well here’s my voice anyway.” Kafka let out a huff at that.

“I guess it’s nice to hear your voice again. You’re a busy man, Hoshina…” Did Kafka sound a bit sullen just now? Perhaps, but he did kinda feel that way too. Hoshina had become a great friend to him during the past many weeks, and it was only natural to want to spend time with friends right? Kafka still wasn’t sure if Hoshina wanted to be more than friends, but he wasn’t about to ask such a question over the phone.

“You’re getting sentimental in your old years huh? Oh how time flies~”

“I ain’t that old, you brat! Just you wait till you hit thirty, you won’t be laughing then.” Kafka had worried a bit that talking in person might be different than texting, but clearly that wasn’t an issue. Talking like this was just as easy as their banter over text, even better since Kafka could actually hear Hoshina’s laugh, and didn’t just have to imagine the sound.

“Not gonna happen, I keep up with my training after all. Anyway, I don’t actually have much time to spare at the moment, but I did want to ask you if you were free next Monday?”

Kafka felt a pang of sadness over the fact that they wouldn’t be talking like this for very long. Still, he couldn’t afford to be selfish, Hoshina already gave him plenty of his time considering how little free time the guy actually had. His job was saving lives, Kafka couldn’t be upset that his duties came before chatting with him, that would just be way too fucked up. Feelings don’t always follow the logical mind's reasoning however, but feelings could be ignored, Kafka decided. Fuck those dumb feelings.

“I'm free, what were you thinking?” Kafka felt excited at the idea of spending time with Hoshina again, even if he had to wait a whole week for it.

“Well, that tv drama you like just got a movie spinoff, I was thinking we could go watch it, and then maybe get something to eat after if we feel like it. I know a great Korean place not far from the cinema.”

Okay, that sounded super nice actually, Kafka had wanted to see that film anyway, but seeing it with Hoshina might be a bit embarrassing. Kafka was sure he would end up crying, he shed plenty of tears over the tv series after all. Still, time with Hoshina was exactly what he had been hoping for so he readily agreed.

“Sounds great, when should we meet?”

They quickly figured out the details, and Hoshina said goodbye way too soon in Kafkas opinion. As Kafka sat there looking at the dark screen of his phone, he felt the bugs return to his stomach, and a restless energy settled over him. Monday couldn’t come soon enough.

Getting through the week had been absolute hell. He had texted with Hoshina, but hadn’t let the other guy know how affected he was over their date. The damn guy would just tease him relentlessly.

When Sunday finally rolled around, Kafka was practically shivering with restless energy. He spent way too long trying to figure out what to wear the next day, only to conclude that he literally owned nothing except T-shirts and black pants. Well, that’s that issue solved. Apparently Kafka was one of those guys who wore the same outfit every day, but that made sense since he’d never really thought much about clothes until this very moment. Maybe he should go out and buy something nice just to have it? Like a button up shirt, or something. What did people even wear when they went to fancy places? Tuxedos?? No way Kafka was wearing one of those, he’d just look like a huge penguin.

Still, he hoped Hoshina didn’t expect him to dress too fancy tomorrow, it was just a movie and dinner, very casual stuff in Kafkas opinion. Once again, he wondered if it was supposed to be a date or not. He would have to confront Hoshina about that tomorrow, no backing out now Hibino! He smacked his cheeks and took a deep breath. At this point, he felt that Hoshina and him were close enough that even if the other had no romantic intentions, it wouldn’t ruin their budding friendship… Hopefully.

Sleeping that night turned out to be harder than expected, and Kafka had puffy eyes and a hell of a bed head when he got up the next day. He took a long shower and made a pot of coffee that he practically inhaled in an effort to wake up fully. Why did this always happen when he had plans with Hoshina? Still, they weren’t meeting until the afternoon, so Kafka took a little power nap before he got ready and left his place.

He had to take the train to the city center, where the cinema was. When he arrived in the central part of town, he was bombarded with stimuli. People were everywhere, rushing around, cars were honking and billboards displayed bright colours and blinking lights. Kafka was always reminded of why he chose to steer clear of this part of town, whenever he went here. There was just way too much going on. It was in the middle of rush hour too, which Kafka only just now realised. Maybe they should have scheduled their meeting a bit later. Well, too late to change that now. Kafka put on a brave face, and started making his way through the crowds toward the cinema. When he arrived at the building, he looked at his phone and saw that Hoshina had texted that he was waiting inside by the entrance. Kafka only just made it through the door, when someone grabbed him by the arm.

“Hello, handsome.” Hoshina wore his usual cheeky smile, the face mask was once again in place under his chin and his typical cap rested on his head. He didn’t wear anything fancy, which left Kafka relieved that he wasn’t underdressed. Hoshina wore a black T-shirt and black pants. The problem now was however, that Hoshina’s arms were on display, and looked absolutely delicious. The sleeves of the T-shirt hugged his biceps in a very flattering way, damn this guy was built different. Kafka had never thought that arms could be attractive, they were just arms after all! But leave it to Hoshina to prove him wrong once again, how was Hoshina even a real person? Kafka must have been too obvious in his staring, because Hoshina laughed as he winked at Kafka.

“Take a picture, it'll last longer.”

Kafka blushed and shook his head. “You’re a damn tease like always.” He grumbled.

Hoshina’s smile just grew. “Don’t act like you don’t love it, Hibino!”

Before Kafka could come up with a response, Hoshina had grabbed him by the wrist and started tugging him along. They went and got their tickets, and when Hoshina caught Kafka sending a longing look towards a bucket of popcorn, he dragged Kafka along to buy the biggest bucket available. They made it to their seats and sat down side by side. Just as Kafka had suspected, he was an emotional wreck half way through the movie.

Sitting in the dark room, he tried not to sob too loudly when the couple finally kissed, and in his emotional state he startled a bit when a hand found his.

“Sorry.” Hoshina leaned over to whisper. “Is this ok?”

Kafka couldn’t exactly talk right now, so instead of a verbal answer he just squeezed Hoshina’s hand. The other understood though, and for the rest of the film Hoshinas' fingers gently tangled with Kafkas own. Sometimes Hoshina would use his thumb to caress Kafkas hand, and Kafka tried not to shiver too obviously at the feeling. Hoshina had calloused hands from handling his weapon, and Kafka may have lost the plot of the film a bit when Hoshina playfully started fiddling with his fingers. He was tracing scars and drawing nonsensical patterns on the back of Kafka’s hand, and it made him feel all kinds of warm on the inside just from this little contact. Maybe Kafka was a bit touch starved. He struggled to remember the last time he had been touched so gently, and for so long. He looked over at Hoshina and saw his red eyes fixed on the screen in front of them. Kafka looked back at the screen, and tried to focus on the movie once more. Hoshina was totally distracting him on purpose, he thought.

The movie ended and Kafka wiped his eyes a final time as they left the place. Hoshina was still holding his hand and Kafka tried desperately not to be weird about it.

“That was alright, I don’t think I’m much of a romance guy, but I got kind of invested at the end.” Hoshina turned to Kafka, and Kafka just knew what was coming.

“You poor thing, that really hit the spot huh? You know you can always cry on my shoulder old man, I’d be honoured really.”

Kafka pulled his hand free from Hoshina to punch him in the side.

“Dumb younglings like yourself have no respect! Only a true man can appreciate a good old fashioned romance.” Kafka huffed. Hoshina just laughed at him, and Kafka couldn’t help but smile as well.

Then, he tragically realised that now they weren’t holding hands any more, and Kafka tried not to miss the contact too much. Holding Hoshina’s hand had been really nice, but would it be weird to grab him again? They were in public now, maybe that stuff was only okay in the darkness of the movie theatre.

They walked down an alley, and the crowd was less dense here to Kafkas relief. Hoshina pointed at a small hole-in-the-wall place with a flaky sign outside.

“Christ, that place looks like it’s been there since the Edo period.” Kafka said sceptically. Hoshina sent him an offended look and poked him in the side firmly.

“Oy oy don’t knock it till you try it grandpa, this place happens to be the best Korean experience in town.” Kafka squirmed away from Hoshina’s fingers, trying not to show how ticklish he was. Hoshina wasn’t fooled however and flashed a downright evil grin at Kafka.

“Did I find your weak spot, Hibino?”

Kafka practically ran towards the door of the restaurant.“Gosh I’m starving! Let’s eat!” Kafka loudly proclaimed, hoping in vain that Hoshina would forget about that whole exchange. Hoshina snickered and followed after him.

Kafka had to admit that he had judged the place too soon. Once they were seated with drinks in front of them he even said as much.

“This is very cosy, and you know when there’s a sweet grandma behind the counter, the food has to be good right?” He looked at Hoshina with a wry smile. Hoshina just hummed and bumped Kafkas leg with his foot. They were sitting at a tiny table in the far end of the place. The chairs were metal, and the menu was laminated and had clearly gone through many hands. Soft music could be heard from the kitchen, along with the clanging of pots and pans. The atmosphere was nice and homely, and it reminded Kafka of his grandma’s kitchen in his childhood.

“I won’t be the guy to say I told you so.” Hoshina said.

Kafka gave him a flat look. “You literally just said it, dude.”

Hoshina stuck out his tongue at the older man, and took a drink of his beer. Kafka rolled his eyes, and hid his smile behind his glass. This was nice, he thought, and just what he had wanted right? Hoshinas time and attention, even just for a day. He remembered then how he had told himself to ask Hoshina about his intentions the next time he saw him. To clear up the confusion, and just figure out if this was a date or what. Kafka started sweating, and took a big gulp of his beer trying in vain to cool down. It had seemed much easier in his mind, but now that he was sitting here the nerves made themselves known. All right Hibino, here goes nothing.

“Uh, Hoshina, I was wondering… ah…” Kafka trailed off, not really knowing how to continue the sentence.

Hoshina was looking at him, red eyes focused on Kafka’s face. He gave a soft smile and tilted his head a bit, damn why did he have to be so cute. Kafka felt his cheeks flush and cleared his throat.

“I just uh, was wondering, like… is this a date?”

There, the words were out, no going back now. Hoshina just stared at him for a moment, mouth slightly agape, and Kafka started really freaking out internally. Shit, SHIT, he’d ruined everything hadn’t he? He was about to backtrack and apologise, when Hoshina broke out laughing. His eyes squeezed shut and he clutched his stomach, bending over slightly.

“Oh my god! Hibino, hahaha, oh fuck, dude, I’ve been flirting with you this whole time man.”

Hoshina wiped a tear from his eye, and flashed his full smile at Kafka, while still giggling slightly. Kafkas face was burning like crazy, why was he so good at making a fool of himself? Hoshina grabbed Kafkas hand across the small table, and squeezed it tight.

“Hibino Kafka, I like you very much, but let me be direct now, that seems to do the trick. Please date me?”

Kafka met Hoshina’s eyes, and saw the sincerity shining in them. Hoshina liked to joke and mess around, but Kafka appreciated that he also knew when to be serious. Clearly Kafka had misunderstood his intentions, and now he was making sure that they were both on the same page.

“Yeah, I’d like that, Hoshina.”

Hoshinas smiling face was like the sun, shining bright and almost blinding. Kafka couldn’t help but smile back, a warm feeling settling in his core.

Hoshina let go of his hand as the food arrived, and while Kafka tried to eat in a calm manner, he hadn’t been joking when he said he was hungry. On top of that, the food was heavenly, he ended up practically inhaling his meal, while Hoshina teased him lovingly for being a brute. They finished eating and stayed for a bit, drinking a few beers and chatting softly. Since it was concluded that yes, this was a date, Kafka decided to be bold and grabbed Hoshina’s hand again. The other man immediately intertwined their fingers, and started tracing soft patterns on the back of Kafkas hand. If this is what dating was like, Kafka had to say he was a fan.

They sat there talking for a long time, and by the time they decided to pay and leave, Kafka was perhaps not completely sober anymore. He was far from drunk, but they had gotten refills on their beer a few times, and his head felt nice and fuzzy at this point. His belly was warm and Hoshina’s hand was still in his. Kafka was having a great time all in all.

They walked along the street towards the train station. The sun had set while they were at the Korean place, and red and pink hues coloured the skies above. When it came time to part, Kafka turned towards Hoshina to hug him, but the other stopped him with a hand on his chest.

“There’s something I want to try, stop me if it’s too much.” Hoshina said.

He dragged Kafka into the alley that they were standing next to, and pushed him against the wall. Kafka was confused for a moment, until Hoshina used his hold on Kafka’s shirt to drag him down. Hoshina’s other hand came up to rest on Kafka’s cheek, and Kafka realised what was happening, right before their lips softly met.

It was just a simple press of lips, Hoshina used his grip on Kafkas face to tilt his head slightly so their noses didn’t bump. Then as soon as it happened it was over, Hoshina pulled back, and Kafka once again decided to be bold. That simply wasn’t enough in his opinion.

He grabbed Hoshina by the head, and leaned back in with more force this time. Hoshina let out a happy sigh against him, and parted his lips slightly to nip at Kafka’s own. The kiss became deeper, and in their buzzed state they were both eager for it.

Fireworks were going off in Kafka’s head, and he let out a soft moan as Hoshina’s tongue met his. Had kissing always felt this good? Kafka wanted to stay like this forever, he would die a happy man if a kaijuu were to appear right now. They did end up parting, much to his dismay. Kafkas cheeks were warm, but when he looked at Hoshina he wasn’t unaffected either. A red flush coloured his cheeks, and his breathing was heavier. Hoshina smiled and leaned in, planting a peck on Kafkas cheek. Ever the eloquent man, Kafka looked at Hoshina and said “Awesome” with a goofy smile.

Hoshina laughed, a true genuine laugh as he hugged Kafka tightly. “Yeah.” He agreed against Kafkas neck. “Awesome.”

Chapter Text

6
Kafka was over the moon lately. He smiled more, and at work the others had started noting how Kafka seemed to be full of energy lately. He had always been a hard worker, but something had changed. Kafka was just so happy, he couldn’t contain himself. He had a boyfriend damn it! Something he’d always wanted, and now he finally had it. Even just thinking about Hoshina brought a smile to his face, and as lunch rolled around he was eager to check his phone. Hoshina had sent a picture he’d taken in a mirror while he was training. He wore a tight compression shirt, and Kafka was enthralled. How did he end up with such a hottie? Hoshina wasn’t just all good looks, he was a genuine good person and their personalities just clicked, like two puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly. Man, Kafka was really a lucky guy. Kafka was in the middle of typing out a text when one of his colleagues spoke up.

“What’s got you in such a good mood huh, Hibino?” Souske asked. Kafka looked up and saw several guys looking at him.

“It’s not ‘what’ but ‘who’,” Kageyama interjected, and Kafka felt his cheeks flush as he clutched his phone tightly. Well, there was no reason to lie, he thought. His colleagues were good people, and they already knew Kafka liked men, it had come up once when they were out drinking after a job. Kafka remembered Kageyama had slapped him on the back and wished him good luck in romance, and that seemed to be that. Kafka was grateful he had such down to earth colleagues, they were really good, reliable guys.

“It’s my boyfriend, uh, I’ve been dating this guy recently. Man, this is embarrassing, was it that obvious?” Kafka laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Congrats, man!” Kageyama slapped his back hard and ruffled his hair. “Glad to know someone’s about to make an honest man out of you.”

Kafka had no idea what that meant, but several of the guys started congratulating him along with a few catcalls.

“What’s he like?” One of them asked, and all eyes seemed to focus on Kafka at once.

“Oh, um, he’s a really good guy. He has a great sense of humour, and he makes me happy…” Kafka didn’t notice himself, but he was wearing a goofy smile.

“Well, that’s all that matters right? As long as you’re happy, Hibino.”

“Right!” Kafka agreed in his usual loud fashion.

“What’s he do for a living?” Sousuke asked. Kafka had put his phone in his pocket and was now scarfing down his lunch. He looked up from his meal and answered with a mouth full of food.

“Hef in the defenz forch.”

Kageyama smacked Kafka on the back of the head. “Don’t talk with your mouth full idiot! How the hell did you manage to land a boyfriend with those manners?”

“Oh, Defense Force officer! Impressive, Hibino, I’m sure he’s a catch.” Souske winked at him and Kafka threw a balled up napkin at the other man.

“Damn right, he’s amazing!” Kafka exclaimed.

“Does he know you’ve been trying to join the force?”

Kafka turned his head, as a new voice entered their talk. Aizawa had started working at Monster Sweeper Inc recently, and Kafka had been the one to teach him the ropes. The guy had also tried joining the force like Kafka, but after his second attempt he had given up for good, and decided to get a cleaning job instead.

Kafka hadn’t told Hoshina about his attempts, every time he tried he lost his courage. Kafka was scared if he told Hoshina, the other man would realise just what a huge loser Kafka was. Kafka had spent a decade applying every year for the force, and every year he had failed. Hoshina was the Vice Captain in the very division Kafka wanted to join. It was just too embarrassing, it was quite literally Kafka’s biggest insecurity. He felt bad though, he wanted to tell Hoshina everything about himself. This was a huge part of who Kafka was, and why his life looked the way it did, not telling him felt like lying, and it left a sour taste in Kafkas mouth.

“No… Not yet.” The others must have picked up on Kafkas mood changing.

“Don’t stress it, Hibino. It’s still a new relationship right? I’m sure you’ll have that conversation when the time is right.” Kageyama put a hand on Kafkas shoulder and squeezed. Kafka smiled at him and nodded.

Kageyama was right, they hadn’t been dating long and there were many things they didn’t know about each other yet. Communication was key in a relationship, Kafka knew this, but Rome wasn’t built in a day right? They would get to know each other better as time went on, and Kafka would tell him then.

“So, what’s the lucky guy's name?” Souske asked.

“Hos….” Kafka suddenly stopped himself, as he was hit with a wave of doubt. Was he allowed to tell people that he was dating Hoshina? The guys here all knew the name of the Vice Captain, what if Hoshina didn’t want their relationship to be public knowledge? After all, he had always made an effort to blend in when they were out in public, he clearly wasn’t interested in being recognised. Kafka panicked as Kageyama raised a brow at him.

“You ok Hibino? You didn’t finish your sentence. Is the heat getting to you?”

“Ah yeah sorry, it sure is hot today huh? Uh, right, his name is Hoshiwa Shiu.” What kind of horrible fake name was that?! That basically just sounded like a butchered version of Hoshina’s true name. Come on Hibino, quit being an idiot!

The guys just nodded along, great, they bought it then. Kafka was an atrocious liar, but until he had talked to Hoshina he decided not to tell any more people about his relationship. He was sweating at this point, and not just from the heat.

He quickly excused himself and went to a nearby vending machine to buy a cold drink. As he stood there, he fished his phone out of his pocket. No new texts. Hoshina was probably busy right now, and Kafka let out a sigh before returning to work. He hoped that he would have an opportunity to see Hoshina again soon, not just to talk about the whole “can people know about us” thing, but because Kafka missed him dearly. He wanted to kiss Hoshina again, he wanted to hold his hand, to hear him laugh and see his cheeky smile. He wanted Hoshina’s undivided attention, and wanted to give his to Hoshina in return.

Working during summer was always a challenge, and when Kafka finally returned home he was practically dripping with sweat. He took the coldest shower he could manage, and decided that wearing clothes was a lost cause. His apartment had an old AC that was desperately fighting to cool the place even just a little. The summer heat managed to sneak in despite the poor thing’s best efforts, and Kafka had bought a cheap fan to assist in the futile fight against the temperature. Kafka pulled on a pair of briefs, grabbed a cold beer from the fridge and threw himself on the futon with a grunt. He turned on the tv and flicked through the channels absentmindedly. He settled on some program about gardening and was halfway through his beer when Hoshina called. Kafka muted the tv and quickly picked up the phone.

“Hello, handsome.” Hoshinas voice said through the speaker.

“Hello yourself.” Kafka was smiling now, and a happy warmth settled beneath his rib cage. God, he had missed Hoshina’s voice so badly.

“I finished my work for today and just couldn’t resist calling. I miss you.” Hoshina sighed longingly, and Kafkas felt a pang of happiness that he wasn’t the only lovesick idiot in this relationship.

“I miss you too. How are you holding up in the heat? Is training all right?”

“Oh yeah training is fine, we have AC in the facility so I’m really not bothered. How about you? You work outside after all. I worry about you, you remember to drink enough water right?” It had to be illegal to be this sweet, Kafka would have cavities at the end of this call. Hoshina was worrying about little old him? For some reason that made him extremely happy, knowing he was on the other man’s mind.

“Yeah, I’m used to it, I’ve had this job for years now, so I know what to expect. It’s worse when I’m at home, my AC is too old to function properly, but it’s nothing a cold shower and a beer can’t fix.”

“Water, Hibino, drink water!”

Kafka laughed “I do! But after a hard day’s work I think I deserve a reward, I’m just a man after all.”

“If it’s a reward you’re looking for, I can give that to you. Cheap beer can’t compete with me I’m sure.”

“Oh? What kind of reward are we talking about?” Kafka was curious where this was going.

Hoshina hummed and said “Well, I could give you a kiss. Would you like that?”

“You know I would.” Kafka mumbled. That kiss they shared last time had been on his mind non stop, Kafka definitely wanted to repeat that experience.

“Is there anything else you’d like? Perhaps I could touch you too, hold you close.”

“Y-yeah, I want that.” It was on his mind now for sure, Hoshinas arms wrapped around him, holding him close as their lips met.

“When we kissed you moaned, I’ve had that sound stuck in my head for days at this point. You sounded so damn good.”

Kafkas cheeks flushed a deep red, had he really moaned? He couldn’t recall that, but his awareness when they kissed had been hyper focused on Hoshina and nothing else.

“I want to hear you make that sound again.” Hoshinas voice went straight to his groin, and syrupy arousal started filling his guts. Kafka wanted to be good for Hoshina, he wanted Hoshina to want him.

“How would you go about doing that then?” Kafkas voice sounded breathy in his own ears, but he just couldn’t get enough, he desperately wanted Hoshina to keep talking right now.

“I could kiss your neck, that’s a sensitive spot for many people. Or maybe you like your chest played with? Run my hands under your shirt and scratch at your skin. I bet you would sound so good for me.”

Kafka’s dick was definitely up for the idea, his free hand found its way to his chest and he softly traced the skin down so his bellybutton, wishing it was Hoshinas hands and not his own.

“Y-eah, fuck, Hoshina, I wanna be good for you.”

“Yeah? You want to be a good boy? Then Touch yourself baby, let me hear you do that.”

Kafkas breath hitched, he flopped down on the futon and held his phone against his ear, while his other hand travelled down past the elastic of his underwear. He was half hard at this point, and the first pump of his fist had him letting out a breathless moan.

“Good, just like that.” Hoshina praised, and Kafka’s dick was definitely fully hard now.

“Fuck, Hoshina…” Kafkas hand was moving faster now, and his back arched slightly as his breathing grew laboured.

“My name baby, say my name.”

“Ngh… Soushiro.” Kafkas cheeks were burning and his head was swimming with arousal.

“Good job, fuck, Kafka, you’re doing so good, you’re fucking perfect. Tell me what you’re thinking right now.”

Kafka tried to gather his thoughts, slowing his hand slightly as he struggled to get the words out.

“Ah, thinking about you… wish you were here, want you to touch me.” Kafka was panting and flushed, squirming on the futon as his hand quickened its pace. Why wasn’t Hoshina here, Kafka wanted him so bad right now it almost hurt.

“Yeah” Hoshina sighed “I want that too, I’ll make you feel so good baby, I’ll fuck you so good.”

The mental image hit Kafka like a train. Hoshina between his legs, looking down on him as he moved his hips, fucking Kafka into the mattress, making him feel good like he promised. That was what did him in, and Kafka came with a cracked moan, back arching up and head thrown back. He was panting heavily and was sweating all over, as the post orgasmic haze settled over him. He heard Hoshina moan deeply through the speaker, and the sound sent a shiver up his spine. Hoshina sounded breathless when he next spoke.

“Holy shit Hibino, I haven't come like that in ages. Are you good?”

“Yeah, I’m so good right now. That sure was a reward alright.” Kafka let out an airy laugh. He really hadn’t expected things to take a turn like that, but he wasn’t complaining.

“Ugh, I’m a sticky mess now.” Kafka complained with a huff.

“Don’t say that, you’ll make me horny again.”

“You’re insatiable.” Kafka laughed.

“You have no idea, baby.”

Kafka squirmed slightly, he really liked being called that, especially when Hoshina was the one doing it. Kafka got up and discarded his underwear, they were soiled anyway, and it was honestly too hot to bother wearing anything. He put the phone on speaker and sat up to take a swig of his now lukewarm beer.

“Hibino.” Hoshinas voice was soft like he was on the verge of falling asleep.

“Yeah? You sound tired Hoshina, you should sleep.”

Hoshina hummed softly and said “Please, call me Soushiro. I liked that.”

Kafka felt the butterflies in his stomach make themselves known, they were pretty much permanent residents at this point.

“Yeah? Only if you call me Kafka.”

“Of course. My sweet Kafka.” Kafka could hear the smile in Soushiro’s voice, and he flushed happily. Being called that did all kinds of things to Kafkas insides. He felt his eyes grow heavy though, and a yawn pushed at the back of his throat. Kafka was beat at this point, sleep was slowly creeping in on him. He lay on his side facing his phone, he didn’t want to hang up, but he couldn’t stay awake much longer.

“Goodnight, Soushiro.”

His eyes slid shut, and he told himself he would hang up in just a minute, he just wanted a tiny moment more with Soushiro, that’s all.

“Goodnight Kafka.”

Kafka fell asleep before he ever got to hang up. He dreamt of arms around his middle, the smell of soap and cologne. A soft voice next to his ear was whispering sweet nothings, and Kafka snuggled into the feeling with a happy sigh. Surely this was heaven.

Chapter Text

7
Kafka had a problem. Ever since the phone call with Soushiro, his brain was reduced to a horny mush. Going through everyday life was practically impossible at this point, all Kafka could think about was his boyfriend. He would be cutting up a kaijuu, and thoughts of Soushiro behind him would pop into his head. Soushiro’s hands on his chest, his breath caressing Kafka’s ear as he whispered filthy words, hands playing with Kafka’s nipples. Kafka almost cut himself with the chainsaw he was using, and Kageyama chewed him out for being distracted. Kafka tried to hide his blush as he apologised - this was starting to be a serious problem.

On his way home, he would think of Soushiro’s face between his legs, maybe he would send Kafka a cheeky smile before swallowing his cock, his hand travelling south to brush against Kafka’s hole, as he sucked him to the root. That particular fantasy was interrupted by Kafka walking straight into a “NO PARKING” sign. Kafka rubbed at his now sore forehead and tried to look casual, as he walked on.

Kafka had never been this attracted to another person, he felt like he was truly losing his mind. He hadn’t jerked off this much since he was a hormonal teenager, and his wrist was starting to hurt at this point. Every night, he would dream of Hoshina doing downright filthy things to him, and he would wake up with a raging boner and a flushed face. It reached a point where his dick honestly started hurting, and he tried in vain to kill his boners with cold showers and cigarette breaks.

The worst part of it all was perhaps, that Soushiro was too caught up in work to barely even send a text. A string of kaijuu attacks had occurred, and the Third Division was sent to collaborate with the First Division in restoring order and safety to the affected areas. Kafka missed Soushiro so much it hurt, blue balls he could deal with, but the longing that dug beneath his ribcage was another story.

Kafka made a point of texting and sending photos, even though the other man was occupied. Kafka would send shaky selfies and pictures of the neighbourhood cats. He even sent pictures of homemade meals he made. Soushiro had been after him about eating more healthy food, saying he worried about Kafka’s health, after he had admitted to mostly consuming instant ramen and konbini sandwiches. Soushiro even sent him easy and quick recipes that he could try out, and it filled Kafka’s heart with warmth to know that the other cared for him like this. Soushiro would answer Kafka’s texts maybe once every two days, letting Kafka know that he appreciated the life updates, and he was sorry for not being able to answer him faster. Kafka told him not to worry about it, however.

Me: You’re doing important work, and people need you! Don’t worry I’ll be right here waiting for you when you get back.

Hoshina: You’re amazing. Damn I miss u :(

And so Kafka would jerk off an obscene amount, and mope in his post nut clarity about the fact that Soushiro was so far away from him.

A week and half passed like this, with hardly any contact from Soushiro, and then like a blessing from above, he called Kafka one night. Kafka practically ran to his phone, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the caller ID.

“Hi handsome.” Kafka said with a smile as he picked up. Soushiro laughed, and holy fuck Kafka had missed the sound so bad.

“That’s my line you ass! Damn old man, stealing my swagger.”

“Oh, did I make you blush?” Kafka was grinning like an idiot. Talking to Hoshina just had a way of getting him in a giddy headspace.

“You wish.” Soushiro snorted.

“I miss you, how’s work?” Kafka asked.

“Frustrating.” Soushiro groaned miserably. “I mean the kaijuu are not a challenge, but working with the First Division is rough. Me and the captain don’t exactly see eye to eye. I would feel so much better if I just had my cute boyfriend here right now.”

“I wish I could be there. The First Division commander is Gen Narumi right? What’s he like, since you don’t get along?”

Soushiro let out a truly heavy sigh “He’s a complete ass if you ask me. Don’t get me wrong, he’s amazing in the battlefield, I can give credit where it’s due. But he’s so damn full of himself, and a total slob in private. He’s just tough to work with overall.” Kafka winced in sympathy, wishing there was something he could do to ease Soushiros' frustrations.

“Anyway,” Soushiro continued “I’ll be home in about a week, we’re pretty much done with what we came here for. I just have a shit ton of paperwork to finish and then I’ll head back to Tachikawa base. Man, I can’t wait to see you, I really need a day off after all of this.”

“I’ll be waiting, I miss you man.” Kafka was excited at the prospect of seeing Soushiro again, just another week and they would finally be together. He could survive another week, he’d made it this far after all, one more week was child’s play.

“I miss you too, I promise I’ll spoil you rotten when I get back. Give my baby what he deserves.” Kafka would never get used to being called anyone’s baby, and he blushed every time Soushiro used the pet name. Damn if it didn’t feel good.

“You don’t need to spoil me man, I just want to spend time with you, that’s all I ask.”

“Spoiling you is non negotiable, I think I deserve to treat my man to something nice, and I’ll give you as much of my time as I can, I promise.”

Kafka laughed “If it makes you happy, I’ll let you spoil me rotten. But don’t blame me if I become like Mister Fat Cat then, all pampered and snobbish.”

“I don’t mind, as long as you don’t treat me like that damn cat does, I don’t want my boyfriend laying in other people's laps. You’re mine after all.”

Hearing Soushiro say that did things to Kafka he wasn’t ready to admit. The possessive words echoed in Kafka's head, and his damn traitor of a dick made its presence known.

“Don’t worry, I only want you.” And it was the truth, Kafka couldn’t imagine a life without Soushiro in it, his presence was a blessing and a need, like oxygen and water Kafka needed Soushiro. Feelings he wasn’t ready to name, had long since bloomed in his heart, but it felt too soon to say it out loud. Some day, but not today, not yet.

“Good, we’re on the same page then. I’m sorry, but I have to go again, I’ll text you soon I promise.” Soushiro sounded truly apologetic and maybe even a bit sad.

“Don’t worry, Soushiro, as I said I’ll be right here waiting when you get back. Now go kick that paperwork’s ass! Show it who’s the boss. I’ll see you soon, yeah?”

Soushiro laughed at that “Yeah, I’ll do my best. Bye Kafka.”

“Bye…”

They hung up, and Kafka went out on the balcony for a smoke. The summer heat was still going strong, but the night air had a cool feel to it. A few lonely stars made their presence known through the light pollution of the city. A dog barked in the distance, and Kafka took a drag of his cigarette and watched the smoke curl around his fingers. Just one more week, Kafka could be patient for just one more week.

Chapter Text

8
The day had finally come, and Kafka’s patience was rewarded. Soushiro was done with his workload, and finally managed to get a day off, and so the two had planned to meet and have dinner and drinks. Kafka had stressed about not going anywhere fancy, since he would be underdressed no matter what he wore, and Soushiro had assured him that the restaurant didn’t have any form of dress code, and to just dress however he wanted.

The restaurant was located not far from Kafka’s area of town, and in his eagerness to see his boyfriend again, he ended up arriving 30 minutes early. He didn’t mind waiting though, and took a chance to check out the place a bit. They seemed to serve traditional Japanese food, and they were apparently known especially for their selection of ramen. Kafka texted Soushiro a blurry selfie of the top half of hisface, with the restaurant’s sign above him. Soushiro replied that he was just around the corner, and Kafka lit a cigarette as he waited.

The other arrived right as Kafka finished smoking, and practically tackled him in a tight hug. Kafka squeezed Soushiro back, and buried his face in the other's neck. He smelled like soap and cologne, and under that was a scent that was just Soushiro’s own. Kafka inhaled deeply and Soushiro snorted.

“Are you smelling me right now?”

“Shut up, you smell damn good and I missed you.” Kafka grumbled. They pulled back and looked at each other. Kafka couldn’t fight the goofy grin on his face even if he tried, and Soushiro’s eyes seemed to twinkle with mirth at the sight.

“I missed you too, c’mere.” Soushiro grabbed Kafka by the shirt and pulled him in for a soft kiss. Kafka met him eagerly halfway, and sighed happily against Soushiro’s lips. They separated much to Kafka’s dismay, and Soushiro grabbed him by the hand and pulled him inside the restaurant.

They were sat at a quiet table near the back. Soft music played throughout the place, and the waiter quickly took their orders and came back to place two glasses of beer in front of them. They spoke in soft voices about nothing in particular. They were just catching up and revelling in each other's company. Being together again was just so nice, and Kafka felt warm and content for the first time in weeks. Still, he had told himself he would tell Soushiro about his history with the Defense Force, he didn’t want to keep it from the other man and treat it like some kind of secret. Healthy relationships were built on honest communication after all. He struggled, however, at finding a way to casually bring it up, he couldn’t just blurt it out of nowhere. Soushiro noticed quickly though, that Kafka seemed distracted. Kafka really was horrible at not showing his emotions on his face.

“Kafka, baby, you alright? You got quiet all of a sudden.” Soushiro looked at Kafka with concern, and it pulled at his heartstrings like crazy. Soushiro was just so damn nice and attentive.

“Ah, yeah I just, uh…” Kafka felt tongue tied. What if he told Soushiro and the other man finally realised he was dating a total loser, and decided he’d had enough of boring old weak Kafka. A lump formed in Kafka’s throat, as his internal monologue turned sour. He was ripped from his depressing thoughts by Soushiro grabbing his hand.

“Deep breath.” Soushiro instructed.

Kafka took a breath, collected his thoughts and continued.

“So, I’ve been applying for the Third Division every year for the past decade, and obviously I’ve failed every time… I’m sorry for not telling you before, but it’s probably my biggest insecurity if I’m being honest. Ah, yeah, I just thought you should know…” Kafka couldn’t look Soushiro in the eye right now, and shame coloured his cheeks. Soushiro kept a firm grip on his hand while he talked. When Kafka finished talking he squeezed his hand.

“Look at me please?”

Kafka looked up, not knowing what to expect. Soushiro’s eyes were kind however, and he smiled softly.

“I’m glad you told me, and please don’t feel ashamed about failing. That's probably easier said than done, though.”

“Right.” Kafka mumbled.

“Listen, Kafka, I know first hand just how harsh and demanding those exams are, and the fact that you’ve kept trying is admirable. You still have a chance, and if you want I’ll help you train for next year's test.”

Kafka looked at Soushiro with wide eyes. He would help? His schedule was packed as is, and Kafka didn’t want to demand any more time from him, knowing how rarely he got a day off. But having Soushiro’s support meant the world to Kafka, and perhaps his help would make the final difference in the next exam.

“I’m beyond grateful, truly, you don’t have to do this man, but how would you find the time to train me? I don’t want you to get too overwhelmed, you already work so much.”

Soushiro just sat back and smiled.

“Don’t worry, I’ll always find the time for you. I could get you a guest pass for the base, and we could schedule our training in the evenings. You might have to spend the night though, if you don’t mind?”

Kafkas dirty mind immediately went to work, spending the night with Soushiro…. They hadn’t done anything like that yet, what could that possibly entail? Would they share a bed and stuff?

“Totally, right, that’s no problem!” Kafka blushed and sent Soushiro a bashful look. “Thank you, your support really means a lot.” He continued.

Soushiro smiled kindly at him. How could anyone be this perfect, Kafka wondered.

“I believe in you, Kafka. Let’s both do our best, okay?”

“Yeah!”

Dinner arrived - Kafka had spicy miso ramen, and Soushiro had ordered the tonkotsu ramen. They also had a tempura side dish that they shared.

Before Kafka managed to dig in though, Soushiro stopped him.

“I actually have a confession too, now might be a good time to say it I think.”

Kafka gave the other man a questioning look.

“Well, I sort of already knew about you trying to join the force. Captain Ashiro and I work together after all, and she, uh, might have seen one of the pictures you sent me of yourself one time… She told me you knew each other as kids, and how you were going to join the force together.”

Kafka was glad he had been stopped from eating, or he might have choked on his food.

“And you still want to date me? Even though I’m a total failure?” Kafka couldn’t help but let his low self esteem show at this moment. Mina had achieved their goals, and Kafka had lagged behind. He wanted so desperately to live up to that promise they made, but his failures were starting to get to him.

“Don’t you ever dare call my boyfriend that again. I just told you I believe in you, now show me that you haven’t lost your courage. And if I catch you talking shit like that again, I’ll beat your ass, understood?” Holy shit, Soushiro could be scary when he wanted to, his eyes were sharp and serious, and he wore a less than happy look on his face.

“Y-yes sir! Sorry… It won’t happen again. I’ll do my best, your help won’t be in vain, I promise.” Kafka stuttered out.

“Good.” Soushiro went back to smiling. “Let’s eat.”

Kafka felt honoured that Soushiro wanted to help, and also flattered that he apparently wouldn’t take anyone badmouthing Kafka, not even Kafka himself. It had honestly been kinda hot, seeing such a serious expression on his boyfriend's face. Maybe Kafka wouldn’t mind Soushiro throwing him around a bit during training. Ok, Hibino, let’s not go there during dinner, keep it in your pants, man.

“So, Mina knows about us?” Kafka asked between slurping his food. “And she’s ok with it and all?”

Soushiro tilted his head as he answered.

“She knows alright, she recognised you immediately, and I just told her the truth. Why wouldn’t she be ok with it?”

“I don’t know, I mean some people feel certain ways about two guys dating, and I haven’t seen her in years, so I just wanted to be sure I guess.” Kafka felt kinda bad about these thoughts now, of course Mina would be ok with something like that, how could he ever doubt her?

“Don’t worry.” Soushiro smiled. “She’s beyond supportive, she’s actually been nagging me about bringing you to the base, I think that’s her way of saying she misses you.”

“Yeah? I’ve missed her too, to be honest, I would be happy to see her again.” Kafka smiled. Knowing Mina hadn’t forgotten about him made him happy to his very core.

“Let’s make it happen, then.”

The conversation shifted to lighter topics as they finished their food. They eventually decided to pay and move somewhere else. Soushiro once again insisted on paying, saying how he had promised to spoil Kafka when they last spoke.

“You always pay! I want to do nice stuff for you too.” Kafka grumbled.

“And it makes me happy to treat you good, so you’re doing nice stuff for me by letting me pay.” Soushiro shot back. It was kinda hard to argue with that, Kafka supposed.

They left the place and wandered around in the area, and when they passed a cosy looking izakaya, Kafka suggested they grab a few drinks and Soushiro agreed. They sat at the counter with their glasses in front of them. The place was fairly empty, and they fell into easy banter as usual. Soushiro got more handsy the more they drank, the two of them seemed to gravitate closer after every beer. Soushiro would stroke his hand down Kafka’s arm, and squeeze his shoulder. His hand eventually ended up on the inside of Kafka’s knee, slowly making its way upwards. Kafka was totally losing his grip on the conversation, all of his focus was on the warmth Soushiro’s hand emitted, and the squeeze of his fingers against Kafka’s soft thigh.

“Say, Kafka, wanna get out of here?” Soushiro was smiling sweetly at the older man, his cheeks had a slight flush to them, but that was to be expected after the amount they had drank. They weren’t drunk, but they were definitely a bit tipsy at this point. Kafka looked confused for a moment.

“Where are we going?”

Soushiro snorted unattractively.

“Well, your place is close right? Mind if I spend the night?”

Oh, OH. Kafka got up immediately and practically dragged Soushiro from the bar. Soushiro was laughing happily behind him.

“Someone’s eager!”

Kafka responded by turning around and pulling Soushiro in for a desperate kiss. The other man responded in kind, and the kiss quickly turned into a lewd drag of lips against lips. When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily. Kafka looked into Soushiros eyes, and saw the same raw need he felt, reflected back at him. They quickly got going, walking towards Kafka's apartment, only to stop every so often to exchange sloppy kisses. Kafka laughed after the third time it happened.

“We’ll never make it home at this pace.”

Perhaps it was some sort of miracle, or by the grace of higher powers, but they did eventually make it to Kafka’s rough looking apartment complex. They stumbled up the steps and to his front door, Kafka digging after his keys, while Soushiro was of absolutely no help, dragging his hands all over Kafka’s body, and planting wet kisses on his neck. Kafka managed to unlock the door, and they both stumbled into the dark apartment. Kafka fumbled for the light switch and kicked off his shoes, he had half a mind to worry that he might have left dirty underwear or something lying around, but was quickly distracted by Soushiro dragging him in for a filthy kiss. Soushiro kissed him like he was trying to devour him, sucking the air from his lungs.

“Bed.” Kafka managed to gasp out between their lips, and Soushiro seemed to agree, as he pushed Kafka backwards into the apartment. They stumbled onto the futon in the middle of the room, Kafka on his back and Soushiro loomed above him, supporting his weight with a hand on each side of Kafka’s head. He looked down on him, his pupils were blown and a healthy flush covered his cheeks.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this.” Soushiro said. He looked at Kafka with obvious arousal, and something else, something soft Kafka couldn’t quite place at the moment.

“Yeah, me too.” Kafka responded. He raised a hand to caress Soushiro’s cheek, and the other turned his head to place a soft kiss on his palm.

Soushiro sat back and removed his shirt in one fluid motion, and holy fucking shit, he was ripped. Kafka stared with wide eyes, trying not to look too flabbergasted. He knew Soushiro was strong and worked out plenty, you had to be in good shape to fight kaijuu after all, but this was just ridiculous. Humans didn’t look like that, right? Soushiro sent him a wink and then reached for Kafka’s shirt, intent on removing the layers between them, but Kafka caught his hand with an unsure expression on his face. He became all too aware at this moment of his own physique, and a wave of self consciousness hit him like a ton of bricks. Kafka had built up strong muscle over the years with manual labour, but he had a healthy layer of fat coating said muscles, his stomach was soft and his thighs were squishy. He looked nothing like Soushiro, and he was painfully aware of that fact at that very moment.

“What’s wrong? You want to stop?” Soushiro looked concerned, and grasped Kafka’s hand in a gentle hold. “Is it too much? We don’t have to do anything, if you don’t want to.”

Damnnit, Soushiro continued to be an absolute saint of a man. Kafka wanted Soushiro so badly, but he was scared of what the other might think of his physical appearance right now.

“No! I want this, I just, uh, I mean you look great, and I just don’t look anything like that so… yeah.” Kafka was struggling to string together a coherent sentence and express how he felt, but Soushiro seemed to understand him just fine. He smiled gently at Kafka and squeezed his hand.

“Kafka, I don’t want you to look like me, I’m attracted to you. But if you need proof…” Soushiro pulled Kafka’s hand down between his legs, and okay, yeah, that was a hard dick alright.

“This is all because of you, I want you just the way you are. You drive me crazy baby, so please, can I see all of you?”

He asked so sweetly, and Kafka felt his insides turn to goo.

“Yeah. Please.”

Soushiro leaned down to kiss him, as his hand once again travelled beneath Kafka’s T-shirt, caressing the skin softly as it dragged upwards. Kafka lost himself in the kiss, sighing into Soushiro’s mouth, as the hand beneath his shirt reached his chest and rubbed at his nipple. Soushiro pulled back, and Kafka sat up slightly to help get the shirt over his head.

Once Kafka’s chest was bare, Soushiro’s hands immediately started exploring. His mouth travelled along Kafka’s jawline, and down his neck, sucking and biting at the sensitive skin. Kafka squirmed, and let out a yelp as Soushiro’s teeth dug hard into his clavicle, leaving a red mark behind. Hands cupped Kafka’s pecs, and Soushiro sat back and looked, as he squeezed them together.

“They’re not boobs, dude!” Kafka complained with a red face.

“Aw, don’t be shy, you’ve got the best tits in town baby, I’m just appreciating them.” Soushiro smiled wickedly. Even when they were like this, he was a relentless tease. Kafka opened his mouth to complain, but instead let out a breathy moan, as Soushiro took his nipple into his mouth and sucked.

Kafka was achingly hard at this point, and he hadn’t even gotten his pants off yet. Soushiro seemed to be in no hurry however, dividing his affections between Kafka’s hard nipples, and leaving hickeys all over his chest.

Kafka felt dizzy with arousal, his breathing was heavy, and a bead of sweat rolled down his temple.

“Soushiro, quit teasing…” he practically whined, it was kind of embarrassing how desperate he sounded, but the attention on his chest was getting to be too much, and not enough all at once.

Soushiro hummed, and trailed his lips downward. He kept stopping to leave marks on Kafka’s soft belly and hips. Finally he reached the edge of Kafka’s pants, and he sat back up as his hands fumbled with the zipper. Cool air hit Kafka’s aching cock, and he breathed a sigh of relief at finally being free from the constricting material.

Soushiro pulled the rest of Kafka’s clothes off, and Kafka tried to be helpful and kick his pants off, but he nearly ended up kicking Soushiro in the face instead.

“Shit, sorry!”

Soushiro just laughed however, and grabbed Kafka’s ankle, to press a soft kiss against his lower leg before guiding it back down to lie on the futon. Soushiro’s eyes raked over Kafka’s nude form. He tried not to squirm too obviously as he fought the need to cover himself up. Soushiro looked like he wanted to devour him whole, and Kafka’s dick twitched where it laid against his stomach.

“You’re perfect, baby.”

Kafka flushed at the sweet words, as Soushiro met his eyes and sent him a cheeky smile. He then grabbed Kafka’s neglected dick, and leaned down to spit on it before he started a slow pace.

Kafka let out a raspy moan, and his eyes slipped shut. His hips twitched up to meet Soushiro’s hand on every downward stroke, and it felt heavenly to finally have his dick touched after all the teasing. Soushiros hands were calloused and rough, and just perfect wrapped around him.

“Look at me, Kafka, don’t go places I can’t follow.”

Kafka obeyed, and was rewarded with a sweet sounding Good boy, that sent a delighted shiver up his spine.

“Now, I’ll tell you what I’m thinking we might do tonight, and you let me know if you’re on board, ok?” Soushiro said.

Kafka met his eyes, and Soushiro rewarded him by fastening the pace of his hand just slightly.

“I want to suck you off while I prep you nice and good, and then I’ll bend you in half and fuck you till you cry for me to stop. Any objections?”

“N-no, fuck, I’m totally up for that.” Kafka was trembling, Soushiro’s voice washed over him like a gentle rain, his skin was prickling and his head was swimming with need. At the moment he would probably be on board with absolutely anything the other man might suggest. As long as it involved Soushiro touching him, it sounded like pure bliss to Kafka’s horny mind.

Soushiro stopped stroking him as he asked “Do you have any lube?”

“Uh, in the kitchen kabinet I think.”

The younger man laughed then. “You keep lube in the kitchen?”

“Shut up, I don’t exactly have a lot of storage options in this place!”

Kafka made a point of staring shamelessly at Soushiro’s defined back and honestly stellar ass, as he got up and went to the small kitchen area. He returned with a triumphant smile, and a small bottle of lube that was half empty. Soushiro also conjured up a condom from his pants pocket, and Kafka couldn’t help but raise a brow and laugh.

“You clearly had high hopes for tonight.” Kafka teased.

“Doesn’t hurt to be prepared.” Soushiro shrugged. “And it’s paying off right now, isn’t it?”

Kafka spread his legs to make room for Soushiro, and the other happily settled in the space like he belonged there. Soushiro leaned down and placed soft kisses on Kafka’s belly, slowly going lower until he reached his dick. Soushiro gave the tip a kiss before taking it into his mouth. He hollowed his cheeks and started a slow pace, and Kafka let out a breathless moan at the wet friction.

He then grabbed Kafka’s left leg and brought it over his shoulder, and a wet finger prodded experimentally between Kafka’s cheeks, spreading the lube around. When the hell had he opened the lube? Kafkas mind was lost in a comfortable haze, as Soushiro sucked him harder. His hand reached down to bury itself in Soushiro’s soft hair, and he couldn’t help but push his hips up a bit as the other's mouth descended on his cock.

A wet finger soon entered him, and Kafka let out a deep breath as he relaxed into the feeling. One finger became two, the stretch was overshadowed by Soushiro’s mouth however, at least until he curled his fingers and hit a spot that made Kafka’s whole body jerk, as a startled moan fell from his lips. The movement shoved his dick down Soushior’s throat, and the other gagged before pulling off with a wet pop.

Once Soushiro found his sweet spot, he seemed dead set on driving Kafka crazy with stimulation, rubbing his fingers against the spot mercilessly. Kafka was vaguely aware of how loud he was being, but at the moment he simply didn’t care, moaning and squirming happily, as Soushiro fingered him.

“You sound so good Kafka, you think I can make you scream?” Soushiro was wearing a wide grin as he looked down on Kafka with hungry eyes.

“Ngh, s-shut up and fuck me already!”

“As you wish.”

Soushiro quickly got rid of his remaining clothing, and rolled on the condom. He then grabbed a pillow, and urged Kafka to lift his hips so he could place the pillow beneath them. Kafkas legs ended up dangling over Soushiro’s shoulders, and the other man stroked himself lazily as he looked down on Kafka with soft eyes.

“You ready?”

“Absolutely, don’t hold back.” Kafka responded.

Soushiro smiled and pushed into him slowly, letting Kafka adjust to the feeling. It had been a while since Kafka had slept with anyone, but he did occasionally use a dildo on himself when masturbating. He breathed deeply through his nose, and relaxed his muscles as he adjusted to Soushiro inside of him. Soushiro let out a moan as he bottomed out, their hips were pressed together, with not an inch of space between them.

“You can move.” Kafka said softly, and Soushiro started rolling his hips slowly at first, building up a steady rhythm as they both adjusted. Kafka’s breath was being forced out in a huff every time the other thrust into him. Soushiro adjusted their position a bit, sitting back on his knees and grabbing Kafka’s hips with his hands, lifting them up slightly and pushing one of Kafka’s knees towards his chest. At the next thrust Kafka let out a loud moan, as Soushiro hit the perfect spot inside him.

“There we go.”

Soushiro set a mean pace then, being much more forceful, and the slap of skin against skin sounded in the small apartment.

“F-fuckfuckfuck, r-right… there!”

Kafkas moans sounded like they were being punched straight from his guts, and his hands grasped at the edge of the futon above his head, clutching tight in an effort to keep himself grounded. Soushiro’s hands squeezed his hips hard, and a thin sheen of sweat covered his skin. He had good stamina though, and seemed to have no problem keeping up the pace at the moment.

Kafkas felt like his brain was about to melt out of his ears, his whole body was bouncing with every thrust, and he struggled to keep his eyes open and focused on Soushiro above him.

Soushiro would let out sweet praise with his heavy breaths, telling Kafka how good he was being and how amazing he felt. It felt almost like drowning, like being lost in a strong current that dragged him deeper and deeper.

“Kafka, baby, ngh… show me how you touch yourself.”

Kafka reached a shaky hand down and started stroking himself. He moaned Soushiro’s name and the other man's hips stuttered in response.

Kafka felt himself reaching his climax fast and he gasped out some garbled words about cumming soon. Soushiro seemed to double his efforts then, words of encouragement dropping like honey from his lips.

“Yes, fuck baby, show me, cum for me Kafka, I want to s-see you… ah.”

It wasn’t long before Kafka tipped over the edge, muscles spasming, and a loud moan ripped from his guts as he came all over his heaving stomach. Soushiro fucked him through it, until Kafka started whimpering with oversensitivity. The other then pulled out, and ripped the condom off to stroke himself as he hovered over Kafka’s body. Kafka reached up and buried his hand in Shoushiro’s hair, pulling him down to plant wet kisses against his neck. He then yanked at the hair, hard, as he sunk his teeth into Soushior’s neck. The younger man came between them with a stuttering moan, adding to the mess already on Kafka’s stomach.

Soushiro flopped down on top of Kafka, his face buried in Kafka’s neck, and hot puffs of air hit his skin as Soushiro tried to catch his breath. Kafka’s body felt like it was made of jelly, he was covered in sweat and cum, and he honestly had never felt better. The other did eventually push himself up and looked down on Kafka with a satiated smile. Kafka pushed himself up so he could plant butterfly kisses against Soushiro’s sweaty face, and the younger man giggled and dragged a gentle hand through Kafka’s messy hair.

“I’ll go get a wet cloth, I don’t think I can manage a shower right now. I want to cuddle.” Soushiro said.

Kafka agreed to that. He wasn’t sure he could even stand at the moment, so a shower would have to wait in his opinion. Soushiro got up in all his naked glory, and went to the kitchen area to get a wet cloth, and turn the lights off in the apartment. He then returned and gently cleaned Kafka up. Despite the lights being turned off, light from a lamppost outside filtered through the window, and Kafka took a moment to appreciate Soushiro’s face as it was cast in soft shadows. Once they were slightly less sticky, they immediately tangled themselves together. Soushiro had his head on Kafka’s chest, resting his ear above the heart that beat beneath the skin. A lazy arm was slung around his middle, their legs were tangled, and Kafka was scratching softly at his boyfriend’s scalp. Soushiro made a happy sound at the back of his throat at the gentle touches.

“You might have put me in a wheelchair, I guess we’ll see tomorrow if I’m able to walk.”

Soushiro laughed against Kafka’s chest. “You’re just being dramatic, or did you forget, you told me not to hold back?”

Kafka had said that, hadn’t he? His lower back was aching slightly, but he also felt just like a pile of satisfied goo at the moment. Soushiro really did a great job at fucking the remaining brain cells out of him. Kafka hummed softly.

“Guess I got what I asked for. I have no complaints though. The sex was great.”

“Happy to be of service, babe.”

Kafka’s breathing eventually evened out and his consciousness started fading into the realm of sleep. Soushiro’s weight on top of him faded as he stood on the edge of sleep’s oblivion.

I think I might love this man.

And with that, Kafka passed out, satiated, and with warmth blooming in his heart

Chapter Text

9
Kafka felt like he was floating on a cloud. His consciousness was hovering at the edge of sleep, and he was vaguely aware of the world around him. He could hear a pigeon cooing, and the faint sounds of traffic in the distance. He felt the warm rays of sun enveloping his body, along with a soft butterfly touch moving across his skin. He sighed and relaxed as the soft touch drew nonsensical patterns across his chest, moving up and tracing his collarbones. Lips traced the underside of his jaw, then his cheek, and finally a soft peck was placed on his lips. A lazy smile formed on his face, and he cracked an eye open and was greeted with the sight of Soushiro’s face in front of him. The other man had the cutest bed head as he gazed softly down at Kafka. Kafka’s eyes zoomed in on the mark he had left on Soushiro’s neck the night before.

“Mornin’.” Kafkas voice was gravelly with sleep, and he arched his back and stretched his hands above his head as he let out a groan.

“Good morning, babe. You sure are a heavy sleeper. It’s kinda cute how you drool in your sleep.” Soushiro snickered at the last part, and Kafka gave a lazy shove to his shoulder.

“It’s too early for your teasing, man. I liked it much better when you were being all sweet and kissing me awake.”

Soushiro responded to that by tackling Kafka into a tight embrace, as he peppered kisses on every inch of skin he could reach. Kafka laughed happily and squeezed him back.

“Mmm, I could get used to this.” Kafka sighed. He hoped he would get to spend many more mornings like this. Lying in bed and cuddling with his boyfriend was definitely a new favourite activity of his.

They did eventually get up. Kafka stated that he really wanted a shower and some coffee, and Soushiro agreed to that sentiment. The shower was unfortunately too small to house both of them, so Soushiro shoved Kafka towards the tiny bathroom and told him to shower while he fixed a pot of coffee for them.

Kafka was confronted with an obscene amount of hickeys covering his body as he looked in the mirror, and he softly traced a line between the marks that covered the expanse of his chest and stomach, all the way down to his hip bones. Soushiro had certainly been thorough in marking him up, but he honestly liked the fact that traces of the other man would be left with him, at least for a few days.

The shower was heavenly, washing away sweat and other fluids, and Kafka groaned happily as his aching muscles relaxed under the stream of water. Once he was done he emerged from the bathroom to find a mug of fresh coffee waiting for him, and he wrapped his arms around Soushiro and kissed him on the cheek, as he mumbled his thanks against the skin.

Soushiro then took his turn to shower, and Kafka put on a pair of sweatpants, grabbed his cup of coffee and went to the small balcony to have his morning smoke. It looked like it would be another hot day, a few clouds were visible and a nice breeze caressed Kafka’s damp hair.

Soushiro soon emerged from the shower, and announced his presence by wrapping his arms around Kafka from behind. Kafka leaned into the touch with a happy sigh, and Soushiro nuzzled his face into his neck.

“Your fridge is depressingly empty, man. Should we go out for breakfast or something? My treat.”

Kafka made a face at that, right, he had forgotten to get groceries. In his defense, he hadn’t expected company yesterday, but still, he had tried lately to eat more healthily and he really should have just gone out and restocked the damn fridge.

They decided to go shopping, and were in the middle of getting dressed when a knock sounded on the door. Kafka quickly pulled a fresh T-shirt over his head, as he stumbled through the small apartment to open the door. He was greeted by his neighbour, Miss Yoko. She wore a friendly smile, and held two bowls of steaming fried rice in her hands.

“Young Kafka, good morning dear, I just so happened to cook too much breakfast this morning, and I overheard that you had a guest over, so perhaps you could be a dear and help me out by accepting this food? Young men like yourself need to eat!”

“Ah, Miss Yoko, that’s too kind of you, thank you, truly.” Kafka bowed as he accepted the food from her hands.

“Of course, I’m sure you and your guest built up quite an appetite last night! Ah, to be young, I had many nights like that with my late husband, bless his soul. Now, you young people remember to stay safe alright? Take care now!”

She pinched his cheek as she said this, and Kafka took a moment to fully register the words before his face turned tomato red. Kafka just stood there, staring after Miss Yoko as she retreated back through her own door and closed it. He wondered vaguely if it was possible for a human to spontaneously combust. Soushiro chose that moment to start laughing like a damn hyena. Kafka turned around with flaming cheeks, and was greeted by his boyfriend literally rolling around on the floor as he gasped for air.

“Shut up, don’t laugh, you asshole! She heard us! Oh my god, I can never show my face outside again.”

Kafka was mortified, and Soushiro picked up on this and made an effort to comfort him, even through his laughter.

“Babe, no, haha, shit I’m sorry, she gave us her blessing!” Soushiro cracked up again, and Kafkas cheeks seemed to get even hotter.

“We’re never having sex again!” He exclaimed. That seemed to sober up Soushiro in an instant.

“No! Kafka, baby, she was just teasing, clearly she wasn’t mad, or she wouldn’t have brought breakfast. I'm sorry for laughing.”

Soushiro’s apology would perhaps have a better effect, if he wasn't trying desperately to suppress giggles while he delivered it, but Kafka could appreciate that he made an effort, and he was just too damn cute to stay mad at.

Kafka had to admit Soushiro had a point as well, and he was perhaps overreacting a tiny bit. That interaction had totally caught him off guard, but thinking back on it, he had been kind of loud last night.

Soushiro gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, and gently took the bowls from his hand.

“We can go and get her flowers or something, as an apology for keeping her up. How about that? And she did just mention her own sex life, I really don’t think she was bothered.”

“Yeah, you’re right, sorry, I just wasn’t prepared for the grandma next door to make such a comment. I retract my earlier statement, we can have sex again.”

“Nice!” Soushiro did a dumb little waddle as he held the bowls in his hands, and Kafka laughed.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“It’s a celebration dance. Also, this food smells great, let's eat!”

They sat at the small table, and Kafka turned on the TV to some morning program as they ate. The food was really good, Kafka had to admit that Miss Yoko was an amazing chef, but she clearly liked to tease just as much as his dumb cute boyfriend. Perhaps he should make an effort to keep the two from meeting properly. Kafka was sure nothing good would come from that, they would probably end up forming some kind of alliance against him. He shuddered at the thought, yes, best to keep those two apart, for his own sanity’s sake.

He remembered then, that he had intended to ask Soushiro a certain question - no time like the present, he supposed.

“Soushiro?”

“Mm?” Soushiro looked at him, his mouth stuffed full of fried rice, and Kafka snorted at the sight. He looked like a squirrel with a mouth full of nuts, he thought.

“I just wanted to talk about us, like, can people know that we’re dating? You’re kind of a public figure after all, so I haven’t exactly told anyone about us.”

Soushiro swallowed his food, and turned to give Kafka his full attention.

“Of course! Kafka, I want people to know. I’m crazy about you. I guess some of those gossip sites might talk some shit or whatever, but I really couldn’t care less. You’re my boyfriend, and I don’t intent to hide you away like some secret, fuck that.”

Kafka felt like an arrow had shot straight through his heart. What had he done to deserve Soushiro? He must have been a saint or something in a previous life, that was the only logical explanation he could come up with.

“Okay, yeah, I’m crazy for you too, if that wasn’t obvious already. I just didn’t want to assume anything.”

Soushiro smiled sweetly at him, and leaned in to plant a kiss on his cheek.

“You’re too damn sweet, thank you for being so considerate, but please don’t hold back. I don’t care what anyone has to say about us, let them talk. I know the truth, and the truth is I have the cutest, sweetest, most adorable boyfriend in the world.”

Kafka blushed at that, being called such sweet things would probably always have such an effect on him.

“You’re laying it on thick today.”

Soushiro just grinned at him. “I’m saying the truth, and nothing but the truth! And I’ll say it as many times as it needs to be said.”

Kafkas was so overwhelmed by his sugary emotions, all he could do was to tackle Soushiro to the ground, and squeeze him tight enough to force the air from his lungs with a wheeze. Soushiro dug his fingers into Kafka’s sensitive ribs, and a tickle fight quickly developed. It ended quickly though, with Kafka pinned beneath Soushiro and begging for mercy, while practically crying with laughter.

“PLEASE, AHAHA, SOUSHIRO, STOP!”

The younger man relented, and flopped his whole weight down on Kafka’s heaving chest.

“Don’t start a fight you can’t finish gramps, I won’t be as merciful next time.” He punctuated this statement with a kiss against Kafka’s jawline.

“Man,” Kafka said as he regained his breath, “I need to get in better shape.”

“Don’t worry, I promised I would help you, remember? And you’re not in bad shape, the Defense Force just has ridiculously high standards. We kind of have to, it’s life or death out there after all. I would recommend that you quit smoking though, it would make it easier for you in the long run.”

“Yeah I know, I’ve been meaning to for a while. Well, no time like the present right?” Kafka had run out of cigarettes anyway, so he might as well refrain from buying new ones.

He had to make an effort. Soushiro’s help couldn’t be in vain. He needed to give it his all, and nothing less. He wanted to prove that he still had fight left in him, not just to the world around him, but to himself as well. He had been letting his negative thoughts get to him for a while now, but he felt motivated in a way he hadn’t been in a long time, and he had Soushiro to thank for it.

He didn’t know how to express these feelings however, so instead he decided to show his appreciation for the other with a sweet kiss. Soushiro happily leaned in as Kafka pulled him down, and Kafka wondered if the butterflies he felt whenever their lips touched would ever fade. He really hoped that wasn’t the case.

When they parted, Kafka looked up at the other and smiled.

“You’re really amazing. I’m so glad I met you.”

A faint blush spread across Soushiro’s cheeks, and he looked at Kafka with his mouth slightly agape.

“Is that a blush, Soushiro? My, my, was that all it took?” Kafka couldn’t help but tease now that he finally had the chance, Soushiro was always the one making Kafka blush, and it felt kind of good to finally return the favour. Soushiro buried his face against Kafka’s neck, and he grumbled the next words against the older man’s skin.

“Damn you, I’ll get you back for that… but I’m glad too. Maybe dropping my sword wasn’t so bad after all.”

They sat back up and finished their breakfast, and after that, Soushiro insisted on doing the dishes. Kafka stood behind him the whole time, with his arms wrapped tightly around his boyfriend's middle. He couldn’t help but be clingy right now, he wanted to have Soushiro close for as long as possible.

Time was running out, however, Soushiro had to go back to Tachikawa base at some point, and Kafka already felt a pang in his heart at the thought. He had no idea when they would get to see each other again, Soushiro’s schedule was just too unpredictable. They ended up cuddling on the futon, sharing sweet kisses, and trying valiantly to melt together into one person.

“I have to go soon.” Soushiro sounded just as depressed about it as Kafka felt. “I’ll fix that guest pass for you as soon as I get back, we need to start your training after all.”

Kafka buried his face against Soushiro’s shoulder, and held him tight. He couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Soushiro smelled like him after spending the night there, and Kafka was incredibly happy, knowing a part of him would linger on Soushiro’s skin, even after he left.

They dragged out their time together to the very limit, procrastinating for as long as possible. But all good things must come to an end. Soushiro’s phone started ringing shortly after noon, and they couldn’t prolong their goodbye any more. He picked up and quickly confirmed to the person on the other end that he would be back at the base within an hour. Kafka reluctantly let go of Soushiro, as the other got up and went to the door to get his shoes. He turned around and pulled Kafka into a kiss, that was all tongue and teeth and desperate longing. When they broke apart Kafka’s cheeks were flushed, and their breathing was heavy.

“I’ll see you soon, I promise.”

“I’ll be counting the seconds.” Kafka said. It sounded super cheesy, but he was honestly devastated that Soushiro had to leave. He was getting greedy, he knew this, but he felt like he could spend an eternity in the other's presence, and still crave more.

They kissed like they would never see eachother again. Coming together and pulling apart to say goodbye, only to repeat the process over and over. Neither one of them wanted their time together to end, but duty called, and eventually they couldn’t drag their goodbye out any longer.

“Soon” Soushiro promised as he walked out the door.

Kafka practically ran to his balcony, and waved the other off as he walked down the street. He stood there long after Soushiro was out of sight, sighing to himself like the lovesick man he was. “Soon” couldn’t come fast enough.

Chapter Text

10
After Soushiro left, Kafka still needed to get groceries. He was already dressed and feeling restless now that his boyfriend wasn’t there to distract him. He made a quick list of what he needed, nicotine patches being at the very top of that list. He already craved a smoke, but he was determined to make a change, perhaps he should go for a run or something? After all he had to train in his free time too, not just when he was with Soushiro.

If he wanted to make a serious attempt at joining the force, he would have to give it his all. Besides, wasn't fitness recommended to help deal with cravings or something? He hadn’t run long distances since PE in high school however, and he was sure he would be struggling to even make it around the block with his current stamina. But he had to start somewhere, right?

Kafka left his apartment to go shopping, only to run into his salaryman neighbour in the hallway. Kafka had never had a single conversation with the man. Unlike his other neighbour Miss Yoko, the salaryman kept to himself. Kafka didn’t even know his name, and the other man didn’t have a name tag on his mailbox either. Kafka nodded at the other man as he walked down the hallway, only to be met with the harshest glare he might have ever received in his life. If looks could kill, Kafka would be dead on the spot.

“Shut your bitch up next time or bring them elsewhere.” The salaryman spat as Kafka walked by him.

Kafkas cheeks immediately set on fire, and he let out a choked sound in his chock. What the fuck was he even supposed to reply to something like that? The salaryman didn’t wait for a response however, and aggressively slammed his door after him, as he retreated into his own apartment. Kafka tried to let the situation go as he continued downstairs to the entrance of the building, perhaps he would have been successful, had he not also bumped into one of his upstairs neighbours who gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up and a saucy wink upon seeing him.

Holy fuck, was there anyone in this godforsaken building who hadn’t heard him get laid last night?! Kafka practically ran to the local store with flaming cheeks. Soushiro and him would have to go somewhere else if they were to be intimate again, no way Kafka was ever having sex at his place ever again, privacy was nothing but a myth in that building apparently.

Kafka did his shopping and returned home. He made an effort to not bump into any more people from his building, peeking around corners and trying for all intents and purposes to blend in with the background, like some kind of chameleon. Once he was back home and had unpacked, he texted Soushiro about his horribly embarrassing shopping trip. The other tried to be sympathetic and sweet, but Kafka just knew the younger man was crackling like a bitch while typing the messages. He even called Soushiro out on this, and the other responded by playing dumb and saying that he would never laugh at Kafka’s misery like that. Yeah, right. He was lucky Kafka liked him so damn much, even when he was being a little shit.

A few days passed before Kafka got a very official looking letter in the mail. Soushiro had told him that getting a visitor's pass to the base did entail some paperwork, and that further information would be sent by mail. The letter contained basic info about what rules visitors were bound by, and told him to bring identification and the letter with him when he went to the base to have his visitor’s card made. It also said that the Vice Captain had requested this pass, and therefore should Kafka break any rules it would also affect Soushiro, since he was the one “hosting” Kafka, so to speak. Great, no pressure at all, he thought.

Kafka went to Tachikawa base the next day. He didn’t have work, and he desperately wanted to see Soushiro again. The other had told Kafka that he would be free to give a tour and start their training in the afternoon.

Tachikawa base was huge. The parking lot seemed never ending, and the building itself loomed above Kafka in all its intimidating glory. He took a moment to calm himself, he was excited at the prospect of seeing his boyfriend, but also nervous to go into the building. The Third Division resided here, how would they react to Kafka’s presence? Soushiro had said that he wanted people to know about them, but these people were professionally trained troops, and Soushiro was their boss. He really hoped that they wouldn’t somehow lose their respect for Soushiro because of Kafka.

Mina was in there as well. Kafka wanted to see her again, but he also felt nervous at the prospect. She was a captain, and Kafka was nowhere near her level. Soushiro had said that she wanted Kafka to come to the base, but what if she was disappointed with what she saw? The last time they had been face to face they were still just kids, years had passed and people changed. Kafka was nervous that their friendship couldn’t be rekindled, that they had truly grown apart.

His nerves had him desperately craving a cigarette, but he hadn’t smoked since his morning with Soushiro, and he already had a nicotine patch stuck to his arm. Deep breath, Hibino, find your courage.

He went through the front doors, and was greeted with two people in uniform, with quite large rifles on their backs. Kafka tried not to feel too intimidated at the sight. They asked for papers and Kafka showed the letter to them, they then patted him down and sent his bag through the x-ray machine.

It was pretty much like being at the airport really, not that Kafka had much travel experience. He had only been on a plane once when he was a kid, and it wasn’t even an international flight. One of the guards told Kafka to go to the visitors lounge, which was apparently down the hall to the left, where he would have his visitor’s badge made by the secretary. His nerves felt like they were stuck to the outside of his clothes, and even breathing felt like a huge task at the moment.

Kafka made it to the visitors lounge at a slow pace, it was just a room with a row of chairs against the wall, and a few dry looking plants for decoration. At the far end of the room was a tired looking older man, sitting at an overflowing desk. Papers seemed to cover the whole surface, and behind him was shelves stuffed full of boxes and folders. The man had his face buried in the screen of his computer, and the only sound in the room was that of his fingers tapping against the keyboard, as well as the lazy ticking of the analog clock that hung on the wall.

No one else was in the room, and Kafka took a deep breath and walked towards the man. When he was standing right in front of the desk, he just sort of waited at first, however the man didn’t spare him a glance.

“Uh, excuse me? I got this letter, uh, I’m here to get a visitor's badge made?”

The man looked up, and Kafka was struck by how deep the bags were under his eyes, he looked like he hadn’t slept in years. Jeez, was this man ok?

“Please have a seat, I’ll get to you soon.”

Uh, ok, had Kafka interrupted him in his work or something? The man just looked back at the screen in front of him, and Kafka hovered awkwardly for a moment before he turned to one of the chairs and sat down. Minutes ticked by, and the man at the desk just kept tapping lazily at the keyboard in front of him. Kafka’s leg was bouncing restlessly, and he dug out his phone to text Soushiro, and distract himself from his nerves.

Me: I'm at the visitor’s lounge now, the secretary seems busy though…

Hoshina: Ugh, he’s just messing with you. Don’t worry, I’m on my way.

Some of the tension left Kafka’s body then, knowing that Soushiro would be there soon.

It couldn’t have been more than five minutes before he arrived. He wore the standard Defense Force uniform, and Kafka spared a moment to appreciate how damn good he looked. Shit, he hoped this wasn’t the start of some new uniform kink, everything about Soushiro just seemed to press all of Kafka’s buttons. Soushiro walked straight towards him, and Kafka quickly got up to greet his boyfriend.

“Hello, handsome.” Soushiro smiled as he said his favourite greeting, and Kafka felt like he could breathe easier now that the other was finally close again.

“Hello yourself.” He smiled. Soushiro pulled him in for a tight hug then, which Kafka happily reciprocated. When they pulled apart, Soushiro turned to the secretary with his usual smile.

“Mr. Hara, nice day isn’t it?”

The secretary, Mr. Hara apparently, looked up with eyes that honestly looked dead in Kafka’s opinion.

“Vice Captain, you’re chipper as always. To what do I owe the pleasure.” He said with a deadpan voice. What the hell was this man’s deal?

Soushiro seemed used to the other’s flat attitude however, and simply kept smiling as he talked.

“Well, I would appreciate it if you would make a visitors badge for my dear boyfriend here, we’ll be out of your hair as soon as that’s done.”

Mr. Hara let out a heavy sigh as he turned his attention towards Kafka.

“Papers and ID?”

Kafka quickly handed him the letter and his personal ID, and Mr.. Hara glanced over the documents, before telling Kafka to get behind the desk and stand against a bare part of the wall. Kafka did as told and in the process caught a glimpse of Mr. Hara’s computer screen. What the fuck, this man wasn’t even working, he was playing some damn dating sim!

Kafka stood against the wall, and Mr.. Hara set up a camera and took a photo of Kafka without warning. He then went back to the computer and plugged in the camera. Kafka went to stand beside Soushiro, as Mr.. Hara fiddled with the computer for a moment. He quickly printed a card out and attached it to a lanyard, before giving it to Kafka.

“This has to stay on your person for the duration of your stay here. It is valid for 12 months, as requested by the Vice Captain. You will not be given a new badge should you lose this one. Any questions?” Mr. Hara said.

“Nope, I mean no, uh, sir.” Kafka just wanted to leave this damn room, and the gloomy Mr. Hara behind as soon as possible.

“Thank you so much Hara, I’ll see you around.” Soushiro said, before grabbing Kafka’s hand and dragging him from the room. Once they were out of Mr. Hara’s earshot, Kafka couldn’t help but say what he was thinking.

“What the hell was that guy’s deal? He looked like he was about to kneel over from a lack of vitamin D.”

Soushiro snorted at that.

“He’s worked here for close to three decades, I often wonder how he hasn’t been fired yet with his attitude. I guess he’s actually good at his job, despite first impressions. He’s a real character though, right? I have no idea what’s going on in that man’s head, I would honestly love to do a case study on him, but captain Ashiro told me to leave him alone.”

Soushiro had been dragging him down an empty corridor while he spoke. He stopped walking and spared a quick glance around, before turning his full attention towards Kafka.

“No one’s around, can I have my kiss now, please?”

Kafka laughed at that. “You don’t have to ask for kisses, Soushiro, c’mere.”

They met halfway in a soft kiss, Kafka’s arms wrapped around the younger man’s middle, and Soushiro ran his fingers through Kafka’s short hair. The rest of whatever tension that had lingered in Kafka’s body seemed to bleed out of him then, and all he could think was how happy he was to finally have Soushiro back in his arms. When they parted they stayed standing close, smiling softly as they gazed into each other's eyes. Kafka had half a mind to recognize how cheesy they probably looked, like a scene from one of his tv dramas. But being cheesy had honestly never felt so good, he thought.

“Ready for your personal tour?” Soushiro asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Kafka responded.

Chapter Text

11
Kafka was dragged around the Tachikawa base by an enthusiastic Soushiro. The base was huge, and Kafka was sure he would get lost if he was left to navigate on his own. Soushiro pointed out the areas they went through, the outside training field, the cafeteria, the med bay, the communal showers, complete with hot tubs and a sauna. They passed by plenty of people on their tour, and everyone greeted Soushiro by his title and a salute. Soushiro smiled and greeted them all, but so far no one had asked about Kafka’s identity. At most he had been sent curious looks, but it seemed that the officers were too shy to ask the vice captain about his mysterious guest.

Next on the tour was the gym, and Soushiro dragged Kafka into the locker room to change. Kafka had brought a bag with clothes to train in, as well as the basic essentials, he was told he could spend the night, so a change of clothes and a toothbrush was needed. The gym was huge, with machines and other equipment scattered about the space, and a few people working out on their own. Soushiro turned to Kafka and opened his mouth to speak, only to be abruptly interrupted.

“Vice Captain! Who’s your guest?”

A man with spiky brown hair jogged towards them, he was smiling curiously at them, and Kafka felt his nerves making themselves known. This was the first person to address his presence at Soushiros' side after all.

Soushiro smiled at the man and greeted him. “Ikaruga, this is my boyfriend I’ve been talking about. He’s here to train for the upcoming exam.”

Both Soushiro and Ikaruga’s eyes turned to Kafka, and the older man blushed as he stuttered out a greeting.

“H-hello, my name is Hibino Kafka. Nice to meet you!” Kafka bowed quickly and desperately hoped his face wasn’t too red.

Hearing Soushiro refer to him as his “boyfriend” had totally caught Kafka off guard. Sure, that’s what they were, but he hadn’t been introduced as such before today, and earlier with Mr. Hara, Kafka had been too nervous to really register the words. On top of that, Soushiro had sounded so proud while saying it, like Kafka was someone worth showing off.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Ikaruga Ryo. I’m one of the Platoon leaders here at the Third Division.” Ikaruga bowed, as he introduced himself with a friendly smile.

Their small gathering seemed to draw the attention of the others in the gym, and unlike the people Kafka had bumped into in the hallways, these people had no qualms about engaging in conversation with Soushiro.

A woman with a spiky ponytail quickly approached. She eyed Kafka up and down, practically undressing him with her eyes, as she wore a predatory smile. Kafka tried not to squirm too obviously under her intense gaze. Soushiro didn’t even look at him like that, well, at least not when they were in public, anyway.

“So this is the famous boyfriend. My, my, Vice Captain, he’s a real cutie, I must say.” She smiled and sent a cheeky wink in Soushiro’s direction, and then turned to introduce herself.

“My name is Nakanoshima Tae, also a platoon leader. Say, Hibino, do you have any cute siblings perhaps?”

Kafka tried to come up with a response, but another man came up behind Nakanoshima and whacked her on the back of her head before he could say anything. The man was bald with some vicious looking scars decorating his face, he wore a serious expression as he immediately started scolding her.

“You’re scaring him off idiot, besides who would want to date the likes of you anyway?”

“Ow, you bastard! The hell is that supposed to mean, Ebina?! You’re just bitter, cuz no one wants to kiss your ugly mug!” Nakanoshima spat in response.

“Here we go…” Ikaruga mumbled softly.

The two began squabbling like angry hens, throwing insults that would have a nun fainting in horror. Kafka just stood there, not knowing what to do, at least until Soushiro stepped up next to him and squeezed his hand.

“Order!” The vice captain snapped, and all three platoon leaders immediately snapped to attention. Even Kafka straightened his spine when hearing Soushiro’s commanding tone.

Holy shit, Kafka felt a pang of arousal that he desperately tried to push aside, but seeing Soushiro acting like a figure of authority did unspeakable things to Kafka’s already overactive libido. Maybe he could ask Soushiro to use that tone with him in private later?

Shit, Hibino, get it together, don’t get horny now!

“Everyone, please act civil in front of my guest. Kafka,"Soushiro turned to him with his typical smile as he spoke. “these are three of the platoon leaders here at the third division, and as you can see, the cause of much misery on my part.”

“Vice Captain, please don’t compare me to those two idiots.” Ikaruga pleaded.

“You’re right, I’m sorry, Ikaruga.” Soushiro said.

“You’re such an ass kisser, Ikaruga!” Ebina exclaimed with a sour face.

“Careful Ika, you don’t want to make the boyfriend jealous now.” Nakanoshima purred sweetly.

Kafka was completely overwhelmed by the absolute chaos that was unfolding in front of him. The third division was full of lunatics it seemed. He supposed in order to face the monsters that were kaijuu, one had to be perhaps a bit unhinged. No sane person would charge fearlessly towards danger after all.

“Alright, enough chit chat, Kafka is here to train after all. If you want to talk to him you can catch us later.” Soushiro waved his hand as if to shoo the platoon leaders away. They understood the dismissal for what it was, and saluted Soushiro before going back to their own workouts.

Kafka tried to suppress a relieved sigh - that encounter had certainly been overwhelming in its chaos. Soushiro grabbed Kafka’s hand and dragged him across the gym towards the bikes. As they walked, he turned his head to Kafka as he softly spoke.

“They didn’t scare you away, I hope? They just get so excited sometimes, I’m sorry if it was a bit much.”

Kafka was touched that Soushiro was checking in on him and his well-being, sure the platoon leaders were lively characters, but it was nothing Kafka couldn’t handle now that he knew what to expect.

“I’m ok, they seem nice, in a chaotic sort of way.”

Soushiro snorted at that. “Yeah they’re good, reliable people, but a lively bunch that’s for sure.”

“So far the third division has been full of interesting people, I’m sure there’s never a dull moment, you’re the Vice Captain after all.” Kafka teased.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Soushiro narrowed his eyes at him, and Kafka just smiled as he shrugged.

“Who knows. Anyway, training, Where do we start?”

Soushiro took him through the gym. They started with warmups, and then moved their way through every single machine available. Kafka had brought a notebook and was diligently taking notes on everything his boyfriend said. How many reps to take on each machine, and what part of the body this exercise focused on. Kafka, of course, had to use the machines as well, this was a hands on lesson after all. He was a sweating mess by the time they made it through the whole gym, they only had the weights left at this point. He felt good though, he used his body every day at work, but many of the machines available activated muscle groups that Kafka didn’t usually use. A buzzing feeling was spreading throughout his body, and while it was hard work it felt really nice.

They went to the weights and Soushiro showed Kafka different ways to use them, and which part of his body said exercise would engage. Kafka felt like a pile of jelly when they were finally done. They had spent the better part of two hours going through the gym, and Kafka’s notebook was overflowing with everything Soushiro had taught him. He was beyond happy though. Spending time with Soushiro always made him giddy, and on top of that his head was full of endorphins from the workout. Soushiro smiled at him, as Kafka plumped down on the floor in an exhausted heap. The younger man stood over him with a proud smile.

“You did great, Kafka. Honestly, I’m impressed at the level you are currently at, I’m sure you’ll improve fast.”

Kafka smiled tiredly at him. “You’re an amazing teacher. Thank you again for helping me out. I got a membership to my local fitness, so I’ll work out in my free time as much as possible!”

Soushiro crouched down and reached a hand out to caress Kafka’s sweaty cheek.

“I’m rooting for you.”

His eyes were filled with soft emotions that Kafka couldn’t place, and his cheeks heated underneath Soushiro’s palm. Had anyone ever looked at him like this before? He reached his own hand up to cradle Soushiro’s hand against his face, as he closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

“Let’s go shower, and then grab some food? You did good today, time to relax, I think.”

A shower and a meal sounded heavenly to Kafka’s worn out mind. Soushiro reached out a hand to help drag his tired body off the floor. They went to the locker room, and Kafka quickly stripped and went to the shower. The spray of hot water on his aching muscles felt like heaven, and he let out a deep groan as he relaxed under the spray. He startled slightly when calloused hands touched his shoulders. He opened his eyes, and saw Soushiro standing in front of him with a soft smile.

“Here, let me help.”

Soushiro had a bottle of shampoo with him, and he squeezed out the liquid in his hands, and then reached for the top of Kafka’s head. Kafka leaned down a bit, bending his head to give the other easier access. Soushiros' hands then gently massaged Kafka’s scalp.

Even though they were naked, the moment didn’t feel sexual. It was intimate in a different way. The soft touches, and the closeness of their bodies, felt so natural and right. No one else was in the locker room. The other people in the gym had left before Kafka and Soushiro were done training, and the two of them had the privilege of being in their own little world, undisturbed by others.

Kafka closed his eyes, as Soushiro helped wash the soap from his hair. When he lifted his head and opened his eyes, Soushiro was looking at him intently. Their eyes met, and Kafka reached out a wet hand and pulled Soushiro in for a soft kiss. It was just a simple press of lips, but warmth seemed to bloom from the soft contact, and spread all throughout Kafka’s body. They pulled apart, and Kafka made an effort to wash his body while Soushiro shampooed his own hair. They then exited the shower and dried off before getting dressed.

Soushiro linked their fingers together as they walked out of the locker room. Kafka had his bag slung over his shoulder, he was wearing sweatpants and a soft T-shirt, and he mentally high fived himself for having the foresight to bring comfortable clothes to change into.

Soushiro was back in the standard Defense Force uniform, but he had left the coat unzipped, and the black T-shirt he wore underneath clung to him like a second skin. Despite the fact that they had literally just been naked together, the tight shirt did something weird to Kafka’s insides. Was this perhaps the way some people felt when they saw women wearing lingerie? At any rate, Soushiro looked damn hot wearing that stupid shirt.

They walked to the cafeteria, and their moment alone was over. People were scattered about the tables, engaging in conversations and eating. The smell of food hit Kafka’s nose, and his stomach immediately growled loudly. Soushiro laughed at him, and told him to go sit down while he grabbed them some food. Kafka spotted the platoon leaders sitting together, and waving at him to come sit. Kafka smiled at Ikaruga, as he sat down beside him. Ebina and Nakanoshima were sitting at the opposite side of the table, and they happily greeted Kafka as he sat down. On the other side of Ikaruga sat a man Kafka hadn’t seen before. He had brown hair that was parted in the middle. His bangs framed his face nicely, Kafka thought. He waved at Kafka with a friendly smile, as he introduced himself.

“Hey, I’m Itakura, one of the platoon leaders. You must be Hibino, nice to meet you.”

Kafka smiled back. “Nice to meet you, Itakura.”

“Nice to see you still in one piece Hibino. The Vice Captain is ruthless in his training after all.” Ebina said.

Kafka sent him a confused look at that comment. He didn’t think Soushiro had been particularly mean today. He expressed as much to the other.

“It’s probably the boyfriend privilege. Vice Captain has been much nicer lately, hasn’t he? Maybe getting a boyfriend was what it took for him to finally mellow out a bit.” Ebina grumbled.

Kafka blushed at that, the other man was giving Kafka way too much credit he felt. Surely Soushiro hadn’t changed much because of him? Or maybe he had, after all Kafka’s mood had changed for the better after getting with Soushiro, so why wouldn’t that feeling be mutual?

Soushiro appeared at Kafka’s side at that moment. He sat down and placed a plate of steaming curry in front of Kafka, whose mouth immediately started watering at the delicious smell.

“Thank you for the food!” He exclaimed as he sent Soushiro a wide grin. Soushiro smiled back at him. “Let’s eat.”

Kafka tried to eat in an orderly manner, not wanting to look like a savage in front of the platoon leaders. Soushiro sent him a knowing look, however, he knew that the older man was struggling in an effort to make a good impression.

“So, how did you two lovebirds meet?” Nakanoshima asked them.

“Well, Kafka was the one who found my sword that I… lost.”

“You dropped it like some rookie! Don’t think we’ll ever forget that!” Ebina exclaimed. Soushiro gave him a dirty look, and the other platoon leaders snickered at the Vice Captain’s expression.

“Anyway, I asked for his number and we started talking. The rest is history I suppose.”

“How sweet.” Nakanoshima sighed dreamily.

“So Hibino, you’re going to try out for the third division?” Itakura asked.

“Yes! I made a promise to a friend once, and I intend to keep it.”

“That’s a strong motivation, let me know if you ever need help, or if the Vice Captain isn’t around. I don’t mind subbing in for him if he gets busy.” Itakura smiled.

“Oh, thank you so much, you don’t have to.” Kafka felt overwhelmed, they had only just met, and the guy was already offering to help Kafka with training.

“Of course I don’t have to, but I want to. Besides you’re the Vice Captain’s boyfriend, so you’re basically a member of the squad by default right?”

The other platoon leaders loudly agreed to that, and Kafka blushed furiously at their enthusiasm. Soushiro was right when he said that they were good people, and Kafka felt excited to get to know them all better.

The conversation took off after that. Nakanoshima and Ebina were loudly debating which one of them was a better shot on one side of the table, meanwhile Itakura was asking Kafka about kaijuu disposal with genuine interest on his face. Ikaruga and Soushiro were talking about some drills the division would go through in the coming days. The atmosphere was nice, and Kafka felt relaxed in these people’s company.

Soushiro had a hand on Kafka’s thigh under the table, and Kafka tried to be casual about it, he wasn’t used to PDA at all, but at least this was more subtle. Itakura’s eyes did stray to the hand on Kafka’s thigh, but he didn’t say anything about it. Kafka finished eating and Soushiro announced that they would be leaving then. They got up, and Kafka bid his farewell to them all.

“Vice Captain, Don’t keep the poor guy up all night now.” Nakanoshima loudly teased, as she sent Kafka a wink.

Kafka felt his cheeks heat and Soushiro turned to her with a smile.

“Careful Nakanoshima, or you might end up on sanitation duty next month.”

Ebina smacked her on the back, and forced her head down in a bow as he scolded her, and told her to think before she spoke. She didn’t take kindly to his scolding, and a battle of insults began between the two. Kafka couldn’t help but laugh at their antics. These people were great fun to be around, and clearly they liked teasing just as much as their dear Vice Captain.

They were walking to the exit of the cafeteria, when a new person entered. Kafka’s eyes immediately went wide as saucers, as he froze in the spot. Mina stopped walking as she saw him, and time seemed to stop, as the two of them just stared at each other. Kafka felt like he was travelling through time, the image of a woman in front of him seemed to bleed together with his memories of a girl. Mina opened her mouth, as if to speak, but Kafka beat her to it.

“Mina, It’s really you!” He pulled her into a tight hug, he just couldn’t help himself, he had missed her so much. Had he been more aware of his surroundings, he would have noticed every single person in the cafeteria drop their jaws on the floor. At this moment however, Kafka could only focus on his childhood friend. He pulled back and met her eyes, and to everyone in the Third division’s utter bafflement, instead of scolding him, the Captain smiled. It was a soft, barely there curve of her lip, but to those that knew her, it was clear that Kafka wasn’t the only one bursting with happiness over their encounter.

“Kafka, you look well.” She said in a soft voice.

“You too. Congratulations on becoming Captain! Man, you’re so amazing, seriously.” Kafka exclaimed.

Her smile seemed to widen, and her eyes were soft as she looked at him.

“The Vice Captain said you will be training for the exam. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” She said.

Kafka grinned widely at her.

“Just seeing you has me pumped up. I’ll catch up to you soon, I promise!”

Mina laughed, and if the people in the room had been in shock before, they were positively losing their minds now.

“I’ll be waiting for you.” She promised. She then turned to Soushiro to speak. “Hoshina, take good care of him, please.”

“Of course Captain, he means a lot to me.”

Kafka looked at Soushiro with wonder in his eyes. Hearing his boyfriend speak so lovingly about him had him overwhelmed with feelings of affection.

Mina addressed Kafka again. “Kafka, I’ll see you around. Please enjoy your stay here at our base.”

“Thank you.” He said, as he pulled her into another hug, this time she softly wrapped her arms around his back to reciprocate. They separated, and Soushiro sent her a salute before they turned around to leave the room.

Kafka and Soushiro walked down the corridors together. Soushiro had said that they were going to his room - apparently being Vice Captain came with certain perks, such as a private room.

Kafka was overwhelmed by the events of the day, the initial anxiety he had felt when he arrived having evaporated long ago. The Third Division were kind to him, and fun to be around, and seeing Mina after so long had been like the cherry on top of an already amazing day. He looked at Soushiro, who was walking beside him. Kafka thought about how incredibly lucky he had been to meet the younger man, how none of this would have happened, had it not been for that fateful day he found the sword. Soushiro turned to look at him with curious eyes.

“What are you thinking about? You got so quiet all of a sudden.”

“I’m just so happy I met you.” Kafka said truthfully. Soushiro turned away in an effort to hide his blush, and Kafka felt smug that he managed to make the other flustered yet again.

“I’m glad I met you too, Kafka.”

They arrived at a door and Soushiro tapped a code on a small screen, before the door beeped to announce it was unlocked. The room they entered was sparse but homely somehow. Small knick knacks decorated the few selves, and the bed was a mess of blankets. The far wall had a floor to ceiling window that framed the cityscape in the distance. The place smelled like Soushiro, and Kafka looked around curiously. There was a desk and some selves that were swimming in paperwork, and Kafka couldn’t help but snort at the sight. Poor Soushiro, he thought.

“It’s not much, but this is where I live for the most part. I do technically have a room in my family’s estate as well, but I prefer this place much more.” Soushiro turned to Kafka and lifted his arms as if to say “tada” as he gestured to the room.

“It’s nice, it looks lived in and cosy I think.”

“There’s a bathroom out there.” Soushiro gestured to a door on the left. “And there’s a kitchen area as well.”

There was indeed a tiny stove and fridge against one of the walls, not unlike Kafka’s own kitchen.

Kafka turned to Soushiro and wrapped his arms around the shorter man's shoulders. He buried his face against Soushiro’s hair, as he let out a happy sigh.

“Thank you for having me.” He mumbled against the soft hair. Soushiro turned his head and pulled Kafka down to capture his lips.

The kiss started out slow and lazy. Soushiro nipped at Kafka’s lips with his teeth, and the first prickle of arousal made itself known low in Kafka’s belly. The kiss picked up and turned more heated. Kafka dropped his bag on the floor with a thump, and Soushiro’s hands started exploring the hem of his T-shirt, before slipping underneath to caress the soft skin. Kafka pulled back to catch his breath, and the younger man made an unhappy sound as he chased Kafka’s lips.

“Soushiro, I was thinking…” Kafka felt his cheeks flush, was he really about to say this? Soushiro sent him an inquisitive look, as he waited for the other to continue speaking. “Well, I just thought it was really hot when you used your ‘Vice captain voice’ if that makes sense…” Kafkas eyes stayed planted firmly on Soushiro’s chest, he felt too flustered to look the other in the eyes.

“Oh? Do you want me to boss you around, is that it?” Soushiro was grinning up at him, as he caught Kafka’s chin with his hand, and urged him to look up. Kafka felt his dick making its presence known at the thought of Soushiro doing just that, taking control and telling Kafka what to do.

“Yeah, I’d really like that, if you’re into it too of course?” He asked, unsure.

Soushiro looked at him with hungry eyes. “Say stop if there’s anything you don’t like, alright?”

Kafka nodded, but Soushiro caught his face in a firm grip that squeezed his cheeks.

“Use your words.” He said firmly.

“Y-yes.” Kafka gasped.

Soushiro smiled wickedly. “Good. Now take your clothes off and get on your knees.”

Kafka hurried to obey the command, almost tripping and falling on his face in his haste to get his pants off. Soushiro grabbed him by the shoulders to stabilise him, and they shared a quick laugh before Kafka fell to his knees in front of the other man. Soushiro gently caressed Kafka’s face, as he simply gazed down on him.

Soushiro’s thumb prodded insistently at Kafka’s lips, and the older man opened his mouth so Soushiro could explore further. The finger ran over Kafka’s teeth and gums, and settled on his tongue, using his grip to pry Kafka’s mouth wide open. Drool started running down the corner of his mouth, and around Soushiro’s fingers. Soushiro’s free hand travelled to his zipper, and pulled his hard dick out of his pants.

“Keep your mouth open baby, just like that.” Soushiro said sweetly as he guided his dick to Kafka’s lips.

Kafka wrapped his lips around the head, and made an effort to keep his jaw loose, as the man above him pushed further into his mouth. Soushiro tasted like clean skin, and drool ran down Kafka’s chin, as the younger man paused and just stood there with his cock in Kafka’s mouth. Kafka let out a soft whimper as he squirmed slightly.

“Keep still.” Soushiro ordered, in that firm tone once more, and Kafka’s breath hitched, as he obeyed the command and froze. Soushiro’s hands grabbed the sides of Kafka’s face, as he started moving slowly, careful not to push Kafka too far.

One thing Kafka had always been proud of, was the fact that he knew how to suck dick. His gag reflex was basically non-existent, and despite Soushiro’s commands to stay still, Kafka decided to show off these skills by pushing forward as burying his face against Soushiro’s pelvis as he took his entire cock down his throat.

“FUCK!” Soushiro spat, and his hands tightened their grip on Kafka’s face to keep him still once more.

“You bastard, I told you to keep still. Do you want me to fuck your throat, is that it?”

Kafka couldn’t exactly respond with a mouth full of cock, but he moaned pathetically around the girth in his mouth, and Soushiro took that for the enthusiastic yes that it was. Knowing that Kafka could take it meant that Soushiro made no effort to hold back, setting a hard pace as he forced his cock down Kafka’s throat over and over. Once in a while he would pull out enough so that Kafka could take a stuttering breath, before plunging back in. Kafkas own cock was dripping precum and achingly hard, to the point of it throbbing between his legs. Soushiros pupils were blown wide, and his breath was coming out in heavy pants, as he moved his hips.

“So good baby, taking me so well, ah.”

Kafka let out a garbled sound as Soushiro hit the back of his throat once more. He brought his hand to his own aching dick, but Soushiro stopped him with a sharp command.

“Don’t touch yourself.”

Kafka whimpered in protest, but obeyed nonetheless. Soushiro pulled his cock from Kafka’s mouth, and then pulled the older man up from the floor and pushed him towards the bed firmly. Kafka flopped down onto the soft mattress with a huff, and wiped the drool from his face as he looked at Soushiro.

The younger man stripped off his clothes, and quickly joined him on the bed. He laid beside Kafka, and guided the other to climb over him and straddle his lap. Their lips met in a flurry of desperate, horny kisses, and their cocks rubbed together between them. Soushiro’s hand came down on Kafka’s ass with a hard smack, and he let out a startled moan at the sting.

“Ok?” Soushiro asked between their lips, and Kafka gasped an enthusiastic yes before pushing against him once more. Soushiro smacked Kafka’s ass three more times, harder and harder with every blow, and Kafka was gasping desperately against the others lips.

“I want you to ride me.” Soushiro said breathlessly.

“F-fuck, yes.” Kafka agreed. Soushiro reached out beside the bed, and opened the bedside drawer, fumbling around, before pulling a bottle of lube and a condom. Kafka looked down on Soushiro and grabbed his hand.

“I’m clean. I got checked after my last hookup.” Kafka said.

Soushiro looked at him with a smile. “You want me to fuck you raw? I’m clean too. We get regular checkups in the force.”

Kafka pulled Soushiro into a messy kiss.“I want you to cum in me.” He admitted against the others' lips. He felt kind of embarrassed saying it out loud, but the thought of it had haunted him ever since their first time together.

Soushiro moaned at Kafka’s shameless words. “Fuck, yes, turn around Kafka.”

He did as told, and got on his knees as he spread his legs slightly. A wet finger prodded at his ass, and slipped in, moving around slowly as Kafka took a deep breath. One became two, and Kafka squirmed as Soushiro started scissoring his fingers. He found Kafka’s prostate and rubbed it firmly, making Kafka moan breathlessly, only to pull away much too fast.

Soushiro pulled out his fingers, and coated his dick in lube as he guided Kafka’s hips back, so he was sitting in his lap with his back to the other. Kafka felt Soushiro’s cock pressing against him, and he pushed his hips back and slowly lowered down, until the younger man was buried to the hilt inside him. They both let out breathy sounds as their hips met, and Kafka took a moment to adjust to the intrusion.

A hand smacked Kafka’s ass hard, and Kafka let out a moan as he started moving his hips in lazy circles.

“Go on, ride me.” Soushiro said firmly, and what could Kafka do but obey?

He pulled up and pushed back down, finding a rhythm that was slow at first, but soon became faster. Soushiro had his hands on Kafka’s hips, helping to guide him up and down as he bounced in his lap. Kafka was biting his lip, trying to stifle his moans. Apparently Soushiro didn’t like that, because on the next downward thrust he pulled Kafka down hard, so their hips met with a loud smack, and an even louder moan was punched from Kafka’s lips.

“Don’t hold back baby, no one can hear you but me.”

Right, they weren’t in Kafka’s shitty apartment this time, so Kafka stopped trying to be quiet and let his moans fall freely. He was being loud, but it felt so freeing to just let his pleasure fall from his lips, and Soushiro was moaning in response beneath him, clearly turned on by the sounds Kafka was making. Kafkas thighs were starting to ache, and his rhythm faltered in response.

“Soushiro, mmh, please, help me, I c-can’t.” He whined, frustrated at losing the perfect rhythm he had.

Soushiro’s response was to push him forward, so his face pushed against the bed and his ass was in the air. Soushiro got on his knees behind him, and pushed in once more, and Kafka moaned happily as this angle let his boyfriend fuck him even deeper. He felt like he could feel Soushiro all the way up in his throat, their hips smacking loudly every time they met, as Soushiro set a brutal pace.

Kafka was sobbing into the bed, his orgasm was approaching fast, and he hadn’t even touched his dick yet. Soushiro grabbed Kafka’s arms and pulled his upper body up, keeping a hard grip on him, and using the leverage he now had, to pull Kafka back on his cock with more force than before. The angle had Soushiro hitting his sweet spot dead on, and Kafka was seeing stars at the rough treatment, he was practically screaming at this point with how loud he was being. His orgasm took him by surprise, washing over him suddenly, like a dizzying wave of ecstasy. His muscles spasmed, as he sobbed brokenly.

“Don't stop, don't stop, dontstopdontstop! FUCK!”

He was begging Soushiro to keep going. Kafka wanted to be fucked through his overstimulation, wanted Soushiro to take his pleasure and use his body as he saw fit. He wanted Soushiro to cum in him, and just wreck him completely.

Soushiro pushed him down into the bed, as he kept fucking him, seeking his own release as he moaned sweet praise against Kafka’s neck. “So good baby, fuck, you’re fucking perfect, made for me,nngh!”

Kafka was crying out breathlessly, as he was pushed way beyond his usual limit, and somehow he was still desperate for more. He reached a shaky hand behind him, and buried it in Soushiro’s hair, pulling desperately at the younger man, and turning his head to seek his lips. They met in a messy kiss, and Soushiro’s hips pushed in one final time, and grinded against Kafka’s ass, as he came deep inside with a wrecked moan. Kafka moaned as he felt the warmth of Soushiro’s cum inside him.

They collapsed in a sweaty heap, Soushiro covering Kafka’s back with his body. He was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath, meanwhile Kafka was a brainless mush of a human beneath him. Kafka let out an intelligent sounding “Guh” And Soushiro laughed breathlessly, as he pushed himself up with a groan.

The post-sex-wet-cloth made its appearance once again. Soushiro helped Kafka turn to his back, and wiped at his skin gently while peppering kisses all over his face and neck. Kafka made a happy sound at the back of his throat, and whined when Soushiro pulled back and got off the bed once more. The younger man went to turn the lights off, and Kafka moved over and padded the space in front of him insistently.

“Aw, babe, do I get to be the little spoon?” Soushiro asked with a laugh.

“Of course, everyone knows that's the best position. Now c’mere!”

Soushiro happily settled into Kafka’s arms, with his back pushed against Kafka’s front. Kafka wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, and kissed at the back of his neck as he mumbled a soft “G’night” against his skin.

Soushiro tangled his fingers with Kafka’s hand that was resting against his stomach, and let out a happy sigh as he completely relaxed into the bed.

“Goodnight, my Kafka.” He mumbled softly.

And with that, they both passed out.

Chapter Text

Kafka fell into his new routine with ease. He would show up at Tachikawa base several times a week to train. Soushiro had shown him the basics on his first visit, and whenever he wasn’t at the base he diligently kept up with his training at the local fitness. He felt energised and overall his mental health seemed to be in a better state as he worked out very day. A week after their first session, Soushiro started teaching Kafka about weapons and close quarter combat. They went to the shooting range and practiced with guns and after that, they would spar together one on one. Kafka fumbled a bit with the guns at first, not hitting a single target. Soushiro would step in then, however, to adjust his hold of the weapon and guide him through how to aim.

“Deep breath.” Soushiro mumbled in his ear as he gently adjusted the angle Kafka held the gun. “Relax your shoulder, steady you aim. You’ve got this, Kafka.” Kafka tried to follow Soushiro's instructions as best as he could, but hearing his boyfriends smooth voice breathe against his ear like that sent shivers down his spine and overall distracted him from the task at hand. Soushiro must have known he was distracting Kafka as he stepped away with a cheeky smirk on his face and gestured for Kafka to focus on the target in front of him. Kafka took a breath and pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit the target but only just, and Kafka let out an ecstatic hoot as he turned to his boyfriend with an excited grin on his face.

“I hit it! Soushiro, did you see? I finally hit that son of a bitch!”

“Well done, Kafka.” Soushiro laughed, “now you just need to keep hitting it.”

Kafka held up his palms silently asking for a double high five to celebrate his success and Soushiro happily complied. The sparring consisted mostly of Soushiro slamming Kafka to the ground over and over, while Kafka tried to think the most unsexy thoughts he could come up with, so as to not pop an inappropriate boner. It was just so damn hot how Soushiro threw him around with little to no effort. He may have been younger than Kafka, but he was seriously fit, and Kafka couldn’t help but imagine how Soushiro might throw him around in the bedroom. Perhaps he would throw him on the bed, hold Kafka down by the back of his neck as he had his way with him. Maybe he would force Kafka to the ground as he pulled his zipper down, maybe he would…

Soushiro threw Kafka to the ground once more and Kafka lost his train of thought as he slammed against the training mat with a huff. Soushiro would always offer him a hand as he smiled down at him with a knowing look. The damn bastard knew just how flustered Kafka was during their sparring sessions and seemed to go out of his way to get a rise out of the older man.

Kafka was thriving, happier than he’d ever been and feeling confidence in a way he’d never felt before. It was hard, of course, between work and what little time he and Soushiro had alone. All of his focus was on training and bettering himself. He still wore nicotine patches — kicking an addiction was damn hard but he hadn’t smoked since that day on the balcony when his last pack ran out.

Soushiro was an amazing support in all of this, not just in quitting cigarettes but in everything Kafka was trying to achieve. The younger man was a tough teacher, but the rewards as the student were always worth it. Sweet kisses and even sweeter words of praise, soft intimate touches on Kafka's aching body, but perhaps best of all were the smiles. Pure and joyful and proud whenever Kafka reached a new milestone. It left him squirming inside and out having such looks directed at him. After a life of little recognition, Soushiro gave it to him so freely and so naturally, it was even more addicting than nicotine and more intoxicating than the beers he used to reward himself with after long days of work. Kafka couldn’t help but wonder what he did to deserve this man, but he would not give it up for anything in the world.

Soushiro was however a busy man, and he would not always be available to help Kafka with his training. When they talked of this however, Soushiro laughed as he recalled how practically every platoon leader had jumped at the opportunity to help Kafka out whenever the vice captain was otherwise occupied.

“Don’t worry, Kafka, they’ll take good care of you!” He’d said, and while Kafka was a bit hesitant seeing as he’d only met some of the platoon leaders that one time, he trusted his boyfriend wholeheartedly. The next time he showed up at Tachikawa base, Ikaruga was waiting for him at the entrance with a bright smile.

“Hibino! Long time no see. I’ll be standing in for the vice captain today.”

Kafka felt immense relief that Ikaruga would be the one to help him out — the other platoon leaders had seemed nice, but Ikaruga stood out as being perhaps the most mature of the bunch. Or at least slightly more calm and levelheaded.

“I look forward to training with you, sir!” Kafka responded, and Ikaruga laughed.

“Please, none of that. Call me Ika, all my friends do. Anyway, we’ll be working on stamina today, the outside training field is free so some endurance running would be perfect.”

Kafka followed Ikaruga outside as the other explained how he would be timing Kafka while he ran. It started out fine with Kafka running 100 meter dashes, while Ikaruga yelled encouragements, but it quickly got out of hand as others showed up to watch the Vice Captain’s infamous boyfriend train. Soon other platoon leaders, including Ebina with the scars, and the woman Nakanoshima, joined and they certainly didn’t hold back on their advice to better Kafka's performance.

“FOCUS ON BREATHING, HIBINO, GO BEYOND YOUR LIMITS!”

“LEG WORK HIBINO, MORE LEG WORK!”

Kafka had no idea what they were talking about and he was sweating bullets and heaving for breath at this point, so even if he could make sense of their advice he didn’t exactly have the brain capacity at the moment to apply any of it. He stumbled and fell flat on his face as he reached the finish line one last time, laying on the ground and gasping for breath as Ikaruga knelt down next to him and patted him on his sweaty back.

“Fantastic job, Hibino, 1.5 seconds faster than when we started out, that's excellent!”

The statement was followed by cheers from the stray onlookers as Ikaruga helped Kafka get back on trembling legs. Looking up, Kafka saw Soushiro among the meagre crowd, wearing his signature smile as he approached.

“Thank you, Ikaruga. I’ll take him from here.” He said as he gently grabbed Kafka's arm and slung it over his shoulder to support him.

A whistle and a hoot from Nakanoshima followed them as Soushiro dragged his exhausted boyfriend back into base for a bit of privacy.

“Doing okay, babe?” He asked with a cheeky grin as Kafka slowly got his breath back.

“Your platoon leaders are monsters. Either that or masochists,” Kafka moaned, his knees still trembling slightly but at least he’d gotten his breath back at this point. Soushiro laughed as he unlocked the doors to his room.

“I’m sure you’ll survive, you did well today so let’s relax for a bit before dinner, hm?”

Relaxing ended up meaning showering together in Soushiro’s private bathroom which then ended up with Kafka pressed agains the tiles as the shorter man fucked his last brain cells into oblivion. All in all Kafka wasn’t going to complain, especially not when his darling boyfriend brought him food later while Kafka snoozed on the bed.

The platoon leaders weren’t the only ones getting involved, as one day when Kafka showed up, Mina was the one waiting for him. He was ecstatic at seeing her and even more so when she said they would be training together that day. She ended up guiding him through a series of more and more demanding yoga poses that seemed to stretch and work every single part of his body, perhaps even parts he didn’t know could be engaged before then. Halfway through this session, Soushiro showed up and joined them, and Kafka's mind went straight to the gutter at seeing his boyfriend face down, perfect ass in the air, touching his toes like it was no big deal while Kafka struggled to even do the most basic poses.

— Though it seemed Kafka wasn’t the only one affected as the minute they were done Soushiro made some half assed excuse as to some pressing matter they had to discuss before dragging Kafka to his room with an air of urgency Kafka hadn’t yet experienced from the other man. Neither of the men noticed the knowing smile Mina had on her face as she called her goodbyes to their retreating backs. Once back at Soushiro's quarters, the undressing was hurried and frantic and Soushiro kissed every available inch of skin as he pressed Kafka to the bed and prepared him.

“Don’t ever let anyone see you like that, Kafka. Only me please, say it, only me right?”

Soushiro made this statement while rubbing Kafka's sweet spot and he squirmed and cried out trying to gather his thoughts to answer.

“You’re mine Kafka, isn’t that right baby? Fuck please say it.”

“Yours, fuck Soushiro hurry, please I’m yours I promise, always, mmh…”

Soushiro was seemingly pleased with the response and gave Kafka exactly what he wanted as he fucked him so perfectly and utterly Kafka ended up passing out as he came. When he regained consciousness it was to soft touches and kisses up and down his neck. Kafka let out a happy groan as Soushiro moved back to look him in the eyes.

“Doing okay?” He asked as he gently ran his hands through kafkas messy hair. Kafka let out a content sigh as he answered.

“Perfect.”

“Didn’t mean to lose it like that… seeing you doing all those poses just drove me nuts.” Soushiro looked a bit sheepish as he explained, and Kafka couldn’t help but drag him in for a soft kiss to shut him up.

“As I said, perfect.” He mumbled against Soushiro's lips. The kisses dragged out for a while, sweet and slow like molasses, until they both succumbed to sleep in each others arms.

So overall: Kafka was happy, sure his time at the base was a bit sporadic, and there was still no way to calculate when a Kaijuu would attack and so, at times, both he and Soushiro got caught up with work. The third division had recently taken out another threat, this time a horde of smaller Kaijuu that had swarmed an area of the city, and once again, Kafka found himself on cleaning duty after.

The weather had cooled down significantly since the summer heat, and with all the exercise Kafka was getting, Kaijuu disposal seemed to be much easier than ever before. They were mostly done with cleaning and Kafka was doing his cursory sweep of the outskirts of the affected area, when a commotion from his colleagues in the distance caught his attention. They were all huddled together at the taped border, and Kafka went to see what all the commotion was about — only to be met by the sight of Soushiro standing there with a packed bento in his hand and a shit eating grin on his face.

“Vice Captain! To what do we owe the honour?” Kafkas boss asked as he pushed through the other guys, who all seemed rather bewildered by his presence.

“Oh nothing, I’m just here to pick up my boyfriend, please don’t mind me, I don’t want to disturb your hard work.”

This is when Soushiro caught sight of Kafka, and he then proceeded to walk straight towards him completely ignoring the confused stammering of Kafka’s boss.

“Hey handsome, I brought dinner,” Soushiro said as he got up on his toes to place a sweet kiss on Kafka's cheek. The area was doused in complete silence for exactly two seconds before Kafka's colleagues proceeded to burst out with a mixture of catcalls, praises, and other nonsensical shouting of support, most of which Kafka didn’t register as Soushiro dragged him away from the ruckus.

“You have got the be the biggest instigator of drama I’ve ever known.” Kafka groaned as his cheeks felt like they were on fire even as the hollers of his colleagues got further away.

“Who doesn’t love a dramatic entry? I know you do with the TV dramas you love so much, I just decided to bring the flare to you in real life. What's wrong with that, babe?” Soushiro gave him a cheeky wink as he held out the bento for Kafka to take. Honestly, even though Shoushiro loved making Kafka flustered and clearly loved teasing him, he was also being incredibly thoughtful while doing it, so Kafka couldn’t find it in himself to be mad.

The food was heavenly after a long day, and sitting there on the curb with the man he loved and chatting about everything and nothing at all, filled Kafka with a sense of calm and belonging that he’d never felt before. It was perfect. Also, he’d been getting shit from his colleagues about the elusive identity of his mystery boyfriend, but he supposed that wouldn’t be a problem anymore at least, though the teasing would certainly never stop no matter what.

He and Soushiro also had moments of emotional intimacy, a new development that Kafka felt to be a big milestone in their relationship. Soushiro opened up about his childhood one night, about his father’s dissatisfaction with him and the feeling of inferiority he held towards his older brother.

“I was a failure from the start, at least in their eyes. But I couldn’t quit, I had to prove them wrong no matter the cost. Maybe it wasn’t even about them, it was about my own perception. I wanted to succeed so badly it was all that kept me going. To prove to myself that I could be someone, that I could do good…” Soushiro trailed off as he looked to the dark ceiling. The room was quiet around them, the stillness of night and the softness of their breathing the only sounds accompanying his quiet confessions.

“And you did.” Kafka said softly as he laced his fingers with the other man, squeezing his hand tightly as he spoke.

“Perhaps, though it wasn’t until Mina offered me a place in her division that I truly felt seen, felt like my efforts had paid off somehow.”

Kafka smiled at that, “Mina has that effect, doesn’t she? She’s always been perceptive ever since we were kids… but Soushiro, please don’t discredit yourself or the sacrifices you’ve made. You must know how much your division respects and trusts you, they would go to the ends of the earth for you, don’t you see?” Kafka's voice was soft in the still night, and Soushiro shifted to lay on his side and look at him as he spoke.

“And you? Would you have me drag you to the end of this world?”

Soushiro wore a smile as he spoke but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. No, his eyes betrayed an uncertainty that Kafka knew too well within himself. Am I worth enough? Do I deserve what I have been given? Will it be enough? All these questions seemed to reflect in Soushiro's eyes at that moment, and Kafka leaned in and rested his forehead against his boyfriend’s, eyes fluttering shut as he answered.

“Soushiro, you wouldn’t have to drag me anywhere. I would willingly go wherever you go, to the ends of existence if it meant staying by your side.”

Soushiro didn’t answer verbally but his breath hitched as he dragged Kafka into a crushing embrace, shoulders trembling as Kafka softly drew patterns on his naked back. After a while they separated, and Soushiro let out a slightly wet laugh.

“Whatever did I do to deserve you, Kafka.”

It wasn’t a question, not really, and all Kafka could do was pull close as he placed soft kisses across his nose and cheeks.

“I’m the lucky one in this relationship, so I really don’t know what you’re on about,” Kafka teased.

“Shut up,” Soushiro said, before kissing Kafka with a soft yet palpable desperation. No more words were spoken that night, but Kafka felt their souls had grown closer as a result of those late night feelings whispered in the dark.

To have someone to lean on emotionally, to be seen, to be loved. It was what they had and Kafka had never known happiness quite like it. Soushiro wasn’t some perfect unreachable god. He was a man just like Kafka with his own worries and insecurities, and to have the privilege of being shown these soft vulnerable sides to him meant more to Kafka than any other part of their relationship so far. The fact that Soushiro trusted him to this degree, trusted Kafka to listen, to hold him when he felt doubt or sadness, to be his support just as he had been it for Kafka, felt exhilarating and important beyond the sex, the teasing, anything really. This was the real Soushiro beneath the layers of everything else, and he showed this willingly to Kafka. He trusted Kafka with his innermost self, and Kafka fell even more in love because of it. Now, if only Kafka could gather up the courage to actually say it out loud. Three small words, “I love you”, yet the weight of them always seemed to clog up his throat whenever they danced at the tip of his tongue. But gods above he loved Soushiro, completely and utterly, and there was simply no denying it.