Work Text:
Like any other night, Kafka was spending it tirelessly researching kaiju. Desk-bound, and hyper focused, Kafka tirelessly scanned the information and reports displayed on his laptop screen.
He searched through JAKDF kaiju databases and reports, and sporadically scribbled notes on his memo pad. Kafka's notes were a medley of annotations, misspelled words and have-started thoughts. It was incomprehensible to anyone but him.
His coffee cup was empty, and it was hard to tell how long it had been like that. Being so focused, Kafka would mindlessly reach for it, attempting to sip only to realize it was completely drained. Given that he has attempted to drink repeatedly with complete disregard for all his previous attempts, it's easy to deduce it's been awhile since he's been caffeinated.
Being glued to a desk and computer was a regular evening activity for him. However, tonight, it was a little different: He wasn't alone.
Sitting directly opposite of Kafka, Hoshina laid in his bunk, quietly working on his own. He tapped away on his laptop with a furrowed brow.
Administratively speaking, Hoshina was drowning. Having procrastinated from paperwork for the past two days, he is paying for it dearly now. As one report is completed and submitted, it seemed two more would appear in its place.
Between the two of them, the sound of key clicking and pen tapping filled the air. It had been like this for the past few hours.
The bright screen reflected off Hoshina's glasses. He chewed on the drawstring of his JAKDF hoodie, concentrating so intently. Both ends of the drawstrings have fallen victim of vigorous chomping as a result of hyper-focus.
The hoodie was at least two sizes too big for him. HIBINO was embroidered on the sleeve.
****
Kafka yawned and paused his scribbling. He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms up over his head. The chair creaked and crooned under his weight. With a grunt, he stood and headed to the door.
"I gotta take a leak... And maybe get another coffee," he announced mid-yawn, reaching for the door knob.
"Ok," Hoshina said, not looking up from his computer, "Oh, one for me too?"
"A piss, or the coffee?"
"The coffee," he pauses, "Well, if you can piss for me too, that would rock, actually."
Kafka chuckled, "Alright, I'll see what I can do."
****
Hoshina yawned. He shifted slightly, feeling quite stiff and uncomfortable. With his focus broken, Hoshina closed his laptop and tossed it to the side. He bolted upright, feeling every part of him tense and hurt after having staying in one position for so long. Hoshina slide his glasses up onto the top of his head, pushing his bangs back. Pulling his phone out of the hoodie pocket with one hand, he rubbed his eyes with the other.
Lock screen: 20:10
"Really? It seems so much later," Hoshina sighed.
He began to mindlessly scroll through news sites for any new kaiju articles. Moments later, the door opened and Kafka re-emerged. Holding two cans in one hand, he closed the door quietly with the other.
"Get your stuff done?" Kafka asked, passing a coffee to Hoshina before slouching back into his desk chair.
"Most of it. Enough to call it quits for the night, anyway."
Hoshina's voice was low, and fatigued. Still reading an article on his phone, he popped the can tab, letting the air escape before taking a sip, and added "You? What do you have on the go?"
Kafka's intent to respond was curbed by taking notice of the current state of Hoshina. The pushed back bangs via glasses, the gigantic sweater and the mindless sipping and phone scrolling. It struck a strange cord with Kafka; it filled him with such delight.
"I uh.." Kafka couldn't stop watching him. Hoshina was unaware.
Having the privilege to see Hoshina such a comfortable state was something Kafka didn't like to take for granted. He did feel a little bad for not noticing earlier, though. Registering the lack of response, Hoshina looks up and notices him staring, "what?"
With a blush on his cheeks, Kafka grinned, "You're so cute in that hoodie, where'd you get it?"
"Stole it," Hoshina cracked a smile after hearing Kafka laugh.
Sipping more, he asked, "So mister–– what're you workin' on? What're you doing over there with that face, and that butt?"
"Hm? Oh," Kafka turned back to his screen, "That honju from a couple weeks ago, the uh––"
"The one with the acidic blood?" Hoshina asked.
"Yeah, actually – Know anything-––"
Suddenly, Hoshina's hands slapped and gripped Kafka's shoulders. He jumped at the initial shock, assuming a headlock would follow. Hoshina rested his chin on top of Kafka's head, gingerly wrapping his arms around his neck. He leaned forward, making his chest flush against Kafka's back. Kafka smiled, nuzzling his stubbly cheek into Hoshina's arms.
"Ugh," Hoshina scanned the screen, "Yeah, I remember that. What a mess..."
He felt the affectionate scratch of Kafka's stubble. He nuzzled his chin into the centre of Kafka's head in response.
"Damn, I was in the splash zone for one of them," he sighed, "It ate through my suit."
"Yeah, I know," Kafka laughed.
With a click and drag, he pulled a selection of photos up onto the screen. He sifted through a series of photos of officers with varying states of decayed suits as a result of the acidic blood spray. He stopped at a very particular photo of Hoshina, who happened to be smiling at the camera where about 75% of his suit was destroyed.
****
Hoshina laughed, "you know, if you want half-naked pics of me, you can just ask."
"Why?" Kafka looks up and smirked, "There's so many of you already... For some reason."
Kafka was genuinely curious. He has come across a surprisingly large amount of photos of Hoshina in various states during his research. "I mean, I'm not complaining, I'm just saying there's a weird number of photos specifically of you."
He hummed and smiled, "I'm photogenic, I guess."
Kafka sighed, and opened his coffee (which he definitely forgot about since getting distracted by Hoshina). He took a sip.
"Anyway, having these photos doesn't seem weird for me to have. I mean, what would people say about me if I was caught with sexy pictures of my Vice-Captain?"
There was a brief silence. Expecting some sort of smart ass remark, he choked a bit on his coffee when Hoshina coyly whispered directly in his ear:
"You're a lucky guy, I guess."