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The first thing Hoshina notices when he wakes up is that his entire body hurts like a truck had rammed into him. A kaiju-sized truck. And while waking up in pain in the infirmary is undesirable, it’s something he can’t avoid in his dangerous line of work.
The next thing he notices is that he is not alone.
Captain Narumi Gen is lying on the bed next to his, covered in bandages but breathing steadily without the aid of a machine. A drip is attached to his left arm just like the one in Hoshina’s hand.
As if sensing Hoshina’s gaze, Narumi turns his head to look at him. His hair stands up in all directions and there are profound circles around his eyes. Oh, his eyes. Hoshina can’t help but stare at the white area surrounding his magenta irises because there is no white left. His eyes are completely red as the tiny, delicate blood vessels are undoubtedly still healing.
After the strain he put on his eyes during the last battle, it’s not surprising that his eyes are still bloodshot.
“Finally awake, bowl cut?” Narumi says, his voice sounding rough like he has not been talking much lately, something uncharacteristic of him.
“Shut up,” Hoshina croaks and clears his throat, but it does nothing to alleviate his discomfort. “How long was I out?”
“A whole day longer than me,” Narumi answers proudly as if it’s a personal victory.
Hoshina huffs and notices a bottle of water on the bedside table. He reaches for it, ignoring the sharp pain in his torso when he moves his arm. The fresh water feels good on his parched throat, and he drinks about half the bottle before looking back at Narumi.
Narumi has taken out his phone and seems fixated on the screen. Hoshina doesn’t need to ask to know that he is scrolling through social media, which probably inflates his ego even more.
“Can’t take your eyes off me, huh?” Narumi teases when their eyes meet again. “Can’t blame you, I’m absolutely irresistible.”
“It’s not you, there’s not much to do or stare at here.” Hoshina ignores the last part and tries to make himself comfortable on the bed, something difficult to do when every breath and movement reminds him that his ribs are still tender and healing.
“That’s why I asked my platoon for my phone and video games as soon as the painkillers kicked in.” Narumi picks up his portable console, which was previously buried between the sheets, with a smile.
Hoshina has no idea if the doctors know about this, or how much painkillers are flowing through his veins right now, but even though Narumi should be resting instead of straining his eyes even more, it’s ultimately none of Hoshina’s business.
Despite having been unconscious for at least a couple of days, Hoshina is content to doze off for what seems like a long time, and not long enough, while Narumi curses and presses buttons relentlessly until a doctor and a couple of nurses arrive in the afternoon to check up on them.
The doctor’s voice is kind when she asks Hoshina how he feels, the opposite of her tone when she forbids Narumi to play games until his eyes recover.
“I’m so bored,” Narumi complains as the medical team leaves with the promise of coming back before dinner. “I hate being here so much.”
He tugs at the bandages covering his arms like he doesn’t know what to do with his hands now that he no longer has his electronics to entertain himself.
“Then you should have chosen another job,” Hoshina tells him.
“And rob this country of the best at killing kaiju? Not a chance,” Narumi replies.
Hoshina rolls his eyes. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Captain.”
“You don't look like you enjoy being here either,” Narumi points out, sitting up on the bed.
“I don’t, but who even enjoys spending time in the medical wing?”
“Then you should have chosen another job,” Narumi repeats Hoshina’s words with a smirk that shows his intentions to make a joke.
Hoshina doesn’t smile back.
“Some of us didn’t have a choice,” he replies in a thoughtful tone.
If Hoshina was sure of anything from the moment he became aware of his existence, it is that he was fated to fight kaiju, just as his family has been doing for generations.
“I didn’t have much of a choice either,” Narumi mumbles. “And now I’m going to kill them all. That’s all that matters and that’s the way it is.”
While Narumi has never had a heart-to-heart talk with Hoshina about his reasons for joining the JAKDF when he was barely old enough to do so, Hoshina suspects that he no longer has a home outside the walls of the Ariake Maritime Base.
The first time Hoshina heard him use that phrase, they were both young and inexperienced, with high hopes for the future. At the time, the officers in charge had told them that they had potential in different areas, but the same could be said of a handful of other cadets who had trained with them but are now long dead and gone. Would he have survived as long as he did if he had not been born with a weapon in his hands, as was the Hoshina family tradition?
Hoshina still remembers their names, but not their faces. It would be impossible for him to remember all the fallen officers he has met over the years. Some of them were once his friends and confidants, but kaiju don’t care about sentimentality, and these days he often finds himself advising new recruits not to get too attached to anyone.
An advice he doesn’t quite follow himself.
“You sound too sure of yourself,” Hoshina replies at last.
“I think I’ve been doing a good job so far.” Narumi shrugs and quietly fiddles with the buttons on the side of the bed so he can raise the head of the mattress and get more comfortable.
Hoshina will probably never admit it out loud, but Narumi has. So many people have died, but Narumi remains, and if Hoshina is honest, he can’t imagine the Defense Force without him, just as he can’t imagine it without Captain Ashiro.
“I wouldn’t change my choices,” Narumi continues, his face shifting back to its usual confident expression. “I doubt I’d be as good at anything else.”
“I wouldn’t change them either,” Hoshina agrees. “Besides, I’m sure you’d be bored all by yourself without me. I mean, who else would beat you at hand-to-hand combat.”
“There you go again,” Narumi whines. “If anything, you’d be the one who’d be bored if we had never met, Soushirou.”
Hoshina laughs, ignoring the pain in his ribs. “You wish, Gen.”
“Come on, you can admit it.”
“You first.”
For a moment, they stare into each other’s eyes. Hoshina’s laughter fades and Narumi’s grin softens. Hoshina almost wishes their beds were closer so he could punch Narumi’s arm, or something less intimate than sharing their feelings as if they were best friends and not rivals who get on each other’s nerves every time they cross paths.
“We’ll have a rematch as soon as they let us out,” Narumi says, changing the subject just enough to get them back into familiar waters. “I can’t let you parade around forever saying you’re better than me.”
“I won’t go easy on you.” Hoshina can never back down from a challenge. Maybe it can even be an opportunity for them to bond when words are not their forte.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else.”