Work Text:
Koushi sighs as he steps off the lift and into the mechanical wing of Hoshiguma Station. The flashing warning light in his retinal display reminds him why he’s here, even if he’d rather be nearly anywhere else on the station. It’s not that he doesn’t want the damaged wiring and gaping panel in his arm to be repaired, it’s just that…
“Yoohoo! I got the notice that they were sending you up, Suga-chan! So you might as well just hurry up and come to my bench!”
It’s just that the best biomechanical engineer on this station happens to be Oikawa Tooru, and Koushi happens to think Oikawa Tooru is a demon parading around in grease-stained coveralls. The quality of his work cannot be denied, though, so Koushi swallows his irritation and marches forward. As soon as he makes it past the row of unoccupied workstations and rounds the corner of Oikawa’s bench, Koushi plops himself down in the chair he always sits in when he has to visit.
“Oh, Suga-chan. What have you done to my arm!?” Oikawa gasps dramatically.
Koushi sends him a deadpan stare. “My arm prevented a dumbass recruit from getting his throat torn out by a pissed-off aijik in the training arena.”
Aijik are a predatory, feline-like species native to Traetera II, the planet Hoshiguma Station orbits. A planet the Terran Federation had colonized fifty years ago. In those fifty years, sentient life has not been discovered, but the predators are vicious and any Terrans who wish to live on the planet must be trained to survive the harsh environments as well as its native inhabitants. Koushi’s unit is in charge of training civilians with aspirations to begin a new life on a new world to not die trying to achieve their dreams. Unfortunately, people are inherently fucking stupid.
Oikawa tsks. “No, your arm, or what’s left of it I suppose, is as dusty as the ceiling that collapsed on it. This arm is my masterpiece. I was there when the surgeon grafted it to your bones, you know.”
“Yes, yes. You tell me as much every time I come around.” Koushi waves away the rest of Oikawa’s spiel before he can get really into it and holds up his mechanical arm, his hand dangling limply at the wrist. “Are you going to fix it, or not? I can wait until morning and let Kageyama do it for me while you’re sleeping.”
Oikawa gasps. “How dare you even tease about such a thing? As if that mulish little upstart could begin to understand the intricacies of my creation.” Oikawa finally reaches for Koushi’s arm, lifting it closer to his face to inspect the damage the aijik’s teeth had done. He starts to mutter to himself, maneuvering and turning it every which way and moving the wrist to watch what still moves and what doesn’t. “Can you move your hand at all? What sensors are still online?”
Koushi tries to make a fist but only his pinky and ring finger move, though they don’t curl all the way closed. “That’s all I can manage. I can still sense pressure above the wrist but not below it.” He rattles off a few more systems that still come up as functional on his retinal display, but there are very few.
“Lovely. I still want to plug you in to get a full diagnostic, but from what I’m seeing here I can already tell it’s going to take more than one visit for me to fix you up.”
“Oh, goody. I was so hoping I could spend more time with you.” Koushi scowls. Oikawa Tooru has a special knack for irritating Koushi in a way that very few people he’s ever met can, which is why he avoids coming into his territory on the station as much as possible.
“Well, dreams really do come true, Suga-chan. I would kiss that rabid creature for sending you my way, but first of all, it’s probably filthy, and second, it destroyed my work.” Oikawa sniffs haughtily, then claps twice. “Now, chop, chop! Head down, let’s see where we should start, shall we?”
Koushi sighs and leans forward so his neck is exposed. Oikawa grabs a cable and plugs one end into his tablet and the other into the small port behind Koushi’s right ear. The faint touch of Oikawa’s fingers brushing against his skin always sends an involuntary shiver through Koushi. Or maybe it’s the odd sensation of being “plugged in”.
Oikawa spends a good half hour poking around the system grafted into Koushi’s brain to make his biomechanical prosthetic function like a natural limb. Koushi doesn’t really understand how it all works and he can’t be bothered to care as long as it does. While he waits, he leans against his elbows and stares at the seam where sleek metal meets flesh about four centimeters from the crease of his left elbow and thinks about the day he lost his real arm.
Four years ago he’d been a part of a unit of emergency responders called to Traetera II’s surface after a hard earthquake struck one of the settlements. Earthquakes are common to the planet, its volatile core as wild as its surface. Koushi’s squad was in charge of finding survivors in the collapsed buildings. He’d been helping a woman with an injured leg hobble toward an exit when a piece of the ceiling started to crumble above them. Koushi had managed to push the woman out of the way far enough to avoid further injury, but a large chunk of the rubble crushed his hand and forearm, trapping him until he could be rescued by one of his squad mates. The bones in his hand and wrist were shattered beyond repair and amputation was inevitable.
He’d actually been lucky that Oikawa had been recruited to Hoshiguma Station. Not many space stations have mechanical engineers who specialize in prosthetics, but since Traetera II has such hostile living conditions, the demand for limb replacements and prosthetic maintenance was unprecedentedly high.
“Alright, Suga-chan,” Oikawa starts as he pulls the adapter wire from behind his ear. “The good news is that I can fix all of the damage that has been done with what I have available. The bad news is that this is going to take at least three sessions to work through the damage simply because I have other appointments that I have to attend and cannot devote twelve straight hours to you alone. Tonight, I will just focus on cleaning up these severed wires and covering up the hole, then we can get started on repairs tomorrow night.”
“How long until I get usage back?”
“I should be able to get most of it patched up tomorrow, but I’m shutting it all down until I can get everything back in working order.” Oikawa starts tapping away at his tablet. “ We’ll work on that for the next few days but integration and re-calibration are going to take more time than actually repairing the mechanical components. I’m scheduling you for weekly visits until we get all of the kinks worked out.” He winks at Koushi.
Koushi sighs. “Fantastic. Well, I’ll be in your care.”
“I’m happy to take care of you always, Suga-chan.”
Koushi rolls his eyes at the overtly flirty tone and holds up his arm and gestures toward Oikawa’s workbench. “Whatever. How do you want me?”
Oikawa turns to his work stool, muttering something that sounds suspiciously like, “Let me count the ways,” then louder, “Just lay it here however is most comfortable for you. Tomorrow I’ll have you sit in the big chair, but this will do just fine for now.”
‘The big chair’ is a large padded chair like those often found in tattoo parlors. Something comfortable for a customer to sit on while the artist is working. Koushi supposes Oikawa’s work isn’t so different, though it obviously goes beyond surface level.
Once Koushi has his arm in place, he says, “Alright, if I’m going to be stuck here for a while, you might as well tell me what you’re doing.”
***
Koushi sits beside Daichi at the bar of the canteen and watches his hand flop around as he tilts his arm from side to side. When Oikawa had told him he was shutting it down, he hadn’t been exaggerating in the slightest. Koushi doesn’t have a single light hovering over his vision, his retinal display completely dark.
“This sucks,” he mutters, taking a large gulp of his beer to try to drown his sorrows.
“Well, maybe next time you’ll think twice before throwing your arm in front of a giant mouth full of razor sharp teeth,” Daichi raises his eyebrow at him.
“And just let some idiot die?”
Daichi shrugs. “Natural selection?”
Koushi snorts. “Don’t act like you wouldn’t have done the same thing with your own flesh and blood arm if you were there.”
It’s why he and Daichi get along so well. Deep down, they’re just alike.
Daichi sighs. “You got me there. I’d just have Tooru-kun give me a new arm and we could match.”
Koushi laughs. “Spare yourself the aggravation and keep all of your parts intact.”
“He’s not that bad, Koushi.” Daichi finishes off his own beer. “Sometimes the mechanics use his input when they can’t figure out what’s wrong with a ship. He’s brilliant when it comes to machines.”
“Not so brilliant with people,” Koushi grouches.
“I think that’s just you.”
“Huh?”
“Look, yes, he’s kind of airy and petty and too pretty for his own good, but no one else seems to find that as annoying as you do.” Daichi pats down the front of his work vest until he finds the pocket with his communicator in it. He must be getting ready to leave. Koushi remembers him saying something about not being able to stay out for long because of an early departure the next morning that he has to supervise. “Perhaps that’s something you should think about. Is he actually being more annoying around you or does his behavior just effect you more? And if that’s the case, then why?”
“I don’t like you when you make me think about things,” Koushi pouts at him.
Daichi shrugs and grins. “That’s because you are also petty as fuck.”
“Fine, fine. Whatever. I’ll think about thinking about it. Good luck in the morning.” He waves Daichi off.
Diachi snorts. “Thanks. Get some rest, too, will you? You’ll be pulling some long hours between work and repairs.”
Koushi sighs. “I’ll leave as soon as I’m finished with this beer. It’s no fun without you anyway.”
“That’s the spirit! See you later, Koushi.”
Koushi says is farewell and pointedly does not dwell on Daichi’s accusations as he finishes his drink and get’s ready to go as well.
***
Over the past few days, Koushi has found that watching Oikawa work is fascinating. The man himself is usually insufferable, but when he’s got that serious, concentrated look on his face, it’s compelling and Koushi finds himself thinking he could watch it all day. Which is ridiculous because Koushi is more than aware that Oikawa is a menace and a half at every other moment. However, he can't help but find the gap between Oikawa's obnoxious personality and the serious, driven man he becomes when he's got his tools in his hands interesting.
Koushi's own playfulness tends to fade when he's working, but never so completely. Oikawa almost seems like a different person entirely and Koushi can't help but want to bridge the gap. He wants to know what separates the two sides of this man.
Once he's comfortably settled into the big chair and Oikawa is busy removing wires to replace them with new ones, Koushi finally asks what Oikawa is doing exactly. As Oikawa absentmindedly explains the steps he's taking, Koushi takes notes of his voice and the way he answers the questions. He wants Oikawa to be comfortable before he asks any different questions, because the more he learns about the bastard, the more he wants to know.
It's a problem.
But maybe if he can learn everything worth learning, then he can go back to barely tolerating the jerk.
“What compelled you to take this job, Oikawa?”
Oikawa pauses in his work and looks up at Koushi. “Why do you want to know?”
Oh? This a new development. Koushi doesn't think he's ever seen the man on the defensive. “I'm just curious. This place is pretty out of the way for most folks to consider coming to unless they want to make a new start or have nowhere better to be. I'm wondering which category you fall under?“
”Which one do you fall under?“ Oikawa challenges.
Koushi smirks. ”I asked first.”
Oikawa huffs. “If you must know, it's neither. I came here because I was needed more here than anywhere else, not because I didn't have anywhere else to go. Sure, I could've taken a more prestigious position on one of the better-established worlds, hell, I could have found a place back on Earth, but I would have been more of a drone in those places. Here, I can think for myself and build custom pieces that are better suited to the individual, rather than be treated like a bot on an assembly line.”
Koushi nods solemnly. ”You wanted to be special. I get it.“
”Fuck you, I am special. And it's about high time everyone else around me sees it too,” Oikawa says primly.
Koushi laughs. ”You are brilliant, I'll give you that.“ Oikawa's head jerks up and he looks startled as he peers up at Koushi. ”What? Why are you looking at me like that.“
”I think that's the first time you've ever complimented me, Suga-chan.“
”Well, don't get used to it. Get back to work.“
”Fine, but only because that's why we're here.“ Oikawa obediently lowers his head and continues to strip wires. ”Now it's your turn to answer. What brought you out here?“
Koushi thinks back to being freshly graduated from the academy and having a whole universe ahead of him to explore. He thinks of his too-proud parents and his rebellious younger brother. “I'd fall closer to the fresh start category, though it's probably more like any start at all. This was the first station I was accepted to that is more than ten thousand lightyears away from home. I've been here ever since.”
“You don't miss your family?”
“Honestly, I think we communicate better when we're apart.” Koushi shrugs, not wanting to get into the complicated inner workings of his family. “What about your family.”
“My mother and sister visit as often as they can and vice versa. And I speak to my closest friends often, though they can't travel much either. Sometimes it's hard, but they all understand that this is the best place for me to be, so I stay with no regrets.”
“What made you choose this field of work?” Koushi asks, finally getting to the part he's most curious about.
Oikawa smiles in a way that Koushi wasn't aware he's capable of. His entire face lights up and he looks smug and excited all at once. A man who knows what he's good at and has a passion for doing it. It strikes Koushi in the chest to see someone so content in their lot, that they're basically radiating with enviable energy.
Oikawa speaks as he works and Koushi listens. The brightness fades a little under his concentration as he goes but it doesn't lessen Koushi's awareness of Oikawa's satisfaction. Koushi listens and wonders about finding a passion at such a young age that sticks into adulthood. He listens and realizes that he could never be like that.
Koushi likes his life. He likes his work and he doesn't dread waking up in the morning to do his job. He's content, but not in the way Oikawa is. He's content in the way that just because it could be better, doesn't mean he needs to pursue it because he's perfectly fine where he is in life and doesn't see any reason to change it. Oikawa seems content in the way that he's achieved the best thing for himself and he's maintaining it as meticulously as he maintains his machines and he enjoys the hell out of every moment.
Koushi supposes that's why he's so insufferable. Why he comes across so smug and annoying all the time. He is smug. He's built a life he's actually proud of and he'll protect it from anyone who isn't worthy of being a part of it with his abrasive personality.
Koushi has to wonder what he's done to even be allowed to glimpse this side of him, to be offered this peek into the Oikawa who is just so damn happy to be doing what he's doing. Maybe it's just the familiarity. They've known each other for four years. Koushi sees him every three months like clockwork for system updates and a functions check. And then there are times like these when Koushi gets a little too reckless with his nearly indestructible arm and he needs repairs in between his usual visits. But Koushi wouldn't go so far as to say they're friends. They're just stuck in each other's orbit through circumstance.
Perhaps Oikawa would say all of this to anyone who asks since he's so proud and Koushi isn't actually special at all. Why... why does that thought irk Koushi as much as it does? He's certainly not Oikawa's biggest fan, and he highly doubts his sarcastic ass is Oikawa's favorite client, but for some reason, he likes the idea of having insider information on Oikawa's life and thoughts. He wants to know and see more of Oikawa beyond the surface.
“What about you, Suga-chan?“
”Hmm? What about me what?“
Oikawa tsks. “Were you not paying attention at all?”
“Sure I was, I just got a little distracted by what you're doing to my arm there at that last bit,” Koushi covers up smoothly, unwilling to admit to either of them that he'd been distracted by his own thoughts about the man sitting beside him.
“Why? I'm just replacing the tube for the hydraulics line.”
“Because it's not something you do regularly, right? Now, what was your question.”
“I wanted to know what made you want to join the Academy?”
“Ah. Well, to be honest, I mostly just wanted to get away from my parents. They are the kind of obnoxiously rich that’s completely disconnected from reality. Like, they think my entire career is a silly little hobby that I’ll get bored of soon enough and I’ll be back to Zirin to take over my father’s company once I’ve had my fun. As if I would’ve just gone through all that training on a whim. As if I’d relocate to a settlement support station at the farthest end of Terran territory just because I wanted an adventure!” He finishes his rant with fake cheer and a plucky swing of his free arm. “I initially chose this path to distance myself from all of that, but I stayed because I really like what I do. I like working with the cats and helping people get ready to move to the planet. I got my start here and I’m happy to help others along their way as well.”
“I like that about you, Suga-chan,” Oikawa says, not looking up from where he’s placing a brand new panel to his forearm to cover Koushi’s wiring. Koushi startles at the statement but before he can say anything, Oikawa claps his hands. “Alright! Let’s plug you in and get your arm back online!”
***
As soon as Koushi wakes, he sees the error message on his retinal display. It’s not blaring red and dead center, which means it’s not a vital error, but it is something that will annoy him until he can fix it or take it to Oikawa.
Opening his eyes, he lifts his arm and stares at the mechanical arm to see if it’s a surface error. Sometimes he sleeps too hard and his wrist or a finger will get bent at a weird angle for too long. All he has to do then is just straighten it out and do some exercises to let the system know that it’s all good. As he peers at his arm, he can see the problem right away, but he doesn’t think it’s something he can fix just by flexing his fingers a few times.
His ring finger is twitching. Constantly jerking rapidly left and right but not far enough to touch the fingers on either side. He decides to give curling his fingers a try just in case, but even as they curl, the finger continues to jerk as if a nerve is damaged. Koushi supposes the glitch is caused by a wire that isn’t attached to something properly. Maybe. He doesn’t actually know, computers and machines have never made that much sense to him. If they don’t work right, he takes them to a professional.
Good thing his next appointment with Oikawa is that evening. He’d told Koushi that the calibration and integration would take a while, so this is probably expected. The twitching finger is about as annoying as the error message, but he can function just fine with both until he can get Oikawa to take care of it.
The error message is easier to ignore than the finger, but he goes throughout his day with little issue from either. Luckily, he’s right-handed, so he doesn’t have to worry about the finger interfering with too many of his tasks. Most of his day is spent with the fourth-year cadets on their abroad assignments. He assists their instructor with the physical training aboard the station. This week they’re going through the tests with the obstacle course, which Koushi always found more fun than the VR room. As he watches the cadets scale walls and utilize teamwork to overcome the more complex obstacles, he can’t help but remember his own time as a cadet.
He’d been sent to a station only one system away from his home world but it’d been the first time he’d been away from home without his parents and he’d been elated at the feeling. It had really opened his eyes to just how oppressed he felt so close to home, so as soon as he returned from his abroad assignment, he’d applied to all of the stations and bases farthest away from Zirin and he hasn’t looked back since. Sure he makes the occasional obligatory visit home, but he has no intention of returning for good.
When lunchtime finally comes around, Koushi opts to leave the cadets to themselves and join Daichi at the table he’d spied him at, interrupting the report the idiot is reading while eating. “Stop working on break time,” Koushi tells him, chopping him on the top of his head with the side of his right hand before sitting beside him.
Daichi grunts and lowers his reader. “How am I supposed to catch up if I don’t take all the time I can.”
Koushi levels him with an unimpressed stare and takes a bite out of his bread roll. “Learn to delegate, loser. You’re are only one person, but I know you have a team of other losers at the docks who can go over reports.”
“They already have their own reports to read.”
“Uh-huh. And who has the most reports to read at any given time?”
Daichi sullenly sips at a spoonful of soup. Koushi wouldn’t be surprised if it’s gone cold. “Some of them are about things that only I can take care of, you know.”
Koushi grins. “So keep those and pass on ones that you know others can work on. You run a tight ship, Daichi, it’s impressive. It means you know what your people are capable of. Don’t sell them short just because you struggle with giving up control. If they fuck up, you can help them correct it or punish them as the circumstances present themselves.” Koushi bumps Daichi’s shoulder with his own. “If you burn yourself out trying to do all the work, you’ll start making mistakes too. Then what, huh?”
Daichi sighs. “You’re right. Thank you, Koushi.”
“What am I here for if not to kick your ass when you need it?”
Daichi rolls his eyes but smiles a little as he continues to eat without even looking at his reader which has gone dark on the table top. Koushi mentally pats himself for a job well done and digs into his own lunch.
Between bites, they talk about their plans for the weekend and discuss the possibility of making a trip to the surface soon for some R&R. The beaches that have been cleared for recreation are lovely this time of year and Koushi wouldn’t mind getting some sun for a day or two.
“Yoohoo!” a familiar sing-songy voice interrupts their conversation.
“Hello, Tooru-kun,” Daichi greets Oikawa patiently.
“Hello, Dai-chan! You’re looking especially proper today!”
Daichi’s brows furrow. “Thanks?”
Koushi rolls his eyes. “Can we help you, Oikawa?”
“Nope!" he answers, sitting at the table across from them. “I’m actually about to head back to the workshop, but I thought I’d make a small detour when I saw you here to remind you of our appointment this evening.”
“That really wasn’t necessary.” Koushi holds up his arm, showing off the twitching finger. “I’m gonna need you to fix that before it drives me completely crazy.”
“Oh, goodness,” Oikawa doesn’t look particularly concerned over the glitch. “I suppose we’ll have to spend a little more time together tonight than originally planned then, huh?”
Koushi scowls. “Is this that big of a problem? My display just shows it as a minor error.”
“It’s not serious, no. But that is a delicate system of wiring that may take some time to navigate if I’m going to correct it properly. Unless you wish to have your entire hand twitching?” Oikawa looks entirely too smug as he asks the question.
“I’d appreciate it if you fixed it correctly the first time, yes.” Koushi flicks his hand rudely. “You’ve reminded me of my appointment and I’ve confirmed that I’ll be there. You can go now.”
If Koushi didn’t know any better, he’d think Oikawa’s face flickers with disappointment, but he’s beaming at Koushi before he can decide if he really saw it or not. “Excellent! See you later, Suga-chan! Bye-bye, Dai-chan.”
Daichi says goodbye back but Koushi doesn’t bother as he peels the top off of his pudding cup. When he looks up at Daichi to continue their conversation from earlier, he’s surprised to see Daichi already looking at him, his elbow resting on the table and cheek resting on his knuckles. His eyebrows are raised and there's an amused smile on his face.
“What?” Koushi asks, eyes squinting suspiciously.
“What was all that?”
“What was all what?”
“Since when does Oikawa Tooru get under your skin that much?”
“What?” Koushi asks again, setting his pudding cup down without even taking a bite. “He’s always been annoying to me.”
Daichi nods. “Yes, but he’s never ruffled your feathers quite as easily as he did just now. Not that I’ve seen anyway.”
Koushi blinks at him. “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about, Daichi. Nothing has changed between us.”
Daichi’s smile widens. “Well, I didn’t say anything about changes between you both, just that you’re reacting differently.”
Koushi deliberately picks his pudding cup back up and takes a bit before answering. “Like I said, I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Sure,” Daichi says, but by his tone, Koushi knows he doesn’t believe it for a moment, the meddling busybody.
To distract him, Koushi asks if he’s received any new photos of his newest nephew. Daichi’s smile tells Koushi that he knows what he’s doing, but he pulls his reader toward him anyway to access the most recent messages his sister sent him with updates about her youngest son. As Daichi scrolls through the latest additions to his album and chatters about his nephews like the proud uncle he is, Koushi can’t stop his mind from wandering back to Daichi’s accusations.
Does Oikawa’s behavior bother him more than usual? Maybe it does. Maybe, since Koushi saw that other side of him during their last appointment, he finds himself liking the flamboyant facade even less. He wants to know more about the man he’d learned about last week. Maybe Oikawa will show him to Koushi again tonight.
***
Once again, Koushi lays back in the big chair, Oikawa’s tablet plugged into his system. Once again, Oikawa hunches over his arm, serious and happy to be working on something he created. Koushi can’t help but remember Daichi’s accusation and how he’d thought about possibly seeing this side of Oikawa again. He… he definitely likes seeing Oikawa like this, he’ll admit that. And it’s not that Koushi hates the other side of him, in fact, sometimes he even enjoys pitting his barbs against the sugary charm, but this side Koushi is seeing right now feels real, and that makes him curious.
“So, what’s up with the twitchy finger? Loose wire or something?” he asks. He doesn’t actually care, he just wants to watch Oikawa answer.
Oikawa explains and Koushi lets his voice roll over him as he watches Oikawa work. He’s… well, he’s pretty. Everyone can see that. The thick brown hair and large, pretty eyes, the clear skin and angular face that’s just this side of too masculine to be considered cute. Anyone could look at him and see that he’s attractive, but Koushi thinks that when he’s like this, when he’s got that concentrated furrow between his brows and a determined look in his eyes, he’s at is most beautiful. Especially when his voice loses that sing-song pitch and he speaks normally.
Koushi wants to observe Oikawa and figure out how he ticks. He wants to know the true reason for the divide. Is it for the same reasons that he’s speculated or is there more? Less? Is it a habit born of necessity or just something he picked up to be a contrary asshole? Koushi wants to know.
He opens his mouth to ask another unnecessary question when his communicator goes off with an emergency alert. Koushi’s heart races as he opens the alert and reads the message. “Shit. Gonna need you to find a stopping place fast, Oikawa. There’s been another earthquake. My unit is going down to the surface as soon as everyone is accounted for to help with the relief efforts.”
Oikawa blinks up at him, eyes wide. He almost looks… scared? “Will you be going into collapsing buildings again?”
“Maybe. It depends on where we’re needed the most when we get there,” Koushi shrugs. He really doesn’t have a better answer. “But if you can give me a good patch or whatever that will make this mission easier to execute without having to worry about malfunctions or errors, that’d be great. If not, I’ll adapt as I need to.”
That seems to snap Oikawa out of his worry. “I’ll have you fully operational in five minutes. No more glitches, no more error messages. It’ll be as if you’d never gotten the damage from the aijik in the first place.”
“How can you be so sure? Doesn’t it need time to calibrate or whatever?”
Oikawa sighs, his cheeks coloring as he keeps his head down. “No. Any glitches you’ve noticed so far, I programmed them to happen. As soon as I’m finished here, I’ll delete the command codes.”
Koushi scowls. “You’ve been sabotaging me this whole time.”
“Technically, yes. But nothing that could harm you or leave irrevocable damage, I promise!”
Scathing heat roils through Koushi. “Do you think this is a fucking game? What if your calculations are wrong? What if your little codes screwed something up and I lost function of the arm entirely? What the fuck were you thinking?”
“I would never put you in danger by allowing a malicious code to come anywhere near your system,” Oikawa says flatly. He doesn’t even look at Koushi before he asks. “What kind of person do you take me for?”
Koushi feels his inner fire snuff out into so much intangible smoke. He doesn’t have an answer, but he’s enough of a hypocrite to demand one more answer. “Then why?”
Oikawa closes the panel on Koushi’s arm and turns to his tablet to type rapid commands onto the screen. “I wanted to spend more time with you.”
What?
“What?” Koushi feels like the artificial gravity in the station has malfunctioned under him and he's been set adrift.
Oikawa must be finished with answering his questions because he doesn’t so much as look at Koushi as he types away. Code flies across the screen so rapidly that Koushi couldn’t begin to understand what it all means. A small, suspicious part of him thinks that Oikawa might be trying to sabotage him for real after accusing him like that, but Koushi thinks now just might be the time to have a little faith in the other man.
“Alright,” Oikawa finally says, setting his tablet aside and gently removing the adapter cord from behind Koushi’s ear. “You’re officially as good as new. Well, better actually because there are definitely no glitches to get through this time around.” He still hasn’t looked at Koushi.
“Hey-”
“You should really get going now, right? They’re expecting you and the ships should be departing soon. Good luck down there.” Oikawa turns toward his bench to start tidying up his tools that he always keeps meticulously organized.
Koushi stares at his back for a long moment, suddenly pissed that he has to leave. “Thanks. I’ll see you when I get back… Tooru.”
Tooru gasps and whirls around to look at him with pretty, wide brown eyes. Koushi just gives him a long assessing look before turning to leave. He’s not sure what the hell is happening between them but he definitely does not have the time to deal with it right now.
He told Tooru he’d see him when he gets back and he fully plans for that to be the first thing he does.
***
Koushi finds it hard to concentrate on the briefing their company commander is giving as the ship descends to the surface of Treatera II. He knows this is important information for him to have to better do his job when he’s on the field, but he can’t stop thinking about Tooru. Every time he catches his mind wandering to the surprised look on his face when Koushi said his first name or the words ‘I wanted to spend more time with you’ Koushi has to force himself to tune back into the captain as she gives orders and assignments.
Luckily, Koushi is paying attention when his platoon is assigned and as soon as the order comes, Koushi’s mind finally clicks into work mode. He coordinates with the other platoon leaders over the map of the destruction area, pinpointing where they’ll set up. When the ship lands, all thoughts of Tooru are left behind.
It’s exhausting work, even when he’s no longer one of the grunts going out and retrieving people himself, he’s still running around giving orders as new information comes in. He directs survivors to medical tents and relief crews to where they’re most needed. He sends his own soldiers out to start setting up reinforcements on collapsing buildings in an effort to keep them upright long enough to ensure there are no people left inside. Koushi is thankful that the settlers are smart enough to understand where they live and haven’t build any buildings taller than three stories, but even one story collapsing is enough to devastate.
The hours are long and Koushi only manages to catch a few hours of sleep in the three days it takes to clear the entire town for the return of its people. The most dangerous sites are clearly marked and Koushi’s company is no longer in charge of what happens next. If people want to be stupid and ignore their warnings, that’s entirely on them. He hears whispers of abandoning the town and rebuilding further west, hopefully to a place that’s less prone to such powerful earthquakes. Koshi thinks that’s probably a good idea, but he keeps his opinion to himself. None of it is his problem anymore, after all.
The ascension back to Hoshiguma Station is much quieter than the ride down. Probably because most of the soldier around him are passed the fuck out. Koushi wants to follow their example, but instead, he stares down at his left hand, tracing the metal lines with his eyes. It’d worked perfectly the entire time he’d been down on the planet. His retinal display hasn’t so much as blipped an error message, the green light in the corner of his eye constant enough for him to stop seeing it.
So Tooru hadn’t lied about fixing him up completely before sending him off after all. Not that Koushi wanted him to be lying, he just… he can’t wrap his head around why Tooru would plant the error codes and play around with his wiring just to spend more time with him. Couldn’t he have just sought him out outside of the mechanical wing? Koushi often sees him in the mess hall and they’ve run into each other at the canteen a few times.
Koushi’s face screws up, Tooru isn’t stalking him, is he? For all he knows, he could have a tracker implanted in is head. He doesn’t *think* Tooru would do that, but he didn’t think Tooru would sabotage his repairs just to spend time with him either. Gods, his brain feels too goddamn full, as if every though of Tooru he could have had over the last three days have finally broken through the shield he put up for work and now they’re just pouring in.
Once the ship is docked in the hangar and Koushi helps the other personnel who didn’t bother to sleep wake up their comrades, he dismisses his platoon with a a final order to get some food, clean themselves up, and get some real sleep. So long as no other emergencies require their attention, they have the rest of the week off for R&R. A sleepy cheer rolls through the unit as they shuffle away to gather their packs and disembark.
As soon as all of his soldiers are off the ship, Koushi gives his final check-in with the captain and promises to give her his full report by the end of the week. He’s dismissed with his own orders to get some food and rest.
Koushi grabs his shit and leaves the ship. As he’s walking down the ramp, he spies Daichi and Tooru standing out of the way of traffic. They seem to be having a serious discussion and Koushi doesn’t want to think it’s about him. Daichi could have that look on his face for any number of reasons, like one of his siblings making his life difficult or a ship manifest that doesn’t add up correctly. However, when Koushi approaches them and Daichi’s expression turns mischievous when he spots him, Koushi thinks that maybe they were talking about him after all.
The thought only solidifies when Tooru turns to see him and he immediately stiffens up. Daichi reaches out to give Koushi a quick hug and welcomes him home before saying something about a ship that needs his attention and skedaddles. Traitor.
Since they’ve been left alone, Koushi turns to Tooru. “What brings you to the hangar? This isn’t your usual haunt is it?”
“No, I- No, it’s not.” Tooru straightens and a familiar, annoying countenance settles over his features. “My, Suga-chan,” he tsks, shaking his head. “No, offence, but you look like shit.”
Koushi nods. “Feel like it, too. Also, it’s Koushi.”
Tooru blinks and his mask cracks. “Koushi,” he repeats carefully, as if he’s never put the syllables together before.
“Tell me, Tooru, did you come all the way down here just to see me?”
Tooru raises his chin. “Yes.”
“Good, saves me the trouble of hunting you down.” Koushi nearly laughs at Tooru’s visible swallow. “Calm down, I’m not planning to yell at you or anything, we just didn’t have time to finish talking before I left, so I’d like to get some answers out of you now.”
Tooru sighs. “I figured as much. I also assumed you’d be less pissed off if I didn’t try to hide, so here I am.”
“Here you are,” Koushi’s mouth twitches into a reluctant smile. “And you assumed correctly. I’m too godsdamned tired to beat around the bush here so I’m just going to ask. Why did you want to spend more time with me?”
Oikawa’s back somehow straightens further. “I hardly think you’re too stupid to figure that out for yourself.”
“Of course not but I’d like to hear you say it anyway,” Koushi tells him, his voice gentler than intended.
Ah. So the mask can come down even when he’s not working. Koushi’s heart stirs in his chest as the naked truth is bared to him through Tooru’s expression, even as he says, “I like you, Koushi, and I wanted to spend more time with you because I wanted to get to know you better. I wanted you to get to know me better as well.”
Koushi tilts his head, a considering look on his face. “Well, it worked, I’ll give you that. Even if your methods were… questionable.” He cringes, thinking about the idea he had on the ship. “You didn’t put a tracker in me or anything, did you?”
The utterly offended look on Tooru’s face goes a long way in soothing Koushi’s worry. “Excuse you, Suga-chan. I’ll have you know I stalked you fair and square. As if, I’d need to resort to such ridiculous means as putting a tracker on you.” He sniffs haughtily and Koushi laughs.
“Alright, I believe you. One last question.” He squints up at Tooru. “Couldn’t you have just asked me on a date like a normal person?”
“Such mundanity is beneath me,” he says for an answer and Koushi just raises an eyebrow at him. “Fine,” Tooru crosses his arms over his chest, “I was under the impression that you didn’t like me very much and I wanted to give myself a chance to change your mind.”
Koushi considers this answer, nodding. “Okay, so it’s certainly true that I found you quite annoying, but-” he gives Tooru as slow once over “-that’s not necessarily a deal breaker, you know?”
He smirks as color starts to stain Tooru’s cheeks. “Well, that- How was I supposed to know, huh?”
“Here, I’ll show you.” Koushi boldly grabs Tooru’s hand and starts leading him out of the hangar. “Have lunch with me before I go pass out for a day or two. After that, we can work on getting to know each other even more, because as it turns out, I like you too. What do you say?”
Tooru squeezes his hand, a soft smile gracing his pretty face. “Sounds great to me.”