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It's been a couple of months since Otacon and Snake settled down in the middle of nowhere, doing what they do best, destroying anything involving Metal Gear. Besides the constant cold, you needed to adapt to, everything was pretty mundane. Almost domestic in a sense. Which hung over the two people staying in the cabin. Otacon thought it was definitely tricky, he was considerably still strangers with the legendary man he was staying with. And not to mention that he hasn't socialized with someone greatly for a while. What if he's so unbearable that Snake decides to kill him? No, that's deranged. But what if he does?
Meanwhile, Snake was busy trying to ignore the extra presence here, the man wasn't too fond of people. Yet, unlike Otacon, he dealt with them constantly. Seems like it would be another one of those cases, though this might not be too rough for him. Otacon wasn't like the untrustworthy people he met throughout his life. Despite everything that happened, he would trust the man with his life compared to anyone else. Though he would never admit this to Otacon himself. The scientist still jumps at his presence from time to time, he can't afford to frighten the man even more.
Regardless of their thoughts of each other and their current predicament, the two stayed partners. Although they both tried ignoring how things were, it didn't work. Like how Otacon gave into an urge and decided that he's going to do some late-night binge watching of Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's been a while since he had the opportunity to watch anything, some leisure time will hurt his schedule, but he deserves a bit of fun. But first, he checks to see if the other is sleeping soundly. Otacon didn't want to interfere with his sleeping schedule in the slightest.
He takes an unnecessary deep breath before he turns his body over, facing Snake, who is out like a light. Part of him found it odd that the man slept so… wild. The sight made him chuckle a bit before he decided that he was sick of squinting, so he turned himself around to where the bedside table was. Reaching out his hand until they made contact with his glasses. Otacon pushes them up to his nose and blinks a few times. Still trying to wake up from his nap. After that, he turns his head to double check on Snake, who is staring dead in his face with a brow raised.
Otacon jumps at the sudden shift and nearly falls off the bed, catching himself at the last minute. He fixed his glasses before he spoke up. “Jesus, Snake! Were you pretending to sleep this entire time? You nearly gave me a heart attack…”
“David. And a bit paranoid, much? Woke up from the sound of your chuckle.”
“Right, slip of the tongue again. I'm sorry for waking you up then, you seem to be the paranoid one, waking up that fast.”
Some seconds passed before Snake gave a response to that, which must've made him stop in his tracks. “It was protocol for me years ago, can't help it. Need to be alert anyways.”
“Hm.” Is all Otacon can muster the courage to say, he didn't want to bring up anything else that could mean something. One thing he realized so far is that Snake can't catch a break. What they're doing currently might be the closest thing to that, even if he's still going through missions. Snake spoke of how he's bound to do this kind of stuff, it's simply a part of him. Otacon doesn't believe that fully. He can't help but feel bad for the soldier. Just maybe he could ask…
“Well, since you're awake, maybe you could rewatch NGE with me? I was thinking of getting through some of it tonight and all. Although, it might not be your cup of tea—”
“What is NGE? Is this one of your mecha, uh animes…? The stuff you told me back in Shadow Moses?”
“Yeah exactly! It stands for Neon Genesis Evangelion, it's a very revolutionary anime in my opinion. One of my all-time favorite mecha animes ever! Though it's pretty heavy, story wise. I think you could relate to a thing or two in it though. Probably both of us could. Should I tell you a quick rundown or do you wanna go in this completely blind?”
As Otacon perked up at the opportunity to talk about mecha animes, Snake was intensely looking at him go over it. Simply nodded his head when the scientist asked if he wanted some information beforehand. He was obviously new to anime as a whole, but slowly he caught up with all of the terms and such. Otacon continued to beam with enthusiasm as he realized that Snake was genuinely listening to what he was saying. Nodding alongside asking questions every now and then at certain points. From that alone, he found himself blushing at the consistent attention. Luckily, Snake didn't seem to catch that, and if he did, then he didn't comment on it.
Otacon paused for a second before he scratched his head, clearly embarrassed. “I didn't mean to get so carried away, it's very rare that someone's willing to listen to my interests. Do you have any questions or should I just leave you alone?”
Snake blinked at this. “What? No, I want to watch the anime with you, Neon… Neon Genesis—”
“Neon Genesis Evangelion. Don't worry, you'll learn how to pronounce it correctly soon enough.”
“Hmph… I hope I'm not too much of a hassle, I haven't ‘binge watched’ a show with someone before. I want you to enjoy this.”
Otacon frowned as they walked to the makeshift living room, and he made sure that the TV was functional. “What? I'm the one that'll be a hassle, you're completely fine Dave. I want you to enjoy this too, even if you don't like the show. You really deserve a break.”
Snake does the usual grumble when he accepts something, crossing his arms while he stands up straight. Otacon sensed the man still standing up and stopped what he was doing to talk.
“Are you… going to sit down anytime soon?”
“Huh? I'm waiting for you, Hal.”
The scientist couldn't bring himself to respond further when he heard Snake say his name, it rolled off his tongue perfectly. He kinda wished that Snake said his name more often. Although, he doesn't think he could handle it in the long run without turning bright red. Otacon quickly focused back on the TV until he got the show on it. Silently celebrating as he jumps up with a fist in the air. Snake is still standing in the same place while he sees this happen.
“Alright!” Otacon cheered, turning around to face Snake in excitement. “We're all set to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion now, c'mon, sit down with me David. Should I get some popcorn or anything?”
Snake immediately rose to the task, scratching the urge to do something. “I can make popcorn and get some blankets for us. You can just sit through the opening while I do that.”
Otacon was baffled. “No way! You have to witness the opening for yourself, it's a must! I can wait until you're done, so you won't miss it, okay? I promise that it'll be worth it.”
Snake looked like he was doubting the man's words, but he went along with it anyway. He hums as he searches for the popcorn, which he didn't even know that they had. Must've been when Otacon goes out to get groceries for the two of them. He finds himself slightly smiling at the thought. The scientist was very specific about what they were consuming, though he always managed to slide a box of cigarettes to Snake with that knowing look. Always stuttering after Snake says thank you.
Huh, Snake wondered why that always happened.
“Dave… Dave?”
“Huh? Sorry, I was thinking about something.” I was thinking about you , he thought to himself. But quickly shook that out of his head.
Otacon smirked and raised a brow at him, not surprised at what he was hearing at all. He walks over until he's basically hip to hip with the other man. “It's fine, I forgot to tell you about the popcorn when I came back anyway. Embarrassing purchase I indulged in. Here.” He grabbed Snake's hand and raised it to where the cabinet was, only letting go to point with his own hand. “It should be in there, the snack cabinet. I probably should've told you that I organized it on a whim. Sorry about that.”
“No, uhm, it's fine. I like organization.” Snake still had his arm raised up to where he guided it. Unmoving.
“I probably should've… used my own hand as well, huh?” Otacon slowly stopped pointing as he realized what he did, resorting to scratching his neck instead. The musher only looked over and blinked. “It's fine, I can get the popcorn ready now.”
He pushed his glasses up and tried to look away. “Yeah, right. I'll just get the blankets for us then. Okay?”
Snake was already in a rush to make the popcorn, so a quick hum was heard. Otacon takes this opportunity to scurry away and find the blankets. Maybe scream into a pillow while he's at it. He makes it to the bedroom closet and finds the big, comfortable blanket that they never really used. Waving it repeatedly just in case some dust managed to get on it. Folding it until it was easier to carry before he returned to the living room, where Snake was pouring the popcorn into a bowl. He hoped that the gruff man wasn't mad at him for what he did previously.
What was he thinking? Grabbing Snake's hand and guiding it, he didn't know what possessed him to do that. But his rough, muscled hand against his soft, lanky one felt amazing together. Varied greatly, but fits perfectly well with each other. The more Otacon thought about it, that was sort of their dynamic in a nutshell. No time to think about it much further, he doesn't want to cause another awkward moment between them.
Otacon returns back to reality, seeing Snake sit down with the popcorn bowl in his lap. He walks over and sits down on the other side of the couch. Leaving a great amount of space between them. Snake watched him the entire time, clearly frowning from the act. The scientist puts the blanket down on the empty space between them. Retrieving the remote when a voice suddenly spoke.
“Hey, how are you going to get any popcorn from over there.” It wasn't a question from Snake, it was a clear statement. Otacon only looked over and tried not to crack under pressure.
“I could reach over or something, y'know.”
Snake paused for a bit. “Just move over here instead, easier to get the popcorn.”
Otacon gulped, you're not making these feelings any better, Snake, he thought. He ended up not budging and tried to shift his focus back to the anime. Snake wasn't up for his avoidance though, since he lets out an irritated grunt. Placing the bowl down so he can unfold the blanket and lay it across the couch. Now Otacon watches him grab the bowl again and get under the blanket himself, making sure that he's close to the skinny man. No room to object to anything now.
“Ah, well then, ready to start the anime then?”
“Are you uncomfortable around me, Hal?”
His jaw nearly dropped at the question directed to him, looking at Snake with a bewildered expression. “No, of course not! If this is about my previous behavior in the kitchen, I was only embarrassed—”
Snake interrupts him midway with another question. “Then what about the times when you return from grocery shopping, hand me my favorite kind of cigarettes, and give me that look. You always turn away and stutter. Do I still scare you?”
“Gosh, Dave, slow down. You're overthinking it, I'm just– y'know, flustered. I'm still wrapping my head around living with you like this. I swear that I only turn around so you don't see my reddening face. Regardless, it doesn't mean anything bad at all.”
“So, what does it mean then if I'm not scaring you?”
“Still a bit dense, huh? It means that I like you, David. I love your company, your habits, your personality, basically everything. Well, maybe not the smoking, I still think you should quit those things. God, I didn't plan for me to confess this anytime soon…”
Snake just kind of looked at Otacon. With his widened eyes, not really knowing what to say in this situation. He didn't look mad or anything, just his usual stoic expression. Otacon was starting to panic when he felt a familiar hand on his.
“Maybe that's why I feel so odd around you, Hal. I like anything you say, anything you do, and I like all the specifics about you. Like your gray hair that you told me is just like your mother's. I think it's nice.”
“Wow, you really remember me telling you that? You stunned me with your knack of memorizing the things I say and do. I'm really flattered, David. I'm glad that you don't mind my hair either.”
Snake moved his hand away to shove some popcorn in his mouth immediately, not wanting to respond further. Otacon laughed at the action and moved closer to Snake so he could comfort him. This only made the other heat up further and nearly choke on the popcorn he was chewing.
“I thought remembering that kind of stuff was necessary, since we live together. I didn't realize that I was in love with you. Makes more sense now thinking about it.”
“Haha, I can't blame you there, I didn't realize either until I started wanting to be closer to you. But I was scared of doing anything about it.”
“Huh, well… do something now. There's no more confusion between us so there's no need to be scared. The feeling is mutual.”
“So bold. Easier said than done, Dave. But you are right…” Otacon uses this chance he has to scoot closer to Snake, hip to hip yet again. He found himself automatically laying his head down on the other man's shoulder. Who jumped at the sudden contact. It was definitely awkward and strange for the two of them to act on what they wanted to do. Eventually though, the two found a fitting way to be next to each other. After some minor shifting.
Snake wraps his arm around Otacon's waist as they finally get comfy to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's Otacon's turn to jump at the arm around him as he hits the play button. Snake couldn't help but chuckle at the scientist while he tossed some popcorn in his mouth.
After a couple of episodes in, Snake looked sort of petrified and confused. While Otacon was happily cuddling himself into the man's chest with a loopy smile. Snake eventually looks down at him and speaks.
“Hal, what the hell is this depressing anime.”