もののけ | monster | soshiro hoshina (Kaiju No. 8) (COMPLETE)

ごじゅうよん | fifty four

もののけ | kaiju | monster

54

[A lengthy chapter ahead]

🔞

Soshiro

KIYOMI'S VOICE WAS CALM, yet there was an unmistakable undertone of concern as she asked, "Does it hurt?" Her eyes traced over the bandages wrapped tightly around my torso, lingering on the ones across my face. We had barely stepped into my office when she ordered me to strip off my top, revealing the full extent of my injuries. Her gaze moved methodically over each bruise and cut, her hands hovering close to the worst of them. She didn't need to say anything for me to understand how much she was worrying, how much she was holding back.

"Are you the one who bandaged these?" she asked, her voice still calm, but there was an edge to it, a hint of the stern Lieutenant I knew so well. Her fingers lightly touched the bandages, careful not to apply pressure, but I could feel her disapproval in every gentle brush of her fingertips.

"Yes," I replied, my hand moving to catch hers, stopping her from examining further. Her eyes locked onto mine, her hardened expression trying to hide the concern I could so easily see. She might have been a master at keeping her emotions in check, but I knew her too well. I could read the worry in her eyes as clear as day.

"I'm fine, baby," I reassured her softly, a breathy laugh escaping my lips as I tried to ease the tension between us. "I already got treated. You don't need to worry." Slowly, I pulled her closer, my hands slipping around her waist as I leaned back in my office chair. My eyes never left her face as I studied her in turn, noticing the subtle changes—the slight hollows under her eyes, the way her uniform seemed a bit looser than it should be.

"You're not in good condition yourself," I remarked, my voice barely above a whisper as I took in the sight of her. "Don't tell me you spent all that time fighting without even taking care of yourself?"

Her response was exactly what I expected. "I literally didn't have time for that," she said, her tone practical, almost dismissive. Of course, she would say that. Kiyomi had always been the type to push herself to the brink, to put everyone else's needs before her own.

I let out a soft sigh, the worry I had been holding onto for so long bubbling to the surface. "I did nothing but worry about you when you were on the other side of the world, fighting God knows what," I admitted, my voice trembling slightly as I pulled her even closer. She was so close now that I could feel the warmth of her breath against my skin, her face pressed into my chest as I held her tightly. My hands moved over her back, needing to feel her, to confirm that she was really here with me, safe and sound.

"I missed you so much, baby..." The words slipped out as a whisper, a confession meant only for her ears. I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the familiar scent of her hair, a scent that I had missed more than anything. I tightened my grip on her, as if holding her a little tighter could erase all the distance and time that had kept us apart.

"You're still heartless, you know that?" I murmured, a breathless chuckle escaping me. The irony of it all wasn't lost on me. "Ignoring my texts and calls, using Akira to respond... You're still my heartless Lieutenant." I smiled softly, the warmth of the moment washing over me as I remembered the way she had threatened the soldiers outside. "You even scared the hell out of Ikaruga. He was about to faint, you know?"