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Makoto knew Byakuya was stressed- that was seemingly a personality trait for him at this point. Of course, that meant he had to cope with it. Byakuya had shared tons of different ways that he’d cope- stargazing, relaxing baths, hell- even the occasional cigarette (which Makoto definitely berated him for)- but this was not at all what he expected.
Makoto was tagging along with Celestia and Byakuya, stood in the middle of a field. There was a sort of clearing area, with dead grass in a circular shape. There were a few different things there, like weirdly put-together sticks and stone formations. This definitely felt like some sort of horror movie.
“Where’d you guys even find this place?” Makoto asked quietly, stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets.
“That doesn’t exactly matter, does it?” Celestia asked, humming as she brushed back one of her drills. “We’re here and that is all that matters.”
Makoto made his way over to where Byakuya was, surprisingly kneeling and doing something on the ground. “Yeah, uhm… why are we here again? You never told me…”
“We’re relieving stress.” Celestia said with a soft smile.
Makoto raised a brow. What did she mean ‘relieving stress?’ What could they do in a field? They could scream- that was an option. They could run around- they weren’t the type to do that, though. They sat out gym class after all- so… what else could they do in a field that would relieve stress?
He glanced back over to Byakuya, who was making some sort of circles with stones. What the hell? What was he doing?
“Makoto, go get me some more sticks.” Byakuya ordered, his tone sharp and demanding.
“Uh- okay.” Makoto said hesitantly. “Can I ask why?”
Byakuya looked up at him, glaring, but it didn’t have any true malice behind it. “No. Just do as you’re told.”
Despite them dating, Byakuya was, at his core, still an asshole. Makoto had gotten used to it though. So, he murmured an ‘okay’ before beginning to walk away. He had a bad feeling about this.
-
Makoto returned with a good assortment of sticks, ranging in size and shape. The walk to the forest wasn’t too bad, so he made his way back in less than twenty minutes. He could hear giggling and gasping from the clearing, although he couldn’t clearly hear the conversation until he was closer. He saw Byakuya and Celestia, sitting on a blanket (that looked far too expensive to be on grass), an open bottle of wine on it, among other things.
Byakuya was… laughing? Not a forced, dry chuckle- it was genuine, resounding laughter. He’d never heard that before. He wanted to hear that again.
“No! And then- get this- she went over to his house to see who he was with!” Byakuya said, a bit of a grin on his face.
“Who was it?” Celestia asked, leaning forward.
“It was Junko!” Byakuya exclaimed, to which Celestia gasped. “He slept with Junko Enoshima! Sayaka was absolutely fuming when she came to school. I’d never seen her so pissed.” He said with a chuckle.
“Who did what now?” Makoto asked, tilting his head a bit. He didn’t get the full conversation- of course he was confused.
Byakuya looked up, chuckling and shaking his head. Makoto stopped for a moment. Byakuya was smiling such a genuine smile, it made Makoto’s heart flutter. He looked so radiant for once, without the typical snark and snobbery, just plain old Byakuya. It wasn’t all of him, but it was a part Makoto absolutely adored, even though he didn’t see it too often.
“Nothing. Just come here,” Byakuya said, patting the spot next to him. Makoto did as told, sitting next to him and setting the sticks down.
“I got your sticks.” He said quietly, looking up at his boyfriend.
Byakuya glanced down at the pile of sticks beside him. “I see that.”
Makoto smiled a bit, leaning forward. “Can I lean on you? Is that okay?” He asked. Byakuya and him were working on touch- which was still a bit of an iffy part of their relationship, but one that Byakuya was slowly getting more and more comfortable with.
He offered a small, grateful smile to the other. “Mhm. That’s alright,” Byakuya said quietly. As soon as he got the okay, Makoto leaned his body onto the taller’s. To his surprise, however, Byakuya put an arm back around him.
“Aw, you two are such a cute couple.” Celestia grinned. “Just look at you.”
Makoto chuckled, blushing a bit. “Thanks, Celeste…” He said quietly. He glanced up at Byakuya to see if he would react at all, but he didn’t. Instead, he reached for the bottle beside them.
He took a few sips before meeting Makoto’s eyes, turning a bit to look at him. “Do you want some?”
“What is it?” Makoto asked curiously, raising a brow.
“Wine.” Byakuya said. “1958. It’s quite good. You don’t need to accept, though.”
“Oh… um,” Makoto paused for a moment. He’d snuck beer before- once, it was… meh, but he couldn’t stomach more than half the can- and he’d had drinks at parties before. But he never had wine. Was it good? It had to be if these two elites were drinking it, right? It wasn’t like he was the one driving, so it was fine, right?
Makoto nodded hesitantly. “Yeah, uh, I’ll try it.” He said, taking the bottle. He took a sip, letting the liquid linger on his tongue. It was… dry. Was it right to describe a drink as dry? He wasn’t sure but that’s what it felt like. “It’s…”
Both Byakuya and Celestia giggled. “Wine is not for everyone, Makoto. We just thought it would make tonight much more enjoyable,” Celestia said softly.
“Enjoyable?” he asked with a raised brow. “So this isn’t all of what we’re doing?”
Celestia shook her head. “Nope- this is not even close. The main event is much more exciting!” She said happily, looking back over at the clearing. “Byakuya- are we ready?”
He nodded and stood, pulling his arm away from Makoto and standing. “Mhm. I think so.” He said. “Is the blanket far away enough?”
She nodded. “Mhm. I made sure of it.”
Byakuya picked up the sticks and made his way over to the clearing once again, with Makoto watching, absolutely confused. What the hell was he doing? What were they even talking about? He knew there were rumors about the rich and elite doing weird rituals and sacrifices but that can’t be true-
Makoto just watched as Byakuya got down on his knees and set the sticks down, forming a teepee sort of shape with them. He made sure they were stable enough before standing, looking down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter, reaching down and holding it to the sticks. After a few moments, flames began to lick up the sticks and consume them, creating a smoky smell as it continued. Byakuya pulled his hand away quickly and took a seat again, watching as the fire grew.
“What are we doing?” Makoto asked nervously.
“Committing arson.” Byakuya replied coolly.
What?
“C-Committing arson?!” Makoto asked, absolutely stunned and shocked. Committing arson?! This isn’t legal- oh my god he was going to get in so much trouble if he got found out! But- fuck- he didn’t drive here, Byakuya did! He couldn’t exactly call his mom and ask her to pick him up. Ah fuck- he was gonna be in so much trouble…
“This is how Celeste and I relieve our stress.” Byakuya said, wrapping an arm around him. Celestia stood next, reaching underneath her overcoat as she approached the flames. “It’s all safe. We’ve done this before- we’re careful no grass or anything catches on fire.”
“Mhm. We may be destroying things but we care about the environment,” Celestia said softly, throwing a few things into the fire. “So, technically it isn’t exactly arson, but it still counts as burning property.”
“Indeed.” Byakuya said, reaching into his own pocket. He pulled out a few different crumpled pieces of papers from inside his coat pocket. “It’s therapeutic.”
Makoto just stared as Byakuya tossed the crumpled up papers into the fire, watching as they caught fire and began to disintegrate. “I…”
Celestia turned around to look down at him, smiling a bit still. “You look quite scared, Makoto. Are you alright?”
“I-I’m fine! I just… this isn’t at all what I expected…” Makoto said quietly.
The two elites chuckled, Celestia taking her seat by Byakuya. She took a few sips from the bottle before setting it back down, glancing at Makoto. “Get used to it. Byakuya will want you to join us all the time- especially when he gets tipsy.”
“I do not get tipsy.” Byakuya said defensively, glaring slightly at Celestia. She giggled.
“If you say so.”
-
Long story short: it was a lie.
Byakuya got tipsy.
This wasn’t to say he was a lightweight or anything- he just drank over half a bottle of wine. Usually he drank wine at dinner or something- but only a little and with food, so that was automatically ruling out the effects of it. But pure wine with nothing to dilute it and no limit to how much he could drink? It was a recipe for disaster.
The sun had set about an hour ago, and all that was left was a starry sky above them. The fire was burning still, but definitely not as much as it had been at first. There were only a few embers left, licking at the few sticks they’d throw on occasionally in attempts to keep burning.
The night was… fun. They’d made s’mores, talked about a few of their troubles, and overall just had a good time. Byakuya was curled up in a blanket, sat close to Makoto who also had a blanket. Celestia was just returning from the car with her own blanket. It was cold out- so of course they wanted blankets.
“Back to our two truths and a lie…” She said happily, brushing back a drill as she sat down. “It was my turn, yes?”
Byakuya nodded. “Mhm. Go ahead.”
“Alright… well.” She paused for a moment, before smirking and looking up with a mischievous glint. Makoto knew that look all too well- what was she planning?
“Well. My favorite food is caviar, my favorite game is Indian Poker, or… Byakuya is a bottom.”
Byakuya choked on air, immediately flushing red. “ Celestia! ” He huffed. “You absolute dimwit , this is two truths and a lie, not two lies and a truth!”
Celestia let out a soft self-satisfied giggle. “I obeyed the rules. I gave you two truths and one lie.”
Makoto was absolutely flustered beyond belief and dying laughing- mostly at the mention of sex, partly because of Byakuya’s hilarious reaction. “So, the lie is the last one, right?”
“ Obviously. How dare you make such assumptions about me.” Byakuya said, turning his nose up. Makoto couldn’t help but laugh.
“Incorrect. It was the first one.” Celestia said with a smug, absolute shit-eating grin. “My favorite food is gyoza.”
Byakuya’s face went red. “Objection! Y-You passed off a mere assumption as a truth ! That isn’t how the game works!”
Celestia giggled. “You know it’s true!”
Makoto had to tune out the rest of the conversation, he was too busy laughing his ass off.
-
After a few minutes of back and forth teasing, Celestia had explained she wanted to take a brisk walk before they left. That, of course, left the two young lovebirds alone in each other’s company.
Makoto had just stared as Byakuya fell back against the blanket, looking up at the sky above him. It was clear, free from clouds and distractions, leaving only a gorgeous view of stars.
Makoto laid beside him, keeping a few inches between them. “Can we cuddle?” He asked quietly, looking up at the blonde with an awaiting look.
Byakuya met his gaze for a moment and nodded, shifting himself a tad so Makoto could slide over his arm. Makoto grinned and immediately curled up with the other, wrapping both arms around him. Byakuya, in turn, did the same.
He rested his head on Byakuya’s chest, listening to the other’s heartbeat. Makoto had read about it in storybooks or fanfiction online, but… wow. It was so much nicer in person- much nicer than he’d expected. He always thought it was cheesy and cliché, but still sweet, and wouldn’t be as good in real life. He’d never been so happy to be wrong.
Makoto let his eyes rest shut for a few moments, just drinking in the soft moment he had with his lover. They didn’t get this often, so to experience it at all was so gratifying.
He opened his eyes again to look up at his lover, who was currently staring into space. The other looked so… calm. So content. Byakuya had a focused sort of look in his eyes, concentrated on the sky above them. Did Byakuya like the stars?
“Do you like the stars, Byakuya?” Makoto asked quietly, vocalizing his question rather than keeping it cooped up in his head. This broke the blonde from his concentration, glancing down at the other.
“I suppose you could say I do, yes.” He said quietly. Makoto shifted a bit to rest his head on his shoulder instead of his chest, so it was a bit easier for them to look at each other.
“That’s cool,” He offered with a smile. “What do you know about them?”
Byakuya looked over at him for a moment, a glint of some emotion that Makoto couldn’t quite place prominent in his gaze. Was it awe? Wonder? It was something positive, he could tell, because a hint of a smile teased Byakuya’s lips.
“I suppose I can tell you,” He said quietly, shifting his gaze back up at the sky. “There are a few constellations out tonight- look, Ursa Major is right above us. Ursa Minor is beside it,”
Makoto nodded quietly, looking up with a soft smile. “What else?”
Byakuya kept an arm around the luckster and used his other hand to point upwards. “That’s the Leo constellation,” He said softly. “Sextans is just beneath it, and… I’m quite sure that’s Hydra beneath that.”
Makoto grinned as he listened to the other. Byakuya’s eyes were bright, almost shining with passion. He didn’t get to talk about this often, did he? Makoto was more than happy to change that.
Makoto used his own hand to point up after a few moments. “That one, right there.” He said.
Byakuya hummed. “What about it?”
“It looks like a bird with a top hat.” Makoto said quietly, to which Byakuya began to laugh quietly. A hand flew over his mouth to try and muffle the sound.
“A- A top hat?” Byakuya asked behind his hand, giggling. Makoto’s heart swelled at the sound, it was so light and jubilant and fucking rare. He needed to hear it again.
Makoto grinned. “Yeah! A top hat!” He said happily, moving his finger to point at a different constellation. “And that looks like a frog with three eyes.”
Byakuya snorted at that, his hand falling away and letting the sound of laughter ring into the sky. “Y-You!- How dare you distort the stars like that!” He laughed, shaking his head.
Makoto began to laugh as well; the sound of Byakuya’s was contagious. The two of them laughed for only a few more moments before it died out, only a few chuckles coming in sporadically before it was quiet.
Makoto pressed a gentle kiss to Byakuya’s cheek, which earned him a flush of red. “I like when you laugh,” He said softly, nuzzling the other a bit. “You should do it more often,”
Byakuya blushed a bit more, looking away from Makoto. “Well… I suppose I can appreciate your sentiment…” He said quietly.
Makoto grinned. “That’s all I could want.”
The two continued to cuddle in the silence, staring up at the sky. The soft sounds of crickets and the occasional small gust of wind was enough to almost lull the brunette to sleep. Before he could, however, he heard soft footsteps behind them.
“Come along- any longer and we’ll freeze.” Celestia said. Byakuya sighed quietly, murmuring an ‘alright’ before he sat up with Makoto.
To Makoto’s surprise, he gave a chaste kiss to his forehead before he stood. He grinned in response, a soft hum escaping his lips. He watched as Byakuya picked up the two blankets they’d been using, while Celestia picked up her own. Makoto picked up the last blanket on the ground and folded it in his arms, walking over to the car trunk. He set the blanket in last, before Byakuya closed it.
“Fire is out?” Celestia asked, to which Byakuya nodded. “Alright. We’re all ready to go, then, aren’t we?”
Byakuya took the driver’s seat, with Makoto taking the seat next to him. Celestia didn’t complain and took the backseat, stretching out along all seats so she could lay down. “Makoto, why don’t you play some music?”
Makoto glanced at Byakuya. “Is it okay if I use the aux cord?”
Byakuya nodded. “Just don’t play any trash.”
Makoto took the cord and smiled a bit, plugging it into his phone. He opened up his music app- Soundcloud- and scrolled through a few different songs. He settled on something quieter, yet still catchy, and ended up playing Sleep Awake by Mother Mother.
As soon as the first few chords played, he could gauge by Byakuya’s reaction that he was interested. He’d sort of perked up, it looked like. “Do you like it?” Makoto asked happily.
“I do,” Byakuya replied, keeping his eyes on the road. “I’m surprised you like Mother Mother as well.”
Wait- as well? So Byakuya liked them too?! “Holy- you like Mother Mother?!” Makoto asked, a bit in shock.
Byakuya chuckled and nodded. “I do.” He said. “It isn’t my go-to but, I do quite enjoy it on occasion.”
“He needs one output for his teenage angst,” Celestia smirked.
Makoto smiled a bit and chuckled. “Teenage angst? From Byakuya?” He asked and shook his head. “Don’t see it.”
“We all have some, Makoto, don’t we?” Celestia asked with a chuckle.
“I guess so,” Makoto said with a smile, glancing back over at his boyfriend. He was biting back a smile, but he didn’t speak. He was probably focused on the road, Makoto thought.
He was slowly lulled to sleep by the sound of the car running, and the soft voice of Ryan Guldemond. He fell asleep quickly.
-
“Makoto… come on.”
“Wake up, Makoto.”
“You’re home. Wake up, Makoto…”
Makoto slowly stirred to the sound of Byakuya’s voice, and something shaking him gently. He whined quietly, shaking his head. He didn’t want to get up- he was so comfy here…
He could hear Byakuya chuckle. “Makoto, you’re home.” He said softly. “It’s late and I’m sure your parents would like you to sleep inside the house and not my car.”
Makoto huffed, forcing himself to open up his eyes. He was met with a soft sort of look from Byakuya, who was kneeling down to the other’s level from the other side of the car door. “Come on,”
He unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his phone, pulling out the aux cord before he got out. He looked up at Byakuya, smiling a bit.
“Thanks, Byakuya..” He said softly, glancing down and his feet before back up at Byakuya. “Can I have a hug? And… maybe a kiss goodnight?”
Byakuya flushed a bit red but nodded nonetheless. He gently wrapped his arms around the brunette, to which Makoto grinned and hugged back. The other’s grip was so protective, so sweet and nice. Makoto loved it.
He glanced up at Byakuya, only for a few moments before soft warm lips met with his own. He kissed back with a smile, letting the feeling of their lips dancing overtake him. It was soft, gentle… dare he say hesitant. He knew Byakuya had no experience, but he was nowhere near a bad kisser.
He pulled away and looked up at the other, grinning. “Mm.”
Byakuya smiled back, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. “You really should go, Makoto… it’s almost midnight. You promised to be back before then, didn’t you?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I did…” Makoto murmured. “I’ll see you at school on Monday then, right?”
“Mhm. I’ll see you then.” He said quietly, pulling away from the shorter. He offered Makoto a wave as the other backed up, tripping over on the curb and falling on his ass. Good move, Makoto.
Immediately Byakuya put a hand over his mouth, concealing his laughter. Makoto flushed red and stood up quickly. “I’m okay!”
“Okay!” Byakuya called back, chuckling a bit.
“Bye!” Makoto called as he made his way to the stairs, giving another wave.
“Bye!” Byakuya was smiling, and Makoto just wanted to melt rigjt then and there. But he did, unfortunately, have a curfew, so he had to get inside.
Tonight was definitely relaxing. A bit odd, but… he loved it.
He’d have to join them next time.