Archive of Our Own

As she lied in the uncomfortable hospital bed, covered in thin baby blue sheets, she focused her eyes at Togami. More accurately, her eye. In the aftermath of Kirigiri’s almost death, one eye had remained almost violently violet, carrying that same calculating stare. The other had deteriorated to a cloudy grey, almost glossy.  

To an outsiders perspective, the pair’s silence didn’t hold much meaning or value, just simply them resting, something they both deeply desired. But in truth, the silence was hiding - just below the surface - a turbulent conversation that was on the brink of bursting into an argument. 

A promise had been broken. 

“I thought I told you to tell him how you felt if anything ever happened to me.” 

The blonde haired man kept his straight posture in his seat as Kirigiri’s glare swarmed him. He was never one to crack under pressure. 

“Don’t be so dramatic, your heart had only stopped beating for a few hours.” He slipped off his glasses to clean the lenses as if to punctuate the fact that he couldn’t care less about the other woman’s frustration. “You should be grateful I’m visiting you in the first place.” 

The lavender haired woman’s gloved hands gripped the sheets, had she become more emotional after her brief dance with death? 

“Makoto told you to visit me, didn’t he?” 

He lifted his gaze to meet hers, he was not surprised she deducted that. 

“What does it matter, I’d rather not upset him over such a trivial thing,” he swiftly propped his glasses back on. “The doctor stated you were going to be discharged soon, correct?” 

“You have quite the crush on Makoto.” 

She always loved reminding him of that fact, didn’t she. 

“I though we conceded that long ago.”

“I know, simply just reminding you.” She seemed to be holding back a small laugh. That sly woman. 

He was tempted to roll his eyes at her but he reminded himself that they weren’t in elementary school anymore. Even if Togami didn’t usually get along with Kirigiri, he was not going to play into her hands. He was not going to allow himself to act like a child. 

“Would you have told him if I stayed dead?” The lavender haired woman blankly stared at him. She was always staring.

“Of course, like you said, we made a promise. If there was anything to ever happen to you or the rest of our fellow... friends, I would tell Makoto my true feelings.” It still felt odd to utter that childish word, feelings. It felt slimy on his tongue, repulsive even. 

Togami did indeed love the former lucky student, he truly did. He loved him more than anything, he was the first man to ever make him feel such intense emotions. Any other man could fill the space in his bed but never in his heart. Despite this, his feelings still felt out of place. Byakuya felt out of place. 

“You should tell him, you’ve been enamoured with him for several years now. I think its long overdue for you to tell him.” 

Togami mumbled before replying. “How many times do I need to explain this to you. Society has crumbled to nothing, only in the past eight months have we actually been making proper progress. Romance is most definitely not needed and is merely a distraction. Even if Makoto reciprocated my feelings, I doubt he would appreciate the extra weight of a relationship. He is the Ultimate Hope after all.” 

Kirigiri’s cold expression faltered for a moment.

His voice cracked slightly as he said, “and anyways, have you seen the way he looks at you.” 

The other woman groaned. “Stop thinking like that. Makoto is Makoto, his affection for others is intense no matter who it is. And also, he is nowhere near as stubborn as you are so I believe if he truly did have romantic feelings for me, he would’ve told me by now.” She finished her sentence with a poisonous tone. Being bed-ridden for nearly a week must have been pushing her over the edge. 

“And you would not favour me as a romantic rival.” She continued. 

He raised an eyebrow at her vague statement. “Why? Did I do something to offend the great Kirigiri name?” 

She let out a sigh and decidedly kept her eyes off the former heir. “I just believe that even if he did love me and I loved him... he would be greatly disappointed.” 

Togami laughed. “Disappointed? You two are quite literally connected at the hip, why would he ever be disappointed in you?”

“The way I was raised, the way I am. I’m not sure I’d ever be able to love him the way he deserves to be loved.” Her somber tone seemed to be hiding something, like she wanted to say something more. 

A lump formed in Togami’s throat. 

The former heir let a quiet sigh as he pulled out a book from under his chair. He flicked through the pages without a word to the other woman. This was usually how their arguments would end, one or the other becoming worn out and choosing to give the other the silent treatment. They were both children at heart. 

 ____

A cold breeze sliced through Togami’s suit as bronze leaves circled the landing helicopter.

Even if he wasn’t looking at the man beside him, he could tell that Naegi was more than ecstatic to finally reunite with his sister in person. The blonde couldn’t  help but smile at the other’s precious grin. However, once he saw a purple haired woman stumble out of the helicopter, his small smile turned into a grimace.

She turned to talk to someone still inside the helicopter. He could hear her asking for them to ‘stay inside for a few minutes’. He instinctively stepped away as Fukawa (who was now practically clinging onto Naegi’s sister) neared him. Naegi skipped over to the pair and tackled Komaru into a hug, leaving Fukawa to hurriedly relinquish herself from her partner’s side. Not much had changed since Togami had last seen the writing prodigy. Or at least, that’s what he assumed. 

Unlike their previous interactions, Fukawa didn’t scurry over to him and start blabbering about god knows what, or refer to him with such revolting language with no care for his boundaries. Instead, she nervously stayed static in place as the two Naegi siblings chatted. For a fleeting moment, Togami thought that maybe she had matured. 

He was pulled away from his train of thought as he heard the older Naegi call him over. As he neared the siblings, he noticed Komaru quickly whisper something in her brother’s ear but was hastily pushed away as Naegi’s face grew crimson red. Togami tucked his hands in his pockets as he spoke with the brunette girl. According to her, Fukawa and her’s plan to bring along the warriors of hope (excluding the green haired one, Togami thought her name was Monaca) had been successful. The four young teenagers were waiting just inside the helicopter. 

Finally, the purple haired woman piped up. “W-we... still can’t f-find that Towa brat. Since s-she blasted herself o-off to the moon or whatever... we haven’t been a-able to find her in any n-nearby areas.” 

Naegi’s face pulled down into a small frown. “That’s unfortunate. Byakuya and I were thinking of talking to Komaeda-san about her, considering he was the one closest to her. He might know about any hiding places she may have gone off to.” 

As the two Naegi’s continued talking, Togami’s attention drifted to the now landed helicopter. He could see behind the protective glass four small figures idly sitting inside, realising that Fukawa had been speaking to the Warriors of Hope beforehand. Seems like that wretched woman forgot about the kids she was supposed to be taking care off. 

“I think you two forgot about something.” The former heir pointed to the helicopter door which was still slightly hanging open. Having realised what he was referring to, Komaru quickly pulled open the door to reveal the four teenagers. After some short introduction, Makoto knelt down with a soft smile to speak to the children. He seemed to carry so much care in his voice as he chatted with the kids, treating them with such kindness despite the past destruction they caused. 

That’s what Togami loved about Naegi so much. Grace, kindness and love seemingly coursed through every word the brunette spoke. He was so forgiving and understanding even to those who had formerly worshipped the horrid woman who mercilessly brought the world to its knees. Not to say he disagreed with Naegi’s point of view, he recognised and agreed with his reasoning. The blonde was not that heartless to not understand that the Remnants of Despair and the Warriors of Hope were all also victims to Enoshima. Maybe the past version of him would have thought differently but he wasn’t  that boy anymore. He was different. He had changed.

He had grown from that.

____                         

It had been two days since Kirigiri had been discharged.

The drug Tsumiki had injected had done miracles to result in her only being hospitalised for no more than a fortnight. She was now having a conversation with Asahina, Togami quietly observing. The chatter from the other Future Foundation employees in the canteen was making it difficult for him to hear the pair’s conversation but he could mostly decipher it. He rarely had breakfast but today Naegi had dragged him along, always making an effort to include him. Togami was hesitant to join him considering Fukawa was going to be there, now that she had officially become a member of Future Foundation. On the bright side, at least she was finally done with that ragged school uniform, now sporting a proper suit and pencil skirt. Togami had eventually decided to give into Naegi’s request and was now poking at his rice bowl. 

The blonde noticed Asahina pestering Kirigiri with questions about her damaged eye, her concern more than obvious. Usually, Kirigiri would seem slightly irritated when others asked about her eye but when it came to the former Ultimate Swimming Pro, she didn’t seem to mind. She even appeared to enjoy the fact that Asahina was so concerned.

As his mind wandered, he recalled that the pair had always been close since the killing game, having an odd friendship. He suddenly remembered how devastated Asahina was when Kirigiri’s heart stopped beating. According to what Naegi told him, she was bawling her eyes out when she checked the lavender haired woman’s pulse. Only to feel nothing. No beat or rhythmic pulse, simply silence. 

As Togami moved away from the memory, a thought crossed his mind which he swiftly tossed it aside. It was nonsense. His mind began to wonder again, however, as he noticed a smile creep onto the former Ultimate Detective’s face. His eyes slightly widened. He hadn’t seen her smile like that since-

No. He shouldn’t think like that, it was a preposterous idea. It had only been three years since the killing game so to entertain the idea that Kirigiri, that any of them, had completely moved on from it was absurd. Although he wouldn’t admit it aloud, the blonde still had nightmares about the horrific experience. He was truly scarred for life.

Togami stared at the lilac haired woman once again. He and the rest of the survivors were aware of the relationship she had with the Ultimate Gambler during high school. From what memories he had recovered, Togami could distinctly recall an interaction he saw the couple have one day in class. Whispering in one another’s ears and sharing quiet chuckles. Kirigiri had smiled brighter that day then than he had ever seen her. 

Well, up until today. 

There was one explanation the former heir was able to come up with but it was a weak theory. Not even a theory, more like a hypothesis. Despite having known Kirigiri for over five years, he still couldn’t wrap his head around how she ticked. She was truly a mystery to him.

____ 

           
Kirigiri and Togami had been tasked with a painfully boring task. Sifting through and shredding old files. It was apart of their punishment for their involvement in placing the remnants of despair into the New World Program. Despite all charges of treason towards Naegi being dropped, the entirety of the 14th devision still had some privileges taken away from them. 

The first few gruelling minutes were spent in silence but it was clear to the former Ultimate Detective that the other man wanted to discuss something. If her suspicions were true, he admittedly did deserve to know. After all, she knows his secrets, it is only right for him to know her’s. 

“You want to ask me something, don’t you?” 

He veered his head to face her, pausing before opening his mouth. “Whatever makes you think that,” he said, straightening up from his slightly bent down position. 

“Bluffing isn’t your forte, don’t even try.” 

“If you insist.” Togami let out a puff and moved his specks back to their original position. “I’ve noticed recently that you and Aoi are becoming quite close.” He stared at the other woman intently, attempting to gage her reaction. “If I may ask, are you in a similar position as I am?”

Kirigiri furrowed her brows, her tone changing to a more frustrated one. “Elaborate please.”

He faced away from her to pick up another stack of papers. 

“To put it bluntly, are you interested in her?”

Kirigiri could tell that the pause was terrifying to Togami, likely praying to himself that he didn’t just humiliate himself with the question. 

“Yes.” 

He immediately dropped the papers and fell onto his chair, letting out a breath he didn’t  realise he was holding in.

She stifled a laugh as she asked, “were you that stressed over a question like that?” 

“Honestly yes, you are a very confusing person.” Togami said as he pushed away some hair out of his face. 

A snort escaped the other woman’s lips as she sat down as well. “You and I are truly useless.” Kirigiri joked. 

“How long have you been interested in her?” 

Looking down, she began to fiddle with her blazer. “Two.”

“Two what?”

“Two... years.”

“You are such a hypocrite.” He teased. “You lambast me about having a crush on Makoto for four straight years whilst you’re no better.” 

“Yes, yes, yes I know. But I have a proper reason. I spoke to you about it when I was still bed-ridden.”

Recalling the memory, the blonde finally realised why the former Ultimate Detective was so concerned that day. Her ramble about Naegi wasn’t who she was truly worried about disappointing. 

She was worried about disappointing Asahina. 

“Ah, your rambling makes a lot more sense now… but you seem so happy with her. Do you really think that your upbringing would destroy any chance of you having a healthy relationship with her?”

“Do you never ponder that same thing with Makoto? If you’re good enough for him?” 

He paused. He had indeed thought about it, not in detail though. Whenever he felt himself going too deep he would immediately pull himself out of the train of thought; he wanted to believe he was worthy enough for the brunette’s affection. For his love. 

“You and I were both raised in households that valued success over our own emotional well-being. We were told to suppress any form of sadness, excitement or anger that was not to do with continuing our family’s legacy.”  

She continued, “it’s unfortunate that we’ve both fallen for the most brightest and kindest people when we’re nothing but their opposites. We can’t even return that same warmth they have. We’re nothing in comparison.” 

Not good enough? Who was she to speak to him like that. Declaring he was too cold, too heartless to love. Her own personal self esteem issues did not concern him. He was nothing like her.

Right? 

“I don’t see the issue?”

“Of course you don’t. Do you really not understand?” Before she could continue, the blonde interrupted. 

“You idiot, I wasn’t referring to that. Stop giving yourself impossible standards, I thought you would have learnt that over these past few years.” His tone softened. “Don’t expect that you and I are going to be perfect after everything we’ve gone through. Admittedly, I don’t know much about relationships with others but is it not true that your significant other is supposed to support you? Aid you and help you grow as a person.”

A familiar silence returned. 

Kirigiri spoke up again. “Do you think I should go to therapy again?” 

Instantly, the memories from the six survivors group therapy sessions from when Future Foundation first rescued them after defeating Enoshima, came rushing back. It was an interesting experience to say the least. Sharp insults and boiling tears were the first aspects that came to mind whenever Togami thought back to that time. 

“Don’t come to me for advice. If you want to go through that hellish experience again, be my guest.” 

A small laugh escaped her lips as she brought her gloves hands up to her arms. 

“We’ll see.” Her expressionless face disappeared with a grin. “But... thank you for what you said earlier. You can be nice when you want to.” Kirigiri rose from her seat and began to shred now useless files and documents. “If it means anything, although I’m not a quick to say ‘I love you’ person, I can imagine you saying that to him. Maybe not in front of others but instead when you two are alone, when it matters most. You’ll say those three important words.” She turned to face him as she said that final sentence. 

She could be nice when she wanted to be too.

____

They didn’t speak on the topic for many months. Kirigiri wished to refrain from ending up in another argument with the blonde as much as possible. Their group’s small apartment made it difficult to talk privately anyways, even if it was only the five of them. Oddly, Fukawa had chosen to stay in a Tokyo apartment with Naegi’s sister. They were awfully close for friends. 

So now, Kirigiri was stuck living with a man who constantly bordered on nonsensical, a woman she was too scared to love, her best friend and someone who knew her more deeply than she liked. 

Although she could easily live in her own home on the financial front, it was just... difficult. Too difficult to live alone. Despite having been alone for so much of her life, she couldn’t adapt to that lifestyle anymore. She had been so isolated throughout her childhood, only having known a slightly older girl for a short time. With years gone by, loneliness, paradoxically, had become too suffocating. Now here she was, splayed across the couch, covered in blankets as her housemates bickered about what to have for dinner. 

Long after everyone else in their flat had fallen asleep, Togami and Kirigiri were the only ones left awake; they were both night owls so it was not that surprising. The pair were completing some late night Future Foundation work. Even after nearly six years since the Tragedy had started, so much work was still left to be done. 

“What work are you stuck dealing with?” Togami didn’t come off too curious to the lavender haired woman, just attempting to fill the silence. 

“Nagoya and Toyohashi have wifi now, I’m going to be sent out to the latter soon. Likely, by the end of the month.” 

The former heir raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side. Kirigiri couldn’t  blame him for his confusion, none of them had been sent out on a field mission in months, let alone to a large city like Toyohashi. 

“How long are you going to be stationed there?”

“Two months. Minimum. There’s been flooding which is disrupting the city’s progress and if someone doesn’t check in soon, their people’s wifi is going to be cut off again.”

The situation the former Ultimate Detective had found herself in was frustrating to say the least. Just as she was beginning to work on herself and building the courage to tell the woman she loved how she felt, she was now being pulled away from her. Kirigiri looked back down at her laptop but she could tell what was going through the other man’s head. He knew full well what was she thinking. 

“I’m going to assume your position isn’t exactly... favourable.” 

“Well at least it will be my last piece of work for Future Foundation. After that, it will be time to finally kickstart our plan to reopen Hope’s Peak.”

The operation to reopen the school had been in the works for a few months, Naegi had been spilling over documents for the project just the other night. 

“You still have time to tell her how you feel. You should do it soon however, two weeks goes by fast.”

“It isn’t the right time. Starting a relationship off long distance never ends well.”

“Then bring her along with you then. Toyohashi is flooded, you’ll need all hands on deck.” 

That same quiet ambiance returned. Indecision and hesitation had always been Kirigiri’s worst enemies. Second to her own emotions obviously. 

“What do I even say? I haven’t felt this way since, since...” 

She didn’t need to finish her sentence to make it clear who she was referring to. To be honest, she was scared to love someone again the same way she loved the Ultimate Gambler. Too scared to finally move on and start again. To let go. Kirigiri did not even know if Asahina had moved on from her previous love either. The idea that she could very possibly set back the former Ultimate Swimming Pro with her confession was horrifying. Repressing her feelings was the best choice, and anyways, she had already made every mistake possible when it came to her emotions. Making another one was out of the question. 

“Let’s make a deal.” Now that caught her attention. “If you confess to Aoi, I’ll... consider doing the same to Makoto.” 

“You’ll ‘consider’. I want a promise that you will tell him how you feel. If you don’t tell him soon then be prepared to hold your peace forever.”

The blonde let a sigh but with a quick groan and readjustment of his glasses, he placed out his hand. 

“Ok, fine. Do we have a deal?”

A curt nod was enough as the other woman leaned over and shook hands with the former heir. It was set in stone.

____

Hagakure, Naegi and Togami were all out that night to go to a local bar. It was Hagakure’s idea obviously, Togami only begrudgingly coming along and even Naegi being hesitant. This left Asahina and Kirigiri the only ones in their apartment. All alone. Due to this, it became one of those rare occasions where she wasn’t wearing her studded gloves, her scarred hands out in the open. The former Ultimate Detective most definitely noticed the grin on the former heir’s face as he closed the door behind him and his other roommates once they exited the apartment. That bastard. 

She knew that this was the perfect opportunity to talk to Asahina about her interest in her but as always, her worries and fears were busy flooding her mind. 

What if she rejected her? What if she didn’t want to be friends with her anymore? What if she set back her progress? What if she hadn’t yet moved on from Ogami? What if, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if-

“You alright? Your knuckles turned white for a second there.” 

And of course Asahina had seen through her facade. 

Kirigiri was dragged back to reality as she remembered where she was. She was sitting at the kitchen table, staring out at the large window. In their apartment their was no dividing walls between the kitchen and the lounge area so you could easily watch the TV from the dining table. She had been doing that previously but her own intrusive thoughts had distracted her. Thankfully, the brunette had pulled her out of her spiral. 

“Oh yes, I’m... fine. I was just zoning out.” Kirigiri tried to keep up her usual neutral expression. 

“You sure? You’ve been acting on edge for a while now, is there anything you wanna tell me or...”

Of course there’s something I want to tell you, I just don’t know what to say. 

She finally spoke. “Um, there is something I’ve wanted to discuss with you for... quite some time. I just haven’t been able to find the words”

A soft expression appeared on Asahina’s face. Kirigiri always loved that smile of hers, it was so comforting. It made her feel at home, at peace. 

Suddenly, a welcoming warmth clasped over her hand. Looking down at the gesture, a small wash of red spread across the former Ultimate Detective’s face. When did she become this soft? She looked back up to stare at soothing sapphire eyes. Her and Asahina truly were opposites.

An out of character giggle escaped her mouth as she hung her head. She felt like she was back in high school, confessing to her first love with no idea what she was doing. Here she was now, nearly twenty-two and equally as flustered if not more, preparing herself to say those three very important words.

She carefully brought her hand up to caress though Asahina’s curls. For the first time in almost forever, the brunette didn’t have her hair slicked back in a high ponytail. Instead, they were let loose, cascading down her back. Kirigiri twirled her fingers through the brunette’s wavy strands. 

“I’ve always tried to picture my future, what that would look like.” She looked up to meet Asahina’s gaze. “Who I would be with, who I would grow old with.” 

(Assuming that she would ever even grow old in the first place). 

A tender smile crept onto the other woman’s face as she began to caress constellations onto the palm of Kirigiri’s hand. The former Ultimate Detective took no notice. 

“I see it clear now,” she refused to tear away her gaze from the other’s, even as her nerves started kicking in.

She pointed to herself. “All of this,” she brought her hand up to Asahina’s, gently stroking it as if one wrong touch would shatter the brunette’s smooth skin. “It’s yours. All of it.” 

All of me. 

Asahina leaned into the touch, a smile still plastered onto her face. 

She knows, doesn’t she. 

Asahina always knew. 

The pair’s foreheads pressed against one another’s, a wave of mutual understanding washing over them. 

All there was left to say were those three important words. 

“I love you” 

Looks like Asahina beat her to it. 

“W-what, I-I thought I was going to say that.” 

The brunette let out a laugh. Kirigiri couldn’t help but not be mad. 

“You were taking too long, I’ve been waiting for you to make a move for ages.” Her joking tone seemed to alleviate some of the tension and Kirigiri was tempted to join Asahina in her giggling. 

“I was simply waiting for the right moment to finally say, y’know, the L-word.” 

There was little to no sound except their breathing as the distance between them slowly vanished like chalk in the wind.

“Say it then, say what I know you’ve wanted to say for a long time.”

Asahina relinquished her hand from Kirigiri’s and brought it to the lavender haired woman’s chest. She felt her heart beating in sync with hers, their lifelines thrashing around intertwined. All that Kirigiri wanted to do was fall apart and look into the others soul and say those three words. 

“I love you.” 

____

Togami was aware of what he needed to do the moment he noticed two of his roommates clasp hands for the first time. Naegi was more than glad to hear the news, practically gushing over the new couple; he acted like a father who had just walked his daughter down the aisle, joyful and a bit teary-eyed. The former lucky student was always the emotional type. Hagakure had a similar reaction, although not as giddy. He had stated he would ‘send good vibes’ to the pair, whatever that meant. As usual, the blonde didn’t show much care for the new couple but he was admittedly pleased to hear that Kirigiri had finally confessed to Asahina. 

He never had much faith that Kirigiri would admit her feelings to the former Ultimate Swimming Pro so to see she had finally done so, was somewhat satisfactory. She had successfully stepped up to the task. 

All he had to do now was complete his end of the deal. 

The thought of being so vulnerable and honest in front of someone, even to the man he loved so dearly, was more than nerve wracking. Anxiety was bubbling inside him, threatening to burst at any second. He hadn’t even asked to talk to Naegi and he was already panicking. 

Snap out of it. 

Togami needed to get out of his head, confessing to the brunette had been long time coming. He couldn’t run away any longer. 

He had always longed for physical connection, the heartbeat of another’s, soft breath tickling his face. Someone to love. That was previously just out of reach but now, he could grasp it. He could only fully grab onto it however, if he let himself go. What he was raised to believe and stand for, corporate greed and shameless superiority. It all had to be let go off. 

Togami didn’t need that anymore, he never even wanted it in the first place. 

All he wanted was the man who despite his age, still sported a toothy grin. The man who wore mismatched, patterned socks because it made him and him alone laugh. The man who had so unabashedly cried into the blonde’s shoulder countless times over all kinds of stresses. The man who saved him from his ice cold prison and that Togami could only dream of becoming. 

All he wanted was Makoto, and Byakuya hoped that Makoto wanted him too. 

Kirigiri was soon to fly off to Toyohashi with her partner, Asahina, to help with aiding those affected by the flood. They were booked to leave less than a week away. As he entered the couple’s shared ‘space’, as they called it, he could see clothes strewn across along with cables and plugs. Clearly, neither of them were good at packing. 

Quietly letting out a cough, the lavender haired woman directed her attention to the other man, the source of the sound. 

“Everything alright?”

“Of course not, your room is an utter mess. Your leaving days from now, there’s no need for this room to turn into a dump.” 

Kirigiri didn’t seem to care too much about the blonde’s comments, simply continuing on with her packing. 

“If your coming to ask me how I confessed to Aoi, your not gonna get the answer you want.” 

Glaring at her, Togami bent down and began clearing up the mess of cables and plugs in the corner of the room. “Even though I wasn’t going to ask such a thing, I am curious by what you mean.”

“Aoi already knew about my feelings towards her, she was just waiting for me to make a move.” 

He stopped in his tracks. 

“I... w-what kind of gibberish is that?” 

“It’s pretty self-explanatory. She had her suspicions but still wasn’t entirely sure. Simple as that.” 

“This is not making anything easier for me,” he groaned. 

“How do you think Makoto feels? If he’s in a similar position as Aoi, then he’s been yearning for you for likely as long as you have.” She paused to face the other man. “You need to tell him, soon.” 

“I get that but... I,“ he couldn’t come up with an excuse. After all these years, any supposed ‘force’ or ‘roadblock’ preventing him from confessing to the brunette were no more. The only factor standing in his way was his own incompetence. 

Kirigiri’s tone changed to a playful one. “Why don’t you go to that park? It’s cherry blossom season, very romantic am I right.” 

“Please never speak like that again.” His harsh tone was clear enough. 

“Noted.” 

____

The evening breeze was surprisingly not too chilly, more akin to the warmth of rays of sunlight. The pair strolled down the empty gravel path, cherry blossom trees scattering the road. Naegi was babbling on about an episode from a favourite TV show of his. Togami didn’t have much interest in said show but the brunette’s joyful voice was enough. 

Peering through the crowds of trees, dwindling light from the setting sun formed a pink sky. It was one of the first clear skies that the two men had seen in years. As air pollution was gradually decreasing, mother nature was beginning to resurface. 

“Ah jeez, I’ve been talking your ear off for a bit haven’t I, sorry about that.” Naegi scratched the side of his cheek, letting a nervous chuckle.

“No, it’s fine, the show seems somewhat interesting, I’m happy you enjoy it so much.” 

“It’s such a good series, the last season was a bit eh but all around the plot is amazing!” 

A small smile crept onto Togami’s face. He had been smiling more recently. 

Abruptly, Naegi paused, stopping in his tracks. With a puzzled expression, the blonde swerved around to face him.

A somewhat mournful expression washed over the brunette’s face. “...Do you ever think about how much time has passed, since high school? Like, how much the world has changed in what, six years.” 

“Occasionally, it’s slightly frightening to think about how drastically the world changed in such a short amount of time. How much...” 

“How much we’ve changed, right?” The brunette finished his sentence as his face brightened.

“Yes, yes indeed.” 

“I think out of all of us, you’ve changed the most.” Quickly realising what that could imply, the former lucky student corrected himself. “For the better of course, I’m... really proud of you, y’know.” 

Tell him. This is the right moment. 

“I-, thank you.”

Tell him now or forever hold your peace. 

“I’m proud of you too, Makoto” 

Just as Naegi began to continue his walk down the path. Togami piped up. 

“I’d like to add one more thing.” 

A quizzical look appeared on the shorter man’s face, as he was about to ask what the other meant, he was quickly interrupted. 

With a kiss. 

It was short and chaste but it was enough to speak volumes on what had been bubbling just below the surface for years between the pair. 

As the blonde hastily pulled away, he could feel the weight of what he just did crush him like a ton of bricks. But to his disbelief, as he caught sight of Naegi’s face, he was met with a goofy grin. 

Even more surprising, the brunette latched onto his collar and pulled him back, their heads tilting as their lips locked once again.

Suddenly, the tragedy stricken earth became a whole lot better when you were the happiest man in the world.