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Tears seemed to evaporate from Byakuya’s red-hot skin as he shut the door behind his father, trying his best not to slam it causing another screaming match between the two. He stormed to his bed and fell back on the mattress, reaching for his phone that he hid under his pillow in a panic when he initially heard his father knock earlier. The screen was black, and he turned it on to reveal that the call with Naegi that he put on hold had ended while he was away.
‘Great. I wasted too much of his time.’ Byakuya thought to himself as he tossed his phone onto the bed stand.
The calls he had with Makoto Naegi had become more frequent as of late, they gave Byakuya an escape from the suffocating work he was tasked to do under his fathers demands. Each night it seemed, Byakuya would finish with a majority of the work then flop on his bed to start texting his friend which eventually led to a phone call.
‘Friend? Is that really the right word here?’ At this point it was no secret Makoto had wormed his way into Byakuya’s life despite the walls and cold front Byakuya had put up to prevent such a bond, and with a commoner of all people. Makoto remained persistent, and finally during a group project they were assigned in their History class, that's when Byakuya let down his guard enough to let Makoto in. They've only gotten closer ever since, now being best friends who always turn to each other for anything. This was something Byakuya had never experienced before, and thus when he began sharing daily occurrences of his life with Makoto, he didn't realize just how dire they sounded. Byakuya spoke of how he had to compete against his many siblings to get the title of heir, and how his title still leads to a lot of work and responsibilities he carries despite his age. With that came talk of his father, Byakuya mentioned how distant yet controlling he was. The many times Byakuya got scolded even when he went above and beyond in all the right things, and how simple requests turned to violent lectures. Hell, Makoto heard of how they argued when Byakuya made the mistake of mentioning his friendship with the brunet.
Though tonight, Byakuya was in the middle of one of their usual calls when his father decided to pay one of his rare visits. It caught the blond off guard and his father made sure to dig at it, leading into a violent match of verbal aggression that lasted far too long. Even now Byakuya was still trying to calm down from it, and he still felt the heat in his skin and heard the thoughts yelling indecipherable things in his head. If he had the option, he would vent about it to Makoto.. again. But Makoto ending the call was probably his sign to keep his distance for the night, he’ll explain tomorrow at school, he supposes. But, now he was completely alone, just him and the violent emotions wracking his brain. ‘No… I can't fucking do this.’
He frantically reached under his mattress and felt around the bed frame until he felt his fingertips brush across something. He pulled out what looked like a weird metal and glass pen, and brought it to his lips. After closing his eyes and taking a deep inhale, he blew out a large cloud of smoke, trying to stifle a few coughs threatening to choke him. He immediately felt it hit him, the screaming thoughts slowly came to a murmur, he felt a sort of peace. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the white ceiling above him. His eyelids already began to droop a little, and he coughed a bit more. Yet, no more thoughts really bothered him, what happened less than 5 minutes ago wasn't even on his mind anymore. Just him and feeling his surroundings, yet he barely heard the tapping on his window.
He sat up and felt dazed at the sudden movement, still trying to register what the hell he just heard, when he heard it again. He turned his attention to the window, and felt a little freaked out.
‘Holy shit, is someone about to break in and kill me? Oh fuck no-’ He grabbed his slipper that was by his bed and got up to walk to the window. He raised the slipper and inched closer with more fear haunting him until he saw a familiar face through the glass.
‘Woah, Makoto??’ The brunet looked up at him and flashed his signature grin as he pointed down at the window lock. After a second of processing, Byakuya quickly dropped the slipper, flipped the latch, and lifted the window open so Makoto could crawl through.
“Makoto? Why the hell were you at my window? And how did you even get here?? My room’s on the third floor-”
Makoto slid his backpack off his shoulder and sat up on the floor he landed on. “I climbed your drainpipe, and I’m here because you forgot to mute yourself on the call, so I heard everything.”
Byakuya hummed at the thought. “I knew you’d need someone with you so I got my things and ran over!”
Byakuya sat on his bed in a small silence as Makoto opened his backpack. “I also brought you some M&Ms since I’ve seen you eat mine and I know your dad won't let you have them.” Makoto tossed a family pack of Milk Chocolate M&Ms and Byakuya let out a small excited gasp as he hugged the package. “Thank you, Makoto..” his cheeks dusted a light pink as Makoto got up and sat next to him.
“How are you feeling now though?” But before Byakuya could answer, Makoto’s gaze shifted away from the blond and instead looked towards the pen Byakuya left on his bed. The brunet picked it up to examine it and sighed. “Byakuya…” his tone weighed heavily with disappointment and Byakuya could only look at the floor in shame.
“I knew I smelled it when I came in… You shouldn't rely on drugs to relieve yourself, I don't want it becoming a bad habit for you.. you know you have me to help calm you down when you need it.” Though the disappointment still lingered a bit, it was mostly drowned out by the softness overpowering it.
Byakuya felt a hand rest on his shoulder and began to rub it. “I-... I’m sorry… I saw that you left the call and I just thought… I thought you had enough of all of this for the night.. I didn't want to bother you further..” Byakuya looked away now, more tears threatening to pool over due to the drug boosting his emotions.
“Hey.. hey..” Makoto moved his hand from Byakuya’s shoulder and instead snaked them around Byakuya’s waist, pulling him onto his lap and hugging him close. “You know I’m never bothered by you talking to me about anything, especially if it's important to you. Whether you're in a bad spot and need comforting, or you're excited about anything big or small, I’m always going to be here. You mean a lot to me, and you deserve a better support system than something like weed..”
Makoto smiled as Byakuya sniffled a bit and leaned into Makoto's hold. Makoto pulled him down with him as he lie down on his back, running some of his fingers through Byakuya's soft, blond locks as a form of comfort. Byakuya in turn wrapped his arms around Makoto and nuzzled into his chest, filling his senses with Makoto’s scent. “You know I really like you, right? You being happy means more to me than anything.”
Byakuya’s eyes widened, and he looked up at Makoto. “Wait, you… you like me?” Makoto realized what he said and tried but failed to recover his wording. Instead he sighed and decided it was too late to look back now. “Ye- Yeah… I’ve… Honestly felt this way for a while. I get a sense of comfort around you, yet the urge to protect you from the world when life gets difficult. You just mean a lot to me and I guess I just… naturally developed stronger feelings than just friends..”
This time it was Makoto who looked away, but Byakuya was just left in stunned silence. He let the words sink in, focusing all his attention on them before the drugs let them slip away. ‘He… likes me? As... more than just friends??? But, what does it mean if I relate to his reasoning and then some? Does that…. does that mean….. oh my god-’
Before he could think on it further, Makoto began to try and sit up due to the fear of rejection, but Byakuya panicked and gripped the brunet’s shirt. “Wait no, Makoto I- …. I think I like you too…” Makoto raised an eyebrow. “You… think?” Byakuya stammered and shook his head. “No… No, I know. I know I like you too.” Byakuya took a second to listen to his own words before giving him a smile and Makoto gave off a nervous laugh.
“Are you sure this isn't the weed talking?” Byakuya rolled his eyes and scoffed. “No, the weed wouldn't allow me to think at all, dummy.”
This time Makoto gave Byakuya one of his genuine smiles in return for Byakuya's. Slowly their faces inched closer until they felt each other's breath on their lips. “May I?” Byakuya asked as he looked up into the hazel eyes looming above him. Makoto nodded his consent, and Byakuya finally bridged the gap, gently pressing their lips together. The kiss was short and soft, though they kept coming back for more. Makoto couldn't help but gush in his mind over how soft and pillowy Byakuya’s lips were, even if he preferred that they didn't taste like pot. All the while, Byakuya’s mind was once again screaming, but instead of hateful arguments about his father, they were instead screaming about how this moment was actually happening and how he never wanted it to end. Though eventually, it did when Makoto finally pulled away.
They looked into each other's eyes as they sat panting for air. After a few moments, Makoto guided Byakuya to lay his head back on Makoto’s chest which he happily obliged. “Are you going to stay the night?” Byakuya asked as he cuddled up closer to him. “Mhm..” Makoto ran his fingers through Byakuya's hair again. “I was originally planning on staying the night with my friend to help calm him down, but I think I prefer the idea of spending the night with my boyfriend to help soothe and protect him..”
They both chuckled at the statement before Byakuya spoke up. “Boyfriend, huh? So you want to make it official?” Makoto was practically beaming with how soft Byakuya’s tone was at the idea. “Only if you're comfortable with it, I’d be more than happy to be with you.” After a few moments, Byakuya reached for Makoto's hand and brought the back of it to his lips to kiss it. “That sounds nice to me.. I’d be honored to accept.” Makoto smiled and kissed the top of Byakuya’s head.
“Hopefully as your new boyfriend, I can keep you happy enough to never need to use that pen again..” Byakuya chuckled before pushing the pen in question off the bed. “You're already amazing at that, dear.”