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“Hey!” Makoto rushed through the door into the study with a wide grin plastered on his face. “What do you want, plebeian?” Byakuya looked up from his book, rolling his eyes. “Why are you being so salty? I just wanted to ask if you wanted to join us. Hina, Kiri, and I are gonna play some games.”
“What makes you think I’d be interested in your useless games?” Byakuya looked at Makoto, with a scowl on his face. “Hey! No need to be so mean.” Makoto crossed his arms. He frowned deeply, making his eyebrows furrow.
That was kind of cute. Makoto was kind of cute. Especially when he looked mad.
No.
No no no. Byakuya tried to push the thought out of his mind, shaking his head. That was a thought Byakuya didn’t need to have.
“What? Why are you staring at me like that?” Makoto raised his eyebrows. Byakuya cleared his throat. “Nothing, be quiet.”
Makoto sighed, almost sadly.
Byakuya didn’t like that.
He looked down back at his book, hoping Makoto would disappear. But he didn’t. Makoto stayed standing right where he was, waiting for Byakuya to say something, anything.
Byakuya found himself standing up and asking the simple question “Why?” Makoto blinked. “What do you mean why?”
“Why did you ask me? There’s plenty of other students you could have asked. So why me?” A strange curiosity of a sort bubbled inside him.
Makoto, thinking the other was merely setting up an insult or something, turned to leave. Byakuya grabbed his wrist instinctively, so as to stop the boy from leaving. “Hey! What are you-” “Answer me, Naegi.”
Makoto wiggled his lower arm out of the heir’s grasp. “Because, I want to be your friend. I like being around you. But you always act so-” he motioned around with his hands for emphasis. “Rude.”
Byakuya stared at the brunette, his attention fixed on the first bit of Makoto’s response. He was joking right? Trying to be funny, or mean. Right?
Makoto tilted his head, as if trying to figure out what Byakuya was feeling, or at least thinking.
Again, the taller boy asked “Why?”
This time his question was quieter, gentler.
And the Ultimate Luck replied the exact same way too. “What do you mean why?” There was no aggression in the way he asked, and yet it still made Byakuya feel queasy.
“Why do you want to be my friend so badly? No matter how cold I am to you, you persist. No matter how much I tell you to go away, you stay. Which is rather exasperating- but why? I’m terrible to you and yet-”
Byakuya was cut off by Makoto moving toward him quickly and pulling him into a hug. The boy hugged Byakuya surprisingly tight.
“Because, there’s gotta be a reason you act like that, even if I don’t understand it. And I know that under your hard, mean, icy exterior, there’s a good person in there. I want to get to know that person, Togami. Truly.”
Byakuya was stunned speechless. Even if he had the words to say, which he didn’t, he probably wouldn’t have been able to say them. So instead of a reply, Byakuya cautiously put his arms around the boy who was hugging him so tight.
Warm.
That’s how Byakuya felt. He tried to make himself believe it was because there was another person up against him, but deep down he knew it was a warmth from the inside. And after a moment, for some odd reason, it didn’t really bother him.
Without even looking at him, Byakuya knew Makoto had on that adorable dopey smile that Byakuya liked so much.
Byakuya sighed. Not a sad sigh or anything, more like, content.
A smidge of pride if he was being honest, that he was accepting how cute he found Makoto to be. He didn’t really plan to tell the boy, but he accepted it himself, and that was good enough.
It felt like they stood there, just- hugging, in a subtly sweet silence, for hours. Of course, it wasn’t that long, it was probably only a few minutes actually.
“So, Togami-” “You can call me Byakuya.” Makoto looked up to Byakuya and smiled. “Okay, Byakuya. Did you change your mind?”
“Hm?” Byakuya had honestly forgotten the reason Makoto had even come in and talked to him in the first place. “Do you wanna play games with us?”
Byakuya nodded slowly. He supposed that would be bearable.
Makoto was about to push out of the hug, but before he could do so, Byakuya squeezed him in even closer, and rested his head on the shorter’s. “Can we go in a moment?” Byakuya wasn’t ready to stop holding on.
“Of course!” Makoto snuggled his face into Byakuya’s chest. The blond blushed, and without really thinking about what he was doing, he kissed the boy on the head softly.
Makoto let out a tiny gasp.
“Ah, my apologies. I didn’t mean to-” He stopped. Makoto gazed up at Byakuya, pink in the face, giggling. Butterflies flew around in Byakuya’s stomach. “There’s no need to apologize! In fact..”
Byakuya's heart skipped a beat.
It took him a moment to understand it was real, that it was really happening.
Makoto was kissing him. Makoto was holding onto the upper part of Byakuya’s shirt, pulling him down, pressing his lips against the taller boy’s.
Byakuya, after a second, regained steadiness, and kissed him back. It was serene. It was ethereal. Something he never wanted to end.
Makoto tasted like honey. It was rather pleasant, Byakuya thought. Even though he really didn’t like sweet things. The kiss was sweet in more ways than one.
As much as Byakuya wanted the moment to last forever, it didn’t. It most likely only lasted for about 30 seconds or so. Makoto moved away and grinned.
“I like you.. a lot, Byakuya.”
“I feel the same way about you, Makoto.”
He wasn’t really ready to say those words yet. But it was good enough for Makoto. For now at least.
So hand-in-hand, Makoto and Byakuya left the study and went to play games with the others.
Maybe this would actually be tolerable. At most.