Work Text:
Makoto cracked open his olive eyes, and immediately he was overwhelmed by the sheer excessiveness of the room. The walls were redder than he thought red could be, grand pillars and rails towered over him- the vivid lights casted a dim pinkish-red tint across the room and made his head ache, just a little. He would never get used to this.
He was distracted by a sharp sigh from the far corner- he turned to look at the source, although he was fairly certain he could identify his guest (host? Companion? He wasn’t quite sure) from the distinct sound of his annoyed huff alone.
Sure enough, Byakuya sat in an ornate red chair beside the desk on the far wall, legs crossed, sipping from an almost comically small teacup. He was glaring at him pointedly.
Makoto gulped. Even though he knew Byakuya, this all made him a little uneasy. He had no idea who he was supposed to be right now, what Byakuya wanted from them. He could hardly even imagine what sort of ‘ideal’ Byakuya was looking for- and he was doubtful that he would be able to live up to whatever that ideal was. He knew Byakuya had… refined tastes. He was always talking down to his classmates- and if no one in a school of ultimates was good enough for him, how could someone as ordinary as him even pretend to be?
“Are you just going to stand there and stare? You’re acting like an aimless idiot. Get over here.” And so Makoto stumbled towards Byakuya.
He was dressed like he always was- dark, crisp suit and deep green cross tie over his perfectly pressed button up. There was nothing physically different about him here, so it was strange that he looked so different. Maybe it was the red light casting over him, giving him such a menacing, unfamiliar aura.
He fought the urge to greet him like he usually would, with a cheerful grin and a wave. He wasn’t sure how the person he was supposed to be would greet Byakuya, and it felt better to do nothing at all.
Byakuya narrowed his eyes further. “You’re being awfully quiet. Tell me what you’re thinking.” Despite his commanding words, there was something bordering on concern in his voice, as if he were more worried about him than bothered by his silence. Or maybe he was imagining it.
Makoto chuckled. “Oh, you know, just…” he searched for a response, something that this person might say- “It’s just... been a long day. I’m a little tired. But, uh, I’m glad to be here with you now. I can be tired around you, you know?” That was probably vague enough.
Byakuya raised his free hand to his face to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and not to hide his reddening cheeks. Makoto was probably imagining that. Probably just the lights. “Mmhm,” the heir hummed softly. “Come over here, take a seat.” he motioned at the chair off to the side of the desk. Had it been there a moment before? Makoto didn’t fully understand the physics of this dream world, but he was fairly certain that chair had just appeared out of thin air. He sat down and looked up at Byakuya expectantly.
“So, do you have anything to report to me? Tell me you’ve finished filing the paperwork I gave you earlier today, at least.”
It sounded as if he was working as some sort of assistant for Byakuya. He could work with that. “Ah, yes, well… I finished going through the documents you gave me earlier this afternoon. I don’t have much else to report to you, though. It’s been a pretty uneventful day…” he rubbed the back of his neck subconsciously. He hadn’t even done anything, but he was still worried he was doing something wrong. Byakuya was looking at him so intently. “Er, uneventful, but productive! I, um, answered a lot of emails?”
Byakuya smiled at him, then, which caught him off guard. He hardly ever saw the heir smile, so softly, so genuinely. So fondly. He wondered, with a strange pang in his heart, who he was supposed to be. “Thank you,” Byakuya said, letting his eyes fall shut and leaning back in his chair. “I know I could have done it myself, but… as you know, I’ve been awfully busy lately, with the Ketouin acquisition… they may only be third rate, but their conglomerate is filled with so many bumbling idiots it’s been a pain to manage nonetheless… I have to watch over these ‘experienced businessmen’ like they’re children. Like I’m some sort of babysitter.”
Makoto grinned, then. He didn’t often see Byakuya so relaxed. (Had he ever?) Even as he complained, he let the tension drop from his shoulders. He looked more annoyed than stressed. “Oh, it’s no problem,” Makoto chirped. “That’s why I’m here, you know? To make your life just a little easier.”
Byakuya opened one eye to look at him. “Is that so? I assumed you were just here for the pay.” He said with a smirk.
“Well, the pay is certainly nice,” Makoto chuckled. “But I probably never would have considered a job like this in the first place if it wasn’t for you.”
Byakuya took a deep sip of his tea before looking back up to him, icy gaze uncharacteristically warm. “Well, I certainly don’t know what I would do without you,” he murmured. Makoto really did hardly recognize the man in front of him- thanking him for completing the simple tasks he was evidently paid to do, instead of acting like he was a nuisance for making him acknowledge his presence- He liked seeing Byakuya this way, so at ease, so happy.
Although, it was a pretty boring fantasy, all things considered. Was this really his ideal life? Of course he knew how important being the head of the Togami Corporation was to him, but to fantasize about a dull, stressful office job, drinking tea at the end of the day and chatting idly to some assistant… It felt so dull, for someone like Byakuya. He had never really imagined the life of the Togami heir would be quite like this, either. He always made it seem like it was something much more intense, more dangerous. Something an average person like him couldn’t comprehend. This was all pretty comprehensible, Makoto thought.
…Although, maybe this really wasn’t what his future was supposed to look like. Maybe, somewhere deep inside, Byakuya craved something simpler, quieter than he was destined for. Something he was never truly meant to have. No matter how much he wanted something like that, Makoto knew he would sooner die than give up his position as heir.
All that made his head spin, a little. He wasn’t sure what Byakuya wanted, what this dream meant, not really. All he could really do was make it as comfortable as possible for him.
“Well, I could say the same for you. I really do enjoy working for you,” he said earnestly.
Byakuya quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? That wasn’t exactly what I was referring to… I appreciate your presence outside of work, too, you know.”
Makoto’s eyes widened slightly- What exactly did he mean by that..? “O-oh, well- I just assumed, since we were talking about work-” he hadn’t expected the genuine compliment, nor its implications. “Y-you know I’m glad I have you in my life, too,” he mumbled vaguely. He was probably jumping to conclusions. He was probably thankful to have such a good friend in his life. Not that he was really even talking to him, he reminded himself.
Byakuya hummed in response. He looked so content across from him, with a faint grin and lidded, sleepy eyes focused on him.
Makoto smiled back at him. It was nice, seeing him like this, even if it was strange.
…Although, it was a little much, looking into byakuya’s eyes when he knew that the fond gleam there wasn’t meant for him.
He jumped up to his feet and walked over to stand behind Byakuya before he could think any better of it. “Like I said, I’ll do anything I can to help you. I know you’re under a lot of stress right now…” He let his hands rest on Byakuya’s shoulders. He barely even reacted to the touch.
“What are you doing..?” Byakuya asked. He didn’t sound as defensive as he would have thought, just curious.
Makoto rubbed at his shoulders gingerly. “Oh, well. You look a little tense, is all.” It wasn’t exactly true- here, in front of him, he couldn’t remember seeing Byakuya so relaxed in his life, but he could tell he was still stressed over the acquisition. The acquisition that wasn’t real. He was dreaming, in a world where he could be anything, and he still had so much pressure on himself. He wondered if he had ever known a life without that pressure. He rubbed firm circles into his back. Byakuya took a long, deep breath.
As he massaged at his bony shoulders, he felt Byakuya lean his head back slightly so it rested against his chest. Makoto couldn’t help but grin. “You’re awfully sweet, when you let yourself relax like this,” Makoto mumbled. Byakuya’s hair tickled against his neck.
Byakuya finally did flinch at that, if only slightly. “Don’t say things like that about me at work, Makoto,” he grumbled.
Makoto blinked. He glanced down at the man in front of him. He couldn’t remember how to move his fingers.
…he probably just heard him wrong. Byakuya didn’t know he was here; he couldn’t even see him. He could only see-
“Makoto?” Byakuya called, turning his head slightly to look up at him. “What’s wrong with you? I know you get distracted easily, but…” he trailed off, staring up into wide olive eyes.
Makoto chuckled nervously. His heart was beating so quickly he was certain the man with his ear pressed to his chest could hear. “Huh? Oh, y-yeah, I…” he took a deep breath and went on pressing into his shoulders. Byakuya slumped further against him. “I’m just… awfully tired. It’s been a long day,” he said quickly, even though this was the furthest from tired he could remember feeling in his life.
Byakuya rolled his eyes with a grin. “Of course you are. As nice as this is, Makoto, I think it’s about time we get you home.” He finally leaned away from him, and Makoto felt cold. He stood up and moved to go to the door.
“O-oh, ok,” Makoto said. He felt dizzy with a feeling he couldn't quite describe. “That sounds nice.”
Byakuya snorted. “Of course it does. Idiot.” He waited for Makoto to catch up with him, and they walked for the door together. Byakuya’s arm brushed against his. Makoto idly reached his hand out towards the other man’s. They passed through the door.
Suddenly Makoto woke up in his dorm room. There was a strange, hollow feeling in his chest. His memory felt fuzzy. His cheeks were warm. The image of Byakuya’s genuine smile was burned into his mind. He couldn’t exactly remember why.