Archive of Our Own

Work was boring. The work was important, yes, but it was boring. Aoi missed her life before everything. She missed swimming for hours on end after school; she missed meeting new people; she missed feeling like the weight of the world wasn’t on her shoulders. She figured her coworkers—and her best friends—felt the same way.

So, even though it was only a temporary solution, Aoi wanted to get out with her friends and do something. Still, with the end of the world as they knew it having happened a few years back, it was a little difficult finding any sort of activity for them to do. Most “fun” things were closed down, or just way too far away. So, as mundane as it was, her best bet was to invite everyone to dinner.

“Hey, Kyoko!” Aoi shouted down the hallway. Kyoko turned, tilting her head in question. “I was wondering—would you wanna get dinner after work today?”

Her eyebrows raised, and her cheeks flushed a little. “You want to…get dinner? After work?” She paused. “Today?”

“Yeah!” Aoi affirmed excitedly. “We can go ask Makoto and Hiro and Toko—do you think Toko will bring Makoto’s sister? They’re kind of close nowadays, huh?”

Kyoko’s posture straightened back out and she cleared her throat. “Oh, of course. Yes, a group dinner. That sounds pretty nice.”

“I wanted to do something more fun, but there’s nothing really…open. But that’s okay! We can make the most out of it.”

Kyoko nodded. “Alright. Just text me a time and what restaurant we’re meeting at, and I’ll be there.”

Aoi gave the other a thumbs up before being on her merry way. She guessed that Hiro would be at his cubicle, as he was when she had last seen him. Maybe he would actually be doing work now instead of messing around with tarot cards…

Aoi had managed to track down Toko fairly easily after asking Hiro. As Aoi suspected would happen, Toko asked if she could bring someone else, and considering how small their circle was, it was no question that it was the younger Naegi. Aoi didn’t mind; the more the merrier.

Makoto was proving to be hard to track down, however. And after that…well, Aoi didn’t want to admit it, but she wasn’t even expecting on extending an invitation to Togami. He’d probably just scoff in her face when she asked, and she would rather not ask him in the first place. She knew what the answer would be, and that was a big, fat no.

Finally, Aoi spotted Makoto. It was getting to be late in the work day, so she was glad she found him when she did. Not that it would’ve been a hassle to text him instead, it actually would have been more convenient, but Aoi enjoyed talking to Makoto. The title he’d been given back during the last class trial—The Ultimate Hope—was very accurate. A lot of the time, Aoi didn’t even realize she needed encouraging when she spoke to him. Still, she would feel a reinvigorated will to find success after every conversation.

“Makoto!” Aoi greeted with a smile on her face. Makoto looked up from packing his stuff up to return the smile.

“What’s up, Hina?”

“We’re all getting dinner after work.” She knew Makoto would understand who we referred to, as they didn’t really hang out with many other people in the workplace. “You wanna come?”

“For sure! Everyone else already agreed?”

Aoi nodded. “Yeah, and Toko said she was gonna bring your sister, too.”

Makoto nodded. “Byakuya really agreed to this that easily?”

“Well,” Aoi started, “I wasn’t exactly planning on asking him…”

Makoto paused. This was exactly what Aoi was afraid of… Aoi knew Makoto was a nice person, but it’s like he felt the need to include Togami in everything. Even things it was obvious Togami wasn’t interested in.

“Aw, come on… At least ask him! You never know what he’ll say,” Makoto reasoned.

“No, I’m pretty sure I know what he’ll say…” Aoi huffed.

Makoto stood up straight, his bag properly packed now. “Fine then, let’s go ask him together.”

Aoi sighed. Okay, she would admit it, not wanting to be so brutally rejected was only half of the reason Aoi didn’t want to invite Togami. The other half was because he would be an absolute pain to deal with at dinner, and she did not feel like putting up with that during an activity meant to help them all destress.

But here Makoto was, walking right towards him, far too enthusiastic for his own good.

Togami’s eyes landed on Aoi first, and she watched as his face instantly transformed into one of pure annoyance. Ugh. At least she would be able to just get this over with, then she would be able to have a fun evening with everyone else.

Then something absolutely insane happened. Togami noticed Makoto also approaching him, and Aoi saw that same annoyed face change into…actually, she wasn’t sure. But it definitely wasn’t annoyance. He had the smallest hint of a smile on his lips, but it wasn’t arrogant or overly-proud as Aoi had always seen it. This seemed strangely genuine.

“We’re having dinner,” Aoi stated simply. She had no real excitement behind her voice like she did with everyone else.

“And you expect me to join?” Togami asked, looking back to her causing his smile to fall, and the brightness in his eyes to dull.

“I don’t expect anything,” Aoi grumbled. “I’m just saying that if you want to come, you can.”

Togami scoffed. Typical, Aoi thought. She wanted to throw her arms up and say ”I told you so!” in Makoto’s face like she was a child. But she kept her composure, and she gave the best fake smile she possibly could.

“Aww, come on, Byakuya!” Makoto protested. Really? He was trying to get Togami to change his mind? “Hina’s just trying to give us all a good time. Maybe you’ll actually enjoy it.”

Aoi was ready for Makoto to receive the same half-offended-half-amused scoff she had, and perhaps a few angry words along with it, but that never happened. Instead, Togami let out a long sigh. “Hm. Fine, I suppose I’ll allow you guys to bask in my presence.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Aoi saw Makoto roll his eyes. However, it wasn’t like the frustrated eyeroll she was fighting against right now, but instead, it was teasing. Playful. And all Togami did was give him a smirk in return.

“Well, I’ll see you there then,” Aoi interrupted. Wait—interrupted what? Despite the fact that no one had been speaking, she still felt as though her words had interjected some conversation she’d been cut out of.

“Yeah, see you, Byakuya!” Makoto called back to Togami, walking with Aoi. His eyes stay fixed on Togami for a few seconds too long, though, and he bumped right into Aoi. “Sorry!”

“It’s fine. But what the hell was that about?” Aoi asked, still a little dumbfounded.

“What was what?”

“The way you were being with Togami—it was like you guys were…friends.” Well, friends didn’t seem like the perfect term to use here, but anything else just felt weird to say, especially when referring to Makoto and Togami of all people.

“We are friends,” Makoto said, though it sounded a little confused. As if he was confused on why Aoi was confused.

“Yeah, right. Togami doesn’t have friends. He has associates, or even acquaintances if we’re lucky, but not friends.”

“Well, I’m his friend,” Makoto pouted. He sounded offended for whatever reason. The rest of the walk out to their cars was silent and awkward, though for what reason, Aoi couldn’t quite place.

The restaurant they had agreed on served Mexican food. Well, “agreeing” on it was really just Hiro begging them to say yes to any Mexican restaurant until they finally did. Aoi was definitely fine with it.

Kyoko was already there, because of course she was. The table she’d gotten was actually just two tables put together to fit all of them. Aoi slid into the seat across from Kyoko, smiling at her in greeting.

“I think this was a really good idea. Thanks for organizing it, Hina,” Kyoko complimented. Aoi’s face burned from the praise. It wasn’t that Kyoko was hard to please or anything (or, at least, not too hard to please), it just wasn’t often that she so openly expressed it.

“Oh, it’s really nothing. I didn’t really organize anything, I just came up with the idea,” Aoi gushed. “Anyways—! Have you noticed…” Kyoko’s face looked inquisitive, “Makoto and Togami? Their behavior?”

“Oh. Yeah,” Kyoko agreed. Aoi waited for her to say something more, but she didn’t.

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say, is ‘yeah’?” Aoi asked, confused.

“I mean, Togami definitely isn’t the first person I would choose to befriend, but Makoto can do what he wants. It’s his prerogative.”

“Okay, it’s only a little strange on Makoto’s part. He’s super nice. But Togami? That’s—it’s weird!” Aoi rambled.

Kyoko simply shrugged in response. Aoi wanted to continue the conversation, but it was obvious that Kyoko wasn’t nearly as invested as she was. Besides, it was time for people to start arriving anyways.

Punctual as ever, Togami was the next person to arrive. When he saw who sat at the table, he showed a bit of annoyance, but he tried to look unbothered when he sat down. At the opposite end of the table.

Next to arrive was Toko, who had apparently traveled with Makoto’s sister. Then Makoto arrived, and the obvious disgust Togami had on his face since the second Toko arrived was gone. Lastly, Hiro arrived, only a few minutes late.

The dinner was good. It was filled with a lot of laughter and smiles, so Aoi definitely considered it a success. Though, half the time, it seemed as if Makoto and Togami were in their own little world at their end of the table. Even when they weren’t huddled up in their own conversation, the way Aoi caught Togami smiling at Makoto while he was speaking to the group was befuddling.

Whatever. Not her business. If Makoto wanted Togami as a best friend, all Aoi hoped was that Makoto knew what he was doing.

As Aoi left the restaurant, Kyoko caught up to her. “I just wanted to tell you again that this was a great idea. Thank you, Hina,” she so kindly stated. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Kyoko!” Aoi waved after her, watching as she walked away. To be recognized for her efforts…it felt nice.

Aoi made her way to her car, but when she turned the corner, she saw two familiar faces standing at the side of the restaurant. It seemed as though they were saying their own goodbyes. They didn’t even notice Aoi.

“Aren’t you glad you decided to come?” Makoto asked, smiling wide.

“It was alright. About comparable to an evening spent reading on my sofa,” Togami replied, a smile tugging at his features as well.

Makoto rolled his eyes in the same way he had earlier: playful and unserious. “You should come out more. It can be fun to hang out with other people, you know?”

Togami shrugged. “I’m not sure I’d agree with that.”

“Aw, come on. At least when we invite you to stuff, you know that I’ll be there. So you know there’ll at least be one person you like to hang out with there!” Makoto raved.

“You truly believe I like to ‘hang out’ with you?” Togami scoffed.

“Don’t you?” Makoto responded; it was as if half of him knew Togami did, in fact, like hanging out with him, but half of him was still curious to hear the answer.

“Goodnight, Makoto,” Togami said with so much…what would Aoi call that? She wasn’t even sure.

“Goodnight,” Makoto repeated back to him. They stared at each other for a few seconds before parting ways, heading towards their respective cars. Aoi realized she should be doing that too, instead of just standing there like a creep. Why had she listened to that entire interaction anyways, she pondered.

She was curious, she guessed. It wasn’t like Togami to act so genuine, even if it had a veil of snark thrown over it. Aoi knew she would never experience it herself, not from him, so she wanted to observe it from the sidelines.

But it was still so strange. The way their gazes stayed drifting back to each other, or the way Makoto seemed so…different than he did with anyone else. Was Togami really his best friend? His best friend that he could be authentically himself with, and not with anyone else? The thought upset Aoi a little; the idea that Makoto didn’t feel safe enough with her, or even Kyoko, to act that way was a little disheartening.

Aoi sighed when she sat down in her car, wondering what she should do about it. Then, she realized, she didn’t even really want Makoto to act like that with her. If he did, there was no doubt she would totally think Makoto was into her. And that would be really awkward.

Oh.

Were they…already dating? If they weren’t, it was obvious they were crushing on each other. Or, it was obvious Makoto was crushing on Togami. Perhaps that was just how Togami acted when he was friends with someone, whatever that meant to him.

Either way, Aoi was willing to keep her mouth shut for now. For some reason, she didn’t feel the insatiable need to gossip to someone about this, or even to confront Makoto. Maybe it was because it involved Togami, and that was always a sure way to make things complicated and annoying.

In any case, Aoi knew. She knew, and she was content with the little bit of information she had deduced on her own.

—♡—

This trip had been largely useless. Makoto spoke at a press conference, and that boosted the public’s perception of the Future Foundation at least a little, but Kyoko really did not see why both her and Togami were required to tag along.

Despite being the most popular to the outside world, Makoto was the only one out of their division that hadn’t gone on any sort of solo trip. Kyoko guessed that was because of the dangers that came along with it. If Makoto were to be captured, the world would be plunged into despair once again. There would be no one to soothe the public’s nerves, and they might end up worse off than they started.

It made a little bit of sense, but there still really wasn’t any need for both her and Togami to be sent off along with him. Perhaps the the Future Foundation stopped cheaping out on everything, they could hire a couple bodyguards for the Ultimate Hope. And, perhaps they would get an upgrade from one measly motel room.

“This…this is unacceptable,” Togami huffed the second he unlocked and opened the motel door. “I’m purchasing another room at once.”

It was pretty dingy, but they would be leaving early in the morning anyways. Kyoko didn’t see it as nearly as big of a deal as Togami did.

“We can have a sleepover!” Makoto protested, grabbing onto Togami’s jacket sleeve to keep him from walking away. “It’ll be fun!”

“A sleepover?” Togami repeated, a sneer following after. “What do you take me for?”

“I take you for an amazing friend who wants to spend time with us during a sleepover,” Makoto answered, smiling up at Togami expectantly. All Togami did was cross his arms and shake his head.

“Charming,” Togami stated. The weird thing was, he didn’t even sound that sarcastic. “But no.”

Makoto deflated as Togami walked in the other direction, back towards the reception desk. Makoto turned back to Kyoko, looking defeated. They both fully stepped into the room, closing the door behind them.

“There’s no need to look so glum. You did a lot of good work today at that press conference,” Kyoko assured. “Besides, we’re leaving really early. It’s best we sleep tonight instead of goofing off.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Still, I’m sad Byakuya turned me down…”

Kyoko smirked, amused. “You really thought Togami would agree to that just because you asked?”

Makoto nodded. “Byakuya seems all stubborn, but if you ask him to do something, he’ll usually say yes.”

How Makoto possibly thought that was true, Kyoko had no idea. Togami had turned down other people’s proposals more times than she could count, all without a second thought. “I’m pretty sure that’s just for you.”

Makoto’s eyebrows furrowed before he sighed in confusion, sitting down on the bed. Apparently, he realized how exhausted he actually was, as his top half almost immediately fell backwards onto the bed.

“See? You would’ve been the first one asleep anyways,” Kyoko reasoned. “You haven’t even changed yet.”

Makoto made a sound of annoyance, getting off the bed and going to rummage through his small suitcase. Kyoko followed suit, pulling out her own pajamas.

After both of them had changed, Makoto in the bathroom and Kyoko in the main room, Makoto grabbed the sleeping bag he was required to bring on every trip. Likely because the Future Foundation knew they would be putting them in uncomfortably small motel rooms where their only options were sleep on the floor, or share the bed with your coworkers.

“You can have the bed,” Makoto stated with a yawn. “I’m gonna sleep like a baby anyways.”

Kyoko nodded, getting into the bed and trying to get comfortable on the cheap mattress. She watched as Makoto laid out his sleeping back, got into it, and then looked at his phone expectantly. After a moment, a smile broke out on his face.

“Why do you look like that..?” Kyoko questioned. She could usually discern things like this pretty easily; she could find out the reasoning behind people’s words and actions and emotions, a lot of the time even before the person in question could. However, with sleep desperately crawling its way to the forefront of her mind, Kyoko’s mind wasn’t nearly as sharp.

“Like what?” Makoto asked back, still grinning at his phone screen.

“You look like you just found out some great news,” Kyoko explained. Makoto’s thumbs were quickly dancing across the phone’s keyboard.

Once he finished whatever he was typing, he finally responded, “Oh, no. I’m just texting Byakuya. He told me goodnight.”

Kyoko hummed in understanding, though she was still left with a little confusion. As far as Kyoko was aware, Makoto texted all of his friends, and never did he smile like that. Especially not over something as mundane as a goodnight text.

Kyoko honestly couldn’t be bothered to care when she knew she would be waking back up in a few hours. Instead, she allowed sleep to take her. Makoto was still smiling at his phone when Kyoko fell completely asleep.

The next morning was a blur. Usually, Kyoko was much more composed, even on three hours of sleep. However, long nights at the office, along with this unnecessary trip, were catching up to her. Honestly, she expected to sleep on the plane for the first time since their 11 hour flight to Canada.

Per usual, they were flying commercially, and they were flying economy class. At least the three of them took up a row, so Kyoko didn’t have to worry about a random person sitting with her. Kyoko sat by the window, Makoto in the middle, and Togami by the aisle, much to his dismay.

“I could buy this entire plane if I wanted to,” Togami grumbled in frustration. “Sticking me in the back of the plane as if I couldn’t purchase every single first-class seat in an instant…”

“So why didn’t you?” Makoto asked, teasing apparent in his voice.

“It didn’t cross my mind. I forgot how horrible flying like this was. I prefer my private jet,” Togami stated.

“Well duh. Who would prefer this over a private jet?” Makoto whisper-shouted in return. “But at least it’s a little fun to sit like this. Look how close we are!” With that, Makoto leaned over into Togami, which was met with an eyeroll, though he made no effort to push Makoto away.

“I would hardly consider sitting this close to you to be ‘fun.’”

“Oh, come on,” Makoto protested with a smile. “I think you like it.” He was now all over Togami, about as close as he could get without just ripping off his seatbelt and sitting in his lap.

Togami let out a sound of surprise, shoving Makoto away this time. “Stop being ridiculous,” he mumbled, his face flushed.

Kyoko simply observed. Even if she wanted to contribute to the conversation, what was there to say? It seemed as though every time Makoto and Togami interacted, no matter who was around them, they became so caught up in each other, the rest of the world became irrelevant. Kyoko couldn’t possibly fathom why Togami let Makoto act like that with him, but she didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she closed her eyes and paid them no more attention.

Luckily, they’d been given a day off of work when they returned back. Kyoko took the day to rest. She didn’t like being off the top of her game simply because of fatigue.

When she returned to work, it seemed as though Makoto had taken his day off to do the same thing. The eye bags Kyoko could see forming under his eyes before weren’t completely gone, but they seemed a lot better now.

“Morning, Kyoko!” He cheerfully greeted as he entered the break room, a cup of coffee from some coffee shop in his hands.

“Good morning,” Kyoko greeted back, making her own coffee with the building’s cheap coffee maker.

“You should’ve told me you wanted coffee! I would’ve gotten you one!” Kyoko opened her mouth to respond when Makoto began talking again, “Well, I guess I would’ve asked Byakuya to get one for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Byakuya paid for our coffee. He always pays when we do something together… It embarrasses me a little, but I think it’s just his way of being nice,” Makoto explained, pink dusting his cheeks.

“Oh,” Kyoko simply said. The few times she’d been stuck with Togami to go somewhere, she’d always had to pay for herself. Not that it was an issue, she would’ve insisted on it had Togami tried to, but it was still…strange. Though he’d definitely gotten better since Hope’s Peak, Kyoko definitely wouldn’t consider Togami generous.

Makoto and Kyoko engaged in idle chatter for a few minutes longer before Kyoko suggested they get to work. She went off to her small office, booting up her computer to get started with the day.

Lunch finally rolled around, so Kyoko gathered her stuff. She’d worked nonstop since she got into her office, which was common for her. Still, she was happy to take a break.

She traveled to the table where she, Makoto, Hina, Hiro, and sometimes Toko would sit together. Hiro was already there, as he’d likely been slacking off and decided to go to lunch a little early. Eventually, everyone except for Toko arrived, and, weirdly enough, Makoto.

Oh well; perhaps he was working through lunch today. Though it wasn’t usual for him, he’d done it a few times before. Especially after a day off, it made sense. Kyoko began to eat the food she packed, half-listening to Hiro and Hina’s conversation.

After a few minutes of eating, Makoto finally arrived. However, Togami was following after him. Now this was strange. Togami never ate with them, usually holed up in his office for the entire day. Kyoko wasn’t sure if he even ate at all during the work day.

Kyoko looked to Hina, expecting her to be scowling, or at least showing the slightest bit of annoyance towards Togami’s presence, but she seemed weirdly okay with it. She knew no one got under her skin like Togami, yet she was looking at him and Makoto with a smile.

“Sorry I’m late,” Makoto greeted, sitting down in his regular spot. Awkwardly, Togami sat across from him in the seat Toko would take when she decided to join them for lunch. “I was convincing him to come eat with us.”

Togami’s mouth formed a straight line, which Kyoko assumed was him trying to give them a smile. It was quite clear he didn’t want to be here, but for whatever reason, he’d agreed to Makoto’s request.

“How was your guys’ trip?” Hina asked, her voice a little singsongy for whatever reason. It struck Kyoko as odd—Hina hadn’t asked her how the trip had been, despite the fact that she was also there.

“It was good! I gave a press conference, and I think I did well,” Makoto replied, taking a big bite of the sandwich he’d brought.

“Anything else?” Hina asked, sounding a little let down.

“Uhhh…nope! I wanted to have a sleepover with these two, but Byakuya got his own room, and Kyoko fell asleep before her head even hit the pillow!”

Hina sighed, disappointed for some reason. She turned back to her donut solemnly. What replies had she even been searching for? Kyoko was an expert at finding reasonings and solutions, yet she was turning up empty-handed whenever she tried searching for answers surrounding Makoto and Togami. What was going on?

Kyoko was silent for the remainder of the lunch, thinking to herself, trying to pinpoint what exactly was strange about Makoto, Togami, and now Hina’s behavior. A few weeks ago, during the dinner she’d so kindly organized, Hina confronted her about it. Ever since then, she hadn’t brought it up again, which was strange for her considering she loved a bit of gossip.

Had Hina figured it out?

As they all threw away their trash and began to head their separate ways, Kyoko stopped Hina.

“Hey. Can you come to my office for a minute?” Kyoko requested, her eyebrows still furrowed in confusion.

“Huh? Sure,” Hina replied, a little nervous. Still, she followed Kyoko down to the small room. “What’s up?” She asked once Kyoko closed the door.

“What’s going on with Makoto and Togami?” Kyoko blurted, getting straight to the point. “I know you know something, so just tell me.”

“Whaaaat? I don’t know anything!” Hina said unconvincingly. It looked like she was itching to say something, but she was still holding back.

“Stop lying,” Kyoko ordered.

“Okay, fine—” and with minimal convincing, Hina was speaking like she had been dying to say this, “I think Makoto and Togami are dating.”

Kyoko paused. Dating? Makoto and Togami? Why wouldn’t Makoto tell her?

“Or, okay, maybe not dating, but Makoto is tooootally into Togami. And, this is going to sound crazy, but I honestly think Togami is too!”

Oh. That made…a lot of sense, actually. The only thing Hina was missing was that Kyoko didn’t think that either of them even knew how they felt for the other.

Kyoko was a little frustrated with herself; she couldn’t figure out something so glaringly obvious on her own. The possibility hadn’t even crossed her mind, despite the fact that they were practically flirting every time they spoke to each other.

Crushes, love, things like that, they didn’t plague Kyoko’s mind often. The fact that Makoto and Togami had feelings for each other hadn’t seemed like a possibility before simply because it was so rare for herself to feel those feelings.

But now that it was out in the open like this, Kyoko couldn’t help but feel the desire to help them each realize their feelings. As annoying as Togami could be, she had a feeling he would remove the stick from his ass if he was in a relationship. And she obviously wanted to see Makoto happy.

“I think I know what you’re thinking,” Hina said cheekily, “and I wanna help.”

—♡—

Toko knew that Togami didn’t love her back, but she was fine with that. Especially now, having Komaru, her mind had been nearly completely clear of thoughts about him. She had a true friend now; she was happy.

Still, seeing Makoto and Togami spend so much time together would upset her from time to time. She tried not to let it get to her, but she’d spent such a long time trying to get close to Togami. How had Makoto done it?

Their differences were glaring. Makoto was nice to all, enthusiastic, and endlessly curious. Toko was blunt, self-loathing, and crude. She was working on it, though. For the first time in a long time, she felt the desire to better herself. For her best friend.

Anyways, Toko was frequently catching Makoto and Togami spending time together in the office building. At first, it shocked her a lot to see them together, especially with Togami acting so casually. Over time, however, it became a natural occurrence.

What Toko found was that old habits die hard. No matter how many times she tried to pry herself away, she just stood there listening to their conversations just out of sight. She wanted to know what was going on—she wanted to hear all of it.

“There’s so much to do,” Makoto complained one afternoon. Most people were gone by now; Toko was on her way out the building when she stopped in her tracks, realizing Makoto and Togami were talking in the room she was walking past.

“You can’t take it?” Togami asked, a certain edge to his voice. He was daring Makoto to say no.

“I mean, I can—”

“I know. You’re very capable, Makoto,” Togami interrupted. The door was cracked just a little, hence why Toko could hear, but there was nothing to be seen through the sliver of room visible. She wondered how they were standing. Were they both doing their own respective tasks, talking to each other from across the room? Were they close up, speaking to each other while gazing into each other’s eyes? Were their mouths close—perhaps Togami was staring right at Makoto’s lips, pushing him against the wall—

Toko shook her head. She had a tendency to go too far with her imagination, but she was trying to stop doing that. Especially about two unsuspecting people.

“Very capable?” Makoto repeated.

Togami scoffed. “You know what I mean. You surprise me with your potential each day.”

“That’s nice,” Makoto replied. Toko could hear the smile in his voice. “That’s really nice, Byakuya.”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Togami warned. “You’re nowhere near my excellence. Still, you’ve done well for someone of your status.”

“Of course I’m nowhere near your ‘excellence,’” Makoto laughed softly, “because you’re perfect, right, Byakuya?”

Togami scoffed again. “Stop talking.”

“What? You say it about yourself all the time,” Makoto protested.

“Yes, but I truly mean it. You’re just being idiotic.”

“Okay, maybe I was joking, but you really are pretty damn close to perfect.” Makoto’s voice sounded intense. Intimate, even.

“Oh, really?” It was obvious Togami was trying to sound as haughty as usual, but the question sounded too genuine. He wanted to hear Makoto’s answer, even if he was pretending he already knew it. Toko’s face was burning.

“Yeah,” Makoto agreed. Then, there was silence. They weren’t even moving; Toko would hear it. She imagined them looking at each other, the space between them charged—

“Or, at least, just after Yasuhiro,” Makoto joked, a loud laugh following Togami’s subsequent angry reply.

The mention of their fellow coworker snapped Toko out of the trance she was in. She’d been so interested in the conversation that she forgot she was standing in the middle of the hallway, eavesdropping on a private conversation. She scolded herself harshly before walking off, now actually leaving the building.

That night, Toko’s heart raced with possibilities. The idea of a romance between the two—it was intriguing to her, despite the fact that it would never come to be. Still, that didn’t stop her from imagining. Togami’s long arms wrapped around Makoto’s frame, Togami’s perfect lips locking with Makoto’s awfully average ones, Togami embracing and kissing and touching and loving Makoto.

Her obsession with Togami hadn’t fully gone away, she realized in frustration. It had just transformed into some sort of weird fixation on Makoto and him as a couple. Was that more or less weird than what was going on before? Toko promised herself that she wouldn’t harass them about it, at the very least. She was ashamed with how she treated her obsession with Togami in the past.

It was harmless. Thinking about Makoto and Togami—if she never let them know, it was totally and completely harmless.

Toko was going to enter the break room before getting to work, but as she got closer, she heard the voices of Makoto and Togami. She debated for a moment—would she go in and observe their physical body language, or would she leave them uninterrupted, listening to their conversation with them none the wiser?

Toko opted for the second option. She wanted to hear what they would say when completely alone. She wanted their conversation untainted by her presence.

“But, yeah, I don’t know. She’s just being weird lately,” Makoto said, exasperated. Toko felt her face flush; were they talking about her?

“Mm, I’m sure Asahina will get over it. Perhaps she’s interested in you,” Togami suggested with a bite to his words. Toko’s blood ran hot. Why would she have feelings for Makoto? They were far too similar. Makoto and Togami were obviously the superior relationship. At least they weren’t talking about Toko, though.

Makoto laughed at that. “Yeah, no, I don’t think she likes guys like me. Actually, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like guys at all.”

Togami hummed. “I’ve tried to ignore it, but I just can’t bear it anymore. What are you wearing?”

“Oh, you don’t recognize it?” Makoto asked, amusement in his voice. Toko wished she could break see through walls to see what Togami was referring to.

Togami huffed in frustration. “I’m asking, aren’t I?”

“It’s your blazer you left at my house a few days ago. I thought it’d be funny to roll up the sleeves and see if you’d notice before giving it back to you,” Makoto explained cheekily.

Left at his house..? Had they—! Toko’s entire body was enveloped in warmth at the thought. Did they leave marks on each other? Ones visible right below the collars of their dress shirts? Toko ached to see it.

“Tch. Of course I would notice. Those suits are tailored to my figure; it fits horribly on you,” Togami said, though he didn’t have the same genuine annoyance behind his voice he did when insulting anyone else. “And you—rolled up the cuffs? Those creases will take forever to get out.”

“Sorry! I didn’t think about that,” Makoto hurriedly apologized, fabric rustling. Toko assumed it was the sound of him straightening out the sleeves.

“It doesn’t look as atrocious as I thought it would,” Togami stated after a minute of silence.

“Next time I won’t try to wear your clothes as a joke,” Makoto promised, sounding a little deflated.

“You’re right. Because there won’t be a next time.”

Had it just been a one-night-stand? Did they regret it? They sounded so smitten now, though! If they regretted it, their conversations would be so much more awkward, Toko thought.

“I will never go the place you call a ‘house’ to do extra work again. That sorry excuse for a home was a joke.”

Oh. They hadn’t done that. That was so boring, though! On second thought, perhaps it was still tension-filled. The two of them sitting at a desk, shoulder-to-shoulder, breath hitching every time their hands grazed. Toko imagined it and shivered.

“Hey!” Makoto protested. “Does that at least mean I can come to your mansion instead?”

“And contaminate every surface there? Absolutely not,” Togami teased. It was obvious he wasn’t completely serious. If she didn’t know better, Toko would say it sounded like he was smiling.

“What are you doing?”

Yasuhiro’s voice caused Toko to jump out of her skin, “Nothing! I-I’m doing nothing! I was just—I was j-just lost in thought, o-okay? S-stop accusing me with—with those eyes!”

“Woah! I’m not accusing anyone, alright? I believe you!” Yasuhiro replied, backing off a little bit. “I was just going to get a snack, jeez…”

Toko wanted to warn him not to go in there, that Togami and Makoto were having a moment he shouldn’t interrupt, but he was already walking in, and Makoto was walking out anyways.

“Oh, hi Toko!” Makoto greeted with a smile and a wave. “Will you be at lunch today?”

“Uhhmm,” Toko stalled for a second, confused as to how Makoto could act so casual after talking to the undeniable love of his life, “s-sure, I guess…”

“Great! I’ll see you then.” He smiled and waved again, walking in the opposite direction.

Throughout the day, Toko had to stop herself from actively seeking out Makoto and Togami to listen to their conversations. She also had to give herself several reality checks, reminding herself that they were not, in fact, a couple. It was just her weird imagination twisting their friendship.

Toko packed her things for the day, excited to go home. Komaru had texted her, saying she wanted to come over after Toko got home from work. She felt as though Komaru was there more often than not; Toko really wanted her to move in.

When Toko passed by Makoto’s office, she heard Makoto and Kyoko speaking. She peeked through the crack in the door (which was much larger than the one the previous day), and he saw the two talking. Then, standing in the corner of the room, was Togami. Toko followed his gaze to Makoto, and her eyebrows furrowed. She wanted to remain unbiased, she really did, but she could swear there was a glint of love in his eyes. He looked so entranced looking at Makoto; it was an expression Toko had never seen him make before. It almost reminded her of…

Toko blushed. It was the way Komaru looked at her. She walked away from the door, more eager than ever to see Komaru.

When she got home, Komaru was already sitting on the couch. “Toki!” She called the second the door closed, already approaching her for a hug.

Obviously, Toko returned the embrace, allowing herself to fall into Komaru’s comforting hold. “How was work?” She asked, leaning away to softly brush the hair out of Toko’s face. And, of course, Komaru was looking at her with that same expression.

“It was fine,” Toko replied. “U-uneventful.”

Komaru nodded, taking a step back from the hug and looking at Toko up and down, as if she was looking over a painting. It made Toko feel exposed in the best way possible.

“What do you want for dinner?” Komaru asked with a soft smile.

After they ate dinner, Toko and Komaru sat on the couch together. Toko’s head rested on Komaru’s shoulder, Komaru running her hands through her hair after she’d taken her braid out.

“Omaru?” Toko said into the air. There was no turning back now; this was it.

“Yes?” She answered; her hands paused running over Toko’s scalp.

“Do you—d-do you…” Toko took a breath, “do you l-love me?”

“Of course I love you, Toki.”

“N-no, not like that. Do you…love me?” Toko asked again, face burning.

There was a pause where Toko’s heart fell. Then, the fingers in her hair resumed their actions, and Komaru spoke. “Isn’t it obvious?” She said it like it was the clearest thing in the world. Maybe it was.

Hesitantly, Toko sat up, looking at Komaru for a sign of insincerity. How someone like Komaru could love someone like her—it made her head spin with confusion. But she was happy, so, so extremely happy.

Komaru cupped Toko’s face and kissed her gently.

Later, they were cuddling in bed, Komaru already asleep. She was essentially spooning Toko, her hand slung over Toko’s body.

It hit her then; Komaru looked at her the same way Togami looked at Makoto. Komaru loved Toko. Did that mean..?

Toko tried to tell herself it was just wishful thinking, that she’d seen Togami’s gaze differently than it actually had been. But deep down, she knew she was right; a look with that much longing couldn’t be faked.

—♡—

Hanging out with her brother had become somewhat of a rare thing for Komaru. Despite the fact that she was always with his coworker (and now with his coworker), they didn’t spend time exclusively together often.

Komaru took matters into her own hands. She proposed a day in the city, just for them. No matter how much Komaru would miss Toko, it was good to spend a little bit of time without your partner sometimes. Even if you were still in the honeymoon phase (but, let’s be real, Komaru had been in the honeymoon phase from the second she met Toko).

Anyways, Makoto agreed, which is how they found themselves in the town square, bickering over what to do first.

“I want to eaaat,” Komaru complained.

“We can eat after visiting this bookstore!” Makoto argued. “Come on, it’ll be quick. Eating will take so much timeee.”

“Fine. Let’s go to the bookstore that would still be there after we ate. But, you know what won’t be there? Me. After I die from hunger in that bookstore.”

Makoto looked at her with clear annoyance, but he sighed in defeat. Komaru knew she would win; that’s just what happens when you’re the younger sibling.

The breakfast place was nice. It was family owned, and it wasn’t too crowded. Makoto had ordered a classic breakfast, with scrambled eggs, a biscuit, and sausage. Komaru ordered blueberry pancakes.

“Why did you want to go to that bookstore so badly anyways? Since when have you been into reading?” Komaru asked before taking a sip of her apple juice.

Makoto smiled to himself fondly. “I’m not really that into reading. I’m just going to get a book for someone else.”

Komaru’s eyebrows raised at the tone of his voice; she was about to pester him with questions when Makoto suddenly changed the subject. “You and Toko, huh?” Immediately, Komaru forgot all about the other thing, her face blushing red. “It’s about time.”

“Yeah…I kind of thought we were together already, but I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable if we weren’t on the same page,” Komaru rambled. “It’s nice to have it official. Toko’s my girlfriend.” Komaru smiled wide before repeating it, “Toko’s my girlfriend!”

Makoto smiled as well. “I’m happy for you guys! Even if it’s weird to hear about my own sister so much at work…”

“She talks about me?” Komaru shouted, her smile practically ear-to-ear.

“Yes. So much it’s annoying.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet! Do you think I should get a job at the Future Foundation? So I can see her more?”

“Please no,” Makoto said immediately. “I think you should keep being a teacher. You seem to like it, and leaving your true calling to see your girlfriend more than you already do doesn’t seem logical.”

“I guess you’re right,” Komaru sighed. “How is work, anyways?”

“It’s good!” Makoto nodded as he said that. “I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy working in an office like I do, but I actually enjoy it a lot. My friends are there, and I give hope to so many people. It’s so much better than I could’ve possibly hoped.”

“That’s so cool.” She was being honest; she found it admirable how strong her brother was. He found the good in everything, and he was able to spread that optimism to everyone around him.

“Yeah. I love working with my friends,” Makoto sighed, staring dreamily at nothing. Komaru was confused—why did he have that expression on his face? Was there something going on at work he wasn’t telling her about?

Makoto was frequently hanging out with Asahina and Kirigiri. Still, she couldn’t really see him with either of them (or any girl for that matter, but Makoto had never opened up to her about his sexuality, so she didn’t want to pry). The way he talked about them, it really did seem entirely platonic. A little admiration sprinkled in, but overwhelmingly friendly.

After a breakfast full of catching up on each other’s lives, they were finally going to the bookstore. Immediately, Makoto went over to the fantasy books. Since she didn’t really want to be here in the first place, Komaru simply followed.

“Hey, I recognize these books,” Komaru said once she looked at the series Makoto was picking through. “Haven’t you read these?”

“Yeah. They were my favorite in high school, and I wanted to get the first one for Byakuya. He said I’ve probably never read a page of a book in my life.” Makoto smiled to himself, laughing a little at the memory. “I know it’s not exactly what he’s into, but maybe we could read it together. I don’t know.”

Byakuya Togami, huh? Since their first meeting had been so heroic, Komaru had considered him to be a noble, selfless person (especially with how Toko described him). Once she realized he was a bit of an asshole, she was surprised. He was who Makoto wanted to share this part of his life with?

“Togami? You think he’ll read that with you?” Komaru asked with a bit of a chuckle near the end.

“Well, I’ll probably read too slow for him to have any fun…you’re right, he’ll probably read it on his own,” Makoto thought aloud.

“No, let me rephrase. You think he’s gonna read that at all?”

Makoto looked at her and tilted his head. “Uh…yeah? If I ask him to, he’ll do it.”

Did Togami just totally hate her? Because that definitely was not the vibe Komaru was getting during the times she met Togami. Or maybe it was just because they weren’t really friends, which, fair enough. But still, he seemed so pretentious; to read this young-adult novel just for her brother seemed out of character for him, even if she’d only talked to him a few times.

“Whatever you say,” Komaru muttered. “Is that all you wanted to get?”

Makoto nodded, following after her to the register with the first book in his hand. Within minutes, they were out the door and walking back down the street. Komaru filled the silence with random tangents, speaking about anything that came to her mind. The rowdy kids in her classes, ideas for her wedding, the lunch she ate yesterday, how she stubbed her toe last Tuesday. The weird thing was, Makoto was hardly responding. He stared straight ahead, looking slightly zoned out.

“Hey! Earth to Makoto?” Komaru called, waving her hand in front of his face. Makoto jolted, assumedly gaining consciousness again.

“I’m so sorry! I’ve just been so distracted lately,” Makoto sighed, exasperated.

“Oh, yeah?” Komaru asked, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Why?”

Makoto shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s stupid.”

“Which one? You don’t know, or it’s stupid?”

“Neither! Both..? I don’t know.” Makoto sounded frustrated. “Is it weird to constantly think about your friend?”

“What? No, not at all!” Komaru immediately answered. Then, she realized that in her case it definitely had been weird. “Well, I guess it depends on what you mean.”

Makoto shook his head. “No, it’s fine,” he dismissed, staring down at the bag in his hand. The bag with the book. For Togami.

She couldn’t stop herself from audibly gasping.

Was this what she thought it was? Was that “friend” Togami?! Was Makoto so deep in thought about him that he couldn’t pay attention to their conversation? Was he the reason Makoto looked so lovestruck all day? Thinking back, it had been like this for a while. Was her brother totally harboring a super huge crush for Togami?

Komaru resisted the urge to immediately start asking him thousands of questions about it. On one hand, she had to know! On the other hand, though, Makoto still hadn’t ever talked to her about his sexuality. Forcing it out of him in broad daylight seemed a little mean.

“What’s wrong?” Makoto asked in response to the random gasp.

“Uhh—” this was it, Komaru needed to make a decision on what to say. “Nothing. I thought I left my phone in the restaurant, but it’s right here.”

“Oh, okay.”

The day was great. Komaru forgot how fun her brother could be. They visited a bunch of stores, and restaurants for both of the other meals of the day, exchanging jokes and reminding each other of old memories. When Makoto brought up a funny memory with their parents, the sting of remembering them wasn’t as bad as it had been for a while. That really made her happy.

Still, Makoto talked about Togami so much, Komaru thought his cheeks would fall off from how hard he was smiling. It was totally obvious! And the way Makoto talked about Togami, she suspected he returned those feelings.

She wanted to set them up without letting Makoto know she knew. Did he even know? If he had, Komaru doubted he’d be talking about it so openly and obliviously.

They stopped to say their goodbyes at Komaru’s car. “Until next time!” Komaru waved, feeling happy but exhausted.

“Until next time. Say hi to Toko for me.”

The mention of her girlfriend made Komaru break out into a smile. “I will. You know, I can’t wait to have kids with her, and instead of introducing them to their lesbian aunt, I’ll get to introduce them to their straight uncle.”

Makoto looked at her with pure confusion. “What are you talking about? I’m gay,” Makoto said SO casually with a little laugh. “Whatever, bye Komaru!”

And then he was walking away, and Komaru was still just standing there with her jaw on the floor. Seriously? I mean, she suspected, sure, but he was acting like it was sooooo obvious despite never coming out to her!!!

When she got in the car, she was still surprised. The way he said it, “what do you mean?”, as if she already knew. How would she know! He never told her!

She should’ve just asked about Togami.

—♡—

Yasuhiro only kind of enjoyed his job. He loved his friends, of course, but sitting in a cubicle doing nothing was torture. Well, he was doing something, but nothing fun. Just stupid work stuff.

He considered quitting his job, but he was honestly afraid he would fall out of the loop with his friends if he did. He didn’t want that to happen. Instead, he would ask Togami if there was a department he could be transferred to that wasn’t so mind-numbingly boring.

Yasuhiro knocked on Togami’s office door, and after a few seconds, he said to come in. Yasuhiro entered, sitting in the chair in front of Togami’s desk.

“Hey, Togami!” Yasuhiro greeted. The other looked unamused.

“Did you come in here to say hey, or did you actually have something to talk to me about?”

“Oh, yeah. Well, I kind of hate sitting in front of the computer and doing paperwork and that kind of stuff, so I was wondering if there was any other sort of job I could do?”

Togami sighed loudly. “I’d try to figure something out relating to your talent, but I fail to find anything useful regarding yours.”

Yasuhiro was offended by that. There were lots of uses for his clairvoyance! Even if Togami was ignorant towards them.

Togami dialed a number on the landline sitting on his desk, pressing the receiver to his ear.

“Can you come to my office?” A pause. “No, not just to talk,” Togami said with an eyeroll, “I need you for something work related.”

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Makoto arrived at Togami’s office. “Oh, hey Makoto!” Yasuhiro called with a grin.

“Makoto’s better at realizing people’s potential than me, so repeat your question to him.”

Yasuhiro turned towards Makoto. “Well, I just think work is boring. I can’t really focus on any of it. I still wanna work here, though, so I was wondering if there was a job better suited for me?”

Makoto bit the inside of his cheek in thought. A few minutes passed, and he lit up like he had an idea.

“Public relations!” He shouted. Togami didn’t seem convinced.

“Hagakure? On public relations?”

“Yeah! I mean, with the rest of the PR team backing him up, it should be a good fit,” Makoto said excitedly.

“What exactly would I be doing?” Yasuhiro asked, smiling now that they’d found something for him.

“Dealing with the public. You would go with me to press conferences, talk to the news, and help with public opinion if there’s ever a crisis. You could predict the outcomes of the decisions you guys make, and maybe even predict things going wrong before they actually happen and start making a plan!” Makoto explained.

Yasuhiro nodded, his smile widening. “Yeah! I’d like that!”

Togami sighed. “Fine. We can do a trial run for a couple of weeks, and if it goes well, I’ll get to work on transferring you there permanently.”

“Hell yeah!” Yasuhiro exclaimed. “You guys are awesome! You’re such a great pair.“

Togami just stared at him with confusion and annoyance. “Can you get out of my office now?”

“Oh, for sure.” Yasuhiro nodded, standing up. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow!”

The more Yasuhiro thought about it, the more pumped he was. At first, he was worried Togami had only called in Makoto due to his bias. Man, he shouldn’t have underestimated him! This seemed like a great fit for him, and he couldn’t wait to get started.

Later, Togami discussed some more details with him, telling him he’d finish out this week at his current job and then start on the PR team on Monday for his trial run. He felt like he was floating the rest of the day, excited to finally be free of this hellish job.

As he was leaving, Yasuhiro noticed Hina and Kyoko peering into an open door. Kyoko’s arms were crossed, looking focused, and Hina looked like she was anticipating something. He approached them curiously. “Hey guys, what are you doing?”

Kyoko simply turned to him, but Hina flinched hard.

“We’re just watching them,” Kyoko answered, motioning to the open door. Yasuhiro looked in, seeing Makoto and Togami. Their backs were towards the door, which is why they didn’t notice Hina and Kyoko, he guessed.

“Oh. They’re a great team, right?” Yasuhiro asked. “They helped me so much today.”

“They definitely are great together,” Hina replied, weirdly giggly.

Yasuhiro shrugged it off. “Yeah. Do you think one of them will propose soon?”

Both Kyoko and Hina’s heads immediately turned to look at Yasuhiro in confusion. “What are you talking about?” Kyoko pressed.

“Well, I thought they got married when we first started working here, but I noticed they don’t wear rings. Are they married? Do they just not wear rings?”

“No, they’re not married!” Hina whisper shouted.

“Oh. Then my question still stands: have either of them talked about proposing soon?” He repeated.

“They aren’t dating,” Kyoko stated. Yasuhiro’s eyes went wide.

“What?! If they aren’t dating, and they aren’t married…” he thought aloud, “ohhh! They’re already engaged! They just don’t wear rings.”

“No, idiot!” Hina facepalmed. “They aren’t together. At all.”

“You’re serious?” Yasuhiro asked, dumbfounded.

“Dead serious,” Hina promised.

He paused. He was honestly speechless; he’d just assumed they were together and didn’t like talking about it with everyone, which seemed in line for Togami. The idea that they hadn’t been with each other this entire time—Yasuhiro was shocked to his core.

“If the most dense person I know can figure it out,” Hina started.

“Apparently before we did, might I add,” Kyoko said.

“Before we did! We have to do something about this. Like, yesterday,” Hina agreed.

Both Kyoko and Yasuhiro nodded. He was choosing to ignore that comment about being the most dense person they knew.

All Yasuhiro knew was that they needed to get Makoto and Togami together asap.

—♡—

“A division office party?” Byakuya repeated, unamused.

“Yeah! Come on, Togami. It’s been a rough quarter; this is exactly what we need to keep our spirits up!” Asahina tried to say.

“No. We don’t have the budget for this, and even if we did, I don’t see why you think it’s such a great idea,” Byakuya refused. Asahina was far too enthusiastic about this whole moronic idea.

“I’ll pay for it all out of pocket!” Asahina exclaimed.

“Oh, great. We’ll have enough of a budget for a single pizza,” Byakuya snarked.

“Okay, that’s just mean. Why don’t you ask Makoto?”

Byakuya froze. Why would she suggest that? As if talking to him would change his mind, no matter Makoto’s opinion on it. “Why?”

“I mean, he’s kinda like the secondary division manager. He’s so important around here, I think he’ll know if it’s a good idea or not.”

“Fine.” Byakuya pulled out his personal cellphone and called Makoto, who answered after just a couple rings.

“Hi,“ Makoto greeted. Byakuya could hear the smile on his face. He resisted the urge to smile back.

“Asahina has a proposal,” Byakuya stated, ignoring the tightness in his chest.

“Oh, okay! Hi Hina!”

“Hi, Makoto! Okay, Togami totally thinks it’s an awful idea, but I think we should have an office party.”

Makoto was silent for a second. “Byakuya! Why would you ever think that was a bad idea? I think that would be great!”

“Seeee!” Asahina taunted Byakuya. “Do you wanna help me plan it, Makoto?”

“Yeah, of course!”

Byakuya sighed heavily. “I’ll pay for everything.”

Asahina turned to him excitedly. “Really? Aw, thanks Togami!”

“Just because I know no one would come if you two only scraped together whatever change you could find. If we’re going to have a party, I would rather have it actually be enjoyable.”

That’s how Byakuya found himself once again at Makoto’s house, waiting for the other to get ready. Whatever Asahina and him had been planning, they didn’t clue Byakuya in. All they did was tell him the amount of money they needed, and he provided without questions.

He wasn’t really expecting to enjoy this party. Even though Makoto had been planning it, parties just weren’t Byakuya’s thing. Interacting with all these people he obviously didn’t want to see…ugh.

“How do I look?” Makoto asked, finally stepping out of his room. Instead of his usual work outfit, or one of those dreadful, old sweatshirts he owned, Makoto was wearing a nice sweater and corduroys.

He looked nice. Really nice. Admittedly, Makoto was somewhat attractive all the time. But at work, he didn’t look entirely comfortable in the dressy blazers and pants, while outside of work, Byakuya struggled to look past the cheap sweatshirts he often wore.

Like this, he was comfortable, yet still put-together. Byakuya didn’t think he could’ve picked out a better outfit for him to wear.

Byakuya himself wore a button-down and blazer with dress pants, per usual. Anything less, and he felt underdressed.

“Byakuya?” Makoto asked, and he realized he hadn’t answered Makoto’s question.

“You look fine, Makoto,” Byakuya replied, looking him up and down one last time.

Makoto sighed. “I don’t want to just look fine, though. Should I put on something else?”

“No—you look good, alright? There’s no need for you to change,” Byakuya protested.

Makoto smiled. “Thanks. Are you ready to go?”

“Mm, as ready as I’ll be,” Byakuya grumbled unenthusiastically.

“I think you’ll have fun. At least, I’ll try to make sure you do. Even if I have to stick by you for the entire party,” Makoto teased. It would’ve made him upset had anyone else said it, but when it came from Makoto, Byakuya couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“Don’t treat me as if I need a chaperone,” Byakuya scoffed.

“It wouldn’t be like a chaperone! More like…a helping hand!”

Byakuya rolled his eyes. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah! Just let me put on my shoes.” Makoto ran back in his room, coming back out having put on his footwear.

Of course he chose those hideous red sneakers.

At the party, there was music playing, but not too loud that you couldn’t hear the conversation around the room. Makoto and Asahina had actually gotten a caterer for some decent food, and everyone’s spirits seemed to be high.

When Makoto and Byakuya stepped into the party, Asahina perked up and rushed over to them. “Makoto! I think everyone is enjoying it! All of our hard work is coming together,” Asahina gushed. “I’m so happy!”

“I know! It looks amazing in here. We make a great team,” Makoto smiled, high-fiving the girl. Though he would never (Ever) admit it, it sent a pang of jealousy through Byakuya’s body. What’s worse was that it was true; Asahina and Makoto were a good team. It frustrated Byakuya.

“Hi Byakuya,” Asahina greeted, a little less enthusiastic, but she still seemed friendly.

“Hello. Your work was…better than expected.” It was high praise from Byakuya.

“Oh, gee thanks,” she replied sarcastically. “Whatever. Have fun, guys!” With that, she was off.

“Hina’s so nice. You guys should become better friends! You always make each other so mad when you talk; it’s sad to see” Makoto suggested.

Byakuya wanted to flat-out refuse, but the hope in Makoto’s voice made him unable to. He simply shrugged, not denying it, but not saying he would either.

Makoto led the two of them around, saying hi to the usual bunch, and then to a few other coworkers Byakuya didn’t even know the name of.

“Let’s dance,” Makoto said once they’d had enough greeting people. It sounded less like a request and more like a statement.

Byakuya wanted to refuse, but Makoto’s smile was so bright and genuine. Byakuya just rolled his eyes and huffed, but there was no real resistance. “I’ll stand on the dance floor with you, but don’t expect me to dance.”

Makoto smiled as he dragged Byakuya to the middle of the room. Honestly, Byakuya didn’t think Makoto had stopped smiling since they arrived. He imagined a world in which Makoto hadn’t asked him to get ready together, and he’d instead stayed at home and missed out on all of Makoto’s joy. Byakuya was really glad that wasn’t the case; despite the party atmosphere not being his favorite, Makoto was here to make it worthwhile.

Byakuya would hate for anyone to ever hear that, though. To know that his one and only weakness was a singular person…it was shameful.

Makoto danced (if you could even call it that) to the rhythm of the song. Byakuya shook his head, holding back his smile.

“You look absolutely ridiculous,” Byakuya claimed, desperately trying to keep a scowl on his face.

“Do I?” Makoto paused.

“Yes,” Byakuya affirmed, clearing his throat afterwards to try and cover the laugh that was threatening to come out. What what Makoto doing to him? He was about to laugh and grin like a teenager.

Makoto tired himself out with dancing for a few more minutes before he asked to go get a drink with Byakuya. Both of them grabbed a water bottle, Byakuya cringing at how bad the water quality was. Still, it was better than them filling up a pitcher with tap water.

Half an hour went by, Makoto dragging Byakuya to do various activities. Makoto showed off his contributions to the party, saying how he came up with this being here, or how Asahina said it would look better like this, but Makoto suggested something else. Byakuya nodded along to it all, genuinely listening.

“Everyone listen up!” Byakuya heard Asahina say over the speakers. He turned to look at her, along with everyone else there. “We have an awards ceremony! The winners were voted on by everyone here.”

Byakuya certainly wasn’t asked to participate in something so juvenile. If he had been, he would certainly remember how insulted he felt. Perhaps that was why he wasn’t asked.

“First! We have our hardest worker…” Asahina opened an envelope as if this was a real awards ceremony. All she pulled out was a flash card, so Byakuya guessed all the winners were in that one envelope. “Makoto Naegi! No surprise there!”

Byakuya watched Makoto’s face lit up. He certainly couldn’t deny that he deserved the award. Every time Byakuya saw Makoto at work, he was being productive (unless he was talking to Byakuya). He never seemed hesitant or upset to be called on for missions, and he did everything with a smile on his face.

“Oh! Come on over here to get your medal, and then you’ll have your picture taken at the end!” Asahina explained. Makoto immediately went up to the front of the room, where Asahina was standing.

A medal, huh? Byakuya doubted the money he’d given them was enough for all of that and then some personalized medals. Either way, now that Makoto wasn’t next to him anymore, the party was getting to Byakuya; his head was beginning to hurt, and he already felt annoyed.

“Next, we have the funniest…”

Most of the awards after that were for people Byakuya didn’t know. Kirigiri won most likely to get away with murder, Asahina won most athletic, and Toko won best vocabulary, but no one else stood out.

“Best dressed goes to…Byakuya Togami!”

The mention of his name snapped Byakuya out of spacing out. He’d been staring off into nothing as endless names were called, annoyed that Makoto was still standing over there.

This award was definitely fitting, though. With his tailored suits, perfectly kept hair, nails, and skin, and his expensive shoes, Byakuya couldn’t deny that he made sure to always look good. Apparently, everyone else noticed as well.

He walked up to the front of the room, holding his head high with a smirk playing at his lips. Asahina got on her toes to put the medal around Byakuya’s neck. Once it was on, Byakuya realized it was simply a cheap plastic medal. A piece of trash. He scoffed at the nerve of her to dare and put this around his neck.

At least he got to stand next to Makoto once again.

“Best dressed!” Makoto repeated, whisper shouting. Byakuya tuned out the other awards in lieu of listening to Makoto speak.

Byakuya hummed. “It’s not surprising. Of course everyone would notice how well I dress.”

Makoto was about to say something back, but Asahina’s speaking captured their attention.

“Alright! Now, last but not least, we have the best work spouses!” Asahina announced. As far as Byakuya knew, no one here was married to another employee. Then again, Byakuya wasn’t at all concerned with his subordinates’ love lives.

“This goes to…” she pulled out an index card, “Makoto Naegi and Byakuya Togami!”

What?

Out of all the people here, they definitely weren’t married. Byakuya and Makoto exchanged confused glances, wondering if Asahina got it mixed up somehow. But no, she was staring at them expectantly to come get their medal.

When they got close to her, however, instead of putting medals around their necks, Asahina gave them each a rose. “Congrats, guys!”

So, this wasn’t a mistake. Byakuya’s face went warm. It was just from the party, right? Not the fact that apparently the people in this room had voted for them to be the “best work spouses.”

He looked over at Makoto, but he was just smiling like he was holding back a laugh. Was this not weird to him? Flustering, even?

“We’re not married,” Byakuya finally voiced his thoughts to Makoto.

“You don’t know what a work spouse is? Like, work husband and work wife? Or, I guess for us it’s work husband and work husband…” Makoto giggled at the end. Byakuya still didn’t understand.

“…What?”

Makoto turned to him. “It’s like a term that people use when two people are really close at work, I guess. I don’t really know how else to explain it. These people think we act like we’re married when we’re at work.”

“Oh,” was all Byakuya said. However, his head was spinning. These people thought they acted like a couple? A married couple? What did that even mean?

“That’s it for the awards! Go back to having fun!” Asahina said over the microphone before the music turned back on.

Makoto looked so fine. Perfectly fine. Byakuya should have been perfectly fine, but instead, he couldn’t get it out of his head. The best work spouses were Makoto and him. Voted on by everyone in this room.

Ideas wouldn’t stop popping into Byakuya’s head. Makoto as his husband, their wedding day, living together and getting to watch Makoto wake up every day. Yes, Byakuya was far too hot to stay in here.

“Are you okay?” Makoto asked, looking at Byakuya with concern.

“I need some air,” he managed to say. He tried to stay calm as he walked towards the exit.

Outside, the cool air of the evening hit Byakuya’s face harshly. He looked down at the rose still in his hand, scowling at it. The night had been going fine, well, in fact, but then this had to happen. Now he was in his head about something so stupid and juvenile. Byakuya wasn’t even exactly sure why this was affecting him so badly; it’s not as if he actually thought of Makoto that way.

Sure, Makoto was the person Byakuya respected the most, and the only person he could really tolerate, and when he was alone, Byakuya found himself wishing for Makoto’s company, and Makoto’s smile was something he was constantly chasing, and yes he’d never felt this way about anyone before, like his heart would explode with how much feeling was inside of it for one person, but that wasn’t attraction. And it definitely wasn’t love.

Was it?

Byakuya assumed this was what friendship was like. Daunting and flustering, but so, so worth it. He assumed everyone thought about pulling their friends close and kissing their worries away. He assumed that everyone was constantly striving to get their friend’s attention, wanting them to be impressed. Wanting them to be in love.

He wanted Makoto to be in love with him. Did that mean..?

Makoto opened the door, looking at Byakuya, still concerned.

“You rushed out so quickly. I wanted to give you time if you needed to calm down from all the chaos in there, but I was worried,” Makoto explained, getting closer to Byakuya. When he was standing across from him, Makoto looked up right into Byakuya’s eyes.

“So, are you okay?”

Byakuya huffed out a breath. “I’m not sure,” he admitted.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.” Byakuya sighed in frustration. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. That party—it’s just too much. Everyone is talking over each other, and all I want is a moment to think.”

“Think about what?” Makoto asked, a hand touching Byakuya’s arm.

He tried to articulate his feelings, but he just couldn’t. Byakuya’s eyes looked across Makoto’s face; he stared into his eyes before his nose, then his freckles, his pink cheeks, the hair falling into his eyes, and, finally, stopped at his lips.

“God, Makoto…” Byakuya breathed.

“What?” Makoto said gently.

“All I can think about is kissing you,” Byakuya muttered without thinking. His eyes widened at his own words once he realized what he said, but he didn’t back away.

“You want to…kiss me?” Makoto repeated.

“Work spouses…they view me as your husband, and you as mine,” Byakuya started, unsure where he was going. “I can’t stop thinking about it now.”

“So let me get this straight,” Makoto began, “we got the award…and now you can’t stop thinking about kissing me?”

Byakuya took a breath. “I’ve thought about it for a while now,” he admitted. He tried to mask the uncertainty in his voice; he was never uncertain, never hesitant about his words.

“You have?”

Byakuya nodded with conviction, still overcompensating for how nervous he was inside.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Makoto asked, eyebrows furrowing.

“Would you have been able to handle it?” Byakuya returned. Was Makoto able to handle it now, was the real question.

“Yeah,” Makoto confirmed. “Yeah, I would have. And I would’ve done this, too…”

With those words hanging in the air, Makoto got onto his toes and wrapped his arms around Byakuya’s neck, pulling him down to his level. Then, Makoto pressed their lips together fervently.

Byakuya gasped once their lips connected. Makoto was kissing him with so much passion behind it—Byakuya couldn’t help but return it. He realized how badly he wanted this, one of his hands going to bury itself in Makoto’s hair, and the other resting on his waist.

Running out of breath, Byakuya pulled away, and Makoto stumbled forwards, having been leaning into the kiss so hard. Both of their eyes were wide when they stared at each other, and then they simply dived in for another kiss.

“I love you, Byakuya,” Makoto whispered in between a kiss.

“You do?” He replied, breath hitching. “I mean—of course you do.”

“Don’t do that with me,” Makoto insisted, a fond smile on his face. “Don’t act like you don’t love me too.”

Byakuya smiled, going back in for a kiss. Makoto returned it, because of course he did. Because he loved Byakuya, and Byakuya loved him.