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She has made him terribly soft.
For one, he has to go into work before eight in the morning and it’s torturous. He should welcome such an early start, productive man that he is, but no. All he wants to do is lay next to her and watch her sleep peacefully.
For another, he wakes up before he planned and is glad for it. He’ll be tired later, but it’s more time with her. His lover is always beautiful. (Fiancee, soon, if the ring comes in time.) But the sight of her without glasses is one of his favorites. Likely because he only sees it in two contexts: sleeping, and the other activity in the bedroom. She’s either serene, lost in pleasure, and for both of them, in utter bliss. Of course, he often has his own glasses discarded as well, so it’s blurry most of the time.
He put them on when he woke up. Just so he could look at her.
Really. Byakuya has changed a painful amount — although he is happier now, so he isn’t upset. Disturbed and surprised some days, but not upset.
But he has to get up sooner or later. He does, begrudging it the whole way. Eats, gets dressed, all very quietly so as to not disturb her. It’s a boring morning, made even more so by the darkness outside. He doesn’t mind winter. But the lack of sunlight is bothersome. Toko doesn't mind in the slightest, and he commends her for that, because something about it being dark outside when he wakes up is irksome.
Just as he is about to leave, a pair of arms wrap around him from behind.
“Good morning,” he says.
She sighs and holds him tighter for just a moment before standing on her toes and kissing the back of his neck. And then scurries back to their room to continue sleeping.
He can't stop himself from smiling.
And when he gets home, he finds her in her study and gives her a proper kiss on the lips. Because it's the little things, isn’t it? Whenever he had a free moment, he thought about that tiny peck to his skin from her chapped lips.
“For this morning,” he murmurs as an explanation, dipping down to kiss her again.
She giggles. “It must've been r-really important if you did it before t-taking off your coat.”
“Yes, it's the most important thing I've done all day.”
“Slow day at work?”
“No.”
She pulls him closer — down, really, and it's uncomfortable because she's sitting, but he lets her. There's a beautiful, subtle sort of joy in her expression. Somehow more beautiful than the moments where her joy has been the most intense. He's seen it a million times and the novelty never wears off. And he is a man who is bored easily. But he could never be bored of Toko.
“You k-kissed me first this time,” she says. “You haven’t done that i-in a while.”
His brows furrow. “I haven’t?”
“No. B-but I don't mind either way! I-I'm just happy I get t-to kiss you…”
But he minds. What kind of future husband is he if he can't even kiss her first? And what kind of Togami is he if she is beating him in initiating kisses?
He must rectify this.
It begins the next day. They actually get to spend time together in the morning — Byakuya's schedule is inconsistent and unpredictable, unfortunately. He would love nothing more than a solid routine each week, but it changes each time. It leads to good things too, though.
Like having Toko sitting on his lap and resting her head on his shoulder. No idle conversation, just comfortable silence.
He could almost fall asleep again like this. And he has in the past.
The TV is on, but he's not listening. It could be an honest-to-god live broadcast of the world ending and he wouldn't divert any attention from her. Her hair is down, wavy and freshly brushed, smooth. He runs his fingers through it. Completely content. It’s strange how fulfilling this domestic life is; he thought he would have to do something grand that changed the world for this happiness, and that is still a goal of his. He does little things to drive the world to a better place because he won’t be satisfied with anything less in his professional life. But he has a partner, and friends (even if a few of them make him want to wring their necks more often than not), and he is safe. He is not, evidently, above basic human needs, even social ones.
Toko shifts, making a cute little noise in the back of her throat as she stretches. He presses a kiss to her cheek with a smile. “You're cute this morning,” he says quietly so as to not disturb their peace.
“Y-you are too.”
“Oh, is that right? I'll be sure to bring that up in my next evaluation. ‘Well, sir, my lover thinks I'm adorable, so that should surely raise me up a few points, yes?’”
She laughs. “If anyone o-other than me thinks y-you're cute, I’ll slap them.”
“No violence, love.”
“You s-said no killing, n-not no violence.”
“Mm, that I did. I suppose a little bit of violence is okay, as long as it's justified.” He chuckles and pecks her on the lips. “Though I'm not sure that scenario is justified.”
“Oh, no, i-it definitely is.” She pulls him into a longer kiss. Chaste yet lingering. The physical sensation is fine, but it’s the mental one that makes it worthwhile. Byakuya smiles.
Two to one.
He bemoans having to leave for work, but her face turns a brilliant red when he peppers kisses across it, meticulously counting each one. Two on her forehead, one on each cheek, one on her chin, another on her nose, and one to the top of her head. Seven total. She doesn’t let him leave without another kiss on the lips.
Nine to two.
He is very satisfied with how it’s going, so much that people can tell he’s in a good mood. It’s really not anything worth getting distracted by any longer. He tells them as such, and everyone scurries back to their work. He even allows himself to laugh before doing his own tasks. Of course, they’re quite menial, and he doesn’t have much before the meeting in the afternoon, so his mind wanders. He wonders if Toko knows how much she’s changed him. She knows that he has changed, yes, but does she know that it’s her doing? Perhaps she just attributed it to their time at Hope’s Peak. Which was a factor; being allowed normal human interaction was crucial, even if he hated it at first. And still hates it some days.
He’ll ask when he returns home.
The meeting is as frustrating as it is necessary, and he is happy to leave.
She’s obviously happy to see him home early, as well. He’s pulled into a passionate kiss, but he can’t complain about her getting to the kiss first when her tongue meets his and sends warmth throughout him.
“Welcome home,” she whispers. Her arms wrap around his neck, and his around her waist. “I-I know we were supposed to make dinner together, but… I couldn’t s-stop thinking about you.”
He lets out a fond huff, slightly teasing. “I certainly hope it didn’t affect your productivity today.”
“D-definitely not.” She giggles obscenely.
“Well, we have a few hours. To the bedroom?”
“Mm, I can’t wait that long…”
He’s about to refute her, but it is honestly quite a big house compared to what she’s used to, so she would see it as far away. As much as he dislikes doing anything outside of their room, he dislikes refusing her even more. He lets himself get lost in her and defile the sanctity of their couch. (It’s more comfortable than he expected. Even if she nearly falls off at one point, with a laugh so beautiful his heart flutters.)
He loses count of the kisses in their passion. Even after the moment has passed, he can’t bring himself to care.
They make dinner. It’s starting to get cold, so soup it is. At one point she asks him to taste the broth. She holds up the spoon, but he has a better idea. After all, the liquid is still on her lips.
He licks it off and smirks. “It could use more seasoning.” She’s bright red again.
“A-ah, I—” A shake of her head. “Where d-did that come f-from?”
“Nowhere.”
She sighs. “I-I think I’ve been a b-bad influence on you.”
“You’ve been a wonderful influence on me, Toko,” he says. After deliberating for a moment, he steps behind her and hugs her. “I was wondering about that today. Do you know the extent of how you’ve affected me?”
She stirs the soup. Adds a bit more salt. “W-well, I know I have. Or else you wouldn’t b-be here.”
“Yes. But your answer leaves much to be desired.” He throws more garlic in. “You were the first person to make me realize that people can be valuable in many different ways. I thought I was on top of the world because I was only taught to value the qualities instilled in me. Wealth, intelligence, natural talent. It’s quite a naive way of looking at things, I know now. And it was your use of your intelligence and talent in writing to write things I thought were worthless at the time that intrigued me. It snowballed from there, but that was the beginning.”
She is silent for several moments, but he knows she’s just collecting her thoughts. As a writer, she takes her time with her words. More than him sometimes. It’s only when he hears a sniffle that he thinks to ask.
“Toko?”
She puts down the spoon and wipes her eyes. “S-sorry, I…” She turns around and hugs him properly. “That makes me s-so happy. I never realized…”
He softens, pulling her closer. As close as he can. “It’s okay. I never thought to tell you. Honestly, I thought it would be obvious, but I should have known better.”
“D-don’t say that. Now we both know.” Looking up at him, she smiles. Even her tears are beautiful. He wipes her cheeks and kisses the top of her head. “I love you, Byakuya.”
“I love you, too.” He leans over and tastes the soup again. “Mm, I think that’s good.”
“I-is it?” She puts her lips where his just were, and her eyes sparkle. Or is that the leftover wetness from her tears? “You’re right.”
“Perfect, even.”
She blushes, grinning. “Y-you’re too kind to me.”
“I’m not nearly kind enough,” he responds before gathering her up in his arms again. She squeaks, and he can’t help himself. He plants a kiss on her lips. “By the way, I believe I’ve beaten you in initiating kisses today.”
“Huh?” Her head tilts. “Y-you remembered that?”
“Of course I did. I love you, after all.”
She stares into his eyes, renewed passion and vigor in them. “Y-you set my heart on fire. I never stop t-thinking about you, even in sleep. You turn m-my nightmares into lovely d-dreams. You’re the love of my life and I-I never want to leave your side.”
“Okay, now you’re dipping into the excess,” he says. But he’s smiling.
She keeps saying things to praise him. He kisses her to shut her up; she doesn’t seem to mind at all.