Work Text:
It all started with an order from Kyouko.
"Why should I be the one doing video calls with her? Weren't you the one in charge of this?"
"Yes, but I’m currently busy with other tasks that require my full attention, and I think she would be happy to talk to you." was Kyouko's reply when Byakuya questioned her about the matter. "Besides," she smirked, “a little bird told me you owe her your life."
He clicked his tongue without a reply.
And so, here he is, sitting in front of his laptop, waiting for Touko to answer his videocall.
"Bya... Byakuya-sama?"
"Let's make this as quick as possible." he blurts, prodding his glasses higher up his nose. "Give me an update of the situation in Towa City."
Touko blinks, caught off-guard, but she quickly regains her composure. "W-well, there are still Monokumas roaming around the city, but they aren't a big deal for now. Komaru and I rescued the Warriors of Hope, and they'll stay with us until we can... we can go back to the Future Foundation headquarters." she grins.
"Any news about the resistance or Haiji Towa? What about the Monokuma helmets?" he asks. Touko sighs. "We can't do much about the helmets, at least for now. A f-forced removal will ignite an explosion, killing the kids in the process." she says, and even though the image isn't clear, Byakuya can see Touko's shoulders hunched. He'll provide her with a better cam with the next stacks of supplies the Foundation will send to them.
"As for Haiji Towa and the resistance... it seems they’ve vanished."
Byakuya's eyes widen. "What do you mean?"
"W-we looked everywhere, and checked their base multiple times, but they disappeared." she tries to explain. "I… I think that the city's underground could be bigger than we think and maybe they’re hidden somewhere in it. We'll check there too, but with just the two of us... it might take a while."
He sighs. "I can ask Kirigiri to send a squad to Towa--"
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I m-mean... thank you for the offer, but I prefer that no one will be informed about this for the time being." Touko asserts. "I want to be sure of my theory before talking to Kirigiri. I don't want to create a m-mess for nothing."
Byakuya remains silent for a couple of seconds. He has to admit he's impressed by her resoluteness. Sure, Touko has grown since their days at the Kibougamine, when she just followed him all around like a scared puppy... but he’s digressing now.
Byakuya nods. "I agree. Keep me updated about this, now I have to--"
"How are you?"
"Uh?"
"I just... want to know how are you..." she says with a shy smile. "How t-things are going on..."
"We are busy. There's much to do, as you can imagine."
"And how are you?" she insists.
"I'm… doing well." he says.
Touko smiles again. "I'm glad to hear that."
"I... have to go now. Good night, Fukawa."
"G-good night, Byakuya-sama.”
They start to video call twice a week. It’s not the most important task Byakuya can think of, but he intends to fulfill it regardless. What happened to him and his squad back at Towa City still taunts him.
And contrary to what he had expected, the calls aren’t as annoying as he had thought.
They mostly talk about work, and his conversations with Touko are nice and quiet, different to the ones they used to have when they were trapped in the Kibougamine Academy — when Touko would have stuttered some kind of compliment to him or she would have told him something about a book she loved (stuttering less), or her fantasies (drooling).
Her voice keeps him company during paperwork. It quickly becomes a routine, not necessarily a bad one.
It all started with a dark green jacket.
"Stacks of supplies and food will arrive tomorrow at 7 AM. Make sure that you and Komaru Naegi will be ready in time."
Byakuya wouldn't have noticed Touko nodding if he had not raised his head from his documents. Something about her seems... off, though he's not really sure. He still finds it difficult to decipher other people's emotions.
"Fukawa, what's wrong?" he asks.
Touko doesn't look at him like she usually does. "Byakuya-sama... d-do you think that your men c-can take something with them, when they'll head back to the headquarters?"
Now that's a weird question. "I suppose they can, but it depends on what kind of item we are talking about."
Again, she doesn't reply. She just raises her hands in front of the cam so that Byakuya can see what she's holding: a dark green jacket with a logo on its front. It's ruined and stained with dirt, but he recognizes it.
Aoi used to wear a similar one.
"I-it belonged to... Yuta Asahina." she says. Her voice trembles. "We… we found it the other day while looking for the adults. I thought that m-maybe Asahina would like to... h-have it." she stutters. "Even if s-she doesn't talk to me anymore... n-not that I should c-care..."
Despite her words, Byakuya can see that Touko is desperately trying to not to cry — her trembling voice, her lower lip quivering, everything in her says she can barely stop the tears. He spots Komaru in the background, silently watching her friend with a sad expression on her face.
"I'll make sure she will have it." he sighs.
Touko nods, averting her gaze.
It's almost time for Byakuya to go and he's about to say good night and hang up, but what comes out of his mouth is different.
"It's not your fault, Touko."
He's aware that he should have used her last name, but it seemed wrong in a situation like this. He’s trying to comfort her without even being sure of what he’s doing. Touko finally raises her head and looks at him with watery eyes.
"It's not your fault." he repeats. "You couldn't have done anything for him."
She sniffs. "T-then... why do I feel so guilty?"
Byakuya has no satisfying reply to offer.
The video calls became a daily routine.
At first, it was just to make sure that Touko's mood would get better so that she would continue her work in Towa City. That was the answer Byakuya gave to everyone that dared question his new habits, and to himself. Especially to himself.
It's mere courtesy, he keeps saying in his mind.
Yet, they continue to talk everyday, and he fails to ignore the fact that it’s slowly becoming one of his favourite parts of the day.
It all started with a smile.
"This hoodie is so comfy! Thank you, Togami-kun!"
Byakuya is glad he's not using headphones. Komaru's high-pitched voice would have turned him deaf.
"T-thank you, Byakuya-sama!" adds Touko, clasping her hands over her chest, where the Future Foundation logo is placed on her hoodie.
Byakuya and the others had recently discovered that the Foundation has, in fact, some kind of merchandise just like Western federal agencies usually do. He used to look with mild interest at the hats and jackets with the FBI logo in American movies. Now he has his own cup and a hoodie with the Future Foundation logo on it — though he just uses it as pajama.
"No need to thank me. If I hadn’t sent you some clean clothes, you would have forgotten to change." he says, while Komaru starts to laugh at Touko. The latter replies with a stern look and a pillow thrown at her friend. Komaru goes off video, chuckling still.
Touko turns her attention back to Byakuya, biting her nail. "S-sorry, she can be so noisy sometimes..."
"Just like her brother." he replies, but he doesn't sound as annoyed as he used to when it comes to Makoto. Gone were the times in which he was still convinced his classmates were nothing more than a nuisance.
Now the word "friend" doesn't sound as repulsive as it used to. Funny, that.
While immersed in his thoughts, Byakuya notices he picked the wrong size for Touko's hoodie — her hands are almost completely covered by the sleeves, with only her fingers poking out, and the hem of the shirt reaches around mid-thigh, as he discovered when both her and Komaru twirled in front of the cam to show him their appreciation for the gifts.
He would never admit it, but part of him appreciated Touko's improvised show. The fact that she only wears her dark thigh-highs stockings and not a skirt or pants doesn't help him avoid the thought that she looks kind of… cute dressed like this.
"I-is something wrong, Byakuya-sama?"
Caught off-guard. Again. It's becoming irritating, really.
"Nothing." he quickly replies, adjusting his glasses. "I was just thinking that maybe I chose the wrong size for your hoodie. It's too big for you."
"Oh, b-but it isn't a... problem, I like it anyway!" Touko says. "And as Komaru said, i-it's really... comfy!" she smiles, and that's when Byakuya realizes something else: she has a cute smile.
It’s not the creepy grin she used to flash while talking about her fantasies that annoyed him to death. It's a genuine smile he probably never saw on Touko, and it's sweet and-
He abruptly stops his train of thought. Because like Hell would he admit that... he likes her smile.
"Byakuya-sama?" Touko calls him again, and Byakuya forces himself to regain the little composure he got left for that night: "Is there anything else you want me to send you next time? Maybe some bottles of shampoo and shower gel of a decent quality." he suggests, and she nods. A few seconds later she adds: "M-maybe a few books? I’ve read everything I have here, and there's n-not many left in the few dismantled stores of the city..."
"Anything in particular you would like to have?"
"Uh, t-there should be a pack of books from Amazon in my apartment that I ordered before I came here, and I… I never had the chance to open it. I think those will suffice for now." she murmurs. "Thank you."
"No problem, we should have a spare key.” he nods. "What kind of books did you order, if I may ask?" He's always curious when it comes to this subject, since Touko has always had good tastes.
"Oh, m-most of them are replacements for some of my favourites... they're still in my dorm at Kibougamine." Touko explains, and he's quite sure she has no intention to go back there just to pick up her old stuff. "But I ordered some new releases too, mostly from one of my favourite foreign authors."
Foreign authors. Of course someone like Touko would be able to read in English.
"Who is...?" he asks, now really curious. He thinks of a few foreign romance novelists she probably would like, but she surprises him again: "Stephen King."
Byakuya raises his brows: "King? The best known horror writer?"
Touko nods.
"I thought you couldn't stand the genre."
"N-no, but... his stories are much more than mere horror novels. There's… there’s always something else under the first layer, and some of his characters... speak to me on a p-personal level, to say the least."
Something in that sentence rings a bell in Byakuya.
"I think I never read anything from him, as I never considered horror stories worth my time, but..." he elaborates. "I have to admit I appreciated almost any book you recommended me, so maybe it's time for me to fill this gap."
"R-really? You want me to suggest you a Stephen King book to read?!" she gasps, and Byakuya nods. "That's my request, yes. So, where should I start? As far as I know, his bibliography is quite vast."
Touko takes her hand to her chin and her expression becomes pensive. "Well... I think you can start with one of his most well known works, IT." she proposes. Byakuya frowns. "Isn't that the story of a creepy clown that eats children?”
Touko shakes her head. "The movie adaptation d-doesn't do justice to the book!" she blurts, as if he personally offended her. "I can assure you that there's much more than a scary clown... and you s-said you trust my tastes." she smirks, and Byakuya reciprocates it. "Yes, I said that. Okay then, I'll give it a try, if I can find a copy in the bookstore near the Foundation building."
"You can borrow mine, if you want to. You can find it in my apartment... it's a bit worn because of all the times I read it. It's my favourite book, you know..." she blushes. "It's a really thick book but I s-suppose Byakuya-sama doesn't have a problem with this!”
"Of course not. I’m perfectly able to read something longer than the label on a shampoo bottle. I'm not Hagakure." he replies, and she laughs.
Once again, Byakuya found himself thinking that Touko Fukawa has a cute smile and a cute laugh. Maybe it's some kind of illness, he decides.
He shoots a glance at the clock. Almost midnight. He frowns again. Their talks are becoming suspiciously long.
"I have to go now. I have a meeting tomorrow, and gods know we don’t want to upset our deputy leader." he rolls his eyes. Byakuya never liked Kyosuke Munakata that much, he finds him too... uptight, to use a plebeian word that Aoi often uses to describe Byakuya. According to Makoto's unrequested opinion, the former Heir doesn't like Munakata because they're too similar. A growl was the only answer Byakuya had thought of in that moment.
"Let me know of your opinion when you've read it..." Touko smiles. "Good night, Byakuya-sama."
"Good night, Touko."
The book is quite long indeed, but it’s nothing that he can't deal with.
And to Byakuya's surprise, he finds himself immersed in the story of Derry almost every night. As he progresses, he notices how Touko was right, and how Pennywise isn't just a clown, the plot is complex, and the writing style is captivating, and the characters feel so real…
He now knows why Touko loves this book so much. The main characters are a group of lonely kids whom everyone else considers losers, bullied by older kids and with awful backstories.
Especially Beverly, poor Beverly abused by her father and her future husband...
Poor Beverly that did nothing wrong except being born in the wrong family...
Just like Touko.
A week later, after he had finished the book, Byakuya feels that maybe he can understand Touko Fukawa a little bit more.
It all started with a laugh.
“S-so… have you finished the book? What do you think about it?”
Byakuya fiddles with his glasses. Touko is looking at him with a concerned look, as if her life would depend on that answer.
“I hate to admit it, but… I liked it.”
“R-really?!”
“Of course. I can understand now why he’s considered the king of horror.” he says. The pun is not intended, though Touko doesn’t seem to notice it.
“I’m so glad you liked it!” she chirps, and when she smiles he gets that strange warm feeling in his chest again.
“I’ve told you that there was more than a creepy clown inside it!” she continues, almost as lost in her own babbling as Byakuya is lost in the way she smiles and talks and moves her hands. There’s something charming in her, something he never considered before. He blinks and tries to focus again on what she’s saying, still trying to avoid those strange sensations.
“B-Beverly is probably my favourite character, you know...” she admits, “I can… relate to her.”
Byakuya is about to say something but decides to stay silent instead; after all, he doesn’t know for sure what happened to Touko when she was a child, with some bits here and there she confided to him being the few exceptions. He’s also quite sure it would be better to not say anything, not because (strangely) he doesn’t care, but because he can’t predict her reaction. She hasn’t told him anything, she only gave him a book she loves with characters she can relate to. He’s making assumptions based on it, not the best way to show her the slightest inch of support.
“Byakuya-sama, are you still there?”
Her voice wakes him from his thoughts.
“Yes, I was just thinking about… things.” he lies, hoping his expression doesn’t betray him.
“D-did I say so-something that offended you?” she says with a worried face. Definitely, his expression hasn’t betrayed him.
“I was just thinking that this thing needs to stop.”
“D-do you want to stop our video calls?” Touko asks, with a sad but strangely resigned face, as if she expected something similar.
He sighs. “That’s not what I mean, don’t put words in my mouth.” he says, a bit too harshly, but she doesn’t seem to mind. “What I was trying to say is… that you should stop calling me Byakuya-sama.”
“S-should I switch back to Togami-san, then?”
“No.” he rolls his eyes. “As you may have noticed, I stopped calling you by your last name… at this point it would only be fair if I let you do the same with me.”
Touko’s eyes widen and a pink blush colors her face. She’s cute, and this time he doesn’t even try to stop that thought.
“S-so... can I call you… Byakuya-kun?”
“...yes, that can do for now.” he nods, looking away. He furrows his brows, wondering how much time he will need to adapt to this new side of himself.
She laughs happily, with a smile so bright it could light up a room.
Byakuya’s past self would have shot a disgusted look at him and at that cheesy description, but his present self has other things that bother him, like all those new and strange feelings that are blooming in his chest, feelings that he’s not sure he can recognize or even accept.
Because a Togami heir shouldn’t know what love or friendship are, those are emotions that should be bottled up and thrown away so that they can’t be a distraction from the important things in a Togami heir’s life — money, affairs, success. And though Byakuya has grown up and he’s no longer the same man he was during his imprisonment at Kibougamine, those notions are still stuck in his head and hard to get rid of.
He’s confused and… wary. Wary of what he feels now.
“I-I’m sorry to stop our call so abruptly, but... Komaru told me there’s a problem with some kids with Monokuma helmets.” pipes up Touko, distracting him from the confusion he’s drowning in. “I have to go now.”
“You don’t have to be sorry, it’s your job.” he says. “And it’s already late, anyway.”
Touko nods. “Good night, Byakuya-kun.” she whispered with a shy smile.
“Good night, Touko.”
That night, he falls asleep dreaming of that smile.
“Honestly, Togami-kun, you already know the answer.”
Byakuya has never been one to need advice. He’s smart and confident and he always knows the right answer to all the questions he may find along his way. Or, at least, this was what he always believed. He knows how to gain one billion yen just by playing right in the market, how to close a deal with the best outcome. But before he attended Kibougamine he didn’t know how to befriend people, how to understand them, how to be likeable… he didn’t know how to love. No one taught him because that wasn’t part of the Togami lifestyle, and he had never been interested in doing differently.
“If I’m asking you, it means that I don’t know.”
But he has changed since, and he’s gradually learning how to soften the hard edges of his attitude, how to come to terms with those feelings of friendship and the desire to bond with other people.
And he has found in Makoto Naegi all the advice he didn’t know he needed.
“I think you really have nothing to worry about. You discovered you feel something for Fukawa-san, and I think it’s great!” Makoto says, taking a sip of his soda. “You’ve finally evolved into an almost-functioning human being.”
Byakuya thanks him with a sarcastic smile that Naegi reciprocates. He could have asked Kirigiri and Asahina, but he also knows he couldn’t stand the lecture the latter always does about being nicer to Fukawa, and the stern looks Kyouko shoots at him everytime he says something wrong. A thing that he does too often, apparently. Naegi, on the other hand, is more sympathetic. And Byakuya can bear a joke or two from him.
He mindlessly stirs his chopsticks into his noodles, as if the answer he’s looking for could magically appear into the bowl. “What I’m trying to say is… that I can’t decipher these feelings. I’m not sure, I’ve never experienced something like this, and that’s why I’m asking you for advice. I don’t need your sarcasm.”
“You can call it karma.” Makoto replies, and Byakuya rolls his eyes. A few seconds later, the former Luckster smiles, this time genuinely. “Okay, sorry, I’ve gone too far. But really, the only advice I can give you is to think about you and her without shielding yourself with preconceptions. I can’t read your mind or your heart, I can’t tell you what you are feeling… you’re the only one that knows the truth.”
As cliché as it sounds, his words make sense.
“You said you started to like doing video-calls with Fukawa-san, didn’t you?” Makoto continued. Byakuya nods.
“It’s… enjoyable. It’s different from the kind of conversations we used to have, with her stuttering all her fantasies. She’s smart, and quite kind. We talk mostly about work or books but I kind of like it. It’s… nice.”
Makoto smiles again and brings the chopsticks to his mouth. “See? You already know the answer. You just have to set your pride aside and accept it.”
Byakuya is not really sure he can do it, because he’s never been one to give up on what he always believed, just to admit something like this.
But then again, he has never been one for many things.
It all started with a file.
“Y-you want to read one of my stories?”
“I haven’t had anything to read recently, except the books you’ve suggested, and I thought you may have written something new during these months.”
While Byakuya is still conflicted about these new, strange feelings he may or may not have developed for Touko Fukawa, he has decided to try to be at least more friendly — as friendly as he can, of course.
“So?”
Komaru pops in the shot from behind Touko and answers for her. “Why don’t you send him that story with the nine doors, Touko-chan? I loved it, and surely he will love it too! Right, Togami-kun?”
Love seems to be a strong word for everything that involves him, but he just nods. “I recognize your talent, so I’m sure anything you’ll give me will entertain me. Not to mention, it’s not the first time I read something of yours.”
“R-right, but...” she stutters, “I usually was the one asking you for advice.”
“Well, things change.” he says, and he doesn’t miss the likeness with his inner struggle.
“O-okay...” she finally allows, and a few seconds later a download request appears into his chat window. He accepts it. “I suppose it’s a new romance novel, am I right? What’s the plot, this time?”
“Uh, this isn’t a romance novel...” she admits, catching his interest. “Really?”
“Komaru here has f-forced me to see more anime and read more manga than I would have ever liked, n-not to mention all the video games… my opinion about some of these hasn’t changed, but I have to admit... I found a few interesting pieces.” Touko explains, fidgeting with her glasses. Komaru giggles. “Most of them were far from the genre I write in” she resumes, “a-and that’s why I thought I could try and step out of my comfort zone for once, and see what I can do…”
“What’s the plot?” he insists, chin resting on his palm. “That bit about the nine doors sounds interesting.”
“It is! You’ll see it for yourself!” Komaru chirps, before standing up and waving a hand at him. “I must go now, I have to feed the Warriors of Hope! Have fun, you twoooooo!” she runs away before Touko can yell something at her.
Byakuya sighs but he sticks to his previous question: “So, you were talking about the plot…”
Touko nods. “R-right… well, nine people find themselves trapped in a strange place that looks like a s-ship... Everyone has a bracelet on their wrists - with a number on it that goes from one to nine. Scattered around the place are nine doors also numbered from one to nine, and they have to open them using digital roots in order to find clues and escape from there.”
Byakuya blinks. He’s… genuinely impressed. “It’s totally different from your usual plots, and I’m finding myself intrigued by this one. I will start to read it as soon as I can.”
Touko laughs, a noise so pure that makes his once ice-cold heart flutter.
Maybe Naegi was right, after all.
“It’s… still incomplete, but I will send you an update everytime I write a chapter. S-so, you can give me your opinions, if you want to.” she continues.
“Sure...” he tries to maintain composure, hoping his face isn’t as red as he thinks. “And let me know if you have something else I could read.”
“Well…”
“What?”
Touko pokes the nail of her thumb between her teeth. “I... I have another thing, in f-fact. I’m adding s-some more parts to it, but it’s more or less complete. I started it when we were still at Kibougamine…”
”So is it something I’ve already read?”
“Actually… no.”
Byakuya looks at her with a puzzled expression. During their imprisonment Touko used to often ask him for suggestions about her writings, giving him various notebooks filled with plots and incomplete manuscripts.
“I believe I read almost everything you wrote back in the days.” he remembers, finding himself surprised by this discovery.
Touko averts her eyes. “I… I thought you may n-not have been interested in reading this…”
“Why do you make this assumption?”
“B-because… it’s my I-novel.”
Oh.
“We weren’t that close, even if I liked to think that way...” she blushes, looking down with a bittersweet expression that Byakuya finds almost painful to look at. “S-so, I simply avoided to ask… after all Naegi-kun already read it. He was the one to encourage me to write about myself… and I decided to trust him a b-bit and give it a try. It was… cathartic, in a way.”
Byakuya will never admit this loud, but he finds himself jealous of Naegi. Because he has read the most intimate writing of Touko Fukawa — he made her write it!
It’s an even more confused feeling than the one he may or not may feel for her. Why should he be jealous of such a thing? Maybe jealousy isn’t the right word. He’s… sorry because she hasn’t chosen him for this before. At least, his present self is. Touko is right when she says his past self would have not been interested in reading her I-novel.
But he has recognized his changes and has decided to be friendlier, and so…
“I… would like to read it now. Only if you want to, of course.”
Touko looks at him with big, dark grey eyes. She couldn’t believe what she has heard. “S-sure...” she smiles and sends another file to him.
“Thank you.” he says softly, and she blushes again. Byakuya gulps and looks away, feeling nervous. He can’t really stop thinking how cute she looks when she smiles.
A ring from her phone distracts Touko. “I-It’s Komaru, dinner’s ready. She wants me to eat more...”
“She’s right, you can’t continue keeping your old habits.” he agrees. “You used to eat so little back in the day, I’m not surprised you’re so thin.”
“Should… should I gain some weight? Komaru s-said something similar to me, she thinks I should add some… flesh to my bones.” she says, with a confused look. Byakuya has been raised to think that bigger girls are the best when it comes to procreation, so the idea of a ... fleshier Touko Fukawa doesn’t sound that bad to him.
“Why not?” he coughs to hides the uneasiness. “Just to look a bit more healthy, you know.”
A little voice in his head keeps reminding him that he thinks she’s cute regardless. He coughs again to suppress that voice.
“I… I suppose you’re both right.” she nods. “I’ll do my best to change my bad habits. I have to go now… let me know if you read those files, okay?”
“I will do it.” he promises. “Good night, Touko.”
“Good night, Byakuya-kun.”
As appealing as the story with the nine person and the nine doors is, Touko’s I-Novel is what really interests Byakuya.
And soon, he discovers that it isn’t an easy read at all, and that Touko Fukawa’s early life has been a Hell on Earth.
He completes both readings in a few days, but the I-novel has left him exhausted.
“Naegi.” he pipes up during a quiet day at the Future Foundation.
“Hm? Something’s wrong, Togami-kun?”
“Have you read Touko’s I-novel?”
Makoto stops tapping his keyboard for a second, but he starts again shortly after. “I have read it, yes.” he simply answers, never looking away from his monitor. “Why are you asking me all of a sudden?”
Byakuya sighs: “I asked her if I can read it. We were talking about some new novels she’s working about and…”
“I see.” Makoto nods.
A few more seconds of silence that Byakuya breaks again shortly after. “It was a… painful read, to say the least. I never knew she had to live through all… that.”
“Yeah, I even cried when I read it...” Makoto admits, with a sad grimace. “She’s stronger than everyone thinks. She probably would say that I’m lying, though.” he chuckles.
“What did you say to her after you finished reading?”
“Nothing.”
“Excuse me?”
Now Makoto’s the one that sighs. “It’s a very delicate subject, and I didn’t know what to say to comfort her, but at the end of the day, nothing that I could have said would have eased her pain. And after all, she knew that I knew. So, the best thing I could do was to offer her my shoulder to cry on whenever she needed to. Fukawa-san never did, mind you, but she knows that my door will be always open.”
Byakuya bites his lower lip.
Maybe Makoto is right, and some things should be left unsaid… at least until the subject in question decides it’s time to vent about it.
It all started with a joke.
“I have to compliment you. The story about the nine persons and the nine doors is really interesting, and now I’m curious to know how it will go.”
Touko giggles, munching bits of a donut Byakuya recognizes: with all the latest supplies he sent there were some donuts boxes, a gift from Aoi. As far as he knows, she and Touko haven’t talked yet, but judging by the happy look on her face, she appreciated the effort.
“I’ve finished a couple of chapters a few days ago, I’ll send them to you right away.” she says, and a few seconds later he sees the usual file sharing request on his window.
“So… y-you have read... everything?”
Byakuya knows what she means.
“Yes, I read everything.” he says. “Your I-novel was… pretty intense.”
“It’s... one w-way to put it” she replies, with a sad smile. He bites his lips, trying to find the right words, that she’s really strong because has survived through all that, but Touko interrupts his train of thought. “Y-you don’t have to say anything, you know… I mean, you’ve read it... that’s enough f-for me.”
He forces himself to say at least one thing. “Well… you can talk to me when you want, if you want.”
Touko gazes at him: “I… thank you, Byakuya-kun. It means a lot...” she says, with the sweetest smile he has ever seen on her. He faintly reciprocates it.
Despite his effort to avoid those thoughts, he can no longer deny that he likes her smile, her laugh, the way her face lights up when she talks about topics she loves.
That sense of disgust he used to feel about Touko Fukawa no longer exists in him, or maybe he had always mistaken that feeling for nausea the whole time, he’s not sure anymore. He’s not even sure that love is what he’s feeling for her, but… maybe it’s just another excuse to escape the truth.
“Oh, get a room you two!”
The high-pitched voice of Komaru Naegi breaks the spell, and he glares at her smug face on the cam. Meanwhile, Touko has buried her own face in her hands.
He thinks for a second to leave Komaru in Towa City and say to Makoto that it has been a tragic accident. But it’s just a moment. One of his lowest.
“I mean, I was sure you were finally together after all this time, but it turns out I was wrong? Do you guys think you’ll keep acting like a shoujo manga couple for long?”
But, it has to be said, it seems she likes to tests her limits.
“Come on, Togami-kun! Be a man and ask Touko-chan to be your girlfriend!”
Your sister died to save us, Naegi-kun. It was heroic, we’ll remember her forever.
“K-K-KOMARUUUUUUU!”
He never thought Touko could be able to growl like that, but she has surprised him in many other ways during those months.
“I’m… I’m so sorry...” she hisses when she sits again in front of her laptop: “I’ll be sure to m-make her pay, one way or another…”
Despite her embarrassed expression, she doesn’t look really sorry.
And he shouldn’t be too, anyway.
“Maybe her suggestion wasn’t that bad. Except for the way she said it.”
Touko glances at him with a confused look.
Byakuya inhales. “We’ve know each other for years now, and even with some ups and downs, we’ve always been friends… sort of.” he tries to explain. “But things have changed, we have changed. And during these months I started to… feel something I never experienced before. I’m still not sure of what these emotions are, I’m not really used to this, as you know.”
She tilts her head. He bites his lips. This is by far the hardest task he has faced.
“What I’m trying to say is… relationships aren’t my field, but maybe I can… try it.”
A Togami is capable of extraordinary things. Marvelous things. Except confessing his love to a girl, it seems.
“Try it…? Are you a-asking me to... be your girlfriend?” she asks, her voice trembling slightly.
He nods. “That’s my proposal.”
“B-but… are you really sure?”
“Despite my current situation, I’m still a businessman.” he says, adjusting his glasses. “I don’t invest in the stock market if I’m not sure it’s worth it.”
She looks at him, with pink cheeks and a surprised look on her face, her mouth agape.
Judging by the heat coursing through his body, his cheeks are probably as red as hers.
Touko clasps her hands over her chest and murmurs a “Yes!” happily, giving him that wonderful smile he loves.
Byakuya finally admits that he loves her smile, her laugh, her everything.
Byakuya Togami loves Touko Fukawa.
A thought that just some months ago would have repulsed him, but now pops into his head as if it had always been like this.
Touko smiles at him again, and Byakuya thinks that maybe he will be capable to say it loud to her, one day.
“You really can’t have said that to her.”
“...I did it.”
Makoto bursts into laughter. Byakuya sighs.
Of course, he knows that would have been his reaction to the way he asked Touko to become his girlfriend. He’s not even annoyed at this point. Unless Kyouko and Aoi would have been those laughing at him. Then, he would have gone berserk.
“Well, thank you for the support...” he grumbles, taking a sip of coffee from his cup. Makoto chuckles. “But I do support you, and I’m happy that you and Fukawa-san are finally together!” he says, sitting at his desk, near Byakuya’s. “I just like the fact that you’re capable of being yourself even when declaring your love to a girl.”
Byakuya growls, but doesn’t reply. Makoto isn’t wrong, after all. But he doesn’t want to give him credit for this.
The day after, he talks to Kyouko about the situation in Towa City: Touko confirmed that the adults are nowhere to be found and that she and Komaru may need some help. After a meeting with the higher ups, Kyouko tells him that the special squad will take care of the matter, and that the girls can finally get back at the headquarters, along with the Warriors of Hope.
Byakuya just nods, but deep inside he can’t wait to see Touko.
It all started with her smile.
The day of Touko and Komaru’s return Byakuya isn’t there to pick them up.
He’s not even at the Future Foundation when they finally arrive, because he had to go on a mission with Kyouko and Makoto a couple of days before. Byakuya isn’t happy, of course, but being the perfectionist he is, he just does his job dutifully.
Their squad is back at the headquarters a week later, and the first thing they have to do is to report to Munakata. A boring hour later, Byakuya, Kyouko and Makoto are finally free to go, and their first thought is to meet up with Aoi and Hagakure, and hopefully Komaru and Touko too.
“Makoto-kun!”
“Komaru-chan!”
They don’t have to wait long, as they can see the girl sprinting toward them in the corridor just a second before she glomps her brother.
“I’m so, so, so happy to see you!” Komaru cries, hugging her brother that holds her just as tight as if she would disappear again.
As lovely as their reunion is, Byakuya’s mind is elsewhere. He looks around him, but Touko seems nowhere to be seen.
“B-Byakuya-sama.”
There she is. Partially hidden by Hagakure’s tall figure. She walks towards him, just a couple of steps before stopping again. He silently looks at her, noticing how she now keeps her hair always down, and how pretty she looks with her new Future Foundation uniform.
He also notices how everyone else fell silent, staring at the two of them.
Byakuya coughs: “What did I tell you about the name you should call me?”
Everyone glares at him.
“R-right… Byakuya-kun.” she nods. He nods too.
Everyone looks at them confused. Except for Makoto and Komaru. They know. Byakuya just ignores their smirking.
“I’m… happy you’re back safe from your mission.” Touko smiles, that smile he discovered he’d fallen for.
“Likewise.” he replies, with crossed arms and the now familiar warm feeling in his chest. He finally gives up and opens his arms to her. “Welcome back, Touko.”
A few seconds later she’s hugging him tightly.
Byakuya hugs her back. “Foolish girl...” Smiling softly, he murmurs in her ear. Touko’s reply is just that laugh he learned to love.
Maybe he’s the real fool, after all.
A Togami is capable of extraordinary things. Marvelous things. And the things that doesn’t know how to do, he’ll learn quickly.
Like falling in love.
