Chapters: 12/?
Fandom: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Dangan Ronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa Series
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Fukawa Toko/Togami Byakuya, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto, Fukawa Toko & Naegi Komaru, Shingetsu Nagisa & Togami Byakuya
Characters: Togami Byakuya, Fukawa Toko, Kirigiri Kyoko, Naegi Makoto, Naegi Komaru, Asahina Aoi (Dangan Ronpa), Hagakure Yasuhiro, more to be added, Shingetsu Nagisa, Utsugi Kotoko, Daimon Masaru (Dangan Ronpa), Kemuri Jataro
Summary: When a project is set up to help rehabilitate the former Warriors of Hope, Togami finds himself the guardian of Nagisa Shingetsu. He also finds himself troubled with confusing feelings toward Fukawa...
Comments: Nearly at the end of part 1! I hope you all enjoy.
💖 Please like, reblog, leave kudos and/or comment on tumblr and AO3 💖
Fic under the cut!
***
Chapter 12: Silver and Green
For a moment, Byakuya thought Touko had let out a sob, but even in his stupor, with how her body stiffened afterwards, he quickly realised that she must have sneezed. Before he could do anything other than raise his eyebrows, Touko gripped his jacket in both hands and peeled her face off his chest, tilting her head back to reveal her grin.
This wasn't Touko Fukawa anymore.
“Oh, it's you, Darling! I almost didn’t recognise you under all that boozy stink. You smell like one of my old crime scenes," said Genocider Syo, her tongue dangling out of her mouth. She spoke with a more gravelly voice than Touko, but Byakuya had known that Syo was the one fronting before she uttered a single word. He didn’t even need to have heard her sneeze. Her smile was too wide. Her gaze was too intense.
When he wrinkled his nose and shifted a foot back, rather than detach her from himself, she moved with him.
“Every time I come out, I hope I’m wearing a ring, and I always get bummed when I’m not,” said Syo. “The only bum I’m interested in is yours. Your tight, juicy, delicious bum!”
“You’re revolting.”
Syo's smile almost disappeared entirely, its ghost lingering like smoke from a flame just burned out. She tilted her head to one side, staring at him even as his eye contact wavered. He had only spoken two words to her. Made one comment. Compared to what he had said to Syo in the past, this was rather tame. And it should have been simple to understand, yet in her silence, she seemed to mull over his statement as though it was a complex maths equation.
Without warning, she shoved him. Byakuya gasped as she maneuvered his back against the wall. This was different. This was new. As clingy as Syo was, she didn't tend to get physical. He should have fought back, but he didn't. He was curious to see what she would do next.
Keeping one hand on his chest, her other reached for her thigh.
“You’re so cute, Byakuya-sama,” said Syo, soon flourishing a pair of her infamous scissors like a fairy waving their wand. “Your corpse would be my magnum opus. I want to hang you up on my fridge door so badly... but this will do.”
She stabbed her scissors into his sleeve, missing his flesh and pinning him to the wall. He could have broken free. His jacket would have torn a bit, sure, but when faced with a serial killer, that ranked low on his list of concerns. Or, at least, it should have.
As Syo unsheathed more scissors and thrust them through his clothing and into the wall, Byakuya found himself feeling calm. This wasn’t what Syo’s victims would have felt like. Byakuya had mused about them more than once during his research into her killings. Syo's police file detailed her victims’ wounds but not their last living moments, and he had never asked Syo to describe them to him. Most of the time, he could hardly stand to be in the same room as Syo.
Still, Byakuya thought he knew what her victims would have done just before they died. What they would have felt as Syo murdered them. They would have screamed and cried and begged for their lives. Choked on their own snot and blood. But here, right now, Byakuya was silent and still. He felt more like Tanaka must have done in the movie he watched with Touko, when Kotoko hung him up with Christmas string lights.
Except unlike Kotoko, who mutilated Tanaka, Syo didn't maim Byakuya. None of Syo's scissors even penetrated his skin. Some got close, the cool metal pressed flush against him as Syo embedded her scissors into the wall behind Byakuya. With every addition, free movement by his limbs became more difficult. She trapped his arms. His legs. His torso. Scissors clustered either side of his neck like twin bouquets of silver roses. All he could see was her.
And still he remained calm.
“Wow, Byakuya-sama, you're either real drunk or real kinky,” remarked Syo. A pair of scissors were looped around her fingers. She dragged the tip up his neck, not drawing blood, and rested it below his ear. “Or...”
“Or what?”
Syo repositioned the scissors so they lay horizontal against the underside of his jaw.
“Or you want to die,” said Syo calmly.
Byakuya blinked, then smirked. “Incorrect.”
“What is it, then?”
“I know you won’t kill me.”
One of Syo’s eyes twitched. There wasn't even a remnant of a smile on her face anymore.
“What makes you so sure?” she asked.
“You would have killed me already. Besides, you and Fukawa promised me that you wouldn’t kill anyone again. First, it was while we were trapped in Hope’s Peak, then when you worked as an intern for Future Foundation.”
Syo burst out laughing. Her cackling bounced off the walls.
“Sorry, Darling. Hate to break the news to ya, but you’re hopelessly wrong. Gloomy may have told you that crap, but I didn’t.” She wiped her eyes with one hand, grinning. The hand she had by his neck didn’t move. “I did make an agreement with our sprout-headed boy wonder, though.”
Byakuya took a few seconds more than he normally would to figure out who she was referring to. “Naegi?”
“Aw, you sound so cute when you’re jealous! Jealous Byakuya-sama is a total turn on! Yep, that pipsqueak, but don’t worry, the name ‘Naegi’ makes me drier than beef jerky. You see, back at Hope’s Peak...”
A blur rammed into her side. Syo’s scissors clattered to the floor as she staggered. Byakuya widened his eyes. He tried to turn his head, but couldn’t.
“Well, look who we have here,” said Syo, straightening up. “Mega Milk Jugs.”
Standing opposite Syo, with a short distance between them, was Aoi.
“Is that really you?” asked Syo. “You look different. Your face looks thinner. Don’t tell me your tits are smaller now. I still want that bath with your milk.”
Byakuya strained his neck but before he could get a closer look at Aoi, she growled and lunged forward, tackling Syo to the ground. Both women grappled each other with bare hands while Byakuya wriggled, trying to free himself, but Syo’s scissors had him stuck firmly in place against the wall.
If Aoi had left them alone, Syo would have revealed whatever conversation she had with Makoto. Then, maybe, Syo would have said something lewd and laid a hand on his cheek, or licked his face before circling her tongue around his mouth. Byakuya scraped his teeth against his lips. Syo’s tongue could even have gone into his mouth. The thought elicited a spike of excitement in Byakuya’s groin, a fork of lightning in the alcohol-fueled cloud hanging over him. Or, Syo might have cupped him between his legs and giggled, and he would have flushed and scowled and tried not to buck into her hand.
What was a certainty was that she wouldn't have killed him.
Aoi rolled herself and Syo, positioning herself on top with Syo underneath her. Sitting on Syo’s lower stomach, Aoi grabbed hold of Syo’s wrists, restraining her arms. Syo writhed, and when that didn’t set her free, she spat upward. Her saliva projectile hit Aoi’s chest, leaving a small damp patch on her red hoodie.
“What the hell is your problem?” asked Aoi.
“My problem? You’re the one with the problem! Me and my darling were having a catch up sesh when you came barging in... though it was more of a light shove with all the weight you’ve lost. Is that why you’ve been on a diet and interrupted our special moment? Are you tryin’ to steal my man?”
“You were going to kill him. Togami is pinned to a wall with your scissors like all your victims.”
“But I wasn’t going to kill him. It’s like I told Eggy years ago.”
Annoyingly, Syo didn’t elaborate. She twitched and jerked her body, but Aoi remained firmly in place on top of her. The fight seemed to be over.
Breathing loudly, Syo shifted her gaze to one of Aoi’s arms. During their tussle, Aoi’s sleeve had hiked up. Byakuya couldn’t see what exactly Syo was peering at, but it made Aoi tense and lose concentration. Syo flung Aoi to the side, then grabbed scissors from her holster and pounced onto Aoi's fallen form. Though Aoi was conscious, she barely stirred as Syo straddled her and raised her scissors.
“Genocider!” Byakuya barked.
“Relax, I'm not going to kill her,” said Syo. “I'd never cheat on you, Darling. I'm just gonna make sure she doesn't interrupt us again.”
Whatever that entailed, Byakuya didn't find out. A door slammed open and Kyouko dashed out in violet pyjamas. Syo turned her head, but before she could react, Kyouko thrust a stun gun to Syo's temple. Without hesitation, Kyouko activated the device.
Byakuya heard a crackling sound, then watched Syo collapse forward. Normally, the shock would trigger an immediate switch in who was fronting, but neither Syo nor Touko rose. Her unconscious form lay motionlessly on top of Aoi.
He renewed his attempts to escape Syo's scissors.
“Togami-kun, stop. You'll hurt yourself,” said Kyouko sternly as he tried thrashing his body.
Aoi slid herself free from underneath Touko and stood up. Her brow creased.
“What are we going to do about Touko-chan?” she asked, tugging down her sleeves. “I really thought that she had a handle on Genocider.”
“Fukawa does,” snapped Byakuya. Aoi and Kyouko turned to him.
“She was about to kill you,” Aoi pointed out.
“No, she wasn’t.”
“What was she doing then? Re-enacting one of her murders with you?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
Aoi’s head flinched back. Before she could respond, Kyouko held up a hand.
“Asahina-san, don’t bother trying to rationalise with him. Naegi-kun told me that Togami-kun got carried away at the izakaya. He’s drunk.”
Makoto had wasted no time in gossiping about Byakuya, it seemed. Must have been the first thing he said to Kyouko when he came into the apartment building.
“Where’s Naegi? In your bed?” Byakuya sneered. He tried to twitch his head, but even that was difficult with all Syo’s cursed scissors.
The eye on the healthy side of Kyouko’s face squinted for a moment.
“Actually, Makoto texted me about you as you were leaving the ikazaya,” she said coolly. “He’s in his apartment right now, if you must know.”
So Makoto hadn’t even waited to be back home to tell her about Byakuya. Kyouko combed her gloved fingers through her hair and turned to Aoi.
“I will message Hagakure-kun and ask him to take care of Togami-kun tonight,” said Kyouko. “I think it would be best if he doesn’t spend the night alone. And we should move Fukawa-san to her apartment... would you be able to help with that? I will ask Komaru to watch over her afterwards.”
“Sure,” said Aoi with a nod.
“Thank you. Now, please excuse me... I need to return to my apartment. If we’re lucky, none of our wards woke up from all the noise. The walls here are a bit too thin for my liking.”
Byakuya squirmed again.
“I don’t need Hokkaido,” he said, as Kyouko started to walk away. He had seen enough of Yasuhiro’s annoying stupid face this evening to last him the rest of the year. “I don’t need anyone.”
She paused. Meanwhile, Aoi carefully picked up Touko, holding her in a princess carry. Because Touko’s door was already unlocked, Aoi didn’t have to fiddle with any keys and took her inside. That left Byakuya alone with Kyouko. Despite how she had been about to leave before, Kyouko stayed near him now, pulling out her phone and tapping on the screen. Acting like Byakuya wasn’t there anymore, or was no more significant than a scuff mark on the wall.
“You’re not better than me,” Byakuya told her.
“I never said I was, Togami-kun.”
“You think it, though. You and Nigiri.”
“If you want to know what I really think, Togami-kun, I think you should be quiet.”
Kyouko walked over and started yanking out Syo’s scissors.
“I also think you should allow yourself to be happy. It is very obvious to everyone that you have feelings for Fukawa-san. Everyone, that is, except you.”
“I fucking said I don’t need anyone.”
“You don’t need a lot of things. You didn’t need to have sex with Fukawa-san, but you still did.”
Byakuya gasped. It felt like his tongue had tied itself into a knot.
“You are your own worst enemy, you know,” Kyouko told him. “You believe you cannot harbour feelings for Fukawa-san, but the only thing stopping you is yourself. That’s why you disparage my relationship with Makoto so much, isn’t it? Because you want so badly what we have, but you won’t permit yourself to have it and that makes you angry. By doing all this, you hurt not only yourself, but Fukawa-san as well. She has the patience of a saint to put up with you.”
What Kyouko said was so preposterous that he couldn’t come up with a rebuttal. Kyouko was wrong. Byakuya didn’t have feelings for Touko. He couldn’t. He was incapable of that. Togamis didn’t experience love. But he had upset Touko. That part wasn’t wrong. She had cried into his chest and he had held her in his arms and he wanted to hold her again now. But she was all the way in her apartment while he was posted to a wall with metal scissors.
By the time Yasuhiro showed up, Kyouko had managed to remove half of them. He helped with the rest, then hoisted Byakuya over his shoulder.
“Dude, you had the key in your lock,” said Yasuhiro. “What happened?”
Byakuya didn’t answer, staring at Touko’s door. As Yasuhiro carried him up the stairs, Byakuya shut his eyes, feeling like a chunk of his insides had been taken out of him alongside Syo’s scissors.
***
The room that Byakuya woke up in blanketed him in darkness. He groaned and scrunched his face. His head pounded, and his mouth tasted like lead and sick. When he shifted his weight, the flat surface he was lying on creaked, indicative of a bed. Which made sense, because usually when Byakuya wanted to sleep, he would go to the bed in his bedroom.
But this time, he hadn’t gone to his bed on his own accord. Yasuhiro had brought him here. Memories of last night trickled through like the first few raindrops before a downpour. Alleyways. Mazes. Tables. Beer. Alleyways. Cars. Stairs. Touko. Touko’s eyes. Touko’s voice. Touko’s warmth. Touko. Genocider Syo. Touko...
He sat up slightly but flopped down and winced as pain pierced through his skull. When the sensation had ebbed away somewhat, he heaved his body up again. A gasp cracked in his throat as another pang tore through his head. Rather than lay back down, Byakuya forced himself to stay still, his weight propped up by wobbling arms as nausea trembled through him.
Once the queasiness became more tolerable again, he started inching toward the edge of the bed, stopping and starting, over and over. Eventually, his feet met the floor. He took a few steps forward before lurching, falling onto his hands and knees.
Breathing noisily through his mouth, Byakuya rose, swaying, his arms stretched out to aid in balance. If he could make it to a wall, he could lean against it for support. Navigating there in the dark wouldn’t be impossible, but not easy either. Byakuya moved slowly, shuffling his feet until he reached a wall. Then, slumping against it, he worked his way around the perimeter of his room. When he reached the door, he fumbled around for the light switch and flicked it on.
His surroundings illuminated, the muted colours of his bedroom now lurid. The intensity scorched his eyes. Almost made him keel over and throw up. He groped at the door and managed to open it, then escaped into the next room.
Unlike his bedroom, the hallway was already lit up without him needing to toggle any switches. To withstand the brightness, Byakuya squinted and kept his gaze downward. Somehow, he had to cross through the rest of his apartment and go down a floor. What he would do after that, he wasn’t sure, but he knew he wanted to see Touko. Needed to see her.
Byakuya started to shamble down the hallway, only to stop after a couple of steps. A crackling sound was coming from the direction of his kitchen. Was Nagisa back? Was it Touko? He followed the noise and stopped in the doorway, staring at the pink-haired woman standing at his stove.
“Good morning, Toto-chi,” she said, turning to face him. She had an apron on that didn’t belong to him. He knew for a fact that he didn’t own a black one that said ‘baking is whisky business’ on the front. “Pancakes are nearly ready.”
“What... are you doing here?” he asked.
He had not expected to find Hiroko Hagakure in his kitchen, yet there she was. Cooking pancakes on his stove.
“I’m making us a late breakfast, of course.” She swished a spatula and smiled. “Sit at the table, and I’ll bring you some yummy pancakes to chow down on.”
Byakuya didn’t move at first, trying to process what was happening, then after a few moments, he lumbered away, going where Hiroko told him to. He wasn’t sitting alone for long when Hiroko entered the dining area with a tray. She placed a plate of pancakes in front of him before setting one down for herself.
“What toppings do you prefer on your pancakes? Jam? Lemon? I brought a variety, just in case,” said Hiroko, putting the tray onto the centre of the table. Various jars and condiments were on it.
“Is Fukawa okay?” he asked.
Hiroko sat down and raised her eyebrows. “Fufu-chi? Mm, she’s fine. She’s made of strong stuff, ‘right?”
“Is she hurt? Is she upset?”
“You can go ask her once you’ve finished your breakfast,” said Hiroko as she spread strawberry jam across her pancake. “It’s past noon, so she’ll be about.”
Byakuya’s eyes widened. He hadn’t realised he’d slept in for that long. But then, he had drunk enough alcohol that he allowed Syo to pin him to a wall with her scissors. His face twisted into a grimace. Even though he had been on his way to find Touko, he didn’t know what to say to her. Or anyone. Would Touko even want to see him?
“I don’t want any pancakes,” he said.
“But they’re delicious! Have one bite. Please.”
He did not. She pouted and twirled her spoon before feeding herself more pancake.
“You’re that worried about Fufu-chi, huh? You must really care about her,” said Hiroko.
“She’s...” Byakuya hesitated. Touko’s teary-eyed face flashed in his mind.
‘What am I to you, Byakuya-sama? A friend? A girlfriend? Am I just a way for you to work out your stress?’
They talked about books together. They ate lunch together. They watched movies and he kissed her and they had sex on her bed, and whenever he masturbated, he imagined her face and holding her hand and yelped her name as he ejaculated.
“She's what, Toto-chi?” asked Hiroko.
Months ago, Yasuhiro told Byakuya that he didn’t need to define his relationship with Touko, yet that had ended up hurting her in the end. And him, too. Byakuya didn’t know what they were. He felt like he didn’t know anything anymore. Cringing, he rested his elbows onto the table and cradled his head in his hands. The room was too bright. His eyes were burning. His throat was burning.
When he didn’t answer, Hiroko said, “Let's try a different angle. When you're with Fufu-chi, how do you feel?”
“Frustrated. Disgusted.”
“Oh? But you choose to hang out with her.”
“Because I don't want to feel like that around her.” Byakuya lowered one hand and traced circles on the table with his index finger. “It’s inconvenient. We work together and have the same social circles. And I don't hate her company. She's... interesting...”
“What makes her interesting?”
Byakuya shrugged, continuing to look downward. “Before, she used to just blabber about her feelings toward me, but now we can have intellectual conversations about various different subjects. We actually have several interests in common, and her passion for them is something to behold. I don’t care for romance novels, but her writing ability is phenomenal and her enthusiasm is almost infectious.”
Hiroko didn’t interject, so he continued, even as his face grew warmer. This was his first time saying much of this out loud. It was embarrassing, but at the same time, he felt relief like he’d finally removed a stone from his shoe.
“And she’s... authentic. I despise people who act fake, and she’s not like that. She stays true to herself. I also admire how she strives to better herself. She went from being in my shadow to helping save the world. Saving me. I used to think she was weak, but she has proved me wrong over and over again. She’s... strong.”
“All that disgusts you?”
“When I’m around Fukawa, I often experience nausea,” he explained. “At first, I thought it was because she’s so typically lovey-dovey, but I’ve also been feeling uncouth urges toward her.”
“Urges, eh?” Hiroko sounded almost amused. “You mean you want to have sex with her?”
He winced. This wasn’t a conversation that Byakuya wanted to be having with anyone, ever, but if Hiroko could provide him with a solution, then so be it. At this point, he was desperate for anything that could help him with the disturbing thoughts and feelings that had been plaguing his mind.
“It’s not just that. I constantly think about hugging her, and kissing her, and just... being with her. But I have a theory,” he said. “Years ago, I was stressed and got drunk and kissed her at a party, and now that I’m stressed again, these memories are resurfacing and making me want to kiss her. When I’m kissing Fukawa or having sex with her, I feel... good. Less stressed. My body unconsciously knows doing these things with her will make me feel better despite how degenerate the acts are.”
When a few seconds had passed without Hiroko replying, Byakuya forced himself to look up. She was gazing at him with an unreadable expression.
“I see.” Hiroko put down her fork. “Well, how about I help you deal with these urges? I know just the thing.”
“What?”
“Let’s have sex. Me and you.”
Byakuya gaped at Hiroko. She stared back at him without even a shred of amusement. Then, when he fully registered what she said, he almost recoiled enough to overbalance his chair.
“W-What?” he spluttered, his face setting aflame.
“You said you’ve been feeling stressed and it’s making you want to kiss and have sex and whatever. You can do it with me to satiate those urges. I won’t tell anyone. It’ll be our secret. I’m an attractive lady and you’re pretty cute too, ‘right?”
Hiroko grinned and winked at him. A sharp shiver of disgust wracked through his body.
“Absolutely not,” he said, feeling sick at the thought.
“Ah, I see. It’s because I’m your best friend’s mother, isn't it? I can hook you up with someone else. Someone you don’t already know. I have a lot of hot friends, and some of them have real cuties around your age.”
“I don’t want to have sex with you, or anyone else.”
“Just with Fufu-chi, ‘right?”
Byakuya tensed. Across the table, Hiroko’s face softened.
“Oh, Toto-chi, I’m so sorry. Your parents... They really failed you, didn’t they, hun?”
Hiroko’s words twisted inside of him. His stomach tightened.
“No, they didn't,” he said. His hands trembled. He clenched them, but they still trembled. “You need to leave, right now. All of this is totally inappropriate.”
“Whoa, Toto-chi. I didn't actually intend to do anything with you,” said Hiroko. “I just wanted to make you realise what you’re going through has nothing to do with stress or suppressed memories or whatever theory you’re scrambling for... It's to do with your heart. You like Fufu-chi and that’s okay. I'm sorry you were made to grow up thinking there's anything wrong with that.”
Byakuya didn’t know what was more ridiculous, what she said or the fact it was Hiroko of all people telling him all this. The shaking in his hands started to spread to the rest of his body like an infection.
“I am not going to be lectured about parenting by the mother of Yasuhiro Hagakure,” he sneered.
“My pumpkin is fine!” The first real look of annoyance washed across Hiroko’s face. “I mean, sure, he has a teeny problem with handling money, but he's happy. That's all that matters to me, and it's a shame that didn't matter to your folks.”
“I SAID GET OUT!”
He stood up and punched the table. Cutlery and crockery rattled. She glanced at his fist, then met his gaze.
“Can I at least finish my pancakes first?” Hiroko asked.
Byakuya glared. Without another word, she took her plate and left. He heard the apartment door open then shut. Once again, he found himself alone. Good. If he had been forced to listen to another second of Hiroko’s nonsense, he thought he might have exploded. The nerve of that woman. She had no idea what she was talking about. If Byakuya had been failed by his parents, by the conglomerate, he would never have been chosen as his father's heir. Instead, he would have been like the others. Nobodies. Dead.
“Nobody knows you, huh...? Ain’t that kinda lonely?”
Yasuhiro was stupid just like his mother. Togamis didn't feel lonely, because they didn't need friends or girlfriends or families. Those were just opportunities for people to stab him in the back.
“You want so badly what we have, but you won’t permit yourself to have it.”
Kyouko was stupid too. And Makoto. And everyone. How dare they act like they knew him better than he did. They weren't there during all his tutoring, all his training. All those times people tried to get close to him so they could take advantage of his status. They weren’t there when he defeated his half-siblings. They weren’t there while he shook his father’s hand when he saw him in person for the first time. Not even Touko was there. Apart from Byakuya, only one other person was still alive from back then.
And Byakuya had their phone number. He pulled out his phone from his trouser pocket. It had been some months since Byakuya last spoke to Aloysius. There was every chance that he wouldn’t answer, now that Aloysius no longer worked for Byakuya. Growing up, all those times that Aloysius had tended to Byakuya were when the conglomerate was paying him to take care of him.
But other than Touko, only Aloysius could come close to understanding him. There was no one else, dead or alive. And so Byakuya tried calling. His phone rang for a couple of seconds, then connected.
“Good afternoon, Togami-sama,” Aloysius said. “Is everything all right?”
“No,” said Byakuya, and he explained everything that had happened, starting from Komaru’s plan to rehabilitate the former Warriors of Hope. He talked about rebuilding the school, and his run-ins with Touko. When he mentioned what transpired while they watched the movie, he cringed but powered through his intimate time with Touko.
Then there was his first term of teaching, where the days had bled into one another. Those lunches with Touko. Her smiles. All the times he almost kissed her. Aloysius listened without interruption, and by the time Byakuya had finished, his throat was raw and he felt empty inside.
“Togami-sama,” said Aloysius, finally, “why did you not tell me any of this until now?”
“You're not under my employment anymore. You're retired. You don’t need to concern yourself with me. I just... I didn’t know who else to talk to.”
Aloysius had every right to tell Byakuya that this wasn’t his problem anymore. To hang up and leave Byakuya to rot in his apartment.
“That does not mean I do not care about you, or that I no longer hold any interest in being involved in your life still. I apologise, as I know it’s unprofessional, but during our time together, I’ve come to see you almost as if you were my own kin. The only reason I have not initiated contact over the past months is because I did not want to impose in case you didn’t want me around anymore. I know how you like your independence, and I feared I would be overstepping.” Aloysius paused. “Do you require my services again? I can be with you in a few hours.”
“I don’t know,” said Byakuya flatly. There were a lot of things he didn’t know, apparently. “Pennyworth, you understand what it means to be a Togami as much as I do. The Togami name lives through me now. It is on my shoulders to carry on its legacy. If I was to go against what it stood for... what sort of person would I be? Who or what would I be if I am not a Togami?”
“Togami-sama, from the day you were born, you have grown up on a battlefield. You’ve never known anything else. This is a new world, one that you have never known. One where you don’t need to be constantly on guard, or be perfect. You are right that you are the last remaining Togami. It is down to you to define what being a Togami means. I can help you with almost anything, but I cannot do that for you, I’m afraid.”
Byakuya frowned, staring into space. His fingers lightly drummed the table.
“Do you want me to come over?” asked Aloysius.
“... Stop by tomorrow,” said Byakuya. “Today... there is someone else I need to go see.”
