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ᴄᴀᴛᴇɢᴏʀʏ: ғʟᴜғғ
ᴛʀɪɢɢᴇʀ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ(s): ɴᴏɴᴇ
ᴀᴜ: ɴᴏɴ-ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ
ᴀʀᴛ: @9Bside ᴏɴ ᴛᴡɪᴛᴛᴇʀ
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Makoto POV:
"hrrrggg..."
The incessant beeping of my alarm forces me awake. Fumbling around for my phone, I turn it off and check the time.
7:30 am
Shit.
I sit up and look over, a small smile growing on my face as I stop to stare at the rare sight of my husband, Byakuya, peacefully sleeping. He gets so little sleep during the week, so if I'm awake before him on the weekends, I try my hardest not to wake him.
He looks so beautiful...
His face is illuminated by the soft glow of the early morning sunbeams creeping through the window. His golden bangs have fallen slightly over his eyes, his eyelids fluttering lightly as he dreams. His bare chest rises and falls slowly, and quiet snoring can be heard from his slightly parted lips.
Perfect...
I smile and listen carefully to his soft snores as I tip-toe into our closet to change.
I invited my closest friends, Kyoko Kirigiri and Aoi Asahina, over to our house for breakfast today. I haven't seen them in a couple of weeks and it's been torture. You'd think it'd be difficult to get lonely or bored in a such huge house, especially when it's fully staffed. However, I desperately missed the company of my friends.
I finished getting dressed and made my way to our second kitchen, greeting various staff along the way. Yes, we have multiple kitchens. The large one used for hosting parties or dinners, accompanied by a large dining room. There is also a smaller, much more homely kitchen which Byakuya and I often use for casual meals or late night snacks.
As I approach, the smell of syrup and bacon nearly smacks me in the face. When I arrive, I can see that breakfast has already been spread across the kitchen island as I requested. It's all western dishes, but I honestly prefer it that way when it comes to breakfast. A large variety of donuts, for Aoi of course, french toast, waffles, eggs, and bacon. I walk over to the coffee machine and start brewing a pot when I hear the doorbell.
Rushing to the foyer, I swing open the door to reveal my friends. Both are dressed a bit more casually than usual. Aoi, sporting a plain white tee shirt with her signature red jacket, plain jean shorts, and sneakers. Kyoko came in a toned down version of her typical outfit, a lilac button up and purple skirt accompanied by her leather gloves, of course.
"Makoto!" Aoi says as she leaps into my arms, nearly knocking me over. "I missed you!"
"Hello Makoto. You look well." Kyoko states curtly, the slightest smirk disrupting her typically stoic expression.
"Hi guys! I missed you too! Please, come in. Breakfast is waiting!" I say as I lead them to the kitchen.
"I've been here so many times, and every time I forget how big your freaking mansion is!" Aoi says, giggling as we walk towards the kitchen.
"Yeah, it surprises me too every once in a while. I've been married for two years and I still wake up sometimes and feel like I'm living in a dream."
I open the door for the two girls and keep it slightly ajar, just to leave the room open a bit to the rest of the house. We grab our food and drinks and settle down at the polished wooden table.
"Thank you for breakfast Makoto, it is greatly appreciated." Kyoko says, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Yeah! Especially for the donuts!" Aoi cheers, her mouth already full of sugary glaze.
"Of course. It's the least I could do." I say, giggling slightly as Aoi picks up another donut.
"So, how are Celeste and Sakura? I haven't seen them in forever!" I question, digging in to my own plate. I'm slightly ashamed at how little I see my friend's partners. I haven't spent much time with Celeste since graduating Hopes Peak, and the last time I saw Sakura was at herself and Aoi's wedding.
"Sakura is great! I think I've finally convinced her to open up our own gym and become a trainer with me! She was a little hesitant about us working together, but I think it'll be tons of fun!" Aoi says, beaming as she wipes the remnants of frosting from the corner of her mouth.
"That's great Hina! I'm sure anyone being trained by you or Sakura is in for a workout!" I joke.
"You know it! I've already talked to Fujisake about joining, and he said he would if Mondo does. They're still training together you know! It shocks me that they've been going this long, especially with Mondo and Ishimaru just getting engaged and all. Although I know that Ishimaru will train with them sometimes too, when he's not working on his campaign of course."
I nod, listening to Aoi gossip about our former classmates as I sip my own coffee, which is mostly milk if I'm being honest. I have no idea how Byakuya drinks this stuff black.
"Kyoko, how's Celeste doing? I hear from Byakuya that her new casino is doing amazing!" I ask, shifting my attention towards Kyoko.
"She's well. She's been taking a lot of time off lately..." Kyoko stifles what I would presume to be a giggle, although it's almost too quiet to tell. "I think she misses me at work."
"Aw! That's so sweet!" Aoi gushes. "When are you two gonna tie the knot already? You guys have been dating since like... forever!"
Kyoko blushes and looks down at her lap.
"Well, I actually have a ring but-"
"YOU WHAT?!" Aoi and I both cut her off in unison.
Kyoko giggles again as Hina and I continue to bombard her with questions. I didn't even notice my ridiculously tall husband slink through the open doorway.
Byakuya POV:
I shiver as I slowly start to regain consciousness. So cold. I try to snuggle closer to Makoto for warmth, but quickly realize he isn't there. I rub my eyes and sit up, looking around the room.
Odd. He's never awake before me. And if he is he almost always waits for me to wake up. Maybe he was hungry and didn't want to wake me.
I smile to myself. I have the most considerate husband on the planet. He understands that I get very little sleep and always encourages (and oftentimes forces) me to rest for as long as possible.
I shiver again and sit up, putting on my glasses and pushing the hair out of my face. I can't be bothered to fix it right now. Besides, I know Makoto likes it curly, so he won't mind. (A/N YES I HEADCANON THAT BYAKUYA'S HAIR IS NATURALLY CURLY BUT HE THINKS IT LOOKS UNPROFESSIONAL AND CHILDISH SO HE STRAIGHTENS IT EVERY MORNING ANYWAYS) I'm too tired and in desperate need of coffee. I walk to the closet and put on a random white tee shirt to go with my grey pajama bottoms. It's a bit tight, but it'll do. No need for the staff to see me shirtless. I make my way down the steps, headed for the kitchen. I'm still tired and groggy. Even with a full nine or ten hours rest, it doesn't completely make up for multiple nights consecutively without sleep.
I wonder if there's any coffee ready...
I'm so sleepy that I didn't even notice the two girls sitting with Makoto at the table. I saunter over to the coffee pot and yawn as I begin to pour myself a mug. Suddenly, I hear a small gasp behind me. I turn around, only to be met with Aoi and Kyoko's (slightly) shocked expressions.
"Togami?"
Makoto POV:
I turn around to see my husband. God he's so cute in the mornings. His curly bedhead is going every which way. His glasses have slid about halfway down his nose, his piercing blue eyes hazed over with grogginess. Eyes accompanied by deep eyebags, the direct result of the lack of sleep. He's still wearing his pajama pants and... is that my shirt?
I giggle and get up to walk over to him.
"Good morning baby," I say, going up on my tip-toes to kiss his cheek. "How did you sleep?"
"Good morning darling," he responds, wrapping his arms around my waist to pull me closer and planting a kiss on my head. "I slept quite well actually, though nine hours doesn't quite make up for the three days I missed." he jokes, ruffling my hair.
I realize that Aoi and Kyoko are still at the table, gawking at us. Kyoko looks mildly curious, while Aoi's mouth is hanging wide open, completely shocked.
"Ah, good morning Kyoko, Asahina." Byakuya says calmly.
He's definitely loosened up on the whole emotionless asshole act since we've been married, around our friends at least.
"Togami?" Aoi exclaims again.
"Uh yes?"
"Wow! Hi! I... uh... it's just..."
"We've never seen you quite so... casual." Kyoko states.
"And you have curly hair?!" Aoi buts in.
Byakuya chuckles a bit to himself.
"Ah, I see. I wasn't aware we were having company, otherwise I would've made more of an effort towards my appearance. My apologies." He looks down at me as he explains himself, a fake-annoyed expression on his face.
"Hehe, sorry about that." I mutter, scratching at my cheek.
"Oh, no! Don't worry about it! We are in your house after all!" Aoi says, smiling brightly. "Besides, I never thought I'd see the Byakuya Togami in anything less than a three piece suit!"
I take Byakuya's hand and lead him over to the table, patting the seat next to me. He slowly sits down, taking a long sip of his coffee in an attempt to wake himself up a bit.
"I would've thought you'd be working this late into the morning, Byakuya." Kyoko questions bluntly.
"In normal circumstances, I would be. But, I've been trying my best to step away from working on the weekends. It gives me more time to recoup and adore my loving husband." Byakuya says, smiling slightly as he squeezes my hand.
"Seriously, if it weren't for me he'd probably still be working nonstop seven days a week." I joke. "But even the head of the Togami Conglomerate deserves time off, especially with how hard he works."
We continue our casual conversation, and for the first time in a long time, the world feels perfect. Normal, even. I'm having breakfast with my best friends and my amazing husband, just talking about our lives and making jokes like we used to in high school. I smile, thinking about how much I missed this, and how life finally seems to be slowing down. That is until...
*beep beep beep beep*
That damned phone goes off.
Togami takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
"Aaaaaand there it is." He sighs, giving my hand a hard squeeze as he stands. "Please excuse me ladies. I'll be right back love." He kisses my forehead and starts walking towards the door as he answers his phone.
"Togami." Byakuya says, an obvious annoyance steeped in his stern tone.
The muffled voice on the phone grows quieter as Byakuya leaves the kitchen.
"Sorry, it's... it's always like this." I mumble, giving the girls a small, disingenuous smile.
It never ends. The calls, the emails, the meetings. Our whole life is fast and it feels like we never have the chance to stop and breathe. I feel so guilty for missing him when he's working. I knew what life would look like when I married him. I knew about his work schedule, and he works so hard to make time for me. So why am I so annoyed with him?
"Makoto? Are you okay?" Aoi asks, a concerned smile spreading across her face.
"Oh! Yes, sorry. Just thinking."
"About Byakuya? You didn't look too pleased when he left." Kyoko observes.
"You picked up on that, huh?" I joke, laughing a little.
"Are you annoyed that he left to take a work call?" Kyoko questions, looking me dead in the eyes, I presume to try and sniff out a lie.
Aoi clearly noticed. "No need to go all detective mode on us Kyoko," she jokes. "I don't think Makoto would try and lie to us. You can tell us anything you know."
I take a deep breath. She's right. You can trust them. Kyoko and Hina have partners too. They even might be able to help.
"It's just... he's always working so hard and... I feel... bad. Bad for being annoyed with him when I know he can't help it." I think for a moment before I realize.
"No."
The two girls look at me, curious.
"No, it's... it's not Byakuya I'm annoyed with. I'm annoyed with... with the stupid Togami Corporation that has taken everything away from him!" I take a breath to calm myself down before continuing. "He's practically been working since he learned how write. You know he didn't exactly have a normal childhood. I mean, until we started dating, he had never even celebrated his own birthday! Instead of drawing pictures, he drafted business emails. He didn't have toys, he had manilla folders and graphs and charts. He didn't watch cartoons, he watched the stock market. Hell, when we met the only thing he did for his own enjoyment was read. And even then he'd swear up and down that it was strictly to help him 'advance his mind' for work purposes. Now here he is, however many years later, still working. It's like..." I pause. "It's like, no matter how much he wants to, no matter hard he tries, he can't let himself take a break."
Kyoko nods. "You aren't wrong for feeling this way, Makoto. Byakuya has been cursed to live a painful existence. Even from a distance... it's hard to watch sometimes." For a moment, I think I can see her stoic expression falter, revealing the slightest bit of emotion. Pity? "Just, make sure you talk to him about how you feel. And... about how he feels."
Before I can question her any further, Byakuya walks back in, now fully dressed with his silky hair straightened. He looks slightly more awake, but I can still see a hint of sleepiness in his eyes.
"Sorry about that, everyone. Unfortunately business knows no weekends." He jokes, smiling at me and squeezing my hand once again as he sits back down. A small gesture, but something he's been doing for years, just to remind me that he's there and everything is okay. I smile back, and continue on breakfast as usual, Byakuya having to leave three more times to answer calls.
///time skip to that evening brought to you by the ridiculous amount of candles I've burned while writing this
Kyoko and Aoi left many hours ago, but Kyoko's words are still lingering in my head.
"Just, make sure you talk to him about how you feel. And... about how he feels."
I've been sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, reading the news on one of Byakuya's five tablets. He insists that this one is mine, but after all these years I still have trouble accepting such expensive gifts from him. I've reread the same paragraph over again way too many times, still not comprehending anything I'm reading. I'm too distracted. Just as I'm about to give up, I hear the door open. I look up and lock eyes with a very tired looking Byakuya.
Byakuya POV:
I finally hang up the phone.
I swear these people can't survive two seconds without me. And they've kept me from Makoto all day.
I feel so guilty. I promised him I wouldn't work today, but I really didn't have a choice. If I didn't pick up the phone, who knows what they'd do. Probably something stupid. I really should hire more intelligent employees. These ancient imbeciles my father hired who knows how many years ago are nothing short of incompetent.
I make my way over to the living room and open the door. Makoto's beautiful hazel eyes meet my own, and I nearly melt right there. How did I bring myself to ignore him all day? I sigh as I go to sit next to him.
"Makoto, I'm so sorry." I start, resting my elbows on my knees and putting my head in my hands.
"It's okay baby, I know your work is important..."
God, I do not deserve this man.
"No, it's not okay." I look up and make eye contact with him. He's smiling, but it's not completely genuine. There's a small glimmer of sadness in his eyes. I did this. It's my fault. "I promised you I wouldn't work this weekend so that we could spend time together and I went off and did it anyway."
There's a small pause. That look of sadness is still there. It's like... he's holding onto something.
"Byakuya, are you... are you doing okay?"
My eyes widen. I did not expect that. I expected him to yell at me, cry, tell me he hates me or that he wants to leave me, but he asks that. Am I okay?
Makoto POV:
He looks surprised. He looks down at his hands and contemplates for a minute. Did I strike a nerve? I was about to apologize when he spoke up.
"I... I don't know."
What?
"You... don't know?" I can't even disguise the confusion in my voice. He looks at me, with an expression nearly mirroring my own. He looks confused by his own answer.
"I don't know if I'm okay. I thought I was. I thought I was great actually. But... I'm not sure. Everything is just... it's so much and it feels like no matter how fast I run I can't keep up."
It's like he's reading my mind. I continue to stare in utter shock. This entire time, I thought we were fighting completely different battles. But... we've been hurting in the same way this whole time? I step out of my head just in time to hear what Byakuya is saying.
"Do you ever wish it would all just-"
"Stop."
I finish his thought as I look into his eyes again. "Byakuya. I thought... I thought it was just me. I don't want to take you from your work, I know it's hard for you to make time for me and I thought that I was mad at you, but I'm not. I realized that I'm just worried about you. Your life is so fast paced and it feels like we never slow down." I grab his hands in my own, giving them a small squeeze and rubbing my thumbs over his knuckles. "I had never even considered how that must be for you. I want to remind you that I'm here for you baby. Don't beat yourself up for working when you have to, and don't beat yourself up for taking breaks either. Because I think you really need one."
Now I know why Kyoko wanted me to ask Byakuya about his feelings. She knew that he needed to slow down and let go too, and that I would do anything to make that happen.
I feel Byakuya's hands start to shake, and when I look up, his piercing blue eyes are becoming muddled with tears. He's trying to hold it in. He hates crying in front of anyone, and while he'll usually let himself in front of me, that doesn't mean he's any less hesitant.
"It's okay baby. Let it out." As soon as I say those words, he collapses into my arms. Breaking into full sobs, latching himself onto me and clinging to my back for dear life.
"I-I'm so s-sorry love. I-" he tries to stutter out an apology, choking through the sobs. I rub small circles into his lower back while gently rocking back and forth.
"Shhh sh sh sh baby it's okay. You're okay." I say softly, causing him to let out another quiet sob.
We sit there for a few minutes, crying, holding each other, whispering soft apologies and praises into each other's ears. After a while, the room goes quiet, apart from the occasional sniffle. We just sit there, holding each other without saying anything because, really, there was no need to.
"Makoto." Byakuya says, breaking the comfortable silence we've been sitting in.
"Yes?"
He sits up and looks at me. His hair is slightly messy, his glasses askew, and he has dried tear tracks running down his pale cheeks. Even so, his eyes are focused. He leans in and his soft lips close the gap between us. It's a gentle kiss, simple and soft, but that was all we needed in the moment. I don't dare pull away first. I'm sure he needs this as much as I do. He pulls away and stares at me for a moment before speaking again.
"I'm turning off my phone tomorrow. No calls, no emails, nothing. I'm entirely yours all day and night, if you'll have me."
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to miss anything important..."
"I'm positive. Whatever it is, it can wait. You are the most important thing to me. You are my husband. You always come first."
I smile wide. "Of course I'll have you."
"Then, starting right now, I'm all yours." He gives me a tired smile, unintentionally reminding me that he's been working on and off all day and hasn't been sleeping well lately either. He must be so exhausted. I smile back, grabbing his hands and pulling him to his feet.
"Baby, as much as I want to spend time with you, you're clearly tired and need sleep."
"But-"
"No buts!" I say, standing on my toes to kiss the tip of his nose.
He laughs as I pull him upstairs. We change into our pajamas and Byakuya flops down on the bed, extending his arms toward me. I giggle and oblige, wrapping myself around him and nuzzling my face into his neck. I relax as I take in Byakuya's scent. Vanilla and coffee. Just being in his arms is enough to lull me to sleep.
"Goodnight Byakuya. I love you."
"Goodnight darling. I love you too."
We fall asleep to the sound of the other's slow breathing, finally slowing down for the first time in forever.
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A/N: WOWEE THAT WAS A LONG ONE! (3.8k words!)
This definitely took a turn while I was writing it, but I like how it turned out.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I'm going to try to update frequently, so keep your eye out for updates!
This is one of my first oneshots, so please let me know what you think!
Have a lovely day/night ♡
~h