→ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 (𝐧𝐚𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐢)

xxvi. risk

          byakuya's father dropped makoto, letting the boy stumble into a bookshelf before slumping down to the ground. byakuya felt fear for what his father would say, but rage also burned inside him. nobody laid a finger on his makoto. nobody. makoto's head was hanging forward, presumably passed out from the alcohol. "father. get. out."

          "excuse me?" byakuya's father took a menacing step toward his most successful son. "you answer to me. everyone will know that you're a faggot."

          byakuya hesitated before his gaze shifted to the teenager on the floor just behind his father. for a moment his vision blurred, and then he was the one on the floor.

          "father, please! i'm sorry! it won't happen again!" he would scream.

          "you are prohibited from EVER seeing a boy in my house again," his father would snarl. "i expect you to BREED. nothing more, and nothing less. do i make myself clear?" togami's father would pin him against the wall until he nodded in agreement, then let him go.

          byakuya lay on the floor in the very same spot makoto lay in now, suit jacket wrinkled and glasses askew with tears in his eyes. his hands shaking.

          slap.

          byakuya flinched, braced for his father's impact, then realized his father was now holding his cheek. byakuya's hand stung. holy shit. "you stay away from my boyfriend," he blurted out, helping the barely-awake makoto to his feet. "i turned eighteen today. the bank is mine. it's in writing. you have no control over my assets, and therefore you relinquish all control over my life."

          makoto giggled, leaning heavily on byakuya. "yeahhh..." he mumbled. "tell him, baby..." makoto gave a small hiccup, laughing without a care in the world. there was a small bruise on his collarbone and he had a nasty bloody nose, but he was otherwise unharmed. byakuya gently led makoto out of the room, leaving his father dejected on the floor. "bye mister rich man..." makoto managed to slur before he fell forward, a soft thump sounding as his body hit the floor.

          the now ultimate CEO picked up his boyfriend bridal style, carrying him to the bedroom before closing the door. he was so adorably supportive, even when he was wasted out of his mind.

•

          makoto woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and no recollection of the previous day's events whatsoever. he knew he was in byakuya's room by the clean-smelling sheets and of course, byakuya himself serving as makoto's pillow. "kuya?" he croaked. "how much champagne did i have yesterday...?" byakuya hummed a response, absentmindedly stroking makoto's soft hair as he read a book. he always seemed to wake up before makoto, but makoto didn't mind.

"not sure," byakuya said softly, trying not to speak too sharply to give makoto more of a headache. "you said seven glasses, but judging by your state of mind i don't believe that was a very reliable answer. do you happen to remember anything that happened?"

makoto shook his head, his eyes closed. "stupid hangover..." he muttered. "i am so dumb. seven glasses?"

"you said the server was too nice and you were afraid to say no."

makoto looked at byakuya for a moment, dumbfounded by his own behavior before they both broke out into laughter. "oh my god—" makoto laughed. "seven glasses of champagne? no wonder i can't remember a thing."

byakuya chuckled, ruffling makoto's hair. "you should stay in bed today. you don't look the best, my love."

makoto sighed, pushing himself up. "kuya, don't exaggerate. i'm sure i'm fin..." makoto tried to swing his legs over the side of the bed and stand up, but he groaned in pain and flopped back onto byakuya as soon as he moved. the room spun around him, the only constant byakuya's safe heartbeat. "never mind..." he mumbled, pulling byakuya's comforter up over his head.

"i'm gonna go get you some towels, okay?" byakuya murmured, waiting for a response from his boyfriend. once he felt makoto nod against his chest, byakuya stood up and went to get his things from the bathroom. the young CEO stared at himself in the mirror, thoughts swirling around his head

i slapped my own father. i slapped him to protect makoto. i don't know what kind of feeling came over me when i saw him on the floor like that. but... i'm glad i did it. i couldn't stand being a pawn for much longer. i want makoto and i to live peacefully, together. where nobody can come between us.

this isn't just any trivial crush. i've had those in the past, and i've shoved them down in the past. but now... i want this one to flourish. there's something different about naegi. how he looks at me and sees me. he truly knows me like nobody else does. i have never seen such a person be able to strip down my walls like that. he looked through my rock-hard façade in an instant, reading my soul so easily— like a children's book behind a single layer of plastic wrap.

we compliment each other. his presence is so warm and filled with sunshine, while mine is cold and dark. his hands are always cold, while mine are always warm. he enjoys the simple things, i find happiness in more complex situations. i realize now how much i really love him. so much so that my entire legacy came screeching to a halt. and i don't think i cared.

byakuya sighed, shutting off the cold water and heading back to makoto, who was unsurprisingly laying curled up on his side, eyes closed. byakuya gently lifted his head, placing a damp towel on the back of his neck. makoto's eyes fluttered open and he smiled lovingly at byakuya.

i will always protect you.

•

a/n: new chapter yay! love you all <3