-fly me to the moon-
naegami is another one of my favorite pairings from this series god damn.
by the way, this is all one big seiyuu joke. okay, not really, but bonus points for getting the allusions (the title's kind of a clue).
admittedly, i don't really like the flow of this, but writing at 1 am has its consequences.
One of the things Togami was never going to openly admit was how much he enjoyed playing the piano.
There were a myriad of instruments that he could handle, there were dozens of pieces on each one he could play perfectly, and there wasn't a single one of the instruments that he couldn't play without creating a composition up on the fly. Yet, he always found himself enjoying the feel of his fingers on the ivory, the exhilaration he felt while playing on staccato as his hands move up and down the keyboard, and there was nothing like coming home to play a Mozart piece on the grand piano.
He wasn't a Super High School Level Musician. Neither was he a Super High School Level Pianist, but it wouldn't be far of a stretch to say that he was also a musical genius.
But his prowess in these things came with pride. Practically everything he was good at added on to his ego, and this ego of his often kept him from openly expressing his fondness for things without sounding off and just... Not Togami Byakuya. Nevertheless, that didn't mean that he wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity to play when he had the chance, so when he managed to find a grand piano that was in perfect condition in a world still recovering from what was the most despair inducing moment in the history of mankind, he immediately hopped on to the seat. Making sure that no one was there to eavesdrop on him first.
Taking a deep breath, he decided to start with something Beethoven. Für Elise, to be exact, and it was a great way to soothe this terrible headache he's had all morni—
Squeeeek.
He stopped. Immediately.
"S-sorry..!"
... Naegi.
Togami let out an agitated sigh, angry at the fact that the damn door was in a poor enough condition to make such a terrible sound and disrupt the fun he was actually having. To add to that was Naegi, the stupid eyesore of a student, coming in to disturb him.
He adjusted his glasses. "What do you want, Naegi."
"I-it's nothing!" The boy held his hands up in defense. "Go ahead and play! I'll keep quiet..."
He raised an eyebrow. What the heck was this? Was Naegi deliberately trying to be even more irritating than Fukawa? Just because she wasn't here, (because he made sure to tell her not to come in) that didn't give Naegi the damn right to take her place as most irritating being on the planet.
With yet another sigh, Togami began to play once more. He wasn't going to allow Naegi to ruin it for him. No one will ever ruin playing the piano for him.
Slowly, he started once more, only to cut it short when he realized that Naegi was standing somewhere right behind him. He turned around, giving him a glare.
"I-I'm sorry! I'll make sure to keep my distance!"
"Just tell me why you're here, Naegi." Togami was getting agitated. The last thing he needed was for Naegi, of all people, to come in and start breathing down his neck.
"I... " Naegi laughed nervously. "I just wanted to listen to you play! You're really good at the piano, Togami-kun." He just stared, practically shocked that Naegi would come to disturb him for such a stupid reason.
... That didn't mean he wasn't flattered, though. Quite the opposite actually.
Another thing Togami was never going to openly admit was his infatuation with Naegi Makoto. It was probably the reason he couldn't keep his cool down around him, and probably the reason he just couldn't help but get pissed. That dumb smile, his stupid optimism... Togami wanted to take it all for himself just because he didn't want anyone else he deemed unworthy to be able to see it.
As for his reasons for feeling this way... Well, that was one of the things he was probably never going to understand.
Making sure to give the room another quick look, he reluctantly stood up. He could tell that Naegi was watching him, completely and utterly confused, right from the corner of his eye. This was his way of offering a seat because there was no way in hell he was going to say it out loud. Thankfully, Naegi got the message and sat down, staring at the piano keys with newfound curiosity.
"This is the first time I've sat in front of a grand piano!" Naegi chirped. "I used to take lessons when I was a kid, but I stopped after a while."
"Good." Togami took his place, standing right behind Naegi.
"Eh?"
"I won't have to go through the basics with you. Unless you're telling me that you've forgotten that much?"
Naegi blinked, and before long he made a sound signifying how he understood what Togami was trying to tell him. Took you long enough, he thought. Really, do I need to explain everything to you.
"You don't have to teach me how to play, though!" Another nervous laugh. "It's... not like I'd be any good at it."
"That's precisely why I'm going to teach you. If you're going to keep going on and on about me being 'really good at playing' then I might as well teach you to keep your mouth shut." Togami crossed his arms. Naegi gave him a nervous smile, nodding in response and once again facing the piano.
"I'm sure you at least know what tone each key has, yes?"
"Y-yeah..."
Satisfied with Naegi's clumsy response (though, a little irritated), Togami reached over from behind the boy to play a few keys with his right hand. "Can you at least play that much?" He adjusted his glasses, focusing on the other's shaky hands. Naegi was hesitating, and with his lack of patience Togami went ahead and grabbed the boy's wrist, directing his hand over a few keys.
"T-Togami-kun...!?"
"There. Play the keys around here."
Naegi swallowed, trying his best to replicate the tune from earlier. It was slow, clumsy, and lacked a few notes, but Togami tried to hold back by uttering nothing more than an exasperated sigh. This went on for a few hours, long enough for the sun to start setting, and at that time Togami decided that it was best to stop.
"You're unbearably slow at this." Togami stood up from his seat. Somehow somewhere during the few hours they spent together he had managed to convince himself to take a seat right next to Naegi in the tiny chair. "You've only mastered a fourth of the piece."
Naegi laughed.
How many times are you going to laugh at yourself.
"I guess that's why I quit taking classes. I'm not really cut out for this kind of stuff, I guess." He took a deep breath and just stared at his hands. "I'm just a regular guy. There really isn't anything special about me."
No. You can't possibly be not special if you've somehow managed to make me feel this way for you, idiot. Togami sighed, getting up from his seat. "Yes, there is absolutely nothing remarkable about your pity of an existence." and with that, he began to set out of the room and leave Naegi alone, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing onto his arm.
"W-wait...!" Naegi's voice was weak, and if it were anyone else he'd have probably just shook them off, but he hesitantly looked back anyway.
"What."
"The stars should be coming out soon, and I know a good place to watch them from...!" Naegi's cheeks were red, and Togami was beginning to question his own state of mind when he actually started thinking that Naegi's actually really cute.
"And you're inviting me to doing such a useless thing, why?"
"I want to repay you... Repay you for today...! I don't know if you'd enjoy stargazing with me, but the stars are really pretty at this time of the year."
Togami raised an eyebrow, but seeing as he didn't really have any sort of business for the night anyway he hesitantly agreed to it. Why am I even agreeing to such a pointless activity? He asked himself, angry for actually doing something this stupid. Maybe he was getting soft, maybe going to the outside world and trying to rebuild from scratch actually gave him sympathy. He frowned, only to let out a tiny yelp when he felt his arm jolted off towards the door.
Naegi was maybe a little too ecstatic.
/
"Here we are!" Naegi finally slowed down, and for the first time in months Togami was actually flustered. He adjusted his glasses, fixed his hair, and adjusted his coat, too. Although his physical prowess was actually really good, Naegi being much shorter than he was made being dragged around back breaking and more difficult than it should be.
And, for some reason, Togami just couldn't to tell him off.
What on earth is wrong with me.
The place Naegi had brought him to was the top of a hill, no more than a few meters away from the place which they currently called base. The view of the now desolate city wasn't exactly pretty, but it had a clear view of the sky. Perfect for stargazing.
"... I like to come out here on clear nights like this." Naegi laughed. "But, um... Sorry for dragging you all the way out here."
Togami just looked at him. "Having you drag me around... You deserve some sort of punishment for that."
Naegi let out another laugh, much to Togami's irritation. He was completely serious about it.
"I'm sure that whatever punishment it is, it'll be fair." the boy smiled, and once again Togami mentally scolded himself for actually admiring Naegi for being cute. "You're kinda mean, and you can be really extravagant, manipulative and uncaring sometimes, but ever since we left Hope's Peak you've toned that down a little." Naegi looked up to the sky. "Now you're fair, a little more tolerant of everyone and sometimes you even show a little bit of kindness...!"
Togami felt like he was going to be sick.
"I guess... I look forward to rebuilding the world with you! Rebuilding it with you, Kirigiri-san, and everyo—" Naegi stopped, pointing a finger towards the sky with a big smile on his face.
"Uwah, the stars are out!"
Togami couldn't help but stare at him, mouth parted just a bit in awe. When was the last time he's actually seen Naegi smile like this? As often as the idiot did it it was actually very rare for him to smile out of genuine happiness. Almost as if, for him, experiencing true joy and excitement was a treasure.
It was probably because of everything that's happened.
He was never going to admit it, not any time soon at least, but he admired Naegi for his bravery. Admired his (sometimes annoying) optimism, admire him for his ability to smile despite the living hell they've been through, and sure enough the title Super High School Level Hope was very befitting of him.
So, seeing him genuinely happy... Togami couldn't help but smile a little, too.
Maybe I really have gone soft.
"... Me too."
"E-eh?" Naegi looked back at him, and Togami turned to face the stars to hide the stupid grin on his face.
"I look forward to rebuilding the world with all of you, as well."
Especially with you, Naegi.