The first thing he was aware of as he stepped into his home was laughter.
He felt his lips twitch as he heard the giggles of a specific trio echo within the rather spacious home. If he focused, he could just make out his lover's voice under the voices of their two mischievous children.
Immediately, he ditched his suitcase and coat at the door, knowing that a servant would be by soon to grab it for him. Then, he made his way through his home, drawn to the laughter echoing throughout the house.
It has been a long day, a long painful day that seemed to simply drag on and on. He has been surrounded by talk of business deals and mergers until he felt as if he had heard every single subject involving the process.
But that sound…. Well, somehow it made all of his annoyance fade away.
As he began his journey through the home, however, he caught sight of a small drawing hung proudly in the hallway.
It was a child's drawing, filled with four grinning stick figures. One was larger than all the others of course, decorated only with a color that could be considered close to his own hair color. Next to him was a small, childlike stick figure, colored with a light brown color. The figure had long, slightly curled hair, the only item defining it as a girl. She was holding the previous figures hand, as well as another one next to her. This figure was similar in size to her, but was colored with a color similar to his own blond hair, with its hair style defining him as a boy. Finally, next to the boy was a figure taller than the two children, but quite smaller than him. It was colored in dark brown and was also clearly defined as a boy.
The stick figure family smiled back at him as he gazed at the picture, their names written below them in crude, childish handwriting.
Papa, Elvira, Katsu, Daddy
He felt his lips twitch once more as he came to a stop to gaze at the picture. It was surrounded by numerous works of art, all of much better quality than the one that currently garnered his interest. Only a few years ago, he would have dismissed the drawing as trash and would have crumpled it up and thrown it away.
Yet, his heart was stolen by the childish piece of art before him.
In fact, he could still remember the day the drawing had been presented to him.
"Papa! Papa!"
The screams of a small girl echoed through his study as said child dashed in. Her brown hair bounced and her green eyes seemed to glow as she ran to his desk, clutching a piece of paper to her chest like it was a lifeline.
He raised an eyebrow as he looked up, somehow not stunned by her unusual energy.
Elvira was known to constantly burst into his office yelling about something.
Still, he put down his pen for a moment and looked down at the child, his curiosity peaked.
"Yes Elvira?"
The little girl's cheeks were pink as she flipped over the paper, but she still smiled like she was showing him a Nobel Peace Prize.
"Look Papa! I drew us! Me, you, Katsu, and Daddy!"
He stared at the paper in front of him, his mind fighting to figure out what exactly the thing in front of him was. At first, it just seemed like a mess of lines and colors. It nothing compared to the works of art he had been raised to recognize and appreciate and for a moment he is even tempted to ask what was he even supposed to be seeing.
Then he sees it.
He can see the two small children clutching on to each other, with each one holding on to either his or Makoto's hand.
He can see the small cowlick that somehow his lover could not overcome.
He can see the frame of his glasses, covering nearly his entire face.
He can see the smile on even his face as they stand together in the bright crayon drawn sun and cartoonish grass.
He finds himself simply staring at the image for a bit, utterly entranced by the drawing before him. Then, without a second thought, he reaches into his desk and immediately grabs a certain object from its depth.
He then stands, offering his free hand to the little girl.
"Elvira, come with me for a bit."
It's a bit hard to coax his voice into something soft and kind, a large contrast to his typically impassive and harsh voice. Still, he finds that as time goes on, it becomes easier and easier to relax even his voice from his previous defenses.
Little Elvira blinks up at him, clearly confused. She nods though, gently giving him her tiny hand. He takes it as softly as he can and leads her out the door, his lips twitching as he hears her hum quietly as they walk through the hallway.
Soon though, they come to a stop near the entrance of their home. He scans the wall for a moment, examining all the works of art that resided on the wall.
His eyes end up falling on a simple piece, 'The Screaming Man.'. His lip curls as he looks at one of the most famous paintings in the world, one that could be seen everywhere in the world. Without a second though, he reaches up and grabs a hold of the painting with one hand. He then takes out the object he had been holding and hands it to Elvira.
"Hold this for me, alright?"
Elvira nods, taking the tape dispenser without question.
He then turns back to the painting before him. With ease, he lifts the painting off the wall, placing it to the ground beside him without a bead of sweat.
He then turns back to Elvira, a small smile now claiming his lips.
"Here. I'll take the picture now. I need you to hand me the tape now, alright?"
Elvira beamed up at him, already knowing what he was planning on , she passed him the drawing along with a long piece of tape.
His smile grows at her joy and he tempted to kiss the top of her head, if only to see her smile even more brightly. He hides this desire though, instead turning to his slightly menial task.
Four pieces of tape later and the small drawing resides where an exquisite painting used to be. His daughter giggles in delight at this, a giant smile on her face as she reaches over and hugs his leg.
"Thank you Papa!"
He kneels down to return the hug, the soft smile still evident on his face.
"You are welcome Elvira."
He finds that his lips had curved into a smile at the memory. He quickly wipes it off his face, lest any of the servants notice it.
His smiles could only be earned by certain people. After all, he could not parade around with it for just anyone to see.
Suddenly, he becomes aware that the laughter he had heard before had become even louder, signaling that he was close to his destination.
With that, he finally drew his eyes away from the picture and headed toward the sound of laughter that was growing ever so closer.
For once though, he cursed the largeness of his home, for the laughter and joy of those he wanted to see the most seemed too far from him at that moment.
His footsteps echo in the large halls as he quickens his pace. He is not running, no that would look too desperate. Speed walking was fine though. It was both quick and dignified.
As he moved along the halls however, another object catches his eyes. He finds himself suddenly slowing, his attention now caught by another seemingly meaningless object.
This time, the object is a bit more subtle. It is another piece of art, but like the drawing, it is childish in nature. It is a three foot tall Lego building, painstakingly pieced together with over a thousand Legos in various shades of green, black, and white colors. There seems to be no set pattern or purpose to the building
His lips twitch once more upon seeing the picture frame.
Yes, it was odd to see another touch of personality within the house that had been built as only a sign of wealth.
Somehow though, he found himself not caring. After all, that building had a backstory of its own….
He raised an eyebrow as he stared at the monitor in front of him, a feeling of absolute annoyance filling him.
"... A robot bear maid…?"
The man on the monitor winces, shooting him a weak smile.
"Yes! It would be a revolutionary idea! Households around the world would love to have them!"
He just sighs and rubs his forehead, the annoyance within him growing somehow.
"You are in Kyoto correct..? DId you happen to come across a young woman with large blond twin ponytails and bright blue eyes?"
The man blinks and slowly nods.
"... Yes. How did you know ..?"
He just facepalms.
"And did she-"
A small knock at his door immediately cuts him off. He looks up immediately at the sound, his attention quickly on the door before him.
"Come in!" He calls quickly.
A small blond little boy pokes his head into the room, his light green eyes filled with uncertainty and a small bit of hope.
"Papa..? Are you busy..?" he asks softly, a far cry from his sister's loud voice.
He glances between his son and the laptop, not even hesitating to slam the lid of his laptop down.
"Not at all. Come in Katsu."
His son brightens at this and he immediately ran to his desk, a smile lighting up his face. He comes to a stop right in front of his desk, the hope in his eyes even more present.
"Pennyworth found some blocks… Can you help me make a tower since Daddy is at work and Elvira is sleeping?" he asked .
He blinked at that, glancing between the now closed laptop and his son.
The associate… as idiotic as he was… was probably very annoyed at the sudden dismissal. The proper thing to do was to call back and explain that something had come up and continue the conversation.
But then there was Katsu…
He took a long look at his son and smiled, allowing himself to stand up at his desk.
"Of course Katsu. Lead the way."
His son beams and happily grabs his hand, tugging him away from his desk with a strangely strong grip. Within minutes, he was out of the room and pulled into the sitting room by his son's unrelenting grip. Somehow though, he can only smile at this this.
On the floor was a massive amount of legos, obviously gathered by the barrel by Pennyworth. Where they came from, he had no clue, but he suspected he was missing a small bit of money from his bank account now.
Katsu happily took a seat on the floor, dragging him to the ground next to him.
"What should we make Papa?" He asked cheerfully.
He smiles a bit at the question and quickly looks around at the legos around them. There is a massive amount of them, but they all seemed to be in the colors of green, black, and white.
Weren't those colors the colors of…
His smile grows as he turned to his son.
"I have the perfect idea."
He leans over and whispers the idea into his son's ear as if it was a secret. Katsu's eyes somehow lit up more at the idea and he giggled a bit before nodding.
"Yes!"
With that, the duo set to work constructing the building. Minutes seep into hours as they poured effort into constructing the perfect building.
After a while, they stepped away from the building, an entire scale model of Togami Tower built entirely from Legos.
Katsu beamed up at him, happiness and pride clear on his face.
"Thank you Papa!" he cheered, uncharacteristically reaching over to wrap his arms around his leg.
He blinked down at him before smiling a bit and leaning down to ruffle his son's hair.
"It is no problem Katsu."
He chuckles to himself as he looks at the Lego building in front of him.
It was a pretty good model of it if he did say so himself. It was definitely worth the effort, even if it caused a raised eyebrow from Makoto when he saw it.
Just then, laughter filled the halls again, this time even more closer than before.
This causes him to immediately head towards the sound, anticipation and excitement building up within him as he realized how close he was to his goal. Of course, he would deny it if someone asked him that.
Obviously he was just speed walking down the hall, not running.
Soon, however, he found himself distracted once more. This time though, his gaze was drawn by a room, not a single object.
He finds himself pausing outside a playroom of sorts. Mountains of toys seem to fill the room, stretching from end of the room to another. The toys would seem expensive to others, but for him it was pocket change.
There is no specific memory tied to the room, but he can not help but remember the reason why the room even existed.
"... What do you think about adopting kids...?"
He blinked up at his husband, a small frown filling his face.
"You want to adopt children?"
They had been in their bedroom at the time. It was a peaceful evening, with the crickets chirping in the background and their bedroom bathed in pale lamplight. He had been leaning against the headboard of their bed, feeling as life could not be better as he reclined with a book in hand as Makoto's comforting form rested on him.
Then Makoto had voiced his question.
Makoto smiled sheepishly at him in response.
"Y-yeah... I mean... Wouldn't it be nice? Me, you… Twins maybe….?" he asked, nervousness clear in his voice.
His frown only grew as he slowly put his book down.
"What brought this on…?" He asked quietly.
They had never discussed children before. It had seemed to be a mute point considering their biology. He had always thought that it would just stay the two of them
Of course, it would not be too bad if they ever adopted children. The cost of raising a child, even two, would not even make a dent in his massive fortune. Time wise, well, Makoto could take a year off of teaching and he could do most of his meetings on Skype if it truly came to that….
Wait... Was he really considering this?!
He shook his head of the thought, refocusing his attention on his husband as he awaited an answer to his question.
Makoto took a deep breath before turning back to face him.
"Well.. Kyouko called me earlier… She was on a case involving the death of some maid at a manor of sorts. Apparently she had been murdered by the wife of the manor owner due to the fact that she was having an affair with her husband? Anyway, the maid had twins, a boy and a girl, and now they face an orphanage as the maid's family all died before her."
"...And she wants us to take them in?" he finished, knowing exactly where this explanation was going.
Makoto chuckled a bit and nodded.
"Yeah… She said that she figured it would not take too much from us to raise them as we have plenty of resources to do so and she really does not want to risk the twins being separated in the foster care system."
He raises an eyebrow at this.
"Is there no one else who could take them? Perhaps your sister and Fukawa or Asahina?"
He does not even try and offer Hagakure. He is not completely cruel after all. Giving those poor orphans to him would be like sentencing them to a life living with a circus.
Then again, Hagakure's actions did seem similar to a circus act.
His husband laughed sheepishly, a weak smile filling his face.
"Yeah… She could. But I kinda offered to take them in if you agreed."
He blinks, surprise filling him.
"You offered? Why would you do such a thing?" He asked, more than slightly confused at this turn of events.
Children had always seemed to be a topic that had been mutually agreed on. If Makoto had wanted children… Why had he not voiced this opinion earlier?
Makoto looked over at him, almost as if he sensed the unvoiced question. He grabbed his hand then, squeezing it gently as if it were for reassurance
"... Well.. It's not as if I have not thought about bringing up adoption with you. However, with everything going on, with you leading the company, and me working as a teacher at Hope's Peak Academy…. I just thought that it just seemed to be a idea that wouldn't become reality."
"But… But when I saw those kids Byakuya… They seemed so innocent... I just… Well I immediately felt taken with them. It's strange but I just felt connected to them… Here, look at them!"
Makoto leans over, him, reaching for the phone that rested peacefully on the nightstand beside the bed. He quickly taps on the screen in quick succession for a few seconds before finally pulling up the image he so desperately wanted him to see.
It was a image of two one year olds tucked securely into bed. A baby girl with brown hair and a baby boy with blond hair could be seen tucked into a small cot, covered by a small blue baby blanket. The duo was fast asleep in the cot, their small hands connecting in the middle.
"... I am not asking you to decide now. But keep it in mind?" Makoto asked hopefully.
He glances at the photo, unknown emotions swirling within him.
At the beginning of his life, children had seemed to be an annoying fact of life, a part of his life as heir to the Togami Corporation that seemed to essential . Once he married Makoto, however, they had been considered to be impossible for obvious reasons.
Children were never in his plan. Even when he had not decided to settle down with Makoto, he had never really intended to become close to any child of his.
Knowing Makoto, this would not be possible in this case. Makoto would insist that he would be a part of the children's lives if they did adopt the children. There would be countless hours of work lost as he tended to the children under Makoto's demands.
He would have to help raise the children for the entirety of their lives. He would have to read stories to them and tend to their wounds if they came to him. He would have spend time at sports games and help them with school assignments. He would probably be dragged on family vacations and would eventually be dragged into the hell of raising teenagers.
Somehow though.. The idea of this family life does not irritate him in the slightest.
In fact….
He glances at the phone again and finds himself smirking a bit.
"Hmph. I am offended Makoto."
His husband flinches at this and gives him a questioning glance.
"What do you mean..?"
He just rolls his eyes and turns away to place his book on the nightstand and turn off the light.
"You know me enough to know that I never waver on any decision. I will have Blue Ink begin the adoption process in the morning. Now, can we- Ack!"
He is cut off by his husband practically throwing himself at him in a rushed hug.
"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"
"Tone it down will you?! It is 12 am for goodness sake! Just go to sleep!" he snaps, but like usual, there is no venom behind his words.
His husband beams at him, his eyes already welling up with tears.
"Thank you Byakuya."
He just sighs, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close.
"Yes yes. I know… But you know there is no need to thank me though, correct?".
Makoto laughs a bit at this as he moves to rest his head against his chest.
"I know… Good night Byakuya."
He chooses merely rests his chin on the top of his head, the small smile on his face showing only a fraction of the joy and hope filling him at that moment.
"Good night Makoto."
Just as the memory fades, he comes across the door to the sitting room, the source of the rambunctious laughter. His lips twitch and slowly he opens the door, his heart warming at the sight that awaited him.
A large fort of pillows and sheets had been set up in the middle of the usually pristine sitting room. The sheets had been supported by the various furniture in the room, with one draping over a section of the room, covering the space. However, pillows could be seen littering the floor behind it.
Two tiny faces peek out of the fabrics as he walks in, only to quickly duck back inside it. The giggles seem to become even louder at his action, only to be accompanied by a large shushing sound.
"Shh.. Come on you two… Papa can't find us." Makoto's amused voice fills the air as he hurriedly tried to calm their children.
The twins quickly calmed their laughter at this, making a soft smile fill his face. Slowly, he walks forward, looking from side to side in pretend confusion.
"Hmm… I thought I heard a noise in here…."
He hears his children laugh softly at this and feels his smile grow in response. Carefully, he approaches the tent, finally coming to a stop in front of it.
"Hm… I wonder what exactly lies inside this tent…." he pondered, reaching out to grab the front of the pillow fort.
The giggles grew louder as he opened the flap of the pillow fort, the threat of discovery serving as nothing more than a source of amusement for the forts inhabitants.
Inside the tent lied three people he knew all too well. Little Elvira and Katsu lied on their stomach in front of him, their eyes full of laughter and amusement. Makoto was lying in between the twins, draping a protective arm over their children's small bodies. He blinks up at him, a warm smile filling his face.
"Welcome home Byakuya."
"Yeah! Welcome home Papa!" Little Elvira beams from Makoto's left side.
Katsu merely smiles at him from Makoto's other side, the happiness on his face speaking volumes about his actual emotions.
He feels himself relax at the sight of the trio.
He knows he has work that he should be finishing. There was always work to do with him being the CEO of the biggest conglomerate in Japan.
However….
"... May I join you three?"
His husband chuckles and reaches for one of his hands as the twins both reach for his other one.
"Always." Makoto smiles as they tug him into the fort with them.
As soon as he is in the tent, he is basically attacked by the trio. Both of the twins cuddle into his sides, beaming up at him expectantly as Makoto chuckles and reaches over to grab his hand.
He finds himself lying back in the fort, examining the trio around him with a fond smile.
There are only two words that fall from his lips, words that mean much more than what it meant
"Thank you."
I love you all.
This is a non-despair AU, so the bear joke is meant to be a jab at Ultra Despair Girls which state the Monokuma robots were made under the guise of being robot maids. In this universe, Junko just limited herself to annoying Byakuya through subordinates to make robot bear maids as a joke. Of course, this does not exactly please Byakuya...
Anyway, this fic was meant as a light hearted story to cheer up those who may not be having the best of times now. After all, angst is good and all, but fluff is always heartwarming to read.
I hope this put a smile on your face and I wish you all the luck as we go into the summer as we face finals and any stress that life is throwing at you right now.