Another great day at the main Future Foundation headquarter for the newest yet very important members Makoto Naegi, Kyouko Kirigiri, Yasuhiro Hagakure, Aoi Asahina, Byakuya Togami and Touko Fukawa. All of them worked now for sake of Future's hope, which translated well as 'saving the world from falling into despair'.
The hope trio formed by Naegi, Kirigiri and Togami was usually split in the different headquarters. The first two always preferred collecting evidence, field work, corpses, and the like. Togami rather stayed in the main HQ to analyze the evidence and archives from every case of despair that was handled to him. He already had his own office and workers at his command; it was no surprise to find Touko Fukawa working as his personal assistant as well. She was the clumsy character in his office –because yes, her desk was inside his office.
Truth be spoken, Togami was fine with it. She was under his constant vigilance and that was the only way he could do his work in line. Making sure she was fine, not in some field work like Naegi and Kirigiri, who constantly risked their lives for the sake of… No. That was unthinkable. They were doing great, and so were Hagakure and Asahina in the rehabilitation department. Hope was rebuilding the world little by little, and he was an important piece in this puzzle. He was the one and only Heir of the Togami Conglomerate.
Back to his story with Touko Fukawa, Byakuya Togami took charge of her since they successfully graduated from Hope's Peak Academy. They say feelings take their time to bloom and he wasn't an exception to the rule. In fact he was picked on by Hagakure and Asahina so much about this little cliché he acted cold as before for five months straight. He loves Touko, there was no need to explain how it happened. That was another subject, and was so complicated itself no one but Naegi –and probably Kirigiri— knew about it.
The routine was simple. Every morning he wakes up before Touko and showers. Everything including dressing himself, takes a while. Not because he was a survivor would he forget about his etiquette, that's preposterous. It is 6:00 AM, time to go back to bed and wake up that silly brunette. It had to be done gently, stroking her cheek and gently pulling her braids. Otherwise he'd have to take care of the rebel Genocider Syo for the rest of the day. And that was it. She always opens her eyes and chuckles at the view of Togami next to her, who already had her change of clothes ready. But something had changed in him. He wasn't living with Touko in his mansion, because there was not much left of it. It was now closed and guarded 24/7, but he knew nothing of actual value could be found in it, hence he now owned an apartment. Of course, it was huge, and comfortable enough for him to live. He had no housekeepers so everything had to be done by the couple. Togami was rebuilding Hope, but that didn't mean he would be reckless and trust anyone to cook his meals… or his partner's. Thankfully the girl was quite skilled with cooking, and always prepared something delicious for him.
But that morning in the office something was strangely odd. Was it her face? Was she paler than usual? Should he make a fuss about it and disturb the office to take care of her? Certainly not. He sighed –perhaps it was just his imagination playing dumb. He decided to go back to his own business.
Meanwhile Touko was reading the last reports sent by Asahina. It was well known she wasn't fond of the swimmer but after all they've been through at Hope's Peak it was only natural to forgive and be forgiven. The papers were related to a specific case of successful rehabilitation in a female patient who wanted to collaborate in the main headquarters. What if she was lying?
Touko Fukawa isn't the kind of girl that trusts everyone. That's why she had the job to analyze patients about to fully recover alongside Togami. That stated, it wasn't the average patient. Despair was written above the name of the survivor of the Jabberwock Islands, Sonia Nevermind. She left the folder in her desk and decided to take a small break, perhaps some coffee and some snacks would lighten her mood. She walked to the cafeteria and ordered her usual coffee with a small plate of pastries. When finished she always makes sure to bring a cup of fresh coffee and a couple of salty snacks and sandwiches for Togami.
Togami. It was almost unbelievable for her to be living the dream she always wanted. Her White Knight accepted her and felt the same towards her.
"Miss Fukawa, your coffee and snacks are ready" said the chef in charge. She left her seat nearby and when she was about to thank him, the strong fume of boiled coffee almost made her throw up. She quickly recovered and placed her right hand in her nose.
"I-I think I'll pass on coffee this time." She muttered with a small smile on her lips, constantly apologizing for her reaction and taking the plate. The more she stayed in the cafeteria, the more the smell of coffee started to be unbearable.
I'll better go back to the office… Byakuya must have some tea in his drawers.
With his disappointed look, Togami handled the small can of Earl Grey and asked someone to bring him one cup of boiled water and a cup of fresh coffee, but was suddenly interrupted by Fukawa.
"W-Wait! D-don't order coffee, please. Today's pretty gruesome, it smelled terrible. Perhaps someone is trying to harm u-us. L-let's try tea for today, okay?"
The blond raised an eyebrow and let go of the intercom button. "What are you saying? Quit on coffee just because you say so? You know I have my routines, Touko. But you always seem to break them." The heir said with a cold look in his eyes.
Touko bites her lip when she feels nervous, this wouldn't be the exception. "W-well… Why don't we investigate a little further? Perhaps it has something to do with the awakening of the despair girl… We can't afford to lose you." She paused for a little, taking a breath. " I-I can't lose you, Byakuya."
The last words she said left an impression on him. "… Fine. I hadn't thought about it that way. Thank you for your concern, Touko. I'll start an investigation about that chef right away. Now, come here and eat with me, it's about time we go back to work and I won't let you starving."
That day was particularly calm, and the rest of the afternoon was filled with small calls to the office regarding the new investigation about water ponds infected around the Hope's Peak area which could also infect the water Future Foundation used. Of course, they had a filter installed and the water couldn't be contaminated as easily, but it was a matter of time the riots found a new way to disturb the Future.
When the clock announced the end of the journey, Togami started gathering all his papers, ordering them while Fukawa did her own paperwork and locked the files with her key. Only her and Byakuya were allowed to touch those files.
"Good work, Touko. Let's go home now, I feel like eating pasta and you look like drinking hot chocolate."
Once the work was over, Togami could relax a little and be less strict with the girl. The nights were strangely charming, in the secure department where they enjoyed cooking and watching all kinds of movies –all this thanks to Naegi who found an abandoned DVD store. Lucky enough, Togami transferred all the titles to his new home, and exchanged them for new discoveries when the trade was worthy.
"Oh, hold on. I have to send this memo before tomorrow morning, it's for Kyouko. Why don't you go ahead of me?"
"Yes, of course. I'll be waiting downstairs then. Don't take too much time or I'll send my people and you will be severely punished."
With his last words in mind, both went separate ways for a while. Touko held the folder in her right hand with such precaution it couldn't be taken from her. She decided to take the shortcut to the post office. One could hear the sound of her heels when walking in the hallway. She hated wearing heels anyway, but she didn't expect to feel dizzy out of the blue. It felt like the floor was moving under her feet, and she had to stop for a minute and lay on the wall.
What is going on?
Once the dizziness was gone, she felt the sudden need to throw up. As if it was a miracle, the woman's bathroom was near so she had no choice but to hurry. A few moments later she washed her face in the sink, and the sound of the door opening made her jump. It was no one but Kyouko Kirigiri.
"Touko, are you okay?"
Touko deduced she must have looked terrible judging by Kyouko's expression, but instead of explaining what happened she handled the folder to the detective.
"I-I was leading to your office. You see, it's already late and someone is waiting for me."
It was always like that. When she spoke about her relationship with Togami not only she seemed to speak gibberish but also blushed so intensely she looked like a Christmas ball. Without further explanation she mumbled an excuse to get out of the building as soon as possible.
On her way back to the car, she had to wear a small oxygen mask. The air was slowly recovering its purity, but in the meantime everyone had to wear masks until they got home. Air purifiers were handy at times like these.
"You took your sweet time."
The voice that actually came out was kind of distorted due to the mask, but once Touko sat in the car and the windows were fully secured, which allowed them to take off their masks. The car had an air purifier as well, once the engine was on. The fan instantly started to work as they went back home. The landscape wasn't very pretty, but the streets already had small crowds. Everything was slowly going back to normal.
Touko gently pressed her hands against the window to watch the surroundings; she enjoyed to let her mind wander and her muse play at ease. She could imagine what would the world look like with the help of Future Foundation, the people would have changed by then and-
"Daydreaming again? Is there a new plot I have to hear of, Touko?"
A small grin formed on Byakuya's lips. She smiled back and blushed. For Togami it was quite a miracle that the brunette still blushed after all that time together. It would be soon two years, she should be used to it. But he couldn't deny she always awakens a side he couldn't believe existed within him.
"Not yet. In fact I was thinking about the future. How it'll look like."
"Tch. You worry too much. Everything will go as planned, and you will be safe. Everyone will be. "
Planned was a word Byakuya Togami was jubilant about. Everything related to his life had meticulously been planned with anticipation. Or so it seems.
Once they were at the door of the apartment, Byakuya slowly opened the door and asked Touko to input the alarm code in time. The second door –made of steel, it certainly leaves a strong impression if you've never seen spies movies, finally gave in.
The inside was fancy. One could tell it wasn't Fukawa who decorated. The ceilings are very high, the wooden floor is always beautifully polished. Everything was white, so spotting anything out of place or modified would result easy for any of them. The apartment also had a system that purified water, specially built for Touko. It was also known by everyone that she showers every day.
"Are you still in the mood for hot chocolate and pasta?" Said Togami, hanging his jacket and tie near the entrance. As usual, he takes off his shoes as well and prefers wearing comfortable slippers inside the house. "I'll change my clothes. In the meantime perhaps you can choose the movie this time, but please, not with Ryan Goflin. I've had enough of him."
"I'm still in the mood, but remember to stay quiet during the movie. I-I know I t-tend to squeal but I swear it's not intentional. Besides… Ryan Goflin is a good actor."
Touko could hear something falling in the room, and she ran to the room leaving her heels midway. If something ever, ever happens to Byakuya she could never forgive it. Everything would be dark again. Her thoughts started playing dirty, but once she stepped in the room she couldn't see anything broken or out of place. She tried to avoid unnecessary conclusions, and called him.
"Byakuya? A-Are you o-
Someone, or rather that special someone took her unprepared and carried her to the bed. In the process her glasses fell and she couldn't see very well, but the silhouette was familiar enough for her to calm down.
"What do you… I was scared! I t-thought you were…"
"Kidnapped by Ryan Goflin? Tell me, do you think that much about him?" said the young man, firmly holding her wrists while softly joining her in bed, almost touching her nose with his own. Apparently his glasses were gone too.
"O-Of course not! I thought you were in d-danger!"
She could feel the tears in the corner of her eyes as well as the heat in her face. The position she was in, so submissive, was by far one of her predilects.
"B-besides I know you are only jealous of Ry-
Togami had just bitten her lip, and not exactly in a gentle way. She groaned and let her beloved initiate a kiss that made her loins burn with passion. Touko was ready for the next step, in fact she wanted to participate as well so she tried to let go of his grip.
"Not so fast. I thought you said I was jealous of someone as preposterous as Ryan Goflin and his second rate acting."
His words caressed her ear, and she glared at him without hesitation. She even frowned, and as much as Togami liked to lead, he can't deny her anything once she's so rebellious, so he let go her wrists. Too soon, or perhaps too late, she sneaked her hands inside his shirt and scratched the areas she knew well. Now it was Byakuya Togami who moaned.
"I'm in the mood for hot pasta now." She whispers before leaving a soft peck in his left shoulder.
