For the first time since he'd set foot in this school, Togami finally felt as though everything made sense. The game, the romance, the heartache, the deaths, all of it fit together in one long logical line, point after point adding together to lead him to this last inevitable truth. Makoto had been the one behind it all… and he'd swept Byakuya along with his plans from the start.
There was something freeing in the knowledge that he'd been so thoroughly played. If it had been anyone other than Makoto, the boy he'd fallen in love with twice, he would have been furious. How dare some common riffraff try to manipulate him, heir to the Togami family and key figure in the world's future? His outrage ought to boil through his veins with the need for vengeance.
But he couldn't even find a spark of indignation. There was no room left in him for something so useless, with Makoto's brilliant plans eclipsing his past and consuming his future. A boy skilled and smart enough to accomplish what he had deserved to win.
The only question left was how to explain this revelation so that the other boy would understand. Because as long as Makoto kept denying the truth, staring up from his wheelchair with wide, hurt eyes as a facade of charming innocence masked his plans, then he still didn't think Togami would stay with him. In spite of all the ways that Togami had tried to reassure him, verbally and otherwise, Makoto didn't believe that he could trust his boyfriend with his plan.
"You don't really believe that I did all this," Makoto said, with all the certainty he'd displayed when he'd let them think he was arguing during so many other class trials. "You know me better than that."
Which — hurt, actually, because mere minutes ago Togami would have agreed that he knew Makoto better than anyone. But right from the start he'd missed so much, only seeing the nice and gentle person that Makoto had wanted him to know. Had he hurt Makoto, every time that he'd failed to notice the true mastermind right in front of him?
"I should have known you better," Togami agreed, ignoring the irrelevant spoken words so he could respond to the more important question he knew Makoto had actually meant. "I should have paid more attention and understood you sooner. You must have waited so long for me to make the connections." He had to glance away at that, shame twisting his mouth into a dark grimace. "I — I'm sorry that I couldn't."
"Don't apologize!" Frustration snapped through Makoto's voice, too violent to repress. "That's not something to say you're sorry about!"
He wouldn't accept an apology, even knowing how the words soured on Togami's tongue? That was almost insulting — until he remembered just how terribly his oblivious ignorance must have hurt Makoto.
"All right, then — I understand. An apology isn't enough." Togami straightened, taking a deep breath. "So tell me what is. Tell me what you need from me to make this right."
It wasn't the right thing to say to wipe away the defensive shield of lies from Makoto's face — but at least it wasn't the worst. Pleading hazel eyes bored into his, asking for an indefinable something that Togami couldn't quite reach.
"Trust me." Little more than a whisper, just enough for the two of them. Makoto's eyes never flickered, holding his with all the warmth of an embrace. "Please, if you love me at all, try to trust what I'm saying to you."
Trust him…? Togami's eyebrows drew together, the uncomfortable lines of confusion creasing his face. He did trust Makoto, that was exactly what he'd been trying to explain. So why… why would Makoto ask that of him, when he'd already offered it freely?
He'd missed a part of this conversation… an important element that would shed light on all the others. He grimaced, shoulders flinching back with involuntary revulsion at the thought of learning he'd failed to grasp yet another key aspect of the game… but no other reasonable explanation presented itself. Makoto was asking something incomprehensible of him… and he needed to understand before he could respond.
"What do you — what —"
The words vanished as a rush of unexpected pain seared across the back of the hand he'd left resting on Makoto's, silver flashing at the edges of his vision. Yanking his hand back in instinctive self-defense, he saw the line of fresh blood welling up just behind his fingers, reopening some of the other wounds and staining his bandages anew.
He spun in place, tracking the direction the weapon had come back to its origin — and wasn't surprised at all to find himself staring at Jill.
She scowled, a fresh pair of scissors materializing in fingers poised to throw again. "Gotta say, darling, I am not a fan of being ignored."
Togami glared back, pressing his opposite arm's sleeve against his newly injured hand to try to staunch the bleeding. "So you decided to throw scissors at us, instead of simply talking?"
"Been there, done that — didn't work." Without her usual breezy tone, the almost lighthearted words sounded much more sinister. "It's like you two over there are off in your own little world — and I wouldn't wanna be left alone with the mastermind."
That spurred Makoto to straighten and send a glare of his own her way. "I'm not the mastermind!"
"Yeah, whatever. You're not fooling any of us anymore." Her eyes narrowed, and her grip on the scissors changed ever so slightly.
Togami launched himself in front of the wheelchair before she could make another move, the awful possibilities of scissors plunging into Makoto's already-injured body screaming through his head. "Don't touch him!"
"Darling —"
The eye — the throat — the chest — how many kill shots could she make, if he gave her half a chance? With her precise aim, those vicious blades, and an open field — what couldn't she do?
His head jerked towards the throne, and he glared at the useless girl lounging up there without a care in the world. "You're the one who's been enforcing the rules, right? Do something!"
"Huh? Me?" Enoshima blinked, and her eyes opened into wide and innocent circles as her hands curled up towards her chin. "Aw, I dunno what you think I can do. It's not like anyone's breaking any rules." She shook her head in overdone sadness. "I'm not s'pposed to get involved just cause someone might do something naughty. That would be denying you all your free will, and that's a big no no!"
"So you're just going to sit there and watch? Without even trying to protect him?"
Enoshima shrugged. "Rules are rules, and I pinky-swore to follow them! I can't break them no matter what" She tilted her head, as though struck by a sudden idea. "But you didn't make any promises like that, right? So there's still something you can do!"
Schedule Note: Due to limited time and emotional bandwidth to write, I'm going to be posting every other week from this point on. I may have to readjust again in the future, but hopefully not. Next chapter will be posted April 12. I hope you're all staying safe, healthy, and whole.
