Chapter 51: Day 45

Togami inhaled and slowly exhaled, listening to the deep, steady breaths emitting from Naegi as the two lay in bed. He stared up into the darkness; the corporate heir knew that the Monokuma announcement would come on any second now, awakening them both and telling them another day of item gathering and fact finding was ahead of them.

He briefly wondered if the group would stick to this schedule once they left or sleep in just to prove a point.

Rolling his head to the side, he looked at the slumbering Naegi and let a soft smile cross his lips. "Makoto…" He whispered his boyfriend's name aloud and nodded to himself. "I've put it off for far too long, but today is the day. I need to plan something. For us. For him. Makoto deserves it. After everything he has done, it's time I finally returned the favor and paid my debts."

It was so strange to hear himself think such a courteous thing. Togami had only ever known how to plan for himself. His parents, Aloysius, and his trainers had all taught him in a manner that instilled in him the notion that Togami had to fend for himself. In his world, it was reality. He couldn't allow others to take priority, as his opponents wouldn't be so kind. He couldn't work around others' opinions or schedules lest he himself fall behind. And he certainly couldn't make sacrifices for others, as his siblings would surely see such moves as signs of weakness and exploit them.

Yet here he was, lying in bed with a commoner, a commoner that he had fallen head over heels for twice now, considering how to spend his time with him. How to make the most of their time together. How to make that time not about Togami himself, but about the one he loved. Just because he felt it was the right thing to do. Because he knew it was the right thing to do.

He slowly sat up and let the blanket fall to his waist. Glancing over, he shook his head and thought aloud, "Just what have you done to me, Makoto?" Yet it was said without venom, and he couldn't help but smirk as the lights turned on and Naegi stirred at the sound of the television monitor clicking on.

"Gooooood morning!" Monokuma's voice pierced through the silence. Ignoring the message, Togami instead watched as Naegi stirred awake. He hated, absolutely hated, how adorable it was. Seeing the brunette rub the sleep from his eyes, run a hand through his messy hair…

"We'll go and collect items, then I'll stop by the warehouse and see what's still available from the tower," thought Togami. "I'll tell him I'm checking into something and then say nothing was out of place. I'll grab a bag, hide the stuff, and set up a night for us tomorrow. Tonight might be too sudden, and–"

"Byakuya…?" Naegi slowly sat up and yawned loudly, causing Togami to scoff. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you, too," Togami replied with a smirk. Naegi laughed, and the sound made Togami's smirk turn to a smile. Naegi scooted up next to him and smiled warmly as he rubbed some more sleep from his eyes.

"How, uh, did you sleep?" Naegi slowly asked.

"I was able to sleep, so that's a positive," Togami answered.

"No more memories?"

"None last night."

Naegi nodded. "That's good."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"I mean, I'm gonna worry about you," Naegi countered with a light chuckle. "There's not much you can do about that."

"Then worry about getting dressed and ready for the day. I feel like I've wasted enough time having people worry over me."

"You mean last night?" Togami nodded, recalling how Owada and Taka kept offering Togami their condolences to the point of being irritating. Even Kuwata had asked one too many times just how Togami was doing mentally, if the thought of his family's demise was eating him up inside. It made Togami question if others had had dreams about his catatonic state. "You know they were just trying to be nice, right?"

"I suspect much of it stems from their own insecurities, as well," Togami stated as he stood out of bed. "If my family has perished, then it's as Celeste said. Their own families may be in similar situations."

"Well… I guess that's what we'll find out when we escape," Naegi slowly muttered.

Togami sighed and nodded. "Yes, I suppose so." Realizing he had brought the mood down, Togami walked around the bed and held his hand out to Naegi, who blinked in surprise and quickly took it. Pulling his boyfriend out of bed, he said, "Let's get a shower."

"Together?" Naegi's eyes widened, and an embarrassed yet excited grin crossed his lips.

"We don't have time for anything beyond that, but yes, together," Togami muttered, feeling a slight flutter in his chest as he spoke. "How is Makoto able to do this to me? It must somehow be his damn luck." That warmth in his chest only grew as Naegi practically lunged past him and rushed into the bathroom, stripping out of his boxers as he went. Togami followed suit, making sure to fold his underwear properly before turning on the hot water. "We'll have to take advantage of our remaining privacy. After all, once we escape this madhouse, we'll be traveling with the others for who knows how long. And I highly doubt they will be courteous enough to leave us be."

"Especially You-Know-Who," Naegi noted.

"Exactly." The water soon turned to just the right temperature, and Togami gestured to Naegi. The two stepped inside, and despite his previous words, Togami immediately wrapped his arms around Naegi's shoulders and pulled him in so that his back was against Togami's chest. He leaned forward slightly and set his chin on his shoulder, then whispered, "So maybe we can do this each morning until we leave?"

"I'd like that a lot, Byakuya," Naegi whispered in return. He reached up and placed his hands on Togami's forearms, and for a full minute, the two merely stood, letting the hot water run over them as they took in the silence around them. It wasn't until Naegi started kissing Togami's arm that he opened his eyes, and he watched and felt Naegi plant soft butterfly kisses against his forearm. Unable to stop himself, Togami turned his head and kissed Naegi's cheek, then neck, then shoulderblade. When he looked back up, Naegi was smiling at him, and the two leaned in towards one another, kissing each other firmly on the lips. Pulling back just a smidge, Togami looked into Naegi's hazel eyes and smiled.

"I believe we'll be doing this quite a bit more often," he whispered. Placing a final kiss on his boyfriend's lips, he stepped back and released his grip on him. "But for now, we need to get cleaned up."

"I mean, we can maybe, ya know, multitask?" Naegi asked cheekily. Togami scoffed and shook his head, happy that the hot water could be blamed for his reddening cheeks.

"Not without rushing through, and I'd rather take my time and enjoy it," he retorted as he washed himself off with a soapy washcloth.

"I guess…"

"Besides, this gives you something to look forward to."

"Oh?" Naegi had taken the hint that Togami wasn't budging and had started cleaning himself off, much to Togami's relief.

"You'll see eventually," Togami answered cryptically.

"Ohhhh?"

Naegi's eyes widened, but before he could say anything further, Togami leaned forward and pressed a firm kiss against his lips once again. Staring into those hazel eyes, Togami glared mischievously and whispered, "As I said. We're going to take advantage of our privacy here. Just not this second."

"You're planning something for us?" Naegi asked in excitement.

"You'll see."

Naegi's grin widened. "I look forward to it!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

Finished with cleaning themselves off, the two exited the shower, got dressed, and made their way out into the hallway. Togami locked the door shut before instinctively taking Naegi's hand in his own. The two walked casually down the hallway; Togami could see a few of the others ahead of them as well as hear footsteps behind, meaning they hadn't wasted too much time in the shower. As they entered the lobby in front of the dining hall, Togami casually glanced past Naegi towards the area of the warehouse.

He blinked in surprise and nearly came to a stop. "Wait a minute, that's…"

Naegi noticed the movement and glanced up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Togami answered a little too quickly. Pressing forward, Togami muttered, "Thought I saw her for a second."

"Ah." Naegi continued walking, and soon the two entered the dining hall. Togami took his seat and watched Naegi enter the kitchen to make their cups of coffee before pulling out his e-Handbook. There was no indication of the change on the school map, but he saw it clear as day.

The gate past the warehouse, which had been locked since they awoke over a month ago, was now open.

A new area of the school had been opened. Unlocked.

And Togami knew that a certain Ultimate Detective would be spending her time there.

Clasping his hands together, Togami sighed and thought, "Okay. Change of plans. Collect items, investigate the new area, then put together things for Makoto. In that order." He glanced up towards the kitchen and frowned. "But no matter what, I need to get our things together. Kirigiri said she would handle the remainder of the investigation, so I'll let her be. I'll check things out for my own amusement, but I've put the investigation ahead of us enough. It's time I made our relationship a priority. Because once we leave, who knows how much time we'll have together, just the two of us." The thought unsettled Togami, and as soon as Naegi returned with their two cups of coffee, Togami inched his seat just a smidge closer to Naegi before taking a sip of their morning brew.

Author's Note: Hey everyone. Bit of a short chapter this week - boyfriend just had surgery and is in recovery right now.