It had been an agitated night, judging by the way Byakuya Togami was snoring. It even surprised the young girl he didn't wake up in time, and she decided to make breakfast for a change.
While she was cutting strawberries in half a small thought crossed her mind. A small children waiting for breakfast was an image she could only see in movies, but made her smile. Her childhood was way too chaotic, and was a topic she didn't like to discuss with Byakuya. Not even now she would openly talk about her two mothers and abusive father, who were soon erased from the memories she'd share with him. In spite of that, she always longed for children. Deep inside of her quite sociopath self, Touko always wanted to have a family.
She almost dropped the knife when she felt two hands seizing her from the hips. A familiar scent and soft breathing made her chuckle.
"Why didn't you wake me, silly woman?"
"Oh… I thought you were too tired to even lay a foot outside the bed."
Was she teasing him? Togami smirked and bit her shoulder. "Hmm, don't you dare mocking me, Fukawa. You drained the last bit of energy I had last night and yet you have the bravery to comment on the subject. How daring."
Touko approached toasted bread with cream cheese and strawberries on top to Byakuya's nose, and he soon forgot his grudge against her, sealing their truce with a bite.
"I'm glad it's just the two of us, Touko. When I was younger my father's house was always filled with noises and people. I guess that's when I started hating kids; father's youngest mistresses always had babies around to gain his affection. How fool of them."He chuckled with some angst, but kept the good mood during breakfast and their way to work.
Never could a detail escape Byakuya Togami's keen eye, that's why he got intrigued by her constant need for water. She finished a whole bottle before he could even park the car. They both put their masks and descended from the vehicle, walking side by side to the back entrance.
"Touko, are you on a diet?"
"Huh? No, I'm not. W-Why, do you think I should? Am I too fat?"
"Don't say that again. You are not. I just noticed you keep drinking water and thought you could be experimenting again with food. Just a reminder, the last time you tried to gain weight you were sick for two weeks straight."
She frowned but kept her head raised. "It wasn't that l-long. Besides, I'm not on a diet, I just got a little bit thirsty. Please, don't worry about me, okay? I'm fine, I pro—
"You promise. Fine, then I'll guess I have no choice but trusting you, gloomy writer. Now let's find a new spot where the Foundation hasn't sent any help. Yesterday I received a memorandum; it seems the Council is worried about Sonia Nevermind. I can't believe it. They heard about it even before I could handle this properly."
The girl knew it was something genuinely serious if her boyfriend was so concerned about the Council. It only happened a few times before, but every single one of them was tainted with heavy words and long meetings she couldn't attend. Only the surnamed "Hope Triumvirate" could be there. It was unfair for the other three, who were treated as inferiors. Perhaps they just lacked the smarts, or the luck. On the other hand Fukawa, Hagakure and Asahina were called the "Clumsy Trio" or even the "Bad Luck Three". You wouldn't have a moment of peace if you had them in the same room. Or so they said.
Every thirty minutes Touko checked the clock to be on time. She was trying her best to be more subtle about the water, but she really wanted to take a leak at least once before meeting Kyouko. Something inside her head told her to stay calm, but something, much worse, inside her chest was just pounding hard. In addition to the aforementioned were Byakuya's words. He clearly stated he hated children, would that mean the same if it was his own?
"C-Coffee break has just started." pointed the young girl with a small voice.
"We had a copious breakfast, don't you remember? It's unusual for you to be asking to eat if I'm not the one saying it first. I hope you don't mind if I stay here, I'd like to send the information with the exact locations before four o'clock."
How precise. She just needed a time on her own to find Kyouko and settle things for once. When she thought it would be an easy task to go to the cafeteria, her legs were almost numb. She sweated as well, how uncomfortable that was. It took her the double of time to get there, and she almost fainted when she saw her friend already waiting in the usual spot with a kraft bag in her lap.
Someone knocked three times, in which Togami didn't answered. He was busy, and Touko knew she didn't need such formality. Whoever that was didn't deserve any of his attention, but sneaking without permission only meant one thing.
"Togami, it's been a while! Good morning, how are you?"
"Cut it out, Naegi. What do you want?"
Naegi Makoto was still the shortest of the boys, but that irritating antennae made him look taller than Kirigiri. He grew some muscle as well, but his face remained that of a child. A warm smile could be seen on his lips all the time, and no matter what. Even Byakuya's harsh tone wouldn't make him step back.
"How unusually kind of you to let me stay, Byakuya!"
"Tch. Don't get so full of yourself, someone could hear you. I don't want another wave of cheerful incompetent workers trying to touch my hand or call me by my first name."
Togami left his paperwork in the desk and put both hands on his waist, looking at Naegi. "So, what is it? I barely saw you yesterday."
"I was busy. But Kyouko told me what you said back there at the meeting… and what everyone else said as well."
"Well it could have been better if you were there yelling 'You got that wrong!' instead of fooling around. I still can't accept they even consider we should let Sonia Nevermind approach someone with Despair."
Naegi crossed his arms and sighed. "I know, I'm sorry about that. I think we should keep an eye on her, but it could turn against us if we refuse to let her see Gundam Tanaka. You see, she could lose all hope. What kind of Foundation would we be if we don't give her another chance?"
"She is a murderer, don't forget that." hissed Togami with distrust.
Naegi slowly turned to his friend and muttered with a serious voice. "You live with someone as dangerous as her. Although Touko seems a lot better than before, that doesn't mean everyone around you is comfortable with that. Isn't that the reason you keep her in your office, so the others don't start judging her again? Why don't you–"
"Get out of my office. Now."
The tension was building a huge wall between them, but Makoto Naegi was a legendary stubborn. "Sonia deserves another chance, and you know that well. So please, reconsider my words before tomorrow's meeting."
When the door closed behind Naegi's back, Togami lost his temper and threw everything from his desk, tainting the golden carpet with dark coffee.
"A-Are you sure this is safe?" asked Touko with temporary wrinkles in her forehead caused by stress. She was holding the bag against her stomach on her way to the ladies bathroom alongside Kyouko.
"I had to do my best to buy it without Naegi noticing. It has a great accuracy percentage, and according to the package it will screen the days of pregnancy."
Touko had to check twice no one was around, and she scolded Kirigiri for her calm attitude. If someone heard them it would only be troublesome for her, especially if the result was negative. Once in the cabin, she unpacked the pregnancy test and read the instruction a couple of times while the boots of the detective wouldn't stop walking around the room she just locked.
"Just s-stop walking! You make me nervous."
"…I'm sorry. I'm nervous as well."
She was hiding it so well Touko thought she would better teach her instead of getting on her nerves at times like these. Something good was coming out of this; she was finally liberating the water she had been drinking nonstop during the first hours of the day. The feeling was liberating at first, but once she finished and held the test in her hands, Touko knew a lot of things depended on the result.
The silence in the empty bathroom was broken with a convulsive sigh. A sob followed, and the door in front of Kyouko opened to reveal a young woman covered in silent tears.
"P-P-Positive… I'm p-positive."
Not knowing what to say, Kirigiri hugged her and let her cry at ease on her shoulder. She already knew. It wasn't that hard to notice when someone like Touko was pregnant. The brunette had her own batch of illnesses, but she was a top notch detective. Of course she knew.
"Listen. I don't know what your plans are or Togami's, but remember it's your body and you have the final word about whatever happens from now on. What did the test say, how many weeks do you have?"
"I-I have f-four weeks… "
"I'd suggest you to check it with a gynecologist. It will be more accurate, and your health is important. If you want we can go toge—
"I'm scared."
She was shaking like a leaf. Now Kirigiri noticed, she was pale as well. "Maybe you should go home and rest. I won't tell anyone about this, but you have to promise you will talk with Togami. He has to know."
"…W-Why don't we wait until I go with the d-doctor? I… I have a couple of things I want to investigate first."
"Very well. I will support you in this. Both of you are still young, and taking care of something like that at your 22 years old won't be easy. For now, you have to relax and make sure you don't stress for nothing."
The brunette bit her lip and dried her tears with the sleeve of her suit. "…K-Kyouko. H-How do you know that much about things like t-these?"
"My grandmother was a midwife when she was younger. Perhaps… if things were different, I would have learnt a little about medicine." She smiled, trying to help the girl to get a hold on herself.
The office was neat, excepting the huge stain of coffee in the carpet. He had no one to blame, but the heat was pounding in his head with strength. Naegi dared. He just dared to call Touko a murderer without hesitation. Yes, it was mostly due to his reluctant point of view towards Sonia Nevermind, but…
"Byakuya, what happened?"
Touko was in the doorframe with an altered face. He should have known better the state of the office wouldn't go unnoticed by someone like her. She was messy, but even between files and piles of folders she knew exactly when something was out of place.
"I… Touko, do you think you can arrange an exit pass for you and me? I feel exhausted and I can't work under such circumstances."
The girl wasn't expecting luck would favor her after what just happened in the bathroom. She unconsciously placed a hand on her womb. "W-What? You and me?"
"I can't leave you alone like that. Who will take you home?"
He was right. At the same time Touko started writing a paper for the Human Resources department, she thought Byakuya was acting strange. It was unusual form him to skip work. He wasn't sick… Perhaps he was angry again because of the Council. "It's done, it's just a matter to send someone with this note and we'll be able to leave."
She was the one arranging exit passes. How convenient. But that was the kind of control Byakuya Togami liked to have. Who's in, who's out, and why. No mistakes could be allowed at Future Foundation.
On their way back home Touko decided to stop watching at the window and closed her eyes trying to regain her peace. "So it finally happened…"
On the other hand Byakuya wouldn't stop giving quick glances at her by the corner of his eye. She was sleeping. She had a bigger amount of paperwork, normal during fall season. He thought it would be a great idea to drop by the bookstore. It has been a while they hadn't bought new books for their collection, and the evening was fresh and perfect to take a walk.
"Touko. Why don't we go to the bookstore you like so much and buy a couple of books? Would you like that?"
The writer smiled. Her white knight never needs to ask about something like that. That particular store had in its shelves such rare and old books. All of them were rescued, donated or used. Thousands of them, some smelling like new, some others like moist and ink.
Her gesture wouldn't go unnoticed by the avid reader. They both spend afternoons reading or having long talks about an author or a book in question. In plain silence, they never needed anything or anyone else to be happy.
Byakuya then changed his routine for once and skipped work. Now he was driving to the book store, no regrets so far. When they reached the place, masks in place, they rang the doorbell so the owner could open for them. Stores were like that now, always with doors closed until a customer arrived.
"Oh, it's you two. How unusual to see you here during the week…" said the owner, an old man with so many wrinkles around his eyes you could barely see what color they were.
"A change isn't that bad from time to time."
Touko entered first, and behind Togami the door had to be closed. They could now take off their masks as long as the visit wasn't too long, which it never was. The girl exhaled with a big smile and went straight to her favorite section: Mystery. It used to be romance, but after a few months she had read all the shelves about it. Togami tried to pick another book about linguistics, but the words Naegi told him earlier came back to his head. It was more than preposterous, it was an insult to his partner.
His precious partner. There she was, squeaking about the new stories yet unveiled about murders and detectives. Her dark hair with hints of aubergine under the light was tied in a low pigtail, her strands almost reaching her waist. She could endure a hair cut if he was next to her, but he liked her hair long. The expression she made when touching a book's spine could almost be engraved in stone. A wide smile, sparks burning in her eyes. Anticipation.
Touko made a small mistake that evening. Curious as she was, opening one of the oldest copies of Crime and Punishment of the store released a strong smell of moist. She gagged a couple of times behind a shelf, hidden from Byakuya.
"No… It c-can't be."
A smell she loved for so long was now unbearable. The smell of books, the only thing that reassured her after a hard day at school, was now something giving her gags. Tears formed in her eyes, and she did her best to contain them as well as her need to vomit. It was too much pressure for one day.
"Touko, where are you?"
She had broken one of their personal rules. Not leaving each other's side. When she was missing from his field of vision he overreacted. Each single time, no exceptions. The blond gasped, almost bumping into her after turning around the shelves she was hiding behind. "You did it again, Touko. You promised me you wouldn't leave my side anymore."
Togami sounded angry. She wasn't thinking about his day, and the reason behind the odd behavior. It wasn't making sense until now. He had a good reason to be mad at her. In fact, he had two good reasons to be mad at her, one of them having grown in her womb without being noticed until a week ago.
Back to the apartment, Byakuya closed the door and went straight to the bedroom. He wasn't in the mood for explanations, and silenced Touko with nothing but a glance during their way back. Byakuya Togami needed a break.
In the living room the atmosphere was filled with uncertainty. Touko knew she wasn't taking the news as a mature person. How was she supposed to act? She never had a comprehensive mother to talk about being in couple, being married, having children. She knew that was the order to follow according society, but she hadn't followed any of them until now. The writer wasn't married, was only twenty-two years old and now, four weeks pregnant.
She took her phone and started dialing Kyouko's number. Barely surprised when Naegi answered, she tried her best to stay calm.
"H-Hey, Naegi. How are you?"
"Touko… Uh, I'm good. We met yesterday, remember? I'm… still in a good mood. I guess."
Something in his voice felt awkward. Perhaps it was just her, but it seemed he was restraining himself to hang up.
"Do you want to talk with Kyouko, I assume? Hold on a moment, I'll call her."
She knew Kyouko wouldn't be far, those two always stuck together when not at work. All of them did, but she knew the dangers the other couple faced every day. More often than he would admit, Makoto Naegi had to escape from riots at disaster zones.
"Touko, it's me. Have you talked with Toga—
"N-Not yet… Right now he's angry at m-me and went to sleep." Her hands were shaking and sweating alongside a knot that was hurting her throat. The heavy tears just rolled in her cheeks, and she finally sobbed.
About thirty minutes had passed when Togami opened the bedroom's door. The girl wiped her tears with her suit and tried to talk normally, which alerted Kyouko about what just happened on the other side of the line.
The spectacle wasn't amusing for Byakuya. He suspected she had been crying because of her swollen eyes. Deciding it wasn't the right time to be a gentleman; he took the phone from her hands and waited.
"Kirigiri, isn't it?"
"Good afternoon, Togami. I heard you left earlier tod—
"Don't waste my time and let me talk with Naegi."
He counted ten seconds.
"Preposterous as always."
"Byakuya… is everything okay?"
He almost lost his temper for third occasion that day. "Stop asking futile questions. I'll have mercy and give her a chance to prove she isn't scum anymore."
Touko was on the couch, blinking without understanding what was happening before her eyes. What was he talking about? Could it be..?
"…I'm sorry about earlier, Byakuya. I really am. I feel awful, it wasn't the right way to do things. I never meant to harm you or Touko's reputation. I know her. As long as both of you are together, things will go fine."
There he was again, speaking about redemption. "My knowledge on the matter is way greater than yours, Naegi. But you have to know you crossed the line…" Togami stopped a moment to hear his reaction. A small gasp followed by an awkward silence was exactly what he was waiting for. "But I do recognize your courage to properly apologize and accept your mistakes."
"R-Really? Byakuya… I'm sorry. I just wanted to say that, maybe, that girl was just trying to—
"Well, whatever she's trying to do will have to wait. I'll go to see her tomorrow morning with Touko. You'll understand I can't let this subject in Hagakure or Asahina's hands. You have the freedom to come if you want, but don't interfere with my work."
Togami didn't know a smile could produce a sound until Naegi did.
"Thank you."
"Goodbye. I have more important things to do."
He soon noticed Touko was raising a hand, her face was still red and swollen. She looked tired, more than usual. "What is wrong, Touko?"
She placed her hand in her chest, trying to articulate without crying. "I… I'm s-sorry."
Byakuya took his time to watch her. So fragile, shaking like a leaf. She had dark circles around her eyes, just like in High school. He joined her on the couch and held her in his arms. He felt her heart pounding as she sobbed a little in his shoulder. He brushed his fingers between her long, dark hair and smiled. "Today wasn't the best of the days. Back then I… was scared of losing you. I'm sorry too. I didn't realize you were having a bad time as well."
He wouldn't push her to talk about the things she was talking with Kyouko. Not now. The girl moved a little to face him, allowing the young man to take off her glasses and catch a few tears from her eyes. "Don't cry. Tomorrow will be better, although a little bit tiresome. I'll need you in good shape, by my side."
Touko was blushing by the touch he was leading from her eyelids to her lips, which he caressed softly. "W-What do you mean?"
"Tomorrow you and I will meet Sonia Nevermind, the ex-Super High School Level Tyrant."
