Chapter Text
Ryota had been dating the person Hope’s Peak had selected as the Ultimate Imposter for over three weeks now, or, well, he assumed they were dating. He really hadn’t officially said anything to them like ‘do you want to go out?’, but the kisses they had shared hadn’t felt very platonic, so he really hoped they were dating, and that he hadn’t made a huge misunderstanding…
Well, anyway, they had been dating semi-officially, he assumed, for over three weeks before the first time his… boyfriend? had taken him out. Honestly, he wasn’t sure he even had a boy friend, they hadn’t really talked about it, he had seen their Student Handbook when they explained their talent, and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the ??? there. It felt like it would be rude to ask at this stage in the relationship, and he supposed if they hadn’t told him already, it probably wasn’t that important in the long run.
He paused, looking around and realizing… he really didn’t know where they were headed at all. Sagishi had just suddenly declared that they were going to go out, and hadn’t let him protest before they were out the door, only now they were leaving the Hope’s Peak campus did it occur to him that he had no idea where they were going.
“What are you thinking about?” Sagishi looked down at him with a soft smile that he couldn’t say truly fit the personality they were trying to emulate, but Ryota liked them better this way. The harshness that defined whoever Byakuya Togami was seemed to clash with how Sagishi acted when they were alone; where Byakuya was harsh and critical, always defining himself by his superiority, Sagishi was soft and nurturing, always supporting him in subtle ways and never really focusing on themself. It was a huge study in contrasts. He shook his head at those thoughts, as they were still staring at him.
“I just, uh, realized that I don’t know where we’re going.” Ryota laughed nervously. “I don’t go out much, so I don’t really know the area…”
That was a bit of an understatement. This was the first time in weeks, maybe months, that he’d left the Hope’s Peak campus. He really had everything he needed in his dorm; his tablet, his art supplies… He… actually didn’t need much in the long run.
“To get you some food, of course,” Sagishi explained, frowning slightly, their cheeks puffing out. “I’ve noticed you haven’t been eating well recently, and you’re already worryingly skinny.” They looked at him with concern obvious in their eyes, and Ryota resisted the urge to laugh again.
Sagishi always was going on about things like that, it was… well, it wasn’t annoying, per se, but it was unnecessary! Ryota was fine, really, he had a few energy drinks just yesterday, it was just that he had a lot of work to do! He didn’t have time every day to eat when there was drawing to do.
“What kind of place are we going?” Ryota hadn’t really agreed to this so much as been forced into it, but he supposed he didn’t really mind. He had just finished the cels for the animation he was commissioned for early, so he had some spare time, and if he was at home in his dorm he’d just get antsy. Spending too much time not working bothered him, but at least this time he would be doing something . “I hope it’s not too fancy.” He suddenly felt underdressed… but if he was, it would be their fault for dragging him out so suddenly.
“I’m taking you to get something to eat , not flaunting money for the sake of it.” They looked offended by his suggestion, and Ryota felt embarrassed. “Most fancy restaurants are for the rich to show off the exotic foods they can afford, not foods actually worth eating.” They explained, pausing for a second. “And the portions…” they growled, “… despicable.”
Ryota smiled slightly; he always found their conviction in their sentiments on food… Endearing? It was nice for them to have something they believed in. Even if it wasn’t as important as anime, he was happy for them anyway.
“So where are you taking me?” he asked again, since that hadn’t really answered his question.
“I understand among the common folk they have a reputation for being unhealthy,” they scoffed, “but fast food has a lot of what I specifically believe would be beneficial for you, as well as…” they trailed off, a strange look overtaking their face, “… a sentimental place in my heart.”
They paused, looking at Ryota very seriously.
“Of course, that is not to say one should always eat fast food. While food in general is essential, and it is always good to be prepared, some food is better in moderation.” They looked rather disgusted by that statement. “What is ideal for gaining weight is food high in protein and fat, I’m sure I can convince Teruteru to begin preparing you meals…” They mused, clearly thinking to themself about this further.
Ryota felt a sinking feeling telling him they wouldn’t let up on this. Honestly, though, their statement on fast food being sentimental made him realize he didn’t know much about Sagishi’s past. He knew they apparently had been born without a name or identity, and apparently needed to take the identities of others to have one… what did that really mean? Born without a birth certificate? Did they have parents at all? He felt kinda bad for not asking more questions then.
“Sagishi, I was-“ Ryota began, but was quickly hushed by Sagishi.
“Do not call me that.” They looked startled, but quickly settled down after looking around and seeing no one was around to hear. The street they were crossing wasn’t busy at all, and no one was in earshot. “Please, while we are out, address me as Byakuya Togami,” they said, and Ryota felt a little sheepish that he hadn’t even considered. Of course he should have called them Byakuya, he just… rarely talked to them outside of their room… which was, he supposed, his room, but Sagishi came over often enough that it felt like theirs too.
“Of course, I’m sorry, Byakuya…” He mumbled, practicing. It felt strange, but that was just how it had to be with them.
After a few seconds of silence, he decided he wanted to fill it with something, so maybe Byakuya would want to hear about his art? Usually they tended to listen when he talked about it, so he assumed they enjoyed it.
“I’ve been looking at this new art tablet that’s on the market, because my old one is a few years old and pretty outdated, it can’t run the newest programs on it, I’ve finally got enough money to get the newest model, and I mean, I really think that’d be neat to have, because I’ve been looking to improve my work!”
He was normally afraid of rambling too much, but he could tell that when he talked, Byakuya would listen. He kind of, as he thought about it, wished there was something they liked talking about so he could listen to them for once. Sure, most of the time he was way too busy with his anime, but times like right now, he felt kind of bad that he was always the one talking. Maybe he should tell them that sometime. But… right now didn’t feel like that time, and sure, maybe he was putting it off, but right now Byakuya couldn’t talk openly like they did in his dorm, so he wasn’t just being his usual cowardly self...
“Plus, I’ve heard there’s this stylus you can buy that can take colors from real life! Imagine how cool that could be to have?” He was just so much more at ease talking about his art than anything else, it was easy to slip back into. “I really don’t know what I’d use it for, but the potential is limitless!”
“You know, as the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy, I could easily afford you those things.” Byakuya said, fondly. “The amount of money I have to spare truly is impressive.”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to do anything like that!” Ryota sputtered, shocked. He was just trying to talk about things he was interested in right now, not convince them into buying him anything!
“Money is no object to a Togami,” Byakuya said, “it is a matter of me being able to afford anything I desire, it benefits me to use my money as if it is no object to me. Because as the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy, it isn’t.”
As they finished explaining, Ryota realized the point they were trying to make. The kind of person the real Byakuya was, the kind of money he had to throw around, he could easily afford to give his boyfriend anything he desired. Which, now that boyfriend was him , seemed kind of excessive. Not that he didn’t want a new tablet, but it was kind of embarrassing to get those kind of gifts just for asking!
“Well, I mean, if you really want to…” he mumbled, face flushing red. “You know, I kind of expected that a guy like you,” he hoped Byakuya understood what he meant, “someone that rich and powerful would be kind of a jerk, but you don’t act like that at all!”
“While it is true that as a Togami I am above the general peasantry and riffraff of lower society, I content myself with being superior and don’t need to conduct myself in such an uncouth manner as to remind you all of your lot in life. It is enough for me to know my own status; it is the duty of the leaders of the world to look after the lower rungs and ensure they behave themselves.”
As they explained, Ryota found himself truly understanding Sagishi’s talent as an imposter. They embodied the ideals of the talent they were imitating so completely that if they hadn’t confessed their true identity to him, he wouldn’t have believed there could be any other Byakuya Togami in existence. The one that stood in front of him so completely represented the idea of the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy that he had trouble believing the real Byakuya could have said it any better. When they stopped, he was confused, but looking around him, he realized they had arrived.
“After you.” Byakuya held open the door for him.
“Oh, uh, thanks.” Ryota ducked his head in a sort of thanks as he walked in, the air conditioning a nice break from having been walking for so long.
It was a rather nice fast food place, from the looks of it, although it didn’t look much different than any other he had seen. He was about to go up to the counter when Byakuya motioned for him to sit down at one of the tables, so he did.
Ryota was suddenly conscious of the fact that he was with a pretty famous person, or at least, someone people thought was famous. He knew Hope’s Peak was a big deal, but it still embarrassed him to be so recognized. He had always wanted his animations to be famous, not him! Luckily for him, nobody seemed to be paying attention to him as Byakuya was bossing around the wait staff and generally taking command of the situation in a way that made it hard to take his eyes off them, so most of the people ignored him.
After a few minutes, Byakuya came over to the table holding a tray with an impressive assortment of food on it, and Ryota felt a little nervous that Byakuya had really overestimated his stomach. Yes, he was kind of hungry, he had realized now that he could smell the food, but he wasn’t that hungry!
Ryota began to protest, “Byakuya, I don’t think I can-“
“Don’t worry, not all of it’s for you,” Byakuya smirked slightly, picking up one of the burgers. “I just want you to eat as much as you can, and whatever else is left over, I’ll eat.” They looked at him almost… worriedly? Oh no, this was going to be another lecture, wasn’t it? “It’s not healthy to neglect yourself the way you do, Ryota!” They began, handing him a basket of fries and looking at him insistently until he began eating. “I mean it!” They huffed.
“Really, Byakuya, I’m fine!” he insisted, between bites. The food was good, though. Maybe he had been more hungry than he realized, but that didn’t mean Byakuya was right with all their insistence about him ‘having an unhealthy work ethic’ and ‘working himself to death’, which was completely ridiculous.
“No you aren’t! You barely have an inch of fat on you!” Here we go again, they were on another one of these rants. “You would be in serious danger if you were ever in any actual situation without food for extended periods, you’re already almost underweight!” They were always worrying about weird stuff like this, and it was nice to be cared about, but he was fine! “If you don’t have any fat on you, if you ever starve, your body will have no choice but to digest your muscles for food. The important thing is to make sure you don’t get any skinnier.”
They finished their burger and watched him eat his fries intently, clearly not letting up on this. It was such a weird thing to worry about, too, but they were always talking about this kind of thing, the importance of food and the threats of starvation and whatnot, it was kind of impressive how much they knew, honestly.
“Do you want to hear about my latest commission?” Ryota put down his food, excited to talk about it. Honestly, his job was so cool! He got to draw all the time, he was contributing to the most important art form, he got paid to do what he loved and it was everything he could ever hope for in life, inspiring others the same way he was inspired as a kid.
“What I want is for you to eat something substantial, then you can talk about your job.” Byakuya motioned towards one of the burgers. “Protein is important in your diet.”
Ryota sighed and had a bite, rolling his eyes. He wasn’t mad at them, but he wished they’d worry less! He hadn’t collapsed since they met, so clearly he was doing well enough to work. Plus, he had come out with them, hadn’t he? Every time he had finished a commission, Byakuya would do this kind of thing, insisting he do something silly like ‘take a break’. It was ridiculous, and kept him from maximizing his efficiency. Didn’t they have anything better to do?
It was interesting to him, if he thought about it, that such a worrywart like Sagishi was impersonating someone like Byakuya Togami. The real Byakuya stayed busy only in the stock market and made no public appearances, so he didn’t even know what he would look like. From what Sagishi had explained, everything they had told him about him was true; he was a billionaire prodigy who had clawed himself up from the lower ranks, the only lower-rank Togami child to ever become an heir, and the youngest ever at that. The only real difference between the Byakuya that Ryota knew and the real one was that the real one was only fifteen. Which was bad news for Sagishi, apparently. Hope’s Peak had informed them that they genuinely were scouting him for the position of Ultimate Affluent Prodigy, which meant next year, they would have to find someone new to impersonate.
Which was where Ryota came in. Sagishi thought that it would be a good idea, since all Ryota wanted to do was animate, if he could do that instead of go to class, and they would be him in his place. He had seen them at work, testing it out, and he was surprised how well they could impersonate him, and it was almost certainly going to work. That, now that he was thinking about it, was giving him a weird feeling in his stomach. What if that was the only reason Sagishi cared about him? He knew that was sort of the plan all along, but he had thought there was something more between them…
“Ryota, are you alright?” He was interrupted out of his thoughts by Sa…. Byakuya , who was looking at him worriedly. “You stopped eating.” They scolded him slightly. “I really do just want you to be healthier, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.” Ryota smiled slightly. What was he thinking? It was stupid of him to think they didn’t care about him, considering how much they were fussing over him, how many times he’d woken up tucked in bed when he had fallen asleep on his tablet… but… it wouldn’t hurt to check, would it? He’d have to make sure he phrased it so it wouldn’t expose their true identity, but he could still ask.
“Hey, Byakuya?” They looked up from the burger they had gone back to when they had seen he was alright. “I’ve just been thinking…. This, uh…. Hanging out we’ve been doing?” He tried to emphasize the hanging out bit in a way that made them understand. “It’s, uh, not just because of… I mean, it’s not fake, is it?” He hoped he had gotten his point across.
“Of course it isn’t.” Byakuya huffed, looking almost indignant. “Regardless of your use to me, an heir of the Togami clan would never take someone on a date for frivolous reasons, whim, or pretense. I would never lower myself to that kind of petty behavior.” They assured him. He then realized, this is a perfect time for him to clarify what he had been worrying about.
“So… that’s what this is?” Ryota asked nervously. “A… date?” He then paused, not sure he made it clear enough. “A date date? Like… romantic date?” He was fairly sure he and Sagishi were dating, but that might not necessarily carry over when they were impersonating Byakuya, and maybe he had just misunderstood entirely.
“This is, indeed, a romantic date.” Byakuya looked amused by his phrasing. “Whatever would give you the impression it wasn’t? ”
“Well, it’s just...” Ryota trailed off, nervously. He wasn’t really sure how to explain it without exposing the truth. “I mean…” He really couldn’t explain, could he? “I guess maybe I wasn’t sure you wanted to be public?” He hoped that was close enough. And, acknowledging it, there, uh, did seem to be a lot of people staring their way now, after Byakuya had said that it was a date…
“Ah.” They hummed, seeming to understand his meaning. “Rest assured, then.”
“Um…” Ryota felt increasingly exposed, while there were only five or six people in the restaurant, excluding the staff, he could see all of them, subtly or not, had become invested in their discussion. “I just… realized… how… public,” he whimpered, squeaking as someone snapped a photo.
“Pay them no mind.” Byakuya glared heavily at the man who took the photo, but didn’t otherwise react. “That is, unfortunately, the price of being an Ultimate. Being recognized for your talents and abilities in your field, unfortunately comes with the drawbacks of being recognized in general.”
They continued eating, motioning for Ryota to do the same, but he could only go back to the fries reluctantly.
“It is a consequence of being powerful in this world, that those without power will see you and want to be you. It is a burden the powerful must take in stride, and one the Togami family has shouldered for generations.”
The reassurance wasn’t really doing much for Ryota, because he rarely was ever exposed to this much attention. He generally stayed in his dorm, and if it hadn’t been for Byakuya, he probably would stay there all the time. He had no idea he was famous at all! Well, if he thought about it, he supposed he knew that Hope’s Peak generally awarded fame and fortune to those who attended, but he really hadn’t thought about it much beyond the work it afforded him.
As he ate, he suddenly became cognizant that two of the people sitting in the booth behind them were talking, and then to his discomfort, that they were talking about him. The two women here gossiping just loudly enough that he was sure they knew they could be overheard, and yet…
“Wow, can you believe that? What is that kind of boy doing with one of the richest men in the world?” one of them said, and Ryota flushed. They were the same age as Byakuya, why did they get to be called a ‘man’ when he was relegated to ‘boy’? The woman took her phone out of her purse and began to text, and Ryota really hoped it wasn’t about him.
“Yeah, it’s just blatant how out of his league that Mitarai kid is,” the other agreed. “I mean, Togami isn’t much for looks, but anyone with that kind of money could do so much better.”
“I can’t believe he’d be willing to be seen with someone like that, honestly.” She didn’t even look up from her phone as she said it, and that somehow made it worse. “He looks like he hasn’t showered in days. His hair looks like he dipped it in the fryer here it’s so greasy.”
Ryota flushed with embarrassment… he hadn’t showered today. Or the day before. It wasn’t nearly as important as finishing his commission, at least at the time! And he was certain it was a good decision, since he’d rather have good animation than good hygiene, but… now he kind of felt embarrassed, running his other hand through his hair. It wasn’t that bad, was it? Anyway, animating was hard, important work! He didn’t have the time to shower regularly!
“That’s not nearly as bad as what his talent is. I can’t believe the kind of people Hope’s Peak will let in.” The other woman examined her nails as she spoke conspiratorially. “He’s the Ultimate Animator. You know what that means? He’s some kind of otaku freak, spending all his time working on animation!” She looked almost disgusted, and ok, now he was upset. Sure, he might not be as well put together as some others, but anime? Anime was important! How dare they call him an otaku, as if contributing to a field of work as beautiful and varied as anime was something to be scorned! He was about to get up and lecture them in the various important impacts that anime had made on overall Japanese and worldwide culture when Byakuya spoke up.
“Excuse me, what do you two think you’re doing?” Byakuya looked at them with genuine disgust in their eyes as they adjusted their glasses. “Talking about others behind their backs is one of the most vulgar things one can do.” The women had at least the decency to look a little sheepish at being called out.
“Of course, I should have expected as much out of the common folk, to have nothing better to do with their miserable lives than chatter on about the elite, pretending that they have any say in how their betters behave themselves,” they added scornfully, and Ryota had never seen them behave like this before. It was completely unlike them, even in the way they tended to conduct themselves as Byakuya, they still tended more to be disdainful; this level of derision was entirely new.
“We, er, we…” The first woman was now stunned to the point where she had stopped texting altogether, her attention entirely on Byakuya, trying to think of some kind of excuse or response. “We were just-“
“You were just behaving yourselves entirely as I would expect from the lowest of society, the bottom-feeders, even lower than useless plankton, drifting through life.” They were genuinely angrier than Ryota had ever seen them before.
“We have every right to be here!” the other woman spluttered defensively, indignant at being scolded.
“You types cling to the stories of the elite, unable to go through your pathetic day-to-day lives without consuming endless platitudes and fairy tales of how the upper echelons of society function, reassuring yourselves with meaningless drivel about how they’re ‘just like you’ in the end, whether it be so you can revel in fantasies of one day joining them, or so you can gleefully mock their human fallibilities.”
They were channeling some kind of energy into their words, a presence that Ryota found hard to ignore, something like when they had been ordering the staff around, but so much more intense.
This feeling must truly be the power of the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy, he realized.
“This ignores the truth of the matter, which is that I have earned my way into a life of wealth and success that you can never hope to afford or see, and that you have no more chance of joining the upper rungs of society than a mutt can ever hope to be a champion show dog. You would do better to stop affording yourself such meaningless things and work towards achieving things you can actually earn, like happiness, before they become impossible for you to attain, and stop poking into the private lives of your betters.”
They finished, and the women, clearly either cowed into submission or not feeling capable of a response, said nothing at all as they left, having apparently finished their meal and stayed solely to watch his and Byakuya’s date.
Ryota watched in silence as Byakuya began to pack the remaining burgers into a bag, clearly still angered.
“Let’s go, Ryota.”
They grabbed his hand protectively.
“Uh, ok.”
Ryota was still completely blown away by what had happened, although he felt like maybe he could have defended himself, as he thought about it… he was sure he wouldn’t have done nearly as impressive a job of it.
“Thanks for, uh, defending me like that.”
“It was nothing,” they said, still wearing a frown on their face as they left. “They deserved it. Bottom-feeders like that are the worst society has to offer.”
“Yeah…” Ryota said, not really affirmatively so much as he wasn’t sure how to respond, still not sure how to process the side of his boyfriend he’d seen. It made something feel strange in his stomach, not in a necessarily bad way, to be defended like that. It was a nice sort of feeling, knowing he had someone to protect him, but the level of viciousness Byakuya had responded with was completely unlike what they normally acted like, even in their rudest moments. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if they behaved like that more often, even now he was still reeling a little.
“Here.” They snapped him out of his thoughts, handing him a burger. “You didn’t finish your food.” They said it in a slightly reproachful tone, and Ryota laughed.
There was the Byakuya he knew.