Here is a little crack fic from my epic muse. I don't usually write 5996 except maybe as side couples in my other stories. I thought I would write this since it seems to suit the couple and the song (in bold) is fitting too. Let me know what you think? Many thanks :)
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the song "wanted" performed by Hunter Hayes. I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot.
I wanna wrap you up...
She looked a little forlorn this afternoon. He would have walked right past the door to her room if he hadn't noticed how lonely she seemed to be. Through her open door, he saw her seated on her window seat hugging her knees to her and looking intently at the cushion as if it had all the answers she was looking for. The slanted rays of the afternoon sun cast an ethereal glow all around her making her seem like an imprisoned princess waiting for her knight to come and rescue her...
Gokudera Hayato sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He really shouldn't do anything since he might just scare her away. Only his hand had moved before his mind could push away the notion with all logic possible. He knocked on the door frame and she looked up a little startled.
"Arashi-san," she said trying to force a smile. He knew she was forcing it. He had watched her long enough to know when she was truly happy and when she wasn't. All the same, he smiled back gently and fortified himself before he went into her room. He sat on the window seat facing her and put down his papers and his glasses then looked up at her wondering how to broach the subject. He had never really been very tactful when it came to women and their feelings.
But he really didn't want her to hate him.
"Is something bothering you?" he asked. That seemed like a good place to start. She started to shake her head then turned her gaze to him.
"My mother... she passed away yesterday evening," she said simply. He blinked at the lack of emotion in her voice but she couldn't hide it from her gaze. After a long and rather uncomfortable silence, he cleared his throat and spoke again. His question might have been stupid given all that she had been through in the past, but he had to ask.
"Do you miss her?" he asked gently.
She blinked at him startled then looked pensive. Did she miss her own mother? It was a valid question she supposed, but she hadn't really allowed herself to think about it. Before she could form a response, a tear rolled down her cheek, then another and another.
She stared at the little splotches they made on her skirt then looked up at him again as if not understanding what was happening.
Gokudera was not proof against a woman's tears. He had tried to hide this fact whenever Haru wailed about something and always ended up leaving the room in an unsettled huff. Now he fisted his hands at his sides and tried to fight what he was feeling with very little success. In a moment, he had drawn her into his arms and wrapped them around her hoping she didn't resist.
Stunned, Chrome took in what was happening. The dull ache she had felt in her chest suddenly turned sharp and hard and she sobbed. Then she noticed that she didn't feel quite so bad as she had expected to a few moments later. She cuddled up to him and hid her face in his shirt.
His arms instinctively tightened around her. It was the strangest thing. When everyone around her seemed to be leaving her, she felt as if she could rely on him. That thought made her smile.
She had always thought Arashi-san might be too hard for her liking, but finding out that he was rather *tsundere was a nice surprise. She smiled through her tears knowing in her heart of hearts, even as his lips touched her forehead in a chaste and comforting kiss, that she could smile all she wanted from deep inside her heart.
Gokudera sighed and shut his eyes resting his chin on the top of her head. Her sobs had gradually died to little sniffles.
"I don't feel so bad now, Arashi-san..." she said flushing and pulling away slowly, "Arigatou."
Gokudera cleared his throat and picked up his glasses and documents when she moved away resuming her previous position. She peered shyly at him from over her knees tilting her head slightly to the left. A strand of hair fell in her eyes and he did his very best to ignore it. His duty was done now so he should leave.
"I have to take care of the family for the Tenth. He would be sad to see his guardian so unhappy." With that, he got up and left. All the way down the hall, he tried desperately not to think about how so very good she'd felt in his arms.
I wanna kiss your lips...
Christmas was just as bothersome as it always had been. The women chattered on and on about decorations and tinsel and Christmas presents and Gokudera was stuck in a meeting all day. He had glared at Haru when she presented him with a set of reindeer antlers and a bright red nose to put on and join the festivities.
After an inevitable argument, she had turned and stormed out of his room muttering about idiot guardians with no heart. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The Tenth needed to enjoy the holiday so this extra paperwork would go a long way in ensuring that he got just enough rest. He picked up another document and began scanning it when the door to his office opened a crack and a soft knock followed.
He looked up ready to blast whomever was there for disturbing him when he was obviously very busy but lost all his bluster at the sight of his visitor. It was Chrome. She smiled and stepped into the office slowly as if calculating each step just so. That probably meant she was nervous. What about, he couldn't tell.
"Oh, well this is a surprise," he said leaning back in his chair.
"I just wanted to see what you were doing. Haru-chan said you were busy with work so you couldn't come down and have fun with the rest of us..." she explained then wrung her fingers slightly, "ma... maybe I can help?"
"Sure," said Gokudera moving over to the sofa with his documents. She sat across from him and he showed her which documents to sort into which piles. She did her work quite well and she was done in a matter of moments. He blinked wondering how long it would have taken him to sift through all those papers on top of reading through the few he already had. Now she sat looking at him curiously.
"Arashi-san, do you like Christmas?"
He blinked. What kind of question was that?
"It's just that you never look very happy around Christmas time. I was wondering if there was something about it that annoyed you... Is that why you don't want to celebrate it with us?" she asked tilting her head slightly to the left again. Well, there had been that one incident so many Christmases ago that involved his sister's poisoned Christmas cake and embarrassment that he would rather not think about, but he did like Christmas well enough now. It was just that...
Gokudera didn't reply. Instead, the little errant curl that had fallen into her eyes, just like before, caught and held his attention. He raised his hand and pushed it away from her eyes, his fingers brushing against the soft skin of her cheek. She seemed to notice the intimacy of the simple touch as soon as he had and blinked up at him in surprise. Her cheeks bloomed with colour but she held his gaze.
Chrome was a beautiful young woman and he would have had to be blind not to notice it. She was shy and she was sweet – a far cry from the ever-annoying Haru. From the time she had joined them as a full guardian, he had been inclined to protect her since she was now one of them. Then he had started noticing her a little more; the way she laughed, the way she smiled, the way she tried to help out and fit in whenever she could.
Leaning down, he brushed his lips against hers. His hand on her cheek was not meant to hold her there. He was giving her room to stop him or resist him. He wasn't going to force her and he wasn't going to take more than she was willing to give, but he had waited too long for her to know what exactly his feelings were. It had taken him at least that long to figure that out himself. There didn't seem to be a better time...
He blinked when she shyly leaned up and brushed her lips against his too. That was all the encouragement he needed. He pressed his lips to hers a little more firmly and her hands rose to clutch at his shirt. He smirked when he licked her lips and she jumped slightly. He pulled away and kissed her forehead willing himself to go slower. She had kissed him back and that at least meant something.
He pulled her into his arms and held her there letting her hear what she was doing to his heart. He felt like one of those men in Haru's soppy soap operas now, but somehow, he didn't care.
"Nee, Ara... Hayato-kun," said Chrome surprising him by calling his first name.
"Hm?" he said not willing to speak since his voice was probably off right then.
"Can... can you k... kiss me again?"
He looked down at her surprised but bent to capture her lips in his once more. She surprised him once more by licking his lips and he grunted in response before deepening the kiss a little further. Later on, after they had finally gone to join the party, Gokudera thought that whatever bad memories he'd had of Christmas were not so important any more.
I wanna make you feel wanted...
It was one of those random quiet afternoons where he liked to sit and read a good mystery book. Gokudera flipped the page and sighed as he leaned his hand on his fist. The timid knock at the door alerted him of her presence. Chrome stepped into his study and shut the door behind her then walked over to him. He smiled and went back to his book. She always sat right beside him reading a book of her own or doing something with her hands. Whenever they were together, it was always in a companionable silence.
Today, however, she seemed to really take her time. He looked up again and realised why. She had stopped by the board with his calculations for the perfect trajectory for one of his bombs to do the most damage at any angle and at any height. All that his theory needed now was practice. Still, he could not see how his use of gravity and projectile motion theories could possibly interest her at all. She tilted her head to the side saying nothing and held her hands behind her.
After a long moment, she turned and walked over to him.
Normally, she would sit right beside him and blush until she got used to it then she would begin working, but she had nothing in her hands this time. He wondered what she was up to. This was definitely a new twist to everything.
"Does it make sense?" she asked peering at him with her one good eye. He'd often wondered how gorgeous she was before her accident, but that didn't matter, she was still stunning now... Oh yes, she had asked him a question... what had she asked again?
"Hmm?"
"Does it make sense?" she repeated.
"I think it should," he said glancing at the board, "I mean if the projectile is launched at 'x' degrees and the force 'f' is taken into proper consideration, I don't see why the distance between 'a' and 'c' can't be covered..."
"I didn't mean that," she said with a soft giggle. "I mean us. Do we make sense?"
He blinked. Where had that come from?
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... I mean, your equations, they always have a formula... do we have one? I mean, Hayato-kun is very sweet and kind to me and..."
"Is that what you think? I'm being nice to you because I'm kind?" he asked getting upset. She noticed and looked down at her hands. She probably shouldn't have asked, but it had been bothering her for a while. She wanted to know how he really felt about her. They had kissed and they had spent time together, but he had never actually told her he loved her.
"I just want to know why... why you chose me..."
Gokudera let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. How did one explain what he felt with her? She was meek and timid and she didn't fit in that much. She didn't stand out very much either and she was always very quiet. Perhaps that was why he had noticed her in the first place.
That and the fact that she had made his heart race.
She smiled and somehow, things were not so bad.
She cried and he was itching to fight whomever had the lack of wit to make her sad.
He put his hand on hers and when she finally looked up, he led her to the board and flipped it over. He took out his marker and wrote down one very simple formula that he though might ease her mind. He hoped she understood.
"That is our formula," he announced once he was done. Chrome looked up at the board and looked at the one line he had written down.
"One plus one equals less than three?"**
She blinked once and then looked up at him then back at the board again. She got it in a moment and turned to smile at him. His hand rested on her waist and he drew her to him.
"There's no math or logic for it," he murmured leaning close to her, "I can't explain why when I do this," he brushed his lips against hers, "I feel like this," he held her close to him letting her hear the frantic beat of his heart, "or like this."
He touched each of his fingers to hers and she felt them tremble. That was what had convinced her. To feel his strong body tremble just from a whisper of a kiss...
"I sometimes think I'm lucky..." he said tipping her chin up and wiping away her tears, "because you chose me."
She smiled at him again and leaned up to kiss his lips.
He loved her. He'd told her as much with his equation. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled against his lips when he wrapped his arms around her. She never had to feel alone again and that was a welcome relief. She had been afraid that she was trapped in a one-sided love. She pulled away slowly wanting to let him know.
"I love you too, Hayato," she whispered before he silenced her with another lingering kiss.
I wanna call you mine...
They had seemed to come to a mutual understanding of sorts. They would share secret smiles and stolen kisses every now and again, but they never actually came out and said it. It wasn't until the Varia had come for their annual debriefing with the Vongola that anything of any significance had happened for them.
Chrome had been in the library looking for a particular book she knew Gokudera liked and had recommended for her. She found it and turned intending to head for the sofa there to settle down and read in peace for the little time she had to herself.
However, she found that she was not alone. Standing behind her was the arrogant prince of the Varia with a smirk on his face.
"Such a pretty gem hidden among the trash," he said stepping forward. Chrome paused then decided not to let him bother her. He didn't seem to want to do her any harm after all and besides, she wasn't powerless.
"Ano, if you want a book, I'd be happy to help you," she said trying to be friendly. Maybe they could read in silence. She moved to walk past him and walk to the sofa as she had intended not sure that ignoring him was such a good idea.
"Oi, don't you know you're in the presence of a prince, little gem?" he asked grabbing her wrist. She turned and met his gaze not saying anything.
"I... I suppose not."
"You insult me," he said yanking on her wrist and wrapping an arm around her waist. That set off alarm bells in her head and she gripped her book ready to retaliate like Gokudera had shown her a while back. It turned out that his equations and complicated formulas did have their advantages. She would have put all she had learned to good use too if the voice behind them hadn't interrupted.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Gokudera from the doorway.
"Ushishishi, you finally show up and interrupt my entertainment? What do you want?"
Without missing a beat, the angry storm guardian pulled Chrome out of the Belphegor's grasp and held her against his side.
"You will not touch my girlfriend again."
He had meant that to come out as a threat. He pronounced each word deliberately and with an icy edge.
"Ah, so that's how it is. And she would pick a peasant like you over the prince?" he asked, the grin never leaving his face. She stared right back at him not saying anything but not moving from Gokudera either. Her hand reached out and took hold of his shirt as the arm around her waist tightened slightly.
"Ushishishi, I see, I see. Leave the peasants to their trash."
Belphegor walked to the door and then turned when he got to it. "You please me woman. If you ever tire of him you can always come to me."
His laugh followed him out of the room and into the hallway. Chrome blinked and looked up at Gokudera, one thing belatedly coming to mind and she spoke it now.
"You called me your... girlfrie..."
His lips silenced her then. He kissed her thoroughly and the book she had been clutching fell from her limp fingers and she held on to his shoulders fearing the floor beneath her had given way. He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers tucking her hair behind her ears.
"That's because you are my girlfriend. You are mine."
He was looking right at her when he made that announcement and it made her insides flutter with a thousand butterflies at once. She flushed slightly and gave him a small smile then nodded. Chucking her under the chin, he held her hand and bent to pick up her book for her. He handed it to her then led her out of the library and into the hallways heading down to where everybody was.
When they got to the main room, he walked past everyone determined that they see them together. It would raise a lot more questions than he would care to answer but he had to do this. He wasn't going to accept another incident like the one this afternoon. Hand in hand, they walked past the room and out the patio doors into the garden. He led her to the gazebo and there, he sat beside her.
"Now everybody knows."
She looked at him for a moment then smiled. She slid up to him and handed him the book.
"Read to me," she said. He smiled and took the book. He might as well. He really didn't like the awkward silence that they would otherwise share and it felt good to have her head rest on his shoulder. He shifted so that he was leaning on the cushions of the seats there and she had her head on his chest. She listened as he began to read thinking how very wonderful it was to have someone to call your very own...
I wanna hold your hand forever
And never let you forget it...
"Nee, Hayato-kun, what do you think about marriage?" asked Chrome leaning forward a little. Gokudera choked a little on his drink and looked at her. Where had that come from now? Some of her questions tended to catch him off guard.
"I mean, you do plan to get married one day, right?" she asked. It was simply a question. She wasn't hinting at anything. If there was something he could count on her to be, it was straightforward and honest.
"I suppose so... I don't know what to think about it. I never really... have."
"Me neither. I just wanted to know what you thought." They sat in silence for a while, her stirring the drink in her glass with her straw and him eyeing her carefully. She seemed to have more to say.
"I wonder if marriage is really worth it sometimes. My parents never had the perfect marriage and out of it, they got a child they didn't want. I wonder if I can handle what comes with it. It's scary, nee?"
Gokudera found himself smiling. He couldn't help it. He leaned back and sighed.
"I guess so." She thought about it for a while before he continued. "I suppose if you're with the right person, things go well. My parents weren't even married either and I don't have such a high opinion of it, but I don't think it can't work. I mean, look at the Tenth's parents." She nodded.
"So if I choose the right person to marry, I... I can be happy?" she asked tilting her head to the side with a smile. He knew that smile. She had gotten whatever answer it was she wanted or needed. He smiled back.
"You make me happy."
She said it with a slight blush on her face and looked quickly down at her drink. He raised his eyebrows amused at that bold statement. It was a fact, however, that she made him very happy too. Later, as they walked past a jewellery store on their way home from a date, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of ring she might like.
He caught himself then shook his head and carried on.
A week later, he had bought a gleaming silver ring with an amethyst in the middle that matched her eye. He stared at the little box now in his possession wondering if he hadn't lost his mind. He looked at his board unwilling to think about it. Perhaps a good long equation was what he needed to clear his mind. Marriage was a very big step and despite being with Chrome for only seven months, he'd gone out and bought her a ring. It was madness!
Sighing loudly, he flipped the board and caught sight of the equation he had written down for her to understand what he felt for her. He had never really been able to get himself to erase it. He supposed he really was getting soft in that respect. He smiled and flipped the board back.
That was just it.
Love was madness. It never made any sense and it didn't need logic. If love was logical, then by all accounts, Hibari and Haru should have never gotten together to begin with. That relationship was still very questionable, but they did seem happy together.
So why was he hesitating?
"So, if I choose the right person to marry... I can be happy?"
He didn't see why not. They had spent seven blissful months together. They had had their disagreements for sure and a few missions strained their relationship seriously, but they had stuck it through. Besides that, he thought as he leaned back in his chair and picked up the ring box to examine it again, there really was nobody else he would rather be married to.
He ran a hand through his hair and gave a resigned sigh. He really must be losing his mind.
The next evening, he proposed to her.
She had been sitting quietly in the library looking through one of her favourite books and he had come to sit right next to her like he sometimes did. Taking the book out of her hand, he laid it aside and took a deep breath.
He had been told girls liked romantic things like this but he didn't know if he'd do it right. Besides, this was embarrassing!
He pulled out the ring box from his pocket and presented it to her. She took it from him and opened the box. She looked at the ring curiously then back at him.
"I need a plus one..." he muttered.
"Wh... what do you mean?" she asked tipping her head to the side. He'd hoped she would have gotten it on the first try.
"One plus one is less than three, remember?"
"Then... then you're asking me to... to..." He nodded in response and she flushed a bright red colour. Looking down again at the ring, she handed it to him and he slipped it on her finger.
"Okay, Hayato," she said. Leaning forward slowly, she kissed his cheek and smiled.
"Don't make a big deal out of it," he said and got up. She watched him walk out of the study then the corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile. She couldn't explain quite what she felt in that moment. She felt happy and she felt loved. But best of all, she felt the one thing she had wanted to feel in the whole world.
She felt wanted.
*Tsundere – someone who starts out as seemingly hard and rough but gradually gets gentler and softer. (Thank you for the correction Winter Red Tears :])
** For those of you who don't get it, write it down... One plus one equals less than three...
...
...
Still nothing?
(tip you head to your right) Make sense now? :)