Yoi! It's Saku! 3
So, for my favorite het/straight pair, we have Colonello and Lal Mirch!
I always feel so sad for Lal of TYL arc! T_T
Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyou Hitman Reborn or any related characters; it all belongs to Akira Amano! ^^
Happy Holidays! ^^
Buone Feste Matalizie…
"The first of the snowflakes are falling on our beautiful Italy and making the winter setting for a great Christmas season this year. Be sure to look for the best jewelry for your beloved—"
The fire crackled as the radio was switched off and the man's voice was cut off. On the wall left of the fireplace, a wooden door slammed open and a long, dark blue-haired woman walked in. A small collection of soft white sat atop her head and shoulders.
"Hey," she muttered as she removed her red goggles, tossing them onto the coat rack without so much as a glance.
"Welcome home," a blond man greeted her from the circle table in the apartment's small dining room. On the table sat a small, vintage radio. "How was work today?"
"Same as always," she sighed, hanging up her tan-colored cloak. "Iemitsu knows how to work a person until boredom or until fatigue settles in. Is there any reason why you're waiting for me to come home today? And weren't you supposed to be on a trip up north with Viper?"
The blond man gave a hearty laugh, ending it with a smile. "You sound like you're eager to get rid of me, Lal! Well, in accordance to the order of your questions: there is a reason and the trip isn't until mid-January."
"When you address your senior, you should show your respect by calling the by the proper name they deserve, Colonello. Didn't I teach you anything?" she snapped, bright red, as she walked into the kitchenette that was close to the dining area. She grabbed a carton of milk and started chugging down the liquid as soon as she opened it.
"Sorry, Lal Mirch, I meant no offense," the blonde answered as he stood up and went into the kitchenette as well.
"So, what was the reason you waited out for me?" Lal Mirch asked as she wiped her milk moustache away with her wrist and set the milk back into the refrigerator. She kept the door open as she looked for some food to throw together for dinner.
Colonello came up behind her, cornering her with his own arms, a wall, and the refrigerator door. "A date," he answered and watched as Lal Mirch's ears turned crimson red.
"D-Don't be ridiculous! A date! How absurd! Don't you know how busy I am? I have to be able to sustain myself with my—"
"Just a date on Christmas, okay?" Colonello interrupted, letting his hands drift into his jacket's pockets. "I'll come to pick you up, so look forward to it, okay?"
Leet. Leet. Leet.
Colonello fished out his cell phone and looked at the picture and name on the caller ID. "I got to go, so I'll see you later, Lal." He gave her a pat on the head before heading outside the apartment.
After hearing the wood door slam close, Lal Mirch's knees gave way and she collapsed onto the cold tile. "D-D-D-D-Date…with…C-C-Colonello?" Her face became a bright red tomato at the thought of being out alone with Colonello, let alone on Christmas. After a few moments of silence, her brain started to function somewhat properly. She dashed to her calendar at the other side of the dining table and counted the days until Christmas. He'd only given her three days until the date.
She looked at the calendar in dread. "How am I supposed to get a present by then? What are we even going to do on the date? What should I wear—"
Then, Lal Mirch slapped herself on the cheeks. Her face stung, but it was a small price to pay in exchange for recollecting herself. "Calm down, Lal…" she breathed, "You're not acting like yourself. Getting all flustered because of a junior Frog that I trained. Even talking to myself! I don't need to do anything! He didn't even wait for my response, so I don't even need to do anything to get ready…"
What the heck am I thinking? Getting ready an extra two hours before he gets here? Heck, I don't even know when he'll be here! I should just go on a mission. Iemitsu's given me one anyways…
A woman sat on a couch with a dreadful pout on her face. She was dressed in a cream-colored dress that barely covered her knees and her dark hair reached just an inch beyond her shoulders, shining and free of knots and tangles. In her lap was a handbag that matched her dress and her feet were adorned with low-elevation heels. The woman let out a sigh.
"What are you thinking about, Lal?"
Colonello's voice echoed in her ears and caused her to jump like a tuna flopping around on the ground. "N-Nothing!" she looked away from Colonello's smiling blue eyes, "I mean…nothing."
"Then, are you ready to go?" he asked, extending a hand to help her off the couch.
"Yeah, let's just get this date over with," she muttered as she pushed herself up without his assistance.
Colonello smiled, giving her a pat on the head. "Okay, let's go!"
"E-Enough of that!" she exclaimed, completely flustered. "Do you even know how long I spent on my hair today?" After realizing what she had just said, the color drained from her face.
"Eh? How much time?" he questioned; his smile was mischievously innocent.
"A few seconds," she lied, reaching for the door knob, "let's just go already."
"I can't believe this place would still be open on the holidays. Doesn't the chef or the waiters have family to visit?" Lal Mirch whispered over a white table cloth to Colonello.
"Don't worry about it, Lal," the blond-haired Arcobaleno smiled as a waiter came with a bottle of champagne. He poured two glasses with the translucent, bubbling liquid and set the bottle in an ice bucket.
"Are you ready to order, sir?" he asked.
"Ah, yes," Colonello replied. "I'll have tonight's special and she'll have…"
"I'll have the special as well," Lal Mirch said, coldly and quickly.
"Tonight there is a couple's special, would you and madam like to order that?"
Lal Mirch burned up until she was almost completely red. "W-We aren't a couple! It's just a date between friends!" she exclaimed, standing up. Height wise, she was shorter than the waiter but she practically toward over him in her exclamation. "T-There's no way we're dating! C-C-C-Colonello may be smart and handsome and fun to be around and nice and sweet and helpful and great at a bunch of things but that doesn't mean I l-l-like him like that!"
After her speech, which had unfortunately succeeded in gathering everyone's eyes, Lal Mirch sat back down and looked down at her plate, head bowed down.
"Sorry about that, sir," Colonello apologized, forcing his laughter down. "We'll just take two specials."
"Ah, um, yes," the waiter mumbled, "We'll get those ready for you as soon as possible…" Then he scurried off, taking a quick glance backwards just to make sure Lal Mirch didn't come after him with a knife.
"So, Lal—"
She stood up, interrupting him, "I-I'm going to the restroom. I'll be back in a bit…"
"Okay, but you don't need to tell me," Colonello smiled, "It's not like we're babies, you know?" At this, Lal Mirch turned an even deeper shade of red before hurrying to the bathroom.
Colonello chuckled softly as he watched her scamper off, but said nothing. As his laughter faded, his smile faded as well, and pain and exhaustion settled in. He let out a sigh to release some of the ache pent up inside of him and stared up at the light hanging down from the ceiling.
His hand crept to his coat pocket and he took out a folded piece of paper, rereading the contents. Then, he grabbed a cream-colored handbag off the empty seat across from him and opened it. Inside was a small bright-colored wrapped box with a ribbon on top of it and a small hand gun. The box had a small tag attached to it, on the tag, was a shaky address to Colonello. He took out the box and left the note in its place before closing the hand bag and replacing it on the empty chair.
When Lal Mirch returned, she was no longer red, but she had an anxious look about her.
Colonello looked at her in confusion and concern, "Is something—"
"We should go now," Lal Mirch whispered, picking up her hand bag.
"Why? The food didn't even get here yet."
"I kind of, sort of kicked the manager when he tried to pull a move on me."
Colonello couldn't hold back his laughter any longer and he let out a light snicker to avoid attracting attention. "It's fine, no problem."
"He called the authorities," Lal Mirch whispered as she pulled Colonello out of his seat, "and told them that he was assaulted by, well, me. Iemitsu will kill me if he finds out I got in trouble."
The blue-eyed Arcobaleno couldn't help but smile. "Alright, alright."
As the two left the restaurant, Lal Mirch dragging Colonello by the hand, Lal Mirch bumped into one of the waiters, whose champagne that he was holding flew up into the sky and soaked twelve people.
At this point, Colonello burst into laughter as they exited the glass double-doors.
Snow fell softly from the dark sky over the streets of Italy. Some stores kept their lights on while most were dark and few people were left scurrying around the normally busy streets.
A hearty laughter accompanied by a retaliating yell filled the near-silent city, animating only a small portion at a time.
"S-Stop laughing already! It wasn't that funny!" a dark-haired woman yelled, clutching her covered, but freezing arms.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop," the blond-haired man chuckled. "Are you cold?"
"I'm fine, nothing I can't handle," she muttered, not wanting or able to admit her own weakness to the weather.
The blond-haired man laid his coat on her shoulders like a blanket and brought her close to him. She immediately turned to him with a glare on her face that melted away when she saw his smile. "We can't have you catch a cold before a mission, right?"
"Y-Yeah," she looked away. What was I hoping for?
His smile softened and he looked up at the stars that could be faintly made out from the lighted path. "Hey, Lal…"
"What?" she half-snapped unintentionally, looking up at the man from the corner of her eyes.
"There's someplace I want to show you…"
"Where?" Lal Mirch wondered aloud.
"Someplace secret," he replied, unwrapping the blue muffler around his neck. He took a step behind her and gently veiled the folded scarf over her brown eyes. The man pulled her head back slightly and touched his forehead against hers. "So you'll have to go there blindfolded."
Lal Mirch could feel the heat from the scarf warm her eyes and cheeks. "O-Okay…"
Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop.
"Tired of walking yet?" Colonello asked as he led her through an alleyway over cobblestones.
Lal Mirch's voice rose in slight annoyance, "I'm not a weakling."
He let out a light chuckle, "I know you aren't."
"Are we almost there yet?" she asked.
"Almost," Colonello murmured as he pulled her through the opening of the alleyway. The sound of footsteps on cobblestone echoed loudly. The Arcobaleno let go of her hands and took a step behind her, grabbing the ends of the scarf. "And…" he dragged out the word as he unknotted the blue blindfold. "…now!"
As the curtains rose from Lal Mirch's vision, her eyes widened. All around her, buildings cornered her into a square with a large fountain that displayed a clay cherub holding a bow. Flowers grew in clay basins on a metal rack in front of the windows and several lamps let out a soft light that gave the square a gentle feel. Strung from the lampposts that surrounded the area overlooked by an iron balcony on one of the buildings were small paper lanterns in all colors of the rainbow.
"It's…so beautiful," Lal Mirch smiled as she took a few wandering steps towards the fountain. She took a seat at the edge, attention absorbed in the lights that made the square shine.
"That's not all," Colonello broke the water's gurgle and diverted Lal Mirch's attention for a few seconds. "Look up." She did as he told without objection and just as she did, red and green fireworks brightened up the sky, attempting to outshine the stars. Her excitement grew and escaped through her face. Just as the fireworks had lit the night, they had also lit up her eyes so that they resembled a child that was experiencing their first colorful burning spectacular.
Colonello couldn't help but feel a smile tug at his lips as he watched Lal Mirch's excitement burst with the crackling fire above them. He made his way over to his former mentor and stopped when he was in front of her. Her attention, however, remained fixated on the fireworks until she felt cold fingers sweep strands of hair away from her face.
She looked at Colonello with a mixture of confusion and awe. His expression was soft, yet pained. "Colo…nello?"
A faint smile peeked from behind his countenance. He slid the back of his fingers slowly down her cheek then gently pressed warm lips against hers. When he withdrew, all Lal Mirch could do was stare blankly with surprise. "Buone Feste Matalizie…" he whispered.
Lal Mirch blinked, finally getting a hold on reality, but Colonello was gone and she was alone in the square.
That Colonello…he took it too far…He blindfolds me and expects me to make it back home safely? Lal Mirch let out a sigh as she locked the front door and hung Colonello's jacket and scarf on the coat rack. Then, she dragged her blistered feet to the couch and kicked off her shoes, propping them up onto the couch. She let her eyelids shield her eyes from the darkness of the room. I didn't even get the chance to give him the present… She sat back up, shock in her eyes. "The present!"
Then, she grabbed her handbag and popped it open. There was no box, so she dumped out the contents and a folded piece of paper fell on top of her small gun.
Lal Mirch picked up the paper and unfolded it. On the small rectangle was three words scribbled in cursive: "Ti amo, Lal."
The paper trembled between her fingers and Lal Mirch crumpled the paper and threw it at the trash bin, but missed, littering the floor.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Lal Mirch rushed back to the scrap and unfolded it, flattening the paper as best as possible and reread it, over and over and over again until she was satisfied and held the scrap over her chest. I'll tell him when he gets back from the mission…
End Buone Feste Matalizie
I'm so not used to writing these kinds of cute stories, so critics and reviews are greatly appreciated and accepted. ^^ Once again, Happy Holidays!
~luvliX3