Title: Dating for Dummies
Little Falcon: All right, all right! *back bends to dodge flying daggers* I know I should be updating my pending stories but another short idea came to mind so I'll put updating for a hold this day okay?
This is another one shot for GokuHaru pairing in an AU as usual. Weird really, this isn't even my favorite couple and yet most of my one shots are about them. Like always, let me know what you think okay?
Standard Disclaimer: I only own the idea that's all. If I did own this series I'll be the happiest person on earth!
The loud roaring of motor, broke the class' sleepy silence. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, the old sensei immediately knew who was behind this disturbance. Only one person in this prestigious Graduate school had the nerve to drive his monstrous bike inside the school grounds. "Kyaa, its Gokudera-sama!" his students both male and female were already leaning on every window to see the infamous young man. Mr. Mori resorted to just shaking his almost bald head then taking a seat, waiting for his class' excitement to die down, which would probably be a while.
His proud engine turned silent instantly with a turn of a key. Tsk, late again. "Gokudera-samaaaaa!" the young man flinched mentally as he heard the girls squeal and flinching for real upon seeing that almost every person in the school was staring at him like a celebrity. Not this again… he scratched the back of his head in annoyance then grabbed his bag and entered the school.
A relieved sigh escaped his lips as he finally felt his privacy return. Gokudera Hayato had transferred from Italy so it wasn't surprising that students from the University felt curious and wanted to take a look at the new cat. Everything would've been all right, except for the fact that, he transferred over a year ago. The need to have your hair look like everyone else's is something that Gokudera never understood. Hailing from a more liberated land, he prefers his hair in its usual length, for him ever since it had always been chin length, and had it dyed it the most unusual color, white.
His stubbornness regarding his hair was nothing compared to his tenacity when it comes to school norms. Driving his big bike inside school grounds, coming in almost three hours late… are only minor things he did out of a whim. It wasn't like Hayato didn't respect authority. In fact, there is one person whom he looks up to.
"10th! Sorry for being late, I had errands to run," deliberately ignoring the steaming professor in front, the white haired debonair burst from the other side of the door.
"Gokudera-kun, just sit down already," not being one who likes attention, Tsuna motioned for him to do it quickly and without hesitation, he was obeyed. Everyone continues to be dumbfounded by this almost familiar scene. What in the world did the great Italian genius slash chick magnet, Gokudera Hayato see in the ordinary Tsunayoshi to act like a trained dog?
Just within minutes after his grand entry, the lunch bell resounded throughout campus. The presence of their sensei was forgotten as the class raced for the cafeteria. Sitting together with his self-proclaimed boss and his self-proclaimed rival, Gokudera started to eat his store bought lunch while Tsuna and Yamamoto did the same with their home made bento.
Halfway through eating his cold rice ball, Hayato's thin eyebrow rose in inquiry as he noticed Tsuna having a distant look in his eyes. "Is something wrong, 10th?" He began to reach for the set of explosives he always keeps under his shirt.
"Eh… no…nothing," stuttered the surprised young Vongola. With a heavy sigh, he turned his confused look towards his two friends. "Do…you guys know… what to do in a… d…date?" Blood rose to his face that it almost made him explode.
The two froze for a moment then looked at each other. "Gomen, Tsuna. Some girls do ask me out but I'm too busy with baseball so I can't find time to go with them," explained the baseball fanatic followed by a light chuckle.
"And you Gokudera-kun? You're pretty popular too; you must have some experience in dating, right?"
Cold sweat broke through his skin as complete dread enveloped his entire being. The 10th is expecting a lot from me. This matter must be really important to him. As the 10th's right hand guy, I will see to it that his query is answered in every way possible! "Can…can I extend the deadline?"
"Eh?" Yamamoto and Tsuna titled their head in unison.
"The answers to your question… I will have it by the end of the week," he clenched his fist in sheer determination before he stood up and walked out of the room, leaving a very confused pair.
Girls almost swooned at the sight of him passing by them and the guys turned their attention elsewhere, knowing they can't compete but none of that mattered to him, his superior had given him a mission and by all means, he will carry it out.
Dating is one of the things that he never thought about. Although he often sees guys his age engage in such trivial acts, Gokudera deems it to be comically senseless. The only women in his life were his mother and sister, experiences from both had left him scarred and stereotypical against the opposite sex.
Faced with a mission only he can do, the young Mafioso had no choice but to tolerate being in the company of one of the most fickle species, because he considers women to be completely different from men, in creation just to present the 10th Vongola with the insight he so needed.
There was only one female who came into mind as he made up his resolve to take on this unsaid challenge. The one who was never affected by his presence. The one who never stuttered or blush when meeting his eyes. The one who can never fall for him. His only fail-safe option.
His feet were already racing for the right floor even before his mind figured out the answer. The library was not a new place for him. Being a genius does need hard work after all. It was here that he saw her first- sitting on a particular spot beside the window where the wind always blows gently and the sunlight just peeks through the gaps in between the thick tree branches. Her chocolate brown eyes focused on the sketchpad she was always holding as her other hand holding the charcoal glides through the paper effortlessly.
In his few trips to the library, he rarely sees her looking away from her drawings even if he, Gokudera Hayato, stepped in the room. Most of the students, senior or junior, would stop and stare but not this girl. The only reaction he can elicit from her was the slight pause of her hand midway through sketching and then resuming after a few seconds. Passing glances were the only eye contacts they ever had. Baffled, Gokudera's male pride was somehow trimmed humbly upon the realization that there are still women who can refuse his allure.
His fierce eyes narrowed instantly when he arrived at his destination. As expected, she was there at her favorite place- with her back leaning on the wall and the large sketch pad in her hands. As the white haired genius was about to put the first step of his plan into action, he found his body frozen and his heart slamming against his ribcage as if wanting to get out then he felt his palms grew sweaty. Swallowing with difficulty, he tried to regain his breaking composure. What the hell? She's JUST a woman!
Finally regaining control of his legs, he stiffly made his way to her- stopping only when he was right in front of her.
A forced cough made her halt abruptly. Her eyes remained on her unfinished artwork. "What do you want?" Irritation marking her lucid tone as she continued her task.
"I am here on a very important mission. Consider yourself very lucky because I chose you to help me with this task. All you need to do is go on a date with me like any other girl would but be reminded that…"
"Do you even know who I am?" Her eyebrow arched as her busy hand never ceased working.
"…no, let me introduce myself,"
"Save it, Gokudera Hayato, there isn't a person in this school who hasn't heard your name," rolling her eyes incredulously, she shook her head then finally closed her sketch pad. "Let me see if I got this clear. You want to go out with me because you need to know what happens in a date?" Taking his silence as a 'yes', she added. "So you chose me because I'm the only one who remains sane while under your presence,"
His handsome face turned from surly to confident to guilty and finally back to being his usual arrogance, all in the span of three minutes. "Yeah," this was the first time that he heard hesitation in his voice.
Shrugging her shoulders, she let out a sigh. "All right, meet me tomorrow at 8 in the morning by the park,"
"Really?" He was even more surprised by the reaction he made after hearing her reply. "Great… tomorrow then," he was about to dart out of the place.
"Miura Haru… I'll save you the trouble of asking for my name," when he looked back she was back to her usual task, her eyes glued to her masterpiece-in-the-making.
"Oh, okay,"
Arriving 30 minutes advance to the agreed time, Gokudera fixed his collar and straightened his pants uncomfortably. Girls blushed involuntarily as they saw the white haired shounen. His hair remained unruly and only added to his overwhelming appeal. His rugged clothes only made him look more appealing.
Miura Haru, according to her blog, she always arrives 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Last night, the young Mafioso thoroughly researched his 'subject' through the help of the net. Also, he read every book he had about the basics of dating. One of the rules stated: A guy should never keep a girl waiting. Thus, here he is staring at the large clock in the middle of the park.
"Oh, you're already here," a familiar voice came from behind him. Turning around, he found himself mesmerized for a long moment.
Back at school, she looked like any other girl but today there were no traces of commonness on her. Her long wavy brunette hair that was usually bound by a pony tail, now flowed elegantly on her back. Gone were the standard uniform replaced by a denim mini skirt and stylish blouse, not to mention her lace-up sandals.
"You're…"
"What? Forgot my name already?" Planting her fist on her hips, a hint of stubbornness gleamed in those pair of chestnut eyes.
After berating himself, Gokudera broke free from her spell. "It's not that. I mean, you were here first?" Looking back at the clock, it was only fifteen minutes before 8.
"Yeah, I had some things to do. Don't worry about it. Where are you going anyway?" They began to walk casually around the park.
His frustration about not making her wait was forgotten when he heard her ask. "I haven't decided. Where would you like to go?" In his studies, he observed that this question was often asked then the girl would remain undecided until the guy would be the one to decide for the both of them.
"Okay, then let's go to…" I don't know. You decide. That was the reply Gokudera was expecting. Needless to say, he was caught off guard especially when she took his arm and pulled him to her side as they walk together towards the place he failed to hear.
Trying to tame his racing heart, he took in a long breath as he analyzed his situation. It's okay. According to texts, dates usually involve shopping, food and movies. How hard can it be? His train of thought came to a complete halt as they stood in front of a white van with a large red cross painted at its body. "W…what…"
"Weren't you listening? I told you that we're going here. You made no signs of disapproval earlier so I thought it's okay," Haru shifted as she glanced at the doctor with stethoscope ready at his hand. "But if you don't want to…"
Never say no. A statement in the self help date book printed it in large bold fonts. Sweat broke through skin as he saw the size of the needle inserted at one man. His vision grew blurry for a while as the entire length penetrated the man's skin and blood automatically flowed out the transparent hose and into a bag. "No… it's okay," his voice sounded more like a squeak that it made the doctor nearby chuckle. After all, if she can do it, there's no reason I can't.
"Why don't we sit down there? You look like you're about to faint," Wordlessly, Gokudera nodded. Although both of them had their blood drawn, it was as if his stamina was also drained away together with the shattered pieces of his pride.
"Here," he didn't notice her disappear at his side. It was only until she was handing him a cold bottle of water did he realize that he had been spacing out for a while. Muttering his gratitude, he took the needed hydration only to have it flooding his airway because of what he saw before he gulped the bottle down.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" In between his cough, he exclaimed as he pointed at the squid tentacles dangling at the end of the stick Haru was holding.
"Squid legs!" The horrid cuisine jiggled disgustingly as she smiled brightly at him. "Want to try one? It's tasty! Don't worry it's safe to eat it," she already propped his mouth open and threw in a piece even before she explained.
His eyes widened in shock. All that was left for him to do was eat it. The first chew made his skin crawl but the next few were okay. When the taste finally hit his tongue, he found that he actually liked the strange thing. They ended up eating a few more and some other things they saw while taking a stroll, not one of them included sitting inside a controlled environment served by penguin suited waiters.
Standing right in front of the cinema, Haru looked up at the options they have while her date was already in line. There was only one tear jerker film in list, the rest were action films. A large poster nearby depicting the film about race cars and bombs made him smirk. I wonder if that is any good? Maybe I'll watch it one of these days… "Two tickets for…"
"Racing with Death," Haru materialized beside him and finished his sentence.
"Er, don't you want the…"
"No! Do you?" There was a disgusted look in her face that made her look adorable.
Gokudera realized that he was shaking his head in disbelief more than once this day and it was all because of his 'subject'. "No," there was a strange relief that fell over him knowing that he wouldn't be stuck in a dark room for more than two hours watching boring drama.
During the span of the movie, the young Mafioso found himself glancing more often at the girl beside her. There were times when they had the same reaction upon seeing a particular scene. Also, there were a few scenes that she questioned with sarcasm and when he tried to explain, everything ended in a very intellectual debate. People had to tell them to shut up or get out because they were so into their conversation that they forgot where they were.
"Want to see the fireworks?" Gokudera asked casually as they passed by a sign saying that a fireworks display would be held nearby.
"Sure," Haru grinned widely after hearing him give up on their long debate.
At a spot by the river, they waited for the show. "So? Did you have the answers you needed?"
This was the first time he remembered that he was on a mission for the 10th. "Yeah," pocketing his hands, he sighed discreetly. "Was I a good date?" The last word was barely audible. His eyes skirted to meet hers but fireworks erupted in the dark sky.
"Wonderful…" her smile grew more breathtaking as the color of the explosion was caught by her porcelain skin.
"Really?" Not even for moment did he look up. He was too captivated by her smile. His body moved on its own, closing the distance in between them. All doubts were silences as he got lost looking into her mesmerizing eyes. "Haru… I think… I like you…"
Suddenly, Haru drew back as if she was burned. At the same time, the night sky grew dark and quiet again. "Is this also part of the answers you want?" Tears welled up from her eyes but refuse to fall.
The sight of her unshed tears made his voice get caught in his throat. No! Absolutely not! I never planned for this! By the time he regained his words, she was already out of sight.
That night, Gokudera glared at his laptop. A document program was open but it remained untouched for several hours already. I need to give the 10th my output! His fingers poised to type but nothing touched the keyboard.
What to do in a date? As a complete replay of the day's events flashed through his head, a helpless smile was already plastered on his face. It faded when he recalled the last part of the date that ruined everything. He felt like his chest was being squeezed by a hundred tons of weight as his mind clearly remembered the painful look in her eyes. DAMN IT! That's why dating is so difficult!
The alarm clock rang for the countless time that morning. As his barely open eyes saw the time, he jumped out of bed, cursing.
Driving in late yet again, for the first time, he raised his eyes to meet the fiasco staring at him through every window of the school. His pupils dilated to see a familiar form by the library window. His helmet was thrown somewhere along the way as he ran towards the library.
Still catching his breath, Hayato found the room empty, not one person in sight. He was about to turn around but he heard a faint turning of pages as a breeze flowed in. Approaching her favorite seat, the wind continued to browse through the sketchpad.
His heart skipped a beat as he saw a blur of the drawings inside. All of them… were him. With trembling hands, he picked it up and looked at every picture closely. This was the first time that he'll be seeing himself in another person's eye. Somehow he felt that this wasn't how a normal person would see him as. The pictures were drawn in full detail… as if the artist poured every ounce of emotion into drawing.
All of them were equally outstanding but one stood out. It was the drawing on the first page- the scene of him playing the school piano. He didn't even know that somebody knows of him playing it. He always kept it a secret, even from Tsuna but the artist knew. She drew his secret with intense detail that it was almost impossible.
"That was the first time I saw you… the first time I've loved you. The others were the times I found myself falling for you over and over again," Haru stepped out from her hiding place and gazed into his eyes.
"All this time," he shook his head as he flipped through the pages. "I never even realized you were looking," putting down the drawing book, Gokudera pulled her into his arms. "Let me make it right," he muttered against her hair.
Stepping back, he inhaled before making that irresistible smirk. "Miura Haru, I like you. Please go out with me,"
"Maybe after three months… when your blood can be drawn again," a tear slipped from her eye as she smiled before meeting him halfway to let their lips so the unsaid negotiations.
The next scene drawn on the sketch book as Gokudera's boyish grin when he heard her reply.
Little Falcon: Wah! I'm finally done! Let me know what you think! Read and review please…