Title: Blackmail
Pairing: RebornxLambo ; ColonelloxLambo
Disclaimer: Reborn is not mine. Obviously, Lambo owns him. Or is it the other way around? Aha!
Warning: This has boyxboy situations.
It's been thirty minutes since Lambo arrived home, ate dinner and went straight to his room. Twenty minutes since he opened his book and decided to start studying. Ten minutes since he'd been staring at the same page, same sentence, same word. And it's just five minutes past six o' clock.
He had plenty of time left.
Or so he thought.
Between studying, breaks, cleaning and organizing the room he deemed dirty all of a sudden, time seemed to pass by rather quickly for the teen. He looked at the wall clock, which told him it was already past ten and he was only at page twenty-seven of the book. The coverage of the test was from pages twenty-two to thirty-five.
He was screwed.
He covered his face with his hands, trying to stop himself from shouting and held back the tears that were threatening to fall from frustration. He wanted to pass. He needed to pass. He pulled on his hair a bit more before deciding to go back to his book, the slight pain, waking him up from his small breakdown.
Lambo snorted as he looked at his book once again. He glared at it, thinking how this lesson could help him in life. He already had a lot of problems in life. Math didn't need to stick its ugly head to bother him about theirs. Honestly, he's not a pirate. He doesn't need to look for X's. He rolled his eyes one last time before planting his face to the book with new determination (or should I say lack of it) to study.
The next thing he knew, his head was screaming in pain and his body was shouting in protest. He lifted his head up, peeling his face from the page that became stuck with his drool. Dread filled him as he realized what happened, looking at the clock to confirm his suspicion.
It was already seven forty-five.
Lambo fell asleep while studying.
"Shit..."
"SORRY I'M LATE!" Lambo shouted, his hand still holding the door, his other holding his knee for support. He was out of breath from running, panting as his lungs burned for air. His necktie was loose, the buttons of his shirt weren't placed correctly and his hair wasn't combed. All in all, he was a mess.
Everyone's attention moved away from the teacher, looking at Lambo with surprise in their eyes. Although they were used to it with Lambo being late every two to three days, today was an exception. Everybody thought he'd come in early considering whose test it was.
"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Bovino," a cold voice said, commanding all attention, making Lambo and the students freeze on the spot. It belonged to their math teacher, Mr. Reboyama.
His jet-black hair was neatly combed, his curly sideburns adding to his appeal. His tie was in place and his orange button-down shirt was clean and crisp, tucked in properly, giving everyone an idea of just how lean and muscular he is. His state was the complete opposite of Lambo's.
"Well?" Mr. Reboyama asked, demanding an explanation.
Lambo, still a little winded from running, tried to compose himself, explaining why he was late. He didn't make up any absurd excuse like normal, knowing that Mr. Reboyama was not somebody to mess with, cursing his luck since last night. If it was his homeroom teacher, he could've just laughed it off, getting a warning and that's it. Nothing else.
"I..I fell asleep while studying and I couldn't set my alarm clock...eh he he...," Lambo explained, trying to laugh it off while scratching the back of his neck from the awkwardness.
"I see."
Surprised for not getting anything other than that from the teacher, Lambo took this as the chance to join the class, sitting down in his seat.
With a few more words, Mr. Reboyama passed the papers and the test had begun.
Before he could start, Lambo felt that there was something wrong, handing out the rest of the paper to the girl behind him. He took the cap off his pen, ready to begin when something grabbed his attention.
It was a pair of black eyes, looking at him without reserve. Getting self-conscious, Lambo averted his gaze, peeking at the teacher from the corner of his eye.
Mr. Reboyama.
Everyone knew his name and the rumours that go with it.
They feared him and his cold demeanour, avoiding him everywhere like the plague. Yet, he still had many admirers, teachers and students, girls and the occasional boy, watching him from afar, too afraid to come near him.
Some say he was a part of the mafia, killing hundreds of people as a part of his job. Others talk about him seducing some big shot's wife and is now on the run from them. There were other rumours about him but no one can actually prove anything and Mr. Reboyama never said anything about them either. Not that anyone dared to ask him. The man was shrouded with mystery.
Lambo didn't care about the gossip surrounding the man though. But that didn't stop him from being careful around the teacher. He told himself that he would have nothing to do with the man. Better be safe than sorry.
Realizing that he spent too much time thinking about him, Lambo started to read the problem. He smiled to himself, feeling the day start to get better.
He knew the answer to the first question.
"I thought I was going to die," Lambo said to no one in particular, leaning on the fence that surrounded the roof.
It was already lunchtime and he was waiting for his friends who bought food at the busy cafeteria. He was looking at the students eating outside before sighing loudly.
"The test wasn't that hard." I-pin announced her entrance with Colonello following behind. She was holding a plastic bag filled with bread while the other was holding a bag of juice.
"Huh?"
"You said you thought you were going to die," she reminded him, passing him one of the bread. "Did you really study for the exam, Lambo?" I-pin asked incredulously, lecturing him about treating school more seriously, since they were graduating this year.
"I did study! Besides, it wasn't the test that almost killed me. It was Mr. Reboyama." Lambo defended himself, snatching the bread from her hand and interrupting her mid-rant. "My goodness, that guy gives me the creeps!" His thoughts went back to earlier when the teacher was staring at him, shivering a little from remembering those cold eyes.
"You should avoid him, kora!" Colonello piped up. He was already halfway through his lunch when Lambo and I-pin had just started theirs. "He's dangerous!" he added, shovelling more food into his mouth. It just kept on coming, one bite and another. Where the hell does all that food go?
"What makes you say that?" I-pin asked, knowing the kind of answer she'll get. "Do you even have any proof that he's dangerous? Besides, it's your fault since you were late, Lambo," she scolded. She was always the voice of reason within the group, even if she was the youngest among the three of them. She prided in that fact.
"He just is!" Colonello argued, knowing how childish he sounded. "I don't even know why you're defending him, kora!" He said, crossing his arms.
"That's right!" Lambo agreed. He didn't want to explain why he didn't like the teacher because that would mean admitting that he was thinking about him during the tests. He did the only thing he could do, pointing an accusing finger at I-pin. "Don't tell me!" He said, feigning a shocked look. "You're a part of his fan club too, aren't you?" He shifted the attention to I-pin.
"I-pin has got a crush on Reboyama!" Colonello added, laughing with Lambo at what he said, teasing her with the teacher.
"What are you? Children?" I pin was fuming. They were really pushing it. "Why am I even friends with you guys?" She asked frustrated.
"That's easy," Colonello and Lambo answered together, smirking at her for not knowing the answer to such a simple question. "It's because you love us," they said a matter-of-factly, giving each other a high five for saying the same thing.
Before they could say anything else, they were interrupted by the school's warning bell that signalled an announcement. They never did listen to the broadcasts of the school. It was usually a call for the student council members to remind them of meetings and what not. There were also the random awards announced. But this particular message caught their attention.
"Lambo Bovino, please go to the teacher's lounge immediately."
"What do they want you for?" Colonello and I-pin asked at the same time, staring at him with confused faces but Lambo was looking at them the same way.
"I repeat, Lambo Bovino, please go to the teacher's lounge immediately."
"I didn't do anything!" Lambo panicked, trying to think of some reason why he was being called. "Or at least, I don't remember doing anything to be called," he said unsure.
"Maybe nothing's wrong," I-pin said to reassure him, smiling. "Why don't you just go and find out?"
Easier said than done, he thought but he still followed what she said and went to the teacher's lounge, leaving his two friends behind.
It might not be that bad, he said to himself but something at the back of his brain was telling him he was wrong. He willed that thought away and continued walking.
He knocked on the door once, twice, three times before it opened to reveal the one person he tried so hard to avoid. Mr. Reboyama.
"Uhh...I," Lambo stuttered, still feeling awkward with the man. "I was told to come here...?" It wasn't suppose to come out as a question but he began to feel unsure of himself for some reason.
"I expected you to be here earlier," was all he said, going back inside the room, leaving the door wide open.
Lambo suddenly felt angry, fisting his hands at his sides. I expected you to open the door earlier, he thought annoyed but he would never say it out loud. Not if he wanted to live.
"Well?" Lambo suddenly had a blank stare on his face, snapping out of his thoughts. He looked at his teacher to see him leaning on the wall, crossing his arms, waiting for him to do something. What was it again? "I said are you coming in?"
Lambo entered the room quietly, looking around to find no other teacher but him. They were alone. Just the two of them. Great. "What is it that you wanted?"
Reborn walked behind a desk, pulling something out of the drawer. It was a piece of paper. He walked towards him, handing the paper. It was an answer key now that he got a good look at it. He looked back at the teacher questioningly. What does this have to do with him?
"That," pertaining to the paper in the boy's hands, "was found in your desk."
No, it couldn't be...
"This is all the evidence I need to know you cheated."
But it was.
The teacher retrieved the paper once again, leaving Lambo shocked. "Plus, you're failing my class but your test score today proved otherwise," he added. The unnerving stare rooted him to the spot, the black orbs never leaving him for a second. And the smug smirk that went with it didn't help at all. What was he supposed to do in a situation like this?
Sweat dripped from his brow as he stared at the paper in front of him again, the paper that got him into this mess. He was innocent! It was all the paper's fault! He glared at it, hoping it would just spontaneously combust out of nowhere.
He looked away from the offending object to meet a raised brow, expecting an answer.
"I didn't do it." He defended himself immediately, looking at the man as if he's grown another head.
"Then explain to me why this answer key was found on your desk" he waved the paper in front of the boy, mocking him.
"I don't know..." and really, he didn't.
"Do you expect me to believe that when all answers are pointing to you?" the teacher said, sitting on his chair and could still manage to look more intimidating despite the height advantage the boy now had standing up. He lived up to his name, Lambo thought, feeling fear creep up to him. But that won't stop him from proving his innocence.
"I didn't do it," he said once again, patience wearing thin. They weren't getting anywhere with this. It was just an exchange of pointless words now.
"I don't think you understand how grave the situation you are in is", the man replied, resting his head on top of his laced fingers. "You cheated during a very important test".
"I didn't!"
"You're failing my class."
"I'm innocent."
"You probably thought you could get the easy way out."
"I didn't do it."
It went on like this for about five minutes before they realized they were just wasting time, deciding that glaring at each other was the best way to go. They were at a standstill.
The boy pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "Look, I really didn't do it. I may be having a hard time in your subject but I wouldn't even consider cheating as an option. You may not believe me but I studied all night for this test." He sounded tired.
"Maybe we can work something out," the man replied, looking at Lambo with eyes like a lion stalking his prey.
Lambo decided right there and then, he did not like that look. Not one bit.
A/N: I won't bring your hopes up by saying this story will be updated quickly. After my last update, things haven't been going right for me. I've been going in and out of the hospital more times than I could count and I couldn't find the time to write this. I pushed myself to write this, feeling guilty that I promised this chapter soon after I posted the last one. Don't expect an update anytime soon.