Title: Confession and Assertion

Fandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn:

Pairing: 5986

Standard Disclaimer Applied

a/n The flame for GokuHaru still burns. Some things never grown old, I guess. This chapter, as well as the second, are both unedited. I wanted to get them out there since I'm a bit busy with school at the moment.

Also, writing this piece made me realize that I low key have a problem with male gaze tendencies. Like, I'm a feminist, why do I focus so much on women's bodies? Is it because I'm also bi? Oi. Being woke is hard, y'all.

Confession

Gokudera sat in a quiet room and eyed his watch as he waited.

6:54

6:55

6:56

6:57

The minutes passed at a sluggish pace, slowly building on top of the other until he thought he might be stuck there forever. He'd been sitting on the couch for so long that he thought his ass cheeks might have warn in a groove.

"I'm so sorry," a voice called down an adjacent hall. "I don't usually take this long to get ready..."

Haru bustled into the living room, reaching back and yanking at the zipper of her dress. "Gokudera, can you get this for me?" she asked nonchalantly, turning around for him. He sighed and stood, reaching for the zipper and slowly pulling it up. He tried not to let his eyes linger on her skin for too long.

"Thanks!" she said, glancing back at him and smiling. "Just give me one more minute and I'll be done."

Gokudera rolled his eyes groaned, ignoring her laughter as he sat back down on the couch. If thiswas an indication of how this night was going to go, then he might as well drink alone.

Earlier that day, Noon

"Gokudera, please! Please, please, please, please," Haru begged, sitting directly in front of him on his desk. "I'll never ask you for another favor ever again!"

Haru had spent the greater part of her morning asking him to come with him to a dinner being hosted by the partners of her law firm. It was going to be full of higher ups and Haru, an aspiring partner herself, was dead set on making a good impression. She had most everything planned out. The conversation starters, the humble but capable one liners, and the very pretty ensemble she had set out on her bed that morning. All she needed now was a date.

"For the last fucking time, I said no," he growled, irritation coming off of him in waves. He tried to work around her, but she was decidedly in the way.

"But someone has to come with me. I can't go alone!" she exclaimed, pouting as best she could.

"Why are you asking me? Go ask some idiot. Yamamoto could always use a long walk."

"He's not a dog, Gokudera... and I tried," she huffed, reaching over to nudge him in the shoulder. "But Tsuna sent him to Japan last minute to oversee the base construction."

"Ryohei?" He suggested.

"Climbing Mt. Everest this weekend."

"Fuck- Lambo?"

"Why would I bring a kid to an adult party, stupid?"

"Bring Chrome then."

"She would want to wear purple, which is what I'm wearing, so no."

"Guess you don't have any other options, woman," Gokudera said, flicking a paper clip at her forehead. It hit her in between her eyes.

"Wha-! Idiot, that was rude!" she shouted, smacking him on the side of his head. "Don't bully your way out of this. You're coming with me," she maintained, glaring at him as she rubbed her sore spot.

"Don't you have any other friends you can pester?" he asked, trying his best to distracting himself with anything else. Especially not the way her hips wiggled in front of him.

"No, not anyone I can count on," she said with a sneer. "I may not work with you brutes, but the Vongola are the only ones I can trust to not say anything stupid when it's important."

"You'd rather take a mafia member than some normal person," he muttered. "What faith you have in society."

"When you put it that way, it doesn't sound very nice," she said, lips twisting in a frown. "That's very impolite of you to say."

"'Impolite' is storming into my office, messing up my files-"

"That's easy when they're piled up like mountains," she chimed in.

"-and demand that I reward your bad behavior by going to a stupid dinner that I don't even care about," he continued.

"You can punish me instead then," Haru blurted, her tone exacerbated. Gokudera froze, his eyes moving straight to her serious face. He struggled to maintain his cool as he felt a red blush bloom on his face.

"Force me to spend an evening with a cranky, self-righteous asshole. Please?" she pleaded, clasping her hands together.

Gokudera looked awhile and felt foolish.

"No. Would you please leave now?"

"But-" she tried.

"I mean it."

"Just consider it," she begged.

"Haru," he said wearily, and rubbed at his temples. "Please."

She opened her mouth to retaliate, but came up short on anything to say. She appeared slightly taken aback by his sudden change in mood. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," he huffed. He sighed and opened a drawer of his desk, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He ignored her as she hopped from his desk, but panicked when she knelt in front of him.

"Smoking isn't going to make you feel any better," she admonished, taking the box out of his hand.

"Neither will you but here you are," he countered as he took it back, pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He took a quick drag and blew out the smoke away from Haru. None the less, she wrinkled her nose at him.

"Take a break then," she cooed, resting her hand on his knee. Gokudera gulped and continued to look away. "Come with me tonight, be around people who don't want to kill you, have a drink or two. It'll be good for you."

"Nice try," he said. "You're not going to get me to go to this stupid dinner."

"Gokudera," she said softly. "Really. You should go. Yes, I want to bring you so I can use you. But it could be good for you too! To get out a little. You can go with a pretty lady-"

Gokudera snorted out of habit.

"-eat delicious food, meet some people that you otherwise would have to shoot," she reasoned. "I'll even be your designated driver so you can let loose a little!"

"Not a chance, stupid woman," he snorted, reach over to flick ash from his cigarette into a dish.

"Hayato," she said, her tone imploring him to listen. Gokudera begrudgingly looked her in the eyes, unable to ignore her when she called him by his first name. She leaned across to look him very closely in the face. "Please?"

He was quiet for a moment, taken aback by her proximity and the softness of her tone. She leaned in closer, their noses almost touching. His breath caught in his throat when he looked into her brown eyes. She fluttered her eyelashes at him, looked at him so endearingly and asked once more. "Please?"

Any resistance Gokudera might have had was gone the very moment she uttered the word.

"Fine," he breathed. Haru leaned back and smiled brightly at him. "Just get out."

"Good!" she said in approval, stood up and walked around the desk as she made her way to leave the room. "Come over at six. I'll be ready by then."

That Night, 7:03

"You're the biggest liar I know," Gokudera yelled. "That's saying something," he muttered quietly under his breath.

"Shut up! Perfection takes time," she shouted from another room. She bustled into the living room as she came back, her black pumps and small purse in hand. "I'm almost done."

Gokudera scoffed, standing up and adjusting his dress coat. Haru stood next to his side and used him as leverage as she put on her heels. With them on, she could now almost reach his chin.

"How do I look?" she asked, smoothing away any imaginary wrinkles on her dress.

Gokudera looked at her with an appraising eye. Her dress was a fit-and-flare made of a deep purple velvet, something that fit her figure very well. Her make-up was simply done, except for the bright red lipstick she wore. With her so close, he could even confirm that her hair smelt nice.

"You look like you would have been ready an hour ago," he murmured softly, turning away for fear that she might see how much he appreciated the way she looked. She would probably tease him relentlessly if she noticed.

"Was that…" Haru asked, her tone playful, "a compliment?"

"It can be whatever you want it to be. Can we just leave now?" he sighed, already impatiently walking towards the front door.

"Yes!" she said as her heels clicked behind him. "Hold on. Let me just get my car keys."

"For fuck's sake, woman. Are you ever going to actually walk out the door?"

8:17

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Haru asked Gokudera quietly. She sat beside him at the dining table, an eyed him intently as he ate his food.

"No," he said shortly. He took another bite of his food, which admittedly was delicious.

"Liar! You are too," she teased, elbowing his side in jest. Gokudera snorted and rolled his eyes, smirking in a self-satisfied way.

"Mr. Gokudera," a dinner guest asked, bringing the two back into the conversation at large. The guest, a woman with coiffed grey hair, smiled at him. "Please, tell us what our dear Haru is like when away from work. We know she's hardworking, but it's hard to imagine such a sweet girl being so serious all the time."

"Ah, well," he hesitated, unsure of what to say. "She's very upbeat, but you might already know that. Children love her though. She's very caring."

"Children?" another guest asked. "Are you married then?"

"No, sir," Haru answered. "Gokudera and my other friends work in a family business of sorts. They like to involve the kids when they can."

"What is it you do?" asked the same woman as before. "Haru is very hush about her life outside of the office. Our little sparrow isn't known to sing about what lies outside her cage."

The people at the table all laughed (Gokudera saw Haru smile stiffly at the degrading analogy) and waited with interest at what he would say next. Gokudera realized that they really didn't know a lot about Haru, which meant she stayed quiet about the Vongola. Knowing that pleased him.

"I work for a company called Perla," he explained, a familiar lie falling from his lips. "We assist with community based politics here in Italy and abroad."

"Perla?" a young man at the table asked. "I've never heard of them."

"It's a bit of an insider business," he said with a polite smile. "Our focus is also very local, which might mean that a global business like yours might not ever encounter us."

"Very local," Haru chimed in, giving Gokudera a sideways knowing look. "But many of those close to me are involved. I elected to branch out and become a lawyer."

"Aren't we all the better for it!" someone said with a deep chortle, the whole table erupting in laughter. Gokudera looked over to see Haru smiling serenely.

"Do you spend a lot of time helping Perla, Ms. Miura? The children in particular?"

Haru nodded, a bright smile on her face. "I do. They're like my family, and I try to do what I can."

"Yet you choose to not work for them," a serious looking man chimed in. He looked at Haru intently with his black eyes. "Why is that?"

Haru met his gaze coolly and smiled. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Gokudera himself laughed at that, and he couldn't help but smile as he looked at his plate.

"Very true," he murmured, looking over at Haru. She looked back at him curiously. "We are all especially fond of Ms. Miura."

Haru's eyes widened and she turned away. Gokudera noticed a faint blush on her cheeks and smirked.

10:28

Gokudera swiveled a glass of brandy in his hands as he blocked out the soft hum of conversation. Sometimes he would hear Haru laugh, which peaked his interested, but otherwise it was a bunch boring prattle.

Haru sat perched on the seat beside him, her dress riding up slowly as she crossed her legs. He leaned back in his spot and stared, hoping that the fabric would reveal a little more. She said something to the group, no doubt charming, and the room laughed. Their conversation floated all around him, but he was too busy ignoring them. He continued to watch her skirt intently, waiting for it to reveal more.

"Gokudera?" Haru's voice said suddenly and clearly. Gokudera looked up and blinked, his eyes adjusting to see Haru leaning closer to him.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked, smiling softly at him. He nodded and stood up, blinking at the people who stood before him.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gokudera," several people said to him as Haru tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and guided him towards the front door. He nodded and replied in turn, but made a point of heading for the exit.

"I'll see you all in the office on Monday, everyone!" Haru cheered brightly, turning back to wave. Gokudera looked straight ahead and stepped outside, tugging Haru with him.

They soon stood on the street, walking slowly to Haru's car. Gokudera said nothing, just sighed deeply as he breathed in the fresh air. He turned to see Haru watching him, her brown eyes smiling.

"Thank you for tonight," she said softly, squeezing his arm affectionally.

Gokudera smiled back at her, and pulled his arm away from her grasp.

"Not a problem," he murmurs, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Haru didn't seem to mind the sudden contact and makes no effort to push him away.

"Let's get you home," she says instead, laughing a little as she wrapped her arm around his waist and guides him forward. "I didn't realize that you had so much to drink."

"I didn't either," he confessed as he leaned heavily onto her. Haru grunted at the sudden weight, but kept her firm grip on him. "Damn good brandy."

11:02

Gokudera groans when Haru threw him onto his coach and turned the lights on.

"Too bright," he calls out as he covers his eyes.

"You can't still be drunk and that hungover, idiot," she says from the kitchen. He hears the clicking of glasses and the faucet being turned on.

"I don't like bright lights when sober, stupid woman," he replies.

Gokudera groans as he stands up from the couch and wobbling slightly. He slowly walks towards the switch and dims the light, squinting his eyes until he could see.

"You're a vampire then?" Haru says beside and he whirls to face her.

"Jesus, woman," he breaths, throwing a glance back at her as he walks back to the couch.

"Can you drink some water for me?" she asks as she follows close behind him. Gokudera waves her off and falls onto the cushions.

"No thanks."

"Gokudera, please?"

He sits up to face her, and closely scrutinizes the glass.

"I don't want my buzz to go away," he says. Haru chuckles.

"This is for after the buzz, silly. You'll thank me later, I promise."

Gokudera begrudgingly accepted the glass, chugging the water as quickly as he could, and handing off the glass once he was done. Haru smiles and sets it on the ground, then sits beside him.

"Was that so bad?" she asked once she had settled beside him. Even with his fuddled senses, Gokudera was very aware of how close she was to him and of the skin hidden just under her flowly skirt. He didn't think much of it when he slowly reached out his hand to touch her, placing his hand on her knee. He just that he wondered what she might feel like.

"Gokudera?" she asked, placing her hand on top of his. He looked up to see her staring at him, her brown eyes questioning. "What's wrong?"

He didn't say anything.

He probably should have.

Instead he quickly leaned forward, fast enough for his head to spin, and kissed her.

Her lips were soft and malleable, and he tasted some of the wine that she had consumed in moderation earlier that night. His hand went to cradle her neck, his instincts telling him to pull her closer. The warmth of her against his chest made him groan. At first she was surprised, gasping against his mouth. But she soon began to match the movement of his lips with her own, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed herself against him. The warmth of her body filling his chest and the feel of her made him dizzy.

"Wait-" she suddenly breathed out, pulling back slightly. Gokudera ignored her, leaning forward towards her lips. "Hayato," she said again, turning her head away from him. "Stop."

"What?" he muttered. He nuzzled the soft skin of her neck, peppering kisses along the column of her throat.

"Please," she said, insistently pushing him away. Gokudera respected her request, drawing back even though he wanted so badly to be closer to her. He looked down to see her pouting up at him, her face blushing and her lips swollen. "You're drunk," she reminded him as she scooted away and smoothed out her skirt. "So nothing should happen tonight."

He smirked and reached out to cup her cheek. "But any other night would be fine?"

Her face bloomed a deep red color and she looked away from him. "Stupid."

Gokudera chuckled, leaning forward to rest his hand in the crook of her shoulder. "Don't you want to take advantage of agreeable Octopus head while you can?" he asked while he breathed in deeply. He felt her reach up to run her fingers through his hair and gently tug at the nape of his neck.

"A lady never takes advantage of an inebriated brute," she said softly. Gokudera huffed out a breath of laughter.

"A lady?" he snorted. She gasped, affronted, and pushed him off of her.

"Rude!" He grinned down at her, swaying as she glared at him and tried her best to suppress a smile. She shoved him and said, "I take care of you and that's how you talk to me? Ungrateful."

Gokudera could only smile as she hefted him up and guided him to his bedroom. He leaned heavily on her, his body pressed against hers with his hands wrapped firmly around her waist. Haru supported him surprisingly well, Gokudera's additional weight doing little to shake her balance.

She pushed open the door to his bedroom with her foot, and staggered slightly as she regained her footing. Gokudera did little to help, content to enjoy the way his head swam with every step. Eventually, she had all but dragged him to his bed, twisting and dropping him down onto the fluffy comforter. Gokudera laughed, the rush of his fall making his head feel funny.

"You're heavy," Haru panted slightly as she grabbed his hands and pulled him into a sitting position. She turned towards her closet, rummaged around until she found sweatpants and a shirt. She returned and began to unbutton his shirt, her fingers shaking slightly.

"I thought you weren't going to take advantage of me?" he joked, enjoying the way her cheeks blushed.

"I'm helping you change, stupid. Maybe if you could do it yourself-"

"I could undress you just fine," he murmured, smirking up at her. She pretended to ignore him but her blush went from pink to scarlet red. "I've been thinking about it all night, you know. How easy it would be to pull that zipper down-"

"Hayato," she interrupted him, her face thick. She had finished unbuttoning his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. He didn't miss the way she tried to discreetly stare at his bare chest. "Don't say anything you'll be embarrassed about tomorrow."

He laughed at that. "When else could I say it?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

She ignored his stare and grabbed the shirt she had grabbed earlier. "Arms up."

Gokudera obliged and Haru pulled his shirt over him. She reached for the button of his slacks, but then stopped herself. "Uhm," she said softly as she pulled her hand back. "Maybe you should do this part yourself?"

"Afraid you couldn't control yourself, Ms. Miura?" he teased. He stood up slowly, careful not to fall to the spinning of his head. As nonchalantly as he could mention, he unbuttoned his pants and let them fall to the floor, his eyes on Haru the whole time. She gulped and peaked down, quickly directing her eyes back at him. He smirked at her knowingly, and she looked away in embarrassment.

"You're being so shy," he murmured, reaching out to touch her cheek.

Haru pushed his hand away, sighed, and rolled her eyes. "The situation is uncomfortable. I'm nervous, is all."

Gokudera frowned as he tried hard to process her words. "I'm making you feel uncomfortable?" he asked. Was he coming on to her when she wasn't willing? He wanted to tell himself that he couldn't help himself, that she was too irresistible, but he could control himself. He normally did. But at the moment, the pent up feelings and thoughts had poured out and he didn't feel like reigning it in. But he very well could if it meant she would feel safe.

"Not like-... Not like that. It's just that..." she paused, her expression conflicted. "You've never talked to me like this before, but you're drunk so-. " She took a deep breath before looking him in the eyes. "I shouldn't say I was uncomfortable. I'm just very confused."

Gokudera deflated in relief at her words, falling down onto the bed. Confusion he could deal with. "Okay," he breathed as he nodded his head. "I can understand that."

"I think... We should talk about whatever this is tomorrow. When you're sober. Okay?" she asked. Gokudera nodded. "I'm going to go you some water, okay? Finish getting ready for bed while I'm gone."

She quickly left, her footsteps soft against the hardwood floors, leaving Gokudera to sit dumbly where he was. He blinked a few times and breathed deeply before working up the motivation to reach for his sweatpants and pull them on. He fell back into the bed, his head swimming when he moved quickly. Haru returned soon enough, before he had the chance to put his thoughts together.

"Octopus head," she hummed sweetly, leaning over his face. She held a large glass of water over him and waved it enticingly in front of him.

He heaved himself with a drawn out moan, reaching for the water. "This won't help me sober up," he muttered before downing the contents of the glass.

"But it will help you be less dehydrated tomorrow," Haru replied. She took the glass back once he had finished it and set it down on his nightstand. "Let's get you settled." She pushed him aside and pulled back the covers. She pushed Gokudera until he lay in the correct position then covered him. "You didn't actually have a lot to drink, so you should be fine tomorrow."

Gokudera muttered something in agreement, too consumed by the warm feeling in the pit of his stomach to think of much else. He caught the smell of Haru's hair as she leaned over to tuck him in, and reached out to gently grab at a few of the strands. "You smell nice," he told her.

She laughed a little and smiled at him. "You'll be back to normal tomorrow."

He shook his head. "I'll still think the same thing tomorrow. I just might not say it."

She paused at looked him, her brown eyes scrutinizing. He didn't steel his expression or try to hide anything, his fondness shining through in his eyes. Haru turned away, her face turning pink once again.

"Go to sleep, stupid," she whispered, drawing back from him. Gokudera reached out before he could stop himself, loosely grabbing her shoulder.

"Wait," he mumbled. Haru looked at him curiously, confusion plain on her face.

"What?"

"Can I get a goodnight kiss?" he asked softly, smiling up at her. Her mouth dropped and her face darkened. He thought to himself that he was growing fond of the shade.

"I don't-" she began to say, but stopped herself to gulp nervously. "I-uhm... Suppose you did do me a very big favor tonight."

"I did," he nodded sagely, his other hand reaching out to grip the back of her neck. She slowly leaned in closer, her lips parting in anticipation as she looked down at him.

"It could be a thank you gesture," she reasoned.

"The best kind."

"And I would say that you earned it."

"I worked very hard for it."

Haru pressed her forehead against Gokudera's her breath shaky as she connected leaned forward and closed her eyes. Then she kissed him. It was short and chaste, the briefest connection of lips, but it lingered on as she pulled back. Gokudera let out a shaky breath when he opened his own eyes, looking over the slope of her cheek, her jawline, the way her nose turned up at the end, and the fluttering of her eyelashes as she opened her eyes. He couldn't look away.

"Goodnight, Hayato," she whispered, her warm breath ghosting against his lips.

He nodded. "Goodnight."

She turned away and made her way to leave, but hesitated at the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

He mumbled something in agreement, already turning around underneath the covers to get comfortable. He heard her sigh softly and shut the door behind her, then quickly fell asleep.