The Long Haul
By codedredalert
Chapter 3: Chiavarone
Disclaimer: I don't own KHR. Full disclaimer in Prologue.
Chapter Warnings: Swearing. Implied violence. Implied kidnapping. The author's gay sense of humour. Smoking.
A/N: Welcome aboard and thanks to scientificsoliloquy for beta-ing. Thank you if you've reviewed, faved or alerted my story or myself.
Sorry I'm late. Have an extra-long chapter to make up for it. Lots of work, and this chapter just didn't want to be written. I also had to do some research for this so yeap. Well, enough excuses, haha. I'll try to keep to schedule or give notice next time.
If you can answer questions on the underworld, Italy, or Naples, please PM me!
-/\-
24 Dec
Christmas Eve started well, notwithstanding the crick in Gokudera's neck from being too tall for the sofa he was sleeping on. Then again, that could have just been a natural consequence of his bad posture while working on his laptop.
He killed his phone alarm and got up to make himself a cup of coffee. They were visiting Dino today, and Gokudera was admittedly apprehensive about it. The man was a protégé of Reborn, was significantly older than Gokudera himself, and was just a little too cool to be for real. Tenth held him in esteem for reasons Gokudera could only guess at, especially after seeing the blonde boss trip over his own feet, or manage to put food everywhere but his own mouth. Dino was annoying, and Gokudera wished he could somehow garner as much respect from the Tenth as the mostly-ditzy, only occasionally competent Italian did.
"There will be transport under the bridge five blocks away at 0900," Hibari said. Gokudera looked over his shoulder to see the dark-haired man standing in the bedroom doorway. Hibari tilted his head, observing Gokudera for a moment. The sun streaming in from the glass balcony doors hit Gokudera's newly dyed hair, making it glow honey brown-blonde. The storm guardian tugged on a lock experimentally. In angled sunlight, the colour was just on this side of 'brunette', rather than 'blonde'. Gokudera hoped it was just a trick of the light. The shade was not exactly nondescript in a town where most young men had dark hair. It had looked darker on the packaging, and darker still under indoor lighting when Gokudera had dyed it in the dead of the night.
"Be ready to leave soon," Hibari said after a pause.
"No comments?" Gokudera asked. Hibari raised an eyebrow slightly.
"It will do," he replied neutrally. Gokudera resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Well, he got what he was asking for, trying to get an opinion from Hibari on aesthetics.
"Wait," Gokudera called as Hibari made to return to the room. His fellow guardian looked at him expectantly. "We go as Gale and Kaoru?"
"Yes," Hibari answered flatly, as if Gokudera had asked whether blue and yellow made green. Gokudera took a moment to remind himself to be the better man in the room and not reply in kind.
"In that case," Gokudera said, as pleasantly as he could. "You can wear one of these." He tossed Hibari the shopping bag of clothes he had picked out for the Japanese man's cover the day before.
Hibari's face as he pulled out the teal turtleneck was one of polite and utterly damning judgement.
"Happy early Christmas," Gokudera told him, feeling a smile threatening to break out. Hibari looked frozen in place for a moment before nodding slightly.
"Thank you," he replied stiffly before stepping into the bedroom and closing the door behind him. Gokudera hid a grin behind his coffee cup.
-/\-
Their black-windowed transport, courtesy of the Chiavarone family, was driven by someone with squinty eyes and short, spiky hair. Gokudera thought he might have met the driver before; Hibari didn't seem to care. The man said his name was 'Bono', and seemed familiar enough with Hibari to raise an eyebrow at the teal the dark haired man was sporting. Gokudera didn't like that. The fact that another family, allied or not, had so much data on a top ranking member of Vongola made him uncomfortable.
"The Boss might be a little late," Bono informed them. "He said you could wait at the usual place."
"Usual place?" Gokudera repeated.
"Boss said that Hibari-san would know."
Gokudera glanced sideways at the dark haired man, who was leaning against the tinted window with his eyes closed.
"Hn," Hibari acknowledged, and the rest of the ride was silent.
The Chiavarone family might have been on the brink of bankruptcy a few short years ago, but that had no bearing whatsoever on the grand house that had been passed down through the generations. Expansive yellow courtyards separated the several wings of classic white-walled five-storey architecture. Bono dropped them off at the main door, more or less leaving them to their own devices. Gokudera stared in thinly-masked disbelief as the sedan pulled away, unsure whether this was a show of trust or bald-faced disregard.
Hibari obviously did not have the same doubts. He walked in with the casual contempt that could only be bred from long familiarity. The modestly furnished halls were mostly empty and Gokudera was glad that no one was there to see him force a bored look and follow Hibari's purposeful stride. God knew Hibari had never been one to concern himself with petty things like giving the Boss or his right hand man due respect. Unfortunately though, Hibari knew where he was going and Gokudera did not, and even if he hated being one step behind, he couldn't do anything about it.
"Where are we going?" Gokudera asked lowly, when the corridors felt just a little too quiet. Hibari glanced at him.
"Piano room," Hibari answered succinctly as ever. His answer threw Gokudera.
"Piano room?" Gokudera repeated, in case he had heard wrongly.
"Mm."
"I didn't know you played," Gokudera commented with genuine interest. Hibari made a small shrug, but did not reply.
"Do we have time before he gets here?" Gokudera asked.
"Chiavarone is usually late."
"Alright. You can play first," Gokudera said generously. He played often enough in front of the guardians, at parties and so on. During those moments, Hibari was usually as far away from the spotlight, and the piano, as possible. If the dark haired man had ever played at other times, Gokudera had never been around to hear it.
Instead of responding, Hibari opened a set of double doors to a well lit room that was all pale gold wallpaper and rich russet carpeting. It was a decent sized room, taken up mostly by a single grand piano, which was lacquered wood rather than the glossy black Gokudera was so used to. Ledges that served as seats were built into the walls beneath the windows.
"Nice," Gokudera said, walking round the piano, dragging a hand across its surface. He lifted the fall to expose the keys as he walked past and propped up the lid.
"Can you play something?" Gokudera asked, staring into the inner workings of the piano. "Anything will do. I'd like to have a look." Grand pianos had always fascinated him. He loved that he could open its glossy shell and watch its heart pour out chaotic brilliance that reverberated in his fingertips. His only regret was that he couldn't both play and watch the piano work at the same time. He sometimes wondered.
Hibari didn't move and Gokudera looked up at him.
"What's wrong?" Gokudera directed at him. "Play anything, really. I don't actually have preferences. Maybe Rachmaninov or something?"
Hibari sat down and with a slight pause, placed his hands on the keys. He started on a Chinese piece that Gokudera took a while to recognise. It started light and fast, deepened at moments before trilling and dancing. The inside of the piano was a flurry of movement and eventually a name came to Gokudera. 'Sunflower'.
It was a difficult piece—technical and light-handed in some parts, loud and sweeping in others. If Gokudera was honest, Hibari was not bad. All the notes were struck on time, neither too loud nor too soft. It was perfectly per the score and maddening in its soullessness. Finally, it was too much and Gokudera cleared his throat, gently reaching a hand over the keys as Hibari came to the end of a bar.
"Here, I'll play," Gokudera said, but the way one errant note followed told him he had done something wrong. Hibari glared at him before pushing away and standing. Damage-control mode kicked in before Gokudera could think through his words.
"I didn't mean that you weren't good," Gokudera tried to explain but Hibari didn't seem to hear him. "I just felt…"
Hibari walked away and nothing Gokudera could say would matter. He sat on the ledge by the window with his back to Gokudera and pointedly looked out towards the gate. Gokudera stared for a while, taking half a step towards the raven-haired man before turning and taking a seat at the piano.
His fingers rested on the unfamiliar keys for a moment, learning their spacing and weight. Gokudera played one set of scales before starting consciously, almost apologetically, on a piece by Wang Luobin. The notes were gentle and floaty, painting ancient oriental palaces in the noonday light that cut in through the breezy day curtains. They inundated the high-strung silence, and Gokudera felt tension drop from his arms and shoulders. The music birthed itself as it always did when he let the pads of his fingers touch the glossy keys. He only half-knew what he was doing as the notes ran ahead of even his own thoughts. It might have been Debussy, heavily improvised to jazz. It might have been Bach pushed to the edge of 1920s swing. It might have been that catchy Korean pop that had been playing a lot on the radio.
Whatever it was, it was fun. It was different from playing in a crowded ballroom, where he had his back open to the heads of other families, or when the other guardians were trying to get him to stop and chug scotch from a bottle during Christmas. It was just Hibari, who might as well be a piece of furniture for all he acknowledged Gokudera's existence, and a piano room.
Gokudera started on Christmas carols just because he could. God bless ye angels we have heard away in a manger in Bethlehem. He blended and mixed them, because playing from scores, even ones in his head, seemed stiff. What child is this, dreaming of a white Christmas, following yonder star?
This would be the first Christmas in seven years where he wouldn't be playing for the Tenth. That thought made his fingertips a bit colder, despite the indoor heating.
The room's double doors burst open and Gokudera's fingers stumbled, coming to a dead stop.
"Kyouya!" Dino proclaimed jubilantly. "Long time no see!"
Gokudera cleared his throat and Dino caught his eye. The blonde's wild, easy posture sharpened immediately, shoulders going back and head lifting to match. In a second the man's countenance smoothened into something more befitting a mafia don.
"Business with me, Smoking Bomb?" Dino asked.
"Yes," Gokudera replied, voice clipped with resentment at how the older man led the conversation so easily. Rank-wise they were about equal, but Dino never really listened to Gokudera the way he ought. Gokudera's hands were like ice as he placed the felt over the keys and lowered the fall.
"Romario's preparing the materials in the library. He'll be bringing them to my office," Dino said, glancing at Hibari, who still had not moved from the window ledge. "Are you sulking, Kyouya?" the blonde teased, though not as casually as when he had entered the room.
"No." Hibari's voice suggested broken bones and damaged property, but Dino only laughed. The cloud guardian stood gracefully and walked out, the perfect portrait of wounded pride. Dino turned back to Gokudera, smiling like he didn't know better.
"Well, let's go then," Dino said cheerfully. "While the sun shines and all that." It was a very poorly disguised order. Gokudera felt his shoulders tense, and the urge to protest, but this was the Chiavarone house. With no alternative, Gokudera stood and walked with the blonde.
"Thank you for your assistance for this mission," Gokudera said for the sake of nicety. Chiavarone's choices when Vongola had asked for assistance were 'yes' or 'yes, gladly'. Dino's slightly raised eyebrow told Gokudera that the don had been aware of it as well.
"It's my pleasure," Dino replied, the words an empty response to Gokudera's shallow appreciation. "Although Kyouya's email had me under the impression that he'd be working this one alone."
"Change of plans," Gokudera shrugged. Dino nodded once.
"Happens all the time," the allied boss smiled in a way that was supposed to be comforting but had Gokudera's guard up as high as it could go. "Well, better you than Mukuro, I guess."
There it was again, undue familiarity with the workings of Vongola. Gokudera gritted his teeth into a semblance of a smile.
"Can't say that for certain yet," Gokudera replied with dry humour. Dino laughed so sincerely that Gokudera wanted to blow something up.
"I think you underestimate how much Kyouya resents that guy," Dino said, shaking his head. "It's a miracle they haven't killed each other by now."
"You exaggerate," Gokudera said shortly. "They're fine."
"If you say so," Dino conceded easily. "Well, here's my office."
It was laid out much like the Tenth's office, with a grand desk and a high-backed chair facing the door. Shelves lined one side and a sofa set was arranged on the other side of the room. A Japanese-looking man with a moustache and slightly greying hair was speaking to Hibari. Both of them were holding portfolios with the Chiavarone crest, identical to the two remaining portfolios on the low table amongst the sofa seats.
"Welcome," Romario said, breaking from his conversation with the other Vongola guardian. "The portfolios were compiled as per orders, boss," he directed at Dino. The boss nodded and took a seat, gesturing for the others to join him.
"We've done the minor groundwork as requested," Dino said as he gestured for Gokudera to help himself to a folder. Dino opened the remaining portfolio to show them a distinguished old man, with heavy brows and hefty jowls, sunken features fixing a glare at the camera. The creases in face might as well have been scars.
"Marzio Mari," Dino said. "Better known as Old Man Mari, the current Costeggiare don. He's the last remnant of Costeggiare's golden age and one of the wiliest old bastards I've ever had to deal with. He's stepping down earlier than expected. Word on the street is that he wants to see in the new generation. Give a little guidance here and there."
He laid another photo on the table. It had obviously been taken from a distance, with blurry traffic obscuring half the photo, but it was otherwise a clear shot of two men leaving a bar. The smaller man walking in front was in his mid-fifties, grey streaking his brown hair and the beginnings of a pot belly showing through a well-cut suit. The other was in his late thirties, tall but stocky with dirty blonde hair brushing past his eyebrows.
"The one behind is Peppe Mari," Dino told them, not hiding the condescension in his voice at the name. "Old Man Mari's only son. Dario Azzarà—Old Man Mari's right hand—has been on babysitting duty since the announcement. He is the one in front."
Dino took a second, fingers drumming on the edge of the table before reaching to spin the photo to face himself. He tapped Peppe's image twice, sharply, in the middle of the forehead. Death ghosted a paper-thin dimension from Dino's hand. Gokudera's eyes flickered to Hibari, who was burning the photo into memory, gaze not wavering from the A4 sheet. His fellow guardian had missed the look in the Chiavarone don's eyes.
"Peppe is not special, or popular. He is sometimes brave, sometimes stupid and often both," Dino continued lightly, like he was telling a story to some friends at a bar. "Just the other day, he picked a fight with us on my territory. They've been very careful with the brat since. If you're planning an in with this guy, I'll have to sit out."
"What did you do?" Gokudera asked. Dino smiled a smile that showed all his teeth.
"We only scared him a little. No need to look at me like that, Smoking Bomb. I didn't do anything stupid."
Mafioso often had the habit of exaggerating. Equally often, they were prone to understatement. A bit of a 'scare' was not what someone got for injuring Chiavarone men. Peppe must have honest-to-God feared for his life after Dino got hold of him. Didn't anything 'stupid'… Dino probably locked Peppe in a car boot long enough for the big boss to hear then returned the boy none the worse for the run-in but scared. Very scared.
"What are you worried about?" Hibari asked, leaning forward, elbows resting lightly on his knees, fingertips barely brushing the low table. Dino inhaled tiredly.
"Ah, you know me too well, Kyouya," Dino said, fondness slipping through his sigh. He touched the top of his folder before he produced one more photo. This man's face was all edges, with a prominent nose and razor cheekbones. White ate the temples of his slicked back hair, which was as black as the suit he wore.
"This is Vico Corvi, the top defence lawyer in the South of Italy. He is also Old Man Mari's advisor, the Costeggiare consigliere. They used to be very close, but Vico had many things to say about Peppe being the next boss. Most of it was not flattering, and he was not the only one. We don't know what he's planning but the disagreement between Old Man and Vico is causing tension all the way down the ranks."
"Oh?" Hibari asked, his voice leading up at the end. Dino shook his head.
"That's all we know for now, sorry to disappoint."
"I see."
"Thank you for the information," Gokudera said, standing. "We'll be in contact."
Dino frowned up at Vongola's right hand. He exchanged a look with Romario, who'd been standing silent as a statue by his side the whole time. They came to an understanding without a word exchanged.
"Please, you are welcome to have lunch here," Dino offered to the guardians.
"A lot of work to do," Gokudera politely turned down. Dino wasn't looking at him though. Hibari had risen to his feet as well, taking a folder with him.
"Kyouya?"
"You were late," Hibari said, holding the folder by his side. Dino laughed and stood.
"So nitpicky you are," Dino said. Hibari looked at him flatly.
"You were late," Hibari repeated more forcefully, as if there was more meaning in the same words if said twice.
"Yeah, I know," Dino accepted with an impish grin. "Sorry, okay?" Hibari accepted that with the slightest of nods and he turned to the door.
"Romario, please go ahead first. I'll walk them out," Dino waved to his second-in-command. Romario nodded and began gathering the folders left on the table. With long strides, Dino showed them into the corridor.
"How have you been, my favourite student?" Dino began conversationally. The corridor was technically wide enough for three, but the occasional pillar or furniture piece forced someone to drop behind or walk alone ahead. The Chiavarone boss reined in his steps to match Hibari's.
"Fine."
"Teal suits you," Dino said without missing a beat. Hibari looked scandalised and Gokudera silently took the compliment as was his due.
"We are undercover," Hibari said, echoing the phrase Gokudera had repeated like a broken record over the last few days. Dino nodded.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Dino offered, posture directing the query to Hibari. Gokudera was about to point that out that Vongola's right hand was technically standing over this side, but Hibari answered first.
"Transport. Something discreet."
Dino laughed, clapping Hibari on the shoulder. "You know my taste alright. I wasn't about to offer you my baby anyway. You don't appreciate her. But I can definitely spare you something."
They went through a couple of doors to a darkened garage, and Dino pulled a set of keys off the wall and tossed them to Hibari. Hibari lifted the keys to the light, smiled and slipped into the darkness.
"What is it?" Gokudera had to ask.
"The Dorsoduro 1200 from Aprilia," Dino answered. "Kyouya was eyeing the last time."
Gokudera frowned. "Isn't the Dorso too tall a bike for Hibari?"
"And heavy, but Kyouya is stubborn," Dino shrugged. He caught Gokudera's eye. "I would offer you something, but my cars are likely marked by Costeggiare. I hardly use the bike, so it should be fine."
"Why get something you don't use?" Gokudera had to ask. Motorbikes weren't terribly expensive, but Dino was not known to waste.
"Just in case." Dino smiled at some inside joke. He opened a metal cabinet and took out two full-face helmets with tinted visors.
In the darkness, Hibari turned the ignition. A sleepy yellow light blinked and the engine grumbled.
"Sounds good, doesn't it?" Dino asked. He reached into the cabinet with one hand and flicked a switch. The garage door started to lift slowly, letting stark daylight hit the Chiavrone don's personal cars. They were flashy and screamed dirty money in a run-down city where mafioso ruled. A Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, a Ferrari 458 Spider, and a McLaren 12C Spider … Gokudera hissed a jealous breath at the supercar line-up.
"Nice," Gokudera admitted unhappily.
"The 458 is my personal favourite," Dino said, with a nod towards the bright red Ferrari in the middle.
Hibari walked the bike out of the garage as soon as the door went up, and got on outside. As expected, the bike was too tall, and he was balancing on the balls of his feet.
"Herbivore," Hibari commented lowly as he accepted a helmet from Dino.
"I told you that you wouldn't like it," Dino grinned. "Tough to handle, isn't it?"
Hibari did not deign to reply, instead putting on his helmet. Gokudera did the same, before internally sighing. This was going to be awkward. Gokudera didn't know Hibari well enough, and as a guy, he wasn't too keen on being so close to another guy. This was Hibari, after all, and if his knees touching Hibari's thighs didn't count as 'crowding', Gokudera didn't know what did.
Still, he gamely climbed on. Being slightly taller than Hibari helped, considering the pillion seat was a bit higher and a lot smaller. Gokudera gripped the back of the seat but the lack of security made him rethink this. Hesitantly, he let go of the seat, and one hand hovered at Hibari's shoulder.
Gokudera wondered whether being 'bitten to death' or having to face the awkwardness of asking for permission would be worse.
There was a pause and Hibari sat back and turned. He lifted his face shield and looked at Gokudera from the corner of his eye.
"Hold on properly," Hibari said, decidedly unimpressed by Gokudera's indecision. "It will be more troublesome if you fall, herbivore."
"You should probably listen," Dino laughed. And so, very reluctantly, Gokudera shifted his hands to Hibari's waist. The layers of fabric collapsed further in than he expected, making Gokudera pause while settling his grip. He had known Hibari was slim but this was bordering on ridiculous. How was it physically possible to send people flying with a body like this?
"Well then, I'll drop by your place tomorrow," Dino said. Hibari gave a nod that knocked Gokudera's helmet a bit before leaning forward and setting off.
The time it took for them to reach the main road was enough for Gokudera to find out why both Dino and Hibari had insisted. If Naples traffic was hell, Hibari driving was a demon.
Hibari drove like he fought, forcing the large bike to weave through dense traffic. Some of the gaps they squeezed through were so risky that Gokudera's slacks brushed a layer of dust off the cars they passed. Turns which took all of Hibari's weight thrown to one side had Gokudera three seconds behind the movement, swearing violently. Red lights and oncoming traffic might as well not have existed.
Hibari was not a bad rider; he was a terrifying one.
Though the gear changes were flawless and the trip was injury-free, Gokudera was excessively relieved to see their flat. Hibari skidded into the driveway sideways, neatly missing the boy and woman standing in the driveway. The boy, tall and broad shouldered, was actually about Gokudera's age, but where the Vongola storm had confidence this person had the slouch of a university student. He disappeared behind the door real quick as Gokudera swung a leg over the bike.
The lady waited for them, hands on her hips, hair blond and fake as fake could be.
"Who?" Hibari asked lowly, voice muffled through the helmet. Gokudera had already taken off his own. Hibari's hands came up and started to pull the helmet off.
"Landlady," Gokudera answered, matching Hibari's tone. "Looks like she wants to talk."
Hibari's eyes stayed on the landlady for a moment. His lips parted on an intake of breath, but the pause told Gokudera that Hibari had changed his words at the last moment.
"Well then, Gale," he said with a shrug and a quirked mouth. "Do what you have to." He dropped the kickstand into place and dismounted the bike with significantly more grace than Gokudera had. The use of Gokudera's alias was enough to remind him to switch.
Gokudera smiled and clapped Hibari gently on the shoulder. "See you upstairs, Kaoru-kun."
"Sure thing," Hibari replied and took Gokudera's helmet. He even gave a small smile and nod to the landlord on the way up. Gokudera shook his head at the difference as he approached the landlady.
"Ms. Faraldo," Gokudera started to say in Italian, and the landlady laughed.
"'Ms. Faraldo' makes me feel like an old lady. Please, call me 'Angel', or at least Luciana. After all, I call you Gale."
"Angel," Gokudera repeated after her. She smiled.
"Is that your flatmate?" She asked, but continued without waiting for his answer. Gokudera couldn't tear his eyes from her bright red lipstick as she talked in a way that was both theatrical and sincere at the same time. "Funny, he seems perfectly charming. Did you know that he suddenly took off with my boy's motorcycle yesterday, only to return it to the doorstep and leave the keys at the counter? Scared Michele half to death. Oh, have you met Michele? He was here just a moment ago, but for the first time in his life he said that he wanted to finish his assignments first. That boy. Well, if your friend is good for him, it doesn't matter, I guess."
"I'm really sorry about Kaoru, ma'am…" Gokudera had no words to describe Hibari, much less explain him. Then he paused. "Wait, 'good for him'?" Gokudera echoed. This was the first time he'd ever heard that hijacking someone's motorcycle was good for them.
"Oh, I meant as friends, of course. I try not to judge but Michele does get a bit too excited about his bike. I thought they could be friends. I didn't mean it that way. I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me. It's so obvious you two are together that I just assumed that you were secure."
"What!" Gokudera gaped. Following Angel's mile a minute Italian was difficult but 'you two' and 'together' raised a huge red flag.
"Oh, are you worried about people finding out? Don't worry dear, this is Naples," she patted him comfortingly on the arm and he could only stare at her in growing horror. "If you mind your own business, other people will mind their own business. I can vouch for it, I'm transsexual and proud and no one cares. Anyway, I figured I'd show a little support, so I gave you guys a discount."
Angel beamed at him and Gokudera's mind went into overdrive.
So the rent really was too good to be true. Dammit, he'd brushed it off as the recession and exchange rate. This woman was fucking crazy because this was Hibari she was talking about. Even before that, Gokudera was a true Italian man and he liked the ladies, thank you very much. Still, the rent or his reputation? Well, not really his reputation, but Gale's reputation. Was being polite and quiet and academic more important? Hibari had already so very nearly killed the aliases with his stupid stunt of grabbing the bike even before the mission began. What was best for the mission? Gokudera mind hit a wall and came to a dead stop. Before he knew what he was doing, he'd thanked Angel with Gale's grateful, shy smile and was up three flights of stairs, feeling like he'd been run over by a train then thrown off a cliff.
God he needed a smoke.
-/\-
Even before he'd started smoking, Gokudera always had a light on him. As a kid, it had been matches, and as a teen, it had been one or two lighters from his collection of Zippos. As he grew older, a pack of cigarettes and the occasional bottle of lighter fluid joined them. When exploring dark alleys in a dangerous city, a light was useful; when explosives were a primary weapon, a light was a necessity. Fire and the 'Smoking Bomb' were long-time associates, but not lovers like a stranger would assume. Gokudera was too cautious to be enamoured and too aware of her dangers to be careless.
Gokudera pulled out a white and black Zippo and a metal cigarette case with the Vongola crest engraved on both sides in all its glory. It was too heavy for a cigarette case and scratched despite Gokudera's care, but the weight of it calmed him a little. He flipped it open and the left side reflected his face, squeezed by the slight curve of the cover. Inscribed in elegant, looping script was the message 'To Hayato, my right hand man, with confidence. Tsuna.' He must have seen the words a million times. Hell, he could probably reproduce the exact message and typography. When he'd first carefully dissected the red and green paper that wrapped it, and realised what the present was, what it meant, he cried his stupid eyes out in front of everyone. The memory was embarrassing, but incredibly warm.
He took a cigarette and shut the case, setting it gently on the table.
Placing the stick between his teeth, Gokudera flicked his lighter, but no little dancing flame appeared. He swore from habit and reached under the table for his lighter fluid.
Hibari appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. He watched as Gokudera refilled the lighter with steady hands, and placed the bottle back under the table. Hibari's gaze went to the cigarette case on the coffee table between them, and back. Gokudera raised an eyebrow and flicked the lighter again. It worked.
"I do not allow smoking in my house."
Gokudera looked up in surprise before an irrational, indignant fury hit him. Why the hell should Hibari make the rules here? Why the hell should Gokudera listen? Why did all the shit in this mission only fall on him? Why was the world unfair?
He snapped the Zippo shut and tossed it lightly. In one motion, he caught it, opened it, and lit his cig.
"Good thing this isn't your house," came Gokudera's smart-mouth reply. He could see Hibari's hackles come up at the challenge. Hibari pushed the door open all the way.
"You can kill yourself slowly elsewhere, herbivore," Hibari said low in his chest, a rumbling threat.
"Yeah? Well, you can go fuck yourself 'elsewhere' and I can smoke here," Gokudera snarled right back.
Faster than he could blink, the cigarette was ripped from his teeth and the elegant metal case was gone from the table. Hibari held both the loose stick and the case in his left hand and opened the balcony door. Cold dread dropped suddenly, smothering the anger like a snowdrift. Gokudera surged up from his seat and went for the door. The door slid open and Gokudera's body was so slow, so disconnected from his mind. He managed to stop the door's movement with a hand and blocked Hibari from exiting. Sterling grey eyes narrowed at him.
"Give those back," Gokudera demanded. Hibari glared at him, making no move to obey.
"I mean it, you sonovabitch," Gokudera said with renewed force, making a snatch for the case. Hibari grabbed his wrist and pulled, making Gokudera stumble forward before another sharp pull slammed him into the bedroom door frame. With his path now clear, Hibari stepped out onto the balcony.
"You bastard, don't you dare," Gokudera gasped as his fellow guardian went straight to the railing with his cigarette case. Hibari ignored him and with a look of mild disgust, he dropped the loose stick over the ledge. Gokudera felt his heart drop with it, in growing anxiety concerning what would happen to the case.
"Godssakes, Hibari!" Gokudera shouted, scrambling up, making it to the balcony door but not the man standing beyond it. "Please!"
Hibari calmly raised the case and set it on the ledge. He then turned and walked back into the apartment without even turning to look at Gokudera. Confused and reeling with the shot of anger and adrenaline, Gokudera slammed a palm into the sliding door. Hibari deigned to give him an annoyed look over one shoulder.
"The hell was that?" Gokudera hissed. Hibari raised one eyebrow, unimpressed.
"Compromise," Hibari said smoothly, before slipping into the bedroom and closing the door behind him. Bewildered, Gokudera retrieved the case from the ledge, turning it over in his hands. He only now realised that it was heavy but delicate, like ceramic. In his mind's eye he could see it crumpling like a car crash on the pavement below. Gokudera opened it with finely shaking hands, running a thumb over the seven sticks left. His distorted face was laughably ashen, staring at him from behind the Tenth's message.
Gokudera snapped the case shut and closed his eyes. The Tenth expected him to succeed in this mission. It was a simple and devastating truth. Gokudera would succeed even if he was killed trying, and Hibari might actually sign onto that with pleasure.
"'Compromise' he says," Gokudera muttered, closing the case with a tired snap. "What's that, code for 'I won't half-kill you as long as I get my way'?" He was tempted to light up there and then, but squashed the rebellious thought quickly. He wasn't sure he could keep Hibari from his case for the length of the whole mission and damn if the man wasn't vindictive. He still held a grudge against Mukuro for beating him once in middle school, for crying out loud.
He stood in the darkening night until he couldn't feel his face from the cold. In the end, he went inside, put on his coat and had a couple of smokes on the staircase half a landing down.
They were unusually bitter.
Tenth, this 'partnership' is going to end in complete disaster. –59
CANCEL
Tenth, why am I the one on this mission again?—59
CANCEL
Merry Christmas, Tenth. –59
-/\-
A/N: There will be no end-November chapter because I have exams. Latest update schedule will be on my profile (or you could Alert if you haven't already hinthint). Please, pleaseeeeeee review if you liked my writing and I'll see you in December! Cheers.