The private wound is deepest.
The title for this is taken from the 31 Days theme for January 27, 2008. This is probably set WAY into the future – at LEAST 15-20 years, to be exact.
Gokudera Hayato knew that it was going to be one of those nights the moment Yamamoto Takeshi suddenly decides to close shop early. Gokudera, however, is not the same person he used to be more than a decade ago (keywords being "explosive" and "brat"), he manages to keep himself in check. Hence, once they finish going over the books and find themselves staring at each other from across their kitchen table, Gokudera does not feel compelled to set some part of Yamamoto (or maybe all of Yamamoto) on fire, or blow Yamamoto to kingdom come. The man – sometimes manager of a chain of successful sushi bars across Italy, and always and ever the Storm Guardian of the Vongola – merely sweeps their books off the table, stands up and leaves the kitchen. He turns back, just on the brink of entering their private rooms behind the store, and pierces the other Guardian with a look.
"I hope you learn how to fuck yourself for tonight."
Yamamoto winces a bit at Gokudera's departure: funds are short and that door's old and their joint can only take so much Hayato-abuse within a given time period. Still, the Rain Guardian has more pressing matters to attend to now, one of them being the tall, thin shadow in the doorway of his restaurant, silhouetted by streetlights and the light, misty curtains of spring rain. He offers it a congenial smile.
"I suppose you'll want some tea, then?"
The shadow snorts and slips inside, walking into the light.
Hibari Kyouya has not filled out over the years. He has shot up and bled down to the barest essentials in muscle, skin & bone – the better to move fast, strike hard and flow on towards the next target, leaving nothing behind. Yamamoto, however, does not think of these things. All he sees are gaunt cheeks, painfully thin wrists, brief glimpses of bandages beneath expensive clothes and a pair of startling blue eyes staring out at him, seeing him, seeing through him. Even he has trouble holding that gaze, and there is much more between him and Hibari than there is between Hibari and any of the other guardians, or even between Hibari and the Vongola Tenth himself.
Those eyes are on Yamamoto's back as he heats up some water, fetches the green tin can from under the sink. Yamamoto wills himself not to notice.
"Here."
Yamamoto slips into the seat on the other side of the counter, right in front of his old friend. Hibari peers at the contents with some disdain before sipping it once, tentatively. A moment later, the Cloud Guardian makes a face.
"…You're never going to learn how to brew this properly, are you?"
Yamamoto chuckles. Hibari ends up drinking down the whole cup anyway, and asking for another with no words and an ambiguous gesture that no one else in the family would've caught had they been in Yamamoto's place. They do not speak. The clock on the wall ticks off the seconds, then the minutes, then one full hour.
"It was Nico's birthday today," Hibari finally says, sometime past eleven PM.
"I know," Yamamoto replies, from over the dishes. "He's growing up to be a fine, young man, isn't he?" Nico is Dino Cavallone's eldest son. He is the first of three children.
"Yeah."
"He has his father's laugh."
"And his mother's eyes."
Hibari looks down at his cup. He does not need to say anything else.
It's sunrise by the time Yamamoto crawls into bed. Gokudera does not push him away when he reaches out for him. Both of them know that somehow, in spite of everything, they were the lucky ones in the end.