It's been a while since I updated this story. What can I say? Life happens...?
This update was beta'd by the amazing Ezrudine.
Chapter 11: Tokyo
Two days passed and Tsuna had already recovered from his cold. Gokudera thought it would have been better to stay behind just to make sure. However, Tsuna assured him that he was fine and was feeling better than ever. Yamamoto came over frequently since they last spoken about his situation with Hibari. He knew, but hasn't mentioned it since. The brunet thought that the actor was being considerate; that didn't help with his uneasiness.
That day, he, Gokudera, and Yamamoto were preparing for his trip to Tokyo. Yamamoto, at one point before, said to think of it as a mini vacation away from his worries. Tsuna couldn't. He couldn't when he knew that Hibari was out there, still searching.
"Tsunayoshi, are you sure? You can always stay longer. You don't have to feel obligated to go with this idiot to Tokyo."
"Gokudera-kun, it'll be fine. If anything happens, I'll contact you."
Gokudera was trying to convince Tsuna into staying with him. However, the brunet stood his ground about going to Tokyo with Yamamoto. If he could leave Namimori, he would immediately take that chance. The two of them were standing outside of the house as Yamamoto was inside packing the last luggage. Gokudera rolled the brunet to the passenger seat and eased him inside the car. Folding the wheelchair, he tucked it in the trunk with a few luggages.
"I just think it's awkward with you alone with Yamamoto. I heard he's... Unstable."
"I was alone with Yamamoto before I moved in with you. He is fine. I trust him."
"I'm not saying that you shouldn't trust him. I'm just saying... Be careful. If he tries to do anything — and I mean anything — don't hesitate to contact me."
Tsuna nodded as Gokudera pursed his lips into a thin line. The brunet knew that his friend was still concerned about him. The window was drawn down to allow them to speak to each other without anything blocking between them. Tsuna settled a hand on Gokudera's that was on the car door. He gave his friend a smile before catching sight of Yamamoto coming out of the house with the last bag.
He threw it on the backseat and shut the door.
"Well, that's about it. We need to head off soon."
Gokudera stared at the smiling man next to him. Tsuna wasn't sure if he was just staring with some strain or just bluntly glaring. Yamamoto, unfazed of it, continued to smile as went to the other side of the car and opened the door. He plopped down the seat and closed the door. Tsuna looked over his shoulder before looking back at Gokudera again, his smile fainting.
"Thank you for taking care of me, Gokudera-kun."
"Anytime... If there's anything — anything at all — you know what to do."
"It's time to go, Tsuna."
Gokudera pulled himself away from the car, reluctantly. Tsuna rolled the window up and kept his eyes locked on the man on the other side. Gokudera smiled as much as he could but Tsuna could easily tell that the smile was forced. Yamamoto started the engine and the car was already moving. Waving goodbye, Gokudera was no longer in his sight.
"You can rest easy in Tokyo. The recovery shouldn't take too long." Yamamoto smiled, cheerfully.
It took two hours to get to Yamamoto's company that had Mr. Mizushima waiting for them. It was an additional four hours to have their belongings packed into a jet plane in a different location and a helicopter to take them from Namimori to Tokyo. Tsuna felt like he was experiencing the luxury of being an actor and model. However, the only complaint he had was how his legs were cramped after a long boring ride.
"We're finally here."
Those were the only three words that Tsuna needed to hear. The same three words sounded beautiful to his ears. Yamamoto was carrying Tsuna across the building to the prepared wheelchair and assigned guards. The actor carefully puts Tsuna down on the wheelchair and rolled them down to the awaiting elevator. Yamamoto felt a certain pride that he was able to provide something like this. Tsuna looked up at him, smiling.
"This is amazing. I never thought I would experience this."
"You're lucky then. I normally wouldn't bring anyone."
Tsuna looked forward. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Would that also apply to Gokudera? How could a friend like Tsuna compare to Gokudera, his lover? That didn't make any sense. However, the brunet kept his mouth closed on the matter. There was no point putting his nose into something that didn't involve him. The two guards stood on each side of the door as Yamamoto swiped a key card to unlock the room. The actor wheeled his friend into a large living room. Tsuna couldn't resist the gasp when he took sight of it. It looked more of a penthouse than an average hotel.
The living room was so wide and spacious that it could fit hundreds of people for a party. It had four leather couches with a glass coffee table in the centre of the room. Underneath it was a large white carpet that covered the shiny wooden floors. There was a plasma TV with stereos, DVD and CD players surrounding it as it hung on the glass wall. The room was literally bathing in the sunlight. A clean kitchen was connected to it, a white wall dividing the two rooms. There were stairs on the wall next to the door leading to the bedrooms upstairs. From the guess of it, they could have additional eight guests sleep over.
"This place is amazing! Why don't we invite Gokudera-kun? He'll love it here."
"This place is suitable. Well, let's unpack our belongings." Yamamoto cheered.
Yamamoto ignored his question relating to Gokudera.
The actor rolled the brunet over to the four long leather couches and placed him there, setting aside the wheelchair. He said that it was best for Tsuna to relax since he was in no condition to do anything. Before he could voice his protests, his raven haired friend had already gone upstairs with a wide smile on his face. Tsuna sighed. He would like to say that he enjoyed doing nothing, but that would be a lie. He hated it. He was getting all sorts of special treatments since he got these injuries. Tsuna wished that he could heal faster. Then, a nagging thought popped into his head.
'If I get better, would that mean that I have to leave Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto?'
The answer was an obvious yes. The two of them are trying to build up their relationship. However, he supposed his presence was slowing the progress. The two of them were too focused on nursing him or keeping him locked in his room — which was something he found rather odd. The faster he was out of their lives, the better for them. Tsuna looked up to the second floor and saw Yamamoto zooming from one room to another.
"Yamamoto, I can—"
"I won't let an injured person help. Relax for a while. Oh, and what do you want to eat for dinner?" Yamamoto interrupted.
"Huh?"
"I was thinking of a nice meal. Actually, I'll make it a surprise, one of my specialties."
It was hard to say that he'll be getting dinner with the sun still shining outside. Tsuna slid to the opposite side to his wheelchair. He dragged the chair in front of him and hopped unto it with his good leg. The brunet mentally cheered at his luck. He wheeled it around and rolled to the kitchen. He was in awe when he saw the kitchen. The utensils looked like they were recently bought and ready to be used. He rolled over to the side of the refrigerator and opened it, praying that they have some ingredients. There were the basic eggs and milk with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, butter, and three condiments.
He scanned the counters if there was any bread. There was and it was within his reach. Tsuna pulled out a frying pan that was fortunately in the lower cabinets. He lit the fire, put the pan over it, and spread a small slice of butter on it. He quickly set aside the wooden spatula and tried to get the bread. His wheel chair stopped on the spot, unable to move any further. The brunet looked over his shoulder to see a confused Yamamoto.
"What are you doing, Tsuna?"
"I'm making lunch. I have to put the bread in and—"
"I'll order some take out. There's no need for you to worry about that."
Yamamoto walked over to the stove and turned off the fire. At this point, frustration was building up. He couldn't choose if he could live by himself, he had to rely on other people, and he couldn't even cook a simple grilled cheese sandwich for two. The brunet's hands tightened into fists.
"Yamamoto, I want to help out. I can't just sit around all the time. I'm not for display."
"I know that. However, we can't forget the last time you wanted to do something."
"I just...! Fine, I'll be good. But give me something to do."
Yamamoto hummed at the thought. The corners of his lips curled into a smile. Tsuna gave a high-pitch squeak when he felt his body being lifted from his wheel chair. The brunet grabbed onto the actor's shoulders, burying his face on his chest. Yamamoto laughed heartily from the reaction as he was carried his friend in his arms. He passed the chair and went up the stairs. The actor entered one of the open rooms with a large bed at the far end. Like the living room, it was spacious with a glass wall with layers of white curtains over it.
"This is our bedroom."
"Ours? What do you mean by ours?"
"I've been hearing from Gokudera that you're not feeling... Well, I thought it would be better if we shared the same room. I could keep a better eye on you this way."
That was an obvious lie. Gokudera never came to him with any issues involving Tsuna. He never would if it comes down to that. The professor would be more than glad to get involved to make the brunet feel better. There was no doubt about that. Yamamoto stepped over to the side of the bed and carefully lowered Tsuna down on the soft mattress. It was comfortable and fluffy on the brunet's body. His tense body easily relaxed to it as his eyes closed.
"Good to know that you enjoy the bed."
"Yeah, best one I've been on."
"I'll order some lunch. Take a nap for a while. I have some unfinished business to take care of."
"Okay. Be safe."
Tsuna was unaware of how tired he was until he finally fell asleep. It felt like all of his troubles and concerns had disappeared. He was grateful to that. The brunet had done enough worrying about Hibari and being caught. He'd just want to forget about it and spend some time with the people that cared about him. Yamamoto touched his cheek as gently as he could.
It's wrong.
His stomach felt like it was filled with the small butterflies fluttering around. It was exactly the same sensation he felt in middle school. The joy and love was overwhelming him. Yet, the guilt was building. Yamamoto suspected that the only reason Tsuna is here was because he dragged Hibari's name into the conversation. He knew the story, he knew what would happen, and he knew that he could use this to keep Tsuna close.
Was it wrong for him to use that?
"You're planning to do what?"
Gokudera is slowly entering his famous rage mode.
"You know what I'm talking about..."
Yamamoto is the reason.
Yamamoto thought that it was finally time to make a call to Gokudera. He knew what he had to do to keep Tsuna safe. The actor said that they didn't want anyone contacting them after this call. Gokudera was outraged before settling down on his silent anger. He didn't want to bring reason into it and thought of settling it by being blunt. That plan didn't seem to agree with Gokudera.
"You're not going to do that. I'm going to track you down this instant to take him back."
"Even if you do, Tsuna won't come with you."
"Why is that?"
Yamamoto went silent.
Gokudera called Yamamoto's name to see if the actor was still there. All sorts of thoughts were barging in to his mind. Should he tell Gokudera? Should he ask for help? Would Tsuna be okay with him telling his secret? He snapped out of his train of thoughts when Gokudera began screaming his name out of irritation.
"You better tell me what the hell is going on!" He roared.
"I can't say right now. It's not my secret to tell."
"Is Tsunayoshi going to be safe?"
"Yes, as long as he's here and doesn't contact anyone. And don't tell anyone that he's with me."
It was Gokudera's turn to be silent.
"Fine. But I want to call in to check up on him every now and then. I can't just leave Tsunayoshi with an idiot."
"That's okay with me. I guess Tsuna would want to try to keep in touch with you."
"I'll call you next week. Bye."
"Bye, Gokudera."
He hung up his cellphone and dropped down on the couch. Yamamoto could have easily guessed that Tsuna was already fast asleep. He dropped his head back and sighed tiredly. His life was peaceful until the brunet stepped into his life again. He doesn't mind the hassle, but he was concerned about Tsuna. He had to stay away from someone dangerous like Hibari to be safe. Yamamoto mentally prayed that he could actually provide the power to protect Tsuna. He turned on his phone and called the nearest restaurant he could remember. The actor hoped that the brunet enjoyed seafood for lunch.
He sighed again.
'What did I get myself into...?'
The end... Now, this will be easy for me to think of an idea for the next chapter. Review, favorite, follow.
