FaerieDemon That would be the point, actually. xD All three no doubt have a good heart, but Tsuna gets his goofiness from Dino and a bit of his rational mind from Giotto—then they all just kinda combine traits with a major one being their many quirks. PlushiePaw Well I dislike forgetting points unless I seriously have to, so sometimes I have to reread past chapters to jot my memory. xD Lireach I liked "buggy with the druggies" actually. It was cute. xD And. Sorta, I guess. There are sea monkeys involved in this chapter. C': ZirciX Haha, I don't talk to my brother much, but you have to understand something—their blushing and cuddling is sorta more leaning toward incest, so unless you're willing to fall for a stepbro, I don't think you'd swing that way. xD kikyokyoyahibari Hm, haven't heard from you in a while. But that's nice to know; I'm glad I make people happy. C': RanRanByakuran Actually…I can't really comment on this because it's a point I'm covering in the author's note. xD; Suzuru Seiyo There's a mention of Romario a couple chapters back, actually. C': Ophianara Blade That's okay. C: Breathless02 Tsuna does it a little too well. xD; He worries too much, and that's kinda what makes him imperfect. I do love writing it. Fire Princess21 Eh, trust me. xD I'm a bit more worried about all the hate reviews I'll get rather than the fanning of Hibari. I poked at his character a lot. Drunk And Giotto did it all by himself without G having to show him how! Yay for him! :D Anello di Tempesta Hmm. Jealous Giotto? Maybe, maybe not. C': fan girl666 Thank you. C': ezcap1st Yeah, he was. xD; And…I seriously don't care for Hibari, but quite honestly this is just a filler chapter to lead up to the next one. Hanori Shiki OMG CHAPTER 326 HAS HIM IN IT AND IT'S AMAZING. I love G. xD So much. Kanberry Dino is just…destructive. I love poking fun at his clumsiness and try so hard to top each one. xD Cat stuck in the banister may be one I can't top, however. Iloveme264 Chapter after the next one will be fun to write. C': missjinx Well, it is Giotto and G. xD They have a tendency to make a show out of things. Dino, honestly…is probably a better driver than Giotto is. xD No one just has the guts or the heart to point that out to Giotto. The fact that Tsuna's voicing his opinion shows how much growth he's gone through since going to Namimori. I would say I'm very proud of him. C': YOUNG JUSTICE WAS AWESOME HOMG. PurpleBlue23 Giotto just…isn't a morning person. xD I think I made that a point sometime in the story (or planned to) that he had tutors half the time since he just could not get out of bed. Rainbowbubble You see, I've been writing this story for twenty-six chapters now and I still can't wrap my mind around the fact I'm writing incest. xD; I had this realization a couple weeks back. Freakin-little Tsuna is just always going to be stuck in the middle with the two. He can't force them to get along. Enma can. Wait, what? ;D Vongola-Decimo Nope. This story is a full AU. C': Hexshell I really dislike the idea of incest, actually. It freaks me out a lot. xD; And I think it's accurate—in too literal of a sense, rofl. Lilth Vaan Haha. That sucks, I'm sorry. D: copycat-capycot You are just a freaking sadist. xD stormypeach1396 Haha, thank you. C': XxMissR27ShootingStarxX Honestly I'm not that big on a crying Tsuna. There are moments wher eit's appropriate, but considering I took out the dynamic of 'potential mafia boss' from the story, there isn't a high point for Tsuna to get overly emotional. xD;; Mel-Chama Prideful's a word. An odd word that when I look back on makes me giggle, but it's a word. xD Gokudera…believe it or not, is showing very much love to Tsuna by following him like a lost puppy. xD There's more of that later, but the first signs started in 25. AND HNNNGHH YAMAMOTO. Tangerine342 8D? totalamuto That's nice to know. xD Narutopokefan LALALALALA. Nekoboy44 Routasuuuu, routasuuu, where are youuu? The first chapter was actually pretty generic. xD It was so put out flatly that it could have been set up for anything—which was the way I like it. Df14-blacksnow Haha, that's really sweet of you to say; thank you. xD Eyes17k I was watching Enchanted, and it was at the part where Patrick Dempsey's character goes, "Is this a habit of yours? Falling off things?" And Giselle being a princess and ditsy goes, "Well…normally someone's there to catch me!" It was cute. xD rainbow muffinman I actually…hate writing oneshots. xD; It's just something that I can't bring myself to write because the plot always ends up more complicated—sometimes not unintentionally. I'll just create an entire story if I wanna make one scene. And I'm glad you reviewed; hope I see more from you! Shinri's 2 lazy 2 login The funny part is, no one's commented on how OOC Enma is compared to everyone else. xD They just take him as sweet, adorable, and the cutest thing ever. Tsuna is just stuck in the middle of everything, and obviously they're not making it better. SoulReaper Rukia I just…I just don't like him. xD;; I respect other people who are in love with him, he's just…not on my spectrum of favorites. SelfcreatedCharacter Haha, you'll just have to see! XXxKHRObsessionxXX You'll just have to wait and see. :) xRynnX Hibari babysitting Tsuna turned out absolutely hilarious. xD there's quite a bit of manga!Tsuna that peeks out through there. Toushi-tama Giotto can be so inhuman, but I can imagine him not wanting to get up in the morning. He'd probably act like a drunkard if woken up any earlier. Or worse. Like drugged!Tsuna. xD Rachel-chanx3 Quite honestly I don't really like using the 'cancer card' because I think it jumps the shark. I've never used it, but I hate it when over people use it because it pretty much sums up, "my life is horrid." xD; Mel-chama cracks me up. Love her. C': Kamonohashi-chan It's actually a lot less of a hassle for me whenever I reply using the wall. I prefer it. C': And yeah, the fact we're 26 chapters in and they still haven't jumped each other is amazing. So much love. :D yamiatemyugi Drugged Tsuna during sex is something that has crossed my mind more than once. xD I'm pretty interested in the thought, but it's not gonna happen, most likely. xD; Kanjecture Haha, the summary was as good as I could. xD; It's a bit odd, but I don't think I could find anything else to replace it. KChoco Giotto and Tsuna's issue over the trust just hasn't been touched. xD; It will be probably in the next chapter or so, I can't wait to write it. C': r a a i n Haha, we'll have to see, won't we? C': Just gotta touch on Yamamoto and Gokudera's relationship a bit more and we're in the clear. Maybe. Yuis "who accepts his background as what it is without blaming anyone." To be honest, that's a great point and I'm gonna recommend keeping it in your arsenal for a bit. xD There are a couple that aren't gay, I'm getting tired of homosexual orgies in this story; but at the moment my current logic is, Giotto's gay so he most likely has made gay friends. "lips curtsied" is something I made up a long time ago, actually. xD Can't say I don't get that comment often; unfortunately you may have to endure that phrase for the rest of the story. ForsakenSilverShadowArcher13 Haha, everyone has a favorite chapter, I suppose? I'm sure my favorite at the moment is the one where G punches Zakuro in the nose. xD Arienna Natalitha Oh, now I remember this review. xD It cracked me up a little bit on what you've gotten from my interpretation. One-sided love? Alaude and Giotto will be together for a good long time, and I can assure you that it's not one-sided. And actually for Yamamoto, I've seen him laughing through most sentences in a lot of stories I've read. Made me laugh when you said that a real person doesn't laugh a lot, but I'm mostly basing it on the manga. No real person says "ushishishi", or "kufufufu" but you see that too. xD; I mean, I'm kinda taking and analyzing from the series rather than making an actual RL adaptation. Maybe it's just my writing…idk. I just know a lot of people say that it's really realistic. Brouille means…something. I think it was bird related, but it's been so long that I don't remember anymore. xD; Dino and Alaude? Where does that come from? Where does G and Enma come from? About 50% of the pairings in here are crack. xD Red-gold-pink-yellow Incest bothers me. Like. A lot. This is probably the fifth time I've put that out on the palte, actually. xDD Cozart actually...makes a parallel reference to Tsuna, and what Giotto needs in a lover. But I'll explain that later. Tsuna27kety Haha, you'll just have to see what's in this chapter. C: FalseMoon Yamamoto's reactions with Tsuna—are explained in this chapter. I do rather like that part. C':
chapter twenty-six has birds and hedgehogs.
Finding the instruction manual to G's desk was an easy job. Trying to actually fix it without getting a splinter (and how the heck did Dino actually put a foot-shaped dent into wood, anyway?) and preventing himself from falling over (how on earth did the chair merge with the desk?) all while trying to keep noise to a minimum as an amused Giotto tried to do his work was not.
Tsuna spent the majority of the supposed three hours trying to figure out bits and pieces after Giotto shoved a pack of sea monkeys in Dino's face and forced their eldest brother to sit in the corner with a tiny glass bowl filled with water. His fingers throbbed with pain, head spun from unhealthy fumes, and he had a horrid fear that a cup of monkeys managed to seep through his jeans. A shiver passed through the pitiable brunet's spine once he sat carefully on the loveseat before altogether collapsing with sweet relief.
How did Giotto manage twenty-five years with the guy? He'd mentioned the eldest was clumsy, but certainly not that clumsy. Tsuna wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it himself.
"Tired, little brother?" Fervent mirth tickled through one of his brother's ears—Tsuna was too exhausted to figure out which sibling.
A jolt thundered through Tsuna, and he flinched, suddenly feeling a light tongue on his neck and little paws dancing on the small of his back. "Hi, Nuts."
"Meow." A mane of fluffy hair buried itself into the crook of the brunet's shoulder, and he lamented a sigh before rolling onto his belly. Nuts rewarded him with cheerful licks and affectionate kisses.
"Most cats are feral." Giotto arched an eyebrow, fiery eyes narrowing to the tepid teenager. Tsuna heard a chuckle without actually listening. "You know. Feminine and kinda sneaky. Nuts, on the other hand, is really—"
"Tsuna-ish." Dino interrupted and there was a pat on the shoulder from one brother to the other. "He's purebred, but was also one of the smallest kittens in his litter. The owner was actually gonna put him to sleep if it wasn't for the fact I fell in love with the little guy."
"Seems suiting. Just like how you carry Enzo around in your pocket."
"You're saying Enzo compliments my personality? How?"
"He doesn't compliment your personality, he suits you considering his hard shell—close to indestructible. Damn thing wouldn't stand a chance if it wasn't a turtle."
"Giotto, you just said 'damn.' I think the time away from G is making you form some strange habits."
"…Oh my god I'm turning into some hybrid of you and the smoker!"
To that Tsuna cracked a laugh, only a chuckle short of a giggle as he sheepishly arose from the seat, Nuts cuddled firmly against his chest. Dino was clueless, Giotto was having another of his silly stress attacks. Funny how ever since Dino's arrival the younger blond ended up being the one to fill his best friend's shoes. His chest felt light, ears still tingling from the conversation with Enma, but heart was heavy. A nervous sigh escaped his lips as he set the kitten in his place on the couch.
Giotto snapped from playful bickering with Dino and looked to the teenager in curiosity. "Going over to Yamamoto Sushi?"
Tsuna nodded grimly. It was a promise he'd made to Giotto, and his brother was right. The old Tsuna pushed away his friends, nervous and afraid of being taken care off. Ever since moving to Namimori he found himself with friends left and right, Yamamoto insisting on taking care of him, Gokudera-kun pushing plain hard facts, Kyoko—a girl—actually talking to him among other things. He…liked being taken care of. He liked having friends who cherished him rather than mocked him into an early grave, and it was once when he radiated with Shimon's nervous lack of confidence that he ever got into a fist fight.
"Dino's cooking tonight." When Dino was out of earshot and in the kitchen, Giotto added quietly, "So bring a lot of sushi and I'll make sure to put the fire department on speed dial."
"But…the pancakes he made this morning looked good."
"Tsuna there is a reason why we had a fire extinguisher in every single room of our second house when growing up."
"E-Er. Right." Blinking, Tsuna slowly nodded and made his way to the door.
"Heading out?" Dino chirped cheerily. In one hand was an egg beater and the other a spatula. "I'm making spaghetti. Anything special that you want with it, little brother? Giotto likes his with extra cheese."
Tsuna had a feeling the reason Giotto asked for extra cheese was because the original would end up on the ground or plastered to the ceiling. He shook his head, small smile spread across his face. "I've only had spaghetti once before, so—"
"You've never had true Italiano spaghetti?" Hilariously enough it was the middle brother who burst into a tragic gasp. Tsuna jumped as a blur of bright blond swooped into the kitchen, and automatically twin looks of alarm passed through both older brothers. "Omigod—the sheep thing is enjoying himself in Italy and—and—Dino!"
"He's never had Italiano spaghetti!" Dino threw his hands up in the air, miraculously avoiding injury while the egg beater landed perfectly in the sink. "Giotto, the grocer's doesn't close until twelve, right? Meatballs! We have to buy meatballs!"
"And the sauce!" Giotto insisted. He shook the inch-taller brother with an identical look of pure craziness and pressed a hand to his face. "There's just too much Japanese in the room! Big brother—who's driving?"
"Who? Me, of course! I'm a better driver!"
"And what's wrong with my driving, Mister Accident Prone?"
Um. Brown eyes looked back and forth at the scene presented, faintly amused. He wasn't sure whether to crack a smile or to back away slowly. Failing for conclusion, Tsuna leaned against the door with a quiet snort, edges of his lips lifting. "Guys?"
"Si, piccolino?" They asked in unison. Dropping the act, Dino grinned and leaned into the middle brother.
"You're so awesome." The brunet felt his cheeks flutter pink, smile widening, then slipped out the door to leave his brothers argue about grocery shopping. He crossed the rooftop, a roll of his eyes reserved for their antics, and another sigh escaped his lips as he waited for the elevator. One moment Dino could be hiding behind the lamp while Giotto tried to figure out who broke one of the couch legs, and the next they were singing show tunes and debating the blond lookalikes in Katekyo Hitman Rebirth.
Ding. The elevator opened.
"Oh, Tsuna—"
"Y-Yamamoto." Tsuna's voice dropped to a dead whisper, eyes widening in surprise as he craned his neck to look at his tallest friend. Yamamoto stood parallel to him, beaming ear-to-ear with a bat tucked over his shoulder. Wait…eek! "Y-You're not going to b-beat me up with that, are you? !"
The smile disappeared, replaced with Yamamoto's natural cluelessness as he tilted his head to the side, then laughed again with content. "With my baseball bat?"
WITH WHAT ELSE? Tsuna took an instinctive step back, hesitant to draw attention elsewhere as his complexion paled to a petty white.
"Tsuna…" The baseball player with really big arms's eyes softened, and he lowered the bat, sheepish smile returning to his face. "I'm not going to hurt you, haha. But I know you're really shy and are probably blaming yourself for this. I mean, you wouldn't even look me in the eye for the rest of class or anything, and it's better to make up now than never, right?"
"A…Actually, I was going over to Yamamoto Sushi right now to see if your dad knew where you were." Tsuna dropped his gaze and mentally hit himself over the head. Yamamoto may have been tall for their age group, but he was a gentle as a butterfly. While Gokudera-kun was a living monsoon, Yamamoto was a light rain shower. Nothing harmful, everything sweet.
"Oh." It took Yamamoto by surprise. "Um. You wanna go inside then, to talk?"
"N-No," Tsuna shook his head and paled at the thought of finding Dino with a broken nose and foot caught in the toilet. Again. "But I wanted to say I'm sorry. And apologize. F-For everything." He took in a shaky breath, heart trembling, and curled his fingers to the hem of his pants. "It…wasn't my business, and I should have respected your privacy, even if Gokudera-kun already did know."
"…go on."
He looked up to darker, sharper eyes, and noted that Yamamoto didn't look the least bit angry. Why not? "I should have given you the benefit of the doubt a-and…not have freaked out the way I did. Running away and all during school. I'm sorry. I'm…" Looking Yamamoto in the face was horribly difficult. "I'm a horrible friend."
"You're not a horrible friend, Tsuna." A hand found itself tangled through Tsuna's locks, and he jumped in surprise from the mirth in his friend's voice. Yamamoto started off with a soft laugh before descending into a kind tone. "Didn't you hear what I just said? You're shy. And I'm not mad at you, I'm just…I'm not mad at you."
"How can you not be?" Without even realizing it, his voice had escalated into a more demanding tone. Tsuna recoiled, heart pounding in his chest as he looked at his friend in the eye. "I did something wrong—I always do something wrong, and I'm—I'm No Good Tsuna—I just. I just am wrong all the time."
The surprise was visible in Yamamoto's eyes. He tilted his head, taken off guard by Tsuna's string of words, but he simply shook his head. This time, the taller teen did look mad, but. All for the wrong reasons. "Who calls you No Good Tsuna?"
"E…Everyone." Everyone in Shimon, anyway.
"You're not. Er, not no good, anyway. Uh, here—let's find somewhere to sit." Yamamoto looked around dizzily, hands wrapped delicately around Tsuna's shoulders before guiding the younger teenager on a bench in the front yard. "Okay, let's talk about this. First off, you're not No Good Tsuna, Tsuna. You're just…Tsuna."
His eyes had widened to the size of Frisbees, body petrified as the taller teen tried to calm him down.
"And you're not a horrible friend." An exasperated sigh escaped Yamamoto's lips, followed by a nervous chuckle as he ran a hand through his hair. "Tsuna, I heard what you did for Kozato. Every chance given I tried prying information out of Master Asari Ugetsu, and it's quite possibly the sweetest thing I've ever heard. The most noble." Tsuna's cheeks turned bright red. "You took care of him the entire time he visited and during your birthday. But the thing is…remember how you and I met?"
The brunet nodded.
"You were sweet. You were nice. When you came you changed me for the better, Tsuna. You saved me from making the biggest mistake in my life by almost…ending it, haha." Yamamoto filled the silent void with a soft, awkward laugh. "But you were meek, and always looked to the ground. Always…trying really hard to blend in, and you were a fish out of water. Believe it or not, Gokudera thinks very highly of you—even respects you. His pride just won't admit it, and…well, my life would be nothing without you. Literally."
"But you don't need to—"
"Take care of you?" Yamamoto finished. His eyes narrowed, a light balance of irritation teeming in his irises, then he shook his head. "It's kind of…half-and-half, Tsuna."
"You fed me sushi. Spoon fed me." Apparently that was enough to get a laugh out of Yamamoto. The weight on his heart lessened, and Tsuna managed to sit straighter in his seat.
"Okay, maybe I went a little overboard, haha. But I did get a point across." Yamamoto leaned forward, earnestly looking the other teenager in the eye and smiled genuinely. "I don't have to take care of you. But I want to take care of you and feel the need to. It's admiring what you do for people—even when good intentions have wrong results."
"Yamamoto—"
"Tsuna. We're friends, and that's all there is to it. Okay?" Yamamoto cupped his face, goofy smile at hand, and nodded his head for him. "Say it. Say yes, Tsuna. Yup, yup!"
"B-But…I-I…" His head was spinning.
"No more buts." Yamamoto joked a threatening look. "I mean it."
"Then…what about Gokudera?"
Oddly enough it wasn't pain that masqueraded upon Yamamoto's face. He looked to the other teenager, still lopsided grin and all, then shrugged. "Haha, he's always angry at me for something, Tsuna. And I think it's my turn to be sorry."
"For what?" Yamamoto had been nothing but nice to him, and made Tsuna feel more welcomed than anyone had ever done.
"The day you and I became friends was also the day you got caught in the middle of Gokudera and my…relationship." Yamamoto laughed ironically and rubbed the back of his neck. "It was kind of destined for failure from the start. You ended up being the middle person because, quite frankly, we're too stubborn to admit when we're wrong. I'm not mad at you for what you said—no, not at all. Under normal circumstances—if you were someone else…then yeah. But you're not. And if we didn't drive you in the middle—getting my problems and Gokudera's—then you wouldn't have blabbed. You wouldn't have been confused."
"It's still my fault though." Tsuna shook his head in refusal. No. Others taking the blame for him was—
"I'm not blaming you and you're not blaming me. And I…we're here for you when you need us." Yamamoto gently tilted his head and pressed a hand to Tsuna's shoulder. "Gokudera and I will work this out ourselves, okay? Haha. So how about…we agree to disagree."
Tsuna stared at his friend long and hard, finding it impossible to keep his body still. Finally he nodded, knowing well that Yamamoto wasn't going to let him win. And, if he wasn't going to let Yamamoto win, either, then… "O-Okay. Do you…want to come inside?"
"You sure? You turned pretty pale whenever I suggested it the first time." Yamamoto laughed.
"...well," the brunet started softly, shrugging as he stood from the bench, "there hasn't been any crashes and the house hasn't collapsed yet. That might be a sign saying my brothers haven't castrated the place."
"Haha, how can you castrate a hous…oh, you're serious."
"Y-Yeah." Tsuna dug for his house key and unlocked the door. Giotto sat quaintly on the couch, look of irritation on his face, then turned back.
Suddenly he smiled. "You two make up?"
"Like birds and bees, haha." Yamamoto laughed while Tsuna smiled back. "Hey, Giotto-niisan. Could I ask a question?"
Tsuna looked between both men before carrying himself to the kitchen to inspect any damage. Giotto apparently noticed. "Dino drenched himself in orange juice by accident. He's going to go shower, and then we'll…go out for dinner. It's a little late, anyway. And sure. What do you need, Takeshi-kun?"
"You and Doctor Brouille are dating…right?"
Silence. In the background something on TV was freaking out about a broccoli monster as Tsuna held his breath in fear of Giotto's answer.
"Something like that. Why?"
"How about you and he go on a date Friday night? Tsuna and I can have a sleepover party and argue about it later. Rebirth marathon sound good, haha?" Yamamoto looked over to Tsuna casually with a smile. Horrified far too many times that day, Tsuna hesitantly turned his head to read his brother's reaction.
Giotto was blushing. Horribly. "We're not a couple that goes on dates, Takeshi-kun."
"Why not?" Yamamoto smiled eagerly. "It's not too late to start, haha. Why don't you call him right now?"
Oh god. They finally made up and Yamamoto was about to die. Giotto opened his mouth in protest (Tsuna was sure of it), and unable to find one, closed his mouth. He met eyes with a tense Tsuna, eyebrows arched, then reached for his phone on the table. Hesitation flashed through his eyes, and slowly he pressed a button before pressing it to his ear.
Great. Alaude was on speed dial. Yamamoto was beaming from ear-to-ear, and edging this on. However, he wasn't the one who would stay behind for Giotto's reaction once his brother was done!
After a moment of silence, Giotto turned his head, hand pressing against his free ear and shoulders hunched over. "Hey, Alaude." Pause. "Yeah, doing fine. I have something to ask you." Pause. "No, not that. Maybe later. Um. Do you think you might wanna…go on a date?" His voice cracked maybe three octaves. Tsuna watched the red rise up his brother's neck to his ears, and the anticipation was visibly thick across the adult's face. Suddenly it loosened, and Giotto tossed his head back, no doubt with a light headache. "Right. Okay. Sure. I'll um. I'll see you Friday."
With that he hung up the phone and a low groan escaped the adult's throat. Tsuna inched closer to Yamamoto. The guy was, after all, taller than his brother, s-so Giotto might back down…o-or something.
"I know some great restaurants if you've got a dating block." Yamamoto smiled and looked to Tsuna. "We could watch some Disney princess movies, or wrestling, or sports, or even just cartoons. You wanna have a 'worst movies of all time' marathon?"
"S-Sure…y-yeah…" Quite honestly Tsuna was more concerned with what Giotto was gonna do with him than an actual sleepover.
Luckily Dino managed to hop down the stairs without making a mess of himself. "Alright! Ooh, Takeshi, you're here! What's wrong, Giotto? Aren't we going grocery shopping?"
Giotto groaned again. The other blond looked to their youngest for less confusing answers. Tsuna gulped.
"Giotto's got a date with Alaude on Friday."
OoOoO
Kyouya Hibari.
Tsuna was familiar with that name for only two occasions: when first finding out Alaude-san was also the chairman to his school, and when he apparently retrieved the brunet's pants (ironically since his growth spurt Tsuna probably wouldn't fit them anymore.) Alaude and Kyouya looked more alike than most people did for uncles and nephews. According to Giotto on their own father's side they had two uncles that he'd never met, and Nana was an only child.
A lot of people looked alike in this town, and acted alike. Yamamoto and his teacher, Asari Ugetsu, G and Gokudera. That priest/doctor person, Knuckle-san even sort of looked like Ryohei. Yamamoto and Asari both laughed and were very cheerful men, while G and Gokudera bickered over beer and smoke.
Hilariously G was probably twenty times calmer than Gokudera-kun.
Hibari-san and Alaude-san had the same haircut. They duplicated the same curl of the lips, had similar sharp eyes, stood the same, and quite frankly had the same scary aura others either noticed or didn't care for. Giotto, who was wearing one of his infamous pinstripe suits and nervous expression, apparently didn't see it.
When approaching the door, Alaude wielded a look of seriousness, wary with the burn visible under bright blue eyes. Tsuna felt his heart drop, watching as Giotto fretfully grumbled, 'hi.' In that moment Alaude grunted, and Tsuna turned pink watching Alaude smirk and kiss Giotto preciously above the forehead.
Then Hibari came to view, staring directly at him.
Did he…did he even have eyes? Tsuna stared, hands tightening on his foot as he pretended to watch TV. Gokudera had been a no-show at school all week, and now that it was Friday night Yamamoto would be sleeping over. His cheeks tingled again. It'd be the first time it wasn't Enma that ever slept over at his house. Well, technically Giotto's, but that wasn't the point.
Tsuna held Nuts closely in his lap, shivering to the stoic look received in return. Seriously! Did Hibari-san have eyes or what?
"D-Do I really need a babysitter?" Gokudera-kun managed to explode like a ticking time bomb every three seconds. The way Hibari-san just stared at him—not leering, not making googly eyes—just made him uncomfortable. And scared the crap out of him like, a lot.
"You need a babysitter as much as I need a date," Giotto groaned. Tsuna shuddered. After four days the blond still refused to cancel, trying to make best of the situation as he could. Tsuna pitied him, Alaude said not one word and quite frankly Dino nowadays was quiet. Well. Until he fell over or something.
"Oh. Alaude's here already?"
Tsuna turned his head to the hallway, met by Dino's presence. The room dropped into dead silence, pulses suddenly racing twenty beats faster. He turned his head, confused at the sudden atmosphere change from Alaude's vehement frown to Giotto's forced ignorance.
"It's been a while since you've seen each other. Almost four years—am I mistaken?" The braver one, Giotto put his hands on his hips and gestured between the pair.
"We met." Dino's tone was clipped. Dino's tone was never clipped. Suddenly the same blond broke into a small smile and his eyes shifted. "Hi, Kyouya."
A 'hn' was the only response. Yet somehow that miniscule acknowledge was all that it took for Alaude's frown to become a violent sneer and scowl. "Last week when you and the other one came."
"Oh." The lack of zealous shone clearly in Giotto's voice, followed by an uneasiness far misplaced in the pair. "Let's get going."
"Alaude," Dino raised his voice, and a small, sad smile spread across his lips. "I've missed you."
The other adult didn't move. Snowy white hair swished in place, fingers digging into the material of his sleeves before the Frenchman reached over and robbed Giotto of his lips. Tsuna, who'd been watching back and forth intently like a ping-pong match, cocked his head back to Dino. What…wh-what was going on? There was no anger. Dino's smile wilted, but he himself did nothing. He…he wasn't going to do a thing about it.
Finally the chairman pulled away, icy blue eyes frigid, and yanked Giotto out the door. "Let's go."
Giotto looked at the man as if he'd just killed the world. "That wasn't necessary." SLAM.
Tsuna kept his eyes on Dino, studying every possible imperfection he could find. Worry fluttered through his chest—what was it, anyway? Obviously Alaude and Giotto had known each other for years (that went for a lot of Giotto's circle of friends), but…what did Dino have to do with it?
"Are you okay?" He couldn't help the words once they left his mouth. Rather than hanging his head in shame, Tsuna sat, Nuts still in his lap, and offered his brother an arm. Dino was…the one who smiled all the time. He bucked like a silly Disney horse, smiled like a sunflower, and managed to wreck everything in his path, but…this Dino was very distraught.
Snapping out of his trance, the blond looked up with quaint surprise, eyes narrowing to the younger brother. "Oh…yeah. Fine. How are you doing, Kyouya?"
"Let's fight, herbivore."
"Eek!" WHAT WERE THOSE? Tsuna ducked under the cushions, barely dodging a bare foot as Hibari-san leaped over the couch and a rather unmanly yelp could be heard from his brother. He looked around fearfully before finding his brother—while not cheered up—at the mercy of a big…metal-thinger-rod in his chest while tried to fend the boy off.
"Y-You're babysitting, remember, Kyouya? Haha—OW!" Dino's dark complexion paled and Tsuna sat on the couch, mouth open yet speechless. The adult grabbed the first thing he saw: a bathroom towel from the supply closet—and skillfully blocked off the next one. "Wow, s-so you got the new tonfa I sent you for Christmas? Oof!"
"Sh-Should I call the police—"
"You." Eep. Hibari brusquely turned around, one tonfa jabbed forward to Tsuna's face and the other clearly pressed to Dino's Adam's apple. Then out of nowhere from the school blazer pocket scurried some yellow poof-ball thing before fluttering to the guy's shoulder with a tiny, fancily tied scroll. If that wasn't obedient training, then Tsuna had no freaking clue. The little ribbon fell and the paper descended three inches. "Do you know what this says, herbivore?"
"No?" OF COURSE NOT.
"To watch you until Takeshi Yamamoto comes." Omigod, what just glinted? WERE THOSE HIS EYES? "It does not say to let you talk, does not mention to feed you, and does not mention that you are allowed to stare me in the face. If you do anything while I watch you, I will bite you to death."
Bite him to death? BITE HIM TO DEATH? HOW DID SOMEONE WITH SOME FUZZY YELLOW MARSHMALLOW ON HIS SHOULDER LOOK SO FREAKING SCARY?
As soon as the doorbell rang Tsuna was sure he'd wet himself from fear just a little before rushing—
"No running."
Walking—
"No walking."
...crawling?
"Herbivore." Eep. Tsuna turned his head, careful not to look Hibari-san in the eye while the older teenager turned his attention to his eldest brother. Unlike him, Dino still held a smile on his face—albeit a tad nervous—but very cheerful compared to earlier with Alaude. Tsuna took note to ask Giotto about it once he got the chance. "Answer the door."
"Alrighty." Dino smiled sweetly, delivering Tsuna a sheepish look before bouncing off to the door like nothing happened. "Ooh, Hayato?"
"You fucking bastard I've been knocking on your damn door for five fucking minutes. Why the hell would you think you could keep me waiting—Dino-san!" The gasp could be heard in Gokudera's voice.
Tsuna nearly dropped the cat on his feet as the scent of cigarettes permeated through the room. He gaped, watching as Dino opened the door wider, still smiling, and watched the hilarious image of a sputtering Gokudera staring at Dino like he was in the presence of a god.
"It's fine—"
"Herbivore." And of course, Hibari-san had to be angry by this point! "We were in the middle of something."
"But you told me to answer the door." Immune to the teenager's daunting nature, Dino obliviously shrugged and gestured toward the apartment. "Come on in, Hayato. You know, Kyouya, you can leave now."
Eek. Tsuna flinched, watching as Hibari-san's not-eyes trail to the brunet himself, and a tonfa now pointed itself bluntly to his chest like a gun to a hostage. Well, he certainly felt like one at the moment. "Under the orders of Giotto Vongola I was to wait for Takeshi Yamamoto. That is not Takeshi Yamamoto. If you expect me to condone a house party then I'll be delighted to bite you to death."
He…OH GOD HE WAS GOING TO BE BITTEN TO DEATH!
"Tenth!" Oh, and EVER SO FREAKING OBLIVIOUS, GOKUDERA HAD TO OPEN HIS BIG MOUTH.Torn between yelling, screaming, and staying quiet for his dear life to keep from being bit to death, Tsuna just…just stood there. Yeah. There was no sitting, no jumping, j-just standing. And sure enough, oblivious Gokudera held his head high with a bright smile. "How about you and I do some math homework? I could teach you asymptotes…and we can watch the best movies ever made! Rush Hours 1, 2, and 3!"
"I-I—"
"Tsunayoshi Sawada. Don't. Talk. And you," Hibari turned swiftly, eyes narrowing to Gokudera. "Leave. Trespassers aren't welcomed."
"Kyouya, it's okay." Dino raised his voice above the others, flashing a quick sympathetic look to his younger brother before gently gesturing to the hothead. "Hayato's a good boy, and he's a friend of Tsuna's. Giotto's not the only big brother, you know."
"Is that punk messing with you?" Gokudera's expression darkened angrily followed by a scowl. He threw a fist into the air, bright green orbs suddenly dreary, and sneered. "I'll fucking kick his ass, Tenth, if he thinks he can lay a hand on you!"
"Gokudera-kun!" NO! HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE BITTEN TO DEATH. IT WAS. THAT IS. Oh, he was so scared… Realization hit and immediately Tsuna shook his head, heart sinking. "I'm…Y-Yamamoto and I are going to be hanging out tonight."
On cue, the door slowly creaked open and—oh no. Tsuna looked back and forth, lips tightening into a small frown as Yamamoto entered, good-natured smile spread across his features as he held up a stack of DVDs. "Tsuna! I brought some good mov—…ies."
Silence. The brunet cringed just looking between the pair and trembled as they locked eyes. For once even Dino looked perturbed and hesitantly ready to throw one of them out.
Hibari-san was the one to speak. "Hn. This crowd is too petty. I'm leaving."
"E-Er. Thank you." Tsuna looked up to the older teenager, who sneered, and as flighty as his entrance left. That was one problem out of the way.
Now faced with his second problem, the brunet looked to Yamamoto apologetically. I didn't know he'd be here.
"What are you doing here?" Gokudera broke their silence.
Yamamoto tilted his head, "What are you?"
"I was here first."
"Tsuna and I already made plans."
"Let's—" Tsuna jumped as a hand touched his shoulder, and locked eyes with an apprehensive Dino. He struggled to smile, voice at a whisper, and gestured to the kitchen. "—give them some alone time. Shall we?"
Reluctant, he complied to his eldest brother's wishes, but the kitchen wasn't far off. The design Irie-san constructed of the penthouse meant once you entered through the door, you were in the living room. Counter space jutted into the same living room, and windows littered walls closest to the exterior. Two other hallways were meant to reach the guest room and the small dining hall, and everything else was upstairs. One fact remained the same: even if Tsuna was in the kitchen, anything Yamamoto and Gokudera said could be heard loud and clear.
"Just because you fucking made plans, baseball idiot, doesn't mean that he can't change them."
"Gokudera…"
A sigh was heard in the edges of Yamamoto's voice, and Tsuna suppressed a sigh once he reached the fridge. Why was it…that he seemed to be in the middle of things lately? Giotto and that Daemon guy, and again with Yamamoto and Gokudera. Suddenly—
"You don't fucking deserve to be his best friend, after all the shit you've put him through, so why don't you just…"
"Just what?"
"Just…just…fucking…"
"Just kill myself?"
—staying in Shimon didn't seem like a bad idea.
Once those two little words left Yamamoto's mouth, Dino took it upon himself to intervene. "You guys wanna order pizza?"
"What, Gokudera? Don't have a comeback to that?"
Tsuna blinked, scanning the only six-pack of beer Giotto kept in the house—originally untouched, now had a…purple rat? No. It was a hedgehog. "Um, guys?"
"You…you…"
"Gokudera, it isn't...we shouldn't put Tsuna in the middle of this, or be in his apartment—"
"Tsuna! Tsuna, Tsuna, Tsuna, TSUNA. What the fuck is so special about him?"
"Pepperoni? Cheese? What about a supreme—"
"What's so 'fucking special' about him? How can you even say that?"
"You know what I fucking mean! Just—why! Why him? Why is it that you tell him, but not me?"
"Guys?"
"Uh, should I call? Pizza Hut or Papa John's?"
"How could I tell you? Why would I tell you? It…it was a long time ago, Gokudera—could we please just not talk about it?"
"No! Because ever since he fucking moved here all you've ever talked about is—is—"
"Guys!" Uh, wow. Tsuna felt the red rise in his cheeks, followed by the overwhelmed flush hearing his two friends argue over…him. His chest beat loudly, ears ringing and radiating with a sickening feeling watching from watching their petty argument. One arguing against—one arguing for. It was as if the realization had stricken, twin epiphanies and culpabilities as they hung their heads in shame. Dino, too, had gone from peacemaker and looked pissed off.
"What is it?" Gokudera's query was by far the most shocking of all. His eyes held evident compunction, struggling for control over his emotions. Tsuna didn't miss the look of surprise Yamamoto gave when the other teenager spoke.
"Um. There's a hedgehog in the refrigerator. I-I think it belongs to Hibari-san."
Silence. "You're shitting me."
"H-He got into the beer! Honest!" Tsuna's cheeks blazed an unfortunate pink and he reached out, careful not to touch deathly quills, and held it up for all to see. It was the oddest shade of purple Tsuna had ever seen, and it certainly wasn't helping the way it swayed back and forth, pink blush visible in its cheeks. It sounded like…
"Is that thing singing My Girl? Haha, that is so cute!" Yamamoto broke out of his heavy silence, grinning from cheek-to-cheek.
Dino placed a hand on Tsuna's shoulder and chuckled. "His name is Roll. I bought him for Kyouya maybe a year or so back. It's probably a good idea if you bring him back though. Er." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a baby bottle full of water. "Maybe sober him up before giving him back."
"You carry that with you?" Giotto was horrible at driving. Lambo had a fetish for bombs. If Dino liked to carry pet items with him, Tsuna had a gnawing worry of what his oddity was.
"Of course I do, little brother." Dino offered a lopsided grin, delicately placing the bottle between Roll's lips. Unlike his master, the hedgehog immediately obliged, squealing and singing something…really, really identical to the school's anthem. The blond looked up, a hint of seriousness passing through his expression before leaning much closer to Tsuna than expected. "Kyouya's probably hanging out over at the middle school. Why don't you two take him?"
It would have been funny if it was just a cartoon. Yamamoto and Gokudera shared looks of disdain, eyes intertwining with much fear and hesitation, and Tsuna knew they were afraid they'd cross the line. Again. Without even thinking, his eyes darted to the ground. When it came to Yamamoto and Gokudera, he was either who they were fighting over to talk about the other, or…or the menace. It could get annoying sometimes.
Sometimes more than dealing with everything at Shimon.
"I'll go if the Tenth is up to it."
"We…have a movie night, remember, Tsuna? There's no way I'm gonna bail on you. Not for anything."
"You don't…I mean…"
"We will." Yamamoto extended an, gentle look across his face. "And, uh, It's probably a good idea if we sober up the hedgehog first…haha."
A look of uncertainty passed through Tsuna's face. It was one thing, yes, to be worried about a strong friendship he'd meddled with, but another to be…their problem. One that both personally acknowledged right in front of him.
"You're coming too, right?" Yamamoto's question was for Gokudera.
"…yeah."
Yippee-fucking-doo.
OoOoO
The walk to the middle school was unsurprisingly silent. Tsuna held Roll the hedgehog close to his chest, heart aching and burning a hole between his lungs. They walked at odd paces, Tsuna in the middle, Yamamoto two feet ahead, and Gokudera lagging behind. No one spoke.
Occasionally he felt eyes on his person, making the hole grow wider and gnaw at the rest of his insides. The pain was immense and nerve-wracking—and neither Gokudera nor Yamamoto would say a thing. No, 'Are you okay?', no, 'I don't fucking care,' no—no arguing. Once Tsuna stopped, and both boys looked to him with worry when he squeaked.
"I-I think he pricked me," Tsuna stammered. "I-I have a band-aid, so…"
"…alright." Gokudera answered, voice close to mute.
Nothing else was said. The sun had already set, street lights gleaming like a symphony as they lit the road toward the middle school, and once arriving, Tsuna only felt himself tense. Buildings hooked together. Baseball field. Kendo club. Recreation center. Different school, same everything.
"Haven't been here since last year, haha." Yamamoto broke the silence with a quiet chuckle, hands prodding the insides of his pockets. He turned his head, jibing Gokudera lightly in the elbow. "Remember when you got so angry at the show choir that you filled their sheet music cabinet with explosives?"
"Che. If the fucking glee club wants to rape music, then they need to leave Linkin Park out of it." Gokudera scoffed, head held high. "I still can't fucking believe you stole the damn ferret from the other school."
"It was all in good fun!" Yamamoto grinned. Suddenly he lost his valor, replaced with curiosity and confusion. "Hm, wasn't that the same team that you hijacked all their uniforms, Gokudera? I mean…just because he punched me in the face—"
"I-I did not hijack all their uniforms because they punched you in the face, you self-centered bastard!"
"Hm." The tallest teenager dissolved into laughter, and the fight diminished. No longer were they tense or wary, but full of banter and cheeriness. Even Gokudera looked as if he regained his usual fluster. "What about you, Tsuna?"
Right.
"Bullies." The word left Tsuna's lips before he had the chance to stop himself. With one ear meant for his friends and the rest of his focus on the school, he couldn't shake the memories. His complexion fell to a measly white and in the process he nearly dropped Roll on the ground.
The lockers would have dents in them from how hard he was shoved. He'd get picked from his feet ankle-first, closing his eyes and waiting until the change would litter the ground—then make sure it happened again so Enma wouldn't have to go through it. Bruises. Black eyes, black forearms, bloody noses, swollen jaws and as of recently, a sprained ankle. If it wasn't one thing, it was another—and normally that was so Enma wouldn't have to go through it. And maybe, one day the plans of standing up for Enma would actually work if Enma in return didn't stand up for him.
"At my old school, I…used to get beat up a lot," he murmured. It wasn't a terribly unknown fact—he was uncool. Six months ago he would have laughed if someone told him he'd get a friend as golden as Yamamoto, and a snarling kitty-princess like Gokudera. "Shoved in lockers. And I'd always try to get it before Enma, did, s-so he didn't have to worry about it. He was the nerd in class and I was…just not good at anything. My nickname was No-Good Tsuna…er, sorry."He snapped out of his thoughts—the beatings, the harassment, and then having to come home and entertain Lambo—and shook his head. "I-I didn't mean to ramble so much. School just…"
School just wasn't a place he was normally welcomed.
Wait, er—why were Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto staring at him like that? He blinked, taken aback as Gokudera and Yamamoto studied him.
"You're fine." Gokudera nudged him softly in the shoulder, lips ducking into a straight line as they passed the gate toward the main building. "Let's change the subject."
"Yeah. So uh, is there a reason why you live with Giotto-niisan now?" Yamamoto smiled brightly and took up the space to Tsuna's right. "We've known each other this long and we still don't know a lot about each other, do we? My mom passed away when I was really little, so it's just Pops and me now. And…I'm sure by now you know G-san used to be married to Gokudera's sister."
"And I fucking moved out because her wining like a damn she-devil when they fucked each other got annoying." Gokudera huffed and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Besides—have you had her cooking?"
"No…not really." Tsuna struggled to smile as they began a walk in some unknown direction. Fortunately they apparently knew where they were going. "My…mother's getting married and is in Italy right now planning things. So for the time being, I'm staying with Giotto."
"So your parents are divorced and she's going through a second marriage." Yamamoto nudged him lightly in the shoulder. "Good for you."
"It'll…actually be her first."
"Her first?" Yamamoto and Gokudera halted, causing Tsuna to do the same and flash them another look of confusion. The taller teenager's eyes widened in surprise. "So…that would make you…oh."
"But Dino-san's twenty-eight and Giotto-san's turning twenty-six soon." Gokudera leaned forward, frown across his face.
"Er. They're my half-brothers. And I have a little brother, too."
"Your half-brothers?" Apparently his life was more interesting than Tsuna ever thought it. The same, hotheaded teenager stepped forward, eyebrow high in the air and hands to his hips. "So that would make you…the other half?"
"That's…normally what they call it, yeah. Um." Tsuna sped up his pace, air suddenly dropping thin and heat palpating his cheeks. When it came to his mother, the subject was never something he liked talking about. So he had to hurry. "Giotto and Dino both have a mother named Celeste and my dad is their dad and my mom was their nanny and soon became their mistress and then they had me but he was never around in my life but Mama still loves him so I try not to think about it much and—yeah. N-No big deal."
"Ts…Tsuna—"
"I'm going to find Hibari-san." Whirling around on one foot, Tsuna forced a smile to his face and uncomfortably managed through the halls, speeding his pace by half a step until he was sure Yamamoto and Gokudera was out of hearing range. Coming to a stop, his heart caught up to his chest, pounding from adrenaline as he pushed the thoughts away.
He was so busy with Giotto that he forgot about his mother. Again.
The reminder of Nana's engagement to Iemitsu slapped him hard, bruising with the poisoning aftertaste of regret and unworthiness. Being with Giotto meant that in six months that he'd be living with Iemitsu and Nana on a daily basis. Simply being with his mother assured him that nothing bad could happen—the mistakes were over. But…Nana and Iemitsu. Nana and Iemitsu reiterated all the facts and cruel knowledge he tried to ignore for years.
And…now? Pressing it on Yamamoto and Gokudera when clearly they had problems that were hard to deal with?
He couldn't do that. Slipping in the shadows meant ignoring all of what Giotto advised him not too long ago—he couldn't push them away. But neither could he make them endure all his problems.
"Sorry, Roll." Tsuna looked to the hedgehog in his hands, whose cheeks were still light pink, eyes closed while it hummed Accio Hot Guy. "Looks like the more I try to avoid my problems, you also end up with me. Uncool, huh?"
Roll sighed blissfully and—"Ow!"—rolled onto his back, thus pricking Tsuna's hand for the fourth time that night.
"What are you doing at my school?"
"Eek!" Cold metal pressed against Tsuna's neck, and he jumped, finding his back against the wall with—oh, look. Hibari-san did have eyes—WHY WAS DINO-SAN RUBBING OFF ON HIM NOW? "I brought your hedgehog, I brought your hedgehog!"
Now that Hibari's eyes were clear, he only seemed scarier. Those same slits narrowed, scowl spread across his lips, and he acknowledged the purple drunken animal in Tsuna's grasp. Luckily Roll squealed, drunkenly scurrying to Tsuna's shoulder before jumping into a mesh of brown hair, ultimately on eyelevel with the other teenager. "He's drunk."
"H-He…g-got into Giotto's beer." Tsuna trembled, only one thought running through his head: please don't shove me in a locker please don't shove me in a locker please don't shove me in a locker—
"You're trespassing at my school. I should bite you to death—" Eek! "But I won't. Consider this your one and only favor, herbivore."
And with that, Hibari-san's bodyweight lifted from Tsuna's, leaving cold darkness that lingered through the halls. He swiped Roll with little trouble, sight grim when pressed to a trembling Tsuna, then pulled away. "W-Wait!"
Hibari halted.
"What…" Tsuna pressed off the walls. "What was that, earlier today? Alaude-san and my brothers…what was going on?"
"Hn." A wry chuckle hid itself under the older teen's laugh. Dry humor aside, he turned around, arms crossed and tonfa hidden. "You really don't know?"
"N…No." But he knew the way Dino looked at Alaude was no coincidence, and held Giotto's relationship with Alaude on a higher precedence. Tsuna wiped sweaty palms against the denim of his jeans and dared stare Hibari in the eye. Yamamoto had a point in everything he said—although they'd known each other for months, very few things were out in the open. Who…was Daemon Spade? What was Cozart to everyone? What did Alaude mean to Dino and vice versa? "Not really."
"Consider yourself lucky."
"But—"
Hibari turned a heel, sparing no other glance to the shorter boy, and treaded down the hall until Tsuna was left alone with no other companion. Just another way for him to be left out of the loop. heaving a sigh, Tsuna looked to his surroundings, edgy, without the slightest clue where he was.
He could hear metal slamming. Kids laughing, bullies cackling, and any corner he turned was soon meant by a punch in the face. Less than a year ago when he was in his third year of middle school and at the bottom end of the social ladder. No one liked him, no one wanted him. Some probably wished he was never born.
Skipping a beat, Tsuna sped forward with his pace, shaking off the haunting feeling the middle school and Adelheid's liquidation committee gave. He wasn't in Shimon anymore. He didn't have to hide in fear, and he didn't have to deal with being the laughing stop. In Namimori...everything was just right. Well. Almost everything—
"So I figured something out."
At the trophy case he caught every word uttered just around the corner. It was Yamamoto's voice. Tsuna stopped well behind the first instant of glass, taken by surprise. From the looks of it, Yamamoto and Gokudera hadn't gone after him after his little…tirade. Good.
"Yes?"
"You and I are basically Tsuna's parents."
"The hell?"
"No, seriously." A chuckle was heard through Yamamoto's voice. Tsuna nearly fell over from the usual idiocy, balance lost, and struggled to maintain himself. Leave it to Yamamoto to make a metaphor out of something silly. "Come on, admit it: you like him. You tried so hard being angry with him, but now all you can do is follow him around and make sure he's alright. In your own little way, you like him, Gokudera."
"…so what of it?" Obviously Gokudera was crossing his arms.
"We keep putting him in the middle. Tsuna isn't just some new kid anymore, I would seriously spend the rest of my life trying to make sure that kid is okay. And so would you in your own little way." And Yamamoto would cross his arms too, only looking more mature than his companion. "But we're arguing like parents and putting our son in the middle. Gokudera, you know I cherish our friendship more than anything else in the world, but our son can't choose. You know his background. You have his background. Tsuna's had a lot to deal with, and we can't plague him with our problems."
"…alright then. Let's talk." Gokudera's voice turned tense. Tsuna shifted between his feet, imagining the hotheaded teenager probably stood three inches higher, eyes locked to Yamamoto's, and ready to fend his point. "The Tenth has nothing to do with us because the problem originates between you and me. No Tenth involved."
"Okay." Yamamoto was unsettled. Where Gokudera stormed through every decision, Yamamoto treaded like rain, patient one moment and a typhoon the next. "I…I thought we were good a long time ago, Gokudera. When I came over to your apartment, and we just…talked."
"Haru and I broke up."
"I know."
"Then why don't you care more for it?" Gokudera's voice rose. "Why aren't you all fucking over me, lavishing me with any gifts or trying to pursue me like you tried before? I—I broke up with her and you haven't made a move!"
"Because I'm with—"
"I know you! Fuck—Yamamoto, I know you. You've been my best friend for eight fucking years and in that time you've fallen in love with me and can't get yourself out of it. You…you always smile when you're always around me, and you tell me everything, and when I can't tell you something, all you have to do is fucking patiently wait and then I come running—don't you see? You get everything you want and I'm just fucking wrapped around your finger." Something fell. A curt crash to the ground caused a curse to leave Gokudera's mouth.
"You think I know you inside out?"
"I know you know me inside and out. You—I'm not like you, Yamamoto. I don't risk things I treasure because that means I'd be risking a treasure. You fell for me, and you knew that…that I'd accept you sooner or later after I stopped being such a stubborn fucking ass, and you knew that…that I'd—"
"That you'd what?"
"That we'd get through all of it. That there would be no fucking problems because our…friendship would get through all of it."
"Yet here we are now."
"Yeah. Here we are now."
"Do you love me?" Silence. At least a full minute must have passed as the question hung thick through tense air. Yamamoto's voice remained heavy, along with the sprinkles of curiosity in his tone. There was hope. Hope, joy, quiet wonder, curiosity, brusque demand, fury-defying patience—everything. Anything that was the epitome of Yamamoto. When he didn't get an answer, Yamamoto changed his tone and a shift of movement filled Tsuna's ears. "You don't have to."
"But I—"
"'But'? Of course there's always a 'but' with you, huh?" The taller teenager laughed softly and shook his head. "Gokudera, what I'm looking for with you is a relationship. If we were to get together, I wouldn't be able to control myself. You don't have to bend yourself for me. So we're just friends? You have no idea how much that that thought makes me happy right now. You and I…we haven't been friends in a long time."
Silence.
"Come on. Let's just go find Tsuna."
Tsuna pulled away.
Backing off the wall, he slowly made a halfhearted escape through the halls with a spinning head and tingling fingers. Numb. He felt incredibly numb. Fingers graced the edge of his cell phone as he made it to the quiet outside and plopped onto the stairway. Sooner or later, Tsuna thought as he began a text, Gokudera and Yamamoto would find him. It just wasn't his moment to pry.
Maybe a minute later the phone started ringing. "Hello?"
"Got your text." Enma's voice reigned through, less scratchy than the last time he'd spoken. His voice was improving a lot lately. "'Glad we're friends'? What's wrong?"
Everything. "Nothing. Just…" He looked to the moon, feeling worlds apart from everyone. Yamamoto and Gokudera had their issues, Dino made him ignore his own, Giotto was out on a date with Alaude. Everyone had their own little world with different priorities. "Just felt like hearing a familiar voice. One that makes me remember who I am."
OoOoO
Author's Note:
This chapter jumps all over the place, so I'm not too happy about it. But at the same time, it's just kinda the last in the arc of "what's gonna happen until the court date" chapters. Yup. That's right. G and Enma are going to be in the next chapter (and debatably, Dino's gonna leave), and then the chapter after that…you guys will love it. I do know you will. xD As for Gokudera and Yamamoto…it's past the point Tsuna's perspective can fix. I've been avoiding that for a while now. You'll see in maybe three or four chapters why.
About Gokudera:
This actually got a giggle out of me. There are a couple who complain that he's out of character, then a lot of others who say he's completely in character and you can imagine him doing this. Why is he out of character? Because he's not nice to Tsuna. To remember the two dynamics that I took out of that: Tsuna first saved Gokudera's life, thus resulting in odd companionship, and Yamamoto in Gokudera's point of view was a tagalong. In the story, Yamamoto and Gokudera have been best friends since they were eight years old and the way Gokudera saw Yamamoto as a threat to his friendship with the 'Tenth', he starts out seeing the 'Tenth' as a threat to his friendship with Yamamoto. I kinda…know he's not in his right of mind when he's in this story; that's kind of the point. He's a fun character to write in that essence coz I kinda drained all the silliness out for a moment.
Now, other people say he's still being a jerk and that he's still in denial. Actually, that was him…already knowing he's in love with Yamamoto. xD This one took me by surprise when people say, "WHY CAN'T HE ADMIT IT JUST YET?" The kiss, anyone? He even admitted to Tsuna that there may be feelings for Yamamoto, he's just at the point where he's thinking, Okay, so I'm in love with my best friend. What do I do now? And handling it like a Gokudera would. I'll have to touch on that when writing in his POV, but he's kinda taking background for a bit.
About Enma:
The next chapter will most likely skim over the court hearing. It's not that I can't write it, but I'm not sure I really want to. Quite honestly I find them pretty uninteresting to read and there's not a way to put a stick in my butt, make it sound professional, and also make it scream Zeraphie wrote this. The chapters have actually been to entertain the people who don't care much for Enma—but you have to remember, I mentioned way early that he'd play an important role in the story. Most of Tsuna's life goes about protecting a friend, who just happens to be Enma. We're almost over that hedge, and trust me—we move on fast. Next couple chapters will be fun. C:
Reviews would be nice! Gosh, I miss G.