"Where there is desire, there is going to be a flame. Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned …"
The house was still and silent. There was no one in it but you. Tsuyoshi was at an old buddy's for the night, and his son was at the baseball party. You weren't sure what time to expect Yamamoto's return, but he probably wouldn't come back until morning.
You had gone back to your house to collect some more clothes and other female necessities that a house belonging to a father-and-son pair didn't have. Your house had been pretty clean. The trash had been picked up from the floors, the dishes and dirty silverware had been washed, and the food had been replaced from spoiled and expired to edible. Either (l/n) had done it himself or he'd hired some cleaners to do it for him.
There had been no signs of someone having gone into your room for some tidying up, however. It was exactly the way you'd left it. You ended up rifling through your closet, proceeding then to cram practically every article of clothing you owned into a large suitcase. After grabbing those female necessities—makeup, hair accessories, shampoo, conditioner, tampons, perfume, etc—you got the hell out from there. (L/n) could have returned at any second, and you didn't want to run into him.
So there you were, lounging about in the sushi bar with nothing to do. You'd finished studying for an upcoming test, and your homework was out of the way. You had done your nails a metallic (f/c). You had flipped through three gossip tabloids before giving up.
There was nothing to do.
Boredom was something you absolutely could not stand. It crept up on your out of nowhere! You'd been perfectly fine ten minutes ago as you'd read about the newest J-Pop groups, but now…
Not for the first time, you wished Yamamoto had stayed to keep you company. You were never bored with him around. Your emotions became extreme whenever you were in his presence—so extreme, they were confusing.
In fact, your whole relationship with him was confusing. You could go into details, but they only stressed you out.
You had given up pretending as though you had no feelings for him. The longer you told yourself that he was just a friend, the stronger the feelings got until they overwhelmed you.
With a sigh, you plopped your head down onto your arms. "This is really messed up," you murmured to yourself. "I'm not so sure what it all means, but it's messed up and I can't handle it anymore…"
You got no response, of course, and when that only served to frustrate you more, you stood up to distance yourself from it all.
Knock, knock.
You tensed involuntarily. It was early—Yamamoto had only left about three hours and some minutes ago. You weren't expecting anyone. So then who…?
With cautious steps, you made your way to the front door. Stole a peek out the window at whoever it was. Then opened the door, aware of the confusion written over your face.
Yamamoto grinned at you. "You don't look happy to see me," he remarked.
"No, no, that's not it," you said.
"Then what's the matter?"
"I just wasn't expecting you back so early, that's all…"
There was something off. He didn't seem like his usual self. You wondered if you were really talking to Yamamoto. Maybe it's a Mist illusion, you thought to yourself. You'd only conversed with the Vongola Mist Guardian once before, and the dual-eyed man had come off on you as mischievous.
No. This was your Yamamoto Takeshi. You knew that much.
There was a light in his eyes. His grin seemed roguish, wilder. He looked sort of harried.
What was it about him that was bothering you, then…?
"That party must've been a lot of fun, huh?" you commented.
"Oh, yeah, it was loads of fun. Glad I went." He continued grinning down at you. He'd always been a few inches taller than you, and suddenly the height difference seemed intimidating. He smelled like night, a scent of burning leaves and the promise of snow.
You couldn't bring yourself to answer his grin with a smile of your own. There was some sort of challenge in the way he was staring you down. Your pulse quickened.
He shifted his weight. "(Y/n), are you going to let me inside?" he asked. "It's kind of cold out here." It was a bit chilly, and he shifted again, rubbing the arms of his coat. With a start, you noticed that the buttons weren't done correctly. He'd gotten the first two right, but the rest of them were a mess, sloppily shoved into loops meant for different buttons.
For as long as you could remember, he had always been coordinated, if not neat.
Something was definitely wrong.
You continued to stand in the doorway, blocking his entry, although you knew if he wanted to, he could enter simply by brushing you aside. He wasn't going to do that, was he? Yamamoto would never…
"Is there a problem?" He sounded concerned enough, but when you searched his eyes for signs, there were none.
"Yama-kun," you began, "I think that—"
"I love you."
And there it was, the three words you wanted to hear come from his lips but didn't. They meant everything. Yet they meant nothing. Was it possible for those three magic words to hold such dynamic meanings?
You couldn't look at him anymore. "Yes, I know." Your voice was a whisper, and you struggled to raise it so he could hear you. "Yes, I know," you repeated. "You've told me. And I love you, too…you're my best friend, after all—"
"No. You don't understand, (y/n)." Yamamoto's full gaze was on you now, and you thought you would drown in the depths of his caramel irises. They were slit, ever so slightly.
When he spoke again, your world promptly shattered.
"I love you."
LinChungIsHot: Happy New Year to you all! Thank you for sticking with me thus far, I am very grateful!
LinChungIsHot: Please don't expect any updates from me for the next two weeks or so. Midterms are approaching quickly, and I have no time to write at all. I need to study...I've been putting it off, but if I do that any longer, it will really cost me.
LinChungIsHot: But don't worry, I'll be sure to write down ideas for the next further chapters. Please, enjoy, and reviews are always welcome, of course. Show your love! Hugs and kisses, everyone!
