Target 53: Admiration

"Heya!" Yamamoto greeted from a distance with a wave of his hand, approaching Tsuna enthusiastically. "You look like you could use a hand there, Tsuna."

"Yamamoto...!" Tsuna exclaimed in surprise, letting a smile surface on his features. He'd previously been dejectedly thinking of the gruelling task of cleaning the used field after allowing his team to yet again lose in PE, reminding himself yet again of the loser status that he preserved for his lacking skill in sports. Normally, he would receive help from no one, but Yamamoto tended to stick around when possible (when he did not have baseball practice), and while that had been the case for months, it never ceased to surprise Tsuna for its initiative; he really doubted he would have been as kind as Yamamoto. "Thanks, again. Still, are you sure you wouldn't wanna do something else, instead?"

"What are you talking about?" Yamamoto patted Tsuna's back in a friendly fashion before brandishing a broom. "Aren't I just hanging out with a friend right now? Don't worry about it! Besides, I'm also thinking this could be our chance," he claimed with familiar reassurance, staring towards the other side of the field.

"Our chance?"

"For training you, remember?" Tsuna blinked still in reaction to Yamamoto's quick response, if only because he did not immediately remember any promise of training unless Squalo had made it. However, when he did, Tsuna's eyes remained wide in the awe that Yamamoto had truly been thinking about it ever since that day, when it was merely Tsuna's own problem. "I kept either having club practice or stuff to do with Fuuta so I hadn't managed, but right now, I'm free and we've got the whole field for us after school. Sounds like a good deal to me."

"Well..." Tsuna muttered, trying to dispel his surprise by really pondering on the offer, and its consequences. He frowned, then, having immediately noted one factor that would deter him from the otherwise fun activity. "I wouldn't mind, but I don't think Squalo would take it very well..."

Yamamoto chuckled, perhaps due to the mental image Tsuna was also envisioning of an angry Squalo rushing to drag Tsuna away to do something other than 'wasting time' with his friends. "It's fine!" Yamamoto said, "You'll be learning something, after all!"

I really doubt Squalo will see it that way, Yamamoto... Tsuna thought dejectedly, and momentarily grimaced under the prospect that he had to be torn between what he himself wanted and what Squalo wanted. "I guess you're right, in a way," Tsuna responded as a result of that train of thought, and tried to smile to mask the resentment that he thought was not worth focusing on when the matter was Yamamoto to begin with. "If you're going out of your way for me, it'd be ruder if I said no, huh? I'm not sure it'll go very well, but I'll do my best."

"... You sure changed," Yamamoto remarked after a few seconds of processing that answer, staring Tsuna's way with surprise similar to Tsuna's own.

"Huh?"

"I can't really put my finger on it, but it's like you're more motivated now," Yamamoto said, "Like you have some drive?"

"Me? Really?"

"Yeah," Yamamoto stated, "Maybe that's how you get after you climb cliffs unprotected so many times!" I didn't wanna get reminded of that... Yamamoto's expression softened then, his gaze lingering on Tsuna. "Though, you really are amazing for having done it. In comparison to you, there's still a lot ahead of me."

"Wh-what? That's not true!"

"It's alright, Tsuna," Yamamoto said, his smile a bit more apologetic than it was previously. "It gets me motivated, if anything: knowing there are people like you who started from the bottom and managed to pull through against all odds. I guess I'm a fan?"

"Yamamoto..." Tsuna noted Yamamoto scratching the back of his head somewhat bashfully, sending a grin his way; as if meaning every word.

"So, I'm rooting for you on getting better at sports, too!" Yamamoto ended his response to Tsuna's modesty with that statement, which Tsuna took with a smile that only proved his previous decision. Whether or not Squalo was involved, Tsuna had friends, and he wanted to be there for them as well.

"Thanks a lot, Yamamoto!" Tsuna exclaimed with genuine glee, "I'm really lucky I have you around!" Considering Squalo only trained Tsuna however he saw fit, ball sports meant nothing to him, and in hindsight, they did not mean much to Tsuna, either. Regardless, the opportunity was to him a congratulatory matter, because it was an opportunity to be with his friends, and improve himself at the same time; and it was strangely refreshing to think that way, rather than giving up. If anything, I'm the one who's Yamamoto's fan, Tsuna thought, but did not perceive himself confident enough to say that to Yamamoto. Instead, he attempted and failed multiple times to practice baseball, not only because his lacking coordination but also due to Yamamoto's relentless prowess. It took changing the sport for it only to be Tsuna's fault, and by the time they were dabbling in football, it was noticeable that Squalo did not come looking for him, if only because Squalo himself had returned home late...

Author's Notes:

Tsuna did have a fight with Squalo when he got home, though, so his rebellious attitude led to that predictable result! This is mainly a Yamamoto target, but Tsuna also had some baggage when it comes to actually spending his free time on something other than Squalo's demands so it took on that kinda nature, too. I struggled a bit editing the dialogue because I didn't want it to be too sappy, so this final result was me trimming all the cringy dialogue. Even then, I have a feeling it's still sappy, hahaha. Anyway, I guess Tsuna got destroyed by Yamamoto's baseball for an afternoon?