PAIRINGS: Gokudera & Tsuna & Yamamoto, Tsuna & TYL Vongola 10th Gen, Tsuna & Vongola 10th Gen
TAGS: Canon Compliant, Canon Rewrite, Ten Years Later Arc, POV Third Person Limited
Canon-Typical Violence, Angst and Feels, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Self-Esteem Issues
Team as Family, Family Feels, Family Bonding, Family Issues, Tsuna will Not Become Vongola Decimo (it's a threat), Introspective Tsuna, Tsuna-centric, Not Sawada Iemitsu Friendly, Minor or Background Inheritence Arc, Hopeful Ending, Open Ending
WARNING: Not Beta Read
noun: desire to be good
Gokudera freezes, widening his eyes, his face stricken in disbelief, in painful hope. Tsuna kneels inside the coffin his future self was in, and it's all the explanation he needs.
Gokudera takes a step forwards, almost stumbles. He falls more than kneels in front of him, then grabs him by his upper arms, and it will leave bruises. "Tenth!" Tsuna doesn't startle, doesn't tense despite Gokudera's painful grip. Instead he flinches at the sound of Gokudera's voice, the choked heaviness in it—like sin—, the way it almost breaks and clings to the air between them—like desperation. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Gokudera cries, and cries again and again, and only looks him in the eye for the first apology.
Tsuna can't look away from him, on his knees in front of him, his head bowed, his hands shaking—like atonement.
That's all he needs to know the world went terribly wrong ten years in the future.
"Gokudera-kun." Tsuna holds onto his arms, and squeezes to catch his attention. Did Gokudera hear him over his litany of apologies?
I forgive you, he wants to say, because he does, no matter what happened. Because surely his future self would have, no matter what happened.
He can't look away from the grief twisting Gokudera's features, from the guilt. His green eyes glisten, and Tsuna's own eyes feel wet.
This isn't right, none of this is. Not from Gokudera, always so resilient, always so strong, even when he's only putting up a front.
[Who did this to him?]
"Gokudera-kun, what happened?"
Gokudera abruptly falls silent. He raises his head, releasing Tsuna from his grip, and Tsuna's breath catches in his throat at the coldness in his eyes. "Tenth, when you return to the past, you must kill this person immediately." Gokudera's voice is steady as he looks calm and determined, and Tsuna's stomach turns.
He has to lean on the coffin to steady himself, averting his eyes. He inadvertently looks at the picture Gokudera holds out to him, but doesn't see it.
This isn't right, this isn't him. Gokudera may have been born mafia, may be quick to threaten another's life, but he ran away before he could be turned into a cold-blooded murderer.
The harshness in his cold eyes, the hate in his voice, the want to kill pouring out from his words—
They couldn't be coming from him.
[Who did this to him?]
A/N: Get in folks, we're going to dramatize the future arc for maximum angst, drama, and trauma! :3 This is only going to be angst upon angst upon angst, Tsuna's really going to go through it, be warned.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Any and all review are appreciated.
Thank you for reading!
- w.h