AN: Thank you so much for stopping by and thank you seryuTammi (who am I kidding? R27 is the way of life! 3) and D C JoKeR H S for taking the time to post a review; I really do appreciate it!
WARNING: Angst, two swats and Squalo's foul mouth
Disclaimer: I do not own familiar characters.
Squalo is paraplegic…
Yamamoto felt his hand hesitant and trembling, hovering a mere inch away from the door knob. Everything felt surreal. Like a bad, messed up nightmare. Maybe, all those people he had killed had finally decided to haunt him? Perhaps, he must be under a mist user's grasp…Perhaps, if he rang up to his home right now, Squalo might pick up the phone with a hearty 'Voi' he had come to love so much or a cheerful 'Come back soon'. If he were lucky, a tender and shy 'Love you, Sushi'. Yeah, that must be it…His boisterous, wild Squalo would never succumb to…
"Yamamoto…"Came the regretful voice of Ryohei behind him, "Whenever you're ready, man." Yamamoto felt him place a hand on his shoulder, a small measure of comfort and an anchor to reality; a reality he absolutely refused to face or accept for the matter.
"It-It's fine" Yamamoto lied, not making eye contact, "I'll be okay…I-I just need time…".He felt Ryohei give him one final squeeze of his shoulder before turning around and walking down the white corridor, probably to contact Tsuna. Belatedly, Yamamoto realized his hand had been subconsciously gripping the door knob the whole time. The cool knob burned under his fingertips as he finally twisted it and pushed the door open and immediately regretted his brave decision when his eyes fell on Squalo lying in the hospital bed.
REGRETS! GUILT! SELF LOATHING! FLASH!
"Ah! Takeshi…back so soon?" Yamamoto took the offered cup of tea from his dad, plonking himself comfortably over the sofa; "Yeah, I only had a few errands to run before leaving for Italy tomorrow" He smiled, taking a sip of the chamomile tea, "I thought I'll take the rest of the day off and spend the day with Squalo."
"Hmm…" he felt his dad scrutinize him from behind the counter, his eyes sharp and his knife ready to slice a piece of salmon. "Does your little errand involve shopping for a diamond ring?"
"What?!" Yamamoto choked out, trying desperately not to spit his tea. Who was he kidding? Nothing gets past his dad! Yamamoto marginally relaxed when his dad gave a hearty laugh.
"Took you long enough, son…" his dad turned around to completely face him, "Rest assured, Squalo's completely oblivious as usual" Here, both father and son shared a laugh at the poor shark's expense clearly understanding Squalo's complete lack of expertise when it came to emotions.
"Besides…" his pops started, turning back to the kitchen counter, "All Squalo thinks about these days is packing…" Spontaneously, the laughter died down in Yamamoto's face.
"Packing?" He prayed that he had somehow misheard his dad.
"Yeah, to Italy, of course!" his father bellowed. Only when he heard his son's footsteps thundering up the stairs, did he sober up. "Don't mess this one up, Takeshi…" he muttered despairingly to himself, "Don't mess this one up…"
FLASH!
"Squalo…" Yamamoto moaned in sorrow, dragging his heavy legs towards the chair beside Squalo's bed. Lowering his frame carelessly on the wooden chair, Yamamoto reached over and cradled one of Squalo's cold hands gently in his. Yamamoto looked around and observed five machines hooked up to the body of his prone lover, an array of tubes sticking into both arms and a breathing mask over a slim nose. Yamamoto felt a prickling sensation at the back of his eyes as his gaze moved lower to observe the heavily bandaged pelvis and a pair of long, numb legs.
To finally accept that those legs which— had once carried the proud Varia Rain swiftly in the battlefield, had gracefully followed his own on the dance floor, had walked beside him ever since the Ring battle, had wrapped securely and loving around him in passionate moments of love-making— will never, ever move again; It made him wanna hang himself right there but not before disembowelling Byakuran in ever dimension! Yamamoto gritted his teeth and snuggled his face in the crook of Squalo's neck. He breathed in deep and felt himself calm down under the essence of Squalo's sweet scent. Squalo had left Xanxus and the Varia behind, the title of Sword Emperor behind—Heck! Even the path of the sword behind! ALL FOR HIM! And what the hell did he do in return?!
FLASH!
Yamamoto bit back a groan as he saw Squalo rummaging through their room, a check list in one hand and a pair of toothpaste on the other, completely oblivious to Yamamoto standing and staring by the door.
'Squalo looks really excited…' Yamamoto thought despondently, 'If I could take…' Yamamoto firmly shook his head. If he did take Squalo with him, Tsuna's plan was bound to be uncovered by the inquisitive Varia Rain and then all hell would break loose!
Yamamoto blinked. He could imagine himself go about like, 'Hey, my love! I want you to marry me but I'll have to mention the fact that you will have to wait for our actual wedding for a while or perhaps forever as Tsuna would be getting shot in the head in a few days and he will be playing dead for a while. Meanwhile, his guardians, including your dear Sushi, will be in a state of indeterminate suspension as tiny molecules till our younger selves find a way to defeat the most sadistic, cruel, son of a bitch to ever set foot in our planet!' all the while smiling and pretending Squalo had said a happy 'Yes!' to his proposal and conveniently missed the rest of his babble. Fat chance…Yamamoto grimaced. He had to tell Squalo that staying here was a necessity, no buts, period.
"Ahem…" Yamamoto finally cleared his throat and almost cringed in guilt as Squalo turned big hopeful eyes at him.
"How long have you been standing and staring at me like a love struck fool?" Squalo smirked, taking slow deliberate steps towards him.
Screw the plan! Yamamoto smirked back. "Can't blame me now, can you?" He circled his arms around Squalo's waist, pulling the lithe body flush against his. "It's not every day I see you running around in your apron" he grinned.
"Hush now…" Squalo admonished playfully before throwing both arms around Yamamoto's neck and pulling him into a soft, chaste kiss. "Welcome home…" Squalo breathed out. "I got everything packed here, well…except the tooth—!"
Yamamoto had instantly shut Squalo up, diving in for a passionate kiss which left the shark breathless.
"It's rude to interrupt when someone's talking!" Squalo playfully smacked him on the shoulders, "We have to talk about the trip to It—"
However, Squalo was yet again interrupted with a desperate kiss and Yamamoto's roaming hands.
"We'll talk later…" Squalo felt Yamamoto purr hotly against an ear and then pull the pair of them towards their bed.
"But we have to finish…" Squalo half-heartedly started, only for Yamamoto to lay them both gently on the bed.
"I do plan to finish you off, Squalo…" Yamamoto smirked deviously. He smiled victoriously when all traces of resistance left Squalo's face. Effectively shutting out the part of his brain which screamed his guilt and not so gently shoving the velvet box deeper into his pocket, Yamamoto swooped in for a searing kiss. They made love, again and again; and in the end, Squalo had slept in while Yamamoto silently wore his coat.
He shamelessly let a tear roll down his cheek as he leaned forward to place a soft, apologetic kiss on his partner's forehead. After checking the room one last time for his belongings, Yamamoto dug through his pocket and pulled out the velvet box, leaving it on the nightstand along with a small note.
FLASH!
And then he had walked down the stairs, ignoring his dad's look of disappointment and left without turning back like a coward! Yamamoto bit the inside of his cheek and pushed down the urge to demolish the whole place. He should have listened to his instincts, his dad—Heck! His friends who had practically begged him to bring Squalo to Italy.
This was just too much! A sob rattled his frame as he caressed Squalo's hand against his cheek. "Come on, love, wake up…" he mumbled, his lips grazing Squalo's bandaged knuckle, "I-I can't do this without you…" he choked out miserably.
He broke out of his sorry state when he felt a hand heavily rest on his head, and a thumb delicately rubbing over his forehead. He looked up to see a pair of heavy lidded, silver eyes observing him tiredly. Relief hit him in waves along with a growing sense of fear as he looked deep into Squalo's emotionless eyes. He wouldn't be surprised if Squalo threw him out of the room and snarled at him that they were over. After all, Yamamoto was surprised Squalo had put up with him for so long. Yamamoto gritted his teeth in determination. Squalo may not want him and may never forgive him but he was as sure as heck gonna stay this time around! Yet…the thought of Squalo walking out of his life…
"Y-ye-yess…" Yamamoto heard Squalo's delicate voice rasp out with difficulty and felt Squalo's hand move to gently caress his cheek.
Yamamoto blinked, looking for the entire world, lost. As if reading his muddled mind, Squalo let out a pained chuckle before softly muttering, 'T-to the n-note, silly…'
Yamamoto felt his brain short-circuit. The note! THE NOTE! WHAT HAD HE WRITTTEN ON THE DAMN NOTE! Suddenly, realization hit him like a punch to his guts as he felt a fresh wave of sorrow and gratitude take over his senses. He took a sharp breath as tears rolled down his cheeks and slide onto the back of Squalo's hand he held against his lips.
"Squalo…" he finally mustered the courage to lean over and look into his love's compassionate, forgiving eyes, "I-I love you…" he whispered, placing a soft kiss on Squalo's forehead, pouring all his fears, love, longing and doubts into that one moment.
"I love you too, Takeshi…" he heard Squalo whisper back, just as lovingly. They smiled at each other as their noses touched affectionately.
Of course, he damn well remembered his hastily written, 'WILL YOU MARRY ME, LOVE?' on a bright yellow note alright! I am definitely the biggest but the luckiest bastard in the world right now! Squalo was his and he was never, ever gonna let go!
Squalo took a deep breath, quietly observing the vast sea below him and mentally contemplating his options. It's been a month since he'd been detained to this tranquil place with a cosy resort and two annoying guardians on the pretext of his recovery. Tch! He couldn't wait to move his muscles and kill someone!
The gentle summer breeze did nothing to soothe his agitated mind. He was tired! Tired of the constant surveillance, tired of needing a helping hand in the most simplest of tasks, tired of failure and constant disappointments, JUST PLAIN TIRED! He leaned forward and looked over the edge. At the moment, jumping into the ocean seemed like a good plan.
The sound of a twig breaking under a foot caught Squalo's attention. He looked back only to roll his eyes and turn back towards the sea. Talk about Captain Control… Squalo snorted.
"What are you doing here?" he heard the stern voice of Hibari behind him. "You shouldn't be straining your body for something as trivial as a walk. Get back to bed."
Trivial as a walk. What had he been reduced to? Squalo grimaced in disgust. "If you think I'd just crawl into bed just because you felt so…" He abruptly whipped around to snarl into Hibari's passive face, "YOU GOT ANOTHER THING COMING, ASSHOLE!"
Hibari's completely unperturbed faced only aided in fuelling the rage in Squalo. This kid! He was like some megalomaniacal taskmaster! He glared with all the hatred he could muster as Hibari started to casually approach him.
"If you are done, then I'll be taking you back to bed now."
And before Squalo could so much as retort, he felt himself getting manhandled. A gush of air left his lungs as his abdomen landed heavily on muscled shoulders. Squalo blinked through his dishevelled curtain of hair and then—
"Vooooooooooooooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiii…!" He kicked, screamed and struggled against the surprisingly strong yet gentle grip around his waist, "Unhand me, ya brat!" he sneered at the back of Hibari's head. That nerve of that kid! One moment, he was gazing at the sunset by the cliff and then the next, he found himself flung over the Cloud guardian's shoulders like a sack of potatoes!
"You should have come with me when I requested you the first time around" Hibari spoke back, completely unfazed, "The memo says you should be in bed sharp at five-thirty…"
"Screw the memo and screw you!" Squalo spat out and started to thump on Hibari's back. If only he had his sword and his mobility back! His body was actually beginning to ache all over from his exertion. "Put me down this instant, ya piece of shit…" he bellowed into Hibari's ears, "Or I'll dice you int—"
Suddenly, a loud 'SMACK' resonated through the quiet ambience halting all forms of struggle from the violent Varia Rain. Squalo gaped in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened to him right now. Did that brat just…? His face flushed in embarrassment as he registered a warm stinging sensation spreading over his right butt cheek.
"You bastard…" Squalo started in a slow, deadly voice, "You just got yourself a deat—ah!" he yelped involuntarily as he felt a harder slap on his butt. This was not happening…Squalo shook his head in disbelief and looked up to see Hibari giving him a stern glare over his shoulders.
"Just so you know…" Hibari started, his eyes turning into slits, "I could do this all day if you insist on being difficult…"
Squalo resisted the urge to gulp and quickly looked away. Ooooh, he will have his day soon but until then…Squalo gritted his teeth and silently fumed as Hibari opened the door to his room. He was beginning to prefer that damn baseball freak to this control freak of a perfectionist. At least, Yamamoto Takeshi was kind…Squalo blinked. Where did that come from?
"Yamamoto Takeshi's gone to buy your recent prescriptions" he heard Hibari speak, "He'll be back soon"
"Like I care…" Squalo muttered out. Did he just speak out his thoughts? "You can't treat me like this. I'll tell Rits—"
"I'll treat you whatever the way I want" Hibari cut him off sharply, gently pulling him off his shoulders and carefully sat him down upon his bed.
Squalo felt tears of frustration prickle his eyes. He was an assassin, dammit! And here he was, being coddled like a baby. Oh, why hadn't he just died…?
He gasped softly when he felt Hibari take a hold of his chin, tilting it ever so lightly to look into his eyes. "Sorry for doing this, but it's for your own good" he felt Hibari gently coax him into the soft pillows, his other hand pulling the blankets over him.
Finally, Squalo let out a sigh of defeat and plonked onto the pillows, raising a hand over his forehead. God…he felt like a useless piece of junk!
Squalo felt his eye lids slowly droop in exhaustion when the hand holding his chin brushed past his cheek before moving a few strands of stray hair away from his eyes.
"Rest, well…" he heard the voice of Hibari mumble soothingly, "I will stand guard and protect you…"
He felt his consciousness slowly fade away by the continuous gentle strokes of Hibari's hand on his tresses and the addicting baritone of his voice.
And finally, he was off to the land of nod, but not before hearing one last whispered 'Good night' near his ears and a quick, hesitant peck on his forehead.
Squalo smiled. Maybe the Vongola Cloud wasn't as cold-hearted as he made himself to be.
Yee-haw! Hiba-chan, don't take no shit!
Poor, Squ-chan…gets interrupted every time XD
Thanks for the read!
