Forcing You – D27
9.
Sitting in his chair, Dino restlessly tapped his fingers on his desk. He was staying over at a hotel the Ninth had booked for guests of the ceremony. He was over thinking things. Tsuna would pull through, and they would see each other again. Every mission Reborn had sent him on was life-threatening, but he somehow survived. There was nothing the bystanders of the ceremony could do. It seemed to be business only between the tenth generation of Vongola and Simon. He sighed.
When he had been young and still in training, he had gone through hell with Reborn, but he had never fought a family as strong as the Simon during his time. And he had gotten stronger. Putting his family back together, gathering the members… Yet, Tsuna still had harder tasks than him, and he wasn't even boss. He didn't even want to be boss. The repetitive sound of his nails on polished wood stopped and he sipped his coffee reluctantly.
He wanted to hear of his news. When would Tsuna be back? That would probably be hard to estimate. Would he be okay? Yes, his Guardians were with him. He didn't want to sleep despite his tiredness. He resolved to stay awake longer than he should, fiddling with paperclips on his desk. Why was he worrying so much anyway? He answered his own question with a comforting, "That's because he's your precious little brother. And don't forget that, you dope." Exhausted, he finally leaned back into the chair.
"Boss!"
"What is it?" Dino rubbed his eyes and yawned. His mouth tasted bitter due to the coffee.
"They're back. I thought I should let you know." Romario readjusted the glasses on his face.
"Is that so? How did it go? How are they?" Fully awake now, Dino was fully able to absorb the news. He didn't need to ask who "they" were.
"They're worn out, for one." His subordinate suppressed a chuckle at the sight of his boss' alert face. "But it seems like they'll be out of commission for a while."
"What do you mean by that?" He was standing now, ready to leave the hotel and go check on his platonic object of affection. "Let's go!"
"Boss, they need rest. We will go nowhere." Romario stood his ground, speaking firmly.
"But!" he was about to raise his voice, when he understood. There was no need to go see Tsuna that soon. He was most likely sleeping and going to be asleep for the entire day. "Right. Prepare a car for tomorrow."
Romario nodded and left, closing the door behind him. Dino sank back into his chair and thought that sleep would probably do him good now. He wouldn't want to shock the boy with the dark rings around his red eyes, his more-than-always disheveled hair, the fact that he hadn't showered in a while…
The duvet was rising and falling slowly but rhythmically due to the sleeping boy under it. He had been tossed into the bed by Reborn, who looked bothered by something. Tsuna barely moved under the covers, and if he did, he would moan in pain because of his aching muscles. Reborn had reassured Nana with a believable yet over-the-top lie. She happily accepted the fact that her little boy was participating in more sports but complained that he needed to take a bath before entering bed.
Tsuna slept a long while. His Guardians, more physically active than him, were already up and running. Reborn contemplated calling them over to wake him up. He had his own matters to attend to, and was itching to get to them. He watched as a thin string of saliva dripped down the side of his student's mouth. He chuckled.
"Wh-what time is it? What day is it? Enma!" Tsuna awoke, panicking. He tried to get up but he was sore all over. He looked around. Once he saw that he was in a safe place, he tried calling familiar names too. "Reborn? Mom?"
"Finally awake, no-good Tsuna?" The tutor smiled. "Get up! We have much to do." He leaped off the bedside table and disappeared outside the room.
"Ugh…" The brunette groaned, still lying in bed. He moved around to gauge the level of pain. Tearful, he laid back down on his back. He was happy he left the island on good terms with Enma and the rest of the Simon. He was glad it was all over, and once he was all better, he would go and have a talk with Dino.
Maybe telling him had been a bad idea. But Tsuna's feelings hadn't subsided. Being apart from the older man had made him long for him more. It made him realize that his love was true, and nothing anyone said would make him change his mind. It wasn't just pointless infatuation. It wasn't just admiration. His feelings had meaning. Tsuna wanted Dino to acknowledge it, no matter what. From then, he'd see what he could do. If it all seemed hopeless, he could only deem giving up, as much as the thought hurt him more than his body did.
"Tsuna!" Reborn's voice echoed from the ground floor. "I've arranged for you to meet your Guardians! They're worried sick about you!"
"Huh? They're up already?" Tsuna wondered quietly to himself.
"Of course they are. Hurry and wash up!" A sharp reply came. He wondered how Reborn had heard that.
Tsuna had no choice but to roll out of bed and endure the pain. He hoped a bath would relax him at least. He took a short dip in, got dressed and walked downstairs. All he had to do now was wait for his Guardians, no, his friends to arrive. And after, he could do whatever he wanted.
Yeah! Finally broke out of that silly arc ;_; I'm so glad. I hope you like this better than my previous failure. Once again, if you've got something to say, please leave a comment :)