Forcing You – D27

11.

Dino chewed on his bread, pensive. There was a possibility that Tsuna preferred males. He didn't push back Yamamoto when he held him. He bit his tongue and scrunched up his face. Tsuna had answered his question so ambiguously. Did that mean that he was with Yamamoto now? He chewed faster, despite the taste of blood ruining his meal. He sliced some meat and shoved it in his mouth.

He was supposed to feel more light-hearted now that Tsuna had moved on. But had he truly moved on? Was he only suppressing his feelings for him? Why was he being so considerate? When had Tsuna become so mature? When he had first been confessed to, he had called himself an immature brat. He knit his eyebrows in irritation. He couldn't read the boy's behavior at all. If he had been Tsuna's place, he would definitely have at least pounced on the love interest and planted a couple of kisses here and there.

He considered Yamamoto again as he washed down the meat with a sip of wine. He being on the verge of death may have opened Tsuna's eyes to a new potential love interest. They had been in Tsuna's room together, hugging. Had they kissed? Were they dating? Dino crushed his bread.

He himself was being immature. Why couldn't he just trust the boy? There were three possible answers as to why he was being so irrational. Either Tsuna was in a relationship with his Rain Guardian, he wasn't in love with Dino anymore, or he still was, but was hiding it for his sake.

"Romario, get me some whiskey. From the top shelf."

He downed glass after glass, still thinking of Tsuna. He had been so afraid to lose him. It wasn't the same feeling he got when he sent his family members out on missions. He clutched the glass. He took a final gulp and placed the empty glass back on the table with a clink. His head was going to hurt the next day.

Dino tripped in the hallway, trying to get back to his room. Stairs were awful, especially when he was drunk. Reborn had once told him that alcohol was never the answer, but a glass once in a while wasn't too harmful. And here the idiot had taken more than a glass. He fumbled with the doorknob and sat on his bed.

Tsuna was feeling fairly at peace with himself now that he had awoken from his nap. Reborn had told him that he was going to go out for a few days, and this made him even happier. There were two thoughts, however, that invaded his head. One was catching up on homework, and the other was what Yamamoto had told him: "You still have a chance." What did that mean?

He decided not to worry himself with those words. They did give him, however, a feeling of confidence. If his best friend said that, maybe it could be true. He was content with that thought and opened his bag. He pulled out a mess of crumpled papers and started looking at them. Hopeless, he pulled a few textbooks out and studied them. It was going to be a long night, and he was thankful he had had rest.

"Tsuna! Phone call for you!"

"Coming!" Who would call him this late at night? It could possibly be Gokudera. He walked down the stairs and took the phone from his mother, who told him she was going to wash the plates. "Hello?"

"'lo, lil' bro."

"D-Dino-san?"

"Sup."

"N-nothing, why?" This was strange, Tsuna thought. Dino's words were a bit slurred.

"Wha' were you doin' till now?"

"I was doing my homework. Is something the matter?"

"Thassa good boy." Tsuna's face reddened at the small compliment. Dino may have been out of it but he was still glad.

"Why are you calling?"

"S'jus' to say that I really like ya too, ya know. But not in that way, 'f course." He yawned. "Oh whassa? You cryin'? Don't be cryin' on me now boy."

"Please don't make fun of my feelings."

"Oh, no I wasn'…"

"Good night." Tsuna smashed the receiver down and ran up into his room, sobbing quietly. He couldn't blame it on Dino, who was drunk. Then why did it hurt so much? He stuffed his face into his pillow to muffle out the sound of his crying.

"Hello? Hello? Well I guess he's a lil' tired, hm." Dino put the phone in his pocket and stumbled around. He ended up falling asleep in the bathtub.

He awoke with a throbbing headache the next day. He felt dead. He grunted and tried to sit up. He pulled his phone out of his pants to check the time. Had he done something stupid last night? He checked his call history too. He smashed his blonde head against the wall at his own idiocy. What had he done? He dialed the number.

"Hello? Did I call last night?"

"Oh yes, you asked for Tsu-kun. Should I call him for you?" Nana answered the phone with a rather cheerful tone.

"Please."

"What do you want?" Tsuna's voice was cutting.

"I wanted to apologize for last night, if I said anything to hurt you."

"I'm not sure whether I want to forgive you." The brunette squeezed the receiver. Why was he acting so irrationally? If he just accepted the apology, everything would be all right. He sneered at the thought. "You shouldn't drink too much."

"I know, I know…" Dino replied with a hesitant tone. "What did I say?"

"That you liked me."

"Isn't that a go—"

"But not in that way."

"Tsuna, I'm so sorry."

"Can we please not talk anymore? I'm growing sick of this." He then added, with a whisper. "Just let me love you. I'll never bring it up again, this is the last time. I love you, Dino-san. Please don't make this harder for me."

"All right."

Dino sat leaned back in the bathtub and massaged his forehead. All he wanted was a good relationship with his beloved little brother. And yet, he had managed to destroy it, even though it had been going so well. Was this all a prank? Reflecting on his life so far, it could have been. He could just see Reborn snickering beside Tsuna.

He was going crazy. Why did the boy love him? Why did he have to choose him? He wasn't special at all. He couldn't put his frustration and confusion into words. Many old and new questions resurfaced in his mind, making his headache worse. He crushed the bottle of shampoo beside him, green liquid oozing out of the damaged container. Forgetting that his hand was still covered in the goo, he put his hand to his face and silently cursed when he felt the sticky sensation on his skin.

wahwahwahwah~ Leave a comment if you will. Feedback would be appreciated.

I love you Dino. I'm sorry for torturing you!