CHAPTER 12: MORE THAN I SHOULD
It was quiet. Tsuna noted in a contortion as he teetered between unconsciousness and consciousness. He could hear his heart, alive, wet, and thumping softly against his chest. He settled with listening to it for a bit, finding the constant steady comforting in the quietness. It kept him company, enraptured him in the slow dull world of the room. Then he heard a sound. The curious sound of paper crinkling. Tsuna slightly bristled, the sound made his heart beat faster on reflex, the silence broken. He ignored it then he heard it again. Now he was completely awake, annoyed by the sudden disturbance in what little peace he, as a twelve year old boy, should have. He slowly opened his eyes and the first thing that met him was the ceiling. The white, plaster like ceiling. Much like his ceiling at home but more paper white than his cream color. It brought spots to his eyes and Tsuna realized in blank irritation on how stupid it seemed to have a white ceiling. It was so bright.
Despite the dark state of the room, the curtains (he found, was also white,) did no good in blocking out the moonlight. The crinkle of paper captured Tsuna attention and slowly, Tsuna turned his head to look at his bed side.
Of course it was Hibari. Reading shoujo manga. The boogie man turned to look at Tsuna and straightened his relaxed expression into something of annoyance, "You're awake."
Tsuna opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. He didn't feel like talking so he just slowly nodded his head, making the white pillow case chaff his neck uncomfortably.
A fresh wave of irritation spread across Hibari's face before he went back into a blank stare. Taking a cold pitcher of water and pouring it in a glass, he thrust it at Tsuna. Funny how Hibari seemed to know what Tsuna needed even though he didn't say anything. Tsuna tried smiling his thanks but it turned out more like a grimace than anything else as he reached to take the glass. He drank it, not realizing how thirsty he was, draining it dry. Tsuna wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and Tsuna realized in surprise that he was in his pajamas. It took a few seconds, but the events of what happened earlier seemed to reveal itself. That's right! He was in an accident. More aware than ever, Tsuna fervently studied the room with more vigor, determined to find out where he was. He was in a sterilized hospital room and in the corner at the foot of his bed stood a table of get-well cards, balloons, flowers. Just a small amount of gifts from friends.
Tsuna blinked, feeling something moving at his side. It was Hibird, snuggling between Tsuna and the purple power ranger. Tsuna smiled, finding it vaguely amusing that Hibari would go home and get the action figure for Hibird. It tweeted its greeting as it abandoned the figure for a brief moment and poked Tsuna's thigh lightly with it's wide beak before the toy regained its attention once more.
"Am I in the hospital, Hibari-san?" Tsuna asked the obvious, keeping his voice low.
Hibari nodded.
He took note of how dark it was outside, it was nighttime and he wondered if his parents ever got the news. "What time is it, Hibari-san?"
As if he had an internal clock, Hibari only gave an unflinching stare, "11:58."
"Isn't…there visiting hours? It's over right?"
Hibari narrowed his eyes at the door, which had that white, hospital lighting coming through the cracks, "Useless rules do not constrict me." It was an obvious answer. He could just come and go as he pleased.
Tsuna smiled shakily at the very Hibari-like sentence before helping himself to another glass of water, to which he almost dropped, not expecting the heaviness of the pitcher. Hibari instantly caught it without taking his eyes off of his book. With one hand he poured the water into Tsuna's outstretched cup, then slowly placed the pitcher back on the nightstand. Tsuna was bewildered on how one person could be so smooth and cool…
After he was done drinking, Hibari held out his hand and Tsuna gave him the cup. The boogie man placed it on the nightstand. "Hibari-san," He began timidly. He wasn't sure if Hibari would tell him the truth, "I heard…people say that the car flew fifty feet at me…How long is fifty feet?" Even to Tsuna's ear he felt as if he was asking a bit too much.
Hibari pursed his lips in disapproval as the questions began to go far too much complicated than the boogie man would've liked, "About as big as your playground."
Tsuna swallowed thickly. He actually survived that? T-That was just too amazing…Hibari stopped that car…He wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for him.
After a brief moment of silence Tsuna studied his arms. Curious, the boy pulled up his pajama sleeves where the glass shards were. It was no longer there, but the thought of it again made Tsuna's stomach flip. He had white bandage gauze wrapped around his arms; from the ball of his shoulders to the ends of his elbows. Tsuna pushed the gauze a bit to peek under it. He instantly blanched. It was stitches. Gross-looking, stitches. And worse of all, this green-yellow paste oozed around the wound. "Ew," Tsuna said sniffing his wound, "It looks gross." Hibari clasped Tsuna's wrist and brought it away from the wound. Tsuna looked up, expecting to see the irritated look the boogie man always donned but was surprise to see uttermost rage. For some reason, Tsuna's remark seemed to make Hibari snap. Tsuna shrank back into the white pillow in fear as Hibari finally let out the anger he had been holding back.
"You're such a fool." Hibari whispered angrily and quietly as he pushed Tsuna's arm back into his lap with force, "I can't believe—it shouldn't be this difficult to take care of a child," Hibari said, throwing a meaningful look at Tsuna, "I cannot believe how utterly irresponsible you are." Hibari turned to look at Hibird and glared, "And you." Hibari pointed at the startled bird, "Why did you not inform me that Gokudera Hayato would not be walking this herbivore home?"
Tsuna was appalled. He felt shocked that he would put the blame on Gokudera or even Hibird but he instantly recovered and glared shakily (with as much menace as he could muster against the boogie man) at Hibari and brought Hibird enclosed into his arms, "Hibari-san, it was an accident okay? S-Stop yelling at Hibird."
"That wasn't an accident, don't you understand that?" Hibari hissed, pushing his finger at Tsuna's chest. "Do you have any idea what happened? Do you have any idea how close you were to dying? Do you have any idea that if I had been a second later you wouldn't even be here now?"
"I-I…" Tsuna struggled to bring up a reasonable objection but couldn't think straight. "H-Hibari-san—"
"It doesn't matter." Hibari grunted as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.
There a long strain of silence. Tsuna's mind reeled, thinking of the unfairness of it all. How could he? How could he just blame his friend and Hibird? I-It just wasn't right. But Hibari was true to his words…If he hadn't gotten there in time…Tsuna bit back the sting in his eyes. He wasn't sure whose side he should go to. Hibari was the one that saved him and Tsuna should be grateful…and to think of it…did he ever thank Hibari yet? No, he realized and his heart dropped to his stomach, he hadn't. He had been taking Hibari's protection for granted and he hadn't repayed him. But repay him with what? What could he possibly have to repay his friend for saving his life all this time? He didn't even know who Hibari really was! Tears slipped down Tsuna's downcast eyes and roughly, he used his sleeves to wipe them away.
"Are you crying?" Hibari asked, bewildered.
The knowledge of Hibari being aware he was crying was far more embarrassing than he realized and he couldn't help but release the hiccup that acted as a reply.
"You are crying." Hibari confirmed his own question awkwardly.
Tsuna sobbed softly and he wanted the ground beneath him to swallow him whole so he could escape Hibari's judging stare. He didn't want the guy to think he was weak! He didn't dare meet his eyes and by the way Hibari's head was angled, he could say the same for him too. Hibird twittered softly. The bird looked back in forth between his master and friend, completely at loss on what to do. The tears overflowed, and landed on Hibird, who gave a soft chirp in surprise. Tsuna cupped his hands over his face, despite the fact he knew Hibari could hear them. The sound of Tsuna hiccuping, sniffling, and soft cries of humiliation filled the painfully awkward silence for a while.
Finally, Hibari huffed as he uncrossed his arms and walked over to the side of the bed. Hibari stood there, hands limp at his sides as he stared down at Tsuna. Now that he was here—now what?
Hibird tweeted helpfully.
Hibari gave the song bird a contorted look between mortification and doubt. "You want me to what?"
Confused at the boogie man's seemingly random exclamation, Tsuna parted his fingers to peek up at Hibari, before he blushed, hiccupped, closed his fingers again, and pulled the covers over his head. The white, shivering, hiccuping lump in the bed was horribly amusing. Sighing in resignation, Hibari climbed into the bed and gathered the white lump in his arms. He could feel the boy tense under his awkward half-embrace. "H-Hibari-san?" Came the muffled reply.
"Shut up and go to sleep." Hibari snapped, and to his utmost horror, he sounded not at all like his collected self.
"…Okay." Tsuna muffled after a short moment and shuffled closer. Tsuna hugged Hibari around the waist hesitantly and leaned his head onto what he believed what Hibari's chest.
Even though the blanket separated them, Tsuna couldn't help but smile to himself as both of their heartbeats began to resonance.
"Hibari-san?" Tsuna croaked softly.
A grunt in inquiry.
"T-Thank you for saving me." Tsuna fumbled before ducking his head under Hibari's chin in deep humiliation. He was so glad Hibari couldn't see his expression now.
"Don't do it again." Hibari grouched. He shifted his head to give a meaningful look at Hibird who nestled himself between the confines of the pillow, "And you. Don't you dare say anything." If birds could have expressions, he was sure the damned bird was wearing a smug one now.
When Gokudera had found out that Tsuna was in an accident when he was at music club, he went absolutely ballistic. He quit all clubs for good since that day and complained even when he wasn't near Tsuna for fifteen minutes. It turns out, most of those get-well gifts were from Gokudera. Yamamoto was of course, good-naturedly worried as a friend and brought some food time to time for Tsuna to eat while his two night stay at the hospital. Hibird and Hibari guarded him throughout the nights like good sentries (Tsuna let Hibird eat some of Yamamoto's get-well food). Iemitsu and Nana were especially worried and like the medic team he first met, they asked constant question of his well being until he had to pretend to go to sleep so they would leave him alone and go home. His two parents haven't eaten at all the past two days since his accident due to the extreme constant hum of worry. The two vowed that they would drive Tsuna to and from school.
Kyoko and Haru were absolutely aghast when they heard that a car flew fifty feet towards Tsuna and he survived. They commented in a worried hush that the boy was just either too lucky or too unlucky for his own good. They visited on occasions but due to school they couldn't stay often as they would've liked. But they didn't know that Hibari was the one that saved him. In all, by the time he was discharged out of the hospital the only souvenirs he got was the bandages around his arms. It was painful for him to flick his wrist or twist his arms. They gave him some pill medicine to dull the pain but Tsuna absolutely refused to take them. He didn't like pills at all. Luckily, Hibari didn't make him take it. Maybe he didn't like pills either.
The good thing about his accident was that he didn't go to school for a little over a one or two weeks for recuperation. Also, the students in his class felt so sorry for making fun of him that day. They all went together to visit him! They were a lot nicer to him now too. It was a busy two days at the hospital, but despite that he had alot of fun.
His 12th birthday was coming too.
A few months later
It was his first day of middle school. Tsuna thought with jumpy excitement. He was dressed in his Namimori blazer, the traditional slacks, shirt and ties. He had tried flattening his hair but to no avail. It was naturally like that. The newly turned twelve year old boy brushed his uniform from its imaginary wrinkles time and time again, spinning about the bathroom to get a good look at himself from every angle via mirror.
"Would you stop that? That's annoying." Hibari said shoved the shower curtain roughly aside as he stepped out from the bathtub.
Tsuna shrieked and turned to look at Hibari, "No Hibari-san, you have to please stop doing that." Tsuna gave a disparaging gaze at his feet, "And you're wearing your shoes in the tub!"
Hibari rolled his eyes and replied dryly, "Please, my feet are clean."
"I meant your shoes!"
"Tsuna! Your buddies are here!" Iemitsu holler up the stairs.
"Oh no!" Tsuna gasped and scrambled to brush his teeth and wipe his face a second time.
"You already brushed your teeth four times, get going." Hibari crossed his arms irritably and began tapping his foot against the white tiles.
"Shoes, Hibari-san! Shoes!" Tsuna scolded the boogie man through a mouthful of foamy toothpaste, ignoring Hibari's remark. The boogie man only stared back blankly at the frothing white-blue substance in disgust.
"Tenth!" Gokudera said boastingly as his voice drew near the stairs. "Come see me in my uniform!"
"I'll be right there!" Tsuna squawked and spat out his toothpaste into the sink. Hibari gave the white foam a repulsed look as it drained.
He was about to stomp out the bathroom then he remembered. He spun around to face Hibari, "Hibari-san!" Tsuna trudged towards Hibari and pushed the man uselessly towards the bathtub, "Leave! Hurry! I'm about to go!" He couldn't possibly budge the boogie man. He was far too much bigger and stronger than him. The pushing had an equivalent effect of a ant pushing against a brick wall.
Hibari grumbled with an exasperated sigh as he scrambled into the tub and closed the shower curtain behind him.
Satisfied by Hibari's resignation and obvious absence, Tsuna darted out the bathroom, "I'm sorry for making you wait guys." He rushed out as he clambered down the stairs.
"Tenth!" Gokudera pushed his back against the door and watched Tsuna with an admirable look, "Your uniform looks so great on you!"
"Thank you," Tsuna laughed, "Yours looks great on you too, Gokudera-kun."
"Why, thanks Juudaime! It feels great to wear a uniform!" Gokudera nudged Yamamoto angrily and with some spite he glared, "Right jocky?"
"Yeah!" Yamamoto agreed heartedly, "Looks good on you, Tsuna. Like you're meant to wear it."
Tsuna smiled shyly and scratched the base of his neck. "Thanks Yamamoto. You too."
Gokudera scowled, not finding anything wrong with Yamamoto's compliment and resigned in picking a fight with him. For now at least. "Now look at that!" Nana giggled as she walked up to the three boys at the doorway, "You all look so handsome. Why, Tsu-kun looks just like me when I was younger." Tsuna scowled. Usually most moms would say, 'You looks just like your father when he was your age.' He sighed, defeated. He had grown alot more but still was compared to his mom alot. In truth, he looked nothing like his dad at all. Or acted like him (which he was thoroughly grateful for). Nana put her hands on her hips, "I know what you're thinking Tsu-kun," she giggled, "Your thinking I'm calling you a girl, aren't you?" His friends and family laughed at his expression, squabbling about how Tsuna was easily riled up. Hibari watched from the stairs, hand gripping the banister tightly.
I think I care for you more than I should.
A/N: Is Hibari—starting to have man-feelings? Many of you realize—that Tsuna turned twelve here. And no more parties. *shoots foot* Those things are tedious to write with so many characters present.
MANGA SPOILERS: The way Byakuran's holding Tsuna—it's like a lover's embrace! D8 It makes me want Hibari to just kill the man. Good god. Uni, you are starting to annoy me. I just don't know why, and I know its not her fault. *sigh* Anyway! Good news; the Acrobaleno are going to be brought back! But couldn't Uni tell Tsuna that earlier? I mean, why did she hide it? See what I mean? I still like her a lot but atm she's really annoying me now.