That's why the drive had been so long, he thought. He looked at the café wondering if he should laugh or cry. He figured that either would creep out Yamamoto so he just walked in silently behind the tall man. He just couldn't believe it was the same one.
"I love it here," Yamamoto said once they had ordered and seated themselves. "Their sweets are really good, but it must seem kind of late for something like that."
Gokudera half wanted Yamamoto to grip onto his hand under the table. He half wanted to leave.
"But you look like you could use this sort of cheerful place," Yamamoto drunk a little bit of the tea he'd ordered. "Everything all right?"
All right? Ha.
"Yeah," Gokudera muttered, staring at the coffee on the table before him. When he came there with Ryohei, they shared a drink. He couldn't remember exactly what it was. Was it warm or cold? Sweet or bitter? Something to remind him of that time or something to force him to recall what was happening now?
"It doesn't seem like it!" Yamamoto said with a goofy grin. "Come on, cheer up! Please?"
Gokudera blinked, eyes not leaving Yamamoto's. Why was this man so bent on making him feel better? What was it to him? Granted, he made the Rain Guardian choose where they went, but that didn't set Gokudera's happiness in Yamamoto's palms.
"What about you?" Gokudera asked. "How're things here?"
"They're good. For some reason, boring since you've left."
Why though?
"I was never much fun."
"You were great. Didn't notice 'til you left. You sort of… shined."
How though?
"Did I?"
"Yeah, then you ran off to Italy's base and things went dull. Haha!"
Weird. Gokudera never forgot Yamamoto Takeshi's face from then on.