Gokudera hangs up his phone, his face white. Reaper had just told him that Phoenix was going to turn herself in. The Italian teen grabs the small black phone and quickly dials Phoenix's number.
"Aydan, tell me this is just some stupid shit Reaper is pulling out of his ass to mess with me. Are you fucking seriously going back to Chicago to be with him!"
"Hello to you too. I'll tell you what Reaper and I are planning if you tell me what Reaper told you."
"You better tell me or so help me God..."
"Not going to cut it Hayato. Tell me or I'm hanging up."
"Fuck. Okay. I said that it turns out that Vongola Nono never ordered your father's death and the hitman took it upon himself to do it. When Kyuudaime found out, he was planning on taking full responsibility of your mother, brother, and you. NOW TELL ME DAMN IT!"
"Oh...so the Vongola didn't want my dad dead? But you said...What?"
"I don't fucking know. Reaper told me a while ago so I probably got some details wrong. But my point is, the Vongola wasn't going to let your family suffer the consequences of your father's death."
"And you are sure about this? You are positive that Reaper wasn't lying to you?"
"I don't fucking know. But he said...I actually don't remember what the fuck he said his reasons for doing so was. But meh, he hasn't lied about info like this so why would he start now? And in favor of the Vongola and not the O-Loughlin's."
"That's some good information, Reaper should have held out for more. I guess it's a good thing I took that deal for you."
"Jesus, Aydan, don't tell me...WHAT DID YOU AGREE TO!"
"I...I may have told him that in return for him letting you out of the deal I would...I would willingly take whatever torture he threw at me."
"Why! WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DO THAT!" Gokudera runs his hands through his hair. "I would've done my part of the deal. So why would you just go and do something worse? My end of the deal was so fucking easy, nothing like torture, damn it!" He runs his hands through his hair. "Why are you so fucking stupid! Can't you just pull out of the deal?"
"You wouldn't understand. Just please calm down. I can't back out now."
"You better fucking back out. Now!"
"I can't. Reaper expects me in Chicago sometime next week. He's giving me time to say...goodbye. And once I'm done I am getting on a plane back home."
"Can't you...can't you just...stay here? I promise we'll protect you." Gokudera could hear the pleading note in his voice. "That way, if and when Reaper comes after you, we'll corner him and we'll kill him once and for all. Come on, Aydan. Don't fucking do this. Just...don't."
Gokudera listens to the silence and when Phoenix does start to speak again he can hear the tears.
"I can't stay. I'm sorry but I have to go home. I have to take this. I'll be fine, he's not gonna kill me, the boss ordered him not to. You can't protect me, you never could. I need to go home, I need to keep you—keep the Vongola out of my past with Reaper. That's why he's doing this, why he's using you to pass information to me instead of telling me himself. Because the better you know someone the easier it is to break them."
"Stop it, don't say that. I can protect you, and I will! Just give a chance, damn it! After Reaper's had his fun with you, then what's he gonna do? You betrayed the O-Loughlin Family and you think your boss is going to go easy on you? Of course not! They're gonna fucking kill you, Phoenix! Don't do this. Please...Aydan…don't."
Gokudera's eyes start to burn and he blinks back tears.
"I know that I am going to die once Reaper's had his fun, but Reaper's fun won't end for years. So I have time to...I don't know, get used to the pain I guess. I know that the O-Loughlin's want me to suffer, and I know that this is going to hurt...a lot. But I can't let Reaper use you anymore. I will take whatever I have to take to just..."
Gokudera slams his hand down on the table.
"HOW CAN YOU JUST ACCEPT DEATH SO EASILY! You're only 16! You have your whole life ahead of you! And there's people that care about you. I...we...don't want you to die."
"YOU THINK I ACCEPT THIS! You think that I want to die! I would do anything not to have to...to be able..."Gokudera hears a thump as Phoenix hits her head against the wall. "I can't back out, and I can't let you take my place...I know you must have offered. I can only thank Reaper for saying no."
"Aydan...please..."
"You know...this would be a hell of a lot easier face to face."
"You know where I live right? Well...I'll be here all night."
"Just go to the school, I'll be waiting outside in the same outfit I wore on the plane."
"You expect me to wait a whole fucking day! This is bullshit! It might be the first and last..." Gokudera's throat knots up. "Tch. You know what? Fine! Be a bitch and don't accept my...whatever this is. I'm done worrying about you. It's obvious you don't want it anyway."
"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM DOING THIS FOR! Damn it Hayato! You don't think that I don't...that I don't appreciate the fact that I, after all of these years, have someone who's worried about me! Not what I can do, not how an injury is going to affect my work but me, as a person. I didn't mean tomorrow, I meant now. My plane leaves at 6 AM. This is our only chance to meet. But if you don't come...I'll understand."
Gokudera sits up straight. "Fuck! No! No, I'll meet you. Just...stay there. I'll be over in a sec."
Gokudera quickly grabs his coat and shoes running out the door, half sprinting to the school.
Gokudera slides to a stop, looking for Phoenix, and sees her leaning against the wall, music leaking from her headphones. He takes in her appearance and finds himself...liking it. Her red hair falls freely to the small of her back, her bangs hanging down on either side of her forehead, meeting in the middle. Her body is slim with lean muscles, her shoulders slightly broad and the line of her chin is a little more prominent than Gokudera was used to seeing on women. When Phoenix looks up at him he notices that her eyes are a crystalline blue and have a slightly pointed look to them and her lips were neither plump nor thin. She reaches up to pull off her headphones and Gokudera sees that her fingers are long and slim. He takes a deep breath and walks calmly over to her, repressing the urge to run, and tries not to look too excited.
"Hey."
Phoenix smirks.
"You suck at the cool act thing, you know that right? We should probably move, I think your cloud guardian is glaring at us from the roof."
Phoenix points up to the roof with her thumb and pushes herself off the wall.
"It's the fucking middle of the night. Why is he even here! And I'm not trying to act cool! I'm just not overly excited to see the person who's made my past couple months a living nightmare."
"I think he sleeps here." Phoenix laughs and Gokudera finds that Phoenix's laugh is even nicer when he could actually see her. The way she seemed to abandon all cares was...refreshing. "Hey I was trying to help, okay! Reaper's the one you should have a go at, not me."
"Yeah, yeah whatever."
Phoenix walks away from the school with her hands in her pockets.
"I'm surprised you haven't started on the 'why Phoenix should not give herself over to Reaper' speech by now." Gokudera glares at her and takes a deep breath, about to speak when his phone rings. He looks at Phoenix who rolls her eyes. "Go on, pick it up. It's probably your boss anyway."
It was indeed Tsuna and Reborn wanted all the guardians at Tsuna's home right away.
"I...I have to go...uh...can you meet me at my apartment tomorrow after school?"
Phoenix smiles slightly and shakes her head.
"Yeah, sure. Fine. Be careful on your way to Tsuna's house."
"How did you..."
Phoenix's eyebrows jump up momentarily and she gives Gokudera a wide smile.
"I know a lot of things that I shouldn't be able to know."
Gokudera's eyebrows furrow as he tries to figure out how Phoenix could have known where he was going.
"You're being very creepy right now."
Phoenix laughs, throwing her head back.
"I'll take that under advisement. Now go, I think the second should be there before the subordinates don't you?"