5986 & 27 SHORT-STORY ~ KOTATSU DAY
Requested by: Arabella A. Hilst
Topic: Holding Hands | Theme: Fluff
SAWADA'S HOUSE, ONE AFTERNOON
"10th!" "Ah, Gokudera-kun, good timing! Shhh!"
Gokudera blinks as Tsuna brings his index to his lips to tell him to keep quiet while pointing at the one who has fallen asleep by his side on the kotatsu (Japanese coffee table covered by a heating blanket).
"Haru just fell asleep when studying. I need to go and pick up Mom who left shopping with the kids so that she can call her family to tell them. Please take my place for a sec'."
Too happy to have a request from the 10th, Gokudera bows loyally with all assurance of him being up to the mission assigned, and only realises the trap he has agreed to place himself in when being sat under the kotatsu next to a sound-asleep Haru with the duty of 'watching over her for a while'.
The door has closed after Tsuna stretching his legs after having stayed so long immobile, and Gokudera now has plenty leisure time to get used to the sensation himself as minutes succeed to minutes in silence, barely troubled by Haru's quiet breathing.
Damn… Why is this stupid woman all quiet… damn scary... No, well, all humans are usually quiet when sleeping, so the opposite should be scarier… but still, tsk, why does it feel so weird to see her sleeping… Thinking about it, do all girls look that damn peaceful when sleeping… This stupid woman is even smiling a bit, just like a happy-go-lucky idiot without any worry… Tsk, and to think she's always frowning at me even though she can have this kind of expression too… so annoying…
Gokudera averts his eyes with an aggravated scowl, looking for something else to look at to pass time.
After five minutes reviewing the integrity of Tsuna's room furniture - mentally taking note of each little thing part of his admired boss' life - he can't help but bring his eyes back on the only disturbance in the scenery, meaning the silhouette sleeping by his side under the kotatsu.
Still the same aggravating sleeping smile resting on the open notebook...
Humph, not that he cares much, but what kind of homework are they giving in this stupid elite school she's part of… Must be something hard for that Stupid Woman to fall asleep on it although she's not that bad at academics…
Gokudera bends over Haru's shoulders to have a look at the topic on the notebook stuck under her arm where her sleeping head is resting.
Chemistry…? Not bad at all, Stupid Woman, your molecular structure is right for now…
TILT. Gokudera frowns as some unexpected sensation slips amidst his thoughts.
Vanilla… Vanillin aroma more exactly… why would the smell be present although it's only a textbook with the formula written on it… no way a formula would...
Gokudera bends closer, only to find himself trapped more and more into the sweet smell, bringing the disturbing conclusion that the fragrance is definitely not a placebo effect from having read chemistry.
TILT. Gokudera freezes with an uneasy blush at suddenly realising the source of the fragrance.
… shampoo… shampoo fragrance… hers…
SNAP. Gokudera pushes away abruptly while looking away, scarlet troubled despite himself.
Long minutes pass in silence as he tries not to mind the sweet smell that his brain has unfortunately already noticed and acknowledged. The more he tells himself not to think about it, the more difficult it becomes to wilfully forget about it, until he finally snaps and turns face to Haru again, as if determined to face to enemy he's been running away from.
But what can be done against a sleeper not knowing she's disturbing her neighbour by smelling too good…
Gokudera's expression collapses of exasperation and frustration.
Damn… what is he thinking, really… so annoying… why did this stupid woman have to fall asleep in the first place… does she takes the 10th place for a ryokan (traditional Japanese bed&breakfast hostel) on top of a library… coming to study here when she can't even hold straight and messing with them… Tsk, she even collapsed with the pen still in her hand, how idiotic…
GRAB. But Gokudera doesn't manage to dislodge the mechanical pencil from Haru's fingers.
Is that the legendary phenomenon of sleeper's strength…?! No, wait, now is not the time to be impressed…
"… messing up with me, tsk!"
About three minutes later, the pen has finally left Haru's hand and been replaced by Gokudera's fingers. Another minute of fight later, even Gokudera's thumb is secured inside her clutch. After two additional minutes of struggling, Gokudera can only witness helplessly as his entire hand is being hold firm.
"… don't mess with me, damn it!" He scowls with beat-red cheeks, seriously aggravated and already pulling out dynamite to make the obstacle surrender, before remembering he can't mess up the 10th's room for that kind of motive.
TAP TAP TAP. The sound of steps walking up the stairs leading to Tsuna's room makes Gokudera skip a breath, and he swears inwardly as the door of the room opens wide.
"Ah, Gokudera-kun." "1-10th…! W-welcome back!" "Hum, is something wrong?" "Of course not!"
Gokudera's smile doesn't look as forced at it was intended, being sincerely happy to see the 10th again, although he would have preferred for him to arrive after he would have solved the sleeping-idiot's-hand matter. Now, this damn warm sensation of Haru's hand combined to the kotatsu effect where he has dragged their hands in concealment is making him feel uneasily hot, too hot, damn this kotatsu for being so effective in keeping people hot…
"Really? Anyway, Mom left a message at Haru's place so they should call us back when they get it." "I see." "Let's play something when waiting for them. Any game you prefer, Gokudera-kun?"
TILT. Gokudera freezes with a shared expression, his eyebrows twitching nervously.
Playing… requires… TWO hands… Damn, how is he supposed to refuse the 10th just because… because…
The warmth in his hand gradually interrupts his thoughts and his words. He swallows back uneasily.
"1-10th, how about homework? Let me help with your homework! Not that you would need any help but, you know, damn it, I mean, just in case, I might be useful…" "Hum? Ah true, I forgot! I have to redo the test questions entirely because I scored lower than 60, sigh, what a hassle… Thanks for helping, Gokudera-kun!" "Always my honour to be of help, 10th!"
Damn… Why does it feel that his relief is not only caused by being able to support his boss… Studying only requires one hand, after all, so… Not that he care about his other hand, after all… No, really, it's only to avoid having to shake awake the one the 10th has asked him to watch over, really…
A hair-tie and his pair of glasses later, he's fully focused on explaining the rationale behind the meeting time of two trains launched at different speeds, losing Tsuna half-way his explanation.
"Hum, Gokudera-kun… Don't you have a simpler way to explain that… I mean, something I could get…?"
TILT. Gokudera's focus is stolen away from his wandering thoughts and he tries not to wonder anymore if the kotatsu temperature plus his own body temperature is not too hot for the one whose hand has ended up with his under the heating blanket.
Another explanation later and Tsuna is back to his mathematic question, his eyebrows furrowed in a very focused expression but the sweatdrop on his temple betraying his insecurity in actually managing to answer the problem despite the tutoring.
Gokudera's expression is equally insecure, his fingers brushing the skin of the hand of the one still sleeping on his left, but not daring and turn his head away from his top-priority interlocutor sitting on his right and scribbling mathematic formulas on his notebook.
Damn it… why… why does he need to re-read and re-read the question again every time the 10th asks his advice on this same math question… why does it feel like he's not focusing at all… or rather, why does it feel like he's minding something meaningless too much… it's only her stubborn annoying hand grabbing onto his in her sleep, damn it… no reason to make a fuss about it and feel hot because of the warmth in his hand when it's only the kotatsu ability to make people warm… no reason to remember she's sleeping quietly just behind his back, or even to notice the murmur of her breathing when it shouldn't be much audible… no reason to remember she smells the vanilla of her shampoo when it shouldn't be much aromatic from that distance… damn damn DAMN… what the heck is wrong with him…
"Gokudera-san, are you alright?" Tsuna's question popping out amidst his troubled thoughts awakes Gokudera and he mumbles some thanks for his concern while averting his eyes.
Damn it… why all of that for some annoying tiny hand…
But the studying session keeps on without any resolution for this disturbing element, until Tsuna's mother knocks at the door to tell them there is a phone call for Haru.
Gokudera watches apprehensively as Haru is called awake by Nana and Tsuna, and the soft awakening impulse between his fingers makes him release what he had held unconsciously to. He watches with irritation as she brings her hand to her eyes to rub them and yawn faintly, before snapping awake and apologizing to Tsuna for the trouble and running away after Nana to answer the phone with another round of apologies. Gokudera is still watching at the empty door as his fingers twitch at the lack of pressure around them, missing something they had somehow gotten used to.
Damn it… always so annoying, really…