TYL!278659 SHORT-STORY ~ VENTING DAY
Timeline: Canon TYL = Timeskip Period that happened before Future Arc = Dark!Byakuran Version of the Future = Hunted!Vongola Future
TAC TAC TAC. The sound of TYL!Gokudera's suit shoes echoing on the floor of the Vongola base approach from the office he's usually heading to with pride.
But not today.
Today his feet are bringing him there with anger and frustration, barely managing not to run there and bomb the door open. His hands are still shaking and tightening into balls without him knowing how to control them. Will he manage to control himself... Should he really want to control himself...
The electronic door slides open silently, letting him in.
His eyes avoid contact and go for the floor as he bends over.
It's alright... he's managed to control himself. His greetings bow should appear the same as usual. Yes, still in control...
"Good morning, Gokudera." TYL!Tsuna's deep and calm voice feels the same as usual, and it aggravates TYL!Gokudera further, his frown deepening into a wincing expression as the conflicting feelings he's trying to keep under check threaten to break free.
"Good… morning… 10th…" His voice doesn't cover up properly for his feelings and his fists clenched until they turn white by his side.
"Gokudera, would you spare a little time for me this morning…? I feel like it's been a long time we didn't train together..." TYL!Tsuna's calm and composed voice feels like a mixture of smile and apologetic sigh.
"A-ah?!" TYL!Gokudera can only blink of complete disbelief as he sees the silhouette of his boss leaving the office and bypassing him calmly, before turning to invite him to follow him to the elevator to the training room.
What is the 10th thinking, damn…
But this something that was boiling in TYL!Gokudera's blood is now already fretting with impatience, making him throw his jacket and tie on the floor without even half his usual composure when they reach the training room.
"Light hand-to-hand sparing." TYL!Tsuna announces calmly, his lips smiling eerily, almost forsakenly, at seeing the state of his opponent.
Gokudera might kill me on the spot with his bare hands if I don't pull myself together, I guess…
"Hajime." The starting call barely left TYL!Tsuna's lips that both opponents disappear from sight.
BAM. The first hit reveals their position after the first ignited move that human eye had not been able to follow.
TYL!Tsuna winces a little as he proceeds from his elbow-lock block into an attacking pose. But it is only then that he realizes TYL!Gokudera has already anticipated his move and is waiting for a counter.
As expected of my Right Hand Man: he knows my pattern quite well…
TYL!Tsuna blocks the counter-hit at the last second, using the inertia as momentum for a back-jump before dashing forward for a series of punches and palm-hits.
TYL!Gokudera blocks at light-speed while pouncing forward, not seeming to mind getting grazed and bruised in the process.
As I thought… TYL!Tsuna's poker-face fades sadly at receiving the counter attack.
Just as he thought… this wincing raging expression on Gokudera's face is really against him… against him yet at the same time unable to truly hate him…
Just as he thought, these tightened trembling fists are really directed at him… directed at him yet desperately hoping never to reach…
Just as he thought, his composure has crumbled, crumbled just like he himself caused her composure to crumble the prior night…
BAM. Another salvo of hits, blocks and jumps brings TYL!Tsuna close enough to TYL!Gokudera to see tears of rage boiling in his eyes. His facade smile definitely falters at remembering her tears too, the prior night, when he had finally made clear that he would never be with her and that he intended to propose to Kyoko.
As he thought, Gokudera definitely saw her tears…
TYL!Tsuna's poker-face hardens as he takes an offensive pose, the same he's generally taking when igniting his gloves with Dying Will Flames.
"Come." He calls in low voice, provoking TYL!Gokudera into charging him.
Furious green eyes glare at him while dashing forward, a skid hiding a low rotating kick that TYL!Tsuna avoids effortlessly, aggravating his opponent further.
Another storm of attacks is blocked one after another, not even making TYL!Tsuna flinch.
TYL!Gokudera scowls after landing from a high kick, panting and cursing inwardly for having such a cool undefeated boss as his opponent. His teeth clench to hold back the sickening taste of helplessness.
After having hold her all night helplessly, betraying his own feelings by not doing anything except watching her cry… After having come here to meet him helplessly, betraying his trust by not doing anything except wavering between frustration and resentment… After all of that, even his own fists are betraying him, helplessly not reaching their target…
"I'm coming." TYL!Tsuna warns coldly before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
TILT. TYL!Gokudera barely has time to lift his elbow in counter the first hit that the evasive silhouette of his boss has reappeared just in front of him, hitting right in his chest with a palm-hit crushing his insides.
TYL!Gokudera coughs at the shock and spits blood to the side, before glaring again with his stormy green eyes at his opponent.
"Not… even… painful… comparing to…"
BAM. TYL!Tsuna realises a fraction of second too late that his wrist is locked in TYL!Gokudera's hand which had grabbed it just at the time of the hit, and the violent shock of a hook in his left cheek takes him by surprise and throws him to the ground.
"Comparing to hearing her cry, it isn't even painful enough!" TYL!Gokudera roars while clenching his fingers on his chest.
A heavy moment of silence falls, none of them moving from where they have stopped.
"… I know…" TYL!Tsuna's deep voice echoes calmly from under the shadow of his hair across the silent training room.
TYL!Gokudera freezes in shock, his teeth clenching and clenching of build-up frustration.
The 10th knows… The 10th knew from the start… That's why he went along for a pretending training to make him vent out… Even going until letting him hit him…
Tsk, of course the 10th knows!
TYL!Gokudera collapses on his knees, unable to hold it anymore. His green eyes disappear under the shadow of his silver hair messed up by the intense fighting.
What is a damn fool like me able to do in the end…
"Gokudera…" TYL!Tsuna's tone has recovered these warm and calm accents that TYL!Gokudera always feel proud to hear calling his name.
Yet, today, what pride is there to find in his helplessness… Today, he failed both as a Vongola Guardian and as a man…
"Gokudera, how about giving up and proposing to Haru…?"
An angel passes… A couple angels pass… A convoy of angels pass…
"W-W-WHAAAAAAAT?!" "This face of yours just now is priceless, haha…" "1-10th! Y-y-you can't be serious?!" "Well, if I told you that Haru is actually the only one not realizing your feelings yet, would it sound more serious?" "D-don't mess with me!" "I messed up enough yesterday night for an entire life…!"
TYL!Tsuna's cold and forsaking tone is enough to silence TYL!Gokudera and make him chill out from his previous scarlet state.
"10th… with all due respect, I…" "You what…? Don't tell me you're planning to do like your hopeless boss and let the topic drag on until the point of no return just because you think you're sparing her feelings?" "That's… 10th, you're not… I mean, I'd never believe you…" "Gokudera… Do you need me to really beat you up to prove my point again…?"
TILT. The shine of pure orange Dying Will Flames engulfing TYL!Tsuna's eyes is enough to make TYL!Gokudera swallow back his weak pretence of an excuse and he collapses in another face-palm before starting to pull off his hair at wondering how he should do.
"You could just be honest, don't you think…?" TYL!Tsuna's deep voice sounds amused yet mature at the same time, and it makes TYL!Gokudera look away with the pouting blush of a kid being laughed at by an adult.
"I just… can't…" Gokudera mutters stubbornly, before reacting out of survival instinct at feeling extremely pure Sky Flames approaching him at speed-light. "W-W-Wait, 10th, I meant…"
THOOOM. The tremor shaking the entire Vongola Base that day still figures in Giannini's repair diary as the worst cataclysm having befallen the secret hide-out.