You are a devil yet an angel. Such cruelty...such kindness...
Seven
Orithyea
Chapter 10: The Sixth Day
"Good morning, Hibari-san," greeted Tsuna as he entered the kitchen, feeling greatly amused that in the span of six days – this being the sixth– he had grown used to the prefect's not-so-surprise visits anymore. In a way, he felt extremely warm yet strange at the same time. Never in his life did he imagine spending a normal day, not to mention a week, with him.
Nana pouted. "You greet Hibari-kun and not me?" Tsuna teasingly rolled his eyes. Instead of a greeting, he pecked her on the cheek and smiled brightly.
Heading over to the dish cabinet, where he saw his lover getting the plates, he immediately swatted Hibari's hands. "I'll handle that, Hiba—" He clamped his mouth shut as Hibari leant forward and kissed his cheek.
"Morning, Tsunayoshi."
Tsuna widened his eyes, mouth opening and closing in response at the back of Hibari as he walked to the table. Spying Nana giggling behind him, he turned around, embarrassed. "M-Mom! Not helping. Not helping at all. Here," he took a plate his mother had just finished placing a sunny side egg on, with toast and rice, and set it in front of Hibari, "b-b-breakfast!" Taking the chair across the prefect, he tried his best to avoid eye contact.
Sitting beside him was his mother, who released a small titter as she took her place. "You and Hibari-kun actually look cute together. Mama won't mind if you started dating for real. I was looking forward for grandchildren, but you can always adopt, right?" She smiled at the two.
"No way, Mom. We're just...we're just..." Now that I've mentioned it, what am I to Hibari-san? And what is he to me? "...acquaintances," he finished lamely, "a-and I like someone else." He took a gulp of water, trying to hide his gawkiness.
"I know. It's Kyoko-chan, isn't it?" she answered simply. "She's a nice girl, but I think what Tsu-kun needs is someone strong like Hibari-kun."
"I-I'm strong," protested Tsuna. Hearing a low, barely audible snort, he widened his eyes at Hibari, feeling very dubious. "Did you just laugh at me?"
Hibari allowed his eyes to meet the brunet's, smirking. "Perhaps, perhaps not."
"What a great, supportive lover I have," said Tsuna, rolling his eyes again.
"Do you plan on confessing, Tsu-kun?" asked Nana. Tsuna froze. He lowered his gaze and shook his head slowly, not trusting his voice to stand up for him. "Why not?"
Maybe because the one she likes is the guy I'm currently dating, he thought forlornly. "W-well..." And he knows it. "I'm not...I mean she doesn't..."
Nana gave him a sympathetic smile. "Well, off you go. It's still early. Have a nice, relaxing walk before going to school."
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"You're giving Mom more reasons to tease me!" Hibari looked at him and the brunet swore he saw amusement in his eyes. Tsuna haughtily turned his head away, still thinking of the scene earlier. I know we're just pretending, but there's no need to go that far! Tsuna thought. As they arrived at a fork, Hibari turned left. Confused as they were supposed to turn right, Tsuna said, "Hibari-san, that's the wrong way!"
"Do you think I'm a fool? Just follow, Tsunayoshi."
"Just follow, Tsunayoshi," he mimicked under his breath, trying to catch up with Hibari. "When did I become a dog?" he grumbled.
"I didn't give any indication that you were one."
"Hie! Y-you didn't... Yes, you didn't." Tsuna shook his head furiously, frightened at being caught. "So where are we going?"
"A detour," was the blunt reply.
They continued to walk, embracing the silence between them. Knowing that Hibari wasn't the greatest conversionalist there was, Tsuna racked his brain for any topic to talk about.
"Karaoke," seethed Hibari all of a sudden.
"Huh? D-do you want to destroy one?" What the heck did I just ask? But he really sounds pissed off!
Hibari glanced at him, an eyebrow raised. "As much as that sounds pleasing, no. We are going to one after school."
"E-e-eh? I didn't think Hibari-san was the type to like—" Hibari glared at him, successfully silencing him.
"It was the baseball herbivore's idea," he scoffed.
Yamamoto again? Hie! I'm surprised Hibari-san hasn't killed him yet. "Oh, so everyone would be there? Sounds fun!" He beamed. "But I feel like I'm intruding with you guys. Maybe I shouldn't go."
"Don't go and I'll bi—" He clicked his tongue.
Something seems wrong. Tsuna blinked his eyes, suddenly remembering something so odd. "Hibari-san, you've never called me a herbivore or even told me that you'll bite me to death this week. Not that I don't mind. But now that I think about it, it kind of feels weird." Tsuna waved his hands frantically. "I know it's because that we're dating and all that you should treat me really special any everything. But...," he chuckled nervously, idly scratching his cheek, "it doesn't feel right for you to force yourself."
Hibari didn't say anything, leading Tsuna to wonder if he spoke too much. I should learn to think before speaking. Sighing, the brunet looked to his left, seeing the river flow freely as they walked past the bridge. Through his peripheral vision, he peeked at Hibari who had yet to utter another word. Why would he even listen to me? It's not like I mean anything to him...and the real Hibari-san is different. "Hey, Hibari-san," said Tsuna, surprising himself that he braved another conversation. "Are we friends?"
"Such a foolish question, Tsunayoshi," said Hibari.
"I guess it is." The asphalt floor all of a sudden seemed so fascinating. Tsuna chuckled, a low and bitter one. What was he expecting? That Hibari of all people would say that they were friends? Had he become so desperate for the warmth of a friend that he'd go as far as asking the violent prefect, more so the love interest of Kyoko? In all honesty, Tsuna was scared. It was the sixth day already, tomorrow was the last. After everything, would they go back to the start?
Using both hands, Tsuna gripped the sling of his bag. All of his insecurities abruptly came crashing down. The feeling of being alone once more frightened him. Would Yamamoto not invite him to lunch and to his house anymore? Would Gokudera stop advising him in his own way? He didn't want to admit it, but he would honestly be immensely grateful if Mukuro would still act lasciviously towards him. And Reborn, his intimidating persona was very much welcomed.
"For a herbivore, you think too much," said Hibari upon observing him.
Now he listens to me. Not looking at his lover, Tsuna forcingly laughed. "I guess I am..." This isn't really a nice, relaxing walk, mom. "Hibari-san, what are we? Friends? Acquaintances? Or are we just schoolmates?" Tsuna bit his lip in frustration. He wasn't thinking logically today; it felt like his brain was mushed up. Just earlier he had felt amused to have grown used to Hibari, but now he felt it was actually a horrible thing. What would happen after tomorrow?
However, he was astonished when Hibari stopped walking and held his chin, lifting and turning his head towards him. "For now, you are my lover, Tsunayoshi. Nothing more, nothing less." Tsuna blushed intensely, both at their proximity and his words. Slowly releasing his hold, Hibari maintained the eye contact he shared with the brunet, who felt embarrassed and comforted at the same time.
Unable to handle the intensity of his gaze, Tsuna turned away, practically feeling the crimson in his cheeks. He felt angry at both Hibari and himself. Towards Hibari for saying such empty and obligatory words; and towards himself, for actually allowing himself to warm up to the prefect. Perhaps it would appear shallow and nonsensical to others, but after experiencing years of being alone, he knew firsthand how lonely it felt.
"Ah!" Tsuna silently cried out, spotting a fluff of yellow nearing them at their right. He panicked, realising that the bird was going to land on Hibari's hair. Hie! He's going to die! Wanting to save the poor, innocent mustard bird, he inconspicuously – or so he thought – brought an arm behind his companion and started shooing it away. It's not working!
"What are you doing?"
"A-a-a...rain dance?" Instantly, pregnant silence wafted the pair. Unable to keep his composure, Tsuna looked left and right and slowly set his arm down, no longer prioritising the animal. A rain dance? Seriously, Dame-Tsuna?
It was Hibari who broke the ice, making Tsuna inwardly sigh in relief and mentally thank him for ignoring his gauche moment. "Hibird," said Hibari as the yellow bird finally landed on his hair. Tsuna covered his mouth with his right hand, suppressing the fit of snickers that threatened to go out. Cute animals and Hibari was the most imperfect yet perfect pair there is.
"Hibird, huh? I've never seen him before. He looks cute." Tsuna chuckled, then lifted his hand, wanting to touch Hibird but accidentally brushed his fingers through the prefect's hair. Soft... Absent-mindedly, he continued to pat Hibird, enjoying the silky feeling on his wrist whenever it brushed the black locks. As Hibird unanticipatedly chirped aloud, Tsuna stopped his hand midway, worried that he antagonised the animal.
Gradually, he brought his arm down and met Hibari's grey eyes. It was strange...Hibari's eyes. Normally, at first glance, it would be pure grey, but after carefully scrutinising it, there was a hue of midnight blue in it. It would be a lie if he asserted that he wasn't enthralled at all.
Realising the situation he was in, Tsuna faced away. "I-I just remembered I needed to get homework done before class starts, s-so I t-think...we better go now," he said. With a hurried pace, he began walking again, glad that Hibari didn't question him about his strange behaviour.
The time they journeyed to school was excruciatingly uncomfortable – words Tsuna was sure weren't an understatement. At least to him it was, although Hibari simply kept his deadpan expression. He felt silly thinking about all these unnecessary things and getting flustered all over it. Hibari didn't appear to be the least bit unsettled when he was with him.
The pair separated at the school gate with Tsuna heading straight to his classroom and Hibari staying besides the gate. The brunet was more than all right with this. The more time he spent with the prefect, the more he felt he's becoming scatterbrained.
Groaning, he let his forehead rest on his desk. The room was predictably empty; there was still more than forty minutes before first period begins. It was ironic to think that his first time being this early would turn out to be so melancholically perplexing. He knew of the seven-day limit, yet why did he grab on to the hope that everything would still be the same after those days? He'd go back to being stupid, friendless Dame-Tsuna. His routine before he met all of them would return.
He remembered how he begrudgingly looked at the Vongola from afar – beautiful, captivating, astute, and over all perfect. The arrival of Gokudera to Namimori was scandalously welcomed. He wasn't sure about Mukuro and Reborn's background, but right now they were no different from the other three Vongola. Even in middle school, Yamamoto shined while Hibari also did in a peculiar way.
Middle school... Yamamoto... Tsuna turned rigid. For some reason, he felt that something happened with Yamamoto when they were in middle school. His memories of then weren't spectacular; his bullying was at its peak during those days, and he couldn't help but want to forget majority of those years.
Making out the door's creak, Tsuna lifted and turned his head, surprised to see that person. Speak of the devil. "G-good morning, Yamamoto. Aren't you early?" He stole a glance at the wall clock, discerning that only seven minutes had already passed.
"Morning, Tsuna," said Yamamoto, clear astonishment brimming his voice. "We had baseball practice, but the captain dismissed us early. I'm surprised to see you here already." The baseball player ungracefully deposited his bag on his desk and took the seat in front of Tsuna. "What's up? You look kind of troubled."
"Do I?" asked Tsuna. "I-I mean I'm not! I'm fine, nothing's wrong! Hehe..."
"Is it Hibari?" said Yamamoto sharply, eyes narrowing.
Tsuna stiffened both at his friend's accuracy and tone. "W-well, n-not really." Sighing while scratching his head, he decided to tell Yamamoto all his thoughts. "It's just that this is already the sixth day...so that means I only have less than two days left..." He glimpsed at Yamamoto who nodded. Encouraged, Tsuna continued, "And I'm a-afraid of what will happen. You know about me being...Dame-Tsuna." The word was bitterly stated. "I-I don't have much friends. Well, Kyoko-chan's my only friend. So if everything's over then I'd be...I mean i'd just be...alone," he squeaked the last part.
"What are you talking about? Hayato and I are here! Just because there's this silly seven-day rule about dating doesn't mean we can't be friends after that." Yamamoto bit his lip. "I think even Mukuro and Reborn-senpai would agree. You'd always be welcome to hang out with us. Maa, it's not like we're not humans like you guys." Yamamoto laughed.
Silly seven-day rule? Then why did you join Vongola? Tsuna blinked rapidly. A-and friends...is that even possible to you guys who shine so...so brightly? Nonetheless, he felt beyond grateful and consoled at those words. "Thanks, Yamamoto. You must think I'm being stupid."
Yamamoto stretched his right arm and ruffled Tsuna's spiky hair. "Yes, you are."
Smiling sheepishly, Tsuna fixed his hair, still feeling elated at the baseball player's words. "Oh, yeah, Yamamoto. I know we weren't close in middle school," Heck. I don't even know if we talked to each other! "but did something happen then? A-ah," he frantically waved his hands in front of him, "I-I just had this nagging feeling, but it's probably nothing. N-never mind." Eh? Why did he suddenly become tense?
"Yeah..." mumbled Yamamoto, a faraway look in his eyes. Tsuna opened his mouth, about to say something when Yamamoto instantly grinned at him. "I can hear the others already. First period is going to start soon. I'm going to the comfort room for a while. Excuse me, Tsuna." Dumbfounded at the turn of events, Tsuna could only manage a small nod. Before exiting the room, Yamamoto paused, back still facing him, and said, "Thanks, Tsuna."
Huh? For what?
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Yawning, Tsuna rubbed his eyes, the threat of sleeping cutting his throat. He leant at the soft backrest of the mustard sofa, wondering how long Hibari was going to take patrolling. A ruckus in the seniors' floor was heard loud and clear in the other floors and the prefect decided to take matters into his own hands.
He jumped once he heard the door open, but only saw Hibari's vice-chairman. "It's just me, Sawada-san. Kyou-san will be back soon."
"Thanks, Kusakabe-san," said Tsuna. He observed as the pompadour-styled teen rummaged through a shelf and took a folder. He smiled at Tsuna, lightly bowed, and left the room. A light chuckle erupted from Tsuna's lips, amazed that someone as nice as Kusakabe could endure Hibari's wrath and temper. The growling of his stomach reminded him of how hungry he was. He wanted to wait for Hibari, seeing as how disrespectful it would be if he didn't.
After a while, the door opened again and this time it was the person he was waiting for. "Didn't I tell you not to wait for me?" said Hibari as he walked towards the sofa.
"Well, I wanted to eat together with you." Tsuna smiled, finally unwrapping the lunch box. "And it must be tiring to be always patrolling the school. Here." He handed one to the prefect, eyes locking down on the box.
"Herbivores should be disciplined." Hibari took the box.
"You're so strong, Hibari-san. It's amazing." The brunet passed a pair of chopsticks, caramel eyes focused on them. "And—" Tsuna gasped as Hibari forcefully lifted his chin. Panicking, Tsuna stuttered, "W-w-what are y-you doing?" He looked left and right, finding the scene completely uncomfortable. It was a case of déjà vu.
"Why are you avoiding me?" Hibari stared straight at his eyes, coercing Tsuna to close his eyes.
"I-I'm not! I don't k-know what you're talking about!"
"Do you take me for a fool?" said Hibari, his eyes narrowing.
"N-n-n-n-no. Please don't bite me to death." Tsuna whimpered, raising both of his arms to cover his face. Hearing Hibari sigh, he lowered his arms, afraid of what was to come. However, seeing Hibari normally eating surprised him. Following his lead, he shakily took his set of lunch.
Again, Hibari broke the ice, causing Tsuna to be surprised and pleased at the same time. "Is there something wrong?"
Tsuna shook his head. "No, Hibari-san. Everything's fine."
"You should be aware that you're bad at lying, Tsunayoshi." The brunet stiffened. "Eat and go back to class immediately."
True to his word, Tsuna left as soon as they were done eating. He couldn't muster up the courage to open up another conversation after what Hibari said. It's true. He was indeed avoiding the prefect, more specifically eye contact with him. The morning earlier had made him feel so awkward and he could do was hope that his lover wasn't mad at him.
Sorry, Hibari-san. I must be acting stupid, right? Gloomily, Tsuna trudged down the corridor, ignorant of why he was overreacting. It was Hibari; violent, frightening, and intimidating Hibari. Perhaps that's why he converted back to his stuttering self. Knowing that wasn't the case, Tsuna shook his head. It was just eye contact! But why... He shook his head again as he finally sat down on his desk, blocking the racket of the others.
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"This will be so fun!" Yamamoto cheerfully placed an arm around Tsuna and Gokudera and hugged them tightly. "It's been a while since I went to a karaoke!" He beamed at the brunet, who was struggling hard to breathe.
"Y-yeah, t-this will be fun... Yamamoto I can't breathe," said Tsuna, wheezing as the black-haired teen finally released him. He dared to glance at Gokudera who was turning red. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment or even happiness, he couldn't tell, although he was leaning on the lattermost one. Feeling a bit impish, Tsuna said, "Hey, Gokudera-kun, your face is so red! But the weather's neither hot nor cold. I wonder why's that?" He tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows, giving the impression that he was worried.
Gokudera glared at him. "I-I'm not red. Are you blind, you fuck—"
"Are you feeling sick, Hayato? You should've said so." Yamamoto leant forward, trying to touch Gokudera's forehead. Before he could do that, Gokudera bent his back backwards and banged his head to Yamamoto's.
"Stay away from me, baseball idiot! I might catch your idiotitis."
"Herbivores," growled Hibari, growing impatient.
"Maa, maa. looks like Hibari's excited! Okay, let's go!" Yamamoto laughed, finally walking in a regular pace.
Mukuro leant down to Tsuna's ear level, making the smaller one flinch. "Kufufu. It would be lovely to hear Tsunayoshi-kun's voice."
About to retort, Tsuna found himself being yanked away from Mukuro, feeling grateful rather than annoyed. He glanced up and saw Hibari scowling and glaring at the former, his right hand tightly gripping the brunet's arm. His lips began curving upward once he realised that Hibari was trying to protect him.
"I'll bite you to death."
This is not going to end up good. "N-now, now! We're already near the place, so let's just have fun, Hibari-san!" said Tsuna cheerfully, albeit nervously.
Reborn, who was at the very back of their group, smirked. "Yeah, Hibari. Let's just have fun."
"Yeah, Hibari. Let's just have fun," repeated Mukuro, snickering.
"I'll bite both of you to death."
If anyone thought that the prefect's glare couldn't get any more intimidating or terrifying, Tsuna could easily prove them wrong. He had an inkling that he should be offended, but seeing them casually talking to each other was a nice sight. He was now at the very back of their group, where he could clearly see all of them. At the front was Gokudera and Yamamoto, where a one-sided argument was happening, and the trio was busy threatening each other at the middle. Smiling, Tsuna kept silent, not wishing to disturb them. No matter how weird they are, they do really seem close.
Although he said he wouldn't disturb them, it was Hibari who did so. The raven-haired teen held his hand into his, fingers not interlocked, but nonetheless, it was still embarrassing for Tsuna who already felt so awkward with the prefect. Hibari didn't utter a word to him, he simply followed the brunet's pace, which was a tad slower than the others.
Wanting to appear nonchalant, Tsuna looked straight ahead but was met with coal-black eyes glinting at him. Reborn had his head slightly turned to the left towards Mukuro, letting Tsuna see the smirk that curved his lips. As soon as they caught eye-contact, Reborn returned his attention to the person beside him and said something in his ear. It must have been something about the pair behind because Mukuro looked back and winked at Tsuna, suppressing a laugh as Hibari immediately glowered at him. Mukuro apathetically shrugged and continued his conversation with Reborn.
What was that about? Furrowing his eyebrows and relaxing them instantly, Tsuna decided to ignore it, seeing that they were already at their desired place. He glanced at Yamamoto and Gokudera, the former having an arm around the other. He exasperatedly shook his head. It's so obvious!
Once they arrived at their room, with Yamamoto handling everything, Tsuna became curious of the Vongola. Little was known about them and they appeared unique, if not strange. He shifted on his seat, a red comfortable sofa that was stuck to the walls, and asked, "So...do you guys do this often? Karaoke, I mean."
"Nah, this is the first time, actually. We don't really hang out outside school," said Yamamoto, shuffling through the songlist. "So who wants to go first? Hayato?"
Ignoring Gokudera's outburst, Tsuna was dazed at the question. Then why did they decide to have karaoke today, not to mention invite him? Surely it wasn't because of their talk earlier since Hibari mentioned it when they were on their way to school. Perhaps the baseball player noticed his plight way before their conversation and decided to help him? Yamamoto's so nice. I wish I can do something for him.
"Oh, fine. I'm going first. You owe me for this, baseball idiot," grumbled Gokudera.
Ah! "W-w-wait! Can I choose your song, Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna stood up, almost hitting the table.
"Che. Whatever." Taking that as a sign of approval, the brunet grabbed the songlist, his face lightening up once he saw what he was looking for. He hurriedly punched the buttons on the machine and handed the microphone to Gokudera, a bright smile on his face. Making a confused expression, Gokudera took the object and lifted it to his lips. Hearing the first few notes, he turned scarlet at once. "O-oi! Why this song?"
"Perfect song for you, Gokudera," said Reborn, idly leaning on his place.
"It's a great song!" Tsuna beamed, returning back to his seat beside Hibari.
Scowling, Gokudera turned back to the screen and began to sing along, though he failed to begin at the very start.
As the song was nearing its chorus, Yamamoto grabbed the other microphone lying on the glass table. With a surprised look, Gokudera kept singing. To Tsuna's amusement, the black-haired teen sang along. Oh, man. I feel like I'm watching a romcom.
"What are you doing, you—" Yamamoto raised a finger to his lips and continued singing. Rolling his eyes, Gokudera followed his lead.
'Happiness and sadness, warmth and pain', you guys really do complement each other, even your voices. One is rough and passionate and the other is smooth and amiable, Tsuna thought as the song reached that line, proud of what he did. These two deserve each other's affections. They might be thinking that he's an annoying busybody, but he sincerely believed that they should be together. No, they needed and wanted to be together.
As the song reached its end, the brunet clapped loudly and chuckled. "You guys were great!"
"Hayato was great, wasn't he?" Yamamoto slapped his partner's back. "All right, who's next? Want to give it a go, Reborn-senpai?"
"Pass," said Reborn.
"Kufufu. I'll go next." Standing up, Mukuro headed straight for the machine, apparently already done choosing his song.
"Hie!" Tsuna shrieked upon hearing the lyrics. "Such a dark song, Mukuro-senpai."
"Mukuro's fine, my rabbit." He winked at the brunet. Repulsed, Tsuna's face blanched. Instinctively, he inched closer to Hibari, but stopped when he became aware of what he was doing. He listened to Mukuro's voice, which erupted in the entire room. The song was loud and great; while it did sound playful, the message it held was rather dark. 'I continue dancing upon the piled bodies until I die...?' Sadism? Hie! I better avoid Mukuro altogether. However, he didn't want to admit it but Mukuro had a nice, low voice.
As he finished, Tsuna hesitantly applauded. Mukuro smirked and sauntered towards Hibari. "Won't the great prefect go after me? I'm sure Tsunayoshi-kun would love to hear his lover's voice."
Not backing out of the obvious challenge, Hibari forcefully took the microphone from Mukuro's hand, his annoyance clearly emitting from his body. After swiftly choosing a song from the list and setting up the machine, the black stereos eventually played the tunes. Eh? I'm pretty sure this is the same artist. Tsuna tightened his fists on his lap, admittedly excited to hear his nominal lover's singing voice.
He wasn't disappointed.
Hibari's voice was a rich baritone one. The syllables lulled out of his tongue gracefully and pleased his ears, despite the fact that – similar to the one Mukuro sang – the song had a rock theme, something he wasn't fond of. He was on the edge of his seat as his eyes never left Hibari's figure. He stood straight and tall, although his expression didn't change. But Tsuna thought it fitted him perfectly. He listened carefully to the lyrics, wondering why the prefect chose this one.
'I would choose just a moment of freedom over an eternity spent just clinging to illusions.' Tsuna chuckled at the lyrics, finding the lyrics befitting the stoic teen. He continued to listen. 'So spread your wings, and let them take you to the sky,' but you're the one that's like a bird, Hibari-san. So free... He smiled softly.
Hibari slightly turned to the right, but Tsuna managed to hold on to his gaze. So strong and beautiful yet frightening.
"If you can just grab hold of my outstretched arms then,
even though you're completely alone you can still smile."
Hibari maintained his gaze on the brunet as he sang those two lines, and Tsuna couldn't find a way to turn away. He was stuck; captivated even.
This is bad, Hibari-san. I thought I only wanted to be friends despite you being...you but...
I think I like you.
Songs:
1. Gokudera and Yamamoto: Ashita no Kioku by Arashi
2. Mukuro: Luna by Gackt
3. Hibari: Oasis by Gackt