Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano
(1) This is a fictional work, elements of the original work can be altered for better compatibility with this story.
(2) English is not my first language.
I hope you enjoy!
Gokudera Hayato couldn't say when he fell in love with Miura Haru. Maybe when he realized that she wasn't as useless as he believed, or maybe, when he realized that the loyalty she had for the Tenth was very similar to his. Maybe when he noticed how captivating her smile was or that even though she was annoying and they argued often, they both took pleasure in those discussions.
But being interested in her also made him deeply irritated. He was stuck in the same situation she had been in for years. He liked someone who already liked someone else. And if he judged Miura as stupid for not having declared herself properly to Tsuna when she had the chance, he had no intention of doing so. Even if she no longer had feelings for Tenth, she certainly wouldn't take him seriously.
Sasagawa Kyoko had declared herself to Sawada Tsunayoshi, and he had accepted, simple as that. And they started dating. The relationship between the two girls seemed considerably normal. Haru walked with the group as always and treated Tsuna as if nothing had changed. Gokudera no longer heard about being the mafia boss's wife and other nonsense she spoke, but her care and loyalty towards Tsuna hadn't changed absolutely anything. And as much as she continued to be annoyingly loud and smiling, Gokudera noticed how she looked away every time the Tenth and Sasagawa held hands or were more attentive to each other.
It was an ordinary day, they were coming home from school together. Tsuna was happily chatting with Kyoko, flanked by Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei and Haru. They passed in front of the girl's favorite cake shop, and she immediately stopped to look at the new items in the window. Her first instinct was to call Kyoko, but her friend was too focused on the conversation with her boyfriend.
"You're going to be left behind, woman." Gokudera complained, stopping next to her. It was so sudden that she let out a frightened 'Hahi'.
"Haru was just seeing what new cakes they have."
"Do you still have cake day or something?"
"Haru Appreciation Day." She corrected him.
"Whatever."
He watched as she analyzed the sweets in the shop window. The rest of the group continued walking, oblivious to the fact that they had stopped in front of the store. She smiled goofily at each candy she thought was delicious, and he couldn't deny that he found it charming. Despite all those easy smiles, he wasn't sure if she was okay. It had been weeks since Tsuna and Kyoko had started dating, and Haru hadn't said anything about it.
"You missed your window of opportunity, woman."
"What do you mean?" Haru stared at him without understanding.
"The Tenth."
"Did you come here just to make fun of me?" She grumbled, irritated.
She turned and walked again, a quick pace to catch up with the rest of the group. Gokudera paired up with her and they stayed in silence for a long time, the sounds of their own footsteps, the traffic and the laughter of the group who didn't seem to realize that they had walked away was the only thing between them. It was an uncomfortable silence, which made Gokudera anxious, he pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one. He took a long drag until his lungs were full and then exhaled slowly, letting the smoke spiral.
"Haru thought Gokudera-san had stopped this bad habit." She scolded.
"I only avoid smoking around Tenth." He responded by taking another drag. Tsuna was just a few steps ahead, it couldn't be considered a real distance, but that tension called for a cigarette and they were outdoors.
"But that's not good for you."
"It's not even good for you to pretend that everything is fine and suffer in silence." Gokudera stared at her.
"Hahi, Haru is not suffering." Her voice was firm and determined, as if everything really was okay. "Haru is just surprised."
"Surprise? You knew this was going to happen at one time or another."
"Haru knew." She took a long breath, as if she were choosing her words. "Haru knew about Tsuna-san's feelings, but Haru didn't expect Kyoko-chan to declare herself. She always seemed too oblivious to notice the affection Tsuna-san had for her." There was no anger in the voice, just disappointment.
"If you had taken the initiative first, it could have been you there." Gokudera said casually, but in his ears, the words didn't sound that way. It was as if he was sabotaging himself.
"And what could Haru do?"
"When Sasagawa went traveling with her family, you had Tenth's attention all to yourself. It was your chance to catch him." Gokudera took another drag.
"Catch him?"
"Let him know you liked him."
"But Haru always did it, subtly, like a lady."
"And what did that bring you?" He looked at her irritated. "You should have made it clear that you liked him. Kiss him, if necessary." Gokudera didn't know if he was saying the words to her, or to himself.
"Hahi! Haru would never do such a thing." Her cheeks flushed furiously at the idea. "Haru didn't want Tsuna-san to like her because he was seduced or forced, she wanted Tsuna-san to like her because he loves her."
"Drastic times call for desperate measures." He took another drag of his cigarette, trying to control the urge to yell at her.
He thought that behind all her smiles, she was hiding anger and sadness. But, as she had said, she wasn't hurting, not in the way he'd expected. She exuded a feeling of defeat, of someone who had lost a battle never even fought; but she wasn't depressed or broken, as he expected she would be.
"If Tsuna-san was just seduced, it would mean that it is something momentary and he would not truly love Haru." The girl concluded.
"So is it okay with you for them to be together?"
"Yes!" She responded promptly. "I mean, it hurt when Haru found out, but they're two precious friends to me, and if they're happy, I'm happy too."
"Tsk. If you say so."
"And what does that matter to you?"
"Hmm?"
"Haru wouldn't be surprised if you came here just to make fun of her. Haru knows that Gokudera-san is insensitive." He grimaced. "But you encourage Haru. Suspicious, desu!"
"What's suspicious about it, stupid woman?" But he couldn't deny that he looked suspicious. He had never approved Haru as Tenth's partner, even though he thought she had better skills than Sasagawa. Furthermore, encouraging the girl he liked to go after another guy was digging his own grave.
"Gokudera-san always found Haru irritating and that she only bothered Tsuna-san. So, you say that Haru should have taken extreme measures like kissing…" and the voice trailed off, embarrassed. Then her eyes lit up, as if realization had hit her, and she pulled herself together. "Only if Gokudera-san is in love with Kyoko-chan and you are sad that she is dating." Her voice took on that loud, boisterous tone, as if she had discovered a great secret.
"What?" Gokudera almost dropped the cigarette from his mouth.
Jesus, how had he fallen in love with such an idiotic woman?
"But if that's it, why don't you do what you suggested to Haru? If you like Kyoko you should tell her that, kiss her if necessary, to show her your feelings. Or do you not have the courage?" She teased. "It's easy to tell others to do it when you don't have the courage-"
Gokudera pulled her by the arm, dropping her bag in the process, and leaned over. He felt her tense up and opened her mouth in surprise when his green eyes got so close to hers. He placed his lips on hers and for a second, the sounds of footsteps, laughter and all the movement on the street seemed to disappear.
When they separated, Haru was so paralyzed that her cheeks didn't even blush. Chocolate eyes stared at him, trying to understand what had happened.
"I would have courage, woman. But I have no desire to do that with Sasagawa." He turned his attention to his cigarette, trying to mask the blush on his face.
"Gokudera-kun, Haru" Tsuna turned when he noticed that the two were standing on the sidewalk, far behind the group. "Everything is fine?"
"Haru dropped her bag." Haru replied, picking up her bag from the floor. "Haru is a lady, say things properly next time." She said,in a low tone, looking at him quickly, before joining the rest of the group.
Gokudera expected her to scream, cry, and be outraged by his thoughtless action. But had she said 'next time'? He took the last drag of his cigarette and his lips formed a half smile as the smoke rose towards the sky. He couldn't say when he fell in love with her, but he could say why.
N/T: 5986 is my OTP.
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