[fic] Three's a crowd, four's an epidemic
Title: Three’s a crowd, four’s an epidemic
Pairing: Yamamoto/Gokudera
Rating: PG-13 for language and mentions of sexual situations
Prompt: khrfest VI-12. Yamamoto/Gokudera - Double date; "Gokudera is way more funner to be with than my date"
Word Count: 3,446
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Amano Akira.
Summary: Tsuna thinks it might be a good idea for his two friends to get girlfriends, so he persuades them to go on a double date.
A/N: There are two OCs, so sorry if that bothers you.
A brisk, spring breeze blew across the roof, ruffling the hair of the three students who were enjoying their lunch period there. The new school year had started without a hitch, and Tsuna only had a few bruises leftover from Reborn’s training during the semester break. Although he had been worried about starting high school, Yamamoto and Gokudera had been assigned to the same class, so at least he wasn’t alone. Kyoko-chan was in a different class and had a different lunch break than the boys, but since they had started dating during the last semester of middle school, Tsuna saw her quite a bit after school. That meant, however, that he didn’t have as much free time to spend with his two best friends. Gokudera especially seemed a bit lost without his boss take care of all the time, and Tsuna often wondered if it wouldn’t be a good idea for the part-Italian to get a girlfriend, just to give him something to do…
Well, maybe ‘do’ wasn’t the right expression, but the point was that the bomber needed a healthy method of channeling his energies. Since the beginning of the school year he had been getting more and more restless, and Tsuna was worried he might wake up one morning to find half the school destroyed in a ‘mysterious’ explosion-or at least Yamamoto lying in a hospital with third degree burns.
The baseball player wasn’t helping the situation, either. Lately he had been hanging all over Gokudera and generally annoying the living daylights out of him. Maybe a girlfriend would be a good idea for Yamamoto, too. Sure he was busy with baseball, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about risking bodily injury every time he got touchy-feely.
Lost deep in thought about the well being of his friends, Tsuna failed to notice the two girls standing in front of them until one of them quietly cleared her throat. Yamamoto and Gokudera were already looking up at them, their faces adorned with a smile and a scowl respectively.
“What do you want?” spat Gokudera. Yamamoto raised his hands and said, “Now, now, Gokudera. You don’t have to be so rude, haha!”
Tsuna didn’t recognize the girls, so they must have transferred in from a different middle school. The shorter one shifted from foot to foot and twisted her hands before speaking up.
“Umm, Yamamoto-kun? Gokudera-kun? My name is Ikeda Yuuna, and this is Kojima Mitsuki.” The other girl bobbed her head in a small bow, her permed hair bouncing against her shoulders. “We were wondering if maybe you’d like to go out with us somewhere tomorrow? There’s a horror movie playing that we thought you might like to see.”
“It’s a foreign film,” Mitsuki added.
Ikeda glanced at her friend and continued. “Mm-hmm, and I’ve checked your training schedule, Yamamoto-kun, so I know you don’t have baseball practice.”
That’s not creepy at all… thought Tsuna, but he kept his mouth shut and let the girl continue.
“So if you don’t have anything else going on…”
Gokudera snorted. “Che, don’t think you can be so rude to the Tenth and get away with it. What makes you think you can just ask us out in front of him?”
“Well, Sawada-kun already has a girlfriend, so he won’t mind, right?” Tsuna nodded his head.
“So, would you like to go out with us on a double date tomorrow?” The girls’ hopeful eyes flicked back and forth between the two boys.
“Of course not,” Gokudera growled. “Get lost, you’re bothering the Tenth.”
Tsuna shook his head. “Ah, no, no, it’s really no bother at all. In fact, I think it might be a good idea for you two-not that I’d ever tell you what to do,” Tsuna backtracked. “It’s just…I mean, Kyoko-chan and I already have plans for Friday, so it’s not like we could hang out anyways…”
Yamamoto beamed. “Haha, I think it sounds like a good idea, too.” The girls began twitching in anticipation and turned expectantly to Gokudera. His eyebrows drew together as he tried to reconcile Tsuna’s suggestion with his own pride.
“W-well, if the Tenth wants us to, then…fine, I guess.”
“Great, then we’ll meet outside the arcade downtown at five o’clock tomorrow, okay?”
“Haha, sure! See you then!” Yamamoto said, and the girls scurried off the roof, giggling the entire way. The taller boy turned to Gokudera. “I think I know what movie they were talking about. It’s the one with that Italian actor, Jin Batsuoisu…”
“Jean Bartois? He’s French, you dumbass.”
“Yeah that one! Anyway, I think it will be fun,” Yamamoto replied, letting his arm fall across the silver haired boy’s shoulders. Gokudera shot him a death glare, and Tsuna hoped to all the gods that were listening that Saturday’s top news story wouldn’t be about a terrorist attack on downtown Namimori.
+++
The next evening found Gokudera wandering around the mall to pass the time before he had to meet up with the two girls and the idiot. He was looking at a jewelry display in one of the wide windows when someone attacked him from behind. Whipping around with a handful of dynamite ready to be stuffed down the perpetrator’s shirt, he was greeted by a grinning Yamamoto.
“Hi! You seem a bit edgy today. Nervous for our date?”
“Don’t fucking sneak up on me like that! And it’s not our date; it’s a double date. Don’t give people the wrong idea,” Gokudera hissed, glancing to see if anyone had heard Yamamoto.
“Haha yeah, that’s what I meant. Should we head over to the arcade now?” The two boys took the escalator up to the next level and saw the girls waiting on a bench near the coffee shop.
“Shit, what were their names?”
“Haha, I think they were Ikeda Yuuna and Kojima Masa-no, Mitsuki.” Yamamoto nudged Gokudera in the side with his elbow. “Loosen up, okay? This is supposed to be fun!” Gokudera was going to snap back with a reply, but the girls were already heading over to meet them, so he bit his tongue.
“Hi! Long time no see!” Yamamoto grinned, waving. The girls glanced at each other and giggled.
Ikeda, who seemed to be the more outgoing of the two, walked over to stand next to Yamamoto. “We thought that Mitsuki-chan could be Gokudera-kun’s date, and I could be your date, if that’s okay?”
Yamamoto shot a look at Gokudera, who was staring hole through the ground, before saying, “Sounds good to me!”
“Great!” she squeaked, grabbing Yamamoto’s elbow and practically dragging him into the arcade. Gokudera and Mitsuki trailed after them.
“Umm, thank you for this, Gokudera-kun,” the quiet girl mumbled, and the Italian wondered why she would want to go out with someone like him. Probably some bullshit about saving me from my delinquent ways he scoffed inwardly and watched as she fiddled with the bow on her skirt. When she looked up for a response, he just grunted.
“Hey, you two! Let’s all do purikura together!” Yuuna called from across the room.
“Ah, do you like purikura, Gokudera-kun?” Mitsuki asked, groping for a conversation topic as they walked toward the other couple.
“It’s a fucking waste of time.”
“Ooh, you two seem to be getting along!” Yuuna commented to her friend once they were near the photo booth.
“Haha, yeah,” Mitsuki said weakly. Yamamoto’s grin faltered for a second, and Gokudera raised an eyebrow. It was none of the idiot’s damn business if he wasn’t getting along with Koshima-Kojima-whatever her name was. He was only doing this to please the Tenth, so there was really no need to put forth any more effort than necessary.
Yuuna seemed to find the answer satisfactory and pushed them all into the booth. If she had seemed a little nervous on the roof the day before, it must have just been stage fright. The entire time they were having their pictures taken she was chattering away and clinging to Yamamoto’s arm like a koala. After taking a few group photos, she asked if she could take some photos alone with her date. Yamamoto looked a little uncomfortable about being in the booth alone with her, but Gokudera just smirked when the ball player shot him a pleading look.
Serves the clingy bastard right he thought and rolled his eyes at the incessant giggling coming from the machine. If she keeps that up, head are going to roll.
“Gokudera-kun, do you know the movie we’re going to see?” Mitsuki was gazing up at him through long lashes and twirled a lock of hair around one of her fingers. He supposed she was kind of pretty, but he’d never been one to care much about girls. He’d spent most of his adolescence doing hits for the Vongola and watching out for the Tenth; there hadn’t really been much time for distractions.
As such, he wasn’t particularly adept at talking to them, either. “Stop saying my fucking name. Who else would you be talking to?”
“Ah, sorry Goku-sorry. So, do you know the movie we’re seeing?”
Gokudera sighed. He might as well continue the conversation-it was better than having her stare at him like a sheep the entire night. “Not really. Yamamoto said it’s got Jean Bartois in it.”
“Right, that one. I knew it had an Italian actor, I just couldn’t remember his name.”
“He’s fucking French.”
“Oh…”
The conversation seemed eerily familiar, and Gokudera realized that Yamamoto had made the same mistake the day before. The only difference was that Mitsuki looked hurt by his bluntness, whereas Yamamoto had laughed it off as usual. He’d always found Yamamoto’s reactions annoyingly out of place, but this girl was almost worse.
Quit acting like your world is falling apart, stupid woman. It’s not like I insulted you or anything… Except that he had-he was just so used to being able to be rude to someone without upsetting them.
The awkward silence was broken when Yamamoto and Yuuna stepped out of the picture booth to check their photos. Gokudera caught a glimpse of one and was surprised that the girl’s smile was wider than Yamamoto’s. In fact, the black haired boy’s looked strained.
While the two girls twittered about the photos, Gokudera lightly punched Yamamoto’s shoulder. “What the hell were you doing in there so long, copping a feel?”
“Haha, no, but I think she tried to…”
Gokudera blushed for a second but quickly recovered. “Hn, now you know how it feels to be on the receiving end, idiot.”
This time it was Yamamoto’s turn to blush. “I’ve never tried to grab your butt.”
“Oh…she’s pretty bold.” It was really awkward talking to Yamamoto about this, especially with images of the annoying bitch squeezing his ass floating through his mind.
“Haha, yeah. You know, maybe this wasn’t such a go-“ They were interrupted when the girls turned back to them.
“So, do you want to take any pictures with Gokudera-kun?” Yuuna asked her friend.
Mitsuki shook her head. “N-no, it’s okay.” She glanced at Gokudera.
“Really? I’m sure Gokudera-kun wouldn’t mind.”
“Ah, no,” she said firmly, shaking her head again. “I mean, we can always do it another time.”
“Ooh, you’re already planning a second date?” Yuuna looked excitedly between Mitsuki, who kept her gaze on her shoes, and Gokudera, who scowled. Yamamoto’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Sh-shouldn’t we get our tickets for the movie now? It’s g-going to start soon,” Mitsuki stuttered, trying to change the topic.
“Oh yeah! Come on, Takeshi-kun!” Takeshi-kun? Damn, she moves fast, Gokudera thought moodily. He paused for a moment, wondering why he was so bothered by it. I should be happy about this; it means he’ll be out of my hair for a while.
“Are you coming, Goku-umm, are you coming?” His date was looking expectantly at him, so he pushed the thought out of his mind and followed her to the theater.
+++
In the dark of the cinema, the four students sat in various states of happiness and discomfort. Yamamoto ended up next to Gokudera in the middle with their dates flanking them. When the opening credits rolled, Yamamoto leaned over and whispered to Gokudera, “Haha, you were right, it is ‘Jean Bartois’,” pointing at the name on the screen.
“Of course I was right, dumbass,” Gokudera hissed, suppressing a shudder from the feel of the Japanese boy’s warm breath against his ear. “Now shut up and watch the movie.” He looked down during the first scene when Yamamoto placed his arm on the armrest next to Gokudera’s. Not wanting to give in, he didn’t move his own limb and just let the warmth of the other boy’s skin seep into his own. He heard Yamamoto draw a shaky breath.
During the graveyard scene, Yuuna jumped and gripped Yamamoto’s other arm, not letting go even when she was obviously no longer scared. Gokudera glanced at his own date. Her head was lolled back against the chair, and her eyes were closed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yuuna place a hand on one of Yamamoto’s knees. The boy’s arm tensed next to Gokudera’s, and he jumped out of his seat when she began sliding it up his thigh.
“I’m not feeling so well,” he mumbled, squeezing past Gokudera towards the aisle.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Yuuna asked with a note of hopefulness in her voice.
“No, no, you can enjoy the movie. I’ll just be in the bathroom for a little while.”
“Well, I hope you feel better soon.”
Gokudera was read to throttle her. How could she be so stupid? I mean, Yamamoto is an idiot, but this one really takes the cake. And what the hell was she thinking, feeling him up when I’m sitting right here? Gokudera paused in his thoughts. It’s not like the baseball freak isn’t allowed to do that kind of shit with a girl, but in public?
Actually, the thought of Yamamoto with Yuuna at all was making his stomach boil, and he almost considered joining the dumbass in the bathroom. The only thing stopping him was the fact that he had already paid for his ticket, and he hated to waste money.
So much for not wasting money, he fumed, glancing at his sleeping date. He had bought her ticket, too.
+++
They met Yamamoto in the lobby after the movie. Yuuna raced up to him and clutched at his arm. “Are you feeling okay now? Do you want to come over to my house? I can make you umeboshi if you want, Takeshi-kun.” Gokudera amended the koala simile in his mind; she was clinging to Yamamoto like a goddamn barnacle. She was one of the most forward people he’d met since coming to Japan a few years ago, too. Actually, the only person he’d met who could rival this girl’s modus operandi was Shamal, and that pervert was practically a professional at what he did, for fucks sake!
“Umm, you don’t have to do anything like that. I’m already feeling a little better,” Yamamoto answered, scratching his hair. He turned to Gokudera. “So how was the movie?”
“It was so scary without you there!”
Gokudera glared at Yuuna and grunted. “Meh, it was okay. Bartois has better films out there.”
“Really? You’ll have to show me them some time.”
Yuuna tried desperately to bring Yamamoto’s attention back to her. “Oh, are you talking about Jin Batsuoisu, that Italian actor? He’s dreamy, but not at handsome as you, Takeshi-kun!”
Gokudera felt his eye twitch, but before he had a chance to explode, Yamamoto had already piped up.
“He’s French, and his name is Jean Bartois,” Yamamoto said, carefully forming his mouth around the foreign syllables. “Gokudera told me.”
“Oh. Well, Italian, French-it all sounds the same to me,” she huffed.
“No, Italian definitely sounds cooler.” Yamamoto laughed and clapped Gokudera on the back. “When Gokudera speaks it, he sounds like suave mafioso, haha!”
“That’s not good. Mafioso are criminals,” Mitsuki said quietly. Gokudera had forgotten she was even there.
I’m going to have a fucking aneurysm.
“Wait, where are you going, Gokudera?” Yamamoto called after him, but he didn’t even bother to look up as he rode the escalator down to the ground floor.
+++
Yamamoto finally caught up to Gokudera outside the grocery store down the street from the mall.
“Why the fuck are you here? Shouldn’t you be back there with your new girl friend,” Gokudera spat. He knew Yuuna had made Yamamoto uncomfortable, and that he sounded like a spoiled child, but seeing that damn woman with the idiot just made his skin crawl.
“Gokudera is way more fun to be with than her!”
Gokudera tried to punch him in the nose, but Yamamto’s reflexes were too well honed. He caught the Italian’s fist and gently lowered it before letting go.
“She’s not my girl friend.”
Growling, the part Italian boy turned away. “Like I give a fuck. Why are you following me when you could be humping her right now back at her house? Maybe she’ll make you some goddamn umeboshi afterwards.”
This time Yamamoto lunged at Gokudera, but he didn’t try to hit him. Instead, he grabbed the shorter boy’s wrist and yanked him around so they were standing face to face.
“You think I’d just go to bed with anyone who looks my way? I really hope that’s not what you think of me!”
Gokudera struggled in the stronger boy’s grip. “Ow-that hurts, Yamamoto!”
“Ah, sorry,” the Japanese boy dropped his arm and hung his head. “I just want you to know that I’d never sleep with just anybody. I want to wait to have sex with someone I love who loves me back.” He smiled weakly. “That makes me sound pretty girly, doesn’t it?”
“No, it makes you not sound like a whore.” Gokudera rubbed his wrist. “Look, sorry about what I said before. It’s been a bad day.”
Yamamoto stretched his arms out behind him. “You know, it wasn’t a terrible date.”
Gokudera stared at him incredulously. “That Ikeda woman kept trying to molest you!”
“Haha, yeah, but I understand why.” Yamamoto laughed sheepishly and leaned closer to Gokudera. “When you like someone, you want to touch them all the time.” His elbow bumped Gokudera’s.
It was suddenly harder to breath. Gokudera stared pointedly away.
Yamamoto continued after a moment. “Besides, I wasn’t talking about Ikeda-san…”
“Are you talking about my date with Koshima? ‘Cause that was a fucking disaster.”
The dark haired boy shook his head. “No, not Kojima-san, either. I mean, we got to see the movie together, right?”
“What are you talking about? You were hiding in the bathroom during half of it.”
“Yeah, but I got to see the first half with you.”
The world turned, and suddenly everything fell into place-the touches, the looks, the words, everything. Gokudera gaped.
“You like me,” he said, stating the obvious.
Yamamoto nodded. “Yeah. For a long time now.” He rubbed the back of his head and looked past Gokudera’s right hip. “Haha, sorry.”
“You like me, and you were jealous of Koshima.”
“Kojima,” the taller boy corrected. “And yeah, so you noticed?”
Gokudera shook his head slowly. “Why would you agree to go on a date when you already had someone you liked?”
This time Yamamoto grinned warmly. “Because I knew you’d be there.”
“You’re a fucking idiot.”
“Haha, I know.”
Snorting, the bomber turned away and continued walking down the street. He glanced back after a few seconds to see Yamamoto still standing in the same spot. “Well, aren’t you coming? I was going to cook some fettuccine, and I think I have another one of Bartois’s films, if you’re interested.”
Yamamoto’s eyes widened, and he jogged after Gokudera with a smile brighter than the moon above. Throwing an arm over his friend’s thin shoulders, he pulled the other boy close to him. “This really was a good first date!”
Gokudera scoffed. “It doesn’t count as a first date if we spent most of it with a couple of deranged girls.”
“Then what are you doing tomorrow?”
“Hanging out with the Tenth, obviously. I need to see him sometime this weekend.”
Yamamoto looked thoughtful. “We should go on a double date with Tsuna and Sasagawa-san sometime.” He doubled over with laughter when Gokudera began to sputter and didn’t stop until they’d arrived at the other boy’s apartment. After that, he didn’t say much for a while. His father had always taught him not to talk with your mouth full.
A/N: Purikura are popular photo booths in Japan. Umeboshi are dried pickled plums; they are a common dish to make for someone who’s sick, similar to chicken noodle soup in the U.S. And I made Jean Bartois up, so don’t try to look for any of his movies ^^
Pairing: Yamamoto/Gokudera
Rating: PG-13 for language and mentions of sexual situations
Prompt: khrfest VI-12. Yamamoto/Gokudera - Double date; "Gokudera is way more funner to be with than my date"
Word Count: 3,446
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Amano Akira.
Summary: Tsuna thinks it might be a good idea for his two friends to get girlfriends, so he persuades them to go on a double date.
A/N: There are two OCs, so sorry if that bothers you.
A brisk, spring breeze blew across the roof, ruffling the hair of the three students who were enjoying their lunch period there. The new school year had started without a hitch, and Tsuna only had a few bruises leftover from Reborn’s training during the semester break. Although he had been worried about starting high school, Yamamoto and Gokudera had been assigned to the same class, so at least he wasn’t alone. Kyoko-chan was in a different class and had a different lunch break than the boys, but since they had started dating during the last semester of middle school, Tsuna saw her quite a bit after school. That meant, however, that he didn’t have as much free time to spend with his two best friends. Gokudera especially seemed a bit lost without his boss take care of all the time, and Tsuna often wondered if it wouldn’t be a good idea for the part-Italian to get a girlfriend, just to give him something to do…
Well, maybe ‘do’ wasn’t the right expression, but the point was that the bomber needed a healthy method of channeling his energies. Since the beginning of the school year he had been getting more and more restless, and Tsuna was worried he might wake up one morning to find half the school destroyed in a ‘mysterious’ explosion-or at least Yamamoto lying in a hospital with third degree burns.
The baseball player wasn’t helping the situation, either. Lately he had been hanging all over Gokudera and generally annoying the living daylights out of him. Maybe a girlfriend would be a good idea for Yamamoto, too. Sure he was busy with baseball, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about risking bodily injury every time he got touchy-feely.
Lost deep in thought about the well being of his friends, Tsuna failed to notice the two girls standing in front of them until one of them quietly cleared her throat. Yamamoto and Gokudera were already looking up at them, their faces adorned with a smile and a scowl respectively.
“What do you want?” spat Gokudera. Yamamoto raised his hands and said, “Now, now, Gokudera. You don’t have to be so rude, haha!”
Tsuna didn’t recognize the girls, so they must have transferred in from a different middle school. The shorter one shifted from foot to foot and twisted her hands before speaking up.
“Umm, Yamamoto-kun? Gokudera-kun? My name is Ikeda Yuuna, and this is Kojima Mitsuki.” The other girl bobbed her head in a small bow, her permed hair bouncing against her shoulders. “We were wondering if maybe you’d like to go out with us somewhere tomorrow? There’s a horror movie playing that we thought you might like to see.”
“It’s a foreign film,” Mitsuki added.
Ikeda glanced at her friend and continued. “Mm-hmm, and I’ve checked your training schedule, Yamamoto-kun, so I know you don’t have baseball practice.”
That’s not creepy at all… thought Tsuna, but he kept his mouth shut and let the girl continue.
“So if you don’t have anything else going on…”
Gokudera snorted. “Che, don’t think you can be so rude to the Tenth and get away with it. What makes you think you can just ask us out in front of him?”
“Well, Sawada-kun already has a girlfriend, so he won’t mind, right?” Tsuna nodded his head.
“So, would you like to go out with us on a double date tomorrow?” The girls’ hopeful eyes flicked back and forth between the two boys.
“Of course not,” Gokudera growled. “Get lost, you’re bothering the Tenth.”
Tsuna shook his head. “Ah, no, no, it’s really no bother at all. In fact, I think it might be a good idea for you two-not that I’d ever tell you what to do,” Tsuna backtracked. “It’s just…I mean, Kyoko-chan and I already have plans for Friday, so it’s not like we could hang out anyways…”
Yamamoto beamed. “Haha, I think it sounds like a good idea, too.” The girls began twitching in anticipation and turned expectantly to Gokudera. His eyebrows drew together as he tried to reconcile Tsuna’s suggestion with his own pride.
“W-well, if the Tenth wants us to, then…fine, I guess.”
“Great, then we’ll meet outside the arcade downtown at five o’clock tomorrow, okay?”
“Haha, sure! See you then!” Yamamoto said, and the girls scurried off the roof, giggling the entire way. The taller boy turned to Gokudera. “I think I know what movie they were talking about. It’s the one with that Italian actor, Jin Batsuoisu…”
“Jean Bartois? He’s French, you dumbass.”
“Yeah that one! Anyway, I think it will be fun,” Yamamoto replied, letting his arm fall across the silver haired boy’s shoulders. Gokudera shot him a death glare, and Tsuna hoped to all the gods that were listening that Saturday’s top news story wouldn’t be about a terrorist attack on downtown Namimori.
+++
The next evening found Gokudera wandering around the mall to pass the time before he had to meet up with the two girls and the idiot. He was looking at a jewelry display in one of the wide windows when someone attacked him from behind. Whipping around with a handful of dynamite ready to be stuffed down the perpetrator’s shirt, he was greeted by a grinning Yamamoto.
“Hi! You seem a bit edgy today. Nervous for our date?”
“Don’t fucking sneak up on me like that! And it’s not our date; it’s a double date. Don’t give people the wrong idea,” Gokudera hissed, glancing to see if anyone had heard Yamamoto.
“Haha yeah, that’s what I meant. Should we head over to the arcade now?” The two boys took the escalator up to the next level and saw the girls waiting on a bench near the coffee shop.
“Shit, what were their names?”
“Haha, I think they were Ikeda Yuuna and Kojima Masa-no, Mitsuki.” Yamamoto nudged Gokudera in the side with his elbow. “Loosen up, okay? This is supposed to be fun!” Gokudera was going to snap back with a reply, but the girls were already heading over to meet them, so he bit his tongue.
“Hi! Long time no see!” Yamamoto grinned, waving. The girls glanced at each other and giggled.
Ikeda, who seemed to be the more outgoing of the two, walked over to stand next to Yamamoto. “We thought that Mitsuki-chan could be Gokudera-kun’s date, and I could be your date, if that’s okay?”
Yamamoto shot a look at Gokudera, who was staring hole through the ground, before saying, “Sounds good to me!”
“Great!” she squeaked, grabbing Yamamoto’s elbow and practically dragging him into the arcade. Gokudera and Mitsuki trailed after them.
“Umm, thank you for this, Gokudera-kun,” the quiet girl mumbled, and the Italian wondered why she would want to go out with someone like him. Probably some bullshit about saving me from my delinquent ways he scoffed inwardly and watched as she fiddled with the bow on her skirt. When she looked up for a response, he just grunted.
“Hey, you two! Let’s all do purikura together!” Yuuna called from across the room.
“Ah, do you like purikura, Gokudera-kun?” Mitsuki asked, groping for a conversation topic as they walked toward the other couple.
“It’s a fucking waste of time.”
“Ooh, you two seem to be getting along!” Yuuna commented to her friend once they were near the photo booth.
“Haha, yeah,” Mitsuki said weakly. Yamamoto’s grin faltered for a second, and Gokudera raised an eyebrow. It was none of the idiot’s damn business if he wasn’t getting along with Koshima-Kojima-whatever her name was. He was only doing this to please the Tenth, so there was really no need to put forth any more effort than necessary.
Yuuna seemed to find the answer satisfactory and pushed them all into the booth. If she had seemed a little nervous on the roof the day before, it must have just been stage fright. The entire time they were having their pictures taken she was chattering away and clinging to Yamamoto’s arm like a koala. After taking a few group photos, she asked if she could take some photos alone with her date. Yamamoto looked a little uncomfortable about being in the booth alone with her, but Gokudera just smirked when the ball player shot him a pleading look.
Serves the clingy bastard right he thought and rolled his eyes at the incessant giggling coming from the machine. If she keeps that up, head are going to roll.
“Gokudera-kun, do you know the movie we’re going to see?” Mitsuki was gazing up at him through long lashes and twirled a lock of hair around one of her fingers. He supposed she was kind of pretty, but he’d never been one to care much about girls. He’d spent most of his adolescence doing hits for the Vongola and watching out for the Tenth; there hadn’t really been much time for distractions.
As such, he wasn’t particularly adept at talking to them, either. “Stop saying my fucking name. Who else would you be talking to?”
“Ah, sorry Goku-sorry. So, do you know the movie we’re seeing?”
Gokudera sighed. He might as well continue the conversation-it was better than having her stare at him like a sheep the entire night. “Not really. Yamamoto said it’s got Jean Bartois in it.”
“Right, that one. I knew it had an Italian actor, I just couldn’t remember his name.”
“He’s fucking French.”
“Oh…”
The conversation seemed eerily familiar, and Gokudera realized that Yamamoto had made the same mistake the day before. The only difference was that Mitsuki looked hurt by his bluntness, whereas Yamamoto had laughed it off as usual. He’d always found Yamamoto’s reactions annoyingly out of place, but this girl was almost worse.
Quit acting like your world is falling apart, stupid woman. It’s not like I insulted you or anything… Except that he had-he was just so used to being able to be rude to someone without upsetting them.
The awkward silence was broken when Yamamoto and Yuuna stepped out of the picture booth to check their photos. Gokudera caught a glimpse of one and was surprised that the girl’s smile was wider than Yamamoto’s. In fact, the black haired boy’s looked strained.
While the two girls twittered about the photos, Gokudera lightly punched Yamamoto’s shoulder. “What the hell were you doing in there so long, copping a feel?”
“Haha, no, but I think she tried to…”
Gokudera blushed for a second but quickly recovered. “Hn, now you know how it feels to be on the receiving end, idiot.”
This time it was Yamamoto’s turn to blush. “I’ve never tried to grab your butt.”
“Oh…she’s pretty bold.” It was really awkward talking to Yamamoto about this, especially with images of the annoying bitch squeezing his ass floating through his mind.
“Haha, yeah. You know, maybe this wasn’t such a go-“ They were interrupted when the girls turned back to them.
“So, do you want to take any pictures with Gokudera-kun?” Yuuna asked her friend.
Mitsuki shook her head. “N-no, it’s okay.” She glanced at Gokudera.
“Really? I’m sure Gokudera-kun wouldn’t mind.”
“Ah, no,” she said firmly, shaking her head again. “I mean, we can always do it another time.”
“Ooh, you’re already planning a second date?” Yuuna looked excitedly between Mitsuki, who kept her gaze on her shoes, and Gokudera, who scowled. Yamamoto’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Sh-shouldn’t we get our tickets for the movie now? It’s g-going to start soon,” Mitsuki stuttered, trying to change the topic.
“Oh yeah! Come on, Takeshi-kun!” Takeshi-kun? Damn, she moves fast, Gokudera thought moodily. He paused for a moment, wondering why he was so bothered by it. I should be happy about this; it means he’ll be out of my hair for a while.
“Are you coming, Goku-umm, are you coming?” His date was looking expectantly at him, so he pushed the thought out of his mind and followed her to the theater.
+++
In the dark of the cinema, the four students sat in various states of happiness and discomfort. Yamamoto ended up next to Gokudera in the middle with their dates flanking them. When the opening credits rolled, Yamamoto leaned over and whispered to Gokudera, “Haha, you were right, it is ‘Jean Bartois’,” pointing at the name on the screen.
“Of course I was right, dumbass,” Gokudera hissed, suppressing a shudder from the feel of the Japanese boy’s warm breath against his ear. “Now shut up and watch the movie.” He looked down during the first scene when Yamamoto placed his arm on the armrest next to Gokudera’s. Not wanting to give in, he didn’t move his own limb and just let the warmth of the other boy’s skin seep into his own. He heard Yamamoto draw a shaky breath.
During the graveyard scene, Yuuna jumped and gripped Yamamoto’s other arm, not letting go even when she was obviously no longer scared. Gokudera glanced at his own date. Her head was lolled back against the chair, and her eyes were closed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yuuna place a hand on one of Yamamoto’s knees. The boy’s arm tensed next to Gokudera’s, and he jumped out of his seat when she began sliding it up his thigh.
“I’m not feeling so well,” he mumbled, squeezing past Gokudera towards the aisle.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Yuuna asked with a note of hopefulness in her voice.
“No, no, you can enjoy the movie. I’ll just be in the bathroom for a little while.”
“Well, I hope you feel better soon.”
Gokudera was read to throttle her. How could she be so stupid? I mean, Yamamoto is an idiot, but this one really takes the cake. And what the hell was she thinking, feeling him up when I’m sitting right here? Gokudera paused in his thoughts. It’s not like the baseball freak isn’t allowed to do that kind of shit with a girl, but in public?
Actually, the thought of Yamamoto with Yuuna at all was making his stomach boil, and he almost considered joining the dumbass in the bathroom. The only thing stopping him was the fact that he had already paid for his ticket, and he hated to waste money.
So much for not wasting money, he fumed, glancing at his sleeping date. He had bought her ticket, too.
+++
They met Yamamoto in the lobby after the movie. Yuuna raced up to him and clutched at his arm. “Are you feeling okay now? Do you want to come over to my house? I can make you umeboshi if you want, Takeshi-kun.” Gokudera amended the koala simile in his mind; she was clinging to Yamamoto like a goddamn barnacle. She was one of the most forward people he’d met since coming to Japan a few years ago, too. Actually, the only person he’d met who could rival this girl’s modus operandi was Shamal, and that pervert was practically a professional at what he did, for fucks sake!
“Umm, you don’t have to do anything like that. I’m already feeling a little better,” Yamamoto answered, scratching his hair. He turned to Gokudera. “So how was the movie?”
“It was so scary without you there!”
Gokudera glared at Yuuna and grunted. “Meh, it was okay. Bartois has better films out there.”
“Really? You’ll have to show me them some time.”
Yuuna tried desperately to bring Yamamoto’s attention back to her. “Oh, are you talking about Jin Batsuoisu, that Italian actor? He’s dreamy, but not at handsome as you, Takeshi-kun!”
Gokudera felt his eye twitch, but before he had a chance to explode, Yamamoto had already piped up.
“He’s French, and his name is Jean Bartois,” Yamamoto said, carefully forming his mouth around the foreign syllables. “Gokudera told me.”
“Oh. Well, Italian, French-it all sounds the same to me,” she huffed.
“No, Italian definitely sounds cooler.” Yamamoto laughed and clapped Gokudera on the back. “When Gokudera speaks it, he sounds like suave mafioso, haha!”
“That’s not good. Mafioso are criminals,” Mitsuki said quietly. Gokudera had forgotten she was even there.
I’m going to have a fucking aneurysm.
“Wait, where are you going, Gokudera?” Yamamoto called after him, but he didn’t even bother to look up as he rode the escalator down to the ground floor.
+++
Yamamoto finally caught up to Gokudera outside the grocery store down the street from the mall.
“Why the fuck are you here? Shouldn’t you be back there with your new girl friend,” Gokudera spat. He knew Yuuna had made Yamamoto uncomfortable, and that he sounded like a spoiled child, but seeing that damn woman with the idiot just made his skin crawl.
“Gokudera is way more fun to be with than her!”
Gokudera tried to punch him in the nose, but Yamamto’s reflexes were too well honed. He caught the Italian’s fist and gently lowered it before letting go.
“She’s not my girl friend.”
Growling, the part Italian boy turned away. “Like I give a fuck. Why are you following me when you could be humping her right now back at her house? Maybe she’ll make you some goddamn umeboshi afterwards.”
This time Yamamoto lunged at Gokudera, but he didn’t try to hit him. Instead, he grabbed the shorter boy’s wrist and yanked him around so they were standing face to face.
“You think I’d just go to bed with anyone who looks my way? I really hope that’s not what you think of me!”
Gokudera struggled in the stronger boy’s grip. “Ow-that hurts, Yamamoto!”
“Ah, sorry,” the Japanese boy dropped his arm and hung his head. “I just want you to know that I’d never sleep with just anybody. I want to wait to have sex with someone I love who loves me back.” He smiled weakly. “That makes me sound pretty girly, doesn’t it?”
“No, it makes you not sound like a whore.” Gokudera rubbed his wrist. “Look, sorry about what I said before. It’s been a bad day.”
Yamamoto stretched his arms out behind him. “You know, it wasn’t a terrible date.”
Gokudera stared at him incredulously. “That Ikeda woman kept trying to molest you!”
“Haha, yeah, but I understand why.” Yamamoto laughed sheepishly and leaned closer to Gokudera. “When you like someone, you want to touch them all the time.” His elbow bumped Gokudera’s.
It was suddenly harder to breath. Gokudera stared pointedly away.
Yamamoto continued after a moment. “Besides, I wasn’t talking about Ikeda-san…”
“Are you talking about my date with Koshima? ‘Cause that was a fucking disaster.”
The dark haired boy shook his head. “No, not Kojima-san, either. I mean, we got to see the movie together, right?”
“What are you talking about? You were hiding in the bathroom during half of it.”
“Yeah, but I got to see the first half with you.”
The world turned, and suddenly everything fell into place-the touches, the looks, the words, everything. Gokudera gaped.
“You like me,” he said, stating the obvious.
Yamamoto nodded. “Yeah. For a long time now.” He rubbed the back of his head and looked past Gokudera’s right hip. “Haha, sorry.”
“You like me, and you were jealous of Koshima.”
“Kojima,” the taller boy corrected. “And yeah, so you noticed?”
Gokudera shook his head slowly. “Why would you agree to go on a date when you already had someone you liked?”
This time Yamamoto grinned warmly. “Because I knew you’d be there.”
“You’re a fucking idiot.”
“Haha, I know.”
Snorting, the bomber turned away and continued walking down the street. He glanced back after a few seconds to see Yamamoto still standing in the same spot. “Well, aren’t you coming? I was going to cook some fettuccine, and I think I have another one of Bartois’s films, if you’re interested.”
Yamamoto’s eyes widened, and he jogged after Gokudera with a smile brighter than the moon above. Throwing an arm over his friend’s thin shoulders, he pulled the other boy close to him. “This really was a good first date!”
Gokudera scoffed. “It doesn’t count as a first date if we spent most of it with a couple of deranged girls.”
“Then what are you doing tomorrow?”
“Hanging out with the Tenth, obviously. I need to see him sometime this weekend.”
Yamamoto looked thoughtful. “We should go on a double date with Tsuna and Sasagawa-san sometime.” He doubled over with laughter when Gokudera began to sputter and didn’t stop until they’d arrived at the other boy’s apartment. After that, he didn’t say much for a while. His father had always taught him not to talk with your mouth full.
A/N: Purikura are popular photo booths in Japan. Umeboshi are dried pickled plums; they are a common dish to make for someone who’s sick, similar to chicken noodle soup in the U.S. And I made Jean Bartois up, so don’t try to look for any of his movies ^^