Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Lambo, watch out!” He throws a mini dynamite to block his path, and the car that speeds past him has the nerve to honk. “Stick your permit up your ass you bastard! And flush yourself with it!”

This is a resident area, doesn’t this fucker know? Who’s the stupid shithead who gives people like that permit? Maybe Gokudera should stick a dynamite up his ass as a public service.

Lambo laughs, rolling on the floor. “Stick it up your ass, stick it up your ass!”

“Shut up stupid cow, can’t you look where you’re going?” Gokudera tch-s, carries him up the wall beside him by the hair. “Just stay up there alright?”

“The Great Lambo’s Super Kick!” Lambo hits him square in his jaw, and his cigarette flies right out of his mouth. “Don’t give The Great Lambo orders Stupidera. Mama and Tsuna-nii don’t like you to smoke so The Great Lambo made you stop.”

“You little—” Lambo jumps down, escapes the hands trying to catch him.

“The Great Lambo’s Super Super Kick!”

He hits his shin this time, and his foot almost gives out. Gokudera doesn’t jump up and down out of sheer pride only.

Did the stupid cow just hit him with a flames enhanced foot?

Lambo chokes on his laugh when Gokudera brings his fist down his head. He grabs him by the hair again.

“You want to do the swing, don’t you? I’m going to make you swing, stupid cow.”

Lambo immediately fake cries, flails his limbs frantically. “Stupidera, let me go! The Great Lambo will make you cry otherwise!" Gokudera still takes his momentum. "Stupidera I’m gonna tell Tsuna-nii, I’m gonna tell him, I’m gonna tell him!”

Gokudera pauses. Damn, this annoying brat. His whole body twitches to throw him as far as he can, but the Tenth…

He can’t make him worry over things like that.

He holds Lambo at arm’s length. “Listen stupid cow—”

“Drop The Great Lambo first!”

Gokudera’s body twitches some more. He brings him closer to his face to maximize the effect of his glare. “Listen—”

Lambo smacks his cheek with a snot covered hand. Gokudera smash dunks him to the concrete floor. He lights another cigarette and walks away, Lambo’s cries like the sweetest music in his ears.

They make it to the park, filled with children and parents like all the others Sunday afternoons. Lambo sniffles, and he’s sure he’s drawing out his tears until he makes him feel guilty.

Good luck with that.

“Stupidera, Stupidera,” he sings in between sniffles and hiccups, “who’s the meanest person in the world? Stupidera is, Meanie Stupidera... The Great Lambo will forgive Stupidera only if he buys him ice-cream…”

Gokudera glances at the ice-truck near the fountain, and tsk-s. He still makes his way over it, but only because he craves some ice-cream. Nothing else.

Lambo immediately becomes his noisy self, latches on his leg, and he rolls his eyes.

“Good afternoon sir, what flavors do you wish?”

“Pistachio-caramel for me. And grapes flavored for this stupid cow, but I don’t suppose you have this one?”

The man smiles in a way that tells him he doesn’t, and he waits for Lambo to kick a fuss and gives an annoying temper tantrum. He doesn’t.

“Stupid cow, just choose another flavor already.” He nudges him, but Lambo stays oddly still, oddly quiet, isn’t even looking his way.

Gokudera follows his gaze to the mother and child beside the fountain.

“You got your dress all wet Miko-chan. I told you to be careful, didn’t I?”

“Sorry mum,” the child says in a tone that doesn’t sound sorry at all.

Her mum pinches her cheeks fondly, crinkles of amusement at the corner  of her eyes. “It’s okay, but we’re going home now so you can change.” She kisses the top of her head, and offers her hand.

Lambo watches them go, his eyes heavy with something that resonates too deep into Gokudera.

He sees a silvered haired child in his stead for a second, looking at his sister from aside being thrown in the air by his father, his mother’s laugh filling the air.

He sighs. “A strawberry-vanilla for him please.”

Gokudera crouches. “Stupid cow, here’s your ice-cream.”

Lambo finally looks at him again, but only because the mother and child left the park. “The Great Lambo isn’t stupid, Stupidera is.”

“Yeah, yeah, just hurry up to eat before it melts.” Lambo takes a lick, looking like it’s the saddest thing he ever had to do. Gokudera sighs again. “Come up here.”

Lambo blinks. “What?”

“You heard me, don’t make me repeat myself. The swing is taken from now, come up here.”

Lambo doesn’t need to be told twice, and if there’s one thing about him Gokudera is begrudgingly fascinated with, it’s how fast his mood can change.

He climbs on him, up to his head when Gokudera meant his shoulder, somehow not smearing ice-cream everywhere on the both of them.

“Watch out!”

“The Great Lambo can do what he wants.” He jumps, laughing like he just heard the funniest joke, and he’s letting his flames loose again.

Gokudera winces. “Sit down or I’m bringing you down.”

Lambo obeys but then he’s pulling on his hair, hard and insistent. “Come on Horse-dera, faster, faster! Run!”

“Stop pulling on my hair!” Gokudera starts walking, only walking for now because he didn’t buy ice-cream just so they could spill it. “And you better not let your ice-cream melt on my head.”

“Stupidera, Stupidera,” Lambo sings, not listening, and he bites annoyingly on his ice-cream, “who’s the puppiest lap dog of Tsuna-nii? Stupidera is, Lap Dog Stupidera.”

Gokudera sharply inhales. He channels the Yamamoto in him, except there’s no such Yamamoto persona in him, and prays the god above to give him patience.

“Stupid cow, I swear if it weren’t for the laws of this land…”

Lambo sings louder.