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The rain guardian was crossing the main hall of the headquarters when a very familiar face came into view. The question he was about to give died at the tip of his tongue when, a beat later, he recognized the features that set this face apart from the one belonging to the man he shared bed with, starting with the lack of a scowl on his eyebrows, the brown irises, gentle smile plastered on his lips and red tang suit he wore.
''Fon-san!" He walked to the man, who halted near the entrance when he heard the call. "What a surprise to see you around. How have you been?''. Yamamoto reached him in five long strides. Fon greeted him with a small bow, which the swordsman copied out of respect.
"Takeshi-kun, good to see you. How have you been?" He inquired, polite as ever. "And my grandnephew? Hope he hasn't been too much of a hassle lately."
"I've been good, thank you. Kyoya isn't in the country, so not quite, haha." Takeshi scratched his nape, laughing at his own joke. Kyoya wasn't a hassle, not really, just difficult to handle if you didn't know when to step up or down, which wasn’t his case after so many years of trial and error, and plenty of biting to death .
"Oh, where has he been then? On a mission?" The man played with his braided hair, draped over his shoulder in a line that ends over his belly.
The stark contrast from the short, spiky hair of his boyfriend was like day and night. It was an unspoken custom among the Hibaris, men and women, to keep their hair short and out of the way for fighting. The younger generations were laxer around the rules and those who deferred it altogether tended to wear it in long, slick ponytails or tight braids, the latter being preferred by Fon and Kyoya's oldest brother.
"Japan! Nah, just handlin' a few matters with the Foundation that he didn't want me to pry on. He'll be coming back tomorrow mornin', hopefully." That's what he told Takeshi in a short message and he always kept his word.
Yamamoto made a mental note to stop by the grocery store to restock tofu and eggplant for tomorrow's breakfast.
"What are you doing here tho? You stay with the Varia when you come here, not that you're not welcome in the HQ, it's great that you passed by.''
"Why, thank you. I'm honored to be received with such contentment." When Fon smiled so candidly, Takeshi felt the colors jump to his face. It didn’t help that the man shared the same height as Yamamoto, which made it difficult to avoid eye contact without giving away his predicament so obviously.
Fon always got a good laugh out of it. Yamamoto felt like he sometimes did it on purpose, especially when Kyoya was around to lash like an overgrown cat.
It was stupid since it was impossible that something actually happened between the former Arcobaleno and the swordsman. They were both deeply involved in their respective relationships and don't get Takeshi started on the almost criminal age gap between them. As much as the man was a cookie cutter copy of his boyfriend, the mere notion of them having something was disturbing at least.
"... But I'm not staying, I was just paying a visit to an old friend. I was about to take my leave." He spoke to Takeshi in a soft voice that had him thinking how much he had been missing his partner over the last two months.
His side of the bed had run cold long ago, his apartment felt way too big and Gokudera got tired of him interrupting his work so he barred Takeshi's entrance to his office and house.
His longing may have been too apparent in his eyes because Fon cleared his throat and made a proposal.
"Though, now that you're here, I'd like to keep speaking with you and hear how Kyoya is doing. Maybe we could have a walk around the gardens if you're available for the next hour." He showed teeth in a small smile to seal the deal. Yamamoto was left awestruck for a couple of seconds. The chinese giggled and Yamamoto was pulled back to reality.
"I'd love too-!" He coughed into his palm, "I mean, yes, I'd like that too."
"Excellent."
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Talking to Fon was easy. The man carried himself with a wise air and nonjudgmental eyes that made you feel you could confide him any problem. They walked to the Vongola gardens and spoke about trivial matters on the way, like Fon's trips around East Asia, I-Pin's training, Yamamoto's work troubles, Kyoya's life updates... Takeshi felt at ease talking to him.
He was a hell of a good listener, never pushed for an answer unless it was necessary, was patient, and always seemed to have the correct advice for each trouble.
However, that was partly the reason he drove Hibari up the wall, as he tended to dish him unsolicited advice whenever they meet. Takeshi didn't mind at all, but Hibari certainly did and made him aware of so several times, violently.
"-and then she tried to chase after him to sell him that china set! Persistent gal, gotta give her that, I've never seen a vendor not scared enough of Kyoya to pursue him for a sale, haha!" Fon laughed as well and Takeshi felt his cheeks warm again, because damn- Hibari would look way too cute laughing freely like that.
"I've spent all this while talkin' about me." Kyoya would have probably smacked him for oversharing, but what could be do? "Why don't you tell me how things have been goin' in your end with Mammon?"
"Don't worry, I like listening to you." Fon tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "We've been good. The last time we traveled together to China- I showed her the dojo where I grew up... I'm hoping next time they dare to show me the dear place where she spent her infant years. Not curse-infant, but kid-infant."
"I'm sure she will." Fon’s shoulders slumped slightly and his eyes looked far away.
"I don't think that'll be soon, though. They rather angered towards me at the moment." He sighed deeply. Trouble in paradise?, Takeshi thought.
"Damn. If you wanna talk about it, you know I'm all ears. I've been told I give good advice." By only one person, but that wasn't important. He leaned in, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"It’s a pesky matter, I wouldn’t bother you with it."
"Come on. You’ve listened to all my chit-chat for half hour and I can tell you wanna speak this to someone." If not, Fon wouldn’t have uttered a word of it.
"Well... You know how she is about money and how I'm... rather detached from material possessions." Takeshi had a slight feeling where this was going. "She lost a big sum in a bad investment and she was livid, and that's putting it lightly. I... may have tried to give her a piece of advice. I really thought this time could help, but ended up with my butt kicked out of the manor."
And with good reason, Takeshi thinks to himself. Other than Kyoya, she’s also one that did freaking mind Fon’s unsolicited advice, at least regarding their greediness over growing their fortune.
"Sorry man." Yamamoto scratched his nape, honestly pitying the chinese’s love situation. "Fon-san, I believe they had made clear several times that they don't... appreciate your advice regarding money, and I think that was the least ideal moment to give one." He was a bit frustrated that he could only offer words of consolation for the man.
"But they were so angered that they wouldn’t say a word, wouldn’t talk and kept throwing things at everyone that came across their way… I felt I needed to do something to calm her down.''
"Sometimes silence and time alone is more than enough. I'm sure this can’t be the first time this has happened to her." There was no way Fon didn’t know that. Takeshi grimaced. "You were upset, weren't you?
''I... ''. Fon bit his lower lip and sighed out loud. ''You're right. Her behavior was getting to me.''
''So you got irritated too.'' Takeshi concluded.
''Yes. We can't always be together and just when I arrive in the country, this misfortune takes place. The odds hadn't been by my side this week.'' Fon voice lowered as he kept talking, looking at his closed fists with remorse.
''I get it. You finally see each other but something just had to interrupt your time.'' Takeshi has been there more than once after all. ''...But aren't you the one who says we need to not worry about the things we don't control?''.
Takeshi gave him a half smile and rubbed his left shoulder, "give her time and comprehension. Let her know you're there, or just literally be close to her and remain silent, you're great at that. She’ll come around when she’s ready."
''Hm. Did Reborn teach you that as well?''
''Nah. The tonfas did. ''
Fon gave a good-hearted laugh at that and Takeshi followed.
Loving Kyoya wasn’t easy, it was more like a wild ride on a roller coaster with so many ups and downs along the way, but it was definitely worth it -and was part of his charm -.
"Thank you. Your insight has given me a new perspective to approach this matter. If they hadn't barred my entrance to the manor, I should drive there tonight." The man halted his walk and the wind picked up. The long braid flew behind him in a mesmerizing pattern.
"No problem, glad I was able to help." Yamamoto smiled, genuinely glad he could ease some of the concerns crowding the former Arcobaleno's head. He turned to watch the quiet waterfall of the marble angel's fountain when he felt a tiny impact on his cornea. He blinked repeatedly but his left eye ached. He rubbed it with one finger but it kept hurting. "Ow ow, damn it."
"What is it?" From his good eye, he saw Fon closing distance, concerned.
"Dirt in my eye." He kept blinking in hopes it would go away, but no luck. "It doesn't go. I don't know if there's a hose around here to wash my eye, I can't open it. Ohh- crap." Keeping it close didn't help either, it ached badly. A few stray tears went down his cheek and he felt a bit conscious in front of the older man, who now stood right in front of him.
"I don't think that's very sanitary. Here, let me help you." Fon held his face carefully with one hand, examining his eye. His fingertips came around Yamamoto's eyelid. His tears dampened Fon's fingertips.
Takeshi felt him so close that he ended up putting his palm against Fon's chest by reflex. Fon didn’t pay mind as he pried the eye open with delicacy, coming closer to give a light blow to the cornea. Takeshi blinked in a rush when the fingers left. More tears moistened his eye and cheek but the annoying sensation was still there.
Next thing he knew, he was suddenly shoved to the hard ground. He yelped when his back collided with the grass. Fon hissed somewhere over him.
"My my, someone got the wrong idea." Takeshi didn’t understand what Fon meant until he opened his good eye and turned to where the he was looking.
He saw purple flames dancing around the garden, surrounding a sleek figure that was walking toward them at a slow but firm pace.
Oh.
Oh!
"Kyo!" He exclaimed, both surprised and overjoyed to have his partner near him earlier than expected.
"Grandnephew. As overused as this might sound, this is not what it looks like." Yamamoto's confused brain caught up seconds later what Fon meant when he realized how compromising the position they were in was: him caging Takeshi's head with an arm on each side and both their legs interlaced in a heap of limbs. Him blowing Yamamoto's eye seconds ago wouldn't have looked too good from Kyoya's perspective either.
Ahh, hell.
"What? That you get off by having your way with people sixty years younger than you, granduncle?" The youngest Hibari half asked, half accused. His body was tense and ready to spring at any moment.
"Kyoya!!" Both men cried out, mortified at the sole thought.
"You have ten seconds to explain." The cloud stepped closer to the pair. A chain came free from the tonfa and he spun it into a deadly arch, ''one.''
Fon disentangled from Takeshi, gracile and fast, to take a stance and defend himself from his misinformed descendant. Takeshi crawled away to reach for the hose near the fountain that he secretly hoped his boyfriend wouldn't break this time around.
It looked like Fon wasn't going to be the only one with his ass kicked by his lover. Takeshi groaned. So much for the nice welcome he planned.
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