A/N: Thank you so so much for the reviews everyone! I can't fully express my gratitude in words so I hope that this last chapter will please everyone instead! Please read and enjoy!

Part 5

The sun was slowly beginning to set, signaling the end of the day for Yamamoto and Gokudera as they walked back towards Gokudera's apartment. Their progress was slow but tolerable. Both boys didn't have to carry too much and the temperature had cooled down, making walking exceptionally easier compared to Gokudera's trek earlier that morning.

The two had been walking in companionable silence for a couple blocks now, occasionally sneaking glances at one another and basking in the other's company without letting the other person know. Gokudera was disheartened at the thought of when they finally reached his apartment Yamamoto would probably have to head back home to help his father with the shop.

As he thought more about their walk in general, Gokudera couldn't help but ask. "Hey Yamamoto, you seem to have a lot of money on you today. Don't you have enough for us to take a bus or something?"

Yamamoto laughed good-naturedly at the question. "Well, I saved up a lot of my earnings from the shop to take Takaki-san out on a date today, so it shouldn't really be a surprise that I have so much." The taller boy then turned his head and smiled serenely at his smaller friend. "I probably do have enough money left over for bus fare but I enjoy walking more. Exercise is good for you!"

The smoking bomber chuckled a little at the comment as his taller friend smiled cheekily down at him. "Well, I guess I have no choice but to get my exercise today. I just wish it didn't have to be with an annoying idiot like you." The silver-haired teen quipped almost affectionately. He truly didn't mind walking back with his tall athletic friend; it gave him more time to enjoy the other's company for just a bit longer.

"Ha ha, you're so mean Gokudera." Yamamoto joked while bumping his friend affectionately with his elbow, earning a challenging glint and a playful smirk from the smaller boy. The raven-haired teen was amazed by the drastic turnabout of Gokudera's attitude when he compared it to this morning's. Ever since he had apologized to the feisty smoker back in the laundry mat, the smaller teen had been more lively and friendly towards him then Yamamoto could ever remember. He was a little shocked at the drastic change in attitude but he wasn't complaining all the same. Gokudera was actually having fun while he was with him and that's all Yamamoto cared about.

The taller boy was snapped out of his thoughts by a playful push. "You're such an idiot." Gokudera chuckled softly in a joking manner, sending his friend a small but fond smile. Yamamoto at first gave a joyful laugh at the other boy's playful actions but his breath soon caught at the sight of the smile being directed towards him. It was rather quick, Gokudera already turning his head away and replacing his smile with his usual stoic features like it had never happened, but Yamamoto had seen it quick enough to know he hadn't been hallucinating. The taller boy couldn't suppress the tingle that Gokudera's smile sent down his spine, turning his insides into mush and making him feel all warm and fuzzy at the thought of seeing it again.

He must have been staring for quite awhile because Gokudera turned his head questioningly towards him, the silver-haired teen's eyes silently asking him why he was staring. Those jade-green orbs were so vibrant, so full of life that Yamamoto wasn't use to seeing, that it took everything the taller teen had to not grab the smaller teen, push him up against the nearest building, and kiss him until both of them were breathless.

Thankfully, Yamamoto was spared from doing such a drastic life altering action as the two Mafioso turned a corner and walked into the front area of Gokudera's apartment complex. Both boys' eyes widened in surprise at their sudden arrival, neither of them had been really paying attention to their location up until that point. The sight of the two story complex sent the two Vongola guardians spiraling down in disappointment, neither secretly wanting the other to leave.

Gokudera glimpsed up at his taller friend, trying his best to hide his depression. Feeling the gaze on him, Yamamoto peered down at the silver-haired bomber, noticed the less-than-happy look on the other's face, and gave him a sad but reassuring smile.

"I'll help carry your laundry up to your room, ok?" Yamamoto promised Gokudera, restating his promise from earlier to reassure him he wasn't going anywhere just yet.

Breaking out of his depressing thoughts, Gokudera just rolled his eyes. "Idiot, I already knew that." He stated calmly as he made his way towards the staircase. Did Yamamoto think he expected the other boy to just drop his duffel bag in the front yard and leave him there to figure the rest out? That would have been very rude and un-Yamamoto-like.

As Gokudera made his way to the stairs, Yamamoto following closely behind as usual, the silver-haired teen felt an uncomfortable prickling at the back of his neck; a feeling of dread washing over him. Stopping abruptly at the foot of the stairs, the storm guardian scanned his surroundings looking for the source of his discomfort. Noticing the other's paranoia, Yamamoto looked around the immediate area as well, not entirely sure what he was looking for but willing to help his shorter friend in any way possible. It wasn't too long after this that Yamamoto's well trained eyes caught something of interest walking towards them.

"Hey Gokudera, is that your landlord?" Yamamoto asked innocently, pointing to the left of where they were standing. Gokudera's eyes narrowed distastefully, spotting the walking slut-bag making her way towards them, wearing a tank top that barely covered her well endowed bosom and jeans that were cut so low he could see the strings of her thong poking out from the denim and laying across her provocative hips. Yamamoto had recognized her because she had introduced herself to him during one of the taller boy's cooking visits to Gokudera's apartment. Thankfully, Gokudera had been there to stop the slutty woman from asking the naïve athlete over to her place for some sweets since she lived on the premises herself (conveniently beneath Gokudera's apartment, much to his discomfort). As she sauntered her way over to them, swaying her hips too much to be considered normal and her long bleached-blonde hair swaying with them, Gokudera couldn't stop the disgusted scowl that appeared on his face.

He knew the following conversation was going to be annoying; painfully annoying.

"Why, if it isn't Gokudera-san!" The tall bleach-blonde woman exclaimed with an over-friendly voice, like her and Gokudera were long lost friends. Ignoring the irritated glare from the young Italian she received as a result, she added insult to her own intelligence by widening her eyes in fake surprise as she gazed up at Yamamoto. "Oh my, is this that tall friend of yours that always comes by? I didn't see you there for a second!"

The woman of course was lying. Who wouldn't notice a six-foot-tall, well tanned, physically toned athlete with a smile as bright as a beacon until they were right in front of them? Gokudera felt his headache coming back at the stupidity of the situation.

Yamamoto seemed uncomfortable with the woman's actions as well, catching Gokudera's eye for a second with an 'is-she-kidding-me?' look. "Um, yeah, that's me!" Yamamoto smiled with slight hesitance, trying his best to appear friendly. "It's nice to see you again."

"Oh, aren't you such a nice and polite boy!" The land lord exclaimed happily. "You're so unlike someone else I know." She emphasized who she was talking about even more by turning herself away from a slowly angering Gokudera and focused her complete attention on the taller raven-haired boy beside him. She narrowed her eyes seductively, placing a tantalizing hand onto Yamamoto's shoulder, giving it a small rub with her thumb. "You know, you still haven't come over to try some of my sweets that I offered last time. Would you like to come over for a little bit?" She said this with a sultry whisper, giving Yamamoto's shoulder a playful squeeze.

The landlord's sleazy act was cut short by a hand grabbing her arm and almost ripping it off Yamamoto's shoulder with enough force to dislocate it. The bleach-blonde's woman's eyes meeting flaming-murderous green. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The young Italian screamed in indignation, his grip tightening over the woman's arm painfully.

Seeing the dangerous situation at hand, Yamamoto was quick to act, grabbing Gokudera's shoulders from behind and pulling the older boy back and away from his startled landlord. Apparently she wasn't used to manhandling of that sort.

"Now, now Gokudera, she was just being friendly." Yamamoto tried to console his friend reassuringly.

Gokudera wasn't having any of that though. Was Yamamoto too dumb to see what the woman really wanted from him? "Like hell she was! I'll kill her!" The shorter boy screamed furiously, having every intention to do just as he said.

Laughing nervously at his friends threatening tone, Yamamoto turned Gokudera around and started pushing him up the stairs. Glancing back he offered a friendly smile to the still flustered land lord, trying to appease the situation before Gokudera got himself into more trouble and possibly getting himself evicted in the process. "Ha ha, sorry about that miss, he's been having a rough day. I'll, uh, take your offer up at another time!"

The older woman smiled victoriously at that, giving the taller boy flirtatious wink. "I'm looking forward to it."

This statement was the final straw for the silver-haired Italian as he started shouting expletives over Yamamoto's shoulder (who was still pushing him up the stairs) down at the slutty woman below them, telling her to go do things to herself that were physically impossible but she had probably tried to do anyway. Gokudera was still screaming furiously at the woman once they reached his apartment albeit unconsciously flipping to his native tongue in his unsuppressed rage. Yamamoto had to steal the keys from Gokudera's pants pocket (he had felt them in their earlier when he was digging for change), the fiery bomber thankfully not noticing, and unlocked the door, dragging the now thrashing teen from his screaming hold on the walkway railing and into the apartment.

The closing of the apartment door signaled Gokudera to turn his murderous gaze onto the taller teen before him. Grabbing fistfuls of the taller teen's shirt, the silver-haired bomber slammed the other boy back-first into the nearest wall.

"What the fuck is your problem?" The enraged teen screamed ferociously, his green eyes blazing with a dangerous fire. "Do you have any idea on what you just promised her?"

Having been surprised by the smaller teen's sudden attack, it took Yamamoto a moment to gather his thoughts and place his hands on the other boys', his eyes reassuring. "It's alright Gokudera," Yamamoto whispered comfortingly to the still enraged teen holding him against the wall. "I was just lying to her so she would be happy and forget about you attacking her. The last thing you need now is to get evicted because you couldn't control your temper."

Gokudera's eye's narrowed suspiciously, wanting to believe the other boy. He hated to think that Yamamoto would actually be interested in anyone who offered themselves to him in that way. Gokudera shook his head to clear his thoughts. He was being silly. Yamamoto had more integrity than that. Maybe his fears of losing Yamamoto to another girl had gotten the better of him and he had overreacted. The silver-haired teen sighed in acceptance, letting his hands fall from Yamamoto's shirt. "Whatever," he stated in exhaustion, his eyes diverted to the floor. "Just hand over the duffel bag and leave. You need to help your father at the store, right?"

Yamamoto tried not to show his hurt at Gokudera's curt tone, he didn't want to think the other boy wanted to get rid of him again. So instead he smiled as best as he could. "My dad's used to me not being there on Sundays, so it should be ok if I stay here for a bit longer—if you don't mind, that is." He added quickly while rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Gokudera glanced back up at the dark-haired teen, giving him a calculated look. "I don't know why you would want to stay…" he said hesitantly, trying not to appear hopeful at the taller boy's words. "I'm just going to be ironing my clothes so—"

The silver-haired Italians words were cut off by Yamamoto's amused laughter. "You iron your clothes, Gokudera?" the taller teen teasingly joked, the image of the silver-haired bomber humming a happy tune while he ironed his underwear popping up in the baseball player's overactive mind.

This, of course, irritated the smaller teen to no end. "What the hell is wrong with that?" he shouted indignantly, wondering why the taller boy found the thought so funny. Maybe it made him sound girly? Blushing at the thought, the older boy tried his best to explain. "I usually don't iron my clothes but since we stuffed all of mine back into the bags without folding them, they'll be wrinkled. Do you expect me to go outside in clothes that look like I slept in them?"

The taller boy tilted his head in mock-confusion, trying to rile up the other teen more so he could see more of his blush. "Huh? What's wrong with that?"

Right on cue, Gokudera took the bait and started yelling at him. "Are you stupid? What kind of right-hand man would I be if I didn't try to look presentable! Do you want me to shame the Tenth!"

Yamamoto just laughed at the other boy's response and placed his hands on the irritated teen's shoulders in order to calm him down. "Now, now Gokudera, no one is getting on your case about it. Why don't you just iron your clothes like you planned too and I'll make us dinner? It's getting kind of late and with all these clothes to take care of you probably won't have time to make something for yourself."

Gokudera calmed down at the feel of Yamamoto's hands on his shoulders, looking away in embarrassment when the other boy mentioned making dinner. "I…don't have that much food left in the kitchen." He stated uncomfortably, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I don't know what you'd be able to make."

Yamamoto just smiled in response, his eyes lighting up at the challenge. "Don't worry about that, I'll just see what you have and buy some things at the nearby convenience store that I'll need. I should have enough money for that at least."

"You don't have to do that Yamamoto." Gokudera expressed, his eyes flashing with unease. "You've done enough for me today and you paid for so much already—"

"Don't you worry about that." Yamamoto cut him off with a reassuring squeeze to the other teen's shoulders. "It's my money and I'll spend it on whoever or whatever I want to. I…I want to spend it on you, Gokudera." He mentioned shyly, a small blush appearing on his cheeks.

Gokudera couldn't help but blush at the taller teen's words as well, diverting his eyes so he wouldn't get caught up in Yamamoto's. "Well, uh…" The silver-haired Italian uttered in embarrassment, touched by Yamamoto's words. "I-I'll be in my room then, I guess."

Yamamoto smiled in relief at the other boy's acceptance. He finally let go of Gokudera and lifted the duffel bag he was carrying off of his shoulders, handing it over to the other teen. Gokudera accepted the duffel bag and, with a blush still present on his face, exited quickly towards his bedroom door where his ironing supplies were kept, closing the door behind him in his wake. Yamamoto chuckled softly at the Italian bomber's behavior, finding it rather cute, and decided to get back down to business.

It didn't take long for the taller boy to scan the cupboards and fridge with an expert eye, knowing where he usually placed the ingredients he bought for the smaller teen. Knowing he wanted to make something that didn't have to be warm, since it would take Gokudera some time to iron his clothes and put them away, Yamamoto settled on the thought of sushi, noticing that Gokudera at least had parts of the ingredients already in his house.

Knowing his next destination, Yamamoto walked out of the small kitchen area and knocked politely on Gokudera's closed bedroom door. Without waiting for a reply, the tall athlete opened the door and peered inside. Gokudera, in turn, looked up in surprise as the door opened, Yamamoto catching the site of a flustered Gokudera ironing one of his shirts on an ironing board, looking pretty much the same but with a red working bandana on his head; the fabric scattered with skull prints.

"Hey Gokudera, I'm going to head to the convenience store to pick some stuff up." Yamamoto mentioned, holding back the incredible urge to run in there and glomp the other boy for looking ridiculously cute; his silver hair still tied back in a ponytail with the bandana covering the top of his head and his bangs framing his face. The taller boy couldn't help but wonder if it was natural law of the universe for Gokudera to look cute or sexy in anything he decided to wear.

The only response he got from the slightly flustered teen (you just didn't go and open someone else's bedroom door without their say so. He could have been undressing for crying out loud!) was an indifferent "Yeah, sure, whatever.", while he refocused completely on the task before him, not wanting to burn a hole in his shirt.

Yamamoto smiled at Gokudera's cute indifference and left for the front door, forgetting to close Gokudera's bedroom door again on his way, much to the smaller teen's annoyance (who was too busy/lazy to shut it again). Stating he would be back in a little bit, the taller teen left and started heading towards the convenience store down the street, sneaking by the landlord who was preoccupying herself with a random guy she found on the street, who, in turn, looked a little terrified as the woman began throwing herself at him. Yamamoto shook his head sadly at the scene. That woman had serious problems.

A quick trip into the convenience store and a short but successful walk back to Gokudera's apartment (successful in that he hadn't run into the landlord again; that woman was starting to scare him), Yamamoto entered the apartment and made his presence known by jokingly shouting "I'm home!"

The response was almost instantaneous. As Yamamoto shut the door he heard a very flustered and indignant yell directed from the bedroom. "What the hell, Yamamoto?"

Yamamoto laughed playfully in response, as he slipped on some slippers and passed by Gokudera's bedroom and headed towards the kitchen, not forgetting to wave cutely towards the blushing and scowling Italian through the bedroom doorway as he passed.

The tall raven-haired teen made quick work with gathering all the items he needed once he entered the kitchen. He first grabbed his fish shaped apron, the one that said 'I heart fish', and put that on, turning on his rice cooker in the process and placing the rice within it. Next, while he waited for the rice, Yamamoto started preparing and cutting the fish and vegetables with his cutting knifes, the young teen basking in glee at the thought of Gokudera letting him keep some of his possessions in his apartment. Yamamoto felt like he had a second home.

Once he was done preparing the sushi, Yamamoto placed them on a tray and put them in the refrigerator while he waited for the silver-haired teen to finish. The task of making dinner now complete, the tall dark-haired teen smiled successfully, removed his apron, and headed back towards the bedroom to check on his silver-haired friend's progress. Peeking his head around the door frame, the taller guardian noticed that Gokudera had succeeded in ironing his dark clothes, which were now laid on the floor in neat folded piles, and was now in the process of ironing his whites.

"Haha, well it seems you made some progress." Yamamoto stated good-naturedly as he entered the room and made is way over to the smoking bomber. The said silver-haired teen looked up at the taller boy's intrusion with a hint of satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.

"Yeah, I just have my white shirts and my jeans to iron and then I can fold everything up and put them away." The smaller teen noted proudly, pleased with how fast and efficient he was being even with his lack of ironing skills.

His brown eye's gleaming with happiness at the prospects of Gokudera being close to finishing, Yamamoto offered some insight. "Well, how about I help you with the rest of the stuff. That way, it will go much quicker and we can eat sooner!"

At first, Gokudera refused either because his pride demanded it or because he felt guilty about having Yamamoto help him so much, the taller teen couldn't really tell. But soon, with enough persuasion on Yamamoto's part and by refusing to leave the room, Gokudera allowed him to help, teaching his taller friend how to properly fold the clothes he gave him after he was done ironing them. For the next half-hour they did this until all of Gokudera's shirts and jeans were ironed neatly and folded. After this, Yamamoto helped his silver-haired friend put his clothes away up until he found the dynamite printed boxers again and started teasing the other boy about them. Those actions were met with a slightly swollen cheek from a right hook, courtesy of Gokudera, and Yamamoto being thrown out of the bedroom, the door slammed in his face while an agitated Gokudera continued to put away his things without the baseball player's help.

After many apologies through the bedroom door, Yamamoto was finally able to make Gokudera come out of his bedroom after finishing his chore, the smaller boy still irritated but nonetheless forgiving, giving his taller friend a roll of his eyes in mock annoyance. The tall rain guardian smiled cheerfully at the fact that his friend didn't seem to be angry with him anymore and proceeded to coax him onto the couch with the promise of food, the taller teen heading towards the kitchen afterwards for the tray of sushi waiting for him.

Gokudera raised his eyebrows at the site of the sushi tray upon Yamamoto's return, rolling his eyes in the process. "I should have known you would make that." The silver-haired boy couldn't help but gripe as Yamamoto sat down next to him on the couch, placing the sushi tray down on the coffee table before them.

The taller boy laughed cheerfully in response to his friend's semi-complaint. "Haha, it was the only thing I could think of making. I didn't know how long you would take with the clothes so I wanted to make something that didn't have to be reheated. Besides—" he added as he stood back up and started walking towards the kitchen for beverages, "—you already had most of the supplies here, so I just had to buy the rest of the ingredients with the little bit of money I had left—do you want water, Gokudera?"

Not missing a beat during his taller friend's explanation, Gokudera shouted a 'Sure!' from his seat on the couch, popping a piece of sushi into his mouth while he waited. The smaller teen wasn't waiting long because Yamamoto returned with two glasses of water a moment later, placing them down on the coffee table and plopping down in his seat again. The two companions then began munching on the sushi as Gokudera grabbed the remote off the coffee table next to the tray and flipped on the T.V.

Yamamoto watched in silent fascination as the older teen surfed through the channels, his hazel eyes widening when Gokudera stopped briefly on a sports channel that was airing the results of a baseball game. The young Italian didn't stay on the channel long as he continued surfing through the channels, stopping on one that finally caught his interest. Yamamoto frowned in disappointment, popping another sushi into his mouth as he watched the man on screen discuss with another man about U.F.O. sightings.

Turning his attention to the silver-haired teen sitting beside him who was far more interesting than aliens, Yamamoto asked kindly, "Hey Gokudera? Could you maybe turn it back to the sports channel? I want to see how the teams did today."

The silver-haired bomber glanced at his friend from the corner of his eye. "Tough. We're watching this." He stated sternly. The young Italian was getting interested in the show he was watching.

Yamamoto pouted at this, his eyes pleading with the smoking bomber to reconsider. Of course, Gokudera wasn't having any of it. This was his house and he was going to watch what he wanted, dammit! The young Italian crossed his arms in defiance, effectively hiding the remote from Yamamoto's view since he still held it in his hand. Gokudera's unwillingness to cooperate only fueled Yamamoto's need for his sports results even further, causing the taller boy to lean across Gokudera's frame and reach for the remote.

This action, of course, caught Gokudera's attention, which resulted in the Italian and Japanese boy wrestling for the remote. After much grappling, low blows, and a surprise tickle attack from Yamamoto (Gokudera was wondering how the other boy knew he was ticklish), Gokudera begrudgingly relinquished the remote to the taller teen, too flustered to continue with their scuffle because the other boy's closeness was causing his body to react in a rather…embarrassing way (and he also didn't want to be tickled anymore; trying to act tough while giggling like a girl didn't help win that case).

Trying to reclaim a little bit of his pride after losing to the taller teen, Gokudera just sat in gruff silence as Yamamoto flipped back to the sports channel from earlier, quickly becoming engrossed with the statistics that flashed across the screen. As much as the baseball player's happiness at the moment annoyed him to no end, Gokudera knew that the least he could do was let the other boy watch what he wanted. Yamamoto had helped him throughout the day, not to mention put up with him and his horrible attitude, so he deserved a little treat right? With an almost inaudible sigh of defeat, Gokudera resigned himself to watching the baseball game replays, taking a big gulp of his water to cool himself down from the earlier scuffle in the process, trying not to remember how Yamamoto was literally on top of him just moments ago.

While Gokudera's thoughts were straying closer into dangerous territory, he almost didn't notice the channel had changed back to the alien show he had been watching before. Seeing the very blurry picture of a U.F.O sighting right in his face, he turned to look at his taller companion in surprise. Why did he change the channel back?

"Haha, you shouldn't brood so much Gokudera, you'll start missing things." Yamamoto laughingly joked, giving the storm guardian beside him an endearing smile. "I was finished watching the results, so I turned it back. You looked bored out of your mind, haha!"

Gokudera flushed a bright red at his friend's thoughtfulness, turning his head quickly away and directing his gaze towards the television. "Thanks." He mumbled out in what he hoped was a too quietly to hear voice, his green eyes boring holes into the television because he was too embarrassed to look Yamamoto in the eye. The tall teen smiled knowingly at Gokudera's shyness, as he too turned his attention to what was happening on the screen.

Within moments both he and Gokudera finished off the sushi and were watching the T.V.; the previous informative show about aliens being replaced by a sci-fi thriller. Now a little more interested on what was happening on screen, Yamamoto watched the beginning of the movie, occasionally sneaking glances at the totally enthralled silver-haired teen beside him. The smaller teen was unconsciously making different faces, from keen interest, to tense excitement as the alien-like monster's appeared on screen. Soon, Yamamoto found that watching Gokudera's expressions were way more interesting than what was happening on the television.

The giddy smile that had been on the taller black-haired guardian's face soon faded as, while he was still watching Gokudera who was completely oblivious to his staring, the teen glanced straight ahead out the living room window to see the orange glow of the sunset. School was tomorrow and it was starting to get late; he would have to leave very soon.

Gokudera's rapt attention for the sci-fi movie dwindled once the first commercial break started; breaking the exciting atmosphere the movie had been gradually building up. It was here that the silver-haired bomber noticed his companions stare directed towards the window, his hazel eyes shining dolefully.

"Hey Yamamoto, you ok?" Gokudera asked hesitantly, already guessing why the younger boy was sad. The sunset from outside was beginning to wash the room with its soft orange glow, meaning the other boy would have to head home soon, if not now, if he wanted to get back before dark.

Brought out of his melancholy thoughts by Gokudera's concerned voice, Yamamoto gave him a sheepish smile. "Uh, yeah I'm fine. I'm just thinking that I should be heading out soon, haha!"

The smaller teen looked away at that, his face scrunching up in disappointment at the thought. "Yeah," the silver-haired teen mumbled morosely, for the first time not trying to hide his sadness. "You should probably start heading back so that your dad doesn't get too angry with you."

"Well, he usually doesn't mind as long as I come back at a reasonable time." Yamamoto gave with an unsure smile, scratching the back of his neck. He wasn't used to seeing Gokudera so disheartened, especially when it concerned him. Yamamoto felt a flutter in his chest at the thought. Had Gokudera actually enjoyed spending time with him? Trying to think of a way to break the melancholy atmosphere, Yamamoto began talking again.

"Um, you know Gokudera…" Yamamoto started; his cheeks slightly flushed as he thought over what he was going to say to his smaller friend. Gokudera lifted his head to look towards the taller teen sitting beside him on the sofa with slight interest. "Today was really fun, you know? I…I really enjoyed spending time with you." The taller boy stated hesitantly, diverting his eyes to the side and away from his smaller friend. "I-I think that it would be cool if we did something like this again—I mean something more fun than laundry of course, haha—you know, just the two of us…"

Yamamoto bit his bottom lip nervously as he brought his head back up and glanced at Gokudera again. The said silver-haired teen quickly looked away when his and Yamamoto's eyes met briefly, his pale cheeks stained with crimson. "Y-You're an idiot," Slipped unconsciously from the bomber's mouth, who was too flustered to actually respond decently. The smaller teen scolded himself after that; the right words hadn't come out at all! He wanted to say 'Yes, I would like that.' or something to that effect but the words wouldn't come. It's like they were sticking to the roof of his mouth, like a caramel candy, sticky and sweet and very hard to manage and leaving the silver-haired teen completely tongue-tied. What if he couldn't say what he really wanted to say and Yamamoto took offense? The smaller teen tried to calm himself down as best as he could, but it was harder then he thought. It just sounded like Yamamoto had asked him out on a date!

Stopping his panic attack for a second to mull over that thought, the silver-haired guardian couldn't stop the soft smile that slowly made its way onto his face, a warm bubbly feeling spreading throughout his body; he wouldn't mind that idea at all, actually.

The words didn't hurt Yamamoto like Gokudera feared they would. In fact, those stuttered words triggered Yamamoto's smile. He expected Gokudera to respond that way; it was only natural. After all, Gokudera usually meant the opposite of what he said. The taller teen couldn't help but feel a little bit hopeful. Maybe Gokudera would accept his offer even if he looked a little bit flustered at the moment.

It was when Gokudera had smiled, the silver-haired boy's eyes shining gently as he stared down at his hands in his lap, that Yamamoto forgot how to breath. Gokudera was absolutely breathtaking at that moment, looking as gentle as an angel as he stared happily off into space, lost in his own thoughts as the orange glow from the setting sun accentuating his creamy skin, making his silver hair glow with a remarkable sheen. Yamamoto wanted nothing more, in that moment, than to reach out and touch the beautiful painting-like image in front of him, to feel if something so stunning was actually taking place before him, to know if the silver-haired beauty felt as amazing as he looked right in that picturesque moment.

Before Yamamoto could think twice, his tanned hand was reaching out and cupping a creamy-pale cheek, urging Gokudera to turn and look towards him. In an instant, surprised jade eyes met passionate brown, the taller boy's hand hot against Gokudera's skin. Not used to such an action, Gokudera flinched at the other's searing touch, instinctively drawing away from the other boy when his mind was begging him to reconsider and reach back out and hold the other's hand to his cheek, to revel in the other's touch.

But sadly that didn't happen. Gokudera was too shocked to move.

The instinctive flinch from Gokudera broke whatever trance Yamamoto was in at the moment. The taller boy cringed and flinched away from the other boy as well, shocked at what he had just done and hating the awkward silence that filled the room afterwards.

The silence was almost stifling. Gokudera had never really experienced skin on skin contact with the other boy so his thoughts were a jumbled mess at the moment. He had felt Yamamoto's body heat by either standing close to the other boy or feeling the other boy's hands on his clothed arms or shoulders whenever he tried to calm him down; he never expected the other to touch him, much less have that touch send such searing heat throughout his body the moment it made contact. The silver-haired boy was stunned into silence as he tried to figure out the feelings he felt just moments ago, hating himself for flinching away from something that had felt so good but had frightened him to his core. Gokudera was confused as to how to handle his feelings when it involved the other boy. The Italian bomber's pride kept getting in the way and pushing his real feelings to the side whenever something transpired between him and Yamamoto. Did this mean that Yamamoto actually liked him? Had that touch meant something to his taller friend?

While a million thoughts were swarming in Gokudera's head, Yamamoto in the mean time, was feeling completely rejected. The taller boy mentally winced as he replayed the moment over and over again in his mind, watching as the silver-haired teen had flinched away from him, his emerald-green eyes round from shock and fright. Yamamoto silently reprimanded himself for doing something so intimate and so sudden to the other teen. How did he expect Gokudera to react? With open arms as his male friend stroked his cheek? No, that was stupid! Gokudera was right, he was an idiot. He was a complete moron. He had just simultaneously made the other boy uncomfortable and possibly ruined their friendship, all because he couldn't control himself!

Unable to stand the stagnant silence in the room, Yamamoto mumbled something that sounded to Gokudera like, 'I'll wash the dishes', before the taller boy stood up and grabbed the dirty dishes off the coffee table, rushing to the kitchen without sparing a second glance towards the still startled boy on the couch.

Watching the other teen's retreating back, Gokudera wondered what was going through the young athlete's mind. The smaller teen worried is lower lip, trying to figure out everything that had taken place. Yamamoto had been so abrupt with leaving without even trying to talk things out, which wasn't like him at all. Gokudera couldn't help but wonder if it had just been an accident; that Yamamoto hadn't meant to touch him like that. Unable to stop his heart clenching painfully at the thought, Gokudera peered into the kitchen from his spot on the couch to watch the other boy. No matter how he looked at it, Gokudera knew that he didn't want the other boy's actions to be an accident.

What met the silver-haired bomber's eyes was a very dejected looking Yamamoto; sleeves rolled up to his elbows while his hands were covered in soapy water as he washed the dirty dishes. The black-haired teen's head hung low, along with his shoulders, and his actions were slow like his thoughts were in another place entirely. Gokudera had to look away from the depressing site, his heart stinging with remorse. Obviously, Yamamoto had felt hurt by what had happened between them, but Gokudera still didn't know if it was because Yamamoto had wanted to touch him in the first place or if he was sorry for doing something so awkward to begin with.

While Gokudera was busy with his thoughts and self doubts, Yamamoto finished washing and drying the dishes, putting them back in their proper places. Seeing as Gokudera was still sitting on the couch, stiff and unmoving, Yamamoto felt that he had overstayed his welcome and made his way past his sitting crush and headed towards the door, feeling completely unwanted by the other teen. Why hadn't he just left like he normally would after seeing the sun starting to set? He just had to go and screw things up with his friend just when he was beginning to see progress! Gokudera had seemed to be enjoying his company beforehand, but that was only a sweet memory now, a memory that Yamamoto was certain he would probably never experience again if the smaller teen's silence was anything to go by.

With a heavy heart, Yamamoto slipped on his shoes, his hand resting on the doorknob with slight hesitation. It felt wrong to just leave without saying anything to the smaller teen. Unable to bring up the situation that had caused all of their awkwardness to begin with, Yamamoto said instead, "I, uh, hope you get your washing machine fixed soon so you don't have to deal with the—yeah." the taller athlete quit before he even finished his sentence, knowing where it would have possibly led. Shuffling his feet awkwardly, Yamamoto, for the first time in his life, felt completely lost for words. After he had stayed silent for too long and noticed that his friend still refused to respond to him, Yamamoto just decided to leave with a hurt, "Yeah, um, I'll….I'll just go then." With that, Yamamoto opened the door and headed outside, feeling completely ashamed of his actions and wanting nothing more than to go bury himself in a hole.

The silver-haired Italian was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the other teen's presence until he was speaking to him from the door. Eyes widening in shock at the other teen's mention of leaving and the sound of the door opening, Gokudera shot up from the couch without thinking and ran towards the door, grabbing onto Yamamoto's retreating arm still resting on the outside doorknob. "Yamamoto wait!" he exclaimed in panic, his hand clutching the other boy's arm, effectively stopping the other from leaving.

Yamamoto froze in shock at the feeling of the other grasping his arm, eyes widening in wonder as he heard the panic in the other's voice. Turning around in surprise, Yamamoto was met with a just as shocked Gokudera, green eyes shining with uncertainty and looking completely lost on how he had gotten there.

"G-Gokudera?" Yamamoto whispered hesitantly, confused by the other teen's sudden appearance.

The silver-haired storm guardian stared up uncertainly into Yamamoto's questioning hazel eyes as he had an eternal debate with his pride to decide on his next course of action. He couldn't just let the day end like this, not when things were good again between him and the baseball-idiot.

Gokudera had promised himself that he wouldn't let the other boy walk away from him again.

"I…" Gokudera started hesitantly, looking away for a second and mustering up courage for what he was about to say; his pride be damned! Turning to look back up at the taller boy waiting for him with fiery determination, Gokudera stared into the other boy's eyes and said what he thought needed to be said. "…Thank you."

Yamamoto's eyes widened further in complete surprise. He definitely wasn't expecting that. "T-Thank me?" he stuttered unsurely, wondering if he had heard correctly.

Gokudera blushed extensively at that. He hadn't meant to word it exactly that way. Silently scolding his mouth for being completely useless when he needed it the most, he continued. "I-I meant thank you for everything you've done for me, especially for today. I mean—" Gokudera stopped mid-way, making sure his next words were exactly right so he wouldn't cause another misunderstanding like before. Even though he was thankful for the touch from earlier, but that was a different matter entirely at the moment. "—even though the day was a little rough, I…I still enjoyed it. I guess, what I'm trying to say is…" Gokudera muttered softly, his green eyes boring into Yamamoto's intensely. "…I wouldn't mind doing something with you again…with just the two of us."

After saying what he hoped was reassuring to the other teen and that he hadn't made a complete fool of himself, Gokudera bit his lip nervously, waiting expectantly for Yamamoto's reply.

Yamamoto at the meantime was frozen speechless. Did Gokudera just say what he thought he said? Almost unable to believe what he had heard, Yamamoto hesitantly asked, "You…you really wouldn't mind? Just the two of us?"

Gokudera couldn't help but roll his eyes at the question even though it was probably an inappropriate time to do so. He should have known better than to expect Yamamoto to get it the first time. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it, idiot." The silver-haired teen quipped gently, letting a small affectionate smile show to reassure the other teen he meant what he had said as he let go of the other boy's arm. Gokudera was certain he wouldn't be running away anytime soon.

As he thought, Yamamoto didn't move from his spot in the open doorway outside of the apartment, in fact, the taller teen was completely rooted to the spot, slowly taking in Gokudera's smile and gentle shining eyes. He was touched at the other boy's words, so much so, that he couldn't stop his eyes from becoming impassioned as he stared into Gokudera's brilliant jade-green orbs. He unconsciously leaned closer, resting his left hand on the open doorframe and bending downward so that his face was mere inches away from the silver-haired boy standing in front of him. "Gokudera I…" the nervous athlete started delicately, unable to adequately word how much he felt for the other boy in front of him in that moment, so, instead, he went for a more direct approach that would still get his message across.

He just hoped it wouldn't scare the other boy away.

"Gokudera…can I kiss you?"

The other teen didn't seemed fazed at the question at all, much to Yamamoto's surprise, in fact, now that he thought about it, Gokudera didn't even flinch away when he had drawn closer to him seconds ago either. Yamamoto's brown eyes shimmered with worry, wondering if Gokudera would take a more physical approach by slamming the door (literally) in his face and tell him to get lost at the request. Instead, the other peered directly into his eyes without fear, jade orbs fervent and passionate.

"You idiot," the Italian whispered breathlessly, Yamamoto feeling the other's warm breath just inches from his face. Gokudera couldn't remember the last time he had felt so happy. Just knowing that the other boy did actually feel the same way he did about him sent shivers down his spine. "Why do you think I haven't moved away yet?"

Yamamoto blinked a couple times in shock before he gave a gentle laugh, his voice filled with relief as he finally processed the words Gokudera was trying to get across. The taller teen felt amazing warmth spread from his head to his toes as he stared intently into Gokudera's beautiful eyes. "Gokudera…I…" Yamamoto began, his voice shaking with so much emotion he wasn't sure if he could finish want he wanted to say.

Thankfully, Gokudera already understood. "You idiot, just kiss me already." He ordered almost impatiently. He had wanted this for who knows how long and he wasn't taking lightly to Yamamoto pussyfooting around.

The Vongola rain guardian laughed breathlessly in response, doing just as he was asked; he had wanted this for a long time as well. In the next second, Yamamoto's lips brushed up against Gokudera's softly. The action filled with a little hesitance because he had never kissed another person before. Thankfully, Gokudera had no experience in this field either because he just as hesitantly pushed back, their lips melding together sweetly in their imperfection.

All too soon, Yamamoto withdrew from their kiss, their noses brushing as his hazel-brown eyes silently asked if he could progress a little further, not wanting to push the other away because he was going too fast for him. Gokudera glared sternly in return, his vibrant green eyes demanding the other boy to start kissing him again or else there would be hell to pay. Chuckling slightly at the craving teen before him, Yamamoto brought his free hand up to cup Gokudera's cheek, his other hand still holding onto the door frame, as he brought the other's face closer to his, meshing their lips together again, both of their eyes closing in bliss.

Gokudera couldn't stop the shudder that rolled down his spine at the heated kiss and at Yamamoto's hand softly caressing his cheek. His hands fisting into the other's shirt to draw himself closer to him, Gokudera threw away his hesitance and took the next step by nibbling slightly on the taller boy's lower lip, his teeth softly kneading the flesh and drawing a gasp from the taller boy in response. The silver-haired teen felt pride swelling in his chest at making his companion gasp in such a way, so he tried sucking on Yamamoto's lower lip next, seeing if the other boy liked that as well. A confirmative moan was all the silver-haired boy received as they continued in their ministrations, the kiss becoming heated enough to draw out both of the boys' tongues at the same time, the two wet appendages accidently bumping against each other outside of their mouths, causing both teens to gasp and break their kiss in surprise. Neither of them had expected the other to do that.

Their eyes met hesitantly, silently asking for further permission to continue. Yamamoto just smiled reassuringly, his eyes shimmering with unspoken happiness, while Gokudera nodded in assent, a blush tainting his cheeks and his eyes filled with fiery determination. Taking that as his cue, Yamamoto brought their lips together again for the third time, one hand still cupping the other's cheek while the other wrapped around Gokudera's skinny waist this time, drawing the smaller boy flush against his chest. With pleasant warmth emanating all around him, Gokudera brought his arms up to wrap around the tall baseball player's neck, drawing himself even closer, which he didn't think could even be possible, to the raven-haired teen and opening his mouth for the other to explore.

Yamamoto didn't even hesitate at the invitation, his tongue diving into Gokudera's warmth, running the warm muscle over every imaginable surface, exploring the silver-haired teen's mouth to the fullest. This action caused a low moan to emanate from the smaller teen's throat, the sound seamlessly vibrating through Yamamoto's body as his tongue wrapped around Gokudera's, the smaller boy tasting of the sushi they had just finished eating along with a hint of smoke, courtesy of Gokudera's cigarettes, even though the smaller boy hadn't lit up once that day. Placing these thoughts to the back of his mind and just enjoying the thrilling taste, Yamamoto gave a low moan of his own as his and Gokudera's tongues began wrestling together feverishly for dominance, the smaller teen's hands finding their way to Yamamoto's short spiky black hair, fisting it in both of his hands and drawing Yamamoto even closer into the kiss.

Surprised by the sudden tug on his hair, Yamamoto lost whatever hold he had on the other boy's tongue, Gokudera's winning out in the end in the battle for dominance and pushing it back into its owner's mouth, Gokudera's tongue following shortly behind. Now it was the smaller teen's turn to explore Yamamoto's mouth, the Italian bomber tasting sushi and mint in his wake, a rather appealing flavor in his opinion. Gokudera's searching became more frantic after that, growling possessively into the taller teen's mouth who gave a wanton moan in response. Yamamoto began rubbing gentle circles along the base of Gokudera's spine while his other hand slipped from their place on the smaller teen's creamy cheek to behind his head, tanned fingers roughly wrapping around silver strands, making Gokudera's hair tie fall to the floor, the silvery strands falling loose in the process and causing the smaller boy to tilt his head slightly to the left, deepening the kiss even further. The two boys reveled in this new position and the feeling of completion it brought as they held each other as close as the possibly could, not wanting the other to let go of them anytime soon.

The two guardians continued to kiss each other passionately in this new position, putting every feeling they had for the other teen into the kiss that they couldn't effectively put into words, until they had to break for much needed air. The two boys parted slowly, their tongues the last to separate as their eyes slowly opened, panting heavily and cheeks flushed like they had just run a marathon, lips swollen red and slightly bruised. Yamamoto still held the smaller teen firmly against him, while Gokudera's hands still fisted through the taller boy's hair, both staring intently into each other's eyes.

"That…" Gokudera started, breathlessly.

"…was amazing…" Yamamoto finished, bringing himself forward to peck the silver-haired teen one more time on the lips.

The feisty Italian blushed at the cute and intimate action, allowing the other to rest his forehead against his when he was done, their noses brushing again as their eyes met; the other boy so close Gokudera could see the gold flecks reflected in his light-brown eyes.

"Gokudera…I…I really like you." Yamamoto whispered softly as he held the other boy close in his still open doorway, the small Italian relinquishing his hold on his spiky hair and returning his arms to their place around Yamamoto's shoulders.

The smaller teen felt his heart pace quicken again like it had during their kiss, making the bomber wonder if Yamamoto could feel it as well. Still blushing, the young Italian diverted his gaze to the side shyly, away from the Japanese boy. "Yeah…I…" he swallowed his pride roughly. "I…really like you too."

Yamamoto smiled warmly at that, ecstatic that he had gotten the confession he had always wanted from the silver-haired teen. "Hey, Gokudera?" The raven-haired teen questioned expectantly as he drew his forehead away from the other teen to look at him fully. "Do you think that maybe you could come over to my place tomorrow after school? My dad is trying out a new sushi recipe and I bet he would love if a tough critic like you approved of it."

Gokudera silently whined as the warmth from Yamamoto's forehead was taken away, looking up into the taller teens expectant and excited eyes. He internally winced at the mention of being a tough critic, but he couldn't really lie to himself about that; he was a picky eater after all. Was it wrong to have an appreciation for finer foods? Ignoring his thoughts, he focused his attention back on the tall dark-haired teen holding him, who was still waiting for his answer. "Sure," he mumbled bashfully, looking away from Yamamoto again. "—but only for the sushi!" he quickly added, trying to retain whatever pride he had lost during this whole scenario.

Yamamoto wasn't offended in the slightest at Gokudera's words, already knowing what they exactly meant. The taller teen laughed jubilantly at Gokudera's answer. He was so ecstatic that Gokudera had accepted that he picked the smaller boy up and twirled him around once before putting him back down on his feet again, the other boy looking completely flabbergasted after said action was done.

"That's great Gokudera! It's a date then!" Yamamoto exclaimed with giddy excitement, his smile spreading widely from ear to ear even as the other boy continued to stare up at him in shock. Sensing his time was getting short Yamamoto peered over his shoulder to see the sunset barely hanging over the horizon; a fading purple and red streak in the sky. He didn't want to leave after everything that just happened but he knew he really had to be heading back now. His father would be getting worried about him if he didn't arrive home soon. Hardly able to contain his excitement over the prospects of tomorrow, Yamamoto returned his gaze to startled green and finally said his goodbyes, "I'll see you tomorrow then, ok?"

With a quick peck to a still shocked Gokudera's cute little nose, Yamamoto reluctantly released his hold on the other boy and made his way towards the staircase, waving frantically over his shoulder in goodbye towards the still shell-shocked silver-haired Italian, smiling joyfully all the while. Gokudera could only stare after the retreating boy with a half-dazed expression on his face, still hardly believing that Yamamoto had just twirled him around like some girl in a cheesy romance movie.

As Yamamoto made his way down the stairs and onto the street, thankfully still not running into the creepy landlord, the taller boy had to suppress the sudden urge to twirl around the nearest lamppost and start singing his happiness to the world, knowing that he would completely embarrass himself (his singing voice wasn't the greatest) and his silver-haired boyfriend nearby. The tall dark-haired athlete smiled exuberantly as that word replayed over and over in his head. Boyfriend...wow…he thought he'd never see the day.

Meanwhile, while Yamamoto was practically skip-walking his way home in all his overly-happy glory, Gokudera was still staring into space in shock at everything that had happened to him today, especially over the stuff that had just happened moments prior. Mulling everything over in his head, Gokudera didn't stop the small genuine smile that spread across his face. Softly closing the door behind him, the small silver-haired bomber decided to head for bed, exhausted from the day's events and feeling truly content for the first time in his life.

As he closed his bedroom door, Gokudera couldn't help but look forward to the interesting days he knew were ahead of him.

A/N: I would like to thank everyone who reviewed this story again. I was really nervous on posting this story so I'm glad that so many different people took to it! I would love to write another story for this fandom again but I'm unsure of what to write. I have a few ideas, two sticking out more than others. I want to write a sequel for this story that would take place during Christmas that would go more in depth with the boys' growing relationship and then I also want to write a, sort of, novelization that would showcase how Gokudera's and Yamamoto's relationship with each other grows throughout their time in the manga and anime. I love both ideas but I'm a one project at a time kind of girl, so I was wondering if you guys can suggest what you would like to see. Should I write a sequel or novelization? Either way, I plan on working on a few ideas that haven't been written about yet with either project. Thanks everyone again for the reviews and I hope I can write something else for this fandom in the future!