Make You Smile
By: Evantis
A short oneshot. My first Reborn fic. Hope you like it.
For Nut, my greatest friend ever, and whom I'm gonna miss for the next few weeks or so. T.T
"Little skylark," Mukuro coos, pressing the palm of his hand against Kyouya's wet cheek. "How very pretty you are."
Kyouya grits his teeth and gives Mukuro the most scathing glare he can muster for the moment. He tries to ignore Mukuro's steady southward advances, tries to ignore the feel of a warm, enticing body against him.
"Let…go of me!" he growls, weakly pushing against the bigger boy in vain.
Mukuro's accursed eye sparks an evil glint, and he leans closer to Kyouya, their lips almost touching. "But, my little skylark, don't you enjoy this?" He presses his knee firmly between Kyouya's legs, and the smaller boy scrunches his face in a wince and gasps audibly.
"There now, little skylark," Mukuro nibbles on the shell of his ear, making him shiver, and let out a whimper from between his lips. Oh, the humiliation. "Let yourself go."
Kyouya gasps, his cheeks flush an attractive red. "…please…" he chokes, out of energy and determination, "…don't…"
The drive is beaten out of Kyouya, and his clenches his fists tight, and trembles beneath the older boy. For the first time in his short life, he is so unbearably frightened. He, Hibari Kyouya, is scared. The shaking just won't stop, and he hates it. He hates being weak. And right now, he's been weak in front of his most abhorred, hated enemy.
"Don't be afraid, little skylark," Mukuro comforts. "I'll be gentle."
"No…don't…d-don't want…this…!"
"Oho-ho, little skylark…I'll make you want this. I'll make you scream."
Kyouya curls his body into a protective, tight ball and lets himself shamelessly and guiltlessly cry with no self-berating this time. His body hurts everywhere, and the tears do not stop falling. He shuts his eyes and tries to endure the pain, but that makes him cry harder. Feeling helplessly and utterly fatigued like he never has before, he lets the battle with pain come to an abrupt end.
He feels so used, so dirty.
He presses his hands against his face, in an attempt to stop the tears from falling somehow, but they still slip through the cracks of his fingers, and fall down in little rivulets like before.
Then suddenly, strong arms lift him up. His first instinct is to flail and run away, unwilling to let anyone see him in his moment of severe frailty. But then a soothing, comforting voice speaks into his ear, and his worn body gives in to the pressure. He throws his arms around his saviour's neck, and buries his tearstained face in the crook of the other's shoulder.
For a moment, they just stay there. Kyouya doesn't move, but the tears keep falling. A warm hand presses to the back of his hand, and it is immensely calming.
"There, there," Dino says softly, his hand moving to run fingers through Hibari's messy, blood-caked black hair. "It's all right now…no one is going to hurt you anymore."
Such an uncertain promise. But for the moment, Kyouya wants to believe it.
"…hurts…" he mumbles instead.
Dino wraps arms around his body, pulling them closer together. So close that Kyouya can feel light breaths on the side of his neck, can hear the sturdy heartbeat of his tutor.
"Don't cry," Dino whispers, using his other hand to stroke Kyouya's back. "It'll be all right now."
"…was…s-scared…" Kyouya sniffs.
Dino nods, "I know."
They stay like that for a long time. Kyouya ignores the patter of feet that continuously goes past them – probably Dino's subordinates running. But Dino doesn't push Kyouya away to attend to his men, doesn't tell Kyouya to hurry. He just stays there, and holds Kyouya.
"Shh," Dino says softly, "Don't cry anymore, Kyouya. I'll keep you safe."
Dino takes him to the hospital. He doesn't take a fancy limousine, or even in a car. When Kyouya's sobs subsides, he lifts the small boy into his arms, and walks to the hospital, an air of indifference but burning passion surrounding him. His men protest, but Dino shuts them up with one deathly glare.
Kyouya does not remember much after that. Everything is much of a blur. He remembers seeing white-clad people, he remembers hearing wisps of Dino's voice, and other voices, telling him to calm down and sleep.
Eventually, he does.
And when he wakes, Dino is gone.
But next to him, Tsuna is seated, snoring gently. Lambo, Ipin and Reborn share a chair at the foot of his bed, and on the couch in the corner of the ward – Bianci, Haru and Kyoko sleep in a muddle of limbs.
He tries to push himself upright, but a stinging, blinding pain rushes up his spine and he cannot stop the cry that falls from his lips, as he falls backwards. A ringing starts in his head, and his vision goes blurry.
Then there are hands on him, and he flinches violently. His first instinct is to scream, but then Tsuna speaks, firmly and gently.
"Hibari-san," he says, "Don't be scared. We're here. You're at the hospital. You're safe. Lie back down, and relax, please."
Kyouya, drained of energy, does as he is told. Everyone in the ward is awakened, and he finds himself surrounded by people he's never really bothered to know. Half an hour later, Bianci and the girls leave to get him some food, Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi come in. Gokudera, with a wrapped book, and Yamamoto with a single white lily stalk, which he places, with a fond look in his eyes, into the empty vase that sits on Kyouya's bedside table.
"Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto-kun!" Tsuna greets happily. "You're here!"
"But of course!" Gokudera says, the delight ever so evident in his voice.
"How are you doing, Hibari?" Yamamoto asks, friendly concern resonating.
Kyouya turns away, ignoring the pang of pain that hits him. "Just fine," he mutters, his voice croaky and barely above a whisper.
"Dino-san has hunted him down already, you know," Tsuna says softly. "Everything's all right. We're sorry, Hibari-san. Very sorry…that we couldn't help you."
Kyouya doesn't answer, but replies by pushing the blankets over his head.
He is thankful they cannot see him crying. To his utter humiliation, it is the second time in one day.
"How are you feeling?"
Damn that voice flooding with over-cheerfulness. Damn that boy for coming back.
"Why are you here again?" Kyouya demands spitefully.
He is feeling a little better. Two days have passed, and his body is slowly regaining some of its former strength. He has heard nothing of Rokudou Mukuro, apart from what Tsuna told him about the capture, and he hasn't seen Dino since then.
But this boy…
Yamamoto Takeshi hasn't failed to come visit him every morning before school, every afternoon after school, and every night. Bringing with him each time either another lily, or a horribly large set of sushi.
"You're sick and hospitalised – isn't it normal that I come visit you?" Takeshi replies good-naturedly, slipping the lily in his arms into the vase, that is now getting somewhat more cramped.
"It isn't normal, since I don't know you," Kyouya spits.
"But we're friends," Yamamoto says, easily sliding into the chair set next to Kyouya's bed. "Isn't that a good enough reason?"
"We're not friends," Kyouya frowns.
"Don't you want to be?"
Kyouya turns away, the frown not leaving.
"Hey, hey," Yamamoto's fingers gently close around his chin, and Kyouya's reflex is to punch him full in the nose, but he holds back. Just this time. He lets Yamamoto lift his chin, and he finds himself drowning in those friendly, warm eyes. "Don't get offended. I just want us to be friends. You're always so quiet, so closed-off. You're making this whole well, rape thing –" Kyouya flinches violently, "–sound like it doesn't affect you, but I know it's hurting you a lot more than you're admitting. It's in your eyes, Hibari."
Kyouya pauses contemplatively. A blush creeps up his cheek and he averts his gaze, "…call me Kyouya."
Yamamoto blink in surprise. "…what?"
Kyouya gives him a pointed look, clearly not wanting to repeat himself.
The baseball player blinks. "Kyouya." He looks like he's feeling it roll off his tongue. Don't you only let Dino call you that?"
Kyouya winces at the mention of his tutor, but he shakes his head. "I…never said anything about that. We're…f…friends, right? So we should…" he trails off, unable to continue. In his embarrassment, a blush creeps up his face.
Yamamoto laughs, and nods. "Right, then. Kyouya. So, we're friends now? Make sure you call me Takeshi, then." He looks at Kyouya's blush, and then he chuckles. "You're cute, Kyouya. Very much so."
Kyouya is stunned back that, and is defenceless when Yamamoto – no, Takeshi pushes him back down onto the bed, strong, strengthened arms on either sides of his frail body. Takeshi smiles down at him, his smile this time disturbingly conniving.
"Smile," he says. It isn't an order, it's a request.
Kyouya promptly scowls up at him. "What for?"
"It hurts to see you cry," Takeshi says quietly, "It also hurts to see you sad. Or quiet. So smile."
He leans down, and buries his face in the crook of Kyouya's shoulder, wrapping his arms around Kyouya, locking the smaller boy in a tight embrace.
"If you don't, I'll make you," Takeshi says, "I'll make you smile."
He lets his fingers run up Kyouya's sides teasingly.
Kyouya closes his eyes, and returns the hug, his arms circling Takeshi's waist.
Then, at last, he lets himself smile.