Chapter 32

(December 14th, 1982 – early morning)

The morning is slow and tiring. Or maybe that's just him. His work in the hotel has always been repetitive and a bit dull but he never really understood how boring it was until he only had three hours of sleep in his system. The beds of the rooms he cleaned look each more inviting with the passing of time. And while he really wants his shift to be over, he dreads it at the same time as he has to go back to the bar to clear things up with Giorgio-san.

He kind of ran away the day before.

He instinctively does things slower, not that it changes anything. The hours don't get longer and soon enough, like a weird dream, he's standing in front of familiar doors. He takes a peek in and… everything is the same. He doesn't know why he expected it to change after a day, but he had. Should he feel disappointed or not?

It doesn't matter.

With a deep breath, he walks in, unsurprised at how physically painful is to return. His throat is tight again, his eyes burn and he can't help it. Not when the aroma of the coffee is strong in the air, mixed with the faint smoke of cigarettes. The tables are in the same position he used to help set and the bottles of alcohol, organized by color on the wall, give that cheerful vibe. The room is homely warm, in perfect contrast to the chilly outside.

It's nice and nostalgic.

"A coffee, please," he says without a tremor in his voice.

Chiara looks up so fast from the cup she's cleaning, his own neck hurts in sympathy. "Natsu? I thought…" She lowers the cup down and gives her a serious look as she lowers her tone to whisper, "Are you okay? I heard what happened yesterday."

He shrugs, it's a pathetic little thing. "I knew it could happen any time, especially with how things were going. I wasn't that surprised, really."

"That's not what I asked, silly." She reaches his shoulder from across the desk to give him a gentle squeeze. "Are you okay?"

He looks down, not answering. And that's perhaps enough to tell how things really are going. The desk's wood is a rich brown against his fingers, old but still shiny. He hears her sigh, the sound weirdly loud amongst the conversation going on around them.

"I'll be fine," he says and knows it's true even if currently doesn't feel like it.

"I know you'll be, Natsu." She taps her fingers once on the table, a nervous habit of hers. "The boss said you can still get your stuff to his garage. He left a key in case you need it done quickly, but you know Antonio's free dray is tomorrow and he has a car. I'm sure he'll love to help you out."

"I'll talk to him then. Is he here?" She nods. "Okay. I don't have much so it'll probably take one trip."

"That's the attitude! Oh, and before I forget." She leans closer into his space, her voice lowering. "The boss isn't here right now but he left your last pay… You kind of ran off before he got to give it to you."

Tsuna lets his forehead fall against the table. It's harder to do than it had been a year ago thanks to his last grown spurt. "Ugh. I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be. We all get it, don't worry." She only lets him dwell on his own misery for the five seconds it takes her to put the small envelope with his money next to the table. She then puts another one, bigger and fuller. He blinks blankly at it before directing his questioning gaze to Chiara. "This came to us on the mail. Your name is on a corner so we didn't open it."

"Oh." He stands straight and inspects it. He only has to turn it around to know who send it.

"Yeah, the 'from Mona' was a big giveaway, too. Weird she didn't write her last name."

Tsuna doesn't think Viper is this fast at answering a call, so it must be something she sent before he called. He wants to open it but is wise enough not to do it.

"Thanks, Chiara." He looks up at her as he puts both envelopes inside his trusty bag, a thoughtful frown on his face. "Can I use the phone?"

"Sure." She nods to the door that leads to the little breakroom they have, a small space where they change and eat, barely large enough for two people to fit. He gives her the last wave but a person approaches the counter so he's not sure if she sees him.

Asking Verde for a day off when he's been working for him less than a week is not something he wants to attempt. Is not fear what he feels towards him, it's merely healthy caution. The Verde he just met is an aloof kind of person like his future self was. However, unlike his cursed self, this one doesn't have that tint of madness, that feeling of 'I will do anything in the name of science' that terrified him. This Verde—he has some trouble calling him Dimtr—is a less jaded person. He has little morals, yes, but that doesn't mean he doesn't follow a code.

That still doesn't mean he will ask him for a day off. Besides, he doesn't have his number. So with little time to work with, he calls the hotel and explains his problem to his boss, who is understanding if not a little too busy to hear it all. He obtains his morning off but has no time to celebrate as he needs to go to the back and ask Antonio-san if they can meet tomorrow. Luckily, he accepts.

- x –

When he goes to Verde's house, he's a little late though the other doesn't seem to have noticed. He asks more questions about flames, writing all he says in a little notebook. Tsuna is not an expert but his lack of knowledge doesn't seem to turn Verde off. He's interested in the rings he mentioned that can be used as conduits and the role a Sky flame has with other flames.

That takes them about two hours with all and the demonstrations he does for him. He's promised to not use him in weird experiments but that doesn't mean there will not be experiments at all.

(At least nothing weird is used on him)

He then returns to his previous work with the dictionaries and encyclopedias. It's tedious and boring so it isn't surprising he falls asleep again in the middle of it. It's not that late when he wakes up so he cooks something quick. There's not much left in the refrigerator but sandwiches always fill up a hungry stomach. He leaves them on a plate, on top of the table with fewer papers on it.

He hopes Verde eats it. He's really thin.

"If these are still here for when I come back, I'll not let you do any more experiments on my flames for at least a week!"

He receives a grumble in response but he thinks it's enough.

With a nod and a quick 'see you later', he goes to buy groceries.

Something tells him today he's also going to sleep mid-work and sleep here in the end. At least Verde doesn't seem annoyed by this and he can't help but think if he can make it work for the week he needs until he receives the new apartment.

He's officially homeless, after all.