Wait for it [KHR]

Chapter 7

There's not a single problem that can't be solved with alcohol and fire.

Warnings: Fire. Explosions. Водка. Villains on stand-by while character does motivational speech.

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Tsuna has a large bottle of vodka tucked under his arm as they make it down the hallway. The little lion is perched on his good shoulder.

Mochida doesn't know where he got the glove he's wearing on his right hand. All he knows is that one moment Tsuna was fiddling with his single woollen mitten and the next he saw him, he was sighing dejectedly at a black leather glove cladded in shiny silver metal, the ring somehow sitting perfectly over the leather. It looks like it's made for fighting. Mochida doesn't want to ask.

He also doesn't want to ask about the vodka. He is having enough trouble carrying the floor lamp he took as a temporary weapon without making noise. It's heavy and uncomfortable just as he said it would be, but it also gives him a vague sense of security. He's not awful at fighting barehanded, but he's never been exceptionally good at it either. He's always worked better with weapons. So in case someone attacks now he feels like he would at least stand a slight chance against them-

No, actually, fuck it. Tsuna's lost his goddamn mind if he thinks Mochida can fight with a floor lamp. The thing is so awfully off balance it's not even remotely funny. But they're already halfway up the stairs and it's too late to turn back.

Tsuna stops abruptly and urges Mochida to check his phone. There's still no signal.

"We're definitely above ground by now. If you can't even call emergency then something must be jamming the signal," Tsuna explains with a barely audible whisper. He glances up the stairs. "You don't happen to know what's up there, do you?"

"No, I was blindfolded when they brought us in."

"Yeah, thought so. Stay here, I'll go see. Look after senpai, will you, Natsu? I'll be right back." He pushes the lion into his hands without waiting for an answer and Mochida almost shrieks because holy fuck! He's touching fire! Which... isn't hot at all? It's kind of warm and soft like that orange light before.

The lion is struggling against his hold so he sets him down quickly, half expecting him to run off after Tsuna, but he just takes a few steps away and sits down as majestically as a miniature burning lion can, his tail swishing through the air as he guards the hallway they just came from.

Tsuna said to treat him like a cat, didn't he? Well, he's been feeding the cats at the dojo for years. He just sits down on the stairs, mostly ignoring him, but still generally acknowledging him. That always works with cats.

"Natsu, was it?" he says after a while. The lion ignores him, but Mochida persists. "Is your life always this crazy?"

Natsu huffs and keeps staring down the hallway. It's empty and he can't hear anything. But what if someone comes down the other set of stairs? And he's still wary of Marco. Now that he thinks about it, he didn't think to pull out the staples. What if Marco manages to escape the same way they did? Would he be able to fight him without Tsuna? Would Tsuna be able to fight him again?

"Gao," Natsu suddenly says quietly and sits closer to him. He supposes that the 'gao' is a growl of some sort, but it's the fakest lion's roar he's ever heard. Like a child trying to imitate a lion. Nevertheless, Mochida hesitates, but tries scratching him behind the ear like he saw Tsuna do. He's ready to pull his hand away the moment it starts burning, but Natsu is just warm, and the silky flames of his mane tickle him as they gently cradle his fingers. It's the weirdest feeling ever. Like petting living fire.