Chapter Text
Everyone was seated at the dining table, and then splat something hit Gokudera in the face. It was cake and it slid down his cheek leaving a trail of frosting. Gokudera froze and his teeth grit together.
"Who did that," he growled and all fingers immediately pointed to Lambo who was quietly snickering.
"Pfft- you should've seen your face!" Lambo Bovino burst out laughing, clutching his sides.
"YOU STUPID COW!!" Gokudera yelled, grabbing his dynamite before feeling Tsuna's glare and instead grabbing some food with a fist and throwing it back at Lambo.
It hit the teenager right in the face causing him to screech.
Takeshi laughed and cheered, "Food fight!"
Then the Rain threw some food at Chrome who dodged, only for it to hit Ryohei instead. This started an all out food fight that Tsuna at first tried to stop before resigning himself to join in.
Even Reborn indulged in the chaos.
Lambo Bovino indulged in flinging food at unsuspecting parties and once everyone had finally stopped with the more emotionally open of them laughing or giggling, all was well… for a time being.
"Lambo," Tsuna addressed, looking at him. Lambo Bovino tilted his head, his hands fiddling with the bottom of his over-sized, cow printed sweatshirt that reached the middle of his thighs. Tsuna sighed, running a hand through his hair, "You need to stop picking fights Lambo, even if they're harmless. You're annoying everyone around you and giving them, me included, a headache. Someday those 'harmless fights' are going to annoy the wrong person and they could hurt you Lambo. I don't want that."
Lambo Bovino sulked, letting his eyes drift to the floor only to yelp when he was thrown into a wall by a scowling Mukuro's illusions. Mukuro dispelled the illusions with a smirk.
He slid down the wall groaning. Lambo ignored the pain in his back, pushed past how his vision swam, and ignored how his head hurt with a pounding headache.
"Stop making Tsuna annoyed and exhausted Lambo. Everything you're doing is just causing more headaches for everyone so just go away," Mukuro said snidely.
Lambo Bovino pouted and dragged his feet while walking out of the room.
"I don't know how you can deal with him Juudaime! He is very much not EXTREME!" Ryohei shouted.
Mukuro nodded and scowled, "He is an annoying cow that needs to learn that if he doesn't mature then he will drag all of us behind."
Chrome nodded hesitantly, shifting on her feet and looking at the floor.
"The stupid herbivore needs to get stronger," Was all a scowling Kyoya said. The cloud was currently leaning against the wall, a few feet away from any of them.
"Dame-Tsuna, if you truly want him to stay he will need to get over himself" Reborn commented.
"Juudaime the idiot cow is dragging your reputation through the mud. He is the weakest among the Mafia and even though I know he's your lightning, why is he here?!" Gokudera shouted in frustration.
Takeshi nodded and shrugged before saying, "He could probably be a really good fighter if just matured a bit."
Tsuna sighed, "Guys, he still a kid, he's still learning-"
Reborn cut him off, "He's had his entire life to learn Dame-Tsuna." His eyes flickered to the door way before dismissing it, not thinking anyone would be foolish enough to listen in.
They all spoke together freely about Lambo Bovino, unaware that he was just outside the room listening.
The male sighed quietly.
He walked out of the mansion, their words clinging to him like tar.
This was not the first time he had helped Tsuna nor would it be the last. Tsuna was only part of the many people Lambo had helped.
Chrome, Kyoya, Mukuro, Squalo, Xanxus, and everyone else may have forgotten the whispered words, the hugs, the tears, the smiles, the memories… but Lambo never has and never will.
He remembered that one day, a few years ago, Tsuna had been stressed and overworked. Tsuna was snapping at everyone, dark shadows under his eyes, and looked like he would collapse.
Lambo Bovino did what he did best.
He ran to Tsuna's office and barged in and let Tsuna's aggravated response wash off him like rain.
He told a joke and whined about Tsuna needing to hide him from Mukuro.
Tsuna for the first time in a while chuckled before beckoning Lambo Bovino over. Tsuna had patted his head with a soft smile before hiding him under his desk.
When Gokudera came in there later Tsuna was noticeably happier. Tsuna didn't reveal his location to the storm.
Tsuna never spoke of that moment, and neither did Lambo or Lambo Bovino.
No one had meant for their words to be knives, but they carved just the same.
Or perhaps they did and he was foolish to think otherwise.
He walked through the trees, over the roots, and around sudden holes with the skills of someone who's done this multiple times.
He walked. And walked. And walked until the forest finally opened up to a clearing.
The clearing was really just a lake surrounded by flowers and with the trees acting like some kind of fence. Lambo had discovered this place years ago and ever since then it had become his hiding place, his safe place.
It became a place where he could truly let himself feel and shed the mask he often wore.
Lambo Bovino slumped against a tree, staring into the lake that shined like jewels.
He frowned to himself as he let himself slide against the tree, sitting on the damp grass, breathing in the moist air, smelling the faint left over scent of ozone and rain.
He drew his knees to his chest and took off his bison like horns, putting them near him.
He let his eyes close as he listened to the wind dancing through the tree limbs, let himself breathe in the cold air. He let his mask drop, let his childish and weak and crybaby personality wash away like water.
His horns were like a physical representation of his mask in a way, and it made it easier to discern between his mask and true personality.
His frown deepened as he compared the personality he showed and the one he hid.
Lambo Bovino was loud, a crybaby, pure Lightning flames, weak, the clown, the weakest link, brash, and a number of other titles he had never wanted. Lambo Bovino acted like he was between 5-10 years old.
Lambo, nicknamed Lamby or Ram, was quiet, soft-spoken, Lightning flames with strong Inverted Cloud and Storm flames as his secondary flames, strong, insightful, and genuinely wanted to help people. Lambo acted like his real age, 16, but more mature.
The two couldn't be more different yet they were both the same person yet not at the same time.
Lambo Bovino was at first a mask made to protect Lambo that just evolved into a mask made to keep his fellow elements and Sky happy. Lambo Bovino was needed to get them to calm down, to laugh, to relieve them of the stress on their shoulders.
Everyone else might've forgotten but Lambo remembered every moment, every joke, every hug, every whispered word, everything.
He remembered it was 11:49 pm and Lambo had woken up hearing Gokudera's grunts. Lambo had grabbed his horns and put them on his head. Lambo Bovino had walked out into the medical room to see Gokudera wrapping a wound on his arm.
The storm was scowling, not a good sign.
Gokudera had spotted Lambo Bovino and his scowl had deepened. Lambo felt the weight on the storm's bond so Lambo Bovino said a joke.
Gokudera laughed, genuinely laughed and shooed Lambo Bovino away, a fond smile on his face. Once back in his room Lambo Bovino had cheered quietly and he had smiled softly, glad to be of help.
Gokudera didn't mention it the next morning and neither did Lambo Bovino.
Lambo wasn't needed so he forced the mask of Lambo Bovino to stay despite how much it hurt to be something he wasn't.
Even if his fellow elements or Sky hurt him or insulted him Lambo Bovino would keep acting because he knew what would happen if he didn't. At one point he had been away for a few weeks only to come back to everyone more tense, snappy, and exhausted so Lambo Bovino did what he did best, act the idiot.
Everyone was mad and exasperated but he had felt between their bonds how their flames that had earlier seemed weighed down, seemed more light and happy so Lambo considered that a win.
Lambo kept up the mask of Lambo Bovino because Lambo wasn't needed and no one bothered to look past the shrieks, the yells, the whines, the dramatic persona he portrayed. Lambo knew that his mask was perfect yet he couldn't help but hope that someone, anyone really, would see past it and ask him why.
Lambo wanted someone to ask why he hid himself.
Lambo wanted someone to question him on why he kept up the mask of Lambo Bovino.
Lambo wanted someone to wonder who Lambo was.
Lambo wanted someone to inquire on why he hid his flames.
Lambo wanted someone to ask him why he hid his true emotions, his tears.
Lambo- he wanted someone to want Lambo not Lambo Bovino.
His hands gripped the damp grass as he breathed through his nose and out through his mouth, trying to get himself to calm down. It would do good to cry now.
He drew his knees closer to his chest, wrapping one arm around them, gripping his legs tightly with his fingers, his nails digging into the soft fabric. His free hand tore out grass before it grabbed his bison-like horns.
He froze, they were right there, he could become Lambo Bovino and hide himself behind the fake bravado but… it hurt.
It hurt knowing no one tried to look past it all.
It hurt knowing that all anyone would ever see was Lambo Bovino and not Lambo.
He knows that he should be proud and happy that no one could see past the mask in the first place.
He knows he should be content knowing that his mask was so good no one would bother trying to peel it away.
But he wasn't.
No one knew Lambo, only Lambo Bovino.
Was it true? Was he really such a burden?
Was the mask truly pointless? Where they truly right?
His fingers wrapped around the bison-like horns tightly and he let his storm flames come forward. He felt as dust started forming where the flames spread before choking on a breathless sob and stopping.
They didn't know of his flames. They didn't know him.
He looked at the partly disintegrated horns and cried, not for the loss of his physical appearance of the mask, or how his favorite accessories/tools were partly destroyed, but because he let his feelings take control again.
He grabbed the horns and threw them as far as he could currently manage in his mental state. It wasn't very far but it was a few feet away.
He let his free hand tangle in his hair as he breathed in quick breaths, his heartbeat echoing in his ears, and his eyes shut tight as tears pricked his eyes.
He pressed his forehead to his knees, his other arm wrapped around his legs, his nails threatening to dig a hole into his pants and pierce his skin.
His toes and the tips of his fingers tingled as his body shook slightly.
He breathed in ragged breaths and tried to ignore the sensation of his brain feeling like it was dragging through mud.
He tried to ignore the coldness in his body, ignored the way his eyes burned, ignored how his bonds with the others felt thin, too thin.
The air felt heavy.
It was as if a rock was in his throat it was hard to breathe!
The rustle of the leaves seemed deafening, the occasional chirp of the birds echoed through his skull.
His head felt light and it felt like he was going to puke.
More tears streamed down his face and he clenched his eyes shut.
His fingers wrapping around his hair, pulling on it, desperately hoping for something, anything, to ground him.
The sharp pain in his scalp dragged him back from the edges of his mind but it was still too loud. His heart thudded against his chest, and his throat felt dry.
The buzz of electricity was present under his skin.
He could smell bile, could taste acid on his tongue, and he couldn't feel his limbs anymore.
His limbs felt like lead, his stomach churned, his head spun.
Every breath was shallow, and the pounding in his head drowned out everything else.
He let himself fall to his side, curled into a ball, desperately hoping that everything would just go away.
His eyes cracked open to look at the swaying flowers and the glittering lake before the darkness at the edges of his vision surged forward and his mind was claimed by exhaustion.
When Lambo woke up it was to a headache and heavy limbs.
He woke up to a cold but comforting breeze washing through the clearing and over his body like a caress.
Dew kissed grass tickled his face as if wanting to wipe away the residue of his tears.
His eyes cracked open, looking up at the star filled sky and the moon already high in the sky.
He let himself be still for a few moments just looking at the waxing crescent and trying to cool down his clammy skin.
He sat up slowly, groaning at the pounding headache. He should be heading back soon and as he moved to stand he was made aware of the churning in his stomach. His throat felt dry and his headache was getting worse now.
As he lifted a hand to his temple he froze.
Where were his horns!
He looked around frantically, ignoring the way nausea curled in his stomach and pushed through the feeling of his headache evolving into a migraine. Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes making his vision blur slightly.
His already constricted breath quickened and his chest rattled.
Nononononono!!! Where were they!!
He stood up quickly only to fall to his knees, his throat constricted and his memory in a hazy blur.
Everything hurt and the one thing grounding him is gone.
His horns to many are weapons that he can use to direct his lightning flames.
To him they symbolize his mask as Lambo Bovino, like a physical barrier between Lambo and Lambo Bovino.
But they were also something else, they were something he always had and through all of his time travel with the bazooka and all the doomed timelines.
The horns were something he always had so not having them felt wrong.
Wrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrong. Where were his horns!!
Slowly his memories flickered back through his mind.
Oh… that's right, he had tried to destroy them.
He calmed his racing heart and felt his throat open back up.
His breathing was still unsteady but it was better now.
He crawled over to the lake and looked at his reflection, wincing.
His eyes were red and puffy, dried tear tracks prominent on his cheeks, his eyes slightly glassy. Shit, how could he explain this to the others.
He could come up with some kind of excuse.
He frowned as he checked over his bonds with the others. His own flames, bright green and flickering erratically like its namesake, surrounded his other to flames.
His Inverted Cloud Flames, its purple wisp likeness, allowed itself to be covered by the lightning because it wasn't caged, only hidden.
His Storm Flames, bright red always flowing and sometimes spiking, allowed itself to simmer beneath the bright green flames despite how it wanted to rage against the bonds tethering the green.
His Lightning Flames had a small thread tethering it to bright orange flames along with others circling the flame. His bright green flames were a fair distance away from the others but there was still a small and thin strand connecting it to the orange flames, red flames, yellow flames, blue flames, twin indigo flames, and purple flames.
Thick strands of each flames connected to each other except when they reached his Lightning Flames they thinned considerably, barely a thread.
How funny that the Lightning, one of the most loyal elements, is the one most disconnected and distant.
He chuckled at the thought before wincing as the migraine made itself prominent, breaking away his focus from the flame bonds.
He massaged his temples trying to urge away his pounding headache.
He intertwined his Lightning and Cloud Flames.
He used his Lightning Flames to normalize the firing rate of his brain and to interrupt runaway neurological firing.
This lessened his migraine to more manageable levels.
Then he used his cloud flames to propagate the effect, affectively getting rid of his migraine.
He learned to use his flame types in all kinds of different combinations so he could do just about anything with them.
His Cloud flames were already powerful but when you add in Lightning and Storm it adds many more possibilities.
It's funny how what he once thought could be a cool trick when he was three became a way to prevent himself from being a burden.
Lambo remembered listening to Tsuna and Reborn teaching him about flame types one evening after he complained how they were confusing they never did figure out that Lambo had just been faking his confusion so his mask of Lambo Bovino was more solid.
He had asked about using multiple flames to cause a different effect and Reborn had frowned stating that while it wasn't theoretically impossible, it was most likely never achievable due to all those who tried having burned their very soul and dying quickly after even attempting to do it.
Even if two or more people try they would all die.
Lambo had went quiet in what they had assumed was horror while Tsuna yelled at Reborn for scaring Lambo
Thinking back on it Lambo wants to scoff.
Difficult? No people were just idiots and only tried to get the bare minimum of control over their flames and deeming themselves a master.
If Lambo was able to do this at 8 years old with a year of trying to figure it out then what did that say about everyone else-
No- he needed to stop.
He needed to figure out his cover story for when he gets back.
Hmm…
Maybe after he left the mansion he thought he saw a butterfly and decided to follow it only to get lost. He then went through a lot of trees and shrubbery.
At some point he lost his horns which caused him to cry really hard and then he went looking for them only to get more lost before finally making it back to the mansion.
Yes, that would work.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by wind blowing through the branches of the trees overhead, surroundings him like a protective barrier.
He shivered, huddling himself closer in his over-sized hoodie.
The flowers surrounding the lake swayed with the wind, their fragile petals dancing in the breeze.
The glittering lake rippled and then something appeared in it.
It looked like a hand except… it couldn't be one, no one could live in the lake and the hand looked like a reflection, not an actual hand.
So how was it there? Could it be a Mist illusion?
But he doesn't sense any Mist Flames so how?
The hand seemed to be beckoning him, asking him to place his hand in it.
He hesitated for a second, debating, before he let his fingers touch the water where the hand is.
Suddenly the hand shot out of the water wrapping around his wrist, dragging him under and the world fell into darkness.
Tsuna and the others were exploring the forest, trying to find their missing Lightning. None of them were too worried but they didn't need Lambo to get into a situation he couldn't handle.
It had been a few hours since the food fight and it was quite odd that Lambo hadn't come back yet. Tsuna just hoped Lambo didn't get lost again.
Then Tsuna stumbled upon a forest clearing though it was as if the very trees themselves were trying to make him leave.
Tsuna ignored the unsettling feeling that settled in his bones and looked around. The clearing was admittedly beautiful, a shimmering lake surrounded by flowers. He frowned, idly wondering were Lambo was.
He looked around before his gaze was drawn to something shining in the grass.
He stepped closer only to freeze.
His chest constricted as his eyes widened at the objects sitting innocently in the grass.
Two silver, bison-like horns lay in the grass abandoned but… they were partially disintegrated in a way only Storm Flames could do.
Everyone knew Lambo only had Lightning flames and Gokudera had been with Tsuna all day.
"Lambo?"