#what's up with reborn's smug face after lambo's speech tho

[hopeswriting]

[ID: Panels from the manga Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

1: Tsuna says "Don't cry, Lambo!!"

Reborn says "This is my fault. Treating brat Lambo the same way as the other guardians, like a man. I was wrong about that."

2: Reborn continues, saying "I shouldn't have brought him here."

"That's not it!! I'm the one to be blamed!!" Tsuna says, and Lambo from ten years later is surprised by it. "I could have stopped him from coming along if I wanted!! But I couldn't reject him!!"

3: Lambo's speaking over panels of his five years old self watching Tsuna and his guardians with admiration, saying "I was happy to be there and I enjoyed it more than anything. I wanted to catch up to them as soon as possible. To the world that young Vongola and others live."

4: Lambo continues, saying "You must take the younger me with you whenever from now on, too. I'm the one that wants to stay with you." /End ID]

this isn't the whole scene but this is such a heartwarming scene, my heart. 🥺😭💖 lambo just wants to be included, wants to be with his big brother wherever he is, and with the people his big brother cares about too who also care about him. he wants to do whatever they're doing too because for how much he may be annoying with them and not listen to them, he does, in fact, respect them. he admires them, and wants to grow up to be just like them, so of course he wants to stay close to them as much as he can so he can learn from them.

i still think they could let that happen in a better way because bringing him along with them doesn't have to mean letting him fight too (tho i'm aware that ever since they gave him the vongola ring the choice wasn't fully theirs anymore), but i stand corrected that he's the one who wants to stay with them. because he only wants to belong with his family, and catch up to them as soon as he can and be seen and treated by them as equal to them.

and in that light it makes perfect sense that his desire to play with rauji, to "make him his subordinate", was enough resolve for his vongola gear to come to life, and that his pride is about how he never rejected an invitation to play. because for one, it makes sense that as a five years old he'd understand such things through concepts he can have a clear grasp on, like playing, and also of course, as a child, playing is high on the list of the most important things to him, so it does have meaning and weight in his mouth. but most importantly, play is his love language. it's how he bonds with people, how he shows them he likes them and trusts them and wants to grow close to them. and it's a little bit heartbreaking to think about his pride with that in mind, because then he's saying "i know what it's like to be denied play (love), so i'm not ever going to be someone who denies it to someone else" on one hand, and on the other is also saying "i've been denied play (love) many times and i'm starved of it, so i can't afford to pass up any opportunity that might give it to me".

but tsuna & co give him play all he wants. like yes they get annoyed at him and snap at him and scold him when he goes too far, but they still indulge him. and when he makes mistakes they forgive him and keep indulging him. reciprocrate his desire of play, and namely here, by bringing him along too whenever they have to "play" their adult games.

also i like how tsuna says he couldn't reject him. because whether subconsciously or consciously or somewhere in between, it seems he was already aware that it was all about belonging for lambo. and tsuna, who'd know what its like to crave for belonging and be starved of it, of course couldn't bring himself to reject him even as he knew better.

and okay amano, you got me here, i may be crying a bit over this 😭💖💖💖