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hopeswriting · 3 years

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EVENT: KHR Rare Pair Event 2021 by @khrrarepairweek

PROMPT: Day 1 - Mistaken Identity AU | (struck through text) Courting

PAIRING: Sawada Tsunayoshi & Vongola Tenth Gen

SUMMARY:

After high school, Tsuna agrees to continue his studies overseas in Italy so his mom can have his dad home more often. His Feeling quivers, half in delight, half in dread, but Tsuna hopes for the best.

(He’s so glad he did.)

RATING: G

TW: Mild Self-Esteem Issues, Swearing

WORDS: 11752

LINKS: Ao3 & Ff.net

[Plain text:

EVENT: KHR Rare Pair Event 2021 by @khrrarepairweek

PROMPT: Day 1 - Mistaken Identity AU | (struck through) Courting

PAIRING: Sawada Tsunayoshi & Vongola Tenth Gen

SUMMARY:

(He’s so glad he did.)

RATING: G

TW: Mild Self-Esteem Issues, Swearing

WORDS: 11752

LINKS: Ao3 & Ff.net /End PT]

The bus’s door opens, and lo and behold Takeshi sits behind the wheel. His face lights up in pleasant surprise, and Tsuna could almost have believed it was genuine.

“Tsuna! I didn’t know you took that bus too.” He grins, infinitely more genuine and warm than that perfectly fake, friendly smile he gave him the first time they met.

Tsuna is happy about it, but still genuinely considers making a run for it.

This is the last stop where Takeshi shouldn’t have been driving any of the buses that stop there—he checked—, and he can’t make himself wake up any sooner.

There are other stops he could try, but they’re too far from his apartment, and the buses’ schedules don’t match up with his own anyway. Tsuna could walk, except he’d rather not, because at least in the bus the witnesses can only be so many at most.

Tsuna steps into the bus, too sleepy and lazy to make a run for it, let alone when Takeshi will, absolutely, run after him one way or another.

“Good morning, Takeshi-san.” Tsuna smiles, and it feels genuine and warm too, because he walked past the point of no return at least when they moved to a first name basis.

“Starting early today?“Not really,” Tsuna tries not to lie too much, feeling guilty—yep, definitely walked past the point of no return. “I’d just like to try to work a little at the library first.”

Takeshi laughs. “Aren’t you a hard-worker, Tsuna?”

Tsuna sits on the first seat opposite Takeshi, and firmly holds on the handlebar.

He used to sit the furthest back he could, hiding behind the seats and the other passengers, but Takeshi would not avert his eyes away from him until he’d get off at his stop, and Tsuna can do without indirectly causing a bus crash.

“How are you today?”

“Sleepy,” Tsuna confesses, and laughs at his own pathetic private joke.

“That’s because you don’t know how to appreciate early morning!”

“By sleeping in? If not, thank you, but I’ll pass.”

Takeshi sighs, playfully disappointed, then shakes his head, closing his eyes. “Sorry, but I can’t ignore this slander of beautiful, early morning. Take it from someone who loves that time of the day most!” He turns his head to look at him properly, and Tsuna’s heartbeat fastens.

“Takeshi-san—”

“You should try going out for a walk sometimes! Maybe even a jog? A healthy body is important to study!”

“Please watch the road.”

“Let the fresh air in your lungs, admire the sun rising, casting the sky in beautiful, calming colors, and you’ll see—”

“Takeshi-san!” The car coming from the right brakes, the tires screeching against the concrete, and hons furiously as Takeshi runs a red light.

Takeshi barely glances at the road before looking back at him. “—you’ll want to wake up early every day in no time too, I’m sure of it!”

A strained smile pulls at Tsuna’s lips, his eyes glued to the road—someone has to—, but then he glances at Takeshi to let him know he’s listening.

His Feeling flares, and he snaps his eyes back to the road.

A woman crosses the street, seemingly not aware of the bus coming straight for her, and his heart leaps in his throat.

“Takeshi, watch out!”

Tsuna never takes his eyes away from the road. He watches as Takeshi turns sharply to the left, barely avoiding the woman. The momentum throws Tsuna to his left, then to the other side as Takeshi sharply turns right, back on track again.

Thankfully there were no cars in the other lane, but the cars behind the bus honk, the drivers shouting fierce insults. They’re faint to Tsuna’s ears, the sound of his heart drowning everything else, and he holds on the handlebar like a lifeline.

Takeshi whistles. “That was a close one. Sorry about that everyone!”

Tsuna wants to cry. Does Takeshi have a driver license? Is he legally allowed to drive buses? Is he?

Is he?

Tsuna can’t make himself ask him.

“You okay, Tsuna?” Takeshi glances at him, and does not glance back.

“Please watch the road.”

Takeshi laughs, his eyes so fond and his smile so warm, it’s just the tiniest bit hard for Tsuna not to let it go. “You worry too much, Tsuna! I can do it blind, don’t you know?”

“I’m begging you.”

“With your will, there isn’t anything you can’t do. When faced to tough situations, you just have to do it with your dying will, isn’t that right?”

Trick question, his Feeling warns, and doesn’t he know.

Here they go again with dying will and whatnot, and he used to think Takeshi was threatening him.

Tsuna looks into Takeshi’s eyes, and forgets for a second Takeshi’s supposed to be driving, and he shouldn’t be able to look into his eyes. There’s the faintest smile on his lips still, but his eyes are deadly serious, a glint that looks more and more like hope the more times Tsuna sees it.

Tsuna sighs. “Wouldn’t that be nice? I’d have my driver license already if that was the case.”

Takeshi smiles wider, and looks away as he slows down in front of a stop. “Sure would.”

Tsuna internally winces.

He hates to let him down—let them all down—, he does, but this isn’t something he’s able to commit to right now. Or should commit to for that matter.

Let alone the fact he has no idea what he’d commit to.

“If this isn’t Loser Tsuna?”

Tsuna blinks himself back to reality, then up at Gideone, looming over him. His mood sinks into the ‘of course this is the bus Mister Bully takes’ pit, but he makes sure not to show it.

“Ah, Gideone. Good morning.”

Gideone seems to be in a bad mood, looking down at him and sneering. “What, you got lost on your way to school? This is my seat, get lost.” He grabs his hoodie and tugs, and Tsuna catches himself on the seat next to him.

A chill runs down his spine, and he scrambles up, almost tripping on his school bag at his feet. “Of-of course, no problem,” he says pointedly.

He wants to bend down and grabs his bag, but he also doesn’t want to lose sight of Takeshi at the corner of his eyes.

He’s only at the corner of his eyes, and he can’t really make out his face, but his gaze weighs down on them, and his Feeling burns.

But not for him.

“Loser Tsuna! Hurry it up!” Tsuna startles, and hasn’t the time to hurry it up that Gideone, the fool, reaches for him again.

Takeshi takes a sharp turn out of the roundabout. Gideone loses his balance, slams his head against the handlebar, and drops dea—unconscious on the floor.

Oh God.

Tsuna himself barely kept his balance, what the hell Takeshi?

The bus is dead silent, all eyes on the body on the floor. Tsuna looks too, and Gideone doesn’t move a muscle. There’s blood on the handlebar.

“Oops,” Takeshi says, and it sounds like he’s celebrating. “That’s why we tell you to sit if you can, as soon as you can. You okay, Tsuna?”

Tsuna looks up at him, and he smiles from ear to ear, clearly expecting praises. Clearly unrepentant, and not caring to hide it.

Tsuna breathes in deeply, and breathes out slowly. He sits back down, and smiles back, genuine and warm.

“I’m okay. Thank you, Takeshi-san.” Takeshi beams, and Tsuna does a masterful job at ignoring the body on the floor.

Why didn’t Gideone sit as soon as he could, when he could? Surely he took the bus before, this is obviously in no way whatsoever Tsuna’s fault.

Tsuna steps above Gideone's body to get off at his stop, and doesn’t care enough to drag him with him out of the bus—and more importantly, out of Takeshi’s reach. He does give Takeshi a stern look before the door closes.

Anything else that might happen from now on will have to be on God’s hands.

Tsuna has to walk the rest of the way to school, but like Takeshi said it isn’t so bad. It’s not like he can just go back to sleep in the middle of the sidewalk anyway, so he might as well enjoy his way there.

He doesn’t let himself enjoy it too much, looking down at his phone now and then to make sure he doesn’t get lost. His Italian isn’t so bad by now, but he still feels too embarrassed when he has to use it outside familiar situations.

Lambo falls in steps with him, and he badly startles.

“Good morning, Tsuna-nii.”

“Lambo! You scared me. Morning.”

Tsuna huffs a laugh, laughing at himself. It’s been a long time since Lambo startled him. Tsuna learned to subconsciously take notice of the back alley Lambo usually popped up from, but of course he couldn’t do that today.

“Isn’t it too early for Tsuna-nii? What happened?”

Tsuna playfully scoffs, and shoves him with his shoulder. “Isn’t that my line? You’re barely awake right now.” As if on cue Lambo yawns, trying to deny it as he does, and Tsuna laughs at his unintelligible noises.

“What are you doing around here, Tsuna-nii?”

“What are you doing around here, Lambo? This early?”

Lambo looks away, and scratches the back of his neck. “I slept at a friend’s house. But I woke up early and I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I thought I’d walk around.” Tsuna purses his lips not to laugh. What a bad liar he is. “It’s a one-time thing though. What about you, Tsuna-nii?”

“Oh yeah, me too,” Tsuna says easily, and doesn’t miss Lambo’s obvious relief. Lambo yawns again and he chuckles, but then it turns into a yawn.

They catch each other’s eye as they yawn, and giggle. It’s impossible then for either of them to yawn properly, as they keep breaking into laughter wherever they look at each other or not.

They eventually manage to go to the end of their yawn, and Tsuna yawns so hard he has tears at the corner of his eyes.

Yep, definitely a one-time thing.

“Aren’t you cold, Lambo?”

Lambo straightens proudly, his hands on his hips. He wears a black jacket buttoned at his belly, and a cow patterned shirt underneath only buttoned halfway up, showing his bare chest. “Not at all. This is fashion Tsuna-nii, and I’m really popular because of it.”

“Is that so?”

“You could be too if you tried.”

“Eh?” That was uncalled for. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”

“Tsuna-nii.” Lambo stops walking, and looks him pointedly up and down.

Tsuna wears his favorite orange hoodie, with black pants and snickers, and he doesn’t see what’s wrong with that. Lambo apparently begs to disagree, pursing his lips in distaste, and pulling at his hoodie with the tip of his fingers.

Tsuna laughs, and slaps his hand away. “Leave me alone. Maybe simple, comfortable clothes is my fashion sense, what about it?”

“It’s ugly.”

Tsuna startles in laughter, and playfully shoves Lambo away before walking again. “Sorry we can’t all be as handsome as you, Lambo.”

“That’s for sure.” Lambo skips to him, and he has that lazy, low-key, mischievous smile on his lips. “Still, that’s a shame. Isn’t there any girl you want to catch the attention of? Any boy?”

Tsuna rolls his eyes. “I wish.”

Lambo gasps. “A teacher?”

“Lambo!” Tsuna blushes red, mortified, and he’s not going to look any of his teachers in the eye today.

Lambo takes on an innocent look and smiles, as his eyes shine in mirth. “It’s okay Tsuna-nii, adult’s matters are none of my business.”

Oh, that little— “It sounds to me like Lambo has someone he wants to catch the attention of.”

Lambo unmistakably blushes. It’s invisible on his dark skin, but Tsuna knows that sharp intake of breath, the tell-tale sign of him looking down then defiantly up.

“Not at all.” He walks past him fast, running away, but Tsuna doesn’t let him escape. “I love all the girls equally, because I’d feel bad to break any of their hearts.”

“You lying liar,” Tsuna says in a sing-song tone, and grins when Lambo turns his head away from him. “Come on, you can tell me. What is she like? Are you friends? What’s her name?”

“Lambo doesn’t know what you’re talking about.” He catches a strand of his hair, twirls it around his finger, and it’s the biggest tell-tale sign he’s lying.

“Is she pretty? Is she the prettiest girl at your school? What’s even your type of girls, Lambo?”

“Not telling,” Lambo mumbles.

Tsuna stays silent. They walk together, Lambo stubbornly not looking his way. Eventually he does, reluctantly, and catches his eye.

Tsuna smiles kindly at him, a tad teasing. “Does she know?” Lambo makes a sharp one eighty, and runs tail in the opposite direction. Tsuna grabs on his bag, laughing. “Lambo, wait! Come on, do you have to go already? You’re better than I at directions, so I’ll feel safer if you stay with me.”

Lambo looks above his shoulder, and Tsuna goes for his most sincere smile. He narrows his eyes. “Tsuna-nii is more devious than he looks.”

“You called me ugly, so I think we’re even now.”

Lambo snorts despite himself, looking his outfit up and down once, then bursts out laughing. Tsuna doesn’t even mind, can’t help but grin as he watches him laugh, loud and carefree.

Lambo is a much more put together teenager than Tsuna ever was at his age, but more often than not he shows too much maturity, and Tsuna’s heart clenches every time.

He likes much better when he laughs like that, and blushes about his crush he doesn’t want to talk about, and gets personally offended by Tsuna’s fashion style—or lack thereof.

Lambo calms down, glances up and down at his outfit again, and snorts. “Yes, I did.”

Tsuna rolls his eyes, a smile on his lips, and lets go of his bag. “Jeez, thanks. Come on, or I’ll be late.”

“Ah wait, Tsuna-nii.” Tsuna makes his smile firmly stay on his face, and braces himself. He turns around. Lambo takes a Tupperware out from his bag, and holds it out to him. “This time it’s called spaghetti alle vongole, I’m sure you and Mama will like it!”

“Always spaghetti.”

“Get used to it.”

Tsuna huffs a laugh, and puts the Tupperware inside his bag. “Yes sir. Thank you, Lambo.”

“It’s spaghetti with clams,” Lambo explains excitedly, “flavored with garlic, chili, white wine, and parsley. And if you really like it, it only takes thirty minutes tops to do it!”

“That sounds good. I’m sure my mom will love to try it.”

Lambo nods. “Yeah, it is. I like the clams best personally.”

Tsuna laughs, and if it sounds a bit strained to Lambo’s ear too, he doesn’t show it. “I know.”

“It’s called spaghetti alle vongole in Italian, did I tell you?”

“You did.”

“Vongole is Italian for clams.”

“I know.”

“Right.” Lambo glances at him none-too-subtly, waiting for a reaction that won’t come, anxiously waiting for it. “Vongole,” he says, like it’s a magic word that’s supposed to turn on a switch in him.

It doesn’t, even after countless hours of researching clams in books and on the internet, so much so if Tsuna doesn’t manage to become a teacher, he’ll look for a job in the clam field.

“Yeah, the Italian word for clams, right? I know.”

Lambo looks crushed, always does, and it crushes Tsuna’s heart in turn every time.

Lambo is the worst to let down, but even if Tsuna might still have to grow out from his Loser self for good, he’s not about to give Lambo false hopes out of cowardice that will only hurt him more later.

He blinks, and Lambo’s lazy smile is back on his lips, but it doesn’t fool him. “Right.” Lambo stops, and points at the crosswalk. “I’m going this way.”

“Want to come try the recipe at home with us?”

Lambo gaps, whatever he was about to say forgotten. Tsuna gaps too. Did he just—

Lambo beams, and it almost blinds him. “Really? Really, Tsuna-nii? Really really really? You promise?” He grins wide, his hands on his shoulders, that close to shake the words out of him.

Ah.

Too late for take backs now.

“I’ll have to warn my mom first, but I’m sure she won’t mind. I promise. We’ll just have to agree on the time and date.”

“Tsuna-nii!” Lambo jumps into his arms, and holds on tight. “Tsuna-nii, you’re the greatest, bestest, awesomest ever!”

Tsuna laughs, and hugs back. “And don’t you go forgetting it.”

It’s fine, isn’t it?

Probably.

Maybe.

If nothing else, Lambo is the safest out of the bunch to introduce to his mom.

Tsuna puts his pen down, and relaxes in his seat. He allows himself a little smile, though he's a bit unsure.

He did good with the test, even if he both hated the book and had trouble understanding it. But Hayato—his lord and savior—had gone over it with him as many times as he asked, and he gave it his all.

It should be fine—no, it will be fine. Probably. Maybe.

Tsuna rolls his eyes at himself, and is distracted from his thoughts when his neighbor hands him all the tests from their row. He adds his own to the stack of papers, and puts it at the end of the table for the teacher to come and pick it up.

Tsuna hunches over the table, his head resting on his crossed arms, and tries not to listen too hard to the students discussing the test as they prepare to leave.

Right, he should too, Hayato's never late, and the faster they get to lunch the better for his hungry stomach.

The teacher opens the door to leave, and as he does, like clockwork, Hayato comes in. Tsuna smiles.

Hayato immediately finds his eyes, and his face lights up with a big grin, and squeals and sighs rise from the students. Tsuna blushes, but returns a grin of his own.

“Tsuna-san, good morning!” Hayato says in Japanese, and Tsuna loves him a little more every time for it. “How did it go?”

There's a none too subtle crowd around them, of women and men alike, not so hurried to leave all of a sudden, and not so silent either. Hayato ignores them so hard Tsuna might doubt their existence, but it's hard to when he's being glared at so intensely.

“Good, I think. Wasn't very easy though.”

Hayato leans both his hands on the table, the utmost expression of seriousness and belief on his face. “If you couldn't do it, then no one else did.”

“But you could have, couldn't you?” Tsuna teases, but then turns earnest. “You were a big help Hayato, thank you again.”

Hayato blushes, and waves his hands in front of him, flustered, but he smiles wide all the same. “No need for that, Tsuna-san! That was nothing. That—I was more than happy to help!”

“Excuse-me, Hayato?”

They turn to the woman who stepped away from the crowd, and she has all her focus on Hayato alone. She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, looking him right in the eye, a playful smile on her lips.

Tsuna averts his eyes, blushing. Women sure are audacious.

Hayato scowls, and rises to his full height. “Who said you could talk to me?”

“Ah, no, I—”

“Scram.”

Tsuna winces, as if hit, and the woman gaps, at a loss for words. He only feels a little bad for her, because they should know by now to leave Hayato alone.

Tsuna used to think Hayato was too harsh with them, but learned that nothing else worked with these people.

Hayato looks above the woman at the the students behind her, and ever so slightly narrows his eyes. They scattered in hurried, hushed steps, one of the woman's friends grabbing her by the arm and dragging her away with her.

“Tch.” Hayato turns back to him, and his face softens, opens once more, and lights up with the genuineness of his smile. “Sorry about that, Tsuna-san.”

Tsuna laughs breathlessly, and can't help but stare, warm in the chest. “No problem. Let's just go to lunch already, I'm starving.”

They walk into the first empty auditorium they come across. They sit on the floor against the wall, so they're hidden from the windows, and Hayato can keep his eyes on the door.

“Today I made you a mix of Italian and Japanese dishes,” Hayato says excitedly, opening his bag. “Ah, do you also want us to study as we eat?”

“Thank you, but no, not today. And wait, me first.” He raises his hand and Hayato stops, raising his eyebrow curiously. Tsuna grins, and proudly gets Hayato's bento out of his bag. “Ta-da!”

He lifts the lid, and Hayato's eyes widen. “Oh, this looks good, Tsuna-san!”

“Doesn't it? Doesn't it?”

Hayato puts the bento on his lap, staring in awe, and Tsuna puffs out his chest proudly. He didn't even burn anything this time!

“Tsuna-san?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, sorry for asking, but...” Hayato frowns, looking conflicted, and flicks his eyes between him and the bento. “Well, did you... do it yourself?”

Tsuna bursts out laughing, and playfully elbows him in the side. “Jeez Hayato, no way I'm letting that pass.” Hayato winces, panic flashing across his face. “Just kidding,” Tsuna hurries to add, “that's fair enough.” He laughs again, and Hayato relaxes. “Actually, yesterday I had the afternoon free, so with my mom's help I worked on it until I got it right.”

Hayato sucks in a breath, his eyes wide, and Tsuna frowns, tilting his head. “You... worked on it so long? For me?”

“Right,” Tsuna says easily. “Because your bentos are always so good! So I wanted to step up my game too.” He shoves him slightly by the shoulder, smiling up at him. “Oh yeah, can I have it by the way? The bento. I'm so hungry, I kept stressing about the test and couldn't eat a lot at breakfast.”

“All that for me?” Hayato's voice is quiet, looking down at the bento. His face is unreadable, but Tsuna's heart clenches.

“Sure did,” he says again easily, but slower, and chooses his words carefully. “I was happy to, it's nothing. Don't you... like one of the dishes?”

“No!” Tsuna startles, and Hayato flinches back, then lowers his voice. “Sorry Tsuna-san, I didn't mean to scare you. But I like it! I like every dish and I'll eat them all gratefully, that's not—” He cuts himself off, looking unsure for the briefest of second. Then he looks Tsuna in the eye, the most earnest expression on his face. “I feel very lucky and happy. Thank you, Tsuna-san.”

Tsuna blushes hard to the tip of his ears, and fights not to hide his face in his hands. “That's—that's my line, isn't it?”

“Oh no, it's nothing,” Hayato dismisses, and Tsuna wants to smack him upside the head. “Please don't worry about it.”

Tsuna huffs. “You're a great friend Hayato,” he says pointedly and emphatically. "I'm glad to have you." He looks him straight in the eye, daring him to try to deny it, and Hayato can only scratch his cheek, blushing and looking away. “You're starving me right now though, so I'm not sure how long it’ll last.”

“O-of course!” Hayato splutters, and Tsuna chuckles. “Right away.” He hands him the bento, and Tsuna has it open and holds on the chopsticks in the blink of an eye. “I have something else for you too today, Tsuna-san.”

“Tsuna,” Tsuna corrects, his mouth half full.

“No, I couldn't—”

“Tsuna.”

They had this conversation many times already, but this time Tsuna has no intention to back down an inch. It must show on his face, because Hayato relents faster than he'd have thought.

He clears his throat, a slight blush on his cheeks. “Well, Ts—Tsuna,”—his blush deepens, and Tsuna smiles—“this is for you.” He opens a small jewel box, and holds it open for him to look at the ring inside.

Ah.

Tsuna chews slowly, buying himself time to put himself together.

Don't blush don't blush don’t blush, you know this isn't what it looks like it is, don't blush.

He looks up into Hayato's eyes, and the intensity in them seems to grow every time.

“A new one?”

Hayato beams approvingly. “As expected of you, Tsuna! As of now this is one of the best you can find. I believe you might like this one.”

It's a simple ring with an orange gemstone in the middle of it, and though its color is beautiful, Tsuna can't say he sees a difference with the previous ones.

But his Feeling pings when he looks at it, and he knows it is, that it's somehow better than the other ones.

“Thank you, Hayato, but rings are still not really my thing.”

Hayato holds his hand in his, the ring in his other one. “Won’t you please try it? I really think this one might suit you.”

Tsuna lets go of his chopsticks, wraps his hand around Hayato's arm, and subtly tries to free himself. “Won't it suit you more? I won't mind. It'd look good with all these ones you already have, won't it?”

“It'd be completely useless on me," Hayato says with such absolute certainty, Tsuna finds himself at a loss for counterarguments. "I insist.”

“Do we have to?”

“I insist.”

Tsuna bites the inside of his cheek, and holds back on his sigh. Come on, he was raised more polite than that! This is a gift, even if it has ulterior motives behind it. “Fine.”

Hayato perks up, and so very carefully, slides the ring down his middle finger.

Don't blush don't blush don't blush.

Tsuna closes his eyes once he's done, and curls his hand into a fist.

“This is a special ring,” Hayato explains.

“Right.”

“You need to really focus on it, to bring it your all onto the ring, and then you'll see by yourself.”

“Yeah, I'm focusing.”

"Visualize the ring lighting on fire, it might help."

“Right.”

Tsuna tries, focuses, he does, but he can't be blamed if the subconscious thought lighting the ring on fire might not be such a good idea halts his progress.

He discreetly squints his eyes open, and Hayato only has eyes for the ring, seems to be holding his breath, waiting for a flame, an ember, a sparkle—anything.

Tsuna closes his eyes, and gives himself one last try to make it work. He opens them again, but the ring is still only a ring.

“Sorry, Hayato.”

Hayato's disappointment lasts for less than a second. And when he smiles, it's genuine. “What are you talking about, Tsuna? You're always trying, and I can't ask for more!”

Tsuna smiles back, and it's genuine too. He's truly so lucky Hayato chose him to be friends with from all people.

“Thank you. What about you wearing it then?”

“No, like I said—”

Tsuna tuts, and grabs his left hand. "But wouldn't it look so good with the rest of your rings?" He, oh so very carefully, slides the ring down Hayato’s ring finger, and looks up in anticipation to catch his reaction.

Hayato blushes bright, bright red.

Tsuna grins from ear to ear, all his teeth out, and allows himself to laugh, just the tiniest bit devious.

Pay back!

Tsuna peeks into the school library, and winces at the person behind the desk. It's Chrome.

It's always Chrome, even when Tsuna knows for a fact—for asking around—, miss Mirabella does, in fact, still works at the library.

It's not like he doesn't like Chrome, but Chrome on the other hand always sends him mixed signals, and all around seems not to be fond of him.

That’s too bad, but he has books to bring back, including the ones she recommended him.

Tsuna braces himself, and walks in with a smile. Chrome does that thing where she doesn't turn his way to acknowledge him, even when she knows he knows she knows he's here, even if she knew probably way before Tsuna walked in.

After all she's always the one behind the desk whenever he comes.

It's unsettling.

“Good evening, Chrome-san.”

“Decimo, good evening.”

“It's Tsuna.”

“Ah, Primo, is it?”

“Tsuna.”

“Oh, I'm sorry.” She puts her hand in front of her mouth, looking contrite. Tsuna can never tell if she's genuine or just a very good actress, but decided to go with the latter. “Your name is just a bit confusing in Italian.”

Tsuna laughs weakly. “Right.”

Right.

It isn't, Tsuna checked, looked deep into all possible versions and iterations of his name. He checked, and it isn't.

“What brings you here, Giotto?”

“It's Tsuna. Sawada Tsunayoshi.” Yes Tsuna will correct her every time, yes it's a losing battle, and yes the only thing keeping the somewhat friendly relationship between them safe, is him correcting her every time. “I'm bringing back my books. I also finished the ones you recommended me.”

“You did? That's great, Ieyasu. Did you like them?”

“Tsuna. I mean, mafia books and the like are still not my cup of tea. And I needed the dictionary more than once as I was reading them.”

“It's a good exercise. Aren't you so much better in Italian now? You sound much better too. Do you read them out loud?”

“A friend of mine advised me to.”

“Good friend.”

Tsuna laughs proudly, and makes note to relay the message to Hayato. “Yeah, he really is. Thank you.”

Chrome smiles, genuinely this time, and Tsuna's smile widens despite himself. Chrome tilts her head every time she smiles for real, does she know about it?

“Did you like them then?”

The atmosphere shifts, and Tsuna tenses, takes his time to take the books out of his bag and puts them on the desk.

He taps in rhythm against the desk in thought, and briefly glances down at Chrome. They look into each other's eyes, and there are expectations in hers, not of the good kind, and enough coldness showing through her smiling open face for him to catch on.

Today too it's a trick question, and he better not let the trap closes in on him.

It'd be nice if they could simply talk about their tastes in books one day.

“I liked how they started as vigilante, to protect the people who no one else cared about enough to protect. I could get behind that, even if I've never been half that courageous or noble myself.” He laughs, but it falls short, and Chrome doesn't even seem to have heard it. He clears his throat. “But then they become this bloody, powerful empire with a lot of casualties, and it kind of ruined it for me.”

“What else are you supposed to protect with if not power?”

“Yeah, power I get. But it doesn't have to mean someone else should get hurt for it, does it?”

Chrome scoffs, harshly, hatefully, and he flinches. “Doesn't it? Nothing comes for free in this world, don't you know?”

“I...” Tsuna pauses, and really thinks about her words. His voice grows stronger. “Yeah, maybe I don't. And maybe I don't want to know. Because—ah, I'm not saying you're wrong or anything!” He waves his hands in front of him, and it fails to catch Chrome's attention for even one second, her eyes intent on his. “It's just—I mean, if it's between protecting a lot of people, but at times hurting as many of them at the same time, and protecting only one person but not hurting anyone else as you do it... I just think I'd live better with myself with the latter. Or, more like, I couldn't live with myself with the former. I think. Hypothetically.” He clears his throat again. “Yeah.”

Chrome holds his gaze a beat more, and then she huffs, leaning back against her chair. She grazes her eye-patch seemingly absentmindedly, smiling, half bitterness, half longing.

“That's just a naive ideal world, isn't it?” she says quietly. “Sounds just like you, Primo.”

“Tsuna,” Tsuna corrects just as quietly.

“Right.” She misses a beat, her eyes on him, but whoever she sees instead, she looks at them with regrets. Then she smiles again, but playfully this time. “Decimo, is it?”

“Sawada Tsunayoshi.”

“Ieyasu?”

“Tsuna.”

“Right, sorry Giotto.”

“Tsuna—you know what? I brought back my books, goodbye.”

Chrome snorts, genuine, is quick to cover her mouth with her hand, but her laughter is all over her face as Tsuna looks at her in shock.

Her eye crinkles at the corner as her smile widens, and she leans on the desk, resting her chin on her hand. “Right. Sawada Tsunayoshi indeed.”

“Yes!” Tsuna blurts out in glee, not sure what's happening but delighted all the same. “Sawada Tsunayoshi, that's right, that's me! Sawada Tsunayoshi.”

Chrome raises her eyebrows, and she looks almost fond. “Now if only you could convince him.”

“Who?”

“Are you pretending?”

“What? I—what?” Tsuna stumbles over his words, failing to keep up with her. “I’m not,” he says, even if he’s not sure what they’re talking about.

“So? Don’t let them ever get their hands on you then. It'd be such a tragedy what they'd do to you.”

Chrome looks sad, looks at him as if he's gone already, and a foreboding chill runs down Tsuna's spine. And be it cowardice or something else, but he doesn't comment on it.

“I'm not so easy to turn into someone I'm not though.”

Surprise flashes across Chrome's face, a pleasant one if Tsuna says so himself. “Aren't you suddenly saying cool things in front of me? I'm flattered.”

“No!” Tsuna blurts out in panic. “That's not—I'm not trying to—Chrome-san!”

“I don't have books to recommend you today, but make sure to come visit me again anyway, alright?”

“Chrome-san!”

Chrome turns to her computer, openly laughing under her breath. Tsuna pointedly huffs, but she ignores it. Of course she does.

Jeez, really! He's always the one being teased.

“Oh right, Chrome-san? Do you maybe happen to have a twin brother?”

Chrome raises her eyebrows again, and Tsuna already regrets asking. “So you'd rather I was a boy? What a shame.”

“I'll go now, goodbye.”

Tsuna turns tail and runs, hiding his face with his hand, Chrome's laughter in his back.

Women are really too audacious.

“Tsuna! Over here, over here!”

The students around him turn to either glare or laugh at him. Tsuna ignores them, and keeps his eyes on Ryohei as he makes his way to him.

It takes a while, but then again Ryohei has never been lacking in terms of strength of voice.

“You do know I know what you look like, right?” Tsuna asks as a greeting. “And I know by now to look around for you.”

Ryohei laughs. “Sorry about that. But it's always so good to see you, I find myself extremely calling to you before I realize!”

Tsuna playfully narrows his eyes. “I know what you're doing.”

Ryohei laughs harder. He firmly holds on his shoulders, looking him straight in the eye, serious all of a sudden. “You're still Tsuna, right?”

“Yep,” Tsuna says right away. “Sawada Tsunayoshi in flesh and bones. The one and only.”

“Good, good!” He shakes him approvingly, pats his shoulders, grinning widely. “That's what I wanted to hear.”

Tsuna gives him a toothy smile, trying and falling not to look absurdly too happy at that.

Ryohei didn't offer friendship for the sake of friendship alone either, but they're there now, and he'll never get tired to hear him praise him for simply being himself.

Ryohei's also the only one he doesn't mind openly not giving up his DNA to, because he can tell he doesn't care less whether he succeeds or fails.

Sometimes he'd look sad while looking at him, yearning, but it's never because Tsuna is only being Tsuna with him.

Ryohei wraps an arm around his shoulders, and brings him along to their usual coffee shop.

“How was your day, lil' bro?”

“Good. I had a test I was stressing about, but I think I did good with it. I had to bring back books to the library too, and you know how I told you the new librarian is a little scary?”

“She did something?” Ryohei asks cheerfully, but it's off, his smile sharper, his eyes narrowed.

Tsuna doesn't comment on it, and instead leans more into his side. “Nope, it went really well actually. She even laughed twice, for real!”

“That's my lil' bro for you!” He musses his hair, and Tsuna only pretends to be annoyed by it.

Ryohei's hand around his shoulders tightens, while he reaches into his pocket with the other one. Tsuna hurries to free himself, grabbing his arm and ducking underneath it. The scissors cuts the air a hairbreadth from—well, his actual hair.

Ryohei casually puts away the scissors, and just as casually Tsuna walks by his side once more, and lets Ryohei puts his arm around his shoulders again.

“I'm just a bit tired,” Tsuna continues smoothly. “I woke up earlier than usual today.”

“For a jog?” Ryohei asks excitedly, and it hurts Tsuna a little to disappoint him. “For extreme training?”

“Nope, I was just trying to outwit fate, as you do.”

“As a real man should!” Ryohei shouts his agreement, and throws his head back to laugh.

“Can't say it worked though.”

“Failure is also what makes a real man, Tsuna! As long as you stand back before the end of the countdown!”

“Ugh, ten seconds only?” Tsuna jokes, wincing in fake horror. “Who is this Tsuna you're talking about, because I certainly don't know him.”

Ryohei's eyes glint, about to tell him how he could bring out the extreme man inside him, if only he'd join the boxing club he isn't a member of anymore.

Fortunately they arrive at the shop, and Tsuna opens the door for them.

Mia’s customer face turns more genuine when she recognizes them, and she waits for them behind the counter with a little smile.

“Lucky you, your table is still free.”

“Thank you for your extremely good work today too, Mia!” Mia rolls her eyes, but her smile tellingly grows wider.

“How was your day?” Tsuna asks.

“Nothing I couldn't handle. The usual?”

“Yes, please,” Ryohei and him say at the same time.

“Cash?”

“Cash,” Tsuna confirms, and reaches for his wallet.

He smiles sheepishly at her, holding a bunch of coins in his fist. Mia reaches for them, but Tsuna swiftly pulls his hand back, and the coins clatter on the counter.

Ryohei brings down the syringe right where his arm would have been, and the needle breaks against the wood. The syringe itself shatters in his strong grip, and they all look at it in silence.

Mia sighs. “Why are you always like this?”

Tsuna laughs, half hysterical, half genuinely amused. Whether it's a good thing or not he's getting used to their weird shenanigans to the point it makes him genuinely laugh, is a question for a future him to answer.

“Lil' bro, your reflexes are amazing!”

“Thanks, but please, do restrain your strength. That was scary right now.”

Ryohei puts his hand at the back of his neck, and laughs, but it's a guilty type of laugh. “Extremely my bad! Sorry about that.”

“I'm not cleaning this for you, Ryohei,” Mia warns playfully, her hands on her hips.

“Of course, of course! Lil' bro, wait for me at the table.”

Mia and him exchange a glance as Ryohei picks up the coins. She rolls her eyes, one hundred percent fond and amused, and Tsuna laughs silently.

Ryohei is quick to join him at their table, the one the deepest into the shop, but close to the back exit. It's away from the vitrine too, but with a clear view of the entrance.

He sits in a comfortable silence, but still bursts with so much energy Tsuna feels the strongest need to move, to spend the surplus of energy that isn't even his.

“Aren't you ever tired, Ryohei?”

“Of course I am! But what is there for me to be tired right now, sitting with my lil' bro, waiting for our coffee?”

Tsuna blushes, and splutters incomprehensibly, taken aback. “Thanks,” he manages eventually, and tries to regain his composure.

Really, Ryohei has his habit of being the sweetest in the most unexpected moments, and in the most unexpected ways.

Not that Tsuna dislikes it.

“Actually...” Ryohei crosses his arms on his chest, looking deep into his thoughts, a frown between his brows. He sighs, and Tsuna perks up.

That was the sound of someone with love troubles.

Not that Tsuna knows much about love.

“You got dumped?”

Ryohei slams his hands on the table, leaning forward, a blush definitely dusting his cheeks. “What are you talking about, Tsuna?” he shouts. The other clients turn displeased eyes on them, and they both ignore them with the ease of habit. “We aren't even together to begin with!”

“But you want to, right?” He wiggles his eyebrows teasingly.

“Extremely maybe!”

Tsuna laughs, so fond, and tries to swallow it back lest Ryohei thinks he's mocking him.

God, Ryohei, ever the straight forward one. As far as Tsuna is concerned, it's Kurokawa's loss to keep dragging their relationship on.

As far as Tsuna can tell too, because if Ryohei's hiding whatever he's hiding with him with her too, he could understand where she was coming from.

“Here's your latte macchiato,” Mia says, and puts the cup down in front of them. “Ryohei, please keep it down, will you?”

“Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am, will extremely do!”

“Sure you will.” Mia sighs, one hundred percent unconvinced, but it's written all over her face she doesn't mind, no matter how annoyed she sounds.

“You could ask Kyoko-san for advice, did you try that?”

“Does Kyoko do anything but give me advice?”

Tsuna snorts. “Isn't that great? She's rooting for you!”

“She's conspiring against me.”

“For you, you mean?”

Ryohei looks him dead in the eye, deadly serious. “Extremely against me.”

Tsuna laughs, and almost spits out his latte. “I don't even want to know, women are scary. Good luck.”

Ryohei bursts out laughing. “Aren't they? But scary women are good women, lil' bro!” Tsuna hums noncommittally, and Ryohei laughs again.

They sip their drink, chatting and catching up, and Tsuna, the fool, lets Ryohei lulls him into a false sense of safety as they do.

“Lil' bro, let me show you that extreme move I learned!” Ryohei gestures wildly, and kicks his booth under the table.

It shakes, and Tsuna's bag leans forward, about to topple over. On reflex Tsuna stretches his arm in front of it to push it back against the seat, but then his Feeling tugs at him.

He's only holding his latte with one hand now.

Tsuna hasn't the time to turn back his head around, but sees from the corner of his eye Ryohei swiftly reaching for his empty cup, and grazing it with the tip of his fingers.

Tsuna wildly pulls his cup to the side, and it slips from his hold. It knocks against the table next to theirs, and doesn't even land on the floor that Ryohei already lunches at it.

Tsuna throws his bag at his face, and in the time Ryohei needs to dodge it, he scrambles to get ahead of him, picks up his cup, and securely hugs it against his chest.

He turns to face Ryohei, all his senses on alert, his heart beating in his ears.

Holy shit that was a close one.

Tsuna would almost feel bad for how hard he tries against Ryohei, but as much as he's willing to think about dying will, and being fed clams by Lambo for the rest of his life, and trying to light rings on fire and hoping he fails every time, and being called by names that aren't his, he will draw the line at giving up his DNA for god knows what.

Nope, not happening, ever.

Fortunately, Ryohei doesn't seem crossed at all.

On the contrary he looks excited, grinning widely and proudly, and expectantly.

“Lil' bro, you're truly a fearsome opponent. Fight me.”

“Thank you, but no, thank you.”

“Lil' bro!” Ryohei shouts, and his voice gets louder as he talks. “It's a waste not to extremely train your potential!” He points at him. “Extremely join the boxing club!”

“What boxing club?”

“The boxing club in the hearts of all extreme men!”

“No, thank you.”

“Lil' bro!” Ryohei shouts at the top of his voice to the ceiling, the heavens, to god himself too probably, and he holds on that last syllable, and holds on, and before he realizes Tsuna's crying with laughter.

He laughs, and laughs, and can't remember ever have been able to be sad for long around Ryohei.

Ryohei goes the opposite direction than him, and Tsuna waves him goodbye until he turns his back to him.

Tsuna watches him walk away, and tries and fails to ignore his Feeling going into a frenzy the further Ryohei gets from him.

Ryohei turns the corner, disappears from view, and Tsuna feels shaky on his legs, feels like throwing up everything he ever ate in his life.

So. His Feeling could be dramatic at times, no wonder, it's his.

But in this case Tsuna can't fault it, and it pains him to say, pains him so much to say, but in this case it isn't overreacting either.

It flares wildly and quickly, all over the place, tugs and pulses and tightens, rings all the different kind of alarm bells it has at the same time.

Usually, though Tsuna can only presume because he was never in that situation so far, it'd mean his imminent death.

As it stands, it means Hibari Kyoya is oncoming.

As for the difference between the two, ignorance is bliss, or so the saying goes.

Tsuna breathes in deeply, and breathes out slowly. He makes himself move, turn around, and walks the way back to his apartment.

He'll be fine, maybe. Probably not, but as long as he doesn't let his guard down, and stays in tune with his Feeling, he'll get home in relatively one piece.

The key word being relatively.

Kyoya takes his time to show up—fine by Tsuna—, even if he already feels watched. Tsuna watches right back, tries to find the characteristic black tailored suit, and the yellow bird perched on a shoulder.

He's not the only one in the streets, far from it. Students go back home, people go to or come back from their work, shops are open and welcome their evening crowd. The cars as well speed past him regularly, and it's late, but the sun didn't even start to set yet.

In other words there're witnesses all around, wherever he looks, and it should make him safe from an attack. It should, but Kyoya has never let common sense stop him, or anything else for that matter.

A fancy black car rounds the corner, too fancy, and Tsuna narrows his eyes at it as it drives closer to him. He slows down, and moves away from the street, keeping close to the buildings instead.

The car drives past him, and something catches the light, making both the driver's window and the shop's vitrine next to him glint.

Tsuna throws himself down. The vitrine shatters, and a chain comes out swinging at just the right level to decapitate him.

Fortunately Tsuna only loses hair strands and half his hood, and he rolls on the floor, his hands covering his head from the glass shards.

Kyoya walks out from the shattered vitrine to the street, unbothered by the screams, but he's only a glimpse as Tsuna scrambles upwards and away.

“You will buy me a new hoodie!”

Tsuna runs, but doesn't go far before the chain swings again in his back. It aims at his feet this time, coming from both sides, closing in on him.

He jumps over them at the right moment, never slowing down, and picks up his pace.

Kyoya takes chase on silent steps, and he doesn't need to look back to know he keeps close, a little smile on his lips. He'll close the distance sooner than later, the way he could right now if he wanted to, but he's an asshole, and likes to watch Tsuna struggles in vain for his life.

Tsuna keeps close to the people on the streets as he dodges them, hides behind them as he runs past them. If he was meaner he'd push them on Kyoya's path, but not all of them are Kyoya's men.

Tsuna feels bad already to use them like that, but when Kyoya hunts him down like that he feels more petty than anything, and should he manage to turn one of Kyoya's men into collateral damage, it won't keep him up awake tonight.

His Feeling flares sharp and high, and Tsuna skids to a stop. Kyoya jumps above his head, his shadow plunging him in the dark, and lands in front of him.

Tsuna is one step out of his reach, but Kyoya swiftly takes that step forwards, and swings his tonfa.

Tsuna dodges from below, and steps back. Kyoya follows, and Tsuna catches the next swing of his tonfa with both his hands.

"It hurts!" He cries out in pain, but also in frustration, looking straight into Kyoya's eyes.

Kyoya grins, and it's sharp, doesn't promise anything good. He easily frees his tonfa, and the momentum sends Tsuna stumbling against the wall.

Oh no, oh fuck, fuck, fuck, he has his back against a wall, with Hibari Kyoya in front of him, and this is game over.

“Good evening to you too, Kyoya. Yes I'm fine, thank you, how are you? Did I miss you? I fucking did not.”

Kyoya snorts, genuine amusement on his face, and Tsuna almost forgets the tonfa coming straight for him. He slides down the wall, and it slams against it above his head, and rubble rain down on him.

God, that asshole!

Kyoya's open, and Tsuna rushes past him, making for the crosswalk in front of him. From the corner of his eyes he sees the street taking a right, which he was originally aiming for.

Tsuna abruptly stops, and turns back around in the same movement. It catches Kyoya by surprise—or does it, Kyoya pausing, about to chase after him, but with too much distance between them that it should be.

Tsuna runs back the way he came, and ducks into a restaurant. Wherever that crosswalk was leading him, Kyoya had prepared a nice welcome at the end of it, and he'd rather not, thank you very much.

“Hey, kid—!” someone shouts.

“I'm twenty-four!” Tsuna shouts back, but doesn't stop. “Sorry for the trouble!”

He dodges the waiters, clients, and tables, and comes out from the back door. He stops, to breathe, to assess the situation, to listen to his Feeling.

It pulses in warning, a dense heat in his guts urging him to keep running, but it's steady. He put some distance between Kyoya and him.

Kyoya didn't follow after him, but it doesn't mean he still isn't chasing after him.

Tsuna goes right, running the way he came once more, and grins to himself. No doubt Kyoya took a shortcut, intent on cornering Tsuna as he comes out of the back alleys to the open streets again, but too bad Tsuna doesn't mind taking the long way home if it means losing him.

He runs, keeping up his pace, keeping an eye out, and welcomes the sight of the street at the end of the back alley without having ran into trouble.

He picks up his pace, and relaxes his shoulders, a proud, toothy grin on his lips. His Feeling burns, and he slows down at the last second as he comes out of the back alley.

A spiky tonfa splits his sight in two, and grows in size as it nears his face.

Tsuna stops breathing, widening his eyes. He freezes, or he thinks he does, but his arms move and raise his bag between the tonfa and him.

The spikes catch against it—Kyoya didn't retract them at the last second, what the fuck, what the fuck?—and shred the leather like butter.

Tsuna is pushed back, his bag slipping from his hand. He stumbles, and loses his balance, falling back.

Kyoya looms over him, a smug, infuriating expression on his face. He spins, and kicks him in the stomach before he can fully fall, sends him flying back into the alley.

Tsuna lands harshly against the floor, but barely notices it. He wheezes, his lungs empty from air, and he can't seem to make himself breath it in again.

A low, whine of pain escapes through his gritted teeth, and tears gather at the corner of his eyes.

“You lose, herbivore.”

Tsuna coughs, and turns on his side not to choke. He curls on himself, one hand on his stomach, and immediately winces, whimpering.

He makes himself breath, in and out, coughing a little still. He crawls on his knees to the wall, and sits against it, blinking out his tears.

Hibari stands in front of him, looking down at him. He put his tonfas away god knows where, and not one wrinkle can be seen on his suit. He's not panting, nor sweating, and not one hair of his is out of place.

He tilts his head. “Well?”

“What the fuck do you mean 'well'?” Tsuna shouts, angry. “'Well'?”

Hibari raises his eyebrow, amused, amused, and God, God—

Few people make him feel this blinding, burning rage, and sure Kyoya will be the death of him, but he's lucky Tsuna can't be the death of him.

Because he would. Goddammit, he would.

“The heat, the fire. Can you feel it, did it appear?”

“You hit me! For real!”

“'For real',” Kyoya scoffs, and even rolls his eyes.

“You tried to kill me! What the fuck was that?”

“I would have healed you.”

Tsuna takes a sharp intake of breath, and keeps it in his lungs to not curse Kyoya to hell and back and hell again, that fucking asshole—oh he would have healed him? After blinding him and scarring his face and inflicting him immense pain?

What a fucking relief.

Kyoya crouches down, not quite at eye level still, and Tsuna gives it his all to glare at him to death. Kyoya holds his gaze, unblinking.

He purses his lips, a far away sadness flickering across his face, and something like regret, and it's nothing like him.

Then he stands, smiling down at him smugly in a very Kyoya manner, and Tsuna wants to punch him in the face, which is a very Kyoya induced reaction too.

“Brown,” he says, and sounds approving, even praising.

“Hell is too good a place for you.”

Kyoya laughs, short and clear, and it's the softest thing so Tsuna has to blush a little. He scowls harder to hide it.

Kyoya nudges his foot. “We're going.”

He walks away, and only then Tsuna notices Tetsuya, standing at a respectful distance from them, holding on his bag. Hibird flies from his shoulder to Kyoya's as Kyoya walks past him, and makes straight for the black, fancy car waiting outside the alley.

Tetsuya smiles. “Good evening, Tsunayoshi-kun. Thank you for your hard work today too.”

“How dare you?” Tsuna accuses, and Tetsuya smiles wider, fondly. Tsuna stands, and petulantly snatches his bag back. “You're buying me a new bag too!” he calls out to Kyoya.

Kyoya doesn't even spare him a glance, sitting on front in the passenger's seat, and closes the door.

God, he's such an asshole!

Tsuna pouts the whole drive to his apartment, and doesn't speak a word. He pouts slightly less hard than he could have, because at least Lambo's spaghetti alle vongole was unharmed from the fight, but only as slightly less as he can.

“No, thank you.” Tsuna gets out of the car, and slams the door shut.

Both Kyoya and Tetusya are apparently happy to let him, not speaking up either.

Hibird takes it upon herself to fill the silence with chirps and songs, and she's halfway through Namimori Middle School's anthem for the second time when they arrive.

“Have a nice evening, Tsunayoshi-kun,” Tetsuya says.

“I expect a brand-new hoodie and a school's bag at my doorstep tomorrow,” Tsuna says, looking straight at the rear view mirror.

He just knows Kyoya rolls his eyes. “You should clean the trash out of your home, herbivore.”

“You're already outside though, aren't you?”

Tetsuya chokes, on what he doesn't know, but it sure sounded like a laugh. “Tsunayoshi-kun, please.”

Kyoya's window opens, and he doesn't shy away from his gaze. “Are you going to buy me a brand-new car?”

Tsuna sticks his tongue out, and walks into his building without looking back. He drags his feet up the stairs, and reluctantly approaches his door.

Does he want to do this? Does he have the energy to do this? It has been a long day, and he needs to look at the bruise Kyoya, oh so kindly gave him.

The door is closed, and Tsuna hopes the tiniest bit, because he's a fool. He carefully comes in, holding his breath, and stops on the doorway of the living room.

He sighs. “Can you please not lock the door behind you as if you weren't here?”

Mukuro rolls his eyes, slumped against the couch, his legs crossed on the low table. He flips another page of his magazine, and doesn't take his eyes away from it. “Mukuro—” he whines in a high-pitched tone that does not sound like Tsuna at all.

“I don't speak like that.”

“—would you please close the door behind you? How do you expect me to know if it's you or a robber? But also, Mukuro, do let the door open behind you. How else am I supposed to know you're here?”

“You're breaking into my house either way!” Tsuna cries out, maybe or maybe not whining in a high-pitched tone, but it has been a long day. “So what about you leave your attitude at the doorstep, ever think about that?”

Mukuro cranes his neck back to look at him, no doubt with an annoying come back at the tip of his tongue, but then he pauses. He raises an eyebrow. “You're hurt.”

“I'll live. Did you cook?” Mukuro scoffs. “Oh yeah? Your friends call you trash,” Tsuna says childishly, spitefully.

“Do you mean my sworn enemies? Friendship is for naive children like you, Tsunayoshi.”

“More like you couldn't make friends to save your life.”

“You're breaking my heart.”

Tsuna snorts despite himself, and rolls his eyes hard at Mukuro's smug face. He walks in, dropping his bag at his feet, and picks up the phone.

His mom picks up as soon as the phone rings. "Tsu-kun, finally! One minute later and I'd have called the police, the armed forces, the president himself!"

"Really, we're doing this?"

"My beloved, only son! Kidnapped! At the hands of monsters walking the earth! Whatever would I have done?"

"Is this funny to you?"

"Mom, you don't understand," she mimics him, with a whiny, high-pitched voice.

"I don't speak like that!" Tsuna takes offense, speaking exactly like that.

"These people are dangerous, and they're obsessed with me for some reasons! If I'm late to call you to let you know I made it back home safe, you need to worry and start looking for me."

"I was right! Kyoya hunt me down for sport again today, and actually hit me this time!"

"No, Mom, they're not my friends! Hayato just helps me study, and Ryohei always knows how to cheer me up, and Lambo calls me big brother, but that has nothing to do with it!"

"Takeshi almost crashed the bus again, and almost ran over someone!"

"Yes I call all of them by their first name, but this isn't the point! Mom, are you even listening?"

"Mukuro broke into my apartment again! Don't you care?"

"My life is in danger!"

"You're a terrible mother, and your beloved, only son disowns you." His mom bursts out laughing, a stark, belly laugh filled with glee. "You of all people." She spews gibberish back at him, that's meant to mockingly parrots him, but she's laughing as she does and it's incomprehensible. "Mother."

"'Mother'," she mocks back, or tries to, and it's the funniest thing he heard all day.

Tsuna breaks into startled laughter, and they both dissolve into giggling fits, talking mocking gibberish at each other back and forth.

His stomach hurts him one too many times, and Tsuna has to let her have this one.

"Tsu-kun, really," his mom says, and chuckles. "Whatever shall I do with you?"

"Isn't that my line? You're the mom here, you know." He huffs, and rolls his eyes. "Mom listen, I invited Lambo to come eat home, is that okay?"

She gasps. "Really? Of course it's okay, finally! When?"

"I thought you could let me know when it'd be okay for you first? Ah, but—"

"Yes, I know," his mom says quietly, and Tsuna pretends he didn't hear the undertone of sadness in her voice. "Oh, Tsu-kun, did Mukuro-kun ate my chocolate cake yet? I left him a note to let him know. Tell him Mama wants to hear what he thought about it!"

"And where's my chocolate cake?"

"Who?"

Tsuna hangs up, and he can hear his mom laugh at the other end of the line.

"You better not have eaten my part too, Mukuro." He turns around, fully expecting him to have been ignoring him the whole time.

Mukuro looks him straight in the eye, and the smile frozen at his lips chills Tsuna to the core. His eyes burn with nothing good, with hostility and rage, and something looking a lot like pain.

His right eye flickers red, and it's never a good sign.

"Aren't you loved, Tsunayoshi? Always the golden boy, no matter which live it is."

"I'm anything but a golden boy," Tsuna breathes out quietly through the tension between them, carefully. "You should have seen me in middle school."

"Don't pretend you know pain."

"But I do," Tsuna shots back, soft but strong, and he doesn't back down from Mukuro's gaze. "I do, but surely your pain and mine can coexist."

Mukuro's mask slips, and Tsuna embraces it, lets his killing intent washes over him. He can't breathe through it, and a second more and his legs will give out, but then Mukuro puts himself together again.

He forcefully puts his mask back on pieces by pieces, makes his lips pulls up into a smirk, crinkles his eyes at the corners the way they would have naturally if he was smiling for real, and it hurts Tsuna to watch as he does.

"Don't talk to me about pain," Mukuro says, and it sounds like a truce, a little, and like a threat a lot more, but Tsuna will take it.

Did Tsuna have a hand on the pain—the grief?—that always ends up slipping past his defenses? Or is it whoever they all seem to look for in him?

But Tsuna is no one else but himself.

He steps forwards, and smiles. "Mom said she'd be happy to hear if you liked her cake. She's your only friend, so you should try your best to keep her friendship."

Mukuro's smirk eases into something less forced, less painful, and Tsuna grins. "I could snap you in half with my pinkie. Maybe you should lose the attitude."

"This is my home, and I'll have whatever attitude I want."

"Have it while we're going then."

He stands, and Tsuna raises his hands. "No wait, I need to look at my wound first."

Mukuro grabs him by his hoodie as he walks past him, and drags him behind him. "You said you'd live. Live."

He drags him to the roof, and Tsuna can make himself believe he prepared the two sunbeds waiting for them beforehand.

But he suddenly holds on a plate with a piece of chocolate cake on it Tsuna knows he didn't have before, and it raises questions.

"How? How your entire existence?"

Mukuro chuckles, and gracefully lay on the sunbed. "Why, thank you. This is the greatest compliment anyone could give me. Sit."

Tsuna rolls his eyes, and does as he's told. He lies down, and could fall asleep right there and then. Above their heads the sunset is at its peak, in blazing orange and red colors, and it's breathtaking.

He sighs "You know what, I like this best."

"We're not here to admire the scenery. Focus."

"Right."

"This is a sunset."

"No way," Tsuna breathes out, then giggles at his own joke. He swiftly moves his leg away so Mukuro doesn't stab him with the second fork he didn't have a second ago.

"It's a warm, bright, shimmering orange, quite the pure color you might say."

"Right."

"It's orange like fire, like the whole sky is ablaze. It's your favorite color."

"Not really," Tsuna says.

"Isn't it?"

"I like sky blue best."

"Sky blue, sky purple, sky red, or orange, or yellow, or green, or indigo, isn't it all the same?"

Tsuna raises his eyebrow, and glances at him, a smile at the corner of his lips. "I think one of you should just try the direct approach, what about it?"

"I think"—Mukuro sounds cold again, and Tsuna's smile falters—"you don't get to wash your hands off all this so easily."

"I don't have anything to wash my hands off."

"A lot of people would beg to disagree."

"You first?" Mukuro misses a beat, and it says it all. "You have the wrong person. I'd really like if you could all start considering this option."

"And you know that because?"

"I see the way you look at me sometimes. But it's never me you're seeing."

Mukuro scoffs, and looks away. "If you think it'll stop any of them."

"Will it stop you?"

"What do you care?"

"I'm not so easy to turn into someone I'm not though."

Mukuro snaps his eyes back to him, and sneers, almost bares his teeth. But then he smirks, all teeth and no warmth, but then, as Tsuna holds his gaze, as he stands firm on his words, he smiles, carefully, unsure, almost shaky.

Then he laughs. He throws his head back and laughs, and it sounds a bit off, like he's not used to it, and it almost, almost doesn't have that sharp, bleeding edge Mukuro is made of.

"Bold words for someone so weak."

That wasn't really a compliment, but Tsuna laughs good-naturedly, and turns back to the sky. "The weak have their ways too."

"Typically something only weak people would say."

"Yes, yes, whatever you say." Tsuna glances at him, and unexpectedly catches Mukuro's eye again. He has a curious glint in his eyes, as if he sees him for the first time. Tsuna tries to beam as little as he can. "Hey Mukuro, do you happen to have a twin sister?"

Mukuro raises his eyebrow. "Like I'd tell you."

"Is that my chocolate cake you're eating then? It is, isn't it?" A Cheshire grin spreads on Mukuro's face, and Tsuna purses his lips. "I'm changing my lock."

Mukuro chuckles, and Tsuna is surrounded by at least two assholes, but it's his life now.

Tsuna flops face down on his bed, and immediately feels sleepy. It has been a good day, but a long one. Tsuna can't help but smile anyway.

It'd be nice if the days could only become better, and if they could just stay like that forever. It's not like he needs to know who they are in that sense, does he? He's perfectly fine staying in the dark.

They're criminals—arsonists maybe?—, that much he already figured, but he'd rather keep it at that.

Murderers, his Feelings whispers, and he winces, then pretends he didn't hear it.

No one is perfect.

Tsuna doesn't realize when he falls asleep. He doesn't dream, but doesn't sleep peacefully either. He wakes up again, maybe only a couple of hours later, and very carefully doesn't move, doesn't even dare to breathe.

Death, his Feeling says, over and over again, and Tsuna's heart beats faster than it ever has.

Slowly, so very slowly, once he gets used to the dark, he turns his head the other way, death, death, death, the only thought in his mind, dead.

A child sits on his desk chair in front of his bed, his legs crossed, wearing a suit and a hat. He tilts it upwards to look at him, and a chill runs down Tsuna's spine.

"Not bad," he praises, with a high and almighty kind of behavior, when he must be—what, ten years old? "A bit impressive even, I'll give you that."

What the fuck?

Who the fuck?

The child leans his head against his fist, his elbow resting on the chair. A something moves on his hat, and Tsuna squints at a... lizard? Chameleon?

What the fuck is going on?

"I was wondering what the fuss was about, and I thought I could come take a look. I hope you don't mind."

Oh.

Oh, he's just another one of them, isn't he?

Couldn't he have started with that?

Tsuna lets himself breathe again. "No."

"No?" the child echoes smoothly, sounding amused.

Death, his Feeling screams at him, but he can't be bothered right now.

"No," Tsuna says again, firmly. "You can only break into my home during my business hours. Please see with the others to fit on the schedule. Good night."

He turns his head back, wiggles to get the blanket from under him and slips inside, and pointedly covers his head with it.

The child laughs.

It sounds like any normalcy left in his life being thrown out of the window.

Alright so, your guess is as good as mine about what the hell's going on here aqsdfg.

What I can say is that reincarnation is most definitely a well-known thing people (or probably just the mafia) are aware of in this universe. To what extent, idk, but not much though, because I wanted the 10th gen to stay themselves.

My original idea was that as soon as Tsuna steps foot in Italy's soil, literally every single mafiosi goes "this is Giotto of this time". But just as quickly they realize that he has no idea what the fuck they're talking about, and instead of going "oh wait, this is a civilian and also not Giotto, he just uncannily looks like him", they go "mmmh, he seems to suffer some kind of memory loss, let's ask the 10th gen (that of course aren't the 10th gen here) to jog his memories back", which of course they have to do without breaking the omerta.

Also the 10th gen definitely know each other, so upon receiving that mission they gather together, and decided everyone else idea to make Tsuna remember was shit, and immediately turned it into a competition.

Takeshi's way is talking about dying will, and putting Tsuna under stressful situation to maybe trigger his flames. Lambo's is to make him remember of the Vongola famiglia, by feeding him clams and talking about them. Gokudera goes with the rings, and tries to make Tsuna light one with his will.

Chrome addresses him as if he was Giotto, and sometimes goes with Decimo for shits and giggles. Ryohei thought hard about the whole situation, and decided that if he was Giotto's reincarnation, wouldn't they share the same DNA? And wouldn't that be a foolproof proof Tsuna couldn't deny? He didn't wait for an answer.

Hibari wants to trigger his flames by hunting him down for sport and threatening his life. Mukuro makes him watch the sunset with him, and goes on about the sky and its Elements.

Though at that point in the story, it's just an excuse to spend time with him, and make sure he does not get dragged into the mafia. But also the 1st gen in them are still a little sad when he doesn't remember, because, you know, he is Giotto. But because Nono sealed his flames when he was a kid, he isn't aware of it at all.

And that's basically the gist of it. And Reborn wasn't even supposed to be there, but he's noisy and no one can stop him. Also I'm not sure about Iemitsu and Nono in this at all. Like I said, your guess is as good as mine lol.

Thank you for reading! Any and all review are appreciated. ^^

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