Icing on the Cake by ficklepickles
Tsuna heard a the jingle of the bell above the door, followed by a soft pop a moment later. Hurriedly he turned around, a welcoming smile lighting up his features, then abruptly dropping off his face as his words of greeting died on his lips.
"J-Joushima-san!" Tsuna stuttered in horrified recognition.
The blonde who had just walked in simply stared, stunned. Gum from a popped bubble stayed spattered across his lips as the Kokuyo-student took several more seconds to compose himself. Then he licked up his gum, re-gathering it in his mouth for some rapid chewing. He quickly blew another bubble, snapped it, and chewed some more.
Tsuna eased himself backward, subtly trying to hide behind his serving tray.
"WHAT ARE YOU WEARING!!" Ken exploded suddenly.
Tsuna winced. That level of volume was certain to get him into some trouble. The slender brunette held a finger to his lips and timidly shushed the other boy. "Not so loud, please."
"What are you wearing?!" Ken repeated, quieter but sharply enunciating certain words.
"It's exactly what it looks like." Tsuna answered, fighting the bright blush that was climbing its way up his cheeks.
"Really? 'Cuz it looks like you're in a dress, pyon." Ken said, staring no less intently at the frills and rather revealing skirt that the brunette was sporting. Against his will, his eyes raked the boy up and down.
That mess of brown hair the kid normally wore was somehow contained into a ponytail with barrettes, something Ken noted right away. There was some kind of lacey hat on his head, and shiny heeled shoes which Ken hadn't given the boy enough credit to walk in. He eyed the long lines of Tsuna's trim legs with interest. Were those garters? THIS was the guy that had beat both his boss and that crazy Xanxus guy? Ken couldn't believe that the next leader of one of the largest mafia families was this boy, in a dress.
Tsuna swallowed. "Yeah. It's for work." Shyly, Tsuna tugged the skirt a bit lower, as if it would cover any more of his legs. "Which I'm doing right now," he continued. "So either allow me to seat you, or lead you out."
Ken squinted at him. The kid in the dress was giving him orders. He grinned and snapped his gum again. "Sure, seat me, pyon." He said smugly.
That wasn't the reply the other boy was expecting, and the hesitant pause made it obvious. "This way, please." Tsuna nearly whispered, bending over slightly to bow and wave with one arm at the same time. The serving tray was tucked firmly to his chest, as if to contain his pounding heart.
Swinging his shopping bag at his side, Ken strolled after the brunette, taking in the strange sight of a mafia boss trussed up like a french maid. "Nice garters." He commented idly.
The squeak that his remark elicited from the shorter boy was priceless. Ken could see the back of the Vongola's neck turn a glowing cherry red. Even his ears blushed he noted with no small amusement.
Tsuna sped up, quickly leading Ken to a booth in the back. "Here you are, sir." He said dutifully, and laid out a menu on the table. "These are our specials, and the drink of the day is sea salt coffee. I'll be back in a few minutes to take your order." Then he left in a rush, barely waiting for either Ken's response or even for him to fully seat himself.
The blonde grinned widely as he plopped himself into the booth. He dropped his bag of candy into the empty space beside him and snickered into his hand. It was a good seat, giving him a good view of the establishment, including the scurrying away of a certain 'waitress'.
This would be interesting. If only Chikusa or boss-man, or even that chick Chrome had come with him. Too bad none of them cared too much for sweets. Even still, Ken wasn't one to pass up the grand opening of the new nearby cafe, even if he had to go alone. So, there he sat, greatly enjoying the surprise of an unexpectedly familiar face.
Idly, he perused the menu. Slices of very pretty cakes decorated the pages. One side seemed dedicated to sweet breads, and another to french pastries. He found the list of drinks on the back. They had melon soda! Perfect.
True to form, Tsuna returned shortly, his tray under one arm, and a pen and paper pad clasped in his hands. "Are you ready to order, sir?" He seemed to find a spot to the right of Ken's ear quite fascinating, as he kept his eyes firmly trained there.
Ken smirked and eased himself to the right, into the Vongola's line of vision.
"Yeah, but first I want you to answer a little question for me, pyon."
Tsuna swallowed and looked away. "Um, if it doesn't have to do with work-"
"It does."
Tsuna sighed. "Alright," he said, tucking the pad and pen into his apron and finally meeting Ken's gaze. "What is it?"
"Why're you dressed like that?" The hitman asked straightforwardly.
"I told you, for work." The brunette replied defensively.
"None of the other guys are in skirts." Ken pointed out the other waiters, few as there were, dressed as butlers. Apparently, Ken had walked into a cosplay cafe without knowing, but that didn't explain why a boy was paraded around as a chick.
The shorter boy looked away again, his cheeks flushing.
"Well, pyon?" Ken goaded.
Nervously tapping his fingers on the serving tray, Tsuna mumbled something.
"What?"
Tsuna cleared his throat. "There weren't enough girls."
"Eh?" Ken popped a bubble. He scanned the room. Sure enough, there were tons of girls seated. Cafes tended to be more of a chick thing, but Ken wasn't going to pass up discount sweets. The girls didn't bother him, even if there were rather many.
There were a few guys scattered here and there, and none looked to be too elated about being waited on by a guy in a suit. A dude in a dress was alright, it seemed. On a second glance, there were no other 'maids' running around.
That made Tsuna the sole bearer of many a curious gaze.
Ken had to mentally take a step back. The 'butlers' were all tall, slender, and male looking. Tsuna was the only one tiny enough to even fit in the maid outfit, and he wore it well. Ken was beginning to get an idea of why the Vongola was in a dress. The question became, why was he working there at all.
"By not enough chicks, do you mean none whatsoever?"
"Yeah...Hey."
Ken was shocked from his musings by a click of fingers.
"What?"
"Could you stop staring? It's a bit uncomfortable."
The blonde blinked, and snapped his gum. That was a habit Tsuna was realizing was a default setting for the Kokuya-student whenever he was surprised by something.
For good measure, Tsuna waved his hand in front of the blonde's face. "Joushima-san?"
"Yeah!" Ken leaned back, the glazed look fading from his eyes in a hurry.
Tsuna rose from where he had been bent over the table. "Your order?"
"Chocolate cream puff, strawberry danish, and a melon soda." The words tumbled from his mouth automatically, but they were what he had originally wanted, more or less.
Tsuna wrote them down, and confirmed it with Ken, who nodded at the repeated order. Then he was off, with the serving tray underarm. Ken noticed that more than one of the other male patrons was eyeing the little brunette. He snarled once, startling them back into staring at their own drinks. Ken grinned, all too easy.
He went back to lounging in the booth, not even considering his own protective actions.
Walking back to the kitchen, Tsuna clutched the serving tray closer to himself, his face a vibrant red. This was so humiliating. Why did he ever let Reborn talk him into this?
Well, it was because the infant was a merciless Spartan trainer who was also an ace shot with a transforming lizard for a gun. Hard to argue with that.
A hand on his arm snapped him out of his reverie.
Tsuna recognized the man the hand belonged to as one of the regulars who had been coming in since the day the place had opened. He was a soft spoken, scholarly looking college student who was very polite and always had a smile for him. Belatedly, Tsuna wondered if the man knew that he was a boy yet. Surely he didn't look that girly, right?
The man offered him his typical kind smile. "Is that guy bothering you?" He asked quietly.
"Hm?" Tsuna looked puzzled. Oh, he must have meant Joushima-san. "Not at all." Tsuna offered brightly. "He's just a friend." He stumbled a bit on the last word, not sure if he was being too familiar. Acquaintance or friend of a friend was a more accurate description. And he most certainly could not call him a hitman who had been out for his life just a few months ago.
A look of relief crossed the man's face (Tsuna then remembered that his name was Takahashi), and he quickly pulled his hand away with a faint flush. "Um…" An embarrassed blush rose higher on his cheeks. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so forward."
"Ah, that's fine." Tsuna waved off the gesture with a smile. Having guns, swords, rocket launchers, fists, tonfa, and tridents pointed at his head or pressed against him had become part of his daily routine. He would hardly be put out with a slight touch, even if it was from a stranger. His eyes sparkled at the thought of how normal it was. He missed that.
Normalcy that is.
Takahashi blinked at the expression. Hope flared up inside of him. "Um…Na-chan?"
Tsuna did well to not wince at the nickname he had been assigned. It was so that he would 'stay in character', although he had to wonder at the owner's sanity for such a cutesy sounding name. He was a boy. Still he graced the customer with a smile.
"Yes, Takahashi-san?" He mentally congratulated himself on recalling the man's name. It would give him bonus points with the customer.
The man beamed with pleasure at being remembered. "Ah, I was wondering, if you ever had any free time, if you wouldn't mind, ah…going out with me." He said with a blush.
Tsuna froze.
"Ah, Takahashi-san," he began hesitantly. "Um…you know that I'm a boy, right?"
The college student smiled and wrapped a hand around Tsuna's wrist. "Yes."
Impatiently, Ken drummed his fingers on the table. Where was that little rabbit?
It shouldn't take this long to bring him his order. He glanced about. The café was busy, but it wasn't that busy. Butlers shuffled here and there with trays, menus, desserts, and drinks with no sign of something small, cute, and in a dress.
Tired of waiting, Ken stood and struck out to explore the café. If he met up with search for the young Vongola along the way, then it was simply be an amazing coincidence.
Hand in his pockets, he had to admire how the café operated. The tables were spaced widely apart so there was no risk of running into others, and the booths were tucked away in between high walls that could only be seen over when a person was standing. It was perfect for the servers to quickly find their tables, and allowed customers a semblance of privacy. The inside was well lit, but not overly bright.
And the whole place smelled of coffee, chocolate, and cinnamon.
Even without the bonus of seeing the Vongola in a dress, he was highly considering making this café his favored dessert place. Maybe he'd take Mukuro or Kaki-pi here next time. The place did serve Italian drinks and sweets as well. They were bound to find something they liked.
Meandering aimlessly, Ken made sure to keep his gaze away from booths. Most of them housed couples getting all lovey-dovey with each other.
Rapid motion caught his eye, and he gave the direction it had come from a cursory glance, catching a glimpse of shiny black shoes and garters. Straightening, Ken picked up his pace, his blood heating up at the thought of what he might find.
Sure enough, in a small, but fruitless struggle, was Tsuna and some punk in glasses.
"No, Takahashi-san. It's not like that." Tsuna protested.
"Don't be such a tease, Na-chan." The other guy said.
Na-chan?
Ken was quick to intervene. Nonchalantly, he stepped forward and draped an arm around Tsuna's shoulders.
"Hey, Tsuna." He said casually. "Who's this punk?" He asked, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.
"J-Joushima-san?" Tsuna stuttered, unsure of the situation he was in.
"Tch, no need to be so proper, pyon." He chastised, maneuvering Tsuna away from the guy's grip (rather forcefully).
The man's eyes narrowed slightly. "Na-chan, I thought he was just a friend."
Oh ho! He was a friend. Well, Ken supposed it was better than being labeled as 'hitman' or 'enemy of the mafia.'
"He is." Tsuna squeaked.
Ken grinned, enjoying the Vongola's discomfort and the man's jealousy far too much. "Aw, Tsuna, no need to be so shy now. After all, I've seen you stripped down to your-"
Tsuna's hand was on his mouth faster than he could blink. The Vongola's face was a bright red right up to the roots of his hair. Brown eyes were repressing tears of embarrassment, especially at the gasp it drew from the weirdo in glasses.
Playfully, Ken licked Tsuna's hand. It was withdrawn with a yelp from the brunette.
"Joushima-san!" Tsuna scolded.
"Excuse me, but is there a problem over here?" A tall, good looking man in a suit had walked over.
Tsuna's eyes went wide. "Owner!" He gasped.
Ken drew back from Tsuna and grinned at the newcomer. "Nah. Just this guy," he jerked a thumb in the direction of the glasses-wearing idiot, "was getting a bit too fresh with my friend here. I gotta say, this place ain't that great with dealing with sexual harassment, pyon."
"Hey! I wasn't!" Takahashi cried out.
The owner's face blanched. He adjusted one of his cuffs in a nervous gesture that Ken recognized. The guy was Mafioso. Then he should know what it meant to mess with the heir of Vongola.
"I'm very sorry to hear that. I'll have him escorted from the premises immediately." The owner snapped and two other suited men appeared to drag a protesting Takahashi away. He turned to Ken.
"I must thank you for your assistance and apologize for any inconvenience. As token of our establishment's appreciation, you will be an honored guest here and your every order will be on the house." He bowed. "If you have any other requests, please allow me to hear them."
The blonde smirked. "Yeah, gimme 'Na-chan' over there as my server every time and we'll call it evens, pyon."
The owner eyed the young Vongola a moment, who's eyes were wide with surprise. "Tsuna-kun?" He asked questioningly.
The brunette swallowed. Well, he did owe Ken his thanks. "It's not a problem." He said.
The owner nodded to the Kokuya student. The issue settled, the owner nodded to the two of them and left.
"Thanks." Tsuna said quietly to the blonde.
"Tch, you should learn to handle those guys. You ain't gonna be a good boss if you're gonna be a wuss your whole life." Ken grumbled, snapping his gum.
"Aa." Tsuna nodded. He was lucky Reborn wasn't there. He would have gotten shot a few times for his weakness. Ken's face was suddenly close to his.
"But ya know, I'll be here to keep an eye out on you, pyon." The blonde said with unusual seriousness.
Tsuna's breath hitched. "Joushima-san?"
Pointy teeth were bared at him. "Call me Ken. Got it?"
The brunette nodded.
"Good." Ken leaned forward and licked Tsuna's cheek. "No, where's my cream puff?"
Tsuna jumped. "R-right away Jou-Ken-san!" He scurried off at a rabbit's scamper, but Ken didn't miss the hand that rose to touch the cheek he had licked. Absently he licked his lips.
He would get the Vongola to call him properly.
Grinning, he made his way back to his booth, staring down the curious eyes that followed him. He let them look. As long as they didn't make any move toward Tsuna, he found that he didn't really give a shit. If any of them did though, well, he would be protecting his rabbit, that was for certain.
Lounging in his booth, he didn't think he'd be bringing Mukuro or Kaki-pi here any time soon. For now, he'd prefer it if this place, and its cute little 'waitress,' was his own little secret. The fact that he'd also be getting free sweets was just the icing on the cake.
end
Utterly uncreative in all respects, but this pairing doesn't get enough love. So my plan is to spam the fandom with it until a better author picks it up and makes me stop hurting it.