Author's Note: As requested by Midnight Kismesis, a sequel of sorts... I made it so it can be read as a stand alone as it only mentions what happened in passing. This was actually something that had been bothering me for a while anyways. I just lacked the circumstances to place it... I have a lot of fics like that, actually... -_-* I'm not so sure that's a good thing either.

Cry by James Blunt was the inspiration for this story. Feel free to listen as you read.

By the way, does anyone know who is hosting the Secret Santa this year?

Something had changed between then.

Tsuna was laying in his bed one night after taking a shower. Reborn was sitting at Tsuna's desk with the pieces of his guns laid about so he could clean them like he usually did after a day of work and training but there was something different about the air of which he worked with. Usually he was calm, collected, focused on the task at hand and he got it done quickly so Tsuna could go to bed because of how Tsuna made it a habit to watch how Reborn took special care of each individual piece… but now… it was more like he was trying to distract himself, trying to find something to keep his hands busy.

Trying to stall for time.

It seemed to Tsuna that Reborn was clinging to little moments like this because he feared that they were limited. Tsuna would be lying if he said it didn't worry him a bit because Reborn was... special to him.

"Are you alright?" Tsuna finally asked after Reborn had spend a little over five minutes cleaning the barrel of the gun. It usually only took him thirty seconds before he was onto the next piece.

"Hm?" Reborn looked up distractedly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Tsuna hesitated. Why wouldn't he be? "You seem… distracted." Tsuna said, slipping into a spot across from him. For the barest of moments, Reborn looked like he was going to cry but it was gone before Tsuna could register the expression completely… but he knew something had been there. Tsuna picked up the clean clip and started loading the bullets. "And I'm not just saying that because you've spent the last five minutes cleaning the barrel when you would have normally been doing what I'm doing now." Meaning he would have loaded the gun and put it back together.

Tsuna set the loaded clip back on the table and looked at Reborn who had an odd look in his eyes. "I'm just fine, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn said as he started to assemble the cleansed pieces. To emphasize his point, he slid the clip into place with a flat stare in Tsuna's direction. Tsuna raised his hands in surrender.

"As long as you're sure." Tsuna said, climbing into his bed when Reborn motioned for such. "I just worry, Reborn. I can't help it." He smiled a bit.

"You don't have to worry about me, Dame-Tsuna. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Reborn said, standing up. "Go to sleep. I've kept you up late enough. It's almost midnight." Tsuna blinked. Was it really that late? Lucky it was a weekend.

"Goodnight, Reborn." Tsuna said.

"Goodnight… Tsunayoshi."

Tsunayoshi… not Dame-Tsuna or Tsuna… but Reborn was gone before he could question it.

The next morning was far from the normal chaos but it wasn't relaxed either. It seemed… awkward… what with Bianchi glaring daggers at Tsuna for reasons beyond his knowledge and Reborn sitting with tense silence… no one dared make a sound. Nana had tried to break the silence several times only to be refuted… and Tsuna was at a loss.

What had he done to piss Bianchi off?

Reborn was avoiding him and Bianchi was pissed. It had been a week since Tsuna questioned Reborn about his strange, distracted behavior and Reborn had gone through every length possible to avoid him—he'd even started cleaning his guns before Tsuna got out of the shower so he wouldn't have to linger and what was more, Bianchi was unusually short with him. She left the room when he walked in, scoffed when he commented on something beneficial that had changed within him…

Just what the hell was going on?

Bianchi's behavior was similar to the way she had been during the first few weeks they had met—uncanny attempts on his life, spontaneous flares of killer intent… and Reborn… Tsuna didn't even know what to make of Reborn. It was like he had something better to do than train Tsuna.

"You're distracted." Kyoya commented.

Tsuna blinked, his amber eyes flashing. "And yet, I'm still kicking your ass." He commented. And it was true—Kyoya was scuffed up. His hair was out of place and messy and his shirt was all wrinkled and dusty. It was an attractive look for him if Tsuna was going to be honest about it. Tsuna could tell by the wavering purple tint that covered Kyoya's body through his orange-tinted vision that he was tiring. He took in a shuddering breath. "Sorry. I guess I'm just thinking about Reborn and Bianchi's strange behavior as of late."

Kyoya stood up straight as he adjusted his shirt and flattened his hair. "Speak, omnivore. I will… assist." He had a distasteful expression that made Tsuna purr with laughter.

"I don't think you can help with this, Kyoya…" Tsuna mused, letting his Will dim to a drip and cutting off the flow of his Flames. He felt his eyes sting so he closed them briefly to allow them to change back to copper-brown instead of fiery amber. "Reborn's been avoiding me, that's all." Tsuna said flippantly. He pressed his back against the wall and sighed. "But Bianchi's been… cold to me…" Tsuna frowned. "She's acting like you did before we started this little tradition of meeting on the rooftop but at the same time, it feels… different."

"Different." Kyoya stated, moving towards him and laying in his lap. Tsuna absently started petting the soft hair that sprawled against his thighs. "She's jealous."

"Jealous?" Tsuna looked down. "Why? I haven't done anything."

"You have the former-infant's… attention." Kyoya looked as though he'd eaten something that wasn't up to his standards. Tsuna would have laughed had the situation not been what it was.

"I've always had Reborn's attention, Kyoya. He's my teacher." Tsuna said dryly.

"Perhaps he wishes for more." Kyoya said flippantly. "Did you do something that may have triggered this… change?"

"…" Tsuna opened his mouth and then closed it. Had he? Done something, that is. Maybe… "I saw him kill." Tsuna finally said. "About two weeks ago, I was on my way home after getting my weekly issue for that gaming magazine. I took a wrong turn and ended up on the bad side of Kokuyo… there were a few gropers there but nothing serious until they started crowding." Kyoya scowled. Tsuna took the opportunity to savor the adorable expression—it was adorable because Tsuna had seen his soft side. "The leader drew a knife and lunged for Reborn and he killed him… shot him through the neck."

"And? What did you do?" Kyoya pressed.

"Do?" Tsuna asked.

"You just saw him kill… surely you did something." Kyoya stated. Or, well, maybe not. This was Tsunayoshi they were talking about.

"He was bleeding so I healed him." Tsuna said.

Kyoya gave him a flat stare.

"What?!" Tsuna demanded. "Was I supposed to have run away?" He asked.

This kid was a fucking moron! "You really don't get it." He stated, glaring at Tsunayoshi who blinked and tilted his head.

"Get what?"

Kyoya only groaned, his head falling into his palm. There was only so much idiocy he could take. "Leave, omnivore. I have no time to deal with your oblivious rambling."

"It was disgusting, Juudiame. Just the way the light was hitting this guy's face. It was like he was spraying window cleaner instead of sneezing and he turned towards me and sneezed in my face!"

"That's gross." Tsuna agreed.

"It really was. I was about ready to go off on him too but I was pretty tired at the time so I just kinda' glared at him and said 'bless you' which is 'bless you' but the way I said it was more 'cover your fucking mouth'," Tsuna laughed at that. Only Hayato could make the most trivial of statements sound like a demand. "I mean who does that anyways!? Rude people, that's who."

"Ah, we're here." Tsuna stopped. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" He said, smiling and waving at his Rain and Storm who walked home hand-in-hand. Tsuna pushed open the door, "I'm home…" He looked up just in time for Bianchi's hand to collide with the side of his cheek.

Tsuna had been slapped before… Haru slapped him once and Kyoko had when he rejected her confession after two years of puppy-love… hell, he'd been punched before too. Ryohei was guilty of that and Xanxus… but this, for some reason, hurt so much more and it wasn't because she had raked her perfectly manicured nails over his cheek and left three, perfectly aligned claw marks.

No, it hurt because he didn't even know what the hell it was he'd done to deserve it.

"Bianchi," Reborn's voice was colder than he had ever heard it. He had to focus for a moment so the stars in his vision could clear before he saw Reborn standing protectively in front of him, the hand Bianchi used being held in a white knuckled grip to the opposite side. "You will not do that again." He said firmly. "You will not touch Tsuna… in fact, if you are that bothered with my decision, you will leave the Sawada household." His grip tightened causing her to cry out. "Am I clear?"

"Y-Yes!" She cried out. It was strange, hearing her take that tone. He'd heard her seductive coo—which scared the shit out of him, if he was honest about it—her mischievous tones, even her normal range of conversational tones but this… this pained desperation… it was… odd… coming from a woman that was usually so full of fire.

When he released her, she cradled the arm to her chest as though she had been hurt. Tsuna could see the beginnings of a bruise around her wrist where Reborn grabbed her. He frowned, the pain in his cheek temporarily forgotten… or at least it would have been had Reborn not touched it tenderly. Tsuna recoiled with a hiss. Reborn sighed and curled his fingers around Tsuna's wrist with contrasting gentleness compared to the way he handled Bianchi. "Come on. Let me heal those scratches."

"A-ah, w-wait!" Tsuna stumbled as he tried to keep up. Reborn guided him into the bathroom and flicked on the light. After locking the door, he pulled the chains off of the A-class ring Verde had given him and ignited his flame.

"This may sting a bit." Reborn said warningly. He pressed his flame-infused fingers against the scrapes and Tsuna hissed but held still as the tissue stitched together. "Good… she didn't poison it." He said, relieved.

"Reborn?" Tsuna blinked, looking up at the hitman who was so intently focused on his cheek. "Why did… why did she hit me?"

"She is angry with me. I broke up with her." Reborn replied. Realization flashed in Tsuna's eyes. "I told her I was interested in someone else."

Tsuna frowned. "What has that got to do with me?" He asked. Reborn's hand was just a warm weight on the side of his cheek now. It felt nice. Reborn's eyes vanished behind the shadow of his fedora and the hand fell.

"Nothing." Reborn said after a moment. "It's got nothing to do with you."

Tsuna felt a flash of frost—Reborn had lied. "Liar." Tsuna stated, catching the hand that had healed him and tracing the creases on his palm. "You've been acting strange." He said, not looking up from Reborn's hand. "It's like you're avoiding me. I don't like it… and then Bianchi's behavior…" Tsuna's grip tightened a bit before loosening. He looked up at Reborn, "Reborn, tell me what's going on. I want to know."

Reborn looked away from Tsuna and pulled his hand back, his fingers curling into a fist that he buried in the pockets of his slacks. "Nothing's going on, Dame-Tsuna and besides. You're a hundred years too early to be asking anything of me."

Tsuna felt a flash of hurt and anger all twisted and combined into one. "Fine." Tsuna said, pushing past the hitman. "Don't tell me. Just don't expect me to show up for training tomorrow." He hissed, unlocking the door and storming down the hall. He got about halfway to his room before a hand caught his wrist.

"Wait… I… I didn't mean it like that." Reborn said, his voice catching interestingly in his throat. "I just meant… it's… it's complicated."

"Complicated?" Tsuna blinked, turning towards Reborn. "How?"

"I'm not… used to feeling emotions on this level." Tsuna got the distinct impression that, had he not been who he was, he would have been blushing… but what did Reborn mean? "You're an oblivious idiot, Tsunayoshi." He stated before pulling the boy forward, threading his fingers through Tsuna's hair and landing a kiss straight on the younger boy's mouth.

It was soft, a gentle taste of what could be but it was enough to get the cogs in Tsuna's head turning. He turned an endearing shade of red before he looked down, comprehension finally dawning on him.

Reborn… was in love with him.

"Be mine, Tsuna. Mine and no one else's." He stated, his arms wrapping around the boy. Tsuna closed his eyes and savored Reborn's warmth.

"Always…" He whispered. "Always yours. No one else's."

Because the Sky was always at its most beautiful when the sun was shining vibrantly beside it.

Owari.

Thanks for reading~!