Title: Cinderella
Pairing: 5927
Summary: Tsuna, a boy whose only family is a cruel stepmother and two stepsisters and is treated like a maid, finds himself whisked away to a ball held by Prince Gokudera to find a spouse.
Seriously, I don't think I need to explain much, the story of Cinderella's pretty much known by everybody. ;)
Notes: I don't own anything. Seriously. Can you tell how serious I am?
Very.
Once upon a time there was a young happy family consisting of a mother, a father, and their son. The small Vongola family lived happily for a few years before the young, beautiful mother was found dead by the side of the road. No one knew what had happened to her, and the father and son grieved terribly for the loss of the beautiful mother. Still, time moved on, and the father felt that his son should have a proper family for growing up in, and remarried.
The stepmother at first seemed to be a rather nice woman, a little thin and vain, but it was nothing that the son couldn't deal with. He knew she could never replace his mother, but he decided to love her for his father's sake. With the stepmother came siblings as well, something the son had never known, and found himself interested right off the bat in spite of his original misgivings. He now had two stepsisters, lovely girls named Kyoko and Haru, and a stepbrother named Ryohei, an excitable older brother that always helped out the son.
They all lived together happily for a few more years, and then the father was found dead by the side of the road. The son grieved for the loss of both his parents, the only true comfort coming from his siblings. His stepmother had chosen to spend her grievance time alone, and collect the life insurance within the week of his death. Suddenly the house became more extravagant, and the son swore that there were seriously solid gold items around. But he didn't have the heart to enjoy this new home, and it seemed his stepmother had no intention of letting him. The son's room was relocated to the attic, his old room belonging solely to Ryohei now, and his position in the household seemed to be nothing more than a simple servant, a maid. The son felt as though he had lost everything in his life within a week, and the only thing that stayed the same was the ornate ring on his finger, an heirloom that his father had given to him.
"Tsuna, the room is completely filthy! Clean it up!" became the new common phrase that his stepmother would say, and Tsuna would give a whimper at her sharp tone and grab the broom, sweeping out the dust that his stepmother always seemed to see. Often, his elder brother Ryohei would grab another broom and attempt to help him out, though the boy always got too rambunctious, and ended up causing more of a mess than originally planned. Kyoko and Haru would try and sneak in their help as well, but their mother was a sharp woman who always seemed to be able to tell if they got even a speck of dirt on their fingertips, so intervention was a common occurrence. Tsuna got used to doing all the household chores and work, hoping that this would prove he was good for something.
It was never enough to prove himself in his stepmother's eyes, however, and the proof was shown in the day that Ryohei left the house to join the Royal Guard. The room, left empty by Ryohei's packed bags, was then made into Kyoko's new room, so all the children had their own, albeit one lived in the attic. Tsuna sighed and twirled the ring on his finger like he always had, and set himself into this life of servitude.
Gokudera had, at a young age, found that he had been born into an unloving family. He viewed his father as a cold man, his mother as a stranger, and his elder sister as an object of terror. There were very few tears shed when his parents were found assassinated by a group of people that wanted the throne that they held beneath them. Gokudera did, however, find that there was some love in the family that following evening, when the group came back for the heads of the two royal children. His sister, Bianchi, had seemed to unwittingly invite them up for a meal, though told Gokudera to go to bed and get some rest. The men had chuckled behind her back, deciding they may as well have a bite to eat first. Gokudera hid behind a pillar and wished for the men's deaths to be swift. The poisoned food that rested in their stomachs made short work of them, and set an example to those who would try anything like that again. Bianchi dusted the bodies out of the castle and assumed the throne herself.
Years after that happened, Bianchi found herself a handsome lover by the name of Romeo that she loved dearly and had intentions of marrying. However, the man had become smitten upon first sight with a young lady by the name of Juliet, and Bianchi was beside herself with rage. The couple was found only a little while later, dead from some strange, unknown cause. And so Gokudera found himself in this predicament.
"Hayato, we're having a ball."
Gokudera had to remind himself not to look up at the sound of his sister's voice, lest horrible memories of being a poison cooking test subject be wrenched forth from his stomach. He simply kept his eyes down on the book he had been reading and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, are we now? Why, and why should I even go?"
"One, I need to ease my poor, broken heart-"
"I'm pretty sure Romeo's the one with a busted heart now."
"And two, you're going because I've invited everyone in the kingdoms. Boys and girls. Pick someone out of it; I don't think you should be lazing around the castle forever. Go get married."
"Hold on a second-!" Gokudera jumped up in the seat and turned to confront his sister, though the foam that rose past his lips made it rather hard to speak. Gagging, Gokudera turned away and rushed outside, spitting out the remains of the sick taste in his mouth onto the dirt beneath the rose bushes.
A little ways behind him, Bianchi hemmed and hawed for a minute, then called forth a servant, telling him to fetch something from her quarters. As Gokudera finished excreting the taste from his mouth, Bianchi kneeled down to look him in the eyes, an ornate mask held up against her face.
"It'll be a masquerade. Those are always fun."
"I beg to differ." Gokudera said, wiping at the corner of his mouth. He still felt sweaty, but he had to think that the mask was a good idea. He would be able to get through this ball without having to throw up all over a young lady's dress (which was never a good thing and very hard to get forgiveness for, no matter how royal a person was) and, as a bonus, he could probably pretend to be an invitee to the ball rather than the prince. That would shake off a few of the annoying suitors royalty always had hanging off their coattails. Bianchi was still watching him, so Gokudera heaved a sigh, an indication that he had given in to her logic and was giving his consent for her to go ahead and do this ball. Not that she needed it, being the queen and all, but it was always nice to get a sibling's approval.
Advertising for the ball was hardly needed, with all the rumors flying around. A few posters were put up around town, and the town crier made a loud announcement of the royal's intentions during the peak of shopping hour. Kyoko, Haru, and their mother happened to be out getting some new shoes when the announcement was heard by all within earshot -and with the crier's loud voice, the radius of shoppers that heard it was quite large - and they all got rather excited. They had not been to a large party for a while, and a ball was something in and of itself entirely. Their mother set about to ordering them a set of regular, pretty shoes that they originally came in for, and a fancy pair each for when they would go to the ball. They spent the rest of the day shopping for the perfect dresses and accessories and wondering exactly how they should style their hair.
Tsuna was left at home, scrubbing the fur rug as clean as it could possibly get, and thus did not hear the news. When his stepfamily came back all atwitter, their cheeks flushed and arms full of purchases, Tsuna could tell that something had happened at the market. After getting his mother's approval for the carpet, Tsuna was ordered to bring the girl's purchases up to their rooms and help them unpack them. While doing so, Haru excitedly told Tsuna about the announcement, and how everyone in the kingdom was invited up to the royal palace for a masquerade ball since the royal siblings were hoping to find a spouse.
"R-really? Everybody?" Tsuna said, his excitement growing in spite of the part of his mind that said his stepmother would never allow it. "D-do you think I could…?"
Haru laughed lightheartedly at Tsuna's timid question, and slapped her hand down on his shoulder, gripping it tight. "I don't see why not!" she said merrily, smiling brightly at the boy. Kyoko nodded emphatically, smiling serenely at Tsuna, who let his hopes rise even more. The thought of finally being invited to a grand party fueled Tsuna, who finished up all his chores early that day.
The next day was the day of the party, and Tsuna's stepmother made sure her daughters were all dressed and ready far earlier than the time they needed to get to the palace on time. She ordered Tsuna around, fetching the various bits of jewelry, the fans, and the masks. He helped with their hairstyles and zipped up his stepmother's dress. The time passed by so quickly, it took a while for Tsuna to realize something and ask his stepmother about it.
"Um… Stepmother?"
"Hm?"
"Do you… um… have anything for me to wear?" Tsuna asked timidly, his nervous fingers spinning the ring on his finger as his stepmother stared him down.
"Dear boy, why would I have that?" she asked, scoffing as if it were the silliest question she had ever heard.
"What?" Tsuna asked, his voice crestfallen. Kyoko and Haru looked on from the sidelines, their gazes pleading with their mother to not say what they expected her to say.
"Someone has to watch over the house while we're gone." She said, inspecting her nails and the sparkling jewels she had decorated them with. "That should be the man's job, shouldn't it? Besides, you've hardly done any cleaning today. The house is a mess."
"But… I thought…" Tsuna's voice wavered and he dropped his eyes to the floor. There was a rustle outside and a knock on the door.
"Ah, that must be the carriage. Come along, girls." She looked upon her girls and made shooing motions with her arms as she advanced and herded the two out the doorway. Tsuna could faintly hear their complaints and pleadings to let Tsuna come with them to the ball, but the door closed and the horses whinnied and the carriage clattered away, speeding the girls towards the castle, towards the ball that Tsuna was banned from entering.
He allowed himself a few minutes of standing in place, silent, immobile, as he waited to make sure his stepmother would not come back. Then he slid to the ground and started sobbing, hiccups periodically interrupting the even flow of tears. He had not cried for a long time, desiring to show strength to his stepmother, but it just seemed futile now. No one was around to watch his body tremble and hear the heaving sobs that wrenched themselves from Tsuna's throat. He let himself cry, fingers gripping the fur rug beneath him, not noticing how he pulled hairs out from it. After a solid five minutes, Tsuna's sobs lessened, the long-held back sorrow finishing its torrential rushing, and after another couple of minutes, Tsuna felt almost normal.
"This sucks…" he hiccupped, wiping the rest of his tears away with the palm of his hand, then he ran his fingers through his spiked hair. "I really wanted to go to the ball…"
"So go."
Tsuna screeched at the unfamiliar voice, too young to belong to anyone he could have possibly known, and jumped to his feet, looking around wildly. His sorrow was forgotten in the panic of finding out exactly who spoke.
"Over here, stupid." The voice spoke again, and Tsuna located the source, sitting on the sill of the open window. Tsuna gaped, pointing a shocked finger at the source of the voice, his jaw moving but unable to form proper words.
"Ciaossu." The voice said again, and Tsuna could tell he wasn't just imagining it. The baby's mouth moved right in time to the words being said. The baby was talking. The baby was also wearing an expensive suit and… was that a gun holster? Tsuna wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"Wh-who are you?" Tsuna asked meekly, inching backwards in case he had to make a run for it. The baby smirked.
"I am Reborn. I am here to grant you your wish."
"My… wish…?" This baby didn't look like any fairy godmothers that Tsuna had heard of.
"You want to go to the ball, don't you? So get going, or I'll shoot you where you stand."
"HIIEEE! What?!" Tsuna could barely believe what he was hearing, but he felt no idle threat in his words. Tsuna backed up until he reached the couch, and leaned against the armrest, his hands supporting him behind him. "B-but I can't! If my stepmother saw me-"
"It's a masquerade, isn't it? Tsk, No Good Tsuna, don't you have any brains?"
This baby couldn't be a fairy godparent. He was insulting Tsuna too much.
"W-well, I don't have a mask! Or a suit! Or any way to get to the castle or anything! I can't possibly make it!"
Reborn paused for a moment, then stood up on the windowsill and hopped outside. "Follow me." He said, and Tsuna chose to use the door. Why not follow some gun-toting baby? The rest of his evening would suck anyway; this would at least prove something interesting. Tsuna stood with Reborn in the driveway, and watched as the baby took out a cell phone.
"I'm going to need the package now. Have it here within ten seconds." Tsuna paused, looking at Reborn oddly, wondering what the 'package' was, and how in the world he expected it within ten seconds.
Ten seconds later, a carriage pulled up into the driveway, the horses panting and gasping for air, wild-eyed, the driver looking only slightly better. A man hopped out of the carriage, holding a large, flat box out to Reborn, and Tsuna could have sworn he heard the man reciting a prayer. Reborn seemed satisfied, and threw the box to Tsuna, instructing him to go inside and put it on. Tsuna blinked, but turned around and entered the house with the box.
He opened it to find a slick light gray suit with a black shirt with white pinstripes, a silver tie folded on top and expensive black leather shoes placed at the bottom. And resting on top of them all was a red and orange mask designed to look like swirling flames, with black rhinestones placed near the eyes. Tsuna gaped at the expensive material for a moment, then hurriedly got dressed, hoping Reborn wasn't setting a time limit of ten seconds for him as well.
It seemed that Reborn wasn't in the mood to shoot Tsuna after all, which Tsuna found very lucky indeed, and instead instructed him to go to the ball. "But make sure you came back before midnight." The baby said as Tsuna was placed in the carriage. "This is only a rental, and if you make it come back late, you'll pay it all off yourself. Then I'll kill you."
Tsuna shivered and nodded, and Reborn set the horses off. Tsuna was on his way towards the castle, the scenery flying by him at an alarming rate. He leaned towards the window, the tip of his mask tapping against it as the carriage flew over bumps and uneven ground, and Tsuna grew more and more anxious as the castle came closer and closer into view.
Upon reaching the castle Tsuna blended in with a small crowd that was entering late as well, taking a quick look around to see if he could spot his stepmother. After a small effort, he spotted his family, their familiar dresses and masks a telltale sign of what he should avoid. He gave them a fairly wide berth to get a snack from the buffet table, the rich foods something he knew he would never get a chance to enjoy ever again. He was close enough to hear his stepmother complaining about how they couldn't locate the prince, since she wanted her children to get a chance to dance with him. Wandering through the crowd of people, he noticed that the lack of Prince Hayato was a hot topic for all the girls (and some men) around him.
Tsuna was able to slip into a conversation, and asked a bit about this missing Prince.
"Well, at the start of the ball, Queen Bianchi gave an introduction and welcomed us all to the ball-" As the man he was talking to spoke, he gestured over to a crowd that had gathered around one woman with purple hair that Tsuna recognized as the Queen. "-And she said that while her brother was too shy to welcome us all as well, he was at the ball. However, since nobody knows which person he is, and he hasn't come out and told anyone, no one knows where Prince Hayato is."
"Oh. Thank you." Tsuna said, knowing his manners, and the man smiled and turned back to the woman he was with, resuming their earlier conversation. Tsuna began wandering around the ballroom again, humming along to the music the orchestra was playing, feet shuffling in a mock-dance.
He failed to notice that the familiar masks of his family were getting closer and closer until they were mere feet away. Tsuna nearly jumped, turning around abruptly and attempting to slip between the mesh of people to put some more distance between him and his stepmother. However, what he ended up doing was tripping over someone's foot, stumbling forwards a few steps in an attempt to regain his balance, and resulting in slamming his face into the bicep of a taller woman.
Tsuna looked up to see and apologize profusely to the woman he bumped into, his apologies becoming even more frantic upon seeing the face of the Queen. In her hand, she held her deep purple mask, decorated with varying colours of sparkling jewels and splatters of paint, the ribbon attaching it to her face coming loose with Tsuna's jarring collision. Tsuna didn't have enough room on the ground to grovel, but Queen Bianchi let him loose, waving him away, his apologies enough. Tsuna thanked her, his face redder than his mask. He seemed to have survived this encounter, but one other individual came close to not.
Gokudera decided he had the worst timing, looking up from his glass of wine just in time to see his sister's face, freed from her mask by a clumsy individual. The putrid sensation rose up in his gut, and it was all he could do to not throw up right then and there. Somehow, the silver-haired boy was able to rush outside to the gardens and expel his stomach contents into the nearby bushes. Anybody who happened to look over would simply count it up to an over-consumption of fine wine, and Gokudera was in no condition to correct them. Groaning, he asked his servant, Takeshi, to bring him a glass of water. It was quickly brought, but Gokudera had to resist the strong – very strong – temptation to kick the laughing boy in the groin as he watched Gokudera rinse out his mouth, then chug the rest of the clean water. Takeshi was waved away, and Gokudera lay down on a bench, his face hanging off the edge in case anything wanted to come up again.
Tsuna decided he had mortified himself enough for one day, and chose to carefully weave himself through the crowd and escape to the gardens. The fresh air freed his nose from the stench of too many contrasting perfumes, and he inhaled and exhaled deeply, enjoying the freedom of the air rather than the stuffy fumes that were inside. The brisk wind chilled his face enough that his cheeks were now only a rosy tint, rather than a full-on blush. He smiled, feeling much more refreshed now.
Walking around a bit, Tsuna noticed a silver-haired boy lying face down on a bench, and worry overtook him. He didn't run to the boy's side, but he certainly sped up his pace. "Are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand over the face down boy's shoulder blade and crouching down so that he could peer at the boy's face, though it was still covered by a mask.
The boy didn't jolt up in his seat, but his back twitched upon contact with Tsuna's hand, and he rose from his previous position a little quicker than Tsuna would have expected. Tsuna blinked; staring up at him, waiting for a response, as the boy shifted so he was sitting on the bench.
"I'm fine…" he said, flapping a hand at Tsuna, who simply drew his hand back and exhaled deeply.
"That's good! It wouldn't be very good if you were sick at the ball!"
Gokudera was silent for a moment, taking the time to roll his eyes. "The ball's not that great." Tsuna blinked.
"But it is! Even if I've gone and embarrassed myself horribly…" It seemed like he had been meaning to continue onwards, but the memory of his clumsy move returned to haunt Tsuna's mind. Gokudera raised an eyebrow, invisible beneath his simple black and gold mask. He crossed his legs, placing one elbow on his knee and resting his chin in the palm of his hand. After another moment, Tsuna regained his senses. "Ah! But, even then, I've had a good time! I've gotten to eat food I've never tried before, and I've gone and talked to people!"
"You sound like you don't get out much…" Gokudera said, and Tsuna smiled bitterly, his body rising to sit next to this stranger on the bench.
"Well, I really don't." Tsuna said, laughing nervously. "I'm not even supposed to be here, but with some help, I slipped out!"
Gokudera smiled affectionately, tilting his head in his palm. "Maybe we should have switched places. I didn't want to be here, really. It's all too stupid and troublesome."
"It's not stupid!"
"Do you know the reason this ball's being held?" Gokudera said, and scoffed slightly, not allowing Tsuna to give an answer. "To find a groom for the Queen, and a bride for the Prince. It's all rather stupid if you ask me."
Tsuna frowned. "Well, that may be the reason, but people who have no interest in that are still allowed in. So for some, it's like a regular party. You're not interested in marrying the Queen, are you?"
"God no!" The thought was almost enough to make him retch again.
Tsuna smiled brightly, turning his head and torso to look right at Gokudera. "Then you shouldn't worry about those things! Just go and have fun!"
Gokudera paused, blinking at Tsuna for a moment, until a grin split across his face, his cheeks as rosy as Tsuna's. "You're pretty smart!"
Tsuna smiled back at him, merry. "Well, I gotta have as much fun as I possibly can, before reality catches up."
"Reality?"
"My stepmother's not very kind." Tsuna said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I have to do all the cleaning and stuff… But I'm used to it, so it's not unbearable." He tried to end on a happy note, but his smile looked just a little too forced to Gokudera, who found his heart beating an irregular tune. He gulped, cheeks flushing, and reached forwards to take Tsuna's hands.
"Hahn?" Tsuna whimpered, rather shocked at the forward action. Gokudera, for his part, put on a suave smile and stared at Tsuna through lashes and the holes in his mask.
"Care to dance?" he asked, smiling oh-so serenely at Tsuna, who found his heart smashing against his rib cage in a slightly different way than all the past times he had been frightened. After a moment of lip flapping, Tsuna managed to squeak out an attempt at a casual 'sure, I haven't danced with anyone yet' that really sounded more like a garbled mess that Gokudera interpreted correctly as an affirmative.
The two stood up, the music still very audible even outside, and Gokudera took one of Tsuna's hands in his own while he placed his other around the smaller boy's waist. Tsuna positioned himself with his free hand gripping Gokudera's shoulder and let the taller boy lead him. While Tsuna wasn't exactly pleased that he was in the female position, he really didn't know how to dance well enough to lead this expert, and soon fell into the steps with only the slightest of prompting, a jubilant smile plastering itself on his lips.
The pair remained outside as time passed by and the music changed, dancing along the length of the garden. Gokudera led Tsuna past the hedges and benches, the roses and sculptures, over to the fountain and back, until the current song faded to an end, and Gokudera led them to a stop. He smiled down at Tsuna, who smiled back up at him, his cheeks flushed from the dance.
Gokudera sighed softly, affectionately, and gripped Tsuna's hand ever so slightly tighter, bringing it closer to him. "I've had a wonderful time." He said, his voice a bit rushed from the dance, matching his bright cheeks that matched Tsuna's. Tsuna grinned shyly, his eyes sliding away in embarrassment. Gokudera gave a soft chuckle, and raised Tsuna's hand to his lips, brushing flesh against flesh ever so softly. Tsuna's cheeks flared to an alarming colour as Gokudera's lips traveled down his middle finger, from the fingernail bed to his knuckle, to caress the ring adorning it.
"Pretty ring." Gokudera said, his lips brushing against Tsuna's skin with their movement.
"Family heirloom." Tsuna managed to squeak out, his voice remaining normal even though his throat felt tight. Gokudera smiled against his skin and brought his lips away, letting go of Tsuna's hand. It fell to his side, limp and cold from the sudden lack of Gokudera's warmth, and he had no idea what to do. Gokudera's hand returned to Tsuna's skin, this time choosing to caress his jaw. Tsuna felt as if he could feel every ridge and bumps of Gokudera's fingerprint, until the hot breath on his face distracted him enough. Gokudera was leaning closer and closer, and Tsuna's eyelids slid closed as he felt the slightest pressure against his lips, and then-
Then the mood was broken, the clock tower booming out an ominous twelve gongs. Tsuna jumped, his eyes opening wide, realizing what time it. "Oh no!" he cried out, looking pleadingly up at the clock as he took a step back from the confused Gokudera. "I have to go!"
"What?! Why?" Gokudera said, beginning to give chase as Tsuna started racing towards the entrance.
"I'm late! I have to get back or Reborn'll kill me!" Tsuna was able to slip through the crowd much easier than Gokudera, giving him a large head start, and he was already up the steps by the time Gokudera wedged himself through the crowd. Tsuna fretted and cried out against the evil twists of fate he had been thrust into, not noticing the ring on his finger slipping down and down, until it fell right off his finger, bouncing onto the steps below. Gokudera saw it, and paused momentarily to pick up the precious piece of jewelry, allowing Tsuna precious extra seconds to get in the carriage and yell at the driver to get him back home as quick as possible.
Gokudera rushed out of the room, throwing the doors back, in time to see a mysterious carriage bursting away at a speed the prince had not even known was possible. He stood there, dumbfounded, and looked down at the ring he held in his hand, the only physical connection he had to the boy that had stirred up his heart during the ball. Gokudera gritted his teeth and, throwing curses every which way, stormed back inside to lock himself in his room.
Tsuna groaned, practically rolling out of the carriage as it reached a stop. He was, however, mindful of how that would get dirt on his suit, and since he was already in trouble, adding up to his bill probably wasn't a good idea. The carriage had gone ridiculously fast, and Tsuna was sure that his body was bruised, if not broken, by the jarring around within it he ended up receiving. Once his equilibrium was regained, Tsuna looked down the driveway to see Reborn, and he had to wonder if the baby had stayed there, or if he had entered Tsuna's house and was waiting for him there. Surely he would have something better to do, but Tsuna didn't know.
"Ciaossu. Good, you're early." Reborn said, walking up to Tsuna, who was very confused.
"Huh? But – you said to get here by midnight… I thought I was late…"
"Oh, the rental was really until twelve thirty. I told you twelve so you would get here on time."
Tsuna felt like slamming his head into a fat brick wall. He could have spent more time with the boy at the ball! He wished he could whine to Reborn and get back to the ball, but upon turning around he found a gun pointed at his face.
"Now get those clothes off. I might as well send the rental back now."
Tsuna found it rather hard to argue with anyone that was pointing a gun at his face, let alone a baby pointing the gun, so he stripped immediately, rushing inside to cover his boxers. Reborn loaded the clothes up and placed them in the carriage, giving the driver some order that caused them to rush away at the same lightning speed as before. Tsuna watched them go with a wistful sigh, then tied a bandanna around his hair and started cleaning the house. He hadn't cleaned it at all, and his stepmother would notice if no work had been done.
After an hour, Tsuna's stepmother came back, daughters in tow, and remarked at how unclean the house was. Tsuna looked away when Kyoko and Haru glanced at him questionably. Even they could see that he hadn't done a lot of work, and while they didn't mind that part, they were curious as to the reason why. While their mother was in the kitchen, setting a kettle on the stove for some tea before they went to bed, Kyoko and Haru descended on Tsuna.
"Why weren't you working, Tsuna?"
"Were you that sad about not going to the ball?"
"It wasn't that great, honest! The Prince never even showed up."
"Actually, I heard one of the servants laughing about how the prince was being so shy."
"Well, either way – oh!"
"Oh! Oh no!"
Tsuna had done his best to tune out the girls' questions and comments, not really being in the mood to hear anything about the ball at this point, but their worried gasps alerted him. He glanced at their faces, eyes flickering between the two.
"What is it?" He asked, starting to feel very worried. He wondered if they recognized him somehow. While he didn't mind if his kind stepsisters found out he had been at the ball, he doubted they would be able to keep the secret long enough, and he would surely get in trouble with his stepmother.
"Tsuna… Where's your ring?"
"HIIIEEE!" Tsuna gasped as he took a look down at his hands, finding them barren. His stepmother shouted at him to keep it down, but Tsuna was too busy crawling on the rug, praying that it had simply slipped off while he was cleaning. He knew he had it on when he was with the boy at the ball, but he was in a lot of places after that. He worried about what would happen if he had lost it in the carriage, with all the bumping and flying around. It was likely he would never see it again.
In the morning, Gokudera awoke from a fitful sleep for the last time, and rushed through his morning routine, having decided on what he should do about the stranger he met at the ball. He took the ring, having put it on a chain to keep from accidentally losing it, and placed it around his neck, striding down the corridor with purpose in every step.
"Ah! Morning, Your Highness!" Yamamoto greeted Gokudera with a wave, and Gokudera immediately grabbed the taller boy's wrist, dragging him along with him.
"Come. You're assisting me in the record hall today."
"Sure! What's it about?"
Hours later, the two of them had their noses still stuck in books chronicling each and every family of nobility. They were in no particular order that the two could decipher, and sometimes the script was ornate to the point of illegible, and the pictures of each family's crest was blurred or water-damaged. Needless to say, it was a tiresome endeavor, but Gokudera was determined, and Yamamoto was ordered.
"What was it again?" Yamamoto asked for nearly the hundredth time since they began. Gokudera was almost tempted to start counting. "Bovino?" Scratch that, Gokudera was sorely tempted to kick Yamamoto in the head. So he did.
"No! It read 'Vongola'! He has nothing to do with those stupid cows!" Gokudera fumed, and Yamamoto tried to make a calming noise, flapping his hand at the prince. Gokudera growled and returned to his book, flipping yet another page to no avail. The mysterious boy had to be of some sort of nobility, judging from the state and craftsmanship of the ring. It was a family crest on it, and the boy had himself said it was a family heirloom. And Gokudera doubted that the boy was in any state to lie at that time.
"Vongola, right?" Yamamoto asked, barely a minute after he had asked before. Gokudera was pretty sure one of the veins in his forehead snapped, and he aimed a sharp kick to the back of Yamamoto's head, something he easily dodged.
"YES! VON-GO-LA! IT'S NOT THAT HARD, YOU STUPID FREAK!" he yelled at Yamamoto, throwing his book at the boy, who blocked it with his own book, flipping over a page ever so calmly.
"They were pretty powerful." Yamamoto commented, with an impressed whistle. Gokudera paused in his fuming, blinking at him.
"You found it?"
"Yep. Vongola. Matches the crest, too." Yamamoto added, stepping forward and bending forwards to peer at the ring around Gokudera's neck. "But it says here that they were wiped out years ago."
"What?"
"Yeah. The main bloodline died under a whole bunch of mysterious circumstances… Let's see… Enrico was shot… Matsumo drowned, and – huh – this Federico was never really found… There was a secondary bloodline that looked to have lived closer to here, but it ended with Iemitsu. Someone really had it out for them. Sorry."
Gokudera felt his faith drain away. His last hope for finding some clue as to where he could find this mysterious stranger was gone. Yamamoto patted his shoulder, and Gokudera attempted to punch him in the face. A long string of vulgarity and curses streamed forth from the prince's lips as he fumed and raged throughout the record hall, only stopped by the entrance of his sister telling him to keep it down. He was brought to his knees, foam at the corner of his mouth, and Yamamoto apologized to Bianchi, dragging Gokudera out the other door, away from the source of his agony.
Once outside of the room, Gokudera began recovering, and he took the ring off his neck, staring at it while the two walked down the hallway.
"This sucks." Gokudera hissed, finally choosing to come to a stop by a window, listening to the clanking of armor as guards patrolled the castle. He was silent for a moment, but determination soon lit up in his eyes.
"Well, whatever!" he cried out, jumping to his feet and holding the ring out in front of him. "I'll try this ring on the finger of every man in the kingdom, if I have to! I will find that boy!"
"Hey, how'd you get Tsuna's ring?"
Gokudera paused at the voice in front of him, and looked up to see the captain of the guards, Ryohei, standing in front of him, pointing curiously at the ring in his hands.
"Huh?"
Ryohei laughed and plucked the ring out of Gokudera's fingers. "My stepbrother, Tsuna, has a ring just like this! He'd wear it all the time, even though he sometimes lost it while he was doing the sweeping. Extremely thin fingers, I guess!" His booming laughter echoed down the corridor, and Gokudera and Yamamoto could only stare at him in silence for a moment, before Gokudera launched himself at Ryohei.
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?!" he yelled out, thrashing against Yamamoto's grip preventing him from clawing the ring out of Ryohei's hands.
"Maa, maa, Your Highness! Calm down, at least now we know where he is." Yamamoto said, and his words indeed had a calming effect on Gokudera, who stopped thrashing. Ryohei handed the ring back, and Gokudera smiled triumphantly at him.
"Alright, captain. Bring me to where Tsuna is."
Tsuna groaned, feeling rather drained from the night before and the realization he lost his precious family ring. It was very disheartening, losing such a precious heirloom, made only worse by the heavy feeling in his heart whenever he thought back to how he had left the boy back at the ball. He could have at least given his name, but he hadn't thought he would bond so well, and time just got away from him. Tsuna sighed, and resumed sweeping for a full ten seconds before he was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Tsuna walked up to the door, opening it and barely able to get a greeting out before he was tackled in an extreme hug, the broom flying out of his hands while he was lifted off the ground by Ryohei.
"Waugh! Ryohei, let me down!" Tsuna wailed, his face buried forcefully into the older boy's shoulder, his legs flailing uselessly in the air beneath him.
"Brother?" Kyoko's soft voice drifted from the other room, and she made her appearance, serving as a good distraction for Ryohei, who nearly dropped Tsuna and rushed to Kyoko's side to fawn over her and make sure she was getting all her meals. Tsuna wheezed a little, finding Ryohei's excited greeting too much for his already bruised body to take, and turned to close the door. He stopped in his tracks, however, when his eyes fell upon the guests that Ryohei had brought over. They seemed very familiar. It took Tsuna only a moment to recognize Yamamoto, who he had seen serving drinks and the like at the ball. All servants had been mask less. It took Tsuna another second to recognize the other boy with him, and the silver hair was an amazing clue. Then the silver-haired boy smiled a dazzling smile, and Tsuna was left with no doubt that this was the boy he had danced with at the ball.
"H-hi." Tsuna said after a silence. He could feel his cheeks reddening at the realization that the boy might have come searching for Tsuna.
"Hello." Gokudera smiled that dazzling smile again, and stepped forwards, into the house. "I'm Hayato Gokudera."
"I-I'm Tsunayoshi Sawada – wait. H-Hayato? As in Prince Hayato?"
"The one and only."
Tsuna felt he could pass out right then and there. "Oh my god, I was talking so casually with a prince that whole time! Uwaaaaah…."
Gokudera gave a small chuckle and took Tsuna's hands in his own, softly stroking them in a soothing motion. Tsuna slowly ceased his hyperventilating, but now he had to deal with his fluttering heartbeat, and looked up at Gokudera through his lashes. Slowly, he regained his speech.
"So… Why exactly are you here?" he asked timidly, praying his answer wouldn't be the opposite of what he was hoping it to be. Gokudera smiled.
"Well, someone happened to leave something at a party I was attending-" Gokudera slowly shuffled downwards, until he was kneeling on the ground, one foot pressed firmly into the flooring. He pulled Tsuna's ring out of his pocket, holding it up while still holding Tsuna's hand with his other hand. "-And I was hoping to return it."
Tsuna felt as if he were ready to pass out at any moment, and his cheeks were flared up to a level he had not known was humanly possible. In the background, he could almost hear his stepmother and Haru stepping out onto the scene, instantly recognizing what was happening with mixed reactions. Luckily both Ryohei and Yamamoto were there to keep Tsuna and Gokudera's moment from getting ruined. Slowly, Gokudera inched the ring closer and closer to Tsuna's left ring finger, sliding it up the digit, making Tsuna's breath hitch.
"I take it there are no objections." Gokudera said once the ring was fully wrapped around Tsuna's finger. His stepmother said something, but he could only focus on Gokudera's voice as he spoke. "I was talking to Tsuna, ya old bag. Leave us alone."
Once the squabble of background din that happened to be his stepmother was gone, Tsuna smiled brightly at Gokudera. "I don't object at all!" And Gokudera smiled and stood up, wrapping his arms around Tsuna's frame, pulling him close into his body, and slipped his lips over Tsuna's, the pressure radiating warmth throughout Tsuna's body. He wrapped his arms around Gokudera's body, grasping at the boy's shoulder blades and throwing himself into the kiss without any interruptions. No raging stepmother, no cheering spectators, and – most importantly – no booming clock to separate them again.
END