Warning for mention of blood.

"E-Enma!"

Tsuna had been expecting the redhead, but he hadn't imagined that he would turn up in such a sorry state. The other male held himself upward by propping his body against the door frame, offering a weary half-smile as he struggled to remain standing. It appeared as if he'd been put through the proverbial ringer; his jacket was torn in several places, and Tsuna swore that was blood dripping down the arm wrapped around his middle, clutching at his side.

"Ah…Tsuna-kun…Sorry I'm late," was all Enma offered before his knees buckled and he collapsed forward.

It was all Tsuna could do to catch him and prevent him from hitting the floor with a resounding thunk. Although Enma hardly weighed more than the brunet himself, bearing all his weight caused the small teen to stagger in the doorway as he attempted to maneuver enough so as to close the door. A sudden intake of breath alerted him to the fact that they were no longer alone, and he turned wide and panicked eyes to meet the concerned gaze of his mother, Sawada Nana, and Bianchi, who had both come to investigate what was taking Tsuna so long at the entrance.

With their help, it was easy to relocate to the living room, where Tsuna's mom immediately removed the injured boy's jacket and scurried off to mend it while Bianchi wordlessly went to fetch water and the first aid kit. As for Tsuna, he could hardly bring himself to move from his spot beside his friend, feeling more than a little helpless. This wasn't the first time that Enma had turned up at his house in such a state, but even so…He'd never stop worrying over him every time. Enma was his friend, and he loathed seeing him so vulnerable and quite obviously in pain.

Those unusual blood red eyes of his peered up at Tsuna from beneath hooded lids, and a ghost of a smile crossed his face as he said, "Sorry…I always cause you nothing but trouble, Tsuna-kun. You're always…worrying."

Tsuna blinked and then shook his head quickly, waving his hands in front of him as if to brush away his friend's words.

"N-Not at all, Enma…It's no trouble!" His eyes widened further, earnest, hoping to convey that it really was no big matter. "O-Of course I'd worry, because…That's what friends do, right?"

Enma didn't have time to answer before Bianchi arrived with the tools she had gone to procure, but it seemed like he didn't agree with what Tsuna had to say. They were usually in unified in their beliefs, able to understand without words what the other was trying to say, but it appeared as if they had a different stance on what exactly friendship entailed. There had been some contention over this lately, and Tsuna wasn't sure where it had come from…He didn't believe that there was anything that could forge a deep chasm between them any longer, but something told him that this issue would not simply fade away.

Tsuna had learned to trust his instinct, so he resolved to settle this matter after Enma's wounds were seen to properly.

Bianchi was deft with her actions, skilled hands making quick work of her task, and the gap in Enma's side was soon stitched shut and bandaged. Now that the wound was no longer bleeding out and Enma had received some of the water to replenish his strength, the redhead seemed to be in higher spirits…As spirited as Kozato Enma could possibly be, anyway. Tsuna was relieved, but he knew that this wasn't the last time such an incident would occur.

"What happened?" Bianchi wanted to know, carefully replacing the equipment she'd been using back into the kit.

He looked slightly embarrassed as he revealed that he'd been attacked by a pack of chihuahuas. Small dogs really don't like him, Tsuna thought, mentally sweat dropping as Bianchi shook her head and left the room, presumably to rejoin his mom in the kitchen. A moment of silence followed that made the brunet slightly uncomfortable. There hadn't been this much tension between them since that unfortunate misunderstanding that had almost cost them both dearly.

Surprisingly, it was Enma that broke it.

"Tsuna-kun…? I…think we need to…talk," Enma hesitated, looking unsure.

Tsuna understood the hesitation. Even though he'd just decided a few moments earlier that a discussion between them was long overdue, he suddenly felt the need to leave the room, to put it off until a later date. His mouth went dry and his palms began to sweat. Barely resisting the urge to wipe them on his pants leg (that would surely give away his nerves, and prevent Enma from continuing, which he was pretty certain would be counterproductive), Tsuna could only nod at the redhead, silently agreeing.

Shifting his weight around, Enma clenched his jaw, now appearing to have discovered his own resolve, driven by that fiercely determined part of himself that was deeply buried. "Tsuna-kun…Things have seemed…weird lately…I've thought about it, and I realized — It's my fault. I…haven't been honest with you."

"E-Enma…?" Tsuna blinked, uncertain.

The redhead was always as honest as possible, and Tsuna hadn't noted any discrepancy in word or deed from the redhead of late. W-What…?

"I'm sorry, Tsuna-kun. I haven't…lied, but I haven't been completely honest with you, either," Enma continued, his voice lowering until it was barely above a whisper. "Um…The truth…the truth is that what I feel for you…isn't friendship."

Immediately, Tsuna felt his heart drop to his stomach. Not...friendship? He had been so sure that things hadn't gotten that bad, but…It appeared as if he were wrong. Tsuna was familiar with having his expectations shot down, but…Never would he have thought —

Before the brunet could began to sink into full panic mode, he noted that Enma had closed the distance between them marginally. Really, it was so slight that it might have passed by unnoticed, but since he'd been sitting close by him, all the redhead had to do was lean a bit closer and soon they were trading breaths. There was a shift in the atmosphere as wide brown eyes met calm red, and suddenly, Tsuna knew that it wasn't as he'd feared. This wasn't about a decline in their relationship.

It was about a gradual, positive change.

Swallowing hard, Tsuna tried, "E-Enma…What are you…?"

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before soft lips pressed over his, effectively repressing the words and forcing them back into the depths of his suddenly blank mind. Oh, Tsuna thought. Oh.

Author's Note: It was my first time writing this pairing! If you have any questions/suggestions/or comments, I'd love to hear it! Please note that I accept requests. All you have to do is drop me a message at my writing blog, or my askfm account. You don't need to be logged in to send a request in, so don't worry about that!