So this is my Secret Santa fic for ryou04. I know people want me to be working on my other fics, but it's taken so much to finish this to be honest. Lots going on in my poor life right now, so I'm actually going to be on semi-hiatus (which technically isn't that different from my normal schedule tbh) and this probably makes a crappy Christmas present for all of you, but yeah. I suck. Sorry?

And now, on to the story!

Giotto is five years old when he holds his little brother for the first time and he knows immediately that he's in love. Even with his wrinkly little hands and toes and the bare wisps of hair on his head, Giotto takes one look at him and feels his heart swell at this tiny bundle of life in his arms and pecks him on the forehead. The feeling settles in his bones and he wants so much to squeeze him-his very own little brother-but knows that it would probably crush poor Tsunayoshi and instead vows that he'll cuddle him all he wants when Tsuna's older.

He knows G doesn't understand at first how he'll so willingly give up going to the park or getting ice cream to spend time with a baby (and it's only because G's his best friend that Giotto doesn't recoil in horror at his attitude about Tsuna) but then Hayato moves in and suddenly Giotto's laughing at the red-haired boy as he deals with his spit-fire of a cousin. Hayato's already hit the one-year mark and is quite an intelligent baby, something G often repeats with this somewhat proud, somewhat grumpy look. Giotto knows that he'll be just like his cousin-a genius with a fierce temper and unfailing loyalty.

He supposes that in a way, Hayato is more special than Tsuna because of his intelligence. In his eyes though, there's no one quite like Tsuna, and his opinion is only half-biased when he tells this to his parents solemnly. Tsuna is always so warm, so comforting-just being around him makes Giotto feel like he can do anything and it almost hurts how much he loves his precious little brother; his heart feels like it'll burst at any second and his face hurts so much from laughing and smiling and he never ever wants this to change.

He knows it's probably strange to want to do things like feed the baby and wake up in the middle of the night when Tsuna starts crying to hold him-but for some reason, none of that ever bothers him. His mother sometimes looks at him with a strange smile and soon enough, it's more than apparent who Tsuna's favorite is.

Sure enough, it's Giotto who Tsuna takes his first steps towards, who Tsuna immediately turns to in distress-whose name is the first word Tsuna says.

It's a normal Saturday and Giotto's just coming out of his room when he sees Tsuna is his mom's arms and immediately heads over to them to kiss them both a good morning.

"Hey, Tsuna," Giotto whispers with a grin, making faces so that Tsuna will laugh. Sure enough, he giggles and pats Giotto's nose with his tiny hands, chubby cheeks pink with delight.

"Gio!" he greets with a beam, big brown eyes looking at him in adoration.

Both Giotto and Nana freeze, staring at Tsuna with their jaws slacked before Nana all but shoves Tsuna in his hands so she can run for a camera, leaving a shocked Giotto with a recently-turned two-year old.

Mouth opening and closing, Giotto tries to push down the balloon of happiness in his chest and hesitantly leans his forehead against his little brother's.

"Tsuna?"

Baby Tsuna blinks at him with his brown doe eyes and grins, hands reaching up to Giotto's cheeks. He pats them almost reassuringly before replying with a bright 'Gio!' that has him beaming from ear to ear.

When Nana runs back into the kitchen with the camera, she smiles and takes a picture of the blond boy peppering Tsuna with kisses.

Giotto's ten now and while he's made more friends-the best of friends-he still loves his brother just as much if not more. He walks Tsuna to school and helps him with his homework without fail every day and always spends and extra ten minutes in bed with Tsuna before they go to school to snuggle. He and G take turns on the days they have morning duties because Hayato goes to the same elementary school and sometimes Asari or Knuckle will accompany them as they drop off Kyoko and Yamamoto; a little entourage of children and excited laughter accompanied by Knuckle's enthuasiatic voice. Some days when they're late though, Hayato picks up Tsuna from his class and they both stand their together as they wait for someone to come for them.

It's almost comical how Tsuna and Hayato became friends, really-Hayato had been experimenting with the coffee machine again when G wasn't looking and in the middle of their argument, Tsuna had shyly pulled 'G-nii-san' to the side to solemnly explain that they were kids and sometimes they did really weird things like put baking soda and cola in the coffee machine because not everyone has a great older brother like Gio-nii and that he was pretty sure Gokudera was only trying to save him from Bianchi-nee's scary looking goop from inside the coffee machine. The absolutely priceless look on G's face had Giotto in stitches as he cried from laughter, his ribs aching from laughing so hard as Hayato stared at Tsuna in wonder.

(Later on that day, Giotto told Tsuna he was the best little brother in the world and took him out for a double-scoop of ice cream even as his cramps from laughing hurt on the way to the vendor.)

Soon enough, all five of them are waiting at the gate-Kyoko and Ryohei and Takeshi joining Tsuna and Hayato-and it makes Giotto beam from ear to ear as he watches his Tsuna stutter less and laugh lots more and make friends that aren't Giotto's. Sometimes he wonders if he's acting like Tsuna's dad more than his brother and then he remembers Iemitsu and swears he'll be both, if only because Tsuna deserves much better than that man.

The best thing about Giotto's friends is that they understand him. It's not just that they know about him and how he feels about Tsuna and them, they understand him completely. When he suddenly gets this burn in his chest and needs to see them okay, all of them, or when he has those days where he just needs to see Tsuna and spend time with him-they get it.

When Tsuna reaches eight-oh ho ho-Giotto is this close to just flipping a table. There's a new kid who's transferred from France with his brother Alaude-who just so happens to be in Giotto's class-and Tsuna is practically smitten with him. Honestly, it'd be extremely adorable if it didn't drive Giotto crazy but it does, so it's not adorable. Like, at all.

Okay, maybe it's just a tiny bit adorable.

The boy's name is Kyouya (Tsuna calls him 'Hibari-san') and he's actually someone Giotto could come to respect one day in the future-but that day is not today. He's strict about following the rules and is not only strong enough to act on his promises, but to carry out the ones he's left unsaid. Giotto's heard his story; of France and a woman no one knew about, how he feels about his older brother and how Alaude feels about him.

At one point, he lets it slip around Tsuna and even though Tsuna's young, he can tell his little brother's figured it out by the expression on his face and wet lashes. It's probably what started everything-the constant following, leaving bandages and cream for the younger Hibari after fights, even dropping off any kind of food or snack he can when he thinks Kyouya isn't looking. And somewhere around all of this, Giotto realizes that this will be good for the both of them and learns to smile instead of scowl when Tsuna turns pink and smiles at the name 'Hibari' or 'Kyouya', helps with Tsuna's little operation by trying to teach Alaude to use his words; learns to let it go that his brother is growing up and meeting people he may or may not have feelings for.

He doesn't give them his blessing or anything like that, oh no-when and if the time for that comes around, Giotto's going to make this kid sweat and bleed for his precious Tsu-kun's hand. He doubts that it won't happen though-Tsuna's levels of cuteness will have this kid falling head over tonfa for him.

It pays off later on when Tsuna comes up to him and pecks Giotto on the cheek and hugs him tightly, telling him that there is no one in the entire world like his Giotto-nii and that he'll love him forever.

(And if Giotto's breath catches and his chest squeezes when he hugs Tsuna back, well, it's no one else's business but his own.)

Four years later and Tsuna's never doubted once in his life that he'd have his older brother forever and always be loved. Four years later, Giotto is sixteen and never once doubted that he'd give up his life for his little brother's happiness. Four years later their father visits them after Nana loses her life in a drunk driving accident and tells them the truth about his life.

Funnily enough, they're not that surprised-mostly just coldly accepting. To them, it doesn't change much. Just because he was a part of the mafia doesn't mean than he wasn't a father or a husband. There's a difference between providing for your family and being there for them, Giotto tells him while Tsuna glares at him, their hands glued together like they're afraid that one of them will disappear of they let go.

The words jar him and he seems confused and heartbroken before something in him shifts and he takes a deep breath.

"You can't-You're not safe here," he says, eyes turning steely. "I was being tracked when I heard about your mother, and they most definitely know about you two now. I may not be a father to you anymore, but I'll be damned before I let anyone touch you. As both my children and the heirs to Vongola and CEDEF, your heads and those of your friends are worth millions."

The words hang in the air like a promise and suddenly Giotto feels a connection between himself and the man before him as he glances at Tsuna and realizes what those words mean.

You're not safe. You're in danger. I want to keep you both safe and do my job.

But it's not going to be easy.

He thinks of his friends, of his mom now buried six feet under the cold ground and of the warm hand in his, holding onto him like a lifeline. Taking a deep breath, he looks Iemitsu in the eye with a squeeze of Tsuna's hand before asking, "What do I need to do?"

Tsuna hates it at first, hates that Giotto is giving everything up for him, hates how useless he is to help his older brother when the reason for all this is him in the first place. Iemitsu and his boss send a 'tutor' to help Giotto become stronger; to help him become the person he needs to be so that everyone he loves can be safe. Those days Giotto would crawl into bed with weary eyes and trembling hands, unsure of himself and of his future and Tsuna loathed every second of it, no matter how much better Giotto became at leading and how much stronger he grew. And then something changes along the line and yes, they've lost their family, but now they have a famiglia and that's just as good.

Tsuna knows from the beginning that he has a choice as the second son, has a choice now that Iemitsu has chosen an apprentice. He can walk away, can forget his brother and his friends and his entire life with his hands clean if he chooses to, let Basil take CEDEF over and pretend none of this had ever been his life.

Instead, the second he turns fifteen (a whole three years of self study, of learning everything he can to lessen Giotto's burden, three years leading to this moment) he walks into Varia headquarters and demands that they make him the best of the best for Vongola. He's still ridiculously scared of them and they know it, but he pushes forward anyways and marches up the now unthawed Xanxus and says that as his uncle, he deserves the right to prove that he's Varia material.

(It's a line that only comes to him when he stands there in front of the assassin, staring into his red eyes and suddenly wishing that life was different and the circumstances weren't so bad; maybe in an alternate universe, he and his brother wouldn't be fighting for their lives every day and this broken soul in front of them was their actual uncle and they could smile without a second thought.)

It works though, and Tsuna's face actually hurts from the grin that splits across his face even as his Guardians run into the Varia HQ ready for bloodshed and unashamedly panicked.

It's completely worth it to see the look on G and Giotto's faces when he tells them casually over dinner that he's going to be busy training with them at Varia Headquarters and not to worry if he comes home late or bloody.

Later on, he sleeps in the same bed as Giotto for the first time in a year and pinky promises that he'll take care of himself.

"You're my brother too," Tsuna whispers as he stares into Giotto's blue eyes, the two laying on his bed as close as possible. "And I'd to Hell and back with you."

"But I don't want you to," Giotto whispers back fiercely, blinking away tears and gripping Tsuna's hand tightly.

"It's not your choice to make," Tsuna says in a choked voice, a tear slipping down his own face before he presses his forehead to his older brother's. "If I had to choose between a life of bloodshed and politics with you and a peaceful life without you, I'd pick you every single time."

"I know," Giotto answers with a small smile, lashes wet and eyes filled with a fierce love. "I'd do the same."

"Besides," Tsuna jokes with a tiny grin unfurling at his mouth, "I've got more than just you to worry about. I mean, have you seen the way Hibari-san and Mukuro clash? It's been two years since we found the Spades and you'd think they would have gotten over it. God knows what my Guardians would do without me."

Giotto huffs a laugh and rolls his eyes fondly, pressing a kiss to the brunet's forehead. There are so many things he could say in this moment, but he chooses to say "I love you" instead.

Two years later, Tsuna watches with no small amount of pride and love as his older brother becomes Vongola Decimo and doesn't even bother trying to stop the wide grin that spread across his face and hurts his cheeks.

Giotto's worth it.

"Never thought you'd make it this far, huh?" Tsuna asks as he blows into his hot chocolate, snuggling into Giotto's side with a comfortable sigh.

"Not really, no," Giotto admits with a laugh, flashing back to explosions during math homework and target practice with him as the target, running from green guns and a fedora-wearing baby.

"Well, we did," Tsuna says stoutly, laying his head on the blond's shoulder.

"Yeah," Giotto says with a grin.

There's a crash from next door and they glance at the door before identical-and horrifyingly pleased-grins spread across their faces as curses and screams sound through the air.

"They've probably set fire to the tree," Giotto says casually, as if having his henchm-Guardians, his Guardians, take care of everything Christmas related while he and Tsuna take a break and it's completely normal for them to make alarmingly disturbing sounds as they do so.

"Yup," Tsuna nods in agreement, taking a sip of his chocolate and looking up behind his mug with a twinkle in his brown eyes. "And the turkey's probably gone and melted all gross since they have no idea what to do with it."

"Completely hopeless," Giotto laughs fondly, shaking his head. "Hayato's already taken care of the necessary arrangements at HQ, right?"

Tsuna hums an affirmative, taking another sip of his drink and sending warm sparks throughout his entire body.

"They've finished everything but the illusions. Chrome wants it to be extra special as one of the first Christmases everyone-including Nonno and the Varia have been home. Plus, she found out about Mom's anniversary and I think she's convinced everyone that an amazing party is the only to help my poor, broken heart. It's funny because they're wreaking havoc next door trying to the same when none of them even know how to celebrate Christmas."

"Knowing her determination and skills, she's got the place practically warded against negative thoughts," Giotto remarks, lips twitching at the dig towards his Guardians.

"I have no doubt," Tsuna answers with a grin before setting down his mug on the table in front of them and stretching lazily. "Think they've been punished enough for trying to set you up with that girl from the Scocciatore Famiglia?"

"Sure," Giotto agrees with a careless shrug, though he bites the inside of his cheek to hide his laughter when they open the door to see the rest of the hotel ballroom in shambles. G's staring at the packaged turkey as it may start talking and solve all his problems for him as Lampo and Asari finish putting out the tree and carpet with fire extinguishers, Daemon staring disgustingly at a pair of Disney stockings. Alaude's actually done a passable job with the lights even if half of them half been crush and shattered. Knuckles looks at the broken tables surrounding him in confusion, fists smoking.

"That is so over four thousand," Tsuna crows triumphantly, dodging the smack Giotto sends his way.

"Yeah," Giotto agrees ruefully before clapping his hands to gather their attention. "Alright guys, I think this is enough. Come on , fix yourselves up and get downstairs or we'll be late."

"Late?" Asari asks curiously, tilting his head as the others stare at the blond.

"You didn't really think we were going to make you plan a Christmas party and have it actually work, did you?" Tsuna asks with a raised brow, snickering at the looks on their faces.

"Well, you better hurry up," Giotto calls from behind the CEDEF leader, "or else Xanxus and Reborn will kill us for being late to our own party."

With that, they two brothers wave a cheerful goodbye and walk away to change out of their pajamas.

"G is going to murder you in your sleep," Tsuna says cheerfully as fixes his tie in the mirror. "Sleep with one eye open, okay? I'd hate to wake up on Christmas to find out my brother was murdered by his best friend before I could him his present."

Giotto snorts and throws a grin at Tsuna, blue eyes mischievous.

"Bianchi wouldn't let him," Giotto says smugly, "not after she finds out he was the one who broke her specially made Reborn bowl set."

"Ooooooh, evil," Tsuna whistles, impressed. "And there's no chance she'll find out who really broke it?"

"None," Giotto remarks almost sadly. "The true culprit will forever remain unnamed."

"Of course," his little brother replies understandingly, both of them managing completely straight faces.

"Is it funny that I think things like these are going to send me to hell and not the whole mafia thing?" Giotto asks wonderingly.

"Well, they're not completely unrelated," Tsuna hums contemplatively as they walked out of the hotel doors towards the awaiting limo.

"True," the blond says as they slip into the sleek black vehicle.

His Guardians are already in the limo, and it hits him all of a sudden as he stares at his friends and his little brother, all grown up and completely loyal to him, his family. His throat closes up and he feels a burn behind his eyelids, the telltale pressure of awaiting tears.

A hand slips into his and he blinks the water in his eyes away as he glances at Tsuna and their interjoined hands before he smiles.

"I'm supposed to stop you from crying," Giotto whispers out of the corner of his mouth, his lips curving upwards.

"You're my older brother, not my guardian angel," Tsuna whispers back. "We look after each other-always have and always will."

"You're too good for me."

"Funny, I feel the same."

And if the others hear their conversation, they say nothing of it. Friends and family of choice they may be, but Tsuna is Giotto's sun, moon, and everything in between; the same goes for Giotto when it comes to Tsuna. They'd probably be together in alternate realities, universes where everything else is wrong but they still have each other.

It's just the way they are.

"Hey, trash, you're late!" Xanxus yells as he throws a vintage bottle of wine at them that G deftly catches as they file out of the limousine.

"Zio, we would never," Tsuna mock-gasps, long over his fear of the red-eyed Varia leader. "We're just on time, not a second later. It'd be terrible if I left you all standing here waiting for your own host at his house!"

"You're lucky you're right, or I would have charged you double for this," comes Mammon's voice from behind Xanxus.

Tsuna grins unrepentantly and ducks behind to pick up a bag from inside the car, shoving it at the Arcobaleno.

"Information on Fon's whereabouts," Tsuna says happily, a glint in his eyes.

"Done," Mammon answers before promptly floating away.

"Still pissed off over the whole gender-reveal thing, huh?" Xanxus snorts with a smirk.

"Of course."

"Tenth! Boss! Everything's ready," Hayato yells from the doorway, waving excitedly as light and warmth from the building fleetingly chases away the cold. He's toned down over the years, but he's still the same Hayato.

"Coming," Tsuna yells back, cupping his hands around his mouth before turning to his brother. "You ready?"

And for the first time in what seems like centuries, Giotto smiles and means it when he says yes.

First off, Italian! Zio means uncle in Italian and I dare to laugh at my humor but the Scocciotore Famiglia's name means annoying/pest. Now, onto ship issues.

Okay, so maybe if you squint you can see Fon x Mammon but that really wasn't what I was going for. Like, at all. Though maybe? Idk, It just happened and I went with it because it seemed plausible that Fon would accidentally (or not so accidentally) let Mammon's gender slip-which I didn't specify so you can choose whether or not they're flirty or not or murder and yeah. Also, I kind of leaned towards 1827 in this because-as everyone knows-they're my cruise ship and also because I heard through the grapevine ryou04 was into it.

Also, I don't know if this was touching per se because of the kind of drama/sad stuff going on here but I do think that I got it to be kind of cute? Maybe? I hope so? If it isn't, you can just slay me where I stand and I apologize profusely for ruining your Secret Santa gift. *hides behind wall* (O/|

But Merry Christmas (or Happy Christmas, depending on where you're from) and a happy new year! I hope you have a great holiday and a wonderful 2015!