Title: Only On Days That End In 'Y'
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
Characters/Pairings: Tsuna, Reborn, Fon, OC, mentions of I-pin and Aria. Fon/Tsuna.
Word Count: (+/-) 5186
Warnings: m/m kissing.
Summary: The course of true love never did run smooth. Not that Tsuna held any hope for true love or anything.
Notes: Written for metamorcy1's contest. Set in an AU future, but it goes with the main storyline – except for fan conspiracy theories that led to certain events happening here. I could not for the life of me figure out how to write a young!Fon for the suggestion by metamorcy, so this is what I ended up with. The ending makes me think there's a sequel to this, but I'm not sure if I'll be continuing it or not. As for the title ... I have no idea. It was the first thing that came to mind.
Thursday, 2:00 AM
The shutter of a camera was the only noise on the quiet, desolate street in Beijing. The hotel was small, remote. It wasn't the kind of place one would expect to find a reporter hunting down his next job. There were no famous individuals residing in that hotel, no hot topics to be found, but the reporter was not deterred. Yesterday evening, as he was settling down to type up his boring, run-of-the mill article on pollution in Beijing's high-compact cities, a simple phone call changed all his plans.
The number had been anonymous and yet he picked up after the third ring, used to seeing such numbers. On the other end, a distorted voice informed him of a story that could be the next big thing. A story that could boost his career and have him writing expositions on more exciting matters, if only he could just catch this one big break. Mafia - that was what he would be writing about for tomorrow's edition. He didn't question why he had been singled out to write this report, he only knew he had a job to do – and that was collecting as much information as he could.
0-0-0
"Reborn, there is a strange person outside in a trench coat. Should I be worried?" A young man, no older than his early twenties, asked in a curious tone. He had chanced a quick peek outside, to get a feel for how active the night life was in Changping, only to find a person watching his hotel room window. Perhaps it was paranoia, but he had learned long ago that it was better to believe that the world was out to get him than to think otherwise and be caught unaware when it did.
A child, possibly five or six, sent the 'adult' in the room a scathing glare and continued cleaning a Glock. "You should be sleeping. You have a meeting with Yuan in the morning." He didn't look up again from the barrel of his gun. "And what's this about someone outside? No one should know you're here. We went through great pains to ensure it."
"I think a crowded hotel would have been better …" the young man mused, running a hand through his already messy brown hair. "Maybe you were right. It would have been easier to blend in."
"You don't say," said the child wryly, "and here I was, thinking you had no brains at all." The rag the dark-haired boy was cleaning with was set aside, his work finished. "But since you refused, we made double the effort to prevent threats from determining your location. And who do you think went through such great pains to make it so?"
"Ummm, Gokudera-kun?" A playful twist of the lips proved the young man was only teasing.
"Right," came the expected, dry reply, "and I had no part in it once-so-ever." The sarcasm did not escape its target and the young man laughed, taking a seat on the bed as the child put away oil, rag, and gun. "Get some rest," the child ordered, stringing up a hammock nearby. Close enough to protect and far enough away to give them both the space and respect they deserved.
"Night, Reborn." Shoes were kicked off and arms lazily stretched upwards as the young man yawned, all too ready for bed.
The child gave him a small smile and crossed his arms, body now clad in pajamas. "You were distracted earlier, before you spotted that someone outside. Do I get to know why, No Good Tsuna?" It was interesting to watch a flush spread across the young man's pale cheeks, pale from years of work indoors, and it was even more intriguing when Tsuna reached over and turned out the lights, completely forgetting to change.
"Good night, Reborn."
Well, Reborn would find out one way or another. It was only a matter of time. In the meantime, he would enjoy making Tsuna squirm.
0-0-0
Thursday, 8:00 AM
It was tedious work. He had imagined staking out a known Mafia Boss would have been more exciting. Shouldn't there have been business transactions taking place in the dead of night? A body to bury? At least a lover's appearance would have been something, but this man – this supposed Mafia Boss – must have been the most boring individual on the face of the planet. The man didn't once leave his hotel room. According to his source, that could be accredited to jet-lag. Given that the man's flight had arrived at nine o'clock in the evening and he had previously been in America, it was expected.
Now, though, it was morning and reporter Howard Long was growing tired of waiting. He had already taken plenty of nonsensical pictures of the surroundings, with the faint hope he would catch something on film, but all that had turned up was a small glimpse of an eye – and that could have belonged to anyone. It made for an ill-tempered report, quickly losing his patience with what he was supposed to be doing.
He considered walking the two blocks down to his car, getting in, and going for breakfast. The only problem was his contact had made it clear that should he back out, there would be consequences to pay. That was generally the deal where mafia was involved: you were either in or you were out, and if you were out, you were most likely dead. Howard Long didn't want to die, so he stayed.
His persistence did pay off. Half an hour later than he would have liked, but it was better than nothing. From the front of the hotel he was staking out, a child and a young man both made an appearance, the two of them wearing suits. The tiny kid even had on a fedora, which made Long positive he had found his men. His camera, once gripped loosely in his hand, was back to being clicked ruthless – albeit, this time from behind a tree, and photography didn't happen to be his strong suit. Ten out of fifteen contained the tree.
He decided to hire a photographer, and soon.
0-0-0
"Reborn, that man's still here. He's behind a tree this time, but he's still there …" Tsuna trailed off as the child at his side gave him a look, one that he could interpret as meaning potential pain in the future if he didn't shut up.
"Walk faster, then." The child readjusted the jacket to his suit, a bland expression directed ahead of him as he walked, step by step, beside his companion. "You were the one who chose speed over safety when choosing a hotel location. Do not complain now."
"Er …" Tsuna didn't have much of a rebuttal prepared for that. It was true, he had chosen the hotel without regards to his own safety, but there had been more than one reason. He couldn't tell Reborn that, though; his old mentor would rip him mercilessly in two like those days back in middle school when every other day it was 'your love life is doomed, No Good Tsuna' or 'you should marry for adaptability, not love'.
His life, since he was fourteen, had been planned out for him and love wasn't an option. Three years after that, he had believed those words to be truth and he hadn't regretted forgetting about love and heartache. Then a year after that and he had found someone who understood him. Another year after that and he realized he was in over his head, drowning in what could only be those feelings he had tried to push away. And now, a year after that, he was going to confess and he had made plans to do so while in Beijing. All of which could not be shared with Reborn. Absolutely not.
"You're not agreeing," Reborn said it casually, but there was suspicion in his gaze that had Tsuna gulping back fear. Reborn didn't know, Reborn couldn't know, Reborn wouldn't forgive him if he …"Is there something you're not telling me?"
"Nothing," and if Tsuna said it a little too fast to be the truth, Reborn didn't comment on it for once.
0-0-0
Thursday, 9:00 PM
The meeting with Yuan had gone well, much better than expected given the Chinese Don's infamous reputation for being the most stubborn of the mafia leaders based in Beijing. Tsuna had the unnerving feeling something wasn't right about the agreement they had gotten today. Reborn had rationalized that Tsuna was thinking too much and that was likely to short-circuit his brain if he kept doing it. Despite that, Reborn was on the defensive for the rest of the evening onward. Tsuna's intuition was never to be ignored.
Currently, they were dining at a small restaurant a few blocks away from the hotel and Tsuna was possibly more on edge than he had been while inside of Yuan's corporate building. The strange shadow he had been seeing all throughout the day was back, lurking just out of sight, and he could hear the distinct click of a camera. Well, it seemed harmless enough, but in his line of work that usually translated into appearances could be deceptive. For example, his mentor was a baby and one of his best friends was a major league pitcher that could throw a ball at a speed that could kill a man. That was how his life worked. Full of nonsense that somehow made sense.
He poked his meal with the chopsticks in his hand, a frown set on his face. He was about to bring Reborn's attention to their stalker again, but the child Mafioso had already held up a hand, his other one wiping at his mouth with a napkin. When Reborn was done, he stood up on his seat, reached over, stole Tsuna's glass of wine, and promptly settled back down. Tsuna raised his eyebrow in question, to which Reborn replied, "If you're going to keep on saying we're being followed, I at least need a good drink. Order more."
Reluctant as could be, Tsuna flagged down their waiter.
"My, Reborn, still drowning your worries in alcohol?" Tsuna halted mid-way through placing his 'new' order with the waiter, his wide brown eyes seeking out the owner of that voice. There were very few people who had the gall to say such things to his mentor.
"Fon!" The chair he was sitting in was pushed back, the young man standing and offering out his hand as he had grown accustomed to doing in America for business transactions. Realizing what he was doing, he blushed, bowed slightly instead, and gestured to the table that was only seated for two. "Would you like to join us?"
The man who had appeared looked inquisitively at Reborn, but the child shrugged and sipped away at his wine as if to say the matter didn't concern him. Taking that as permission, Fon pulled up a chair and joined them at the table as Tsuna had requested. "It was unexpected to see you two here," the man started, folding his hands into his lap, his soulful gaze directed at Tsuna. "Did you perhaps know I would be here?" There was a teasing lilt to that voice and Tsuna became flustered immediately.
"What? No! That would mean … eh, wait a second. Reborn, that strange man's gone!" The chair legs were once again grated against the floor as Tsuna quickly stood. "W-We might be in trouble if it was Yuan. Let's check out of the hotel and -" He continued listing what they should as they hurried to the exit.
Fon watched them go, disappointed.
0-0-0
The Arcobaleno curse was not as simple as Tsuna had believed years ago. Before, when he was but a child - rash and illogical - he held the hope that he could find some way of fixing it. Then, through years of trying with no success, he had learned there were only two ways to cure a curse of this quality. Either it had to be passed down from master to student or the cursed Arcobaleno had to allow it to corrupt their soul, eating them from the inside out until there was nothing left but the dust of their bones and forgotten strength. Tsuna wouldn't stand for either, but the first option allowed them time they didn't otherwise have. They needed time to find a realcure and he wouldn't be able to do it in a few years time, not alone. But he was never alone these days, his Family wouldn't allow it. So there was hope.
He had tried again and again to convince Reborn to transfer the curse to him. He was the student in this situation, wasn't he? He could take the curse, feel what it was truly like, and from there his intuition could lead him to the correct way to reverse it. Reborn had vehemently refused, saying he would ask Byakuranfor help before that. Tsuna hadn't understood at the time why he was refused and sought out Aria's opinion on the matter. She was older, wiser, and had been in the business far longer than him, as Boss of the Giglio Nero. Her words on that day would always haunt him, as they were the truth behind the curses the Arcobaleno had been made to suffer. He had learned too much and it had hurt: physically, mentally, and on some level, emotionally.
At first, he had been angry. Angry at Reborn for concealing the truth from him. Angry at Aria for telling him more than he needed to know. Angry at the Ninth for knowing and not saying anything. It was ridiculous, all of it. But most of all, he was angry at himself and his inability to do anything that could change it. So he sought out a different source of information and that had led him to Fon. Thanks to I-pin, he had known where to find him and what to say upon meeting him. He knew for a fact that Fon was training three pupils, I-pin included, and if he could convince the man-turned-child to give his curse to one of them, he would have the time he desired and possible allies in the struggle for a cure that weren't crazed Varia representatives or Spartan babies.
Fon was hesitant to go through with it, just as Reborn had been. It was one thing to speak of matters that one did not completely understand, it was another to force someone into accepting an opinion they did not agree with because they didcompletely understand. In the end, Fon admitted that the corrosion of the curse would kill him in a year's time and that would be that. Degeneration from a Storm attribute was the fastest of the seven, followed closely by the death of the Sky and the over-activation of the Sun. Everything was down to passing on the endless curse or letting it consume, but it was different for the individual who was cursed. He knew what to do to make it stop, and at least he had the luxury of doing so - unlike the Sky, but therein laid the problem.
If he knew the curse and what it could do, how could he subject one of his precious students to the same fate that awaited him? And Tsuna couldn't argue with that. There was no guarantee that a cure would be found, and that was why he wanted to take the curse from Reborn. Should something go wrong, it would cost him not another human life, but his own. Perhaps Reborn had realized he was taking too big of a risk and had refused because of that. He was asking the same of Fon. To make such a gamble with his own student, a life that was coveted and protected, only to bring pain and suffering in an attempt to escape from his own trouble.
The morality of the situation was taken out of their hands, however, when I-pin decided to make the choice for them. She was young, only ten and still so naïve, but she held her ground and refused to let either of them say another word. She may have been young, but she had been trained since she was able to walk in order to take the place of Master. If her debts could be repaid through the acceptance of the curse, she had been happy to help. And while Tsuna would have preferred one of the older students Fon had been training since birth, he could not refuse I-pin's request. Her memories of the future with the Millefiore were still fresh in her mind and Tsuna could guess where this was coming from. A deep-rooted need to save her Master from an untimely death that she could prevent. Tsuna understood that. He wanted to do the same for Reborn.
After the transfer of the curse, Fon had returned to his adult form of years and years ago. Used to seeing a cute, fragile child that was always smiling, Tsuna hadn't been prepared for a man the same height as him or the serious expression that Storm Arcobaleno had adopted in place of that smile. The talk that followed was a long one, but something that had to be done. I-pin had become a small babe again and they had to discuss the best way to care for her. The only good thing about having a younger candidate take on the curse was that their training was not disrupted. The bad parts, however, far out-weighed the good. For one, the curse had begun to reject the host. It took a year to find a solution, and during that time, not once did Tsuna leave I-pin's side. He was partly responsible for this and he had a debt to repay to the both of them, to both Fon and his student.
He had not wasted the chance to better study the curse either. Especially since there were little to no reports from when a curse was passed down and even less known about what happened to a candidate that was not considered 'the strongest'. With help from Tsuna's Sky attribute flames, they had been able to stabilize the curse within I-pin's tiny body. And a year later, Tsuna was positive he was closer to finding the reversal method for all the curses. He was no scientist, but Verde would certainly have a lot to gain from the information he had obtained. It was only a matter of time before everything came to an end.
0-0-0
Friday, 5:00 AM
Tsuna hadn't been able to sleep the night before. There hadn't been any sign of the stranger and his contacts in Beijing had turned up no information on the man once-so-ever. Given he didn't have a name or an accurate description to go by, it was understandable that a search hadn't brought any results. It still hadn't stopped him from trying.
He collapsed back against the bed, not bothering with the lights. Reborn was fast asleep regardless of whether they were on, so it hardly mattered now. He was exhausted. Between his intuition's false alarm and his duties to the Mafia, he hadn't been able to relax for even a moment since his arrival in China. He should have expected that. Things had been too quiet lately. Something was bound to go wrong when that happened. Pulling a pillow towards himself, he placed it over his face and groaned into it, careful not to wake Reborn. His mentor would end up shooting him if he dared to disturb his sleep.
And I missed the chance to talk to Fon … Tsuna thought tiredly. Of course, that had been half-cowardice on his part. He could have left after making arrangements to meet the man later. What would the odds be of running into Fon again? He had painstakingly set up that up meeting and look what had happened! He had ruined it. Utterly.
Tossing the pillow aside, he sighed and looked up at the ceiling, contemplating when exactly he had reverted back to a middle school child again. He faced guns, knives, bombs, and other dangerous implements nearly every single day. Why was it difficult to face one man? His cheeks turned red at the memory of Fon in the bath, having walked in just as the other man was getting out that one time. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but his body had had other ideas. Shortly after that, he had left I-pin in Fon's care and returned to Japan, his thoughts a chaotic mess in his head. He had buried himself in work for the longest time, but somewhere along the way he began to miss waking up to be greeted by a teasing smile by Fon. He missed the slightly burnt breakfast. He missed making lunch and dinner and shooing both master and pupil out of the kitchen. He missed the simple little moments that would make him catch his breath as he thought of them, a laugh bubbling in his chest and a smile drawn unbidden at the edges of his lips.
Reborn had it right. Love was a slowly induced torture. It ate at him from the inside out. Those memories, he couldn't say he never wished to be a part of them, but they made it hard to go a day without thinking of them. As if they were poison, tainting his every waking moment. They lingered in his dreams too, but he often found reprieve in those dreams, where inhibitions meant nothing. Sleep was eluding him now, though. It was fitting: when he needed rest the most, it would not come.
It was almost a blessing when someone chose to knock on his hotel room door. Almost being the keyword. While it distracted it from being consumed by his thoughts, it had the disadvantage of waking Reborn up as well. And Reborn wasn't a morning person, regardless of what anyone else said. To top it off, his mentor had already been on edge because of Tsuna's worries and that left one cranky child to contend with. He hurried off the bed, dodging a bullet as he went. Well, it seemed Reborn was still good at mind reading if that warning shot meant anything.
Straightening his appearance a bit, Tsuna walked over to the door and immediately blanked his expression into the traditional half-smile friends and family alike had grown accustomed to seeing. The door was opened as soon as he was close to it and his composure crumpled as quickly as it had come when he realized who was behind it. He would recognize that long braid, those red clothes, and that impish grin anywhere. "Wha – Fon!" His gaze was drawn to the camera in the man's hands and he hesitated before asking, "What are you doing here?"
"I heard you were offering a reward to the first person who caught that shadow of yours," Fon replied easily. "But this is not a conversation to be having in the hallway. May I come in?"
Tsuna stepped aside and allowed the man to enter wordlessly. At least this was about business. That he could handle. He chanced a look at Reborn after shutting the door, only to find the child's gaze locked on him, assessing. So much for hiding what he felt, Reborn was bound to see it now and actively tell him off for it. To his surprise, the child said nothing and instead pulled the covers back over his tiny body, turning to face the opposite direction as he settled into sleep.
"I apologize for this early morning call, but I thought it would be of interest to you," Fon broke through the silence that had befallen the room, returning Tsuna's attention to where it was most needed, to his guest.
"No need," replied Tsuna, "have a seat anywhere you'd like." For his part, Tsuna collapsed into a chair directly in front of the bed and slumped in it heavily, not afraid to show discomposure with this particular man. "I take it this has something to do with that camera then?"
The dark-haired man took a seat at the edge of bed, folding his hands in his lap along with the camera before speaking again. There was a faint amusement in the once-Arcobaleno's voice. "Yes and no. While it is true, I come bearing gifts, I have much more to say than just that. More correctly, I have something to ask."
Tsuna sank a little deeper in his seat, positive he knew where this was going. "Oh?"
"I understand why you felt the need to leave," Fon began, placing the camera aside as he addressed Tsuna, "but what I do not understand is why you refuse to say goodbye every time you go. This would make the second time now that you've left without one. Why is that?" The martial artist raised his eyes from the camera next to him to evaluate the value of his words, only to be thrown off guard by the slight flush to the younger man's cheeks. It wasn't from anger either, as far as Fon could tell, but rather a sense of embarrassment. He filed that detail away for later in his mind. There was something about Vongola Decimo that piqued his interest again and again.
After a moment's pause, Tsuna straightened up in his seat and sighed, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. He let his head fall into his hands a moment after and gave a half-hearted shrug into reply to Fon's question. "I'm not sure why. Does it really matter? I'll apologize if I offended you, but there really is no particular reason." The barely perceptible shake to his voice alerted Fon to lack of truth in those words, but he did not press for an answer, to which Tsuna was grateful. They had other matters to discuss, more urgent ones. Personal matters could wait for later.
Done talking to his hands, Tsuna raised his head and quirked a smile, his treacherous emotions back under control. "Now, don't we have a camera to talk about?" A professional one, from the looks of it, but most cameras looked professional to Tsuna these days. He held out his hand, wanting to observe it from a closer view point. Dutifully, Fon passed it over to him. It was a digital one as luck would have and he browsed through the photos, one by one. They were all of him. "Who did this belong to?"
"A man by the name of Zhou. I looked into it and discovered he is a professional photographer for many respectable agencies around here, but he would not divulge who had hired him for this," explained Fon, shrugging. "But do not worry, I have a few good people of my own who will figure this out. After all, I cannot take your money in good conscious without doing my part."
"Thank you," Tsuna said quietly and passed the camera back. "How would you like your payment? I heard you would be touring France soon, so perhaps in Euros?"
Fon raised his eyebrows upwards, partially out of amusement and partially out of surprise. "How did you know that?"
"Er, uh …" He couldn't really say that he had personally looked up Fon's scedule for the next few months, now could he? "Reborn mentioned it."
"Liar," came the straightforward response from the mentioned child-hitman. "And I think it would benefit you to start speaking the truth, No Good Tsuna." Then the man-child was quiet and Tsuna was left gaping a little at the audacity of that comment. Hadn't Reborn been giving him the benefit of the doubt here, and now this? So much for having a small hope that this would go well.
There was curiosity shining Fon's eyes when Tsuna turned to face the man again and he had to hold back another world-weary sigh. Maybe it wastime to start telling the truth. He had come here to do just that, right? It just wouldn't be on his own terms, which left him more vulnerable than he would have liked. "I had … something I wanted to say to you. In person. Face to face. And I checked where you would be, travel plans and such … because I didn't want to wait any longer."
"Then what is it, Tsunayoshi?" encouraged Fon, again settling the camera beside him on the bed to give Tsuna his undivided attention.
"I sort of really like you," was what came out in a rush, Tsuna hurrying to get it over with. Fon just blinked, not understanding at all, and Tsuna forced the words out slower after taking a deep breathe. "I like you. I've always liked you. But I guess … over time … that changed into something else. And now I really like you?" He finished with a question, uncertain how the other man would take this. He had never been good at confessing; he had only done it once before and it hadn't ended well.
"Oh." Fon appeared to be in deep thought, while Tsuna mentally went through every swear word he could think of. Why had he thought this was a good idea? And for that matter, why was Reborn encouraging it? "Well then." The man stood, cutting through Tsuna internal rambling. He expected a goodbye, but what he got instead was Fon approaching his chair, placing both hands on either side of it. Tsuna was effectively trapped and he gulped at what that could imply. Was he going to be punched? Told off?
His eyes went wide as lips were pressed gently against his and he gasped, giving Fon access to his mouth without even thinking about it. He let out a little groan as that talented tongue went to work and leaned further into the kiss, closing his eyes and pressing a hand to the back of the other man's neck. This was nice. This was good. It wasn't a dream, was it? Fon pulled away, but not before biting down on his lower lip, ridding him of the notion that this was a dream. That had hurt. But in a good way. And that confused him more than he cared to think of right now.
"You should watch who you say such things to, Tsunayoshi," the words were breathed into his ear, warm breath ghosting against the shell, "anyone would willingly take advantage of it." Then he moved back completely, releasing Tsuna from the trance he had been under. "I have work to do and I must be going, but let's continue this tonight, shall we? Does dinner at my place sound acceptable?"
"Only if I'm cooking," Tsuna cut in with an affectionate roll of his eyes. "You nearly burnt down the place cooking casserole that one time. I don't care for a repeat, sorry."
"Good. I will see you at seven. Until then, it's goodbye for now."
"Yeah." Tsuna smiled, leaning back in his seat with a sense of contentment. "Goodbye, Fon."
0-0-0
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Howard Long was handing an irate Mafia Boss a manila folder, full of a report on one Sawada Tsunayoshi.