Title: He Didn't Regret Anything
Warnings: adorable fluff, slight angst, and Reborn being awkward. And Tsuna is adorable. That is all.
Prompt: "Harmonisation is a truly wonderful thing that all Elements, no matter of which type, crave, but...he already had his Guardians...and yet this was the first time he harmonised...and it was not with them." Given by Amu4ever.
Words: 1,470
Notes: I know this is super late, and for that I apologize, but I had a ton of fun writing this. There may be a sequel, depending on the response it gets. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
Reborn stared at the small (too small) child sitting quietly on the steps in front of his house. The six-year-old was all big honey-colored eyes, fluffy brown hair, with a soft voice to top it off. And somehow, he was Reborn's Sky. His second Sky. The child defied all logic and his Flames refused to let him go. Reborn really needed to stop getting himself into these situations. (He didn't regret anything.)
Reborn crouched down, brushing the kids shoulder with a gentle hand. Even that much was enough to make him flinch, his body instinctively flinching away from any and all touch. Dark anger rose up inside Reborn, and only his sheer force of will and the need to make sure his Sky was okay prevented him from finding the ones who did this to him and killing them. (He may have checked for any wounds or ailments with his Flames...)
His Sky slowly turned around, terror clear on his face, fighting every part of himself that wanted nothing more than to throw himself at the nearest person and cry (especially the one behind. The man was so warm). His eyes latched onto Reborn's, searching to see if he had any intent to harm him. The child dubbed him safe, and promptly launched himself forward, burying his face in Reborn's stomach as his body was wracked by sobs.
Reborn froze. He had no idea what to do with crying children. He wanted so badly to comfort the child that he had known for less than a minute, but he just didn't know how. He awkwardly lifted a hand and patted the kids head, body stiff as a board. He shifted the child slightly, moving so he could sit down on the steps, and then put his arms around the still crying boy. (That was how people hugged, right?)
They sat there, Reborn rubbing gentle circles on the kids back until he calmed down. The small child seemed to realize where he was, because it only took him a minute to pull back, his face red from both crying and blushing. Reborn ruffled the kids hair and introduced himself. Honey-colored eyes stared at him, and then his Sky nodded, and did the same.
Reborn didn't know what to do, which seemed to be a recurring theme in his current situation, so he defaulted to what his father used to do for him when he was upset (which was rare). "Hey Tsuna," he said, his voice coming out gruffer than he'd meant it to, "I've been told I make a mean hot chocolate. Want to talk about it while we warm up?"
Tsuna stared at him for a moment, and then the biggest smile Reborn had ever seen on a child bloomed on his face like someone had given him the world. (And perhaps he had been given the world.)
Reborn stood up and held his hand out to his logic defying Sky. (He didn't regret anything...)
And his Sky nodded, grabbing his hand and refusing to let go. (Stubborn, but he wouldn't change it for the world...)
As they walked to Reborn's temporary apartment, Reborn thought that maybe there was a reason that he'd felt drawn to come to this one place. (And it wasn't because it had the best sushi place ever...)
And as Tsuna inhaled the cocoa, Reborn smiled for the first time in a very long while. (Because he had known, from the very first glance, that he had found it...)
Because Reborn had finally found a home.
Line-Break
The next day, Reborn decided to observe (not stalk, never stalk) his new Sky. He had made sure to wake up early in the morning so he could see if Tsuna and his parents had a routine. Tsuna was, surprisingly, the first to wake up. He had about an hour and a half to get to school, which, depending on how fast or slow he got ready, could be plenty of time. (Or not enough.)
Thankfully, his Sky didn't take long, and was out the door before his mother even woke up. His father, if he was still alive, didn't appear to be home at the moment, so there was no need to worry about him. Reborn followed his Sky, his quiet Sky, to the school. While he didn't go in, he did watch (carefully, of course) though the window. What he saw brought his dark rage from the day before back to the forefront of his mind. (Something was bothering him, and he couldn't quite place it...
Tsuna's desk was covered in derogatory words. And Tsuna either didn't notice, or he was just so used to it (he was sure it was the second option, and it made him angry). Tsuna hadn't really said anything the previous day, but judging from what Reborn saw, it was not a huge leap to assume that Tsuna was being bullied. Mentally and physically. (And no one had done anything about it...)
During lunch, one of the bigger kids who dwarfed Tsuna's tiny frame took his food that he made by himself, pushing Tsuna over as he turned to leave. Tsuna carefully held his bruises, but he didn't look surprised. He just hugged himself and sat in a corner until the bell rang. (Why didn't the teachers do anything? Reborn had seen at least one in the room when the incident happened...)
Similar things occurred throughout the whole day. It was as if people just didn't see him as important. It certainly explained why Tsuna had been so happy for attention, even if it had been from a virtual stranger. In fact, it would explain why Tsuna's Flames had reached out so desperately for a bond, though not why his own had responded. (Why didn't people see Tsuna? Was it because they couldn't sense his Flames?)
Later that day, when Tsuna was home, Reborn finally had a chance to observe his interactions with his mother. Reborn was highly disappointed with her, and considered her a failure of a mother. She seemed to live in a fictional world where everything went right. She ignored the clearly visible bruises littering his Sky's skin. And during dinner, she pulled out a postcard that seemed to have been sent by his father.
And just like that, everything clicked. Tsuna's father was Iemitsu Sawada, his mother was Nana Sawada, and Tsuna was the Sky who had been sealed by Timoteo. The dark rage that had been simmering beneath the surface began to rise like lava, just waiting to overflow. The reason that people didn't seem to consider Tsuna at all important was because he was sealed. (Perhaps that was why the bond was only half as strong as the previous day...)
Their own instinctive sense of importance was based on Flames, and Tsuna's complete lack of any kind of them made him almost like a ghost to normal people. The only reason Reborn had noticed him the day before was because ever so briefly, Tsuna's Flames were free. They were free, and they were glorious. And Reborn was going to make that happen again. (Screw Timoteo saying he was too young...)
And so, that night, when Tsuna was taking the trash outside, Reborn walked up and tapped him on the shoulder. Tsuna didn't seem surprised (that part of the bond was working), and smiled brightly, honeyed eyes lighting up. Reborn asked if he wanted to go to the park, and Tsuna agreed. (Because they knew they could trust each other...)
And when Reborn told him what had happened, told him of his plan to let Tsuna's Flames be free once more, Tsuna looked amazed that anyone would be willing to do anything for him. (And that made him madder than anything else...)
And then Tsuna nodded, and Reborn pushed on the seal. (It was hard, oh so hard, but even Timoteo was nothing compared to a determined Sun working with his Sky...)
And then it broke under the pressure of both of them. Tsuna lit up like a beacon, grinning like the cat that got into the cream. (And oh, what an adorable cat he would make...)
Tsuna's eyes filled with tears, and he moved forward. (Because Reborn's hugs were so warm...)
Reborn offered more hot chocolate, and Tsuna grabbed his hand in reply. (Because his hot chocolate was even better than his hugs...)
And Tsuna knew, young as he was, that things wouldn't be the same. (Because he knew, from the first glance, that he had found it...)
Because Tsuna had found his home.