Nana struggles with adulting with a birthday around the corner.
Having friends is really nice. Lavina loves the Yamamotos and the feeling is mutual.
Lavina makes a new friend(?).
The Hibari family isn't real and Nana opens a door they didn't even know was there.
-00-
Party Crasher
-00-
Iemitsu had not signed the papers.
They were sitting on the dining room table with only Nana's signature and a hefty letter that had been added to the return package.
He didn't know what upset him more. The fact that Iemitsu had steadfastly refused to accept his wishes, or that he had felt a bit relieved when he saw the blank spot where his husband's name should have been.
Nana groaned, folding his arms on the table and resting his head on them. This was a nightmare. He wouldn't stop pushing for a divorce. Iemitsu had crossed a line he hadn't even realized needed to be drawn by letting his boss do what he had done. Maybe there had been a reason he thought sealing Tsuna's flames was for the best. Maybe it was even a valid one somehow.
Nana grimaced.
"You deserve really nice things," Iemitsu responded happily, humming as they sat together.
Iemitsu brushed a strand of hair out of the way, smiling down with such warmth and love Nana wasn't sure how to respond.
Their hands brushed and Iemitsu didn't hesitate to coil their fingers together, swinging them back and forth cheerfully.
"I love you," he reminded them, arms trapping them beneath him. His eyes were soft, his touch softer as he pressed a kiss to their forehead. Another to their cheeks, then their eyelids. "As long as you are you, your heart, I will always love you."
Nana clenched his fists, eyes burning.
Next to the divorce papers was the form he had gotten from the doctor after Tsuna's checkup. Training was going slow; too slow. It would be a handful of years at the least before Nana could even really start to use his flames. Tsuna would most likely have to live with having his flames sealed for an extended amount of time. Mentally he was around where he should be. He had troubles focusing but the doctor had assured them that that was normal. That would improve.
Physically...
Tsuna still needed help with zippers. His coordination was off, and while he tripped less it was still very much present. He couldn't do a somersault without help even though he had been practicing for weeks. Nana had gotten him a tricycle and he could pedal just fine but no matter how hard he tried if they took the training wheels off he couldn't keep it straight. The doctor said it was similar to having his vision impaired but when they tested for it his eyes had been a perfect 20/20.
Compared to Takeshi, and even little Hayato who they only saw occasionally, Tsuna was behind. His muscles weren't developing as quickly as theirs, even if he did similar activities. He had to work three times as hard just to match their natural growth.
Tsuna hadn't quite noticed he was different yet. He saw Hayato so rarely that there wasn't enough interaction for him to figure out the differences between them (plus Hayato always seemed far too nervous and shy around Tsuna to actually challenge him to anything like Takeshi sometimes did), and he thought Takeshi was just really good at everything (which was true, that kid was seriously gifted at anything physical) so him being a little behind hadn't crossed his mind. Even when they were at the park he would usually find himself gravitating towards the younger kids playing in the sand than the ones kicking a soccer ball around or playing tag.
Nana had noticed.
One day others would start to as well.
Namimori was a beautiful town with so many kind people, but it would be unrealistic for him to believe that everyone here was kind. He was a firm believer that there was more good than bad in the world, but there was still bad. Tsuna would be starting preschool soon, and as much as Nana loved children he knew that they were not always kind. Even if they did not mean to be, they would eventually notice that Tsuna was always a bit behind. A bit slower, a bit clumsier. They would be curious, and then they would ask. Tsuna would start to notice and start to wonder. Even if none of the other kids ever picked on him for it (Nana hoped with all his heart this would be true) Tsuna himself would start to get frustrated.
It was hard to see everyone around you leave you behind. Especially for a child. They didn't have the emotional control or experience needed to know they were fine as themselves. That they didn't have to match up. It would hurt him.
Nana would never trust Iemtisu near their son ever again.
Which left only one more decision to make.
In the letter Iemitsu had sent (full of apologies and attempts at making him reconsider but no explanations) there was a check. They had both agreed that Nana would either work somewhere where Tsuna could be as well (such as a daycare) or take a few years off to stay with Tsuna until he could start going to school. Iemitsu made plenty of money (Nana, once again, had no idea how) so it wouldn't be a problem for him to stop working. Nana had returned the last few checks.
Nana's savings were starting to dip low.
Lavina had been living with them for half a year now. It had taken both herself and Gokudera-san to convince her to come. Nana had always had some reservations about the man based on what little Lavina had let slip, but he clearly cared for her. He had told her that if she truly did not want to marry him then she should be somewhere where she could rest and be surrounded by friends. The crushed look on Hayato's face when he came to visit her in the hospital had sealed the deal, especially after Gokudera-san said he could visit her a few times a year. (Hayato had called her by her name, which Nana had several questions about, but Lavina had been exhausted enough as it was so he filed them away. The more he observed the two the more he was figuring out anyway).
Gokudera-san paid for all of her hospital bills. Or, more accurately, he had an outside source put the money into Nana's account and Nana paid the bills but the fact remained that financially Lavina was covered. Tsuna and himself were not. If he was going to separate from Iemitsu (and he was)then he needed to find a way to support them both. Something that would allow him to work from home so he could still raise Tsuna as well as be around Lavina in case she needed him. The accident had left her very weakened and she struggled to keep and maintain any kind strength. Most of the time she had to be in a wheelchair and Nana could not in good conscience leave her alone for an extended amount of time.
A last resort was asking Gokudera-san for more financial support. Nana made sure to never bring it up around her, but Lavina's medical expenses were... big. Gokudera-san hadn't seemed off-put by the amount at all, barely blinking at the digits, but Nana still hesitated to ask for more. Especially since it would go towards supporting the two of them more than Lavina.
If he refused the money Iemitsu had sent...
"Shit," Nana hissed, lifting his head so he could rub at his face. "Shit."
-00-
"I'm afraid we're closed for the- Nana!" Aiko beamed. "Lavina-chan, welcome!"
"Hello Aiko-chan," Lavina smiled, voice soft. Her fingers were folded comfortably over the blanket in her lap as Nana pushed her through the door to the sushi shop. Her was gently curled, framing her face and making her light blue tank top seem brighter. "You seem very excited."
Aiko nodded, hair twisting around her shoulders as she moved to meet them at the door. Underneath her apron, she was wearing a warm sweater knit dress. Her eyes danced over them, a glimmer of curiosity appearing before she shook it off. "Of course! We are celebrating Nana's birthday after all."
Nana grinned.
His birthday was actually in a few days, but his dad had asked them to all visit (since he couldn't get time off). He offered to pay for the flight and Lavina would finally get to meet him too. Their schedules, whether with work or concerts, always clashed when the chances arouse so it would be nice for them to meet face-to-face for the first time.
"Tsuyoshi, it's time to go!"
"Just finishing up the dishes!" the man called back.
"Sorry for making you guys close early," Nana fiddled with the handles of the wheelchair.
"You're not making us do anything," Aiko waved the apology away. "It'll be nice, just us adults. Are you sure Kyoya-kun is okay with watching them?"
Nana nodded. "Yeah, I think he was actually glad that this is how I cashed in my last win. I was originally planning on having him get a manicure with me but he's really twitchy about people touching his hands."
Did it say something that they were all totally cool with a six-year-old watching their two four-year-olds? Ah well, Natsuki wouldn't be too far off if anything happened.
His ears picked up on the sound of an engine outside.
"Sooo," Nana sweated nervously. "Remeber when I said I would ask Hibari-san to join us?"
More like, they pestered him to ask once they realized he was on speaking terms with the woman (those morning runs were giving him some killercalves).
Lavina looked back at him curiously. "Did she say no?"
"Kind of?" Leaning forwards he lowered his voice. "She said she couldn't make it and that she didn't really like shopping anyway but, uh, she said her husband was free? And that he was extremely detailed about fashion?"
Lavina looked mildly surprised. That was okay. She was new. She didn't know any better.
Aiko's mouth dropped open so fast it clicked. Her eyes flickered over towards the door where whatever car had pulled up was still on. Waiting.
"Oh my god," Aiko gasped, hands slowly starting to draw flapping, panicking circles in the air. "Oh my god, that's why you're all dressed up!"
Nana gasped at the accusing finger she pointed his way.
"Hey!" he argued. "I always look this nice!"
"No!" she whispered yelled. "No, you don't! You came walking in here wearing a trash bag as a poncho the last time we were going out!"
"The rain had caught me by surprise!"
And come on, so what if he was wearing the nicest dress shirt he had and the pants he knew he looked the best in? Or that really fancy jacket Lavina had gifted him two years ago? Sure, he had put on a tiny bit of makeup (which he usually avoided anyway cause he would always forget and rub his eyes) and had his hair pulled back into a neat little bun but it was a celebration! Of course he would dress up!
"Tsuyoshi!" Aiko whispered as loudly as she dared, running through the back doors. "Tsuyoshi, go get changed!"
"What?" the deep voice echoed back. "Why? I thought you said I looked fine?"
"Hibari Kouske is right outside!"
There was a yelp and a loud crash. "What?! Why?!"
"He's coming with us!"
The pounding of feet racing up a set of stairs drifted through the door.
"Um," Lavina fretted softly, hands clasping at the silver flower necklace she wore.
Nana rested a hand on her shoulder. "Lavina."
She twitched at the solemn tone of his voice. "Y-yes?"
"Do you remember when you first met the Yamamotos?"
It had a been a day she was unlikely to ever forget. Nana had pushed her up to the doors of the 'greatest sushi place on the face of the planet, I swear on my life, wait until you try their sasazushi' with Nana jabbering on a mile a minute. When they had arrived Nana pulled them to a stop so they could dig through their bag, Tsuna letting go of their other hand to search through his pockets. Lavina had watched, both curious and very amused, when they pulled out matching yellow sunglasses. In a far too synchronized motion, they flicked them open and slipped them on their faces.
Lavina should have been more suspicious.
Nana had cheered out a greeting when they walked in, Tsuna chiming in happily next to them. Three brilliant, blinding creatures came charging at them with all the force of a raging typhoon.
Lavina had to throw her arms over her face in a desperate bid to save her eyes from being blinded by the light the family exuded. When she could finally look back at them Tsuna was being pulled into the back room by a boy who was wrapped around him like a koala bear, both babbling so quickly it was like a foreign language. The two adults were looking down at her with wide eyes and wider smiles.
"I remember," she nodded, a warm smile blossoming at the memory.
Nana patted her shoulder, looking mournful. "What's about to happen is going to be about... ten times worse."
Lavina blinked. "Ten times? That sounds like a little bit of an exaggeration."
"No," Nana rasped, eyes closed in silent prayer. "It's really not."
Before she could even formulate a response to that Aiko and Tsuyoshi raced back into the room.
"Whoa!" Nana cheered, squinting a bit.
Aiko had kept the knitted white dress (which Nana was all for, it was super cute) but her hair was now done up in a delicate, complicated braid with white clips shaped like baby's breath flowers trailing its length. She had put on some makeup, just enough to outline her features more and make her eyes more defined. She was holding a pair of long brown boots in her hand, ready to slip on as soon as they left.
Tsuyoshi was wearing a nice blue button-up and tan brown pants. His hair was slicked back with a few strands hanging around his face nicely. He had a black jacket hanging over his arm that looked way fancier than anything Nana had ever seen him wear.
"Oh, you two look lovely!" Lavina clasped her hands together.
Nana whole-heartedly agreed. "I didn't think you guys could look any nicer than you already do, this is almost unfair."
It was totally unfair.
Aiko took a deep breath, curling her arm around Tsuyoshi's "W-we should probably get going. Hibari-san must be waiting."
They all hovered there in awkward silence for a moment. Nana, gathering all the willpower he could, took the first step back towards the door. Thankfully he had Lavina to use as a shield in front of him.
She looked back at him, a little suspicious. Oops. He smiled back charmingly.
When they exited the store, Tsuyoshi locking up behind them, they all had to pause at the limo waiting for them.
Hibari Kouske looked up at them, motioning for his driver to start opening the doors. He didn't even pause to take note of the tears suddenly streaming down their faces. They were friends of the Sawada family. He was used to it by now.
-00-
In all the times they had met (a whopping six, just so you know) Hibari Kouske had never said more than a handful of words to Nana. He had joined in on the morning runs sometimes but he was always very straight to the point. He only ever said exactly what needed to be said, no more no less. Which is why, sitting next to a similarly slack-jawed Aiko and laughing Tsuyoshi, Nana could only marvel at the sight of Lavina chatting away with the man on the opposite side.
And he was responding.
"My wife and I were disappointed to hear you had stopped performing," Kouske informed her casually, like he wasn't seriously breaking character. "We were planning on taking Kyoya to your last concert but you had to cancel it."
"Yes," Lavina sighed, folding her hands in her lap. "I'm terribly sorry about that. I had started getting sick around that time and found it difficult to travel all that way."
Kouske hummed, blank-faced but eyes focused. "Do you still play?"
"I do!" she cheered up. "Not as much as I used to, Nana doesn't have a piano at their house but I can still play at the library fairly often."
Kouske nodded, eyes narrowing.
Nana had vivid images of a way too large piano being delivered to the front door. It happened before when he mentioned to Natsuki that he missed gardening with his dad. The next day a truck had come by with everything under the sun he would need to keep a very impressive garden. Every now and then she would send over new seeds or soil. Nana is pretty sure it's because he forces Kyoya to help maintain everything whenever he loses their bi-weekly climbing contest (like hell is Nana doing that every single week).
"We're going to save up for one," Nana cut in before the man could get any ideas. The thought would be appreciated but they really didn't have the room for a grand piano right then. "As soon as I find a good job and Lavina gets more settled in we'll start saving up to buy one together."
"You play as well Sawada-san?"
Oookay, he was looking directly at him now. No reason to panic.
"JUst abiT."
Nailed it.
Clearing his throat Nana stared at Lavina instead. She laughed a bit into her hand.
"Lavina and I were roommates for a long time when we were younger. She taught me how to play piano and speak Italian and in return I taught her Japanese and English."
Kouske hummed and Nana started to sweat a bit.
Lavina was, as always, there to cover for him.
"If you would like," she said, drawing attention back to herself, "I would be happy to play for Kyoya-kun. He's such a sweet boy."
The sad thing was, she really believed that. Even Kouske seemed a bit surprised by how genuinely she had meant it. Nana wished he could see the world the way she did.
The car slowly pulled to a stop.
"We're here!" Nana cheered, peering out the window at the street lined with little shops. It wasn't raining or snowing yet, but the cloudy skies seemed to be promising something in the near future.
Even disregarding the fact that this was a birthday thing, Nana was excited. It had been a while since he was able to hang out with friends, and seeing Lavina so energized was icing on the cake.
'Try to get something that actually works well,' Snake piped up blandly. 'You look awful in red."
'You little shit,' Nana thought, scowling. Here he was, working on not being so mean to the bastard after what he had done to help Lavina, and yet there he went insulting his wardrobe choices.
"Maybe I'll dye my hair red," he muttered, using Tsuyoshi's naturally loud laugh to cover the words. "See how you like that!"
Ah. Kouske was looking at him again.
Piling out of the car as fast as he possibly could Nana stood by Aiko while a blushing Lavina was helped into her wheelchair by the tall man. She was always very light skinned so even though she tried to cover her face it was easy to tell she was a luminescent red.
Nana snickered.
"I'm glad she's feeling so well," Aiko smiled at the two, glancing over at her husband who was talking to the driver with a boisterous voice.
"Me too," Nana agreed. "Getting out is good for her! Hopefully it doesn't get much colder though. Maybe we should have chosen something else."
Aiko shook her head. "No, no, this is great! I don't get to do a lot of window shopping when I come down here. I needed to come down to pick up some things today anyway, even before we made plans."
Nana flinched, blinking quickly.
Tsuyoshi frowned a bit, catching the movement as he walked over. "You okay Nana?"
He laughed, rolling his shoulder. "Yeah, sorry. Just had a weird back spasm there for a second. Must have been sitting in one position for too long."
Aiko hummed worriedly, brushing a hand over his shoulder. "I'm sure this chill isn't helping. Let's start walking, shall we?"
"I'm ready," Lavina called, bundled up in her blanket. Nana sent her a Chesire cat smirk when Kouske was the one to push her over. Lavina rolled her eyes.
They all started down the path, breaking off into little conversations on their way to the first window shop to peek in. Nana wandered near the back, snapping a picture of Kouske and Lavina talking about different types of classical music (nerds) to send to Natsuki. She would be happy to hear he was making a new friend.
A couple passed on the left, forcing the Yamamoto couple closer to the street. Aiko had to tightrope walk along the edge to avoid stepping into the street.
Nana's stomach dropped, eyes flying open. Rushing forwards he took up the space on her other side, keeping her away from the road.
Aiko smiled up at him, looping her arm through his as they walked. Nana shook his head, beaming back.
His back hurt.
-00-
Whatever nice things Nana has ever said about Kouske he takes them back now. All of them.
He had always wondered who exactly Kyoya took after in terms of personality. Natsuki was so level-headed all the time and Kouske acted like he was carved from stone. The condescending, competitive nature of their son seemed almost out of place.
Not anymore.
"They're cute," Nana defended, holding the neon green frog slippers close to his chest. They had a little tongue sticking out and big, unseeing eyes. If they made a noise it would be the tiny 'blep' sound!
"They are repulsive," he stated mercilessly, looming over him with his arms crossed.
"I can't trust you, you didn't like the shirt either!"
Said shirt had been light yellow with two bees etched into each shoulder. All around the rest of it was the word Buzz in various sizes. It was charming.
"Now, now," Lavina tried to placate, unfortunately stuck between them. Aiko and Tsuyoshi were wisely in the other isle, eyes peering through the gaps in the shelves to keep watch. "I'm sure that would look lovely on Tsuna-kun."
The twist of disgust his lips made was possibly the most expressive show of emotion Nana had ever seen on the man. "Those are clothes meant for adults."
Lavina paused, glancing first at the slippers (whose lifeless eyes made her shiver a bit) and then at the shirt (which was so painfully bright in color it made her wince).
"Oh."
"Lavina," Nana drew back, betrayed.
She patted his hand, careful to avoid touching the slipper. "I'm sorry Nana."
Nana breathed in. "No, no," he sighed. "It's okay. Our styles have always been different."
"Your style is wrong."
"You know what Hibari-!"
"It's good to see them getting along so well!" Tsuyoshi grinned. Something colorful caught his attention in the far corner of the store. He nudged his wife, pointing towards the scarf section. "Doesn't Takeshi need a new one of those?"
"He does!" Aiko nodded. Holding hands they made their way over, happily ignoring the argument behind them.
-00-
In the end, Nana didn't buy anything.
Well, that had been the plan from the start (they really didn't have the money to be spending on anything other than necessities at this point) but the reason had changed! Damn Kouske and his nitpicky, holier-than-thou fashion police face. So what if he looked like he was literally chiseled from rock by the Gods, that didn't matter if there was nothing worthwhile on the inside to match!
Natsuki hadn't even responded to either of their texts! When no one in their group was willing to be the tie breaker he had texted pictures of everything to Natsuki. That was an hour ago! And it clearly said that she had seen the messages!
"Should we grab some dinner?" Aiko wondered, holding her hand out to check for any raindrops while they waited for the crosswalk to turn green. The clouds had gotten darker, but whatever they were holding onto they were apparently not willing to let go of.
Lavina rubbed her hands together, pulling the blanket up to her chin. "That sounds nice."
"Want my jacket?" Nana wondered, looking over at her with concern.
"No thank you, I'm fine. Perhaps we could move to somewhere warmer though?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. I saw a cool music cafe down this way earlier. That sound good?"
There were several hums and grunts of agreement. Nana couldn't honestly tell how Kouske felt about it but he wasn't insulting him so it must have been passable at least.
The light turned green.
Nana breathed out a big cloud, pushing all the air out of his lungs to see how big he could make it. Tsuyoshi and Aiko were as close to each other as they could be for warmth. Kouske looked like the cold didn't even register in his brain.
"How are the boys doing?" Aiko dropped back, looping an arm through Nana's elbow.
Nana flipped open his phone, sweat beading his forehead. He rolled his shoulders, leaning his forearms on the wheelchair so he could keep pushing. "Kyoya says they're fine. He wanted me to tell him how to get Tsu-kun to stop 'leaking'."
"Oh, poor thing. What happened?"
"He wouldn't let him have dessert yet and my little guy knows how to put on the waterworks when he thinks it'll work."
Lavina laughed.
She shrieked a bit when her chair was shoved forwards too fast, sending her flying onto the sidewalk. Tsuyoshi barely managed to grab her in time to stop her from tipping over.
A high pitched squealing noise, followed almost immediately by a thunderous crash made them both flinch.
"Aiko!"
Tsuyoshi dashed back across the intersection. Lavina gasped and struggled to roll after him.
Aiko groaned. Her head throbbed, making her vision blur. She had been walking with Nana, peeking over their shoulder to see the pictures Kyoya had sent when...
What happened after that?
"Snake," a voice hissed above her sounding terrified. "Are you sure they're not demons?"
Aiko blinked rapidly to clear her vision. Nana was above her, looking off to the side at something. They were pale, eyes so wide Aiko worried they might actually roll right out of their head.
"Nana?"
Brown eyes shot to hers. "Ai-"
"Aiko!"
Tsuyoshi was there, face creased in all the wrong ways. He reached out, helping them both sit up.
"Are you two okay?!" Lavina gasped, arms trembling as she came to a stop next to them.
Aiko pressed a hand to her head. "I think so? What happened?"
Nana placed a steadying hand on her shoulder as she leaned into her husband, moving back to give them space. "There was a car coming towards us and it wasn't stopping. I tried to throw us out of the way but damn," they breathed, once again looking to the side. "That's just, damn."
Aiko peered around them. Her eyes flew open, jaw popping open like a can of fruit.
Kouske was standing in front of the car, with what looked like silver bars held in each hand. One of said hands was buried in the hood of the car.
"Did he-?!" she squeaked, shaking her head again.
"It was amazing!" Tsuyoshi laughed, hand running through her hair. The corners of his eyes were still creased wrong, not quite matching his smile. "He barely even moved an inch when that car hit!"
"The Hibaris aren't real," Nana muttered, shaking their head. They sat back, adrenaline making them shake a bit. "They can't be."
Aiko was inclined to agree.
Lavina rolled up to Nana, reaching out to cup their face. "Are you okay?" she wheezed.
"Oh, jeez," Nana hopped up onto their knees, helping steady the chair. "Yeah! Of course! It just scared me is all, I'm fine! Aiko hit her head when we landed though. You good Aiko?"
Aiko nodded weakly. "Tired now, and my head hurts a little. I'm okay though."
Tsuyoshi tucked her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in slowly. She looped her hands around his waist, hugging him back.
"An ambulance is on the way," Kouske spoke from behind Nana, making them shriek. "They will check to see if you have a concussion."
"Thank you," Tsuyoshi looked up at him, holding his gaze for a long moment before turning to Nana. "And thank you, Nana."
His voice was low; seeping with gratitude. Nana flushed, eyes flitting away.
They met Kouske's gaze instead.
"You reacted surprisingly quickly," he commended, looking them over with a newly found interest.
"You reacted inhumanely," Nana thought it was fair to let him know. He seemed to preen a bit at the comment, had not been meant as a compliment.
A big, fat drop of rain hit Lavina's nose. She startled, looking up just as the sky decided to let loose.
"Ugghhhh," Nana groaned, flopping down on the pavement again. "Of course."
-00-
As it turned out Aiko did not have a concussion. Nana had managed to brace their fall enough to avoid that thankfully. Once the paramedics were done checking them over and Kouske had finished giving his report of what had happened to the police they had all agreed it would be best to head home for the night.
Aiko and Tsuyoshi had both give Nana hugs when they were dropped off, thanking him again for saving her (even though Kouske had clearly had it handled). Kouske let them know that Natsuki was on her way with the boys and would drop them off shortly. Tsuna could stay the night with them if he wanted, if not then she would bring him home as well.
Lavina fell asleep on the short drive back. She was shivering, which was a bit worrying. Nana would make sure she had a lot of bedrest before their flight in a few days.
That left just him and Kouske.
Neat.
A helpful skill to master in life was the 'block out the world around you' skill. It was useful in a multitude of situations such as when you didn't want to be bothered, didn't want to bother anyone else, or you just really wanted to pretend that whatever was happening was not actually happening. Nana, having lived his whole second life with Snake in his head, had mastered this skill.
As soon as he was out of lives on the matching game on his phone he moved on to another, similar game. Currently, he had six of them to work through and the drive wouldn't be that long so all was swell.
"You can speak five different languages."
Nana froze, index finger hovering over the screen.
"Mastered two forms of martial arts and fencing. High marks in all grades, you almost graduated as valedictorian. The only reason you did not is because you overslept on the day of your final examinations after spending the previous few days looking after another student that had gotten mugged earlier that week. The few questions you missed were unanswered as you had run out of time."
Oh God. How did he know this? Why did he know this?!
"My son sees you as strong."
Nana looked up now, because that was total bullshit. Kyoya saw him as a bug at best.
Kouske looked thoughtful, arms crossed lazily across his chest. Nana gulped when they caught a slight glint of metal in his sleeves.
"You are having a difficult time with money, correct?"
What the fuck.
The car slowed to a stop. Kouske slipped out the second the door was opened, going to the back to unfold the wheelchair. He came around the side, easily lifting Lavina up and out. She sniffled a bit but remained asleep. Wrapping the blanket around her securely he deposited her into her chair and wheeled her towards the door.
Nana scrambled after him.
"My son is having difficulties listening to his instructors," he continued the very much one-sided conversation. "He considers them weak, thus everything they teach is a waste of time."
...Something about his tone made Nana think he agreed with his son's assessment.
"He needs to learn how to deal with those he dislikes," the grimace on his face was a mirror reflection of the one Nana had seen when Natsuki told Kyoya to go wash his hands. "However his advancements are falling behind due to his dislike for his teachers."
Kouske turned and stared at him until Nana realized he was waiting for the door to be opened. With numb hands he unlocked the door, trailing behind the taller man as he walked in. They all had their names printed on the doors. That was definitely why he was able to find Lavina's room so quickly. No other, eerily creepy reason.
Nana rushed to pull the sheets back as he picked her up (like she had the combined weight of three toothpicks) and set her on the bed. Nana got to work taking off her shoes and tucking her in.
"Four days a week. You will be paid generously for your time."
Nana slipped, smacking his head on the edge of the bed. Kouske blinked slowly, gaze drifting up.
"What?!"
"The tutors he has now will send you the itinerary of what he is learning. As long as he is learning and content then the methods are yours to decide. Natsuki will go over the exact payment with you later, but know that it will be enough to cover all of your current living expenses and more."
'...How generous,' Snake noted, voice subdued by shock.
Nana waved his hand in the air by his head, as though he could swat the words away.
"Take a few days to think on it. You may decide after your trip."
Before Nana could even begin to unpack any of that the sound of the front door slamming open echoed down the hall. Kouske turned on his heel and walked out, leaving Nana to scramble after him.
"Papa!" Tsuna cheered, charging at him and latching onto his leg. "PapatheyhaveareallyreallybigpianocanAuntLavinacomenexttimetoplay?!"
"Whoa, whoa," Nana shook his head, scooping him up so he could see his face. Tsuna's iris were blown wide, his grin stretching so wide it hurt to look at. "Tsuna, bud, what are you saying right now? Take a deep breath."
"Kyo-kunletmeplayinthepoolandKeshiswamthewholewayaround!" Tsuna fired off rapidly. "MyfloatiesalmostpoppedcauseIkepthittingthewallbuttheydidn't!"
"Oh no," Nana breathed, zeroing in on the crumbs around his mouth. "Tsu-kun. How many cookies did you have?"
"Allofthem!"
The front door clicked shut, signaling Kouskes very quick escape off the premises.
"Kill me," Nana begged, struggling to hold the squirming ball of energy that was his son.
"Consider this a learning opportunity."
"Flub off jerk face."
"Papasaidbadwords!"
Nana cried.
-00-
Iemitsu tugged at his hair, folding over his desk to rest his forehead against it. The papers as well as the letter had arrived back on his desk early that morning and he didn't know what to do. Even the check had been returned; torn in two and taped to the front of the divorce papers.
"Something wrong?" Coyote wondered, leaning on the door frame with a stack of papers in his arms.
Iemitsu sighed, dragging himself up. Shoveling everything into a folder he placed them in his desk drawer and locked it.
"Nothing you can help with. What do you need?"
-00-
Like my totally insensitive chapter titles?
I needed have all the dead moms not dead before I could start jumping ahead again so we can really get moving now! I totally made up how Aiko dies by the way (since the manga decided to give us absolutely jack about her) but she originally gets hit by the car.
Notice any patterns? ;D
Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it!
P.S. For anyone curious about pronoun changes (especially since they didn't change at all this time) Nana usually uses the same pronouns for a while before it switches for a bit (whenever I'm not sure I eeny-meeny-miney-mo it or just pick from a hat). They switched around so much before because there were timeskips and stuff, but they usually have the same pronouns for a few days at the very least. It helps Tsuna out a lot too because Nana will tell him 'I'm Papa now' and Tsuna doesn't have to change how he addresses them until Nana tells him otherwise. Sometimes Nana won't even tell him when it changes until they are sure it'll be for a while cause they don't want to stress him out again. Plus, they're cool with either title. It's Tsuna. He could call them a fish and they'd adore him.