When Tsuna awoke the next morning, it was to his mother's voice. He blinked as he lifted his head from what he thought was a pillow, only to realise he had actually been resting against the older teenager's chest, Mukuro's arms wrapped around him tightly.
"Ah, Tsu-kun!" As always, Nana seemed overjoyed to see that her son was getting along so well with his friend. "I didn't know you liked sharing your bed with your friends."
Tsuna frowned, noticing that Mukuro was still asleep; the blue-haired teenager looked rather peaceful, his face having been buried in brunet hair. "Mum..."
"You boys should get up and get ready for school; breakfast is almost ready." With that said, Nana had closed the door again as she disappeared downstairs, leaving the two alone.
With a sigh, Tsuna reached out, shaking Mukuro gently. "Mukuro-san...? Mukuro-san, we have to get up now."
A red eye cracked open to look at Tsuna, hazy with sleep. "Do we have to...?"
Stroking blue hair in a soothing manner, Tsuna nodded. "Mum says breakfast is almost ready, and then we have to get ready for school."
Dragging a large hand over his face, Mukuro squeezed his eyes shut tight once more. "I don't want to get up..."
"But if we don't get moving soon, we'll miss the bus to Kokuyo," the Sky Guardian explained gently. "And you know Ken and Chikusa will freak out if you're not in class."
"...That's true..." Snuggling closer to Tsuna, the taller male shook his head. "I'll pass on breakfast today, Tsunayoshi; I would prefer some more rest..."
Tsuna knew the nights didn't come easy to Mukuro; the older male had been tossing and turning all night from nightmares, so it was understandable he was still tired.
"I'll ask mum to make you a bigger lunch, then." Climbing over his guest, Tsuna got off the bed and moved over to the closet across from them, looking for his uniform.
Mukuro lay back down on the bed, rolling onto his side to watch as the smaller male got dressed. He couldn't help but admire how well the Namimori school uniform suited the Vongola Decimo, having always been partial to uniforms – he could shamelessly admit they were one of his turn-ons.
Tsuna, who could feel heterochromatic eyes on him, shivered slightly; he was uncomfortable with the idea of someone watching him change. "M-mukuro-san... I-I'm going to get dressed in the bathroom today..."
Mukuro blinked in surprise before he nodded, letting Tsuna do as he pleased; he could respect the other wanting privacy; he himself didn't like others seeing his body, even if for reasons completely different to Tsuna's.
The thought had never really crossed his mind before, but Mukuro was starting to wonder if he would ever feel comfortable with showing anyone his body as it was, no longer hidden behind illusions to hide every mar on his skin.
Maybe it would take a lot of trust for him to do so, but Mukuro considered the idea of letting Tsuna see every blemish on his body, wondering if maybe, just maybe, the brunet would help him understand it was alright and things weren't going to be that way anymore.
Threading spidery fingers through his oily hair, the teenager grimaced, knowing there had once been a time in his life when his hair had been softer than anything, perfectly clean just like the rest of his body. How long had it been since he had been able to bathe himself properly without the terror?
Too long.
~~XX~~
It didn't take long for Tsuna to get dressed, and before he went downstairs for breakfast, he moved to the spare room he had given Hibari last night. Knocking politely on the door, he was greeted by silence.
"Hibari-san?" Opening the door slowly, Tsuna prepared himself for anything; he didn't know how the older male would react to his privacy being disturbed like this, but he most certainly didn't want to stress about if anything had happened during the night. "Hibari-san, are you awake...?"
Onyx eyes stared back at the brunet, an unreadable expression on the Prefect's face as Hibari lay on his side, staring at the Vongola Sky.
"Would you like any breakfast, Hibari-san?" Tsuna spoke in a soft voice, knowing Hibari had been through a lot. "I can bring it up for you if you'd rather."
Hibari was silent for a few seconds before he nodded. "Bring it up; I don't crowd with herbivores."
"I'll be back in a moment, Hibari-san." Closing the door softly behind him, Tsuna made his way downstairs, getting a plate filled to take back up to his Cloud Guardian.
Hibari seemed grateful as he accepted the meal just a few minutes later, sitting on the edge of the bed as he placed the plate on his thighs, picking at it slowly. He didn't say anything about Tsuna's presence, instead keeping his attention focused on the food.
"Are you going to school today?" Tsuna leant against the wall as he waited patiently for an answer.
"Of course I am, herbivore." Dark eyes fixed on the brunet for a few seconds before they wandered back down to the food. "Why wouldn't I?"
"...I'm sorry, Hibari-san..." Tsuna knew he shouldn't have thought so less of Hibari to even ask such a question; Hibari was one of the strongest people he knew, and the skylark wouldn't let anything get in his way – of course Hibari was going to go to school today. "I don't know why I even thought that."
"..." Hibari just continued to eat his breakfast in peace, not another word spoken by him.
Tsuna continued to stand by the door, his mind reeling over the fact that, if he were to have both Hibari and Mukuro here, he would definitely need to find a way to control them both; they would probably try and kill each other as they always had, and Tsuna didn't want that at all.
It seemed the only thing the Vongola Decimo could try to do was at least get to the bottom of why they resented each other so much – if he knew the story, at least then he could try and work around what was happening with them.
"If you don't mind me asking..." Tsuna scratched his cheek as he glanced away, hoping the older male wouldn't mind his questioning, "...why do you dislike Mukuro-san so much? Is it... because of the first fight you guys had, or...?"
"..." A dark look crossed the skylark's face before he replied. "...The only person I had ever lost to in a fight before was my father... Then he comes along, and... it really was no different to the things my father had done... I hate him because he reminds me of him."
"Mukuro-san isn't like that," Tsuna promised, surprised that he had gotten the Prefect to open up to him so easily; had been trying to protect the skylark and his mother somehow gotten through to him? "He's misunderstood. He just... I think he was just in a bad stage of his life back then."
"I don't care; I hate that pineapple herbivore." Thrusting the now-empty plate towards the Namimori student, Hibari said, "That tastes similar to how my mother once cooked."
"Do you miss her?" Brown eyes widened as Tsuna realised what he had just blurted out; surely this was a question that was far across the line? "I-I mean -!"
"- She was my mother, herbivore." These words sounded too quiet for Hibari, almost as if it hurt him to talk about this. "I loved her when I was younger, but we drifted because of him. Nonetheless, she was still my mother and had always loved me – she wouldn't have always gotten in between us if she didn't."
"I'm really sorry, Hibari-san..." Dropping his head out of respect for the deceased, Tsuna backed away towards the door. "I didn't..."
Hibari stood up, glaring down at the uniform he was wearing. "I am going back to my home to change my clothes, herbivore; I can't go with blood all over me."
Tsuna didn't even try to stop the other; he instead moved out of the doorway as Hibari left, a slight limp to the taller male's gait. He frowned, wishing he knew how he could help his Cloud Guardian, but knowing it was probably better to let the raven come to him first.
Going downstairs to take the plate into the kitchen, Tsuna made a mental note to check on Hibari during school; he didn't want to take any chances and leave the older teenager alone in case something happened.
~~XX~~
"Don't you get in trouble for wearing that shirt?"
Mukuro blinked at Yamamoto before he shook his head, a yawn escaping his lips. "Of course not; no one speaks to me unless they have to. They give me my school work and then go back to pretending I don't exist."
Tsuna felt hurt at these words, knowing the older male probably hated the way he was treated at school. "But you shouldn't put up with that, Mukuro-san..."
"It does not bother me all that much, Tsunayoshi; I get all my work finished and then help Ken and Chikusa with their own; everyone else takes too long on such simple questions because they're too busy talking amongst themselves."
Tsuna offered a shy smile, hardly even noticing as their arms brushed against each other while they walked; having had Yamamoto arrive at the brunet's home earlier with Fran in tow, the three had left for the bus stop together, yet to meet up with Gokudera.
"You should consider moving to Namimori Middle," the Sky Guardian suggested softly. "It's much easier while you're staying with me."
"Ah, but I am quite fond of Kokuyo's uniform, kufufu~ It suits me very well, you see? I'm not sure if Namimori Middle will be as complementing to me as Kokuyo. Thank you for the suggestion though, Tsunayoshi; I will keep it in mind."
Tsuna felt a hint of red cross his cheeks as he looked Mukuro up and down, indeed noticing that the other's uniform (even if it were only the jacket as the blue-haired teenager had ditched the green uniform pants for white jeans) did suit the taller male quite well. There was warmth in his stomach he wasn't accustomed to, but he didn't question it; he was too busy noticing that Ken and Chikusa were approaching them, the blond acting much like a dog who hadn't seen its master in days.
"Mukuro-sama!" Ken bounded over to the group, his eyes shining with happiness, while Chikusa just stood slightly off to the side, adjusting his glasses. "Mukuro-sama, we knew you would be okay, byon!"
"Of course I would be, Ken." Tsuna knew Mukuro cared deeply for his friends; there was tenderness in the tallest teenager's words whenever he addressed the other Kokuyo members – Ken especially. "You guys do realise you can always come and visit, right?"
"Well... Yeah, but Mukuro-sama...!" The blond pouted, as if he didn't want to argue with the older male. "Mukuro-sama, we don't want to fraternize with the enemy, byon...!"
"Kufufu~ Enemy?" Mukuro smirked, unconsciously stepping closer to Tsuna. They were close enough for the other to share their warmth, their shoulders touching as they stood beneath the shelter of the bus bay. "Ken, you do amuse me."
Ken beamed at these words, turning to talk to Chikusa instead. He had taken no notice whatsoever of the Vongola guardians being so close, instead just glad he could be of such use to his beloved friend.
"Mukuro-san, the bus is coming." Tsuna pointed to their side, disappointed that he had to leave the other so soon; he was greatly enjoying spending time with the illusionist, and now that it didn't feel as if they were mortal enemies, it was very pleasant being with Mukuro.
Mukuro's smile dropped from his face as he nodded. His heterochromatic eyes searched brown ones for a few seconds before he reached out, cupping the sides of Tsuna's face as he leant down, pressing their lips together softly.
Ken made a surprised noise, his eyes almost bulging from their sockets. Chikusa frowned, but remained otherwise emotionless. Yamamoto just laughed as he slung his arms over their shoulders, as cheerful as ever.
"I didn't know you guys kissed!" The baseball addict grinned, a curious glint in his eyes. "How come you're doing it?"
Tsuna's blush darkened as he pulled away from Mukuro, glancing anywhere but at Yamamoto. The blue-haired teenager just scowled at the younger as he straightened his back, an annoyed aura surrounding him.
"Why we're kissing is no one's business but ours, Takeshi..." With that said, Mukuro patted unruly brunet hair before he turned around, heading towards the bus that had just stopped. Ken was questioning the previous act loudly while Chikusa was as quiet as ever, following the other two on-board without a word.
"Hey, Tsuna?" Yamamoto's smile widened as he started walking again now that the bus had left. "Can I know why you guys were kissing?"
"...H-honestly, Yamamoto, I'm really not sure of why we are myself..." Tsuna fidgeted nervously, uncomfortable talking about his new development so soon. "It's just something that's happened, I guess..."
"It's cute." Yamamoto's eyes crinkled at his bright smile. "I didn't know boys kissed each other, though."
"Haven't you ever wanted to kiss someone before?" Tsuna knew his friend was naïve, but he had at least expected for the taller male to understand how romantics worked. "Boys can kiss other boys; there's nothing wrong with that."
"I just never thought about it before, but it's cute." Yamamoto wrapped his arm around the smaller male's shoulders, hugging his friend close.
Tsuna couldn't help but smile, relieved that his friend was already so accepting – he should have never expected anything less from Yamamoto.
~~XX~~
"Mukuro-sama, why were you kissing that damn mafia, byon?" Ken held a most betrayed look on his face as he prodded at the taller male with a chubby finger. His eyes had lost their usual shine whenever Mukuro was around, instead a look of hurt in them. "I thought you hated him?"
Mukuro, who had his chin in his hand as he stared out of the bus window, turned to give the blond a confused look. "Ken… I don't completely understand it myself, but Tsunayoshi has given me a home for all this time. Maybe… I once did hate him… Things are different between us now. …I could be wrong, but… I think we're friends. I think that's what he thinks of us as, and… I like it. I am… comfortable with Tsunayoshi; I believe we were wrong to have not trusted him, Ken."
"But why were you kissing him, byon? Friends don't kiss each other!"
"You're loud, Ken." Chikusa was quiet as he scolded his friend, trusting Mukuro's judgement in this; he knew the blond was just scared of them all being hurt once more. "Mukuro-sama knows what he's doing."
"I am curious," the blue-haired teenager explained. "As I said, I don't exactly know what we are. I am simply… trying to work my own feelings out."
Ken's frown didn't disappear, but he nodded anyway; he knew Mukuro wouldn't have gotten himself into something he didn't feel comfortable with. "…Well… Alright, byon…"
Mukuro offered a small smile to his friends before he turned his attention back to the outside world.
While it was true he didn't entirely know what to call his relationship with Tsuna, he had an inkling that the emotions he felt towards the one who had taken him in despite everything was more than just friendship – he couldn't be too sure as he was too antisocial to know what romantic feelings felt like, but he was sure he was soon going to find out.
~~XX~~
One of the perks of having an office no one else would enter without permission was that Hibari could curl up on the comfortable sofa all he wanted and no one would be there to even notice. He had gone home that morning and changed his uniform, and made sure to slip inside the school before anyone would even notice he was there – he wasn't going to let anyone see his injuries.
Kusakabe had obeyed when he was ordered to stay out of the office at all times, knowing not to cross the Prefect's wishes unless he wanted to live.
There was much Hibari had to ponder today. He still didn't understand why Tsuna would go to the lengths that he had – what motivation would the brunet have had to care about what happened to a family that wasn't his? What had gone through the younger's head when Hibari had been offered a place to stay for the night? Treated as if he were a guest that was truly welcome any time?
But most of all, why had Hibari accepted the kind notions? Had he just been in too much shock over everything that had happened? Or had his underlying reasons been solely that, having just lost his mother the way he had, he was afraid of losing the only other person who had shown him care?
Hibari knew that out of all the herbivores he had ever come across, Tsuna was unique in the way that, no matter how scared he was of the Prefect, he never seemed to let that get in the way and treated the raven as an equal – as someone Tsuna truly cared for.
But where did this leave the skylark's feelings?
With a sigh, Hibari rolled onto his side, wishing that the brunet herbivore wasn't so complicated to work out.
