9. Vacation || Assorted || T || 296

Tsuna thinks, as he sips his water and watches his friends, that any onlookers would label them as the strangest group in history. Well, they wouldn't be wrong.

Gokudera is stretched out on a beach blanket, shielded from the sun by an umbrella, watching Ryohei and Yamamoto attempt—and fail—to build a sandcastle a few scant feet from the water. He looks caught between amusement, exasperation, and annoyance, and finally settles with a cross between the three.

Kyoko, Haru, and Chrome are out walking the beach, holding hands and looking for shells. Every so often, one of them will pull away to pick one up excitedly and place it carefully in the bucket.

Lambo, I-Pin, and Fuuta are splashing around in the waves, making a god-awful racket and drawing stares. Tsuna is grateful that Bianchi's watching them, because at this rate, they would get pulled out to sea or drown each other.

Mukuro's boys, Ken and Chikusa, are screwing around in the sand; Ken is trying to bury Chikusa in the sand, but the paler teen isn't going down quietly. Mukuro sits a ways away with Fran under an umbrella, watching his friends with amusement and letting the younger illusionist doze in peace. When the boy shifts in his sleep and his expression crumples as if he'd smelt something rank, Mukuro mutters something Tsuna can't hear and strokes Fran's hair.

It's odd. There's no one trying to kill them, no explosions or crazy car chases; no psychopaths kidnapping and torturing them. Odd, but very nice.

He leans back against Hibari and smiles as the older teen drops what might conceivably be a kiss on the top of his head. He sighs in contentment and thinks that it's a shame they don't take vacations more often.