EDIT: Mar/10/19. No special changes.
Fighting scenes are not my strength. Please forgive the terrible quality! ALSO... creative liberties, silliness, and serious business. 'Nuff said. ALSO, for my fic, it has been a month since Reborn arrived.
WARNING: Cursing. For good reason too.
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"And sometimes in life, I imagine, good things do happen. Most of the time, it's the opposite, obviously. But I don't think you should rule out the possibility that just occasionally chance might deal you a good card." - Sebastian Falks 'Engleby'.
It was a hot summer day in the middle of August and the heat was difficult to bear. Tsuna, as he tended to do on overly hot days, waited until it was darker out for him to go run with his weighted underclothes on. As he disliked going out in the boiling summer heat if he could help it, he used the time Reborn was out somewhere to play inside with Lambo and Fuuta and and get them to paint and doodle between watching TV, or some other creative and distracting activity. Tsuna was not in Remedial Summer Classes because of the copious homework he and all the other students were given, and the fact that his in class work was very slowly climbing up in marks. Partly thanks to all the Leon Jigs Reborn put him through and partly thanks to Hana.
On this particular day Tsuna was with the kids and playing with home-made colored clay completely safe for cow-child ingestion. It was surprisingly fun, especially since Lambo wasn't excessively loud and he wasn't wrecking anything. The day was good, quiet, and Tsuna was absently wondering why, a month later, his sensei still hadn't returned from 'Australia' and dealing with 'Catfish Traffic'. He better bring back some souvenirs.
During this quiet time Tsuna got a message.
Reborn Text: Baka-Tsuna, go to Ibitsu Bridge, you have a situation to deal with there. If you don't go you may be responsible for the death of that weird girl. You know the one.
Tsuna Text: What!? What did you do now!? And WHY her? We just met her once!
R.T: The inner workings of a hitman of my caliber can never be comprehended by someone with brain power like yours.
T.T: In other words it was on a whim. Thank you for the headache, Chibi-sensei.
R.T: For that your dancing later. And after what I did for you too.
T.T: Don't make me feel bad! It won't work!
R.T: Don't kid yourself, you already feel like you've kicked a kitten.
T.T: I wouldn't go that far.
After getting that text Tsuna quickly called up Kyoko and asked her to help Fuuta watch over Lambo while he left to check out some trouble that Reborn cooked up out of boredom. She giggled and hurried right over, not even winded thanks to her Sun Flames.
"You'll be careful, right Tsuna-kun?"
Tsuna patted Kyoko's shoulder. "Contrary to popular belief I am always careful. It usually doesn't work for me."
"Well, Reborn-kun will be with you, right?"
"Yeah, he'll be lurking somewhere nearby."
With that Tsuna took off and only got lost twice on his way to the bridge. He arrived and found a familiar face slowly tipping a pale and terrified Haru over the bridge. Aside from the one about to commit homicide what struck Tsuna as peculiar was how Haru was decked out in some weird makeshift armor with a hockey stick nearby as a lost weapon. Below them the water was fierce and looked impossible to swim. Well, crap. Adrenaline flooded him along with his Flame, and he blurred forward, knocking the look-alike aside and carrying Haru in his arms like a bride. She was crying as she clung to him.
"Tsu-Tsu-Tsuna-san, desu!? K-Katsu is evil!"
Tsuna put her down at the other end of the bridge and told her in his best "Don't Disobey Me Please" voice to stay there while he took down the idiot. When Haru said they should just run Tsuna smiled and petted her hair before saying that he'd been studying martial arts for a while and he's strong enough to give him something to think about at least. Haru sniffled and nodded, hugging the railing to keep herself standing
"Heeeey, Tsu-kun! How's it going down there? The weather good?"
Holy green tea chocolate balls. Even the voice was Iemitsu. Combined with the stupid smile Tsuna felt the beginnings of an evil grin on his face. There was no way for someone to look that much like Iemitsu so Tsuna decided it was probably Leon forming the flexible mask, meaning Tsuna couldn't use a fist of Sky-Lightning even if he wanted to. He... was going to enjoy this. Perhaps too much, especially if he beats the Look-Alike.
Hybrid Sky increased in volume throughout Tsuna's body and he withdrew his tonfa from the specialized lumbar pack Reborn threw in his face two days before. The golden weapons lit up like minature suns, energy dancing manically in tune with the thrill Tsuna felt building up. With his Sky becoming so active and entering a state close to HDW Tsuna made to charge when he felt a whisper of You Know Him hit like having warm fingers brush across his spine. Safe, that's the sense he got. A familiar presence even.
No. Fight first, enjoy it, then ask questions. Tsuna told himself he didn't always have to try and be responsible, he's allowed to having a lot of stupid moments since he's so young... Granted, as long as the stupid moments hurt only him. Whoever wore that mask was asking for a fight anyway.
As Tsuna rushed at Not-Iemitsu the tall, tall man laughed a familiar non-Iemitsu laugh and the young Vongola was distracted from it by the cloak of brilliant Cloud Flame that pulsed and settled into his metal gloved fists and on his forehead. Hyper Dying Will. Sensing real danger in the raw power coming off this man in waves, Tsuna reacted instinctively with his flames and he dug deep into his well of power to completely charge his cells with Sky-Lightning and force more power to focus and sharpen inside his flesh. On a certain level he felt dangerously close to bursting, to losing control of the destructive Sky trapped inside, but on another he just knew he wouldn't lose himself.
This is who he is. The Sky that protects and defends, he cannot and will not be anything else.
Look-Alike pulled a silvery bo staff out and beckoned Tsuna with a cheeky grin that, again, tickled his Intuition but lead to nothing. Finding the feeling distracting Tsuna ignored it merely raised his blazing tonfa and charged with his weapons held defensively. Look-Alike swung his staff and Tsuna blocked it before grunting with effort and pushing the much bigger man back before kicking out with his legs. The man dodged back while laughing, and Tsuna switched his grip on one tonfa so he held the main body and could swing the grip out, hooking the staff and attempting to rip it from his opponent's grasp. The move didn't work and Tsuna felt the impact of a foot send him flying back. He did not remain down, he rolled to his feet and charged once more, ignoring Haru's cries of alarm. The fight then became dodging and swiping at air as neither he nor the masked man could land any more hits. It seemed either Tsuna's speed was growing or the the man was gearing up for making it appear that he lost.
That did not sit well with Tsuna. He didn't fancy himself a prideful person but perhaps spending so much time fighting Hibari honed his warrior's pride? Tsuna stopped holding back and he fought as though he were fighting Hibari on a particularly bad day and he had to more or less fight for survival. A minute difference between one smile and the next told Tsuna that the man fighting him was surprised as hits gained strength, speed, and ferocity. The metal railing stood no chance against the touch of his flaming tonfa, the weapon melted through it like it was nothing and crushed the cement like weak clay.
At this rate there would be no bridge. Several minutes later, with several other large cracks and more wrecked railings, Tsuna decided it was time to try and end it. When next he hooked the man's bo staff with a tonfa the weapon flew and embedded into the bridge because the other allowed it, and Tsuna, acknowledging that further fighting would only bring himself misery in the form of an enraged Cloud bearing down on him, quickly cut the Flames to his tonfa and slammed into the man's stomach and dropped the other to give the man a Flame-free punch that sent him flying 30 feet across the bridge to land in a heap on the otherside. A moment of deliberation lead Tsuna to deciding that questioning the familiar stranger wasn't as important as the girl he'd just 'saved'. Tsuna breathed deep and forced the tension from the fight to leave his body and he turned to check on Haru, who by then was staring at him like he was an alien.
"You're amazing, desu! You protected me! Is there anything Haru can do for you?"
Tsuna smiled shyly. "Um... be my friend?"
Haru squealed something that sounded suspiciously like "KAWAIII!" and caught him up in a tight hug. It was a good thing his 'pack' was busy with other things because Hana, and to a louder and possibly more violent degree Gokudera, would have snapped at her for such an unsolicited touch. As it is Tsuna went stiff as a board and gently pulled Haru off of him and took a few steps away. If she'd been striking him, no problem, but affection is a different thing altogether.
"S-sorry, I'm not totally c-comfortable with that kind of contact with you j-just yet..."
Haru blinked before a look of worry overtook her cheerful face. "Hahi! Haru has other friends who don't like being touched without warning either! Oh, I'm so sorry, Tsuna-san!"
Tsuna relaxed and waved a hand with a smile. "No, it's fine. Like I said, I'm not comfortable with you yet, Haru-san, but I will be eventually. So, um, I'll escort you home now."
"Kyaa! You're so cool, desu! A suave, cute, and powerful fighter is walking Haru home!"
In his mind Tsuna was cursing Reborn and repeatedly asking why he had to involve the cute but extremely strange girl.
Later that day Reborn made Tsuna do the Leon Jig for 40 minutes. He cut off 20 from the expected hour because Tsuna bought the baby some good non-caffeinated Expresso and chocolate coffee as a thanks for being able to punch and kick the Sawada patriarch.
(Meanwhile in Italy... Iemitsu sneezed so hard he ruined the nice cake he'd bought himself.)
o o o
Reborn fought with Hibari and defeated the Cloud as easily as one breathes. That alone would have been okay, Hibari loved a challenge, but factor in that Reborn purposely damaged the Cloud's pride in much the same way as Tsuna did to Mochida with added verbal barbs, well, that did not bode well.
The fact that Reborn pretty much admitted to beating Hibari in both the combative and literal sense, horrified and drew the young Sky's outrage when he was informed. Reborn, who never does something for absolutely no reason no matter how droll the action seems, assured Tsuna that there was a reason for him laying a beat down on his sparring-buddy. The why became clear when, on a Saturday, Reborn ordered Tsuna to go hiking in the mountain to find the small lake and a waterfall he frequently visited while training under Nobu.
Tsuna arrived and nearly swooned under the rush of fear he felt upon observing Hibari looking Utterly Enraged, more so than ever before (about as angry as the time Tsuna was shot), and waiting for him judging by the terrifying narrowing of his eyes. Reborn popped up in front of Tsuna as the boy turned to run while mentally screaming and told him that if he loses to Hibari he will never defeat his father. BAM, Tsuna was hit by a Dying Will Bullet and, like last time, his Consciousness did not lose out to wild Dying Will. Oddly enough his clothes had not ripped apart. Reborn, you little sadist.
Tsuna turned to Hibari and withdrew his golden tonfa and immediately wreathed them in Sky-Lightning. "Since an apology will never suffice, Hibari-senpai, all I can do is not hold back. I fight to protect something right now, and I won't say what."
I fight to protect your pride, what little Reborn left in one piece.
The bullet's affects lasted five minutes and through willpower Tsuna continued his Hyper Dying Will as he pushed and pushed himself to keep fighting. Usually he would tap out after fifteen minutes of sparring, but Tsuna knew that was too little time for the volatile prefect to vent. At one point Tsuna was pinned to a tree that forced him to bring a full Flame powered knee to the older boy's thigh in order to escape, and the fight went downhill from there. Hibari seemed to make it a point to pin Tsuna to the ground or another tree, asserting his dominance and strength and it was as tiresome as it was amusing to the sadistic Arcobaleno that left after another five minutes entertainment.
Finally, just shy of an hour full of brutal fighting and more bruising pins to hard surfaces, Hibari threw an exhausted Tsuna toward the forest and when the boy bounced and rolled to a stop, he swiftly had him pinned down with a bit more creativity this time. Hibari took advantage of Tsuna's state and trapped the boy's slim wrists above his head in a single hand and pressed his tonfa to the boy's throat. This time the Cloud Flames were no hotter than a good heat-pack for sore muscles.
Tsuna wriggled a bit and Hibari tightened his grip on the Sky's wrists and shifted his legs to make kicking a non-option. Tsuna vaguely wondered if Hibari was aware of how physically close he was and then wondered if he was getting hives the same way loud, obnoxious children make Hana ill. Hibari's previous rage had subsided after the extended spar and Tsuna was privately proud that he had made the prefect's breathing heavier while sweat was dripped down his handsome face.
"Aah... H-Hibari... are you waiting for s-something?" Like me saying I yield? You are the supreme carnivore of Namimori and that Reborn, as an outsider, does not count?
Hibari frowned and pressed the tonfa to Tsuna's racing pulse and the boy inhaled sharply. That had felt good. That fact was very not good. Hibari narrowed his eyes at Tsuna's reaction and dragged the still Cloud-covered weapon along his little carnivore's flesh. Tsuna's mouth dropped open in an obvious noise of pleasure and he quickly leaned his head to the side, seeking to escape and completely leaving his neck vulnerable. Tsuna was heavily flushed as he looked to the side and eyed a bunch of dandelions. He missed the smirk that tugged the older boy's lips.
"Hibari, I g-give. You win. P-please let me up!"
Several moments of silence drew Tsuna's eyes to Hibari in time to see the prefect lean down, closing in on him. Tsuna flinched slightly in surprise and twisted his wrists in the firm grip above his head as alarm made him all the more aware. Was he about to be literally bitten!? He had to bite bit his lip hard to muffle a moan when he felt warm breath wash over the sensitive spot. As if to reward that sound there was soft touch just before teasing teeth and warm lips ripped a sharp, unrecognizable sound from Tsuna as he squirmed. Teeth dragged along that spot and Tsuna shuddered and moaned.
Was he supposed to be speaking? Hell yeah. Say something! Escape! Yet Tsuna couldn't form the words as Hibari's touch continued giving him a pleasure he was too innocent to know was possible before. When Hibari drew away from his neck, leaving a reddish-pink mark not unlike a sunburn, he moved to whisper and found another weak point as his lips touched the shell of Tsuna's ear and the boy muffled another moan with clenched teeth.
"You are still mine, Anguma, but we will never own one another." The haze of confusing pleasure lifted at these words and Tsuna turned to look into Hibari's hooded eyes. "The Sky will never cage the Cloud... in return the Cloud will never take freedom from the Sky."
Tsuna swallowed hard, mind racing, then he nodded and cleared his throat. "Th-thank you. Good to kn-know... Um, may I get up now?"
Hibari smirked as he moved several feet away and allowed Tsuna to breathe easier. "Can you even walk?"
"... No. I'm familiar with this pile-of-agonized-flesh-and-bone sensation. I'll have to be, um... escorted home. On someone's back..." Tsuna grimaced as he shifted until he could slowly crawl his way into shade, where he flopped belly first and remained. "I'd call Takeshi myself, or text him, but I'm not confident in my ability to use my fingers. I will so owe you if you do it for me, Hibari-senpai."
"Hn." Quiet beeping told Tsuna that Hibari was texting Takeshi about where they're at. "The blade user is on his way."
"Thank you very much,. I'm just... going to... p-pass out now..."
And Tsuna did just that.
. . .
Tsuna began to question his sexuality after that encounter. Such fights, minus the sexually charged touches and excessive pins, continued another eight times, each after a Dying Will Bullet, and luckily for the young Sky he wasn't allowed to think long enough to get flustered enough to act unlike his usual self when around Hibari .
It was a scary time for Tsuna. He used to think he was only attracted to girls, but then here comes Hibari and suddenly he's starting to really see the males in his life. Ryohei is still Ryo-Aneki since he feels more like a brother, as the older male was a bit too 'out there' for Tsuna's tastes. Takeshi and Gokudera, on the other hand, certainly do not feel brotherly in the least. Gokudera could be adorable at times and dorky in a good (if excessive) way when it came to Sci-Fi stuff and UMA. Takeshi was thoroughly cute, from his laugh to his silly grin, and Tsuna felt like a dirty freak for finding his best friend and newer friend attractive. For wanting to see what it would be like kissing them when he hasn't even had his first yet.
It was beginning to rip him up inside.
Fortunately it was still summer and while Takeshi had remedial classes Tsuna was free to spend time with Gokudera and try not to brood about it. Several times the bomber asked Tsuna why he wasn't smiling more and looking happy. Was there someone hurting him? Did he need to blow someone up? Tsuna continued to deny anything being wrong until one day he was walking beside his bomber when he felt light headed and stumbled. Gokudera immediately had his arm around Tsuna's waist and supported him. With a single touch to his boss's forehead the boy verified that Tsuna had a fever and needed to be taken home, screw the ice cream. He manoeuvered the slight brunette onto his back and began a swift pace.
Being small had its perks at least. If he was Takeshi's size he was pretty sure he wouldn't be carried like this. Little did the goof know he was completely wrong.
"Thank you, Gokudera-kun."
"Not a problem, Juudaime! I'll be your legs whenever you need me!"
All was well for two minutes before a slight tingle drew Tsuna's attention to his forearm and a creepy skull appeared with the word bubble, 'I'm terrified of centipedes and millipedes, oh and spiders to the face'. Gokudera paused at the sight of it before panicking and taking off like a bullet toward the Sawada residence, but then several minutes later another tingle happened and the worst occurred.
"I'm scared Gokudera-kun will hate me if he learns I like guys too." The voice that spoke was Tsuna's, only softer and possessing all the fear he had. It came from the hand under his Storm's chin.
Gokudera and Tsuna both froze in shock, and the latter felt like his blood had turned to ice.
As terrified as he felt, Tsuna retained enough calm to not thrash out of his friend's grip and crack his head off the sidewalk. He simply shifted until he had his hands clutching the bomber's shoulder instead of his arms loosely wrapped around him. Tsuna began to shake before Gokudera twitched, tightened his hold on Tsuna's legs, and resumed running toward the Sawada home. Once there Gokudera put him down on the stoop and gently grabbed his boss's shoulder, then made him look at his green eyes with a hand tilting the smaller male's head up.
"Juudaime... Ts-Tsuna-sama... I could never hate you." There was a breathtaking sincerity in those emerald eyes and Tsuna trembled slightly from the staggering relief that washed through him. "Please remember, I will follow you no matter what. Through anything and everything you face, I will be there."
The front door was quickly opened and a tiny boot met Gokudera's behind and he flew forward to land ontop of his boss. The problem with this? At the angle Gokudera had been bent at, making sure to look directly into Tsuna's eyes, he was at the perfect level for a ridiculously accidental kiss of Shojo Cliche caliber. Tsuna meeped, mouth popping open and sharing a breath with the cherry red bomber above him as his own face grew worryingly red. Gokudera threw himself off with such strength he went rolling right into a dogeza position. Tsuna, meanwhile, felt frozen as he realized he could still feel of the bomber's slightly chapped lips on his.
"I'm deeply sorry, Juudaime! Please punish me!"
"Ah. How interesting," said an amused and childish voice.
"Reborn!" Tsuna lurched up, hand moving to cover his slightly swelling mouth. "I-I'm getting skulls all over my body and-and they-"
"I hate my father and I feel worthless because I think it hurts my mother."
"That!" Tsuna's voice creeped up several octaves. "Th-they keep saying secrets!"
"I've never been kissed until today."
"I feel like a dirty freak and I shouldn't be allowed around people."
Tsuna, to his utmost embarrassment, blinked away tears and felt the traitorous physiological reaction drip down his face. He curled up and wished he could go incinerate a few dozen things. "Fanculo tutto, non posso prendere questo [Fuck everything, I can't take this]!"
"Juudaime!" Gokudera tossed aside his reservations about treating his boss the same way as that sword freak, and he gently hauled the boy into his arms and hurried inside. He settled his emotional boss on the couch. "Reborn-san, is there any way to get rid of this? The Juudaime is suffering."
"Trident Shamal is five minutes away. Tsuna, take off your shirt."
Tsuna and Gokudera stared at the infant blankly before saying in unison, "What?"
"He has to examine you thoroughly. Off with it."
"Reborn-san, that perverted bastard only treats girls! He'll never fix up the Juudaime!"
There was a long moment of silence before a slow grin formed on Reborn's deceptively sweet face. It was pure evil.
"I was originally going to order Baka-Tsuna to get in the top five for highest marks in Namimori-chuu for getting treated... but I have a better idea."
Gokudera swallowed hard and leaned closer to his boss to whisper. "S-sorry, Juudaime..."
Tsuna meeped and tried to escape Reborn, but the baby jumped on his back and called Bianchi in. Gokudera fainted, foaming at the mouth, and in four minutes Tsuna found himself dressed in a knee length skirt and wearing one of his oversized orange-and-red summer knit sweater over a warm grey tank. Reborn produced a 'Vongola Quality' brown haired wig from nowhere and after Bianchi put it on Tsuna it was time for the make-up. He felt like he would never live it down, especially when he saw his reflection and almost fainted at the sight.
He looked like his mother! With only a touch of make-up bringing out natural looks, he was a younger, scrawnier version of her! He never knew he could look so... feminine, in face and body. Crap.
"I... I look like..."
Reborn jumped onto his students shaking shoulder and pinched 'her' cheek. "You clean up well, Tsu-mi-chan~!"
"Hiiiee!" Tsuna clapped a hand over his mouth. In his current get up that signature vocal tic sounds like a little girl. "Oh, Kami. I make a better girl than a guy!"
Reborn snickered and Bianchi was secretly taking photo's of Tsuna with her phone. In the remaining minute before there came a knock at the door Bianchi almost cooed at the sight of Tsuna brushing the hair off her unconscious brother's sweaty forehead before grabbing a tissue to wipe his mouth. She took plenty of pictures. Maybe this 'assignment' wasn't too bad, she could be with Reborn any time she wanted to with none of the hassle of hunting him down for weeks or months at a time. And her brother had found a cute boss to look after him.
At Reborn's pointed Leon-gun Tsuna hurried to the front door and opened it, face a dark red as he trembled and tried not to either break down sobbing or destroy several things.
"Well, hello there, signora [lady], are you my patient~?"
Tsuna nodded and rushed away to sit on the couch and try not to resembled a frightened, weak little animal. He failed.
Shamal stepped into the living room and his eyes turned to a displeased Poison Cook. "Bianchi, my deadly sweet love, give me a kiss~!"
"Um... p-please, Doctor Sh-Shamal..." Tsuna drew attention back to himself and the strange man cooed at the cuteness 'she' provided. "I-I have a talking skull d-disease..."
"Reborn, you've shot this sweet little angel with the Dying Will Bullet ten times! That's crazy even for you." Shamal shook his head and quickly sat right beside Tsuna, shifting close to press against the boy's shaking side. "Now, just wait a moment, sweetheart, and I'll have you better in a few moments! Then you can give me a kiss as a thank you!"
Tsuna turned to stone and was caught in a horrific mental image until a small pinch on his hand drew his attention downward. There was a mosquito sitting there and sucking his blood. The only thing that kept him from swatting it away was how his fatigue and dizziness was rapidly fading. Once the bug flew off Tsuna turned his attention to Shamal and upon seeing the man's kissy-face up close immediately screamed and threw himself away, tumbling off the couch as graceful as a drunken baby giraffe. He quickly scrambled for Gokudera and sat on the floor near the bomber as he felt much safer there.
"JUUDAIME!"
Gokudera sat up and quickly noticed the brunette looking up at him with the familiar amber doe-eyes of his boss. Eyes set in the face of a girl who looks a lot like Nana and - no, no they didn't. Did Reborn really dress the Juudaime in-
"G-Gokudera-kun, are you okay?"
Well, that baby hitman did it. Changed the boss into a girl. An adorable, doe-eyed, bellezza [beauty].
"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna yelped as the bomber got a nose bleed and fell sideways, once again out cold. "What the hell, snap out of it!"
A weight landed on his shoulder. "Tsumi-chan~! You're that adorable. The effect is doubled with how you normally look like a dumpster kid."
"Hey, Reborn! I do not. I shower everyday, thank you very much. My clothes are not trash either."
Reborn smirked and pinched his students soft cheek before turning to look at Shamal. "Thank you for your services, now get out before I shoot you."
"What! I haven't even gotten to kiss Bianchi! Or that little doll!"
"Well, if you want to kiss Tsumi-chan you'll have to wait until she's changed into her usual clothes."
"Fine, fine. Just hurry up, sweetheart! I have other women to charm!"
Tsuna bolted for his room and swiftly changed into shorts and a big t-shirt with a leopard on the front. He washed off the make-up with soap Bianchi pointed out earlier, and gingerly took off the powerfully clinging wig. He swallowed hard and shuffled down the stairs and poked his head into the room.
"There she is! Tsumi-chan! You're really a tomboy? Reborn, you didn't have to dress her up, you know I don't care about that!"
The baby simply smirked and hopped into his students messy hair. "This, Shamal, is Sawada Tsunayoshi, the only boss candidate for the Vongola and therefore the future Don of the underworld. You should probably treat him with respect considering it's me who is training him."
Shamal froze, jaw dropped. "You sure this kid's a boy?"
Reborn nodded and his air of amusement only sharpened, and Shamal ran a nonchalant hand through his strangely Gokudera-like hair. "I guess I'll have to kill him for tricking me."
"Hiiee! Wh-what!? This isn't my fault! Saying no to Reborn is like telling a tornado to please destroy the next town over instead!"
Shamal paused and then nodded. "True. I still want to kill you."
"... Thank you for treating me," Tsuna said with a deadpan voice. "The homicidal feeling is starting to be mutual, now please get out."
Reborn cocked his Leon-gun and pointed it at Shamal. "Yes, get out. I still have other forms of torture for my student to go through today."
Tsuna whimpered at the mollified look on the doctor's face.
. . .
Gokudera remained unconscious for the rest of that evening. Tsuna carried him upstairs to his bedroom, privately amused by the change in situation, and made sure the bomber was nice and comfortable in bed.
True to his word, Reborn forced Tsuna to 'run every street in Namimori' while wearing a 36 pound two piece skin-tight and flesh colored body suit that had the boy squinting at his tutor. It was exactly like what Nobu had him run around and exercise in. Was Reborn in contact with his teacher? The thought was both hopeful and a source of pain because he hadn't heard from Nobu yet. The man didn't even answer texts! By the time Tsuna came home he had to crawl the last block and passed out in his front yard.
Tsuna awoke to a crying Lambo poking him with a stick. Seeing the 'adult' that had taken better care of him than anyone back in Bovino open his eyes had Lambo launching himself at Tsuna and clinging to the teen's torso. Tsuna was too beyond a lot of movement to do much more than lift a hand and pat the kid's voluminous and bizarre Hammer Space hair. Seriously, how could he sink his arm up to his elbow into that afro? Some bizarre Bovino experiment? Wait, bad thought...
Later that night, when Tsuna was settling on a floor-bound futon in his room as Gokudera was still unconscious in his bed, the bomber awoke with a choked yelp and lurched up so fast he nearly fell onto Tsuna. His face was red in the moonlight and he looked sweaty. It was a sight that worried Tsuna. Was he sick? Did kissing him make him sick!? Oh, Kami.
"J-Juudaime!"
Tsuna jumped up and slapped a hand over his friend's mouth. "Shh! The kids are asleep. If you wake them you're staying up until they're asleep again. Now, are you okay?"
"Y-yes, boss. You were treated, right? That pervert didn't do anything, right?"
"Threatened to kill me when he found out my gender," Tsuna said, and once more pushed his hand against the bomber's mouth to silence the angry shout that followed. "But yeah, I'm better, and you don't have to worry. Shamal won't do anything. He was satisfied with Reborn planning a hellish training session for me."
Gokudera slumped from relief. "Good... that bastard has a lot of diseases that could really mess you up, Juudaime. If you ever have to deal with him again I'll have to be by your side. I was his student, I know some of his patterns."
Tsuna smiled. "Not a problem. I won't bother with him again unless he messes with my friends."
A grimace darkened the bomber's face. "That may be sooner than you think. He'll stay here for a few months, scoping out girls and trying to get into their pants."
There was a five second long heavy silence before the rigid smile on Tsuna's face changed and Gokudera shivered at the poison in it. "Let's see him try anything on Hana, Kyoko, and my madre. His mosquito's won't be able to touch me. Hell, he won't have any left when I'm through with him."
Gokudera chuckled nervously and agreed. That smile was the only thing about his boss that was honestly scary, and so far he'd seen it once on Nana when she swooped in to break up a few bullies bothering Fuuta and that stupid cow. Must run in her side of the family.
. . .
Tsuna was content to ignore the entire Skullitus incident and pretend that his friend didn't know anything, but three days later Gokudera dragged Tsuna into a park they were passing and immediately took hold of the brunet's hands.
"Juudaime, you can punish me for pulling you along like that, but I've waited long enough to say this." The sincerity in those richly colored eyes once more shook Tsuna to the core. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You are not dirty, you are not a freak. You're my boss, my... my f-friend, and I can't let you keep thinking of yourself like that!" Gokudera bowed his head, shadowing those mesmerizing eyes. "You accepted me without a fight, Juudaime, me who is hotheaded and lets his impulses get the better of him, and you... you're too good to think of yourself in such a bad way!"
Gokudera lifted his head and his eyes widened at Tsuna's face. The Decimo couldn't fathom what his friend saw, whether it was the tears beginning to drip down his cheeks, or the sheer relief and happiness he felt beginning to make calm breathing difficult. Whatever it was, Gokudera's face pinked and the bomber gained a determined look before he pulled Tsuna into a firm hug.
"F-forgive me for being forward, Juudaime, but... you look like you need this, and... an aspiring Right Hand* provides for his boss," said Gokudera, voice soft and remarkably comforting.
Tsuna's heart had been pounding since Gokudera set those serious, hopeful eyes on him, but the words that came after and the hug undid him. As much a he pretended the Skullitus Incident hadn't happened he still worried, he still felt filthy and so confused over any unwanted romantic thought about his male friends (and sparring-buddy, who may not appreciate the word 'friend'), and he couldn't shake the thought that there was something wrong with him despite online research telling him otherwise.
This, however, this is exactly what he could not get through internet chat rooms and message boards, this in-his-face assurance of support and physical comfort.
At first Tsuna was relaxed, almost boneless in the hug from the pleasant shock, but when Gokudera's arms tightened slightly, moving to awkwardly rub his back, Tsuna shivered and quickly returned the hug with an almost desperate air. His hands came up to fist the back of his friend's thin summer jacket and Tsuna turned his head to hide his face against the bomber's chest. He missed the way Gokudera trembled momentarily, and didn't pay any mind to the way his friend pulled him closer and hunched over slightly, like a living shield.
That sword freak is right... Juudaime does give the best hugs.
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OMAKE:
An Extra in which Tsuna uses first names in emotional, important instances.
Gokudera has trouble with letting Tsuna know what he wants to do since he keeps saying Whatever Juudaime wants! I'll follow you until the day I die! or something along those lines.
Fed up with his bomber trying to make everything about [him], the exasperated teen paused in walking around the mall with him and Takeshi. He grabbed the Storm's wrist and promptly pulled him to the side and mostly out of sight with a grinning Takeshi 'keeping guard'. He, like Hana, Reborn and Kyoko, all saw this harmless confrontation coming a mile away.
Pink in the face from such a simple touch, Gokudera looked quite speechless as he watched Tsuna and he almost squeaked when Tsuna reached up and took his face in his hands to guide him down close enough for one of the most intimate experiences of his life. Tsuna pressed his forehead to Gokudera's, his rich amber eyes staring into dark sea green with a soft and patient look. Slowly Gokudera's face went from pink to red and he began making noises that were weak attempts at words.
"Are you going to listen, Hayato-kun?"
This time Gokudera did make a sound, just a little meep as his face somehow gained a redder tint. He managed to nod slightly with his forehead remaining in contact with his Juudaime.
"Good. Part of being in mine and my madre's family, Hayato-kun, is telling me what you need and what you want to do while out on little adventures like this. You need to know that I want you to tell me if there's something you want to check out, or if you're suddenly hungry after seeing a food stand. You are just as important as my other friends, remember that. I'm not, and nor will I ever, turn around and decide you mean less or are nothing to me. You are important to me, Hayato-kun."
Gokudera a profound look of vulnerability as he stared down into Tsuna's warm eyes. If Tsuna hadn't expected tears he would have panicked when his friend began to weep in a tellingly quiet way as he pulled back and walked off two yards. He stood hunched and pressed to a wall with his back to Tsuna, and while usually the future Decimo would leave someone to their theatrics, this was genuine and his big heart had him walk right over, turn his bomber around, and wrap him in a tight, warm hug where he rubbed Gokudera's back. Gokudera meeped again and froze in a similar way to the odd happening between Tsuna and Hibari, but his arms did slowly lift up and cradle Tsuna as though he were made of glass.
When Takeshi asked if everything was alright Gokudera nearly escaped his Juudaime's hold but the Sky had an iron grip he could admire and Tsuna said it was okay, keep guarding. Instead of letting the moment go Tsuna whispered that it was okay to cry, it isn't weakness and in fact it's a universal way of communication, So cry and know that I won't let anyone bother you. Gokudera's breath caught and he felt so much writhing and clawing in his chest that he could do nothing more than hunch further and hide his face in his boss's delicate shoulder.
Two minutes later Gokudera had gotten a hold of himself and pulled back to wipe at his face. The Juudaime had the patience of a saint to deal with his tears.
"I-I'm sorry... Tsu..." Gokudera held his breath and ducked his head. "My sincerest apologies Tsu-Tsuna-sama!"
A long moment of silence dragged Gokudera's attention up to see his Juudaime's reaction, and the sight of such a warm, proud (and affectionate?) smile on his face, lighting up those beautiful eyes, turned the bomber's knees to mush and only through sheer obstinacy did he remain standing. No need to embarrass the Juudaime with his weakness, weakness his boss accepted with no hint of disgust. Still, making the boss feel awkward is to be avoided if possible.
"Come on, Hayato-kun, let's go check out that electronics store. I saw you eyeballing it."
Gokudera's face lit up like the American 4th of July.
In the shadows, waving a Leon-fan with a slight smirk, Reborn watched Tsuna pretty much light up that area of the mall with an earnest grin, his Sky Presence powerful and soothing. The hitman watched the affect on several people, all no doubt in tune with their own Flame on some level, as they relaxed and smiled just a bit more. Even Reborn himself felt a sliver of relaxation wash over him. The only thing Iemitsu was completely truthful about in his report was that Tsuna was a growing Sky with possibly limitless potential. This was intriguing and worrying to the Sun Arcobaleno.
The seven strongest are chosen to continue supporting the Tri-ni-set and no one is strong enough to go against Checkerface.
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* Gokudera realizes that Tsuna already has something of a capable Right Hand in Hana, but he's determined to become Tsuna's right hand. Then again that doesn't mean I'll be making him Tsuna's Right Hand, it's still a part of his character, just... less so.