Lireach This chapter, actually. xD Too much time at home, and I wanna cover 'two weeks till court date' in two more chapters before covering that then…well, the next kiss. Kanberry Haha, not really? Read chapter 325 today, and I find him pretty…interesting. And I do love me some drugged Tsuna. :) Scary; so does everyone else that it kinda worries me. XxMiss427ShootingStarxX Unfortunately, yes. We have just gotten over the Cozart and Daemon and whatever arc, and then we have little mini-arcs until the wedding. And I'm glad I inspire you; I'll get around to reading your works when I have time between updates. Iloveme264 Hmm, I think I overdid it quite a bit, honestly. Stormypeach1396 Haha; I try to get an update in at least once a week. Though since I have two other projects I'm working on now + some comics that are in grave need of updating, we'll see where that takes me. Mel-Chama The odd thing is, I have so much free time to write outside of school, but on school days I just can't bring myself to write. Just don't wanna bother with it, until you know, bed time where I apparently get in the mood to write. That being the case, I pull an all-nighter most of the times on Friday nights to finish the chapter, then spend about two in the morning to reply to reviews. Dremagon So far, I do love it. Once Enma comes around, Giotto will be on his knees begging the poor kid to tell him why Tsuna is as reserved as he is. Narutopokefan That's good. Enjoy the next chapter! Nekoboy44 I think I had another song for you to listen to, actually. I'd love to see your drawings, and uh, do you have an MSN account? I'll PM you my email if you wanna talk and I can give you some advice. FaerieDemon Oh, just wait for it. AlaudeD18 love triangle that makes a cameo in the next chapter. I think different types of medicine drives Tsuna over the edge. He's just forward and blunt when it comes to his flu prescription, yet incredibly rude and can't stand on his own two feet when it comes to DW pills. The Tylenol/Advil makes him very, "Don't y'all get up all in mah grill," too. He's just…very lacking in the tolerance, haha. Fionaroxz Haha, thank you very much. Totalamuto Well, at least he's fine by the end of the chapter. Though we won't know what Dino and Giotto actually talked about for another couple chapters. Ezcap1st So far one's a little drunk and the other's…well, kinda crazy. Lenah Kaus B.A.M Oh dear. Tsuna on top? That cracked me up quite a bit. ZirciX That's very sweet, but no, haha. I'm a junior in high school and the youngest in my class. And I think it's fun to reply to reviewers; especially in this format. Cracks me up how large or small the wall gets. Mina Hikari Depends. Do DW Pills count as illegal drugs? Aha. xxxKimi-chan There are a couple things involving Cozart that have come to my mind, honestly. After the grave, not quite sure how often he's gonna be dished out, it's kind of…ufuu-y. KChoco Haha, that's good? In the middle of chapter 325 of the manga, I squealed and freaked out aloud. That like…never happens. Anello di Tempesta Just little itty bitty details. When writing that chapter and the one before it, I wanted to convey it not like a flashback, but as if there was a different story being told. C: Breathless02 Well. There's a lot of Tsuna in this chapter, and yeah. He was on his medication; I don't think a sober Tsuna would eagerly saddle in Giotto's lap. XXxKHRObsessionxXX Giotto's hate is a recurring theme in the story. …I can't wait until he meets Lambo. pHIL Thank you. :) fan girl 666 Thanks! Red-gold-pink-yellow If you think about it, literally half the couples in this story are completely crack and made up due to me screwing them up. xD PurpleBlue23 You wanna know something funny? I laughed that you reviewed after Red-gold-pink-yellow, because you two have color-themed names. It was cute. Giotto has a lot of skeletons in his closet, ehe. Lonelyxdream Their love is fun to write. Just gotta wrap my mind around the fact that I'm actually writing incest, and then we'll all be good. xD;; Hanori Shiki I'm short and adorable and tiny, if that counts for anything. G is just a softie; I really just wanna marry him. Is it strange that I find him hot and adorable, but…I'm just kinda "meh" when it comes to Gokudera? xD Soulfightersu It's very sweet; I do love how Tsuna kinda just invites himself into Giotto's bed, but in a tender way, not a horny 'MUST HAVE YOU NAO' kinda way. xD Fire Princess21 I doubt you'll get found out, haha. Rachel-chanx3 It was really sweet and cute. xD I kinda wanted to complete the "rainbow" and make all of them different ethnicities. So, G and Giotto are Italian, Alaude's French, Knuckle is Spanish, and that makes Daemon British. Couldn't think of anything else that fit him—maybe French, in tribute to Napoleon? Eyes17k I know; that's the fun part in writing this story. C': copycat-capcyot Quite honestly the way Daemon dumped Giotto didn't do it well enough for me. Wasn't written in the way that I wanted, so it's kinda 'meh.' G's just kinda silly; I love writing him sort of idiotically before you see him being…motherly to Tsuna. Sonicfreak68 Don't look it up. Let's just say it's the inside of the anus, and that should keep you from scarring yourself for life. Band class? Whatcha play? I'm a flutie. :) miriohao Really now? I've been worried that I made his character a bit too vulnerable, haha. Anonymouslyawesome Haha. You tell me: do you think Tsuna would honestly tackle Giotto like that while he wasn't medicated? Suzuru Seiyo A godfather is basically someone who baptizes the child; but in the sense I'm using it, Daemon is basically like a father or like an uncle to Mukuro, but they're not related, yet have the title.
chapter twenty-five has school and work.
Back on his feet, Tsuna had made a full recovery after one torturous weekend dealing with his…affectionate brothers ("DINO! WHY IS MY BATHROOM FAUCET BENT IN THE SHAPE OF A HEART?" "Er, I'm talented at being uncoordinated?"), and found himself playing peacemaker between the pair while his eldest hopped around the house in good nature and a cheerful smile until the middle would come home and have another conniption ("I didn't do it this time, I swear!" "Do you really think Tsuna is capable of dropping a grilled cheese sandwich, then tripping over it, then skidding across the living room, then sliding over the stairs and getting the cat's head stuck in the banister?"), and he would try not to break into a smile.
Every time Dino poked Giotto's boundaries, Giotto simply shed another bit of sanity in favor of the elder brother—something that made him seem…so very, very human.
Giotto had to go to work and with G in Shimon, Dino became Tsuna's temporary babysitter. According to Giotto, the elder blond was not allowed to leave the house (technically, step into the elevator), which meant that their nice new apartment was constantly under attack by a klutzy, bubbly billionaire with no sense of direction. When Kyoko-chan visited, Tsuna was luckily in the shower or asleep at the time.
Finally, it led to Monday morning, where Tsuna could finally go to school and face the wrath of his sadistic math teacher. Trudging down the stairs in a school uniform Tsuna felt he hadn't worn in ages, he was met with the sight of Dino-san in the kitchen, humming a rendition of 'My Girl.'
"Are you…" Tsuna suddenly panicked, instinctively reaching for the half-empty fire extinguisher when he realized what his older brother was doing. "Are you making pancakes?"
"Tsuna!" The blond whirled around, wearing a ridiculous apron that read, 'This Apron Belongs on Your Floor,' and cheerfully grinned before sliding a third, unbelievably small pancake onto a plate and putting the pan in the sink. "It's Monday, and I thought I would see you off to school. Is that alright?"
"Er, y-yeah." The brunet nodded uncertainly, gaze flowing to the various different egg cartons and flour that littered the kitchen counter. Giotto's stress levels being more pressed than Gokudera and his non-existent relationship with Yamamoto, Tsuna had a feeling that their temporary rapture wouldn't last long.
Which proved itself when the last door squeaked open, and a flurry of footsteps barricaded the door like an entire army. Tsuna whirled around, pancakes forgotten as a blur of sunny blond hair caught his sight. Giotto hopped the last two or three steps, and he darted to the pair, obvious worry crossing his face.
"Tsuna," breathed the younger adult. Dashing orbs relit with a fire Tsuna hadn't seen in almost three weeks, and he felt the red raise to his face. Giotto managed to pull off blue, silk pajamas without it looking outrageously tacky. Dino, on the other hand, was questionable after the apron. "I caught you before school. Good."
"Do you need something?" Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed with much concern, blush forgotten as he pressed a hand to Giotto's forehead. Giotto…hadn't caught his flu, had he? "Are you feeling alright?"
Dino let out a low whistle. "He isn't exactly known as a morning person, little brother. I think you're the best thing to come into his life since…well, anything, I suppose."
"Shut up," Giotto half-grumbled, half-moaned. He flashed a small smile, before arching an eyebrow. "Looks like you're growing again."
"I…I am?" Tsuna looked up to his brother in surprise before realizing that yes, he didn't have to look him in the eye with a stiff neck. Realizing he had a hand to the other's face, he recoiled, eyes darting to the ground as his cheeks swelled red again.
"Yeah…Damn."
"You're swaying." Giotto really wasn't a morning person. Following their time together, it would be the first day Tsuna had to walk to school from their new apartment, and Giotto looked less capable of feeding their cat, let alone wake up at seven in the morning. Tsuna pushed hair out of his brother's face, from contorting his lips before he humbly smiled. "Just…go back to sleep."
"Someone's…gotta drive you to sc—"
"I'll walk." Eep. Tsuna clasped a hand over his mouth, eyes widening a bit in his own surprise, and backed away before hesitantly unveiling his own lips. "Er…I-I mean…"
"Tsuna…" Giotto's eyebrows furrowed with concern. Funny. Even before the Enma incident, Giotto had been more casual in their conversations; light, flirty, and very forward with his advances. His brother now was being tender and had doted on him since the taxi drive to their new apartment. Suddenly the blond's tone took a different approach, backtracking Tsuna's analysis. "Do you have a problem with my driving?"
"O-Of course not! I just…eek." Tsuna shuffled between his feet. "I just…I like walking. That's why I woke up earlier than usual—I-I'll be fine. I promise."
Immediately the look disappeared from Giotto's face, replaced with an emotion he couldn't quite place. "The last time I left you alone," the blond muttered, "you ran away."
Right. Guilt flooded the teenager's mind, heart tightening in his lungs as the reminder of their excursion returned. The past weekend, Giotto had been nothing but livid, sly, and childish when it came to their big brother, but that all in its own was a complete change. Seeing Giotto in Shimon—broken, stressed, and at a loss to spoken words—then exacerbating the situation for his older brother by ignoring phone calls and deliberately not telling him where he was going.
I can't trust you.
Giotto had all reason not to trust him. But…but…
"I could drive him—"
"No." Tsuna and Giotto answered in unison, albeit the brunet's a little less assertive. He learned in more than one ways what the definition of 'homewrecker' was during the weekend and the odds that the entire building hadn't collapsed due to some freak accident yet was a miracle.
Still, with a pouting brother like Dino, at least the mood lightened just a little. Giotto's hand landed on Tsuna's shoulder, almost what the brunet dubbed as instinctive protection, just as the doorbell rang.
"That must be that Kyoko girl and her brother." Dino leaned over the counter and smiled sweetly. "Does that work out for you, little brother? The little guy can walk to school with the Sasagawas, and you won't have to worry about him."
"I don't like the idea of our little brother stringing along a poor, innocent girl."
"Well—he can't just ignore her, right?"
Tsuna paled. No, absolutely not. That was not a good idea. Disregarding his woe, the teenager decided better not to put himself in the middle of another of Dino and Giotto's quarrels and answered the doorbell. Yamamoto. Eyes widening in disbelief, he craned his neck to the much taller teen and dropped his hand to his side. "H…Hey."
"Haha. Hey, Tsuna. Wow, this is your new apartment? It's really, really, big!" Before he knew it, Yamamoto was hovering over his shoulder and looking inside. "And it's by elevator. Wow, that's a lot safer than nitty-gritty stairs, isn't it?"
"What are you doing here?" A sigh of relief escaped the shorter teenager's mouth, and he opened the door wider for both Dino and Giotto to see. They stopped their argument immediately in favor of the giant, sharing looks of surprise. Considering all of the possibilities, Tsuna paled, eyebrows furrowed. "You…didn't walk all the way over here from Yamamoto Sushi, did you?"
"What walk?" Yamamoto tilted his head curiously and gestured out the window. "We live right across the street, Tsuna. And then Master Asari Ugetsu said that you were moving into the penthouse up here. Giotto-san ordered sushi yesterday; didn't you notice?"
At the mention of the middle brother, Tsuna turned his head, small frown working on his face while Giotto shrugged with quaint amusement. He turned back, struggling for a smile, and clung to his backpack tightly. "Do you…want to walk to school together?"
"Wouldn't have it any other way—" Whack! "—Ow!"
"Eek." Tsuna took a step back, genuinely surprised at the flash of silvery-white hair and the hard slap that was so powerful it took down his tallest friend before realizing what was going on. He looked up, eyes doubling twice their size before looking to—"G-Gokudera-kun?"
"Gokudera, that hurt." Yamamoto pouted, taking hold of his face with just a bit of mirth visible as Gokudera-kun scowled. "What are you doing here? You live on the other side of town!"
"Which," seethed the hothead, "would be why I fucking woke up this early in the morning to pick up Giotto-san's little brother! The Tenth!"
"You're on speaking terms with Tsuna now?"
"What the fuck do you mean, 'speaking terms'? While you were out with your fucking boyfriend, I was helping this kid with his math homework! Do you know how completely incompetent he is? He didn't know that the fucking square root of eleven-million, one hundred-eight thousand, eight hundred-and-eighty-eight was three-thousand, three-hundred thirty-three!"
Who knew that? Tsuna opened his mouth to speak, but—
"What? But the square of three-thousand, three-hundred thirty-three is eleven-million, one-hundred eight-thousand, eight-hundred-and-eighty-nine, Gokudera."
"That—I—" Was he seriously pulling out a calculator for this?
Tsuna turned around, eyes having doubled in horror to Giotto and Dino, who both held the same looks of amusement. Dino had taken pity on his first youngest, and dragged the wobbly blond toward the loveseat to lie down. Not that they were settled, all eyes were on them. Pushing past the poor brunet, Gokudera hovered excruciatingly close to the poor boy with a large smile on his face.
"G-Giotto-san! Dino-san! Good morning! We're taking Sawada to school today; is that okay?"
"We're all going to walk together to school? Haha. I missed that." Yamamoto smiled in his usual way, and Tsuna didn't miss the way Gokudera tried to ignore his blush. Oblivious, the baseball player leaned closer to the shorter teenager, smile widening just a bit. "Missed hanging around you."
Er. "Missed you too." Tsuna smiled faintly, pink singing his cheeks as the taller patted him affectionately on the head. He forgot—hanging around Gokudera made him cautious more than usual, but Yamamoto treated him like a gentleman to his girlfriend.
"Go ahead and take him to school," chirped Dino. One glance at the pair and the brunet found his eldest brother giving his older brother a back massage. "This one's gotta be coaxed back to sleep. As you can see, he isn't the chippest person in the morning."
Nuts must have agreed, immediately clawing at the couch before Giotto took pity on the poor creature and set him on his back. He looked straight to Tsuna, expression tired and stern all the same. "You've also got work to come to afterward, little brother. Do you need me to pick you up?"
Uh. Tsuna held back a look of hesitation, torn between two options. Originally he'd gotten the job to give the money to Enma, but now with the possibility of his best friend coming to live with them…and the fear that a cranky Giotto would be driving him places, it wasn't a good idea. His only alternative, after all, was the other big brother.
"You mean the big building around the corner?" Yamamoto and he were now much closer than before, something he hadn't noticed. He forgot how secure the athlete had pushed their relationship, and how much it'd come to his liking. "I could walk him if you want, Giotto-niisan. Ever since the bullying incident—"
"We should get going now." With all the strength he could conjure, Tsuna pushed his friends out the door, sparing Giotto one glance as the blond looked up, a knowing look spread across his complexion while Dino took confusion. He looked neither one in the eye, instead slamming the door shut and in effort, locked it with his new house key. A sigh of relief escaped his lips once confirming neither brother would go after them, and guided them toward the elevator with a shy smile. "Hi."
"Hi back." Yamamoto chuckled while Gokudera begrudgingly grunted, which was how the brunet found himself stuck in the middle of both teenagers. "I'm surprised. Didn't your brother ever wonder how you sprained your ankle?"
"His…boyfriend showed a bit more concern." Suddenly feeling hoarse, Tsuna lowered his head until his chin met his chest, and shrugged. It had happened over a month ago—when Giotto and he didn't even see eye-to-eye. Readjusting to his schedule had proven slightly difficult, but the key rules were set: his curfew was at six, and, uh, Giotto's love—sex—life wasn't an open topic. The rules had been made so long ago, however, that he was beginning to wonder if they still applied.
Certainly working as Giotto's little assistant for a while cancelled out the first problem. Finally, the last of his brothers for the day (a relief for his own sanity) was left in one conversation—
"I can't remember—did you always have a habit of falling over things?" Giotto.
"Er—normally someone's there to catch me. Hehe." Dino.
Getting into the elevator, Tsuna couldn't help the little giggle or two that escaped his lips. He placed a hand over his mouth, obviously amused, but out of range from his two brothers, it was almost a…saddening silence. When it came to Dino, Tsuna finally understood that no, he was not the most uncoordinated punk on that side of the planet, but he sure shared the same prone-to-accidents lack of balance (thankfully to a lesser degree), and that the Vongola brothers were incredibly close.
Somehow he found it hard to believe Giotto could ever have G's serene demeanor or the smile-crinkles around his eyes despite a daring frown. Then, the origin of 'little brother' was finally shed under light, which was a little confusing when Dino used it. Somehow between each bruise and bump, he'd become the 'little guy,' and watching Giotto be downsized by his brother was…cute. Very cute.
"So," Yamamoto started, interrupting the shorter teenager's thoughts. "What's going down with Kozato? Is he going to be alright?"
Tsuna cocked his head, amusement wrinkling into trouble as his hands tightened over the straps of his backpack. In the corner of his eye, he saw Gokudera's attention elsewhere, but tight lips showed even the hothead was interested.
"I…" his eyebrows furrowed, cheeks heating. "Enma's going through a rough patch with his family, and G-san's trying to make sure he gets through it. If all goes well, then…" He couldn't resist the smile that beamed across his face. "Then he'll be coming here. To Namimori."
Nether boy spoke.
Tsuna looked up to them, eyes flickering with much worry as each boy looked at him with worry. "Is something wrong?"
It took him by surprise, watching the usual affection Yamamoto held for Gokudera blossom into a different form, much older into adoration. Even Gokudera blushed (though since their meeting this morning, Tsuna had a hard time believing this was the same boy who threatened to castrate him), and he looked away, pride as high as his nose as he pretended again that he wasn't interested.
Maybe kissing math books messed with the brain. And. Er. Maybe mentioning math books around Gokudera would be suicide for a while.
"Just happy for you, haha. You're a lucky to have your best friend follow you wherever." One that didn't pack quite a punch, too. Tsuna shivered while Yamamoto warmly patted him on the shoulder. "You two…are you two sure you're not dating?"
"Just because they're best friends, you fucking baseball idiot," Gokudera whirled around, eyes widening at least three times and fervent pink spreading—exploding across his cheeks, "does not mean that they're dating! This is fucking real life and in fucking real life, the guy and the girl-next-door don't always end up together!"
"But…Gokudera, I'm gay. Ooh, since we technically live across the street from each other, that makes us neighbors, Tsun—"
"You don't live next door to each other! And you're not best friends!" Apparently realizing he was overreacting, the silver-haired teenager snapped mid-through his fit before jolting out the elevator and stomping ahead, leaving two confused boys in his quake.
"I'm…," Tsuna stammered, unsure of what to say. In fact, he was dreading the sudden change in Gokudera-kun—more than trembling in the guy's denial rather than acceptance. Acceptance? Tsuna was going to die before the next two weeks were up! "I'm so sorry."
And Yamamoto being Yamamoto, only laughed, hands stuffed in his pockets. "For what? It's not your fault. Besides, haha. Don't you find it kind of cute?"
Cute? Of course the only person who could handle Hayato, the Ticking Time Bomb was the passive-aggressive baseball player that managed to keep a calm demeanor in the face of danger. Tsuna heaved a sigh, and they followed after Gokudera discussing nothing in particular. "So, uh. I'm sorry that…Gokudera-kun and I intruded on your date. G said that it'd be best to stay out of the house, and—Gokudera-kun is sort of his…right-hand man, I guess?"
"My date," Yamamoto repeated, vapid. As the thought finally crossed his mind, he broke into the biggest smile Tsuna had ever seen. "Oh, with Mochida-senpai! Don't worry, haha. We kinda just went with things after you and Gokudera ran away—"
"Did not run away!" Oh, jeez—and the tornado terror could still hear them. "Don't tell the Tenth shitty lies!"
"How is your relationship with Mochida-senpai going, then?" Tsuna quickly changed the subject, desperately (and fearfully) trying not to roll his eyes as they stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to turn green so they could change blocks.
"It's great. I get to see him every single day because of club activities. He even thinks I could try out for the kendo team—why are you giving me that look?" Yamamoto's face furrowed with concern while Tsuna tensed like a deer caught in headlights.
"It's, er, nothing."
"Aw, Tsuna, who do you mistake me for? Gokudera—"
"Is that an implication on my gentlemanly personality?" What gentlemanly personality? Once! Tsuna'd seen Hayato Gokudera act like a gentleman once upon meeting the guy's girlfriend (a juicy piece of gossip going around saying they'd broken up, something he shouldn't have really cared for) and—eep. He hated it when Gokudera-kun glared at them like that.
They lucked out when the hothead of their trio got stuck on the other side of the road, and apparently decided to wait patiently for Tsuna and Yamamoto. The brunet took the chance to turn fully to his new neighbor, eyebrows furrowed and guilty of examining the relationship put forth.
"Well?" Yamamoto's query was gentle. Instead of sounding angered, he seemed genuinely curious.
"You don't seem happy." Tsuna's voice was scratchy, bits of monotone stemming at his tongue. He looked to his grimy sneakers and felt ashamed. But he knew he had a point, and for the guy who…who reached out to him and was his first friend at Namimori, Tsuna didn't want to didn't want to see his broken heart.
"But…I am happy, Tsuna."
"But you're not…in love." His cheeks flared with obvious red, hands fiddling with the straps of his backpack. He'd seen it. He'd seen the way Nana would giddily fling herself into the arms of Iemitsu the moment he came into the room, or even the flirty glances shared between Alaude and Giotto when they thought the other wasn't looking. At the first mention of Cozart in five years, G's eyes were far in the distance, cruel and broken despite the fact Tsuna had no idea why. Even at the mention of Bianchi, whose food was apparently a better poison than a fumigation team, G spoke fondly. "You wouldn't want to spend your entire life with someone you're not in love with. Right?"
Yamamoto didn't notice his internal struggle. "Mochida-senpai is high school, Tsuna. Why would I think that far ahead?"
"So you wanna get in a relationship for the sake of being in a relationship, rather than going for someone who you'd love to spend the rest of your life with? Like Goku—" He'd said too much. Tsuna's eyes widened in horror—what was he thinking? Who was he to patronize a guy he'd only known for two months? No…His eyebrows furrowed, hand slowly sliding away from his lips, and looked up to Yamamoto, frown set. He was giving an opinion to a friend. Even if they didn't know each other long, Yamamoto had been his first friend since Enma, and Enma was always forward with him. Couldn't he do the same? "S-Sorry…I…sorry."
As the signal beamed green, Yamamoto and he crossed toward an impatient Gokudera in silence. Violent green eyes looked between them, apparently off-put, but said nothing and led the way.
Great, just great. Tsuna groaned to himself. Why was he so stupid? There was no need to cross the line with Yamamoto, and…ever since how they met, Tsuna should have known that the subject was sensitive. He didn't expect for Yamamoto to quietly jerk him when they met at a corner, waiting patiently for the hedge of silver hair to disappear.
"I…I'm sorry." Maybe it was too soon for him to go to school. His mind was still filled with taking care of Enma and Giotto and—he couldn't handle the stress. At least, not with his education on the line and Yamamoto and Gokudera's not-but-really-is-a-romance.
Yamamoto wasn't mad. "I think it's the first time you and I have ever had a conversation where you barely stuttered, haha."
What? Tsuna looked up, taken aback by the curt grin spread across Yamamoto's face.
"You were really shy whenever you first came—and the times I got to see your brother, you wouldn't look him in the eye. You know you smile a little whenever he looks at you? Haha. You seem so sure of yourself now—oh, maybe not. You don't have to look at me like that, we're friends now. I'm jealous of you, Tsuna. And it's a compliment—please, take my envy."
"Yamamoto—"
"I still love him." The taller teenager's voice dropped to a considerably quiet tone, laugh having disappeared in favor of a tender smile and a small shrug. "But he's my first love. You can't exactly forget that—not in high school."
"What do you plan on doing then?" Tsuna fidgeted nervously and looked down to the ground. "Sorry. Don't mean to pry."
"No, no. It's fine, haha." Yamamoto flashed a grin despite his broken heart and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Mochida-senpai is supposed to be my way of moving on. I can't stand Gokudera feeling paranoid at my…'creepy crush' on him, and I've been trying to move on, so that sense of trust can come back."
There was a much deeper meaning when it came to Yamamoto and Gokudera's relationship. Even now stuck in the middle, Tsuna had no clue what extent their friendship transcended, and Gokudera managed to confuse the heck out of him even when making sense. Everyone else Tsuna knew was already in a relationship, or had come out of one with fond memories. Yamamoto and Gokudera, on the other hand, were struggling with it.
"Do you still…feel…" The brunet's voice never felt so tiny in his throat. "Do you still feel…you know, that way? When we first met, when you were contemplating—"
"Oh, of course not." Just because he smiled didn't mean Yamamoto hadn't cut him off without a good reason. Tsuna watched the taller teenager shift uncomfortably under his gaze, and felt a little out of it himself. Normally others were the one being authoritative, not the other way around. "I haven't thought about…that in ages. Wasn't exactly the best first impression, right? Haha…"
The laughter was drowned out by silence. Tsuna offered a shrug, not knowing what to say. Finally, he gestured to their last turn before they reached the school. "Gokudera-kun might be waiting for us."
Yamamoto only nodded. "I know."
Just as predicted, Gokudera had been waiting against a neatly-trimmed bush, one hand tucked in pants that were against school regulation and cigarette in the other. The expression on his face was unreadable and just like how they'd left the house, Tsuna was squished between both friends like cream in Oreos. Complete and utter silence. No one said a thing as they approached the school, filled with students Tsuna felt like he hadn't seen in ages. He humored himself, reminded of Chrome-san and Fran-san, both who looked like they were in middle school, yet one actually had a medical degree and the other was…well, she was saner compared to most of them.
Like any other day, Yamamoto said his goodbyes (to later meet up with them in the classroom) and joined his fellow jocks, leaving Gokudera and Tsuna by their lonesome.
H-He just didn't expect for Gokudera to be following him like a lost puppy.
For the beginning of the day, going from class-to-class, Tsuna had a tall shadow hovering over him, eyes glaring holes in the poor boy's back as he desperately fought for privacy—locker room, restroom, library—and it was confirmed. Instead of being the loner the brunet pegged him to be, Gokudera tagged behind him, expression grim and the scent of cigarettes heavy on his person. Tsuna had no clue what to do or say, panicking in every way possible as he realized Gokudera was staring at him.
School was boring. Surprisingly, Gokudera caught him up with all the homework he missed, and it almost seemed…easier. Until all of his teachers decided to dish out completely new material, which left the brunet miserable and suffering again.
"D-Do I have something on my face?" Tsuna turned bright pink, then looked at the dish of sushi Yamamoto's father had prepared for him.
Wanton, the other boy's emerald eyes studied him as if he was an alien from another planet. "No. Not at all."
Lunch. There were only three more hours of school after lunch, and with Yamamoto being his escort rather than the little scary one, Tsuna would finally be able to breathe. Gokudera's quiet stares were becoming unnerving, and he was beginning to miss being the third wheel.
"Except—" Crap. "—I heard what you guys were talking about this morning."
Tsuna froze, eyes instinctively leading to the courtyard where Yamamoto was joking around with the Kendo club. For a moment, the tall teenager stopped, realizing he had an admirer, and cheerfully waved. Here he was, stuck in the middle of their…problems again, and a bit scared. Recalling the week of happenings after G's birthday, he remembered Yamamoto how broke the news…and there was a lot of yelling.
That part wasn't a surprise—Gokudera had a good set of lungs. Even occupied with Enma's wellbeing, however, his new friends priorities were too blatant to ignore. Gokudera challenged everything Yamamoto said, even the mild thoughts and comments the taller would make. Gokudera would say something, then Yamamoto would retort, make it sting in the right places, and then neither would speak.
And now, Tsuna realized, it was a habit for Gokudera to look away, forcibly occupying himself with other things despite the decadent blush that boiled in his cheeks. Ugh. It was the miniscule things like this that made him wonder when he traded the life of being a victim in favor of an overdramatic-slash-exuberant soap opera.
"I…" He wasn't sure what to say. "I-I don't think I can help you on this one."
"Because you're on his side?" When Gokudera bit, he chewed his prey out. Emerald green eyes blazing, he scowled menacingly at the brunet before deciding to behave himself like an obedient pup. "What do you guys talk about when I'm not around?"
There were very few times Gokudera actually allowed Yamamoto and Tsuna to be without him ever since the bullying incident. Something about drugs, crutches, and h-he apparently had a 'smartassing mouth,' whatever that meant.
Seeing as he wouldn't get his question answered (mostly because Tsuna was freaking out and debating on calling a morgue for his future funeral), Gokudera dropped his vivacious tone, shedding the aggression altogether. In a cautious moment, Tsuna held his sushi tightly and stuffed his mouth in attempt to avoid answering another personal question.
"Obviously that dolt is too gay to function. Doesn't know how to do a damn thing without me." The 'Ticking Time Bomb' was talking to himself. That was, until his demeanor favored completely neutral, and looked to Tsuna expectantly. "So? What was it that he was too much of a fag for? What was he thinking of that he couldn't go through with?"
Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed, and he thought back to his first full day in Namimori, when he ran away from his brother, inwardly venting his misery, before running into Ryohei and ultimately Yamamoto, who he thought was the perfect athlete—but who also thought that opinion a lie. "I…do you remember when he broke his arm?"
Gokudera nodded without a snarky comment, surprisingly.
Maybe it was common knowledge. As far as Tsuna knew, Yamamoto devoted his entire life to baseball, and was always at practice. So he shrugged, trying to make it as little of a deal as possible. "When we first met, he told me because he broke his arm, and he, er, failed at baseball, maybe his life wasn't worth living."
Wrong thing to say.
Tsuna knew that he was never good at words, and the possibility of things spiraling out of control in his life often happened—Giotto, Enma, Mama, Iemitsu, Lambo—but the way Gokudera's expression changed, shifting into absolute disgust, he should have known better.
Gokudera's calmness dropped, lips tight and grim. He stood, dropping the pack of cigarettes that sat casually in his lap along with the loaf of bread he'd been nibbling and marched through the mesh of people in the courtyard, warning no one in his path.
No. Oh, no, no, no! "Gokudera-kun—!"
SLAP.
The entire student body in their year silenced—all whom decided to eat lunch outside heard the sickening crack as Gokudera's hand made contact with Yamamoto's now-swollen cheek. Mochida-senpai stood from his seat, automatically checking over his boyfriend, but—
"The seven years we fucking know each other, I go get a girlfriend that smudges your damn baseball record, and because of that broken arm, the first thought you get is suicide?"
Yamamoto didn't need this treatment—no, not now, not ever. Even then, the baseball player looked to his best friend, brown eyes shimmering with confusion, and Tsuna darted for the pair.
He didn't like the way Yamamoto didn't come to his senses, or how those normally cheerful eyes stared him right in the face, mouth open only slightly with no true thing to say. Tsuna stared back, throat aching and body flushing with a rush of embarrassed heat as he grabbed Gokudera by the arm.
"That's enough," Tsuna stammered frightfully. No, no, no, no—they just needed to survive the next two weeks, then get Enma here—and the two weeks were just of going to school. Not…things spiraling out of control. "Calm down, Gokudera-kun—"
"And you don't even have the balls to tell me? Well?" The challenge was thick in the hothead's voice. And…Gokudera was shaking with anger. "You tell it to a little brat on the street, but not me? Say something, you moron!"
Thank the Gods, Yamamoto finally managed something—managed a frown. "Gokudera—"
"Screw you!" With a violent jerk, Tsuna found himself landing harshly on his butt and Gokudera marching off, griping about his cigarettes.
And everybody was staring at him with wide eyes. Crap.
A large hand caught Tsuna's sight, extended forth, and he looked to its owner with wide eyes. What idiot would offer him a hand after telling Gokudera-kun something that he actually didn't know?
"Are you alright?" Yamamoto. That was who.
"I-I…" No. Not at all. He just dug himself a deeper hole, over something he'd promised himself was not his problem. His mouth tasted funny. "I'm sorry."
Tsuna stood up on his own and immediately sprinted out the courtyard with spicy tuna dangerously oozing up his esophagus and threatening to spew at any minute. He needed to throw up.
Being the victim was always easy. All you had to do was lay there, eyes closed, and count backwards from a thousand until they finished kicking you in the stomach. But being the perpetrator, ruining a friendship so deep—made kicks in the stomach seem like butterflies.
OoOoO
"How'd the surgery go?"
"Fine—you could have called a few days ago when he got it. Now all we're looking for is a vocal coach. The kid just doesn't speak."
"He can't speak or he won't speak?"
Silence. "That's not very funny, Giotto."
"Didn't mean for it to be funny." Giotto pinched the bridge of his nose, a frustrated sigh escaping his lips as he looked at his personal phone and its caller. It had to be his favorite picture of his best friend—grouchy, scowling and shoving the blond away when he insisted on taking a snapshot when Mami 'prettifully' colored his face with her mother's makeup. "No offense, but you're kind of scary."
"You put a newborn baby in an aquarium!"
"Enma isn't a newborn baby." The blond cracked a grin, watching as Dino meddled with his best friend's own desk on the other side of their large office. Not a second too soon, he cringed when—BAM-CRACKLE-BOOM!"He's, er. Cute."
"What the hell was that?"
"Nothing, nothing."A glare passed between brothers, and Giotto gestured with his hands for Dino to stop trying to juggle a rubber band ball, a stapler, and some sticky notes. "So, uh. Is he still in the hospital? You're not planning on sending him back to school, right?"
More silence. "It's…up to Enma. If it was my choice, then I wouldn't even let him because of his siblings, and…damn, his teachers say that he's got flawless scores before he'd missed the weeks. He was ahead of the rest of the class—she even said they were about to give him an assessment exam to skip a grade, or even early graduation."
Class nerd. Hiding himself behind band-aids, always quiet and—well, now Giotto knew he wouldn't have to pester Reborn about finally tutoring Tsuna. "That does explain a lot about him."
"He's…something else, that's for sure."
"He's just got to get comfortable with you," Giotto promised.
G snorted. "Highly ironic. Sure, I get along just swell with your little brother, and you get to rub it in my fucking face how you get along just fine with the little brother of—" There was a halt in the conversation. Giotto caught on quickly, and he denied the hitch in their conversation.
"I can't believe you just said swell."
"I'm tempted to trade."
"No refunds. Even if my little brother's a little buggy with the druggies. Speaking of which—there he is." Giotto flashed another smile as the chocolate brown hair of his little brother came to view through the glass. Eagerly, Dino stood to his feet with a child's grin and let the boy in. "Say 'hi' to Tsuna, G."
"Hey, Kid." There was a smile in his best friend's voice.
Which lacked on his little brother's. Immediately, Giotto felt his face fall into a frown as Tsuna slipped into the room, eyes on the ground and brow furrowed. Dino seemed to notice, too. "You alright?"
"What?" Startled, the teenager looked up with wide eyes between both brothers before shrinking again. That wasn't a good sign. "I…I'm fine. I-It's okay."
"What? What's going on?"
"You hear that, but you didn't hear Dino splitting your desk in half twenty minutes ago?" Giotto arched a wry eyebrow.
"He did WHAT—"
"Bye G!" In an Olympic record, the oldest of the Vongola family leaped across the room, grabbed Giotto's phone—nervously laughing, of course—and hung up before shoving it deep in his pocket and glaring daggers at an ignorant Giotto.
No, Giotto wasn't even looking at his older brother. Fiery eyes were transfixed at his brother's disheveled features—pale, lost, and looked like he could vomit at any moment. Tsuna was long from trembling, and for a moment he thought his little brother may be suffering after effects of his flu—which was highly unlikely. Tsuna was healthy as a horse the day before. Slowly he turned his eyes, frown fixated across his lips, and the glare disappeared from Dino's baby face.
"I'll…go feed your goldfish." Dino scratched his head with a cheeky smile, pulling away ever so slowly from the younger blond's desk. He spared one look to their youngest brother, concern fluttering across his face, then left the room in peace.
"Don't you dare use a can opener and overfeed them like last time," Giotto called after him. His eyes narrowed at the giggling behind his closed door while Dino hopped away, then paid heed to Tsuna, who looked to him, once again distressed and unsure what to do. He checked his clock quickly, noting school was over an hour ago, then gestured to his chair. "Sit."
If Tsuna hadn't looked sickly before, then this was no improvement with the small teenager looking sick to his stomach, paler than his older brother's white documents as he trudged down empty space and placing himself in the squishy chair in front of Giotto's desk.
"You're not in trouble," Giotto quickly clarified. Then he halted, thought passing through his mind before curtly shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. "Okay. You sort of are."
Great. Tsuna only slumped further in his seat, not even trying for a comeback. No, 'I'm really fine—honest!' or an 'oh' or any other sense of denial. Just…a frown.
"Tsuna—"
"I'm fine," said a squeaky voice so inaudibly Giotto wondered if he'd actually been interrupted.
"No. You aren't." Prip. Prip, prip, prip, prip—damn, why was he tapping the freaking table? Giotto's voice softened gently, and the worry bubbled in his stomach. "The last time you got this way…"
He didn't even need to finish. Tsuna cringed for the both of them, and quite frankly Giotto pitied the boy. The two words, 'run' and 'away' thankfully hadn't left his mouth, and now he was grateful.
Only now, the elephant in the room was quite clear. Neither spoke, and he took the liberty to study his fragile little brother.
Tsuna was a caretaker. Tsuna was shy. He was quiet, and soaked everything uttered to him like a sponge—both good and bad. It was the latter that worried Giotto, actually. And he remembered, there was a ferocity in the—oh Lord, Dino couldn't have possibly had more influence over him—little guy that medicine wasn't needed to draw out. Tsuna never tried to play things cool because he cared too much for an outcome where everyone made it out safely. He didn't play the hero, but he might as well have been one.
"…G says Enma came through with his surgery just fine," muttered the adult softly. He couldn't help the way his lips managed an upturn.
Just at that little news, the brunet looked up, genuinely surprised, then sunk back down in his seat. His eyes changed, flickering with a different emotion—relief, obviously—before he hid his ears under a pair of shoulders. "That's good."
"Then I don't have to worry about you running away again. And I'm hoping you didn't get a girl pregnant—the more that girl comes into the picture, the more your sexuality confuses me." Or there lack of. Tsuna gave him a look, horrified, but Giotto managed a brief chuckle. "That's not it then. Tell me—I don't feel like throwing away the entire world a second time to look for my little brother."
Maybe it was because Enma and Cozart were just blatantly obnoxious redheads that the way they blushed automatically lit the room. Tsuna, on the other hand, offered an entirely different hue Giotto never noticed. Often his little brother blushed, but he never noticed the way his cheeks almost seemed painted a natural flush, glowing red against his creamy skin like he'd been out in the cold too long and his body was making up with over excessive heat. Only, you know, it was like that all the time.
And then there was the way his cheeks would glow darker, if possible, but Giotto pushed that comment aside. Tsuna was troubled with something, and his many observations would be saved for later.
"I'm," finally started the brunet in the quietest tone Giotto had heard. That achievement, he noted lightly, was hard considering his brother's timidity. "I'm a horrible friend."
Which was when Giotto nearly fell out of his chair from shock, heart dropping into a bottomless pit as he had to run in his mind what Tsuna'd just said. "I beg your pardon?"
Silence. Tsuna wasn't going to repeat himself, and Giotto definitely wasn't going to let him.
"You," he blabbered and it honestly came out more obnoxious than intended, "a horrible friend?"
Tsuna didn't nod. But he didn't shake his head, either.
"You—" What the hell? Giotto could have sworn his vocabulary wasn't limited to pronouns. "—You do realize last week I couldn't bring myself to be angry at you because although you ran away, you did it to help a friend?"
Nothing? Nada.
"Little brother," he groaned haphazardly (really, where was this misplaced immaturity coming from? He hadn't the slightest idea), "You're a horrible friend as I am a responsible older brother. Two seconds ago, we were treating the phrase 'run away' like it was a curse out of Harry Potter, and I just said it again—"
"I-I'm not talking about Enma!" Oh. Silence. "I'm…sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"No, it's fine." At least it was finally clear, and Giotto could sit in peace in his chair. He looked to his brother as amiably as possible, but the brunet was purely tortured. His chest softened, and Giotto inched closer to the teenager. "If this isn't about Enma, then who is it about?"
"Y…" Tsuna deteriorated in his seat. Giotto grimaced. "Yamamoto and Gokudera-kun."
That had been a problem Giotto had known familiarly for years. He stared at his brother, not too surprised by the problem or the fact Tsuna had been caught up in the middle of it—though excruciatingly shocked that his brother would bother with their...circumstance. Then again, he thought idly, his brother was Tsuna the Caretaker. Of course this problem would bother him.
When he didn't respond, he realized Tsuna was looking at him both expectantly and fearfully. "I-I…made a mess of things."
"I've been making cracks about when they'd get together for years," Giotto offered. Though a second later he realized it probably wasn't what Tsuna wanted to hear—until, that is, chocolate brown eyes rolled and the line of his lips widened ever-so slightly. "G and I have been placing bets on when Hayato-kun would come out of the closet."
Stare.
"Trust me—big pile of money. Keeps getting bigger."
More staring.
"Though I think I'm winning. Then again, back in '09, he called it that Takeshi-kun would fall for Hayato-kun first." Giotto tapped his chin thoughtfully, the matter having disappeared for a moment before he remembered what they were discussing and offered a pity smile. "Don't worry. Gaspare and I aren't the only ones placing bets. Asari is—o-kay. We can drop that part of the subject because you're clearly not smiling or falling for my charm."
Oh, God. He was turning into Dino.
Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed, and he hunched over, frustration written clearly on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, yet had nothing to say.
It was a problem Giotto knew clearly—Tsuna either blabbed what was on his mind before realizing the consequences, or he wasn't sure if he had the approval to say what was on his mind. Giotto leaned over, fingers pressing gently to his brother's forehead, and tilted his head with much concern. Tsuna jumped in his seat. "Little brother…you can tell me whatever's on your mind. Promise. This time, I won't make a joke out of it or make fun of you."
Again Tsuna opened his mouth, but the hesitation was easily read on his face. Giotto moved his hand, carefully squeezing his brother's shoulder in attempt to subdue him, and it proved to be working. "They've been…arguing lately. More than usual—" Tsuna looked Giotto in the eye. "—and Yamamoto would retaliate because Gokudera-kun was just being…er, mean. That'd been how I left them. And…going back to school today…"
"What happened at school?" Giotto waited with anticipation.
"I…Y-Yamamoto had told me something that he didn't tell Gokudera-kun. And I didn't know that." Tsuna shut his eyes, and Giotto fetched the water bottle he kept in his drawer. The brunet took it without second thought, pink etching up his cheeks. "So I told him. I just…I didn't think—" His voice faltered, and any wit Giotto had left disappeared into true worry. "I didn't think that…it'd hurt them so badly and…I couldn't face either one of them."
"Feeling like the third wheel?"
"A wobbly one." Tsuna bit his lip and closed his eyes.
"Are they mad at you?"
Shrug. "Didn't stick around long enough to find out. And—Yamamoto has been giving me looks, b-but they're not…glares, and…no one's seen Gokudera since lunch. I haven't, either. I…I ran out on Yamamoto before he could say anything."
Huh.
"They're…" Tsuna's voice dropped to an uncertain whisper, "they're different. From Enma."
"Opinions granted, you're a little different yourself, don't you think?" Now he was treading on thinly iced territory. Giotto raised his head, eyes narrowing in a mildly condescending way. Mirth danced in his eyes, and he tried not to smile against his brother's look of confusion and unintentional, sarcastic comment that went unsaid. "You may have been…Enma's little-big brother, but…even then, G and I are there in a heartbeat. Takeshi-kun and Hayato-kun, on the other hand…you're not the little-big brother. They see you as if you're Enma, and you need to be taken care of."
Not satisfied with the thought, the brunet's face switched into the urgent alarm when he wasn't comfortable with a situation. "B-But—"
"You have friends who are concerned for your wellbeing." Giotto cut him off brusquely, expression of light stern as he put forth his hand in gesture to stop the teenager. "And if you realize it or not, the more you insist they don't make a fuss over you, you're pushing them away."
His brother's entire face contorted and Giotto knew the boy was relishing a quiet epiphany. He bowed his head in shame. "I broke up their friendship, though."
"You didn't…break up their friendship. They're just going through a rough patch that's lasted a really, really long time." His heart sunk, guilt tingling in his lungs. Seeing his brother stressing out over matters that…quite frankly, didn't involve him. "You said yourself that Takeshi doesn't seem like he's angry at you."
"You think he'll talk to me ever again?"
"Boy can't keep his mouth shut." Giotto chuckled wryly and set his hand on top of Tsuna's. As the fingers brushed against his palm, he paused, and an odd tingling sensation bubbled in his stomach. Tsuna looked back at him, ignorant, and curled his hand until the blond was touching his knuckles.
"I could just…they were used to being friends without me there." Tsuna frowned, but oddly enough he seemed less irrational. "I don't have to stick out."
"But then it'd kill you if you didn't fix the problem."
Tsuna's chin met his chest, perplexed, and Giotto knew he spoke the truth.
"You heard it yourself this morning," offered the blond with faint mirth. "Takeshi-kun is our new neighbor, and I've known the kid for years. You should have seen him when he had the little crush on G. Hayato was livid and jealous for months and—well, they were only thirteen at the time. It was funny watching the kid keep wary notes on him."
"Yamamoto?"
"Hayato." Giotto laughed when a tousled sigh escaped Tsuna's lips. Of course it wasn't surprising. As they entered a more comfortable silence, Giotto fingered his pen and looked back to the documents in front of him. His hand had gone contentedly numb, happy to be holding the teenager's. Honestly, it was…nice. Really nice.
"Should I…go over there, or wait for him to come to me?"
Hm. "The Tsuna that was unintentionally pushing away good friends would try to hide, under the impression that he couldn't do anything right for his friends." Giotto raised his head, eyes flickering with its fervent bliss. Tsuna looked to their hands, calculative, and he didn't stop him. "What would the Tsuna, who treasures all friendships and has an irrevocable habit of wanting to help others, do?"
A pregnant pause stood between them as Tsuna bit his light pink lips. He'd come up with the conclusion having been drawn ages ago despite reluctance driving it away, and stood from his seat, nervousness clear across his face. "Okay."
Much to the brunet's horror, he spun around and got closer to the door—"Wait."
Tsuna stopped and looked puzzled.
"You, little brother, still need to work for another couple hours. I don't get off work until nine, remember?" It took a moment to click, Giotto could tell, but once it registered in Tsuna's mind of the relaxed offer, his little brother sighed in relief. "You can head straight there after work. Just…go fix whatever Dino's broken at G's desk."
The brunet nodded gratefully yet hesitantly as he turned his head to look at the destruction. As he did so, Giotto bit back a smile and the bits and pieces of information he knew of Tsuna. There was no doubt of his brother's timidity. However, when concerning himself with Tsuna's problems, he had to wonder why Tsuna held back when it came to his friends rather than him. Was it because they were brothers? Was it because of that…kiss?
Oh, God no.
Giotto shoved the thought away, cheeks sprinkled in light pink. As far as he knew, Tsuna had no current memory of the incident, and he hoped for the day where it wasn't the first thing that came to mind when dealing with his little brother.
"Giott—?"
"Yeah?" Crap, that sounded tense. Giotto raised his head, met with the puzzled look pertaining to his brother's face.
"Um, someone's calling on my phone, and I don't know who the number is." Quickly, he added, "A-and I have both Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto's numbers, so I know it's not them."
"Alright. Tell me the number." It was both a pleasure and a pain to have a picture perfect memory. Oddly enough, he didn't recognize any of the digits his brother recited. "Maybe someone got a new phone? Go ahead and answer it."
Tsuna nodded slowly, and the blond watched in mild interest as his brother pressed the phone to his face. "Hello?"
At first, there wasn't a noise. Giotto couldn't hear a murmur or any sign of life on the other end of the phone. Then he saw his brother's eyes widen—not from horror, thank goodness—as if whatever was happening was too good to be true.
Tsuna perked, and he watched his brother burst into a thousand-watt smile, cautious and hopeful. "Enma."
Well, that was a surprise. Giotto reached for his own phone to call G with questions, then remembered Dino had stolen it in attempt to hide the damage he'd done. He groaned, the suddenly realized said older brother had been gone for…way too long. And his keys were missing.
"Tsuna," he said quickly. "I'm going to make sure Dino didn't flood the lobby." Or kill his damn fish.
Something flipped in Giotto's chest as he watched the relief flood his brother's eyes, almost in tears. The stormy clouds that once reeked were replaced with tiny, sparkling crescents and like day and night, Tsuna flipped. He nodded brightly—bashfully and. And Giotto found himself both tingly and at a loss for words.
"Hold on, I'm at work." Just as obliviously, Tsuna tore the phone away from his ear and he shared a worried look to a stunned older brother. "Can I…we haven't…"
"…go ahead." Giotto offered a smile of his own, but he knew it didn't shine as bright as his brother's. Excusing himself for good, he made sure to give the brunet the office if only for a little while so Bite-Size and Brother #2 could catch up.
Well, Giotto thought, wondering why his heart would just skip a beat. Fervent pink skated across his cheeks, and he forced it down. That was odd.
OoOoO
Author's Note:
Well. I'm guessing I lost a lot of reviewers after throwing out the cancer card and writing the peak of Giotto's vulnerability when it comes to Daemon. A little depressing, but I've been trying to push that part of the story out of the way for quite some time now. :)
About Tsuna:
So who thought I'd dish out 8059 the moment Tsuna would go back to school? Remember all those months back before Tsuna ran away from home, he was caught in the wildfire of those two idiots arguing, so now, he's just stuck in the middle while they figure things out—while using him as the scapegoat because oddly enough, Gokudera considers Tsuna his closest friend away from Yamamoto, and vice versa. Unfortunately. In the middle of writing this chapter, I realized how it wasn't a good idea it was, but I've had that slap scene in my arsenal for about three months now; it was kind of just coincidental with the last chapter.
Also I had a couple comments asking/assuming Tsuna would top. That kinda…cracked me up.
About Giotto:
One of my reviewers commented on Giotto and Dino's relationship as brothers, and I've gotta say, I actually did love the comment a lot: "I like how Dino and Giotto are brothers... and so... brotherly yet unbrotherly at the same time. They're there for each other and know each other but at the same time don't have that wall that some siblings tend to..." – FaerieDemon
It's something I had never really put a background for, but yeah. Giotto basically is a hugger (despite being so hesitant toward Tsuna in early chapters), and he pushes a lot of the boundaries as a brother. Example A would be cuddling with Dino; which he now does with Tsuna. Dino's grown up with Giotto. Tsuna's getting used to it, but in the process, falling for Giotto's affectionate side. Just an analysis on his character.
About Other Things:
Curiosity: How many of you cared for Cozart? + How many of you were leery of the summary of this story when I first posted it? Granted there are a ton others with the same idea (which is kind of why I decided to write it), but was there anything that might have kept you from reading the story? Or tempted you?
Fact: You guys keep asking about him and I really wanted to avoid writing him because he's quite possibly the only character I am going to suck at writing, but. Next chapter: Kyouya Hibari babysits Tsuna Sawada.