"What?"
Cinzia choked and spat out a mouthful of soda all over the table. Ottone barely managed to snatch his plate away before it got sprinkled with coke.
"Goddammit, Cinzia."
"Excuse me. You can't drop a bomb like that and expect no reac –"
"I expect you to keep your saliva to yourself!"
Tsuna scouted his chair away from the line of fire. He hadn't reacted fast enough and could only wipe the sticky mess in front of him while making a face.
Yuck.
Ottone put his plate back on the table. "This is fucking disgusting.
"Don't be a baby." Cinzia clearly didn't care for the man's temper. "What did you just say?"
"You heard me loud and clear."
"Indulge me. This kind of information is worth repeating. Isn't it, Tsuna?"
"Don't ask me," Tsuna said, a little annoyed at the pair. "I don't even know who that Aaron person is."
"Aaron Lee," Cinzia said, staring at Ottone. "The leader of the Chinese Triads."
And now it was Tsuna's turn to choke.
His eyes popped wide open.
"The Chinese Triads? He's coming to Italy?"
"Yeah." Ottone picked up his fork and started to eat again. "That was my reaction, too."
Cinzia watched him like a hawk. "And?"
"And nothing. Coyote said they'll be gone by the end of the month."
Coyote had said, huh.
Tsuna winced.
He could easily guess how that particular conversation must have gone. It would have begun as usual, with Ottone demanding Reborn to be shipped off to Guatemala. Coyote would have answered that they were working on it, and shut up already, you fucking idiot, I'm busy. Add to that the topic of the Chinese Triads and it was safe to assume that Ottone's cellphone had ended up smashed against a wall before either brother had hung up.
"Come on, you must know more," Cinzia insisted.
"Drop it." Ottone's eyes flickered in Tsuna's direction. "It doesn't concern us."
Except that now, it sort of did.
"No," Tsuna said. "I want to know."
Ottone and Cinzia were aware of how much he didn't want to be involved with the mafia. They'd always steered clear of the topic, both to respect his wishes and because they also had no desire to go back to their old lives. The family they'd built together didn't revolve around guns and Flames and fights. They were happy with being civilians.
Reborn's appearance had changed everything.
"Tell us," Tsuna said firmly.
Ottone looked at him. He'd never dodged Tsuna's questions before. He didn't start now.
"Ask," he said.
Tsuna fired the first question that came to his mind. "Why are they coming?"
"Nono's going to retire soon," Ottone answered. "That means the Decimo will take over in a matter of months. This is a visit of courtesy."
"Shouldn't they just come for the actual inheritance ceremony then?"
Ottone shook his head. "That's only for Nono's allies."
Tsuna frowned. "But they're not enemies."
Or wait.
Were they?
Ottone grimaced. "Technically, they're not, but that doesn't mean they're in a formal alliance. It's more like an agreement of mutual non-aggression."
That sounded wonderful.
Tsuna sighed. "Timoteo must be busy."
"Busy?" Cinzia let out a laugh from the other side of the table. She put her chin in her palm and grinned. "I bet right now the old man's precious headquarter is like a beehive that's been set on fire. He probably hasn't slept in a week."
Yeah, well.
Tsuna grimly stabbed a meatball with his fork. Call him cold-hearted, but he couldn't summon a drop of sympathy for Timoteo.
Cinzia looked back at Ottone. "Since we're gossiping, you might as well spill the rest."
"What rest?"
"Like when, exactly. And who, and where, and–"
"How the fuck would I know all that?"
"Your brother. Obviously."
Ottone scowled. "Aaron will be arriving next week and he'll pack up and go back to China by the end of July. That's it. End of the story."
"That's it, he says." Cinzia rolled her eyes so hard Tsuna feared she might strain something. "End of the story, he says."
"Shut up." Ottone glared at her. "You're welcome to make a call yourself if you're so fucking curious."
"Don't play stupid. My old contacts wouldn't know more than the Storm Guardian. This situation is very unusual. Security must be a nightmare."
"Unusual?" Tsuna piped in.
Cinzia nodded, distracted. "The last time we got a visit from the Triads was over a decade ago."
Tsuna stared.
That ... seemed like a ridiculously long time.
"People in positions of power don't like changes," Ottone explained upon seeing Tsuna's blank expression. "Why would they want to mess with the status quo when it's working well enough for them? It'd be annoying and dangerous and would require a lot of fucking work."
Cinzia smiled like a shark. "And we all know that if there's one thing men don't like, it's hard work."
Ottone pointed a fork at her. "Cut the crap."
"Did that hit a little too close to home?"
"I still don't understand," Tsuna interrupted. "Nono's going to retire, sure, but so what? It doesn't sound like they were very close anyway."
Ottone shrugged. "It doesn't matter. This is just a big show."
"A bit like a peacock fight," Cinzia added. "Asshole posturing and ruffled feathers all around with lots of shouting."
What.
"Look at how big my guns are," Cinzia continued, popping a piece of bread in her mouth. "See how many men I've got working for me. Watch how hard I can punch you in the face with my Flames if I need to."
Ottone rubbed a finger between his brows. He looked as if he'd bitten into a lemon. Tsuna kind of agreed with the sentiment. Imagining Timoteo of the Vongola engaging in any sort of pissing contest was almost impossible. This whole thing was a huge headache waiting to blow up in everybody's face.
Tsuna sneezed.
"What about their people?" Cinzia asked. "Who is Aaron bringing with him?"
Ottone grunted. "Apparently, he's taking his son."
"Really." A pause. "The boy's what? Ten years old?"
"Sounds about right."
"That's starting a bit early with the grooming."
"They always do," Ottone clipped.
Tsuna stared down at the table, hands clenching into fists.
Cinzia glanced at him.
"Well," she said lightly. "At least, they won't have to worry about Reborn crashing the party and making a mess of everything. The asshole's still sticking to Tsuna like white on rice."
Ottone let out a snort. "We should send them a babysitting fee. This meeting's like a powder keg waiting to explode. We're doing them a favor by keeping the bastard away."
Tsuna smiled wryly.
Because they really were, weren't they?
It was easy to see how someone with Reborn's personality might put a strain on international negotiations. An image started to form in Tsuna's mind – blood and gore raining down from the sky while a raging fire burned everything in the background. He could certainly picture Reborn in that vision, thriving on the chaos and having the time of his life while shooting anything that moved.
Tsuna sneezed again.
Cinzia's eyes zeroed in on him. They narrowed.
Tsuna hastily leaned away before she could try to touch his forehead. "I'm fine," he said. "I'm not sick."
Being sick meant doctors and medications and –
(– slash. Scream. Blood. "Healing rate is not up to par with what we'd anticipated." Slash. Blood. Scream –)
No.
Absolutely not.
.
.
"This is getting redundant. All you ever do is work, eat, and sleep. It's almost not worth the effort of getting out of bed in the morning."
Tsuna didn't bother with more than a half-hearted start.
The fact that Reborn was sweeping in the very second he walked out of Little Trinci wasn't a surprise anymore. So what if Tsuna had stayed over for dinner? So what if the movie they'd watched afterward had ended very late? Obviously that wouldn't be enough to deter his stalker.
Tsuna shoved his hands in his pockets and started to head back home. Reborn fell into step beside him, his feet tapping a sharp rhythm on the concrete.
"If you're that bored, you can leave, you know," Tsuna told him as they walked. "No one's forcing you to be here."
"I'll stay."
"Really, you don't have to."
"It's fine. I wouldn't want you to miss me."
Tsuna's fingers clenched around his keys. The struggle not to chuck them at Reborn's head was real.
They took a crosswalk and turned right at the next intersection. Further ahead, loud music pulsed from one of the houses along the street. A group of four young men stumbled out the front door. Laughter and boisterous conversations spilled into the night.
Tsuna ducked his head down to avoid eye-contact. It was well past midnight and the men looked big and strong. He didn't need to worry though. The group shuffled past Tsuna and Reborn without paying them any attention.
Tsuna let out a small breath.
Next to him, Reborn turned around to watch the drunks's backs, expression thoughtful. "And here I thought we would finally get some entertainment."
Unbelievable.
Tsuna picked up his pace before the crazy bastard could start a massacre. "We don't need entertainment. Boring and safe are just fine."
"How dull."
"Not everyone can have an exciting life like you."
"Of course not. No one's like me. I'm unique."
"True," Tsuna mumbled under his breath. "So very true."
"Sarcasm." Reborn slid him a pointed look. "Getting confident lately, aren't you, Baka-Tsuna?"
Dammit.
"Am not," Tsuna muttered, cheeks growing red.
Reborn snickered.
And smoothly stepped in Tsuna's path.
It was either screech to a halt or slam head-first into the hitman. Tsuna tripped over his own feet to avoid a collision.
"I've been thinking," Reborn said, generously not mentioning the way Tsuna almost face-planted on the pavement. "Vacations are all good but that doesn't mean I shouldn't do something productive with my time while I'm here."
Tsuna recovered his balance. "Something productive," he parroted dumbly.
Reborn smiled, small and mean with just a little bloodthirst showing through.
Tsuna shrank back.
"Some aspects of your education have been severely lacking." Reborn paused delicately, as if savoring the moment. "I'll help you catch up."
A trap.
This had to be a trap.
"You want to help me. You."
Reborn arched a brow. "Are you doubting my capabilities?"
Yes.
"No. I just don't need –"
"You really do."
A trap with fangs and claws.
"I'm not a mafioso," Tsuna protested. "What's the point of–"
"What's the point?" Reborn's eyes suddenly sharpened. "To prepare you for the future. To make you smarter and stronger. Take your pick, Baka-Tsuna, because you need so much help right now it's amazing you're still breathing."
Tsuna stared. He clutched his keys like a shield in front of him.
Just now, there had been a certain amount of steel underlying Reborn's words. They had carried hidden meanings and stifled anger and iron-cold determination dipped in resentment. Something Tsuna had said had set him off. He needed to figure out what it was and never, ever mention it again. Whatever was bothering Reborn, Tsuna didn't want to touch it with a ten-foot pole and a bio-hazard suit.
Because wasn't it what everybody needed in their lives? A hitman with issues.
Alright.
Time to change the subject.
Tsuna quickly stepped around Reborn. "I'm not interested, but thank you for the offer."
He hurried away, and after a beat, Reborn followed him. He didn't insist, didn't try to argue his case. Maybe that should have raised all sorts of red flags, but Tsuna only felt relieved. Talking about anything mafia-related with Reborn sressed him out like nothing else, especially since That Time.
For some incomprehensible reasons, Reborn was pretending nothing had happened that night in the bakery. Tsuna had braced himself for a disaster, for an argument or even a fight. He'd made himself sick with worry, hadn't slept for days, and yet here they were, one week later, still acting as if Tsuna hadn't outed himself like the biggest idiot to ever walk the Earth.
It was driving him nuts. There was a metaphorical sword hanging over the back of his neck, shiny and deadly, and the wait for it to come swinging down was maddening.
Tsuna glared at Reborn from the corners of his eyes.
Should he just ask? Confess and demand an explanation? A reaction?
Yes, I have Sky Flames, he imagined himself shouting in the middle of the street. I am a Sky and I'm broken and I hate everything you stand for. What are you going to do about it?
Tsuna clenched his jaw and didn't say anything at all.
It was probably blackmail, he decided, not for the first time. Maybe this help Reborn was talking about was actually an elaborate way of backing him in a corner and –
Tsuna sneezed.
Once. Twice.
He shivered.
"Cold?" Reborn asked casually.
Another shiver, followed by a trail of goosebumps.
"It's just freezing tonight," Tsuna muttered grumpily, wishing he'd brought another sweater.
A moment of thoughtful silence next to him.
Then,
"Is that so," Reborn said mildly.
Tsuna's heart skipped a beat.
"I mean–"
"You mean that you're freezing. In the middle of summer."
Dark eyes focused on the side of Tsuna's head. They stared as if he were a worm wriggling under a microscope.
Tsuna looked away with a frown.
The ice was particularly biting tonight. He could feel it shifting deep inside, straining against the cracks that were steadily widening with each passing day. His little specks of orange fire weren't nearly enough to fight it off. How could they? The ice had been born from powerful Sky Flames. Mere sparks could never stand up to that.
A wave of heat abruptly hit Tsuna.
He stumbled.
Warm air gathered around him, hovering just over his clothes like a second layer of protection that felt concerned and annoyed all at once. It didn't pinch, it didn't snap, and just stayed there, warm and strangely careful. This was nothing like the heat Reborn seemed to generate naturally all day long. There was something deliberate in his Flames now, something calculated and intentional that made a world of difference.
Tsuna blinked, turning toward Reborn. The hitman stared back at him, face wiped clean of emotions and eyes glinting with a hint of Sun.
Ah, Tsuna thought, struck speechless.
That was strangely unexpected, wasn't it?
Reborn showing kindness.
Tsuna didn't know how to react.
A small part of his brain that hadn't been fried by shock wondered if he should say thank you. Probably not. He might start babbling like an idiot if he mentioned the heavy sensation of Sun Flames cradling him in a warm and cozy bubble.
Tsuna glanced down. The skin of his hands was pink and healthy. He flexed his fingers. No pain or discomfort. This was the warmest he had felt in years.
"Better?" Reborn asked.
"I, huh." Tsuna picked up his jaw from the ground. "Yes."
Reborn nodded, apparently satisfied –
– and something dark flashed at the edge of Tsuna's vision.
He threw himself backward and fell on the ground.
Bam!
A foot slammed into the sidewalk where he'd just been standing.
"Oh?" Reborn looked back at him from over a shoulder with a predatory expression. He smiled. "Good instincts."
Tsuna gaped at the cracks in the cement. "W-wha –"
"Didn't I say I was going to help you?"
The crazy asshole!
"This is not hel–"
"Your opinion is irrelevant." Reborn smoothed out a wrinkle on his jacket then started to walk toward Tsuna, slow and relaxed and absolutely terrifying. "Get your head in the game. Tonight's subject is dodging.
Dodging.
Hah.
Tsuna was going to die.
"Wait, wait, wait." He scurried away, pointing at the destroyed concrete. "That could have been my head."
"Then you'd better start moving faster."
And Reborn's foot came flying at Tsuna's head again.
He ducked and rolled away with a yelp. The dark shoe crashed into the sidewalk with a resounding bang. Tsuna stared, mute with horror, acutely aware that he'd been inches away from being crushed to bloody mush.
"Good. But not good enough."
Reborn spun around and his other leg came up like a whip. The kick collided with Tsuna's ribs. Pain exploded in his side. He went skidding over dry cement, the fabric of his pants tearing and ripping. The momentum carried him half-way across the road and Tsuna didn't wait to come to a complete stop before jumping up to his feet and taking off like a goddamn rabbit.
Something small whizzed by his head. Little bits of bricks rained down around him. Grey smoke drifted out of a small hole on the wall on his right. Silver glinted mockingly from inside the narrow fissure.
Was that a bullet?
"Are you shooting at me?" Tsuna yelled, though it was more of a high-pitched shriek vibrating with disbelief. "With a gun?"
Reborn hadn't moved from the spot where he'd kicked Tsuna. He was too far away to make out his face, but his voice was definitely gleeful as he called back, "Get serious, Baka-Tsuna." A small and sleek object was held in Tsuna's direction. "I'm going to stop holding back now."
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Tsuna ran the hell away.
He sprinted down the street, then a second one. Soon, he started to sound a wheeze away from asphyxia, but he didn't slow down – he didn't dare. The series of quiet ping-ping-ping that whispered through the night kept him going.
The ten-minute walk from Little Trinci had never felt so long.
He made it back to his place, somehow, zigzagging between parked cars and fenced trees like a crazy line-backer. Just as he pelted around the corner of his building, a bullet grazed the tip of his left ear. He squeaked at the stinging sensation, tripped on thin air, and almost crashed into a bricked wall. A quick twist to the side barely saved him from a broken nose. His shoulder took the brunt of the impact.
Ow.
A small laugh echoed from the shadows.
"Oh, fuck you," Tsuna hissed.
He ran up the outside stairs leading to his apartment, his whole body drenched in sweat that trickled down the sides of his face and burned his eyes. Half blind, he stabbed his key in the keyhole. One turn and the lock clicked open.
Tsuna flung himself inside, slamming the door behind him hard enough that it rattled on its hinges. He locked it, took one step back, and then simply stood there, panting.
One minute passed. Then another one.
Silence rang loudly, disturbed only by the sound of Tsuna's gasping. The door remained untouched, tall and strong. No one had broken it down to splinters yet.
Tsune felt something like hope flare in his chest – which, in hindsight, was very naive. Because since when had Reborn let anything as puny as a lock stand in his way?
He came in through the window.
"Not bad for a first time."
Tsuna jolted around. "Reborn!"
"Were you expecting someone else?" Reborn drawled, sitting on the window sill as if it were a throne.
"This is the third floor–"
"Is it?"
"Yes!"
Reborn straightened his tie. "We need to work on your situational awareness. Running into a wall is just too pathetic." He watched as Tsuna wobbled over to his bed on shaky legs. "And stop being dramatic, this barely qualified as a warm-up."
An alarming implication to say the least.
"You want to do it again?"
"I'm thinking five times a week should be enough for a start. We'll focus on your endurance first."
A nightmare.
This was a nightmare.
"I won't even bill you," Reborn continued, looking amused now. "Don't thank me. I'll do it out of the goodness of my heart."
Tsuna collapsed on his bed. The Sun Flames covering his body had never once disappeared. He didn't give one flying crap about it now.
"I'm not doing it. I'm never doing that again. Now get out of my place!"
.
.
Alright.
Life officially sucked.
Tsuna blew his nose and tossed the crumpled tissue in the plastic trash can beside the bed.
His nose was runny and red, a headache was pounding at the back of his skull, and this morning he'd started coughing like a flooded engine that just wouldn't start. He'd put on three sweaters and had swaddled himself in large blankets but so far it hadn't been enough to stop the shivers that wracked his body like seismic waves.
Maybe it was time to admit that he was, in fact, not fine.
"I knew it. You're sick."
And now he was hearing voices, too.
Dazed, Tsuna looked up and realized that he wasn't alone. Someone was standing in front of him. It took longer than usual to recognize the dark suit and black fedora.
"Ah," he rasped, sounding so nasally stuffed it was like he'd inhaled a lungful of helium. "Reborn. When did you get here?"
The thought that his privacy had been invaded yet again fluttered distantly, stirring a numb sort of annoyance that got washed away under a layer of apathy. The world was pain and loud and bright, and Tsuna just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep.
Alone.
In the dark.
Forever.
"I've been standing here for five minutes."
The hitman took in the small mountain of blankets wrapped around Tsuna. They were so thick and heavy that his body had become a vaguely humanoid form with hands and feet sticking out of the folds like stubby appendages.
Reborn's lips tightened. "You said you were fine," he said, sounding irritated.
Tsuna shook his head in automatic denial. The world immediately tilted on its axis and he had to stop.
"I am. Fine. After a good nap –" He sneezed, so hard he almost rolled off the bed. "I'll be alright after a good nap."
There was no need for doctors or anything else.
"A nap." Reborn stared at him as if he were a brand-new species of moron. "You're a revolting cesspool of germs and slimes, Baka-Tsuna. A little sleep isn't going to cut it."
Tsuna opened his mouth to insist that he was okay, really, and could Reborn please go away so that he may brood in peace?
He started coughing instead. The pain in his throat flared up, as if gasoline had been poured over red embers.
Ouch.
Another sneeze, a little wet this time, and –
Reborn slapped a tissue over Tsuna's nose.
"If anything coming from your nose or mouth touches my skin again," Reborn said flatly, grinding the tissue into Tsuna's face, "I will be deeply unhappy."
Tsuna had just breathed snot all over a suit that cost more than his whole wardrobe.
Great.
Absolutely wonderful.
"You should leave." Tsuna buried his face in his hands. "Or you might get sick, too."
"Don't insult me." Reborn snoffed. "Your immune system is clearly deficient. Mine's better than that."
There was an adequately sarcastic reply buried deep in his brain, somewhere behind the giant throbbing pain pulsating in his eyes. It was just too bothersome to dig it up.
Tsuna burrowed deeper in his blankets.
Reborn watched him for a minute, face twisting into a glare that conveyed exactly how stupid he thought Tsuna was and how it would do the world at large a favor if he put a bullet through his heart.
Tsuna looked back at him. He shivered and sniffed miserably.
Reborn blinked. Something flickered in his eyes, there and gone in a split second. He frowned, hesitated, then said, "I can't believe I'm doing this."
Tsuna coughed. "Aren't you going?"
Reborn wiped a small plastic bag out of nowhere and tossed it at him. Tsuna squeaked, fumbling to catch it. He missed and its content tumbled out on his lap.
"What's that?"
Reborn snatched one of the boxes. "You have a brain, use it," he growled. "What's your weight?"
"My weight?"
"Don't be coy. We need to figure out how many tablets you can take."
Medications.
Ugh.
Tsuna hadn't stepped on a weighing scale in over a year. He took a wild stab in the dark. "Ah, huh, 110 pounds?"
Reborn threw him a faintly exasperated look, then walked toward the kitchenette area. He was soon banging open cupboards and drawers while barking for a spoon and a thermometer.
Tsuna stared at the agitated hitman, a little drowsy but still aware enough to notice that something was definitely different.
He'd never seen Reborn so – dare he say it? – so ruffled before.
"Reborn," he called slowly, dubiously. "Are you ... worried about me?"
The look he got in response was nothing short of lethal.
"No."
Tsuna reeled back as if he'd been burned.
"S-sorry," he croaked, lowering his head deeper in his blanket like a turtle retreating into its shell. "Never mind, I got it wrong."
Reborn glowered at him for another moment then went back to fiddling with a bottle of syrup.
Tsuna observed him from behind his bangs. His eyelids soon started to get heavier and heavier. The world went fuzzy. He drifted, never quite falling asleep but unable to remain completely awake either.
Reborn had been right. He was being stupid and should have gone to a doctor before things got so bad.
It was just –
Tsuna hated it.
His body shutting down felt like the worst kind of betrayal, as if control had been wrenched out of his hands so that someone else could seize it and do whatever they wanted with him. The mere thought of it brought him right back to a place of white walls and white floors and white coats. The cell was cold and familiar around him. He stood in the middle of a circle of children. Half of them were burned, skin melted and bones charred black by Tsuna's Flames. They stared at him, silent and resentful and –
"Wake up."
Tsuna's eyes snapped open.
He was lying down on his side, buried under his mountains of blankets. Cold sweat drenched his back. His heartbeat hammered against his ribcage. He swept a wild look over the apartment. There were no children. Of course.
Reborn waited beside the bed.
"Sit," he said, and before Tsuna could get his bearings, he'd been strong-armed out of his nest and found himself kneeling on the edge of the mattress, pills and tablets being shoved down his throat.
Reborn literally pried Tsuna's mouth open with a spoon and dumped a dose of bitter syrup on his tongue. He made him use a spray for sore throats and watched coldly as Tsuna coughed and winced as it went down the wrong way. Ointment was applied to his red nostrils and boxes of high-quality tissues were put into easy reach.
An eternity later, Tsuna was finally allowed to crawl back into his blankets.
Reborn tossed a spoon and a mug into the kitchen sink with a grimace of distaste.
"Never again," he ground out, eyes glowing suspiciously bright. "This is humiliating."
"Hey," Tsuna mumbled. "It's not like I'm having fun either."
"And whose fault is that?" Reborn snapped.
He removed his tie and hat and hung them on the back of a chair. His jacket dropped to the floor a moment later. He put one knee on the bed.
"Move."
Tsuna gawked.
Reborn impatiently shoved Tsuna's legs away. He settled in a sitting position against the wall and reached out to drag Tsuna into his side. Tsuna's face smashed into a solid shoulder. He squawked, a protest on the tip of his tongue – but then warmth litterally exploded out of Reborn's body. It latched onto him and sank through the layers of blankets, settling under his skin like hot water running in his bloodstream.
Oh.
Tsuna squirmed.
That felt good.
"R-reborn?"
"One of the Sun Flame's attributes is regeneration." The hitman stole a pillow to cushion his head against the wall. Apparently, he was settling in for the night. "So shut up and go to sleep, Baka-Tsuna. You'll feel better tomorrow morning."
An ominous or else was implicitly tacked on at the end of that sentence.
For a moment, Tsuna could only stare with wide eyes at the white button-up shirt that filled his vision. He strained a little, but Reborn's hold remained firm and Tsuna's strength fizzled out like spent batteries. A pleasant buzz started to drown out the universe. The throbbing in his head dulled to a numb headache. His throat stopped feeling like it was on fire.
Tsuna yawned.
As if sensing his weakening resistance, Reborn's Flames coiled tighter around him.
And that felt really, really good.
Tsuna hesitated. Then gave up.
Screw it, caution and paranoia were for people who could afford to string more than two coherent thoughts together. The Sun Flames dulled the pain and pushed the ice away. Right then, that was all Tsuna needed to know. He went limp and snuggled deeper into the heat like a cat seeking out a caress.
Reborn froze.
He went stiff, all motion stopping, as if he hadn't expected Tsuna to curl up against him.
Tsuna blinked, vaguely wondering if he should pull away after all.
A couple of seconds ticked by.
Reborn slowly relaxed.
Tsuna dozed off to the rhythm of a steady heartbeat resounding under his ear.
.
.
Character development, guys. Reborn's better buckle up because he's going to have feelings about a certain bumbling baby Sky.
Also, guess who's the next canon character that's going to show up?