Chapter Thirty-Eight

After clicking 'send', he let himself drop on his bed and sighed in content. He texted every person he had been inconvenience since he went out. Hitoshi, Izuku, Shouto and Katsuki. He needs to say something to Rei too. She's pretty worried for him too.

He raised his phone to his face when he heard series of 'ping's. Izuku's reply was 'Thank Goodness' and that he's happy for him. Hitoshi asked if they have talked things through, which he replied that not yet. Shouto responded with 'Thank you, Genie' that he laughed at before he texted a 'Wish granted' back. Katsuki's reply was cute though, all it said was 'Good'. He replied a smiley that the blond responded with 'Die'. He laughed again.

He perked up when he heard the door opened. He eyed the clock. It just turned five in the late afternoon. He has been busy cleaning every inch of their apartment after noticing the cobwebs and the uncleaned surface. God. He blames his Obsessive-Compulsive personality on some things to Reborn. Rolling over his bed, Tsuna stood up and clicked his song pause. He opened his door to see his Dad walking in with a baffled expression.

"Tsuna?" Shouta called out.

"Yup?" He responded, still hiding behind his door.

Black eyes blinked before the owner chuckled. "You cleaned up? The whole house is shiny."

"I did." He admitted and looked away, blushing a little.

"Tsuna?" He looked up. Shouta nodded to their living room. "Let's talk?"

Tsuna can't help himself from gulping before he nodded. "Okay."

The brunet moved out and crossed the room for the couch. He sat there as his Dad did. He watched him remove the capture weapon that almost latched on him. He snickered before staring at his Dad. For the record, Shouta looks presentable again. No more stubble on his chin and around his mouth, and looks well rested, unlike when they first saw each other after a month of no contact. They do talk about mundane things, but this is the first time they'll be talking about the deeper part.

To be frank, Tsuna is scared of confrontations like this. Even at his age, he can't take on things like this. He can admit his faults, but he doesn't want to explain his side. He doesn't want to play the victim. He doesn't want to make the other party feel guilty over his mistakes. Well, except when he hates the other side and he needed the leverage. But that's besides the point.

"First of all, I want to apologize for acting like a total jerk after you went length of telling me the truth about yourself and trusting me enough to tell me about it. I should've told you why I went out, instead of just excusing myself and never saying anything at all. I'm sorry, Tsuna." Shouta said sincerely.

"You're forgiven, Dad." He assured, hands on his thighs. "I should've understood your reason of going out too. The information I told you was too much to digest. I'm sorry for running off like that and worrying you."

"No. It was the right thing to do." His Dad sighed before smiling at him after seeing his expression. "If you didn't go off, I won't be able to think for myself and realize how wrong my initial reaction and decision were. As I've said, you've been with me for eleven years, Tsuna. Yes. You're a little secretive, especially on your trainings and vigilante works, but you never hide things from me. When you're in trouble, you tell me. When there are school events, you tell Hizashi because you don't want to disturb my sleep, regardless, you still tell me. When you have achievements, you give them to me as a sign of gratitude. You're transparent. You presented yourself to me as you.

"It took me days to realize that if it will hurt me to be called Aizawa-san by you, after all the times you've called me Dad, what more if I address you in a formal way? To rub salt to my injury, Bakugou said the same things."

"He did?" He gaped.

Shouta nodded. "He did. He said you feared of being treated differently. Nana-san, your Kaasan, told me that there's no difference with her original son and you."

His heart thrummed. "She knew?"

"You admitted it to her a few months ago. She said so herself. She said you're still Tsunayoshi Sawada. From this world or from your original world, you're still him. Nothing less, just more. Even as time passes by, you never change. You grow taller, your hair go longer, your voice changes, less baby fats, but the personality, eccentricity, even your philosophy are the same. You grow warmer, more protective, more capable and ready to fulfill every promise you vowed to me."

"Dad." He sobbed as tears streamed.

"I'm really sorry for not accepting as you fast as you accepted me." Shouta cupped his cheeks and brushed away the tears. "But let me be your father figure again."

Tsuna gave his warmest smile. "Always."

His Dad smiled back and kissed his forehead. "Thank you. I love you, Tsuna."

"I love you too." He breathed, relieved.

"But for a fifty-five years old, you're such a crybaby." He laughed at the hero's observation while they wipe off his tears. "There."

"Thanks."

"Now, let's go for the second topic." Shouta puts his hands on his shoulders and stared straight into his eyes. "UA has decided to become a boarding school."

"Eh?"

The hero nodded. "It's for your safety since the villains are targeting your batch. That, and we have deduced that there is a traitor among us. Only us and the Pussycats were the ones who knew your location. Even with your phones, it cannot be simply pinpointed. This way, you are both guarded and monitored."

"But that doesn't mean you can still catch the traitor." Tsuna stated as his brows furrowed. "In a way, you're just making him more on guard."

"But at least, he'll feel conscious."

"It means you approve?" He questioned, searching those black eyes. "I don't want to leave you here."

"Silly, I'll be there too. We have to monitor our students. And besides, I know you'll find a way to get home even if they lock you up if I'm not there." The man chuckled when he beamed. "There's the smile."

"Then third?" He asked.

"Let me hug you." His Dad answered, draping on him. "I missed you, and your cheekiness and everything about you."

He laughed and hugged back. "You have an incredible luck, Dad. We don't have any visitors today."

"I can monopolize you all to myself." Shouta sighed, making him snicker again. "You like me being like this, huh?"

"Because I'm possessive too." He chuckled before burying his face on his Dad's hair. "I'm super duper possessive when people surrender themselves to me."

"Possessive and protective." His Dad murmured.

"Hmm."

If Hizashi came in to visit them and found them cuddling by the couch, he didn't say anything. He proceeded to the kitchen to cook something for them, ready the cake he bought, and woke them up to eat together.

Bantering with them again feels like home.

Tsuna inclined his head when he noticed a familiar blond walking meters away in front of him. Taking off one of his buds, he started to jog to catch up. When he got behind Katsuki, he inspected his friend. After noticing the own headset, Tsuna pulled his other bud off, rolled it off before pocketing it. He stepped up and walked beside him. Red eyes glanced at him, and he beamed. The blond looked away. He mouthed 'stingy' before he put a hand on the shoulder near him and reached for the other bud. He put it on his ear and listened.

For someone who's explosive, Katsuki loves instrumental. Well, given the guitar he saw inside the blond's room, and the bunch of other instrument in their music room, it's safe to say that he can play. Mitsuki did say she made him learn those instruments for the heck of it.

He suddenly remembered how those parents talked to him.

Inko Midoriya is a protective yet supportive mother. There are one of those days where Tsuna will be left alone, Inko seized that moment to talk to him. He remembered how the lady expressed how grateful she is to him for believing in her son that he'll become a hero. For saving Izuku from the slime incident, the Stain fiasco, and the mall event. She expressed that Izuku won't tell her things because she worries a lot, but she knows she owes Tsuna so much.

All Tsuna could say was he didn't mind. Izuku is his friend, someone he can relate with in some circumstances. Their friendship has no warranty. And he'll go miles just for Izuku. That she doesn't need to feel in debt because he'll do it over and over again. He only smiled when Inko cried.

Enji Todoroki, or Endeavor, caught him awake in the middle of the night, lodging by the patio overlooking the garden. That was the time Natsuo stayed and everyone is merrily asleep. Endeavor, although a man of major stupidity, knows his concern to his family. The hero informed him that he knows Tsuna had been visiting Rei, sending gifts and such. The brunet doesn't know if he's going to blame his sky flames for making the man spill his gut to him. Enji expressed his worry of not being forgiven by his family. He had admitted his mistakes and felt left out whenever he hears them laughing inside the living room. He regretted.

With all honesty, Tsuna doesn't know why he felt proud of the man in a tiniest bit. Maybe because Endeavor saw how hard All Might fought even with his weakened state? How the number one hero carried his title with a pride, and now he's the successor of the spot. But all he assured the man is, there will be time that his children will accept his faults and forgive him. It will a rough road, especially for all the things he did to them, but time will come. He patted himself on the shoulder for being able to ease the man's burden a little.

Mitsuki and Masaru Bakugou were a pleasant couple too. They caught him when he pushed Katsuki to take a bath first, instead of him. They even had to do a rock paper scissor. (Hallelujah to hyper intuition) He was just done drying the plates when Mitsuki invited him to the table with Masaru sitting there already. The couple started off their conversation with the question of how was his stay so far, before they dived in. They expressed their gratitude for sticking up with their son and doing the best he could to save him from the Villain Alliance, and the Slime incidence. They also noticed how calm Katsuki whenever they're together in the same room and how they regarded each other with respect.

Tsuna— albeit reluctant to say anything since his intuition had alerted him that the blond is outside and listening— told them that he accepts their gratitude. But, saving Katsuki, even when they weren't that close during the Slime incident, does not need payment or gratitude. He expressed that their son had became someone important to him, and he will never hesitate saving him again and again even if it means getting injured. Mitsuki teared up while Masaru hugged him. Katsuki was extra nice that night too.

"Do you think we're neighbors?" He hummed.

"Not roommates?" The blond queried.

He shook his head. "If you're going to room with someone, it will be Kirishima-san. You went mountain hiking last two months, right? And you went to that floating island."

"Why weren't you there anyway?" Katsuki questioned. "Everyone was there, except you."

"I wanted to watch the fireworks. It's a tradition." He answered as the instruments switched to a Japanese song he knew. "And I wanted to keep an eye on the city. I heard you had fun though. And saved the whole city from getting hijacked."

"We did." Katsuki answered before taking something from his bag. Tsuna stared at the small keychain being held in front of him. "Here."

He stared at it then to the blond before taking it. He can't help his smile as he marvelled it. "This is nice."

"I honestly thought of you when I saw that." Katsuki murmured, facing away. "Since you weren't there and all."

"My parents died three weeks ago." Red eyes immediately turned to see him. "The only ones who knew were Hitoshi since he comes in and out of our home, and Shouto cause he's Endeavor-san's son. The media haven't been alerted because we don't want the publicity, so you haven't heard anything. I'm telling you this because you told me to tell you things."

"You should've told me the moment they died."

"Slipped out of my mind? My family members were trying to get my custody from Dad. We argued every time they came. It took threats to keep them away." He crinkled his nose when he remembered how persistent his Kaasan's parents. Good thing he didn't meet his Kaasan's parents back in the original world. "My Kaasan's parents wanted me to quit Yuuei and live with them in Nagano."

"Since you're here..."

He 'hmp'-ed. "Over my dead body. I will never leave Dad. If they even forced me, I'll still be here. Fuck custody, I tell who is my family."

"You're stubborn." Katsuki pointed out.

"Didn't you know that birds with the same feathers flock together?" He chimed, causing the blond to glare at them.

"Bakugou! Tsuna!" Both looked back to Kirishima who called them out. "Ready to get in?"

"Before that," He took his phone out, removed the headset and handed it to the redhead. "Can you take a picture of me and Katsuki? I want to print it out, frame it and gift it to him."

Kirishima laughed while taking the gadget. "Sure!"

"What for?" The blond questioned as he gets pushed to the arch of UA gate.

"To piss you off." He and the redhead answered in unison.

"You little-"

"Shh!" He hushed with a snicker.

Tsuna was skipping in delight while scanning the pictures he got. The blond is glaring at the side, while Kirishima was snickering and trying to console the teen. When he saw the others, he greeted them. He put an arm around Izuku's shoulders and smuggled a bag of cookies to the greenet. Izuku muffled his laughter before hiding it. Shouto gave him a stinky eye which made him laugh and smuggle a bag to the red-white head.

A few minutes walking from the academic building is the Height Alliances. According to his Dad, it's really a 'zero' shaped building with an 'alliance' arch at the front. It's mostly glass, which let's the sun rays enter the entrance. It's cool. And meters away from the steps is their homeroom teacher, Shouta in his usual get-up.

"First of all, Class One-A," He addressed after they settled. "What more important than anything else is that you all have gathered together safely again."

His classmates chattered about it.

"The same goes for you, Sensei." Asui voiced. "I'm just relieved that you made it back here with us. After watching that interview, I thought you might not be able to come back. I was really sad."

"Me too." Uraraka seconded.

"It's surprising to me as well." His Dad reached for his chin as black and caramel met. "Well... A hell of a lot happened, that's for sure."

Tsuna smiled softly as those eyes softened as well. They both knew that means two. Shouta was given a free will to do whatever he wants with them since he is commended for what he had done. Other than that, he is also able to control his students more efficiently.

"Now then," His Dad clapped his hands to get their attention. "I'm going to give you all a quick briefing in regards to the dorm. But before that, just one thing. It's true the plan was for you to earn temporary hero licences after the training camp." then they were surveyed, making Tsuna wince since he has a hunch what those words about. "But you didn't get them. So why were some of you walking around acting like you did? What I'm about to say is important, so listen up.

"Todoroki, Kirishima, Midoriya, Yaoyorozu and Iida." The five perked up. "You five were present on that evening at that place. You took it upon yourselves to proceed towards the site of Bakugou's rescue."

All of their classmates, except him, Katsuki, the five mentioned, Jirou and Hagakure looked at them.

"From the looks of things, your classmates understand the weight of your behaviour in deciding to go there. A lot of things have been pigeonhole in light of everything that happened, but I'll say this now. If it wasn't for All Might's sudden retirement, with the exception of Bakugou, Hagakure and Jirou, I would have you all expelled as punishment." Black eyes scanned them again. "For the five perpetrator I mentioned, it goes without saying. But, the same punishment applies for the other twelve of you who were aware of their actions and did nothing to stop them. Regardless of the reason, the fact that you all betrayed our trust doesn't change. Especially you, Sawada."

Tsuna grimaced as all of them looked at his way.

"Other than you tried to save Bakugou, you also went out of protocol of being kept safe by the police and went to help the heroes. You also entered a dangerous zone by interfering with All Might's fight." Shouta emphasized, making him wince again. "Do you know what that means?"

He sighed in resignation. "Expulsion."

"Wait. What do you mean by that?" Iida questioned.

"No school will take him in any part of the country. Except if he goes overseas." Shouta explained.

"What?!" Most of them exclaimed.

Tsuna waved it off. "It's fine. Don't sweat it. Even if I did get expulsed, it won't stop me from doing my works and visiting you."

"You'll be intruding." Shouta pointed out.

He shrugged with a cheeky smile. "Alumnus."

"Either ways," His Dad drawled, glaring at him which he answered with a sweet smile. "from now on, if you all do me the favor of following established procedures and acting accordingly, I would very much appreciate it, and it would certainly go a long way towards restoring my trust." Then he turned around. "That is all! Now, let's head in with smiles on our faces and lots of energy."

While his classmates lament, Tsuna went ahead to catch up with his Dad. The hero raised a brow at him which he answered with a sweet smile. Shouta bumped his hips to his, that he retaliated with the same thing before laughing his heart out.

He knew why Shouta did everything, even calling out for him. It was to be fair. Besides, even if he did those, Nezu won't mind. They knew that he doesn't have any regards to protocol and the rules, unlike his classmates. But, it won't be fair. He's a student of Yuuei, so he needed to act like one. Besides, one of the reason why he can't get expelled is because the parents were told that he'll be there, with Shouta's own approval. It's like risking his own son to a potential danger, but also trusting the school that they'll keep him safe. Win-win.

"Okay." His Dad started off as the others assembled behind them. "It's one class per building. Boys and girls are separated by wing. The right wing is for the girls, and the boy's wing is on the left. However, the first floor is common space."

Tsuna looked around as they entered. It's pretty spacious. The living room is on their right, the dining is on the center with four tables and twenty-four chairs, six each, then adjacent to it is the kitchen. He turned to look at Satou and Katsuki who instantly looked away. He grinned.

"The dining area, baths and laundry facilities can be found here." His Dad gestured.

"Did I hear it right?" Mineta voiced, already drooling. "The baths and laundry room are shared space? Am I dreaming? Somebody pinch me!"

"Obviously, the girls and boys bathing and laundry areas are separated." Shouta said as he moved for the elevator.

Tsuna snickered as the capture weapon sneaked a grip on his wrist and tugged him. He followed closely. "Give up, Mineta-san. I won't let you sneak off."

"Aw! So unfair!" The other shouted.

"Give it a rest already." Shouta chided.

"Yes Sir!" Mineta snapped like a soldier, making Tsuna laugh some more.

"Keep Sawada in mind." His Dad said while they rode the elevator. "He likes sleeping on the couch."

All eyes went to him, so he raised his hands. "Habit."

The door opened, and Shouta continued. "Your rooms are on floor two and above. On each floor, there are two groups of four rooms; half for boys and half for girls, up for the fifth floor."

They went for one of the rooms and opened it to see what's inside.

"You each get your private room. Each room comes with an AC unit, a bathroom, a refrigerator and a closet. It's quite a luxurious space if you ask me." The hero sighed.

"There's also a veranda." He hummed as Kaminari and Izuku went in to check it.

"No sleeping on the veranda." His Dad reminded.

"I'll try." He hummed as they moved to the wall by the elevator. It has some floor plans.

"The allocation of the rooms is just as you see here." Shouta jabbed a thumb to the floor plans. "The luggage we had each of you send beforehand has already been delivered to your rooms." Then he scanned them. "For the time being, use today to get unpacked and arrange your rooms. Tomorrow, I'll give you an explanation of how things are going to operate from now on." He got nods. "That is all, you're dismissed!"

"Yes, Sensei!" His classmates answered before scattering.

Instead of going for his room like anybody else, he decided to stick with his Dad. They rode the elevator for the first floor before moving for the front entrance. He waved at Shouta, who nodded at him before going.

They have made their own arrangements too. Since he's in the dorm, Shouta permitted him to come by the staff room to sleep when he wants. Since they can't eat breakfast and lunch together, they decided that they'll eat dinner together. If anything happens, they'll text each other. Since they can't watch out for one another all the time, they'll send reminders, call or chat. Simple? It's not.

After experiencing all those things that happened to them in the summer, it doesn't feel right for Shouta. He almost backed out and pulled Tsuna off the boarding school because of paranoia. Why won't he? When both of his parents' sides want him? The Sawadas backed out because Tsuna gave the threat. Nana's parents were just persistent. But it wasn't Tsuna who set his foot down and told them 'no'. It was Shouta. He got so feed up with the constant invasion in their home that the hero threatened them to be reported to the police for invasion. They didn't heed, and the next thing they knew, they were being escorted by Uncle Naomasa and some of his colleagues.

When his uncle got briefed of what was happening, he locked them up for a day. They threatened them that it will be settled in the court, and Shouta challenged them to get their best lawyer because he isn't backing down. He was willing to do all the paper works just to get his rights on him. However, it was them who backed out. Who knows why, maybe because his Dad said so? He doesn't want to know.

With all those fiasco, Tsuna didn't say anything and waited. He watched Shouta do things his way. And when everything backed out, he was the next one to move. He made every movement of his be known, put marks and never let his Dad's eyes leave him. It was something he got used doing after a lot of life and death encounters. Sometimes, it's Reborn. Sometimes, his guardians. Sometimes, the whole family. But this time, it's Shouta. And he just wants to assure the man that he's there. He won't be going away anytime until he says so.

(Shouta was the one sneaking in his room this time whenever those nights bug him, hugging Tsuna until they wake up.)

(Hizashi noted the possessiveness. Shouta told him that he'll experience it anytime now.)

(For a deprived Sky, Tsuna is enjoying the attention.)

(Nope. His Dad isn't one of his guardians, thank you very much.)