Summary: It's hard to step beyond the border of friendship, especially when you treasure the relationship you have now.
Warning: Yaoi and OC (Although, she is more like a femTsuna)
'R27' thoughts
"R27" talking
Italics dream
To Become Something More
Reborn was dreaming. And the dream he dreamt was one he both hated and loved. He watched as his adult self walked through the docks of Sicily, carrying his cup of espresso and taking in the sights of the beautiful city. The clear water was calm, peacefully moving down to the sea as the moon reflected upon it. The ancient looking, beige buildings were truly magnificent, but it would have been more enjoyable if there wasn't someone following him.
Reborn groaned. The stalking presence wasn't dangerous, but even if he knew who it was, he couldn't help but be upset with the person's inability to sneak up on him. Securing his fedora, the black haired man ran, teasingly running away from the stalker and eventually finding a good hiding spot in an alley. The stalker sighed disappointedly, but the moment the person did, Reborn kicked the stalker into the water from behind. Reborn and Adult Reborn laughed at the sight.
"Reborn, you jerk!" a feminine voice yelled.
"You're not getting any better at hiding your presence, you dumb rock." Reborn stated.
"I told you not to call me that!" the girl shouted as she got out of the water.
"I don't care, dumb Kohaku."
"Say my name without the dumb part!"
"No."
"Why not?!"
"Because it's what you are." Reborn said with a smirk.
"Urgh! I swear, Reborn! I'm going to beat you one day!"
"As if. Anyway, come on. You need to change."
Kohaku's light brown eyes took a good look at herself. Her sky blue Chinese dress was soaked like her extremely long, braided, brown hair. Drops of water fell from her bangs. "Aw man. And I kept it in perfect condition for years. What am I gonna tell Fong?"
"I don't know. Let's just get to your apartment, dumb Kohaku."
"Stop calling me that! This is your fault! You better pay for it, jerk!"
Reborn sighed, took off his coat and wrapped it around her. Kohaku looked at him with wide eyes.
"W-What are…?"
"Don't catch a cold." the black haired man said, turning away and walking forward while Kohaku blushed, staring at the hitman's back.
Reborn looked at the scene with nostalgic fondness. That brown haired girl was his company before he got Leon. Kohaku was a fun friend to have around. She was short tempered and was always knit picking his actions, but she was kind and considerate. Plus, it was fun to argue with her, he always won. The brunette was sometimes considered to be Reborn's rival since they were always fighting each other. Some people even thought that Kohaku was the world's second best hitman. After all, at the time, the only person she would ever lose to was Reborn, the number one hitman. Though to Reborn, she wasn't a rival since she wasn't much of a challenge most of the time.
The first time they met was when Reborn was in university. Kohaku was graduating with him and she would have had the best marks in the grade if it weren't for Reborn. And that's where the arguments and rivalry started. She continuously worked to beat Reborn, but she never defeated him. If the brunette got a 100% on a test, then Reborn would get a 101% on his. If Kohaku came up with a new move to beat Reborn, then he would come up with something even better and defeat her almost instantly. Students sometimes asked her if she was suicidal and told her not to give up on life just yet, making the brunette sigh and ignore them. It was frustrating for the brunette, but she never stopped trying and Reborn respected that about her.
Reborn would be lying if he said that he didn't miss Kohaku after graduation. During their time apart, Reborn often thought about Kohaku, wondering if the dumb girl was alright. But one day, he was asked by Vongola Nono, Timoteo, to do a mission and his assistant was none other than Kohaku. Surprise was obvious on both their faces. They didn't see each other for 3 months and now they could finally connect. The brunette was wearing Chinese clothes that day for some reason, but Reborn didn't comment on it. When Kohaku saw him, she didn't argue with him or look at him a determined face. Instead, she gave Reborn the look of a normal girl, slightly smiling at him and saying hello to the hitman.
Afterwards, they went to a café and talked about what they've been doing over the months. It seemed like some time apart was all she needed to change her attitude towards him. Of course that didn't stop him from teasing her for joining the mafia because of financial issues. Once their argument ended, they moved on to their mission from Nono.
When the mission was completed, the duo continued to work together, they were then considered to be the strongest tag team, often being paired together for missions that were way too tough, much to Kohaku's displeasure.
But this wasn't a good thing.
Because soon, a mission came up that would separate them forever.
"Reborn. Kohaku. I need you to destroy a family for me," said Nono sternly.
"Destroy a family? Just the two of us?" asked Kohaku.
"Don't go. You mustn't go there!" cried Reborn as he tried to move, but it was no use, he wasn't in control of his dream.
"No. My guardians and I will be there too with our best subordinates, but I don't know how much help we can be. This family is different. They are called the Sangue Family and they are very good at hiding their presence. In fact, it's their trademark. Even I can't sense them very well. And since you two are the best at hiding, I think you'd have a good grasp of telling when and where they'll sneak up on us and defeat them. So, will you help?"
"Say no! Say NO!"
"I'll do it." replied Reborn.
"I'll come too." Kohaku rushed to say.
"DON'T!"
Reborn awoke and sat up abruptly. He looked around. The baby was in his hammock and Tsuna was still sleeping, it was four in the morning after all. When his mind caught up to the present, he took a deep breath. He needed to calm down. It was only the beginning of the nightmare and thankfully, he didn't reach the end.
The hitman was too awake to fall asleep again because if he fell asleep again the nightmare would probably continue. So instead, he looked at his student. Tsuna's bed covers were wrapped awkwardly around his body and his arms helped him snuggle into the pillow. He looked so sweet, like a sleeping bunny rabbit.
Reborn thought about the last couple of months. Ever since he killed Whiro and told Tsuna about being best friends, the brunet had been nicer to him, smiling brightly at the hitman whenever he was around. Reborn would feel warm inside and smile back, unless he was teaching, in which case, Tsuna would shiver and look at Reborn in fear, praying that the baby would be merciful.
But honestly, Reborn really didn't think calling Tsuna his best friend was right. The more he thought about it, the more he noticed that he liked the brunet more than that. It was a deeper feeling. He only said best friends because Tsuna reminded him of Kohaku. The brown hair and eyes and the attitude towards him were very similar. So, without thinking, Reborn thought the feelings he felt for the brunet was a feeling of friendship. 'Maybe it's that father/son thing everyone thinks we have. Yeah, that's probably it.'
The winter snow stopped falling and the sun rose higher and higher, showing the season's beauty. When the time was right, Reborn got out of his hammock and changed into his suit. Placing his black fedora on his head, he walked to Tsuna's bed. Just when Reborn was going to do something to the brunet, Tsuna stirred.
"Urgh…Mm."
"…Tsuna, wake up. You have school today. Maman will be calling for you shortly. "
"So…comfy. Don't…want to…"
"I'm not going to argue with you, Dame-Tsuna. Get up now."
Tsuna slightly opened his eyes and tried pushing himself up, but he went back down in the end. He sighed. "Argh…My body doesn't want to move." He closed his eyes and hid his face in the pillow.
"You barely tried. Get up."
"…"
"Fine. I'll eat your delicious breakfast and you can starve. Too bad too, I bet Maman worked hard."
Tsuna's eyes opened and he quickly got out of bed, but he got out too quickly and became dizzy for a moment, stumbling as he tried to walk. In Tsuna's dazed state, Reborn kicked the brunet into his closet.
"There. That should wake you up."
"Argh, why do you do this to me?" asked Tsuna with a pout.
"First of all, you lack motivation. You wouldn't have gotten up unless I pushed you. Thankfully, Maman's food is a good enough reason to get up. And second of all, it's fun to mess with you. You're reactions are better than Skull's."
"You sadist!"
Reborn's stomach grumbled.
"…"
"…" The brunet nearly laughed. But instead, he let out a cute smile.
"…I'm going down first." said Reborn and he left.
Tsuna untangled himself from the fallen clothes and got up. He looked back at the door and chuckled, his smile was bright. 'That was cute.' he thought and started to get dressed, changing into his school uniform.
The brunet was very happy when he heard Reborn say he was his friend. It made him feel glad that he wasn't a toy to Reborn anymore. But lately, Tsuna was starting to think that Reborn was cooler than how he thought of him before. Though he had to admit, when he saw Whiro die, he was terrified. Luckily, he passed out before he could think about it more. He was calmer about it now, only shivering slightly when he thought about it.
Tsuna looked outside. The snow was sparkling, but it made Tsuna notice something. His heart was trying to tell him something. But Tsuna was clueless about what it was saying.
When Reborn was half way down the stairs, Leon suddenly turned into a phone and put himself against Reborn's ear. Someone was calling the hitman. How rare.
"Hello?"
"Yo, Reborn! It's me, kora!"
"Colonello, why are you calling?" asked Reborn, irritated. Colonello's voice wasn't what he wanted to hear in the morning.
"Guess what!?" Colonello seemed really happy.
Reborn decided to go along with it. "…What?"
"I finally convinced Verde to do it!"
"…You're going to have to be more specific than that."
"I convinced Verde to find a way to get our original bodies back, kora!"
"How on earth did you do that? Verde was fine with waiting for our bodies to grow on their own. He had no desire to research it."
"I know! I know, kora! But I kept pestering him-"
"Because you want to have sex with Lal." Reborn interrupted.
"No!" Colonello tried to protest. The hitman simply rolled his eyes. "I wasn't going to say that!"
"What other reason could there be?"
"…Um."
'Humming to yourself won't help you, idiot.' thought Reborn.
"Because being in this form is inconvenient?" said Colonello questionably.
"Whatever. It's breakfast time and I'm hungry, so I'm hanging up. Keep me posted."
"Wait! Verde said we have to donate at least 7 million dollars to him or he can't get the materials necessary to do the research and tests, kora!"
"Are you sure he's not ripping us off?" asked Reborn. The hitman could afford it, but he didn't want to waste it, that was a lot of money to give up.
"He's finally listening to our requests. I don't think we should ask him about it at this point. Besides, I annoyed him a lot, so he will have to work honestly if he doesn't want to deal with me." Colonello reasoned.
"Fine. I'll send the money. It wouldn't hurt to get my old body back and get praised by Tsuna for my dashing good looks."
The blond sweat dropped. "You're so vain."
Reborn quickly hung up in annoyance and Leon turned back to normal. The hitman huffed. Then Tsuna exited his room, dressed in his school uniform.
"Oh, Reborn. I thought you'd be in the kitchen. Did something happen?"
"No. It's nothing. Let's eat."
If Reborn were awake, he would curse to himself. The hitman decided to catch up on some sleep by taking an afternoon nap while he waited for Tsuna to return from school. Sadly, this nightmare was the continuation of the last. Reborn tried to force himself to awaken, but he couldn't do it. Why did he have to see this?
There were explosions and screams sounding through the air. Nono and his famiglia were attacking the front while Reborn and Kohaku took the back, trying to find the boss. As they ran through the halls, Kohaku let her curiosity take over and looked outside. Nono and his guardians somehow made their way into mansion. The subordinates were still fighting the Sangue Family's minions, but they were doing pretty well. The explosions had wiped out the trees and rocks in the area and these minions couldn't hide their presence while fighting in an open field, so they've been trying to retreat into the mansion. Nono seemed to have noticed this and ordered his guardians to cut off the route to the base. Suddenly, the Vongola were beginning to get pushed around by desperate Sangue minions.
"Hey, Reborn! Maybe we need to split up. I think I should help Nono!" suggested Kohaku in a panic.
"No! No splitting up!" cried Reborn. The inability to do anything was getting to him.
"He'll be fine." But Reborn's words were useless, Kohaku had already run away. "Urgh. That dummy!" The hitman hoped that the brunette knew what she was doing. Sure she was strong from training under Fong for a few months and got fighting experience from Reborn, but she wasn't as invincible as him, she'll never be.
When Reborn reached the third floor, he hid as he sensed something. There were guards and possibly someone stronger. Suddenly, one of the presences disappeared. 'Did he go after Kohaku?' The black haired man gritted his teeth. He hoped that the girl was smart enough to notice the enemy. His worry made his heartbeat rush as the worst possible scenarios ran through his head. The hitman snapped out of his thoughts just in time as one of the guards tried to attack him with his sword. Reborn shot the man and his battle began.
"Hurry. Please hurry."Reborn would do anything to get out of this nightmare right now. He knew what was going to happen and he hated it. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as he watched himself kill the boss and his guards. His past self stood as he caught his breath. Reborn wanted to plug his ears for what was about to happen next.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
The black haired man froze. That was Kohaku. He ran with all his might. The scream wasn't that muffled, so the hitman assumed that the brunet was somewhere in the many hallways of this floor. Reborn ran through one hall after another, looking from side to side as he passed a room. Why did every room have to have a hall separating it from the last?
"Damn it!" the hitman cursed.
"Damn indeed…"
Suddenly, Reborn heard laughter and fire started to spread through the halls.
"Kahahaha! Serves you right, Vongola!"
And then the hitman saw them as he moved in the direction of the voice. There was a man with black hair and was in a suit covered in blood, both from his injuries and his opponent's. This man was in the file Nono gave him when he and Kohaku accepted the mission. He was Whiro, the Sangue family's best hitman and the boss' right hand man. His gun had rain flames surrounding it and it was burning the walls, spreading like wildfire.
When Reborn looked at Kohaku, his heart clenched. His friend was lying on her side and taking deep breaths. Her once blue Chinese dress was turning purple from the bloody wounds. The raven haired man wasn't able to stop himself.
"Kohaku!"
And Reborn knew everything would go downhill from there.
The sun began to set as Tsuna walked towards his room. Winter was truly a misleading season. Once he reached for his doorknob, some sounds were heard, like someone had fallen. When the brunet opened the door and took a good look, he noticed that Reborn's chair was tipped over on its side, lying alone on his desk. Where was its owner? He looked around for the baby hitman and found him standing on the floor. He raised an eyebrow and stepped inside.
"Um, did something happen?" asked Tsuna.
"I was moving around in my sleep and the chair tipped. But I'm the number 1 hitman, I landed with perfection."
"I see…Were you having a nightmare?"
"Yeah…" Reborn replied silently.
"…Is there anything I can do? Maybe get into a fight with someone to get your old body back?" Tsuna smiled and giggled to himself, but he should have thought twice about being sarcastic with the hitman. Reborn gave Tsuna a swift kick and the brunet landed once again in his closet, but it was a softer landing since he didn't put his clothes back, they were just lying on the floor all day.
"No, Dame-Tsuna. And leave the snarky remarks for someone who knows how." retorted the fedora wearer.
"Like you?"
"Exactly."
"Damn you." Tsuna grumbled.
"What was that?"
"N-Nothing." Tsuna stuttered. He hurried to get his homework out, dumping all his paper and books out of the bag and onto the surface of the desk. As the brunet tried to organize everything, Reborn walked towards the desk and jumped next to his mini chair. After fixing his chair, he decided to help Tsuna organize his mess and reached for a sheet of paper that looked like a failed quiz. Suddenly, another hand shot out at the page. "Ah! Don't look at that!"
And then their hands touched. Tsuna's over Reborn's. They were frozen.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Hearts started to race and the owners' eyes widened in incomprehension and disbelief.
Without looking at the brunet, Reborn retracted his hand with light speed and immediately left the room. Tsuna was frozen in his position, his heart was beating a marathon and he was beginning to shake. 'Huh? Why can't I move? Why is my heart beating so quickly? All I did was touch Reborn…It can't be…'
Tsuna snapped out of it, left his room and walked to the bathroom, holding his hands against his chest. When he looked at the mirror, his eyes widened slightly.
He was blushing, red was all over his face. 'It can't be! I'm straight, right?! How can this be!? This can't be happening! How can I be in love with Reborn?!' Tsuna started to pace in circles. 'Okay. Don't panic. Um, deep breaths!' The brunet tried to breathe, but he was doing it so quickly that it almost sounded like panting. Tsuna started to fret again. 'Argh! This isn't working!' Then the teen's eyes turned to the bath tub. 'Yeah! A bath! That'll calm me down!'
Tsuna placed the plug and shifted the knobs, water started to crash down into the tub. The brunet took his clothes off as the water rose, steam started to form and fog the mirror. When Tsuna was naked, he tried to take deep breaths again. The steam seemed to calm him down. Once the tub was full, Tsuna stepped inside. The hot water made the brunet completely relax. It was like he was swimming in tea or a hot spring.
After a few minutes of peace, the brunet let himself wander in his new situation. 'Am I really in love with Reborn? Why?' Tsuna tried to come up with reasons for his behavior. There was less torture to deal with now, his mornings were less painful. Tsuna was starting to get used to Reborn's ways and, for a while now, he felt like he was connecting with the hitman…without getting beaten. He noticed he was happier with the hitman, smiling with him more than before.
Tsuna's mind trailed to the past, thinking of his time with Reborn. He thought of the good times and the bad times, the fun moments and the scary moments, and times when Reborn looked so cool like in his fight with Whiro. He even thought of the days that he and Reborn shared alone in town.
Once they had tea and espresso together. When the waitress came she was quite confused at the baby's order and the fact that he was talking. It was an amusing day as Reborn tried to get the waitress to give him his espresso. As Reborn was desperate to pull out a weapon, the brunet tried to hold back his laughter, but the hitman's frustrated face made him laugh. Eventually, Reborn snickered when he looked at Tsuna's face and smiled, though the waitress wasn't smiling for reasons well known. Tsuna giggled at the memory. There were many of those moments where they would make each other laugh.
The brunet closed his eyes and blew a few bubbles into the water. When he opened them, they reflected that Tsuna was deep in thought again.
'Was that how it started?'
Reborn ran to Kohaku. The hitman expected his enemy to attack him, but nothing happened, the man just stared at Reborn in shock and disbelief. Noticing this, Reborn tried to fire at the other black haired man. But Whiro snapped out of his thoughts when the gun sounded and dodged. They glared at each other.
"How can this be?" whispered the dark skinned man. "You're supposed to be dead! Killed by-!" Whiro's silver eyes widened and he ran away, trying to find his boss and family.
The number one hitman didn't run after him, picking a fight someone in a burning mansion unnecessarily sounded too dangerous in his mind. So instead, he turned to Kohaku and looked over her injuries. Luckily, the smaller ones had already stopped, but the brunette lost a lot of blood from her more dangerous injuries. Reborn would have to treat these later.
Pieces of wood were beginning to fall down. The hitman gritted his teeth. He gathered his friend into his arms and started running. Kohaku stirred as she noticed the gentle warmth of the black haired man's hold on her. She opened her brown eyes.
"…Reborn?" she questioned.
"Yeah, it's me."
The girl was out of breath, but she managed to smile slightly. "I'm sorry I ran off...I didn't sense that guy at all…I managed to help Nono and kill the rest of the subordinates…but he got me…as I was trying to return. I did my best." Kohaku started to cough. Tears formed in her eyes, she was frustrated with herself.
"I'm sure you did, you always do." Reborn held her close. The brunette sighed and nuzzled into Reborn's chest, taking in his scent. They made it to the second floor, but there seemed to be a blockade wherever he turned. Reborn grumbled as Kohaku looked up, seeing his frustrated face. She looked around and noticed some holes in the barricades that Reborn could move through, but he couldn't do it since she was in his arms.
"Reborn."
"What is it, dumb rock?"
"Put me down. I'm just going to hold you back." Reborn looked down at her in shock. He couldn't believe his friend just said that.
"I'm not gonna do that, idiot." He was turning his head left and right as he ran, examining his options.
"I don't-"
"There's a window over there." He bent down so he could shoot some bullets at the large window without dropping the girl. Reborn rushed to get back up and Kohaku bounced as he readjusted his hold. Just when they were about to reach the exit, Reborn's senses tensed and stopped. Around the corner, Whiro emerged, guarding their way out, his eyes full of hatred and rage, holding his gun and the blade of one of his fallen comrades.
RIIIIING!
Reborn slowly opened his eyes. These dreams were really annoying, but it was still sleep. So, when his Leon phone rang, he was slightly pissed. Who was calling him so late? He picked up his partner and held him up to his ear.
"You better have a good reason for calling me so late or I will kill you and throw your body into a volcano." the hitman threatened.
"That's not very nice to say, Reborn. Colonello told me keep you posted, so this interruption is on you."
Reborn growled at the familiar voice. "…What is it, Verde?"
"I think I've figured out what Checkerface did to those watches so we could turn into our adult selves."
Reborn sat up. "You did?"
"Yes. I've made a prototype, but it's only worked once."
"Do you have an idea of what's wrong?"
"I do, but I'm going to contact Shouichi and Spanner first. I'd like their opinion."
"I see. Do you need me to do anything?"
"Get Colonello and Skull off my back." Verde groaned angrily and turned off his phone. Even after he told that guy he would do it, the blond continued to pester him and even brought Skull into the matter. The green haired baby thought that after agreeing to the request, everything would be quiet again. He was wrong.
Reborn looked at his phone and turned it off. Leon switched back and went to sleep on the hitman's hat. Black eyes trailed to the window. The night sky was covered by clouds, so the moon could barely shine through and snow reflected what was left of its glow and their forms were only visible as it reached the street lights.
Tired of looking at the weather, Reborn moved his gaze to his sleeping student. He still couldn't explain why he left the room when he touched his student. He just suddenly felt like he should get out as his heart sped up. But the hitman had no intention in dwelling on the subject further, believing that he was just rattled by his dreams and Tsuna's resemblance to Kohaku made him panic. Well…that was what he thought.
Putting his blanket over his body, Reborn left the subject again and he went to sleep, hoping for better dreams.
Apparently, the hitman's prayers were ignored. Once again, he was watching himself and this time he was very close to the worse part of the nightmare. He watched his past self put Kohaku down and got ready to fight that silver eyed bastard. Why did he have to see this all over again? Is helplessness that strong? Man, Reborn really hated that feeling.
Kohaku watched helplessly as Reborn started to fight Whiro. She wanted to yell at those two for fighting in a burning building, but judging from the look in their enemy's eyes, the fight was unavoidable, there was just too much rage in those silver eyes, he wouldn't listen. In the back of her mind, Kohaku considered that the tanned man might not have even noticed that the building was falling apart. Fire blazed and wood fell left and right, turning this fight into an obstacle course.
The brunet tried to get up, looking down at her torn Chinese dress. It was a gift from her teacher, Fong. After getting out of University, she wanted to find a way to beat Reborn in something. But getting a job came first. So, she ventured to China, thinking there would be good job opportunities. But she ran out of money a day after she got there because someone robbed her of her belongings. She had no money for a hotel or food. It was pathetic. But in this state, she met Fong, who took her in and taught her how to calm down and use Gyoza Kempo. Kohaku was very thankful for his help. Not only did he teach her how to fight properly and keep her cool, but he managed to get the Vongola to give her a job. However, Kohaku would never admit the feelings she found in her training. A feeling that would never be spoken. Taking those feelings, she pushed herself to stand up and got ready to carry out her attack.
"No! Trust me! I can do it!"
The two men noticed the girl's actions. "Dummy, don't push yourself! Leave this to me." Reborn commanded. Her wounds were getting worse, blood was trailing down faster. But Kohaku didn't listen to him. Instead, she got ready to use her Gyoza Kempo. Who would have thought that a Chinese bun would be her last meal?
Whiro took action and Reborn tried to stop him. The number one hitman couldn't tell what his friend was thinking since her bangs covered her eyes, but he came to the conclusion that she was going to help him defeat Whiro, she always did her best to help him in these instances. But something unexpected happened. Instead of aiming at Whiro, Kohaku hit Reborn, using the Gyoza Kempo to push him out of the burning building.
"You won't get away!" yelled Whiro once he noticed she hit the number one hitman.
But just as he was about to run after the falling hitman, the brunet got in his way. She was running for the exit as well and her resolve pushed her to move faster than him. Nonetheless, Kohaku knew she wasn't going to outrun Whiro for long and if he managed to get outside, who knew what would happen to the Vongola and Reborn. Well aware of the damage that could be done, Kohaku made yet another unexpected move on her opponent. She turned around and grabbed Whiro's right arm, which held the gun covered in rain flames.
"Just die!"
And then he stabbed her with the sword in his left hand. Blood began to trickle out of her chest and mouth. But despite the pain, she grabbed the sword, keeping it in place.
Reborn wasn't able to see what happened after that because he was already out the window and falling by that point. But he knew what she was doing and he hated that he wasn't able to stop it or notice it in time. Before the exit was blocked by burning wood, the hitman saw the last look on his friend's face. Her eyes were full of sadness, like she didn't want it to end this way, like she wanted to be with him longer. Reborn could only stare at them with wide eyes.
"Reborn..."
"Reborn!"
"Reborn!" cried Tsuna. The student tried to shake his tutor. Sweat was running down Reborn's body and his face was scrunched up. The brunet was well aware of what would happen after, but the baby seemed to be suffering, so the brunet decided to bear with the aftermath. "Come on, Reborn! You're starting to scare me!"
Suddenly, Reborn gasped and punched Tsuna out of defensive reflex. The brunet crashed into the tall dresser, paper and drawers landed on Tsuna's head. "Oww…" groaned the poor boy.
The hitman looked around him, slightly out of breath. 'Damn dream.' When his eyes landed on his student, he just stared. Tsuna was covered in some paper and there was a drawer on his side. He was leaning on the dresser awkwardly. Because of this, his shirt was lifted, revealing the brunet's belly button and thin figure. Some of the brunet's pyjama shirt buttons were undone. This revealed his smooth, thin shoulders. There were a few small tears in the brunet's eyes and one of his small, smooth legs was showing. If Reborn weren't so composed, then he would have blushed and tried to find a way to take his student. However, he was composed, so he just shook his head and made his way to help Tsuna. 'I'm not going to do anything to my student.' Reborn told himself. He groaned.
Reborn kicked the drawer off and tried to clear some of the paper as Tsuna tried to stand up. He wobbled a little as he tried to get to his bed. "Itte, your reflexes are painful."
"I'm a hitman. If I couldn't do stuff like this, I wouldn't last long."
"What were you dreaming about? You looked like you were having a nightmare again." asked Tsuna.
"It was a nightmare…"
"Um…Are you going to tell me about it?"
"No."
"Aw." Tsuna pouted cutely.
Reborn stared for a while and then headed for the door. "Well, I'm going to the bathroom. You better be downstairs when I'm done."
"Haiiii."
Tsuna sighed as Reborn left and looked at the sky. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to have a good day. He wasn't sure if this was his hyper intuition, but it was very foreboding and nobody likes that. No one likes to know something before it happens. Out of all the abilities the Vongola bloodline could have, why did it have to be this one? The brunet decided to stop cursing his luck and started to get dressed.
Quite frankly, Tsuna could understand why he felt this way. Last night, in the bath, he decided he would tell Reborn about his love for him. But he was very reluctant about it. It was going to be embarrassing and no doubt difficult for this teenager. But he knew he needed to get these feelings out one day, he wasn't going to let himself live with these feelings bottled up inside him, he wouldn't be happy if he did.
After his clothes were on, Tsuna slowly went downstairs with a nervous face. 'This is going to be tough, I'm not confessing to Kyoko after all…I don't know if I can do it. Um…' Tsuna started to rethink his decision until he reached the kitchen. Because when he reached it, his mind went blank.
Reborn was sitting in his chair with Bianchi next to him.
That was when Tsuna remembered. Bianchi used to be Reborn's lover. With this realization, he figured out that to confess directly would be too dreadful for him. The brunet started to get scared of how the hitman would react. He was afraid of crossing the line. It seemed to petrify him just by thinking about it. He thought he could say his feelings and leave, but he forgot about being turned down and the emptiness that would come after.
"You're late...Why are you just standing there? Come and sit down." said Reborn. He then took a bite of his fried egg.
His young heart clenched and he looked down as he went to his seat.
He couldn't confess after all.
Breakfast was brief. Once Tsuna sat down, Reborn took his plate and ate everything but a piece of toast. But Tsuna didn't say anything about it. Instead, he took the toast, grabbed his coat and left, saying goodbye as he did, leaving a confused tutor behind and entering the cold.
The brunet was glad his punishment was stolen food instead of a gun in his face. It would have meant talking to the hitman and that was something he couldn't do at the moment. He was too scared. He didn't want to face him just yet.
However, after calming down from running half way to school, Tsuna noticed that this kind of behaviour wasn't going to help. Reborn would confront him about it and the process would probably just repeat itself until he confessed and then get turned down. His heart still hurt. The love and fear was hurting him. He touched his chest. 'It hurts so much…What am I going to do?'
"Hey! Are you going to confess?" a feminine voice said.
Tsuna froze and turned to the voice, thinking the question was for him. There were two girls from Haru's school passing by, talking like good friends.
"I've thought about it, Rika. But I've decided to wait until Valentine's Day, it'll be more romantic that way!" the second girl replied.
"Awww! That's so sweet! I hope he'll accept your love! Will you make him chocolate?" the first person cooed.
"Of course! Haha, I'm going to put all my love into it!"
The conversation faded as they turned the corner, leaving Tsuna behind. The brunet's honey eyes started to glitter with hope. 'That's it! I'll make chocolate for Reborn! I'll put all my love into it and let it go! Reborn would never need to know…' What naïve thinking. Desperation seems to cloud this young one's reality and deceive him into making delusional decisions.
"Reborn."
"Verde." Reborn replied.
"I hate reporting everything to you."
"I hate you too."
"Die, you bastard."
"No. You die, you unsocial demon."
"Shut up, you sadistic devil." Verde was getting angrier.
"Stop the insults and just tell me why you called, you green goblin."
"Fine. I've figured out what was wrong with the prototype and fixed it, I'm going to pick up new materials for copies, you torturous storm of chaos." Once the insult was done, the green haired Arcobaleno stopped the call.
Reborn looked at his phone and turned it off. Recalling how the conversation went made him question if they had become so used to their tiny bodies that they have started talking like kids too.
Speaking of kids, Tsuna was acting strange today. The brunet was very out of character. He didn't get mad at the hitman when he stole his breakfast and then laugh and smile when he took Lambo's next. That worried Reborn, it wasn't fun.
He didn't like it.
He didn't like it all.
He liked the reactions of his student.
He wanted to make his brunet laugh.
He wanted his brunet to smile.
After a week, Valentine's Day arrived and Tsuna was ready. He made sure to do it in secret and make it in the school's home economics classroom, slipping the chocolates into a plastic bag as he started his journey home. It felt good. He loved making chocolate for Reborn. The brunet was smiling as he made them. It was very easy to sneak inside the cooking economics classroom. Nobody knew he left because Yamamoto and Gokudera were caught by fan girls and their chocolates. Tsuna hoped that they were okay.
Snow fell gracefully over the town. It was pretty and it brought peace to the brunet's heart and mind, especially since the streets were so quiet and empty. When Tsuna made it home, the first thing he did was walk to his room, his coat still warming him. He silently looked around the place, making sure no one was inside. He sighed and stepped inside when he knew no one was around.
Tsuna walked to his desk and pulled out the chocolate. The small, heart shaped milk chocolates were clumsily made, not quite in the desired shape. He checked his drawer and pulled out some yellow wrapping paper and a pink ribbon, getting ready to make a pretty bag for the chocolate. When he was done, he turned to Reborn's bed. The brunet was about to put it inside, but he hesitated for a second. 'What if Reborn doesn't take it…?'
After a moment, Tsuna quickly dropped it in the hammock and ran out of the room like the wind. After falling down the stairs, Tsuna made his way to the front door. But just as he touched the door knob, a voice stopped him.
"Tsuna?"
Tsuna's eyes widened. With a quiet deep breath, Tsuna turned around.
"Yes, Reborn?"
"Where are you going?"
"Ju-Just out!"
"It's almost time for supper. You should eat and then go?"
"N-No! I'm not hungry! And I want some fresh air!" Tsuna really wanted to get out. He wasn't sure how long he could keep himself together. The brunet was sure he would blush or cry very soon.
"Alright then. Be careful." said Reborn.
Tsuna let out a forced smile. "I will." He opened the door and ran out, leaving Reborn confused and with a pain in his heart.
"That look was like…"
Her eyes were full of sadness, like she didn't want it to end this way, like she wanted to be with him longer.
Just as Reborn was going to chase him, someone called for him.
"Reborn! Supper is ready!" Bianchi said happily and hugged the hitman, carrying him to the kitchen. "I've prepared some chocolates for you!"
Reborn didn't want those chocolates, he would rather go with Tsuna, but he didn't struggle once he smelled Nana's food, but his concern remained throughout the meal. The image of Tsuna's smile was imbedded in his mind. 'Why are sad? What are you ending, Tsuna?'
Reborn walked into the bedroom. He was upset that Tsuna still hadn't returned. It's been hours. What was his student doing? The hitman long decided that he should look for him. He looked for his coat, but then he noticed something different.
On his hammock was a yellow bag with a pink ribbon. Reborn jumped towards it, landing with a swing. He held his present with curiosity and carefully opened it. It was chocolate. Someone gave him chocolate, very bad looking chocolate actually. Bianchi didn't make this. Her food always had a poisonous aura surrounding it. This treat seemed normal aside from the unidentifiable shape. Understanding that the chocolate was safe, Reborn ate one. It was milk chocolate, but it tasted strongly bitter, like dark chocolate, but with a sweet taste that came after. It was good, though the shape wasn't appealing.
It was clumsy, like accident-prone Tsuna.
It was sweet, like his adorable brunet.
Yet it had a cool and enjoyable bitter side, like his strong student.
Tsuna gave him Valentine's chocolate.
Reborn was happy inside, but he was also confused. Why did Tsuna give this to him? To thank him? Love? There was no way Tsuna would fall in love with him…The image of Tsuna's last look came to mind and he felt his heart go cold and tense. He needed to confront the brunet about this. Now he needed to find his Tsuna.
The moon shone with the brilliance of its light, not a cloud in the sky to hide it from the people below. The hitman walked through the moonlit streets, following the footprints in the snow. Reborn's eyebrow rose when he noticed that the footprints indicated that Tsuna was walking and then running with all his might. When the prints turned to Namimori Shrine, Reborn started to run up the stone stairs.
At the wooden shrine, Tsuna was just standing, looking at the holy place with a passive look and hands clasped together like he was praying. He closed his eyes as the cold wind blew through his hair. The brunet's eyebrows scrunched together as the pain in his heart pounded, tears began to form in his eyes. 'Damn it…I'm such an idiot.'
"Tsuna."
The young boy opened his eyes.
"Do have any idea what time it is? It's way too late for a walk. Too long too."
The brunet turned around, showing Reborn his teary face. The hitman stared with slightly widened eyes and then he narrowed them.
"Tsuna, what's wrong with you? You've been acting weird for a week now."
No response.
Tsuna just stood there, staring.
"You've been departing early and leaving me behind whenever you can. You try to turn away when I'm talking to you. Avoiding me isn't going to solve anything…Are you listening to me?" asked Reborn in a serious, but concerned voice.
"I…um. Darn it!" Tsuna ran away into the forest as the tears started to spill. He didn't want to tell his teacher his feelings. The brunet could only imagine what the hitman would say and that still scared him.
"Tsuna!" Naturally, the fedora wearer chased after him. This was scaring him, he felt like he was going to lose Tsuna somehow. He tried to look for the Vongola heir in the dark forest, only the moon was showing the way, working as his guide. Reborn heard the brunet trip a few times and watched him slide down the snowy hill, heading back to town. The brunet seemed to be running with no idea of where to go. Tsuna wouldn't be able to run forever and the hitman would catch up within minutes.
Or it would have ended that way if a disturbance hadn't gotten in the way.
Reborn was so wrapped up in catching Tsuna that he crashed into a familiar looking adult. Like a cat, he landed on his feet, but not the adult.
"Ow. Watch where…Reborn. Why did you kick me?" questioned the adult, groaning on the pavement.
"Verde? What are you doing here? You're in your adult form!" said the hitman.
"Answer me."
"You answer me." Reborn commanded. They glared at each other. But it was the green haired man that submitted. After all, the hitman was stubborn, he'd never win.
"Hmph. I was just heading home after buying some new tools and groceries. It's easier to get the things I want in this form." He held out a watch that resembled the ones from the Representative war, but smaller. Reborn looked at the watch and then suddenly, an idea suddenly came to mind.
"Give me that!" With a swift movement, Reborn claimed the watch and ran away. Verde returned to his baby form and dropped to the ground with a thud, plastic bags fell around him in the shallow snow.
"Hey! Hold it! Give it back, Reborn!"
Tsuna started to slow down, panting in the cold air. With no more strength left to run, he finally stopped at the park. It was late and cold, so naturally, no one was there. Tsuna had it all to himself. He took a seat on the swing, but the brunet jumped when he felt the cold snow that he forgot to brush off. He started to stumble from exhaustion as he got up abruptly.
Suddenly, Tsuna felt warmth, caught in the arms of someone tall. Tsuna could only see the black of a fancy coat. Whoever was holding him kept him steady with one arm as the other seemed to be cleaning the swing. Then the brunet was guided to it and he sat down once more. Tsuna lifted his head and widened his eyes.
Before him was the man that helped him in the Representative war. The man was still wearing a black fedora, but there was a coat covering his black suit and yellow dress shirt. His black eyes held an unreadable expression like always. His curly side burns bounced as he shifted his weight. Tsuna felt his heart beat faster from the handsomeness of this man. It must be because of his new preferences.
"Why are…" Tsuna's voice faded as he stared cutely at the taller man.
"I'm here because I want to be." the black haired man said.
"I-I see." Tsuna sweat dropped. "Um. Can I help you?"
"I was going to ask you that. You've got tears on your face." The man looked at him with an indulgent look on his face.
"Eh?" Tsuna touched his cheek with his bare hands. There were thin lines of ice trailing where his tears had traveled. The brunet tried to get it off by licking his hand and rub the ice off, but his frustration was making him cry again and he tried to wipe them away as well.
"Are you okay?" the fedora wearer asked with his manly, soft voice. It felt comforting and Tsuna broke down.
"I-I'm an idiot…" Tsuna said with a broken voice, looking at the listener with a cute face full of red blush and tears.
'I know that…' the taller man thought.
"What makes you say that?" The taller man was having a hard time hiding his need to ravish the brunet and make him cry in pleasure. That face was adorable, but it troubled him that it was a face of sadness.
"I r-recently found out t-that I'm in lo-love with Reborn. I didn't -hic- k-know what to do. Sniff. I was s-scared of being rejected. I'm sure he'll r-reject me. Hic!" Tsuna hugged the black haired man, trying to hide his face and get some comfort. The fedora wearer looked at him with wide eyes. "I-I thought I could just wrap it up in a bag of chocolate, b-but I was wrong!" The brunet continued to sob as the man just stared. His black eyes softened and he lifted Tsuna's chin. The smaller boy looked at him with teary eyes.
"You bet you're wrong."
Tsuna's tears flowed like a river. But everything stopped when the black haired man's lips reached his own. The brunet couldn't find the strength to move. His mind went blank, unable to comprehend anything. He forgot what he was so upset about, lost in the passion of the kiss. Their lips parted and the black haired man started leading him somewhere. At the feeling of being tugged, Tsuna came back to reality.
"W-Why did you do that?!" cried the brunet, trying to get out of the man's grip as he did.
"Heh. Damn, you're a cute idiot. You're wrong about trying to throw away your feelings like that and you're wrong about me." He smiled.
"About…you?" Tsuna stared with wide eyes as he realized what was going on. "R-REBORN! Y-You're Reborn! It can't be!"
"Oh yes, it can, Dame-Tsuna." The fedora wearer looked back at Tsuna and gave him a very Reborn like smirk. Tsuna blushed uncontrollably. He just confessed his love for Reborn without knowing it. By far, this was the hitman's best disguise. Tsuna couldn't believe he didn't notice it before. He must have looked like an idiot when he kept asking Reborn about who his adult self was.
"Oh my gosh!" he said to himself and placed a hand on his face, trying to hide his blush from Reborn, upon which the hitman chuckled at. The brunet couldn't tell where the black haired man was taking. He was too wrapped up in his embarrassment to care.
After a long while of self-criticism and walking, Tsuna heard a gunshot. He jumped slightly and emerged from his hand. The brunet found himself back in the forest with a spot that was cleared of the snow, which Reborn guided him to, the remnant flames of the chaos shot moved as the two entered its warmth. 'Huh? Did Reborn do that? Why?' The hitman gently pushed Tsuna down onto the clearing and straddled him on the grass. His expression said it all.
"You can't really be-"
"Yes, I am."
"Outside! In winter!" cried Tsuna. Brown eyes looked fearfully into the black ones, looking for the reassurance that everything would be okay. The brunet was a little scared about losing his virginity, though it seemed to fade as his heart warmed from the fact that his fears of the past week was nonsense. Reborn wasn't rejecting him at all.
"Yes."
"We'll freeze!"
"No, we won't. Leon will keep us warm." said the hitman, motioning to the chameleon that turned into a heater. Reborn licked Tsuna's lobe before Tsuna could look at Leon in confusion, making the brunet squeal from the sensation.
"W-Wait!"
"I love you as well, Tsuna."
Tsuna stilled, ceasing his struggles. "You…do?"
"I do." Reborn kissed Tsuna once again, this time he asked for entrance, pushing his tongue. The brunet opened his mouth, giving him access as Reborn tilted his head to deepen it and enjoy the sweet taste inside. The boy moaned as their tongues danced, Reborn's leading the way. When they parted, Tsuna panted for air, but then he turned away when Reborn was about to kiss him again.
"Tsuna?" Reborn questioned.
"Um…Why?" Tsuna responded. The hitman raised an eyebrow.
"Why what, Tsuna?"
"Why do you love me?" Tsuna asked.
"I could ask the same thing."
"Yes. But I'm sure you already know why."
"True. It's because I'm awesome in every way."
"…I don't feel like arguing with that. But seriously, answer my question! Why? I mean, a few months ago, you said I was your friend. A close friend." said the brunet.
"Well," Reborn started to lick and leave hickeys as he talked, slightly undressing the brunet to find skin as he listened to the moans beneath him. "I was confused before."
"C-Confused? Anngh!" Tsuna moaned.
"Yes. See, I had this friend. You're a lot like her; cute, kind, always saying what's on her mind. The only difference was that she's smarter than you." Reborn started to unzip Tsuna's fly.
"Hiiiiiie! Umph!" The hitman silenced him with another kiss, thrusting his tongue inside. "Ahng…" When they broke the kiss, Reborn continued.
"I confused my feelings of love for friendship. I've been in love before, but this time, it's different. I get it now, I see you as more than a friend…" Reborn pulled Tsuna's pants down partway as he bit down on Tsuna's once clear skin. The brunet's face could not darken any more than it already had, but the cold was beaten by the heat of it. His heart pumped with adrenaline, mind racing through ever thought.
"T-That doesn't really a-angh!" One of Reborn's hands had slid under the brunet's shirt, teasing and pinching the little nipple; the other was unbuttoning to his jeans, anxious to pull down the next barrier down.
"You're beautiful, Tsuna. Everything you do fills me with happiness."
(Sex scene has been cut because the site doesn't like it, but I'm sure I can leave it to your imagination~)
They looked at each other and smiled tiredly. Reborn reached for Tsuna's hand and held it gently, bringing it within eye level. Then the hitman used his other hand to pull the brunet closer and snuggled with his lover. It was peaceful and warm. They wanted to stay in this position forever.
Unfortunately, the moment was rudely interrupted.
"Reborn." growled the green haired baby in pure anger. He was covered in snow. Behind him was a deep, or at least compared to his size, trail of snow. "How dare you."
"Damn. I forgot about you." The hitman glared at Verde.
"I still need that, you know." the baby said with a dark aura, pointing to the watch.
"Huh? Need what?" Tsuna paused, thinking. "Wait. Reborn, why do you look like that?"
Reborn turned back to Tsuna. "That question was late."
"Don't ignore me!"
"Brrrr. It's cold." stated the brunet, trying to get his clothes back in place, but Reborn grabbed his hands and pinned them down.
"Do you want me to keep you warm again?" asked Reborn in a seductive tone. The brunet blushed and let out a small squeal.
However, round two never came because Verde wouldn't allow it, demanding that Reborn return his watch with threats and robots.
End
Kohaku means amber, an orange gemstone or fossilized tree resin. Amber is used in perfume, jewelry and is a healing agent in medicine, but to a handsome, adult, male hitman, that would probably be considered dumb and useless.
Happy Valentine's Day!