"Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn." – Orson Welles

"How are you, Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna rolled over to lay on his stomach. "I'm peachy. Never felt better. It's nice to hear you still kickin' and well, livin'."

His grandfather chuckled. "Thank you, that just about settles my poor heart."

"This isn't a courtesy call, is it?"

"What makes you think that? I'm only checking in on my dear grandson."

"Old man, just spill. You know I'll accept everything you'll tell me with an open mind and heart so hit me."

"From my own experiences, that is very unlikely," Timoteo said dryly.

Tsuna grinned sharply. "What makes you say that? I love you with everything I have, you know that—within reason, of course."

"You never see reason."

"Why, that's just harsh. Logic is the fundamentals of being a human being. I guess it goes without saying that I had no idea what I just said but it still sounds nice, right?"

"The suit you tailored."

"What?" Tsuna said, exaggerating the "a". "I tailored a suit? Since when?"

He had to give it to his grandfather though. He was really patient. "The suit I sent to you last week. The one for Mukuro Rokudo?"

"Oh, that one. I kind of remember and I kind of don't. Walk me through this. What about it?"

"Why in the world did you remove the buttons? Did you not read my note? I'm certain that I put it in the box."

"Oh, that little orange thing was your note? I thought it was just some confetti. Sorry, I threw it out."

Timoteo sighed tiredly. "You had one job, Tsunayoshi."

"Okay, hear me out here. Mukuro is, what, roughly 178 cm? He's also lost weight, I'm not sure if you noticed, but having the suit be that conservative makes him look stuffy, not elegant. He's more of a stick-up-his-ass kind of guy and a walking stick but a nice walking stick, you get what I'm saying?" Tsuna rolled over again on his back and stared at the ceiling. "Long story short, either give him the traditional Italian cut or take off the buttons. He's just going to end up looking like a turd."

"That wasn't your job."

Tsuna raised a brow. "Then why do you keep sending them to me? I'm only doing it because you, my dear grandfather, are my only family left and family comes first, right? Plus, I'm not a fan of being in debt."

Timoteo huffed. "Tsunayoshi, you have an offer from Rossana to become a part of her team."

"No thanks. Instead of an offer, you should give me my June allowance. That never came in."

"She wasn't happy with your alterations but Mukuro appreciated it."

"Still no. Also, you're avoiding the more serious topic here."

"Tsunayoshi."

"Nope."

"Please."

"How many times have we gone through this?"

"You're wasting your life."

"I'm living my life fantastically, thank you."

"You're wasting your talent."

"I have lots of talents and the biggest one is living my life to the fullest."

"Time won't be kind on you."

"Ohh, so we're going to fortune cookies now. Terrifying. Let's see."

"I am being very serious, Tsunayoshi."

"And I'm also being very serious. My answer will forever be and remain no."

"Your parents wouldn't want to see you like this."

The air suddenly chilled. Tsuna tightened his grip on his phone. "You don't know anything about them so don't talk like you do." He rose from his bed. "Sorry, but I'm busy right now. Leave a message or something more worthy of my time after I hang up. Bye!"

He ended the call before Timoteo could respond. Way to kill the mood, Tsuna thought. He stood up and stretched his arms in the air. Some bones popped in his back. Maybe he should really invest in that running machine he saw online. He was just skin and bones, and what a sorry sight that would be at his funeral.

When he left his room, Natsu sat up from the couch, waiting for him to sit beside him again. Tsuna cuddled his cat as he plopped down.

"You okay?" Haru said.

Unknown to her, Tsuna coldly smiled. "I'm wonderful."

Timoteo didn't call him back after that. Haru's check arrived two days after the whole fiasco. She walked with a small skip in her steps so all was good in Tsuna's book. When he woke up, Haru had already left for some job searching and being productive as usual. He yawned and scratched his head, rolling over on his bed just to fall on the floor. Grunting, he pushed himself up, blowing a strand of hair out of his face.

Natsu leaped down quietly to lick his cheek and waited for him to get up. Tsuna smiled slightly. "My sweet knight in shining armor. Whatever would I do without you?" Natsu just purred in response, as if consoling him. Tsuna scratched his chin. "Probably rot."

He stood up then and headed for the bathroom. Showering was such a weird thing for him. Not doing it but the whole phenomenon of not wanting to go in. For some reason, it was too much work, but when he did start showering, he didn't want to leave. The world was full of weird things, or maybe humans were weird, he didn't know.

Turning the knobs, Tsuna stepped into the warm water and massaged some of his shampoo in his hair. It smelled like mint. Haru had screamed at him for using hers when he ran out so he had gone on soap for a while until he ordered some shampoo online. Oh, yeah, and body wash. Some lavender, lemon, thing. Honestly, he just bought all the popular ones without really reading the details. Hey, if they smelled good, it was fine.

When he finished, he grabbed a towel and dried off his hair. He wrapped another towel around his waist before heading for the door. He dropped his clothes in a laundry hamper out in the halls. Making a note to actually do it later, Tsuna headed to the kitchen to get something to drink. All that steam in the bathroom made him thirsty.

As soon as he stepped out into the living room, someone shrieked. Tsuna blinked, turning to the noise, and found a rather unexpected guest. He raised a brow. "You're not Haru."

And no, the guest wasn't. M.M, wearing a short, black jumpsuit-overall, stood by the couch while covering her eyes. "No, I'm not!" she said. "What are you doing?"

Tsuna opened the fridge. "Getting some water. What are you doing?"

"P—Put some clothes on!"

Tsuna grabbed a cup from the pantry and poured some water inside. "That's not what you're doing." He peered at the model over his cup as he sipped it. "How did you get in here?"

M.M continued to cover her eyes as if her life depended on it. "Can you just put some clothes on first so we can talk?"

"We're talking now," Tsuna said, setting the cup down.

"J—Just put some clothes on!"

"Oh, come on. I don't look that bad. I don't have a six-pack but it's not some disgusting beer belly." Tsuna patted his pale stomach. "It's flat enough. Although, I guess you can kind of see my ribs and that's no good."

"Put some goddamn clothes on already!" M.M said.

"This is my house, sweetheart," Tsuna said, heading to the couch. He hopped over it and sat down. "I can do whatever I want. Come on, spill the beans. How did you get in here?"

M.M shuffled awkwardly to the side, still covering her eyes. "T—The front desk let me in! The man told me where your room was!"

Tsuna pinched the bridge of his nose. Shirasu. "Give me a minute. Oh, and here." He grabbed some random home slippers and plopped them in front of M.M. "I just cleaned everything yesterday."

Ignoring the woman's indignant sputters, he headed for the wall phone near the doorway that connected him to the apartment's front desk. Tsuna dialed the special number and waited for the secretary to pick up.

"Hello, this is—"

"Shirasu."

A beat of silence passed before the other man cleared his throat and responded, "Ah, K—Kato-san! Is there something you need?"

"Why yes," Tsuna said, inspecting his nails. "I need answers. Who is in my living room?"

"Um, I'm not sure what you mean, Kato-san."

"You know what I mean, Shirasu. Think long and hard about this. Really, get your brain cells working today. I'm sure they need some exercise."

"Erm, well, I—Oh! Do you mean your girlfriend?"

Tsuna deadpanned. "My girlfriend." He didn't state it as a question.

"Yes! She came in a few minutes ago and I sent her up with your pin. She said that she forgot it and wanted to surprise you. I hope you don't take any offense to it but I didn't think you'd have such a beautiful girlfriend!"

Tsuna sighed dramatically. "First things first, remind me to never trust you with my life. You truly terrify me. Second, you're dead to me. Third, why would I date a carrot?" He ignored M.M's, "Hey!" in the background. "I don't fuck carrots, Shirasu. Do you fuck carrots? I hope not. Do you know what we do with them? We eat them. Fourth, why in the world would you think I'm dating? You do know Haru lives with me, right? Think, Shirasu, think for once."

Shirasu sounded close to tears. "I'm so sorry, Kato-san! I didn't know!"

"Now, now, Shira-kun," Tsuna said in a motherly tone. "Don't cry yet. You still have a chance to redeem yourself."

"Anything, Kato-san!"

"Send security up here. You know what to tell them."

"Okay, Kato-san! I really am sorry for the terrible misunderstanding."

"Don't worry. We all make mistakes so it's just best to learn from them, right? You're learning very well, Shira-kun."

"Th—Thank you, Kato-san."

"See you."

"Ah, Kato-san!"

Tsuna sighed. "Yes?"

"May I…ask a question?"

"Of course you can."

"Um, well, you see, uh, are you—I hope you don't get offended, but are you…gay? It's just that, you know, I don't see anyone else but Haru-san go to your room and I was just curious, that's all! Oh God, I shouldn't be asking this? Why am I asking this?"

Tsuna smiled. "Open minds and open heart only here, right, Shira-kun? Would it make a difference if I am gay?"

"No! Never! You'll always be Kato-san to me!"

"Good. Now learn to mind your own business too, okay, Shira-kun? Bye!"

Tsuna placed the phone back on the receiver and turned to M.M, who was sitting on the couch and looking around his living room. Natsu came out of his room with a small yawn. He glanced at M.M curiously before finding Tsuna and bounding towards him with light steps. M.M gasped and quickly covered her eyes when Tsuna headed towards her.

"Some nice, strong men will be coming soon," he said, as if talking to a child. "And they'll take you home, okay?"

Before M.M could conjure a response, Tsuna walked to his bedroom with Natsu trailing uncertainly behind him. The cat peered over his shoulder as if he was trying to get a glimpse of M.M from Tsuna's room. Tsuna dug through his drawers to find some clean clothes. "Don't worry, Natsu," he said. "She's harmless." He patted Natsu's head. "Remember? Carrots are harmless."

After he was dressed in a clean white shirt and some black shorts, he left his room for the kitchen again.

"Look," M.M said, "I know that this isn't…polite or anything."

"Oh, you don't say," Tsuna said, taking out some eggs.

M.M huffed. "Okay, let's just cut to the chase. I came here to ask you for your services."

Tsuna checked the rice cooker. There was still some leftover rice from last night. He pressed the reheat button. "Sweetheart, I don't do the giving. You're asking the wrong guy here. Shira-kun might take you up on that though."

"You—What—How dare you!"

Raising a brow, Tsuna turned around to face the model. "Says the one who broke into my house."

M.M turned almost as red as her hair. "I didn't break in your house! I just…happened to get your code. And what kind of person would have 1234 as their door pin? Are you an idiot?"

"This is me being nice to you so you please stop taking up all my precious oxygen. Thanks."

He heard M.M stomping towards the kitchen before squeaking when Natsu hissed at her. "Oh my God! Get it away from me!"

"You're doing great, Natsu," Tsuna said, chopping up some vegetables. "Keep doing what you're doing."

M.M let out an aggravated cry. "Look, you crazy bum! I didn't come here to be—to be harassed! I came here to give you a job offer!"

"Not interested."

"Just listen to me!"

"I am listening." Tsuna cracked some eggs over the frying pan. "And I said no."

"What if I add something to sweeten the deal?"

"Look, Carrot Top," Tsuna said, turning halfway to meet M.M's gaze, "I'm a very busy man with very busy priorities. Enough said." The doorbell buzzed then. "Oh, wow, look at that, your escorts are here."

Before Tsuna could reach the door, M.M ran over and spread her arms in the air, blocking him. She glared at him. "You're not going anywhere!"

"Uh, yes, I am," Tsuna said, pinching a nerve on her shoulder. Ignoring her yelp, he continued walking towards the door. "I'm going to the—agh!"

A sudden weight tackled his back to the ground. Tsuna rubbed his forehead with a grimace. That was going to bruise. M.M huffed a laugh as she slammed Tsuna's wrists against the floor. "You know, you're pretty weak for a guy," she said.

"Just doing my part."

Natsu yowled and leaped a great distance in the air to knock M.M down. She shrieked, letting Tsuna go. "Not the face! Not the face!"

Pushing himself up, Tsuna crawled over to take Natsu off of the model. "My sweet knight," he said, petting the cat to calm him down, "'tis be your greatest rescue yet."

The doorbell rang again.

"Coming, coming," Tsuna said, standing up.

M.M exclaimed in frustration. "If you take one more step, I'm cancelling your meeting with the Sugar Angels!"

Tsuna whirled around then, his mask blank. "Oh, really? Tell me more."

M.M smirked. There was a light scratch on her cheek. "If you don't let them in, we can discuss the best time and place to meet. 100% guaranteed."

"What did you want again?"

M.M straightened herself and crossed her arms over her chest. "Your services."

"You're going to have to elaborate. I do plenty of things."

"You know what I'm talking about. Don't play dumb."

Tsuna hummed to himself. "Well-played. Give me a minute."

He headed towards the door and opened it with a grin. "Hello there, good gentlemen. What seems to be the problem?"

One of the security guards blinked. "We were told to come to this room, sir."

Tsuna widened his eyes, feigning surprise. "Really? Are you sure you have the right place?"

"Well, the front desk told us to come here," the other guard said.

Petting Natsu's fur, Tsuna smiled innocently. "There's nothing wrong here. I'm still alive and breathing as you can see."

"Oh, well, I see. We apologize for the bother."

"No problem. You're only doing your jobs. Have a nice day, gentlemen."

Tsuna shut the door as soon as the guards left and let Natsu go. "I have questions," he said, heading back to the kitchen.

M.M huffed, eyeing Natsu warily. "Of course you do. So do I."

"How did you find me?"

M.M stuck her chin up with a prideful gleam in her eyes. "I have my ways."

Tsuna mixed the vegetables in another pan with some Spam. "Enlighten me." He peered over his shoulder to see M.M sitting down at the bar, still not taking her eyes off of Natsu who was doing the same.

"I had Lancia follow your friend around for a few days," she said. "Do you ever leave your house?"

"You had your manager stalk Haru."

"Follow."

"Same difference, Carrot Top."

"Stop calling me that! I have a name!"

"I get hungry when I think about your name."

"And not Carrot Top?"

"I hate carrots."

Scowling, M.M crossed her arms over her chest. "You're ridiculous."

"Touché."

After Tsuna finished making some fried rice with egg on top, he poured some cat food in Natsu's bowl. Natsu padded towards it and waited until Tsuna said, "Itadakimasu," before he started eating. "So," he said, "you know the Sugar Angels?"

M.M scoffed. "Of course I do. Who doesn't?"

Tsuna nodded solemnly. "Exactly."

"Anyways, if you do me this favor, I'll let you meet them."

"Sorry, but you don't seem the type to actually know them."

M.M furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

"How can anyone let you near such pure, sweet angels?"

Tsuna dodged M.M's slap easily, pulling his bowl away. She scowled at him with a blush on her cheeks. "Stop saying stupid things!"

Her stomach growled then, making her flinch. Tsuna pointed at the frying pan with his thumb. "I have extra."

"I—I'm not hungry!"

"Then what was that?"

"W—What was what?"

"And you call me an idiot." Tsuna rose from his seat to get another bowl from the pantry. He filled it up with the rest of the fried rice and slid it towards M.M. "You're welcome."

M.M looked at the bowl like it was a pile of sludge. "I'm on a diet!"

Tsuna shrugged. "Okay. I'm hungry anyways."

Before he could take back the bowl, M.M smacked his hand away. "I didn't say I didn't want it!"

"Then eat it. I didn't poison it if that's what you're thinking."

M.M flushed. She picked up her spoon and muttered something under her breath. When she took her first bite, her eyes widened. "This…is good."

"Of course, it's good. Who can screw up fried rice?" Tsuna pointed at M.M with his spoon. "Okay, what's the favor?"

"I want you to make your friend's jumper for me."

"I don't make clothes."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"I know who your parents are."

Tsuna continued eating calmly, not batting an eye. "Really?"

"Kato isn't your real surname." M.M spoke as if she got the jackpot. "It's Sawada."

Tsuna set his spoon down and looked up, lacing his hands together in front of him. "You got more?"

Smiling proudly, M.M continued, "You were pretty hard to find. It's like you're a ghost in the system. But, you graduated from Teikyo University in Hachioji with a BA in Japanese culture. Your grandfather—well, adopted grandfather—is Timoteo Vongola, the head CEO of the Vongola fashion brand." M.M was nearly at the edge of her seat, her green eyes shining bright with excitement. "Your father was Sawada Iemitsu, one of the greatest designers of his generation! I still remember his beautiful golden gown from his 1997 Spring collection. Your mother was also a wonderful seamstress. Her—"

"So?" Tsuna said, making M.M flinch. "Everything you've said doesn't mean I can make clothes."

"Oh, um, well—"

"Move it along, sweetheart. I don't have all day."

M.M flushed. "Well, the—Your friend's—"

"Haru."

"Haru's jumper," M.M corrected immediately. "The red camellia—it was Nana-san's insignia in her early works. Her flower patterns were really exquisite…"

"Who else knows this?" Tsuna said, betraying nothing on his face despite the typhoon churning in his mind. He had been thorough. Timoteo had been thorough. Was this his grandfather's way of punishing him? After all his father did for him?

M.M glanced to the side. "No one."

"If you're going to lie to me, at least say it to my face."

M.M inhaled sharply. "I—Lancia, my manager."

"And?"

"The ones who found the information…?" She quickly added, "They're my friends! Well, kind of."

"Alright." Tsuna draped his arm across the chair beside him. "This is what you're going to do. You don't utter a single word about this to anyone. That goes for everyone in your little circle. You're going to leave and I'll forget we ever had this conversation, okay? Do you understand?"

Too stunned to speak, M.M just nodded. Tsuna smiled thinly. "Good girl."

A small beep broke through the tense silence before the front door open. "Tsuna, you better be awake or I'm going to kick your as—Oh." Haru froze at the doorway, her eyes going wide when she saw M.M. "I…didn't know you had a guest."

Tsuna smiled at her. "Welcome home, Haru!" he said in a sing-song voice. "How was your day?"

"Um, should I just come back later?" Haru said, slipping her shoes back on.

"Oh, no. She was just about to leave."

Pursing her lips, M.M grabbed her bag and stood up. "Can I just ask you a question?"

Tsuna waved his hand flippantly. "Go ahead."

M.M took a deep breath. "Why do you live like this? You could be one of the greatest names in the fashion industry."

Tsuna's lips twitched slightly. Screeching tires and glass shattering against the pavement rang hollowly in his ears, but he ignored them. "Because I should've stayed dead."

M.M flinched. They stared at one another, neither of them giving in. Tsuna had to hand it to her though. She had guts. Finally, M.M turned away and headed for the door, brushing past a wide-eyed Haru. Tsuna put his bowl in the sink and threw out M.M's rice, which didn't have a lot left.

While he washed them, he sensed Haru walk up behind him. "You okay?" she said quietly.

Natsu curled his tail around Tsuna's ankle as he laid down by his feet. Tsuna smiled but didn't look up to meet Haru's gaze. "I'm good," he said. "What's there to worry about?"

"You know that I'm glad you're here right, Tsuna?"

Tsuna turned off the sink and dried the bowls with a small towel. "Yup."

"I'm being serious."

"I know."

Haru rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "I'll be back, okay?"

"No rush, no worries. Take your time."

Haru crouched to pet Natsu's head. "Keep him from doing anything stupid, alright? That a boy."

"Hey, he's my cat. Don't tell him what to do."

Haru stuck her tongue out at Tsuna. "I am his queen."

Tsuna smiled despite himself. "You got me there."

Standing up again, Haru jogged towards the entrance to slip on her sandals. "I'll be back in a few. I forgot something at the front desk."

Tsuna didn't call her out on her lie. "And I'll be here, you know, not dying."

Haru gave him an unimpressed look. "Not funny."

Just as she touched the door handle, Tsuna suddenly said, "He called me a few days ago."

Haru widened her eyes. "Your grandpa? Why? What did he say?"

"Just wanted to check on me. He said hi by the way."

Haru pursed her lips. "You didn't say anything about me, right? I have an interview tomorrow."

Tsuna clapped his hands together. "Oh, really? As expected from my dear Haru. What a beast—I mean, queen."

Rolling her eyes, Haru opened the door and stepped out. "You drive me nuts sometimes."

"Ah, then I'm doing my job well."

Haru just left with a sigh. Tsuna picked up Natsu and held him in his arms, plopping down on the couch. His eyes glanced at the door to the only room in the apartment that belonged to him other than his bedroom.

He nuzzled Natsu's furry head, smiling when the cat licked his cheek. "That's one door I'm not opening again," he said cryptically.

Natsu just purred comfortingly, making himself comfortable on Tsuna's lap. Still, that didn't really quell the ominous feeling stirring in Tsuna's stomach.

Little Notes and Fun Facts

1) Timoteo is basically Tsuna's only source of "income".

2) Tsuna attended Teikyo University, a real school, on their Hachijo campus, which has the largest student population of the five campuses. It's known for its strong focus on humanities and liberal arts. He went here since it was close to Haru's school, Sugino Fashion College, where she majored in Visual Merchandising.

3) Guess who M.M's friends are, hehe.

A/N Well, snaps, there's some drama going on, haha.

Alas, some peeks into Tsuna's past. Of course, there's more to learn as we delve in deeper. It's just going to get wild from here, peeps. ;^)

Thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows! I'm glad to see you enjoying this story. :^D

Thank you again for reading! I hope to see you again in the next chapter.

Have a lovely day~

Little Miss Bunny