Interlude I: Bis repetita placent (Venice, Italy / Vongola Estate / Ten Years Later)
A/N: This is an unbeta'd chapter, as thi_hoai has been busy with important things like moving and life, and I didn't want to hold back on releasing it. It has had its characterization beta read with Ai-chan, however, so I'm hoping it's up to par with the other chapters. I apologize ahead of time for my obsessive love of commas, which thi_hoai usually edits aggressively for me. I write like I speak, and so for me, every pause for breath or focus requires a comma, but that doesn't always translate well to the written word. That's why we have editors, right?
This is set in the future, and while it doesn't come through much here, it's on the cusp of what will be changing times for Tsuna and his Family. He's transitioning out of the panicked mode of the past and into a more adult life, while finding that he's stronger and more secure in himself. This will bring about strong changes in his relationships with others, which the future interludes will continue to portray.
I have two more interludes to follow, and then we'll pick up the regular story with the results of Reborn's discussion with Bianchi over ending their relationship, and Tsuna's move to his own home. The next interlude focuses on Verde and Fong, so look forward to that. (Yes, I'm using Fong, and not Fon, because I prefer that variant.) I hope you enjoy the chapter and all the chapters to follow. Keep the feedback coming please, as well. It makes me smile with every comment!
Tsuna woke to the sound of the shower running in the adjoining bathroom and stretched luxuriously beneath the sheets, pouting slightly when he realized that the sound of water falling meant he was alone in the bed. Reborn had some sort of built-in alarm clock that rarely allowed them the luxury of sleeping in. When it did happen, it was because Tsuna woke up just enough to catch him before he made it to the shower and managed to drag him back into bed, pinning him down snugly with his body weight and using him as a pillow. Today Tsuna either hadn't been fast enough or Reborn had been extra stealthy, which meant there was probably a lot of work to be done. Grumbling slightly, he managed to pull himself up into a sitting position, leaning back against the headboard.
His mouth twitched into a small smile when he saw his clothes for the day draped over a chair against the far wall. Reborn had discovered early on that Tsuna had little interest in clothing or fashion and that he would always wear the most comfortable clothing he could get away with at any given time. State of repair and quality meant nothing, as long as it was semi-presentable and easy to wear. So when Tsuna had been forced to transition into the more adult wardrobe required by his position as the head of the Family, they'd butted heads regularly for months.
The truth was that Tsuna hated wearing suits. They were uncomfortable and even when properly tailored he found that they pinched and rubbed in places he preferred they wouldn't. He also firmly believed the weight of a suit jacket was perfectly designed to give him pounding migraines by the end of the day. So no matter how well Reborn had dressed him at the start of the day, by lunch the tie was dangling, the suit jacket was flung over the nearest piece of furniture and his shirt was unbuttoned down to his collarbones.
For Reborn, who was always impeccably dressed, it was practically sacrilege and they'd argued about it regularly. On this subject however, Tsuna had held firm. He was willing to do many things for his Family, but he wasn't going to spend every waking moment of his day feeling uncomfortable. In the end, he'd forced Reborn to give in and compromise. Tsuna would wear what Reborn chose, but only if there was no jacket or tie, unless they needed to meet with outsiders. He understood the need to look like he was the head of the Family, but he also knew his Family and he knew they wouldn't miss the jacket and tie as long as he still showed up for dinner every night.
With those restrictions in mind and unwilling to press Tsuna in an area that mattered less than so many of the others they had to address on a daily basis, Reborn had invested in a wardrobe for Tsuna that they both could agree upon. For business days, he'd given in on the suit argument and switched to dressing Tsuna in slacks and a series of elegant vests over sharply pressed shirts, which gave him enough of a professional look to satisfy Reborn while allowing Tsuna the comfort he wanted. They'd both been satisfied, especially when the lack of headaches meant more quality time after the work was done.
It had, however, given rise to a new obsession of Reborn's that Tsuna found himself both amused by and exasperated with, even after all these years. His eyes drifted over the elegant jeweler's box sitting on the dresser next to the chair and sighed. It was one of over thirty that now lived in the dangerous-looking safe in Reborn's private apartment. Each one contained a slightly different and always painfully elegant pocket watch that he demanded Tsuna wear with the vests. All of them were insanely expensive and Tsuna protested the cost every now and then, right up until Reborn gave him that look; that dark, dangerous look that he remembered from his youth that suggested violence and excessive punishment if he continued to argue. At that point, Tsuna would simply relent and thank him properly, giving in to him yet again.
Reborn, of course, always dressed sharply. His suits and shirts were always perfectly pressed and his tie was perfectly straight at the start of every morning, although like Tsuna by the end of the day he was often a bit rumpled. What amused Tsuna the most was that Reborn had a fedora to match the colors of every insanely expensive shirt in his collection. The hats and the sharp wardrobe entertained Tsuna to the point that mussing Reborn in any way he could had become a daily challenge that took some of the tedium out of the piles of paperwork involved in running a mafia empire.
Wincing at the thought of the work waiting for him, Tsuna pulled himself out of bed next. Ignoring the clothing, he made a beeline for the bathroom for a quick pit stop before glancing over at the shower. Calculating the amount of steam in the room against his awareness of Reborn's love of long, hot showers, he grinned and mentally blew off work for a little while longer, sliding open the shower door instead and slipping in to join him.
The dark, amused smile that greeted him told him he'd been expected and before Tsuna could think clearly enough to stage a retreat he was pressed firmly up against the shower wall. He would have protested about the lack of brushed teeth if he'd been able to speak through the mouth that covered his own. He'd learned that Reborn cared less about things like that than about the more interesting things like how Tsuna wriggled against him indignantly at first before becoming needy and squirming for entirely different reasons.
When Reborn finally lifted his head to assess the results of his efforts, Tsuna was flushed, breathing hard and having an extremely hard time thinking of anything but the hands drifting over his body possessively. "Good morning, Tsuna."
"Reborn," Tsuna looked up at him with dazed eyes, arms slipping up to wind around his neck snugly. "You can't just stop halfway, you know. That's bad business. The Vongola don't do bad business."
"Yes, boss," Reborn teased, leaning in to kiss him again, his hands sliding down to lift Tsuna and press him fully against the shower wall.
Tsuna couldn't help but purr as he wrapped his legs around Reborn's waist. There was something about that phrase that always sent a stab of arousal through him when Reborn said it, and so he rewarded Reborn by losing himself fully in the kiss. It was rare for the two of them to have uninterrupted time together during the day and he was determined to make as much of these stolen moments as he could before the rest of the world intruded. As it was, he could already hear the phone ringing in the other room.
"Ignore it, Tsuna," Reborn scolded him gently as he pressed slick fingers into him slowly, his voice a soft growl against Tsuna's lips. "They can wait for a little while until I'm ready to give you back to them."
Agreeing with him completely, Tsuna slid a hand into Reborn's hair, fingers fisting slightly as he reveled in the stretch and burn, hips tilting slightly to encourage him. It was rare these days that he allowed himself to be selfish, but it was impossible to focus on anything but the heat of Reborn pressed against him, that strong body holding him like he weighed nothing at all. It fed completely into his desire to be needed and cherished all at once, something that his encounters with the others lacked.
"Love you," Tsuna murmured, licking at Reborn's mouth demandingly before invading it, using his hand in Reborn's hair to keep him close. His hips started to move instinctively, pushing himself down onto Reborn's fingers shamelessly, greedy for more.
He didn't give Reborn a chance to answer out loud, instead forcing him to reply physically. Tsuna found he was too greedy for Reborn's mouth, needing to taste him over and over again. Words could wait. By the time that Reborn's fingers slid out of him, Tsuna could barely pry himself away from Reborn's mouth long enough to whine. Thankfully he found that he wasn't empty for long, because as much as he wanted Reborn, it was obvious that he was needed just as fiercely.
Tsuna couldn't stop himself from wailing softly as Reborn buried himself with one deep thrust. There was something so primal and possessive about the way Reborn touched him and Tsuna reveled in it, his fingers tugging at Reborn's hair sharply to pull him back into another long kiss. He found there was an inherent balance with the way he invaded Reborn's mouth as Reborn began to move, thrusting into him slowly.
From there, Tsuna's world faded to the slick slide of tongue against tongue and the urgent need to make Reborn move faster, harder, anything to allow Tsuna to fall over the edge his body was teetering on. Reborn, however, was merciless. He drew it out with thrust after slow thrust until Tsuna was ready to plead for release out of sheer desperation. Finally he was forced to pull Reborn's head back, breaking the kiss.
"Please," he begged shamelessly, writhing in need against the shower wall, unable to do anything physically to make him move faster or harder. "Reborn, please!"
He could have cried when Reborn just smirked at him and leaned in to nuzzle along his cheek and down his neck, practically purring with pleasure at his begging. Tsuna strained to move his hips, only to realize that Reborn had them in a tight grip, preventing any chance he might have had. Snarling, he did the only thing he could think of to make Reborn lose control. Tugging Reborn's head back firmly by the hair, he leaned forward and sank his teeth into the join of his neck and shoulder, biting sharply.
That seemed to do the trick, because before he'd even let go, Reborn was driving into him sharply and Tsuna couldn't breathe as his hips and back hit the shower wall with each hard thrust. He would have complained, but between one hard thrust and the next his world went white and he was crying out over and over again as he spilled between them, back arching with the sheer pleasure of it. Before he could even start to come down from the peak, he felt Reborn follow, filling him in hot spurts that had him soaring all over again.
When his brain finally started working again, Tsuna slumped forward in Reborn's arms, nuzzling into his neck and whimpering his approval of Reborn's technique. He was pretty sure that if Reborn laughed at him now he'd have to hurt him, but instead he felt arms slide around him, holding him close. The soft kisses trailing along his cheek and down his neck soothed him and made him melt completely.
"Always so impatient," Reborn scolded him, nipping gently along his neck. "But I love that I can do that to you."
Tsuna grumbled when Reborn pulled back and set him gently on his feet, missing the closeness. "I have six meetings today and all I'm going to be able to think about is how sore my ass is during them."
"Then learn to be more patient," Reborn told him, smirking cheerfully as he started washing Tsuna, his hands gentle in direct contrast with his teasing mood. "Or bring a pillow to sit on."
"You're an asshole," Tsuna told him, leaning against him slightly and letting the water wash over him. "But you're mine."
"Always," Reborn replied, dropping a kiss on Tsuna's forehead. "There's no one else I'd rather pick on first thing in the morning."
"You know that most relationships are built around love and communication, right? Not teasing and tormenting for sport," Tsuna complained, tilting his head back so that Reborn could wash his hair for him, taking shameless advantage of his lover's good mood so that he could be lazy just a little bit longer.
"That sounds boring. Not to mention a little girly," Reborn shot back, amused now. "I think you'd probably have me locked up if I went that direction with our relationship, and accuse me of being some sort of spy that only looked like me."
"Maybe," Tsuna mused thoughtfully, reluctantly pulling away from him and turning off the water. "But then, I'm pretty attached to you. And I really, really hate picking out my own clothing. I'm not sure I remember how to, anymore."
Reborn could only laugh at that as they dried off quickly. There was something Tsuna really enjoyed in their mornings together, whether they started with sleeping in, hot sex, or a desperate rush to get out the door. It was in moments like these that Reborn faced him as an equal. As they stood at the sink brushing their teeth together, he wasn't seeing his tutor or even the most powerful killer under his command. Instead, he saw a man that he loved desperately and to distraction. While they both had other lovers off and on, Tsuna knew that he was the only one who was allowed to see Reborn like this, his hair a mess, toothpaste foaming around his mouth and a damp towel around his waist.
That, more than anything, was why he tolerated Reborn's need to dress him like a doll and buy things for him that were obscenely expensive. If what Reborn needed to feel close to him was to do those things and feel like he was helping and guiding Tsuna in every way that he could, then Tsuna would accept it. It meant that the last thing he saw almost every night was that ridiculously spiky black hair on the pillow next to his own fluffy mess of brown hair, and that the arm around his waist was one that he could trust in, no matter what.
Of everyone he surrounded himself with Reborn was the only one Tsuna consciously chose not to worry about, whether he was training, on a mission or in a fight. Tsuna knew in the depths of his heart that Reborn would come back to him no matter what. It was the same promise he made to Reborn when Tsuna saw the worry in those dark eyes that Reborn tried to conceal from him. If anything were to take them out of this world, they'd go together.
So Tsuna allowed Reborn to bully him into the sharply pressed shirt and slacks and didn't complain once as Reborn fastened cuff links at his wrists and then the pocket watch to Tsuna's vest. Instead, he reached out straighten Reborn's tie and smooth down his lapels gently. There was a quick rush of tucking wallets and phones into pockets and they were headed for the door. Before they left Reborn's hidden apartment, however, there was one last ritual to perform.
"You'll call me if you need me," Reborn instructed him, his bossy tone reasserting itself as he prepared himself for the outside world. "I'll be out in the gardens today, overseeing things." He'd been working on some sort of secret project Tsuna was forbidden from asking about, but Tsuna had seen hints of a small cottage going up amidst the rose gardens. He suspected Reborn was about to make another attempt to convince Nana and Iemitsu to relocate to Italy permanently and retire.
"I'll call you whether I need you or not," Tsuna replied, leaning forward to kiss him softly. "So have a good day, Reborn. Come find me for lunch if you have time."
"It's a date, Tsuna," Reborn agreed, smiling slightly. "I'll be there."
"Good." Tsuna slipped into the elevator, smiling back. He knew Reborn would wait a while longer before coming up. It was something they did partly to ease the transition into mafia boss and hit man and partially to give Tsuna time to assert himself as the head of the Family separately, something he needed to do much more rarely these days. He hoped that soon they could go up together every morning without feeling awkward.
"I love you, Tsuna," Reborn said softly, just as the elevator doors started to close. He always let it slip right as the doors were closing, almost as though he were afraid even now that Tsuna wouldn't respond.
Of course Tsuna wasn't as slow as he'd been a decade ago. He'd long ago learned the ins and outs of Reborn's mannerisms and insecurities. So he simply looked up as the doors slid closed and smiled sweetly at him. "I love you, too."
*Title translates to "The things that please are those that are asked for again and again".