A:/N: Hello guys~! I'm happy to see you here again! This chapter has been rewritten and now offers a better flow of the actual story. I recommend reading it once more, since I've changed some of the parts.
Enjoy~.
G: *annoyed* Why am I here again?
Me: I dunno. I didn't call you. Perhaaaaaaaaaaaps, *wiggles eyebrows* you missed me, G-chan~?
G: Don't call me that! I thought you stopped doing this shitty beggings for your chapters!
Me: As if. I just wasn't in the mood for the past months. Stuff happened...
G: ...
Me: ...Okay. Enjoy, dear Readers?
Main pairing: G27
Tsuna – 16 years old
Giotto – 21 years old
I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!.
"Tsunayoshi... are your parents... abusing you?"
Tsuna's mind shut down the second that question slipped from Giotto's mouth. He had no idea how to react to it, or what to say precisely, as Giotto stared at him wordlessly with slightly dilated eyes.
Even so, after long breathless moment of silence, Tsuna managed to automatically nod and utter a soft and very hesitant, "Yes...", to the immobile man, who seemed to have fallen into shock.
Golden eyebrows furrowed in worry and remorse as Giotto stared at Tsuna, disbelief vissible in his amber irises as he murmured other's name softly. "Tsunayoshi..."
The brunet blinked, confused when he was pulled in another one of the teacher's tight embraces, long and full of comfort. Tsuna closed his eyes and chose to relish it until Giotto leaned back to look into those warm brown eyes. He sighed deeply.
"Is this true? It's not that I don't believe you, it's just... hard to process." Giotto told him, and got another simple nod from the overly shy brunet. He ran a hand then through his blond locks, nodding his head to himself a few times.
Giotto's hand fell back on Tsuna's laps as he gave the boy a serious stare, needing him to realise that this wasn't a joking matter that could be ignored. "You should've told me about this sooner, Tsunayoshi."
"I-I know..." The brunet averted his eyes from the man's, eyebrows furrowed with his teeth bitting on his lips and feeling uneasy, but he knew the blond only meant it in good way. He gulped, trying to moisten his dry throat from not drinking any water in a long time. "I-I... just c-couldn't..."
That only made Giotto worry more and he squeezed the boy's hands softly. "They don't want you to spill this out to anyone, am I not right?"
Of course he was, there was no reason in asking it since Tsuna confirmed it with a single movement of his head, but he felt like he should ask that. Just for both of their sakes.
And then his gaze was once again settled on the bandage hugging other's neck, hidding whatever that had been scarred there. "Did they do that to you?" He inquired, watching Tsuna intently for his response.
Another nod, albeit very unsure one. Giotto knew that the teen wasn't sure if he was doing good, telling him about this. It was the same behaviour of any victim of domestic abuse.
"Who exactly? Your father, perhaps?" He just asked that out of blue and knew he got it right the moment the brunet flinched fearfully. To soothe him and show that he was safe with him, Giotto rubbed the boy's hands, squeezing them like a real parent should.
That gesture eased Tsuna like a spell and his gaze was back on the man crouching in front of him while he sat in one of those luxury black seats.
Tsuna watched, scared, as the blond shook his head, then met his wavering gaze with his serious one. "Tsunayoshi, domestic abuse is illegal and very, very wrong to do. Your parents should go to prison for doing this and not for only few years. They could get imprisoned for life, depending how long they've been doing this to you."
Of course Tsuna knew, and oh, how well. There had been times, when he had cursed himself to gather whatever courage he still had and run to the nearest police station to his house to report the abuse.
He could'd become free while Nana and Iemitsu would rot in their cell, but he couldn't bring himself to do that. No matter how much he hated being treated like a punching bag by his own parents, no matter how many hits he would receive, no matter how deeply their hurtful words would cut through him.
Tsuna wasn't a monster like them. He would never wish anything like that to anyone, even if that person had killed numerous people in their whole life. He wasn't that kind of a person.
Tsuna's head hang down low, bitting down on his bottom lip hard enough to draw out blood as he trembled. Giotto stared at his bowed head, of course, more anxious for the brunet than he had been so far.
He was about to reach out to other's cheek when the strained voice cut through the space between them, startling Giotto with the sudden passion Tsuna expressed, other than his usual blank tone.
"I... I c-can't... do that."
Giotto's surprise melted into a blank expression. "Of course you can. Tsunayoshi, you have the right to speak whatever you want and mostly need-"
"-No... I..." Tsuna's lips turned into a thin line as he gripped his hands tightly, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. "I'm... n-not... them. I just... I just can't..." He choked out, before raising his head up swiftly to the frowning Giotto.
Tsuna's eyes glassed over with desperation and fresh tears as he figured out what the man was thinking, and begged the blond to do anything but that. "Please... d-don't tell anyone... please. I-I'm b-begging you..."
Giotto stared at the brunet, then after a long period of silence, released a soft sigh. He understood this boy, of course. Tsunayoshi would take the blame of others rather than let them suffer, no matter how much wrong they could've done.
That was what made him so different from the rest, yet special in his own way.
"I'm not happy that I'm doing this... but I'll stay quiet, Tsunayoshi. Just because you want me to." Giotto muttered at last, glancing back at the boy. He was immediately blown away by the bright and grateful smile Tsuna mustered up for him.
It made him strangely jittery, so he looked away. Still, he caught when the brunet said "Thank you," to him.
"Leave it... it was no trouble. But you have to tell me everything that happens, okay?" Giotto asked of the teen, keeping his voice soft since he didn't want to sound stern again. Tsuna gave him a tiny smile, which was a good sign for once.
For someone who has been abused, Tsunayoshi seemed to be taking it rather well. His mind was at some strange type of peace. Of course, that only worried the blond more as he stared at the fidgeting teen, who's gaze was now settled on the nice green carpet he had in his office.
How could someone still smile so freely even after so much pain? Giotto could only wonder, staring at other's bowed head. Pain is an emotion that forces people to take their own lives, forces change upon the minds of its victims.
It sounded... wrong... to be calm like the young boy in front of him and Giotto still hasn't heard the rest of Tsunayoshi's dark past.
He kind of feared it now. Just like the effects the abuse already left on Sawada Tsunayoshi's mental state.
Tsuna idly sitting in his seat, on the other hand, felt horribly embarrassed with the current situation at hand. The sudden silence, only broken by the soft ticking of a clock wasn't the best one for him, who hated such since you never know what might happen.
It gave goosebumps all over his skin and the burning stare from his homeroom teacher only made it worse.
Tsuna gulped, a shiver running down his spine as he looked at the blond's much larger hands still holding his so gently. The feeling itself was weird, no one has held hands with him since his toddler age, so it wasn't a surprise the boy couldn't understand the sudden warmth that pulled in his chest once his gaze fell on them.
And right then the quiet moment got ruined when a small chuckle escaped from the man in front of him.
Tsuna's head shot up promptly and his face exploded in deep red once his eyes met amused amber orbs boring into his deeply. His reaction only made Giotto laugh more, forcing him to cover his mouth so it wouldn't turn into uncontrollable one.
Tsuna could only gape at the blond for the duration of him cackling, (those eyes melted his brain, so even breathing was out of question) feeling hurt and betrayed once he managed to turn his head away and puff his cheeks out adorably. That got the man's attention and his laughter reduced to soft chuckles gradually.
"I'm sorry, Tsunayoshi. I couldn't help myself, you were just so cute." Giotto tried to reason, sounding completely honest as he tried to catch other's gaze. He got surprised by the red hue glowing on other's cheeks and even more when the boy broke from his hold and covered his burning face.
"Tsunayoshi?" Giotto called out, blinking when the brunet started to tremble. Worried, he carefully placed a hand on the bony shoulder and tried to stop another attack, "I'm sorry, I wanted to lighten the mood up a little, I didn't mean to-!"
Giotto got almost thrown off to the ground when the boy shrieked out loudly in the middle of his rambling with a red face. "B-Boys a-aren't c-cute!"
"...ha?" Giotto blinked once more before an amused smile curled on his lips, deciding to tease the teen a little more. "Actually, there are boys that have cute features, literally said. You're one of them."
The statement forced smoke out of Tsuna's ears before the brunet hid himself into his palms once more, softly whimpering out, "S-Sensei!"
Giotto grinned. It was obvious by now he was enjoying this and not only a little bit. Tsunayoshi didn't look so down anymore, after all, so there was no harm in going further. "What happend to Wadasa-san, Sawada-kun?"
The brunet whimpered again, only hopelessly this time.
"I was joking." Giotto managed to say through his cackles. The Italian shook his head a bit when the brunet grumbled something to himself that awfully sounded like "Stupid blond teacher..." before ruffling other's unruly brown hair. "Tell me something about you, Tsunayoshi."
"E-Eh? B-But... w-why?" Tsuna squeaked out while peeking at the man through his fingers, startled a bit to hear that. Giotto smiled as he stood up before pulling the second chair to the boy's for a little chat. "I want to know more about you, your life and all. You're a very interesting person."
"B-But...I-I just... t-told you..." Tsuna shyly stated as he fiddled with his thumbs, caramel orbs looking away once again. He never was really comfortable talking about himself in front of anyone, so why should Wadasa-sensei be an exception?
Giotto hummed softly in response, agreeing with the brunet. "You only told me that you are being abused. Nothing else. I could help you out of your situation if you'll tell me more about your life."
Giotto smiled brightly when other hesitantly shifted his gaze back to him, urging him to continue before he changes his mind. "What do you enjoy doing? I like painting for an example."
"I-I also... like that." Tsuna admitted, his fingers pulling at the soft fabric of his pants. It was a habit, whenever he got nervous, this helped him overcome it. Though... ignoring it was a better a word for it.
Giotto's sunset eyes seemed to sparkle at Tsuna's answer. "You paint? I'm sure you have some lovely pictures then."
"H-Hardly..." The brunet meekly replied, shrinking a bit into his seat from Giotto's intense gaze. This was a bit too much for him, he never really liked eye-contact in the first place, so of course he hated when someone was staring at him far too long. His homeroom teacher was nearing that line with his overly excited stare.
"What makes you say that? I'm sure your drawings are beautiful, although I haven't seen them." Giotto insisted, smiling with his eyes closed. That allowed Tsuna to relax a bit, very glad he got a break from those burning irises. He shook his head anyway as he muttered that they are anything but beautiful. He sucked at drawing, honestly, but drawing always made him happy no matter how bad his scribbles looked.
"Then bring few of them to me someday. I would love to see them." Giotto was staring at him once again, so Tsuna couldn't refuse him. He nodded once, slowly, but it painted a charming smile on the blond's features in an instant.
Tsuna's heart skipped a beat in that moment, but didn't notice and feeling very flustered all of a sudden, he glanced away with his index finger scratching his cheek.
Only then he noticed how his throat hurt from talking so much, although their conversation was going for over like twenty minutes only. He wasn't used to that at all and hoped his teacher would let him leave soon.
Instead of that happening though, a glass of water was shoved in front of his face, forcing a soft squeak out of the boy. Tsuna slowly looked up at Giotto, confused as to why was he giving him that.
The blond smiled at him warmly as he placed the cup into other's hands. "I figured you need some water since your voice sounds raspy. I still want to talk more with you."
"A-Ah... t-thank you..." Raising the cup to his lips shyly and silently crying that he won't be able to escape this, he murmured his thanks awkwardly before taking the first sip. The cup was then settled on Tsuna's laps with his lips turning into a downward smile after realising he can't drink more.
Noticing that, Giotto frowned and had to ask what was wrong.
Although skeptical, Tsuna answered him pretty quickly, his gaze focused on the surface of the water. "I'm... n-not a-allowed to d-drink... at t-this hour." The brunet stiffled a cough, disliking how dry his throat felt.
Giotto frowned at what he just heard before scowl settled on his lips. "Your parents have forbidden you from drinking whenever you want to? That's unhuman to do."
"I-I can't... e-eat either..." Tsuna added sadly. Since he already started breaking more of his secrets to the blond, he might as well tell him everything. Silence shortly fell on them and stayed for a very long time. Tsuna then blinked when the cup was pushed to his lips again and he looked at the man questioningly.
Giotto had a blank, almost cold expression on his face, which changed into a gentle smile the second their eyes met. "Just drink Tsunayoshi. Don't think about what your parents told you, this will only stay between us, okay?"
Shocked, Tsuna stared at the man with wide eyes, not believing he really just said that. Tears welled up in them next and his lips turned into a soft smile once realising this is real. "T...thank you... t-thank you..."
"Don't mention it." Giotto returned the smile as he sat back in his chair, watching other drink from the cup slowly, although he must've been very thirsty since he arrived at his office.
Once Tsuna was refreshed, Giotto took the cup from him and placed it on the desk before continuing with their little chat. "What's your favorite color, Tsunayoshi?"
Tsuna blinked at the weird question, pondering a little about it while his index finger patted his lips. "O-Orange... i-is nice." He muttered softly, not understanding why his teacher would want to know this.
"Oh?" Giotto perked up at that, his dazzling sunset eyes sparkling since the boy's voice sounded so sweet, almost like melody when the raspy tone was finally, although not fully, gone. "I also like orange. What else? Do you like sweets? Sweets are amazing! Especialy if you take-..."
Tsuna sweatdropped a bit as the blond's voice faded out, not expecting for his cool looking teacher to act this childlishly and want to, well... talk, plain as that was.
He had just arrived to another side of the world, and already wanted to befriend him, Dame-Tsuna, of all people. Who would ever want that?
Wadasa Ieyasu is a strange person, Tsuna decided and nodded to himself while staring at the still happily talking man before a tiny smile bloomed on his dry lips.
He's nice though... and understanding.
The rest of the lunchbreak to Tsuna was like a blur of light. He found out quite a lot about the Italian blond-haired and amber-eyed man. The teacher had bought a four-room apartment in one of the storey buildings on the east side of the town, not far from school, so that was the reason why he'd picked Tsuna's school to teach at.
He's twenty one only, but already has lots of experience from what Tsuna observed. At this age, most would be attending their first college, but Giotto has already three. Could he be a genius...? He had to be. Tsuna wondered.
Giotto also told him a bit about his family, since Tsuna had asked him why was he living alone in such large apartment and found out that the blonde had a nasty argument with his parents and so he moved away.
They stayed in Italy and he moved to Japan without contacting them since the day he settled down. It was more than strange, but Tsuna decided not to pry anymore. Giotto hadn't looked comfortable when he asked him about them.
The Italian has no siblings, much like Tsuna, so they both had to live without that special feeling of being a younger or older brother and, sadly, being on their parent's constant watch. They moved on to the topic of food and Tsuna was taken aback when Giotto told him he likes every food except for sushi.
The brunet took a mental note to change the teacher's mind about it and very soon. The next topic had Tsuna trembling and shrieking since Giotto had started talking about one of his favorite horror movies, those are his favorite apparently, and which Tsuna absolutely detests.
Reading books, eating sweet cakes and drinking coffee are Giotto's life. His black midnight ferrari is his sweet-heart. Tsuna couldn't believe just how long Giotto could ramble about himself, and it got only worse when the blonde moved on to the things he hates.
Women of any age are his huge problem, Tsuna himself could see why: Giotto was simply a charming and very good-looking man, of course female population would go after him once he gets spotted.
Some men too. Tsuna blinked, chestnut bangs moving as his head tilted to one side in thought.
Giotto, in the midst of his rambling, didn't notice the velvet color that took over Tsuna's entire face when he realised what he just thought.
Some time later, Giotto managed to make Tsunayoshi chuckle a tiny bit when he told him about the cursed white monster he has to do all the time – paperwork, and just how much he hates that cursed thing.
Although it was only short and small, it was genuine, sounding almost sweet, like a part of one melody Giotto would love to hear every morning instead of the annoying ticking clock beside his bed.
Making the sad teen smile and laugh without a lot of effort would be a huge step on his recovery, so Giotto took the liberty of trash-talking the spawn of Satan called paperwork a little longer, and as a reward, got a childlish giggle or two from Tsuna again.
The teenager seemed to be more relaxed when he was only listening, wearing a small smile as he watched Giotto smoothly converse.
Of course, that smile didn't go unnoticed by the teacher and he got into act, his flattery abbilities switching on by themselves. "Tsunayoshi-kun, I must say you have a very lovely smile." Giotto grinned as Tsuna's face turned beet red at the compliment.
"U-Um... a-arigato...?" Tsuna stuttered over his words cutely, quite thrown off by the smooth praising. The reaction only fueled Giotto's rarely used flirty nature.
"Prego, bambino." Tsuna stared blankly at the childlishly grinning blond Italian, his cheeks getting redder in color although he didn't understand at all what the man had just said. He guessed it was italian, since the teacher had been born there, but that wasn't the case.
Somehow, Wadasa-sensei's already alluring and smooth, liquid like voice, sounded hundred percent much more sexy when used in his native language.
His almost perfect japanese was enough of a killer for the entire population of Japan, once will people hear his true italian voice in direct rendition then Giotto will probably get devoured alive by anyone twenty meters near.
"Tu sei molto carino, Tsunayoshi. Mi piace."
Surely will. Tsuna's mind corrected him itself while the brunet shrieked out with his face exploding in velvet red. Whatever his homeroom teacher had just said got overshadowed by the seductive spelling of the brunet's name, but...
H-Hieeee...! Tsuna was melting from the inside just from that. His heart pounded thirty miles an hour inside his burning chest, feeling as if he was on fire, even the tips of his fingers got the uncomfortable stinging feeling like when you accidently touch a kettle.
And as the intense feeling continued to spread through Tsuna's body from head to toes, Giotto was enjoying the flustered look Tsuna wore. It was endearing to look at, Giotto had to admit with a chuckle, hearing Tsuna squeak out cutely.
The tall Italian found it strangely amusing how easily the boy can get flustered by his teasing alone, which Tsuna on the other hand didn't find amusing at all.
Only girls blush like that, so for Tsuna it was one of his many weakness which his bullies always laugh at when he screws up during class, and as a result gets that annoying blush. No one liked it on him.
"Has anyone ever told you before that blushing suits you?"
Apparently, Wadasa-sensei actually liked it. Tsuna's blush only deepened under the man's cheeky grin.
If Tsuna didn't know Giotto, then he would've considered the blonde being a perverted alien from another planet: which was pretty close since the man comes from a different country, a lot different from his. Well... if Tsuna remembers his teacher's geography class correctly.
"W-Wadasa-san... s-stop, p-please..." Tsuna wasn't sure just how much more his heart could take if the teacher continued throwing compliments at him.
"Hm, since you're asking so nicely." Giotto decided it's enough and offered a smile, which Tsuna took time to appreciate, "Tell me something about your life now. You can leave out the parts you don't want to say, but it would be better if we conversed about them together."
Although Tsuna didn't look very happy that it was his turn now, he shyly nodded and stuttered his small heart out as he told Giotto what seemed to be important for him to know.
Tsunayoshi was sixteen years old and, of course, lives with two parents, Nana and Iemitsu, who his mother had met in a café she had been working at during Iemitsu's vacation at that time.
They had only dated for less than a year when Nana got suddenly pregnant with Tsuna. The two decided to get married, although both of their parents were against their decision. The way Tsuna expressed his parents' relationship seemed loving and sweet, but that changed drastically over only a span of few years for no apparent reason.
Giotto was curious when did it all start, but Tsuna hesitated with the answer since even he himself doesn't remember that well. He only told him that Nana lashed at him for the first time when he was only like five or six, and from then on it just went down the hill.
Yet that hadn't satisfied Giotto and he kept prodding, but didn't get more out of Tsuna since the brunet got silent and refused to say more than he already had. Giotto dropped it in the end and apologized to Tsuna.
Only when Tsuna was completely sure Giotto would no longer bug him for his abusive past, only then did he continue.
"I-I'm a f-failure... a-at everything... e-except domestic stuff... l-like cooking a-and cleaning..." Tsuna murmured shyly, looking down and making Giotto frown.
"Don't say that about yourself. You're not a failure, Tsunayoshi. Never were and never will be." The teacher scolded a little, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. Tsuna acknowledged him, but he must be so used to trash-talking himself, he does it subconsciously.
The realisation left a bitter taste in Giotto's mouth while a scowl mirrored his thoughts. His facial features only deepened once Tsuna told him he basically works as a maid for his parents at the moment.
As if that wasn't enough, the brunet is forced to have a strict organisation of meals. Usually he gets a little snack if he completes his parents' requests without breaking anything, but only if they are feeling kind.
Otherwise Tsuna only gets breakfast and dinner on the start of each week, then on Wednesday and lastly Friday so people wouldn't question his growing weight loss. During the weekends are no meals, unless Tsuna is assigned a kind of harder work to do.
His parents had decided to give him some slack, since without food Tsuna didn't have enough energy to finish any work and he got more prone to fall ill. Sick Tsuna is useless, Nana even had to take care of him since "She doesn't want to get his filthy finger prints on any of the furniture and possibly catch his cold", or lose... well... a slave.
By this point, Tsuna grew a lot more reluctant in their conversation, worried for his teacher since the man looked utterly mad, probably even silently plotting revenge with how unfocused his gaze was. Fierce fire of pure hatred danced in those pools of amber.
Tsuna found it quite threating, although it wasn't aimed at him, and chose that moment to just stop and observe the man. Time passed like that, until Giotto noticed Tsuna wasn't talking anymore and glanced up.
"...I'm sorry, I spaced out a little." Tsuna waved it off, smiling shyly at the blonde, "You can continue."
"U-Uhm..." Seeing the hesitance in the teen's brown irises, Giotto arched a brow.
"Tsunayoshi...?" He questioned, then realised what's up. "Okay, could you tell me what happened to your neck? If you're comfortable with it."
Tsuna's small hand reached up to gently rub the bandage, looking for some courage. Then his lips pressed into a thin line. "I-Iemitsu-sama... c-choked... me."
No more words were needed. Giotto could've sworn he saw red the second Tsuna let that out, but he needed to confirm something else.
"...Your mother?"
"W-Watched... f-from behind... s-smiling." Giotto was silent, then nodded with his eyes closing.
"I see..." The Italian's voice faded away as he pondered over one thing to himself, his hands fisted on his knees after untangling from the brunet's.
Just... how could they've been doing all of that to their only child? Giotto was in disbelief.
Where did I put that empty water bottle? It would be useful to me now...
Giotto wanted to crack something in half and burn it to ash, but snapping in front of the poor brunet would be too harsh, not to mention he would regret it soon after because he had his good manners and Tsuna didn't need any more trauma.
His teacher's behaviour worried Tsuna as he eyed the man, squirming a bit in his seat as he struggled to find his voice. "S-Sensei...?"
"Hmm?" So Giotto didn't fall into his thoughts again. Tsuna scratched his cheek sheepishly, now not knowing what to say. It was getting late... and the Italian seemed to understand Tsuna without even him expressing himself.
"I know I'm holding you up a little too much, but you've said your last three classes are actually only detention, yes? Your teacher knows you're here with me and we still have more than an hour to converse. Then I'll think what to do to help you." Giotto told his student and watched as relief overtook the boy's posture.
The brunet gave him a gentle smile, which was quickly returned with a warm one. Giotto then shifted and leaned towards Tsuna, his hands inching for other's neck, but stopped when the brunet flinched.
Giotto expected that, since he doubted right from the start that the teen wouldn't just warm up to him in a couple of few days and trust him completely.
"Tsunayoshi, don't be afraid." Giotto smiled softly at the brunet, noticing the panic in his eyes. "I would like to see how it looks and help you rebandage it. Nothing else. I won't hurt you."
Hearing true honesty in that forgein voice, Tsuna decided to allow the blonde to peel the bandage off his neck gently. His eyes squeezed shut once it was fully off, neck stiff, not wanting to see Giotto's expression as he stared at the irritated skin.
His hand moved on its own and gently traced the hand mark on the boy's neck, feeling Tsuna flinch and tremble under his touch.
The brunet had every urge to slap Giotto's hand away, to push him back from his personal bubble and never let him close again, it was so uncomfortable and torturing to his mind as he waited prepared for Giotto to just strangle him like everyone else would love to.
Except the blonde never did.
Tsuna's body tensed further as he felt the warm finger tips fleetingly trace the expanse of the mark, in a way that made the boy think Giotto was trying to erase it with some sort of weird magic spell.
His ears picked up on Giotto murmuring to himself, but couldn't make out a single word. Perhaps Giotto was using his mother language so Tsuna wouldn't hear...
It was hard for Giotto to not start cursing in front of the brunet, so he settled with italian as he eyed the hand mark on the boy's neck. His hand pulled back so he could position it exactly like the hand on Tsuna's slim neck, before gently placing it against the skin.
Tsuna flinched upon feeling the other's warm hand, his eyes squeezed tightly shut while Giotto's burning irises narrowed.
It felt so wrong to have his hand there. How could've Tsuna's father done this to the poor boy? Even if he'd been angry, there was no need to choke his own fucking son. He could feel just how thin and fragile the neck actually was – anyone could break it in in a matter of few seconds.
Giotto's head tilted slightly as he measured his hand with the hand mark. His was only a tad bit smaller than the father's, except his fingers were more slender too. The blonde almost wanted to snort. Giotto was never one of those bulky man with fat fingers, which usually belonged to wood crafters' and such.
Curious, he shifted his gaze to the shaking brunet and smiled gently after Tsuna opened his eyes again once Giotto's hand slid away. "What does your father do?"
Tsuna blinked, mind unfocused from that little break-down he was having before replying, finding the question weird. "H-He's w-working... traffic a-at... co-construction sites..."
"Mhm." Tsuna couldn't decide whether that was a good sound or a bad one as he stared Giotto down.
"W-What...?"
"Nothing," Giotto smiled at Tsuna, causing the blush to return to the latter's cheeks. "Let me go fetch for the aid kit, I'll cover your neck back."
Tsuna watched as the teacher stood up on his feet and headed to one of the tall cuboards decorating the room, which's top half was seperated in three symetrical parts, elegant glass doors displaying what's inside.
Giotto only took the little white box out and brought it to his office desk to take out the needed items. Sitting back down, the blonde tore the pack of bandage before pulling the roll out. Tsuna eyed Giotto warily when he leaned towards him and started to stretch the bandage, making it circle his neck gently.
His touch was almost fleeting, Tsuna could barely feel Giotto doing anything at all. It took only a couple of seconds and the mark on Tsuna's neck was once again perfectly hidden from prying eyes.
Tsuna touched the bandage gingerly while Giotto put the kit back at its place, noting how nicely it was wrapped. "T... Thank you..." The brunet muttered softly, looking up at the blonde to find the same warm smile being given to him.
"It wasn't a problem, Tsunayoshi. Though you should put some ice on it if it gets swollen." Tsuna smiled a little, muttering softly that he will, making Giotto's smile brighter.
The Italian then checked the time and blinked as the bell went off, seeing it was almost half past three p.m, which meant the end of the club activities and possible detentions. "Oh, wow. We actually squeezed ourselves into the schledule. That's impressive."
It surprised Tsuna as well. Time sure runs fast, however now... his face fell a little. Noticing the abrut change of mood, Giotto smiled comfortingly at the brunet and patted his knee, making Tsuna almost tense up. "Tsunayoshi... do you... really have to go?"
"I-I don't... h-have an o-option." The brunet said disheartened. Giotto's eyebrows furrowed.
Larger hands took a hold of his small ones and Tsuna's cheeks grew hot as his caramel orbs met with serious amber. "I really don't want you to go back there." He said in a worried tone, making Tsuna's chest tighten.
W-What's this? It seemed as if his heart skipped a beat. No one was so worried for his life before, so why would the blonde in front of him be... it sounded surreal. Yet Tsuna faked a tiny smile. "I-I'll be f-fine..."
No one can be that kind to another person. Wadasa-san is no different...
Although Tsuna believed for sure Giotto would drop the concern and let him leave just like his previous homeroom teacher did, he was proven wrong when the Italian's expression of worry deepened, lips turning into a thin line. "No, Tsunayoshi. I don't believe that. It's not safe to go to them."
"E-Eh?" Tsuna blinked, his blush turning a shade darker as Giotto squeezed his hands, the anxious tone in his voice staying. "I'm very worried. My mind is telling me that if I let you leave, they'll do something."
"No..." Tsuna tried to reassure Giotto, his gaze settling on his clothed thighs. "I-Iemitsu h-has... left l-last w-week... f-for work."
Some of the anxiety got lifted off Giotto's shoulders, unfortunately, Tsuna missed that shift in his posture. "S-So... I-I'll be f-fine... N-Nana i-isn't... as h-harsh."
"Are you really, really, really sure you want to go?" Giotto asked for probably the hundredth time that day and Tsuna looked up shyly to nod, maintaining a short eye contact.
"T-Thank you f-for... the c-concern... s-sensei... but I-I'll be fine." Tsuna stuttered out to the Italian again, but it occured to him that Giotto probably didn't listen to what Tsuna said at all. On the other hand, Giotto getting worried about him left him all warm inside.
It was almost unbelievable how easily the Italian was breaking the walls Tsuna had built up in his heart. Almost like in one of those fairy tails his mother used to read him about.
Giotto took a deep breath as his eyes closed before letting out an "Okay," in defeat. Tsuna smiled, overjoyed that Giotto was finally convinced, although it took him quite a while to achieve.
"But under one condition: you must tell me everything that will happen from your arrival until your leave. I don't want to hear a no." The Italian made himself clear as he stared Tsuna down, making the brunet feel uncomfortable, but Tsuna understood it was only for his good.
"Y-Yes..." Giotto grinned.
"Good. Please come here before the school starts tomorrow so I can hear you out." Giotto said and Tsuna agreed, grabbing a hold of his school bag. Then both of them stood up and Giotto accompanied Tsuna to the door, much to his displeasure.
The brunet hadn't got used to Giotto being in his presence just yet. With his height and visible muscles, the blonde could mean harm although he hadn't showed it.
Tsuna's brows knitted together as a hand was suddenly placed on the door frame in front of him, Giotto moving to block the way out. The brunet gulped uneasily, shyly tilting his head up to meet the other's gaze. "Tsunayoshi, come home safely, and visit me all healthy." He almost begged gently, his eyes worried.
Not sure what to say to that, Tsuna offered a small smile while nodding. "I... will." With that, Giotto stepped out of the brunet's way and watched him walk into the dangerous world once again.
When Tsuna was out of sight, an anxious sigh escaped his lips and Giotto rubbed his head worriedly. It was right to admit he's damn terrified for the boy. God knows what his mother could do to him. His eyes narrowed into a nasty glare as he swore he would make them pay if they do anything.
Swiftly walking back to his desk and snatching his suitcase with right hand while the other grabbed his keys, Giotto turned on his heels and left his humble office after nicely locking the door.
He needed time to think.
In sync with the pitter-patter of his feet, Tsuna humm'ed a soft song to himself as he slowly paced through the streets. He felt a whole lot better now that he has finally told everything he had ever wanted to to somebody.
He hadn't wanted to at first, and still regrets some parts of their meeting, but Tsuna was more than glad that Giotto confronted him about it. A soft smile bloomed on his lips and his cheeks painted pink as he thought back to their chat.
Not able to contain himself anymore, Tsuna jumped up a little from the ground as his face grew hot and palmed his burning cheeks to hide them from the view while a squeal tore from his throat.
Wadasa-san is too kind! Tsuna giggled, then froze and slapped hands against his mouth.
D-Did I just...?
Scarlet red skyrocketed from his neck up to forehead as he realised he, indeed, giggled.
HE, Dame-Tsuna, giggled!
T-That's not right! Tsuna felt like collapsing on the side walk. G-Girls only giggle...
Oh... no. Blueness replaced the red hue in a matter of seconds as his eyes stared off into the distance, rethinking everything from the moment Giotto had been introduced in their class.
He acted like one of those manga girls he had read about in the library. A girl who fell in love with a mysterious and gorgeous guy.
Tsuna gripped his mouth as he started to sway from one side to the other while backing to some kind of wall, feeling far too faint to able to stand properly. Once his back hit some sort of surface, Tsuna allowed himself to slide down to the ground.
No, it can't be... His heart pounded inside his chest heavily, but Tsuna refused to believe he could've fallen in love. That only happens in fairy tales... it can't... happen to a useless guy like him.
Tsuna took deep breaths to calm down. That's right, he's only overreacting since Wadasa-san gave him attention he had wanted so badly. There's nothing more to that. He hadn't felt such excitement in a while and the sudden rise of blood pressure was too much for him.
Yes... Tsuna exhaled shakily, gradually calming down. Blood pressure, nothing else.
After few breaths later, Tsuna could slid his hands away and got back up on his feet, although a bit shakily. He picked his fallen bag beside him before slowly making his way across the small town, doing his very best to not think about what had happened.
By the time he arrived at the doorstep of his home, the sun was low on sky, some of its rays making Tsuna's brown hair shine a little. Well.. a place that should be called home. To the brunet it was just a house with people that hurt him.
His gaze shifted to the door knob, all of the previous motivation and feel of being a human Giotto provided him vanishing and leaving a broken shell once again.
If his parents don't want him here, then why don't they just kick him out? Or why didn't they try to make another kid, one that they would be proud of.
Tsuna knew he sucked at everything he did, so why bother even having him around when they hated him so much. Kids in the kindergarden hated him at first glance, even the kids' parents are disgusted by him.
Tsuna's brows knitted together and his lips morphed into a sad frown as he remembered those times. When it was someone's birthday in the kindergarden, they always got a cake and everyone sang happy birthday to them sweetly.
But when his birthday came around... there was nothing. He tried mentioning it to the other children, even the teacher but their gaze told him celebrating Tsuna's birthday was a waste of time.
It had bothered the brunet at first, coming home back in tears and expecting one of his parents would be around to cheer him up, except they weren't.
Tsuna sighed tiredly, falling back into his past memories he would like to forget. This one was more bitter-sweet than the others, however. After being walked home by their neighbor, Little Tsuna came home with tears rapidly falling from his eyes and searching for his kaa-san, but couldn't find her anywhere he looked.
That made him cry harder and Tsuna had to sought comfort from at least something until Nana came home. His teddy bear had provided at least some of the warm hug Nana used to have and he spent his birthday with it.
Nana completely forgot about it, but a week later remembered and baked him his favorite cake as an apology. Yet... to spent your birthday all alone and crying more through the night after having such horrible day at school...
Tsuna found it cruel. His hand twitched before hesitantly reaching for the knob and the brunet eyed the door of Hell warily. Closing his eyes while swallowing his nervousness down, Tsuna then took a few deep breaths to get his blank expression back before daring to push the door open.
The loud squeak the door had made made him uneasy, but Tsuna was only met with silence and dark entrance hall once the door was fully open. Stretching his arm out, he flipped the light switch on.
The room got lit up in a second, forcing Tsuna's eyes to squeeze shut to block out the irritating brightness which strained his pupils. The teen didn't open them until his gaze got adjust to it and then blinked carefully.
Huh... Nana-sama isn't here? Tsuna looked around confused after taking his shoes off. He had expected her to be here and waiting to scold him... but this isn't bad either.
Tsuna ducked into the kitchen next, half-expecting to see her cooking something for herself, only not to find her there either. Even the oven was turned off, which never was. Weird, but Tsuna felt glad he didn't stumple right into her the moment he entered.
"Ara?"
Tsuna's blood ran cold as he listened to the creaking of the stairs, swallowing down a lump that had gathered in his throat.
"I thought you've run away, Tsu-kun... but it seems I was wrong." Nana mused in her sugary voice, smiling oh-so-sweetly at the brunet like how she used to.
Tsuna decided to face her and was torn between agony and relief to see there was nothing in her hands. Her smile dropped once their eyes met, and Nana glared at the short brunet in disgust, making Tsuna surrender and hang his head down, not wanting to see her mad expression.
"Such stubborn brat. Where the hell have you been?" The woman hissed out, the same caramel eyes as her son's narrowing, her demeanor dropping to cold. "Do you even know what time it is? No, wait. You can't since you're my useless son."
Tsuna flinched at her harsh tone, his shoulders set hard and tense as his mask was slowly cracking up. "I-I'm..." His voice was shaking too much to say more as an aftermath of being put under too much pressure.
"I didn't allow you to talk," The woman continued, her seething tone cutting through Tsuna like a knife. "You can't talk right anyway, so just keep your mouth shut. I don't want to hear you stuttering like a toddler right now, just answer me. Did your teacher hold you up again?"
"Y-Yes..." Tsuna nodded, glancing up fearfully as Nana had told him to numerous times. The brown-haired woman scowled. "What's up with that old man?"
"U-Uh..." Tsuna got Nana's attention and she nodded to him to continue. "...h-he's my n-new t-teacher...N-Nana-sama."
"Oh, so your previous teacher has left. No wonder I found it suspicious..." She was talking to herself while Tsuna stood in place silently, tense like a tree and barely breathing so it wouldn't anger his mother.
"But there's no reason for him to keep talking to you like this. What does he want from a brat like you anyway?" Tsuna's breath hitched as her glare was once again threating him to tell the truth or else. Could she be thinking of Wadasa-san as a potential threat?
"O-O-Only s-student i-info..." Tsuna tried to make it as short as possible and watched as Nana crossed her arms, falling back into her own thoughts.
"The headmaster has all of the students' folders. If he wanted something, he could've just looked it up in his office. So, what is his deal?" Nana pressed again, knowing that will make Tsuna spill the beans.
Tsuna clenched his jaw while tightly gripping his left elbow, needing some support so he wouldn't break right in front of his mother. "I-I... d-don't know..."
Obviously, that didn't satisfy Nana at all. Throwing another glare, she stomped her foot against the tile hard which made Tsuna flinch and force his body to tremble again. "Bullshit. Does he do that with the other students too?"
It never crossed Tsuna's mind before, but could few conversations Tsuna had seen Giotto doing with the other students count as getting student info? Inhaling sharply, Tsuna croaked out a "Y.. Yes."
"Tsk," The answer seemed to displease Nana even more and her scowl deepened. "I'll have to pay your new teacher a visit."
The sudden declaration made Tsuna's heart almost leap. "B-But-!"
"Haven't I told you to shut up!?" Nana snapped at the brunet, her glare trying to burn a hole through his head as the brunet flinched at the acidity in her voice. "As if seeing your ugly face every day isn't enough! It's so disgusting to look at, it makes me sick! Now I have to take care of this problem!"
Tsuna hang his head down, bangs shadowing his eyes as the yelling continued. "Why did I have to give birth to you!? I never wanted a child like you! A stupid, dumb, idiotic brat!"
It must be enjoyable to scream at him like that, otherwise she wouldn't do it. As more curses were thrown at him, Tsuna didn't lift his head up nor react to them and when Nana noticed that at last, she fell silent, her body shaking with acute onslaught of rage.
She brought her arm up when Tsuna looked up, wondering why she stopped yelling,
Slap!
And slapped him across his pale face, the force of the blow making Tsuna's head turn a ninety degree to the right. Nana breathed hard after that and glared at the brunet staring back at her wide-eyed.
Satisfied with the sight of the forming red bruise which got instinctively covered by Tsuna's hand, Nana rested her palms on her hips, insulting the brunet one last time. "You stinking rat! Go to your room and don't dare come back out until I say so! I had enough of seeing your sorry ass sight!"
That's new. She must've learnt that one from Iemitsu, Tsuna thought, his watery gaze back on the floor as he nodded wordlessly, hearing her scoff. Tsuna shifted to leave, seeing their conversation at its end and took her next huff as her permission.
Tsuna held his cheek, head set low to not offend his mother as he moved towards the stairs while Nana strode to the kitchen, walking to the stove to make something for dinner.
Without tripping over any of the stairs, Tsuna stood shortly before his door and opened it, listening as it creaked loudly in the otherwise silent hall. He flipped the light switch on first before stepping inside and making sure to lock his door behind him, in case Nana decided to punish him.
That one obstacle shouldn't stop her from making Tsuna more miserable, but despite the fact her love for her only child dropped drastically low, below zero even, she isn't that heartless when Iemitsu is gone.
If Tsuna has his door locked, Nana assumes he's sleeping and leaves without punishment. Tsuna left his hand on the old door as he scanned his room, seeing no change.
The walls were still colorless and grey, wood under his feet old and worn out, breaking under any higher pressure, one centuries old and creaking bed next to the dust stained window with a single old-fashioned desk opposite of the bed, a tall closet standing beside it.
Nothing more, nothing less. Just like it had been years ago.
Tsuna could feel depression crawling back to his shoulders and making him limp as his optimism died. This room always reminds him of a cage his parents built just for him to keep in and torture for pleasure, one that he will never escape from each time he steps inside.
His tired feet guided him to the bed before Tsuna threw himself onto it and wrapped himself in the thin duvet, his abused body curling into a small ball. Tsuna touched his bruised cheek to check if it wasn't swelling and hissed upon the contact of skin.
That slap was quite hard. Tsuna wasn't expecting it as he gently cupped the cheek to relieve some of the pain, hoping it won't get swolled too much.
For no reason, Tsuna glanced across his room again before closing his eyes.
Wadasa-san won't change it as well.
Inside his private office the very next morning, Giotto De Vongola felt as if he was losing his mind while staring at some kind of a paper he randomly pulled out of a pile on his desk.
He couldn't sleep the previous night, his mind only returning to Tsuna and every scenerio that could happen to the kind boy. Never in his life did he feel so much regret for allowing Tsunayoshi to leave, although the boy reasurred him that he won't get hurt.
Yeah, only Giotto couldn't believe him. His hyper intuition kept nagging him the whole night with that matter as well. Except that ringing in his head hadn't been one for a life-threating danger, nor normal danger of getting hurt.
Giotto himself wasn't sure what it meant, but it kept going on and on, the sound similar to that annoying clock on his nightstand, which it might've been, and Giotto simply hadn't noticed.
So, either Giotto got incredibly anxious and it automatically switched his intuition on, or it was telling him something truly happened to the brunet that he won't like.
Which lead to the entire night of Giotto turning in his bed, not able to decide whether to fall asleep (which no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't) or take his beloved car and rescue the poor boy.
Neither was chosen in the end, instead of that, Giotto hadn't closed an eye for the whole fucking night and even dragged himself to the school at five a.m. in the morning since there was nothing better to do.
Normal, sane Giotto wouldn't do that.
"Aaaaggh!" Giotto groaned, frustrated as he hit his forehead against the desk, his arms covering the back of his head in a form of hopelessness. "Dammit, why can't you give me a clear idea of what is happening!?"
Talking to his hyper intuition (or to himself, as others'd said), has long since been a habit of Giotto's. It helped him keep his sanity in tact since when feeling in danger, his hearing gets highly sensitive to the point he can even hear the wind whistling in his ears.
God dammit! Giotto was nearing the point of hysteria with the still present ringing in his head. Give me a break! I don't get if I'm supposed to run or do-!
Giotto's head shot up when a soft click came from his door, amber eyes widening before a sparkle shined from their depth when Tsuna walked inside, looking fine, with his shy gaze on the ground.
The tall Italian sprung from his seat and made a straight bee line for the brunet. Feeling the excited gaze, Tsuna looked up a little bit too late since Giotto met him with a bone-crushing hug, forcing a startled squeak from the boy.
Tsuna's doe eyes were tightly squeezed shut with slight tears slipping out, his face getting redder with the less oxygen he could inhale from the strong hold.
"S-Sen... s-sei... a... a-air..." Tsuna gasped out, almost all of his breath gone. Realising that he's putting too much strenght, Giotto quickly realesed Tsuna and sheepishly patted his shoulders as the brunet tried to catch his breath.
"T-Tsunayoshi! I'm sorry for that." Giotto lamely apologised, his own cheeks getting red for a split minute with how seductive the brunet actually looked: the pleasent red flush on his alabaster skin, the crystal tears in his beautiful caramel orbs.
Giotto swallowed heavily, not understanding why was this picture affecting him so much as he rubbed Tsuna's clothed back. "A-Are you okay? I hope I didn't crush any of your bones."
The teen stumbled back a bit once his breathing turned normal, then shook his head gently, the redness of his face gradually fading.
Giotto was relieved. "Thank god... wait, Tsunayoshi!" He grabbed Tsuna by his shoulders, who meep'ed at the sudden action, and pulled him close, "Has she done some... thing to... you...?" Giotto trailed off, gaze locked on the ugly bruise on Tsuna's cheek.
Scowling, the blonde placed his hand gently on the red bruise and felt anger bubble in his chest when Tsuna hissed.
"Your mother did this?" He asked softly. Tsuna nodded, as much as he could with Giotto's hand on his hurting cheek, then blinked when the blonde started to cup it tenderly.
"I shouldn't have let you go... " Giotto murmured in remorse, his thumb softly brushing against the skin. Tsuna blushed at the tender treatment. "I-It's fine... i-if f-father was h-home... h-he w-would do w-worse..."
Giotto's eyes narrowed and he ushered the brunet to sit on the sofa, then quickly headed to the infirmary for an ice bag. Giotto got lucky that he got the office closest to it.
"Well, at least you have peace from him for now." Giotto said once he returned, giving Tsuna the bag so he could place it on the swell. Tsuna hummed softly in agreement.
"I still can't believe they are willing to do this to you." Giotto said next, disheartened. Tsuna blinked, turning to the blonde. "W-Why...?"
At that question, Giotto looked straight into Tsuna's chocolate colored orbs, lips turning into a thin line as his expressioned hardened. "You're a good child, Tsunayoshi. Your mother should know that as well since she's the woman who brought you to this world. Mothers like that hardly ever abuse their children. They're precious to them."
Tsuna's blush deepened. T-That explained why his mother was never as harsh as Iemitsu. She still feels her motherly instincts towards him.
Then Tsuna looked away, his shyness getting the better of him while gripping the ice tighter. "I-I... d-don't... really t-think that."
Giotto rested his chin in the palm of his hand supported by the couch as he smiled charmingly. "Tsunayoshi, you're the sweetest person I've ever met and don't tell me it isn't true. We might only know each other for two weeks or so, but I'm completely sure of it and I'm hardly ever wrong."
Tsuna pressed his chin to his chest while squeaking, trying to hide his furious blush. "H-Hiee... W-Wadasa-san... t-thank you... b-but... stop... p-please."
Giotto grinned. "Don't thank me." Then the blonde shifted closer to Tsuna and looked for any other possible wounds. "Did your mother do anything else to you?" He asked.
Tsuna blinked after placing the bag on the table in front of the couch, slightly nervous of the close proximity, but shook his head calmly. "No... u-uhm..." Tsuna shyly glanced at Giotto, having noticed something unsual about the Italian as the man sighed in relief, which quickly got Giotto's attention.
The teacher smiled. "Don't worry about me. I just haven't slept yesterday."
"...B-Because o-of me?" Tsuna meekly asked, feeling bad that he had caused that much worry for the kind man as he eyed the man's tired gaze. Telling him about the abuse now seemed wrong...
Giotto could see the gears turning in Tsuna's head, the doubt starting to show up in his doe orbs, and immediately shook his hands in front of the boy. "No, no! Tsunayoshi, you have nothing to do with that. Yes, I was very worried about you, but there were also other factors that kept me up. I had to take care of some matters which gave me a bad headache as a result."
"O-Oh..." Tsuna didn't sound convinced though.
"Tsunayoshi," Giotto called softly, golden brows furrowing. He would've put a hand on the boy's knee, but there was vissible tension in his body that could make him bolt out. "I care about you. You can't expect me to not worry when I know what goes on between you and your parents."
"I-I... w-worry too..." Tsuna murmured so quietly Giotto barely heard a single word, but one look at the dark blush and slightly pursed lips were enough for him to understand.
The tall Italian smiled and carefully ruffled the brunet's wild hair when Tsuna seemed to relax a little.
"One night without sleep won't affect me that much, but thank you for your concern." Giotto said with a hint of joy in his voice. It surprised Tsuna as he looked at the teacher with the blush still apparent on his cheeks, and saw Giotto smiling quite differently compared to the first day at the school.
It was right to suppose it was contagious, since Tsuna smiled cheerfully from heart, in a way that he hasn't done in years as he spoke. "I-I'm glad..."
Now Giotto was the flustered one, blown away by the cute smile. It was kind of stupid for him to think Tsuna won't feel the same worry for him. He's still a human, after all. The abuse hadn't changed him into a emotionless doll, of course he would worry.
"Ah, um." The blonde desperately tried to look for a change of topic. "Aren't you here a little early? It's not even seven thirty."
Oh wow. Very smooth, Giotto.
Fortunately, Tsuna paid no mind to the man's lame question. "I-I... w-woke up e-earlier... s-so I w-would... a-arrive in time."
Giotto waited patiently for him to finish, but felt shameful for being glad that Tsuna has that problem with talking. The little bit of time was needed for him to recover and collect his thoughts.
"I see. You'll surprise your classmates." Giotto smiled, trying to make it sound good, but it triggered anxiety in the brunet who looked away defiantly. "T-They... hate me..."
Giotto frowned and patted Tsuna's knee gently as a form of comfort. "Not all of them can hate you..."
Tsuna sat silent. He knew Giotto was trying to make him feel better, but it was futile to deny the fact his classmates hate him. Giotto won't change his mind about that.
Even Kyoko-chan... The brunet sadly thought. She's the lovely idol of the whole school, so it wasn't hard for Tsuna to not get charmed by her as well. All of the boys were. Except she never casted Tsuna a glance through their first whole year.
"That's not true. I'm a part of your class and I don't hate you."
That was unexpected. Tsuna's head shot up and the brunet stared wide eyed at Giotto who had said that statement. "E-Eh?"
Giotto chuckled warmly at Tsuna as the lovely blush returned to his cheeks. "My actions weren't apparent enough? I can get along with everyone but that doesn't mean I'm friends with them. Tsunayoshi, I only consider you as my friend so far."
Friend. That word got Tsuna's heart racing as he stared at the man incredulous. "F-Friend...?"
"Yes, what else?" Giotto beamed at the brunet, his long bangs falling over his sunset eyes as his head tilted a little, arching a brow. Tsuna looked as if he had gone into shock. "Tsunayoshi?"
"Aren't we friends?" That broke Tsuna from whatever trance he had fallen into before tears glassed over his chocolate irises, getting Giotto very worried. "Tsunayo-...!" He didn't even get to finish since Tsuna threw himself on the blonde and Giotto caught him securely.
"T-Thank you!... T-Thank you... !" Giotto blinked for like three times in a row while Tsuna sobbed into his chest. He hadn't thought Tsuna would let him touch so easily, but didn't dwell into it more and just squeezed Tsuna while grinning.
"You really are cute." He blurted out, and watched in glee as the tips of Tsuna's ears turned a vibrant shade of red.
In case anyone is curious what the Italian parts mean, here is the translation: (Or at least what I wanted it to be.)
"Prego, bambino." - You're welcome, child/baby.
"Tu sei molto carino, Tsunayoshi. Mi piace." - You're very cute, Tsunayoshi. I like that.