Title:Ashes to Flames
Rating: PG-13 to eventual M
Pairing: X27, aka, XanxusTsuna
Warnings: Swearing, violence, BL and eventual Yaoi. Oh, and the fact that this is Un-Betaed and probably has crappy grammar
Summary: Every meeting had a reaction. Each reaction builds upon the next, meeting after meeting. But every reaction has a consequence.
Author Note: If you don't like BL or just this pairing, then don't read it. Any flames or immature negative remarks will be ignored, because I really don't give a damn what you think.
Chapter 3: The 3rd Meeting
Xanxus is a person who rarely hesitates. He's the type of person who charges forward after what he wants, blasting people to smithereens (literally and figuratively) who stand in his way. Xanxus knows at all times what he wants, and how he's going to obtain it. He always has a plan.
So it's easy to say that he's also rarely felt uncertainty. Despite his rage-filled exterior, on the inside he's very calm and calculating. Always plotting, always planning. Xanxus is a man who learns from his surroundings, and adjusts his actions accordingly. There was nothing that Xanxus couldn't deal with.
Until now that is.
Xanxus, for one of the first times in his life, felt uncertainty. And he was hesitating because of it.
It was just a door. Just one stupid, fuckin door. Yet Xanxus couldn't seem to bring himself to just open it. Never before has something as simple as a door felt like a steel barrier. Foreign, unknown, and unbreakable.
Why was this?
Because of one Sawada Tsunayoshi, current 10th boss of the Vongola Family.
Xanxus has met a lot of people in his life. It was his job. He meets people, attempts to negotiate, and then usually ends up shooting their face off. Suffice to say, Xanxus has dealt with a variety people in his career.
However, for once, Xanxus had no idea how to approach a person. The 10th Boss had literally thrown him through a loop.
Xanxus, when walking into the 10th's office the other day, had been expecting a lot of things. Fear, anger, rebellion, maybe even cold rejection. Anything but what he had received. The boy had welcomed him, smiled at him, even asked to chat with him. And a pleasant chat at that.
Xanxus hadn't been expecting to actually verbally recount his mission. That's why he had physically typed it out, so he wouldn't have to talk about it.
But he was asked to. And he accepted.
He still doesn't know why he accepted. If it had been someone else, he would've told them to fuck off, thrown something at them, or just simply walked away. Had it been anyone else.
But for that kid, Xanxus had agreed.
He was surprised at the kid's sudden interest in being chatty with him. His attempts at an engaged conversation were slightly annoying at first (Xanxus did not like being interrupted with trivial matters), but once he discovered that the brat had yet to actually see Venice, he was a little more willing to add details on the side.
And then the brat had the nerve to laugh at him. Well ok, maybe not laughing at him, but more like his comment about going to Venice (which Xanxus still doesn't understand how it was funny). With the exception of Squalo, and maybe Lussuria (who was like a cockroach and just didn't die), the Sawada brat was the only person to actually laugh at Xanxus, and didn't come out of it with 3rd degree burns and several broken bones.
That stupid cheery, innocent, giggly laugh. There was something clearly inhuman about, because no one, especially a mafia boss, should look that cute. Xanxus almost wanted to smile just looking at that face.
Almost.
Snapping back to the present (where Xanxus was still standing in front of the door, just staring at it), Xanxus groaned. He did NOT just call the kid cute. Sure he looked nothing like the stereotypical mafia boss, with his roundish baby face, unnaturally huge eyes, slim but now toned figure, and that silly little smile that he always wore on his face….
'Fuck!' Xanxus swore in his mind. He was stopping that train of thought right there in its tracks. Immediately.
Groaning again, Xanxus banged his head against the door unconsciously, hating his current predicament.
Unfortunately the person on the other side of the door took the head-bang for a knock, and soon a "Enter" was heard from the other side.
Jerking his head up, Xanxus seriously considered just walking away. But then his masculine pride immediately roared, telling him he will NOT run away, because that's what cowards do. And Xanxus does not tolerate cowardice.
So, taking a deep breath, Xanxus turned the door handle swiftly, and entered the room.
At first it felt like he walked into complete darkness, because the thick heavy curtains were drawn closed, and the ceiling light was turned off. But as he walked further in, allowing his eyes to adjust to the shift in atmosphere, he could see a figure hunched over the large wooden desk.
The figure groped around a second before clicking the desk lamp on, sending a blast of light into the room.
Tsunayoshi groaned and blinked furiously at the harsh light, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. He half-heartily held back a yawn, and motioned for Xanxus to sit.
Xanxus, after closing the door behind him, sat down hesitantly in the plush chair that was set in front of the 10th desk.
"Taking a mid-afternoon nap, Sawada?" Xanxus attempted to mock the boy, but it came out in a more teasing tone then he'd would've liked.
Yawning again, Tsuna sat up slightly straighter, and restacked the papers he'd been sleeping on into a neat pile. "Sorry about that. I was up all last night working. Then all this morning I agreed to oversee the new subordinates' weapon training with Reborn, then have a lunch that I never got to eat with the Guardians, because Gokudera starting fighting with Yamamoto again, and then Ryohei attempted to break up their fight with his fists, which pretty much caused the entire dining room to turn into a war-zone." Tsuna sighed, and leaned back into his leather chair.
"And so, I come back here only to find this monstrous stack waiting for me." Tsuna waved his hand at the giant pile of papers that currently occupied the majority of the space on his desk. Xanxus was pretty sure this pile was even larger then the last time he was in here.
"Reborn is still busy with the new recruits, so I thought I'd take a quick nap while he was occupied." Tsuna grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
"I'm sorry for disturbing you." Again, Xanxas's voice was a little too sincere then he intended.
"No, no. It's fine. I probably shouldn't have been sleeping anyway. Reborn would've put a real bullet in my head if he caught me." Tsuna bowed his head in defeat.
Xanxus couldn't help but chuckle at that, because it was so true. That arcobaleno could be scary as shit sometimes.
"So, uh, what can I do for you, Xanxus?" Tsuna asked, smiling, giving the man sitting in front of him his complete attention.
Xanxus coughed briefly, before sliding a bound collection of papers onto the desk. Tsuna took the stack, and began flipping through them, raising a questioning eyebrow to Xanxus.
"The final report of…the incident at the Varia headquarters. As well as all the…damage reports from the confrontations between the Varia and the Guardians thus far…" Xanxus trailed off. This was apparently wasn't the type of news Tsuna was looking forward to, as the boy suddenly started swearing strings of curses under his breath while staring down at the rather large report clutched in his fists.
Xanxus just stared at the boy warily, not quite sure what to do in this situation. The boy looked about ready to snap. Xanxus was really wishing he had just run away before.
After was seemed like an agonizing eternity of Tsuna flipping through the lengthy report, swearing under his breath the entire time, he finally lets out an exaggerated sigh and threw the report on top of his already towering 'to-do-box'.
"Kami, how did the 9th do this for so many years?" Tsuna mumbles, dropping his head down on the desk with a 'thump', forehead down and arms folded.
Xanxus waited patiently, just watching the boy.
'Shit, I think he just died.' Xanxus nervously watched the boy for another moment, before he saw a subtle rise and fall of the boy's chest.
'I can't believe the brat just passed out like that. He must have been tired'. Xanxus shifted in his sit slightly, unsure at what to do in this situation. He studied him, watching the rhythmic yet almost strained breathing.
Never before did the boy look so…defenseless. Which should be physically impossible, considering the massive amounts of battles and obstacles the boy managed to overcome in just the few years he's been associated with the mafia world. But the small figure currently sitting in front of him showed no signs of such achievements, with the exception of the Vongola ring that adorned his finger.
His shoulders looked thin, even through cloth of his suit. No signs of battle scars or wounds could be seen. And most of all, he still managed to hold onto his humanity. Even after all the battles, deaths and sins committed. Xanxus heard stories that Tsuna would always somehow find time to pray for those who's lives he ruined.
How Tsuna managed to uphold his ideals and still continue with his line of work was beyond him.
Looking at the boy now, Xanxus believed that this was a rare glimpse at the defenseless side of the 10th Vongola. Where his shoulders looked just a little bit too small for the massive responsibility he must uphold.
Something suddenly felt off inside of Xanxus. A twinge of guilt and worry wound itself around his gut. Xanxus realized he didn't like seeing the boy like this.
Grumbling a little, Xanxus stood up. Reaching over, Xanxus ruffled the boy's hair, startling him awake.
"I'll talk to my guys, see if I can get them to quit all the shit they've been causing lately." Xanxus eyes shifted around, trying not to look at the boy who was blinking up at him with a confused look on his face. He coughed into his hand roughly, and continued.
"I'll also try to keep the arcobaleno busy for a while. So you can take it easy." Xanxus mumbled to him, before quickly turning and exiting the room, clicking the door shut quietly.
It took Tsuna several moments to process what had just happened. When it finally sunk in, he smiled at the closed door. Yawning loudly, and refusing to even look at the piles of papers around him, Tsuna clicked the light off, surrounding himself in darkness again.
Not even a minute passed before light snores drifted through the room.
Yosh!!! 3rd chapter done!!
Not as much Xanxus/Tsuna interaction as I originally hoped for, but this chapter was a necessary transition to Xanxas's POV. And I suddenly realized that I keep making Xanxus refer to Tsuna as "boy", even though (in my mind), Tsuna is technically suppose to be 19-20ish in the fic. ...Tsuna probably still has a very boyish appearance to him, even though he's older. :P
Next chapter is the first "reaction", as Tsuna finally snaps from all the stress his Guardians and the Varia have been giving him. --insert evil laugh---
Also, I'm still looking for a Beta! Please send me a PM or e-mail me if your interested!
Review Responses---
quinnquinn - So glad I converted you to being a X27 fan:D hehehe. This pairing really made sense to me, because both Xanxus and Tsuna are soooo different, that they kind of compliment each other. Like they say, opposites attract! Thank you so much for reading!
waterbaby12us - After writing the whole "burning the inbox with the dying will" part, I secretly wish I had the dying will, just so I could do that with my homework. :P It would be so wonderful.
emberalda - I agree, the world does need more X27!
Masaharu - Lol, a rabbit playing with a lion that's a great comparison! And I agree, Xanxus and Tsuna aren't really the type to suddenly have intimate attractions toward each other at first sight (as one kind of tried to kill the other...). I'm really trying in this fic to make their relationship develop overtime- gradually and steadily. Thank you for reading!
Kouga Myazawa - Lol. My tolerance towards flamers and just general immaturity comes from many years of critiques (and hanging out in GaiaOnline way too much.). I just learned to ignore them.
Pain au Chocolat - Your welcome and Thank you:D
cyne - Your welcome!! I love spreading the love that is X27!!
hya - Yelling at me to update doesn't inspire me to write faster in the least bit, plus, I write when I find time, so chapters will come when they come. Next time, please write something more constructive, k:3
ruk21 - I'll admit, writing Tsuna and Xanxus has been a challenge thus far, because we really haven't seen them interact with each other that doesn't involve fighting (in the manga). Keeping Xanxus somewhat to in-character, and still have an interesting personality for the fic, has been tough... I'm trying though. :3
Andrea Weiling - It's obvious that the TYL! arc in the manga has really had an impact on the fanfictions, with the Vongola's rather dark and depressing future. Though, I feel the focus of what happened between those ten years is really lost, thus my reason for setting this fic. about mid-way, where Tsuna's just learning the ropes of being the 10th. I've yet to actually decide if I want to eventually lead either this fic, or another up to the TYL! arc. But, anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing!!
warflame001 - I originally wrote the whole Venice thing on impulse, but now I'll definitely be using it in the future. X3
Witchchild - Lol, I'm glad I'm not the only one who laughs when reading this. (My roommate thinks I'm losing my mind, cause I start laughing randomly when writing it. XD ). The next chapter will definitely have you rolling on the floor laughing, cause it's one of my favorites thus far. Hell, I keep laughing at it, and I haven't even written it yet:D
Anave Lipad - The action starts next chapter, I promise. These first few chapters were necessary just to establish Tsuna's and Xanxus's POV. The good stuff starts in chapter 4. :3
AuraBlackWolf - Hmmm, a jealous Xanxus...I hadn't originally considered that scenario, but that is definitely something to ponder on. Because I like that idea very much now :3 Thank you!!
sexypancake - Thank you!! At first I didn't really like this chapter, but it was really necessary. It was interesting trying to get inside of Xanxus's head and trying to write about him X3.
And a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone else who read and reviewed!!! Sorry I didn't get to everyone, but I just want to let you know I read every review and I really appreciate all the support and encouragement I get!
Until next time, lovelies