Chapter 5: Nighttime Meeting
A nagging feeling pulled at Xanxus, rousing him from his deep sleep and dragged him away from his blank dreams. Grumbling a little, Xanxus sat up and took note of the time. 3:30 am. He sighed.
For some strange reason, Xanxus was never able to fully sleep through the night. Every single night, he would wake roughly around the same time, between 3 and 4 am. It had become so predictable, that it'd developed into some sort of ritual or routine.
Additionally, every night he'd have the vague feeling that he'd been dreaming, but he could never remember what it was about. He didn't believe they were particularly frightening or haunting though. Every time he woke, he'd be strangely calm, yet fully alert. Because of this, he was never able to fall back asleep until quite a while later.
Yawning, Xanxus swung his feet over the side of the bed and stepped down onto the floor. Not particularly bothered by the cold, Xanxus stood lazily and gave a slight stretch. Dressed only in loose sweatpants and a white tank top, he walked out of his room and down the dark hallways, bare feet stepping quietly across the floor.
Xanxus had to admit, his ritual of waking up every night wasn't so bad. The nighttime always gave him a slight thrill. The silence that hung about the manor attracted him, and he savored every moment of it. He was always more of a night person anyway.
Wandering quietly about the halls, Xanxus breathed in the cool night air. His footsteps barely echoing, he lazily made his way towards the east wing kitchen, which was closest. Another part of his nightly routine was to have a nightcap or two. Alcohol in his stomach always calmed him down and helped him sleep easier.
Even though the Vongola estate had a full sized kitchen complete with professional chefs, each wing of the estate had an additional smaller kitchen for personal use. Tsuna and his Guardians especially took advantage of the smaller kitchens. Though they appreciated the exquisite meals that the cooks prepared for them, they often liked cooking their own meals, especially when it was at odd-hours in the night.
Rounding a corner, Xanxus was surprised to see the light coming from the kitchen at the end of the hall. Apparently he wasn't the only one awake tonight. Stepping quietly, Xanxus approached the open kitchen door. He peered inside, curious to see who was currently occupying it.
He wasn't sure if he should be surprised or not when he saw who it was.
Currently sitting at the small table in the middle of the kitchen was Tsuna. He was still fully dressed in the clothes he was wearing earlier that day, which told Xanxus that he hasn't even slept yet. He was slightly hunched over on the table, with a glass of water pressed against his forehead. His eyes were closed, and slightly knitted together in pain.
"Isn't it past your bedtime, Sawada?" Xanxus asks, stepping into the kitchen. He apparently caught Tsuna completely off guard, because he jumped in his chair and almost dropped the glass he had been holding.
"Xa…Xanxus! Ahhhh, geez. Don't sneak up on people like that." Tsuna sighed heavily, one hand pressed against his chest as he attempted to calm his frantic heart.
Xanxus just chuckled, walking past Tsuna and began rummaging through a cabinet. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Xanxus asked, while pulling out random bottles of alcohol and reading the labels.
"No…ah…well...I haven't exactly tried to sleep yet." Tsuna says sheepishly, swirling the water and ice in his glass, watching the liquid.
Xanxus pauses from his inspection of the liquor cabinet to turn his head and give Tsuna a look. "I didn't take you for an insomniac."
"Well, I'm not really. I've just been working on some things. Finishing up loose ends here and there. Ya know, the usual." Tsuna explained, never looking up from his glass.
Xanxus, his back turned to Tsuna, frowned. This news of Tsuna working well past the quitting hour didn't sit well with him. Not only was he working endlessly during the day, but apparently well into the night as well.
After finally choosing a drink that suited his tastes, Xanxus fixed himself a large glass. Capping the bottle, he took a seat across from Tsuna at the table. Leaning back into the chair, he takes a swig of the powerful liquor, and exhales heavily as it burned his throat. Good stuff.
"So, why are you up, Xanxus?" Tsuna asks, finally looking up at him.
Xanxus takes another sip of his drink, savoring it before swallowing. Taking a breath he sets the glass on the table, and leans back. He drapes one arm over the back of his chair, and the other is playing with his glass, pushing it back and forth with his fingers.
"Hmmm…you could say it's my routine. I wake up just about every night around this time." He begins to explain.
"Ehhh? Really? How come?" Tsuna asks innocently, crossing his arms in front of him on the table, abandoning the now empty glass.
Xanxus looks from Tsuna to the ceiling, thinking it over. He then just shrugs, and picks up his glass again, pressing it against his lips.
"Dunno. I just do."
"Then, don't you ever get tired during the day?" Tsuna asks, apparently intrigued about learning of Xanxus's nighttime routine.
Xanxus just shrugs again. "I take naps here and there, but I've never been one to sleep a long time anyway." He takes another sip.
Tsuna seems to ponder this for a moment, as silence fills the room. The look of curiosity on Tsuna's face however soon shifts into one of pain, as he begins to rub his temple.
"What's wrong?" Xanxus asks, catching Tsuna's pained expression.
"What? Oh, it's nothing." Tsuna says immediately, dropping his hand and giving Xanxus a weak smile. Xanxus on the other hand doesn't buy it. He gives Tsuna a look, crimson eyes locking with Tsuna's amber ones, and practically telling him to spit it out. Tsuna, pressured from Xanxus's heavy gaze, quickly caves.
"It's just a headache. It's nothing serious, really." Tsuna tried wave it off, looking down at his empty glass, holding it between his fingers.
Suddenly something soft and warm presses against Tsuna's forehead. Startled, Tsuna looks up to see Xanxus leaning over the table, the palm of his hand pushing up Tsuna's bangs as his fingers press against his temple. Tsuna's eyes unfocused slightly, as the comforting touch almost soothed his headache away. Almost.
And just as quickly as it happened, it ended. Xanxus, realizing what he was doing, pulled his hand away as if he had been burned. Sitting back down in his seat, Xanxus nervously looks to the side, and crosses his arms over his chest. He coughs slightly, clearing his throat that suddenly didn't seem to want to work properly.
"You, uh…You feel a bit warm. Be… be careful you don't get sick." He quickly spoke, his tongue tripping over itself.
"Oh, uh….yeah. It's …probably just because I haven't slept much these past few days. …It's nothing." Tsuna looks down at the glass which was still clutched in his hand. A slight blush spread across his cheeks.
Xanxus is silent for a bit. Arms still crossed, he studies Tsuna who's taken a sudden interest in the glass in his hands, because he's yet to take his eyes off of it. Xanxus wasn't lying when he said Tsuna felt abnormally warm, but he wasn't too hot for Xanxus to immediately think it was a fever developing. It really could be just from lack of sleep. Which Xanxus could easily believe from the dark rings that lined Tsuna's eyes.
Reaching out, Xanxus takes his own drink and downs the rest of the powerful liquor, and then stands. Walking back over to the liquor cabinet, he pulls out two bottles. Carrying them over to the table, he uncorks one, and promptly dumps a good amount into the glass Tsuna was holding.
"Drink that. I'll help you get to sleep." He explain, as he re-corks the bottle, and then moves to the second bottle, which was for himself.
"I can't drink this! I'm still underage!" Tsuna protests, looking at the suspicious liquid.
Xanxus laughs, sitting back down in his chair. "Says the kid who's the leader of a mafia organization which deals with almost every sort of illegal trade and business."
"Touché" Tsuna sighs, then sniffs the golden liquid cautiously. After a moment, he gathers up his courage, and takes a gulp. The powerful liquid feels like fire as it burns its way down his throat and into his stomach. Tsuna coughs and makes a face, sticking out his tongue at the strong taste.
"You're suppose to sip it slowly, not inhale it." Xanxus chuckles from the other side of the table, taking a swig of his own drink. Tsuna made a face, but didn't say anything in return.
The two sat there for quite a while, chatting idly about little things here and there, occasionally sipping their drinks. At first conversation was all politics, taking about Vongola business and other affairs. But slowly, without either of them noticing, the subject shifted to each other. They began talking about the past years, and what each of them had been up to since the Ring Battles. Nothing too personal though, as Xanxus avoided talking about his trial and punishment for betraying the 9th, and Tsuna avoided talking about his trip to the future. It was an unspoken rule to leave the shadows of the past, in the past.
A loud ringing suddenly caught the two off guard. Xanxus grumbled irritably, and reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. He had forgotten he had put it in his pocket before leaving his room. He looked at the name flashing on the screen, before standing up.
"Sorry, gotta take this." He grumbled, and turned to step out of the room.
Tsuna chuckled softly, listening to Xanxus's angry muffled voice from the hallway. Rubbing his head briefly, he took another big gulp of his drink.
A short while later, Xanxus re-entered the kitchen, grumbling about stupid idiots with no knowledge of time-zones. He opened his mouth to once again apologize to Tsuna, but stopped short. Tsuna's head was on the table, resting on his folded arms. His eyes were closed, and mouth slightly parted, breathing slowly. The glass next to him was completely empty. Xanxus shook his head, and walked over to the table.
"You were suppose to sip it." He mumbled, picking up the glass along with his, and setting them into the sink.
Leaning over the boy, Xanxus shook Tsuna's shoulder, attempting to wake him up.
"Oi, wake up. You can't sleep here." Xanxus tried to rouse the boy, but he failed miserably, as Tsuna was out cold.
Xanxus scratched the back of his head, and looked around nervously, unsure of what to do. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't just leave Tsuna here. There wasn't anyone else around either to take him back to his room. That meant the duty fell to Xanxus.
Xanxus closed his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, cursing whatever gods or spirits that apparently were mocking him. Taking a breath, and gathering his courage, Xanxus awkwardly wrapped an arm around the back of Tsuna's shoulders, and the other under his knees. Xanxus then lifted Tsuna out of the chair, and cradled him against his chest, carrying him bridal style. Tsuna's head rested against Xanxus shoulder, his hair brushing against Xanxus's neck. Fighting a blush, Xanxus headed out of the kitchen, making his way towards Tsuna's room. He had little difficultly actually carrying Tsuna, because he was surprisingly light. Though Tsuna was defiantly taller then the last time Xanxus had seen, him all those years ago, and he had developed more muscle from continuously fighting and training, he was still small compared to the rest of his Guardians. Xanxus once again couldn't fathom how so much power could come from such a small frame.
Entering his room, Xanxus laid Tsuna down on the bed. He had half the heart to just turn a leave, but seeing the boy sprawled on the bed, looking uncomfortable and in pain, Xanxus sighed in defeat. Gathering up his courage and letting go of his pride, Xanxus leaned over to loosen Tsuna's tie, which clung tightly around his neck.
He then proceeded to take off Tsuna's shoes, setting them on the floor next to the bed. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he then took Tsuna's thin wrists into his hands. Xanxus removed his watch and various rings, that he wore, placing them onto the nightstand next to the bed. He paused momentary upon seeing the Vongola Sky ring on Tsuna's middle finger. He gazed at it with a mixture of fear and awe. To think such a small thing, could change so many lives in so many different ways. Hesitating slightly, he slipped the ring off of Tsuna's finger, and quickly deposited it too on the nightstand. He told himself long ago that he was over it, and wouldn't obsess over it any longer. He had lost the battle, and had to admit defeat not only to Tsuna, but to the fact that he would never hold the seat of Vongola Boss. He moved on.
Unrolling the blanket that sat folded at the foot of the bed, Xanxus covered Tsuna with it, pulling it up over his shoulders. Tsuna's eyes furrowed in pain momentarily, groaning as he shifted his head to the side. Xanxus watched him, and he frowned slightly. The kid was obviously in pain, yet he had tried so hard to hid it. Brushing his bangs back, Xanxus placed his hand on Tsuna's forehead. It still felt hot, but still not quite a fever. Xanxus made a mental note to make Tsuna take some medicine tomorrow, as he doubted the kid would actually do it himself.
His hand lingered for a moment, watching Tsuna's face relax once again. Xanxus didn't know the reason, but it was obvious that Tsuna was pushing himself too much. If he kept up with this break-neck pace of working and fighting, he'd only end up burning himself out.
Grumbling a little under his breath about idiots and always causing trouble for others, Xanxus stood. Taking one last glace before leaving, he quietly walked out of the room, closing the door with a soft click.
Tsuna groaned and rolled over, burying his face into his pillow, attempting to block out the overly bright sun that was determined to wake him up.
Wait. Sun? Pillow?
Tsuna shot up quickly, then immediately regretted it when his head started pounding. Groaning in pain, Tsuna waited for the world to stop spinning before opening his eyes. Taking a quick glance, he realized he was in his room. Shifting the blanket aside, he was surprised to find that he had also slept with his clothes on, with the exception of his shoes. Clutching his shirt, he then realized that his rings and watch were gone. Including the Vongola Ring. Panicking, Tsuna looked around franticly, until he spotting it on his nightstand. Sighing with relief, he picked it up, and slipped it back onto his finger. He had fought to the death and back over this silly little thing. He wasn't about to lose it now.
Sighing again, Tsuna leaned back against the headboard, and attempted to organize his thoughts. How did he end up back in his room? The last thing he remembered was drinking with Xanxus in the kitchen. Almost unconsciously, Tsuna lifted his hand and placed it on his forehead. He had a brief flicker of nostalgia, the warm feeling of something pressed against his head. Tsuna shook his head, laughing at himself. The thoughts in his head were beginning to get foolish. Honesty, where had he gotten the idea that Xanxus was the one that brought him to his room? The very thought of it was extremely outrageous, if not down right embarrassing.
Looking out the window, Tsuna saw that it was once again a beautiful day outside. Suddenly feeling refreshed, Tsuna got out of bed and stretched. Despite having a headache, Tsuna had gotten a good rest last night. In fact, it was one of the best he had had in a while. Taking one last moment to again feel his forehead, Tsuna headed for the bathroom, where he prepared to start the new day.
You asked for fluff, I give you FLUFF! Gah, this chapter was fun to write. Wierd, but fun.
After the HUGE review response I got from the last chapter, how could I not get super-inspired to write the next chapter so soon?
Seriously peeps, I feel totally blown away by the response I've been getting from this.
First of all, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who's reviewed. I've responded to a few of you below, but to those I didn't get to, I just wanted to say thank you for the love and sticking with me so far!
Second, I want to send a MASSIVE THANK YOU to urja shannan, because they drew this insanely awesome piece of Fan Art of chapter 4. I encourage all of you to check it out, and give Urja lots of love for it!
http / camiyu.deviantart. com/art/ Tsuna-snap-hitman-reborn-83558065 (remove the spaces)
So, for some time now I've been thinking of my next KHR fanfic project (not that I'll be finishing this one anytime soon. It still has a LONG ways to go). I have three pairings/ideas in mind, but hardly enough content to actually start anything.
The first one is a collection of XanxusTsuna drabbles and one shots. They'll range from AU situations to other scenarios that could've happened in the fic, but never did. Pretty much whatever comes to mind.
The second is a spin-off series from Ashes to Flames. It would follow the Guardians and Varia in their adventures at boot-camp. It would probably be mostly crack, and the main pairing would be Gokudera and Yamamoto (because I seriously love those two.) Sadly, haven't got the slightest idea on what would actually happen….
The third possible fic would be a newer pairing that I've become a huge fan of. SpannerTsuna anyone? Again, I've got zero plot for it, but it's something I've always considered writing.
Lastly, to wrap up my endless chatter, I just wanted to say how much it shocked me that you people wanted Mukuro and Hibari to appear. I just wrote that little tidbit about them not being around as a side-thought, not really planning much with them. You'll be happy to know that I have now written them into the story, and yes, there will be a jealous Xanxus.
Now, for some Review Responses! (trying to remember where I last left off...)
Kibou Yami - I'm so glad that I've managed to keep Xanxus in character. He's quite a challenge to write, because the only time we've seen him in the manga, is when he's all crazy with rage and anger. Thank you!
RoxasIsReal13 - LOL, YOU'RE WELCOME! And you're totally allowed to be excited. I encourage it in fact! :D
urja shannan - Don't worry, I'm definitely not going to push either of them together too fast. They're going to "learn" about each other first, before really getting together. Also, later on I hope to explain gradually Xanxus's dramastic change since the ring battles, and his reasoning for not hating Tsuna anymore. Also, since you mentioned it, I realize now I haven't explained in huge details their appearance and such. I have images of them in my head, but I'm stupid and forget to work that into the story itself. In the first chapter, I vaguely mentioned a timeline, though, I've never really come out and said it. Tsuna's around 19 in the fic. Immediately after graduating from high school, he was appointed Vongola Boss, and has been so for about a year. To be honest, I haven't the slightest idea on how much older Xanxus is then Tsuna….
Quicksilver4 - You can easily call Xanxus adorable, just make sure he isn't around when you say it! :P And yes, Xanxus is totally in denial, while Tsuna will remain oblivious for some time. Thank you!!
Quinn Quinn - Lol, Xanxus can't be smooth all the time. When up against a person like Tsuna, it's bound the throw anyone off guard. And Tsuna will remain clueless for quite some time, because that's just who he is. :P And fear not! Jealous!Xanxus soon to come, shortly occupied by Possessive!Xanxus!
SesshouNoKon - OMG, pigeons! That's genius! (writes it down) The Venice thing was totally a whim, but people caught onto it so much, I just had to write it in. It's still far off, but it'll come eventually!
Junez-chan - Thank you for the fuel! Om nom nom nom. And thank you!! All of the Varia are fun to write, because they're just so crazy! And your wish of Mukuro and Hibari causing some trouble for our duo will definitely be granted.
Madashes2ashes - (Is choked by a ryohei bear-hug) Lol, thank you! I'm glad I managed to make that crowded dialog scene clear (whew). It was especially hard with those lunatics, the Varia, because they definitely don't act like normal people. Heck, NONE of the characters in KHR are normal…
Wayra - LOL, I'd DIE if chapter 4 actually happened in the the anime or manga. It would be full of epic-win. And thank you!!
Again, sorry that I didn't get to respond to everyone, but I read every single review, and I love them ALL!
Next Chapter: Kufufufufu, guess who arrives?
And, I doubt I have to say this anymore, but REVIEW AS IF YOU WERE TO DIE!
Until next time!!