Extra long chappy...cuz it's Dino-san's birthday...even though the birthday in the story isn't Dino-san's...OH WELL! Happy birthday, Dino-san! I wish you were real; it would make me feel a little less like a fool about caring so much T_T
Dino had been planning on inviting all of Tsuna's classmates for a party, for the kid's birthday.
Sadly, Kyouya took the invites the evening before Dino was going to give them to Tsuna to give out.
Dino walked into the kitchen, having smelt something burning. He saw Kyouya standing on a stool, in front of the cooker. "Kyouya, what're you doing?"
"Burning the herbivore's birthday invites."
"What?" Dino went to see. Indeed, there was just a mess of black around the stove. He groaned. "Why're you burning them? I put a lot of time and effort into making those!"
Kyouya hopped off the stool. "Don't invite anybody then." he said as he left. Dino stared after him. What was up with him? Weird kid.
Tsuna came in a while later. "Dino-Nii! Can I have some hot chocolate?"
"Sure thing, Tsuna. Did you clean away all your toys?"
Tsuna looked at the floor. "Y-yes."
"That's a lie."
He made a sad face. "Sorry."
Dino clicked his tongue. "Go clean it up. I'll make your hot chocolate while you do that, okay?"
"Ok!" the child rushed out of the room. Dino rolled his eyes. Sometimes, it was so easy to make these kids happy. Well, that applied to Tsuna at least. He went to put a cup of milk in the microwave. As it was heating, he sat down.
It had been a year since these kids had been in his care. He'd tried asking Tsuna where he and Kyouya had been before they'd been sent to him and what kind of a connection they had with his father but, every time he did so, a warning look from Kyouya shut the smaller boy up. Dino had tried asking when Kyouya wasn't around. Still, Tsuna had been too shaken to say anything. Dino had rung home many times to ask too but his father was always cryptic about it. He'd asked how much longer he'd be in this position. His father hadn't been clear on that either.
It was exasperating not knowing, when he thought about how much his lifestyle had changed thanks to these kids.
The microwave pinged. He took the cup out and went to make hot chocolate. From the living room, he could hear the faint sound of Tsuna shovelling all his toys into the toy box.
"Dino-Nii! I did it!" the boy said as he came back. He tripped over the threshold and, for a second he lay there. Then the pain set in and he started to wail. Dino put the cup down on the table and went to help him up. "It's all right, Tsuna." he comforted.
It didn't take long for Tsuna to calm down. When Dino was around, he cheered up quickly. He smiled up at his guardian. The cuteness of his expression and the sheer innocence radiating from his eyes made Dino's heart feel like goo. The blond-haired man chuckled and ruffled the child's hair.
These kids, for better or for worse, were now an indisputable part of his life. He knew that much at least.
When Dino woke in the morning, it was half eight. He glanced briefly at the clock dial before closing his eyes and turning over. A few seconds later, they snapped open.
HALF EIGHT!
He shot out of bed and tripped over his duvet. "Aah!" rubbing his sore chin, he got up and dashed out the door. In five minutes, he was ready and went to wake the kids.
He went into Tsuna's room. "Tsuna!" he shook the little boy. "Hey, Tsuna! Wake up! You're going to get late for school!"
School started at nine. Dino's first seminar started at ten today so he wasn't too worried but these kids were going to get late!
"Wha…?" Tsuna opened one bleary eye. "Dino-Nii…?"
"Wake up! It's almost time for school! Hurry and get ready! I'll make you breakfast! Come on!" The man left and then went to hammer on Kyouya's door. "Kyouya! Are you up? Hurry up and come down for breakfast!" He didn't go inside.
He thudded down the stairs and fell halfway. "OW!" He didn't let it bother him. He had to get the kids ready! But damn! His butt hurt like hell! One hand on his sore backside, he hobbled into the kitchen.
Ten minutes later, neither of the kids had come down. There were less than fifteen minutes left! What were those brats doing? The man went to the stairs. "HEY! ARE YOU GUYS UP YET?" he yelled.
Tsuna hopped out of his room, one leg in his pants and the other halfway there. "Almost! I just need to…!" He slipped and fell. "WAH!"
Dino caught him. "Hup! Honestly, Tsuna. Be more careful." The child was dizzy and half-unconscious.
"You have no right to advise others." Kyouya drawled, appearing on the landing. He was dressed in his uniform, impeccable as always.
Dino set Tsuna down and went back to the kitchen. "Whatever. Come down and eat."
Tsuna sat down on the bottom step and finished dressing. "K-Kyou-Nii woke me. Sorry, Dino-Nii. I fell asleep. I'll…I'll never be late again." He seemed a little pale and jumped when Kyouya went past him.
Dino frowned as the children came to sit at the table. "Kyouya woke you? That's a first." He wondered what kind of a method that violent child would use to wake someone up. It couldn't be anything good.
Kyouya didn't say anything on it. He put his hands together and muttered, "itadakimasu" and started on breakfast. Dino fed Tsuna. There wasn't enough time for Tsuna to indulge.
Despite the big breakfast, Kyouya finished first and left the kitchen. Tsuna was a slow eater. The moment Dino finished feeding him, he went to throw the dishes in the sink and practically shoved the child out. "Let's go, let's go! We're late!" There were three minutes to nine.
Children who were late to school were given negative points. A total of five negative points in one month resulted in staying indoors during break and lunch for the younger children and, for the older ones, after-school detention, along with writing lines on why coming late was not acceptable.
Tsuna had had detention before but Kyouya hadn't. Maybe he was an outstanding student in class, so the teachers were really impressed and let him off the hook. He never really talked about what he did in class but Dino had the feeling he was the hard-working type of student. He was very smart for his age so he must pay attention to his studies a lot and he spent a lot of time holed up in his room. The rare occasions when Dino went into Kyouya's room, he always saw textbooks and exercise books on the desk.
He'd learnt long ago not to meddle in Kyouya's private affairs, even if he was the boy's guardian, so he never asked how the child was doing at school. Kyouya didn't like it and when he didn't like something, he vented on the nearest helpless person, who happened to be Tsuna – most of the time.
A few minutes later, with Tsuna's book bag and lunchbox in hand, Dino and the two little boys left the house. Dino locked up. They would take the car today. Walking to school would take at least twenty minutes and they didn't have that kind of time. Then again, there was always traffic about this time, which was why Dino usually chose not to take the car, but it couldn't be helped today. They had to take the shortest route and save as much time – something which would only be accomplished by car.
"I wanna sit in the front!" Tsuna protested.
"No." Kyouya said, shoving the smaller boy head first into the back of the car.
"Dino-Nii! Tell him! I said it first!"
"Just sit in the back, Tsuna." Dino said, rushing to start the car up. Kyouya shoved the front seat back and sat down, causing Tsuna to retreat behind Dino's seat. He was wailing at the unfairness of it all. Dino sighed and pulled away from the curb. As lively as ever. At times like this, he wondered what wrong he'd done to deserve a life like this. He was only nineteen but he felt like some old dude taking care of his troublesome brats.
When they reached school, such thoughts vanished. His main priority was out of the way. He could let up a little now, even if they were late. There was no helping that now. He rolled down the window to see the kids off. "Have fun, guys!"
Tsuna waved. As usual, he lagged behind Kyouya. Kyouya stopped by the school gates to stare at something on the wall. Dino grinned. The black-haired boy was being nice today…in his own, strange way. When Tsuna caught up, Kyouya began walking again. Tsuna turned back to wave again, a bright smile on his face. Dino waved back.
When the two had disappeared around the gates, Dino put the car into gear and drove off. Now, to get ready for class.
In the school, Kyouya and Tsuna split ways. Kyouya was bored. He had plans to go to the school roof and nap but, just for the hell of it, he went to his classroom.
"Hibari-kun!" the teacher exclaimed as he saw him. His jaw had dropped open. The children in the class were looking at Kyouya with fearful eyes. More than just a few of them had been subjected to abuse by the violent child. They remembered it well.
The teacher came towards him. "This is great, Hibari-kun! You're attending! Please, come in! Have a seat and we'll…!"
Kyouya shut the door in the teacher's face. He turned and sauntered off down the corridor. As he'd suspected, grouping with herbivores never yielded good results. He was getting annoyed already. School was boring. Everything was boring. He had a spare shirt in his bag (because these damned white shirts showed bloodstains too easily). He could go out and find something "fun" to do and Dino would be none the wiser.
The flaw with that plan, though, was that he was feeling rather lazy today.
He was on the school roof for most of the day. At break time, he was woken from his nap. At first, he was furious at the noises that had interrupted his sleep but break time for the younger kids would mean that the tuna fish would be outside too. He walked over to the fence lining the edge of the roof and looked down.
He saw ants. Ants which he wanted to crush. So insignificant. He managed to pinpoint the location of the particular ant he was looking for and found him, alone as usual. Tsuna was a pest. A burden. A chore. An eyesore. So unpleasant to behold. All the same, Kyouya didn't hate him, just like he didn't hate Dino. Hate was too strong an emotion for him to invest time and effort into maintaining. He didn't hate anyone. If he was especially annoyed with someone, he just let them feel his wrath and that was the end of it. There was no need to hold onto petty hatred…
"Hey, kid, what's with that stare, huh?" the man leered. "Get out of the way."
"I refuse." Kyouya stated, standing before the bodies of the unconscious boy and woman behind him. The man hit him across the face again. He glared.
"Why? What're they to you? You're the son of a ruthless bastard, aren't you? Don't you share the same genes? You don't have any emotions like sadness, right?" The man laughed. "But perhaps it's too early. Childhood is a waste of time."
As the memory resurfaced, his hold on the fence tightened. Perhaps he did hate a little. He stared out at what he could see of the city. Childhood was not a waste of time. He would use every opportunity he had and make himself grow. He would never be beaten again. He would never let someone make a fool of him. They wanted a ruthless bastard? He'd give them a ruthless bastard. He'd make them regret ever approaching him.
He left wide gaps in the wire fence as he let go.
"Kyouya?"
Kyouya stopped looking out the window and turned, in time to see Dino setting down a bowl of very generous scoops of ice cream. He was frowning. "You okay? You seem kind of…absent today."
Kyouya took the ice cream and plopped down on the couch to eat. He didn't reply. Somewhere during the course of his remembrances, Tsuna had disappeared, leaving behind the toys he'd been playing with. "Where's the herbivore?" he asked.
"He went to the bathroom." Dino replied. He sat down beside the boy, a few textbooks now in hand. He peered at his charge, brow furrowed. "Are you sure nothing's wrong with you? You're different."
How would this idiot be able to tell? Kyouya hummed in response as he stuck a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.
It was as if Dino could read his mind…either that, or he'd just seen the opportunity to ask. "What happened to you guys, before you came here?"
Kyouya put the bowl down and stood up. "That's none of your concern."
"Hey, come on, you're not ever going to tell me?" the man asked. "You might be stuck with me for life; won't you tell me then?"
At the door, Kyouya turned back. His gaze was chillier than usual. "You shouldn't be too curious about other people's affairs." With that, he strode away.
Dino clicked his tongue. He was damned curious! He had a right to know, didn't he? He opened up his textbooks and began to pour through them. Feeling sour as he was, he couldn't concentrate all that much so he was quite glad when Tsuna came in. "Dino-Nii! Can you read to me?" he said, holding up a small book.
Dino put the textbooks to the side and smiled. "Sure. Which story is it?"
Tsuna handed the book over. Dino frowned at it. "What kind of a book is this?"
On the title, it said in handwritten characters "Brothers". The cover was plain. It was a handmade book, with no picture on the front and, inside, lined pages with big hand-written words and stick-men. The inside cover featured a name. Written by Nana Sawada. Dino's brows furrowed. "Sawada? Who's Nana Sawada, Tsuna?"
Tsuna looked down at his hands. He seemed awkward so Dino didn't push him. The man dismissed it and started to read.
"There once were two brothers." There was a picture of two stick-men…boys. One had a mess of squiggles for hair and the other had small straight lines. Page turn. "Big brother was very cold on the outside." The stick-boy with the straight hair was shown to have eyebrow lines drawn at a sharp downward angle, glaring at the stick-boy with squiggly hair. Page turn. "Big brother was in pain on the inside." Now the straight-hair stick-boy was holding his nonexistent heart. Page turn. "Little brother said that, one day, he would help big brother be happy again." Squiggle-boy declared this with a big toothy grin. Page turn. "Little brother wasn't very strong and didn't know how to look after himself." Squiggle-boy was getting beaten up by other stick-boys. Page turn. "Big brother always helped little brother." Straight-hair stick-boy was beating up the stick-boys who were beating up squiggle-boy. Page turn. "Big brother's words were always cold." Straight-hair stick boy's eyebrows were drawn in a steep slant again as he glared at squiggle-boy, with the words, "idiot. Don't let yourself get trampled all over". Page turn. "Little brother was happy that his big brother cared. Even though he was cold, he was very caring on the inside." The last page was of little brother smiling at big brother and big brother wasn't glaring anymore. The end.
Dino closed the book. "This was written a long time ago, wasn't it?"
"Um…y-yeah…" Tsuna mumbled.
"Then…where was it? I've never seen this before."
"It's Kyou-Nii's."
"Really?" Then it was understandable why Dino hadn't seen it before. Kyouya was very particular about his things being left alone. "Then why do you have it now?"
"Kyou-Nii gave it to me."
"Kyouya?"
"For my birthday." Tsuna smiled.
That was shocking! Dino swayed a little. "I-I think I need to lie down…I feel ill…"
Tsuna giggled and took the book back. He stared at it a long while, at the name on the inside cover. His smile slipped. He bit his lip, shook his head, jumped to his feet, and tried to run away. Dino took hold of the back of his collar and pulled him back. "Hold on a second there, speedy." he said, holding onto the little boy's arms. He peered at the child with concern. "What's wrong?"
Tsuna closed the book and shook his head. "N-Nothing."
"It obviously isn't nothing. Tell me." Dino said.
"I-I can't…" Tsuna mumbled, looking guilty. "I-I'm sorry, Dino-Nii." Tears were gathering in his eyes and he shook his head again. Dino let go of his wrists and he ran his sleeve across the child's eyes. Dino ruffled his hair. "Sorry, Tsuna." he sighed. "Don't cry, okay?" Much as he wanted to press Tsuna for details, he felt bad for instigating such sadness. Tsuna looked better with a happy smile, after all. "You don't have to tell me."
Tsuna nodded miserably. "Can I go now?"
Dino nodded. "Sure thing, kiddo." The boy turned and left the room. When he'd climbed up what Dino could see of the stairs, the man slouched and let out a deep breath. This sucked. He wanted to know!
He got up after a few minutes and went upstairs. The doors to both children's bedrooms were closed. That was rare. Tsuna must be really upset. Poor kid. Dino knocked on Kyouya's door. There was no immediate response. After a few seconds, the door opened a crack. One blue-grey eye stared out. "What do you want?" His voice was quieter than usual. He seemed a little off, lately. "What's the matter with you kids today?" Dino grumbled. "You're both acting moody."
"Is that all you wanted to say?" Kyouya said. The door began to close. Dino held it open. "Wait a sec. Can I come in?"
"I'd rather you didn't."
"Come on, please?"
The door opened just wide enough for Dino to see Kyouya's face. He tilted it to the side, expression thoughtful. "Only if you get me some more ice cream."
Dino groaned. "What? You're so greedy."
Kyouya waited. Dino's shoulders slumped as he gave in and turned around. "Fine, but you have to answer my questions, all right?" He got no response as the door closed. He went down and got out the ice cream tub from the freezer. He scooped out three large spoonfuls and made his way back up. He knocked. The door opened. Kyouya held his hand out. Dino handed the bowl over. The door was opened wider and the child went to sit at his desk.
"How can a brat who eats so much be so skinny?" Dino asked as he settled cross-legged on the bed and watched Kyouya eat. Kyouya savoured a spoonful of ice cream, staring at the window. He took his time. He put the spoon down and licked his lips. Dino was reminded of a feral cat. The child spoke. "I'll give you three questions." he said, holding up three fingers. "No more."
Dino was surprised. Kyouya had guessed what he'd come here for, then. "What?" the man protested. "That's so stingy."
"I'm at a stage in my childhood where being stingy is normal."
He snorted. "What stage is that?"
"I call it the Don't-Waste-My-Time-or-be-Bitten-to-Death Phase." Kyouya stated, taking another spoonful of ice cream.
"You're a weird kid, you know that?"
"Hurry it up. I have a game to play." To his right was a PSP, with many games covers spread across the desktop around it.
Dino sighed. "Right, right. Question one; who is Nana Sawada?"
Kyouya froze. For just a second, he looked startled, and then he looked off to the side. "I won't answer that."
"I thought you wouldn't." Dino scoffed. "All right, next question; where were you before we met?"
"In Namimori."
"That's too vague."
"Still an answer. Final question?"
"What? You didn't answer the first one so I get another."
"No you don't."
"Yes I do."
Kyouya narrowed his eyes. "I'll bite you to death."
Dino held his hands up. "All right, all right. Fine. Last question; how long have you known Tsuna?"
Kyouya shrugged one shoulder. "Since he was born."
"Whoa, really?"
"Yes. You've used up your questions. Can you leave now?"
"You're really rude." Dino stood up. "Whatever. Thank you for being oh so generous," he said as he went over to the door. "Be sure to take the bowl back down. Please wash it."
Kyouya didn't respond. Dino glanced back at him one last time before he closed the door. Kyouya was a child, even if he didn't act it. Looking at him from the back, his smallness and his few years seemed to stand out. No matter how tough he tried to act, he was still a child. What had happened to make him act the way he did?
Dino went to his own room and, closing the door, he began to pace. It was something he did when he was anxious. Tsuna was upset about something. Kyouya was also upset. There was a Nana Sawada involved in the picture. What was going on? Why wouldn't anyone let him know? He was worried about them! If he was going to comfort them, he had to know what they were so worried about! Last year, they'd been upset too. Around the time of Tsuna's fifth birthday, they wouldn't talk at all, no matter how much he'd tried to strike up a conversation. Back then, Tsuna had been more wary around Dino. They'd been strangers but that wasn't the case now. They were family! He had to know!
He left his room after a few minutes and went downstairs, feeling restless. He grabbed the wall-mounted phone in the hallway and pressed in a number. He waited for the operator to finish speaking and then pressed in another number. International calls were a pain.
It rang for just a second before someone picked up. "Hello?"
"Hello? This is Dino. Is my father home?"
"Master Dino!" the voice on the other end exclaimed. "How are you? It's been a while!"
"Romario?"
"Yes, it's me!"
"Ooh…hi." What were the chances that, out of all the subordinates that roamed around the mansion on a daily basis, the second-in-command – and the one who knew Dino best – would be the one to pick up? Maybe Romario liked answering the phone. Dino could picture him, standing next to the phone all day, ready to pick up the second it rang…or maybe he'd been expecting someone else to call.
He took in a deep breath before he continued. "Um…I really need to speak to father. I don't particularly care if he's busy. I have something I need to know."
"Is this about the children?"
"Yes."
"I see…I don't think the boss will be able to give you any answers."
"Fine, then you give me the answers. Who is Nana Sawada?"
"I'm sorry, Master Dino. I don't know."
"Come on, Romario, if you don't tell me, I'm going to take matters into my own hands." Dino glowered at the wall. "I'll steal police records. Do you want that?"
"Master Dino! Don't do something like that, please! Your father won't be able to sleep!"
"So tell me! Do you know how frustrating this is? I have a right to know, don't I?"
"I…Yes…I'm sorry. Yes, you do, but I haven't the authority to tell you and neither am I involved in this mess enough to disclose smaller, insignificant details. Only those involved in the case can let you know. And they will let you know."
"So when will that be, exactly?" Dino hissed. He was aware that he was putting Romario in an awkward situation. He didn't want to but it wasn't fair, being so clueless. He hated the feeling. He took in a deep breath, held it, and slowly let it out. "All right, tell my father this; I care about these kids. He may not understand this but tell him that when you spend so long with someone, with a child no less, affection has a tendency to build. These children feel more like family than that useless old man ever has. Whatever has happened with them, I want to know. I have a right to know. Goodbye." He put the phone down. He brushed his hair back from his forehead and combed his fingers through it as he turned. He stopped when he saw the child on the stairs.
He pulled on his usual smile. "Hey, Tsuna, what's up?"
Tsuna looked worried. "I-Is Dino-Nii…angry?"
Dino shook his head. "Of course not. At least, not at you. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure?"
"Sure as ever. You wanna help me make dinner?"
Tsuna's expression melted into a small smile. "Okay." He hopped down the stairs, to Dino's side, and both man and child walked into the kitchen.
Hours later, the children were in bed and Dino was trying to get on with some assignments. Just as he was finally starting to put his head down, the phone rang. He growled and threw his textbooks down. His work quality was never any good when he tried to do his assignments during the day but when the kids were in bed, he could put aside his worries about them and get on with it. It was the only time he got but now he was being interrupted. It had taken him a while to get into it tonight! Who was it now? He would give them a piece of his mind about ringing so late!
He picked up the receiver and put it to his ear. "Yes?" he said.
"Dino?"
His anger vanished for an instant…only to come surging back twofold. "Good evening, father." he said through gritted teeth.
"Don't take that tone with me. Romario told me you rang. I was busy. Sorry if it's late."
"What do you want?"
"I just said not to talk to me like that, son."
"It's the middle of the night so please excuse me for being a bit pissed off."
"I'm sorry. I know it's late."
"So? What can I do for you?"
The voice at the other end sighed. "Dino, didn't I tell you to keep some distance between you and those kids? It's not going to benefit you and it isn't going to benefit them."
"If you cared so much about what's beneficial to me, you wouldn't have sprung them on me in the first place. I had other problems to be worrying about but you still came and dumped them on me. I haven't really complained yet and I won't, unless you tell me what's going on with them." He heard creaking upstairs and looked, but the lights were off up there. He hoped the kids wouldn't wake. They were a pain to get ready in the morning if they got to sleep late.
"I know it was a selfish decision on my part but those children had nowhere else to go." his father said.
"I'm not asking for an apology, dad. I'm asking for an explanation."
"I can't tell you anything…At least, not until it's been approved by that person."
Dino pushed off from the wall. He frowned, looking up the stairs again. "That person? Who?"
"I know this is unfair to you, I really do. I did say I understood when you said you didn't want any part of the mafia, isn't that right?"
"Wow, so you do remember that?" Dino scoffed, still peering into the darkness. "I thought you'd forgotten."
"Dino, I don't really care for that tone. Get rid of it. Have some respect when you talk to your elders."
"Respect works both ways, father. You're not respecting me."
"Why're you being so difficult? I never realised you were so spoilt."
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me."
"Like what?"
"For instance, I'm really annoyed right now."
"I could guess that already."
"Oh good. So if you're not going to tell me something beneficial, I'm going to hang up."
"Dino," the voice growled, "must I repeat myself?"
Dino sighed. "Sorry. I need to go. I have homework to be getting on with."
"Do you have holidays anytime soon?"
"Why?"
"I was thinking maybe you can come home for a while…I suppose you could…bring the children too."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to. I'm going now. Goodnight."
Another sigh. "All right. Fine. Take care of yourself."
"Bye." He hung up. Well, that had been helpful. He huffed as he turned to the stairs. "Tsuna?" he called out as he went up. No response. "Kyouya, what're you doing, sneakin around?"
"I'm not sneaking around. You're loud." The voice came from the doorway of Kyouya's room. "I came to investigate."
"Well, investigate better, would you? I heard the floorboards creak." Dino got to the upstairs landing and flicked on the light. Kyouya looked up at him. He smiled, "so? What's up?"
The child shook his head and retreated into his room. He didn't close the door though. He looked back. Dino frowned. Was that some sort of invitation? He cautiously stepped inside. "Is something wrong?"
Kyouya sat down on the bed. "Why're you so concerned about our past?"
"Shouldn't I be?"
He shrugged. "It's got nothing to do with you."
Dino settled down beside the child. "Even so, I'm worried for you."
"That's stupid. Someday, we'll leave and everything will go back to how it was. You said so earlier on the phone that you had to keep some distance from us." Kyouya snuck a glance at Dino before looking back at the wall opposite him. Dino shook his head. "You heard that too? Don't be choosy about the things you hear. I also said that you kids are my family now, all right? No matter what, it won't go back to how it was."
"Why? You don't really need us here."
"That's true, but I don't not need you."
Kyouya frowned. "What?"
Dino waved a dismissive hand. "While it's true that you kids aren't really beneficial to my existence or something like that, I wouldn't be any better off without you."
"You're not making sense."
Dino chuckled. "Doesn't matter…anyway, maybe it isn't like I think and you guys are beneficial to me after all."
"How?"
"Because you're my family. I'd always wanted a younger brother before I met you guys, and then I got two! You kids are incredible." He raised a hand and was about to ruffle Kyouya's hair but the boy gave him a look that clearly said "touch me and I'll bite your hand off". He retracted the hand. "I like having you guys around. It feels like I have a purpose."
Kyouya blinked like an owl. Dino grinned and suppressed the urge to ruffle the child's hair again. There was silence for a few seconds. Dino wondered why Kyouya was agreeing to talk with him about this. Did he understand that Dino was serious when he said he considered the kids as family? Was it a problem? What if these kids already had family? Then, if that was the case, why had this family never come to see them, or made contact at all?
He ran a hand through his own hair, thinking of what to say, of what to ask. "You know, I won't ever get rid of you but it depends on you if you want to leave. If you ever feel that you'd be better off without me as your guardian, then I'll talk to my father about it. He's the one who got you into this situation so he should be able to get you out."
"I don't need you to do anything for me."
"I'm just saying. I might not be able to care for the two of you as well as a normal parent or guardian should so maybe you'd be better off with another family or something."
Kyouya shook his head. "Another family won't suffice. Foster homes might split up the herbivore and me."
Dino was surprised. "You don't want to be separated? You always treat him like dirt though."
The boy shrugged one shoulder. "I have a job to do."
"What kind of a job?"
"That's my business."
The man groaned. "Right. So, you guys don't have parents?"
"We do. Our fathers are still around…somewhere." Kyouya answered, kicking at his desk's leg.
"Your mothers?"
"Dead."
Dino winced. So forthright. "Since how long?"
"Mine three years. The herbivore's two."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It happens."
What kind of a response was that, coming from a kid? That wasn't normal. "So, Nana Sawada was Tsuna's mom, right?"
"Yeah."
"What was she to you?"
"Surrogate mother."
"Oh." The book about the brothers came to mind. "I see. Then…what happened to her?"
"Classified information."
"Oh, come on!" Dino protested. "You're telling me so you might as well tell me all of it, right?"
"Wrong. This is all I'm telling you. I want to sleep now so please get out."
Dino grumbled under his breath as he stood up. By the time he got to the door, though, he was smiling again. It must have taken Kyouya a lot to speak up about this, since he'd been so strict about it before. Maybe it was a sign that he was finally accepting Dino as his guardian? Dino's heart swelled at the thought. He felt so proud! "Night. And thanks…for telling me."
"Goodnight."
He waited until the boy was under the covers before he closed the door. He took in a deep breath. So what had he learnt? Kyouya's mom had died when he'd been five and then he'd been taken in by Tsuna's mom, who had died a year later. It seemed the two ladies had known one another from before, what with Kyouya having known Tsuna since the latter's birth. How had they died? Accident? Illness? Or murder? What had happened in the year between the death of Nana Sawada and the kids being brought to Dino? Where were their fathers? Why was Dino's father involved in this? Did it have something to do with the mafia? He would bet it did, otherwise it would make no sense for the Cavallone Family to be involved like this. Ah, this was frustrating! Why couldn't he just be told?
He didn't want to give up but maybe these kids didn't want his help or his comfort. As frustrating as it was, it wasn't necessary for him to know. If he kept prodding, would he aggravate the wounds of the past? And he could guess they had some pretty deep wounds. The nightmares Tsuna had from time to time, his jumpy nature, the near-crying face from earlier all proved that. These children had been sent to him to be taken care of. He didn't need to be snooping around trying to find out their stories. He just had to do what he was expected to do.
Still, why him? Why had he been the one chosen to take care of them? His father had numerous contacts; he could tell anybody to do him a favour. Why his own son? Dino hadn't exactly been sitting around with nothing to do. If it really did have something to do with the mafia, then wouldn't it be better for these kids to have been under the custody of somebody who was involved in that world?
It's not necessary to think about it. He rubbed his eyes. He was just giving himself a headache. All he had to do was get on with his job.
He went to check in on Tsuna. All was quiet, and then Tsuna murmured in his sleep and turned over. Dino smiled a sad sort of smile.
How badly had the childhoods of these kids been trampled on? It was no wonder Tsuna was a cry-baby. Dino was starting to see the child in a new light, and Kyouya too. Kyouya was really strong, and his heart was bigger than he made out. He cared for Tsuna very much. A job, he'd said. Dino wanted to know what he'd meant, but he decided he wouldn't press for more information again, at least not until someone decided to tell him straight up what the hell was going on. No more prodding. From now on, we live for the future, he thought as he closed the door.
Tsuna's birthday passed in peace…or something like that. Dino had a cake ready so the party could get started as soon as possible. He set up food he'd brought from the supermarket earlier – of the instant kind, like pizzas and fizzy drink. Oh, and ice cream. Hey, he was a busy guy.
The cake was the most impressive thing; it was huge. It had been customized and baby blue icing read "Happy Birthday, Tsuna!" across white cream. The child stared at it with an awed gaze. "This is…for me?" he mumbled. Dino chuckled. "Sure is. C'mon, blow out the candles. Don't forget your wish."
Tsuna smiled and, taking in as deep a breath as his little lungs would allow, he blew on the candles. Then he took in another breath and blew again. And again. And again. Those damned candles wouldn't go out! He was red in the face now, and blowing furiously on the little dancing flames. Dino was trying to stifle his laughter. In the chair opposite, Kyouya watched on with a disinterested gaze , his arms folded at the table's edge.
Tsuna stopped and bent over, taking in deep breaths. "Wh-what kind of candles are these?"
Dino grinned. "Want me to help you?" Tsuna nodded miserably. Dino blew out the candles with ease. "All right! Happy birthday, Tsuna!" He clapped, looking over at the other child to see if Kyouya would participate. Kyouya was as blank as ever. Tsuna grinned. "Can I eat some cake now?"
"Sure thing." Dino helped the boy cut the cake. The first – and biggest – slice went to Kyouya. He tucked in with the most enthusiasm he'd shown all day – by stabbing the cake with a fork and stuffing the whole thing into his mouth. Dino watched him with awe. "A-are you all right?" he stammered. Kyouya held out the empty plate. He chewed awhile and then swallowed. "I want more."
Tsuna and Dino exchanged a glance. Both shrugged and cut another slice, just as big as the first. At this rate, the cake Dino had expected might last a couple days would be gone by tonight. He didn't know if he was happy about that; he'd wanted to have some more, when he was alone after the children went to bed. Those midnight snacks of his were always dull. A cake was nice.
It did taste as nice as it looked, Dino found when he tried a slice of his own. Yup, it would make a good midnight snack. Aah, he couldn't wait to be alone now. He had homework…how depressing. But! For today, he would be cheerful!
He got up to clear the plates away when he was sure Kyouya didn't want more cake. "You guys want some hot chocolate?" he asked as he went to drop the load in the sink.
"I want it brought to my room." Kyouya said, pushing back his chair as he stood.
"This isn't a hotel. If you want it, you wait for it. And have it down here; I don't want you making a mess upstairs."
"I won't make a mess; I'm not an herbivore." Here, Kyouya glanced down at Tsuna. Tsuna tried to summon up the courage to look indignant but instead seemed to deflate and flopped to the tabletop.
"I know that, but I still want you to have it here." Dino said. "Just a little more time spent together for Tsuna's birthday, right?"
For a second, it seemed like Kyouya would rebel. Tsuna looked up at the older boy with big, innocent eyes. It was his birthday! Couldn't Kyou-Nii be a little nicer today?
Kyouya's will wavered and he sat back down. Dino gaped. That was incredible! Tsuna's Cute Face of Doom even worked on Kyouya? That face was potent! It would be a force that ruled over the hearts of the people one day! It was so powerful it would allow Tsuna to become a person worthy of great admiration and respect…!
Tsuna got up and tripped over his own foot. Dino's praise stopped halfway. Nope. Never mind. He turned and got on with making the hot chocolate.
After the drinks, Kyouya left to go to his room. Tsuna went to the living room to play with the new toys Dino had bought for him (labelled as being from both Dino and Kyouya). Dino cleaned up the kitchen until it looked as if it had been fitted in brand new. When he was done, he stood back to admire his handy work. Up until he'd bought this house, he'd never thought he'd be good at housekeeping. Turned out, he wasn't so bad after all. He was an impressive person.
Tsuna tottered in, interrupting his guardian's moment of self-appreciation. He walked up to Dino. "Dino-Nii?"
Dino smiled. "What's up, Tsuna?"
Tsuna held his arms out. Dino clicked his tongue. "You're six years old and you still want to be picked up? You baby." He picked the child up anyway. Tsuna made a sad face. The man chuckled. "It was a joke. So? What's up?"
Tsuna wrapped his little arms around his guardian's neck and rested his head on Dino's shoulder. "Thank you, Dino-Nii." he mumbled, sounding a little embarrassed.
Dino grinned. This kid was too cute! He patted the back of Tsuna's head once and let him down. "You wanna go play?"
"Okay!" Tsuna toddled out of the kitchen. Dino followed behind. He stopped when he saw Kyouya hopping down the last stair. He held a folded up bag in his hand. "What's that?" Dino asked.
Kyouya went into the living room and up to Tsuna. "Here." he said. "A birthday present."
Dino felt faint and had to hold onto the wall. A present? An honest-to-god present? This was unreal! Who'd have guessed Kyouya cared so much?
Tsuna looked similarly shocked. "Wh-what's this?"
Kyouya's sudden smirk made any good thoughts Dino and Tsuna were having at that moment fade away without a trace. With trepidation, Tsuna opened up the bag and, with a cautious glance at Kyouya, he peered inside. Then he looked at Kyouya again, and then at the item in the bag, and then back up at Kyouya. "I'm not wearing this!"
Curious, Dino went to have a look. He clamped a hand over his mouth when he saw what it was, as laughter threatened to rise up his throat. "Th-that…that is so cute!" he exclaimed. "Tsuna, wear it! I swear, you'll look really cute!" He couldn't hold back a sudden snort and then burst out laughing.
"No!" Tsuna screamed. "I don't want to!"
"C'mon! Please?"
"No!"
"You were saying thank you earlier, right? Think of this as payment."
"You're mean, Dino-Nii!"
"Come on, please?"
"But I don't want to!"
Five minutes later, Tsuna stood before his two brothers dressed in an adorable baby pink and white frock with a floral motif. It came complete with a pair of hair clips with little pink bows on them, which Tsuna also wore. Kyouya had turned away, a hand clamped over his mouth because he didn't want anybody to see his smirk. Dino was a little less reserved and openly laughed as he whizzed around with a camera, taking pictures from every angle. "Tsuna, you are so cute!" he hollered. "Man, if only you'd been a girl; I would have had a little sister!" And then he started laughing again.
Tsuna's lower lip trembled and he clutched at the skirt of the dress in two tight fists. "I hate you both!" he cried, and fled from the room, tears flowing out of his eyes as he did.
Dino stopped laughing. Kyouya stopped smirking. Both exchanged a brief, blank gaze before they scrambled out the door…or, tried to. "Ow! Kyouya, what're you doing?" Dino said, falling over as Kyouya pushed him out of the way in his hurry to follow Tsuna.
"Tough luck." Kyouya said, thundering up the stairs just seconds after Tsuna. Dino jumped to his feet and raced after them. They both got to the landing just as Tsuna's door closed with a loud crash. There was the sound of a bolt hitting home from the other side.
Dino had walked upstairs one midnight, a few days ago, to find that Kyouya had been in Tsuna's room, standing over the child with something in his hand.
"What're you doing?" Dino asked.
In the dull glow of the faraway streetlamp, Kyouya turned. The object in his hand briefly caught the light from the window. "I thought the herbivore might look less of an herbivore if I cut all his hair off." he said nonchalantly.
"No you don't!" Dino ushered the black-haired boy out of the room. "Don't come into Tsuna's room when he's asleep. I really don't trust you."
So it had happened that a lock had been installed in Tsuna's bedroom. He didn't use it very often, though, because the few times he had, he'd closed himself in and he'd not been able to get the lock open very quickly. By the time he'd managed to get it open, he'd been bawling like the baby that he was.
"Tsuna, open up!" Dino called, knocking on the door. "Come on, we're sorry!"
"Herbivore, open up right now." Kyouya said. "Or I'll kick the door down."
"No you don't!" Dino yelled. "Do you know how troublesome it would be to get a new door fitted in with you terrors around?"
Kyouya looked up at him blankly. He sighed and went back to knocking on Tsuna's door. "Never mind that. Tsuna, open up, please? We're really sorry. Hey, Kyouya, say you're sorry. You're the one who brought him the dress."
"Why should I apologise?" Kyouya harrumphed. "You're the one who forced him into it. Pervert. I'll report you to the authorities."
"Say what? I did not force him into it!"
"You're not denying that you're a pervert? Interesting…"
"Shaddap! I'm not a pervert! I just thought he'd look cute! And he does! And I've always wanted a little sister, is that so bad?"
"You're a fetishist."
"Hello, you're the one who bought the damn thing? Damn, you're annoying. Tsuna, open up!" Dino was banging on the door now.
A cry finally came from within. "Go away! You're both mean! I hate you!"
Dino was heartbroken. "Come on, Tsuna! Don't say that to your own brothers! We love you very much. Right, Kyouya?"
Kyouya stuck his index finger into his mouth as far as it would go. "Oi, don't do that!" Dino snapped, slapping the boy's hand away. "You're gonna make yourself sick!"
"That was the idea." Kyouya shrugged. He turned and knocked on the door. "Herbivore, if you don't open this door, I'm going to spread rumours at school that you play with dolls and dollhouses."
"I do not!" Tsuna yelled out.
"I'm more…convincing than you are." Kyouya smirked. "Your school life will be ruined forever."
"Hey, what kind of a threat it that?" Dino rolled his eyes. "Don't say things like that. He'll really believe you."
"You make it seem like I'm lying." Kyouya said. "I'm not."
Dino didn't doubt that for a second. Scary child, he thought. "All right, all right, no involving school life and reputation in this, okay? Let's be civil and…TSUNA OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!"
Kyouya raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Very civil of you."
"Shaddap." Dino groaned and sank to the floor. There was no opening the door. Tsuna really hated him! He couldn't be hated by his adorable little brother! This was the worst! How could Tsuna even be capable of hate?
Dino looked up at Kyouya. Kyouya! It was Kyouya's fault! Kyouya's bad influence was rubbing off on the smaller boy! That had to be it! He frowned at the child. "You're a detestable little boy."
"If you say things to harm my self-confidence, I'll call social services on you." Kyouya said, not looking in the least hurt.
Dino looked ashamed. "Sorry. So, while we're waiting out here, you want to tell me why you've not reported me yet, if you dislike being here so much?"
Kyouya sat down at the other side of the doorframe. "I never said I dislike being here."
Dino was surprised. "So, you don't really mind me all that much then?"
Kyouya gave an awkward shrug. "Better than getting stuck with an old couple…or something." He snuck a sideways glance at Dino's face. "Only a tiny bit, though."
Dino snorted. "Great. And here I was beginning to think you actually had human emotions. God forbid." He smiled and stood up. "Well, whatever. Just as long as we all get along. Hey, Tsuna, open the door. This has gone on long enough. You need to start preparing for bed now."
The lock on the other side clicked. There was a grunt as Tsuna tried to shove the bolt back. "Ow! Stupid lock!"
"Hold on a second." Kyouya said. "Stand back, herbivore." Without waiting, he kicked the door open.
"Wah!" Tsuna only barely moved out of the way in time to avoid the swinging door. He'd gotten changed out of the frock and was in his jeans and t-shirt again. The hairclips were gone too. Dino sulked. "What'd you take the stuff off for?"
Tsuna harrumphed and turned away. "Dino-Nii and Kyou-Nii are feshisisisitisis."
Dino blinked. "What's a feshi…feshisisi…whatever?"
Kyouya kicked Tsuna in the head. "Before you try insulting people, learn to get the word right. Stupid herbivore."
Tsuna started sobbing.
Aw, what a good note to end the chapter on...poor Tsuna. Btw, does this actually make anyone laugh or is my idea of what's funny just too absurd? Sorry for all grammar and/or spelling mistakes; I've made a few corrections on the narrative since I first wrote it so there might still be bits and pieces that need mending which I haven't spotted yet.
Hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading.