"Mukuro…" Tsuna cautiously edged around the man, careful of how his eyes were shining maliciously. "Stay back… No! Stay… away!"
"Kufufufu~ what's that, Tsunayoshi?" He tried again to snatch the tall bundle from Tsuna's arms, his grin entirely fake and green veins snaking throughout his features. "Why is it in our house?"
"Kyoko gave it to me as a gift… She accidently overheard Yamamoto saying that my plant – err – you were back, and she thought that I had a green thumb, so she… got me a – another plant…" He turned his body protectively, Mukuro dangerously close. "It's a – uuuhh – it's a white orchid… it's nice, isn't it?" The tall green stems of the plant opened into white blossoms, beautiful blooms.
"It's in our house."
"Well, where do you want me to put it?"
"In the garbage… some miles away."
"Mukuro, you're acting weird." He frowned and sidestepped Mukuro's sweeping stab. "Are you… Are you jealous… of a plant?"
"Well, what would you want me to be jealous of?" Mukuro snorted derisively, eyes rolling only to focus on the white orchid with fiery hatred. "A chimpanzee?"
"I'd rather you not be jealous at all!"
"You should comfort me. I don't feel secure in our relationship anymore."
"What? Hiiieeee! No, no! Stay AWAY!" He managed to slap the orchid on the kitchen countertop before making a mad dash away from the leering man. There was a long moment before he felt Mukuro giving chase, though he heard nothing at all. Instantly, he feared for the plant Kyoko had so caringly given him. He shouldn't have left it defenseless!
He was at the front door, hand turning the knob, when an arm circled his waist and dragged him to the floor, cooing as he stole Tsuna's surprised scream into his mouth.
Slowly but surely, Tsuna went limp under the onslaught of lips. It had been a week since he lost his virginity to Mukuro, a very long, very tiring week… and it had to have been the best feel-good week in his life. He sighed and let his arms circle Mukuro's shoulders.
Behind them, the door slid ominously open. "Ciao ciao."
Tsuna froze. Mukuro twitched.
Eyes wide open, he stared past his lover to a man wearing a black Armani suit and fedora. Reborn…? He pulled away from Mukuro and gaped. "What are you doing here?" He damned himself for squeaking, but… well…
He hadn't seen Reborn in years… not since Lambo died. And now, all in a month, everyone was coming back to him? What the hell was going on?
"What do you mean, what am I doing here?" Reborn growled, arms crossed over his chest. "What are you doing down there with him?"
"U-uumm… errr…"
"Never mind, I already know." Reborn slipped off his shoes and then made his way into the house as if he owned the place.
Mukuro watched his progress with a glare. "Who is he?" He was smirking coldly. "And why does it seem that you are dragging in all sorts of unwanted company today?"
Tsuna couldn't even answer. He pushed Mukuro off of him and followed in a numb daze his former tutor into the kitchen. Reborn was speculating an empty pot on the kitchen countertop, its contents mostly tussled dirt. A trail of soil led to the small window over the sink, the pane open where the track ended tragically.
Wait… where was the white orchid?
Reborn peered out of the window, looking directly down. "Stupid-Tsuna," he growled, "your plant committed suicide. What sort of environment have you created for both of you here?"
"My plant did what?" Following Reborn's glare, he saw the white orchid sprawled despairingly on the ground below, the perfect pose for suicide. "That's not possible."
"Kufufufu~ well, it left sooner than I thought it would." Mukuro was leaning over Tsuna, arms on either side of him. "I know I told it I didn't want it here, but that is just heartbreaking…" He didn't sound heartbroken at all.
Reborn was studying Mukuro, toe to head. He either didn't like what he saw or his life had changed so much in the time Tsuna hadn't seen him that he speculated everything he liked as if he were about to kill it. "And you are…?"
"Mukuro Rokudo, father of T.S. Happily Ever After, Tsunayoshi's lover, and killer of any plant who thinks they can come into my home." He smirked. "And who are you?"
"Reborn. I can kill plants like you."
Tsuna's eyes were the size of platters.
"Yes, I know. I had to talk to a few of your friends first. And use coercion. How did you tell that plant to die?" Reborn directed his question at Mukuro.
"We plants have a language," he explained simply, swaying a hand as if in 'it doesn't really matter'. "Why are you here?" One arm circled Tsuna's chest and pulled him tightly against the extraterrestrial. Mukuro curled in such a way around him that made it obvious he was putting distance between the brunette and the body guard.
"Do I need a reason to see my former student?"
"Oya~ I don't know… yes?"
"I spend nearly a week to straighten out this transfer and I am being questioned by a bundle of roots?"
"This 'bundle of roots' can kick your ass any day of the week."
"I would like to see you try, herb-boy."
"BOTH OF YOU, STOP IT!" Tsuna startled himself at his own outburst. He blinked into the sudden silence, swallowing thickly as two pairs of eyes focused on him. "I – eerrr… umm… You made the plant Kyoko gave kill itself!" Tsuna accused his lover. "And you! You… Where the hell have you been?" He tried to glare at his former teacher, but he had the feeling he looked more like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Don't take that tone with me." But there was a hint of respect in Reborn's suddenly softened features. "I've been in Italy."
"No shit!" He clapped his hands over his mouth. Force of habit. He didn't know anyone who yelled at Reborn and got away with it.
"I think what my Tsunayoshi wants to know is why you haven't been here." Mukuro grinned, visibly pleased with his one and only.
"Was I obligated to stay here and baby you?" Reborn spoke to Tsuna. Tsuna had to admit to himself that, no, he hadn't been obligated. But it would have been nice. "I'm here now. And I will be here until I get you into a respectable university."
"Hiiieee?"
"You are going to a university." Reborn spoke slowly, like he was talking to a mentally disabled person.
"Kufufufu~ why, of course he is. But what do you have to do with that?"
"I'm going to be tutoring him."
"I could do that."
"You can go water yourself while I talk to my student."
"Oya~ I think you need to be reminded of whose house you're in…"
He was still Reborn's student, that was about the only part of the argument that got through to Tsuna. He hadn't been Reborn's student for a very long time… Was it strange that he felt happy? After all, being Reborn's student really hadn't been that great, he had been tortured, mentally, physically, and spiritually by the man. But he felt it, he felt happy. Reborn was back, he was on speaking terms with his father, his best friends would never leave him, Mukuro was with him…
He was happy.
"Tsunayoshi?" Mukuro was looking down at the brunette in his arms who was grinning, eyes warm. He doubted very much that Tsuna had heard much of what was being said around him.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but… It's good to see you again, Reborn." He reached out, positively glowing, a hand for the Italian.
There was a small moment where Reborn considered him, black eyes narrowed. And then he accepted the handshake. "You won't be saying that for long, Stupid-Tsuna." His grin could have made sharks retreat.
Mukuro wrapped his arms a little tighter around his lover. "You're not staying in the house."
But no one was listening to him. Not with Reborn breaking every bone in Tsuna's hand.
Author's Note: Eve O. Reina wanted a marshmallow bloom. AKA, she wanted a plant Byakuran. Byakuran actually means 'white orchid'. Clever, isn't it? Byakuran might have kicked Mukuro's ass in the anime and manga, but, in my story, Mukuro talked Byakuran into suicide. HAH.