I present to you Chapter 3, which got a bit longer than expected... Please enjoy and review, since I'm curious about your opinions... And also, I have a question...
Who do you think Mukuro should end up with? Alaude or Daemon? Because I myself have no idea so I leave it to you, Dear Readers.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own KHR.
Chapter 3
As expected, immediate chaos followed Giotto's announcement. G. pulled out his gun furiously and if it wasn't for Daemon, who surprisingly succeeded in calming the redhead down, they would surely be dealing with the dead Vongola Boss by now. After Mukuro's displays of gratitude, Tsuna's stuttering, G.'s glaring and Giotto's pitiful amends, they were led to their new room. That's right. Theirs. Shared one. Tsuna preferred not to think about himself and his Mist Guardian living under the same roof for longer periods of time, let alone the same room. But he coped. Until he saw the said area.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
"Kufufufu~~ Is there something wrong, Tsunayoshi-kun?" Mukuro chuckled amused and sat on the bed. The only bed available, may I add. Tsuna preferred not to think… ah, scratch that, he just wanted to dash away from there as soon as possible. He wasn't going to sleep with the bluehead in the same bed. Not ever or under any condition. Forget it.
To his utter mortification he could feel his face burning red from embarrassment. He quickly informed his guardian bashfully, "Don't even think about it, Mukuro. I'm not going along with this…"
"Oya, oya, you sure seem to be flustered. What's all the commotion for anyway?" If it was possible, the smirk on the bluenet's face widened even more.
He was officially stunned into silence. Words failed him. "What do you mean… It's… After last time, I… Mukuro…" He himself didn't know if he was feeling angry, confused, affronted or simply modest. Probably all at once. He suddenly became uncomfortably self-conscious under the scrutinizing stare of the Mist.
"Kufufufu~~ If I remember correctly, you enjoyed it pretty well, didn't you?" Mukuro visibly enjoyed the way Tsuna fidgeted uneasily before him. With a resigned sigh he patted the cushy area next to him encouragingly. "Come on~~ I won't do anything, I promise."
Decimo took a few hesitant steps forward but then stopped abruptly not looking in the direction of the bluehead. He was noticeably upset about something. Or rather distressed. He simply couldn't believe his guardian. His behaviour… He was making fun of him like it was nothing. Like it had been nothing. Sure, he himself was perceiving this… stunt they had made as a mistake. Nothing more than brief affair. Playing around. He really shouldn't be bothered by it. Or make such a fuss over it. But it just couldn't be helped. His eyes were overshadowed by his hair, hiding it from Mukuro's gaze. "Did I? Enjoyed it, that is. You know that I don't remember anything, I was drunk. We both were… I just… I don't understand you. What am I to you, Mukuro?" He bit his lip uncertainly and looked up to meet bluenet's startled stare.
The bluehead was surprised. The question as well as Tsuna's attitude were unexpected. He thought that they had already got this over with. "So that's what was preoccupying your mind lately, huh? Don't worry about it, my dear Tsunayoshi . I was just teasing you." He cut the conversation off and pursed his lips slightly. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk about it. The brunet on the other hand – quite the opposite.
"That's not what I meant. It's just… Mukuro, could you at least look at me?" Yet again, it was official. His Mist Guardian was certainly the most confusing, scary and annoying person he'd ever met. On top of all things, he was just sitting there, dodging all the questions and averting his gaze whenever their eyes met.
"Oya, oya… don't you think we should concentrate on somewhat more important matters? Like the situation at hand for example. Time travelling and all?" Mukuro finally said looking at the smaller male with an almost exasperated smirk. The only warning he got was Tsuna blinking twice.
"HIEEE! YOU'RE RIGHT! What should we do… what should we do… what should we doo!?" Tsuna started walking in circles, muttering furiously under his breath and obliviously ignoring bluenet's glare, who was rubbing his ear irritably. He realized once again how disastrous the situation they were in was. They got themselves transported 400 years into the past, damnit! Right now it was around like, what? 17th century? Great. They were so in trouble. To make it even worse, they had no idea how to get back. Or if they even could go back. And even if they would succeed in going back it could change the entire world as they knew it! How was it called…? Time paradox, right? "HIEE! Noooo…! If we aren't careful, we can just as easily cause worldwide doom and destruction!"
Mukuro sweatdropped at the brunet's ramblings. He caught his arms firmly and moaned, "Could you please stop it and start behaving like a mafia boss should for once? You're making my headache worse." He was now rubbing his temples painfully and glaring daggers in a vague direction of the wall.
Tsuna flushed and pouted offended but sat down sluggishly next to his guardian. "Well, what do you suggest we do then? Should we try to contact the others somehow?"
"Kufufu~~ And how are you going to do that? We have no way of approaching them right now. The only thing that's left is to simply wait. Fortunately I made up some legitimate cover-up story for us earlier so we should be safe for now." The bluenet smirked teasingly and faked a proud pose.
The smaller male twitched suddenly and looked sternly at the other. "Oh, yes. About that… What the hell were you thinking!? Artists? Homeless architects? Are you insane!? My knowledge about this stuff is almost next to nothing! How am I supposed to pretend someone like that? Your familiarity with the subject is not enough!"
"Oya, I think you got the wrong idea. I don't know anything about it as well." Mukuro stated cheerfully.
Silence. Completely speechless silence with this disturbing, foreboding aura in the background.
"Oh. I see." The brunet deadpanned back.
'I guess that's where it ends then… We are finished. Hello daisies, I will be pushing you up in a few days…' he thought with dread. Gloomy atmosphere heavily coated the room with almost suffocating force. The bluehead even blanched a bit and nearly winced from the intensity of this depressing vibes.
"Now, now, don't be so cynical about it. We will manage. One way or another…" He tried to console the moody man. As it turned out - futilely. His boss seemed even more dejected than before.
"We will… manage…? Ha…ha. Funny guy, aren't you? And besides, brothers? We as a brothers? We have different surnames and looks… it's ridiculous." Tsuna was slowly starting to realize how many facts in this mock life-story of theirs was absolutely preposterous and laughable. It definitely wouldn't pass up. No way. Okay, so maybe he was a tiny little bit negative about the whole concept in the first place but he had plethora of valid reasons for that. Really. "Oh, god. We're so screwed."
"Kufufufu~~ Stop panicking, Tsu-chan. If we only do a little feigning and entertain them a bit, everything should be alright. Especially since the Primo Vongola seems to have a soft spot for you… Well, you do look like a cuter, more adorable version of him… go figure." Mukuro raised his brows suggestively and bit his lip trying hard to refrain from laughing.
The brunet only sighed tiredly in response. "Mukuro… I don't like what you're implying. And besides, the Vongola Gear. Are you sure you hid it well?"
"Oya, oya… Are you doubting my abilities? My illusions are perfect, flawless and impeccable. With their superbly sublime form and realization there is no way they would fail." If the small tick mark on the side of the bluenet's head was anything to go by, the inquiry was unnecessary.
"And I never questioned it! Geez, sorry for bothering…" The irritated expression immediately turned into a relaxed smirk. The man waved his hand with the air of nonchalance.
"You're forgiven~~" Mist Guardian sing-songed happily. Tsuna sweatdropped at the sudden change of attitude and lied down exhausted, deciding to just ignore his companion's quirks. It was obvious that he would be worried. After all, if the Primo and his guardians got the glimpse of the things that clearly spoke of their connection to the mafia, Vongola no less, it would surely make the situation even more shaky than it already was. And they would be even more screwed. But, as it seemed, the bluehead didn't give a damn about it and just continued being a fearless idiot – oh, sorry, optimist.
"At least this troublesome headache finally disappeared. I thought that my head was going to blow up…" Decimo muttered resignedly in the end. There was really no use in trying to talk some sense into this brain of his. It was just the way Mukuro always had been. And Tsuna had come to accept it. With a bit of a struggle, mind you, but he did.
"Oya? So that's why you've been so feebly-looking back there? Headache?" The bluenet asked surprised.
"Yeah, I guess it was from this whole travelling through time thing… Wait, you didn't have one?" He bolted up suddenly and stared at the taller man, who jerked away startled.
"Not really. Just a slight pain but it's nothing worth of mentioning." Mukuro raised his brow curiously and swept his gaze imploringly up and down the other's resting body. "Well, I guess it's because you have a more delicate physique and such a fragile mind…" Taunting smirk in place.
Tsuna gave him a dirty look. "Humph, of course. But more importantly, what about the ballroom? Thanks to you, we are supposed to come up with some new décor for it, right? What kind of style was popular in these times anyway?"
"Well, we're somewhere in 17th century now, so I guess it's around the fall of Renaissance. Maybe the beginnings of baroque…" Mukuro ventured thoughtfully and nodded to himself after a while.
The brunet felt a little bit calmer after facing his guardian's evident confidence. Maybe it wasn't that bad, he realized suddenly. Maybe they could endure it or even get something out of it! That's right! They could do it, they could still accomplish the task given. There was no reason to be this fatalistic. With a renewed fresh enthusiasm and eagerness he queried, "So? What unique features these two had? Who were the lead artists and architects?"
"Kufufufu~~ I have no idea~~ I've never been really absorbed or interested regarding these areas. Something classy, Roman and rich, I guess? You know, dynamics and all. And artists? Maybe… Delacroix? Some Francesco or Giovanni? There was a lot of these, wasn't it? Oh, Caravaggio too, right? And maybe… Oya, Tsu-chan? You alright down here, you've turned so pale all of a sudden…" The bluehead looked down on the smaller male worriedly.
"Y-you don't know… what you're even talking about, do you?" Tsuna wept miserably and hid his face in the large pillow, which successfully muffled his despairing groan. 'Of course he doesn't know anything about it… How could you be so stupid, you moron…' he lamented darkly in his mind. "Why did you think up such a story then? It's… we're done for." He felt like crying. Really.
Mukuro didn't pay any heed to his morbid attitude. "It's not like we need to stick to the rules so much. I mean, we are supposed to be artists. And that means we can let loose our creativity, right? We could, for instance, include some action painting, pop art, Pollock and stuff, nee?"
'Nooo! I don't think it works that way, Mukuro!', Decimo wanted to scream so much. But instead he just murmured, "I've had enough. I'm going to bed." He got up and winced at the sudden dizziness he felt. At the same time he finally remembered about their sleeping arrangements and reddened significantly. He completely forgot about it and had no idea what to do. In the end, he darted frantically across the room but came back empty-handed. There were no pyjamas or spare clothes and he felt too embarrassed to take a shower with the bluenet nearby. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place…
In the meantime, the Mist Guardian was observing his boss with lots of amusement and some biting remarks at the tip of his tongue. It was indeed entertaining, watching how he trashed about, utterly flustered. Even though he didn't exactly understand Tsuna's modesty he could just as easily see how uncomfortable the other was… So he decided to help him a little. "Don't mind me, Tsu-chan. I have nothing against the hot sexy strip show on your part~~." What? It was only friendly teasing.
"HIEE! No! I'm not… I… Y-you mean…" The small brunet was stuttering painfully and blushing furiously. Oh, how Mukuro loved this. Turning Tsuna into a flustered, speechless, confused and giddy heap was his favourite hobby. And most pleasant by the way. He smirked predatorily and closed in on the other slowly. As he was approaching him, the Decimo was shying away unsteadily until he finally ended up leaning against the wall shakily. He wasn't scared. Not at all. He was just a little apprehensive, honestly.
The bluenet sighed resignedly and dropped his head on the other's shoulder. "If you want this so much, you can just change the rooms. I'll be okay by myself." He whispered tensely against his Sky neck.
Tsuna blinked stunned and at once started feeling horribly guilty. He was such an awful person… He was behaving quite egoistically again, wasn't he? Both of them were in the same situation in this completely unfamiliar world. Just as him, Mukuro surely felt lonely. And even though he tended to be a bit creepy and over-the-top sometimes, he was still his friend. His only friend left as of now. He exhaled carefully, "No… it's okay, I guess. I'm sorry. We should stick together now, right?" He smiled unsteadily. The weight was raised from his shoulder and shortly after he was met with a pair of wide, heterochromatic eyes.
"You meant that?" The question was asked so silently that if they weren't so close right now, he definitely wouldn't hear it. He nodded contently in response and kept on smiling, until he ultimately saw the tiny disturbing glint in these discoloured eyes. Then he stopped it altogether and couldn't help but feel this foreboding sensation somewhere in the back of his mind. 'Don't tell me…'
"Because you surely didn't do it on purpose just to manipulate me into staying with you to have an opportunity to meddle with my life and annoy me, right?" He queried in an overly cheerful way.
"Tch. Of course not."
"You're lying! You tch'd!"
##***##
While the two man were having their heart-to-heart conversation, there were other discussions happening in a completely different part of the mansion. From beyond the heavy dark door there were heard screams of anguish and despair. In this almost godforsaken room, the most gruesome and monstrous tortures and punishments took place. Walking inside required a high-levelled awareness, a prepared and willing mind only seen in the most experienced man and a deathwish. That's right. Nobody would come near this wooden door, unless they wanted to be scarred for life. And just now was the time when the intensity of the suffering was reaching its peak…
…inside the room…
"What!? Again!? I don't want to, Alaude! Take it BACK!" The blond-haired man was sulking miserably behind his desk. He was huddled up and nestled comfortably in his chair. And right now was glowering furiously at the stack of papers held by his Cloud Guardian.
"No." Was the simple answer delivered with a deadpan. Alaude set down Giotto's paperwork with a heavy thump. He completely ignored shattered cries coming from his boss and took to staring intently at his mop of bright hair. Which were, for some absurd reason, temporarily lying flat and lifeless. The tears-filled eyes stared right back. The white-haired man closed his lids for a brief moment before drawing out his trusted handcuffs. That finally did the thing.
"Okay! Okay! I'll do it! Promise! Just don't put me in these again!" Primo pouted slightly and with an exasperated huff took the papers. He honestly didn't understand how it was possible that every time he was done with it, his paperwork just seemed to triple in size straightaway. Every fucking time. It was ridiculous. And now he additionally needed to deal with his snarky Cloud because G. had gone somewhere to sulk in the corner. Just perfect.
After he had let their two unexpected guests stay in the Mansion, the redhead went nearly ballistic. It was rare that he had an occasion to see him that angry. Sure, his friend often tended to behave quite hot-headed but almost never to this point. That fact only made him gloomier. Like it was his fault… They didn't have a place to stay! What was he supposed to do? He wasn't nearly cold-hearted enough to just let them live on the streets. And probably be killed in the process. And besides, he just couldn't stand the sight of this poor, quivering and infinitely adorable brunet. He was sure that G. would do exactly the same thing! He was just denying it out of spite. Giotto was sure of it.
His thoughts were then brutally interrupted by the sound of the gun-shot aimed in his direction. He dodged swiftly and cowered fearfully in front of the red-haired epitome of wrath. Namely, G.
'Speak of the devil, huh…? When did he get here?' he moaned inwardly.
"Giotto." The redhead growled lowly with his gun pointed straight at the other's nose. "You really have the galls to just fucking stare into space and not doing your damn job properly. Sign these. NOW." With his eyes covered by his hair and this twitching eyebrow, he sure as hell made one lot of an intimidating sight. The blonde gulped apprehensively and blanched dramatically. He didn't realize it was that bad.
"H-hai. C-calm down, G." He cleared his throat and tried again, "You know I didn't have a choice… About these two… and…" Okay, maybe mentioning this again wasn't such a great idea, Primo realized while he was staring terrified at the deadly weapon. Which was now directed at his crotch. He searched for Alaude with his eyes since he was obviously in dire need of some help… And found him.
The bastard was leaning against a wall with the bored and unconcerned look on his face. Traitor.
The Storm Guardian suddenly laughed creepily at the same time scaring the hell out of his boss. With an eerie smile and silky tone he assured, "Really now? Don't worry, we will discuss this matter in detail later. Now, do your paperwork."
"Y-yes. Paperwork. Right away." He flipped through the documents and scanned the most important lines, trying desperately to ignore the pistol poking him merrily from the side. As he was reading, he noticed that most of these were about property destruction and hospital fees. He irritably glanced at the name of the culprit written down at the bottom of the page and froze. 'No way…'
And then he snapped. "ALAUDE! You did this again! How many times do I have to tell you that going around and beating up people is bad. B.A.D. Can't you understand it?" Giotto seethed, glaring daggers at his Cloud Guardian. 'And it adds up to my paperwork!' He scoffed venomously.
"I don't care. They were annoying." Came the unperturbed reply. That man!
If there was even one positive about the whole situation then it would be that G.'s anger was now aimed at someone else. Though the blond really couldn't blame him for wanting to rip the aloof man's throat.
"Fucking idiot! I swear, babysitting you lot is like a full-time job. I should get paid for it…" The redhead was grumbling furiously under his breath and glaring darkly at the whitehead. "I should just shoot you and get this over with."
A predatory smirk blossomed on Alaude's face leisurely. "Hm. You want to fight me?" He took out his handcuffs again and got up from the leaning position. He raised his eyebrow at the livid man and finished wryly, "Come then."
"You asked for it!" G. pointed his gun at the other, who was preparing his weapon. They both ignored their boss' crestfallen face. They tensed briefly and got ready. But.
Thankfully for Giotto's office there was an uncertain knock on the wooden door. They both glared at it but stopped their actions altogether. That was surprising. The only people who ever got near this place were G., Alaude and Asari. And Asari never knocked.
'Safe.' Primo breathed in relief and then cleared his throat and called, "Come in."
The door opened slowly and a brown mop of hair peaked though it anxiously. And then came the rest of the person. It was Tsunayoshi. Giotto's eyes widened in astonishment but he quickly recovered and stood up to greet the small teen. He smiled at him warmly and chuckled silently at the following blush. If anything, he sure was cute.
Tsuna was fidgeting in place shyly and biting his lip apprehensively. "Um… H-hello?"
The blond couldn't help it. He laughed. It was just too hilarious to pass up. Though he admittedly regretted it a bit when he saw that his visitor became even more upset and unsure. "Hello, Tsunayoshi-kun. Is there some problem?" He asked amusedly.
"Um… Well, I… HIEE!" The brunet cried out suddenly when he noticed the familiar gun pointed irately at his head. G. was glaring at him heatedly causing him to jerk away frightened. Unfortunately, he tripped. And landed harshly on his butt. In front of everyone. He blushed even harder.
The redhead seemed completely unperturbed by it, however. "State your purpose and get the fuck out." He snarled bitingly and was going to direct his weapon at the teen again but was unexpectedly shoved back. He shot the perpetrator a dark look.
"Are you okay, little one? You're not hurt anywhere, are you? Forgive G., he sometimes tends to get irked too easily." Giotto queried worriedly while he was helping Tsunayoshi up. He also gave the redhead a look promising bloody murder. He gazed curiously at the smaller male when he felt him twitching under his touch and was surprised to see a small tick mark on the side of his head. Did he… do something offending?
"I'm fine. And please, do not treat me like a child." Tsuna stated as firmly as he could. Which still wasn't much but it made an impression nonetheless. And for once, G. wasn't glaring. He was laughing silently, which earned him a stunned look from the brunet. He replied with a taunting smirk, "Oh? And how old are you exactly, brat?"
Said brat pouted insulted but answered with a huff, "I'm twenty."
The redhead snorted mockingly. "See? Figures that a midget like you would get so offended by… Wait, what?" He trailed off abruptly and stared at him bewildered.
"You're twenty…?" Giotto ventured shocked. He thought he was sixteen at most. He was so tiny and lovely. That's why he was treating him like that. He just looked so innocent and young. And now it turned out that he'd been almost his age? Insane. And embarrassing on top of that…
Primo soon regained his bearings and looked around the room. Alaude was gone. He must had sneaked away when everyone was focusing on Tsuna. That man. He also realized sheepishly that he was still holding Tsunayoshi, who by now got back to his stuttering uncertain self. He let him go and asked again, "Um… Well, why are you here? I mean it's not that you're unwelcomed or anything! It's just… Do you need help with something?" He sighed resignedly and surrendered himself to his growing humiliation.
"Eh? Oh, yes… Um…Well, I just wanted to ask if there is a possibility to change my room? I-if that's not a problem, of course!" The brunet waved his hands in front of him and tried to ignore the warning growl he got from G.. Instead he fixed his gaze on the dashing blond in front of him, who blinked surprised.
Well, that was certainly the last thing Giotto expected. However, when he thought about it, he could easily understand that considering the small male's attitude, he could surely get embarrassed while rooming with someone. Even when it was his own brother. "I don't see a problem. Though, you need to stay in the north wing since that's the only habitable area. And that place is unfortunately quite full…" He trailed off thoughtfully but then snapped his fingers with a small smile on his face.
"I almost forgot! There is a free room next to G.'s, right G.? You can move in there!" The blond looked up with a warm smile and twinkling eyes, completely ignoring the redhead's ferocious and noisy rage.
"HIEE!? N-next to G.-san? I'm not sure…" Tsuna cut himself off when he caught a sight of Giotto's dazzling expression. How could he say no to that? "I… Alright..." Today was the official end of him.
And when he glanced hesitantly at the red-haired man he was sure of one thing. If looks could kill, he would be definitely long dead by now.
So how was it? As I wrote earlier it turned out a bit longer than expected, that's why Daemon is not here. Yet. XD Actually, I had some problems with this chapter and I have a feeling that the last part seems a little too rushed. I hope it's not as bad as I think it is... :P
NEXT CHAPTER: G. reactions, hopefully - stalking Daemon, breakfast and more.