AN: I've been told that this is slightly confusing. The first section is the present. Everything after the first cut is memories of the future. Also, here be slash. You have been warned.

Chapter Sixteen - Future (Part 2)

Andromeda levitated Harry up to his bed. She called the Varia every hour as Harry stayed locked in whatever nightmare he was being forced to endure. They didn't answer, and he didn't wake.

Xanxus was being nice. It was moderately terrifying. He had actually let Harry cook chicken instead of steak for dinner, and he had let Bel show him his new knife trick. He had even spent a whole hour listening to Levi explain his new attack without once punching him.

It was seriously disturbing. Lussuria was swanning around the mansion with a smug smile on his face as everyone else watched with increasingly panicked bemusement. It came to a head when Squalo grabbed Harry and pulled him into his office.

"Voi! Do something!" he yelled, sounding slightly desperate.

"About what?" Harry was seriously confused.

"About Boss!"

"What can I do?"

"He's courting you, idiot!"

Wait, what? What the Hell? Harry thought over the past two weeks. How Xanxus had looked to Harry every time he did something nice, how he had made a point of making time for Teddy and Bel in particular. Had he really been trying to attract his attention?

"Oh my God, you're a moron," Squalo sighed. "We thought you were just playing hard to get. Did you grow up under a rock or something?"

"I had all of two girlfriends before the war, and none after," Harry snapped defensively.

"Girlfriends? Please tell me you're not straight," Squalo said, burying his head in his hand.

"I'm bi. So, he was being nice to try and impress me?" Harry was completely nonplussed by the very idea.

"It was Luss's idea. He didn't think you would be impressed by wealth or force like everyone else. Now, either accept or reject him so we can go back to him sulking and throwing things like normal!"

Harry thought about Xanxus. How he always had time for Teddy, even before this. How he had welcomed him into the Varia, and not forced him to fight. How he looked working out in a sleeveless shirt with sweat making every inch of skin glisten as his muscles rippled.

The next day, Harry was limping and Xanxus was back to gleefully throwing glasses at anyone who dared to approach him.

The Vongola was losing ground every day. Smaller Families, allies of theirs, the vital support network they depended on was being whittled away, and they were powerless to stop it. Harry, as the quasi-official liaison between the Varia and the main Family, was being run ragged, relaying orders and information and reports. But no matter how fast they moved, the Vongola were always one step behind their enemies. Everyone was frustrated by this new threat that hid in the shadows.

Teddy was at the Vongola Mansion instead of Varia Headquarters for once. Fuuta had asked him to come over, and the two of them were involved in some kind of incredibly boisterous game with Lambo and I-Pin. Harry was supervising them as they ran around causing chaos. He didn't even wince as he heard another vase crash to the floor, he just quietly vanished the pieces before anyone could cut their feet. He could have repaired it just as easily, but it wasn't his job to take care of the valuables, just the children.

Normally, Chrome kept an eye on the children. With her illusions, she was more able to keep them out of trouble than Kyoko or Haru. But she had vanished two weeks, and Harry had just found out the reason the other day.

Chrome had been pleading with Tsuna to help her release Mukuro, the other Mist Guardian, for years. Tsuna refused to deal with the Vendice, for whatever reason. Harry knew that there was a lot of pressure from the old generation to keep Mukuro locked up. Chrome had gotten tired of waiting and tried to break Mukuro out herself. Needless to say, the attempt had failed and Chrome had vanished.

From the Vongola, anyway. She was still in touch with Mammon, who kept her location and plans secret for a fee. Harry passed small gifts, like potions and food, to them through Mammon. He was fond of the shy illusionist. Perhaps he had been with the Varia too long, but the idea of leaving one of your people to rot in prison was disgusting to him. It reminded him too much of the eight years his lover had spent frozen while his Family suffered. The Varia wouldn't mourn you if you died, or send backup if you screwed up a mission, but they would at least send someone to take you out rather than let you be tortured. A great deal of Tsuna's power came from the threat of Mukuro, and leaving him in prison was a poor way to repay him.

Harry grinned as he heard another priceless ornament crash to the ground.

The Gesso and the Giglio Nero Families had combined to form the Millefiore. Suddenly, everything was chaos. The skirmishes had stepped up until they were all-out attacks, and half the smaller Families in the alliance had already been completely wiped out.

Tsuna called the Varia in for a meeting when it became clear that no matter what they did, the Millefiore was always one step ahead.

The Decimo was missing his Mist, Cloud and Rain Guardians. Harry knew where Chrome was, and it was common knowledge that the Cloud stayed in Japan unless the emergency was truly dire. The Rain was different; he had heard that Yamamoto had left to play baseball, of all things. Squalo had been furious. He had stepped up his plans to become the Sword Emperor, taking Lussuria with him to film the matches. The Varia had been scrambling to make up for the loss of two of their Officers, and Xanxus himself had been forced to run missions. The first thing he did when Squalo returned was lock him in an office with all the paperwork that Xanxus had been forced to actually complete, since the two people who normally did it for him were gone.

"We need to stand strong." Tsuna said. He had matured in the past few years, and his voice held a hard-won authority. "We won't allow the Millefiore to beat us so easily."

"Nice sentiment, trash," Xanxus said. "What do you want to do about it?"

"There are rumours that the Millefiore are building a base in Japan, near Namimori. Hibari is keeping an eye on it. Our base there is almost complete. Hibari and I are working on idea, but it's not past the brainstorming stage yet, I'm afraid."

He cast his gaze across the Varia. "You've been doing more than your share, and I'm sorry I have to put more on you. But you're the biggest asset we have right now. Bel, I need you to work with Gokudera. Try to come up with some kind of idea of where they'll strike next. Analyse their actions, try to see a pattern. Ryohei is organising emergency aid and support. We're working on boosting our response times."

Tsuna sighed, for a moment looking like the young man he was. "Our lack of a Mist is really hurting us right now. We need someone on the inside. Once we know what they're doing, we can go on the offensive."

"Voi! We'll see what we can do. Just like the shitty Boss, expecting us to pick up the slack," Squalo grumbled.

Xanxus raised his X-Gun. "Are you comparing me to the trash?"

The meeting promptly dissolved into chaos.

"I don't care, Bel! Clean your room before you go play with the Vongola," Harry said, exasperated.

"Fine, Mama," Bel pouted. "And we're not playing. He's training, and I'm slicing him into tiny little pieces. A Prince does not play with peasants."

"Mama?" Harry asked.

"Ushishishishi! Well, aren't you?" Bel brushed his hand over his fringe, a sure sign that he was blushing and wanted to make sure no one could see.

"Does that make Xanxus 'Papa'?"

"Of course. He was my legal guardian," Bel said matter-of-factly. Harry's eyes widened.

"Ushishishi! Didn't you know? I was only eight when I joined the Varia. The Boss is in charge of all underage members. Luss took temporary guardianship when Boss was frozen, but it transferred back to him when he woke up."

"What does that make Squalo?" Harry was intrigued by the way Bel saw their little family.

"He's like the bitchy Aunt that comes over and complains about the tea and the way you slouch. I suppose Luss is like the big sister, with completely unwanted advice all the time. Mammon's the cool cousin you want to spend time with and Levi's the creepy uncle. Teddy is the adorable little brother. I always knew I would be a much more Princely brother than Rasiel."

"I never thought about it like that," Harry said. They really were like an incredibly dysfunctional family.

"Ushishishi! I'm off to train then." Bel strolled casually towards the door.

"Clean your damn room!"

Harry wasn't expecting to see the Vongola's Rain Gaurdian when he went down to the training rooms. Most of the Tenth Generation stayed away from the Varia Headquarters, and the Varia returned the favour. Ryohei was the only one who came over with any regularity, and Lussuria enjoyed having someone willing to go toe-to-toe with him when he felt like letting loose.

Last he had heard, the Rain had quit after his first hit. Given that he had been described by none other than Reborn as a 'natural hitman', Harry was fairly sure it was because he had been horrified at how easily killing came to him. Harry sympathised. During the war, and after, killing had come more easily to him than cleaning charms. It was why he refused to fight now, even as the enemy was closing in. He knew what he could become.

"Is Squalo in?" the young man asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"He's training the new minions at the moment. Do you need him in particular? I can probably answer any questions the Decimo has." Harry's position in the Varia was unique. For a man with no official rank, he had as much power as an Officer.

"I just wanted to thank him for the films. I need to work hard if I'm going to catch up. At this rate, Tsuna's going to lose the Mafia Game!" His smile was wide, but it didn't touch his eyes.

"From what I've seen of the Decimo, he's the type to pull through at the last minute." Tsuna reminded Harry a lot of Neville. He seemed weak until you backed him into a corner, or threatened his friends. Then he took you apart.

"Still, I need to start pulling my weight. The Millefiore aren't playing by the rules."

Harry thought of the orphans that had been under Vongola protection, slaughtered in their beds. Films of the murders of Cavallone Family members sent to their young Boss. Vital supplies like weapons and vaccinations being replaced by marshmallows and strawberry syrup. No, the Millefiore wasn't playing fair. And as Harry looked into the eyes of the young Rain, who had given up the sport he loved once again to aid his Family, he knew why Squalo had been so determined to film those hundred matches.

"Give me the damn uniform," Harry demanded out of the blue.

Xanxus and Squalo, who were going over reports during the rare moment of calm, turned to look at him.

"The fuck, trash?" Xanxus really wasn't very eloquent when he was surprised.

"The Varia need everyone they can get. The idea that I'm not one of you is just a matter of paperwork by now anyway. Give me the uniform, and I'll start pulling my weight."

"Voi! I'll get you fitted now," Squalo said, pushing himself to his feet.

Xanxus just closed his eyes and leant back in his throne, a satisfied smile on his face. And so Harry became the Varia's Cloud Officer, the only Officer who went by his real name. He was only willing to go so far.

Fran was a cute kid. A stick thin teenager, who refused to give his real name, age, or even hair colour, he was bitingly sarcastic and a lot of fun. Harry had run into him on a routine mission and promptly adopted him. Bel had teased him about playing Mother, but he seemed to enjoy squabbling with the boy, at least. He was a powerful illusionist, which was always handy to have around. His first night at the mansion, he made all the doors seem to be a foot to the left of where they actually were. Only Squalo and Xanxus had caught the trick. Harry had apparently been permitted to see through the illusion, but Bel, Lussuria and Levi spent the whole evening walking into walls. The Varia already had Mammon, so they didn't need another Mist Officer, but the boy was too good to be thrown into the general pool and left to fend for himself. Mammon solved the problem by getting in touch with Chrome. The girl was willing to look after Fran, and Mukuro would train the boy. Although they didn't say it, Harry knew that they were both grateful for the Varia's support, and eager for a way to erase the debt.

It was one of those rare quiet evenings in the Vongola Mansion. Squalo was out on a three-day training mission with the new recruits, Bel and Mammon were on a Mission, Levi had gone to report to the Vongola and been caught there by the rain, and Lussuria was on some kind of spar retreat. Harry and Xanxus had the mansion all to themselves.

Harry pushed open the door to Xanxus' office, where they general ate together, Harry on the sofa and Xanxus on his throne. To his surprise, Xanxus was already sat on the sofa, with a table pulled up and set neatly with an actual tablecloth. Two plates of something that smelt divine were already set. There was even a candlestick, casting flickering light through the dark room.

Harry looked curiously at Xanxus as he sat down. To his shock, Xanxus actually flicked his gaze away for a second before meeting Harry's eyes almost belligerently.

"The fucking trash had been bitching at me not to forget our anniversary," Xanxus snarled. Even in the candlelight, Harry could see the blush that rose to his cheeks.

"It's perfect," Harry said, leaning forward and claiming his lover's lips.

The romantic dinner had long gone cold by the time either of them remembered it was there.

Teddy was demanding to be allowed to join the Varia officially. Xanxus had grudgingly bowed to Harry's wishes and denied him, but Harry knew he couldn't keep Teddy safe much longer. They desperately needed manpower, and Teddy's metamorphagus abilities would be invaluable. But they leant themselves to infiltration missions and information gathering. They were the riskiest missions to run, with the harshest penalties for being caught. Infiltrators prayed for an enemy who would kill them quickly. Mammon was their go-to for spying and infiltration, as their strongest Mist user. Even she could be caught unaware.

Levi was the one to find her, coughing and trembling, three miles from Headquarters. He carried her back to the mansion at a dead run, calling ahead to have medics waiting. Once she was safely ensconced in her room, the entire group gathered at her bedside.

"They have some kind of ray that's being emitted into the atmosphere," she said in a shaky voice. "It weakens the Arcobaleno. It's toxic to us. I should charge you for this information."

"Ushishishi! I'll transfer the money to your account," Bel said. Harry had to applaud his attempt at normality.

Everyone seemed to take their cue from that. Squalo shouted something incomprehensible and promised more training. Xanxus huffed, scowled, and left the room as soon as it became apparent that Mammon wasn't going to collapse then and there. Lussuria trilled about redecorating Mammon's room, since she was going to spend a lot more time in it if she was unable to leave the mansion.

"Can you get this to Lal Mirch?" Mammon asked Harry, once the room cleared of everyone else except the two of them and Bel. "Of all of us, she has the most claim to it." In her hand was a cracked pacifier.

It was Harry and Xanxus' biggest fight. They had squabbled before over petty things, but had somehow managed to avoid any major disagreements.

"He's too young!" Harry yelled, hands clenched into fists to stop himself reaching for his wand.

"He's old enough to know his mind. Stop fucking coddling him. He's Quality and we both know it. Be grateful I'm giving him a couple of easy missions with the trash before he gets thrown in the deep end." Xanxus wouldn't even look him in the eye.

"Grateful? You're sending my Godson into that scorpion pit and I'm supposed to be grateful? Like Hell."

"You told him he could join at sixteen," Xanxus growled.

"That was when we were at peace! Not when his first mission would be something that last year, you wouldn't even consider sending anyone below Officer on," Harry said.

He knew that Xanxus had a point. He knew that if he forbade it, Teddy would go behind his back, because his Godson was far too much like him. But it felt like ice in his lungs and a knife in his stomach. Xanxus turned his head, and Harry fled the room. He wouldn't be able to hold it together if he saw regret in his lover's eyes.

Bel's screams echoed through the halls. This wasn't a fighting cry, or even one of surprise. This was bone-deep grief, and it had Harry leaping from his bed and rushing down the hall, following the cries. Squalo met him outside Mammon's room. The screams from inside had faded into sobs. Bel knelt by Mammon's tiny body. One of his knives was buried in her chest, and a pool of blood spread out on the sheets beneath. How could such a small body hold so much blood?

"Bel," Squalo said softly. "Did you…"

"No!" Bel yelled, whirling round to face them with a mad grimace on his face. "The Prince didn't do this! He found Mammy like this. She was holding the knife. Why would she do this? The Prince doesn't understand."

All Harry could do was hold Bel as he sobbed his heart out next to the cooling corpse of his best friend.

Lussuria had decided that he wanted a change. He showed Harry his book of designs for his new hairstyle, and they spent a peaceful couple of hours deciding what would work best. He needed to balance recognisability, colour coordination, the ability to match with his clothes, framing his face and avoiding cliché.

Yellow was rejected as too obvious. He wanted to keep the green side-sweep. Purple and pink were too feminine, blue apparently made him look like a mermaid when paired with the green, and orange was Boss's colour. Red was settled on as the second colour. He didn't want to look symmetrical, and he wanted something vaguely avian-inspired in honour of his beloved Pea-chan.

The Sun Officer was thrilled with his red Mohawk. It resembled a cock's crest, which suited the preening man right down to the ground.

Harry knew that he wasn't going to like what he heard when Xanxus called him into one of the official briefing rooms instead of his office. The suspicion turned into a certainty once he stepped into the room. The man there wasn't his lover, it was the Varia Boss.

"We need someone on the inside of the Millefiore," he said as soon as Harry closed the door behind him. "Teddy is the best infiltrator we have, and the only one who won't be caught the moment he walks through the door. His identity is already set up. He leaves tomorrow."

Harry stared into Xanxus' pitiless eyes. The Boss didn't flinch. Harry bowed silently, and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

He spent the rest of the day with his Godson, brushing up on useful charms he could perform wandlessly and playing Varia tag with Bel. He cooked spaghetti Bolognese for dinner, and made chocolate cake for desert. He even tucked Teddy into bed at the end of the day, smiling indulgently as Teddy rolled his eyes before snuggling down into the duvet.

He didn't start crying until Xanxus pulled him into his arms that night. His lover held him close and rubbed his back as he cried himself to sleep.