"Hey, dame-Tsuna, let me copy your homework!"

Tsuna cautiously raised his head as he glanced over at the swarm of bullies from his class currently surrounding him. Tsuna knew he'd be beaten black and blue if he refused to comply after seeing the wicked sneer on their visages. And, of course, given his reputation not only at school but also in the neighborhood, absolutely nobody would dare to say anything, let alone help him.

Sighing internally, Tsuna pulled his assignment paper from his bag, handing it to the group wordlessly so they would leave him alone. Tsuna assumed it would stop there when the leader of the group smirked in satisfaction, but before they departed, one of them kicked the leg of his seat, causing it to tumble and the brunet to feel the cold sensation of the floor as he fell.

As soon as they saw the sight, the entire class burst out laughing and whispering, with some berating the brunet and others pitying him but doing nothing to help him. Tsuna ignored them all and hauled himself up and fixed his chair, sitting on it unperturbed. Though twisted by pain from the fall, his demeanor was indifferent as he returned his gaze to the view beyond the window beside his seat, ignoring everything save the sound of the wind and the whirling motion of the clouds on the clear blue sky.

He stayed that way for the rest of the day, merely letting time pass while dealing with the persistent bullies who tried to cause trouble for him from time to time. Only when the school bell rang, signaling the end of class, did Tsuna let an almost imperceptible smile glide across his face. If he inadvertently skipped on his way home, no one would notice since it's not as if anyone actually paid him that much attention.

Tsuna cracked a little smile as he got nearer to his house with every step he took. He could already imagine the lingering smell of strong espresso wafting through the air as he entered the front door, something that had pervaded the house for as long as he could remember. Hopefully, that person will be there as well, since it gets lonely when he goes out for work and leaves him alone for days.

Three years have passed since Tsuna lost his mother during a burglary. Tsuna, now ten years of age, was forced to learn how to live alone, though not quite literally since he had a literal demon hanging around him as a result of the contract he made three years ago.

Reborn. That was the name the demon goes by, but according to him, it was merely one of his several aliases because revealing a demon's actual name is capable of killing them, despite the fact that they're immortal.

Reborn was harsh and rigorous, notably when it involved Tsuna's studies. He was cognizant that the man was a demon, and that demons are not the most accommodating creatures in the world, but his nature as a demon was only reaffirmed to Tsuna whenever he returned home with red markings on his examination papers. Of course, this resulted in the brunet receiving intensive demonic tutoring.

Three years after Tsuna formed an official contract with the demon, Reborn was forced to stay with the boy's side owing to his first unexpected wish.

The demon was not pleased and would have slit the boy's throat had it not been for the underworld's ironclad rule stipulating; A demon must never cause harm to their contractors until the contract has been fulfilled; otherwise, the demon will disintegrate into ashes and will no longer have access to any physical form.

Tsuna grinned broadly to himself as he sped, almost sprinting, toward his home. But, being the clumsy boy that he is, he tripped on thin air and fell on his stomach. He grimaced at the searing sensation from his palms and knees as it made contact with the rough surface of the ground.

Tsuna bit the bottom of his lips to prevent the tears from escaping. He could feel blood seeping from his scrapes as he lifted himself.

'Reborn would surely scold me again if he sees me like this...'

"You bet I would, dame-Tsuna," A deep baritone voice rang out from above, and when Tsuna lifted his head, he was met with long limbs clad in deep black trousers in front of him. "I haven't been home for days and you're already back with your clumsy self." Tsuna raised his head to have a better view of him and caught the amused expression dancing across his visage.

"Reborn!" The brunet beamed, practically leaping up despite the tingling ache from his scuffed skin, and joyfully tugged the demon's suit. "You're back! I thought you were going to take another week again!"

Reborn shook his head and squatted down, his gaze inspecting the wounds on his knees and palms before sighing. "And endure another week of hearing you call for my name unnecessarily? I'd rather not," He placed his palm on the scratches, and a bright yellow flame glowed, slowly patching the wounds. "Come on, let's go home. I still need to see if you've made any academic progress. And don't think I'm unaware of how you haven't been paying attention in class, dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna pouted as he watched his demon companion march off with his hands in his pocket, leaving him behind. "It's not that I'm not paying attention! The classes just aren't as interesting as yours," He reasoned as he sprinted after him, attempting to keep up as best he could with his tiny limbs.

"I see you preferred my methods more," The brunet's spine shivered as Reborn grinned sadistically.

"No! You just explain stuff better than my teachers but I absolutely don't like meanie Reborn!"

"You should have gotten used to it by now, brat," the demon rolled his eyes as he pushed the gate of the Sawada Household open, sauntering directly to the front door and pulling out his set of keys to unlock it. "Tsuna, isn't it about time you use another one of your wishes?"

Tsuna paused in his tracks, watching Reborn take off his dress shoes by the entryway from the outside. He could hear the implications behind those words; though Reborn hadn't fully articulated it to him, he understood it was a query that stated: When will you free me from this contract?

He still has two more wishes left. Thinking back, he could vaguely recall attempting to make a wish to bring his already-dead mother back to life, but Reborn alerted him that, while a demon of his caliber could do so, there would be multiple repercussions to consider: first, Nana might not recognize Tsuna as her son, and second, she cannot ever be considered a human again and might lose her emotions as one.

Tsuna, fearful of this, dismissed the notion immediately. When asked what he desired instead, the brunet spat out thoughtlessly that he wanted Reborn to stay with him until he made use of all of his wishes.

"Then, mister, will you protect and remain with Tsu-kun until I use up all of my wishes? Tsu-kun dislikes being hurt and alone, and I also don't want to be with Daddy..."

"Your wish is my command, little one..."

The ten-year-old boy, already wise for his age, brushed the thought aside and simply followed the demon inside, the lingering fragrance of Reborn's espresso invading his nostrils just as he imagined, easing his anxiety like nothing else could. "It's a secret. It's for me to know and for you to find out, Reborn," He giggled playfully, flicking out his tongue and dashing to the stairway to escape the demon's wrath, thankfully without tripping over his own feet and causing himself more injury for Reborn to heal.

Reborn simply observed him with mixed humor and annoyance but made no effort to apprehend the mischievous child, having grown accustomed to his plots and was additionally used to letting him off the hook now and then. Although he did take note to raise the intensity of their tutoring session later that night, and if Tsuna was asked if he regretted taunting his demon, he'd still answer no despite barely surviving the session.