chapter one has curry and teddy bears.

He really should have been used to it.

If anything, it was more of an "oh" rather than a "what?" But no. Tsunayoshi "Tsuna" Sawada stared at his mother, eyes glimmering with its usual, empty hope and smile spread across his lips like an empty crescent as he nodded. He could never refuse his mother. Whether it was out of habit or because Nana Sawada trained her son well, Tsuna had always been the type of person to accept news with dignity and never complain. Out loud, anyway.

Because once he was left by himself, Tsuna was generally a spastic nutcase.

But right now, in the presence of his mother, as his annoying little brother, Lambo, chattered on and on, obliviously whining for fourths, the young teenager knew that it was best not to raise questions. Instead, he nodded with chopsticks at the tip of his tongue.

"So you'll be moving back in with Iemitsu?"

"Only temporarily." She smiled generously, wiping Lambo's face with a napkin. Nana looked to her middle child, a soft reassuring giggle escaping her lips, and scraped the rest of their spicy curry onto Tsuna's plate.

He ate it, no questions asked. His eyes never left the plate of food, unable to spare his mother even the tiniest of glances, and slowly nodded. "Okay."

"Your father and I love each other very much."

"I know." But that'd been what she said the last time, too.

"It's perfectly natural to get into fights with the man you love."

"I know." But that didn't mean he liked sitting there during those times, watching his mother's fingers tremble as she tried to make dinner for them without crying.

"He loves you too."

"I know." The last time Tsuna checked the dictionary (which he was willing to admit was never), "love" and "unwanted responsibilities" didn't go together. He stopped for a moment, scooping the last of his rice from his bowl and putting it in his mouth.

"He loves you," Nana replied again, patient as ever, so he was wondering which one of them was putting emphasis on her words. "And he loves me too."

"I know," he replied for the umpteenth time that night. But that didn't stop his hand from trembling. Tsuna caught it delicately, clutching his trembling hand and putting it behind his back before standing up, smile forced to curtsy across his lips. Aches shot through him, reminders of what had gone on during that time and how he'd hidden over at Enma's house for an hour in order to clean up the blood. "Mama, I have a test to study for."

As confident as that sounded, both knew it was a pathetic lie. Tsuna didn't give a crap about his homework. Still, Nana let him off without hitch, allowing Tsuna to whirl around and leave the kitche—"Tsu-kun?"

"Yes, Mom?" Tsuna halted, toes curling into the wooden floor as he sought support from the wall.

"There's something else I have to talk to you about."

"What would that be, Mama?"

"You have to live with Giotto."

…what? "Oh. Okay." Tsuna turned around, peeping his head into the kitchen and cringing at the bruise on his forearm hidden by the large sweatshirt. He stared at his mother, crescent smile still forced across his lips. "Is there any particular reason why?"

Like…why his own mother wanted to let him live with pure evil?

"As you know, Giotto-san is your half-brother." Of course he knew that. Tsuna nodded slowly, somewhat ignorantly, and curled his fingers into the doorframe. Nana was smiling to him, a knowing glance only a mother would have, and fed the rest of their food to an impatient Lambo. "You two have met once."

"I don't remember." Giotto was the reason why he had that scar on his tummy. They'd only met once, when Giotto was fourteen and Tsuna was five. As far as Tsuna knew, Giotto was reckless. Ruthless. Cynical. Blunt. Sharp-tongued. Scary. Only the Gods knew why he was so willing to be so generous for his mother. But seeing his mother happy made him happy.

"He doesn't want to come to the wedding." That was understandable. Tsuna had the right mind in not wanting to go to the wedding, either. "Actually, I doubt he actually knows that the wedding is going on."

Oh by the heavens. Tsuna resisted the urge to roll his eyes, a wry smile falling across his lips. His mother truly was a blissful ditz.

"Iemitsu is also very, very busy, you know." Fucking other women? Why yes, that was a check. "And Lambo and I will be going to Italy to help him. I've been learning the geography and language, you know."

His mother only used 'you know' when she was extremely nervous. She was never really good at lying, but Tsuna was normally willing to deal with it. "I know."

"Yes, well, we can't leave you alone by yourself, you know." Nana had been wiping the sauce off of Lambo's lip for a total of two minutes. His little brother sat there, whining and complaining about the ordeal, but she was too busy lost in her own thoughts to notice. "Giotto-san is twenty-five."

"And that makes him a legal adult." Oh, he did not like where this was going.

"Why yes! You're most certainly right, Tsu-kun." Nana halted for a second, pulling the rag away from Lambo's lip with her eyes glued to the ground in a similar manner to Tsuna when he looked to his food. He totally did not like where this was going. "So would you mind living with him?"

"No." Yes. "Of course not." Of course he would! Tsuna's mind plunged into various possibilities, all of the school bullies suddenly less horrible than his so-called half-brother. What the hell were they supposed to do together? Play football? He sucked at sports! Go fishing? He didn't know how to swim!

"Really." His mother's response was more of a statement rather than a question. Nana suddenly looked up, the sugar in her voice gone. Oh, rats. She always knew when her son was lying, and Tsuna knew his mother always knew. Heck, Nana knew Tsuna knew that Nana knew Tsuna was lying. "You're okay with moving in with Giotto?"

"Is he?" Tsuna retaliated, but was too freaked out to be curious.

"No." There was no sugarcoating it, so Nana stood up, picking Lambo up out of his booster seat before dearly holding him. Her eyebrows furrowed and she smiled softly. "He lives in Namimori."

Namimori was seven hours away by car. Tsuna scratched his head, awkwardly speechless and nodded. "Okay."

"You're alright with this." Nana tested the waters gently, hoping for the reaction to be warmer than…than dull. "You're okay that Papa and I want you two to get along?"

Heck effing no. But Tsuna avoided the question, only stumbling a little bit. "I…it's only natural for two parents who are getting married to want their children to get along, Mama."

"Tsu-kun," her voice wavered with concern. "Papa loves you."

"I know." The voice was more foreful than necessary. Strained, even. Tsuna's lips pulled into a heavy smile. "So when's the wedding?"

"The week after your school is out."

"That's in eight months, Mama." Eight and a half months, actually. Tsuna had been counting the days strenuously for school to be over.

"Uh…nine." She smiled apologetically, clasping her hands together with guilt radiating across her features. Nana scrutinized her son, watching as the demeanor he thought was expertly schooled in apathy contort into full-blown horror. "Namimori is different from Shimon, Tsu-kun. Once you get there, school won't start for another week."

Oh, that was fine. That meant that Tsuna got a week extra of summer…but he'd never been to Namimori before. And his only guide would be Giotto. Oh, cripes. Tsuna's eyes widened in realization. He'd be stuck with Giotto for an entire week! "O-Oh."

"Tsu-kun," she begged lightly, "Mama and Papa love you!"

"I-I know." Cripes, cripes, cripes.

Oh, fuck.

OoOoO

Don't get him too wrong. Tsuna shivered despite the humidity, oddly putting on five jackets and cranking up the A/C despite the fact it was nearly ninety-two degrees outside. He loved his mother. A lot, actually. To the point that he would do anything for her, just to see that smile on her face—not forced. Tsuna had been there as a reminder for every heartbreak, but the only man Nana seemed willing to go back to was Iemitsu.

He slung a scarf around his neck, half-shivering and half-sweating as he paced back and forth in his cluttered room in order to pack his clothes. He thought his dad was dead. Something like that, anyway.

Then one day, he came home, utterly traumatized as his parents decided to have a quickie in the kitchen. That was how five-year-old Tsunayoshi learned about the birds and the bees. Wryly rolling his eyes, he looked at the clock that hadn't changed all morning. After the night before, it was decided that he would leave this afternoon.

His mother wasn't normally the type of person to do such things. When she was in love…well, it all depended on circumstance, he supposed. It also, Tsuna thought as he put on his third pair of sweatpants, explained why his mother was able to get such a nice house and stay at home doing no work. Deep down, Iemitsu probably loved him. Maybe. Probably. Most likely. Could be. Or not.

A soft groan left Tsuna's throat and he rolled his eyes, collapsing into the bed in defeat. Well, it wasn't like there was much to do in Shimon anyway, right? He frowned a little, tossing one of his ten hats to the ground, and raised his shirt. A large bruise could still be seen from when he'd been hit. Enma had it worse, though.

Propping himself on the bed, he grimaced. Enma always had it worse. Tsuna may have been just as bullied, but he was also twice as fast. Clumsy Enma, who he'd known since they shared animal crackers at the age of four, also lacked a lot of confidence. Tsuna often had to take the lead in their friendship, and that didn't say much. He was always and forever would be a coward.

He was trading one school of bruises and bloody noses for another, Tsuna supposed. That's how it always seemed to be like, anyway. But what was he going to say to Enma? He barely had the nerve to go to school today.

And it was a Friday.

Twice the beating because there was no school to keep the bullies back. Tsuna had a perfect attendance record for every year except for the week Nana had taken him to Italy to meet Giotto. Worst. Meeting. Of his life. But it'd only gotten worse when he got back and found his best friend under the jungle gym, trying so hard not to cry.

"Gaaah." He stupidly pushed the bangs out of his face and tossed aside the many clothes he put on. So sweaty! Why put them on in the first place?

Tap tap.

"Eek!" Tsuna rolled out of bed, colliding head-first with the ground. A groan left his throat and he rubbed the new bruise he'd caused for himself. Looking to the window, his eyes came in contact with one person in particular. "Enma."

Dreary red eyes stared at him, lips looped upside down as they always were. Of course, he thought. It was rare that Enma smiled. Instead, the other teenager waved his hand, slowly, and Tsuna took the liberty of stripping down to the first layer of clothing he'd gone to bed in before opening the window.

Enma quietly stared at him, and slowly did he raise himself, arms struggling as he pulled over the window sill and fell flat on his face.

"Enma!" Tsuna knelt to the floor, helping his best friend up and dragging him to the bed. "Are you okay?"

Said best friend slowly nodded, crossing his legs over the mattress. He cringed, and immediately Tsuna muttered something about 'ice' before leaving his room and returning with a baggy of ice cubes. Enma gestured to his suitcase.

"I'm moving," Tsuna mumbled softly. He scanned his best friend, looking for any fresh bruises and grimaced. Enma grabbed the bags of ice, knowing it was useless to argue with the other whenever his injuries became an issue, and placed them on his thigh, shoulder, and crown of his head.

The redhead arched an eyebrow.

Awkwardly chuckling, Tsuna turned away and grabbed the clothes he'd discarded on the ground. He folded them neatly; comforted by the quietness Enma would give him. "I won't be coming back. Mom's getting back with Iemitsu." He sighed, knowing Enma wouldn't respond, and rolled his eyes. "And it's serious this time. They're getting married."

He continued, looking around his room for any trinkets he may have wanted to take with him, and decided on the tuna whiteboard he'd gotten when he was eleven as a joke from his neighbors. "Namimori. It's a really long drive—I'm apparently going by train, so five hours."

Glancing over, he noticed Enma was only staring at him, somber look across his demeanor and eyebrows furrowed.

"I'll be leaving in an hour. That's why I wasn't at school. Mama already has someone who decided to rent the house, so after three weeks I couldn't even comeback if I wanted to." Tsuna genuinely smiled, nervously awaiting Enma's reaction. "I'll be staying with my brother until the school year's over—Enma?"

Out of nowhere, the other had grabbed his arm, pulling out of bed and allowing for all of the bags of ice to fall on the ground. Enma looked at him, eyes not changing before he dragged Tsuna to the window and crawled out of it, again falling head-first into Tsuna's lawn. His hand never left his best friend's, so Tsuna was forcefully yanked out as well.

"Ow! Enma? Where are we going?" They continued walking out of Tsuna's neighborhood into the streets of Shimon. One foot past the other, Tsuna stumbled as his silent friend refused to answer him, instead dragging him through every end and corner before they sat at the bus stop. Oh, fudge. "Enma, I don't have time to—"

If life couldn't get any better (note the sarcasm as dear Tsunayoshi drifted away in his misery), the bus pulled up right on time, and Enma dug into his pocket to pull out crisp bills to give to the driver. Tsuna was pulled along after him, and put into a dry wonder how on earth such a meek little boy could have such a strong grip.

They plopped down in the seats on the third row, and Tsuna was left staring out the window, unable to pull away from the redhead's vice grip until their next adventure started. Fifteen minutes later, Enma yanked him up from the bus seat and pulled them to a convenience store.

"Enma?" Tsuna thought it'd be best to repeat again.

The redhead ignored him, too busy looking through his wallet to care. Finally, he paused, a troubled look appearing across his demeanor. Enma looked up, eyes glistening as they looked to Tsuna, and ventured across the store. Tsuna followed him without question, but was easily met with the same teenager who was now going opposite of his former destination, something in hand, and dragged Tsuna behind him to the cashier.

Enma Kozato placed one very small teddy bear with a flower in its ear on the counter. The cashier blinked, staring at both kids before turning around and mumbling something under his breath.

"If you wanted to buy something, we could have gone to the store near my house." Tsuna arched an eyebrow, staring at the oddity known as his friend. The redhead paid with the only bill still in his wallet, followed by various nickels and dimes. The cashier let out a sharp curse, and spent five minutes counting the pocket change.

Finally after all of the trouble, the teddy bear was finally Enma's, with only thirty minutes left to spare. Tsuna had to get home. Like, now. This time, he was the one to pull on Enma's arm, and yanked them to the bus stop, shouting at the top of his lungs in horrible panic. All the while, Enma stared at the teddy between his fingers. The bus wouldn't be here for another ten minutes!

"This isn't good," Tsuna mumbled, pacing back and forth. He was barely packed with his valuables (maybe he should have listened to his mother when she said to pack the night before) and only had half his luggage. Groaning, Tsuna dug through his wallet, so freaking lucky that he had the exact amount that would get Enma and him home.

Finally, the bus arrived, and he dragged Enma onto the bus, gave the money to the bus driver, and sat the both of them in the first seat. He was dead. So dead! Tsuna kept from ripping his hair out as the redhead continued making the flowery teddy bear dance.

When the bus finally got off to their stop, Tsuna made a mad dash for his house. Or tried to, anyway. Turning around he quickly noticed Enma standing there, gaze fixated on his back. Immediately, he halted, turning around and coming face-to-face with Enma.

"I'm really in a hurry," he said steadily.

Enma stared at the bear in his hands. Then at his best friend. Finally, he lifted his head and placed the small teddy between Tsuna's palms.

"You're kidding." Tsuna stared at it, amazed yet again by Enma's oddities. Before he had the chance to ask what on earth his best friend was doing, the redhead pulled him into a sentimental hug, both arms around Tsuna's torso.

"Don't forget me." Enma's soft voice was blurred in the crook of Tsuna's neck.

The other teenager stopped, tensing at these words, and awkwardly wrapped an arm around Enma's shoulder. "Why did you buy the teddy bear?"

"Wanted to buy you a bigger one. Most of my money was spent on the bus though." Enma shrugged. "Call me every day."

"I don't have a phone."

"Call me every day."

"But I—okay." Tsuna smiled, pulling away from the hold and placed the teddy bear in his pocket. He set a hand on the redhead's shoulder, and whirled around. "Bye Enma, I'll miss you!"

After not hearing a 'bye' back, he sped up, running to his house and nearly knocking Lambo over as he darted up the porch and crammed everything into his suitcase. He'd only have one pair of shoes, three pairs of pants, and six t-shirts. Oh! And seven days' worth of underwear! Quickly shoving everything in his luggage, Tsuna sighed and collapsed on the bed. Oh thank goodness.

Enma's teddy bear peeked out of his pocket. Tsuna stared at it, warily questioning its worth and smiled a bit. That was one thing he would miss in Shimon, he supposed.

There was a knock on the door. Nana appeared, nervous smile across her lips. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes ma'am." The brunette stood up and picked up his suit case. Immediately he regretted it, collapsing on the floor because of its weight. How much did he pack?

"Your father and I love you, you know."

"I know." He dragged the suitcase behind him and grimaced at Lambo, who was crying at the top of his lungs. So maybe he did knock his little brother over…

Nana kissed her son on the forehead. "Thank you, Tsu-kun."

"You're welcome." Tsuna turned around, one last glance at his room. Loser Enma would be losing his No Good Tsuna. With a sigh of defeat and depression because he forgot his earplugs on his nightstand, Tsuna whirled around and walked to the taxi that would be taking him to the train station.

So long, Shimon

chapter two has temperamental smokers and an abrasive brother.

The ride wasn't all that bad. All Tsuna remembered, really, was walking out the door, going to the taxi, and passing the streets of Shimon he hated so much. Many memories fluttered through his mind, reminders and familiar alleyways he'd duck into, Enma dragged behind him, to get away from all of the bullies. Of course, the bullies were never extreme, and Tsuna thankfully never got a broken bone from any of his problems. Getting a broken arm from Lambo pushing him down the stairs, however, was different story.

That being said, his hand was so stiff that he had to flex it five times to get it loose. Lambo was in the car, unable to sit still for the first five minutes before being knocked out cold. His little brother could never endure car rides, anyway. He stroked tangled messes of black curls, warily wondering what side of the family that ugly crap had come from. Still…despite Lambo's overbearing attitude, Tsuna loved him. Against his will, of course, but it was still love.

He thought about that the entire time on the train ride. Tsuna would have two stops before getting to Namimori, so there was plenty of time. Lambo was his little brother. Giotto was his older brother. The only big difference biologically was the fact that Lambo was related to him by full blood, a child of both Iemitsu and Nana, just like he was. Giotto came from a different mother.

He couldn't exactly blame Giotto. Nana…was Iemitsu's mistress. Sucking in his breath, Tsuna shivered. He wasn't a fan of his father. Iemitsu came to see him for his birthday every couple of years whenever Nana and he got together, but that was about all. Around the time Lambo was conceived, Iemitsu was as Tsuna always knew him: a bum who followed the road wherever it took him. Iemitsu once came back for Lambo's birth, then left again, leaving only the revelation that his second (third) son was an accident. Had Tsuna been an accident? Lambo was. In Iemitsu's eyes, was Lambo a mistake? Considering the large gap between Lambo's birth and prior, most likely.

Furiously shaking his head, the teenager shoved aside the motion sickness caused by an hour train ride. Two more to go before he had to switch. The estimated time of arrival was 8:43PM, but he had never trusted how exact those dates seemed to be. Was there a time difference between Shimon and Namimori? He hoped not.

Readjusting himself in his seat, Tsuna rested his head against the window. Riding coach wasn't a problem. Where he was going, however, was. What did Giotto look like? Flashbacks of someone twice his size, pinning his poor five-year-old self to the ground with eyes inflamed with anger…his hand automatically clasped over his stomach, where a small scar was left from when Giotto tackled him. Giotto was supposed to be babysitting him, but neither could understand each other. One brother spoke Italian while the other spoke Japanese. Nothing in common whatsoever.

Nana never questioned it. His mother was the type of person who believed in him no matter what, and although it was obvious when her makeup bag was missing every morning and returned each afternoon, she just never asked. But she knew. Mothers always knew. Tsuna hugged himself a bit, lopsided smile on his face. Her hints were always in suggestions—"Oh, Tsu-kun! Ice on your arms make them stronger!" "Tsu-kun, did you know salt works as a disinfectant?" "I put a first-aid kit under your bed just in case Lambo ever gets into any trouble."—but it was a trust Tsuna knew he couldn't take back. Why on earth him of all people, No Good Tsuna who made horrible grades and was considered a pathetic wimp, could be trustworthy, he did not know and did not ask.

But trust was fragile. No one could put a price on it. So he was going to have to be strong for his mother, and maybe it would work out this time. Second time was the charm, right? Shivering in his seat, Tsuna pulled his mittens over his hands. His favorite number, 27, was patched into the both of them, and due to the surprising coincidence that his hands hadn't grown in the past five years, he was still able to wear them.

It was a strange habit of his, to want to be more dressed when he was nervous. Flourishing from a flustered blush, Tsuna leaned back into the window and wiggled his fingers.

"Hello."

"Eek!" The brunette leaped out of his seat, plunging head first into crappy carpeting. Groaning, his gaze was met with a pair of two long legs…going up a skirt. "Eep." Scurrying away, he went back to his seat, failing to notice one innocent eye follow his idiocy. Tsuna looked up, out of breath from his panic, and was met with a pretty girl with long blue hair and bright blue eyes.

She had no reaction other than the red powdering her face. "May I sit here?"

"Oh." Tsuna slowly nodded, eyes landing on the empty seat next to him. He nervously fidgeted, fingers stretching in his mittens. "Sure."

"Thank you." She sat down, comfy against the other teenager. As he glanced over, Tsuna noted that she was probably no older than he was. Younger, even. But not by a lot. Small and petite, but tall and dainty. He tensed a little as their knees touched. H-Hers was bare.

"My name is Tsuna." He spoke without even realizing it. Shaking anxiously, the testosterone-y teenager turned his head and trembled with a smile. Red scattered across his cheeks. The closest he'd ever gone to talking to a girl was…well, it wasn't this. "What's your name?"

Luckily she seemed even more nervous than he did. Crimson bloomed across her face, and she turned his way, surprised. Only one eye could be seen, the other covered by a mesh of evening-blue hair. Her gaze fell to the floor, and once that happened, she showed no sign of looking back up.

Too bad. Tsuna shivered, turning his head back to the window where country scenery passed by without a care. He needed the distraction. Without even realizing it, his hand slipped out of his glove, softly fingering the scar through his t-shirt. A few more hours and he'd be living somewhere else. Fun, fun, fun. A yawn escaped his lips and suddenly the teenager felt exhausted.

His drifted into other thoughts. Other, but not different. Giotto. Their first meeting. Even Tsuna didn't remember much, but there was crying. Lots of crying, and unfortunately it was from him. Fierce amber eyes haunted his dreams, contorted downward into a disgusted sneer. He didn't remember what he'd done to make his elder brother so angry, but it was enough to provoke…bad things. Very bad things. Hadn't Giotto only been his age when they first met? Close.

Funny. That was about the same gap between Lambo and him, too.

"Tsuna-san."

Fidgeting, Tsuna fell off his seat with a horrible 'Eep!' before bumping his head into the chair. With a groan, Tsuna grimaced and stood up, wobbling against the motion of the trai—the train wasn't moving. Blinking in his realization, the brunette turned his head and met gazes with the pretty girl he'd sat next to. Red scattered across her cheeks before she stood up.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly interrupted by two people shooting down their aisle. "Oi! Retard!"

Tsuna cringed at the tone and had no time to retaliate. Instead, he stood there with his eyes glued to the effing large scar across the blond one's face. Next to the blond stood a more normal-looking guy. Or so he thought until the yo-yo in that teenager's hand looked like it had spikes. He gulped and looked to the girl, who lowered her gaze.

Was it really right to talk to her like that?

"My name is Nagi," she whispered softly. Tsuna had to think twice before he realized his new apparent friend just kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Hurry up, you fucking moron." The blonde's eyes narrowed at her with an unfathomable scowl. "Shitting us like that…you think it's perfectly fine to walk on your own huh, you stupid girl?"

"He was worried," interrupted the calmer looking one.

Nagi turned to them, mumbling a quite apology. Another smile broke across her face and she followed after them.

"Was not!" It almost sounded like a bark the way the blond talked. Red scorched what little cheeks he had under his insane scar and with one last wave, Nagi scampered off behind them. Almost immediately and barely discreet about it, the blonde protectively pushed her behind him.

Tsuna watched this with mild fascination before gathering his things and inching out of their aisle. He followed after in a safe distance, lost in his thoughts. A girl! Kissed him! On the cheek! That's the furthest Tsuna had ever gotten with one of the opposite sex! Rubbing his nose and feeling a bit arrogant about it, a small smile broke across his lips. He jumped as he reached the entrance, touching the top of the doorframe before exiting.

Success!

"Hm, how troublesome."

"Ushishishishi."

Uh-oh. The brown-haired teenager halted from his position near the bench, not daring to turn around. The snickers he heard from behind pricked his skin, nibbling his neck like an obnoxious leech or vicious centipede. Certainly, they weren't talking about…him, were they?

"You. Boy, turn around."

"Ushishishi. Loooook! He has a teddy in his asspack, too!"

Teddy? Tsuna's hand protectively went to the straps of his backpack, which held the small gift Enma had given him just a few short hours ago. He gulped before realizing that same backpack wasn't where it belonged. His heart beat dreadfully in his sinking chest as he whirled around. What he saw caught him off guard. Perhaps the blond one would have looked more normal than the one cloaked so well Tsuna couldn't tell if they were male or female, if it weren't for the mentally disturbing grin etched from ear-to-ear across his cheeks and the tiara decorating his head.

"I'm a prince." Said the blond casually. "Ushishishishi."

"I-It's nice to meet you," Tsuna stammered. Oh dear god. He stepped out of Shimon for less than five hours and was already running into so many weirdos. Unfortunately he would have to spend more than a second with them, seeing as his backpack was poking out of the he-she's hand. He suddenly searched frantically, panicking as he couldn't find Enma's gift in his front pocket.

The blond had it. Enma's teddy was wrapped in long, bony fingers of one hand while the other was occupied with slim knives. This so-called "prince" grinned wider (if that was even possible), and pressed the blade against the teddy's neck.

"Don't-!" Tsuna shrieked. He suddenly flinched, backing away unexpectedly. Aichmophobia was getting the better of him. This wasn't helping the fear, this was worsening it!

"Don't worry about your teddy. Belphegor, scare him some more. Seems like it's worth something." The he-she looked at him again under clumps of silvery hair, before securing a hand over the blond's.

The blond whined. "Princes don't get told what to do!"

"Ah, having to shut you up without getting paid." With a heavy sigh, the other stranger simply threw the backpack Tsuna's way. The blond followed in suit, harrumphing and sniggering all the same as he chucked Enma's bear across the station. Tsuna sloppily caught the first item before running after his friend's memento.

He shrieked again, freaking out as he tripped over his own two feet as he caught the bear. Tsuna groaned, rubbing the new sore spot on his elbow before looking at the teddy. Its head was halfway ripped.

"In exchange for being such a nice person and giving back your bag, I took all of your money."

Tsuna turned around and was met with the stoic expression still across one's face and the wily grin across the other's. He gulped, hands tightening around both items.

"Smell ya later!"

"Shut up, Bel."

He refused to look back at his things until both strangers were a good distance away from him. Tsuna let out a sigh of relief before rummaging through his backpack. Thankfully his ticket for the next ride was there. However, his money was gone. Groaning, the brunet pulled himself off the floor and held it tightly to his chest. He wasn't going to lose it this time. Enma's gift, either.

Tsuna stared at it steadily as he wandered through pointless directions. His next ride wasn't for another twenty minutes and he was starving as hell. But that wasn't the point. Enma's gift…it had only been a few hours and it was already ripped! He caught his breath as the head jerked back and forth, seams snapping right before his eyes. Great. Just great.

He put it in his front pocket protectively where his mittens also resided and held his stomach between his fingers. Tsuna was so busy packing that he barely had time to eat breakfast, let alone lunch. With a Nutrigrain bar being his only source of food in the morning, he would have to burn every last ounce of those calories if he expected to survive. And his stuffed animal! What was he going to tell Enma!

With a heavy sigh, Tsuna trudged forward, hand sinking into the pockets of his sweatshirt to hold the same bear he was hoping would calm him down. He checked his back pocket, quick to pull out his pocket change and counted all of it before walking to the nearest phone booth.

After two rings, someone answered.

"Who the hell is this?"

"Oh uh," Tsuna stammered. "Aoba-kun? Can I speak to Enma?"

"Why."

"B-Because."

"Are you talking BACK to me?"

"No! Yes! I-I mean…"

"Geez. Chill, moron. Shut up for a moment." There was a pause on the phone. Tsuna pulled the payphone away from his ear as his officially ex-upperclassman shouted at the top of his lungs for his little brother. He cringed, hesitant until he heard them shout on the phone again. Well, Enma never shouted. Aoba-kun just didn't know how to use his inside voice.

Finally, there was a teeny, pitiful yelp and a different voice in the receiver. "Hello?"

"Enma." Somehow his heart stopped running a triathlon, relaxing to the sound of his best friend's voice, and everything felt okay. Tsuna leaned into the glass, forehead pressed against the dial. "I…I broke the bear."

"Oh."

He forgot how much he liked talking on the phone with Enma. The last time they had to keep in contact in such a way they were eleven, and Enma and his family went on a trip to Belgium. Tsuna had the gift of catching every sensitive change of tone in Enma's voice. No one else could do it. Yet at that very moment, Tsuna could pick up on the light sprinkles of sadness in his voice.

"I didn't mean to," Tsuna whispered softly. He clutched the phone with both hands. "I—I got jumped, and they stole my money, and this weird guy sliced her head open, and…and…"

"I should have bought you a better bear."

"No! It's fine! I like the bear you gave me!" Tsuna breathed again. "I just thought…you should know, you know?"

"Okay."

"Are you okay over there?" He shifted his worries. Enma didn't seem particularly angry as he did guilty about it. The waver in the other's voice broke his conversation since the normal squeaking seemed gone. Tsuna clutched the phone tighter and frowned.

"I'm used to it."

They were both used to it. Sighing, Tsuna massaged the bear with his other hand as a frown set across his face. He hated not being around the redhead. At least when they were in the same room, he knew what kind of injuries Enma would sustain from abusive classmates. Now that they were more than an hour away from each other by train, however, he wouldn't be able to get rid of the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I'll call you as soon as I can," he promised. "Please don't do anything stupid."

"Okay."

"Bye."

"Tsuna."

"Y-Yeah?"

"Love you."

Red powdered Tsuna's cheeks. He twirled the phone cable between his hands, shifting between his feet and occasionally looking at the ground. "Love you too." They mumbled their goodbyes, one flustered and the other all too blunt before hanging up the phone. With a sigh of relief, Tsuna wiped the sweat off his brow and left the booth. Enma had a way of catching him off guard no matter what the situation.

He checked the clock located in the middle of the station for a moment before letting out a sharp "EEK!" His train would leave in five minutes! Tsuna rushed through the terminals, eyes darting in every different direction before settling on one in particular. Twisting his footing, the poor teenager jumped into his next ride before the door shut on him.

Just in time. Sighing in relief, he wiped the sweat off his brow and gave the crumbled train ticket to the conductor before moving down the aisle to search for his seat. He settled on one aisle and stopped. There were four seats, and his was already taken by a little girl.

"Um," he gulped. Tsuna nervously played with the strap of his backpack as both the little girl and whom he assumed was her mother looked up.

"Sorry," she kindly smiled. Turning around, the mother faced her daughter. "Uni, come sit over here."

"But I wanna sit next to Papa." Uni, the little girl, whimpered softly. 'Papa' was the tall, blond man leaning into the aisle. He looked up, sparing Tsuna one intimidating glance, before looking back to his daughter.

"It's fine. I can sit over here next to you, if you don't mind." Tsuna smiled politely before setting his stuff down. He paused, thinking twice about this decision, before hugging his backpack close to his chest.

"My name is Uni!" The little girl turned to him, softly giggling as her feet dangled at the edge of her seat. "What's your name?"

"Tsuna." He strummed with the mittens in his pockets and turned to Uni's mother. "Are you getting back from a trip?"

"Quite the contrary." She smiled back before shaking her head. "We're going to visit a family friend. And you, Tsuna?"

"I'm uh, moving in with my brother." Tsuna shifted nervously in his seat. Peering up, he eyed Uni, who was locked in a staring contest with the bear peeking from his pockets. She leaned over, hands inches away from it.

"Uni," lectured her father. "Sit still."

"But I wanna fix it!" She pouted, tongue peeking out from her lips in determination. She reached for the tiny purse strapped around her waist to reveal a sewing kit. Struggling to smile again, Tsuna pulled the bear out of his pocket and gave it to her.

After all, she probably would do a better job fixing it than he would.

"Sorry," apologized the mother. She laughed a little. "Five-year-olds. They think they can do anything."

"Sometimes they can." Tsuna was given a sickening reminder to how his little brother managed to sneak a grenade into their shopping cart one day at the grocery store. Laughing a little, he shrugged and looked back to Uni. She seemed to have calm down, Enma's teddy in one hand and a needle in the other. Isn't that dangerous…? He was proven wrong by how well she was sewing with graceful, fluid motions. "She's good."

"Uni is very protective of her things. My name is Aria, by the way. This is our bodyguard, Gamma."

"But she said he was her papa—oh." Obviously there were more affairs in the world than the one Iemitsu created between both Nana and Giotto's mothers. Awkwardly scratching his arm, Tsuna watched Uni continue her sewing and avoided the domineering glare directed at him by Mister Gamma. "He's my half-brother." He suddenly smacked himself. How would that information help him?

Aria laughed, and he assumed she didn't mind one bit. Instead, she leaned over, one hand resting on Gamma's knee as she reached for the blanket under his seat. "Would you like a blanket, Tsuna? You look cold."

"It's just something my body does whenever I'm ner—okay." He let out a short breath as his body was suddenly shrouded by a bright orange blanket, and leaned back in his seat.

"If you're moving in with your half-brother, this must mean you're also transferring to Namimori High School School." Aria softly chuckled again, gleam appearing in her sky blue eyes. She leaned over, eyes fixated on nervous Tsuna's form with her lips pulled into an interested smile. "I'm sure you'll…enjoy the teachers."

"Aria is Italian, isn't it?" Tsuna gulped as he realized what he blurted out, but continued. "You guys are coming all the way from Italy to see this family friend? Is it a special occasion?"

"No." She shook her hand dismissively and put one leg over the other. "He's also my daughter's godfather. There is a businessman who resides in Namimori, as well. He's a family friend as well and suggested we came to Japan. It's a beautiful country, you know."

Little, old Japan compared to rambunctious Italy? Tsuna yawned, suddenly consumed by his exhaustion yet again, and shrugged. "You're very fluent in Japanese then."

"I'm fluent in many languages." Grinning, a pillow magically appeared in Aria's hands yet again, and put it behind Tsuna. "Sleep. I'll wake you up when we arrive, Tsuna."

"Last time…got jumped…"

"We won't jump you!" Uni chirped happily. Through half-lidded eyes, Tsuna saw her jump in her seat before Gamma strapped her down with the seatbelt. She pouted, but obediently went back to sewing the head back on Enma's bear. "We're rich!"

"Mothers know best." Aria's tone was warning. She pressed Tsuna against the chair sternly. By the time his head touched the pillow, the young brunette teenager was lost in his own thoughts and plunged into slumber.

"Funny," his mind echoed in the form of Aria's voice. "He looks just like him, don't you think?"

OoOoO

"Rossella is done!"

"Huh?" Tsuna rubbed his eyes with the realization of his aching head from sleeping in such an awkward position. He was face-to-face with a bear, and immediately squeaked in surprise. His instinctive reaction was to jolt in surprise, but quickly stopped himself as he realized Uni was sitting on his lap. Blinking through the last sands of exhaustion, he pushed the blanket away and examined the bear.

What caught him off guard was the blatant shade of red thread that was sewn into the teddy's wound. It was odd compared to the rest of the stuffed animal, but strangely fitting. In fact, it was completely fixed.

"She's all happy now." Uni smiled proudly, settling between his legs.

"Wow. You did a good job." He picked up the stuffed animal as Uni offered it, scrutinizing every little inch.

"Fixing things is my specialty! Like Rossella!" She giggled before sliding off his lap. Looking over, he realized that Aria was no longer in her seat. Instead, the elder women must have migrated to be next to her bodyguard. Following his hunch, Tsuna found the couple snuggling as they stirred in front of him.

"Rossella?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"It means rose. Like the flower on top of her head." She grinned fully as if she accomplished something from that decision. Uni raised her head before sliding off of Tsuna's lap and buckling herself to the chair.

"I see." Tsuna's fingers brushed against the seam yet again before he tucked it in his pocket. "You'll make a good wife one day to someone special." He smiled evenly before peeling the blanket off his body and folding it in half.

Uni giggled again, a bit softer, before leaning into the window. Aria stretched her arms, yawning loudly. Stars caught Tsuna's sight as he looked out the window, sun still setting ever-so slightly behind them. It was a clear sign that it was officially autumn, summer left behind in its ashes, and an early night. Checking his watch, he noted that it was 8:39PM. Four minutes until their arrival.

"Did you sleep well?" Aria asked kindly.

"Very." Tsuna nodded, smiling sweetly to the mother as he pulled both mittens over his hands. He checked his lap for the umpteenth time to make sure his backpack was there before sliding it on and passing both blanket and pillow to the mother of one.

"You looked restless." She laughed softly and pressed a finger to Tsuna's forehead. Eying the boy mischievously, a smirk fell across her lips. "Nervous about meeting your brother?"

"A little," Tsuna croaked softly. His lips pulled into a nervous curl, and he leaned back. They sat in silence, Aria turning her attention to her daughter and the father staying perfectly still. By the time the train finally stopped, they all said their goodbyes, family parting almost immediately at the entrance when they caught sight of someone. Tsuna, on the other hand, got off the train without meeting anyone.

As far as he was concerned, the brunet didn't even remember what Giotto looked like. Let alone why the Italian was in Japan of all places.

He sighed, backpack still tight behind him while trudging through the station and toward the exit.

"Tsunayoshi."

"Eep!" Tsuna squeaked, immediately turning around as a hand clasped onto his shoulder. He slapped it off, eyes clenching shut before reopening them to meet the gaze of…"G…Giotto…niisan?"

"Close." Red eyes flickered with mild amusement. It only took the brunet a second glance to realize that yeah, there was no resemblance between them whatsoever. A mixture of embarrassment and sadness bubbled in his stomach, and he was reminded of the scarlet eyes and red clumps of his best friend's hair. However, the man was much taller than Enma, and therefore much taller than him. He held a broad face, strikingly elegant demeanor, and made Tsuna think of a burgundy color.

It was amazing how long Tsuna was able to stare at him. It was the first time he ever looked at a man and thought him to be drop-dead gorgeous. He blinked a few times as he realized those lips had parted, saying something with a devilish tenor. "What?"

"My name is G." G looked at him, somewhat amused, and jingled car keys in his hand. In the other was Tsuna's luggage, which meant that the other already knew what he was doing. "I'm your brother's best friend."

Tsuna tilted his head, scrutinizing the man yet again. "Have we met once?"

"When you were little." G hadn't even batted an eyelash. "Come on."

"Oh, uh. Okay." Tsuna followed after him in silence, hands tucked in his pockets. He blinked, nervously scrutinizing the man and wondered if all of the men in Namimori looked as good as G did. They finally came to a halt in the parking lot, and after a high-pitched beep, the young teenager looked up.

Before immediately dropping his jaw to the ground.

One beautiful Maserati Spyder sitting happily in the parking lot, unscathed like a precious angel. It stood out compared to the rest of the cars, a stormy red just like G's mop of red hair. It was so shiny that Tsuna wasn't sure if it'd ever been driven before.

G, however, remained unfazed. He popped open the back trunk, set Tsuna's stuff inside amongst all of the different instrument cases and sheathed swords (all the while mumbling something about utterly despising musicians) and hopped into the car like some cool secret agent. He looked over his shoulder, straight Tsuna, and expected for him to do the same.

The brunet gulped, carefully eying the car and how tiny his legs seemed compared to the car. Instead of the suave jump like the other, he opened the car door, and buckled himself in. He would have looked up and to the window, had it not been for the fact he felt eyes staring at him oddly. Tsuna jerked his head to take the bangs out of his face, suddenly feeling self-conscious, and looked through the passenger window.

They drove in silence. Block after block, Tsuna found out that they were from a little neighboring district from Namimori rather than the actual place. Clumps of green caught his eye, from shrubs to trees as they followed a different car in the highway. The closer they came to city lights, the louder he could hear his heartbeat.

He gulped, fingering the thread of his gloves and had the sudden urge to put on five of the sweatshirts in his luggage. Sadly, that was in the back.

"So how old are you?"

"Sixteen." Tsuna tore away from the shrubbery and glanced at G from the corner of his eye. The elder man took his free hand and shoved it in his pocket before getting out a lighter. A cigarette was between the other's teeth He casually let his hand linger outside at the door. "Um, are you twenty-five, too?"

"Twenty-six." G looked over to him, cracking a small smile. It looked good on him. "Your brother's a young'un. His birthday'll be the first of January."

"New Years," Tsuna clarified. His lips curled and he sheepishly looked to the ground, finally getting comfortable. So G wasn't going to bite his head off. He pulled his mittens off, suddenly nervous again, and shuffled is feet. "What…is he like?"

"A pain in the ass if he thinks he can shit me and make me pick up his kid brother," G snorted. To that, the poor teenager cringed and nervously looked out the window. Still, G only laughed. "He's a very busy man."

"Is he…I mean…" Tsuna's voice hit higher and higher notes. He pulled on the strings of his sweatshirt and fiddled with the car until G gracefully slapped him in a gesture to say, knock it off. "Does he hate me?"

"Giotto doesn't hate anyone." Suddenly, G's eyebrows furrowed and he looked up to the sky. "Let me rephrase that: he's indifferent to everyone. But he can be a hard-ass if you aren't careful."

"Ah. Uh, what do I call him?" He hadn't been able to decide what on earth to say to his brother. Was it insulting since they barely knew each other, to immediately refer to Giotto by his first name? Or was it okay, but offensive since Giotto was his brother? Niisan, to be frank, or Niisama to be respectful? Niichan was too casual. He was tempted to call him Aniki, but wasn't sure how Giotto would handle it. Then again, his half-brother was half Italian. Was there some type of term of endearment when it came to Italian siblings?

"Like hell I know." G glanced over from the corner of his eye. "You hungry?"

"U-Uh, yeah." The brunet slowly nodded and leaned back in his seat. He glanced down the road, and G muttered something under his breath about money. Tsuna's eyes widened. "If you're paying…"

"Tsunayoshi." G pulled up into a local McDonald's and into the parking lot. Pressing on the break, he turned his full head until they were eye-to-eye with each other. "You're Giotto's brother. That makes you my brother."

"O-Oh…" Tsuna gulped and looked down.

"You can come to me if you ever need anything. And you're allowed to hold me on that." Had it not been for the intensity of the older man's gaze, Tsuna would have been able to reply without looking like an idiot. G put a hand on his shoulder and mushed the butt of his cigarette in his conveniently placed ash tray. "Understood?"

"Okay," he stupidly mumbled. Red fluttered through his cheeks before he looked up again. "M-My name is Tsuna."

"Tsuna." G repeated. He nodded slowly before taking his foot off the break and pulling into the drive-in. "It's fitting."

The teenager blushed again and scratched his cheek. But it was nice, actually, to have someone around like that. It had been such a long time since someone offered him security. Very much so that it was downright flattering. G ordered two Big Macs and two soft drinks before they were on the road again.

All the while, Tsuna sat there, mouth open as he was handed the carton. What was he supposed to do? There was the risk factor, after all, of dropping grease on the amazing interior. G, however, didn't seem to care. He took the burger out of its cardboard container, and proceeded with cramming it in his mouth.

"So," G said between bites, "you like school?"

Tsuna cringed, instinctively rubbing a bruise he'd received no more than a week ago. He shivered. "Not…particularly."

G slowed down before turning into a set of apartment buildings. Red eyes looked at him peculiarly, ready to say something, but backed off. Tsuna assumed G was going to question him further because of his obvious discomfort, but was relieved when he didn't. Instead, he parked on the other side of the campus and opened up the back trunk.

Tsuna took this cue to leave and scurried to the back in order to get his luggage.

"Namimori High School is five blocks away from here." G shut the trunk and locked his door. He pulled out his loop of keys before going up the stairs located outside of the apartment building. Tsuna trudged after him, hesitantly, and gulped. The apartments looked beaten and battered from the outside. Considering Giotto was most likely fresh out of college, it was likely he got a new apartment for a cheap pay, after all.

He just hoped there would be enough for the two of them in that apartment. And for Giotto to like him. And for not some freak accident to happen. Okay…so he hoped for a lot of things.

"Perché lei si è sempre stato me durante l'attività sessuale?"

"Pourquoi êtes-vous plaindre si vous êtes sourire?"

"Fuck." G mumbled under his breath. Tsuna peered up, confused, and noticed the grimace across the older man's face. The key left his hand hesitantly, back in his pocket as he tentatively knocked on the door. Whoever lived inside didn't hear it.

"Mm. Cercate carino quando voi un sorriso."

"Huh. Ne vissez pas avec moi. Vous entendez quelqu'un à la porte?"

"No."

"Cover your eyes," G instructed. Tsuna blinked a few times, but noticed the pale grimace falling across the other's face. Doing as he told, he soon heard the jingling keys again and a hand wrap securely around his own. He was guided in.

"G."

"Giotto. Alaude." There was distaste in G's voice. He growled a little, and Tsuna was immediately tugged behind him. "Put some clothes on."

What? Tsuna moved his hand away from his eyes and peeked from G's arm. He clasped a hand over his mouth before a wimpy "Eek!" could leave his lips, and just about fainted. Two men were leaning over the counter, one blond and the other with silvery-white hair. The blond was bare, from head-to-toe, and was bent at an awkward angle, handcuffed with the oddest purple cuffs Tsuna had ever seen. The other was…was…Tsuna let out a girlish squirm and clasped a hand over his eyes. The other had his penis inside him!

"Not like it matters anymore," said one of the guys. "Looks like his eyes are no longer virgin."

"Fucktard," G muttered under his breath.

"This is stupid." An elegant sigh could be heard, followed by a shuffling of clothes. "Boss. Give those back on Monday."

"Got it."

"You can open your eyes now." G pressed a hand over Tsuna's wrist tenderly and pulled it away. The silver-haired man had redressed in an exquisitely wrinkled suit, and was headed out the door. G pulled the poor teenager away and made room for the said man.

The man halted for a second, staring Tsuna straight in the eye before he snorted. "You look just like him." With that being said, he left.

So this was Giotto's apartment. And if that man was leaving, that made him Alaude. Tsuna blinked, eyes lingering near the railing before Alaude-san's form could be seen entering his car and leaving. So if that was Alaude, then that meant…

Tsuna turned around and caught a flash of blond hair as his brother went into a room that was presumably his bedroom. G and Giotto slipped into a conversation, and more casually, in a different language that fit G's feathery accent.

He scrutinized the room, and how dimly lit it was. The lights conveniently turned on with a clap, G being its clapper. The living room had one bed (which Tsuna assumed was a couch) and a plasma screen across from it. Various bookshelves hung against the walls, and the floor was polished and woodened. Wow. For such a crap apartment on the outside, it was like a luxury on the inside.

"Is this Tsunayoshi?"

"Huh?" The young teenager snapped out of his thoughts and jerked to the source of the voice. Um, wow. He blinked a few times, gaze drifting back to G and the same question popped into his head: were all of the guys in Namimori just drop-dead gorgeous? Suddenly self-conscious in his dirty old jeans and sweatshirt, Tsuna shifted between his feet and refused to look into the crackling, fiery eyes of his new brother.

From what he could see, Giotto was sharp. His face was broad and gaze was overpowering. Locks of tousled blond hair pressed against Giotto's face, mixed with sweat and complimenting the fading flush across his tan cheeks. He now wore a robe that covered most of his body, but wow. Long legs. All two of 'em.

God, what was he thinking? Tsuna shook his head and gulped. He was ogling. His brother.

"He goes by Tsuna." G shoved both his hands in his pockets and leaned into Tsuna. The teenager took this into consideration and hesitantly met eyes with the tall blond.

Giotto stood as quiet as G. But from one glance, Tsuna knew that this man could have run an entire empire. There was a small twitch of the lip, before his brother reached out and palmed his cheek. From just that one touch, the poor teenager felt his body ignite on fire. "You have your mother's hair."

"Um." Tsuna mumbled softly. He awkwardly swatted the hand away and shrugged. "You have our father's—"

"My father's hair." Giotto muttered something saucy under his breath and turned his footing. G and he conversed again, lightly, before the expression across Giotto's face contorted into a small growl. "He sleeps on the couch."

"Giottoniisan—" Tsuna halted as a glare was aimed at his face, and shivered. "I mean…do you not have another bedroom?"

Giotto stared at him all too amusedly. "Why would any guest that slept over need somewhere else to sleep?"

Tsuna blinked. Red exploded across his face as he realized what the other was implying. Muttering something soft under his breath, and G smacked his face.

"Lights out in twenty. I trust that you've fed him already." Giotto looked over to the dulled G, and they exchanged looks. One was disapproving, the other just screamed: I don't give two shits. Tsuna gulped and fingered his mittens. "You're all cozied up. Couch pulls out."

G sighed. Apparently he was used to this. "You have to enroll him in school soon."

"I'm already enrolled," Tsuna said quietly. "I'll start in a week."

"Good." Giotto mumbled something else under his breath and G and he spoke different words to each other. Their accents matched their speech, so Tsuna assumed that they were just speaking naturally rather than excluding him. Or both. The conversation ended with Giotto sighing before he turned around to leave. "Tell Ugetsu I said hi."

The door slammed in both of their faces and the lights went off, leaving the lone candle sitting on the counter. G patted Tsuna on the back. "Good luck. You'll need it."

"What were you guys talking about?" he queried. "In Italian, I mean."

"You." G grimaced slightly. His hand went for his back pocket and held onto the lighter tightly before sighing. "Listen, just stay out of his way and he'll stay out of yours."

Story of his life. Tsuna nodded in agreement. "Okay. Bye, G-san."

The redhead smiled all too fondly. "Bye, kid."

There was an echo when the front door shut behind him. Tsuna was swept in the silence, staring at the door leading to his brother's room. He couldn't find the light switch, and clapping was too obnoxious, so his only vision was still the candle. With a chilly sigh, his eyes landed on the large couch. He pulled the sweatshirt off his head and held his hands to the band of his pants. Would it be rude if he slept like he normally did, in a t-shirt and boxers? Probably.

The teenager plopped into this new bed, curling into a ball and found the comfiest position to sleep in. It was only 9:39PM, according to his watch. At this time he would be calming Lambo down and trying to find the source of sugar that enticed his little brother.

No more of that. He was the little brother now.

Tsuna flipped around, legs sprawling to take all it could of the couch, and shut his eyes. Strangely enough, his foot was met with something…warm. It was odd warmth, and he actually sort of liked it. Until it squished, that is. He sat up, realizing whatever warmth it was had moistened his leg and reached for it. His hand met what was now stuck on his toe, and he froze. It was thin, and…stretchy. His hand traveled further, and something squished between his palms with a sickening squelch.

Oh dear god.

"Ee—!" Tsuna bit his hand to keep from screaming. There was a used condom on his "bed." And it was warm. He leaped out of bed, eyes darting everywhere until they found the bathroom, and slammed the door shut. Thankfully the switch for the lights was still there, and he dashed for the tub, shower nozzle forced 'on' and hot.

He panted from the exertion of energy and sighed in relief. His head hurt. But dear god. A used condom was between the couch cushions. And he thought it felt good. And they had sex in there! How did he forget that in an instant?

The shower now shut off, he stared at his drenched jeans and shirt, before leaning into the sink. He couldn't sleep in there. It was too dirty. Blinking away the tears that moistened his eyes, he crawled into the tub and curled into a ball. His hair squished against his head and he tightened his position to fit more of him in there. The bathroom was clean. The only place that was clean.

Tsuna sniffled a little, lightheaded and squeezed his eyes shut. Later he would have to call Enma and tell him he finally arrived.

Till then, this was home sweet home.

OoOoO

hapter three has sushi and octopus heads

Tsuna woke up still damp. He groggily rubbed his eyes, twisting his head into a better position when he realized just how awfully his ear throbbed. Where was he? The young brunet pushed himself off the tub, hand against the tile wall before remembering what had happened. He grimaced, eyes plastered to his violated foot. He found a condom. A used condom! That…that Alaude-san and Giotto used!

His head hurt.

The poor teenager decided that instantly as he stood up from where he was, shivering against humid air, and desperately sought his sweatshirt. His watch read that it was still early in the morning—five past seven. And he should have been cheering. After all, he wouldn't have to go to school for another week. But school would have at least kept him busy.

He wouldn't have to walk around a city he didn't know and get lost. Tsuna gulped, pulling at the strings of his sweatshirt as he finally pulled it over his head, and sighed. Leaning next to the counter, he realized he was very hungry. His eyes landed on the one door right in front of the kitchen leading to the only other room in the house. It was still closed, and Tsuna didn't have the raw nerve to go up and see if it was locked.

But wow. His eyes wandered everywhere, getting a better view of the apartment once light gleamed through the window, and couldn't believe a one bedroom apartment could actually look nice. Aside from the horrid condom incident, the couch was decent looking. Giotto's table was fancy and shiny, and he had a lot of pictures up. Some were of him and G, others were with other men he didn't know. The plasma screen hung eloquently in front of the couch, and the floors were sparkling. Even the fridge looked like it was imported!

Tsuna sat on a stool; suddenly feeling underdressed for the apartment alone, and watched. He arched a brow, eyes landing on the large fish tank near the window. He walked over, eyes glued to the two fish swimming around and the glimmering gems in the decorations. They actually looked real! Sheesh, how fancy could a guy get?

So far what he knew about his brother was he liked having the biggest things in the world and cramming them into an apartment smaller than Tsuna's shoe. He blew a bang out of his face and debated whether or not it would be a good idea to go shower. He didn't want to hog it, in an awkward possibility that Giotto would suddenly wake up, barge into the bathroom, and demand he left so he could bathe.

Naked and all.

Whoa, back up. Tsuna tensed at the realization he was thinking of his brother as the personification of the words, "Drop-dead Gorgeous." He reddened a little, shoving the thoughts aside and stood from his sat. It had been ten years since he'd seen his brother. It was enough to think of him as a stranger and if they weren't related by blood, it would seem pretty normal, right?

"Bah." He ripped the thought to shreds. No more! The thoughts would fade—not now, but eventually. Until then, he dug through his pockets in an attempt to find any change, and grimaced. Nope. He didn't want to rack up Giotto's phone bill if he was going to call across the country, either.

Tsuna sighed, deciding best to pull on his mittens for a long day of shaken nerves, and hugged Enma's bear closely. He looked around before finding stationary near the phone. Quickly, the brunet jotted down that he left the house and didn't know when he would be back. He tore the note and put it on near the kitchen sink. Hopefully, Giotto would find it.

If he left, that would mean Tsuna was risking the chance of not being able to get back in the house until later that night. He…supposed that would be okay. Tsuna awkwardly scratched his head, unsure of what to do. All he really desired was to find the nearest pay phone (with money, of course) and call Enma to tell him what happened the night before. But he didn't have a cellphone, so if he were to get lost, there was a possibility for Giotto to freak out on him.

He let out a deep breath before pulling on both canvas sneakers and making his way out the door. It let out an awkward creak, and was the only old thing inside Giotto's apartment, really. Once the teenager stepped out, he halted and looked at all of the apartments surrounding Giotto's. What the hell.

The paint was chipped, revealing grimy petrified wood. Windows were either very neat or insanely shattered and succumbed to mold. Tsuna awkwardly scratched his head, then looking to the stairs he'd taken in order to get to Giotto's apartment. They were filthy…and old and…um. How did he avoid that big gap last night? With a grimace and great reluctance, he gripped the sticky sap-filled railing and made his way down.

His first step was unstable. Tsuna delve into the ground and clung to the rail for great need before quickly running back in sanctity of Giotto's…front door. He locked himself out. Just great and dandy! Tsuna pressed a hand to his face, muttered something incoherent, and let out a heavy sigh. He could do this. Last night, he did it perfectly well and he was unaware of the fact he was climbing up the stairs to hell.

So, he just needed to pretend he was not about to fall to his doom, despite how pleasant that sounded at this very moment. Tsuna gritted his teeth, bravely trudging forward.

Before giving a free-for-all and running straight down the stairs so fast that the Shimon Middle School's track team would have been proud. Finally he made it to the end, and kissed the ground ever-so lovingly between pants.

"Oh dear God, please don't make me go up those freaky things again!" Tsuna let out a deep sigh and shivered in the autumn wind. Leaves fell in heaps. His gaze fell to the atmosphere given off by the apartments. Gates could be seen far off behind the apartment building. Looking over hedges, Tsuna could make out a dirty, yellow-ish pool that looked as if it'd never been cleaned. Many of the cars varied from large trucks to small vans.

He shivered, pulling at the strings of his sweatshirt until it seemed as though his hood would choke him. It was no Shimon, with the warmth of the Sawada Residence. His mother didn't as he trudged down the stairs, and Lambo's tirade wasn't something he woke up to. As his feet hit leave-stained sidewalks, he shivered. It was far too…quiet.

Tsuna always wished he could live in a place where he wouldn't have to deal with bullies. He longed for a place where he could go that would make him happy and he wouldn't have to deal with a kid brother who didn't know how to take care of himself, and he and Enma could relax like kids on TV did. The kids on TV didn't deal with bruises and blood on a regular basis, after all.

His jaw tightened, and he pulled the mittens over his hands before shrouding himself with the hood of his sweatshirt. Don't get him wrong. He loved his family. He loved most things in his life, aside from the bullying. It would be…nice. If Enma and he could enjoy life like normal friends and not have to worry about getting beat up. Luckily, he thought as he walked toward the front gate, he survived an entire night and had yet to get traumatized.

Well, other than the whole penis thing. Tsuna's fateful trek came to a halt. Discomfort pricked his skin, and he broke into a greatly needed run.

He wasn't the best at running, but it was when he did the best thinking. Tsuna pressed one foot in front of the other, feeling the burn shoot up his ankles, tension in his calves, and energy all the way up to his knees. He ran down the sidewalk until he turned directions at the first corner. Wind slapped his face, brushing whatever hair wasn't tucked behind his hood into his eyes. He blinked a few times in attempt to rid the obscurity in his vision.

So what he didn't expect was to collide headfirst into something. "BAH!"

"Hey! Kid, you alright?"

Tsuna landed on the ground, harsh on his bottom. He cringed, rubbing the bruise lightly, then cupped his nose, which felt like it'd run into something as hard as a brick wall. Looking up through his hair, his gaze was met with a bandaged hand. He took it and was immediately brought to his feet.

"Sorry," he murmured lamely. Breaking into an awkward smile, the teenager yanked the hood off his eyes and looked through clumps of awkward brown hair. "It was an accident." Please don't hurt me this early in the morning, he wanted to say.

The other guy was extremely tan. Tsuna noticed this immediately, and it was funny how his hair was white as snow. Or, he thought, still surprised, this guy had been soaking in the sun too long.

"That was some awesome running, man!" The other teenager grinned, pearly whites as bleached as his hair. Tsuna smiled humbly, nodding to this statement. He muttered a quiet 'thank you', assuming their conversation was over and tried to leave, but was blocked. "You've got some great talent! Are you in the same class as Kyoko?"

"Oh, uh." Tsuna blinked, astonished how far this guy would go in order to keep him here. "I just moved here. I'll be a first year at Namimori next week."

"My name is Ryohei Sasagawa, and I like to do everything to the EXTREME!" Truth be told, Tsuna thought it was highly unnecessary to scream that loudly into the air. Oh well; to each his own. "What's your name?"

"Tsuna." He nervously backed away as Ryohei punched a fist into the air. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Tsuna! What a great name!" Ryohei was loud. He shook Tsuna's hand happily, despite the uneasiness visible across the other's face. "Hey, you hungry? I know this great sushi place."

"But we just met—"

"Perfect! Let's go, I'll race you!"

Tsuna was left in the dust, mouth agape in utter speechlessness. Had he…just made a new friend? He did, right? Deciding not to question it, the teenager settled on a light jog, darting toward the same direction Ryohei dashed for. He looked to all of the scenery, realizing how far he'd really run since the apartment buildings weren't in sight. Stores stood tall and bricked, casually glowing against vibrant banners.

He halted, relaxing against the thick air, and took in the many scents. His eyes did all of the work, wandering and looking to the stores that wouldn't be open for another few hours. The teenager halted, picking up a leaf from the ground before twisting it between his fingers, and looked for the nearest sushi place.

This was…nice. Namimori seemed like the kind of town he would go to for spring break. If his only two choices were to stay home and go here of all places, he meant. His face paled, mind drifting back into Shimon. It took him fifteen years to adjust to life over there. If he was already as relaxed with Namimori as he seemed, could just a fifteen minute walk make him feel safe?

With a pleasant sigh, he shivered again despite the light autumn heat glistening against his face. Checking his watch, he made the quick note that thirty minutes had passed. At his old school, it would start in another hour. Enma was normally up by 7:30, and wouldn't get to the bathroom till about 7:50 because of his many siblings had to share two bathrooms. Two bathrooms, six siblings.

Wait. He stopped for a second and cracked a small smile. Even as far as they were apart, he was able to pick and point out every block of Enma's schedule. Could his best friend do the same for him? Well, maybe not. Normally by now Tsuna would still be asleep and be rushing to school five minutes before the gate closed. Looking overhead, he was able to spot a taller building. A flag stood out front, waving proudly, but it wasn't the Japanese flag. Maybe it was the school mascot?

Crack.

Tsuna paused. His head jerked to the side, sight landing on—whoa. Tall. He suddenly swallowed the large lump in his throat, head rising until it was met with a flurry of black hair and sharp eyes. The other teenager was dressed casually, yet gripped the baseball bat if he were a true professional. He watched the intensity with complete interest as it flickered between dark orbs. Sweat dripped down the long nose, and with a graceful jerk (so opposite, he knew, but there was no other way to describe it), the bat was swinging something.

Before it let out a rather ugly CRACK again as the teenager's hand bent crookedly and the equipment fell to the ground.

He winced, injured hand goading a curse from his mouth, but the teenager bit his tongue. Instead, he collapsed against the wall of Yamamoto Sushi, eyes piercing whatever was in their way, and wiped the beads of sweat dripping down his long nose with the same hand that seemed too broken only a few short seconds ago.

"You did fine." Tsuna blinked, having to double check himself to realize that yes, it was him who was talking. Red scattered his cheeks, darkening once those eyes looked up and narrowed straight at him. He laughed softly, awkwardly shoving both hands in his pockets.

"Do I know you?" The guy asked lightly despite what had just occurred. Tsuna gulped, taken aback by the sudden smile spread across the other teenager's lips. "No, haha. That's not possible. I know everyone who lives in Namimori."

"N-No, I-I…" Tsuna's brain was at a loss for words as he brought his hands up defensively. To defend myself from what? Deciding to drop it as sweat matted his forehead, the short brunet sighed nervously smiled. "I-I just moved here. My name is Tsuna."

"Tsuna, hm? How fitting, haha." The laughter was hollow, and despite the friendliness in his tone, it was obvious the guy wasn't up for a talk. His eyes darted elsewhere, head buried in one of his arms in frustration, and mouth upturned into a frown. A pregnant pause passed between them, and Tsuna gulped, shifting between his feet.

He took it as his cue to leav—

"Have you ever felt as if you're not worthy enough to live?" The other's dark baritone voice struck a nerve in Tsuna. The brunet kept his eyes glued to him, surprise that he was suddenly spewing his guts to a stranger. Somehow the baseball player didn't notice his discomfort, and continued. "Say you've been good at something for a long time now. All you've ever known is one thing, and then you even screw that up. And after that, you just get this big…big…what's the word?"

"Epiphany?" Tsuna clasped a hand over his mouth. He tensed as the teenager looked back his way, but the dark-haired boy only smiled.

"Yeah. You have a good vocabulary, Tsuna." He laughed lightly. "You get this big epiphany and wow. It's like…like you've spent so much time doing baseball, and when you break your arm, you try something else to pass the time, but realize you suck at everything else?"

"Uh." He was never good at baseball. He was never good at any sports, and was almost always picked last (because it really interchanged between both him and Enma). Shifting between his feet, he realized just how close he was to who seemed like a baseball protégé. "N-No."

It definitely caught the other teenager's attention. He looked up, eyes completely glued to Tsuna. "You must think I'm idiot."

"Oh gosh, I don't!" Was he being sarcastic? Tsuna fumbled with the tail of his shirt and ran a hand through his hair. With an empty-hearted laugh, his eyes fell to the ground. "Sometimes I think I'm not good enough, but it's…it's life, y'know? What I wouldn't give to be as tall as you, or…or…as strong as you. And a lot of times you find out that you have a lot of other talents. I didn't know I could knit until my mother put the needles in my hand, so…" Tsuna shrugged, ears redder than a tomato. "Maybe you need to find your knitting needles."

It was that gaze again. Tsuna couldn't fathom as to how it was able to get serious one second and then soften the next. A soft chuckle, more realistic than the others, echoed from his throat. "Thanks. I needed that."

"Did you break your arm over the summer?" Tsuna let out an unnoticeable sigh of relief. Wait. Did he just pee his pants? He gulped again as the other boy stood up, nearly a good seven inches taller than him. His teeth clenched in before his jaw had the chance to drop to the ground.

"During the last game of the season last year." His expression turned grim, studying the hand the brunet assumed was his bad one. He extended it expectantly. "My name is Takeshi Yamamoto, Tsuna. Call me whatever you like."

The only person he ever called by their first name outside of his family was Enma and his family. He first tried approaching Aoba-kun and calling him Koyo-senpai, but was immediately rejected. And…did G count? The older man himself was his self-proclaimed brother, so…

Takeshi Yamamoto must have noticed his discomfort. He laughed lightly, recklessly swinging the bat around until it was over his shoulder and grinned. "You can call me Yamamoto. We'll work our way up to Takeshi, haha. Do you want some sushi?"

Sushi. Why did that sound so…familiar? "Eek!" Tsuna's hands met his hair and he yanked violently, eyes widening in utter shock. "S-Sasagawa-san! I-I was in the middle of a race with him—gosh, what if he hunts me down?"

"Sasagawa…?" Yamamoto blinked in surprise. "Do you mean Sasagawa-senpai?"

"Probably! Yes! Gosh, he looked so strong, too, I'm screwed, screwed…so screwed…" Tsuna shivered, eyebrows furrowed and mouth open ajar in panic.

"He's inside eating sushi." With just that, the taller teenager's lips pulled into a grin. He directed the baseball bat near the door and guided Tsuna in. "So where did you move from, Tsuna?"

"Shimon." Tsuna smiled back generously, relieved that he apparently made a new friend—one who was also not going to beat him up. Hopefully. "I'll be attending Namimori High School next wee…where does he pack it all?" His mouth dropped in disbelief as the bleach-haired, tan, and apparent upperclassman came into view. Ryohei was hunched over a stool and sitting next to eight empty plates bigger than Tsuna's head.

The man in front of him greatly resembled Yamamoto—duh. Tsuna kept himself from smacking his head, reminded that the name of the same sushi bar was Yamamoto Sushi. His father owned the place!

"My dad and I own the place, haha." Yamamoto responded as if it weren't obvious. "We get a lot of customers. They prefer getting it from here, as well. Everything he makes is fresh."

Standing to the tip of his toes, Tsuna's eyebrows quirked with amazement. Yamamoto's father was as smooth with a knife as his son was with the bat—despite what Yamamoto himself thought. He snapped back to reality when his new friend patted him on the back.

"Pops! This is Tsuna, he's a new friend of mine. Do you think you could whip up some food for us?" A playful grin spread across Yamamoto's face and he lightly laughed. "Ryohei-senpai, he says he knows you."

"Wah?" Ryohei came to a dead halt, face stuffed as if he was a hamster with a mouth full of sunflower seeds. Had not been for how toned and glistening his muscles were, Tsuna would have immediately burst out laughing.

Instead, he bit his lip, and Yamamoto clutched his shoulder more comfortably. "Ryohei-senpai is going to be a second year at Namimori High when school starts. What about you, Tsuna? Are you going to Namimori Middle?"

"Wha? N-No." The brunet gulped, suddenly insecure about his height. He shifted between his feet, crookedly smiling and scratched his head. "I'm going to be a first year at Namimori High."

"Oh? Then we might have a class together. That's cool, haha." Yamamoto pulled him to the counter. All the while, Ryohei's gaze was glued to Tsuna's form. "When did you move here?"

"Last night." It was a whim of his mother's. Tsuna sat down timidly in the stool, feet dangling in contrast to Yamamoto, whose feet easily reached the ground in the stool right beside him. His stomach felt uneasy, and he couldn't help but worry about how utterly uncool he looked.

Yamamoto's father smiled benevolently and handed him a pair of chopsticks. "That's nice. Why don't you show him around, Takeshi?"

"I-I don't really…" The sushi looked amazing. Tsuna swallowed the seven liters of saliva that got a kick out of the food teasing his stomach. On cue, there was a loud growl heard from his belly, and red scattered across his cheeks. "…h-have m-money…"

"Oh, Takeshi's friends always get discounts from me." How could he get a discount if he didn't even have money! Yamamoto's father only laughed again, grin spread across his face in amusement as he patted Tsuna on the head like someone affectionately petting an animal. "But since this is my first time meeting you, I suppose it's on the house!"

"I can show you where Namimori High is. You'll have to go pick up your uniform, anyway." Yamamoto laughed again and stole one of the sushi rolls from Tsuna's first plate. "Eat it! It's good!"

"I don't really…" Like fish. But he was in no position to complain. Delicately observing his food, Tsuna tilted his head to the side and picked the sushi before allowing it to slip between his teeth. The taste of raw salmon, rice, carrots, and seaweed crunched between his teeth and—oh cripes. "It's good."

His eyes widened in amazement, and he quickly dipped the next roll in the wasabi-soy sauce mix casually let out between him and Yamamoto.

"Besh en ton!" Ryohei forced himself back into the conversation, but Tsuna's empty stomach only allowed him to listen to half of what he was saying. "Jis wuh weh I wagonna tek you!"

Tsuna froze. He offered a pleasant smile and ignored his intuition telling him: don't smoke whatever he's smoking!

"Eh, Yamamocho!" Like a real hamster (or more sickeningly, a snake swallowing a rat), the two large lumps of sushi that made the upperclassman's cheeks inflate thoroughly went down his throat like an obnoxiously large tumor. He grinned and gulped down what seemed to be his fifth glass of water. "This guy's really good! He was taking a morning jog and barely broke a sweat! We could use him on our track team and he could end up making it work like, to the extreme!"

"Oh? Were you on the track team in Shimon?"

"Wh-What? N-No, I…" Tsuna gulped down the last of sushi and stared at his empty late, eyes widened. Both were athletes. Why would they want to hang out with scrawny old him if he wasn't an athlete? His heartbeat felt as if it was on a track team and going a kajillion miles an hour. This wasn't right. The fact he was even here, socializing with the jocks that at his old school were reputed as his pimps and really, he was their bitch—was out of his comfort zone. Tsuna blinked, awe provoking his silence.

Cripes, what was he doing?

An hour ago he was freaking out because his brother had slept with a guy on the couch that was demoted as his bed, and found a used condom. He was pathetic, No Good Tsuna! How on earth did he end up in a sushi bar with an awesome baseball player and this…one guy he met while trying to run away from his problems?

There was a hand resting comfortably on his knee. Looking up, his eyes were met with Yamamoto's, who gleamed with concern. They sat there for a moment, with the compassion still radiating from the taller boy while misplaced fear throbbed in Tsuna's chest. "You don't have to..."

The hand was automatically slapped off. Tsuna held back a hiss, instead resorting to a quiet squeak, but looked up and was met with silvery hair. Wow. He blinked a few times in order to make sure his eyes were in proper working order. The guy looked very…familiar.

"Dammit, you fucking baseball freak," seethed the silver-haired teenager. "You had me waiting outside her house for a good thirty-seven minutes!"

"Ooh!" Ryohei-senpai broke away from his sushi, grin spread across his face. "You actually kept count of the minutes, Octopus Head?"

"She had a fucking cellphone, alright? Dammit, we're going to be late now! I'm all with her and you're…" Octopus Head's eyes grumpily darted to Tsuna. The shorter teenager cowered in his seat, utterly mortified. He was like an explosion ready to go off at any tie. "You're here trying to pick up middle schoolers! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Yamamoto smiled softly. This was casual behavior? "Sorry, Hayato."

For a brief moment—and Tsuna meant very briefly—he could see the ribbon of red splash across the so-called Octopus Head's face. It was immediately replaced by a scowl, and a harsh punch was designated for Yamamoto's jaw. It looked like it could have been easily dodged, but the tall teenager stood firm. What the hell?

"Who the fuck," Octopus Head hissed, "gave you permission to call me by my first name?"

"Haha, we've known each other so long, I figured I would get away with it." Yamamoto rubbed the back of his head, grin spread across his lips. "You're welcome to call me Takeshi whenever you want, haha."

Ryohei bellowed alongside Yamamoto's father. "You've known each other for eight years! Don't you think that's enough time to call each other by your first names?"

"Hell fucking no. It's Gokudera, and it will always be Gokudera because that baseball freak doesn't have enough brain function to comprehend anything else. Say it with me, you nut. You know what the word 'comprehend' mean?" Now named, Gokudera crossed his arms rather arrogantly before jerking his attention back to Tsuna. "Why are you hitting on some poor, innocent kid?"

"M-My name is Tsuna S-Sawada." Well, wasn't he just a happy firecracker? Tsuna gulped upon instinct, chopsticks clacking between his fingers. Yamamoto noticed this immediately and pushed his hand to the plate, smile full across his lips.

"He just moved here from Shimon. On the track team, too." Wh-What? When did he give that impression? Eyes widening, Tsuna looked over in alarm, but Yamamoto was on a roll. He laughed lightly and stood up from his seat. "I'm giving him a tour of Namimori. Do you want to join us?"

Gokudera's eyes narrowed at them heatedly. His gaze kept switching left and right; from Tsuna and Yamamoto. Finally he scoffed, eyes darting away. "Fine."

"I-If you guys already had plans…" Tsuna shifted in his seat with uncertainty.

"It's fine, silly. Haha, I like making new friends anyway. Pops, thanks for serving my new friend. Ryohei-senpai," Yamamoto smiled genuinely and shifted his attention to the teenager who had gone back to eating. "Would you like to come with us?"

"Naw tenks!" Ryohei wily grinned, beaming like an idiot more than he was before. His eyes fell onto the short brunet himself. Tsuna could have sworn he winked. "Have fun keeping up with them, Sawada! They're like fast, to the extreme!"

"Tch. Moronic Turf Top." Gokudera scowl before turning his head.

"You ready to go, Tsuna? Haha."

"What? Yeah." Tsuna smiled nervously and slid out of his seat. He followed the taller teenager and failed to miss the tension forming across Gokudera's demeanor as he watched the action. Their eyes quickly met before the grouchy teenager's eyes widened, caught in the act, and turned away. What was that about? With a sigh, Tsuna stopped in his tracks behind Yamamoto once they were out of the bar, and ducked his head to the ground. "Y-Yamamoto, I…"

"Mm? Tsuna?" The taller turned his head and looked down. "Is something the matter?"

"I-I'm…not part of the track team," he stammered, heart beating loudly in his ears. "I'm sorry."

"Huh. Well, I guess that was just an assumption on my part, haha." Yamamoto laughed lightly, hand behind his head sheepishly before he gestured to Gokudera, who stood a few feet away. Grinning, he arched an eyebrow. "But it's a big compliment if one of your upperclassmen thinks you have potential. Why don't you go to tryouts next week and see what happens?"

"W-Well that's just it." He wasn't an athletic person. He was a weakling who always got beat up, and the second school started his new friends would realize just how lame he really was. "I don't think…"

"Tsuna, haha. There's no shame in trying. And I'll be your coach if you want, how about that? Haha. You can give me pep talks about baseball and I can prep you for the track team, alright?"

"B-But, I'm not…!"

"You're not good at baseball either? Hm, that could be a problem. I'll just teach you how to do that too." Yamamoto grinned sweetly and petted him on the head much like his father did. He lowered himself until they were close to the same height and muttered, "I'm sure you're better at pep talks than Hayato is, anyway."

Hayato…? "D-Didn't Gokudera-kun say you weren't allowed to call him that?"

"Well, he can't tell me what I can and can't call him in my head, now can he? Haha." Yamamoto pulled away, and the strained smile Tsuna had seen when they first met reappeared across his face. Like Gokudera, the expression only lasted less than a second before he slapped an arm around the brunet's shoulder and pulled him closer. "Alright, anything else?"

"W-Well…" Tsuna checked his watch and his heart sank. He sighed. "Never mind."

Yamamoto arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Y-Yeah." With an awkward smile, they caught up to the straight-lipped Gokudera. He looked over his shoulder, both the direction opposite of where they were going and where his new 'home' supposedly was. He would just have to call Enma later.

OoOoO

"You are such a fucking clutz."

"Aw, haha. Be nice, Gokudera."

"Sorry," Tsuna murmured softly. He groaned, spitting bits of sand that had gotten trapped between his teeth and groggily looked up. With a sad sigh, he realized that his ice cream cone had hit the dirt and was crushed into a hundred pieces. "Double sorry."

Running a hand through his hair, he couldn't believe he was, just as Gokudera said, such a clutz.

In less than five minutes, the rocky road ice cream Yamamoto insisted on buying him left his hand and hit the ground all because he tripped over the curb. Before he knew it, said teenager hoisted him up and back on his feet. Tsuna stumbled, looking to the ground in defeat. Just for once, couldn't he do something right?

"No sweat, haha." Yamamoto only smiled and gestured to his own ice cream. "We got the same kind. Would you like to share?"

Red scattered across Tsuna's cheek. Any nicer and he would have felt like Yamamoto had been taking him out on a date. "W-Well, it's your ice cream, and it's not like I really have the right to…"

"There are germs, you fucking moron. After he took a dive for the dirt, that's once kiss no one would want to see." Gokudera balled his fist, sternly ready to punch Yamamoto in the arm. He would have succeeded, had he not paused in the midst of it and look away like it was no big deal. Was it just a coincidence the arm he was close to punching was also the one Yamamoto said he broke?

Tsuna blinked, tentatively taking a lick of chocolaty goodness. He swallowed it, engulfed in a silence. Neither Yamamoto nor Gokudera were talking to each other, but they also didn't look comfortable. Yamamoto had taken him left and right, gesturing to different stores and other landscapes. Afterwards he paid for a ticket (again, making Tsuna feel like he was on a date) and took him near the riverside where most people apparently hung out.

Despite how modern baseball seemed, Yamamoto's tastes were far different from what Tsuna could imagine. He liked relaxing, calm, and serene. There had been a baby on their way to the subway, and he came up to the mother in an effort to help her. Almost immediately, the baby was lulled to sleep, and the goofy smile across Yamamoto's face simply widened.

Gokudera-kun, on the other hand, was loud. Rambunctious, grouchy, irate, grumpy, and a scary…well, smartass. Tsuna gulped, tugging at the end of his sweatshirt so it met him mid-thigh, and refused to look up at the same guy that had been leering at him for the past seven hours. Where Yamamoto was calm and silly, Gokudera was irrational and pissed off. It'd be a miracle if Gokudera ever smiled.

"You should quit smoking."

"Why."

It wasn't even a question. Tsuna gulped as he watched the conversation between Gokudera and Yamamoto. They settled for a park near a nice pond. Sunlight gleamed against them, slowly drifting into the sky as it mixed into a warm yellow. 5:37PM.

Tsuna sat obediently on the jungle gym next to Yamamoto, who idly swung a bat in one hand and licked their shared ice cream in the other. God, he hadn't felt so much like a girl since Lambo spontaneously wanted to play dress-up with him. With a soft sigh, he leaned back and felt an odd sense of warmth. Yamamoto was different from the other athletes he was used to hanging around. It was almost awkward, really, to stand next to a guy twice his size and not expect to have the living crap beaten out of him.

"Smoking isn't healthy for you." Yamamoto scolded lightly, eyebrows furrowed and mouth turned into a crooked frown.

"You're only saying that because my damn woman thinks the same fucking thing."

"I'm happy if you're happy, Haya—Gokudera. But you'll be happier with her if you and she get along, don't you think?" The taller teenager shifted, and a soft creak could be heard under them. Tsuna instinctively clutched onto Yamamoto's bicep to keep from falling, and was given a look of confusion.

Tsuna reddened and pulled his arm away. "Sorry."

"S'fine." Yamamoto smiled lopsidedly, but the brunet could tell this wasn't a conversation they wanted some outsider to drift into.

"Um, Yamamoto?"

"Yeah?"

He didn't want to be the third wheel. Particularly, he didn't want to be the third wheel to two people who were arguing more than an old, married couple. Smiling uncomfortably, Tsuna tilted his head. "I know I-I've spent your money all day—"

"Tsuna, the only money you've spent of mine is for a subway ticket and ice cream. Haha, that's less than five hundred yen!"

He would have been more relieved if his mother hadn't taught him never to borrow money if he knew he positively couldn't pay them back, and the fact Gokudera was in front of them, eyes rolling so loudly Tsuna could feel it on the side of his head. "D-Do you think I could borrow some money to call a friend of mine?

"Less than a hundred yen." Yamamoto quirked an eyebrow, breaking into a small smile before he reached for his wallet and gave the shorter boy the money needed. Tsuna sighed with relief, making a mental note to find a job—like, quickly—before the next time he and Yamamoto came in contact with each other.

Looking over his shoulder, he was quick to see Gokudera shove the butt of his cigarette into the dirt before lighting another. They met gazes, and looked away, one discomforted and the other very grumpy. Tsuna slid off the jungle gym, money in hand, and left them to their conversation.

"Could you be a little nicer?"

"Could you stop acting like his fucking lover?"

Looking over his shoulder, he saw that neither Yamamoto nor Gokudera moved from their spots. Finally out of hearing range, he yanked at the strings of his sweatshirt and ventured toward the only phonebook located in the park.

"What fucking took you so long to call, Sawada?"

He blinked, staring at the phone since it only rang once. He was on a public phone, so… "Aoba-kun? How did you now it was me?"

"No kidding, dipshit. You're the only kid your age who doesn't have his own personal communication device!" Tsuna nervously scratched his head and rocked between his feet. He didn't want to point out the last time he checked, Aoba didn't know how to spell communication.

"Can I speak to Enma?"

"Stop getting your panties in a wad, I'm just trying to create conversation!"Why did Aoba's enthusiasm remind him of someone else? From his end, Tsuna could hear as his upperclassman take in a deep breath before—"ENMAAAA. GET YOUR DAMN ASS DOWN HERE AND TALK TO THE PANSY YOU THINK IS A FRIEND!"

Tsuna cringed and pulled the phone away from his ear. Lovely family. Luckily when he put the phone back against his ear, a new person was there to greet him. "Hello?"

"Hey Enma." Tsuna smiled softly and sighed in relief. It was the first time in what felt like an eternity that he felt safe around anyone. Looking back to where his new friends were, he saw that Gokudera now had his back turned to Yamamoto and the other teenager was begrudgingly swinging his back. "I meant to call you yesterday, but—"

"You just got there and it was late at night. It's fine."

"No, it's not." Nerves swelled in the pit of his stomach as he fumbled with the phone. Tsuna leaned into the booth. "It's crazy over here."

"You sound fine. Like you haven't been beaten up yet."

"I haven't. Have you?" There wasn't an answer. "Enma?"

"I'm used to it."

Freaking…of course Tsuna knew he was used to it. The brunet resisted the urge to beat his head into the glass screen and nervously shifted. "I want you to come here. During the holiday I mean, or…or your birthday. Or my birthday. Mine's coming up soon, isn't it?"

"Two months." There was slight comfort in Enma's voice, and the brunet knew his best friend was smiling. "I'd love to come up there for your birthday. Meet your brother and stuff."

"God, it's torture." Tsuna confessed. He sighed softly and ran a hand through his hair. "He um. Well, he's not the nicest guy around."

"He can't be that bad. He's related to you."

And it was that one little sliver of reasoning keeping Tsuna from taking his pants off. He shivered, self-consciously embracing himself and fumbled with his elbow. "He's gay."

"I see."

"W-Well…"

"Tsuna, that's the best common ground you could ask for."

"How can I talk about it with someone who I practically see as a stranger when I can barely talk about it to my own mother?" Tsuna's voice climbed seven octaves before he loosened his grip on the phone. Red sparkled across his cheeks. "Sorry."

"You've only been there for a day, Tsuna. You'll get used to it eventually."

"I met someone." Tsuna scratched his palm and suddenly smiled. G was to Giotto as Enma was to him. "He reminds me of you."

"Pathetic and wimpy?"

"N-No! He's uh, a redhead." That was stupid reasoning. He blushed and shifted between his feet. "He's really nice. Oh, and your teddy bear is fixed."

"Tsuna, I can barely keep up when you jump from subject-to-subject."

"S-Sorry."

"I'm glad you got it fixed though."

"Me too." His lips parted into a delicate smile. The brunet held the phone tightly, remembering all too easily how comfortable Enma made him. It was a good thing that they were friends. Really good. He would have loved it if Enma were able to come to Namimori; to see how nice Yamamoto was. Having his best friend by his side would make everything all the better. But he didn't want to face Giotto. He sighed softly. This fear for his brother had lasted ten years, even when Giotto was at the back of his mind. Asking was way out of the line.

"I could ask my mother if you could come for the weekend."

"Oh, uh, I can't. School starts next week, so I have to pick up my uniform and get used to everything. How about the weekend after that?"

"Shitopi-chan and I have to work on a class assignment that weekend."

"Oh." That was unexpected. Tsuna rarely went more than a day or two without talking to Enma. He barely went an hour. Scratching his head, the brunet's ear awkwardly waited on the phone for further instructions, but found none. "I guess…we'll just have to ride it out. I miss you already."

"Yeah." Enma breathed into the phone. "I miss you too."

"I'll call you first chance I get." Smiling softly, he clutched the phone tighter. "Love you. Bye."

"You too. Bye."

With that done and over, he heard birds singing in his head. A blissful sigh left his throat, and he stared at the leftover change before exiting the phone booth and returning to both Gokudera and Yamamoto. They had stopped talking altogether, and were staring in opposite directions. Great. Gulping, Tsuna looked up. "Um, Yamamoto? I hate to bother you again, b-but it's getting late, and…"

Wait, how would he even know Giotto was home?

"Oh? Alright." In an instant, the smile was back on Yamamoto's face and he slid off the jungle gym with perfect grace. Tsuna backed away in order to keep from getting hit by sand. "You coming, Gokudera?"

Gokudera grumbled something under his breath. He shoved both hands in their pockets and they walked to the subway in silence. It would be a fifteen minute ride in the subway and who-knows-how-long walk to get back to Giotto's apartment.

"So how did you break your arm?" Tsuna clasped a hand over his mouth when he realized he realized what he blurted out.

Yamamoto and Gokudera had stood up and used the hangers, leaving Tsuna squished between two adults. The dark-haired teenager looked down, forced out of his contemplation, and smiled softly. "I'd been training too hard for it. I guess…my mind wasn't focused, haha. I ended up colliding into a tree—but my endurance is built up. It didn't hurt too badly."

"I'm so sorry." The brunet's expression softened grimly. "A-And When did you start dating your girlfriend, G-Gokudera-kun?"

The silver-haired boy sneered icily. "Why the fuck would you want to know?"

"J-Just curious!" Tsuna squeaked and brought his hands up defensively. Despite the massive height difference between Yamamoto and he, Gokudera was far more intimidating than the baseball player. "Y-You seem h-happy and…all…"

From the corner of his eye, he could see the expression on Yamamoto's face flicker, changing a little with minor discomfort. He acted like he didn't notice.

"Fucking nosy cheeky-assed brat," Gokudera hissed.

With a flinch, they continued their subway ride in silence.

As it turned out, Tsuna hadn't hurt Yamamoto's feelings too much. And he was beginning to realize wherever Yamamoto went, Gokudera followed like a lost puppy, despite the irate scowls and snappy comments. Tsuna had broken the silence again once, with Yamamoto, to ask how the track team was despite his preference not to try out. But the taller teenager had gotten so happy about it, one warm smile broken across his lips,that Tsuna couldn't resist.

He gulped as Yamamoto casually mentioned hurdles. Hopefully they were going in the right direction. The Namimori Apartment Complex sign shined omnisciently in the moonlight. Gokudera was the one to halt, blinking in sudden surprise before they continued. Tsuna failed to notice Yamamoto giving the silver-haired teenager a knowing look before Tsuna froze in front of the stairs.

He.

Did.

Not.

Want.

To.

Go.

Up.

There.

With a sigh, the teenager hesitantly put one foot in front of the other and disliked the creak he could hear. Unfortunately, both Yamamoto and Gokudera were determined to completely escort him home, and they stood parallel to Giotto's front door. Tsuna raised his fist to knock, but didn't get the chance.

"Tuo fratello non è ancora a casa! Perché non sei preoccupato?"

Gokudera crinkled his nose. "Is this your apartment?"

"I-I'm living with my brother," Tsuna murmured softly. From the sounds of it, he had a feeling that G was over.

"Then your brother's wondering where you are." He highly doubted that.

Tsuna looked up in curiosity. Yamamoto explained it. "Gokudera's half Italian."

"Stop urlare. Noi non siamo sposati."

From the looks of it, whatever Giotto responded with was absolutely hysterical. Gokudera broke into the first grin Tsuna had seen all day, amusement written across his face, but he was too scared to ask why.

With a deep breath, the brunet knocked on the door. It whirled open, barely missing the chance to slap Tsuna in the face. The teenager let out a girlish squeak before he was met with large, frustrated red eyes and a crimson mop of hair. G bit his cigarette between his teeth, scowling just like Gokudera had done before he let out a sigh of relief.

"That's where you were." G's mouth shut into a straight line before he looked to both Yamamoto and Gokudera. He arched a wary eyebrow. "You made friends."

"Yeah." Tsuna gulped. He was doing too much of that today.

"It was fun, Tsuna. How about we hang out, same time tomorrow?" Yamamoto broke into a smile, softly chuckling before turning to the stairs.

"Yeah…yeah, that'd be great." A sigh of relief left the brunet's throat and they said their goodbyes. G ushered him inside, disapproval written across his face.

"You had us scared half to death!" G muttered a curse under his breath and slammed the door in aggravation.

Giotto rolled his eyes. "You had him worried half to death." That being said, the tall blond stood to his feet, long legs beautiful as usual before he strutted to his room and slammed the door behind him.

Tsuna sighed. Nothing's changed, he supposed. G didn't seem the least bit surprised, but didn't appear angry, either.

"You hungry? I know a good sushi place."

"Uh, sure." He broke into a smile, ready to leave the house as soon as possible. In the furthest part of his mind, the brunet suddenly realized he hadn't taken a shower since the day before, and he also needed to find a way to call Enma.

But, he thought as G reluctantly smiled back and opened the door to the path of his car, his anxiety could wait. Food came first.

chapter four has couches and compromise.

"You're late again."

"Oh, uh. Sorry." Tsuna snapped out of his thoughts, slowly hearing the door creak as he shut it behind him. Two days had passed, going by much faster than he anticipated. He now had a habit of waking up close to seven and had been using the bathtub as a makeshift bedroom. His stuff was by the couch like it had been since day one.

He would simply wake up in the morning, grab a new pair of clothes, and head out the door to the sushi bar. Somehow after a day of smelling like old sushi and wretchedly embarrassing body odor, both Yamamoto men insisted he showered at their place. Yamamoto insisted on being his friend, which followed with a pouty Gokudera. He would never understand why the silver-haired teenager despised him so much—other than one theory, but he refused to test it without the proper equipment and in walking distance of a hospital.

Hard eyes stared at him and a golden blond eyebrow was arched. Giotto's mouth fell open crookedly and he only rolled his gaze. He looked to the deck of cards that sat on the table before sighing.

Tsuna stood there awkwardly, shifting between his feet and debating whether or not to peel off his shoes and find somewhere to sit. Only three other people could be seen crouched over Giotto's coffee table. He could recognize one as G, who cocked a brow the second he walked into the room before hesitantly returning to the game. One of the men strangely reminded him of Ryohei-senpai, and the other of Yamamoto himself.

Leaning over the kitchen counter, Tsuna squeezed Enma's teddy bear in his sweatshirt pocket. He'd been out for the past few nights because he spent the time talking to said redhead on the phone. His main goal was to get a stable job before going to school—he and his brother could live as two civilized people sharing one apartment. If he had to pay Giotto in order to prove they didn't have to have some cliché brotherly bond, than he would.

He was so deep in thought that he barely registered the obnoxious snap of a beer can. A mop of red hair caught his eye before he looked up. G smiled softly and leaned against the kitchen sink. "What's up, kid?"

"I'm finding it really hard to hate him." Tsuna blew a bang out of his face before he paused.

G arched an eyebrow. "Your brother?"

"What? No. I could never hate him!" Brown eyes widened in surprise at even the mention of that. Red flourished across his cheeks and he violently shook his head. "O-One of my uh…friends. Gokudera-kun."

"You're kidding." G chugged down what seemed like over half the can. Fortunately for Tsuna, his tolerance level was a lot higher than that natural scowl implied. "You've been with your brother for days. I'm with the guy—I'm his fucking co-partner, Tsuna. And I keep more tabs on you than your brother does."

"W-Well, I-I…" Speaking of tolerance levels… Tsuna gulped and ran a hand through his hair. It wasn't as if he couldn't handle it. Social isolation was all it was. Once he moved in with Giotto, it was as if his entire life changed. His social life wasn't out to kill him, and the life he led at home had stunk of a murderous intent than all of the mafia bosses on TV combined.

He liked his social life. He liked the fact Yamamoto was willing to listen to everything he said, despite his hesitation toward it, and he was convinced Enma actually talked more since they couldn't face each other. Giotto was like his bully and Yamamoto was like his mother. It made sense. Kinda.

With a soft sigh, Tsuna leaned into the kitchen sink and wryly wondered if he could sneak a sip of G's alcohol. "He's just a little weird."

"Oh?" G set the can down for a moment.

"I don't really know. I mean…I think…" God, this was hard. Tsuna's face twisted uncomfortably as his mind lingered around the subject of one Hayato Gokudera. The green-eyed teenager was a ticking time bomb—and had a very short fuse. He spoke somewhat kindly of his girlfriend, even though Tsuna had yet to meet her, but acted really protective of Yamamoto. He first assumed it was because they'd known each other so long, but the way Gokudera actually went at it…

Reminded him vaguely of when Aoba-kun beat up a guy for making a move on a girl he liked. A lot.

B-But sexuality was a really sensitive subject. Tsuna refused to bring the subject up whenever it came to Yamamoto and Gokudera. They fought back and forth like an old married couple, and it didn't take a genius to realize how head-over-heels in love Yamamoto was in for the guy. He hoped. Tsuna scratched the shell of his ear. Love wasn't particularly a subject he was good at talking about.

"Your brother will come around." Wait, what? G thought they were still on his brother? The redhead only patted him on the head like a small puppy before a smile spread across his face. Maybe he was a little drunk. "Bought you a burger. Same place as always."

"Thanks. Oh, G-san." Tsuna looked up, eyes widened with curiosity. "Do you know if there are any places around town that are hiring?"

"What do you need the job for?" G arched an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Um, stuff." To call Enma and pay back Yamamoto for insisting to take him to places that required money. Shifting between his feet, Tsuna hid his hands in his pockets as red scattered across his cheeks. He smiled gently and shrugged. "I just want something to occupy the time with."

G blinked. "You are a sixteen-year-old kid with a dickhead of a brother who's richer than all of Japan combined. Why the hell would you need money?"

"To occupy the time. F-For the accomplishment and…stuff…" The poor brunet's voice trailed off and he looked to the ground. He didn't want to admit his fear of Giotto to Giotto's best friend of all people.

"I'll look around." Unfortunately, it seemed as though the older redhead man could read straight through him.

Reddening a bit, Tsuna muttered a thank you and noticeably passed the room in order to feed the fish. Despite how pretty the inside of the apartment looked, it was small. The teenager assumed that before he came into the picture, Giotto would normally eat out or eat on the couch next to his lovely big screen TV. There was only one bathroom, one bedroom, one living room, and one kitchen. All of which were horribly small and too cozy. He felt eyes observe his every body movement before an irate G demanded they played something else.

And he desperately decided not to pay attention when they all decided on some declaration of strip poker. Luckily Giotto stopped them, mumbling something incoherent under his breath before they decided on normal poker.

Somewhere through it all, Tsuna was able to entertain himself with the fish. He would perk occasionally when the phone would ring, but it only lasted twice, and none of the men bothered to get it. He wanted to make a mad dash for his bathroom-bedroom, but didn't want to humiliate Giotto in front of his friends.

So he decided to name the fish Girlsname and Boysname, because one of them was pinkish and the other was blue. He had a blue blanket when he was born and was certain baby girls had pink blankets. He poked the fish tank occasionally before leaning back and sitting on the floor. The teenager was so enthralled by his successful names that he barely registered the door shutting for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

The lights shut off, and he heard the door shut again. Finally. Sighing, the teenager stripped of his sweatshirt—

"We need to have a talk."

"Eek!" The same garb was stuck over his head. He wrestled out of it, weakly flailing in order to get it off before a strong pair of hands forced him to stand still and yanked the sweatshirt across the room with ease. Honey-like eyes ignited with a curious allure, lips still put into a frown. Tsuna gulped and looked to the ground as he forced the red to stay away from his face. "I-I'm sorry."

"Why." For even being born? For interrupting an apparent poker night with Giotto's friends? Wasn't it obvious? Giotto grabbed him by the arm and forced the young brunet on the couch. "You act like I'm going to kill you."

He wasn't far from it when they were little. Tsuna's eyes fell to the glass coffee table as his hand clutched his scarred abdomen. "I'm not going to get in your way."

"It's like you're not even here with how early you leave."

"Why does it m-matter?"

"Because I'm smarter than the average bear." Tsuna bit the inside of his mouth in order to keep himself from laughing. The blond stood parallel to his brother, eyes half-lidded and mouth pulled into a disapproving frown. "Curfew is ten."

Eh? "I-I always come home around seven though."

"Good. Then you're already following one of my rules. Don't look at me like that." How could he not look terrified with a man who had years of practice in looking so calm? Tsuna gulped, hands clasped together where his sweatshirt pockets would normally be. Instead, he wadded his hands up like a prisoner. "You make it hard to hate you."

Funny. He was having the same conversation about Gokudera with G not too long ago. Maybe it was genetics.

"I'm serious." Giotto crossed his arms, but the apathy did not leave his demeanor. If anything, his face became more somber; more directed at Tsuna himself. "You probably think I think—'damn, I'm stuck with this stupid brat for his first year of high school.' And I did. Still do, to an extent, but you go out too much. You're not allowed to leave the house until I wake up. That's about 8:30AM, understood?"

"Th-That's when school starts."

"Then for the rest of the week, you're not allowed to leave the house until I wake up. You can do whatever the hell you want when school starts—so long as you're back by curfew," Giotto added wryly. He arched an eyebrow at the unsettling demeanor plastered across the young teenager's face. "You always leave early, come back late, and I've not once seen you in this household between dawn and dusk.

"You don't look like the type of boy who would leave the house and not give a crap what happens—I would know this because you leave a note near my phone every morning.

"You stammer when you talk, and you look at the ground whenever I'm talking to you—like you're just some pathetic lowlife that doesn't deserve to be born. And you sleep in my bathtub." Giotto arched a wary eyebrow and gestured to the couch. Tsuna gulped. He noticed? "Is something wrong with that couch?"

"U-Uh…" It was a pressing subject he was able to avoid. He hadn't actually thought about it until Giotto forced him to sit on the couch.

"Well?"

"I-I found a condom." Tsuna's face reddened. He wadded the tail of his t-shirt up into a ball and looked to the ground, utterly embarrassed. "I-It was a used."

"…oh."

An awkward silence followed. The teenager's bare foot hit a stable part of the table, and he yelped in pain. Hesitantly looking up, he was met with Giotto, who was frozen in the same stance he had been for the past twenty minutes. Red dusted across the blonde's cheeks cheeks, eyebrows raised until they were melded to his forehead, and lips crooked flusteredly.

Giotto wasn't some cool, suave king who thought he could get everything he wanted. So he really must not have expected those words to come out of Tsuna's mouth.

That alone was enough to dumbstruck the young brunet. He picked at the couch cushion before stopping; fearing he could end up finding something else that belonged to Giotto—and to Alaude-san.

Giotto mumbled something under his breath, but Tsuna was too scared to ask. Instead, the blonde shifted his attention until their eyes were glued onto one another. "I'm your guardian for the time being."

"I-I…I know."

"We don't have to like each other," Giotto muttered pensively, "but we have to get along."

"A-Are we going to do some…b-brotherly bonding?"

"Of course not." That being said, the blond immediately tensed in his form. He threw his head high in the air before rolling his eyes and strolling toward his room. When the door shut, Tsuna immediately took it as a sign their conversation was over and he was free to sleep in the bathtub—until the door opened completely again, and the older man revealed a pillow and duvet.

He chucked it at the teenager, eyes glimmering with the same mystery from their first meeting, and rested nimbly against the door frame.

All the while, Tsuna stared back before he tentatively wrapped himself in the comforter like a caterpillar in a cocoon. The lights shut off again and he hesitantly scooted his pants off until they were at his feet. His eyes rose until they met Giotto's gaze.

Amber eyes flickered in the moonlight. "We'll get a new couch tomorrow."

A new couch? He opened his mouth, tempted to ask why not just get a bed so he could sleep in, but remembered how tiny the apartment really was. There would be no extra room to put it in. Either Giotto already realized this or he was still absorbed in his own little world about who Tsuna really was. Still… "Thank you."

It was the fire in Giotto's eyes. It flickered, one strong flame against the other as they looked out to Tsuna. They were the best qualities in the man. Little did Tsuna know, they would become more enticing with months to come. With a light nod, Giotto replied. "No problem."

The door shut behind him as they respectively separated. Tsuna twisted around in his cocoon, feeling almost sorta kinda like he was at home.

OoOoO

Tsuna still woke up earlier than Giotto. He couldn't fathom why, but assumed it was because he wasn't used to his surroundings just yet. Despite the exhaustion causing his head to ache, the teenager immediately darted from the couch and looked around in mild curiosity to remember where he was. He checked his watch, quick to note that it was only 7:31AM, and rolled out of bed.

Before loudly falling into the floor with a horrible squeak.

The teenager clasped a hand over his mouth, surprised he had done something so stupid before completely getting out of his shell. He sighed and softly rubbed the bruises that dare formed, but noticed he had gotten comfortable with the couch.

Soon he could only swallow harshly and nervously paced the room. Giotto would not wake up for another hour. He looked around the apartment in attempt to find something to do, but couldn't decide as to what.

Finally Tsuna hopped onto the couch, nestled tight in his couch cushions and decided to see if he could fall asleep again.

What he didn't expect was for a second later for the door near the foot of the couch to open, and a mess of blond hair to fall out. He caught his breath, caramel eyes looking through the pile of blankets in surprise. Giotto's eyes were squinted, unused to the glimmer of a good Tuesday morning. He smoothed out the wrinkles in his robe, looked over his shoulder at the mound known as his brother, and preceded to the kitchen.

"I know you're awake." Unlike before, Giotto's voice was a mumble. It was barely audible, but held some fiery strength significant to the young adult's features. He tore open one of the cabinets, and Tsuna took idle time to sit up in bed.

How did he…?

"Do you have a question?"

Tsuna gulped. His entire body automatically tensed and fingers dug into the comforter, but it wasn't…comforting. Giotto's tone was directed at him; no one else. Despite an early morning grouch the adult appeared to be, the same curiosity still glimmered in the jewel of amber eyes.

His face turned pink and he shrugged. Giotto only pushed further. "Well?"

"H-How..." Tsuna whispered softly. His voice was suffocated by the awkward tension passing from brother to brother. "How did you know I was awake?"

"I just did." Giotto's accent was barely there. The brunet faintly wondered whether or not if by will if the blond was able to make it appear or disappear. In a skeptical breath, said adult muttered something in his feathery native tongue and arched an eyebrow. "Do you want to turn on the TV?"

Which really meant, Could you do something about this awkward silence? Tsuna nodded quietly and reached for the remote under the coffee table. He began flipping through the channels before settling on cartoons.

"You can raid my fridge anytime you want."

"Oh, uh. Okay." But he wasn't feeling parched. From the corner of his eye, he could see Giotto arch a golden eyebrow, but decided to ignore it.

"You can use my shower," Giotto continued in his soft tenor, "any time you want, too."

"Wh-Who says I don't shower?"

"My light ears and how fast the door slams." The adult remained rather composed while embarrassment was written all over Tsuna's face. Still, altogether, it was surprising how his brother could do a complete one'eighty and be the one trying to strike a conversation. The thick tension between them was all too suffocating against his nerves. "You scream a lot."

Tsuna was silent to that. He looked to the screen, pretending to be enticed by all of the talk of arcobaleno, babies, and some wimpy kid who reminded him faintly of himself who didn't want to be a mafia boss. Scratching his head, they continued in silence as Giotto's soft clicks of whatever he was doing in the kitchen. Hesitantly, he slipped out of the couch with far better grace than he had all morning, and went to his luggage.

"You sleep in your boxers." It was a statement, not a question. The brunet was getting a lot of that nowadays.

Heat pressed against the hairs on the back of the brunet's neck. He swallowed softly and noticed that indeed, he had slipped out of his pants before he went to bed. Somehow he was swept in the moment but…it was no big deal. He hoped it wasn't. Giotto at that very moment was in his robe, and was probably in the same exact thing.

Unfortunately it caused the blood to rush to his face more than necessary, and he stole one last glimpse to the man preoccupied with making breakfast for himself to notice. Forcing the zipper to his suitcase open, the teenager pulled out a pair of fresh jeans, clean underwear, and whatever else would be necessary for his survival. Quickly blinking, he paled as he realized he was down to the last pair he'd packed for his trip. He would need to do his laundry before the next time he changed his clothes.

That wasn't good. Tsuna's eyes rose to Giotto, who stared at him expectantly.

B-But he couldn't ask to go to the Laundromat. He couldn't just waltz over there, ask for money, and have clean clothes. Softly biting his lip, his eyes fell back to the bag before he stopped yet again. Was it polite of him to impose and ask for a tow—?

"I have five towel sets." Giotto cut him off as if he already knew what the problem was. He leaned over the kitchen counter, amusement and irritation both visible in his orbs. "They're under the sink. Now stop being such a worrying pansy and take a shower."

"Al…right." Tsuna's eyes doubled in size with surprise. He slowly nodded yet again before stalking off to the bathroom and contemplated whether or not to lock the door. Then shook his head. It was like Giotto insisted last night; it had to come down to compromise, and he couldn't let every decision affect him strangely. With a soft sigh, he locked the door and turned the shower nozzle on.

Clothes were shed into a small pile in front of the tub—a habit he'd grown up with in order to keep the floor from getting wet. With that, he hopped into the tub and did his thinking.

He went two days without showering, originally. The first night he arrived at Namimori and the day after. Once the day was over and their friendship was established, Tsuna shyly made his way to Yamamoto Sushi for the second morning, and Yamamoto was the one who insisted he use the taller teenager's shower. It was something about Yamamoto, which made the young brunet both relieved and worried.

Their meeting wasn't one he expected. After all, the guy was so hard on himself when it came to baseball. From what he now knew, Yamamoto aspired to be a professional baseball player ever since the age of four, so it was a hard loss. Still. Peering up to the white ceiling, Tsuna could only fold his arms and contemplate. His broken arm didn't make sense—how could someone who had such a good record in the past suddenly have one screw up—a very simple one, no doubt?

It was strange. Yamamoto was able to be all smiles when it came to the shorter teen, but was intense when it came to Gokudera-kun. That same intensity was what caught Tsuna's attention when they first met each other. What was it about Gokudera that drove him over the edge? And the silver-haired teen in return…they were like lovers who just broke up with each other.

Bah. Tsuna shook his head against the droplets of water trickling through his hair. He oddly ran a hand through a tangled mess. It wasn't his business to butt into. His thoughts then shifted back to his brother. Everything about his brother was wrong.

Well, not everything. But majority ruled.

All of the rules were common rules. From day one, Tsuna expected Giotto would want to act as if their relationship hadn't changed over the past ten years: separate from each other. Each boy had their own life to worry about, yet the blond was acting as he should; a guardian. Ten o'clock was a sensible curfew. Wanting to know where Tsuna was at all times was sensible.

Having sex with your boyfriend over the kitchen counter and acting like it wasn't anything was not sensible.

To this, the teenager could only redden. His mind somehow concluded that his brother was a sex god waiting to get laid. He shut his eyes, shivering in an attempt to push the thought away, but the more he beckoned for peace, the more begrudgingly his mind shoved the thought he found his brother attractive in his face.

It was just a simple matter of blood, after all. But ten years was long enough time for neither to remember each other, and they never established such a bond. He softly gulped, a cold chill running up his spine as he thought of what he'd seen…that night…and this morning. Disheveled blond hair, smooth and eloquent peach skin…long legs that put a flamingo to shame.

He swallowed again, head resting against the tile wall. A shudder passed through his body, down between his legs and he shut his eyes tighter, halfheartedly trying to get his mind to shut up. The other half of his chest was throbbing, hypnotized by alluring, crackling eyes and a pair of tight lips that never seemed to judge.

Crud.

Tsuna's eyes burst open, cheeks flourishing from a flustered red as he quickly flipped the nozzle and let cold water slap him in the face.

Crud, crap, shit.

His eyes landed on the shameful arousal that decided to incapacitate him. They were supposed to bond emotionally, not…physically. He waited in the shower, shivering at the beads of cold water that shot against his hot body, and sighed in relief as it went away.

The teenager quickly jumped out of the tub and was bluer than the towel he chose from under the sink. He curled his entire body into it, still shivering, and sat there for what seemed like hours, but only lasted a few minutes. With that in mind, he slowly redressed himself, grabbed the pile of wet clothes near the tub, and walked out of the bathroom.

Giotto's face was the first thing to greet him. Unintentionally. Tsuna gulped as the young adult was crouched over the couch eating a bowl of cereal. Right beside him was another bowl, and Tsuna assumed it was for him.

He crawled onto the couch, body both cold and hot at the same time, before numbly sitting on the edge of the couch. There was a silence between them, and Tsuna quickly remembered what was between his hands. He shoved the wad of wet clothes in his bag and went back to the couch.

His brother sat there, still staring at the TV before he asked with light amusement, "You have my permission to brush your teeth."

"…" Red scattered across the teenager's face. He crawled back to his bag, stole his tooth brush, and scurried back to his only sanctity. Shutting the door behind him, Tsuna wiped the light fog away from the mirror and brushed his teeth without any problem.

When he returned to the living room, Giotto seemingly disappeared. He blinked, before sliding his sweatshirt over his head and finding safeness and warmth in his gloves. He slipped both mittens over his fingers and collapsed on the couch, where he proceeded with eating the rest of his bowl of cereal.

Giotto then appeared, and he had to gulp—harshly—as he saw the man for the first time, fully dressed, head held high, and very…clean. Tsuna looked back down, red blazing his ears, and could only tense when the same sparkling gaze caught his own.

In a suit.

Giotto was in a suit. Regal, aggressive, and domineering. Despite the contrast of physical appearance—groggily meshed blond hair, peach fuzz and scantily dressed in a short robe barely covering his butt (but then again, the guy also had some pants on, so he supposed it wasn't too raunchy)—it was still held with the same intimidating serenity as Giotto was perceived with.

He was too ashamed to admit that Giotto was standing out just as he did the first night; very drop-dead-y and gorgeous. Gulping down the last of his cereal, he quickly checked his watch and noted that it was only 8:37AM. According to Giotto last night, the man barely woke up at this time. He picked up both dishes that were now only puddles of milk and went to the sink, where he immediately washed them and set them aside.

"Responsible kid," he heard the blond murmur. Giotto's nimble fingers easily fixed the tie around his neck before he looked up, eyebrow arched. "The weather it's seventy-three degrees outside."

"Yeah." Tsuna stammered. His entire face ultimately ignited, fighting against his urge to just drool at the man. After all…hormonal attack, much? Ridding his forehead of any sweat, he reached for the dish rag (or what he assumed to be) and began drying the dishes. It was then that he noticed the rest of the dishes, and grimaced. When was the last time Giotto had done some housework?

With Nana's blood running through him, his first instinct and priority to clean all of them. All the while, Giotto stood there and Tsuna wouldn't dare look him in the face.

"Stop."

He kept washing the dishes, hands under hot water as they continued scraping off food-stained plates until they were squeaky clean—

"Stop." This time, Giotto grabbed his arm. The gesture was gentle, but also very firm. Tsuna snapped out of his forced distraction for a brief moment, caramel-chocolate induced eyes were surrounded by the intense warmth and embers of Giotto's own. He caught his breath, halting from involuntary movements—inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Giotto, according to his best friend, G, was one who rarely showed emotions unless there was a problem. The closest to an actual temper tantrum that Tsuna assumed he was going to get was impatience.

And Giotto was one person who looked rather bothered by his notion. Tsuna snapped out of his thoughts, realizing that what he was doing was perfectly fine. "I was just washing the dishes."

"You don't have to clean up my messes." There was more to what his brother was saying than hinted. He thought, anyway. Tsuna blinked, and for a brief moment Giotto seemed to have been facing inner turmoil before he shoved the hand aside and ran a hand through his golden tresses. "We're going shopping."

As in, Giotto and he together? He thought of every possible word in the dictionary, and faintly regretted not devoting his life to the study of Webster's Thesaurus. He opened his mouth to speak, but could only form one rather odd sound from the bottom of his throat. "…hiiiee?"

"I said we were going to get a new couch." One pretty eyebrow was cocked before the adult professionally buttoned up his single-breasted pinstriped suit. "And…" Before he said anything further, the man only sighed with frustration before taking long, cool strides to the front door.

Tsuna gulped and took it as his silent cue to follow. Whatever Giotto was about to say was left in his mind, and the door was opened. And he remembered how damned he was, having to walk down the retched steps to hell.

A soft groan left his throat and the adult didn't have to think twice before he turned around, crisp orbs at the corner of the slits of his eyes with an arched eyebrow to boot. Red flurried across Tsuna's cheeks, but unlike him, the adult trudged down the steps with no true effort, car keys in hand. Tsuna gripped the sticky railing, one trembling foot casting to the next step before the other.

Sweat matted his brow despite his efforts to clean himself up, and he resisted all urges to collapse to the ground and kiss the dirt. His attention was then taken away to a high-pitched beep.

Then his jaw dropped to the ground.

Despite the fact he probably should have been used to it—and he meant reallyused to it—Tsuna was held-over-heels in love with the gorgeous Ferrari in the parking lot, parked perfectly under autumn shade. Giotto didn't spare him a second glance before he hopped into the vehicle and started the engine.

Not wanting a repeat of G and his Maserati Spyder, the young teenager shyly opened the door to the passenger seat and buckled himself in. When he looked up, the blond adult was still staring at him. Amber eyes quickly turned to the road, and that was the end of it. He pulled out of the parking lot without any complaints, and they approached seemed to be the first to be on the road.

Until Giotto made a sudden jerk, and from the corner of Tsuna's eye he saw a blue car nearly a yard away from them going the opposite direction. Giotto swerved, twisting the wheel for the life of him, and the startled teenager gripped the car seat for the life of him.

The car skidded in one direction, and the screech of tires hissed in Tsuna's ears. Finally they calmed down, on stable road with Tsuna as pale as a bed sheet.

Wh-What just happened?

From the corner of his eye, he saw the serene demeanor leave Giotto's face, and a scowl in its place. But…Giotto…wasn't the type of person…who let his emotions get the better of him…was he—?

"You fucking dick of a dipshitdouchebag!" Giotto opened the window and tossed his head out the car, anger burning darkly in his orbs. "You want a piece of this, you shitheaded asshole? I should shove your fucking steering wheel up your ass if you think you can drive your shittycar down my damn lane!"

Another string of curses left the blonde's throat, language ranging from heavy Russian, spicy Italian, dirty English, saucy Spanish, et cetera.

Tsuna sunk in his seat.

Today he learned that his brother had hectic road rage and a colorful vocabulary most pirates would kill for.

OoOoO

"He's crazy."

"Well—"

"Enma! It was a whole ten minutes of driving just to get into the city! And the entire time, he was muttering all of these curses under his breath and yelling at the other drivers! He's totally, completely, and utterly a maniac! But, but…he dresses so smooth and is so primp and cut and you wouldn't expect it, but, but…gah! He hurts my head!" Tsuna clutched said cranium, squeezing locks of chocolate hair between his fingers before he took in a breath and shut his eyes.

It was quite possibly the longest ten minutes of Tsuna's life. The image he held so respectfully of Giotto of being a collected and disciplined was immediately warped once Giotto was put on the road—he had a creeping suspicion that the man normally did not drive himself, especially when Giotto answered G on his cellphone and told them they left the house early.

Giotto had left the car, grumbling about speed demons on the highway while Tsuna stumbled out. They walked for about an hour in crowded streets (too crowded to drive in, noted the brunet with relief) before Giotto brought them to a fine-looking furniture store. The teenager followed his brother like a lost puppy before being shooed away and suggested to play video games or something. Five hundred yen was deposited in his hands before Giotto pushed him out of the way to do his own work.

Tsuna decided to spend all of it to call Enma during his lunch break. Luckily the redhead had his own cellphone (one that was severely and only used in emergencies) and he could call without worrying.

"At least you guys are talking."

He paused for a moment and realized he didn't recognize the way Enma was croaking rather than murmuring. Tsuna clutched the phone tightly between his fingers, frown worked across his face. It was hard. A week before school started in Namimori and he unexpectedly gained some social life, so calling his best friend was almost the last of his priorities.

The teenager missed being able to talk to his redhead friend face-to-face. He missed the one-on-one time; the uncertain smiles Enma would break into when Tsuna did something goofy. But Giotto was trying to be the one to compromise. Giotto wanted them to be on good terms with each other (something that shocked Tsuna because he swore the blond wanted him dead). If he asked, maybe Giotto would even let Enma come up for his birthday.

"Are you okay?" breathed the brunet. His caramel eyes flickered with concern, and he rested his head against the telephone line.

"I'm fine." They both knew it was a lie. Now that the bullies lost half their merchandise, they probably ganged on Enma twice as much.

With a horrid sigh, Tsuna ran a hand through his hair and cursed the fact he wasn't able to see his best friend. "He um, just is a little rough around the edges. I didn't expect him to be so…pensive, but terse."

"Tersely pensive. Must make for great conversation."

Red scattered across the young teenager's face. Truth be told, their fullest conversation and only conversation would have been the one they had last night when establishing ground rules. Again, he hadn't expected for his brother to suddenly have an interest in him. And it was the only time the condom was ever brought up—hopefully ever.

With that grim thought in mind, Tsuna tucked his free hand in his sweatshirt pocket and glanced over his shoulder. Giotto had the type of hair that made him visible for miles. It took less than a second for the teenager to lock onto his brother and watch the calmness of Giotto's demeanor contrast to his bratty attitude.

Funny. During that entire car ride, Tsuna felt a pull toward the adult. He tugged at the strings of his sweatshirt and looked up to the ceiling. The silence was awkward, and every time he opened his mouth the older man would turn his way expectantly and patiently. Which was weird. He wasn't sure if he liked it, but it wasn't like he disliked it.

"Tsuna?"

"What? Oh, sorry." Tsuna blinked through his stupor, red crossing his cheeks. "Um, how's your family doing?"

"Fine…" The redhead's voice sent chills down his spine with its level of crumbling. Enma's meek voice faded into a soft sigh. "I-I have to go now. Lunch break is almost over."

"Aw, alright." Tsuna clutched the phone tighter and rocked between his feet. "I'll call you when—"

"B-Bye, Tsun—"

A long, monotonous tone replaced Enma's voice. Brown orbs doubled in size, caught off guard. From the background he had been able to hear some rustling, but they couldn't have really… "Enma? Enma!"

Too late. Gone. He muttered a soft curse under his breath before slapping the phone in front of him and leaving the phone booth. He shouldn't have called Enma. He should have waited; waited until he knew Enma would be at home and reachable. Whoever was there could have jumped him from behind and it was all his fault if his best friend got hurt!

"Cripes," he sighed. His body wandered back into the store, mind on autopilot with all focus on one person: Enma, Enma, Enma. The boy had never been a talker. He never spoke, never did anything wrong, and always looked to the ground like he was a pathetic low-life. When he first found out about Enma's family life, he hadn't been far too happy. They were six, and neither knew the meaning of it. When they hit twelve, it became all too clear and from that point on Tsuna made it his duty to keep the boy safe. How he could he protect his best friend (despite his scrawniness) if he was all the way in Namimori?

His thoughts came to a halt and the teenager collided nose-first into his brother.

"Eek."

"'Took you long enough." Giotto's voice tingled in his ears. Looking up, Tsuna vaguely noticed the height difference between the two of them. Giotto was nearly a head taller, but not as tall as Yamamoto. The man held a cellphone between his fingers, and he arched an eyebrow. "You were hugging that phone for the life of you."

"Oh. Sorry I spent all your money."

"I gave you five hundred yen. That's not spending all of my money." The conversation was left at that. Giotto had murmured something about the couch showing up at their doorstep tomorrow morning, but Tsuna was too deep in thought. He had a feeling the blond sensed something off with him, but was being too nice.

They took a turn for the car, Giotto carefully navigating him in the right direction in order to get to the car. Once they got there, Giotto snapped and told him not to get into the car. Instead, the back hood was popped open, and the teenager's mouth fell in surprise. Giotto took out his grimy old bag, along with a bag full of other clothes—when did that happen? His backpack was then dumped into the other heap of clothes.

The blond gestured to the many buildings without glancing over to Tsuna, and they continued silently.

"I-I don't have any money to—"

"I'm your guardian." The older sighed. Tsuna decided best to keep his mouth shut, for it sounded like his brother had lamented for the umpteenth time. The finally got to the Laundromat, and the blond spoke pleasantly to the old lady up front. They went to the back where an empty washer and drier could be seen next to each other before his brother eyed him again. "Separate or together?"

"Together saves money."

Somehow that only irked Giotto further. The man rolled his eyes, obviously irritated by Tsuna's silly insistence to save him money. He ripped the bag open along with two different washers and began separating their clothes. A pile of what appeared to be a mix of suits, whites, t-shirts, and a heap of jeans. The brunet opened his mouth to speak—shouldn't you separate your delicates from your casuals?—but decided not to bother. He contemplated going over and helping Giotto sort out their laundry, but was too afraid he would be denied that privilege.

Privilege. It made him sound like he was devoted to some bountiful honor to do his own laundry. Rolling his eyes, Tsuna wandered to the bench and sat patiently while Giotto decided to go through his…things. Red flashed across his face, but he was too meek to bother. Instead, his hands fumbled for Enma's teddy bear. He sat it on his lap, delicately playing with the flower adorning its head. What had that girl…Uni named it?

"Rossella." The name alone made him think of red roses. Red roses made Tsuna think of Enma's hair, which was layered like petals. He turned it in his hand, softly squeezing the bear. A soft sigh escaped his lips, and he checked his watch. It was barely past 12:30PM.

Enma was done with lunch, doing who-knows-what, and probably returning to class with Shitopi. He shivered at the mention of his friend's sister, and hugged the bear tightly. Examining the thread sewn precisely to fix the head, Tsuna confirmed that it was not a likely chance Rossella would be ripped to shreds again.

"We need more rules."

"What?" The brunet looked up, genuinely surprised at the flicker in amber eyes. Giotto's mouth was turned into a crooked frown, hands stuffed eloquently in his pockets. Tsuna swallowed a large lump in his throat and sat erect in his seat. What did he do now?

"Does your mother let you shower at home?"

"E-Eh…? Y-Yeah…"

"Does your mother let you fix breakfast for yourself?"

"Uh…"

"Let me rephrase that then. Does she let you touch the refrigerator, or do you need to ask?"

"Sh-She lets me…"

"And do you have to ask to shower, or does she just let you?"

"I-I go by myself…"

"Do you hesitate at home and quit before you're about to do it, or do you just do it?"

"U-Uh. Depends."

"We're stuck with each other for nine long months." Amber eyes narrowed at him distastefully, brow arched and arms crossed. "You understand that, correct?"

He didn't particularly like the way Giotto had said the word 'stuck.' It sounded too blunt. Truthful. Reality-esque. Cringing at the high demeanor his blond brother held above him, Tsuna could only nod and look to the ground in defeat.

"While I don't want you to unpredictably invite some of your friends over and throw a wild party," Giotto muttered in his soft tenor, "I don't want you to sit on the couch and debate whether or not to turn the TV on. And if you find yourself going to the bathroom in the middle of the night having to contemplate whether or not you may urinate too loudly, then be aware you've crossed the line."

Tsuna reddened. He wasn't particularly interested in discussing his urinating, as Giotto put it, with his brother. He looked to his shoes in attempt to keep himself distracted. "Anything else?"

"Too selfless. I'll tell you if you grind my gears." Giotto's hand twitched, and he hesitantly brought it out before casually petting Tsuna on the head. "Trust me."

The brunet gulped. His scalp tingled to the light, feathery touches of the older man's fingers. With a soft shiver, his hands curled into the seat under him and he nodded. "I trust you."

The hand quickly went away, and they stayed there in their own silence. All around them, washers and dryers were spazzing and accomplishing their assigned jobs while Giotto's eyes only gleamed with a captivating allure. Sweat matted Tsuna's brow, and he awaited the question he knew was on the tip of the blond's tongue—Are you okay?

Instead, it wasn't asked. Giotto sat beside him, suddenly enticed by a caller on his phone and for a whole forty minutes they sat in peace. Tsuna stood up once, popping what leftover change Giotto had given him for the supposed arcade in front of the furniture store into the coin deposit of both dryers. He sorted out what was delicate and casual before flinging a wad of their combined delicates in one pile and casuals in another. It wasn't hard. The only thing 'delicate' that Tsuna owned were his pair of mittens, and they were tucked safe in his sweatshirt pocket.

All the while, he ignored the fact Giotto's eyes were prodding his backside. Red scattered across his cheeks at this fact, and he shut both dryers before obediently taking a spot next to Giotto. Their thighs touched. Both recoiled and scooted away from each other.

He stole a glance at the pithy blond, then played with Rossella. A soft smile spread across his face.

After the laundry was done drying through an hour of awkward silence, Tsuna raced to the dryer. Despite the fact Giotto insisted he be more selfish, he wasn't one who let another do something for them without paying back. He stacked the clothes as his mother would do, organizing them by importance before tying the bag.

Giotto stood in front of him, eyes glued to his form. Red burned the poor brunet's cheeks until he realized Enma's teddy bear was between the other's grasp. The blond handed it to him without a word and pulled out his keys. "Time to go."

Oh dear god. "C-Could I drive?"

"You have your license?"

"I have my permit." It was a hard debate. He didn't want to end up wrecking a gorgeous Ferrari, but he was closer to death with Giotto and his hell-bent driving competency, or there lack of.

The blond only arched an eyebrow, lips tightened straightly before he grabbed the trash bag full of laundry and tossed Tsuna the keys.

Surprisingly enough, the two boys made it home both alive, and pirates wouldn't fear them. Tsuna made a flustered mental note to call Enma sometime that night to tell him maybe, just maybe living with Giotto wouldn't be as bad as he thought. So long as he did all the driving.

chapter five has teachers and bullies.

"Did you just get home? I'm going out."

"What? Uh, yeah." Red scattered across the brunet's cheeks and he squeezed the teddy bear in his sweatshirt. Come to think of it, his sweatshirt was the only thing he didn't get a chance to clean while they were over at the Laundromat. If Giotto noticed, then he didn't bother to tell him. As soon as they got back, they'd separated whose laundry was whose and Yamamoto kidnapped him in order to pick up their school uniforms ("Haha, we were supposed to pick them up three weeks ago! Do you think they'll still let us in? Haha.") and after sorting everything out with a very angry (and scary) head of the disciplinary department, Gokudera joined them for ice cream.

It was nearly a quarter to ten, and he was face-to-face with a very annoyed Giotto. Tsuna hugged the wad of school clothes tightly in his free arm before peering up with his chest pounding nearly twenty-five thousand beats a minute. "I had to make a phone call to a friend."

Giotto examined those words differently as he pulled the blazer of his pin-striped suit over his dress shirt. "I see."

"Are you going somewhere?" Tsuna asked softly. Through all of the hustle of trying to get a new couch, he had all forgotten that school would restart for him tomorrow. Before today he was used to waking up as one occupant in a small apartment and leaving and going as pleased. Sort of. But it would be the first time he was alone in the adult's house without any supervision. "To…Alaude-san's?"

With a rigid halt, those amber eyes narrowed at him, eyebrows pulling together and mouth opening to a crooked grimace before Giotto continued. For a brief moment, Tsuna could have sworn he saw a blush. "We don't talk about my sex life in this apartment. New rule."

Tsuna blushed. "Don't you mean love life?"

Giotto was glowing, but irritably. "We don't talk about my relationships period. Understood? That's another new rule."

"S-Sorry." Tsuna shifted between his feet and hugged the wad of clothes tightly between his arms.

"Don't apologize if it doesn't seem sensible. Actually, don't apologize period." Again, Giotto's light tenor tingled in the brunet's ear. His voice was quiet, but very much brusque. Taken aback by such a request, the teenager only gulped and nodded. "I'll be back later tonight. There's some burger in the fridge you can eat."

The one he was supposed to eat the night before, but their confrontation caught him off guard. Along with that, he'd eaten sushi for the umpteenth time. Nervously smiling, Tsuna nodded. He had no chance to say another word as Giotto barged out the door and slammed it behind him. Soft creaks of steps filled his ears before fading, and the poor boy was left alone in his brother's apartment.

"Goodbye," he muttered softly. Tsuna looked over to the couch that would be replaced in the morning. Both the duvet and a pillow were meshed together in a small heap. The dishes were cleaned, floors were spotless, and even the bathroom looked decent. Everything was in place; all but the comforter. He first turned the TV on in order to rid them of the silence, but five minutes of Pokemon caused him to die of boredom.

Straightening out the school uniform, he casually placed it on the floor next to his bag of clothes. He took off both his sweatshirt and pants, rolling them up into a ball before squishing them as dirty laundry and cocooned himself with both the duvet and pillow. Tsuna had already eaten. He filled out a daily routine easily, like he would back home. But home had his best friend, baby brother, and loving mother.

This wasn't home.

OoOoO

Tsuna woke up with a fright. Yawning softly, he checked his watch and confirmed that it was only ten past seven. School didn't start until 8:30AM, so he had the choice of going to bed for another hour. Instead, his mind had other plans as he rolled off the couch, grabbed his new uniform, and locked himself in the bathroom in order to shower.

Nerves were eating at his chest. He would be going to school again. M-Maybe he was overreacting just a tad bit, but…He softly gulped, index finger running down the small scare at his stomach, easily hidden if his pants were hiked high enough. But it wasn't like anyone would see it.

He nervously shifted between his feet, snapping out of his thoughts long enough to brush his teeth and stopped himself from turning the shower on.

"…And if you find yourself going to the bathroom in the middle of the night having to contemplate whether or not you may urinate too loudly, then be aware you've crossed the line."

His cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. Quickly jerking at the knob, water spewed out of the nozzle and he shed the last of his clothes before hopping in. He lived here now. With Giotto. Together.

And he darn well best get used to it. The teenager pulled the shower curtain, suddenly noticing how unbearably small the tub itself seemed, and thanked luck that he was small enough to fit like a puzzle piece. The bathroom was clean, shiny, and magnificent.

Except for the soap scum and fungus that could be seen between tiles. "Eek—!" Tsuna shifted, heart thumping against his chest as he scooted closer to the mossy-looking curtains. Oh by the Gods…Nana would never let her house get so overturned by this much filth.

Come to think of it, Tsuna thought as he pushed a bang out of his eye and rinsed his hair with some odd shampoo-conditioner mix, Nana did a lot for him. She cleaned, cooked, nurtured, and did all of the housework. Twice, when Enma slept over. And he slept over almost once a week. The woman did a lot for him.

"I should buy her something for mother's day," he muttered softly. The brunet suddenly snorted, casually rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his bare chest. Once he got a job, that is.

And school would be crud.

Nono, it'd be crap.

Scratch that. Shit. Tsuna nervously fumbled with the beads of water beating against his chest (he knew he was only prolonging the inevitable, but the more minutes he wasted, the more inviting the beads of H2O seemed against his body) and shut his eyes. He'd rinsed, lathered, and repeated. What he hadn't done was think of how uncool Yamamoto would think he was after today.

He sucked at school work, was horrible in gym, was so much of a pathetic loser that his nickname was 'No Good Tsuna', and got beat up a lot. The only thing he was apparently good at was running, and Tsuna only had one definite direction: away.

Turning the shower off, the poor brunet suddenly felt very cold. He grabbed a towel from under the sink, buried himself in cold warmth, and squeezed the water out from large brown tufts of poofy hair.

Yamamoto was his only friend. G-Gokudera-kun was sort of his friend too, he supposed, but the guy hated his guts. And Enma was across the country. With a soft groan he quickly dressed himself and brushed out any wrinkles from the night before. His hair was clean, teeth were brushed, and his feet…well, they looked fine.

But his pants were too loose. Tsuna softly cursed, pulling at the waistband in order to see how large the gap was between his waist and the khakis, before leaving the bathroom. It wasn't too large, fortunately. But there was no time like this where he wanted to be a girl—a girl with curves and hips that could fill the uniform better instead of an uncomfortable breeze sticking to the brunet's body whenever he walked because of the different size.

With a sigh, he could only roll his eyes before quickly grabbing Rossella from his sweatshirt, along with his mittens. His eyes wandered to the kitchen, searching for the cabinet filled with cereal that would satiate his stomach.

Despite Giotto's earlier claim that he could be crossing the line in his desperate attempt to stay on his brother's good side, the brunet couldn't help but feel the opposite. He slung the backpack over his shoulders before filling both of his canvas sneakers and halfheartedly shrugged. According to his watch, it was only a quarter to eight, which was long enough for him to grab a bite at Yamamoto's and see if he could use their phone to call Enma.

After all, he mused as he thought of what he could tell his best friend, how many kids got to say they were able to repeat the same school year—um, that year? Softly laughing, he snapped out of his ministrations as he realized he'd taken a comfy spot on the wall. His hand twitched as steps up the stairs could be heard, and paused. Had Giotto not come home last night?

Ever since coming back to the house, the teenager thought slowly as he eyed his elder brother's room, the door had been closed, even when the blond left. He said clearly that he would be home sometime late at night, if Tsuna called correctly.

S-So did Alaude-san…h-hold him up or something?

Red scattered across the teenager's cheeks. He had amble time to contemplate this, as the knob fidgeted, jingling as keys were forced through the lock. As the door opened, clumps of disheveled blond hair caught his eye. Tsuna swallowed saliva harshly as if it were a large lump piercing his throat. The elegant young man entered his apartment, fiery eyes rather calm and serene while his lips were tightly pressed together.

Until heated eyes made contact with sweet caramel-chocolate. Narrow lips parted, somewhat surprised but also visibly not, and a blond eyebrow arched. "You're leaving early?"

"Once I wake up I can't get back to sleep, so…" The brunet was rolling back and forth on the balls of his feet. Tsuna shrugged, shoving his hands nervously into the small pockets of his uniform. Why was he getting into this conversation, anyway?

"Uniform looks fine."

"Um, thanks." Scratching his ear, Tsuna looked to the ceiling in a pathetic attempt to strike up a conversation. Unfortunately, so had not happened and Giotto stood there, blocking the path down to Yamamoto's house while the tension was so thick that it, overdramatically put, could have been cut with a knife. "Did you go to Namimori High, too?"

"I graduated in Italy."

"Why do you look so sweaty?" Tsuna clasped a hand over his mouth and cursed his natural tendency to blabber when he was nervous. The brunet internally slapped himself, but the image was oh-so bluntly shoved in front of him. Giotto's hair was tousled, face was stained in a feverish pink, and tie was undone. Buttons were fumbled, clumsily sealed together in a wrong position, and even the man's pants were on in some untidy way.

If it counted for anything, Giotto was wearing a black vest, long slacks, and a purple dress shirt. Last night he left in a pin-striped suit, which just so happened to be curled into a wrinkled wad under his arm.

Giotto raised an eyebrow, but the pink across his face only deepened. Tsuna looked to the ground, unsure of what he could say to ease their…predicament. But the fact his blond brother was blushing was kind of…nice. Heck, that meant he was human.

So instead of making Tsuna feel more like an idiot than he already did, the same blond man swapped subjects. "Your pants are too big for you."

"The entire uniform is too big for me." Tsuna grimaced as he straightened the tie. He pulled up his pants, suddenly aware they were sagging at his hips. His ears perked at the sound of metal clanging, and suddenly, a rather unmanly squeak left his throat. "Wh-What are you do—"

"Belt. Duh." The way Giotto spoke was actually kind of playful. Casual, as if he were talking about the weather. In one nimble yank that would make strippers jealous (in Tsuna's eyes, anyway), the belt was off, and the small gap of Italian sun-kissed skin was now shrouded by a purple dress shirt. The blond fell to his knees, which surprised the brunet further, and pulled Tsuna's shirt all the way up to his belly button.

Tsuna squirmed. He was ticklish. Very ticklish. Giotto's hands for some strange reason were on fire. At one simple touch, the teenager shuddered, and slim fingers as delicate as a pianist's were around his belt loops, sliding the cold leather through his pants. He shifted between his feet, ignoring the tingling sensation of his brother's hands all over his exposed belly, before the leather was tightened around his waist.

Giotto pulled away as if it was nothing, and that's what it should have been: absotively, posilutely nothing.

Ashamed, the brunet's eyes stuck to the wall, even when his brother stood up, dusted off his pants, and closed the door behind him. "Thanks," he whispered softly.

"Not a problem. You're in need of a growth spurt." Giotto walked away in long strides, making his way to the kitchen where he pulled out a box of cereal and a bowl.

You would think his first priority would be to take a shower and change, Tsuna thought, eyebrow arched. His hand twitched in effort to say something, but the subject was quickly dropped.

"Did you eat? No you didn't." The adult was talking to himself rather than his brother. Tsuna opened his mouth to speak, but Giotto was busy in his own little world as he reached for the milk in the back of his fridge. "You should eat."

"I-I was going to grab a bite at Yamamoto's place. I'll wash the dishes when I get ba—"

"You're not allowed to wash the dishes."

"B-But—"

"Not. Allowed." He was about to retort, but the same amber eyes ignited with something the brunet would rather not put himself into. Tsuna gulped, aware that inflamed orange eyes were burning into him, lips tightly pulled into a grimace. Tsuna had never seen a nose look so intimidating in his life.

"New rule?" Tsuna muttered instead, shoulders sinking. Some part of his mind supposed it was logical; Giotto was the one who ate, so he would have been the one to wash the dishes. Yesterday came flooding back, and how perturbed the adult seemed when Tsuna wouldn't stop cleaning his dishes. He would have done it for his mother. How was this any different?

Brother was just 'mother,' 'cept without the 'm' and with a 'b' and 'r.' Logically, anyway.

Giotto grabbed a spoon and shoved it forcefully in the pond of Cheerios. "New rule."

"Sorry," Tsuna muttered involuntarily. It rolled off his tongue, full of all the guilt the teenager felt bubbling from the pit of his stomach until it suffocated his chest. He said it easily, sort of like when your nose had an irritating tickle and the only way to get rid of it was by sneezing. Giotto halted mid-bite, raising his head to meet Tsuna's gaze, but the frustrated teenager whirled around and touched the knob of the door. Once his overly dramatic, typical teenaged feelings slipped in that word, he was too embarrassed to face him. "Um, what time do you come home?"

"Nine. Why?"

"Could I have a friend sleep over sometime in October?" Wait, that wasn't on the same subject. Tsuna blinked as he realized he was mixing his concern for Enma with his guilt for his brother.

"Any specific reason why?" Giotto's voice drawled and Tsuna could feel him leaning over the counter, clearly amused and curious.

"Sort of, I guess. H-he's just…m-my best friend, and I want him here, but we're always so busy, so we…" Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed, heart pounding. The last time he talked to Enma, the other boy's voice was hoarse and strained. Each word that was drawn from the redhead's voice had another bruise, and the brunet had to keep from cringing with every sentence. Enma needed to come. Like, now.

Or two months from now. The brink of September was barely penetrated, and his birthday wasn't until the end of October. It seemed so far away, but future plans kept delaying their visits.

"Okay." There was maybe a twinge of sympathy in his brother's tone. The one word carried with a light vibrato, and Tsuna shivered as it reached his ears.

A smile spread across his face and he looked over his shoulder with relief. "I'm off then."

"Right."

No goodbyes, or be careful. Opening the door he looked to the steps toward hell. His lips turned into an uncomforted frown and the fact the twenty-one steps full of holes and splinters were looking oh-so happy to see him this morning was unnerving. The teenager softly sighed, shutting his eyes before gripping the railing and running down.

He nearly screamed like a girl when his foot was caught in a gap.

Tsuna stumbled forward, not expecting the sudden pull, and landed on the ground with a sudden success. A sigh of relief escaped his throat and he checked his watch; only fifteen minutes until school started.

Looking in all directions, he nervously readjusted the sweater and looked at his belt, which fit snugly around his waist. The brunet touched it softly and pulled on the straps of his backpack before trudging for the school. He would most likely meet Yamamoto over there anyway, right?

The fact he was starving wasn't helping. He halted only a block away from Namimori High when his stomach viciously growled. Uncomforted by this, the teenager frowned and shifted between his feet.

If he hadn't been so busy talking to Giotto, then this wouldn't have happened.

But if he hadn't been so busy talking to Giotto, then the man wouldn't have agreed to let Enma stay for his birthday. Tsuna held his head high, suddenly on cloud nine with a giddy smile spread across his face. Pushing his famished stomach aside, the teenager broke into a jog for the school. Soon his best friend would be coming up to visit him, and they could hang out just like old times.

Not that Yamamoto and Gokudera were bad. But they weren't just Enma.

Enma, who had almost everything in common with him despite their personality clashes. Enma, who had trust issues that he was trying to work with (and it could really just be shyness); who undeniably clung to Tsuna like a person needed air. They were practically inseparable, and the guy was one enigma that Tsuna actually enjoyed.

Goofy smile still on his face, he decided that there was chemistry between them that couldn't be overlooked. He liked hanging out with Enma because he felt needed. It wasn't something that crossed over to romantic—the brunet had examined their relationship plenty of times to realize that they were still very much on a platonically intimate level in their relationship—but it was good. Enma was the gloomy type of person who looked like all he saw were raindrops and cloudy skies. When he smiled though, it was like having his own little sun. No exaggerating.

Well, maybe a little exaggerating. Tsuna laughed, reminding himself that the redhead and he hadn't been apart for more than a week—only five days, actually—and that he needed to work things out. Yamamoto was a warm presence, who naturally molded around all the gaps in Tsuna's life. He was surprised how the taller filled him like a filling covered a cavity. Bad analogy, but heck, it seemed good to him.

"Gokudera-kun?"

"What."

They met at the front gate. Tsuna came to an abrupt halt, caught off guard at the silver-haired boy coming from the opposite direction, but none too surprised by the scowl permanently planted across his demeanor. "Um, good morning."

"Tch." He supposed that was going to be the best 'good morning' that he would get. Tsuna's hands tightened around the straps of his backpack and he curiously observed how Gokudera redid his wardrobe. Tight pants. Like, tight enough to frame his legs and all their muscly goodness. His sweater and shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and the belt decorating the silver-haired teenager's hips was adorned by two other.

Somehow this guy managed to make a prestigious school uniform look all badass and amazing. Tsuna opened his mouth, genuinely surprised, but Gokudera simply turned his position, pulling into the entrance like other students. The brunet followed after like a lost puppy, though hesitantly.

Gokudera turned around maybe once or twice, halting dramatically with his lips opened into a disgusted grimace, but Tsuna's eyes were always on the ground, glued to the floor fearfully/shamefully in event that Gokudera, the walking explosive, suddenly shove a dynamite down his shirt (or up his….well, Tsuna didn't want to go there) and tell him to go die in a hole.

"Fucking bastard." Gokudera was reduced to a growl, and he leaned over, hands shoved coolly in matching pockets. The brunet looked up, confused, and took sight of what was happening.

Yamamoto stood only yards away from them, hand behind his head sheepishly as he laughed at one of the girl's jokes. With his height, the guy could easily be mistaken as a second-year or third-year. Tsuna tugged at his collar, nervously reminding himself that Yamamoto and he were exact opposites.

Yamamoto was suave, and Tsuna was klutzy.

The tall teenager politely chatted away about different subjects, giving each girl the same amount of attention, and sort of looked interested. But that was the type of person Yamamoto was. Now the brunet was nervously wondering whether or not everything he talked about with the guy was something he wasn't interested in. Maybe Yamamoto didn't even like him.

At that, his breath hitched and all the excitement that buzzed in his head left. Tsuna ducked his head, lips clenching nervously together as his fingers curled. From the corner of his eye he saw Gokudera jerk his head in surprise before looking away again.

"Tsuna! Haha, I was wondering when you would show up!"

"Shitty baseball nut." On the other hand, this was casual behavior for the silver-haired teenager.

Tsuna peeked up from his brown hair, surprised as Yamamoto chuckled and politely shooed each of the girls away. Gokudera stepped forward, and he followed in suit as the dark-haired teenager waved like he had no care in the world. Something in Gokudera's expression had changed. If anything it had worsened, and the glare he was sending Tsuna's way every few minutes was unnerving.

"Hi Gokudera." Yamamoto's voice was quiet and relaxed. The silly smile on his face was still as truthful as ever, and he looked down to Tsuna's height with a grin. "Nervous?"

"A-A little." He was nervous that they wouldn't be in the same class, or worse: they would be and then Yamamoto would find out just how much of a wimp he really was. The teenager gulped, and he soon found his hand encased by a much larger one before gently being tugged into the auditorium. Gokudera followed from behind, clearly annoyed by this action, but didn't voice it. His face had gone red from what Tsuna assumed was anger, but he'd never actually seen the silver-haired teenager happy to begin with.

Soon, Gokudera drifted off near the front and Yamamoto was muttering 'Sawada' over and over under his breath. The brunet tilted his head in confusion, not really sure what was going on, before the taller teenager halted. "Sasagawa-chan!"

Sasagawa? As in…Ryohei? Tsuna blinked, murmuring a quiet sorry when he bumped into Yamamoto's back. Peering over Yamamoto's arm (because the teenager's shoulder was too high for him to reach), his eyes landed on a pretty girl with red hair and pretty eyes. Anxiety took over him as he held onto Yamamoto's hand, despite the fact he was seventy-eight percent sure he was gay.

On cue, the tall teenager let out a light chuckle as the girl greeted him. "Tsuna, this is Kyoko Sasagawa-chan. And this is Tsuna Sawada; he's transferring from Shimon Middle School."

Her dainty hand reached her cheek, eyes lighting up sweetly as they made contact with the brunet's. "Really? That's exciting, Sawada-kun."

"Thanks," he whispered softly, red dusting across his cheeks.

"Sasagawa-chan, since you're so close to the alphabet with Tsuna, do you mind watching over him? I promise, he's really good, haha. And really nice. And kinda shy, so you might have to make him open up a bit. Oh, haha. Look he's turning red." Yamamoto turned his way, flashing one of his laidback grins and the poor teenager wanted to die right on the spot. The hold Yamamoto had on his hand was suddenly relinquished and tucked safely in the baseball player's pocket.

Kyoko smiled at him sweetly, and Tsuna immediately knew she was the type of girl who was popular with everyone, but didn't flaunt it. She softly giggled, nodding her head in agreement. "Sure, Yamamoto-kun. I would love to."

"Great! Haha. Alright, I'll see you later then, Tsuna. Treat him well, Sasagawa-chan." Yamamoto flashed a grin before jogging toward the back. Tsuna stood at the tips of his toes, careful to note that the taller teenager was also one of the last in line as well. Nervously turning around, the brunet was met with cheerful eyes and a delighted smile.

"So when did you move here, Sawada-kun?"

"F-Friday." Tsuna muttered something else under his breath, awkwardly scratching his arm. At his old school if he were to even walk within five feet of a girl this pretty, their older brother or some bullies would use it as an excuse to mess him up. "School in Shimon's s-started already, actually."

"Oh." Kyoko giggled softly, hands clasped together angelically and she tilted her head to the side. "That's tough then, huh? Having to endure another month of school and everything. Oh, are you the same Sawada-kun that my brother has been talking about?"

Sasagawa-senpai. Tsuna nodded guiltily, nervous smile across his face. He sought comfort in the mittens in his pockets. "I met him on my first day here. Yamamoto and Gokudera-kun, too."

"Oh, Gokudera-san." She laughed softly, shaking her head in utmost amusement before serenely looking at Tsuna. "He and Yamamoto-kun tend to be joined by the hip. I'm surprised he's taking you so well."

So well? He wondered what Gokudera did when he wasn't taking someone so well. Red scattered across Tsuna's face for the umpteenth time that morning, and he guiltily wondered where all of this heat and blood was coming from. He opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off by the squeak of the microphone. Some guy up front, a third-year most likely, had said microphone clutched between his fingers. He was tight-lipped, straight looking, and Tsuna quickly assumed he was the class president.

He quickly zoned out when the guy started talking about what was good about Namimori High, instead thinking of everything about today that could possibly go wrong. The same disciplinary student that Tsuna had seen yesterday lingered by the exit; too cool to bat an eyelash, and suddenly snow white hair caught the brunet's attention. And hit him hard.

Like if someone was to slap him across the face, or…or…or the fact he saw this man naked leaning over a kitchen counter nearly five days ago. Tsuna's jaw fell to the floor, and it took all his willpower not to gawk at the man who…who sorta looked like the head of the disciplinary department and was now in a very elegant suit.

"I am Alaude Brouille. The chairman to the school board." The what? So his brother w-was…was fooling around with his principal? Wait no, it wasn't even his principal! It was higher! Without warning, he gave out a small groan with his hand pressed against his face even though they were supposed to stand absolutely still. "I don't take too fondly to my school being messed up, and am very aware that the middle school was almost blown up due to someone planting dynamites in the baseball team's locker room."

Piercing eyes narrowed to the first year members, and Tsuna gulped. When they first met he had been so busy covering his de-virginized eyes from two naked men. Now that Alaude was fully clothed and kind of glowering at everyone, he never looked more intimidating.

Tsuna's breath hitched as those eyes landed on him. A fond smirk spread across Alaude's face, both sadistic and confident at the same time, before it darted toward the disciplinary captain.

"My nephew will gladly show you your place if you don't behave." There was a pause, many murmurs and gulps, before Alaude continued. "And yes. It's nepotism. So suck it up."

Funny how such blunt words could sound so fancy with a French accent. Tsuna's toes curled in his shoes and he nervously shivered. The student body immediately broke, and a board was put in the middle of the room. Students rushed to see who they would be paired up with; girls screaming and guys pumping fists in the air.

"Sawada-kun, let's go." Kyoko's hand curled around his, and pulled them toward the board up front. Tsuna nodded silently, and they met Gokudera, who was obnoxiously shoving everyone out of the way.

"DAMMIT." And apparently was very angry.

"Ah! There you are, Tsuna!" Yamamoto appeared behind him, full of chuckles as he petted the shorter teenager on the head. Tsuna's face reddened softly and he shyly smiled.

"Hi."

"Fuck." Gokudera whirled around, and with great success, shooed many of the terrified teenagers away. He scowled, green eyes narrowing to Yamamoto. "I'm stuck with the baseball freak for my first fucking year of high school. Yippee-fucking-doo."

"Aw, it won't be that bad, haha." Yamamoto laughed softly, petting Gokudera on the head like he did the brunet.

For a brief moment, the silver-haired teenager actually looked flustered. But very brief. Tsuna snapped out of his scrutiny, nerves biting at him as he uncomfortably gulped and stood at the tip of his toes to see the list. Yamamoto was blocking him.

"Tsuna! You're in the same class as us, haha. How cool is that? You too, Sasagawa-chan!"

A breath of relief escaped the brunet's lips. "Yay," he weakly smiled.

"Oh? What a coincidence! That's great!" Kyoko's lips curtsied happily and she clasped her hands together, grip on Tsuna's wrist soon forgotten. The brunet quickly saw Gokudera look their way, observing this action before he looked away, disconcertedly scowling.

"Fucking baseball idiot…"

"Haha, it'll be a great year!"

"Yay," Tsuna repeated, with more forceful enthusiasm. Yamamoto slung an arm around his shoulders before he had the chance to leave, and they happily talked about something on their way to the classroom.

Yippee-fucking-doo.

OoOoO

Class with Yamamoto wasn't particularly a bad thing.

"So Tsuna, which one's cooler? Namimori High or Shimon High?"

"Uh…"

It was just what could happen after class. Red dusted across his nose, and the teenager looked to his feet, which poorly could not reach the ground. Yamamoto dragged him into the seat on the second row before planting himself to the desk on Tsuna's right. Since they were one of the last students to show up, it left a scowling Gokudera to sit behind Tsuna, which neither was comfortable with.

The brunet gulped, timidly turning around for the fourth time because he could have sworn hotheaded fingers were picking at his shirt and trying to harass him. Every time he looked, however, the silver-haired teenager was nose-deep into a book with reading glasses pushed up his pupils. He almost looked too mature to pick on him.

Almost.

Involuntarily, he moved forward, snapping out of his thoughts as the desk under him squeaked. Tsuna swung his legs over the seat so his full attention could be on Yamamoto alone. Sasagawa-san had sauntered over to some other girl in the class and chatted with her.

"The uniform is…um...erm…" Tsuna took in a deep breath, hand intertwining with the belt Giotto had given him earlier this morning. Lamely, he sighed. "Big."

Yamamoto chuckled lightly, hand swinging over the armrest. "You look good in it."

"Th-Thanks. So do you—"

The book Gokudera was reading slammed closed and was thrown on the floor. Tsuna jumped in his seat, "Eek!"-ing in surprise. He slowly glanced at the silver-haired boy, who grumbled something under his breath before readjusting his glasses and picking up the same book he'd dropped on the ground. Those around them went back to conversing, proving that this was casual behavior for the hotheaded teenager.

"Are you okay?" Tsuna asked against his will. He wasn't. He was absolutely terrified. He knew this was going to be the longest school year ever because the guy behind him was absolutely and utterly jealous of—Tsuna pressed his hand to his face. Freaking out was a no-no.

Green eyes (with envy? Tsuna didn't want to go there) glared at him, glasses pushed up his nose before the other teen began reading yet again and jotting down notes. "Tch."

Um, wasn't it sort of weird to throw your book on the ground? Tsuna sighed softly, having given up wholeheartedly in becoming Gokudera's friend a long time ago. No matter what he did, the silver-haired teenager only loathed him more. Turning around, he caught sight of the piercing glance the baseball player pointed toward his best friend.

"Yamamoto?"

"Ah? You say something, Tsuna?" the look dissipated, replaced with an easygoing smile and light laughs. "Hey, you any good with calculus—"

The door shot open. Chattering stopped, and Tsuna jerked from his seat, jumping high in the air from fear and shock as a long, slender leg jabbed its way in. He froze in his seat; nails clenching the desk for his dear life as the rest of the guy appeared, looking scary as hell.

His jaw dropped, eyes widening in pure shock.

"Ciaossu." With fervent Italian, the man up front dressed in a brooding black suit with an orange dress shirt plopped into the teacher's desk. His lips curtsied into a casually demonic grin and he swung his legs over until they rested happily near the roll book.

"Oh, that's Reborn-sensei!" Yamamoto leaned over, hand cupped around his mouth with a happy laugh. "Rumor has it that he used to be a hitman—" He didn't get to finish his sentence. Before Tsuna blinked, a pencil was smoothly thrown into the air and slashed the tall teenager straight in the face. Tsuna squeaked, pushing back until there was a large enough gap between him and the baseball player.

Yamamoto blinked. He looked at the wound, rubbing it softly and felt the graphite between his fingers. "Hm, didn't break skin."

"Of course it didn't. I did that on purpose, my no good students." The teacher, Reborn, kicked the roll book in his hand before his eyes landed on the poor brunet sitting in the second row. "Tsunayoshi Sawada. Don't disrupt my class."

"E-Eh…" How did he know Tsuna's name? The teenager gulped, hands curling into his pants as he nervously nodded and looked down.

"As this baseball idiot was saying, I'm your teacher. As for the matter of whether or not I'm a hitman…I'll let you decide." The young man chuckled all too creepily, smirk plastered across his face. He deposited his hat on the corner of his chair and leaned over his desk, eyes shifting across the classroom. "You're all here. Troublesome Mister Alaude says we're not allowed to do shit on the first day of school, so you're going to tell me about yourselves. Questions?"

Yamamoto's hand was the first one to shoot up.

"Yes, Takeshi Yamamoto?"

"How do you know we're all here, haha?" The teenager grinned pleasantly and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Hn." Reborn pulled away from the desk, a Cheshire grin spread across his lips, and kicked Yamamoto's desk. He raised his head, eyebrow raised, and looked the teenager in the eye. "Takeshi Yamamoto. Star of the baseball team at Namimori Middle. Approximate height: one-hundred and seventy-seven centimeters. Approximate weight: sixty-three kilograms. Favorite food: sushi. Favorite drink: milk. Hobbies include running in the rain, playing the taiko, and samurai play. Best friend is Hayato Gokudera. Love interest is…"

The way the grin across Yamamoto's face suddenly disappeared and deepened was not a good sign. Tsuna's head jerked his way, concern fluttering in. Suddenly Reborn's eyes drifted, landing on someone else, and he only chuckled.

"No comment."

Tsuna let out a breath he wasn't even aware he was holding. He ran a hand through his hair, squeezing his desk even tighter to settle his nerves before those same domineering eyes landed on his form.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada." Reborn's head raised, hands tucked in his pockets. He kicked the desk under the brunet bluntly and arched an eyebrow. "Ieyatsu's kid brother."

"Giotto." Tsuna looked up, eyebrows knitting together in surprise. He shook his head gently and clasped them together. "My brother's name is Giotto. A-And you're wrong." Suddenly feeling a little braver, he leaned over in his seat. "I d-don't know an Ieyatsu, and Iemitsu is my f-father."

"Mm." Reborn didn't bat an eyelash. Instead, he whirled around in an elegant stride and sat in his seat, relaxing yet again. "You must have noticed my name isn't Japanese." Students nodded. "Despite how shitty this school looks, it's also one of the best. Your classroom procedures will include many others, and I along with the five other instructors will be the best you'll ever get. By the end of this school year, you moronic bunch will feel like crap and you best damn well appreciate it."

How could someone with weird sideburns be so cruel? Suddenly uneased, Tsuna sunk in his seat and observed the man. His malevolent teacher eyed him. Out of nowhere, he pulled out a pretty piece of chalk and stood to his feet.

"Turn to the fifth page in your history book—yes, Aizawa?" How the heck did he see that hand raised with his head turned?

"Um, we don't have text books."

"Ah. Then this will become a matter of memory. Certainly you know that is all history basically is. Memory. Now don't cry. Suck it up or I'll kill you."

There wasn't any crying. But there would have been a lot of complaints from students whining about the teacher they got had the man not proved he had eyes in the back of his head.

By the time the first half of class rolled by, Reborn-sensei managed to stick forty-three pencils in the wall because of ignorant "stupid" students who refused to listen to his lecture. The smile never left the man's face, and he was actually more amused than he was annoyed.

This guy was not human. Tsuna would choose demon stairs over Reborn any day. Maybe.

But a lunch break seemed all too needed. Not a second too late once the bell rang, Tsuna stood from his seat, target being the door as he readied to bolt out of Namimori High and curl up in comfort of the bullies at his old school.

Unfortunately, he never got the chance. Instead, Yamamoto ignorantly cut him off, happy smile across his face and easily asked if Tsuna would join him for lunch. The brunet agreed, albeit embarrassed from the many times Reborn thought needed to call on Tsuna and hear his bad Engrish before calling on Gokudera-kun, who foiled his horrible school ethics with fervent Italian and lucid English.

Yamamoto laughed again, and they decided to have lunch outside near the big oak tree. Gokudera mumbled something about, "not giving a fucking shit" and sauntered off in his own direction. Which left Tsuna and Yamamoto by themselves.

"Your English was good, haha."

"My English was horrible." Tsuna rolled his eyes. He bit his lip, forcing his growling stomach to shut up and ignored the scent of crab sushi as Yamamoto excitedly munched on it. There was certainly a lot…in different arrays…and even though they'd known each other less than a week, Yamamoto made sushi as much of a necessity for Tsuna as breathing.

"You sounded cute," Yamamoto vouched. He grinned again and plopped crab sushi in his mouth. "Mm, Tsuna. This is good, you should try some."

He didn't want to sound cute. Cute was not manly. Cute was demeaning! Cute was…what was making his face as pink as cherry blossoms. His flush scattered across his face and he tilted his head, confused. "That's your food, Yamamoto."

"I've had sushi for the longest time now. It's one of the things where you go through phases of liking, not liking, and realizing how much you love it, haha." Yamamoto grinned, a wad of rice and seaweed again between his chopsticks as he pushed it against the shorter teenager's lips. "Open up for the train, haha!"

"Y-Yamamoto…" Tsuna squirmed and held back a soft sigh. The guy was too stubborn for his own good. Complying with the other's wishes, he took the piece of sushi between his hands and tentatively ate it. The roll went down his throat, slowly sliding against his esophagus and plopping into stomach acid that'd been waiting for something to eat all day. "It's good."

"I made it myself, haha." Yamamoto chuckled and ate a piece of yellowtail.

Didn't this sort of count as indirect kissing? Red scattered across Tsuna's cheeks, but he pushed the thought aside. His mind had been filled with…pleasantly unpleasant thoughts since the encounter with Alaude this very morning. It was unnerving. "Gokudera-kun sounded really good, too."

His absentminded thinking came to a halt as his breath hitched. Tsuna's gaze jerked to the side nervously and for a split second, the smile on the other teenager's face looked forced. Yamamoto sighed softly and leaned back onto the tree behind him.

"Tsuna, eat this piece of sushi, now would you?"

"U-Uh…o-okay." Tsuna ate another roll in attempt to satisfy his stomach. Yummy, but not quite enough.

"Hayato and I have an interesting relationship, haha." They were in private, that was right. Tsuna leaned back awkwardly in attempt to get relaxed, but the subject had piqued his interest ever since the day he met both hothead and…bonehead. Yamamoto sheepishly ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "Eat another piece of sushi."

"Yamamoto, i-it's your food."

"And I made a lot, haha. Does it look like I need to grow anymore?"

"…n-no…" That being said, Tsuna plopped another piece of raw fish between his lips.

"He and I have been best friends since we were little. Tsuna, have you ever had a best friend?"

"Enma." Tsuna's hands tensed and he looked down to his feet. Now that he thought about it, he wanted to call Enma and have a conversation with him during the lunch break.

"He's always been this short-tempered, haha. When we were little, he used to come by with his elder sister, and I followed him around. One day I was sick and he yelled at me for not following him around anymore, haha." Yamamoto crossed his arms, amusement running across his face. Funny. The taller teenager looked ten years older from the way he stood. "He's just really shy and hides it with his temper. Which is understandable. For the first three years of our friendship, I couldn't understand him since his accent was so heavy. Haha."

Um. Was that natural? Tsuna scratched his head and decided not to ask.

"So when he got a girlfriend, I knew that meant I needed to back off. He has someone else he's opened his little world up to, haha. Doesn't need me to revolve around him like a satellite anymore." Yamamoto grinned and shrugged. "Tsuna, eat more sushi."

"Okay." Tsuna sighed in defeat and plopped another piece in his mouth. "So there's nothing more to your relationship?"

"Nothing." Yamamoto actually sounded…wistful. Tsuna caught his breath, eyeing the same teenager he met in front of a sushi bar, who was contemplating the importance of life. The same odd look was on his face, and the brunet bit his lip and turned away.

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked softly.

"Because you're the type of person who will listen and even if he judges, knows it's not appropriate, haha." Yamamoto arched an eyebrow and with that, his entire demeanor changed to match his amusement. "Tsuna, you also hold the naivety of a young child not realizing I've been trying to feed you half my lunch since you forgot yours. It's okay if you eat it, haha."

"U-uh." Tsuna reddened and looked down to the bento full of sushi. The other teenager gestured willingly, and he noticed only a forth of what was there had actually been eaten. Hesitantly, he picked at the food again and nibbled on a piece of yellow tail. Had Yamamoto really meant that? He curled his fingers into the soles of his shoes and shivered. He knew immediately that the taller teenager was lying. There was something between Gokudera-kun and he. A-And he wanted to be the person that pushed their relationship further.

But that involved sharing secrets. L-Like the one only Enma knew, and what Nana suspected.

"Y-Yamamoto," he muttered softly.

"Mm, Tsuna?"

"I-I'm—"

The bell rang. Tsuna jumped in surprise, caught off guard by such a sound before turning back to the sight of Yamamoto dusting off his pants and gathering the rest of his food.

"I can make a bento for you too if you'd like, haha." Yamamoto grinned and wrapped the lunchbox neatly before putting it in his arm. "I like making them."

Tsuna's eyes clenched shut. He let out a rigid breath, shoulders hunching in defeat. Peering through locks of chocolate brown hair, he oddly smiled. "Only if it's not a lot of trouble."

"You got it, Tsuna. Haha."

OoOoO

The gym instructor was surprisingly calm. Tsuna would have let his guard down in front of the Chinese man had it not been the fact he bore a strange resemblance to both Alaude and his nephew, and the fact every other foreign teacher at their school seemed like they were out to kill their students. He panicked as he realized how familiar the home economics teacher's voice sounded very similar to the he-she that'd jumped him the other day. He-she refused to stop the fire unless he-she got paid. That would be Viper-sensei.

In immediate contrast, however, was Fon-sensei. The Chinese man was very serene, smile spread across his lips even more relaxed than one of Yamamoto's styles. He thought of the teacher as very nice…up until the point they had to climb ropes.

A sigh escaped the brunet's throat as he rubbed the burn for the hundredth time in the middle of class. Reborn-sensei's maniacal grin sent shivers up his spine when finally, the bell rang. Tsuna gathered his things quickly, wincing as the burn on his leg rubbed against his pants and stopped to readjust his belt.

"Tsuna."

"E-Eh?" Tsuna looked up curiously and tilted his head to the side.

Yamamoto laughed softly and rubbed the back of his head. "Haha, I have baseball practice for the rest of the week."

"But baseball season isn't until next semester, right? O-Okay." Tsuna shrugged his shoulders in defeat and awkwardly scratched his arm. "D-Do you want me to wait for you?"

"Nah, it's boring stuff. But tryouts are soon and I wanna try getting onto the varsity team. You can understand that, right? Haha, you can hang out with Gokudera; we train really hard before the season starts."

"Wh-When are tryouts?"

"Next Monday, haha. I'd like it if you came." Yamamoto flashed another grin and petted him affectionately on the head. "Hang out with Gokudera, Oh, even my pops! Or maybe Sasagawa-chan or Ryohei-senpai. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you did."

"Okay." Tsuna ran a hand through his hair and looked to the ceiling. "It's fine anyway, um. My brother got this new couch and he wants me to help move it in."

Aside from the wanting to help move it in part, it was totally not a lie. Yamamoto chuckled. "Oh? Alright then, haha. I'll catch you later!"

"B-Bye, Yamamoto." He smiled nervously as the other boy obliviously turned his footing and walked out the door toward the baseball field. A saddened sigh escaped his lips and he looped the backpack over his shoulders before exiting. "Oh, Gokudera-kun?"

The silver-haired teenager halted from the opposite direction of the baseball player. A scowl was planted across his face, glare narrowed at the shorter teenager.

Hanging out with a bloodthirsty teenager who had both the stamina and prowess to kill him was not how Tsuna planned to spend his afternoon. He shifted between his feet and looked at the book in the other's arm. "Oh? You're going to play piano?"

"Hn." Gokudera tossed his head up in the air and shoved both hands in his pockets. "You're in my way."

"S-Sorry." Tsuna moved toward the window, but the hothead showed no sign of moving. "H-how come you weren't a lunch with us today—"

"He didn't fucking ask me too, okay?" Gokudera's eyes narrowed and through his tantrum the teenager threw his book at the wall. A saucy Italian curse escaped his lips and he gathered the same book before stalking off in the direction he came from.

Tsuna winced, shivering at the fireworks that crackled from the ill-tempered boy's tone. He tightened his hands over the straps of his backpack and turned his foot, deciding it would probably be better if he took the exit on the other side of the school.

His lips turned into a frown, guilt surging at the fact he lied to the one guy who insisted on being his friend. Not only that, but it was only 3:33PM, and Giotto said he wouldn't come home for another six hour.

Maybe he needed to get a house key.

…or not and say he did. That sounded like a better plan.

Maybe Yamamoto's father would let him use the phone so he could call Enma. Smiling, he pushed the door open and was swept in by the fresh scent of school grounds. Warmth pressed against his body and the teenager decided that…yeah. Maybe Yamamoto's father would let him call Enma—

"Yo, fucktard. Little middle schoolers like you aren't supposed to be on the sports field."

Tsuna tensed. He stopped his stride before increasing his pace. Keep going, he thought slowly. I-If he kept going, th-then maybe they would just think he was a bug on the field.

"Retard. You little dipshit, I'm talking to you." This wasn't one of Giotto's attempts in driving the car. It wasn't someone who was yelling for no reason and Tsuna knew the drill; if he wanted to get out of here alive, then he would have to stop—crash. "You. Stop. Now. Got it?"

Tsuna clutched his nose from impact. A grimace spread across his face and he looked up, trembling. The guy was large, nearly four times his size and fists bigger than the brunet's head. A soft gasp escaped his throat, and sunlight was blocked as others circled him.

The biggest one smirked. "You're pretty brave venturing in my neck of the woods, midget."

"I-I…u-uh…I d-don't want any…t-trouble." Tsuna ducked his head before the guy pinned him to the ground, straddling his small hips and crushing both his wrists. He gasped again, eyes doubling in size and struggled to move. H-he couldn't. And the guys were cl-closing in on him. "I-I r-really h-have to get…going…"

"Not until you learn your lesson, you little bitch."

Tsuna shut his eyes, a cry of pain escaping his throat. He knew this lesson better than anyone.

All thoughts of calling Enma at Yamamoto Sushi were gone when the first punch smashed his nose.

chapter six has baseball and hotheads.

Takeshi wasn't stupid, despite popular belief. He had the notes in class to prove it (well, during middle school, anyway) and Gokudera would always ("stubbornly") tutor him if he found any particular subject hard. Unlike his silver-haired childhood friend, he never delved into books. If there was a particularly good series or something that had to do about baseball or samurais, he would automatically read it, even if he didn't like it. Other than that, he passed the human anatomy chapter of biology in the second year of middle school not because he read the books (though, his best friend shoved one in his face afterward when he got an 89 on the test), but because he'd broken many bones in his life time.

When he was little, he crushed his leg jumping out of a tree. At the age of seven, his head collided with the automatic doors at Walmart while riding the carts. Right after they fixed his nose, he sprained his arm accidentally slamming it in the taxi's car door. Through his sixteen years of life, Takeshi managed to get gashes, bruises, long cuts, small stabs, scrapes, and a bloody nose from time-to-time. Luckily he mellowed with age, and the broken arm he received at the end of baseball season the year before was his only "stupid" act in a long time.

And he swore he wasn't stupid.

"Tsuna." The joyful grin he had across his face while meeting other baseball players aiming for varsity disappeared. The bat fell from his hand, idly kicked by his foot as he rushed to his new friend, who was sprawled out on concrete ground. He carefully turned the poor teenager over, cradling him gently in his arms before cringing.

A large, swollen bump decorated the petite teenager's head. Dry blood caked his face, a long stream from his nose that piled up dryly against his cheek and meshed through tangled hair. His team mates surrounded him, all mumbling words of concern, but Takeshi could only look up with (fake) smiles and assure them Tsuna would be okay.

Tsuna had been punched in the nose (something that was puffy and twice its regular size), his eye was bruised, scratched down his forearm disgustingly, and had been pants'd. Whoever did this stole his pants!

Takeshi let out a haughty breath, carefully slinging the unconscious boy over his shoulder and was relieved as a soft groan left the brunet's throat. "I'm going to take him over to my house and fix him up. You guys okay with that?"

They nodded, concerned, but there was no likelihood that they actually knew Tsuna. Reborn-sensei had called them all out during class today, but strangely enough they were all preoccupied with staying alive rather than knowing who everyone at Namimori High was.

His team mates muttered a hesitant "goodbye" before stalking off, and Takeshi kicked the ripped backpack overhead and around his neck. He did the same with his baseball bat, albeit with more trouble, and held it tightly in his hands. That was when Tsuna stirred.

"Hey," he muttered sheepishly. A soft chuckle rumbled from his throat, but his expression was only grim. "Are you alright, Tsuna?"

"…my mittens," Tsuna murmured groggily in his ear. There was a pause, and the short teenager barely moved before he started shaking, head turning in all directions and he yanked at Yamamoto's jersey. "My mittens! Th-They took my mittens, I gotta have them, I need my mittens!"

"Tsuna, calm down. I think you might have a concussion." Hematoma, maybe. It wasn't anything particularly bad, but enough that Takeshi needed to get ice on it immediately. But the teenager was sobbing, hysterical, and clinging onto Takeshi for the life of him. Doing the best he could, Takeshi only grimaced and walked forward, hesitantly making his way to Yamamoto Sushi, where his father could get a better look at him.

"My mittens! I-If I don't h-have them, wh-what am I going to do? I-I need my mittens!" Tsuna shook, trembling against Takeshi's back and violently twisted so he could be let free. "They have them!"

"We'll get you new ones after we fix you up—Tsuna, shh it'll all be fine." Breathing in the thick scent of blood, the baseball player shivered and increased his pace. "Just…stay awake, okay?"

Maybe Gokudera could help him. If he were to ask—but for some unknown reason, Gokudera hated Tsuna. Takeshi cursed, knowing for a fact Gokudera rarely showed mercy and if he hated someone, then he automatically hated someone.

"I don't want new mittens! I want mine…want mine…I want mine…I want mine…"

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto jerked and with a soft squeak, he knew the other teenager was awake.

"M-Makeup bag."

"Eh?"

"Buy makeup bag. C-Concealer. The cover-up stuff." And just like that, the delusional Tsuna had settled despite the warm tears Takeshi could feel on the back of his neck.

"We're almost at the sushi bar, okay?" Takeshi said softly. He slowed down once the glowing neon sign came to view, and burst through the front door. The entire place fell silent. Takeshi's eyes darted everywhere, noting that the place was packed, but even his father and the assistant were frozen at the sight on his back. Takeshi spared a glance to his dad, eyebrows furrowed, and walked upstairs.

He set Tsuna carefully on his bed, ignoring the much rambling and left the room. A bag of ice and another of peas were in one of his arms and the first aid kit in the other by the time he got back. Tsuna had calmed down, surprisingly, and was sitting, one hand clutching his nose.

"Namimori bullies hit harder than Shimon bullies," muttered the teenager.

"At least you can talk now, haha." Takeshi smiled sympathetically and placed the bag of ice in Tsuna's hand before pressing it against the large bump on his head. He put a hand on the other teenager's chest and lightly pushed him against the mattress. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Tsuna breathed, but proved to be winded. His good eye slowly traveled, and a red blush spread across his face.

"Hm? Oh, haha. I have some clothes that would fit you, Tsuna How about I find you some aspirin and you can go take a shower?" The brunet stared at him, eyes glued to the tall teenager's demeanor, and Takeshi held his smile longer. Reexamining what skin was visible, it was clear that Tsuna didn't suffer any severe injury. Bruises, but no cuts.

Finally his new friend nodded—though hesitantly—and Takeshi's motivation to make the other teenager feel better whisked him off to the kitchen in the medicine cabinet and he offhandedly grabbed the painkillers by instinct. He felt for the boy, although never having been bullied himself. Gokudera was always aggressive, beating anyone up (sometimes girls) that came too close when they were little.

Tsuna was different. Maybe even a little bit desperate, but with pure intentions. The day they met when Takeshi was convinced he simply couldn't do anything right, like…like ask out the person he'd fallen in love with so long ago, Tsuna with his quirky personality and pink blushes foiled Gokudera's, and immediately the tall baseball player was hooked. He felt bad because Tsuna seemed guilty of asking anything, and was very shy. He didn't hide it very well or epically fail at hiding it like Gokudera did.

Chuckling softly under his breath, Yamamoto went through the spare room they'd substituted as an attic, grabbed clothes from middle school he knew would fit Tsuna closely, and wondered what he could do. Whoever beat Tsuna up grabbed his pants, and these mittens the brunet was so bent on keeping. His eyebrows knit together, expression turning sour.

When he saw Tsuna, he saw a withering little flower yet to bloom. He wondered who this "Enma" was, and how trustable he appeared. Even though they barely knew each other, Takeshi felt an odd need to protect Tsuna if this Enma-guy was just another person who harassed Tsuna from the inside.

"Okay, I'm back. I brought clothes too, haha." Yamamoto lifted the flaps decorating his wooden door, grin spread across his lips as his eyes landed on the shorter. One hand kept the towel of ice secure on Tsuna's forehead, while the other lingered at the frozen bag of peas across his eye. Tsuna had found his duvet, shyly covering himself from the waist-down to keep his boxers from view.

Aw. It wasn't a big deal; he saw most of Tsuna naked in the locker room, anyway. "Sorry," croaked the pained teenager.

"Hmm? Sorry for what, Tsuna?" Takeshi moved forward, shutting the blinds to his window. He disappeared before returning again, wet towel in hand and pulled the bag of peas from the other's face.

Brown eyes looked away, eyebrows dipping. "Sorry that I'm so uncool."

Takeshi laughed softly, hand behind the small of his friend's back in order to support him while the other wiped the rest of the dirt, grime, and caked crusty red off his cheeks. "Why would I think you're uncool, haha?"

Tsuna was trembling, and Takeshi immediately knew this wasn't a light subject. The orbs above him were full of fear; saturated by humiliation and fattened with horrible solitude. "You're you and I'm me." He winced as Takeshi pressed the towel a bit too hard on his eye. "I've always been like this. No Good Tsuna. A loser. For someone like you to even talk to me is a phenomenon back in Shimon, Yamamoto. The only reason you and Sasagawa-senpai even like me is because you think I have potential to be on the track team."

"That's not true." Takeshi broke into a smile, grinning and sighing in relief as the swelling on Tsuna's bump seemed to have gone down. He reached for the aspirin kept on his nightstand and then one of the many bottles of water faithfully stored under his bed. "Tsuna I don't care whether or not you're on the track team. When we met, you just seemed like this really cool guy and I still believe that. And you don't seem like the type of guy who would provoke someone into beating you up, so…"

Tsuna looked away, and the taller teenager knew he was right. He timidly grabbed the two pills Takeshi rested in his hand and clutched the bottle of water tightly.

The baseball player smiled wholly. "You don't have to lie to me if you want to become friends, haha. And Ryohei-senpai isn't going to freak out if you don't try out for track." Well, not a lot, anyway.

The shorter smiled awkwardly. "Thanks."

"I wanna be your friend so long as you're here, Tsuna. Is the pain medicine kicking in?"

"S-Sort of…"

"Oh, okay. The shower's across the hall when you want it. I'm going to go down stairs and see if Pops is willing to give some sushi up for you, okay?" He grinned fully, picking up his feet before gesturing toward the stairs. Tsuna nodded numbly, and it was enough for Takeshi to turn around and make his way down to the bar where everyone resumed their chattering and eating.

Takeshi's father, however, stopped in mid-chop, turning around with concern across his face. He frowned deeply, meeting his son by the last step and crossed his arms. "Is he alright?"

"He's going to be just fine," Takeshi smiled reassuringly. "Oh, Pops, do you think we have any makeup?'

His father looked at him as if he was crazy. "We're two grown men. Rest your mother's soul, but she hasn't been around for years, Takeshi. Why on earth do you need makeup? Should I be concerned?"

"Tsuna was mumbling about it while in hysterics. Something about cover-up—oh. Oops, haha. I'll go grab some—Ah! G-san!" Takeshi immediately turned around, attention at the front counter where a tall redheaded Italian stood, never smiling, but always pleased. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and rubbed the butt in an ash tray.

Takeshi's father was first to break into a smile. "I have your usual order ready, G-san."

"Thanks, Tsuyoshi," muttered the redhead softly. He looked around, eyes everywhere before they narrowed at Takeshi, brow raised. "Do you know where Tsuna is?"

Oh, that was right. G was best friends with Tsuna's brother; or he'd been told. Thinking back to the critical condition his friend was in, Takeshi rubbed his head sheepishly and laughed. "Haha, I was prepping him for track team tryouts, and he got really tired. Do you mind if he sleeps over tonight?"

There was something about the tall, alluring man that made Takeshi think he was being read like a book. G finally nodded against noisy crowds after some time, and grabbed the order. "I'll make sure his brother knows that." He reached for the napkin container and a pen before jotting his number down. "This is my number and the one next to it is the house number."

His father was giving an odd look; something Takeshi knew with G's keen senses would easily be picked up. He played the fool, rubbing his head with a truthfully disbelieving look. "Seriously? You'll let him stay over on a school night? That's awesome, haha!"

G eyed him warily, and for a second he looked like Gokudera. Takeshi would have never admitted it in front of the red-haired businessman, but he thought G looked absolutely gorgeous. "Make sure he comes by in the morning to pick up his things."

"Hm? Well, there may be a problem with that one, haha." The baseball player rubbed his chin, eyebrows knitted together. "He doesn't have his pants, so there won't be a house key."

G seemed to pick up the words Takeshi unintentionally blabbered. In an instant, the wary look across his face disappeared, scowl just as feisty as his ex-brother-in-law. He leaned over, usually placid demeanor replaced with a livid overprotectiveness neither Yamamoto had ever seen him use. Suddenly it disappeared, instead replaced with that of an interrogator's façade as he tilted his head warningly. "Why doesn't he have pants?"

"Um, I took them? Haha." Oops. He hadn't meant to tip G off badly, but obviously did. Takeshi grinned wholesomely and shrugged. "I accidentally wadded them up and threw them somewhere to motivate him to run farther, haha. We can't find them." Ooh, he was good at lying. That was kinda scary.

The adult spared him a glance, eyes slowly wandering to his father before he grabbed the sushi yet again and slid both numbers into Takeshi's grasp. "Make sure he comes by in the morning and I'll tell Giotto to unlock the door for him."

"Alrighty, haha." Takeshi stuffed the numbers in his pocket, waiting cautiously for G to disappear in the crowd outside before he turned around and smiled at his father. "So uh, is it alright if he sleeps over, haha?"

"I'll go check up on him," agreed his father. But the older man's eyebrows furrowed, and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully while swinging the butcher knife in his free hand. "But I don't approve of your not telling G-san what happened. Giotto is Tsuna-kun's guardian at the moment, after all."

"Don't worry, Pops. I've got everything under control."

Takeshi grinned happily before exiting the sushi bar. He looked around before nodding to himself and walking down the street. The corner store had an entire aisle for makeup, and the concealer Tsuna needed to cover his bruises should be there, hopefully. He'd seen girls use it once or twice when they claimed to be powdering their noses. And it explained why most girls never experienced zits in middle school. "Ah? Gokudera, what are you doing here?"

The silver-haired teenager tensed at his place near the convenience store. But there was no mistaking it. Takeshi knew how to spot his best friend like a needle in a hay stack. He oddly smiled, but butterflies were whirling around in his stomach. The only time they were ever truly alone was after dropping Tsuna off at home, and Gokudera quickly found an escape route. Now that they were here together, he felt obligated to follow his best friend even though they both knew under both facades they weren't on good terms with each other.

Finally his best friend turned around, gorgeous emerald eyes flickering irately. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm buying makeup, haha."

"…you're kidding, right?"

"Nope," he cheekily responded. Takeshi grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, haha. We can go shopping together. Oh, have you eaten yet? It's only been a couple of hours, so how about you come by my place, too, and we can haves sushi?"

Hayato Gokudera had a tendency to blush, even when he wasn't embarrassed. It was a natural concurrence, and with a complexion so pale, it only made his skin glow more. Whether or not the hotheaded teenager realized this, Takeshi always thought it was cute. His best friend was glaring, scowling, grimacing, cursing, and very other word found in Webster's dictionary that verbalized the word "annoyed." But it was the way Gokudera would get annoyed that made Takeshi a little giddy inside.

Haha.

"Wh-Whatever." Which was code for 'yes.' Yes to what, exactly, he didn't know.

Silently, they first stopped by the makeup aisle, which brightly glowed against everything else in the convenience store. Takeshi smiled happily, eyes scanning through the many brands—Cover Girl, Lancome, Neutrogena, and all of the other brands he didn't know existed. Rubbing his chin, the baseball player realized he would have to search more thoroughly if he was going to find concealer.

"What do you even need? Eyeliner? Mascara? Lipstick?" Gokudera impatiently kicked him in the shin. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, fucktard baseball idiot!"

Takeshi yelped in pain, despite the fact it was an easy dodge, and laughed evenly. "Concealer."

Gorgeous green eyes glimmered, clearly annoyed and impatient, but didn't speak a word. Instead, Gokudera walked past him, standing straight in front of the Cover Girl section before his hand landed on one in particular. "Here."

"Mm? Ah, I'm looking for something paler. It's for Tsuna, not for me." Takeshi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, stalking over until he was only a foot away from Gokudera. The hand that'd reached out, touching the makeup so acutely was now tense and his eyebrows had furrowed deeper. Takeshi caught this and immediately laughed it off. "Haha. What made you want to use this brand anyway?"

"Haru uses it."

It was Takeshi's turn to be tense. They stayed quiet, and he reached out to the concealer closest to what he thought was Tsuna's skin tone. So that's how it's gonna be, he thought grimly as he followed Gokudera through the medicine aisle. Hayato could talk about his girlfriend all he wanted, but Takeshi himself couldn't mention a friend he was really comfortable with?

"Don't," Gokudera muttered once his hand wrapped around a box of contact solution, "bring him up when it's just the two of us."

"Okay." It would take a while until Gokudera got used to Takeshi wanting Tsuna around. He could tell that. A soft smile spread across his lips, and he leaned over the counter only watching as his best friend got the rest of his belongings. He fingered the concealer, wondering how on earth he would get the two to get along with each other. Tsuna had been tolerant, but he doubted the brunet would last long. Come to think of it, he thought as he fiddled with a wrinkle in his pants, they weren't exactly compatible as friends, either. It was a shame; they had so much in common.

"Shit." A slender pianist hand made its way through silvery hair and the shorter teenager scowled. Takeshi snapped out of his ministrations just in time to see the hotheaded on the tips of his toes, strings of different curses in both Italian and Japanese exploding from his mouth.

"Ah, is that why you didn't wear your contacts today, haha?" Takeshi shifted position, ignorantly pressing up against his best friend and used his extra few inches of height to reach the contact cases. Under him, he felt Gokudera tense, but only leaned forward until he grabbed the case the other was aiming for. "I know you don't like wearing your glasses a lot, haha."

"I-Idiot," stammered Gokudera. He elbowed the taller teenager in the stomach and immediately whirled around. Red splattered across his face, eyebrows dipping angrily.

"Mm?" The baseball player tilted his head cutely, smiling genuinely before observing their situation. "Ah, Gokudera…"

Gokudera looked away, arms crossed over his chest and eyes shut. He was trembling.

Takeshi's grin widened, though hesitantly, and he deeply sighed before peeling off. Too soon, too soon. He turned around, mind clogged by other thoughts. Was there anything else he needed to grab? Tsuna was most likely done with his shower now, so it would be best to get home and discuss arrangements. He was sure the futon was in his closet; he hadn't had to pull it out since the last time Gokudera slept over. Which was…before baseball season ended last year. His faced twisted, troubled, but he only continued in that same direction.

"Moron." Another hand snatched up his wrist. Takeshi looked over his shoulder, caught off guard, but the other teenager wasn't looking him in the eye. Instead, he pulled Takeshi forward, darting in the opposite direction. "The cashier is this way. What else could you possibly need since you're already so fucking warped that you're wearing makeup?"

Takeshi's eyes fell to the tight grip his best friend had over his wrist. It was the same one that'd broken a few short months ago before healing, and it kind of hurt. But he endured it, laughing softly as they got to the cashier. "Haha. Do you want to pay together?"

"Hmph. Fine, but you're putting out." They continued in silence, goofy smile across Takeshi's face. They paid the cashier, muttering a soft thank you before leaving on route for Yamamoto Sushi.

And that god damn hand was still clutching his wrist. Butterflies soared in his stomach. Takeshi spared glances on the tight grip once in a while as he held Tsuna's small bag of makeup closely in the other, and frowned uncomfortably. He wanted to like it. He really, really wanted to like it. "Gokudera…I—"

"You know, baseball freak," Gokudera muttered softly. If possible, his slender—almost bony—fingers tightened over Takeshi's. "We haven't really had time; just the two of us in quite a long time."

"You haven't held my hand since kindergarten. Haha." Takeshi tilted his head, jingling his occupied hand lightly, but Gokudera must have mistaken it for some lovey-dovey antic since he held it still. His expression left grimly, eyes plastered on their wrists and stopped half a block from the sushi bar. "Gokudera—let go of my hand." There was no response. "Gokudera—"

"Why do you call him by his first name?" The other vehemently turned around, stopping abruptly in front of his best friend with a glare. He gritted his teeth and twisted Takeshi's arm ever-so slightly. "You barely know him—less than five days! We've known each other for more than five years, and you're doting on Sawada like he's your fucking lover!"

Well, that pissed him off. "Me?" Takeshi snapped viciously, venomously appalled. He jerked his hand away and looked down to Gokudera—literally. "How come I can't just talk to someone else without you getting on my case? I don't like Tsuna like that!"

"Tsuna, Tsuna, Tsuna! The tenth one! He's the fucking tenth person you call by their first name while we've known each other much longer than that! You treat him like a brother more than me!" Gokudera tossed his head back, hand running irritably through his hair.

Takeshi's expression darkened. "You know I don't want a brotherly relationship with you."

"Which is why it's so fucking annoying! It's so creepy that you actually have feelings for me and it's so damn stupid that I can't believe you want to be with a punk like that! Me!" Gokudera punched him harshly in the shoulder. "You're supposed to like me!"

"I'm in love with you!"

"I-Idiot, don't say that so l-loud!" Gokudera struck him in the arm and slammed his feet into the ground forward.

Takeshi's lips twisted. He sighed, knowing that it would only frustrate the both of them if they didn't make up as soon as the fight was over, and he disliked it when Gokudera was angry with him. In a way he was relieved, though. The fight had finally gotten out, loud and clear and the ongoing war had been eating him up inside. He touched the silver-haired teen's shoulder, and immediately the other whirled around. "I'm sorry."

Gokudera glared at him for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he scoffed and turned back around. "Don't say sorry unless you mean it."

"I don't like fighting with you."

"Y-Yeah? W-Well, don't touch me!" Gokudera jerked away from the fingers on his bicep and kept a gritty six inches of distance between them. "…let's hurry up before your old man starts to worry."

"Gokudera, you know…" Takeshi's eyebrows furrowed worriedly and he reached out to touch his first love. "You know I wouldn't try anything while you're dating Haru-san."

"…" The silver-haired teenager looked away, refusing to see eye-to-eye with his best friend. "Shut up. This conversation never happened, got it? Now let's get some sushi because you fucking well owe me something to eat."

In some weird, twisted way, that was Hayato's way of saying, 'I'm sorry and I wish I could take back everything I said.' Takeshi took a deep breath, sighing softly before he laughed. "Okay."

He wasn't sure if Gokudera closing the space between them was comforting or some twisted cruel fate by God.

OoOoO

This was stupid. This was horrible, awkward, and Tsuna had absolutely no idea how he landed in this situation. His head hurt, and the rest of him ached like hell. Fortunately he was getting used to the pain because of the painkillers, and about fifteen minutes after Yamamoto left the room, he managed to stand up properly and hold both the pants and shirt lain out for him. Yamamoto hadn't given him a spare pair of boxers, which would have bordered over awkward, anyway.

There was a slight limp in his foot, and he remembered faintly one of the guys picking him up by the leg like the bullies on cartoons did in order to collect lunch money and sickeningly twist it. He shivered and wrapped the half-melted bag of frozen peas on his foot for a second before hopping down the hall and to the linen closet where he knew the towels would be.

Yamamoto was too nice to him.

And just as nice to him after the big secret of how lame he really was came out. Tsuna wasn't sure what he was more ashamed of; the fact he let himself get bullied and both Enma's teddy bear and grandpa's mittens or the fact he thought Yamamoto would ditch him as soon as he found out the brunet was nothing more than "No Good Tsuna."

He was relieved that the pain was gone, but the way his foot would bend was horrible. Tsuna grabbed a random towel, sighing before he thought of ways to get his mittens and teddy bear back. Why was he…why was he so stupid?

"What am I gonna do? First I rip the head off and now it's stolen! And…those were my lucky mittens." Fidgeting a little, the poor teenager made it halfway through the hall when footsteps ascended up the stairs and the older Yamamoto appeared before him.

"Ah, Tsuna-kun." Yamamoto's father flashed a look of concern, mouth turning into a frown. "Are you alright?"

"Y…Yeah," Tsuna breathed. His voice hurt.

The other didn't look convinced. Rather than the joyful grin his son flashed whether or not it was the proper situation, the elder Yamamoto crossed his arms and blocked Tsuna's narrow path on the way to the bathroom. "It would be fine if you wanted to stay here the night."

Seriously? That was…awesome. Fantastic. Amazing. "What about my brother?" And his curfew was technically in an hour and a half.

"I don't think you have the energy to walk all the way there and tell him you'll be sleeping over. I know you don't have a cellphone, son." The old man smiled gently and rested a hand on Tsuna's shoulder. The teenager cringed. "G-san came by looking for you. We sent him off and said that you would be sleeping over and my boy is over at the convenience store…buying concealer."

Er, he was hoping he'd only muttered that in his hysterical mind. Tsuna reddened. "I-I'll p-pay him back every cent."

"Does this happen a lot?" Kinda. "Tsuna-kun, if you ever need somewhere to go, then you could stay here. You're obviously in no condition to go to school tomorrow."

"Ah, that's what the concealer's for." Tsuna scratched his head with his good arm and shrugged. And he knew the obvious option would have been to tell an adult. But he never told Nana, and his mother was concerned for him. Which was why she never questioned the makeup bag. And tattling to Alaude-san of all people wasn't exactly an optimistic thought. "I'll be fine, Yamamoto-san."

He didn't look convinced. Luckily, there was no questioning. "You can always come here."

"Thanks. Oh, uh." The brunet's head perked up and his eyes widened curiously. "Do you think I could get a job here?"

"You can make sushi?" The surprise in the other's voice was very genuine.

"S-Sort of. I u-used to help my mother out all the time, a-and I want to pay Yamamoto back for all the money he's spent on me." Tsuna leaned into the wall and gripped everything in hand tightly. "I'll clean the dishes or wait on people. I-I'm good at it, I swear."

And he wouldn't be grounded from washing the dishes like other certain places.

"I'll think about it. Takeshi should be back in a few minutes and we'll make dinner for both you and him. Does that sound good?"

"Y-Yeah." Tsuna sighed in relief and stood on both feet. "Thank you very much, Yamamoto-san."

"You're welcome. Anything else?"

"Can I use your phone?" Tsuna sighed softly and forced a smile across his lips. It was going to bite his chest until he called the redhead, and at least this way, the small candle of joy he had for his best friend could be ignited. Good news, bad news. Fun.

"Alright. Shower first, Tsuna-kun." Yamamoto-san eyed him warily before he softly chuckled and turned back toward the stairs.

The brunet smiled awkwardly before trudging down the hall to the bathroom across from Yamamoto's bathroom. He shut it softly, taking in the familiar sight of dark blue rubber ducky wallpaper. He peeled the school shirt off his torso and flipped the nozzle before letting his boxers drop like a puddle on the ground. It bothered him not to go to his brother and tell him how beat up he was.

But it also scared him. Tsuna fidgeted as water splashed his eye and ran a hand through tangled hair. He accidentally palmed the bump on his head and sighed. If Giotto were to find out his illegitimate brother was more of a loser than he already thought, what would happen?

Giotto was nothing like Yamamoto. Yamamoto smiled at him, laughed, and sincerely wanted to be his friend. Giotto and he weren't even close enough to be considered acquaintances. While true it was the adult who confronted him first, he also made it blatantly clear that he didn't want anything to do with Tsuna.

The brunet grimaced and grabbed the bar of soap. He squeezed the soft solid in his hands and rubbed his stomach, hand lightly grazing over the small scar that delve down.

He wished G was his brother. Biologically, that was. If G was his brother, then he wouldn't have to worry as much, because the redhead faintly reminded him of Enma in some twisted kind of fate, and made him feel comfortable since the first day they knew each other.

Come to think of it, why was he so comfortable with Tsuna? The brunet arched an eyebrow, suddenly leaning into the title behind him and crossed his arms. G was very mature, calm, cool, and collected. His demeanor was the calm before the storm, and the redhead looked like a tyrant who could blow anyone up. Or like Gokudera-kun if he mellowed with age.

Tsuna snorted, then realized his mistake as some of the water made it up his nose. He sneezed by instinct and shook his head. Perhaps it was just G's personality to be the way he was. But…as Giotto's best friend…he would think…

He would think G would be twice as hateful toward him since he was nothing but a bastard child.

N-Not that he really thought about himself that way. Tsuna shoved the thought out of his head before he shampooed and conditioned. Finally done, the teenager turned the shower off and hopped out of the shower. He rotated his bad ankle carefully, and decided that it was nothing more than a minor sprain. Walking on it wouldn't prove to be too much difficulty.

Still. He wondered if the first aid kit had any wraps. Tsuna dried himself off and redressed in his things. Wiping the mirror clean, the teenager took a good look at himself and grimaced.

He looked torn up. Horrible. And that black eye sucked. If this was how he looked after showering, he didn't want to know how badly beaten up he appeared when Yamamoto found him.

After he gathered his things, Tsuna crept out of the bathroom.

Just in time to see silver hair.

"Crap." Tsuna clasped a hand over his mouth, eyes widening in pure shock, but the word was heard. Grouchy green eyes turned his way before doubling twice their size, same expression as the brunet for a quick moment before he blinked and turned around to the baseball player who had a small bag in his hand.

Yamamoto tilted his head and smiled. "Ah, Tsuna. You look so much cleaner now; you were such a mess before, haha."

"What the hell is he doing here?" Gokudera-kun snapped angrily. "That's it. I'm out." He whirled around dramatically to head down the stairs he'd gone up of, but Yamamoto grabbed his arm tightly and laughed ever-so obliviously.

"Gokudera, you were complaining about not having any food. Haha, don't worry too much. Tsuna is spending the night!" Yamamoto gestured to his room and guided both boys to the small coffee table sitting idly in the middle. "Ah, Tsuna. You're limping—does it hurt that bad?"

"Th-The painkillers help."

"Hm, I hope I wasn't too rough on you on the way here. You were in hysterics at the time…"

"I-I couldn't feel it the first time. I think it hurt too much for me to care."

"Aw, sorry, Tsuna." Yamamoto smiled pityingly and guided the boy back to the bed Tsuna forgot to make. "I'll be gentler next time."

Hopefully there wouldn't be. But begging Yamamoto had baseball practice for the rest of the week, leaving Tsuna defenseless from bullies. He knew now which way to exit the school building, but had to get those mittens back. And his teddy!

"Sorry I left your bed in such a mess," Tsuna muttered softly. His eyebrows furrowed and he cringed as he felt the medicine starting to wear off.

"Haha, no problem. I'll clean it off later; I'm surprised you're even moving." Yamamoto reached over to the first-aid kit at the edge of his mattress and opened it. "Ah, Gokudera, while you're here, do you think you could take a look at Tsuna?"

The brunet gulped, forgetting that the Gokudera was even in the room. He didn't know how he could. The green-eyed hothead was glaring his way. "Does the fucking brat hurt that much?"

Tsuna blinked through the headache he was gathering. His eyes slowly fell to the aspirin sitting under Yamamoto's lamp and he shivered. Yamamoto caught that look immediately and reached for said painkillers and the same bottle of water. "Yes, he does. Could you take a look at him and make sure he'll be fine? I'll go make sushi for us, haha."

"Dammit, you baseball idiot! Do I fucking look like I want to take care of this douche?" Gokudera slammed his fists into the table.

The flurry of curses suddenly reminded Tsuna of the other day when Giotto poorly tried to drive. Huh. "Ah, Y-Yamamoto…I need to…use the phone…to make a phone call and…such." He sighed in relief as the two pills were placed in his hands and sipped it eagerly. He didn't expect for the aspirin to wear off so quickly.

"Oh? Here, you can use my cell." Yamamoto stood up from his kneeling position and placed the phone next to Tsuna like the teenager was a little kid. He grinned casually and stood up before looking over his shoulder. "Please? Hayato?"

Apparently something had happened while Tsuna was fighting consciousness. The silver-haired teenager exploded into a large blush before looking away, grumbling. "D-Don't fucking use my name!"

"Okay. Watch out, Tsuna. Haha." The door slammed behind the baseball player easily.

Somehow the action only irked Gokudera further as he stood up, making the bed shake a little. Tsuna trembled despite the fact his injuries were yet again being numbed. The silver-haired teenager stalked forward to get a good look at him.

"Hi, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna muttered quietly. He winced when the other clutched his shoulder and shut his eyes. His breath hitched as a hand grabbed the thin lining of his shirt and yanked it from his collar bone.

"No goddamn hickeys, no love bites, and so long as you used lube when you guys fucked like rabid bunnies, you should be fine." Gokudera leaned over, bitter scowl spread across his demeanor. "What, did he ram into you so hard that you hit your face in the headboard?"

…What? The exhausted brunet reexamined his conversation with the dark-haired teenager, and—oh god. Somehow his tired mind put together two-and-two, and though obviously jealous, Gokudera had thought they were…then again, the conversation did seem kind of…sexual… Instead of freaking out and unmanly squeaking like he had a tendency to do, he found himself pulling a rather…Enma-esque move. "He and I didn't have sex."

Gokudera was fiercely glaring at him. "And why the fuck do you think I would believe that? You're even wearing his goddamn clothes!"

"You said yourself th-that you didn't find any hickeys." He would think his black eye would be an indication that he'd gotten beat up after school. Obviously the flustered silver-haired teenager was so caught up in his green-eyed envy that he didn't notice. But he was feeling incredibly lethargic. And knew that he needed to call his best friend. And somehow the overdose of painkillers was making him incredibly annoyed and fed up at the moment. "I got bullied, okay? I get beat up. I'm a loser. And you should know by now that Yamamoto is so head-over-heels in love with you and his affection is so genuine that he'd never cheat. And he has no obligation to you other than being a friend. And has respected that. And…a-and…god, I need to make a phone call!"

If Tsuna had looked at himself in the mirror, he would have seen the specks of fiery orange igniting in his deep brown eyes. Instead, he didn't and somehow he knew in the morning he wouldn't remember this conversation. Medicine never had a good effect on his mental state to begin with.

He dialed the number quickly, ignoring the look of surprise Gokudera was giving back for his standing on his own two feet (figuratively. His left foot was still twitching weirdly) and sighed in relief. "Shitopi-chan? Can I talk to Enma?"

"Yo, Tsuna! What's up? How come we haven't talked in forever?"

The teenager's lips curtsied uncomfortably. "I moved."

"Whaaat, really? Does Enma know?"

"Yes. C-Can I please talk to him?"

", !"

Oh, his poor ear. Tsuna pulled the phone away from his face, cringing, but not surprised. From the look on Gokudera's face, the other teenager wasn't expecting it. Whatever stupor the brunet suddenly didn't remember he put the scary teenager in, it suddenly broke off and Gokudera was examining the bump on his forehead.

The other teenager poked it lightly, and Tsuna thought he slapped the hand away by instinct and discomfort, but couldn't remember. Gokudera grumbled something under his breath before reaching into the first aid kit and successfully pulled out a wrap. His hand slid down the shorter's leg until it secured around his swollen ankle and gently wound around it.

"Hello?"

"Enma." From that, the brunet felt himself grinning like he had been earlier today, with a thousand-watt smile. Gokudera must have noticed, because he arched an eyebrow before bandaging his bad ankle.

"Tsuna…you sound…are you okay?"

"Namimori bullies hit harder than Shimon bullies. When you come over, I'll try to keep you away from them." Tsuna laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.

"...'when'?"

"He said yes." Suddenly, the shorter teenager felt like he was a giddy school girl. He sat erect on the bed, watching idly as Gokudera finished wrapping is ankle and moved onto the nail scratches on his arm. The other teenager quickly pulled out the alcohol, and Tsuna grimaced with disdain.

"You mean…"

"You can come over for my birthday. Um, if you're free, that is." Looking to the side, he bit his lip harshly as Gokudera applied the disinfectant against his arm. "That way…it's far enough that we can plan early, but it's close enough that I won't have to wait too long to see you."

There was a sigh of relief on the other line. "I'd like that."

"Me too. Ah, I'm not using a payphone at the moment, and I don't want to waste my friend's minutes. And he's really nice—you'll like him. Them." Tsuna bit his lip and watched Gokudera's reaction carefully as the other teenager slapped a large Band-Aid on his arm. He didn't seem to notice. "Both of them."

"Okay. I have to work on a science project anyway."

"I'll call you as soon as I can." Tsuna leaned into the phone, eyebrows furrowing worriedly.

"I love you, Tsuna."

"Love you too." Well, that certainly caught the other teenager's attention. They said their goodbyes gently, and Tsuna shut the phone. Green eyes stared at him intently, but their lips were closed. "He's my best friend."

"You say 'I love you' to your best friend?" Gokudera snorted and glared at him. "Doesn't sound so friendly in my opinion."

Neither does your blushing every time Yamamoto says your name, Tsuna wanted to say. He held his tongue, hand clenching the duvet behind him and observed the well-done bandaging on his ankle. "What…made you change your mind?"

"I wasn't fucking disgusted by the hickeys on your neck." Green eyes narrowed irritably at him.

Duly noted. Tsuna sighed softly in defeat, mind not registering what had happened in the last ten minutes. The painkillers were doing more than killing his pain—they were killing his memory of today. He hugged his knees closely to his chest and leaned forward. Gokudera sat parallel to him on the ground. "I'm sorry."

Gokudera snorted. "What happened to your fucking balls two seconds ago before you picked up the phone, Sawada?"

He was pretty sure they were stolen when he was pantsed. Tsuna scratched his head even though it wasn't itchy, and shrugged. "I-I…don't want to be in your hair more than I already am. Y-Yamamoto and I are j-just friends, I swear."

"I don't care." But the red was clear across Gokudera's faced. In fact, the teenager couldn't be any more obvious. And Tsuna was horrible when it came to love.

"I-I'm not in love with Yamamoto. I'm uh…I'm in love with Enma." Well, if it hadn't been obvious before how horrible of a liar he was, then it now a true fact in the room. Just the mere thought of being in love with his best friend turned his face redder than said scarlet-eyed teenager's hair, but for all of the wrong reasons. And it seemed even more wrong that his mind was fixated on the fact his brother was the most devastatingly gorgeous man on the face of the planet.

Fortunately Gokudera misinterpreted that blush. "Really."

"Gokudera-kun, when did you and your girlfriend start dating?" Despite the fact he was scared as hell, Tsuna was sure his little white lie (something he was incredibly guilty about) was enough to mollify the demonic teenager.

"April. Why?"

"N-Nothing." April was when baseball season ended. April was when Yamamoto broke his wrist. April was the reason why the baseball player was so…depressed. "Ah, G-Gokudera-kun, why don't you sleep over too?"

"Why?" This one was more forceful, but luckily for Tsuna, the other teenager seemed a bit enticed by the idea. "Wait, why the fuck are you even trying to be friendly with me, you shithole?"

Erk. "H-He's your best friend," Tsuna whispered softly. The medicine was kicking in again, and his exhaustion would have already gotten the better of him if his stomach didn't feel so empty. "And I want to be friends with you."

The green-eyed glower he was getting was really scary. "I see."

The door burst open before anything else could be said. Yamamoto laughed wholesomely and held two large plates of sushi in his hands. "Haha, I'm back. You guys didn't kill each other, right?" Surprisingly the question sounded more serious than the tone suggested.

"Hmph. Not yet, you fucking baseball idiot."

"Ah! You fixed him up! Tsuna, you must be starving, huh? Haha."

"Oh…hah." The brunet nodded slowly and yawned.

The rest of the night was a blur. They ate, talked about random stuff, and somehow Tsuna was sure he drifted off to sleep before either of the others did. But he caught Yamamoto lightly asking if Gokudera wanted to sleep over, and the blushing green-eyed hothead covering Tsuna's body with a blanket.

Hopefully this night made some difference.

OoOoO

"You live here?" So close? So…so near him?

"Yeah? So what?" Gokudera automatically put up a defensive barrier, but he didn't seem all too irritated. The trio had woken up early thanks to the green-eyed teenager, and Yamamoto immediately told Tsuna to go visit his brother. What he hadn't expected was to find out that one of the crappy apartments in the building actually belonged to the short-tempered teen.

"Nothing," Tsuna squeaked nervously. He leaned into Yamamoto's grasp, wincing at his swollen ankle that'd been wrapped and iced early that morning, and was fortunate Yamamoto found a pair of his old middle school pants Tsuna could wear until he got his back.

"Gokudera got it when he was fourteen, haha. The thought of G-san and his sister together in the same house made him gag and he refused to stay there after they got back from their honeymoon. Fortunately they got divorced." Yamamoto grinned and patted the silver-haired teenager affectionately on the head. "But he likes the independence too much to move back, haha."

"Hey! Don't be talking about my life's stories!" Red scattered across Gokudera's face, and he punched Yamamoto aggressively in the arm. "Anyway I gotta get dressed before walking my woman to school. You two…go on ahead…and do whatever the fucking hell you want to do to each other."

Well, that certainly caught Yamamoto off guard. His eyes widened, easygoing demeanor simply forgotten. "Really? You don't mind?"

"Why the hell would I mind? Just don't taint him with your damn homosexuality-shit." Gokudera punched him again before stalking away to the opposite side of the building, grumbling something about dynamites and explosives.

All the while, Tsuna stood there, long forgotten and utterly confused. He scratched his head curiously and tilted his head. Normally Gokudera would be up in his face and cussing him out. Had something happened last night?

"Ah, Tsuna. Can you make it up the stairs by yourself?"

Crap. He knew he forgot something. The brunet's entire complexion paled; all but his eye that was well-hidden with skillfully-placed concealer. It would be so much easier if someone carried him.

"Oh, okay. Those stairs have some bad holes in them anyway." …wait, did he just voice that out loud? Before the shorter had the chance to protest, he was squeaking as broad arms picked him up and rather casually, hiked up to Giotto's apartment door like he weighed no more than a sack of potatoes.

"Y-Yamamoto…" Tsuna gulped, red scattering across his face.

"Haha, I don't want you to end up hurting your ankle unless you need to!" Yamamoto gave him a full smile; one Tsuna had rarely seen upon meeting the baseball player. What put him in such a good mood, the brunet wondered. The taller teenager must have rang the doorbell sixty-seven times before the door whipped open, fiery eyes obviously irritated to be woken up at literally 7:02AM in the morning.

When they matched scared chocolate, however, they were caught off guard. Giotto blinked quite a few times, and Tsuna felt himself turn pink before he pleaded for Yamamoto to let him down.

"I'm gonna go check up on Hayato, Tsuna. Haha. I'll come back in ten or so minutes to help you down the stairs, okay?" Yamamoto grinned, waving casually before he glided down the stairs.

Why couldn't he walk down the stairs like that? Tsuna sighed enviously, shutting the door behind him and came face-to-face with Giotto. He gulped and looked down to the ground. "Hi."

"I heard you lost your pants yesterday." And his mittens and his teddy bear. Come to think of it, he forgot to tell Enma about the condition of the bear. He was really pathetic. "Because you're…trying out for the track team?"

Wait, what? Tsuna looked up again, confused, and it took him a second to realize Yamamoto must have concocted a lie to G. He nodded, red scattering across his face before diligently limping to the couch to his things. "I-I'm s-sorry I didn't tell you that I would be out."

Giotto muttered something under his breath, but the teenager didn't catch it. "By technicality, G told me before your curfew. You're fine. Does this mean my belt's missing, too?"

Crud. Tsuna stood up in the air, far too quickly, and collapsed from his throbbing leg. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I-I'll buy you a n-new one, I swear." Please don't kill me, he thought in his head.

"I have twenty others just like it. Are you limping?"

"U-Uh…" Yes. Of course. Most definitely. Si. Oui. Hai. Any other word in the dictionary that confirmed his suspicion. Giotto walked forward in long strides, and the teenager took the time to realize what state his brother was in this morning. Messy bed hair. Long pajama pants. And…well, that was it. His brother wasn't wearing a shirt, and he was oddly fit for a guy as rich as Donald Trump.

"Hey." The blond leaned over, voice groggy but spirited. He tilted his head, and Tsuna forced himself to stop shaking as their noses accidentally brushed together. "Takeshi-kun must have worked you hard, hm?"

"Y-y…yeah…"

"Are you gay?"

And with that, Tsuna's entire face was redder than the couch. One, he faintly realized with a light head, that was different from the one he slept on the day before. His mouth opened slowly, then closed. He wasn't sure what to say.

"…new rule," Giotto said this time, voice strict and like it had been the night Tsuna had been confronted. The adult stood high and mighty, annoyance written across his face. "Your new curfew is at 6:30, but I'd prefer you be home right after school. No looking back."

"E-Eh…?"

There was nothing else said. Giotto hadn't even pointed out Tsuna's answer was neither a yes nor a no. The blond simply muttered something about going back to sleep, slamming the door behind him and left Tsuna in silence.

Now the teenager had two problems. He didn't have the time to find a payphone to call Enma, and his brother just gave him an impossible curfew since the last time he checked…Giotto didn't get home until 9PM.

chapter seven has bonding and crutches.

"I didn't expect to see you here."

"Eek."

"You're quite possibly the only person that can get the boss out of bed. Though I suppose with that Yamamoto kid ringing the doorbell so many times, he would have to. I certainly wouldn't."

"W-Well—eep!" Tsuna covered his eyes, suddenly remembering that nearly two seconds ago he was staring at the ground and automatically assumed he was speaking to his brother. Unfortunately that hadn't been the case, and he now had a full-blown sight of a snow white-haired grown man leaning against the doorframe. Tsuna quickly checked his watch and realized that…that…thirty minutes had passed!

Where was Yamamoto!

He'd been so caught up in his studies that when the door crept open again and the elegant, acutely accented Japanese reached his ears, it registered in his mind as his brother. Though that wasn't the case, and now Alaude stood before him in an exquisite black vest, purple dress shirt, long slacks—wait, that was the outfit Giotto had come home in just…just yesterday! Tsuna's ears turned pink at the thought.

W-Wait. He was gone last night, and his brother knew it. Alaude was here, and…a-and…

Th-They had s-sex. He reddened at the thought, automatically collapsing into the couch as the horror crossed his mind. What caught him off guard was when a rather rough hand gripped his swollen ankle. But…gently. Benevolently.

Still, Tsuna winced at the pain and cursed his Advil for being so light.

"You don't get this kind of sprain from running." A-And Alaude-san was still talking to him all too casually. Red dusted across his face, and the brunet peeped through the couch pillows to watch Alaude's reaction. He wasn't pleased.

"Did you stay over?" Tsuna asked, hoping that it would change the subject.

B-But the white-haired adult looked all too intent on finding out how he got the sprain. "We fucked on the coffee table. Did you get harassed on my school grounds?"

W…What was that! Alaude had answered all too casually, the "f" word sounding as if he were talking about the day, o-or the weather! Tsuna gulped in horror, eyebrows furrowed, but kept his mouth shut. Before he had the chance to nod, Alaude reached over, pressed up against a nervous teenager as he palmed away the concealer on his black eye.

Tsuna winced and yanked at the adult's wrist by pure instinct. It still hurt.

Suddenly, Alaude's grip on his ankle was even worse, and the pale complexion darkened with an irritated scowl more frightening than Giotto's. "You fought on school grounds."

"Wh-What makes you say that?"

"You have a fucking black eye and a sprained ankle – one I might add, is far from minor. Fighting on school grounds is prohibited. You're suspended today."

"Wh-What?" That wasn't…he had to…this…!

"Come on." Tsuna was yanked to his feet before he had the chance to bite back with another word. He grabbed his backpack in desperate attempt to keep his cool, but Alaude simply broke his focus by violently dragging him to the door (all the while, his ankle was throbbing under the wrap) and yanked it open.

"Ah! Tsuna, I—hmm? What's this—?"

"He's not going to school with you today." Alaude's eyes narrowed dangerously to the teenager who actually met his height. Yamamoto opened his mouth to speak, caught off guard, but quickly shut it as the adult dragged Tsuna down a flight of dangerous steps.

EEK—ow, ow, ow, ow, ow—"A-Alaude-san, I-I…" Tsuna yanked back forcefully, head aching and foot pounding in sync with his heart. Before he could help himself, the brunet collapsed next to the hole on the seventh step and was clutching his ankle rather tightly.

It hurt. He hadn't put any pressure on it aside from limping to and from Yamamoto's bedroom to the bathroom last night. This morning he had been leaning on the other two teenagers, and Yamamoto had carried him up the stairs. Tsuna gripped the railing out of sympathy, head leaning against the crappy wood. Everything…e-everything hurt…

Alaude was far less gentle than Giotto. And that was saying something. "Get up. We're informing the school of your suspension and then getting Kyouya to find your accomplice."

"Ah…Doctor Brouille, don't you think that's a bit harsh—okay, haha. Shutting up now." The stairs under Tsuna vibrated softly, and Yamamoto made his way down to Tsuna's level before carefully scooping him up and slinging an arm over his shoulder.

Tsuna buried his nose into the scent of fresh grass and baseball. "Thanks," he breathed with relief. Wait. W-Wait… "He's a doctor?"

He looked up, eyes meeting with an irate Frenchman's, and Alaude simply stood there, hands tucked in a trench coat too early for autumn weather and a scowl curled deep against his lips.

"Well, technically, haha. He's not one of those doctors that, you know, heal your booboos and stuff, but he's got a Ph.D. in forensics and is a famous interrogator. He was top of the police force and…haha, somehow ended up in Namimori." Like how…Reborn-sensei was a borderline hitman. O-Or… Lal Mirch-sensei and Colonnello-sensei used to be in the military force before having honorable discharges from COMSUBIN.

Oh, god. Namimori was a nightmare.

Tsuna caught his breath, soft groan escaping his lips as they agilely made their way down the stairs and Yamamoto blindly followed "Doctor Brouille" toward the end of the parking lot. "Ah…Y-Yamamoto, how do you know so much about him? About…everyone, really?"

"Haha, G-san comes by and buys sushi all the time. And they live around town—I've grown up delivering sushi to everyone around here. Since it's not too big of a town, you can pretty much know who everyone is really quickly, haha." While it was true that Namimori was nowhere near packed as Tokyo, the fact Yamamoto could be so well-known was still astonishing.

Come to think of it, when Giotto had come near the door, he simply called Yamamoto, "Takeshi-kun," as if they were familiar with each other. Tsuna looked up, head tilting to the side in curiosity. "Is there anyone else I should know about?"

It was official. Everyone in Namimori looked alike – even if they weren't related. Alaude-san and his nephew, the prefect, were uncanny. G and his apparent ex-brother-in-law, Gokudera-kun, were completely the same. Giotto and he…it was there. Their facial structure, their hairstyle. Somehow it appeared as obvious as it did vague and…well, they had different mothers. What Tsuna didn't have but Giotto did, the "brother-from-another-mother" theory…concept…thing was plausible.

"Hmm, haha. I guess not, if you haven't met any of Giotto-niisan's friends yet." Giotto let Yamamoto call him "big brother"? Tsuna's brow twisted uncertainly and he was thrown off guard when Yamamoto finally halted near a car.

A-A really nice car. A…a Porsche. Did they…did they just all have nice cars? Giotto, G, Alaude-san…geez. Tsuna would have rolled his eyes had it not been the murderous glimmer in the peak of icy blue eyes.

The silver-haired man held a pair of keys in his hand, and as Tsuna looked away in fear of being annihilated before fearfully noting that Giotto's Ferrari was right next to Alaude's car. Somehow the Ferrari still looked brand new despite how worn the seats felt, and he had to wonder how his brother, the Road Terror, was able to keep it in such good condition.

"He gets it polished every six months so no one notices the scratches."

Tsuna jumped from where he was leaning, and practically tripped had it not been for Yamamoto's grip. Alaude opened the passenger seat casually and stood there expectantly. Tsuna rolled his head to Yamamoto, eyebrows dipping and eyes glimmering in desperation.

Yamamoto didn't notice. "Doctor Brouille, we have some new sushi recipes if you'd like to come by anytime soon. You like tuna, right?"

Alaude broke into an amused smile. He yanked Tsuna by the hand and forced him in the passenger seat before another word could be said. "Oh? Tell your father that I'll come by sometime this weekend and pick some up."

Tsuna banged against the window. Or he would have, if he wasn't afraid of Alaude doing his own version of a one'eighty and suddenly…ramming his head into concrete. The sickening sound of the engine turning on filled his ears, and he gulped. He was doomed.

Yamamoto hung by the exterior, confusion written across his demeanor. "What do I do in class then? With Reborn-sensei and all?"

"Just get your butt to school before the bell rings. I'll handle everything else when it comes to this guy." Alaude eyed him lightheartedly, one hand against the car seat before he shut it. Yamamoto knocked on the window, still confused, but the adult simply ignored him. He backed the car out forcefully, and Tsuna fidgeted as his head met the window.

He speedily yanked the seatbelt over his shoulder, trembling, and coiled both hands in the knees of his pants. They went off to a smooth stride, surprisingly, and in the opposite direction of Namimori High. Tsuna blinked, opening his mouth to say something against this, but Alaude was enticed by his driving.

Wasn't this…considered kidnapping? Or…w-well, Giotto was his guardian, so…He ran a hand through his hair and snorted. That sort of made Alaude-san his, like..., mother.

"I'm not his wife, nor the mother you came out of." Eek. He'd said it aloud. "That's what G's for."

Tsuna cocked his head to the side, caught off guard by the light smirk sprinkling the adult's features. He leaned into the window, creating as much of a gap as possible between them and decided that maybe…just maybe he could trust Alaude a little more. The brunet relaxed a little, and quietly observed him. "H…How long have you guys known each other?"

"More or less eight years." Surprisingly enough, Alaude wasn't as scary of a person as he originally thought. Tsuna gulped, hands squeezing at his sweater as he remembered both his gloves and Rossella were stolen from him. "We all went to the same university together."

Curious brown eyes peered up. "In Italy?"

"France. The boss, G, and I went to the same school in a great university west of France for different reasons. I went for forensics and he went for business. All of us got stuck with each other in one dorm room and obviously it wasn't fun." Alaude snorted, recalling something Tsuna wasn't sure of, and they made a languid turn in a different direction.

Tsuna had never been in this part of town. Feeling braver, his hands messed with the hem of his shirt and he ran through all of his other questions. "Then…how did you end up in Namimori of all places?"

And of all things, why on earth did Alaude suddenly break into a smile. "He more or less dragged me here."

"Gi…my brother?" He hadn't called his brother by his first name since his first day here. Tsuna blinked, realization setting in as he rested his head on his palm. It was true. There wasn't a chance to, and they never spoke to each other unless they were the only two people in the room. Come to think of it, none of their conversations even involved other people. Was it really possible to go an entire week without calling someone by their first name?

"G did. Somehow or another, their problems became my problem as we helped out one of his old friends, Asari."

Tsuna arched an eyebrow and scratched his arm. "So uh, you and my brother are together, right?"

Frigid blue eyes glanced at him. The brunet gulped, afraid he'd crossed the line with that question, but they simply kept driving before Alaude muttered something under his breath. "Something like that."

"Have…I mean…erm…" Red scattered across his cheeks, and the brunet fiddled with his hair yet again. He looked around in all angles, unsure of what to say but forced to when Alaude came to a halt in front of the stop light. "Have my brother and G-san ever gotten together?"

Apparently that was enough to catch the chairman of the school board off guard. Blue eyes widened ever-so slightly in their own way, eyebrow arched curiously, and the man turned his entire upper half toward Tsuna as the car moved again. Oh god—what if they crashed!

Alaude-san laughed. Shortly, but it was enough to be some sort of a chuckle. "They've had drunken sex three times. One, I might add, was at G's bachelor party—but he was the one who took the initiative."

Bachelor party? Tsuna's eyes widened in shock, but he kept his mouth shut. He still had more questions to ask, but the more he found out, the more he was regretting have asking.

"Your brother is actually a good man. Very annoying by the way he constantly tries to repay my debts and butt into my personal life, but I know for a fact he means well. Just don't let him drive." Alaude-san was…nothing like Tsuna imagined him. He was still very scary looking—but only that. For the most part while he'd been shy and timid, Alaude-san was blatant and to the point. The irritation written all too well on the white-haired man's face was enough to show he wasn't fond of Giotto's doings, but tolerated them easily. "Anything else?"

"Why does he hate me—" Oops. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Tsuna bit on his lip and rubbed his palm into his pants. His head hurt again, and he felt the amusement of Alaude-san's eyes glaring into his sweater vest. Stretching out his collar, Tsuna shrugged again and leaned his head into the window. "G-san says he's indifferent to most people. The last time I saw him we didn't exactly like each other, and…please don't tell him."

"Granted I had no idea of your existence until a short few weeks ago, I'd say a relationship looming over three years would equal to not telling the boss your opinion of him." Err, fancy talking. Hopefully that meant, I'm not going to tell him.

Tsuna eyed him and regretted not bringing his sweatshirt along with him. "So…a-are you happy the way things are?"

"Tch. Something like that," grumbled the adult.

"O-Oh?"

"None of your business," said the chairman simply. He made his last and final turn into a pair of buildings. Tsuna looked up and quickly found out that the man had taken him to a clinic. For his ankle, no doubt. Before he had the chance to question why he hadn't been taken to the school, Alaude swiftly left the car and opened the passenger's seat.

Tsuna reddened as he became the center of the adult's attention. He delicately scooted out of the seat and stumbled clumsily into Alaude's arms. The adult muttered something condescending under his breath before pulling Tsuna's hand over his shoulder. He kicked the door shut (and surprisingly, the very amazingly gorgeous car showed no dent) before twisting his foot and dragging the poor brunet toward the dirty-looking clinic.

The teenager's eyes widened in horror as it quickly became a fact that although the outside looked like crap, the inside most definitely looked worse. Different from Giotto's apartment, where the crazy young adult simply let the outside of his house look like the junkyard and inside prettier than King George's castle.

The floor was old and grimy like cement, windows tinted to keep others from peeping inside. Cockroaches and mosquitoes loomed about tiny holes in the wall, and the lights above flickered every time Tsuna's heartbeat.

Alaude shoved him into the petrified-wooden rocking chair and walked up to the secretary. The brunet looked around in horror, face paling with each passing second. He tried to get up, but was suddenly reminded of how horribly his foot ached. But…he ran a hand through his hair and slowly looked back up to Alaude, who was currently…th-threatening the secretary with a pair of handcuffs.

He was an odd man. But now Tsuna knew he was French, had been going out with Giotto for a long time now, and…e-even though they…knew each other for almost ten years, Giotto had never mentioned having a brother. The brunet squeezed the armrests of his rocking chair, eyes casting a glance downward as he took that news in.

Giotto hadn't told Alaude that he had a brother until now. Giotto had known Alaude since his college years.

With a small fidget, Tsuna rested both arms over his waist and sunk in his seat. Had…G been the same way? No. He'd met G. Tsuna didn't remember when or how during his only meeting with Giotto, but a mop of red hair caught his eye whenever recalling his elder brother.

Just…what was Giotto playing at? He smiled a little, but wasn't sure why. During the few short weeks they'd known each other, his opinion of his brother had changed, but…he didn't know if it was for better or worse. He knew his brother was…first of all, bad at driving. A wry smile spread across his face and he scratched his arm. Not once had he seen Giotto drunk (but he harbored alcoholic beverages, proven via G), lived in a Japanese city full of foreigners, and was nine years older than him.

That…didn't come down to a lot of information. Tsuna blinked, frown resting delicately across his face. That being said…a lot of classmates didn't know he had a brother. Granted, Enma was his only friend in Shimon along with his siblings, but Enma really was the only one who he told. And…the redhead was his best friend, the same way G was Giotto's.

And Enma was the only one who he told he was moving. Nana spoke to his teachers nearly a week ahead of time, so they didn't need to be informed, either. It explained why they didn't give him any homework. At Namimori, he barely knew anyone. Tsuna clung to Yamamoto easily, relieved that the taller teenager would accept him wholeheartedly. And for some strange reason, Gokudera was exactly the same way.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada?"

The teenager snapped out of his thoughts. He looked up, confusion written across his face as a nurse stood in front of him. He quickly looked around before concluding he was the only patient, and glanced to Alaude, who was busy with what looked like paperwork.

Hesitantly, he pushed himself out of the seat and scampered after the nurse. She spared him no look, instead turning her foot and escorting him through the endless cement halls of the disturbing clinic.

"Eek—" Tsuna clasped a hand over his mouth and stumbled between his two feet. The nurse whirled around in curiosity. He shook his head. A-After all…i-it was just a s-spider. Finally they made their way to a different room where he was taken off guard. It was…white. It was…painted. Comfy looking, even.

The nurse rolled her eyes, mumbling something under her breath of him sitting down before leaving him alone. Tsuna looked to the cot planted in the middle of the room. A frown flattered his features and he hesitantly reached over, climbing with his good foot until he reached the top. The other foot twisted awkwardly.

"AH—" The brunet winced and bit on his own tongue. He trembled slightly, foot pulsing under the wrapping before he pulled it up near his thigh. A sigh left his throat and he curled his hands into the bedding. This was…aggravating. He checked his watch, quick to find that school started nearly ten minutes ago. Vaguely thoughts came flooding back to Giotto, his new guardian, and he wondered what Giotto would say about his apparent suspension.

Come to think of it, was Alaude even allowed to take him out of school? He blinked, snapping out of his thoughts long enough until collapsing to the bed. He…needed a cellphone to call Enma. He needed a job to pay Yamamoto back. God, he needed to be a legal adult just so he didn't have to worry about Giotto!

It took a total of thirty minutes before the doctor came through the door. He was giggling, confetti sliding down the tail of his coat and hand waving in the air like a woman's. Red streaked across his face, and he cooed acutely to whoever was on the other side. "I'll see you tonight!~"

Oh dear god. Tsuna swallowed harshly, uncertainly eying the old man who was currently swaying around like a drunkard. As soon as the door shut, the man turned around, nearly twice Alaude's build and a giddy smile spread across his lips. The name on his pin was somewhat scratched off, but Tsuna could make out the letters, "Shamal."

Dr. Shamal looked at him and instantly the glow of excitement on his face disappeared. "Are you a dike?"

"Wh…what—?"

"If you're not a dike and therefore a man, I'd rather not work with you. The policy on my door clearly states I only work with women." Shamal arched an eyebrow of disgust, but he simply sighed and rolled his eyes before making a long stride to Tsuna. "Fine. What's the damage?"

"M…My foo—yow!" Tsuna clutched his foot before Dr. Shamal could punch it a second time. He winced in pain, eyes squeezing shut before a dry hand yanked his foot away from him. The brunet peered through his bangs, cringing yet again as Dr. Shamal tossed it between his hands. "A-Are you even a real doctor?"

"I'm sorry. Normally when someone has the voice of a woman, they also have the body." Dr. Shamal eyed him grumpily before he stood up and yanked the clipboard sitting casually on the counter. "From what I've seen, I would say it's a Type II sprain. A severe case. Whoever did this binding had the right idea, but he didn't examine the wound further. And your medication is crap. What, ibuprofen?"

"U-Uh…Advil." The brunet looked to the wrap in confusion. In one graceful tug, the doctor undid the wrap and reached for a drawer. Tsuna winced as his foot was squeezed tightly under a large hand.

"Tch." The doctor rolled Tsuna's foot between his hands before rewrapping it securely in a different material. Tsuna fidgeted, kicking only when the doctor held his foot the wrong way, but it was quickly wrapped in an awkward position before the doctor left to a large closet. "Who brought you here?"

"U-Uh…A-Alaude-san…" Or was he supposed to call him Doctor Brouille the same way Yamamoto did? He scratched his head, frown written across his features before scooting closer to the bed.

"Ooh. Well, I suppose I'll make an exception. Did you know he has the best legs to fill a skirt~?"

"A-And you know this…," Tsuna turned pink in mortification, eyebrows reaching his forehead, "why?"

"I have the ability to guess any woman's three sizes. Now," the doctor reappeared from the closet, a pair of crutches in hand. He pulled Tsuna off the bed offhandedly, quickly taking measurements of his height before handing the support to the teenager.

Tsuna muttered a thank you under his breath, wobbling slightly before he picked up the bad foot. He looked at the old wrapping given to him by one of the boys last night, and grimaced as he realized he couldn't reach it.

"Do what you did last night. Ice it twenty minutes at a time, but not altogether. I don't want you to walk on that thing for two weeks, and be sure to make sure you don't twist it in any awkward position." Shamal tapped Tsuna's wrapped foot lightly and shoved both hands in his pockets. "Feel free to wrap and unwrap it as you please, but make sure to only walk on it if necessary. Understood?"

The brunet nodded hesitantly. Still…the doctor actually sounded like he knew what he was doing despite the fact there was still confetti on his shoulder. He looked up, caramel brown eyes gleaming with curiosity before he twitched and tried to move with the crutches. The day before drifted back slowly, and a shiver ran down his spine. There was…a punch.

Tsuna remembered it vaguely; how someone with a large hand punched him in the face. Before he had the chance to make impact with the ground, the back of his head made contact with someone else's chest and he was kicked in the spine until he reached the ground. They yanked at his backpack, causing some kind of strain on his shoulders, and a guy three times his size lifted him up by the ankle. He'd tried to keep quiet, knowing if he cringed even a little they would press at it until he was completely broken. After stealing both Rossella and his gloves, they were gone.

"—hear me? Pick up this medicine at the store."

"Wh-What? O-okay." Tsuna wobbled, quickly grabbing the prescription before shoving it into his pocket. He looked at the doctor peculiarly for any other instructions, but the man was busy mumbling something about adult magazines. With a soft sigh, he silently left the office and looked around the maze of cement halls. An hour had passed by since Alaude kidnapped him.

Shifting between crutches and wincing in discomfort, he finally found his way out the halls and back to the waiting room where Alaude casually sat with a clipboard at hand. Tsuna slowly made his way forward. He staggered toward the seat, stumbling as his good foot met the floor. Blue eyes peered up from the paper, and they focused solely on the kid before them.

"Your birthday is the fourteenth of October, correct?"

Wh-What…? "U-Uh, yeah." Tsuna directed his crutches behind the man and leaned over as evenly as possible. The entire sheet was filled out; from first name all the way to his medical allergies. The brunet blinked in confusion and confirmed every single little detail to be true. "Did you call my brother and ask for this info?"

"Your brother isn't the type of person who memorizes every single little detail. And he dislikes being woken up before 8:30." Amusement sprinkled the chairman's voice. He jotted down Tsuna's birthday quickly before standing on his feet and giving the information to the receptionist. "According to the attendance office, you're allowed to be excused if you have a doctor's note. They recommended I simply excuse you rather than suspend you."

So that meant his record would be untainted for the school year? "S-So…I-I'm not in trouble?"

"Just because I had second thoughts on your suspension doesn't mean you'll be let off easily for starting a fight on my school grounds." Alaude gave him a look of disapproval. Tsuna cringed and staggered toward the door out of Alaude's sight. He leaned into it, annoyed when it wouldn't open and stretched further until his fingers touched the glass. The crutch slipped under him, and the poor teenager landed face first into a dirty door.

All the while, Alaude stood there, amusement written across his face. A soft groan escaped the brunet's lips and he peered up, grimacing in pain as he pressed a hand to his bruising forehead. Alaude muttered something in French before pulling him to his feet.

The gaze of frigid blue orbs matched nervous brown, and Tsuna dusted off his sweater vest nervously. He shivered as a cockroach leg slid off his thigh, but froze as a hand met his forehead.

"I understand why now," mused the adult. Tsuna peered to him curiously, and flinched as the bangs were brushed away from his face. Alaude snorted softly, hand tucked in his pocket before opening the door and shoving the poor brunet outside. Tsuna yelped in surprise, quickly rebalancing himself before he collided with the nose of a different car.

By the time he was standing back on his own two feet plus two crutches, Alaude was making his way to the car. A sigh left Tsuna's throat and he struggled to follow after the adult. "Wh-What do you understand?"

Alaude opened the car door for him. "You, brat."

"U-Uh…?" He plopped into the car nervously and redid the seatbelts. Alaude yanked both crutches away from him and threw them in the back before slamming the door shut and getting into the driver's seat.

"You already know my hobby is interrogating and forensics." He started the engine and muttered something under his breath. "The only character I was able to build on when I found out who you were was the fact you were the boss's half-brother and that there was at least a nine year age gap between you two. You look like more than a girl than he does, and other than the fact you two must buy the same hair gel, the resemblance is only slightly there."

Tsuna scratched his thigh. He looked out the side-mirror, eyes scrutinizing his entire. Brown hair, brown eyes. Pale skin, short figure. He looked like the average Japanese person, while Giotto…well, Giotto looked Italian. Their personalities clashed, too. Where Tsuna was passive and shy, Giotto was gaudy and confrontational.

"Like I said, your annoying brother has a tendency to butt in when he's concerned." Tsuna gave him a disbelieving look. Concerned? Giotto had been the one who reached out to him, yes, but concerned was pushing it! Alaude simply grunted and made a sharp turn to the left. One, Tsuna noticed immediately, that was farther from the school than they already were. Before he had the chance to voice this, Alaude shoved his hand into the poor teenager's pocket.

Tsuna screeched, jumping from his seat before being forced down.

"You would think any spawn of Iemitsu's would be as much of a smartass as the boss is." Alaude examined the sheet before setting it behind the A/C. "Then again according to him, his father's a bum and his mother was pretty. Hmph. Oedipus complex."

D-Did he…know anything about personal space? Tsuna scooted closer to the door, suddenly self-conscious and feeling very much violated. He gripped the strap of his seat belt carefully and leaned into the window. "Where are we going now?"

"Medicine."

"Why…" Tsuna took a deep breath, head pounding as he realized he'd just spent the past two hours with not only the chairman of his school, but his brother's boyfriend. "Wh-Why is it that you're so….n-nice to me?"

"To piss him off for pounding my ass till dawn."

Tsuna's jaw went numb and dropped to the ground. His face reddened and he gripped the seat belt tightly in his hands. Alaude showed no shame in his words.

"Would you like a burger after this?"

Today Tsuna learned how the birds and the bees occurred between two men. Vulgarly.

OoOoO

Somehow there was something about Alaude that made it easy to relax around him. Tsuna had come up with the conclusion that the elder man was somewhat of a fairytale prince; something too good to be true and at any moment, they would slip up and turn out to be the villain. Earlier he thought of Giotto as the one who was blatant and extreme, while Alaude had made it very clear he was high and mighty. He was too afraid to ask that if Giotto was a prestigious businessman, why Alaude kept calling him the "boss."

His intuition was telling him it had something to do with bed.

Something that also cleared up the debate Tsuna was not having in his head that both sex partners in a gay relationship contributed in um, "giving some," rather than just one. Unfortunately, it wasn't as much to him asking Alaude about gay sex as much as it was the man mentioned it too casually in a conversation. He assumed it was because Giotto was his brother but it was still gross as hell.

A-And he really didn't need to know where Giotto gave Alaude-san a hickey.

Apparently their relationship was all but loving. He refused to ask in further detail of how much Giotto and Alaude loved each other, but from what he gathered, they didn't like each other much. Or they were one of those couples who simply loved each other for the seduction in their relationship. Either way, Tsuna thought dizzily after they finally got back in the car. It was 6:20, and his curfew was in ten minutes.

He wasn't going to make it. The longer he stayed in the car with Alaude, the farther the Frenchman decided to take him. The brunet gave up memorizing the route they took a long time ago, and was left stranded with the white-haired adult as his adult supervision. The only time they talked was when Tsuna asked a question and Alaude answered it. A little while later, the adult would offer a sharp comment of anything around him, which provoked another question and therefore continued the cycle.

They spent three hours at the zoo, hobbling at Tsuna's slow pace on his crutches. The adult told him simply that it would get training in for when Tsuna ever had to outrun a stampede of elephants while on crutches or something. The brunet's arms hurt from dragging himself everywhere. But he had no choice; Tsuna was either to stagger at an awkward pace or risk having Alaude yanking him by the shirt and drag him across the large area of space.

He cocooned himself in the leather interior, head resting against the window as Alaude smoothly started the engine and ventured off to the next unknown.

"Is this really alright?" Tsuna croaked quietly.

"Mm?"

"Never mind." The brunet shut his eyes, shiver running through his spine before he looked behind him where both crutches lay. His third intake of heavy pills caused him to be very sleepy, and somewhat irrational. Head swaying slightly to the side, Tsuna decided best not to question the man and wait until they got home. Giotto would probably ground him or something, and…and he hadn't called Enma yet.

He quickly jolted up in realization before the seatbelt pressed up against him. Tsuna's sight blurred; caramel eyes exhausted from exertion of energy and pupils dilated.

Alaude chuckled in amusement and muttered something under his breath; something that sounded close to the word… "home."

Everything passed by in a flash. Tsuna assumed he drifted off to sleep for simply a minute, and by the time he opened his eyes again, the scenery outside vaguely reminded him of Namimori.

By the time they got back to the apartment buildings, the sky was dark. Tsuna peered through the window, lightheaded and dizzy, but the medicine apparently was working. They parked near the end, and he quickly checked his watch. 7:45PM. He…was past curfew, wasn't he?

Alaude opened up the car door for him, both crutches in hand. The brunet pulled out of the car, stumbling to reach one crutch before he was suddenly reminded of the stairs to hell. A soft groan escaped his lips—

"Tsuna."

Both teenager and adult turned their heads ever-so slowly. A mop of red hair caught brown eyes, followed by blond, and they quickly made their way toward them. A pair of car keys could be seen in…G's hands before the redhead was clutching his shoulders.

"What happened to you?" He muttered in concern. His hand reached up, slender fingers pressing up against the black eye Tsuna forgot he had before looking over to Alaude.

Giotto stood next to him with a scowl. "Hayato-kun and Takeshi-kun came by after school in order to give him his schoolwork and Reborn personally called me in order to ask where his 'No-Good Student' was."

"Obviously, you can see that he's in no condition to go to school today. Which is why I was so bent on suspending him."

"Sus….? Alaude."

"Yes, boss?"

"Shut up," Tsuna grumbled. "I feel dizzy." Both other adults broke away from their conversation. The brunet looked up in mild amusement, confused as to why they did so, before G mumbled something under his breath and scooped him up like a small child.

"He's going to school tomorrow," Alaude said simply.

Giotto's eyes narrowed irritably. "What happened to him?"

G took him out of earshot before he had the chance to hear the rest of their conversation. Tsuna tucked his head into G's tie, comforted by something for the first time all day. The redhead chuckled under his breath as they took each creeping step toward the apartment. "So where did he take you?"

"The doctor's…then the lake, and the zoo." He blinked sleepily, shivering even though there wasn't any wind, and clung onto G's arm. "I have to take my D.W. pills b-before I go to bed tonight."

"I'd say you're pretty drugged up as it is, kid." The door burst open, and G slowly guided him toward the couch.

"G...Giotto said that he works until nine. Why is he home right now?"

"Ah…That's…erm…" He could literally feel the adult blush from embarrassment. With a soft thud, Tsuna was settled on the couch and quickly tucked in. G smiled awkwardly and ran a hand through his hair. "I went by the school to come pick you up and Hayato said you weren't there. Since you didn't show up by the house at 6:30, I panicked and told your brother."

Tsuna eyed him. "You tattled on me."

"Of the sort, yes."

"So…are you like…m-my babysitter now?" So that was how he was gonna get into the house by the time it was 6:30. G nodded in confirmation and walked toward the kitchen.

"You'll be with me until your brother gets home. He doesn't want you by yourself. Do you want anything to eat?"

"I…I already ate." Tsuna looked down to the ground, eyes steady, before the door crept open again. Giotto stood there, demeanor firm and irritated, before he shut the door behind him and rested the crutches near the couch. "Hi?"

"Hey." The blond stood in front of him. He plopped on the couch, eyes rising toward the kitchen where G was helping himself with some leftover food in the kitchen. Before the brunet had the chance to say anything, something was pushed into his lap.

Tsuna blinked blurrily, noting one of those 'things' was his medication while the other was… "Why are you giving me this?"

"So you don't get kidnapped by that smartass again." Giotto's eyes steadily followed G's form. His best friend simply stood there, entertained by the situation as he sunk his teeth into a chicken leg. Slowly his gaze tore away, matching the unwavering eyes of his brother. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"Nah." The teenager shook his head and fiddled with the cellphone given to him. "Did you just…buy this?"

"Something like that. He and I have to get back to work; feel free to raid the fridge if you're hungry. And I really mean it." Giotto arched an eyebrow to Tsuna's placidness before he stood up, directly parallel to his little brother. "Feel free."

If he could do more than hobble, that is. Tsuna nodded casually, and they were locked into a staring contest. After a minute of silence, Tsuna blinked, and a pink Giotto was making his way to chortling G before they went to the door.

"Bye, kid." G looked over his shoulder, grin wider than a coyote spread across his lips.

"Um, bye." The door finally shut and all that filled the room was silence. Tsuna looked down to the phone, quickly dialing the one number he knew by heart and waited.

"Hello?"

"Enma?"

"Tsuna. What's up?"

"I'm uh. I…Is it considered brotherly affection when your brother kisses you on the forehead?"

chapter eight has drugs and tutors.

"I…I really don't think this is necessary…"

"Nonsense! Don't you want to at least soak your feet—erm, foot—in the water?"

"W-Well…"

"Bah, Yamamoto. If he doesn't want to put his fucking foot in the pool, then he shouldn't have to. Besides, I doubt he can even swim." Glimmering green eyes literally smirked at the poor brunet as the rest of him crossed his arms, tied silvery hair swaying softly in the wind. "Right, Tenth?"

Tsuna kept himself from rolling his eyes, sigh escaping his lips. Yamamoto, fortunately, distracted the hotheaded teenager with some crazy joke, and he was able to relax under the shade of the autumn tree. His bad foot was cleverly sitting on a pile of crunchy leaves, and Fon-sensei was somewhere off teaching kids how to do the butterfly stroke.

A week and a half had passed by. To say that he wasn't miserable would have been an understatement, but it wasn't because he couldn't swim. No, he wouldn't have wanted to go swimming, anyway. Calling Enma simply became instinct, and it was more embarrassing with Giotto's eyes on him peculiarly once the stressed adult got home. They locked gazes, each mumbling something different, but Tsuna was too drugged up to remember half their conversations.

Actually, he couldn't even remember half his conversations with Enma. If it weren't for the fact they also texted nonstop when the opportunity arose, he would have never figured out that they were in contact with each other.

Fortunately, his system was getting used to the D.W. Pills. His hand ran over the screen of the decent iPhone Giotto had given him. It took him a while to adjust to it; never having a cellphone before. For the longest time, the brunet assumed Giotto had picked it up somewhere before he searched the contacts list and realized this was his brother's business phone. One of them, anyway. In total, there were less than twenty contacts already listed on the phone; those included being Alaude, G, the Asari guy Alaude-san had mentioned and…his teachers.

For some strange reason, Giotto was in contact with his teachers. He was careful not to delete them in event the blond really needed the phone, and only called Enma. They texted when given the chance, and Tsuna somehow felt calmer knowing his best friend wasn't suffering.

Now…well, he wasn't sure what to say. The week and a half had gone by fast, and in nearly a month, Enma would be coming for his birthday. Yamamoto…Tsuna looked up through his daze, smile spreading across his face as the uncertain demeanor across his friend's turned into a short laugh. Yamamoto was still hesitant as ever. They talked about a lot of things, and it seemed to make the baseball player like him more.

Gokudera-kun developed a strange habit of calling him 'Tenth.' It was more mocking than friendly, some kind of label that would always flash a glimmer of discomfort in Yamamoto's eyes before the taller feigned a smile and patted the brunet on the back. He didn't bother to ask what was so important about it. Half of their conversations made it to Tsuna's memory, and he deduced one of his strange abilities was to one-up the other teenager when on his medication.

And of course, the small, seemingly-adorable pout across Gokudera's lips and high chuckle from Yamamoto implied he probably just said something he didn't remember. Tsuna looked up, hands coiled around his cellphone as Yamamoto insisted yet again that he got into the pool.

"How long do you have to keep walking on your crutches?" the baseball player smiled keenly and plopped next to the shorter teenager. Gokudera did the same on the other side, eyes closed and scowl forming across his lips. Neither questioned why he was being cooperative. By now the medication had ways of numbing Tsuna's ridiculous paranoia and Yamamoto seemed simply relieved that his two friends were getting along.

"Two more days." The brunet checked his phone casually, noting that Enma would be on lunch break the same time as them before a wet sponge ball hit him in the head. Water splashed against his face and he squeezed his eyes shut, taken off guard before falling backward.

"Ah! Tsuna!" Yamamoto propped himself up and picked the ball from the poor teenager's face.

"I'm fine," he quickly mumbled. Tsuna rubbed the water out of his eyes and shook his head. Drops of pool-water fell in his lap and he groaned softly.

"Sorry, Yamamoto!" called one of the students. "Hey, wanna play water baseball? We're short a player!"

"Ooh, can I?" Large brown eyes glittered with the excitement of a small child. Yamamoto stood up, nearly six feet tall with his hands clasped together and a hopeful expression across his face.

Tsuna shared a quick glance to an ignorant Gokudera, who was playing with a flower, before nodding him off. For a second, the baseball player exchanged looks between both friends, hesitation running across his demeanor, before he ran off and splashed into the pool. He couldn't blame him; leaving Gokudera within a five-foot radius of Tsuna was never a good idea.

However, this was the first time they were left together by themselves since the first night the hothead bandaged his foot. "You're only being tolerant of me now that you know all I do is talk to my best friend."

"Don't get so fucking self-centered, narcissist." Gokudera-kun snorted loudly and propped onto his elbows, eyes looking elsewhere. "You and I only get along so that way he doesn't get so fucking worried and throw his damn hand out before baseball season again."

"So you admit it," pressed Tsuna dully. He fiddled with one of his crutches and leaned into the tree behind him. "You're concerned for him."

Red scattered the other teenager's face, and the silver-haired teenager quieted. A soft sigh left his throat, expression softening begrudgingly as he rubbed his temples. "What do you want from me, Sawada?"

Health insurance. So when Gokudera-kun decided to punch out a tooth or two, Tsuna didn't have to panic about paying hospital bills. "Your friendship."

"Ship's sailed." The other teenager smiled grimly. "Next?"

"You've been dating your girlfriend for at least five months. That's how long since he's confessed to you, right?" Tsuna mumbled something else under his breath, wondering what the hell he'd been saying for the past ten minutes and who he was saying it with. Luckily, he thought as he looked at his watch, the medicine would be fading in a little while. "Is it because you're jealous that he may switch his interests to me, or are you afraid of losing your best friend?"

"Tch. Shut the fuck up. You have no idea what you're saying."

"Then tell me." Tsuna eyed him warily, softly glaring before his sights set on Yamamoto, who eagerly played water Frisbee with other students in the pool. "You and me. We're awkward with each other, and I want to know exactly why this can't just be avoided if you're jealous to the point you can't stand to see anyone but yourself near him."

"Che."

There was a silence between them. Tsuna scratched his head, confused as to where Yamamoto had gone when he promised to stay and converse with him. He looked around slowly before realizing they were in gym and Fon-sensei was monitoring the other kids.

"…it's no big deal." Gokudera plopped onto his stomach, arms under his chin as his eyes wandered elsewhere. "He's just a fucking idiot who grew too close. And I don't swing that way. He came out of the closet the day before the big game, wanted to kiss me for good luck, and I made it clear I wasn't gay. I'm not."

"Obviously." If the definition he was using for gay was 'happy.'

"He was a fucking idiot, laughed it off, and to make it damn clear I wanted nothing to do with him and his faggotry, I asked this chick out. It's not a big deal." Gokudera's eyes narrowed and he buried his nose into his wrist. "Tch. He shouldn't make a fucking big deal about it."

"So you're dating someone else," the brunet murmured steadily, "and that's okay. But you expect Yamamoto to sit around all day and pine for love you won't give him?"

"Hey. Watch it." Gokudera tossed a glare his way and scowled. "Sawada…"

"Yes?" Tsuna picked up a blade of grass and threw it in the air.

"You have one fucked up mind when you're all drugged up."

Were they just talking about something? Tsuna scratched his head, one hand running through his hair as his mind was dizzily spinning again. He propped himself up on the crutch, wondering what he'd done to provoke Gokudera-kun this time and looked down to the other teenager carefully.

"Yeah," he decided finally. "I'll agree with you there."

OoOoO

"I really don't get why you don't like him."

"Yes you fucking do. And I wish that you would just stop fucking rubbing it in my face." Hayato sat by the poolside, anger twisting his features and scowl contorting his lips. Instinct first told him to dig through his pocket and light a cigarette, but unfortunately they would be swimming for another thirty minutes. The stupid teacher, all smiles and deep breaths, kindly told him to go back to the pool.

After a humiliating one-sided argument, Hayato stormed off (he swore it was because he wanted to), using his temporary irritation as an excuse to get away from the creepily smartass midget who had the ability to render him speechless in less than thirty seconds. Red flushed his face, and he found himself near the shallow end with his feet touching a puddle of pool-water contemplating what Sawada had told him.

He…wasn't considered top of their class for nothing.

Hayato had never been stupid enough that he'd let his emotions control him to the point he could probably get arrested—without analyzing said emotions, that was. Anyone who knew him personally knew the green-eyed teenager had a very short temper. Oh fuck no, he wasn't some queer who cried if he broke a bloody nail, and you would be shitting him if you assumed he smiled a lot.

Smiling…made him vulnerable.

The silver-haired teenager stopped smiling a long while ago, when his instincts were hinting at something bigger, something that was inevitable, and…well, quite frankly something that he was too afraid to tell that Sawada kid.

Fuck, why was he even mentioning this?

Ah, because said Sawada shithead hit a nerve, and it was an especially sensitive subject that Hayato disliked getting into because it involved too much estrogen and giggling. The kid never ceased to amaze him, as odd as he came to be.

Which had been why he analyzed Tsunayoshi Sawada's personality as if his life depended on it.

For the longest time, the biggest 'man-crush' Hayato had had was on the elder brother; Giotto Vongola. He shit-fucking worshipped the ground that man walked on. Giotto Vongola was suave, smooth, regal, beautiful, and devastatingly gorgeous. Giotto Vongola (gosh, he couldn't even say that beautiful godlike creature's first name without the last), who graduated college a year earlier than planned, who made deals and was a successful entrepreneur while attending business school. He was a protégé, expertly learning the stock market with a trained poker face, and had the man not smiled once in a while (like at Bianchi and G's wedding), Hayato would have loved him more.

Because that would have meant that Giotto Vongola was an UMA.

A very successful one, at that.

B-But of course, that was nothing but pure attraction. He told Sawada, after all, that he wasn't gay. If Hayato Gokudera was 100% sure of anything, it was his sexuality. It was no big deal, really. If a man could find another man attractive and still go home and screw his wife into the bed, that simply meant he was secure with who he was.

And really, Hayato was absolutely secure with who he was.

Giotto Vongola was someone that he knew simply through G, and Hayato knew G through his sister. Yamamoto, that idiot, knew both men from delivering sushi, and he could faintly remember an immature day when they were thirteen, and he kicked the baseball idiot in the face. After all, where had these two men been all his life?

Quite frankly, despite the fact both adults had only been married for nine months, he got a lot closer to his ex-brother-in-law than intended. They had their arguments, smartass fights, and according to Bianchi, G was just as rambunctious (pfft, him? Furthest thing from Hayato's personality!) as he was at his age. G checked up on him constantly, and was such a fucking pussy about making sure he was safe.

They shared things, but it was only because at the time of the marriage Hayato was roughly twelve, and G wasn't ashamed of bribery.

The last thing he had in mind was Giotto-san having a brother. It had been a week or so prior to Sawada coming to Namimori, and G and he shared a few beers over at Hayato's apartment. The news had slipped, and that was probably the only instant where Hayato actually looked forward to seeing who this Tsunayoshi was. Tsunayoshi Vongola! At least, that's what he assumed the name would be. Anyone who was related to Giotto-san was obviously really cool!

He expected someone tall, gorgeous, and very smart. That being said, Hayato immediately made plans to make Tsunayoshi feel comfortable in Namimori, despite the grimace G had spread across his face when telling him the news. Tsunayoshi and he were the same age, apparently, and he made it his duty to protect Giotto-san's little brother at all cost.

Maybe even have a friendship as strong as G and Giotto's.

Well, you know, if it didn't turn out that Tsunayoshi wasn't anything like Giotto-san.

He remembered the day clearly, of when Tsuna and he first met. Tsuna was (and is) timid, shy, hesitant, and had some fucking aura that drew people into him. He'd yet to see the bastard smile, but it was enough to bug him that he could be fucking losing his best friend to that little shrimp.

Tsuna was nothing like Giotto-san. Tsunayoshi, the boy Hayato was practically infatuated with, was. Tsunayoshi was suave, smooth, regal, and all of that other good stuff that came with his brother. When first laying eyes on the midget, he could see the resemblance. Very slightly, but it was there. And as they approached Namimori Apartment Complex, he had gotten that sinking feeling as his mind betrayed him with its natural genius and calculated all the facts given to him.

To put it simply (though begrudgingly), he hated Sawada because he was insanely possessive of his best friend. It seemed to be a natural whim, and through his own psychological analysis, he confirmed this possessiveness he never showed blatantly (at least, in his opinion).

Everything Sawada had told him simply struck a numb nerve. Each fact was something Hayato himself was very aware of, and tiresomely acknowledged. He had the flawless power of analysis, starting from pencil and paper before evolving into something bigger. Research proved to get him very far, and up until this point he was very certain about the facts of life.

Haru was his woman and Takeshi Yamamoto was his bitch.

Err, best friend. Yamamoto had crossed the one line in their friendship that caused all boundaries to increase, and it was something Hayato researched very stiffly before reaching the universal conclusion that one could not simply just "research" love.

Love was something that just happened. So how the fuck did that baseball idiot fall in love with him? Hypothetically speaking, anyway, since they were only high school students.

At the time, Hayato was straight. Scratch that. Hayato Gokudera is straight. He was still contemplating these apparent feelings that Yamamoto claimed to have, like allowing a bite of food to swish around in a person's mouth as a taste tester before deciding to swallow and decide if it was delicious or not. Hayato had yet to swallow. He yet to know if Yamamoto was erm, delicious, and was afraid of finding out.

During those five months of peace, he didn't have to wonder whether or not he should recuperate (not that he was thinking about it…) Yamamoto's feelings. Then about half a month ago, this brat shows up and Yamamoto immediately took him under his wing.

Hayato didn't care. He fucking wanted Sawada to go die in a hole. Well…wanted. He wasn't sure anymore.

Which was why he was sitting at the shallow end of the school pool, Yamamoto wading toward him with chlorine-contaminated water glistening against his perfectly tan chest. Not that he noticed, anyway.

That one instance was the only time G had spoken of Tsunayoshi, and it had gone on casually. G normally got him drunk in order to break news. Apparently despite his vast change in attitude and the inability to hold liquor, his other talent was a vivid memory. Giving him news when he was drunk generally meant that it was bad news. He still didn't know the story behind Tsuna's relationship with Giotto-san, nor why they went on with different last names.

At first he assumed it should have just been his duty to devote his life to the kid. Then he wanted nothing to do with him because Sawada got on his nerves. The rather annoying problem with Sawada, however, was the fact he was too nice.

Normally with nice people, you were nice back and never saw them again. Sawada, however, had the ability to make an impression whether he was drugged up and telling him to be quiet, or stammering a hello. He saw the truth in Sawada's words, and he was slightly more reassured by the fact Sawada had no intention of stealing Yamamoto away from him from those constant phone calls. The brunet's faced lit up instantly, and he ended up being on the phone for more than an hour at a time before panicking and remembering what the phone bills could be.

Sawada was nice. And Hayato was too proud to admit that he didn't hate Sawada as much as he originally thought. But you know, if that brat ended up one-upping him again…

His mind was brought back to reality as Yamamoto sat next to him, wet thigh pressed against his own as a frown spread across his face. "Can't you just try to be nice to Tsuna? I really like him – as a friend."

Hayato's brow twitched. He looked away, frown spread across his lips, and refused to give Yamamoto the satisfaction of winning. "Fuck. Let me do whatever the hell I want with my life, got it?"

"If I recall, I am letting you do what you want in life. Actually…" Yamamoto was smiling. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it. A soft, empty chuckle left the other teenager's throat and his hair was splashing as he ran a hand through it. "I don't own you. You can do whatever you want, haha."

"Tch. Why do you have to be so fucking nice to him?" God dammit, he needed a fucking smoke like, now. A scowl spread across his lips, glare full on his demeanor as he searched around aimlessly for something to substitute the deathly habit.

"Tsuna just looks like the type of person who needs a friend, haha. And…" Yamamoto's voice had dropped in pitch. Hayato looked from the corner of his eye, an uncomfortable feeling bubbling in his stomach as Yamamoto smiled genuinely. "He's warmhearted. I feel like I've known him all my life."

There was a pang of worry…or regret…or something that bubbled inside the silver-haired teenager as he heard those words. Looking from the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of that wistful expression across his best friend's face, and immediately felt…incredibly pissed off. It was one of those blatant feelings that unlike the rest, he felt no need to analyze. He just had a hunch—and went with his gut, just like G did. "Is there something you told him that you didn't tell me?"

The baseball player looked at him, confused, before skeptically turning away, goofy smile across his face.

Eight years of friendship came down to knowing what that idiot was thinking most of the time. Well, not really. Eight years of friendship, Hayato thought with an eyebrow arched, simply meant he knew Yamamoto hid his feelings behind a few laughs. He found it sweetly irritating, but it was also something that scared him. Analyzing Yamamoto proved to be a challenge.

"Fine. Don't fucking tell me your feelings. Either grow a pair or boobs or some balls, because the more passive you get, the more…the more…" Flustered, Hayato simply crossed his arms, scowl increasing on his face as his cheeks reddened. "The more it fucking annoys me."

"A-Ah? Gokudera, are you telling me that you're worried for my sake?"

"Hell no! Fuck off!" Automatically, he jerked his arm in order to shove Yamamoto into the deep end, but it had become a predictable move. His best friend simply caught his arm, all smiles and laughs that made his legs turn to jelly, and held it securely.

"Thanks, Hayato." A soft chuckle left Yamamoto's throat before he stood up and ran back to the water without another word.

Hayato simply sat there, mouth parted in surprise before tearing away, red scattering across his face. "Whatever. And don't fucking call me by my first name!"

OoOoO

"Would you like to eat lunch with us?"

It was probably the only thing that he remembered to do every day, even when on his medication. Tsuna smiled nervously, silently testing out his bad foot against the ground as he stood up, crutches bent under him and sweat matting his face. Gokudera-kun sat behind him, busy with some other kind of work, but nonetheless listening.

He made it a ritual since the third day of school to ask Gokudera to join them for lunch. Yamamoto automatically followed him like a lost puppy, sinking into some cycle as if Tsuna and he were simply two friends enjoying one another's company. Wh-which of course, they were, but they'd become so close in a short amount of time.

With his cellphone in hand along with the bento Yamamoto insisted on making him, he struggled to hold onto his crutches, and stared expectantly at the pink teenager. He already knew that Gokudera would follow, even if he looked grouchy about it and called him many names (all along the lines of how short he was). Yamamoto pulled the bento away from his grasp, and the only reason he didn't ask for them back was because he finally balanced himself out.

Yamamoto looked cheerier, though also more cautious whenever Tsuna and Gokudera got into a conversation.

Finally, through a silence that lasted less than a minute, Gokudera unceremoniously stood up from his seat, frown written across his lips and fingers flat on his desk. "Fuck, you're seriously getting on my nerves with your nice attitude."

Unfortunately, that was also code for 'yes.' Tsuna reddened, eyes rolling as Gokudera yanked a bento from under his desk and "begrudgingly" helped him prop himself on the crutches. Being the height he was, said crutches wouldn't adjust for him. He settled for them being slightly too tall, but that also meant he had a hard time standing on his feet.

"Don't forget your medication," Yamamoto chimed cheerfully.

"Y…yeah." The medicine had worn off about an hour ago after gym class. Tsuna smiled again, awkwardly, and hobbled toward the door. There was only a slight gnawing pain in his foot, but not enough to be more than an irritation. As Yamamoto helped him out, he looked toward both friends. Gokudera, again, was a lot nicer than he normally was, and Yamamoto was…being Yamamoto.

The more he got to know about them, the more comfortable he'd been during the past few weeks. G picked him up every day after school, and he would stay with the man at Giotto's apartment or occasionally go and bug Gokudera down in his. Which surprisingly, was very clean. G and he talked about a lot of things – sports, politics, beer, and sometimes even himself – but he was always too afraid to ask about his brother. Giotto would come by a few hours later, the redhead would converse with his best friend and then leave.

It was kinda, sorta weird. Tsuna smiled delicately as they eventually made their way toward a bench in the front of the school. Yamamoto would sit next to them and cautious, Gokudera would sit parallel on a tree with a sandwich in hand.

"I-I can feed myself, Yamamoto." He blushed as the chopsticks made it to his face, the fear of the silver-haired teenager shoving something you-know-where bubbling in his stomach.

Yamamoto laughed and shoved the piece of sushi in his mouth anyway. "But you're so cute, Tsuna! Like a little baby!"

But he don't want to be cute! Caramel eyes rolled and Tsuna relinquished. This was the attitude his best friend approached him with every single day. Suddenly he froze, blinking at his own logic as he slowly swallowed and…and contemplated. Best friend.

They'd known each other almost a month now, and shared a lot of secrets. It was too early to call them best friends.

Uh, right?

His own chopsticks lingered at his mouth, crab sushi half a centimeter away from parted lips when red exploded across his faced like no tomorrow. Blood rushed to his cheeks, and he looked to the corner of his eye where Gokudera was offhandedly ranting about American politics and Yamamoto wholeheartedly (though with much confusion) listened.

"Yo, Tenth," Gokudera's attention immediately whirled his way with an eyebrow arched and frown across his face. "What the hell are you staring at?"

"Ah…um…" Tsuna blushed, accidentally allowing his sushi to drop and crumble in his lap. Yamamoto immediately took a napkin and scooped what he could of the sushi.

"Ooh, that's not good, haha."

"A-Ah, I'm fine!" And he didn't like that vicious glare that the silver-haired teenager was giving him. He grabbed Yamamoto's hand, careful to push it away from him before smiling awkwardly. "U-Um, are we friends?"

They were both silent. Yamamoto wasn't laughing and Gokudera-kun was simply staring at him as if he'd grown two heads. He wasn't shy of a split personality, if that counted for anything. So he had assumed, considering the many glances and scowls he got from one teenager along with the odd-then-goofy demeanor from the other.

"Duh." Gokudera broke their silence before cramming the rest of his bread in his mouth.

The hinges to the brunet's jaw loosened, almost dropping to the ground before he wrapped a hand securely to his pants. Yamamoto chuckled before patting him carelessly on the back. "You didn't think we were, Tsuna?"

"W-Well…I-I…" Tsuna stammered, heat rushing to his face yet again before he looked down and mumbled something embarrassing under his breath along the lines of, "I just had to make sure."

Yamamoto scooted closer to him only by a few inches, and the brunet shivered as lips were only centimeters away from his ear. The only one to have ever been this close to him was Enma. In a quiet tone, one that Gokudera was sure not to hear, the black-haired teenager stated simply, "We're not gonna leave you, so don't worry too much, okay? We're friends, haha."

He said nothing to that. But he smiled. Tsuna beamed softly, comfortably leaning into Yamamoto's heat if only for a little bit before another thought passed through his mind. But…he didn't have to…right now, did he?

"Something the matter?" Yamamoto placed a hand tenderly on his knee. Before he knew it, the brunet was back to being fed by chopsticks.

Tsuna snapped out of his thoughts, pushing the matter aside and took the slice of sushi carefully between his fingers. He shoved it down his throat and smiled fully. "Nah."

They ate in another, more comfortable silence. He finally got Yamamoto to stop feeding him like a baby, and ate the rest of his platter without a care. Yamamoto left them yet again, when a girl called him over for what Tsuna and Gokudera both figured was a love confession. That was when the silver-haired hothead decided to attack.

"You're really full of it, y'know?" called Gokudera.

Tsuna flinched at his tone and looked back down to his food, ashamed of something, but not sure of what. Instead the other teenager snorted yet again, slowly trekking to the meeker until they were face-to-face.

"A…Are you and I friends, Gokudera-kun?" His voice was no more audible than a whisper, fingers curling delicately in the bench under him.

Green eyes stared at him carefully before they closed and looked away. The irate teenager gently slapped his ankle and shrugged. "Fine. You're fucking growing on me. But I swear, if you let that baseball idiot know about this…"

"Y…Yeah." The last thing he would do was ignore one of Gokudera's threats. The brunet blushed softly, leaning over toward Gokudera as he did with Yamamoto as something came to mind. "Um, do you want to hang out on Saturday?"

That certainly caught the silver-haired teenager off guard. "What, like catch a movie or something?"

Erm, he didn't actually have any money since he didn't have time to get a job. Tsuna carefully shook his head and blushed. "Maybe at your apartment or something? Something with uh, no money or something?"

There was a twitch in the silver-haired teenager's features. He turned around, hand running through his hair. Tsuna recognized this as a sign of the other's embarrassment and fluster, but it also meant he wasn't getting shunned like normal. "…I'll take you to meet my girlfriend."

Tsuna perked at this. "Really?" He would finally meet the only other person in Japan that could tolerate Gokudera's stormy temper?

"Yeah. Don't tell him, though." Gokudera's pale face hinted a blush of pink, and he refused to look the shorter teenager in the eye. Instead, he walked back to his tree, gap remaining between them.

They were quiet, neither looking at each other until Yamamoto came back, face red with embarrassment before informing them of the polite rejection. Tsuna thought back to his little "date" with Gokudera on the upcoming Saturday. G was allowing him to go out with his friends, but only if Gokudera would be there. Even though they didn't get along and Yamamoto had baseball practice during the weekend, he was desperate to leave the house.

After lunch, they went back to class, Yamamoto and Gokudera debating something about pool sharks, and class resumed as normal.

"Your math grades are shit."

U-Unfortunately, getting back to class and having the day resume as normal didn't mean that the Spartan homicidal hitman of a teacher he had would be any easier than he had been since their first day of school. The wall in the back casually spelled out in English an "R," "E," and a "B." Tsuna suspected by the end of the year (or the semester, really) that his teacher's entire name would be spelled out.

"U-Uh…ah…" Tsuna felt his face turn red as he looked down to the "F" he had on FOIL. Algebra wasn't one of his favorite subjects.

"That's pretty surprising," murmured the elder man. Reborn-sensei petted the chameleon sitting casually on his desk before swinging his legs over and crossing his legs idly. A smirk spread across his lips. "After all, Ieyatsu runs a firm business. His math grades had to be fantastic to be the proper businessman he is now."

"I don't…really…" The brunet searched his words, eyebrow arched, but was unable to come up with anything else. "…really talk to my father." It was the one mistake that Reborn kept making, even after correcting his teacher. He eyed Gokudera and Yamamoto, who were waiting outside the door, and wished he wasn't being interrogated so harshly.

Since he hadn't seen Iemitsu since he was a small child, maybe he had gotten the name wrong. Generally he blocked the man whenever he came to visit, nervously putting a fake smile on his face before his father left again for a long amount of time. So it was possible he'd been referring to his father by the wrong name, right? Iemitsu and Ieyatsu weren't too far from each other.

"That's not the only person you rarely talk to, now is it?" B-By now, he'd given up trying to find out how Reborn-sensei knew so much about him – about all of them. "You have to understand something, Dame-Tsuna—"

"How did you find that nickname out!" Tsuna clasped a hand over his mouth as he realized the words that escaped his lips. Reborn-sensei raised an eyebrow, Cheshire grin growing across his face. Whoops.

"Dame-Tsuna." Before he had a chance to react, a sharp wooden pencil poked his forehead. "Interrupt me again and understand I'll kill you."

Somehow that threat seemed absolutely wholehearted. The teenager paled, lowering his gaze and shivering as the pencil dug into his skin.

"Your marks are terrible and quite frankly, I haven't been able to read your handwriting. It sucks. Now, Dame-Tsuna, if you don't pass this course, then you may be held back a year. Seeing your face for more than a school year will piss me off. I don't like it when my students fail." Reborn set the pencil down beside him, casually allowing his pet chameleon to stroll on Tsuna's desk. The teenager gulped. He wasn't very fond of…living things altogether, really. "We're still early in the school year. If you get behind now, then you won't be able to catch up when exams come rolling by."

"Ah…I…" Tsuna gulped, unsure if he was allowed to speak or not. "I…I see."

"I understand your grades at your last school weren't very good, either. But you need to understand that I will shoot you if you don't get above an 83 on your next test." Reborn lifted an eyebrow to the barely audible squeak leaving Tsuna's throat. "Perhaps you should get a tutor?"

Tsuna looked up, eyebrow arched. "I-I've never had a tutor before."

"Hn. Find one, or I'll be severely pissed off." Reborn's loafer made contact with his forehead as he swung his legs over. The brunet clutched his head, wincing, and watched the adult make his way toward the door. A violent shimmer appeared in his eyes, smirk across his face. "Or I'll become your tutor."

Uh, that wasn't a good thought. As the door shut behind the man, Tsuna gathered his things, carefully stuffing his backpack before grabbing both crutches and making it toward the door where a worried Yamamoto and an apprehensive Gokudera stood.

He smiled awkwardly. "H…Hi."

"G's waiting up front for you, I'm assuming." Gokudera was first to speak.

"Y…Yeah…" How was he going to explain his bad grade to Giotto? On top of that…was it something that he was supposed to tell Giotto? His stomach sunk slightly as Yamamoto helped him down the stairs toward the front gate. The two were locked in their own discussion about the value of manga while his mind was focused on his brother. Their conversations consisted of ten-worded sentences at best, and that was only when Giotto wasn't creating a new rule.

The latest since this morning was the fact Tsuna was required to bathe both morning and night. It was ridiculous, and he assumed Giotto caught onto his binge of trying not to waste too much water. Giotto may have created all these rules ridiculously for Tsuna's best interest, but did that really mean he was also who disciplined him? How would Giotto discipline him? They hadn't even decided on what Tsuna should have called him—Aniki? Niichan? Niisan? Niisama?

He lamented in his head, deciding to let the subject go before snapping out of his thoughts and—"Wh-What on…earth?" What the hell.

There was a Maserati Spyder sitting casually in front of the school, yes, but there was also an odd blob of blond that normally did not come with his babysitter. Giotto sat in the front seat, frown spread across his lips along with a pair of reading glasses and what looked like business papers.

Today was Tuesday. Tuesdays were Giotto's day off, of course. The brunet blinked, head tilted to the side, but Giotto and G were simply conversing in Italian as if they were at home, talking about nothing in particular.

They finally turned to the poor, short teenager, G grinning and Giotto…well, not looking up. "Hey, kid."

"H-Hi…" Tsuna observed the car, red scattering across his cheeks as he quickly realized there wasn't any room for him in a two-seated car.

"Your brother has to go grocery shopping. I'm taking him, since…you know." G gestured to the man too busy with his paperwork to care, and did something with his hands. Apparently despite the fact everyone knew Giotto was an absolutely horrible driver, the blond himself was ignorant. "Well, I duped him into picking you up and taking you, too."

"So…it's gonna be the three of us?" Tsuna picked his words carefully. If he specifically asked if it was just going to be Giotto and him awkwardly shopping in a small market alone, it would have implied something. Not that it mattered, the teenager thought nervously. They both knew how thick the tension ran between them, but pointing it out made it even more awkward.

"Yup." Phew. "You'll have to climb in and sit on Giotto's lap, however." That was enough to get the blonde's attention—and make Tsuna feel more spastic than he should have. Had Yamamoto not been clutching his arm for support, he would have fallen over.

Giotto looked up from his work tentatively, fiery eyes glued to Tsuna's form before he did something the brunet would have never thought he'd see.

Giotto smiled.

His lips curtsied warmly, cheek-to-cheek and eyes glimmering under the sunlight. His hair fell in clumps, neatly framing his face as even a soft chuckle escaped his lips. The only problem, however, was the fact that very same smile…w-wasn't directed at him.

Tsuna swallowed the lump in his throat, hands on his crutches tightly as he felt his heart tie in knots. I-It was the only time he'd ever seen the man smile, especially sincerely, and they'd lived in the same house for weeks. Many thoughts ran through his head as he realized he didn't know where Giotto worked, nor his hobbies, many of his friends – not even what last name he went by.

But Gokudera knew Giotto through his sister's marriage and Yamamoto delivered sushi to him.

Something bubbled in his stomach, nerves acting up as he leaned into the baseball player for protection.

"Takeshi-kun, Hayato-kun. I take it you're treating him well?" Giotto's hand hung out the car and gestured them closer. Gokudera and Yamamoto obliged, blindly taking the poor brunet with him.

"Of course, haha. He's a really awesome kid! Once his ankle's healed, you should let him try out for track." Yamamoto grinned and petted Tsuna's head affectionately.

Gokudera grinned and playfully poked Tsuna in the rib. "Your kid brother's safe with me, Giotto-san. Don't worry."

"Yes well, your brother-in-law will be getting hell from me once we get home." Giotto did the same with G, harshly poking the man in the rib before casually arching an eyebrow and frowning. "And how's baseball, Takeshi-kun?"

"It's going well." Yamamoto smiled goofily and rubbed the back of his head. "Haha, the seniors think I have a shot in making the varsity team."

"Mm. So your bad arm isn't hurting you too badly?"

"Nah, haha. It's perfectly healed. Hey, G-san!" Yamamoto grinned fully to the warm smile spread across Giotto's face and looked to the redhead waiting patiently in the driver's seat. "Since you two are so close, why haven't you just gotten an apartment together, already?"

"Pfft. He already acts like my wife. There's his son, right there." Giotto pointed casually to Tsuna, who lit up with red. "I've actually got some paperwork I should be doing. How about you come by later with some sushi, Takeshi-kun?"

"Haha, you got it. I'm going to baseball practice anyway." Yamamoto's face contorted curiously. "Uh, so is he seriously going to sit on your lap, haha?"

"Mm." Giotto's eyes lifted from the tall teenager, suddenly landing on his kid brother's before he sighed and opened the door. A smile broke onto his face, but again not directed at the brunet. "I'll talk to you guys later. Hayato-kun, don't forget to look over the files I sent you."

"I still can't believe you're trusting my ex-brother-in-law with a billion-dollar client," grumbled G. He eyed the man with irritation before looking toward Gokudera, who was obviously fuming at the comment.

Tsuna gulped softly, carefully launching himself onto Giotto's lap. The adult tensed at the sudden touch while Yamamoto cheerfully helped by grabbing both crutches and putting them in the back trunk. Gokudera swung his legs over, and with a sudden jerk, the teenager was sitting between Giotto's widespread legs.

"This," murmured the blond in a terse tone, "is really awkward."

"You were doing the same exact thing to Alaude just this afternoon, now weren't you? Get over it." G arched an eyebrow of amusement. Tsuna pressed a hand to his face, red exploding across his cheeks. That wasn't something he needed to know.

"Bye," Gokudera and Yamamoto said in unison.

"Um," Tsuna smiled softly, looking to both of his friends as he readjusted himself in a position that would be more comfortable for the both of them. "Bye."

All the while before they got to the supermarket, he was thinking of how Giotto flashed one last smile to the boys before trying ever-so desperately to keep them from touching.

OoOoO

"Don't forget to take your medicine," G said gently. The day had passed by casually, and the trio found themselves at Giotto's apartment after spending some money at Olive Garden. At first the kid had protested, trying pathetically to order the cheapest thing on the menu. However, he had to realize both G and Giotto were now his guardians and willing to do anything for him.

Well, G was. Giotto wasn't exactly enthusiastic about having a kid brother like he was with work.

Tsuna smiled awkwardly, shifting between his feet as he reached his suitcase and gathered a pair of clothes. G set his crutches aside against the wall, and once the teenager locked the bathroom door, he turned all attention to his best friend.

"I haven't seen you smile like that since he came." G flipped through tv channels before deciding on none in particular. His best friend and business partner was leaning against the kitchen counter, eyebrows furrowed as he looked through his files.

"It's a given. Takeshi-kun and Hayato-kun are good kids." Giotto's voice was monotonous when it came to business, as always. After all, the redhead thought with a roll of the eyes, it wasn't unusual for Giotto to be enthralled with his work.

Still…

When did he become the laidback one and Giotto so tense? The question itself was rhetorical, and G knew exactly why his best friend was acting this way.

"Though," Giotto said a bit more whimsically. "Even if the divorce was three years ago, I can't fathom whether or not it was a bad thing Bianchi left you. After all, you slept around the day before your wedding."

"How can you of all people keep bringing it up when you're the one I slept with? God, my ass hurt like hell, mind you."

"Pfft." The blond glared at him loosely, eyebrow arched. "So did mine. And for a man who allows a teenager to drink beer as often you two do, I would assume you'd hold your liquor better."

"Didn't you have to get Alaude drunk before proposing your deal?" teased G. He smiled at the twinge of red scattering his best friend's face before the blond resumed his paperwork. "It worries me, actually."

"Oh?" Giotto was listening despite the disinterest in his tone. It had been how their friendship worked all these years, after all. G knew for a fact he was so close to his dear best friend that he'd follow the man to the ends of the earth.

He forgot when he started following Tsuna. The…kid was absolutely adorable. Shy, timid, and very hesitant. In a lot of ways that the brunet didn't notice, he was a lot like his brother. The resemblance was both there physically and by personality. However, Giotto quickly overcame his own coyness, and he now knew the blond to sink easily into his own skin and become wary. He assumed, however, the reason Giotto was being very shy when it came to his brother was the same reason why G himself was so easygoing around him.

The kid was harmless. Which was probably what scared Giotto.

"You're normally pretty kindhearted and benevolent. Even with Alaude, who I can't fathom why the fuck you like so much – actually I can, but don't answer that – you're very tolerant with him. However, with Tsuna…" G smiled sympathetically, leaning his head into the man sitting yards away from him. "Don't you think you could smile a little more?"

Giotto lifted his head from his work, poker face unmoved and papers still flying. "I'm being nicer than I originally intended, now aren't I? So are you."

"He's just a kid." Nana Sawada was a younger woman. G knew this for a fact, and a very pretty one at that. Iemitsu went to her many times, and what both expected was for a spoiled kid who had everything he ever wanted in life, and a semi-perfect family. However even with that, it was obvious Tsuna was too shy for his own good. He wondered, really, if the kid knew he was an accident. Though it was yet to be determined if that was true. Tsunayoshi was either an accident, or worse – his parents planned it.

That was a debate his best friend had been having over the years, and he dared not voice his curiosity to the adult of whom he shared his looks with.

"I know he's just a kid." Giotto's tone wasn't what you would call feral, but close enough.

"Then you should treat him like one. Fuck, Giotto, when we were his age, you actually had a bed." G eyed the blond again, watching carefully for character changes.

"When I was his age, I didn't have a father." Fiery eyes looked up, eyebrow arched. "When I was his age, my older brother wasn't looking after me."

"Dino is only a few years older than you," G stated pointedly. "He and Tsuna haven't even met yet."

"He's busy. Fucking the nephew, no doubt." Giotto snorted and sealed something in an envelope.

"So you're able to accept that kind of dysfunctional behavior from one brother but not the other? Giotto." The redhead arched a warning eyebrow, one hand resting against the coffee table. "I know you're trying, but do you really think you're trying hard enough?"

"How can I try any harder if he's too scared to look me in the eye?" The blond snorted.

"Maybe if you actually smiled at me instead of treating me like the awkward mistake."

There was a silence that passed between the two of them. Both turned their heads ever-so slowly, neither having heard the bathroom door creep open as the short brunet teenager leaned against the sink. His face was slightly flushed, eyebrows furrowed and stance wavering. He was buzzed, most likely from after taking his medication. G found out quickly that the poor teenager was weak when it came to medication, and could easily be overpowered, especially by his D.W. pills.

"You want your crutches?" G smiled lightly and rose from his spot. It was 9:38, and the boy would most likely go to bed soon.

However, Tsuna's glare didn't look like it'd disappear anytime soon. "Do you seriously have that much of a grudge against me?"

Uh-oh. G looked over to the blond brother, immediately telling him not to retort, but Giotto took the bait – hook, line, and sinker. Fiery eyes flickered with annoyance, one hand busy with his work as he shrugged. "This relationship between us has been nothing but awkward."

"Because I'm a little shy and you're too caught up in your pride to admit I exist?" Bad, bad, bad. Tsuna wobbled on both feet, but tried to stand firm against the wall.

These were all subjects that were very noticeable between both brothers, but never mentioned. G looked back and forth, nerves eating up against him, and Giotto's frown deepened. "I would think your shyness goes further than just a 'little.'"

"I would think your ego's bigger than you'd like to admit," challenged Tsuna.

"You shouldn't have to hang your head around here like you're unwelcomed. I've tried to make you comfortable."

"Aren't I unwelcomed?" snapped Tsuna. "Two minutes ago you were implying how much of a nuisance I am to you. You can't have sex in this house when I'm around, and about two weeks ago you didn't have to worry about whatever the hell I did." Cripes. The Tsuna he knew never cursed, even when buzzed. "Giotto. I'm not stupid – I only agreed to this because you did. Didn't you think for once that through these years, I knew I wasn't your favorite person?"

Giotto opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"My mother may be the other woman, but I'm the other child. An accident. Mistake." Tsuna glowered furiously, wobbling between his feet as both the steaming hot shower and D.W. pills affected his better judgment. "When you were brought into the world, people were happy. Ieyatsu had responsibilities to you, yeah, but when I came into the world my mother was the only one happy. He was obligated to be with her, and was barely ever there. Do you really think I'm stupid enough to believe you and I would get along right off the bat? I'm living evidence as to why your mother and our father don't love each other anymore."

The room was silent. Even with the naivety the brunet often carried around with him, it was obvious now that he didn't think highly of himself for more than a few reasons. Looking to the side, he saw Giotto's expression loosen, more vulnerable with a demeanor of surprise across his face.

"Quite frankly, I don't understand why you agreed to babysit me for the next nine months. They'd need your consent before shipping me off, right?" Tsuna sighed, interrupting both adults' thoughts before he numbly walked toward the door.

That was enough for both blond and redhead to snap out of their thoughts. "Where are you going?" G asked.

"Somewhere." Tsuna shut the door behind him without another word.

"W-Wait—Giotto!" G snapped out of his stupor, but it was already too late. He whirled around, the other brother instantly coming to mind, but was cut off. Giotto had stocked off, nothing but the echo of his slamming door left in his wake.

chapter nine has consolation and girlfriends

The truth was his drugs were crazy.

Tsuna could remember everything up to forty minutes ago, all involving when he first entered the bathroom to when mind-over-matter screwed him over and caused him to babble everything he'd been thinking about since the day G opened that door and introduced him to his brother, who was bent over and waiting to play um, catcher. Stupidly enough, he was going to add the fact Giotto hadn't called him by his first name since they first met each other.

The fact he could vividly remember everything in the past forty minutes – all including how much soap he'd used before conditioning – meant he probably wouldn't forget this argument, either.

"I," he muttered softly as his head hit the wooden staircase, "am such an idiot."

Not that he didn't mean everything he vented. Even though he was the adult, Giotto wasn't very good at it. But he couldn't complain. Most adults at the age of twenty-five were either still out partying or settling down with newborn kids. His so-called wife, G, was more fathomable than he was.

His eavesdropping ended up making things worse. He should have realized this, but also came up with the conclusion that Giotto and G were so fluent in Japanese that talking in either language came naturally to them. So of course, after a day of grocery shopping and Olive Garden, the pair decided to have a lovely conversation in something besides their native language.

The nozzle had stopped, and Tsuna stood there, head light and in need of his medication. By the time he came to his senses (ironically when drugged up), Giotto and G-san were already halfway through with their conversation.

"—I? So are you." Giotto's voice.

"He's just a kid." G's voice. And from the looks of it, they had been talking about him.

"I know he's just a kid."

"Then you should treat him like one. Fuck, Giotto, when we were his age, you actually had a bed." A bed. Tsuna didn't mind sleeping on the couch. While he admitted, the awkward silences and glances Giotto gave him was different than to what he was used to, he tried not to let it bother him. E-Even if it did.

He…he didn't like the relationship they had with each other right now. Nor was he comfortable with how Gioto was before. When it came down to cold, hard facts, Giotto was still mean to him. But what was he to expect? For ten years he thought about how little the adult must have tolerated him, and he found out the reason out when Lambo was born.

"When I was his age, I didn't have a father." Giotto remained unconvinced. What, Tsuna thought as he took mild offense, did he really think Tsuna considered Iemi…Ieyatsu his father? "When I was his age, my older brother wasn't looking after me."

There were two of them? Tsuna paled, and could only dread what the fourth brother could be like. How ironic; Ieyatsu had two kids with Nana and two with…the not-other woman.

"Dino is only a few years older than you. He and Tsuna haven't even met yet." He was beginning to wonder why. His patience was running on thin ice, body woozy just a few minutes ago from the intake of his medicine. Tsuna knew his existence had a poor effect on the young adult, but how much of a secret was he?

"He's busy. Fucking the nephew, no doubt."

"So you're able to accept that kind of dysfunctional behavior from one brother but not the other? Giotto. I know you're trying, but do you really think you're trying hard enough?"

"How can I try any harder if he's too scared to look me in the eye?"

"Maybe if you actually smiled at me instead of treating me like the awkward mistake."

That'd been when he snapped. G's words still rang in his head, and without a grasp of common sense as the D.W. pills ran chillingly through his body, his mouth spoke for his stupidity, and the brunet exploded. He was…was…infuriated that his elder brother thought that lowly of him. Since day one he was trying to make sure he didn't get on the blond's nerves. However, Giotto'd thrown a curveball at him, and it was…was frustrating that the adult would smile at his friends, but not at him. That his brother would…would actually be nice one second and recoil another.

Tsuna meant everything he said to a tee. Obviously there would be conflicts between them, but up until his interjection, Giotto had been the one to call all the shots. Constant new rules, scowls, and glares. Smiles and chuckles. The latter point wasn't a big deal, he supposed, but…they needed some type of relationship.

The reality-esque word came back to him. Giotto and Tsuna were stuck with each other for nine months, and needed to make the best of it.

But nine months wouldn't be pleasant if neither got along. Th…They needed to trust each other. Badly.

The door behind him jutted open. Tsuna's fingers coiled around the wooden railing, head resting against unstable wood as the door crept closed. He waited for a moment, intuition telling him that it wasn't G who'd bolted out the apartment. In the few seconds to come, there was a jingle of keys, and the platform gave a soft, waning creak.

"What's the point in locking the door from the outside?" His voice was deeper than expected. Tsuna held on tightly to the railing, fingers trembling as splinters poked his skin, but decided best to keep his mouth shut.

"Why," murmured the blonde elegantly in the soft tenor, "aren't you 'somewhere' like you said you would be?"

Tsuna felt his face redden, but he only pressed his forehead closer to the crap support. He grumbled something incoherent under his breath.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm afraid to go down the stairs." The brunet turned away from his brother, unable to look him in the eye as the blush spread across his cheeks. "For a man who has everything inside that apartment, you sure picked out the crappiest location to live by."

Giotto snorted. Apparently something sounded funny. "I've had this apartment since I moved from France. It's got sentimental value."

"It's got mold, sap, splinters, holes, and looks like it'll break at any moment," Tsuna bit irritably. A silence ran between them, tense as their relationship as one brother sat at the edge of the stairs and the elder stood behind him. Soft creaks filled the air, creeping closer to the brunet's ears before Giotto finally plopped next to him with a small gap between them.

"Let's talk."

"Let's not." A glimmer of ferocity shimmered through the teenager's eyes, and he buried his face against the wood. It smelled bad. Truth be told, he was scared to death. The irrational part of his mind was panicking, claiming that in less than a minute, Giotto would kill him. What he said back there was on impulse, and although he meant it, he didn't think he'd blab it out loud.

"The reason why I decided to take you in wasn't because I wanted to make your life a living hell. My mother wanted me to take you in." That was probably the last thing on his mind. Giotto hesitated, confidence hitching before the creaks changed again. Tsuna tensed and scooted further away. "She's your stepmother, Celeste. You met her when you were born, and again the day you met me."

"And Dino?" Tsuna's voice dropped to an almost inaudible whisper.

"He runs a business back in Italy; Cavallone. Three years older than me – twelve years older than you."

"G-san said that we haven't met yet."

"He's as busy as I am – and a lot better at it. You'll meet him someday – but he's always on one business trip or another. It's been about five years since the last time I saw him." From the corner of his eye, Tsuna saw the blond fiddling with one of his pockets. "He's clumsy, moronic, and thinks of his pet turtle as family. But he's sincere."

"And Celeste?"

"At the time we found out Dad knocked up another woman, she wasn't angry. Even said that she saw it coming. But I was angry for her. Here we are, two sons who got good grades in school, excelled in everything presented to them, and loved him very much. On the other hand, we assumed it was a fling of his. Eventually he wouldn't care for Nana anymore and come back home." Giotto looked over to his brother, who was currently looking in the other direction.

Tsuna's entire body was swaying. With the heaviness of his medication it was hard to keep his head up for more than a few minutes – which was probably why he never saw the board, why Reborn-sensei was always on his case, and why he was currently failing algebra.

"The thing about Iemitsu is, he when he makes a mistake, he commits to it until it's solved. After all these years, I know it's the right decision, but that doesn't mean I liked it."

For the first time, Tsuna took in a breath and shut his eyes. Slowly he shifted his gaze toward the adult, and looked at him inquisitively.

Giotto's lips twitched downward, and he fiddled with the moss growing against his apartment. "My mother wants us to get along because we're family now. She's invited to the wedding."

"Then you know about the wedding." Quite frankly, he was surprised this Celeste woman would even be going.

"Yeah. I jumped to conclusions about you." The adult's voice quieted and he looked away. "Sorry."

Tch. Tsuna fiddled with the wood, picking at it until it broke, and warily closed his eyes. "Yeah."

"That…was good though." Giotto's voice echoed off into the starry night. "What you did."

"You're the last person I'd expect to run out here and talk about it to me."

"This…is new for the both of us." From the very corner of his eye, the brunet watched as pink splattered across his brother's face. Giotto looked away, eyes never once crossing with his, and a sigh escaped his lips. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

"You already said that."

"I meant…on…the first couple…days when we first knew each other." There was hesitation in the other's voice. Tsuna turned his full head, eyebrow arched carefully, and waited as Giotto sat in silence, fighting his inner demons. "We don't have to be 'stuck' with each other. We can…bond."

In a lot of ways, his attitude reminded the brunet a lot of Gokudera-kun. Giotto proved to be a proud young man, and with all his success before being handicapped by a little brother who currently wasn't able to walk was a lot. A twinge of guilt stirred in his stomach. "You're a good man."

"You're a good kid." E-Er, about that… "Too good. I don't want you to feel like an unwelcomed guest this entire time here. Do you…want to start over?"

"I have an F in Algebra."

Giotto said no word. Tsuna picked at the steps beneath him, suddenly aware of the fact his foot was pulsing uncomfortably from the strain he'd put on it. He dared not to look up, and was suddenly brought back to reality when Giotto spoke again. "I'll get you a tutor."

"Reborn-sensei wants to tutor me."

"Perfect punishment." For some reason, Tsuna's intuition was telling him that Giotto wasn't joking around. His teacher's thoughts came to mind again, how Giotto was a successful businessman. It would be no wonder, now that he thought about it, for the older brother to find his grades odd. Had he not been lightheaded from the medication, the brunet would have been far more embarrassed, less groggy, and more aware of the fact that out of all four brothers, he was the second to least successful. Lambo hadn't even started school yet. "Tsunayoshi—"

"Tsuna." The name sounded foreign on the blonde's tongue. Tsuna had his hands clasped together, eyes watching his blushing brother at a glance, and patiently waited for Giotto back down from his little rant. "You'll meet Lambo at the wedding."

Giotto gave him an odd look. "I'm not going to the wedding."

You will after nine months with me, Tsuna thought sternly. He kept his determination to a minimum, instead eying the adult carefully before looking up into the twinkling sky. It was a ridiculous thought, really…but he innocently wondered if Giotto saw the same stars in Italy. Certainly with the bright lights and different aromas with the fruity tongue they were bright over there. However, the man instead moved to Japan in a small city where there were mostly clear skies. If he had the chance to see the foreign land, would he also want to move?

"Lambo is my younger brother," he muttered quietly. Shoving the thought aside, he made a groggy note to remind his sober self to call his mother and ask where the wedding would be. "So he's your little brother too."

Apparently that was another thing surprising enough to keep the blond quiet. They sat there in silence, waiting for the other to say something. Tsuna knew for a fact Lambo and Giotto had never met, and he found himself testing the waters to a just-as-sensitive subject.

To his relief, Giotto simply looked away, a roll of his shoulders proving nonchalance as he fleeted the subject and looked ahead of him. "Ieyatsu. Yoshimune. Yoshinobu. Ietsuna. Tsunayoshi—" Surprisingly enough with the light Italian accent, his elder brother sounded simply divine with each pronunciation. "Dare I ask why he was named his youngest son after a sheep?"

"He looks like one." The answer was simple as Tsuna's attention shifted toward the pretty names chosen randomly spewed by the blond. "What do those names have to do with anything?"

Again, the man seemed to have shed another shell of his pride, red skewering across his face. Flustered, Tsuna noted, and he was barely able to keep a firm demeanor about it. Still, the man simply snorted, probably already realizing his blush before mimicking Tsuna's action and picking at wood. "Ieyatsu is my first name. Yoshimune and Yoshinobu are names of our uncles, and Ietsuna is Dino's middle name."

"So you go by your middle name." Giotto nodded. "Giottoniisan—"

"Giotto," the blond quickly interrupted. They locked eyes, intense fiery orbs pressed against fluid caramel, and Tsuna found himself drawing another conclusion. The only time he went by the name Tsunayoshi was when Grandpa Timoteo came to visit, and although the name seemed eloquent and important, he was just a little kid back then. Tsuna was the nickname he went by and also who he considered himself. Giotto didn't go by Ieyatsu for probably the same reason. He never considered them brothers and quite frankly, neither did Tsuna.

Tsuna Sawada and Giotto…whatshisface were two separate people forced together by the strings of fate. There was nearly a ten-year age gap between them, and it'd been eleven years since they saw each other. That being said, there was little to any sentimental value in announcing Giotto was his brother.

It wasn't just because they didn't want to be brothers. It never crossed his mind that Giotto was nothing more than a blood relative; like a distant cousin. Heck, Enma felt more like a brother to the brunet than Giotto did.

"Giotto," Tsuna echoed. Had his mind not seem so fuzzy, his common sense (or there lack of) would have immediately caused him to blush. Even calling Yamamoto by his first name scared the living daylights out of him. He felt his heart flutter, name tingling off his tongue as if it belonged there and hands pressed against his knees. The blond in front of him stared back him, eyebrow arched, but for the first time, there was a change in his expression. "…never mind."

Somehow that only piqued Giotto's interest. Those same brows arched, but this time as confused as Tsuna felt. Maybe even a little panicked.

Unfortunately the medicine was having a worse affect than he expected now. Tsuna blinked at the three Giottos he could see in front of him, and opted to stand up. "I forgot."

In a cruel twist of fate (or rather, something he actually expected out of his brother), Giotto wasn't following what he was saying.

Then again, half of the conversation went through Tsuna's brain before wadding up into something useless. He touched his temple, lightly considering how numb it felt, and stumbled. Giotto immediately rose to his feet, hands grasping the brunet's shoulders before he had the chance to trip. The burning sensation of large palms against his arms came back, and Tsuna kept from hissing.

A hand wrapped securely around his waist, and he awkwardly adjusted, head hitting Giotto's abs one too many times before he remembered where he was. "That's…one thing you and Alaude-san have in common."

He heard something almost too sweet to be a snarl, and a hand dug into his body. "Where on earth did he take you?"

Tsuna would be damned if he even remembered. He arched a soft eyebrow, glaring into Giotto's chest for no apparent reason, and felt his foot pulse awkwardly. "You own a crappy apartment and he has a crappy doctor."

Giotto vibrated above him. The sweet honey-laugh tingled in Tsuna's ears, the hair on the back of his neck standing erect with confusion. It was the first time even a soft chuckle escaped Giotto's lips, and he couldn't help but fall into sync and harmony with it. "It's proof that first impressions don't depict what or who that person is. Don't you agree?"

"Do you?" The words slipped from Tsuna's mouth before he had the chance to retract them. In the few minutes where they were exchanging apologies, something had changed between them. It was a sweet thread of difference, upping one correction both brothers needed, and Tsuna found there was no choice but to agree with the blond. Not only was his ankle and Giotto's apartment proof of a faulty first impression, but the small chuckle. Further into analysis, Tsuna found himself catching the small moments between Giotto and him, before they got to this point.

Giotto blushed. A lot. There was a lot of Giotto's personality that he'd already seen, but mistook. Giotto was confident, not arrogant; honest, but not blunt. Confrontational…but not conflictive.

W…Whimsical. Not…sarcastic. But also very wary. Giotto had been showing what he was really made of for weeks now, with quirks of his eyebrow or assertion of his opinion. He was terse, like Tsuna remembered (vaguely) telling Enma on the phone, but pensive and witty. Wittily terse and pensive.

Though he wasn't going to say his miscalculations were his fault, Giotto's apathy helped little for their relationship.

"Yeah." The voice fell husky against Tsuna's nose. With a strange tickle to the brunet's face, his instincts acted up again, and without a doubt Giotto had read his message loud and clear.

"This," Tsuna murmured as he remembered something Giotto had said earlier today, "is really awkward." Giotto's hand slid to the small of his back, and Tsuna's bad foot, something he hadn't had time to wrap when arguing with Giotto, intertwined between his brother's legs. His own fingers weaved with the wrinkled suit, button yanked at the tips of his nails as he breathed in the odd scent of his brother.

Agilely and fortunately, Giotto twisted them, and Tsuna found his arm slung above his brother's shoulder with no struggle. The look on his face (or what Tsuna could see of it, anyway) showed his brother's discomfort as well. It wasn't as if one night of consolation would make a difference between them; Tsuna may have sucked at math, but he wasn't stupid.

Still, he thought as his cheek pressed against Giotto's for a second before all that kept them touching was Giotto's hand wrapped around his wrist, they were at a truce. Giotto looked as Tsuna first said; awkward and unsure of what to do before they dragged themselves back to the apartment.

Tsuna leaned into his brother, careful to keep from falling over, and met G, who sat idly near the kitchen counter with what looked like business papers. His consciousness was slipping, especially from having his head up for so long.

"Well this is a first," Giotto said wryly as he deposited the brunet on the couch. "I get into an argument over something and you don't butt in."

Tsuna snorted. G did the same, red eyebrow arching in amusement, but he simply flipped through pages. "The kid's a different story. You went after him yourself, didn't you? That alone is enough for me to…" His voice trailed off.

"Gaspare." It was there again; that singe of pink that stung Giotto's cheeks whenever something apparently touchy was being brought up. Tsuna had crossed the line many times, convinced that the panicked look running across the blond's face meant he was fumed. Instead, Giotto was…flustered.

He still had a lot of questions to ask, especially since most of Tsuna's theories remained in his head—whoa, back up.

"Your name's Gaspare?" Tsuna blinked, though G seemed unfazed as he howled like a coyote to his best friend's fluster. It was a rich laugh, like the redhead had been storing it up for this precise moment, and he wondered if Giotto would often one-up his best friend the same way Tsuna apparently backsassed Gokudera-kun.

"Well, duh." The red-haired adult wiped away an imaginary tear, grin spread across his face as he eyed the two men. "You didn't think 'G' was my real name, did you?"

Er.

Tsuna blinked. Both men appeared amused by his reaction. With a soft yawn, Tsuna shrugged groggily and wrapped himself in the mess of blankets. It was one thing the brunet had learned over the weeks with his brother, even without the medication. The couch was his now, substituting his bed and the living room in a way, was his bedroom.

He felt a long hand, burning and soothing at the same time, wrap around his ankle. Eyes fluttering close, he assumed one of the adults was wrapping the ankle for him, and was correct.

"You should seriously consider buying a new house."

"I've had this apartment since we first moved here – you lived here."

"Little did I know you would be fucking me a second time. I can't believe the beer you keep around this house."

"Mmm…It was good. You kept moaning my name."

"Fuck that. Don't give me that look – why haven't you considered buying a new apartment? He's still got luggage like he's only visiting."

"Why do I need to? After school's out, he's going back with Nana."

"That's eight fucking months. This kid is hard to detach from, dipshit."

"But eight months is eight months. After he leaves, I'll be all alone and free in this apartment again."

"Alone."

"Mm. What are you implying, G?"

"Nothing, nothing. I've just…never seen you smile so sweetly at anyone before."

"…don't wake him up."

"He's on his medication." The mischievousness in G's voice went directly to Tsuna's ears. The brunet yawned softly, lazily realizing Giotto's massaging technique had frozen where it was before he went back to sleep. G chuckled and there were papers being flipped. "They fuck his head up. He won't remember any of this conversation in the morning. Fuck, he won't even remember the argument."

That was a good point.

Tsuna agreed with that.

OoOoO

Haru Miura.

Her eyes were really big, smile plastered across her face along with an incandescent blush that in a way reminded Tsuna of how Kyoko would come up to him every day to politely ask if he was doing alright. She was really cute, the brunet was willing to admit that.

But, he thought halfheartedly as his hand coiled into Gokudera's long sleeve. It was a little chilly for an autumn day, and his sweatshirt hadn't been to the washer's since before he moved in with his brother. Speaking of Giotto, Tsuna mumbled to himself as a fervent blush spread across his cheeks.

Giotto…smiled at him today.

W-Well actually, Tsuna thought as his face got even brighter, Giotto had been making an effort of giving him more eye-contact, too. It started on Wednesday, right after Giotto's day off. By now, the brunet figured his brother had a routine of going to Alaude-san's house whenever he wasn't needed before coming back. However, that morning wasn't the case.

Giotto was awake with G also by the door; both adults occasionally glancing over to him as he quickly stumbled to get ready for school. There were blurs in his memory, and the brunet was unable to recall a lot of what he did, but the little chunks where he wasn't medicated played through his head vividly. E-Especially in school, where Reborn-sensei had resorted to threatening him with what he hoped was a green water-gun if he didn't get his grades up by the time exams rolled by in late October.

However, both blond and redhead were talking about something, G obviously stressing Giotto out before his best friend bit back with feral Italian. They shared haughty laughs, and Tsuna wondered how many times they managed to render the other speechless. Obviously Giotto had a better hand at it, but G seemed too good-natured to be a sore loser.

Then for the first time that Wednesday morning, while Tsuna stared with his throat dry and hands slipping on the crutches, Giotto realized their eyes had met and faded into a frown. However, despite how harshly the brunet's chest pounded, his gut was telling him it was simple analysis. Giotto's face twinkled with pink, head tilted into an indifferent G, who asked him if he slept well.

"Good morning," Giotto's voice seemed hoarse as he reentered in Japanese.

Suddenly, Tsuna felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, or whatever other word you might have used. He stuttered a good morning, but ended up falling on his face instead. Fortunately after five seconds of awkward silence, Giotto had burst in a fit of laughter and both men helped him back up.

"Good morning indeed," the blond mused wryly.

From that morning on, Tsuna hadn't been getting those intense gazes from his brother. When it was the three of them – G, Giotto, and him – he would smile, witty banter dancing from his lips in a flirty Italian accent (to Tsuna, anyway) in order to fluster his best friend. All the same, G would make offhanded comments that would get the man laughing before Giotto turned his way on the brink of hesitation, and give him a smile that spread as wide as the sun. The man would stumble with his words, but he obviously was trying. When they were alone, those smiles came far less, and they often found themselves standing parallel, trying to create conversation.

In total, there were probably seventy-six staring contests between them induced by awkward silence. While Tsuna felt his nerves eat at him, he always waited for Giotto to make the first move when it came to them conversing. He had in the past, after all, and the brunet wondered what changed on Tuesday to make Giotto ever-so clingy to him. In spite of his judgment, Giotto's gaze would only raise, pink spread across his cheeks before mumbling something incoherent in his native tongue.

Yet as Tsuna opened the front door this following morning, Gokudera's scowl disappeared into an idiotic grin when Giotto appeared behind the teenagers and entrusted the silver-haired teenager with the duty of keeping Tsuna safe. Gokudera rolled over like an excited puppy (figuratively, anyway), and Giotto's hand on Tsuna's shoulder caused butterflies to grow in the teenager's stomach.

Giotto said he would be doing the laundry and that he would gladly do Tsuna's. With no choice, Tsuna nodded in agreement and his brother caught a ladybug on his shoulder.

"Got it," teased Giotto. He grinned playfully, something Tsuna had only seen when the blond was with G, and blew it away. "Have fun."

I-It wasn't a big deal. In fact, the biggest deal was the fact the brunet was deathly afraid of bugs, but Giotto had smiled for the first time, not having to try as he melted into a nature Tsuna began to realize was very sweet, mischievous, and full of whim. From what he heard from the stories both G and Giotto ceased to tell, the blond dragged his best friend everywhere and managed to perfect his acting to the point Giotto was in a win-win situation.

"Hahi?" He was immediately pulled from his thoughts as the girl, Haru Miura, looked aside from Gokudera-kun's shoulder and locked eyes with him. "Looks like you scared him, Gokudera-san!"

"A-ah," Tsuna stammered, hand still clinging onto Gokudera, who he suspected was only still being nice to him because Giotto told him to. Pulling away from the silver-haired teenager, the brunet stood parallel, painfully noting that Gokudera-kun was much taller than him. "Tsuna Sawada. Call me as you like."

"Hmm." Certainly that odd look that Haru was giving him wasn't exactly flattering. Tsuna arched an eyebrow parallel to Haru's, and frowned.

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, no!" She giggled, but again the girl walked around them, hands on her hips as she tapped both her boyfriend and occasionally Tsuna. Gokudera-kun looked somewhat irritated, but held his tongue. At least for a little while, anyway. Tsuna awkwardly rotated his bad ankle, and cringed at the stiffness. Although he was allowed to unwrap it two days ago, it still felt weird. "You just don't look like the type of person Gokudera-san would hang out with, Tsuna-san."

Ouch. Then again, Gokudera-kun was the type of person who would beat Tsuna up. The smaller teenager wrapped a hand around his cellphone, instinctively ready to text his best friend in case he needed a distraction while the other hand wrapped oh-so casually into Gokudera's grasp.

Had he been paying attention, he would have noticed grouchy green eyes look his way, confused, but not protesting. "Fuck that, woman. It's Yamamoto's fault that I even know him."

S-So…Gokudera spoke like that even to his girlfriend. Haru apparently didn't mind, or appeared to be used to it after about five months of dating. Instead, she probed and prodded the uncomfortable brunet again, head tilted to the side before tucking both hands behind her in confusion. "Hahi? How so?"

The silver-haired teenager opened his mouth to speak, but apparently had to close it. Instead, he rotated his head until green eyes met brown, and a fervent half-Italian eyebrow was raised. "How?"

"I-I…" Tsuna gulped slowly, realizing he was now the center of their attention and sheepishly shrugged. "It…was my first day here. I ran into Ryohei-senpai first, and he challenged me to a race to the sushi bar – "

"And that's how you met him?" Haru smiled genuinely.

"Erm, no." The brunet smiled back sheepishly, unsure of what to say before continuing. "But I walked around a little and found him. He…was batting a little and we talked about—" Suicide.

Tsuna's mouth was left open as he realized what he was about to say. His first impression of seeing Yamamoto involved the baseball player doing what he did best ad what he was doing at this very moment – swinging a baseball bat. He'd yet to see Yamamoto play in his games, but left and right he'd heard from not only Yamamoto, but a lot of the other classmates who said Yamamoto was really good at baseball. The boy was devastated when he broke his arm, and obviously that piled onto the fact Gokudera now had a girlfriend.

It…wasn't something that he had a say in.

Gokudera and Haru were both giving him looks, but the brunet simply smiled and nervously shrugged.

"We talked about knitting. I guess he thought what I said was interesting and um, decided that we should hang out." Technically that wasn't a lie. The feeling of guilt tingled in Tsuna's stomach and he pulled away from Gokudera's grasp, suddenly feeling awkward. "Sorry."

That same look was still on Gokudera's face. Haru remained oblivious, looking between both boys silently as the silver-haired teenager glowered into chocolate-caramel eyes. Tsuna cringed, looking away slowly. What on earth could he be thinking?

"Hahi? Hmm, how about we grab a bite to eat and then go visit Yamamoto-san's game?"

Before they had the chance to protest, Haru grabbed Tsuna by the arm and dragged him away. "Whoa!" Gokudera was behind them, walking at a leisurely pace, and the brunet felt his face burn with pink.

"Y-You know I'm not your boyfriend, right?" Th-This didn't make any sense! Quickly checking his watch and gulping as his bad foot hit something awkwardly, Tsuna came to the conclusion that it was a quarter past noon. Again, the brunet looked over his shoulder, immediately noting that Gokudera was glaring daggers into the back of his head.

Haru smiled sweetly, maybe even a little giddily as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Tsuna-san is so compact-sized, though! Can't I hug you a little more?"

Ah…um… He supposed…with the gap between them…Tsuna eyed the envious Gokudera once again before leaning into Haru's touch, constantly reminding his panicking self that he simply wanted to get comfortable. "Can I…ask you a few questions?"

"Hahi! Sure!" They jerked to a sudden stop, and Tsuna almost tripped. Instead he turned around, pink tingling his cheeks as Gokudera caught up to them.

He didn't look pleased. "You know you're my woman, right?"

"Hmph! That's so sexist of you to say, Gokudera-san!" Haru pouted, hands crossing over her chest while still maneuvering a hooked arm into Tsuna's. The short brunet felt himself turn pink, and desperately hoped this wasn't going to be another thing the silver-haired teenager hated him for.

"Well fuck, Haru. Don't be shitting me if you think we're in an open relationship. And for the Tenth of all people." Green eyes pointedly glared at brown ones, and Tsuna stiffened. He pulled his hand away from Haru, awkwardly looking away while the two apparently had a lover's spat. "Would you like it if I suddenly grabbed the nearest woman I saw and made out with her?"

"Haru doesn't need to worry, desu!"

"And why the fuck not?"

Very many reasons. But Tsuna had to remind himself that because he no longer had to take his D.W. painkillers, he didn't have a grapple to Gokudera's foul mouth. He suddenly caught the small smile on Haru's face, almost playful as she placed a hand gently on her boyfriend's chest.

"Tsuna-san is Giotto-san's brother, right? Have you ever had spaghetti, Tsuna-san?"

He'd never even held a fork. Tsuna shook his head, red rushing to his face as he contemplated that statement. Giotto was technically only half-italian. Tsuna himself was full-bred Japanese, but only knew the Japanese language. However, the brunet assumed Giotto knew many languages such as French, German, Russian, English, Dutch, and of course, Japanese and Italian.

What's with assumption, he thought with a roll of his eyes. Tsuna scratched his neck nervously as he recalled only a few weeks ago Giotto attempted to drive. It didn't end well.

"You've never had spaghetti." Gokudera-kun was the one talking. He stared at the brunet incredulously, eyebrows at the highest point of his forehead as green orbs widened. "Your brother is the badass Giotto Vongola, and you've never had fucking spaghetti?"

Gokudera-kun was half-Italian too, according to Yamamoto. Tsuna felt his ears turn pink and he shook his head again. He remembered seeing it on the menu at Olive Garden a few nights ago, but was too shy to order it since it seemed so expensive.

"Fuck that!" the silver-haired teenager's voice raised two octaves. He immediately stomped off in a planned direction, screaming to the heavens, "You're fucking eating the greatest dish known to mankind!"

Haru was giggling at her boyfriend's antics. Tsuna's mouth fell to the ground, hands going limp at his sides as he looked after his friend. "Sh-Shouldn't we go after him?"

"Hahi?" she grinned wholesomely and looked at him curiously. "You wanted to ask me a few questions, right?"

Starting with how she avoided Gokudera's threat to cheat on her, actually. The behavior seemed all too casual, and the prodding and poking put something off in Tsuna's head. He stared at the girl, caramel brown eyes hesitant to break the news of Gokudera's very-debatable sexuality, and shrugged. "How…did you two meet, I guess."

"Yamamoto-san introduced us."

"Eh…?" He couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. All-in-all, it was probably the most ironical situation that could ever happen. The brunet looked up, disbelief written across his face. Haru caught his surprise ad expanded on her explanation.

"We met up in our first year of middle school. My school's team was playing visitor at their school, and on my way to see the game I got lost. Yamamoto-san helped me out, and since I was there by myself, Gokudera-san was forced to look after me." She hummed sweetly, eyes rising toward the sky. "He and I never actually got along, but Yamamoto-san insisted that I tried befriending him. Like, really insisted."

"Oh." Tsuna drew a conclusion in his head, but decided not to vocalize it. "Then how did you two end up…together?"

"He's the one who insisted on it." Haru smiled genuinely and gestured to the front, where Gokudera was nowhere to be seen. They stopped near a restaurant. She quickly sat down and pulled Tsuna to the other seat. "It was before Yamamoto-san's last game against the last school during playoffs, and he demanded that I went out with him. I'd…say what he said, but I don't think it's age appropriate, hehe."

So where did that leave Yamamoto? Tsuna's face fell grimly, nerves bubbling at the pit of his stomach as he was rendered speechless. Gokudera may have asked out Haru, but the more he thought about it, the more it became apparent that the hothead was further in denial than anyone would have thought.

"…maybe it's right, maybe it's wrong." Haru interrupted his thoughts as she stood up and leaned into his vision. Tsuna could feel his cheeks flush, but the look crossing over hers was different. Knowing, even. "But we're high school students, you know? Not a lot of peoples' love lasts very long from high school. Haru believes in fate, desu."

"Ah…" Tsuna blinked and looked to her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"True love, of course." She grinned giddily and pulled a lock of hair behind her ear. "I think that true love exists, but it takes guts to find it. Sometimes you can't because there's such a large age gap between the two people, centuries, even. Or…or…Your true love could be your cousin, who you married in a past life or something."

"So do you think Gokudera-kun is your one true love then?" He could feel his face darken, suddenly realizing he was talking like he was some love struck girl at his school.

"Maybe…maybe not. Time will tell." Haru rested a hand on the table, looking the other way.

So did she…know about Yamamoto then…? "Ah, Haru!" Tsuna stood from where he sat, one hand yanking at Haru's wrist until she was pressed up against him. A wary look spread across his face, and he looked at the rolling cart that nearly knocked the girl over.

"Hahi?"

"Phew." The owner of the cart burst into a scream, quickly apologizing if it hurt anyone before running elsewhere. Tsuna smiled, looking down before he stupidly realized she and he were nearly the same height. Large brown eyes stared back at him in wonder, and he missed the pink that spread across her cheeks. "E-Erm…are you alright?"

Haru was still staring at him. Under the gaze he felt his feet shift, nervousness consuming his better judgment as he peeled away from her. "You saved me!"

"It's…erm, not a big deal. I-I don't think." Tsuna pulled at the collar of his shirt, eyes still glued to his friend's girlfriend, who was now disregarding his need for personal space.

"Hmm…." She leaned toward him intently, and the brunet quickly found himself plopping back into his seat. "What was I saying? Oh…yes…Haru believes in true love…hehe…"

"Fuck, Tenth! Are you trying to steal everyone I like?"

Unfortunately it seemed to be something he was talented in. Tsuna felt dizzy, hand curling into his hair as Haru finally snapped out of her stupor and looked over to her boyfriend. The scent of foreign food filled the air, and he blushed as his stomach growled.

His heart pounded when green eyes vehemently glared at him.

"This isn't what it looks like," Tsuna insisted quickly. He paled as Gokudera continued his glower. Finally, the couple sat in a pair of seats opposite of him and the bag of food was thrown onto the table.

"Spaghetti. And garlic bread. You better fucking eat it all."

"Y-Yessir." Actually…h-he was allergic to garlic. Instead, Tsuna pulled out a fork, oddly staring at it before picking at his spaghetti. Stealing quick glances from Gokudera, the brunet finally settled in, coiling the noodles and tentatively taking a bite. "I-It's good."

"You bet your ass it's good. Fucking best place in Namimori to get spaghetti." Gokudera broke into one of his proud grins, and Tsuna decided best not to question him.

"Gokudera-san, do you think the coach will get angry at us if we go watch Yamamoto-san practice?"

"Che. Doubt it, I go all the time."

Tsuna perked at this. Apparently, so did Haru.

"Ehh?"

Red fell across the silver-haired teenager's face, and he immediately looked away. "H-He asks me to. And he doesn't stop until I go."

That was a downright lie. But Tsuna valued his life far too much to point this out. Instead, he finished the rest of his spaghetti in peace while Haru and Gokudera got into little spats about useless things. However, he thought slowly as his eyes fell to their hands, Gokudera was becoming more and more of a puzzle to him.

Especially when she held his hand and he tenderly smiled.

OoOoO

Gokudera knew all of Yamamoto's forms and tactics. At least by the end of practice, Tsuna had a feeling he did. The entire time as they sat on the benches, Haru would make silly comments of how great Yamamoto was good on the field, and Gokudera retaliated, constantly explaining how long Yamamoto had been playing baseball and how good he was at it. Scouts apparently came during their third-year of middle school, checking Yamamoto's status and confirmed if he trained hard enough, the teenager could make it into the major leagues.

All the while, no one actually mentioned Yamamoto. They stared, Haru would cheer, and Gokudera would critique. He knew more about the game than he let on, and would immediately call Haru a stupid girl.

Not that he cheered. But Yamamoto looked their way several times, laughing when he had the chance and flashing grins to all three of them. Gokudera would get flustered and call him an idiot under his breath. But that blush…l-looked really odd on his face.

Tsuna looked to Gokudera as they made it back to the apartment complex. The sun was setting, air getting chilly under September weather and he shivered. They'd dropped Yamamoto off first, and Gokudera was apparently still in charge of getting him home before curfew.

Ugh. He wondered with Giotto's newfound niceness if he would be able to change his 6:30 curfew. It…just wasn't right! Why did he have that curfew, anyway?

"You got something to say?" Gokudera snapped. They made it to the stairs up to Giotto's horrendous apartment, and Tsuna stood at the bottom with a nervous look spread across his face.

"Haru seems really nice." A-And kept looking at him. And holding Gokudera's hand. And making Gokudera smile. But Yamamoto made Gokudera blush. Gah, this was confusing. Tsuna settled with picking at a piece of wood and looked up to Gokudera, who obviously wasn't expecting that comment. "She's a good girl."

The silver-haired teenager's face twisted into a not. He looked away, head held high as he scoffed. "Feh. Troublesome woman."

"Th-Thanks for taking me out today," Tsuna called. "I…hope we can be friends."

"…just don't act like a fucking girl every time I walk you up to your doorstep." Gokudera's eyes narrowed and he rolled his eyes before muttering a goodbye and trotting down the stairs.

"Bye." A sigh of relief left the brunet's throat and he knocked the door. After the second knock, Giotto's face was first to greet him, but he didn't look pleased.

"You're almost late for your curfew. I was…worried." The blond arched a careful eyebrow before gesturing for his brother to enter.

"Sorry, I was…sorry." He sighed in defeat and wiped the sweat off his brow. Giotto's eyes stayed on him as he walked up to the couch that was also his own little territory. Gokudera and Yamamoto's problem came flooding back to him, and—"Are you wearing an apron? Are you cooking? Is that a…a tong?"

Tsuna's face turned red the same time Giotto arched an eyebrow of amusement. He mumbled a quick sorry as he pulled the comforter over his head, and a soft chuckle left the blond's throat. Tsuna shivered. Giotto may have been doing a lot of that nowadays, but he was expecting for his older brother to turn against him at any minute.

"I've just…" Tsuna chose his words carefully, hands fumbling with one another. "You're always….you um…cereal and late nights."

The only time he really saw Giotto up early in the morning was during the weekends before he left, and the man normally grabbed a box of cereal before calling it a morning. Giotto worked late nights every day but Tuesday and even with his attitude change, they would only get into brief conversations before Giotto went to bed without being seen for the rest of the night.

"I'll pretend like I understood that." Giotto's tone was leveled before he went back to the kitchen. Tsuna looked to the TV nervously, where some demented baby was trying to teach a poor kid to become a mafia boss, and held onto the cushions gently. "I'm experimenting."

"At what?" Fortunately nowadays, it was getting easier to talk to Giotto. Or at least, Tsuna's nervous babbling was now getting overlooked.

"Making dumplings."

Nana had made dumplings for him during special occasions. The last Tsuna remembered, tongs weren't required. He stared at his brother in confusion, and decided to drop the conversation. Out of the many things he knew about Giotto now – mischievous, playful, witty and whimsical – the blond was another thing: very odd.

"Tsuna."

"Y…Yeah? G…Giotto?" Tsuna reddened. The name fell off his tongue easily and tingled in his mouth.

The adult stood opposite of him, tong at hand. A sizzling sound could be heard in the background, and Tsuna consciously lowered the volume on TV to get a better look at him. The blond's face turned pink, and he lifted something off the pan before their eyes met again. "It's burnt. Do you wanna eat out?"

"With you?" To that, the brunet slapped a hand across his lips. The look on Giotto's face changed into a mixture of surprise and suspicion. Pink melted into red, and with a steady hand, Giotto turned the stove off.

"We've been skirting around it for a while." Skirting. What did that even mean? "And we've still got eight more months with each other. It'd be more…pleasurable if we got to know each other. So…let's…get to know each other."

Tsuna opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't. He was beginning to suspect this was some indirect punishment from Gokudera-kun for not eating the garlic bread. Finally, he collected his thoughts and eyed him hesitantly. "Are you…sure?"

The look on Giotto's face was far from joking. The gaze was stern, but somehow his brother managed to make him feel relaxed. "I won't bite your head off if you don't bite off mine."

For some strange reason, that made him smile. His lips stretched from one cheek to the other, heart tingling at his brother's feathery accent as he stood up from the couch and looked around for his backpack. "I-I just…need to get ready and we can leave."

The other was silent for a long time.

"G-Giotto…?"

"Right."

Tsuna failed to see the flustered blush that stole most of Giotto's face. Another thought came to mind and he paled. "C-Can I drive?"

OoOoO

I love you so much. Send. Message Sent.

New message. Message Opened. You've been saying that since I got on the train.

Yeah but this could get kind of awkward. You're staying for the whole weekend, right? Send. Message Sent.

New Message. I think it'll be perfectly fine. And I want to meet your brother. You said you were getting along, right?

Something like that. Tsuna's face reddened as he reread his best friend's text message for the fourth time and hesitantly responded to him. He tucked the phone in one of his pockets, nervously smiling at his two new friends, who were currently bickering over a shared pretzel. October winds slapped him in the face, and he shivered under his sweatshirt, tugging it so that it met his waist.

His arms and legs were aching constantly, and he wondered why his pants were becoming a short fit for him. Pushing the thought aside, the brunet pulled a lock of hair behind his ear and broke into a grin when Gokudera began to blush. "Um, you guys didn't need to be here."

"What, haha?" Yamamoto flashed a grin, quickly spinning his feet so that they met eye-to-eye. "Your friend is coming to visit, right? We wanna know what he's like!"

"Yeah. To see if he's got more balls than you do." Gokudera's eyes narrowed irritably, almost expectantly. They'd been waiting at the train station for almost twenty minutes now.

Tsuna took in a deep breath, head spinning with excitement. "I…um…I hope that you guys like him."

"He's a friend of yours, isn't he?" Yamamoto broke into another laugh and tucked both hands in his pockets. "Hey, Gokudera. You look cold, do you want my jacket?"

"Wh-What? Fuck no, I don't want your damn jacket!"

"Ow, that hurts, haha."

With a roll of caramel brown eyes, Tsuna turned his head back to the train tracks, which…was now occupied by a train. Omigod, omigod. He felt his chest tingle with excitement, quickly checking his phone again for Enma's latest message.

You seemed happy on the phone the last time we talked.

Yeah. The last time they talked was a few days ago when they were preparing the redhead's trip. Tsuna was sitting on the couch, silly grin spread across his face while Giotto asked him what he wanted for dinner. After the blond left in order to pick up pizza, Enma commented on how pretty Giotto sounded.

Pretty. Pretty! He understood handsome, but pretty was…well… It kinda…did sum up what his brother looked like. Tsuna turned pink at the thought. Giotto looked…very pretty. He had a slim build, fervent personality, and pretty locks of blond that almost kind of glowed. In the dead of night, Tsuna often found himself thinking of those blazing Italian eyes, and he shivered. He wondered, really, how many of Iemitsu's traits did Giotto get. And…he wondered what Giotto's mother looked like—

"Tsuna."

"Oof!" He was victim of a hug. Tsuna snapped out of his thoughts the instant red hair blinded his vision and quickly found Enma burying him in an embrace. A smile spread across his face and he hugged the boy back before quickly realizing the train had stopped and many people were wandering around either looking for those to pick them up or running off on their own.

From the background, he heard Yamamoto sharing a laugh and incoherent babbles from Gokudera-kun. Red scattered across his cheeks nervously as Enma let go, and he got a good look at his best friend.

Skinny. Enma was more petite than he was; eating only what was needed to live, and hid it well under baggy clothes and sweatshirts. His hair was still red as ever and…Tsuna frowned.

His fingers found the redhead's face, and despite the delicate smile running under his best friend's nose, he rubbed the bandage wrapped securely on Enma's eye. "You've been bullied again."

Enma smile fell, but only a little before he forced another one and shoved both hands in his pockets. "Used to it," he whispered under his breath.

"You shouldn't be used to it," Tsuna said warily. He brought the redhead closer to him, hands cupping the other's face. Biting his lip, Tsuna tilted his head with each of Enma's little cringes before struggling to smile. "But…you're here now. And that's all that matters. I really missed you."

"I've missed you too." Enma laughed softly before they hugged again. After their second embrace, scarlet eyes looked over Tsuna's shoulder, hands intertwined before asking oh-so innocently, "Should we start acting…"

Romantic now? Tsuna blushed, suddenly realizing he hadn't the slightest idea on how to be romantic before turning his head. "Y…Yeah. Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto, this is my best friend, Enma."

"Yo." Yamamoto broke into one of his grins. "You two look cute together."

With a deep breath, the brunet turned his head, grip tightening over Enma's hand before his gaze landed on Gokudera. The silver-haired teenager looked between the both of them, face unreadable before he shrugged and broke into a smirk. "Tiny."

Enma blinked in confusion. Tsuna laughed softly and leaned into his best friend. So the plan to get Gokudera-kun off his back about liking Yamamoto was going better than he thought. "Trust me," he whispered softly, "that's a compliment."

The redhead nodded softly before Yamamoto politely gathered his luggage. "Ah, that reminds me. I have your birthday present."

Tsuna turned red. "Y…You didn't have to—" Gokudera and Yamamoto came into a dead halt in front of them.

Suddenly they whirled around, shock written across both their faces.

"BIRTHDAY?"

The brunet blinked. He ran through all of the conversations that he had involving Enma, but it was only Wednesday that he mentioned his best friend would be visiting. Then again, he never told them why… Tsuna pressed a hand to his face.

"Oops."

chapter ten has awkward moments and misunderstandings

They were really fucking cozy.

And he was wondering, really, to what extent did Sawada's boundaries go? After all, they'd all known each other for a month and a half, and this Enma-kid – someone who Sawada constantly texted on the phone with during their free period – was the spitting image of Tsunayoshi Sawada. Sort of.

Not really.

And probably Haru's current obsession with homosexuality was driving him insane. In order to assure that he was knowledgeable in all regions of his education (and he was so not doing it before she got on the unhealthy faggot-binge of hers, he swore!), there was apparently a dominant and submissive when it came to a gay relationship. Obviously when it came to his best friend and the Tenth (again, he was only using an example. The mere thought of his best friend s-sexually—with Sawada of course—was just…just…ugh.), the baseball idiot would be dominant. And Tsuna would be submissive.

However, that wasn't the case when it came to both brunet and redhead. Yamamoto and he were in the middle of an argument, debating over the finer things in life (if basketball was better than baseball, and fuck yes, it really was) before a shimmer appeared in brown eyes.

His stomach twisted in concern, reminiscing over the grimness of his best friend's expression while luckily, Sawada was lost in his own thoughts.

"I wanna talk to you," said the baseball idiot promptly. "It's something important."

"You fucking moron, we're not going to do it right here." Of course Hayato was more serious of the subject, very aware that they were in public, and whenever Yamamoto wanted a serious talk with him, it was always about certain feelings the homo had for him.

Yamamoto gave him this smile; one that the baseball idiot probably didn't realize, but was easily readable. He wanted to say something, but obviously couldn't. Not that it mattered. They suddenly looked over when they heard Sawada yelp, only to find a small little redhead nestled tight to the brunet's chest. Like Hayato had simply told him when the kid stared, he looked very…tiny.

And he wasn't willing to admit it aloud, but he was a tad bit concerned for him, too. He'd done a lot of research over the past couple years on useless crap and knew really well when a person was bullied. Sawada himself hadn't been harassed lately, but it was mostly because G would pick him up straight after school. At the mention of his current guardian and ex-brother-in-law, he scrunched his nose. That redhead had a certain way of getting on his nerves. Despite not being abused physically, Hayato was ready to point out that verbal abuse also did a lot to one's self esteem.

Not that he cared.

Oh fuck no, if anyone thought for one second he was concerned about the Tenth (a nickname he'd gotten rather smitten with because literally, Tsuna Sawada was the tenth person Yamamoto casually called by their first name. Haru was the first, but they'd technically known each other since middle school)'s wellbeing, then that would seem like he actually cared for the Tenth!

And he didn't!

Sort of.

He was getting used to having that annoying brat follow them around. Sawada alone was very tiny, scrawny and very short. His height was below average, something that bordered over a girl's height instead. However so was Giotto, a direct blood relative of the brunet, and the blond adult was a tad shorter than both redheaded G and his clipped group of friends. Another thing that Giotto and Sawada had in common was the fact they were both very slim. Lean, but Sawada normally had his head down, eyebrows furrowed like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Hayato knew from firsthand experience that Giotto was the complete opposite. As a businessman, he fervently vocalized his opinion where he thought right, and G was a close second to the blonde's nature. Though it wasn't a shocker, of course. They were close business partners and he had the sickening pleasure of seeing the redhead victim to one of Giotto's kisses.

Nope, no sir-ee. He wasn't jealous at all. Obviously.

Because obviously, he wasn't gay.

Dammit to hell, he wasn't, despite the fact his best friend was very attracted to him, and the guy estrogen leaking from Sawada, who blatantly displayed dominance in front of the tiny redheaded Enma. Enma, whose brilliant smile would have made girls with little boy-complexes swoon. Who…who looked tiny under that thing he called a sweatshirt, and tiny hand that now gripped Sawada's like his life depended on it.

They would lean into each other, and it hadn't even been five fucking minutes since the kid got off the train. Sawada submitted into a tender role, and despite the fact there was only a vague height difference between them, the brunet gingerly soothed his apparent boyfriend.

Which…kinda bruised his ego. And his pride. And every test-fucking-osterone-ridden part of his body felt embarrassed. Obviously they were a couple. And obviously, Hayato had overreacted like it was nothing. Now…Yamamoto would shove it in his face and he would have to live with the burning shame that he'd misjudged Sawada.

And he got jealous when he had a girlfriend. Fuck, he wasn't allowed to get jealous when it came to his best friend. Who was a guy. Be that as it may, he couldn't give two-shits what a man did with another man (after all, G was already categorized as bi, and Giotto was probably the reason why), but…it was Yamamoto. He was more relieved than happy for Sawada and Enma, true, but what they had and what Yamamoto wanted were two separate things.

Then again, it sorta felt pretty damn personal with what that redhead said next as they ventured toward the steps to the bus that would take them back to Namimori.

"Birthday. Birthday!" He kept repeating the word, mind running wild with the thought as Sawada innocently sat there in the train, thigh pressed against Enma's with neon heart signs whirling above them. Metaphorically speaking, of course. But he couldn't help feeling offended that the guy - who he sucked up his pride to admit he was getting used to, and allowed to meet his girlfriend (who drive him to hell kind of insane and back), who he actually missed the days where his pills would fuck his mind up so their war of wits could continue – forgot to mention that his birthday was today!

"Technically it's tomorrow," squeaked Sawada. The nerve of that kid. Suddenly the brunet's attention snapped elsewhere, and following his gaze, Hayato found the teenager instantly perking as Enma smiled. They leaned into each other even more, though awkwardly, and Hayato could only suspect that the brunet was feeling more self-conscious now that the cat was out of the bag.

"He'll be seventeen," murmured the redhead softly. "Erm, Shitopi-chan sends her love."

Somehow that apparently wasn't comforting. Sawada paled gracefully, grimace spread across his lips, but said nothing of it. With the new irritation ruffling the hotheaded teenager's feathers, he decided to press on this. "What's wrong with this 'Shitopi-chan'?"

"Nothing." Apparently he had done a good job with a threatening tone. Enma was wincing like the first few days Sawada would. Hayato would have smirked if he wasn't so pissed. "She's…" the soft tone fleeted away from the hesitant redhead. Eyebrows furrowing, Hayato visibly noticed Sawada move his hand and brush hair out of the redhead's eyes. Finally, a sigh escaped pale pink lips, and the redhead shrugged. "She's bald."

There was silence coming from both Yamamoto and he. Sawada didn't look very surprised (you would think he would after the initial shock of meeting Reborn-sensei) and Hayato and his best friend shared a glance.

Finally Sawada elaborated and he smiled nervously. "Um. You especially, Gokudera-kun, would think that she's…she's an UMA."

Like music to his ears. Immediately the silver-haired teenager tore away from his earlier anger, eyebrows arched as he leaned forward, closer to the brunet. If there were any signs of being pissed off, it was definitely that his newfound friend had been keeping this from him. "Do tell."

Enma on the other hand, looked very amused. Maybe even taken back a little.

Fervent pink spread across the brunet's face and he sighed a little, small smile replacing his embarrassment. Quickly, Sawada leaned forward, cupping Enma's ear like a true lovebird, and the whispering began. The redhead turned a little blue, and that was when Yamamoto had laughed.

"What?" hissed Hayato. He still felt flustered over Yamamoto's words a few minutes before Enma's arrival, and particularly didn't want to relive them. Something was changing. Like, the way things had been changing since that overgrown idiot turned eleven kind of changing. He…wasn't sure if he liked it yet. Testing the waters. Twitching before decided if it'd hurt. Swishing it around his mouth before deciding if it tasted good.

"I'm kinda jealous of them." Maybe he kinda thought the water was hot now. Maybe that left a good-sized bruise. He swallowed, but not a lot.

But instead of voicing his concern, Hayato stood firm near the pole whereas the two shorter boys were cozied up together. His eyes narrowed, careful to maneuver in an angle that although looked suspicious, would block the pair from hearing what he was about to say. And then, he bitterly sneered, "The hell. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not gay?"

Yamamoto, the fucking idiot he was, only arched an eyebrow. He softly chuckled, hands shoved in his pockets and shrugged. "I've got a date. With another guy."

Well…what…which…well…well—"Fuck." Red exploded across the silver-haired teenager's face involuntarily, and he could feel his eyebrows widening in surprise. Quickly as his face unraveled, his features tightened and his testosterone (repeat, not estrogen) told his common sense to shove it up one, because Tsuna was not his date. "What do you mean?"

"Would you like to meet her sometime?" Fuck that fuckity shitting midget of a redhead.

The baseball idiot was first to turn, smile back on his face as he unintentionally leaned into Hayato due to the shift in the bus. "Shitopi-chan sounds nice. So you lived with Tsuna in Shimon for a while?"

"We've been best friends for eleven years," muttered Sawada softly. He smiled gently and pulled his hand away from Enma's long enough to wipe his palm against his jeans. Almost instantly, fingers were attached again, and Sawada reached over, carefully smoothing the hair near the shell of the redhead's ear.

"He offered his animal crackers and gave me a giraffe. They're my favorite animals." While Enma snorted, eyebrow arched wryly with a weak grin, Sawada had turned pink and shrugged. "His mother invited me over and from then on, we've been best friends."

Sawada muttered something inaudible under his breath, but Enma apparently heard. Yamamoto laughed at nothing particular, giddiness spread across his face. Hayato couldn't find one miserable fleck of skin in the tall teenager's demeanor.

A date.

Who wasn't the Tenth.

Who wasn't him. Which surprised him more? Yamamoto of course, had many suitors, but a guy, to say the least, was a little…unorthodox, wasn't it? They…J-Japan was a pretty reclusive place. Even heterosexuals didn't go very far to express themselves. Giotto-san was proof of that. Then again, the blond was technically Italian. Shouldn't it…be illegal for teenagers to date?

You know, the same way you weren't permitted to drive without a license unless you actually had a permit?

There should be a permit for dating.

Fuck, that sounded so stupid in his head right now, but no other thought seemed logical. Oh shitfuck, why, he lamented. Why was he thinking about this so hard? Even with the Tenth it wasn't like it was blatantly out there. Now that he thought about it, Yamamoto treated Tsuna like a little brother. An…injured bird, like when they were little. Kojirou.

Yamamoto had cared for the bird, tending to its broken wing before eventually growing fond of it. Back then, he remembered wryly, Hayato had slapped Yamamoto upside the head, jealous that a bird was taking his best friend's attention, and soulfully, Kojirou was let go to find his mother. Of course the days his best friend had spent just to get the bird to trust him was endless, just like it was with Sawada. Tender and careful.

But a date was a date. And fuck it, this was official. Despite what he dubbed very blatant implications, both boys made it clear that they didn't like each other that way.

"Are you alright?"

"Wha?" Hayato snapped out of his thoughts as he realized that he was now standing near a bench where that Enma kid solely sat. He looked down to the redhead, disapproving silver eyebrow arched and frown spread across his lips. Enma returned it, but said nothing. "Where did everyone go?"

To make out, he wholesomely hoped. Instead, the redhead shrugged and wiped sweat off his brow. "Bathroom."

Apparently he'd been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he hadn't noticed they'd gotten off the bus and were now waiting for their best friends. Well, best friend and boyfriend. Glimmering green yes met the gleam of scarlet, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

On cue, Enma recoiled as if the very glance Hayato was giving him was enough to make him explode. Not far from it, grimly noted the silver-haired teenager. Finally the redhead seemed to settle, and he pressed a hand to his eye patch. "He doesn't look as jealous as I thought he would."

Yamamoto? Hayato blinked, eyebrow arched. "Do tell."

"He really does like it here." There was a hesitant smile that spread across the redhead's face. Almost…sad, actually. In the back of Hayato's mind, he wondered how badly Enma had it in Shimon. The eye patch and large sweatshirt made it obvious about his status, but he seemed kindhearted. "Tsuna talks about you guys a lot, and told me how he was really worried about you because of your feelings."

Hayato nodded, as if telling the other to go on, but he immediately felt his ears turn pink. Through psychoanalysis, he was still trying to figure out where he stood with Yamamoto's feelings. Six months later he was wrestling his sanity, which cruelly wanted to confuse him. Yet six minutes alone was apparently enough time for this kid to know about his feelings. And fuck it. His mind was too dazed to defend himself.

"He asked me of this a few days ago…and maybe it's a little bit silly, but he wanted me to act like his boyfriend. Granted," Enma quickly added, "we haven't even acted like a lovey-dovey couple yet, but acting like your boyfriend is your best friend—erm, per se, best friend is your girlfriend, uh. Best friend is your—"

"Boyfriend," Hayato interjected. The redhead simply blushed, cheeks the same color as his hair as he stumbled over his speech again. Really, it was like this kid never spoke a day in his life.

"Tsuna asked me to pretend to be his boyfriend," whispered the shorter teenager. Enma's hands fell between his lap and he shivered, once again flinching, but Hayato didn't know why. And he kinda sorta pitied it. "He told me that Gokudera-kun was getting the wrong idea with you and him, Yamamoto-kun. He kind of babbled on and on about it one day…probably under his medication, complained about it. He said that Gokudera-kun couldn't get his feelings straight and I'd help."

"So Yamamoto told that midget about his fag-feelings?"

That certainly invoked an interesting look. "Wh…Wha—?"

"I'm Gokudera," Hayato replied grimly. Despite the wry look sparking in his eyes, the silver-haired teenager could feel red spiking up his neck and burning his ears.

He would have found it amusing, if he wasn't horribly embarrassed, that was, for the red that exploded across Enma's face. A soft groan passed through petite lips and a hand meshed through red hair. "Oops."

"I don't fucking like strangers digging through my damn personal life," Hayato growled. He was still pissed off this same kid interrupted Yamamoto before he could get any answers on this date. After all, just because Yamamoto had the balls to move on, it didn't mean Hayato approved of the date. Whoever that dipshit was.

The redhead flinched again as if ready to be punched. That was getting old, and at the same time Hayato felt a little guilty. After all, analysis of his own temper implied…many things. Less than a second later, Enma gave him a solid face, lips grimly tight. "You have a girlfriend, right?"

Hayato rolled his eyes. "Point?"

"Stop confusing him with these messages," the redhead muttered softly. His voice had gone hoarse…or had been. By now Hayato knew this kid spoke very softly and made nothing of it. "Or break up with your girlfriend and admit your feelings to Yamamoto-san."

"I'm not a fucking faggot," Hayato seethed.

"Then stop accusing Tsuna if he hasn't done anything wrong," Enma said flawlessly. He tilted his head to the side, and had it not been Hayato Gokudera that he was currently having a glaring contest with, others would have found it cute. "Don't you think if you're allowed to find a girlfriend, Yamamoto-kun is allowed to find a boyfriend?"

"Well fuck it, I don't want him to!" The silver-haired teenager halted, stunned by his own words as his composure went limp.

Like a large kitten who just revealed itself as a tiny lion cub, the redhead raised his head, point flaring in his eyes much more bluntly like Tsuna on his medication.

Speechless at his own thought process, green eyes flickered as they comically mused: No. Tsuna wouldn't automatically be dominant. The submissive had a few tricks up his sleeve.

And had Enma not stupidly tripped, nose diving first into the pavement as Sawada and Yamamoto came back, Hayato would have thought this smartass redhead more than just a dipshit pansy that couldn't sit on his ass.

OoOoO

They were arguing.

Or something like that. Tsuna swallowed a large lump in his throat as he recognized the stance his silver-haired friend had taken in front of his best friend. While he knew Gokudera-kun to probably smile one out of thirteen times of talking to him, this definitely wasn't a smiley Gokudera.

And he was scared for Enma's life. Yamamoto and he had just gotten back from the bathroom, chatting about nothing in particular as the taller teenager kept asking him what he wanted for his birthday. A party was in his future, apparently, and that wasn't all. His head hurt from the thought of it, and he quickly changed the subject.

After Enma found out for himself what an UMA apparently was, he hoped that his best friend wouldn't think his new friends were um, weird. But everybody was. Especially his teachers. While Reborn-sensei was delaying the inevitable, he was going to pay for it with lessons from hell. This he knew. And Lal Mirch-sensei was only calm when Colonnello-sensei was around. And the reason why she was calm when Colonnello-sensei was around was simply because Lal Mirch-sensei directed all her irritation on him.

Tsuna wasn't even going to get started on his other teachers.

Suddenly he snapped out of his trance - from what Yamamoto was casually telling him about his love life, because his fake-boyfriend clumsily slid off the bench and nosedived into the curb—literally. A groan escaped the teenager's lips before he ran to his best friend, baseball player in tow before a hand went sympathetically around Enma.

"Are you okay?" he whispered softly. Concern fluttered through caramel chocolate eyes, and he pulled Enma back to his feet. A grimace graced his lips as he delicately removed the redhead's tiny hand.

Enma nodded. The brunet caught the way his best friend carefully looked up and flinched, automatically curling into Tsuna's grasp. This happened on occasion back in Shimon, Tsuna thought with concern.

Looking up, a frown delicately slipped across his face as brown eyes met green. Neither seemed too happy, but Tsuna's eyebrow of suspicion was matched with another. Which…made him more confused.

"Yikes," Yamamoto pitched in. A grin spread across his face, albeit pitying, and the teenager ripped part of his t-shirt off.

Enma looked panicked, eyes widening immediately as he shook his head. As he pinched his nose, one shaky hand reaching out to protest, his voice sounded nasally. "Y-You don't have to. W-We barely know each other."

"Ah?" That took Yamamoto by surprise. Scaring the poor redhead further (and Tsuna soothingly whispered in his ear that it was fine; Yamamoto knew what he was doing), a large hand cupped his face and the wadded rag was pressed against Enma's bleeding nose. In a weak attempt, Enma tried to push it away, but Tsuna simply took hold of that very same wad and held it tightly against his best friend's nose.

Same old Enma, smiled the brunet softly. The redhead was very particular on who took care of him because he didn't like debts. When debts weren't repaid, then…he shivered. There was a way of charging interest.

"It's fine," Tsuna said soothingly. Though his best friend looked like he was close to tears by this point (a weakness from mild adephobia; aka fear of being touched), he helped the redhead up and wondered particularly why Gokudera-kun was giving him odd looks. "Yamamoto's a good guy, Enma. He did it of his own free will."

After an awkward staring contest, the redhead finally seemed to give in and held the rag on his own. Yamamoto let out a soft chuckle and seeing as Enma didn't flinch as he ruffled red hair, the baseball player smiled. "Just like Tsuna, eh?"

"Sort of," muttered the quieter teenager. He shivered lightly, and ducked his head. "Sorry, Yamamoto-kun."

"It's fine, haha." Tsuna let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately this time, Enma hesitantly smiled.

Enma's talking by himself was a sight to behold, Tsuna had to admit. He sympathized with the redhead, knowing full well that Enma was just clumsy. For years they were only friends with each other, and with what happened in Shimon for most of the time…well, he paled. Tsuna found himself frowning at the thought of his best friend leaving for Shimon Sunday night. That wasn't going to be pretty.

By the time Enma's nose was done bleeding, it was a quarter till six. Fortunately G wasn't on his case about it since Yamamoto and Gokudera-kun promised to watch him. Although by now and after a month worth of babysitting, Tsuna was sure he was capable in walking home himself, he agreed. Curfew was at 6:30, after all.

His hand grasped onto Enma's more on instinct than voluntarily. By now after a decade of knowing each other, it was simply something that was as frequent as breathing. Unfortunately while he tried to get Enma comfortable around his new friends, it meant that little time was put into acting romantic, and Tsuna hoped is doting over his best friend was enough to hint it wasn't time to be a lovely couple.

Enma stopped them once or twice, careful to brush the hair out of Tsuna's face and smiled softly before mouthing, "You're such a dork."

Tsuna laughed silently, despite the fact Yamamoto and Gokudera were in the middle of planning a party he wasn't aware of, and buried his head into red hair.

"How long have the two of you been dating?" said the baseball player curiously.

Red splattered across brunet cheeks. From the corner of his eye, he could see his friend, who was always a little blunter though shier, turn as red as his hair. The tinier kid fidgeted beside him, as if inching closer to hide behind Tsuna.

"We're not dating," Enma muttered softly. Tsuna's breath hitched. Crap, fuck, shit. Looking around in panic, he saw green eyes narrow irritably, but not surprised. "We…act like this so casually that people assume it. By now we kind of just shrug it off since it doesn't really matter."

Which was very true. Still, Tsuna felt the flush climb up his neck as their elbows touched. He'd never felt as comfortable around someone as he did Enma, and while debating his sexuality, and the redhead never shooed him off. Truth be told he never asked of Enma's sexuality himself, but he was sure the redhead would share with him.

"Really?" Fortunately the answer appeased a certain Yamamoto. Tsuna smiled awkwardly, reddening, and shrugged. "Tsuna, are you gay?"

Of course not. No. That wasn't a bold question at all! The hinges to the brunet's jaw dropped, and he felt his hand grow numb against Enma's grasp. Red exploded across his face like a paint bomb, and an incoherent stammer left his lips. His head felt dizzy, and he constantly reminded himself that was the second time he'd been asked that question.

Rather than avoid it and run, Enma in tow, the redhead squeezed his hand and gestured him forward.

"Yeah," Tsuna whispered softly. "Sorry."

Bah, this was awkward. But Yamamoto had always been one with direct approaches, so he should have seen it coming. Yet this very same Yamamoto was the one who commented he looked very cute, adorable, and often made him stand next to Kyoko in comparison. If he were straight, he'd probably be head-over-heels in love with the class president that got high grades and was loved by everyone. But…Kyoko wasn't a guy.

Red skewered his face again, but Yamamoto only laughed.

"No, haha. It's cool." Looking up and from the corner of his eye noting Enma's smile, Tsuna's eyes were met with the small grin spread across Yamamoto's face. Maybe even relief. "It's very cool."

Gokudera on the other hand, rolled his eyes and huffed. He twisted his foot, taking a lead compared to all of them, and Tsuna could hear him grumble something about, "Everyone on this fucking planet is gay."

From the corner of his eye, Tsuna saw the careful look Enma gave Gokudera, eyebrows pulled tensely together. Leaning into the redhead's scent as they were only five minutes away from the apartment complex, he rubbed his best friend's nose, question of what Gokudera-kun and his best friend had been talking about aching at his tongue.

Instead, the redhead simply looked up to the taller teenager, curiosity shimmering in scarlet red eyes. "Thanks. For the rag, I mean."

"Mm?" Yamamoto looked down and almost immediately, Enma had flinched behind him.

"It's fine," Tsuna blushed as a second hand nervously wrapped around his wrist. With a gentle nudge, his elbow touched his best friend's and he caught a bush of red hair blocking Enma's face. "Yamamoto's a good guy. You don't need to worry about a thing."

Those dreary red eyes nervously flickered again and he nodded. After all, Tsuna reminded himself with a little sheepishness, the redhead wasn't the type of person who would normally talk unless spoken to. Obviously now that he wasn't obligated to, there was no need for him to verbally voice his opinion. With a light squeeze, Tsuna gave in.

Still, he thought with gentle suspicion. Gokudera-kun would only be in a bad mood if he was provoked, and although Enma favored silence over talking, his voice was solid whenever he spoke. They were cut off from their thoughts when Yamamoto shared a laugh. Even said hothead stopped in front of them, eyebrow arched with impatience while scarlet and brown eyes exchanged glances before looking to the taller teen above them.

"Haha, sorry, sorry." Yamamoto bellowed softer, hand hugging his ribcage as he wiped a tear from his face. There was a sudden shift in Enma again, and Tsuna gave him a reassuring tug. "You're just…like Tsuna to the bone, haha."

At that, Tsuna could feel his face redden again. Although they were a little more affectionate than usual because of a month away from each other, Yamamoto had a point. There were as many similarities between them as there were differences, and although Enma had a bit more backbone, Tsuna had more self-confidence because of…well, Yamamoto, actually.

"You guys are really close," commented the baseball player again. He grinned softly, head tilted to the side in approval and the pair nodded. "Are you going to come for fall break too, Kozato?"

They actually hadn't thought that far. The thought of Enma coming for fall break too, which was a full week in November that students had to themselves before cramming for December exams, sounded riveting. Tsuna blinked, carefully turning to his side where Enma stayed, height countering the brunet's. The unease churned in his stomach, and in mutual silence, they frowned.

"S'not a good idea," Enma whispered softly. He shook his head, both regrettably and sadly. "Even if it's fall break…"

"Yeah." Fall break was when Enma and his foster siblings were together; one whole week. Because the age of all of them were so different, save Enma and Shitt P., they normally didn't see each other. However it was the time where his best friend would stay with him for a week. Like…like brothers, Tsuna thought to himself with a small smile. It was fun having the redhead over at his house for a week straight.

Giotto probably wouldn't allow it, though. Even if they were currently on good terms with each other – or rather, going from awkward strangers to somewhat smitten acquaintances – he didn't want to push his luck. Enma had also saved the money right after he'd gotten the okay from his brother. Tickets in November would be hard to come by (since many Americans thought it'd be appealing to celebrate the founding of their nation in a different country), and Tsuna himself got jumped while coming to Namimori. That should have been hint enough!

And his math scores. A groan left the poor brunet's throat.

Reborn-sensei would murder him. Even if he wanted minimal meetings with the tall, sadistic teacher outside of school, he knew he would die in one of two ways: a pencil "missing" the wall behind them and piercing his chest, or by that green gun that only looked like a toy.

"I want you to come for Christmas," Tsuna said finally. He stood in front of Enma, hands loosening for a second as if proving his point and tilted his head to the side. "We get two weeks off from school and the first set of exams will be over. I um, really want you to come."

Those red eyes with ruby gems crested in the middle blinked, head cutely tilting to the side. A smile graced the redhead's lips, hesitant as it may be, and he mumbled a "maybe" under his breath.

"And your birthday," Tsuna said. "January 2nd. Please?"

"Ah, Tsuna." Suddenly the brunet remembered they weren't alone and glowed with a pink blush yet again. True, it was always him persuading and talking to Enma rather than the other way around, but he'd grown so docile around baseball player and hothead the past month that he forgot all about it. "Generally we don't get back from break until the fifth, and since that's on a Saturday, we won't be back at school till the seventh."

He stared at the taller teenager in amazement. "Y-You memorized that?"

A sheepish smile spread across the baseball player's face, chuckles at his lips as he casually rubbed the back of his head. "So far I see nothing wrong with him. Really, Tsuna, I approve."

And to that Tsuna suddenly felt like daddy's little girl bringing her boyfriend home for said father's permission. It wasn't helping, however, that Enma's fingers were intertwined with his and the redhead was confused.

"I approve too," Enma muttered softly under his breath. On the bright side, Tsuna immediately noticed with relief, Enma was sinking into a better seas.

He smiled a little, awkwardly pulling his hand away to wipe the sweat off his palms before putting them in his sweatshirt pockets. Other than his strange habit of piling clothes when he was nervous, Enma called it his tendency to hide his hands when he was relieved. Fortunately that was another thing his best friend didn't mind, and they found themselves…by themselves.

"Where did Gokudera-kun go?" Tsuna blabbed. The second he did, two pairs of eyes landed on him. Two expressions had never looked the same yet so different in his life. Knowing that he'd probably said something bad and had no way to back it up, the brunet shut his mouth for the final time that evening and they continued their stroll in silence.

Until they got to Yamamoto Sushi, of course. Before the taller teenager had a chance to say anything, a tiny hand with three Band-Aids coiled around the pinky tugged on his sleeve.

Tsuna halted in fear he might be missing out on something, but Yamamoto simply matched his curiosity. He would have laughed at the way the brunet had to bend over like a true father so Enma could whisper something in his ear. If, you know, Enma wasn't whispering something in his ear. The edges of his lips readily curved into a smile, but stopped as Yamamoto's face twisted.

Red scattered across the baseball player's cheeks before a nervous laugh escaped his lips. They shared a glance before looking over to a confused Tsuna, and that was the end of it.

"Bye. Tsuna, we're definitely having a party for you tomorrow." Yamamoto flashed a mischievous grin, hand on the banner of his father's sushi bar, and narrowed his eyes. "Somehow, I'll convince Gokudera to buy you a birthday present – not that I think I need to, actually."

"Ah. Erm." Flustered himself, the brunet's eyebrows furrowed. A shiver ran through his spine as he scratched the shell of his ear and followed the tall teenager's form before he was out of sight. Once that was established, his face contorted. "What was that?"

Enma met his confusion. "What do you mean?"

"It's just…the Enma I know doesn't normally speak so openly." A sigh escaped his lips, stiffness beaten. Instead, Tsuna gestured for them to continue. The apartment complex was only a block away. "Gosh, it's not like I don't like it, it's just…I-I dunno, I don't l-like it."

This was enough to strike amusement across the redhead's face. He smiled crookedly, more out of his own clumsiness than spite, and shook his head. "Experimenting."

"Experimenting," Tsuna repeated. Enma got better grades than him in school; that was for sure. "Between two strangers?"

The expression dropped, eyebrows furrowing troublesomely as he shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah," he whispered softly. "I…I caught myself in a bind and wanted to see if I could fix things. It's not right to butt in though, is it?"

With a soft sigh, the brunet could only shrug. Time would tell. He still had his doubts about whether or not he said something good to Gokudera-kun, but by the looks of the blush that spread across Yamamoto's face, there had to be some good news. And some mild cursing. Obviously, he thought with a wry roll of the eyes. That was one of Gokudera's strong points, after all.

"Do you want to visit Shimon…I…didn't think so." Enma smiled awkwardly to the horror fixated on his best friend's face, but they continued otherwise. By the time they really did make it to the Namimori Apartment Buildings, the sun was setting and it was fifteen minutes past his curfew.

"Are you going to the wedding?"

Enma nodded. Looks like they were going back to how they were before Giotto came into the picture.

"I think Giotto said something about not going. Or…Celeste….Dino…something around that." Tsuna frowned and tried to recall the conversation he had over three weeks ago. His memory was still fuzzy over the subject, but that was when Giotto started changing his attitude around him. They had short conversations now, normally debating over TV shows with Giotto childishly pouting if he didn't win.

"You'll have to do a lot of convincing then," muttered the redhead. He smiled weakly before they halted in front of the steps. Tsuna gulped and looked at his best friend from the corner of his eye. With less than an eyelash of hesitation, Enma creaked up the stairs, one foot after the other.

A sigh of relief left the brunet's throat and he hesitantly followed after. His hand latched onto the redhead's waist, and without stuttering why, he maneuvered his best friend so he didn't get his feet trapped into hapless holes in the steps.

"Um, yeah." Tsuna awkwardly shrugged as they made it up safely. A small smile spread across his face and he knocked the door. By a knock-and-a-half, the door opened with a deafening whoosh, and he had to keep himself from falling over as Enma yanked on his arm.

Another redhead was worriedly leering at him. "You have a cellphone."

"Lost track of time." Tsuna looked up, tediously shrugging it off as if it were nothing. Hopefully it would be. The last time something like this happened, Alaude kidnapped him and G and his brother were about to call the police.

G's eyes went from him to the other teenager before the scowl on his face loosened. Instead, he leaned into Enma with mild curiosity, eyes narrowed. "And he is…?"

"Enma. Enma Kozato." Tsuna wiggled his arm, wholesomely aware of the fact Enma was clinging onto it, and looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Eh—!" He clasped a hand over his mouth in hopes G wouldn't notice his surprise. Too late.

"Were you picked on again?" G's voice dropped an octave (if it could) as he turned his attention to the brunet.

Thankfully, the petite teenager shook his head. "Giotto said that he could stay for the weekend." From the corner of his eye, he could still see scarlet eyes lingering on the full redheaded Italian. Tsuna couldn't say anything. He turned pink at the thought of it. After all, he'd been smitten with G the first time they met, too.

"Cute," G muttered. In a way it reminded him of how earlier Gokudera gave Enma one look before calling him tiny.

In a matter of seconds, Enma was cowering behind Tsuna again. The brunet caught a glimpse of his best friend's face and found it redder than his hair.

"Where's he gonna sleep?" G arched an eyebrow.

"The couch pulls out, right?" Tsuna asked. In his own house Enma and he had slept in the same bed countless times. He'd…probably even say this was how G and Giotto must have acted at his age. "He and I can sleep together."

Apparently something in his words was enough to take G off guard. The elder redhead blinked, silence catching his tongue. His lips twisted crookedly before giving up and frowning. "And you're alright with that?"

"We sleep together all the time," Tsuna said simply. Looking over to his best friend, he could only blink in confusion at the intense gaze directed at his guardian. Suddenly his own words hammered through his mind and the brunet panicked, face as dark as Enma's. "I-I mean…we don't…s…sleep together, we…we sleep together! I-I mean…wh-what people do when they're not touching a-and…"

"I got it." G broke into a smile, and suddenly the brunet felt Enma fidget beside him again. "I'll get you two something to eat. Hang tight. Yakisoba for you, kid, and…you? Erm, other kid?"

If there wasn't so little space behind them thanks to the shut door, Enma would have probably been at the stairs by now. Instead, Tsuna found himself worrying as redhead gazed at redhead and the decadent blush across the teenager's face fervently sprinkled pink against his ears. Enma buried his face into Tsuna's shoulder and mumbled something under his breath.

"H-He likes dumplings," Tsuna stammered. What was up with his best friend?

G's expression softened from its usual cheekiness before another smile spread across his face. He ruffled the brunet's hair familiarly, eyes still on the other teenager, and chuckled softly. "Get settled in. We've got a long weekend, actually."

Without another word, the adult inched closer to the door, clumsily bumping shoulders with Enma before he made his leave. The pair didn't move until they were certain G hopped off the last step.

"Are you alright?"

"I…yeah." The redhead, however, looked like he was on fire. He'd answered in a croak and was stumbling while Tsuna guided him to the couch. "Sorry." With a soft plop, Enma was on the couch and Tsuna let out a sigh of relief.

For a second there, he was wondering if G was contagious. Enma was swelling with red, voice bubbly and clogged at the same time, and nervously fiddling with his backpack.

"He's my brother's best friend." He put a hand casually on the redhead's forehead, but apparently that was only enough to make him blush harder. "They've known each other as long as we have. Erm, I think." Now that he thought about it, was this like some big déjà vu? He'd already heard more than he wanted to about Giotto and G's relationship. Anymore talk about their apparently-not love life made him shiver. "He's nice once you get to know him."

"Ah."

It was left at that. Apparently whatever Enma was thinking about, he didn't want to spill his guts, and the obvious fluster he'd experienced at the door was more embarrassing than fatal. Tsuna stood from the couch, casually dusting off his pants before gesturing to the bathroom.

"Is it okay if I go talk to Gokudera-kun a little bit? He seemed a little bit off since…" Since your arrival. But he didn't want to say that. Red scattered across Tsuna's cheeks as Enma caught onto what he was saying immediately and nodded. "Y-You can take a shower. Don't worry about it, really…Giotto has his own bathroom."

The redhead tilted his head to the side and gestured to the couch.

"We'll have to share." Tsuna shrugged awkwardly. "The apartment only has one bedroom. It's made for one person, anyway. And since I'll probably be moving back with Mama and Iemitsu after school…yeah."

Scarlet eyes were burning holes into his skull. Before he knew it, Enma stood at his height with a gapless distance between them. "If you had the option, would you stay with your brother for the rest of high school?"

His thoughts froze. Mind process slowing greatly, Tsuna found the nervous smile on his face disappearing as he seriously considered that thought. W-Was it possible? Yeah…they were making process, but he wouldn't consider still sleeping on the couch part of it. Giotto was kinder to him, but that didn't mean much…anything.

A-And it was a one-person apartment. They were here for a month, and Giotto still nagged him about not feeling cozy in the household once in a while, but…erm…

"Gokudera-kun," stammered the brunet quietly. He gestured toward the door, one hand weakly over his shoulder before turning around. "Y-Yeah."

"It was just a thought," Enma called after him softly.

Without another word, Tsuna shut the door behind him and nervously skid down the stairs, avoiding creaky steps as he landed. L…Living with Giotto was already awkward enough, he decided.

God, what was wrong with him? Brown eyes rolled in the dusk, one hand squeezing his phone gingerly as Reborn-sensei's torturous voice inside his head decided to list off all his flaws. He…w-was attracted to him. To his brother. Tsuna supposed…that yeah, he thought Giotto was…p-pretty.

And handsome. And very drop-dead gorgeous; something he'd been saying since the first day they knew each other. Days of September replayed in his head; particularly the second time Giotto confronted them and decided they should get to know each other. By now it was more than obvious the brunet was shy; not speaking unless convinced to, and Giotto had noticed that instantly.

They…weren't just two strangers living together at that point. The blond had been patient with him, analyzing all that was Tsuna Sawada, before molding his own personality around that. Tsuna was appreciative, and they were getting into compromises now. Sort of. Living with that for more than just nine months?

He wasn't ready! Of course not! Why would Enma even suggest living with Giotto would be alright?

Wh…Why couldn't he face his best friend and simply say, "Of course not."?

He had a sneaking suspicion it was just like how Gokudera-kun couldn't admit he was curious about Yamamoto's feelings.

Speaking of the hotheaded, smoldering green eyes were gnawing at him a minute or so after he knocked the door. Tsuna gulped, taking a step back. He wondered if his relationship with this half-Italian would ever change.

"Are you alright?" he whispered softly. In the long run, it would get him killed even looking Gokudera in the eye, but there was no other choice. "It's just me."

Gokudera's eyes lingered at his form for a moment before he opened the door wider. He left the brunet standing in favor of going to the fridge, and Tsuna invited himself in.

The taller teenager held up a beer can, but Tsuna immediately shook his head. He looked around like he always did whenever visiting while Yamamoto was at baseball practice. Everything was the same as Giotto's apartment, aside from the bathroom being where the kitchen was. Shelves upon shelves with countless books littered the walls, and papers covered most of the floor. Gokudera himself had his glasses on, and Tsuna assumed he'd unraveled the second he got home.

"The person Yamamoto asked out is on the kendo team," said Tsuna. He'd be lying if he didn't say he wasn't digging his own grave. "Mochida-senpai. Actually, I think Mochida-senpai may have asked him out."

The other teenager kept silent. He brushed past Tsuna, half a can of beer down his throat before he plopped onto the couch.

Tsuna shivered, suddenly feeling a chill in the air as his eyes never left the apathetic hothead. Why was he doing this? "I just…I mean…I'm kind of happy for him, aren't you?"

He caught his breath when those eyes narrowed at him, and ducked his head. What was he thinking? C-Coming over and trying to cheer Gokudera-kun up. Enma was still over at his apartment! …Giotto's apartment. He blinked. Wait, what?

"Tenth." There was a dense huskiness in the silver-haired teenager's tone. Tsuna peered up from his hair, curious to the raised eyebrow given to him, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Help me out with an experiment."

Experiment. Experiment, experiment, experiment. He was hearing that word a bit too much today. All…twice. He nodded slowly. "Y…Yeah?"

With one slow blink, the brunet missed what was going on around him. Alcohol filled his nostrils and he took a step back, only to look up and hit his forehead to a pair of glasses.

Gokudera-kun was above him. "Kiss me and tell me if I'm gay."

OoOoO

This was weird.

All of it was weird.

Scarlet eyes closed as shampoo slid down red eyelashes, and a soft shiver left Enma's body. His head was spinning from today's events and…Koyo's words before he came. Suddenly feeling small again – or "tiny", if he was quoting Gokudera-kun – and waited for the soap to slide down his body.

Don't bother coming back.

Red eyebrows furrowed and he forcefully turned the nozzle. He did everything that would normally distract him – count to a hundred at a crap pace, count sheep, sing the most obnoxiously catchy songs he could – but Koyo's smirk was still fresh on his mind.

Like sprinkling salt on an open wound, mused the redhead. He truly…completely…totally wanted to come by for fall break. But even as a highschooler, it was obvious Tsuna would have to settle in. And this…Giotto. A soft chuckle escaped Enma's lips and he wiped away steam against the bathroom mirror. Tsuna had told him stories, and it was from that husky mutter that the redhead knew very well his best friend was under medication.

Painkillers were their best friends, and Tsuna had little tolerance for them. Instead while they worked, they would mess up his head and he'd be spewing random things that wouldn't survive in his brain for the rest of the night. Giotto couldn't drive was something that was mentioned a lot. The foundation of this house was highly unstable. Enma saw that for himself.

Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto-kun were getting on his nerves, apparently. His brunet best friend would have even enjoyed sitting there watch them dry-hump rather than little talks and strained smiles on Yamamoto-kun's face. And personally the redhead had ruined Tsuna's scheming.

That thought in mind, Enma cursed as he realized he left both a change of pajama clothes and towel in his bag on the couch. Stupid Enma, he thought to himself. A soft sigh left his lips. Carefully shutting the door behind him, the redhead shivered at cool air and shifted in his nudity.

Fortunately no one was here. He trekked toward the couch, conscious of his lack of clothes, and shivered again. It was an accident, really, to expose the truth to Gokudera-kun. He thought it was Yamamoto-kun, originally, since Tsuna barely pointed to them during introductions.

It was easy for him. There was only one Enma, and there were two really tall people in front of them. Perhaps he lost his temper (okay, he did lose his temper) when it came to Gokudera-kun; lashing it out on the boy after awkwardly getting kicked out of the house, but…he couldn't help it.

And G—

Shit. The door was unlocking.

Enma scurried, eyes widening in horror as he tried to find his towel. Shit, shit, shit! Where was it? H-He could have sworn it was sitting right here—

"Hey, you guys already go to bed? It's like barely eight o'clock."

Oh shit.

"Finally," Enma whispered under his breath. The red groped his ears as he yanked the towel, but unfortunately tumbled back and hit his head in the coffee table with a horrible bang. O-Ow…

Whatever was in G's hands dropped in an instant and he shut the door behind him. "Hey, what's going on?"

He was still naked. Crap, crap, crap! Enma scurried to his feet, blinking through livid stars. The bump was starting to swell, and his bruised eye stung as tears formed against his orbs.

Unfortunately the poor redhead tripped again, somehow ending with his foot caught in the couch cushion. A whimper escaped his throat.

"Shit," breathed the adult.

Enma couldn't see him, but the lights quickly came on and he felt his cheeks burn. Loser Enma, indeed. Almost immediately, he felt the adult drag him away from the cushions and yelped when his foot became his again.

"Oh, uh." That low voice suddenly sounded startled, and through his meshed hair and good eye, Enma made out the pink sparkling a tattooed cheek. He was lifted to his feet and pushed back onto the couch by a callused hand. The same one pressed against his forehead, brushing away the hair enough for Enma to see the red staining G-san's cheeks.

He looked away for a second, free hand grappling the towel sprawled on the ground, and wrapped it securely around the boy's ears.

Say something. Say thank you. But he couldn't. His heart was exploding in his chest and cheeks were redder than their hair combined. A shiver ran through him again; a sign of a cold. G touched his bad eye and instantly, the poor teenager recoiled.

"I leave for twenty minutes and you guys make a mess out of things. Shit, I think your wound's reopened." G bit his lip and leaned closer.

Enma leaned back, body shaking in nervousness and fluster as two elegant ruby eyes studied his.

"Hold still – I won't hurt you." Long, rocky fingers rubbed against the side of his face and he shivered. Instinctively he pushed the adult away, towel coiling around most his body in hopes to cover most of his legs. G seemed to mistake it as something else. "Shy one, eh? Cute."

"You're flirting with little kids?" Stai flirtando con bambini piccoli. That was Italian.

Enma stiffened at the touch, just as it pulled away and the amusement on G's face twisted with a roll of his eyes. "Shouldn't you be at work?" Non dovresti essere al lavoro? More Italian.

The teenager cocooned himself. Peering through his hair, the sight of blond caught his attention and he pursed his lips. That was…Tsuna's hair. Unruly, hard to manage, but very fitting. Along with alluring, fiery eyes… Wow.

This was Giotto. Enma blinked through his fluster, and the blond looked down. "He's still naked. And I think he understands what we're saying."

The poor teenager flinched for two reasons. For both, he slid off the couch and took his luggage behind him, but Giotto blocked him. Gently, two much daintier hands slid the large towel off his small shoulders and wrapped them around his waist.

"His eye is bleeding," G commented.

"Lui è nudo," Giotto responded firmly. He's naked. Had he not already done a double check, Enma would have buried his head in the tall blond's chest thinking it was Tsuna. Of course he was still naked! A soft chuckle left the blond's throat before he shook his head and pulled Enma's attention closer. "Cozart."

Co…Enma blinked.

"Sapete chi è Cozart?"

Before he had the chance to process what the fluent Italian asked him, there was a hand wrapped firmly around his neck. Enma squeaked and resisted the urge to squirm as G pressed up against him. "Perché tu lo chiedi?"

"Ha l'aria proprio come lui." What were they talking about? Enma struggled to make out the words, but found that he couldn't. Not…with that breath on his ear. Suddenly those fiery eyes softened, fingers running through jagged red bristles as if studying him, and pulled away. "Spiacente."

"This is the friend your brother said would be visiting," G finally said. He switched to Japanese, and Enma felt more than saw the taller redhead arch an eyebrow.

Giotto's eyes flickered. "Did he say it was going to be this weeke—?"

"VOIIII!"

Enma winced and clasped hands on his ears. Neither adult seemed to care. Instead, he caught the dry roll of G's eyes before a sigh escaped the adult's lips.

"You know I don't like your cousin."

"You make it sound like a bad thing that I invited him," Giotto placed a hand on his chest in mock offense.

G simply held Enma tighter. "It's only worse when he brings that stupid sharky boyfriend with him!"