Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dying was much like falling asleep, but with pain. Not a light difference, of course, though Tsuna was probably biased, considering he had just been killed during a meeting, to save his Rain. Thinking about it, he should have been able to feel the danger sooner, but then…

He was tired.

All his life had been devoted to fixing the inky black world that most thought was Tsuna’s personal kingdom, at that point. Yes, he had made his family’s reality a better place. Yes, he had lived his life to the fullest even though he had never found – or pursued – true love. Yes, his family was happy in the chaos that was their world.

But, yes, he felt tired.

He would say exhausted. His time had become an endless spiral of meetings, paperwork, reigning in his Guardians, trying to coax Reborn out of the shell he’d closed himself in, keeping other Families happy and on a tight leash at the same time, having to deal with Byakuran-related chaos daily… Well, he couldn’t say the white-haired man was completely annoying. His shenanigans did bring a refreshing wind of calmness, though his Guardians paid the price.

However, Tsuna couldn’t find it in himself to have regrets. Maybe he’d even unconsciously predicted this outcome, seeing he had written letters to some of his family members just in case. They were stacked in one of his desk’s drawers. What could he regret? Leaving his family behind? They were strong, most probably stronger than him, they would get through, they would keep up or, he could hope, they would quit, either way was fine as long as they were happy…

Giving up Mafia and what he had built? He’d never wanted the title that had changed his life, rewritten it in stone, walked him along a bloody path. Tsuna was sure his changes had been gradual enough for them to be accepted and integrated, but he had little hope they would have been followed without his iron grip. And, keeping said iron grip on every little thing…

His mother had long left the world of the living, his father had retired and disappeared from his life, his adoptive younger brothers were safe and knew how to defend themselves.

He coughed up blood, sight already gone, hearing felt like a soft whistle. He was sad he would not see them again, but he was… serene. It was fine.

He let his eyes close and attempted a smile. Tsuna wasn’t sure if he’d succeeded. The last thing he felt was wetness falling to his face. The last thing he heard, faint, distant, was Byakuran’s voice wishing him a good journey and a happy new life.

When he woke up, Tsuna took two slow minutes to understand what had just happened. He took three more to curse the existence of Byakuran, then ten to look around and curse his own, prolonged existence. He was in an alley, dressed in the suit he’d worn for the meeting, sitting on the floor, healthy and missing all his gear – and all the blood that had spilled. No rings, no gloves… no Natsu. He pressed for his Intuition first, and it was still there, though it felt… a bit different, because, as soon as he poked it, his Sky Flames came to his hands. Gloveless, gunshot-less, pill-less. Unprompted, too. What…

He took a deep breath, standing and patting the dust off his pants, then tried to organize his thoughts. He was, most definitely considering this was Byakuran’s doing, in another… timeline? His Intuition disagreed, Flames licking his sweaty palms. No, then… Tsuna paled, another universe? He wailed at the confirmation, wanting to bash his head against the nearest wall.

Instead, he calmed down and tested his Flames, that seemed to have merged with his Intuition, somehow. He could guess, new universe, new rules, but why merge the two? It was… It opened to quite a few possibilities that he had to investigate, sooner better than later.

However, he had more pressing matters. Like, where was he? Uh, not the city, just… God, which country? Which kind of universe?

With a metaphorical kick in the rear, Tsuna checked his appearance and stumbled past the entrance of the alley. It was late night, maybe very early in the morning. Streetlamps were lit, shedding light on a clean, wide, empty road. The shops were closed save for a 24/7 one on his left. The sign was in Japanese and he could feel a massive stone drop off his heart, relieved. At least, he had that.

With unsure steps, he walked to the only open shop and hoped to find a turned-on TV or a magazine or something from which he could gather information. He stopped short of entering and swiftly checked his wallet. There was money, Japanese yen, a lot because he frequently got homesick and went to relax a bit back home – though those were very short-lived as someone always managed to kidnap him back to Italy in less than two days –, and a few Euros, too. However, he didn’t know the general prices, the economy, hell he didn’t even know if the same currency was used here.

He pushed the thought aside and went in. The shop was small, dimly lit but well-organized and tidy. His eyes immediately fell to the labels and he released a breath of relief at recognizing yen. A brief check later made him notice the prices were mostly similar to the ones he was accustomed to. There was no sound beside a calm music in the background, but he looked around and found a television turned on in a corner.

Tsuna stopped dead in his tracks, mouth agape and eyes wide. He would have thought they were airing a movie or something, if the late news broadcast had not been so glaringly real. There was a reporter probably describing the madness happening right behind her… Someone was sending blazing flames towards a group of men wielding raised and firing weapons. The reporter was not surprised or scared, she even seemed bored when confronted with the sight of a man using fire with bare hands – not Flames, his Intuition confirmed. Was that… How could that be normal? There were words passing lazily in overlay: “Endeavour captures a minor Yakuza group!”

And then there was another news, a hostage situation where a woman gassed the villains, as such they were called on the overlay, and saved people. Her name was, apparently, Midnight, an emerging new…

Tsuna blinked.

Hero? What the–

He stopped, eyes cast down. Villains, heroes, superpowers. Byakuran had thought this kind of universe would have given Tsuna a happy new life? Seriously?!

Tsuna panicked for a grand total of four minutes. Then imagined kicking the white-haired into a universe of demons – though, maybe he would have liked it – and straightened. He had to roll with this. Roll or die, that was the rule in Mafia, it seemed to be the rule with his life. Though, a timid nudge at his Intuition made him doubt this was all of Byakuran’s plan…

He nodded to himself, took a pack of sweets, paid for it while glancing only once at the young woman with horns on her head and went back out in the road. The sun seemed to be near rising into the new day, but at least he knew what he needed to do.

He was in Japan, or whatever this country was called but it was still Japanese, there were heroes, it was normal, and there were villains, which was an obvious consequence of having superpowers all over the population – which seemed to be the case. Tsuna sighed through his coming headache.

The first thought was how could he help, but he crushed it with vengeance. This was supposedly his second chance at life, right? He had no intention of wasting it. What had he always wanted? A peaceful life, something simple, he had no problem with the perspective of having to make ends meet at the end of the month.

Tsuna looked around, popping the plastic around the sweets and absently taking a bite. They weren’t the best, but would do for the moment. He needed a job.

Eyeing his wallet, pocketed in the jacket, he knew that was wishful thinking. He did not exist in this world. Well, he kind of did, as of… less than one hour prior, but there probably wasn’t any proof of his birth or alike, so how would he get into a contract? With a sigh, his choice fell to following his Intuition, of course. He had no other chances.

Tsuna poked it, training his Flames to stay down while he did that, and silently gasped when a trail of golden, intertwined threads started from his feet, turning left at the end of the street. Blinking, he walked on it. That sure simplified things, a whole lot. He didn’t have to blindly try and try, this was so useful.

With renewed will and a tentative hope for a true second chance, Tsuna munched on the sweets and followed the path.

With his atrocious luck and against his wishful hopes, this was going to be a hellish journey, for sure.

Chapter Text

Tsuna followed the golden trail for two days, without sleeping a wink, from a city to the other through a forest. He was not complaining about the training he had done meanwhile – and the ample samplings of what people called quirks he’d seen –, but he was at his stamina’s end when he finally, finally, reached the end of it.

A coffee shop.

The brunet tilted his head, arms loosely crossed on his chest. That was surely a peaceful life, as peaceful as clients could get anyway. With a nod to himself, Tsuna checked his suit was still in a good enough condition for a job interview, and walked in.

It was early morning, they had probably just opened. The interior was draped in dark mahogany and azure walls. The low tables were neatly organized at his right and a big, glass, open door on his left let the fresh air in, giving space to the outdoors’ tall tables underneath azure, wide gazebos. It was very spacious and the cashier was a few steps from the entrance.

There was a woman behind the counter, carefully wiping a glass and checking it in the light seeping from outside. She had pale blue skin, light green hair in a neat ponytail and what he assumed were gills on her long neck’s sides. Her eyes reminded him of crystal-clear water. She was thin and immediately zeroed her attention on him the moment Tsuna stopped in front of the cashier. There was a tag on her azure uniform.

“Good morning, Soma-san,” he greeted with a nod of his head.

She nodded back at him, “what can I get you?”

Tsuna swallowed. “I’m actually searching for a job.”

The woman slowly blinked twice, letting go of the by then clean glass. “You want a job.” Tsuna could only nod. “Here.” He furrowed his brows, but nodded again. “Why?”

He shrugged, “I need money…?”

She shook her head, “not my point.” Her eyes narrowed, but not in suspicion. “People don’t like this shop.”

Tsuna had to frown at that. “But it’s a beautiful place, welcoming and spacious.” He sent a glance towards the pastries, “and those seem very delicious.” He’d barely eaten since landing in the new world.

Soma snorted into a chuckle. “They are, I tell you, but you’re kind of oblivious, uh? What’s your quirk?”

His Intuition purred and Tsuna huffed, “I… don’t have one?” It was true, he knew that his Flames were not a quirk.

However, he didn’t expect her reaction of horror. Tsuna panicked when the woman covered her mouth, eyes wide, and shook her head, tears welling.

“Uhm…” Maybe he should just leave. “Sorry, I–”

“Sit down.”

Tsuna straightened and did as told, choosing the nearest table to the counter as the woman whipped a pair of croissants and brewed some coffee, only to join him a bit later with the tray and the heavenly smelling food. He could tell he was salivating.

Soma waved for him to eat and he did, she followed at a slower rate. Whatever her reasons for showing such horror, she might have come to a solution by herself.

“What would I give for a cigarette right now…”

Tsuna scrunched his nose, “that’s a bad habit.”

“A bad habit I can’t have,” she pointed at her gills. “Anyway, a job, I’m not sure I can pay you much, clients are not exactly easy around these parts and don’t like me.”

Tsuna could link the dots, at that point. Quirks could be different types, he’d gathered, but there was still some kind of racism, huh? He couldn’t understand, however much as he could picture it, why.

He moved his eyes over her gills, then looked directly at her. “Yet you proudly show yourself,” he smiled.

She flinched, hands instinctively going to her gills, but stopped short of hiding them. She blinked and huffed, “you’re a tricky one… thank you.”

Tsuna waved it off, then an idea hit him. “You want regulars, right?” She slowly nodded, eyes narrowed. “Ok, what do you say if… I bring you ten regulars and you hire me then?”

Soma face-palmed, but was grinning. Her hand slid off her face, showing amused eyes. “Deal. How many days do you want?”

Considering he had no home yet, “until today’s closing time. Do you happen to have pamphlets or something?”

The woman flashed him a smirk and they shook hands. The game was on.

Instead of focusing on the ten new regulars, he focused on one at a time, following the trails while checking the hours he had left. He’d found a pair of high school girls uncomfortably studying on a bench in the nearby park and invited them over for a sample on the house – he’d asked Soma first, she’d said she could sustain a few unpaid orders. Next was a man clearly rich but very sad, Tsuna personally brought him to the coffee shop with the promise of a sweet so good he would claim a bit of peace of mind for a while, at least. There was an old man walking around in circles, other people plainly changed path but the brunet simply passed him a pamphlet with a smile.

He met a woman silently crying in front of a babies’ shop. She was pretty and burst out in a full crying fit once Tsuna asked her if she was okay. They ended up passing the whole morning in the coffee shop as the woman told him how her husband had cheated on her and she was a few weeks pregnant. The honeyed milk worked wonders, though Soma insisted it had all been Tsuna’s merit when the woman left with a small smile.

With the count of five new regulars – he’d bet with Soma on how regular each of them would be, but she’d been too absorbed by the fact none of them had given her gills a strange glance, not even by mistake –, his next preys were three teen boys running away from bullies. He led them to the coffee shop and they fell in love with the pastries… and ended up infatuated of the Boss, but that was not important.

Two people to recruit yet. Tsuna walked a bit farther into an area of the city that was a bit poorer looking, but still not too poor. There was a woman in a velvet red, skirt suit. She was yelling at the phone at her sister, maybe, and the brunet happened to let a pamphlet fall on her black, polished, stiletto heel. She snapped it off the floor, glanced over the words and said: “you know what? I’d give the world for a pitch-black coffee like my fucking soul, Mitsuko! Have a hell of a good day!!” She then took off towards the coffee shop after smashing her fingers on the touch screen of her phone.

Tsuna was a bit stomped by that, but he kept going. A young woman, probably in her early twenties, was holding the hand of a child and leading him through the aisles of an outdoor market. She was eyeing the food the kid was pointing at with sadness, bordering agony for denying him. The brunet bit his lower lip, knowing this was a situation where he would get his tenth regular… but probably land Soma with another employee.

Which happened, though she was happier with her than with him, thing that made Tsuna play the very deeply hurt part and coax a laughter from his official new colleague, Koshikawa Runa, big sister of Koshikawa Narahiko and orphan of both parents in a car accident. His new Boss was Soma Akuro, who insisted on being called by her first name and had a contract for him ready before dinner time, not asking for an ID or anything but just for a name, and he gave out Tsuna, nothing more.

He couldn’t tell he hadn’t had fun, so he offered to search for more clients during the dull times. Soma, though, told him to take it easy for a while and find, to quote her, “a goddamn apartment, you reek.” Well, he was a homeless person, at least he was not jobless, so a copy of his contract would be enough to rent something small. He sure didn’t need a mansion, never had in fact. Also, he was alone, he had no desire to pass days cleaning it.

He followed the next golden trail to a small, grey apartment complex a 10-minutes’ walk from the coffee shop. Intuition wanted that Tsuna walked right under a falling potted plant, that he secured with a bit of acrobatics and a choked gasp.

“What the fu– Don’t move!”

The brunet nodded and carefully adjusted the heavy pot in his arms. It was a beautiful flower, red and violet with a thick stem and wide leaves. He was relieved he had saved it. Hasty footsteps approached him and Tsuna looked up at the muscular, forty-something man that eyed the pot as if it was his child. It was very cute.

“Is this yours?”

The man huffed, waving for Tsuna to give the plant, which he immediately did. “Ye, mine. Uh. Thanks for saving her, and sorry for the scare.” He seemed fine, maybe rough at the edges, with a sharp jaw and small, red eyes. “Need something, anything?”

The brunet blinked. “Oh, uhm. Actually, I was… searching around for an apartment, I want to rent one, uhm… Do you happen to know if there’s any around here? Up for grabs, I mean.”

“That’s strange for sure,” he commented, eyeing him almost suspiciously. “I’ve got a flat in here, I’m the landlord, but it’s very small, just a bathroom and a kitchen with a closet.”

“It’s perfect!” Tsuna jumped, staring at the other man, “I’ve got a job and I can give you money in advance or something? If you want to rent it to me, of course.”

He stayed silent for a moment, holding onto the pot as if it were a baby, but finally nodded. “Fine, just pay me the month and I’ll see you in thirty days for the rent.”

It was also a very small amount, though the flat was indeed tiny. Tsuna, however, had enough to pay for three months, so he went to stock on clothes, food, a futon, kitchen utensils, bathroom’s basics and cat food, because, Intuition. There were no rules against having pets in the complex and the brunet had a feeling he would be having furry guests… He missed Natsu, but he knew his dear lion was fine.

Once settled down, his new flat seemed homey and comfortable. He didn’t expect his neighbours to welcome him by bringing home-cooked food, but he deeply appreciated it. They all seemed nice – the landlord, Katsuragi Kenzan, even gifted him a potted plant! It was on the windowsill, the part of the flat he favoured, because he seemed to be craving fresh air wherever he was.

And thus, his days in this new life began. He had a house, a job, friendly neighbours, the looming threat of incoming cats… and the knowledge that it wasn’t going to last. He’d never been good at turning blind eyes, not even before Reborn had crashed into Namimori, and this… there was a distant, bad feeling that accompanied him, warning but… not immediate.

There might be, indeed, reasons why he ended up in such a world. Maybe not even known by Byakuran, the scoundrel.

Chapter Text

“Come on! He’s cute!”

 “I’m baffled by your idea of cuteness, Boss,” Tsuna rolled his eyes, sweeping the entrance of the coffee shop, Thousands Delicacies.

He heard Runa-san chuckle from behind the counter, where she was absently cleaning some glasses while listening to this new debate between the brunet and Soma.

“The dare! My senses are sharper than yours, Earth dweller!”

The brunet clasped his chest in mock-hurt, gasping. “D-dweller? Me? With my pristine clothes?!” Runa-san’s chuckles rose higher.

Boss levelled him a blank stare, hands on her hips. “That’s what you’re worried about.” She rolled her eyes to the sky and moved the magazine she was reading to him so that he could see the pages, “look at him! He’s cute!”

It was Tsuna’s turn to stare at her blankly. “How can a human-sized rat with bear’s paws and wearing a suit be cute, can you explain? Seriously worried who you’ll end up with” Runa-san was laughing by then, together with the last of their customers, the pregnant woman he’d whipped as a regular and the waitress’ little brother.

Boss squealed, hugging the magazine to her chest. “But he’s so cute! Look at those paws! At that face! And that scarf adds to his charm!”

Tsuna shook his head with a sigh, watching in fondness as Akuro-san kept on squealing when she should be closing the shop. It was a bit past dinner time, the shop was going great thanks to regulars that advertised it and kept coming. Runa-san’s brother was always with them because she couldn’t afford a sitter, but he was very well-behaved and his Boss had fallen for him so it was fine. He also got to play with the few children that came around.

After dodging Akuro-san’s magazine a few more times – he still couldn’t understand how this Nezu could be considered cute –, Tsuna finally finished taking care of his things and left them with a wave, “see you on Monday!”

The girls waved back and Narahiko-kun cheered after him, causing a smile to bloom on his lips. He was very similar to Lambo, at times. With a deep sigh, Tsuna shoved that can of worms in the back of his mind and lazily walked home. The sun had set, the roads were lit by streetlamps and many people were around, having a good time. He kept the smile, but it took a sad edge. Even if his new life, barely a month long, was as peaceful as he’d thought – and hoped – it would be, it… it lacked something. He didn’t feel… fulfilled.

Tsuna waved at his next-door neighbour, an old woman called Myiano Koneko that always had a red ribbon woven through her grey hair. Once more, she told him he was working too much, he needed to rest. The brunet just nodded with a small smile and wished her a good night. She was clearly unimpressed, a chuckle escaped him.

He unlocked the door to his flat and locked it right back once inside. He turned on the light and went straight for the window, opening it and letting the fresh air inside. He sat down near to it and watered his only plant, putting a bit of Sun Flames in it. He’d discovered he had all the Flames’ types, even the Night ones, which were the hardest to control, but he had trained them a lot. He’d found he couldn’t sleep for more than three hours a-night. He wasn’t even tired with such a schedule, so his nights revolved around him watching the sky or reading books he’d borrowed from a nearby library.

He’d learned a lot about this world. Quirks had apparently appeared out of nowhere – his life-time experience with Mafia told him that was suspicious on many levels – and had brought humanity upon the issue of creating a system to categorise legal and illegal actions. With people using their quirks for good and bad deeds, vigilantes and villains were labelled by the population, and Governments all over the world had been forced to exercise control over them. Which, consequently, created licensed heroes out of vigilantes and saw corruption in those that wouldn’t submit, thus keeping the term villains. They went along so well, really, and one couldn’t exist without the other, Tsuna knew.

There existed different types of quirks – Verde would have a field day with one of the most advanced books about this – and sub-types, but these were a bit less known. Emitter-type, a quirk that allowed a user to generate and/or control certain things. Transformation-type, the user could alter themselves. Mutant-type, the user had a permanent change in physique.

Tsuna’s was not a quirk, his Intuition always told him so no matter how many times he interrogated it, and, in fact, he didn’t know how to categorise it into those types. Emitter, for the Flames, but then what about his Intuition? And he couldn’t ask for help, who would believe him?

With a sigh, the brunet looked down at the road beneath his window and considered, again, if he could just get down there and take a walk in the chilly air of the night. Shaking his head, he stood and went for the shower to let warm water soothe his muscles.

However, when he was done, he found himself wearing black sweatpants and a black hoodie instead of night clothes. He slid a hand down his face and eyed the window. Turning off the light in the kitchen, Tsuna stood by the windowsill and heard self-preservation fight against his desires in his head. The latter won and he lifted the hood over his head.

He jumped through the window, careful of not knocking out his plant, and lightly landed on the asphalt. The road was dimly lit, enough for him to see the shadows move. Tsuna stood straight and walked to his left, not really paying attention to his direction, he had no destination in mind. The chill of the night seeped into his bones, making him roll his articulations in slight satisfaction.

It was… freeing. Hiding himself in the hood’s shadows, walking without worrying about being discovered, doing what he wanted because he wanted to… As if he was invisible just because of the night and of a damn hood. Very smart of him, huh?

Tsuna stopped at an intersection, activating his Intuition. Golden trails shot out of him, but there was a brighter one turning to the right just ahead of him. A car drove past him as he silently followed the trail. He’d had time to study them, they seemed to be made of golden threads loosely interwoven and levitating off the ground, lazily moving but not because of wind. They also had a halo of light that made them easier to follow in the shadows.

As soon as he came to the alleyway the trail led to, he froze, a muffled scream reaching his ear. Then, years and years of fast reactions engraved in his bones kicked in. In less than a second, he was over the man who was holding a palm above the girl’s mouth and keeping her hands behind her back. Too fast to be seen, too fast for them to process they were not alone anymore.

The man fell to the floor, unconscious, and Tsuna sent an invisible blanket of Rain Flames to the weeping girl that was backing against a corner, tears sliding down her cheeks and panting. He kneeled on the ground and brought his hands where she could see them.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he began, “but you should call the police now, do you have a phone?”

She nodded twice, taking her phone from one pocket with shaky and jerky hands. While she dialled the number, Tsuna turned to the man and fixed him in a sitting position to search him better.

“Did he tell you anything?”

The girl, with dirty and torn clothes here and there, gulped. “H-he… He said he– wanted to s-sell me…”

Tsuna felt his eyes get scorching hot, a nice feeling against the chill of the night, but that meant his eyes were shining more than when he used his Intuition. He sighed, passing one hand over his face as he heard the girl talk to an operator. She didn’t close the call, so Tsuna fell silent and decided to linger until he could hear the sirens of an ambulance or of police, they would send at least one of each, according to the laws he’d studied to behave as a good citizen.

However, he stood just as the sounds of velvet footsteps and of a cloth slashing the air interrupted the silence. He vaulted over the trash bin in time to evade something dark curling around his previous spot. Another man, slender, tall, pale, wearing black that camouflaged perfectly in the night, a scarf pooling around his shoulders and a pair of yellow googles covering his eyes, landed between him and the girl. His hair was black, messy and standing on end. Quirk, his intuition purred, but this man was not a villain.

He put an open palm towards the girl, “are you alright?” His voice was smooth, maybe tired bordering on the exhausted, but calm and steady.

The girl stuttered before answering, “y-yes… He s-saved me…”

At that, the man tilted his head, never looking anywhere else. “Really,” he drawled, “who are you?”

Tsuna decided that was a moment as good as any to disappear. He jumped high in the sky, propelling himself through invisible Sky Flames, and dashed to the opposite direction of home. He heard a curse, but the other man, a hero, as his Intuition supplied, didn’t try to follow. A hero’s top priority was rescue, not following after a new vigilante…

Tsuna stopped short of falling off a roof. God. He’d just acted as a vigilante.

He crouched on the roof’s edge and wailed into his shirt. He was an idiot.

Monday morning saw Tsuna reading the newspaper. To everyone, that was his routine, biting on a green apple while waiting for the first customer of the day from behind the cashier. However, he was still searching for a report or something about his unpremeditated act of vigilantism. According to the label, vigilantes were the ones that robbed the heroes of their job without a thought for the laws. Technically, to perform a heroic deed or whatever, everyone needed a quirk, thus, if using a quirk was illegal without a license, even saving people was considered a law breach. Which, duh, what? That was… Ok, Tsuna was willing to give it to them that most people didn’t know what they were doing, reason why there were schools that trained future heroes, but did that mean, if he stumbled upon a person in need, he would be forced by law to stay put?

That was bullshit.

He would’ve done that twice over, without a thought, if just to save that girl from being sold. That made his blood boil. Human traffickers, the absolute worst. If there was one thing he’d thoroughly enjoyed, back in Mafia, it had been getting rid of every single trafficking ring – and the consequent fondness that came from his Mists.

Anyway, his vigilantism went unreported by all newspapers and tabloids. Which comforted him a bit, but not really. Because, if there was someone abducting people to sell them, there was a buyer. If there was a buyer, there was a trafficking ring. If there was a trafficking ring, there were people being sold while he comfortably read an online article about underground heroes.

That was not acceptable.

He knew what that thought meant…

Which, of course, brought him to think about preparations.

In the middle of planning a shopping spree, an article on his phone caught his attention. Tsuna blinked and opened the link, coming face-to-face with the man he’d met that night. Eraserhead was his hero name, no mention of his quirk but it was a bit easy to imagine it. He looked at the small image of a man that was so done with people’s shit. He almost grinned at what he must have thought of Tsuna, meddling with hero work.

He flipped his phone to his Boss, letting her look at the man. “This is what I consider cute, Akuro-san.”

She spluttered.

Chapter Text

His finances were not great, but they were enough to get by comfortably and put something aside. Which meant Tsuna had some money to equip himself with a few things for his vigilante side-project. He only had to cook meals on the weekends, because lunches and dinners were kindly offered by his Boss – the income had basically gone from zero to twenty regulars and people frequently stopping by, so she could afford that.

He decided to keep the black theme, to better blend in the night, but he’d bought more non-descript clothes and larger hoodies that he could better fix on his hair so that they would not fall in the middle of a fight or something. He’d considered a mask, even for just his eyes, like those yellow googles, but he’d discarded the idea. He was not a Cervello girl.

He’d also eyed a utility belt, but, really, he doubted any equipment would have been of help. Instead, he’d taken black leather gloves and almost wept at the familiar feeling of the material cradling his hands. It felt so right…

With a copious amount of training, he was able to focus what his Flames would and would not burn, so he could bypass the gloves or his clothes and still burn what was in his hold or touching him. He could also send a lump of Flames away from his body, but they usually didn’t last more than two seconds, then they snuffed out. The same couldn’t be said if the Flames were already burning something, in that case he could keep them going for hours. Of course, different types of Flames meant different types of manipulation and burns. Mist Flames could alter his voice, it was another precaution he was willing to take.

What he lacked, at that point, was information. Even if a phone could be useful – though this was Verde’s device, still working in a different universe, so it could be more than useful –, he needed a computer to store info in, one never knew if they could be needed. He’d found a second-hand one and its Wi-Fi card was broken, which was perfect. He’d also bought an external hard disk, just to be safe in case the pc abandoned him out of nowhere.

Tsuna was not a hacker, but he was a master of interrogations thanks to prolonged exposure to Varia and Reborn. Especially Reborn. Also, with the slightly stronger Mist Flames at his side, he had quite a few tricks up his sleeves. It all came down to patrolling, by that point. If there had been a man willing to kidnap in order to sell someone, there were bound to be more. However, he changed part of town, moving from Musutafu’s better places to the borders, where poorer districts were naturally placed and less careful heroes were stationed.

It took him two entire weekends, during which he had stopped a few robberies and helped out with a couple pick-pocketers, always hiding from eyesight. In the end, he parkoured over an alley where a man was pressing a cloth against a male teenager’s mouth and nose. The latter was feeling the effect of the possible chloroform when Tsuna landed on the villain – he had to get used to the labels – and quickly burned the cloth with Storm Flames. The red core ate at the material with a low sizzle.

The brunet took hold of the man’s arms, that was trying to free himself, and painfully curled them behind the villain’s back, earning a muffled scream. Tsuna looked at the teenager, that was two steps away from falling unconscious.

“Do you have a phone?” He nodded after a moment of hesitation. “Call the police, can you do that for me? Then you’re free to sleep, ok?”

The teen fumbled with his phone as Tsuna summoned a lump of Mist Flames and caused a quick succession of torturing hallucinations, not holding back on the reality of the painful feelings and simultaneously questioning him. The villain screamed, but, in-between, he could distinguish a few jumbled words that made him grin in victory. Finally.

He knocked him out and checked on the teen, that was sleeping against the wall, phone still on the call, an operator trying to get him to speak. Tsuna took the device with a sigh.

“The boy has fallen asleep, operator-san. Just send ambulance and police, as per protocol, alright? I’ll wait for them.”

He didn’t keep the phone at his ear for an answer, but he patiently lingered until the rescuers came as he’d told to the operator, then went back home. He had a mission to plan.

“We have to talk about it.”

Tsuna rolled his eyes for show, he was smiling. “What’s there to talk about?”

Akuro lifted her hands, as if gesturing to everything around them. “You like shabby-looking men?!”

The brunet scoffed into laughter, amused. “You think this kind of man,” he unlocked his phone to the gallery and shoved the photo in her face, “is not unhealthily attractive?”

She opened her mouth, then shut it with a click. Tsuna smirked with an arched brow. Might as well explain his point of view, she obviously couldn’t see what he was seeing.

“So, this is an underground hero.” He saw Runa peek from the kitchen with curious eyes, still drying a plate with a towel. “He obviously has money, his equipment is top-notch and there are rumours that scarf is nano-tech, do you have any idea how much that costs?”

“I don’t see the point.”

Tsuna sighed, mock-aggravated, as if he were speaking to a child – which he was, Narahiko was listening with rapt attention. “He has the money, yet he doesn’t use it and marries the life of an underground hero. He wants no business with press, just wants to do his job. Look at how annoyed he is the reporter is asking him questions.” He chuckled. “But he has morals, he has devoted his life to saving people.” Eraserhead had not followed the possible vigilante, he had stayed to help the girl. “I think the way he puts up with all the bul–uh, all those annoyances, is very cute.”

Runa softly clapped her hands at him and Narahiko cheered. Akuro looked taken aback, giving him back his phone, that he pocketed before returning to cleaning a table.

“Well, I couldn’t see all that in a picture like you did… met him yet?”

Tsuna blinked, looking up at her, “why would I?”

She shrugged from behind the cashier. “Because you like him?”

The brunet felt a small blush creep on his right cheek. “I don’t like him, I respect him. If I need to admire a hero in this society, must be him. How many has he saved without the slight recognition?”

“Tsu has got a point, Boss.” Runa winked at him. She was coming out of her shell, slow but unrepentant.

Akuro thought about it for a moment, then, with a no-nonsense air of bossy declaration, she proclaimed: “nah, Nezu is still cuter.”

Some of their customers sweat-dropped at that, just like the first day a Nezu’s poster had appeared on one of the walls. Atrocious.

The warehouse was hidden among taller, abandoned buildings in ruins. It had taken him a week to prepare a plan. He usually did not patrol during the weekdays, but he’d taken at least a couple of rounds in the area each night before Saturday came. By then, he knew there were sentinels, their routes, the entrances in the surrounding buildings and he’d heard one of them mutter about an incoming event.

He checked his hoodie was fixed on his head and made sure his gloves’ ends were tucked beneath his sleeves. He could feel the thrum of tension through his body and the adrenaline of the approaching time of truth pumping in his veins. He closed his eyes, perched on a roof from where he could see the warehouse, and took a very deep breath. The plan ran beneath his eyelids. When he reopened them, he was focused and ready for what was to come.

He silently jumped up and softened his landing on a roof behind a villain, knocking him out with a hit and a whiff of Rain Flames. He leaned him down to not cause warning sounds. He was out for good, but he needed to get him out of the way before another passed by. Tsuna hid him in a ruined flat just beneath the roof he’d landed on, carefully closing the door so that he wouldn’t be seen by mistake.

He then walked down the stairs, meeting just one more guard and going over the same process. This time, he found a radio device and took it, pushing the earphone in place. There were reports every now and then, but he was more focused on getting to the entrance.

Tsuna stopped short of leaving the staircase and peeked past the wall to the two men sitting beside the metal door with a glass opening. Its size was enough to see who was on the other side. They were playing a card game over a stool. Their chairs were ruined, but still sturdy. They were wearing black jumpsuits and their walkie talkies were better put than the one he’d found. They were the real deal, apparently. Worked for the higher-ups. He destroyed the earpiece and the radio he’d stolen with Storm Flames.

Calming his nerves, Tsuna swiftly attacked one and sent a lump of Rain Flames to the other, knocking them out in a split second. However, the attacked one had the time to use the knife he already had in his hand, hidden from Tsuna’s previous point of view. He grunted as the weapon grazed his forearm, dampening his hoodie’s sleeve with fresh blood. After making sure the two thugs were truly out of commission, he used a bit of Sun Flames to heal the cut, but the hoodie was torn and he didn’t use Mist to cover that. He still wasn’t sure about his limits.

With another deep breath, the brunet checked the metal door, foregoing hiding the unconscious bodies but still tying their hands behind their backs and taping their mouths like he’d done to the other two. He put one hand on the metal and focused Storm Flames beneath his palm. The fire attached itself to the door and he took his hand back, watching in odd satisfaction as the material burned out of existence, no ashes, and the Flames did not corrupt the walls around.

Tsuna walked down the dimly lit corridor, meeting no more doors but hearing the increasingly loud sound of cheers. After a turn to the right, probably directed towards the centre of the building apparatus, thus towards the warehouse, he caught sight of people crowding past a doorless entrance. He carefully joined them, eyes going for what they were cheering for… and his blood ran cold.

He was on a balcony that surrounded the entirety of the wide warehouse and it was full of people dressed in black. Some were cheering, some were just enjoying the show.

A fighting ring.

Tsuna had come in time to see a corpse brought away from the square ring in the middle of the room, beneath the balcony. The ring was caged, with weapons scattered around and two entrances. The victor was obviously seasoned by the way he was evoking cheers just by throwing his fist up in victory.

“For the second delicacy of this long night, my dear guests!” Tsuna pushed away a man to look down at another male, standing just outside the ring with a microphone to his mouth. “We have a beautiful girl from a karate dojo!”

The man was very thin, with a big nose and glasses on it. He was wearing a violet and black striped suit with a matching tie over a white shirt. A suited woman entered through a door while dragging a girl through a chain holding together her bruised wrists. She was so scared it hurt to look.

“She’s a rising star, ladies and gentlemen! Her quirk is Enhanced Strength! Personally,” he brought a hand to the side of his face and winked in ostentatious abetment, “I would bet on her. Come one, come all!” He widened his arms as if on a stage. “Bid their lives!!”

As a headless horde, the ones on the balcony started shouting their bets, that were being collected by other men and women beneath. Tsuna, instead, prayed the girl would resist a bit more and slid out of the crowd while stealing a phone. He walked around the balcony until he found a locked door. He destroyed the lock with Storm Flames and sneaked in, constructing another lock with Mist Flames.

There were too many for him alone.

Tsuna didn’t unlock the phone, just dialled the emergency number and waited for someone to pick up. He was in front of a downward staircase, there was hushed chatter beneath.

“This is a safety line, what is your emergency?”

“There’s a fighting ring in my location, ten-something guards patrolling the perimeter and an open door to it in the north-west building. Four guards are out and tied, but there’s a mob of buyers overseeing the fights used as a show. Send every hero you can and prepare to find bodies, the fights are to death.”

He put the device on silent without closing the call and pocketed it, then climbed down the stairs hoping the shadows would be enough to hide him the necessary time to strategize the best way to save the captives, because he knew there were many in the shadowed room he was entering.

The dim light was coming through a door in the far end of the room, he couldn’t quite see it and he couldn’t focus on it. There were too many cages in-between, filled with people huddled together in obvious terror. There was the stale stench of blood and excrements. It was inhuman.

Tsuna called forth what Reborn once named the Boss-mode. He detached his human part and put the tactician, the fighter on front. It always made things easier in the here and now.

There were no more guards in the room. The gong of the fight beginning, followed by cheers and screams, pushed the brunet into motion. He walked past the first cages, his Intuition told him he would not find keys, and did his best to ignore the hopeful and terrified eyes following his every movement in silent expectation. Without further ado, he summoned Storm Flames, with their red core surrounded by a paler layer and a dark red halo, in both his lifted palms. He heard some gasps and a muffled scream, but his main focus was on splitting the Flames into smaller lumps and sending them to the locks of each cage. They were not enough, so he repeated the process twice more.

“The cages are open, but I don’t have a safe way out for you right now. Heroes are coming.” He took the phone, used his Intuition to find the calmest and most responsible person among the captives and threw it to him, who flinched and hurried to catch it. “There’s an operator on call, proceed to tell her your names and convey the gravity of the situation, ok? Just stay here.”

Tsuna didn’t wait for an answer, they were still in the cages, stomped and scared. Instead, he walked through the open door, towards the ring, and destroyed the cage surrounding the fighting area, where the girl was still alive – he released a sigh of relief at that. Without waiting for the by-stander fuckers to understand what had just happened, Tsuna sent a wave of Sky Flames to the girl, that stumbled into the room of the cages, before rounding on the man in the striped suit and pushing him onto the floor. He tied his wrists behind his back, ignoring his curse words.

Several guns’ clicks could be heard as he stood with his feet on the man. The other attendants, the woman that brought the prisoners and the ones that collected the bets, were unmoving against the walls beneath the balcony. Tsuna lazily looked up at the shits, careful of the seasoned champion standing on the ring still like a rock. As an afterthought, he grabbed the microphone in the man’s tied hand and tapped on it thrice.

It still worked.

He put it in front of his mouth, knowing there was enough light for his slight smirk to be seen. He activated his Intuition, golden eyes ominously blazing beneath his hood, and carefully studied the golden trails all around him. One was attached to the announcer’s left wrist, a couple led to the room of the cages, some disappeared through the walls. Most of them curved upwards, unwavering and bright.

“I guess I should warn you,” he smirked more, eyes getting warmer, “you’re about to be arrested.”

At once, several heroes crashed down on the balcony by breaking the roof over them, quickly sending a lot of them to the floor beneath the balcony. It was a mess, so Tsuna sent help through Rain Flames to the ones that were trying to escape, and a bit of Mist to keep them rooted in a light illusion. The prisoner to whom he’d thrown the phone was holding onto it and peeking past the door. He nodded at Tsuna, eyes wide. An angry bark came from the shadows. The brunet nodded back and approached him. The champion of the arena was helping the heroes, using a quirk that had something to do with wind.

“Is everyone still in there?” The man nodded once more. “Good.”

Tsuna clapped his hands twice, catching the attention of one hero, namely the one he recognized as Best Jeanist. He’d done his homework. The man jumped down to him after tying up a few more villains. The brunet tipped his head at him and absently destroyed a fabric string trying to tie him down with sneaky Storm Flames.

“Please, take care of the civilians.”

That said, Tsuna waved three fingers, summoned a cloak of Mist Flames and high-tailed it out of there.

Chapter Text

“Tsu!”

Tsuna looked up from his phone as he walked, catching sight of Akuro waving at him from the locked door of the coffee shop. It was an hour before opening time.

“Good morning, Boss.”

She snorted, “when will you stop calling me that?”

“Are you planning on firing me?” Tsuna helped her bringing the tables out.

“… no.”

“Then, not in the foreseeable future.”

His Boss showed him her tongue. He sighed. So undignified. Tsuna chuckled.

With a bit of amused bickering, they set the coffee shop for the opening and started with some of the freshest pastries, though Akuro was the chef there, Tsuna was just a witness for when she forgot something. Or, as Narahiko often called him, a boss’ sitter. He was slowly understanding why Viper used to say he was not paid enough for what he did. Like, he babysat Varia.

“Oh, have you heard what happened Saturday night?”

Hard not to. The tabloids had gone crazy over what the heroes had done. No words about a rising new vigilante, until a reporter asked the civilians, that mentioned someone they didn’t know saving them before the heroes arrived. That had exploded out of proportion, Tsuna was going to need to be very careful from then on.

“Yeah, not so far from here, too. Koneko-baachan, my neighbour, was very distressed all yesterday, had to brew her some tea and we baked cookies.”

Akuro cooed, Tsuna blushed. And showed her his tongue. Take that. Dignity was overrated, anyway.

“You know, people around are talking a lot and many say there was a new vigilante.”

The brunet hummed, sweeping the entrance. “Well, vigilante or hero, I think the rescued ones don’t care much.”

“Yeah, sue them. I mean,” Akuro cleaned the counter with a frown, “I understand laws, but I’m happy they acted, uhm… whoever they are, they saved people, right?”

Tsuna chuckled. “It’s hard to choose a side.”

“I know!” She wailed.

“They still went against the laws. By all rights, they are a villain.”

His Boss groaned. It was fun to confuse her.

The bell of the door chimed once they were all set to open. Runa was there, on the threshold, but her brother was missing. She had a deal with Boss to come in a bit late to let Narahiko sleep in. They blinked at each other, then at the girl, that had red-rimmed eyes and looked both stupidly happy and worryingly angry.

Akuro rushed to her side, “what happened?”

Runa’s red hair was braided messily and cascading on her shoulder. She was crying by the time they led her to a chair.

“M-my parents…”

At that, Tsuna excused himself to grab a glass of water. She gulped it down slowly, thanking him.

“They’re alive.”

Akuro gaped, “what? But–”

Runa nodded, smiling through tears. “A car accident, yeah, that was what-t I knew… They came home yesterday… Th-they had been…”

Tsuna linked the dots. “The fighting ring…?”

She nodded more strongly, hiccupping. “Staged, the accident… They…”

Akuro held her tightly, letting the tears stream. Tsuna was speechless. He had not lingered enough to know the circumstances and the news were not focusing on the drama yet. He’d had no idea the captives could have been there for weeks.

His Boss looked up at him with steely, watery eyes while lulling Runa in her arms. “I should throw this new vigilante a party.”

Both Tsuna and Runa burst into a light, and wet on her part, laughter.

Runa refused to stop working, even if she didn’t need it anymore. Akuro let her work part-time, mostly during the afternoons, and thought about keeping the shop open during the weekends. To do that, though, she needed more employees. Lucky for her, many students were up to the challenge and Tsuna’s schedule changed, he would work during the morning, study or relax during the afternoon and patrol during the night, all week long. In fact, more and more students came to the shop, so he threw the comment about them needing silence to study properly. Next thing he knew, Akuro had bought an unused shop beside the café and fixed it as a study room. And then there were bookcases, courtesy of the library Tsuna borrowed books from, because the librarian liked him, apparently.

Every other Sunday, Tsuna put his foot down and shooed his Boss away, she was always in the shop, she needed to enjoy her life a bit. He ended up taking care of the café with two students on Saturdays and Sundays once a month. She was grateful, very.

His first mission uncovered enough information to lead the heroes to two more fighting rings, he didn’t need to get involved. However, he discovered there were still kidnappers and soon found another auction place. This time, it was not a fighting ring and it was not in a poor district. On the contrary, in the richest district of the city, during a charity party in a hotel, behind closed doors, the auction taking place was almost classy. With males and females, drugged to the bone, brought onto a pedestal, one by one, auctioned to at most ten people hidden in the shadows, with chalices of red wine refilled by butlers.

It was a trickier mission, but easier in some apects. He first found the cages fashioned as out-of-order hotel rooms, but the captives were not able to walk on their own or understand his words. He stole a few phones, called an operator through each one and hid them in random rooms of the captives. Then, he took the butler coming to take another poor soul, grabbed his neck, made him feel the threat of his Flames and thanked the rumours running the villains’ rumours’ mill. He had previously taken out the thugs guarding each door, locked the buyers in by melting the doors to the auction room and checked the heroes’ timing.

Tsuna strode right in the spotlight, butler’s neck still in his hold, and smirked wickedly at the scared reactions he got from the buyers. They immediately tried to flee, the idiots, then demanded to know what was happening, as if they had a right to know. Maybe that was a privilege of being a vigilante, he had no need to justify himself. Not bad.

He tilted his head, humming. “Well, I’m here to stop you, of course.”

Several of them shouted curses at him, but one asked who he was. That seemed like an unusual question, though the tabloids had been on a warpath to know his name – really, not only that, they had also promised money to whom succeeded in taking a photo of him, it was mildly flattering. However, he had given his name some thoughts because of that and, after a few days, he’d settled for one.

“Sora.”

Because, well… he was still a Sky.

The heroes arrived through the melted doors. Tsuna stayed only to push the butler into Cementoss’ arms and ask if they had found the civilians. When the hero simply nodded, adding a comment about finding a tank full of exotic fishes, the brunet waved three fingers and used Mist Flames to flee.

The wake of his second mission was even stronger than his first, because of a number of factors. It was hidden as a charity event. The buyers were very well-known people. He’d given them his name. Many rescued civilians were cold cases’ abductions. It was a hellish mess – he pitied the heroes having to deal with it.

Sora was everywhere. Even in the coffee shop! Akuro had started a cult with Runa and now they had a journal with newspapers’ pieces sticked on it in chronological order and highlighted in different colours! It was so obscene…

Suddenly, during the night, more and more reporters were prowling the streets in an attempt to catch him in a photo. He could see them pass by through his window with crazed eyes! It was insane!

So far, he had evaded them well enough, but he would slip sooner or later. However, he had a solution about the issue. His Intuition trailed out of Musutafu when he was searching for other traffickers, so he would change his patrol area in a few days. Meanwhile, he laid low, or as low as he was capable of.

He just couldn’t let go of a sexual assaulter right under his nose. Tsuna swiftly kicked him into oblivion and helped the woman with her phone. He gently took it from her to relay that the woman was fine but needed fast medical attention. The fucker had sadly put hands where he shouldn’t have.

It was when Tsuna gave the woman back her phone and she put it on her ear, tears still leaking from her scared and tentatively hopeful eyes, that his favourite hero soundlessly landed behind him. The brunet stood, half-turning to him with a small smile, silently checking his mood.

He hadn’t had any more meetings with Eraserhead since the first, but he had shamelessly stalked the tabloids for signs of him. Tsuna was curious and he truly admired him. He’d basically done what Tsuna had not, he’d followed the rules. Hah, as always, right? Once Mafia, always Mafia.

Anyway, from what he’d found, he thought the man to be a no-nonsense type of person, which meant he would try to apprehend a vigilante if he could. Tsuna had not left yet and the woman was in sight, so… what was stopping the hero?

Tsuna hummed, tilting his head. “Is something wrong, hero?”

The man didn’t seem tense, though he couldn’t see his eyes because of the googles. “Sora.”

“Yes, that’s me.” He heard the woman gasp and glanced back to see she was looking at him with a whole different light, hopefulness fully rekindled. “Is this an interrogation?”

“Might be, why are you doing this?” There was a tilt to his voice, as if he were doing something he didn’t want to do.

Oh. Of course. Tsuna sighed. “Really… I must be doing something terribly wrong for an entire squad to be assembled to catch little old me.”

Eraserhead’s mouth opened in realization, but the brunet was faster and sent him a light lump of Mist Flames. He couldn’t see Tsuna anymore, so he waved three fingers at the woman and left. He had no interest in waiting for the others that had been appointed to catch him.

“There, a new entry!”

Tsuna rolled his eyes, smiling. “I fear the day the poor vigilante soul happens to walk through that door and sees all your fangirling tendencies. Didn’t you like Nezu, anyway?”

Akuro snorted, “that cutiepie is not going all over Musutafu saving people like this one is.” She bit on her tongue, that peeked through her lips, as she carefully fixed the newspapers’ article on the tenth page of the Sora Journal. “Also, you like him, too!”

A customer, a new regular, came in and ordered her usual: ten take-away coffees, all their own brand of peculiar. The easiest was the extra black coffee. She leaned over the counter and winked at him with a flirtatious smirk, but Tsuna just politely smiled at her. She pouted.

He wasn’t going to be friendly with a woman he suspected of being a hero. In this case, Midnight. Truly, those costumes were useless to hide identities.

“Oh, deary, make that one extra, extra, extra black. Someone’s very annoyed today!” She giggled.

Tsuna chuckled, “right away, ma’am. Maybe a pastry would help?”

“Uhmmm, what do you suggest?”

Well, if he liked coffee so much, “my Boss,” Akuro screeched at him to call her by her name, the customer grinned, “has tried this new recipe, a coffee-flavoured croissant. I can give you a small one and see if your friend likes it? On the house, of course. We don’t want customers suing us because Boss can’t cook!” Akuro threw him a plate, that he caught and put in the sink, still smiling at the woman.

The supposedly hero burst out in wicked laughter. “Yeah, give it! If he likes it, he’ll owe me!”

Chapter Text

His third mission took place in Hosu, which, in fact, became a three-faced mission because there were three places to raid, all linked to each other, and he, obviously, couldn’t take care of them all on his own. His choices were cut short, so he had to improvise. A lot.

He was not proud of what he did, but at least it worked.

He took a phone from a thug, located a place the same distance from all the three spots and landed on its roof. He eyed the device for a while, number glaring at him from the screen, thumb shy of touching the green button. He sighed into the chilly night air, puffs of breath condensing into white smoke. It stayed for a few seconds, suspended in front of his mouth, but then it dispersed. With another, shorter sigh, he finally called the safety line.

“Good evening, my name is Sora. Would you be so kind as to track this phone and send heroes to apprehend me, please?”

To say the operator panicked was an understatement. However, while the man regained his wits, Tsuna flexed his free, gloved fingers, images of the routes to the auction houses playing in his retinas. He needed to visualize them to not let his Illusions run astray.

Using and commanding so many was going to be hellish.

Much to his luck, Endeavour was not among the heroes sent to him. He could recognize Crimson Riot, Manual, Fat Gum and Gran Torino. The first three had sidekicks with them and were ready for a fight, but wasn’t the last retired or something? He didn’t quite remember.

“What does this mean?” Manual was smiling, azure eye-shield carefully worn, while walking around him, assessing, studying.

Fat Gum hummed, grinning with his wide mouth, “wanting to be caught?”

That wasn’t a bad thought, actually. He knew he wasn’t a hero, he knew he was on the wrong side of the law – had been his entire life. Getting caught, for once… Ah, this was so not the time.

“Gran Torino? What are you doing here?” Crimson Riot sounded truly curious underneath the grey facial mask.

“Humph!” The older man thumped his wooden cane on the floor.

Well, no matter, time to get the party started.

Tsuna took a deep breath and focused, speaking with his altered voice. “I need help.” This caught their attention, no one seemed to be expecting such a statement. “There are three human auctions taking place in Hosu, right now.” The heroes gasped, or flinched, or froze… or a mix of those. “They are in three different places and the same mastermind is behind them all. I can’t stop one without setting him off on the other two.” He sighed, “I need help.”

“Wait, how do we know you’re not lying?”

“You can’t be sure,” he conceded. “But would you throw the chance of saving people away just because you’re not sure I’m telling the truth?” They still seemed unconvinced. “I bet you’ve already warned the squad assigned to my capture,” he paused, almost frowning in the shadows of his hood, “and I’ll be leading you there.”

Tsuna bit his lip as he focused on the Mist Flames. He sent different lumps to all of them, summoning the same Illusion to train their eyes over three clones, conjuring an image of himself splitting into them while hiding his own body. More gasps came, but he could hardly consider those important at that point. He didn’t wait for them to decide, just let his Illusions do their trick. The clones parkoured to their respective destinations, unperturbed, not answering the questions thrown their way, phasing through a sidekick’s punch. He didn’t care if they found out more information about what they considered his quirk, there were lives at stake.

Things from that point went very smoothly. Not only did the heroes split to follow each of his clones, but they called for reinforcements and the auctions were properly and successfully disrupted and the mastermind caught. Gran Torino was still on the roof when Tsuna let the Illusions dissipate, once he knew the civilians were safe, and he found the hero sitting on the edge he was sitting against, arms crossed, a frown on his face.

The brunet panted through the exertion of keeping up so many Illusions so far from his body, controlling them, guiding them – how the hell did Mukuro manage that without losing his sanity? The hero didn’t seem to mind giving him time to breathe. It was strange the old man hadn’t disturbed him until then…

There were footsteps coming, he could hear the soft taps across the nearby rooves. Gran Torino huffed, glancing once at the sky.

“You’re overdoing it, kid. Why not a hero, anyway?”

Tsuna shrugged, “too late for that.” Not that he would have tried the hero career, this was… “Sorry, I should go.” He could hear Eraderhead’s voice and he didn’t want to summon another Illusion anytime soon.

Gran Torino simply nodded. The brunet fled with a tip of his head and a three-fingered wave.

If Tsuna had had doubts about that new regular customer being Midnight, seeing her stride through the door with her arm dragging a man that looked a hell lot like Present Mic… Well, he was not doubtful anymore. Those were two pro heroes walking in the coffee shop manned by a renown vigilante. He was stomped, but he could deal with it.

They didn’t overstay, anyway, merely dropped by to grab their take-away – “Another very extra black coffee, Tsu-chan! And that strange croissant, he loved it!” – and they were gone. Which left Tsuna alone in the shop, seeing it was morning and the calm belt before the rush hour. A student, maybe Mikoto-san, would be joining him for that.

Meanwhile, the thoughts about his last mission looped in his mind as he absently cleaned tables and swept the floor. He wanted to get caught, apparently. It didn’t surprise him, he’d always been on the wrong side of the law even though he’d tried to act as a decent human being. Thinking about it, he was doing exactly the same thing by being a vigilante, though, here, he had no position of power and he didn’t want it. At the same time, he wanted to… see the right side of the law win, for once.

He felt stuck, as if history could only rhyme, events cascading through the waves of time, and never change. There would always be corruption, as there would always be good people.

Tsuna didn’t want innocents to be hurt and he also wanted a peaceful life that he’d given up so easily after wanting it because… He just couldn’t let it be. If he could save people, wasn’t standing idle as villainous as kidnapping them? He preferred being on the wrong side, if it had a purpose such as rescue. And, if they caught him? Fine, he would serve his time, even plead guilty, but he would not regret what he did. Maybe he would find peace in prison. Have fun kicking the other prisoners down a few pegs, if only to ensure their crimes would not happen again.

Heh.

It was during his walk back home that he stumbled upon a beaten-up kitty and immediately brought it to a vet. It had many, many injuries and the doctor wasn’t hopeful. He operated the black, small kitten, sutured the injuries and gave it back to Tsuna, that paid the fees and brought it home. Katsuragi-san, the landlord, just shook his head at him from the window at which he was watering his flowers, but Koneko-baachan helped him with the cat.

He pulled through. He had beautiful black fur and amber eyes, he reminded Tsuna of Reborn, until he showed how clumsy he truly was. But the name stayed. Once, the cat – that had decided to stick around the brunet’s apartment even though he never closed the window and the animal could have left whenever he wanted – followed Tsuna to the coffee shop. Akuro had another one of his ideas and roped Tsuna into finding a shelter that allowed cat adoption to transform Thousands Delicacies into Cats’ Delicacies… a cat coffee shop. He was not amused, but all the customers accepted the idea, even cheered for it – especially the students, that searched for the cats to cuddle during a crying fit over their finals.

This, however, ended up with another cat attaching himself to Tsuna. It was another kitten, white with violet eyes. Thus, Reborn and Byakuran were back in his life. It was not funny.

They followed him to and from work, but stayed put when he left for his vigilante activity. Smart kittens, indeed. He didn’t want to put them in danger.

During his fourth mission, almost a whole year after landing in the new universe, Tsuna was shot.

Luckily, his Rain Flames had slowed the bullet aimed at his chest and it had not gone through the rib, but it had hurt like hell. He was rescuing a couple hostages while the heroes were upstairs, apprehending the shits, when a villain appeared out of nowhere and tried to shoot at the woman holding onto a new-born baby girl – it was sickening how low these shits would stoop. He hadn’t really thought before putting himself in-between the woman and the gun, but he had slowed it down so he was still alive, wheezing, but still breathing.

Eraserhead had taken that man out while Tsuna pinched the bullet and took it out of his skin with a hiss. Blood trickled out of his wound but he stood still and turned to check on the pale woman.

“Are you ok? Your daughter?”

The woman nodded, crying and hiccupping and clearly in shock as a man came to hug her. “T-thank you….!”

He didn’t have time to wave it off that the hero was grabbing his arm and turning him around to look at the wound, googles gone. It was the first time he got to see the man’s eyes, from up close and so open. Tsuna had a moment of staring into wide, dark eyes before registering the question the man was asking him.

“Were you shot?!”

The brunet used his free hand to point at his bloody wound, “I guess so.”

Eraserhead cursed. Under his breath, but he had just cursed. He had never!

Tsuna was lost until the man started dragging him. He didn’t want to use his Flames, for some reason.

“Stop, please, Eraser.” The hero did, turning to him with an arched brow that dared him to refuse help. Tsuna sighed, “I can heal it on my own, look.”

He lifted his hand and lit bright Sun Flames in his palm, then pressed it against his wound and felt the tissue mend itself. When he took it off, there was only blood and mended skin seen through the hole.

The hero, however, levelled him with a blank, yet threatening stare. “How many times have you been wounded?”

He frowned. “I think… Uhm, you mean since, you know, doing this vigilante thing, right?”

Eraserhead pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed, other hand still holding onto Tsuna’s wrist. “Yes.”

“Oh, then this is the second time. I only got a graze during my first mission, my bad there. I wasn’t careful enough.” He eyed his captive wrist. “Uhm, can you let me go or do I have to fight you? I’d rather not.”

To his surprise, the hero let him go. “Whatever. Disappear, but I’ll hunt you down seriously from now on.”

That sounded like a solid threat. He fled with his signature wave.

Thinking back, Tsuna should have predicted this outcome. He had messed with too many businesses, too many powerful people, too many economic interests. He’d lurked in the underground world enough time to know how it worked, how they retaliated.

Eraserhead and his squad were not the only ones after him. They were the nice ones, then there were the villains. They were out for his head.

It was while evading a water bullet that a lucky reporter took a photo of him. Mind you, a wobbly, low-defined photo, but it still made it to the front page of every newspaper. The shop had a poster of it and Tsuna blushed minutely every time he happened to look at it. The journal gained a new cover.

The pregnant woman that he had whipped as a regular his first day had given birth, a healthy baby boy with the same green hair, but in cute curls. He was bubbly and so bright. Tsuna got to lull him to sleep once, small Izuku, and Inko promised to come by more often because, apparently, the brunet was very good with kids. He wasn’t.

Tsuna’s patience, however, came to an end when Eraserhead, hot on his heels for once, got in the middle of a gunshot and was almost hit by a rock spear because he was tailing Sora. His rage must have been very obvious, because the hero didn’t even try to move from his spot behind a car when Tsuna slowly stood and focused a concentrated core of Rain Flames between his palms, then let it propagate all around him and everything minus the hero suffered the slow motion. Tsuna was done kicking the thugs down before the man could help.

The brunet screamed to the sky, then panted and paced along the street. “This is going too far.” He turned to the hero and pointed an accusing finger at him. “Stop following me, I can’t see you hurt because of my actions.”

Eraserhead lifted his hands as if to calm him down, which didn’t work. At all. Tsuna groaned while holding onto his head, still pacing.

“I can stop if you stop.”

Sora shook his head. “Listen, I have no problem getting caught, none! But then they would thrive because you can’t catch them if the same Government that makes the laws covers them up!”

And that was the true problem, wasn’t it. Tsuna stopped pacing and took a deep breath. Eraserhead, instead, slowly advanced towards the vigilante.

“I… I can understand that.”

Tsuna sighed, “I know you do, you’re not biased,” then resisted the urge to mess up his hair because his hood would have fallen off, and messed his hood instead. “If I stop, their heads multiply. What I’ve been doing has sent them into a frenzy I–oh.”

Of course. He’d been an idiot. The peaceful life was making him soft.

“What?”

“If I don’t get the heads, the beast will still move. I was chopping off the feet, but the heads will find more of them.” Tsuna looked up at the hero, that seemed to have understood his line of thought. “I need to get the heads.”

Eraserhead’s scarf shot to him, Tsuna let the cloth envelope his body. It was oddly soft and warm, almost felt safe in there…

“If you let me catch you, you’re willing to listen, right?”

The brunet just nodded. Eraserhead closed the distance and took off his googles to look directly at him. Really, those eyes were illegal, did he sleep any?

“Are you sleeping?” He blushed under the hood when the words stumbled out of his mouth.

The man seemed torn between looking aggravated or amused. “Not enough, maybe not at all. Back to the point.” The scarf tightened, it tickled a bit when the loose strand lightly touched his exposed ankle. “I let you go if you promise you’ll keep searching for help.”

Tsuna tried to shrug. “I already do, I wouldn’t dream of going in without knowing everyone will be rescued. You should know that by now.”

“Promise, then.”

He detected a tint of worry in his tone, this time. Tsuna tilted his head to the side, letting Intuition shine through his eyes to make the man see the golden orbs.

“I promise.”

The scarf, for a single second, tightened again around his body, before pooling at Tsuna’s feet. He carefully stepped out and looked at the unconscious thugs.

“Do you need any help? I heard Tsukauchi-san is out of town.”

The hero sighed, “I don’t want to know how you know about that, just go.”

“Ok, but I heard that from one of them before you came. Good night, Eraser.”

Tsuna didn’t linger enough to hear the response, waving three fingers at him.

Chapter Text

Tsuna was not babysitter material. Sure, he’d taken care of Lambo during his worst years, snot-nosed brat, and of Kyoko’s first child when she had needed a sitter, but he was not a mother.

Yet, there he was, keeping watch over two babies while their mothers were out shopping. Thankfully, Narahiko was there to help, because Tsuna was manning the shop alone. Of course Akuro and Runa would have gone with those two and, consequently, he was stuck with Izuku and Katsuki. The former was the cutest kid he’d ever seen, really, then the latter was such a brat. Not that they were crying or anything, they never cried when their mothers brought them over – which made him suspicious because it was not normal, right? Children cried a lot, usually, right? Especially those a few months old, right?

He silently checked the two strollers, made a funny face that had Izuku chuckling around his fist and Katsuki gurgle, hummed a tune and went back to the cashier. “Need help with homework, Hiko?”

“Nope, thanks!”

Tsuna hummed the tune again, grabbing a magazine when no customers came and sitting beside the strollers. The two babies looked at him in confusion, so he made another face with a big grin. They seemed amused and the brunet went back to the magazine. It was about cookies, he wanted to bake a surprise for his neighbours seeing it had almost been a year since he’d moved and they had all been very nice to him, from offering help with the plumbs to cuddling his cats when he passed by.

Speaking of those jerks of cats, both Reborn and Byakuran were getting petted by students in the studying room and ignoring him. He felt cheated. Izuku whined, Tsuna hummed and looked at the baby, that was smiling almost shyly. Cute.

He put down the magazine and looked at both the kids, smiling back. “Missing your moms?” Izuku looked away, Katsuki looked up, then down, face scrunching. “Oh, don’t do that, you’ll get wrinkles.” He wiped his hands and caressed the blond’s nose with one finger, smothering the baby frown. “There, you’ll grow into a very cool man.” He turned to Izuku, “and you’ll be so cute, hiding strength behind smiles.” He could feel his eyes turn golden at a point. “But you’ll have to be good kids.” He turned to Katsuki. “Good kids are good friends, right?” It almost seemed they were nodding with how intensely they were looking at Tsuna. “Good kids help each other.” He caressed a cheek each. “Now, I think it’s time for milk? You two don’t cry–I’m not complaining! Let’s see…” A glance at the clock confirmed it was milk time, as instructed by the missing mothers. “Yep, Hiko, wanna help me out?”

“B-but…”

Tsuna grabbed the two bottles and went in the kitchen to prepare the formula. When it was ready, he placed them on the table and took Izuku up.

“Sit down and lift your arms, good.” Narahiko did as told and soon had an armful of a baby, he smiled at the gurgles. “Here,” Tsuna handed him the bottle. “Make sure to angle it like this, yes. We don’t want him to chug down too much or nothing, right?” The boy nodded and looked in wonder at the baby drinking his milk. “Don’t worry if he doesn’t drink fast, he’s taking his time.” Tsuna turned to Katsuki, that was starting to whine about being forgotten, and carefully took him up. “There, there. Milk for you, too.”

The babies slowly drank their meal. He’d hoped no customers would come and his hopes were almost met, until the bell chimed when Katsuki had nearly finished his milk. Tsuna calmed the baby down at the sudden sound and looked up. Midnight was in the threshold, holding onto her cheeks and cooing like there was no tomorrow. The brunet blushed, still politely smiling.

“I’ll be right there,” he warned as Katsuki diligently finished his meal.

“Oh, Tsu-chan! I didn’t know you had kids!”

Tsuna narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ve been given too few years, never too many. Do I seem old enough to have three kids? No offense, Hiko.”

“None taken.”

“Well, you do seem barely legal.”

Tsuna sighed, taking the bottle away from Katsuki and checking Izuku’s. “When he’s finished, hold him like this.” He put a towel on Narahiko’s shoulder and another on his own, positioning Katsuki upright. “Then lightly pat his back until he burps, ok?”

“Gotcha!”

The brunet lightly patted Katsuki and quickly went to the cashier. That was when he noticed Midnight was not alone, and the shabby-looking man accompanying her was surely not Present Mic. That was Eraserhead. The hero that had made him promise to ask for help and that had sneakily slid a note with a number in his pocket while he’d been scarf-tied.

He religiously kept his focus on the woman and smiled. “The usual?”

She nodded, “but take your time, we’re not in a hurry.”

“Talk about yourself, I have a class next period.”

“What class, mister expeller? You have no students!”

Tsuna dutifully let Katsuki burp and then deposited him in the stroller, putting the towel away. He worked on the orders while the two heroes bickered, smiling at times, until Midnight huffed and started fussing over the babies. Eraserhead casually leaned against the counter while keeping an eye on her and Tsuna couldn’t help checking if he was alright. At least, he was not caught staring.

Just as he was preparing the take-away’s paper bags, Reborn jumped on the cashier’s counter and started purring. Tsuna glared at the cat and shooed him off. He hopped over, on the front, and shamelessly headbutted the hero’s legs. Eraserhead chuckled.

He chuckled.

Tsuna refocused on taking the coffee-flavoured croissants, thus he didn’t notice when the man leaned down to take the cat up and caress him. He almost suffered a whiplash, but then stubbornly pushed all his focus on the order.

“This a cat café?”

The brunet gulped. “It wasn’t until a few weeks ago,” he answered, placing the pastries in the bags. “There are more, but they prefer lounging in the studying room. Plenty of students to bring to the dark side and steal cuddles from.”

He chuckled again. God. And scratched Reborn’s chin, earning more purrs.

“Cats are like that. Can you put one more of those?”

“The coffee-flavoured croissants?” Tsuna put two more, winking, “on the house. Are you the friend she always says is annoyed?”

Eraserhead softly groaned. “Yeah, that might be me. Thanks.”

The brunet shrugged, compiling the bill. “To me, it seems Reborn there managed to relax you a lot.” He hummed, softly pinching his chin. “The studying room is not solely for students, you can come by and have a nap.” Tsuna eyed the eyebags. “But that’s your choice.” As an afterthought, handing the man the bill, he added: “there’s a comfortable sofa hidden from prying eyes, too. The cats love napping there.”

Midnight came and snatched the bill from the man, paying with her card. The two left, though Eraserhead sent him a searching glance. Tsuna sighed and went back to the babies. He was an idiot, by the way.

Tsuna first used Eraserhead’s contact after taking care of a group of twenty people that had cornered him in an alleyway. It was not much because he was wounded – and he was – as because he had finally gotten his hands on names and locations.

He tied the thugs together and dialled the number through one of their phones while healing grazes and wounds. There was barely one tune before the hero answered the call.

“Eraserhead.”

“Good evening.”

“Sora? What happened?” To recognize him through phone, his true voice…

“I have neutralized another mob sent after me.”

“God…”

“I’m fine.”

“… Sure. Where are you?”

Tsuna sent him the place through message and waited, not for long. Eraserhead landed in front of him, googles already off and hanging in his scarf.

The brunet threw the phone into the wall, destroying it into Storm Flames. “I’m fine, really.”

The man arched a brow. “Physically, maybe.” He looked him over, “yet I see your clothes are torn, care to explain?”

Tsuna rolled his eyes. “Just grazes. I have interrogated them. Names and locations, I have them.” He took the note he’d written up and gave it to the man. “I can’t do this alone, of course.”

The hero surveyed it and sighed, “of course. What, then?”

“Use that information, do not trust too high up, I will stand by at the edges…” He stood and placed a finger on one of the places, “here. This is the crucial point.”

“Are you holding onto some other info?”

“No, it’s just a… Let’s say it’s linked to my power, ok?”

He didn’t look impressed. “Fine. Contact me in a week, I’ll have news. Not during the night, please.”

Tsuna chuckled, passing one hand over his face. “Ok, see you Eraser. Good night.”

“Good night…”

Tsuna was very amused when Eraserhead in civilian clothes came in the shop and asked for the cats. He seemed very tired, so the brunet let him in the studying room and led him to the hidden sofa, where felines were sleeping the day away without a care. The man gently moved them and passed out while being submerged by fluffiness. Tsuna just left him there and returned to his spot.

Inko came and left him with Izuku, claiming she was very busy shopping with Akuro and Runa. It didn’t surprise him one bit. Not even when Mitsuki came and did the same with Katsuki. Tsuna resisted rolling his eyes to the sky and asking to be swallowed by pity.

When Eraserhead resurfaced from the studying room, looking like a completely different man because of how rested he seemed, Tsuna was lulling Katsuki to sleep while Izuku was already out.

“Is this a café or a day-care?”

Tsuna silently wailed in answer to the whisper, “I’ve been asking my Boss that same question.”

Eraserhead scoffed, looking at the two kids. Katsuki had finally fallen asleep and the brunet carefully put him down, covering him with the small, creamy bedsheet.

“With any luck, they’ll sleep until their mothers come to retrieve them.”

The hero huffed, “I wish you that luck, nanny.”

Tsuna frowned and aborted hitting the customer’s shoulder in a friendly way. “I’m not a nanny, I’m an underpaid waiter.”

“You put me to sleep, too.”

The brunet rolled his eyes, a smile on his lips. “You needed it, how are you feeling now?”

“Thank you, I’m… better.”

“Good.”

Tsuna pushed the strollers to a more shadowed spot of the shop and went back behind the counter, checking if everything was tidy. There were a few cutleries waiting to be cleaned so he got to work.

Meanwhile, Eraserhead sat at a table and eyed the menu. “Is there the coffee… what was that pastry?”

“The coffee-flavoured croissant,” he offered.

“Yes, that.”

“There are,” he checked, “four of them.”

“Can I have one and a black coffee.”

Tsuna chuckled, “on their way.”

He finished with the spoons, got the order ready and brought it to the table. Byakuran decided it was a good time to pop up and occupy the customer’s lap. It was too cute. Tsuna diligently went back to the counter and helped a few customers dropping by for take-away.

Around half-an-hour of comfortable lull later, Inko and Mitsuki came for their sons. Tsuna narrowed his eyes at them, making the two women sweat a bit, before sighing and shaking his head.

“Take your small hell-spawns, they missed you.”

Inko almost vaulted over the counter to hug him, “thank you, Tsuna-kun!”

“We’d be lost without you, thought about my offer?”

Akuro stomped through the entrance right into Mituski’s breathing space, “what offer.”

The young mother had the gall to snicker. “Why, the offer to hire him as permanent babysitter, Katsuki is so much tamer with him around.”

His Boss took a bit to process those words. Tsuna pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

“YOU–”

“Don’t shout, the babies are sleeping.”

“… –want to steal my best worker?!” She whisper-yelled.

Children, all of them. They started bickering. Tsuna ignored them and went to the hero’s table, retrieving the empty cup and plate.

“You deal with that drama daily?”

Tsuna shrugged, straightening. “Almost, but they’re fine. They’re just… a bit crazy? I guess.”

Eraserhead grinned up at the brunet, put the money on the table and sneakily left after waving at him.

Chapter Text

Tsuna waited on his perch, crouched down on the edge of a roof. His Intuition thrummed, eyes warm with its constant use. He felt he couldn’t turn it off, not wise to.

It was time. The heroes were stationed all around the facility. They were in the middle of a rather poor city, more raids were being organised all over the country, seven in total. He knew the chances of having only one bad apple in the midst was going to throw everything to hell, but these were the main branches, to use a Mafia language. The headquarters. It was then or never.

He knew it.

Eraserhead silently kneeled at his side. “What are you planning?”

Tsuna hummed, pointing a finger to the east side of the facility. “Don’t enter through there, traps.”

The other sighed, “any other advice?”

“Yes.” The brunet licked his lips, sitting down. “Don’t use your quirk on whoever you encounter, prioritize the rescue… the civilians are probably underground. Documents are on the second floor… The head is on the ground floor, I’ll go for her.”

“Which part of the building?”

The worry was back, it seemed. “North. The civilians first, I’m serious. It’s important, not only because of protocol. There’s… something else.”

“You have to be more precise, Sora.”

Tsuna took a deep breath, “sorry, it’s all I have. See you inside?”

“Be thankful the board will be happier to flaunt this than to admit you helped.” The hero sent him one last, worried glance before leaving.

The raid began right after. He could feel the tension of a possible slip-up seep into his muscles, so he focused on his Intuition’s whispers and watched the heroes silently invade the facility. The thugs were swiftly taken out and immobilized, systematically. He could follow Eraserhead’s movements, the sneakiest among them, experience as an underground hero paying off. The man disappeared beneath a ceiling and then came right out for another sentry. It was hypnotic and calmed Tsuna down.

His Intuition woke him up, however, and the brunet dashed down and used a pillow of Sky Flames to not crash into the roof. He ran to a certain spot, jumping down two floors, then focused a big enough circle he could pass through on a corner of that room’s ceiling. He fell down the hole and immediately caught the arms of the boss, turned away from him, on her back, tying her wrists tightly and doing the same to her calves. She fell on the floor, trying to get up but obviously failing. Her pale blond hair was messily strewn around her angry face, make-up smudged a bit.

“You insignificant fucker!”

Angel tongue, too. He used Rain Flames first, then Mist Flames. She was a mess of a captive a minute later. She admitted she had been climbing the ranks for quite a while, she was the chief all but in name. She confirmed the other names Tsuna had gotten, but didn’t give more so he felt reassured there had been no leftovers from the mission.

“Anything else you should tell me?”

She heaved, “the library, third row, fifth book from the left.”

A secret door. Tsuna covered her mouth with tape and went to check. The book clicked when he tried to pick it up, the library shook off its hinges and he could slide it along the wall.

What he saw next made bile rise to his throat. Blood red anger shot through his veins, he barely resisted the urge to burn the bitch. He wanted to destroy her. Instead, he stopped in his tracks, eyes feeling hot in his sockets, and tears leaking on his cheeks, burning his skin, heavy and angry.

He forced himself to look.

There were children, maybe around ten years old. There were around twenty, in different positions, be them sexual or provocative or in a torture contraption. Their glassy eyes were immobile, looking dead, screaming for help, teary. They were encased in a see-through, solid substance modelled on their bodies. They were on pedestals with brief descriptions and names and what could be done to them because there were holes…

His breath itched, someone turned him around and hugged him. Tsuna kept crying, silent, holding onto who he assumed was Eraserhead. Voices reached him and he flinched, but the hero effortlessly took him up, one arm around his shoulders, pressing his head into the other’s chest, and one arm around his knees. The brunet trusted him, he couldn’t do nothing more as images of those children brutally ruined looped in his mind.

He didn’t know when Eraserhead had stopped, neither when he had sat down, only that there was a soft wind and the hero was still cradling him, caressing his back in slow, soothing motions and not minding in the slightest that Tsuna was getting the black jacket all wet.

There was silence, the brunet calmed down. He was still horrified, but he could… he could function. He moved his face from the hero’s chest and rubbed both hands on his eyes. He sat up, sliding off the man’s lap and shivering in the chill of the night. He hugged himself, sighed and turned so that he was sitting in front of the other.

“Sorry…”

Eraserhead shook his head, googles lost in the scarf, eyes boring into Tsuna’s still golden ones. “It was a natural reaction… I almost expected you to kill her, I’m impressed.”

The brunet snorted a bitter chuckle, smiling slightly. He looked down from the roof they were on and surveyed the outcome. Not bad, probably.

“No one’s escaped, we had sentries.”

Tsuna nodded. “And the other raids?”

“We’ll know in some hours. Will you stop now?”

Depended on a few things, “will they?”

The sigh he got was enough of an answer. “You’re a problem of a vigilante, you know that, right?”

Tsuna chuckled, more surely this time. “Will you catch me?”

“I have to, but not tonight. Not like I can, you’re obviously smarter and I know too little of your quirk.”

He touched his chest in mock hurt, making his lower lip tremble. “Don’t give up on me so easily, now, you’ll hurt my feelings.”

Eraserhead blinked and the possible hidden meanings of what he’d just said sank. He quickly stood and waved three fingers at the hero.

“Sleep, for once. Good night.”

Tsuna held the shop’s door open for his two cats to walk home after his shift. It was Monday, a week after the raids. According to the reports, every villain had been captured and over one hundred captives had been freed, along with some animals. No more room of horror had been found, but Eraserhead hadn’t gone into details the only time Sora had contacted him through phone. Understandably.

Byakuran, that was walking in front of Tsuna with Reborn at his side – they had grown a lot in the last few weeks – stopped and turned to his left at an intersection. The light was green, thankfully, because he dived through it and jumped into… Eraserhead’s arms. Tsuna blinked. Then Reborn did the same. The brunet sighed and reached for his unruly cats.

“I’m sorry!” He began, glaring at his menaces, “they seem to like you too much, traitors.”

The hero in civilian clothes just chuckled, scratching both. “Doesn’t matter, I was coming to the shop anyway.”

“I guess they’ll be happy to go back there with you, then.”

“You don’t…?”

“I’m finished for today, my shifts are all weekdays’ mornings and a weekend once a month.”

“Oh, then I’ll have to give up sleeping with them.” He held the cats to him, but Tsuna looked at those three pairs of puppy eyes – yes, the hero’s ones, too – and sighed.

“Well, if you want quality time with them, and I know they want you, you can come over?” He threw, casually, as if he’d not just invited the hero that had to catch him in his house. “It’s just an invitation, don’t worry if you can’t, and my flat’s… kind of cramped.”

He took Reborn in his arms, then tried to get Byakuran, but the man moved him away from his reach.

“Can I sleep?”

There was a slim blush on the raven’s left cheek and he seemed unsure. “Sure, no problem.” He smiled, turning to cross the intersection, “this way.”

It was a short walk, as usual, and Tsuna expected it to be a bit awkward, but it wasn’t. On the contrary, it was quite calm and almost soothing. He’d thought about that night, about how the hero had held him and calmed him through that crying fit. He’d tried to explain why he’d reacted so strongly, and he’d come to the conclusion it had mostly been accumulated stress. He’d needed that.

Tsuna waved at Katsuragi-san, climbed up the stairs and greeted Koneko-baachan, promising he would help her bake the cinnamon cookies for her granddaughter the day after. He unlocked the door and let his guest in first, not locking it back this time. He kicked off his shoes, let Reborn down and opened the window, checking on his plant.

“Please, make yourself at home. Once you sit down, the cats will crowd you.”

Eraserhead didn’t need to be told twice. He flopped down on the mat and closed his eyes as the two furry friends jumped on his chest and settled. It was cute, too cute to be legal, truly. The man fell asleep immediately, it was endearing.

Silently, Tsuna brew himself some tea and settled next to the window after watering his plant. He took the book he’d been reading and opened it to the bookmark. His eyes betrayed him oftentimes, landing on the calmly breathing hero on the floor of his kitchen and staring. He smiled, this was peaceful.

Four hours later, Tsuna heard the man stir. His cats lazily yawned and stretched, then came to him to plead for food. The traitors. He glared at them from behind the almost finished book.

“You are jerks. You should be thankful you are adorable, too, else I would have ditched you.”

Eraserhead sleepily chuckled as Tsuna stood and filled their bowls. They proceeded to sniff at their respective bowls, only for Reborn to go to Byakuran’s and the latter to crouch beneath the black cat to reach for the other’s bowl. The brunet face-palmed.

“You’re idiots, how could I forget that?”

The chuckle turned into light laughter. He looked through his fingers, the man had rolled on his stomach to better enjoy the show.

“Ever tried scaring them with a cucumber?”

Tsuna tilted his head, crossing his arms while leaning against the kitchen counter. “Cucumber?”

“Yes, there are many videos around, owners sneakily putting a cucumber near them while they are distracted. Their reactions are very funny.”

“Uh. I’ll try, I don’t have a cucumber at the moment, sadly.”

“Just record it, I’d like to see.”

Tsuna smirked, “sure. I need to have something to laugh at them for.”

The hero slowly stood and took a few steps towards him, offering his hand. “I’m Aizawa Shouta, by the way. You invited a complete stranger into your house.”

The brunet chuckled, accepting the hand and shaking it. “I’m Tsuna, and you’re welcome. However, it’s easy to trust you if I know you’re Eraserhead.”

The man, Aizawa-san, frowned. “How do you know that?”

“Ever noticed the big poster of you in the coffee shop? Not hard to see, I don’t know how others don’t, honestly. Your friend is Midnight, and the other hero she brings at times is Present Mic.”

He sighed, “well, not that we keep our identities so well-hidden, anyway. Vigilantes are better than us at that…”

Tsuna had to stifle his laughter, even though he wanted to thank the hero. “My Boss would give a gold mine to know Sora’s identity.”

Aizawa-san scoffed, “just like all the Japanese population and someone abroad.” That was new. “Is there a particular reason?”

“My colleague’s parents were thought dead in a car accident, they returned home after what I suppose was Sora’s first raid? Newspapers are calling them raids, anyway. She has a younger brother and had left school to take care of him.”

The man leaned against the windowsill, turned half-way to Tsuna and half-way to the outside, and Byakuran jumped on his lap, demanding attention and stealing a smile. “I guess that is a good reason to take his side.”

Tsuna hummed, “I don’t.”

He looked up. “You don’t… take his side?”

Shaking his head, the brunet opened the fridge and started planning what to eat for dinner. “I should be, but I don’t. Even if he’s doing something good, it’s still something illegal. From this point of view, I take your side, Aizawa-san.” He grabbed a few ingredients and settled for a simple meal. “You do your job, search for no recognition and genuinely like helping people while being on the right side of the law.” He sent him an amused glance, “I’ve seen how annoyed you are when reporters crowd you.”

The man scoffed. “They are annoying… And thank you.”

“Deserved.”

He heard a sigh as he prepared the pan. “I should go, I’ve already overstayed.”

“I don’t mind feeding another mouth, those cats are freeloading and don’t care at all. That is, if you do not mind staying.”

“… Only if I can help.”

Tsuna grinned, side-eyeing him, “suit yourself.”

Chapter Text

Shouta was almost always annoyed lately. Because of reporters, that were annoying per definition, because the squad trying to catch Sora had been dismantled, because he and Tsukauchi were the only ones believing the vigilante still needed to be protected from retaliation, because he did not want to catch said problem vigilante…

He’d always been a strict person, as a hero and as a teacher. His class for the year had been expelled the first day, children wanting fame and not even showing interest in saving people, he’d rather deal with Sora than with snot-nosed brats. If only he’d chosen the hero career, maybe Shouta would have had a partner at that point, thing that did not make him frown like he expected. No… the possibility was interesting, in fact, because Sora had proved to be strong and smart.

Contrarily to other vigilantes, Sora had shown he knew what he was doing. He never tried to do things on his own, prioritized the rescue part of his missions and always managed to not let anyone escape. The fact that baffled him the most was that he asked for help. Vigilantes usually didn’t, if not at all. They were stuck in their small dimension where they could move worlds, though he hoped Sora’s example would be followed by the rising ones, maybe the winds were changing.

With all that Sora had done, Shouta had not thought he would have shown such a human side when he’d found that… that room. It had surprised the hero, but he had not hesitated a moment before redirecting Sora’s attention and then trying to comfort him while bringing him away from his nosy colleagues. The crying fit had lasted twenty minutes or so, and Shouta knew, felt it in his bones, that room had just been a trigger, not the entire cause of such a strong reaction.

And what did that say about a vigilante?

Sora had not shown signs of current or past abuse, physically, but that didn’t mean shit if Shouta counted that strange, yellow fire’s healing abilities. Logic brought him to think Sora was under duress, guts did not agree. Somehow, he didn’t think that was the case. Even a past as a captive of a trafficking group did not hold up, though it would have been a perfect explanation for what he did. If that had been the case, Shouta would have seen anger, but that had only surfaced, and very briefly, in front of the horrors done to those children.

No, it didn’t add up. He didn’t know his motifs and that was crucial. He knew he never acted without information previously taken, in whatever way, from thugs found on random patrols and that was, presumably, when the plan started. Maybe he studied the place first for some time, then he got in, made sure to find the civilians, called the police and gave the device to a captive, then made the villains focus on him in time for the heroes to arrive. He never took credit, the last question he always asked was if the victims were safe.

“Here, your coffee.”

Shouta blinked up from the document and nodded, “thank you.”

He watched Tsuna smile and go back to the cashier to prepare another customer’s bill. Byakuran, the white cat, purred in his lap and the hero in disguise started petting him again. His owner was right, this cat and his brother were jerks, but all cats were. Well, until they showed loyalty, which they did by always following their human like trained dogs.

After that one time he basically fell unconscious in a stranger’s house, Shouta, of course, repeated the experience, just to feel like a rude idiot. Hizashi had bitten his head off when he’d let the event stumble past his lips and had pushed him to go apologize, thing that he had already done anyway. But, really, that minimalistic apartment, the purring cats, the silent company… It should have felt awkward, yet Shouta felt… so peaceful, it was strange.

It was something he needed.

Months had passed since that first accident. He kept visiting the shop during the morning or meeting the brunet on its way after his shift, with cats promptly jumping him. He was starting to consider that place his personal heaven. Not only did he sleep, but he also got a pleasant conversation out of it. Tsuna was a surprising source of knowledge, he read a lot when he was not working and Shouta discovered his own interest for board games. Next time he visited, Tsuna had bought a few and they had even tried them. It was a different – and fun – afternoon and he’d stayed for dinner, the brunet just couldn’t help feeding people a healthy meal – the neighbours were whipped.

Shouta was not an idiot. He’d come to consider the waiter a friend, even though they were not confidents yet, but he knew there was… something more. Something he wasn’t ready to disclose to himself, figures to others. Maybe it had been there since the first time he’d walked into the shop, catching sight of a very beautiful young man feeding a baby boy like a gentle mother. Shouta had never been good with kids, too strict for them, but he’d always admired those that could take care of such frail, living pups. And watching that waiter calmly pat the baby’s back while talking with Nemuri… well, it had done things to him, but he was a hero, his nerves were made of steel by then, not even his friend had noticed his inner turmoil.

So, when Tsuna had offered that escape from reality in the form of a cat-filled sofa, Shouta had been very conflicted. That conflict had been solved by the problem vigilante giving him names and locations of the villains moving the threads of traffics. He’d just surrendered and he’d not been disappointed… and, when he’d woken up, pleasantly rested, Tsuna had been back to babysitting duties.

By then, Shouta knew having the two babies at the shop was almost natural and the brunet was basically growing them up half the time. He talked to them, like, really talked, not baby-talked, and the brats seemed to be listening with rapt attention even if they could not understand a single letter. He also let them crawl in a purposefully fixed and baby-proofed corner, monitoring their interactions like a hawk and sweeping in when the blond kid showed signs of overpowering the other. The scold even worked, which didn’t make any sense, but whatever.

Shouta could say there were many reasons why he dropped by more and more often. Watching Tsuna’s interactions with the kids was one of them, he even learned some things useful as a teacher. The coffee-flavoured croissants – he’d taken some time to memorize the name and he’d given one or two advices on how to change it – were another very important reason. Then the cats added to the overall charm. Lately, Tsuna himself was enough.

He wisely let the thought wither in the back of his mind.

Instead, he closed the folder he’d been studying about the new aspiring heroes that wanted to enter UA and focused on the baby-proofed corner, where Tsuna was sitting while leading the interaction between the two babies and making sure Reborn, the black cat lazily sleeping in that same corner, didn’t act as his usual jerk by trying to steal a toy. The brunet was showing them a plaything with shapes and tracing with a finger the sides of a red square before letting Izuku do the same, then the kid tried to fit it into the circular shape. Tsuna chuckled and traced with a finger the shape on the toy and the kid followed his example, frowning as much as a baby could.

“I don’t think they match, Izuku. Why don’t you try, Katsuki?”

The blond softly took a triangle and wobbly fingered its shape, then focused on the shapes and fingered the square for three corners and tried to fit it in. He frowned more deeply and Tsuna chuckled again. A customer came in.

“Sorry, I’ll be right back, keep trying?”

Shouta kept looking at the kids as the waiter helped the customer. The blond brat seemed to not understand why his tringle didn’t fit the square while Izuku took the circle and fingered its shape. Katsuki finally understood that, if it didn’t fit, it wasn’t right, though he did try with violence a few more times and then traced the circle while the green-haired was still tracing his circle, eyes oddly focused. The blond didn’t like the shape and went over to trace the triangle. He seemed obviously stumped by the shape, he looked at it, then at the triangle in his hand, and tried to fit it in. He got it crooked to one side, so it didn’t fit, making Shouta cringe a bit at the almost success. But then Izuku tapped Katsuki’s hand and moved it so that the triangle fit. The boys were awed.

Releasing a relieved sigh, Shouta softly clapped his hands at them, catching their attention. They were both grinning, as much as babies could. Tsuna joined him and cooed at them.

“Smart boys you are.” And then Izuku yawned, Katsuki followed. “Ok, time for your nap, who wants to go first?” Izuku rubbed at his eyes, Katsuki looked at him and then pointed at him. “You two are adorable… unlike your mothers.” Shouta stifled a laughter, but Tsuna heard him and sent him a smirk.

The brunet took Izuku up and ruffled Katsuki’s hair, proceeding to lull the baby to sleep with a lightly hummed tune. The hero leaned back in his chair, still cradling Byakuran’s fur, and stared. Shamelessly.

Tsuna eyed him from near the stroller and smiled, “you want to try?”

Shouta paled. “I hardly think any kid would want to be held by me.”

The brunet scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Katsuki is a good character’s judge, try him.”

He was not convinced, but he looked at the brat, who had, meanwhile, fit all the shapes in the right places. Truly smart for his age, for sure. He stood, letting the cat jump away, and slowly walked to the baby-proofed corner. Katsuki looked up at him, then lifted his arms in a “up” request. He could hear Tsuna chuckle, but Shouta slowly and carefully took the baby up, adjusting his hold so that he was laying in his arms comfortably.

“Is this fine?”

Tsuna approached him and smiled, “perfect, now lull him a bit. Katsuki likes that.”

Shouta did as he was told, mostly mimicking the other’s movements. Not only had the baby not started crying in his arms, but he also slowly fluttered his eyes closed and his breaths evened in sleep. He was frankly impressed. Maybe it wasn’t just that the brunet was gifted in taking care of children, but he had an aura of influence or something.

“And now?”

“Uhm, we put them in the strollers… unless you want to keep holding him?”

No, thank you. He watched how Tsuna did it and copied him, careful of not jostling the baby. That had been an experience, very different from apprehending villains, yet with almost more tension.

“You did very well.”

Shouta arched a brow at Tsuna, “I didn’t fit those shapes so fast, when I was a kid.”

The brunet chuckled, offering him another coffee cup. “They are both very smart.” He leaned over the counter, looking at Shouta, face on his fist. “Izuku is more of an analytical boy, he prefers studying the things given to him or in front of him. He’s a bit too shy, but his friend makes him come out of his shell. Katsuki likes to act, he’s a bit hasty at times, but he is also mostly right so he will need a bit of guidance through that, and Izuku always manages to rein him in. They complement each other a lot.”

The hero hummed, taking the cup from the counter and drinking the coffee, standing right in front of the brunet. “You’re very good at taking care of kids.” His sentence was supposed to be introducing a few, slightly searching questions, but he stopped short of asking them.

Tsuna blushed. A beautiful shade of pink dusted his cheekbones. He curled a bit on himself, looking away in clear embarrassment and surprised glee. Shouta literally stopped functioning for a few seconds.

“Thank you…”

Instead of investigating further, he wisely shut his mouth and finished his coffee, staring after the waiter that got busy with customers. He went back to his table, mind still flashing that breath-taking sight and feeding off of it, just as the two mothers of the stray kids came in.

“Tsuna-kun!” The shorter woman had practically given all her physical traits to Izuku.

“Did the brats behave?” And he could see why Katsuki would need to be shown humility.

“They’re sleeping. They learned to match shapes.”

“What? But they’re so young!” Izuku’s mother went to take the stroller, followed by the other woman.

“And Akuro doesn’t believe me when I say you should be a day-care teacher.”

“It was not my merit, they learned on their own.” Shouta terribly disagreed, then an idea hit him.

The two women bought a tray of pastries each and then left, thanking the brunet. A few more customers came in and settled on the tables, Byakuran conquered back his spot on Shouta’s lap and demanded cuddles while Reborn settled on his table to doze off. Jerks, both of them.

He checked his watch and noticed he needed to go back for a board meeting. He hated those, but he was still a teacher, although a new one. He took his wallet and made his way to the cashier, ignoring Byakuran’s meows of dignified protests. A teenager boy walked a bit faster than him, so he waited in line but stared at Tsuna.

He didn’t expect to see such a sad expression, though.

Nor familiar golden flecks in eyes he knew were melted chocolate.

Tsuna held out one hand to the boy, “give it to me. You don’t want to do this.” Shouta noticed the boy was trembling slightly, shoulders hunched forward. “Please, hand it over. You don’t have to go back.” His eyes were almost completely golden by then.

He would have cursed.

He could recognize those irises everywhere.

“You’ll be fine, you haven’t done anything yet.”

There were a few, tense moments of stillness before the boy handed Tsuna a gun. The brunet smiled and swiftly unloaded the bullets on the counter with a nonchalance that bespoke of extensive practical experience.

“There, you did great. How do you feel about talking? After I help the other customers, of course.”

The boy almost slumped in himself, then, and crashed into a table, crying like a baby. Shouta eyed gun and bullets with an arched brow, walking up to the cashier.

“That was not how I thought you would discover me,” Tsuna threw casually, compiling his bill. “Sorry, but I want to say something important first.” Shouta looked up from the money he was landing on the counter, finding the brown eyes he’d gotten used to. “My side-projects have not led me to our friendship.”

Shouta didn’t need to think. He instantly trusted that statement, Tsuna had never lied to him, he knew, and neither had Sora. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders and simply eyed the boy.

“I’ll send Tsukauchi over, is that fine?”

Tsuna smiled at him, but there was a sad edge on it and Shouta wanted it gone. “Thank you.”

He nodded and made to leave. However, he stopped with the door ajar and turned to Tsuna, that was still looking at him with that–

“I’ll meet you later.”

The brunet closed his eyes in obvious defeat, nodding, and the hero left.

Chapter Text

Tsuna did not regret helping a boy getting out of an abusive home, where his parents forced him to do crimes to get by. Tsukauchi-san had been very kind and his quirk, Lie-detector, had confirmed his suspicions. The boy, Urayama Masayuki, had helped the detective with a detailed report of the abuse and also testified where he’d gotten the gun, landing the police with a new case of illegal weapons’ market. Akuro, who had come a bit later into the testimony, that had taken place in the empty studying room and thus among cuddly cats, had offered to host the boy in her house until new arrangements could be made. The brunet knew very well how that would end up.

He, however, regretted the way Aizawa-san had discovered about his Sora identity.

In the months after the big raids all over Japan, Tsuna had kept up with his patrols, but made them more random. Even if they had wiped out the main branches, there could still be lone cells somewhere and those could try to take him out, which they did and failed. Finding them had become harder, though, because the minions sent after him had no quality information, just uncultured thugs that probably needed therapy and a good scold. Some were even terrorized of him as they came after him, admirable.

At the same time, he hadn’t expected his favourite hero to steadily make place for himself in his life. There were no warnings. Even if it was true he had invited the man, Tsuna couldn’t have predicted the interest because Aizawa-san had never showed any, besides in his cats anyway. And in his cooking, Koneko-baachan always praised his baking. One could hope.

So, when he finished his shift and went home, he was tense. And worried. Byakuran and Reborn, instead of opening the way for him, stayed behind, at his sides, brushing their tails against his legs, comforting. Tsuna sighed and just waved at Katsuragi-san without a greeting, then climbed up to his door and simply smiled at his neighbour, nodding at her request to bake the day after. He left it unlocked when he entered and opened the window, watering his plant. Absently, he unpacked the lunch Akuro had handed him and ate a bit, only because he knew he needed to eat, but his effort was short-lived. He put it in the fridge, barely touched, and sat by the window. Byakuran jumped on his lap, Reborn curled on the windowsill, both looking at him with wide, worried eyes.

He smiled and patted them, “sorry. I’m just… well. Spilt milk, I know, but…”

Tsuna sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment. He knew he had made a mistake by allowing himself to enjoy Aizawa-san’s company. He’d enjoyed it even too much, he’d… he’d developed hopes and those were always a downfall, because he couldn’t–

Byakuran head-butted him and meowed, licking his chin. Tsuna chuckled at the tickle.

“Sorry, I know, bad thoughts.” He took a deep breath. “No use dwelling on it, right, but I need to… make plans. We’ll have to say goodbye to this life, now.” He took the cat up by his armpits and looked at the violet eyes. “Would you rather stay at the shop or come with me, I wonder…”

Tsuna placed the cat on his lap after he licked his nose, petting him with a small smile. He didn’t know how much time he had left, but he had no doubts Aizawa-san wouldn’t have let things go like this. He was a hero, the hero assigned to arrest Sora. So, yes, he was expecting many things out of this.

First, he needed to disappear. As much as Eraserhead had shown to be respecting his work, he was under no delusions that he would keep this discovery from others, maybe the detective that always flanked him during more complex missions. This meant he would have to hide or live with a permanent illusion – or turn himself in. Considering he still needed a job to get by, maybe he would try for something that required smart-working, or at least offered it as an option. He’d have to create fake IDs and such, because he wouldn’t find any other situation like the coffee shop or Katsuragi-san. Of course, a new home was imperative, the hero knew about this flat.

Second, he might consider changing country. Japan’s few remaining cells were not a big problem, he could take care of them by dropping hints to the police and see if those were enough. Instead, he’d heard rumours of things going a bit awry over in China, possibly because of his doings. As he felt responsible, and as it had become his mission even though he still wanted a peaceful life, Tsuna wished to deal with this new issue his way.

Third, he didn’t want to leave without giving his new family, because they had become his family, at least a parting gift. Something good, though he didn’t know what yet. And he wanted to give something to Aizawa-san, too.

Tsuna scoffed. It was funny that his first thought had been to reassure the man, to tell him he had not approached because he was Sora, that there had been no hidden, second purpose in their tentative, strange friendship.

He’d felt interest, in his previous life, for someone. He’d never acted on it and regretted it. He was trying to live this new chance differently. He’d wanted to invite the man over, and he’d done that. He’d wanted to engage those pleasant, calm conversations, and he had. He still wanted to get to know Aizawa-san, but he couldn’t anymore. This was probably his biggest regret.

Two soft knocks made him look away from the flower shop down the road. “It’s open.”

Aizawa-san walked in, surprisingly alone and in civilian clothes, and closed the door behind him before taking off his shoes, eyes locked on Tsuna’s. He sat down at the low table’s side, by then comfortable in the brunet’s small kitchen, and Reborn immediately curled in his lap. Tsuna sighed while scratching Byakuran’s neck.

“I thought you had a meeting.”

Aizawa-san arched a brow, “long finished.”

Tsuna checked the sky through the window. “Oh.” The sun was almost setting. “Guess I lost sense of time.”

“Planning your escape?”

He smiled, looking back at the man, “expecting charges and regretting certain choices.”

The other shrugged. “Your fault, you let your guard down.”

“Well, actually, that’s totally your fault, Aizawa-san.” He refused to acknowledge he was lightly blushing.

But he couldn’t unsee the small smirk curving the other’s smirk. “Yeah? Good to know.” His blush probably darkened. “However, I’m not here to press charges, right now.”

Tsuna cleared his throat and focused on his cat. “Really.”

“Really,” the raven arched a brow, “I have a proposition.”

He hummed, “pleading guilty?”

The hero shook his head, catching his gaze again. “No, not that.”

Tsuna frowned. “What then?”

Eraserhead took a deep breath before pinning him with a very serious, although a bit worried, gaze. “I have not hidden from you that I respect what you do, even if you are not licensed. Your missions have an impact on society, as criminal as they are. So… I want to give you a way out, while still rescuing people. What would you think about limiting your activities to just an informant?”

The brunet blinked, slowly, twice. “You… want me to collaborate with you?”

He shrugged, “more or less.”

“You should be arresting me.”

At that, Aizawa-san sighed heavily, eyes still locked on Tsuna’s. “While it is true you technically are a vigilante, this category has always been chased down for two main reasons,” he raised one finger, “illegal use of quirks,” he raised another, “and damages to property without an insurance cover.” He brought the hand back on Reborn’s neck. “For the first, no one has ever seen you use a quirk against someone. As for damages, you’ve done less than a pro hero statistically does in all their career and never to civilians’ buildings. There has been not even a single complaint.” He closed his eyes and massaged his forehead. “This actually gives me a headache, and I’m faulting you for it, but…” He looked again at the silent brunet, “you know what you’re doing, keep the news off yourself better than underground heroes and whatever you do is always thought for the rescue… thing that can’t be said for most of the heroes that I do not teach.”

Tsuna could tell his blush was only worsening, but he had to chuckle at that. “Pity the world can’t have two of you,” he smothered his chuckle into a smile, “there would be more heroes.”

It was Aizawa-san’s turn to blush, a tiny dust of pink on his right cheek as he almost pouted. “Which brings me to my next reason. There are many heroes around, but not enough, and I hate wastes, so I won’t let good hero material such as you leave Japan. Even if the threat of traffickers has been significantly lowered, there are other threats, other criminals, and I would like you to help me, and the civilians, with those.” He took a breath, then continued, “I also don’t want to arrest you, so,” he shrugged, as if that was normal, “what do you think?”

“I…”

Tsuna closed his mouth with a click and tried to process what the hero had just told him. Aizawa-san wanted Sora to become his informant, stop with his vigilantism and possibly help out with his underground patrols or something. He… had no problem with that, though it would have limited him, he could work around from the shadows and maybe push a bit to shed some light abroad, too. However, his priority at the moment was another. He’d not been the most powerful Mafia Boss for years only to forget the principles of striking a deal with another party.

He sharply looked up at the hero, eyes probably golden. “What’s the catch.”

Aizawa-san smirked in victory. He could understand that reaction, he was basically considering the proposition while still mapping the ground.

“There are some, in fact.” The hero massaged his stubbly chin. “First of all, at least Tsukauchi will be informed about it and your true identity.”

Tsuna whistled, “that will be a shock, he just met me today. Are you secretly evil?”

“I enjoy reaping my vengeance, at times,” his smirk widened. “Second condition, and this is obvious, you stop acting on your own, plans will be discussed among us three.”

“The detective still doesn’t know about this, poor soul.”

He rolled his eyes, still smirking. “Third, I need an insurance you won’t slip through my fingers like you always do.”

“Which is…?”

The hero paused a moment, atmosphere shifting as if he were about to take a leap of faith. “You get to keep your job, nothing will change about that, but…” His eyes narrowed, “you come live with me.”

Tsuna spluttered, “excuse me??” But his blush worsened.

Aizawa-san grimaced slightly, keeping his serious tone. “I’m not kidding, these are my conditions. I have enough space, my place is not that far from your workplace and the cats are not a problem, always wanted a couple anyway.”

The brunet held up his hands, “wait, wait.” He paused, words still sinking. “You can’t be serious, I’m a criminal and you’re inviting me to–”

“I know perfectly well what I’m doing, Tsuna.” Sora shivered, at the tone, at his name, at those eyes. “And I’m also very serious. Someone told me to not give up, I’m not giving up.”

And that reference to what he had said to the hero sank faster than whatever else could. He felt himself burn in a collective blush and covered his face into Byakuran’s fur. The cat didn’t like it much but allowed his human to manhandle him. He could feel the smug smirk sent his way.

“You don’t have to answer me now, I can wa–”

Tsuna answered before he could think, though. “Ok.” He slowly lowered the white cat to look at the hero from behind his body, fur almost going in his eyes. “Ok, I… I accept… the deal.” He hid again. “Just… let me gather my things and… talk with the landlord and the neighbours.”

The hero simply stood, Reborn came to headbutt Tsuna’s knee, and reached for the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, then, after your shift.”

The brunet nodded. But a thought hit him, “wait!” He put Byakuran down, catching how the other man’s lips twitched in amusement. “I… uh, thank you, for… yeah.”

Aizawa-san nodded, a smile winning over his neutral expression, and left.

Chapter Text

Tsuna went through his morning routine as if stuck in a limbo. His few belongings were split into four paper bags because he didn’t have any luggage and there was one more for his cats’ things. He’d spoken to the landlord the evening before, Katsuragi-san had accepted his decision, refused his money for the unpaid days and stolen a promise that he would visit. Koneko-baachan had silently cried at the news, but had relented and done the same as the landlord, wishing him good luck and gifting him a batch of cookies. His other neighbours were less dramatic, yet still sad about his departure.

He wondered about the need to tell his Boss about the change, but then others decided for him because Inko and Mitsuki came to leave their sleeping boys and kidnap Akuro – they won’t know, then. The simple thought that he would keep his job brightened him a lot, many customers commented on his happiness. The morning went by quietly, the kids slept until their mealtime and then played in the baby-proofed corner while speaking that silly baby-talk between themselves. They were calm, Katsuki was very patient with Izuku’s attempts at having a very serious conversation, probably about dinosaurs, who knew.

Tsuna gave the change to a customer, a rather new regular that worked in the laundry shop down the road, and cleaned the counter while checking on the babies. He smiled when he saw Izuku patting Katsuki’s head with a big, toothless grin. Narahiko came to him with a word he couldn’t understand and he explained it to the boy as Tsukauchi-san entered the shop through the door, taking his light brown fedora off his head, expression visibly struck with shock. Tsuna sent Runa’s brother to the studying room and went to the cashier.

“What can I help you with?”

“Did you manipulate Eraserhead?”

Tsuna sighed, “no, I didn’t.”

“Are you really the vigilante known as Sora?”

The brunet pinched the bridge of his nose, “I am, does this look like the place?”

He flinched. “Sorry, uh… I’m a bit spooked.”

“I told him, yet he did it anyway. Well, we’ll be working together from now on, right?”

“I guess…? I’m not… completely convinced.”

Tsuna looked at the detective, noticed the dark bags under his eyes and the cordial but troubled smile, and smiled back at him. “Let’s make a deal, then.”

“Another?”

He shrugged, leaning his elbows on the counter. “You give me a chance if I help you close ten of the cold cases piled under your desk.”

The detective paled. “What.”

Tsuna hurried in cleaning the last spots of the kitchen, those that easily got overlooked, and then pushed the cats out of the door, locking it. He took up the paper bags, looping them in his arms, and led the two menaces down the stairs. They were a bit confused, seeing that this was very different from their routines, but followed him.

“You got everything, brat?”

He looked up at the landlord and gave him the key with a smile, “yes, thank you.”

Katsuragi-san took it, sighing. “Stay out of trouble, and take care of that plant.”

“Of course, it’s right here,” he showed the pot in one of the bags. “How are your flowers?”

“Heh, there’s one that’s a bit off…”

Tsuna tilted his head, “mind showing me?”

“What are you, mother nature?”

“Nah, but my thumb is green!”

The landlord shook his head, amused, and disappeared inside his flat. Meanwhile, he saw Aizawa-san walking up to him, slouched and obviously tired. He probably hadn’t slept a wink.

“Here.”

Tsuna moved his focus to the grey-looking plant. Its bud was leaning on the side, almost touching the dirt of the pot. The brunet softly touched it, focusing a single thread of Sun Flames on his index. It seeped into the plant and he smiled up at the landlord.

“It will recover, don’t worry.”

“Alright, green thumb, if it doesn’t I’m gonna search for you.” He looked at Aizawa-san and nodded, “so, you’re the one taking him away? Do watch out, he has this habit of stumbling into trouble.”

“I do not!”

“Yes, I second that, I’ll be careful.” Aizawa-san took three of his paper bags and the cats purred against his legs.

Tsuna shook his head and started walking towards where the hero had come from. “Enough, I’m not going to listen anymore.” The cats followed him. “Ungrateful, that you are.” His smile overtook the fake hurt face he’d donned as he heard the two men laugh and part ways.

The hero lazily reached and fell in step with him, “how do you know where to go?”

“Is that a serious question?”

There was a scoff. “Yes, you should tell me about yourself and I’ll tell you about me.”

That could work, “not here, not that, ok?” The man hummed. “Have you heard from Tsukauchi-san?”

They were walking in the opposite direction of the coffee shop, getting past an intersection. “Not yet, but he should come by before dinner," the hero answered, "why?”

“You totally scared him.”

“Serves him right,” he scoffed, leading him into an alley to the left. “He’ll think twice before giving me a case such as yours.”

“As if you had better things to do… Do you really find me that annoying?”

Aizawa-san stopped, Tsuna did the same a couple steps ahead, turning to him and finding a frown on his face. “No, not really…” He sighed and restarted walking. “But he doesn’t need to know that.”

The brunet followed him up a concrete flight of stairs into a small plaza occupied by a small park. “You’re already giving me blackmail material, you know?”

The hero groaned to the sky, cats trying to trip him as he walked up to a very tall and modern-looking building. They entered and a doorman behind a computer on a simplistic desk nodded at Eraserhead, who nodded back at him and went for the elevator. Everything was in shades of grey and black, with white here and there and very few, tidy plants. No carpets, only dark grey tiles. They stopped at the seventh floor, the last, and got to the apartment number 74.

Tsuna urged the cats in and the door closed behind them, locked by the hero. He looked around at the wide living room, with a small television fixed on the wall on his left and a dark two-seats sofa right in front. There was a lamp at its left and papers strewn on the low table in-between the couch and the tv. He could see the kitchen through a door past the screen, a wide French window that led to the balcony opposite the entrance door and a corridor with more rooms on the right.

Aizawa-san poked his shoulder and tilted his head to the corridor, “this way.” He seemed… a bit anxious? Strange.

Tsuna followed, cats trailing after him, curious. There were three more closed doors, he was led to the single one on the right. It was a bedroom, with a bed, a desk and an empty library. Bigger than the kitchen in the flat he’d left, but not too big.

“I like it,” he said, going in and dropping his bags on the pale blue bedsheets. “Is this your guest room?”

The hero left the other paper bags on the floor near the bed, “not really, it was just unused, I fixed it.”

“Oh, that’s why you’re tired.” Tsuna turned to him with a thankful smile, “thank you.”

He looked away. “No problem, and use that bookcase. You’re always reading, but never buy any book. Mind telling me why?”

The brunet tilted his head, an amused grin playing on his lips as he went to the black furniture. “I had no bookcase to stack them on.” The consequent scoff made him chuckle and turn to the man.

“Come on, problem vigilante, we need to talk.”

With a roll of his eyes, Tsuna fixed the cats’ beds first and let them get used to the changes, then went back to the living room and sat beside the hero, that was tiredly looking at the strewn papers.

“I knew where to go because one of my abilities is like a heightened sixth sense, something I call Intuition,” he began, answering the previous question. “What else do you want to know?”

“Better get this out of the way,” the hero let the papers go and turned on the sofa to him, one knee bended in front of him. “Your quirk, out with it.”

Tsuna tilted his head, “wouldn’t the detective want to know about it, too?”

“Yes…?”

“It’s a bit complicated, ok, I don’t want to repeat it.”

Aizawa-san sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ok, something you won’t have to tell him… Who are you, let’s begin with that.”

The brunet took a deep breath and turned to the man in his same fashion. “Fine, it’s a long story and I doubt you’ll believe me. I technically do not exist in this universe.”

He waited for the kaboom, which didn’t happen, surprisingly. “Come again?”

“I, ugh…” He massaged his forehead. “I’m…” He got an idea. “Wait here.” He quickly went to one of his paper bags and returned with his old wallet in hand, taking out his old ID. “This is me.” He gave it and let the other study it, surprise visible on his face.

“This is completely wrong.”

“It isn’t forged. Back in my world,” Tsuna closed his eyes, “I died.” He reopened them, meeting the shock. “I was someone… important, so to say. One you would be after in this world. In Italy. I was the equal to Japan’s Kumicho.” Aizawa-san took a sharp intake of breath. “I was killed, then I was in an alley in a city to the east of Musutafu, alone and alive. My family–” He closed his mouth with a click, looking away. “No, that doesn’t matter. As I was saying, I do not exist in this world’s registry. I followed my Intuition to get a safe job and find that flat. My full name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you won’t find me anywhere. The minimalistic life was–” He licked his lips, feeling the weight of his past shift off his shoulders with each spoken word. “I didn’t want to get involved in tragedies. I wanted the peaceful life I never had, but I… I can’t not get involved when someone is getting hurt right in front of me. It’s like being an accomplice, and then that woman told me the man wanted to sell her.” He swallowed, elbows on his knees. “I had a family, I had many people I called brothers. One of them went through human experimentation. I can’t let that go, I can’t fail others like him.” Tsuna shook his head and straightened, leaning back in the sofa. “That’s who I am, a broken shipwreck in the wrong universe trying to fix the world, again. This time I don’t have a position of power and I was keeping a low profile. I landed here too late for hero school, anyway, and I don’t know if I would have enrolled at all.”

He expected the silence, it was comforting from a certain point of view, allowed him to recollect his thoughts. He’d never imagined having the skeleton out of the closet like this. It was the first time he openly spoke about his… origin.

In that moment, though, he suddenly felt… relieved. Lighter. He almost scoffed. Apparently, it had been a heavy burden for him. Was he getting soft? Possible.

“Problem vigilante…” He chanced a glance up. “You need to repeat that to Tsukauchi.” Tsuna arched a brow. “I’m not going to be the only person getting crazy because of you.”

Contrarily to his thoughts – the detective’s quirk –, the hero had not doubted his words and that last sentence… well, unbridled laughter bubbled in his chest. He lost how Aizawa-san relaxed at it, holding onto his stomach as his laughing fit kept going.

“I repeat, you’re evil.”

“As I said, serves him right.” He stretched, shirt rising to show a bit of his stomach. “You should settle your things before Tsukauchi comes, I’m going to enjoy that.”

Tsuna shook his head and stood. “Fine, Eraser. What about the cats’ litters?”

“Definitely out of my house, put them on the balcony.”

“Aye sir.”

“Don’t mock me, freeloader.”

“You basically blackmailed me in here, and I can pay rent, I have a job!”

“Sure, don’t you dare. And don’t let it slip you live here, with no one, I like my privacy.”

“Says the one that doesn’t make an effort to hide his true identity better.”

“… I take offence.”

“Good.”

“Jerk.”

“Listen who’s talking!”

Chapter Text

Tsukauchi-san came after dinner. Tsuna had looked once at Aizawa-san’s pathetic attempt at cooking before taking the pan from his hand and shooing him to the table. At least, he could say he had one thing to pay off his stay with, but he would need to go grocery shopping the day after, possibly after his shift in the coffee shop. They had a relaxing time while idly talking about how the neighbourhood worked. It was an area where many heroes had taken residence because of the absence of shops that led unwanted people there. All of the neighbours kept to themselves.

“Have you got patrol tonight?”

Aizawa-san drank a bit of water, “no, took a day off, I kind of have accumulated… some.”

Tsuna arched a brow. “Have you ever taken a day off all your life.”

“Shut up.”

“I take that as a no, ok, I’ll see to fix your workaholic tendencies.”

He shot Tsuna a withering glare. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you.”

The brunet, of course, sent him a blank stare. “You’ve fallen unconscious on my floor too many times to count, if I remember correctly.”

“Nine, you can’t count till ten? You need to go to elementary school.”

He scoffed, “I can count fine, in fact it has been eleven times, hero, you can’t keep count.”

Reborn jumped on the table and Tsuna promptly took him down from his mid-section. This was his fourth attempt at stealing food. Where had his kitten days’ clumsiness gone? Byakuran was still trying the puppy eyes at Aizawa-san’s feet. They were used to the low table.

“Probably too tir–”

Tsuna smirked at the mishap. “Oh? Too tired? Just proved my point, thank you.”

The hero groaned in his hands. “You’re good, fine, I’ll sleep, I have the night off anyway.”

“Well, it’s not like my cats have a soporific effect on you, right?”

“… you just don’t let people win, huh?”

“Only special ones.”

And he had conceded the hero a victory already, the entire deal was one. He seemed to catch on that, but three consecutive knocks stopped their peaceful banter. Tsuna innocently batted his eyelashes at the annoyed man, that sighed and got up to open the door.

Tsukauchi-san tripped on Reborn. Tsuna glared at the innocent look the cat sent him, jumping on the brunet’s lap. “You’re such a jerk.” He eyed the still spooked detective, “sorry, my cats like tripping people, especially the first time they meet someone. You fell, Reborn will do it again for some time, get used to it.”

He looked so done with all of this, Tsuna pitied him very much. He sat at a free chair at the squared table, between Tsuna and the hero, who took back his place.

“Sorry for intruding,” he placed a stack of folders on a free part of the table.

He’d not missed paperwork, he grimaced. “The cold cases?”

“Yes… You can keep them.”

“I’ll need a night at most, I’ll send them right back through Aizawa-san.” The mentioned hero sighed. “Now, first question?” He started absently petting Reborn as Byakuran demanded cuddles from Eraserhead.

“Right. Who are you?”

“Name’s Sawada Tsunayoshi, I’m from another universe.” As he said those words, truth detected by the quirk, his roommate passed the detective his old ID. “That’s not forged. I died, then I was in an alleyway in a city near Musutafu. From there, I used one of my abilities, my Intuition, to get a job and find a place to live in. I do not exist in any registry of this world. Also, to address the elephant in the room,” Tsuna lifted both his hands, coalescing almost all his types of Flames on his fingers, “by all means, I’m quirkless.”

Tsukauchi-san shot up, sending the chair clattering on the floor. “That can’t be true.”

“But it is.” He closed his hands in fists, letting the Flames dissipate, and returned to petting the cat. “Any questions? Let the information sink, I know it is quite a shock in this world.”

Aizawa-san was the first to get back on earth. “Describe your… power.”

The detective looked back and forth the two men and slowly sat back down after picking up the chair.

Tsuna tilted his head. “They’re called Flames, Dying Will Flames to be more specific. They’re born from one’s will to succeed despite dying, but they work differently here and seem to have merged with my Intuition. In fact, many things have changed while… transitioning to this universe. I didn’t have all types, before. Now, although some require more focus to be used or are harder to contain, I have all. There’s Sky,” the Flame with an orange core and a paler halo flickered in his lifted palm, “this was my main Flame, still is, it can coax people into acting as I want, harmonize with them, but it’s very… tricky. Hard to use, it has its rules.” He could hear the detective taking hasty notes. “Storm,” the Flame turned into red core, a paler middle layer and a darker red halo, “I’ve trained it to destroy whatever I want it to. Sun,” white core, bright yellow halo with tiny sparkles, “it can heal living beings, even plants. Rain,” the Flame resembling the deep sea, “slows down or stops whatever it touches. It can also calm people down. Mist,” deep indigo Flame, “used on a person, it causes hallucinations, used on an item, this can become whatever I want to the eyes of others, though it stays inanimate so this part is useless half the time. Cloud,” purple core, violet halo, “is like a child throwing a tantrum, but it can multiply or enlarge objects… to a point. Lightning,” green, electricity-like crackling Flame, “can harden and make objects indestructible, a person sturdier. Then, there’s Night…” He closed his fist. “I’m not going to use it, it’s too destructive, too fickle, it can’t be easily contained, it thrives on freedom.”

“What does it do?”

Tsuna looked up at the hero, meeting his gaze. “It kills.” He drank some water while Reborn propped himself on his hindlegs and licked his chin. “It’s black, inky. You wouldn’t like it.”

“Tsuna, it’s fine, you don’t have to show it.” He looked up at Aizawa-san. “Thank you for telling us about it.” He bit his lower lip and nodded. “Something else?”

“Uhm… Well, my Intuition has merged with them, so using Flames means having a heightened sixth sense that makes my eyes golden. I think you can guess when I used my Flames, during the missions.”

The detective leaned forward, still taking notes, “so, they can be invisible?”

“More like they can give the air a shade. Red, for instance, in case I use Storm. They are not technically invisible but, for someone that’s not looking, they may as well be.”

“Mist Flames are the ones you use for interrogation?”

“Yes, with a bit of Rain, because I don’t want them to try using their quirks on me.”

“Ok. Do you have a time limit?”

“More than a time limit, I have a Flame limit, or, better said, Flame exhaustion. I’ve not hit it yet, but I must say I’ve been very careful of using them only when strictly necessary. Also, they don’t last more than two seconds if I throw them in the air, they must be attached either to me or to something else.”

“Very informative, thank you. What about your equipment?”

“I don’t have any.”

Aizawa-san sighed.

“Right. You… jump rooves without… a cord or something?”

Tsuna tilted his head, patting Reborn’s head, “yes.”

“God.” Tsukauchi put his notebook on the table and stared at it. “So, how are we going about this?”

Aizawa-san huffed, “I thought he could work from home, but hearing about his powers… he can come with me when he feels like it, as in when his intuition tells him to, sounds doable?” The brunet nodded, focusing on his cat. “What do you say about showing me how that works, by the way?” He looked up and the hero tilted his head to the stack of folders, “solve one.”

He sighed through his nose, taking the first folder and opening it, careful of both Reborn and the dirty plate still on the table. Aizawa-san came to the rescue, taking it off to the sink.

“Thanks.”

“No prob.”

He focused on the case. Parents of two girls brutally killed in their home, wife in the back garden, in pieces, husband in the garage, head smashed by nearby rocks. His eyes got warmer as he called on his Intuition. He read the reports and analysed the pictures, questions flowing through his mind.

“There are fingerprints on the fence, north-east, right over a rose branch. And you might be lucky enough to find traces of blood. It’s a male, passional crime, probably a colleague of the wife.” He checked again the suspects and took the second file, “this is your culprit, but be careful, don’t make him suspicious or he’ll burn the evidence he keeps in his wallet. The wife’s strand of hair.” He closed the folder and put it aside. “That enough?” His Intuition receded, eyes not hot anymore.

Tsukauchi-san was looking at him with his chin hanging. Aizawa-san had both his brows almost to his hairline. He suddenly felt awkward and shuffled on the chair.

“What?”

“That doesn’t say anything about the missing strand of hair.”

Tsuna nodded. “Doesn’t say anything about the fingerprints, too, but that’s what you need, right? I’ll do the same tonight to the other cases, ok?”

“You need to sleep, you’ve got work tomorrow.”

He stared at the hero. “Says who. It will take me barely twenty minutes, enough for you to prepare for tomorrow, and we both go to sleep. How does that sound?”

Aizawa-san rolled his eyes to the ceiling, but there was a smile on his lips. Tsukauchi-san coughed in his fisted hand, catching their attention.

“Ok, I’ll wait for the reports. I’ll also give you an official identity and include you in the registry, though it will take a while. To have you follow Eraserhead, you need a license.”

“But… I’m too old?”

The detective smiled, shaking his head. “Not necessarily, and you’re barely 25. No, you can take the exams and, if you score high enough, both in the written and practical, you can have your license. It won’t be easy, especially because you’ll have to take them in UA.”

His Intuition purred in reassurance. “Ok, I have studied something already, just tell me when.”

Tsukauchi shrugged, standing. “I can go then.” He took the solved case’s folder and tipped his head to both. “I know the way out, have a good night.”

Tsuna waved three fingers at him, turning to the hero when he heard the door shut close. “Are you really sure about this, Aizawa-san?”

The man rolled his eyes, again. “First of all, I’m only three years older than you, drop that damn honorific or I’ll call you Sawada-san. Second, I am extra sure of this. Third, you’ve got to work on your self-esteem. Fourth, I’m cleaning, you start on those files.”

With a blush and a pout, Tsuna did as told. Twenty minutes later, he had noted down solutions for all the nine cases and the hero had worked some on his paperwork.

“Time to sleep, you need it.”

The hero groaned. “Fine, fine. You use the bathroom first, at least I’ll have a bit more time… and I’ll let the cats out.”

“I’ll be very fast, then.”

Another groan. True to his words, Tsuna took ten minutes to shower in the spacious, simple, dark-wooden bathroom and settle down his things. He left his hair wet and dropped himself in the sofa.

“Your turn!” Reborn and Byakuran jumped him as the hero, groaning some more, went to the bathroom.

Tsuna almost dozed off, but the other was fast, too. “Go to sleep, trouble-maker.”

“Already calling me names, huh…” The cats jumped down, the brunet stopped on the threshold of his new room and winked at the hero, that was in front of the other bedroom. “Good night, Shouta.”

He closed the door, unrepentant of the blush and surprise he’d caused – no, more like satisfied of them –, and silently giggled into the darkness. He slept oddly well that night.

Chapter Text

Tsuna soon fell into a new, comfortable routine. In the morning, he and Shouta woke up almost at the same time, with the brunet beating him only by a few minutes so that he could use the bathroom and prepare breakfast in time for the other man to find it ready. He also prepared a thermos of coffee, that the hero loved, going by his elated expression sipping from it before they left.

They parted ways, in the beginning, but then Shouta changed his mind and accompanied him all the way to his workplace, thing that caught his Boss’ attention and the gossip mill started. He didn’t give it much importance, he didn’t care enough and Shouta obviously didn’t mind, else he wouldn’t have accompanied him in the first place. On the way back, though, Tsuna often stopped to greet his former landlord and Koneko-baachan, seeing as they were on his way home, much like he did when he’d lived there. Most of those times, he ended up with a new type of cookies.

The afternoons were either filled with cases Tsukauchi loaded him with, naps – forcing Shouta to get some sleep before his night patrol – or books and his studies in preparation for the upcoming exams. Evenings were mostly for cooking or relaxing on the couch with the cats, the hero was already complaining about fur invading every corner of his house, but he was not truly annoyed. Tsuna knew Byakuran preferred sleeping with him instead of staying in his own room with Reborn, he’d caught the white cat sneaking out of the hero’s bedroom some mornings.

He also had taken the habit of waking up when Shouta came back from patrols, to brew him some hot chocolate instead of coffee. At times, the hero was tired and relaxed enough to fall asleep on the couch, and Tsuna would let the cats curl around him and cover them all with a warm duvet. It was a sight too cute to be true.

Among all those changes, Tsuna couldn’t help but enjoy the friendly, amused banter they used to interact through and to get to know each other better. Shouta was a snarky type of funny, he wasn’t used to bickering or to having someone in the house with him – he forgot about Tsuna being there at times, which was amusing and good blackmail material. He was neat, didn’t like messes even though his paperwork was hardly, if ever, in order. He had an almost unhealthy obsession with coffee, but it was balanced with his love for cats. Byakuran often stopped him from drinking too much by demanding cuddles, Reborn just was his jerk self and tried to knock the thermos off surfaces. He was a deep sleeper, Tsuna once had to take the googles off of him and he didn’t stir at all. He didn’t like reading, probably because of all the paperwork, but he enjoyed it when the brunet would review a newly finished book. At some point, the library had been filled and other changes had happened in the house.

There was a new armchair with a lamp and a small table by the balcony’s door, Tsuna’s favourite place, and a new sofa near the old one with three seats. There was a slightly impressive cat tree in the living room, near a wall, that his cats loved and napped in, though the nights were always for the beds.

Most of all, Shouta… well, he tolerated Tsuna, which was a great difference from how he was annoyed by everyone else. He never seemed so when they were alone and that… sparked hope. He noticed how the hero would stare, at times, especially when he passed by the shop and he was babysitting – he had to face the truth, he was an unpaid babysitter – Izuku and Katsuki. It was… strange, but pleasant, somehow.

Shouta’s gaze lingering on his skin never felt awkward.

It kind of ignited him.

Anyway, they slowly got used to each other’s presence. There were serious conversations, Tsuna spoke about his past, finding it a bit hard in the beginning and then words just streamed out of him. Shouta never judged him, never commented if not to shoot him a joke to lift his spirit. On the other hand, the hero told him about his time in UA, the friend he’d lost to a villain and how he’d been moved to the hero course thanks to the Sports Festival, all the while whining about UA’s shitty Entrance Exam. Tsuna offered to find a solution, Shouta answered he would have eventually asked for help, because he’d seen his ability with kids, but, first, he wanted the brunet to focus on his license exams.

During daily tasks, like dealing with the cats’ shenanigans – nothing messy, but they were jerks – or cleaning the house, the two cooperated and found out they worked rather well together. There were accidental touches, but neither shied away from them. With time, they became comfortable with sharing a couch or dragging the other to the table for a meal. Once, Shouta took Tsuna up, because he didn’t want to stop working on cold cases, like a sack of potatoes and dropped him on his bed, calling for goodnight as he left to his own bedroom. The brunet had blushed for hours.

The hero also seemed oddly attuned to what Tsuna needed. He lingered too long choosing a cup? Shouta brought him shopping to buy a new one. He was often standing next to the window, just like he did in his former house? The armchair appeared. The library was full? Another, twin one was brought in the next day. He mentioned how a book was too generic? New, more specific books were on his desk soon after.

Tsuna was thanking the hero basically every day for those small, cute things. And, if he wasn’t having any hallucinations, Shouta liked being thanked. Like, a lot. The brunet abused this a bit, there was no way he wouldn’t be smitten about the tiny blushes he caused.

When the exams came, two months after his moving, Tsuna felt they would go alright. Shouta walked him to UA, which was a greatly appreciated bonus. He’d worn his usual vigilante attire, hoodie firmly placed on his head. People shot him glances, but it was hard for them to recognize him as Sora, that one leaked and low defined photo was not enough to make him recognizable and the rumours were all about his golden eyes.

The school was impressive, big and imposing and pristine, oozing that atmosphere of seriousness and juvenile business all over the place, just like Akuro had told him while speaking about Nezu. A thought occurred to him as they walked among the students. Some looked at them in curiosity.

“I’m not meeting the principal, right?”

Shouta scoffed, “you are, suck it up.”

“You are undignified, Byakuran will know about this.”

“Don’t you dare.”

He giggled, “I guess the chances of meeting your students are slim.”

The hero groaned while covering his eyes, but he was smirking. “What did I do to deserve this…”

“Something very good.”

Tsuna smiled at the chuckle. They walked in the main building, creamy walls and sturdy doors on their sides. Students still looked at them, maybe more insistent and less careful.

“I won’t have to go public, right?”

“You speak as if you’ll pass.”

“I will, you didn’t answer.”

Shouta sighed. “Of course you will… No, no need to go public, not if you plan to not join any agency, like me, and work in the underground as my partner.”

Tsuna grinned up at him from the shadows of his hood, “that would be purrfect.”

The hero choked on laughter, possibly terrifying the students standing around. “Only if the cats tag along.”

It was the brunet’s turn to giggle once more. And blush, but it was hidden. They left behind the classes and entered in an empty one that said 1-A.

“And now we wait.”

Tsuna nodded, looking around and walking up to the teacher’s desk. “Is this yours?”

The hero hummed in confirmation and approached him, “will be in some months, if the new students are worthwhile.”

“Strict,” Tsuna gently patted his arm, “maybe we should just think of a second exam they will have to pass for you to accept them, what do you think?”

“That sounds good, but focus on your priority.”

He turned to look up at him, “ok, sensei, thank you.”

That tiny blush that followed his gratefulness was a bit more prominent, this time. Tsuna’s smile turned into a grin at Shouta’s surprised face. Not that it was easily seen, just the slight widening of his eyes and the unfocused gaze, lips gently parted.

Someone cleared their throat, the brunet simply moved his eyes to the door. Akuro was going to kill him if she ever heard about this. The short rat known as Nezu, the principal, lifted his paw in greeting, Tsuna waved three fingers at him.

“Good morning, Sora-kun!”

He tilted his head in greeting, “good morning, principal.”

The rat, or mouse, or bear, or bear-rat… yeah, the bear-rat moved the lifted paw left and right twice. “No need for formalities, call me Nezu! It is a pleasure to meet you!”

Tsuna threw a glance at Shouta, that sighed. “Likewise, feel free to drop the honorific. Thank you for letting me take these exams.”

Nezu tilted his head in consideration. “I recognize talent when I see it, Sora. Just like Aizawa-sensei, I hate wastes. I’ve agreed to this because both one of my best teachers and a dear friend, Tsukauchi, have vouched for you. Honestly, I didn’t need them to, I had plans to approach you, though you seem to be very hard to come by. I wonder how Aizawa-sensei managed to.”

He smiled, “luck.”

Shouta scoffed. “You wish. You slipped up.”

“Still your fault.”

Nezu chuckled at the teacher’s groan. “I brought your written exam, please, have a seat.”

Tsuna turned to a student’s desk and sat down, “this brings back memories.”

“Trouble-magnet.”

“I heard that, serial expeller.”

The principal chuckled again and placed a stack of papers on the desk, “you have two hours starting now, Sora. Good luck!”

He smiled and got to work.

Chapter Text

“You’re insane.”

“It was easy.”

Shouta sighed, “students would consider it a nightmare.”

“I’m not a student, and I studied, you watched me.”

Tsuna had finished before the hour-mark and his score had come half-an-hour later. It was, as the hero had put it, insane. A record, maybe, he didn’t care as long as it didn’t reach some sort of rank placing. He didn’t need attention, didn’t want it.

He was not worried about the next part of the exams, but he was a bit tense. He had no problems using his Flames to rescue people, nor to stop villains. However, a practical meant he would be fighting, at least, and that could mean he had to go against a hero. He’d had to escape them, before, but he’d never had to fight them. He wasn’t sure he wanted to.

Suddenly, Shouta gently pushed him between two buildings. They’d been walking to the area of the exam. Tsuna was almost leaning against the wall, looking up at the hero.

“You worry too much.”

He was about to retort, trying to reassure the other that he was fine, but Shouta beat him to it. He hugged Tsuna, one arm around his shoulders and one around his waist.

“It will be ok. You’re not a villain, this is an exam, if you go a little rough on whoever they may put against you, I’ll cheer for you.”

Tsuna’s shock and worries slowly melted in the man’s arms, and he hugged him back. Those words had hit home. He took a shaky breath, face pressed against the hero’s chest. He held on to him tightly, somehow letting the stress he’d been building up steam off of him. It was warm.

He basked in it for a few more moments before finally, regrettably, detach from Shouta. “Thank you… I needed that.”

The hero looked at him, arms still around the shorter man, then swiftly took his hand and gently dragged him out and towards where the exam would take place. “You know,” Tsuna was highly conscious of how they were basically holding hands, “you should thank me properly, one of these days.”

His hand was freed as they entered a make-shift cityscape, not giving Tsuna the proper time to understand what Shouta had exactly told him. Nezu was waiting for them in the big, metal and open gate and he waved when he saw them.

“Welcome, Sora! This is Ground Beta, the chosen location for your practical exam, but, first, congratulations on your flying colours in the written part! You surely set a new record!”

Tsuna, still a bit put off by Shouta’s behaviour, shrugged, “I’d prefer it to not be… flaunted.”

“No one will know it was you.” Which meant the score, but not his name, would be public… perfect. “For your next exam, the world already knows about your rescue abilities, but nearly no one has ever seen you in a fight.” Nezu started walking, motioning for them to follow, “your objective, today, will be to defeat the heroes-turned-villains hiding in the buildings around this plaza.” Tsuna looked around as Nezu and Shouta sat down on a bench beside a small fountain. “They basically are your examiners for today, you can use your quirk, whatever it is, and you can use any method you see fit to… subdue them.”

Feeling the dismissal for what it was, he activated his Intuition, eyes gleaming golden and bathing a bit in the awe Nezu allowed him to see, then he turned to one of the five buildings. It had the brightest trail and was rather tall and wide, seemed like an offices’ conglomerate. There were no walls all around, only glasses, which made the wide hall on the ground floor perfectly visible from the outside. Before getting in through the tall door, Tsuna surveyed the first floor’s balcony facing the hall. Twin stairs were on either side of the acceptance desktop on the ground floor, reaching up to the balcony.

He thought for a moment. Nezu hadn’t given him a time limit. Instead of entering through the door, he shrouded himself in Mist Flames and materialized a clone attached to his hand, making it go inside with him right at its side. Suddenly, several things happened almost at the same time.

Just as Tsuna summoned Rain Flames around the clone, bullets were shot, giving away the hero-turned-villain’s position. Tsuna let the bullets hit the clone, that froze for a moment with blood oozing out to put up a show, and swiftly jumped up to the balcony as the clone burned out of existence and the examiner, Snipe, caught sight of him. He quickly shot at Tsuna, who was crouched on the balustrade by then, but he dived past them and, too fast to be seen, disarmed the man, throwing the weapon on the ground floor. Without giving him time to whip a gun out of somewhere, the brunet kicked his stomach and took hold of his wrists, sending him onto the floor. Not wanting to use Flames directly on the hero, Tsuna turned him around mid-way to the ground, so that he was facing the tiles, and immobilized him.

“I-I surrender…”

Well, that had been easy. Tsuna softly let go of the man’s wrists, helping him up. He looked winded and shocked.

“You’re too fast… explains many things,” he whispered, scoffing to himself.

“… did I hurt you?”

“No, you didn’t. Go, others are waiting.”

The brunet nodded, walking along with the hero to the plaza and choosing another building. Shouta looked a bit scared there, probably because of his Illusion, he’d apologise later. Snipe joined them at the bench, still seeming spooked. Nezu was holding onto a portable computer, probably for footage, and eyeing him like Verde would an unexplainable phenomenon.

The brightest trail went towards a three-stories apartment complex. He flexed his fists, testing the strength he could put behind a punch, and strode in, taking the stairs. As soon as he walked past the first door on the first floor, it burst open and he punched the figure in a trench coat that attacked him, strong enough to pop the body, the clone, out of existence. It went like that for two entire floors, each apartment hiding a clone or more. At the third, Tsuna stopped in front of a rather big apartment with its door open. The real Ectoplasm was there, with an enlarged clone and four normal ones.

“Which is the real me?”

Tsuna arched a brow, unseen. Maybe his Intuition was a cheat, but whatever – it still felt like karma, considering his Illusions –, he would go along with their exams. Snipe had basically tested his speed and surroundings’ awareness, Ectoplasm was testing his strength and instincts. He proceeded to kick and punch through the clones and, before the hero could generate more, he hit his back, immobilizing him on the floor, and shot his arms to his mouth, shutting it tightly.

“Do you surrender?”

The hero’s wrists were stuck beneath Tsuna’s knee, he could just nod in defeat. The brunet let him go and helped him up, biting his lip at the second spooked person of the day.

“Are you alright? Did I hurt you?”

“No, you were… gentle.”

Tsuna nodded and accompanied him down, watching as the hero slumped in a free bench and sank his head in his hands. Shouta sent him an unimpressed, yet truly impressed, glare, arms crossed on his chest. The brunet just shrugged and walked up to the next brighter trail, a one floor building with a laundry shop. He tilted his head, pinching his chin.

There were two possible outcomes out of this: he neutralized the hero fast or he lost, simple as that. None of them were very attractive, but he didn’t want to lose, so… Tsuna jumped on the roof instead of going for the door. He located the air vents and activated them through the emergency outside buttons. Meanwhile, he was sneakily sending small lumps of Storm Flames all around, making holes in the walls. He went to crouch over exactly where the examiner was and focused on a circle of concrete beneath his feet and hands, making it disappear with Storm Flames.

Midnight’s shocked face shooting upwards and her consequent gasp felt oddly satisfying, probably because she had caught wind of the gossip mill about him and Shouta and she just couldn’t shut up about it every time she swung by the shop. She immediately started exuding her sleeping aroma, but Tsuna created a vortex of wind with a Cloud Flames’ coated fist that sent any of the secreted smell to dissipate through the holes. Still falling, he grabbed a nearby, heavy bedsheet and covered her in it, wounding it tightly around her body.

“I give in! I give in!”

Tsuna huffed at the muffled shouts and freed her. Midnight pouted all the way to Ectoplasm’s side, arms crossed in defiance and annoyance, chin angled upwards and away. Shouta was trying to stifle his laughter. Snipe shook his head in exasperation. Before going over to the next building, he returned to the laundry shop and tore through a pillow, clogging his ears, then approached the apartment complex next to it. He couldn’t hear anything, which was the point.

There was a small hall and Present Mic was waiting for him in plain sight. If Midnight had probably wanted to test his resistance to women and his movements in restricted places, the radio broadcaster wanted to test how he would openly go against his quirk while also being careful around traps. Tsuna could hear Present Mic’s scream even through the make-shift pads in his ears. He crossed his arms, tilting his head, and absently evaded a storm of arrows from his left, then a shower of rocks sidestepping it and, not satisfied, the hero tried attacking him, still screaming. Tsuna engaged the fight, but old habits die hard.

Back in the days, showing too much of his fighting style meant dragging something for too long and giving information to enemies. That was why, even if he wanted to show he could fight, Tsuna fell into his usual pattern of deflecting, sneaking out and pinning the enemy’s arm on his back, pushing him against the wall. Present Mic immediately surrendered in a scream and the brunet let him go, freeing his ears.

“Sorry, did I hurt you?”

“Not one bit, listener!!”

He flinched away, watching as the hero proclaimed to the other examiners he had passed. Shouta looked aggravated by his friend’s loud voice. It was cute – but he threw the earpads to him just in case.

Tsuna walked to the last building and went in without preambles. Blood was smeared all over the small, slightly dark room. It was true blood and he– he stopped. He needed a moment, a fraction of a second to understand it was Vlad King’s work. Luckily, the hero had not gone at him in a flurry of red, because that moment of hesitation – of memories occupying the forefront of his mind – would have costed him dearly.

He focused an invisible coat of Sun Flames on his hands as he waited. The blood on the wall in front of him shot to him, he destroyed it with Storm Flames. More blood came from a side door, he didn’t burn it but he evaded the cage solidifying where he’d stood and dashed inside the next room, touching the man’s outstretched arm. The hero sent him another blood shot… well, tried to, not much came out. The syringe-like thing that had been poking on his back had popped out of his skin because of Sun Flames, blocking the blood income to the arms’ gauntlets, that worked as compartments.

“Oh, well… You win.”

Tsuna nodded, “sorry for that, did it hurt?”

Vlad King shook his head. “To be honest, I feel great!”

Of course, damn Sun Flames and their healing properties. The brunet followed the man out and waited in front of the assembled heroes, all of them looked dejected, Nezu was thoughtful and Shouta was smirking. That did things to his stomach. An idea hit him.

“Well!” Nezu clapped his paws once, “congratulations, Sora! You pass!”

“With flying colours, listener!!”

“Thank you.”

“Now,” the principal closed his laptop with a click and stood, “I’ll send you your license through Tsukauchi, keep in touch!”

Tsuna nodded slightly, evading the questions the heroes stormed him with after Nezu left. Shouta came to his aide, gripping his wrist and taking him straight home. The cats jumped him in purrs and he petted them as the other hero just looked at him.

“Well done.”

The brunet let the cats down and took the hood off his head, turning to look at Shouta. He was very calm, standing at his side and watching the brunet with pride in his eyes. Tsuna grabbed the front of his black jacket, making him stumble forward in surprise, and kissed him full on the lips, very briefly.

“Thank you,” he breathed against the man’s lips.

As what he’d done sank, the newly appointed hero let Shouta go and looked away to flee, but he was caught and gently turned to be kissed, long, chaste, sensual. Tsuna lost himself in it, hugging the man’s waist. One hand cupped his cheek and he caressed its back as the kiss ended. They locked gazes, both lightly blushing, both smiling, both elated.

“Nice move, Tsuna.”

He giggled, biting his lower lip. “I have to show how grateful I am, right?”

Shouta huffed, placing a peck on his cheek.

Chapter Text

Shouta dried the last plate he’d washed and put it away, suspicious of the growing silence in the living room. He left the towel hanging on a drawer’s handle to let it dry and walked through the door, taking off his hair tie. Tsuna was on his armchair near the window – best shopped item ever, in his opinion, for many reasons –, an open book on his bended legs, gathered up, and bright golden eyes lost into the night sky. Byakuran and Reborn were sitting on the armrests, tails curled around themselves, tips nervously moving back and forth. He didn’t think all those signs together boded well.

Golden eyes meant Intuition working, Tsuna never used it at home if not to solve cold cases Tsukauchi sent him through the new laptop Nezu had gifted the brunet for passing the exams. If he was activating it, maybe there was something wrong happening or about to happen. From what he’d gathered thanks to the descriptions of how he used the ability, it usually activated by itself or principally to keep others safe. That could mean someone might be in danger, in that moment, and Shouta was a hero, he got worried.

However, he’d found out the cats, even if unfathomable jerks, were also very attuned to Tsuna’s moods and acted according to it. It was rare for them to be still and awake. Judging by how intensely they were staring at the brunet, they were worried about what was going on, but they were only monitoring him.

Shouta silently pondered about what to do, eyeing the clock for his night patrol. He was sleeping more since Tsuna had come to live with him and he couldn’t say he was not feeling better. He returned to the kitchen and brewed hot chocolate, taking some for himself. He didn’t really like it, but he would bring along his coffee thermos so he’d be fine. He also couldn’t brew as well as the seasoned waiter, yet Tsuna never complained. No, instead he liked it, and it always made a small smile bloom on the sweet lips.

He sighed as he filled a mug and a cup. He’d never felt like Tsuna made him feel. He knew he had provoked him, by telling him to thank him properly, but he’d not expected–

Bold. Tsuna was bold. That single thought caused butterflies to go crazy in his stomach. He was so smitten that he was terrified of fucking things up. One moment he didn’t want to rush, the next he was staring at Tsuna and was surprised the other had not combusted because of his heated gaze alone.

With a deep breath, Shouta took up the hot chocolate and went to sit on one of the armrests, Reborn sending him a glare but moving to sit next to Byakuran. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Tsuna slowly turned to him, eyes falling to the beverages and lips quirking into that small smile. “Thank you,” he took the mug and left a kiss on his hand’s palm.

The hero did his best to not blush. How could that be legal? It wasn’t, goddamnit.

“I have a bad feeling.” He stirred the cocoa with the spoon, letting it cool down. “Your patrol, something will happen.”

… Oh. Ok, “what do you suggest?”

“I still can’t come with you, right?”

“Not without your license, it’s due in a few days.”

Tsuna hummed, nodding. “Then, you choose. I either coat you in Flames, or I sneak out of the apartment and come along despite of breaking our deal.”

The choice was obvious, but “is it that dangerous tonight?”

He bit his inner cheek. “Not dangerous, per se. It’s just… many things will happen at the same time, and I prefer having to go into hiding, far from… here, if that means saving you.”

Shouta gently cradled his free hand through the other’s hair, palm lingering on the brunet’s cheek. “Fine, coat me,” he frowned, “sounds strange.”

“It will be strange, you know…” Tsuna sipped some chocolate and left the mug on the nearby table, along with the closed book. “Are you sure?”

He shrugged, doing the same with his cup. “Better than having you running away from me.”

The brunet attempted a smirk, “I wouldn’t run from you, maybe you’re the only one able to catch me. You did catch me.”

Shouta rolled his eyes as Tsuna stood in front of him, hand falling from the young man’s cheek. “I didn’t catch you, you let me, I’m not an idiot.”

“Semantics.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I might want to chase you down tonight, please, get out so I can.”

Tsuna chuckled, hands lifted to the man’s shoulders, warm fingers brushing his neck’s skin. Tsuna was never cold, he’d discovered, probably thanks to his Flames. The brunet leaned over to whisper in his ear.

“Who says I won’t, after getting my license?”

See? Bold.

Shouta loved it.

Tsuna placed his forehead against the hero’s and closed his eyes, “let me focus.”

He had a good view of his face, his lightly bitten and delicious lips, the crease in his brows due to concentration, the long eyelashes pressed together. Too near to humanly resist temptation, but he stayed put… for the moment, and closed his eyes, too, to not be tempted.

From where he could feel Tsuna’s fingers on his skin, a feeling of warmth reminding him of sunbathing slowly spread out all over him. It trickled down to his feet, making him understand what the coat word meant. It was like wearing another set of clothes, but warmer, more comfortable. Another feeling, like a shower of sea water, but muted by the sun shining on his skin, did the same thing. And then, one more, this time too light to properly categorise it. Tsuna moved his palms down Shouta’s arms and took the raven’s hands. Something else was put there, something… snarky.

“You can see it as an experiment.”

Shouta opened his eyes, finding Tsuna’s already gazing at him. He couldn’t resist and leaned forward to leave a peck on his mouth, to which the brunet softly answered. The other smiled, licking his lips and blushing. Truly too adorable.

“Do you feel better now?”

Tsuna nodded, sitting back down on his armchair, cats invading his lap. Shouta leaned into the seat’s armrest and brought one arm around the brunet’s shoulders.

“I think… you should be sneakier, now, and, whatever ends up happening, you’ll… come out of it.” He didn’t seem satisfied. “I can work with that. However,” he looked up at Shouta, “if you don’t come walking through that door, unharmed, I’ll personally raise hell throughout the whole city trying to find you.”

He smirked, “that’s exaggerating. You have my phone number.”

“Not as dramatic as raising hell on earth.”

Shouta scoffed, moving his arm so that he could turn Tsuna to himself and steal another, longer kiss. Then, he stood and went to grab his gear.

His patrol went uneventful all night, bar for a couple of robberies. He was almost done with his shift and brushing off the carefulness that had come from Tsuna’s warning when his phone rang. He had the bad habit of answering without checking the ID, especially when he was working. It could be an emergency and time was of the essence in his line of work, but this time he was also distracted by what seemed to be a smuggling or drug deal happening on his way home.

“Eras–”

“Duck.”

Shouta dived forward, behind the roof’s balustrade, in time to evade a bullet that would have hit his head. “What the fu–”

“Focus, it’s a trap. For me.”

“Shit.”

The hero vaulted over a nearby roof and discreetly eyed the other side, locating the glinting weapons poking from behind a black car. “I’m going to hear from you later.” The dealers were part of the assailants.

“Make sure to thank me properly.”

Shouta grinned, ended the call and switched to Tsukauchi’s speed dial, “I need reinforcements to my location, two minutes ago.”

“On it, don’t try stupid stunts.” The line went dead and he pocketed his phone.

No stunts, fine, but he could at least do something smart. Tsuna had told him he would be sneakier, so he used his experienced ability of sneaking past his enemies to reach for the roof right over his attackers by creating a diversion on the opposite side – thanks to darkness and a broken light pole, he only needed to throw debris in another direction. Thinking about it, he could understand why, to reach for Sora, they would try him. Reportedly, he was the only one seen engaging him in conversations and heroes were often not above selling such information, main reason why he was keeping Tsuna’s living arrangements to himself. Not even his friends knew– yet, but they would, eventually. He trusted them.

However, this meant the survived or surfacing cells the brunet had talked about were real and reorganizing. Seeing as Sora was their main threat to the reimplementation of traffics, they would keep trying to take him down. This made his quirk activate, but he took a deep, silent breath and calmed down.

Well, he was calm, until a loud bang resounded in the night and, as he instinctually moved out of the way, he felt the distinct, familiar, strangely slow pain of a gunshot superficially rippling his right arm. He looked up towards the direction of the bullet’s source and swiftly jumped there to neutralize the mutant-type villain, taking hold of the heavy weapon… and he flinched as it disintegrated into nothing while surrounded in a red halo, just in time for police reinforcements to arrive.

Three minutes later, all the thugs had been apprehended after a short firefight and the forgotten pain was simply not there anymore. A look proved his thought right, there was no wound, just his torn and slightly bloody sleeve. Testing the feeling he had of the Flames, he found them… less tight? Somehow. It was strange.

“You okay?”

He looked up at Tsukauchi and nodded, “yes. Sora tried to warn me about this, he actually wanted to come with me tonight.”

“And how did you manage to make him desist?” The detective arched a brow at him.

“I let him use his Flames on me, and they worked, by the way.” He pointed at his arm, “not even a scar. He called me when someone was about to shoot me in the head to make me duck.”

“Well… I keep having no words about it, I’m just very glad he is on our side… but you should go home.”

Shouta nodded, quickly dealt with the first report and forwent the entrance of his apartment complex to jump directly to his balcony. Tsuna was there, on the threshold of the open French door, with a blue duvet over his shoulders, held by one hand. He was exuding worry all over the place, through his furrowed brows, bitten lips, tense arms, hunched back.

The hero took off his googles, that fell in his scarf, and stepped down the railing to catch Tsuna in his arms, burying his face into the other’s hair and relaxing in the tight embrace he received.

“I’m fine, thanks to you.”

“Yes,” his voice was slightly quivering, “thank me properly now.”

He was reminded of when Tsuna had told him about his past, about his family. Maybe the brunet himself didn’t notice it, but it was clear to Shouta he was feeling guilty and sad just thinking about those times. He obviously didn’t want to lose another family, and he didn’t deserve to suffer such a thing again.

The hero massaged his back before taking him up in his arms. Tsuna held onto him, looking around in confusion. This was the second time Shouta brought him somewhere bridal style, it felt… very fulfilling, strangely. He just tightened the arm around Tsuna’s shoulders and went for his own bedroom.

“Not a word about it, your room was only temporary since the beginning.”

He saw the blush and smirked. The cats tried tripping him, but failed, and Tsuna chuckled. The hero let the two pets inside and dropped the brunet on his bed, falling right after and enveloping him in his arms. Tsuna curled in his embrace and sighed.

“Ok, this is nice, I consider it a proper way to thank me.”

Shouta gathered enough strength to steal a kiss before settling to sleep, unable to even think about a shower, “good night, Tsuna.”

“Uhm… night, Shouta.”

The cats dozed off at their feet.

Chapter Text

“We’ll be right back!”

Tsuna didn’t believe that lie anymore, Katsuki and Izuku’s mothers were going to take the entirety of his morning shift, again. He didn’t truly mind taking care of the kids, but he was suspicious. Why were they always leaving the babies to him?

With a sigh, he took the strollers with the sleeping boys to a more shadowed corner, turning them so that, once they woke up, they could see him and not be in direct line of the sunlight, and went back to helping customers. Strangely, Akuro had not gone with the two women and was trying a new cake in the back of the shop. In fact, fifteen minutes later, she came in the front with a cake in her hands and a wide, winning grin on her lips. Tsuna understood he was a guinea pig.

Silently, he let her put the cake on the counter and cut a slice. “What is it?”

“Surprise!”

Tsuna arched a brow, but took a good look at the new creation. It was donut-shaped, dark brown, covered in a white web and small pieces of caramelized orange. He took the slice, eyeing the white cream in it, and slowly tasted a bite. Dark chocolate sponge, white chocolate cream, hints of orange.

“It’s good. Who do you need to poison with this?” He bit another mouthful.

“Why, your boyfriend!” Tsuna hastily grabbed a glass of water to not die by choking on cake. “He’s taking you from us!!”

The brunet wheezed, blushing brightly. “He’s not–” He coughed, turning away, “he’s not my boyfriend.”

“Suuuure, you’re convincing no one, not even the kids.”

Tsuna took a deep breath. “Really, we aren’t, we haven’t even–…” He sighed, leaning against the counter and covering his mouth with one hand. “I don’t know what we are, just that… we’re taking it slow.”

Akuro placed one hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “That’s fine, as long as it is what you both want.” At that, he nodded. “Well, I guess the shovel talk falls on me, huh?”

Tsuna groaned. “Better you than Mitsuki… and she’d be better than Inko.”

“I second that,” she laughed. “You two need anything, anyway? A day or two off? You just have to ask, I’m full of volunteers now!”

He hummed, “I’ll ask, but not yet. What about this cake, then?”

“It will be up starting next week, I have to decide on a name,” Akuro shrugged, stealing a piece of caramelized orange. “He’s a good influence on you.”

Tsuna blinked at her, hand falling from his mouth, “what do you mean?”

“Well, you’re better rested since you two started coming here together. He is, too. And you don’t have strange wounds that you always said were caused by clumsiness anymore. I have to give it to him, that man is taking care of you as much as you are taking care of him. Isn’t that what matters the most?”

The brunet smiled at her, wondering what she would do when she discovered they were living together, not only getting a try at a relationship.

“… I don’t remember giving them a photo.”

Shouta sighed, “Nezu took one from the footage of your practical.”

Tsuna huffed. At least, he could keep his comfortable attire. “So, I just need a hoodie and whoever asks me for this,” he flicked the license in the air, catching it in his other hand, “will know I am a hero?”

“More or less,” the raven threw an arm around Tsuna’s shoulders, pulling him against his side on the couch. “I know what you’re thinking.”

The brunet relaxed and adjusted his position so that he could enjoy the kinship and keep working on some cold cases. “What then?”

“How can they be sure it is you if that’s just a non-descript photo of a person wearing a hoodie?”

“Smart, you surprise me.”

Shouta clicked his tongue and pinched Tsuna’s side, causing a yelped chuckle. “Don’t worry about it, no one will ask you as long as you’re with me, and I can recognize you easily now.”

“How flattering.”

“Anyway,” he huffed, “if you tilt it this way,” the eyes in the photo gained a sheen of golden, reflecting the light.

“… Nezu is sadistic, isn’t he?”

“Oh, he is.” He smirked, eyeing the file Tsuna was studying on the laptop. “How many have you solved until now?”

“I’m not keeping count, ask Tsukauchi-san.”

“Again with the honorific?”

“I’ll drop it when he’ll start resting properly.”

Shouta chuckled, “you should tell him that. I think he might consider it.”

He scoffed. “I don’t think he values me dropping an honorific more than working.”

“No,” the raven looked at his frown and smothered it with a kiss on his forehead, “but he does value your opinion. You should try saying something.”

Tsuna left the laptop on the low table in front of the couch and turned to Shouta. “Are you allowing me to butt my nose where it doesn’t belong?”

“That’s what heroes do.”

The brunet grinned, melting against his side, “you know… if you want to ask me something, you should just do it. Don’t worry too much.”

Shouta stiffened slightly before sighing. “Of course… I’m starting to get annoyed by your Intuition.”

“Be thankful you’re not on its bad side. Now, out with it before I doze off.”

A moment of silence followed, not exactly tense, but not comfortable either. Tsuna opened his eyes and straightened a bit… only to see a small blush on the man’s cheeks.

“You don’t have to answer,” he began, looking down. “Was there someone else, in your past, that… interested you the way we…”

Oh… Oh.

Tsuna blushed, licking his lips and looking away. “I…” Ok, he needed to be blunt about this. “I haven’t ever… been with someone. Not because of feelings, anyway, but…” His blush darkened. “I have engaged… sexual activities with… Uhm, there have been two, only two men, from my family circle, but it was only… I mean, I was drunk most of the times, if not it was just to… let off some steam.” He backed a bit from Shouta, hiding his face behind his hands. “I know it’s not… conventional, but I…” Time to go all out with it, “I was attracted to someone.” He sighed, letting his hands curl around his bended knees. “I never thought he would be interested in me the same way, especially after he… started pushing everyone away. I was… I was not happy, and someone noticed. He offered me a night away from my worries, it turned into…” Tsuna sighed again, massaging his forehead with two fingers, gaze lost on the floor. “And then, he, too, just… stopped allowing our escapees. One of my Guardians noticed how our interactions changed, he… he offered to warm my bed.” He closed his eyes, memories flooding his mind. “It ended with my death, I suppose.”

Byakuran jumped on the low table, right in front of him, and sat, tail curled around his front paws. His violet eyes were oddly challenging, almost sad.

Tsuna didn’t expect to be hugged, not after confessing he’d had sexual relationships with someone else, most of all just because of the pleasure of the flesh, because he was weak, because he couldn’t have who he wanted, because he needed it, because–

Shouta had one arm around his waist, the other around his shoulder with its hand threaded in his hair. It was the most comforted he’d ever felt. He grabbed onto the man’s jacket, unsure about his reaction or what he was about to say.

But the raven stayed silent, at least until his calming motions on Tsuna’s back and hair worked.

“Thank you for telling me,” Shouta’s voice was not angry. “I have no right to judge you, if that’s what got you so worked up. I asked because I thought it strange that no one tried to get you, with how irresistible you are.” The brunet felt himself combust in embarrassment. “I’m sorry the asshole you were interested in evaded you, must have been an idiot.” Tsuna scoffed into a sour, single chuckle. “You answered me, so I’ll tell you my experience is pretty much non-existent. Someone tried approaching me, but I… was never truly interested enough to let myself go. Of course, you are the exception.”

“Flatterer.”

“I want proper gratefulness.”

Tsuna took a deep breath, wiggled his head out of Shouta’s embrace and looked up at him, still blushing beet red. “Before that, I want to know if me being bold is bad or good.” It had been a frequent doubt since he had kissed him the first time.

The man had the galls to smirk at him. “I think you should be careful how bold you get, I might not be able to hold back.”

Tsuna nodded, ignoring how his blush darkened, and moved to straddle Shouta’s lap, smirking at the surprised expression. It was always a wonder to savour expressiveness out of a man that made it his life objective to always look utterly uninterested in everything. He lifted his hands to scratch the raven’s nape, licking his lips when he saw thin shivers run down his skin, and leaned down to try a different kiss.

The brunet lined their lips, smacking them chastely with closed eyes, then grazed the man’s lower lip with his teeth. He tilted his head and kissed him again, licking the corner of his mouth, one hand sliding to his face and chin. Larger hands moved up his thighs to his waist, playing with the white shirt he was wearing. He was about to leave another nip when he felt his world’s axis shift.

He was suddenly pinned to the sofa, Shouta over him with an almost red gaze, and his lips were captured and pried open. A warm, soft, invading tongue joined his own, eliciting a muffled and surprised moan through his throat. It was sensual, slow, purposeful, patient, warm, calm, exploring, pleasant, fulfilling, different, satisfying… It was distinctly Shouta.

Tsuna tugged at his long, black hair and eagerly engaged the man’s tongue into the battle that was overwriting whatever kiss he’d ever received. It was not trying to rile him up, it was not sexual, it was… feelings, poured into him through the touch of their lips, and Tsuna did his best to answer in kinds.

Need for oxygen made Shouta detach, foreheads touching, eyes locked, twin blushes, pleased smiles, more of a predatory grin on the raven’s slightly swollen lips.

“Yes, I can consider myself properly thanked.”

Tsuna giggled, not letting him go by hooking his wrists around the other’s neck. “I haven’t asked, but I guess it is kind of obvious… are we lovers?”

Shouta narrowed his eyes, “I’m not letting go of you any time soon, so you better think of us as lovers or I’ll rip apart whoever thinks they can have a go at you.”

The brunet pursed his lips to not smile at the blatant threat. “Do know that I can be jealous, too, darling”

He rolled his eyes, leaned over at Tsuna’s side and spooned him. “Sleep, I have patrol in an hour.”

“… can I get a kiss first?”

It went without asking.

Chapter Text

Shouta wailed into the pillow of his bed. Tsuna debated what to do beside keeping on hugging his lover, that was clearly in quite a predicament.

“Well, it’s not like we didn’t expect them to, right?”

“It’s never going to be peaceful anymore.”

Tsuna was sure the hero was overreacting, so he cuddled him, coaxing his face off the pillow and kissing him deep and short. “Do you really think I’d let anyone ruin something this precious to you?”

Shouta hugged him tightly and stole another kiss. “No, you’re too protective, but I really dread whatever they will do tonight.”

“How did it happen, anyway?”

He sighed, cradling the brunet’s hair to massage his scalp. Tsuna thought he could begin purring any moment because of that.

“Hizashi is a usual and unwanted guest of this house, I don’t remember inviting him over once.” The brunet chuckled, gently patting Shouta’s chest. “But I’ve been sabotaging his attempted visits for… five months now. I don’t even know how I managed that… Anyway, today, at school, he came to me, told me he and Nemuri were coming for dinner and then that he had already talked with Tsukauchi and knew I had no patrol tonight. I feel cheated, just saying.”

Tsuna cooed, “poor Shouta, played by his best friend and his favourite detective.”

The hero pouted, glaring at the ceiling. “You do know that, by tomorrow’s first period, everyone will be aware we’re living together and probably having an affair or something?”

“We aren’t?”

He groaned, one hand heavily falling on his face. “I don’t want people prying.”

“Well, look at the bright side… by the time you’ll have students next term, the rumour mill will have cooled off and they probably won’t believe the coldest teacher of UA that has expelled an entire class the year before could in any way have a lover.”

There was a moment of contemplating silence. “You make an awfully valid point. What about Nezu? He might link the dots.”

“He’s smart, he might, but it won’t be a problem.”

“Seeing we’re talking about school, have you thought about something regarding the Entrance Exam?”

Tsuna closed his eyes, relaxing a bit more in the pleasant cuddles. “Something, yes. You told me about it, I agree, doesn’t let some types of quirks and mental abilities shine. So, what about adding an apparently very real hostage situation in the midst of it?”

Shouta tightened his hold on the brunet. “Explain it to me?”

“Well… let’s say you keep the rules and the scoring system of Rescue and Fight points, ok?” He felt the shift of a nod. “Robots are not people. Even if I understand trying to coddle the children a bit more, they will have to face important and sudden situations, like a robbery. I’d say, maybe in the last minutes, make a fake villain seem like they are escaping from UA with a fainted hostage. Even broadcast it through speakers, to make the event feel more real, and add a request for help? Anyway, analytical skills, mental quirks, quick thinking, the soul of a hero… all of these would shine at least in one of the examinees.”

The man turned to better hug Tsuna, “that’s not all, but already impressive. I’ll submit it to the board next week. What else?”

“Uhm,” Tsuna yawned, rubbing his face into Shouta’s jacket. “You told me you immediately test their true core as a hero, if they are at UA for fame or money. I don’t want to say this is not important, but maybe you’re rushing that part. I mean,” another yawn, “saving is a hero’s priority, but they are still very young and might not be understanding it fully well yet… and that might be the education’s fault. Instead of their wills, test their ability to think out of the box, make it a competition, talk harshly to them, try to make them understand, open their eyes.” Tsuna cuddled a bit more tightly, “lead them to what a hero truly must be. If they fail, if they still show no talent or the right thinking process, you expel them.”

He hummed in answer, Tsuna fell asleep.

Reborn, as the jerk he was, tripped Hizashi, also known as Present Mic, the exact moment the man in civilian clothes burst through the door without even a knock. Nemuri promptly fell on the floor in crazed laughter. Shouta sighed, closing the door and ignoring his friends in favour of making sure the jerk of a black cat had not hurt himself in the process. Though, he was ready to admit he felt vindicated, a little bit. He gave the cat a treat, trying to hide it from Tsuna, then Byakuran jumped on the fallen body of Nemuri and peacefully settled for a nap on her stomach. A treat for him, too.

“Shouta, don’t.”

He pouted, returning to the kitchen. “They are good cats.”

“They are jerks,” Tsuna scolded, failing to hold back a smirk.

“Wai– There’s someone else?! Shou has become a functional human being?!?”

He sighed in aggravation, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m so going to poison him tonight…”

“Wha–oh. Right. Gotta tell this to Akuro. Of course! I’m an idiot, but you’ve become bold, Shou-chan!”

He didn’t want to look back at his friend. “Rumours,” the raven muttered.

“Exactly, I’m going to be interrogated tomorrow, and given the cold shoulder for… three days.” Tsuna shrugged, “deserved.”

“… aren’t you the waiter in that coffee shop?”

“He’s Tsu-chan! I told you, Zashi-chan, there was something stinky!” Nemuri jumped and squealed, “our Shou-chan is serious!”

He caught his lover’s blush while he was still busy with dinner, then made peace with his current situation. “Nemuri, Hizashi, meet Tsuna. Tsuna, you met them, the blond mess on the floor is Present Mic, Yamada Hizashi, and the annoying woman is Midnight, Kayama Nemuri.”

The brunet turned a bit to smile at the two, “nice to meet you.”

The woman just squealed into the evening, Hizashi stood and swiftly went to grab Tsuna’s free hand, stars in his eyes. “Is this what I think it is, listener?! You melted Shou’s uninterested heart?! How?!”

Shouta ignored his nosy friends and took over the pan, knowing he could handle it. Tsuna sent him a grateful smile, that changed when directed to Hizashi.

“No, I didn’t melt it, I just had the right keys.”

… You definitely melted me, Tsuna, was the underground hero’s thought, but he didn’t say it out loud. It was a notion he would share with one person only. He liked the feeling of complicity that they had, especially because of their exclusive, personal secrets. It was like there was them, and then the world, and he was very satisfied by being able to have Tsuna for himself.

“I want to know everything!!”

And there went their exclusivity… Darn it.

Shouta eyed his lover with a suffering gaze, but chocolate brown eyes glanced at him once, a complicate smile on his lips. “Well, I can’t. Shouta likes his privacy, I like ours, so… I can only say that it’s working great.”

A sudden, welcome, elating feeling of completion filled him. Tsuna sneakily winked at him as Nemuri and Hizashi gaped at each other in astonishment. He wanted both to hug his wonderful and considerate lover and ravish him, there, in front of his friends – in front of the world. He would turn into a pervert at such a rate.

Tsuna took back the pan and finished cooking. “The table is set, please, take a seat. And mind the cats, they have eaten but they pretend they haven’t.”

“A classic…”

Hizashi chuckled, “well, thank you for the meal!”

“Akuro told me you’re good at cooking!”

Shouta silently agreed with Nemuri. He’d found out very soon, especially because of his complete inability in the kitchen, that Tsuna’s cooking was delicious. He didn’t care if he was biased. By the appreciative comments and hums, his friends agreed. He intercepted Reborn half-way into a jump to the table and put him back down, earning a vicious, feline glare.

“So, Tsuna, where do you come from?”

Ah, the getting to know each other part… Shouta knew where this was going.

“A small town of Japan, I doubt you ever heard of it.”

Yes, Namimori, because it didn’t exist in their universe, as Tsuna called it. The brunet had checked, he had tried to find evidence of himself, maybe a relative. Shouta wondered what would have happened if a city like Namimori existed, with all its perks and abnormal citizens.

“We’re both from Musutafu,” Nemuri hummed, drinking wine from her glass. “I have a mother, never known my father, and a younger brother.”

“I’m an only child! My parents own a flower shop! What about you?”

Shouta was ready to stop that onslaught of questions, but a foot tapping his knee beneath the table made him notice the small, sad smile Tsuna was wearing, and he relented with a sigh. Instead, he stood to grab the strawberry cheesecake.

“My mother has passed, my father is somewhere. I don’t have siblings.”

“Oh…”

“I’m sorry,” Hizashi frowned.

Tsuna shrugged, “I’ve made peace with how things are.”

A lifetime of Mafia experience on his shoulders, years of building and protecting a patchwork family, endless nights of getting tired and tired over his duties… That was how things had been and Shouta couldn’t help putting the cake at Tsuna’s left corner and squeezing his arm in passing, giving him knife and smaller plates. Unfortunately, it didn’t go unnoticed. Fortunately, his friends were tactful busybodies.

“Fathers do that, at times.”

“Mothers, too.” Hizashi thanked for the cake slice, “I mean, mine once left out of the blue to verify the rumour of a flower in Africa and my father went crazy over it, almost filed a missing person report!”

“That’s some dedication…”

Shouta scoffed, sitting down in his chair, “she’s obsessed with undiscovered flowers.”

“Can’t deny that,” the blond grinned and tasted the cake. “This is good!!”

“I second that, we should keep our visits to a minimum or I’ll get fat!”

The raven took that olive branch for what it truly was, an offer to not invade their home too often and, in exchange, they would decide when to invite them over. Nemuri was that cunning, but she was, unknowingly, underestimating someone.

“I’ll make sure to send you more through Shouta, at school maybe?”

Hizashi spluttered the water he’d been drinking, hacking while trying to laugh. Nemuri gaped, blushing. Shouta smirked in evil delight, adoration shining in his eyes. If she feared getting fat and more irresistible sweets happened to be in her way, she wouldn’t want to drop by for impromptu dinners. Tsuna just cordially kept smiling, helping Present Mic by gently patting his back.

Reborn jumped on the table, Shouta stopped him in time to not let his paws hit the surface and his plate, which he could have knocked over, but the jerk managed to lick his slice of cake. “You little shit.”

Tsuna chuckled over his glass of wine, visibly amused, then stood to pick him and Byakuran up. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.” He left for the balcony.

“Shou, I think you’ve hit the jackpot.”

He arched a brow at Nemuri, “hands off.”

Hizashi laughed. “Mate, should I give you your key back? I mean, it’s not good I can barge in whenever I want, not good.”

Shouta waved him off, taking a bite of the cake. “Just be more careful from now on. You didn’t know.”

“How did it happen, anyway? This is too delicious!”

Well, they had talked about this, but “ask Tsuna.”

The brunet was back through the door and was immediately asked the same question. He blinked, eyeing Shouta, who just shrugged. It still was his choice.

“Ok, uhm…” He sat down, “I think I can trust you two with this.” His eyes briefly shone golden, making the two heroes blink in confusion as Tsuna took his wallet and showed them his license. “Sorry for the trouble of my exam, I needed to pass.”

Nemuri paled, hands going to her open mouth. Hizashi stood from the chair, almost knocking it over, and pointed a finger at Shouta.

“You bastard!” The raven arched a brow, barely perturbed. “You didn’t tell Nezu?!”

“That’s what you’re worried about? Really?” He rolled his eyes, “I didn’t need to tell him, this is my personal business. Tsukauchi is the one who talked with Nezu about legal business. A warning, Hizashi, if you snitch on Tsuna being Sora, you’ll have an angry and suddenly very rested detective on your heels, not only me.” He massaged his forehead, his friend sat back down, astonished. “Listen, I caught him being Sora in the coffee shop, but by then basically no one was truly interested in arresting him anymore, me included. We made a deal, it happened months ago, and Tsukauchi was and is involved in it.”

“If it helps,” Tsuna was still smiling, but it was off, “part of the deal was to become a hero.” He looked down, playing with the cake with his fork. “I was as surprised as you, back then, never thought this would happen, I… I was kind of ready to bring myself in or flee the country to check new territories.”

“I couldn’t let him slip through my fingers again.”

Nemuri blinked in sinking realization. “You…”

Shouta decided to bring attention on another side of the situation, “have you noticed how many cold cases are being solved, as of late?”

Hizashi nodded, “Nezu mentions it often…”

“Tsuna’s the one doing that.” Shouta poured himself some more wine, “he’s helped me with some of the new suggestions I brought to the board, with Tsukauchi’s unhealthy habit of not sleeping… and mine.” He sighed. “He’s become a hero, he’s saved my life and is trying to implement a new system of investigation protocol for traffickers that could work worldwide.”

“Shou…”

He looked up at his lover, that had a delectably cute blush all over his cheekbones, and sighed. “Fine, not like I’m telling lies.”

“I know, but your friends are in shock… and I’m embarrassed.”

“I don’t care about the first, I like the second.”

“Shouta….” Tsuna whined, hiding his face behind his hands.

“I understand not wanting recognition, but you bring it to a whole different level. You’ve told them who you are, let them understand it fully.”

“Maybe it’s a bit too much all at the same time.”

“They’re pros, Tsuna.” Shouta saw the defeated look, he knew he had a point.

Hizashi was the first to figuratively lift his jaw off the floor, “you got to be kidding me.” Or not. “I mean, no, Shou’s not the type to lie, but… Wow, that’s a lot.”

“I…” Nemuri bit her lower lip. “Your Boss doesn’t know?”

“And she won’t.” Tsuna’s eyes had flecks of golden in them, “if she comes to know, she’ll be in danger, the entire shop will be in danger. There’re still people targeting me,” he lifted a hand to Shouta, “they targeted him to get to me.”

“And you saved me, Tsuna.” As soon as his friends left, he was going to kiss his lover’s worries away, end of the question.

The two annoyances left after the information finally sank and they promised, not prompted, to keep the secret. All in all, it seemed that they had accepted and were supporting… this. All of it, anyway, the vigilante-turned-hero, their relationship, Tsuna’s efforts…

Shouta locked the door and immediately grabbed his lover’s wrists, pushing him into the wall. There was a surprised gasp, but it was soon muffled by his lips and tongue. He leaned his body against Tsuna’s, feeling the heat and knowing he still didn’t want to bring it too far. The brunet answered to the kiss, one hand going for his nape, the other on his chest while the raven’s own were settled on the other’s slim, sexy waist.

He massaged the flesh, making the azure shirt rise and show skin. Shouta tasted the cheesecake in Tsuna’s mouth, teased his tongue, kept it steady and not too fast. He couldn’t resist shifting his hands up on the brunet’s body, caressing, softly pinching, mapping it. There were muffled, low, appreciative moans breaking the silence. He brought one hand to the brunet’s chin and moved his lips from his mouth to his cheek and then to his neck, freeing the delectable sounds and hearing them to the fullest.

“Shou… ah…”

He worked on sucking and biting and licking until an impressive hickey was in place. “I understand you’re allergic to thankfulness, but there’s nothing wrong in having support.”

Tsuna sighed, leaning his head on the wall to look at the other better, “I know, it’s just… I’m used to work in the shadows. This is new to me and I… I guess…” He huffed, looking down, “I might be afraid.”

“Of what?” Shouta kissed his neck some more, softly biting the delicious skin.

“… Of creating a new family… and losing it, again…”

Uhm, trauma worked wonders. “You’ll just have to protect us all, right? And I’ll take care of you.”

Tsuna chuckled, bringing him up for another kiss, a small smile lingering on his lips.

Chapter Text

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Shouta sighed as he melted at a table, “they voted in favour and are integrating the hostage situation in the next Entrance Exam.”

Tsuna brightly smiled at him from the corner where Katsuki and Izuku were babbling. “I guess you’re so tiredly happy.”

“Shut up…”

But he was smiling into the coffee cup. The brunet turned to the babies and showed them a new toy about farm animals. There were buttons shaped as a cow, a pig, a horse, a dog and a chicken. Katsuki immediately focused on the dog, Izuku on the cow. Tsuna was happy they had learned how to properly share a toy and their teamwork was very impressive.

“You know, I think they will cause you so many troubles,” he chuckled, wiping Izuku’s nose after he sneezed.

“… the fact that your eyes were golden for a split second is what terrifies me the most. Heroes, both of them?”

Tsuna tilted his head, ruffling Katsuki’s hair when he kept staring at the other boy’s nose. “Uhm… yes, if you don’t prefer more vigilantes?”

“God, no, spare me.”

He giggled, “things won’t be… easy.” Tsuna patted Izuku’s head, who smiled at him shyly. “Not one bit, but they will have good teachers, good guidance… I wonder how many things my arrival here has changed, how many are changing, how many will change… Was it truly a good thing?”

“Tsuna-san!” A student slammed the door from the study room, panting, “the cats! A mess!”

The brunet sighed, unimpressed, then turned to Shouta. “Do you mind checking on the babies? I’ll be right back.”

The hero waved him off and stood to take his place, “take your time.”

“You wouldn’t have said that some months ago…” Tsuna fled after his mutter, knowing his lover was digging holes through the door thanks to heated gaze alone – but there was sure to be a blush, too.

The mess turned out to be massive. Reborn and Byakuran, for once, were not the culprits, else they would be trying to take credit. Three stacks of blank papers Akuro had put there for free use were in complete disarray, torn, on the floor, chairs, tables, under the sofa, there was a couple on the ceiling.

“Well, I don’t want to know how this happened.” Two twin ginger cats were meowing from a corner, the obvious culprits. “At least they haven’t managed to paint a girl in black ink, this time.”

The only student squeaked at his side. He got to work after scolding the cats – in through one ear, out through the other, thus useless. It took him a good twenty minutes, then he returned to the shop and checked there were no customers. Shouta was still in front of the baby-proofed corner and Tsuna smiled.

“Thank you.”

There was the flash of a smirk that made his heart flutter. Shouta looked at the kids, that were intensely focused on his lifted hand. It went to Izuku first, that said something, then to Katsuki.

“Sssu…”

“Naaa!”

Tsuna froze, eyes going to the two grinning kids, then to his lover. He brought his two hands over his mouth, cupping them around it, and knew he was blushing like never before. Shouta was smirking like a devil, looking like a cat that had caught the most delicious canary after a very satisfying chase.

The brunet dove to the floor, grabbed a fistful of his lover’s dark grey jacket and smashed their lips together, holding one hand between the exchange and the kids, that just blinked in confusion. He kept it very short, but the blush he saw when he licked the other’s lips before leaning back was all the reward he needed.

“Thank you.”

Shouta totally started passing more time with the kids, from that point on. And if Tsuna noticed how he did his best to not be caught in the action by two nosy mothers and his own Boss, he made sure to not mention it, because he understood. Also, his lover had given him such a wonderful present, and that he would never forget, that he deserved a bit of consideration… And another reward was brought later into the night.

“I admit I thought this would have happened sooner.”

Tsuna hummed, crouching down on the roof’s edge and analysing the trails his Intuitions was painting. “It’s fine, this way Tsukauchi has a new protocol to follow if we find the location.”

“Which we will, according to what you said.”

He shrugged, “something will happen, and we may be able to gather precious intel. If,” he looked at Shouta, who was standing at his side, with a smirk shadowed by his comforting hoodie, “you can keep up with me.”

Tsuna angled his body forward and sprung to a lower roof, not bothering to wait but testing his lover’s speed by not holding back on his own. He knew Shouta was fast, he had to for his job, and very swift in his almost cat-like moves when prowling his turf, so he didn’t make an effort to check he was only a few steps behind and focused on a sequence of velvet steps and moves that he had thought of to warm up at the beginning of his vigilante patrols, all the while following a boldened and sparkling golden trail.

He parkoured from roof to roof for a whole hour, checking that they did not overlook any ongoing crime. He could feel the pull of sore muscles from the exercise, he’d not trained for months and he was paying for it. Shouta seemed in the same condition, but more because of the rhythm Tsuna had kept. He stood on the roof he’d stopped at, sure he could be clearly seen, half-turning to the underground hero to not lose sight of a ruined and abandoned park.

“Really?” He asked in a whisper, “you should train, Eraser, if a troublesome kid like me managed to tire you out like this.”

The hero sighed. “You’re not a kid. But, yes, we should start training.”

Tsuna narrowed his golden eyes, “when? Because I’d say our days are already full at the moment.”

“Well, we could cut on the sleep.” At the following, tense, heavy silence, Shouta relented. “Fine, ok, no cutting sleep. What about your weekends off?”

“Sounds good. Ready?”

Just as Shouta nodded while looking down towards where Tsuna was tilting his head to, two cars screeched to a halt in the middle of the abandoned park beneath them and more than five men tumbled out, drivers included, embracing modified weapons that were promptly aimed at the two heroes. The brunet took a step into the void, falling on the road in front of the foes with a flip and darting behind a dumpster. He was aware of his lover manoeuvring in his peripheral vision to circle the mob so that they could not escape. There were no civilians around, so Tsuna grabbed a pebble and moulded it into an Illusion of himself, lightly throwing it aside so that the gunshots of bullets and quirks followed its lazy, illusionary walk away from him. He peeked beside the dumpster to assess the current situation when the illusion fell apart a couple of seconds later as it landed on the asphalt, unluckily not long enough to disappear behind the wall without giving away that something was off, making the gunshots stop.

The confused men of the car nearest to him quickly shook their heads and started unloading their bullets of metal, rock and compressed fire against the wall anyway, probably convinced that the Illusion was the disappearance, not the moving image of Sora. With their attention diverted, however, only the men of the other car were focusing on Shouta, who was using the shadows of the night to disengage or confuse the villains. Not wanting to use his Flames on them yet, Tsuna silently shrouded himself in a camouflage and creeped behind the men while avoiding the path of the bullets, unnoticed, sneakily hitting them into unconsciousness before the other three could feel something was wrong, before they could hear there was less sound of gunpower. Being hidden behind the car, the other group of villains going for Shouta didn’t see a thing and he was able to repeat the process, dispelling his Illusion and leaving one conscious for interrogation – the man whose golden trail was brighter, circling the right wrist in a vice and yet unfelt grip.

The other hero landed near him, eyeing the fallen men with a mixture of tiredness and acceptance. “I’ll leave him to you and get them tied, Tsukauchi is on his way.”

Tsuna just hummed, hovering over the man that had been de-weaponized and was crawling backward into a corner, almost shitting himself at that point. The brunet didn’t give him time, calming him down through Rain Flames before cocooning him into Mist Flames. Though calmer, he paled instantly as if he was bleeding from an artery, eyes lost into nothing.

“Who sent you?”

The man gasped and started panting as if he’d been holding his breath for an eternity. “Ka-Kazuha-sama…”

That was a new one. “Full name.”

“Kazuha Yoshim-mune…”

“Where is he?”

“Fukuoka…”

“Where.”

“I-I don’t kn-now…”

“How are you supposed to tell him you succeeded?”

The man, eyes still unfocused with tears freely leaking, grasped at his grey jacket a few times, then fished a phone from a pocket. “A number, in here… a text, and then I… w-we have to bring y-your head-ds…”

Tsuna hummed, taking the unlocked phone and passing it to Shouta, that had finished tying the others. “And what about his criminal activities?”

“Drug-gs, human traf-fic…”

“Is he trying to rebuild what heroes destroyed?”

“… yes…”

Tsuna knocked him out and stood at his lover’s side. “Well, that’s expected.”

“And worrying, protocol?”

“Imperatively,” he sighed, massaging his forehead, “I doubt this will ever end.”

One hand softly grabbed the back of his arm, supportive. “We’re in this together, remember?”

“That’s not very reassuring, what would I do if something happened to you?” His tone was light, almost joking, but there was an undertone of sad desperation that Tsuna himself noticed, so he sighed. “Sorry, it’s just… I’m used to things going very bad.”

“But then, they go very well, right?”

The brunet scoffed, looking up at Shouta’s uncovered, stormy eyes. “I’m saying this only once: if to save you I’ll need to kill, there’d be no choosing.”

The hero sighed, a small smile gracing his kissable lips. “I have no chance changing your mind, I know… but promise me you’ll search for another way, first.”

“… It’s not like I haven’t killed before,” he whispered, looking at his palms.

“You want to do that no more.”

“If it’s to protect–”

“I’m totally on board with protecting family… Sora.” Police cars appeared in the distance. “But not everything is solved by killing, there are other ways. You just need to search for them. You’re a hero, your job is to save...” Shouta hesitated with a grimace, then sighed. “It’s to save whatever the cost, not to kill.”

Tsuna smiled sadly at that, “I think I’ve told you I admire you… You’re everything I’ve never been.”

Shouta obviously couldn’t resist anymore and just hugged him briefly but tightly. “You can be all that, Tsuna, and I’ll be here to cheer you on this new path.”

The brunet melted for a moment in the embrace before knowing the police was too near for them to not be seen. They let each other go and Tsukauchi was instantly on them, checking all over for injuries.

“We’re fine, don’t worry.”

“Yeah, I was almost a decoration,” Shouta snorted.

“He’s exaggerating,” Tsuna waves him off, “anyway, we have news, ready for our first joint raid?”

Going by the detective’s expression, he dreaded it.

Chapter Text

Shouta and Tsuna were engaged in a prank war started by the cats when the raid on the four new and thus not so big facilities was set to blow up. It was… nothing dramatic… Ok, maybe a bit dramatic, especially because it was the cats’ complete fault and because Shouta could be terribly vindictive and Tsuna was having fun like he’d forgotten he could.

One afternoon, exactly two days after the first info gathering, Byakuran and Reborn had teamed up to hide the raven’s favourite civilian scarf – Tsuna’s gift, seeing all the other scarves were old and ruined and overused. The jerks had hidden it under the brunet’s abandoned bed in what they now called the guest bedroom. Once the hero had finally found it, after four hours, Tsuna had made the mistake of being an asshole by remarking: “and here I thought you and that scarf were symbiotic, by now.”

Shouta had taken that personally, a deep frown creasing the spot between his eyebrows and a light pout on his kissable lips. “You’ll regret hiding my scarf.”

To which the brunet had gasped and pleaded innocent, to deaf ears. The prank war had started, Shouta tampering with Tsuna’s toothpaste, mixing it with coffee powder, and Tsuna retaliating by placing a boobytrap on the path to the bathroom so that his lover would stumble on it while still half-asleep in the morning. He’d found out very soon that it was the best time to take him by surprise. Three days later, they were both amusedly annoyed with each other, stealing kisses here and there to fake peace.

So, when they joined the raid team in Fukuoka, Tsukauchi sweat-dropped at their antics – Tsuna had tried to trip Shouta while the raven had painted Sora’s black gloves in yellow – while the other heroes didn’t know what to think about Eraserhead whining about thieving cats and about Tsuna chuckling during the whole preparation stage. The new protocol wanted more or less what Sora usually did: info gathering, area scouting for the time necessary to pinpoint sentinels and eventual alarms’ locations, raid planning, heroes’ warning, raiding with backup. He had to admit, being on the other side, seeing so many people with the priority of saving the captives, feeling the thrum of tension and heroism travel through the air all around… it was different, fulfilling, safe.

“Should have done this since the beginning…”

Shouta sighed, bumping into his shoulder and wearing his googles, that matched Sora’s gloves. “You always forget important details: you were too old, did not know how it worked, did not want to do this in the first place.”

Tsukauchi grinned at him, a radio in front of his face. “Hey, this is all thanks to you, Sora. It’s great progress, and we’re ready to go.” He gave Tsuna a thumb-up, “at your signal.”

Ah, right… this part, he wasn’t fond of. The hooded brunet brought one hand to his ear, pushing a button on the earpiece and letting the few voices still speaking flood in. He nodded at Shouta, that understood they had to cut their personal space off and did the same to his own ear. Tsuna activated his Intuition, golden eyes in the shadow of his hoodie catching the attention of his fellow heroes and respective sidekicks. Several trails opened in front of him, reaching for the opening he’d memorized from the map the detective had provided beforehand. He studied the situation and crouched down on the roof, considering.

“Squad A, to the south-eastern tunnel, three to five guards and a probably broken alarm. Squad B, northern building, two guards playing poker, beware of traps on the walls. Squad C, with me, stand-by.”

He watched with dread as the heroes did as he told them without a single moment of hesitation. It was humbling to unknown levels, but it also reminded him of many, many missions he’d carried as Vongola Decimo, as the Boss of a Mafia Famiglia. Shouta put a soothing hand on his shoulder, grounding him.

Tsuna focused, resurfacing from the rabbit hole that his memories evoked.

The two squads had disappeared through their appointed entrances for a few seconds when he watched an Intuition’s trail bolden and brighten, the one leading to the facility hidden in ruined buildings of an abandoned amusement park. He waited a total of two full minutes, listening to the heroes in action through the earpiece successfully seize the guards and subsequently report they were at the entrance doors.

“Squad A, squad B, get in, beware of patrols, report at auction.”

Shouta’s hand, still on his shoulder, tightened a bit, but he didn’t know why. He didn’t look away, though, it had to wait. However, he could put one hand on the raven’s one and softly caress it with his gloved fingers. It took the heroes another three minutes before reporting they were reaching electrified doors.

“Squad A, sneak in and spread over the exits. Squad B, get on the lower level and find the hostages. Squad C…” He waited a beat, two, three, four… “Up and forward.”

Tsuna jumped with a somersault. He joined his hands, fingers crossed, almost interlaced, building up a condensed ball of Cloud Flames between his palms, coating them by Storm Flames on the underside. Then, just before he could touch the hard roof beneath his falling feet, he opened his arms downwards and aside, pushing the Flames down to the building. The red sheet crashed into the building, destroying and devouring the debris, while the indigo cushion enlarged itself and caused a soft release of compressed air that slowed the heroes’ fall.

The sight that opened to his and the others’ eyes was of total chaos. The already panicked villains were being seized and neutralized on a balcony over a stage with an auctioneer tied and gagged by heroes of the B squad, that were also taking care of the civilians. The arrival of squad C became the icing on the cake as the ones trying to escape thanks to levitating or similar quirks got their escape way abruptly cut.

Tsuna and Shouta worked in tandem, also thanks to the weekends they had trained together in one of UA’s training ground, getting villain after villain on the ground and tied, systematically erasing their quirks and neutralizing them. There were reports coming through the earpiece of all the civilians seemingly accounted for and the mastermind caught. Tsuna bit his lower lip as the trails of golden disappeared from the ground… all minus one.

“What?”

He absently turned off the earpiece, soon followed by his lover, and shook his head. “Something more, come with me.”

The brunet let go of the last villain that he had knocked out and walked alongside the golden trail. Tsukauchi joined them, unprompted but comforting. He went down a pair of staircases, passed by open cages and heroes helping the civilians and a wolf pup, stepped up to a dusty library but for a small spot on the left corner of the third row.

This was too familiar for his liking.

He palmed the spot, fingering around until he found a tiny button. Tsuna swallowed, muscles tensing under his clothes, as he pushed it. The library clicked and slid to the left. The brunet closed his eyes and turned away, a silent, pained wail escaping his lips. Tsukauchi quickly closed the hidden door again before any civilian could see and Shouta gently manoeuvred his lover outside.

“I don’t need your witnesses, Eraserhead. You two can leave.”

The raven didn’t need to be told twice. He took Tsuna in his arms as soon as they were out of sight and effortlessly carried him to the window of their shared hotel room. The brunet was shivering in his hold, he softly tugged the hood down and saw the horror he’d felt when Tsuna had stumbled on the first chamber of that kind.

“Sorry, I–”

Shouta shut him up with a chaste and short kiss, laying them both on the bed and cradling his lover with delicate movements. “It’s not your fault. We’ve done our part, all the civilians were found and no villains escaped as I saw it. You were gorgeous, by the way, stop seducing me by leading raids against villains or I might just jump you during work hours.”

Tsuna released a choked, relieved sigh before giving a curt chuckle, “that’s not true, you want me to do that.”

The other hero tightened his hold onto the brunet. “Yes, you’re right, now sleep. Our prank war has not a winner yet and I want to go home tomorrow.”

He just hugged Shouta and tried to chase away images of more children–

Shouta was not tired, but he was sleepy, just like every morning he begrudgingly woke up even though he didn’t have work yet. But it was Sunday and he wanted to train with Tsuna – it was a sin to be that strong, flexible, handsome, fast and fucking seductive. But it was a sin Shouta wanted more of, like a thirsty man lost in a desert. So, with herculean – and lustful – will, the hero kicked the bedsheet off his body, briefly eyeing the empty spot beside his own, and dragged his feet to the floor, body arching in a strange angle. His back protested and he sighed, sitting up. He stretched, feeling some articulations pop in place, a soft groan of appreciation escaping his lips. There was a softly hummed tune coming from the ajar door to the corridor of his home and he smiled as he recognized that voice. With somewhat renewed will, but still as sleepy as a bear in hibernation, Shouta stood on wobbly legs and trudged to the kitchen. There was a steaming mug at his spot at the table, Tsuna was sitting at his own chair with a laptop open and sipping from the mug he’d bought months prior, black with a yellow stripe on the bottom.

“Morning…”

Tsuna grinned up at him, looking away from some case briefly. “Good morning.”

Shouta sat down, expecting Byakuran to occupy his lap, but the cat didn’t come. He looked around, a bit worried.

“The jerk is outside with Reborn, sunbathing.”

Well, that explained it. It was spring and the cats liked the sun. He brushed his palms against his eyes, trying to get them more open, before grabbing his mug and absently drink the coffee–

He almost spit it all over the wall at his right. Suddenly fully awake by the disgustingly sweetness that he’d just allowed in his mouth, Shouta narrowed his eyes at the beverage, seeing black liquid but smelling white chocolate. There were badly repressed chuckles coming from the man sitting opposite of him and he understood. A prank. A very smart and very terrible prank.

Ok.

Enough.

He’d wanted to do this since the start of their war.

Shouta looked up at Tsuna, who pursed his lips in sinking realization. They stood at the same time, the brunet rushed to their shared bedroom and the raven was hot on his heels. He made it just in time to push his body against the door, strangely easily overpowering his lover and getting inside the room. He didn’t give him time for reprise, grabbing onto Tsuna’s left wrist and pulling him onto the bed. Shouta pinned both his wrists over the brunet’s head with one hand before finally seizing his prize with an evil, toothed, crazed smirk… The brunet had the time to widen his eyes in panicked realization before the raven attacked Tsuna’s sides.

The effect was instantaneous.

Tsuna’s gasped laughter brought him to tears as Shouta tickled him relentlessly. He scratched and pinched his sides and stomach with his free hand, causing the shirt to slide up and having naked skin to work on. It started to have a pinkish shade and Tsuna was trying, and spectacularly failing, to smoother his laughter and ask for mercy or admitting defeat. With his hands locked in a steely grasp, he could only use his legs, freeing them from under the raven and kicking him away. The tickles stopped, but Shouta dodged one foot and stopped another, eyeing the panting mess beneath him… and taking in their exact position.

The brunet had his eyes dazed, doing his best to regain his breath, remains of his laughter fading and a single tear sliding down his reddened cheek.

Shouta, meanwhile, was fucked.

Tsuna looked up at him, then at both. The blush intensified but he didn’t shy away or try to free his hands. No, he locked gazes with his lover and smiled thinly.

“Don’t leave.”

The raven froze, mesmerized. “Tsuna–”

“Do you want to?”

He closed his eyes, feeling a blush creeping on his cheekbones. “That’s a very stupid question.”

The free leg circled Shouta’s waist, making him shoot his eyes open in surprise. “Care to elaborate?”

Tsuna was… gorgeous. Glazed, fluttering closed, deep brown eyes were looking at him. Parted, rosy, inviting lips were letting out soft, warm puffs of breath. His head was tilted to the side, almost trying to hide half of his face behind the arm lifted to Shouta’s lock on his wrists. The skin left uncovered by the shirt was teasing and arousing in ways the hero had never felt. He knew his pants were becoming tight.

“I’ve wanted to for… for a long time, that’s why,” he answered, throat dry, words scratching it.

The leg on his waist moved, eliciting traitorous shivers on his clothed skin. “Flatterer…” Tsuna slowly blinked once, smiling in a mischievous way and subtly shifting his waist, that was slightly lifted onto his bent knees on the bed. “We both want it, why are you hesitating?”

Shouta slowly let Tsuna’s wrists and foot go, hands falling to his sides as he straightened. The brunet used his freedom to sit up, and ended up fully in the man’s lap, brushing against a quite obvious bulge. His arms circled Shouta’s neck, but they were not stifling, not tight, just… there.

“What if you regret it?”

Tsuna, too damn near, frowned a bit. “Why should I– Shouta.” The raven looked up from where his gaze had fallen, meeting scalding golden eyes peering into his soul. “Where am I?”

He licked his lips, “here…?”

“Yes, right in your lap, this is my choice.” One hand came up to his cheek, softly caressing it, and Shouta cupped it with his own. “I don’t want to be anywhere else. I want to be with you, no one else.”

The raven hugged his lover’s waist with his free hand, tight and almost desperate. “I’m not–”

“You are exactly who you are, and I’m here because of that. I know what people call you, but that’s not me, everything that makes you you is just part of the charm I keep admiring every day.”

“… Flatterer.”

Tsuna chuckled, kissing his cheek. “I’m speaking the truth. You know, I should just tell you that you might regret this, afterwards. I’m broken, lost, a stranger, I might even be a villain trying to betray you. What makes you so sur–”

Shouta silenced this idiot of a saint by kissing him deep. As an afterthought, he tightened his hold around the other’s waist and chanced a brush of their groins together. Not only did he swallow a delectable moan, but he also felt Tsuna was as aroused as himself and that reassured him… and aroused him even more.

“Sh-Shou….”

Well, he was certainly not going to stop after that wanton plea.

Chapter Text

Shouta slid his right arm around Tsuna’s waist, tight, possessive, gripping the brunet’s naked side with repressed urgency. He used the other hand to lift his lover’s shirt up and up as he kept kissing him and swallowing moans and gasps caused by his soft and calm touches. Tsuna erased the distance between their chests, bringing both arms around the raven’s neck, cradling his scalp, weaving fingers through his hair, tugging at the strands and eliciting a pleased hiss. It felt incredible. Maybe keeping his hair long because of laziness had not been such a bad thing.

He interrupted the delicious kiss, both panting in need for oxygen, and swiftly took off Tsuna’s shirt, finally laying eyes on the skin he’d imagined many times as he’d stared at his lover, asleep or awake. It was smooth, milky, soft, and yet covered in many, many scars. Some were small, faded, old. Some were newer, still rosy and easily visible on the pale skin. Some were big, or long, the scariest was a cut from his upper left abdomen to the middle of the sternum. The newest was circular, on the left, upper side of his chest.

Shouta fingered them, felt the shivers, appreciated that Tsuna let him explore his past written over skin through mortal wounds. This… This made him feel weak, and useless.

“I’m alive.” A small, slender hand caressed his cheek, bringing his gaze up to Tsuna’s half-lidded, soft, beautiful eyes. “I’m right here, don’t beat yourself over the past.”

A scoff got past his lips, “pot calling the kettle back, idiot.”

The already present and bright blush made the consequent pout all the more endearing. Shouta wanted to bite it, kiss it, melt it.

“Well, I lived it… And I didn’t have strong Sun Flames, back then. However,” Tsuna took the hand away from the black hair and patted the gunshot scar over his left lung and right beneath the heart, “this brought me here.”

… “Why do you always have a point?”

Tsuna’s chuckle morphed into a gasped moan when Shouta lifted him with his own knees to nip at the scar from a better angle. The hand returned to his hair and tugged, prompting the hero into keeping up. He didn’t need to be pushed, but he appreciated knowing what he was doing was pleasurable enough to be encouraged, and not even through words. He was inexperienced, as he’d admitted, and doing this with someone that had had his escapades made Shouta doubt everything he knew by education or casually heard comments.

The brunet was on the raven’s knees, legs parted to straddle him, their groins barely untouching because Shouta wanted to take this slow and he wanted to savour and explore Tsuna first. He licked and nipped at the skin, one hand pressed against the other’s back to keep him in place and the other tracing the hipbone with a feathery touch, eliciting shivers and goosebumps and moans and gasps. A stronger tug at his hair made the raven detach from the trail he was sucking to Tsuna’s nipple with a smack to see what his ministrations had painted.

A masterpiece, doubtlessly.

Tsuna’s eyes were almost closed, his cheeks were still dusted in rich red, his mouth had a rivet of saliva cascading from the left corner, he was panting, soft puffs of warm breath ghosted over Shouta’s shoulder, his back was arched both to grant more access and out of pleasure.

He wanted more of this, he wanted more skin, more reactions, more Tsuna.

Shouta pushed the brunet down, making sure to not be rough by still holding onto his back. The other sighed and shivered a bit when naked skin came in contact with the fresh bedsheets. He slid his hand out and committed both into touching and grazing and caressing the exposed skin beneath him, drinking in the sight of Tsuna mewling and getting more and more aroused by the barely muffled sounds escaping the rosy lips.

He leaned down, licking Tsuna’s earlobe and biting it softly, “I want to hear you.”

Shouta almost didn’t recognize his own voice, deeper, husky, low, resembling the rumble of a hunting beast tasting the moments prior its meal.

The hand woven through his hair tugged, making the raven hiss as the other hand brushed his neck, “only if you strip for me.”

The whisper teased his ear and Tsuna blew a huffed chuckle in it. Shouta short-circuited for a moment, swallowing to unclog his dry throat, and sat up to arch a brow at the brunet laying open under him, on his bed, legs parted for him, blushing because of how bold he was and because he knew the raven would oblige, no matter what. Thank whatever, Shouta was utterly shameless.

But, really, why miss the chance of teasing the teaser?

He slowly let a smirk curve his lips’ corners. It stretched a bit when Tsuna swallowed and his eyes widened a fraction, probably in understanding, but he was obviously trying to not grin himself. Shouta was thankful his disinterest in what he wore to sleep had landed him with a button-up shirt the evening before, because the show wouldn’t have been the same with a simple shirt. Granted, it was one of those shirts that almost never were unbuttoned to be worn, really, but that was not the point.

Leaning a bit forward to better observe Tsuna’s face and still hover over him, his black hair, free from the soft grip of the brunet’s hands by then abandoned on the bed, fell to frame the underground hero’s face. His hands left the brunet’s skin, but his fingers lingered a few seconds, enough for his lover to take a shuddering breath through parted, kissable, irresistible lips. Shouta dipped down for a short kiss, then brought his fingers around the upper button, right between his scapula’s, softly, slowly popping it out of the buttonhole, enjoying how Tsuna relaxed and tensed at the same time.

It was maddening to know he had such an effect on Tsuna.

Shouta moved to the third button, the first had already been free, and repeated the atrociously slow action. Tsuna bit his lower lip and Shouta was ready to swear he heard a whimper. He unbuttoned the fourth, this time the whimper was almost a purr.

He knew his smirk was toothy, at that point. “Something’s wrong?”

Tsuna did his best to smother a growing and pleased grin into a delicious pout. “You’re making me wait…” His voice was breathy, undeniably sinful and sexy.

The boldness… but he knew how to play this game, by then. “What are you waiting for?”

His lover pursed his lips, licking them, eyes flickering down a moment, “well-defined muscles,” he fluttered his gaze into Shouta’s eyes, “pale skin,” his hands slid to the raven’s clothed thighs, teasing and searching, “sweat,” they stopped short of his groin and teasingly fingered his pants’ band, “but, mostly,” Shouta narrowed his lust-clouded eyes at his lover, “I’m waiting for you to feel satisfied.”

He hesitated on the fifth button, tilting his head. “Satisfied…?”

Tsuna’s lips quirked into a mischievous smirk, “well, you’re teasing me now, I’ll tease you later.” Before Shouta could pull him up into a kiss, the brunet sobered, almost turning serious. “I also understand that you… need time, for this. Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving how slow this is going, it’s… different, very, from my past… and I prefer your way.”

With a small smile, Tsuna palmed the raven’s nape and brought him down for a soft, short kiss. Their foreheads touched as their gazes locked. Shouta had to sweep down for another, longer, more passionate, tongue-honeyed kiss.

He wanted to tell him how much those words meant for him, but he settled for pouring his feelings into the exchange and then decided to be a bit faster, unbuttoning his shirt fully and shrugging it off. Tsuna’s eyes hungrily roamed his chest, sides, abdomen, navel. Warm hands mapped his skin, drawing shivers and low, guttural sounds from Shouta. He’d never… been touched like that, by anyone, but his lover’s eyes…

Golden flecks shone in the dark chocolate orbs, moving in hypnotizing spirals. Words tumbled out of his mouth before he could process them.

“Like what you see?” He could feel his smirk threatening to become toothy.

Tsuna’s eyes shot to his own, a gasped breath taken in and lower lip bitten, “even too much, Shouta…”

It took a moment for the meaning of those words to sink. It took a bit longer for the raven to blush and hide his face in his lover’s neck. Tsuna huffed a mellow chuckle and caressed Shouta’s naked skin with curious, long, soft fingers. He felt the brushes on the lines of his muscles, his armpits, his stretched forearms, his tense neck, his pectorals, his hardened nipples, his abdomen, his v-line… He couldn’t help shivering in both tension and anticipation.

Shouta mirrored his lover, but put a bit more insistence in his touches, pinching the skin here and there as he sucked bright hickeys all over his neck and bathed in the gasps and moans. He wasn’t exactly silent, either, because having access to Tsuna’s neck with his mouth meant leaving his own neck exposed and the brunet was taking advantage of that, licking and biting and sucking and marking.

He chuckled when a slightly ticklish spot was brushed on his side, “thankfully, I always wear a scarf.”

Tsuna scoffed, “do you want me to hide what you’re leaving on my neck?”

Shouta stopped, frowning. Did he? Looking at the patchwork of red and bites, he was overwhelmed by a sense of satisfaction at being the artist. Did he want others to see? This was… intimate, between him and his lover, shared in dim light, exchanged in hushed moans… But, strangely, he wasn’t opposed to let others see, to let possible pursuers catch sight of the signs, of the implied behind them.

“Not really,” at the same time, the blemished skin looked thoroughly delicious… and he didn’t want to share, “but I prefer keeping this between us.”

Tsuna’s arms circled his torso, nails sinking in his back and teeth grazing a love bite, “your desire for secrecy is driving me crazy… care to take a step forward?” He nuzzled his nose in Shouta’s hair, lips teasing his earlobe.

The raven got the message and slid his hands down to finger his lover’s pale red sweatpants. Tsuna’s breath hitched, Shouta bit down on the skin in front of him and pushed the pants down, gaining another gasp followed by increased panting. He felt hands tug down his own pants and let the brunet bring them down on his knees. He left another kiss on the delectable and abused skin before straightening a bit to assess the state of the man beneath his body.

How could a masterpiece get better, anyway? It surely was not legal.

Tsuna’s skin was splashed with red spots, some darker than others. He was panting, one hand abandoned at his head’s side and the other on his stomach. Shouta lifted both the other’s legs on his shoulder to take the pants off completely and eyed the obvious tents almost touching, still shielded by their underwear’s. The heat of their bodies, of their breaths, of the room, of their closeness, of the situation…

The brunet slowly lifted one hand to the underground hero’s lower stomach, sliding it down the boxer’s band, fingering it. Shouta released a loaded huff, eyes almost fluttering close at the expectations, but he had the presence of mind to do the same to his lover, accidentally passing one finger on the naked erection’s tip. Tsuna gasped and instinctually bucked his hips. The raven immediately used his free hand to lock the other down and prevent him from moving. Tsuna whined, batting his eyelashes in a silent plea.

“… manipulator.”

“Thank you.”

Shouta’s lips’ left corner lifted in a half-smirk. “You’re lucky I am getting impatient.”

And it was true. He’d been able to ignore his own arousal in favour of savouring the expanse of skin and devouring the various reaction he could garner. It was definitely addicting, but he was starting to feel the need of moving his focus on other body parts.

“I’d love to see you lose it.”

Shouta had to take a deep, calming breath, “my patience?”

“Yup,” Tsuna brought one hand to his shoulder and tugged him down a bit, “seeing that control of yours snap… I should try, someday…”

He dreaded that. Shouta had almost no leverage over this sexy devil, he knew it, but he didn’t truly mind. His lover was a tease, not cruel. Also, considering the context of that threat, he couldn’t help but feel even more aroused. Lifting the other’s legs again, he took off the underwear and leaned them back at either of his sides, enjoying the spreading and bright red blush on Tsuna’s cheeks like nothing else in the whole world – beside his lover himself. The marks he’d peppered all over his skin stopped at the brunet’s pectorals, thing that he didn’t like much, so he dipped down, knees sliding backwards, to give attention to the uncomfortably unblemished skin. His hands gripped the brunet’s hips, thumbs massaging the flesh dangerously close to the twitching member.

“Shout–ah!”

Definitely addicting.

He just kept marking the skin, subtly moving his hands and lips down and down. Tsuna’s breath hitched a few times, it felt a bit like revenge for the pranks and all the teasing he was always subjected to, but Shouta was slowly snapping, to quote someone. So, without the minimal warning, he left the skin and wrapped his mouth around his lover’s erection.

Tsuna loudly gasped in surprise, then it faded into a mewl and he arched his back as Shouta twirled his tongue around the flesh and sucked, one hand going to the base and giving a stroke. The brunet arched his back, but his hips were kept in place by his other hand. He bobbed his head once, in time with another stroke, and closed his eyes at the moans he was causing. He felt his own erection twitch, still clothed, and two hands came to massage his scalp.

Shouta wanted more.

Pushing Tsuna’s hips down with the stroking hand on the base of his lover’s manhood, he brought the other to his own underwear to free his arousal and palm it. He groaned, throat rumbling and causing a loud moan to fill the room.

“Shou…. Do I–hah… have to ask?”

He smiled around his lover’s member and lifted his head off of it with a resounding pop, eyeing his lover’s completely wasted and delirious face. “Whatever would you be requesting of me, dear?”

Tsuna whined, eyes watering, a cute pout on his slightly parted lips. The brunet sighed, his hands left Shouta’s hair to slide down on himself, and then further, past the raven’s hand around Tsuna’s erection… to circle the ring of muscles with two fingers.

“Here…” He whispered, eyes clouded and yet shining with lust, “I want you here.”

See? Bold. Ashamed, going by the impressive blush, but so goddamn bold.

Shouta smirked, hand leaving Tsuna’s manhood to join the other’s limbs and mirror the touch, feeling the twitches of the muscle. “Guide me,” he said, swooping up to steal a kiss, “tell me what you want.”

“Uh…” The brunet escaped his gaze, embarrassed, “you wouldn’t happen to have lube…?”

Ah, right. Shouta scowled. Then sighed. Tsuna tilted his head, blinking once in confusion. He sighed again.

“… I do have that.”

“You…”

“I didn’t buy it,” Shouta explained, reaching for his bedside table’s drawer and picking the tube, “guess who?”

Tsuna only took a second, “Nemuri-san.”

“Bingo.” He grabbed the condoms, too, “she gave these to me days ago, wished me good luck.”

“At school?”

Shouta grimaced, “yes, at school.”

Tsuna giggled, taking the tube and popping it open. “I guess we should thank her with more food?”

At that, the raven smirked, understanding the game. His lover poured the cold contents into their hands, smearing it all over Shouta’s fingers.

“I’m not a woman, I don’t get… wet.” Tsuna smiled through his blush as he brought their hands down, “this helps.”

One never stops learning new things. The raven understood what he had to do and pressed one finger inside Tsuna’s hole, slow and testing. His lover released a dense breath, eyes narrowed to check Shouta over.

“… I’ll need at least four for that to fit, you know?”

The raven stopped short of pumping his finger in the hole, eyes zeroing on his lover’s face, not believing that off-handed comment but relishing in it. He almost felt himself grow at the implied praise. Like a mindless fool, he captured Tsuna’s lips in a searing, passionate, deep, long kiss, licking them and biting them and claiming them. His finger slid in and out very easily, so he started with two, testing the resistance and loosening the hole while swallowing moans and gasps. He brought his free hand to their aligned and almost brushing erections, grabbing them together for a strong stroke.

Tsuna broke the kiss to let out a surprised groan, hips bucking up, and Shouta released a grunted breath, sensations overriding his lust-filled brain. Jolts of pleasure ran through his limbs as he matched the paces of his fingers and his hand. The brunet joined him with both hands, smearing their members with lube. The movements were slow and careful but the men unconsciously started to meet those strokes, chasing the pleasure and the still far release.

Shouta sneakily added a finger, feeling the stretch of the muscle but still detecting no pain, thumb brushing the underside of Tsuna’s balls. “You’re using your Flames.”

“A–ah… bit…” He hummed, arching his back, “pain is fine, but you won’t–uh… ah… you won’t hurt me…”

God, that voice was going to be his end.

He didn’t make his attentions faster, biting his lower lip in deep pleasure, and started experimenting with his fingers, curling them, scissoring the hole, touching around, exploring, adding the fourth, admiring how flexible and welcoming and perfect his lover was. Shouta leaned down to kiss him again, on his lips, cheeks, neck, jaw, eyes… Until Tsuna choked on a louder gasp and the underground hero felt the hole’s walls clench around his fingers, almost painfully.

“T-there… more..!”

He was elated to oblige, carefully moving his fingers the exact same way he had just done and biting the inside of his mouth when Tsuna threw his head back in pure, blessed pleasure. Shouta studied how his hand was turned, twisted, how his fingers were curled, how deep they were sinking inside his lover, the sensation against his fingertips – Tsuna was warm as a rule but, inside, he was hot. He mapped and memorized the way he was moving his hand, vowing to absolutely abuse the newly acquired knowledge. He experimented more, meticulously checking which exact actions were driving Tsuna crazy, he wasn’t even stroking their erections anymore.

“E-enough…” Shouta looked up at his lover’s pleading gaze. “Please, that’s enough…”

That voice, those eyes… Tsuna could ask him to turn into a vigilante, and he would.

The raven swallowed, a last fingering morphing the brunet back into a moaning mess, before biting his lip as he took his fingers out, quickly wore a condom and lined his member with the inviting hole. Strong but quivering arms were hooked behind his neck and brought him down for a long kiss. Tsuna pushed his hips down and Shouta answered to the invitation, slowly impaling his lover.

Inch by inch, a new, fantastic, indescribable sensation overflooded his blood. He groaned against Tsuna’s lips, that searched his own for more kisses. Nails were digging trails over his shoulders and legs circled his waist, almost making him slam inside the brunet. He waited to be completely sheathed in him, taking quick, breathy, moany pants. Tsuna kept kissing him and his legs tightened around his waist, urging him on.

It was already hard resisting without the prompts, so Shouta just let his control go and almost completely left his lover’s contracting, sinfully welcoming hole, only to truly slam back inside. Tsuna tensed and loudly moaned the raven’s name, driving him over the edge, instincts and desire for release and to chase after the pleasure winning against better judgement.

Shouta slid his hands on Tsuna’s hips, softly closing his fingers around the flesh, angled his lover better by lifting his waist a bit and set up an almost bruising pace. The brunet wasn’t complaining, on the contrary, he was clearly enjoying it very much, very near to screaming in pleasure. He was deeply satisfied by the notion that his previous exploration had made him discover the golden spot and that he was angled perfectly for his aching member to hit it repeatedly.

Pleasure coursed through his entire body, making his knees tremble and his voice to crack into groans and his pace to quicken and his desire to skyrocket. He dived down to steal a kiss and bite Tsuna’s lower lip while he used one hand to leave his hip and reach for the pulsing erection between their bodies, stroking it in time with his penetrations. His lover arched into the mattress, forcing him to move the hand still on the bruised hip to his back, keeping him in place and reaching even deeper.

“Shou–!”

He hugged the brunet against his body, closing his teeth on the shoulder in front of his face, but he was losing the grip on his strength because of the pleasure. Shouta left the twitching cavern to softly turn Tsuna around and lean him on the bed face-first. His lover bent over, face turned to look at him and pressed against the pillow, ass presented to the raven high in the air, teasing his pulsing manhood. Scars littered the sweaty, too, one of which was almost terrifying. He took back the hip and the other man’s arousal, slamming inside with chirurgical precision. Tsuna screamed, back arched, waist meeting his thrusts and, at the same time, his hand on the front. Shouta bent over his lover’s body and bit down on the same shoulder, mirroring the previous mark.

Tsuna’s legs were visibly trembling and they gave out, held in place only by the raven’s hands. He had enough strength, though, to grip his hair and pull him down for a sloppy, hasty, lustful, unsatisfying kiss. Shouta could feel his release behind the corner, but the brunet came moments before him. He kept stroking him, the orgasm made Tsuna’s walls contract around his own member repeatedly, successfully tearing a groan out of him as he came with an intensity that his ministrations alone could never give him.

He rode it out, still massaging the brunet underneath, until every last drop left his shaft and he pulled out before collapsing on the side, Tsuna following suit. Both were panting, sights hazy, minds numb, muscles sore, lips parted, panting breaths, eyes almost closed.

His lover was the first to regain a semblance of presence of mind, snuggling into his side and hugging his waist. Shouta smiled, scooping him up in his arms and absently taking off the condom.

“It was great…”

He couldn’t deny the swell of pride at those words, looking at his lover and caressing his hair, “you’re beautiful.”

Tsuna’s blush, lost in the aftermath of his orgasm, returned. “And you’re hot, shut up.”

Shouta chuckled and tightened his hold around the brunet, that kissed him before settling to take a nap. He was sure he would sleep more if just to have more occasions like this.

Chapter Text

Tsuna sighed for the tenth time, brushing one hand over his eyes. “I needed time, Akuro, before feeling ok with sharing it.” His Boss kept pouting like a fussy child over the fact that she hadn’t known he was living with Shouta, the three days of silence were maybe a bit less of what he would get. “And Nemuri-san discovered it first only because she is a busybody.”

“I heard you!” That was good. “And drop the honorific!” Not happening.

The brunet started washing some spoons. “I’m not sorry.”

She bristled, throwing him more spoons, that he diligently grabbed and washed. She pouted again, his Boss had never liked his dexterity with his hands. Shouta loved it, on the contrary. A small smirk got past his control at the thought. He’d not… missed the sex per se. No, nor the intimacy he’d come to share with Xanxus first and Kyouya later, none of it. Getting to such a point with Shouta, someone he had growing feelings for, was another type of… making love. It was different, fulfilling. It left a fluttering feeling in his stomach and a persistent satisfaction and a fire of desire that got rekindled just by looking at his face.

“You.”

Wait, he was sure Akuro wouldn’t talk to him. He turned to her, tilting his head. “What? Forgiven me?”

Her water-like eyes were almost closed because of how narrowed they were as she stalked towards him with an accusing finger, “your gaze has changed, you–” She threw her hands in the air.

“Changed? What?”

Akuro leaned in his personal space, whispering: “you perverts!”

Tsuna hid his blushing face in wet hands. He could guess what she was referring to. His thoughts when Shouta was concerned were… not pure anymore, to be poetic.

“Ohi, what’s going on?” And, there she was, the busybody.

“They’ve obviously gotten serious!” Akuro’s choice of words was almost cute.

Midnight squealed and started bombarding him with questions. Tsuna suddenly felt a sense of dread curse through him. He lowered his fingers to glare at the female hero, holding back the golden specks trying to surge forward in his eyes. She paled and lifted his hands in the universal gesture of giving up.

Apparently, he was a jealous type of lover. Go figure… not really, he’d known.

Akuro cleared her throat as Tsuna refocused on his task. “Yes, I see why you would… Anyway, you bring staking a claim to a new level.”

He moved the glare on his Boss, that just fled to the kitchen. Midnight quickly excused herself because she was needed at UA.

Tsuna tch-ed.

A few customers came in for take-away breakfast. Masayuki, by then adopted by Akuro, came and went directly to the study room, his lessons for the day had ended earlier. His quirk was related to healing and he wanted to become a doctor. He was surprised, however, when his phone started vibrating in his pants’ pocket while giving the change to a client. He checked there were no more in queue and fished the device out. Tsukauchi’s ID flashed on its screen. He frowned and answered.

“I’m not going to like it.”

“Hello, Tsuna-san,” the words were loaded with a sigh, “no, you won’t like it.”

He sounded very tired. Tsuna caught the attention of Runa and she happily took his place. He walked outside the shop and leaned against a wall.

“Out with it, come on.”

“Kazuha Yoshimune is dead.”

The brunet blinked, “the last one? Wasn’t he in prison?”

“His corpse was found in his cell this morning.”

Well, that was… He drew a long breath. “Was he killed?”

“That’s what the guards suspect, I’ve been requested to lead the investigation.”

“… but?”

There was another sigh. “I’d like your help in this.”

Tsuna’s mind ran after the many implications of that. The raids, that had brought to the conviction of traffickers and the now dead Boss, had been broadcasted over the news for a total of eleven days, then they had been shadowed by more recent events. However, that couldn’t be said for the tabloids. Somehow, they had caught whiff of Sora aiding and leading one of the raids. Probably, a hero had sold the information. Seeing that no one knew enough of the situation to deny it, that Tsukauchi refused to answer Sora-related questions out of respect for Tsuna and that the heroes of that night were tight-lipped – only when their names and reputations were at stake –, it obviously exploded out of proportions.

There were factions all over the web: the one that blindly backed Sora up; the one that protected him with ideologies; the one that condemned vigilantes; the one that screamed to the sky in gratefulness for possibly having Sora as a hero. The result was that people started investigating him. Someone was lucky enough to find his hero name registered and licensed. The media went crazy after that leak and UA took the burn, too, because it was written where he had taken the exams. Nezu didn’t have many issues dealing with crazed reporters, hardly his first time doing it, according to Shouta, but Tsuna still felt guilty. People wanted to know who Sora was, what had happened, whose side he was on, what his intentions were, which agency he was contracted to, when he worked…

Anyway, the problem with him getting involved at this level was that he would gain visibility, thing that he didn’t want. “Will there be reporters?”

“Yes…”

Of course. “Someone wanted the info to leak.”

“Actually…” There were shuffles on the other side. “The pictures have leaked.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, “this is starting to sound like a threat and a declaration.”

“That’s why I want your help. You might be able to see things that I can’t.”

“My Mist can’t fool videos, Tsukauchi.”

“… Oh.”

Yeah, oh. “If I do this, you have to be ready for the consequences.”

“It’s not like I don’t have a plan, there was always the chance of your situation being known to the public, but…”

“Yes?”

“Are you sure?”

Tsuna sighed, “though I’d prefer not, I agree that I should oversee this investigation. Even if ours are only suspicions, they are grave enough for me to be involved. It… this might become huge in no time. What’s the plan? I’ll talk Shouta out of this, he doesn’t need to be linked to me further. Also, seeing that I’ll come out of this as public, I think we should use it to our favour.”

“Yes, I definitely will do that. Just come to the police station after lunch and we’ll move together. I’ll leave Eraserhead to you.”

“Count on me, see you later.”

He ended the call and looked up at the sky. He had a feeling the relaxing days would be very rare for a while, poor lover of his.

Talking Shouta out of coming with him proved to be very, very difficult. And taxing, because their lunch ended up being almost discarded in favour of speaking, first, and making out, later. He had to reassure the raven repeatedly that everything would go smoothly and he would be back before dinner. Shouta still had trouble letting him go through the window, dressed as Sora, and stole a long kiss before sighing and distracting himself with the cats.

Tsuna reached the police station with his Intuition up and working, eyes shining golden beneath the black hood, that was highly distinctive of Sora. The policewoman at the acceptance desk looked at him once, the second time gaping and retreating in her chair.

“I’m here for Tsukauchi.”

As an answer, she took her gun. Tsuna could have chosen better wording, so he lifted his hands in surrender. Other officers noticed the situation and he pondered what to do. Maybe he should have waited outside.

“What th–guns down!”

He took a breath of relief when the order was followed, turning to the source of the familiar voice. “Thank you.”

Tsukauchi brightly smiled at him, “sorry, I should have warned the desk. Shall we?” There was a police… an officer with the head of a cat tailing him.

Tsuna was simply glad to see the detective didn’t look tired. “Yes, and I should have showed my license, but…”

He chuckled, leading him and the officer out to a brown car. “If you want, you can change the photo on it, though you’d have to choose a costume.”

The brunet huffed, “to be recognized all over the world? No, thanks.” He turned slightly to the officer and bowed briefly. “I’m Sora, nice to meet you.”

The lean man with large yellow eyes and ginger tabby fur nodded back at him, “Tamakawa Sansa, the pleasure is mine.” And it seemed to be true.

They hopped in the car, Tsuna in the rear, and Tsukauchi gave him a pair of folded papers. “This is what I’ll be going with during an official interview, if they ask me about you.”

He went over the few words. “They will… a vigilante reintegration project? This is Nezu’s.”

The detective had the decency to cough into his fist, glancing at him once as the other man drove. “Guilty. That was what he wanted to do before you actually came by yourself. What do you think about admitting you are involved with no agency but only as a police counsellor?”

“It’s for the best, but do underline that I have no interest in being part of an agency, I don’t want heroes trying to get me.”

“Not that it will do much, but I will. Your raids since the beginning?”

Tsuna shrugged, eyeing the details written on the papers. “I don’t care, it’s not like they don’t have that info already.”

“The possibility of working abroad?”

He scratched his cheek, “can you refuse to answer those questions? Or, better yet, say I plan on staying in Japan. I think it will be very important in the long run.”

“Sounds ominous.”

“This whole thing is ominous, you don’t need me to tell you.”

Tsukauchi shrugged, “I don’t have your power… thankfully.”

Tsuna took offense, one hand going to his chest in mock-hurt, and gasped, “whatever do you mean?!”

The detective laughed, the officer’s whiskers twitched. The rest of the drive was silent and comfortable, though the tension grew as they neared the prison. It was out of the city, built on a hill, grey, imposing, surrounded by tall concrete walls, with many sentinel towers all over and a single road leading to the entrance… that was crowded by the press. Tsuna scowled.

The asphalt led directly to a small, levelled area where many vans, cameras, reporters and police cars were visible. Tsukauchi sighed as he took the police portable light and attached it to the roof of the car, activating the siren and quickly closing the darkened window. People parted for them, but the attention was redirected from the wide, brown gate to their car. Policemen recognized them and let them through up until the entrance, where another officer shook his head. No car allowed inside.

“Cute.”

The detective snorted and they all climbed off the car after shutting the engine. Tsuna heard the questions shot at Tsukauchi from behind the cord of policemen preventing them from coming too near, but the silencing effect was satisfyingly instantaneous when he turned just enough for them to see his golden, glaring eyes. A pin dropping into the soft grass could have been heard, most probably.

Someone snatched a photo, the magic broke. Tsuna turned around and followed Tsukauchi past the gate, sighing when it closed behind them. He’d heard some hastily conjured questions and he had to wonder why they would be more interested in his private life than in the reason why he was there in the first place, but he discarded the thought.

He briefly took in the thin, open alley that led to the right into a parking lot, probably for employees and visitors, and kept following the detective forward, inside an admission office. He remembered to flick his license and the detective’s explanation was enough for a stupefied guard to let them through.

Tsuna hoped no one had live streams going on, and then he hoped Shouta was not looking out for said live streams. Either way, it was about time to find clues in a rather gruesome and bloody cell.

Chapter Text

Three guards brought them to the cell, all eyeing Sora with a wariness of clearly awed and very tense peers. Tsuna put up with it only because he knew this was important – and for Tsukauchi. God knew how much help the man needed, with all the work he brought on himself out of undeserved guilt alone.

The walls were grey, keeping the theme of the outside of the prison, and almost seemed to close in on the walking group. He’d seen something similar once and Jaeger had talked about it sometime, the walls were probably angled inward as they went to the ceiling, causing a feeling of oppression on the inmates to further enhance the helplessness. That didn’t sit well with Tsuna, but it wasn’t his main issue, nor could he change things.

The guard that seemed to have a higher rank than the other two led them to the right at an intersection and through a gate made of bars. Past it, cells were lined on both sides and on an upper level reachable through stairs at the beginning and at the end of the long and wide corridor. There were sneers from the prisoners, mainly directed at him.

“They are all from those raids,” the leading guard informed them.

Tsuna pursed his lips and proceeded to ignore the inmates, “very mature.”

Tsukauchi repressed a tense chuckle, eyes darting around in obvious discomfort. Not because he wasn’t used to the behaviour or because he was hurt or something by it, but because the comments and sneers were directed at Sora. Tsuna could see it in the way his eyes worriedly glanced at him and when he finally acquiesced and slowed his pace to walk beside him, slightly shielding him. Tamakawa did the same, it was cute and warming.

Someone, of course, threw a jab about Sora needing bodyguards. He resisted making a retort, following the guards past another gate and through a corridor without cells. Of course, he’d have to do that walk of shame again to get out. He sighed, slowing a bit to allow the police officers to get ahead of him again. Back in Mafia, such a show would have made him very angry with his Guardians. Being shielded could mean not being able to protect himself, to stand alone, to be strong enough. But, here? No, it was very different. Welcome, even.

“Kazuha has been in an isolation cell in the last two days,” the guard explained, letting them through another gate and pointing to a series of doors, one of which was open and crowded by forensics. “He was found this morning, the footage is useless bar for the time of death.” He tilted his head, hat bouncing, to the closed doors’ small fissures made of glass, “the blood spattered on the door’s only see-through spot.”

Tsukauchi went to speak with the forensics, Tamakawa got inside the cell and Tsuna hovered in the threshold. Years of having to deal with the cruelties Mafia was capable of had made him almost indifferent to the carnage that seemed to be straight out of a movie. There was blood everywhere, dripping from the drying spots on the ceiling, painting splashes of red on the four walls, pooling on the floor, covering the entire bed – possibly the location of the man before he literally imploded.

His Intuition, already active since climbing down the car, trailed threads of golden around the room, but their ends had moments of hesitation before converging to a spot right in front of the bed. There were shoes, bloody, almost unrecognizable, full of a liquid amalgamation of flesh and bones and blood.

Tsuna hummed to himself, then gazed over the outside corridor, but nothing important stood out, so he took another approach. He’d trained this a lot during his past, the fact that his Intuition here had morphed into a more comfortable use had made him forgo his usual way of finding hints.

He started conjuring questions in his mind, eyes shining even more brightly and accentuated by the darkness of the hood coupled with the dimness of the corridor. What could implode a body? Considering he was in a world of heroes, a quirk. However, how could a quirk that made bodies go kaboom also allow someone to get into a high-security prison unnoticed? Across many gates, past many cameras, through a closed door? Another quirk. A joint mission? For what purpose? This prisoner was just a new fish in the drained pond of human traffic in Japan, unless… Was someone trying to gain control over that pond, to refill it and use it? It would explain this murder, if this new fish had just been a pawn in a larger scheme. It was imperative, in a plan to take control over a new shady business, to cut the loose threads. The deceased had failed, quite spectacularly, in setting up new bases of operations and he could have decided to plead guilty and give juicy details just to gain a shorter sentence. Too dangerous, of course he’d been deleted from the scene.

Tsuna scratched his chin, absently registering Tsukauchi stopping a worried Tamakawa from catching the brunet’s attention. He was pretty sure the fish had all perished from the face of Japan or, at least, the main ones were out of the picture. Police was systematically taking care of the few and small cells still active or trying to be back in business, going by the reports sent to him by the detective. Who would want to sink their fingers in Japan… extending their turf? His first thought went to China, but he’d done his homework in regard to taking his missions abroad. Things over there weren’t looking good enough for the syndicates – because only a syndicate could be doing this and they were warring each other at the moment – to even caress the option of expansion. No, not China. Russia was not a suspect, either, because the last Boss had died and left place for major groups that were previously allied to raise pretences over the vacant throne. So, not a war yet, but near enough, hardly the situation to engage an expansion project. Europe was too far for them to consider this. India could be posing as a threat, but it was very unlikely.

America, on the other hand…

He sighed, closing his eyes briefly in tiredness. USA’s syndicates were on good terms with each other, though none had risen as leader, and the war with Mexico over drugs and weapons had shifted in their favour in the last years. Even if they still had not conquered their neighbours, their situation was favourable enough for them to look abroad and farther. This didn’t look good at all.

Tsuna turned to regard Tsukauchi, that was patiently waiting for him. The cat-officer was busy talking with the forensics and the guards were… guarding. He walked up to the detective, making sure their hushed conversation would not be overheard thanks to distance and subtle Mist Flames, and sighed again.

“You won’t like it.”

Tsukauchi shrugged, but it was jerky and tense, “I guess we’ll be even.”

Tsuna huffed with a small smile. “This is international.”

The detective covered his face with a heavy hand, “Russia?” He sounded almost hopeful to be told no.

“USA.” He heard a soft curse.

“I almost prefer Russia now.” He drew a long breath and let his hand drop to lock gazes, ready to face the situation. “Ok, out with it, what did you discover?”

“The deceased was killed because he knew too much. Someone else is behind the attempted reintegration of human traffic in Japan, someone from USA wants to expand their area of business.”

“Wait, what about Yakuza?”

Tsuna bit his inner cheek, “Yakuza is kind of difficult to understand, in this… country. It is… weak, scattered, it feels as if it has other purposes from the usual ones you’d expect. It is… asleep, I’d say, as long as no one wakes it, we should be fine for a while.”

“You’re saying… it has… a project or something?”

The worry was understandable. “Maybe, nothing we can do about it right now.”

“God…”

Tsuna looked around and caught sight of a small, almost imperceptible fidget from a newly arrived guard. There was a golden trail sprouting from his ankle.

“Say, would you like to apprehend a possible accomplice?”

Tsukauchi smiled, “yes, immensely. If not to have the killer, at least we can dress them as the culprit to the press and work more calmly on the… true issue.”

“Then you should take him before he bolts.” He called back the Mist Flames.

It was a bit messy, because the man fought back through a quirk that morphed his nails into claws and tried to escape, but there were enough people to nip that in the bud. Tsuna didn’t expect the male to look at him, though, and declare a threat.

“You signed your own death!”

Sora blinked once at the cuffed man, eyes shining an eerie golden around his pupils. “As if I don’t know the risks of what I do. You, on the other hand,” he strode to him, slow, and tilted his head, a scary smirk playing on his lips, “how do you know you won’t be killed?” The man stiffened and paled. “After all, this prisoner was taken out because he knew too much. What do you know?” He started shaking his head, eyes wide and unfocused. “I may have signed my death, but you willingly walked into the beast’ mouth.” Tsuna turned to Tsukauchi, “they’ll try to kill him, keep him in a supervised room and with trusted officers. Interrogate him as soon as you can.”

Tamakawa took the unresponsive man out, Tsukauchi asked Tsuna to follow him to the car. He ignored the inmates to the best of his abilities – as in, like a Mafia Boss getting past the trash. The reporters were more ready, this time, to get the most footage they could of Sora. Their focus was mostly on him, but they took notice of the cuffed guard and he knew this was going to backfire on them. Whoever was behind this would know they had another way to knowledge. His Intuition, still active for show, agreed with a painful thrum on the front of his head. It had been a long time since a good headache.

They arrived at the police station and Tsuna, after checking there were no threats, bid his goodbyes and went back home… only to find Shouta looking at the news with the cats sprawled on his lap. There was a looped video of him arriving to and leaving the prison. He had to admit, his golden eyes in the shadow of his hood were kind of… unsettling. Especially with the glare he’d unconsciously sent to the cameras.

“I told you to stop seducing me.”

Tsuna huffed a chuckle, pushing his hood down on his shoulders and flopping himself into the sofa, cuddling into his lover’s open arms and ignoring the cats’ outraged meowls. “You only spoke about leading raids, not glares.”

“And to stop always having a point.”

He chuckled, nuzzling his nose in Shouta’s neck and letting the tension seep out of his body. “It’s going to be a mess.”

“No shit.” The raven increased a bit the volume and Tsukauchi’s voice drifted into the living room, catching both their attentions.

It was a press conference held in the front patio of the police station. There was a crowd of reporters, some of them he could recognize from the prison, shooting question after question.

“Sato Nobukazu has pleaded guilty for the murder of Kazuha Yoshimune. He will be subjected to the law in the following days.” Well, that was the easy part.

“Is that true?”

“Nope,” Tsuna sneaked his arms around Shouta’s waist to cuddle better, “someone else is behind it but Tsukauchi wants to keep it under wraps to work without the press breathing down his neck.”

His lover tch-ed. The brunet smiled.

“Sora has been working with the police as a licensed hero for almost a year, his help is unvaluable.”

“Look at the praise…”

“Jealous?”

Shouta’s arms tightened around him and he answered to the slow, sensual kiss, “be thankful I know whose bed you’re warming.” Tsuna blushed.

“No, he’s made it very clear that he wants no visibility, thus no interviews. Please, be mindful and respect his wishes. He’s saved many lives and he deserves that, keep it in mind.”

“Wishful thinking.”

Tsuna half-shrugged. “At least he tried.”

“Sora’s work with the police is not simple. He helps us through his quirk, especially with rescue.”

“Smooth… for someone that detects lies, he lies rather well.”

Shouta kissed his temple. “Not like they would believe the truth.”

“Touché.”

“No, there’s no direct way to contact him but to go through me first.”

“Ok, that… that was not a good move.” Tsuna sank his face in Shouta’s shirt. “He’s going to have that phone ring for days on ends, what is he thinking…?”

“That you’re helping him so much this doesn’t really matter.”

He looked up at his lover’s amused gaze with a pout. “I really am not.” The raven scoffed and stole another kiss.

“No, he doesn’t patrol, but he is the one solving the cold cases police asks him to.”

“That might make people assume your quirk is related to mind,” Shouta considered, “smart.”

“Uhm.”

“That’s a question that breaches the privacy right of every hero, you should know better than to ask. This conference ends now.”

Tsuna blinked, watching as Tsukauchi stormed back inside the station, “what did they ask?”

Shouta pushed him down on the couch and sighed into his hair, “where you’re living.”

The brunet chuckled and let his lover cuddle him into a warm embrace after turning off the tv. “He’ll come later to better discuss this.”

“Of course…” Shouta put some distance between them to look at Tsuna, “then we should make the best of the time we have, right?”

He grinned, “whatever may you be talking about?”

But he was soon silenced by greedy lips and exploring hands.

Chapter Text

Shouta smirked at Tsukauchi’s blush, letting him in while not even trying to hide the signs Tsuna’s mouth had left on his neck and shoulders. Pity, he didn’t have any high-collar shirts, but only large collar ones, truly a pity. From the couch, his lover fixed him with an almost golden glare, though the dust of pink on his cheekbones made it useless. The raven was unrepentant. Tsuna threw him a scarf.

“You either wear that or I heal you,” he threatened, waving a scolding finger at him.

Well, he liked seeing those marks on the mirror, so he complied… with a pout. “Fine…” He had reaped his vengeance, at least, meagre as it was.

“You’re so petty…”

“Pe–what… why?”

Tsuna sighed, patting the couch near the one he was sitting at to invite Tsukauchi over, “because you took me away today and because of the case you gave him four days ago of a new vigilante.”

The detective gaped as he sat down, clearly surprised but not annoyed. “It was a little over an hour and– that vigilante was easy!”

“As I said, petty.”

Shouta kept pouting as he sat at Tsuna’s side. He was not petty, anyway. He was vengeful, rightly. Because the detective kept giving him cases that had him off his usual patrols – and not ones that would get his lover to work with him.

“I forgot to tell you at the prison, but I think you’ve come to this conclusion just like me,” the brunet started, leaving no space for the amusing atmosphere but keeping the lightness. “Regarding the murder, there have to be at least two assassins, going by the quirk they needed to manage this kind of act without drawing suspicion.”

Tsukauchi nodded, “yes, and Sato confirmed it, two people, a male with a quirk that can control blood in a radius, with the condition of having touched that blood before, and a female with a teleportation quirk. The guard only had a role in tampering with the cameras.”

“Has he given names? Locations? Any hints?”

The detective sighed, looking down at his loosely interlaced fingers between his knees. “He doesn’t know much, but he’s given us the identikits of the two murderers and told us that the contact that offered him the deal through phone had an accent. Right now, Tamakawa is letting him listen to registrations to understand which accent it was. From what you told me, I’d bet on American.”

“I’m afraid you’re right.” His lover reached for his laptop, opening it. “Got any contacts there?”

“Before that,” Tsukauchi took off his fedora as Shouta stood and went to the kitchen, “I’m not that updated on the underworld… and I’d like to know why your suspicions fall in USA.”

The raven grabbed a bottle of water and three glasses while he heard Tsuna speak. “Well, I… Once I settled down, with my job and in that flat, checking out the syndicates was almost the first thing I did. I mean, it was… it was instinctual, I only noticed what I was doing when I already knew half of what I needed.” Shouta did his best to ignore how those words aroused him and decided to take a tray of cookies that Koneko-san loaded them with. “Anyway, our neighbour countries… uh, better said, the nearest ones are not a threat, Europe is too far and USA has Mexico in a checkmate right now, so… it’s pretty simple.” The hero brought everything to the low table and sat back at Tsuna’s side.

“Thank you, Eraserhead.”

He just shrugged, sneaking an arm around his lover’s waist, unnoticed thanks to the cookies. Koneko-san surely knew how to bake them, by the way.

“How do you find that out? It’s not on the net.”

Tsuna looked sheepish, “actually…”

Turned out anyone with functional eyes and vast language knowledge could know what the syndicates were up to simply by surfing the net. Shouta was impressed – and aroused, but he knew how to control himself and they’d had a very satisfying rendezvous only an hour prior.

“First, you find the most famous information site and a less famous one from the country you’re investigating. To be surer, cross-check the news are the same. These two,” he pointed to the Chinese websites he had opened through saved links, “are my favourites. The translator offered by the browsers is not great but it can work.” He allowed the translation to work its wonder. “There’s not some news you’re particularly searching for, follow your guts. This here,” he clicked on both the titles about a brawl in downtown, “screams Triads. The trick is that the two websites will talk about the event differently, and that’s what you have to investigate better. The official one says the brawl was among drunken men and that no witness was hurt. The less famous one adds that the witnesses mentioned the reasons for the brawl were turf related.” He shrugged. “From my experience, this means that there are many problems. This thing got out of hands, there was no Boss to clean up the aftermath and the news reported it immediately, contrarily to how an underground organization would make sure of. This is not simply a brawl, it’s a symptom that power is unbalanced, spread out and very confusing. The members of the Triads do not know who rules them.”

Shouta poured water in the glasses and offered one to Tsuna, that nodded in thanks. Tsukauchi was a bit stomped, but took control of the device to double-check what he’d been shown with clear interest. It was golden information, the raven knew that and tightened his hold on Tsuna’s hip enough to not be ticklish and just be supportive.

“Colour me impressed, Sora.”

At that, the brunet sighed. “I understand the formalities outside, but if you keep calling me that in privacy, I’m picking the honorific back up.”

It had been such a hassle to get Tsuna to drop it that the detective immediately acquiesced with a sheepish grin, “Tsuna, ok. Uhm… Yes, I’m impressed… and I’ll probably ask you for guidelines at some point,” this made his lover chuckle, “but there are more pressing matters.”

“So,” Shouta let go of his empty glass and massaged the spot between his eyebrows, focusing on the conversation to be of help, “a nice someone in USA wants to traffic humans all the way over here in Japan and does not seem like a piece of cake to deal with.”

Tsuna slightly leaned in his embrace, eyes turning golden. “Contacts?”

“Yes, right, huh…” Tsukauchi fled their gazes, “I have two, but one is not… I have a contact in New York Police Department, she’s reliable and her standing in regard to human traffickers is going to be very crucial in… not allowing corruption and information leaks. However, we must first know how to go about this.”

The brunet hummed, lightly pinching his chin in thought. “Plan… A plan… From what I’ve found out, USA has had a few turf wars recently, but the way they were quickly snuffed out means there are strong, major syndicates ruling over the States. This makes things easier and harder… depends on the point of view.” He took a pause, eyes shining brighter. “I think the sender is part of a syndicate, if not the Boss, then a high-standing chess piece. I know I wouldn’t give this job to someone I don’t trust fully.” He scowled, “not like I have ever done this, I would never–”

“Tsuna.”

The brunet pressed his lips together, looking down, lost in his past for a moment. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Shouta squeezed his waist again.

“You’re saying that,” Tsukauchi brought the topic back in the conversation, “we have to investigate the high ranks of American mafia?”

Tsuna nodded. “Yes, most likely, but we should not be too hasty.”

“What do you mean?” The brunet turned to Shouta, but Byakuran decided it was a good idea to jump on the table and send a glass to the floor, so the raven caught it just in time.

His lover huffed with a small smile, and Reborn jumped him for cuddles. “I mean that there still are two assassins around here that we should try to catch first.”

Tsukauchi’s eyes widened. “You think… how?”

“That depends.” He narrowed his eyes, thoughtful again. “I can lead you where they are, but it will take all my focus… and some, so we need a squad or two on the ready.”

Shouta frowned at that, “you what?”

Tsuna bit his lower lip, redirecting all his attention on the raven hero with a troubled smile. “Searching for someone specifically is different than letting my Intuition lead me to something unspecific but important. Thus, I need backup if we’re doing this. I’ll be… like a zombie? More or less.” He dropped his gaze.

Ok… strange, but he could work with that. He silently held Tsuna closer in an almost hug. At this point, the detective had probably noticed already, but he was not pointing it out, much appreciated.

“Maybe I should involve Hizashi and Nemuri, seeing that they know about Sora.”

Tsukauchi arched a surprised brow, “they finally linked the dots?”

“No. I was fed up with their attempts at breaching my– our privacy.”

Tsuna chuckled, leaning into him with one hand on his stomach and his head nestled in Shouta’s shoulder. He didn’t mind, at all. He felt smug, instead.

“Well… I’ll need at least one day to assemble a team, is that too late?”

“No,” the brunet’s eyes gleamed once, “no, they’re waiting… the capture of Sato made them linger, an order may come to take his life, too.”

Shouta blinked in sudden – late – realization. “What about yours?”

Tsuna pursed his lips, tensing a bit. “I am a threat for them.” He bit the inside of his cheek. “I’m not in danger, yet. Not yet.”

“But?” Tsukauchi pressed.

“But…” He sighed, “I will be. They know I am the main cause of the human traffic here in Japan stopping, they see me as an enemy, though they probably are under the impression that this was only the villains’ inability to deal with a single vigilante. That will be denied in time, especially after we capture the murderers and make the news public…”

“That… Does that mean I’ve painted a bullseye on your back?”

Tsuna quickly shook his head to reassure the detective, “no, it was just a matter of time. The veil of unknown is protecting me, right now. They have no idea and will have no idea where to search for me, seeing the press didn’t ask if I’m working abroad.”

Tsukauchi drew a relieved breath, “speaking about it, is there something else you want to make public?”

He thought about it, relaxing against Shouta. “I like being seen as something like a counsellor to the police, which I am, kind of. The no patrol thing was a good move, if the villains believe it, they will stop attacking other heroes that are patrolling the nights. Mentioning the cold cases might also make some think that I gave up my raids to not end up in prison as a vigilante, especially because you didn’t mention how I became a hero.”

“No one asked,” the detective shrugged.

“They will, eventually. There was just too much to focus on today.”

Shouta scoffed, “you don’t say…”

Tsuna shook his head at him with a small smile. “I was saying, not involving UA to its full extent, for now, may work in our favour.”

“How?”

The brunet’s smile took a sharp edge. “If they think I am working as a hero against my will, someone might, stupidly of course, think I am liable to change sides if given an opportunity to flee.”

Tsukauchi tilted his head, eyes widening a fraction. “And your glares at the reporters, plus our policy of privacy surrounding you, will help that happen.”

Shouta had to take a deep breath, “you’re planning to go undercover, aren’t you.” He didn’t need an answer, going by the sheepish smile. “And just when the Entrance Exams are behind the corner.”

“I told you, the less you appear linked to me, the better, especially for future issues.”

The underground hero narrowed his eyes at the flashes of golden. “Fine, but I don’t like it.”

“Well,” Tsuna shrugged, “I’ll probably be away from you for a month, at least, I like it even less.”

“Wait, wait. What about your job?”

Tsukauchi cleared his throat, “not mentioning that we need your help capturing the two murderers.”

Tsuna nodded, “I have a plan for that, don’t worry. As for the café,” he turned to Shouta, “I’ve accumulated a lot of free days, and it’s summer, so there will be a lot of students volunteering.”

The raven sighed, aggravated. “Why do you always have a point?”

His lover planted a kiss on his cheek, knowing that would melt Shouta like the love fool he was. He sighed, at least the detective was embarrassed.

Chapter Text

Tsuna held strong under the scrutiny of the other heroes Tsukauchi had assembled for the mission. He was focusing his attention on the golden trails that his Intuition was showing him. Shouta was at his side, geared up, stubbornly refusing to go elsewhere. It was a quarrel he knew he couldn’t win, his lover was just too worried by the state he needed to be in to find the murderers.

They were in an abandoned building. The heroes all around – some he recognized, some he remembered seeing on tv, some were sidekicks, some completely unknown to him – were waiting for the instructions he would give the detective in a minute. Tsuna walked up to the hole of a missing window, Shouta following suit but keeping a respectful and unsuspicious distance. To anyone in the dark, it would almost seem like Eraserhead was Sora’s personal guard, not his protector.

Tsukauchi approached them, Best Jeanist in tow. “Sora, at your ok.”

The brunet bit the inside of his cheek, eyes growing even warmer as he focused on the trails. “Ok then. Best Jeanist,” he tilted his head to the hero, that answered back despite their first meeting, “Eraserhead,” Shouta’s lips twitched behind the scarf, he knew, “you two will be the only heroes seeing me. You have the duty to guide the others after me.”

“Fine.”

“I’ll keep my curiosity to myself.”

Sora nodded in thanks at the spoken thought before summoning a halo of Mist Flames to cover his body. “I’m now visible to only you three.”

He checked his hood was in place, stepped onto the windowsill and shut down everything else surrounding him. He evoked in his mind the identikits of the murders, the quirks supposedly owned by the people he was searching for, the guard that had pleaded guilty, the whole reason why the assassins were in Japan and why they had to be found.

The multiple golden trails in front of him shook, fizzled, dimmed… minus one. The trail to the East brightened, twisting and turning over dark shapes of what he assumed were buildings and rooves. He couldn’t see very well, and he didn’t like it. Better get a move on.

He followed the trail, eyes feeling so hot he could swear his eye sockets were melting in his skull. He stumbled a few times, shins hitting a roof’s edge or trail passing under a sideways chimney, but he managed to not let his focus slip. It was a long journey, though, and his head paid the price, ache starting at the forefront of his head and slowly, inexorably spreading throughout his brain. He found himself hoping the trail would stop and his prayer, thank whatever, was answered.

He stopped when the golden trails fell downwards, split and disappeared past a wall. Tsuna panted slightly in the night air, chilly against his heated skin, and let his focus fade, Intuition receding and steaming. He almost lost his footing when he realized he was quite high, crouching down on the roof’s edge and checking he had been successfully followed. Shouta was hiding at his right, sitting behind a balustrade. Best Jeanist was at his left, shrouded in black clothes.

The brunet sighed, too tired to even contemplate joining the raid. His muscles were sore, his head was thumping and he needed water.

“I’ll leave it to you, if that is acceptable.” He pointed at the door one of the golden trail disappeared into and studied the whole, unassuming two-stories house. “They’re in that building, one is sleeping, the other is keeping watch at the windows on the first floor. Be careful.” He turned to Eraserhead. “Neutralize the teleporter first… the sentry.”

Both the heroes left him there after quick nods, thankfully, and Tsuna could slide down on the roof and catch his breath. This was certainly an ability to explore more at a later date, maybe train a bit to at least see where he was going. It left him too open for his – Reborn’s – liking. He wanted to go home.

Sounds of fighting made him refocus on what was happening, though his pulsing Intuition was at ease. Soon enough, as he turned to look past the roof, the two murderers were brought out in quirk-restricting cuffs by Shouta and other heroes to police cars that had arrived minutes after Tsuna. He kept to the roof, overlooking the calm aftermath, then decided to come out when the two prisoners were taken away, dispelling the Mist Flames cloak as he jumped down – scaring quite a few heroes and police officers, much to Shouta’s delight.

Tsukauchi was the first to approach him with a wide and grateful smile, “thank you, Sora, they were both apprehended. You can go home if you want, though I will need a report.”

The brunet tilted his head. “Of course, I’ll make sure to pile more paperwork on that desk of yours.”

He winced, grimacing. “Short, please…”

Tsuna smirked, turning to leave after a quick nod to Eraserhead and Best Jeanist. “I’ll see what I can do.” With golden bright eyes, he winked and took off through the rooves.

When Shouta came back, Tsuna was half-sleeping on the sofa, covered by two warm and purring cats. He could feel the worry over the room and scooted aside to make place for his lover, sighing into his chest and smiling in the tight embrace.

“You worry too much.”

“I’ve never seen you out of breath… save for when I make you so.”

Tsuna lightly hit the arm that was around his waist, but couldn’t banish his smile. “Pervert.”

“You know I’m right.”

He’d have rolled his eyes if they weren’t closed. “I was just tired, it took a lot to do that.”

“There have to be drawbacks, huh?”

Tsuna shrugged. “I shouldn’t even be here.”

Shouta’s arms tightened around him, “don’t even think that, where would I be without you?”

“Uhm… being a grouchy man that doesn’t know how to improve school and has a bad reputa–”

He answered to the kiss, letting his lover push him down on the couch and ignoring the cats. His arms sneaked around Shouta’s neck, pulling him nearer, and his legs did the same to his waist. Pity he was too tired to keep going.

The kiss got very heated, almost sloppy and toothy, before his lover finally let him breathe. He was most probably blushing like mad, but no matter. Tsuna smiled, caressing Shouta’s nape and hair and looking into stormy and fond eyes.

“Sorry, I did my best. And, I let you heroes save the day, right?”

The raven sighed into his collarbone, leaving a single bitemark. “Thank that I want you rested for what’s to come, else you’d have trouble walking tomorrow.”

And this was the same man that had had issues breaking the sex wall, seriously. “Yes, yes, fine, thank you almighty God.” Shouta, predictably, attacked his sides and Tsuna broke into incontrollable giggles.

“You two gotta be less rough!!”

Tsuna counted until ten, then backwards. It worked, a bit. He looked at Akuro with an arched brow.

“I should have called in sick, so that you, Inko and Mitsuki would have died out of worry and then despaired because you don’t know where I live.” He eyed the baby-proofed corner, where the two kids were babbling about an apparently very serious matter, and smiled. “Anyway, I’m just feeling under the weather, nothing your head was maliciously conjuring. Also, I need a month off two weeks from now.”

“Whoa whoa! Vacation, ok, but a month!”

“It’s–…” Uh. How to do this. “It’s not for a vacation. I have… something to take care of.”

Akuro fixed him with narrowed sea eyes and crossed her arms. “What does that mean.” Before he could try to answer, she stopped him with a lifted hand, “no, let me rephrase. You’re coming back, right?”

Tsuna blinked. “Of course I am. Shouta would kill me if I don’t.”

“I would, too, just saying.” Akuro sighed in relief. “Ok, fine, not like I wouldn’t give you time off, it’s… just a bit sudden. Is everything ok?”

He didn’t want to lie. “Not yet, but it’s going to be.”

She clapped her hands, startling the kids, which made Tsuna narrow his eyes at her. “Oops, sorry? Sorry. Ok! Time to work! I have this lemon cake–”

“They’re not cooperating.”

Tsuna was very unimpressed and very unsurprised. “And why, pray tell, would that bring you to me?”

Tsukauchi looked sheepish and a bit embarrassed. “Because you are very scary?”

Shouta, the jerk, laughed just before he could sip his water, so there was no danger of dying for him. Tch.

The teleporting quirked man was so terrified he provided an identikit of the one they were searching for. Of course, Tsuna went through the whole interrogations with golden eyes that not only untangled two tongues but also made the other police officers – and Best Jeanist, that had wanted to follow the case through – very cautious and respectful around him. The hero, though, hid his fear rather well.

“Can I call you more often?”

Tsuna eyed Tamakawa and his unimpressed state faltered. They’d probably never seen a captive capitulate that fast, and he’d not even used Mist Flames. He massaged the spot between his eyebrows, mindful of his hoodie, other hand on his hip, knowing he just couldn’t resist puppy eyes – especially from a man that had cat features.

“Tamakawa, I have Sora’s number, but–”

“Actually,” Tsuna brushed the hand down his face, “I might have a better idea… though it would have to be used after this whole mess is dealt with.”

Tsukauchi blinked. “Which is…?”

Shouta was going to kill him for this. “I still have to solve your cold cases, right? What if you give me a desk and I solve them here? Like this, I’d be available for any other nasty interrogation.”

“Well… I can’t steal you every day.” Pretty obvious who the detective was referring to. “I’d kiss goodbye to my life.” He half-smirked, half-gulped.

“Not every day, but once or twice a week?”

Tamakawa ducked his head, eyes still pleading. “I think Sora-san wouldn’t need to interrogate much…”

Tsuna turned to him, “what do you mean?”

It was Tsukauchi, though, that answered. “You just need to be here, that’s what he means…” He passed one hand through his hair, messing them a bit. “I think we have plenty of time to fix you a desk that the ones we arrest can see clearly. The trick should be in making it obvious it is yours and having a few spread the rumour.”

Tsuna suddenly felt out of the law again.

“It’s not against the law.”

The brunet huffed, taking from his lover a plate to dry, “it’s not lawful either.”

“Huh, not really.” Shouta smiled as Tsuna rolled his eyes, still pouting. “Technically, you aren’t even speaking to the suspects, you’re just there, doing your job, maybe letting your control over your Mist slip because of the details of a murder.”

He stared. “For someone that follows rules to a T, you’re too good at evading them.” He hummed, “I’d have tried to recruit you, back in the days.” He left the last dried plate aside and leaned against the counter, towel still in hand. “At this rate, I should have just joined the police.”

Shouta let the water in the sink flow and dried his hands on the towel, taking it from Tsuna and hooking it at its place before trapping the brunet at the counter with both arms at either side of him. “There are many heroes that simply help the police without an agency backing them up. I am one of them, you are one of them. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to stop a quirk gone awry in a police station.” He lifted one hand to brush Tsuna’s hair behind his ear, searching his chocolate eyes. “Why do you insist on considering yourself bad?”

The brunet licked his lips – thing that distracted Shouta a bit – and shrugged. “I… I haven’t followed the right steps to be in the same position as you. I am a vigilante, not a hero or a police officer.”

“No, you are a hero.”

Tsuna shook his head. “I have no right to do all this.”

Shouta had to hold back an eyeroll, instead he lifted Tsuna by his hips to make him sit on the counter and invaded his space better, eyes on the same level so that his lover couldn’t escape him. “Let’s ignore the fact that you came here too late to enrol hero school, for a single moment.” The brunet pouted, but held the gaze and slid his hands on the raven’s shoulders. “Do you remember the test you took?” At the nod, Shouta sighed. “Part of the reason you passed the exams is what you did and how you did it as a vigilante. It’s true you haven’t taken my same steps, and, frankly, who has? Everyone’s got a different path. However, Nezu did take that into consideration and upped the difficulty of the exams. By a lot. And you breezed through it? To be honest, I had my reasons to be impressed and unbelieving. Nezu still keeps pestering me to have a chess game with you.” Shouta leaned over and kissed the alluring lips parted in surprise. “Stop punishing yourself. I know a hero when I see one. You’re astounding.”

A delicious and satisfying blush spread on Tsuna’s cheeks, whose pout improved, somehow, and the raven chuckled when his lover thumped his head against his shoulder, probably trying to hide. He threaded his fingers through light brown locks and softly massaged the scalp.

“Flatterer…”

Shouta scoffed. “Entirely your merit.” He blocked the light hit directed to his chest and kissed Tsuna’s palm. “Now, I think I should enjoy some quality time with you before you leave me here, all alone.”

The brunet snickered, lifting his head to look at him better. “I’m leaving the cats with you, overdramatic idiot.”

“I can’t sleep with cats.”

“Technically–”

Tsuna was silenced, at first, only to be allowed to let out a long string of moans later.

“I promise I’ll hold off giving you missions.”

Tsuna snickered.

“For two months.”

“Eraserhead…”

“Three.”

Tamakawa joined the brunet, much to the desperation of Tsukauchi. The cat-man was coming with them to America, as a back-up, thus he was watching how Shouta held onto Tsuna, dressed as a civilian, at the airport, unwilling to let him go by having captured his luggage. Reborn and Byakuran glared at him from the underground hero’s shoulders, trying their best to guilt-trip him.

The detective, that had chosen non-descript clothes and sunglasses to better blend in like his colleague, sighed in resignation. “Two months. Please?”

“I said three.”

Tsuna decided to play peacekeeper. He took the hand that was holding onto his luggage, massaging it, and locked eyes with Shouta. His lover was a mix of fight-and-flight and regret. He smiled.

“It’s going to be ok.” The raven looked away for a moment. “I promise.”

Shouta closed his eyes, reopening them to look at Tsukauchi. “Two months, and a few days off.”

“Granted.”

“You better remember it.” His eyes narrowed, specks of red threatening through.

Tsukauchi grabbed Tamakawa’s forearm and urged him away. “I will! We’ll wait for you at the gate, Tsuna!”

The raven sighed, “wasn’t your identity supposed to be a secret?”

“It’s fine, it’s not going to be a secret forever.”

“I sure hoped it would.” He sneaked his arms around the brunet’s waist and kissed him chastely on the addicting lips. “Be careful?”

“I’ll do my best to kick asses.” He giggled, cheeky, and dived in for another, deeper kiss.

A gasp, however, made them stop and look at their side. A woman, covering the eyes of her child, stared at them with disgust in her eyes. Tsuna’s eyebrow twitched.

“With how advanced your world is, I thought this wouldn’t have been a problem,” he whispered.

“Idiots will always be idiots.” The brunet almost laughed out loud.

“You defy nature!”

Tsuna felt himself burn inside, barely keeping his Intuition buried. “I assume your business is so dull that you have time to mind mine.” That said, he leaned over to kiss Shouta with a bit of tongue and smirked back at him. “See you soon, dear. I’ll call often.”

He chuckled in the hug and took hold of his luggage, waving at him as he left to join the police officers. Something ugly settled in the pit of his stomach, but he ignored it in favour of focusing. Tsukauchi gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Time will fly.”

Tsuna sighed, “I hope it will fly for him, too.” He turned to Tamakawa. “Pleasure to meet you again, sir. My name is Tsuna,” he bowed.

The cat-man answered in kind. “It is an honour to be let in on your identity, Tsuna-san.”

“Nah, just a burden,” Tsuna winked, then turned to the detective. “What’s the plan?”

Tsukauchi had the air of a very tired old man. “I was going to ask you that.”

Oh. Ok. Well… “First, tell me what the murderers spilled.”

Chapter Text

The situation in the States required Tsuna to go incognito. Nothing he hadn’t ever done, but his American was a bit rusted, so he’d had to practice a bit with Tuskauchi’s contact, a very serious woman that had clearly fought her way up the ranks tooth and nail. He respected her, but couldn’t hide his curiosity about the other contact that the detective had mentioned and immediately brushed off, back home.

The teleporter quirk man had spoken, during the interrogation, about a classy and stylish pub where the sender had found and contracted them – verbally of course. No luck on that part, as always. It was an unwritten rule to not leave any proof, especially in countries where the police departments were not in the underground’s hands. It baffled him, however, that, without having written contracts, paperwork kept piling up, back in his universe.

Anyway, Jodie Clover, the contact, landed him with a suit and Tsuna suddenly felt home. He couldn’t believe he had missed suits. He caught Tsukauchi snapping a photo and glared, eyes warming. The detective just sheepishly made the phone disappear, not feeling sorry in the slightest.

“It’s blackmail, for Eraserhead.”

Tsuna lifted his right hand in the pose of a snap and lit Storm Flames around it. “What happened to asking for permission?”

“I… I’m– can I keep it?”

If not for the thought that such a picture would reach his lover – and provoke quite the reaction –, Tsuna would have burned that phone to crisps. Instead, he smiled, caught the shivers it elicited and tilted his head, calling his Intuition up just a tiny bit.

“If it reaches him too soon, I’m going to make you pay.”

Tsukauchi, of course, passed the whole incognito mission wondering to himself when was the right time while Tsuna dragged his own sorry, Mist-covered ass – and body – through the night.

Though the pub was classy and stylish, it was also exclusive and with a code of conduct. Thing that, even if it played a bit in his favour, was a hassle to garner from the outside. It would have taken him too long to understand who he could impersonate, so he just shrouded himself in Mist Flames, thanking that the code banished any kind of camera, and walked in through the back entrance. He was relieved when the dim lights inside were of multiple colours, so that the halo of Mist that made him invisible would pass off completely unsighted.

The space was wide, neatly divided into comfortable spaces with couches and tables that couldn’t be seen all at once. The music was pounding and strippers were dancing around a few poles, exhibiting quite flexible moves. Men in black were sitting at the various tables, women at their sides or in their laps. There were no businesswomen, as far as he could tell. The waiters were what one would expect from a 5-stars hotel or restaurants, impeccable and at the ready, one per table. Taking one’s place was out of question, too many variables he wasn’t aware of.

A smoke machine, or more than one, made moving a bit difficult. He could be invisible, but he was not intangible and his movements caused strange whirls in the smoke. Like that, with the identikit in mind and Tsukauchi sweating through the intercom – still wondering about the timing for the photo –, Tsuna moved from one booth to another, catching snippets of conversations that could or not be useful. A man joked about how uptight Mrs Faldam was, another shushed him and the woman with them made a cutting but polite remark to respect their matron. He had a name for the owner, small steps. From another group, he heard that the code of conduct sucked because they had to remember a different word every week. Another man whined about his wife while fondling another woman.

It took him almost an entire tour of the place before his eyes caught the man he was searching for. Using the air shifted by a waiter passing by, Tsuna silently leaned against the separating wall and listened in while checking his escape ways.

“–re,” one of them was saying.

His target, Vincent McRoy, took a puff out of a cigar and scratched his stubbly cheek. “That’s good, actually.” The other two men, obviously lower in the chain ladder, exchanged a confused glance. “We can’t catch him all over there but, if he does us the favour of visiting, it’s much easier to just lay out a nice trap and take what we want.” Tsuna’s bad feeling had just been confirmed.

“We don’t even know about his quirk, sir.”

“We know he is strong and good at infiltrating…”

“Exactly,” Vincent smirked, “he hasn’t showed any other power in the moments he needed them the most, I fear his only quirk is related to his mental abilities, maybe illusions or something?” Tsuna was suddenly very thankful he had always chosen strength over Flames, when possible. “If he is really here, I’ll use one of my pawns and give him a treat he can’t refuse.”

“He doesn’t ever come alone, tho.”

“Yeah, what if he brings over a squad of heroes?”

These men had done their damn homework. “I’ll make this treat a single event, held in a moment where heroes will be needed all over the city.”

“Does that mean… Boss is on with it?”

Tsuna absently heard the affirmation and made to leave. He had what he had come for. A trap, they wanted to trap him, to catch him, only because he had dismantled human traffic rings? It stank, in his expert opinion. What would they want from him? Why not kill him?

The clutter of a tray falling and the crash of an empty glass on the floor made Tsuna’s eyes flinch towards the waiter right next to him. The sounds did not catch much attention, but the waiter, that was on the floor, carefully putting the glass shards on the tray, was looking straight at the brunet. A quick check, he was still wearing Mist Flames. He crouched on the ground, the waiter’s gaze followed him, and stared into the dark violet eyes. A quirk that could see through Illusions? Handy.

“The red exit door, stairs up two floors, Madame is waiting for you.”

Meaning he’d been discovered, but he was not exactly in danger. Tsuna tilted his head in thanks at the whisper and followed the instructions, dropping the Mist only when in front of a massive, mahogany door. There was much tidy chaos behind closed doors, but it was to be expected. Perfection, or as close as humans could get to it, was not accomplished easily.

“Tsuna, what–”

“Sorry, I’ll have to cut communication for a bit, forgive me, it’s going to be fine, hear you in some minutes.”

He turned off the earpiece and softly knocked at the door. It opened by itself after a few, silent seconds. The room was small, a foyer with two rich red, velvet, opposite couches in the middle, a low, wooden table with a thin, empty vase and a big carpet on the whole floor. There was a window, hidden by thick, red curtains and an expensive chandelier with diamond-like pieces dangling from the ceiling.

On one couch, a well-built woman was reading a heavy book, eyes darting from one word to the other, a pair of glasses without temples sitting on her crooked nose. Her black hair, probably very long, were neatly braided into a bun behind her head, where two dark brown sticks peaked with golden and soundless bells attached to them through thin, azure strings. Her dress was a very dark red, almost brown. She looked around her forties. One of her hands was lifted toward the free couch and Tsuna took that as it was, an invitation to sit. He’d played this game too long to not be familiar with the situation.

The couch was comfortable, at least. And he couldn’t say the air felt uncomfortable, really. It was… peaceful, almost. He just sat straight and waited, because he still had been caught in a turf where he had not been invited or allowed.

He didn’t have to wait long before the woman slid a simple, green bookmark in the book and set it aside. Her eyes, small, blue, rimmed by perfectly trimmed eyebrows, moved on Tsuna with the precision of a Boss, studying him. She did not, however, study his body, but only his face, which reassured him some, because it could mean he had caught the right type of attention and it was a clear sign of respect.

“Good evening, Sora.”

No stones unturned, he wondered who the real Boss in this city was. “Good evening, Madame.”

Her lips briefly quirked into a pleased smile. “I see Japanese people live up to their reputation. Your polite manners, coupled with your cunning mind, are quite refreshing.”

Ah, he knew what she was referring to. “Yes, I’ve been witness to quite a few shows of impoliteness. I am sad to know such a refined place has to host disrespecting brutes.”

She tilted her head, smile returning. “I didn’t expect charisma from an underground hero.”

“I didn’t expect to be still breathing either, seeing I trespassed into your turf without an invitation, Madame.”

“I see,” she hummed, a black fan with lace appearing in her hand, “you’re very cunning, Sora.” It was flipped open and she started lazily fanning herself. “I wonder if this is not the first time you’ve come to meet someone from our world.”

Lying didn’t have a purpose. “It isn’t, I admit.”

“Thank you for your honesty.” She snapped the fan closed and tapped it against her chin. “You’re still breathing, as you’ve put it, because I see no advantages in ridding the world of you and your deeds.”

That… was surprising. “Not even protecting your guests’ privacy?”

Her upper lip curled in distaste. “It may seem to be my interest protecting the scum of society, as they fill my pockets and play by my rules in my propriety. However, odds are in your favour.” She lifted the book, taking something, a photo, from the first page, and showing it to Tsuna. “You saved my niece.” He recognized her, the girl fighting in the ring during his very first raid. “For this, I will forever be in your debt.”

The brunet nodded once, “I thank you, Madame. And I am sincerely happy your family is safe. I will make sure, over my honour, that I shall never call for your help if that might disgrace you.”

Her smile, this time, reached her eyes. “We specialize in info gathering, but we’re… versatile. What brings you to the States?”

“Someone breached through my turf, uninvited, and is apparently preparing me a nice welcome party.”

She reopened her fan, thoughtful. “Oh, yes, McRoy. Elijah Tarantino lets him do what he wants. A street bully, if I may.”

Tsuna allowed himself a chuckle, “please. His plan is going to work, up to a certain moment.”

“Oh?” Her eyes glinted. “How very interesting. I wonder if I can reserve a first-row chair.”

“I’d be obliged to offer you one, though I fear it is not my place to.”

“No worries, your thought is enough.” She tilted her head. “I don’t wish to hold you further, especially if this may cause lateness for your small surprise party. Is there something I can help with? Catering, perhaps?”

Tsuna stood, bowing to her in greeting. “For now, I need nothing more than time. My dear host, although a much less pleasant company than Madame, will keep me occupied and, unfortunately, will gain something from me, short as it may come to be.” He walked up to the door. “I wish you a good night, Madame.”

“Likewise, Sora… May I ask what your name means?”

“Of course.” He opened the door, “it means Sky.”

He heard a soft chuckle as he left.

Tsukauchi was not as soft when he finally flipped on the earpiece, once he got out, shrouded again in Mist Flames.

“You’re going to be my death…”

“Uh, with all due respect, sir, I think you should fear Eraserhead more.”

“Nice thought process, Tamakawa.” Tsuna chuckled. “And relax, it went fine. I have a contact in New York, too, now.”

“Sora…”

Chapter Text

“… What.”

“I know you’re secretly laughing at me, don’t fake anger, Tsuna.”

Well… “Guilty, sorry… But how did they find you?”

“They literally stalked me here.”

Tsuna covered his mouth with one hand sitting at the windowsill of his hotel room. “And now you’ve taken my place, how does that feel?” He looked through the window at the ongoing, chaotic traffic.

He missed home. “Come back and babysit the kids, I’m no babysitter material.”

“But Katsuki loves you! And Izuku loves whoever proves their worth to Katsuki!”

“… I don’t even want to know how that can work for two babies.” Shouta sounded so tired. “I’m a hero, they can’t just land me with their kids and leave!”

“Welcome to my world, dear. They do that all the time.”

“What if I have an emergency?”

Tsuna hummed, “I’ll message you Mitsuki’s address. Her husband is always home but is crap at taking care of babies, or so I heard. Should serve them right.”

“Surely better than me.”

“Heh, no, I don’t believe so. I think you like taking care of the two menaces and you’re good at it. Also,” he interrupted his lover before he could retort, “you don’t need to be good with any child to be ok taking care of them. You’re fine with Katuski and Izuki, and they like you. That’s enough.”

“Tsuna, I know nothing about taking care of children.”

“That’s not true, I taught you a lot.”

“As I keep saying, stop having a point.”

Tsuna giggled, sipping hot chocolate from his mug. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, so hurry up and come home.”

“I’m trying… You do know what will happen next.”

Shouta sighed on the other side of the phone call, “yeah, I still don’t like it. How long is that supposed to last?”

“A couple of weeks at worst.”

“Radio silence, then.”

Tsuna’s smile turned sad. “I’ll find ways to contact Tsukauchi, so he’ll keep in touch with you, ok?”

“Just be careful. And don’t worry about time, I prefer you safe than tripping over your own feet only because I hurried you.”

“You’re so precious…” He could hear the embarrassment. “Ok, dear, I’ll put my safety first.”

“Good. I’ll stalk Tsukauchi, deserves it…”

“Well, you can also ask about a certain photo…”

“What photo.”

“Ehehe, it’s going to be a surprise!”

“Tsuna…”

“Talk to you soon, ok?”

Another sigh, “ok, stay safe.”

“Will do, kiss the boys for me.”

“No.”

Tsukauchi slumped in defeat, “I had to try.” He sighed and scratched his cheek. “Why did I even come? You’re the one doing everything.”

“You asked for my help, I’m helping.” Tsuna tugged up his hood and fixed it still. “Don’t worry, it’s going to be fine. Madame will be watching, too.”

“Yes, huh… about that, Clover said you are insane and wants nothing to do with you. No one has ever had a conversation with that woman and survived, least of all walked out of it with a life-long debt.”

“Impressive,” Tamakawa absently commented from a corner of the room.

“I live to please,” Tsuna smiled, “so, see you in some days? I’ll search for ways to contact you as soon as I can.”

“Fine. Stay safe, for my safety.”

The brunet chuckled, jumping over the windowsill, “will do!”

Tsuna leaped into the night, quickly recognizing his learned path and parkouring to his destination. Rumours of an exotic new auction had been spread throughout the city in no time, they had reached him in barely two days. The date that had passed down had come and Tsuna didn’t even need to use his Intuition to reach the place, there had been enough posters around to know it by heart. It was a hotel, a quite renowned one. Madame was sure to attend, hidden in shadows and masks.

He swiftly landed on a balcony and took a moment to breathe the fresh air, focusing on what he had to do, what he needed to make happen. Tsuna opened the French window, which was unsurprisingly unlocked, and left the expensive-looking room to the wide corridor. He was on the fifth floor, he needed to reach the seventh, so he covered his body in Mist Flames, hoping that no waiters or guests noticed their halo against the warm light, and walked to the stairs. Luck seemed to be on his side, because he met no one.

He activated his Intuition, eyes becoming pleasantly warmer, and studied the trails. There were a few leading onto his target floor, but the brightest led downstairs. He bit his lower lip and did his best to shift his objective from “survival” to “getting caught without arising suspicions”. It took a toll on him, but he singled out the brightest trail, that was leading to a wide door, and turned his focus off.

There was soft music coming from the room and, strangely, no guards. The corridor was almost dark, with only one lamp shedding light from a far corner. It screamed trap all over the place. Newbies. Lambo would have laughed in their faces. The thought made him smile… and refocus.

According to his Intuition, he needed to get in through here to be caught. He was inclined to take another route but, when he poked his personal alien about the “no suspicion” part, it still pointed to that door. He did a check about the “no wounds or death” part, safe.

With a last deep breath, Tsuna fixed his hood and sneakily opened the door, marching through. As soon as he took one step inside the room – he could see a stage and people drawn to it very far and down in front of him, as if he were in a theatre –, something closed around his left ankle. Nothing more. Then a low laughter reached him, just as he looked down to see cuffs and a lizard-like man smirking at the area around him in victory. He could guess those cuffs were quirk-suppressors, so he slowly let down the Mist Flames and turned off his Intuition. His golden eyes were his signature and they could only be related to an activating sort of quirk.

Someone in front of him cleared their throat, Tsuna deemed it safe to just ignore the lizard-man to focus on who he assumed was Vincent McRoy. And, bingo. His target. Wonderful. Who immediately fell into a hazardous, inappropriate and completely wrong attempt at welcoming him in Japanese. Tsuna stopped short of shutting him up through Flames, simply opting to speak English.

“I speak your language.”

McRoy’s eyes brightened. “Splendid! You’re caught, Sora.”

Extremely anticlimactic. Reborn had taught him way better. He could bet Madame was laughing, somewhere.

“Am I? I can still move.”

To prove his point, he kicked the lizard-man’s hand from his ankle and slid behind McRoy, that flinched forward and almost fell on his face. His eyes were drawn to the stage, but there were only dancers, no auction. Small joy.

A pinch made him look down again. That damn lizard-man was silent and sneaky. Had to look out for him, because he’d just inoculated Tsuna something.

“Not anymore.”

Yes, he could feel that. “And now?” His vision was blurring.

“Now, we’ll have a nice, peaceful chat.”

Tsuna opened his eyes to a dark, smelly room. He was laying on the floor and, by how long it took him to remember what happened, that narcotic or whatever it was had knocked him out for good. He had two pair of cuffs, one for his ankles and one for his wrists – at least the chains were long enough to not feel impaired. Both were probably quirk-suppressing, so he fixed the no-Intuition rule in his head. He noticed, then, that he was lacking his hoodie. It had been taken off and he felt exposed, especially because he was wearing only a grey tank top.

He slowly sat up, frowning and wanting a good, dark cup of coffee. Shouta was rubbing off on him, it seemed. He just brushed his hands down his face, patting his cheeks to wake up better, and carefully stood, stretching his aching limbs. There were some empty, knocked off cardboard boxes in the corners, a simple, dirty table fixed on the even dirtier floor. He suspiciously eyed himself and scowled at his state. Such distastes, the scumbag should have at least made Tsuna comfortable if he wanted a peaceful talk.

He wanted a shower. And his hoodie, where was it?

Holding back his Intuition, that threatened to come through, Tsuna moved one of the two chairs aside and sat down, crossing his arms. If his internal clock was still working, it had been around five hours since he’d been taken, which meant the sun had just risen in the sky. He hoped Tsukauchi was not ripping his hair out in pure frustration and inhuman worry. Tamakawa would help, at least. The police officer was very easy to talk to and Tsuna liked his practical way of tackling life.

The brunet drummed his fingers on a rather clean patch of the table, thoughts straying to his awesome and sexy lover. Who could have predicted such a situation, really… He was so lost, felt so gone. Shouta had truly swept him off his feet, there was no better way to put it. His lips slowly melted into a smile, he missed him too much to be healthy.

The only door in front of him barged open, probably in an attempt to scare him, Tsuna just blankly turned his head to the man that strode right in the room and sat at the other free chair. Mcroy seemed as fresh as a daisy, while Tsuna was there, grumpy and in need of a shower. The man’s hands, full of heavy rings that surely proved useful in a fight, were loosely joined on the dirty table while McRoy smirked as if he had just won over the world.

Tsuna did his best to not roll his eyes, straightening, instead, to show he was listening to whatever bullshit this man was about to spew.

“I can help you.”

At times, not laughing was so hard. Tsuna slowly blinked. “With what.”

McRoy lifted his arms, as if indicating the room. “With escaping police!”

Tsuna hated being right, sometime. And he absolutely pitied Madame, if she had to deal with such idiots. “Oh,” he simply allowed, looking down. Let no one say his acting lessons with Lussuria had gone to waste.

McRoy quickly nodded thrice, “yes, trapping a vigilante behind a desk sounds bad.”

“I take part in raids.”

“But you’re leashed.” Which was kind of true, he supposed, shrugging and looking dejected, but that happened when working in the light. “I have a proposition for you.”

If Shouta came to know someone proposed to Tsuna, he would flip. “Which is?”

“Don’t go back to Japan.” Oh, scratch that, Shouta would downright kill this man. “Stay here in the States, I can protect you from the police. They’re not that good around these parts.”

“I noticed… What’s in it for you?”

He smirked, leaning forward in a conspiring way that Tsuna unsurely mirrored for show. “I’ll tell you exactly where you can find human traffic rings.” The brunet narrowed his eyes, mind running. “That your objective, right? You dismantle them.”

Yes. That, however, was not a pro for McRoy. What would he gain… unless… Oh. Oh.

The scum.

Fine, let’s play.

Tsuna tilted his head in interest, a smirk blooming on his lips. Game on.

Chapter Text

“What do you mean, he’s not in Japan?!”

Shouta knew this would have happened, though he still hoped it didn’t. Nemuri had learned from Akuro about Tsuna’s absence, had thus informed Hizashi, who had promptly banged on his door while the underground hero was stuck as babysitter to demand an explanation. That he didn’t want to give, just saying, but that he would, eventually, offer so… better take care of it.

He checked the children had not taken a scare because of his overreacting, dramatic best friend. Katsuki and Izuku were in the corner he had baby-proofed, mirroring what Tsuna had done in the shop but taking more space because they had grown up and the room was spacious enough to not be an inconvenience. The blond was showing Izuku a new toy, one that could give the correct-green or wrong-red lights when the children chose an animal to match the sound. As Tsuna had told him, Katsuki was rash but learned from his actions, Izuku was very thoughtful.

“He has a mission overseas, tone it down.” Shouta closed the door and went to pick up the iced tea he’d prepared for himself, sitting back on the sofa.

Hizashi sat down on the free couch, “a mission?”

He hummed. “Yes. Couldn’t go with him for many reasons, one of them the Entrance Exams tomorrow.”

His friend groaned. “Of course…” He sank his face in his hands, forgoing the glass of tea in front of him, on the low table. “I guess that’s why you were so unapproachable these days…”

Shouta snorted. “I always am.”

“Yes, well, more than usual,” Hizashi grinned. “Can I ask what sort of mission it is?”

“You can guess.”

“Right… the guy that died in prison?” Shouta simply nodded. “That seems a very bad situation…”

“Tell me about it.” He sipped his tea, “he’s gone undercover, can’t make contact now.”

“What.”

Shouta shrugged. “Tsuna will be fine.”

“Suuuu…”

“NA!”

He huffed a brief chuckle, lips quirking into a smile. “Yes, your babysitter.”

Hizashi blinked. “… That was creepy.”

“They don’t even say mom yet.”

His friend lifted his hands, “I don’t want to know more. But, really, Shou, are you ok? Need anything?”

He couldn’t say he was exactly fine, “thanks, but it’s fine. He never lies and he promised everything will go alright.”

“At times, his quirk scares me.”

Shouta shrugged, “as long as it keeps him alive, I’m not complaining.”

Hizashi fixed him with a serious stare for a long moment. “You really treasure him.”

He arched a brow. “This wouldn’t have lasted if I didn’t.”

“No, I…” The hero tilted his head with a light frown. “I’m not implying anything, it’s just… I’m happy you are happy.”

Was he? He’d be much happier if Tsuna was right there in his arms, preferably begging but he could be content with just having his lover home. Izuku gave a whine and Shouta checked the hour. Time to eat.

“I also never thought I’d see you babysit.”

“Shut the eff up.”

Hizashi laughed at the held back curse.

As soon as he returned to Japan, Tsuna was so grounded. What the fuck was he thinking?! If what the news was narrating was the truth – and his lover himself had pointed him to this channel – Tsuna was fucking overdoing it.

Shouta didn’t think twice before picking his phone and letting the dial tune fill his right ear. Luckily for his colleague, he picked up after only three tunes with just the right words and the right degree of contrition in his voice.

“I am infinitely sorry.”

The underground hero grunted, “of fucking course.”

Tsukauchi sighed on the other side. “Sorry, I have no idea what he is thinking. He hasn’t contacted me in over a week after falling into the trap and I don’t know what is happening.”

“So, Tsuna, instead of giving you the idiot, is wiping the States from any human traffic ring.”

“… more or less? I don’t understand why or how, seeing he’s still undercover.”

“Can you give me a full report? I doubt the news caught everything.”

“In fact…” There was shuffling of papers. “There was a raid per night, for a total of eight rings dismantled all over New York. We’re assuming he’s working on the target’s orders, but we don’t understand why these are the missions carried out, seeing the original objective was to establish a traffic in Japan.”

Shouta searched his mind for hints, especially the memories Tsuna had shared with him. Something surfaced, the tale of a family that had taken out all competition to have the ground levelled for a new, exclusive business.

“I think they’re trying to use his main objective to have a better hold on the market later, after disposing of him.”

“… That makes sense. Damn. Do you think he’ll need reinforcements? To get out.”

He shook his head, “no, he won’t. If I came to this conclusion, he did, too, so he knows what to expect. He’ll contact you when he feels it safe.” Quick, low-definitions images of Sora’s last stunt flashed on the television as Tsukauchi hummed and sighed. “How did the media catch whiff of this, anyway?”

“Well, from what you told me, I have to assume our target is manipulating things from the shadows. Maybe there’s another objective we can’t see.”

Perhaps, “or he is trying to make the competition think Sora is on his side.”

Another sigh. “The sooner this ends, the better…”

Shouta could imagine the detective greying prematurely. “Tsuna mentioned a photo, last time he called.”

“Ah– d-did he? I don’t think it’s the right time yet…” Someone else spoke to Tsukauchi, that stuttered even more. “M-maybe later, yeah. S-see you, Eraserhead.” And he ended the call.

Something stank. He had a feeling the fear he’d felt had been caused by his lover… the thought aroused him. Byakuran invaded his lap for some cuddles, that he absently gave. Maybe, he should just act on that small project since he had time and Tsuna was not there to pick on the hints. Yes, surprise it would be.

Making it known Sora had moved overseas had caused a bit of a mess that, obviously, Shouta had to take care of. He wasn’t exactly complaining, but having Tsuna’s help, or Tsukauchi’s, would have wasted less time. As things stood, he found his days filled with changed patrol routes because of rumours and straight tips given by citizens – who, of course, addressed Sora for their hopes. He could only thank whatever that his babysitting duties, pushed on him but not unwanted per se, did not occupy night hours, else he would have asked Hizashi for help, thing that he didn’t want to do. His friend already had a lot on his plate without his own issues.

Shouta ended up nipping in the bud a few emerging, but very badly organized, traffics almost every night. It was a bit exhausting, he didn’t know how Tsuna dealt with it so easily. The man kept being an enigma to him, even if he knew how to pick apart his reactions and emotions by then. There was… a kind of strange aura of wisdom and unreachable wit to him. At times, he felt small because of it, even unworthy, but then Tsuna’s smiles, the ones filled with fondness and need and happiness, were directed at him, only at him, and that erased whatever uncomfortable feeling and he was left with–

He should tell his lover. He planned to. Was it too soon? He knew nothing about these things, matters of the heart. He just knew that he wanted Tsuna to know, to hear it. He was… scared, a bit, to scare him away. He would be scared– not by Tsuna telling him something like this, but by anyone else telling him this out of nowhere, so… yes, he didn’t want to scare him, but he guessed the shock would be pleasant. Surprising him, for once, instead of being surprised and awed, as always.

Drawing a deep breath, Shouta wrapped up his last report of stopping an idiot from assembling a group of bigger idiots to get a fighting ring going and stood from the desk that would be appointed to Tsuna as soon as he was back. He’d chosen it, based on the whole reason why it had been placed so that captives waiting for interrogations had a good look of it. It was not wooden, thing that his lover would not appreciate, but made of light grey metal that highlighted the red smudges – making them much more easily mistakable for blood. If the objective were to scare them, he would make sure Sora became a fucking villain in hero disguise.

On his way home, a few minutes before seven in the morning, he remembered he needed to head to school. With a sigh, he had a quick shower, prepared himself a thermos of deliciously dark coffee – Tsuna was not there to make the perfect coffee, neither to reprimand him on a healthy breakfast – and wore another pair of comfortable black clothes and his cleaner scarf. What he didn’t expect was for Reborn to jump him and settle in it, fast asleep. He arched a brow, eyeing Byakuran, that blinked at him from the cat castle, barely interested. Without asking questions to the universe, no one had answers about cats’ behaviour, he accepted the tag-along and went to school. It was a pleasant company, although a bit too warm in the summer heat – yes, he knew he was too clothed, but he liked hiding, and the school was heavenly fresh thanks to AC, anyway.

The short walk made him regret his clothing choice, as always. He found shelter in the entrance hall, took a moment to fan himself and calm down, checking on the still sleeping black cat nestled in his scarf, completely unbothered, then dragged his feet up the stairs to the teachers’ lounge. There was a bit of a difference from the year prior, when the Entrance Exam had left him dreading the term’s beginning. He felt a bit reinvigorated, maybe even hopeful. The changes Tsuna had suggested and that the board had accepted had done the trick, resulting in more students having Rescue points and a few of them rethinking their life choices – in a good way. He could work with that. He almost looked forward to what these students would do, almost.

Shouta entered the lounge and held back from falling into his chair in exhaustion, not wanting to jostle Reborn too much. Those claws were dangerously close to his neck. He knew how much of a jerk the cat could be, though he still wondered how he could comfortably sleep while on his shoulder.

“Shou-chan!”

He sighed, “morning, Nemuri.”

His friend flopped to the nearby chair, which was not her desk, and beamed at him. “How is our resident grump?!”

“Grumpy.”

“And cranky, I see. No sleep?”

“Not a wink.”

“You could have stayed home,” she frowned. “Tsuna would have grounded you.”

“I’m not a kid,” but he knew that would have happened. “And I have coffee.” He lifted his thermos from his desk.

“Unhealthy, I’mma tell Tsuna everything.”

Shouta shivered despite himself, “not happening.”

“Watch me.”

Bad threat. Very bad. Not like Tsuna wouldn’t coerce everything out of him anyway once he was back home, but he preferred keeping these things between the two of them.

“I will. And I will watch very carefully when Tsuna beats you up because you weren’t able to keep me in check.” He smirked as she paled. “I bet he’ll hold his sweets.”

Nemuri yelped, gathering her hands in her chest. “You wouldn’t.”

“Watch me.” His smirk became feral.

Someone cleared their throat. Shouta lazily moved his eyes from his busybody of a friend to the principal, who was trying to hide an amused smile behind a paw.

“Excuse my interruption, may I take a moment of your time, Aizawa-sansei?”

With a heavy sigh, the underground hero stood, grabbing his thermos in case Nemuri decided to trample it, and followed Nezu out, towards his office. It was, as always, tidy and neatly organised, a couple, short piles of paperwork in a corner of the wide wooden desk in the middle of the well-furnished room. He took the offered seat in the armchair before the desk as the principal forwent the one behind it to sit at the one directly in front of Shouta, a kettle of tea ready in his hands. Out of politeness, he accepted the offered cup and sipped it. Not exactly his tastes, but not bad either.

Nezu’s eyes were trained on him, gleaming in his usual mischief. Shouta was not truly in the mood for mind games, he had not slept in… more than 24 hours. He straightened in his seat and put the cup back on its plate.

“What can I help you with?”

Nezu smiled, maybe pleasantly, he didn’t know. “Have you watched the news, recently?”

He was a hero, watching the news was basic. “Yes.”

“I assumed he wouldn’t have strayed from you.”

Shouta kept his expression forcibly neutral. “Who?” Nezu just widened his smile, “Sora?”

The principal nodded. “Sora. Your lover.”

Ok. His employer had never been so direct. It kind of put him on edge. Licking his lips, the raven took a deep breath, trying to understand what the other was trying to obtain. Nezu had pestered him almost every day to meet Sora, then it turned out he’d known all along what buttons to push but he had never used those weaknesses. This was, apparently, serious.

He nodded. “What do you want?” Maybe he was using less politeness than due.

“I can’t seem to be able to reach Tsukauchi-kun.”

Yeah, figured. “Because he’s asked for Sora’s help.”

Nezu tilted his head, tea forgotten by both, “how long?”

Shouta had been counting the days. “The deadline given to me was one month, as in five days from today.”

“That reassures me.”

“I’d like to know what you want from my lover, principal.”

The other nodded twice, slowly, thoughtful. “Would you believe me if I said I feel better knowing Sora is within ear-reach?”

Not really. “Why do you need him?”

The smile that answered his question made him tense even more. “One never knows what may happen in the future.”

Before he could retort with a less than polite remark, Reborn peeked from his scarf and sent Nezu a withering glare, coupled with a hiss. His left front paw was posed as if he was going to assault the principal, head dipped low and threatening.

Ok. Shouta wasn’t liking the atmosphere, too, but this was a bit too much. Even if Nezu was the most deceptive and secretive person he knew, the raven would bet safely that he was not ominous or dangerous. So, he carefully wrapped his hands around the cat’s body and placed him on his lap, running his fingers through the fur and feeling the muscles relax a fraction. He knew all the right spots, but Reborn was strangely resistant.

“It’s ok, calm down.”

“I didn’t know you had a cat.”

“We have two.” It was a relatively safe information and Reborn, somehow, decided that he wanted to go back in the scarf. “He doesn’t like you.”

Nezu just smiled.

Shouta sat the cat down on the low table, “Byakuran, I need you here a moment.”

The white cat joined his adoptive brother. They sat at each other’s side, peering at the man with too expressive eyes, paws hidden behind their gathered, mirrorred tails.

“I need to ask a favour out of you two.” Tellingly, the cats exchanged a glance. “I want you to be very careful who you are smart with, ok?” Reborn had the gall to roll his eyes. “No, I’m serious. You have no idea how much you’re worth. There are people who would kill for pets with quirks. Please, you need to be very careful. Tsuna needs you two.”

They meowed lowly, heads down. His words had reached them, at least – he was not going to wrap his head around the impossibility of this all until Tsuna came back and cuddled him. Shouta sighed, scratching them both.

“We’ll talk about this once your missing dad is back, ok?”

They nodded, dear God…

Chapter Text

It was sickening. Horrible, inhuman, dirty, suffocating, unacceptable. He wouldn’t be surprised if all the damned rings and traffics he was dismantling were but a small fraction of all the garbage USA needed to be cleaned of. City after city, scumbag after scumbag, idiot after idiot… Tsuna felt exhaustion creep under his skin, behind his eyes, through his limbs. He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t contact anyone, couldn’t take a whiff of fresh air if not when sent on a mission, and that made the air stale with guilt.

He gathered his legs to his chest, sitting on the cot he’d been given in one of the safehouses of McRoy. He was watched 24/7, paired up with men and women that knew what they were doing – contrarily to their higher-up –, given too little food, awarded money he wanted to burn to crisps… He couldn’t. His Intuition was reassuring him, more strongly by the day, but he was at his patience’s end. He missed home, missed Shouta, his cats, freedom.

Carrying the raids without his Flames but the Mist was also taxing him. They took more time, more physical strength, more subtlety. He had made a mistake, on the last, possibly caused by how tired he was feeling. He’d been shot, in the shoulder, to save a captive, and he could not heal himself or he would arise suspicions. He had a vague idea how many raids were left for him before he became disposable, but he also knew he would have his opportunity before that deadline. He just…

Tsuna sighed, burying his head in his hands. He was being observed through cameras, but he’d come to stop caring, especially because he knew the one doing the surveillance on him was asleep by then and they were not recording, nor on an online circuit. He had often considered slipping out for an hour or two, but he’d have to pass through a lot of idiots because there were no exits bar for the entrance door. Instead, he was trapped.

Granted, he was kind of happy for this opportunity to rescue people, he’d also done his info gathering and he had proofs to slam McRoy in jail for the rest of his life, but he was tired. He wanted to go home, to hug Shouta, to giggle at his idiot cats, to feel safe. Was he weak, because of these desires? Maybe, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

It was almost sunset, he had another mission to carry, this time with a man called Viggo. He’d never met him, rumours held him in high regards, just like everyone else but the mastermind that had forced him into this. Tsuna stood from the cot, stretching his sore muscles and wincing at his wound. It was dressed and sanitised, but it needed stitches that he couldn’t trust anyone to put on him or give him around there. Thankfully, the bullet had gone through… and he hoped no one had gotten wind of this accident.

He looked at his clothes and grimaced at how dirty they were. He had used the bathroom to wash them in the sink, but he had no changes and it was another thing draining him. He just lifted his hood over his head and left the room, striding to the one with the entrance, where idiots were playing poker – a group was playing strip poker in a corner like every other night. He leaned against the wall, siding the door, and waited for his partner, as per usual.

Several threw him suspicious glares, but nothing openly threatening, strangely. There was this… cease-fire atmosphere that confused him. They clearly knew he was an outsider, a pawn to be used until he was not useful anymore, an enemy even, considering he was a hero, but no one had ever antagonised him, openly or implicitly. He looked up, careful of holding back his Intuition, when Eddie, the man he referred to for his raids, walked up to him with a sour expression.

He scratched his bald head, sighing. “Sorry, you’re on your own tonight, good luck.”

Tsuna almost jumped in exhilaration. Instead, he calmly took the folder offered to him and nodded. “Guess there’s no helping it.” For show, he rolled his injured shoulder, then waved three fingers at the man and fled the place.

He breathed the night air for a moment, eyeing the location in the folder, before taking off towards it through the rooves, not allowing any spies to even see him. He parkoured without stop for almost an hour, then checked his position and made sure this was the last part of the city with shops on his path to the raid place. He quickly bought a burner phone, seeing his own had been destroyed at the beginning of this. Fortunately, his memory was not something to laugh at.

Even if his first thought was to call someone else, Tsuna bought earphones and settled for Tsukauchi, returning to his way toward the raid place. Given the unknown number, he expected a while before he was answered to, but he had not considered that very few people knew the detective’s personal number.

“Who’s this?”

“Hi, Tsukauchi.”

“Goodness’ sake…” Tsuna was guilt tripped by the tone alone. “You do that again, I might just die on the spot. Please, please, let me live.”

The brunet smiled as he ran past a chimney. “I’m sorry, I truly am, but this is the first I’m alone.”

“Ok, just brief me.”

He mentally thanked the detective. “I have what we need to arrest him, but don’t think extracting me is a possibility. I have a plan for that.”

“Let me in it.”

There was no chance the detective would have let it go. “I can’t not tell you, I need your help. That’s why I wasn’t able to do it yet.”

“Yeah, you sound terrible. Out with it.”

“The day after tomorrow will be my last raid. I’ll be paired again, I won’t be able to contact you, so I’ll send you the location and who to bring. It’s important, Tsukauchi, you won’t intervene during the raid, you will just let it play out and then follow me and the other back to the safety-house.”

“I’ve talked to Eraserhead.” Tsuna felt a pang of pain in his chest. “He told me they will use and dispose of you when you’re not useful anymore.” Well, he shouldn’t have known this. “Letting this play out means you’ll be in grave danger and, frankly speaking, you sound very far from being in shape.”

Ouch. “If you don’t do as I say, all this covert mission will be sent to hell.”

“…”

“Listen, I’m tired, yes, I want this to end, sure, but I don’t want my current Boss to be left free. We’re dancing, let’s dance. I’ll give you an entire hideout and the locations of his traffic rings. Then, I promise I will just go back home.” He eyed the warehouse behind a couple more houses and slowed down. “I have to go, are you in it or do I have to do this alone?”

There was a heavy sigh on the other side of the line, “fine. You better not make me regret it. And call him as soon as you can.”

“Will do, see you soon.”

Tsuna turned the phone off and pocketed it, focusing on the raid.

The brunet cursed loudly, leaning against a roof’s low wall a few blocks away from the police-swarmed warehouse. The wound on his shoulder was profusely bleeding, obviously reopened, and he was sporting many, thin cuts all over his skin thanks to a trafficker that could evoke blade-filled gusts of wind… and another bullet-wound, a deep graze on his left side. He couldn’t heal those new wounds, but he could lessen them at least. Sun Flames enveloped his body, he closed his eyes to focus them where he wanted, careful to ignore completely the wound on his shoulder. A few moments later, the cuts were just small, ignorable grazes and the bullet-wound on his side only felt like a burn.

Gingerly, regaining his breath, Tsuna flipped the burner phone on and dialled another number. He didn’t even know what time it was over in Japan, couldn’t focus enough to care, he just hoped–

“Tsuna.”

He sighed into a short-lived chuckle, relishing in the voice filling his ear, calling his name. “What gave me away?”

“This is my personal phone. What happened? Are you ok?”

Of course. “I’m… tired.” He failed to lie. “A bit wounded here and there, but mostly… I miss you.”

He heard a sigh, that made him smile, “wounded how?”

“Knife, a graze and a bullet wound I can’t heal… Can’t show them my cards.”

“I see… How long until you come back?”

“A few days, promise. It’s going to be ok.”

Shouta hummed, “we’ll have to talk about your cats, when you come back. And Nezu knows who you are, by the way.”

Tsuna tilted his head, eyes closing tiredly. “Why did he bring it out now? I mean, he discovered it a while ago, can’t have done that recently.”

“Yeah, I don’t know. He was pretty cryptic, as usual. Said something about wanting you at earshot, maybe he expects something bad happening?”

The brunet hummed, “it’s strange… does that mean I can’t catch a break?”

“Over my dead body, I’ll take days off to make sure of that.”

“What an honour, Mr I-don’t-need-days-off.”

He heard Shouta snort. “Just come back home, that’s all I ask.”

Tsuna smiled, tiredness making a tear slide down his cheek, knotting his throat. “Will do. See you in a few days.”

“Stay safe, Tsuna.”

The brunet licked his lips, turning the phone off and letting Mist Flames shroud it before stashing it in his shoes. If something happened, he could still destroy it. He took a deep breath, stood, brushed the dust off his tattered clothes and took to the rooves. He had to resist just a bit more, then he would be able to hug the life out of his lover.

His luck made itself known when the woman paired with him for his last raid proved to be so dense she didn’t notice a police officer blowing his cover and almost destroying the whole operation Tsukauchi had put up. He took another bullet wound, to his forearm, because of her, before he could taste freedom in his mouth as they went back to the safehouse. The exhaustion had worn him out, he could feel how heavy his body was just by walking.

The woman, Razen, opened the door and let him in, clearly wanting to make sure he was within eyesight. The room, contrarily to any other day, was almost empty but for the group that liked strip poker – and was mid-way through a game – and McRoy, sided by two gorillas. There, a trap, not even nicely laid. He was wearing a victorious smile, sitting in the metal chair like it was a hard-earned throne. Tiredness crept to his eyes, he was so done with this shit.

“Very well done, Sora.”

Twin guns were trained on him from the gorillas and Razen, but Tsuna didn’t move. “Thank you.”

The Boss even offered him a slow clap of his hands. “It’s time to say goodbye to this world.”

“Is it? And here I was having fun. You sure you don’t want to use me a bit more? Maybe to sweep your porch or something, seeing I’m doing the dirty jobs in your place.”

He heard a scoffed laughter, someone from the strip poker game, and the group hurriedly left. Tsuna held back a frown, suddenly alert. Could this be–

“Yes, it was nice letting you take care of the dust, but you are not useful anymore.”

Tsuna could have handled this better. It seemed he’d truly been too tired to notice the signs, but no matter. They were basically giving him the garbage. He eyed the guns as the safeties were cocked off. Then, he watched as three heroes, going by the colourful costumes, knocked the three off and saved his life, while the place was stormed by police and more heroes.

In an instant, Tsuna was held in a firm hug by a very worried and relieved Tsukauchi, who led him away. With a sigh, the brunet gave him a few crumpled papers.

“Sorry, couldn’t keep them straight.”

The detective took them, then whipped him in the head with the paper roll and threatened him with it as if holding a knife. “Heal yourself right this instant and drop asleep in the car, now.”

Tsuna did as he was told, content to let others take care of the aftermath.

Chapter Text

Tsuna couldn’t explain how, but simply breathing Japanese air felt different in his lungs. He took a moment to savour it, then walked down the stairs from the airplane and made quick work of gathering his luggage. He patiently waited for the two police officers to do the same before striding through the airport to the exit, where someone was waiting for him.

Finding him in the crowd was rather easy, no one was wearing as much as Shouta in such a weather, and there were cats in his scarf. Before his lover could notice him, Tsuna ran and jumped him, hugging his torso to not strangle his cats, and buried his face in the man’s chest, inhaling deeply the scent he’d missed, along with everything else. Shouta, however, besides answering to the hug just as fiercely, gripped his chin and angled his face to kiss him full and deep. Tsuna couldn’t help the moan, ignoring whatever else was around them and knowing the ruckus would have covered his inappropriate sounds. His lover smirked against his lips, though, obviously pleased, as he ended the kiss and licked his lips.

“Missed you, too.”

Tsuna giggled, unable to express how happy he felt, and the cats purred against his face. “I’m home.”

“Finally, I’d say. You’re not going so easily next time.”

Shouta loosened the hug, but captured his hand and interlaced their fingers. “Yes, I figured.”

His lover leaned over as Tsukauchi and Tamakawa walked to them. “I hope you’re ready for tonight, because I’m not holding back.”

By the time the two reached them, Tsuna was crimson-faced and very flustered – but excited and eager to see and feel. Shouta’s smirk widened.

“I… will contact you… later…” The raven’s eyes narrowed. “Very later, you have earned off time,” the detective quipped, then urged his colleague out.

Shouta sighed, “come on, let me take you home.”

Tsuna grinned.

“… a tub?”

His lover smirked, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom with crossed arms. “Yes, you mentioned it.”

Tsuna lifted a finger to the other’s face, “I barely whispered it, how the hell did you catch that?”

Shouta shrugged, eyeing the big addition to the room. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” The brunet circled his neck to place a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Enjoy it, you need to relax.”

---------

Tsuna’s smile took a malicious edge. “Well… I would feel lonely,” he let the other go, “in this huge bathtub,” and walked backwards to start unbuttoning his shirt, “unattended to.”

Silently, understanding what exactly his lover was asking for, Shouta walked to him, leaned forward and started filling the triangular tub. “I can’t have that, can I?” Then, he unwrapped his scarf and closed the door to not let the cats inside.

“Absolutely,” Tsuna did quick job of his clothes, mirrored by his lover, and dipped a foot in the lukewarm water.

Shouta followed him and settled opposite, but Tsuna wasn’t having any of it, grabbing the soap and straddling the man. Slowly, smirking, he let his soapy hands caress his lover’s skin as the water rose. The raven was glad he was still aware enough to close the water flow, but then Tsuna’s hands dipped very low and massaged his already half-awakened manhood. He returned the favour by sliding his own hands around the brunet, right to his round, delicious, inviting ass, gripping it possessively.

Tsuna’s hand quickened its pace while the other slid to the raven’s neck and he leaned forward to nip at his ear. “I missed you so much…”

He teased the hole with two fingers, slowly preparing his lover. “I’m here, right here.” He grazed his teeth over the other’s shoulder, glaring at the new scar, “what do you want, Tsuna?”

“You… I want you, please…”

Shouta placed one hand on the other’s hip and did quick work of grabbing the tube of lube from a nearby drawer, swiftly loosening Tsuna as he was being stroked. “Then don’t make me come so soon…”

The other chuckled, slowing down. “I sure hope this won’t be only one time.”

“Whatever you wish, my dear.”

Tsuna was soon reduced to a mess of incoherent moans. Shouta was four fingers deep in him and he almost wanted to tip him over the edge just like this, but his lover had made a quite direct request and he would not disappoint. The sloshes of water and its heat only made for the atmosphere to be more sex-driven and intoxicating.

“Shou… please…”

He took back his fingers, lifting his lover and letting him fall around his erection. Tsuna arched his back against the raven’s hand, loudly moaning his name and tensing his legs around his lover’s thighs. His hole twitched around Shouta’s member, but he waited and gave Tsuna time to adjust. A month without it would mean more pain, thing that he didn’t like.

His lover, however, started moving his hips in a deliciously purposeful way almost immediately, drawing a loud groan from Shouta, that settled both his hands on the other’s hips and sank himself deeper in the water to have Tsuna basically riding him. He met each movement, caressing his lover’s lovely reddened skin, tweaking his nipples, pinching his sides, meeting the hasty, arousing, open-mouthed kisses. Soon, the tired riding was not enough.

Shouta gripped his hips and flipped them over, water almost making it out of the tub. Tsuna circled his neck with his arms, holding for dear life, lost in the pleasure, and the raven picked a pace, water falling to the tiles of the bathroom. He used one hand to keep Tsuna safe under him and another to stroke his lover. Seeing how long it had been since last time, they both took very little to orgasm with loud moans of satisfaction.

Tsuna cradled his scalp, smothered kisses over his face, hugged his shoulders, left marks over his neck… and Shouta realized his lover was already up for another round.

“Apparently, I shouldn’t have worried about you not being ready, but about myself.”

His lover giggled and hooked his ankles around the raven’s back. “I’m just showing you how much I missed you.”

The hand still around Tsuna’s manhood gave a swift stroke, making the brunet moan low. “Let me show how much I appreciate it, then.”

---------

Shouta had never seen the utility of taking a day off, but watching Tsuna contentedly cradle a mug of hot chocolate, sitting in his favourite armchair surrounded by his cats, wearing one of his shirt – loose, too big, fucking perfect –, was a damn convincing reason to take more. Without jostling him too much, the raven took his lover up to place him in his lap, hug his waist from behind and lazily nuzzle his neck.

Tsuna giggled, one hand leaving the mug to thread raven, humid locks. “I’m pleasantly sore, in all the right places, but I missed your cuddles, too, so I’m not complaining.”

He felt proud at the praise. “You better…”

“Uhm… do you want to talk?”

“Only if we’re not moving.”

The brunet chuckled, “ok, dear. What was it about the cats?”

Reborn froze mid-licking his rear right paw and Byakuran sat up. “I think they have an intelligence quirk or something. The jerk threatened Nezu and I had a conversation with them.”

Tsuna licked his lips, nursing his steaming mug with too long sleeves hiding his hands but his fingertips. “Is that true?” He asked, looking at the cats.

Reborn, unmoving from licking his paw, seeming very frozen, threw a glance at Byakuran, that tilted his head to the left. The black cat slowly sat up and nodded. Tsuna gaped.

“You are not Reborn and Byakuran, right? Right? I mean… from my past?”

The cats had twin looks of unimpressed confusion. It was almost amusing. Shouta took that as a no.

“Ok, this is strange…” He half-turned to Shouta after a very clear sigh of relief, and the raven couldn’t help shortly kissing him because of the adorable sight he made, gaining a smile. “I didn’t know animals could have quirks?”

Shouta hummed. “Animals can have quirks… Problem is, they have no rights.”

Tsuna tensed and his lover massaged his hips in comforting circles over his clothed skin. “What does that mean.”

“It means that, should anyone catch notion of them having quirks, they will be in danger.”

Chocolate eyes welcomed the golden gleam, out of rage. “Are you telling me, there are markets– wait.” The Intuitions was clearly working at a fast pace. “There were animals at the rings I dismantled.”

Shouta nodded. “I don’t know too much, you might want to do your research, but animals with quirks are worth more than humans, especially if collectors are interested.” By the determination in the golden eyes, Tsuna was going to do his job alright, especially to protect his cats. “As for Nezu,” he changed topic, hoping for the tension to bleed out of his lover’s muscles, “I think meeting him would help. You, not me, I’m not good with mind games.”

The brunet bit his inner lower lip. “Ok, I guess I can go as simply Tsuna?”

“He knows, going as Sora would catch unwanted attention.”

“Oh, I was forgetting… How were the Exams?”

Shouta sighed into his neck, arms tightening around his waist. “At some point, I’ll have you paid for your services to the school.”

“Me? On Nezu’s paybook? Heresy!”

He scoffed a chuckled. “It’s tempting. And you’re a good teacher.”

“Reminds me that you are a babysitter now.”

The raven groaned. “Those mothers will haunt me to the depths of hell.”

“Not the children?” Tsuna sipped his hot chocolate, “how are Katsuki and Izuku?”

“Growing up, good kids, thanks to you.”

“Nah, that’s not true.”

“I bet they would have grown to hate each other if not for you addressing Katsuki’s issue.”

“There’s no way to know, though.”

Shouta sighed, “I know it’s true.”

Tsuna chuckled. “Ok,” and sipped a bit more. “I have a question.” The raven hummed. “Have you slept and eaten healthily, while I was away?”

Shouta tensed. It was all the answer his lover needed to train an unimpressed glare on him. “I’ve eaten and slept.”

“Unhealthily.”

He had no way out of it, huh?

“We’re going to order dinner and then straight to bed.”

“Is that an invitation?”

“Yes, to sleep.”

Shouta sighed, turning Tsuna’s face to give him a lazy peck. “Ok, dear, as you wish.”

“Good boy,” the other grinned and gave him another kiss.

Chapter Text

Tsuna didn’t know how to tackle the new Nezu issue because, as summer rolled into autumn between his jobs and adoring his lover, he kept procrastinating. School began, Shouta was finally almost happy to go teach the new brats and the two toddlers he had to babysit were growing up. Having them invade his personal space, as in his and Shouta’s home, earned the two mothers plenty scary glares, much to his lover’s hidden satisfaction, because he didn’t like their place broken into without an invitation – he’d made that pretty clear to Hizashi and Nemuri already. Inko and Mitsuki were not safe from his ire, especially once he had the two kids – that had a peculiar case of sticking to him like clams when he met them after coming home – safely tucked in their personal corner. They promised, then swore, to respect his and Shouta’s privacy, and they better did exactly that.

Working on cold cases in the police station proved to be strange and a nice change of pace. The desk Shouta had chosen, and of course he would have gone for a piece of furniture that evoked gory scenes in whom happened to look over, was perfect. True, he preferred wood, he was used to it, but the desk did its job. In the months he kept working in there, Tsukauchi had never asked him for help with interrogations, the prisoners easily spilled the bins almost as soon as they entered the station. He caught some police officers trying to approach him for signatures, but Tamakawa had apparently volunteered in stopping any nuisance directed Tsuna’s way. He mentally noted to buy him a Christmas present, because he truly appreciated the thought. He didn’t know what to do with fans.

Izuku’s birthday rolled by with the two mothers deciding to rent the coffee shop for a whole day to hold a joined party, even if Katsuki’s birthday had already come to pass. All in all, Tsuna enjoyed the day with Shouta and his lover’s two friends, that pestered him for details about his missions and got nothing besides his golden glare. He knew the raven enjoyed the day even more than himself only because of that.

His shifts at the shop, however, got reduced. Akuro had insisted, speaking about how a couple needed time and Tsuna seemed rather tired. He ended up working only three mornings per week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The shop had become renown enough for people to apply even if there were no free spots. Akuro hired some, but kept space for volunteering students. This meant that, not finding him behind the counter, two mothers started calling him to check if he was up for babysitting. At least he’d given his number freely, which was an accomplishment, and Shouta didn’t really mind, what with his stares while he took care of the kids.

He found himself with more time in his hands than he needed and his mind wondered, touching many topics and tackling some issues he wanted to take care of. His priority, however, fell on his lover, and, on a Thursday morning, Tsuna left the apartment to search for a hobby they could enjoy together. He walked through the city’s streets, focusing – not too much – on what he needed: something that would not stress them out, that would interest both, that would allow cuddles… Maybe movies? From what he’d seen on tv, movies were very, well, futuristic, mostly revolved around quirks…

He hummed, picking his phone and searching if– well, this could work. Tsuna was lucky enough for a shop to be not too far from home, the only one in the whole city, so he calmly reached it, checking his surroundings all the while.

Things since USA had changed a bit, for Sora. Doing in a couple of weeks the job that police should, and could, have done in the span of years had boosted the acceptance and fanatism people had for his hero persona. He wasn’t against it, but he didn’t exactly like it. Recognition was something that didn’t sit well with him, it meant visibility, which was never a good asset for the type of missions he carried, and side-stepping reporters, that he’d always downright hated, mostly. Not that he’d needed to go patrol or anything since then, but he felt… restricted. And that was such a pair-up with being a Sky he had contemplated stopping acting as Sora completely.

Public opinion wanted Sora to be officially announced as a hero and to be better known. That was another thing he was dead set on dodging as if it was a bullet to his temple. He had never understood Shouta better in this regard, why would they care for his history? In fact, the ones he rescued had more respect for his privacy than reporters, obviously. They were defending him, even from abroad by then. There was a new number in his phone that directed him to a certain Edward, Madame’s personal assistant, who had called him twice to know about his health. He had a feeling this contact would be a great help, in the future. Also, Tsukauchi had mentioned that his other contact, the one he didn’t want to involve, had asked about Sora. According to the detective, that was unprecedented and confirmed how crazy Tsuna’s life was. He’d taken offence, of course.

The other change was that Tsukauchi was losing sleep because of people sending requests for Sora. Needless to say, Tsuna was not happy with that and forced the detective to activate an email address for the hero instead of keeping up with the phone calls. That damn ringing dragged to days on end would bring the most patient person onto a killing spree. With the emails, at least Tsuna could help without exposing himself, at home, comfortably cuddled against Shouta’s chest, preferably without uninvited guests.

The requests ranged from warnings of arising new traffic rings, that were filed and checked, to fan’s letters, that Tsuna made sure to at least read – and some were funny, he shared them with Shouta at times –, to scams, of course. Being an official and police-related email address didn’t mean he could be spared of advertisings. He allowed them just a brief glance, nothing ever interested him.

Chatter of a bustling and moving crowd made him glance at his right. There were around ten people waiting at an intersection. Tsuna turned his eyes to the left and recognized the part of the city he was aiming for. He joined the crowd to get on the other side and took a more deserted, but still safe, alley. There were a couple of shops, he searched for Ol’nd Gol’, finding a brown, faded signboard over a single door with a golden but ruined bell hanging on the side. Tsuna ignored it, there were no strings to ring it, and simply pushed the door open, hearing it close on its own behind him.

From the looks of the shop, he expected the air to be stale, instead it was fresh and there was no visible dust on the many shelves placed without order. Tsuna looked at the old statues carved in wood on one shelf, at strange dolls that had seen better days on another, at the rows and rows of thin, tall plastic packages displayed on one more. They had words on them, sideways to occupy their side’s space better, and in different colours. He recognized them, from his past. They were DVD cases. Another, more interested glance made him notice that there were even video cassettes on the lowest level, something that felt dinosaurs-old.

Tsuna walked on the marble floor, reaching for the counter. An old man with short grey hair and a long grey beard braided at its end was sitting behind it, reading a newspaper. He grimaced when he recognized the first page’s photo, depicting Sora. Ignoring it, he addressed the wrinkly-skinned man with a small smile.

“Good morning.”

“Morning, lad, anythin’ interestin’ ya?” His eyes were very small, with a glint that Tsuna could not place, and the brown, fuming pipe jostled between his lips as he spoke.

“I was searching for something, actually.”

The man arched a bushy and grey brow, eye beneath it widening enough to see the brown colour of its iris. “Searchin’?” He took the pipe in one hand and caressed his beard with the other. “What d’ya need?”

“A DVD player and old movies,” he tilted his head to the shelves full of them. “It might be a good change from the present, seeing how things hav–”

A blur of dirty white jumped to the counter, making Tsuna blink at the fat, old cat that was suddenly purring and head-butting his hands. With a chuckle, the brunet granted the pet some cuddles.

“Ah, ol’ Yama likes ya.”

“And I like him,” he smiled. “Seems politer than mines, anyway.”

The man tipped his head. “He’s just too old to mess things up. Feels lonely, probably.”

He could understand that. “Well, I can coax one of my cats here, if yours is up to a short playdate?” He asked, more to the cat than to the owner himself.

Cat that, amusingly enough, meowed. “Why not? If I can help ya with the DVD thing, that is.” The man’s thin lips curved into a slim smile as he left the counter and walked through a door to the back with a wooden cane.

Tsuna was left with the cat and used the time to stroke the soft fur and earn pleasant purrs. There were some sounds coming from the back door, which was too dark for him to see through, but he was positive the old man didn’t need any help. The shop seemed old but very well-cared, it bespoke of experience on the field he could only dream of.

His patience was rewarded when the man came back while holding on what he recognized as a DVD player. He’d had one, in his past, for movie nights with his Guardians…

The shopkeeper softly put it on the counter, meticulously wrapping some cables around his left hand. “Bit old, this thing, still works wonders.” He explained how to make it work and carefully put it in a big, plastic bag with a few adapters, just in case. “Bit heavy, ya ok?”

“Yes, thank you.” He swiftly paid for the item, before remembering to ask: “do you have movie suggestions?”

The bushy eyebrow was lifted again, pipe steaming small, oval puffs. “Sure.” He circled the counter and approached the DVDs’ shelf, picking five of them and pushing them in the bag. “On th’house, enjoy’em.”

“I’ll be back,” he smiled, giving Yama another scratch under his chin, and waved three fingers at the man, sneakily leaving a bit of a tip on the counter.

Only when he was out, back on the road, he noticed the absence of lavender smell. Tsuna shrugged, feeling refreshed, and went back home to fix the DVD player to the TV in the living room. He ignored the movies, deciding to explore them with Shouta after he came back. Instead, he settled on the couch and his cats jumped him for cuddles, that were promptly granted while he grabbed his laptop to keep up his research.

His lover had not been kidding when he’d told him about quirked animals. The shit he’s dug since then kept piling up and made him deeply sick. The things humans could do to earn a profit, to bring pain… Tsuna reopened his last website and kept reading about how police had caught, a few years prior, a group of people smuggling animals. The article said nothing about quirks, but it had a general list of which animals were being sold, and they were hardly what smugglers searched for in the illegal market. Not exotic, or rare, nor sought after. They were mostly pets and the location of their rehabilitation, because they had been found severely malnourished and beaten up, was not disclosed nor mentioned. It had not happened in Musutafu, so Tsuna had no idea how to access such official files of the police, but he could try asking Tsukauchi and see where it went.

Of one thing he was sure, his Intuition growled at every piece of information he got on the issue. Reborn and Byakuran purred on his lap, cuddled together as if trying to picture the Ying and Yang symbol. No one was going to put their filthy hands on his cats. To be sure of that, Tsuna needed to see the bottom of this, to be filled in the details and have access to the smallest info.

Somehow, he had a hunch this issue and his to-be meeting with Nezu were linked.

Chapter Text

Tsuna had understood – and regrettably admitted out loud, at times, especially to Shouta – that he had a good share of luck. It was not an always occurrence, but he knew it was also, kind of, insane. When he’d told his lover about Madame, he’d not taken the news lightly. Not that Tsuna blamed him, but Shouta had gone to Tsukauchi, that had immediately spilled the bin about exactly who the woman was. A big shot, to be short, the leader of the information gathering group, to be precise. And she had proclaimed a life-long debt to Tsuna, no one was amused. Impressed? Totally. But, really, Tsuna could do nothing about these kinds of things, they were out of his control. He just took everything in stride and adapted, learning as a direct consequence.

So, when Shouta went to work on one of Tsuna’s free days and forgot his thermos of coffee – something the raven had labelled as his “life-source” –, the brunet saw that as what it was: an opportunity. A very useful, very innocent and very needed opportunity. He took his coat, the weather was starting to turn chilly, and Reborn and Byakuran jumped in its hood, comfortably curling to sleep. With a fond sigh, Tsuna locked the house, making sure he had the thermos and a tray of freshly baked biscuits – he still had a threat to hold onto, it was a boost to his reputation. The weight in his hood was a bit too much, so he forwent buttoning up the light coat and waved a greeting to Guyu-san, the doorman.

The walk to school was uneventful… until a robbery happened, the hero Electoplant showed up to save the day and he had to stay to testify, of course, to Tamakawa, whose whiskers twitched in amusement at his luck, obviously.

“It’s not my fault.”

“How silly, Tsuna, I know it isn’t.”

See? Reputation thoroughly ruined. Tsuna sighed for show, earning an amused scoff, and waved at him to get back on track towards the school. Lessons had already started, being it almost half past eleven, so there was not a soul around campus and he recalled the way to Shouta’s classroom very easily… Until Hizashi found him, anyway.

“TSUNAAAA!!”

He winced, hoping the students would not be disturbed by that outrageous screaming, maybe they were even used to it. “Hizashi, good morning.”

The good-natured man threw his hands around Tsuna in a tight hug and spun him. His cats, fortunately already spooked awake by the scream, held for dear life to his hood with claws and teeth. Their hisses and loud meows made Hizashi stumble to let Tsuna go and he had to stop his head from spinning. Reborn surfaced from the hood to hiss with his hackles raised, Byakuran yawned but was glaring. The hero took a few steps back with hands lifted in surrender and a cheeky but a bit sorry grin.

“I didn’t know! I’m sorry!! Please, don’t kill me!!!”

The cats were mildly satisfied by the apology, but Tsuna sighed through his teeth and held his head in his hands. “Dear God… and here I am, trying to convince Shouta you are a good person.”

“I promise I will never do it again!” For emphasis, the man criss-crossed his fingers on his heart, “please, don’t kill me…”

“As if I could,” he huffed, checking the thermos – because, in case it had spilled, Shouta would have been the one to end a hero – and the cookies, “but I can hold the sweets.”

Hizashi’s face fell, “noooo! Please, please, I’m sorryyyyy!!”

How had no student or teacher still come out to yell at them, he didn’t know. “I have to give your friend his life elixir first.”

The blond found back his grin and bowed, gesturing to the corridor behind him. “This way, my liege!”

Tsuna giggled, patting his cats’ head as he followed the hero. “You’re lucky I like you, or I’d tell Shouta.”

He paled, a troubled laugh leaving his lips. “You’re my hero.” He clutched at his own heart, bowing again.

“I’m no one’s hero, Hizashi.” The words spilled from his mouth, unwanted and terribly out of place.

He instantly regretted speaking. The man stopped mid-step. Tsuna recognized the door to the classroom he needed. Given the time, Shouta was probably still teaching. Without allowing Hizashi enough time to process, he grabbed the thermos and knocked at the door. A curt, yet almost suffering and annoyed “come in” reached his ears and he slightly opened the door without actually getting in.

Behind the desk, chalk to the blackboard, buried in his scarf, looking annoyed and ready to snap someone’s neck, Shouta was standing like a Northern, pissed off God. Tsuna couldn’t hold back the blush as he grinned at his lover’s face, that was slowly conquered by surprised glee, and wiggled a finger at him.

“I’ll be right back, brats. Read page 132, I’ll ask you lot about it once I’m back,” he glowered, igniting a spark of arousal in Tsuna, that dazedly let the raven come out and close the door.

Shouta took a look at him, recognizing the type of blush by the way the brunet bit his lower lip and his eyes shifted into a dark chocolate shade. He circled him in a soft embrace and stole a brief kiss, in which Tsuna couldn’t help at all the soft hum. Really, he was becoming insatiable. The things this man did to him… Totally illegal, by the way.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” His eyes lazily trailed the still frozen body of Hizashi, but he didn’t comment on it, tucking Tsuna under his chin. “Not complaining. Those brats are a pain in the ass.”

The brunet chuckled, sniffing his scent. “You forgot your coffee.”

“Tch. Thanks. Why the cats?”

Tsuna gave away the thermos, even if he didn’t want to let Shouta go. “Well, seeing that I’m here, I could tackle that meeting I’ve been pushing off.”

His lover grimaced, smothering Tsuna’s furrowed brows instead. “Want me to tag along?”

“Nah, I’m ok. I’ve got two bodyguards here.” Reborn and Byakuran proudly stood on his shoulders, making Shouta chuckle and Hizashi coo. “Besides, it’s just talking.”

“And playing mind games,” the raven sighed, ruffling his hair and kissing him again, longer this time. “Fine. If something happens, shout.”

“Nice advice, dear! And I think Hizashi here still wants to guide me.”

The blond tilted his head, “I’m lost, to be honest.”

“Nezu-san wants a talk with me, I’m finally granting it to him.”

“Oh. Ok, leave it to me. It’s this way.” The hero started down the corridor.

Tsuna kissed Shouta with a bit of tongue and smiled into it. “Don’t torture your brats too much, ok?”

“With coffee and your honey lips, kinda hard.” He smirked, “good luck, kitten.”

The pet name, a novelty of a few days that he still had to get used to, made him blush even more. Shouta detached from him and went back in the classroom, sending him a last, arousing, lustful glance. Tsuna licked his lips and followed Hizashi, that fastened his pace once they were side by side. He was silent, probably still thinking about his slip-up. He just… didn’t feel like a hero. It was work, it was what he wanted to do, he didn’t need–

The brunet took a deep breath, brushing one finger along Reborn’s fluffy chin. “Do you know if Nezu-san is busy, right now?”

“Uh… I’d say he never is. Not in the morning, anyway. He keeps his time free for paperwork so that, if something needs his immediate attention, he can address it.”

Tsuna hummed. “So, I would be an issue.”

Hizashi cleared his throat. “Does he… know?”

“Yes, he discovered it on his own. I think he wants something from me.”

“Any prediction?”

The brunet grinned at the blond. “Maybe. Honestly, I think this… will be something big.”

“But you’ve just dealt with something big!”

Tsuna ignored his thoughts going to another big thing, blush resurfacing, and tilted his head. “This will need more time before blowing up…” He closed his eyes. Damn double meanings…

“Well, if ya need help, just ring me,” he showed his tongue with a wink, stopping at a wide double door. “This is Nezu’s office. Knock twice, uuuh, you’re on your own, good luck Tsu!”

He watched Hizashi all but flee and wondered if Nezu was as terrible as his employees depicted him to be. From what he’d seen at his Exams, Tsuna thought the principal was probably a very complicate being, both because of what exactly he was and who he was. Managing a school like UA ought to be an endless nightmare, between paperwork and villains trying to get in – there were many that the press caught whiff of, figured how many went unnoticed –, though no one ever succeeded. Also, Tsuna was sure that something very bad had happened for Nezu to be what he was. He didn’t know the exact term for it, maybe chimera, or hybrid. Cute, to disagree with Akuro, was not a term he would use for someone that had gone through hell and left victorious.

He knocked twice, meeting Byakuran’s headbutt, and the door opened by itself. The office was cosy, professional. The sight of paperwork almost made him grimace. He focused on the principal, instead, and tilted his head in greeting as he got in and the door closed behind himself.

“Good morning, Nezu-san.”

“Oh! Sora, welcome to my humble nest.” The rat smiled big and wide, motioning to one of the armchairs in front of the desk he was sitting at, “please, no honorific.”

The brunet nodded, accepting the offer and choosing the left seat. “Then, call me Tsuna. My full name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, it’s nice to make your acquaintance without the aid of anonymity.”

“I admit,” he leaned over to scoop a clean, pale pink porcelain cup and pour Tsuna some tea, “your golden eyes make for a quite scary signature.” The brunet accepted the tea and sipped some. “I don’t know if your hood was chosen because of them, but it was very smart of you.”

“It was a choice of that day’s need, to be honest. Simple, practical, non-descript, comfortable. As long as I couldn’t be recognized, it was fine, and I like hoodies.”

Nezu chuckled, drinking from his cup. “Thank you for coming, I feared I should have been more direct with Aizawa-sensei. He doesn’t like me beating around the bush.”

“He told me you were very direct.”

“Yes, but I didn’t tell him why I wanted to meet you. And he is very protective of you, of course.”

Tsuna shrugged. “I bet I can be more protective. I don’t mind games, but I think I know what you want to discuss. As it is a very dear subject to me,” the cats headbutted his neck, purring against his skin, “I’d prefer a very direct approach from you.”

As an answer, Nezu opened a drawer behind the desk and gently pushed a stack of folders to Tsuna. “This is everything I have.”

The brunet took the stack, opened a folder and trailed his golden eyes through the words of only one page to understand he’d been right. Nezu was looking at him with his hands interlaced on the forgotten paperwork, thoughtful and, possibly, hopeful. Maybe even a bit anxious.

Tsuna closed the folder. “Is Tsukauchi in on this?”

“No one else is. If you deem it useful, you can seek help. I’ll leave you this kind of choice.” He thinned his lips, looking down. “I’m not giving you a job, So– Tsuna. I’m trusting you will do the right thing, because, since stepping into this world, and I’m speaking about your vigilante years, you have always, always acted according to golden morals. This,” he waved to the stack, “is not simply a job or a mission. It is me asking you to stop people and animals getting hurt.”

Like me, went unsaid, but the brunet heard it loud and clear. “Is my identity in danger?”

“No, I won’t tell a soul.” He paused, “are you sure it will stay secret?”

“No,” Tsuna sighed, “but I’m going to keep the secrecy as long as I can.” Nezu nodded and pawed at a small book. “I don’t want to be paid.”

The principal stopped short of taking the pen. “That’s not how it works.”

“You said you’re not giving me a job, there’s nothing you have to pay me for.” Tsuna stood, arms around the stack. “I’ll be in touch,” he said, taking a contact card from the desk. “Tsukauchi will know about this, or he’ll worry about me, so will Shouta. Hizashi offered help, too, but I don’t know if and when he’ll come into play. Something else you need to tell me?”

Nezu’s lips curled at things not going how he wants them to. “I’d like weekly updates.”

“Phone calls or texts?”

“I’ll call.”

“Ok.” He waved three fingers at him, opening the door to go back home, “have a good day, Boss.” Tsuna chuckled at the amused scoff.

Chapter Text

Shouta had been surprised, happy and giddy when his lover had appeared out of nowhere at school. He had noticed he’d forgotten his coffee, but he had dismissed it because he could have not returned home to pick it up, too late for that. However, he had found himself a man that considered his needs, so he had gleefully taken his life-source along with stealing delicious kisses. Doing that in school had felt a bit strange, but then his mind had conjured all kinds of inappropriate fantasies involving Tsuna and his desk in the classroom. Dispelling them completely had been impossible, though he had managed to be professional throughout all his lessons. Nemuri, however, had caught his lingering gazes as the students left and had, of course, caught into his line of thoughts, calling him “naughty” or “pervert” in muffled, amused whispers until he finally could leave to go home.

His lazy trek was stopped by Hizashi, that was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. It was not a usual occurrence and his friend’s face, saddened mostly, put him slightly on edge. He stopped, taking in how the blond’s posture was tense, bordering anxiousness rarely seen on him.

“What happened.”

“Uh…” Hizashi scratched his nape, “can we take this into a class or something?”

Shouta silently climbed down the stairs, walked into a nearby room, closing the door behind the blond, and leaned against a student’s desk. “Out with it.”

Present Mic fiddled with fingerless gloves. “How are things with Tsuna?”

He arched an unimpressed brow, arms crossed on his chest. “If you still have eyes behind those glasses, you’d know by what you have seen some hours ago.” His friend blushed and almost pouted. “What’s going on?”

“I know I should just mind my business, but he said… he said something that worries me.” Hizashi took a deep breath, sitting at the teacher’s desk. “He doesn’t consider himself a hero. He told me, I quote, that he’s no one’s hero.”

Shouta grimaced, biting the inside of his left cheek. “I know about that.”

“But that’s no–”

“I also know it’s not true, Hizashi,” he stared at his friend. “I know that even too well, but he’s stubborn and keeps thinking he’s not–” The raven sighed, “listen, I’m trying to work on it, Tsuna is not used to this. He needs time, even if he keeps helping, he doesn’t feel like he is.”

“That’s so stupid.”

Shouta half-grinned. “Tell him that.”

“No, thank you, he’s scary.” He nodded in silent agreement. “… What if I have a proposition?”

The raven paused. “You gonna ask him his hand?”

Hizashi spluttered, “of course not!! Shou, come on!!”

“Good, because I’m not in the mood to kill you.”

His friend paled, then gulped. “Ok, uhm… Do you know that there are… how do they call them? Anyway, the people Sora rescued, they have a kind of net forum or something. They organise meetings to see each other, make sure everyone is coping right, there are even psychologists to help them through. It’s not only that. I’ve heard some students speak, those whose relatives have been saved. They say those meetings are basically filled with thankfulness for what Sora did.” Shouta kept listening, knowing where this was going to end. “I mean, why don’t you bring him there? To see what he’s done? They’re happy and free thanks to him, maybe he will see what he’s caused, like that. Words work up to a point.”

Which… made sense. “I’ll think about it. I doubt he doesn’t know entirely, but I’ll see. Is that why you haven’t spoken to him about it? Because words wouldn’t work?” It was strange his babbling friend hadn’t tried, at least.

“Kind of… And I felt he didn’t want to speak about it. I think it was a slip-up. Is he getting enough rest? With Nezu throwing whatever it is he is planning, I doubt he will.”

Shouta sighed. “I’m doing my best and he is not an idiot, Tsuna knows he is human.”

“Ok,” Hizashi shrugged, gaining back his usual grin. “Let me know, I’m a bit worried… Don’t tell Tsuna, he’s going to tease me endlessly.”

“And here I was thinking you were the teasing man of the group.”

The blond clutched his heart, mocking. “I take offence!!”

The raven just waved at him and left the school. He found marks on the road, in front of a police-taped shop, and wondered what else had Tsuna’s luck brought to him while simply walking to a school. It was maddening. And crazy in itself. At least his lover was slowly understanding that.

The issue Hizashi had just talked to him about was a nasty, thorny bush that Shouta himself was having much trouble untangling. It was almost illogical. It was like Tsuna outright refused to see his worth, as if he thought he was not worthy. That proposition, although something his lover would hardly accept, was an idea. He had to play his cards right for it to happen.

Shouta absently greeted Guyu and finally got home… only to find a mess of papers strewn across the low table and the whole floor of the living room. Tsuna was sitting cross-legged against the couch, very focused on a folder, cats at his sides. It would have been cute, if the raven didn’t understand that the mess was the principal’s fault and their brief peace had just been broken. He drew a long, suffering sigh, still not catching his lover’s attention. Reborn did give him a side, barely interested glance.

He silently closed the door and decided to care for Tsuna, setting up some hot chocolate. He found remains of a hasty lunch and opted, instead, for some tea and cookies. The brunet surely needed something to fill his stomach, at the very least. He made a lot of sounds, but, when he returned with the tray to the living room, Tsuna was still fully absorbed by whatever he was studying. A thought hit him as he hummed and returned to the kitchen. He took his phone and hit the second speed-dial.

“This concerns Tsuna.”

Tsukauchi had become suddenly smart. “Of course it does. Remember those old boards I used back in the days? For complicate cases?”

“Uh… Yes, I should have them somewhere, maybe the basement. Why?”

“Tsuna’s got himself something nasty from Nezu. Might be useful, considering our floor is covered in papers right now.”

“Ugh… Whatever is it this time… Ok, I’ll send someone– No, I’ll deliver them, sounds good?”

Shouta scoffed, “what? Worried?”

“Yes, very much. I’m also assuming Nezu had the presence of mind to advise Tsuna into seeking help, which means I’ll be involved even if I don’t want to.”

He chuckled at the resigned and amused tone. “Fine, when will you drop by?”

“Give me one hour. See you, Eraserhead.”

Shouta bid him goodbye, pocketed his phone and brought the tray to the living room. Tsuna, not absorbed in papers anymore, blinked up at him as if in a daze. The raven barely held back his reprimand, sitting on the floor next to his lover and glaring him into eating and drinking. The other had the gall to chuckle, but then he kissed the raven’s cheek and Shouta forgot why he was angry, stealing a deeper, full-on-the-lips, tongued kiss. Delicious.

“Sorry,” Tsuna licked his lips with a minute blush and took up a cookie. “I was… distracted.”

“I didn’t notice.”

His sarcastic answer drew another chuckle. “Your employer knows no slack, by the way.”

Shouta trapped Tsuna’s waist in his arms. “How so?” Though he knew that rather well.

“All of this,” he waved his free hand to the strewn papers, “I have no words. I didn’t even consider this a possibility, when I ended up here. I mean–” He bit his inner lower lip, taking up a whole, open folder, “these people experimented on both animals and humans, trying to make hybrids.” Shouta didn’t need to be smart to understand who his lover was thinking about as he took the folder and silently read the words. “And they didn’t succeed only once.” That was new and definitely a source of endless worries. “There is evidence of others, but no one ever found them.” Tsuna sighed and sipped his tea. “I think, more than capturing the ones that orchestrated, and still are orchestrating this, Nezu wants me to rescue the captives and find the missing ones. I fear… there might be someone he’s searching for, specifically.” Tsuna’s eyes shone golden, as if to emphasize his point.

Shouta sighed, “never a dull moment with you.”

His lover pouted. “We’ve had months of routine, you’re just adorably lazy.”

---------

He took offence, so he pinned Tsuna to the couch behind him and reaped another delicious, sinful kiss. “We have to give value to the hour ahead of us.”

“Keep me pinned, I might decide to humour you,” his lover smirked, legs invitingly parting to show his bulge, eyes murky with lust.

Shouta hummed, one hand grabbing the other’s wrists to gently block them over his head and the other lining Tsuna’s clothed stomach. “Maybe I’ll pin you to the wall, what do you say?”

The brunet arched his back, groins brushing for the sweetest, briefest moment as his eyes flashed molten gold. “Please…”

He stopped thinking at that point. Hard to when his lover was a pleading mess even before they could start on the fun. And so, without the minimal feeling against being played right in his wonderful lover’s palm – but he was under no delusion that he wasn’t –, Shouta eagerly took him up, thankful of his workout ethic, and leaned him against the wall, mindful of the papers. On second thought, kissing Tsuna senselessly, he relocated to their bedroom, but kept the wall position, liking it even too much. The brunet’s ankles were crossed behind his waist, friction in-between their bodies sending every logic out of the window. Getting both of them naked required letting Tsuna go, thing that he loathed for the entirety of the twenty-six seconds it took, but then they were flesh against flesh and his lover was also already, sweetly loosened from the activities of the day before…

To think Shouta would become a sex-addicted fool. This was all Tsuna’s merit.

“I know what you were thinking, today…”

The raven arched a brow, interested through the haze, but thrusted inside him without allowing a single moment of explanation while also massaging his sweet lover. Tsuna’s rosy and heated skin, his perfect hips, his pleading moans, his grabby and rough hands, his lust-darkened golden-brown eyes, his movements to meet Shouta, his non-sensical words…

They both came soon, pent up and already aroused from their encounter at school, but it was plenty satisfying nonetheless. The underground hero descended from his high, infinitely grateful that he had not let Tsuna fall because of his blinding orgasm, and softly put him on the bed, cradling his head and back, peppering kisses on his forehead. The brunet hummed, nuzzling Shouta’s neck and shoulder.

“It was awesome…”

The raven chuckled, privately proud of that, and kissed him on the lips, chaste. “What were you saying?” His voice was as rough as Tsuna’s was sleepy. “We can’t sleep, Tsukauchi’s coming.”

“Uhm’kay… I know you wanted to bend me over your desk, by the way.”

The images he had tried and shamefully failed to dispel overtook the forefront of his mind with a harsh vengeance. He groaned, holding back the flare of arousal that wanted to resurface. Tsuna giggled, the fucking adorable son of a–

“Such dirty thoughts, Shou… In front of your brats…” Tsuna obviously wanted to keep the scolding tone, but he failed against the amusement. “Such a naughty teacher.”

He could hear the teasing smirk in those words. “You’re so lucky I’m too smitten to be too rough to you.”

His beautiful, teasing jerk of a lover chuckled, bringing Shouta down for a slow, tongue-sweetened kiss. The stings on his shoulders, most probably bruised from scratches and grabs because of their earlier position, almost made him regret that he couldn’t, for the life of him, be rough in bed. He’d hate to see Tsuna cry because of what was meant to bring pleasure and closure.

Chapter Text

Tsuna hummed as he stretched after wearing one of Shouta’s grey shirt, that seemed a dress on him, and black shorts that disappeared underneath. His lover glanced at him once, perched on the couch, and his eyes darkened. The brunet would have teased him, but it really was not the time.

“I’ll let you undress me later, ok?” He placed a kiss on the raven’s forehead and went to the door, opening it to smile at the detective. “Hello.”

Tsukauchi looked two steps from diving off a roof, holding onto what seemed to be a table folded in four. “Can’t you go half-an-year,” he began, getting in and closing the door, “without making us worry?” The brunet scrunched his nose, thinking about it, but the officer held up his hands as Shouta took the luggage. “I was being sarcastic, Tsuna, please do not answer that.”

“You literally asked for it,” the underground hero rolled his eyes, sidestepping the still chaotic papers all over the floor, and fixed the table… that in truth was a wide, metallic, white board with feet. “This is mine,” he said, waving at it with a pinched look, “I used it back in the days, for complicate cases. Thought it should be more comfortable than this mess.”

Tsuna circled Shouta’s neck with both arms and placed a kiss on his lips with a wide grin, “thank you.”

Always remembering their first agreement about showing gratefulness, the raven smirked. “You’re welcome. Now,” he let Tsuna disentangle himself and pace around to study the papers, relishing in the detective’s blush, “care to explain us all of this?”

“Yes, uhm… Nezu was fine with me involving you two.” The brunet took some photos from the floor and went to the centre of the board, familiarizing with it. “It is a bit complicate, I’ve been studying these papers all of today and am still not through half of it, however…” He took the yarn ball from his lover and sent him a grateful smile before getting back to set up the board. “I’ve managed to put something more together, thanks to my Intuition, and…” Tsuna paused, licking his lips. “It’s not good.” He sighed, turning to look at the two men sitting on the couch. “Did you ever notice how easy it was for me to find the human traffickers?”

Shouta shot him an unimpressed look, Byakuran jumping on his lap for readily granted cuddles. “It was one reason why I found you competent.”

“I second that.” Tsukauchi nodded, Reborn curling at his side to sleep. “We have heroes and policemen patrolling, yet we never caught anything of some of the places you raided.”

“What does it say about this,” Tsuna gestured to the few papers on the board, “that I never noticed them?”

Tellingly, they didn’t answer, understanding that the ones they were to deal with would be very much harder to catch. The brunet let them think, meticulously gathering papers and fixing them up, starting to unravel the yarn and to link some pins. He eyed the photos and notes, taking a deep breath, before keeping up the work and recollecting his thoughts.

“A little more than twenty-one years ago,” he tapped at a very old newspaper with his right index, “there was a huge bust in what police assumed to be a drug dealers’ base.” Tsuna took two papers, quickly rereading the reports. “Someone had given information about it, specifying the drug part, which,” he took a deep breath while digging one hand through his hair, “is something I deem important, because drug dealers were not found in there.”

Tsukauchi dared to ask a question. “Is it your Intuition?”

“It’s my experience,” the brunet winced. “Rattling on someone is hardly unheard of, in the underworld, but rattling without saying the truth? With how much seriously the police would have taken the issue? It means the informant was an insider.” The detective was both surprised and unconvinced. “I have more to base my assumption on.”

“Ok… I’ll let you finish, then.”

Shouta snorted, clearly showing what he was thinking. “Dug your own grave.” Byakuran and Reborn purred in agreement.

“So…” Tsuna fixed more papers on the board. “The police prepare for people that wants to protect their very profitable deals, wearing riot gears and loaded with weapons, and find a four-stories building filled with expertly ran laboratories.” He shows them one of the photos taken for evidence, where various equipment was barely shown.

“Wait, if they had photos…?”

“The team reunited there was not ready to collect evidence that would be useful for a full-on investigation., thus useless for scientists to even understand what these are. Now, these things would have been considered futuristic in my time, what can you tell me about the present?” Specifically, he was referring to what seemed to be cryogenic capsules.

“I assure you it still is very futuristic… If police got them, they shouldn’t be.”

Tsuna nodded at Tsukauchi. “The laboratories were destroyed because of an explosion, and subsequent fire, three hours after the raid. No victims, no evidence, no suspects, no witnesses.”

“Professionals,” Shouta sighed.

The detective looked down. “That means, first they found something big, then they had nothing to work on.”

“Yes, this stunt threw police for a loop.” Tsuna grabbed three papers, tearing them to make them smaller, and fixed them with the others. “Don’t look at me like that, these are copies of the copies Nezu has stashed somewhere in that maze of an office.”

“Maze…?” Shouta inquired.

“Be under no delusion that the small room is all there is in that school that’s personal of Nezu,” the brunet casually quipped. “As I was saying, no one could do more than let the case grow cold for five years. There are several follow-up investigations, nothing bore results. They, however, had unknowingly let one single stone unturned.” He pinned Nezu’s photo on the board. “There was a survivor.”

“I can’t believe he told you that.”

“He didn’t,” Tsuna shrugged. “The time simply overlaps just right, this is the logical thesis and my Intuition supports it, so.” He showed them UA’s photo, discarding it immediately after. “Very little is known about Nezu, his quirk is apparently High Spec, gives him intelligence, perception and comprehension that allows him to interact with humans even if his mind far surpasses ours. Now,” he beckoned the two cats over, they jumped on his shoulders, “animals have quirks, these two jerks probably have one each.” Tsukauchi gaped. “My assumption is that those laboratories were working on enhancing quirks.”

“That would explain Nezu,” Shouta thought out loud.

“Yes. Somehow, I think it’s not all. Look at him, he’s also a hybrid… Anyway,” Tsuna linked two reports with the yarn and shooed the cats away, seeing they tried to play with it. “Some months, almost two years, after the bust, Nezu opened UA. I don’t know how he did it, don’t ask, I’m not even interested.” He licked his lips, tapping his chin. “The point is, since then, he investigated on everything he could put his paws on, trying to search for victims and villains.” He waved one hand to a series of photos with curt reports beneath. “While he could not completely swap himself with the police, he worked on gaining reputation while keeping eyes and ears wide open. He found all the escaped victims of that raid.”

Tsukauchi gaped more, “what?!”

“Alive?”

The brunet pursed his lips. “In here, it says everyone found was already dead, killed, with wealth of details.”

Shouta read through him. “But you don’t believe them.”

“I…” Tsuna scratched his nape. “Let’s believe them, ok?”

“I know how hard that is for you.” He looked up at stormy grey eyes. “If you’ll feel better knowing, do it. What if they need your help?”

Tsuna pouted. “Way to convince me, Shou…”

His lover shrugged, completely unrepentant but still serious. “How do we know he found them all?”

“Because the informant struck again.” The men listening to him leaned over in the couch. “This time, five years after that first raid, the informant was very direct, speaking about another conglomerate of laboratories and how to avoid the destruction via fire… but they informed Nezu.”

Tsukauchi frowned, “I know for a fact that Nezu is hardly broadcasted as an advisor for police, figures so many years ago.” He seemed to get it, “oh… if the informant was an insider, they would know about Nezu being a former victim.”

The brunet nodded. “And Nezu would know who the informant was.”

“Let me guess, he hasn’t given you the info.”

Tsuna sighed at his lover. “Correct. Not that I mind, we don’t need such a contact at the moment.”

“But we will,” the detective pressed. “You told me an insider helps greatly, especially if the group we’re against is made of professionals.”

“But we don’t need them yet. Trust me, this case will need a lot of digging time first.” He kept fixing the board, liking the methodical movements it allowed. “With all our duties, we’ll have our hands full–” He sharply turned to the two workaholics. “And I mean me, because I know you two have more on your plate than me. Babysitting and sitting around in a police station is hardly work. I’ll hear no objections about this, but I will fill you in every time I can.” The two glanced at each other with a defeated look and nodded, knowing not to defy Tsuna when he was using such a tone – his Boss tone. “Back to the issue, why would the informant go to Nezu, that not only recognized them but could have easily thought it a trap, given their previous interactions?”

Tsukauchi helplessly scratched his head. Shouta just waited.

“Think about it. The informant rattles about the base to police, but not giving the truth, then turns to Nezu, spilling every minuscule detail. What were they trying to avoid?”

The detective finally paled, understanding and horror clear in his eyes as he whispered: “information leaks.”

His lover hit the head of the nail, “police is compromised.”

“Corruption or undercovers… or a mix of both.” He walked up to the couch, putting a comforting hand on the officer’s shoulder, “I know perfectly well how it feels, but I also trust you with my life, so chin up. Your station is as clean as a baby’s just washed bottom.”

Tsukauchi swallowed, head falling in his hands. “Does that mean it is high-ranking?”

He felt his eyes warmer. “Very few are.” He ignored the curse, going back to the board. “The building was empty by the time police arrived.” He heard twin sighs. “Couldn’t be easy… They know about Nezu, remember that, so someone probably caught something while checking on him. He is kind of unattackable now. The place was thoroughly searched, nothing came up besides that something had been there.” Tsuna showed photos in which clear marks of furniture were visible on grey floors and walls. “Another dead end.” He pinned the whole stack to a side of the board. “And then silence and inactivity for seven years.”

“That’s roughly nine years ago, right?”

Tsuna nodded at Shouta’s inquiry. “We’re getting to the now of things.”

“I want and do not want to ask how that felt for Nezu… the dull years, I mean.” Tsukauchi finally took the frequently offered liberty to go grab some water from their kitchen, then stopped short of going in. “Sorry, can I?”

“I already told you countless times,” Shouta sighed, standing to go watch the board more closely at Tsuna’s side. “Feel free to take what you need.”

The detective smiled and did as told. The brunet accepted the arm sneaking around his waist and hummed in the kiss, locking gaze with his lover. Grey eyes were stormy with worry.

“If Nezu is controlled, who says you are safe?”

Tsuna sighed. “My Intuition. For now, I’m safe.”

“And later?”

“Time will tell. I’ll be careful, and you will, too.” He escaped the embrace and tapped once the board, an indigo sheen covering it. “Now only us three can see it.”

“Not Nezu?”

Tsuna turned to Tsukauchi, letting Shouta study the board on his own. “If he sees something like this, without knowing about my power, he might just burn it to ashes.”

“Point taken,” the detective grinned, a glass of cold water in his hands, getting back on the couch.

“Where was I… Right. Seven years later, nine years ago, the informant called the police, tipped them to an illegal fighting ring. Instead of that, police found a single laboratory with a dead hybrid and two severely injured victims, no traces of villains.” He pinned another photo, bigger than the others, and the images of the victims underneath. “The two survived, but their mental health declined. They died of suicide some time later. From what they could garner before that happened, they had been heavily experimented on, mainly pain but a detective working on the case noted down something about trying to… tie them up, I mean, together… I have no answers for that, it could be and it could not be, I don’t know. As for the dead hybrid, the coroner barely had time to consider its skin before it self-destroyed. It literally decayed into something liquid and dispersed into the drain.” Tsuna bit the inside of his cheek, eyes going over the report again. “The two victims’ corpses showed signs of old injuries and self-inflicted new ones. They seem to confirm what the detective of the time suspected.” He understood the stunned, horrified silence, but kept going as he fixed more and more notes on the board; it was not a chaotic mass of yarn, but seemed more like a neat timeline. “To be repetitive, it ended up being another dead end. However, three years ago,” Tsuna took the last folder and dumped the contents on the floor, picking up a phone call transcript, “the informant reappeared, through Nezu. They insisted on leaking as little information as possible and it worked. The base was something like six laboratories with adjunct prisons. This time, police captured three scientists and eight guards, freeing victims along with that…”

“There’s a downside.”

He eyed his lover, “of course there is. Everyone died.” Tsukauchi punched something, probably the floor or the wall. “Be it suicide or strange circumstances, no one survived. The detectives gave them space, after the tragic experience, to the victims, and it backfired. The villains, instead, turned against each other in prison, either killing or inflicting injuries that brought to death. What was left,” he gathered a few, curt reports, “the laboratories were preserved, much evidence was taken… and then the warehouse in which it was stored went up in flames.”

“So,” Shouta passed one hand through his dishevelled hair, looking at the board and fixing a few pins in place to better anchor the papers, “what you’re saying is we have nothing concrete.” Tsuna winced, dipping his head into a nod. “We’re basically working on ghost stories here.”

“I’ll see if I can find something more,” Tsukauchi offered, clearing his throat. “Names?”

The brunet took strips of torn papers scattered around the floor and passed them to the detective. “I need to tidy up.”

“Before the cats take this as a challenge, preferably.” Reborn pawed innocently at Shouta’s calf. “No one’s falling for that, adorable jerk.”

“What’s the plan?”

Tsuna took a few steps back to look at the board. “Info gathering. We’ll wait for what Tsukauchi finds, but until then… I’ll resume patrols my way.” He saw the pinched look on his lover’s face. “I’m a hero now, and I can come with you, you know?” His face eased into an almost pleased smirk. “We won’t make a move, won’t let a word get out, won’t talk about this with anyone but Nezu, which will be my duty. This is far more dangerous than the issue in USA, I’m not joking, ok?”

When both nodded, Tsuna flopped on the couch and welcomed the cuddling cats. Tsukauchi took one good look at him and excused himself. Shouta gave him all the cuddles he wanted.

Chapter Text

Before Tsuna could notice, months went by, carrying New Years’ Eve and reaping very little progress on the most recent case. His mind took time to adjust and accept the new lows humanity had gotten to. Shouta helped, greatly. Their patrols together gave them more quality time to enjoy, even though most of their conversations flew over street brawls and short, fruitless interrogations. Bonding over violence should have worried him, but he couldn’t complain, especially with how Shouta reacted to his violence.

No criminal they stopped knew about the villains they were searching for, no matter how Tsuna willed them to remember the oldest of their most hidden memories through electric waves or how scary he could become. Tsukauchi was still doing his best, but it seemed that corruption ran very deep, by then, in the police. The reports Nezu had provided were not available through official channels anymore, thus the detective’s very justifiable wrath and very understandable cleaning spree. However, Tsuna managed to hold that off, explaining about the timing of it all. If they wanted to uproot every single poisonous flower, they needed to have unquestionable evidence, and not only on the corrupted agents.

Studying the many papers Nezu had given him, the brunet managed to get together some new information. He sincerely doubted it could be useful, but he and Shouta paid the busted places’ a nocturnal visit, getting a feel of what kind of facility they could find the criminals in and hoping against hopes to find something that previous investigations might have flown over. To his surprise, they didn’t end up empty-handed from all of them. Tsuna wanted to think someone had come back and unconsciously left the traces and not that the police had purposefully overlooked them.

Either way, in a manhole covered by a forgotten, torn curtain, they found a piece of white fabric, something that had clearly once been a lab coat, with a small piece of pocket left. In that, a folded, old, ruined paper had made Shouta curse. It was but a part of an experiment’s report. Some spots were too smudged by time to be read, but the contents were very easily understandable. Someone had tried to awaken a quirk in a dog by repeatedly causing them pain and stress, to the point of killing them. Trying to not damage the evidence any further, Tsuna had brought it to Tsukauchi, who had immediately made a copy and sent it to the labs to check if something else could be recovered and relayed. The next two places bore nothing more than they already knew, aside that they had become free houses for the homeless. They forewent entirely the police warehouse burned down as it had been long prior rebuilt.

Tsuna knew very well what he needed to break through. He had three solutions at the moment, but he was finding it very hard to follow through either of them. The first, trying to evoke golden trails from the most recent site of interest, would most probably yield no results. He knew it and knew it, but it was something they could try. The second option was to ask more out of Nezu, specifically about his time as a… lab rat. Even if it was a safe ground, Tsuna didn’t want to. Yes, because he didn’t wish to make bad memories resurface, and yes, because he had a feeling Nezu remembered very little. Same went for his third choice, as in searching for the survivors.

Katsuki bubbled from his corner and Tsuna checked the time. Still too soon for feeding him. He went to take him up, checking the boy. It was one of the few times Izuku was not with them, Mitsuki had mentioned Inko being on a job-related journey and she had brought the baby with her. The blond boy was not very happy with this, just like Izuku didn’t like being away from Katsuki, but Tsuna managed to keep their minds occupied. His eyes fell on the DVD player and Shouta’s words from the morning came to him. His lover was worried about him, and it was justified worry.

Tsuna was a bit overwhelmed by this new case. Because it was a cold trail, because it was inhuman, because it needed to be stopped, because he was growing frustrated. He knew it was not a positive behaviour, so he knew Shouta was right in suggesting a distraction. With a sigh, he fixed Katsuki in the stroller and smiled at his curious eyes.

“We’re going for a walk, ok?” The boy clapped his tiny hands in enthusiasm and Tsuna turned towards the cats with a chuckle, “any of you up for a playdate with Old Yama?”

Reborn ignored him, Byakuran hopped on the stroller’s sunshade and got comfortable. Katsuki petted his head gently, contrarily to the first time engaging a cat, when the boy simply made grabby hands and got a light scratch. Fortunately, both boys were very smart. Tsuna took his wallet, phone and keys and left home, starting the walk towards the old shop. He made sure to not think about the case and take this short break to focus on something else.

Shouta had liked the old-fashioned movies. He’d said watching something that didn’t revolve around quirks was a nice change, so Tsuna knew he had to stray from superheroes’ movies and such. Surprisingly for someone that seemed the personification of brooding, Shouta liked comedy and appreciated a good plot, even if it got too emotional. The brunet had not had much time to build some knowledge about movies, back in his time. A pity because he remembered hearing about some he’d bought and seen with his lover, knowing about them beforehand would have helped. However, discovering had its perks.

The walk was pleasant and swift, with no stops besides his former landlord offering him a view of a new, exotic plant and passing a tray of biscuits. It was very beautiful, he had to admit, and he also happened to sprinkle it with Sun Flames, a small blessing of sorts. Katsuki noticed. He always did, always. Izuku was a bit more naïve. Tsuna just patted his head and allowed him a brief solace of warmth from the chilly weather.

“Ah, hello lad, how ya doin’?”

The brunet smiled at the man fixing a showcase of old CDs, closing the cold out of the door. “Good morning, shopkeeper-san.” He’d taken to that nickname, seeing they had not properly given their names yet, “I’m fine, thank you. What about you? I’ve brought a playmate.”

On cue, Byakuran jumped from the stroller, Katsuki’s eyes and head following his movements, and went to bother Ol’ Yama in the back of the shop, eliciting a soft chuckle from the man. “Good grief, that cat’s peace ain’t anymore. And who’s the brat?” He walked up to the stroller and crouched a bit in front of it. “New addition?”

Katsuki bubbled Tsuna’s name, who smiled. “This is Katsuki, one of the two boys I regularly babysit.”

The old man arched a brow, wiggling his wrinkly fingers at the curious boy. “Thought ya to be a waiter?”

“That I am,” Tsuna sighed, leaving the stroller to check the movies’ showcase, “but there are two stubborn mothers that pester me into babysitting, for reasons unknown to me.” He quickly turned to the child with a warm smile. “Don’t worry about it, Katsuki, it’s not your fault and I like taking care of you.”

The blond reacquired his grin and slowly moved his tiny hand to the shopkeeper’s beard, as if he was asking permission. Which was given, and the hands were carefully threading the white beard, gifting the old man a very beautiful, crinkly smile. Tsuna moved his attention away and left him that moment, not even trying to question his Intuition about the sadness he’d caught. The brunet took his sweet time, silently and sneakily checking that Katsuki was alright, as he chose three movies that seemed comedy with a good plot. He was a bit unsure about a fourth called “The Hungover” but took it as a last resort. Byakuran came back with a ruffled Yama struggling behind him just as he was paying his check. The cat jumped on his shoulder and apparently decided to enjoy the walk back like that. Tsuna and Katsuki waved at the shopkeeper, who had an equally happy and sad smile on his face, and got back home.

Strangely enough to cause suspicion, the walk was uneventful again and Tsuna closed the door of his home in time to start on lunch. He also fed the child, eyes straying to the case’s board as he rocked him to sleep. The brunet slowly let the blond in his stroller, pushing it in the back to make him sleep better. He made sure Katsuki had not stirred and covered him with a creamy duvet, then went back to the kitchen to check on the cooking food. He sat at the table with a glass of cool water and looked out through the window, mind overridden with information, theories, possibilities, trails, decisions… and evading the true problem as if it was the plague.

No matter how long it would take him to find them, because he would, and no matter where he found them… Tsuna dreaded going undercover again.

Back in USA, he’d thought he wouldn’t have suffered it like he effectively had. He was sure it had something to do with leaving behind his life in the underworld, with turning to the… light. Going back to dealing with filth… It had drained him. It had felt like a betrayal. It had withered his insides.

Of course, it had also everything to do with Shouta. Tsuna was not so disillusioned to think otherwise. The man, his lover, the hero that was saving him… The brunet knew he had fallen. He was still falling, steady and slowly. How not to? He couldn’t even explain it well, but he knew things would have been very different without him. Without the raven rescuing Tsuna from falling again in the clutches of darkness. No matter what Shouta saw in him, he knew what he was made of, what he had been made into. Sooner or later, he would have turned to the good old ways. To the underground. And that… that was the main reason why undercover missions drained the soul out of him.

But, what choices did he have?

If not him, who?

Mafia he may still feel as, but he’d never sacrificed someone in his place. He would not start anytime soon. Things would be different if he knew someone he could trust with something this important, but not even Tsukauchi had suggested an agent, the detective had come straight to Tsuna for the case in the States–

The brunet stilled his pacing, blinking in amazement at how idiot he was.

He fished his phone from the pants’ back pocket, not needing to scroll much to the letter E. He tapped it and his thumb hesitated over the number, biting his lower lip in thought. If there was someone that knew something remotely useful about these scums, that would be Madame. He was sure she had the best info gathering circle he could hope for as much as he could swear Nezu had a secret base of operation or something hidden in that school. He wasn’t exactly sure, however, about her reason for offering him help whenever he needed. He’d checked about her niece, that had been true, but he just couldn’t shake off a nagging feeling of… unfulfillment. Something had not been said. Nothing to worry himself over about, but he still couldn’t let it go. It probably would come out, eventually, and be important. That was how his life went, anyway.

Without wasting more time, Tsuna dialled the number registered as Edward and waited with the phone on his ear, going to sit on his armchair. Reborn jumped on his lap, simply curling and watching him with deep eyes. The tune rang three times. Then there was a click and a smooth, serious voice greeted him in English.

“Sora.”

“Hello, Edward,” he greeted, reminiscing of their brief, past phone calls. “Is this a bad time? Am I disturbing?”

“Not at all, what can I do for you?”

Tsuna licked his lips, eyes going over the board. “I was hoping you could help me with finding a group of people. They have been active in Japan, since, at least, twenty-one years ago. I know nothing about overseas. They… have an interest in experimenting on animals, trying to coax them into manifesting quirks.”

There was a strange silence on the other side of the line, deep, still, tense. “I’ll redirect you to Madame.” Which meant this was serious enough to require the lady herself. “Sora?” Tsuna swallowed. “I know it may sound odd, but there are many that wish you to succeed.”

The line went dead, dialling tune resounding in his ear. He felt both moved and surprised. Yes, he… knew that, kind of. People were grateful, rooted for him even… Shouta had suggested to attend one of those reunions of the victims he had rescued but… it was… a very strange thing… He seemed to be allergic to shows of… emotions towards himself. Maybe this was another consequence of being trained to be a Mafia Boss. He dealt with emotions by burying them deep within… or by rejecting them.

“Sora.”

Tsuna shook himself from his thoughts. “Hello, Madame. May I inquire about your health?”

She chuckled, amused but appreciative. “I’m very well, thank you. I know you are struggling, though.”

He nodded, sighing, “yes, unfortunately. I assume Edward has briefed you?”

“He did. I’m sad to say I have encountered this group a few times. It is… a dangerous and professional assemble. Exactly because of this, acquiring information is far from easy. However,” Tsuna bit his lower lip, barely acknowledging the house’s door opening, “I’ll make sure to send you what I have. Meanwhile, snooping around is not costly. Who knows, someone might get lucky.”

The brunet let out a relieved breath, smiling up at Shouta’s curious expression. “I don’t know how to correctly express how thankful I am, Madame. Truly, thank you.”

“It is me that must thank you. Your work is a balm to our souls. Stay safe, Sora.”

“You too, Madame.”

He clicked the call shut and answered to his lover’s hug. “Remind me to never anger you.”

Tsuna huffed a chuckle, letting Shouta manoeuvre him to the kitchen, where lunch awaited them. “Why? Scared?”

“Actually,” the raven stole a deep, long kiss, “more aroused than I’d like to admit.” Tsuna grinned at the smirk directed his way. “Imagine we’re quarrelling, then you pull off the Boss thing… I’m never going to win against you if you turn me on.” The underground hero first moved the stroller in which Katsuki was still sleeping so that they could see him, then sat at the table. “Don’t even think about using it against me.”

Tsuna pulled the innocent puppy eyes. They didn’t work. Reborn and Byakuran had immunized Shouta to that move. He ended up pouting, instead, but it was ok. He liked it.

Chapter Text

“So, rescue first and foremost? Always?” Nokunaga’s hand slowly went down as she asked the questions, still, somehow, keeping that look of terrorized awe for the teacher.

Shouta liked it just so, anyway. He needed respect, seriousness and a good dose of fear to rein teenagers in. It worked wonders. Tsuna’s ideas to test them had worked in more ways than one, and all of them in the underground hero’s favour. He loved that man.

His eyes swept around the classroom, showing the smallest amount of satisfaction, hidden well behind his obvious and fabricated hatred towards being awake and working. “Any of you brats disagrees?” There was a wave of uncertainty, but they eventually agreed with that, making him sigh and giving him an idea for their homework. “The priority is always the rescue,” he conceded, letting the student release a relieved breath, “however.” They all tensed. “In the field, nothing is as simple as sticking to a protocol.” Shouta sided the blackboard, gesturing his open hand to his previous notes. “Endangered civilians, endangered fellow heroes, capturing the villains, considering material damage. This, as I’ve said, is the order of priorities you need to memorize and breathe once you’re out of school. But let’s play a game.” The tension grew, someone even gasped, because they had bad memories about games from their teacher. “If Nokunaga and Shogi, whose quirks are electric-based, are facing off a villain with a water-based quirk who has hostages in a dome of water, what should they do?”

Fortunately, this batch of students was not stupid. Young, ridiculously smitten about heroes and still grasping the real extent of the hero life, but not idiots. They used logic, they wanted to save people, they had survival instincts. Shouta nodded to Eiji, who put his hand down, completely black eyes twinkling.

“Buy time.”

The teacher tilted his head, pleased, as he sat behind his desk. “Elaborate further. Plan it out. Fuyu.”

She jumped in her seat, but readily made her head work. “Electricity against water is the worst match-up. Aside risking their own lives, acting without a plan could jeopardize the captives’ lives. Nokunaga’s quirk allows her to give painful electric shocks. Shogi can become a pillar of electrical shocks. they have no other choice but to wait for back-up, because the first thing they should have done once the situation occurred would have been to send a warning to the police and their agency–”

“Enough, thank you. Taro, go on.”

The boy bit his lower lip, closing in himself a bit more, but he did talk, contrarily to the first time Shouta had called on him. “They need to distract the villain and… buy time. What is the… villain like? They might bait them, enrage them or… talk to them. Attacking is not an option… But, maybe, the environment… could hold a chance?”

“Exactly.” The teacher looked away from the flustered teen, “never forget, everything around you may save, kill or help you. A pipe, a tire, even a fork could reveal to be useful. Look, search, don’t give up. Your quirk is not everything, it might even be your doom if you don’t think first.” He nodded at Shogi, that had his hand raised.

“That’s how you do it, sensei?”

Right… “Yes. My quirk is useless against mutation type quirks and, even when it works, my opponent is still able to fight back.” Shouta sighed. “For our next lesson, I want each of you to choose a relevant hero-villain fight and break it down. Study it, find its mistakes and weakness, understand what might have been done better. Remember, even after the fight is done, your work is not. No one is perfect, but you need to aspire to perfection. Nothing’s better than rethinking your steps.” He nodded at Furuga.

“Is… is it alright if… uh, what about Sora’s fights?”

The raven fought to keep his composure, but an eyebrow twitched despite of it. “Sora is a hero, however…” He crossed his arms, leaning back in the chair. “I think you shouldn’t choose him, not because he isn’t worth your studying, but because he doesn’t make mistakes easily… and there are no fights involving him that you can analyse. Yes, Fuyu?”

“Can we study him, then? I mean… from what you said, sensei, he is an example to follow.”

How damn right she was. “Well, let me think about it.” Maybe he could convince Tsuna to even give them a short lesson, who knew. “Meanwhile, do your homework.” The tension came back, almost erasing the enthusiasm about being able to study the most popular vigilante-turned-hero to date.

The bell rang and Shouta left with a brief greeting, immediately checking his phone, as unprofessional as it could be. Nezu didn’t mind, anyway. Tsuna had written him a text, asking him to pick Tsukauchi up on his way home. Considering that he had called Madame a week prior, this was about the new info. He dialled the detective’s number and told him to be ready in ten. Fortunately, he lived quite near their home. He ignored Hizashi and Nemuri prying into his private life for the brief time he had to drop by the teachers’ lounge and quickly went to pick up Tsukauchi. He was already waiting in front of his house, dressed as a civilian for once.

“We see each other only for work, lately.”

Shouta grimaced. “You try getting Tsuna off the case, I bet whatever you want that you’ll fail.”

“Touché,” he grinned as they walked. “How is he?”

“He called his contact in the States, I think he’s feeling rather pressured. And tired of the waiting phase.”

“Reminds me of our old cases.”

The teacher groaned, passing one hand over his face. “Don’t even start. Only reason why I’m not insisting on taking a break is I know how this feels.”

“Cheers. How are you doing?”

He sighed. “A bit tired. The sooner we deal with this, the better. I don’t want him going undercover again. It devastated him last time.”

“With that, I totally agree. First time ever he listened to me.”

“Noted on your calendar?”

“Of course! I take note of everything!”

Shouta chuckled. “What about you?”

The detective shrugged, “sitting on the knowledge that I have to be careful of… poisonous flowers is awful. I know Tsuna said we are clean, but I can’t help it. Whenever someone new comes or a higher-up pays a visit, I need to check twice and my quirk activates. Maybe I’ll find something.”

The investigation on the names Tsuna had provided had proved to be useless. “Don’t worry if you don’t, Tsuna will.”

Tsukauchi smiled, “that’s for sure. I just… I’d like to be more useful. It’s kind of hard with Tsuna.”

“Tell me about it,” he sighed, getting in the elevator. “Yet, he still asks for help, for that I’m grateful. Those brats I’m teaching, they want to study him. Maybe the most intelligent thing they’ve requested of me.”

The other scoffed. “That isn’t easy, either. Not much is known, you’d have to be very careful.”

“I’ll just stick to the news and speak about my run-ins with him. I don’t want to think enemies would send spies in form of students, but I’m not going to take any chances. And it’s not like his quirk is registered, anyway.”

“Thanks to Nezu. He took the hit and survived, I guess Tsuna feels indebted.”

“Who doesn’t…”

Shouta opened the door to his flat and took a deep breath at the familiar sight of his lover surrounded by papers on the floor. “I’m home.”

Tsuna looked up, blinking at his watch. “Oh. Welcome home. Hello, Tsukauchi. Coffee? You’re going to need it.” He stood and went to brew it without waiting for an answer. “How were your days?”

The two men followed him to the kitchen, doing their best to ignore the information laying on the pavement. Shouta took up the chore, shooing his lover away, who smiled and kissed him briefly.

“It was fine, it’s my day off.”

“Oh, sorry about that.” The detective just waved it off.

“The brats want to study you.”

Tsuna scoffed a chuckle. “How happy are you about it?”

“Elated.”

The detective laughed with the brunet at the dripping sarcasm, accepting the coffee cup, complete with a couple of butter biscuits, and going back to the mess of the living room. Tsuna looked around, seemingly deciding from where to start.

“Chronological?”

“Is there another way?”

Tsuna eyed his lover, tilting his head. “Giving you the facts.”

“No,” Tsukauchi answered, “chronological. I want the full picture.”

“Ok, then…” The brunet took some files, going to stand in front of a clean, new board next to the full one and beginning the show he’d already given once. “We’ll start at around 30 years ago.”

“Excuse me?”

He nodded at the police officer. “I know. Filling Nezu in will be a nightmare.”

“Wait,” Shouta took his phone. “Wouldn’t this be better if he assisted, too?”

Tsuna bit his lower lip. “I don’t know… What do you two say?”

“He might have information to add.”

The raven nodded, “good point.” He dialled the number, “Nezu, good afternoon. Can you drop by?”

“Aizawa-san… Is this about our side-project?”

“Yes, it’s pretty important, too.”

“Very well, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Perfectly on time, Nezu rang the doorbell and was invited in. While they’d waited, Tsuna had been unable to sit still, so he had prepared a small tea party, setting up and fixing the spot of the couches. The principal greeted them, then stopped short when the Mist Flames were dropped from the board.

“Don’t destroy it,” Tsuna said. “Nobody can see it aside from us four.”

Nezu slowly nodded, accepting tea and sitting down. “I guess you have so much to tell me that you thought to just hold one meeting.”

“Correct assumption.” The brunet took back what he had tried to start with, “this goes back to 30 years ago.” Nezu tensed. “Reports of animals and orphans disappearing from shelters during the night were filed in the span of two years in several Countries, namely the States, Japan, France, Russia and Turkey. Even if there are dozens and dozens, surely there are some that were not reported. At the time, society saw the disappearances as good riddance.” He attached a number on the timeline, before the facts of 21 years prior. “I’m going to assume this is the beginning of the syndicate we are after.” Tsuna opened a folder, fixing the other two into a neat pile on the floor. “There are reports of bodies found, only of children, but they are scarce and unhelpful. The one interesting fact about all of this is that the police actually had a solid lead.” Tsuna pinned an old photo on the board, a scene of a homicide of a woman. “She was killed the day she was imprisoned. The detective that was following the case, opposite to what everyone else was telling him, believed the disappearances to be linked together. With her dead before he could interrogate the suspect, all he could do was let the case become cold.”

“Why was she a suspect?” Nezu asked, paws securely holding onto his steaming cup of tea.

Tsuna eyed the many folders and took a wide stride to grab a couple of papers from one, reading through them. “Here it says that the many orphanages were her properties and she had tampered with many documents, pushing her employees into not reporting the disappeared ones.”

“Suspicious enough,” Shouta commented, taking the report from Tsuna, “no one investigated the animals, I guess.”

“Why? With children involved, who, to rub salt on the wound, were not much interesting at the time, they hardly mattered.”

The teacher absently caught his lover’s hand and squeezed it. “Go on.”

With a small smile directed his way, Tsuna squeezed the hand back and left its warmth to pick up three more folders and rummage through the many papers in them. “Flash-forward, four years later, 26 years ago.” He pinned the ruined photo of a salvaged laboratory on the timeline. “A group of boy scouts stumbles upon an abandoned building in the middle of a forest in the States. There are no documents, no useful machinery… but bones make it to the first page.”

“Animal or human?”

“Both,” Tsuna nodded at Tsukauchi. “For obvious reasons, no one ever linked this to the disappearances, though no one could have proven it seeing no children had their DNA registered.”

“And how do we know?” Nezu inquired, usual smile forgotten completely, sipping the tea.

“Because my contact sent me all the ubications of this syndicate’s facilities known as of three years ago.”

Shouta blinked, eyes going wide. The detective hid his face behind his hands. The principal of UA arched a brow, but observed what was surrounding him with renewed interest.

“They match with the ones we know about and the ones I’ve learned about thanks to all of this,” the brunet waved to the papers strewn across the room. “Before we start suggesting checking each of these locations, let me finish.” They all nodded, refocusing on him. “Same year, three children reach a police station seeking help. They have just escaped a facility that had burned down. They only found ashes and a few bones, nothing that could prove what the children were swearing.”

Nezu refilled his cup, “what, exactly, were they saying?”

Tsuna unfolded a paper, reading from it. “Pain infliction through means of torture, strange injections that made them feel ill or mentally unstable or in pain, animals in cages and scary guys wearing black.”

“Gorillas, a classic,” Shouta snorted, helping with the pins while checking the papers himself.

“They were then closed off in a sanatorium and found dead a week later, cases closed as suicides.”

“Will the dead ends ever end?” Tsukauchi grabbed a biscuit, angrily biting and munching it. “Sorry, keep going, please.”

Tsuna pursed his lips to not grin and did exactly what was requested. “22 years ago, one year before our first report,” he tapped on the photo of the first facility discovered in Japan, “police were investigating a case of minors’ prostitution. No prostitutes, yes sex slaves and laboratories.” The brunet lapsed into silence for a moment, thoughtful. “I so want to be wrong about this…”

“About what?”

He looked at Tsukauchi, “I doubt you’ve forgotten those rooms.”

There was no need to be more specific, he was talking about those hidden rooms with the abominations done to children. “What are you implying?” Because his lover didn’t mention them, ever.

“I… Sorry, I got distracted, let me finish. The bust was large, involved three building in France and the detectives were sure they were dealing with human traffickers, the ones that pick up naïve victims at the airport or such, only to be proven wrong very badly. They busted the places, understood the weight of what was in front of them, called for the forensic… and blew up in massive explosions.” Tsuna pinned three photos of building in fire, “58 policemen died that day, there is no official count of the actual captives that perished. Nothing was salvaged and no one wanted anything more to do with it, back at point zero.”

“They are… very meticulous, as I’ve told you,” Nezu commented, drinking his nth cup of tea. “No loose ends, no witnesses, no proofs.”

Tsuna eyed him with something akin to determination, “and yet, here you are.”

The principal conceded the point, tilting his head. “Indeed.”

“I’ll skip the 21 years ago and go right up to…” The brunet looked around before fishing another couple of folders, “here it is, 18 years ago.” He pinned the photo of a mountain of animal corpses on fire. “Turkey, heaps of animals on fire are found in the wild, because the fires spread through the surrounding forest. Putting out the fires rather quickly, the investigation brought near to nothing on the culprits.”

“And the bodies?”

Tsuna considered Nezu’s question, turning some pages. “The corpses that were not too damaged showed signs of deep wounds, cuts mainly, and some had scorch marks. Nothing more. The suspicions fell on something like a cult, but nothing came up and animals hardly matter enough when the country is having a golpe.”

“These guys are either very lucky or very prudent,” Shouta scoffed.

Nezu put down the empty teacup. “They are both, but especially prudent and professional.”

“You know,” Tsukauchi bit on another biscuit, “I’m starting to think they must be deeply involved with some Government.”

“They are.” The three blinked up at Tsuna, that pursed his lips, eyes golden. “Each Government of the countries I’ve mentioned has at least a rotten apple, of this, I’m sure.”

“Wait– That means–”

“Japan, too.” Shouta sighed, interrupting the detective. “Doesn’t surprise me.”

“That explains many things.”

Tsuna nodded at Nezu, resuming his report: “around 10 years later, as in 8 years ago, a pharmaceutical industry was under investigation because of a strange reaction its new product was having. It apparently caused people’s quirks to become suddenly more powerful.”

“What?!” Tsukauchi stood from the couch, “I haven’t ever heard about it!”

“Me neither.” Shouta went in the kitchen to refill the teapot.

Nezu smiled at the tea, taking another cup. “Yet, it seems a matter that would catch the interest of the whole world.”

“Why didn’t it?”

Tsuna sighed, “because the matter of possible quirk drugs was overshadowed and completely forgotten against the evidence they found… and later lost.”

“A fire or an explosion, this time?” The raven’s voice was full of sarcasm.

“Well, more like a professional cleaning service that took care of all the documents, technologies and making anyone who knew something disappear.” A report with the red, bold word ‘cold’ was pinned to the board. “Moving on, I’m almost done, promise.” Shouta sighed. “3 years ago, around our last bust here in Japan, in Russia a couple of children with three strangely behaving dogs reached for the police, spoke about a laboratory, experiments, bad guys… only to run away as soon as the detective called in for the interrogations showed up. They vanished, no corpses, no witnesses, no traces.”

“They may have recognized the detective, I suppose.” Nezu refilled his cup of tea. “Is there a name?”

“There is, and it is one of the leads we need to follow.”

Tsukauchi cleared his throat, “are you finished with the reports?”

“With the police reports? Yes.”

Shouta caught that. “There’s more?”

“Well,” Tsuna licked his lips, distracting the raven a bit, “there is the list of locations I mentioned before. It’s been written thanks to rumours, eavesdrops, info gathering… My contact is very thorough. And, even if I would check all of the locations,” the brunet let a long paper roll open to the floor, “there are too many. So, my suggestion is to start with points of interest.” He kneeled down to lay out a map of– “There are places here in Musutafu.” Tsukauchi gasped in horror, Nezu tensed in old fear. “Also, a subtle investigation in Russia, considering we may find a corrupted detective and he may loose his tongue for me.”

But the two were still in shock, so Shouta stood from the armrest and eyed the whole board. “Have you drawn the locations on a map?”

“Not yet, that’s next step, these arrived this morning,” Tsuna took a deep breath, standing up next to him. “It kind of makes sense, you know?”

“What? Musutafu?”

“Have you ever seen a stray around?”

The teacher sneaked an arm around Tsuna’s shoulder, placing a kiss on his forehead. “We’ll make it right, don’t worry too much. And don’t overwork.”

“… ok, Shou.”

Chapter Text

“Your change, ma’am.”

The client smiled at Tsuna, taking her paper bag, and left. The brunet wiped the counter clean, checking the few seated customers didn’t need anything. He brought a refill of coffee to one of his regulars and went back to his place, fishing his phone from his pants’ pocket. Akuro didn’t mind.

He dialled Edward’s number and waited, checking that no new customers came. Barely a ring later, the same voice of last time answered. Switching to English was becoming rather easy, with all the calls.

“Sora.”

“Hello, how are you?”

“… Quite fine, thank you. Has the information proved useful?”

“Yes, it will yield results soon, but this is not a work-related call.”

“I see.”

Tsuna smiled at the regular, that paid contact-less and left. “I’d like to ask you if our common friend likes cakes.”

“… Madame has found that ornate red velvets please her.”

“That’s very specific, thank you. I’d like to send her something I make, is that possible? As a thank you, for everything she’s helped me with.”

“I hope it is not hazardous of me to suggest giving it to her personally, seeing she is planning to visit her relatives in Japan in a few days.”

“That’s wonderful news, I can bake it and you can send someone to retrieve it? If I can ask this of you, of course. It’s better if her location is not disclosed.”

“… Indeed. Next Wednesday, someone will come to your workplace to pick it up.”

“Thank you, Edward. I hope the cake will be to your liking, too.”

“You have my gratitude. Until next time, Sora.”

Tsuna ended the call and pocketed his phone, returning to his duties as new customers started queuing to the cashier. Akuro came a little while later with a new cake to add to the menu. Her creations were starting to attract even more clients and she’d had to organize the workdays, a type of cake per day. That had caused many customers to choose the day they visited according to which cake would be served, which meant they knew better how to shift the workers based on how many they expected to come.

“Hey, miracle waiter!”

“Boss.” He eyed the yellow, small, round cakes and sighed, “what am I tasting today?”

“Lemon drops!”

They were a bit too sweet for his buds, but very good. “Are these for Masayuki-kun?”

Akuro’s grin gave place to a soft smile. “Yeah, he loves lemon. His birthday’s coming up, I want to surprise him! By the way,” she took a bite herself, humming in satisfaction, “I’m planning a surprise party, mind coming along? He adores you, more than he adores me!!”

Tsuna chuckled, helping a client with her change. “I don’t know, is it this Sunday?”

“Your memory scares me.”

“How about I invite Tsukauchi, too? He has asked about him a few times.” And he knew the boy adored the detective because he’d helped him getting out of that atrocious family.

Akuro blinked, eyes turning into stars. “You would?!?”

“Well, only if I can bring Shouta.”

“Deal!” She all but squealed, making some sitting customers chuckle.

Tsuna just smiled.

“Uh, o… kay? I guess.”

Shouta rolled his eyes. “Go along with it, I wouldn’t be surprised if the boy had an altar for you two.” He remembered how Masayuki had crumbled in front of Tsuna, instead of trying to steal money.

The brunet chuckled. “You’re invited, too, dear.”

His lover scowled, “at one condition.” Tsuna, tellingly, stopped scratching Reborn’s back and blinked. “Next week, Saturday, a Sora meeting.”

He grimaced, hissing. “Low blow, Shou.”

“Same for me. If you don’t agree, I’m not coming to the birthday.”

He glared at Tsukauchi, pouting. “So low, detective. Fine.” Byakuran jumped on the couch’s back to headbutt him. “They are meanies.” Both cats purred in agreement, making him grin in victory. “Expensive tuna for you tonight.” Shouta groaned. “Now, something to tell us, Tsuka?”

The officer coughed at the new moniker and cleared his throat, flipping through a thick report. “Yes. I’m starting with Russia.”

Shouta made himself comfortable at Tsuna’s side, “wasn’t that the most complicate side.” He sneaked one arm around his waist and the brunet snuggled into him.

“That’s why I’m starting with it,” Tsukauchi sighed. “It’s a mess. I have a few contacts there, they… were not happy with my assumptions, but did search for me. Let’s just say they found more than they wanted to.” He put a paper about a bald, well-built man on the low table, “this is Rubashkin Yegorovich, the same detective linked to the disappeared kids of three years ago.” Tsuna took the paper to study it better. “He’s advanced, since then, in the ranks. Untouchable, I’d say, but things in his jurisdiction stink enough for my contacts to have an idea of what he’s doing.” Another paper on the table, this one with a list of crimes and circumstantial evidence. “Fighting rings along with bets, homeless people and strays are not a thing over there and civilians rarely, especially the poorer, get listened to.”

“This is exactly my guy, huh?” Tsuna’s eyes glowed golden. “When can I catch him?”

Tsukauchi huffed with a smile, “hopefully soon.” He took another paper. “This is Netrebov Ivanovich.” A man with long, brown hair tied at his nape glared at them from the photo. “What my contacts found out about Yegorovich set out a chain of events. They got suspicious and dug around. Ivanovich is a rank beneath Yegorovich, but does the exact same of his colleague, just a jurisdiction to the east.” Five more papers, with five more photos and information, joined the last. “This goes on at least in five more places in Russia.”

Tsuna wrote to memory their faces and names. “Ok, this is huge.”

“Needs carefully planned, joint raids,” Shouta whispered.

The brunet hummed, a headache piercing through his temples. “You know what, I’m sick of it. Let’s see this from another perspective, ok?” Both men looked at him. “Consider, for a moment, what happened in USA. McRoy used me to undermine his competition. Here in Japan, that couldn’t happen. The groups were lone cells most of the time, I worked with what I had, and I had not the full picture. As soon as I discovered the heads, the joint raids came to be. These,” he nodded to the photos, “are too many, and we don’t even know if there are more. I highly suspect it.”

Shouta sighed, “ok, I see your point. What do you suggest?”

“Turning them against each other.” They both blinked, unimpressed. “Yes, I guess you wouldn’t be accustomed to it, but the underground is always at war.” Tsuna massaged his forehead. “From these,” he pointed at the papers, “I read none of them have been seen together. It could mean they are at an impasse or something, but not peaceful or on friendly terms.” They started to follow. “If we stage the dismantle of one of these reigns as an attack from another group, our path could become easier to take.”

“Seed of doubt is better than having them back each other up, I suppose,” Tsukauchi conceded. “But how would you do that?”

“Don’t say undercover.”

Tsuna smiled. “Not necessary for this.” He noted the way Shouta relaxed, it was a topic they had to argue over, sooner or later. “The information is all in here.” He turned over a page, reading from Ivanovich’s information. “He likes explosives. We can use this to strike another group,” he read the lines, “I’d suggest the Pavlovich one. They had an argument some time ago over politics.”

“Ok,” Tsukauchi sighed, “I didn’t expect for us to have a plan about this already. Anyway, we’ll discuss the details better at a later date. Musutafu.” He collected the papers and opened the map of the city, where four spots were circled in a red marker. “The locations were all checked. Two are disguised as offices’ buildings, the others are abandoned warehouses and we don’t know the entrances because there are no movements.”

“I repeat, no undercover.”

“And what are you suggesting?”

Shouta looked at him. “Let someone else do it.”

Tsuna looked back, “who?”

Tsukauchi cleared his throat, catching their attention. “I may have an alternative, this time.” He shuffled a bit on the other sofa. “We’re in Japan, I have a circle of people that could easily go undercover. They’re not police, just someone that we pay for things like this.” He eyed Tsuna, “you can check that they’re trustworthy, too. But I agree with Aizawa, you shouldn’t go undercover. Last time… took a toll on you. Don’t do this to yourself, it’s not worth it. There are other ways.”

The brunet’s eyes gleamed. “Fine. I’ll check them.”

Shouta relaxed against him. “Good grief.”

He pouted, “drama queens, both of you.”

“You’d do the same for us,” Tsukauchi unhelpfully added.

Masayuki-kun’s birthday was a success. He’d never had a proper party and it was painfully obvious. Inko and Mitsuki used the opportunity to subtly seize Shouta up, who sustained the probing like a champ but ended up being rescued after an entire hour. Tsuna took pity on him and shooed the women away with a glare. Tsukauchi was mostly uncomfortable, especially because the boy got starry-eyed whenever he was in sight. He kept saying it was all Tsuna’s merit, but the brunet disagreed. It had been a team play.

His red velvet turned out pretty good, if he had any say in it. He’d had some trouble keeping Shouta away from it, but then Edward himself had come to retrieve it. He was a very tall man, with blond, short, slicked hair and brown eyes. He attached a “stay safe” ticket and the man was off with the cake. He didn’t care much that they knew his true identity, he felt they could be trusted with it and, honestly, only time would tell how longer it would stay a secret.

Shouta didn’t forget about the meeting he’d agreed to attend, unfortunately. Tsuna found himself unsure about who to go as. He decided against wearing his hoodie and went for simple jeans and shirt, that hugged his body in all the right places. His hope was for Shouta to be so blinded by that to forget, but he saw right through his attempt.

“Oh, don’t worry,” he said when Tsuna pouted in defeat, “I’ll make sure to enjoy your body all of tonight.”

His lover’s voice was illegal, by the way.

The meeting, to his surprise, was held in one of the facilities he’d raided, back during his vigilante days. It had been repurposed, magnifically in his opinion. Gone were the cages, the fighting ring, the auction’s stage, the auctioneers’ chairs. Instead, there were several rooms, divided by walls that didn’t reach the ceiling. One hosted a conference about coping. One was an improvised studio of a psychologist. Another was a dojo where former victims could learn self-defence. One more was a group therapy. In a room, people were just talking about Sora.

It was overwhelming.

He heard a woman, the one he’d shielded from a bullet as she was holding onto her baby daughter, thank his hero persona many times with happy tears in her eyes. He watched the group share stories of their lives, saying countless times that, if not for him, they would have given up, they would have died. He tightly held Shouta’s hand when the victor of his very first raid stood proudly in the middle of the former victims, teaching them how to bring an attacker down or how to distract them and call for help. He marvelled at the fact there were no reporters trying to catch all of that on camera, to build up the perfect dramatic story. He appreciated deeply his lover’s hug when people left the psychologist’s studio, either worn or lighter. There was even a dog, one he’d seen at a raid of his, laying in a corner.

He wondered if the families of those… of those children in those forsaken rooms were there, too.

Tsuna could feel the pain permeating the atmosphere, the mourning, the exhaustion, the disbelief, the fear… But he could also feel the gratefulness. To Sora. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around it, accept it, or understand it.

“I’ve just… done what I thought right,” he told Shouta on the way back, still overwhelmed, holding onto the other’s hand as if it was a safe line.

“I know.”

“Anyone else would have done the same.”

“Not really.”

“I– what?”

Shouta sighed, stopping briefly. “I’ve told you countless of times, you worked like no one I’ve ever seen. You are almost flawless. Yes, it is thanks to your Intuition, but no one else has it.” He locked gazes with the brunet, placing one arm around his shoulders and resuming their walk. “You did what everyone else should have done years ago, one month after coming here. If not for you, those people would still be imprisoned, or dead.”

Tsuna swallowed, calling for the elevator. “I… I just…”

The raven turned his lover around as the elevator’s door closed and it started ascending to their floor. He held the other, placing a soft kiss on his lips. It became a bit more heated, tongues meeting in a slow, calm dance. Tsuna’s eyes darkened and Shouta was two steps from blocking the elevator and have his way with his sexy lover.

“You are a hero, kitten.” The brunet blushed. “Those people, and even more, are safe thanks to you. You rescued them. You can save people.” He brushed one hand over Tsuna’s cheek, lost in the liquid amber eyes. “You saved heroes, too. You saved me.” He thumbed the single tear away. “You are our hero, Tsuna, and you’re so good at rescuing you’ve become an example,” Shouta huffed with a small smile.

---------

The elevator’s doors opened. The raven didn’t have time to process it as he was steered out and inside their home, then swiftly led to their bedroom and pushed on their bed. He fell with a huff, hands searching for and grabbing fistful of the hips splayed on his lap. The feeling of those sinful legs parted on his groin, moving to create friction on his already interested cock, was clouding his mind. Soft, warm lips briefly captured his own in the darkness. Golden eyes peered down at him, narrowed, ignited.

“I love you.”

Tsuna tensed over him. Shouta bit his lower lip and sat up, arms loosely hugging his lover. His sight was adjusting itself to the almost inexistent light. The brunet seemed at a loss of words and heavily flustered. He’d chosen a really bad timing for this. He’d often imagined saying it when Tsuna was sitting on his armchair, maybe distracted by a book. He’d have been able to see his reaction.

Like this, he didn’t even know if–

Shouta answered to the chaste kiss, releasing a sigh when two hands reached his cheeks, stroking his skin. Golden eyes locked with his own, full of–

“I love you, Shouta.” He swallowed, reciprocating the caressed cheeks and finding them wet. “I love you, so much…”

At the sniff, the raven kissed Tsuna and pushed him down on the bed. He knew what those tears were for and, though he wanted them gone, he also wanted to heal the wounds that had caused them. Shouta did that, telling his lover time and again that he loved him, showing him through actions and passion, kissing every inch of delicious skin, holding him tightly.

Chapter Text

“You have this look of fresh, satisfied cat after sex.”

Shouta looked down at Tsuna, feeling like a cat that had just eaten the most sought-out canary. “Your merit, of course.”

The brunet giggled, hand lazily running silly circles on his lover’s naked chest, head on the other’s shoulder, legs still intertwined despite the growing stickiness. “I guess cats won’t join me for a bath.”

“This cat will,” he immediately grunted, frowning. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Yeah… I just… Well, you know.”

Yes. He knew. The disappointment of never being able to pursue the man he had liked in his past life. The pain of leaving him before even having the chance to try. The abandonment when that man isolated himself from everyone. The self-loathe at trying to find solace in engaging sexual activities with someone that was not a love interest.

“Yeah,” he echoed, tightening his hold onto his lover. “I love you.”

Tsuna chuckled, though he heard pain in it. “I love you, too, but don’t use this against me too much.”

Shouta hummed, not promising anything, and earned a pinch on his side. “Now, answer this question for me: do you feel like a hero?”

His lover sighed, eyes closing. “A bit, yes…”

Well, “a bit is better than not at all,” he supposed, breathing in the other’s scent.

Tsuna fell silent for a minute or two. “It’s not easy to accept–… to understand that… what I’m doing has no second purpose. I’ve always… Whatever I’ve ever done, even though it was to protect my family, I could earn something from it. In this universe, I haven’t. I mean, maybe I have, but it was never for my own gain… Aside when you joined the picture, anyway.”

“Oh?” Shouta smirked, shifting the brunet so that he could look at the blush, “how so?”

He looked away, “I might have wanted your attention. But, there were priorities. Like your safety. I was blowing a fuse when you ended up in the crossfire.”

The raven remembered wrapping Sora in his scarf, that time. “You did manage to pick up my phone number.”

“How did you even sneak it into my pants, anyway?” Tsuna propped himself on his elbows, peering down at Shouta. “I found out only at home.”

The raven laid on his side, fingers tracing his lover’s hip and stopping on his ass. “With my scarf, put it in your pocket while you were trying to resist the tickle on your ankles.”

Tsuna gasped, “that was on purpose?!”

He shrugged, smiling, hand sliding downward to cup and massage the ass cheek. “Worth a try.”

The brunet hit him on the shoulder, pouting. “Sneaky underground hero.”

“Comes with the job. And having the renowned Sora calling me almost gave Tsukauchi a heart attack, by the way.”

He chuckled, “poor detective,” then stood, grabbing his hand and leading him to the bathroom, “come on, it’s becoming uncomfortable.”

“Agreed, but only if you reward me for the effort.” It was very late and he wanted to sleep.

---------

Tsuna turned around, walking backwards until he hit the bathtub and could turn on the water to fill it, and smiled. “Of course,” his hands caressed the raven’s shoulders, feathery touches going lower and lower and igniting the underground hero. “What do you want me to give you?”

That was a very tempting question. He felt himself twitch as the hands merely brushed against his growing erection, but his eyes were drawn to Tsuna’s delicious lips. He licked his own, not sure if he wanted to speak his… request.

But, obviously, his lover caught him. “I can.”

Shouta lost it. Without answering, he picked Tsuna up and entered the bathtub, sitting on its edge. He positioned his lover in it, too, and his hands coaxed him to kneel at his side. He turned off the water, else what he wanted to do would have proved to be quite difficult. He kissed the other deeply, hand dipping to his ass, circling the loose ring of muscles with the water.

“Please?”

Tsuna smiled, understanding, and slowly bent to kiss Shouta’s head. The man quivered, expectation and arousal thick in his veins. When that hot, tight, delightful mouth closed around his erection, the raven positively moaned, very loudly. The last coherent thought before he was caught in the swirls of pleasure was that he would try this on the bed, to care for Tsuna like Tsuna was worshipping him.

---------

They slept until late, the day after, cuddled and soft and warm in each other’s arms. Tsuna woke up first, but decided to enjoy their morning in the bed, relaxed and spent. Shouta soon followed and, even though he liked being lazy, he also wasn’t fond of staying in bed if not to sleep… or to enjoy his lover. So, he pushed Tsuna off and to the kitchen, where two hungry cats were waiting.

After washing away the last vestiges of sleepiness from his mind, the raven noticed that the other man was thoughtful as he petted Reborn and slowly drank his honeyed milk. He pushed away the disgust at the sugary concoction and moved his attention on Byakuran, that was propped on the table, tail’s tip nervously whipping, violet eyes in a glaring contest with the black cat’s ones. That was not a good sign. Last time the two had been at odds, the couch had suffered the consequences. Considering they were, apparently, semi-sentient or something, it wasn’t a surprise.

He stopped short of splitting them, however, when their feline eyes converged on Tsuna for a moment, then returned to glaring at each other. That was strange.

Shouta cleared his throat, catching the attention of cats and Tsuna. “What’s wrong?”

The brunet hummed, “there’s something bothering me.”

The cats, understanding the question was at them, too, turned to Shouta and pawed at Tsuna, that frowned. “Is your problem related to the cats?”

He tilted his head, confused, “no, wh– wait.” His eyes widened, as if in sudden realization, and moved to the cats. “You can’t be serious.”

Reborn jumped on the table as Tsuna stood to go in the living room… and returned with the map of Musutafu on which they had pinned the facilities’ locations. Shouta’s mind did its math.

“Which one?”

The black cat pawed at the western-most pin. Byakuran hissed at the southern-most.

Well, there was no other way to better say it.

“Fuck.” Shouta eyed Tsuna falling into his chair. “Of fucking course… I found you beaten up!” Reborn flinched, jumping on the raven’s laps and shivering, which earned him hushing sounds and cuddles. “I’m sorry… Oh God.” The brunet’s eyes shone, as bright as the sun, narrowed and dangerous. “I am so going to kill them all.”

Yeah. No. Bad line of thought. Byakuran headbutted Tsuna. Good boy.

“Breathe,” the underground hero said, still trying to calm Reborn down. “With me, like that, good.” His lover’s golden eyes dimmed a bit as he followed Shouta’s instructions. “Remember, killing is not the solution.”

“Yes… Yes, you’re right.”

“You are a hero, you go for the rescue. You rescued Reborn,” the cat flinched again, he was almost weeping in his lap. “Byakuran chose you to stay safe. There are more to save, Tsuna, they are your priority.”

He nodded, head held in his hands. “Ok, ok… Ok.” He closed his eyes, took a deep breath. “Fine, other victims first. And they are still in those bastards’ hands, Shou…”

“Yes, because there are more to save than just from one facility, remember? It’s important that our steps are covered and the blame redirected, else we risk those scientists killing the victims, isn’t that right? You taught me this.”

“Yeah, ok… Ok, I get it,” he sighed, eyes finally returning to the usual chocolate brown. “Reborn, come here, please.” The black cat, still shivering and obviously scared of his memories, jumped from Shouta’s lap to Tsuna’s arms, purring in the comforting cuddles his lover was capable of. “It’s ok, we’ll protect you.” He beckoned Byakuran over, “both of you,” then looked up at the raven with steely eyes. “They have walked around in the sunlight with me for months. Why has no one ever tried to get them back?”

That was… a very good question, that wanted a very bad answer. “They have so many subjects that one cat or two don’t really matter.”

“I need to call Tsukauchi, the safe houses must be built faster.”

“We have to stick to the plan, Tsuna. Russia first, then we use the distraction and chaos to infiltrate more people. You came up with this.”

“Yes, I know,” he sighed. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok.” Shouta stood to kiss him on the forehead. “You want to help, that’s fine, remember that you can’t rescue them if you get hasty.”

Tsuna smiled, “thank you.”

He dived in for a brief kiss full on the lips. “Whenever you want, kitten.”

“Finallyyyy!!!” Shouta rolled his eyes, ears by then used to that volume. “I’m soooo happy for Tsuna!! And for you, are you?!”

He hummed, getting in his classroom. “It’s a beginning, at least. He’ll be better, when this case is solved and behind our backs.”

“Speaking of which, Shou!” Hizashi jumped to sit on the desk, “what’s going on? Nezu is very tense, these days!”

The underground hero didn’t like lying, especially to Hizashi, but he couldn’t tell him everything, either. “The worst case I’ve seen until now, can’t say more.”

His friend gaped. “Wo– worse than the traffickers?”

Considering the experimentations, “yes.”

“God… don’t you need help?”

Shouta bit his inner lip, sitting at his desk while absently fixing his papers for the day. “We have a plan.”

“That’s not an answer, ya’know.”

He looked up at the, for once, serious expression of his colleague, and sighed. “Help is… welcome, but… the current phase is about setting traps and sending undercover agents, so,” he shrugged, “not your area of expertise, right?”

Sheepish, Hizashi half-grinned. “Fine. You’ll tell me when I’ll be needed, ok?”

“Sure. You and Nemuri, if she wants to.”

Some students started filing into the class, Hizashi stepped down from the desk and lowered his voice – which was stupid to do, because students knew him as loud so being quiet called for suspicion. “Course she wants to, wouldn’t miss the opportunity to tease you!” He winked and left, waving at his students with a wide grin.

Shouta held back a sigh and waited for the entire classroom to do the rollcall. Only one absent, Kurokawa’s parents had warned the school about a bad case of flu. The boy was hospitalized, even.

“Alright,” he scratched his stubbly chin, “today’s first two periods are self-study. Assuming you’ve done your homework at home,” he surveyed the class with a glare, “there are case scenarios you can review now,” he placed a stack of papers face down on the nearest student’s desk, “you can start, I want an analysis of the situation, the way I taught you, and a plan of action, more than one if you want.” Shouta nodded at Furuga, allowing her to speak.

“What about Sora, sensei?”

Figured his lover’s fan would bring that up… The teacher pinched the bridge of his nose, thoughts swarming his mind. It could work, it was not like he had things to do other than roll in a corner and sleep. The true problem was that Tsuna was working, thus he couldn’t call him over to give the kids a sound lesson, which had been his first idea. This meant Shouta had to take that weight and carefully measure up what he should and should not say. The safest was to stick to newspapers and add some details.

“Have you got some information on any of Sora’s raids?”

Promptly, sixteen out of twenty-one students held newspapers or mobile devices to him, eyes sparkling like Izuku’s when he discovered something new or Katsuki’s when Shouta thought loudly about quirks. Only his lover could do this, by the way. With a new sigh, he took the nearest phone and scrolled the news. It was about one of USA’s raids. He held the phone up to show the students.

“No USA. There’s very few information about them and, remember, you’re going to work in Japan at least for three years before considering moving abroad.”

He gave the phone back and took a newspaper. It was old, made him wonder why exactly Eiji had thought it necessary to bring it to school… He was ready to bet this had been a very well laid trap. His class had talked about it, maybe through web chats, and planned to ambush him with the request. He sighed again.

“You don’t need to plan it, just ask.” A few flinched, some smiled sheepishly. “This is Sora’s very first raid.”

As Shouta left the newspaper on his desk and approached the blackboard to draw up the layout of that warehouse, Taro’s trembling hand was lifted and the teacher nodded to let him speak. “Was he already known as a… vigilante?”

Heh, their first meeting… that was nostalgic. “I met him when he stopped a kidnapping attempt before this raid.” The real reason why Tsuna even started his campaign. “It happened during one of my patrols,” he paused, surveying the planimetry, “he was a no name back then, maybe hadn’t even chosen the name Sora. So, no,” he turned to Taro, “he wasn’t known.”

“Didn’t you try to catch him, sensei?” Shogi asked, leaning forward in his chair.

“I did. His quirk is still unclear, some say he can trick our senses, some say it’s straight-out illusion-making.” He shrugged. “I tried, he vanished into thin air.” Without letting more questions pile up, Shouta tapped the blackboard. “I assume many of you know how the raid played out, or, better said, how the newspaper said it played out. Seeing as this is an occasion to learn from a now pro hero, I want you to first plan how you would have gone around this issue.” He wrote the main points they had to take into consideration, “you have half-an-hour, then we’ll discuss it together.”

Chapter Text

Tsuna was unsure about how to corner Akuro. When she wanted, his Boss could be as slippery as a fleeing snake. Considering she had, in the span of three hours, burnt cakes, spilled coffees, sighed into the infinite and paled repeatedly… the brunet was rightfully worried sick. At the same time, however, he wasn’t confident that facing her or asking what was going on would have worked. They were friends, yes, but Tsuna knew first-hand how being friends didn’t mean relying on each other.

Of Akuro’s life, he knew what he needed to know or what had happened right in front of him – or he himself had caused. He knew nothing about her past, which was fine by him. The issue was that he felt her current state was a consequence of bad news or something about her… family? He’d had three hours to think about it.

In the end, he decided to not ask. Tsuna just brewed her a cup of minted hot chocolate, her favourite, smiled at her and left to go home with a packed lunch. On the way, Inko intercepted him and dropped off Izuku, who babbled the way away as if he was on a tangent about a new, fantastic cartoon – hero-based, of course. The child loved those, loved heroes, went crazy over All Might in particular. He had a quick lunch, changed into his hero clothes, hid Izuku, his stroller and himself in Mist Flames and walked to the police station. He took an alley to take the illusion off his body, keeping the deeply asleep child safe.

The agents, as always, stopped dead in their tracks when he walked inside – going through the blind spots of the cameras –, right up to his gory desk. At least it was an improvement from when they used to reach for their weapons. The criminals, instead, never ceased to amuse him. Some froze, some paled, some wailed, a scrawny teen even tried to flee. Tsuna simply sat at his chair, subtly fixing the stroller, and sent golden glares all over the place. It served its purpose of making people behave.

Once satisfied of the subdued atmosphere, he looked down at the cases of the day and got to work. No use dillydallying, anyway. There were around ten, also quite hard to crack. Sansa, first name basis since the officer kept insisting, often came around to make sure Tsuna was ok and brought him a cup of sugared coffee, knowing by then his tastes. Tsukauchi, that was trying to get the brunet to use his first name but was failing because he kept overworking, left his office after two hours and sat down at a nearby desk with a portable computer, typing his life away with a pinched face. With minutes passing by in the usual busy schedule of the station, Tsuna saw the line of his shoulders relax and wondered how much of that weight he was responsible for. The whole mess of their newest case was heavy.

“Have you two even taken a break?”

A smile bloomed, uncalled, on his lips, as Tsuna looked up with golden, half-lidded eyes. “I have eaten lunch,” he answered, uncaring about how the relationship between Sora and Eraserhead could be seen by the police officers. Everyone knew that the vigilante was now a hero thanks to the lazy teacher standing in front of the desk he himself had placed there.

“I’ve stopped for lunch and a snack a while ago,” Tsukauchi answered, eyes still glued to his laptop. “What about your brats?”

Shouta imperceptibly pouted at the mention of ‘his’ brats. “They wanted to study you,” he said, looking at Tsuna and grabbing a chair to sit in front of him. “Had two full hours plus another half of talking about your first raid because the teacher coming next wanted in.” Tsuna chuckled, somewhat embarrassed. “Children are not easy to please, once they’re curious,” his lover pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed.

“Did they learn something?”

The raven glared, “you’re underestimating me, brat.”

Tsukauchi snorted to keep in the laughter. “So, you had fun.”

The brunet did his best to not ruin his reputation, at least in the police station, and checked on Izuku, that was stirring in the stroller. “I don’t want to know the details.”

“I’ll make sure to update you later,” he promised as a form of vengeance, but Tsuna blushed.

“You can go, by the way,” the detective closed his laptop and turned to them with a small smile. “The worst interrogations have gone smoothly and I know you finished with your cases thirty minutes ago.”

He flinched a bit, “well, I was waiting and Izuku is still asleep.”

Shouta took a moment to understand and sigh, Tsukauchi blinked in confusion thrice, then thumped his head against the desk. “You could have said something…”

Tsuna chuckled, making sure the Illusion held and dispelling it for the two men. “He’s a good boy, slept all the time.” He resisted taking him up and stood, “well, I’ll leave then… if you two do the same.”

Shouta shrugged and took the stroller, knowing his lover would hide the act.

The detective slumped in the chair, defeated. “Fine, I’ve done enough for today. Anything interesting in the mails?”

“Interviews’ requests, mostly. There are a few worried citizens in there, I’ve turned them to you with some notes. And scam, obviously.”

“What did they try to sell you, this time?”

“This and that… but someone wanted me to buy patch of land on the moon!” Tsuna laughed with Tsukauchi about it, “good night, see you soon.”

“See you, Sora.”

The brunet followed Shouta outside and into their changing room, also known as the alleyway, to change into their civilian personas. Izuku was completely awake by then, but they did manage to steal a few kisses before Tsuna had to take him up. The boy was a bit cranky and wanted to stretch, so he deposited him in the baby-proofed corner after feeding him.

“I was thinking…”

“And that is already a very grave problem,” Tsuna grinned, flopping himself beside Shouta on the couch to cuddle.

“Very funny, kitten. I was thinking we need a vacation.”

“… as in?”

Shouta shrugged, holding his waist and nuzzling his neck. “A journey, somewhere… When this case is solved, anyway… Do you miss Italy?”

The brunet swallowed, relaxing in the hold, mind flooded by memories… of his lost family, of his past occupation, of his gone world. “I… There were places I liked, as well as places I never visited because… my journeys were always related to my job and, well, I couldn’t be a tourist if I had to deal with criminals.”

“So, you have suggestions?”

“In Italy, you mean?”

“Could be another country, too.”

Tsuna hummed, kissing his lover’s forehead. “You have no preferences?”

“More like I never thought about it. Can’t know what I want to see if I don’t know what there is to see.”

“Point taken… I can suggest a few places, then, Italian and not. I travelled a bit.”

“Make a list, we’ll go from there.”

“… You know, I can’t imagine you wearing a swimsuit… or sunbathing, for that matter.”

Shouta tightened his embrace and groaned. “Damn right. Never been to the beach. Thinking about it, Italy’s famous for its coasts… What were you saying about other countries?”

Tsuna laughed.

He released a long breath of relief, still unbelieving, still euphoric and anxious and scared.

They’d done it.

Russia’s traps had been placed, triggered and used. They officially had, after a whole month of preparations and carefully following the plan, infiltrated all the groups left untouched by their sabotages. Going by the sporadic but telling reports, no one suspected someone external to be the perpetrator. Thus, what they wanted had happened: the Russian groups were at war with each other, needing more manpower through which they could infiltrate. This had made placing undercover agents a total child play. Shouta was clearly happy Tsuna was not one of them. With the safehouses ready to host the to-be rescued victims, they could only wait for new information to work on and hope for the best.

Tsukauchi’s faith in his agents helped, Shouta’s expertise in underground missions and his own Intuition reassuring him time and time again were all the things he needed to believe this whole mess could come to a wanted, safe conclusion. Present Mic’s eagerness to help was, officially, what made Tsuna start studying other heroes’ styles on TV but, officiously, it was Izuku and Katsuki’s merit. He had no doubts he would need what the kids were practically begging him to do each time they stayed over, one never knew when he’d have to work with others. Considering no one beside Shouta was truly aware of his abilities, playing around the issue in advance was something both useful and incredibly boring. However, if Izuku babbled for Tsuna to mumble in a louder way, if Katsuki scowled – as much as a child could – when the brunet reverted back to his whispers, if the boys’ eyes sparkled when he started explaining a hero’s quirk… Well, it was worth it. And a very good way to keep them occupied. Shouta often took advantage of heroes’ shows.

Izuku, especially, had started doodling heroes. He was pretty good and, with practice, he was becoming better and better, going as far as to note more doodles at the margins, with arrows and background sounds. Katsuki found every opportunity to praise his friend with loud claps, studying the artworks and keeping them near when they watched TV. It was like witnessing the first steps of future heroes. His lover secretly adored assisting at that small miracle.

Currently, Izuku was bobbing his head in sleepiness and Katsuki’s eyes were as open as a sugar-high kid’s. So, Tsuna lulled the shier boy to sleep, tucked him in his stroller – he’d entertained the idea of buying a baby bed, or two, but desisted in the end – and patted Katsuki’d head, joining him again.

“No nap for you, little man?”

The boy scowled his small, adorable scowl and returned his attention to the television, changing paper. The talk show had just gone from Best Jeanist to Ectoplasm. Izuku’s doodle was very good, considering the hero’s costume was a long, tan cloak. His face, however, was a bit… well, it seemed a mass of goo with stripes and an emoticon. Tsuna chuckled, maybe he should ask Izuku for a copy, or just print one, and send it to the hero through Shouta. Katsuki hummed along with the undoubtedly too advanced explanation the reporter was providing and added what the child wanted to be words, but ended up being scribbles. It was too cute to be lawful.

He wondered, smiling, how these two boys would grow up. They surely would try – and succeed – in the hero career, making Shouta go white-haired prematurely. His lover sure was well on that way. Not to say his class was… chaotic, but the raven was a worrywart at heart. He’d keep worrying about his students even after graduation. They were the first ones to truly overcome his strict judgement. Tsuna was positive they were digging a place in his lover’s heart, small as it probably was, and he was worried how much of that weight Shouta could sustain before collapsing under it, figuratively speaking.

He knew it was a matter similar to his own about considering himself as a hero. At the same time, he knew not how to help. Yes, just being there for him was something, but not enough. He needed to conjure a few ideas that would put his lover’s mind more at ease, though he had a lot of time still. With the plan going on flawlessly, Tsuna couldn’t find it in himself – or, better said, in his Intuition – to relax even a bit. Part of it was because the case was not solved yet, another part was played by Akuro’s increasingly strange behaviour. She didn’t seem able to take it easy anymore, overworking and worrying Masayuki to the point that he’d asked Tsuna if he knew something happened. That was a bright red flag.

Despite his desire to indeed get involved, the brunet held back. Because he didn’t want to pry. Because Akuro would have talked about it if she could – she often complained about private life’s troubles, especially if they were about her adopted son. Because she would eventually tell him, according to his Intuition, and Tsuna would rather not push her into it. Better be if she chose to by her own judgement. He had mentioned it to Shouta, too, and he agreed. Some things needed time, plus his Intuition was to be listened to.

Tsuna sighed, checking on Katsuki. The boy was still deeply enraptured by the… slightly incorrect dissection of Ectoplasm’s quirk. Judging by his tiny and entirely cute, scrunched nose, the child was not convinced, either. Reporters. He wondered what the hero, also math teacher at UA, would have said about it. Maybe he could put a note behind Izuku’s doodle when he sent it through his lover, because he was definitely doing that. Also, he should whip the child into doodling everyone minus Midnight and Present Mic, to have a nice, useful blackmail material. If they wanted the doodle everyone had, they had to kneel, figuratively speaking, and do his bidding. He didn’t know yet what he would ask for, but there was no hurry. Izuku had all the time he wanted to work on his adorable pieces of art. Also, on a second note, he should fix a notebook to collect them and maybe give a new one to the child for the future. What magic memories they would provide, later in the years. Tsuna smiled.

The front door opened. He redirected his smile to his lover, that was eyeing him in slight and fond suspicion. Seeing Katsuki was wide awake, they forwent their welcome back kiss and Shouta just caressed his cheek.

“What you plotting now?”

Tsuna grinned, “blackmail material, that could also be nice material.”

“Please, do it.”

The brunet chuckled. “It could be against you.”

Shouta sighed, taking off his scarf and going to the kitchen. “It’s not, it’s probably against my two friends.”

“What, you grown Intuition overnight?”

He returned with a couple glasses of water. “No, I just know.”

Tsuna eyed the man’s barely suppressed smirk and accepted the glass. “Alright, keep your secrets.” The raven flopped at his side, hands producing a stack of paperwork from his bag and placing it on the low table. “And, more work.”

Shouta shrugged. “Surprise pop quiz.”

“Evil.”

“Comes with the job… Any update?” His left arm sneaked around Tsuna’s waist, bringing him closer for absently given cuddles.

The brunet pouted. “It’s always work with you!!”

The raven finally understood it was one of those days his lover wanted to be the centre of attention, and a lot of love, thus he rolled his eyes with a too fond smile for his annoyance to be believed. “If you let me finish grading these, and the brats get taken to their homes or go to sleep,” Katsuki lifted his chin, knowing very well what Shouta was speaking about and wanting to keep watching the tv show, “I’ll consider bathing you in the love you deserve.”

Tsuna caught the sneaky proposition and blushed deep red, “fine.”

“Best purchase ever.”

The brunet softly punched the other’s shoulder, a smile on his lips.

---------

Shouta’s hands tightened on Tsuna’s hips as he rode his orgasm, water sloshing out of the bathtub, face nestled in his lover’s neck, teeth grazing the reddened skin, leg shaking in obvious strain. He panted, taking a few moments to rise back up from his depths, and stumbled to sit in the tub, taking Tsuna with him, not pulling out just yet. He knew the brunet liked staying connected, even if for a little, and they had all the time to let the steam, the tiredness and the adrenaline seep out of their bodies. He smothered kisses on his bruised shoulders, arms sliding around his waist to better embrace him, and a satisfied, heavy sigh left his lips.

Tsuna chuckled, equally spent, arching just right to give him more space and skin to cherish. “Thought you’d have just cuddled, but I obviously underestimated your sex drive.”

“Your merit.”

The chuckles intensified, one hand sliding up to caress Shouta’s scalp. “Good to know.”

“More than sex drive, I’d say it’s a Tsuna drive.” The brunet snickered, turning enough to kiss his lover, slowly, tiredly, happily. “I still want to know if there are updates, sneaky Mafioso.”

Tsuna licked his lips, eyes darkening a tiny bit. “There are some, but I was thinking about a second serving.”

“The kitten is hungry, today.” Shouta gripped him by the waist and turned him around while swapping their positions, having then Tsuna beneath and facing him, still open-legged, still flush against his body, still strikingly beautiful. “But then we are ordering take out and eating on the couch while you tell me everything and I’m lulled to sleep by your voice.”

Tsuna grinned, pushing his hips down to make his point clear. “Why, dear, I’ll be delighted to cradle you in my arms and speak nonsense for the entire evening.” He anchored his arms behind Shouta’s neck and brought him down to nip at his earlobe, “only after being devoured.”

The raven had no reservations thrusting in his lover like a madman for another long amount of time, enjoying his embrace, moans, sounds, gasps, skin, heat, breaths, passion, desire. Most of all, he fell apart, like every single time, when he could feel Tsuna’s love, whispered or through kisses. It was still mind-blowing. He wasn’t sure how he’d managed to make this man fall for him, but he considered himself damn lucky.

---------

When Tsuna finally succeeded in letting Shouta out of his grabby, possessive arms, they both rinsed their bodies, dried themselves and sighed in contentment when they flopped on the couch while the television played one of the last movies they’d already seen. They liked to watch them again at least once, to check if, in the heat of the movie’s momentum, they’d lost something of importance. There were, in fact, movies that hid quite a lot of important hints or curiosities or juicy details.

This time, it was just a soft background sound as Tsuna leaned under Shouta’s arm and hugged his lower stomach, head resting in the crook of the raven’s neck. They sighed once more, eyes closed.

“I still want the update.”

“Tsukauchi called me this morning, he said the undercover agents in Russia are having trouble making contact, but they managed to let him know that they’re ready.”

“… and you didn’t want to tell me, why?”

The brunet shrugged, “because you don’t want me to go undercover.”

“We’ve already talked about it.”

“I know,” he sighed, opening his eyes to lock them with Shouta’s, one hand caressing the other’s chest. “But I think it is needed for me to go, at least in Musutafu.”

“Explain.”

“Would the detectives have been able to find–” Tsuna bit his lower lip, took a deep breath and continued: “those rooms.”

Shouta didn’t straighten only because he didn’t want to jostle his lover, that was already tense enough even after all their unwinding activities. “No, I don’t think so. Maybe, with time, but once rescued the victims, they wouldn’t have known to look for something else.” He eyed Tsuna, “does this mean you suspect them?”

“I… have a feeling.”

Which was no different than having proofs, in his book. “And why can’t you just check after the raids?”

“Because I may be able to save children.”

Shouta, regrettably, didn’t know how to refute that statement. Children. Victims. About to be embalmed. Maybe being embalmed right in that moment. It was a damning thought. He hoped, against hopes, that his lover was not tormenting himself with images of that, but he knew the brunet.

“Being a hero means knowing you can’t save everyone, Tsuna.”

“… It sucks.”

Chapter Text

Shouta refrained from clicking his tongue. “Fine, I’ll overlook it,” he ignored the relieved sigh, “I’ll let you know when we decide… Though I won’t tell you where.” He ended the call and pocketed his phone with a long intake of breath, pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to not scowl.

He was annoyed. He better not let it show, but he was. He took another breath, forgot about the unexpected phone call and took the elevator to his flat’s floor. The sight that greeted him was not as unexpected, though.

Tsuna had not let Shouta change his mind about the undercover mission, immediately diving into the necessary preparations. The hero had gone into a couple of missions that required stealth and a fake persona, but, obviously, his lover was on another, inhuman level.

The only reason why he didn’t pounce on the stranger standing in front of the case’s boards was that he knew no one but four elected men could actually see them. His lover was probably cloaked in Mist Flames, as he liked to put it. Untamed, black hair with slightly receding hairline on his temples, a couple of claw-like tattoos covering his right cheek, small grey eyes with eyebags, thin lips, wearing a black suit and gloves, tall, muscular especially around the arms.

“I could bet this is from your past.”

Tsuna blinked, illusion flickering but resisting as he looked back at Shouta with a sheepish smile. “You’d win.” He turned and bowed with a flourish, “nice to meet you, this is Lancia.”

The raven – true raven, actually – arched a brow. “Of course, Italians.”

“Well, they still do have quite a bad reputation in this universe, and Lancia is a good character to insert in the covert operation. Killed his family, wants to begin anew in the dark world, things like that.”

Shouta’s eyes narrowed. “That’s his story?”

“Ah,” Tsuna-Lancia titled his head, illusion fading to show a too big shirt falling off of the brunet’s left shoulder, “to be truthful, Lancia didn’t, he was being controlled at that time.”

The raven’s mind rebooted from the lust-filled thoughts and he blinked, “excuse me?”

“Yeah, by my Mist Guardian– Mukuro was not my Guardian yet, back then, but, yeah, that’s how it went.”

Shouta blinked. Twice. “You… took a Guardian, which you told me means having a very deep bond with, that controlled a man to kill his whole family…?”

Tsuna did seem troubled. “I…” He sighed, face-palming and falling into the couch, shirt sliding up his naked legs. “Ok, uh… do you remember what I told you about my hatred towards human experimentation?” Shouta cautiously nodded as he sat next to his lover, doing his best to not get distracted. “Mukuro was… and he bonded with two more boys while in there… He… reacted, I guess. I’m not saying it was the right thing to do, but what do you expect from a young boy that developed powers, after finally escaping? He… turned on the villains, that were Mafiosi.”

Something was escaping him, “you were Mafia.”

“Yes,” Tsuna dragged the word, teeth clenched and eyes adverted. “He tried to possess me to destroy Mafia, actually.”

It was starting to seem so familiar… “So, you decided to turn an enemy into an ally.”

The brunet waved a finger at him, “as I always do, if they do want and deserve that redemption.”

“I’m so not impressed…” He wailed into his hand.

Tsuna chuckled, unrepentantly adding: “Lancia even saved me, once.”

“I am going to hear the full version of your Mafia life, kitten… but, for now, I’m sane and safe, so spare me a bit longer.”

The burnet laughed, throwing himself over Shouta.

The wind ruffled his hood, trying and failing to push it down from his head. Tsuna, kneeling on the edge of the roof, surveyed the exchange of drug being carried in the alley right under his nose. At his side, Shouta silently sighed, a puff of warm breath condensing in the night air. The weather was warming up as the year welcomed spring.

Once the dealer gave out the dose and the buyer paid for it, Sora soundlessly jumped down, wind twirling around his limbs, and incapacitated the dealer. Shouta, instead, backed him up by apprehending the drug-addict, that had tried to flee. No one could humanly escape that scarf. Tsuna also thought that was no reason to not want it wrapped around his body. It was very comfy.

After delivering the unconscious criminal to a police car and entrusting the teen that needed help to social workers, Tsukauchi smiled at them and made them notice the hour. “I also have news.”

The brunet tilted his hooded head, “well, not like we’d sleep much by now. And it’s Saturday, feel free to drop by.”

“Yeah, might as well take care of this. Is it urgent? Or any good?”

“You’ll have to wait,” he quipped, leaving.

The two exchanged a telling look, hopes rising. They went home, getting in more comfortable clothes while teasing each other – Shouta still wasn’t over, and never would be, how hot Tsuna looked when he swiftly, coldly dealt with criminals, while Tsuna kept remarking how sexy the raven was when he acted detached and lazy while apprehending fleeing people. They were both over heels for each other, thing that amused them to no ends.

Tsukauchi arrived something like twenty minutes later, when the brunet had almost dozed off on the couch, surrounded by two purring cats, and Shouta had just snatched a photo to use as his phone’s screen, the locked one of course. The detective smiled, inviting himself in after ringing the doorbell out of courtesy – and trying to not see too much of their private intimacy, he was still so embarrassed by that –, and uncapped a red marker to reach for the case board that they had set up for their plans. He crossed the picture of each of the corrupted policemen over in Russia, smile widening into a winning smirk.

“They’re all out…!”

Tsuna gaped, not able to believe it. Shouta matched the detective’s grin and high-fived him.

“Details, come on!”

Urged on by the underground hero, Tsukauchi produced a single paper, proof of how recent the development was, and started explaining. “The war was heating up, I briefed you on that a week or so ago, however, yesterday, all the other factions joined it to try and gain something from the already wounded parties. My contacts, who deserve a raise, knew well who to trust and who to dodge, so they went to policemen that had power and that would do something and denounced the happenings, with proofs and everything. An immediate, coordinated raid was organized. The scandal will hit the news in a few hours. We did it!!”

Tsuna couldn’t keep the smile off his lips, eyes teary with happiness and fulfilment… but his Intuition ruined it a bit and a few thoughts made him straighten. “The victims?”

“They found bodies,” Tsukauchi answered, not sweetening the pill, “but all the survivors are now being taken care of in the safehouses we set up.”

The brunet nodded, “there’s something you’re not telling me.”

On cue, the other flinched. “My contacts were so distracted, tired and happy that… they let it slip this was your doing, as Sora.”

Well, could’ve been worse. Also, “it might work in our favour.”

Shouta sighed, sitting at his side and granting cuddles to Reborn. “Lancia?”

Tsuna hummed, “I’ve been building his presence here in Japan. His story is that he wanted to start a small human trafficking circle, and Sora stopped it, but, drinking around, I slipped that I have information on Sora, so… he might become an interest. We wanted to use the chaos of the aftermath in Russia, this is it.”

Tsukauchi smiled thinly. “You ready for that?”

“It won’t be a long mission. Maybe a week. This,” he waved at the paper, “will throw them for a loop.”

“I hear a but,” Shouta pushed.

“… Remember the–” Tsuna eyed the boards, “three years ago, the criminals turning against and killing each other?” The two nodded. “I think that’s important…”

“A quirk?”

The brunet considered his lover’s inquiry, “most probably. A power I must be very careful of, if I come across it.” With a shake of his head, Tsuna took back his smile and stood to grab a bottle of wine. “But, this morning, we toast!”

Shouta took three chalices, “next time we do this,” and offered them to be filled, “Nezu will have to join.”

“That’s the minimum,” Tsukauchi agreed, meeting the others’ glasses with a soft clink. “We did it, the very first, considerable step towards stopping them all!”

They drank, ate breakfast. The detective even stayed for a nap, using the bathroom to then go back to the station. Tsuna felt like he was walking on the clouds, and, at the same time, on eggs. He was ridiculously happy and responsibly scared. He had no idea how many had been saved that night, but he knew there were more that needed rescue. He would not stop.

Shouta saw through him, swept him off his feet and dragged him to bed for a very deserved rest.

News from Russia ricocheted like a frisbee defying frisbee laws. It created a hurricane of curiosity that took Tsuna by surprise. His hero persona became, in the matter of less than two days, worldwide renown. Surfing the net could result in either reading about grateful rescued victims or downright atrocious hypothesis about his true identity.

On one hand, Tsuna was a shy person that didn’t like the spotlight, even if very few knew it was him. He kept blushing whenever the television would focus on Sora, which happened too often, and Shouta never lost chance to take advantage of that new dynamic. On the other hand, however, the storm rose dust over their enemies’ sight and served the great purpose of hopefully saving more people from the clutches of villains.

Acting as Lancia, while looking like he had drunk too much to even walk on his own, some shady figures had sneakily approached him to ask, quite directly once they noticed how drank he seemed to be, about Sora. He had slurred unintelligible things, mixing curses to let it be clear how he felt about the hero, and finished his almost incomprehensible soliloquy with a theatrical “I sweaaaa…r, to God!! I will kiiiilllll…. That herrrrro!!” One of his best rehearsals. Shouta had laughed.

Once things had calmed enough for a more detailed report, Tsukauchi had asked to meet them again and his lover had arranged a meeting with Nezu at their flat. It was becoming a pattern, but neither of the two truly minded. The whole scandal, as the detective had rightly called it, resulted in hundreds of arrests and politicians ruined, along with eradicated corruption in police. The world was in chaos. Because of the names involved in the criminal activities, even ones abroad were at risk. This meant that, yes, as they wanted, the syndicate was growing desperate in fear of being discovered in all its glory, but also that they had to hurry if they didn’t want whoever was heading the remaining divisions to just disappear into thin air, trying to escape the incoming justice.

So, Tsuna had advised against haste and said that his progress as Lancia was consistent. He was almost ready to go undercover, it was a matter of days. During his outings as Lancia, he had noticed that more and more people, even if not approaching him, were careful of what he slipped through drunkenness. Thus, he had started saying things that could be interesting, like mentioning how Sora had disappeared before his very eyes, how he seemed to be a brunet but, in the right light, could be seen with darker hair, or that he seemed to have an accent. His latest slip up had been about noticing a peculiar relationship with police and that, maybe, there was a specific policeman that knew something more about the goddamned hero. Tsukauchi was already a target, reason why Tsuna had accepted to use him as info-bait and the officer, in turn, had accepted to always be accompanied by either two policemen or a hero when outside, never alone.

In fact, Tsuna was currently slurring his vowels while trying to answer a question without truly answering, laying on the dirty table of a pub in the red-light district, cheeks red and eyes dopey. The pounding sound of music was being lowered, probably as requested by someone and by the very late hour. He wouldn’t be surprised if the sun was peaking at the horizon. Few people lingered, the drunkards mostly and the unlucky employees.

Two thugs had approached him, disguising their questions as unfriendly teasing. The one that had his attention, though, was the woman leaning against the wall, arms crossed under her bosom, looking around like a sentinel, hands covered by gloves. She gave him a bad feeling, a warning to be careful, to… shy away from her.

“No one’s ever seen faces,” the bald one said with a wicked grin.

The raven nodded, lacking too many teeth for his smirk to be considered, under any circumstances, not malicious. “Bet’cha can’t even recognize the bastard!”

Tsuna, as Lancia, attempted a frown, then glowered at the two, faking a moment of clarity. “You’ve not met the shit-hic!” Let no one say he was not a good actor, also thanks to Mist Flames. “’s always… slippery… can’t say it better, but tha-hic-t policeman… tried follow him,” he shook his head, eyes falling into the empty bottle and turning sad, “where’s my booooozeee..?”

A glass of something brown slid to him, courtesy of the woman he was wary of, and he brightened, downing the contents in earnest. “You followed Tsukauchi Naomasa?” Her voice would have been silken if she had not been showing signs of a nasty cold, rosy and clogged nose the most obvious hint.

The fact that she had just used his friend’s full name worried him. “Ah, Tsu-somethin’, ya…” He eyed the empty glass with a hiccup, “to a, what was that… a building. Yeah! A building!” He toasted to his great achievement, then saddened when he noticed again the alcohol was gone and laid on the table with his face hidden in his arms… and faked falling asleep.

“Take him.”

That… was not exactly what he wanted. If they brought him somewhere with cameras, his undercover mission would implode, leaving him with a fist of flies. However, he had yet to see proof that his Intuition could malfunction, so he stayed put, snoring with sporadic hiccups while the two men, with some difficulty, heaved him up from the chair. There was a moment of stillness, a second of uncertainty just before the sound of a door being slammed opened. And then, the chaos was only announced by a catch phrase that Tsuna had heard from television, thanks to Izuku.

“FEAR NOT… FOR I AM HERE!!”

Chapter Text

Tsuna was so deeply unimpressed that, once unceremoniously dropped in front of a certain detective’s door, he sighed, sat up and crossed his arms in obvious annoyance, legs crossed under his body.

“Don’t you even try to run, young man.” The idiot waved an admonishing finger at his face, eyes the best impression of a parent’s ones when they were deeply disappointed in their child.

If not for his Intuition, Tsuna would have punched All Might in the face, to let off some of his frustration. Instead, he kept his cool and watched Tsukauchi open his door and blink at them in confusion, then surprise, and then fear mixed with shock.

“Tsukauchi-kun, this young man was boasting in a bar about knowing where you live.”

Which, first, liar, that was not what Tsuna had said. And, second, rude, just for the sake of it. Grateful no one was watching, the brunet stood, dusted himself in the general and welcomed silence and got inside, ignoring the subsequent protests coming from… God, this was his colleague. The detective let him in with a troubled smile, then invited in the hulking man and closed the door.

“… I’m confused.”

Tsuna freely went to the small kitchen to drink some water. “I was almost taken away by three individuals, one was a female that I don’t like.” He chugged the glass down and sat at the two-seats’ sofa, eyeing the policeman. “With his stunt, I’m now someone they’ll search for.” He grimaced, “he did the wrong thing by bringing me here, but it’s solvable. Arrest me, someone might show up to interrogate me. That’d be a rotten apple.”

Tsukauchi nodded, phone in hand to probably send a text. “I see. Thank you, I’ll make use of it.” He turned to the baffled hero and sighed. “All Might, while I thank you for your service, I must also tell you that you’ve just interfered with a police operation. This young man,” he offered Tsuna his free hand, “is Sora, disguised.”

At least, the shock and consternation were true. Tsuna could forgive him, he could recognize true naivety, but he was still feeling quite annoyed – even if his Intuition was silent –, so he left Tsukauchi to deal with it and went home to the warm, cuddly arms of his lover. Who, just saying, was not happy with the development he relayed.

When the show of Lancia being released by the police station rained down, there was a mob of reporters. It was the worst that could have happened. Cams meant his Illusions rendered useless and seen through. As an excuse, the saint named Tsukauchi Naomasa told the interviewers that the prisoner arrested by All Might – which was the only reason why there was press at all, by the way – was simply a drunkard caught in the crossfire of an operation, so the civilian’s privacy right was being protected by letting him go through a back entrance. Tsuna did that, and was instantly approached by the same two men that had tried to take him away. At that moment, though, he wasn’t under any alcohol effect, which meant that he could act like the Mafioso he was acting as.

He lit a cigarette between his lips, careful of not breathing any smoke. If Hayato could have seen him, he would have turned it off on his own palm, the hypocrite. Lancia lazily eyed the two with an arched brow, one hand in the black and dirty pants’ pocket while the other took the cigarette from his lips and let it dangle, an idle line of smoke rising from it. With that same hand’s thumb and little finger, he scratched his stubbly chin, a grimace quirking his mouth.

“I’ve seen ya… when was it, things’re fuzzy.” They had waited enough for Lancia to stagger into an alleyway, blocking the two ways out of it. “Well, all the same, what d’ya want? I’m tired, wanna sleep… what a headache.” He looked around, unbothered by the situation either because he truly didn’t care or because he was in a slight state of confusion.

“Boss wants to have a talk with ya.”

“You’re comin’ with us.”

Lancia frowned, a sudden beam of sunlight making him dock into the shadows, hand covering his narrowed eyes. “I don’t like yer tone. Wanna fight? Brin’ it on, bastards.” After lifting his fists, Lancia flinched because of a headache spike and groaned, rubbing one hand over his face. “Fucking booze…”

“There’ll be no need for fights.”

Tsuna did his best to look out of it as the cigarette fell from his hands, silently side-stepping one of the thugs to reach for a shop he’d seen at the intersection farther ahead. He ignored the calls, dodged a clumsy fist and got in, quickly doing the business he needed. He wore the bright purple hoodie and the pink sunglasses, pulling the deed off like he was a superstar, then entered the next shop and bought a strong, sugar-free coffee, sipping it slowly while returning to the alley. The thugs followed him as if he’d stunned them.

The woman was there, arms crossed, and arched brow. She was wearing the same, black, thin dress of the night just gone. He wondered if they’d waited for him since then. He felt no pity, though.

Lancia yawned, slouched and tired. “Ok, let’s talk business, doll. What’s the deal?”

“You mentioned that you followed Tsukauchi Naomasa, the detective that’s getting help from Sora.”

“Did I?” Lancia was a Mafioso first, an emissary of vengeance second. He smirked. “My memory’s gone.”

She pursed her lips. “What do you want?”

“Let none say women can’t strike deals, lads. I want the killing blow.”

“On Sora?”

He scoffed, “of fucking course. Ruined my new take on life. The piece of shit.”

She didn’t seem convinced, but nodded. “I think you should come with us. Is your information truly useful?”

Tsuna smirked again, “I know where the cop meets the hero.”

They didn’t trust him, thus he wasn’t brought to any hideout but to a hotel. Tsuna mentally noted that he should advise a check on the establishment. They also didn’t trust him to escape with the information, thus he had a babysitter. The bald thug from the pub. The one whose punch he’d dodged, which meant he was sour and not companionable.

But he wasn’t feeling down. On the contrary, he was fine in the hotel room, where he could shed the hoodie and sunglasses. Shouta had come out with the idea. The hungover was the perfect cover for the necessary garments, they did not raise suspicions and his true identity was hidden from cameras. Of course, in the two days they made him wait, he kept drinking. Meanwhile, Tsukauchi was setting up the raids.

Lancia took a second in the bathroom to send the detective a quick message of warning before joining the two thugs. He had to lead them to the spot, it was a quarter past five, when the sun was starting its descent. There was no sign of the woman, an obvious hint of how much they didn’t believe he knew about such a place. They would see the… truth.

He led them to the outskirts of town, in a building where free-loaders gave them the stinky eye but said nothing. Lancia lit a cigarette, stopping at the landing of the fourth floor, walked past a door with a ruined tag of a number and sat at the glassless window, hidden by a black, thick curtain that seemed silken in the barren, ruined, decadent and stinky surroundings.

“Come here couple of times with a chick, lucky shots.” Lancia moved the curtain aside a single inch, looking over to the roof right opposite. “Shits don’t have a meeting room or somethin’, caught’em by luck. The bastard comes twice a week or so, they talk, end.” He shrugged. “Might be lucky today.” They will be.

The two stayed silent, a stark contrast to the taunts they used when in the pub. One more proof that they were well-trained puppets of the woman he didn’t like. The simple thought of letting her near his persona almost made him retch. He wondered what her hands were dirty with.

Lancia took off his sunglasses, sun dimming into evening, and pulled the curtain so that only one eye could peer through the opening. “There he is.”

Tsukauchi, true to his word, broke into the roof thanks to a hole with Tamakawa in tow. Moments later, Eraserhead landed in front of them, looking around in search.

“Bastard’s late. Makin’ his partner all worried.” That Shouta was his partner was the reporters’ new hot topic, sadly. “Might also be an illusion, tho. Some say it’s hi–”

Lancia was impolitely pushed aside by the haired man, that had a phone on his ear. “Yeah, those three.” He was talking to, most probably, the woman. “No sight of him.” It was a report. “Could be, we have no way to tell.” They had what they wanted: a lead to Sora. “I’ll see to it.” They needed Lancia no more. “The usual.”

Well, he was still a Mafioso. “B’fore ya kill me,” the man at the phone eyed him, “know that there’re more places like this one.”

The thug hesitated, focus moving back on the phone. “Yes.” Lancia, unbothered, started picking on his nails. “Ok.” He ended the call and pocketed the device. “You’re coming with us.”

“Been doin’ that for a while, mate.”

When it became painfully obvious they were leading Lancia to the facility, Tsuna was an anxious mix of adrenaline and dread. Because this meant the raid was about to be unleashed on these scums. And he couldn’t wait.

He couldn’t exactly put it into words, either. It was… almost a year of planning that was unravelling into a single, vital moment. It felt almost anticlimactic, maybe even wrong – not Intuition-wise – but it was also the culmination of his purpose, of his life’s mission. He knew this was not the end, it would never end, but it was a second solid hit to an international, old underground organization that dealt in humans and experiments. If Mukuro could have seen, he’d have been very happy to personally interrogate each of them until they were pleading to give him more information just to be killed. He was skilled like that.

He had just notified Tsukauchi, cloaking his actions in Mist Flames when he was sure there were no cameras. He was still wearing hood and sunglasses, but he would soon shed them. He was terribly jittery. So, he hid his mouth with the coffee cup and took a very deep breath, taking the collected and focused state of mind that Reborn had drilled into him. It had saved his – and his Guardians’ – life more than once, and maybe Shouta would be there to look. On second thought, no ‘maybe’ needed.

“This way,” the bald one gestured to an alley, looking around to check no one was looking in the deserted road.

They were in an almost completely abandoned part of the town. They had scouted it before he’d finally been hooked by the gang, it was lifeless because someone wanted it to be. The anonymity given by no witnesses was an important asset. Unknown to them, several trusted – by his Intuition and Tsukauchi – policemen and some heroes had taken residency in the buildings in the last few days. Slowly, unseen. The foes had no sentinel with a radar-like quirk to check their surroundings, which was a blessing he had hoped for and had been confirmed by his Intuition during a quick reckon.

Lancia followed the other goon in the dark alley, through a hole in the left wall, along a dirty, smelly and dimly lit corridor dug beneath the building, past a metal door with a fingertips’ lock, right into a waiting room. His already ringing Intuition went crazy, Tsuna had to hide his flinch by finishing his coffee and throwing the empty cup at his back. He’d come back to retrieve the trash, but he was still playing a character at the moment.

“What’s the game here? You…” Lancia eyed the room, that gave the feeling of those in a hospital, “doctors or somethin’?”

“None of your business.”

“Shut your mouth and wait here.”

The two left through one of the several, metal doors. Those, too, were locked. He’d wish to destroy them with Storm Flames, but there were cameras, a lot of them. He scratched his nape through the hoodie and slumped into a chair, looking around, legs lifted to the chair’s back in front of him, hands in the pants’ pockets. He considered sleeping there and started dipping his head as if he was dozing off. After, maybe, 15 minutes, another door to his right opened and immediately closed, letting in the woman he didn’t want to deal with.

She sat one chair to his right and put a folder on her lap, folding her hands on it. “My men told me Sora was not where you pointed to.”

“Hell if I know why, bastard’s slippery, told ya.”

“You’re not useful if you don’t take us to Sora, Lancia-san.”

He eyed the gloves from behind the sunglasses. “You wanna kill me? Go ahead, you’ll never get him like this.”

“What do you suggest?”

“I’ve seen this kinda rooms b’fore. Looks like hospital, hides scientists. And scums in cages. He wants you, bait him.”

She smiled thinly, an air of benevolent helplessness around her. “I’m afraid things don’t work like that in this sanctuary.” That word sparked a lightning of dreadful cognition in his mind. “We want Sora dead, just like you, but you are not collaborating. Where else does he meet his colleagues?” She opened the folder, moving a map of Musutafu to him, “show me.”

“And have ya kill me? I’m Mafia, doll, try again.”

Her smile thinned more and she pulled at one of her gloves. Tsuna stayed dangerously still. Her hand slowly came into view, coated by a muddy, transparent, bubbly secretion. Although he wanted to move, his Intuition prompted him to take the hit. She slapped his legs and the thing spread around them, hardening.

Tsuna blinked.

“So, I can give you three more tries. Tell me where Sora meets the others, or I’ll completely encase you into my resin. You won’t be my most beautiful work, I prefer children, their pureness amazes our customers, but you’ll do in someone’s private collection. Maybe I’ll also put you into an… unconventional but appreciated position for out most loyal buyers.”

Tsuna’s mind worked faster than his hands. Fortunately.

In the span of two seconds, he understood two things.

First, this bitch was the monster responsible for those children’s fate.

Second, that fate was reversible.

His hand, then, flashed forward to warp itself around the woman’s throat.

His eyes were so hot they almost hurt in his skull.

Her eyes widened, her hands went to his wrist, but avenging Storm Flames destroyed the resin trying to trap him and the coating on his legs.

His Intuition purred along, granting him the knowledge that he could shed away the disguise. She gasped in recognition, clawing then at his hand’s skin.

“You found him,” he took off his sunglasses, showing his golden eyes, “you found Sora.”

Chapter Text

Shouta felt it in his bones.

As he rushed past obviously won fights, police officers meticulously arresting criminals and doctors helping the victims, he provided support where needed and searched for Tsuna. He was glad, truly happy that the undercover hadn’t lasted long, but he wanted to see that his lover was fine or he wouldn’t stop worrying, considering he had nothing to do but to check that everything was alright.

He passed past Nemuri, that was cuffing five unconscious people. Hizashi was right at her side and sent him a victory sign. Shouta didn’t linger.

He wanted to know what his bad feeling was about. He had no Intuition, neither the experience of using such an ability, so he was currently thrown off balance. They couldn’t have kept a radio device to follow Lancia inside, not with the guaranteed checks he would’ve gone through. There were precautions that they couldn’t take against these villains.

The raids had not gone as smoothly as previous ones. He could see they’d had many injured people on their side and Tsukauchi was still barking orders in his earpiece. Not that he’d expected differently, but he’d wished for a better situation. From what he knew, they might have managed to get to safety all the victims and they were receiving the needed help. However, they were not sure about escaped villains. For that, he had to wait the reports, there was too much chaos around to truly understand what was transpiring on each site. The fact that Tsuna had yet to make contact made his insides feel like a coiling snake.

His lover knew the time the raids had to be launched, knew to call him or Tsukauchi as soon as possible, knew how important that was. What could possibly be stopping him? It was unsettling.

Shouta strolled through empty, underground corridors, past broken, open, destroyed doors, over unconscious, restrained bodies. He nodded at fellow heroes as his feet’s pace fastened, just like his heartbeat. He didn’t like this. Never again, never again the undercover mission, even if it lasted three fucking minutes.

His worried, chaotic, useless wandering ended when his phone went off. He took the device, checked the text that had been sent to him and the detective, and took off east. He didn’t remember he could be that fast while parkouring in such a narrow space. Several heads turned to him, he ignored them.

He arrived first. Tsukauchi was not far behind, though.

Neither had expected what they were seeing.

Tsuna was sitting on a chair, Lancia disguise shed, arms crossed on his chest, fingers nervously tapping on his arms, bitten lips, eyes fixated on a woman in a corner of a modern furnished office. Silently, the brunet sighed, licking his lips.

“Tsuna?”

His lover ignored the call of their friend. “Where are the children from our previous missions?”

They looked at each other, blinking once. It was common knowledge that the brunet hardly mentioned those victims, the ones encased and shown off.

Tsukauchi straightened, eyeing the woman. “Kept safe.”

“Is there anyone with them?”

Shouta noticed that Tsuna had a quite thick folder on his lap and approached him, softly taking it to analyse the contents. Tsukauchi got near, too.

“They’re always watched.”

“Send them doctors, more officers and psychologists,” Tsuna stood, “once that’s done, I can free them.”

The detective froze for a full second, then lost interest in the folder the raven was opening and took his phone. Shouta, however, narrowed his eyes and sided the brunet.

“Are you sure?” He nudged his arm.

“We have not every single child, but this bitch is a collector.” Tsuna cursing was proof enough of his mental state, and of his silent, contained rage. “We can find them, and I can control the use of her quirk. I won’t free the ones we haven’t saved yet.” He opened and closed his fists, then went to the metal library and pulled a book, then a hidden lever. “I’m sick of this.” A new chamber of horror showed itself to them.

Tsukauchi nearly broke his phone. Shouta gritted his teeth and focused on Tsuna, gently turning him away from what had become his personal nightmare. He forced the other to look at him by lifting his head. Dark thoughts, guilt and pain swarmed in eyes that should have been golden and bright. The underground hero softly hugged his shoulders and waist, caressing the clothed skin where his hands felt tenseness and nerves. He knew he couldn’t blame him, or the undercover mission, or Tsuna’s stubbornness and his right instincts, but he damn wanted to blame someone or something.

He eyed the unresponsive and absent woman. She would do.

“Is keeping up the illusion taxing?”

Tsuna snorted into his chest, where the jacket was slightly damp, and tightened the arms that were holding onto Shouta, almost desperately. “No… It might damage her psyche, though.”

“No one’s going to complain.”

Tsuna shrugged. “I didn’t kill her.”

“Yes, good boy.”

The brunet scoffed, “just for this, worth it. I still want to make her suffer.”

“Not only you.”

“Don’t come over to the dark side, Sho…” Tsuna lifted his head, eyes less stormy and dry and worried. “You’re my light. Don’t let them do this to you.”

“I’ll do my best.”

His lover attempted a smile, and failed. Understanding it, the brunet just sighed, giving in to his desire to be embraced. The underground hero hugged him tightly, wanting nothing more than to bring him back into the safety of their home and cuddle him into oblivion. But they had a mission to wrap up first. He knew Tsuna wouldn’t have been able to rest before making sure the victims were safe and receiving the needed assistance.

“Sora,” Tsukauchi called.

His lover peeked past his shoulder, not willing to leave his arms, and hummed, eyes golden.

The detective was still at his phone, “two officers and one doctor every five children, plus a couple of heroes specialized in caring for the victims.”

Tsuna nodded, moving his sight to the unresponsive woman. His expression morphed into deserved hatred and disgust, but Shouta didn’t like it. The brunet’s nose was scrunched, his right eyebrow was lifted, his right one was settled into a half-scowl. His lips curled, showing teeth that could have been glamoured as fangs. What worried him the most… was the progressive absence of emotions. Gone was the empathy that characterized the hero known as Sora, along with the kindness he was capable of and the happiness that the raven loved to paint over him.

If Shouta still had doubts that Tsuna could be able to scare anyone shitless, they were wiped away as the woman hiccupped, still sitting against the wall like a doll whose strings had been cut. She flinched, eyes going wider, still unfocused, and tears started leaking from them. Her mouth opened in a silent, yet undoubtedly horrifying, scream. Her hands clenched and unclenched on the floor, nails getting stuck on the linoleum. The substance covering her limbs pooled around her, slowly gaining sparks.

Tsuna’s eyes gleamed, an obvious snarl held back in his throat. Tsukauchi focused on the phone, tense like the embracing heroes, waiting, dreadfully hopeful. His lover, however, was clutching Shouta’s waist not because he thought it wouldn’t have worked, but because of rage. The underground hero was sure that he needed to find him an outlet, a way to let off those poisonous emotions. He didn’t want to resort to a psychologist, though he was sure Tsuna would have refused to consult one.

“Really…?”

Golden eyes dimmed to caramel brown at Tsukauchi’s surprised relief and glee, fluttering shut. “You can use quirk-suppressing cuffs, it will not affect the children still… trapped.”

Shouta took that as his cue. “We should go home.”

Tsukauchi nodded and interrupted Tsuna’s protest. “Yes. The sentinels caught each of the villains that tried to escape. Please, go home. I’ll send over the reports as soon as I have them, I promise.”

With his lover mildly acquiesced, Shouta used the opportunity and led him away – after the woman was in cuffs and fell unconscious. There was no way to move him before that.

The cats were waiting for them, awake, tense, worried. They jumped Tsuna, hugging him with their necks around his, and looked at the raven, that closed the door with a deep sigh.

“Everything went fine.”

The cats relaxed. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to that. He expected a chuckle, but he didn’t get it. Instead, Tsuna flopped down on the couch and eyed the boards, still void of emotions. Reborn hopped on the back of the sofa, Byakuran curled in the brunet’s lap. Shouta turned on the light and softly sat next to him, waiting and taking off his scarf. Luckily, scratching the white fur was relaxing the brunet’s muscles.

“Sorry…”

The raven accepted Reborn on his lap and caressed his spine, “what are you apologizing for?”

Tsuna turned to him, sadness clouding his face. “I… I almost lost control. I almost killed. And I’m angry, I shouldn’t be, I–… After freeing the remaining children, I want nothing to do with her.”

“Ok,” he nodded. “But you still have nothing to apologize for.”

“Shou…”

He truly hated that expression of sorrow on Tsuna’s face, where only sunshine belonged. “You didn’t kill her. Your anger is justified. You prioritized rescue over vengeance. I can’t ask you more than exactly what you did tonight.”

The brunet looked away, swallowing. “If not for her mentioning how her quirk worked, I would have killed her.”

He shrugged, “I don’t think so.” Tsuna glanced once at him, then returned his gaze to the void. “You have so poor faith in yourself, what does your Intuition say about it?”

The slight pout was a complete victory. “Cheater…”

“Says the one with a built-in cheat.” He rolled his eyes and finally chanced circling his lover’s waist with his arms. “You were very brave today, I’m proud of you.”

Tsuna melted, “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

“The children have very few memories of what happened while they were in stasis, but they have shown body memory, shying away from touch and distrusting people. The worst reaction was of a girl that lashed out as soon as she was freed. The situation, however, is under control thanks to the children’s families, that came as soon as they were notified.” Tsukauchi took a breath as he turned page. “As of now, the children are all in the hospital, receiving the healthcare that they couldn’t be given because of their condition. Their itineraries will be monitored. Also, we have located and retrieved the children noted on the folder Tsuna has found. Whenever you are ready, people are on stand-by to help them.” The detective waited for the brunet to give him a golden-eyed nod, then flipped another page and moved the weight on the left foot. “With that done, I’ll pass onto the reports. We have arrested 198 people spread through the three raids, rescued over 300 victims and freed a total of 47 trapped children.” Hizashi whistled. “I’ll skip the part about experiments, there are ongoing investigations. So far, nothing has exploded, so we have villains, machineries, proofs, victims, officers, doctors… everything we need, it’s just a matter of time. From what I’ve seen, the chimeras’ hypothesis is the most probable, along with quirk-related experiments. Thanks to the raids and the interest they have internationally raised, the cases that we linked to this organization are going to be reopened. Many contacted the Department to know more and to subtly ask if such dangers were near. Although I’d have liked to say yes, I decided to leave the information leaks to Tsuna. You’ll know better who to trust with such important information.” The brunet nodded. “As for higher-ups, three have been arrested, one of which had been warned and was trying to flee the nation, along with a prominent political figure. I’m not going into details, the scandal will live for decades.” Nemuri snorted. “Between the operation in Russia and these three raids, we have been able to make a dent in the organization’s system. Although it was a risk to carry these on while other places are to be raided yet, we don’t expect them to escape, for two main reasons. First, they are most probably guessing that, seeing Sora mainly works in Musutafu and around, and given that the Japanese bases are very well-hidden, we don’t know their locations. Secondly, they are reportedly too big to just move around their bases, machineries and victims.”

Nezu cleared his throat, holding onto his empty teacup. “I’d add a third: with the news breaking out, people will most likely open their eyes for any shady business, either in an attempt to grab fame for themselves by exposing them, or as truly worried citizens.”

Tsukauchi nodded, half-turning to the boards behind him. “Right.” He eyed the heroes and Tamakawa sitting on Shouta’s couches with the two cats taking cuddles from one person at a time. “We’ve had very few injuries on our side, some victims are not easy to deal with. However, we’ve sought help from the Sora rescued circles. They’re getting the best care they can hope for.” Shouta sent Tsuna a sneaky glance, catching the light blush. “Searching for their families will be a slow or fast process, depending on their memories and willingness, and our luck. Interrogations have begun, we’ll require help on that front. Many of the criminals are tough ones.”

Tsuna sighed, “I’ll come by this afternoon.”

“Much appreciated,” the detective grinned, then changed page. “So far, we’ve discovered that the business is mainly based off of development. From which we can guess, seeing the report about the enhancing quirks,” he patted the document on the board, “that they were either actively producing such a thing or still in the development phase. We aren’t sure. It is also unclear who, among the arrested people, are the Bosses.” Shouta had to suppress a scoff at how Tsukauchi had adopted Tsuna’s way of speaking, as if this was Mafia… maybe it was similar, though. “It’s as if they don’t know. Fujioka Haruka,” he saw Tsuna’s eyes gleam, “was surely a higher-standing member, but we know nothing more as she will be interrogated later today. We didn’t want to try before all the children were freed. To top all of this, Sora’s mail is being bombed – I’d require help with that, too – and…” He warily looked at Tsuna, “I’m sorry, but politicians have already put forward formal requests of meeting you.”

Shouta scowled, “he’s not forced to accept.”

“No, you can refuse… Actually, I advise it,” Tsukauchi admitted.

“Are you sure?”

Nezu put the teacup on the low table and Reborn jumped on it to fix him with a warning glare. “I agree with refusing, Tsuna-kun. Heroes are not involved in politics if they are not interested in the first place. The ones that contacted you want visibility and meeting the public eye like that would show that you side with certain ideals. From what I have experienced myself, you are not that type of person. You have your own ideals, and that’s what inspires people. If you ever want to make a public statement to officially meet civilians as a hero, I’d be happy to offer UA’s conference room.”

“Wouldn’t that be siding with you, principal?” Tsuna was attempting to hold back a smirk.

Nezu just smiled as he refilled his cup while dodging Reborn’s claws. “It would be me siding with you, to be more precise.”

Shouta couldn’t deny that. Even Tsuna answered to the smile with one of his own and tipped his head in a half-nod. The brunet had explained to him such a gesture. It was a sign of gratitude, respect and acceptance. For one that didn’t want to do politics, Tsuna knew very well how they worked.

The detective caught their attention once more. “To sum it up, the raids were a success. Our next step would be to focus on the other bases. With the international attention, Tsuna will help with identifying trustworthy officers and we’ll pass along the needed information and the raid’s step-by-step instructions. I might go in some places of major interest, too, to overlook the operations, just in case.”

Nemuri lifted her hand as if in class. “The children that you freed, are you sure you’ve got everyone? Wasn’t any out of Japan?”

“Some were, but… Tsuna has contacts that have contacts… and so on. So, each of them was rescued and will soon be reunited with their family, if they have one. If not, they will be placed in orphanages, with a trained eye on how trustworthy the institution is.”

That reminded Shouta that Tsuna had developed distrust for orphanages. There were some around Musutafu, it was a given considering how big the city was, and the brunet never held back from sending them a very long, cursory glance. He still wasn’t sure if this behaviour was because of what they’d learned thanks to the mission or because of his Intuition. At times, even if his eyes didn’t shine, it seemed like he was still using it.

“I think it is a good plan,” Hizashi cheered. “If any country needs help, I’m not against a transfer to other listeners!” Byakuran jumped away from his lap to Tsuna’s.

“I might have a better idea than using UA.” Everyone turned to the brunet, that bit his lower lip while absently caressing white fur. “I don’t like the idea of… going public, however…” He sighed, shrugging. “I’d prefer for it, as it has to happen sooner or later, to be for the victims. I was thinking, maybe, I could just… visit their meeting places, maybe Eraserhead and Tsukauchi could come with me, as you two are the ones directly linked to me.”

Months prior, the simple mention of those meetings had had Tsuna fleeing. Shouta didn’t even need to think to agree with the idea. Nezu supported it and decided he would join, further showing that he meant what he’d said; he was siding with Sora, not the other way around. He was not using the hero, he was letting himself be used by Tsuna. Hizashi and Nemuri, at that point, couldn’t be kept away. Tamakawa sighed and just knew that he would join, too. The cats apparently agreed.

Chapter Text

Tsuna couldn’t wrap his head around the notoriety that the case was giving his hero persona. He was both flustered, because he still wasn’t used to visibility given his past, and enraged, because it seemed like the media preferred gossip about him instead of stressing how serious the situation had been. He didn’t want them to focus on the victims, to get the dramatic stories and use them to attract clicks, but he wanted the civilians informed about the details of what exactly they were dismantling. Sora, apparently, specialized in taking care of human traffic rings, but this was not traffic, this was about experiments on humans and animals alike, this was about ripping people from their families, this was about terrible acts that needed to be broadcasted. Information was a weapon, yet all the reporters wanted to know was his identity.

God, doing that public thing in one of the meetings would be such a vengeance, Tsuna couldn’t wait to rub it in their faces. He also wanted to see how the victims that he had… saved would react. He hoped not with worshipping him. He’d like to keep going there, uninvited to evade reporters of course. Shouta agreed, though he mostly supported this decision. His lover’s opinion was that socially interacting with the rescued civilians as Sora would do him good. He guessed the raven was right, but he would see himself in a month or so. Before he could carry on his plan, he had the priority to see all the raids done and completed. He wanted those victims safe and on their way home.

Stopping that woman had lifted from his shoulders a weight that he had felt, yet not recognized until it had slowly left his body. It’d been as if he’d been carrying those children and their suffering since he’d discovered the first room of horror, all that time prior. Shouta had noticed and taken a whole day off to cuddle and love and encourage and support him. Tsuna still couldn’t understand how this man could be real – and with him, of all people. He’d felt very much better afterwards, ready to face the officers Tsukauchi brought him for judgement, ready to scare villains into babbling idiot, ready to help with the endless mails, ready to carry on his personal war against the trash of humanity.

And he had.

Thank God, he had.

As true as it was that the Sora email address was target of untired scam, it was also a way for civilians to reach him.

He’d stopped three domestic abusive husband and one wife attempting to kill her whole family of four children. Wives and the latter woman’s eldest son had sent him the requests for help, that he had thankfully considered and deemed true. Consequently, Shouta had proposed to put up a squad that would read all the emails to act as the first filter for scams, because between over 300 daily mails, his job at the café and the judgement needed to carry on the mission, Tsuna was running headfirst into a burnout. He’d accepted – his lover was that arousing when putting his foot down for his safety – and Tsukauchi was already going through the potential employees. At that point, the brunet was thinking that he might as well fund an Agency… Nezu happened to hear him and gave him the necessary paperwork the day after. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea, so he’d left the papers on his nightstand to mull over each time he went to sleep.

“I’m not opposed to it, if that’s what’s stopping you.”

Tsuna sighed, finally laying down and covering his body with the bedsheet. “That’s… part of it.”

“Ok,” Shouta anchored his waist and moved him over for needed – on both sides – cuddles, “then what are the other parts?”

The brunet willingly, gratefully hugged his lover, closing his eyes and relaxing in his scent. “It’s happening so fast…”

He hummed, “I think you have a biased point of view. You’re aware Katsuki is 2 already, right?”

Tsuna smiled, “and he likes showing us.”

“I imagined him to be… chattier.”

“He’s not his mother.”

“Mean.”

He chuckled, then stayed silent for a while, thoughtful. “It’s a big responsibility.”

“And you’re going to tackle it as if you’ve been doing it all your life,” Shouta answered, the roll of his eyes could be heard in his voice.

“Mean.”

“Deserved.”

Tsuna pouted slightly. “I already have two jobs…”

“If you feel like you can’t carry on both like things are now, you can change the situation or pick just one job.”

“Akuro is still acting strange.”

“Are you sure waiting is the right option?”

He nodded, sighing into the embrace. “A bit more patience.”

“Then you have your answers.” Shouta gently lifted his head to lock gazes in the dim light of the moon shining through the window. “Let’s wrap up the case first, then we’ll deal with everything else. It’s only a matter of time now. How many bases left?”

“According to Madame’s information, three in France and one in South Africa. I can’t believe it.”

“We’ve worked hard for it.” Shouta’s arms tightened around his waist, nose buried in his hair. “I can’t say I’m happy you have all this attention.”

That drew another chuckle and Tsuna inclined his head to give him a kiss. “It’s Sora, not me.”

“I’m getting repetitive, stop having a point, damn it.”

They were both smiling as more kisses became sweeter and sleepy.

Tsuna smiled at Izuku’s attempted words. Since Katsuki had finally spelled his first word correctly and clearly, the younger boy had made it his campaign to reach such level. They were basically helping each other by trying out words and looking at the brunet for correction or praise, which he gave aplenty. They were hypnotic. He was happy their tv target had changed slightly. If, before, their attention was solely on heroes, they were starting to vary just to hear more. Television didn’t always talk about heroes, thankfully, else Sora would be up 24/7 – an unwanted outcome either way.

He was also very satisfied that the raids had all been carried on and they had brought upon the knowledge of new facilities, all of them taken care of. What worried him was that they had no Boss. His Intuition growled in warning each time he thought about it. There was one, he was sure, and they had hidden away somewhere, probably in wait to strike. He’d have to be very careful when out as Sora and he wouldn’t leave Shouta working alone like this. To get him, they could target Eraserhead or Tsukauchi, and that was out of question.

His scowl made Izuku clap his hands from the stroller. Tsuna smoothed it out and ruffled his hair.

“It’s ok, just some thoughts. Want to go to the park after our stop?”

Katsuki grunted as his friend cheered. They liked going there to socialize and further improve. He sincerely didn’t know how they could be so knowledge-hungry. He didn’t remember being so, at their age. Maybe they pushed each other into it, not because of a desire to excel over the other, but because they wanted to impress each other. Most of the times, it was Katsuki that awed Izuku, but Tsuna had seen the few times it happened the other way around: the blond could be astounded by the younger boy’s intelligence.

He closed the door behind him and smiled at the shopkeeper’s direction. His smile slowly slipped, however, as he took in the unshed tears and the newspaper spread across the counter near the cashier.

It was no mystery what he was reading about, reporters were still doing their investigations around what was happening all over the world because – or thanks to – Sora. What actually stopped him was the pile of increasingly older newspapers towering behind the counter, neatly put. The shopkeeper’s interest was not one of rightful civilian’s worry, neither it was because of fanboying about the mystery surrounding Sora. Tsuna had never seen any merchandise, or any newspaper for that matter, in the shop. Those tears, though… His Intuition drew a conclusion that he sighed at. What had the chances been, really?

The brunet smiled down at the two boys, that were playing pin-pong with their eyes between the men, visibly worried. He didn’t know how they could understand his mood so well, but he could guess that children were more attuned to emotions than to simpler, in adults’ books, words. He ruffled their hair and they relaxed, going back to hushed word-building.

Tsuna left the stroller in a corner that he could check easily and walked up to the counter, making sure that his footsteps could be heard. That, however, proved useless, because, not only had the shopkeeper already noticed him, but he’d also regained control over his emotions and perfectly schooled his expression into jovial politeness. He didn’t close the newspaper. There was an article about France’s last raid, where around fifty had been arrested, one hundred freed. It was the last, hopefully. Tsukauchi had followed it through, even going on site, and he’d reported that everything had gone alright. Tsuna had told him to pack and come back so that they could celebrate, and the detective had said that it would have been a celebration only with one of his cakes. He’d agreed to cook a feast – Shouta had, too, but Nemuri had dreaded losing her figure.

In a moment of clearness, Tsuna let his eyes gleam for an instant, enough to see it, not enough to think it was real. Shopkeeper-san flinched, sight darting to the newspaper, where a full-colour, big picture of Sora was printed. It had become much easier to catch his image, these days, principally because some reporters went as far as to sleep in sleeping bags near the police station Tsuna worked at. He could imagine Shouta sleeping in one of those, maybe during self-study classes or when he had no lessons. Maybe he could gift him one, of a colour that could be seen clearly so that people wouldn’t step foot on him – by accident, he would bet Hizashi would do it on purpose, thus gaining rightful wrath.

Tsuna softly put his hands on the counter’s edge, showing they were empty. There was no fear in the man’s eyes. Surprise, disbelief, wonder even, and… maybe resignation. The brunet didn’t try with a smile, he simply looked right into the other’s eyes, steady, firm.

“You did your best.”

There was a moment, an edge, of stillness. Of unsaid but implied words. Of knowing and sharing. Of discovery and offered trust. Of understanding secrets and their importance to be kept that way.

Shopkeeper-san’s lines around his eyes were the first to crinkle, signalling a smile curling his thin lips. “That, young one, is up to debate.”

Tsuna shook his head, “we have a common ally that thinks differently.”

He nodded, “Nezu-san didn’t have enough help, back then. He tried.”

“Yet, here we are.”

“Here we are…” The shopkeeper eyed the newspaper, clearly at a loss for words. “I’ve no right to thank you, and I won’t.” Old Yama jumped on Katsuki’s stroller to play with the boys. “The only one I got to save,” he tilted his head to the cat, “still can’t believe he trusted me.”

Tsuna observed the feline for a couple of seconds, a smile blooming on his lips. “Animals know better… Also, they clearly are smarter, at times,” he winked.

The other nodded with a light chuckle. “So, what brings ya here today?”

“I need more movies!”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Sorry…?”

“I’m not mad, Tsuna, just… shocked, once more.”

“It’s not like it changes anything.”

Shouta sighed, taking the empty plates to the sink to start washing them. “Not anymore, yeah. Do you think Nezu would like to know?”

“He knows,” the brunet got up to help his lover, “he’s probably the one that provided him that cover.”

“The shop… Well, at least he’s given us a nice hobby. What did you take up?”

“I think it’s Hangover’s sequel.”

“That was very funny, though with too many curses.”

“As if you don’t curse,” Tsuna snorted. “Do you know why they say ‘hangover’?”

Shouta sighed again, this time fondly. “Hit me.”

Tsuna smirked. “Some say that the term was born because, during the industrial revolution, drunks would sleep it off while hanging on a rope, but that’s a story taken from literature.”

“How do you even know that…”

“Internet.”

“And what’s the real story?”

“Others say that its etymology comes from the union of the words ‘hang’ and ‘over’, meaning the after-effects of excessive drinking or, more literally, of something left from the night before.”

“That does seem more real.”

“There’s another.”

“Out with it.”

“According to the dictionary, the word evolved from ‘after-effect’.”

“You did your homework.”

Tsuna tilted his head to eye his lover better, “was I a good student?” Shouta flinched, gaze moving over to the brunet. “Good students need a reward, right?”

“… I usually grade.”

“Seems too little. I told you something you didn’t know,” he returned his focus on drying the last glass, “sensei.”

---------

Thankfully after Tsuna put the glass safely in its place, Shouta snapped and trapped him against the counter, chest flush against the brunet’s back, draped over his body like a warm coat. “My favourite student seems to have been naughty.” Tsuna needed to reiterate: his lover’s voice was illegal and sinful and fucking perfect and it went straight to his awakening arousal, upon where a hand was teasing the annoying clothes. “I should reward the kitten for his homework,” the hand gave a delightful stroke, “but he needs punishment.”

Tsuna positively shivered, arching his back so that his ass caressed the bulge right behind him and drawing an arousing growl. “I don’t know which I like more,” he hummed, letting his head fall behind, on his lover’s shoulder, to better see him, “the reward… or the punishment.” He brought one hand to the other’s cheek, sliding it over to his nape to clench fingers through hair.

Shouta grounded his hips against the brunet, nipping with teeth at his pleasantly exposed neck. “It’s not punishment if you like it.”

“You mean to say I shouldn’t like this?” His free hand tugged at his lover’s sweatpants. “Give it to me, sensei.”

For the first time in their relationship, Shouta allowed himself to be rougher and more demanding – and his dream of bending Tsuna over a desk came true. He felt guilty, afterwards, but Tsuna was so content, spent, loving and cuddly that, maybe, just maybe, being rough was not such a bad thing. At times, with pauses in-between. Although seeing signs of their activities on both their bodies satisfied a very deep part of him, he also didn’t like seeing something that was meant to bring pleasure cause harm. No matter how much they both liked it, it needed to be contained. Once a month or so could do, he supposed.

Chapter Text

Shouta eyed his lover and decided that hot chocolate was due. He moved to the kitchen with Reborn curling in-between his legs, trying tirelessly to see him tumble on the floor. Byakuran was with Tsuna, accepting the absent caresses and worriedly looking at his face. The raven just prepared the beverage while not shooing the black cat from the counter. He didn’t truly mind and the felines were very clean. Amber irises fixed him with a long, steady stare.

“I know,” he answered the silent warning, “can’t attack him up front, you know that.” Reborn tilted his head and licked his front, right paw. “No, I don’t think it’s about the raids.” The cat started purring. “Well, I’m not with him 24/7… but I have a guess, maybe.” The animal had the guts to roll his eyes. “Ok, ok, fine, I’m dealing with it, take a seat and watch, troublesome cat.” As an answer, he hissed at Shouta.

Jerk, him and his adoptive brother.

The raven prepared himself a short coffee, just the way Tsuna had taught him, and went back in the living room, sitting on the armchair’s left armrest. He nudged his lover and passed the Eraserhead-themed mug, answering the small thank you with a smile of his own. Pity there was no merchandise of Sora, he would have tried to get some, just to tease Tsuna the way Tsuna teased him. Payback.

But that was a thought for another day.

The brunet accepted the mug, sipping the hot chocolate and licking his upper lip. “You’re worried.”

“Sue me.” Shouta leaned back, free arm reaching out to hug the other’s shoulders, “what’s on your mind?”

“Those papers… Akuro… the mails… Things like these.”

“And I’m the worried idiot, here, huh?”

Tsuna huffed, pressing his head against Shouta’s chest. “I… might have decided what to do.”

“All ears, kitten.”

“I like my job at the café. It’s peaceful, fulfilling, adorable with the cats and the students stopping by… But, I think… I think that, to do what I truly want, to help others, I should… devote myself more to that. Don’t get this wrong,” the brunet straightened a bit, looking in front of him. “I’m not… sacrificing anything, really, because… between helping customers and saving people… I prefer the latter.”

Shouta nodded once, sipping his coffee, “ok. Agency, then? Your friends will want my head for this.”

“I’ll explain,” golden eyes glanced at him once, almost scared. “I know I shouldn’t, but… I think it will come out. When Akuro finally tells me what’s wrong, I mean…” He cradled his mug under his chin, “shouldn’t take more than a week, maybe…” He sighed, finding soothe in the hot chocolate. “And they can’t blame you. If anything, they should thank you. What would have happened to me if you had not saved me? I don’t want to know…” Shouta tightened his arm-hug, kissing the top of his lover’s head. “Anyway, yes, Agency it is… God, I hadn’t even noticed that Nezu had filled those papers. The stack lacks the economical part, did you know that?”

The raven scoffed, “you probably made him very willing to help.”

“I did nothing…”

This again, “that’s bullshit.”

Tsuna pouted. “Fine. Ok. I helped a bit. It’s not like I found his family or anything. I did what I would have done with anyone else.”

“And it’s more than anyone has ever done for him, so accept the veiled thankfulness and keep going. If you don’t want him going out of his way to help, then try to not speak what you need in his vicinity… or at the school, at large.”

“We’ll need to go house-hunting. For the Agency. I’ve seen some of the people Nao-kun has selected, they’re fine for the job, though their contracts will need revising.”

“What type of building do you want?”

“I… I guess something like a reception would be great. Homey and welcoming, too. We’re working with victims. So, many receptionists, a medic team and a veterinary, these are mandatory. Also, even if I trust hospitals, the rescued victims could be targeted, so I want… bedrooms with attached bathrooms, at least, and a big garden.” He hummed, “I don’t care about how many floors it has, I don’t even know if we can afford such a thing, but I guess we should put the offices at the highest ones, as extra precaution.”

“Tsuna, we barely spend money,” he chuckled, “between you and me, we can afford a building, even if we have to build it up from nothing.”

“You know, maybe that’s a better idea. Where could it be?” The brunet snuggled closer as soon as he finished his beverage and put the empty mug on the table. “I don’t want to put more spotlight on UA.”

“Please, do, Nezu will be delighted.” Tsuna snickered. “Really, though, it’d be comfortable to have the two workplaces nearby. I’ll start searching for properties tomorrow, seeing that I have a free day and you don’t.” Another snicker, his lover kissed his hand’s back. “What about other heroes?”

Tsuna tensed, just a fraction. “I… was thinking…” Shouta prompted him with a hum, half-knowing where this was going, sadly for himself. “Well… You kind of saved me from… being a vigilante, so… I can try with others?”

He sighed heavily, closing his eyes and marvelling at how selfless his lover could be. “You know what? Ok, fine, at one condition.”

The brunet turned in the embrace to look at him, “what?”

“Two overbearing and stalking mothers paid for a week-long stay for two in a resort, far from Musutafu, to thank you for all the troubles they put you through. They don’t know where it is, it was my choice. If I find them there, I’ll flip my lid. Now,” Shouta pecked Tsuna’s lips, “would you escape with me for a week?”

His lover smiled, caressing both his cheeks, “it would be my honour.”

The raven could only hope that he heard that answer at least one more time, when he would finally gather his courage and just ask.

Shouta loved each moment of their vacation. Only bad side: too short. And he was the workaholic, right?

Being alone, without a detective’s pestering, without mothers’ insistence, without children, without friends… just them, it was perfect. The surroundings, of course, were a valuable bonus, because he got Tsuna in a jacuzzi, panting and pliant. They made use of the sauna, though it was not private so they had to keep their hands to themselves and endure until they got back to their room – which was a suite, by the way, so, maybe, the two mothers had earned brownie points. They also experimented a bit with their food, seeing the resort offered a wide choice. Tsuna found out he liked Imarti, an Indian sweet that was made by deep-frying vigna mungo flour batter in a circular, flower shape and was very similar to Jalebi, that was sweeter and thinner. Shouta didn’t mind eating them if it made his lover do those alluring sounds, though he knew how to draw better ones.

He'd never liked wearing a swimsuit, really. Mostly because he knew his skin was almost sickly pale – sue him, he worked the nightshifts and slept during the day – and because he didn’t like swimsuits, period. However, as he discovered during their appreciated, deserved, too short vacation, Tsuna liked seeing him in one. That was all the reason he needed to caress the idea of truly going to Italy and enjoy the beach over there. He’d searched the net, the images were beautiful, figured the real thing. That was also a good way to give his lover some peace completely away from Japan. He supposed, anyway, that it wasn’t exactly correct to call Tsuna the troublemaker, it seemed he was the trouble-magnet.

They managed to save a girl from bullies while they were there, and it had brought in him the primordial instincts to cause harm. He hated bullies. He’d had his fair share of unjust treatment back in school, he didn’t wish it to anyone. Tsuna’d had to stop him, a nice change, for once.

The cats had followed them, of course. Too smart to convince them otherwise, too animalistic to trust them with the furniture. Who knew how they could become without either of the two. When Tsuna had gone to America, they had barely kept it in, thanks to Shouta’s constant care. They weren’t annoying, though, and just lunged in the suite or on the attached balcony.

It had been literally heaven. Tsuna had kept smiling and that was the best reward he could have asked for. It was enough.

Pity, it ended.

Shouta immediately started making arrangements for their trip abroad, but he guessed he’d have to wait for next year. He wouldn’t have kept his lover away for Izuku’s birthday and there was Akuro’s issue, too… and the Agency to think about and settle down.

As soon as they were back, Shouta carried on another, sweet session with Tsuna, on their bed, at home. He was just insatiable. Or his lover was drug, not that he minded. Then, he left the brunet to rest and went to an estate agency ten minutes from their apartment complex. The receptionist gave him a booklet with a series of mansions. He levelled her with a glare. He’d asked for a big building plot or a building that could be repurposed as an agency, and she’d given him those.

After she fled while sniffing – maybe he was too annoyed he’d had to leave the resort, ok?! –, Shouta was helped by another woman, that led him into an office and showed him all the available estates that matched his requests. Lucky for him, there were both a building plot and a building that needed renovations between UA and their home. He remembered seeing the address was also nearby one of the mansions in that booklet. He resisted glaring, this time, to the papers for those two properties and went to school to attend a meeting.

The changes that Tsuna had come up with to help better weed out the students had become a reporters’ net. Because it was an exam, this year Nexu had succeeded in planting down his foot and sending everyone away. They were children, already tainted by the socially acceptable view heroes were marked with, they didn’t need to be idolized in a moment of their lives where they didn’t even know if they could become heroes. The principal’s words, of course, because Shouta would have burned them alive, if he’d caught whiff of the shit during the exams. Fortunately, for many people, he’d been busy surveying that everything went alright and grading. He had his priorities straight.

“Well, well, well…” He eyed the papers he’d forgotten to hide and sighed. “Someone’s moving?”

“No,” he answered Nemuri, who took the liberty to sit next to him while they were waiting for Nezu to arrive, “someone’s made up his mind about… the Agency.”

The woman squealed and he decided to finally hide the papers. “I want the details!!”

“What?! What details?!!” Hizashi came to her aid, but more teachers perked up and that wasn’t needed.

Shouta pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll tell you later. At home. Dinner, damn it all, if you tense him up after his vacation, I’m skinning you two alive.” His threat, coupled with red eyes, made them gulp, but he was already warning Tsuna via message– Thinking about it, he hesitated. “You know what, this will be the celebration dinner.”

His friends cheered while he warned everyone and, especially, his lover. Who just replied with a winking smile. Somehow, he dreaded that the small party was going to be blown out of proportion.

He sighed in relief when none of his worries came true – as in, Nemuri didn’t show up with Akuro, Mitsuki and Inko. She was pretty capable of that and he knew she would have done it if the party had not been deeply related to Sora, Tsuna’s hero alias, the identity they were still hiding. They had a schedule, now, at least, not of precise dates but of the cadence of the events. The priority was building the Agency, seeing that Tsuna had chosen the building plot. It had given them space to be creative and elastic about planimetry and rooms as the ideas came. Last one to be included had been a small station for the police, because they both worked with them.

Anyway, even though it was a drag, literally, the party went great. Nemuri drank Hizashi under the table, yet she, too, ended up fainting on the couch. Tamakawa, for once in casual clothes but still, somewhat, reminding him of how an officer would dress, nursed his drinks and ate until he couldn’t anymore, an easy smile recognizable under the whiskers. Nezu happily played – and won – against Tsukauchi at poker, of all things. Seeing the detective enjoy himself was eye-opening. Tsuna hummed the entire night, cooking and laughing at off-handed jokes. The cats gravitated around his legs, not even trying to stumble him. The raven probably used all his social interactions’ meter for a year, but it was fine. The brunet also let it be understood, between him and Nezu, that he’d found the snitch and that he was safe and happy. The principal had let go of propriety at that point and started drinking, though he hadn’t seemed affected in the least.

Like his lover, Shouta couldn’t quite believe that they’d done it. He’d not had doubts, ever, but it… almost felt anticlimactic. He knew it was not over, where was the head, or heads? Tsuna agreed. They expected fights to come, retaliation at some point. According to Intuition, not so soon.

By the end of the party, no one was able to go home safely but Nezu, that stayed over anyway. Shouta didn’t like having his house raided, Tsuna convinced him through cuddles, kisses and shared thoughts that it hadn’t ever happened and, once in a while, it wasn’t so bad – and that he’d reward the raven’s social endurance the night after. He held onto that promise, and was not disappointed by other types of endurances his lover possessed.

While Tsuna took care of notifying Akuro or finally getting her to open up, Shouta used his free summertime to overlook the building, finalize the paperwork and prepare for next year. Although he already was the homeroom teacher of the only hero class of the year prior, that would become 2-A soon, he offered to take up Hero Classes in the two new courses, as in 1-A and 1-B, to relieve the load on his colleagues. Nezu refused, but allowed him to help with organization and accepted him as a substitute if needed. He was sure that the principal was just trying, still, to thank Tsuna, someway. He’d never been good at simply thanking people, always going through indirect ways because actions spoke more than words. He didn’t disagree, per se. He just thought that words were as important as actions. Both could be misunderstood, based on perception, if alone. Together, the picture became clearer. That was how he was keeping up his relationship, through words and actions.

If only he could man up…

Chapter Text

“Uh… Tsuna?”

Said brunet refrained from shouting a deserved “fucking finally” and smiled at his Boss, letting go of a clean glass to fully turn to her. “Yes?” He took the nth good look at her, withholding a sigh.

Akuro’s already pale skin was paler than usual, taking an almost azure hue opposite to the normal and surely healthy light blue. Her gills were an angry red, probably inflamed out of stress. Her hair, always styled into a neat ponytail, were dishevelled, as if she hadn’t truly combed them that morning. Even her uniform was messy, with the shirt buttons crooked and the collar crinkled.

She bit her lower lip, wringing her fingers, gaze low. “I… I want–”

Tsuna called over the student helping around, Furusa, and left her to the counter, taking one of Akuro’s hands to lead her to the kitchen. He made her sit at one of the metal chairs and brewed her a simple tea, warm and infused with Rain Flames. It was not a cheat, he wanted her to feel better. On second thought, he added a pinch of Sun Flames. After the first, shaky sip, she relaxed a fraction and smiled a thank you.

Much better already.

“Whatever the issue is, it won’t be a burden for me.”

Akuro huffed, “yeah, right, nothing is… you play hero, even with Masa…” She swallowed, took another sip, cradled her cup. “I’m worried… about my family.” Tsuna blinked, kept listening. “Not my blood family, though… well, I’ve read a study about genetics and quirks, anyway,” she licked her lips, “I was given to an orphanage as soon as I was born, and then thrown into the sea a month later… Don’t be angry, it was an act of kindness.” The brunet failed to see that, so he let her go on. “I was taken up by a sentinel. There is a colony of people with quirks like mine, off the shore, I don’t know how far. They grew me up. Some of them can’t even live on the surface without a mean to convert oxygen… I’m rambling, sorry.” She sipped her tea, he poured her some more. “The thing is, they are my family, and… they’re being treated like monsters, I– I don’t know why, politics fly over my head. They’re… trying to dismantle their colony, judging it a danger. I don’t understand, they’ve lived there for so long…” Tsuna took her hand in a comforting hold, she smiled. “I’m worried… I love them, they’re my family, but I have no idea how to help. I tried, really, I tried. I’ve gone to the politician that is doing this and he had me thrown out as soon as he saw me… I’m lost, Tsuna. I have no idea what I can do…” The brunet might be planning something, though. “I’m sorry I’m dumping this on you, I just… needed to tell someone.”

Tsuna nodded, thoughts going wild. “I’m glad you trusted me enough for this. However, do you trust me enough to let me help?”

Akuro blinked, “how? We can’t, they’ve already decided, I’ve seen the demolishers and the ships and the submarines–”

He softly put his other hand on his Boss’ one with a small smile. “Do you trust me, Akuro?”

She frowned, but nodded without hesitation. “I can’t let you do this alone.”

“It’s something only I can do. Everything will be fine,” Tsuna poured her some more tea and stood, “I need to go and prepare, ok? After the storm hits, we’ll have another talk, is that alright?”

“Ok… You can take a break as long as you need, I have enough students to cover your shifts.”

He didn’t tell her about his intention of leaving, yet, because she was already shocked enough and she needed no more stress. Instead, Tsuna left her with a kiss on her forehead and quickly went home to change into Sora, then headed for the Police Department.

The officer at the reception that day gulped, as he was not used to see the hero in the office during his shift, but let him pass anyway and immediately warned Tsukauchi when Sora asked, politely. He went to the office and knocked once, opening the door when he was called in.

“Good morning.” Nao-kun was submerged in paperwork, but looked refreshed and full of energy, if a bit annoyed by the load of work. “Is this my fault?”

“More like your merit, and you know that, stop with the guilt.” The detective pushed his papers aside and offered him the chair in front of his desk, where Tsuna comfortably sat. “What happened?”

“… I’ve got an idea.”

Tsukauchi sighed with a smile, “will I like it?”

“You’ll love it.”

“Please, share it with me.”

Tsuna hummed, “you mentioned politicians wanting to meet me, right?”

“You said you don’t want to be involved with politics, so I just archived those mails.”

“That’s right, but something came to my attention.” He took his phone and unlocked the browser page he’d searched while coming there from home, passing it over, “did you know about this?”

The detective’s eyes moved from one line of the article to the other, looking increasingly horrified. “What the hell…?”

“I guess we’ve been a bit too busy with the last case… Akuro grew up in that colony, Naomasa.” The other blinked in understanding, having known of Tsuna’s recently solved dilemma. “Has that politician asked to meet me?”

“Suzukaze Tokuhei…” He took his mouse and scrolled through the emails on his computer, “actually, yes, and I won’t read his reasons or you’ll flip. What are you planning?”

Not that he was interested, but that comment made him curious. “I don’t care about politics, I care deeply about my ideals. If this man does such a thing, I want the world to know that Sora is against it.”

Tsukauchi stared. “You want to humiliate him.”

“I want to unmask him and take my own standing.”

“It’s gonna be messy.”

“I don’t mind, I’ll make an announcement about the Agency in that occasion. Also, I choose the place and the reporters, these are my conditions for the meeting.”

“I don’t know if he’ll accept…”

“He accepts or he doesn’t meet me, it’s simple. He’ll accept.”

“Enlighten me?”

Tsuna smiled beneath the hood. “One of the Sora meetings. As for the reporters, I’m sick of the hungry beasts, I need someone that will be very detailed, unbiased and keen. I thought you’d have an idea about that.” Tsukauchi narrowed his eyes and promptly searched through a stack of papers discarded in a corner of the room, that was a mess, by the way. “Can I help with something?”

“No, I want to live. Eraserhead has been on a mood since you two came back.”

Tsuna chuckled, “he does regret that. He wants another weekend away, can you imagine?”

“No, I can’t believe it, at last he’s using his free days, you know how much he needed that.” He paused, frowning at a newspaper he’d just fished out of the stack, “yes, this one.”

The brunet took the offered item and scanned the first page. It was a newspaper he hadn’t heard about, it didn’t focus on what he was interested in to research the underground, instead almost ignoring the horrific details in favour of highlighting what had exactly happened, as in who had done what to whom. The article was about the raid where he’d first discovered the chamber of abused children. It amazed him how the reporter, Watari Gin, had been able to summarize the events concisely, without bringing drama in the fold as much as delivering how grave the situation had been, going as far as to accuse the government because how on earth had that happened in the first place? She did mention the victims, what they probably endured, but mostly she focused on the families and their suffering in a way that didn’t evoke sympathy, but empathy and rage.

“I like her.”

“Pity the Weekly Report is not well-known.”

“Pity, indeed,” Tsuna let the paper fall on the desk, humming. “You think we can contact her?”

“I will, on your name. You, instead, should go to that meeting, I reckon it should be tonight?”

“Yes, I’ll bring Eraserhead.”

“Good idea, mellow his mood, for my sanity.”

Tsuna chuckled. “How dramatic.”

Tsukauchi scoffed, not amused at all.

The brunet smiled at Shouta’s worried frown. “I’ve got it, really.”

“That’s not the issue.” His lover sighed, sight fixed on the building below them. “I know that politician, from the papers. He’ll make you flip. I need a back-up plan.”

“I love you.”

Shouta smiled despite his worry, “I love you, too. Still. I don’t want you to go on a rampage, so I will need that plan… and involve Tsukauchi, because he should have thought about it.”

“He did, he didn’t make me read the email for that same reason.”

The other hummed, knowing defeat was the only outcome he’d ever have with Tsuna. “Fine. Let’s get this going, I want to push you into the bed.”

He leaned over to whisper in his ear: “what if I lead and you just relax, tonight? You know, I did practice riding horses, back in the days.”

Leaning back, Tsuna smirked at the light blush and the misty, absent eyes. His lover was probably imagining things. No need to, he would see very soon.

The brunet caught his hand and led him to the warehouse’s main entrance. His eyes swept over the many stalls, where he knew people were healing, learning, forgiving, growing. He felt a bit odd, walking in there dressed as Sora, the hero he could hear some of them talking about, but it was necessary, aside being his first step to going public. That still made him tense. Shouta tightened his hold onto the brunet’s hand before letting him go. That part didn’t need to, and would not, go public.

The hushed voices coming from the stalls started to quiet down when Sora strolled past their entrances. He’d been spotted, but he kept walking until the very end, where the dog he’d recognized before was laying on the floor, tail wagging happily. He smiled as his eyes turned golden and he faced the gathering audience. Shouta stepped away to lean against the wall at the dog’s side.

“Good evening,” he said, raising his voice so that everyone could hear but keeping a soft tune. “I’m sorry to come here uninvited, I didn’t want to interrupt your activities, but I’m in need of your help.”

Tsuna surveyed the victims he’d saved, their shock, their tears, their disbelief. He saw the champion from his first raid, the one that had taken up the responsibility of teaching self-defence and that now had a nametag on his black tank top that read Kazunori. He refrained from nodding at Runa’s parents and brother, wanting nothing more than to ask how they all were doing. He couldn’t. It would be a very stupid question and he had no strength to deal with the answers.

When it became clear that he was waiting for someone to ask, it was Kazunori that took a step forward, nodding at him, and spoke. “Tell us what to do, and we will.”

“I want you to know that you’re not forced to do this and, even though a majority of you accepts, those that don’t want to can sit aside. I promise, it’s going to be only this instance and the ubication of this place will not be made public.”

“Like I said, Sora,” Kazunori grinned, “tell us what we need to do.”

There was a collective nod, though some were hesitant. “I need to unmask someone that is trying to bring harm to others based on their quirks and living arrangements, while also commending me for what I’m doing as a hero. I don’t like my name to fill his mouth, I don’t like your lives being instrumentalized to gain votes, I don’t like his plan to destroy a family made of bonds, not of blood.” He licked his lips, a gesture hidden in the shadows of his hood. “I want to expose him in the least misunderstandable way possible, as in, while he is congratulating me on saving lives. For that, I thought this to be the best place and, of course, a reporter will come, along with Eraserhead and two police officers. Will you help me?”

Hushed voices filled the silence following his request. He let them talk between themselves, patiently waiting, because he knew he was asking them a lot. He was intruding a place of safety with a man that could bring danger. Tsuna decided that watching them would be bad, so he diverged his gaze to his lover and walked up to the dog, bending down to pet his fur.

“You really need a bath, you know?” The dog laid down completely to offer his belly for scratches. “Good girl.”

“I don’t think Reborn and Byakuran would like the addition.”

“Didn’t you notice the strays dropping by?”

“I noticed hairs, all over the house.”

“Well, they came for help. And food, of course.”

“I know. A cat jumped me while you were out, I had to report a man abusing strays. I thought she wanted food and ended up with scratches. We really need to teach them how to catch our attention, someway that doesn’t involve blood.”

“Well… I’ll think about it.”

“After you show me your skills in horseback riding.”

Tsuna flashed Shouta a mischievous grin. “I’ll love to.” He returned his attention to the dog, “how are they doing?”

“They’re talking, but it seems that man, Kazunori, and the psychologist, Wayoto, are the leaders of sorts. Yeah, they’re coming over.”

The brunet stood, turned and watched the two make their way to them. Their eyes were set, though their stances spoke of tension. He wondered if he’d be denied. He’d have to come up with another solution. His Intuition disagreed in the back of his mind.

They stopped and Kazunori was the one to engage, once more. He was bulky, muscular, tall, with short, red hair and small, clear eyes. Wayoto, instead, was minute, short and thin, looked fragile if one didn’t look at her brown eyes, where knowledge and sharp cleverness shone. The deep blue, female suit framed her picture perfectly.

“Who is the reporter?”

“Watari Gin,” he answered.

“I know her,” Wayoto said, her voice soft, soothing, “yes, it can be done, at two conditions.”

“First, we don’t have to do much from what you said, so we want to engage the politician, at some point. We guessed he’d do rounds to meet us, they always do that to catch votes, so we want to gauge from him words that may help you humiliate him more. Some of us are good at that.”

“And are they willing to?” He needed to be sure.

“Of course,” the psychologist answered with a smile. “They’re thrilled, to be truthful.”

“I can give you some words, yes, that would be very helpful. It doesn’t even seem a condition.”

“There’s another.”

She nodded at Kazunori, “it’s a request, from all of us.” Tsuna tilted his head to make her go on. “We’d like for you to drop by, whenever you can, no pressure, but… I feel like these people would really take benefit from your presence.”

“Oh,” the brunet couldn’t help but say, “I… didn’t think about that, uhm, sure? I… I don’t want to intrude and… I mean…”

“What he’s trying to say,” Shouta interjected, gaining a flinch from Tsuna, “is that he feels like he’d be happy to, but I have to ask you to not crowd him. He’s a bit new to the idea of being considered a hero.”

The brunet pouted and punched his lover’s arm, “shut up.”

“Make me.”

His pout became more prominent. “See if I back off from my offer, Eraserhead.”

“Consider my mouth sealed.”

He scoffed into a chuckle, turning to the two and ignoring their fond expressions. “He’s right, it’s fine by me, if you… just give me my space, ok?”

“That’s not a problem, at all.”

“When will you come by with the trash?”

Tsuna chuckled again at the reminder of Xanxus’ favourite word coming from Kazunari, an equally imposing man with fewer scars. “In a week, I looked up your calendar.”

“Ah, yeah, about locations and such, it is public already so don’t worry about it.”

“I didn’t want to bring more attention to you, now that it’s dimmed and directed elsewhere.”

“We appreciate it, but we don’t care.”

Wayoko nodded along, “these people are not victims anymore, Sora, they’re strong and their bonds are made of steel. They’d gladly open their circles to… others in need. All of this is mainly thanks to you, I hope you know.”

Shouta rolled his eyes, “talk’s fine, action needed now. We should go.” He took Tsuna’s hand and dragged him away. “See you next Sunday.”

The brunet just waved at them all, surprised when everyone answered to it with different degrees of smiles.

Chapter Text

Looks could deceive.

Suzukaze Tokuhei was a tall, neat man with slicked back, short, brown hair, a pair of thin, small glasses in the front pocket of his blue jacket, big, green eyes that bespoke of cunning and no tie. That last part irked Tsuna, to be honest. For his birthday, he would ask Shouta to wear a suit. It was a prohibited dream of his that he had dreamt of quite often – and woken up from with a friend that his lover pleasantly had taken care of with an arousing “dreamt of me?” and a damned hot smirk.

This politician reeked of fake. He was standing upright, an almost content smile on his lips as he entered through the main door and clearly expected a horde of reporters to wave at. Instead, his half-lifted hand returned down while the other was still in the pants’ pocket, because waiting for him were just Sora, Eraserhead, Tsukauchi, Tamakawa, Watari and a single cameraman. It was very anticlimactic to see a team of seven bodyguards surround him, expecting exactly what he had. It was satisfying, to a point, to see the smile sucked into a thin line, evaporated seen the absence of reason for it to exist. A couple of officers, an unknown reporter and two underground heroes did not require the charisma necessary to outlive other politicians.

He was surprised by Tamakawa’s reaction, the officer openly snorted, causing Nao-kun to clear his throat. Shouta had to look at them with an arched brow. Gin-san, as the reporter had insisted on being called, threw her silver, long hair behind her shoulder, notepad in her hands and crystal blue eyes searching the man from feet to slicked hair. She pushed her reading glasses up her nose while not looking through them and hummed to herself.

“This will be fun,” she whispered.

Tsuna disagreed, but he was biased, he guessed. Suzukaze walked up to them, remastered smile directed principally at Sora, whose eyes were gleaming in the hood’s shadows. He’d seen such smiles before, many times, over and over again, on the lips of people trying to use him, make a fool of him, control him, dethrone him. He liked to destroy those ones, serving them their own foolishness and instead succeeding, making Vongola stronger, the strongest.

Sora didn’t bore himself by smiling back, tilting his head to the other in a nod but saying nothing. He truly needed to get his act together, though.

“Good evening, gentlemen, lady,” he nodded at each, Sora left as last even if he was right in front of the politician. “Sora, it is an honour to finally meet you,” his voice was clear, punctuated, maybe even coaxing others into submission… or, well, trying to. “I admit I was not expecting the hood,” his smile brightened, maybe good-natured, maybe patronizing.

Tsuna limited his movements to a further tilt of his head. “Why would I discard my hood? We’re here for professional purposes, as such we’ll speak.” Before the other could answer with an undoubtedly witty comeback, the brunet moved aside and lifted his gloved hand to the stalls. “Please, follow me, there’s a parlour in the back where we can comfortably talk about the topics you’re interested in. That is why you reached me through email, right?”

They started walking, ignoring the cameraman gravitating around them and the bodyguards bodyguarding. Tsukauchi and Tamakawa took the rear, Shouta didn’t leave Tsuna’s side but to stay a few steps behind, Gin-san followed them in absolute silence – not even her heels could be heard.

“I would like to consider, indeed, the necessity of hiding your identity with such devotion.”

A bit too straight to the point, maybe the absence of renown reporters was making him bold. Tsuna stopped, just in front of the group therapy stall’s opening, and regarded Suzukaze with his gaze fixed on the former victims.

“My identity?” His inquiry was written in the notepad with quick, manicured fingers. “I didn’t know it was such an important information.”

“Valuable, I’d rather say.” His attention didn’t stray from Sora, not even when a middle-aged man stood from the circle and made his way to them. “Imagine how happy the ones you rescued would be if you finally let them see who saved them.”

“They know who I am.”

“You’re Sora,” the man said, taking Tsuna’s gloved hand and shaking it with a big, soft, true smile, “that’s all that matters.” He let go of the hero’s limb and turned to the politician. “Oh, Suzukaze-dono, good luck on your incoming elections. I heard you are championing Sora’s cause for your run.” The politician nodded but, before he could answer, the man continued: “did you know he once saved a little girl with a quirk that allowed her to transform into a dragon? People were scared of her, he showed them there was nothing to fear but fear itself. She’s such a sweetie, I’m glad you agree with Sora’s ideals, I’ll surely support whoever supports him!” That said, the man bowed and returned to the circle with a skip in his feet.

Tsuna didn’t give the politician time to regain his bearings and started his walk again with a big, hidden grin. “Valuable, indeed, but unneeded. As we are speaking about it, good luck on being elected.”

The other followed him, showing a remarkable ability of controlling himself. “Obliged, very. My true hope is to bring, as fast as I can, change in our city.”

“Change? As in?” Tsuna eyed the stall they passed by, the one with the defence class, from where Kazunori was staring at them with something like contempt.

It seemed it was Madame’s niece’s turn, oddly enough. She stood from her corner and calmly walked to them even as they didn’t stop, this time. The brunet subtly slowed down.

“Our city is… chaotic, hard not to notice. There is a high percentage of crimes, even though we have the strongest heroes.” His smile returned at full force, eyes twinkling down at Tsuna with something akin to unhealthy interest. “Including Sora, you, of course. There’s been a study, I personally support universities, about the type of people that turn villainous.” God, such an interesting topic. “It turned out, quirks choose for them, did you know? Most villains have an evil quirk.”

Tsuna rolled his shoulders to release the building tension and breathed. “Evil quirks?” Another former victim, a woman, stood from the waiting stall of the psychologic room. “Please, do enlighten me.” And it seemed a younger boy was timidly making his way over, accompanied by who he assumed was his mother.

“Sadly, researchers have discovered that certain quirks, such as mental control or physical control, or those that can insert ideas or even deceit others, make for a villainous recipe. Have you ever seen a hero with monstrous features? People are scared, rightfully.”

Tsuna saw the child flinch to a stop, suddenly unsure as the comments sank. His skin was purple, with a single horn curving on the left side of his head and the stump of another on the right. He was ten, or eleven, and his white eyes watered. However, instead of grabbing the hand of his mother and turning back, he left her and stomped over to them. Tsuna’s rage evaporated as the child stubbornly reached them with a determined scowl, lips sucked in his mouth in an evident effort to keep his emotions in check. His mother decided to wait for him and the other two gave him space.

He went directly for Sora, hugging his waist so tight that Tsuna could just bring his hands on his head and shoulder, holding him. He couldn’t help but smile, tracing the horns with his eyes. The child leaned back just enough to send him an adorable grin – with very sharp teeth – and Tsuna ruffled his hair.

“Hello there, little one.” He didn’t miss how the politician flinched away from them with a barely held back expression of contempt.

Racist bastard.

“Hi, Sora! Thank you for bringing me back to mom, I missed her so much!”

“It was my pleasure. I guess your mom is very happy to have you back, hum?” He kneeled on the floor to better look at him.

The child hummed in confirmation, swinging on his heels. “But she’s a bit…” He shrugged.

“She is only worried, she doesn’t want to lose you again.”

“But I want to be a hero!” Tsuna inwardly cheered at Suzukaze’s scowl. “Heroes are strong!”

“I do agree with that, you need to be strong to be a hero, but even heroes need help and family, and support.”

The boy tilted his head – it was too cute. “Really?”

“Really,” he nodded, “I have help from many people. See those officers,” he slightly turned to Nao-kun and Sansa, seeing their surprised blushes, “they have helped me since the beginning. And Eraserhead here,” he smiled up at Shouta, “he was the one who offered me to become a hero.” Tsuna ruffled his hair once more, “if not for them, I wouldn’t be here today. Everyone needs help.” The child grinned, accepting his words and waving at her mother, that broke into a teary chuckle. “I look forward to working with you in the future, what do you say?”

He cheered with a high jump, then regarded the politician with big, blinking eyes. “I’ve seen you on tv,” he was about to point, but stopped at the last moment, “ah, pointing is bad, sorry. What are you doing here? Were you saved by Sora, too?”

Suzukaze forcefully cleared his throat, smiling despite the clear dislike. “No, I was not.”

“Then… you want to support Sora, like all these people?” His eyes shone. It was endearing. He could feel Shouta’s amused smirk.

The answer, even if required to be targeted at a child, was too advanced for him to understand, but Tsuna’s Intuition was working overtime to keep up. “As my words carry the people’s wishes, I must first make sure that they are what Sora stands for.”

The boy, Watahiro from his nametag, tilted his head in thought. “But Sora helps people, he helps everyone! So, he, uh, stands? For people? He saves whoever he can! You can support him! He needs help to help others! I’ll help!”

Tsuna stood, sending him off to his mother, “too soon now, little one. I’ll be rooting for you.”

Cheering still, Watahiro ran to the woman, that nodded in thanks and steered him back to the stall. Madame’s niece, Ao, met the other woman, Ran, but lingered aside for a moment, probably giving Tsuna time to take up their conversation, which he did while resuming their walk.

“So, this research claims that quirks are a parameter to predict who could become a villain?”

The politician nodded, charming smile back on his lips, though, for Tsuna, seeing the troubled trembling was child’s play. “The study was thorough, carried on with subjects that have been convicted because of villainous acts. I don’t remember the numbers, as I am no researcher, but the percentage of evil quirks was quite high.”

“And what other parameters were considered, if I may ask?”

“Economical social class, but it didn’t stand as important enough to be studied further.”

“Is there going to be a follow-up, then?” Tsuna sat at an armchair they had set up for the meeting, offering the man to do the same while Shotua didn’t need to be instructed and took his right.

“I personally funded it,” Suzukaze flashed him a smile as he sat and the cameraman drew a circle around him.

Gin-san curled her lips, but didn’t stop taking notes. Ao and Ran walked to the parlour, bowed, respect and wariness in their eyes. Tsuna simply nodded at them.

“Apologies for interrupting you, we needed to ask Sora a question.” The older woman said and the politician waved a hand to them, welcoming.

“We wanted to know if you could entertain the children, after their group therapy, with an Illusion. We don’t know what your quirk is, though, so…” Ao shrugged.

Suddenly, all the attention was on him, there was too much wondering about his quirk to not cause that. “I see no harm in that. I can help you, but aren’t Illusions a deceit?” The politician nearly spat the tea Sansa had brewed previously.

“It’s deceitful depending on the way it’s used.” She smiled, “giving young children, and adults alike, a mean to laugh and have fun, it isn’t. Not to mention, saving lives.”

Tsuna was that near to throw them a party. It was perfect. Instead, he waved at them and refocused on the man, who was almost sweating at that point.

“So, why did you want to meet me, Suzukaze-san?”

Licking his lips, mostly to dispel some stress, the politician crossed one leg over the other and hummed, considering. “I’ve followed with careful interest your work, your missions. Many people, all over the world, owe you their rightful freedom. It has proved essential to give you, and the ideals you fight for, support, as much as protection. These victims and their families deserve, after what they’ve been through, all the help that the Government can give.”

It was funny that all Tsuna heard was ‘I need their votes’. “What do you plan, then, to help them?”

He let go of the empty teacup and lifted his hands to point out the warehouse. “First, better places to host the people you have rescued. They seem quite united, just like a family, and deserve to be comfortable while healing from what villains did to them.” God, it was hilarious when people destroyed themselves without Tsuna making an effort. “Of course, if we succeed here, we can start moving to other cities. There’s so much that can be done.” And so many votes to collect, right?

The brunet took the paper Nao-kun offered him and cleared his throat. “You want to build something like a colony, I gather…” The other nodded, eager, content, proud. “What a strange proposition.”

Suzukaze frowned, “why do you say so?”

Tsuna took his sweet time, checking that the cameraman was recording, that Gin-san was attentive. “It has recently come to my attention that, despite what you’re telling me, you don’t quite like colonies… and families, for that matter.”

The frown gained a steely edge as the man did his best to look confused and lost. “That’s impossible, Sora. I have at heart these victims’ best interest,” and their elective rights, “as should you.”

It was like a whip.

There, unheard, unfelt, it just happened.

And the air changed.

Stifling, charged, dangerous.

Shouta didn’t even try, he stood and went somewhere. Naomasa followed him. Sansa approached him and took his back, resisting the urge to grip the brunet’s shoulder. He probably feared burning up at the touch.

Tsuna blinked. Smiled. Didn’t bother to keep it up. Shook his head once. Considered his options.

Letting out his bloodlust in such a place was what most he should avoid. He was glad that, after so much training and insistence and meetings just like this one, he’d learned to not react. To not show. To not kill.

This man had literally just asked to be killed. And he’d asked a former Mafia Boss.

Not so good as a politician, apparently.

That thought sobered him up a fraction and the ability to think flooded him.

He leaned back in his chair, idly wondering if he could have killed Suzukaze and his bodyguards before anyone stopped him. A very interesting line of thought that he couldn’t endeavour.

“In fact.” His voice sounded like a needle piercing the air, dropping with a single, threatening ping. “Exactly because they are my priority.” He crossed his right leg over the left one and interlaced his fingers over his knees, missing his suit for once. “I am not letting politicians such as you use me to gain more votes, especially if,” he showed the paper, “you plan to destroy the colony of a perfectly peaceful and needed family.” He didn’t let the other mull over the written words too much, giving the article back to Sansa. “Just because something is different, it doesn’t make it a danger. They’ve lived off the shore for years, and now you threaten their home, their lives, their peace… while preaching about victims.” He huffed, “so, let me tell you what I think about your benevolent offers: you will find out that I do not appreciate threats, most of all to them.” His eyes burned, the bodyguards advanced, he didn’t move, Sansa procured more papers. “I also like to do my homework before a meeting like this.” His tension bled from his muscles as fast as the other man increasingly paled. “Apparently, you like to hurt people not only in words and political actions, but also physically. I’m happy to say that, right now, your wife and two children are receiving help and being taken out of their prison.”

Nao-kun returned with a couple more police officers – it had been a bit of a last-minute plan, cause the information, gently provided by Madame, had come late – and arrested the former politician. Shouta appeared out of nowhere with Reborn and Byakuran, that jumped Tsuna and cuddled his neck. Fortunately, they had come prepared and the illusion-show for the kids managed to calm the brunet down. His lover took care of the rest of the evening. Of course, not before the brunet could explain to Gin-san how Sora was opening his own Hero Agency.

Chapter Text

Maybe, among everything, the best outcome was that no more than three politicians still wanted to meet Sora, thus significantly lightening Nao-kun’s workload. All in all, he was very thankful that reporters and the population at large had yet to discover where Sora’s Agency was being built. The worksite was not small and the workers knew what they were working at, so it was a very pleasant surprise that no one had spilled the beans for a bunch of money yet.

Well, surprising until Tsuna discovered that two of the workers were victims’ family and the working team was very tight-knitted. Shouta had blamed him for how things kept getting easy around the city, and he didn’t really know how to talk back to that because it seemed true. The business they’d reached out for the work had spoken to them, after they’d made it clear the building was to be Sora’s Agency, to tell them that, seeing the payment for the work had been done already, they couldn’t offer a discount, but they wanted – almost pretended – to do any and all the renovations that proved to be necessary, after the building was finished, for free. It had made Nao-kun stare at Tsuna with a clearly unimpressed, but fond, face. And he had agreed with placing a small zone for police officers, just in case.

The building was big, with a wide area left for the garden and any animals that might need it. Some of that space was used for the upper floors, though, thanks to thick columns holding them up. There was still a big part left for the sun to shine over it. The builders were focusing on the exoskeleton of the building first, but Tsuna could already see – or imagine – the lobby, the bathrooms, the waiting rooms, the telephone room and the medical ward. Thanks to his announcement about the Agency, many more curricula had come through mail. Sora and Naomasa had met them all and chosen employees mostly basing their decision on Intuition. Currently, they still lacked a veterinarian and three more receptionists to answer calls and mails, because, going by how many people still reached for Sora’s help, they expected a flood.

His public verbal lash at the politician had caused quite the ruckus. Mostly, the population was in an uproar because the man had, despite his side projects and crimes, a quite good reputation. Discovering that who you wanted to occupy a political position was actually a domestic abuser and was also trying to dismantle a peaceful colony was bound to bring about a scandal. Tsuna was getting used to be the cause of those, maybe even enjoyed it at some point, just as he had liked to unmask and humiliate fellow Mafia Bosses, back in the days. Reborn – the hitman – had oozed proudness each time and that–

Well, not the time to go down memory lane.

Suddenly, people wanted to know Sora’s identity no more. He had the suspicion that choosing an almost no name to record the meeting instead of a well-known reporter had made the media upset. Not that he minded, he didn’t need advertising, websites and former victims were enough for the news of the Agency to spread throughout Japan and abroad. He’d read an article where the writer wondered if Sora would have expanded it to other countries and spoken about it with Shouta.

“It’s possible, there’s no law against it. All Might has more than one Agency, maybe one’s over in the States, I’m not sure. Though, with how things are going, you should first hire a lawyer or something, someone that has knowledge of other countries’ laws and that can help in that aspect.”

Finding a lawyer that had that much information would be impossible, so he settled for a Japanese one first to take care of the more pressing issue, as in managing that side of things in the Musutafu’s Agency, for the time being. When he felt he could start moving his focus abroad, he would search for that country of interest’s lawyer expert. It almost seemed like he was planning to create his own lawful organization. It felt like being a Boss all over again.

Shouta liked it, had showed as much each time the topic happened.

Tsuna had noticed, however, that his lover was lost in his thoughts most of the time. He’d not asked anything because, when the raven would feel like talking, he would, but his worries had been appeased by his Intuition, so he just waited, trusting Shouta maybe more than he’d ever trusted his own Guardians. He had never let them keep secrets, no matter what, and not even Reborn had been exempt from that, especially after what the Arcobaleno curse had caused. He knew the hitman had kept something to himself, it was his Intuition warning him at times of silence. It had put him on edge, but the man would have spoken if the matter had involved Vongola.

Anyway, the colony was finally safe, with metaphorical shields made up by people that cared about others. It had not taken much time for Akuro to come knocking at his door with a piece of paper depicting an article about what Sora had done to Suzukazu. Tsuna just let her in and offered tea, noticing it was the first time she’d been there. Reborn and Byakuran welcomed her after trying to trip her, because they were attached, but still jerks.

After brewing tea, he sat at the armchair, slightly across from her on the couch, and nursed his filled, steaming cup while eyeing the paper. Not knowing how to break the silence, he waited for questions. It didn’t take long.

“How–” She bit her lower lip and the brunet saw that she was looking definitely better. “It’s you, right?” She pursed her lips, as if trying to not say something. “You… It’s you.”

Tsuna tilted his head. “Don’t be scared to say what you want to say.”

Akuro swallowed, sipped a tiny gulp of tea, cleared her throat. “So–” She straightened, finally looking at him. “You’re Sora.” She didn’t even sound sure, voice scratchy and slightly above a whisper.

“Is it that unbelievable?”

“… stomping. Shocking. I don’t even–” She stopped again, drinking her tea.

He could understand her doubts. He’d had his own after discovering that someone he trusted had another, hidden identity. Hurt, upset, disappointed. So, he also knew how to reassure her.

“It’s still me,” he said with a small smile, catching her attention. “I admit, it wasn’t my objective to… go this far, but I don’t regret it. All I told you about Sora, I truly thought it. I wasn’t happy with myself. Shouta helped.” He shrugged, “he always does. It’s true, I’m Sora, is it so strange?”

“No,” she whispered, “all this time, it was you, and I’m not that surprised because– you’re just that kind of person. You’re a hero.. You’re our hero, Runa-chan’s hero, Masa’s saviour, I…” Akuro chuckled once. “I’m so thankful it’s you–” His sentence was broken by a sob as tears streamed down her cheeks. “My family is safe, they can stay at their colony and people are asking why they’re on their own instead of getting help… Because some of them can’t live on the surface and–” She let out a soft sigh. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she said, tears stopping and a smile taking over. “And I can’t because you’re leaving the café.”

Tsuna nodded. “I am. There are too many still needing help, I can’t sit idly knowing that.”

Akuro scoffed, right hand’s index to her eye’s corner. “I guess… and I can’t stop you, because I’d be awful and because I know how many you can help so… Just, promise me, you’ll come by, don’t… don’t disappear?”

He put one hand over his former Boss’ one, holding tightly on it in reassurance. “I won’t. Also, I still am bounded as an unpaid babysitter.”

She laughed, “to think those brats are being babysat by Sora, Inko and Mitsuki would have a heart attack.”

“Well,” he smirked knowingly, “it’s not like it will stay a secret much longer.”

Akuro leaned over to conspire: “let me know when, I want to tape it.” She covered her mouth. “God, how has it been– you know, the Sora album?”

Tsuna rolled his eyes, offering her a napkin. “Creepy. But better than the media.”

She sniffed a last time. “One of my uncles that lives up here says it’s awful. After what you did, he’d like to help. He’s a lawyer.”

The brunet blinked. “I am looking for a lawyer, actually, to work in the Agency.”

Akuro gave him a business card. “I won’t tell him I gave this to you… As we’re speaking about it, I’ll tell no one. I guess, your lover knows, and the police officer, Tsukauchi-kun.”

“Sansa, too, and Masayuki probably has suspicions. Your Nezu knows,” he smirked at her squeal, “he was the one to reach for me to take care of the last case.”

“Ah, the one’s rumoured to involve experiments… Good job, Tsuna. It was really impressive, though I don’t know how to tell, my uncle said so.”

The brunet just smiled. “I’ll work for you for another month–”

“No, you won’t,” she grinned. “You have a lot to do and I can rescind your contract easy peasy. However, you’ll keep your spot as taster of any new recipes. Also, I was wondering… do you want a café over at the Agency? Something to help the finances and such, I’d help gladly and there are a few of my family that would like to work like me, so,” she shrugged.

“I hadn’t thought about that. Why not? It seems, the more this building is built, the more I have to modify the planimetry. I don’t know if it’s allowed by law, though.”

She waved one hand and winked, “leave it to my uncle.”

Soma Kaoru was very tall, with pale green skin, dark green, slicked back, short hair and narrowed, completely white eyes. He was wearing a white suit with a black shirt, an azure, checker-patterned tie and a napkin peaking in a triangular shape from the breast pocket. Tsuna didn’t need his Intuition to know that the man liked to dress like that on all occasions, maybe in different colours’ matches. Despite the cool demeanour, he displayed a witty kind of sarcasm that made him all the more valuable for the Agency – thus he’d been promptly hired. Noamasa had tested him, so to say, by giving him a case in which he was having some difficulties because of the suspect’s dexterity with legal quibbles, and the result had been in the suspect’s arrest, so he’d passed that – no matter how good a judge his Intuition was, he was surrounded by overprotective… family members. The thought had made his freeze while watching Shouta carry an interrogation of the lawyer. Sansa had helped him, but the man, Akuro’s uncle, had taken everything with an arched brow and well-concealed amusement.

Later, he’d been let in on Sora’s identity – after Tsuna finally took things in his hands and stopped the overprotective show – and he’d had the most interesting reaction. While blinking in recognition, surprise and slight disbelief, Kaoru – who had insisted on being called by his name at least by his employer – had grabbed his Hero Law handbook and dived into work.

“You wish to keep your identity a secret as long as possible, I assume?”

Tsuna had nodded, “I’m under no delusion it won’t become public knowledge soon.”

“I can make that a later, if nuisances start to poke for it. Just call me and I’ll have it done.”

He’d immediately earned Shouta’s brownie points for that. His lover was becoming antsy with the perspective of having his personal life exposed, even though he was still considered just a colleague to Sora and the brunet had no plans on letting his private affairs be known. On a second thought, he had mentioned the issue to Kaoru, that had assured him that heroes had rights, too, especially to protect their normal lives and to leave it to him, in case his intervention proved necessary. He’d also given off-handed advice to search for someone that could take care of the public side of things, a sort of deputy so that Sora didn’t have to deal with reporters. His choice had almost fallen on Gin-san for that, but he had other ideas for her, like managing a website of information about what the Agency was doing – she’d accepted on the spot, with the clause of hiring her cameraman, too. As for the deputy, he had no idea who to contact or what type of person, so he asked Nezu, who pointed his paw at two freshly graduated students: Nishizaka Emina, from the Support Class, and Tominaga Saito, from the General Education Class. While the first girl was very well-endorsed in coming up with impossible equipment and successfully crafting it, the second had an intelligence quirk that made it a child’s play dealing with social interactions and saying without saying. They were both hired in no time, though they asked to be allowed to further their studies and Tsuna was even too happy to comply.

All in all, he was having an aneurism about how many people and how many different jobs an Agency needed. Shouta explained to him that no Agency worked the same as others, they were moulded to the hero’s and the missions’ needs. Considering this was Sora, he’d expected the hassle. However, the brunet was so worried about doing the right thing and speeding things up and that something would have gone wrong, that the underground hero felt the need to push those thoughts out of his lover’s head by force – and welcomed roughness.

It was a month after the new academic year had begun that the Agency was finally built, furnished and ready to start activities. His former colleagues at the café had thrown him a surprise party – Shouta had barked a single laugh when they’d gone to him for help, knowing even too well how hard it was to surprise Tsuna – to wave him goodbye. He didn’t spill the beans, speaking about a new work offer that was better aligned with his desires when people asked. Inko and Mitsuki had made sure to coerce his number out of him to have a mean of communication because they still wanted their unpaid babysitter – if Tsuna kept doing this, it wasn’t for them, but for the kids, because he loved them and they were attached.

The building was five stories tall, though he had asked for three, because the workers had taken liberties and then demanded he signed the planimetries. It didn’t blend with the neighbourhood, mostly because of the darker colours, but also because he’d chosen a mixture of Modern and Cape Cod Architecture – with a hint of Italianate here and there –, and the result was homey, functional and welcoming. The creamy tint of the exterior wall was broken at some point by naked red bricks. The big windows were simple, with grey frames, and pots of plants adorned each of them, some with ivy starting to creep over the walls. There were a few, small balconies with balustrades made of slim, beige, stone columns.

The entrances were five in total: the main one was made of automatic, glass sliding doors, big enough for two lines of in and out of people to be comfortably accommodated; the two side-doors were for services purposes, such as employees and restock; the one in the back led to the garden, where he knew many animals had already taken residence; the fifth was for reporters, just beside the main one, and opened into the bar, that had a corridor to an auditorium for possible press conferences. Tsuna took the main entrance, looking around the lobby.

The room was spacious, but not dispersive. The floor was covered in dark parquet, the walls were white, filled with guide posters – courtesy of Nezu and Naomasa – on several things: how to contact the Agency, the different numbers one could contact based on their needs, what to do in specific situations, and such. These had been uploaded in the official website, too, which had required the hiring of a programmer. The reception desk was long enough to host four receptionists, squared, with smoothed angles and made of lighter wood than the floor. It was supposed to be an acceptance desk, a first filter to gain access to the specifically needed area of the building. There were different offices spread throughout: police department, medic ward, animal garden, commission office… which made him remember that, from that moment on, he needed to hire heroes. Shouta was insisting on him starting to show up at UA or other academies to scout, because, what better judge than his Intuition? And because he could offer internships, which were invaluable in his case.

There were comfortable chairs lined along the walls, a digital dispenser of queuing numbers at the entrance, two doors at the desk’s sides that led to elevators and stairs and other offices, big windows to let in natural light, vending machines just in case with a door that led directly to the café, bowls of water and food for animals venturing in… and a red circle beside them. It had been Shouta’s idea. Not everyone, if any at all, could ask Intuition to translate animal behaviour, so they’d come to the solution of training willing strays into knowing that, if they sat in the red circle, someone would see to bring them to Sora. This entailed training the receptionists to that task, raising not few questions answered by the retell of what the raids had shed light on. The strays’ training fell on Byakuran and Reborn, that consequently started to roam the city’s streets. To quell his worry, Tsuna had microchipped them.

The sliding door opened and Kaoru came through, holding onto a fedora as azure as the suit. “It seems I was wrong.”

The brunet expected and yearned for his sarcasm. “What about?”

“Going by the workers’ chief sense of style, I was expecting the love child of an inflatable carousel and a zoo.”

Tsuna scoffed into a chuckle, covering his shadowed lips with one hand. “Please, tell me you answer like that to reporters.”

“I do. People seem normal until they talk, and reporters do talk a lot.”

“There are exceptions.”

“Of course. And your luck managed to find one. I might craft you into a keychain.”

“Please, no merchandise…”

“Until you decide otherwise, any and all merchandise based on your image can be fined for a lot of money and be retired from the market. However, I do think you should sign a contract with a company for those. Many people, among them children, want something of you.”

“I don’t want to earn from something that’s meant to be therapeutic.”

“That’s how this world works. You can use that money to help.”

“… I’ll think about it.”

Kaoru smiled, walking up to the left door. “Time to work, joyful.”

Tsuna chuckled.

Chapter Text

“… I thought no one but the teachers were allowed up here?”

Shouta sighed and manoeuvred Tsuna to a seat right in front of the window and the screens. He didn’t need to explain, sitting right beside him and refocusing on the beginning Sports Festival.

“It was by my request, Sora.” Nezu took a chair to the hooded brunet’s free side and sat down with a smile, nursing a cup of tea. “I’d like to know your thoughts as they come to you.”

As in, he wanted to use his Intuition to his advantage. “Ok, you sure no one will call you out on this?”

“This is my school,” he serenely took a sip, “I do what I want.”

Shouta scoffed, snatching his own cup of coffee from Hizashi and leaning his head in Tsuna’s neck. “Why did I choose this job?”

The brunet smiled and caressed his cheek, kissing his forehead, “because you love teaching those kids how to survive.” Then, in a whisper: “and I love that part of you, too.”

His lover straightened, drank his coffee and settled to check on the festival with renewed interest. Hizashi had time to gape like a monkey before having to reach his post of broadcaster, still stomped at how easy it was for Tsuna to motivate someone that clearly wanted nothing more than to sleep – and cuddle.

“I may decide to call on you during board meetings, Sora.” Nezu earned a glare. “Or not, because you’re not a teacher… yet.”

Tsuna dreaded the promise behind those words. “I’ve been taught by many people during my life, which is why I know I wouldn’t be a good teacher.”

“Let me disagree,” the principal smiled, offering him a filled cup of tea, “I’d see you well-suited as a homeroom teacher, but I guess it might be a job that collides with your Agency’s needs.”

He didn’t know if he wanted to keep hearing what Nezu was trying to subtly tell him, but sighed nonetheless and nodded. “I suppose.”

“Instead,” a gleam entered the hybrid’s eyes as he smirked in his cup, “I was thinking that we could set up an extra-curricular activity.”

Before Tsuna could ask what kind of activity – because this was still a school so it entailed teaching something –, Hizashi activated the mic and his voice boomed throughout the stadium, gathering the undivided attention of both students and audience as the blinds were lifted. Shouta redirected the brunet’s focus on the arena by taking his hand and caressing its back in soothing circles, carefully hidden by the cameras now flying in front of the window… and notifying everyone that Sora was attending. He felt eyes on him, indirectly on the screens and televisions. It was not unpleasant, but neither could the opposite be said. The thought that it was widely known why he would attend the Sports Festival put him at ease.

It was the sophomore stage’s day, as in the second year’s classes, and Hizashi proceeded to explain how everything worked, welcoming new and usual listeners, as he liked to call them. “And let’s not forgeeeet!! Welcome to UA, Soooooooooooraaaaa!”

Tsuna licked his lips and tilted his head. A golden glance and the loud hero knew to not pass him the mic, or he would suffer consequences. He could see the blond sweating, Shouta smirked.

Taking a deep breath and muting Present Mic, the brunet sipped his tea and eyed the arena with more than curiosity. The first task required the students to get out of a maze filled to the brim with traps and, if they met someone, they were to answer a theory related question, like a quiz. The one that was faster to answer correctly would pass, the other or others would be dropped out of the tournament.

He recognized his lover’s kids, having heard about them more than enough from snippets and whines and mutterings, though he preferred calling them annoying brats with fondness lining his tone. Out of them all, he was the most interested in Eiji and Taro. The brown-haired teen with completely black eyes had showed and was proving to be very direct, a no-nonsense kind of person that prided himself on knowledge and problem-solving. Someone that would surely benefit the Agency and would fit in quite well. His quirk, All-Black, let him send into blindness whoever looked him in the eyes. Taro, all nervous energy and shy demeanour, had caught Tsuna’s eyes not because of fighting prowess, but because of his brain. His quirk, Storage, allowed him to store any type of information in his archive-like memory, making it forever accessible to him. However, his strongest asset was his cleverness.

Both passed the first stage, along with around 65 students, among which were all of Shouta’s brats. Tsuna could feel the simmering, hidden proudness, and held tightly onto his lover’s hand, supporting. The black eyes clearly told him a story of lust and tiredness. Poor man of his. He started planning dinner.

His phone rang – a stray sitting in the red circle, he gave instructions to wake up the black menace known as Reborn – as Hizashi explained that the next phase was a series of feats that the students had to pass, they could use whatever was in the arena. Tsuna smirked at the curious way of phrasing the rules and carefully observed Taro brighten up after a moment of thought and immediately approach Eiji. They talked between themselves for a while, clearly planning something while the other students slowly volunteered themselves for the five challenges, as in: three different types of puzzles, an obstacle race and a hostage situation. Half of Shouta’s class passed, along with 15 more students.

Eiji and Taro had waited to be last. Nemuri looked at them with a wide grin. Shouta hummed, leaning over to understand why one of his most direct students was sitting idly instead of tackling the tasks as soon as possible. Tsuna smiled.

“Watch carefully,” he suggested, and even Nezu perked up.

The two approached Nemuri, that was acting as referee. “Whaaaaaat is going oooooon?!?” Hizashi asked, wanting to keep the crowd enraptured.

The hero in the arena had her own mic, thanks to which Taro’s sentence was clearly audible. “We want to use each other’s help in the challenges.” His voice was meek, yet strong, sure.

“I’ve never seen Taro speak without stammering,” Shouta whispered, shielding his mouth.

“AAAAAAAAAALLOOWEEEED!!! Smart move, listeners!!!” Hizashi had to yell.

Nezu significantly narrowed his eyes, petting his teacup. Passing the tasks was indefinitely easier for the two, working together and making sure they had each other’s back. Tsuna could see how many thought that was cheating, but the important consequence was that hero agencies noticed their way of facing hardships. Eiji would have not been able to solve the puzzles, as well as Taro would have not succeeded alone in the hostage situation.

Instead of the expected one-on-one fights, the third and last stage randomly split the students into three squads. Unfortunately, Taro and Eiji didn’t end up in the same team. Tsuna blinked in shock when the test was presented as a smaller scale raid of Sora. He looked at Nezu, who grinned and cleared his throat.

“Consider it… a tribute.”

He couldn’t help the blush and face-palm. The students were all too eager to take on the challenge. They were put against each other, taking turns in playing villains and heroes. The three teams had all the chances to show off quirks, tactics, moves, quick thinking. Eiji’s team won, and they were celebrated by the audience, but also by the students.

Tsuna smiled, “I liked this Sports Festival.”

Nezu preened for silent, long moments before passing him a device. “Name who you want to offer an internship to, I’ll take care of the rest.”

The brunet chuckled, writing up Sumadera Eiji, Katayama Taro… and Wanijima Azami, a girl from the 1-B Class. She’d been in Taro’s team, showing some great flexibility and adjustments to the tasks at hand. Considering how he dealt with raids, those skills were highly interesting for his Agency. These three students could learn a lot from working with him, it didn’t matter if they decided to not join him after graduation.

“I’ll see more of those two, great.”

Tsuna looked at Shouta, noticing that the mic had been turned off, and passed over the device, knowing he had his own preferences. “They can choose another Agency.”

“They won’t,” the raven sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose after dealing with his choices. “They will both jump at the opportunity, I taught them well, thank you.”

He held back another chuckle, standing to close the blinders of the window and open the door. Reborn slithered inside and through Tsuna’s legs. He locked gazes with the brunet and went out.

“Well, I guess I should go.”

“I’ll come with you,” Shouta picked up the stack of papers he’d filled while watching the Festival and unceremoniously dropped it in Hizashi’s lap. “See that none is lost. Have a good day.” They stepped out, Reborn and a red-tailed, white cat were waiting for them. “Do you mind if I go congratulate the brats, first?”

Tsuna smiled, “can I come?”

“… Sadist.”

The brunet took the two cats up, “just a few minutes. Is it urgent?” Reborn purred against his neck. “Ok then, let’s go.”

He followed Shouta through the corridors of the only-staff part of the stadium. When they took the elevator, he was pushed into the wall and devoured for the entire descent. He licked his lips, delightfully irked, and let go of the raven’s hand before resurfacing in the arena.

Shouta’s class was gathered aside, cheering and tired and happy. It was a very endearing sight. He let the underground hero walk forward, deciding to stop in the shadows and look from there. His lover approached the group, gaining bright grins and smiles from each of them. He heard compliments given here and there, warnings when the students had gone too far, should have been more careful, but they didn’t lose their glee.

Well, they didn’t until Eiji spotted Sora lounging against a wall and looking at them. They positively froze, some yelps were immediately suppressed, there was shock and disbelief. He wondered how Eiji and Taro would react at his offer, seeing that they had become stone statues at his simple presence.

“Yes, I have to go, Agency business. Good job today, make sure to watch the others over the next two days. You have a reserved area in the audience. Go do your homework.”

Shouta waved at them and pushed Tsuna back through the door before any of the students could collect themselves and start shooting questions. “Meany.”

“I’m sorry, we have work to do.”

“Meany all the same, Shou.”

His lover groaned. The stray cat jumped off Tsuna’s shoulder and started leading them out, but the raven stopped her and directed the group towards a back exit, least they got swallowed by a stampeding crowd of busybodies. After that, the cat trotted in front of them through back alleys, evading main streets and occasionally waiting for the clear from Reborn before keeping up. The brunet had a vague idea where they were going, and his Intuition gave a low hum of confirmation.

“It’s an orphanage, isn’t it…”

Reborn nodded, Shouta kissed his hand and immediately let it go. “Don’t lose it, we’ll go, see, call Tsukauchi, deal with it, ok?”

“I have a suspicion it won’t end there, this time.”

“Then we’ll be ready to do what’s needed.”

The brunet nodded, taking a deep breath as the stray stopped outside a black fence. “Ok, ok… ok. Let’s do this.”

They crouched in the dead-end alley, spying through the inner bush lining the fence. Reborn settled aside. The stray went past the fence, but stayed hidden in the vegetation. Tsuna peered through, taking in the Victorian Style building and recognizing it as Sunrise Orphanage. There was the big, back garden right in front of them, where only a child was sniffling, turned so that they could only see his purple, messy hair and the clasps of what seemed to be a mask. He was sitting on a swing, hiccups the clear sign he’d been crying for a while.

Tsuna suppressed his blood lust when he looked better, noticing blood streaks on his bare arms, scratches, wounds, signs of abuse or bullying, he wasn’t sure. Shouta, at his side, stiffened and held his shoulder. They couldn’t understand why the cat had yet to go out, as if waiting for something. She was acting as a boulder between them and the child, as a red light.

Their patience was rewarded when a kid sneaked out of the building through a window, somewhat graciously falling down on the meadow and running to the sniffling kid. He had a shock of messy, orange hair and a very prominent scowl for someone that looked to be around six years old. He reached for the child, that didn’t flinch away despite what he must have been enduring, and gritted his teeth as he unclasped the mask and threw it on the ground.

“You ok?”

The other kid nodded, coughing some. “You shouldn’t…” His voice, small, quivering, was a dark contrast to the sure one of the orange-haired boy.

“They won’t punish me, but I’ll have to put it back or they’ll punish you, ok?”

Another nod, “sorry…”

“They should apologize, not you. Just because of your quirk, damn bastards.” There was something deeply wrong in hearing a kid swear.

“Don’t say that… My quirk is evil.”

“It ain’t, shut up. It’s a quirk, quirks are quirks, that’s it.”

The stray finally got out of the bush, jumping the younger kid and drawing a small chuckle. “Hi, Ginger, it’s nice to see you.”

The older one straightened with a grin, “you know, how can you be evil if a stray trusts you?”

He shrugged, “I just… helped her… Genta was trying to hurt her.”

“And you took the burnt of it, Shinsou. She knows, she trusts you.” He leaned over and gripped the child’s chin, angling his head–

Tsuna stepped back, took a steading breath, snatched his phone, dialled Kaoru’s number to reach him and Wayoto. Shouta called Tsukauchi.

Chapter Text

“Keep her away from Sora,” Shouta warned Tsukauchi, that nodded and took the placid matron into a police car, ignoring the flashes of reporters that had come lightning fast.

He went back in the orphanage, passing by the officers that were gathering evidence, to reach the toy room. Wayoto, the psychologist Tsuna had hired for the Agency, was keeping the children calm while making them talk in a separate room, one at a time. Kaoru was listing to a baffled officer the many crimes the matron and her employees were guilty of, making it sound like a list of profanities – which it was, because that kid had not been the only one suffering abuses, that had led to other children becoming bullies.

The toy room was lit in the late evening, displaying various toys and a television. Tsuna was sitting in a red, kid chair, clutching something in his hands, leaning forward, teeth gritted. He obviously wanted to destroy that thing with his Storm Flames, watch it morph into ashes. Shouta wanted the same, but it was evidence, thus needed. He simply kneeled in front of his lover and hugged him, sighing when Tsuna held him with raging desperation.

“There will always be people like this, huh…”

“Yes,” he admitted, “and we are here to put them behind bars.” Shouta pushed the brunet’s head up to peer into golden, shadowed eyes. “But we have other priorities now, right?”

“Shinsou-kun and… what’s the other kid’s name?”

“Here, the files,” they stood after trailing their eyes over the words and after another hug. “Wayoto is waiting for us to speak with them both, she wants you, at least, to assist her.”

“Because Shinsou-kun has gone starry-eyed at me?”

Shouta smiled, “yeah, like the whole stadium this morning,” but sobered, “the older brat didn’t, though.”

“It makes me suspicious, you know?” He stiffly gave the– the muzzle to an officer. “A kid that wants to save his friend doesn’t cheer at seeing a hero…”

“I’ll ask Tsukauchi to check if anyone has come for an inspection or something.”

Tsuna hummed, entering the waiting room where children were waiting. They gaped and he showed them a smile before knocking at the only closed door. Wayoto’s voice told them to come in, so they did, closing the door right behind them. The psychologist nodded, not moving from the chair in front of the two kids, that were sitting on a couch, somewhat trying to not huddle into each other.

“Children, meet Sora and Eraserhead, two underground heroes,” she waved towards two free chairs at either side of the sofa. “These are Shinsou Hitoshi and Kurosaki Ichigo.”

The purple-haired kid went starry-eyed again, clutching his friend’s arm and shamelessly pointing at Tsuna, who kept up the smile. “Hello.”

“Hi,” the younger answered.

“That hood is impolite.”

Wayoto almost scolded Kurosaki-kun, but the brunet held one hand up before pushing the hood on his shoulders, eyes still golden. “You’re right, I’m sorry. My name is Tsuna.” He smiled at the shock and regarded the other boy. “Can I heal you, Shinsou-kun?”

He jumped at the use of his surname, but then became self-conscious about his wounds – especially the ones shaped like a muzzle around his mouth. He hid behind the older boy. Tsuna nodded, choosing another way to go about it.

“Do you want to know how we happened here?”

Kurosaki-kun focused on him instead of keeping his eyes over the three adults. “Yeah.”

“My Agency has a certain policy to listen to any request. Someone came to us today, led us to you, in the back garden.”

The boy narrowed his eyes while Shinsou-kun peeked over his shoulder, curious. “Who? No one around here cares.”

“This time, you’re wrong, Kurosaki-kun. Ginger cares much about you two.”

The purple-haired kid perked up, wide blinking eyes full of wonder. “Ginger? She brought you here? But– She’s a cat?”

Tsuna tilted his head, “that doesn’t mean she doesn’t care, right?”

The older boy cleared his throat, lips’ corners twitching. “You… You two followed… a cat… here.” The brunet nodded, resisting himself the urge to laugh at the craziness of that. “A cat reported– You know what, never mind, fine, what now?”

“I’d like to heal you, Shinsou-kun, if you’d allow me to.”

“B-but you… Illusions?”

Tsuna winked, “many are convinced so.” He neared his right hand, “please, let me.”

Shinsou-kun bit his lower lip, but did stand to walk up to him, timidly offering his face with his eyes tightly shut. The brunet slowly lifted his hand, aware that Kurosaki-kun was watching each of his movements like a hawk. He conjured Sun Flames and softly touched the child’s cheek with three fingers. Warmth passed through the contact, erasing any traces of the muzzle that Shinsou-kun had had to wear and significatively lessening the eyebags. The boy opened his eyes in wonder, passing his fingers over the gone wounds and turning to his friend with a grin and a silent cheer. The other was clearly impressed and the deed relaxed him a bit.

“And now,” Shouta spoke for the first time, earning twin surprised glances, as if they had forgotten about him completely, “this orphanage is being shut down for the time being.” At that, they paled. “You and the other children will be assigned to another family until a new management is put up.”

“They’ll split us..?” Shinsou-kun whispered, reaching for the other boy’s arm once more.

The raven eyed Tsuna with a defeated expression and… something like trust. “Families can’t take more than one child,” he paused, thoughtful, “a single hero counts as one family.”

He blinked as he got the message. “Are… are you sure?”

Shouta shrugged. “Yes,” he confirmed, eyeing the confused children, “if they want to, of course.”

Wayoto cleared her throat, smiling at the two children. “These heroes are asking you if you would prefer going home with them, until the situation is back to normal. Together.”

Kurosaki-kun’s suspicious attitude was dropped completely in favour of showing all his disbelief. “No one wants two kids, and surely not two like us. Stop joking with us!”

“Y-yeah… not us…” Shinsou-kun went back to hide behind his friend. “Not with m-my quirk…”

Tsuna pursed his lips, controlling his reaction very carefully. “I know about your quirks.” He’d read them on their files. “Brainwashing, and Shiro.” They flinched at the mentions. “What would your quirks change, exactly?”

“They’re e-evil…”

“Are they?” Tsuna looked into Kurosaki-san’s eyes. “Quirks are not evil. People can be, though, and they can use their quirks in bad ways. But you two are not evil.”

Shinsou-kun curled in himself, blinking in hope. “… do you mean that?”

“Your eyes never stopped shining. You’re manipulating us.”

Tsuna looked at the younger boy, “you should be able to tell if I am.” The kid shook his head after a moment of thought, furrowing his brows cutely. “I mean it. After all, you could have controlled all of us since the beginning, Shinsou-kun, but you haven’t.” He turned once more to the orange-haired boy. “And you could have tried to chase us away, but you haven’t.”

Surprisingly, it was the youngest that finally swallowed and reached up for Tsuna’s hand. He gave it, squeezing the small limb in what hoped was reassurance. Kurosaki-kun sighed at the show and regarded Shouta, instead, who nodded once and turned to Wayoto. The psychologist was smiling as she grabbed two folders and gave each to one man.

“Fill those up and you can take them with you.” She eyed Tsuna, “nice to meet you, I suppose. I’ll keep the secret, of course, both of your identity and of your living arrangements.”

“Much appreciated,” Shouta commented, filling the papers just like his lover was.

“The latter, especially.” The brunet smiled. “Which school is Kurosaki-kun going to?”

“Aldera,” the boy answered, looking at the papers on the raven’s lap.

“Are there any bullies? Children and adults.” Judging by the flinch, the answer was yes. “Well, I guess a visit is due.”

“Just tell Nezu, he likes taking care of those kinds of things.”

“Noted,” Tsuna gave the filled papers and stood, followed by Shouta. “Thank you, Wayoto, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He lifted his hood over his head.

She hummed twice, “I’ll have a talk with Kaoru-kun, I’m assuming he knows, to settle down the legal side. I do need to inspect your house, so make it ready to comfortably accommodate two children by tomorrow evening.”

Shouta waved at her, pushing the older kid while Tsuna led the younger one out of the room. The children in there unsurely waved at the two and were answered shyly, though Kurosaki-kun seemed to have a gene or two of grumpiness. They let the boys gather their things, helping with the packing, then forwent the main entrance to evade the press and instead went to the back gate, where Tsukauchi happily – giddy, grinning, proud – called for Sansa to give them a lift.

In no time at all, if in a bit tense silence, they were left at the apartment complex. Tsuna shrugged the hoodie while Shouta took off scarf and googles before getting out of the car. The brunet took Shinsou-kun up when he saw signs of sleepiness, but Kurosaki-kun glared at the option. The two men waved at Guyu-san, that blinked owlishly at the additions. They took the elevator without giving him an explanation, it could have waited till morning, they were exhausted. Shouta opened the door for the three and went to change their bed’s sheets, because they clearly had no other place to let them sleep in. Tsuna didn’t bother with changing Shinsou-kun, simply taking the worn hoodie off the sleeping boy, while Kurosaki-kun changed on his own in the bathroom. They tucked the two boys for sleep and closed the door after giving them a good night.

The brunet sat at the kitchen table, Shouta sat in front of him. They locked gazes, small grins mirroring each other.

Tsuna shrugged, “what did we just do?”

“We temporarily adopted two children.”

“What were we thinking, Shou…?”

“We weren’t. We saw two kids that needed help and we helped. I’d say we also have quite the experience with growing kids up, you mostly, and we need to fix up the guest room again. What about the Sports Festival tomorrow?”

“Well, Kurosaki-kun has school, there’s a break during the Festival by the time he gets out, and Shinsou-kun comes with us since the beginning…” He buried his face in his hands. “Shou, this… this is temporary, what the… Are you truly sure about this? What if we–”

“It should be two weeks at most, Tsuna,” Shouta stood to hug him from behind and kissed his cheek. “And, if we get attached… the option is there.”

“Adoption? I thought–”

“Just because I grumble about my brats doesn’t mean I’m against children as a whole. And I like watching you taking care of them. Plus,” he looked over to their closed bedroom, “I like the carrot’s temper.”

“He’s a very overprotective brother figure, huh?” Tsuna huffed, hands holding onto his lover’s ones. “Ok… promise me you’ll think this through, I will, too.”

Shouta sealed the deal with a long, sensual kiss, “I promise. Now, kitten, join me on the couch?”

“Absolutely, dear.”

Chapter Text

“Go, I’ll be fine.”

Shouta sighed and brought him in for a hug, “the tickets are on the kitchen table, the seats are near my class. With those, you can get out to pick the brat up and get back in.” He leaned back and thumbed over Tsuna’s cheeks. “I’ll miss your comments, especially the muttered ones.”

The brunet grinned, “I’ll tell you all about it later. What do you think about take-out tonight? And I’ll bring you lunch.”

His lover smirked, “can’t wait. I’ll pull up the blinders for that, you can come up.”

“Really? And the others? They’ll ask.”

“We’ll tell the truth… I will, when they ask why you aren’t there,” he sighed again, aggravated, and forced himself to turn after giving him a quick peck, “I’ll see you there, kitten.”

The door closed, Tsuna went to the kitchen and pocketed the three tickets, then reached for his bedroom and knocked before going in. He smiled at the display, saddened that he had to wake them up the very first day of their stay. Shinsou-kun was on his left side, where Tsuna usually slept, cocooned in the sheets, one hand flattened between his face and the pillow, drooling from one corner of his open mouth. Kurosaki-kun was sprawled over Shouta’s side of the bed in a perfect imitation of a starfish, almost snoring, shirt piled up on his chest. A messy sleeper. Tsuna was happy they had felt safe enough to sleep at all. Waking them up seemed a sin, but he had to.

Trying to be loud, he walked up to the bed and started with the younger kid, sitting at the edge of the bed and softly shaking him. “Shinsou-kun? It’s time to wake up.”

The boy stirred, mumbled something under his breath, turned over and kept sleeping. Tsuna chuckled, moving his attention to Kurosaki-kun, whose eyes were slowly opening. He didn’t move, assessing his surroundings. Reality and memories hit, he sighed and turned his head to Tsuna, that smiled.

“Good morning.”

“’morning…” He eyed Shinsou-kun, snorting, “wake up!” He kicked the kid out of the bed.

The brunet blinked as the boy yelped and muttered: “why do you always do this….?” He nursed his back and looked up at the only adult in the room, blinking. “Oh, right… Sorry,” he blushed, looking away. “I-I’ll get up…”

Tsuna kept smiling, “it’s ok, Shouta, Eraserhead, is a deep sleeper, too.” He leaned in, “I had to push him down the bed more than once,” he winked and stood, “breakfast is ready, feel free to use the bathroom, we’re heading out in twenty.”

He went back to the kitchen, trusting that the flat was small enough for the boys to not get lost. He cleaned Shouta’s empty dishes and set out two plates for the boys. Tsuna took his mug of espressino and sat down to sip it while going over some paperwork. The kids came to the kitchen around five minutes later, one dressed in a school uniform and the other with worn white shirt and blue jeans. The brunet mentally noted to go buy them new clothes, he knew the orange-haired’s wardrobe was just as in need of shopping.

“Dig in,” he invited them, that sat down and slowly, unsurely started eating… until they actually tasted the pancakes and literally devoured their breakfast. “Want to know what’s today’s plan?” Shinsou-kun was too busy eating, Kurosaki-kun nodded with his permanent scowl. “I’ll walk you to school first, then me and you are going to UA Sports Festival.” The purple-haired kid almost dropped his glass of water. “We’ll get out at the break to pick up Kurosaki-kun and join Eraserhead for lunch, then watch the last stage of today’s tournament, and get back home to fix up your room and have dinner.”

They didn’t answer, too shocked or surprised. Tsuna signed a few more papers, put them in a folder and pushed it aside. He went to the study room and leaned against the door frame, visualizing how to fix it for the kids. One bed was still in place, they needed to wait for delivery to bring the second one and push it on the opposite side. The library needed to be cleared for the time being to make space for them, maybe filled with proper books… And add a chest of toys, just in case. He took his phone and ordered the furniture, paying extra for the urgency, before warning Guyu-san via text about the deliveries.

The brunet closed the door and opened the window to the balcony, letting Byakuran and Reborn in. The cats stopped short of demanding food when they noticed the additions and eyed Tsuna with clear annoyance and suspicion.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he scooped them up and went back to the kitchen, “kids, meet the cats, Byakuran,” he nudged the white one, “and Reborn,” that jumped on a chair and glared at Kurosaki-kun. “I hope you don’t mind cats,” he winked, “they’re residents here, but there are strays that drop by from time to time,” he pointed at the spare bowls.

Shinsou-kun was smiling as he approached to pet Byakuran, that accepted defeat and hopped in the kid’s arms. Reborn dropped to the floor and slithered around Kurosaki-kun’s legs. It seemed like a truce.

“They’re coming with us, by the way.” The cats hissed. “I’ll bring treats.” They calmed down.

Tsuna wasn’t happy with what he had seen while dropping off Kurosaki-kun. Bullies, everywhere. This was the same school Katsuki and Izuku and Shinsou-kun would attend. It needed a new management, as soon as possible. He took the younger kid’s hand, smiling when Byakuran decided to jump on his shoulder and Reborn scarfed around the brunet’s neck.

He opted to take the metro to the stadium, to not make the boy walk so much. It took them around fifteen minutes to start finding crowd. Tsuna lifted Shinsou-kun on his hip to not lose him in the sea of people – he felt warmth when the boy hugged his neck, and, consequently, Reborn –, quickly located the side entrance and showed two tickets to the security guard, that let them through. He put the kid down, still holding onto his hand, and led him to the stands. He was sure he was in the right place when he recognized Shouta’s students, that were still chatting on about the previous day’s feats. Shinsou-kun’s eyes were starry again, but he was also… tamed, controlled, as if keeping his reactions and actions in check. He’d obviously seen something about which he wanted to ask questions.

Tsuna made him sit down in the inner side, seeing they were at the end of the seats’ row, and hummed in satisfaction at the nice view, then regarded the boy. “You know, I’ve watched yesterday’s trials, is there something you’re curious about?”

It was all the child needed to start shooting questions. The brunet answered them all, noticing how some of them caught the students’ attention. He tried to not deconstruct quirks too much, least they got suspicious or self-conscious, but otherwise kept his voice loud enough to be heard. They seemed to appreciate that and, soon, he had their whole attention.

“Yes, it was. Heroes don’t always work alone. Making use of whatever advantage at their disposal is very important.”

“Oh… But, Memoire and Yami didn’t tell the others?”

Memoire and Yami were respectively Taro and Eiji’s Hero names. “Would you tell villains about your tricks?”

Shinsou-kun cutely scrunched his nose, causing Byakuran to paw at it. “They are heroes.”

“Not yet,” he smiled. “However, this is a tournament where several Agencies are scouting for new employees and interns, it’s a given they’re trying to outclass each other. They could have thought about it on their own.” He saw Taro relax at that statement.

“Ok,” the boy shrugged, grinning at the white cat and scratching his chin. “I didn’t get to watch the last stage, what was it?”

Tsuna happily explained the task and how the various matches were carried out. Some students puffed out their chests at carefully laid out compliments, others tilted their heads at sneaky advices. Luckily, he finished his tale just before Nemuri took the mic and Hizashi’s voice boomed all around the stadium. The third year’s students poured in the arena, snatching the attention from Tsuna to the beginning event. He sighed and took his phone to order a take-out lunch around the time he would have picked up Kurosaki-kun. He also texted Shouta that everything had gone alright and got a kissing emoticon in answer, along with the number of a private room inside the stadium.

Shinsou-kun was chatting Kurosaki-kun’s ear away about the Festival as Tsuna led them through the corridors of the stadium to meet up with Shouta. He found the door number 14 and opened it, blinking at the ensemble with an arched brow.

“Sorry, they got curious.”

“Of course,” he grinned, putting the trays of food on the table around which Nezu, Nemuri and Hizashi were sitting. “Should have expected it.”

The two heroes were not so subtly craning their necks to see the boys standing out of the room while Shouta simply walked up to the brunet and kissed his cheek with a very tired look. “They hammered me with questions, it’s your turn.” He went to the kids to coax them inside and finally give them his name in person.

“Good morning,” he greeted, making the two busybodies jump in their chairs, then turned to the uncomfortable but surprised kids, “meet Present Mic, Midnight and Nezu, these are Kurosaki Ichigo and Shinsou Hitoshi. Come here, you need to eat lunch.” The orange-haired put his backpack behind his chair and both sat down as Tsuna gave them and Shouta a plate of food each. “I hope you like it,” then he took one for himself and sat in front of Nezu, regarding the smiling hybrid with a small grin. “Someone told me you don’t like bullies.”

The principal let go of his empty teacup to pour himself more. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said to the kids, that answered in kind as they ate, then turned to the brunet. “Please, do tell me what you discovered, Tsuna.”

“Lenient inspectors. Namely, at an orphanage and at Aldera.” He felt Kurosaki-kun’s studying gaze.

“Oh? How interesting.” Nezu stood and, with a small bow, left.

“Told you,” Shouta commented. “Any students caught your attention?”

“Two from the Support Classes, I’ll watch the last part and decide. You?”

“Only one, from the Gen Ed Class.”

Hizashi gaped and Nemuri finally exploded in a shriek: “explain!!”

“Didn’t I do that thrice already?”

Tsuna chuckled. “Kurosaki-kun and Shinsou-kun are staying with us for the time being, Midnight, I don’t see what else there is to say,” he said with a tone of finality, turning to his lover. “I ordered some more furniture, should be home by the time we go back.”

“Got it. I stopped by the library on the way here.”

There were so many reasons to love Shouta. Tsuna sent him a very meaningful look. He saw black eyes darken. Nemuri and Hizashi cleared their throats and left, uncomfortable. The cats occupied their spots to take a peaceful nap.

“How was school, Kurosaki-kun?”

The boy shrugged, finishing his lunch with clear satisfaction. “Normal, boring.”

Tsuna’s phone went off with a text and he sighed at the content. “Inko.”

“Both?” He nodded at his lover’s inquiry. “I’ll grab two more tickets.”

“Yeah, tomorrow’s Saturday. I guess we’ll have four,” he turned to the kids, that were sitting at his right. “Two boys will join us tomorrow, is that a problem? They’re Shinsou-kun’s age.”

“You already have…?”

The brunet shook his head at Kurosaki-kun, “no, I’m just their babysitter, been since they were born.” He eyed his lover, “I prefer picking them up in the morning, what do you say?”

“I’ll go, you can pass by the broadcasting room before we have to open the blinders and bring them all down.”

“I don’t understand.” The two men looked at the orange-haired boy, who had his gaze cast down on his lap and a tight grip around his chopsticks. “Why did you take us in? You’ve got so many things to do, two children already, I… don’t get it.”

Tsuna didn’t know how to answer that. Many thoughts came to the forefront of his mind, but none seemed good enough to correctly convey what he wanted to say. Shouta, however, seemed to be in tune with him and the boys, because he put his elbows on the table to catch their attention.

“We don’t need reasons to help. But, if you truly want one, we like you two. We like how you, Kurosaki, are protective of Shinsou and we like that you, Shinsou, are shy yet full of enthusiasm. You two needed help, so we’re helping, that’s all, is it not enough?”

“You’re just going to throw us out at some point,” the boy gritted his teeth, Shinsou-kun curled in himself at his side. “We’re full of nasty luggage, that’s what they always say and then they dump us.”

Tsuna leaned one hand over Shouta’s, taking it over. “You should know this is temporary, Kurosaki-kun, but I want to ask you… Would you stay, if we offered?” The boy looked up at him, blinking in shock, just like his friend. “We’re not sure we would be good parents or guardians, so… I want to strike a deal with you two, if you’re willing to listen?” They solely nodded, a look of suspicion in their eyes. “We should have two weeks at our disposal. We’ll do our best to make you comfortable and you’ll do your best to make this work. By the end of it, we’ll talk again, and decide how to go about this. Is that alright?”

The boys looked at each other in silent conversation. When they finally nodded in agreement, Shouta squeezed his hand and Tsuna smiled.

“Thank you.”

Katsuki and Izuku met Ichigo and Hitoshi – “Stop that, sounds old,” Kurosaki-kun had said the evening before, when Wayoto had come for her inspection and Kaoru to offer his sarcasm – outside the broadcast room. It went well, but Tsuna knew it wouldn’t have gone so smoothly had Katsuki kept his aggressive behaviour. The 2-years old kids had hit it off pretty quickly after Izuku had gushed at how cool Hitoshi’s quirk was, losing himself into a monologue about what he wished his quirk to be. Katsuki had simply showed off his explosive quirk and declared that no quirks were bad, just badly used. Good boys. Tsuna had bought them ice-creams after lunch. Ichigo, instead, had preferred staying on his own, acting like a guard dog while Byakuran and Reborn had claimed his lap to nap the day away.

Chapter Text

Tsuna and Shouta, after dealing with the Sports Festival, did their best to stay at home and interact with the boys. They took turns going to school or the Agency, making sure to bring paperwork over in urgent cases and to take the children out whenever they could.

Tsuna got along rather well with both, but Hitoshi seemed to be searching for him more than Ichigo was. The boy lost the enthusiasm caused by the Festival and returned to his shy behaviour after barely one day. It didn’t seem to be a cause of concern, though, because Hitoshi was shy on his own and, despite being reserved, he wanted to just be with Tsuna. They often watched tv when Ichigo and Shouta were at school, cooked together a few times, or simply lounged in the living room with the cats as the brunet took care of interns’ paperwork and the kid drew. More often than not, Katsuki and Izuku were over, happy to have a new friend with whom they could watch hero shows and go into endless deconstructions of quirks. Izuku and Hitoshi bonded over drawings. Katsuki and Hitoshi bonded over quirks.

The brunet learned to know the boy. His permanent eyebags were a consequence of Brainwashing, apparently, though Tsuna wanted to bring him to a doctor nonetheless, just like he had roped Nishizaka-san from the Agency into developing hydrating contact lenses to help with Shouta’s eyes.

Hitoshi was a very introspective child. He liked to think things through in silence, not necessarily because he didn’t trust other judgements, he wanted to be able to do things alone. He was independent. Knowing about his history, it was clear why.

Tsuna and Hitoshi talked while doing chores. The brunet spoke about how he lost his family, skipping the part where he died and ended up in another universe. He told the boy that he missed them, but that he was building another family with Shouta, that they had been together for over two years, about his time as a vigilante and then as a hero thanks to Eraserhead’s involvement. Hitoshi listened, enraptured and at times saddened. Tsuna made sure to not mention details about the raids. He showed empathy and understanding. Even though he’d been opposed to the way Taro had kept the task’s solution to himself, he didn’t accuse the brunet of playing dirty because of starting as a vigilante.

On the other hand, Hitoshi gave small snippets of what he knew of his life. He knew not who his parents were, neither if they were alive nor dead. He’d often been told, by bullies and employees at the orphanage, that he’d been abandoned because he was a hassle to have around, because he was needy and couldn’t do things on his own… a baby. How was a baby supposed to fend for himself? Tsuna was happy he had dismantled such an unhealthy business.

So, to encourage the child in seeking help, he stood more carefully around the edges when he was doing something, dropping advice at first, then asking if he needed help, and then just being there, because Hitoshi learned to search for his input. Even if they ended up vanishing from his life – thing that was not happening, no matter what –, he was happy he’d helped more than by offering shelter.

The boy was receptive and attentive, he was able to notice when Shouta was tired enough to not see where he was going. Normally, he kept to himself while speaking to the underground hero to keep his attention up but, once, he had gone as far as taking the raven’s hand and redirecting him to the couch, where he had immediately passed out.

“Why is he always so tired?” He had asked in a whisper, helping with setting up the table.

“Because he goes on night patrols and is a teacher,” Tsuna had explained while stirring the pot. “But I make sure he gets his rest, he’s just dramatic.”

“I hear you.”

Tsuna and Hitoshi had hidden their laughter.

Ichigo was different, of course, and Shouta could explain it better. As Tsuna and Hitoshi grew nearer, the other kid strayed in the surrounding, watchful, silent, unsure. The men knew better than to push him out of his shell because of their deal, so they settled to wait, let him accommodate himself in the new arrangements, in the new house, in the forming family.

They were rewarded. It was Ichigo who finally broke his silence.

Shouta was on the couch, giving his approval to the interns’ requests answering the Agencies – needless to say, those contacted by Sora and Eraserhead had immediately accepted despite the large number of other heroes reaching for them. At least he’d have no obligation to schoolwork for a while beside board meetings, a real blessing. He signed the second-last paper, put it on the offending stack and lifted his gaze to see Ichigo sitting on the floor, on the other side of the low table.

He arched a brow, “hi there.”

“Hi.”

The raven let it be, reading over the last paper and approving it with his signature. He took his time, though, because Ichigo seemed to be reading it, too, with keen interest. He remembered, then, that, most of the times Tsuna asked about school, the boy answered it had been boring. The thought, however, was discarded for later judgement depending on the situation at their deadline.

“I saw the new book.”

Shouta had to think for some seconds to understand what the kid was referring to. “Oh. Tsuna bought that, did you like it?”

“I didn’t say I read it.”

“But you did.”

“… I liked it.”

If he remembered correctly, it had been an English literature book or something. “Would you like more?”

Ichigo blinked up at him, “uh, no?”

“Is that a question?”

“I– Why?”

Shouta shrugged, leaning against the couch’s back. “Because you want them and reading is good for your education?”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“Really…”

“This is the second week.”

“And?”

“You’ll be rid of us soon.”

The man scowled, “what a bad perspective.”

“We’re just a burden.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Because you don’t know where I come from.”

“Doesn’t really matter.”

“It should. It does.”

Shouta decided to play this game, straightening and looking directly in his eyes. “Try me.”

“… no.”

He scoffed, “scared it wouldn’t matter to me?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the problem?” He didn’t wait for a reply, this time. “What are you scared of? It’s been one week already, and you have not even tried to talk to us, passively answering and hovering as if you plan to leave Hitoshi here.” Ichigo flinched, eyes wide. “I haven’t read your file till the end, I don’t care what you come from, I care about you, as the intelligent and polite and protective kid you are. That’s enough for me– for us, me and Tsuna, and Hitoshi, too.”

Shouta fell silent, letting the words he’d often thought of do their magic. He saw how the kid’s eyes lost their focus, unshed tears gathering in them, almost spilling, until they did slide down his cheeks. He expected him to flee, not to start pouring his heart in the man’s hands.

“My mother died when I was four.” His voice was broken, low, slow. “When my quirk manifested, Shiro–” Ichigo sighed, shaking his head. “Dad blamed me, stopped caring for my twin sisters, started drinking… I did my best, I tried, and he blamed me for the fire–” He swallowed. “I’m a burden, I bring bad luck, I’m a monster.” Shouta didn’t move, watching the trembling hands, the leaking tears, the bitten lips, the hurt. “So,” he sniffed, standing and ready to flee, “whenever you want, bring me back to the orphanage, I don’t want to ruin another family.”

The man didn’t let him leave. “I don’t know your biological father, but I don’t need to meet him to tell you that he’s wrong.” Ichigo did stop, stubbornly looking at the window. “Monster is not a word I would use to describe you, because monsters would not care about bullied children, or baby sisters, or family.” He knew his words were having an effect when the kid peered at him, unmoving, hunched, holding onto his own, slim arms. “You are not a burden, you’re a child, and, as such, you have a right to be annoying, because kids are like that, because they need guidance, and adults have the duty to be there for you. It’s something we want to do, because we chose to have children. We’re choosing you and Hitoshi.” The tears fattened and increased, faster. “Do you really not want to be part of our family?”

That was the first time Ichigo broke down and ran into Shouta’s arms, hugging him so tightly he had some difficulty breathing. He hushed the boy into slumber, welcoming the two purring cats acting as scarves. When Tsuna and Hitoshi came back from grocery shopping, they found Shouta and Ichigo deeply sleeping on the sofa, still hugging, with Reborn around the raven’s neck and Byakuran around the kid’s shoulders. It begged for a photo.

Things changed from that day on. Although Ichigo seemed to prefer Shouta – most probably because they shared the ‘annoyance at humanity at large’ trait –, he did open up to Tsuna, asking if he could join the chores and offering to cook.

“I used to, for my sisters,” was enough to let the brunet understand how important it was for the boy to keep the hobby, so he equipped the kitchen for him to be more comfortable and taught him new recipes whenever he could. That was what bonded them thoroughly.

The remaining week passed in a blur of getting to know Ichigo. He was an apt cook, liked literature from all over the world but was enraptured by English one, was studious and responsible and overly protective even of Tsuna and Shouta, that found themselves target of more and more unimpressed stares the more times they ended up overworking. There was no doubt that, despite the fact that he’d be able to cut out the professor job spectacularly, Ichigo would choose to become a hero. It was clear in the way he helped strays, shielded bullied children, offered aid whenever he saw someone in need.

By the time their two weeks were over, Tsuna and Shouta had thought it out enough – just like the boys – and knew what they had to do.

Wayoto and Kaoru knocked at their door in the evening, after dinner, with two folders of papers and a tray of sweets to congratulate them. The two men sat the children down and waited for their answer, showing them that, at their ok, they were ready to put their signatures and become their guardians– their family. With twin grins, one of mischief and one of glee, they nodded, and their family grew. Tsuna felt the tears, held them back, celebrated.

Before he could notice the atmosphere, or the strange movements, or anything really, he turned around to find Shouta, beautiful, sexy, grinning, cheeky, happy– on his knee.

His heart stopped beating for a long moment, then tears streamed in rivers, one hand covering his gaping mouth. He barely registered a female squeal.

“Would you marry me?”

Along with his stopped heart, his mind gave up the thought process. He could do nothing more than throw his arms around his lover– his fiancé, God–

“Yes,” he whispered, feeling Shouta sneakily slide the ring around his left ring finger. “Yes, yes…” He kissed the hero full on the lips, doing his best to not deepen the exchange because they had kids now–

Someone cleared their throat, Tsuna turned and was even more stumped because Kaoru was offering him another set of papers. He didn’t need Intuition to know what they were about, especially because of the golden bands waiting on a small pillow and held by Hitoshi–

“You’re such a sneaky husband, Shou…”

It was the raven’s head’s turn to spin. Tsuna left the embrace to sign the papers, where Shouta’s signature was already black-on-white. He gave the other two adults, and employees, a pointed glare, then crouched to hug the life out of the two kids.

Shouta woke up from his stupor to exchange the golden rings with Tsuna. A bottle of wine was opened. A small party ensued. Which made them notice that many people would have demanded for a bigger one to celebrate such an event.

Tsuna, however, was still too lost, he couldn’t believe it. After everything that had happened – arriving in an unknown universe, going vigilante, meeting Shouta, falling in love with this sleep-disaster, starting a hero career, saving people, adopting children – he was not computing. There was only one thought that circled in his mind, making a bubbly, fuzzy feeling take over everything else. Shouta was at his side, Hitoshi and Ichigo were smiling in front of him and cheering because–

They were a family. His family.