Archive of Our Own

Sawada Tsunayoshi had survived many things in his twenty years of existence.

He had survived being shot in the forehead more times than any reasonable person should, several assassination attempts, a trip to the future that he still occasionally had nightmares about, and the rather unfortunate experience of being trained by the world's greatest hitman.

He had also survived high school, which, considering everything that had happened during those three years, was an achievement he believed deserved considerably more recognition.

Now, as a second-year university student, Tsuna had a new collection of problems to deal with. There were lectures that started far too early in the morning, assignments that seemed to multiply whenever he wasn't looking, and a growing pile of laundry in his apartment that he kept promising himself he would take care of tomorrow.

Ordinary problems. Wonderful, beautifully ordinary problems.

Unfortunately, his life had never been particularly interested in remaining ordinary for very long. This time, the problem was Reborn.

More specifically, Reborn's birthday.

"I think I'm going to die."

Across the table, Gokudera immediately stopped eating. "Tenth?! What's wrong? Are you feeling sick? Did something happen?"

Beside him, Yamamoto looked up from his lunch with considerably less alarm, although his expression grew curious when Tsuna dropped his forehead onto the cafeteria table with a miserable groan.

"Another assignment?" Yamamoto guessed.

"Worse."

"An exam?"

"Worse."

Gokudera was already reaching for his phone. "Is it a threat? Tenth, if someone's bothering you, just tell me their name and I'll—"

"It's Reborn."

That stopped him.

For a moment, neither of his friends said anything. Then Yamamoto slowly put down his chopsticks, looking as though he had just been presented with a particularly interesting mystery.

"What did he do this time?"

"Nothing." Tsuna muttered into the table.

Gokudera blinked, "Nothing?"

"That's the problem."

Yamamoto laughed, "You've lost me, Tsuna."

He let out a sigh dramatic enough to attract the attention of two students at the neighboring table, Tsuna finally lifted his head. His brown hair was slightly flattened on one side, and the expression on his face suggested he had spent the better part of the morning contemplating his own personal downfall.

"His birthday is coming up."

Then Yamamoto smiled. "Oh, right. Next week, right?"

"Exactly." Tsuna pointed at him as though the date itself were evidence of some terrible crime. "And I don't know what to get him."

Gokudera's expression immediately relaxed, "Oh, is that all? You had me worried for a second, Tenth."

"Hayato-kun, this is serious!"

"Of course it is!" Gokudera corrected himself immediately. "Anything concerning you is serious!"

Tsuna decided not to address that. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and stared miserably at the ceiling.

"Reborn is impossible to shop for. He already has everything. And the things he doesn't have are probably illegal, ridiculously expensive, or both."

"That's pretty accurate," Yamamoto admitted, laughing.

"Right? And it's not like I can just buy him a tie or something. He probably owns fifty of them, and they're all worth more than my monthly rent."

Actually, now that Tsuna thought about it, he was fairly certain one of Reborn's ties had cost more than his entire apartment's furniture.

The realization did absolutely nothing to improve his mood.

"Well," Gokudera said thoughtfully, "I've already prepared my gift."

"You have?" Tsuna turned toward him so quickly that his chair squeaked against the floor.

"Of course, Tenth. I arranged it last month."

"Last month?!"

Gokudera nodded, apparently finding nothing unusual about preparing birthday presents several weeks in advance. "It's a limited-edition watch from a Swiss manufacturer. They only produced twenty-seven pieces worldwide, and I had one customized for him."

Tsuna stared, "A watch."

"Yes."

"A limited-edition Swiss watch."

"That's right."

"Customized."

Gokudera seemed pleased that Tsuna was following along. "I had his initials engraved on the back. Nothing too extravagant, of course."

Tsuna slowly lowered his face into his hands.

Nothing too extravagant. Right. He wondered whether rich people understood what that phrase meant.

"How much did it cost?" he asked weakly. Gokudera hesitated. Which was never a good sign. "Hayato-kun."

"Well, Tenth, the price isn't really important—"

"Hayato-kun."

"...A little over twelve thousand euros."

Tsuna nearly fell out of his chair, "TWELVE THOUSAND?!"

Several students turned to look at them, and Gokudera immediately leaned forward, alarmed. "Tenth! Please calm down!"

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CALM DOWN?! THAT'S—THAT'S—"

He couldn't even finish the sentence. His brain had apparently decided that calculating how many months of rent twelve thousand euros could cover was a form of psychological torture.

Yamamoto, who had been watching the exchange with undisguised amusement, laughed into his hand. "That's pretty impressive, Hayato."

"It's Reborn we're talking about. A cheap gift would be insulting." Gokudera folded his arms.

Tsuna made a strangled noise, "A cheap gift would be insulting," he repeated faintly.

He was doomed. Completely and utterly doomed. Desperate for something resembling hope, he turned toward Yamamoto.

"Takeshi, please tell me you're giving him something normal."

Yamamoto considered the question for a moment. "Well, I got him a vacation."

"A what?" Tsuna blinked.

"A vacation." Yamamoto smiled. "A week in Italy. There's a private villa near Lake Como that I thought he'd like, so I booked it for him. The package includes a few things, like a private boat tour and some wine tasting."

"I figured he's always working, right? It'd be nice if he could relax for once." Yamamoto continued cheerfully, entirely unaware that he was making the situation worse.

"A private villa." Tsuna repeated.

"Yeah."

"In Italy."

"Yep."

"With a boat."

Yamamoto laughed. "Well, the boat's optional."

Tsuna stood up, both his friends looked at him.

"Tenth?"

"I'm going home."

"What? But you haven't finished eating!"

"I need to reconsider my life choices."

Yamamoto burst out laughing.

Gokudera immediately rose from his chair as well. "Tenth, wait! If you're worried about the budget, I can help! I know a few people who could arrange something suitable, and money really isn't a problem—"

"That’s not… the point, Hayato-kun…" Tsuna dropped back into his seat, defeated.

The problem wasn't that he couldn't afford an expensive gift. Well, that was certainly part of the problem, considering he was a university student whose greatest financial accomplishment that month had been resisting the temptation to order takeout four nights in a row.

But that wasn't really why he was worried.

He wanted to give Reborn something special. Something that would make him genuinely happy, and that was considerably more difficult than simply finding something expensive.

Reborn was not the sort of person who reacted enthusiastically to presents. Tsuna had seen him receive absurdly luxurious gifts over the years, from custom-made firearms and rare vintage wines to watches whose prices Tsuna had deliberately avoided learning.

His reactions were always more or less the same.

A small smile, or just a polite thank-you if the giver was lucky. Occasionally, a comment about the craftsmanship.

Then he would put the gift away and move on.

Reborn was hard to impress. Actually, that was an understatement. Reborn was hard to please in general, Tsuna knew this better than anyone. After all, he had spent years trying to satisfy that man's impossible standards, usually while being threatened with a gun.

"Maybe you're overthinking it," Yamamoto suggested, pulling Tsuna out of his thoughts.

Tsuna gave him a tired look, "You think so?"

"Yeah." Yamamoto leaned back in his chair, smiling. "I mean, Reborn's known you forever. I don't think he'd care how much you spend."

"That's easy for you to say. You're giving him a villa!"

"A vacation," Yamamoto corrected, laughing again. "I'm not buying him the villa."

"That doesn't make it better!"

Gokudera, meanwhile, looked genuinely thoughtful. "Actually, Yamamoto might have a point."

"Really?" Tsuna turned to him.

"Yes. Reborn has always been particularly interested in you, Tenth. Perhaps something more personal would be appropriate."

Tsuna frowned, "Personal how?"

"Something only you could give him."

Yamamoto's smile widened, "Oh, that's easy."

Both Tsuna and Gokudera looked at him.

"Why don't you just give him yourself?"

For approximately three seconds, the entire table went silent. Then Tsuna choked on his water.

"WH—WHAT?!"

Gokudera slammed both hands onto the table, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SUGGESTING, BASEBALL IDIOT?!"

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" Yamamoto laughed so hard that he nearly dropped his chopsticks.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" Tsuna protested, his face burning.

"Really? I thought it was pretty good."

"TAKESHI!"

"Come on, Tsuna. Reborn already spends half his time at your apartment anyway."

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"Sure, sure."

"And he doesn't spend half his time there!"

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.

Tsuna opened his mouth, then closed it a second later.

Because, admittedly, Reborn did visit rather often.

He had his own apartment, of course. A very nice apartment, according to Dino, who had once described it as the sort of place that made expensive hotels look disappointing. Tsuna had visited a few times himself and could confirm that the description was annoyingly accurate.

And yet, for reasons that remained a mystery to Tsuna, Reborn seemed to prefer spending his free time at Tsuna's considerably smaller apartment.

Sometimes he showed up with groceries, usually after taking one look inside Tsuna's refrigerator and declaring its contents an insult to human civilization. Sometimes he appeared in the middle of the afternoon and occupied the sofa while Tsuna worked on assignments.

Once, Tsuna had returned from campus to find Reborn asleep in his bed. He repeated, his bed. When Tsuna had demanded an explanation, Reborn had merely opened one eye and informed him that the mattress was comfortable.

As though that explained anything.

"He's just annoying," Tsuna insisted.

"Of course," Yamamoto agreed pleasantly.

"He likes bothering me."

"Definitely."

"And my apartment is closer to some of his usual places."

"That makes sense."

Tsuna narrowed his eyes, "Why are you agreeing with everything I say?"

"No reason." Yamamoto smiled.

Gokudera, who had apparently decided that Yamamoto's earlier suggestion was too outrageous to deserve further discussion, cleared his throat.

"Anyway, Tenth, if you need help finding something, I'd be honored to assist you."

Tsuna sighed, "Thanks, Hayato-kun."

"Anything for you, Tenth!"

Yamamoto rested his chin on his hand, "So, how much time do you have left?"

"I don’t know, about seven days?"

"Oh." Yamamoto's eyes brightened mischievously. "Plenty of time to figure out how to wrap yourself in a ribbon, then."

"Takeshi!"

Their laughter followed Tsuna all the way out of the cafeteria.

He was beginning to suspect that asking his friends for advice had been a terrible mistake.

By the time Tsuna returned to his apartment that evening, he had made absolutely no progress.

His phone contained fourteen open browser tabs, three abandoned shopping carts, and a search history that had become increasingly desperate as the afternoon went on.

Birthday gifts for men who have everything.

Luxury gifts for difficult men.

Unique birthday presents.

What to buy someone who doesn't want anything.

And, finally:

Is it rude to give someone a birthday card and nothing else?

The internet had been spectacularly unhelpful.

Tsuna unlocked his apartment door with a tired sigh, kicked off his shoes, and shuffled into the living room while dropping his backpack onto the nearest chair.

He wanted a shower, he wanted dinner. Most importantly, he wanted to stop thinking about Reborn for at least five minutes.

"You're late."

Tsuna froze. Slowly, he turned his head, finding Reborn who was sitting on his sofa.

Dressed in a dark button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, Reborn looked completely at ease, one long leg crossed over the other as he read something on his phone. His black hair was slightly tousled, and a half-finished cup of espresso rested on the coffee table beside him.

He looked up when Tsuna failed to respond, "What's with that face?"

Tsuna stared at him, "How did you get in?"

"Through the door."  Reborn raised an eyebrow.

"But… it was locked!"

"And?"

Tsuna closed his eyes. He had asked that question so many times over the years that he really should have known better. "Why are you here?"

"Can't I visit?"

"You were here yesterday, Reborn."

"And?"

"And you have your own apartment?"

Reborn smiled. It was a small, infuriating smile that Tsuna knew far too well. "Missed me, did you?"

Tsuna made a noise somewhere between a groan and a scream. "I am going to change the locks."

"You said that last week."

"This time I mean it!"

"Of course you do."

Reborn returned his attention to his phone, apparently satisfied with having successfully ruined Tsuna's evening within thirty seconds of his arrival.

Tsuna stood there for another moment, glaring at him. Then his gaze drifted toward the coffee table, there was a small paper bag from the bakery down the street. Beside it sat a covered container that Tsuna didn't recognize.

"What's that?"

"Dinner." Reborn didn't look up. "You've been living on instant noodles and convenience-store food again. I figured I'd intervene before you developed scurvy."

"I eat vegetables!"

"Potato chips don't count."

"I know that!"

Reborn finally glanced at him, visibly amused. "There's pasta in the kitchen. Heat it up before it gets cold."

Tsuna opened his mouth to argue. Unfortunately, his stomach chose that precise moment to growl—loudly.

Reborn's smile widened, "Well?"

Tsuna hated him. He really did.

"...Thanks," he muttered.

"You're welcome, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna rolled his eyes and headed toward the kitchen. He was halfway through reheating the pasta when he realized something.

There were two coffee cups in the sink. One was his favorite ceramic mug, the slightly chipped one he'd bought during his first semester. The other was a black espresso cup that definitely hadn't belonged to him originally.

Reborn had brought it over months ago.

Somehow, it had never left.

Actually, now that Tsuna thought about it, quite a few things in his apartment technically belonged to Reborn. There was a spare toothbrush in the bathroom. A dark jacket hanging behind the bedroom door. A pair of expensive leather shoes near the entrance that Tsuna had stopped questioning.

And the coffee beans. God, the coffee beans. Reborn had practically taken over an entire kitchen shelf with his ridiculous collection.

Tsuna stared at the cups for a moment. Suddenly, he remembered Yamamoto's words.

Reborn already spends half his time at your apartment anyway.

His face warmed, “Stupid Takeshi." he muttered.

"What was that?"

Tsuna nearly dropped the plate, "Nothing."

From the living room came the unmistakable sound of Reborn laughing.

Tsuna wondered, not for the first time, whether it was possible to develop a headache from simply knowing someone.

Reborn watched Tsuna emerge from the kitchen several minutes later, carrying his dinner and wearing the same distracted expression he'd had since coming home.

Something was bothering him. That much was obvious.

Tsuna had always been terrible at hiding things from him. Even after all these years, his face remained remarkably expressive, betraying his emotions with an honesty that Reborn found endlessly entertaining.

Tonight, however, there was something different about his usual restlessness.

Reborn had noticed it almost immediately.

Tsuna kept glancing at him, not in the normal way either. There was a peculiar intensity to it, as though he were trying to solve a complicated problem and had decided Reborn's face might contain the answer.

The first time it happened, Reborn ignored it.

The second time, he smiled to himself.

By the fourth, he was beginning to enjoy the attention far too much.

"You're staring."

Tsuna jerked, "I'm not!"

"Really?"

"I was thinking!"

"About me?"

"No!"

Reborn tilted his head.

Tsuna hesitated, "Not exactly."

Interesting. Reborn set his phone aside. "Something on your mind, Tsuna?"

"No."

"You're a terrible liar."

"I know. You remind me every week."

"And yet you never improve."

Tsuna gave him an irritated look before shoving another forkful of pasta into his mouth.

Reborn watched him for a moment longer. He could have pressed. He was fairly certain Tsuna would have confessed whatever was bothering him after approximately three minutes of sustained questioning, possibly less if Reborn threatened to check his university grades.

But he decided against it.

There was something rather endearing about watching Tsuna struggle with a secret.

Besides, Reborn had a few suspicions of his own.

After all, his birthday was approaching. And Tsuna, despite his many complaints, had always been an embarrassingly thoughtful person.

Reborn leaned back against the sofa, hiding a smile behind his espresso cup.

This could be interesting.

Very interesting indeed.

Later that night, after Reborn had finally left and Tsuna had finished washing the dishes, he returned to the living room and collapsed onto the sofa.

He picked up his phone and opened his notes. He stared at the list he'd created earlier that afternoon.

REBORN'S BIRTHDAY — POSSIBLE GIFTS

1. Tie — probably has 100.

2. Watch — Hayato-kun already bought an insanely expensive one.

3. Vacation — Takeshi somehow booked an entire Italian holiday???

4. Gun — absolutely not.

5. Wine — I don't know anything about wine.

6. Clothes — his taste is too expensive.

7. Coffee — maybe?

8. Something handmade — what am I, five?

Tsuna sighed.

He deleted the last sentence. He typed it again a minute later before deleted it once more. His eyes wandered toward the empty space on the sofa where Reborn had been sitting earlier.

For some reason, the apartment felt unusually quiet.

It was ridiculous, really. Reborn wasn't even supposed to live here. He had no business appearing whenever he pleased, stealing Tsuna's coffee, criticizing his eating habits, and making himself comfortable as though he paid rent.

Tsuna glanced toward the kitchen, where the container of leftover pasta sat neatly in the refrigerator.

Reborn had brought enough for two meals. He always did that. He complained about Tsuna's inability to take care of himself, but somehow he was always the one who remembered when Tsuna had an important exam, when he was running low on groceries, and when he'd stayed up too late studying.

Sometimes, when Tsuna fell asleep over his textbooks, he would wake up with a blanket draped over his shoulders and his desk lamp switched off.

Reborn never mentioned it, neither did Tsuna. They had a strange arrangement, he supposed. One that had developed so gradually he couldn't remember when it started.

Tsuna looked down at his phone again. He opened the list and added another line.

9. Something he actually wants.

He stared at the words, and groaned. "That's the problem, idiot. What does he even want?"

His phone buzzed. A message from Yamamoto appeared on the screen.

Takeshi: Hey, Tsuna! Found the perfect gift yet? 😂

Tsuna: no.

Takeshi: Still think the ribbon idea is pretty good.

Tsuna: I'M BLOCKING YOU

Takeshi: Hahaha good night!

Tsuna threw his phone onto the cushion beside him.

Then, after a moment, picked it up again. Because despite everything, he still needed to find Reborn a birthday present.

And he had seven days left to do it.

God help him.

He was going to need a miracle.

By the following afternoon, Tsuna had come to a rather unfortunate conclusion.

He needed professional help.

Not the kind that involved a therapist, although considering the number of headaches Reborn had caused him over the years, that probably wouldn't have been an unreasonable investment. What he needed was someone who actually knew Reborn well enough to offer useful advice, preferably someone who wouldn't suggest buying a weapon or spending the equivalent of several months' rent on a birthday present.

Unfortunately, the list of people who fit those requirements was depressingly short.

Tsuna discovered this while sitting in the university library, staring at his phone instead of the lecture notes spread across his desk. He had been trying to study for the past twenty minutes, but every time he looked at the page, the words seemed to rearrange themselves into increasingly expensive gift suggestions.

Eventually, he gave up.

He opened his contacts, scrolled past several names, and stopped at one that seemed promising.

Dino.

Why hadn't he thought of that sooner?

Dino had known Reborn for years. More importantly, Dino had actually been trained by him, which meant he understood exactly how unreasonable that man could be. If anyone knew what kind of birthday present Reborn would appreciate, surely it would be another one of his unfortunate former students.

Tsuna pressed the call button before he could reconsider.

Dino answered on the fourth ring.

"Ciaossu, Tsuna!"

"Hi, Dino-san! Sorry, are you busy?"

"Not at all! Well, technically I'm supposed to be reviewing some documents, but Romario's been telling me to take a break anyway. What's up?"

In the background, Tsuna heard someone say something in Italian. Dino responded with a cheerful laugh, followed by the unmistakable sound of papers being moved around.

Tsuna smiled despite himself. Some things never changed.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something about Reborn."

There was a brief pause, then Dino's voice took on a suspiciously interested tone. "Oh?"

Tsuna frowned, "Why did you say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like... that."

Dino laughed, "Sorry, sorry. Go on."

Tsuna decided to ignore him, "His birthday's coming up, right? And I have absolutely no idea what to get him. I thought maybe you could help since you've known him for so long."

"Ah, a birthday present!"

"Yeah."

"For Reborn."

"Yes, Dino-san."

"From you."

Tsuna stared at his phone, "Why are you repeating everything I say?"

"No reason!"

That was the second time in less than twenty-four hours someone had said those exact words to him, and Tsuna was beginning to develop a deep distrust of the phrase.

"So," Dino continued, sounding far too cheerful, "What were you thinking of getting him?"

"That's the problem! I don't know!" Tsuna lowered his voice when a student at the next table glanced over. "Hayato-kun already bought him some ridiculously expensive watch, and Takeshi's giving him a vacation in Italy. I can't compete with that."

"Why would you need to compete?"

"Because I want to give him something good!"

Dino made a small, thoughtful sound. "And what makes you think he wouldn't be happy with something from you?"

Tsuna blinked, "Well, because... it's Reborn?"

"That's not really an answer."

"You know what he's like! He's picky about everything. Remember when he spent twenty minutes complaining about the coffee at that restaurant in Rome?"

Dino laughed. "I remember him threatening to buy the restaurant just so he could fire the person responsible."

"Exactly! That's the kind of person we're dealing with!"

"Fair point."

Tsuna leaned back in his chair, relieved to finally have someone acknowledge the severity of his situation. "So? Any ideas?"

"Hmm. Well, there's always the obvious choice."

Tsuna immediately sat up, "What? What is it?"

"Something personal."

"Oh, come on!" His shoulders dropped.

"What?"

"Everyone keeps saying that!"

"Well, maybe everyone's onto something."

"But what does that even mean? A personalized wallet? A photo album? Should I knit him a scarf?"

There was a brief silence before Dino started laughing.

"Dino-san."

"I'm sorry—I'm sorry, Tsuna, but the image of Reborn wearing a scarf you knitted is—"

"Please don't."

"He'd wear it, you know."

Tsuna frowned, "What?"

"The scarf."

"No, he wouldn't."

"Oh, he absolutely would."

"Dino-san, we're talking about the same Reborn, right?"

"Trust me."

Tsuna stared at the table, trying to imagine Reborn voluntarily wearing a handmade scarf. Perhaps a black one, because Reborn seemed physically incapable of wearing anything that didn't make him look like he was attending a funeral or preparing to assassinate someone at one.

Then he imagined Reborn examining his terrible knitting, raising one eyebrow, and asking whether Tsuna had made it blindfolded.

Yeah. Absolutely not.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Suit yourself," Dino replied, still sounding amused. "But honestly, Tsuna, I wouldn't worry so much. I think he'd be happy with just about anything you gave him."

Tsuna sighed, "You really think so?"

"I know so." There was something unusually certain about the way Dino said it.

Tsuna opened his mouth to ask what he meant, but Dino continued before he could.

"Actually, if you really want to surprise him, why don't you spend the day with him? Just the two of you. I think he'd—"

A sudden, sharp sound interrupted him.

Tsuna jerked the phone away from his ear, "Hello? Dino-san?"

There was a muffled curse from the other end, followed by what sounded suspiciously like someone knocking over a chair.

Then Dino returned, laughing nervously. "Ahaha! Sorry about that!"

"Is everything okay?"

"Perfectly fine! Everything's great!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yep! Listen, Tsuna, I should probably get back to work."

"But—"

"Good luck with the present! I'm sure he'll love it!"

The call ended just like that. Tsuna stared at his screen.

"What?"

In Italy, thousands of kilometers away, Dino slowly lowered his phone and looked at the message that had appeared on his laptop.

Reborn: Keep talking and I'll personally remind you why you used to be afraid of me.

Dino swallowed. Beside him, Romario glanced at the screen and sighed.

"Did you almost tell Sawada-sama again?"

"I didn't tell him anything!"

"Boss."

"I was being supportive!"

Romario gave him a patient look.

Dino rubbed his face, "Why does Reborn have to make everything so complicated?"

Another message arrived.

Reborn: I heard that.

Dino stared at it in horror. "How?!"

Tsuna's next attempt was considerably less pleasant.

Lal Mirch answered his call with a sharp, "What?"

"L-Lal-san! Hi!" Tsuna immediately straightened in his chair, despite the fact that she couldn't see him.

"Tsuna? What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong! I just wanted to ask you something."

"Then ask."

"Right. Um, Reborn's birthday is coming up, and I was wondering if you had any ideas for a present."

Lal didn’t say anything, the silence wrapped them immediately. Tsuna waited for her to say something.

"You're asking me what to buy Reborn?"

"Yes?"

"Why?"

"Because you know him?"

Another silence wrapped their conversation. Tsuna began to regret every decision that had led him to this conversation.

Finally, Lal sighed, "Buy him ammunition."

Tsuna stared, "...What?"

"Ammunition. Good quality. Something he actually uses."

"Lal-san, I can't just walk into a store and buy ammunition!"

"Then get someone to do it for you."

"That’s not the problem!"

"Don't shout."

"Sorry!"

Lal clicked her tongue, "Honestly, you're making this more complicated than it needs to be. Reborn doesn't care about birthday presents."

"He doesn't?" Tsuna's expression fell.

"Not particularly."

"Oh."

"He gets plenty of expensive things from people trying to impress him. Most of them end up collecting dust somewhere."

That was exactly what Tsuna had been afraid of. He stared down at his notebook, where he'd written several possible gift ideas in increasingly messy handwriting.

"So... what would he actually like?"

Lal didn't answer immediately. When she finally spoke, her voice had softened just a fraction. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Tsuna blinked, "Ask him?"

"Yes. You're close to him, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"Then stop trying to guess."

Tsuna considered that. It was annoyingly reasonable advice. Which was strange, considering it had come from Lal Mirch, who had suggested ammunition less than a minute earlier.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Thanks, Lal-san."

"Don't mention it."

The call ended.

Tsuna looked at his phone for a moment, then scribbled another note beneath his growing list.

Ask Reborn directly…???

He circled it twice.

Then immediately decided to try one more person first.

Colonello answered on the second ring.

"Yo, Tsuna! What’s up, kora?"

Tsuna winced and lowered the volume, "Hi, Colonello! Sorry to bother you."

"No problem! What do you need?"

"Well, I was wondering if you knew what Reborn might want for his birthday."

Colonello burst out laughing. Tsuna sighed. Why did everyone keep doing that?

"You’re buying that bastard a present?"

"Yes!"

"Then, good luck, kora!"

"That's not helpful!"

"What's your budget?"

Tsuna hesitated, "...Do I have to tell you?"

Colonello laughed even harder, "Relax! I'm not gonna tell you to buy him a tank!"

"Really?" Tsuna felt a brief surge of relief.

"Nah. A helicopter would be better."

"Colonello!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

Tsuna dropped his forehead onto his notebook. He was beginning to understand why Reborn had so few normal friends.

"Seriously, though," Colonello said once he'd finished laughing, "You don't need to spend a fortune. That guy's got more money than he knows what to do with."

"I know. That's why this is so difficult."

"Then don't buy him something."

Tsuna lifted his head, "What?"

"Do something for him instead."

"Like what?"

"Dunno. Cook him dinner. Take him somewhere. Spend some time together."

Tsuna blinked. That was actually, that wasn't terrible advice. "You think he'd like that?"

"Who knows? He's a weird bastard."

"Colonello!"

"But hey, if it comes from you, he'll probably keep his mouth shut for once."

Tsuna frowned, "What does that mean?"

"Nothing, kora!"

"Why does everyone keep saying things like that?!"

Colonello laughed. "Ask Fon. He's good at this sentimental stuff."

And with that, he hung up.

Tsuna stared at his phone for a very long time. He added another note.

Dinner?

He looked at the word. His cooking wasn't terrible. He could manage basic meals, especially after living alone for nearly two years, although he still occasionally called his mother when a recipe confused him.

Reborn, however, had impossibly high standards.

What if he hated it? What if he took one bite, made that expression he always made when something disappointed him, and spent the rest of the evening criticizing Tsuna's seasoning?

Tsuna groaned.

Maybe he should just buy the stupid tie.

Fon, thankfully, was much easier to talk to.

He answered Tsuna's video call from what appeared to be a quiet garden, a cup of tea resting on the table beside him. His expression brightened when Tsuna appeared on the screen.

"Ah, Tsunayoshi. It's lovely to hear from you."

"Hi, Fon-san! Sorry for calling out of nowhere."

"Not at all. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just need some advice."

Fon smiled, "Of course."

Tsuna explained his situation for what felt like the hundredth time that day, including Gokudera's expensive watch, Yamamoto's Italian vacation, and his increasingly unsuccessful attempts to find something Reborn didn't already own.

Fon listened patiently, occasionally nodding.

Unlike the others, he didn't laugh. Tsuna was beginning to think he might actually survive this conversation.

"So," he finished, "I was wondering if you knew something Reborn might like. Something special, I guess."

Fon set down his teacup, "May I ask you something first?"

"Sure."

"Why is it so important to you?"

Tsuna blinked, "What?"

"Finding the perfect gift," Fon clarified. "You seem to be putting quite a lot of thought into it."

Tsuna looked down, "Well... because it's Reborn."

Fon waited. Tsuna shifted in his seat. "I mean, he's done a lot for me. And he's been around for so long that it feels weird not knowing what to give him."

"Mm."

"And I know he can be annoying, and he drives me crazy sometimes, but..."

He paused. How was he supposed to explain it? Reborn had been part of his life for so long that Tsuna sometimes struggled to remember what things had been like before him.

Not because every memory was pleasant. God knew that wasn't true. There were entire years of his adolescence he would happily classify as prolonged psychological warfare.

But Reborn had also been there for every important moment.

He had believed in Tsuna when Tsuna couldn't believe in himself. He had pushed him forward when everything seemed impossible, and although his methods were often questionable, his faith in Tsuna had never wavered.

Even now, years after the curse had been broken and Reborn had returned to his adult body, he remained a constant presence.

He no longer lived in Tsuna's bedroom or followed him to school, but he still called to ask about his classes. Still showed up when Tsuna was having a terrible day. Still somehow knew when Tsuna needed someone to tell him to stop overthinking and get some sleep.

Tsuna scratched his cheek, "I just... want him to know I appreciate him, I guess."

Fon smiled. It was a small, gentle expression. "I see."

"So? Any ideas?" Tsuna looked at him hopefully.

"Perhaps you're looking in the wrong direction."

"Huh?"

"You keep asking what Reborn doesn't have," Fon said. "But have you considered what he might never have received?"

Tsuna frowned, "Isn't that the same thing?"

"Not necessarily." Fon folded his hands in his lap. "Reborn has lived a rather unusual life. There are very few material things he couldn't obtain if he truly wanted them. But receiving something and being given something are not always the same experience."

Fon smiled again, "Sometimes the value of a gift has very little to do with the gift itself."

Tsuna tried to process that, then tried again. "Fon-san, I'm sorry, but I don't think I understand."

Fon laughed softly. "That's alright."

"No, seriously. Are you saying I should make something?"

"I'm saying you should think about what only you can offer him."

Tsuna blinked. There it was again, something only he could give. Why did everyone keep coming back to that?

"Like... a personal letter?"

Fon looked pleased, "That sounds lovely."

"Reborn would laugh at me." Tsuna grimaced.

"Would he?"

"Definitely."

Fon only smiled.

For some reason, that made Tsuna even more suspicious.

By the time Tsuna finally returned home, he was exhausted.

His mission had been a spectacular failure.

Dino had laughed at him, Lal had recommended ammunition, Colonello had suggested a helicopter, and Fon had apparently decided to become a philosopher.

He had learned absolutely nothing.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. He had learned that Reborn's friends were all terrible at giving straightforward answers.

Tsuna kicked off his shoes and shuffled into the living room, already reaching for the light switch.

"Welcome home."

He screamed—not a dignified scream, not even a particularly masculine one. It was the kind of scream that would have embarrassed him if Reborn hadn't already heard approximately a thousand variations of it over the years.

"REBORN!"

Reborn sat on the sofa, completely unbothered. "You're getting predictable."

"Why are you always here?!"

"Because you keep leaving your security system on the default setting."

"You’re not supposed to know that!"

"Then change it."

Tsuna sighed so heavily that Reborn almost looked impressed. "I'm too tired for this."

"Long day?"

"You have no idea."

Reborn tilted his head, "Something happen at university?"

"No."

"An assignment?"

"No."

"Trouble with Gokudera?"

"No."

"Yamamoto?"

"No!"

Reborn hummed, "Then it must be something serious."

"Are you making fun of me?" Tsuna narrowed his eyes.

"Would I ever?"

"Yes!”

Reborn smiled. Tsuna dropped his bag beside the coffee table and collapsed onto the opposite end of the sofa.

For a few minutes, neither of them spoke.

The television was on, playing some documentary Reborn had apparently been watching before Tsuna came home. A narrator was discussing the history of Italian architecture, although Tsuna was fairly certain Reborn wasn't paying much attention.

He was too busy watching Tsuna.

Eventually, Tsuna noticed. "What?"

"Nothing."

"You're staring."

Reborn's mouth curved, "Am I?"

"Yes!"

"Maybe I like looking at you."

Tsuna rolled his eyes, "You're so weird."

Reborn chuckled. It was such an ordinary exchange that Tsuna barely thought about it. Reborn said things like that all the time.

Sometimes he called Tsuna cute just to watch him get flustered. Sometimes he complimented his appearance with a perfectly straight face, only to follow it with a comment about how his hair looked like a bird's nest.

Tsuna had long since learned not to take any of it seriously.

After all, this was Reborn.

The same man who had once threatened to shoot him for getting a math problem wrong. There was absolutely no reason to read anything romantic into his behavior.

None whatsoever.

Reborn, meanwhile, was beginning to wonder whether he had underestimated just how oblivious Tsuna could be.

He had been dropping increasingly obvious hints for months.

And he wasn’t particularly proud of it.

Reborn had never considered himself the sort of man who pursued someone through subtle compliments and carefully timed visits. His usual approach to getting what he wanted was considerably more direct, although he doubted that strategy would work particularly well in this situation.

Not with Tsuna.

Especially not with Tsuna.

Because this wasn't a situation he could solve with confidence alone.

He could flirt. He could tease. He could make Tsuna blush and enjoy the resulting chaos. But he couldn't make Tsuna see him differently.

That had to happen on its own.

And for someone who had spent most of his life controlling every possible variable, Reborn found the uncertainty profoundly irritating.

"Reborn?"

He looked up. Tsuna was watching him now, his expression curious.

"What?"

"Are you busy next weekend?"

Reborn raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"No reason."

"That's suspicious."

Tsuna scowled, "Can you just answer the question?"

Reborn considered him for a moment, then he smiled. "I suppose I could make time."

"Good."

"Planning something?"

"No." Tsuna immediately looked away.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Then why are your ears red?"

"They aren’t!"

Reborn laughed. Tsuna grabbed a cushion and threw it at him. Naturally, Reborn caught it without even looking, which was deeply unfair.

"You're impossible," Tsuna grumbled.

"So I've been told." Reborn placed the cushion beside him. Then, after a moment, he asked casually, "Why don't you come over tomorrow?"

Tsuna blinked, "To your place?"

"Unless you've developed a sudden preference for someone else's apartment."

"What for?"

"Dinner."

Tsuna looked surprised. Reborn watched the expression cross his face, followed almost immediately by suspicion.

"What's the catch?"

"No catch."

"Reborn."

"What?"

"You don't invite people over without a reason."

"Perhaps I'm feeling generous."

"That's even more suspicious!"

Reborn chuckled, "Seven o'clock. Don't be late."

Tsuna opened his mouth to argue, but Reborn had already stood up and was reaching for his jacket.

"Wait, you're leaving?"

"Unless you'd prefer I stay." There it was again. That strange, almost suggestive tone.

Tsuna narrowed his eyes, "Why do you keep saying things like that?"

Reborn paused. For one brief moment, something unreadable passed across his expression.

Then he smiled, "Because you make such entertaining faces."

Tsuna groaned, "You’re annoying."

"Goodnight, Tsuna." Reborn laughed softly and headed toward the door.

"Yeah, yeah. Goodnight."

The door clicked shut behind him.

Tsuna stared at it for a moment. Then he looked down at the notebook he'd left on the coffee table, where his increasingly desperate gift ideas were still written in black ink.

He sighed.

Tomorrow, apparently, he was having dinner with the very man he was trying to surprise.

Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

At least, he thought as he reached for his phone, he still had a few days to figure something out.

Reborn made it halfway down the hallway before his phone rang.

Dino.

He answered without slowing his steps, "What?"

"You're welcome, by the way."

Reborn raised an eyebrow, "For what?"

"For not telling him."

"I should hope you didn't."

Dino laughed, "Seriously, Reborn. How long are you going to keep this up?"

Reborn pressed the elevator button. "Keep what up?"

"Oh, come on. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Reborn said nothing.

Dino sighed dramatically, "You're hopeless."

"Careful."

"I'm serious! You've been in love with him for years, and you're still acting like—"

"Dino."

"—like some teenager who doesn't know how to ask someone out!"

Reborn's eyes narrowed. "I could still kill you."

"See? That's exactly what I mean!"

The elevator arrived. Reborn stepped inside, watching the doors slide shut in front of him. "I don't recall asking for relationship advice."

"Well, somebody has to give it to you."

"I'd rather they didn't."

"Reborn." Something in Dino's voice changed. The teasing was still there, but quieter now. "He's not a kid anymore."

Reborn went still. For a moment, the only sound was the low hum of the descending elevator. "I know," he said.

And he did.

Tsuna was twenty now. He attended university, paid his own bills, made his own decisions, and lived in an apartment that, despite Reborn's frequent complaints, he had managed to turn into a comfortable home.

He wasn't the frightened fourteen-year-old Reborn had first met.

He hadn't been for a long time.

Reborn knew that better than anyone. He had watched Tsuna grow into someone extraordinary. And perhaps that was precisely the problem.

Because no matter how much Tsuna had changed, Reborn couldn't quite forget how their relationship had begun.

A baby in a black suit. A ridiculous yellow pacifier. An absurdly strict tutor who had appeared in Tsuna's bedroom one morning and proceeded to turn his entire life upside down.

Even after the curse had broken, even after Reborn had regained the adult body he'd once taken for granted, Tsuna had continued treating him almost exactly the same.

He still argued with him. Still complained whenever Reborn appeared uninvited. Still called him an idiot when he was being particularly unreasonable.

There was comfort in that familiarity.

Reborn cherished it more than he cared to admit.

But sometimes, in moments he would never confess to anyone, he wondered whether familiarity had become its own kind of obstacle.

Whether Tsuna would ever look at him and see something other than the tutor who had raised him into the person he was today.

Whether the idea of loving Reborn would seem ridiculous to him.

Or worse, whether it would never occur to him at all.

"Reborn?" Dino's voice pulled him back.

Reborn exhaled quietly, "What?"

"You know you could just tell him."

Reborn smiled without humor, "And ruin all the fun?"

Dino groaned. "You're impossible."

"So I've been told."

"I'm beginning to understand why Tsuna says that so often."

Reborn chuckled. The elevator reached the ground floor.

"Goodnight, Dino."

"Wait, I wasn't fin—"

Reborn ended the call. He slipped his phone into his pocket and stepped out into the cool evening air, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt as he walked toward his car.

There were very few things in the world he couldn't obtain if he wanted them badly enough.

Money had never been an issue. Neither had influence, skill, or patience. He had spent most of his life taking calculated risks, trusting his instincts, and emerging victorious even when the odds were against him.

But this was different.

Because Tsuna wasn't something to be won.

He wasn't a mission, or a target, or a prize waiting at the end of a carefully constructed plan.

He was Tsuna.

And Reborn, for all his experience, had absolutely no idea whether the person he wanted most in the world would ever want him back.

He stopped beside his car and glanced at the phone in his hand.

A message had arrived.

Tsuna: hey

Reborn smiled before he could stop himself.

Reborn: What?

Tsuna: about tomorrow

Reborn: Changed your mind already?

Tsuna: no

Tsuna: i just wanted to ask if i should bring anything

Reborn: Yourself.

Tsuna: be serious

Reborn: I am.

Tsuna: REBORN

Reborn: Seven o'clock, Tsuna.

Tsuna: fine. goodnight.

Reborn looked at the final message for a moment longer than necessary.

Then he slipped the phone into his pocket, still smiling. He had a feeling this year's birthday was going to be interesting.

He only hoped he wasn't expecting too much.

Tsuna had been to Reborn's apartment before.

Several times, actually, although he couldn't remember ever visiting under circumstances that could reasonably be described as normal.

The first time had involved an emergency meeting with several Vongola associates, the second had been because Dino had somehow managed to convince Reborn to host a dinner that ended with three broken glasses and a minor argument about explosives, and the third had involved Tsuna accidentally falling asleep on Reborn's sofa after spending nearly fourteen hours working on a university assignment.

He still remembered waking up the next morning in one of the bedrooms, tucked beneath an expensive duvet that smelled faintly of clean linen and something unmistakably Reborn, only to discover that his former tutor had already prepared breakfast.

Naturally, Reborn had ruined the entire experience by informing him that he'd drooled on the pillow.

Still, Tsuna had to admit that the apartment was nice.

Annoyingly nice.

It occupied the upper floor of a modern building in a quiet neighborhood, with enormous windows overlooking the city and furniture that looked far too expensive for anyone to sit on comfortably. Everything was tasteful, understated, and perfectly arranged, from the dark wooden shelves in the living room to the collection of books that Tsuna suspected were worth more than his tuition.

The entire place looked like it belonged in an interior design magazine.

Which made it especially irritating that Reborn spent so much of his time at Tsuna's apartment, where the sofa had a suspicious stain on one armrest and the dining table doubled as a study desk.

Tsuna was thinking about this as he stood outside Reborn's door at precisely 6:58 p.m, holding a small paper bag and wondering whether he should have brought something more impressive than dessert from a bakery.

He had spent nearly twenty minutes choosing it. It wasn’t because Reborn was particularly fond of sweets, but because Tsuna had remembered him once mentioning that he liked a particular kind of dark chocolate tart from a cafe near the university.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time.

Now, standing in front of a door that probably cost more than his refrigerator, he was beginning to reconsider.

Before he could ring the bell, the door opened.

"How do you always do that?!" Tsuna startled

Reborn stood in the doorway, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "Good evening to you too."

"Don't change the subject! I didn't even ring!"

"I heard you."

"I wasn't making any noise!"

"You were muttering."

Tsuna opened his mouth, then closed it. That was technically true.

Reborn's eyes drifted toward the paper bag in his hand, "What's that?"

"Nothing." Tsuna instinctively pulled it closer to his chest.

Reborn raised an eyebrow, "Interesting. Nothing usually doesn't come in a bag."

"It's dessert," Tsuna admitted reluctantly. "You said I didn't have to bring anything, but it felt weird showing up empty-handed."

Reborn looked at the bag again, then at Tsuna. Something about his expression softened, although the change was so slight that Tsuna almost missed it.

"You didn't have to."

"I know. That's why I said—"

"Come in, Tsuna."

Tsuna sighed and stepped inside. Reborn took the bag from him before he could protest, examining the bakery's logo as he closed the door.

"The chocolate tart?"

Tsuna blinked, "Yeah. You like that one, right?"

Reborn looked at him. For a moment, he said nothing. Then he smiled. "I do."

"Good. Because I almost got the strawberry one, but then I remembered you said it was too sweet."

Reborn's smile lingered.

He remembered that conversation.

It had happened nearly three months ago, during an entirely unremarkable afternoon when Tsuna had dragged him into a café after class. Reborn had made an offhand comment about the desserts while Tsuna was busy complaining about an upcoming exam.

He hadn't expected Tsuna to remember.

Yet here he was. Holding a chocolate tart purchased specifically because Tsuna had paid attention to something he'd said months earlier.

Reborn had received watches, cars, rare wines, and firearms worth small fortunes. None of them had ever made him feel quite like this.

"Reborn?"

He blinked, Tsuna was looking at him strangely. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Perfectly."

"Then why are you staring at the bag?"

Reborn chuckled, "Just appreciating your excellent taste."

"Are you making fun of me?" Tsuna narrowed his eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"That's a lie."

"You're learning."

Tsuna rolled his eyes and followed him into the living room.

Dinner, much to Tsuna's relief, did not involve anything particularly terrifying.

There were no unfamiliar guests waiting in the dining room, no surprise training exercises disguised as casual social gatherings, and no suspiciously complicated tasks that Tsuna had to complete before being allowed to eat.

Instead, there was a beautifully prepared meal waiting on the table.

Tsuna stopped in the doorway, "Did you make all this?"

Reborn glanced over his shoulder. "Who else would have?"

"I don't know. A chef?"

Reborn looked offended, "Do you think I can't cook?"

"No! I just—" Tsuna gestured helplessly at the table. "This looks like something from a restaurant!"

Reborn had prepared pasta with a rich-looking sauce, roasted vegetables, and a dish of something Tsuna didn't recognize but immediately wanted to eat. Two glasses sat beside a bottle of sparkling water, and the table had been set with the sort of casual elegance that made Tsuna suddenly conscious of the fact that he was wearing a university sweatshirt.

He looked down at himself, then his gaze move to Reborn. "...Should I have dressed up?"

"Why?" Reborn followed his gaze.

"Because you look like you're about to host a business dinner, and I look like I just crawled out of the library."

"You did just crawl out of the library."

"That's not the point!"

Reborn laughed, "Relax, Tsuna. You're fine."

Tsuna grumbled something under his breath before taking the seat Reborn indicated.

He watched as Reborn moved around the table, setting down the final dish and adjusting the placement of a glass before sitting opposite him.

It was strange.

Not the dinner itself, exactly. Tsuna had eaten with Reborn countless times before.

But there was something different about being here, just the two of them, without Gokudera loudly insisting on serving him first or Yamamoto laughing at whatever argument had broken out between them.

No Lambo running around demanding attention. No Dino arriving with an entourage. And no urgent Vongola business interrupting the meal.

Just Tsuna and Reborn.

And, rather unexpectedly, it was nice.

"You're quiet," Reborn observed.

Tsuna looked up, "Huh?"

"Usually you've complained about at least three things by now."

"Maybe I'm enjoying the peace."

"Should I be concerned?"

Tsuna gave him a flat look, "You're the one who invited me."

"And I'm beginning to wonder whether I've accidentally invited an impostor."

"Reborn!"

There it was. That familiar, exasperated tone. Reborn smiled into his glass.

Much better.

For the first half of dinner, they talked about ordinary things.

Tsuna complained about a professor who seemed convinced that students had unlimited free time, and Reborn listened with the patient amusement of someone who had once made him complete written assignments while dodging bullets.

At one point, Tsuna mentioned an upcoming group presentation and spent nearly five minutes explaining why he was convinced one of his group members was going to ruin everything.

"Then assign him something he can't ruin." Reborn suggested.

"I tried! He said he'd handle the slides, and then he sent us a presentation with twelve different fonts!"

Reborn raised an eyebrow, "Twelve?"

"Twelve! On six slides!"

"Impressive."

"That's not impressive!"

"It takes a special kind of incompetence."

Tsuna laughed despite himself, "And the worst part is, he thinks it looks good."

"Then perhaps you should shoot him."

"Reborn!"

"What? It would solve the problem."

"It would create several new ones!"

Reborn chuckled, clearly pleased with himself. Tsuna shook his head and returned to his dinner, still muttering about how some things never changed.

But the conversation continued easily after that.

Reborn asked about his classes, and Tsuna asked whether he'd been working too much lately. Reborn claimed he was perfectly capable of managing his schedule, which Tsuna immediately challenged by pointing out that he'd received a message from him at three in the morning two nights earlier.

"That doesn't mean I wasn't sleeping," Reborn said.

"You texted me."

"I could have been sleep-texting."

"You're unbelievable."

"And yet you replied."

Yeah, that’s true, he had replied at three in the morning within two minutes.

Reborn's smile turned insufferably smug.

Tsuna pointed his fork at him. "Don't."

"I haven't said anything."

"You're thinking it."

"Am I?"

"Yes!"

Reborn laughed again. Tsuna tried very hard not to notice how nice that sound was.

It happened sometime after dinner, when Reborn was washing the dishes and Tsuna was drying them. Which was already ridiculous, because Tsuna had insisted on helping despite Reborn informing him that he was a guest and therefore didn't need to do anything.

Tsuna had responded by pointing out that Reborn regularly appeared at his apartment and made himself at home without asking permission, so the least he could do was allow Tsuna to help clean up.

Reborn had looked amused before he'd handed Tsuna a dish towel.

Now they stood beside each other in the kitchen, occasionally bumping elbows as Reborn passed him freshly washed plates.

Tsuna was putting away a glass when he noticed something.

Reborn had rolled his sleeves up again. It was such a stupid thing to notice. He had seen Reborn roll up his sleeves before. He had seen him fight, train, clean weapons, and perform all sorts of activities that required considerably more physical movement than washing dishes.

There was absolutely no reason for this to be interesting.

Tsuna's gaze drifted toward his forearms.

Reborn had always been strong, even when the Arcobaleno curse had trapped him in a baby's body. Tsuna knew that better than anyone. But seeing that strength in an adult body was different.

His movements were precise and economical, every gesture controlled without appearing stiff. Even something as ordinary as washing a plate seemed to come naturally to him, and Tsuna found himself watching the way his hands moved before abruptly realizing what he was doing.

He looked away immediately.

He was too late.

"Something interesting?"

Tsuna nearly dropped the glass, "Nothing!"

"Careful. Those are expensive." Reborn glanced at him.

"Then, don’t distract me!"

"I wasn't doing anything, though."

"You were talking!"

"Terrible habit, I know."

Tsuna glared at him, Reborn smiled. Because he was apparently determined to make Tsuna's evening as difficult as possible, he leaned slightly closer.

"You know, if you wanted to look, you could've just asked."

Tsuna froze, his entire face went hot. "I wasn’t looking!"

"No?"

"No!"

"Then I must have imagined it."

"You did!"

"Shame." Reborn hummed thoughtfully.

Tsuna stared at him, "...What?"

"Nothing."

"Reborn!"

Reborn laughed so hard that Tsuna seriously considered throwing the dish towel at his head. Instead, he turned toward the cabinet and began putting away plates with considerably more force than necessary.

Reborn was still smiling behind him.

He really was hopelessly fond of that boy.

By the time they finished cleaning, Tsuna had decided that he needed to leave before Reborn found another way to embarrass him.

Unfortunately, Reborn had other plans.

"Coffee?"

Tsuna glanced toward the clock, "It's almost nine."

"And?"

"And I should go home."

Reborn raised an eyebrow, "Do you have class tomorrow?"

"Not until eleven."

"Then you have plenty of time."

Tsuna hesitated. Reborn watched him with an expression of perfect innocence, which, considering who he was, should have been an immediate warning sign.

"Fine." Tsuna sighed.

Reborn smiled, "Good boy."

"Please stop saying that."

They moved to the living room with their drinks, settling onto opposite ends of the sofa.

Tsuna held a mug of hot chocolate, because Reborn had apparently decided that giving him coffee after nine in the evening would interfere with his sleep schedule.

Tsuna had protested that he was an adult capable of making his own decisions. Reborn had informed him that his decision-making skills had been questionable since birth.

The argument had lasted approximately four minutes.

Tsuna was now drinking hot chocolate and he hated how often that happened.

For a while, they sat in comfortable silence.

The city glittered beyond the enormous windows, distant traffic moving like thin streams of light through the streets below. Someone had left soft music playing in the background, and the apartment was warm enough that Tsuna had begun to feel pleasantly sleepy.

He tucked one leg beneath himself, cradling his mug between both hands.

Reborn sat beside him, one arm resting along the back of the sofa as he read something on his tablet.

It was peaceful. Almost suspiciously so.

Tsuna glanced at him. He should ask.

Lal had told him to ask. Everyone else had been spectacularly unhelpful, and he was running out of time. Surely it couldn't hurt to just ask.

"Hey, Reborn?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." Reborn didn't look up.

Tsuna closed his eyes, "Can you be normal for five seconds?"

"Unlikely, but you're welcome to try."

Tsuna sighed, then he turned toward him. "What do you want for your birthday?"

That got his attention. Reborn lowered the tablet, and for a moment he simply looked at Tsuna. Then one corner of his mouth lifted. "My birthday?"

"Yes, your birthday."

"Why?"

Tsuna stared, "What do you mean, why?! Because it's your birthday!"

"Astute observation."

"Reborn!"

Reborn chuckled and set the tablet aside, "Why are you asking?"

"Because I don't know what to get you." the words came out before Tsuna could stop them.

Reborn's smile widened.

Ah. So that was it. He had suspected something along those lines, of course. The strange glances, the distracted behavior, the sudden interest in his schedule.

But hearing Tsuna admit it so openly was considerably more satisfying than he'd expected.

"You've been worrying about that?"

Tsuna looked away, "Maybe?"

"How long?"

"That's none of your business."

"Seven days?"

Tsuna's head snapped toward him, "How did you know?”

Reborn laughed.

Tsuna groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Of course you knew. Why wouldn't you know? You probably have cameras in my apartment or something."

"Would you like an honest answer?"

"No!"

"Then I won't tell you."

"Reborn!"

Reborn was openly laughing now. Tsuna wondered whether it was too late to abandon the entire birthday project and pretend he'd forgotten the date.

Unfortunately, he knew himself too well.

He wasn't going to do that because he cared too much.

"Look," he said eventually, lowering his hands. "I'm serious."

Reborn's laughter faded into a small smile, "I know."

"No, you don't. Everyone else already has something planned, and I can't think of anything you'd actually want."

"You don't have to get me anything."

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is?"

Tsuna hesitated. The question was simple—annoyingly simple—yet he found himself struggling to answer. He looked down at his mug, tracing the rim with his thumb.

"I just... want to give you something you'd like." Tsuna continued before he could make another joke. "You've done a lot for me, you know? And I know you're going to say something annoying if I start thanking you, so don't."

Reborn's mouth twitched, "I wouldn't dream of it."

"You're already smiling."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

"Must be your imagination."

Tsuna rolled his eyes, but there was no real irritation behind it. He shifted slightly on the sofa, turning toward Reborn.

"Anyway, I just want to do something nice for you. You've got everything already, and everyone keeps buying you these ridiculous presents, so I thought maybe there was something you actually wanted that nobody's thought of yet." He paused, with a small sigh he added, "But I can't figure it out."

Reborn didn't answer immediately.

The soft music continued playing in the background, filling the brief silence between them. He looked at Tsuna sitting beside him, brown hair falling messily over his forehead, hands wrapped around a mug that was probably too warm to hold comfortably.

Tsuna was looking at him with such earnest frustration that Reborn felt something in his chest tighten.

It was absurd.

He had spent decades in an occupation that required him to remain calm under pressure, to evaluate threats in seconds, to make decisions that could determine whether people lived or died.

He had faced enemies without blinking.

And somehow, one university student asking about a birthday present was enough to leave him momentarily speechless.

Because Tsuna wanted to make him happy. It wasn’t because it was expected of him nor Reborn had demanded anything. Simply because he wanted to.

Reborn wondered whether Tsuna understood how dangerous that was.

How easily that kind of sincerity could make a man hope for things he'd spent years convincing himself not to expect.

"Reborn?" He blinked. Tsuna was watching him curiously.

"Well?" Reborn leaned back against the sofa. A small smile returned to his face. "Something I've never had."

Tsuna stared, "What?"

"For my birthday," Reborn clarified. "I want something I've never had."

There was a long pause.

Tsuna blinked once, then twice. Then he slowly lowered his mug onto the coffee table. "Are you serious?"

"Completely."

"Something you've never had."

"That's right."

"Reborn."

"Tsuna."

"You literally had everything!"

Reborn laughed, "Not everything."

"Then, name one thing you didn’t have!"

"That would ruin the surprise."

Tsuna made a strangled noise, "How am I supposed to surprise you if you don’t know what you want?"

"You're a smart boy, Tsuna. Figure it out."

"I am going to throw you out the window!"

"That would be an interesting birthday present."

"Reborn stop making everything complicated."

Reborn was laughing again, and Tsuna had never wanted to strangle someone so badly in his entire life.

Tsuna grabbed the nearest cushion, considering to throw it to Reborn

.Reborn raised an eyebrow. "Careful."

"Then stop laughing!"

"Those are expensive, you know."

Tsuna threw it anyway. Naturally, Reborn caught it.

He looked down at the cushion, then back at Tsuna. "Temper, temper."

"I give up." Tsuna groaned and fell backward against the sofa.

"Already?"

"Yes!"

"That's disappointing."

"You’re disappointing!"

Reborn smiled. For a moment, he simply watched Tsuna sulking beside him. Then he reached over and gently flicked the center of his forehead.

Tsuna yelped, "Oww! What was that for?!"

"Stop overthinking."

"Easy for you to say!" Tsuna groaned.

"I mean it."

Tsuna looked at him. Reborn's expression had softened, just slightly, but enough that the teasing edge of his smile disappeared. "You don't need to compete with anyone, Tsuna."

Tsuna blinked. Reborn continued, his voice quieter now. "I couldn't care less what everyone else gives me."

"But—"

"Whatever you decide is fine."

Tsuna stared at him for a moment, his expression turned suspicious. "Even if it's something cheap?"

"Even then."

"Even if it's handmade?"

"Especially then."

Tsuna blinked, "Really?"

"Really." Reborn smiled.

The answer made Tsuna feel strangely warm. He looked away. "Okay."

Reborn watched the faint pink spreading across his cheeks. Then, because he had never been particularly good at leaving well enough alone, he added, "Although if you wanted to give me a kiss, I wouldn't complain."

Tsuna nearly fell off the sofa, "What?!"

"I'm joking." Reborn laughed.

"That’s not funny!"

"Your face says otherwise."

"My face says I’m going tokill you!"

Reborn leaned back, thoroughly entertained. Tsuna covered his burning cheeks with both hands.

Honestly, what was wrong with that man?!

Reborn walked him to the door sometime after ten.

Tsuna had spent the final half hour complaining about how unfair it was to ask for something without specifying what it was, while Reborn had listened with the indulgent amusement of someone watching a particularly entertaining performance.

Now, as Tsuna slipped on his shoes, he was still muttering.

"Something you've never had. Honestly, what kind of answer is that?"

"A perfectly reasonable one."

"It's not reasonable!"

Reborn smiled, "Perhaps you lack imagination."

"Perhaps you're just annoying!"

Tsuna straightened and reached for his bag, "Anyway, thanks for dinner."

"You're welcome."

"It was good."

"I know."

Tsuna rolled his eyes, "You're supposed to say thank you."

"Thank you for recognizing my excellent cooking skills."

"You're impossible."

"So I've been told."

Tsuna shook his head, although he was smiling now. He stepped into the hallway and turned back.

"Goodnight, Reborn."

"Goodnight, Tsuna."

For a moment, neither moved. It was a small thing, barely a pause.

Reborn found himself looking at Tsuna standing beneath the warm hallway light, his brown eyes bright and his hair still slightly messy from where he'd spent the evening running his fingers through it in frustration.

There was a time when Reborn had looked at him and seen a frightened boy who could barely meet anyone's eyes.

Now, standing in front of him, was a young man who had grown into his own life.

Someone who laughed more easily than he used to, who argued with Reborn without hesitation, who had friends and ambitions and a future that belonged entirely to him.

Someone Reborn wanted far more than he had any right to expect.

Tsuna shifted awkwardly, "What?"

"Nothing." Reborn smiled.

"You're doing that staring thing again."

"Am I?"

"Yes!"

"Maybe you're just nice to look at."

Tsuna's face immediately turned red. "Good night!"

He turned and hurried toward the elevator.

Reborn watched him go, laughing quietly to himself. But when the elevator doors finally closed, his smile softened into something quieter.

Something almost wistful.

"Something I've never had," he murmured.

He glanced down at the paper bag resting on the small table beside the entrance.

The chocolate tart Tsuna had brought. Reborn had eaten half of it after dinner, and the rest was waiting in his refrigerator. A simple dessert from an ordinary bakery.

Nothing particularly expensive, and nothing particularly rare either. And yet, he couldn't remember the last time a gift had made him that happy.

He wondered what Tsuna would say if he knew.

Probably something loud and defensive or probably something adorable.

Reborn shook his head, smiling faintly.

He switched off the hallway light and returned to the quiet apartment.

By the time Tsuna reached home, he was furious.

Not genuinely furious, of course. More the particular kind of fury that came from spending an entire evening with Reborn and somehow ending up even more confused than when he'd started.

He threw his bag onto the sofa, kicked off his shoes, and immediately reached for his phone.

The group chat with Gokudera and Yamamoto was still active.

Tsuna: i asked him

Gokudera: TENTH!! DID HE TELL YOU WHAT HE WANTS?!

Tsuna: yes

Takeshi: Oh? 👀

Tsuna: he said he want something hes never had…

Takeshi: 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Tsuna: DON'T LAUGH

Takeshi: Sorry, sorry 😂

Gokudera: That's incredibly vague. Typical Reborn-san.

Tsuna: RIGHT???

Tsuna: WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THAT

Takeshi: Well, did he give you any hints?

Tsuna paused.

He thought about Reborn's smile. The way he'd looked at him over dinner, and that ridiculous comment about a kiss.

His face warmed.

He immediately shook his head.

No. Reborn had been joking obviously.

Tsuna: no he was just being annoying as usual

Takeshi: Hahaha. Are you sure?

Tsuna: what does that mean???

Takeshi: Nothing!

Tsuna: I HATE BOTH OF YOU

Gokudera responded with approximately six messages apologizing for something he hadn't done.

Yamamoto sent another laughing emoji.

Tsuna dropped his phone onto the sofa and groaned.

Three days.

He had three days left before Reborn's birthday. Somehow, despite all his efforts, he was no closer to finding the perfect gift.

Or at least, that was what he thought.

Because there was something he hadn't quite realized yet. Something that had been happening so gradually, so naturally, that he had never stopped to question it.

The way he'd begun looking forward to Reborn's visits. The way he remembered how Reborn took his coffee, what food he liked, which shirts he wore most often. The way his apartment felt a little too quiet after Reborn left.

And the way, when Reborn had smiled at him across the dinner table that evening, Tsuna had briefly forgotten what he was going to say.

He told himself it was nothing.

Just familiarity, a habit. Just Reborn being Reborn.

But when he finally went to bed that night, the memory that stayed with him wasn't the expensive furniture, the delicious dinner, or even that infuriatingly vague birthday request.

It was the way Reborn had looked at him when he'd said that whatever Tsuna decided to give him would be fine.

As though he'd meant it, as though something from Tsuna mattered more than anything else.

Tsuna stared at his ceiling for a long time. Then he rolled onto his side, pulled the blanket over his head, and groaned.

"Stupid Reborn."

Somewhere across the city, completely unaware of the trouble he'd caused, Reborn was smiling at a photograph of the chocolate tart Tsuna had brought him.

He had taken the picture before cutting it. He wasn't entirely sure why or rather he knew exactly why.

He simply wasn't prepared to admit it.

Not yet.

By Monday afternoon, Tsuna had begun to seriously consider the possibility that finding Reborn a birthday present was more difficult than defeating an entire family of assassins.

At least assassins had weaknesses. They followed patterns, made mistakes, and occasionally had the decency to explain their motives before attempting to kill him. Reborn, on the other hand, had spent the better part of the previous evening looking ridiculously pleased with himself while refusing to provide a single useful detail about what he wanted for his birthday.

Something I've never had.

Tsuna had replayed those four words so many times that he was beginning to hear them in his sleep.

He had tried making a list of possible interpretations that morning, but the exercise had only made things worse. Reborn had never owned a pet, as far as Tsuna knew, although Leon probably counted. He had never been to Antarctica, perhaps, but Tsuna wasn't about to book him an expedition. He had probably never received a handmade ceramic bowl from a university student with absolutely no experience in pottery, either, but Tsuna doubted that was what he'd been hinting at.

By the time his last lecture ended, he was exhausted from thinking about it.

Which was why the message from Kyoko arrived at exactly the right moment.

Kyoko: Tsuna-kun! Are you free this afternoon? Haru-chan, Chrome-chan, and I are going shopping. Would you like to come with us?

Tsuna stopped in the middle of the hallway.

Shopping with Kyoko, Haru, and Chrome.

Under normal circumstances, he might have hesitated, if only because accompanying Haru on a shopping trip had a tendency to involve considerably more walking than he was emotionally prepared for. But today, the invitation felt like divine intervention.

Three girls. Three entirely different perspectives. Three people who might actually understand the concept of buying a thoughtful present without spending an amount of money that could fund a small business.

He typed his answer immediately.

Tsuna: yes!! actually that's perfect

Kyoko: Really? Yay! We're meeting at the station at three.

Tsuna: i'll be there!

Haru: HAHIII!! TSUNA-SAN IS COMING TOO?! 💕💕

Tsuna: hi haru

Haru: THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST SHOPPING DAY EVER!!

Chrome: I'm looking forward to seeing you Boss :)

Tsuna: looking forward to seeing you too chrome!

He slipped his phone into his pocket and headed toward the station with considerably more enthusiasm than he'd felt all week.

Finally, he thought, some normal people.

Someone was going to help him figure this out.

He had no idea how badly he'd underestimated them.

The first sign of trouble came approximately fifteen minutes after they met.

"Tsuna-san," Haru said, looking at him with an expression of enormous curiosity. "Why did you suddenly decide to join us?"

Tsuna nearly dropped the shopping basket Kyoko had handed him. "Huh? Can't I come shopping with you?"

"Of course you can!" Haru replied immediately. "Haru is very happy! It's just that Tsuna-san usually looks like he's preparing for battle whenever we go shopping together."

"That's because you made me carry twelve bags last time!"

"Eleven," Kyoko corrected gently.

Tsuna turned toward her, "Kyoko-chan!"

She laughed, covering her mouth with one hand.

Beside her, Chrome was smiling quietly, apparently content to watch the exchange unfold.

They were standing inside a small lifestyle store filled with stationery, accessories, decorative household items, and an alarming number of things Tsuna hadn't known people could possibly need. Haru had already found a display of colorful hair clips, while Kyoko was examining a collection of scented candles.

Chrome, meanwhile, had been studying a little glass figurine of a black cat for several minutes.

Tsuna looked at it, "Do you like that one, Chrome?"

She glanced up, slightly startled. "Oh. Yes. It's cute."

"Then you should get it."

Chrome smiled shyly, "I might."

Tsuna nodded, pleased, before turning his attention back toward the shelves. He had barely taken two steps when Haru appeared beside him.

"Tsuna-san."

"Yeah?"

"Are you looking for something?"

Tsuna hesitated for a second, "Actually... yeah."

"Oh?" Haru's eyes immediately brightened.

Kyoko turned toward them, "Is it something for yourself, Tsuna-kun?"

"Not exactly." Tsuna scratched the back of his head. "It's Reborn's birthday in a few days, and I still haven't found him a present."

For a moment, all three girls were silent. Then Haru clasped her hands together. "HAHIII! A BIRTHDAY PRESENT FOR REBORN-CHAN?"

Tsuna winced, "Haru, not so loud!"

"Oh! Sorry!"

"That's sweet of you, Tsuna-kun." Kyoko smiled.

"It's not really sweet," Tsuna muttered. "It's just a birthday present."

"But you've been thinking about it a lot, haven't you?" Chrome asked.

Tsuna blinked, "How did you know?"

Chrome merely smiled, something about that smile made him nervous. Before he could question her, Haru grabbed his arm.

"Don't worry, Tsuna-san! Haru will help you find the perfect present!"

Kyoko nodded enthusiastically, "We'll all help!"

Tsuna looked between them. For the first time in several days, he felt genuinely hopeful.

"Really?"

"Of course!" Kyoko replied.

Chrome nodded.

Tsuna could have cried, "Thank you. Seriously, you have no idea how much I need help."

"Then it's decided! Operation Reborn-san's Birthday Present begins now!" Haru looked delighted.

Tsuna laughed.

He should have known better than to assume it would be that simple.

An hour later, they had accomplished absolutely nothing.

It’s not because the girls weren't trying, it’s quite the opposite. They were trying very hard.

Haru had taken her responsibility as Tsuna's personal shopping assistant with an enthusiasm that bordered on frightening. She had dragged him through two clothing stores, a specialty tea shop, and a boutique selling leather accessories that Tsuna had been too intimidated to enter on his own.

Kyoko had suggested several thoughtful gifts, including a personalized fountain pen and a beautiful leather notebook.

Chrome had quietly pointed out a collection of handmade bookmarks that were surprisingly elegant.

All of them were good suggestions. Unfortunately, none of them felt right.

"Reborn already has a fountain pen," Tsuna explained for what felt like the hundredth time. "Actually, he has several. I borrowed one once and he told me it cost more than my phone."

Haru stared at him, "Why would a pen cost that much?"

"I actually don’t know…"

Kyoko laughed, "What about a wallet?"

"He has one."

"A new one?"

"He'd probably ask why I thought there was something wrong with his old one."

"A scarf?" Haru suggested.

Tsuna immediately remembered Dino's laughter over the phone. "No."

"Why not?" Haru blinked.

"Because I don't want to spend the rest of my life hearing about how badly I chose a scarf."

"But Reborn-chan wears scarves sometimes, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, expensive ones."

"Then maybe something handmade!"

Tsuna groaned, "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because handmade gifts are special?" Kyoko looked amused.

"Not when you're giving them to someone who can probably identify the exact number of mistakes you made while creating them."

Chrome tilted her head, "Would he really criticize something you made for him, Boss?"

Tsuna opened his mouth, then hesitated. Because, actually he wasn't entirely sure. Reborn made fun of him constantly, yes, but he also kept some surprisingly ridiculous things Tsuna had given him over the years.

There had been a birthday card Tsuna had made when he was younger, a rather terrible drawing of Reborn wearing an enormous fedora. Tsuna had discovered it tucked inside one of Reborn's books years later, although Reborn had claimed he'd simply forgotten to throw it away.

Then there was the little keychain Tsuna had brought back from a school trip.

He'd bought it because it reminded him of Leon.

Reborn had attached it to his suitcase.

He'd kept it there for years.

Tsuna frowned. Maybe handmade wasn't such a terrible idea after all, but he still had no idea what to make.

"Let's take a break," Kyoko suggested when Tsuna sighed for the sixth time in approximately two minutes. "There's a cafe upstairs."

Haru immediately agreed, Chrome nodded. Tsuna followed them toward the escalator, feeling somewhat defeated but grateful for the company.

At least, he thought, he could complain about Reborn over cake.

That was always therapeutic.

"So," Haru began approximately thirty seconds after they sat down, "What did Reborn-chan say when you asked him what he wanted?"

Tsuna, who had been reaching for his iced tea, stopped, "How did you know I asked?"

"You said you were having trouble deciding, so I thought maybe you'd already talked to him." Kyoko smiled.

"Oh." That made sense. Tsuna relaxed, then immediately remembered the conversation. "He said he wanted something he's never had."

The girls blinked by the answer.

"Something he's never had?" Kyoko repeated.

"Exactly!" Tsuna leaned forward, relieved to finally have an audience that might appreciate the absurdity of the situation. "Do you know how ridiculous that is? Reborn has everything! He owns things I didn't even know existed! And when I asked him to be more specific, he just smiled at me and said I should figure it out!"

The girls exchanged knowing glances without saying a word, as though they had just discovered something.

Tsuna frowned, "What?"

"Nothing," Kyoko said quickly.

"Why did you all just look at each other?" His eyes narrowed.

"We didn't!" Haru protested.

"You did!"

"Hahi! Tsuna-san is imagining things!"

Tsuna stared at them. He was beginning to think his entire social circle had been replaced by people who communicated exclusively through suspicious glances.

Chrome, perhaps sensing his growing distress, spoke gently. "Maybe Reborn-san means something that isn't material."

Tsuna sighed, "That's what Fon-san said."

"Oh, you asked Fon-san too?" Kyoko brightened.

"And Lal-san. And Colonello. And Dino-san."

Haru looked impressed, "Wow. Tsuna-san really is working hard for Reborn-chan."

"Well, yeah. I mean, it's his birthday." Tsuna scratched his cheek.

"Of course," Kyoko agreed. But there was something unusually warm about her smile, Tsuna didn't understand why.

He continued explaining his situation, starting with Gokudera's expensive watch and Yamamoto's vacation package before moving on to the dinner he'd had with Reborn the previous evening.

That, as it turned out, was a mistake.

"Wait," Haru interrupted.

Tsuna blinked, "What?"

"Reborn-chan cooked dinner for you?"

"Yeah."

"At his apartment?"

"Yes?"

"Just the two of you?"

Tsuna frowned, "Well, who else would be there?"

Haru slowly turned toward Kyoko. Then, Kyoko was looking into her teacup with an expression that suggested she was trying very hard not to smile. Chrome had gone unusually quiet.

Tsuna looked between them, "What?"

"Nothing!" Haru said again, far too quickly.

Tsuna sighed, "Anyway, he made pasta, and it was really good, actually. I brought him this chocolate tart because he mentioned liking it once, and then we watched television for a while."

"You remembered what kind of dessert he likes?" Kyoko's smile grew.

"Of course."

"From when?"

"I don't know. A few months ago?"

Haru made a tiny sound. Tsuna ignored it.

"And then he kept making these stupid jokes while we were cleaning up, and I swear he was doing it on purpose because he knows I get annoyed."

"What kind of jokes?" Chrome asked quietly.

Tsuna hesitated. He remembered Reborn leaning toward him in the kitchen.

If you wanted to look, you could've just asked.

His face warmed. "Just... Reborn jokes."

Haru leaned forward, "What does that mean?"

"Nothing important!"

"Tsuna-san!"

"He was just being annoying!"

Kyoko rested her chin on her hand. "Tsuna-kun, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Tsuna looked at her.

"Does Reborn-chan visit your apartment often?"

He blinked, "Yeah, kind of?"

"How often?"

Tsuna thought about it. "Well, it depends. Sometimes a few times a week."

"A few times?" Haru's eyebrows rose.

"Yeah."

"And he cooks for you?"

"Sometimes."

"Does he stay over?"

Tsuna frowned, "Occasionally. Usually if it's late or he doesn't feel like going home."

"He stays overnight?" Chrome looked up.

"Yeah. He has a spare toothbrush and everything." Tsuna took a sip of his iced tea, then noticed that all three girls were staring at him. "What?"

Haru slowly lowered her drink, "Tsuna-san."

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you and Reborn-chan aren't already dating?"

Tsuna choked violently. Kyoko immediately reached for a napkin while Haru jumped in her seat.

"HAHIII! TSUNA-SAN!"

Chrome leaned forward, concerned. "Boss, are you alright?"

Tsuna coughed several times before finally managing to breathe. "WH-WHAT?!"

Several people at nearby tables turned toward them. Haru immediately lowered her voice. "You're telling us Reborn-san comes over several times a week, cooks for you, sometimes stays overnight, and keeps his things at your apartment!"

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE DATING!"

Kyoko tilted her head, "Then what does it mean?"

Tsuna stared at her. For some reason, he couldn't immediately produce an answer. "It's just... Reborn!"

"That doesn't explain anything, Tsuna-san" Haru looked unconvinced.

"He does whatever he wants! You know that!"

"Yes, but does he do all those things for everyone?"

Tsuna opened his mouth. He tried to imagine Reborn voluntarily spending several evenings a week at Gokudera's apartment.

No.

Yamamoto's?

Probably not.

Dino's?

Well, perhaps, but mostly to torment him.

That was different.

"He's just used to being around me," Tsuna insisted.

Chrome looked at him for a moment. She asked very gently, "And are you used to having him around, Boss?"

Tsuna blinked, "Of course."

"Do you like it?"

He hesitated. The answer should have been easy.

Reborn was annoying. He showed up without warning, criticized Tsuna's habits, stole food from his refrigerator, and seemed to consider it his personal responsibility to make Tsuna's life unnecessarily difficult.

But there were also evenings when they sat together without talking much, Reborn reading while Tsuna worked on assignments.

There were mornings when Tsuna woke up to the smell of coffee and found Reborn already in the kitchen.

And there were nights when Reborn wasn't there, when Tsuna would glance toward the empty sofa and wonder whether he was busy.

Tsuna looked down at his drink, "I guess."

Haru's expression softened, Kyoko smiled and Chrome looked quietly pleased.

Tsuna immediately became suspicious again, "What?"

"Nothing!" Kyoko replied.

"Please stop saying nothing!"

The conversation eventually moved on to other things, much to Tsuna's relief.

Haru complained about a difficult assignment of her own, Kyoko talked about a new restaurant she wanted to visit, and Chrome mentioned that Mukuro had recently sent her an unnecessarily dramatic message about the weather.

Tsuna was grateful for the distraction.

He was also trying very hard not to think about the question Kyoko had asked.

Does he do all those things for everyone?

It was a stupid question. Not because it didn't make sense, but because Tsuna had never really considered it before.

Reborn had always treated him differently. That was just how their relationship worked. He was Reborn's student. His former student, technically, although Reborn still seemed to consider correcting Tsuna's mistakes a lifelong responsibility.

Of course he treated Tsuna differently.

That didn't mean anything.

Right?

Tsuna was still thinking about it when Haru suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"Tsuna-san! Look!"

They had left the cafe and wandered into a small accessories shop tucked between two larger stores. It was quieter than the others, filled with handmade jewelry, keychains, phone straps, and little charms displayed on wooden stands.

Haru was pointing toward a collection of matching accessories. "Aren't these cute?"

Tsuna leaned closer. There were small embroidered animals, tiny glass flowers, miniature stars, and several colorful charms made from polished resin.

"Oh, these are adorable." Kyoko picked up a little strawberry charm.

Chrome examined a tiny purple flower. "They're handmade."

Tsuna looked around without much enthusiasm. He'd already ruled out most accessories as possible gifts. Reborn wasn't exactly the kind of person who decorated his belongings with cute little trinkets.

Then something caught his eye.

Near the back of the display, hanging from a small wooden rack, were two charms shaped like little suns.

They were almost identical.

One was a warm golden yellow, bright without being overly flashy, while the other was a soft orange that reminded Tsuna vaguely of the sky just before sunset. Neither was particularly large. Each had a small metal clasp and a simple design, with rounded rays surrounding a smooth circular center.

Tsuna reached for the yellow one.

It was surprisingly pretty.

He turned it over in his palm.

"That's cute," Kyoko said, appearing beside him.

Tsuna nodded, "Yeah."

Haru leaned closer. "Oh! A matching set!"

"Matching?" Tsuna blinked.

"Look! There are two colors!"

She lifted the orange charm from the display and held it beside the yellow one.

Tsuna looked at them. Golden yellow and warm orange. For some reason, the colors felt familiar.

The yellow reminded him of Reborn.

Its not just because of the Arcobaleno pacifier Reborn used to wear, although that was certainly part of it. There was something about the bright, warm color that made Tsuna think of the strange contrast between Reborn's intimidating presence and the way he could somehow make a room feel more familiar simply by being in it.

And the orange, well, orange had always been his color. His Dying Will Flames, his family, the ridiculous number of things in his life that seemed to involve that particular shade.

Tsuna stared at the two charms. Then, slowly, he smiled. "Actually..."

Kyoko tilted her head, "Tsuna-kun?"

"I think I found something."

"Really?!" Haru gasped.

Tsuna nodded, still looking at the charms.

"I mean, it's not much, but..." He turned the yellow one over again.

The craftsmanship was simple, but careful. The edges were smooth, and the metal clasp felt sturdy enough to attach to a bag or a set of keys.

He could imagine Reborn clipping it somewhere discreet.

Maybe onto his keys, or perhaps the zipper of his work bag. Although knowing Reborn, he'd probably complain that it clashed with his aesthetic.

Tsuna smiled to himself. He could already hear it.

Really, Tsuna? A little yellow sun?

Then he'd make some comment about how Tsuna had apparently mistaken him for a kindergarten student.

Tsuna would get annoyed, then Reborn would laugh.

Everything would be normal.

He looked at the orange charm. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad.

"Are you buying both?" Chrome asked.

Tsuna blinked, "Huh?"

"The yellow and orange ones."

"Oh. Yeah, I think so."

Haru's eyes widened.,"Both?!"

"Well, the yellow one's for Reborn, obviously.” Tsuna nodded.

"And the orange one?" Kyoko asked.

Tsuna shrugged, "For me, I guess."

There was a very brief silence before Haru slowly brought both hands to her mouth. Kyoko's smile became almost impossibly gentle. Chrome lowered her gaze, although Tsuna could have sworn he saw her hiding a smile.

He looked between them, "What?"

"Nothing!" Haru squeaked.

Tsuna narrowed his eyes, "You're doing it again."

"It's just a lovely idea, Tsuna-kun." Kyoko laughed softly.

"Really?"

"Really."

Chrome nodded. "I think Reborn-san will like it."

Tsuna looked down at the yellow charm.

He hoped so.

It wasn't expensive, and it certainly wasn't impressive compared to the gifts Reborn would be receiving from everyone else.

But somehow, holding the two little suns in his hands, Tsuna felt more certain than he had about any of the other gifts he'd considered.

"Okay. I'll get them."

They ended up having an early dinner together before heading home.

By then, Tsuna had relaxed considerably. He no longer felt the same crushing pressure to find the perfect present, and although he still wasn't entirely sure whether Reborn would appreciate the charm, he had decided that it was worth trying.

It was while they were waiting for their food that Kyoko asked another question.

"Tsuna-kun, are you planning to celebrate Reborn's birthday with everyone?"

Tsuna considered that. "Probably? I think Dino-san mentioned something about a party."

Haru nodded, "Reborn-chan always has so many people around him."

"Yeah," Tsuna agreed. "And everyone's probably going to give him something expensive."

Chrome glanced at the small shopping bag resting beside Tsuna's chair. "Maybe you could give him your present separately."

"Separately?" Tsuna blinked.

"Um." Chrome nodded. "Somewhere quieter."

Kyoko smiled, "That sounds nice. You could celebrate with him privately."

Tsuna looked thoughtful.

Privately. He hadn't really considered that. Usually, Reborn's birthday involved some sort of gathering, whether it was organized by Dino, the other Arcobaleno, or one of their many increasingly chaotic acquaintances.

There were always people. Always noise. Always expensive presents and elaborate food and at least one argument that threatened to escalate into violence.

And Tsuna usually spent most of those gatherings trying to prevent someone from destroying the venue.

Maybe something quieter would be nice for once.

"Actually," he said slowly, "Our birthdays are right next to each other."

Kyoko nodded, "October thirteenth and fourteenth, right?"

"Yeah. Reborn's on the thirteenth, mine's on the fourteenth."

Haru smiled, "That's so cute!"

Tsuna blinked.

"What is?"

"Your birthdays being so close!"

"Oh." Tsuna laughed. "Yeah, I guess."

Chrome tilted her head, "Then maybe you could spend the evening together?" Chrome continued, her voice gentle. "Celebrate Reborn-san's birthday on the thirteenth, and then when it becomes midnight, it'll be your birthday too."

"Oh, I love that idea!" Kyoko's eyes brightened.

Haru clasped her hands together. "Hahiii! You could have a little birthday dinner!"

Tsuna stared at them.

A quiet dinner just the two of them. He could cook something, and maybe order a cake from the bakery Reborn liked. He could decorate the apartment a little, although nothing too elaborate. Reborn would probably make fun of him if he covered the place in balloons.

And he could give him the charm.

Its actually sounded really nice.

"Do you think he'd like that?" Tsuna asked.

The three girls exchanged another look. This time, Tsuna was too distracted to notice.

Kyoko smiled, "I think he'd love it."

"Definitely!" Haru nodded so enthusiastically that her hair bounced.

Chrome's smile was smaller, but just as certain. "He would be happy to spend time with you, Boss."

"Well, I hope so." Tsuna scratched his cheek.

He looked toward the restaurant window, where the late afternoon sunlight was beginning to soften into a warm orange glow.

A private birthday dinner, that was manageable. He could do that.

And maybe, just maybe, he could finally give Reborn something that wasn't simply another expensive object to add to his collection.

Something personal, something that actually meant something.

"Okay," he said. "I'll do it."

"One more thing, Tsuna-kun."

They had finished dinner and were preparing to leave when Kyoko spoke again.

Tsuna looked up from his phone, "Yeah?"

"Have you thought about writing him a letter?"

He blinked, "A letter?"

"You said earlier that there were things you wanted to thank him for, right? Maybe you could write them down." Kyoko nodded.

"I don't know..." Tsuna looked uncertain.

"Why not?"

"Because it's Reborn."

Haru laughed, "Tsuna-san, you keep saying that!"

"Because it's true!"

Chrome tilted her head, "Would it be easier to write something than to say it?"

Tsuna hesitated. He thought about all the times he'd tried thanking Reborn over the years. Usually, it ended with Reborn teasing him until he got embarrassed and changed the subject.

Sometimes Tsuna couldn't even get the words out properly.

It was frustrating.

He had so much he wanted to say. Not just about the training or the battles or the way Reborn had helped him become stronger, there were smaller things too.

Things Reborn probably didn't even realize mattered. Like the way he always showed up when Tsuna needed help, even if Tsuna hadn't asked. Or the way he'd quietly stayed beside him during some of the worst nights of his life. Or how, after all these years, Tsuna still felt a little more confident whenever Reborn told him he could do something.

Maybe writing it down would be easier.

"I guess," Tsuna admitted.

Kyoko smiled, "Then you should try."

"And make it heartfelt!" Haru said with excitement.

Tsuna laughed nervously, " Okay, okay, I'll try."

Chrome looked at him with a gentle expression. "Just be honest, Boss."

Those words stayed with him.

Just be honest.

It sounded simple.

Tsuna had a feeling it might turn out to be the most difficult part of the entire birthday project.

That evening, Tsuna returned to his apartment carrying two shopping bags, a small gift box, and considerably more emotional confusion than he'd left with.

He placed everything on the dining table, changed into comfortable clothes, and returned to inspect his purchases.

The yellow charm rested inside the little box Haru had insisted on decorating, and the orange one lay beside it. Tsuna picked them both up.

They really were pretty together.

He held them side by side, watching how the colors complemented each other beneath the warm kitchen light.

Yellow and orange.

Reborn and Tsuna.

He smiled faintly.

"Not bad."

Then his phone buzzed.

Reborn: Home yet?

Tsuna glanced at the message. His fingers moved automatically.

Tsuna: yeah just got back

Reborn: You were out late.

Tsuna: it's literally 8 pm

Reborn: Past your bedtime, Dame-Tsuna.

Tsuna: im twenty

Reborn: And yet you still need supervision.

Tsuna: says the guy who breaks into my apartment every other day

Reborn: You make it sound like a bad thing.

Tsuna: it IS a bad thing

Reborn: Then why do you keep making coffee for me?

Tsuna froze.

He looked toward the kitchen.

At the coffee machine. At the shelf where Reborn kept his expensive beans. At the black espresso cup sitting beside his favorite chipped mug.

"Because you're annoying," he muttered.

Then he typed:

Tsuna: because you complain when i don't

Reborn: Naturally.

Tsuna shook his head, smiling despite himself.

Another message arrived.

Reborn: Have fun today?

Tsuna blinked. That was unusual. Not the question itself, exactly, but the fact that Reborn had asked so casually.

Tsuna: yeah! went shopping with kyoko-chan haru and chrome

Reborn: I see.

Tsuna hesitated.

Then, because he was incapable of keeping anything a secret for more than five minutes without making himself suspicious, he added:

Tsuna: found something good too

Reborn: Oh?

Tsuna: not telling you

Reborn: How cruel.

Tsuna: you deserve it

Reborn: I suppose I do.

Tsuna looked down at the yellow charm in his hand.

He wondered whether Reborn would actually use it.

Probably not. But maybe he'd keep it somewhere.

Maybe he'd put it on his keys. Maybe he'd smile when he saw it.

The thought made Tsuna strangely happy.

Tsuna: anyway don't make plans on the 13th

Reborn: Giving me orders now?

Tsuna: yes

Reborn: How bold.

Tsuna: reborn im serious

Reborn: So am I.

Tsuna frowned.

Before he could respond, another message appeared.

Reborn: I'm yours that evening.

Tsuna stared.

For a moment, his brain simply stopped working. His cheeks warmed. "Why does he always say things like that?!"

He typed furiously.

Tsuna: YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

Reborn: Of course I do.

Tsuna: then stop being weird

Reborn: Goodnight, Tsuna.

Tsuna: goodnight

Tsuna dropped his phone onto the table and covered his face.

Honestly that man was going to be the death of him.

Reborn sat at his desk with his phone in one hand and a half-finished glass of wine in the other.

He had been reviewing a report when Tsuna's messages arrived. The report was now forgotten. Instead, he was looking at the conversation, particularly the part where Tsuna had instructed him not to make plans for the thirteenth.

Reborn smiled.

So the boy had finally decided on something. Interesting. He wondered what it was.

A gift, certainly.

Perhaps dinner.

Perhaps something handmade, considering how strangely enthusiastic Tsuna had sounded.

Whatever it was, Reborn was looking forward to it more than he cared to admit.

He set down his phone and leaned back in his chair. For a moment, his gaze drifted toward the small shelf beside his desk. There were several expensive objects displayed there: a rare watch, a beautifully crafted pen, a decorative knife gifted to him by an old acquaintance.

And tucked between them, something that looked entirely out of place.

A small green keychain, cheap plastic, slightly scratched.

Its shape was vaguely reminiscent of a chameleon, although the craftsmanship was questionable enough that an unfamiliar observer might have mistaken it for a lizard.

Tsuna had given it to him years ago.

He'd bought it during a school trip, proudly announcing that it reminded him of Leon.

Reborn had made fun of it. Of course he had. He'd told Tsuna that Leon deserved a more flattering representation.

Tsuna had called him ungrateful. Reborn had kept it anyway.

For years.

He reached toward the shelf and picked it up, turning it between his fingers. Such a ridiculous little thing, an ordinary gift, yet it was one of the few presents he'd never even considered getting rid of.

Reborn smiled to himself.

"Honestly, Tsuna."

He placed the keychain back where it belonged. Then he picked up his phone again, opened their conversation and reread the message.

Don't make plans on the 13th.

He wondered whether Tsuna knew how little convincing that required. He wondered whether Tsuna had any idea how much Reborn wanted to spend that evening with him.

And, perhaps most foolishly of all, he wondered whether this would be the year he finally found the courage to ask for something he couldn't simply take.

Something he'd never had.

Something that had nothing to do with money, status, or the impressive collection of objects gathering dust in his apartment.

Reborn looked at Tsuna's final message.

Goodnight.

He laughed softly.

Then, with a fondness he would have denied under torture, he murmured into the empty room,

"Goodnight, Tsuna."

Reborn had always considered himself a man of exceptional patience.

This was, admittedly, an opinion that several of his former students would have strongly disagreed with. Dino had once described his teaching methods as a carefully organized violation of human rights, while Tsuna maintained that anyone who considered shooting a fourteen-year-old boy an acceptable motivational technique had absolutely no business using the word patience to describe himself.

Reborn disagreed.

He had spent decades waiting for the perfect opportunity to eliminate his targets, endured countless tedious negotiations with men who greatly overestimated their own intelligence, and survived being trapped in an infant's body for decades without completely losing his mind. He had also trained Sawada Tsunayoshi, a boy who had once required fifteen minutes of persuasion to climb a rope and another twenty to stop apologizing to the rope afterward.

If that wasn't patience, Reborn didn't know what was.

And yet, as he sat behind his desk on a quiet Tuesday morning, staring at a perfectly ordinary message on his phone, he was forced to acknowledge that even his patience had limits.

Tsuna: hey do you like yellow

Reborn had read the message four times.

Not because he didn't understand the question, but because he understood exactly why Tsuna was asking it, and the temptation to make things difficult for him was almost unbearable.

He leaned back in his chair, considering his response.

Reborn: Why?

Tsuna: just answer

Reborn: Depends.

Tsuna: ON WHAT

Reborn: The shade.

Tsuna: oh my god

Tsuna: like a warm yellow

Reborn: How warm?

Tsuna: REBORN

Reborn: You should be more specific, Tsuna. Color theory is a complicated subject.

Tsuna: I AM GOING TO BLOCK YOU

Reborn laughed aloud.

He could practically hear Tsuna's voice through the screen, rising in pitch with each successive message. The image of him sitting somewhere in his apartment, probably glaring at his phone with that familiar crease between his eyebrows, was so vivid that Reborn found himself smiling long after the conversation had ended.

He eventually took pity on him.

Reborn: Yes. I like yellow.

Tsuna: thank god

Reborn: Particularly when it's associated with someone I like.

Three dots appeared.

Disappeared.

Appeared again.

Tsuna: what does THAT mean

Reborn: Nothing you need to worry about.

Tsuna: you're impossible

Reborn: You say that a lot.

Tsuna: BECAUSE YOU ARE

Reborn set his phone down, still laughing softly.

He really shouldn't enjoy teasing Tsuna as much as he did.

Unfortunately, he'd been enjoying it for years, and the habit had only become more difficult to resist since Tsuna had grown old enough to argue with him without looking as though he expected to be shot afterward.

There had been a time when Tsuna's objections came accompanied by genuine fear, his shoulders tensing whenever Reborn reached for his gun. These days, he was considerably more likely to roll his eyes, steal Reborn's hat, or threaten to throw him out of his own apartment.

Reborn rather liked that change.

He liked many things about the man Tsuna had become.

Which was precisely the problem.

The trouble had started long before Reborn was willing to admit it.

Not the romantic feelings themselves. Those had come later, after Tsuna was an adult and the peculiar relationship between tutor and student had long since stopped defining every interaction they shared. But the attachment that eventually made those feelings possible had grown slowly, almost imperceptibly, over the years.

In the beginning, Tsuna had simply been an assignment.

An unusually troublesome assignment, admittedly, but an assignment nonetheless.

A timid, academically hopeless fourteen-year-old boy with terrible reflexes, nonexistent confidence, and an extraordinary talent for attracting disasters.

Reborn had arrived in Namimori expecting a challenge.

What he'd found was a boy who screamed at the sight of his own tutor and spent the first several weeks insisting that becoming a mafia boss was the worst thing that could possibly happen to him.

Reborn had been entertained.

Then impressed.

Then, somewhere along the way, something that felt suspiciously like pride had begun to take root.

He'd watched Tsuna throw himself into danger for his friends, stand against enemies who should have terrified him into submission, and repeatedly demonstrate a kind of courage that had very little to do with physical strength.

Tsuna was frightened of many things. He complained constantly, doubted himself more than anyone Reborn had ever met, and sometimes needed to be pushed before he could recognize his own abilities.

But when someone he loved was in danger, he moved. Every single time.

Reborn had never forgotten that.

He'd watched Tsuna grow from a frightened boy into a young man capable of making his own decisions, even when those decisions went directly against everything his tutor had advised.

Especially then, if Reborn was being honest.

There was something deeply satisfying about realizing that the student he'd once needed to push forward was now perfectly capable of standing his ground.

By the time Tsuna graduated from high school, Reborn no longer needed to supervise his every step. Tsuna had earned his independence, Reborn had intended to give it to him.

He'd even moved into his own apartment after the Arcobaleno curse was broken, making a point of telling Tsuna that he was finally free to enjoy a normal university life without an assassin occupying his bedroom.

Tsuna had looked genuinely delighted.

Reborn had pretended not to find that insulting.

And for a while, things had gone exactly as planned. Tsuna attended classes, made new friends, complained about assignments, and filled his days with the sort of ordinary experiences he'd always wanted.

Reborn returned to work.

They saw each other occasionally, they exchanged messages often. Sometimes Tsuna called him when something went wrong, and Reborn provided advice that was only moderately threatening.

It should have been simple, and it should have been enough.

Then, one evening during Tsuna's first year at university, Reborn had stopped by his apartment to deliver some documents.

Tsuna had answered the door wearing an oversized sweatshirt, his hair damp from a shower, and a pencil tucked behind one ear. He'd been holding a textbook against his chest and complaining into his phone about an upcoming exam.

He hadn't even looked surprised to see Reborn. He'd simply stepped aside, motioned for him to come in, and continued talking. Reborn had followed him into the kitchen, mildly amused by the complete absence of ceremony.

Ten minutes later, Tsuna had finished his call and turned toward him.

"Have you eaten?"

Reborn remembered raising an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because I made too much curry."

"You cooked?"

Tsuna had looked offended. "I can cook!"

"Since when?"

"Since I started living alone."

Reborn had laughed.

Tsuna had glared at him, then gone to fetch another plate.

There had been nothing extraordinary about the evening. The curry was slightly too salty, the apartment was cluttered with textbooks, and Tsuna spent most of dinner complaining about how unfair it was that university professors apparently expected students to read entire books.

Reborn had listened. Occasionally, he'd made a comment. Tsuna had argued with him, too. And somewhere between the second helping of curry and Tsuna falling asleep against the sofa cushions during a movie, Reborn had realized he didn't particularly want to leave.

It wasn't the first time he'd enjoyed Tsuna's company.

But it was the first time he'd become aware of wanting something more from it.

Not another assignment, or a training session. Not even another opportunity to guide him.

He wanted to know what Tsuna's days were like when nobody was trying to kill him. He wanted to hear about his classes, his friends, the books he was reading, and the ridiculous things that bothered him.

He wanted to be invited over for dinner again. And, increasingly, he wanted to be someone Tsuna was happy to see at the end of a long day.

That realization had been inconvenient.

Reborn had dealt with it in the most mature way possible.

He'd ignored it—for approximately three weeks.

Then he'd bought Tsuna a better coffee machine.

"You're staring at your phone again."

Reborn looked up. Dino stood in the doorway of his study, holding two cups of coffee and wearing an expression Reborn immediately disliked.

"How did you get in?"

Dino grinned, "Through the door."

"That's my line." Reborn's eyes narrowed.

"I know. Tsuna told me."

Reborn scoffed. Of course Tsuna did.

Dino walked into the room and placed one of the cups on the desk. "I was in the neighborhood."

"No, you weren't."

"Okay, I had a meeting nearby."

"No, you didn't."

Dino sighed. "Fine. Romario said I should stop avoiding you because you threatened to shoot me over the phone last week."

"A sensible man."

Dino pulled up a chair.

For a few minutes, they talked about ordinary business matters. There were documents requiring signatures, a few updates from Italy, and a minor disagreement involving one of the Cavallone family's associates.

Reborn dealt with all of it without much difficulty.

Then Dino leaned back, took a sip of coffee, and smiled. "So. How's Tsuna?"

"Fine." Reborn didn't look up from his paperwork.

"University going well?"

"As far as I know."

"Still spending a lot of time together?"

Reborn's pen stopped moving. "Dino."

"What?"

"Get to the point."

Dino grinned, "Have you asked him out yet?"

Reborn slowly lifted his head. Dino smiled innocently and Reborn considered shooting him.

"No." he replied.

Dino groaned, "Reborn!"

"What?"

"You're killing me."

"Not yet."

"That's not what I meant!"

Reborn returned his attention to the documents.

Dino watched him for several seconds before leaning forward. "Seriously, how long are you going to do this?"

"Do what?"

"Act like you're not completely gone for him."

Reborn signed the bottom of a page, "I'm beginning to regret letting you into my apartment."

"You regret everything that involves feelings."

"That's because feelings tend to attract idiots."

Dino laughed, "Well, congratulations. You've officially become one."

Reborn looked at him with his sharp eyes. Dino raised both hands. "Don't shoot."

"Then stop talking."

"I can’t." Dino's expression softened slightly. "Look, I'm not saying you should rush him. I know you wouldn't do that. But you've been acting like you're waiting for someone to give you permission to like him."

Reborn was silent.

Dino studied him for a moment, then his eyebrows rose. "Oh."

Reborn narrowed his eyes, "What?"

"Oh, that's what it is."

"Dino."

"You're scared."

Reborn stared at him, then he laughed. It was a short, incredulous sound. "Excuse me?"

"You're scared," Dino repeated, looking increasingly delighted by his own discovery. "You're actually scared Tsuna won't like you back."

Reborn reached for his coffee.

Dino leaned forward. "Oh, this is incredible!"

"Careful with your words."

"The world's greatest hitman..."

"Dino."

"The man who once walked into a room full of armed assassins and complained about the quality of their coffee."

"Your point?"

"Is afraid to ask one university student on a date."

Reborn set his cup down, very carefully. "Dino."

"Yes?"

"Do you enjoy living?"

Dino burst out laughing. "SEE? YOU'RE DEFLECTING!"

Reborn wondered whether disposing of a Cavallone boss would create more paperwork than it was worth. Probably. Unfortunately.

Dino eventually managed to stop laughing, although he was still smiling when he leaned back in his chair. "Come on, Reborn. It's Tsuna."

"Precisely."

Something in his tone made Dino pause.

Reborn looked toward the window. The afternoon sunlight spilled across the buildings, turning the glass towers into pale reflections of gold.

He could have dismissed the conversation, he probably should have. But Dino had known him for years, long enough to recognize the difference between Reborn avoiding a question because he was amused and avoiding one because the answer mattered.

And perhaps Reborn was tired of pretending that this particular problem was simpler than it was.

"He knew me as an infant." Reborn said eventually.

Dino blinked, "What?"

"You heard me." Reborn gave him a flat look.

Dino stared. Slowly, his expression began to change.

"Oh."

Reborn leaned back in his chair.

"His first impression of me was a baby in a suit who threatened to shoot him before breakfast. I spent years training him, criticizing him, and making his life miserable. Even after the curse was broken, he didn't suddenly forget all of that."

Dino listened quietly. Reborn continued, his voice remaining calm despite the unusual honesty of his words.

"To him, I'm Reborn. His tutor. The person who's been ordering him around since he was fourteen."

"You're also his friend."

"I'm aware."

"And he trusts you."

"I know."

"Then what's the problem?"

Reborn looked at him.

Dino hesitated, then understanding dawned. "You don't know if he can see you as anything else."

Reborn didn't answer, he didn't need to.

For once, Dino didn't laugh. He leaned back, considering the situation with an expression far more thoughtful than Reborn was accustomed to seeing on his face.

"You know," Dino said after a while, "Tsuna doesn't treat you like a baby."

Reborn raised an eyebrow, "Obviously."

"No, I mean it. He doesn't."

Reborn looked at him.

Dino shrugged. "He argues with you like you're equals. He worries about whether you've eaten, complains when you work too much, and gets annoyed when you don't tell him where you're going. That's not how someone treats a child."

Reborn was quiet.

"And honestly," Dino added, smiling a little, "It's not really how someone treats their old tutor, either."

Reborn looked away. He didn't particularly appreciate how reasonable Dino was being. It was much easier to deal with him when he was an idiot.

"That doesn't mean he's interested."

"No," Dino agreed. "But it doesn't mean he isn't."

Reborn sighed.

Dino smiled, "Have you considered that maybe Tsuna's just as confused as you are?"

"Tsuna is confused about most things."

"Exactly!"

"That's not encouraging."

Dino laughed. "Look, all I'm saying is that you should give him a chance to figure it out."

Reborn looked at the documents on his desk.

Then at his phone. There was a new message from Tsuna.

Tsuna: do you have any food allergies

Reborn stared at it.

Dino leaned forward, "Who's that?"

"No one."

"Is it Tsuna?"

"No."

Dino glanced at the screen. Reborn turned it facedown but it was too late.

Dino's grin was immediate. "Oh, its Tsuna!"

"Get out."

"He's asking about food allergies?!"

"Dino."

"He's planning dinner for you!"

"Out."

"Reborn, that's adorable!"

Reborn reached for his gun. Dino stood up so quickly that his chair nearly fell backward. "OKAY! I'M GOING!"

He was still laughing as he hurried toward the door.

Reborn watched him leave with an expression of profound irritation, then he picked up his phone.

Reborn: No allergies.

Tsuna: okay good

Reborn: Planning to poison me?

Tsuna: you know I was tryin to be nice

Reborn: How thoughtful.

Tsuna: forget it im putting poison in everything

Reborn: Looking forward to it.

Tsuna: you're so annoying

Reborn: And yet you keep talking to me.

Tsuna: unfortunately

Reborn laughed quietly.

He could practically hear the affection buried beneath the complaint, or perhaps he simply wanted to. That was the dangerous part.

The part he couldn't quite trust himself to interpret.

After Dino left, the apartment became quiet again.

Reborn finished his paperwork, answered several emails, and made a phone call to one of his associates in Italy. By the time evening arrived, he had accomplished everything he'd intended to do that day.

Everything except the one thing that had been occupying his thoughts for weeks.

He stood by the living room window with a glass of wine, watching the city settle into darkness. His reflection stared back at him; tall, broad-shouldered, dark hair falling neatly around his face.

He wore an expensive shirt, perfectly tailored trousers, and the kind of expression that usually made people reconsider whether approaching him was a good idea.

He knew he was attractive, that had never been a question. Reborn had never lacked attention from men or women, and he had never been particularly interested in pretending otherwise.

He was accustomed to being admired.

Accustomed to people looking at him with interest.

Accustomed to knowing exactly what he could do with that interest if he chose.

But Tsuna had once watched him fall asleep in a miniature hammock.

Tsuna had seen him disguised as a small child, a ridiculous animal, and several other things Reborn preferred not to remember.

Tsuna had witnessed him being carried around in a baby carrier.

A baby carrier.

Reborn closed his eyes.

God. There were some indignities even the world's greatest hitman could never fully recover from.

He took a slow sip of wine, then laughed quietly at himself. It was ridiculous. Truly ridiculous. He'd faced death more times than he could count, and here he was worrying about whether the man he liked would ever stop associating him with baby clothes.

Dino would never let him hear the end of it.

Neither would Colonello.

Especially Colonello.

Reborn made a mental note to ensure neither of them ever learned the full extent of this particular insecurity.

Then his gaze drifted toward the small green keychain on the shelf.

Tsuna's old gift.

He set down his wine and picked it up, the plastic was worn now, the painted eyes slightly faded. It was objectively terrible.

Reborn loved it anyway.

He remembered the day Tsuna had given it to him.

Tsuna had been younger then, still awkward about expressing affection and even more awkward about receiving it in return. He'd held out the keychain with a vaguely embarrassed expression, insisting that it wasn't anything special.

Reborn had teased him.

Of course he had.

Then he'd attached it to his suitcase.

He'd kept it through years of travel, missions, and increasingly complicated changes in his life.

Even after the curse broke, even after he'd regained his adult body and returned to the world he'd once known, the little keychain had remained.

At some point, the clasp had broken.

Reborn had repaired it himself. He hadn't told Tsuna, there had been no reason to. Some things, he thought, were better kept private.

Like the fact that he remembered the exact moment Tsuna had first called him just to ask how his day was going.

Or the first time Tsuna had fallen asleep against his shoulder while they watched a movie.

Or the evening Tsuna had absentmindedly reached for his hand while crossing a crowded street, only realizing what he'd done several seconds later.

Tsuna had let go immediately.

Reborn had spent the rest of the evening wishing he hadn't. He looked down at the keychain. A small, affectionate smile touched his mouth.

"You really have no idea, do you?"

There was no one to answer.

Reborn placed the keychain back on the shelf.

Then he glanced toward the calendar on his phone.

October thirteenth.

Tomorrow.

Tsuna had asked him to keep the evening free.

Reborn had canceled an invitation from an old acquaintance, rescheduled a business dinner, and told Dino that if anyone attempted to organize a surprise party, he would personally ensure they regretted it.

Dino had laughed.

Reborn hadn't.

He wanted that evening. He didn’t expected anything extraordinary, or because he thought Tsuna was preparing some elaborate confession.

He knew better than to assume that.

He simply wanted to spend his birthday with the person who had somehow become the most important part of his ordinary days.

If Tsuna gave him a present, he'd accept it. If Tsuna cooked dinner, he'd eat it. If Tsuna spent the evening complaining about how difficult Reborn was to shop for, he'd listen.

And if, by some miracle, Tsuna looked at him a little differently.

Well.

Reborn had never been particularly good at resisting temptation.

On the morning of October thirteenth, Sawada Tsunayoshi woke up with a very important mission.

To give Reborn a good birthday.

A proper one. Something memorable, and preferably, if the universe could be merciful for once, something that wouldn't end with his apartment catching fire.

Tsuna had spent the previous evening making a list of everything he needed to do, carefully organizing it according to what he considered a perfectly reasonable schedule. There were groceries to buy, a cake to collect, a few decorations to arrange, and dinner to prepare before Reborn arrived at seven.

He had even cleaned his apartment the night before.

Properly cleaned it. He had swept the floors, organized the bookshelves, washed the dishes, and finally dealt with the laundry that had been sitting in a basket for an embarrassingly long time.

He even changed the bedsheets—not that Reborn was going anywhere near his bed.

Tsuna had simply decided that a clean apartment was a necessary part of being a responsible adult.

That was all.

Unfortunately, by eleven in the morning, his carefully constructed schedule had already begun to collapse.

"NO, NO, NO—WHY IS IT DOING THAT?!"

The smoke alarm went off.

Tsuna stared at the oven in horror. A thin stream of smoke was escaping through the edges of the door, and the smell of something burning had begun to spread throughout the kitchen.

He grabbed an oven mitt, yanked the door open, and immediately regretted every decision he'd made since waking up.

"Oh, come ON!"

The garlic bread was black—not slightly overdone, not pleasantly toasted. It’s black.

Tsuna stood in front of the oven, staring at the remains of what had once been a perfectly respectable loaf of bread.

He had followed the recipe. Mostly.

He was almost certain he'd followed the recipe.

"Why does this always happen to me?"

His phone rang.

Tsuna glanced at the screen.

Hayato-kun.

He answered immediately, "HAYATO-KUN!"

"TENTH?! WHAT'S WRONG?!"

"I BURNED THE BREAD!"

There was a moment of silence.

Then Gokudera's voice returned, considerably more cautious. "The bread?"

"YES!"

"Are you hurt?!"

"No!"

"Is there a fire?!"

"Not anymore!"

"NOT ANYMORE?!"

Tsuna winced, "Okay, that sounded worse than it is."

"TENTH, I'M COMING OVER!"

"Hayato-kun, wait—"

The call ended.

Tsuna stared at his phone.

"Great."

Gokudera arrived twenty minutes later with three bags of groceries, a fire extinguisher, and an expression suggesting he had prepared himself to evacuate the entire building.

Yamamoto arrived five minutes after that, carrying drinks and laughing before Tsuna had even opened his mouth.

"I heard you almost burned down your kitchen!"

"I DID NOT ALMOST BURN DOWN MY KITCHEN!"

Gokudera immediately turned toward him, "Don't laugh, baseball idiot! Tenth could've been seriously hurt!"

"But he wasn't, right?"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT, IDIOT!"

Tsuna stood between them, already regretting his decision to answer the phone earlier. "Guys, please. It's fine. I just burned some bread."

Gokudera looked appalled, "Tenth, you should've called me before attempting something dangerous!"

"Baking bread?" Tsuna stared at him.

"Anything involving fire!"

Yamamoto laughed, Tsuna closed his eyes. This was going wonderfully.

Once they entered the apartment, however, things improved considerably.

Gokudera took one look at Tsuna's grocery list and immediately began organizing ingredients with the seriousness of someone preparing for an international military operation. Yamamoto rolled up his sleeves and offered to help with the vegetables, claiming that years of working in his father's sushi restaurant had made him reasonably useful in a kitchen.

Tsuna was grateful.

At least until Yamamoto noticed the small gift box sitting on the bookshelf.

"Oh, is that Reborn's present?"

Tsuna nearly dropped a tomato, "TAKESHI!"

"What?" Yamamoto grinned.

"Don't touch that!"

"I wasn't going to!"

"You were looking at it!"

"Am I not allowed to look?"

Tsuna narrowed his eyes.

Yamamoto laughed and raised both hands in surrender. "Okay, okay."

"So you've finally decided on a gift, Tenth?" Gokudera glanced toward the box.

Tsuna nodded, "Yeah. I found something when I went shopping with Kyoko-chan, Haru, and Chrome."

"That's wonderful!"

"Well, it's not anything expensive..."

Gokudera immediately frowned, "Tenth, if you're worried about the cost, I can still arrange—"

"No!" Tsuna pointed at him with the tomato. "No expensive watches, no cars, no private villas, no helicopters, and absolutely no weapons!"

Yamamoto burst out laughing.

Gokudera looked mildly offended, "I wasn't going to suggest a helicopter."

"You were thinking about it!"

"Perhaps."

Tsuna groaned.

Honestly, he loved his friends. He really did. But sometimes he wondered how he'd survived knowing them for so long.

By late afternoon, the apartment had begun to look almost respectable.

The dining table had been cleared of textbooks and set for two, with neatly folded napkins and the good plates Tsuna usually reserved for guests. A small vase of flowers sat near the window, an addition Kyoko had suggested during a phone call that morning.

There were no balloons.

Tsuna had considered buying some, but the mental image of Reborn standing beneath a banner that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY in enormous glittering letters had made him abandon the idea.

Instead, he'd chosen something quieter.

Warm lights along the windowsill, a small arrangement of flowers, two candles on the dining table that he was absolutely not going to light until Gokudera left, because he had already endured enough lectures about fire safety for one day.

And, in the refrigerator, a small chocolate birthday cake.

It was the same flavor Reborn had liked when Tsuna brought dessert to his apartment. Tsuna had remembered.

He'd also prepared dinner with considerably more care than usual, taking advantage of Gokudera and Yamamoto's help to ensure that nothing else burned.

By six, the food was ready.

By six fifteen, Gokudera had inspected the kitchen twice.

By six twenty, Yamamoto had stolen a piece of roasted potato and declared the meal a success.

And by six thirty, both of them were standing near the entrance, preparing to leave.

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay and help?" Gokudera asked for the fourth time.

Tsuna smiled, "I'm sure, Hayato-kun. You've already helped a lot."

"But Tenth—"

"Really. Thank you."

Gokudera's expression softened immediately. "Of course. Anything for you."

Yamamoto glanced around the apartment, taking in the carefully arranged table and warm lights. "Looks pretty romantic, Tsuna."

"What?" Tsuna froze.

Yamamoto laughed, "Nothing!"

"Takeshi!"

"I'm just saying, if I walked into someone's apartment and saw all this, I'd think they were taking me on a date."

Tsuna's face turned bright red, "I-it’s a birthday dinner!"

"Sure, sure."

"For Reborn!"

"Exactly."

Tsuna stared at him. Yamamoto's grin widened.

Gokudera looked between them, clearly deciding whether he should be offended on Tsuna's behalf. Then, slowly, he glanced back toward the table.

"Actually, it does look rather intimate."

Tsuna's mouth fell open, "Hayato-kun?!"

Gokudera immediately panicked. "N-NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT, TENTH!"

"Because there is nothing intimate about it!"

Yamamoto laughed so hard that he had to lean against the doorframe.

Tsuna wanted to disappear, preferably permanently. "Both of you," he said, pointing toward the hallway. "Out."

"Tenth—"

"OUT!"

Yamamoto was still laughing when Tsuna shut the door behind them.

He leaned against it, exhaling heavily. "Unbelievable."

Then he looked around the apartment. The warm lights, the flowers, the carefully arranged dinner table.

And two candles.

He paused.

"Oh."

His face warmed, it did look a little romantic. Tsuna stared at the table for several seconds before shaking his head violently.

"Nope. Absolutely not."

He was overthinking it again. It was just a nice birthday dinner. There was nothing wrong with making an effort for someone important to him.

Nothing strange about wanting Reborn to have a pleasant evening.

And if the apartment happened to look like the setting for a date, well, that was simply an unfortunate side effect of good decorating.

Tsuna nodded firmly.

Satisfied with this explanation, he went to change his clothes.

At precisely seven p.m, the doorbell rang.

Tsuna, who had spent the previous ten minutes rearranging the same two plates and checking his reflection in the hallway mirror, nearly jumped out of his skin.

"COMING!"

He hurried toward the door, then stopped. Took a breath, smoothed down his shirt and opened it.

Reborn stood in the hallway.

He was wearing a dark shirt beneath a perfectly tailored jacket, his hair styled neatly and his expression as composed as ever. One hand rested in his pocket, while the other held a small paper bag from a bakery Tsuna recognized.

For a moment, Tsuna forgot what he was going to say.

Reborn looked at him and smiled. "Good evening, Tsuna."

"Oh. Hi." Tsuna blinked.

Reborn raised an eyebrow, "That's quite the welcome."

"Sorry! I mean—happy birthday!"

Reborn's smile softened, "Thank you."

"Come in!"

Tsuna stepped aside. Reborn entered, removing his shoes before following Tsuna into the living room. He took approximately three steps then stopped.

Tsuna, who had been nervously adjusting the hem of his shirt, looked back. "Reborn?"

Reborn didn't answer immediately.

His gaze moved across the apartment.

The warm lights along the windowsill, the flowers on the table, the carefully arranged plates, and the dinner waiting in the kitchen.

It was simple. Nothing extravagant, nothing that would have impressed anyone accustomed to elaborate parties and expensive celebrations.

But every detail had clearly been chosen with care.

Reborn looked at the dining table again.

Two places. Just two.

Something in his chest tightened.

"Tsuna."

Tsuna immediately looked nervous, "What? Is something wrong?"

"You did all this?" Reborn turned toward him.

Tsuna scratched his cheek, "Well, yeah. I mean, Hayato-kun and Takeshi helped with the cooking, but I did the decorating myself."

Reborn looked around again. For a moment, he seemed unusually quiet.

Tsuna shifted awkwardly, "Is it too much?"

Reborn looked at him, "No."

"No?" Tsuna blinked.

"It's lovely."

The words were simple, spoken without teasing, without sarcasm and without any of the usual amusement that accompanied Reborn's compliments.

Tsuna stared at him, his ears turned pink.

Reborn's smile deepened. "Thank you, Tsuna."

"Y-Yeah. You're welcome." Tsuna looked away quickly.

Reborn watched him for a moment longer. Then, because he was still Reborn, he added, "Although I have to say, if I'd known you were inviting me on a date, I would've brought flowers."

"IT'S NOT A DATE!" Tsuna nearly tripped over his own feet.

Reborn laughed, "No?"

"NO!"

"Then why are there candles?"

"BECAUSE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!"

"And the flowers?"

"BECAUSE YOKO-CHAN SUGGESTED THEM!"

"Ah." Reborn nodded solemnly. "So Kyoko helped plan our date."

"Stop it, Reborn!”

Reborn laughed again. Just like that, the familiar rhythm returned. Tsuna complaining, and Reborn teasing. The apartment filling with the sound of their voices.

Only this time, something felt different. Because beneath the laughter, beneath the familiar arguments and exasperated protests, Reborn could feel something warm settling in his chest.

Tsuna had done all this for him.

The boy did it because he simply wanted to make Reborn happy.

And for perhaps the first time in his life, the world's greatest hitman found himself uncertain what to do with that knowledge.

Diner was, to Tsuna's enormous relief, a success.

Reborn complimented the food without being prompted, which Tsuna privately considered a miracle worthy of documentation. He ate everything on his plate, accepted a second helping of pasta, and even refrained from making too many comments when Tsuna admitted that the garlic bread had required a second attempt.

"Second?" Reborn asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tsuna groaned. "Don't."

"What happened to the first?"

"Nothing."

"Tsuna."

"It burned!"

"How badly?" Reborn laughed.

Tsuna looked away, "The smoke alarm went off."

Reborn put down his fork. Tsuna thought Reborn would scold him or told him to take care of himself, but te man laughed harder.

"It wasn’t that funny!"

"Of course not."

"You’re laughing!"

"I'm appreciating your dedication."

"No, you are enjoying my suffering!!"

"That too."

Tsuna threw a napkin at him, Reborn caught it without looking—which, honestly, should have been illegal.

But the evening continued easily after that.

They talked about university, about the ridiculous things Gokudera and Yamamoto had done while helping in the kitchen, and about the birthday messages Reborn had received throughout the day.

Dino had apparently called three times. Colonello had sent a photograph of a birthday cake shaped like a gun. Lal had simply told Reborn not to do anything stupid. Fon had sent a beautifully written message wishing him peace and happiness.

Tsuna laughed at all of them.

"And what did you get from everyone?" he asked eventually.

Reborn leaned back in his chair, "A few things."

"Like?"

"A watch."

"From Hayato-kun?"

"Naturally."

"A vacation?"

"Yamamoto."

Tsuna groaned, "I know it."

"Jealous?" Reborn gave him a teasing smile.

"No!"

"Your face says otherwise."

"My face says I'm wondering why everyone I know has so much money!"

Reborn laughed.

Tsuna shook his head and reached for his glass. Then, after a moment, he looked toward the small gift box sitting on the bookshelf.

Reborn noticed but he said nothing.

Instead, he continued listening as Tsuna explained how Gokudera had nearly reorganized his entire kitchen and Yamamoto had somehow managed to eat three pieces of roasted potato before dinner was ready.

Reborn laughed in all the right places.

Occasionally, he made a comment just to watch Tsuna get offended. And throughout the evening, he found himself looking at Tsuna more often than usual.

At the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed.

At the faint flush that appeared whenever Reborn complimented him.

At the way he moved around the apartment so comfortably, reaching for dishes and glasses without thinking, as though the two of them had been sharing meals like this for years.

Perhaps, in a way, they had.

Only now Reborn was beginning to understand just how much those ordinary moments meant to him.

By the time they finished dinner, the city beyond the windows had settled into darkness.

Tsuna insisted on clearing the table, despite Reborn offering to help.

"It's your birthday," he argued. "You're not supposed to do chores."

Reborn raised an eyebrow, "Is that a rule?"

"Yes."

"Who made it?"

"Me."

Reborn smiled, "How authoritative."

"Sit." Tsuna pointed at him.

Reborn laughed, "Yes, boss."

Tsuna froze. Slowly he turned toward him. "Don't call me that."

"Why not?"

"Because you're making fun of me."

"Would I ever?"

"Yes!"

Reborn chuckled and settled onto the sofa, watching Tsuna disappear into the kitchen with an armful of plates.

For a while, he simply listened. The sound of running water, and the occasional clink of dishes.

Tsuna humming quietly to himself. It was an ordinary evening, and yet Reborn couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so completely at ease.

He leaned back against the cushions, looking toward the warm lights Tsuna had arranged along the windowsill.

There were no elaborate decorations. No expensive gifts waiting beneath a mountain of wrapping paper, and no crowded room full of people demanding his attention.

Just a small apartment with a homemade dinner and Tsuna.

Reborn closed his eyes for a moment.

He thought about the question he'd given Tsuna several days earlier.

Something I've never had.

He'd said it partly to tease him. Partly because he couldn't resist the opportunity. But mostly because, for one brief moment, he'd allowed himself to be selfish.

He'd wanted Tsuna to understand, not necessarily to confess anything, or even to return his feelings. Just to realize that there were things Reborn wanted that couldn't be bought.

Things that had nothing to do with money or status.

Things like this.

A quiet evening, and a warm home. Someone who remembered how he liked his coffee and someone who wanted him there.

Reborn opened his eyes.

From the kitchen, Tsuna called, "Reborn!"

"Hm?"

"Do you want coffee?"

Reborn smiled, "Please."

"Okay!"

He heard the coffee machine begin to work. Then he heard Tsuna muttering something about finding the right cups.

Reborn laughed softly.

Perhaps, he thought, he'd already received the best birthday present of his life.

And Tsuna hadn't even given him the gift yet.

When Tsuna finally returned to the living room, he was carying two mugs and wearing an expression of determined concentration.

Reborn watched him place the coffee on the table.

Tsuna took a breath, "Okay."

"Okay?" Reborn raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Tsuna looked toward the bookshelf.

Reborn's smile grew, "Something wrong?"

"No."

"You're nervous."

"I'm not!"

"Your hands are shaking."

"BECAUSE YOU KEEP STARING AT ME!"

Reborn laughed.

Tsuna groaned, then marched toward the bookshelf and picked up the small gift box. When he returned, he stopped in front of the sofa. For a moment, he simply stood there.

Then, with an expression that was somehow both determined and painfully embarrassed, he held out the box.

"Here."

Reborn looked at it, "For me?"

"No, for the neighbor." Tsuna stared.

Reborn laughed, "Such a charming attitude."

"Just take it!"

Reborn accepted the box. It was small, light, wrapped with a simple cream-colored ribbon. He turned it over once in his hands.

Tsuna watched him anxiously, "It's not anything expensive," he said quickly. "And I know Hayato-kun got you that watch, and Takeshi booked you a vacation, and everyone else probably gave you something incredible, so I know this isn't really—"

"Tsuna."

He stopped.

Reborn looked at him, "May I open it?"

Tsuna blinked, and nodded. "Oh. Yeah. Of course."

Reborn carefully untied the ribbon. Tsuna watched every movement.

The box opened. Inside it resting on a small piece of soft fabric, was a little golden-yellow sun charm.

Reborn went still. He simply looked at it for a moment, without saying anything.

Tsuna shifted nervously, "I know it's kind of silly."

Reborn didn't answer.

"It's just... I saw it when I was shopping with the girls, and I thought of you."

Reborn looked up.

Tsuna scratched his cheek, "Because of the color, mostly. Yellow's always been your color, right? With the Arcobaleno thing, your flame, and everything."

Reborn glanced down at the charm again.

The little sun caught the light.

Warm yellow. So simple yet so bright.

"And, well..." Tsuna continued, growing increasingly embarrassed, "I thought it was cute."

Reborn raised an eyebrow, "Cute?"

"Not you! The charm!" Tsuna immediately panicked.

Reborn laughed softly, "Of course."

"I mean—you're not—well, that's not what I—"

"Tsuna."

"WHAT?"

Reborn smiled, "It's lovely."

Tsuna stopped, "Really?"

"Really."

Reborn lifted the charm from the box, turning it gently between his fingers. Then he noticed something. The design was simple, but clearly part of a matching set. He looked at Tsuna, "Was there another one?"

Tsuna stunned, "Huh?"

"Another charm."

"Oh. Yeah." Tsuna blinked, then looked away.

“What color?" Reborn smiled.

Tsuna hesitated, "Orange."

Something in Reborn's expression changed.

"Orange?"

"Yeah."

"And where is it?"

Tsuna shifted awkwardly.

Then, after a moment, reached into his pocket. He pulled out a second charm—a small orange sun, almost identical to the yellow one resting in Reborn's palm. Reborn stared at it.

Tsuna laughed nervously, "I thought it would be nice if they matched."

There was a silence, not an awkward silence, but something changed in the room.

Reborn looked at the two charms, yellow and orange. His and Tsuna's.

Tsuna continued, apparently unaware that he'd just rendered the world's greatest hitman temporarily speechless.

"I mean, our birthdays are right next to each other, right? So I thought it'd be kind of fun to have matching ones."

Reborn slowly lifted his gaze. Tsuna was smiling now, a little embarrassed but clearly pleased with himself.

"And I know it's probably not something you'd usually use, but you don't have to put it anywhere if you don't want to. I just thought—"

"Tsuna."

Tsuna stopped talking. Reborn simply looked at him, without his usual teasing smile or any of the remarks that would normally leave Tsuna flustered. Instead, the corners of his lips curved into a faint, genuine smile, his usually sharp eyes softening with a rare fondness as he gazed at him.

"I love it."

Tsuna's heart beat a little faster than usual. "You do?"

"Very much."

For a moment, Tsuna seemed unable to speak. Then, his expression brightened. "Really?"

"How many times are you going to ask?" Reborn chuckled.

"Well, you're hard to please."

"Am I?"

"Yes!"

It was a gift that could be found anywhere, in a store anyone could walk into. There was nothing particularly rare or extraordinary about it. What made it special was the fact that Tsuna had chosen it while thinking of him.

Of them.

A matching pair.

Reborn had spent most of his life surrounded by people who wanted something from him. Some sought his respect, though more often than not, it was his protection they were after. Others wanted the power he possessed, the influence he carried, or simply the reassurance of having someone like him on their side.

He had grown accustomed to it over the years, to the quiet expectations hidden beneath friendly smiles and seemingly innocent gestures. There was almost always something people hoped to gain from him, even when they pretended otherwise.

And somehow, that simple thought meant more to Reborn than Tsuna could possibly understand.

"Put yours on." He looked at the orange charm in Tsuna's hand.

Tsuna tilted his head, "Huh?"

"The charm."

"Oh." Tsuna looked around, then reached for his phone. He'd already attached a small strap to the case, and after a moment of fumbling with the clasp, he managed to secure the orange sun beside it. "There."

Reborn smiled, "Good."

"What about yours?" Tsuna looked at him curiously.

Reborn glanced toward the entrance. Then, without a word, he stood and walked toward his jacket.

Tsuna followed him with his eyes, "Reborn?"

Reborn reached into his pocket and took out his keys.

Tsuna blinked. Then watched as Reborn carefully attached the little yellow sun charm to the keyring. It hung beside a sleek black car key and several others, looking almost comically cheerful against the expensive metal.

Tsuna stared, "You're actually going to use it?"

"Of course I do." Reborn glanced at him.

"But—"

"You gave it to me." Reborn looked down at the charm once more, then he smiled. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Oh. Okay.” Tsuna looked away, his chest felt strangely warm.

Reborn watched him. "Besides, now everyone will know we're matching."

Tsuna's head snapped up, "Why would you say something strange like that?” Reborn laughed. "You're ruining the moment!"

"Was there a moment?"

"REBORN!"

Reborn laughed again, slipping the keys back into his pocket.

But his fingers lingered briefly on the little yellow charm.

He had received many gifts that day. Expensive ones, rare ones, beautiful things carefully chosen by people who knew his tastes. Some had been worth a fortune, while others had been nearly impossible to find.

He had appreciated them, of course.

But none had ever made him feel quite like this.

Tsuna was still blushing when he returned to the sofa. Reborn settled beside him, holding his coffee. The apartment was quiet, the lights warm, the city glowing softly beyond the windows.

Tsuna glanced at the clock.

Eleven twenty-three.

Not much longer until midnight—until his birthday.

He smiled faintly.

"Oh!" He suddenly remembered something.

Reborn looked at him, "What?"

"I almost forgot!" Tsuna stood abruptly.

Reborn raised an eyebrow, "Forgot what?"

"Something!"

"Very informative, thank you."

"Just wait here!"

Before Reborn could respond, Tsuna hurried toward his bedroom. Reborn watched him disappear down the hallway, then he laughed softly to himself.

He had a feeling the evening wasn't quite over yet.

And for once in his life, he was perfectly content not knowing what would happen next.

Reborn had always considered himself rather good at surprises.

More specifically, he was good at anticipating them. Years of experience had taught him to recognize even the smallest changes in someone's behavior, from the subtle hesitation before a lie to the almost imperceptible movements that betrayed an impending attack.

There were very few people capable of catching him genuinely off guard, and fewer still who managed to do so without putting themselves in immediate danger.

Sawada Tsunayoshi, unfortunately, had never been particularly interested in following those rules.

Which was why Reborn found himself sitting on a familiar sofa, a little yellow sun charm tucked safely inside his pocket, wondering what else Tsuna could possibly have prepared for him.

He had already received dinner, a beautiful little gift, and an entire evening of Tsuna's undivided attention. More than that, he'd been given the rare pleasure of seeing Tsuna genuinely happy with something he'd managed to do for him.

Reborn couldn't remember the last time someone had looked so relieved simply because he'd said he liked their present, and the memory of Tsuna's delighted expression was something he suspected would stay with him for a very long time.

Frankly, he would have been satisfied if the evening ended right there.

But Tsuna had disappeared into his bedroom with the unmistakable expression of someone who had suddenly remembered an important detail, and Reborn knew better than to interrupt when the boy had made up his mind.

A few minutes later, he heard footsteps.

"Okay."

Reborn looked toward the hallway.

Tsuna stood just beyond the doorway, holding something behind his back. His expression was considerably more apprehensive than it had been when he presented the charm, and there was a faint pinkness around his ears that made Reborn immediately curious.

"Okay?" Reborn echoed, setting his coffee aside.

Tsuna nodded, although he didn't move any closer. "Before I give you this, you have to promise something."

"That sounds ominous." Reborn raised an eyebrow.

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

"Reborn."

"Tsuna."

Tsuna sighed, looking as though he was reconsidering the wisdom of the entire evening. "Can you just promise you won't laugh?"

Reborn studied him for a moment. There was something almost painfully earnest about the request, and although teasing Tsuna was one of his favorite activities, he could recognize when the boy was genuinely nervous.

His expression softened.

"Alright," he said. "I promise."

Tsuna narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "No jokes?"

"No jokes."

"No making fun of me afterward?"

Reborn considered that one. Tsuna's eyes widened. "Reborn!"

"I'm kidding." Reborn chuckled, lifting both hands in surrender. "Come here."

Tsuna hesitated before finally walking toward the sofa. He stopped in front of Reborn, took a breath, and brought his hands out from behind his back.

There was an envelope between his fingers.

A simple cream-colored envelope. Nothing elaborate, nothing particularly expensive, although Reborn noticed that Tsuna had written his name across the front in careful handwriting.

To Reborn.

Reborn looked at it, then back at Tsuna. "A letter?"

"Yeah." Tsuna shifted awkwardly, suddenly finding the carpet very interesting. "Kyoko-chan suggested it. Well, she suggested writing something, and I thought it might be easier than trying to say everything out loud because you always interrupt me when I'm being serious."

Reborn's lips twitched, "I do?"

"Yes."

"How terrible of me."

"You're doing it right now!"

Reborn laughed softly, but he reached out and accepted the envelope with surprising care.

Tsuna sat beside him, leaving a little more space between them than usual. He immediately began fiddling with the hem of his shirt, stealing anxious glances at Reborn's hands as the older man examined the envelope.

It was sealed.

Reborn ran his thumb along the edge, "May I?"

"Just... don't read it out loud, okay?" Tsuna nodded.

Reborn looked at him, "Why?"

"Because I'll die."

"That seems rather dramatic."

"I'm serious!"

Reborn smiled, "Alright."

He opened the envelope. Inside was a folded sheet of writing paper, filled with Tsuna's familiar handwriting. Some lines were slightly uneven, and Reborn noticed a small correction near the bottom where Tsuna had apparently crossed something out before writing it again.

He unfolded the letter and began to read.

Dear Reborn,

First of all, happy birthday.

I know I already said that, but since this is supposed to be a birthday letter, I figured I should probably start with it.

Also, before you say anything, yes, I wrote this myself. No, Hayato-kun didn't help me, and no, I didn't ask Takeshi to check my spelling. So if there are any mistakes, just pretend you didn't see them. It's your birthday. Be nice to me for once.

Reborn smiled. Of course even in a letter, Tsuna was arguing with him.

He could practically hear the boy's voice in every sentence, and the familiar warmth of it made something in his chest loosen.

He continued reading.

Anyway, I wasn't really sure how to write this.

I've been trying to figure out what to get you for weeks, and honestly… you're the most difficult person I've ever had to buy a present for. You already own everything, and the things you don't own are probably things normal people aren't allowed to buy.

I asked everyone for help. Dino-san laughed at me, Lal-san suggested ammunition, Colonello suggested a helicopter, and Fon-san told me something about how the value of a gift isn't always about the gift itself.

I still think you should apologize for making me go through all that.

Reborn let out a quiet breath of laughter.

Beside him, Tsuna immediately stiffened. "You promised!"

"I'm not laughing at you."

"You're literally laughing!"

"Keep quiet, Tsuna. I'm reading."

Tsuna made an offended noise, but he settled back against the sofa. Reborn returned his attention to the page.

But I guess what Fon-san said made me think.

When I was younger… I used to wonder what my life would've been like if you'd never shown up.

Honestly, I thought it would've been great.

No more getting shot before breakfast. No more impossible training sessions. No more weird people showing up at my house trying to kill me. I would've been able to go to school, come home, play games, and live a perfectly normal life.

Sometimes I still think about it, especially when you break into my apartment and eat my food.

But the older I get, the more I realize that even if my life would havve been easier without you, I don't think it would have been better.

Reborn's smile slowly faded, his eyes lingered on the last sentence.

Then he continued.

You were the first person who made me believe I could become someone better.

Actually, that's not true. You didn't make me believe it. You believed it for me, even when I kept telling you that you were wrong.

You pushed me into things I was terrified of doing, and I complained about almost every single one of them. I still think some of your methods were completely insane by the way.

But you never gave up on me. Even when I wanted to give up on myself.

And I don't think I've ever thanked you properly for that.

Reborn stopped reading for a moment.

He was aware of Tsuna sitting beside him, of the soft music playing somewhere in the apartment, of the distant sounds of traffic beyond the windows.

But the words in front of him seemed to have drawn his attention into something much smaller.

Much quieter.

He'd received gratitude before. Respect, too, more than he could count. People had thanked him for saving their lives, for training them, for protecting them, for giving them opportunities they might never have had otherwise.

He was accustomed to those things.

But there was something different about seeing Tsuna's handwriting on the page, knowing the boy had sat down and chosen every word himself.

Reborn lowered his gaze.

I think I've told you before that you're important to me, but I don't think I ever explained how much.

Because it's not just about everything you did when I was younger.

It's about now, too.

It's about the way you always remember when I have exams, even when I forget to tell you. It's about how you somehow know when I've been having a bad day, and how you always show up with food when I've been too busy to cook.

It's about the coffee you leave in my kitchen, and the stupid comments you make when I'm trying to study, and how you always tell me to get some sleep when I stay up too late.

I know I complain about those things all the time.

But I think I've gotten used to having you around...

More than I realized probably.

Reborn's fingers tightened slightly around the paper.

He read the next paragraph more slowly.

My apartment feels different when you're not there.

It's quieter. Which should be a good thing, considering how annoying you are.

But sometimes I'll be studying and realize I haven't heard you complain about my posture in hours, or I'll make coffee and remember that you're not coming over, and it's just... strange.

I guess somewhere along the way, having you around stopped being something I had to put up with and became something I started looking forward to.

And I don't really know when that happened.

I just know that I like my life better when you're in it.

Reborn went very still.

There it was again, that dangerous warmth. The quiet, almost unbearable feeling that had been growing inside him all evening.

He looked at the words, tracing them with his eyes as though reading them once wasn't enough.

I like my life better when you're in it.

He had spent years being wanted for what he could offer. His abilities, reputation, influence. The protection that came with having the world's greatest hitman on someone's side.

And now Tsuna was telling him that he liked having him around for reasons that had nothing to do with any of those things.

Because he remembered his exams, and because he brought him dinner.  And because he sat beside him while he studied.

Reborn swallowed, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been so affected by something so simple.

There was one final paragraph.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you.

For everything you did for me back then, and everything you still do now.

For staying.

And for letting me stay in your life, too.

I know you're going to make fun of me for writing something this sentimental, but I really mean it.

You're one of the most important people in my life, Reborn.

And I hope I can be someone important to you, too.

Happy birthday!

I'm really glad you were born.

— Tsuna

Reborn stared at the final sentence.

For a long moment, he didn't move.

He had been called many things throughout his life; the world's greatest hitman, a monster, a legend, a genius. Terrifyingly, a devil in human form, according to one particularly unfortunate former student.

He'd been feared, admired, desired, and occasionally worshipped by people who knew nothing about him beyond the stories surrounding his name.

But he couldn't remember anyone ever making him feel quite so grateful simply to exist.

I'm really glad you were born.

Such ordinary words.

Yet, such an extraordinary gift.

Reborn carefully folded the letter along its original crease. He took his time, he was trying to gather himself before looking at Tsuna.

The boy was watching him now, visibly nervous. His hands were clasped together in his lap, and his eyes kept darting between Reborn's face and the letter resting in his hands.

"Well?" Tsuna swallowed. "Was it okay?"

Reborn could only stare. Then, something almost painfully fond settled into his expression.

"Tsuna."

"What?"

"Come here."

Tsuna blinked, "I'm literally sitting next to you."

"Closer." Reborn smiled faintly.

Tsuna's face warmed, "Why?"

"Just come here."

There was something different about his voice—not commanding nor teasing. Simply quiet.

Tsuna hesitated before shifting closer along the sofa. Reborn placed the letter carefully on the coffee table, then turned toward him. He simply looked at Tsuna for a moment.

At the nervous expression on his face. At the faint color spreading across his cheeks. And at the way he seemed prepared for Reborn to say something embarrassing at any moment.

Reborn wanted to laugh. He wanted to tease him, he wanted to tell him that his spelling was terrible and that he'd somehow managed to insult him six times in what was supposed to be a heartfelt birthday letter.

But more than any of those things, he wanted to hold him.

So he did.

Reborn reached out and gently drew Tsuna into his arms.

Tsuna made a startled sound, "R-Reborn?"

Reborn didn't answer immediately. He simply held him, one hand rested against Tsuna's back, while the other settled lightly at the back of his head.

Tsuna went completely still.

This was unexpected. Reborn wasn't particularly affectionate, not like this. He occasionally ruffled Tsuna's hair, sometimes pulled him into an infuriating headlock, and had been known to sling an arm around his shoulders when he wanted to annoy him.

But this was different. There was no teasing, no hidden joke. Just the warmth of Reborn's arms around him and the steady sound of his breathing.

Tsuna's heart began beating faster. Slowly, almost uncertainly, he lifted his hands and rested them against Reborn's back.

"Did you like it?" he asked quietly.

Reborn closed his eyes. He pressed his cheek lightly against Tsuna's hair. "Very much."

"Oh. Good." Tsuna smiled. A small, relieved smile.

Reborn's arms tightened just slightly. "Thank you, Tsuna."

Tsuna blinked. His expression softened a second later.

"You're welcome."

They remained like that for another moment. Long enough for Tsuna to become painfully aware of how close they were. Long enough for him to notice the faint scent of Reborn's cologne, the warmth of his chest, and the way his own hands had somehow settled comfortably against the older man's back.

He should probably move.

That would be normal. Reasonable.The appropriate thing to do.

But Reborn was warm.

And Tsuna didn't particularly want to.

So he stayed.

When Reborn finally pulled back, he didn't move very far.

His hands remained lightly on Tsuna's shoulders, and there was something unusually gentle about the way he looked at him.

Tsuna swallowed, "What?"

"Nothing." Reborn smiled.

Tsuna narrowed his eyes.

"You're doing that again."

"Doing what?"

"Looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

Tsuna hesitated. That was the problem, he didn't know. He'd seen Reborn smile thousands of times. Smirks, teasing grins, the dangerous little curve of his mouth that usually meant someone was about to have a very bad day.

But this expression was different—softer, almost tender, and Tsuna had absolutely no idea what to do with it.

Before he could figure out how to explain himself, Reborn lifted one hand. His fingers brushed a stray piece of hair away from Tsuna's forehead. The gesture was so unexpectedly gentle that Tsuna forgot to breathe.

Then Reborn leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Tsuna froze completely. His entire world seemed to narrow to the warmth of Reborn's lips against his skin.

It wasn't a long kiss and it wasn't particularly dramatic. Just a soft, lingering touch, followed by the faintest brush of Reborn's fingers against his hair as he pulled away.

But something about it made Tsuna's chest ache.

It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but there was something so overwhelming about the tenderness of it that Tsuna couldn't quite make sense of the warmth spreading through his chest.

He had known Reborn for years, had grown accustomed to his teasing remarks and infuriating confidence, but never once had he imagined that the same man could touch him with such quiet affection, as though Tsuna were someone precious to him, someone he wanted to hold close rather than tease.

"Reborn?"

The name came out barely above a whisper.

Reborn looked at him and smiled.

It was a smile entirely different from the ones Reborn usually wore, far removed from the practiced charm and effortless seduction that had earned him his reputation as a Casanova.

There was something softer about it now, something unguarded and almost impossibly tender.

Reborn had always known how to make people fall for him.

He knew how to compliment someone at precisely the right moment, how to lower his voice just enough to make a conversation feel intimate, how to turn an ordinary touch into something that lingered in another person's memory. He had been admired by beautiful people in expensive rooms, pursued by men and women who wanted to be the one who finally captured his attention. He had kissed people before, he had been desired a lot.

But none of it had ever felt quite like this.

Because charm was easy and seduction was familiar.

Reborn knew how to make someone want him.

What he had never quite learned was how to stand in front of someone and let himself be wanted without offering anything in return.

And with Tsuna, he didn't want to perform.

He didn't want to impress him with clever words or carefully practiced gestures.

He wanted to be gentle. He wanted to hold him without a reason. He wanted to kiss his forehead simply because he was happy, because Tsuna had written him a letter and given him a little yellow charm and spent an entire evening trying to make him smile.

Reborn had known affection in many forms.

But this quiet tenderness, this almost frightening desire to give someone every soft part of himself, belonged entirely to Tsuna.

Only Tsuna.

"Thank you." Reborn said again, his voice low.

Tsuna stared at him. His cheeks were bright red now, and his lips had parted slightly as though he'd forgotten what words were supposed to do.

Reborn's smile deepened, "You're awfully quiet."

Tsuna blinked. Then, as though remembering how to function, he pulled back a little. "You—"

Reborn raised an eyebrow.

Tsuna pointed at him. "You just—"

"Yes?"

"YOU KISSED ME!"

Reborn looked thoughtful, "Did I?"

"REBORN!"

Reborn laughed softly.

There he was.

His Tsuna.

Still so easy to fluster. Still so wonderfully honest. But when Tsuna opened his mouth to protest again, Reborn gently caught his hand.

The movement stopped him. Tsuna looked down at their joined hands, then back at Reborn. "Why?"

It was such a small question. And Reborn knew exactly what he meant.

Why had he kissed him?

Why had he looked at him like that?

Why had something so familiar suddenly begun to feel so different?

Reborn's smile softened. "Because I wanted to."

“Oh…” Tsuna stared.His heart gave an uncomfortable little jump.

Reborn watched him carefully, "Did you mind?"

"What? No!" Tsuna's eyes widened. The answer came so quickly that he startled himself.

Reborn raised an eyebrow.

Tsuna immediately looked away. "I mean—no, I didn't mind. It's just..."

"Just?"

Tsuna swallowed. He looked down at their hands again. "You don't usually do things like that."

Reborn was quiet for a moment, before smiling to Tsuna. "No," he admitted. "I suppose I don't."

Tsuna looked up. Reborn answer made him feel strangely warm—and nervous. Very nervous.

Because Reborn was still holding his hand.

Tsuna hadn't tried to pull away.

The clock on the wall read eleven fifty-six.

Neither of them noticed.

Reborn was too busy watching Tsuna try to understand what had just happened, and Tsuna was too busy attempting to convince his heart to return to a normal rhythm.

Eventually, Reborn spoke. "Tsuna."

"Hm?"

"Do you remember what I told you I wanted for my birthday?"

Tsuna groaned. "Oh, don't start."

"I'm serious." Reborn chuckled.

"Something you've never had," Tsuna muttered. "Yes, I remember. Believe me, I've been thinking about it all week."

"I know." Reborn smiled.

"Of course you know." Tsuna sighed, then glanced toward the little yellow charm resting against Reborn's keys on the coffee table. "Was that it?"

Reborn followed his gaze, "The charm?"

"Yeah." Tsuna looked slightly embarrassed. "I mean, you probably never had one like that before, right? So technically..."

Reborn laughed softly. "Technically."

"So I got it right?" Tsuna looked hopeful.

Reborn studied him for a moment. Then, very gently, he shook his head. "Not quite."

"Oh, what else could you possibly want?" Tsuna's shoulders dropped.

Reborn caught his hand one more time. "Tsuna."

"What?"

"Look at me."

Tsuna did. Suddenly, the words he'd been preparing to say disappeared. Because Reborn wasn't smiling anymore, not really.

There was still something warm in his expression, but the teasing had faded, leaving behind a seriousness Tsuna wasn't accustomed to seeing directed at him.

Reborn held his gaze. "What I wanted," he said quietly, "was something I couldn't buy."

Tsuna blinked, "Okay...?"

"Something nobody could give me unless they wanted to."

Tsuna frowned slightly. Reborn's thumb brushed across his knuckles.

"Something I've been wanting for a long time."

Tsuna stared at him. His heart was beating very fast now.

"Reborn..."

Reborn smiled faintly, "I wanted a chance."

"A chance?"

"With you."

For a moment, Tsuna forgot how to breathe.

His heart gave a sudden, almost painful thud against his ribs, and he could only stare at Reborn, struggling to make sense of what he'd just heard.

A chance. With him.

The words settled slowly in his mind, bringing with them a warmth that made his chest tighten.

Reborn was still looking at him, his expression softer than Tsuna had ever seen it, and somehow that made everything worse. There was no teasing smile, no hint that this was another one of his jokes. For once, Reborn seemed to be waiting for something only Tsuna could give him.

"With me?"

Reborn nodded, “Yes.”

Tsuna blinked. "Like…" he stopped. Reborn waited for him to continue. "…like a date?"

"If you'd like." Reborn smiled.

Tsuna's face turned scarlet, "What?!"

"I thought I was being rather clear." Reborn laughed softly, but he didn't look away.

"You were not!"

"Really?"

"You keep saying weird things all the time! How am I supposed to know when you’re being serious?!"

That made Reborn pause. For a brief moment, he looked genuinely thoughtful. "Fair enough."

"What?" Tsuna stared.

"You're right."

Tsuna's mouth fell open. "What?"

"Don't look so surprised." Reborn chuckled.

"You never say I’m right!"

"Then consider it another birthday present."

"Reborn!"

Reborn laughed, then gently squeezed his hand.

"Tsuna." The softness in his voice made Tsuna fall quiet again. Reborn looked at him for a long moment. Then, without a trace of teasing, he said, "I like you."

Tsuna's breath caught.

Reborn continued, "Not because you're my student. Not because you're the future Vongola boss. Not because I feel responsible for you." He paused. "Because you're you."

Tsuna stared at him.

Reborn's expression softened. "I like the man you've become. I like talking to you, spending time with you, hearing about your day. I like that you argue with me even when you know you won't win, and that you still make coffee for me after telling me to get out of your apartment."

"I like that you remember the smallest things about me. I like that you care about people even when they make your life difficult." A faint smile touched his mouth. "And I like that you wrote me a letter telling me you're glad I was born."

Tsuna looked down, his vision had begun to blur slightly. Reborn's thumb moved gently across the back of his hand.

"I've been in love with you for a while, Tsuna."

There. He'd said it. Plainly, without hiding behind a joke, without giving Tsuna the opportunity to mistake it for another one of his games.

For once, the world's greatest hitman had chosen to make himself completely vulnerable.

And somehow, it was more terrifying than anything he'd ever done.

Tsuna slowly lifted his gaze, "You have?"

Reborn nodded.

Tsuna stared at him for several seconds. Then he looked down at their hands before looking back up again. "But why?"

Reborn blinked, he looked genuinely offended. "Excuse me?"

"NO! I didn’t mean it like that!"  Tsuna immediately panicked.

Reborn raised an eyebrow, "Should I be insulted?"

"No!"

"Because I'm beginning to feel rather insulted."

"REBORN!"

Reborn laughed. Just like that, some of the tension broke.

Tsuna groaned and covered his face with his free hand. "You're impossible."

"So I've been told."

Tsuna lowered his hand. But this time, when he looked at Reborn, there was something different in his expression—something shy, uncertain, something that made Reborn's heart beat a little faster.

"I don't know when it happened," Tsuna admitted quietly. Reborn went still, while Tsuna looked down at their hands. "I mean, I never really thought about it before. Not like that."

"But lately, whenever you're around, I keep..." Tsuna swallowed, he laughed nervously. "I keep noticing things."

Reborn watched him, "What kind of things?"

"Do I really have to say it?" Tsuna's face warmed.

"I'd like you to." Reborn smiled.

Tsuna sighed, "You're awful."

"Just... things. Like how you look when you're cooking, or how you smile when you're actually happy, or how you always know when I'm having a bad day." He paused. "And when you're not around, I kind of miss you."

Reborn's expression softened.

Tsuna continued, his voice becoming quieter. "I think I've been missing you for a while, actually. Even when I knew you'd come back."

For a moment, Reborn didn't speak.

Tsuna looked up at him. With a small, embarrassed smile, he added, "So I guess... maybe I like you too."

Reborn stared. Then his lips curved into the softest smile Tsuna had ever seen. "Maybe?"

"Don't ruin it!" Tsuna groaned.

Reborn laughed, "Wouldn't dream of it."

He lifted Tsuna's hand and pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckles. Tsuna's breath caught.

Reborn looked at him for a moment, his gaze lingering on Tsuna's face before he asked, his voice softer than usual, "Can I kiss you?"

Tsuna's eyes widened, and whatever words had been forming on his tongue disappeared completely.

His heart was beating so fast that he could barely think, especially with Reborn looking at him like that, with a tenderness that made him feel as though he were the only person in the world worth looking at.

He managed a small nod, almost too shy to meet Reborn's eyes, but when the older man made no move to close the distance between them, Tsuna realized he was waiting for an answer.

"Yes…" he whispered as his cheeks growing warmer.

The smile that appeared on Reborn's face was so impossibly fond that Tsuna felt his heart stumble all over again.

"Good." Reborn murmured, lifting a hand to cup Tsuna's cheek. His thumb brushed gently across the flushed skin, and Tsuna found himself leaning into the touch before he could think better of it.

Reborn watched him for another heartbeat, taking in the way Tsuna's eyes slowly fluttered closed and how his fingers tightened around Reborn's hand. There was something almost overwhelming about being trusted with this moment, about knowing that Tsuna was choosing to let him closer.

He had imagined kissing him more times than he cared to admit, but none of those imagined moments had prepared him for the warmth spreading through his chest as he finally leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against Tsuna's.

The kiss was soft and unhurried, a tenderness that felt almost unfamiliar coming from a man who had spent most of his life knowing exactly how to charm anyone he pleased.

With Tsuna, however, Reborn found himself wanting to savor every little thing; the shy way Tsuna responded, the faint trembling of his fingers, and the small, almost unconscious movement that brought him closer. When Tsuna finally kissed him back, tentative but unmistakably willing, Reborn felt his heart swell with an affection so deep it nearly frightened him.

He had wanted this for so long, had spent countless evenings wondering whether Tsuna would ever look at him with the same longing he had tried so carefully to conceal. Now, with Tsuna's hand holding his and those warm lips moving so sweetly against his own, all those years of quiet yearning seemed to melt away.

For once, there was nothing he needed to plan, nothing he had to prove, and no uncertainty left to hide behind a teasing smile. There was only Tsuna, close enough to hold, kissing him as though he wanted this just as much.

When they finally parted, Reborn remained close, his forehead resting lightly against Tsuna's as he brushed his thumb over the younger man's cheek.

Tsuna opened his eyes slowly, his face beautifully flushed and his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and shy happiness. The sight made Reborn smile with a kind of helpless affection he had never quite experienced before, and when Tsuna finally met his gaze, Reborn couldn't resist pressing one more small, lingering kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Tsuna let out a breathless little laugh, his fingers curling more securely around Reborn's hand, and Reborn thought that if this was what it felt like to be loved by Sawada Tsunayoshi, he wouldn't mind spending the rest of his life falling for him all over again.

"Oh..." Tsuna whispered, sounding so wonderfully dazed that Reborn couldn't help the amused chuckle that escaped him.

"Oh?" he echoed, a familiar hint of mischief returning to his voice.

Tsuna blinked, seemingly only just realizing what he'd said, and the soft pink dusting his cheeks deepened into a brilliant shade of red.

He immediately tried to pull away, looking thoroughly scandalized by his own reaction, but Reborn was still holding his hand, his smile growing wider as he watched the younger man struggle to recover his composure.

"Shut up!" Tsuna protested, although the embarrassment in his voice did very little to make the demand convincing.

Reborn laughed, warm and genuinely delighted, before gently tugging him closer again.

Tsuna grumbled something about how unfair it was that Reborn could kiss someone like that and still have the audacity to make fun of them afterward, but he made no real effort to escape.

In fact, when Reborn slipped an arm around his waist, Tsuna settled against him with a shy little smile that he seemed determined to hide.

And there he was. His Tsuna, still as wonderfully dramatic and easily embarrassed as ever, still capable of turning the simplest exchange into an argument, and apparently still convinced that telling Reborn to shut up would somehow make him less insufferable.

Yet he was also the same Tsuna who had spent days worrying over a birthday present, who had remembered the smallest details about him, and who had just kissed him with a sweetness that left even Reborn struggling to find the right words.

Reborn looked down at the young man nestled against him, feeling a fondness so overwhelming that his smile softened almost helplessly.

He had fallen for Tsuna's kindness, his stubborn courage, his ridiculous expressions, and every little contradiction that made him who he was.

Now, with Tsuna blushing against his shoulder while stubbornly refusing to let go of his hand, Reborn found himself falling even harder.

God, he loved him.

He loved him so much that, for once, even the world's greatest hitman couldn't think of a single clever thing to say.

The gentle chime of the clock interrupted the comfortable silence between them, drawing Tsuna's attention toward the wall. He was still nestled against Reborn's side, his cheeks carrying the lingering warmth of their kisses, and it took him a moment to register what the clock was telling him.

Eleven fifty-nine.

"Oh," he murmured, straightening slightly as realization slowly dawned on him.

Reborn followed his gaze before looking back at him, an amused smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Something wrong?"

"Wait, it's almost midnight." Tsuna glanced between him and the clock, suddenly looking rather distressed. "Your birthday's almost over."

"Very observant," Reborn remarked, earning himself an indignant look.

"Reborn! I'm serious!" Tsuna protested, although his expression softened almost immediately afterward.

Tsuna looked around his apartment, taking in the remains of their little celebration: the empty dinner plates stacked neatly in the kitchen, the warm lights still glowing along the windowsill, and the small gift box resting on the coffee table.

He had spent so long worrying about making everything perfect that it felt strange to realize the evening was already coming to an end.

Turning back toward Reborn, he smiled a little uncertainly. "I hope you had a good birthday."

Reborn regarded him with an affection that made his chest feel almost unbearably full. Even after everything Tsuna had done for him, after the dinner, the gift, the letter, and the sweetest first kiss Reborn could have ever imagined, the boy was still worried about whether he'd done enough.

"Tsuna," he said softly, waiting until those warm brown eyes met his. "It was the best birthday I've ever had."

Tsuna blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sincerity in his voice. "Really?"

"Really." Reborn smiled, brushing his thumb over the back of Tsuna's hand. "I wouldn't change a single thing."

The relief that spread across Tsuna's face was almost immediate, followed by a smile so bright and genuinely happy that Reborn had to resist the sudden urge to kiss him again. Instead, he gently intertwined their fingers, enjoying the way Tsuna looked down at their joined hands with a shy little expression before giving his hand an answering squeeze.

"I'm glad," Tsuna whispered, leaning a little closer. "I really wanted today to be special for you."

"It was," Reborn assured him, his gaze briefly shifting toward the clock. A familiar, knowing smile touched his lips, although Tsuna was too busy looking at their hands to notice. "More than you know."

The city outside continued its quiet movement beneath the night sky, while inside the apartment, the last seconds of October thirteenth slipped away.

Reborn watched the clock with an attentiveness that would have surprised Tsuna if he'd noticed. He had spent most of his life regarding birthdays as little more than another date on the calendar, yet tonight he found himself waiting for midnight with an anticipation he hadn't felt in years.

And when the numbers finally changed, marking the beginning of October fourteenth, Reborn turned toward the young man beside him with the softest smile.

"Happy birthday, Tsuna."

Tsuna looked up, startled. For a moment, he simply stared at Reborn, still caught somewhere between the happiness of the evening and the realization that his own birthday had quietly begun.

"Oh..." he glanced at the clock once more before turning back toward Reborn, looking almost disbelieving. "You're the first."

"I know," Reborn replied, sounding entirely too pleased with himself.

Tsuna frowned. "You know?"

"Of course." Reborn chuckled, lifting his free hand to gently brush a stray lock of brown hair away from Tsuna's forehead. "I wanted to be."

Something in Tsuna's chest fluttered at the admission. He hadn't even realized Reborn was paying attention to the time, much less that he'd been deliberately waiting for the opportunity to wish him a happy birthday before anyone else.

It was such a small thing, really. A few words spoken at midnight, a simple gesture that anyone could have offered him. But, coming from Reborn, it felt like something Tsuna wanted to keep close to his heart.

He looked at the man sitting beside him, taking in the familiar dark eyes, the gentle curve of his lips, and the expression of quiet affection that Reborn no longer seemed interested in hiding.

This was the person who had spent years teaching him how to be brave, who had somehow become an irreplaceable part of his everyday life, and who had just confessed that he'd been in love with him for longer than Tsuna could have imagined.

Now, here he was, holding Tsuna's hand and looking at him as though being the first person to celebrate his birthday was something worth waiting for.

"Reborn," Tsuna said, his voice softer than before.

"Hm?"

He smiled, a little shy but with unmistakable happiness. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Tsuna." Reborn's expression warmed.

He leaned forward then, pressing another gentle kiss to Tsuna's forehead. His lips lingered against the warm skin for a moment, and Tsuna instinctively closed his eyes, leaning into the affection with a small, contented sigh.

When Reborn finally drew back, he found the younger man smiling at him with such open tenderness that something in his chest tightened.

He never would have imagined that after a lifetime of having people fall hopelessly for him, he would end up falling just as helplessly for the softest boy he'd ever known. And somehow, with Tsuna smiling so sweetly beside him, he couldn't imagine wanting it any other way.

His gaze drifted toward the orange charm hanging from Tsuna's phone, then to the matching yellow one attached to his keys. The sight brought another fond smile to his lips.

Of all the gifts he'd received that day, those two little suns had somehow become his favorite.

A little piece of Tsuna's world that he'd been invited to carry with him. And Reborn fully intended to keep it for as long as he could.

"You know," He gave Tsuna's hand a gentle squeeze, "I haven't given you your birthday present yet."

Tsuna blinked, apparently having forgotten all about presents amid everything that had happened. "Huh? Oh, you don't have to get me anything, Reborn. I mean, you've already—"

"Would you like it now?" Reborn interrupted, his eyes glinting with unmistakable amusement.

Tsuna narrowed his eyes immediately. He knew that expression far too well, and after years of being on the receiving end of Reborn's surprises, he'd developed a healthy suspicion of anything offered with that particular smile.

"What is it?"

Reborn leaned a little closer, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. "A boyfriend."

For a moment, Tsuna could only stare at him, his mind struggling to catch up with the sheer audacity of the statement.

Reborn, meanwhile, watched him with an expression of perfect innocence, apparently finding nothing unusual about presenting himself as a birthday gift.

Then Tsuna's face turned scarlet. "YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THAT LIKE YOU'RE OFFERING ME A CUP OF COFFEE!"

"Why not? You said you wanted something special." Reborn burst out laughing, clearly delighted by the reaction.

"THAT'S NOT—" Tsuna spluttered, gesturing helplessly between them. "YOU CAN'T JUST—REBORN!"

"Would you prefer something more traditional?" Reborn asked pleasantly, looking as though he were giving the matter serious consideration. "I could get down on one knee."

"DON’T!"

"Flowers, perhaps? A romantic speech?"

"REBORN, STOP IT!"

"Or I could put a ribbon around myself. I hear that's a popular way to present a gift."

Tsuna made a strangled noise, remembering with sudden horror that Yamamoto had suggested almost exactly the same thing several days earlier.

He buried his burning face in his hands, wondering what terrible thing he'd done in a previous life to deserve knowing so many people who apparently shared a single brain cell when it came to embarrassing him.

Reborn was laughing so hard now that his shoulders shook.

"You're awful." Tsuna muttered from behind his hands.

"And yet," Reborn replied, gently catching his wrists and coaxing his hands away from his face, "You seem rather fond of me."

Tsuna looked at him, cheeks still bright red, and attempted to summon an appropriately offended response. Unfortunately, it was difficult to remain indignant when Reborn was looking at him with such obvious affection, especially when the older man's fingers were still wrapped so comfortably around his own.

"Unfortunately," he admitted, trying very hard to sound annoyed.

Reborn's smile softened. "How lucky for me."

He drew Tsuna closer, slipping an arm around his waist, and Tsuna followed willingly despite continuing to mutter about how ridiculous he was. But when Reborn leaned toward him, intending to steal another kiss, Tsuna surprised him by closing the remaining distance himself.

Their lips met in a kiss that was a little shy and wonderfully sweet, and Reborn felt his amusement dissolve into something much warmer.

Tsuna's hand came to rest against his chest, his fingers curling lightly into the fabric of Reborn's shirt as he kissed him with growing confidence. Reborn held him close, smiling faintly against his lips before returning the affection with a tenderness that made Tsuna's heart flutter all over again.

When they eventually parted, Reborn was wearing a smile that had very little in common with his usual self-assured smirk. There was something almost helplessly happy about it, the sort of expression that came from having something he'd wanted for so long finally within reach.

Tsuna looked at him, still blushing, before allowing himself a small, affectionate laugh.

"Happy birthday, Reborn."

Reborn brushed his thumb gently across Tsuna's cheek, smiling when the younger man leaned into the touch without hesitation.

"Happy birthday, Tsuna."

For a while, they remained together on the sofa, Tsuna comfortably tucked against Reborn's side as the first minutes of his birthday passed around them.

There was still a little cake left in the refrigerator, a few dishes waiting to be put away, and several messages that would undoubtedly begin arriving on Tsuna's phone before the night was over.

Tomorrow, Gokudera would probably insist on organizing something elaborate, Yamamoto would laugh himself breathless when he discovered what had happened, and Dino would become absolutely insufferable once he learned that his former tutor had finally managed to confess.

Reborn suspected the next few days would be rather entertaining.

But tonight, he was content to let the rest of the world wait.

He looked down at Tsuna, whose head had settled comfortably against his shoulder, and pressed a gentle kiss into his hair. Tsuna responded by moving a little closer, his fingers finding Reborn's hand again as though it were already the most natural thing in the world.

Reborn smiled to himself. For someone who had always preferred to have everything under control, Reborn found himself surprisingly excited about the uncertainty of what came next.

He could already imagine the countless ways he'd make Tsuna laugh, the inevitable arguments, and the kisses he intended to steal whenever he had the chance.

He glanced at Tsuna, who was still holding his hand, and smiled. The boy had spent weeks searching for something Reborn had never had, never realizing that all Reborn had wanted was a chance to love him and be loved in return.

Somehow, against all expectations, he'd gotten exactly that.

Something he'd never had. Until now.