Calling Out – Chapter 8

Warning(s): Summoning!AU/Demons!AU. Slight cussing.

Rating: T

Genres: Humor, Romance, a bit of Hurt/Comfort. Probably a bit fluffy (first part).

Summary: Tsuna and Reborn act according to Bermuda's warning.

Characters/Pairing(s): Adult!Reborn, Tsuna, Byakuran. R27.

Timeline: Follows the last chapter.

Answers to reviews: Thank you all so much for the follows, favs and reviews!

Tanukichibi: Here he is. His role was decided around the same time as the Sins.

A/N: Hope you'll enjoy!

Tsuna absently flicked his wrist towards the fireplace as he slowly paced on the soft fur in front of the newly-born orange flames. They crackled in the hearth merrily, in deep contrast with the frown etched on the Elemental's face. His tail was beating the air in mild agitation as he kept his wings neatly folded on his back. He stilled suddenly, forcing his shoulders to relax and closing his eyes. He let the cozy ambiance of the room wash over him and sooth his thoughts. He inhaled deeply, basking in the familiar presence of Reborn's darkness and the almost intoxicating scent floating. Should he let the fragrance overtake his senses, Tsuna wouldn't worry about anything anymore.

Temptation surrounded him, in the welcoming softness of furs on the floor, in the subdued ambiance of the room, in the concealing darkness and in the thrilling aroma.

The first time Tsuna entered Reborn's home, he had almost succumbed to the irresistible lure. Under the calculative and sharp gaze of the Incubus, he had valiantly struggled to get his body under control even as desire burst into his veins and threatened to take away his reason. Breathless despite standing still and in a last effort to resist the snare, Tsuna had reacted in sheer desperation and turned his entire body into flames. It was how Reborn learned that, as an Elemental, Tsuna could become fire if he wished but couldn't take his usual form until several days later.

(The younger demon had fiercely glared at his then-tutor for subjecting him to the test and spent the entire week as a fire evading the other, oddly offended and plotting ways to get back to the Sin.)

Nevertheless, despite the seduction literally swirling around him, Tsuna wasn't exactly in the mood to play around. Tired of standing, the Elemental promptly fell on the inviting fur. He didn't know which animal it had been, and he frankly didn't want to. It was soft, comfortable and at any other time, he would have gladly fallen asleep on it.

"I notified Pride and Gluttony." Reborn announced as he walked back into the room, pausing a few steps in to stare at his lover with an arched eyebrow. "Pride has confirmed that his protégée has demonic blood, belonging to one of the highest clan of Beasts. As for Gluttony, he knows that his geniuses are descendants from some obscure clans who have perished not too long ago."

"I see." Tsuna murmured, not really surprised.

Reborn stayed put, still gazing at his pensive Chosen. Lying flatly on his back, Tsuna had opened widely his wings coated in gentle flames, sprawled harmlessly on the fur. One of his legs was slightly bent, the ankle crossed over the other. His shirt was riding up, exposing his stomach that he was distractedly stroking with his fingers. His veins were golden, shimmering beneath his skin.

To Reborn's annoyance, the room reacted to his mood. Though he was immune to the seductive aroma swirling around them, he knew that it had turned from thrilling to downright intoxicating. He huffed at the change, crossing his arms on his chest. His eyes flicked back to Tsuna, expecting a remark. The Sin did a double take, stilling. He had apparently underestimated how out of it the Element was. Usually, Tsuna resisted quite well to the surrounding lure. And yet, he was absently unbuttoning his shirt with slow but deft fingers. One of his hands toyed with the hem then while the other moved up to stroke his throat. The flames in the hearth had dimmed, giving a subdued light. The content sigh that fell from his slightly parted lips snapped the Sin out of his silent contemplation.

"You're such a tease, Tsuna." Reborn commented as he tore his eyes away and only received an inquisitive and oblivious hum in reply.

The Sin purposefully walked over to the only couch present in the room, on the Elemental's left. He kept his gaze firmly set on the fire as he regally sat down. It reminded him that, like any Incubus or Succubus, Tsuna could affect the ambiance of a room easily. Despite being in Reborn's territory, he affected the house enough to add a homely feeling that originally didn't belong there. That, and the temperature had risen to reach comfortable levels, chasing away the coldness his darkness brought along.

"Have you decided?" Reborn asked, recognizing that the pensive mood was brought by reflections on possible solutions.

He wouldn't inquire about Giotto and the others. Tsuna had explained the situation to him, and from how he had done so, it was obvious for the Sin that the Elemental had forgiven his clan's negligence but would insist to explain why he had reacted like so. He wouldn't spare his family. Coming from Tsuna, the blow would be enough to force contrition from them. No doubt, they would be more helpful in whatever plan Tsuna had been mulling over.

Reborn looked at his lover when he didn't receive an answer to his question. His mood darkened when he recognized the expression the Element was making. Narrowing his eyes, the Sin leaned forward.

"Tsuna?" He prompted, expecting to hear something he wouldn't like.

"Vongola is seeking every descendant from angels and demons, right?" Tsuna avoided his gaze, keeping his eyes fixed on the ceiling. "It's not only my kids who are targeted."

"You can't save everyone." Reborn reminded him coolly.

"I know. What I mean is…" He trailed off and ruffled his hair in agitation. "Since the problem involves a lot of people, maybe, I should ask some – "

"No."

Tsuna paused at the flat refusal, turning his head to stare at Reborn. "What do you mean, 'no'?" He frowned. "Of course – "

"No, you do not involve him." Reborn clarified, clearly annoyed.

"Come on, he could – "

"Tsuna." Reborn interrupted him once again. "I don't want you anywhere near Byakuran. He reeks of insanity. Last time you met him, he tried to kill you. He only stopped when you almost reduced him to ashes. For your own sake, stay away from him."

When Tsuna broke eye-contact to guiltily look away, Reborn's core froze. The Sin exhaled slowly, crossing one leg over the other. When he was sure that he could hold on his composure, he spoke up again.

"You didn't make contact again, did you?"

"I might have run into him during one of my summons." Tsuna admitted quietly. He winced when the temperature in the room dropped due to the sudden rush of darkness. "B – But nothing happened! He didn't try to kill me or anything, really."

"When?" Reborn asked as he pinned the younger demon down with furious eyes.

"It was maybe two months after Takeshi's summon." Tsuna was completely still on the floor, his gaze trapped.

"And you didn't deem important to tell me; why?"

"Because nothing happened!" The Elemental cried out, sitting up in his agitation. "It was only a coincidence!"

"Damn it, Tsuna." Reborn openly cursed, slightly baring his teeth. "You very well know that I do not believe in coincidences. I do not trust either in any word or oath he might say and take to occlude his previous deeds."

"He didn't try anything." Tsuna adopted a calm tone, trying to settle the situation before the tension exploded. "He hadn't expected my presence either if his reaction was anything to go by, and he had been civil enough to try and make amends with me."

The Sin scoffed and flicked his fedora up. "And you are foolish enough to believe empty promises?"

"No, I am wise enough to trust my instincts." Tsuna unclenched his jaw, feeling his wings rise to adopt a reflexive intimidating stance. "Byakuran has been stripped of his privileges. He isn't an archangel anymore. Most of his powers have been taken away."

"No matter how many heads you cut, the Hydra will not fall."

"Why do you persist in seeing him as an enemy?" The Elemental threw his arms up, frustrated. "He has changed, or at least, he's trying to. Whatever he has done is in the past, and even if he wanted to do it again, he can't. He has neither the magic, the power or the influence to do so. He is but a low-level angel now. You won't give him another chance, fine. Why won't you move on then?"

"Because you were dying in my arms and I couldn't do anything about it!" Reborn snapped and the entire room was plunged into icy darkness, the flames vanishing.

Tsuna stiffened at the sudden outburst, sensing his lover prowl towards him with a predatory grace. He lifted his head up as he followed the approach, any of his previous annoyance disappearing.

"Had you been a pure Elemental, I wouldn't have been able to transfer any of my energy to you. Had I been any less powerful, I wouldn't have been able to maintain you enough to wait for your brother's arrival."

Reborn loomed over Tsuna, his inky wings stretching over their forms, as his eyes reduced to two slits of abyss staring sharply down at him.

"He almost took you away from me." His voice lowered to a threatening growl even as he articulated the words clearly. "I will not forget." Hands caught Tsuna's chin in a tight grip. "I will not forgive."

A small ball of soft blue flames appeared between them, floating beneath the leathery roof. It cast odd shadows on their faces but didn't conceal any of the emotions swirling in their gazes. Reborn barely reacted at the sudden light, merely narrowing his eyes.

"If given the chance, I will gladly destroy him."

"I'm not dead." Tsuna instantly murmured, shifting so that he was on his knees and wrapping his hands around Reborn's to gently free himself. The matter-of-fact tone of the Sin's previous statement alarmed him. "I'm here, right now."

He smoothly got up, still keeping their hands joined, the flames following the movement. The inky wings retreated slowly, almost reluctantly, as Reborn leaned down simultaneously to meet Tsuna halfway.

"I don't want you to meet him."

"You know that I'm right." Tsuna kindly insisted, brushing their lips together and peering into merciless eyes. "Byakuran has infiltrated the humans long enough to form a group that rivaled Vongola. He can keep an eye on them while we inform the rest of the demons and the angels to watch out for their kin."

Reborn stayed silent, leaning back slightly. The younger demon didn't add anything else for the time being, letting his Chosen dissect the situation, the proposed solution and his own feelings. He didn't protest nor resist when the Sin began to bring them towards the couch. Without letting go of his hands, Reborn comfortably sat down, spreading his wings wide. He then tugged his lover down, wordlessly requesting him to follow. Tsuna complied happily enough, opting to plop down directly on his lap. Snuggling into Reborn's chest, he wrapped his arms around the Sin's neck and nestled his head against his lover's shoulder. Absently, Reborn began to caress his back and the joints of his wings as he kept a firm hold on his waist. As silence reigned between them, Tsuna let his body heat increase to warm up Reborn and directed his blue flames to ignite again the hearth, letting the ones on his wings be.

As minutes trickled down, Tsuna began to doze off. He tightened his hold and somehow managed to cuddle even closer, looking ready to fall asleep at any moment. It was the sigh coming from Reborn that snatched his attention back.

"Why not letting Pride inform the angels?" He suggested in a voice as suave as usual, lacking the previous violence. "Fon is perfectly able to control his temper to deal with anyone."

Tsuna snorted. "It's not his self-control the problem, but rather his total lack of tact. I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to offend every soul he met with his blunt sincerity."

"What about Lal? She can be reasonable."

At that, the Elemental coughed out a struggled laugh. "Yeah, right. No, I don't think it would be a good idea to send Wrath deliver a message like this, especially when it is very probable that the news won't be well-received. And don't even think about sending Colonnello." He added.

"Of course not." Reborn scoffed. "He's going to pick a fight at the first provocation."

"Greed is likely to charge them for the air they're breathing while Avarice isn't going to say anything until they get paid." Tsuna continued. "As for Gluttony, well, he's going to ask them all sorts of questions about their nature and their powers, which is most likely to outrage his interlocutors."

"There is still Skull."

Tsuna's head shot up in surprise and he stared at Reborn's indifferent face for a few seconds, not believing his ears.

"Envy is more than capable to hold his ground against angels as well as passing the message along without vexing them."

The Elemental kept silent for a while longer, still rather surprised to see that his lover could actually recognize that Envy, the youngest among them to have received a sin and who was still struggling to be accepted, had the ability to perform such an important task.

"It doesn't resolve the matter with Byakuran." Tsuna pointed out quietly. "Besides, it's about the Vongola. It's about the clan. I can't involve more outsiders."

"Fine, but I'm coming with you." Reborn conceded in a tone that brooked no argument. "You can be as trusting as you wish, as long as I am here to ensure that it won't stab you in the back." There was a short pause and then, he added. "Though, if we are going to meet the lunatic, there's no need to send Envy."

"Well, we need to inform the demons too."

"Yes, but for that end, alerting our contact networks will be enough. Between the Sins and the different clans you are acquainted with, the news will spread quickly."

"Right." Tsuna acknowledged as he finally let himself relax, relieved to have avoided a worse argument over Byakuran. "Somehow, I doubt that it would cause any panic in the realm."

"Not unless you persuade the Sentinels that we ought to keep our existence as secret as possible or unless I convince the Queen to do so." Reborn shifted to slightly curl his wings around them. "From what you told me, the Sentinels aren't overly concerned about the Vongola. They won't strike as long as no one gives them no reason to. As for the angels," he shrugged in disinterest, "they're old enough to manage by themselves."

Tsuna hummed in agreement, basking into the cold safety Reborn always wrapped him with. A few moments later, he reluctantly leaned back.

"I should go back to Giotto." He sighed. "I did leave them without any explanation whatsoever. Besides, they need to be informed and they will help spread the news."

"You should, yes." Reborn agreed, releasing him slowly and unfurling his wings.

Tsuna paused, watching him intensely. The Sin stared back stoically, arching an eyebrow down at him. The Elemental nibbled on his lower lip and still perched on his lover's lap, let his fingers play with the short hair on the nape of his neck. He didn't want to leave, especially not after their discussion – after what Reborn had admitted. Even if he wouldn't tell anything, Tsuna knew him enough to notice when his Chosen wasn't fine or needed his presence.

Besides, he could let his family stew a little bit longer. They were probably racking their brains to find what could have caused him to be upset and with a little bit of luck, they would find something to be guilty over and tell him.

Who was he kidding? Of course, they had done something stupid but there was no way they would confess anything. Not without a threat of some kind.

A flick on his forehead brought him back from his thoughts, blinking at Reborn's inquisitive glance. Tsuna just tightened his hold to bury his head in his clothed shoulder, and neatly folding his wings while letting the flames vanish, he curled up to snuggle closer.

"I've changed my mind." He mumbled, his voice nearly unintelligible. "I'm staying. They can wait."

Reborn didn't say anything, simply wrapped his arms around the younger demon and closed his wings around them to form a thick and dark cocoon. A smile crossed his lips fleetingly before his eyes flashed – darkness enveloping them.

In an awfully-smelling alley, two forms stepped out of a cloak of darkness with an easiness that spoke of habit. With barely a blink, they concealed their otherworldly appendages, wings and tails vanishing. The taller of the two narrowed his eyes as he glanced around, snapping his gaze back on the younger one when he didn't find anything alarming.

"Your allure, Tsuna." Reborn reminded him. "Tone it down."

The Elemental complied with a shrug. He honestly didn't think that his lure was so powerful that it required to be repressed. He wasn't a pure Incubus, nor was he as powerful as Reborn who was attracting stares and flustering people even when the Sin made the effort to appear as human as possible. He winced when Reborn cuffed his head.

"Stop underestimating yourself." He ordered as they stepped into the busy street of an Italian city, reading his lover's mind as usual. "Contrary to most of demonic lures, yours is subtle enough to coax humans to do your bidding without pulling on their desires – carnal or otherwise." He tilted his fedora down when he noticed that they still attracted attention. "Next time I catch you thinking otherwise, I'll deem necessary to consider teaching you again with some personalized exercises."

Tsuna blanched and inched away from him, looking ready to bolt at any given moment. "No, you really don't have to."

His protest was met with a stern look. The Elemental didn't insist, knowing better, and changed subject instead.

"So, if I remember correctly, the tea house is not far from where we are." He mumbled mostly to himself as they paused at a crossroad, looking around.

Tsuna was so focused on trying to spot anything familiar to guide them to their destination that he missed Reborn's twitch. The Sin's demeanor shifted, abruptly darkening. The humans near them stilled, shooting him wary glances. The cleverest decided to continue further down on the street, figuring that they could cross the road elsewhere, after all. The others stepped away from the irked demon, creating a no man's land between the couple and everyone else.

"And how, pray tell, did you manage to run into the maniac in a tea shop?" Reborn asked lowly, not giving a care to the reactions around them.

Tsuna's attention snapped back to his lover instantly, inwardly wincing at the slip in the aura. He barely noticed the mortals' attitudes, more preoccupied into defusing the annoyance before it worsened into downright hostility.

"It has to do with my then-summoner." He hastily explained. "He was the clumsy and awkward type of adolescent who couldn't help but babble when near his crush and since his friends' advice was of no help, he kind of decided that he ought to try calling for a demon before giving up and – "

Tsuna abruptly stopped, grimacing when he realized that he was exactly doing the same thing that his former summoner – babbling. Except that it was worse, because he wasn't being charmingly awkward with his crush but annoying with his possessive-and-easily-jealous Chosen.

"Huh, long story short, the crush works in the tea room, I accompanied the guy inside and guided him into striking a conversation." Tsuna roughly summarized, observing Reborn to gauge his mood.

It wouldn't do to have an annoyed Sin meeting with Byakuran. Instead of being furiously wary, he would be downright murderous.

"They hit off pretty well. They hardly needed my help so after a while, I grew bored and went outside to walk around until my summoner properly let me go. I bumped into Byakuran when I was leaving the shop and in the short discussion we had, I learned that he was a regular."

The light turned green for the pedestrians. The humans around them instantly hurried to cross, still largely avoiding them. Tsuna only relaxed when Reborn nodded silently, ruffling his brown locks gently. The Elemental suppressed a relieved sigh as they traversed the road. He probably should have explained the fortuitous meeting earlier, insisting in how it was clearly not something that could be planned, but it was a bit annoying to have to do so in the first place. He knew that Reborn reacted so strongly due to Byakuran's past shenanigans and had nothing to do with a lack of trust in him or in his abilities to defend himself. Tsuna would never do anything that might hurt Reborn – not purposefully at least – but his tendency to attract trouble unwittingly was stress-inducing for everyone who cared about him. And that included Reborn. Who knew the Elemental perfectly well to have faith in him – as much as demons could.

And Tsuna wasn't going to develop further this train of thought which was inexplicably flustering him.

In his distraction, he had almost missed the shop. As soon as they crossed the doorstep and caused the doorbell to ring, a singing – and hated for at least one demon – greeted them.

"Tsunayoshi and his dear tutor."

Tsuna reflexively grabbed Reborn's wrist, startled. The Sin merely leveled a glare at the white-haired angel creepily smiling down at them from his seat at a table. Byakuran only seemed amused by the open hostility, waving them over. Reborn moved first, gently tugging Tsuna along and ignoring the stares they attracted. The Elemental plopped down on the chair in front of his ex-enemy, flicking his eyes towards his neighboring seat. The Sin gracefully obliged, posture closed off and expression blank. His aura irradiated distrust and should his control slip, hatred. Tsuna desperately kept a hold of his Chosen's hand, opting to lace their little fingers together since he knew that Reborn would rather have his limbs free but could accept his lover's need to symbolically ask him to stay calm.

The gesture certainly didn't escape Byakuran's sharp eyes. He didn't even bother to sound or look surprised.

"Ah, that explains a lot." He merely commented, gazing keenly at them both.

Tsuna bit the inside of his lower lip, wincing at the unsubtle and tactless reminder.

"You expected us." Reborn stated, ignoring the previous words and refusing to react otherwise than by crossing his leg casually. "Or rather, you know that we would have come at some point."

"To be exact, I was expecting Tsunayoshi to find me." Byakuran disagreed, apparently deciding that annoying the Sin was his new hobby. "You, darling, are just an unwanted guest."

"Then, I shall live up to my nickname of nuisance." The demon smirked. "Why were you waiting for us?"

"To talk about the past, of course." The angel replied, both tone and smile dripping false innocence.

They stared at each other, both creepy in their own way. Tsuna was very tempted to pray God if only to keep the two of them from slaughtering each other. He shared a miserable look with the poor employee who was tasked to serve them and quietly told her the first thing that came to mind, giving her an excuse to scurry away. He didn't bother asking anything for Byakuran who was enjoying a hot chocolate and several puffy marshmallows.

"The past is important, don't you think?" The angel mused out loud after a few moments of unbearable silence, taking a sweet between his fingers. "Anything you did or said in the past will come back to haunt you. Any mistake, any mishap, any miscalculation born from the slightest negligence, can turn into the instrument of your downfall."

"It is a pity that you had failed to realize this sooner."

The employee came back with their commands, looking terribly uneasy. The tray with a hot chocolate and a cup of black coffee was lightly shaking, betraying her nerves. The Elemental took pity on her and gently pried the platter from her. She gave him a grateful if quivering smile and promptly fled.

"You're a terrible angel." Tsuna stated matter-of-factly, putting everything in front of him. "Angels aren't supposed to terrify humans."

He checked the teapot by habit, not yet pouring in his cup, but placed Reborn's coffee in front of him, receiving a nod as wordless thanks. Byakuran's eyes seemingly lit up at the remark.

"One word from you, Tsunayoshi, and I'll strip of my feathers."

"Unfortunately, Byakuran, you would make an even worse demon." Tsuna retorted without batting an eyelash and folding his hands on the table.

The angel pouted, rolling his marshmallow. "Aw, you're wounding me."

"I wish." Reborn dryly piped up, taking a sip of his black coffee.

"Anyway," the Elemental forcefully took control of the conversation. "From what I hear, you're already aware of the Clam's ploy, aren't you?" He asked rhetorically.

"The hidden shell is rather peculiar about its hermit crab." Byakuran answered anyway, shamelessly taking the metaphor further.

Tsuna made a face while Reborn scoffed wordlessly. The angel merely grinned, glancing at the younger demon playfully. He hummed as he watched the Elemental pour tea in his cup, chewing on his sweet. His demeanor shifted subtly, his grin receding to a knowing smirk as he stared intensely at Tsuna – completely ignoring the Sin.

"Are the demons beginning to worry about their spawns?" He wondered out loud after swallowing his candy. "Or are you here for something else?"

"Aren't the angels worried about their spawns?" Reborn asked mockingly, quirking an eyebrow. "Or haven't you told them what you have found?"

"Do they know, Byakuran?" Tsuna insisted quietly when the angel didn't react.

"I didn't need to." The former archangel glanced out of the window, gaze scanning the street until it locked on a man waiting for the bus on a bench, playing on his phone.

"Your nanny did it for you." The Sin translated without looking out as he had already noticed the angelic presence. "Or, rather, your nannies."

"That might work to our advantage." The Elemental whispered inaudibly, a thoughtful expression passing on his face, and he sipped his tea.

Silence fell once again between them, Reborn still observing Byakuran as the angel switched his gaze back to stare at Tsuna instead who kept his eyes away. The older demon finished his coffee, setting his cup down with a barely noticeable click.

Tsuna briefly closed his eyes, mentally counting down. It was nearly time to ask what they had come for.

"Why are you here, Tsunayoshi?" Byakuran finally asked as he swallowed his last marshmallow, smile gone.

"I'm looking for someone, someone special to fill a special task." He poured more tea in his cup with deliberately slow movements. "Someone who succeeded in building an empire. Someone who succeeded in making useful contacts. Someone who succeeded to rise in the shadows. Someone who blends among the humans while wearing an intricate mask, ever-watching, ever-listening and ever-knowing."

He put down the teapot and gently closed his hands around the cup, lifting it delicately. He paused, lips hovering above the rim.

"Someone who understands that kin is important and untouchable."

Byakuran's grin was slowly growing back.

"Someone to alert you and yours, should the line be crossed." The angel concluded. "Someone to raise the alarm, should the humans cross the line."

He suddenly chuckled, leaning back on his chair. He tilted his head slightly, calculative eyes staring at the Elemental.

"Now, why should I do that?" He asked, shrugging. "I am not careless, after all. I do not have the need to keep an eye on the Vongola."

"And yet, you're doing it anyway." Reborn pointed out, smirking as he realized that he had managed to make the other lose his smile. "You have created an association awfully alike the Vongola, created a rivaling relationship with them and taken several steps to ensure that they wouldn't discover who you really are. You are already keeping an eye on them as you try to control all their comings and goings."

"Besides, why would you even do that?" Tsuna continued smoothly. "What can possibly convince you?"

"You owe Tsuna your life." The Sin swiftly reminded the angel. "A long time ago, he chose to spare you instead of reducing you to ashes – as he should have done, in my opinion. After all, your ambition has led you to break several articles of the Treaty. By all rights, Tsuna should have ended your twisted existence. And yet, he did not." He uncrossed his legs to give Byakuran a long and disdainful look. "Isn't your punishment rather trivial after all? Do you really think that it was your past and your rank as an archangel that gave you so much leeway?" He didn't wait for an answer and mercilessly carried on. "Without Tsuna's forgiveness and negotiation to grant you a second chance, you wouldn't be there, angel."

"Then, what would you gain from carrying this small task?" The Elemental inquired mildly, pouring his last cup of tea.

"It is an opportunity to win some points with your folks. It will be a show of good will, a testament of how serious your wish to move on is. What kind of angel, but a genuine good one, can start a new life with the very one who caused your loss of privileges?" Reborn tilted his fedora sideways, insufferable. "And, we should do well but remember that you are making us all a favor, demons and angels alike, in accomplishing this mere task. After all, humans are creatures that we need to monitor carefully, lest we become their mere slaves."

"Don't you think it would be profitable for you?" Tsuna finally asked.

Byakuran was staring blankly at them, genuinely taken aback by the onslaught. He then started to laugh, clapping a few times, impressed. His perpetually-present smile came back, as if it had never disappeared.

"I pity your enemies, truly." He idly commented. "If you are already ruthless when dealing with business partners, I don't want to see how you are with any of your foes."

Reborn toothily smirked back while Tsuna shrugged, noncommittal.

"You know, I was already planning to repay you any favors I might owe you, Tsunayoshi." Byakuran informed them with unconcealed amusement. He tipped his head in a nod. "I see no problem in keeping an eye on Vongola and informing you of their moves. As you pointed out, Sin, humans are not to be underestimated."

Tsuna genially smiled at him, positively beaming in relief. "Thank you."

"Marvelous." Reborn swiftly got up, cutting in before the angel could say anything and prompting the younger demon to hastily finish his cup and follow suit, nodding at Byakuran. "Now that the matter is settled, let's go."

"Wait." Byakuran spoke up, stopping the demons in their tracks. "Why did you say that I would be a terrible demon earlier?"

"Your ambition was to surpass Him, wasn't it? To become Him and to stand at the very top?" Tsuna asked to check, receiving a confirming nod.

Both demons smirked at him then, Reborn sneaking an arm around Tsuna's waist, uncaring that they were in the center of a tea room, catching every patron's attention.

"Now, where's the fun in that?" They simultaneously questioned him. "Every demon knows that it is the game that's important, not the end."

And they vanished through the invisible Veil, stupefying the humans and annoying the nannies. Byakuran thoughtfully tapped his chin until he realized exactly what they had implied.

"They basically told me that I'm boring, didn't they?"

A/N: Places acting like houses are representative of their inhabitants. Example: Giotto's manor answers to Fire Elementals first and foremost, and is mostly made of fire. Another example: Reborn's place reeks of temptation, according to his nature as both an Incubus and Lust. They both have a certain amount of control over their homes, though they can't do anything about the side-effects (Reborn's mood affecting his place or the high temperature and instability of Giotto's manor).

Yeah, I'll let you decide if Byakuran is offended, amused or both.

Thank you for reading and don't hesitate to point out any mistake! Any questions or requests?

See you next time~