How are you guys doing? Sorry for the late update, but a mix of the new school year and the literal fucking Pandemic had caused a mixture of no-time-ness and writers block.

Also the alternate title to this is: That chapter where Mukuro declares love for Tsuna and also deals with the issues of being a 17 year old who had no time or care for certain solo recreational activities and is now dealing with the consequences. Also Chrome is a mist and has an imagination that traumatizes Mukuro.

Tsuna woke up and had to take a moment. A noise hissed out of his throat as he doubled over. Immediately hands were pressing against him insistently and he vaguely heard people speaking to him through the pain.

"Ouch", he mumbled and tried to unfurl himself as the lurching of his stomach made his skin go clammy. There is a moment before he is guided up slowly and a bucket is pushed into his hands. He can barely mutter a word of gratitude before he is once again emptying his stomach.

He dry-heaves into the bucket for what feels like ages but was probably only a few minutes. He rests his forehead on the rim of the bucket, trying to suppress any further nausea.

"You okay, Bossu?" Chrome asks from his side. He lets out a quiet 'mnhm' and slowly sits up. A bottle of water is pressed to his face and the bucket is taken away.

Opening the water and taking a small sip to ease his parched and now gross tasting mouth, he leans against Kyoya who was perched tentatively on the mattress.

"Thanks, guys." He rasps, shaky and tired. Kyoya ran a hand through Tsuna's hair, massaging and easing some of the tension that had built up. Tsuna closes his eyes and relaxes into the feeling; cloud flames pressing and soothing, tangle against him and he slumps completely onto his cloud.

A cool hand rests against his clammy forehead and it takes a moment to recognise Mukuro. Up close he looks so much worse than he had yesterday or any time he'd seen the mist. His skin was tinged yellow and his cheeks were sunken in an almost skeletal fashion. A noise slips from his lips as he reaches a hand out to his male mists face, anger and worry filling him.

"Who did this?" Tsuna murmurs protectively and he feels a surge of foreign affection filtering through his bond with Mukuro. Mukuro's head tilts to the side and he lets out a derisive smirk.

"No offence Mio Cielo, but I was confined to a tube for the last couple years. Mass degeneration is a thing that happens when you don't move for an extended period of time."

This did not comfort Tsuna.

At all.

Images ran through Tsuna's head and he pulled Mukuro towards him and into awkwardly perching on his/Chrome's laps. Possessiveness and rage fills him at the idea of someone caging his mist, chaining him to the ground; as someone who loved to fly the idea enraged him. Tsuna stared right into Mukuro's startled eyes and with a vehemence he didn't know he possessed he spoke.

"La Mia Nebbia," the Italian poured off his tongue and felt right, "no one will ever cage you again. I will stop it even if it kills me."

There was silence.

The tension in the air thick and cloying was broken with a chuckle and Tsuna felt Mukuro curl his arms around him, their faces so close they were almost touching. "Mio Cielo, I am yours to do as you please. I will fight your battles and burn the world to the ground if you only ask." Mukuro switches to Italian, "You have given me my freedom and in exchange, I will give you my heart."

Tsuna almost chokes on the sheer surge of connection he felt with his mist, the bond flaring into place with a violence that Tsuna should have expected of Mukuro. He can feel tears running down his face at the onslaught of emotions from both the bond and the feelings Mukuro's declaration brought forth. (Well, the declaration in Japanese; Tsuna wouldn't know what the Italian meant until much later, when he learnt more of the language)

Tsuna buried his head into Mukuro's neck and clung to him; love and determination and protectiveness swirling between them. His voice is small when he speaks, "You won't leave me?"

Mukuro's is almost feral, "Never"

"While I hate to interrupt this adorably possessive moment, breakfast is ready. Also, male-indigo-chan, I wish to have a chat with you about your diet." Nana said from the doorway, causing the room's inhabitants to jump violently.

"MAMA, how long were you there?!"

Nana snorts and glides out of the room, beckoning Mukuro to follow her. He tentatively raises from Tsuna's lap with Chrome's help and follows her into the homey little corridor.

"You don't want to talk about my diet do you?" Mukuro asks suspiciously, he didn't trust parents, after all, his had tortured him to death several times.

"You're half right, I do want a list of allergies and preferences because you need to gain a lot of weight, but you were right about that being an excuse." There was silence for a few seconds as Mukuro mulled over Nana's declaration. "I met Tsuna's father in Italy did you know? We got along because we both grew up in Japan."

Realisation struck him and Mukuro mentally swore, blush creeping onto his cheeks. No one in that room knew enough Italian to understand his declaration, if he'd known someone could understand he wouldn't have been anywhere as bold. Nana smiles as she watches indigo-kun go scarlet and meek, a huge change from his suspicious/confident attitude a minute ago.

"Protect him will you? And if he gives you his heart guard it with your life; he has been hurt too many times to trust easily." Mukuro nods decidedly, he was going to do that anyway. Nana grins and allows the sparkles that usually appear to lighten the hallway, "Also, don't be too surprised if you end up in a harem, I saw how both Indigo-chan and the Hibari heir stared at him. Even if you're the first I don't think you will be the only one that vies for his affections."

Mukuro blinks surprised, but strangely the idea doesn't repulse him. His Chrome was his already and his feelings for her were already rather warm, but the weirdest thing was the hot rush that went through him when he thought of the Skylark in a non-platonic fashion. The one who was his equal, his rival; someone who, had he not utilised dirty methods of fighting, could beat him easily.

This was not helping his blush at all.

Nana smirked at the bi-panic radiating from the mist; her Tsuna would be well-loved.

Iemitsu stepped out of his (the CEDEF's) private jet, annoyance flaring. One of his agents, Dohachiro Nezu, had apparently heard that Tsuna had pissed off his elements somehow.

He growled "This kid, always causing trouble for me to clean up. Can't he just stop fucking up for once!" Basil stared in disgust at his 'master' and tried to diffuse the situation by answering with Shakespeare babble. Iemitsu ruffled his hair and he resisted the urge to give in to his more cloudy instincts that were calling for him to stab Iemitsu in defence of the powerful sky.

He was knocked from his thoughts when a notification popped up on his phone.

How would you like to ditch CEDEF? Nono pissed off Reborn and I don't want to deal with the fallout; Iemitsu is a whiney little bitch. – Boss Ass Bitch

He grinned almost manically.

Sign me the fuck up, I am so done with Iemitsu! He's gone so past annoying me that I'm dosing myself with rain flames and insulting Iemitsu in Shakespeare just to keep sane. – Basil

Also, tell Reborn to be on the lookout for the idiot. He's been called in to get Tsuna to make up with his guardians for some reason, but I don't think that Tsuna would fight with his guardians for no reason. Iemitsu's blaming Tsuna for everything again and having Reborn be intimidating in his general direction would probably make him a lot more mindful of his words. – Basil

Basil checked where Lal was on the app she'd gotten for all her CEDEF and pouted at the fact that she was over the ocean. If she were on a plane then she wouldn't read it till later and he didn't have any way to tell reborn to keep a closer eye on Tsuna. Ugh, whatever; Iemitsu is probably too dumb to find his own house anyway.

Tsuna is sitting at the table and eating some dry toast to try to settle his stomach. Mukuro is on his left side and Chrome on his right with the kids scattered across the table and Kyoya sitting at the head of the table imperiously gazing over them all like he wasn't stuffing as much of Nana's cooking in his mouth as could fit.

Nana was smiling and dishing up food that looked like it belonged in a restaurant. Mukuro was pouting as nana piled his plate high with food and made a face when she winked at him. -Eat your food or I'll give Tsuna an Italian lesson-… She was a demon.

Chrome giggled at Mukuro and was thankful that he'd taught her how to use her flames to eavesdrop it was so fun.

What are you so amused about? Mukuro's voice drifted through her head and she bit her lip in amusement.

Someone forgot they taught me how to eavesdrop. She mentally sing-songed, I think watching you and Hibari-san would be very fun.

Mukuro chokes and has a coughing fit as food goes down the wrong way. Tsuna looks over, worried.

"You okay Mukuro?" he nods and tries for calm and collected but his face is imitating a tomato and the image of him pinned down by the skylark, that Chrome sent across their link, was swimming across his eyes.

Mio Dio Chrome! He has to put effort into keeping from speaking Italian, I liked it better when you were still meek and innocent and not sending me your fantasies.

No, you didn't.

He refrains from planting his face into the table in despair.

"Rokudo, you will be training with me to recover your strength, Tsuna will join when he gets better." Kyoya declares. Mukuro pushes down the images and takes a moment to register that he hadn't been called pineapple; huh?

"I want to join!"

Eyes are dragged to Lambo who has a serious expression and it occurs to everyone that none of the usual chaos had happened recently.

"Me too!" Both I-pin and Fuuta say.

"I'm not playing dumb anymore! Someone hurt Tsuna-nii and I don't want to be too weak to protect him!" Lambo's eyes shone with determination and the people who weren't in-the-know about his intelligence were very confused.

"Lambo is a certified genius and often helps me with my homework," Tsuna says, much to the astonishment of the others. "He liked to mess with Reborn and… H-h" his voice trails off and suddenly the toast isn't doing the best job of settling his stomach.

"Tsuna, we love you and-" A ringing sounded and Nana waltzed to the door and froze her face morphing into a cold rage. Tsuna tried to get up and Chrome pulled him up and allowed him to lean on her, he let out a sharp breath as pain radiated through him.

"What's up Mama?" he said and limped over to the door where he stilled and stared at Bianchi with Hayato in tow.

She sees him and stares him straight in the eye; his intuition tells him to stay.

"My brother is an idiot and is here to apologize." Hayato tried to wriggle out from Bianchi's iron grip.

"I'm not going to apologize stupid woman!" Tsuna could practically feel the anger radiating off her as he leant back into Mukuro's chest, he could feel his elements surrounding him and he was eternally grateful for their support.

"If you will not apologize, then I will do it for you. Vongola Decimo, my brother has done you a great misdeed and had he been an honourable man he would have apologised already, but since he refuses I will tell you that what happened was not your fault. My brother joined your group for the position, not for you, and he has disgraced our name through his traitorous actions.

Since I know that he will continue to be a stubborn bull-headed dumbass I will be the one to offer you a favour. Whatever you need, whenever, the Tempestas Famagilia is in your debt.

Tsuna stared with his mouth open. He couldn't help it. How was he supposed to process something like this?

"I will take my leave," Bianchi stated and left, dragging a writhing storm behind.

"What just happened?!"

Lal turned her phone off aeroplane mode and smirked at Basil's first message then froze at his second.

"Reborn, I think I know what is going to trigger it"