Title – How To Build An Empire
Rating – this chapter PG13; overall NC17 (at which point I may stop posting here where things need to be more censored lol)
Pairing – YamaGoku, guardiansxTsuna... just about all of them
Warnings – craaack, attempts at humor, slash, OOCness, Tsuna uke? XD
Comments – Tsuna (eventually) bottoms for (almost) all of his guardians b/c... well. Tsuna Vongola bicycle cough But I fail at just throwing them into sex without explanation so I had to write all this build up and sort of back-story first lol. If you're looking for deep meaning and intricate plot... you're looking at the wrong fic, lol. Please do not take this fic too seriously. XD

Chapter 1

In the two years since Tsuna had completed his schooling and taken the full-time position as head of the Vongola family's base in Japan (an occasion he recalled with a reflexive twitch and a panicked glance over his shoulder), he had undergone new levels of training with Reborn and his various cast of substitute tutors. They'd covered subjects ranging from the economy of Italy to Relativity and quantum mechanics—all of which he'd failed spectacularly. Reborn had decided it best to start over, beginning with the basics—a comprehensive history lesson of the Vongola family.

Tsuna had managed to learn a good deal about the family throughout the six years he'd been Reborn's pupil, but even he had thought a structured lesson with weekly sessions was a sound idea. He shouldn't have been surprised when Reborn appeared at the start of their first class in the library, dumped a pile of books and files on his desk, and said, "Test in an hour. Study."

He groaned for what had to have been the thirtieth time in about as many minutes. The miniscule print in the 600-page book he'd selected (the shortest among the tomes Reborn had deposited for him) had begun to blur and resemble Gokudera-kun's opponents after a rocket bomb attack. He weighed the merits of escaping through the open window against the punishment Reborn would deal him when he found him missing.

Clearly, he had some studying to do.

The book had grown useless and he hadn't retained the single sentence he'd been rereading for the better half of the hour so he set it aside. Surely Reborn would narrow down the scope of his first test by focusing on a certain time frame, or on one of the previous bosses. The permanent foot-shaped imprint on the back of his head should have taught him by now that his tutor probably had no intention of making it easy on him... but Tsuna liked to remain optimistic.

He reached for the stack of files at the corner of his desk. Selecting a fairly slim one from the middle, he flipped it open with a twist of his mouth that might have been a pout to the casual observer. The stack of photographs inside immediately piqued his interest. Looking at images was a welcome alternative to squinting at scrawling text.

The woman in the top photo was easily recognizable as the Eighth, being the only female boss in the Vongola family's history. Still, Tsuna only knew her face because the veritable fortress in which he now lived had a gallery where paintings of the previous Vongola bosses and their guardians hung. The mafia in general and the Vongola in particular, Tsuna had soon learned, were steeped in tradition and unspoken rules of etiquette despite their ever evolving use of technology.

He shuffled through the photos, feeling suddenly daunted by all the stoic faces. Given time, would he become like those men, all hard angles and flinty eyes?

He paused, brows knit, as he reached another photo of the Eighth. She was sitting on a leather sofa, legs crossed and a wineglass held lightly in her left hand. Beside her, perched on the arm of the sofa, was one of her guardians—exactly which one, Tsuna couldn't recall. There was the hint of a smile on the Eighth's lips and her right arm was extended, hand resting casually on her guardian's thigh.

Tsuna cocked his head; the pad of his finger pressed absently into the corner of the picture. The simple suggestion of friendship between the two was an anomaly amongst the other images. Of course, the previous bosses had to have possessed similarly strong relationships with their guardians; Tsuna had just never expected to see it so visibly evident, especially with how poised they all appeared in their other photographs.

He set the photo aside and ducked.

Something metallic whizzed past his ear and lodged itself into the wall behind him. He patted his head to make sure he wasn't missing anything significant before whirling in his seat, expression set into an annoyed scowl.

"Is it really necessary to announce your arrival by throwing projectiles at me?"

"It's to ensure you're alert." Reborn hopped up onto the chair opposite his desk, the brim of his hat obscuring his eyes. "By the way, you failed your test."

Tsuna decided getting upset with him would take more energy than he was willing to exert at nine in the morning. Instead, he sighed and said, "How could I have failed a test I haven't even taken yet?"

"I was testing you on your ability to make use of the materials given you. In the last hour, all you've done is stare blankly into a book and look at some pictures. You fail."

Tsuna rubbed a hand through his hair and shrugged. "At least I don't have to do a written exam."

"That'll come later. After the essay."

The urge to repeatedly bang his forehead onto the table was compelling.

"What's in your hand?"

Tsuna paused in the middle of his mental jeremiad to recall he was still holding the photograph of the Eighth and her guardian. He passed it to Reborn, whose lips quirked at the sight of it.

"That one stuck out to me. It's the only one where the Eighth looks...er, kind of happy." He leaned back in his seat, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. "It's good to know that... even as rigid as the Eighth was, she still found some happiness in her friendships." It reassured him that regardless of whatever future obstacles might face him as a boss, he would still hold his guardians close to him as the best friends a man—mafia boss or otherwise—could ask for.

"They were lovers."

Tsuna choked on his saliva. "W-what?"

Reborn smirked, eyes glinting in that slightly sinister way that made Tsuna want to dive for cover. "Vongola Eighth was lovers with three of her guardians."

Despite his best efforts, Tsuna felt the heat creep up his neck. "Three? Is this a joke to try and throw me off?" Because it's working.

Reborn seemed to regard Tsuna's reaction for several awkward seconds before he jumped to his feet and crossed the room. Tsuna watched warily, legs flexing, prepared to fling himself sideways if Reborn decided to launch any more impromptu attacks on him. Instead of flying books, Reborn disappeared behind a bookshelf. He returned wheeling a reversible chalkboard that Tsuna was certain hadn't been back there before.

Reborn flipped the chalkboard to reveal the other side—a dry erase board—where small sketches had been drawn of the Vongola bosses' heads and their guardians with little red arrows connecting them. Tsuna blinked.

"When did you...?"

"Unlike you, I know how to use my resources." He picked up a long pointer from the front tray and Tsuna couldn't help but picture Reborn trying to spear him with it and calling it a reflexes test.

"Does this mean you're actually going to give me a real history lesson?"

Reborn smiled. "Yes. Vongola Eighth was lovers with three of her guardians."

Tsuna choked again. "Why are you telling me that again?"

"Because it would be to your benefit to learn about the relationships between your predecessors and their guardians." He rested the tip of his pointer to a small face that, Tsuna supposed, resembled the First. "When the Vongola First selected his guardians, he chose his lover and subordinate as his rain guardian. Back then, the Vongola family was still in its early stages of acquiring the power it has now. Eventually, the knowledge that they were lovers was discovered and his enemies targeted his rain guardian, nearly killing her numerous times."

"Why didn't they just maintain a platonic relationship then?" It had been a poor decision, Tsuna thought, to put his lover in so dangerous a position, regardless of how qualified she might have been as a guardian.

"Ending their involvement wouldn't have fixed matters. Enemies wouldn't have stopped targeting her. The First decided he'd have to direct his enemies' attention elsewhere so he put up pretenses that he was lovers with all of his guardians."

Tsuna tried to find fault with that line of reasoning, but couldn't seem to work past the sudden white noise filling his thoughts. "But...but they would have known it was a ploy."

"Possibly. I'm not certain about the details since it isn't fully documented, but at some point, the pretense became real. They were able to confuse and mislead their enemies enough to defeat them."

"Wait." Tsuna's brain had finally decided to catch up. "He...they... all of them?"

"Yes, and he retained sexual relationships with at least two guardians after he married—although he retired with his mist guardian in Japan later in life." Reborn moved his pointer to the face of a man labeled 'First Mist Guardian' in green marker.

Tsuna shifted in his chair when Reborn paused expectantly. He had little idea what Reborn expected him to say. Anxious to escape the odd history lesson, he began to rise. "Er...thanks, Reborn, I think I'll just—"

"The Vongola Second decided the First had made a logical choice in selecting lovers among his guardians," Reborn said. Tsuna sighed and slumped back into his chair. "He decided keeping his affairs within the family would be the safest choice so long as their relationships were kept in confidence—also, it strengthened the bonds between the boss and his guardians. Problems only arose with the Third when jealousy became a dividing force among his guardians, resulting in the Fourth's decision to take his love affairs outside of the family."

Tsuna muttered a quiet 'thank goodness,' which Reborn ignored. Unfortunately, his relief was short-lived.

"The Fifth, however, continued the unorthodox tradition, and it has been commonly accepted since that the Vongola boss and his guardians could choose to engage in sexual relationships until the matter of an heir arose."

At this, Tsuna hunched his shoulders and sank so low in his chair that he could just see the tip of Leon's tail beyond the surface of his desk. His face radiated warmth and he wanted nothing more than to dunk his head in a bowl of cold water to keep the embarrassment at bay.

"Of course, it all depends on the boss's personal preferences," Reborn said. "You don't have to adopt the tradition."

Tsuna pushed up in his seat, hands fisting on the tabletop. "W-we're all—well, most of us are just... really good friends."

Reborn shrugged and returned the pointer to its tray. "Everyone assumes you've already taken Gokudera."

Tsuna sputtered and would have protested except he was trying not to swallow his tongue.

Reborn's brows rose at his reaction. "So you haven't then."

Tsuna made a strangled sound before finding his voice long enough to shout, "Don't pretend as though you didn't already know that!"

Reborn wheeled the board back behind the bookshelf, allowing Tsuna a few seconds to recover. Long years with Reborn had given Tsuna enough time to become accustomed to the intrigues and the excessive violence within the mafia—all things which he still felt he wasn't suited for. But being lectured about the sexual practices of the Vongola bosses seemed bizarrely more disquieting than waking up ten years in the future in a coffin.

Reborn placed the photograph of the Eighth and her guardian beside Tsuna's hand before gathering up the books scattered across the desk. "If you need the opinion of your guardians, ask Gokudera. He's been educated in Vongola history and traditions. Or Mukuro—he knows quite a bit about the Vongola as well."

Tsuna could just imagine what a conversation with Mukuro about sex would entail (blatant innuendos, leering, and possibly a remark or two about bodily possessions and phallic weapons). He groaned and buried his face in the fold of his arms until Reborn left. Then he pushed away from his desk and stalked over to the window to let the outside air cool his cheeks.

oOo

Dinner normally consisted of lively conversation and excessive praise for the cook, but Tsuna found himself unable to participate in their nightly ritual. Blame for his distraction, of course, could entirely be placed on Reborn's shoulders. Unfortunately, he was unable to simply disregard the unusual lesson—first, because Reborn always seemed to work towards a greater goal despite his strange methods and Tsuna had yet to determine what that goal was; and second, because he was a twenty year old man whose sex life was sorely lacking and when the topic passed his thoughts, his thoughts latched on.

He rubbed his forehead with one hand as his other prodded his antipasto with his chopsticks. Reborn had clearly implied that it would be acceptable for him to have sex with his guardians... but Tsuna's only female guardian was Chrome and he highly doubted she'd be receptive to any inappropriate suggestions—and anyway, Mukuro would have something to say about it and Tsuna would never voluntarily involve himself in that kind of complication.

Chrome was clearly not an option, but he'd never even contemplated the other alternative. How did men even... they didn't have... Realization seemed to hit him like a metaphorical Maximum Cannon.

Tsuna flailed a bit before abruptly dropping his head onto the hard tabletop beside his plate. His mind grew fuzzy as his thoughts retreated to recuperate from the mental shock.

"Tenth." Gokudera shot out of his seat and reached over to place a concerned hand on his shoulder.

Crap, Tsuna thought. He forgot he'd had an audience to his breakdown and Gokudera had no concept of personal space when he was worried.

"Tsuna, something bothering you?" Yamamoto shifted closer to pat his back, fingers resting against the curve of his spine. "Your face is red. Do you have a fever?"

"Are you ill? Maybe we should get you in bed," Gokudera said.

Tsuna groaned piteously at his choice of words. Gokudera's hand tightened on Tsuna's shoulder. Yamamoto's fingers trailed down his back as he pulled away.

Oh my god, stop, Tsuna thought, suddenly claustrophobic. He stood up from the table, forcing both his friends to back away or risk getting knocked aside. Yamamoto was watching him with a curious arch of his brow and Gokudera was looking vaguely wounded. He sighed.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry I worried you. I just need some fresh air." He didn't want to run from the room and alarm them further, so he settled on a brisk walk.

Despite what he'd just told them, he headed for his room. It was a comfortable suite, far more lavish than he would have selected for himself but Reborn had insisted it was the boss's quarters and turned a deaf ear to Tsuna's protests (in fact, he'd fallen asleep midway through Tsuna's tirade). A large bed sat in an alcove off to the side and the remaining space was furnished with both a desk for Tsuna's work and a seating area for leisure and guests. Tall bay windows provided him a clear view of the garden and the grounds beyond. He'd spent many an afternoon staring out through the clear glass and remembering when life had been far less complicated.

He collapsed onto the sofa and shoved a pillow behind his head. He stared up the simple chandelier and the crystal facets that refracted the sunlight into glittering patterns against the ceiling. He felt not a little like those strung shards, his life balanced on the precarious scale of the Vongola, every conflict splintering him into unrecognizable shades.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the photograph of the Eighth. He hadn't intended to hold onto it but Reborn had left it behind and Tsuna had yet to locate his tutor to return it.

There was a knock at the door before Gokudera's voice announced his intent and he entered. Tsuna sat up on the sofa, smiling sheepishly at the concern on Gokudera's face.

"Tenth, I... please tell me if something's bothering you." He crossed the short distance to where Tsuna was seated and dropped to his knees beside him.

"Um...it's just something with Reborn from this morning. Really, you shouldn't worry about it." He rubbed the back of his head and tried to smile but Gokudera just leaned back on his heels and frowned.

"But you're worrying about it, which means it's my duty to worry about it as well. As your right-hand man, it would be remiss of me to turn a blind eye to your distress."

It was hard to argue with Gokudera's logic, despite that it was, at times, fairly disorienting. Tsuna acknowledged that possibly he did need a second opinion to confirm that mulling over the morning's lesson was simply cause for needless anxiety. Gokudera might not have been the most rational person but he was honest and he would answer sincerely.

"Well," Tsuna said, before coughing lightly. Gokudera's face lit up as he realized Tsuna would confide in him. He held out the photograph in his hand and Gokudera eagerly accepted it. "Reborn gave me a... um, an unusual lesson this morning on an old Vongola tradition."

Gokudera nodded sagely, urging him to continue without words.

Tsuna could already feel the blush creeping into his cheeks. "It was about how the Vongola First...um, took all his guardians as lovers..." He paused, because Gokudera had stiffened a bit, his face flushing lightly. "Are you, er, familiar with that...tradition?"

Tsuna bit his lip and watched as Gokudera rose from the floor to sit beside him while running a hand through his hair and briefly exposing the smooth lines of his jaw and neck. Tsuna was struck by an odd sense of disappointment when the fall of his hair concealed them again.

"Yes," Gokudera said. "It was mentioned at some point in my lessons when I was younger and I was able to infer the rest. Why was Reborn-san teaching you about the Vongola's sexual practices?"

The easy way in which Gokudera spoke of it helped diffuse some of Tsuna's unease. "I guess that was my fault. I sort of inadvertently asked him to. Er, anyway, I just wanted your opinion on it."

Despite the pink hue of his cheeks, he appeared to genuinely consider the matter. After a moment, he shrugged and said, "Well, I guess I agree that it was a logical solution for the previous bosses. But for you, I suppose it depends on your preferences. I mean, most of the guardians are men and I'm not sure if you have any experience with men. I hate to say it but I think I was lucky my first time was with Yamamoto because he's such a pansy and he took it slow..."

Gokudera had trailed off and Tsuna suspected it was because his mouth was currently hanging open and he wouldn't have been surprised if his eyes had also fallen out of their sockets. But Gokudera only looked startled, not horrified, so they were probably still in place.

"You... Yamamoto... what... since when?" Tsuna sputtered. He had the urge to do some shouting, purely for stress relief, but Gokudera was suddenly looking stricken so he slapped a hand over his face and forced himself to breathe.

"I'm so sorry, Tenth! I didn't mean to offend you by being crass!" Gokudera had pulled his knees onto the sofa and flung himself into a low bow, forehead pressed into the cushion. The photo of the Eighth lay forgotten on the floor. "Please forgive me."

"Gokudera—" Tsuna had to shout to be heard over the man's stream of apologies. "Gokudera, just... I'm sorry I reacted that way."

His keening slid to a halt. Tsuna's sigh of relief was short-lived as his shoulders were suddenly seized in a strong grip.

"Don't apologize, Tenth! I shouldn't have—"

"No, Gokudera, stop." The sudden silence was jarring. Tsuna took a deep breath and swallowed, his gaze riveted to the distraught line of Gokudera's mouth. They were currently pinched, the lines of his face tight with anxiety. Tsuna felt his hand rise without conscious permission to ghost across Gokudera's bottom lip.

His mouth fell open and his face grew slack in surprise. Tsuna couldn't say exactly why he'd done that, except that it'd always been upsetting to see such disquiet in Gokudera's face. He quickly dropped his hand.

"Look, I don't mind that... you know, you two are together, I just... I didn't know. You caught me off guard. That's all." He was acutely aware of how warm Gokudera's hands were against his skin, of the wiry chord of muscles in his exposed forearms, of the way his normally pale cheeks were flushed and it was a pleasing complement to his pale hair.

Tsuna decided he was going to have to murder Reborn later.

"Oh." Gokudera withdrew and scratched his head awkwardly.

"But... but thank you for giving me your opinion."

The silence was awkward until Gokudera smiled apologetically and Tsuna felt a rush of relief that the odd situation hadn't affected their friendship. He would have happily let the matter drop, but his curiosity had been piqued and he wanted very much to ask about how Gokudera and Yamamoto had... Tsuna straightened—he'd been wondering about relationships between men all day and it occurred to him that sitting before him was a choice opportunity to have his questions answered.

"Um, Gokudera. I was wondering..." How did one go about asking such personal questions anyway? "H-how...how do men...? Er." The assumption he'd made at dinner came crashing back with dizzying impact. That kind of answer was better left to be found in a book. What was he thinking, asking Gokudera how he and Yamamoto had sex? He ducked his head, mortified. "Never mind."

Unfortunately, Gokudera caught on quickly. He shifted on the sofa, gaze darting sideways. He looked flustered but not altogether uncomfortable. He was wringing his hands in his lap and the action was one Tsuna had never seen him do before.

"I-if you, possibly, wanted to...to try the tradition and learn, I would gladly lay with you, J-Tenth."

The ensuing silence was resounding. The earnest tilt of Gokudera's brows was offset by the bright shade of red he'd turned at his proposition and Tsuna's mental faculties had declared a code red and abandoned ship.

"I... B-but but but--Yamamoto!"

Gokudera's expression fell and his entire body slumped in defeat. His eyes fluttered shut and his lips formed a moue, which Tsuna found inordinately fascinating. "If you want that baseball idiot instead, I'm sure he'd be willing."

"What?" Tsuna was sure he'd knocked something out of place with how frantically he was shaking his head. "No no no, I meant... I thought you were with Yamamoto!" Although now that Gokudera had suggested it, his repressed libido seemed convinced Yamamoto was just as acceptable a solution as Gokudera.

Blinking rapidly, Gokudera seemed to perk up at Tsuna's clarification. "Oh! No, I only sleep with that simpleton when I'm bored. We're not exclusive." He gave a negligent wave of his hand.

Tsuna cupped his head and groaned. Gokudera immediately latched onto his shoulders again.

"I'm sorry, Tenth, have I offended you again!?"

"No, no, you didn't offend me at all," Tsuna said. He scooted away, shrugging off the man's hands for reasons that had very little to do with his irritation. "Look, I just need some time to think about all of this, okay? It's been a long day."

Gokudera straightened and nodded with all seriousness. "I understand. I'll leave you to your rest." He stood, as if lingering any longer might be a grave offense. "But... my offer still stands." He turned and marched from the room before Tsuna could argue. The door shut softly behind him.

Tsuna sagged against the sofa cushions, his mind buzzing. If this was all some intricate plot Reborn set up to try and unhinge him to test his mental fortitude...well, then he'd fail because he'd have to throttle his tutor. He reached for a cushion and brought it down over his face to block out the fading evening light—or to smother himself, whichever worked first.

If he were to be honest with himself, Gokudera's offer had grated a bit. Gokudera had proven time and again that he would do anything for Tsuna, as his self-proclaimed right hand man. He didn't want this (hopefully) passing curiosity to be taken as nothing more than another task for Gokudera to fulfill. Tsuna would never demean their friendship by asking it of him and it was worrying that Gokudera might believe otherwise.

oOo

Tsuna emerged from his bathroom the following morning, having just finished brushing his teeth, to find Reborn sitting in the armchair adjacent the sofa. He paused and eyed his unexpected guest warily.

"Good morning, Tsuna." Reborn smiled and sipped his coffee.

"Morning," Tsuna said. He was only dressed in his boxers but Tsuna had stopped being body shy around Reborn years ago after so many Dying Will escapades in his underwear. He leaned against the bathroom doorframe and crossed his arms. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Hibari will be arriving from Namimori in a week. You'll be required to meet him at the airport next Friday."

Tsuna nodded. Hibari's visits always heralded a distinct shift in atmosphere at the base—people stood taller, walked more quietly, and completely avoided the east wing where Hibari's suite was located.

"I'm looking forward to training with him again," Tsuna said as he pulled on his clothes. "But you usually send me this information through a letter."

He fastened his pants before approaching the sofa and bending to retrieve the photo Gokudera had dropped the night before. "And here—you can take this back."

"Speaking of which," Reborn said. He reached into his inside coat pocket and withdrew something before casually dropping several photographs onto Tsuna's coffee table. Tsuna reached for them.

"What is...?" Tsuna went rigid, eyes bulging. "What... what is wrong with you?! Why do you have these?" His face flamed and he forcibly looked away from the images of Gokudera and Yamamoto embracing.

"Were you aware of this?" Reborn asked, voice level and completely indifferent to Tsuna's appall.

"I—I don't see how that's any of my business!" Tsuna managed, turning his back on the pictures. He pointed an accusing finger at Reborn. "What are you doing with pictures of... with pictures!?"

"You are the Sky—it's your duty to know what your guardians are doing, especially concerning interpersonal relationships. Yamamoto and Gokudera have been involved in a sexual relationship for almost six months now and you haven't been aware. This reflects very poorly on you."

Tsuna snorted because he seriously doubted he could speak without sounding like he'd just hit puberty.

The steam from Reborn's coffee cup wafted in hazy disks around his face as he sipped. Tsuna glared at his calm recline and moved to stand by the window. The caretaker was moving through the garden, sunlight glittering off his tin watering can.

"Yamamoto and Gokudera like to rendezvous in the garden. They're there nearly every other day. How have you not noticed?"

Tsuna strongly resented Reborn's derisive tone. "I'm not in here all hours of the day," he said tightly. Hadn't Gokudera said he only slept with Yamamoto when he was bored? If Reborn was to be believed, Gokudera was apparently bored quite often. The thought made him shift uneasily on his feet. Despite what Reborn seemed to believe, Tsuna was resolute in the principle that the private affairs of the other guardians were none of his business.

No matter how compelling the mental imagery.

"Your inattention to those around you is troubling."

Tsuna whirled on his tutor and glowered, although Reborn's lack of reaction meant his display of temper was less than impressive. Then again, intimidating Reborn was virtually impossible without raining flames, ominous horsemen and other signs of the apocalypse.

"I pay attention!" he said, insulted that Reborn would accuse him of not being attentive of his friends. "Lambo and I-Pin just called me from Italy a few days ago with an update and they'll be back by the end of the month. Gokudera has been practicing a new attack and Yamamoto just received another video from Squalo. He's been holed up in his dojo for days now."

Reborn nodded in approval. "Very well. However, it escaped your notice that Gokudera often interrupts Yamamoto's training in the evenings for—"

"Fine, geez, I get it already! They're screwing. I get it. What do you want me to do about it?" Tsuna stopped gesticulating wildly long enough to give Reborn an expectant look.

Reborn shrugged and hopped to his feet. "Nothing. Just wanted to remind you of Hibari's arrival. You'd probably forget and you know he doesn't like to be kept waiting. See you later."

He was certain he heard something come loose and swing from broken hinges in his head but sincerely hoped it was just his overactive imagination. Closing his eyes in frustration, he waited until Reborn had left before giving into the urge to tug at his hair. Reborn was on a mission to completely scramble his sanity (so that by the time Hibari arrived, Tsuna was likely to be sexually frustrated enough to molest even his most dangerous guardian and god, wouldn't that just be a fine end to his run as Vongola boss—quite fitting for No Good Tsuna).

The photos were still lying face up on the table, beside Reborn's unfinished coffee cup. For a second, Tsuna panicked. He couldn't very well leave them there—aside from the maid who cleaned his room every afternoon, Gokudera and Yamamoto liked to pretend a closed door meant an open invitation and could barge in at any hour of the day. He could lock the door...but really, it was easier to just remove the photos and be done with it.

Reminding him that they were just pictures, he reached forward and plucked them quickly from the table. He made to shove them into a side drawer but the glimpse of pale hair twined through slender fingers caught his eye and he froze, heart suddenly pounding in his ears. Swallowing back his unease, he slid his obscuring fingers lightly over the matte surface to reveal the full image.

Yamamoto's eyes were at half-mast, his brow crinkled with an indefinable emotion. He was leaning forward, his lowered gaze caught by Gokudera's mouth. His hand was lost in the fall of silver hair but his fingers were relaxed, not clenched, and Tsuna found himself smiling at the gentle curve of his palm. Gokudera's eyes were closed and he was likewise leaning forward, his hands fisted in the front of Yamamoto's button down shirt. Head tilted, Tsuna attempted to observe the captured moment with an objective eye. Gokudera was hard to read but there was an underlining tenderness in Yamamoto's hooded eyes. It was almost...sweet. Which made Tsuna want to laugh because Yamamoto and Gokudera, in regards to each other, were anything but.

He flipped to the next photo and felt his throat seize. The shadow of an overhanging branch cut through the image of the two men, pressed flush together, no sign of gentleness in the hard angle of Yamamoto's jaw and Gokudera's white-knuckled grip, his fingers digging into Yamamoto's shoulders. Squinting his eyes and bringing his face closer, Tsuna marveled at their expressions—they looked so intense... faces and limbs straining towards something Tsuna could only pretend to understand.

A moment passed, during which he realized with dawning horror that he was harder than he could ever remember being before and that it was over a photo of two of his closest friends making out. Feeling ridiculously paranoid, he stuffed the incriminating photos into the drawer and sagged against it, pressing his warm cheek against the cool wall.

That they'd been enjoying themselves was evident and the visual proof seemed to settle the question Tsuna had been harboring for days about whether or not men really could enjoy that kind of relationship... but even so, his cheeks burned with guilt that he would have such an indecent reaction to his friends. Gokudera might have offered to sleep with him but Tsuna had already cast it aside. He didn't want the matter of Gokudera's motives marring their friendship.

He took several deep breaths but his erection remained stubbornly in tact. Groaning loudly, he turned for the bathroom and resolved not to think about either of them.