"Oh, Tsu-kun, you have a serious fever," Sawada Nana sighed, looking down at her teenage son worriedly, feeling his forehead. "Let me go get the thermometer and make sure."

She left the room and scurried down the hall, muttering a quick explanation to her husband, who said something that Tsuna didn't really care about.

His head was pounding and he was congested, meaning he could barely breathe through his nose and his hearing was deteriorated a little. He was also tender all over, so the slightest movement made him ache, which is why he winced when he had to turn on his side to find a more comfortable position. And to make it all worse, he felt cold. Cold all over, even when he was wrapped in several blankets and under a kotatsu.

Tsuna usually liked getting sick because it meant he got to miss school, but of course it he'd just starting feeling sick on his way home on Friday, so he'd at least miss his Saturday classes, but being sick on Sunday sort of made it all pointless.

His mother finally returned with the thermometer and placed it gently in her son's mouth. It as in there for only seconds before it beeped, signifying that it was done taking his temperature. Nana removed the small plastic stick from his mouth and read it.

"Oh my! Tsu-kun, you have a 102-degree fever!" Nana gasped. She reached down and wrapped her arms around her son's head and caressed him lovingly. "My poor baby! I wonder how this happened!"

"Ow! Its just a cold, Mom," Tsuna moaned, feeling the ache all over again. "No one can really tell how or when it'll happen."

"Oh, but your father and I were going away tomorrow, but I can't go if my precious little boy is ill!" Nana said protectively.

"Mom, I'm fifteen, I'm not a little kid. You and Dad go on your trip, I'll be fine," Tsuna said reassuringly. "And besides, Bianchi is going to be home, so she can take care of me." Naturally, the thought of Bianchi taking care of him made him feel even worse, but he didn't really want to cause his parents any trouble.

"Actually, Bianchi went to Italy for the weekend, so she's out, too," Reborn hopped up on Tsuna's bed next to the young Vongola, his green lizard, Leon, perched on his fedora as usual.

"Oh, I'll just tell your father to cancel the trip," Nana said. "Iemitsu!"

"No, no, Mom, I'll be fine, I promise," Tsuna said. "Now, would you mind leaving for a while? I really wanna get some rest." He gave his mother a forced yet well-meaning smile.

She smiled back down at him, then left the room, shutting the light off as she left.

The next morning, Tsuna woke up groggily, feeling even worse than the night before. He groaned as he stood up and got out of bed, wrapping his duvet around him protectively as he walked down the hall. He looked down the hall a little bit and saw that his parents' suitcases were lined up outside of their bedroom.

He walked into his parents' room and found Iemitsu and Nana preparing the last of their vacationing details.

"Oh, Tsu-kun!" Nana addressed the brunette. "How do you feel?"

"Not any better," Tsuna moaned, his voice sounding sort of nasally from the congestion. "In fact, I think I feel worse. But I'm ok. I'm glad you decided to go on that trip."

"Your mother's really worried about you, my boy," Iemitsu came up behind his son and slapped him heartedly on the back, which made Tsuna ache like he'd never felt before. "But not to worry, son, we know you can take care of yourself."

"Thanks, Dad, Mom," Tsuna said, smiling weakly. "I'm gonna go back to bed, 'kay?"

"Okay, son," Iemitsu said. Nana kissed her son on his forehaead.

A few minutes later, Tsuna heard his parents go downstairs, bid the other children goodbye, and then leave. A few minutes later, Lambo had finally stopped crying about Mama's leaving, the house was still (other than the occasional crash caused by the young Bovino,) giving Tsuna a chance to rest some more. But sadly, it wouldn't last long.

Within the hour, Tsuna had heard various banging and crashes, but he just tried to ignore it. He couldn't ignore it any longer when Lambo suddenly burst into his room, sending his door slamming into the wall.

"No! Lambo! Let Tsuna rest!" I-Pin yelled, trying to get Lambo out.

"Lambo-san will do whatever he wants!" Lambo said, laughing loudly.

"Lambo, please…" Tsuna started to argue but his head started pounding, so he decided against it.

"Eh? Lambo-san can't hear you!" he jumped up on Tsuna's bed, bouncing on it excitedly. He'd somehow even managed to start bouncing on the brunette's stomach.

"Lambo! Stop!" I-Pin ran up to the bed and tried to coax her friend down. She looked apologetically at Tsuna and was preparing to beat Lambo off of the bed when Reborn walked in.

"Good news," the young baby chirped. "We're going to the amusement park. Now leave Tsuna alone."

"Amusement park?! YAY!" Lambo cried, jumping on Tsuna's stomach even harder. Then he leapt off of the bed and down the hall. I-Pin bowed politely, muttering a "sorry" in Chinese, then took off after him.

"Thanks, Reborn," Tsuna said, smiling down at the yellow Arcobaleno.

"Don't mention it. We can't have the Vongola Decimo bed-ridden. Now hurry up and get better. How will I look if my student stays out of training for too long?" Reborn said, smiling smugly.

"All in his favor, as usual," Tsuna thought. "Oh, well, now I can finally get some sleep."

"Oh, by the way," Reborn turned in the doorway, facing Tsuna only so that he could see him out of the corner of his eye. "I've decided the bring in someone to look after you while you're sick. Ja ne."

"What? Oi, Reborn!" But Tsuna felt too sick to complain. Instead, he sighed and laid back down in his bed.

Someone to take care of him? As in, like a nurse? Ugh… When he finally thought he was going to be able to get some sleep.

Normally, knowing that you'd have a friend coming to take care of you would be a good thing. They'd make you food, let you rest, and so on. But, as Tsuna knew all too well, his friends were the farthest thing from normal.

Bianchi was obviously out. She was the reason that another person had to come over. On top of that, although he'd probably find it laughable, Reborn wasn't that evil as to let Bianchi cook for an ill Tsuna (or was he?)

If Haru came over, he'd never get rest. She'd be hollering in his ear every few minutes, asking whether he needed his pillow fluffed, or if he was hungry, or if he needed a blood transfusion (Tsuna knew she would go to such lengths.)

If Kyoko were to be his nurse, it'd be the same deal, but for a whole different reason. Tsuna had to admit, even though he wasn't as obsessed with Kyoko as he was when he was younger, he still found her very attractive and having her around would keep him up all day.

He didn't even want to begin to think about what would happen if Ryouhei or Hibari were to take care of him.

That left only his two best friends, Yamamoto or Gokudera. Tsuna was still deep in thought about it when he realized how much it hurt his head to think. And of course, the second he thought of it, all the pain rushed into his skull harder than one of the bullets that was thrust through his head much too often.

He started to stare up at the ceiling, wondering how it had captivated his attention so easily. The whiteness of it hurt his eyes, but he was so fatigued by his being sick that he no longer cared. He must have been staring at his ceiling for a good fifteen minutes when he realized that he was starving. He hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before, so he was really, really hungry.

Tsuna started to sit up, but felt the pain of moving and he wondered if it was worth it, but when his stomach clenched and it started to growl, he knew the answer. He got out of his bed, discarding his blanket, even though the second he stood out in the open, the cold air hit his body hard and he shook, which of course made him ache all over again.

He sighed heavily and made his way over to the door, but not before looking outside and realizing that it was starting to rain. Would that mean that the kids were going to come back? No, if Tsuna knew anything about his home tutor, it was that he was resourceful. No matter how amusing it might be for Reborn to see Tsuna in pain, he would do most likely anything to keep his promise to Tsuna.

He sighed again and placed his hand on the knob, ready to go out into the hall, where he'd drunkenly walk down it, then probably stumble down the stairs, and he'll fall on his face, and he'll just lay there in pain until someone finds him there; but something stopped him. As he started to turn the knob, a loud, banging sound could be heard from below.

Tsuna started and strained his ears, trying to hear any other noises. When none came, Tsuna assumed it had been his delirious imagination and opened the door all the way. He then heard the sound again, this time louder. It sounded like someone was trying to get into his house.

"B-But, I'm sick," Tsuna stammered, trying to ease his own fears. "Its probably just thunder and my ears are making it sound weird." He chuckled to himself softly, but it quickly became louder when the sound came again, followed closely by the sound of a door hitting a wall.

Tsuna's hands shook and his breath had picked up. It didn't matter how many dangerous situations he was in, Tsuna was always more than a little worried when he was surprised and frightened by anything unfamiliar to him.

He heard the sound of a door closing and a continuous series of crashes and bangs as he realized that someone was in his house and was running around downstairs. Then he heard consecutive bangs and realized with terror that his soon-to-be assailant was climbing the stairs.

For some reason, probably just because his mind just loved to make him miserable, Tsuna had started a mental countdown in his head.

The banging continued and… He'll find me in 5… 4…. 3… 2…

"TENTH!!!" the husky voice of the silverette teenager pierced through the air, scaring the living crap out of Tsuna. The brunette stuck his head out, not quite seeing his friend yet, but he did soon enough… when Gokudera crashed directly into Tsuna as he reached the top of the stairs.

Their heads collided painfully, but that was the least if their worries. Tsuna had jumped back in pain, grabbing his aching head with his hands, but he had somehow lost his footing and had collided with Gokudera again, sending them both tumbling down the stairs.

They both landed with a thud at the bottom of the stairs in a heap. Tsuna had landed painfully on top of his friend, and he was in too much pain to lift himself up. When he finally mustered up the strength to lift himself a little bit, he found himself staring right into the stormy green eyes of his best friend.

Tsuna then suddenly realized where he was. He was lying on top of Gokudera. Their chests were pressed together and they were in such close contact that Tsuna could smell the tobacco on Gokudera's breath. Their legs were tangled so that Tsuna was almost straddling the silverette bomber.

Both boys blushed and Tsuna finally pushed himself off of his friend, not facing his friend for a while. In fact, he only looked back at Gokudera when he heard an almost rhythmic banging behind him.

Gokudera was banging his head viciously on the floor while bowing down the young Vongola, apologizing over and over. "I'm so sorry! Bang. I'm so sorry! Bang! I'm so very sorry! Bang!" He was blushing a deep red, which would match the color of his forehead if he kept banging it.

"Gokudera-kun, stop! Stop it, you're going to hurt yourself!" Tsuna tried to stop Gokudera, but his head was throbbing again.

"No, I must punish myself! I caused the Tenth to fall and then we ended up in such an unclean position! I must not let this stand!" Gokudera said, banging his head again.

"Gokudera-kun, that's enough, I forgive you!" Tsuna said, grabbing his friend's arm.

"Geez… Why must you always do stuff like that?" Tsuna said, holding up a ice pack for Gokudera to take. As expected he had a nasty welt on his head. "You're going to get a concussion or something one day."

"Forget about me!" Gokudera said, pushing the ice pack away. "I'm here for a reason, Tenth!"

He's seemed to got over the fall fairly quickly, Tsuna thought, but of course, that's to be expected of Gokudera-kun. Always moving from one thing to the next.

"You need to get back upstairs! You need to rest!" Gokudera said. "You're sick, remember?"

"Oh, trust me, I haven't forgotten," Tsuna said, then he started coughing. "I guess I'll just…" But when Tsuna stood up, he suddenly felt dizzy. He was aching all over from the fall and his head hadn't stopped throbbing since he'd landed on Gokudera. His chest felt tight and his breathing started coming fast. Before he knew it he was sweating and his vision became hazy.

"Tenth? Tenth, are you okay?" Gokudera's worried voice became distant and he started to stumble.

"Yeah, I-I'm fi-" But Tsuna didn't finish his sentence. His vision was blacking out completely and he started to fall.

"Tenth! Please, hang--… Tenth!" Gokudera's voice was fading, but he had no idea why he hadn't hit the ground yet. Maybe it was because time had started moving really, really slowly.

Tsuna's head was foggy and he really didn't know what was going on. He wanted his head to clear up, but whenever he thought about anything, his head just became cloudier. His head was pounding and his entire body felt hot. He wanted to throw off all of his blankets and taken off his clothes, just to cool down, but he couldn't move. His chest felt tight and his breathing was short. He felt like he was dying. Why wouldn't it stop?

Please make it stop… someone… please, I can't take it anymore… Make it stop, please, those same thoughts were rolling around in his head over and over, but for several minutes nothing made it stop. He was suffering and seconds felt like hours, minutes felt like days. Why won't someone help me? Why…

But suddenly, sweet relief came. It started in his forehead. A coolness that spread from his head and then down his body. His head started to clear and the fog began to dissolve. The banging in his head deteriorated, but it was still incredibly painful, and his breathing came easier again.

Then, his head suddenly began to clear completely and he found himself standing in a room with nothing in it expect for the white walls that were surrounding it.

"W-Where am I?" Tsuna was surprised to hear that his voice echoed as he spoke, but not because of the acoustics in the room he was in. His voice sounded ghostly and echoed magically for a reason that he didn't understand.

"What's the matter, Tsuna?" a voice echoed behind him, surprising him and making him jump.

He turned around and saw before him a man. For some reason he couldn't recognize him for a second. He was tall and slender with beautiful, silver locks. There was a cigarette pressed between his pale lips, which were twisted upward into a beautiful, radiant smile.

Then Tsuna finally remembered who he was. It was Gokudera, his best friend. But he wasn't like his usual self. He seemed to shine and glow, like a star. His pale skin seemed to radiate just that much more. His silver hair seemed to be just that much more captivating. His smile… Tsuna almost had to bite his lip to keep from moaning at the sight of that smile. His smile was so beautiful and brilliant that there were barely any words Tsuna could find to describe it.

"G-Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna said, blushing slightly. What had he been thinking just now?

"You look tense, Tsuna-kun," Gokudera said, his smile growing even wider.

Tsuna wasn't so surprised by the fact that he was alone with his best friend in a random room he'd never seen before, but more by the fact that Gokudera was calling him by his actual given name. Never before had he heard his first name ever escape the Storm Guardian's lips. Speaking of his lips, since when did his lips look so… plump and inviting?

But while he was lost in thought, he'd failed to notice that the Storm Guardian had moved closer to him. In fact, he'd only noticed when the silverette had become so close that he could smell the tobacco from his cigarette.

"You know, you're extremely cute when you looked confused. Like a little rabbit," Gokudera cooed. Tsuna blushed profusely and his eyes widened.

"W-What? Gokudera-kun, what are you talking about?" Tsuna stuttered, having a hard time comprehending this whole situation.

"But I much more prefer the happy Tsuna-kun," Gokudera said, bending down so that his face was close to Tsuna's. Their faces were so close now that their noses were almost brushing against each other. "That Tsuna-kun is so absolutely adorable." Tsuna could smell the smoke on his breath, but it didn't matter. It wasn't exactly a foul smell. It was powerful, with a hint of naughtiness. It was simply intoxicating.

"Gokudera-kun…" Tsuna was almost speechless.

Then without another word, Gokudera claimed Tsuna's lips. Tsuna was so surprised that he couldn't move, he could barely even breathe.

The kiss lasted for several seconds and when Gokudera pulled away, Tsuna was panting heavily, his entire face colored a deep, beet red.

"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna said, still panting a little.

"Tsuna-kun," Gokudera's voice was gentle and sweet, like he'd just been given a gift.

"G-Gokudera-kun, you can't…. we can't…. I-" Tsuna couldn't form the words he wished to say… he was too shocked, but not in a bad way. He was surprised and at the same time excited. He couldn't quite explain what it was, but something about had just happened felt right, good.

"I love you, Tsuna-kun," Gokudera said. Tsuna jumped, flabbergasted. "I'm gonna kiss you again now, 'kay?"

"'K-'Kay…" Tsuna jumped at his answer. He had just consented to kissing his best friend. What was going on?

Gokudera leaned in again, and-

"AH!" Tsuna woke with a gasp, sitting up with a jolt the second his eyes opened. As he sat up, a cold rag fell from his forehead and onto his lap. When his breathing finally slowed again, he took the time to look around the room. He was alone. Probably a good thing too. Such a strange and inappropriately arousing dream…. If he saw Gokudera-kun again so soon afterward he might not know how to handle it. Now he had a chance to think all of this through…. Or not.

Gokudera suddenly burst into the room, carrying a tray. He wasn't wearing a shirt.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Tsuna screamed, his face turning red and scaring the hell out of Gokudera and making him almost drop the tray.

"Ah, Tenth, I'm so sorry! I didn't want to startle you, I just was making some food and-" He trailed off, suddenly noticing the look on his boss's face. "W-What's wrong, Tenth?"

"G-Gokudera-kun…" Tsuna was speechless yet again. W-Why was he… what…? He couldn't even form a coherent thought. What was going on with him? He was so… confused. "Gokudera-kun, w-what happened to your shirt?"

"Oh," Gokudera looked down at his bare chest, embarrassed. "You know how it was raining outside? Well, when I got the message from Reborn, I ran from school so fast that I forgot my umbrella and I got really wet and well… it was getting kinda cold."

An image suddenly filled Tsuna's head of Gokudera running from the classroom without so much as uttering an explanation the sensei, then bolting from the building as fast as he could.

"Gokudera-kun, you're going to catch a cold," Tsuna said, immediately realizing how ironic that sounded. "Let me get you a sweatshirt to wear or something."

Tsuna started to sit up, but Gokudera shook his head. "No, Tenth, just lie down. You're looking really red. Did your fever go up?" The bomber kneeled down next to the bed and looked at his boss inquisitively. He then placed his hand gently on the back of Tsuna's head and brought it closer to his own. Tsuna blushed and bowed his head trying not to look his friend in the eye. But Tsuna's head snapped right back up again as he felt Gokudera's lips brush against his forehead very, very lightly.

"G-Gokudera-kun?!" Tsuna blurted, embarrassed. "What-?"

"What is it? This is how the nurses at our estate checked if we had a fever when I was little," Gokudera said simply, an adorable, questioning expression on his pale face. "Why did I do something weird?"

"N-No, its fine. But anyway you still should take one of my shirts. I don't want you to get sick, too," Tsuna said.

"Ok, but only because the Tenth says so," Gokudera said. He placed the tray gently on Tsuna's lap, and then went to the closet. Tsuna looked down at the tray in front of him and was surprised to see a bowl of soup in front of him.

"Gokudera-kun, did you make all this?" Tsuna said, surprised.

"U-Um, yeah," Gokudera nodded, turning around, still without a shirt, but holding a black sweatshirt in his hands. "It probably won't be all that good, but its better than my sister's… hopefully. Please enjoy it if you want. It'll make you warmer."

Come to think of it, since he'd woken up, he was a little chilly again. He was stuck in a hard place where his body was either too hot or too cold, but it hadn't felt just right since he'd first felt good in the dream. Oh, great, he'd started thinking about the dream again.

Blushing, Tsuna brought the tray onto his lap a little more so it rested a little better on him. "Thank you very much. Itadakimasu," Tsuna said, clapping his hands in the traditional manner and picked up the spoon. He tried it, swallowing a large spoonful. It was delicious. It was chicken soup, so the broth was light and easy on his throat. It was like a wonderful, little fire as he swallowed it and it slid down his throat.

"Gokudera-kun, this is delicious!" Tsuna said, eating another spoonful.

"R-Really?" Gokudera turned around, now covered by the sweatshirt and he looked kinda embarrassed. "It took me a while since I don't spend much time in the kitchen since aneki's always in there." He looked uncomfortable at the mention of his older sister's name.

"Yes, its really, really good!" Tsuna said, smiling brightly at his friend.

"T-Thank you, Tenth! I don't deserve your praise!" Gokudera said, bowing again. "You must be hungry, Tenth. Please eat as much as you'd like."

"Thanks," Tsuna said. This conversation seemed to be a vicious cycle of the same dialogue.

"I've been wondering this for some time, but where are Reborn-san and the others?" Gokudera said, looking around as if they were hiding somewhere around the room.

"They went on a day-trip," Tsuna said after swallowing another gulp of soup. "But since its raining then they'll probably come home soon, which will suck. It'll be annoying if I have to deal with them when I'm sick."

As if on cue, an arrow shot through the window and stuck itself in the wall right next to where Tsuna's head was.

Tsuna made his trademark "Hiii" noise as the arrow whizzed by; so frightened by the sudden attack that he didn't notice the note attached to the end of the arrow.

"I'm so tired of things like this flying in and around my being," Tsuna said, a high-pitched whining evident in his voice.

"It has a note on it," Gokudera said, plucking the small piece of paper off of the body of the arrow and unrolling it. "'Because of rain, we couldn't go on day trip. Kyoko insisted we stay with her for weekend because you're sick. Don't slack off too much or I'll kill you, Dame-Tsuna. Reborn'."

"How can I not slack off when I'm sick? I have to sleep most of the time!" Tsuna moaned.

"Well, at least the kids are out of the house and you can rest better now," Gokudera said, smiling.

"Yay," Tsuna said flatly.

"You're still tired," Gokudera said, obviously amused by his boss's unorthodox sarcasm. "I'm gonna leave you alone now, Tenth. Please relax." He bowed respectfully and shut the door behind him as he left.

As soon as he heard the sound of Gokudera descending the stairs and he knew he was finally alone, he practically screamed and buried his face in his hands and slid pathetically under his covers.

His face was red and his eyes were filling up with tears. What was he going to do? He'd had a dream in which he'd kissed his best friend and now he couldn't look him in the face. What was happening to him?

Ever since the dream, Gokudera-kun had just looked so… handsome and… He couldn't even find the words to describe him. Tsuna started to wonder how long he'd been so attractive. Had he always been so attractive or did it happen when he noticed it? Tsuna didn't know the answer to that, but he did know that he couldn't be having these thoughts. If he did, their friendship would never be the same. Tsuna would always feel awkward around Gokudera and then Gokudera would probably blame himself and….

But Tsuna just couldn't help himself. Gokudera-kun just seemed so different to him now. He seemed older and mature, but he still had that boyish charm that sent his heart racing. And speaking of his smile, the Sky guardian's thoughts were once again directed to his right hand man's lips. What would it be like to kiss them? Tsuna wondered.

Then he realized what he had just thought and groaned, burying himself once again under his covers.

"What's happening to me?!" Tsuna said aloud, the racing thoughts only interrupting by the terrible throbbing headache that it induced.

Then Tsuna sat upright again, trying to organize himself. Wait, maybe its not so weird. People have fever dreams, right? Yeah, people have weird dreams about stuff like that when they're sick, right? Its completely normal.

But even Tsuna knew hat he was just fooling himself. This didn't feel like something that he'd have in a fever dream. Sure, maybe this kinda of thought was brought on by his fever, but these thoughts were obviously his own.

Tsuna laid back down, the tears finally leaking from his eyes and trailing down his face. He started to blubber quietly, but there was nothing he could think of that would make him feel better. He ended up crying himself to sleep.

When Tsuna woke up again his face was still wet but he himself had stopped crying. Tsuna couldn't remember having another dream and he was glad for that. He wouldn't know what to do if he had another dream like… that.

He rubbed his eyes drearily and peered over at the digital clock on his bedside table. The green fluorescent numbers stated that it was 12:19 a.m. and that he'd slept for about four hours. Tsuna felt bad. What had Gokudera-kun done while he had slept?

He probably just went home. He probably has better things to do than look after someone who's asleep anyway, Tsuna thought as he gathered his blanket around him again and ventured out into the dark hall and down the stairs. He glanced out the windows and saw that it was still raining pretty hard and showed no sign of letting up.

When he finally got to the bottom of the stairs, he noticed that the TV in the living room had been left on. He walked over to the television to turn it off but instead saw that Gokudera had fallen asleep on the couch. He was resting gently on his side, his head still propped up by his hand.

Tsuna looked down at the silverette and smiled. He looked so cute and innocent; despite the angry, short-tempered attitude that he was well known for. Tsuna strode back up the stairs and came back down with a blanket and a pillow. He gingerly placed the pillow under his friend's head and covered his tall figure with the blanket.

Tsuna sat down on the floor near where Gokudera's head was resting and turned around to watch whatever was on the TV, his initial reason for coming downstairs long since forgotten.

He had been watching the show for sometime now, even though the sound was on mute and it was some old TV drama that he just couldn't get into; when he heard a small moan escape from his snoozing friend behind him.

Tsuna turned and found himself staring at those lips. They were parted slightly and you could see his tongue very vaguely though them. They looked so clean and lonely, he wanted so badly to taste them just once. He continued to stare at his friend's lips for some time, until the Storm guardian stirred in his sleep and his face changed, his lips had now changed also so that now they formed the most adorable pout that Tsuna had ever seen. And at that, Tsuna lost all self-control.

He leaned in slowly, then without any more thought on the matter pressed his lips against Gokudera's. He stayed there for a while, not moving, just enjoying the feeling of Gokudera's lips on his own. They were soft and rich and they seemed so inviting. It almost seemed like Gokudera's lips were designed just so that Tsuna's own fit into them like pieces of a puzzle.

It wasn't until he heard a small yet audible grunt underneath him that Tsuna was finally wrenched back into his senses. Gokudera had woken up, his stormy eyes looking dazed and cloudy, but then everything seemed to come into clarity for him and his eyes widened in surprise and he pulled away.

"T-Tenth?" Gokudera said, sitting up and staring at his boss. "W-What are you-"

But Tsuna had already taken off, flying back up the stairs as fast as he could and never once looking back. As he got to his room, he slammed the door.

He stood on the other side of the door for a second, his heart pounding and feeling hot all over. His mind was reeling. I actually… I kissed him. And he caught me doing it. I-Its over. I can never look at him again. He must hate me. Making him the object of my selfishness. But I couldn't help myself… I-I lo….

Tsuna covered his mouth with his hand and he felt the tears spill over and before he knew it he was sobbing and blubbering and he couldn't stop himself. He sank to the floor and covered his entire face with his hand, crying even harder. Why? Why had he let this happen? He was so stupid. So stupid that he let himself fall for these ridiculous ideas he had. Now he would be alone.

Then a sudden banging on the door jolted Tsuna out of his wallowing. In fact, it scared him so much that he yelped in surprise and jumped.

"Tenth!" Gokudera was banging on the door loudly. "Tenth, please open up!"

Tsuna ignored him and continued to cry. He brought his knees up to his chest and buried his face between them. What would it matter if he opened the door now? Gokudera probably just came up to yell at him, or worse, even hurt him. If his best friend beat him up, he wouldn't know what to do.

Maybe he'd kill himself. If his Storm guardian hated him, then no one would miss him. Maybe Yamamoto or Haru, and probably his mom, but they really didn't matter to him anymore.

Because I'm in love with him.

The thought hit Tsuna like a ton of bricks but he knew it was true. He had been for a long time. Probably since before he'd even had that dream. He'd always thought he was close with the silverette; he'd want to hang out with him when he could, he'd want to be near him if they were with their friends, but he'd never thought of it as anything more than that being what best friends were to each other. But now he knew. He had been in love with Gokudera for a long time.

The banging got louder and quicker, and Gokudera was practically screaming on the other side of the door, "TENTH! TENTH, TENTH, LET ME IN! I WANT TO TALK TO YOU!!!"

Yes, he'd definitely kill himself. He was Dame-Tsuna after all. He had no real business in this world. He'd probably only stayed alive this long because his right hand man had always been praising him, making him feel wanted, respected, loved… Being around Gokudera had always made the Tsuna feel like he'd had some worth… now, that was dashed, gone, meaningless.

It was strange, Tsuna almost felt… happy. It was all going to be over soon. He would leave this world a pathetic loser, but in the end, all that matter is that it was finally over.

"Tenth, I'm going to blow this door down, so you better not be standing near it," Gokudera's voice traveled easily through the door, but the voice sounded so distant. He heard the distinct sound of the burning of a fuse, so he finally stood up and opened the door. He was still staring at his feet.

"Tenth…"

"Gokudera-kun, I'm sorry," Tsuna said. Gokudera looked down at his boss with a confused expression, he was startled by the incredibly sad look on the brunette's face. "I'm sorry that I did something so weird to you. Especially while you were sleeping. I'd like to tell you that it was just something brought on by the fever, but it wasn't. I'm in love with you, Gokudera-kun."

Gokudera jolted again, absolutely flabbergasted. He didn't say anything, he just stood there with his mouth hanging open, his green-gray eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"It doesn't matter though," Tsuna continued. "I feel terrible for what I did. I know that you're going to yell at me or beat me up or something, so please, just do it. It doesn't matter anymore because after this… I'm going to kill myself."

Gokudera's face went a sickening shade of pale and he looked like someone had just punched him in the face.

"W-Why?" Gokudera muttered.

"Hm?" Tsuna looked up at him with the eyes that no longer showed any emotion. A meaningless smile was all that was on his face.

"Why would you kill yourself?!" Gokudera yelled at him.

"Isn't it obvious?" Tsuna said. "Because you must hate me now, that means I have nothing to live for anymore. I'm just going to rid the world of another nuisance."

Before he could even form another coherent thought, he felt the sting of a fist slamming into his jaw, accompanied by the sound of skin cracking skin. Tsuna staggered, then fell once again to his knees.

"You idiot!" Gokudera yelled, standing over the broken form of the Vongola Tenth.

Tsuna's minds started to laugh a little bit. Its starting.

"How could you ever think that I hate you!?" Gokudera practically shrieked. "I could never, ever, ever hate you!"

Tsuna looked up, a little bit of light returning to his eyes.

He heard the sound of fabric folding against itself as Gokudera knelt next to him.

"I don't know what I would do if you weren't around anymore," Gokudera said, his voice cracking. Tsuna felt strong hands grip his aching shoulders and pull him up so he was looking into Gokudera's eyes. He was crying.

"Gokudera-kun…"

"I just wanted to talk to you and then you start saying such scary things," Gokudera's shoulders shook as he wept. "How could ever even think of doing that to me?! Why would you ever think about leaving me?!"

"What happened downstairs is something just so insignificant compared to killing yourself! And the worst part of all this is… that you thought that I'd be happy if you killed yourself… How… How could you think I'd be happy if you were gone? I'd never be able to live with myself if you were gone and I was left… alone." As he finished his sentence his eyes filled to the brim and tears spilled over and trailed down his pale face.

There was a heavy silence in which only the sound of Gokudera's crying could be heard along with the pitter-patter of rain on the window, which seemed like more than enough of a redundancy. Everyone seemed to be crying.

"Gokudera-kun… I-I'm so sorry!" Tsuna started to cry again, this time openly sobbing as he threw himself into the arms of his best friend. He buried his face into the bomber's chest and their shoulders shook together, almost in time with each other. "Gokudera-kun, I'm so, so sorry! I didn't want- I didn't-" But he trailed off, his words being replaced by sobs.

After some time they'd both calmed down considerably, but they were both still entwined in each other's arms, too afraid of losing his other to let go.

"Gokudera-kun, what did you want to say when you came up?" Tsuna said, his voice muffled on account of his face was still buried into Gokudera's chest.

"Thank you," Gokudera said.

"Thank you?" Tsuna asked, sitting up and looking up at his friend.

"Yep. Thank you," a faint smile brushed across Gokudera's lips.

"For what?"

"For what you did downstairs," Gokudera said. "For kissing me."

Tsuna flinched. "Why is that worth thanking me for?"

"Because now I can do this," Gokudera leaned down, looked at Tsuna in those big, chestnut eyes, and kissed him.

Tsuna didn't move for a while, he just sat there, awkwardly, being kissed. It wasn't until he felt face was getting hot and Gokudera's fingers weaving themselves into Tsuna's hair did he realize that Gokudera was actually kissing him. The second it hit him, he gasped and his face turned millions of shades of red. Gokudera felt him flinch against his lips and he broke the kiss.

"What is it?" Gokudera said. The look on his face said he thought he'd done something wrong. "I-I'm sorry, I guess I just thought…."

Tsuna grabbed Gokudera by the side of his head, lacing his fingers through the beautiful silver locks and brought his right hand man's lips to his own. Gokudera was quicker to react that Tsuna was; he wrapped his arms around Tsuna's neck and pulled him closer to him, enhancing the kiss.

But all too soon, Tsuna broke them apart, leaving them both panting.

"Wait, we shouldn't-" he was blushing and his eyes were downcast, but his hands were still on the sides of Gokudera's face. "I-If this continues, I'll get you sick too."

Gokudera lunged forward, claiming Tsuna's lips yet again. When he separated, he spoke very softly against the Sky guardian's lips. "I don't care."

Then he started kissing him again and Tsuna complied willingly, oh so willingly. He wanted nothing more than to be around Gokudera, near Gokudera, with Gokudera. But that was not enough.

In one swift, fluid motion, the Storm guardian pulled his boss onto his lap and wrapped his arms around him tighter. He ran his tongue along the outsides of Tsuna's teeth and the sides of his mouth, wishing for access into the wet cavern that was Tsuna's mouth. His wish was granted, Tsuna eagerly and a little cautiously opened up the space between his teeth.

Gokudera almost jumped with excitement and plunged his tongue in so fast it almost made Tsuna gag, but he regained himself and returned the favor, sheepishly yet forcefully pressing his own tongue onto the silverette's.

Gokudera moaned in pleasure and for a second Tsuna felt proud of himself, but it only lasted for so long, for Gokudera had decided to respond with a force ten times that of Tsuna's. The bomber ran his tongue up and down the sides of Tsuna's and it was all Tsuna could do to keep from exploding with pleasure. He didn't know how to respond (after all this was his first time kissing anyone, especially a boy), so he just mimicked Gokudera's actions. He traced his other's tongue and eventually came up with a move of his own. He baited the top of Gokudera's tongue and then suddenly dove his own tongue underneath and teased the little string that held the whole operation together.

Tsuna felt his friend shudder tremendously and he felt him moan against his lips. Tsuna noticed that his hands were still on the sides of Gokudera's face and decided to move them, wrapping them around the silverette's neck and pulling himself even closer. Gokudera replied by starting to drift backward so that Tsuna was now lying on top of him.

Their bodies were pressed together, both their minds drowning in an ocean of heat and pleasure and passion, but it still wasn't enough. Gokudera slid his hands down Tsuna's back and pushed the smaller boy even harder against him.

But it was then that Tsuna's body remembered that it was sick and Tsuna separated, moving his head to the side and coughing furiously. His head started pounding again and his limbs started to ache. It was almost as if his whole body had been holding off on all of these symptoms until now, when he'd been having the time of his life.

Tsuna started coughing even harder and Gokudera sat up, holding Tsuna's shoulders as if the Vongola Boss was a fragile, China doll.

"I'm sorry, Tenth," Gokudera said, sounding ashamed. "I disregarded your illness and selfishly took things too far. I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about?" Tsuna could barely form a coherent sentence through his fits of coughing, but he managed to get the words out. "I kissed you first. I'm just sad that it had to end so soon."

"Y-Yeah," Gokudera blushed. "But still."

Tsuna giggled, earning himself a confused look from his right hand man. "You're pouting," Tsuna said, pointing to Gokudera's lips.

"What? I most certainly am not!" Gokudera blushed even redder and turned his face aware.

"Its ok. You look really cute, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said. He smiled brightly and Gokudera smiled happily back down at him.

"Hayato. Call me Hayato," Gokudera said.

"Fine, Hayato-kun," Tsuna said. The name felt different on his lips, but in no way whatsoever did it feel strange or wrong. The sound of the silverette's first name from his own lips sent shivers down Tsuna's spine. "But you have to stop calling me Tenth now, okay?"

Gokudera looked a little thrown off guard.

"What is it?" Tsuna asked.

"N-Nothing! Its just that I've been calling you Tenth for so long…" Gokudera said.

"Here, I'll help you," Tsuna said. He placed his fingers childishly on Gokudera's lips and pantomimed the sound of his name as he said it himself. "Tsu-na-kun. Okay?"

Gokudera laughed and took Tsuna's hand in his own, kissing each of his fingertips in turn, then kissing the Tenth on the nose. "Tsuna-kun."

Tsuna grinned. It sounded ten times better than it had when the dream-Gokudera had said it. It was so real.

"Its late. You should get some sleep," Gokudera said. He laced his arm underneath Tsuna's knees and hoisted him up, carrying him bridal style.

He carried him over to the bed and laid him down ever so gently onto his bed. He covered him with his duvet and smiled down at him, just like a loving father would do to his child, then started to leave the room.

But suddenly Tsuna felt cold again and he was shivering all over and even his fluffy blanket couldn't make him warm.

"H-Hayato-kun," Tsuna called through chattering teeth. Gokudera turned around in the doorway and looked back at his boss. "C-Could you stay with me please?"

Hayato smiled and said, "I thought you'd never ask." He made his way over to the bed and climbed on with Tsuna, and Tsuna covered his friend with the blanket.

The young Vongola happily dug his head into Gokudera's chest and hugged him close to him. Gokudera wrapped his own arms around Tsuna and did the same.

They were quiet for a while, not wanting to disturb the perfection of that one moment and Tsuna thought that the silverette was asleep when he spoke.

"Tsuna-kun," his tone was serious and for a moment, Tsuna wondered what could be so important as to ruin their bliss.

"Hm?" Tsuna grunted through the grin on his face.

"You have to promise me," Hayato said.

"Anything," Tsuna said, nuzzling his head adorably into his right hand man's chest.

"Never, ever say anything like what you said before again," Hayato said sternly. "You have no idea how much it scared me."

"I promise and besides, I don't have a reason to kill myself anymore," Tsuna said. "You're all the reason I need to live."

Gokudera chuckled.

"I'm sorry, did I say something weird?" Tsuna looked up, blushing.

Gokudera bent his head and dotted Tsuna's face with kisses and then rested his lips on Tsuna's forehead.

"That's all I needed to hear," Gokudera said. "Good night."

"Wait, I wanna hear you say it too," Tsuna muttered into Gokudera's chest.

"What?" Gokudera titled his head down so he could look into Tsuna's chestnut eyes.

"I said it earlier now you say it," Tsuna said, his lip sticking out in a little bit of a pout.

"Oh, ok," he smiled. "I love you Tsuna-kun."

"I love you too, Hayato-kun. Good night," Tsuna said, grinning harder than he ever had ever.

"Good night."