[fic] Conformity
Title: Conformity
Prompt: 5 years later
Rating: PG
Word Count: 3,043
Character(s): Fran, Tsuna, Gokudera, and mentioning of Mukuro
Pairing(s): 2726 or 2627, however you like to see it
Warnings: None I can think of
Summary: Sometimes Fran considered his curiosity to be his downfall, but for this case, he wouldn’t mind falling a couple more times if it meant he could be with him.
Please note that Tsuna is slightly more mature in this, after 5 years in the mafia business, you would expect so.
Beta’ed by ‘AmbiguousThoughts’.
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Fran never really understood his Master at times. The man was always so…odd. He wasn’t frightening or anything like that (but he was abusive [only towards him]), the man was just a freak of nature that should be locked up far far away. And his Master had been locked away until he was released because of Daemon Spade. Damn, that nutcase Spade person for letting out his nutcase of a Master.
Anyway, there were times, that because he was around his Pineapple Master so often, that he would become interested in something similar that Mukuro was into. It was anomalous and he would never admit it out loud or to himself. So when he found out that Mukuro was following (stalking) Sawada Tsunayoshi, Vongola Decimo, his inquisitiveness spiked.
He recollected his memories of a future that no longer existed about the person, but Fran didn’t have much interaction with the other man. However, that didn’t daunt him. It only made him more curious on whom Tsunayoshi was. So one day, he decided to follow his Pineapple Master to the Vongola mansion and see what the fuss was about.
His first impression of Tsunayoshi was that of disappointment. There was nothing all that peculiar about the man. He was…normal. Well, compared to his Master and other people he associated with, Tsunayoshi was the most normal person he had ever met. He didn’t get why his master was stalking this person at all. To him, it seemed pointless.
But, in the end, he decided to stay…much to Master Pineapple’s argument and a couple threats from Tsunayoshi’s other guardians. Ahh...the beatings hurt so badly. Not really. Anyway, without knowing Fran’s intentions, the brunet let him do as he pleased. He kept it within but he had been hoping for a more…entertaining reaction but all he got was a shrug of shoulders. Because of that, he was so bored most of the time at the Vongola mansion. It was really no fun to him.
After a few months worth of nothingness and just watching the other, he finally had enough. Fran didn’t see anything all that interesting about Tsunayoshi, nothing at all. Tsunayoshi was just a person that was completely out of place within the world of mafia. He didn’t even look right, even after living five years in the mafia lifestyle. Maybe that was why Mukuro associated himself with the brunet, because he was normal? Fran shook his head at that, no, that couldn’t be the reason. That was too simple and was far too stupid even for his Master. It had to be something else, something that couldn’t be seen on the surface.
To find out, he decided to follow Tsunayoshi around in a skilled illusion that even his perverted Master himself has a tough time detecting it, watching his every move. That, however, didn’t get very far. The moment he stepped into Vongola Decimo’s office, hidden behind his usual illusion, Tsunayoshi’s hand froze.
Fran raised an eyebrow at that, wondering why, but pushed that thought aside when the brunet went back to work, signing those endless stacks of papers on his desk. Settling onto a chair on the other side of the room, he pulled his legs up and watched. Before long, he started to get bored of watching the other just do paperwork. Thank god, he didn’t have to do such crummy things, it looked terrible.
Hours later, the door knocked, and Tsunayoshi’s fiery storm guardian stepped in. Fran paid no attention to him at all and leaned further back against his chair.
“Ah, Gokudera-kun, could you do me a favor and get me something sweet to eat and some coffee?” The brunet smiled warmly, pausing in his work to look up. “Actually, could you make that two of each? I just remembered I have a guest showing up today.”
“No, problem, Juudaime!” Within seconds, the silver-haired man was running out the door and down the hallway. Tsunayoshi chuckled at the way the man acted and went back to work, sometimes momentarily leaning back to stretch his back and relax against his leather chair. It didn’t take long before Gokudera appeared again, holding two plates. Tsunayoshi immediately got up from his seat, able to hear his bones crack at the sudden usage, and went straight over to his storm guardian to take the dishes. He nodded and spoke a word of thanks before setting one saucer down on the table in front of his desk. He sipped quietly on his coffee once he sat down in his seat, savoring the taste, and then got to work.
Gokudera gave a short bow and left, leaving the room to silence except for the sound of scratching of the pen against paper. Fran stared at the coffee and compliments on the table, curious as to who was going to appear. He straightened up at little more and stared at the steam that was coming out from the top of the coffee.
“You know…,” Tsunayoshi spoke then paused while staring at his papers. Fran blinked at that, wondering if the brunet was talking to himself. But the next words made think otherwise. “You know, that coffee won’t taste good if it’s cold. It’d be such a waste to leave it like that.”
The illusionist tilted his head, surprised, but refused to let it show on his face. He looked the same as always. Did he get caught? Impossible, his illusion was perfect.
Another revelation came when Tsunayoshi glanced up to peer over towards the chair Fran was on. “You can come out. I already know you’re there.”
Fran remained still and quiet, not sure where this was going. He couldn’t have been caught so easily. This is was nothing more than a fluke and so he remained where he was at.
Tsunayoshi sighed, running a hand through his hair, and wiggled his nose. “Fran, come on out.”
At his name, Fran jumped, letting his illusion flicker and collapse. His emotionless face had nothing on it but his eyes said something else. He was clearly surprised at being found so easily. But he quickly covered that up, it was nothing more than a flash of emotion that was almost unseen. He decided to speak, his voice never changing. “For how long?”
“Since you stepped through the door. Because of Mukuro, I’ve gotten quite accustomed to illusions. Yours was a little bit harder to figure out since I’ve never felt yours before but it’s similar to Mukuro’s.” Tsunayoshi laid his pen gently on the table and took a quick sip of his coffee. His eyes closed for a moment and, when he pulled back, he licked his lips, smiling. “Gokudera really does know how to make good coffee.”
Fran, knowing he had been found out, got up from his spot and went over to the table. He settled comfortably on the soft seats and reached forward for the cup of coffee. His eyes lighted up faintly, almost unnoticeably, when his taste buds touched the warm liquid. The drink had been sweetened slightly and gave the bitterness more of a taste. His eyes then trailed down to the cookies that were on the plate and took a bite. He could taste the gooiness of the chocolate chips and it was so warm.
“Good, right?” Tsunayoshi smiled, reaching down to nibble on his own cookie. “Five years ago, Gokudera couldn’t make anything unless it was charred black. He would even use that dynamite of his in his cooking and because of that, he blew up the kitchen multiple times. Now, after all this time, he can finally make something good. Took a while. I was getting tired to having to repair the kitchen every time he entered it. The paperwork that came with it was a pain.” Tilting his head back, he pouted, still remembering the costs and whatnot.
“Oh? Looks like your puppy has a leash,” Fran muttered under his breath, going back to eating. His expression was still the same, not changing it at all like always. He devoured the little treats quickly and went back to his coffee. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
“Didn’t think it was necessary. I thought you were going to just watch me for a little while then leave. I didn’t think you would stay here the whole time.” Tsunayoshi got up from his seat and made his way over to the other side, settling into the couch across Fran while still holding onto his coffee. “So would you like to explain why you’ve been watching me?”
“Ehhh… And if I don’t want to explain?”
“That’s fine.” Tsunayoshi went back to drinking his coffee, not really concerned with that answer.
Fran tilted his head at that, his expression still the same. “You don’t care?”
“Nope, I was just curious.”
“I see…”
The two continued to sip onto their coffee until Tsunayoshi placed his down, finished with it. “Could you answer this at least? What were you planning by watching me? Were you looking for something?”
“Nope. I was bored.”
“Bored?”
“Yep…”
Tsunayoshi raised an eyebrow at that and broke out into a chuckle. Fran blinked and glanced around the room again. He thought the brunet was normal but he actually seemed different than he thought. The first time he had caught a glimpse of the brunet was five years ago. He had seen the brunet run around like a scared idiot, screaming about one thing or another, usually about something Reborn had done.
He observed the other some more. Tsunayoshi had really changed a lot over the years, he was almost completely different. More mature, that was a definite. Looks like Reborn’s training had paid off…that or Tsunayoshi just grew up from his completely useless self. Fran wasn’t sure on which and he didn’t like taking bets. He wasn’t very good at them.
“Soooo...,” Tsunayoshi trailed off, leaning back against the couch. “That means you must have been bored enough to watch me every day since arriving here.”
“Ahhh, you’ve noticed. Amazing.” The words were spoken in their usual tone, never showing a hint of emotion. “I didn’t think Vongola Decimo-”
“Just Tsuna. I don’t particularly like being called by that title,” the brunet interrupted, waving his hand in front of him, and smiled softly.
“Oh? Well, Tsuna, I didn’t think you would be able to notice. Yay… Congratulations.” Fran clapped his hands, momentarily stopping to pull his long sleeves that had fallen because of his sweater up.
“Well, it wasn’t hard. I’ve gotten quite good at detecting illusions thanks to Mukuro. You can blame him.”
“Ah, Master Pineapple is really no good.”
“M-Master Pineapple? That’s an…interesting name for him.” Laughing, Tsuna ran a hand through his hair, still smiling. “If I remember correctly, he likes to stab you because of those names. Maybe I should call him that one day just for fun, though I don’t think I’d appreciate getting killed because of it.”
“Yes, you should. Master will be very pleased.” Though Fran hid it well under his mask, he wanted nothing more than to smirk. He was definitely going to be there if Tsuna was going to do something like that. Like hell he was going to miss that.
“Yes, pleased enough to stab me multiple times. Hmm… Maybe later today or tomorrow, well, whenever he comes back from his current mission.” Tsuna smiled again, peering at the other intensely. He looked quite relaxed despite the fact that he didn’t know the other very well. He was Vongola Decimo, after all. He’s had too many assassins and different types of assassination attempts after his life that he started to consider it just a normal routine.
Fran tilted his head, letting his hair fall to the side, and placed his cup down, hearing a click on the table. He was curious, perhaps too much. As he kept his face straight and his voice in that same monotone he always used, he spoke again. “You’re staring at me…”
“Ah, sorry about that. I was just wondering, well, you know,” Tsuna smiled, staring straight at the other man. Fran still looked the same but his fingers did twitch at the sight, not liking the look the brunet was giving him. It made him uncomfortable for some odd reason. It was as if the brunet was staring within him. “I wonder who you really are underneath that mask.”
The green-haired teen just ‘hummed’ to himself, listening and watching Tsuna carefully. He just sat there, doing nothing, and leaned back against the couch. “I don’t remember the last time I showed my real expression. Must have been long ago. I forgot how I really act, probably didn’t matter much to me in the first place.”
Tsuna chuckled, bringing up a hand to his lips. “Well, I’ll just have to change that, now, wont I?”
At that, Fran was confused, he didn’t get why the other was putting up with so much trouble for him. He wasn’t that important. He didn’t even like being the center of the attention. Fran was just someone that blended in, unnoticed until bumped into. But the way Tsuna eyed him made him feel like he was all there. It was…exciting. He wanted to know how much Vongola Decimo could influence him.
“You know, you’re giving me that stare Mukuro does whenever he’s interested in something.” Fran’s eyes widened at that, mentally cursing in the back of his head. He refused to resemble anything to his perverted master. “But it looks good on you. For Mukuro, it’s downright creepy.”
“Oh? Does that mean I look better than Master Pineapple? Should I feel honored? But I don’t want to be compared with him. Now I feel disgusted…,” Fran said all that in that same pitch, never letting his voice go higher or lower. His face was the same, not really moving at all.
“Well, I just said that you look better than him, so I guess that you should be honored.” Tsuna stood up, making his way over to the expressionless other until he was in front. He felt like doing something that was out of character for him, he just wanted to. With that feeling and thought in mind, he leaned over to press his lips against Fran’s. The kiss was light and quick but it made his lips tingle at the touch. His honey-colored eyes were open to watch the show before him and smiled as he saw Fran’s mask crumble ever so slightly. He could just see the cracks breaking into it.
The illusionist’s eyes were wide like saucers and his mouth was wide with a tint of redness decorating his pale cheeks. Tsuna thought that the other looked adorable like that and leaned back over to press his lips against a rosy cheek in amusement to see if he could get another reaction. Fran stared ahead, all trains of thought gone from his mind. It was like his brain had shut down completely and he was completely frozen.
‘Cute…’ Tsuna pulled away and went towards his front door, opening it up slightly. “Sorry to run like this, Fran, but I need to go to the dining hall or Reborn will kill me if he thinks I’m neglecting my health. Knowing him, he’ll make sure his threat is torturous.” He turned back to the other, who remained glue to the spot, staring straight ahead. “Since you’re staying here, you’re welcome to visit me whenever you like. I’ll leave the door open for you, now and in the future so that you don’t have to hide behind an illusion.”
With that, the brunet left, disappearing into the hallway. Fran slowly brought himself back to reality, the gears in his head beginning to move again, and he managed to heal up those cracks in his mask. Tsuna had been very close in making it crumble into pieces at his feet, so very close. Getting himself back together, he blinked his eyes, his face still having a hint of red on it, and he peered toward the spot where the brunet had been previously sitting. His fingers touched his lips, the sensation of Tsuna’s against his own still there, and it felt kinda nice. Then his fingertip trailed to his cheek and he smiled softly, letting it slip onto his expressionless face.
Damn his curiosity, it was definitely getting the better of him…but…Fran glanced up towards the door and stood up. He was starting to see why his Master was so interested in the brunet. Tsuna was just as abnormal as the rest of them, but at the same time, normal as well. He was different, something unlike compared to everyone else and that fascinated Fran. He wanted to follow, to get closer, even knowing that it would eventually lead to his mask falling apart, his emotions being released from its hold, and standing naked for once.
But he didn’t mind. Tsuna was intriguing and he wasn’t going to let this chance of a lifetime slip from fingers. Moving towards the door, he closed it behind him, and stepped into the hallway, following down the path Tsuna had taken. He was going to pursue, hiding in his illusions he knew the brunet could see through, but it didn’t matter.
Where he would go with this decision, wasn’t for him to know.
And he didn’t care.
He was going to follow Tsuna until he figured things out. In the back of his mind, he hoped he never did. Because Tsuna looked like fun and he was curious as to how the other was in like elsewhere than in his office. Fran smirked in the back of his mind at the thought of that.
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