The Long Sidewalk 2

[radowan]

Title: The Long Sidewalk
Author: Pain au Chocolat
Language: English. A bit of wannabe French and Italian.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters used in this fiction. Everything belongs to Akira Amano… TT_TT
Rating & Warnings: NC-17. AU, OOC, gayness, FRENCH, inaccurate history, lime, lemon, grammar and spelling abuse, no sense whatsoever…
Summary: 1795, France, and the guillotine that has so far killed over 40 000 people is still in active use. Tsuna is dragged by his teacher to go and witness an execution… only that it doesn’t go as planned, and suddenly the young brunet ends up hiding a wanted man in his house. This and that happens and nothing is how it was before.
Pairing: Colonello x Tsuna, a bit of MukuTsuna, HaruTsuna, and MukuHaru in my head



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To themegaloo, for making the lovely layout for our new community, rainbowtuna.

I’m so sorry for the lateness TT_TT
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Colonello looked up from the paper he was still writing when Tsuna walked in with a pale face and determined expression. The blond knew immediately that something had happened. Something bad. He just hoped that it wasn’t something completely disastrous.

“What happened?” he asked.

“We have an hour to leave. Maybe even less,” the brunet said evenly, yet with certain undertones of urgency. “I will fetch the money - could you start gathering the essentials, please?”

“Sure thing, hey,” Colonello replied, mind already planning the escape route and possible disguises. He knew how to get to the Vongola’s headquarters, and with luck they’d meet Reborn there again. The trip would take few days if they found horses, but if they went on foot it could take even a week, if not more. And considering that the enemy had horses…

Well, if Colonello got caught, he’d have to ensure that Tsuna would go free at least.

Then again - if the trip went as planned, neither would end up caught and trapped. They’d reach Italy fine and healthy, and… and then what? Whatever happened, Colonello knew that he just didn’t want to go back to not knowing Tsuna in the future. Wherever he ended up settling down, he’d first make sure that Tsuna would be near enough.

’It’s odd how easy it is to grow attached to that boy,’ the man thought, and watched as Tsuna practically flew down the stairs to help with the packing. Brown silky hair, pale smooth skin, small soft eyes and the most beautiful eyes Colonello had ever seen - when did he start thinking of Reborn’s student as something beyond just ‘cute’? When did the adorable turn into gorgeous? When the stranger into a friend? When a friend into a-

“I think we’re ready now,” Tsuna said, startling Colonello out of his thoughts. “Here, take maître’s hat - I don’t think that anyone will recognize you anyway, but just in case. Which way?”

“Southeast for now. It will be risky considering that Lyon is in the same direction and the forces that were chasing Reborn will most probably end up facing us. It could turn into a tough situation. And there’s no way we could go through Germany. It’s just too dangerous.”

“I understand. Luckily it’s still somewhat raining so not many people will be outside at this time. Shall we go?”

“Yes,” Colonello replied, and after checking that everything they needed was with them, the two exited the house, locking the door carefully.

Tsuna felt jittery, nervous, scared, excited and worried at the same time. The place he had known as his home wasn’t safe anymore and the person he had grown to love as family was missing. Instinctively his hand found Colonello’s who held it tightly.

“Don’t be afraid, hey,” the blond man said with a grin. “I will protect you. I promise.” And while those words didn’t make Tsuna completely relax and feel at ease - they did give him some of the courage he so much needed.

“Thank you, Colonello.”

Their first objective was to get out of Paris safely - from there they could rush towards any of the small villages surrounding the city and buy a horse or two - depending on how much money Reborn had managed to save.

"Do we need a map?" Tsuna asked.

"Nah. I know France and Italy better than my own name - which is something I really know, considering that I named myself, hey."

"How come?"

"Hm? How come I know France and Italy or how come I named myself?"

"Both, actually. But I'm really curious about the name," Tsuna said, glad to have found something to talk about - if only to distract him from their plight.

"Well," Colonello drawled. "I was born in Italy years ago and ditched shortly after my mother decided that she really didn't need any extra baggage. I'm not sure when exactly was I born, but hey - at least I know the year. That counts for something, right? So yeah... I was called a handful of names depending on with whom I was living, and by the time I turned ten and decided to shake off the dust of Milan from my feet I knew that there were too many names, all equally unimportant. So I decided carefully on this name - Colonello - and ever since I have used it."

"Wow," Tsuna muttered, brown eyes almost filled with tears. "It must have been hard on you, living like that?"

"Not really," the man replied. "Every life has its difficulties, and very few can be truly free. I considered myself free, you know. I was free to live or die. Free to succeed or fail. Free to come and go. And I did, hey. I travelled through Italy till I knew every stone in it. Then I went to France, then Spain. I even visited Germany, but the people there were too uptight for some reason."

"Where else have you been?" Tsuna asked, a smile forming on his lips. "Did you ever travel with Reborn?"

"Yeah," Colonello grinned. "I bumped into Reborn before either one of us even knew of the Vongola. We met on a ship going to Egypt and I guess that the fact that we were both Italians created some sort of bond, hey. We fled the ship as soon as we reached Egypt and went to Libya, then Tunis and Morocco, after which we took another ship to Spain."

"Really?"

"Yeah. There in Spain Reborn half-accidentally saved some guy who turned out to be a big shot in Italy - the guy's name was Giotto Vongola."

"And did Giotto then take you in?"

"Well, he offered us both jobs as associates. Reborn accepted and followed the guy to Italy and started climbing up the ranks. I got restless again and left."

"Oh... may I ask what brought you to France like this? And why did Reborn leave the Vongola and settle in Paris? Why did he go to Japan and take me in?" Tsuna's heart was beating with excitement when realized that many of the questions that had been plaguing his mind were finally going to be answered.

"I eventually joined the resistance at Italy," Colonello said. "Since most of us aren't exactly happy with Bonaparte leading both countries. Few weeks ago something went wrong and a handful were arrested. I was supposed to get executed immediately in Florence, but somehow Reborn pulled some strings and I got hauled to Paris. And you know what happened there, hey."

"Yeah... so, what about the reason Reborn left the Vongola?"

"I suppose he finally realized that serving someone isn't his style. He's just not that loyal by nature, and he doesn't enjoy being an active part of a known Famiglia. Not to mention that there was this lady - Bianchi - who was and still is in love with Reborn and gave him hell with her attempts to seduce him and marry him. That's why I was surprised to see you with him, hey. Since he isn't the type to start families."

"So you don't know what made him take me in?"

"No, sorry to say, hey. To my knowledge he was supposed to go and find a book. He didn't find a book and everyone thought that he didn't take anything with him. Have you ever asked him for his reasons?"

"I used to," Tsuna said. "In the beginning, I asked a lot. He usually answered and it made me cry a lot."

"Why?" Colonello asked with evident confusion. "Was he that mean?"

"No," the brunet replied with a wistful smile. "He was kind. The kindest person I had ever met in my life at that time. And since I wasn't used to kindness, it made me cry."

____________________________________________________________________

When General Rokudo Mukuro led his soldiers towards Maître Reborn’s home, he didn’t know what to expect. Was Tsunayoshi still there, in a misguided belief that it was all a bad dream and could be explained away? Or would the man, the criminal who was hiding there - the idea of him made Mukuro want to curse aloud - leave and take the boy with him?

Mukuro stopped his horse in front of the small building, and stayed seated as he gestured for one of the soldiers to try the door. The man hit his gloved hand against it, gaining no response beside the curious neighbours peeking from their windows. The soldier then tried to open the door, but no avail.

“It’s locked, sir!”

“Break it.”

And break it they did. Mukuro finally left his horse standing and entered the house. It was empty, and he felt both relieved and terribly jealous at the same time - the lovely brunet was away with some other man, after all. He walked slowly from room to room, letting the soldiers around him inspect the place for any leads. Then he reached Tsunayoshi's room.

A small room it was, with a bed in one corner and a table almost covered with papers right next to it. With a slight, soft smile Mukuro lifted one of the papers, feeling amused at the scribbles on it, imagining how adorably panicked Tsunayoshi must have been while writing it. Then he moved towards the bed and pressed his hand against the pillow. He would have loved nothing more than to bend down and inhale to enjoy the scent of his favourite person for one last time - and he was about to.

Till he saw a blond strand on the pillow, and realized that the scent wasn't that of ink and freshly baked bread. Not Tsunayoshi's scent in other words, no. This was of mud and blood and steel and that fucking bastard had slept on Sawada Tsunayoshi's bed.

Mismatched eyes of red and blue darkened in fury, as the general stood up and sauntered out of the room.

"Any leads yet?" he asked, voice icier than any of his soldiers had heard before.

"None so far, sir."

"Well, it's pointless to waste your time here then. They must have left only recently," Mukuro hissed, glaring at the two cups of tea and the two plates next to a pot on the stove. Clearly a set for two, and the mere idea of that annoying criminal being served by the young scholar made the general's blood boil. "If we rush, we might catch them."

"D-does that mean that we leave now, sir?"

"Are you perhaps an idiot, Beldrut or are you just trying to annoy me? Of course you leave! That's what chasing is all about, you fucking Dutch!"

"Ouch," Ken - one of Mukuro's soldiers - whispered to his friend. "Boss seems to really want to catch the little rabbit and the other guy, pyon." Too bad that the blond couldn't whisper as well as he thought he could, and ended up receiving a venomous glare from the general.

"If you understand that," the man spat. "Then catch them."

“Hahi!?” a female voice gasped from the doorway, blocking the way of the men trying to exit the house. “What are you doing in Tsuna’s home?”

“Investigating, pyon,” Ken replied arrogantly, pushing her away. “We’re taking our leave now.” Haru was about to argue, ask something and find out what in the world was going on, when her eyes landed on a familiar face.

“Hey, you’re the one who-“ The rest of her sentence - ’ -was with Tsuna a while ago buying some bread’ went unsaid when the general’s gloved hand pressed against her mouth.

“You are dismissed,” Mukuro repeated to his soldiers in a voice that left to space for arguments. In a few short moments the house was empty bar the two who had fought for Tsuna’s attention.

"What are you doing here?" Haru hissed as soon as the man let her go. "Where's Tsuna? Is he alright?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi is under arrest," Mukuro replied dully. "Or will be, as soon as we find him."

"HAHI!? What?? This is unheard of! Scandalous!! The government is trying to take my Tsuna away from me!? Why??"

"Shut up, woman. This goes way beyond your silly feelings."

"My feelings are not silly, general!"

"Tsuna," Mukuro started, reverting back to using the more familiar name. "Has been ordered by Reborn to hide the wanted criminal who was supposed to be executed few days ago."

"What? I don't believe that!"

"It doesn't make a difference to me whether you believe it or not."

"But wait," Haru said with a frown. "If you knew that my Tsuna was suspected for something... Why didn't you arrest him when you were with him today?"

"Who knows?" Mukuro muttered, turning towards the doorway. "Why didn't I arrest him this morning when I could? Why didn't I break into his house and catch the criminal too? Why did I warn Tsunayoshi, knowing that I will not be repaid for that favour? Why did I not ask for him to be mine as a payment for letting his maître and the criminal escape?"

"...Why?" Haru asked, heart beating rapidly. The general chuckled bitterly.

"That, you little girl," he whispered. "Would be like asking why I love him so much."

What’s in my heart cannot be said in words.

____________________________________________________________________

There was something in being chased that connected people in a way no other situation quite could. That’s what Colonello thought, at least. It was three days after their narrow escape from Paris, and it seemed that General Rokudo Mukuro was dead set on capturing them. Colonello and Tsuna had been unable to stop and rest in any of the villages they went through just because of the sheer amount of the soldiers around. This time, however, they had dared to enter an inn and rent a room for the night.

“He sure has dispatched a lot,” Colonello muttered. “It’s not normal to make so many men chase for two who’re technically speaking unimportant.”

“What do you mean?” Tsuna asked.

“I sense a personal grudge in this, hey,” the blond replied quietly, turning to look at the young scholar. “Maybe he’s jealous.”

“Jea-!? Ridiculous!”

“It’s not. If he cares for you as much as I believe he does, his jealousy is completely understandable.”

“Understandable? Assuming that you’re right about his feelings - and I’m not saying that you are -why would he be jealous? It’s not like I have eloped with some girl.”

“Hey,” Colonello murmured, suddenly leaning close to the brunet. His fingers brushed slightly Tsuna’s cheek, making the boy blink in confusion and fight down a blush. “Don’t be so quick to dismiss me.”

“Huh?”

“What I’m trying to say is… that I care too, Tsuna.”

“We-well, we’re friends, right?” Tsuna asked hesitantly, clearly not quite understanding. He was feeling a bit hot for some reason, and wondered why his maître’s friend was standing so close. Colonello's arm was suddenly wrapped around the brunet's waist, the other hand still gently touching his face.

"Friends?" the Italian man repeated quietly, the look in his blue eyes telling Tsuna more than Mukuro's words ever. "We can be more than just friends, hey."

"I... I 'm not sure I understand."

"You're so cute like that." The hoarse whisper and the hot breath against his flushed skin made Tsuna's heart skip a beat as he inhaled sharply and instinctively closed his eyes. Colonello smirked as he looked at the pale, beautiful boy in front of him. "Reborn is such a lucky bastard."

"Haa?"

"To have someone like you with him."

"C-colonello... I'm quite sure that we... um... that we shouldn't be doing something like this."

"Something like what?" A brush of lips against closed eyelids, a hand caressing the small of his back, another now entangled in his hair, pulling him closer than before - if that was even possible at this point anymore. “I’m not doing anything, hey.”

"Something... like this," Tsuna whimpered, mouth dry and heart hammering in his ribcage. Without realizing it, his arms had wound up wrapped around Colonello’s shoulders and his body wasn’t putting up any sort of resistance. He felt so good and the mood was so right that had the blond man wanted to go any further… Tsuna wouldn’t have been able to resist the temptation. Yet when Colonello was about to finally kiss the object of his desires, a loud knock on the door startled them both.

“Squad Rokudo is obliged to inspect all the rooms in their search for two criminals,” a monotonous, bored voice said from the other side. “Please open the door immediately.”

“Shit,” Colonello cursed quietly, mind working quickly. “Grab the bags, hey. We’re going through the window.”

“Can we?” Tsuna asked, panic washing over the previous mood. “It’s risky.”

“Less so that going through the door.” Colonello glanced outside, feeling rather lucky at the sight of the relatively empty street and the few horses there. He opened the window, pushed Tsuna out onto the roof under their window, grabbed the bags and followed him, leaving the soldier repeating his request at the door’s other side.

“What now?”

“We jump, hey.” And jump they did. Easily and confidently Colonello let go three of the five horses before helping Tsuna onto one and then climbing onto the other. “Much better. Let’s go now.”

Yet again Tsuna was reminded of the fact that someone as eccentric as Maître Reborn couldn’t possibly have normal friends.

Still… he rather liked this one.

“So where are we heading now?”

“If I remember correctly, it takes less than two days to reach our next stop now since we have the horses, hey.”

“And the next stop is?”

“Grenoble,” Colonello grinned. “The French Hell on Earth.”

____________________________________________________________________

Sure, it was logical. Big cities - especially the ones like Grenoble - were places easy to hide in. Nothing stood out in the city filled with sins, filth, pleasure and blood. Two outlaws would add nothing, and searching for them here was next to impossible. And while the current mayor Joseph Martin tried his best to make Grenoble a more reasonable place to live in… he just couldn’t do it. The city had La Bastille and the soldiers needed their entertainment.

At any case, Tsuna didn’t like the place at all.

“Can’t we just continue our way now?” he whined.

“Unfortunately no,” Colonello replied. “What’s between us and Italy now isn’t a simple obstacle and we need to rest well, hey.”

“What?” Tuna asked with a frown. “What do you mean?”

“The alps,” the blond man said. “If we manage to survive the Alps and reach Turin, the rest is smooth sailing.”

“But from what I heard, Turin is completely under the French command.”

“Nothing is completely under the French command, hey, not even the French themselves,” Colonello scoffed. “That’s just what they like to think. And say. The French are particularly good at saying before thinking.”

“Oh come on,” Tsuna sighed, feeling slightly offended. He was, after all, practically speaking a Frenchman too.

”Okay fine, maybe I was exaggerating. But the point is that I’m Italian and as such I like Italy more,” the blond man stated.

‘Did he just say something totally childish or did I just imagine it?’ Tsuna thought with a sweat-drop and held back a laugh. "So, where to now?"

"There ought to be an inn nearby."

"Okay. And how did you think we’ll get through the Alps anyway? Mountains are dangerous! I remember maître Reborn telling me that the only sane way from France to Italy goes through the sea.”

“True,” Colonello grinned. “But do we always have to be sane, hey?”

“I’m not going on a suicide mission just for your amusement,” Tsuna deadpanned.

“But… I thought you said that you appreciate my opinion when it comes to travelling.”

"That's what people say when they owe other people something, Colonello." At this the blond man glanced at the brunet with an odd expression, before starting to laugh.

“Oh, I can clearly see now how you put up with Reborn for so long, kid!”

“I’m not a kid,” Tsuna muttered, thinking of what almost happened at the previous inn. “And we’re not going through the mountains.”

“Fine,” Colonello sighed. “But it will take more time, then. We might have to go to Nizza and take a boat directly to Rome.”

“Nizza?”

“The French call it Niça.”

“…why did the Italians see it fit to change the name of a French city?”

“I wasn’t there when the decision was made, so I have to admit that I don’t know, hey. But Nizza sounds nicer, doesn’t it? Besides, we have to spend the night here anyway - both of us need some rest.”

“…Colonello.”

“Yeah?”

“I might seem normal right now, but actually I just want to bite my tongue off and die. That’s how annoyed I am. Can we just find an inn already? Then we can rest and leave quickly tomorrow?”

“It would be a waste to bite off your tongue, Tsunayoshi. There are so many things you can do with it.” The silence that followed the statement made Colonello realize what the hell he has just blurted out. A glance towards Tsuna confirmed that the badly veiled suggestion might have broken something in the brunet’s head. Before said brunet closed his eyes with flushed cheeks and Colonello decided to do what he had wanted to do for some time now.

Tsuna didn’t know whether he had expected it or not, but when he felt the other’s horse stand right beside his, when he heard the older man leaning towards him… he didn’t open his eyes. In a moment he felt a pair of lips pressing gently against his own, and while the kiss itself was nothing but a touch, it still made Tsuna feel both warm and cold at the same time.

When Colonello pulled back, he was practically glowing with happiness. Wide grin plastered on his face, he turned forward and urged his horse closer towards the city. After a moment, Tsuna followed while trying to make his blush vanish for good.

Yet he couldn’t wipe away a silly little smile either.

____________________________________________________________________

They found an inn - which was a notable achievement considering that every other building pretty much looked alike. Tsuna - who’s French was unaccented and therefore Not Suspicious - booked a room for them before heading out to buy some food. Colonello was resting in the room which left the brunet alone, and that suited him just fine.

There was a lot he needed to think about... such as the cloud of confusion in him that swivelled around the names 'Colonello', 'Reborn', 'Mukuro' and even 'Haru'. Where was his Maître and how was he? And Mukuro? Why had that shameless devil helped him? Tsuna knew that had Mukuro not warned him, he would be either imprisoned now or dead. Was Haru worried? Knowing her she'd go every day to check whether he was back or not. And most importantly...Colonello. What did he really want from Tsuna? Was the brunet just some sort of sport to the handsome Italian? Just a helper? Or did he... did the kiss really mean something?

'I want to know, but this isn't the sort of matter that I can just ask about,' Tsuna thought. He could blurt out a belated "why did you kiss me?" but what sort of answer he'd get?

What sort of answer did he want?

Frankly, he didn't know. Which, in itself, was rather alarming. When Mukuro had harassed him, Tsuna had thought that no thank you, Mr Wrong Gender, but fact was that Colonello was no lady either... So why was the situation suddenly different?

“This is so troublesome,” he sighed. “I have more important matters to think about.”

“Are you bête Tsuna?” a clearly amused voice asked, making the brunet tense and turn. The man - who had been following the boy for a while now, seeing the numerous worried and rather comical expressions he had made - was taller than Tsuna, but would have been shorter than Reborn. Tsuna knew that generally speaking, cloaked figures weren't exactly on the Top Ten Trustworthy Strangers-list, but somehow he knew that this man meant no harm. The brunet asked a question he didn't even know his brain had been thinking.

"Maître Reborn sent you, didn't he?"

"Correct," the man replied, shrugging off the coat. His oddly styled clothes - Tsuna would guess Chinese - and even odder hairdo - it was a pigtail and those were for little girls - made him stick out in a crowd easily. Maybe he should be told to just put the cloak back on. "I'm Fon. It's a pleasure to meet you. I was sent here to guide you to Reborn."

“You know where he is!?” Tsuna exclaimed. “And how did you know where I am?”

“I have my ways to locate people,” Fon replied with a smile. “Colonello is with you, isn’t he?”

“He’s in the room, resting.”

“Good. And after that, where were you planning on going? Surely not all the way south?”

“Colonello wants to go through the mountains,” Tsuna confessed. “But I’m rather hesitant.”

“I’ll get you to Italy safely,” Fon promised. “Take Xie with you and she will lead you to me tomorrow morning. We’ll set out then, so be prepared.”

“Can we go the day after tomorrow?” Tsuna asked suddenly. “Colonello doesn’t want to admit it, but I can clearly see that he’s exhausted. His injuries-“

“Very well,” the Chinese man said with a gentle smile. “In two days, follow Xie to me.”

“Okay,” Tsuna agreed, allowing the small monkey to climb onto his shoulders. “I will take care of him, sir.”

“Just Fon, please,” the man told him, turning to leave. “Au revoir, Tsunayoshi.” And before he could say anything, the Chinese man had left. Tsuna stood silently for a little while, before starting to walk towards the inn. The weight of the monkey would need getting used to, but it wasn’t very heavy. Oddly enough, people hardly even glanced at the creature regardless of the fact that monkeys were not ordinary pets in France.

When Tsuna reached the inn and entered the room, Colonello grabbed his arms and almost shook him.

“Where were you!?” the blond man exclaimed. “You shouldn’t wander alone outside at this time!”

“It’s alright, nothing happened,” Tsuna said soothingly. “I just took a little walk.”

“You…” Colonello sighed, blue eyes uncharacteristically full of emotion. Tsuna thought that the blond man would move away, but that didn’t happen. He wasn’t expecting it, when Colonello stepped closer instead and captured his mouth into a kiss. Tsuna tried to pull away at first but the older man didn’t let him, instead opting to push the brunet against the closest wall and deepening the kiss. Tsuna tried to gasp for air, only to have Colonello’s tongue touching his, invading his mouth and giving him sensations the young man had never felt before. And while that was good, the blond had something even better in his mind.

Colonello’s hand slipped under Tsuna’s shirt, trailing up and touching a sensitive nipple, making the brunet shudder with a wave of pleasure. A breathy moan escaped the boy, which made the escapee’s heart skip a beat. After a moment of hesitation they both ended up on the floor instead of against the wall, and Colonello pulled Tsuna onto his lap - if the boy wanted to stop, he could easily leave now. But escaping the situation didn’t even cross Tsuna’s mind anymore, and he let out another whimper when he felt Colonello’s erection against his own. Neither noticed the little monkey moving to sit on the table, watching the two with sparkling black eyes.

“You’re so cute, Tsuna. So adorable,” the older man whispered. He had waited for this so long, and finally he had his chance. “I want to do things to you. D-did Reborn ever touch you? Did he? Did he fuck you into the mattress or against a wall?”

“M-maître n-never,” Tsuna tried to speak, tried to answer, but Colonello was quickly ridding them both of their clothes, pushing Tsuna to lie beneath him and the brunet couldn’t focus long enough to reply properly.

“He never fucked you?” Colonello asked, hands blazing a trail down over the brunet’s bare chest. “He never had his cock inside you, buried deep, marking you? Am I… the first one, Tsuna?” Unsurprisingly, Tsuna couldn’t say anything coherent - the brunet felt as if his whole body was on fire with desire, Colonello’s touch awakening feelings he had never felt before.

“No matter how much I have… I want more… more,” the blond man muttered, kissing Tsuna again while pushing the pale, smooth thighs apart. “You’re making me crave for you more and more. You were born to be eventually in my bed, under me, Tsuna. You-“

“Ah.” Colonello had pushed one of his fingers inside the brunet, making the boy gasp loudly. Tsuna’s light brown hair was dark with sweat, few damp locks pasted to his forehead. The arousing blush darkened the more Colonello prepared him, pushing his fingers deeper, stretching wider, and so intense was the pleasure Tsuna felt that he couldn’t hold back the loud, needy moans.

“Does it… hurt?” Colonello asked, before pulling his fingers out.

“No,” Tsuna gasped in response. “N- ah… mo-more.” That was all Colonello needed to readjust their position and push the head of his throbbing cock into the brunet beneath him.

“I… will go all in… Just… just breathe. And try to relax,” he whispered, voice trembling with passion. He slowly thrust inside the boy, panting loudly and letting the waves of pleasure sweep through him.

“Oh,” Tsuna all but sobbed at the new sensations, not feeling the hard floor under him as much as he felt the man on top of him.

When they were perfectly attached like that… it felt good. It felt right.

“It’s really… wonderful inside you… Tsuna,” Colonello groaned, eyes clenched shut. “So tight… hot… So adorable, you are…”

“Colo… nello,” the brunet gasped, not noticing his own tears falling. It hurt a bit but the pain was nothing compared to the sensation of being filled with the older man’s throbbing cock. He couldn’t describe the feeling, but he loved it. And then Colonello moved, making Tsuna’s breath hitch and breathing suddenly became difficult, as his moans escalated to hoarse screams of pleasure.

“So you’re… sensitive over there… heh?” the Italian man muttered. “You’re so perfect, Tsuna. Too good… too good…” He couldn’t resist anymore, and thrust deeper, harder and faster. Whatever noble thoughts he had had about holding back vanished as he fucked the inexperienced boy to his heart’s content. The brunet might have bled a little but the lust that seemed to have overtaken Colonello’s mind and sense drove him to ignore that fact and kiss Tsuna again, biting down into the pale soft skin, marking it as much as Tsuna’s nails were marking his back.

Tsuna’s cries grew louder, the closer he got to the climax, and when he finally came it felt like his whole world shifted and readjusted itself. Colonello thought that his heart would burst from beating so quickly, when he felt the brunet tightening around him. He tensed, knowing that he couldn’t prolong this anymore, and with a deep moan emptied his load into the brunet. The blond leaned down again to steal another kiss, before settling down next to Tsuna, finally relaxing his body.

“Sorry,” he whispered. “But I’m not letting you go after this.”

“Good,” Tsuna replied in a hoarse voice with a small smile. “I want to stay with you too.”

“I was afraid of rushing and scaring you away,” Colonello admitted. “That’s why I didn’t even touch you back in Paris.”

“I’m glad you waited. I… I only recently came to realize how I feel towards you,” Tsuna sighed, looking at Colonello with evident affection, before he suddenly looked at the monkey still sitting on the table. “I met a friend of Reborn’s while I was out. His name is Fon.”

“Doesn’t surprise me. Fon’s sort of a guide. He will take us safely to Reborn, hopefully. I see that he sent Xu with you.”

“Xie,” Tsuna corrected with a laugh. “I think he called the monkey Xie. She’s supposed to lead us to him in two days.”

“Two days?” Colonello repeated. “That means that we can rest tomorrow.”

“What about today?”

“Today,” the blond man grinned, hand starting to caress the brunet’s skin. “Today we have time for a few more rounds of this.”

____________________________________________________________________

“Hi there,” Fon said with a grin. Xie jumped off Tsuna’s shoulder and hastily rushed to her master. Colonello smirked at the clearly shorter man.

“It has been a while.”

“Indeed it has. You were planning on crossing the mountains by going over them?”

“I’m sure you have another road in mind.”

“I do,” Fon confirmed. “One of my caves goes through the mountains. We’ll be safe from humans there.”

“But not from the mountain itself, right?” Colonello said. Something in the way the two communicated so easily made Tsuna feel like an outsider. Those two clearly had some sort of a past, and were perhaps old friends much like how Reborn and Colonello were. For the first time during this trip Tsuna felt lonely. He followed quietly as Colonello and Fon made their way towards the mountains, chatting animatedly, catching up and laughing.

Suddenly, a little devil in his mind reminded him of Mukuro. Would the general act this way in the presence of his friends? Did he even have friends?

“What are you thinking about?” Colonello asked with a grin.

“Mukuro,” Tsuna replied honestly, feeling a bit of mean satisfaction at seeing the grin vanish.

“General Rokudo Mukuro?” Fon asked. “I heard that he’s rather fond of you.”

“From where did you hear that?” Tsuna gasped, blushing. “He’s not!”

“Ah, but he did warn you to leave Paris, did he not?” the Chinese man said gently, not noticing how Colonello tensed and scowled. “Not to mention that he gave you an hour to prepare and escape.”

“How do you know that!?” Tsuna hadn’t told even Colonello about that, and the blond man’s mood seemed to be ruined for the day.

“I have my ways.”

“Shall we just continue, hey?” Colonello snapped frostily. He knew that there was no real reason for jealousy considering how Tsuna had opted to come with him instead of staying with Mukuro… but what if the boy was regretting that decision now? What if he had finally realized that with Mukuro his life would be, without a doubt, easier and more luxurious? The general was rich, handsome and successful… and seemed to be sincerely fond of Tsuna.

’What if he wants to go back now?’ the Italian man thought. ’He was thinking about the general… is he missing the bastard?’ But while another man might have felt resigned, Colonello didn’t. Tsuna was his, and he had already told the brunet that he wasn’t going to let him go… even if he wanted. A darker side of him knew that he’d rather chain Tsuna and lock him somewhere safe if that would prevent the boy from leaving. It might be insanity… a beautiful nightmare from where Tsuna would never be allowed to wake up.

But, Colonello reminded himself, that wasn’t the case yet. Tsuna was still willing, and as long as he’d stay so everything would be alright.

“We’ll be reaching the cave soon,” Fon said. “In it we’ll find the door that will grant us an entrance to the tunnels inside the mountains. We’ll have to be very careful and try to not get lost from each other - because getting lost means dying.”

“What about the light?” Tsuna asked. “And how long we’ll be there?”

“We’ll be walking in darkness,” Fon told him. “Light will be attracting unwanted attention. We’ll be in the caves for several days, depending on our speed and the obstacles. I’d say four days if we’re lucky. Remember, however, to not do anything taxing in there - we have a limited supply of oxygen, after all, and we do not wish to take any risks.”

“Nothing taxing?” Colonello repeated, giving Tsuna a sly grin. The brunet blushed and looked elsewhere, not managing to hide fully a smile. “Hopefully we’ll manage.”

“I’m sure we will,” Tsuna muttered. “Is that why we had to leave the horses?”

“Yes,” Fon said. “A horse cannot pass this road - it’s too difficult. We’ll have to do quite a lot of climbing and squeezing through narrow places. It’s impossible for something as big as a horse.”

“I see,” Tsuna said, and the Chinese man nodded with a smile.

“Shall we go, then?”

_______________________________________________________________

The tunnels had been pitch dark, and for the first day Tsuna couldn’t even see his hand, much less his feet or the ground he was walking on. Gradually he got more and more used to the dark, and didn’t stumble nearly as much as he had previously. Not that he had minded stumbling much… Colonello had been more than happy to grab him and help him walk steadily.

Sometimes Fon would leave for a few hours to check the road ahead of them, and during those times Colonello would whisper to Tsuna about the many things the blond wanted to do with him - many plans, none of which seemed unpleasant in any way. The contrary, in fact.

Sometimes Tsuna wondered whether Fon was aware of their relationship or not. Often it seemed as if the Chinese man left for no other reason besides giving them time to be alone with each other. When he asked Colonello about that, the blond just replied that figuring out Fon’s train of thoughts was harder and more complicated than learning the difference between Reborn’s facial expressions.

“I wonder what Maître Reborn is doing now,” Tsuna sighed once, as they walked.

“Worried, I’d say,” Fon told him.

“EH? Worried? But he’s never worried!”

“He was when he came to me and asked me to find you.” Somehow that information made Tsuna feel warm and happy, almost giddy. Maître was worried about him? Tsuna couldn’t hold back a wide smile.

Elsewhere someone who wasn’t feeling happy at all had just gotten a message full of bad news. Rokudo Mukuro glared at the piece of paper wishing for it to spontaneously combust. Lal Mirch had sent him the orders to cut the chase - Reborn was already in Italy, apparently, and Colonello wasn’t that important - and return to handle more pressing duties. Mukuro knew that he’d have to eventually give up running after Tsunayoshi, but he didn’t want to give up now.

Lal could go and get herself killed, for all he cared. Mukuro liked pretty men and women… but he detested butches. And Lal, if anyone, was a butch.

“Bad news?” Chikusa, one of Mukuro’s lieutenants asked.

“You could say so.”

“What will you do now?”

“What other option do we have?” the General sneered. “We’ll return to Paris, but this isn’t the end. I will not allow it to be the end.” The baker’s daughter, that brown-haired girl was bound to make a scene if he told her that Tsuna would never be coming back. Not that Mukuro cared. Even if she was pretty and sort of funny.

“Yes, my lord. Shall I inform the others of the retreat?”

“Do so.” Chikusa left, feeling a wave of sympathy towards his boss, who was now standing in front of the window with an expression of pained yearning. Sawada Tsunayoshi… just who could be loved by Mukuro, yet not love him as much?

The boy better stay in Italy. For his own safety.

Back in the caves beneath the Alps, Tsuna sneezed and shuddered. He felt as if someone had just… walked over his grave or something. Colonello, thinking that the boy was feeling cold, pulled him closer, not missing the chance to let his hands wander.

“How do you think maître Reborn will react when he hears about… us?” Tsuna suddenly asked.

“I have no idea,” the blond man replied honestly. “He might… react unexpectedly, hey. I don’t think he’s one of those who hate our kind, but you never know. How did he treat that other guy… Rokudo?”

“Huh?”

“That other guy who was interested in you…

“That was different! I mean, I wasn’t… involved with him at any point in any way!”

“What did Reborn think of him, hey?”

“I…I’m not sure. He didn’t seem to hate him, but he didn’t seem to like him either.”

“Hm…”

“We should be reaching the exit in a day or so,” Fon suddenly said. “I’ll send Xie to inform Reborn and the others.”

“The others?” Colonello repeated. “You don’t mean the whole team, do you?”

“At least Verde, Mammon and Reborn. Mammon is dying to see Reborn’s pupil and Verde… well, who knows why Verde does what he does?”

‘ Maître,’ Tsuna thought, heart starting to beat rapidly. A day and he’ll see his teacher again! His expression brightened clearly and he felt energised. ’I’ll see him again! He’s alright!’

“Should I be jealous?” Colonello whispered teasingly. “You’re a bit too happy, hey.”

“Oh, it’s not like that,” Tsuna muttered. “But I-“

“It’s okay, hey, I wasn’t serious.”

“But still. I want you to know that I lo- care for the both of you equally, just in different ways.”

“Thank you,” Colonello said with a smile, touching Tsuna’s cheek gently. “I love you too.”

_______________________________________________________________

Tsuna saw the sunlight at the end of the tunnel a long before they reached the exit. He let go of Colonello’s hand and ran towards it, hardly believing that they had safely reached Italy. When he exited the tunnel, the bright light almost blinded him, and he had to not only shut his eyes but to also keep his both hands covering them.

“At least someone hasn’t changed at all,” a familiar voice laughed, and Tsuna almost sobbed with relief.

“Maître!” he cried, reaching blindly till a hand gripped his, and he was pulled into a tight hug. He could smell the scent of his teacher - the gunpowder and slight orange - and couldn’t hold back few stray tears. “You’re alright!”

“I was more worried about you than about myself,” Reborn - it really was him - stated dryly. Tsuna’s eyes got used to the bright light relatively quickly, and soon he could see the familiar face.

“You’ve gotten thinner,” the boy accused. “How many meals have you skipped?”

“Now that’s a sight I wouldn’t be able to imagine,” Colonello laughed. “Reborn, you softy, since when did you start caring about other people, hey?”

“Colonello. You’re… alive,” the scholar said with a smirk, letting go of Tsuna.

“Don’t sound too happy, pal.”

“Let’s go to the hideout quickly,” a cloaked figure then said. “We don’t know if they’re still chasing you guys.”

“Mammon is right,” Reborn agreed, reaching for his pupil again. “Let’s go, bête Tsuna.” But before the brunet could respond, Colonello appeared next to him, throwing his arm around his new lover.

“Let’s go, hey,” he said, looking at Reborn in a rather challenging manner. “Lead the way. Tsuna and I will follow.”

“Tsuna and you, is it?” the dark-haired man muttered, gaze sliding to rest on his student. “Maybe I really need to let you go.”

“Eh?” Tsuna looked up at Reborn, not understanding the reason for the man’s odd expression. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” his teacher replied. “Colonello, do I need to warn you about what I will do to you if you hurt him?”

“I’d rather die that hurt him. You should know that, hey.”

“Yeah…”

’Maybe you really needed it more than the rest of us,’ Reborn thought, looking at Tsuna’s happy expression. ’This long sidewalk.’

_______________________________________________________________

A/N: I know this isn’t as good as it should be… it’s my first C27, dedicated to the most wonderful layout-maker around :D Sorry for the lateness… I’m so slow and if you want I can write you an apology drabble or something. Exams, travelling (I’m in Turkey right now), just general laziness…

My sister’s friend named her pet “Butt Ugly”. Just WTF is wrong with kids these days??

FACT TWISTING:
* Dr. Jacques Beaurieux did his research about the heads in 1905, not 1795. But since it didn’t need any overly developed research equipments (and it was too good of a research for me to delete from this oneshot) I included it anyway. And therefore, to stay historically accurate and get as many history nerds as possible off my back - Henri Languille was executed also in year 1905.
* The first gun silencers were actually developed in the beginning of the 20th century. American inventor Hiram Maxim is credited with inventing and selling the first commercially successful models circa 1902.
* For all I know, French male teachers did NOT sexually molest their equally male students. Those were the Ancient Greek men and it wasn’t as much ‘molesting’ as a ‘mutual bonding’ agreement. Term used: ‘Greek Love’.

Part 1