Chapter 38

(December 18th, Saturday - night)

It's been a while since he's felt this kind of fear. It's one he's grown pretty accustomed to since meeting Reborn and while he's usually the one who seeks every shred of familiarity he can find in this place, this one he'll be really happy to forget. Just its presence makes a set of painful memories surface, memories he dreads to even think about on a good day.

Memories of painful training.

It doesn't matter.

Tsuna is here for a reason and going inside the building where his future (past?) mentor lives will not dissuade him. Besides, it's too late to back off now.

Literally, too late, he thinks looking up at the dark sky as he enters the building.

'And I told Verde I wasn't going to take advantage of his house anymore, too.'

Oh well.

When he reaches the correct door, he shifts in place. Mamoru is ready around his shoulders, prepared for any traps he may find inside. He's also ready to run or jump through any window he finds. Just in case.

He takes one last glance at the entrance of the apartment Renato gave him the directions. It was unsurprisingly tricky to find out as without the address one could have easily overlooked it. Not to say it isn't a fancy place located on a quiet and nice street. It is. It's also just a little far away and private. It suits Renato... and his Reborn, too.

With a fond and resigned sigh, he opens the door.

Well, from where he's standing, he can see a large living room at the end of a short corridor. There's a place at his direct left to hang coats and hats, next to it there's a white door. He walks in and sees the kitchen close to the living room, a turned-off white and mustard-like chimney the only thing separating them. And yup, it's a fancy kitchen too, looking ready for a cooking show to start any minute now. Unlike the boring browns of the one on his apartment, this one is white, as in OCD white with only some black and mustard highlights to go with the soft gray walls.

It relaxes him somewhat to see the order and neatness of the room. He'll probably be afraid to even make tea, but, well. It's so unlike Verde's cluster and that's nice.

He runs a finger over the surface of one of the cupboards and is not surprised to find a hint of dust. After all, it's been a week since Renato's been here. And talking about that, he steals a glance at the too classy living room next to a wall made of gigantic windows, going from the floor to the ceiling and contrasting nicely with the light inside the room. They're huge and let the room seem bigger somehow. There's a large black couch in front of it with a smaller, orange one at the side, a small transparent table on top of a black and mustard carpet. Gray and mustard cushions are on top of the black couch, the same color as the gray walls and the chimney, while the orange one has a black one.

It's comfortable and warm, and as fancy as he would have expected from Renato, though something tells me one cushion has cost more than a month of his salary.

On the wall next to the windows there's a large mirror, of the kind that lets one see their complete body. He hasn't seen one in months. He's actually been avoiding all reflective objects, so in a way, it's his fault that he starts in surprise at seeing the young man in front of him. The one trapped within the glass approaches with extreme caution. He's wary and serious, a hint of orange permanent in his narrow eyes, unlike the soft looks he remembers seeing one year ago. He doesn't know this person, but it is him.

(How long has it been since he's seen his reflection. Really seen himself?)

His hand comes up and short, thin fingers trace the unfamiliar face. His cheekbones are soft but the baby fat that was still present before his trip is completely gone now, only leaving a youthful face in its place. Despite the weight he's gained since those first days in Italy, his shoulders are still narrow with just a hint of them getting wider.

It's been so long since he's come to live here and now he looks the part; older. And it feels like he's missed something along the way as if he went from a kid to a stranger so quickly in his time away from his family, and now he's completely is unprepared for the pang of loss that comes with it.

Will they recognize him if he returns?

He shakes his head. It doesn't matter. And anyway, better to go search for the guest room.

Tsuna turns back from the mirror, from the stranger, and walks to the door he saw first and it reveals another small corridor, this one with four doors inside, two on each side and one at the end. He opens the first door to the right, which leads him to some kind of laundry room with some small cupboards inside.

At least he won't have to go looking for one near this apartment to clean his clothes.

He goes to the door in front of the previous one and finds a moderate-sized bathroom, pretty fancy too with a lovely bath. Nice, he thinks as he closes the door. He probably will take a shower before sleeping.

Well, three rooms left.

He chooses the one on the left and closes it as soon he notices the too-big bed and the door inside that most likely leads to a personal and bigger bathroom. He doesn't want to intrude any more than he has, so he's not taking a peek there. It'll probably have some weird stuff, too. So better be safe.

He tries to open the room at the end of the corridor but finds he doesn't have the key to it. It's closed. He understands the need for privacy so he leaves it there and starts opening the last room on the right even if his intuition cautions him he won't like what he sees inside. Not that he has any other option; it's the last room, after all.

Besides, what else can it be but a guest room?

Famous last words.

(He vehemently squishes the dark thought that tells him Renato doesn't seem like the type of person to have guests he doesn't sleep with)

Taking a deep breath, he curls his body inwards as if ready to take a blow to the head and opens the door, only to find… a walk-in closet.

What.

Wait, no. It isn't a walk-in closet as that would imply having a normal closet-size room and this is more like… a room-turned-closet thing.

What?

He slowly walks in, morbid curiosity leading his steps.

There are what looks like fifty different suits and shirts on one side with shoes perfectly arranged next to them. He can see ties of different shades of black, yellow, and more. Next are more casual clothes he can't picture Renato in. Pretty normal stuff, actually. Probably awfully expensive too.

Then there's the other side which seems to be filled with uniforms. From police to fireman to doctor; it seems to have it all. It even has a nurse one. Both for males and females. There are even a couple of dresses that he wants to think are from Renato's lady friends, but he can't deny they seem to be made to conceal broad shoulders and accentuate a non-existent waist.

They're all pretty but the memories he wants to forget about Reborn dressed as a girl and biting his long hair are there and, yeah.

He shouldn't have accepted Renato's offer.

Not that it matters now, he thinks again. And damn his intuition for not warning him then.

(It did, he just not listened. It was important to Renato and he couldn't deny when that concerned tone was directed at him.

He's such a pushover)

Oh well, he just has to search for something to cover himself and he'll be set to sleep on the couch. It's probably pretty comfortable.