1,756 words :D

UGH, FINALLY DONE. I'm not really that satisfied with this ending but it would have to do, I guess? :/ I was gonna go for pure fluff but then again... NAH, let's mix in a li'l pain :3

Hope you enjoy ~ !

TYL

When Tsuna woke up from his deep slumber after the whole incident with the Millefiore, he was greeted with the sight of a gun's nozzle pointing right at his skull. Needless to say, he was absolutely terrified. almost regressing to his fourteen-year-old self and letting out a high-pitch shriek. But no, he did not do that. He had experience now, and he knew better than to make any noise. Noise would only provoke the dangerous creature in front of him to attack. The best course of action would be to wait and not move a muscle, and then hope for the best. That doesn't seem to be an option, however.

"Dame-Tsuna" his voice sounded so menacing and full of venom, it contradicted to all those times he heard that same voice whisper words of comfort to him whenever he felt like he was losing hope with everything Byakuran had done.

"R-Reborn..." he managed to day, cursing the way he stuttered. He thought he had outgrown that already. There was no use in trying to keep quiet anymore and hope the anger and killing intent he was sensing would fade away, not receiving a response would only double the hitman's anger. "... you're okay..."

He did feel genuine relief knowing this, when Reborn still hadn't come back after being gone for so long, Tsuna felt that he could just die of worry. It made going to that meeting where he supposedly 'died' a lot easier though.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is what you've been doing while I was gone." the glare the hitman was giving him sent shivers up his spine, lover or not, Reborn was definitely not afraid to shoot him. He won't kill him, but that doesn't change the fact that getting shot hurt a lot.

"Well, you know, my job?" that doesn't seem to be the right answer considering that he soon found himself almost going deaf from the sound of a gun going off along with the slight sting on his cheek as a bullet lightly grazed him.

"Your job?" he seethed. "Your job is to protect your family! Not get yourself killed!"

"I was protecting my family!" he defended himself. "You knew about the situation, Reborn! Okay, so I was desperate. But it's not like I had any other choice! And it worked, didn't it?"

"And what if it didn't?!" Reborn growled. "Do you realized how flawed your plan was?! What if that bullet really did kill you? What if Byakuran had known about your plan? Do you realize you really could have died that day, Tsuna? What were you thinking?!"

"What do you want me to say, Reborn?! That I'm sorry? That I was being stupid? Yeah, I knew what risks I was taking but to be honest, I didn't care anymore, okay?! I was desperate! My parents were missing, my friends were dying, everything was falling apart and- and then you left all of a sudden! I just- I just didn't care anymore, okay? I knew the plan was going to work, my life was the only thing that we had to risk and after everything that happened I was fine with it! As long as it worked, I didn't care anymore!"

"You think I spent all this time training you just to have you get yourself killed?! I left because I knew you were strong enough to be able to take care of yourself!"

That was his job. Reborn gritted his teeth, he thought he had done it right. He knew how strong his student had become and was more than satisfied to leave knowing that he had nothing to worry about. If he had known Tsuna had been planning something so stupid, he never would've left.

... Who was he kidding? At that time, Reborn had been dying. And the last thing he wanted was to have his student, his lover suffer through the ordeal of watching him die. He had to leave that time, he didn't want to but he had to.

"So... you left me because your job was over? Because there was nothing left for you to do?" Tsuna's voice was soft but the sound felt like he was hit with a ton of bricks. He sounded so fragile, like his voice was about to crack and he couldn't help but remember that child he had first met all those years ago.

The child who was so kind even if the world was so cruel to him. The child who continued to forgive even when everyone criticized him for his shortcomings. The child who kept on fighting battles he was dragged into and was still willing to do more if it meant protecting the people he cared about. The child who had to grow up and hide all his emotions from the world and act strong even though he was slowly breaking inside.

It had been one thing after another, but the whole thing with Byakuran really took the cake. Reborn remembered how Tsuna began spending more of his time alone as more of their allies and families were hunted down and killed. He remembered how the brunet always seemed so calm but he could always see the storm raging inside him through those amber eyes that had seemed to be getting duller with each passing day. He remembered how Tsuna's work increased and it became apparent how stressed he was, yet he never complained.

Reborn remembered it all, but he hadn't been able to do anything because of the radiation and the fact that he was dying. But that doesn't change the fact that he should've noticed it sooner!

Even after all this time, they've been together for years already, but Tsuna still felt insecure about their relationship. He still held onto the belief that the hitman would leave him someday and so, treasured their every moment together.

The younger man had been pushed way past his limit. After everything he's been through, and Reborn's departure definitely hadn't helped one bit, it made the hitman wonder... during that time, had Tsuna even cared whether or not he came out of that meeting alive?

The thought was too much and he found himself embracing his lover.

"Don't you ever do that to me, ever again." he muttered.

"I could say the same to you." was his reply, the voice cracking with unshed tears. "Where did you go?"

"I... I couldn't let you go through it. Watching me..."

"What?" Tsuna pulled away, his eyes filled with worry.

"Tsuna, I was-"

Silence, Reborn couldn't get himself to finish that sentence, knowing how heartbroken Tsuna would look if he did. But it seems like he didn't have to, considering the look of horror and confusion he was given, Reborn knew that Tsuna understood.

"But- but you're alive right now, right?"

"Yeah... thanks to Yuni."

"What do you mean..?"

"The sky Arcobaleno has the power to revive all the other Arcobalenos, but at the cost of their own life." Reborn sighed. "We were revived as infants, but it only took a few hours to return to our normal selves."

Tsuna's eyes widened. "You mean Yuni..?"

"Yeah."

"And you..?"

"... Yeah."

The grip Tsuna had on his sleeves tightened and he couldn't help but embrace the boy once again.

"Hey, I'm here now, alright? Everything's fine, Dame-Tsuna so don't get worked up over it."

"You were the one who was so worked up a while ago..." the brunet said, keeping his head bow so his lover won't see his face.

"Well, I'm not anymore. So don't cry."

"I'm not crying..."

"... You want to though." Reborn sighed then cupped his hands on the younger's cheeks so they could see eye-to-eye. "Listen Tsuna, I know I told you that mafia bosses need to be strong but... I think you've done well these past few months. You were strong, even though any other man would've broken down so... just this once, I'll allow it, alright? You can stop being strong."

At first he received no reply, the younger man just pulled away from his hand and embraced him, nuzzling his nose on his chest. It was only a few moments later that Reborn noticed how his body slightly trembled and the wetness on his suit.

He couldn't help but chuckle, the idiot was still too damn stubborn for his own good.

But it was alright, it was better than nothing, after all. So Reborn just held him tight, a promise that he will never let go.

"I'm sorry for leaving, Tsuna."

"Promise you won't do it again?"

"As long as you promise not to pull off something stupid like that again."

"I keep telling you I didn't have a choice!"

"Yeah, and I guess it was my fault for not being there for you. So I'll let this one slide." Reborn sighed. "I won't let you go through anything alone ever again."

And to seal the deal, Reborn pulled away from their embrace and their lips met.

The hitman's thoughts never really changed, until now he still felt insecure about their relationship because Tsuna would always deserve better than someone like him. The young man deserved the best, and he had every right to be happy.

But, since the brunet allows him to, Reborn would stay by his side because he was a selfish man. He never plans on letting go.

It assured Tsuna that after everything that happened, everything was going to be okay.

For years, he feared that Reborn was going to leave him. That their whole relationship was nothing but a job to the older man. Even when they got together, that fear never really left him. It just mixed with insecurity.

But now, it seemed all his worries had melt away. Now he knew that he had nothing to be afraid. Because no matter what happens, Reborn will always be by his side. The man he loved will never leave him, not because he was obligated to or because it was his job.

Because Reborn cared for him, he loved him. And that was more than enough to help him go through anything the mafia throws at him.

I hope you liked it ~ !

This has been challenging yet fun to write :3 I hope you guys enjoyed the ride even though I didn't really update regularly XP

BTW, I'm posting another story. Ya'll remember when I asked you whether ya'll preferred Dark!TenthGen or Daddy!Reborn? Well then, most answered with Dark!TenthGen so your wish is my command! I hope you support my new story, In the Shadows. I'll try to update it regularly and just do my best. I've been in a very dark mood lately so it shouldn't be too hard :3

I would like to thank you all for supporting Do You Care? and special thanks to MonaTheWeirdo for helping me out along the way! I appreciate it ! :D You've ll been lovely and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

And so, for one final time, Please review ~ !

~ RnR ~ !

~ RnR ~ !