Sorry about the late update but I was having trouble writing the chapter after this one and I didn't want to post this one in case I needed to change something. I didn't want to half-ass a chapter and regret it later.
Also, please tell me if you notice any mistakes. I don't have a beta and so I'm sure there's plenty of issues I'm not noticing. Thanks and enjoy the chapter!
Hana ended up staying in one of the four bedrooms in the suite. Of course, it was also the furthest one from the master that Tsuna and Skull decided to share.
Ingrained fear doesn't disappear overnight.
Despite that, she seemed to be warming up to the two. If warming up meant calling them 'monkeys' more often than not and scolding them for ruining every food item they tried to cook.
"Please tell me that the microwave still works," she pleaded when she came into the kitchen.
Tsuna gave her a guilty smile, "We tried turning it on and it didn't work. We unplugged it so hopefully, if we wait for a while it'll start working again?"
In Skull's hand were a pair of tongs holding a burning ball of… something, smoke still coming off of it.
"What even is that," she muttered, exasperated as she rubbed a hand over her face.
Skull wouldn't look her in the eyes, instead focusing somewhere at the ceiling, "A potato?"
The room smelled heavily of smoke, but there didn't seem to be any damage outside of the microwave, "Have you at least opened any windows yet?"
Tsuna opened his mouth to answer but the smoke alarm cut him off. Groaning in annoyance, she left the kitchen to unplug the alarm before pausing and throwing, "Hurry up and open the windows you monkeys!" over her shoulder.
After the windows were opened and the alarm had been turned off Hana asked with her arms crossed and a foot tapping, "How did this happen?"
"We were looking at the microwave and it has a 'potato' button. So we put a potato in the microwave because we were curious, and we kinda forgot about it. At least until we smelled the smoke," Tsuna seemed to be taking Skull approach of not looking her in the eyes.
"I mean it's not really our fault if you think about it. It's the microwaves," Skull continued.
"Great. It isn't your fault then. Just don't ever go into the kitchen again," She pauses, "Or even look at it. Who knows what'll catch fire next if you do."
Tsuna looks at her directly for a second, meeting her eyes but looked away a second later, nervous, "But… how are going to make food then? I mean we do need to eat?"
"What are you talking about? Nothing you've made before can be considered food. I've had to make food each time after you screw up. The last time you made a sandwich you left the wrapper on the cheese. And shortening isn't a substitute for mayo. You two would impress me if it wasn't so horrifying."
Blushing, Tsuna muttered, "My mom used to make food at home. I didn't really cook before Skull came."
With a frown, Hana replied, "What happened to your parents anyway? They weren't killed, I would've heard about that and they weren't at your previous house."
There was a long silence before Tsuna answered.
"They ran. I told them to. I thought for sure I was going to be killed."
Hana regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, "They didn't come back for you?"
"No," Tsuna wanted the conversation to end, but it seemed that Hana wasn't going to let it.
"How did you manage to stay here anyway? I realize crippled fae are allowed in the cities but you aren't magicless. From what I've heard from the reports there was magic residue in your house that didn't belong to Skull," Hana's eyes strayed from Tsuna for a moment, thinking, "I can only assume your parents are fae too unless you're a changeling, but you can't really disguise yourself as a human with those arms. Either way, you said they left which means they weren't home when Skull came. Which leaves —"
"Hana."
Skulls voice, although quiet, echoed through the room. She looks startled, and a bit of the old timid behavior kicks in as she looks down at the floor and doesn't speak.
"If he wants to talk about it let him. If he doesn't want to talk, then he doesn't have to," Skull words are so final and its so surprising that Skull reprimanded Hana that she looks up at Tsuna.
He looks absolutely freaked out. Wide-eyed and lost with hands clutching at his pants and knuckles painfully white.
Realizing her mistake she murmured, "Sorry, I was curious, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," and she meant it because this was the person who saved her when she didn't even realize she needed help.
The smile he gives her would've made her feel better if he didn't look so frazzled still.
"We should check if the microwave still works. If it isn't we're going out and get another," she switched topics instead.
As she walked into the kitchen Tsuna felt Skull's wing move until it was almost completely surrounding him. An arm wrapped around his waist and pull him into Skull's chest, "You alright?"
Although he nodded, he wasn't so sure. Honestly, he was going to answer Hana and her questions or at least change the subject but when he opened his mouth to answer no words came out. With his mouth half open he realized he couldn't answer her because he didn't—
A sharp pain hit him like a knife to the head.
What was he thinking about again?
Shrugging, he decided that if he forgot what he was thinking about it couldn't be important. It didn't stop something in the back of his mind from screaming.
Walking into the room, Hana didn't look as annoyed as she did when she first came into the kitchen, "Definitely broken. We're going to need a new one."
"I feel bad using the credit card the King gave us to get one," Tsuna muttered, looking embarrassed again, now that he had forgotten about his previous worries.
"You should've thought about that before trying to set the kitchen on fire. Get ready, we're leaving in five," and with that Hana walked off.
Tsuna tries to move but fails when Skull doesn't let him go. When he looks up Skull is looking at his, worried. The fae frowns in confusion but Skull only looks away and sighs before pulling Tsuna with him and dragging him into their room.
Skull flits around the room grabbing clothing for the both of them and Tsuna just watches him in confusion. He doesn't stop Skull for taking off his shirt and replacing it with a warmer one. He doesn't even stop him from taking off his pants and replacing them with something more insulated. All he does is watch, concerned as Skull frown grew deeper and deeper.
As he opens his mouth to ask what has gotten Skull so worked up hands fall on his shoulders, sparks of magic running up his spine pleasantly, and Skull pulls them so close their mouths are practically touching, the lip piercing is cold against his skin, and with a stormy expression, Skull spoke.
"I'm going to fix what they did to you, okay? It'll take some time, but I'll fix it."
The world is blurring around Tsuna as he tries to concentrate, only to jump when Hana calls, "We're leaving! Come on!"
Skull doesn't let go of him and instead grabs a coat and puts it on him, carefully pulling it up each arm and zipping it up.
When Skull walked toward Tsuna starts a bit and hisses, "Skull you need a coat too."
With a snort, the angel turns to him, "Weather like this isn't going to bother me."
Tsuna growls at him and two minutes later Skull in bundled up in a jacket and scarf with a beanie pulled over his head and an amused smile lights up his face.
They leave their room to find Hana there waiting with her arms crossed and a brow raised.
"Sorry," they utter at the same time.
"Monkeys," she muttered before walking toward the door and they follow behind her like ducklings.
It was fairly windy outside and with the cold weather biting at their skin, it felt more like winter than fall.
For a moment, Tsuna walked behind Skull to look at his jacket which was carefully draped around his wings and buttoned at the bottom so it wasn't necessary to pull his wings through the hole. It was a smart design but soon it wouldn't work.
Skull had begun growing back his second set of wings, even though they were only tufts of down coming for the wounds at the moment. It made it easy to fit him with clothing that other angels would wear, but soon enough he would need specially made clothes similar to the kings to accommodate the extra wings.
Tsuna falls in step with Skull and cautiously looks around him. The eyes burning into his back make him sigh and push a little closer to Skull.
Really, fear doesn't go away overnight. It's become ingrained into Tsuna and bites at his mind whenever other angels are near.
All the angels they run into are watching them. It's subtle, but they do it, and its pretty obvious none of them know who Skull is. They want answers, but none come forward to ask.
Although that's only because they know Hana, and they still believed she is one of the King's, so they avoid her like the plague.
It also explains why they don't get any weird looks as Hana leads them.
Not that they don't get weird looks, but they obviously still believe that the King is at the top of the food chain. No one has been told that there is a stronger angel yet and it'll stay that way until Skull says something because the King certainly won't.
Although, Skull wasn't going to say anything. It'll just give the angels a reason to have expectations.
No one in their small pack really wants to fall into the expectations of the angels.
Hana wants the freedom she's been denied for so long. She wants respect and she wants to respect others, but it's hard when angels expect their leaders to control their every decision.
It's easy to respect Tsuna and Skull though. Not that she was going to admit it out loud.
Tsuna, on the other hand, wants friends. He's gotten so much more than that right now. He doesn't know what else to want, but he's learning.
He's not used to getting what he wants.
He supposes he also wants to feel safe, but he already has that too. It's hard not to feel safe around Skull. Although, angels will expect Hana and Skull to put him in his 'place'.
That's not going to happen.
Skull… well, Skull wants very few things. Most of them include Tsuna. The rules of the angels don't allow that. Not really.
After all, angels don't like the fae. Which meant they didn't like Tsuna.
They liked him even less because he doesn't act the other fae in the upper city that were slaves of the angels that had captured them. Unlike them, his head is held high and he speaks when he please, although the biggest problem is that he walks right beside Skull.
Tsuna wasn't supposed to be Skull's equal, and by walking next to him he might as well be screaming 'My rank is the same as his.'
He enjoyed the confusion he caused. Sometimes he would get scandalized looks from angels he walked near and he would give them a toothy confrontational smile and then when they made a move towards him, Hana would give them a single look and they'd near piss themselves.
It was fun even though Hana complained about it. She didn't mean it though, and when she thought he wasn't looking she'd give him an amused grin.
He was sure that she enjoyed this as much as he did. Finally being in control after being controlled for so long.
Like a bird in a cage. Like a cloud being chained.
Tsuna's nose wrinkled at the thought. No one would be able to cage her or Skull. He would make sure of that.
The sharp sound of electricity makes him jump and he looks up at the source of the sound and frowns, worried. Power lines were lit up in ways they shouldn't be and sparks float to the ground around them.
With the same suddenness as the sparks, a wave of magic flew past them like wind, acting as an alarm of sorts, rushing through the city.
Something was trespassing.
Although it didn't seem to be a big deal. Angels on the streets seem to ignore it, even Hana kept walking.
Tsuna turned to where the magic came from but didn't see anything out of the ordinary and decided to keep walking.
"I'm guessing we don't need to worry about whoever that is?" he asked.
Hana doesn't even glance back at him, "Of course not. That signal they sent out was for a minor threat. Whoever it is the guards for today can take care of it."
When Tsuna looks up at Skull, the angel shrugs.
"It's moving rather quickly in this direction, so we're probably going to see it before the guards catch it," Skull announced, not looking bothered in the slightest.
Both Hana and Tsuna stop to look at him, but before they speak they see something scuttle by.
A fox. Or rather a Huli Jing.
"What in the world is a fox spirit doing here," Hana hissed in surprise.
Around then a couple of angels swooped in front of the fox, whose tails were between its legs. It backed up only to realize it was stuck between the guards and their group.
Tsuna frowned. It must be a child if it had just two tails.
One of the guards walked toward the kid, hand sparking with electricity.
"Stop!" Tsuna barked.
The guards look up at him in distaste. A fae had no right to talk to angels like that. Hana glanced back at Tsuna who gave her a pleading look.
"The kit is under my protection. Leave it be," she sighed.
Immediately the guards backed off, not willing to contradict one of the King's angels. With that, Tsuna went forward to pick the little fox up, who yipped and struggled but he paid no mind to that as he made his way back to his little pack.
"Miss Kurokawa we are under orders of the King to take the fox into custody."
"Like I care. Tell him that Skull wanted the thing, he won't object."
More like he won't be able to, Tsuna thought, struggling to keep ahold of the kit that kept trying to escape.
Uneasy with the turn of events, the guards take a while to leave, unwilling to oppose Hana but too afraid to face the King after not following a direct order.
When they're gone, Hana turns to him, glancing uneasily of the fox, "I'm going to get the microwave, take the brat home," and with that, she rushed off.
He noticed a shiver that ran up her spine as she left. There was no way she was afraid of a child fox spirit, so Tsuna could only wonder what all that was about.
However, with all the yipping and wild movements of the kit, Tsuna didn't have time to ponder about the odd behavior.
Skull walked next to Tsuna in silence as they made their way back home.
"You don't like it here," was how Skull started the conversation.
Strained by keeping from dropping the kit, who was now trying to chew on his arm, he growled, "What do you mean?"
"You don't like leaving the house and other angels freak you out. I've noticed, don't give me that look. It subtle, but you've been talking less, acting more paranoid."
Skull plucked the kit from his grasp and started carrying it.
Huffing in defense Tsuna murmured, "Can you blame me? Everyone seems like they're against each other. They're all looking for ways to hurt each other and it's disturbing. Not to mention all the looks, it was fun messing with them at first, but I don't want to constantly be fighting a battle without meaning."
"So you want to fight a battle with meaning?" Skull pinched lightly at the kit's nose when it tried to take a chunk out of him.
"We're stagnating here. At least I am. Do you like it here?" Tsuna asked, honestly curious.
"I don't like how you've drawn in on yourself," Skull stopped them for a moment to look Tsuna in the eyes, drawing closer, "I'm not staying here because I'm attached to this place. I'm staying here because I'm attached to you."
Skull covers the kits mouth for a second so it won't chew on Tsuna before moving even closer and pressing his lips to the side of Tsuna's head.
"And you didn't answer the question. Do you want to fight a battle with meaning?" he repeats, pulling a blushing Tsuna with him as he begins to walk again.
"I… I don't know what I want. Before it was running from one form of authority or another. Suddenly having so much freedom is daunting. It'd be nice if everyone wasn't trying to fight the fae all the time. But that's not something I can change."
With a hum, Skull replied, "Why's that?"
"Because… because I'm only me. I couldn't fight with even the weakest angel here and win. I'm… nothing." Those words were choked, wavering.
"You convinced the King to give up Hana." Skull rebuked.
"Only because you were there," Tsuna muttered, self-deprecating.
"You're acting as if I did all the work. You forget that I'm not the kindest person. I wouldn't have saved Hana from the King if it weren't for you."
With a snort, Tsuna murmured, "You're practically the nicest person I know. No. You are the nicest person I know."
"To you perhaps. But what stopped me from being any different from the King who takes what he wants, when he wants? What if I had been left to my own devices instead of being found by you? You don't know what I've done before, Tsuna. I've done terrible things that cannot be erased by a couple good deeds." Skull's tone hadn't changed, still soft, warm.
Tsuna looks at him sharply, worried, "Do you have anybody after you then? Because I won't let them touch you."
Snorting, Skull replied, "Of course that's the first thing you worry about. I don't, don't worry. What I'm trying to say is that we work better together. Without you around, who knows what I might do, and without me, you wouldn't have manpower."
"You're more than manpower to me, you know," Tsuna replied, ducking under a wing like he's been doing so often recently, "And did you just call me your moral compass?" Tsuna huffs.
"Perhaps."
They walk in silence for a while before Tsuna speaks again, "You're so much more than manpower. You were my first friend. The only person who didn't care that I was a fae and you're pack now, too."
"You're the only pack member I've ever had, and I've lived for a very long time. So I don't have much to go off of, but you are the best pack member I could've asked for," as Skull talks he doesn't look at Tsuna, instead he just continues to look ahead.
"I'll find you more people you can trust and lean on. I'll find people for our pack that you can trust and then you won't just have me."
"I'd love to see that happen," was the answer Tsuna got.
Tsuna leans up against him, "Me too."
He has to pull away when he almost get kicked in the face by the kit.
Skull starts laughing and Tsuna follows a second later.
When they make it back to the apartment complex they both have a couple of bite marks and scratches. Despite that, Tsuna feels lighter than he has since he entered the upper city.
Tsuna unlocks the door to the suite and lets Skull in before following behind him. As soon as the door closes behind them the angel put the kit down.
It immediately runs under a couch.
Suddenly there was another wave of magic rushing through the city. More panicked this time. Another alarm, Tsuna realized, as it hit him like a physical force.
Another alarm, but for something way more dangerous.
"We have company," Skull mutters looking over to the couch the kit ran under.
Tsuna doesn't have a chance to ask what he means before the rooms shifts. It feels like the floor beneath him had collapsed and the room turned a shade darker.
There's also a sudden sound that reminds Tsuna distinctly of nails on a chalkboard.
Someone is sitting on the couch the kit just ran under, where there hadn't been anyone a moment before.
"Such keen senses for an angel," they complement pleasantly.
They look human but Tsuna knows better because no human dares to enter the upper city. He knows better because he can see the man for what he really is through his shadow. As they smile, unnaturally wide and with teeth much too sharp, the fae feels the room shifts again as he counts, although this time it has nothing to do with magic.
Nine, Tsuna thought deliriously.
"Sorry for intruding, but it seems you have taken my apprentice."
Something slams against the front door and Tsuna doesn't know where to direct his attention.
"Ah, can you get that for me. It seems my nephew has come to visit," they smile politely, but it looks a little too playful to be apologetic for trespassing.
An aggressive angel is at his door and a celestial fox is sitting on their couch.
And ingrained fear doesn't disappear overnight. It doesn't.
Because Tsuna is shaking and the air might as well of been turned to the consistency of syrup, seeing as that he can't breathe.
Any guesses as to who the fox is? I think I gave plenty hints as to who they might be, but who knows.
Either way, thank you so much to those that leave comments! I love hearing from you guys and it's also a great indicator of what I wasn't clear enough on and how to improve, so please keep it up!