sawadoot:

“I have a friend,” Astounding, through the clinking and scraping of plates, an extra helping of carrot so seemingly fond. “He looks a little odd though, I don’t really wanna hurt his feelings though so I try really hard.”

Perhaps the finest news for Nana. At eight, every child should have at least one or two companions. He will have plenty of friends to depend on in time, Nana doesn’t doubt. One is progress after all.

“Oh? Well it’s kind to be accepting of others.”

Tsuna talks through a mouthful of chicken, “yeah and he’s really tall! Super duper tall. I like his hat too,”

Quietly passes him a napkin, amused and yet excited herself. “Do you intend to bring him over to play sometime, love?” Knows he’s never enjoyed her friends being the only guests, always inclined to pinch his cheeks or give him a hard candy that he absolutely despised not that it was intended.

Tsuna needs a friend his own age after all.

His eyes are shining so bright they may become light of their own. “Will I! I can’t wait for you to meet Reborn!”

A peculiar name. But not uncommon.

Nana forgets after dinner and doesn’t remember until the next afternoon. Laying out an after school snack something nags at her not to forget an extra plate.

Despite still foggy memory on the reason why, it’s set.

And then the tiny knock as every afternoon, and she really should get him some sort of key. On a necklace he can’t lose preferably.

The usual arms around her neck for a welcome home hug, only different…..

Off kilter, the room is wildly off kilter and there are legs, only two but they aren’t legs of a child. Not Tsuna’s little friend. Long, lanky, oddly bent.

“Tsuna……what is- who is that.”

Arms unwind as fast as they can in his excitement to introduce this person he clearly knows, Nana can feel her heart beating so fast she almost yanks him back. Into her arms. Into protection.

Indeed tall. Taller than anyone she’s met. Off.

Oh, the head, ducking into their home. All she can see is a veil of ugliness. And though she’s tried so very hard as far back as she can remember never to judge a soul based on appearance, the second this… bird headed man tipped his fedora at her and opened his beak revealing tiny rows of sharp teeth followed by a deep “good afternoon.”

She screamed.

Clutching the edge of the table until her knuckles were white. Nana screamed and screamed, not able to hear anything over the sound of her own terror.

Tsuna managed to scream louder on the third try, “YOU’RE BEING RUDE TO HIM!”

For some reason this stopped her mid-scream, her mouth closed and eyes shift to her son, huffing. Tsuna is clearly upset but not for the reason he should be but because of her being seemingly unpleasant.

“Mama, he said hello. You shouldn’t scream….”

Shouldn’t….scream….. Nana stares at him incredulous.

“Tsu, he has a bird’s head.”

“So?” Protectively grabs Reborn’s hand much to the bird man’s interest. “People can’t help it. ‘Cause he was born that way.”

A sound argument. In light of things, too accepting. Her son is perfectly normal while she can only cower on tile.

“I apologize for the fright, Mama. I’ve hardly introduced myself. My name is Reborn.”

Nana’s eyes shift to Reborn, mouth opening and closing soundlessly floundering for words. Finally, “hello” is all that can really escape. Though a whisper.

He had called her Mama. Really….incredible.

She wanted to cry. Scream. Ask her son if he was out of his young little mind bringing something so evil into their home.

Yet she didn’t. Watching Tsuna invite him into a seat and pass him a juice box he surely couldn’t drink yet attempted to anyhow, Nana could only bring herself to let him stay.

She’s never been drunk before but she’s so willing to try.

He’s clearly a manifestation of evil sitting at her kitchen table drinking apple juice with his beak and a cheap straw. Sitting straight, impeccably mannered as he leans over insisting that Tsuna adjust his own crooked collar that way since the swings or someone will mistake him for an incredibly rude little boy instead of a nice one.

Tsuna needs his own friends.

Be it a creature of darkness or not. She’ll learn to set out extra snacks from now on.

original

This is terrifying, but cute. Omg.