Even at twenty-four years of age, and even after moving to Italy ("I'm going to be business partners with dad!" he said to his mother, who pouted and said that his farewell was not nearly as romantic as his father's), Sawada Tsunayoshi is still at a loss at how he is meant to exemplify the Vongola Famiglia. More importantly, he's not very sure why becoming the Boss of a Mafia Famiglia involved filling out so much paperwork. At times, it was like being in school again, forms for this, forms for that, sign your name on the dotted line.

Vongola Decimo lifts a black fountain pen from the drawer of his desk (another gift from the Cavallone Famiglia) and presses the rounded top against his forehead, brow furrowing in deep concentration. He'd sent Yamamoto Takeshi where, last time? How many more days until Gokudera Hayato and Lambo returned to the Italian base? Where on earth were Rokudo Mukuro and Chrome? Was Hibari Kyoya in a good-enough mood to be taking requests without biting him to death?

He was never particularly good at remembering things. Back in Namimori, it had been historical dates and times-tables that he had to remember. While they had (occasionally) been important fact, getting one wrong meant a swift kick in the face from Reborn as opposed to getting a gun cocked against his temple.

Life is different from how it used to be in Namimori.

His eyes pore over the fifth request of the afternoon that he's gone through, and he does a double-take at the fact that this particular set of briefing notes reaches up to a hundred pages. It's another allied Famiglia asking Vongola Decimo for his aid in another raid against another oppressive Famiglia and -

"Yo, Tsuna!"

Well, there is one thing that certainly hasn't changed.

"D-Dino-san! When did you - how did you - " Eventually, Tsuna loses all coherence and settles for making a series of confused noises (because some things really never do change).

The head of the Cavallone Famiglia is one of them, aged, but has never lost the gleam in his eye, nor has he forgotten how to laugh. Albeit, he's finally cut his hair, but Tsuna still sees him with his olive jacket on, and the Cavallone boss still trips down the stairs if Romario isn't around.

Tsuna leans slightly to the left to peer behind Dino. "Ah, Romario, hello!" he says, to which Cavallone's shadow pushes his glasses up his face and returns the greeting with a friendly nod.

There's a frown on Dino's face as he leans over Vongola Decimo's mahogany desk. "Wow, Tsuna. Looks like you've got your work cut out for you today," the man says, glancing at the papers, but not long enough to look over their texts. "Five files? Seven files?"

"Um, five, actually. They're just really long. I mean, you can take a look at them if you'd like? I don't really mind," he says, gathering the papers strewn across his desk, only to shove them at Dino's chest.

Dino arches a blonde brow. "Hey, are you sure this is okay? It's your business -"

Tsuna shakes his head. "No, I've always valued your opinion! Besides, I really don't mind. It's been at least ten years since you stormed my house and ate all the food my mother cooked. ... I don't think she minded. I think she liked you."

"Your mother did?"

"Yeah."

A silence falls between them, and Tsuna begins to fiddle with his tie while Dino skims over each one of the papers. Dino knows Tsuna well, but Vongola Decimo's intuition coupled with the same amount of time that they have been brothers in arms tells him that Dino isn't actually reading everything on the pages (Tsuna doesn't blame him, particularly because he hasn't read the documents word-for-word just yet either).

As if on cue, Dino shoves the papers right back to the Vongola head. "Ah, I nearly forgot!" he begins (Tsuna knows that Dino didn't really forget; he's just trying to change the subject). "I brought something special for you." As soon as he's finished his sentence, two Cavallone men have already entered the room, each of them carrying an end of a handsome, scarlet couch. "I thought it matched the color of your carpeting pretty nicely."

Tsuna blinks. "Y-you didn't have to," he insists, shaking his head and both his hands at the same time. "Dino-san, you brought me this new desk just last week!"

"Your old desk was squeaking each time you wrote something on it! I could hear it all the way from the Cavallone estate!"

Vongola Decimo sighs; Cavollone is a stubborn man. A smile breaks across his face though because he's genuinely grateful that he can depend on Dino. "Thank you, Dino-san."

Dino grins. "In this country, it's gratzie."

"Gratzie?"

"Prego."

Tsuna frowns. "What?"

And Dino laughs, clapping him over the shoulder from across his desk. "Never mind. Don't hurt yourself. Just treat that couch well, okay?" he says, nodding off to the right where the two Cavallone men placed it earlier. They're long gone, and Tsuna assumes that they must have taken their leave while the two Mafia Famiglia bosses were conversing.

"Dino-san?"

"Hm?"

"Gratzie."

Dino blinks in bewilderment before an understanding smile breaks across his face.

"Prego."