"The strength of a powerful bond can withstand even the gaps between worlds."

Seven year old Tsuna was bouncing in his seat with a beaming smile. After leaving on a trip for a week, his father was finally coming home and Tsuna could not be more excited. By the kitchen counter, Nana, the caretaker hired by his father smile fondly at him.

"Aren't you glad that your Tou-san is coming home, Tsu-kun?" Nana asked with a smile, amusement dancing in her eyes at the boy's behaviour.

Tsuna nodded almost instantly, grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't wait to see him. And he just knew that his father was going to be pleased once he found out that Tsuna had finally memorised the entire multiplication table.

He froze in his sudden train of thoughts as he remembered, 'The multiplication table!'

Nana took a step back in surprise as Tsuna shot out of his seat, flying up the stairs, looking panicked. Wiping her hands against the apron, she called out to him, "Tsu-kun? Is something the matter?"

"I forgot the Multiplication Table again!" Tsuna wailed from upstairs, his voice accompanied by the sound of crashing. Nana blinked before giggling at how adorable he was being.

Upstairs, Tsuna sniffed pathetically as he glanced down at the book that all of a sudden seemed so much harder.

All of a sudden, a hand reach down and grabbed the book up. Tsuna turned around in surprise before his lips pulled up into a wide grin, "Reborn!"

The fedora clad man smacked his head over with the book, "Its Dad to you, Dame-Tsuna."

Ignoring his words, Tsuna jumped up and pounced on him, attacking him with a hug, "You're home!"

Chuckling, Reborn gave him a rough pat on the head before he began to flip through the book in his hands. Raising his eyebrows a little, he glanced at his son, "Can't even do the multiplication table, Dame-Tsuna?"

Tsuna flushed red almost instantly, embrassment filling his cheeks. He was supposed to impress his father with it! Not the other way round! Reaching up, he tried to snatch the book back, "That's because its really difficult! Give it back, Reborn! And don't call me Dame-Tsuna!"

Reborn snorted, avoiding his hand easily as he smacked the book over his head once more, "Difficult? I could do this when I was 3. And yet you still dare call yourself my son? And call me Dad, you stupid son."

"I'm your son, not you!" Tsuna whined, tugging on his shirt in a futile attempt to get his book back, "And don't call me stupid!"

Reborn rolled his eyes, readjusting his fedora, leaning down to tug on his cheek, "That's just about the same thing. And I'll stop with the insults once you learn to address me properly."

"Rebwon! Itsh hurtsh!" Tsuna wailed through his pinched cheeks, tears filling his eyes at the pain.

Reborn smacked him over the head for the third time, "Its Dad, Dame-Tsuna."

"Rebwon! Stap cawing me Dawe-Tsuwa!"

"Oh my," Nana raised a hand to hide the smile tugging at her lips at the sight of the amusing scene in front of her.

Tsuna sat, facing to the side with his arms cross and a his bottom lip stuck out in an adorable pout. By his side, Reborn was rolling his eyes at his childishness as he faced the other side, sipping his warm espresso.

Noticing her entrance, Reborn gave her a nod of acknowledgement, "Nana."

Nana smiled back at the man before reaching over to pat Tsuna on the head, "What's wrong? Tsu-kun?"

Tsuna huffed indignantly and shoved an accusing finger towards his father's direction, complaining, "He keeps calling me Dame-Tsuna!"

Reborn rolled his eyes once more, swatting at his offending finger, "Don't point at me, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna turned back to Nana with anger filled eyes as he whined, "See!"

Nana chuckled. The pair of father and son was always such fun to watch. Pattng his head soothingly, Nana smiled, "Now, now, Tsu-kun, don't be angry at your father, alright? Today's dinner is your favourite omelet rice!"

Reborn watched in amusement as Tsuna's face lit up almost instantly as he he beamed, turning in his sit to watched her work around the kitchen, swinging his legs excitedly.

Lifting up his espresso once more, Reborn caught sight of a wrapped package from the corner of his eyes. Reaching out to take it, he surveyed the little bundle with raised eyebrows, "What's this?"

"A-ah!" Tsuna seemed startled as he pointed to the gift in his father's hands before a small excited smile escaped his lips as he quickly forgot about his surprise, "T-that's Mochida-kun's present!"

Reborn gave his son an unimpressed look. He could recall the few incidence in which he'd returned home to a sobbing child, wailing about how 'Mochida' from school was a big meanie who kept on bullying him.

"You bought a present for the boy who made you sob like a girl?" Reborn muttered in disbelief, rolling the small package between his fingers, inspecting it for any suspicious spots.

Tsuna flushed red almost instantly, looking horrified as he squealed out with his high-pitched voice, "I wasn't crying like a girl!"

Reborn snorted, waving a hand indifferently at him, obviously not believing his words. Tsuna pouted, shoving his bottom lip far out as he glanced pointedly to the side.

"So why are you giving him a present?" Reborn questioned, now tossing the bundle towards the sky and catching it back easily with his hand as he ignored Tsuna's indignant cry of, "Be careful!"

"B-because its his birthday soon!" Tsuna told Reborn, his pout turning into a smile, looking more excited than one could be about someone else's birthday. With a shy grin, he exclaimed, "And he invited me to his birthday!"

Reborn wanted to slam his head against the table in disbelief. Even an idiot could tell that that Mochida boy had did it on purpose to take the chance to humiliate him or something. He suspected that even Tsuna himself knew that but could not bring himself to refuse. That boy had always been oddly perspective.

"You're not allowed to go," Reborn stated blandly, fingering the gun in his pocket absentmindedly as he cursed the existence of a boy named Mochida. Tsuna had never hung out with friends before. He knew that he was probably more excited than he showed it to be.

Tsuna stared at him in shock, before his face flushed in anger as he demanded to his father vehemently, "But why?!"

"Because I said so," Reborn stated as though it was obvious, darkening his glare, daring his son to say other wise. He could see the tears welling up in his eyes, but it had to be done. It was better to let him be disappointed than to let him enter a party excitedly and return, sobbing and crying after being bullied by the people he viewed as friends.

"B-but," Tsuna protested, sniffling as he wiped his nose with a clench fist.

"No means no," Reborn sighed, readjusting his fedora as he sipped his espresso. Well, knowing the brunet, Reborn supposed that he would probably make a big fuss right now before forgetting all about it tomorrow.

To his surprise however, Tsuna glared with teary eyes, "I hate you! Reborn!"

Reborn blinked, momentarily stunned as his son ran out of the room before the click of the house lock was heard. He sighed, reaching his hand up to press against his forehead, grumbling under his breath.

Nana approached the table, placing down plates of omelete rice in her hands as she frowned at Reborn. Drying her hands with one of the table cloths, she sat it back down before speaking to him, "Reborn-kun, why are you always so strict with Tsu-kun?"

When she received to reply, her frown deepened, "Tsu-kun really loves you a lot, Reborn-kun, you do know that right? "

Reborn regarded her with disbelieving eyes, "You think he loves me."

He spoke with such incredulous tone that Nana couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course. How can a child possibly not love his own father?"

Reborn was silent, eyeing the seat Tsuna sat on previously. Nana gave a sigh, "Tsu-kun was really excited that you were coming home. He'd even worked hard to memorise the multiplication table just to show you."

Reborn thought back about the embarrassed flush in Tsuna's cheek when he picked up his book. He stared at his son's seat for a few more seconds before sighing as he stood up, "I'm going out for a while, Nana."

Tsuna sat by the playground, sniffing as he wiped away the tears that were flowing down. He hated it. The fact that despite being his father, Reborn always called him Dame-Tsuna. All of his friends' fathers always protected them and yet his own father was always insulting him. That even though father's were suppose to let them go out and have fun with friends, Reborn always refused.

'That's not it,' a voice spoke in his mind, whispering softly. 'You know it isn't.'

Tsuna harrumphed in his mind, refusing to agree with it. 'Hmph. Tsu-kun doesn't know what you're talking about.'

"Isn't this Dame-Tsuna?" a snickering voice in front made him raise his head. His eyes widened at the sight of the black haired boy slightly before it turned downcast sadly as he recalled his fight with his father, "Mochida-kun."

Mochida snickered, crossing his arms arrogantly as he regarded the small boy, "What are you doing here? I heard that your father was coming home today. I'll bet he didn't want to see you. That's why you're hiding here right?"

Tsuna flushed red in anger at his words, "T-that's not true!"

Mochida snorted, rolling his eyes, "Don't try to lie, Dame-Tsuna. Its not as if I don't understand your father though, with a son like you, anyone would be ashamed!"

Tsuna felt tears pricking at his eyes at their hurtful words. Sniffing, he protested weakly, "T-that's not true!"

"Oh yeah?" he smirked, one of them raising their feet to kick him. Tsuna flinched, cowering backwards as he shut his eyes, bracing himself for the pain.

Mochida snorted at his reaction, placing his feet back down on the ground, "How pathetic. Well, whatever. Not that I care. Just make sure you come tomorrow. You agreed to be my lackey for the day, didn't you? My birthday's gotta be perfect. You'd better not screw it up."

Tsuna winced at his words before he swallowed, "I-I'm sorry. B-but, Reborn wouldn't let me.."

Mochida narrowed his eyes. He leaned down, shoving his leg hard against Tsuna's shirt, forcing him backwards with a sneer, "I don't care. Deal with it. Make him change his mind or sneak out yourself. Got it? Besides, with a son like you, I'd bet he wouldn't even notice if you were gone."

Tsuna's eyes pricked at the hurtful words, tears welling up. "B-but.." He flinched when Mochida growled, raising a fist to ready a punch.

It never came though. He blinked when the sound of breath hitching broke through the silence, only to widen his eyes at the sight of his father holding Mochida by the scruff of his neck. "Reborn!"

"Oi, what did you just tell my son to do?" Reborn gave Mochida a piercing glare, enough to send even the most skilled assassins cowering. Mochida paled considerably as he shook from head to toe, barely able to speak even a word.

Reborn sneered at the boy's reaction, tightening his grip around his collar, "You'd better listen up, you hear me, the only one that gets to ever call my son Dame-Tsuna is me, you hear that?"

The boy in his hand shook in fear, nodding slowly as turned into a frightening shade of white.

Reborn snorted, muttering something about cowards as he tossed the boy in his hand aside casually.

Glancing down at his son, he raised his eyebrows, "Tsuna?"

Tsuna's face crumpled. He released a whimper before running into his father's arms, clutching the fabric of his shirt tightly as he released a loud wail. Reborn sighed through his nose, wrapping his arms around him properly as he lifted him up, allowing him to sob into his shirt.

Moments later, as his cries quietened down into the occasional sniffle or choked sob, Reborn continued down the street, glancing at the boy, "Tsuna?"

Tsuna released a small whimper, clutching his suit jacket tightly in his hands. Reborn sighed, shifting a hand up to pat him softly on the head as he gradually calmed down. "Do you understand why I refused to let you go now?"

Tsuna paused, before shaking his head against the fabric of his father's jacket. Reborn could feel the slight smile forming on the brunet's lips.

Reborn snorted, reaching up to smack him against the head lightly, "Cheeky."

Tsuna giggled, pressing himself closer.

As the moved into the streets, blending in between the people and the streetlights, Tsuna noticed, with a sniff of his nose, that his father was holding something in his other hand that seemed to jingle as they moved down the street.

"R-reborn?" he called with slightly hoarse voice. Reborn glanced down at him, eyebrows raised, "Yeah?"

Tsuna pointed down at the bag in his hands curiously, wiping the remains of his tears with his other hands as he sniffled, "W-what is that?"

Reborn paused for a few second before sighing. He held up the transparent bag to the boy, revealing the tub of ice cream in it. Tsuna blinked, before turning to his father with wide, questioning eyes.

Reborn rolled his eyes, "You like chocolate, don't you?"

Tsuna's lips formed an 'o' shape as he finally understood before they were pulled back into a grin.

Leaning in to wrap his arms around his father neck tightly, he pressed the side of his face against his father's chest, eyes closed with a smile.

It wasn't long before his breathing quickly evened out.

"Falling asleep on me? Dame-Tsuna," Reborn raised his eyebrows at him, watching as his son clutched his shirt even tighter, murmuring with a smile, "Otou..san.."

Reborn blinked in surprise releasing soft chuckle. Moving to tuck his head under his chin, Reborn tightened his arm around Tsuna as his brown hair tickled him slightly, murmuring, "You're gonna be the death of me one day, Dame-Tsuna."

Thank you, Reborn. For being with me regardless of whichever worlds. You were the best father anyone could ever ask for.

~Fin

Many thanks to my annoying editor for helping me complete this. :D

I think this is really, really sweet. Isn't it awesome how Reborn and Tsuna seems to fit perfectly no matter in whichever circumstances? Be it romance or family love, their always so fluffy.