Iemitsu tried his hardest to provide for his son, no matter how demanding his job was. Now, most people who've seen him would disagree, claiming him to be a dumb and worryingly carefree single father who didn't know left from right or what a spatula was.
But damn it he tried so hard no matter what they said. Who cared about what the neighboorhood ladies called him, he was a working single father and they didn't know what it was like to be in his position.
As leader of CEDEF, the 'Second Vongola' in the mafia, alongside being the proud dad of an adorable little boy, he tried.
Although, it was hard as his son was a civillian, and he was a mafioso. It was hard having to deal with the love of his life leaving him. It was hard taking care of a three year old on his own all the way in Japan when he worked in Italy.
When he had first gotten the letter from Nana, he felt like his soul shattered as his heart crumbled to dust. She couldn't take a missing husband, and just left their- no, just his now, she wanted nothing to do with the boy- three year old son at the house in Namimori.
He had instantly taken off on a private jet to Japan to get his little Tuna Fish.
The blond searched the house, finding the child in his room, curled up on his bed and crying.
She left him.
She left both of them.
The three year old had tackled his legs in a bear hug, barely coming up to his knees, sobbing, "Where's Mama...? Mama's not here... Tou-san... where's Mama?"
He couldn't let his precious Tuna Fish into the mafia.
The first few years he told the kid he had an office job now instead of directing traffic at construction sites all over the world. That excuse wouldnt work if he brought Tsuna along with him to work.
Thankfully his little Tuna Fish was young so he bought it, but Iemitsu knew it wouldn't last forever. He took Tsuna to work in Italy for the next three years, and everyone he told practically fell in love with the kid.
Who wouldn't? Heck, was it even possible to not love his unbearably adorable son?
When Iemitsu came back to Japan after a week in Italy, bringing his paperwork and various gadgets he got from the flurry of papers and emergencies blaring in his face, he found his Tuna Fish locked in the bathroom, one of his lower ranked CEDEF members locked out and fussing over him through the door as Tsuna tried brushing it off with small squeaks and anxious laughs. Iemitsu had managed to get him out.
There were bruises.
Iemitsu had made it clear he was going to track down those responsible, ready to... ahem, teach them a lesson on manners, but Tsuna had assured him that he had just tripped.
Iemitsu's Hyper Intuition rang in his ears.
Liar.
Iemitsu made sure to send an extra scary glare at anyone who even dared to murmur the name Dame-Tsuna. His Tuna Fish stopped coming home with bruises when Iemitsu starting doing his work from home.
It was hard, but he tried. No one could say otherwise.
Iemitsu raked a hand through his hair, glancing over at his now eight year old who was happily drawing robots in his sketchbook. It was already December, and he still didn't know what the brunet wanted.
For his eighth birthday he didn't ask for anything either, and Iemitsu never failed to have a series of mini heart-attacks everytime he wanted to get his son something. Tsuna just... he never asked for anything. At all. He was eight, weren't eight year olds supposed to be asking for everything on the planet whenever their birthday or Christmas rolled around? Three months in advance?
But no, his Tuna Fish just didn't ask for anything aside from help on his homework.
Iemitsu stared at the short boy, trying to read his mind for some sort of clue for what to get as a gift.
... He's drawing robots, so a toy robot? Tsuna already had plenty of those though, perhaps a mecha anime dvd? Iemitsu didn't know enough about those though, and he didn't want his innocent little boy exposed to anything... questionable, which tended to be abundant in anime and manga from what he's seen.
Maybe another sketchbook he could scribble in? Kids loved to draw a lot, but he didn't think drawing was really something his Tuna Fish was passionate enough about for it to be that great of a gift... it'd seem more like a mindless and heartless 'gift' for a child, no, he couldn't dare give his son something so generalized towards the boy's age group! (Little did he know Tsuna actually didn't care what he got as long as he had a good day with his family.)
The boy seemed to feel his gaze on him, glancing up at Iemitsu, staring at him questioningly. "Tou-san? Is something wrong?"
Oh it's nothing little Tuna Fish it's totally not like I don't know what to get my own son.
Iemitsu shoved the thought into the back of his mind, shaking his head and settling for a fond smile. "Nothing, don't worry about it Tsuna."
He watched as Tsuna stared at him for a moment, furrowing his brow and pouting cutely, before eventually shrugging it off and going back to drawing a giant robot fighting what looked like a big evil bunny rabbit with a carrot sword.
Now he found it rather pathetic that he didn't know what to get his son for Christmas. Tsuna was his son, but his son never asked for anything. For his birthday all he did was put up multiple balloons around the house and take the now eight year old off to the zoo for a day off from school, and in his case, work.
That was it.
Iemitsu wandered back into the kitchen, absentmindedly going around to grab some things to prepare dinner. His Tuna Fish never really mentioned anything he liked other than robots, and some superhero cartoon Iemitsu had gotten him into during his last trip to Italy. Tsuna seemed to take it as an award for survivng Reborn as a babysitter for three days straight.
Iemitsu promised the brunet he wouldn't ever have to deal with the hitman (posing as a professor, Reboyama) as a babysitter ever again.
Iemitsu paused, staring down the tomato he was cutting up.
Well actually, Tsuna did talk about something other than robots and superheroes. His friends from school.
Constant chatter about how smart 'Haya-kun' was, and how nice 'Take-kun' was, and how 'Zanny' was so scary but cool at the same time. How 'Shokkun' and 'Suppa-kun' were so creative and how funny this 'Naito-kun' was.
His Tuna Fish was so popular - Dame-Tsuna Dame-Tsuna No-Good - and Iemitsu felt proud to know his son had so many friends.
Actually...
He set down the knife, turning to look back at Tsuna. "Tuna Fish! Would you like to invite your friends over for a Christmas playdate?"
His little Tuna Fish snapped his head up to give him a wide eyed stare, gaping in disbelief. After a few seconds, he lit up like a light giving Iemistu a heart melting, adorable smile, nodding enthusiastically.
Oh if only Iemitsu knew that same smile somehow tamed the little devils of the Underground.
...o0o...
Livingroom? Clear.
Snacks? Ready.
Sake? Locked up nice and secure.
Iemitsu checked the house over for the fourth time, making sure everything was child-proofed for a ckrowd. He knew his son had a ton of friends so he was expecting something to get broken anyway but hey, doesn't hurt to double check everything.
It was the 23rd, just two days before Christmas as Iemitsu wanted the kids to spend Christmas with their respective families, that was what Christmas was for after all.
But a little playdate just before wouldn't hurt.
Just as he was about to go around for the fifth time, his little Tuna Fish sitting in the livingroom giggling at his father's antics, when the doorbell rung.
That's the first one!
Tsuna hopped up from his seat excitedly, running over to clutch Iemitsu's pant leg as the man opened the door, ready to greet whatever kind little angel his son befriended.
Instead he found a rather angry looking silver haired kid, around his son's age, glaring daggers at him, and a man who looked exactly like Trident Shamal.
Iemitsu could feel his brain short circut.
The kid by the Shamal-look-a-like lost the angry look the moment he saw Tsuna, now seeming to look like he just got granted the world in the form of the tiny brunet. "Ah, Tenth!"
Tenth?
Tsuna brightened and flashed a smile at the kid. "Haya-kun! Come in, come in! We got snacks!" Haya-kun?! This kid was Haya-kun?!
He stared at the man in front of him as his son dragged the boy into the house to raid the snack supply. He recognized the man from work.
The same dumb octopus-like hairstyle, the same sleezy look in his eyes, the same stubble, the same smirk, the same freaking clothes!
The dark brown haired man blinked at Iemitsu, quirking a brow. "So you're 'Tenth's father... Young Lion?"
Iemitsu frowned at the nickname. So he is from work. "And you're 'Haya-kun's guardian, I'm assuming... Trident Shamal?"
Shamal looked him over with a calculating gaze. After a moment, the doctor let out a long suffering sigh. "Ah, who would have thought Hayato'd befriend the Young Lion's son."
Iemitsu shook his head in disbelief, "I never would have thought my little Tuna Fish would attract a mafia kid, much less yours."
"Hayato ain't my brat," Shamal corrected with a frown. "His mother was just a close friend of mine, and I'm his tutor."
They stood in the doorway for a moment trying to swallow the revelation, when Iemitsu cleared his throat. "I don't recall hearing about you moving to Namimori, Dr. Shamal."
The man raked a hand through his hair tiredly. "I took on Lavina's- ah, Hayato's mother's surname, Gokudera for the time being. I'm just here until he's older and can take care of himself."
"But why Namimori?" Iemitsu questioned. He did remember when two new people moved to Namimori little more than two moths ago, a 'single father' and his 'son'. He just didn't think it'd be Trident Shamal and some kid though.
The doctor grumbled quietly to himself, but shook it off quickly. "Namimori's a small town, was hoping living here for Hayato's childhood could either help him to calm down so he could work with me when he's older, or better yet, help him live a normal, non-mafia life."
Non-mafia life. That's what Tsuna needs.
"... oh yeah, Vongola."
"Hm?"
"Don't you hurt a hair on that brat's head or I'll have to kill you."
With that, Shamal turned and left, sending a few glances back to look through the living room window at Hayato and Tsuna chattering on about something, and if his lip reading skills haven't gotten rusty on him, he'd guess Hayato was going on about the mechanics and how to make an actual bomb, of all things.
Iemitsu just stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. Tsuna's friend was Trident Shamal's charge. Trident Shamal's. A hitman's. He listened to the enthusiastic chatter coming from the living room, and the light tone his Tuna Fish was using. He wouldn't dare seperate his clearly happy son from his friend, even if said friend was technically mafia just by his affiliation with Shamal.
Iemitsu sighed tiredly to himself, before noticing a mop of messy purple hair making it's way towards- wait, purple?
The kid, who looked around nine or so, had a messy tangle of dark purple hair, vivid violet eyes, and seemed to be wearing pruple eyeliner and lipstick, alongside several peircings and bandages. There seemed to be a teardrop tattoo on his face just below his left eye as well, and before Iemitsu could pounce on the kid to lecture him on the fact kids his age couldn't have tattoos or so many peircings, when he spotted it.
There was a bright purple pacifier hanging from the kid's neck, thumping against his tiny chest as he walked up to Iemitsu.
"Hey, Tsuna lives here right?" A rather high pitced voice asked, and Iemitsu could only stare down at the pacifier.
Arcobaleno.
"I'm his dad..."
The Cloud Arcobaleno, Skull, grinned victoriously, "Great! I'm Fumetsu, Tsuna invited me over, yanno?" Fumetsu? As in Immortal? The Immortal Skull?!
He casually walked past the man into the house as a round of loud welcomes and laughs were heard from Tsuna and grumbles from Hayato.
There's an Arcobaleno in my house.
There's an Arcobaleno talking with my son.
My son befriended a freaking Arcobaleno.
... That sake's really going to waste getting locked up like that.
"Fumetsu-kun! You made it!"
"Yeah! Wouldn't miss it for the world!"
"Geh, why did you have to come along, Arcoableno?"
"Aw, don't be like that Haya-kun! Fumetsu-kun's our friend!"
Hayato just said Arcobaleno straight to my Tuna Fish's face. He's talking about the mafia around my civillian son!
Iemitsu was about to charge in an grill Hayato on what he's revealed to Tsuna already, when a creepy chuckle met his ears. He turned to see a kid, maybe about eleven years old or so, standing close by giving him a chesire grin. He had spiky white hair and a purple tattoo under his left eye, except unlike Skull, it was a lighter color and was more like an upside down crown of sorts,
Iemitsu unfortunately knew that face and he felt his heart stop at the sight of the Gesso heir. The freaking Gesso Famiglia heir.
WHY IS HE HERE?!
The eleven year old just gave him a pleasant smile, oblivious to the panic running amock in the blond's head. "Hello, Young Lion. It's a pleasure meeting you here." The kid pulled out a bag of marshmallows from his little backpack, handing it to Iemitsu as if it were a peace offering of sorts. "I'm here for Tsunayoshi-kun's little playdate~! Thanks for inviting me!"
With that said the white haired mafia heir waltzed into the home as if he owned it.
Now, Iemitsu knew the Vongola was on good terms with the Gesso, thanks to that very same kid proposing an alliance behind the current boss's back. Somehow it had all worked out, but that still didn't explain how the kid, who was supposed to be in Italy, was in Namimori of all places.
There were loud cheers coming from the livingroom now that the Gesso had joined them and Iemitsu felt like crying.
His son somehow befriended a mafia heir. A mafia kid. A mafioso. Someone Iemitsu knew.
He didn't know just how much they all had corrupted his little Tuna Fish and he made a mental note to pull them each aside to interrogate them. This was his son and nothing could stop him from protecting his own flesh and blood.
...o0o...
It took a little longer for the next ones to arrive, and when they did, Iemitsu could feel his brain short circut.
Now, there were a lot of Yamamotos in Japan, but he didn't understand why the one Yamamoto in Tsuna's group of friends, this 'Take-kun', had to be the son of Yamamoto Tsuyoshi.
Of all the Yamamotos, it was this one. The one Yamamoto who happened to be a retired mafioso. The one Yamamoto who was an expert swordsman. The one Yamamoto who the Varia had several run-ins with years ago.
The other one, Mochida Kensuke, was also a bit of a shock to Iemitsu. He had heard the kid had attitude issues and was like a ticking time bomb who picked on those smaller and weaker than him.
Those types didn't seem to be the kind of people his Tuna Fish would ever go near, but here he was, wild hair and slightly awkward scowl and all.
Yamamoto Takeshi was bouncing on the balls of his feet excitedly, eyes bright as he chattered on about baseball and Tsuna and just how exciting it was to be able to spend an early Christmas with his friend. Which, in Takeshi's words, was 'over level ten bajillion!'
Kensuke, on the other hand was staring at the hallway behind Iemitsu with an anxious look in his eyes. He was fidgiting slightly, resembling a nervous puppy, in a weird way.
Their parents were right behind them, giving each other acknowledging nods when Tsuna tackled Iemitsu's legs from behind, barely budging the man from his spot at the front door. The brunet quickly readjusted himself, moving around his dad to start chattering on about how cool it was for everyone to be coming over to his house, dragging the two kids inside and leaving the parents out again.
Tsuyoshi watched his son go with the bubbly little fluff ball, before turning his gaze on Iemitsu. "Mm, it's interesting seeing you again, Iemitsu."
"Oh? You two know each other?" Kensuke's mother piped up, raising a brow curiously. Her husband seemed to be staring at them a little too hard, Iemitsu felt like his very soul was getting stabbed through by the guy's icy look.
Tsuyoshi nodded, smiling pleasantly at the two. "Of course, I met him quite a few years back, before I moved my sushi shop here to Namimori." Before I retired and set down my sword.
Iemitsu recognized the two as police officers, having done research beforehand on those working in that field to be sure to know who to be wary of.
He was the leader of CEDEF, after all. He couldn't be careless.
"It has been quite a while, hasn't it? And it's a pleasure to meet you two, you must be Kensuke's parents. Tsuna talks about him a lot." Iemitsu said pleasantly, visibly relaxing.
The woman smiled back, "Oh your little Tsunayoshi is a wonderful child, you know? Works miracles, Ken-kun's been a lot happier since the two met."
Tsuyoshi grinned at that, laughing whole heartedly. "True, true, Tsuna is all Takeshi talks about now aside from baseball."
Iemitsu tried keeping a stright face at their comments about how such an amazing little angel his Tuna Fish was, because, heh, it was all true. He could tell his son was already amazing, and his Flames just helped enhance his charm. Still, a poorly restrained grin slipped onto his face. "Is that so?"
Surprisingly, it was Kensuke's father who spoke up for once. "Kensuke was... frustrated, with school and ended up mingling with the wrong crowds. Your Tsuna managed to drag him out of it."
Tsuyoshi hummed, giving the two an understanding look. "Ah, I see. Tsuna-kun must have been a good addition to Kensuke-kun's life, hm?"
The boy's mother nodded cheerfully. "Of course! Ken-kun used to be so angry and bitter all the time, but after he met Tusnayoshi, he's been getting better grades and been making more friends at school!"
It really made Iemitsu's heart flutter happily when he heard this. His cute little Tuna Fish really could work wonders, doing good like that. He was so proud of his adorable little son.
Her husband tapped her on the shoulder, quickly showing her the time on his wrist watch.
"Oh my! I'm sorry, but we have to go now! Take care of Ken-kun!" She called, waving as the couple left.
Tsuyoshi chuckled, letting a small smile slip onto his face as he waited for them to be well out of earshot. "Mm, they're right you know. Tsuna-kun's really... an all embracing Sky, isn't he?"
Iemitsu's smile slipped for a moment. "Yeah, he is. But I'm not going to let him into that kind of life."
"You're doing a good job already. He seems happy."
"... Yeah... Yeah he does, huh?"
Tsuyoshi patted him on the back. "Don't worry about it too much, Young Lion, you're already doing wonderfully with him considering the fact you still have your job with the CEDEF. Come on by to Takesushi and we can chat a bit. I have to get back now, take care of Takeshi, will you?"
Iemitsu laughed, crossing his arms as he watched Tsuyoshi turn to leave. "Of course, you don't need to worry about a thing." Except maybe for my sanity.
...o0o...
Iemitsu was standing by the door, leaving it open a little as he kept an eye out for anyone who might come by. Considering all the ones who have arrived so far, he had to be careful-
He felt someone brush past his legs, and he froze on the spot as Tsuna opened the door all the way, ran outside and around the corner. The man was about to go get him when he returned...
With Xanxus and Belphegor in tow.
Iemitsu felt his heart stop at the sight of two child-teenage assassins holding hands with his much too innocent little Tuna Fish. Tsuna didn't seem to notice his dad's heart attack and dragged the two inside, both just grumbling or creepily laughing as they passed.
Freaking. Xanxus. And. Belphegor.
Of the Varia.
Iemitsu furrowed his brow, massaging his forehead to fight off the incoming headache as he thought for a moment. The two hadn't reported back to the Vongola in over a month... Tsuna had started talking about his new friends Prince-kun and Zanny around then too-
Wait... Zanny... Zan-ny... Xanny? XAN-NII?! AND PRINCE-KUN?! AS IN PRINCE THE RIPPER?!
...The sake's really starting to call his name...
Iemitsu closed the door for a moment, resting his forehead against it as the gears started turning in his head. He thought and wondered and only ended up even more baffled than before.
How the heck did his civillian son befriend these mafia children?!
He opened the door again, pinching himself on the arm when he heard the loud screeches from the kids and the distinct "Ushishishi..." from Bel.
He paused, internally crying when he still heard the two even after his skin turned red. He looked up, and pinched himself again when he saw who appeared.
He saw the ghost first, the freaking ghost of Primo's Lightning Guardian, lazily looking around the yard and double checking the adress. Then Iemitsu looked down and saw the redheaded kid glaring at him.
He recognized those unique compass pupils.
A Kozato.
Iemitsu didn't notice Kozato's hands twitching by his sides or the crazed look in his crimson eyes.
"You're Kozato Enma..." He muttered, straightening as he remembered.
Redredredredgonedead Flood of Blood-
But he's gone now never again.
Suddenly he felt someone bump into his legs in a rush, and Tsuna burst out of the house, tackling the redhead and snapping the two out from their little staring contest. "Enma-kun! You finally made it!"
The mini-cannonball continued chattering on as Lampo walked over to them, barely sparing Iemitsu a glance as Tsuna somehow, magically managed to grab the ghost's freaking hand, and dragged the two inside.
... Iemitsu could seriously use a drink right about now.
...o0o...
It took a few minutes for the next oddity to arrive.
Iemitsu had opened to door to find bouncing red ball of pure energy. A clearly Italian face, bright, spiky red hair, stupid grin, shirt that looked like it had gotten shredded then stuck back together with safety pins and various random patches of cloth.
The loud introduction of "Hiya! I'm Longchamp! Naito Longchamp! I'm gonna be the next Tomaso boss!" was a dead giveaway.
Oh Kami a Tomaso.
The Tomaso blinked up at Iemitsu owlishly. "Hey, Tsu-chan lives here, right?"
God damn it.
Iemitsu knew of the Tomaso. Oh, he certainly did. Always declaring wars on the Vongola, being their self-proclaimed rival. It was always one-sided and their meddling in their affairs was a pain.
There was no way he could deal with Longchamp the billionth. Honestly...
Iemitsu was about to shut the door in the Tomaso's face when the redhead brightened, grinning stupidly as he bounded past Iemitsu before he could slam the door shut, squeezing by with a hurried "s'cuse me!"
Iemitsu whirled around, brow twitching in irritation. "Hey-!"
He saw the Longchamp kid tackling his little Tuna Fishie in a bear hug. "Tsu-chan! I made it, this is gonna be so much fun!"
Tsuna laughed, smiling happily. "Naito-kun! C'mon, everyone's over here, we got snacks!"
Iemitsu scowled to himself, still disapproving the Tomaso in his house. But...
He watched his son lead the redhead to the livingroom, chattering on as happy as can be, just like with the other nutjobs he called friends.
Tsuna loved them. Iemitsu had no right to tear his son's little circle of friends apart. He seemed happy with them already.
He mentally checked another one off his list. Tsuna had told him just how many kids he invited (failing to mention one was an adult in a kid's body and that another was dead, not to mention all of them were in some way mafia related), thirteen in total - he prayed for his house to remain standing - and finding only three left.
Oh Kami who's next? Dino Cavallone? Lussuria? That terrifyingly territorial Hibari kid? Freaking Lancia?
The doorbell rung, and he opened it, braced for whatever horrifying psychopath who somehow befriended his Tuna Fish, finding...
Two normal kids he didn't recognize, and a preteen.
One of the boys who had glasses probably too big for him and a tuft of light red hair matching the older girl's, was nervously staring up at Iemitsu while his companion, a blond boy sucking on a lolipop, was looking around lazily, fiddling with what looked like various metal scraps.
Iemitsu blinked as the girl cleared her throat. "I'm here to drop these two off." She said, giving the boys a light push towards him.
He stepped aside, letting them in as he nodded at the girl. "Thank you for taking the time to do so, young lady."
"Irie." She huffed. "Irie Akiko. The shy kid with the glasses is my younger brother Shoichi, and his friend's Spanner."
Spanner? As in wrench...?
Akiko glanced back, watching the two start talking wih the kids, and smiled lightly. "Make sure they don't get into any trouble, Sawada-san. I'll be back to pick them up around four."
Iemitsu nodded, "Sounds alright to me, Irie-san."
With that said and done, she left. Iemitsu closed the door with a sigh, mentally crossing two more off the list. Two down, one to go.
He walked by the door, glancing in and feeling his heart warm at the sight of his son getting along so wonderfully with his friends.
Even if almost all of them were crazy.
He was so glad that with the addition of Spanner and Shoichi, Tsuna had some normal friends.
Finally. Normal children-!
"-So I was thinking that if we adjusted the fourth cog to angle more towards the green wire-"
"Oh but if we hooked it up to this, it could take more energy so it could-"
"You know if that's what you're aiming for, try adding in Cloud Flames and renforcing the thing with Lightning Flames-" Hayato suddenly butted in, and their little conversation devolved into a mess of machinery and Flames talk Iemitsu didn't even bother trying to understand.
Yeah nevermind. They aren't normal. None of them are. Iemitsu internally cried at that.
He didn't notice the door open and close behind him until he looked up and saw an all too familiar mop of blue hair in the middle of the group of kids.
The girl looked back at him, making eye contact. He knew those eyes. That scar. The unamused frown.
Why the heck was Lal Mirch here?!
When she turned back to continue talking with Xanxus and Tsuna, he got his answer.
How. Just. How did his Tuna Fish manage to invite Lal Mirch of all people?
He quickly did a headcount of the kids and not-really-kids and ghost in the room, finding all 13 guests to be there.
And they were mafia. Mafia children. Except for Spanner and Shoichi but that assumption was starting to grow very questionable with the way they were chattering on with Hayato about Flames.
Iemistu wordlessly walked back to lock the door, before turning and walking to his room. That's it, it's all just a really weird dream, he thought desperately, quickly pinching his arm as hard as he could. He paused to peek into the livingroom, finding throwing knives in the wall, what looked like scorch marks on the ceiling, shredded curtains, and plenty of clearly mafia children chattering on about what sounded like guns, Flames, baseball, and UMAs.
No, it's not a dream. Far from it.
Iemitsu took a deep breath and mentally counted to ten. Just a quick drink, that's it.
He chose to ignore the fork suddenly getting imbedded in the wall by his head. And the Tomaso who had for some reason tacked Kozato to the ground. Nope nope nope, cool down first.
He needed to be there for his son, and he couldn't do it with the oncoming headache that came with all these crazy kids.
...o0o..
Tsuna loved his dad for letting his friends come over.
He honestly hadn't really wanted anything for Christmas. He was fine without any fancy drones or toys, all he really wanted was to spend a nice holiday with his family. He really wasn't 'normal' like that, according to others. He knew that.
But he's seen his dad working hard at his job, and just wanted to spend some time with his only family.
Of course when the man suggested he bring his friends over for a playdate, his Christmas wish got infinitely better.
Tsuna loved his friends as if they were family too, so how could he not? Of course, Tsuna saw how his dad seemed a little cautious at the fact there were thirteen of them, but he didn't say no to inviting all of them, so...
Actually where was he now?
Tsuna glanced around, not seeing his dad anywhere. He was handing around the front door, but... He isn't there anymore.
The eight year old shrugged it off, figuring he must be off doing adult stuff. He wished the man would stick around for a bit though.
He wiped the thoughtful frown off his face and turned back to his friends, not really moving from his spot. How exactly he found himself in Xanxus's lap like some sort of cat, he might never know.
Xanxus and Lal were chatting about some sort of new toy on the market, Tsuna couldn't really get all the details, just that it was a gun of sorts? They seemed to know a lot about it and Tsuna really didn't want to interrupt.
Longchamp was bouncing around the room like a hyperactive rabbit, hopping in on conversations and cracking a joke or two. He got a few laughs and a few grumbles, but Tsuna found him hilarious.
Lampo was taking up the entirety of the couch, lazily watching the kids with a half amused, half exasperated look. Of course, the green haired man didn't bother moving when Fumetsu sat down on the couch, saying it was a magic trick when the purple haired boy went right through him.
It was a really impressive magic trick to be able to do that.
Takeshi was chattering on with Fumetsu about baseball, with the purple haired boy occasionally switching the subject to stuntmen and this one stuntman he really admired named Skull. It was back and forth between the two, and it was really nice to see them getting along.
Bel was waving his little kitchen knives in front of Kensuke, saying something about throwing them and how the motion and... yeah Tsuna was lost, but Kensuke, while seeming rather stiff and awkward in the group, seemed to get it.
It really made the brunet happy to see his friends getting along. He was worried for a bit that it wouldn't work out, since he knew they all tended to be a bit uncooperative with others to some degree. Putting them all in the same room could be the perfect recipe for disaster.
But somehow, the whole house hasn't been demolished yet and they're paired up in groups to talk about things they liked. It was incredibly relieving to see.
He didn't want his family to be at each other's throats, after all.
Tsuna was about to relax and just enjoy the happy atmosphere, when he suddenly shot up and caught Byakuran's arm before the white haired kid could successfully sneak off to the kitchen.
The brunet gave him a blank stare, as Byakuran froze with a deer-in-the-headlights look in his eyes. "We don't have any marshmallows."
The violet eyed boy instantly deflated, muttering something about 'tunas always stealing my marshmallows'.
Considering his dad's nickname for him was 'Tuna Fish', Tsuna had to wonder what on earth Byakuran was talking about when he suddenly went on about who knew what. Something about tunas, markets, headaches, and strawberry s'mores tarts and the tuna being a feirce little angel?
Tsuna figured it was just Byakuran's imagination, he always was good with stories, though he had to wonder why so many of them had a 'wimpy but protective tuna' as the main character. Occasionally there'd be others, but they were all really weird; a tsundere cat, a happy dog, a territorial skylark, and a pervy pineapple seemed to be popular. And rainbows. Lots of rainbows.
...o0o...
Iemitsu returned with a pleasant buzz in his head, no longer having a heart attack at the mere sight of the mafia nutjobs his son hung around.
Of course that still didn't prevent his brain from running a million miles a minute trying to comprehend the 'how' that came with the sight of them.
"Hey, you kids need anything?" He asked carefull, making sure he was loud enough to get their attention but not too loud, or it might seem like he's intruding too much. He read up on this kind of stuff, he knew he shouldn't butt in too much or at all.
But considering who was there he couldn't help but worry for the state of the house and his child's sanity.
Hayato, surprisingly was the first to answer. "Nah, it's all fine Tenth's dad."
Iemitsu still wondered why on earth the silveret called his son 'Tenth'. He got the feeling he might not like it, but didn't push for the answer. "Alright, call if you need anything."
They never really did, but that didn't stop him from popping in to make sure the house wouldn't get completely destroyed. Parts of the wall and some furniture didn't make it but it wasn't going to cave in, at least.
They had thankfully taken to watching a movie rather than talking and destroying the place. The Gesso kid had been talking about something along the lines of idols and forever tired tunas, and considering the movie they were watching literally had nothing to do with either (It looked like Pokemon to Iemitsu, but really everything looked like Pokemon to Iemitsu), he really didn't want to know what brought it up.
The kid looked back at him and smirked.
Yeah, Iemitsu really didn't want to know. But he might have to figure it out at some point, because this kid was a Gesso and could possibly-
"There's no need to worry about that, Sawada-san." Byakuran suddenly piped up, earning a few glances from his friends, but overall went ignored.
Iemitsu made a mental note to keep an eye on him, the white haired boy was a bit creepy and might try something, no matter what he says.
...o0o...
The movie Kensuke had brought along was quite the adventure itself, Tsuna thought to himself as he led his friends into the dining room.
It was inspiring, in a way. A story about a kid who found out he was half water spirit and went on adventures, balancing the two worlds of the human world and the spirit world so they wouldn't collapse. It was a bit confusing for Tsuna but Kensuke explained it well enough.
His dad had fixed up a nice lunch for everyone, and they had settled down in various spots in both the living room and dining room.
Tsuna had decided to stay in the dining room with Hayato, Takeshi, Kensuke, Enma and Bel. Hayato and Takeshi were having another one-sided argument that really just consisted of "Baseball Idiot!" and laughing. Enma was just poking at his food looking as if he just bit into a sour lemon, and Kensuke sunk into his seat, chewing slowly on his rice.
Tsuna tried to strike up a friendly conversation with Kensuke and Enma, the former strightening to reply, a bit more open now that there were less people around. Tsuna didn't know why the kendo student was so reserved around everyone else.
His dad stayed nearby, drinking some weird amber colored drink - he had claimed it was 'flavored water for adults' but Tsuna had a feeling he was lying - as he eyed them carefully, occasionally moving around to help someone with getting seconds.
Tsuna could hear Xanxus in the other room bark out a loud, "Your cooking is trash!" elicting a subtle laugh from Bel.
"The peasant's cooking is mediocre at best, not worthy of being the prince's meal." He said, pushing the food away.
Tsuna really didn't get it, his dad's cooking wasn't bad at all. Hayato, thank goodness, seemed to be on his side. "Oi, don't disrespect the Tenth's father's cooking!" then he mumbled a quieter, "It's definitely better than the pervy doctor's cooking."
Enma gripped his fork a little tighter, and when Tsuna looked over to correct Hayato again - "It's Tsuna, not Tenth." - he tried throwing the fork at the back of Iemitsu's head.
It missed, bouncing off the wall and clattering to the floor. Iemitsu whirled around, finding the fork and glaring at Bel. "Don't throw those things at me!"
Bel just shrugged, looking over at Enma to quickly say, "Put more into the wrist and keep it steady next time."
Enma just grumbled, and grabbed another fork.
Kensuke stared at the redhead for a moment, glancing over at Iemitsu then back at him again, then at Tsuna. He started to connect the dots, and internally winced, hunkering down to shove more food into his mouth. He didn't want anything to do with that, nope.
Tsuna looked up, blinking at Enma and Bel owlishly. Enma paused, tensing slightly when he noticed, and flashed him a Dazzling Smile (trademarked). "Is something wrong, Tsuna-kun?"
The brunet throughly it over, before brushing it off as just his hearing playing tricks on him. There's no way he heard sweet Enma throw a metal fork at his dad and Bel tell him how to properly throw it.
Fumetsu pokes his head into the dining room, glancing around and grinning. "Hey, it's getting pretty boring in there with all those serious guys, mind if I stay in here?"
Tsuna lit up at that, nodding enthusiastically as Fumetsu made his way in, pulling a chair up to sit with Tsuna on his right and Bel on his left. With that, he launched into a long rant about yet another stuntman he saw on TV, going on about how they weren't 'putting their hearts into it' and 'weren't becoming one with the wind' and other things Tsuna really didn't understand, but he could see Fumetsu was passionate about it and that's what mattered.
"Oh, but Skull isn't really like that, right?" Takeshi piped up, remembering Fumetsu's explanation and fanboying over the stuntman. The Immortal Skull.
Fumetsu paused for a moment, before nodding and grinning proudly. "Yeah! I wanna be just like him when I'm older."
"How about instead of wasting your mind on that, you stay in the mafia?" Lal suddenly said, and they turned to see her standing at the doorway.
Iemitsu nearly spit out his 'flavored water'.
Fumetsu pouted, crossing his arms. "No way! New life, new goals!"
Takeshi laughs, sitting up at he asked, "Is this mafia thing a roleplaying game?"
"Oh oh, mafia?" Lonchamp asked, sliding in next to Lal and sending Tsuna a knowing grin. Which he really didn't get but tried sending the same look back anyway. "I'll be the Tomaso boss so I can make Vongola and the Tomaso get along!"
Xanxus growled behind him, having gotten up to see what all the talk was about, and the redhead nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the fourteen year old looming over him. "Good luck with that, brat. I'm Vongola's boss."
Longchamp paused, looking him over for a second. "Well I'll make it work!"
"Hey! The Tenth is the Vongola Boss!" Hayato interjected, jumping to his feet and stabbing his food with his chopsticks rather visciously.
Iemitsu choked at that.
"So we're playing the mafia game now?" Takeshi asked hopefully, practically vibrating in his seat.
Hayato growled in frustration, "Baseball Idiot, the mafia isn't a game-"
"It sounds like a fun game," Tsuna spoke up, pausing as he saw Hayato deflate at that. Weird, wasn't it supposed to be a game? They were kids, there was no way they were talking about the actual mafia.
Lampo coughed awkwardly, having somehow gotten to the table and was trying to swipe at the food, only for his hand to go through it.
He made a small noise of disappointment, muttering, "Magic tricks suck."
Tsuna didn't really know what to think of that. If he's having trouble eating because of the magic tricks... The brunet grabbed a fork and carefull shovelled some of his own food into Lampo's mouth, who squeaked and swallowed after a moment, staring at Tsuna like he just grew ten heads.
Tsuna just didn't get it, not noticing Iemitsu chugging his 'flavored water' at this point.
Kensuke gulped, continuing to shove food down his throat and not saying anything. Byakuran squeezed into the dining room, grinning like a loon. "So the tuna unites the merry band of bosses! I'll be the Gesso and the Millefiore boss!"
Tsuna decidedly ignored the marshmallow addict's spouting of magic babies, rings, rainbows, assassins and hitmen, and something about fangirls, in favor of sinking into his seat, staring down what's left on his plate. "We can save the mafia game for later guys, let's just eat right now."
They all eventually filtered out to talk about it themselves in the livingroom as Tsuna just enjoyed the peace(?) of definitely-not-Enma throwing knives at his dad, Hayato and Takeshi having yet another one-sided argument, and Bel poking at his food.
...o0o...
When the time for the gift exchange rolled around, Iemitsu was nervous. Beyond nervous, because these gifts were for his civillain Tuna Fish, from mafia raised kids.
They could be anything.
"Tenth, open mine first!" Hayato was bouncing in his spot to Tsuna's right, seeming both anxious and excited.
Tsuna was a bit put off from the excitement coming from everyone else, but gathered himself and just nodded, taking the bright red wrapped gift and carefully started to open it-
"What're you doing?" Tsuna jumped, staring at Lampo who was playing with something in his pocket. "You're going too slow, tear into it."
Uh, okay then. Tsuna followed the green haired ghost's advice, and went at it, livening up the mood.
Iemitsu was happy to see his son finally not take thirty years to open a gift, finally just diving in excitedly- of course then the eight year old pulled out what looked like an army knife of all things.
Tsuna blinked at it, baffled, until Hayato perked up, eyes sparkling. "It's so you can protect yourself and be able to do whatever you need whenever your right hand man isn't there!"
Tsuna paused, trying to process that for a moment as he toyed around with the knife, looking over every little millimeter of it. "That's really thoughtful of you, Haya-kun!"
Takeshi suddenly laughed, looking sheepish as he scratched his head. "It seems we had a somewhat similar thought process, Haya-kun."
"Don't call me Haya-kun, Baseball Idiot!"
"Ahaha, sorry!"
A blue bag was dropped into Tsuna's lap, and it took him a moment to reach in and...
Pull out a sheathed dagger.
Iemitsu was quick to pluck both it and the army knife out of Tsuna's tiny hands and set them on a table, far from where his son was sitting. "You can have those later..." Or never. Just... knives, why?!
Tsuna didn't question it, just continuing to open the gifts.
Iemitsu ended up confiscating two guns, a roll of wires, three cans of pepper spray, poison in a necklace, and a Sky Ring.
What on earth made these kids think those were a good idea to give to a civillain? More importantly how did Byakuran get his son a Sky Ring? The Rings were still being looked into, but that one seemed to work perfectly. How and just- why?
They chattered on as Tsuna's own little gifts were given to the others, each getting hand-made scarves Tsuna learned how to make not too long ago out of boredom.
Iemitsu looked over the various gifts his son recieved, all of them being weapons of some sort aside from the helicopter made of pipe cleaners and rubber bands from Spanner and a picture of a sunset with the words, "The all embracing Sky" written on it from Xanxus of all people.
They weren't the typical gifts for an eight year old but... they had the right intentions.
"Hey, wanna play that mafia roleplay game?" Takeshi spoke up, grabbing the attention of his peers instantly.
They all soon found themselve outside in the backyard, running around and actually playing a mafia roleplaying game, and not shooting each other to death with real weapons, thank Kami.
Iemitsu leaned against the doorframe, watching as the kids ran about having fun, Takeshi providing various sound effects for gunshots and dramatic scenes. It was rather amusing to watch.
Nana's really missing out.
No no, stop. She's not a part of our lives anymore, don't.
Iemitsu's smile slipped into a frown, watching the bright grins and listening to their laughing.
She walked away from this.
"You know, dwelling on her for too long isn't worth it." A familiar voice said, and Iemitsu looked up to see Lal walk over to him, stretching and looking bored. The blue haired girl, or rather, woman, currently looking to be about twelve or so, sat down on the porch by Iemitsu. "She walked away, she isn't worth it."
The blond sighed quietly to himself. "It's just..."
"Lonely?" Lal questioned, and Iemitsu just nodded. Lal huffed. "Keep your eyes on your son's future, idiot. Not on the woman who left."
Iemitsu froze on the spot, staring at her as she got up, walking over to join the kids again.
She's right, he thought to himself. I really shouldn't be thinking of Nana now, not after she walked away from all of this.
The man straightened, walking out to the kids with a grin. She's the one who left, I didn't.
...o0o...
They all finally left.
They all finally went home, away from him, his house, his Tuna Fish.
Iemitsu had pulled Xanxus aside before he and Belphegor left, questioning the teen on how, where and why he met his precious son. All he had gotten was, "The mini-trash is a tricky one." Before the kid left. He internally dispaired at the thought of the 'mini-trash' being his son.
Iemitsu felt like crying from the relief after Byakuran left, being the last to leave as he had no chaperone of sorts like most of the other kids did. He had left with a quick, "Make sure you look out for the weather in the future!" leaving Iemitsu to gape at the marshmallow addict as he left in a flurry of what looked like feathers?
That kid was just too weird.
After all that, the house was finally filled with only two occupants once again. It was... quiet.
Tsuna grabbed onto Iemitsu's hand, looking up at him with a big smile. "Tou-san, can we do this again next year too?"
He's giving him the look.
The same look he can't resist, no no Tuna Fish please no-
Iemitsu looked back in the house, at the holes in the walls, the ash in the corner, the burnt ceiling. At the tears in the couch and the dents in the floor, the shredded curtains and cracked cabinets.
Then he looked back down at his son who was giving him the biggest, saddest puppy eyes in the universe.
Did he really want those nutjobs back...?
He locked eyes with the irresistable, begging stare, and through gritted teeth, said, "Sure. Sure we can."
...o0o...
A/N: LOL I DIED WHILE WRITING THIS. Here's your Secret Santa gift, Little Miss Bunny! I perservered! I DID IT AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- Twas a pleasure destroying your request, agh... So obvious I was rushing it in the second half, procrastination is my unfortunate best friend.
No clue what happened with the title. Or the cast. Or anything really. Originally this was gonna be longer so they all could get better chances to shine but it was getting way longer than expected, plus it was late so RIP character screen time. I might rewrite a few parts of this later when I'm not sleep-deprived lol
Anyway uh, tried getting Byakuran to reference one or two fanfics so bonus points to anyone who gets them.
Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the reviews, lovely readers! Hope 2019 is treating y'all well.