Tsunayoshi Sawada had moved to Italy after he escaped high school and had gone straight into a prestigious cooking program. The chef he trained under had not expected much from the boy as he was one of the clumsiest people he had ever met. Still, the chef gave him a chance and he was not let down. Tsuna ended up being an excellent study. Seeing the boy create food was worth having to line the entire kitchen with ultra-slip proof flooring.
Tsuna worked as a waiter during his off time to pay for the program at a few different restaurants, but it hadn't worked out for long because he was mistake prone on the floor. He would both trip over a loose rug and spill an entire platter or accidently pour wine all over an important customer. With each time he was let go and fired, the boy just told himself that soon he would be able to be in the back, cooking and in his element.
He survived the two year program and got an amazing recommendation from the chef. Even with this, Tsuna was not expecting to get a job as a chef just yet. He thought he would have to work his way up to the position in a new resturaunt, probably starting as a dishwasher or a food prepper.
But his roommate and best friend Gokudera worked at one of the most famous restaurants in Italy as a bartender. He put in a good word with the owner, one Kyouya Hibari. He even gave the man a copy of the reference letter. Gokudera didn't tell Tsuna about it immediately, but when he did, Tsuna didn't expect anything from it.
But then Kyouya called, saying there was an opening for head chef in his restaurant and if Tsuna could get there in thirty minutes and prepare a course for the owner, he might give him the job.
Tsuna was there in fifteen.
Hibari didn't think much of the brown haired boy when he walked in, which was not a good sign. Everyone who worked at his restaurant turned heads. The staff at the restaurant were all handsome, perfect at their jobs and definitely contributed to its reputation.
But then Tsuna smiled brightly at Hibari as he shook his hand, flushed and a tad out of breath from running.
Hibari was stunned, but he didn't let it show. He showed Tsuna the kitchen and asked him to prepare something, it didn't matter what. Tsuna looked through all of the ingredients and decided to make a nice, creamy seafood bisque. He made a pot of it and made a bowl for Hibari with a crustini on the side, browned with butter and saffron.
He presented the dish to Hibari and sat across from the male nervously as he watched him eat. While the boss sampled his cooking, the brunet had a moment to look around.
He saw Gokudera at the bar, cleaning some glasses. Leaning against the bar and scribbling in a book was a tall Japanese boy in his early twenties. He had an apron over his shoulder and it looked like he had just finished a shift in the kitchen. His face was open and friendly, his brown eyes sparkling.
It was then that Tsuna realized the restaurant was empty. Had they closed just for Tsuna to have this interview? It seemed like it. There hadn't been anyone in the kitchen when he was cooking…
He saw a bus boy in his teens wiping down tables and getting them set with table clothes and cutlery. He looked like he had no problem getting a date and like he was a total flirt. The word Casanova came to Tsunas mind.
He saw a waiter pass boy with short white hair and a bandage over his nose. He was wearing the waiting staffs uniform; black pants, white shirt, and black vest. He walked over to the bar and remarked about the extremely good smell of whatever had been cooked to Gokudera and the tall boy.
Tsuna looked toward the back as the door opened and in walked a tall, extremely good looking man. His long blue hair was pulled back into a low ponytail except for a bit that was cut sort at the top of his head. His eyes are what brought Tsuna in. There were red and blue. He had never seen anything like it. He was wearing the waiters uniform, but his slim back tie was loose around his neck and the first couple buttons were undone. Tsuna wondered if he always looked like that, or if he had just gotten back from a break.
As Tsuna turned back to Hibari, he realized that the owner was talking to him. "—bite you to death if you fail my restaurant."
Tsuna blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ehm… I'm sorry, I didn't… hear you…"
This irked Hibari, but that blush… the raven haired man shook his head. "I said that you are hired, but if you fail my restaurant, I will bite you to death."
"I'm hired!?" His jaw almost dropped in shock. He quickly recovered. "I promise I won't let you down!" He had just gotten hired as head chef!
In six months' time, Tsuna was fully integrated into the Café's family. He came to know all of the employees of his work. Some of them had been surprised at first that Hibari had hired him, but his infectious personality had gotten ahold of all of them and wouldn't let go.
The waitstaff was comprised of Ryohei, who spent his off hours teaching boxing at the local gym. Then there was Chrome, who was the hostess in the front. She was a nice girl who was studying psychology at the university. On her break she could be found at the bar, buried in a textbook. Then there was Squalo, who was nice enough to customers, but complained and growled about them in the back. Tsuna often saw Squalo and Gokudera smoking in the ally together on their breaks. Finally, there was Dino.
Now, Tsuna was clumsy, but it seemed like Dino had written the manual about being clumsy. That solved the mystery as to why Hibari hired him even though he was aware of his clumsiness. Dino made up for his own with the way he could charm the metaphorical pants off of every customer.
Then there was Gokudera, of course, and Mukuro. Mukuro made all of the coffee that was served in the restaurant. He occasionally did some waiting when others were on their break or it was busy or if someone was sick.
Tsuna worked in the kitchen with Takeshi, who was his sous-chef. The two worked together great; like a well-oiled machine. Hibari had paid to get the floors completely lined with non-slip mats in the kitchen.
Then there was Xanxus. The angry man had the position of a sommelier. He ordered the wine, stored it in the cellar, and rotated the wines. He knew exactly what wine to go with what kind of food. He was rather… serious about his job. He would get angry if a customer ordered the wrong wine with their steak or salad. He would actually march to their table, snatch the wine away and storm back to the kitchen after all but slamming the better choice on the table.
He also helped with preparing sauces.
There were three bus boys; Lambo, Ken, and Chikusa.
Lambo was the youngest, and he often got stuck with the less desirable clean up. That meant, though, that he often was on the floor more than the other two, and he got to flirt with customers, getting bigger tips.
Tsuna didn't see much of Ken and Chikusa. The two stuck to themselves, Mukuro, and Chrome. He did know Ken spent his off time volunteering at the animal shelter and owned like seven pets. Chikusa taught kids how to yo-yo at the rec center.
The two dishwashers were Spanner and Enma. They two were both rather mild mannered and Tsuna often saw Enma with bandages. He figured the boy was clumsy like him and Dino. Spanner also helped repair things that broke in the restaurant.
Reborn came next. He was the floor manager when Hibari was not in the restaurant or busy in his office. The man was respected by most of the staff, but was rather at odds with Lambo. He defended the staff from disgruntled customers faster than a draw of a gun.
The final person Tsuna knew worked there was Shouichi, who kept the books for the restaurant. He kept tabs on sales and took the money to the bank every night. He also does a bit of ordering, though he is careful to let Xanxus handle the wine. He usually didn't show up until around closing time.
Other than the people who worked there, there were some regulars. Of course, this restaurant wasn't like a diner with all of its regulars getting waffles and coffee, but they had some people who came at least once a week.
Colnello and Lal would come every Friday night; date night. Not that Lal would call it that. Reborn seemed to be friends with them, as he would stop by to talk to them and sometimes sit down for a small glass of wine.
Haru and Kyoko, Ryoheis little sister, would show up every once in a while. They would sit at the bar and sip champagne while they talked together before returning to their apartment uptown.
Byakuran liked to show up an hour before close some nights and order just dessert. No dinner. He switched up his order every night, but seemed to favor any of the desserts that had marshmallows in them. He would often stay as long as he could. Sometimes he could manage to stay past closing, but sometimes he was kicked out.
Everyone who worked there was diverse and rather attractive, Tsuna was sure of that. What he didn't know was that most of them had something specific in common.
They were in love with the clumsy chef.