All things considered, Iemitsu was a good father. He just didn't know the meaning of moderation and was incapable of actually telling Tsuna no. Truthfully, Tsuna was easily amused and really didn't want (or need) most of the things that Iemitsu insisted on buying him.
(Natsu was an exception. Tsuna had definitely wanted the Sky Lion Cub and the two of them haven't been apart since.)
To ensure that Tsuna didn't remain spoiled, Reborn, Lal, Viper and Verde all reinforced the idea of working to earn things. The four Arcobaleno got very good at sneaking behind everyone's backs just to make sure nothing went horribly wrong.
("This is so stupid," Verde said. "We're the World's Strongest. How have we been reduced to babysitters?"
"Again, remember what Tsunayoshi is going to grow up like if we leave this be," Lal pointed out.
"... Good point.")
So Tsuna survived so far, still relatively untainted and uncorrupted by the insanity that was carried in his genes. Except for one tiny little fact. His second birthday was approaching.
("What's wrong with Tsunayoshi's birthday?" Verde asked looking at the twitching Lal and Reborn.
"I wasn't present for it, but apparently it went perfectly fine according to Lal and Reborn," Viper said.
"They wouldn't be reacting like that if it went perfectly fine.")
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But, first, Federico.
Federico couldn't really explain it. Not really. But there was something about Tsunayoshi that made him want to kidnap his baby cousin/nephew. In his defense, the only way to spend proper alone time to play with Tsunayoshi was to kidnap him. His father doted on Tsunayoshi whenever Tsunayoshi was at Vongola. Enrico was all kinds of exasperated and Massimo was always bribing Tsunayoshi. Xanxus was fiercely protective in a way Federico couldn't never imagine his younger brother being.
Federico though? He faded in the background, a forgotten note. He wasn't really bitter about it. Enrico was Timoteo's pride and joy. Massimo the spare, Xanxus the favorite, and Tsunayoshi the baby. Federico was the ghost in a family that was already full and he was fine with that. It meant he got to skip long stuffy parties, never have to worry about paperwork as Enrico was definitely going to inherit and Xanxus had set his eyes on Varia and Massimo was already shadowing Iemitsu. There wasn't any place for Federico and he was fine with that.
Sure, he was a little bitter about it. But Federico liked to think he left his angsty teenage years behind. He could, oh arrange for his brothers' deaths like a tried and truth mafioso but paperwork.
(Federico had made it his goal in life to avoid as much paperwork as possible.)
So, if Federico had to label it, he guessed you could call it petty revenge that he would kidnap Tsunayoshi. For one, he and only he got to play with Tsunayoshi. For two, watching and hearing about the ensuing panic as people tried to scramble to find them was downright hilarious.
"TSUUUUNNNAAAAAAA!"
Federico snickered. He played peek a boo with Tsunayoshi who was clapping and giggling. It would be a couple hours before anyone would think about checking the attic.
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"TSUUUUNNNAAAAAAA!"
Squalo didn't know why he was here. He didn't know. He absolutely didn't.
All he knew was that Dino had dragged him to the Vongola Mansion, insisting on some sort of rescue mission. Whatever that meant. Squalo hadn't protested too much because it was Vongola. The best of the best and one day Squalo was going to find a way to enter this famiglia and rise to a position of power.
His beautiful powerful image of Vongola was shattered when he walked through the door to find a blond-haired man bawling his eyes out about some sort of tuna. There were other people running around, checking behind curtains and chairs. The front entrance itself was in disarray.
Dino had fucking disappeared, dragged off by his tutor. (Did Dino even know how lucky he was to have the World's Greatest Hitman tutoring him? That he was welcomed to come and go in Vongola despite not being a member and an ally only?)
That left Squalo alone in the front entrance, unsure of what he was supposed to do now.
This was solved when Xanxus had come out of nowhere and grabbed him. "VOOIII!" Squalo shouted.
Of course, he knew Xanxus. They were classmates after all. But Squalo had never interacted with him before.
"Shut up and sit down, trash!" Xanxus barked, shoving Squalo onto the red couch in the sitting room. He slapped a picture into Squalo's open hands. Squalo examined it. It was a picture of a cute brown haired toddler. "We need every fucking idiot in this place looking for Tsunayoshi."
"He was kidnapped?" Dino's words were beginning to make a little sense. A rescue mission. Squalo could get behind that.
"By my fucking scumbag of a brother," Xanxus glowered. "They're somewhere in the mansion. There weren't any fucking blind spots in the camera so Federico hasn't hacked them to sneak out of the house."
'Are you fucking serious?' They were still inside the mansion?
"Is this some fucking game of hide and seek?" Squalo asked, bewildered.
"They've been gone for three fucking hours. We're going to find Tsunayoshi and beat the crap out of my brother for taking him again," Xanxus said.
…What the fuck that Dino gotten him into?
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Later, after Tsunayoshi was found and Iemitsu had cried on Squalo's shoulder and loudly thanking him for finding Tsunayoshi, Squalo would be taken aside by Viper.
'Shit. The Arcobaleno were here too?!'
"Congratulations," Viper said dryly. "You're hired."
"For what?" Squalo blurted out. Honestly, how had no one looked the antic yet?
"To be the sane man to Xanxus's insanity."
Squalo turned to see Xanxus shot Dino in the face. Dino retaliating by wrapping his whip around Xanxus' leg and crashing him into Federico. There was an eruption of Sky Flames before all of them were doused by Rain Flames by a pissed off Lal Mirch.
"What?" Squalo asked, not processing anything Viper just told him.
Viper merely dumped Tsunayoshi into his arms. "Tsunayoshi, meet Squalo. He'll be around more often."
"Hi!" Tsunayoshi said, waving him.
This place was a fucking madhouse.
Poor Squalo was next. At least this means the Arcobaleno won't have to worry about Xanxus anymore, he's now Squalo's problem. lol
Happy New Years Everyone.
Please leave a review on your way out. :3
