A/N: I just realized that April was almost over and I panicked and spent the entire day working on this chapter. Horry sheet, I finished this at 9:54 PM. You're welcome.

And you bet there will R27 fluff in this chapter! 

*Am still editing all the it's and its. Sorry. 

Published: 4/28/17

Enjoy!

  。    

私 。 。 。私 。 。 。

  。

" . . . Takeshi-kun?" 

"Ahaha, yo . . .  how's it going, Tsuna?" 

Tsuna, the brunet haired young man with brown orbs, squinted his eyes and stepped out of the doorway to look at his black-haired companion in slight bewilderment. 

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be with Tsuyoshi-san in the sushi shop?"

Takeshi laughed and scratched his head. "Ma, Tsuna. You don't really expect me to stay there for ever do you? I have to embrace the grief eventually."  

Tsuna nodded  understandingly. He blinked twice before he opened the door to let Takeshi in. Noticing the man's obvious hesitation, he smiled and tugged the man's sleeve in encouragement. Silently telling him that there was no need for him to be so nervous. 

"Come along now then," he ushered the tall and surprised man in while quietly shutting the door with his left leg, "I was just preparing breakfast." 

As he shoved Takeshi to the living room, he went back to the frying pan as so to cook the uncooked eggs. Tsuna hummed joyfully to himself, delighted of another's presence, unaware of the stares his companion was directing at him. 

Takeshi remained silent throughout the entire cooking process  before he decided to make his present known when Tsuna cracked open another carton of eggs. "Uh, err . . . Tsuna?" The brunet turned to look at him with his head tilted to the side. "I-I already ate breakfast, so you really don't need to prepare me anything . . . "

Tsuna shook his head, tutting at him, so the jock stayed silent. "You're a guest, Takeshi-kun," he said while cracking another batch of eggs. "It's only proper for me, as the host, to feed you." 

Takeshi's face scrunched. That sounded incredibly wrong in his ears.  

Finally, Tsuna placed a bowl of rice and eggs on the table and smiled kindly at the jock, gesturing him to come closer. "Well, don't just stare at it," Tsuna admonished as he picked up his chopsticks to prove his point. "Dig in." 

Like magic, Takeshi obliged easily. He muttered a silent 'thank you for the meal' before he crammed the entire bowl of rice into his mouth. A surprised gasp escaped between the jock's lips. "You made this, Tsuna?" The brunet nodded. "It tastes so much better than the ones we have at the restaurant!" 

Tsuna blinked before he stared at the bowl of rice in his grasp. "I just added fresh herbs into the mix to make Herbal rice," Tsuna explained. "I used basil to heighten its taste." 

"Whoa, seriously?" Takeshi's eyes seemed to sparkled. "I had no idea you could do that." 

Tsuna suppressed the urge to face palm. Was this man really the son of the best sushi chef in Namimori? "You haven't even tried the eggs yet." Tsuna sighed. "Why don't you eat first before you choke on your food?" 

Takeshi blushed and laughed. "Yeah . . . I guess you're right." 

Raising his chopstick, he took a small bite of the steaming hot eggs before his eyes grew impossibly wide. Tsuna's eyebrow creased. "Takeshi-kun, is there something wrong?" 

Takeshi raised his head to look at Tsuna and, without any hesitation, the eating brunet explained once more, shoving a piece of omelette into his mouth along with it. Those sparkling eyes easily gave away the man's intentions, "I used freshly cut herbs, added melted cheese, a few refined beans, and tossed a few chopped up vegetables." Tsuna blinked. "Are you okay?"  

Takeshi grinned. "You'd make a really, really great housewife someday, Tsuna."

"I think you better shut your mouth before I take that bowl of rice away from you, Takeshi-kun." 

Takeshi laughed. He continued to chat with Tsuna about nineteen to the dozen - the latest gossip, the old couple who's been living down the neighborhood for the past thirty years, the increase demands of the school to the students -  with the brunet occasionally giving him dark glares, hissing at him to put their conversation aside and respect the food on the table.           

As Takeshi finished his share of food, Tsuna took the dirty dishes and placed them in the sink. He pulled his sleeves up to his elbows, and clipped his bangs to the side with a red hair clip. Not wanting his ridiculously long fringe to get in the way. 

"Where's your mom Tsuna?" Takeshi blurted out of nowhere when he noticed that the owner of the household was not at present. 

Tsuna shrugged. "I don't know," he replied honestly. "Went to a spa with a few of her friends, staying active . . . you know, doing  mom stuff." 

Takeshi had nodded. Tsuna looked over his shoulder to see Takeshi reading an old magazine that was settling on the coffee table, flipping through the pages slowly, his eyes looking over the paper with an emotion akin to boredom.  

Smiling softly at himself at the somewhat peaceful sight, his hands continued to scrub the dishes with ease and care, before deciding that it was time he brought up the topic that was considered a forbidden taboo between the both of them since it was about time they moved on if they wanted to be closer to each other. So, with a great amount of bravery, he opened his mouth and asked, 

 "Takeshi-kun . . . when was your mother buried?"

The flipping of pages halted. Tsuna, afraid he touched a delicate topic that was he not meant to, looked over worriedly, turning half of his body to do so with his right hand still in the sink, only to see a nostalgic and happy smile grace Takeshi's face. Bemused, he blinked his eyes repeatedly before deciding that he should say something to break the silence.  

"Takeshi-kun," He took a step forward. ". . . W-Was it something I said?"  

Fortunately, the jock had noticed Tsuna's uneasiness and laughed kindly to reassure him. 

"Haha, don't worry about it, Tsuna." He smiled. "My mother's funeral was about a month ago. That's why I arrived at your shop, so that I could tell you. Since my mind was pretty preoccupied at that time, It didn't occur to me in the slightest that you were still injured . . . I thought you had healed already, haha . . ." 

Tsuna's eyes grew wide before smiling brightly. Ah, so that had been the reason why the jock had stood awkwardly outside his flower shop. He was stupid for thinking that the reason was for anything that wasn't important. How could he have thought otherwise? 

Tsuna chuckled fondly. "That's alright Takeshi-kun." A fleeting thought occurred to him. "Ah, by the way . . . where on earth did you get those White Tulips? If I remembered correctly, I was the only person in this entire town to own a flower shop." 

Takeshi rubbed his chin in nostalgia, his eyes revealing that he was reminiscing fond memories of the past. Tsuna didn't say anything.  "You remember how you befriended my mom, right?" The brunet nodded his head. "Well, after your friendship, you inspired her in a way, seeing as how you were such an optimist and all that. You were the only thing she kept talking about during dinner. An invisible family member of sort." Tsuna blushed. Who knew that Mrs. Yamamoto took a great liking to him? He, for one, sure didn't. He thought the woman just found his presence endearing. But he didn't think that the woman thought of him as a part of her own family. His heart warmed at the mere thought of it.   

"In the middle of one of your conversations, you were talking about uh . . . Tulips, right? Since we're . . . Anyways, she had taken a great liking to White Tulips and was determined to grow a batch of them in our garden." 

"When did she start growing them?" Tsuna asked. "Tulips tend to die easily."  

Takeshi shrugged. "No idea. But to this day, those patch of white blossoms are still blooming in our garden. You should've seen it, Tsuna! It's like a pile of snow! My dad would get so mad at me because I would be so tempted to just jump into them and make snow angels, on rare occasions when he isn't around I would pick one and sniff it! Hey, stop laughing!" 

Tsuna giggled and shook his head at his friend's antics. Takeshi was insufferable, but at the same time, an amazing person to be around with. Tsuna couldn't imagine  how he could continue his life without the jock by his side from now on. Whether they liked it or not, they shared a connection now.  

"If it's so amazing then," Tsuna said and smiled, "you better take me there one day, alright? I'd love to see the beautiful blossoms that Hinako-san had left in your care." 

"Ah, Tsuna." The taller of the two grinned, leaning on his palm for drama's sake. "Ever the flower expert. Would you like a tuna as well if I dropped you by our sushi shop on the way?"

Had the brunet not been so far away from the jock, he would have hit him in the head for that pun. "Don't get cheeky with me Takeshi-kun just because we got sentimental a few moments ago."  

Takeshi laughed and so did Tsuna. The brunet couldn't believe that he had hated this humorous man a few months ago. Bitterness and anger really had clouded his view. Hatred had prevented him from seeing how much of a great person the real Yamamoto Takeshi really was. 

At least now, he did see who Takeshi really was. And he wouldn't have their relationship in any other way. 

In the middle of their conversation, the doorbell rang. Takeshi had offered to see who it was, trying to be polite since he was in a fellow friend's house, but Tsuna had taken a step forward, then two, until he was walking pass Takeshi with a kind and assuring expression etched on his face. Hesitantly, Takeshi nodded before settling down obediently back on the couch. 

Smiling, Tsuna removed the clip from his hair and brushed a few strands away that fell into his vision. Noticing that the knocking had stopped, he took a few more steps before opening the creaking door carefully. What met his inquisitive gaze was the sight of an empty flower filled lawn - no person within the local area. 

Disappointed that he wouldn't receive anymore guests (they've been coming more and more often lately . . . )  he shut the door and headed back into the kitchen. He pondered about it for a moment, but decided against it when he realizes it's probably one of those children playing ding dong ditch. It wasn't uncommon to happen at his house after all.  

Deciding that he was pleased and certain with his conclusion, he strode back to the kitchen with ease. 

Just then, midway to the kitchen counter, Tsuna felt a strong pair of arms wrap around his waist. Confused, Tsuna tried to elbow the figure away. To no avail, the figure had not budge. "Takeshi-kun," he groaned. "You're getting too close."  

"Umm . . . Tsuna . . ." Takeshi said from a distance. From the sound of his flabbergasted tone, it was obvious that he stood up from surprise. "That's not me . . . " 

What?  Very confused now, Tsuna turned around only for his gaze to meet a pair of hetero eyes. Tsuna sighed in irritation, instantly knowing who it was. 

"Mukuro," Tsuna deadpanned. "Please let me go."

"Kufufu." The grip around Tsuna tightened. "Why would I want to let go when I'm so very comfortable right here with you, Tsunayoshi-kun." 

"Mukuro-nii-sama . . ."  Tsuna groaned louder. How were these people appearing out of nowhere?! He had checked outside and they weren't there! Admittedly, they were really good at hiding since children, but that didn't explain how they barged into his house without him knowing!

"Chrome . . . the next time you visit, could you please put your dog in a leach,"  Tsuna pleaded to the man's female counterpart. 

"Ouch." 

"Let go of me then if you don't want the hurtful truth to spill out unpleasantly from my mouth."  

"But I'm so comfortable right here with you, Tsunayoshi-kun." 

" Then hug someone else that isn't me, damn it."  

"Umm, Tsuna . . ." Both the brunet and the blue-haired man turned their heads in unison to look at the confused person standing a good distance away from them. "Err, Who's . . . this pineapple-haired guy?"  

"Good question," Tsuna muttered. 

"Oya . . ." The grip around Tsuna lessened and the florist found himself standing behind his childhood companion in uneasiness. "Of whom is this, I quote,  'pineapple-haired man' you speak of?"

Takeshi laughed out of  amusement. "You of course."

Out of nowhere, A giant trident appeared in the said pineapple-haired man's grip. A trident had actually appeared out of nowhere was now placed into the man's grip. How in the hell did that happen? "You're going to regret ever saying that, sushi boy." 

Judging by the slight twitch to Takeshi's  left eyebrow, Tsuna could tell that he was getting annoyed. The brunet had no idea how to react. "Ma, ma . . . " He raised his arms up. "We're all friends now aren't we?"  

Before Mukuro could attack the offender who said such a daring thing to him of all people, Tsuna grabbed his arm in admonishment. "Mukuro!" he exclaimed, eyes twitching violently. "Can you please not cause a ruckus for once?! Show some damn respect! You are in my house!" 

Instantly, the heavy aura around the room dissipated and Mukuro was back to grinning like the good ol' cheshire cat like he usually was. "Of course Tsunayoshi-kun," he said, grinning maniacally. "I was merely provoking the ignorant child." 

Takeshi made a sound like he'd been punched. "Child?" 

"Moving on." Tsuna glared at Takeshi, warning him not to provoke his irrational fiend of a friend.

"Since you're here already," Tsuna said and added,  'even though nobody invited you in' under his breath, "could you . . . stay out of trouble, please? I'm going to go check on Chrome; she seemed to have run off somewhere," Tsuna said in concern as his eyes wandered all over the room for the familiar slender figure. 

Mukuro place a hand to his heart in a mock salute gesture. "You have my word, Tsunayoshi-kun. I would not tease the ignorant child anymore." 

Takeshi looked like he wanted to give the man a loud slap in the face. "Yeah." He laughed, but it sounded very forced. "You can count on us Tsuna . . . we won't cause a ruckus at all!" 

Tsuna wanted to yell, liar! at that. The brunet could practically feel the sarcasm in the tall man's tone, and he didn't need his so-called sharp instincts to detect that. It was so obvious, the moment his childhood friend came into the room, that Takeshi had loathed him. It was all too clear. If those dark eyes indicated something else, Tsuna didn't know what it would be.  

But, since Tsuna didn't want to stay in the statistic and (for some odd reason) hate-filled room, with the obvious tension that was hanging in the air like an invisible string, and wanting to look for his female friend, he threw them an angry and dark scowl - a sharp and angry warning - barking at them, before stomping out of the room. Looking for his other childhood companion. 

He tried for the garden first, which wasn't uncommon for Chrome, who absolutely adored beautiful and small things, but she wasn't there. He tried for the living room, but went against that when he remembered that two (morons) people were currently occupying that department. 

He tried for the bathroom, the backyard, but it seemed that Chrome had completely vanished from the face of the earth. Sighing, he walked up the stairs, knowing of the only other place where Chrome could've disappeared to - since the pineapple-haired sibling were completely inseparable, where Chrome was Mukuro wasn't far behind and vice versa, she was probably still in the building - and smiled when curious amethyst eyes met his. 

"Chrome, I've been looking all over for you," Tsuna said as he sat beside Chrome, who was sitting on his bed, simply just minding her own business. Tsuna could tell that Chrome was remembering about the past. This was where they made the most fun memories after all. 

Chrome didn't answer, and instead, trailed her fingers over Tsuna's nightstand. "I remember this room," she said. "We use to play hide and seek here as kids. You always lost as a child. I doubt you could still hide from us." She smiled teasingly. "One could only change so much."

Tsuna pouted. "I wasn't that bad- " Chrome gave him a look. "-okay, fine." Tsuna grumbled, hating the fact that Chrome has so much control over him. "Maybe I was a little bad at playing hide and seek with you guys. But only because you and Mukuro were fantastic seekers. I could play amazingly too, if I wanted to." 

"Doubt it." 

"Hey." He flickered Chrome's forehead, earning a pained and surprised yelp in return. "Since when were you this sarcastic?"

"Since now." Chrome sighed. Tsuna raised an eyebrow at her comment, smiling. "I believe I told you, ten years could really change a person."  

"Since you said it yourself. " Tsuna chuckled. "Then you should believe me when I say that I'm not the same Dame person that I used to be. Proof's right in front of you. So stop probing on my past self so much, Chrome. "  

Chrome thought about this and nodded. "That, I cannot argue with."   

"Good," Tsuna said. The brunet had liked how Chrome grew out of her meek and docile shell. It just showed how much she grew as a person. She was more confident, outgoing. Tsuna could thank Mukuro for that. He'd done a great job in raising his little sister.      

Tsuna noticed that Chrome was observing a few pictures. Tsuna joined her. "What are you looking at, Chrome?"  

Chrome pointed at a yellow picture frame with rough, solid edges, with the photo of Tsuna perking on the shoulder of a tanned blond-haired man. The man's jawline was perfect, and he had a boyish grin plastered on his face. "Is that your father, boss? I've never see him around the house before, not even during your childhood . . ." she said, " is he . . . dead?" Her voice was small and hesitant, obviously uncomfortable with talking to Tsuna about his father, like she wasn't sure if it was rude of her to ask or not. 

"He might as well be." Tsuna sighed when he heard the sound of a vase breaking downstairs. Ah, peace could only last for so long.  

"What in the world are they doing down there?" Tsuna mumbled irritably. "I turn my back on them for five seconds and they're already demolishing the house . . . "

Chrome giggled, clearly amused. "I can't tell if you're joking or just being plain sarcastic, boss." 

"Maybe a little of both?" Chrome's eyes twinkled with laughter.  

Tsuna laughed with Chrome joining in the fun. "My father hasn't visit us for sixteen years already, I doubt he'll come back. And I doubt he even remembers my birthday."

Chrome frowned at this. "Aren't you being a little too hard on your father, boss?" 

"Hardly." Tsuna snorted, crossing his arms as he tried to remember a time where he never thought of his dad as a stubborn ass. He couldn't think of one. "I bet that blond idiot forgot he even had a family. A committed wife and a son, to top all of it off."  

Chrome shook her head. "You may never know, boss. Perhaps he'll come back." 

Tsuna laughed. He beckoned for Chrome to follow him downstairs, thinking that they needed to leave. "It's time we went downstairs, don't you think? I need to stop those two idiots from fighting eventually. God, your brother starts a fight wherever he goes- " Tsuna heard the sound of fragile china breaking. "-And there goes another perfectly good teacup. He better pay for all the damage he's causing to this house."

"But we're not done talking about your father, boss." Chrome shuffled after him, frowning.

Tsuna sighed. Chrome grew silent. "I don't want to talk about him, Chrome." The brunet's voice sounded uncharacteristically forced and angry. "There's no point in talking about someone who isn't even worth talking about. My father is a hopeless asshole, end of discussion. If you mention him one more time, I swear I'm going to retch all over the carpet." He pretended to barf which made Chrome giggle. 

"You're impossible," Chrome said, eyes rolling. 

"I know, right?" They both laughed. 

Tsuna smiled, noticing that the noises downstairs had stopped. "You're right, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit."  

"A little?" she asked. 

"Yes." Tsuna laughed as he entered the kitchen, watching as Chrome sat down on the dining chair.  "A little." 

Chrome shook her head. "Do you serve Espresso instead, boss? I'm getting tired of the Chamomile tea that you so often serve at the flower shop. Ugh, it's not relaxing at all in my opinion." Chrome scrunched her nose in disgust. 

The brunet laughed at this. "Espresso?" Tsuna pondered for a bit, before walking towards the cupboard and scanning the items within it. He couldn't say that there were any ingredients to work with, though. "You never struck me as the Espresso type. If my memory serves me right, you were always in for mild and tasty things." 

Chrome chuckled. "Ten years could really change a person, boss." 

Tsuna sighed. How long was Chrome going to use that phrase? 

Rolling his eyes, he obliviously took the apron off - he always uses an apron when making coffee - the hook with Chrome staring at him in slight bewilderment. Her eyes were wide and she blushed. 

"What?" Tsuna asked, naive as ever. "Is there something wrong, Chrome?" 

"Your apron . . . " Tsuna blinked and looked down. He could now see the cause for Chrome's questioning stare, and flushed red. He was wearing a white apron decorated with red strips, and a red trim around the edges to add to the cutesy look the piece of cloth was giving off.  

Tsuna blushed harder in realization. "It's the only apron I have, Chrome. "

Chrome chuckled in mirth. "You don't really need an apron to make tea, boss."  

 "Yeah . . . " Tsuna replied sheepishly, "I guess you're right about that, Chrome."  

Chrome innocently tilted her head to the side. "But even if you aren't a girl, boss . . . that apron really suits you." Chrome made a face. "Frankly, I'm a bit envious." 

"Kufufu." The sound of somebody chuckling and nearing to him was very audible against his ears. "My dear Chrome is right, Tsunayoshi-kun. It's not often that we see you in such an adorable outfit." 

Surprisingly, the sound of a certain jock joined in the conversation, "Haha, he's right Tsuna! It would be such a waste!" 

Tsuna turned around and twitched. It was one thing for a perverted idiot to sexually harass him of his looks, it was another for a trusted friend to do it too. All in all, he could say that he did not expect Takeshi to join in the rather weird conversation. Much less, expect him to agree with Mukuro of all people when he looked as if he was going to rip the man's head off a few moments ago.  

Personally, Tsuna felt betrayed.  

"I'm not wearing this apron, and that's that. My house-" he banged the apron a little too hard on the wall. "-My decisions." He ignored the disappointed faces of the two moping idiots and strode towards the cupboard to get the needed necessities. He froze.

 Chrome stood up to see what was wrong. 

"Boss?" she asked as she held his shoulder. "What's wrong?" 

Tsuna heaved a long, long  and heavy sigh; rubbing his forehead in anger. "It is seemed," he turned to look at them with dead eyes, "that I do not have any coffee beans." 

xXx 

"Why are we leaving the house, boss?" 

"Yeah Tsuna? Why are we leaving?" 

"I wanted to go grocery shopping so that I could make you guys homemade coffee, but then I remembered that there was a  café downtown that makes excellent Espresso. I think you'd like that place a lot, Chrome. Takeshi-kun on the other hand, has probably already been there." 

"Would you mind if I join you, Tsunayoshi-"

"Drop dead you perverted idiota."

"Kufufu, how cruel." 

xXx 

"Where are we going, Tsuna?"

"You'll see," Tsuna said as he maneuvered himself through the busy crowds, making sure that Chrome was always beside him. Upset that he had to take care of two other people (idiots) in this little field trip. He was fine with Takeshi joining them but he was irritated that Chrome's sibling had to join them. As he said, where Chrome was, Mukuro wasn't far behind. So right now, Tsuna wasn't in the best of moods. 

 The two other males in the group were not as agile as Tsuna for they were not used to the busy and bustling crowd. The brunet had to hiss at them to make sure that they weren't going to get lost. (It's a small town though, who on earth would get lost here? But Tsuna wasn't going to take any chances)

 The brunet sighed when the jock tumbled on his own two feet. So much for an award winning athlete. 

Serves them right. A part of Tsuna cackled. Tsuna rolled his eyes, knowing who it was. 

Tsuna eyed the busy streets, looking for that one specific coffee shop when his eyes landed on a modest looking sign. Grinning, he pulled Chrome along excitedly, couldn't wait to show her the shop he'd been babbling about since they stepped out of the house. 

"Come now, Chrome!" He beamed. "This is the place!" 

At the back, the two males were whispering to each other questions along the lines of, why doesn't he treat us like that? or why is he beaming at Chrome so much? Tsuna glared darkly at them to shut up. 

Chrome squinted at the sign above the shop. " 'Rainbow Café'. " Chrome turned. "Sounds like an uplifting place . . . Do you come here often, boss?" 

"Mhmm," Tsuna nodded, practically oozing with excitement. "I come here whenever I need a break, or a simple cup of coffee. I helped them in the past sometimes, but that's a story for another day."  

With a strong push, he opened the door and, with a distinct sound of a bell ringing, smiled. From the inside, the place was downright beautiful. It was modest, but that was its point. It sent a homey kind of vibe to the customers. The brunet adored it and secretly harbored fantasies of raising a café of his own one day too. (Although this dream was very far-fetched and impossible . . . but hey, shoot for the moon, right?) 

Passing them was a waitress whom Tsuna knew very well and he greeted her with a vibrant smile.  "Kyoko," Tsuna addressed, "I'm back!" 

Kyoko, a pretty pale woman with long orange locks tied back in a neat ponytail and a white, frilly apron wrapped around her waist, turned and instantly smiled back at the brunet. Clearly happy to see him. 

"Tsu-kun, you could've told me in advance that you were coming, you seldom come here anymore!" Kyoko trod towards Tsuna and her smile brightened considerably when she saw the other people who the taller brunet brought with him. "Ara and who are they?" Kyoko laughed. "Never mind that, what brings you here?"

Tsuna smiled and gestured towards an empty seat. "Just the usual. They're my friends, but I'll introduce them later - perhaps a table for four first? We can't just stand here in the entrance; we would literally be in the way." 

Kyoko blushed as she absorbed this. "Yeah of course." She laughed. "This way then."     

"Boss," Tsuna turned his head to look at Chrome who was staring at him for answers. "Who is she? A friend of yours?" 

Tsuna laughed. "Of course," he said. "Kyoko and I have been friends since the Cafe opened. She was fairly new at that time, and a lot of guys took an interest in her - I think you would already know why - and my mom and her mom knew each other. Her brother also studied here in Namimori. You do remember Sasagawa Ryohei right?" Chrome's eyes widened with recognition. Mukuro made a gagging gesture in the background, unpleasant memories coming back to him like an oncoming train. 

"Oh yea'! I remember Sasagawa-senpai!" Takeshi piped from the back, joining in the conversation. "He was a really extreme guy! He runs a boxing club next to our sushi shop!" 

Kyoko looked back to blink at Takeshi. "Ara? Yamamoto-kun?" Takeshi nodded. "'Nii-san said you were an extremely awesome guy." 

Takeshi laughed. "Haha, he did? Thanks!"  

"Tsuna-san." The brunet turned his head to look at Kyoko. "'Tsuna-san?'"  

Kyoko smiled. "Customer policies. Anyway, here you go." Tsuna smiled gratefully and sat down,  Chrome sitting beside him. Kyoko excused herself and left them as they were. Takeshi and Mukuro, grudgingly, sat beside each other, eyeing one another with hate-filled eyes, though Takeshi hid it well, Mukuro was leaking with killer aura. 

"You two behave yourselves." Tsuna sighed. He felt like he was talking to a pair of six year old (oh, how that sounded very wrong and eerie. These two men were far from children). Granted, he did supervise a bunch of children in the past, but these two were grown men for goodness' sake. They should know better than to act like kids in public.  

"Boss?" Tsuna stopped his pissed off mind from thinking more about his male companions in the favor of turning his head to look at Chrome instead. 

"Yes Chrome?" The woman smiled and pointed at a certain page in the Cafe menu. "Which do you think is better? Cafe Mocha or Cappuccino?"

 Tsuna hummed at this.  "Cafe Mocha - in my opinion anyway - is best for you since you're into sweet things. They add either chocolate or chocolate syrup into the mix to make the bitter drink a lot more sweeter. Although, Cappuccino is the best beverage in this place - or any Cafe for that matter - I've got a feeling you'd like Cafe Mocha better."  

Chrome stared in awe. "How do you know that boss?"   

Tsuna laughed and patted her head affectionately. "Didn't I tell you, Chrome? I used to help out in this place, so it's obvious I'd gain knowledge along with working here. Moreover, that was just a basic fact. No need to look so awed."  

"Kufufu, that only makes you an even greater housewife, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsuna whirled to look at Mukuro, flabbergasted. "What on earth - Mukuro, you heard our conversation?" Tsuna gestured towards Takeshi, mouth agape. 

Mukuro let out another creepy laugh, "Kufufu~ Of course I did, I know all and see all."  

"No you don't, Nii-sama."  

Mukuro looked over at his sister, eyebrows raised. "Oya, Chrome. Since when did you talk back to your beloved older brother?" 

"Since now." Tsuna chuckled and patted Chrome's head approvingly. "Yes, yes, Chrome. That's more like it." 

Chrome leaned toward the soles of his hands like a purring cat. Mukuro looked like he just experienced the greatest betrayal a human could ever make towards him. Takeshi, ever the caring man, patted his back sympathetically. Tsuna giggled and secretly poked his tongue out at Mukuro. Glad that Chrome chose him and not her own perverted brother.

Overall, it was peaceful. They chatted - occasionally fighting with Tsuna shaking his head at their childish antics and silently yelling at them to behave and shut up - and Tsuna spent his time trying to catch up with Chrome. Chrome was more than happy to inform Tsuna of the endeavors that she and Mukuro encountered in Italy.  

"I learned how to write and speak in Italian, thanks to the numerous tutors that thought us," Chrome giggled at Tsuna, who was shaking with excitement. "Although, Mukuro-nii-sama was a bit hard to tutor because of his massive superiority complex." 

"Oya, Chrome, I am hurt," Mukuro said as he finished arguing with Takeshi about something related to baseballs and pineapples.  

Chrome feigned ignorance. "But it's the truth, Nii-sama." Tsuna spent the next five minutes laughing his ass off. 

Mukuro made a look akin to a kicked puppy. Tsuna almost felt bad for him. Well, almost. Takeshi hadn't hesitate in laughing at the pineapple-haired man, with tears of joy streaming down his face. Pointing at Mukuro like there was something on his face. 

It wasn't even that funny to begin with. The only hilarious thing about the situation was that Chrome had the audacity to act that way towards her older brother. Tsuna felt like a proud parent.  

Chrome turned her head to look at Tsuna. "Thank you so much, boss."

Tsuna looked confused. "For what, Chrome?" 

"For teaching me how to defile Mukuro-nii-sama," 

"Chrome, how could you?" Tsuna outright snorted because of too much laughter. He placed a hand to his mouth so that he wouldn't cause a ruckus for the other customers who were within earshot. Oh crap, did his stomach hurt. And, seeing Takeshi's reaction, Tsuna knew the jock was thinking the exact same thing and he laughed once more.  

 Instantaneously, Kyoko came to their table with a flustered look plastered all over her face. Judging by her ragged breathing, she'd run all the way to their table. Instantly, Tsuna stood straight. Knowing that something was off. Kyoko was never the type to panic and look like she'd run a marathon. 

"Uh . . . Tsuna-san?" Kyoko questioned, looking very flushed and embarrassed at something. "I-is it alright if we talk . . . in private?" She gestured towards the door that led to the kitchen. 

Confused, Tsuna nodded. He reassured Chrome and the others that he'll be right back, seeing as Takeshi was ready to follow him like a little pup. Certain that they'd stay put, he nodded towards the auburn-haired waitress and followed Kyoko towards the kitchen.  

"So . . . what's the problem?" Tsuna asked once Kyoko closed the kitchen door.  

Kyoko let out a little sigh, before bowing her head lowly in Tsuna's direction much to the brunets bemusement. "I'm so sorry, Tsu-kun!" she wailed, switching to his nickname. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" She bowed repeatedly every time the word sorry came out of her mouth. Tsuna, shocked and didn't know what to do in such situation, shrieked in surprise and again asked Kyoko what was wrong. 

By the time Kyoko stopped apologizing, she was out of breath. "I'm so sorry, Tsu-kun . . . I-I'm just a little out of my depth here." 

"That's alright, Kyoko," Tsuna reassured, smiling. "Now could you please tell me what's wrong?"

Kyoko had tears at the corner of her eyes. "You see Tsu-kun, you do know how we do things here right? We don't have a Coffee machine like other Cafe's." Tsuna nodded understandingly as the gears in his head started to turn. 

Kyoko blushed. "Well . . . the only person who actually knew how to brew Coffee in this entire shop called in saying she was sick and . . . "

". . . and so, since nobody else here knew how to make Coffee manually, you wanted to ask me if I could do it since I happened to be here in and am the only one with the knowledge to do so." Kyoko's eyes teared up. "It's alright Kyoko. I understand." 

Kyoko bowed once more. "I am so terribly sorry, Tsu-kun! I'm on my wits end and I have no clue what to do from here." Tsuna chuckled. 

"It's alright. I ran out of Coffee beans at home anyway. So it's a great coincidence. And I was just in a mood to make an Espresso today thanks to Chrome." Tsuna nodded and smiled. "So . . . where do I begin?" 

xXx  

"So that's a Cappuccino, seven Latte's, two Americano and Macchiato, one Caffe au Lait, and a Cafe Mocha." Tsuna sighted, "Goodness Kyoko, why on earth are you the only one working here with this many orders?" 

Kyoko blushed. "Well . . . the others took an early leave because of something important and . . . " Tsuna's eyes sharpened. Kyoko, it seemed, was being bullied. His intuition told him so. He'd have to report this to Kyoko's manager soon. He wouldn't tolerate this kind of behavior towards the sweet auburn-haired waitress. She was like Chrome. He couldn't and wouldn't turn a blind eye to her suffering. 

Tsuna shook his head. "Be like that, then. Kyoko, can you hand me an apron?" 

Kyoko nodded and disappeared for a while before reappearing with a frilly apron in her hold much like what Tsuna had at home. Kyoko looked at Tsuna expectantly. 

Tsuna had an inexpressive look on his face. "I mean . . . something that isn't like that. Kyoko, I'm a guy for heaven's sake."  

Kyoko giggled before shaking her head. "You do know the staff here is only consisted of girls, right? And don't be such coward, it'll suit you! I promise!"  

Tsuna groaned loudly and face palmed. What was it with these people trying to get him to wear a girly outfit? Do they, what, need to see his birth certificate to know that he was a man?   

"But Kyoko," he whined, "I'm a guy. And who said I needed an apron? I think I can do this without it." Just as he said that, he leaned on a cupboard and  a sack of cornflour fell down and landed on his head. Tsuna wheezed and coughed, blinking in shock and looking down at himself to see that he was covered in powder. He shrieked before freezing. Remembering of another's attention directed towards him. 

Kyoko on the other hand, giggled and waved the apron in his face earnestly. "Yep," she said. "I most definitely think you need an apron, Da-me-Tsu-na." 

The brunet let out a sigh and a pout, very much in the verge of tears. Life was so unfair. 

xXx  

"Here's the croissant and the two cups of Cappuccino, anything else?"  

"Brioche accompanied with tea."

"Done."  

Tsuna sighed. His hair was tied back in a lower ponytail like how he usually ties it when doing a certain activity, and his incredibly long fringe was clipped with his red hair clip. His sleeves were pulled back as he placed a fresh filter into his equipment. He wiped the sweat trailing down his forehead.  

"Tsu-kun!" Tsuna turned his head. "Is it alright if you'll be the one to bring this order to the customer? It's the last one by the way, and the man only ordered one thing so you don't have to worry! I also informed your friends you'd be staying longer than intended, so they already headed out!" 

Tsuna smiled gratefully and shouted back his reply, "Alright!" Kyoko smiled and passed him the order. Tsuna smiled as Kyoko took orders and played her role as the cashier at the same time. Tsuna hadn't known Kyoko was so good at this job. It was great to see her knowing what to do. 

Tsuna shook his head and looked at the piece of parchment. Kyoko was doing her part, and Tsuna needed to do his. 

Tsuna tilted his head. "Espresso?" He pushed the piece of paper aside, getting redy to work. "Huh, Kyoko wasn't kidding when she said that this guy only had one order." Shaking his head, he went back to work. He started by grinding the Coffee beans with a mortar and a pestle. The brunet started with one bean at a time. After finishing that, he placed the Coffee beans aside and started with the Moka pot. 

He took the Moka pot, and added water to the bottom of the equipment. He took the grounded coffee and placed it inside the filter basket of the Moka pot. Nodding at himself, he attached the Moka pot's sprouted top. 

He lifted the item, before placing the Moka pot on top of the stove over the medium heat. Smiling as he was nearly done, he checked the coffee levels and stirred.  

Done with the entire procedure, he sighed, removed the pot from the heat and poured the steaming hot Espresso into a mug. 

"Tsu-kun!" Tsuna raised his head. "Are you done? I'm almost done over here!" 

Tsuna smiled. "I'm done over here, Kyoko!" The waitress smiled and informed him that the man who ordered the Espresso was at table thirteen. Tsuna smiled and nodded. Kyoko disappeared once more and the florist slash part timer started working. It was said in the slip of paper that the man wanted the Espresso as it was - bitter and hot. So Tsuna didn't need to add any sort of decoration whatsoever.  

Placing the Espresso in a tray, he smiled and decided that he would bring the rest of the Espresso home. Chrome would absolutely love to indulge in the bitter drink. 

Sighing in relief as the day was almost over, he took the tray walked towards the door before pausing. Rolling his eyes, he momentarily placed the tray into a nearby table and removed the apron. He wasn't going to make a fool of himself by wearing that thing outside.  

Glaring slightly at the piece of innocent cloth (who obviously did something horrible to Tsuna in its past life), he opened the door and ambled aimlessly down the café and to the only occupied table in the distance. 

Noticing that the man had his back turned in Tsuna's direction, he blinked and coughed to let the other know that he was here with his ordered beverage. The man seemed to notice this and turned around. 

This action only resulted a gasp from Tsuna. "Reborn-san?" 

xXx 

"Reborn-san?" Great. Great. Just fucking great. He'd come back to this town to grab a cup of Espresso, to relieve his mind of the stress of being surrounded by a bunch of idiots all day, only to meet the other cause of his dilemma standing in front of him with a questioning look directed right at his face. 

 Well shit. Reborn wondered why Lady luck hated him so much. 

xXx   

Tsuna continued to stare in wonder before shrugging and placing the cup of Espresso in front of the fedora wearing man. It was unproffesional to gape at a customer like a fish out of the water.  Plus, it would add a bad name to the café and its workers. 

"I bet you're wondering why I'm here." Tsuna laughed. "An old friend of mine needed an assistant of sort. I happened to be around to help her."  

Reborn nodded, indicating that he understoof. Tsuna spent the next five minutes awkwardly standing there, before he coughed and announced that he'd be taking his leave. Smiling, he bowed and was about to walk away when a hand shot up and grabbed his wrist. Tsuna, who jumped because he was almost startled to death by the sudden action, looked at the grabber with an imaginary question mark hovering above his head. 

"Umm, Reborn-san?" Tsuna questioned. Reborn didn't say anything, so Tsuna had to awkwardly stand in front of him again for a few seconds with his wrist wrapped securely around Reborn's tight death grip. He looked at Reborn's face, trying to discern what was going through his mind but couldn't do it. Reborn's face was as blank as a sheet of paper. 

At that instant Leon came out of nowhere and pounced up on Tsuna's shoulder. His eyes blinked and he started licking the brunet's cheek. Tsuna giggled and Reborn had to let go of Tsuna's wrist because he noticed that his green companion wasn't beside him anymore. 

"Leon, come back here," Reborn said sternly. Leon hadn't obey and instead, poked his tongue out at Reborn like he was mocking him. Tsuna knew Leon was mocking him. He could just feel it. 

"Leon," Reborn said the second time, more force in his tone than necessary. "Come back here. Now. " Leon had stayed where he was. It was hilarious because the little creature had decided to walk up Tsuna's cheek and settle himself in the brunet's mess of a hair. It was as if it was the chameleon's way of defiling his master.    

Reborn sighed. It would've been unnoticed if it weren't for Tsuna's keen senses, and gestured for Tsuna to sit. The brunet, obviously unsure whether the man was being serious or not, was pulled down roughly by the said man until Tsuna was sitting stiffly in front of Reborn. 

"You were taking too long," he said nonchalantly. "I had to use force."  

 "Tsu-kun! where are you?" Kyoko appeared out of corner before freezing in her steps, mouth wide open. Tsuna sent a look that screamed, help me! But Kyoko only paused for a mere and precious second before she, unhelpfully, winked at Tsuna. The brunet had a look of terror momentarily pass his face as Kyoko smiled wickedly and looked, Tsuna suspected she really was, like she was skipping her way back to the kitchen.  

And so here the brunet was, sitting awkwardly in front of Reborn with nobody else around to help him from his crisis since the shop was basically closed already. 

" . . . Reborn-san-" 

"Reborn." Tsuna blinked. 

"Excuse me?" Reborn sighed. "Call me Reborn instead. If you do so, I'll stop calling you Dame-Tsuna . . . Dame-Tsuna."  Tsuna's cheek puffed at that. He didn't know why, but he gets so irritated when the man calls him by his old nickname.   

"Fine," Tsuna said, his arms crossed. "I think you should drink your Espresso before it gets cold . . . Reborn." 

Reborn smirked, raising the cup of steaming hot drink to his lip. "Glad to see your brain finally working . . . Tsuna." He mimicked the brunet's tone which made the owner of the said name snort.  And with that, he drank the beverage with his eyelids closed. Tsuna placed both his palm on his knees, expectantly waiting for Reborn's reaction. He never got the chance to actually taste anything he made today, so he was eagerly waiting how the man will react. 

He got what he was waiting for earlier than expected. " . . . Who made this?" Reborn asked as he placed the mug down. An unreadable expression etched on his face. 

Tsuna, who was surprised by the sudden question but was more than happy to answer it, smiled. "I made it," he stated. "But it's been a while since I made an Espresso manually . . . so it might not be all that good." 

"This was made manually? And you made it?" Tsuna can frankly say that he has never heard Reborn sound this taken aback until now.  

"Yes," Tsuna trailed slowly, "but  I told you. It has been a while since I made it, so I'm a little bit out of practice." 

Reborn stared impassively for awhile. ". . . It's good," Reborn said which made Tsuna snap his head up in surprise. He didn't need instincts to know that Reborn had just complimented him, "It's bitter and not sweet. Just the way I like it." His smirk widen. "You did good, Tsuna." The brunet pushed down a blush that slowly crept up to his face. The way Reborn said his name made him uncomfortable. But not in a particularly bad way. It sounded kinda nice. (Which made him feel like a creep) 

"Who taught you how to make this manually?" Tsuna chuckled at that. 

"I taught myself of course," Tsuna enlightened him. "I don't remember the reason why, but I wanted to make that particular beverage for someone." 

Reborn seemed to perk at this. "And who's that?" 

Tsuna blinked. Come to think of it, why did he start learning how to make an Espresso? He hadn't thought much about it until now. The only reason he remembered was that someone asked if he could make an Espresso for that person. Tsuna, seeing this as a challenged, learned how to make the drink to impress them. But that's all he remembered, everything else was blurry. 

Again, that familiar throbbed racked his brain from the inside. A memory was trying to make its way back into reality, to knock the hazy vision away, but like always, it sank back down and stopped pestering him.  

Tsuna, while in the middle of his inner frenzy kept his composure and smiled kindly while shaking his head. "I-I'm sorry . . . I don't remember."  

Reborn raised an eyebrow. "You don't remember who you made the Espresso to?" 

Tsuna blushed. "Yes. I really don't remember. I'm sorry." 

Before anything else could happen to trigger more hidden memories within the brunet, Kyoko came by to tell them that she was closing. Tsuna felt like God had answered all his prayers and he inwardly showered Kyoko with hugs and grateful thank you's. 

Tsuna flashed Kyoko a bright smile before the auburn-haired waitress nodded and walked away. ". . . Reborn, do you live here? You appear quite often around these parts," Tsuna said. 

Reborn was still drinking the Espresso when he answered, "I don't live here. I simply come and go as I please." 

Well that was a blunt answer. Tsuna resisted the urge to sarcastically roll his eyes. 

"I'm leaving then." The sound of a screeching chair was heard. "If you ever need me, just stop by the flower shop. It's open from Monday to Friday." Tsuna smiled. "See you." 

"Wait." Tsuna halted in his tracks. 

Tsuna turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"  

As Reborn placed the cup of Espresso down, he looked over his shoulder and pointed at Tsuna's head. Confused, Tsuna touched his fluffy locks only for his fingers to make contact with the green chameleon. Blushing at the realization, he gave the little guy back to Reborn of whom the animal jumped back into his master's awaiting palm.  

"Um . . ." Tsuna had absolutely no idea what to say, " . . . I guess I'm leaving. Goodbye, Reborn." 

"Wait," Reborn said once more, stood up and walked towards Tsuna's direction, "I'm taking you home." 

Tsuna spent the next few moments looking at Reborn with a blank stare. "You're what?" 

Reborn rolled his eyes, bent down and flickered the brunet's forehead. Tsuna yelped and rubbed the slowly reddening spot with a glare directed at Reborn. "Ow . . . Reborn! Why do you keep doing that?!" 

Reborn huffed and twirled his fedora. "I don't like repeating myself twice, Dame-Tsuna."  

Tsuna threw him a watery glare, and jabbed his fingers accusingly at Reborn's chest. "You said you wouldn't call me that anymore!" 

"Can't help it. Blame yourself for being so no good." Tsuna wanted to wrap his fingers around Reborn's neck and strangle him, (which didn't make sense since Reborn was so much more taller than him, and that added thought made him more infuriated than before) but Tsuna had used up all his energy for the day and just sighed instead. 

"Fine," he muttered. He walked to the direction of the kitchen and yelled Kyoko's name, "Kyoko! I'm leaving!" 

Kyoko responded with, "Have a safe trip! I'll take care of the leftover Espresso!" Tsuna smiled but felt a little bit disappointed at the fact that he couldn't take the leftovers home and give it to Chrome but later simply shrugged at it and accepted the inevitable. 

But before they could leave the small café, Kyoko ran towards them and shoved a sack of coffee beans into Tsuna's arms. The brunet recoiled back in surprise. 

"C-Chrome-chan said she wanted to taste the Espresso here more often," she said, breathless. "So here, as thanks for today. Make good coffee with it, alright?"  

Tsuna stood there, not knowing quite how to react, before beaming brightly at Kyoko and nodding his head. "Yeah!" Tsuna said. "I'll make sure of it." 

Kyoko smiled brightly in return and gave him a friendly push towards the door, "Off you go now then," she switched her head to look at Reborn next. "And I hope you enjoyed yourself!" 

Reborn smirked causing Kyoko to blush. Tsuna rolled his eyes. How arrogant of him, the brunet thought, eyes still rolling. He pushed Reborn away before he could do anything else to poor, sweet Kyoko. 

"Bye, Kyoko! See you next time!" 

"Yes, goodbye Tsu-kun!" 

xXx 

"Oh, of all the the Cafe's here, why did you choose Rainbow Cafe?" 

"I happen to know the owner; her name's Luce, she also owns another Cafe in Tokyo." 

"Huh. Who would've thought." 

"Hmm? You never knew?" 

"Shut up, Reborn." 

xXx

"Well, this is where we part." Tsuna turned around and flashed a kind smile in Reborn's way. "Thanks for taking me home." 

That arrogant smirk was back on Reborn's face. "I am a gentleman after all, so it wasn't hard to take someone like you home," 

"Hey." Tsuna scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

Reborn's sly smirk was still there. "Nothing." 

Tsuna crossed his arms. "Anyway, yeah. Thanks for taking me home. I mean it." 

Reborn nodded and leaned against Tsuna's mailbox. "Anything for that Espresso. Can you also make anything other than that?" 

Tsuna hummed and thought about it. "I could make an Americano, Cafe au Lait, Cappuccino and other varieties. I can't list them all. Too many to count." Tsuna blinked at this, feeling like some kind of bragger and immediately added, "B-But I'm not that good at it." He grinned sheepishly, scratching his head. 

Reborn rolled his eyes. "Don't degrade yourself, idiot. It doesn't suit you." Tsuna pouted and called foul at this. 

Tsuna and Reborn spent that time talking about other inane things before it was time for Reborn to go home. "I'd like to try that Espresso again sometimes. "He smirked as he said it. "Is tomorrow alright?" 

Tsuna laughed and nodded. "Sure. Come by anytime."  

"Goodbye Dame-Tsuna."

"Hey!" 

Reborn chuckled. "Alright . . . Ciao Tsuna." 

Tsuna smiled. "See you tomorrow." And with that, they bid each other farewell. 

xXx 

so many grammar errors . . . //cringe// 
edited: 7/7/17