Chapter 5 – Meeting the Vongola boys

Sorry for the long wait. Enjoy the chapter!

Amy sat quietly on Nonna's sofa, waiting patiently as Nonna fussed over a scowling Xan, trying to tame his hair into some semblance of neatness. She was fighting a losing battle there; the Potter Hair – which, judging from the old lady's frustrated muttering, was earning the capital letters – could only be tamed by weight and length, or copious amounts of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion.

It had been two weeks since the twins had arrived in Sicily and Nonna had decided that, now the adoption papers had been finalised (suspiciously quickly, in Amy's opinion; she suspected Mist-interference or bribery) and the twins could speak Italian and Sicilian (courtesy of Nebbia, who had used Mist to implant the languages into their minds; it was odd how he hadn't noticed Xan already knew the languages, but Amy wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth), it was time to introduce the two of them to the rest of the Vongola family. Meaning Nonna's son and his sons, not the mafia family. They would all be meeting up at the church to attend Sunday Mass together, then returning to the Vongola Mansion for a family lunch.

Hence why Nonna was trying to wrangle Xan's hair into something more presentable. Both she and Solare had spent the previous ten minutes battling with Amy's own hair, which stuck out everywhere when loose and kept escaping when they tried to tie it up; they eventually managed to wrangle it into a reasonably neat plait. The twins were also dressed in their new Sunday best clothes, to make a good impression; Xan was wearing a smart shirt and trousers with black shoes, while Amy was wearing a baby pink dress, white socks, and also had black shoes.

Finally deciding Xan's hair was a lost cause, Nonna announced it was time to leave. Amy slid off the sofa, being careful not to rumple her new dress – it was only the second dress she had ever owned, counting the one for the Yule Ball in her past life, and she didn't want to ruin it – and took her still-scowling brother's hand as everyone headed for the door.

Amy knew Xanxus wasn't looking forward to this. He had snuck into her room every night since Nonna had announced their upcoming introduction to the rest of the family three days ago, telling her more about his life with the Vongola men and trying to sort out his feelings for his former brothers and foster father. Amy had recognised several similarities between Albus Dumbledore and Timoteo Vongola, the main ones being that they were both Machiavellian schemers behind their grandfatherly facades and they were both used to getting their own way no matter what. Hearing more details of how Don Vongola had treated her brother in his last life made Amy want to do something exceedingly nasty to the old man.

However, this version of Timoteo Vongola had not hurt her brother (yet) and it would be unfair to hold him accountable for the sins committed against Xan in his last life. That didn't mean Amy would be giving him the benefit of the doubt though; Timoteo Vongola was still Don of one of the bloodiest mafia families in Italy and a manipulative old snake, and as such had to be treated with caution. Amy and Xan would be civil to the man – well, as civil as Xan ever got – but they would not trust him. He was not and would never be family to them.

Xanxus' memories of his foster brothers were more positive than those of his foster father, so there was a chance that they could have a cousinly relationship with them. This time Xan wouldn't be competing with them for the Don position, since he already knew he had no Vongola blood and knew about the blood lock on the rings. Hopefully, this would lead to a better relationship with his former foster brothers, since clearly not having Vongola blood meant the twins wouldn't be a threat to their place in the succession.

They met the Vongola men on the front steps of the church, along with a blonde man who didn't look related to the others. From the way Xan's hackles raised at the sight of him and the description she had been given, Amy guessed the man was Iemitsu; Don Vongola's nephew through the Don's late wife, Head of the CEDEF, and at the top of Xan's 'People I REALLY want to set on fire' list. According to Xan, being Head of the CEDEF meant Iemitsu didn't count as part of the Vongola Family anymore; evidently, Don Vongola thought otherwise, since he had brought the man to a family meeting.

Nonna quickly introduced the twins to the rest of their new family, starting with Timoteo. Amy looked up at the old man smiling down at her (he looked even older than Nonna, which was weird considering he was her son and shouldn't be looking that old yet) and decided she really didn't like him. His grandfatherly façade that reminded her far too much of a certain scheming Headmaster, and his aura was stifling. There was also a gleam in his eyes that Amy didn't like one bit. Amy discreetly squeezed Xan's hand as she felt the uncomfortable ripple in his Flames, doing her best 'shy little girl' impression and hiding behind Nonna's leg as they were introduced. Being around all these tall dangerous strangers was very off-putting.

Xan squeezed her hand, offering his own reassurance. Her brother was distinctly more dangerous with his Flames than she was and having him with her was very comforting, as was having Nonna and her Guardians nearby. Amy turned her attention to the younger Vongola men as Nonna continued with the introductions.

Enrico, Massimo, and Federico Vongola were all very nice and welcoming to their new adopted cousins. Enrico seemed more reserved than his two younger brothers, which Amy thought was probably due to either his personality or him being the oldest. Still, she liked them. She had never had nice cousins before; Dudley's odd personality shift after the Dementor encounter didn't really count in Amy's eyes, and it certainly didn't make up for fourteen years of him being a complete and utter little shit to her. Even if the Vongola brothers were as stuck-up and annoying as Xan remembered, they couldn't possibly be worse than Dudley.

Amy smiled shyly as she said hello to her new cousins, which made the three brothers grin. Federico commented on what a pretty smile she had and how they would have to protect her from undeserving boys as she got older, which prompted a comment from Federico's Rain in a language Amy didn't understand – it sounded French – and caused the other adults to start laughing.

Iemitsu… Amy didn't like Iemitsu. He projected his Flames in a similar way to Nono, except his aura was pushy and abrasive, and his attitude was extremely condescending; he spoke to the twins as though they were four months old, not four years. There was something about him that didn't sit right with her at all. He was also the only adult Sky present who didn't have Guardians; Massimo had the least at three, Nonna and Enrico had four each, and both Federico and Nono had full sets, but Iemitsu didn't have any and that seemed odd to Amy. It couldn't be normal for a Mafia-raised Sky to reach adulthood without a single person at least attempting to bond with him. Then again, Iemitsu's aura was incredibly abrasive, so that probably put a lot of people off.

Introductions complete, the family headed into the church. Nonna sat the twins with her and her Guardians, which thankfully meant they were away from Nono and Iemitsu; Xan had a look on his face that stated clearly that any more baby-talk from the blonde idiot would be met with Wrath Flames, which Amy wholeheartedly agreed with. It was a miracle her brother hadn't attempted to fry the man already, given his prior experiences with Iemitsu. Being away from Nono was also helping to calm the discomfort in his Flames.

Nonna gave the two of them a questioning look. She would have noticed the look on Xanxus' face and the discomfort in the twins Flames' around Nono. Well, Xan being upset at being addressed like a baby was easy enough to explain. The discomfort could be easily explained away as being nervous around so many new grown-ups. It was partly truthful – being around so many new dangerous adults while physically four years old and with minimal self-defence training was very off-putting – and completely believable

The priest entered to start Mass and Amy stopped plotting how best to explain things without giving anything away as they started singing the first hymn. She had attended church with the Dursleys in her past life, but it hadn't been particularly enjoyable – nothing she had done with the Dursleys had been enjoyable. Maybe this time it would be different.

Once Mass was over, the Vongola family piled back into the cars to head to the Mansion. Xanxus was glad for the breathing space away from the old fart, though he wasn't looking forward to having to spend the next few hours in his suffocating presence. Thankfully, they hadn't had to sit too close to him or Sawada-shit in church. Running into the idiotic CEDEF Head had been a very nasty and unexpected surprise, though he really should have expected it; the old fart had pretty much treated Sawada like another son, so of course he would bring his favoured nephew to meet them. Finding out they were going to have to put up with Sawada-shit at Sunday lunch was equally unpleasant. If that trash kept speaking to him and Amy like they were babies Xanxus would fry him, consequences be damned!

"Are you two alright?" Nonna asked as the car began to move. She'd obviously noticed his discomfort and the twins' dislike of Iemitsu.

"If Iemitsu talks to us like we're babies again I'm going to burn him!" Xanxus growled, scowling darkly and deliberately mangling the pronunciation of the blonde idiot's name. Nonna looked over at Amy.

"I'm ok Nonna. There were just too many new grown-ups, and Iemitsu was annoying" Amy replied quietly, also mangling Iemitsu's name. It probably wasn't as deliberate in her case, since his sister didn't speak Japanese.

Nonna nodded sympathetically. "I'll speak with Timoteo and see if Nebbia can join us for lunch. It's not something we usually do at family dinners, but I'm sure I can persuade my son to make an exception this once."

As soon as the car pulled up at the Vongola Mansion, Nonna got out and practically ambushed her son to make her request. When faced with the force of nature that was his mother in protective-mode, Don Vongola very quickly acceded to her request to allow her oldest Guardian to join them for lunch to reassure the two tiny Skies under her care.

Lunch wasn't as bad as Xanxus had thought it would be. It certainly wasn't as bad as when he first came to the mansion in his past life, when he was floundering from the sudden change and trying to figure out the unwritten rules he kept getting told off for breaking. The twins were sat between Nebbia and Nonna, who acted as buffers between them and the rest of their sort-of new family (it wasn't really new for him, but it was new for Amy, and he wouldn't have the same relationship with any of them as last time so it was kind of new), carefully steering the conversation so that the twins were included but weren't bombarded with questions. Iemitsu was still being a nuisance though; it was taking all Xanxus' self-control not to set the trash on fire. His presence alone was irritating enough, and it only got worse when he spoke.

As the meal finished and the adults got up from the table, something unexpected happened. Iemitsu had stood up and was talking to Nono about something when all the hair on his head – including his eyebrows and facial hair – turned a putrid shade of neon pink. Nono stopped mid-sentence, staring at Iemitsu's new hairstyle.

"What's wrong Nono? Is there something on my face?" Iemitsu asked, puzzled. There was choked laughter from Federico's direction as Nebbia Conjured a small mirror and handed it to Iemitsu. The idiot took one look and shrieked "What the fuck?!"

"Language!" Daniella reprimanded, trying not to laugh.

Iemitsu turned to the only Mist in the room. "You did this!"

"No, I didn't," Nebbia replied, chuckling.

"Nebbia isn't responsible for your new hair-do, cousin. I didn't sense any Mist Flames at all," Massimo replied. Federico had given up and was now howling with laughter, and even Enrico was smiling. The only people not amused were Iemitsu and Nono.

Massimo had a good point though; Xanxus hadn't sensed any Mist use either. That meant magic. He glanced at Amy, who was giggling with a smug gleam in her eye. Clearly, she had decided to do something about the trash before he gave in to his arsonist inclinations. It was quite funny actually. Xanxus would have preferred something more humiliating but he'd take what he could get for now.

Iemitsu stormed out of the room muttering direly, most likely going to find a Mist to fix his hair or at least hide the change until it wore off. Nono excused himself to go and talk to Visconti; the Cloud was probably going to turn the mansion upside down looking for the non-existent Mist responsible for the prank.

"I think we'll go and wait for Timoteo in the sitting room down the hall," Nonna said, offering her hands to the twins. Grinning and giggling, they allowed themselves to be led from the scene of the crime.

This was definitely one of the better lunches Xanxus had had at the Vongola Mansion.

Daniella and her youngest grandchildren hadn't been in the sitting room for long when Timoteo returned with most of his Guardians, as well as his sons and their Guardians. Visconti wasn't with them; he had likely been tasked with tracking down whoever was responsible for Iemitsu's new hair colour. Daniella's Intuition was insisting Amy and Xan had something to do with it, despite having no proof.

Her son and grandsons came to join her in the seats by the window, watching the twins setting up a game of Snakes and Ladders on the coffee table with Solare and Tempesta. Xan and Amy both turned around and watched as the new arrivals settled themselves before turning back to the game. Despite being family, they were still strangers, and both children were understandably wary of strange adults. Given what little the twins had let slip about their home life before they were abandoned, it was likely they would be wary of the Vongola men for some time.

Timoteo smiled at the children playing at the table. "I have to ask, Mother; how did you manage to find a pair of twin Skies while on holiday?"

Daniella signalled for Nebbia to put up a Mist veil, so the children didn't overhear the conversation. This was one of the questions she had been avoiding over lunch, not wanting to risk distressing the twins by bringing it up. "I found them being chased by a group of older youths and using their Flames to fight them off. The two of them had been abandoned in the backstreets by their caretakers and had been living rough for at least a couple of weeks."

Her son and grandsons looked appalled. "How could someone just abandon children like that?" Federico asked, looking over at the two tiny children. Daniella didn't know how to answer her youngest blood grandson. Children were supposed to be cherished and nurtured, not thrown away like so much rubbish.

"I don't know grandson. But they are Vongola now, and we will love and care for them as though they were our blood," she replied. The determined nods she received in return from her grandsons were very gratifying.

"They seem to be settling in well," Timoteo commented, watching as Amy grinned and zoomed her piece up a ladder.

"They are," Daniella agreed. "I'm planning on signing them up to the Academy nursery school soon."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Timoteo asked doubtfully. Daniella's eyebrow's raised at her son's objection.

"You think it isn't?"

"They are both very young Active Skies; even with the protection of the Vongola name, they are still at risk," Timoteo replied. Daniella knew her son was angling for something here; her Intuition was pinging, which meant it was something that needed to be headed off early. Most likely he wanted a say in the twins' education.

"You didn't have any objections like that when we started attending," Massimo pointed out.

"You boys were much older, with self-defence training and proper control over your Flames. The twins are young and untrained," Timoteo replied.

"Those two may be young, but they are far from helpless. Didn't I just tell you that they fought off a group of older boys with their Flames, without any formal training? I've already started them on basic control exercises, so as to reduce the risk of accidents, if that's what you're worried about. Or perhaps you feel the school's security isn't sufficient? Most of the Dons send their children there for schooling, including their heirs; I'm sure they wouldn't do so if they felt the security was insufficient. Besides, the twins would benefit from making friends their own age," Daniella retorted. It was unusual for Vongola children – born or adopted – to start attending school so young, but Daniella felt the twins could only benefit. Children needed friends, and she got the feeling her twins hadn't had many friends back in England.

The Vongola would benefit too; the twins would have Alliance connections from a young age - may even pick up a few Guardians - and sending them to the Academy would show the Vongola Family supported the school. Timoteo could see this, so his objections to sending the twins to school were silly at best and manipulative at worst. Not that she wanted to believe that of her son, but he was a Mafia Don; manipulation was part of what they did.

Timoteo sighed in a very put-upon manner; that really was no tone to be taking with his own mother. "I see I can't persuade you otherwise, Mother. I still think sending them to the Academy so young is not the wisest thing, but it is your choice."

"They won't be staying all day until I'm satisfied with their Flame control, son," Daniella said, hoping to allay whatever worries her son had. Timoteo nodded in reply. Satisfied the matter was settled, Daniella signalled for Nebbia to drop the Mist veil and turned her attention to catching up properly with her other grandsons.