It took entirely too long for two annoyed world class assassins, one indignant Arcobaleno, and a long-suffering Mafia Don to untangle themselves from each other and the chair without breaking anything else.

They didn't succeed.

Squalo couldn't stop screeching at people and swinging his sword arm around at them all when they accidentally (or not so accidentally) pulled his hair while trying to move, Viper kept trying to Mist their way out but only ever made it that much harder when something got caught on their clock pulling them right back in with the rest, Levi kept kicking the already poorly abused cabinet to try and get some motion going to pull himself out but only ended up spraying them all with more glass and dragging the group itself erratically back and forth. Tsuna, accepting his fate of forever being trapped by both Squalo's foot, Viper's body and Levi's idiocy laid perfectly still and hoped if he just ignored them they'd all go away.

"God, you really are just like Giotto." A familiar, echoing voice sneered from above him, "You're both always running away from your problems."

Tsuna's head snapped up, dislodging Squalo's foot off his face and toppling the slim man even further into the pissed off pile. But he didn't notice the renewed screaming, but stared horrified at some type of creature that had gotten past every single one of the Varia and now somehow stood right beside Xanxus without him even flinching. It looked like a person shaped glass container filled with black smoke that was swirling lazily. It had no face, but it's expressions were easy to tell apart they were so filled with raw emotion.

"Wha-" What are you Tsuna tried to ask but before he could finish the first word the creature was interrupting him.

It's lip pulled up slowly to show viciously black teeth that glistened with some type of purple ooze, "Whatever happened to changing the Mafia, Tsuna? Isn't that what you promised us when you realized you had no way out? You were so filled with self-righteous naïveté, so ready to change the world " the smoky figure snarled audibly, "and now look at you, running from your problems again, hurting people just so you can live in denial! You're selfish, no, you're beyond selfish!" The smoke inside the figures body turned in on itself like a self-eating black hole, over and over and over again, faster and faster the black smoke would get sucked up into a hole in the middle of his chest. Then spat back out again by the creatures head and feet.

Tsuna starred in fascinated horror at whatever this thing above him that knew his life so intimately was, before he realized what the being said, "I- it's not that easy!" Tsuna sputtered in denial missing the way Viper, distracted from their fight with Squalo's clinging hair inquisitively cocked their head towards him.

"It's not that easy, he says!" The voice mocked him crouching down to get eye level, "It's sooooo hard having all this power, having all these people willing to die for you, murder for you, change their entire outlook on life, practically worship you. But poor, pitiful me 'I don't want to be a Mafia Boss!' " The things voice perfectly matched a fourteen year old Tsuna's voice. The screech and everything was present.

Tsuna tried to drag himself backwards, away from the toxic, past words the creature was pinning him with, to find some type of safety from reality. Anything but having to listen to this things wrong, wrong, wrong opinion. He wasn't like that!

Tripping over body's in his escape he fell and slammed his elbow hard into the wooden floor, drawing the attention of the rest of them room, "I never asked for any of those people to do that stuff for me! I never asked for them to act like I'm some sort of stupid almighty figure! And- and, you're right I didn't want to be a Mafia Boss! I didn't get a choice in this! But I made it work!" Tsuna cried shakily. A defense made of already shattered glass.

"Boss-"

The figure reached out with one shadowy, cold hand to harshly grab Tsuna's dress shirt and bring them both inches away from each other, face to face. "Well suck it up, buttercup because no one fucking cares what you wanted. This is who you are now and you need to accept it."

"Shitty Boss, what-"

Tsuna couldn't stop shaking. The creatures face was right there, it's breath was hot and minty and it's hand was like a steel cable keeping him steady unwillingly. He could just barely feel Viper's hand clawing the back of his shirt, could feel vague, half formed thoughts of concern in his soul where Viper had forcibly made a home. Tsuna had tried everything he could to keep those Bonds from forming but he couldn't help but be grateful, no matter how bad the idea, that Viper was here with him, that he wasn't alone against this.

The creature wasn't smiling anymore, it's face had gone cold, it's common features showing through the blackness. "You're going to die, Tsuna." It said harshly, "Stop." A shake, "Running." An even harder shake, "Away." Tsuna felt another hand clamp down on the top of his head and scruff it roughly. It was big, always bigger than his and rough from gun calluses. He knew this hand.

"Actually face something in your pathetic life without being forced for once." The smoke being snarled at him but it's voice was fading slowly as more and more sensation intruded on its little world with Tsuna. A big hand on his head, a smaller but even rougher hand (what was it about swords that cased calluses even worse than guns?) clamped down hard on the back of his neck, a rough jacket was draped aggressively over his front, the buckles and strange white criss-cross thing Tsuna had never been able to tell the use of, dug into his neck and knees.

And…

Viper. Tsuna shivered, Viper he would always know, no matter what. They were practically plastered over his back, their arms tight around him under Levi's jacket, their face roughly shoved into the side of his neck and they kept repeating something Tsuna even in this state refused to listen to, over and over.

Easy enough to do when he didn't know up from down or right from left. His head was pounding, and his continuously twitching body felt like he'd just gone twelve rounds with Xanxus making it even easier easy to ignore the Mist. Hi's sight was darkening at the edges with confusing shapes that could have been people, only now he couldn't grasp entirely who and what was where in the room. He couldn't seem to swallow enough to get his voice to work to ask but he could vaguely make out the familiar voices around him.

"This is the third time it's happened this month, Boss." That was Squalo's voice. Less loud then he normally was, almost… secretive? When had he even moved his hand?

"I know." And that was Xanxus. Sounding so much more serious then Tsuna almost ever heard him.

"Has he said..?"

A scoff. "No, of course the shitty kid hasn't said anything." A deep rumble that Tsuna knew Xanxus only ever made when he was deeply displeased about something but unsure on how to fix it, "everytime someone tries to bring it up he uses those fucking shitty ass eyes and all the trash fall over themselves to do anything he wants. It's pathetic." A mean chuckle, "It'd be almost hilarious if it wasn't about this."

"Boss-" Squalo's voice stopped abruptly before he could continue. Which was even more unlike him then his earlier quiet worlds were, Tsuna thought through the molasses that was his thoughts.

"What, Shitty Shark."

A loaded pause.

"...You need to think about why we're even here. Baby Boss hasn't sent us on any missions other than milk run diplomacy ones in months. Even before people outside the Family started catching theses… episodes."

Xanxus tched and Tsuna could hear some type of glass bottle breaking against a wall, then more until it was just glass after glass exploding in the room, one after the other with no stop.

Squalo's voice rose over the breaking glass easily, "You know as well as I do what that means when Don's of any Family do that!" Squalo was seemingly ignored, "BOSS!"

"I KNOW!" Was roared out. The glass stopped shattering and Tsuna could hear a heavy thump land somewhere in front of him, before a large, warm weight covered his front and big hands gently shoved his head into a chest with a wildly beating heart.

"I know, Squalo." A harsh breath, so unlike Xanxus, "I know.."

Something wet and unexpected splashed on Tsuna's cheek, "I won't lose anymore brothers, you stupid fucking brat." Was horsley whispered like a dirty secret Xanxus didn't want anyone else to know, in his hair. More voices argued over his head, but Tsuna was already falling down into the warm darkness of unconsciousness.

For once he wasn't worried about not waking up. As long as Xanxus and the Varia Commanders were there everything would be fine. Tsuna couldn't help a last fond thought that it was awe inspiring how far people can come. His thirteen year old self would have never imagined being anything other than terrified of Xanxus and the others, much less that he'd end up lov-

...he was falling,

drifting in the dark,

forever going down,

down,

down….

(Tsuna wondered idly if this is what death would be like. If it was, he wouldn't mind it so much.)

Tsuna woke up abruptly to the feeling of eyes staring at him. To most people it would probably just be unnerving or annoying, most likely a pet or friend messing with you. For Tsuna it was one of his most common nightmares after he'd started to live with people other than his Mother. Because Tsuna had lived with Reborn for years at that point, so his instinct's (which had always been good when danger or humiliation was involved) said someone (Reborn) staring at you was really bad for your continued mental well-being.

(It's only later, after he'd moved all the way to Italy that assassins started to show up, when it become an actual nightmare that would wake him up weekly, hands and forehead blazing. It was always the worst right behind the one that had Reborn behind the barrel of the gun pointed at him. That one left him shaking for days afterwards. )

He springs up off the couch(?) he'd been sleeping on, his hands and forehead already wreathed in Flames and come into direct contact with Xanxus unreadable eyes. Tsuna blinked and almost took a step back. Xanxus didn't… do quiet. None of the Varia didn't really, but Xanxus was right behind his Rain in the leader press on who was worse to get screaming into you ear.

Instead of relaxing his battle ready stance after he realized it was just Xanxus and not some assassin sent to kill/fuck him, he stiffened up. Something about the air, the atmosphere in the room was still. Like the entire world was holding its breath.

"Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna steared uncomprehendingly. Xanxus had never used his name before. Not for Alliance meetings, not alone, nor anywhere since he'd always had a hard time pronouncing the foreign sounding words. Tsuna's never really cared much about what nickname he'd have as long as Xanxus was comfortable. Why would it matter? He wasn't what anyone else called him either. What's one more persona to add the piles.

But he'd used it this time.

Something was very, very wrong and he had no idea what it could be. What Xanxus had caught when he'd been so very careful about hiding his plans.

Xanxus in turn studied Tsuna, his unreadable eyes trailing up and down his body slowly, before moving with that same contemplating look from fingertip to fingertip. from arm to arm, for some strange reason before he leaned back into his armchair, and placed both boots firmly on the floor.

Not to relax, Tsuna realized with a sinking stomach, but because this was going to take a while.

"We need to talk, Baby Boss."