Chapter Text
Timoteo has a routine. A routine. Which, if one’s been in the business for as long as he has, obviously spells trouble; at least it always did in Xanxus’ appreciation and he’s only vaguely aware of said routine.
Maybe a couple decades ago the old man could’ve gotten away with a daily espresso on the terrace of his favorite restaurant; maybe then there was some honor left in this world and small time shits would’ve went through the effort of poisoning his coffee instead of openly shooting at him in the middle of the street.
Then again, Xanxus knows that a mysterious heart attack wouldn’t have given him free reign to deal with this the way he wanted; the business is as much a game of politics as it is of strength, and the attack could gain him the backing of the allies.
He won’t have to hold back now.
Timoteo’s chair is not nearly as comfortable as his, the office’s too crowded with smiling faces all over the walls and staring up at him from the desk; but he does what he can anyway to fit himself in –fucking ergonomic, lumbar support bullshit– and starts making calls.
…
Tsuna supposes that if Reborn hadn’t forced him to read The Godfather –and he still doesn’t know if that was an honest obligated reading for a mafia boss or a jab– he wouldn’t find this amusing enough to give pause to the panic building in his throat; but Xanxus is sitting behind the desk talking into the phone in the most dangerous whisper Tsuna has ever heard and it almost makes him cough up a laugh.
He is no Michael Corleone, Tsuna thinks; he won’t be able to take charge of this, even if Nono makes it, he’s been hardly capable of forming coherent sentences since he got Xanxus’ first call, he can’t even think in a straight line, he can’t…
A fist sized glass bird flies past him and shatters against the doorframe; Tsuna realizes then that he’s been standing there staring into nothing for over a minute.
And Xanxus whistles at him like he’s a dog; a high, sharp sound with no real malice behind it, merely to get his attention; which in a way is way more offending, but he has no mind to be anything but flipping out at the moment.
“You’re manning the phones, little shit, I need you awake.”
“Why?”
It comes without thinking, and Tsuna’s immediate next thought is that this asshole’s gonna yell at him for talking back, but Xanxus limits himself to stretching his back like a very big cat and gesturing toward the receiver now abandoned on its side.
“Because I won’t fucking deal with another cracked voice guardian.”
It’s shocking to figure out that that whisper was Xanxus’ version of comfort, but that’s not exactly what Tsuna meant with his question, so he needs to clarify, even if he feels the burning stare and the silent ‘why are you not moving’ in the man’s body language.
“Why did they shoot Nono? I mean, is he alright? What are we gonna do?”
“You are gonna sit there and talk to whoever calls because you’re the fucking heir and it’s your fucking job, I’m gonna go find something to eat,” is the answer, which doesn’t really give him any important information, like how is his grandpa holding up, or why the hell is this even happening, and he’s gonna have to annoy Xanxus into either talking or beating him to a pulp, isn’t he?
“Xanxus, how’s Nono?” he asks because this is literally the longest he’s ever spoken to the Varia boss and he’s terrified of using the word ‘dad’ in front of him for no particular reason.
“He’s gonna live, he doesn’t need you to baby him.”
Xanxus heads for the door with that, and this is weird, he hasn’t snapped at Tsuna; in fact, he’s being surprisingly cooperative for his temper and he’s almost behaving like a normal human being.
A voice in Tsuna’s head says this is dangerous (this is wrong, no, don’t trust him, what the fuck) but right now, with Reborn up in Naples on official Vongola business and his guardians either stationed at the hospital or on route, Xanxus is all he’s got; well Xanxus and the nagging, obsessive thought that he has to get out of his system before it drives him insane.
“Hey, Xanxus, did you ever had to read The Godfather?”
And this is it, the moment where all hell breaks loose and Xanxus shoots at him or throws something and everything is back to normal; or it would, if Tsuna hadn’t somehow crossed to the twilight zone in his sleep. Here, the man he’s been half afraid of since adolescence turns smoothly around with what looks to Tsuna like the ghost of a smile.
(no, please don’t, if he smiles I’ll really lose it)
“Are you asking how big my dick is?”
That does break Tsuna, making him laugh so hard that he has to bend at the waist for a minute, which is just enough to find Dino instead of Xanxus with him in the office when it finally passes.
“I think I’m having a nervous breakdown” he forces out through his tears.
“That would explain you being so friendly with Xanxus,” and thank god for Dino and his nonjudgmental tone, because he needs someone to be the same as before, “how’s Nono?”
“Xanxus won’t tell, well he says he’s gonna live but not much else.”
“He’s probably waiting for Squalo to report then, he’s been at the hospital the whole day.”
Dino sits on the other side of the desk and Tsuna could hug him for helping him translate whatever little comes out of Xanxus’ end into actual, real people words, even if said words aren’t all that relaxing.
“I sent Gokudera and Yamamoto over there, I really hope they don’t get into a fight.”
“It’ll be alright, fratellino. Squalo knows how to behave, you should be worried about Xanxus.”
Tsuna snorts because he is worried about Xanxus, he’s been worried about Xanxus for the longest time for various reasons, the latest being that maybe, just maybe –and this is probably the crisis talking– he’d be a better option for this position than him; but there’s something on Dino’s mind and he trusts him blindly.
“Why?”
It takes a moment of his older brother looking down at his hands like he’s wording something very carefully, and it’s only long enough for Tsuna to start to understand exactly what he’s getting at, and just how right he is.
“I’m not saying there’s any evidence that he’s implicated in this, but we have to consider, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s tried to kill Nono.”