"Tsuna."

Tsuna blinked, aware that Yamamoto was looking at him with a serious expression. It was odd to see him like that, smile gone.

"Is something wrong?" Tsuna asked. Dread pooled in the pit of his stomach, wondering if something had happened. Was it the kids? The girls? Another enemy attacking them?

Yamamoto reached out to place a hand on Tsuna's shoulder, squeezing. "Call me Takeshi," he said.

The cup Tsuna had been holding slipped out of his hands, clattering to the ground. "E-eh?" he said, startled. "But-"

"Tsuna, I'm giving you permission to call me Takeshi," Yamamoto said seriously.

"Are you sure?" Tsuna asked. What brought this on? Why was Yamamoto bring this up now?

"Yes. We're friends aren't we?" Yamamoto said.

That knocked the wind out of Tsuna. Fundamentally, he knew, he hoped. But there wasn't very much confirmation. It was the first time anyone had verbally acknowledged it to him. "Yes? I mean… if you want to?" Friends were, still remained, a foreign concept to Tsuna.

No one had ever offered to let Tsuna call them by their first name before. Not in the way Yamamoto was currently offering.

Yamamoto nodded. "We're friends Tsuna. So call me Takeshi."

Tsuna worded the syllables soundlessly. Yamamoto, no Takeshi watched him patiently. Takeshi. Tsuna broke out into a smile. "Nice to meet you, Takeshi."

Takeshi grinned back. "Nice to meet you too, Tsuna."

No entirely sure if anyone picks it up, but I actually try to maintain the whole 'permission to call first name' in my fics as a subtle transition of character relationship growth, most notable in We Weren't Born to Follow. I think there's something special about it really.

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