"There are no strangers here; only friends you haven't met yet." – William Butler Yeats

Tsuna led a good life—at least, he thought so.

He wasn't a bad kid. He drank his milk, listened to his mother, and did most of the things he was supposed to do.

Back in his school days, Tsuna was endlessly teased and bullied because of his short stature. It wasn't until college when he told the jackasses to kiss his ass before he moved to Tokyo. Who knew his nonexistent father had some nice apartments in the city? How the fuck would a simple construction worker even own penthouses anyway? Needless to say, Tsuna was anything but an idiot. He was pretty sure his mother knew something was up, too; he just didn't have the heart to bring it up.

He thought he'd like the change of scenery—he really did; the city was amazing and he didn't have to see the same assholes every day within a 2-mile radius like in his small hometown—but he found himself homesick, unable to focus on his studies. His mother had supported him throughout his rocky junior year, not even chastising him when he dropped out and took a job as a barista. Who knew making coffee would be so therapeutic?

So, he spent the latter half of his year taking up odd jobs around Tokyo, shit-talking to his godawful roommates, and trying not to become homeless. It was fun until his homesickness got the better of him. He decided to move back to Namimori over the summer, and sagged in relief in his mother's warm arms.

It was truly good to be home.

His mother had caught him up on what happened in Namimori while he was away. He let her chatter as they both maneuvered around the kitchen, cooking a delicious lunch. Tsuna's mouth watered when he saw the food arranged on the table. It had been so long since he had a nice home meal. Sure, he could cook but between paying the rent and the groceries, it was difficult to do it often. He refused to ask his parents for money, especially his father, and opted to go on a cup ramen diet like the broke college student he was. Truly a humbling, miserable experience.

"You're so thin, Tsu-kun," his mother said, frowning. "Here, eat more."

"Thanks, Kaa-san," Tsuna said, shoveling more rice in his mouth. "This is really good."

Nana smiled. "I'm so happy to be eating with my adorable son again."

Tsuna nearly choked on his beef. "K—Kaa-san…"

Nana giggled. "It seemed like only yesterday when you wore your bunny pajamas and made a mess in the bathroom. Time flies so quickly."

"I'm 21 now, Kaa-san…"

"I know. Here, eat this." Nana placed some stir-fried vegetables on his rice. "Haru-chan brought some from her mother's garden yesterday. They're very fresh!"

Tsuna smiled at the mention of his childhood friend. Haru had always been there for him despite attending a different school. He had kept in touch with her when he moved to Tokyo but…

He swallowed his rice, feeling the thick portion slide painfully down his throat.

No, he thought. It's all over and done with.

"How's she doing?"

Nana clapped her hands. "Haru-chan actually opened up a wonderful store on Third Street a year ago. She's been very busy lately because so many people put in requests for her designs. She even has oversea customers!"

Tsuna grinned. "I'm glad. Maybe I'll visit her later."

Nana frowned. "Oh, she left for Tokyo this morning to meet with a client."

"Ah, I just missed her then. I can wait until she comes back."

"Of course! Now hurry and eat, Tsu-kun. Your food will get cold."

"Right."

They continued to eat and make occasional small talk, just taking warmth in each other's company. If anything, it was nice to get away from the heavy buzz of the city. Well, until Tsuna popped the big question. He internally winced.

"Hey, Kaa-san. Are there any cheap apartments in the area?"

Nana tilted her head. "Why are you looking for apartments, Tsu-kun?"

"It's not that I don't like living with you," Tsuna said quickly. "But I thought I'd appreciate my own space, you know?"

He had lived with roommates in Tokyo and wasn't all that keen to live with another human being. He only tolerated them since they paid a third of the rent. Not that he didn't like living with his mother, but he liked having some privacy. Plus, he saved a decent amount of money to start fresh again and was already planning on working in some places in Namimori.

He had the next chapter of his life already planned out: rent a new apartment, get a few jobs to keep him busy, and transition into a nice, welcoming retirement. Children and marriage were completely out of the equation. He just didn't want to depend on his mother for the rest of his life, no matter how appealing that sounded.

To his surprise, Nana smiled warmly and nodded. "Of course. A lot of young people have been moving out of town lately so there's some space here. Do you have a particular place in mind?"

Was she for real? She didn't even ask why. Yup, Tsuna was truly blessed with the best mother ever.

He couldn't help but grin. "Really? You don't mind?"

"I trust you, Tsu-kun, and I'll support any decision you make."

Tsuna's breath slightly hitched. "Thank you, Kaa-san."

"But you better visit at least twice a week for dinner. You have to call me every day or else I'll personally hunt you down and drag you back home."

Tsuna laughed weakly. On second thought, he didn't know if moving out was a good idea after all.

"I was thinking Midori since Kokuyo's too far. Commute would be easier too until I get a car."

"Oh, wonderful! I'll make sure you pick one close to Mama."

"Kaa-san!"

Nana just laughed, ruffling his messy hair. She smiled gently. "I'm glad you're home, Tsu-kun."

Tsuna returned the gesture, not even minding her touching his hair. "Me too."

If only he had some foresight then, he would've never left his mother's house to begin with.

Scratch that—he would've never returned to Namimori.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this little intro! (Plot bunnies have been terrible to me this week…)

I have a thing for making Tsuna older for some reason. Oh wells.

To clarify on a couple of things: there will be mafia but no flames since I'm going for a more realistic take in this story. The Arcobaleno are all adults and there is no curse. Nana is not painfully oblivious. Iemitsu is still Tsuna's father, which will lead to some juicy family drama later. The odd jobs Tsuna took in Tokyo will become more relevant later on. The 10th generation will be younger than he is by a few years but will still retain their personalities for the most part—just with different circumstances and backgrounds. Haru is the only one from the canon cast that is the same age as Tsuna. No matter how light-hearted I originally wanted to make this story, I can't help but be a drama queen and add some more drama (who doesn't love drama though? Hehe).

Please do leave a review or two on your thoughts! I'll try to answer any question you have as soon as I can.

Thank you for reading this, peeps! I hope to see you in the next chapter.

Have a lovely day~

Little Miss Bunny

Revised: 4/7/2018