I'd like to thank Lumelle for challenging me to write this fic ("D x fem!18: Dino needs an avec for an official mafia gathering"), for keeping me company and reading bits and pieces that I sent during the writing process, and for providing me with a title.

"Romario."

"What's wrong, Boss?"

"What am I doing?" Dino questioned. The calmness of his voice was completely contrary to the tension in his body language; he was pacing back and forth monotonously, pausing only to nervously tousle the back of his own hair or glance at his right-hand man. Romario sighed a long sigh, reached into his pocket to retrieve a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. He placed one of the smokes between his lips and lit it, inhaling deeply while considering his reply.

"You're waiting for your date."

"And?"

"You're living up to the expectations of the Cosa Nostra by planning to present your date as your inamorata."

"And?" Dino prompted again, shooting a weak smile at his right-hand man. Romario stifled a snort of laughter behind a poorly-timed fake cough and tapped the ash off the end of his cigarette.

"Said date doesn't know of her status as your inamorata."

"And?" Dino prompted for the final time, still managing to keep his voice at an admirable level of calmness.

"That inamorata is the Vongola Cloud Guardian, Hibari Kyouya."

"Exactly!" Dino burst out, briefly placing his face in both of his hands. "What exactly was happening in my brain?"

"I don't think your brain had much to do with it, Boss," Romario quipped, but a horrified look from his Boss prompted him to clarify himself further. "That is, I think it was more the adrenaline of the moment."

To Romario, it had certainly seemed that way, at least. After all, what else could have made his Boss invite the Vongola Cloud to escort him to one of the most important galas on the Mafia calendar and declare his affection for her in the same day?

The fateful day had started the same as any other typical day that they spent in Japan. Romario had woken with the sunrise and his Boss had joined him approximately thirty minutes later for breakfast, as was to be expected. They had left the penthouse apartment in Namimori hotel that his Boss rented, and they had left the hotel as quietly as they could with his boss tripping in the revolving door at the entrance and becoming stuck. They opted to travel in a taxi, rather than his Boss's sleek black limousine; the car stood out too much in a small town like Namimori, his Boss said, and Romario couldn't help but agree. He had followed his Boss down to the taxi rank near the border of the hotel, and had slipped into the back passenger side seat behind him. The taxi driver stared at his Boss as he told had him to drive to Namimori Middle School; Romario honestly wasn't sure if it was because they were foreign, because they were both clearly over middle school age, or because his Boss had somehow managed to entangle himself in the passenger's side seatbelt while getting in the car.

It was then that Romario began to suspect that this day would not turn out to be so typical after all.

The car ride to Namimori had been long and tedious. The streets had been packed with peak-hour traffic, and their driver had apparently been just slightly suspicious of their motives. Whenever his Boss had tried to make conversation with the taxi driver in Japanese, the man's answers had been short and to the point. Whenever his boss had tried to converse with Romario himself in Italian, their driver had seemed concerned about what they could potentially be saying. Thankfully, they made it to Namimori Middle just as the last few students were dashing through the gates, trying to make the first bell. After paying the driver (who proceeded to count the money and then speed away without so much as a goodbye), Romario had run to catch up with Dino, knowing all too well where he would be headed.

Hibari Kyouya had looked the same as she always did. The only things that ever changed about the Vongola Cloud Guardian were the things she couldn't directly prevent changes in, and it showed more and more with every successive visit they made to Japan. She still waited to fight his Boss on top of Namimori Middle school, despite the fact that she was too old to even be considered a student any more. She had worn a blank expression that changed to a snarl or a smirk in the blink of an eye, and a tailored blouse and skirt that resembled the Namimori Middle girls uniform just a little too much for the similarity to go unnoticed.

"Kyouya," had Dino greeted, uncoiling his whip from its place on his hip.

"Bucking Horse," Kyouya had acknowledged in turn, unstrapping her tonfas from their respective places on either side of her thighs. Romario noticed the subtle shiver that coursed through his Boss's body - he had been with Dino long enough to notice the subtle nuances in his body language and his moods - but ultimately chose to ignore it for the time being.

The next few hours were much closer to what Romario was accustomed to from his Boss and the Vongola Cloud; bloodshed. Kyouya never became any less violent than he was used to, and his Boss never became any less stubborn or masochistic. It was only after Kyouya had forced Dino to his knees that his Boss had grinned and admitted defeat.

"Alright, alright. You win Kyouya, you win."

"Naturally," Kyouya smirked, and Romario had cringed when the woman had flicked droplets of his Boss's blood from her weapon with nothing more than a well-timed swipe of her arm and an admirable amount of nonchalance. The Vongola Cloud had turned on her heel, intent on leaving without bidding his Boss farewell, as was usual. However, what happened next was not usual at all, and wholly convinced Romario that today was most certainly not going to be a typical day in Japan.

"Kyouya, come back to Italy with me!"

Kyouya froze at the sound of that request, and spun back around so fast that it made Romario's head swim. She raised her tonfas to the level of her eyes and scowled, as if Dino had just made her the subject of a particularly violent threat rather than inviting her to stay with him.

"What herbivorous nonsense are you spouting now, Cavallone?"

"Well, I'm invited to a Mafia gathering in five days, and they're expecting me to bring an avec... but not like that," Dino quickly amended, after Kyouya took a single, dangerous step closer to him. "I thought you might like the idea of showing the Cosa Nostra the extent of your strength. Namimori may be the most important part of the world to you... but the rest of it is waiting for your power, too."

That was truly scraping the bottom of the barrel, Romario decided; if Kyouya started anything violent at a gathering, the other Families would take it as a declaration of war. Dino had apparently read his right-hand man's mind, because a second later he added the rather lame afterthought of, "I mean, not physical strength. Your Vongola Gear, your rings... the power of the tenth generation."

Romario expected Kyouya to obliterate his Boss right there and then, but his earlier thoughts concerning the unchanging nature of Hibari Kyouya seemed, for once, to be incorrect; in fact, it looked like the violent brat was actually considering it. Dino apparently sensed this and hurried to use it to his advantage.

"I'll do anything you wish if you accompany me, Kyouya."

Romario thought that was a little excessive, but far be it from him to criticise the way his Boss dealt with his 'student'.

Kyouya glanced over her shoulder at the grey concrete wall of Namimori Middle directly to her posterior left, frowned, and then turned back to the Cavallone Boss.

"I want one hundred of your men patrolling Namimori at all times, for the entire duration of the trip."

Dino's smile faltered for just a second, betraying his surprise and bemusement at the request, but once he recovered his smile was as strong as ever.

"I'll organise it. It's unusual for you to be willing to leave Namimori's safety in the hands of others, Kyouya."

"If nothing else, they will act as an effective meat shield thanks to the sheer number that will be crowding around," Hibari said shortly, before turning around once more and heading for the door that led down to the interior of the building. "I'm leaving."

"Meet me at Namimori airport tomorrow at 7p.m.!" Dino shouted after her. "Just bring whatever you think you'll need. We'll take care of all the official documents and everything related to them, won't we Romario?"

"What? Oh, yes Boss," Romario replied robotically, still feeling slightly gobsmacked at the scene unfolding in front of him. Kyouya paused, a silent acknowledgement that she'd heard Dino's instructions, and then left without another word.

"Err, Boss?" Romario questioned uncertainly. Dino was still staring at the door Kyouya had disappeared through. "What was that about?"

"... I think I'm in love, Romario."

Today was certainly not a typical day, Romario decided.

Back in the present, Dino's nerves appeared to be getting worse and worse with every passing minute. His thoughts were varying wildly, and none of them were particularly positive. His first thought was that Kyouya would refuse to show up at all, that she would barricade herself in the room she had 'claimed' the moment she'd stepped into his home and scoff at the idea of appearing in public on his arm. The second was that she would lose her temper, destroy his reputation and the Vongola's alike, and make herself some powerful enemies. The third was that she'd show up in full, traditional Japanese formal dress, from the traditional kimono to the tabi and geta on her feet. That wouldn't have been bad had they been attending a more private function, come to think, but in the Mafia world it would simply brand her as even more of an outsider than her Japanese heritage would alone. He'd been thinking with his heart and not with his head, and that was one of the greatest mistakes that a Boss could make.

"Romario," Dino sighed, running his fingers through the front of his hair and ruining his hairstyle for what must have been the tenth time that night, "if things get out of hand, please put me out of my misery."

Romario snorted, stubbed his cigarette out on the sole of his shoe and peered down the hallway just in time to see Kyouya's door swing open and to witness the Vongola Cloud Guardian's grand debut as his Boss's avec.

"... I don't think you have anything to worry about, Boss."

Dino opened his mouth to question his right-hand man, but in the same instant Kyouya stepped around the corner and in to his line of sight. That was enough to leave him with his mouth hanging open, positively speechless.

The Vongola Guardian was dressed in a simple black dress that reached her knees. Her face had been powdered until it was more pale that even the natural porcelain shade of her skin, but it suited her well. Her eyes were lined with black and her lips had been painted the most vivid shade of scarlet he had ever seen. Her hair, which had grown wispy and slightly uncontrollable over the years, had been swept into an elegant style that just barely touched the nape of her neck. As she casually strolled past him, dark high heels clicking ominously against the marble tiles that paved the hallway, Dino noticed that the dress left her back entirely bare save for a few measly strings of black material.

He swallowed the lump that had just recently formed in his throat. "You look nice, Kyouya."

"These clothes are impractical," Kyouya hissed.

"Why did you wear them?" Dino questioned, and Kyouya's eyes narrowed.

"Sasagawa, Miura and the Poison Scorpion insisted that I look the part of..." Kyouya started, pausing mid-sentence to allow her top lip to curl back over her teeth to show her displeasure, "a Mafia wife."

Dino decided that Kyouya's look at that moment was particularly ominous, but it was almost drowned out by the happiness he felt at Kyoko, Haru and Bianchi's actions. They certainly had experience in the role of "Mafia wives", even if they didn't play the softly-spoken, sweet part outside of the balls and galas and parties they attended with their husbands anymore. Then again, Kyouya had never been particularly good at keeping sweet either.

Letting the relief wash over him like a wave, Dino held his arm out to his inamorato, who stared blankly before shooting a suspicious frown in his direction.

"It's tradition, Kyouya," Dino explained, smiling a slightly uncertain smile. "You take my arm and I escort you to the party."

"I see," Kyouya responded, walking over to Dino and slowly linking her arm with his. For a second Dino was sure that he'd died and gone to heaven without realising it, but the sting of Kyouya's fingernails biting into the soft flesh of his upper arm quickly brought him back to reality.

"Hurry up, herbivore," Kyouya hissed, and Dino could only stare helplessly at his chuckling right-hand man as he was dragged away by the Vongola Cloud.

Dino wasn't sure how he'd managed to survive the car trip to the party, and he was beginning to feel certain that his streak of good luck would run out around the middle of the party. The ride had started out peacefully enough; they had slipped into the back of one of his many limousines and sat in silent while Dino had poured champagne for them from the cooler in the cabin of the car. Kyouya had sipped casually at her glass and had almost finished one flute of champagne by the time they'd reached their destination, whereas Dino had been tempted to finish off what remained of the alcohol by himself. Somewhere along the line he'd had the presence of mind to wonder if Kyouya was armed, and he immediately shuddered at the thought; if she had weapons, she would certainly be more likely to attack than if she was forced to fight bare-fisted. The Vongola Cloud Bracelet was adorning her left wrist, but Dino would have to let that slide; it was a weapon, true enough, but it was also symbols of the Vongola's power and a show of her rank among the most powerful Mafia Family in the world. They were indicative of the level of respect she would have to be shown among his allies.

Kyouya crossed one of her legs over the other at that point, and it suddenly occurred to Dino that the ring and bracelet may not be the only weapons on his date's person. The battle-scarred tonfas she wielded were like a constant a loyal companion to her, and she was very rarely seen without them. The problem was where she usually kept them, and Dino eyed the length of Kyouya's clothed thigh warily.

Slowly, very slowly, he moved his hand from where it had been resting on his knee, across the inch or two of space between them and gently ran his fingertips down the length of Kyouya's thigh. The reaction was instantaneous; her fingers curled around his wrist hard enough to bruise, and she glared venomously at him before tossing his hand back over to his side of the car seat.

"Keep your lecherous hands to yourself, herbivore."

"Kyouya..." Dino said, managing to keep most of the whine out of his voice, but also feeling relieved that he hadn't felt the coldness of scarred steel through the material of Kyouya's dress.

The massive form of the Orlandi Estate became visible to Dino just a few minutes later; usually a large grey building with very little distinguishing qualities about it, today the Orlandi Mansion was lit up in all of its glory, indicating the expense to which the Family had gone to impress their guests. Dino heard the sound of the automatic windows in the front of the car winding down when they reached the locked gates of the estate; a few brief seconds of Romario's muffled voice later - of which Dino was only able to catch 'Cavallone Decimo, accompanied by the Vongola Cloud' - and they were on their way to the mansion, along the winding gravel driveway that led to the extravagantly-decorated house. Dino had to admit he was impressed, even by his standards, but Kyouya looked as bored as ever at the sight of the overly-lavish estate.

The car came to a halt. Romario exited the car first and held the door open for Dino, who then got out and held Kyouya's door open in turn. Kyouya slid out of the car, the epitome of grace, and once again intertwined her arm snugly with Dino's. The Cavallone Boss noticed, somewhat light-headed, that she didn't use nearly as much force this time.

"Shall we?" Dino grinned, and Kyouya nodded one to indicate that she was as ready ans she ever felt she would be. And so the couple walked arm-in-arm towards the entry of the Orlandi mansion, with Romario bringing up the rear.

Don Salvestro Orlandi was a large, jovial man who many had assumed to be weak in the old days due to his penchant for kindness and his desire to mediate rather than immediately react with violence. Many had assumed that this benevolence equated to weakness, but they couldn't have been more wrong. Salvestro Orlandi was passionate about his Family, and he always fought to protect them with everything he had. He had been a close ally of Dino's father and grandfather, and now he showed the same respect to Dino.

"Dino!" Salvestro exclaimed the moment he saw the Cavallone Tenth, clapping the younger man hard on the back. "It's been a while since I've seen you, my boy."

"Sorry, Nonno. I'm afraid business called," Dino replied smoothly, and Kyouya blinked. She had become so accustomed to the clumsy, herbivorous side of Cavallone that she'd almost forgotten the respect he held in the world of the Cosa Nostra.

"Understandable," Salvestro acknowledged, feigning hurt when Dino smiled at him and stepped over the threshold with Kyouya still on his arm. "And Romario, it's good to see you too."

"A pleasure as always, Sir," Romario replied as he shook Salvestro's hand. Both men smiled warmly at one another, but it wasn't long until Don Orlandi had turned his attention to Kyouya.

"And who is this young lady?"

"Hibari Kyouya," Dino said, taking hold of Kyouya's arm and guiding it outward for Salvestro to take and kiss. "The Vongola Cloud Guardian."

"I should have guessed as much," Salvestro replied, his eyes falling to the bracelet on Kyouya's wrist with vaguely acknowledgement. "It's an honour to finally meet one of the Vongola Tenth's lieutenants."

"Sawada Tsunayoshi sends his regards and apologises for his absence," Kyouya stated softly, and then it was Dino's turn to be surprised. "He will contact you as soon as time and convenience allows."

"Understood," Salvestro replied. "I don't blame him. Poor boy, already Boss of such a powerful Family at such a young age... but I guess you were the same, weren't you Dino?"

"Don't tease me, Nonno," Dino grinned, and Salvestro shook his head and guided them into the house.

"I'd love to talk to you two for longer, but there's plenty more guests arriving as we speak. I trust you have your toast ready for later on, Dino?"

"Naturally," Dino replied, and Don Orlandi nodded and smiled in response.

"Excellent. Enjoy the party!"

"We will," Dino responded, and a second later Kyouya was being pulled down the corridor and to the grand ballroom in the east wing of the Manor.

"I can walk just fine by myself, Cavallone," she hissed, pulling her arm from his grasp.

"I know that," Dino replied, tilting his head to the left a little as he talked, and suddenly the Dino that Kyouya knew best was back. She couldn't say she was sorry to see that particular shadow disappear back into the recesses of the Cavallone Don's mind.

"Hey, Kyouya," Dino started, breaking into a jog in order to keep up with Kyouya; she kept an impressive pace for someone in high heels, he had to admit. She glanced over her shoulder at Dino, but she didn't stop. Dino didn't care; the look was all he needed to know that he had her attention. "Kyouya, do you know how to dance?"

"No," Kyouya replied instantly, and Dino sighed; he should have figured as much.

"That's okay. I guess we'll just have to mingle instead..."

"I'm not going to crowd with your allies, Cavallone," Kyouya hissed, and Dino sighed.

"That's part of what it is to accompany a Don to a party, Kyouya."

"I don't see anything beneficial in it for me," Kyouya said dismissively, and Dino felt his earlier stress beginning to creep up on him again.

"Two sparring sessions every day until you leave Italy!"

"Hmph."

"Three. Four. Five!" Dino insisted, until Kyouya turned to face him with a glare.

"You'd better make it worth my time, Cavallone."

"Of course I will," Dino said evenly, once again feeling that he had some control over the situation. "It's within both of our interests to exchange pleasantries with a few key people, Kyouya. After the toasts you can be as solitary as you wish."

Kyouya stopped then, the heels of her shoes squeaking against the tiled hallway. Dino took that as his signal to catch up with her, and he caught her hand in his own before she could change her mind and charge away again.

"I'll make this up to you, Kyouya. I promise."

Kyouya didn't reply, and Dino took the steely silence as her way of consenting to his conditions. Feeling slightly more confident, Dino once again linked his arm through Kyouya's and led the way to the grand ballroom. He could hear the sounds of laughter and music before he could even see their destination, and as they got closer the hum of hundreds of people talking all at once became overwhelming. The tension in Kyouya's body was growing more obvious with every passing second; Dino knew it was caused by irritation rather than nerves - as if something as trivial as this could scare Kyouya - and he could do nothing but squeeze her hand in what he hoped was a reassuring way. Kyouya scoffed lightly at Dino's touch, and Dino smiled.

The Orlandi Mansion's ballroom was usually a welcome sight for the Cavallone Boss, as it was only used for the most exquisite and lavish of parties and it usually meant a good night of fine food, expensive wine, good company and flippant frivolity. Today, he felt like he could only look at it through Kyouya's eyes; the humidity of the body heat, the loud and obnoxious laughter of the men and women as they gorged themselves on indulgent food and alcohol, and not to mention the numerous men and women themselves. Although Kyouya frowned when they stepped into the room, her irritation being just strong enough to crease the pale line of her brow, she hadn't yet dropped his arm and run away to the darker recesses of the room. Any non-negative sign was a positive sign, Dino concluded, and he felt warm flare in the middle of his chest as he felt Kyouya's fingers slide onto his upper arm and hold tight.

"Are you hungry, Kyouya? Thirsty?" Dino asked, and Kyouya smirked.

"If I was hungry or thirsty I could easily get something for myself."

"Of course," Dino replied, feeling a smirk forming on his own lips when Kyouya's hand slipped from his upper arm to the bend of his elbow. Even if his intentions had been kind, there was absolutely no point in trying to placate Kyouya with pretty words and half-hearted excuses. "It's just that you look annoyed, that's all."

"I feel crowded," Kyouya stated. Dino nodded, but said nothing. At the very least, Kyouya was so far being reasonable about the amount of people swarming around her and trapping her in, and no one had come over and tried to strike up conversation yet. He wasn't sure how Kyouya would tolerate being teased about her supposed relationship with him, especially considering that she didn't even know how deep his feelings for her reached. As far as she was concerned, she was merely here to accompany him to a formal occasion and to show off her impressive level of strength.

"I'm surprised that no one has noticed our presence yet," Dino murmured.

"Arrogant," Kyouya purred, her teeth showing pale between scarlet lips as she sneered.

"It's not arrogant. Not really," Dino murmured in reply. "It's truthful. Being a high-ranking person in a well-known family is usually more than enough to garner attention. People want to become friendly with you to try and secure the safety and power of their Family. Those who are already powerful want to form alliances to ensure the control they have over key locations stays strong. People know how to make their power obvious at these sorts of occasions, Kyouya. If nothing else, I would have expected your bracelet to catch a few eyes."

Kyouya said nothing, but she glanced down at the Cloud Bracelet on her wrist with casual pride and unlinked her arm from Dino's, instead choosing to fold both her arms across her chest. As if on cue, a fair-haired woman pushed through the crowd with a agitated-looking dark-haired man in tow. She was talking so loudly that her voice almost drowned out the crowd, and Kyouya was immediately cautious of how carelessly she was moving. Dino coughed subtlety and turned to move away, but the Cavallone Boss's luck had apparently run out, because his sudden movement caught the eye of the woman and her lips twisted into a smirk.

"Don Cavallone! If you'd been any further away I wouldn't have seen you."

Dino suppressed the troubled expression threatening to warp his own features, and then turned back to the woman.

"Fancy seeing you here, Lorenza."

"I would never miss such an event," Lorenza retorted, pulling the exhausted-looking man hanging from her arm into a more comfortable position as an afterthought. "My husband, Piero."

"Congratulations," Dino said, managing a weak smile and offering his hand to Lorenza's husband. They shared a weak handshake, and Lorenza pushed forward to stand directly within what Dino considered to be his personal space. Kyouya was forced to stumble backwards to avoid getting bowled over by the larger woman, and Dino had a brief moment of panic as she bared her teeth in an annoyed scowl. The Cloud Bracelet on her wrist flared a moment later - an unintended reaction caused by its owners high level of irritation. Dino lunged over Piero's shoulder and grabbed Kyouya, pulling her around the two people in front of him and into a tight embrace.

"Kyouya, meet Lorenza and Piero," Dino said, and Kyouya's hand was seized and shaken violently by Lorenza before she could move away. "Lorenza, this is Hibari Kyouya."

"The Vongola Cloud Guardian?" Lorenza questioned, and she smirked when Kyouya pulled away from her. "With such a reputation, I'm surprised that you don't realise that it greatly precedes you."

Kyouya stayed silent, and Lorenza blinked.

"Doesn't your inamorato speak Italian, Cavallone Decimo? What an... exotic choice."

"I simply do not see the point of speaking," Kyouya started, her Italian heavily accented but perfectly accurate, "when I have nothing to say."

"I see," Lorenza replied, not showing even the slightest hint of surprise. "A wise choice in a world such as this one, Signorina Hibari."

Hibari didn't reply, and Lorenza snorted and turned back to Dino.

"As you can see, Don Cavallone, I have made well since you broke our betrothal and ran off to Japan."

Kyouya made a soft noise of what appeared to be amusement under her breath, and Dino felt form at the base of his neck and slowly trickle down his back. Lorenza's attention was immediately focused back on Kyouya.

"Had he not told you about that, Vongola Cloud?"

"I really have no interest in Cavallone's herbivorous dealings," Kyouya replied shortly, and Lorenza chuckled.

"I would hardly call our parents meeting to discuss a betrothal of convenience and ultimately deciding against it an 'engagement'..." Dino trailed off, and Lorenza laughed a laugh so loud that it could have only been false.

"Details, details."

"Details indeed," Kyouya said with a smirk.

"Well, those days are dead and gone now," Lorenza stated, swiping her free hand toward her husband's face as if he was an irksome fly. "Piero and I are planning to start a family soon. What about you, Don Cavallone? Shall we be hearing wedding bells in your future? Or perhaps the pitter-patter of little feet? Not that your figure lends itself to childbearing, Vongola Cloud."

"I think that you're becoming a little bold in your questions, Lorenza," Dino said, his voice dropping to a cautionary level, but Kyouya stepped up to the challenge with a smirk still adorning her lips.

"Anyone who tries to bind me is running a fool's errand. Cavallone included."

Dino had to fight the urge to bury his face in his hands and groan to drown out the scene unfolding around him. At least Kyouya hadn't yet resorted to violence; she was apparently having too much fun trying to play with Lorenza's mind. When she met Dino's own eyes, however, her eyes were an impassive, steely grey and she appeared to be tight-lipped and unamused. Suppressing a violent shudder, Dino smiled in what he could only hope was an apologetic way.

The conversation between himself and Lorenza had lulled and died a horrid death with Kyouya's most recent quip, and Dino did not have the patience or the affection for Lorenza to bother breathing life back into it. Although he had already managed to survive past the life expectancy he'd set out for himself at the start of the night, he had a feeling he was now approaching his twilight years (or, more accurately, his twilight minutes) and the heated look that Kyouya was giving him wasn't helping in any respect. Luckily for him, it was at that point that Don Orlandi entered the ballroom to riotous applause. Dino knew that he would be the second to speak after the Don's own biological son, and the fact that his stomach was already tying itself in knots thanks to the hostile glances that Kyouya was shooting his way did nothing to alleviate his nerves.

Soon enough it, came time for Dino to present his speech. thankfully, by that time his nerves had calmed some, and he was able to proceed to the front of the room with a smile, the applause of the crowd echoing in his ears. He may have looked focused, but in reality he was busy worrying over Kyouya's bad mood. His relationship with the Cloud Guardian was already unpredictable; in the five years they had known one another, they had really only spent time together when Kyouya had deemed it to be convenient, and he had not yet figured out how to express his feelings for the enigmatic woman, let alone considered whether she could feel anything for him in return. But as he reached the front of the room, and Don Orlandi clapped him on the back and stepped back to allow the polite applause to die down, Dino knew he had to refocus.

He managed to get through his speech with very little effort; after all, it was a typical speech for a Mafia Boss to give at an ally's party. First came the expression of deep gratitude for the extravagant party, then the usual tales of the Cavallone's history with with the Orlandi Family. That led into the part about keeping family ties strong, and the desire to continue their good relationship and to expand their horizons to include many of the Orlandi's allies. He'd given speeches like this since he'd become the Cavallone Decimo, and they were so second-nature that he could breeze through them without much of a problem. As Dino's speech came to a close, he habitually smiled and nodded in response to another round of applause, and then hurried through the crowd and back to where he'd last been standing with Lorenza, Piero and Kyouya.

Lorenza and Piero were easy enough to find, because Lorenza seemed intent on keeping him company no matter where he wandered to. However, when he reached the back of the room he was surprised to find that Kyouya had disappeared.

"Kyouya?" Dino called uncertainly, looking over both shoulders repeatedly as if he was expecting her to burst from the shadows and knock him off his feet. Lorenza stifled a laugh behind her gloved hand, and Dino turned to her. "Did you see Kyouya?"

"It's not my job to pay attention to where your inamorato disappears to, Cavallone. Those Cloud types are rather unpredictable, aren't they?" Lorenza replied flippantly. Dino sighed and turned away from Lorenza and towards the door of the ballroom, the sounds of the next speaker's opening joke and the resulting laugh echoing in Dino's ears as he left the party and rushed through the deserted halls of the Orlandi Mansion.

He didn't see Kyouya at all while he was walking back to the entrance of the house, and although Kyouya was probably the most independent person he knew, it was doubtful that she'd wander off to any other part of the manor. Although the Cavallone Family's standing with the Orlandi Family was practically perfect, the Vongola and the Orlandi were still on a 'friend of a friend' basis. Tsuna had been meeting with Salvestro for the past few months on a casual basis, but their alliance had not been made official just yet. Wandering around the closed-off areas of the mansion would have been potentially damaging to the alliance if Kyouya was caught, and although Kyouya did still protest her link to the Vongola, she definitely knew that forging a relationship with the Orlandi would work in her favour. Their territory was large, their family was powerful and had a long and glorious history, and a handful of their men commanded some rather unique box animals. Kyouya knew the inner workings of the Mafia well enough to not ruin this opportunity.

The walk back to the entrance of the mansion seemed to take a much longer time than the trip he'd made to the ballroom with Kyouya. Luckily enough, his search wasn't entirely pointless; Romario was standing just outside of the front door of the mansion, peacefully smoking a cigarette with a small number of Orlandi's men and enjoying the cool evening breeze. Dino took a step forward and stumbled over the threshold of the mansion's entrance. He managed to keep himself upright, but the noise drew the attention of his right-hand man, who took his cigarette from his lips and smiled.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Boss. Having an early night, are you?"

"Not exactly," Dino said, and there was something in his boss's expression that made Romario frown. Excusing himself from the company of Orlandi's men, he walked over to his boss and folded his arms across his chest.

"Something wrong, Boss?"

"Kyouya's run off," Dino replied with a grimace, and Romario blinked and dropped his cigarette on the ground, stamping it out with his shoe.

"She walked past here just a few minutes ago."

"What?" Dino questioned, and Romario gave him a quizzical look.

"She left the mansion a few minutes ago. I called out to her but, well... you know what she's like as well as anyone, Boss. I'd thought that you'd decided to call it a night. If I'd known..."

"You couldn't have, Romario," Dino said, sighing and scratching awkwardly at the back of his head. "Do you know where she is now?"

"I'm pretty sure she's still sitting in the back of the car, Boss."

"Thanks," Dino replied and a second later he was off, briskly walking down the driveway towards the dark-coloured car they'd driven to the party.

"Good luck," Romario said as Dino hurried down towards the limousine. "I have a feeling you'll need it, if her expression was anything to go by."

"Good to hear," Dino replied with a wry smile as he reached the car. The windows of the car were so heavily tinted that there was no hope of seeing any movement or shape through the windows of the car, so when Dino opened the door of the car and saw Kyouya sitting there, completely calm except for the slight hint of fire in her eyes, it would have been a lie to say he wasn't the slightest bit surprised.

"Kyouya..." Dino started, completely unsure of how to finish. Kyouya blinked once, exhaled slowly, and then opened her mouth to speak.

"It's time to leave, Cavallone."

"Right," Dino said, feeling his heart give a dull thud in his chest as Kyouya turned away from him. He'd have to think up some half-hearted excuse to give to Salvestro in the morning. He gestured to Romario who, as luck would have it, had been watching the entire scene unfold. His right hand man nodded and began to walk down to the car, and Dino suppressed a sigh and walked to the other side of the car to take his place in the car behind the driver's seat, next to Kyouya.

The car ride home was so quiet that it was practically haunting. The loudest tangible sound that could be heard over the sound of the car's engine was the rise and fall of Dino's own breathing as he watched Kyouya stare out of her window, apparently lost in thought. Dino bit down on his lower lip, torn between wanting to do something about the situation and saying nothing at all. The more he pondered what the best course of action could be, the more he lost track of time; it was only when he felt the car come to a halt and could no longer hear the hum of the engine that he realised that they'd made it back at all.

Kyouya was halfway out of the car before it had even come to a complete stop, and Dino belatedly stumbled out of the car and grimaced as Kyouya walked away. She'd made it to the top of the stairs leading into the Cavallone mansion by the time Dino caught up to her, and if he'd had perhaps half a second more to think about the situation, he probably wouldn't have made such an idiotic mistake.

Hurrying up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him, he reached out for Kyouya's bare shoulder as soon as he was without touching distance of her, grabbed onto her arm and tried to turn her around to face him. Kyouya's reaction was immediate and reflexive; she spun around, fist clenched and aimed at the middle of Dino's face. Dino stepped back just in time to avoid being hit by Kyouya's attack, but lost his balance at the edge of the stairs and tumbled down them gracelessly, feeling every blow and bruise damage his pride more than his body.

"Boss!" Dino heard Romario yell, and a few seconds later his right-hand-man was by his side, helping him to his feet. Dino groaned, wiped at the trickle of blood running from his hairline and down the left side of his face and said nothing.

By the time he'd regained his balance enough to even consider looking for Kyouya, the Vongola Cloud Guardian was gone.

"Ow ow ow!" Dino groaned, and Romario sighed.

"Boss, you really need to stop doing that."

Dino was proud enough not to pout at Romario's firm kindness, but continued to hiss under his breath every time Romario dabbed at the wound on his forehead with the alcohol-dampened cotton swabs in his hand. It'd taken almost an hour to patch up all of his boss's other wounds, and this cut was a particularly nasty one. Romario looked at the bloodied chunk of cotton wool in his hand and grimaced, tossing it towards the nearby bin and reaching for the roll of crisp white bandages next to the bottle of rubbing alcohol. Accidents like this weren't a particular uncommon occurrence with his Boss, but he couldn't say he'd ever seen him look so miserable after a fall before.

"Is there anything you need to get off your chest, Boss?"

"Eh, not really," Dino said with a weak smile. "Nothing that I shouldn't have already known, deep down."

"Kyouya?" Romario questioned, pressing a plaster over the cut on his Boss's forehead. Dino nodded miserably.

"There's not going to be a second chance, Romario. I was lucky enough to get this one shot and I blew it."

"You don't know that," Romario commented, and Dino groaned and habitually held back his fringe with his hair to allow Romario to wind the bandage around his head.

"Kyouya doesn't really seem like the type to hand out second chances that often."

"Kyouya doesn't seem like the type to accompany Mafia bosses to parties either," Romario replied, using one hand to hold the bandage around his boss's head in place while he reached for the clip that would hold the cloth together. "But she still did."

"After I made some truly stupid promises," Dino sighed.

"If she hadn't wanted to be by your side, I doubt she would've bothered in the first place. You know that. Stop trying to bring yourself down."

Dino sighed deeply and raised one palm to his forehead only to pull it away and hiss a second later, having placed his hand just a little too close to his wound. Romario gathered up the medical supplies he'd left on Dino's bed and went to exit the room, giving his forlorn boss one final, comforting look before opening the bedroom door.

"Just try and get a good night's sleep, Boss. You have a video conference with the Vongola Decimo in the morning."

Dino nodded and pulled the comforters on his bed up to his chin without bothering to get out of his good pants and his dress shirt. Romario shook his head and left the room, shutting the door behind himself, pausing for a second to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim light of the hallway. He rounded the corner at the end of the hall after a few minutes, and to his surprise, he caught a shadow of movement out of the corner of his eye. Reaching for the gun holstered on his belt, he drew the weapon and turned around, aiming it directly at the shadow. A second later a cold steel shaft was pressed against his throat, and the corners of the man's mouth twitched into a smile.

"Hello, Kyouya."

Kyouya hissed and drew her tonfa away from Romario's throat, stepping towards the corner Romario had just rounded and into slightly lighter surrounds. She was no longer wearing the dress she'd worn to the party, and was instead clothed in her usual dark-coloured kimono, face void of make-up and hair back to its usual uncontrollable state.

"Any reason why you're wandering around this late at night?" Romario questioned.

"That's none of your concern," Kyouya replied, the barest hint of colour bringing life to her pale cheeks, and Romario smirked.

"Polite as ever."

Kyouya snorted, and Romario's smirk widened.

"Boss's room is the second door on the left in the next hallway. I suggest being gentle with him. He's injured, you know."

Kyouya remained silent for a second, steel grey eyes filled with some unreadable emotion. And then she was gone without saying another thing, her bare feet soundless on the marble floor.

Romario chuckled and shoot his head, once he was positive that he was out of the Cloud Guardian's earshot.

Sometimes it felt good to be right when your boss was wrong.

Dino was stirred by the sound of his bedroom door opening. He blinked, trying to rid his eyes from the lingering effect of almost-sleep and sat up, looking over toward the entrance to his room and seeing nothing.

"... Romario?" Dino questioned uncertainly, and the soft purr of amusement that came in reply made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Wrong, Cavallone."

"Kyouya?" Dino said, all traces of tiredness immediately leaving his body as he watched the Vongola Cloud walk over to the edge of his bed, an impassive expression on her face. "What are you doing here?"

Kyouya didn't reply, but she climbed onto Dino's bed and straddled his lap in place of speaking and suddenly the Cavallone Boss didn't care that he hadn't got a verbal reply. He dared to breathe but not to blink, staring stunned at Kyouya as she moved over him, her legs sliding up and down the sides of his thighs. She rose up and kicked the blankets away from Dino's body with one foot, her lips dancing over the curve of his jaw in a deans macabre that left Dino feeling as if he was suffocating.

"Kyouya," he managed to choke out as her hips brushed against his own, the ultimate tease as his body began to react to the soften and the warmth of her skin. He arched up to kiss her and yelped when her teeth sunk into his lip.

"Ah, Kyouya," he repeated, managing to keep most of the whine out of his voice - though he wasn't totally sure if he wanted to whine about the bite or about the constant roll of her hips against him. Kyouya drew back then, gaze harsh in the half-light of the bedroom and lips stained red with his blood.

"I will not be your prize, Cavallone."

"I never said you would," Dino said, trying to keep the desire out of his voice. Kyouya's fingernails bit into the sensitive flesh of his inner forearms as her lips moved from his mouth to his neck, teeth grazing mercilessly against his throat. She pressed her hips sharply against Dino's once more, and this time the action drew a groan from her own throat. Dino was almost too stunned to react to that, but as her fingers slid down to rest over his hips it became blaringly obvious that not all of him was too stunned to react to her assault.

"And I will not tolerate any more herbivorous idiots prying like that woman did tonight."

"No," Dino breathed as Kyouya's hand began brushing over his clothed erection. "No, of course not."

"I will not sit back and be the delicate little Mafia wife," Kyouya breathed, desire seeping unwarranted into her own voice. "If you are to possess any part of me at all, you will understand that no one stifles my freedom. Least of all you."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Dino murmured back, finally daring to let his hands slide over the soft curves of her thighs, her hips, her breasts. Kyouya hummed softly in approval, and her fingers slid around the buttons on his dress pants, undoing the top one with a subtle snap.

"If I will be the one to bear your brats, I will also be the one to train them. I will not allow them to turn out to be situationally herbivorous like you."

"Y-you're moving a little fast there, Kyouya..." Dino breathed, logical thoughts very rapidly leaving his head as his spoke. Kyouya smirked, and the second of the buttons on his pants came open. Snap.

"Do not kid yourself, Cavallone. This is what you want from me, is it not?"

Dino swallowed against the lump forming in his throat, and the third and final button on his pants slid open. Kyouya's hand slid inside his boxers, and he arched wantonly against her touch. He hurried to rid her of her kimono, the black silk of the garment a start contrast to the delicate paleness of her flesh. She stayed still, eyes fixed on his face until she was completely bare, and then Dino took a long, shuddering break and spoke.

"No."

"Oh?" Kyouya purred, smirking as she began to stroke him, fingers barely tight enough around him to cause any emotion in him more violent than the desperate desire for more.

"No," Dino confirmed, heart hammering in his chest and hips jerking forward uncontrolled as her fingers brushed over a particularly sensitive spot. "All of those things would make me happy. I can't deny that. But the thing that would make me happiest would be knowing that you're happy."

Kyouya took pause at that, and Dino slid one hand into the back of her hair, pulling her close and kissing her deep and long and hot, his tongue briefly brushing again hers as he arched his hips into the heat of her body, completely caught within her thrall.

"A wise answer, Cavallone," Kyouya breathed, moaning softly in the back of her throat as Dino just barely slid inside of her before moving forward, slow enough to draw out the pleasure but with just enough force to make heat creep up her spine.

"I've had a while to think about it," Dino chuckled, rocking slow in and out of the heat of Kyouya's body and pressing a line of open-mouthed kisses along her bare shoulder. Kyouya's pleasure came in soft, short gasps that landed just shy of the tattoo on Dino's collarbone, and he shivered when the tip of her tongue darted from between her lips to taste that particular spot on his skin. Dino's heart skipped a beat as she whispered demands, and he was more than happy to obey her demands of harder, faster, more more more. When he comes, Dino suddenly feels the sudden tightening of Kyouya's body around him and the sting of her nails raking along his back like the deepest show of possession; his eyes fall shut, and he simply lets himself go.

Kyouya allowed him to hold her afterward, and Dino felt himself dozing off, the warmth of Kyouya's body more than enough to fight away the cold of the evening. Within the hour she had escaped from his embrace and moved over him again and the only words that pass her lips are those that demand that she have him again.

The rest of Dino's night was lost to the glow of the moon, the soft slide of Kyouya's skin against his own, the unforgiving heat of her body and the sweetness of her breath in the afterglow, as she breathed you will only ever belong to me against the shell of his ear.

"Good morning Boss," Romario said, smiling innocently as his boss walked into the kitchen to join him for their usual early-morning breakfast.

"Good morning," Dino beamed, attempting to pour himself a cup of coffee but managing to miss the mug on the table entirely. "Whoops."

"You look tired," Romario commented lightly. Dino laughed weakly and went to the kitchen bench to fetch a sponge to mop up the mess he'd just made. "Didn't you sleep well?"

"Not really," Dino replied, voice wavering just slightly.

"By the way, Kyouya was wandering around last night after you went to bed."

"Was she now?" Dino said as he cleaned up, and Romario nodded.

"And when I went to wake you up this morning, your door was locked from the inside..."

"Okay, okay!" Dino groaned, tossing the coffee-laden sponge back in the sink and burying his face in his hands. "I get the idea!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Boss," Romario replied innocently, and Dino glared at his right-hand-man through his fingers. "By the way, your conference with Sawada Tsunayoshi is due to happen in forty-five minutes, so make sure you're ready."

"Did I really sleep in that long?" Dino muttered, questioning himself more than Romario. He shook his head and walked to the cupboard, picked out an extra mug and a tin of green tea leaves from the cupboard, and placed it all on a tray with his mug of coffee.

"Do you want any help?" Romario asked, and Dino shook his head.

"I'll be fine, Romario. Just call my room ten minutes before the meeting time, okay?"

"Alright. Enjoy your morning, Boss."

Romario watched Dino disappear from the kitchen, and stifled an amused smile behind his coffee cup.

He would have to make a note to tell his Boss about the blood-stained kiss marks running along his cheek and neck before the meeting.

END.

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