I'm so happy to be writing D18 again! I mean, not genderbent XD;; I love my genderbend stories, but I wanted to write the original pairing that I love so much. I rushed this a bit in order to get it out for Dino's birthday, but I hope it isn't too bad. Happy birthday, Dino!
As usual, my eternal gratitude goes to Lumelle. Thank you for the encouragement, and the title! I apologise in advance for any mistakes.
"Say, Kyouya..." Dino said, staring at his former student's furious expression. Dino's former student was staring in turn, but not at him; instead, he was staring up into the almost-bare branches of the lone tree that occupied the small courtyard at the back of his house. Hibird was twittering wildly and flying in circles around Hibari's head, and the corners of Hibari's mouth fell until the Vongola Cloud Guardian was positively pouting.
"Kyouya," Dino repeated, scratching awkwardly as the back of his head and staring up into the tree at the victim of Kyouya's anger, "when are you going to stop glaring at that poor bird?"
The bird in question was huddled at the end of one of the higher branches on the tree, next to one of the last dying autumn leaves still clinging to the tree. Its feathers were a dark golden colour and its eyes were dark and slightly beady, in a way that wasn't dissimilar to the appearance of Kyouya's own bird. It had a couple of features that distinguished it from Hibird, however; it had one single, wispy feather on the crown of its head that made it look almost comical, and another three tiny, fluffy feathers in place of a proper tail. The tiny animal shivered and huddled closer to the single leaf at the end of its perch; Hibird's chirping became louder, and Hibari scowled and clenched his hands into fists.
"I don't see why you're so mad at the poor thing," Dino said, and Hibari hissed through his clenched teeth.
"I hardly see why it's any of your concern, Bucking Horse."
"I'm curious," Dino grinned. "Usually you have a weakness for small animals. What's this poor little guy done to offend you?"
"... it's crowding," Hibari muttered. Hibird flew onto the top of its owner's head at that point, took a strand of his dark hair in its beak and tugged. "It comes here every day."
"Hibari! Hibari!" Hibird recited, and then fluttered up to the top of the tree, sitting at the end of the same branch that the other bird was sitting on.
"Really?" Dino said, inclining his head towards the two birds as Hibird shuffled along the frail-looking branch and towards the other bird. "They look they're they're getting along well."
Hibari's only response was a dark look and the sudden movement of his hands towards the handles of the tonfas strapped to his thighs.
"Hey, calm down!" Dino said, grinning sheepishly and holding one hand up in an attempt to settle his former student down. "Why don't you let them be friends?"
Hibari's eyes narrowed. "I don't like the way that other herbivorous animal looks at Hibird."
"... oh," Dino replied blankly, giving Kyouya a disbelieving look. The Vongola Cloud Guardian continued to stare up into the tree where the two birds were perched with a rather moody expression on his face. "You're really planning to let the poor thing sit out here until the winter comes and it freezes?"
Hibari said nothing. Dino grinned, placed one hand on Kyouya's shoulder and smiled when the younger man pulled away.
"You didn't answer my question, Kyouya."
"I'm going inside," Hibari declared, giving one last suspicious look to the two birds in the tree as they huddled next to each other for warmth. He placed his tonfas back on their places at the sides of his legs and then walked back into the warmth of his house, his bare toes curling on the heated wooden floor.
Dino noticed that Kyouya's fingers were flushed pink from the cold, and for just a second he thought how nice it would be to hold his former student's bare hand in his own gloved one until it felt warm to the touch. Then he could slip his gloves off, link their fingers together and...
... he quickly dismissed the whole thought as a baseless fantasy and followed Kyouya inside uninvited, leaving the two birds in the tree to huddle against one another for warmth against the biting cold.
It wasn't the right time just yet.
"Hi Kyouya," Dino grinned, stepping into the Cloud Guardian's private room and relishing in the warmth coming from the heaters beneath the wooden floor of the room. Hibari opened one eye and glanced at the Cavallone Boss, acknowledging his presence with a single small nod. He'd arrived in Japan in the middle of winter, and although his flights had not been delayed by the weather, it had started snowing at almost the same instant that he'd stepped out of the airport. Combined with the freezing temperatures and the sting of the wind, Dino was more than relieved to be enveloped by the warmth of his former student's room.
"Why are you here, Cavallone?" Hibari asked, his eyes once again falling shut as Dino sat down next to him, sliding his legs beneath the kotatsu the Cloud Guardian was sitting at with only slight difficulty.
"Do I need an excuse to visit?" Dino questioned, and Hibari's eyes were open in a second, steel grey and decidedly irritated. Dino laughed awkwardly and busied himself with the bowl of strawberries sitting atop the low wooden table. "I can think of one if it would make you happier!"
For a second, Dino was afraid that Kyouya would retaliate; he let out a sigh of relief when Kyouya shut his eyes again and folded his arms across his chest, looking as if he was in a meditative state.
"That would be pointless."
"Hmm?" Dino said, mouth half-full of strawberry.
"You don't need a reason to bother me now, so I don't see how inventing one would change anything."
"How mean," Dino commented once he'd swallowed his mouthful of fruit, but he didn't sound annoyed or upset. He was just about to grab another strawberry from the bowl when a yellow ball of fluff fell from the sky and onto his hand, tactfully plucking the fruit from between his fingers before flying away.
"Eh?" Dino said stupidly, staring at his now-empty hand before looking at the roof directly above him. Sure enough, Hibird and the other yellow bird from his last visit were sitting up on one of the thin roof support beams in the roof, sharing the strawberry that had just been in his hand. Hibari smirked just slightly, apparently amused by Dino's surprised expression.
"How careless, Cavallone."
"Who in the world would expect something like that to happen?" Dino questioned, casting one more glance up at the two animals before taking another, smaller strawberry from the bowl. "So, you let the other bird stay here?"
Hibari nodded wordlessly, and Dino smiled.
"I knew you'd get attached to him."
"I'm merely letting it stay here until the spring," Hibari replied, casting his own gaze up towards the two birds. "Then I'll make sure it doesn't return."
"I'm not sure if you're cruel or kind for that," Dino replied. "I mean, it's nice for you to let the other bird stay here, but it's not nice to let them get attached and then separate them."
"They are not attached," Hibari said, spitting the words as if they were poison, and Dino chuckled at his reaction.
"If you say so," the Cavallone Boss replied, reaching for another piece of fruit. Hibari moved at the same time, and their fingers touched. Hibari flinched at the sudden contact, but that reaction cost him time; in a second, Dino was holding the Cloud Guardian's hand in his own.
"Cavallone," Hibari hissed, "what are you..."
"... I don't know," Dino replied, glancing uncertainly at their hands. "Sorry."
Hibari grunted indifferently; for a second, Dino was sure that he saw the slightest hint of pink on his cheekbones, but once he blinked it was gone.
"Do you want me to stop?" Dino asked, feeling more foolhardy with every passing minute. Hibari said nothing, did nothing, didn't react at all. Perhaps he was worried what he would do if he did give himself permission to react, Dino thought. "Kyouya?"
"Don't say a word," Hibari muttered, avoiding Dino's eyes.
"... okay," Dino said simply. He left his hand on top of Kyouya's and said nothing more.
Above them, the two birds looked down at the Vongola Cloud and the Cavallone Boss and snuggled against one another for warmth.
When Dino visited Japan in the midst of spring, he was surprised to learn that Kyouya had asked for him to visit his house as soon as possible. Well, it wasn't as simple as that, exactly; the news had come from Romario, who had heard from Tsuna, who had heard from Kusakabe, who had managed to get the Vongola Cloud to admit that he needed to speak with the Cavallone Boss. Despite the fact that he was getting fourth-hand information, there was something about arriving in Japan to the bright spring sunshine, the temperate weather and the bloom of the sakura that made him feel confident. Well, at least he knew where Kyouya would be; he would have never ventured out of his house with the sakura in such glorious bloom.
"Kyouya!" Dino called as he entered the Cloud Guardian's house, kicking off his shoes as he went. He was positive he could hear the twitter of both Hibird and the other bird (it really needed a name by now, Dino decided) nearby, but he couldn't see them. He decided the best course of action was to call for his former student again; he didn't want to take a wrong turn or, heaven forbid, break any of the valuable heirlooms lining the hallways of the house. "Hey, Kyouya?"
To his utmost surprise, the door of the nearest room swung open and Kyouya emerged, one of his tonfas in his right hand and a small box in the other. He looked extremely moody - not filled with his usual impatience and anger, just irritated - and stared at Dino with such a deadpan, exhausted expression that the Cavallone Boss flinched. Hibird and its friend were flying around his head, chirping wildly and swooping at the small box clutched in their owner's left hand.
"Hey, what's..."
Before Dino could finish what he was saying, Hibari had readied himself in a perfect fighting stance and lunged. Dino just barely managed to dodge the edge of tonfa, but the sudden movement caused him to trip over backwards and land on the front landing of Kyouya's house. Above Kyouya's head, the sounds the two birds were making became so shrill that Dino's ears were almost ringing from the pitch of their shrieks.
"I'll bite you to death," Hibari snarled, standing over his former tutor in a way that Dino could only describe as imposing.
"Stop it, Kyouya!" Dino snapped, holding one arm up in front of his face as Kyouya's left arm drew back, ready to strike... when he had the courage to open his eyes again, he found Kyouya glaring down at him, holding the small box in his hand, right in front of Dino's nose.
"You caused this," Hibari hissed. "You will be the one to deal with it."
And with that, Kyouya placed the box in Dino's lap with an usual amount of care, stormed back into his house and slammed his door shut. Dino heard branches on a nearby tree rustle, indicating that Hibird and its friend had stayed to watch him instead of accompanying their master back inside.
Dino picked up the box in his hand. It was just a little bigger than his hand. It didn't weigh very much, and judging from the small white fibres sticking out from beneath the loosely-closed lid, it was stuffed with some sort of cotton wool or something similar.
Very carefully, Dino opened the lid. His immediate reaction to what was inside was surprise, followed by understanding and amusement.
Buried in the mass of cotton wool and soft cloth lining the box was a tiny, pearl-coloured egg.
Placing the lid back on the box, Dino held it gently but firmly between his palms as he made his way back into the house, followed by the soft sound of the birds' wings fluttering on the breeze. As expected, Kyouya had dashed straight to his private quarters without a single look back; Dino could see the shape of his shadow through the thin, traditional doors.
"I'm coming in," he said softly, and opened the door. Hibari was staring at him even before the door was fully open, and Dino smiled in return. "I don't know why you're so angry about this, Kyouya."
"I'm not," Hibari responded as Hibird and its mate flew into the room and stared down at him from the support beam above the table.
"You're certainly acting like it," Dino chuckled. "I think it's kind of cute."
Hibari frowned. "You would, Cavallone."
"I think it would be best to leave the egg here with its parents," Dino said. "By the way, what's the other bird's name?"
"The other one."
"Yeah, the one that isn't Hibird..."
"The other one," Hibari repeated, and Dino looked at him quizzically.
"You never named her?"
"I never saw the need," Hibari commented coolly, before his lips curled back over his teeth in a snarl. "And you'll find that the other one is the male."
"... Hibird's the mother?" Dino asked. "All these years I thought Hibird was male because she spoke and sang so well..."
The Cavallone Boss got no reply to that, so he decided to change the subject.
"Where's their nest, Kyouya? The egg needs to go back..."
"Outside," Hibari said shortly. "It's cold. They spend most of their time in here, crowding together in the box on the mantle."
And all of a sudden, Dino understands and smiles, the warmth that blooms in his chest a light burden for his heart to carry.
"You're so kind, Kyouya."
Hibari didn't respond to that either, but Dino was positive that he saw the tiny hint of colour from his last visit return to his former student's cheeks. The Cavallone Boss placed the egg back in the box that Hibari had mentioned, glad to see its parents fly straight down to sit on it, and then he sat down directly next to the Cloud Guardian. Perhaps it was natural instinct that they both turned to face each other at the same time. Dino held his breath as they drew closer to one another, and decided that he wasn't about to question such a good thing.
The kiss was slow and soft and so good that Dino's head was almost spinning. After a few seconds they pulled away, and Dino felt about as conflicted as Hibari looked.
"Cavallone..."
"It's okay," Dino said softly, "I won't say a word. This never happened."
"... a shame," Hibari said, getting to his feet and heading for the door. "I didn't hate it."
Dino could do nothing more than stare in utter happiness as Hibari shut the door behind him with a smirk.
A few days later, after Dino left Japan to return to Europe, Hibari took time out of his day to check up on the two birds and their egg. He regretted it almost immediately, and was rather annoyed to discover that Dino had managed to teach 'the other one' a few basic words in the small time that they had spent together.
He would be sick of the word "Dibird" and the sound of his own name by the end of the week.
It was stereotypical to say, Dino thought, but the world seemed brighter on the days he visited Kyouya. It was only a few weeks into June, but the sun was already hot and the air was full of moisture. Dino hadn't even bothered to bring his usual fur-lined jacket with him, despite the fact that he'd gotten to the point where he felt bare when he didn't wear it. His flight had been long, the time he and Kyouya had spent apart had seemed the longest and most silent of their separations yet, and the tiny box in his pants pocket seemed to be a far heavier than he would have expected for something of such a small size. But now that he was here in Japan, all his problems seemed further away.
Namimori was in the middle of an unseasonal heatwave for so early in the summer, and Dino could feel tiny beads of sweat running down the back of his neck as he made his way through Kyouya's home and to his private room at the very back of the house. He didn't bother announcing his presence this time around; he was sure that Kyouya knew he was coming, and that thought was enough to make him feel happy. Sure enough, when he slid open the door to Kyouya's private room the Cloud Guardian opened one eye and smirked.
"You're late, Cavallone."
"Sorry about that," Dino replied, grinning and sitting down next you the Vongola Cloud. "The plane was late, and..."
"No excuses," Hibari said shortly, and Dino smiled and carefully reached for Kyouya's hand. Kyouya flinched away, and Dino's smile turned into a sheepish grin.
"I'm sorry, Kyouya."
Hibari said nothing in reply, and a second later an awkward-looking Kusakabe came into the room, carrying two bowls filled with cold soba noodles. After Kusakabe had shuffled out of the room, exiting with a sharp bow in Hibari's direction, Dino picked up his chopsticks and attempted to eat. Hibari ate slowly, but he was still half-done with his food before Dino had managed to take more than a few bites.
"Just admit that you don't know how to use chopsticks, Cavallone," Kyouya commented as he delicately ate another mouthful of noodles. Dino sighed and put his plate on the table; it had been a long time since he'd been so nervous around Kyouya, and he knew the reason why. Before he could even begin to really think about the box in his pocket, three - not two, like the last time - yellow balls of fuzz and feathers fluttered down onto the table and sat at the edge of Dino's soba bowl, dark eyes staring longingly at the noodles held within. Dino grinned and nudged some of the noodles closer to the edge of the bowl with one of his chopsticks, and the baby bird chirped wildly and gobbled the noodle up.
"This little guy has grown," Dino said, ruffling the tiny feather sprouting from the top of the baby bird's head. "Hibird and Dibird are exactly the same, though."
The corner of Hibari's mouth twitched at the mention of the name of Hibird's mate, as if the very sound of it had the same effect on him as a particularly stubborn insect buzzing around his face.
"That name is ridiculous," Hibari muttered, finishing off the last of the soba in his own bowl. The moment he placed his bowl on the table, Hibird and Dibird flew over to Hibari's empty bowl, effectively leaving the fuller bowl to their offspring. When they found that their master's bowl was empty, they began looking expectantly at him, as if they were anticipating him fetching them more noodles to replace the one he'd devoured.
Dino smiled at Kyouya's comment and continued to scratch the top of the baby bird's head as it ate. Aside from being much smaller than its parents, it still had a few pinfeathers that hadn't quite grown up enough to replace the soft yellow fluff that had covered it when it was born. He had never seen the tiny animal in person before now (although Kyouya had sent him a rather succinct message on his phone a couple of months ago with a picture of the newborn bird and the words "it hatched") and it was good to see that it was healthy.
"He's a happy little guy," Dino commented as the baby bird finished the noodle between its beak and hoped up his arm and onto his shoulder, chirping incomprehensible Japanese syllables and tugging at the loose strands of the Cavallone Boss's hair. "You've done well, Kyouya."
Kyouya hummed irritably and flicked the top of his fingers at Hibird and Dibird, causing them to hop over to Dino's bowl. They immediately dipped their heads into the bowl and began squabbling over the soba, chattering at one another irritably when they grabbed the same noodle.
"I could hardly let it starve. It would be too much trouble to deal with your herbivorous mourning."
"Should I apologise?" Dino asked, half-sarcastically, and Hibari turned his sharp gaze to the Cavallone Boss.
"Must you always make such a joke of things, Bucking Horse?"
"I never said I was joking," Dino commented.
"I don't see the point in demanding half-hearted apologies from herbivores," Hibari replied. "Do whatever you wish."
"Really?" Dino questioned. Hibari ignored him, but Dino was used to taking this as an unspoken yes by now. "... can I kiss you?"
Dino was almost relieved to see the flash of metal against his student's thigh and to feel the sharp blow Hibari inflicted to the side of his head. That, of course, did not mean that it didn't hurt.
"Ouch, Kyouya," Dino said, wincing as he rubbed the tender spot with his fingers to check for blood.
"Idiot," Hibari murmured. "What would you do if I said yes?"
And then Dino blinked rapidly and almost did a double-take in surprise as his former student crawled over him and pressed rough lips against his, hard and unforgiving. Dino was just about losing himself in the ferocity of his former student's passion. Suddenly everything else seemed so far away; the rough texture of the tatami flooring, the heat of the day and of the sun streaming through the open door...
Suddenly, a small, soft weight landed just next to Dino's ear. Dino pulled away out of surprise, irritating Hibari in the process.
"Cavallone..."
"Sorry, Kyouya," Dino grinned sheepishly as the baby bird began tugging at his hair with its beak. "This little guy scared me."
"Coward," Hibari purred, and Dino felt a lump rise into his throat at the dangerous look in the Vongola Cloud's eyes.
"I-I actually just remembered that I brought you a present, Kyouya!"
"Oh?" Hibari said, raising his eyebrows and removing himself from his position in the Cavallone Boss's lap to allow him to rummage through his pants pocket. The baby bird flew onto Dino's head and nuzzled into his hair, apparently intent on going to sleep.
"It's not much," Dino said, retrieving the small box from his pocket, "but I hope you like it."
Dino held the box out on his palm, and Hibari stared at it blankly.
"... don't you want to know what's inside?"
"I'm waiting for you to open it," Hibari replied, deadpan, and Dino frowned a little.
"Ah, is that it... okay, here goes."
The ring was not particularly elaborate, but Dino figured that if he'd gone out and bought Kyouya a diamond engagement ring worth several thousand dollars, he probably wouldn't have accepted it. It was a simple, slim band of white gold with a small amethyst set into the metal; simple in terms of craft, but certainly valuable in terms of sentiment.
"Do you like it?" Dino questioned, and Hibari sighed softly and reached to take the ring from the box.
"I cannot say that I will wear it regularly..." Hibari said, slipping the ring onto his left ring finger, "but I will accept it."
Dino felt happiness well up inside him, and he took Kyouya's hand in his own and kissed each of his fingertips, one by one.
"You've made me so happy, Kyouya. And on such a special day."
"Today is special? How so?" Hibari asked, watching the Cavallone Boss with mild amusement.
Dino smirked and gently untangled Hibird and Dibird's offspring from his hair, and placed the tiny bird in the middle of Kyouya's lap.
"Today is Father's Day."
Six weeks later, Dino was back in Italy and happier than ever, despite the large bruise on his forehead, obtained thanks to Kyouya's right fist.
He stepped into his room, a tiny cage under his arm, and sat on his bed. Once he was there, he unlocked the cage and held out his hand, and Dibird and Hibird's baby hopped out, grateful for the chance to finally stretch its wings.
"Haneuma!" the bird chirped awkwardly, and Dino grinned and gently tossed it into the air, sending it into flight. "Haneuma... happy?"
Smiling gently to himself, Dino reached into his pocket for the box he'd used to transport Kyouya's ring. It now had something else in it; a simple gold band that Kyouya had presented him with, with as little ceremony as possible, at the airport on the day he had left Japan.
"You're right. I'm very happy."
END.
What's the baby bird's name? Probably "the other other one". /shot
Comments are always loved!