Make him tame so he can live in peace with the world.
The title is taken from the 31 Days theme for December 2, 2008.
This is how Dino Cavallone begins his morning on the sixth of every month: up before sunrise, out inspecting the olive fields before breakfast and the inevitable trek back to his office to find Rokudo Mukuro sitting in his chair, reading his reports, eating his meal.
"Ten minutes."
"Five."
"You're supposed to start counting from the front door."
Dino turns away, rattling off his latest set of instructions to Romario as he hands the latter his coat. Mukuro watches them with languid, mismatched eyes as he pours himself another mug full of Dino's coffee. "Either way," he says, "you're still late. Therefore, you still owe me."
"I'm always going to BE late in your book," Dino mildly returns, after Romario has left the room. "You make sure you're in the moment I'm out the door."
A blink, an innocent look. "However did you guess?"
Teleporters: gotta love 'em.
In retrospect, though, perhaps he ought to be grateful for the fact that as far as he knows, Mukuro doesn't make it a point to break into his bedroom at night. That's the sort of special treatment that the Mist Guardian saves for his boss.
"You ought to try some of this," Mukuro says, while he's feasting on the remains of Dino's breakfast. "It's quite good."
"I'm sure it is."
Dino moves to his desk and rests his back against the edge, pulling the sheaf of papers out of Mukuro's gloved hand. He doesn't bother telling the younger man to vacate his chair. Asking Mukuro for anything was a risky business.
"Aren't you glad to see me?"
"Of course I am."
"But you'd be glad to see any friend."
"Is that what you are?" Dino counters, amused.
Mukuro answers him by lifting himself up and forward, to plant a kiss right on Dino's smile.
Dino supposes that he can ditch the reports, for the moment.
Romario closes the door behind him, waves Dino's advisors off and tells them to come back at dinnertime.
It is dark outside by the time Dino opens his eyes. Mukuro is the shadow slipping off the side of his bed, moving towards the windows. Because of the way he looks, all haloed in moonlight and wearing nothing but his own skin, it's hard to believe that he's the most wanted man in Italy.
He had not planned on making a habit out of training murderers and sleeping with monsters, of course, but he had not really expected his "younger brother" to keep such interesting company.
"Sentimental, old man?"
Dino sweeps his hair out of his eyes and plops his chin down on his hand. "Still horny, actually," he lightly returns. "So. Have you thought it over?"
Mukuro yawns, stretches up like a cat. "I suppose I have," he murmurs. "You were… entertaining enough. I'll turn a blind eye this time."
"Grazie."
Mukuro eyes him for a moment, amused at the gratitude, before returning to the bed – or more precisely, planting himself on Dino's lap, straddling his hips.
"Shall we negotiate a little more?"
Dino's arm snakes out, drawing Mukuro against his body, bringing them up together, cheek-to-cheek. "Get out," he murmurs sweetly, right into the other's ear. "The last thing I need is my men walking in with you still in my bed."
A low chuckle. "You're not nearly as fun as you like to think you are, Cavallone," Mukuro says, as he melts into nothing.
Next week, Tsuna treats Dino out to dinner in one of the nicer restaurants uptown – the young boss is cheery, the happiest he has been in months. A difficult deal's pulled through, he explains, when his "older brother" asks. He hadn't expected anything to work out, but it had and it was good. Of course, no one was really explaining themselves, and Tsuna had no idea how things came together, but maybe he shouldn't ask.
Dino smiles, and tells him to pass the salt.