#3
Requested by: chiyomemochizuki
Characters: Pre-Curse!Reborn, Pre-Curse!Colonello, Young!Dino, and Young!Squalo
Spoilers: None really
Situation: After seeing the constant rivalry between Reborn and Colonello, Dino has an idea. In order to determine who is better, both of them will have a chance to tutor him in preparation for a date he has coming up. Whoever manages to help him the most is the official winner. Threats fly, chaos ensues.
Pairings: Reborn/Colonello, Reborn/Dino, Colonello/Dino, Squalo/Dino (whew, that was a lot)
Disclaimer: The world of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Amano Akira.
A/N: This took … forever. Though, admittedly, it was fun writing from a younger Dino's point of view. Not sure if I like the final product or not, but … it's about time I posted this. Sorry it took so long (By the way, I'm curious, how old is Dino in the main storyline? Before the Millefiore arc.)
-X-
Colonello slammed his forehead against Reborn's in challenge "Stop glaring at me, kora." Blue eyes were blazing. "Unless you want to have a go, kora."
"No, no, I was just trying to figure out how you get that headband on that oversized head of yours," Reborn quipped, refusing to back down. He started to comment on the '01' stitched into the fabric but was cut off as a timid voice intruded upon their conversation. His gun was already pointed at the boy in the doorway even if his forehead was still pressed tauntingly against Colonello's. "Yes, can I help you?"
"Um, Reborn? I-I was kind of wondering if I could talk to you in private."
The hitman sighed. "Can't you just spit it out already, Dino? I'm busy," he carelessly explained, dark eyes never straying from Colonello's own gleaming ones. How could Dino possibly expect him to back down from this? This young man was eagerly awaiting a chance to get the better of him. Something he would never allow. "Is it something embarrassing? I assure you, whatever you have to say can be said in front of Colonello here."
"Well, I have this date." Oh, that was different. Dino rarely wanted his opinion when it came to personal matters. "And I was hoping you could give me some advice, but … since you're busy …" The boy trailed off nervously, forgoing his previous determination in light of recent circumstances. Reborn could imagine what they looked like to the boy, staring at each other like hawks, waiting for the slightest hint of movement that would trigger bloodlust. If not informed to the contrary, anyone would get the wrong impression about what they were doing.
Reborn suddenly grinned, leaning forward to ghost his lips just an inch from Colonello's. The brat's body shivered in response to the movement, his breath coming quicker. This, he knew, could prove interesting. "Yes, we're quite busy, Dino. Why don't we catch up later, hm?"
The boy didn't have to be told more than once. He was already half-way down the hall when the screams started. He would have been further, but he had tripped a couple of times in his haste.
-X-
Reborn was tipping his fedora respectfully to someone Dino couldn't see when he stumbled upon the man later that evening. For whatever reason, the hitman was giving off the air of an ever obedient Mafioso. Dino knew better. Such theatrical displays were only for show - unless Reborn truly respected the person. In this case, it was easy to tell there was no sense of reverence at all. "My apologies, signor."
Peeking further into the room, Dino noticed with a small squeak Reborn was being chastised by none other than his father. The Ninth Cavallone Don looked far from happy. "See that such disturbances remain outside my household in the future. Am I clear?"
"Crystal," Reborn answered with a graceful bow. "Now, if you'll excuse me. Your darling son requires my attention."
Dino failed to notice the dark, fleeting look on his father's face before it was gone. He was taken off-guard when the Don subsequently spoke, unprepared for the deep loathing directed solely at Reborn. "Do not over-step your boundaries around my son, fannullone. If you so much as touch him in the wrong way, I will immediately have you shipped back to the Vongola Familgia." There was a thick, pregnant pause before the Ninth continued. "As such, all friendly affiliations with said Family will immediately be terminated. Watch your six, fannullone."
The declarations, the insults, they meant nothing to Reborn as he smiled, tipping his hat once more. "Sí, signor." He bowed at the waist. "That is all?" The question was more of a statement, but the Ninth waved a dismissive hand anyway.
"You're free to leave. But keep in mind my warning if you ever decide to branch out."
"As you wish, signor."
Hurrying to get away from the half-open door before he was spotted, Dino ended up sprawled out on the floor. He swore fluently in his native language of Italian, noticing with panic one of his shoelaces was undone. If he didn't tie it now and get down that hallway within zero point five seconds Reborn was going to …
"Ah, Dino, just the person I wanted to see!" The sadistic sparkle in those eyes had Dino wishing he hadn't stopped to spy on the man. He was going to get it now. A punch to the face, a kick to the stomach, a bullet to the foot, there were too many painful, non-life threatening options to choose from and Reborn knew every single one of them. He closed his eyes and waited. "What are you doing, idiot? Follow me, there's something I want to discuss." With the strange, non-violent way of handling the situation, it was understandable Dino didn't know how to react. The boy settled for slack-jaw gaping, which earned him a slap to the back of his head before he was forcibly tugged to his feet by the hitman. "Come on, idiot, get it together."
Nodding dumbly and without much thought to self-preservation, he did as he was told and followed Reborn down the hall to the man's private quarters. Apprehension was starting to overrule the rational part of his brain that told him to stay still and act normal. "I-Is this about what I over-heard?" The sharp glance Reborn threw his way before locking the door told him that no, this was not about what he had just heard. The rational part of his brain that was slowly disappearing in the wake of fear hinted that it had been stupid to admit to eavesdropping, but he wasn't paying that part of his brain much attention as he stared, wide-eyed, at the man fingering the trigger of his gun.
"It would be so easy," Reborn began blithely, a thumb brushing against the safety, "so very easy to destroy this entire family, starting with you." Ah, this wasn't about what he had heard, Dino realized; this was about retribution against his father by going against those very orders he had been given. What that meant, Dino's young mind couldn't fully comprehend, but he understood the gist of it. He was about to get punished for what his father had said. It wasn't fair, but that was the cruel justice of this world they lived in. Fear gripped his heart as the gun gave a tell-tale click, signaling the safety was off. Reborn wouldn't … Reborn couldn't actually plan to … Then he heard another click and a mutter of, " - isn't worth it." He breathed a silent sigh of relief, and at the same time wanted to cry. If that had been an actual threat, would he have frozen, afraid, like he had just now? "Pathetic," Reborn stated levelly, indifference overtaking whatever expression he would have otherwise had. "You wouldn't be able to walk a single day in my shoes with the way you are now. You practically wet yourself. All those months of training proved fruitless after all."
"What was that?" growled Dino, standing and storming over to Reborn. He jabbed a finger into the man's chest, demanding, "That was a test, wasn't it? Or did you just decide to scare the shit out of me because you felt like it?"
Reborn lifted one shoulder, shrugging. "Do you want me to answer that to soothe your poor frazzled nerves? Sorry, I don't coddle my students."
A light bulb went off in Dino's mind. "Fine. Fine, since you want to get back at my father so bad you were willing to shoot me to do it, how about I offer you a proposal?" When there was no reply, Dino added, "It would also settle your little score with that rival of yours. Colonello, wasn't it? What did you do to him this morning, by the way?" The last part was genuine curiosity coming into play.
"None of your business," smoothly insisted Reborn, holstering his gun. There was silence for a while, but then the top assassin for the Vongola seemed to come to a decision. "I'm listening. What is this proposal of yours? Anything short of my satisfaction and I will have to compensate by other means."
Dino gulped and prayed what he had to say would be what Reborn wanted to hear. "Er, it's about that date I mentioned earlier. I was just thinking, instead of just asking for advice, why don't I have the two of you show me first hand what dating can be like?" He coughed, going red in the face. "S-So I'm ready for next week's … outing with my classmate."
"Outing, hm? What kind of … outing?" Reborn was enjoying this, he could tell. A barely there smirk was tugging at the hitman's lips, making Dino bristle with indignation. Wasn't it enough that Dino was going against his better judgment and allowing these men to have their way with him for two full days?
"We're going to dinner," the young heir to the Cavallone Family ground out. "Dinner and a movie."
"How cliché," drawled Reborn, sounding bored already. "Well, I'll inform Colonello tomorrow about this. I won't see him until our usual morning clash, so you'll just have to wait for his answer. And I'm assuming we'll both have a full day to teach you how to treat a member of the opposite sex?" Dino hesitantly nodded and then tried to speak. Reborn stopped him with a glare. "How do you plan to decide a winner?" the man demanded. "You realize you won't be able to just willy-nilly pick one. We are both equally skilled marksman who won't hesitate to kill you, you realize. If we feel your decision is in the least bit unsatisfactory, you will be dead in less than half a minute. Have you thoroughly thought about how you will judge such combatants?"
Why was Reborn taking this so seriously? Dino wondered, anxiety increasing at how determined his tutor sounded. "I-I plan to take many things into consideration, Reborn. There are five categories I will judge you both on." He was bull-shitting his way through this, but Reborn hadn't caught on yet it would seem. Or if he had, he was giving Dino the benefit of the doubt; that, or he was waiting for Dino to slip up so he could dish out proper punishment. Either way, he hurried to list five things that came to mind when he thought about dating. "The categories include fine dining, etiquette, ability to gather information, how to …" And here he turned red again. "How to kiss and how to seduce."
"The last two go hand and hand," Reborn pointed out, looking down on his student condescendingly. "Or are you going to tell me they aren't?"
"I meant … I meant …" He couldn't stop blushing. "I guess what I meant was … how well you teach me to kiss."
"Ah."
Ah, that's all you have to say? Ah? Frustrated, Dino went on to describe how he would judge the seduction portion of the night. "If you can make me say something I wouldn't normally say to either of you by the end of your 'lesson', I will consider you to have passed in the seduction category."
"You're making this too easy." Reborn's eyes had narrowed to slits in the shadow of his hat. Dino shivered at how much the man reminded him of a predatory stalker of some sort – like a panther or a hawk. "Give us a challenge, little Dino."
His hands balled into fists at the insult to both his height and age. "What do you want me to say, then? The first person to have sex with me wins?" He felt disgust curl in the pit of his stomach as Reborn's eyes lit up. "Hell no. That's not something you fucking bet on," and without thinking he threw in his father's insult of, "fannullone."
Dino's back slammed into the nearest wall, one of Reborn's hands at his throat while the other pointed the all too familiar gun at his temple. He could feel the cold metal digging into his scalp, rapidly making the color drain from his face.
"I dare you," Reborn coaxed. A warm breath tickled Dino's ear, making the boy's breath hitch. "I dare you to say that again with this gun to your head."
Unwillingly, Dino felt tears building behind his eyes as Reborn depraved him of oxygen with a single hand wrapped so firmly around his neck. "St … op," he managed haphazardly as the tears spilled over, cascading down his pale cheeks. The hand retracted from his throat suddenly as if burned. Dino glanced down, rubbing at his sore neck, and noticed what had happened. A few tears had landed on the back of Reborn's hand. The hitman seemed to be studying them in fascination as if he couldn't quite grasp something. "I'm sorry," Dino apologized at once, "I said something without thinking. For that, I -"
"Save it." Reborn's cold, biting voice was back in full swing. "If there's one thing I won't tolerate in my students, it's a lack of proper respect. Learn some, or I won't be so considerate next time we have a run in of this sort. Also, if you ever become like that man who calls himself the Ninth, I'll personally kill you. Do you understand?"
Dino wordlessly nodded.
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Knowing he had been dismissed, Dino started for the door. He had finally figured out how to unlock the damn thing when Reborn decided to get a parting shot in, of the verbal kind. "Your punishment will be dealt tomorrow when we speak to Colonello. Prepare yourself."
The young heir wasn't sure what that meant, but the word punishment clued him into the fact that it was going to be nasty, no matter the form.
-X-
This was torture, pure and unadulterated torture. It was one thing, Dino conceded, to physically discipline your student, but it was another to mentally scar them. Dino glared at the snickering Reborn, face permanently red from both indignation and embarrassment alike. "This is just so - so wrong."
Colonello slapped his knee, howling with laughter. "That dress suits you, kora!"
"Lies," grumbled Dino, yanking the dress down as far as it would go despite its short length. "Ugh, what the hell were thinking, Reborn?"
"I was thinking," the hitman cheerfully explained, "that this would be a perfect opportunity to remind my cute little student why he shouldn't talk back to his superiors." Dino pretended he didn't hear the words cute or little or superior. "Now, if you'd sit quietly and let me speak, this could be over in no time and you'll be free to change." Dino's glare intensified, but he didn't say a word. "Good, good. Now, Colonello, my student here has a little proposition for the two of us."
"Proposition?" Colonello's interest was piqued. His laughter even died away as he focused on what was being said. "And what's this proposition, kora?"
"A contest." Reborn let that sink in before he carried on. Almost like a game of cat and mouse, Dino thought. The boy was more than grateful he wasn't the mouse for once. "Dino here needs some help with that date of his. He came begging on his hands and knees to me last night, crying his little eyes, telling me how pitiful his love life was and how he didn't want to screw up yet another chance at true love." Dino bristled at the description. What the hell was this? Harass your student day?
The boy glanced at Colonello, hoping the man wasn't buying anything Reborn was saying. He had to bite back a sigh of annoyance when he noticed that yes, this man was buying every cent of those worthless lies Reborn spewed. Could this day get any worse?
"Not only that, he's given us the responsibility to ensure he knows the ins and outs of dating by the end of his sessions with us." Ah, he had forgotten Reborn was still explaining; he had been too caught up in thoughts of outrage. "If you understand and accept, we will begin immediately. The loser will have to be the winner's slave for one month; does that sound like a good enough bet?"
"Two." Blue eyes were blazing with the usual challenge. "Make it worth my while, kora."
"I see no problems with that arrangement." Reborn's confidence was going to be his downfall one day.
"Who gets the kid first, kora?" Two sets of eyes were trained on the cross-dressing blond who shrunk back, trying to appear as small as possible.
"Me," smoothly replied Reborn. "Now, go get changed, Dino. You don't want to keep your date waiting, do you?"
Dino left without another look back, almost knocking over a priceless vase in the process but never faltering in his pace. Keeping Reborn waiting was a sure-fire way to make this day a more painful one than it honestly needed to be.
-X-
Straightening his tie, Dino smiled at his reflection in the mirror. It felt good to be back in proper men's clothing. A sharp rap to his door-frame had him jumping slightly, ruining his short-lived happiness. Heart beating wildly, he turned to face the person who had entered his room without permission, relaxing a little when he noticed it was just Reborn. Must be tired of waiting, Dino assumed, already pretending his tutor wasn't there as he buttoned his over-jacket.
"Need some help?" Dino wasn't quite prepared for the arms that curled around his waist, skillfully taking over the work with the barest brushing of their hands. He shook his head and tried to push Reborn out of the way. "You're taking to long," the man stated simply. Again, Dino's breath hitched as a warm breath tickled the inner shell of his ear. It was for a completely different reason than last night's escapade, but that didn't make the feeling of dread go away. He's seducing you, idiot! The rational part of his mind had kicked in. As usual, he disregarded that helpful part of his brain.
"W-What are you doing, Reborn?" Those hands finally stilled as they reached the last button, a finger snaking into one of his belt loops and pulling him back against a firm chest. Dino let out an undignified squeak and struggled against the unexpected embrace.
"Stupid. What do you think I'm doing?" He was being reprimanded, he realized. Dino scowled and lowered his eyes to the floor as he counted to ten in his head. "Don't you know seduction when you see it? You're going to make a poor mafia boss." A hand had somehow sneaked underneath his jacket, fingers dancing up and down the flat expanse of his stomach. Dino's cheeks flushed and he squirmed. This was fast getting uncomfortable. "A poor mafia boss, indeed." Reborn was unrelenting, in both words and actions. "You'll be so easy to manipulate even when you're older."
That did it for Dino's self-control. His elbow swung backwards to slam into the man's diaphragm without a second thought. It would have connected, too, if Reborn hadn't reacted and let him go. "I'm not a weak child you can take advantage of any more, Reborn," the blond hissed, fixing his formal attire with forced eloquence. "Let's get this over with, already; Father has a meeting he wants me to attend tonight."
When he caught sight of Reborn in the mirror again, he was understandably confused by the victorious smile gracing the man's face. "Wha - ?"
"You said it yourself last night, didn't you? If I could get you to say something you wouldn't normally say to me, I would pass with flying colors in the seduction department." At Dino's shocked face, Reborn chuckled and gestured toward the door. "Let's go, we're only wasting time here, no?"
-X-
Reborn had a knack for being unconventional, and this just proved it. Instead of picking the most expensive restaurant imaginable, Reborn had settled for a small café to start off their dating lesson. They had opted to have an outdoor seat, politely declining an indoor booth once Reborn had noticed the café's only point of entry was the front door. The hitman had mumbled something about sitting ducks, but Dino had brushed the comment off with ease. The waiter was overly formal with them when it came time to order, which presented the ideal time to test both Reborn's manners and sense of fine dining. He leaned forward against the circular table and propped up his elbows, watching and waiting.
The hitman held up a hand, forestalling the waiter's insistence that they try the special. "We'll have the pizza margherita, if you don't mind. Followed with the usual coffee and the finest Limoncello that you have." Reborn had garnered control effortlessly, placing their order while still retaining a courteous outward appearance. Dino was caught between admiration and incredulity when it came to this man. How was it possible for one person to be so damn insanely perfect?
While they waited for their meal, Reborn brought up topics that put him at ease and erased the crazy morning from his mind. How's school, for instance, or did you see what happened to poor Romario when he had too much to drink last weekend? The usual stuff that they talked about when violence wasn't involved. The smell of pizza wafted into the air soon enough, Dino turning in his seat to smile brightly at the waiter. The smile quickly faded when the man slipped on a patch of loose gravel. His eyes followed the pizza up into the air and watched, with horror, as their lunch landed sauce-side down on their waiter's face. A discreet cough behind him gave away Reborn's amusement. Dino's frown was easily mistaken for a pout when he turned back around to face his home tutor. "Do we still get our lunch or what?"
The waiter hurried to stand, wiping the sauce off his face with a handkerchief that had been stowed in his breast pocket, and quickly assured them that their food would be ready in no time. Dino, though, kind of hoped the man found someone else to deliver it.
With their bellies full an hour later, they left. Reborn had slung an arm around his shoulders at some point during their short walk to their next destination, the extra weight throwing him off balance – which lead to more accidents than either was willing to admit to later. They arrived at the theater relatively unharmed, however, and Reborn had learned that his student was even more uncoordinated than he had first suspected.
"You like horror, correct?" Was Reborn actually asking for his opinion on what movie they should see? Well, huh. Dino had the sudden urge to look in a phone book for hell's number and check to make sure it hadn't just frozen over. "Oi, idiot, I'm don't believe I'm talking to that wall behind you. Your answer. Now."
"Y-Yeah."
"Good, I've already bought the tickets." He flourished two pieces of paper. "Bought them on sale last night." It made sense why Reborn wanted to go first now. At the 'on sale' part, nevertheless, Dino grimaced. He had a feeling that someone had gotten a very, very nasty threat via email. Before Dino could question Reborn's methods, his arm was firmly gripped and Reborn was already steering him into the theater. Ten minutes into the movie and Dino wasn't sure picking horror as their genre for the evening had been the brightest idea. He had automatically grabbed the nearest person's hand in fright and that nearest person happened to be Reborn. While the hitman hadn't commented, Dino's discomfort at holding someone else's hand had made him let go. This cycle of grab and release continued until Reborn finally became fed up, roughly snatching up the boy's hand and refusing to let go. Dino squeezed the hand holding his in a silent 'thank you'. He thought he heard a mutter of 'Prego', but it could have been wistful thinking.
In the end, the movie hadn't been that bad after all. It had shown him a surprisingly gentle side to Reborn. That in itself was an accomplishment. "Is that all for tonight?" Dino questioned, checking his watch. "I mean, I still have three hours to kill before tonight's meeting."
Reborn was grinning in that I-know-something-that-you-don't way. Well, there was his answer. "Of course not, idiot. I still have one more category left, no?"
Dino was about to correct him, but finally understood what the movie had represented. Man, he's good. He's covered all bases, but the – He blushed as realization hit him. "A-And what do you have in mind?"
"Oh, nothing much. A gondola cruise sounds good, though, sí?"
"Sí," he reluctantly admitted. This can't end well.
-X-
The cruise had started out calmly enough, given the circumstances. A petite woman was their current gondolier, dressed in the predictable striped shirt and Italian cap. Studiously, Dino avoided her gaze. Reborn had threatened the woman with bodily harm and a flash of his gun to get them on-board, even persuading her to stay out longer than the customary one-hour per ride. She was probably angry, or afraid, or …
"Stupid, why are you so tense?" Dino leaned precariously to one side, eyes wide. Reborn was too close, way too close. "What, you don't know the tradition?" Reborn was pointing to the bridge above them, a certain evil twinkle in those dark eyes. "It's common knowledge that you're supposed to kiss your partner under every bridge." The blond threw out his arms, keeping the hitman a good distance away. "It doesn't have to be on the lips," scolded the man. "Stop being so naïve."
He let his arms fall and clenched his eyes shut. Even if he had stopped struggling, that didn't mean he wanted to see whatever was about to happen. A laugh rumbled deep inside Reborn's chest, the man so close he could feel the vibration of the sound. He held his breath as he felt dry lips brush against his cheek. How many times had he been greeted by a kiss? This was nothing! Why was he getting so worked up?
"Stupid!" What was Reborn's problem now? "Don't lean so far ba -"
Dino never got the chance to hear the rest of that sentence. Next thing he knew, he had fallen into the canal and water was rushing up to meet him.
-X-
Shivering, Dino pulled the towel tighter around his body, needing the warmth. "T-This i-is a-all y-your f-fault," the blond managed to stutter out around chattering teeth.
"Save it." Reborn faked a yawn. "You're a klutz. Face facts, signor clumsy."
"W-Well, i-if y-you h-hadn't - " He was cut off as lips silenced him. His eyes went wide, but he didn't have the energy to fight back. At least they were back at the Cavallone Manor, Dino compromised, and not out on the streets somewhere. The awkward kiss was broken when the blond pulled back for air, Reborn thankfully allowing the loss of contact. "J-Jerk."
"I know." Dino was a bit surprised when Reborn rested their foreheads together, showcasing yet another rare act of kindness. "I had a good time," the hitman acknowledged softly before switching to Italian to add, "Carino il mio studente."
He gave the man a half-hearted glare and retorted with a lackluster, "I am not cute."
Reborn lazily shook his head after pulling away from his student. "Believe what you will. Good luck with Colonello."
That night, though he refused to admit this later, Dino prayed fervently that a lesson with Colonello would bring less ridiculous mishaps. Alas, his prayers would not be answered.
-X-
Dino stared, then stared some more. "What are you wearing?" was the first thing he wanted to know, followed quickly by, "Are those flowers?" The lilies were thrust at his chest noncommittally. "Er … you didn't have to …" Buying me flowers is going a little over-boarding, I think.
"You would have preferred chocolate?" Colonello's brows furrowed in confusion. "This whole sappy romance stuff isn't really my thing, kora."
Well, Dino thought, I've just went from an experienced smooth-talker to an inexperienced wanna-be. "So how did you come up with the idea … I would like … flowers?"
"Films," supplied Colonello. "I watched a few of them last night, kora, and it seemed most women respond positively to their favorite flower."
There were two things wrong with that statement. One, "I'm not a woman, though," Dino pointed out with a roll of his eyes. And two, "How did you even know what my favorite flower was?" He didn't remember flaunting to everyone and anyone that he liked lilies.
Blue eyes shifted nervously. "Let's just get going, kora."
"Not like that, we aren't." Dino drew the attention back to Colonello's attire. How the man had gotten the idea that a lime-green suit was appropriate for a date, he really didn't want to know. He gestured, instead, to his own casual clothes for today's lesson. "Regular clothes would have been fine."
"But you dressed up for Reborn, kora!" Obviously Colonello didn't like losing to his 'rival'.
Massaging the space between his eyes, Dino sighed. "That was because I had a meeting later that evening, but that didn't turn out so well anyway."
"Oh."
"Yes, oh. Now go change!"
-X-
If Reborn's taste had surprised him yesterday, Colonello's was horrifying him today. Because he had insisted on casual clothing, he had thought they would have ended up at a street vendor's for an afternoon snack, but no, of course things couldn't be that simple. The older blond had insisted on taking him to a fancy restaurant that Dino couldn't even pronounce properly. They were seated almost at once despite their appearance, which Dino had found odd but chalked up to bribery or threats of some sort. Whatever the case was, the outrageous prices for the food were an entirely different matter altogether. Dino couldn't make up his mind if he should confront Colonello about it or just let it slide. What ever happened to keeping dates simple and low-key?
"Order whatever you want, kora," the man prompted a short while later when Dino hadn't decided on anything yet. The boy twitched. "What's a matter with you, kora?"
"It's just … this place isn't exactly …" The type of place I'd even considering taking my date. Maybe Reborn's little café would be a better – He cut that thought off hastily, shaking his head. What was he thinking? Reborn would be smug for weeks if he found out Dino had taken his special someone there. "Eh, anyway, what are you planning to order?" I'll just order the same thing and be done with it.
"…"
Dino looked up from his menu when he wasn't answered, both eyebrows raised in question. "Don't tell me you haven't decided yet, either?" They had been here for at least twenty minutes. What was the hold up? Dino knew why he was hesitating, but Colonello?
The older blond scowled and drummed his fingers against the white table cloth over-top their table. "I'm not use to eating at places like this," Colonello relented. "I-I guess I was just waiting for you to suggest something." The additional because you are a mafia boss's son, kora was left unspoken.
Waving a careless hand, Dino beckoned the nearest waiter over. "Could I get two orders of chicken alfredo? Along with a side serving of salad and French bread. Bring us a bottle of white wine to go with that, if you'd be so kind, and we'll follow up with the chocolate mousse for dessert." The waiter gave a small bow and then left to pass on the order. It was the silence that followed in his wake that made the air too stifling for one's comfort. When it reached a point where Dino couldn't stand it any more, the boy admitted, "I hate coming to places like this."
"Why?" Colonello appeared surprised. "You sure know how to handle yourself here, kora."
"Years of practice," ground out Dino sullenly. "Nothing special."
"But it is, kora! Aren't you excited about becoming the Tenth?"
The boy laughed loudly. "Please, the only reason I haven't abandoned this Family yet is because I have too much to lose. And everything to gain, no?" He rolled his eyes. "This isn't exactly my idol career choice, but what other choice do I have? Even if I wanted to give up now, it's not like Reborn would let me."
"He's got a lot of faith in you, kora," noted Colonello. "I know he doesn't like the Ninth, kora, but he's sort of attached to you."
"Haha, it's a 'painful' sort of attachment, then!"
"What other way would you have Reborn, kora?" Colonello was grinning finally, no more worries about doing something wrong. Dino smiled warmly back, glad to have the man at ease again.
"True, true, I wouldn't have him any other way." Their lunch together ended up being a more pleasant experience than Dino would have ever thought possible.
-X-
It wasn't until the movie portion of the night that things started going horribly, horribly wrong. Colonello had yelled at exactly twelve people since they had arrived and the count was steadily increasing. An usher made too much noise, he was yelled at. A couple blocked the screen as the man leaned over to whisper sweet nothings in his girlfriend's ear, they were soundly chastised by the former COMSUBIN member. A woman giggled even, and Colonello went off like fireworks. Dino just groaned and buried his face into his hands. He didn't even bother to pay attention to the romantic comedy Colonello had chosen – a joke, really, since the older man had picked it to show Dino that yes, women responded very well to flowers in movies. Dino had restrained himself during that comment, not wanting to point out again that he was in fact a boy.
Two hours of mortification later, they were taking a bus back to the meeting point with Dino's chauffer. At least the ride turned out fairly normal until they met up with Romario. After that, things went straight back downhill.
"Do I get a goodnight kiss, then, kora?"
In discomfort, Dino kept fidgeting, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth in uncertainty. He had let Reborn kiss him, of course, so this was bound to happen. Colonello didn't like backing down when it came to that particular man. "S-Sure." Might as well get it over with, he thought, pulling Colonello behind a tree before Romario could catch sight of them. The last thing he needed was for this to get back to his father. "Hurry up. I have to leave soo- "
Colonello brought whatever the boy was about to say to a standstill. The kiss was oddly gently, but it turned playful in only a matter of seconds as he dragged one of the boy's lips between his teeth, nibbling. The teenager murmured something like appreciation and then pushed him away. "E-Enough. I have to go." To spare his sanity, Dino took no notice of the disappointed little frown on Colonello's face and left before anything else could happen. It was bad enough Romario was giving him knowing looks when he got into the limo.
-X-
The real date was set to take place at last and Dino was growing more and more nervous than he'd ever been. He paced, ran his hands through his hair, and counted to one-hundred and back – nothing was working to alleviate his anxiety.
"Heeeey."
Dino half expected to turn around and see Colonello – both Reborn and the older blond had been hounding him to decide a winner for the past week. He was relieved, understandably so, to find his date and not the fanatic ex-COMSUBIN official when he faced his guest. "Squalo." He beamed, walking over to his upper-classman and throwing his arms around the other boy's neck. "Ready?"
"Yeah. You?" Squalo was making a show of being dispassionate about this; that was obvious enough. Dino grinned a mischievous little grin and decided to have some fun before they left, letting his fingers curl up and into Squalo's short silvery hair. "O-Oi, brat! What do you think you're doing?"
Standing up on his tip-toes, Dino merely pecked his date on the cheek. "Greeting," he said smugly. "What else?"
"UOOOII, stop joking around and get your ass out that door!"
-X-
Later, Dino would announce Reborn had won with a happy, contented sigh – which would quickly turn into a shriek of terror as Colonello had no qualms about pulling out the heavy artillery and terrorizing the current residents of the Cavallone Manor.
