Title: Repeat (Dino's story)
Summary: Dino gives approximately zero fucks.
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A polite knock on the door and Dino is soon face to face with a saddened Nana.
"Oh, Dino, it's good you're here," Nana frets. "Tsu-kun came home a bit…"
"Lost?" Dino suggests quietly and offers up a shrug. "I'm here to hopefully fix that."
Nana stares him down for a brief moment but steps back and gestures him inside. "He's in his room," she directs.
With a thankful nod to the house owner, he's up the stairs in a blur and hovering outside the door. It takes a deep breath but he knocks.
There's no reply.
"Tsuna," Dino calls softly. "I'm going to come in, okay?"
There's no reply.
Dino bites his lip and takes another minute to finally open the door. It moves smoothly and all too soon Dino is closing it behind him. There's a lump on the bed. He needs a double take to realise that it's Tsuna hidden under his sheets. It looks too small to be the Decimo.
Dino says nothing, not quite sure how to start. He takes a step towards the bed, and when nothing happens he moves to hover hesitantly over the side.
The lump rolls a bit and leaves a deliberate space for Dino. The Chiavarone boss slowly lowers himself down onto his back, and awkwardly laces his fingers on his stomach as he stares up at the ceiling.
"Contrary to what a lot of people expect from me," Dino says slowly. "I honestly don't care about Soul Marks."
The lump shifts a little.
"I…" Dino trails off. "Don't know where to start," he finishes and laughs once, hollowly. "Sorry, I should get Romario in here."
He goes to roll off the bed but a hand shoots out from the blankets and grabs a fist full of his collar, slamming him back down onto the mattress as the blankets go flying overhead. They settle over Dino when they fall but that was a vague feeling compared to the eyes of fire hovering above him.
Tsuna stares down at the man from where he was sitting on Dino's hips. He leans forward, one hand planted beside the Chiavarone's head while the other still fists the material of his shirt.
"Start from the beginning," Tsuna orders.
Dino takes a breath and starts. "My parents aren't Soul Mates."
Tsuna shifts down until he was pinning the man by lying over him. He buries his face the warm neck and listens.
"It never bothered them – in fact they would joke about it," Dino admits, his voice getting louder from it's mumbling and gaining strength. "But I saw their blissful love every day, and I promised to myself that if I met the right person, I wasn't going to care about being Soul Mates or not."
Tsuna tightens his grip on Dino's shirt.
"I promised, that if I met the right person, I would mark them myself with a ring," Dino swears, but his voice goes soft and hesitant for the next part. "I know that sounds really mushy, but I did come up with this when I was like four… so…" He falls silent.
Tsuna shuffles about on the man and raises himself up on an elbow, still holding the shirt in one hand.
Dino glances at him, nervous.
"I think it's sweet," Tsuna admits with a smile.
Dino blushes and grins up at the Decimo.
"Although," Tsuna continues with a teasing smirk. "I thought you were going to say how my phone number ends in 721."
Dino shares a sheepish smile. "I'd thought about it, but I couldn't convince myself that our bond was that flimsy."
Tsuna rolls over and melts into Dino's side. The man's shirt gets pulled across, along for the ride.
"I always felt bad when they would talk to me about Soul Marks," Tsuna admits. "Because I know they're trying to get to me now, but at the start -before I knew it was a game- I actually thought they cared that much."
Dino shifts the arm Tsuna is on to wrap around the Decimo's shoulders.
"I thought I was being cruel because I couldn't reassure them that I was their Soul Mate, and I couldn't take away that longing," Tsuna whispers.
"It's your choice, Tsuna, they can't force you," Dino counters.
"I know," Tsuna reassures him and then grumbles quietly, "Not that it actually matters with them playing around… can't believe I actually though Xanxus was being serious..."
Dino, not having caught the mumble, continues the main conversation. "And also when they asked, you thought of Kyoko, and how she might reject you, and got depressed, and-"
Tsuna reaches up and flicks the hollow of Dino's throat. The man chokes and hunches his shoulders as his trachea takes the hit.
"You've been spending too much time with Kyouya," Dino grumbles but relaxes again when Tsuna tucks his hands away. "He does it as well."
"I know, I copied him," Tsuna declares happily. "It works well."
"So…?" Dino hums.
Tsuna huffs. "I saw their whole hearted belief and wished that I could have that certainty. I just really wanted that magical, instant love." He ducks his head and face plants into Dino's shoulder. "But you're right, I'd rather a love that was actually compatible."
"… Is now a bad time to say I love you?"
A sigh. "Dino, have they brainwashed you as well?"
An equally loud sigh. "Tsuna, one day you're going to wake up and it's going to hit you like a Leon hammer that everyone is being totally serious and that we haven't actually been playing with you."
"Yeah," Tsuna agrees sarcastically. "Well, when that day comes, you'll be the first I call."
Dino buries his head into Tsuna's hair. "That's all I could ever ask for."
Hayato, with his Juudaime radar, is the first to find him. The Storm watches half hidden behind a corner as his boss strides through the Vongola base with a bright smile and a straight back.
The right hand man follows the hypnotising figure, only half noticing the group that amasses around him, and steps into the Decimo's office.
"Welcome home, Juudaime," Hayato greets softly.
Tsuna looks up to see his friends and his smile is blinding. "It's good to be home," he counters, and then continues. "I've decided, I don't need a Soul Mate." At that abrupt declaration, he disappears into a secret passage with a couple of files.
As one, they turn to Dino who steps into the office behind them, but the Chiavarone immediately cuts them off. "You're all acting like morons," he growls. "Get your shit together because I won't have you messing with Tsuna any longer."
"We're not-" Takeshi starts to protest.
"You are," Dino speaks over him. "All of you, figure out if you want a Soul Mate or Tsuna, because I'm getting sick of seeing him so upset."
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A/N:
You'll notice a lot of contrary views and opinions in this, which is because of the different POVs and how people keep on changing their mind - these characters are really just mostly confused.
Dino thinks they only want a Soul Mate, especially from the conversation he overheard where they only thought to go after Tsuna when Kyoko pointed out that the Marks still matched the Decimo.
Everyone else is just caught up in finding proof for Tsuna that they kind of lost sight of their main goal.
Anyway, next chapter is Tsuna-centric. If you want his view on a specific person, please comment who (and if you want, why he likes them). I'll try to add it in, but I make no promises.
