Thanks to crystalputri, ObscureScryptic and BoyishBlue for reviewing! I'm sure Dino/Rus would appreciate your concerns for him ahahahah!
A/N: Tsuna's sexuality is not as ambiguous as Kyoya wants to think it is.
"Well Rus. We'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Help yourself to the fridge and the gym if you need it." Mr. Riccio checked himself once more in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction. He turned to Mrs. Riccio who stopped fiddling with her car keys much to Mr. Riccio's relief; it was always annoying whenever she did that. She liked the clanging sounds, she'd always say.
She opened the door and stepped out of the house with Mr. Riccio in tow.
"I-I see… Take care…" Rus said with a wave and a strained smile.
"I'm sure it'll be like any other time you've looked after the house. Thanks Rus!"
Rus nervously laughed before he closed the door once they were out of sight. He sighed before feeling a cold shiver down his spine. The older man turned around warily where Calen and Dia were standing ominously.
"So… L-long time no see?"
"Kufufu… You have some nerve bringing up World War 3 at the dinner table, Cavallone."
"Would you like a taste of World War 4?"
"Now, now, Kyoya and Mukuro. Let's be civil… We're all technically grown men here… Kyoya put away that tonfa. Kyoya… Kyoya… Calen…! Wait Mu-Candia! Where did you get that giant-ass fork?! Guys, guys…! Ah… AHHH!"
"Pathetic."
"Kufufu, this may be one of the few times I agree with you birdy."
"H-How could you do this to your own uncle?!"
Rus wailed away as he laid on the ground beaten badly. He pulled his legs closer and wrapped his arms around his knees on the dojo floor.
"We're not even blood related." Calen remarked indifferently. Much to his annoyance, Rus wailed even louder. After a moment, the older man sat up and crossed his legs. He rubbed his nose to wipe his snot away before he pointed an accusing finger at both of them.
"I helped raise both of you!" Rus cried out. His eyes welled up once more at the remembrance, "Ah! You were so cute and tiny…"
"Oh my god…"
Rus hugged himself and squealed, "Ah, Ritchie married so young and became a father at 20! I was 18 years old at the time when you were born. Calen, you always wanted to follow me everywhere. Whenever I had to leave the house, you would start crying and I couldn't leave until you fell asleep. You would show me all of your artworks and the new moves you learned from self-defense. You didn't talk much but yet your eyes were always so expressive. They used to light up whenever I praised you as if only my opinion mattered in the entire world!"
"It really didn't." Calen deadpanned. His brow twitched as his grip on his tonfas tightened in irritation, "I recall nothing of the sort. You're being delusional."
"Kufufu… I think someone is being shy." Dia grinned.
"And you, Candia Riccio!" Rus began. The teen held up a hand.
"No thanks, uncle." She smiled sweetly, promising a second beating if he continued.
Despite recognizing the look in her eyes, Rus didn't care (though Dino definitely did), "You've always been so feisty with the other children including your brother. But!" -cue extended and proud index finger- "With me, you were soft and shy! You never showed that side to anyone else but me. You even proposed to me! But alas, it was never meant to be."
"I forgot how much of a narcissistic bastard you were, Cavallone." Dia commented darkly as she stepped towards the unsuspecting man who continued his vocal trip down memory lane.
Calen scoffed, "Like you're one to talk. You flaunted about and slept with anyone who was willing to waste themselves on a lowlife like you."
Dia paused and turned back to Calen.
"Kufufu… What can I say?" She smirked as she flipped her hair, "Despite having travelled to six hells, I was still blessed with an amazing body and good looks. I could make men gay and lesbians straight."
"It didn't work on Tsunayoshi."
Dia glared at her brother. Granted, Mukuro's multiple -and I mean, multiple- and persistent advances on Tsuna didn't work at all and nor did it make any progress on the brunette much to the illusionist's discontentment. While he wasn't in love with the Vongola Decimo - or anyone in particular- everyone knew how much Tsuna mattered to Mukuro. To him, nobody else came close to an actual romantic attraction. Mukuro - and consequently Dia - knew that he wasn't the only one who thought of the Sky that way. (Unfortunately, Mukuro would add.)
She shook off the disappointment, "And look where that got him. He died a virgin."
.
.
.
.
"... How can you be so sure?"
"Kufufu… Wha-"
"-Then you would always scare away my girlfriends because you said I only belonged to Candia Ricci-"
"You're still not done yet, Cavallone?!" Dia hissed but it fell on deaf ears. She glowered before snapping her eyes back at Calen who wore a smug smirk.
"What are you insinuating?" She asked darkly. Calen shrugged but gave no reply. His eyes leveled with Dia's in a challenging manner. His smirk didn't leave his face.
"... Tch. There's no fucking way he slept with you birdy. You haven't a single sexual bone in your body." Dia almost growled though she didn't know whether she was saying this as a fact or as an attempt to comfort herself or specifically, Mukuro. Calen raised a brow as he coolly fiddled with his steel bracelets, liking the metallic sound.
"I admit that the thought of being physically intimate is an abomination but Sawada Tsunayoshi has always been a special case. You of all people should know that."
"How nostalgic... HEY! I call your bullshit, Kyoya!" Rus hollered.
"I agree with Cavallone on this one. Tsunayoshi was as straight as a pole."
A shrug. "Poles can slant."
"The term is 'slash,' birdy. That doesn't prove anything." Dia crossed her arms.
"You just can't accept the possibility of Tsunayoshi choosing me over you."
If looks could kill, Calen could have died ten times over but he's also Hibari Kyoya and one would need more than looks to even sway him. (Though Tsunayoshi's adorable looks were deadly and dangerous, even to the great Hibari Kyoya.)
"Kufufu… The possibility of that happening is a big fat zero, birdy. Clearly, I am higher up the food chain than you are, erbivoro."
Calen drew his tonfa once more and readied a stance, "Hard to believe you when you giggle like that."
"Kuf- It's not a giggle!"
"Sure, keep telling yourself that."
"Guys, guys, guys! I think that's enough for today!"
Rus sighed as the two teens launched themselves at each other, completely ignoring their uncle. He pushed himself up, his poor injured body aching as he did so. He leaned against the wall of the gym for support, intending to wait until the two tire themselves out. A fond smile slowly crept its way up his face.
"That makes them number three and four, huh. I wonder if he's working tonight." He mumbled.
Why the fuck is there lamb sauce on the entree…
"Chef Arias, we have the well-done steak ready to go!"
That is so 2018… What do they think this is? Hell's Kitchen?
One look at the 'well-done' steak, he sent the plate flying back towards the poor cook. He marched over to her and grabbed the thick piece of the clearly red meat from her face. He glared as he held it in front of her.
"C-Chef A-Arias? W-what did I d-do wrong?"
Damn it Jessica, are you fucking blind?
"J-Jess…" came the timid voice from behind her.
"H-huh?"
"I-It's raw."
"Oh…"
Fucking right it's raw, Jessica! Remake it!
With one look, Jessica scrambled to grab another steak from the fridge. The rest of the kitchen remained quiet yet promptly tried to speed up their preparation now that they were a dish behind on their orders. Not wanting to be Chef Arias' next target, they made sure to perfect their dishes.
His glare and aura alone was enough to terrorize the poor cooks. They couldn't imagine what it would be like if he were shouting at them.
Because after all, Chef Arias was mute.
.
.
.
VVOOOIIII! Who changed the settings on the oven to Kelvin?!
Random Fact #4
Carcharodon carcharias is a species of Carcharodon (shark) in the family Lamnidae
Guess who? Ahaha! I had some fun developing their characters and quirks. Particularly with Calen and Dia with some sibling bickering which just happened to be about Tsuna's sexuality. Expect to see more of some sibling bonding~
Now, about the lamb sauce. Let's just say that preferred tastes change over time hehehe I had to watch some Hell's Kitchen for reference for our dear Chef Arias.
I fixed some of the random facts from the previous two chapters. Aside from Calendulauda, Bubo Scandiascus and Equus Ferus are species, not genus. Whoops my bad. Let me know if I make similar mistakes in the future. :)
RnR please~
