A Royal Capture

Chapter Fifteen

The sun had just set over the Varia base, finally holding its head high after creeping out slowly over the horizon. In the Varia base, everyone had separated, going back to their individual rooms to spend time with their loved ones, catch up... and bond.

The Vongola who'd come to help took their down time in the kitchen, dressing wounds, waiting for the jet to be properly prepared for flight.

In one room, Hibari lay on his side, shaking. He didn't exactly have a lot of meat on him to keep him warm, and he was hungry, thirsty, and in pain. Mukuro had placed a beautifully prepared dish of yakiniku beside him, accompanied by crystal-clear water. Though the ex-prefect's mouth was watering and his stomach was rumbling, he refused to eat something prepared by that bastard... Though, yakiniku was one of his favorite dishes... and it was right there, waiting to be eaten...

"Don't let it get cold, Kyouya!" Mukuro protested, sitting down beside the bed, before picking up a pair of chopsticks, taking a piece of meat and holding it out towards Hibari. "Eat!" The skylark turned his face away, before his eyes widened in surprise as Mukuro reached forward, pressing his thumb against the prefects molars, effectively forcing his jaws open as he might a dog who'd bitten him. With his jaws parted, Hibari had no choice but to accept the bite of food that was immediately shoved into his mouth. "Spit that out and I swear I'll touch that fracture again," Mukuro said in a low voice. "And I don't want to do that."

The skylark glared, turning away as he began to chew obediently, his hair, which had grown a few inches longer, falling into his face. "Mmn..." The cracked hum was approval enough for Mukuro, that was for certain. It didn't matter whether he was given any affection or appreciation... he knew what had happened was most certainly not his lover's fault, and that Hibari would have to warm up slowly. The same had happened to him, after all, when he'd gotten amnesia... With a sigh, the illusionist reached out, softly cupping Hibari's cheek. "Hey, Kyouya," he murmured. "If you promise to eat all of that, you can have the bed to yourself tonight, okay? I won't bother you."

Hibari glanced to him, then gave a reluctant nod. "This is acceptable," he muttered, rolling over and forcing himself to sit up a little, soon pulling the plate into his lap and starting to eat again, though he kept his eyes trained on Mukuro. "... Obviously things have changed with you," the ex-prefect muttered around his meal. "I may hate you, but not stupidly so. Why are you so different from what I remember? And why do you know me so well?"

Mukuro gave a soft sigh, and moved to the nightstand, picking up the signed marriage license that they'd filled out before going to Japan to marry. Dead silent, he passed the form into Hibari's free hand, a little concerned as to how he'd react. "... the Spiaggia took our rings, so I know it's really hard to believe," he murmured quietly, "but I promise, though I tell constant lies to many people, I would never lie to you, Kyouya."

Hibari looked at the license quietly, oberving his writing for any errors. Everything was there. Every stroke, every angle, every flick of the pen was perfect. With a sigh, the turned his gaze back on Mukuro. "So... we're married?" he asked, setting the paper aside and once more picking up his fork.

The illusionist gave a small nod. "Indeed. We had a perfect wedding at Nami Middle, and you had us dolled up in uniforms, too. In my vows I swore my immortality to you. I told you that unless you wish otherwise... when I die in this life, I won't come back. I'll let my last life be the one in which I fall deeply in love with you, and in which I live my life as your lover."

"What did I say to that?" Hibari asked, unable to put reigns on his curiosity.

"... You said you loved me, and nothing more," Mukuro replied with a thin smile. "It was cute."

"I am not cute," Hibari muttered, before taking another bite of his meal. He then gave a tired yawn, starting to go for another bite, when instead, he set the plate aside. "I can't eat anymore," he murmured. "I'm tired."

Mukuro sighed, giving an understanding nod. He then reached over, and softly brushed through his lover's hair with his hand. He wouldn't stay, even though Kyouya didn't finish his food. It's not like it was something he'd rather Hibari force himself to do, after all. Sighing, the illusionist slipped off the bed. "I'll take this to the kitchen, then, and let you rest," he whispered, taking the plate and standing.

"Not a very good husband to be so eager to leave me alone!" Hibari called suddenly, stopping Mukuro in his tracks. The illusionist turned to look at him, surprised, when Hibari reached a hand up, and shakily beckoned him over with a finger. "C'mere, pineapple... I'm cold," he said.

Certain he'd lost his sanity, Mukuro placed the plate on the nightstand, and sat down at the edge of the bed, looking at Hibari still with surprise. "Kyouya..."

"I said come here," the Cloud groaned, holding his arms open. "Now, Mukuro."

The illusionist slid into the bed reluctantly, before lacing his arms around Hibari's waist, holding him. "Better?" he asked, still disbelieving.

"It'd be better if you weren't being so damn stiff," Hibari scoffed, lying on his side, not facing the illusionist, but letting Mukuro spoon him from behind. "... Marital duty says I should deal with it," he whispered then. "And you should know I take my responsibilities very seriously, Mukuro." The illusionist finally cracked a smile, nuzzling into the back of his lover's head, wrapping a leg around his waist.

"Kyouya..."

Hibari was uncomfortable with the position, but he wouldn't argue such. That was definitely his writing on the damn marriage license, which meant that he would have to deal with this. Whether he'd been drunk or not could be determined later. But in the meantime, he would do his best to uphold his responsibilities as Mukuro Rokudo's husband. And maybe, if necessary, he'd even give this stupid pineapple a chance at something more.

Xanxus sighed as he flopped down on his bed for the first time in so long, watching Squalo, who was rather fiercely brushing out his hair. The shark was rather adorably protective of the silver strands, no matter what length they were. "Ah, how does it look?" Squalo asked as he walked out at last, his hair clumped in a few places, but overall, better than before.

"You could use a shower, but I don't want to bother yet," the boss replied with a thin smirk. "Come here."

Squalo nodded, walking over to his lover and sliding down beside him. "Damn, boss. Just promise me we'll shower in the morning."

"Maybe," Xanxus snorted. "I'm impressed that you can still be a wimp after so damn long, though."

"Hey, I worked hard all damn day to impress you," Squalo grunted as he lay on his back. "Why the hell can't you ever be grateful, eh, boss? You bastard."

"Don't talk back to me, shark trash," the boss growled back, rolling on top of Squalo before kissing him fiercely.

The shark kissed back a bit, before shoving him off and shouting, "Not now, dammit, how the hell can you get in that mood after having the crap beaten outta you, anyway? Are you freaking for real?"

Xanxus grinned. "I'm glad you're the Squalo I know and love," he grunted, flopping back over. "... I missed you."

"... I missed you, too, Xanxus...," Squalo sighed, turning to face the older male before pulling him close, laying his head on his boss's chest. "I still remember when they first captured you... how I could hardly do a thing... how useless I felt as I let them take me away. I was somehow so certain that we would never be together again... that we would both die out there... and how could I not after seeing what they did t'you?"

"Stop talking about that," the older male muttered, blushing lightly. "It's your damn fault for not noticing it wasn't me."

"Screw you," Squalo huffed. "Since when did you get so whiny?"

"I've always been. You're just a doormat who doesn't notice such things," the Sky replied easily, before grunting in frustration as Squalo pinched him. "You bastard," he groaned. "I think I have to discipline you. You seem to have forgotten who your boss is."

"You stay right there unless you plan to take a shower," Squalo snickered.

"Pansy," Xanxus scoffed back, before wrapping an arm around his lover's shoulders. "Now close your damn eyes. You did good today, shark trash. Good night."

"Mmm... Night, boss," the shark muttered back, leaning forward to peck Xanxus's cheek before closing his eyes.

Byakuran giggled as he flopped back on his and Shouichi's bed for the first time in so long. "Fufufu~! I'm so glad we're back, Shou-chan!"

Shouichi smiled and moved to the bed as well, pressing a soft kiss to Byakuran's lips. "I'm glad, too," he said as his cheeks turned cherry-red. "..." Sitting down on the edge of the bed and staring at the picture of them Byakuran had hung up, the mechanic gave a faint smile. "... it's... really surprising, you know," he murmured. "... You were the only one who stayed completely in love with me... we were the only ones who survived the test that the Spiaggia gave us. Nobody else was ready..." He glanced to Byakuran, his eyes soft. "Squalo pretended to love someone else to try and get out... Hibari forgot about Mukuro... and Fran... well, Fran's story is the saddest one, now isn't it?" He looked back at his lover, then crawled up the bed, soon laying on top of the white-haired male. "... Byakuran... you really love me a lot, huh? Through it all, you
were the only one who chose torture and bravely fought for my freedom... and..." He took off his glasses, soon wiping at his eyes, which had brimmed with small tears of both anxiety and happiness. "... Byakuran... hurry up and give me an official proposal, okay? 'C-cause I think I'm ready to marry you, you ass..."

Byakuran's eyes widened in surprise, before a wide smile broke over his face. He scooped Shouichi into his arms and pressed their lips together tenderly, his hands softly sliding along his lover's shoulderblades. "Mm... I love you, Shou-chan, and I'm so ready to marry you~! But hey, let me get a ring for you first, my little strawberry marshmallow cupcake-pop! Oh, and I've already got some ideas for a cake..." He smiled and nuzzled into his lover's red hair, before tilting his head up and whispering in a deeper, more seductive voice, "You'll wear a dress for me, right, Shou-chan?"

"Heh... I wouldn't have brought it up if I wasn't comfortable with it," the younger male said awkwardly, hiding his face in Byakuran's shoulder. "... you know, I learned something while we were out there...," he whispered. "... I think... I like your dominating, malicious side more than I thought. I think... I might find it... a little bit sexy? The albino's eyes widened in slight-surprise, before he giggled and grinned widely.

"You kinky thing!" he laughed. "Well, maybe I'll just have to show you how 'evil' big scary Byakuran really is sometime..." The albino sat up a little, eyes sharpening and his grin starting to seem crooked with dark intent.

Shouichi shuddered, knowing he was in for a long night, and even moreso aware that he was going to love every moment of it.

Fran lay in his old bed, feeling intoxicated by the faint, but very present scent that immediately hit him.

Bel-senpai... I know this smell...

The illusionist lay down on the bed, taking their pillow and holding it close as he inhaled the fragrant, his cheeks flushing. It was so familiar... it made him feel at home... happy to be alive and well. It made him remember having fun, being with the one he loved the most in the world... it made him remember compliments and embraces... nights of intimacy and passion, and confessions of love at a constant rate.

Even if these scars last forever... the memories... they're so strong... how can memories be so strong? Able to withstand the test of time and come back fresh at the slightest trigger...

Fran curled up tightly. What if Bel came back? Could... could things ever be normal again? Because he wanted that... above everything else, he wanted it back to how it was before. He was wrong... he had been so wrong when he'd focused on the bad of Belphegor. Because no matter what... his prince was his Heaven. When he was with Bel, nothing was an accursed off-white monotonous Hell. Everything was spontaneous and fun, everything caught him off guard and even made him smile... everything was vibrant, brilliant, and beautiful.

Bel-senpai...

My Bel-senpai...

How could I forget you?

Where are you?

I want you with me again...

Hurry home...

-End Chapter

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