Chapter Fourteen - Around the Table

Squalo raised an eyebrow when Harry carried Bel into the living room. He was sat on an armchair, staring at the muted television dully. Bel was clinging to Harry like a monkey, and refused to be put down. Giving up trying to pry him away, Harry sat down on the sofa with him.

"You need to let go, Bel," Harry told him. Bel just squirmed closer, still swaddled in the duvet.

"Why?" he whined. The boy was like a four year old when he was tired.

"I need to deliver the alcohol to Xanxus," he said.

Bel whined some more, but grudgingly disentangled himself. Harry grabbed a cushion and manoeuvred Bel until he was lying down, using the cushion as a pillow with the duvet tucked around him. Squalo turned fully round in his chair to stare.

"When you've finished playing Mother, Boss is in his office. Be careful." Despite his scathing tone, he kept his voice down. Harry smiled at him, and passed him one of the boxes of cookies before he picked up the rest of his offerings and made his way to Xanxus' room.

He knocked on the door, and chose to take the lack of a demand to leave as permission to enter. Xanxus was sat in the dark, glass in hand. He opened his eyes as Harry walked in.

"What do you want, trash?"

"I brought more alcohol, although I don't think you need it."

"You think you know what I need, trash!"

Harry sighed inwardly. In this type of mood, there was no way that Xanxus would willingly listen to what he had to say. He would have to get drastic, and pray, because he was fairly sure that Xanxus' sulking was what was driving the whole of the Varia down.

"I think that you're moping. I think that you don't have anyone around you who's willing to tell you what you need to hear instead of what you want to hear, so you're sat here driving yourself crazy in the dark."

"Get out! Get the fuck out, trash!"

Xanxus brought his X-Gun up to point straight at Harry. Harry Immobilised him and started speaking quickly.

"The Ninth was an asshole who made a whole load of mistakes when it came to dealing with you. The inheritance requirements aren't fair to you, and the world has fucked itself up while you were imprisoned. Nothing is stable anymore and you're fighting for control."

Harry took a deep breath. "You don't have to fight here, Xanxus. You have the strongest of the Mafia here, ready to fight at your command. Squalo, the best swordsman in the world, took on a leadership role he hated, and wasn't suited for, for eight years, because he wanted the Varia to be the best it could be for your return. Levi killed so many people for insulting you that the Mafia is afraid to even think badly about you. Mammon stays despite the enormous profit she could make anywhere else. Lussuria thrives here, because you made this a safe place for the outcasts, a place that judges purely on abilities, not on bloodlines or tradition or anything else. Bel, a Prince who prides himself on his lineage, has spent half his life in a foreign country fighting for the sake of his leader, a man he believed to be an illegitimate son. These people are loyal to you completely, Xanxus. Anyone in the mansion would give anything for you."

"Anyone, trash?" The Imobulus had almost completely worn off. Soon, Xanxus would be able to move as well as talk. Instead of raising a shield like a normal person, Harry just looked him in the eye.

"Anyone, Xanxus. What would being Decimo give you that you don't have here?"

Xanxus scoffed, and stood. "Get everyone in the main room, trash. We're going to get drunk, and we're going to plan. The fucking baby trash is going to need us to be on point if the Vongola's going to survive him." He projected so much confidence that Harry barely noticed how badly Xanxus was trembling. For the first time since Harry had met him, all of his scars were on display.

As Xanxus strode out of his office, the mansion seemed to come alive. Levi came bounding down the corridor, apparently summoned by his Boss's sheer presence. Xanxus absently punched him into a wall.

"Main meeting room, trash. Bring alcohol."

As Levi dashed away, Harry heard the whispers start. Xanxus must really have been moping for his mood to have cast such a pall over the entire place. By the time they reached the meeting room, most of Xanxus' scars had vanished again. Everyone else was already gathered in the room, Squalo and Levi opposite Bel, Lussuria and Mammon. Harry's box of cookies was on the table, although there was only one left. Lussuria was staring in shock at Bel.

"What?" the Prince snapped grumpily. He had shed his duvet, but Harry knew that it was only fear of pushing his hair aside that kept him from rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Nothing, Bel-chan. I just don't think I've ever seen you without it," Lussuria told him.

Bel straightened. "My crown? Harry, where…"

"Shut the fuck about the tiara, trash." The room went silent as Xanxus spoke.

Only for a moment, though.

"Finally, shitty Boss. I can't sign the paperwork for you!"

"Good to see you again, Boss! I'll cook some yummy steak for dinner, just for you!

"Boss! Let me pull out a chair for you!"

Xanxus punched Levi to the ground and sank down onto a throne Harry could have sworn wasn't there a moment ago.

"The shitty battles are finished, trash. Stop moping. Except the shark. That was fucking pathetic, losing to a pre-schooler."

"Voi! He was a high-schooler!"

Xanxus just raised an eyebrow and knocked back a glass of tequila. Squalo flushed bright red. Saying it out loud, it really wasn't much a redeeming factor.

"Pour some of the good alcohol, trash," Xanxus demanded once his glass was empty. Harry poured the firewhisky generously into a clean glass, wondering how much of his still-breathing status was down to his ability to provide alcohol.

"The shitty brat doesn't know the first thing about the Vongola, so once he becomes Decimo," Xanxus paused to knock back the drink and throw the glass at Harry, "he's going to drive the whole thing into the ground. Especially with the love and forgiveness shit he has going on. The only way we're going to survive is if the scum fear us more than they loathe him," Xanxus said, now sipping his second glass of firewhisky.

"So trash," he said, scowling around the room, "Let's get dangerous."

"Yes Boss!" Levi exclaimed. "I'll make the Varia the most feared organisation in the world!"

"Ushishishi!" Bel giggled. "We already are, idiot. The prestige of winning the Ring Battles should at least give the brats enough of a reputation that they won't be wiped out immediately."

Squalo scoffed. "Voi! Brats? Bel, they're your age."

Bel pouted as Lussuria laughed at him. In a second, Bel's knives were in the air, Squalo's sword was waving, and Levi was shouting something unintelligible. Harry decided to stop the chaos before it could escalate.

"I have more cookies, if you're interested?"

Everyone froze. Then, in an instant, all weapons were away and everyone was seated properly at the table as though they were all respectable Mafioso instead of the most chaotic group of extreme personalities Harry had ever met.

"Give them here, trash," Xanxus growled before Harry could pass out the cookies.

Harry slid the box over. He wasn't going to fight with Xanxus over cookies. The man took a handful, then shoved the half-empty box down the table to Squalo. A free-for-all broke out as they scrambled for the cookies. Xanxus grinned and bit into his own. Bel emerged from the fray first, with hair even messier than before and three cookies clutched tightly in his hands. Lussuria punched Squalo in the face and came away with two, and the box. Squalo had a mouth bulging with half-eaten cookies, chocolate showing between his teeth, and Levi scoffed as he looked at his crumbled half. Somehow, Mammon had a small stack in front of her. Harry had never even seen her move.

"I didn't want your cookies anyway," Levi pouted.

"Should have known you had no taste, trash," Xanxus snorted, nibbling his way delicately through his third cookie. Harry's eyes widened, and he stared at Xanxus. Was that a compliment?

Levi immediately started babbling apologies and praise for the cookies. After a moment, Bel got irritated and threw a knife at him, and the room descended into chaos once again. Harry just sat by Mammon and watched. Trying to make the Varia behave was an exercise in futility.

Once all the firewhisky had been drunk – mostly by Xanxus – the cookies had been eaten – again mostly by Xanxus – the chocolate had been handed out – Bel got the lion's share of that – and hangover potions had been supplied – to Squalo, the only one Harry trusted to remember them in the morning and actually make sure everyone got one – the group dispersed.

Xanxus stopped Harry by grabbing his arm. As Harry turned to face him, he found himself shoved against a wall with a gun under his chin.

"You ever freeze me again, trash, and I'll burn you to death," he growled in his ear.

With that, Xanxus stalked away. Harry sank to the floor, all the strength gone from his legs. It took him almost ten minutes to gather himself enough that he could Apparate home.

The future arc next chapter! We meet Tsuna and Nono, have some more Teddy and Mammon, Byakuran and Shouichi take the stage and people die! Also, there is a high chance of Harry/Xanxus.

Speaking of Harry/Xanxus slash, I have a one-shot posted called 'The Skirt is Short on Purpose'. Go check it out if that's your thing.