A/N: Kind of fluffy, I guess. It's takes place before the series when they're much younger.

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Lucciola had searched every room he could think of, but he could not locate Dio anywhere. The energetic scion of the Guild and brother to the Maestro had been missing for hours. Lucciola sighed, scanning the white faces around him as he passed through various Guild rooms. It would be his head if Delphine called for Dio and the boy was not found.

Maybe it was useless. After all, didn't Dio usually turn up just when Lucciola reached his breaking point? Perhaps this was merely another of Dio's games, and the boy would appear when he was least expected. Lucciola slipped behind a wide door and let it click shut behind him before leaning against the doorframe and closing his eyes.

I give up now, Dio. Why can't you come out?

Lucciola heard a muffled sniffle, and his eyes snapped open. He hadn't thought there was anyone else in the room. In fact, no one ought to have been there, not even he himself, but the young servant brushed the notion aside as he scanned the area. There was no one else that he could see. The vast dining hall was empty – nothing but white walls and that long, gleaming table where Delphine and the noble Guild members enjoyed a meal on occasion. Then the noise had come from…

There. On the other side of the table, beside the shallow pool of crystalline water that took up nearly half the floor space. There was Dio, crouched beside it with his head between his knees.

"Dio-sama…"

Lucciola let out a relieved breath of air and felt his shoulders sag in response. Dio didn't look up, but his sobs ceased at once. Lucciola strode to the boy's side and waited. He would allow Dio to compose himself before initiating further conversation.

Dio wiped his eyes and looked up, a smile plastered on his face. He laughed falsely, and Lucciola's stomach lurched. This was not the Dio he knew. The Dio he knew would never have to force himself to grin like that. Lucciola knelt beside the smiling boy, but he could not bring himself to meet Dio's eye. Instead he focused on the soft ripples in the water and avoided the exchange of glances. This was the Dio that Maestro Delphine had broken down, the Dio that illustrated the immense power that the Maestro held over the souls of others. The notion of Delphine's absolute control chilled Lucciola to his core.

"Hey, Lucciola."

Lucciola looked over as he was addressed. A glimmer of tears had collected on Dio's eyelashes, but Lucciola was shocked to find that Dio was smiling genuinely now. No matter how often it happened, it never ceased to amaze him that Dio could forget the wrongs done to him in so little time. But that was Dio. That had always been Dio. Lucciola couldn't help but let his lips curve into a controlled grin that matched the other boy's.

"I couldn't find you, Dio-sama."

"That's because I didn't want you to," Dio laughed, rocking back on his heels and splashing the water with his hands. The shower of droplets caught Lucciola in the face. The servant blinked; he could do nothing but stare as Dio doubled over and let out a string of fitful giggles at the sight.

"H-Hey, Lucciola," the boy struggled through his hysterics, and Lucciola wiped his face and listened. "Do you think that if I'm good next time, Delphine will let us fly together in a star ship again like before?"

Lucciola considered quietly before answering with a frown. "I think we can have just as much fun here." Dio looked offended, so Lucciola clarified. "I think you should stay away from Delphine-sama for a while, Dio-sama, because she hurt you again."

"Why should I stay away from my sister?" Dio picked ruthlessly at one of the crimson petals floating atop the water's surface, and his face turned sour.

Lucciola contemplated answering. A stream of words waited behind his clenched jaw and almost made it through his teeth in a hiss, but he restrained himself. He wanted to tell Dio that the Maestro was manipulative, merciless, and consumed by evil. But Lucciola was too intelligent to make such a mistake. To defy the Maestro was to invite instant death.

"Never mind, Dio-sama," he said instead. "It was nothing. Please come back to your room now."

Dio's energetic voice rebounded off the high ceiling. "Lucciola, were you worried about me?"

"Of course, Dio-sama."

Upon hearing the confession, Dio let out a shriek of glee and threw his arms about Lucciola's neck. Lucciola toppled backwards under Dio's sudden weight, and when he looked up Dio's happy face was just inches from his own.

"You worried about me, Lucciola? You really did?"

All Lucciola could do was nod once in his astonishment. Dio let out a joyful whoop.

"See, Lucciola? This is why we're friends. I'd worry about you too if you were gone." Then Dio rolled off him and his giggles stopped. "But Lucciola, I don't want to go back to my room. You can't make me."

Lucciola wanted to laugh at Dio's melancholy and the implication that the servant could actually give his lord orders. Before he could help himself, Lucciola had let out a small chuckle, which sent Dio into another excited outburst.

"Are you happy, Lucciola? If you're happy, then you should laugh more." And as if to demonstrate, Dio erupted into a burst of laughter himself. Then he pulled Lucciola eagerly up to a sitting position.

Dio brought his lips to Lucciola's ear. "Hey, Lucciola," Dio whispered, his tone subdued and coquettish, "You're like my knight in shining armor."

"And why's that, Dio-sama?" Lucciola tried hard not to react when Dio kissed his cheek and withdrew.

"Because," Dio answered, "You always know how to make me happy again after I've been scolded by Delphine."

A warm sensation seemed to course through Lucciola when the explanation reached him. He supposed he really hadn't done anything. All he had done was his duty – he had located the Guild's scion in order to ensure that the boy was safe. Still, the warm feeling was spreading through him as Dio smiled, and Lucciola had no desire to negate his lord's words. Then he felt something smooth and hard being placed into his hand.

It was a marble chess piece that Dio had drawn from his pocket. Lucciola turned it over in bafflement, examining its flawless surface and brilliant gleam before glancing at Dio in confusion.

"It's the White Knight," Dio told him. "It's you, Lucciola."

Lucciola gripped the offering and bowed his head, feeling immediately humble and unworthy of the small gift.

"I'll gladly accept this from you, if that is what Dio-sama wishes."

Dio watched him a while, and finally just laughed once more before standing up and hauling Lucciola to his feet.

"Let's go play in Delphine's room," Dio suggested, and Lucciola didn't protest.

They made their way back to the door, Dio in the lead and Lucciola following at his shoulder. It felt comfortable, to be striding near Dio so naturally. It was where he belonged, and the only place in the world that would suit him, he supposed. Lucciola opened his hand slowly, looking once more at the chess piece that had been given to him.

Dio had drawn farther away and was now waiting impatiently. "Hurry, Lucciola." Dio's pale face was flushed from running ahead in anticipation.

Lucciola closed his fingers around the piece and met Dio's eye. "Dio-sama." He paused, wondering whether or not it was appropriate to continue. "Dio-sama, I promise to always be by your side, as your knight."

Dio straightened as if in triumph. "I've knighted you, Lucciola?"

"It looks that way."

The boy hummed a little tune and turned to go as Lucciola drew near again. "Then let's go on adventures together."

Lucciola's lips quirked up at the corners. "Yes, Dio-sama."

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A/N: I remember watching Last Exile ages ago and loving the living hell out of it. Top notch series, damn it. I'm kicking myself for never writing a fanfic in the fandom before. Dio is an incredible character, and I love the dynamics between he and Lucciola. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm on a role with these two, so expect more in the future. Thanks for reading. :P

By the way, can anyone recommend any good authors that have written this pairing before? I'd love to check out some other work, but FF dot net has gotten so huge that searching at random just doesn't pay off anymore.