Warnings to readers: Whatever you do, do not look at scroll bar. Also, we are not responsible for eyes failing in sight because readers decide to digest a 19k+ worded chapter all in one go. Or severe blood loss from hawtness. Or choking on whatever you're eating because you burst out laughing.

We recommend: Bottle of water and taking frequent breaks from reading. ;D And a fan to cool yourself down due to unaccounted increase in temperature.

Expectations: If you're still thinking along the lines of straight noodles, please gtfo nowz. Cause 'tis be the one and only yaoi-ism.

Shout Out: No one got 5/14 perfectly, but some of our guess~ers tied with 3/14! Congratz to RabuLove and Takahashi Reina! And also, some of the jokes may not be completely obvious if you had not read one of my and Self-Proclaimed's works. But 's all gud, just relax, take a sip of water, and read~

[]Happy Valentine's Day![]

My Dramatic Valentine

January 15, 2010

12:15 PM, Noon

Tsuna had slept until six o' clock, desperately hoping that everything that had happened yesterday was just a crazy and unbelievable nightmare. But when he woke up to find the slip of paper being held right in front of eyes, thanks to Reborn, he wanted to fall back into another bottomless dream. One with a better ending, hopefully, because if he had to confess to that guy on Valentine's Day, February 14th was going to be his last day on Earth. He didn't really want that.

Now that he was at work, Tsuna tried his very best to push the Valentine's Day thoughts out of his head, or at least to the very back so that maybe he would be able to forget about it. He highly doubted it, though. It had just struck twelve when he heard a buzz coming from his phone. With his head still buried in his arms, his hand groped for the phone and he wearily brought it to his ear. "He-llo?"

"Ciaossu, baka-Tsuna, you've got mail."

"Reborn?!" Tsuna's head instantly jerked up as he dropped the phone in surprise, and he heard an unwelcome crack from his back and neck. Ignoring the slight ache, he nimbly picked up the phone and shouted into it, "Reborn, what do you think you're doing, calling me at work?" There was a slight pause, in which the brunet had a vague feeling that the Arcobaleno was smirking deviously, before the familiar voice prodded the knot in his stomach. Because god forbid a mafia boss should ever receive a call from his life-long tutor in the midst of heavy work papers - or, more precisely, a call right after a ground-breaking event that took place conveniently the day before today.

Reborn had all the intentions of ignoring his questions, as he should be more than accustomed to by now. "A representative should be heading to - well, yes, check the mail, Tsuna." The brunet tried to follow as best he could along his tutor's mild instructions which were more confusing than informative, and suddenly he found himself clutching a phone with a dead connection.

"Reborn!" Tsuna exclaimed, flabbergasted, as he stared at the screen. "Connection Ended." He slapped a hand on his forehead, and then cried out when the pain stung harder than expected. Tsuna was rubbing the inflicted area when the door opened and a fellow subordinate came in with a white envelope. The tenth boss of the Vongola smiled in welcome as he reached for the mail, and as the male left the room, he stared suspiciously at the item.

Reborn hid a bomb in there…was Tsuna's first incredulous thought. No, Reborn wouldn't do that—okay, yes, he would, but Tsuna highly doubted the small enveloped encased a bomb of any sort. Taking hold of the item, he carefully peered inside and saw another slip of paper. Staring at it for a few seconds, he pried the paper from the envelope and held it out at arm's length. Written neatly on one side was the word: Instructions.

Now Tsuna felt slightly more curious. The moment he flipped it open, a few words on the card caught his attention: "…manager…your role on Valentine's Day…crush on the boss of…wait, Vongola CORP?" He ogled the messy scrawl before throwing it onto his table with an undignified shriek, "HIII?! What is this! We didn't agree to any of this yesterday!" He yanked at his brown tufts of hair and threw his head back in exasperation. "REBORN!"

Little did he know that a few other people around the area were also obtaining similar white envelopes at this exact same time.

"Kusakabe," Hibari acknowledged as the man tapped the Edo Era sliding door. The latter came into the tea room tentatively with his shoes off, and quickly Hibari's attention roved to the mail in his hand. The cloud guardian looked at it questioningly from where he sat. When he sent a quizzical glance to his right-hand man, Kusakabe simply shrugged his shoulders.

"It was lying outside and it had your name on it, Hibari-san, so I supposed it was yours." Kusakabe placed the envelope carefully in Hibari's outstretched hand before stepping back some. Tearing it open, Hibari's dark eyes scanned through the words and by instinct, they narrowed as he read the words love and delinquentin the same sentence.

"'Your role is to be the head of the Disciplinary Committee at Millefiore Academy, and you are in love with a playful delinquent named' - like hell I'd ever love a delinquent," Hibari scowled, letting the paper fall out of his hands before flexing his hands so that the different rings on his fingers twinkled. "I would bite them to death." Yet, even as he said these words, he gingerly unfolded the piece of paper that was entrusted to him yesterday. The coldness of his exterior hardened as an icy and knowing smirk flitted over his lips, and as he stooped to retrieve the fallen paper, he could feel Kusakabe looking at him with reverent curiosity. "What is it?" prompted Hibari as he glanced at the man stonily.

"I'm wondering, Hibari-san, what is this whole ordeal with the Vongola Family?" It was a strained sentence, and Kusakabe looked like he had a hard time piecing the words together.

The independent guardian smirked, his eyes fluttering shut for a split second before opening to peer at the respectful follower. "It is nothing you should concern yourself with." Kusakabe looked ready to object, but Hibari was in no mood to continue this conversation any longer. Instead, the dark-haired Vongola member was striding towards the sliding doors while his eyes grazed over the words on the paper labeled 'instructions.' He didn't reveal any necessary reaction, but from the way his eyes sometimes widened, one could feel the suppressed interest lingering on his form.

"Kusakabe," Hibari finally spoke as the man pulled the handle on the door.

"Yes, Hibari-san?"

"I don't want anyone to accompany me to the eastern district."

"Yes, sir. But," Kusakabe said, "are you sure you don't need a bodyguard with you?"

"I don't need herbivores who claim they are anything beyond that boundary. Besides," Hibari added undauntedly, "it is but measly shopping that I must take care of."

Sitting on a bench by the sidewalk, Xanxus tapped the white envelope in his hand with his fingers, silently debating whether or not to destroy the damn thing. When Lussuria had walked into Varia headquarters squawking something about white, enveloped instruction sheets for everyone, no one had paid attention to him. It wasn't until he started reading Levi's and how the man was supposed to be a teacher of a dojo in love with one of the students at Millefiore Academy did everyone jump him for his white envelope.

Xanxus scowled at the memory of prying his own from Lussuria's manicured hands and reading it. He didn't know what that sun Arcobaleno meant when he wrote that Xanxus was to be Namimori's student council president. Crushing the envelope with his tanned hand, he jerked his head up in time to see a few girls passing by him, deep in conversation.

"…and we can pass by the fair on our way to the library. I want to try and win something."

"I never win anything. I can't aim to save my life…"

The ruthless boss of the Varia threw his head back, leaning into the bench tiredly. His hand rested on his eyes, shielding them from the bright rays of the afternoon sun which filtered through the tree's green leaves. To anyone who didn't know of the crimson-eyed male's dark, brooding, and hot-tempered personality, the person would've been likely to ogle the perfect stature of the dark-haired Adonis, attractive and lax as he rested on the grey, public bench. Xanxus was actually having an almost peaceful time in the dreary outside, a rare opportunity for him away from the scum in the Varia headquarter. That was until these sounds interrupted the serenity:

Bang! Bang!

"Hahaha! You suck, that was waaay off!"

"Shut up! You try, idiot!"

Xanxus cracked open an eye, glowering at the streets full with ongoing citizens. He turned to the side and saw a hoard of kids stuck like glue in front of a shooting arena, the targets being cans of seasoned food. He eyed the teenagers with an impassive gaze, and then his eyes traveled to the stand. A line of teddy bears crowded the shelf of prizes, and it seemed that those were the rewards that the kids were aiming to get. Xanxus glared at them, already sick of their loud, raucous yells. However…his aim was definitely better than theirs.

And he still needed to get a present.

Getting up from the bench, he sauntered over with deep, powerful strides. The boy who was at the stand had just paid his money, and he was now bragging how he was going to hit the can in one shot to his friends. The others jeered back with taunts, but that just made the boy even more boisterous.

Bang!

He had missed. The boy turned to his friends with a sheepish look, "I'll get it next time, just watch m—"

BANG!

The boy froze on the spot; he was pretty sure a bullet had just whizzed past his head, blasted straight through the can he was aiming for, and through the stand behind it. Dreading what was behind him, he slowly turned around to see Xanxus's shadow looming over him, a mocking smirk on the scarred man's face. "Move, trash. You're in my way." He shoved the boy aside with his arm, incoherent protests escaping the boy's mouth. The man at the stand peered at Xanxus worriedly, his eyes glancing quickly at the other boys.

"He already paid, but..."

"I'll use his money," Xanxus drawled boredly.

"Yes, well, that's up to him, I think."

Xanxus rolled his eyes, cocking his head to the side to stare at the boy. With a perfectly arched eyebrow, he didn't even have to say anything to make the boy start backing away. "H-He can use my money."

The boss of Varia smirked before turning back to the other man; he was already used to having his way. "Does that work for you, scum?"

"Ye-es. Um, the prize is a teddy bear if you manage to hit all the cans." The man swiveled around to grab a pistol for Xanxus to use, but the Varia sky guardian tapped his own gun against the table, letting the man know that he was going to use his own and not some trashy imitation of a weapon. He didn't need to aim slowly or carefully. This was too easy.

BANG! There went his first shot, and, of course, it was a bull's-eye. Nothing less expected from the Varia boss. Xanxus was just about to idly point his gun at another can when he heard an all-too-familiar sinister laugh behind him, "Ushishishi~, boss, I never expected you to be the type to play these kinds of games. You never play with the Prince~."

Xanxus had lowered his gun, turned to glance at the brazen, undaunted genius of the Varia, the blond's black uniform jacket fluttering smoothly in the warm breeze of spring, and promptly scowled. The gesture of welcome might've been labeled as nonchalantly rude laced with underlying venom in public eyes, but for the Varia, they would receive the notion as the closest the boss could get to being remotely welcoming. "Don't get in the way, trash."

Bel's lips upturned. Smooth sailing, he thought to himself with ironic pleasure. The blond turned to look at the cans being consistently shot down by the precise Mafioso and the owner of the shooting arena cowering behind the counter. He grinned widely, the instance of a mischievous scheme already playing out in his acute mind. Just as the next bullet proceeded to shoot down the last can, Bel unleashed a string of knives all attached to each other like a makeshift spider web and sent them spiraling into the missile, knocking it off course. The bullet was driven into the concrete ground, thus forming a sharp indent on the area with smoke brewing lightly from the miniature crater.

There was an absolute silence that took place in the streets around the shooting area, and the owner himself was finding it hard not to blink rapidly at the crisis.

"Ushishishi~, don't call me trash, boss," Bel filled in the void with his signature snicker.

Xanxus merely snarled and extended his hand, demanding plainly for the prize. The moment he did, however, Bel unleashed another round of sharp knives at the cans; each one struck its target. The blond then leapt forward, playfully hooking an arm around Xanxus's shoulders and making grabby hands towards the teddy bears. "I think the Prince gets this prize. Shishishi~."

Xanxus bristled in contempt. "What do you think you're doing, trash?"

"Stealing your win, boss, what does it look like?" Bel grinned away, ignoring the unpleasant glare that was pointedly directed at him. The genius of Varia drew away from Xanxus when the taller shrugged him off, and as the owner handed him the cuddly teddy bear, Bel held it in his hands to examine it. His bottom lip jutted out defiantly as he held it out with his index and his thumb, clearly not satisfied with his steal. After a few seconds of contemplation, he wrinkled his nose in distaste. "This doesn't befit the Prince's taste. You may have this commoner's toy, boss. Here~"

Xanxus didn't bother making a move to catch the flying toy - instead, he opted to reflect the cuddle-bear by kicking it away when it was about to make contact with him. The Varia boss's crimson eyes scrolled down to the fallen toy, giving it a look of disdain. "I don't want it now that your hands have touched it. It's tainted," he stated simply. Bel's smirk widened, though it was noticeably strained.

"Ushishishi~, you're throwing away the Prince's generosity."

"Who said I wanted it, scum?"

Bel, with an indignant sigh, prodded the teddy-bear with his foot. He ignored the constricted protests the owner was eliciting behind the counter as he flipped the toy up with the pointy end of his boot, and then catching it in mid-air with one hand. Xanxus glared at him as the blond smirked deviously, poking the teddy-bear with a pale hand. Bel then deemed the toy to be imperfect and less than satisfactory, and with a grandiose flick of his hand, flung the item into the air with enough force so that it traversed the sky and landed with a dull thud some feet away.

"Ushishishi~, now we're both even, don't you think, bos~su?"

"Shut up."

As Yamamoto was passing the sidewalk lined with shops and miscellaneous stores, he saw a shadow flicker from above him. He craned his neck to look at the blue sky, but instead of the calm, celestial sphere, he saw the underside of a medium-sized and fluffy teddy-bear. The rain guardian's lips twitched slightly, but before he could utter another word, the thing had fallen on his face and prevented further intrusion, consequently knocking him cold on the cement floor.

"...That...was a surprise...ahahaha."

February 13th, 2010

11:12 PM, Night

Tsuna stared at his reflection in the mirror. He turned left, and then he swiveled to his right. No matter how many angles he wanted to look at it, this expensive black suit was not working with him. He wanted to find Reborn and complain: why was this role given to him?! Valentine's Day for the Vongola and Varia was now practically semi-scripted, and Tsuna thought that just by giving his present to his receiver was going to be hard. Now he had to pretend that he was in love with his 'boss?' Tomorrow couldn't get any worse.

Pulling at his hair in frustration again, he tried adjusting the red tie around his neck, nearly choking himself in the process. "This. Is. Not. Working!" he cried, scrambling around his room and looking for something else he could possibly wear. Reborn wouldn't allow that, however. "I don't look good…" he wailed, collapsing onto his bed wearily. Not that he wanted to look good for this guy, but he didn't exactly want to obtain a zero on the Vongola score board, either.

With an exhausted sigh, he traipsed off to see what he could do to fix his attire, all the while thinking in his head: please, please, please don't let tomorrow come.

11:55 PM, Night

There were a few customers left in the 24-hour gift shop, solely opened for the sake of the upcoming Valentine's Day, and apparently a certain shark-toothed swordsman was in the midst of the aforementioned last-minute shoppers. He had been stringed with tension the whole day, and to relieve some of the stress which accumulated through neglect since last month, admittedly January 14th, window-shopping was a fitful idea. He didn't account on being finicky with the disturbingly lovey-dovey products which went on sale, and was now desperately hoping to snatch something that would shut up his supposed "childhood crush." Squalo snorted as he went by the racks of colorful holiday gift cards, all with brimming red hearts and pink ribbons. The Vongolas sure knew how to joke.

He checked his watch: 11:57 PM. Squalo almost roared in disdain, but he stifled the impulse when he saw a clerk nearby replacing the old set of vanilla snacks with new, chocolate-coated heart candies. The rain guardian of the Varia eyed the gift cards and the chocolate hearts.

11:59 PM.

Well, the nitprick would just have to deal.

Squalo grasped a gift card with scrawls in a pretty pink which read "Wherefore art thou my love?" and snatched a box of chocolate hearts by the table before heading over to the receptionist.

"Twenty-one and ninety-nine." The brunette glanced at Squalo's luscious mane of silvery-white hair and pursed her lips as she tapped the keyboard. The swordsman busily dumped the money and grabbed his recently bought Valentine's Day items, racing out to the dimly lit street with the cold breeze whipping into his face.

He glanced at his watch. 12:00 Midnight. Squalo smirked as he gripped the bag of scarlet and pink presents. Perfect timing.

Officially February 14th, 2010

9:00 AM, Morning

With one eye naturally shut, Lambo stared at the document in his hand. Dressed sharply in his 'work clothes,' Lambo read off the sheet in which his 'part' was written on once more. Airheaded and troublesome wife/husband? He thought curiously. He could vaguely sense the camera behind him; it was there ever since he woke up. He decided not to feel too violated though. As instructions had ordered him to a month ago, he had slept over at Ryohei's house for this particular day. He started for the door, tossing the paper to the side. "I'm heading to work now," he called out lazily.

"WAIT!" Ryohei's hoarse yell could be heard from all the way upstairs. Lambo didn't move, hand on the doorknob. "I have something EXTREMELY special for you today, Lambo-honey!"

"Lambo-honey?!" The teenager turned around just as Ryohei rushed in, waving something that looked like flimsy sheets of paper in the air. When the platinum-blond hurdled into him, it felt like a freight train crashing into him and Lambo found himself in a tangled mess on the ground. Ryohei was looming dangerously over him, and if his part wasn't to be Lambo's 'husband,' the teenager would've run away then and there.

"I've got an extreme Valentine's Day gift for you! With this gift, and the fiery power of 1000 suns, I confess my love to you! TO THE EXTREME!!" Ryohei pushed the tickets in front of Lambo's face, and the poor teenager tried adjusting his eyes to read the close-up words.

"Boxing Live Tournament in Las Vegas?" Lambo stared at his 'husband' through one skeptical eye. Act distracted, Lambo, he told himself, you're unknowingly infatuated with someone else, remember. "You know what I think?"

"What?"

"You're crazy."

"I'M CRAZY TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei enthusiastically agreed. "You're coming with me, right, wife?! We'll have fun together…" Ryohei leaned down to whisper into Lambo's ear, "and get a high score on that Vongola board."

Lambo pretended to have not heard; he cocked an eyebrow, stifling a yawn. "Yes, all right. I'll come. I really have to go to work now, husband, so if you don't mind…" Lambo tried to look eager; if Ryohei would let him go, he would now be going to see 'the manager he was in love with.' He didn't think Ryohei's confession was romantic at all, but he supposed this was to be expected of the extreme boxer.

Ryohei beamed at Lambo, patting the latter's soft, curly black hair, and all the while saying, "We'll get to see Rafael Solis and Alex Sanchez fight to the extreme!"

The lightning guardian quirked an eyebrow at the enthusiastic and distorted pronunciation of the foreign names. Despite the elder's ability to forget everything that was said in a mere seconds, boxing champions remained noticeably on the list of things he could recall without intense brain modification. Lambo nodded as Ryohei made him promise that he'd be back on time for the flight, dismissing the other when he attempted to offer him a ride in his Lamborghini Gallardo sports car, the vehicle being the highly-spirited boxer's declaration of love for Lambo - even the name began with his letters.

"...The company is only ten minutes away, Ryohei."

After more reluctant partings, Lambo was finally on his way to work. He still had time leftover from the hassle because of his alarm being set an hour earlier. The lightning guardian hummed nonchalantly to himself, glancing from the corner of his eye at the hidden cameras. He looked up when the Vongola CORP building come into view, the company a polished area with glass windows overlooking the streets and the air conditioner on low as it kept the workers in a work-oriented mood. Ladies wearing grey work dresses and high heels tutted by while gripping their clipboards; the men sat on swiveling chairs tapping busily away as they stared at their computer screens. Lambo waved to his corner of associates, but when he received friendly welcomes, he didn't bother answering. His eyes had automatically fallen on a petite brunet, the shorter male walking briskly through the hallway and past the assorted work offices in his black suit.

Everything here was staged properly, but Tsuna was still feeling slightly anxious as he walked in. He did not see Lambo yet since he was too busy keeping his eyes on his office door, hurrying to get there as soon as he could. Lambo took a deep breath, watching Tsuna intently. He saw a vase of red roses by the side and, tilting his head to the side, he plucked one out and started for the shorter brunet.

Tsuna was definitely surprised when Lambo's laid-back voice reached his ears, "Manager Tsuna-san."

The brunet whirled around, almost falling in the process. "Lambo-san? What are you doing here?" As soon as he said those words, he already half-knew. He cringed at the sight of the beautiful rose in the teenager's hands. Oh, no…

Lambo hesitantly cleared his throat, "If you would give me a minute, boss, I've got something to say to you."

"Lambo-san, we're at work right now!" Tsuna cut off the rest of his sentence as Lambo grabbed his hand, slowly going down on one knee.

"It's a little long," Lambo started slowly, "but I want you to know that I spent all night trying to memorize this for you," and ignoring the embarrassed blush spreading in Tsuna's cheeks, he recited:

You walk in; it's the beginning of day
And I am wondering what I should say
Those three words, stuck in my throat,
I even forgot the poem I wrote
As I fumble with the rose I bought
I start to say without a thought:
"Your smile's so special, simple, so sweet.
You were the first boy I wanted to meet."

"Wahh! Lambo-san! I think that's enough!" Tsuna yanked his hand away and tried to dodge around Lambo. However, the teenager persisted in trying to finish his poem. There were now a dozen or more pairs of eyes gawking at them in bewilderment, but Tsuna was now trapped between Lambo and his closed door. The lightning guardian of Vongola continued:

Unscathed and determined, I start again,
Because my love for you is a thousand times ten.
No matter what, I think it's true
Tsunayoshi-kun, I'm in love with you.

The office erupted in cheers among squawking from fellow male workers, but most of the females had drowned them out with blushes and squeals. Tsuna didn't know where to look, his hand still clutched indignantly in the warm ones of Lambo and his cheeks blazing with humiliation. There were "woahhh, good luck, Lambo!" and prompts of "accept the confession, Manager Tsuna-san!" The brunet clasped his other hand to his forehead, the sweat glistening there melting into his sleeve, as he tried to pry his hands gently away from the Vongola guardian. Lambo had his head tilted slightly to the side, his one eye gazing at him imploringly. H-he's waiting for my answer...! Oh my god, what do I do?! Tsuna shook his head to clear the turmoil of puzzling thoughts, and then he was promptly cut off in mid-meditation when a certain long-haired Vongola CORP's boss barged into the office.

"VOOOOOOI, the hell are you guys doing?! Do you want work overload, you morons? The deadline's due tomorrow and you're all here lounging arou - Lambo, why do you have a freakin' rose in your hand?!" Squalo barked, passing by Tsuna roughly without sparing him a glance as he plucked the offending flower from Lambo and threw it into a vase decorating the office floor. The lightning guardian gaped wordlessly, trying to say something to the boss but not finding anything particular to begin with. "And you!" the silver-haired man exclaimed, swiveling on his feet to glare at Tsuna. The latter sweated, his hands twitching by his sides nervously as he veered back from the bare of canine teeth. Instead of being breathed down the neck like the scrambling workers, Squalo merely arched a perfect brow at the black-clad brunet with the scowl still on his lips.

"Boss-san...?" squeaked Tsuna as he mentally averted the sympathetic gazes of the office workers.

Squalo's toothy smirk worked its way to his face, and with an impatient tap of his boot on the waxed floor, he informed him, "If you still want this position, Manager Tsuna, then do your job properly."

"Yes sir!" Tsuna screeched, visibly shaken. The boss of the corporation nodded, pleased with the docility of his manager. Squalo then turned to the left of the hallway, motioning for the brunet to follow. Tsuna hastily obeyed, tripping over the recently waxed - and thus slippery - floor in a flurry of movements. He quickly righted himself as Squalo turned to glare a particularly lethal death, quaking in fear and squeaking in the process. They had reached the storage room for the documents that needed to be renewed. There was only one light bulb in the vicinity, and Tsuna was afraid that he would make an even more pronounced klutz out of himself where the intimidating rain guardian of the Varia was concerned. He tried to calm himself when he stepped in after Squalo, but he found the comfort to be useless as the single bulb emitted a useless dim yellow light, scattering visual aide only directly under the object and leading other areas astray in lurking darkness.

Squalo had halted in front of a shelf, nearly making the clumsy brunet collide into him. "Go search that shelf," he ordered. Tsuna nodded, tentatively reaching for a stack of documents piled a little too high for his arm's reach. He struggled, biting his lip in fear of having his worries overheard by the less-than-empathetic rain guardian. And then Tsuna had little to no worry for pride left, for he had missed the pile and managed to overturn a jar of china that was gifted to Vongola CORP from a rival company.

"HIIIIIIII!"

"Hrmh? The hell! Idiot, what are you doing?!"

In a stir of commotion, stacks of documents being splayed all over the place like a burst of feathers set forth for departure, a jar being pummeled to its end due to a useless klutz, and finally the swishing of fabric as body protected another body and shielded it from being the victim of coma, Tsuna was dizzy in all awareness. Dust was filling up his lungs quite irritably and he coughed into his arms as his hands concealed his face, warding off debris. He was vaguely aware of a string of "VOOOOOI"s and insults being directed to him in the form of a very unmoved Squalo. And the aforementioned shark being on top of him, the source of the brunet's still beating heart - no pun intended, Tsuna hoped - and his body still very much intact. And conscious.

"VOOOOI, stupid moron! Can't you do anything without me looking after you?!"

Indistinctly, Tsuna could just imagine the cameras getting this all recorded. It was almost the perfect scenario, and he had had a month to practice being a half-decent actor. However, first, he had to control his out-of-control heart, or he would end up receiving a heart attack - and an apathetic and probably unresponsive shark would have to reluctantly perform CPR on him. It was then that he realized his brittle fingers were still clasped around the man's arm, clinging to him as if he was about to fall out of a tree. He hesitantly forced himself to let go, face burning a dark crimson as he tried to think of something to say.

"Th-thanks, boss-san…and sorry."

Squalo rolled his eyes in distaste. "Yeah, you better be." His eyes traveled down as if finally taking in the fact that he was on top of the Vongola boss. Tsuna twitched slightly as the man's long, silver hair tickled his neck. Just as the swordsman was about to stand up dismissively, Tsuna found his hand automatically seizing the front of Squalo's shirt. Those penetrating eyes found his and Squalo was now wearing a deeper scowl. "What do you want, brat?"

How to start this off…?

Tsuna thought back to Lambo's poem, but he knew it would turn out to be an epic failure. He had next to nothing prepared. The brunet opened his mouth, ready to recite something amongst the lines of 'roses are red, violets are blue,' but he strongly decided against it. His hand wouldn't let go, no matter how much he willed it to; in fact, they were almost pulling Squalo closer to him. Squeezing his eyes shut in discomfiture, he mumbled, "…busy…tonight…?"

"VOOOOOOOOOI, SPEAK UP."

"Are-you-busy-tonight-would-you-like-to-have-dinner-with-me?" Tsuna enunciated with tight and uncomfortable squeaks.

To this, a long silence followed. Shortly thereafter, the peace was broken by a roar of laughter from Squalo. Tsuna bowed his head in shame, having fully humiliated himself in front of the Varia rain guardian. Squalo was so loud that Tsuna was sure his coworkers could hear this from outside the resilient walls. He could hear a sneer embedded in the shark's voice as the man said, "So it's you, huh?" Tsuna didn't respond; he gnawed on his bottom lip, aware that Squalo's vice grip was now painfully around his arm. And then, with a full pummel of the brunet's heart, Squalo deftly denounced, "I'm not going."

"Ehhh?! But Squalo—"

"I said I'm not going, so I'm not." Squalo straightened up, ignoring Tsuna's fallen face. That look is pathetic, Squalo concluded. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but feel a bit intrigued as to what the Vongola boss had planned for him. What did that idiot have on his mind that was making him blush this profusely? Squalo absentmindedly restacked the documents on a desk, all the while keeping a sharp eye on the top of Tsuna's head. Doing his best to sigh in resignation, he impatiently slammed the papers down on the tabletop. "Voooi, you're really annoying, you know that? Time?"

"Eh? Uhh," Tsuna tried to recall, "Seven…?"

"Even if you're not sure, at least try to sound sure when you're asking me out, you imbecile." Squalo deliberately averted his gaze to the window, an angry snarl twisting his lips. "This better not be a waste of my time."

Tsuna anxiously shook his head. "I-it won't be."

The brunet was dismissed a few moments later, and with nothing else to do, Tsuna backed out of the storage room in a daze as the silver-maned boss paced in the opposite direction. Squalo checked his watch, a scowl immediately adorning his pale and rigid face. It was well into ten to eleven now, and feeling rather baffled but amused by the Vongola's strained tactics, he himself was almost convinced to complete his own mission. Tightening his hand into a fist and fixing his bespeckled tie due to the earlier incident with a certain klutz, he reached into his pants pocket and withdrew a steel-blue touch phone. Scrolling down the list of contacts while narrowing his eyes at some, he finally found the one number which he had swindled out of the nonchalant swordsman, Yamamoto Takeshi of the Vongola. Squalo's lips curved toothily at the mere thought of the baseball-crazed guardian, but then his gaze tightened as he pressed "connect."

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"How long does it take for a nitwit to pick up his damn phone?" growled Squalo with displeasure. He perked up when a breezy voice floated through the intercom.

"Hello, who is this?" There were chatters and variations of "cut!" sounding in the background.

"VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOI, who do you think, you idiot?!" The connection line fizzed, causing Squalo to glow with satisfaction. He could hear the other party pause, probably to cover his ears in surprise.

"...Squalo?" the voice asked incredulously.

"Has the Bucking Horse's keen sense been tampered with by those Vongola brats?" Squalo sneered, crossing his arms and leaning against a wall.

"Ahaha, what a joke, Emperor Swordsman," Dino replied casually, his tone light and joking. "Oh, hold on a second - I'll be right there! Tell him to show a bit more emotion when the girl breaks up with him! Ah, sorry, Squalo, I'm at work, see?"

Rolling his eyes, Squalo said bitterly, "Do you have time later?"

There was no answer, but then Dino chuckled nervously. "Time? Mm…" Squalo waited impatiently, pushing himself off the wall to stride across the room. "I'm on break in about ten minutes, but I haven't got much time after that. Is this going to take long?"

"I hope not," scowled Squalo. "I don't plan on wasting too much of my time on you."

Dino's laugh sounded choppy over the phone. "I'll see you outside the studio in ten, then. Or would you rather meet me in my office?"

"VOOOOI, does it look like I give a flying fu—" Squalo stopped himself on time, switching his phone to the other ear, "Does it look like I give a damn where I meet you? I'll see you in your office."

"All right, then," Dino said cheerfully, much to Squalo's disgust. "See you later!" And he hung up before Squalo could even mutter a half-hearted goodbye. The swordsman glowered at the phone, as if glaring at it could send menacing vibes to Dino.

"Stupid brat…" he muttered under his breath as he locked the dark storage room, slamming the door shut behind him. Squalo ignored the gawks and stares he was currently receiving as he swept out of the office. He hoped the chocolates didn't melt in his car, but the chilly air outside should have kept them solid. Inwardly slapping himself in the face, he got into his silver Mercedes MClaren, slammed down on the pedal and sped away on the road.

It took him exactly nine minutes to get to Chiavarone Studios (with his speedy, not to mention careless, driving), and only one minute to get by the actors and actresses strutting about inside in order to reach Dino's office. The manager wasn't there yet, so Squalo took the liberty of taking Dino's swivelly-chair and propping his booted feet on the desk. The chocolates and the card were stuffed into his pocket, and he used his arm to hide the humiliating pink sticking out of it. Moments later, he saw the blond klutz walking down to his office, but he was not alone. Squalo couldn't get a proper glimpse of the other man, but his attention was redirected to Dino when the blond walked straight into his door.

"Ow!" Dino clasped a hand to his forehead as he opened the door. "Ah, clumsy me. I'll see you in a second, Mukuro. I won't be long." Dino's chocolate brown eyes suddenly met with Squalo's silver orbs. The latter smirked, baring his canine teeth.

"VOOOOI, took your time, childhood friend," Squalo stressed the last two words sardonically.

Dino closed the door automatically. He was dressed in casual wear: black, form-fitting shirt, baggy pants, a sweater tied loosely around his waist, a necklace hung around his neck, and lastly a grey beanie, as there was no need for a director to be in formal suit. The blond sauntered over to a sofa, slumping into it tiredly without sparing a thought for the swordsman occupying his leather chair. In fact, it was more comfortable sleeping on a sofa, anyway.

"What are you doing, nitwit?" demanded Squalo, peeved at the lack of attention from his 'childhood friend.'

Dino peeked through an eye, grinned lazily at the man before sprawling over the furniture: arm clinging the sofa, feet dangling off the side, and head propped on the armrest. "Ahh, give me a break, Squalo. I've been pulling all-nighters." He cried out weakly when a bag of items landed on his back. "Ow! What are you doing, Squalo?" When he didn't receive an answer, Dino turned around to lay on his back and caught the bag before it slipped to the floor. He saw the scowling swordsman looking at him with an almost...tentative approach. He eyed the rain guardian, who was still sitting on the swivelly-chair like he owned the place, before prodding the items in the bag. First came a Valentine's Day card glittering with sprinkles of red and pink hearts. The blond ogled the words which scrawled over the cover: "Wherefore art thou my love?" Dino gawked at it, his gaze roving slowly over to the snarling face of Squalo.

"Voooi, don't look at me!"

The chocolate-eyed director almost chuckled, but then he caught himself as the glare deepened in intensity. No, Squalo was not blushing. Even if he was, he had whirled around obstinately to hide his face, crossing his arms and averting his gaze from Dino's. "Aw, Squalo, would it ever be in your nature to act a little cute?"

"VOOOOOOI, what are you implying, you brat?"

"Shouldn't there be a little love confession to go with this?" Dino teased, dangling the Valentine-decorated card with his fingers. The blond, of course, had no intention of actually dating his 'childhood friend,' but he couldn't help himself. This moment was just too precious. Anyone in his position would've done the same. He had second thoughts of taking the statement back when he saw Squalo's back stiffening in shock. "Well, I mean, I would have liked one but…" His words faltered when he saw Squalo towering over him, shadowing him with his height. Dino gulped, slowly scrolling his eyes up to meet Squalo's annoyed expression. "I was…kidding?"

"You really need to learn to shut up." Squalo frowned, eyes narrowing at the sight of the blond languidly spread out over the couch. Dino wanted to back up into the couch when he saw Squalo leaning down, but the silver-haired male was still a considerate distance from his head. He hoped Squalo wasn't going to do what he thought he was going to do. "Well?" Squalo snapped, causing Dino to jump slightly from the cushiony sofa. "Voooi, what do you want me to say? You're the director, aren't you?"

Dino's jaw hung open. He shut them a second too late as the rain guardian threw his head back and laughed, the mockery in the guffaw magnificently noticeable. The blond cleared his throat as he threw a light-hearted glare at Squalo, and with the humiliation came brewing thoughts of ways to achieve the perfect retribution. Of course, using the latter's words and twisting it would be the ideal plan. Dino cleared his throat again, causing the silver-haired Vongola CORP CEO to eye him with a quirked eyebrow, finally settling down.

"How about this, Squalo," started Dino, a wry smile flickering on his lips and his chocolate eyes glinting mischievously, "in five minutes, show me how you truly adore me in a spin-off of Charades?"

Squalo's eyes widened considerably, the emotion rearing in the silver irises priceless to the amused blond. The shark suddenly propped his shoe on the couch in the area where Dino's legs were languidly spread apart. The blond made a noise in protest, fueling the smirk pushing its way across Squalo's wicked curl of lips. The latter shushed the movie director by placing a finger on his lips, the action causing Dino to stare at Squalo with curiosity and a seeping warmth tingling along his throat to his face. He had a vague feeling that the cameras were getting this all recorded, but all thought process were halted when cold lips from being in the wintry air outside swooped down and captured his own. Dino had almost struggled - almost, until he recalled he being the one to insinuate this modest ravaging of mouth, and then he had slowly relaxed into the hand resting on his shoulder.

The swordsman pulled back with a shark-like smirk, looking not in the least embarrassed with his sudden uptake on the baffled director. Dino was gasping for breath, his eyelids fluttering shut dazedly as a hand laid on his heaving chest. Squalo leaned in, his long mane of silver splaying over the body below him, his breath ghosting over Dino's ear. "Good enough, director?"

Dino gulped, ninety-nine percent unsure of what had happened between him and the rowdy Mafioso. He looked into the piercing and demanding eyes of the looming shark and gradually grinned. "Wah, how scary, Superbi Squalo," he murmured lightly.

Squalo snarled, and without warning, bared his sharp teeth and nibbled on Dino's sensitive ear.

"Ehh?!"

"VOOOI, don't you dare complain about my Valentine's gift, you nitwit!" Squalo ordered triumphantly, and with a casual flick of his silvery hair, he declared brazenly, "Even if my 'childhood friend' is a useless klutz, I will still take up with his pathetic ass."

Dino ogled him, and with a weak chuckle, he stammered, "P-pathetic...?"

"That's my confession, you idiot. VOOOOOOOI, I'm out of here!" Squalo barked, glaring at the blond with venom as he breezed out the door and slammed it shut.

The tips of fingertips brushed his tingling lips as he stared blankly at the door which Squalo had left from. That was…surprising. Stealing a glimpse at the clock, his brown eyes widened and he leapt to his feet, tugging at the sweater around his waist. "Oh no, I'm gonna be late!" The moment he rushed out the door, he nearly rammed into someone else. Oddly enough, this time he wasn't the one to fall. He suavely caught the person around the waist before the latter could hit the ground. "Whoops, sorry about that!"

Recovering a little from the initial shock of getting run over, Mukuro's face broke into a small smirk. "Kufufufu, director Dino-san, I was waiting for you outside." The blond looked down to see two distinctively different-colored eyes. Famous actor Rokudo Mukuro was being held in his arms, and it took a while for Dino to process that through his mind. The Vongola mist guardian raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Do you enjoy holding me, Dino, or are you going to let me go now…?"

Dino laughed sheepishly, righting the other man up straight away. Mukuro stood by the side. "I thought you were going to stand me up."

"No, no," Dino protested, "My, uh, childhood friend had to come over and it took me a while to get him to tell me what he was really here for."

"I see…" A slow smirk started to spread across the actor's pale, handsome face. "Just wondering, but is this lunch with me, ah, business related or…?"

Dino waved his hand and Mukuro dutifully stepped forwards, allowing Dino to keep a steady pace behind him. "Well, now that you mention it, there has been something that I've been wanting to say to you." As he passed down the hall, he mentally ignored the winks the other actresses and actors were giving him; they all knew he was supposed to have a secret fondness for his star actor, Mukuro. Somehow, the rumor had spread around the whole studio, and yet ironically enough, Mukuro as the victim of this scandal was rather detached from it. He seemed to have ignored it altogether.

The café was only a few minutes away from the studio, so they didn't bother taking a car. Mukuro was now inconspicuously wearing sunglasses over his mismatched eyes, which Dino was glad about. He didn't know how many rabid fangirls were waiting around each corner they turned, ready to jump the celebrated actor. Fortunately, they managed to get to the café without being physically violated. They took a seat by the window. Dino was now leaning forward, his chin cupped in the palm of his hand as he watched Mukuro slide out of his jacket. The mist guardian of Vongola had his hair tied back into a casual, loose ponytail after acting out a scene from the new romantic drama: "I Love You Not." It had been a tiring day, so Mukuro had to admit that having lunch with his director was unexpectedly more relaxing than work-related.

"Are you having any difficulties, Mukuro?" Dino asked pointedly, a light grin smoothing over his lips.

The navy-haired actor took a delicate sip from the brewing cup of coffee before setting it aside and resting his head on his palm. He smiled derisively. "Oya, are you worried about me, director?"

Dino adjusted his beanie, his arm hanging over the back of the chair languidly. The blond, with an uncomfortable glance at the camouflaged cameras swiveling around in the cafe ceiling, chuckled, "Ahaha, you're a renowned actor, Mukuro. Try not to upset your fans too much, especially like that scandal with the other actress who starred in your previous film, the Miss Chrome."

Mukuro gazed at his director with an inexplicable expression, but then a smirk tugged at his soft, yet mocking lips. "Of course. However," he paused as he lifted a menu from the table casually, "you seem to have something else in mind, Chiavarone Dino-san. It must have something to do with today's heart-warming date, am I correct?"

The blond almost choked on his coffee, and as a maid hurriedly rushed over to check if he was all right, even pounding his back for reassurance, he spluttered, "How did you know, Mukuro?" He signaled that he was fine, finding peace when the cafe worker stopped abusing his back and walked over to another table.

The latter smirked without feeling. "You seem to be red in the face since this morning."

"Was I?" inquired Dino as he felt his forehead cautiously. The area wasn't hot, or even remotely warm; instead it was slightly cool from being the cold for a mere eight-minute stroll.

"Well…" The corner of Mukuro's lips curled as he placed the menu neatly back on the table. "Now you are." He leaned back into his seat nonchalantly, and with a thoughtful quirk of an eyebrow, he asked, "And why does it always seem like you're always interested in who I'm with?"

Dino coughed into his hand, feeling slightly awkward in this situation. "Isn't that my job?"

A shadow of a smirk passed Mukuro's mouth. "Kufufu, maybe you're a little bit too interested, don't you think?"

"No such thing," Dino responded lightheartedly, if not a little persistently. Mukuro noticed the defiance in his voice, but he decided not to bring it up. The blond was fumbling around with something in his jacket pocket, occasionally fixing the beanie on top of his unruly golden hair. One of the waitresses came over and asked if they were ready. Dino politely glanced over at Mukuro, who stated his order.

"Mm…Caramel Frappuccino and Kaiserschmarren."

"A cold drink in the middle of February?" Dino asked curiously. Mukuro simply shrugged his shoulders, a light smile on his face.

"The cold won't last long."

Dino quickly ordered something off the top of his head. Just as the waitress was about to leave, Dino waved her over, much to Mukuro's surprise. He motioned her to lean down so he could whisper into her ear; the waitress raised an eyebrow, which intrigued the actor even more. For a split second, those chocolate brown eyes wavered over to him with a mischievous glint in them, but it disappeared when the waitress busily bustled back to do the job at hand.

"What was that?" questioned Mukuro. Dino just grinned comfortably.

The waitress came back with two drinks in hand. Mukuro accepted his with a quiet "thank you," and for a second, Dino was afraid that the girl would recognize Mukuro's mellow voice from other films. Fortunately enough, she did not. Dino acknowledged the waitress as she put down his drink, and without Mukuro noticing, he slipped a small tip for her. The actor was attentively reading the messy scrawl on his cup, which was written with non-permanent marker:

Let's cuddle.
- Dino :D

Mukuro had to do his best not to let out his signature laugh. He swiveled the cup around so that the words faced the blond. "Cuddle, director?" his words were cut short when Dino reached over the table and awkwardly grabbed for his hands. Even though the aforementioned actor had only been holding the cup for a few seconds, his fingers were already freezing. Dino held Mukuro's hands between his own.

"It'll be warm," Dino insisted with a light smile.

This time, Mukuro couldn't stop the smirk from pulling at his lips. "Is this a clever way of asking me out? Kufufufu." This was amusing.

Dino flashed a bright grin, withdrawing his hand from the comfort of the clasp of warmth to retrieve a little white box from his winter jacket. He let a tight smile slip as he stroked the object: it contained a silver Valentine pendant with two overlapping rings in the middle shaped in a heart. He looked up from the container just in time to catch the unblinking gaze of the mist guardian. Dino had almost perspired then, at the dangerous lurking in those stoic, mismatched and mocking orbs filtering through dark shades. Reborn had really put him in a snitch this time - but then again, a certain troublesome child named Hibari Kyoya had also been entrusted under his care for a time.

Still, this was a completely different scenario from a duel-fanatic who would rather kill than respect his tutor.

The blond rustled in his pocket to bide time, but the waitress had come over to place Mukuro's platter of pancake on the table, thus granting him a few more minutes. The popular actor gracefully prodded the food with a silver knife as he raised an eyebrow at Dino. It was then that Mukuro received a call from the studio.

"Hello. Oya, it's this time already?" Mukuro frowned animatedly as he glanced at his watch simultaneously. He let the knife in his hand clatter on the plate as he stood up smoothly, hanging up on the caller with a polite salutation.

Dino stood up as well, amazed by his utter lack of luck. "Break's already over?" he asked.

"Kufufu, time passes by rather quickly when you're having fun, won't you agree, director?"

The blond edged around the table to stride behind the mist guardian, but then his legs were intelligently tangled around the legs of Mukuro's chair. His eyes widened impossibly, an undelectable "whoops" hanging on his agape mouth as he collided into the back of the "Love Me Not" main actor.

Crash!

All eyes in the cafe, impertinently named the Caffè di inferno, or more understandably the Hell Café, immediately rounded on the two figures sprawled in a restless heap on the tiled floor. Their eyes all widened in shock as the sunglasses of a certain individual slipped heedlessly off his face and landed with a dull thud before his collar.

"OH MY EFFING PANTS! IS THAT--?!"

"I THINK SOOO!"

"WE LOVE YOUUU, MUKU~!"

"Ah…" Mukuro rested his head on the ground, silently cursing his luck. Dino desperately tried to gain control of the situation, but he was already being pushed back by a horde of girls wanting autographs and pictures; where had those cameras come from? As the blond director tried to gently shove back and ward them off, he tripped over his own shoelace and landed on his butt near Mukuro's feet. The celebrity sighed, standing and brushing himself off. Coolly ignoring the flashes from the cameras, he leaned down to whisper into Dino's ear, "I think I'll take my leave, director. I will see you back at the studio after break."

"W-wait, you mean break hasn't—" Dino never got to finish his sentence for Mukuro had to struggle his way across the sea of girls in order to escape. They chased after him determinedly, but he was quick on the loose. Soon, Dino couldn't even see him anymore. The man sighed, shoving his hand into his pocket where his gift was. He had missed his chance to give his present to his crush. Biting on the inside of his cheek, he tossed it up into the air and stealthily tried to catch it, but that ended up as a failure as well: it had slipped through his hands. Now what was he going to do with it?

Mukuro had managed to escape the crowd of girls tailing behind him by slipping into the nearest building he could find. Said building just happened to be a Training Center for swordsmen. Since most of the people in there were men, he supposed that there was going to be no problem with his presence here. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he was met with an 'unfamiliar face.' The dark-haired man had an apologetic grin on his face.

"Oops, sorry!" Mukuro was just about to say something when the man took a closer look at his face. "Eh? Hey! Aren't you that—mmfph!"

The student was suddenly pulled behind a wall where the others couldn't see. Mukuro's hand was over his mouth, and the illusionist was whispering into his ear, "Shh, shh. We don't want to make a scene now, do we?" He nodded obligingly, deeming no harm in the navy-haired man's absurd tendency to shut people up behind walls.

Mukuro checked that the coast was clear before letting the swordsman go, withdrawing his hand and dusting his clothes in a superstar manner. When he noticed the awkward way the latter was staring at him, as if somehow expecting some sort of explanation from the mist guardian, Mukuro let slip a wry smirk, seeming unperturbed by the coldness lashing at the wintry city and the frost glistening on parked cars. "Kufufu," he chuckled, gracefully stuffing his hands into his trench coat pockets and leaning on the wall with his shoulder. "Yamamoto Takeshi-kun from the swordsmen circle, am I correct?"

The tall, dark-haired man grinned casually, raising a hand. "Yep, that's me."

"Oya, what a coincidence," drawled Mukuro smoothly.

Yamamoto looked at him intently, his grin slipping slightly before being replaced by a beam on his benign face. "What brings you here, eh…" he glanced around warily before whispering the other's name, "Mukuro-san."

"Avoiding nuisances." Mukuro nodded his head lazily at the doors, and as Yamamoto peered around him, he saw a group of girls still desperately searching for the famous celebrity. The rain guardian of Vongola nodded in understanding, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Mahh, maybe they're not so bad if you give them a chance. One of them could be your future girlfriend, yeah?"

Now that they were being shaded by sunglasses, Mukuro's mismatched eyes flashed with somewhat forced cordiality. The man didn't say anything for a bit, dissecting Yamamoto's words. Then, his lips parted. "Kufufu, you jest. I've decided now that I've only got eyes for one person." He abruptly stepped away from the wall, advancing towards the other. By instinct, the swordsman backed up and felt the hard wall greeting his back. The famous actor now had Yamamoto trapped between the wall and his lean body, and his cold lips brushed against the latter's ear. "And he's not a girl."

The rain guardian's eyes widened in surprise as those lips found his own, but he was taken aback even more when Mukuro grazed his tongue demurely against his bottom lip. So maybe the renowned actor was known to be a good kisser, but Yamamoto was too shocked to even think about it. The swordsman felt something being pushed into his trembling hands, but he didn't dare look down when Mukuro pulled away. The handsome celebrity cupped his chin with his cold hands, an unusually warm smirk playing on his lips. "Wear it, Yamamoto Takeshi. Non dimenticarmi."

Non dimenticarmi. Do not forget me. "How can I forget that?" Yamamoto rasped, feeling a bit under the weather, and grinned dazedly. Mukuro backed out into the bustling streets, his coat fluttering in the dim coldness. He turned sideways, his dark blue strands of hair flitting along with the wind.

"Je suis capturé par toi."

Yamamoto blinked, but before he could apprehend the Italian's third language, the whimsical mist guardian had already disappeared into a mass of bodies traversing the streets. He instead traced his fingers over his lips, the tingling sensation there still vibrating under his skin. The rain guardian arched his back to look up at the cloudy sky, shaking his head to clear complications, and then gingerly prodded the item in his hand. It was a silver package wrapped in pink ribbons, and with curiosity bearing heavily down on his usually happy-go-lucky self, he sauntered into the Training Center. A grin broke across his lips when he saw his bulky trainer instructing a pair of rowdy kids on the topic of fencing. Yamamoto waved at the plum-lipped instructor and received a gruff nod in response.

His trainer seemed to be sulking yet again. It must've been another failed attempt to accommodate his secret crush, a freshman from Millefiore Academy. Yamamoto grinned cozily, reminding himself to present his teacher with a present to make up for his self-depreciation faze. The dark-haired swordsman untied the ribbon with a swift tug and lifted the upper lid with his hand. Inside the black interior was an expensive glass cologne placed snugly on thin, pink scraps of paper. Labeled on the glass front in gold scrawls were the words: Acqua di Gio. Yamamoto chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. It was an Armani product. Mukuro always did have luxuriously good taste in cologne, amongst other things.

"Yamamoto!" a low grumble called out to him. The addressed male instantly hid his present behind him with a hand, grinning ear-to-ear as he answered:

"What's up, Levi-sensei?"

Levi stomped towards the rain guardian, all the while eying the man suspiciously. "Don't 'what's up, Levi-sensei' me. Why are you late?"

Yamamoto beamed sheepishly. "I was caught up in something, Levi-sensei. It won't happen again. Sorry." He waved his hand apologetically. Levi grunted, evidently dissatisfied with this answer. Or maybe it was just because his mind was still on a certain student. Yamamoto wondered whether or not this was a good time to gift his teacher with a thoughtful present, but with those eyes glaring at him, he found it hard to reach into his bag and pull out the stuffed teddy-bear. He decided to try and veer the subject to somewhere else. "So…" with lack of anything else to say, he repeated, "what is up…?"

"Don't ask me the same question twice!" Levi barked. Yamamoto started to laugh, not unkindly.

"Mahh, sorry, sorry. It's just a little awkward. I don't know how to say this, but…" Sticking a hand into his bag (and hoping that nothing in there could've ruined the stuffed animal), he graciously pulled out the soft cuddle-bear that had landed on his head just a month ago. Levi's eyes bulged in amazement when Yamamoto bowed his head, extending the bear towards him. "Please accept this! Happy Valentine's Day, sensei."

Yamamoto kept his gaze on the ground, not trusting himself to look up. He hoped that Levi would understand that this was just a platonic gesture and not something more. He felt the bear being tugged out of his hands, and only then did he dare look up. Levi was examining the bear with his narrow eyes, plump lips forming a slight frown. Yamamoto rubbed the back of his head modestly. "It's just a little something I thought would cheer Levi-sensei up."

Levi sniffed, wrinkling his nose. He then gave his student a reluctant pat on the shoulder, awkwardly holding the teddy-bear while muttering, "Hmph, you lot are surprising brats."

Yamamoto laughed lightly. "Good luck on your confession today, Levi-sensei!" To this, the burly worshiper of a certain Varia boss could only gape wordlessly in astonishment. His student continued on with an encouraging clap on his back, and in his cheerful voice, he said, "I know sensei's been looking out for a kid since last month. Well, anyway, I gotta' go practice now. See you later!"

Levi was left with a stuffed animal dangling limply in his arms, and when he finally realized that he was alone in a corner of the gym, he blinked. The rain guardian of the Vongola was a sharp one, he thought to himself. And when he remembered that he had a Valentine's confession to report to, his thick eyebrows rose when he saw that it was already 12:50 PM. Hurriedly, he grasped his overcoat on the floor and rushed out the entrance, panting breathily as he settled in his car and started the engine.

"Look, Fran, the same guy's here again."

Fran sat cross-legged on the grass field, stretching his arms with a tired yawn escaping his lips. His friend said 'the same guy,' which meant the creepy pedophile who was always watching him whenever he had his lunch period. Fran hesitantly turned his head to the side; from the corner of his eye, he could already see the spikes of that older man's hair. Monotonously, he turned to his companion and muttered, "Whaat, why is he always here?"

"I don't know, but the way he keeps watching you is kinda…" the other faltered.

Fran poked at a piece of grass by his shoe, silently thinking that maybe he should leave before the man could attack him. He checked his watch; he should be heading over to Millefiore Academy anyway before his lunch was over. He had something special for a certain someone – a certain someone who was slightly intimidating.

Scratch that. That someone was really intimidating, almost unapproachable, but Fran knew he had to do this. The petite mist guardian checked his bag to see if his gift was still there. Standing up and kicking a small pebble to the side, he mumbled, "I'm going to go. I'll come back before lunch ends."

"All right, Fran. See you later!"

Fran kept a steady pace as he strode along the rolling plains of the soccer field. He could almost hear the other man's footsteps echoing his own, and sometimes, he'd stop to try and hear if he was still being followed. The muffled footsteps halted every time he did, however, and he was a little anxious to turn around. He hastened his pace. Millefiore's entrance was only a few minutes away, so it didn't take long for Fran to speed-walk there. His hands were stowed into his pockets as he stopped by the doors. Taking a deep breath, he finally whirled around to see the lightning guardian of Varia hiding behind a tree, keeping an unwavering eye on Fran. The green-haired subordinate gulped inwardly; even if the other was supposed to confess to him, Fran didn't want to be anywhere near that man. Without a second thought, he swung open the doors to Millefiore Academy and darted in.

Inside was the main hall, conditioned to be warm for the students. Fran knew the schedule of his Valentine crush well, so without further ado, he skipped up the stairs to the third floor. There were a few students opening and slamming their lockers, cramming in books and withdrawing textbooks. It was at this time that the Biology class would be dismissed for break, and so Fran waited patiently for the seniors in room 304 to disperse for the water fountains and to interact with friends. Sure enough, a tall, dark-haired and scarred man stepped out from the anticipated door, his face wearing a phlegmatic expression with his aura starkly contrasting the indifference by emitting murderous steams. Fran gulped, wondering whether he should just throw the bag of present, declare his love from behind this wall, and then run like his life depended on it.

It certainly seemed like a good plan at the moment. Unfortunately the keen student council president had already discovered his hiding place.

"Trash, step out before I gun you down."

Yes, the student body seriously respected the president of the governing circle. Fran protruded a foot from behind the wall, hiding the bag behind his back as he edged around the obstacle with his hand. An impatient tapping of feet could be heard. He took a deep breath, peeked around the corner and recognized familiar, lethal, crimson orbs glaring at him. Fran raised a hand with a meek and strained smile.

"Hi, Xanxus-sama!" Fran bowed his head a little, biting down on his bottom lip. His grip on the bag was tightening against his will, and his hands were starting to perspire. Normally, he wouldn't feel so nervous if he was confessing to someone else, but under the stare of those blood-red eyes, he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. "Ah…" His gaze moved from the window, to Xanxus, to one of the teachers down the hall, back to the elder – the student council president of Millefiore Academy was running out of patience.

"Spit it out, scum."

"Well…" Fran tapped the bottom of his shoe against the shiny, waxed floors before glancing up, green eyes meeting the red. His voice dragged as he tried to get the words out, "Today is a special day and…and I've speciall - personally made something for Xanxus-senpai." He was met with a cynically raised eyebrow, which wasn't encouraging in the least bit. The bag made a soft crinkling sound behind Fran as the boy tentatively stepped forward. Xanxus didn't move; he kept his incisive gaze on the mist guardian. Fran quickly held the present in front of him and Xanxus's eyes scrolled over the pink and silver bag, which was cutely hand-decorated. Homemade chocolates rested inside the bag; they were slightly burnt, but Fran hoped that Xanxus wouldn't notice.

Just when Fran thought that Xanxus wouldn't accept his gift, the Varia boss wordlessly held out his hand, demanding the present. A small smile flitted past Fran's lips as he dropped the bag into the man's right hand. The taller held the chocolates up to his eyes, examining them with a less-than-interested expression. Still, he had accepted it, hadn't he? The next thing Xanxus knew, Fran was merely a few inches away from him. He could clearly see those dark markings underneath Fran's eyes, and those bright green eyes were twinkling with vague sincerity.

"I like you, Xanxus-senpai."

Fran carefully placed his hands on the Varia boss's chest before balancing himself onto his tippy-toes. A taut frown formed on Xanxus's face, but he didn't force himself to pull away when Fran lightly grazed his lips against his cheek.

The brat's digging his own grave, Xanxus had thought as the emerald-eyed student retreated, now standing still with both feet planted on the floor. Fran grinned laxly, sticking his thumb in the air and chirping brightly, "Thank you, president, for not killing me."

Xanxus narrowed his eyes at him, scoffing. Nonetheless he held amusement in his glare, to which the latter had dexterously taken notice of. The dark-haired man turned his back on Fran just as the bell rang, the present clinging to his wrist.

"Well, at least I don't have to wear that stupid frog hat," commented Fran quaintly.

The president of the student council turned sideways to peer at the green-haired subordinate, an unidentifiable expression lingering in his fear-inducing eyes. Fran shrugged, a light smile tugging at his lips as he reached for the staircase.

"Good luck on your vict - uhh, target, president-san."

"I don't need your half-assed encouragement, Fran."

"I didn't think so. But it's a good-luck charm."

And he had bounded down the stairs in his nonchalant, pain-tolerating, mist guardian of the Varia way. Xanxus almost let slip an intrigued smile, but then he covered it up with a scowl as a student passed him by a little too close for comfort. The offending male yelped and scurried away to his group of friends. Xanxus didn't bother with the student, crossing straight to the student council room and swinging the door open. The room was empty, and Xanxus took the liberty of resting on the couch, streams of sunlight slipping through the window blinds. It seemed like it was time to locate his target. But he already had this planned; his target would come to him.

Hibari had been sitting on the bench outside under the shade of the trees. It was the closest thing he could get to peace since the amount of herbivores running around the school was enough to make him want to drive a pencil through his eye. Then, to make his break even better, the second he opened his eyes from his rest, he saw a bunch of students crowding around him. He clenched his teeth together. Yes, crowding. Apparently they didn't know the consequences.

"Xanxus-senpai sends his regards," one of the boys timidly spoke. Hibari scowled, huffing through his nose. Another boy offered to speak as well.

"He told us to give you this." The student held something out.

Hibari pulled out his tonfas.

Two minutes later, there was a bunch of scattered bodies all over the field. Sakura petals fluttered every which way around the head of the Disciplinary Committee; before this, the flowers had been fixed into neat bouquets, precisely wrapped with red tissue paper, but Hibari didn't care. He muttered insults under his breath: Xanxus will pay. The cloud guardian of Vongola angrily stomped into the school, heading for that one room on the second floor. Without bothering to knock, he shoved the door open to see Xanxus lying on the couch, his head propped on the armrest. A small smirk pulled at the president's lips.

"You've got nerve," Hibari growled, "sending others to give me sakura. I'm going to bite you to death."

Xanxus closed his eyes haughtily. "It got you to come here, didn't it, scum? Who cares about the other trash?"

Shiiing. Hibari did not bother with courtesy; he had rushed to the couch with tonfas in hand, slashing them precisely to the left just as Xanxus blocked at the same angle. The two glared at each other fiercely, and with a determined plow into the opponent's defense using stored anger from previous incidents, Hibari drove Xanxus into the couch. The student council president was now deeply pressing into the furniture with two weapons barring him from escape, with an even more dangerous Hibari glaring daggers at him. Xanxus merely smirked, pushing against the tonfas with two hands forcing back Hibari's grip. The cobalt eyes of the latter glinted with vehemence as he gritted his teeth. Hibari was about to lash violently at the unyielding president when he was abruptly hooked around by the waist.

"What are you - ugh!" Hibari growled as he was unceremoniously tossed onto the sofa on his back, his eyes automatically clenching shut as the pain doubled into him. He was keenly aware of his tonfas clattering to the carpeted floor, the noise muted by the thick furniture. Instantly his eyes shot open, his hands struggling fiercely in the grasp of two larger and rougher ones, and then he was undeniably stilled by a shower of purely red roses raining down, some grazing his face and the others landing somewhere else. Hibari blinked, taking in the sight of a rather calm student council president who was casually pinning his arms down to the armrest, his dark hair nesting stray rose petals and his prominent face looming over him.

"Finally settling down, disciplinary committee head?" murmured Xanxus, his crimson eyes piercing and smug.

Hibari glared stoically, his coldness matching his icy smirk. "Student council president, I will bite you to death for being vulgarly presumptuous."

Xanxus declined, his eyebrow rising inquisitively. He smirked arrogantly when Hibari twisted his body to aim a kick with his leg. He had already seen the move coming, and so decreasing the time for the latter to make contact with him, Xanxus leaned in and brashly clashed their mouths together. Hibari couldn't prevent the warmth from spreading in his cheeks as he tried to apprehend the situation he was in. The scarred man noticed Hibari's sudden discomfort, but that didn't stop his ministrations. There was nothing soft about his kisses; Hibari knew this, but he still wasn't going to live this down. Bringing his leg up, he tried once more to kick the elder away.

The cloud guardian was, to say the least, startled when his leg was caught by Xanxus. Hibari made a low, obstinate noise of remonstration when the Varia boss's grasp on his leg moved up to his thigh for a better grip, but the sound was muffled against Xanxus's lips. Hibari's leg was now inevitably hooked around Xanxus's waist, and he couldn't do anything from escaping this. When Xanxus pulled away for a sharp intake of breath, Hibari glared at him blearily through dark eyes; his chest heaving as he panted for breath. The soft petals of those roses were tickling his face and so the disciplinary committee leader turned his head to the side staunchly.

"I'm not accepting thi—" Hibari's words were caught in his throat when Xanxus interrupted him by trailing his lips down his neck, lightly scraping his teeth against the exposed flesh. Hibari growled adamantly under his breath, but the Varia boss ignored him, much to the other's displeasure. He bit down a little too hard for Hibari's liking, but the sudden action caused the cloud guardian to arch his back. He could feel Xanxus smirking against his throat and he shivered when the man's tongue flitted against the abused skin.

"Accept it. That's my confession, scum."

Hibari scowled at the relief of a previous weight on him, and he was dimly aware of footsteps pacing out the door against the rush of humiliation circulating from the bite on his neck. He gritted his teeth, grasping his weapons that lay on the carpeted floor. The cloud guardian was itching to summon his box animal, but then he recalled the little baby having confiscated all boxes and rings for today. Hibari frowned, his blood still boiling for retribution as he traced a finger over the bruise on his neck.

"Hibari-san!"

The dark-haired prefect halted his strides at the call, turning sideways to see his loyal supporter, Kusakabe, racing over to him. Hibari stared at the man indifferently, hand pressed over the offending bite.

"Hibari-san," Kusakabe started, eyes flickering once at the latter's neck inquisitively, but he refrained from questioning his stoic leader, "it seems that the toilets in the men's bathroom have been clogged up again." He waited anxiously for his leader's reaction.

Hibari's gaze flitted dangerously, and in a second he was turning to the staircase with powerful strides, his long legs easily surmounting the steps. "Which class is the bastard in?"

At 'bastard', Kusakabe had a distinct idea of whom the not-so-amused cloud guardian was referring to, and in a brisk voice he answered, "Geometry, second floor." Hibari nodded, his footsteps echoing in the deserted hallway as he advanced towards room 217. The class was as rowdy as ever, pricking his nerves even more in agitation. He flung the door open, startling the professor in glasses. The teacher took one look at him and instantly grimaced.

"Hibari Kyoya, I've told you plenty of ti - "

"Mr. Graviole, I need to brief a certain delinquent on proper adequate and school regulations, excuse me," Hibari interjected icily, gesturing for Kusakabe to stay back as he went in without sparing anyone else a glance. He crossed the rows of desks and frightful eyes to a mischievously grinning blond who was blatantly chewing gum. Hibari withheld from biting the trouble-maker to death.

"Ushishishi~, so happy to see you here, disciplinary committee president."

"That makes one of us, Belphegor," Hibari muttered, his hand on the genius's desk. He jerked his head towards the door. "It seems I need to show you and remind you of the rules here at Millefiore Academy."

"Am I in trouble?" Bel snickered, balancing on the hind legs of his chair. Again, Hibari ignored the strong urge to push the blond back and make him crack his head open against another desk. He was going to resist everything inside him that was telling him to murder the storm guardian.

"You know what you did, herbivore."

"Shishishi~." The blond shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant way, twirling a silver dagger around his finger. "The Prince denies clogging up toilets."

"Exactly." Bel's hidden eyes widened as Hibari gripped his upper arm and forcibly dragged him across the classroom towards the door, ignoring the whispers escalating from the action. "Who said it had anything to do with the washroom?" Disregarding Bel's noises of protest, Hibari pushed him out into the hallway while glaring daggers at the delinquent. Indignantly, Bel fixed the crown on top of his unruly golden hair before leaning back against the wall.

"That's no way to treat a prince. Apologize."

"After I bite you to death, herbivore."

The grin on Bel's face immediately widened, which only made Hibari narrow his eyes into slits. "Ushishishi~, if you can catch me, lowly commoner." In a split second, Bel dashed right down the hall and began laughing like a maniac. Hibari merely scowled in annoyance before giving chase after him. Bel headed towards the stairs that led to the roof, skidding along the tiled floors before leaping up the steps. However, the dark-haired man was quick too, and when Bel flung open the door to the rooftop, Hibari tackled him down, pinning the blond on his stomach. As the genius of Varia tried to gasp for breath, the latter wordlessly flipped him onto his back, keeping him down by straddling his hips. Bel's skinny frame started to shake from wild and uncontrollable laughter: "Ushishishi~!"

Hibari just stared, perplexed. "Enjoying yourself?"

Bel grinned lazily, lying on the cement floor of the rooftop with snowing dancing and rippling in the air. He tilted his head and looked at Hibari questioningly. "The Prince does not recommend peasants sitting on him."

The dark-haired disciplinary leader smirked, refusing to move an inch. Instead, he pressed down his weight on the blond's stomach and caused a hitched breath to escape his lips. "You have no choice in the matter, herbivore."

Bel's lips formed a frown, a half-pout of sorts, before he revealed a string of silver daggers ranging from hand to hand across his chest. Hibari's smirk fortified in mirth as he idly clasped the rebellious hands onto the cold pavement, he himself lowering and reducing the space between him and the blond. His reticent eyes glazed over the slightly anxious storm guardian underneath him who was wriggling against his imprisonment, and without warning he pressed down harshly on a defiant leg. Bel hissed, his resistance trampling slightly by the stinging pain. Hibari leaned down so that his fluffy black hair tickled against the blond's pale neck, issuing a stifled giggle from the latter.

"Stop. That tickles," Bel protested, trying to bring his hands up to push the dominant guardian away only to writhe uselessly under the iron clasp. Hibari's head rose from his previous spot, his lips smirking deviously as he noted the pinkish tints painting over flushed and cold cheeks. It was then that the blond suddenly stopped struggling to stare pointedly at his captor.

"What," asked Hibari with a raised brow, his stoic eyes leering at Bel and then slowly traveling to the area where he was fixedly ogling. And immediately blanched. The cobalt orbs dared Bel to apprehend the bite mark and to bring up the matter.

Apparently the blond didn't need prompting, or, more precisely, he thought it was good idea to anger the prideful cloud guardian.

"Ushishishi, is that a lovebite?"

Hibari's patience snapped. "That's it." Bel bit down on his lip in time to stifle the cry that would've escaped his mouth when the other man's hand tangled into his hair. A soft giggle made its way through Bel's throat as Hibari yanked at his hair, baring the latter's neck. The prince started to squirm even more, but the pain wasn't bad; it was almost pleasurable to him. The offender seemed to know this, and a captivating smirk spread on his face. "Look up, herbivore." He tugged at Bel's hair again and his crown almost fell off his head and onto the roof.

Bel winced, squeezing his eyes shut. Despite the cold, he could still feel Hibari's breath on his cheek. "I said look." The genius of Varia slowly slid his hidden eyes open, gazing past the dark-haired man to the sky. He blinked once, twice, before actually realizing what was there. There was a jet in the sky, distinctly flying in slow loops in the light blue background. Bel's jaw dropped at the words the plane had written in the skies:

I love you enough to bite you to death.

"Ushishi—" Bel started to snigger at the absurdity of the message, but then he felt Hibari's teeth clamping down on the juncture between his shoulder and neck and he gasped against his will. He tried to struggle again, but he found it impossible since his wrists were pinned above his head. An impish grin pulled at his lips as he tried to think of a good threat, but all words fled his mind when Hibari started to nibble at his throat. "Don't you dare give the Prince a—"

"Too late." Hibari brushed his lips against the bruise that was slowly starting to form on the prince's neck before pulling away with a superior smirk. The latter was now panting for breath with his lips parted slightly and his eyes half-lidded. Still straddling Bel's waist, Hibari let go of the blond's hands and, immediately, they flew to the hickey on his pale, used-to-be-flawless neck. Bel's smile flipped upside down, but instead of stammering incoherent protests, the storm guardian just clenched his teeth together stubbornly. Hibari tilted his head to the side. "Maybe that will teach you how to follow rules next time."

Bel scowled disapprovingly, his hands already fisting knives and preparing to launch them at a specific apathetic guardian. Hibari pinned the blond with an unwavering gaze, eyes gradually traveling to the possessive mark with lips arching at the prospect. He stood up from the incarceration of his target casually without a weakness exposed, the notion freeing the blond below him. Bel deliberated whether to assault the cloud guardian right then and there, but the icy evaluation in those composed eyes dominated his spontaneous motive. With what was left of his dignity, Bel pulled a weak grin and muttered incorrigibly as he lay on the white surface, "The Prince obeys no one."

"Don't be too sure," Hibari murmured. The blond took a sharp intake of breath as the cloud guardian abruptly grabbed him by the tie and pulled hard enough until their mouths were forced together. Bel could already feel his tie loosening slightly, and when he parted his lips to gasp for air, Hibari had trapped his bottom lip with his teeth and bit down, causing the latter to hiss in pain. The dark-haired man broke the kiss, catching the blood that was slowly trickling down the corner of Bel's lips with his tongue. He tugged at the other's tie one last time for good measure before standing back up with a less-than-platonic glare.

Tap. Tap. Tap. The blond closed his eyes, a pleasant smile undulating over his faintly bloody lips before being replaced by a mischievous grin when a wool sweater landed squarely over the top half of his body. Bel stirred vaguely, but no audible inquiry escaped his mouth.

"Be sure to report to your next class."

Always the perfect student with the equally perfect attendance, Hibari was already at the rooftop door, ready to return to his duties.

"Ushishishi, my next class is lunch, disciplinary committee president," came the blond's sound reply.

"Hn." The door shut quietly as the dark-haired cloud guardian wound his way back inside the Academy's warm vicinity. Bel lifted an arm over his eyes, letting it rest on his blond locks. His other hand traced over the bite mark on his neck absentmindedly, and all of a sudden he could feel blood pounding in his ears and rushing into his face. When he peered over his arm, he could still attest the authenticity of the winding jet which splayed the ill-fated words. That, if possible, made him even more prickly, and with pursed lips, he blamed the disciplinary leader on all the atrocities. Bel was startled out of his reverie by a loud bang produced by the slammed door. He sighed in annoyance.

"Oi, Belphegor, you idiot!" the rowdy voice of his partner in crime exclaimed with high-strung excitement and irritation. The irritation being the 'you-just-got-dragged-by-our-nemesis-and-you-still-haven't-reported-every-detail-to-me' kind of irritation.

"Shishishi~, Gokudera Hayato, I've told you enough times not to disturb the Prince when he is at rest," Bel chided in his princely tone. The storm guardian of Vongola scowled, stomping over to see the damage done. When he saw Bel's red lips, flushed cheeks, and loosened tie, he made a disgusted face and snapped.

"What the hell's wrong with you? You look constipated." At this, Bel glared at him reproachfully though Gokudera didn't cease talking, "And why are your cheeks all red and tie undone?" The blond's hand automatically flew up and touched the collar of his shirt, silently swearing. He grasped the wool sweater that was lying on him with his two hands, sitting up. He brought it up to his neck to hide the mark.

"It's none of your business, peasant."

Gokudera frowned, not noticing the latter's attempt at covering up. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot as he waited for Bel to stand up. He 'tsk'ed in annoyance when he saw that the blond made no move to arise. Chucking patience out the window, Gokudera demanded, "So what did the Hibari bastard do to you?"

Bel snickered, though the noise was somewhat strained and dead, "Shishishi~, nothing much."

"Nothing much? I can tell that there's a lot much by your unfixed tie," retorted the silver-haired storm guardian. He stalked over to the blond, instantly analyzing the somewhat swollen lip and the still flushed cheeks despite Bel's quick guise at hiding them behind the sweater. Gokudera looked at the fabric pointedly, eyes roving to meet a brazen and undaunted grin. "Whose is that?" he asked.

"A certain prefect left it here, shishishi~," Bel replied derisively.

It was a rather interesting response, and as Gokudera came to stand before the blond, trying to get a better answer out of his partner in crime, he found a pale hand contrasting against white specks of snow outstretched towards him. His jade eyes widened imploringly, but Bel only gestured for his hand by nudging his foot with his own. "What are you trying to do, idiot genius?" muttered Gokudera. Nonetheless, he stretched out his arm to the latter who was sitting idly on the piling snow. Bel smirked while still covering up the bite mark and his red lip, a hand rustling in his shirts pocket. As the Vongola storm guardian waited, he glanced at the snow and shivered, a complaint leaving his mouth at once, "Why are you out here anyway? It's freezing." He stopped ranting when something was cupped into his hand. Gokudera looked down and frowned, looking from the black box to the blond who was playing with a silver dagger disinterestedly.

"Open it," commanded the Varia storm guardian, twirling the knife expertly.

Gokudera scowled, not liking the superior tone used by the blond. He proceeded to flip the lid up, and then promptly staring at it in horror, his lips quivering at the ordeal and the wintry coldness added altogether. It was an authentic silver ring with a winged heart at the center of attention, and from wing to wing the words in gold script ran: From the Prince to his Pauper. Gokudera blinked once, twice, but he saved the third one for a string of uncomprehending words and lectures.

"W-what is th - this is not funny! A ring?! And wait, what, pauper? I'm no freakin' pauper! Are you serious?! Dio mio! I swear, you're out of your mind - stop laughing!"

Bel rolled around on the ground with laughter, still holding the sweater up to his cheeks and muffling his giggles with the fabric. He finally rested on his side, his face buried into the warmth of the sweater. Gokudera reddened, half from embarrassment and half from the cold. He clenched his hand around the box and was about to stow it into his pants' pocket hastily when Bel sat up with a wide Cheshire grin.

"Come here," he demanded. At first, Gokudera just stood there, blinking his eyes rapidly at the prince on the ground. Bel frowned. "Kneel, peasant. In front of me. Shishishi~."

The latter spluttered, "Don't order me around!" Tentatively, he lowered himself down onto his knees in front of the blond, lips curled down in a small, peeved frown. Bel simply held his hand out for the ring, a roguish grin on his face. Gokudera rolled his eyes before smacking it down into the other's hand. Resisting the intense urge to reprimand the Vongola's right-hand man, Bel carefully plucked the ring out of its box and grabbed Gokudera's hand. Regardless of the latter's objections, Bel slid the ring onto Gokudera's right ring finger.

"You belong to the Prince now, ushishishi~" And before Gokudera could carp about that statement, Bel tugged at his hand and held it close to his lips. He kissed the ring, keeping a steady gaze on the other storm guardian through golden bangs. A flattering shade of pink unwillingly started to take over Gokudera's face, and Bel grinned, letting go of his hand. "No complaints, peasant. You should be grateful. Shishishi~"

Gokudera's eyes flickered with surprise before contorting into a compilation of hurt pride, embarrassment, and repulsion. The silver-haired guardian snatched back his hand and immediately started to pinch the ring in order to rid himself of it. Bel watched with expectancy, a displeased frown on his lips. After a few minutes worth of intense tugging and desperation seeping from his form, Gokudera growled, "How come it's not coming off?" The blond burst into delighted laughter, the sound ringing eerily around the rooftop, and when the other narrowed his eyes for an explanation, Bel raised a hand and patted the crown on his fluffy locks to let it rest on its usual crescent location on the side of his head.

"It's a gift from the Prince to his Pauper, shishishi~. It would be meaningless if it isn't a magical item, peasant," Bel explained like an adult would to a child. Gokudera seethed, his hands automatically inching for his dynamites. The blond saw the move and made a noise of disapproval, his mouth widening mischievously. "Well, it is time for me to fulfill my stomach's needs. Excuse me, my dear pauper," said Bel, standing up and letting out a yawn that he hid behind a hand. His wool sweater was brought up to hide his neck, though the action was inconspicuous to the angry Vongola guardian.

"Hold on," snarled Gokudera, his hand grasping the hem of Bel's uniform. The blond paused and turned to face him with an irritated "eh?" The silver-haired delinquent crossed his arms and glared at him defiantly. "Tell me how to take this thing off," he demanded.

Bel stood still in the momentary silence, and then gradually his lips arched into a face-splitting grin. The blond turned on his heel, waving a hand dismissively as Gokudera uttered mad protests. "The Prince does not want to meddle with the commoners any longer." And then he bolted to the rooftop door, his amused chuckles echoing around him, just as the colorful swearing of the latter increased with thudding footsteps.

Ryohei had been jogging for the past three hours, but he was not in the least bit tired. Lambo would be back from work soon, and so he ended his time-killing exercise by starting a fast jog in the vague direction of his house. The sun was already starting to set slightly, as it was nearing evening. Their flight to Las Vegas was due in a few hours. Ryohei paused to wipe his forehead, breathing a contented sigh as the sweat splayed everywhere under the beating sun, and then he jumped at the sound of a rather familiar glitzy voice cooing from behind.

"YOOHOO~, Ryo-chan~!"

Hearing that familiar voice, Ryohei whirled around while continuing his pace. He caught sight of the sun guardian of Varia, a waving spectacle in the distance, who was wearing a tight black tank-top and similar running pants. A few seconds later, Lussuria caught up to him and hooked his arm around Ryohei's middle, stopping him in his tracks. "Ooh, you've been working out this body, haven't you? I think you're perfect enough as it is, Ryo-chan."

Ryohei blinked, unable to say anything to that. He should've been used to Lussuria's tactics and obsession towards him already, but each day he gained a different compliment. "This is an extreme surprise," the boxer muttered gruffly, his hand pushing Lussuria's wandering ones off his body. "What are you doing here?" Somehow, he already knew what was going to happen. The sun guardian of Varia beamed, bringing his hands behind him gleefully.

"I've been looking for you everywhere!" Abruptly, out of nowhere, Lussuria reached out from behind and presented the blond with a magnificently, extravagantly wrapped box, decorated with gold and orange, much like the sun itself. Ryohei gaped at it, unable to find words to say anything. Lussuria mistook it as a sign of happiness and squealed, "Yes, I know. The wrappings are beautiful. Now open it, darling~"

Ryohei scrutinized the Varia sun guardian with something akin to blunt suspicion, but at the urging of the latter with nudges and pouty lips, he finally gave in. "Thanks, Lussuria," he grumbled, taking the box in his hands and carefully opening it. His eyes bulged when he saw what was inside.

"Ohohoho~, excited, Ryo-chan? I can make you more excited, if you kn - "

"This is EXTREEEEEME!" thundered the white-haired guardian with his fist pumping the air. His eyes blazed with exhilaration as he fitted the leather boxing gloves painted over with neon pink hearts onto his hands. Lussuria clasped his hands together, looking ridiculously excited in his tri-colored Mohawk and shades. Ryohei flexed his arm, nodding at the bulging muscles in approval. He turned to Lussuria and was about to thank him again and perhaps slide in an invitation for a boxing match when he saw the other man fishing with pursed lips in his pants pocket. "I feel extremely grateful, Lussuria! How about we have another box - "

"Ryo-chan~, what do you think about this?" Lussuria interjected, batting his ludicrously mascaraed eyelashes behind his sunglasses. Ryohei looked a bit disgruntled at having his invitation thwarted by the other, but he took the rectangle slip of paper from Lussuria.

Las VegasHoneymoon

Plane Ticket: 6:00 PM February 14th, 2010

Tour the city with your loved one! Enjoy the fresh hotel suite and the luscious seafood!

A Night of Romance!

Las Vegas, Nevada

Ryohei couldn't bring himself to say anything for a long moment. Las Vegas? As in the place where he and Lambo were supposed to go? This was the same Las Vegas, right? Ryohei took a while to process that, but by that time, Lussuria had already started to say, "I'll take that as a yes, Ryo-chan~! Oooh, we're going to have such a fun time!"

"That's extremely flattering of you, but I've got a date with Lambo in Las Vegas as well."

This caused Lussuria to drop his clasped hands and sulk drastically. "But this is supposed to be our little date, Ryo-Ryo! We can't have that kid meddling around on our date. Mm, this won't do." The sun guardian of Varia drummed his fingers on Ryohei's shoulder seductively and leaned in with smoochy lips. "Can't I just steal you away for this one night?"

"That's extremely creepy, Lussuria."

"Still," the man begged imploringly, "I don't want him there. This trip is for you and me only."

Ryohei knew he was going to have to go to extreme measures to make this work out. He sighed into his hand. This was going to be extremely difficult. "Look, Lussuria," he paused, thinking for a bit before continuing, "I'll go on my date with Lambo first but,afterwards, you…you…" he was having trouble getting this out. He was supposed to be an extremist! Ryohei, you can do this! he urged himself. "We'll uh...extremely hang out." He resisted the overwhelming urge to add a little 'maybe' at the end.

The Varia sun guardian's face instantly broke into a smile that was way too wide for his face. "Oooh~, is that a promise, Ryo-chan~?" The white-haired guardian nodded submissively, keeping a straight face on. Lussuria looked triumphant, and with a nonchalant wave of his hand, he cooed, "Bring him along then, Ryo-Ryo, but just a little warning: you're gonna be all mine tonight~!" Despite the chilliness that the words brought him, Ryohei allowed Lussuria to drag him off into the sunset to pick his 'wife,' Lambo, up. How in the world did this become a little three-way date crisis in Las Vegas?

"Where the hell is that idiot?" Gokudera flipped open his cell phone, trying for the umpteenth time to contact that gay sun guardian. He scrolled down to the L's, but every time he dialed, the phone would ring and ring and ring – Lussuria would not pick up. Where the hell could he be? His eyes scrolled down to the ring on his right finger, and instantly his cheeks reacted to the item. Gokudera growled, muttering incoherently as he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door. It was windy and chilly; the snow drifted lazily and scattered across the roads and melted into people's hats and clothes. The Vongola storm guardian rubbed his hands to create friction, heating them up with his breath. He scanned the Italian restaurants and shops, searching for a certain annoying creepo. He took a double take when he saw a very familiar brunet wrapped in a scarf and wintry attire stumbling past a group of girls.

"J-Jyuudaime?!" exclaimed Gokudera in sheer surprise. He wasn't expecting to meet the latter. He pushed past an old man, hastened an apology to him, and almost tried to surprise the brunet by leaping out behind a lamp-post when he realized that he was partaking in a scripted drama. Reborn had insisted in the letter that no one was to interact with someone who didn't take a part in his scene. Gokudera paused, debating furiously with himself. He could sense the camera training on him somewhere, but, it was impolite to ignore his boss. Duty over reverence, which one to choose?!

"Hiii! Sorry!" squeaked a familiar voice. Gokudera took a step back and almost interfered with the traffic had he not been as keen. He looked down and saw Tsuna rubbing his head in his adorable and clumsy manner, and the silver-haired man grinned; the first smile he'd cracked all day. Gokudera was about to greet his boss when the brunet looked up, saw him, gaped, and then promptly straightened up in a non-familiar way. "I'm sorry for bumping into you," he said in a formal voice, bowing his head slightly.

It was Gokudera's turn to gawk. He spluttered, "W-what? No, that's all right, bos - "

Tsuna had clenched his eyes shut, and a moment later the storm guardian felt a stinging pain clamping on his left foot. He gasped, looking down. His boss's shoes were firmly placed on the cement. Tsuna cleared his throat. "You seem lost. May I assist you with directions?" he inquired in a business-like and informational tone. His adamant brown eyes wavered a tad when he saw his right-hand man wincing in pain.

Gokudera stammered in embarrassment at the fixed gaze, wondering when the tenth had become so adapted to his role as a mafia boss, "Well, uh, I need to find this idiot who's openly ga - " he stopped himself in time as he came to the term 'gay.' I can't say that word in front of Jyuudaime! It'll taint his innocence and purity! he thought apprehensively, determination flaring up at the prospect of protecting his precious boss.

Tsuna's eyes had widened slightly at where Gokudera was about to go and had not gone. He understand, nonetheless. The brunet tried to enlighten the other with a hint, "If I were you, I'd try looking in the airport first." At the raised eyebrows of the guardian, Tsuna resisted an aggravated sigh and continued, "It's Valentine's Day, so it's likely that couples will board planes to other countries for their honeymoons, right?"

Lussuria was a man brimming with those eccentric possibilities. Gokudera beamed at the latter, gratitude and worship already coming to mind. But before he could utter any, Tsuna had hurriedly turned around and walked briskly into a...woman's lingerie store. He was beet red when he realized where he was, and after profusely stuttering apologies, he quickly turned tail and ran. Gokudera chuckled to himself, his insides warming up at his boss's flustered antic.

Now, it was time to arrive at the airport. There was no way the tenth could be wrong. Gokudera gritted his teeth, lighting a cigarette and holding it between his index and middle fingers.

Marco Polo International Airport was loaded with tourists and Italians who were returning from countries and ones who were heading to their destined flights. Gokudera checked the clock that was situated on a wall: 5:57 PM. He looked around and miraculously spotted an excited man with a tri-colored Mohawkflouncing around in line to cross the electronic walkway. With his heart leaping rapidly, Gokudera cut in the line despite disgruntled protests behind him and waited impatiently for the people to step onto the walkway. He leaned out of the conformity to see Lussuria gracefully dipping a foot on the electronic stairs while reaching a hand for his luggage. Apparently his speed was too slow, for he and his bag were both whisked onto the walkway, causing Lussuria to let out a cry of dismay. Gokudera snickered - and he wasn't without companion; other people who had seen the incident were laughing quietly. A few more people stepped onto the walkway, and finally it was his turn.

He arrived on the other side and hastily rushed out the exit which led to outside, a wide surrounding located on white tiles with a colossal plane parked in front of each exit. Gokudera searched for the Varia member, his breath fading as fogs in the dim evening. He found him - Lussuria was stepping into the open door, and just as he was safely in the plane, the entrance rolled up. Gokudera felt himself running towards the aircraft, his heart thudding painfully and his pants a choked breath. This couldn't be happening. But the plane was already sliding its wheels across the runway, its speed much faster than the storm guardian's mere human legs. Gokudera swore at his luck, driving himself into a faster pace.

"Come back here, you bastard!" he shouted, ignoring the bewildered looks the people who heard were giving him. Gokudera was stopped dead when the plane lifted its wheels, its steel body gradually forming a diagonal position before it settled firmly in the air. The storm guardian gaped, his mind and body not comprehending the scene at hand. All that mattered to him as that he couldn't score last on the Vongola board. He couldn't let anyone else take the right-hand man position! Gokudera, what the hell are you doing just standing here?! his mind screamed at him.

But he couldn't do anything. Yet frustration and boiling anger had fully taken over him, and without comprehending what he was doing, Gokudera had pried off his shoe from his stockinged foot, and without a second thought, yelled shrilly and swung the footwear at the departing plane. He couldn't care less for the people who were shooting him weird glances as he collapsed on his knees.

Gokudera didn't realize what a dramatic scene he had filmed for the camera.

It was late at night now, and the restaurant was filled with soft chatter and enchanting melodies from the violinists and the pianist. However, the Vongola boss had managed to reserve a private room for him and Squalo, just so that they could have a little bit of alone time together (and also so that Squalo would not disrupt the other guests outside). Tsuna had his hands placed between his knees, anxiously glancing around the room as if looking for an escape. They had finished the main course by now, and every so often, Squalo would let out a half-hearted complaint about the food served. Tsuna didn't mind too much; in any case, he was hardly thinking about it.

"VOOOI, what are you doing?" Squalo barked, aware of Tsuna's lack of concentration. The boss of Vongola jumped at the volume of his voice.

"Nothing," Tsuna replied quickly, regaining some of his composure. He adjusted the tie he was wearing. "Just…just thinking."

"About what?" Squalo rolled his eyes, raising the wine glass to his lips as he continuously glared at the man across from him.

Tsuna's first thought was to reply 'You,' but after thinking about it thoroughly and quickly, he decided to scrap the idea. But the word was already halfway out of his mouth before he could take it back, "You-uh…" He rubbed the back of his head, grinning out of nervousness. "I mean, it's nothing. Sorry, boss-san." Inwardly, a war was raging in Tsuna's mind. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CONFESS!

As inconspicuously as he could, Tsuna scrolled his eyes down to the paper he had in his hands, which were hidden underneath the table. He squinted at the small print, and then he read the first thing that was written:

"If beauty were time, you'd be an eternit—Hiiii! Wait, wait!" Tsuna cringed at the sight of Squalo choking on his drink, and the moment their gazes met, the swordsman's eyes were narrowed in disbelief. Tsuna glanced back down, his hands quivering nervously. "Are you a magnet because I'm attracted to – ehm..." He looked up to see Squalo standing, his head bent and a dangerous aura emitting from him. "See, Squalo-san, um – "

"VOOOOI, what the hell are you reading from, brat?" The second he crossed over to see what Tsuna was looking at, the brunet hastily hid it on his other side, away from Squalo's sight. The Varia swordsman snarled, trying to get a look at the piece of paper, but this only caused Tsuna to lean back even further. No sooner than he did, Squalo's balance was disrupted and Tsuna's chair fell backwards, and the two of them collapsed onto the ground. The piece of paper with all the pick-up lines fluttered downwards, forgotten. Tsuna blinked his eyes rapidly, his head resting on something alive and breathing. It didn't take him long to realize that he was on top of Squalo, and that the silver-haired male was glaring at him through icy orbs.

"HIIII!" yelped Tsuna, quickly scrambling away from the murderous shark. He had presented his Valentine with a date, and not a few seconds ago he had confessed thoroughly (with the assistance of pick-up lines, even), so shouldn't he be at rest now?

Apparently not quite so, because a very irritated Squalo was glaring daggers at him, and Tsuna could only sigh in relief when noting that the other's life-threatening sword was confiscated by the thoughtful Reborn. He saw that the rain guardian wasn't making any move to threaten him, so with unease settling in the pit of his stomach, the brunet sat down slowly. Squalo crossed his arms and mimicked his movement, now casually but coldly eying the latter. Tsuna shifted uncomfortably, wondering whether he should continue to recite the so called 'pick-up' lines.

Squalo's voice startled him, but the surprise was more evident when Tsuna heard him say, "Well, continue on, manager brat."

The brunet twitched at the nickname; nevertheless, with astonishment in his eyes, he read from the paper numbly, "I hope you know CPR," he paused, his cheeks turning bright pink at both the embarrassing line and Squalo's unnerving gaze accompanied by a dim remark and snicker, "because you take my breath away."

Silence.

Tsuna gulped, now starting to feel self-conscious. The other had not uttered a request for him to stop; he was taking a swig from a glass of wine on the table. This must be an invitation for him to continue...right? Clearing his throat, he looked down and recited, "If looks could kill - "

"You'd be a weapon of mass destruction."

Tsuna gawked, the paper flying loose in his weak grasp. He stammered, "H-how...?"

"Voooi? Continue, brat," drawled the silver-maned swordsman. His knee was pressed to his chest as he took another sip from the glass.

"Do you believe in the hereafter?" Tsuna stopped to take a peek at his work boss, and when he deemed that the other wouldn't interrupt this time, he continued, "Well - "

"Then I guess you know what I'm here after."

"Ehh?! Boss, are you sure you're not drunk?" spluttered Tsuna, and then he shrank back at the annoyed glare directed towards him from across the table.

"Of course I'm not drunk," retorted Squalo, throwing an impatient glance at him, and setting aside his goblet of wine, a shark-toothed smirk slipped onto his lips. "I'm just intoxicated by you."

"...HIIIII?!"

…And so the Arcobalenos decided on the rankings. Because of his failure to even approach his date and confess, Levi A. Than was deemed last. The frustration of disappointing his boss on Valentine's Day was too much for him, therefore he ended up a pathetic bundle; huddling in a corner at the end of the day, brooding and mumbling to himself. For first rank, there had been a light argument on who was to win. It was between a certain prince and his gift to his pauper and the illusionist who stole his date behind a wall for a confession. But when they finally decided, no one was too surprised. Based on how he was able to use three languages while confessing, added with a sweet kiss and an expensive, thoughtful gift, Rokudo Mukuro was proclaimed to be the winner.

Everyone instilled fear for the absolute wish of the winner due to his performance on the Vongola Board. However, one would be more correct in thinking that the reason the Vongolas, the Varia, and Dino all sought to avoid one another and to find solitude in abandoned compartments was because of the aftermath of the dreaded Valentine's Day.

And what it had taken from what was left of their sanities. If there were any to begin with. Not to mention the awkward moments when their Valentines passed by them on a daily basis, and also the knowing smirks and the resentful glares. Valentine's Day ended with more damage done than otherwise the expectancy of reconciled and new loves. Of which wouldn't have been possible with the homicidal Varia, the familial Vongola, and the Bucking Bronco, Dino, either way.

Rori's Corner: Aah~ I feel refreshed. HAH! Whoever followed the story because of the labeled characters: Xanxus and Tsuna, you guys are so fooled. The only reason we chose them was because Tsuna is the head of Vongola and Xanxus vice versa. ;3 FF needs moarr options, jeebus. Tips for reviews: talk about the Valentine confessions that are on your No. 1 and No. 14! Or maybe do your whole fourteen rankings...o-o Hey, the more the merrier! And yes, Squalo is a last-minute shopper. Seme and I do not agree with the Arcobalenos' decisions, because we are totally in line with hawt, spicy, and ultimately drool-worthy Valentines (delivered specially by Xanxus and Hibari~). We are also not responsible for any new additions (or, cough, addictions) that snake up your favorite pairings beanstalk.

Seme's [AKA Hero/Androgynous] Corner of epic emo-ness: ZOMG. This is like 19k words. Congrats to anyone who actually got to the end. You deserve a knife—ahem! I mean, pat on the back. Hope you enjoyed ~, cause we lurved writing it. Too much fun. Lemme see; epic wins of major crack pairings. Hehh. S'all good~. Only reason why Xanxus and Hibari didn't get first was because they were too violent with their confessions. LOL ~ Buuut, Muku was good too 8D No lie. NOW: review. :D

Depending on how many requests there are for an epilogue, we may or may not upload one :3 You ask what will be in the epilogue? Ushishi~ it shall include the actual voting taking place with the Arcobalenos, their comments on each performance (so if you wonder what Colonello thinks about Ryohei's terribly unromantic love confession, or maybe even Reborn's thoughts on Xanxus's and Hibari's spicy Valentines, you may want to request an epilogue~), snippets of Lambo's three-way Valentine Crisis in Las Vegas, and lastly but not least, our fellow hawt guardians' awkward interactions with their Valentines after Valentine's Day.

~Gogo Valentine rankings and request or no request (if you prefer just two chapters...if there will be an epilogue, it won't be as bombastic as chapter two LOL) for an epilogue!~