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"Your men," Kyouya said, slamming the door shut behind him, "are driving me crazy."
"Oh?" Dino raised his eyebrows, looking up from the papers on his desk. "What are they doing, then? I told them to behave themselves."
"Next time, don't." Kyouya glared at the blonde, striding over to an armchair set in the corner of the office and flopping down. "Now they think there's something special about me."
"Ah, but there is, Kyouya." Dino gave him one of those stupid herbivore grins. "You are very special to me."
"Cut it out," Kyouya snarled. There was a book set on a small table next to the armchair, a bookmark sticking out from between the pages. He picked it up, flipping through the pages. He understood a phrase here, a few words there, an entire sentence at some points even. "It's bad enough I'm not allowed to beat them up. I don't need them to be even more annoying than usual on top of that."
"Oh?" Dino turned his gaze back to his papers. "How are they annoying?"
"Oh, they are behaving themselves all right." Kyouya scowled down at the book. The poor thing was not to blame for his irritation, granted, but it was Italian, just like the idiots. "Keeping out of my way, not crowding me, not bothering me with unimportant things."
"So what's the problem, then?"
"The problem?" Kyouya turned closed the book and turned over to the back cover, reading it over. "Romance, Bucking Horse? Really? I expected better of you." He dropped the book back on the table with disdain. Such things should only have been of interest to teenage girls.
"The problem, Kyouya. What bothers you about my men?" Dino didn't need to take such a pointed tone of patience with him. He wasn't some stupid little child.
"The problem is how they act when they think I don't see or hear." Kyouya glared at the book, which at the moment got to represent the whole force of the Cavallone family. It was rather small for such a heavy burden, but it was either that or Dino and the blonde didn't even deserve his gaze right now, damn it. "They are talking behind my back. They are glancing at me. They keep snickering at me like at some stupid joke, and I'm not allowed to beat them!"
"Oh, Kyouya." Dino sighed. Kyouya didn't even have to look to know he was shaking his head right now. "You are just incorrigible, aren't you?"
"What?" he snapped. "So if I do not appreciate being made fun of, all of a sudden I'm the one at fault? I suppose I should apologize for being so damn funny that I keep distracting your men, too."
"You know that's not what I meant." Another sigh.
"Then what is it?" He poked the book. It provided a rather unsatisfying response, which was to say, nothing. "I didn't come all the way over here to amuse your idiots while you work, Cavallone."
"Then why did you come?"
"At the moment? I have no idea." Kyouya scowled, curling up in the chair. He had tried working out his frustration with some training earlier, but all it had accomplished was leaving him tired. "Just tell Romario to get me a ticket back to Japan."
"...Kyouya." There was a more serious tone to Dino's voice, now. Kyouya still refused to look at him, closing his eyes instead. "You're not actually going to leave, are you?"
"Yes." He shifted a bit, seeking a more comfortable position. "I see no reason to remain here at present. I'm not getting anything worthwhile done, Namimori is without proper defence, and it doesn't appear you're going to miss me very much."
"You knew even before coming here that I couldn't devote all my time to you," Dino replied. "When I come to Japan it means I have most of my work taken care of ahead of time, and therefore do not have as many duties. Here I have to do my job."
"Oh, I'd be rather content with no attention at all. Rather, I get all the wrong kinds of it." He frowned at the thought of some of the worst idiots. Did they really think he couldn't hear what they said about him?
"I never thought Hibari Kyouya would be driven off by some jokes and a laugh." Oh, he did not just go there. Kyouya's eyes flew open now, making up for his earlier lack of gazes by giving Dino a full glare.
"Do not think I will fall for such childish manipulation," he hissed. "I'm not so weak that I cannot take some teasing, Cavallone. However, I'm also not some plaything you can drag around at your whim. I have better things to do than wander about the mansion grounds and listen to those idiots while I can never find anywhere to be by myself. I cannot take five steps without overhearing how very obvious it is you only tolerate me because of my ass, or comments about my being your boy toy. Because you made it so very clear that I am 'special,' every last one of your men seems to feel they're free to speculate about every aspect of my sex life, personality, body, and moral character, and I'm not allowed to retaliate!"
At least Dino had the dignity to frown at that. "That's unacceptable," he said. "Who has been saying such things about you?"
"You expect me to keep track?" Kyouya snapped. "Everyone, for all I know. Not like I know all of your men. They're careful enough not to say anything while Romario's around, but ever since they figured out I can't attack them without sparking a serious conflict, they appear to think it's fine to say whatever they wish as long as they're not standing right in front of me!" He closed his eyes again, a frown still on his face as he curled up even further.
Kyouya hated this. He hated the crowds and the perverted idiots and Dino hiding behind his desk and everything. All he wanted was to fall asleep and wake up in his own bedroom back in Japan.
He heard Dino getting up from his chair but didn't react. He still didn't move as the footsteps approached him, coming to a stop some ways from the armchair. Instead, he waited for Dino to speak.
"...I'm sorry, Kyouya." Dino sounded regretful. "I had no idea you had to tolerate that kind of treatment. Had I known about this, I would have never let it happen in the first place."
So now it was his fault for not telling him, huh? Good to know.
Dino was quiet for a while as though waiting for a response, then sighed. "I never wanted you to be upset, Kyouya," he said with a low tone. "I wanted to show you my home and maybe make you understand why I love it just like you love Namimori... and I wanted my family to understand that you are important to me and shouldn't be mistreated. Instead, I managed to neglect you and get you hurt. There is just no excuse for this."
Of course there wasn't. Couldn't the man just shut up and call Romario already?
"I... I'm sorry, Kyouya." Was Dino's voice... breaking? "If there's anything I can do to make you feel better, I will. Anything at all, if you'll just forgive me."
"I want to go home."
"Fine." The idiot sounded heartbroken. "I – I'll make the arrangements."
"And next time I'm here," he added, "I expect your degenerates to be better educated on proper behaviour."
His statement was followed by a short silence, then a softer, "Yes, Kyouya."
There was a soft brush of fingertips against his cheek. He refused to open his eyes again.
He'd already given the herbivore more than enough hope, after all.