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In hindsight, he could have planned it a bit better.
Well, so planning wasn't the actual problem. He'd been planning it for what seemed like ages and was in all probability years, depending on whether one counted hopeless daydreams as actual plans or not. He'd gone through the scenario in his mind so many times, he could have recited it in his sleep. Lack of planning was not what made it fall through.
No, the problem was that his plans were, in their entirety, incompatible with the person at their very core.
It was supposed to be simple. He'd done his best to keep it simple, after all. Complicated things had a way of annoying Kyouya, and annoying him would have been quite contrary to his intentions. No, he'd done everything within his power to make sure everything was brief, clear and straightforward. It was what worked with Kyouya most of the time, after all. Hell, it was what had got him to the point where he could ask Kyouya out, call it a date and not get beaten up for it.
Except now the sole reason he'd escaped with minor wounds instead of a more thorough beating was because he'd slipped out before Kyouya had got the chance to unleash the full extent of his rage.
"What'd I do wrong, Romario?" he asked, unable to help the rather whiny tone of his voice. "I wasn't too sappy, I didn't make any demands, I didn't do anything he finds offensive most of the time. And still he got mad at me. I just don't know how I messed up this time."
"Well, the subject is a somewhat sensitive one," Romario replied, calm as always even as Dino winced at the sting of antiseptic in the wound Romario was cleaning at the moment. "I'm not sure there is a way in which you could put it so he would not get angry."
"But we've been together for ages!" Dino winced again, but stayed still so Romario could apply a bandage over his wound. An annoyed Kyouya was hazardous to say the least. Dino was sure at least one of his wounds was purely the result of Kyouya's sharp glares. "It's not that unreasonable of me to ask... is it?"
"You have to consider the person you're dealing with," his right-hand man said, his tone calm as though they weren't just discussing one of the most scandalous affairs in the entire history of the Cavallone family. "If it were anyone else, no, I don't think it would be unreasonable of you, considering the strength and duration of your relationship. With this one man? Too much too soon."
"Then when is it enough?" sighed Dino. "I know he's afraid of being tied down, but I thought he'd know by now that I'd never want to do that to him..." He sighed, shoulders sagging as though bearing a heavy burden. "I've told him that so many times, Romario. Why can't he just listen for once?"
"When has he ever listened?" Romario asked, unfazed by his complaints. "As I recall, you once called it one of his most adorable features."
"It was adorable," Dino admitted. "When he was sixteen and wouldn't let anyone tell him that he was too old for middle school, that is. When he's past twenty and won't give me a chance to explain my intentions, it's just plain frustrating."
"I'd imagine so, yes." Still the same level tone. "So what are your intentions now, Boss?"
"What do you mean by that?" Dino glanced at him. "I'm going to go back to him, of course. Do whatever I can to make him less mad at me. It's not hopeless yet; he would have killed me outright if it was." It was somewhat morbid, thinking of their relationship like that, but it was true enough. If Kyouya hadn't come after him with actual murderous intent, he hadn't lost his chances, and that was just about the only indicator he would ever have.
"And are you going to ask him again?" Romario ignored Dino's grimace as he turned his attention to the wounds on the blonde's legs next. The way he seemed to take all this in a stride was almost frightening.
"I don't know if I should." His sigh now was the heaviest one yet. "I mean... everyone has their limits, right? Maybe that is Kyouya's. Maybe this is the furthest I'm ever going to get with him. I should just be happy with what I have and not tempt fate."
"If that's what you think is best, Boss." Romario's voice betrayed no protest, no question. "May I say something, though?"
"Of course." Somehow, Dino managed a faint smile, only for it to twist into a pained face as Romario continued his attentions. "I'll always listen to you, Romario." He more often than not was glad that he did, too.
"I think you need some patience, here." Romario didn't look at him, his eyes focused on the next object of his care. "He's never been open to new ideas from the start, after all. I wouldn't expect him to give in to this request any faster. Give him some time, then ask him again. And again. And again, until some day, I'm sure he will give you the answer you want." Now, his lips twitched. "After all, he did not kill you outright."
"What if it doesn't work, though?" he asked with a miserable tone. "I'd rather not get beaten up too many times..."
"When has that ever stopped you before?" Romario didn't roll his eyes, never Romario, but Dino was sure he caught the same sentiment in his right-hand man's voice nevertheless. "You want him; that much is clear. Most of the time, he seems to want you as well. If you think this is the future that makes you happy, don't give up on it. Your persistence is what got you this far."
"Should you really be telling me this, though?" Dino asked with a weak chuckle. "After all, if Kyouya ever says yes, it'll be the final nail to any hopes of an heir to my name."
"You never know what the future may bring," Romario said. "Besides, what the family needs of you is a successor, not a biological heir. With all due respect, I for one wouldn't weep at the knowledge that your father's genes will not be passed any further."
"Oi!" Dino protested, resisting the urge to pout. "I've got my father's genes, too!"
"And the best half of them, I'm sure." Romario seemed rather unaffected by his glare. "Doesn't mean I want to take the chance of another such disaster just because someone decides to choose the Eleventh based on genetics and not competence." He shook his head. "Don't worry about such things, Boss. The laws are on your side, now, and so is time. You got the thought into his head; sooner or later it will bear fruit."
"I do hope you're right, Romario." Dino raked a hand through his hair, flinching as doing so pulled at a bandage on his shoulder. "I should have been more patient... tested the ground at first. I just got too excited when the law was passed at last, and..." He trailed off, unable to explain his impatience.
"I know, Boss. You've been planning this for a while, after all." Romario patted a part of his knee that had somehow escaped most damage. "Next time, maybe after a fight? If he's already tired he won't hurt you so much."
"After a fight I'll be hurt to begin with." Dino forced himself to smile again. "I'll find a way, Roma. I'll find a way to get him to agree to marry me even if it kills me."
"That's the spirit." Romario smiled. "Now, your other leg, please."
Dino complied, sighing.
Kyouya was so difficult to deal with...