Ottavio knows he made a mistake; he just hasn’t realized the magnitude until it was too late…
He knew something was wrong when Nono was giving sanctions to the Varia, Reburn warned the Don not to push to hard, even Federico was openly talking against it. But Nono pushed back, said Xanxus and his set need to be put in their place. Xanxus set weren’t looking defeated, if anything they looked like their waiting, Luss and Bell exchanged look of anticipation. Ottavio knew that was a dangerous sign, but he stupidly ignored it. He thought he had nothing to worry about, he thought chose the winning side.
When they returned to headquarters he was pleased with the results. Left the rest of them at the garage and headed to his office. He should have noticed the silence. He should have noticed that all his people were there. He should have noticed there was a very specific group that arrived to work that day. He. Should. Have. Noticed.
Timoteo knew that something wasn’t right, when he punished Xanxus and his ilk for their behavior the boy didn’t look defeated he looked excited. His set didn’t look broken, they looked like they were pleased. Every sanction, every punishment, everything he laid on them on seemed to build for more.
Reborn kept telling him not to do it, told him to slow down and find a different way, but the hitman doesn’t understand what it means to lead. He couldn’t back down, he would be a joke.
Federico had the audacity to criticize him, saying he is poking an already angry beast. That boy seemed to delude himself to believe he’s ready for Timoteo’s chair, the kid still has spots. He should go back to the filled and learn what it means to lead before he pretends to understand.
The most annoying were his mother and daughter, both giving him looks like he is an idiot. When ever he asks what is their problem each always answer the same, ‘some things you only learn after you made a mistake…’
Both of them kept saying that in different variation, acting like he has no clue what he is doing.
Like he hasn’t been a don for over 2 decades.
Like he hasn’t parented 4 children all the way up to adulthood.
Like he is a child that hasn’t realized that fire is hot and he is going to burn.
These are him mother and his daughter and both are treating him like he is an idiot who still hasn’t figured out how to tie his shoes.
It was 3 days since everything happened, he thought it might settle and in a few months he would get his youngest out of the ice. Iemitsu was right, he really was acting like a feral beast and needed time to cool down, now if he could just get the rest of his children to see that.
Timoteo was working in his study, trying to reign in his eldest son and daughter. They might not agree with his actions but he was still their father and they will show him his due respect. One of the guards ran into the room, didn’t even nock, he was about to reprimand them when the panicked men told them that there are bodies in the ball room. That is indeed a good reason to panic, after the Varia broke in they were working on increasing security, that space was behind so many defenses that it was nearly impossible to get there, never mind with killing people without anyone being the wiser.
After investigation it was found that none of the bodies there were dead, but catatonic shells. The people according to his second were all their inside men inside the Varia, Ottavio included. They were arranged in a massage; ‘Give me back my sky’
He imidiatly had his man contacted the Varia and get Squalo under control, clearly he was too lenient. Clementine made the call after some back and forth he explained that the Varia is currently under the control of the Cloud guardian who is the active leader until the return of the ‘proper Boss of the Varia’. Until further notice no outside contact is permitted. When he made it clear that they answered to him, the speaker on the other side stated they are an independent assassination squad, not Nono Vongola’s toy shop.
They hung up… the brats had the audacity to hang up on him!
He was about to send his man to raid the damn Varia, clearly he was to lenient when a portal open and a dark short figure wearing a hooded leather jacket stood in front of him. He was about to speak when cloud flames started overwhelming the space and freezing everyone on the spot, all he could do was stand there and glare.
“Every day you hold my sky, is a day I remove another branch in your operations. The Varia is under strict grounding orders until their commanding officer is returned. Communications are frozen until their commanding officer is returned. Operations are frozen, and field agents retuned from active duty until their commanding officer is returned. “ the clearly powerful cloud stood there after his little speech looking at Nono through his hood, his tone was cold and unimpressed. This was a cloud in a rage, the worst part was that the rage was cold and unyielding.
“Return my sky to his home and set, every day you wait is a day I remove something.” With that he turned, a portal opened again and he left.
Since when did Xanxus have a cloud? And who is he? This isn’t a guardian, this is a force of nature. Is any Arcobaleno this powerful? How did Xanxus get someone like that under his sky?
He had so many questions, but the only certainty was that he was clearly over his head. He didn’t even know what to do, he can’t return Xanxus, the punishment was public. Yielding would make him look weak, he can’t afford it after everything. Worst part is that even if he wanted to agree he isn’t sure he has enough power to undo it any time soon, he used most of his strength to subdue his the boy, and even than he needed help. He thought it was because of his secondary flames, now he is starting to think otherwise.
It has been 6 days since the ultimatum and as the cloud stated every day a different operation was eliminated, with the personal placed in his ballroom spelling ‘give me back my sky!’. Today it was 60% of the CEDF personal, with the external advisor used as the dot in the exclamation mark. He needs to get his mother and hopefully together they can melt the ice Xanxus is in. He will get the boy under control, and he would rain back his cloud.
His mother unfortunatly didn’t look impressed, but she helped defrosting her grandson, when he was about to question him a portal opened with the cloud stepping out again. Everyone but his mother were frozen.
“Dona Octavia, a pleasure to have a face to the legend.” He said pleasantly as if they were not standing in highly guarded underground facility, and armed powerful guardians surrounding him.
“Corvus, it’s lovely finally seeing you in person. How have you been?” Really mother… you have got to be kidding me.
“Not bad my lady, dealing with some miscreants who overplayed their hand. You know how that is, thankfully it’s nothing to hard…” really, the arshole had the audacity to give Timoteo a look as he was saying that. That’s just rude.
“Understandable dear, and my grandson’ set, how are they?” She asked amused
“Busy, considering the current Vongola were able to stop them… everyone is going through proper eveluations, sure there were only a handful of operatives but it was still a disgrace.” He sounded so embarrassed, this is not helping Nono’s state of mind.
“That’s fair, well… don’t work to hard, you know what they say, all work and no play…” she said amused, his mother is really starting to irritate him.
“Off course my lady, I would try to follow your wisdom. I must take the Varia Comanding Officer back to his proper place or nothing will ever get done. Have a lovely day my lady.” He lifted Xanxus over his holder and left. His mother turned to him and gave him such a disappointed look and left.
When everyone were finally free, Fede looked at him in a deep sigh, “and that’s what happen when you piss of a vindice sanctioned operative. We told you to leave Xanxus be, but you just had to push!” He walked away annoyed in a huff.
Did he just say a vindice sanctioned operative?
Oh no, his mother called him Corvus, he knows who that is and he is relived that there something left of Vongola. He is who the Vindice send when they need an army…
That’s who Xanxus cloud is?
Since when?
How?
Nono decided that he needs a drink, and to start planning for retirement, there’s no point for him to continue if he managed to make such a critical mistake that he missed his youngest bonded to Corvus!!!
By the time Xanxus woke most Varia was done with evaluations, and reorganization. Many were sent back to training, and refresher of operational procedure before they are allowed back in the field. Kosechi has been appointed as the new cloud officer, personally approved by Corvus, and is currently going over updated operational procedures and planning muck operations and drills to present to Corvus’s approval, just like the rest of the devision heads.
“Well, your dumb arse plan worked…” a soft voice was saying from his left.
“How long did it take?” He wondered
“9 days, probably longer had your grandmother would not have been there to help” he sounded so disgusted. Which fair, he is quality…
“How far did you get?” After all they originally assumed the jackass would try and imprison Xanxus, though he honestly did not expect Zero Point Ice. The old man is a moron if he doesn’t realized the damage he could have caused them all, never mind what he would have caused Xanxus own health. And he calls himself a father ?!
“removed most of the traitor and leaks, skipped a few when I realized his getting desperate to get you out. Had to make sure to get rid of Iemitsue and his useless staff. Your brother can use the chance to place his own people without problems. Bell is writing the review over the operation, Squalo is reviewing it. Your current officers are solid, but need more thorough training, they have the attention span of a ginger cat with ADHD” And he calls Xanxus impatient…
“How long are you staying? We missed having you home…” Harry might not be his bonded cloud, but he is still his cloud and he wants him home.
“At least a month, your people are pathetically out of practice… seriously, they let CEDEF, and Vongola operatives infiltrate. That’s just sad!” He sounded so annoyed. “Don’t even get me started on how many didn’t pass evaluations, pathetic.” Off course he would focus on that...
“You know, you can just say you missed me, you don’t have to use my men’s operational standard as an excuse to spend time.” It’s always good having the idiot around, Harry never fails to make things better.
“Sure, I missed you, but if your men don’t get their act together, I’m going to need a necromancer to hang out.”
“They are not that bad!” He answered petulantly
“The CEDEF managed to sneak in spy’s that got passed them!” Harry said dryly… “stop having a pointless argument, and eat your curry. I don’t want to hear from you until you are done with your meal. And no alchohol until Lussaria clears you, and you passed my evals!” He went back to his papers and Xanxus started eating, he loves it when Harry cooks, but he could do without the aggressive show of worry. Maybe he should invite his grandmother, she would enjoy a good meal and Harry would lay of him for a few hours, even Tyr loves Harry’s cooking enough to agree to play distraction.
Xanxus is still devastated they can’t bond; they tried years ago when they met back in England. They immediately became best friends and had amazing time blasting through Britain. Xanxus isn’t fully sure what was Harry after, but back than he was clear that he was a raging cloud that didn’t know what his fire meant. Helping him focus and reign in his powers wasn’t as hard as he thought. The guy is a powerhouse and brutal, he also used a different power when he thought Xanxus wasn’t looking. When Xanxus confronted him about it Harry said that flame Mafia is not the only secret society out there, and compare to what they can do Vindice aren’t that scary. On that ominous note, Xanxus backed off.
After a while when the bond wasn’t happening naturally they tried to bond intentionally, Xanxus knew that he met his Cloud, and Harry trusted him to be his sky; unfortunately, something stopped the bond from snapping in place, and both were left with disappointment. Eventually they had to go their separate ways, but they kept in touch. They were still a cloud and his sky, even if something got in the way.
It wasn’t until Harry was recruited by Vindice and got special permission to tell Xanxus that they finally figured out why Harry and Xanxus couldn’t bond. He used to be a cloudy sky, but due to repeated trauma and than dying his sky flames broke and turned to night flames. How he maintained his cloud fire even the vindice aren’t sure, but these new night flames are what’s stopping them from bonding.
It does not matter, the only cloud that Xanxus will ever accept is Harry Potter, and anyone that has a problem with that will meet the barrel of his guns.