Adjustment
.
Once Bianchi gets over her shock that a woman had actually dragged Reborn and he had gone willingly, she investigated.
No, she did not chase after him. She is not suicidal. She knows that Reborn had limits to his patience with her.
She investigates and comes up short when all her observations point to the fact that both of them act like a couple…or probably is truly a couple.
Bianchi comes to the hardest decision of her life. To stay, or to go. To keep quiet, or to tell Vongola that the World's Greatest Hitman was found with a woman in one of the vacation times that the Decimo had learned to anticipate that Reborn would demand.
She doesn't know why she chooses to keep quiet, but she does know that it hurts her worst than a bullet piercing through her.
.
.
It isn't all that complicated, yet neither is it simple.
Before they became lovers, they were friends. So in essence, the change isn't drastic.
Yet it is a bit strange for her, because she had a better reason to worry, and to demand answers from him. But she knows him better than some of his friends, and that is why she won't demand answers from him.
The strangest change, for her, is to be able to kiss him without asking for permission.
That is a bit of a challenge. It had taken Hermione and Ron a while to train her out of flinching when they gave her spontaneous hugs.
Reborn notes how she stills when he touches her, before giving him an appropriate response. He doesn't ask. He knows better, but he does seem to make sure to give her a kiss every time he visits because of it.
She falls for him all the more for that.
.
.
It takes an embarrassingly long time for Reborn to piece together the clues that come out of Hyacinth's actions.
She flinches at sudden touches but appreciates it. She mentions a cousin that took up boxing, the reason why she got good at barehanded fighting.
Tiny, tiny clues that were inconsequential but in hindsight, painted the story of a sad childhood.
It makes him so unbelievably angry but Hyacinth doesn't need more anger. So he gives her love, touch that is kind and complete patient understanding when she doesn't respond appropriately.
It is like watching a flower bloom with a few drops of carefully added. It is a beautiful thing and though he is doesn't believe in God, he says thanks anyway. If another man had caught her before him, she would have been vulnerable to emotional manipulation.
He feels his temper rise at the thought and sits on it before it could do any damage.
.
.
Not all of it is strange, most of it is welcome.
Especially when Hyacinth wakes up to Reborn in the morning, his warmth and his calming scent surrounding her like her own personal blanket.
It is probably then that she realizes the cure for her inability to get a full nights rest. She knows that if Reborn would find out, he would call it the effect of his presence. While it would be amusing, it would cause him to have that glint in his eye that made her so sad.
"You're like a heater," she finally says when he asks why she likes to sleep with him. "Very warm and very cuddly."
He probably guesses her reasons anyway. But instead of pointing it out, he just drawls out, "Ah, I completely understand your point. I give amazing hugs, don't I?" in such a way that makes her want to hit him.
Another thing would be when he suddenly finds her when she is in the middle of transferring classes.
She is walking, and suddenly an arm drapes over her shoulder but she doesn't panic because she knows it is Reborn by the scent of him.
"I still have Art & Context class next, Reborn," she whispers, though she is doing her best to not sound so deliriously happy. It is a wasted effort.
"Skive with me," he says. "The lecture will be about using the landscape or some such. I know you've already covered that in your previous class."
She is exasperated. "But that wasn't about exploiting the context hidden in a landscape!"she cries.
She skives off anyway and not because of any of his arguments. Simply because she took one proper look at him and understood that he had taken a detour in one of his jobs because her university was close and he missed her.
The small, genuine smile he gives her is a repayment enough for studying late in the night for the lecture she missed.
.
.
He starts to bring her gifts when he comes back.
They are especially extravagant if he has to leave her for more than a week. She wants to put her foot down because most of them are very expensive, and Merlin knows that she doesn't need more valuables, or antiques.
But she doesn't. She knows he needs to show his affection. He is a man who acts instead of speaking, who acts to show his devotion.
So she starts telling him what to bring, mostly little trinkets she can hang, or food she had tasted before and wanted to try again.
Reborn starts to get the hint and looks through her pantry sometimes to check what she doesn't have so he could bring some back.
What she values most, however, is when he comes back to her unharmed.
That starts to become a rare thing.
.
.
She doesn't understand why, but in order for Reborn to spend time with her, he devotes a lot of time to his job in a fast paced, back-to-back way that would have burned out someone else within a month.
What she does notice is when Reborn begins to come back to her injured, mostly small scratches but worrying all the same to someone of his profession.
"I can't stand it anymore," she says as she bandages his arm. "You can't keep doing this, Reborn."
He arches a brow arrogantly. "No, I really must," he says. "It's not just about me, you know amante."
She chances to look in his eyes and understands. She wishes she didn't. "So you want me to move closer to Italy?" she asks, voice hesitant.
Reborn almost flinches. "No," he says vehemently. "No. Don't' move to Italy. I'll…I'll be more careful, just…don't even think about it."
Hyacinth doesn't understand. Reborn soothes the sting of rejection by giving her a hug, kissing her thoroughly.
"When things calm down a bit," he whispers to her ear. "I'll bring you to il mio paese, but for now, I do not wish to subject you to the turmoil of change there."
Hyacinth sighs. There are things she would never understand but moments like these told her that Reborn hid things from her for a reason.
.
Thanks for your reviews, guys. It's giving me a lot of ideas. Like, a lot.
I'm not really sure about this chapter. I'll just tell you that Tsuna is trying to change the mafia, and the transition is not exactly easy, you know. A lot of fights, revolts and all that and it would be completely dangerous to bring Hyacinth there.
R & R.
~Hallen.
