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Five Times

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Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! in any way or fashion.

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Summary: The five times Haru approached Gokudera because she liked him and the one time he approached her because he liked her back.

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(A/N: More fluff.)

III. Now It's Getting Suspicious

"Gokudera-san!" Haru cheers as she opens the door to his room.

"I just can't seem to get rid of you." He answers back without looking up from his folklore book. She throws her bag at him. He laughs as he catches it near his midsection before placing it on a chair nearby. If you're asking yourself how she entered his room, after making him dinner for a month, he gave her his spare key to his apartment. It was easier on both of them.

The only weird thing about the exchange was how quiet and shy Haru acted when she received the key. He thought it was a little suspicious to be honest.

'What's also suspicious is how much of her stuff is starting to appear in my apartment.' Thinks Hayato as Haru makes herself comfortable next to him on his bed. If one looked around his apartment, they would find that Haru left one outfit at his place ("just in case" she says), some of her favorite food items in his cabinet, a sewing kit she left there one day, she also has some of her school stuff at his place.

It's been on his mind for a while but the more he hangs out with Haru, the more he's getting used to her presence that he doesn't even realize how much time of his life she takes up. In fact, Uri is so used to her presence that if she doesn't come at a certain time, his Box Weapon will start acting up. The feline will start whining unless it hears her voice. 'Uri is getting too needy.' Hayato sighs at the thought.

Never mind him who counts on Haru for food. He doesn't want to admit it but ever since he's started eating her food, he's been feeling better. Mood-wise at least. And healthier. Hayato's afraid that all the thank you's in the world won't suffice to let Haru know how thankful he is to her.

'Maybe I'm the needy one.' Hayato coughs into his hand at the thought.

"What's on your mind?" Asks Haru as she scoots closer to him, peeking around to look for Uri. Hayato released Uri and the baby-like panther is already settling in between its two favorite people. Haru brings a hand to scratch Uri in between its ears. "Gokudera-san?" She tries again.

"Ah, nothing." He lies. Haru flicks his forehead with her free hand. "Ouch!" He tsk's at her, rubbing his forehead.

"You're not very good at lying." She teases him before bringing that same hand to his face to inspect his forehead. "Let me see." Raising herself a little off the bed, Haru gently rubs a thumb across his forehead before nodding to herself. "You're fine, nothing's there." She tells him before going back to petting Uri. Hayato just watches her, his book laying against his lap and he just...stares.

He doesn't admit it to any of the guys, nor to his sister or Shamal, but he's grown pretty fond over Haru. A little protective too. He remembers not too far back when a guy looked at her the wrong way and he punched him square in his jaw. Haru reprimanded him for it but after finding out why, she was ecstatic the rest of the day. She had swooned over his actions the rest of the way home.

They have been spending so much time together, Tsuna and Takeshi had asked him if they were dating. Can you believe it?

Those two!

Dating!?

Of course, Hayato said no and that they were only friends. Haru had walked in on that moment and she looked so sad for a moment. The saddest he's ever seen her in a while but she shook her head and greeted him like normally.

Normally.

It's been bothering him for a bit.

Haru's been acting too...suspicious for his liking.

'But why?' He wants to ask her but feels like he shouldn't. That he should just wait. So he has opted for just looking at her every chance he gets. As if noticing his stare, Haru meets his eyes and winks. "What?!" He yells, a familiar heat spreading throughout his face. Dare he admit it, his heart jumped a little too.

Haru starts cracking up in laughter. "Oh my! You should have seen yourself Gokudera-san! Ha ha ha!" Laughing, she pulls Uri until its sitting in her lap. He just growls at her, fixing himself so as to not look like a complete idiot.

"Shut up, stupid!" He snaps with embarrassment.

Haru shows off a cheesy smile before perking up, as if remembering something. "Oh! By the way, Gokudera-san, can I ask you for a favor?"

"What kind of favor?" He leans back on his hands, trying to relax.

"In my drama class, I'm supposed to make a figure called a Badalisc. It's a prop but I have no idea how it looks like. My teacher said it's a popular Italian folklore, so I thought of you first."

Hayato snorts, not impressed. "Because it's from Italy?" He deadpans.

"No." She grins at him. "Because it's folklore. Your specialty."

He throws a pillow at her. It hits her but Haru ends up laughing. "But really," she says as she looks at him with hopeful eyes, "can you tell me about it? How it looks and stuff?"

Luckily for her, of course Hayato knows all about it. He tells her all he knows and she takes mental note of everything he says. By the end of it, Haru looks very impressed. "Huh." She huffs, thoughtful. "Now I can see why you take an interest in these fairy tales."

"They're real!"

"Right, right." Looking at his lap, Haru sees his folklore book. She glances at him, then at the book, then back at him. He sees her do this and her eyes sparkle with that same look she's been showing to him more often these days. "Can you teach me more?" Inquires Haru. Hayato sits all the way back up, excitement tingling in his veins. Now it's his turns to look all sparkly.

"You wanna know about UMA's and stuff?!" He asks, eager. Haru simply nods her head.

Hayato is already grabbing his book and shifts so he's so close to Haru, their arms are touching. He wraps one arm around her so he can hold the book better between them. He points happily at the first picture and begins explaining in detail all about it, where to find it, where it could have come from, etc. All the meanwhile, Haru is still in his hold, trying her best to calm her breathing. "Are you alright?" He asks her, once he notices that she's been overly quiet.

Quieter than usual, at least.

"Haru?" He asks again, checking her temperature by pressing their foreheads together.

"Mmmm?" Her face is as red as an apple now and Hayato is worried if the truth (fiction) of all the UMA's in the world was too much for her.

"You're burning up." He tells her. "Lay down on my bed, woman. I'll get you something to help cool you down." He begins to get up but Haru stops him by tugging on his sleeve. She shakes her head.

Haru groans, surprised and embarrassed. She hides her face in her hands. "It's all your fault!" She yells. Uri, at this point, hops off the bed in case anything happens between the two.

"How was I supposed to know that you couldn't handle the truth?!" He yells back.

"What trut—don't tell me you're still talking about UMA's still!?"

He gives her a quizzical stare. "What else would I be talking about?"

She points a finger at him. "Y-Y-You! You...!" She groans again before flopping back on his head. "Never mind, I'll take a cold drink please."

Hayato narrows his eyes. There's that suspicious behavior again. But he leaves it alone this time and gets Haru what she needs. He doesn't want her sick after all.

(A/N: Thank you for reading! Please review if you have the time. Next chapter is coming up next week!)