Title: Serendipity

Author: sllebswap

Characters/Pairing: Miura Haru and Dino

Type: OneShot/Drabble Collection (InComplete)

Genre: Romance/General/Humor

Word Count: 2901

Rating: T (Contains content not suitable for children)

Disclaimer: Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn belongs to Akira-san.

Summary: CEDEF Agent Miura Haru and Cavallone Boss Dino have known each other for a very long time, haven't they? Loosely interconnected one shot/drabble series. D86.

Verse: Marriage of Convenience AU

Chapter Last Revised on: 18/12/16

Love me like you do

For the most parts, Haru thought that her husband was usually quite good at taking care of himself. He was certainly diligent and meticulous when it came to any issue related to the Famiglia or even their allies, but he also didn't skip meals or chronically stay up overnight for work related matters, unless there was an emergency and it was absolutely necessary for him to do so. He did not take drugs, only drank recreationally, and pretty much maintained good habits when it came to sustaining his personal health and general wellbeing. He did not even possess any deviant vices – his interests and hobbies were quite wholesome, actually – and all these traits were probably carefully developed and deeply ingrained in him due to his being painstakingly groomed by his retainer Romario ever since he was a child, and for good reason. As a Mafia Boss with five thousand over members depending on him, it was simply imperative that the head of the Cavallone was both physically and mentally strong enough to shoulder the endless responsibilities and burdens that came with the leadership of such an extensive and established Famiglia. If one could not even take proper care of oneself, then how could one expect to take care of others?

As such, Haru (who was used to mothering and taking care of people) quickly found that she did not have to worry about her spouse too much. The blond was typically quite self-aware and had a good sense of control over his own needs. When he was hungry, he ate to fulfill his hunger. When he reached a certain point where total exhaustion was setting in, he would retire for the evening so that he could work even more efficiently and utilize his time with maximum effectiveness when he was well rested. There was none of that dramatically powering through flagging energy levels – or at least, that was usually the case.

Haru was really happy that Dino took good, conscious care of himself. The blond was already accident prone when left to his own devices so this was one less thing for his wife to worry about…or at least that was supposed to be case until recently.

"Come in," Dino's familiar baritone could be heard filtering through the closed door of his study a short pause after Haru quietly knocked on the lacquered wood panel. Turning the brass knob, the brunette pushed the door open and let herself into the room, shutting it behind her before she ventured deeper. As per his habit whenever he was going through paperwork, Dino had a pair of glasses perched on his nose, and he looked up when she entered the room.

Almost instantly, his sharp gaze warmed.

"Haru," he greeted, his eyes watching her attentively, noting that she was already in her nightclothes; in this case, a comfy light blue button up nightshirt, the hem long enough that it nearly reached her knees, effectively concealing the bottom half of her attire. Dressed as she was, she looked very vulnerable and small, all large doe eyes and waifish slender limbs encased in loose, billowing fabric. She was obviously getting ready for bed, and he set the file which he had been in the process of looking through back down on his desk.

"What are you doing up so late still?"

Haru bit her lip as she briefly hesitated, second guessing her original intention for her impromptu appearance. But then, her eyes grew firm with decisiveness, and in usual Haru fashion, she immediately wasted no time addressing the problem.

"Hahi, S-Sempai is one to talk, desu," she stuttered briefly, tripping over the honorific. Calling him '-nii' now was no longer quite appropriate with how their relationship had steadily progressed over time, and so 'sempai' had been the next most suitable term, though she still faltered over it every now and then. Dino would have preferred that she just addressed him by name, but such a thing was apparently still too challenging for Haru to pull off – at least for now, that was. "Haru's not the one working hard still even when it's already past midnight, desu."

The young woman did her best to affect nonchalance as she ventured closer towards her husband, who smiled at her approach, silently, ruefully registering her faint rebuke.

"It can't be helped; I've still got a few of these agreements to review," he murmured, ruffling the aforementioned papers on his desk for subtle emphasis. Quite recently, the Cavallone had been, as usual, running interference for two of her warring allies for the last couple of weeks or so, stepping in as mediators and preventing the further escalation of the typical triad-influenced violence. However, attempting to broker peace between two belligerent groups that were constantly at each other's throats was always a challenge, especially when towering egos and hot, quick trigger tempers were thrown into the equation. As the neutral third party, Dino and his men had been doing their best to placate the disputing families, trying to help reach a compromise where both sides could agree to abide to, and hopefully, eventually turn the temporary ceasefire into a permanent alliance.

In truth, such sensitive, delicate tasks specializing in diplomacy and tact were not anything new to the Cavallone, and by now, even Haru was familiar with the challenges faced by her Famiglia whenever they had to assert themselves as peacemaker in an ongoing war between rival mafia clans. The good thing was, most of the time, the conflicts were quick to resolve themselves especially when there was a middleman helping to move matters along in the right direction. However, there were also situations like the one which they were currently stuck in, when both involved parties were too stubborn to yield to the other, and hence everyone was locked in a stalemate. Again, this was where the Cavallone's unique brand of expertise came into play – attempting to find a suitable middle ground where the two sides would agree to meet equally on.

Haru knew that Dino had been working tirelessly for weeks to achieve a resolution for the two allied Famiglias, and Haru also knew that he was likely approaching a breakthrough, mainly because whenever the endgame was in sight, it wasn't unusual for him to throw everything he had into the project and just go for broke during the final stretch. Just like what he was doing now, sacrificing all of his time and energy in order to bring matters to a close as quickly as possible.

She rounded his desk and came to a stop right beside him.

"Haru thinks that Sempai can wait until tomorrow morning to review the remaining agreements. It's really late now, desu," Haru emphasized firmly. "Sempai needs proper rest too!"

Usually, Dino would cave in to her requests, but not this time. He reached over and touched her hand, fingers wordlessly appreciative as they grazed her wrist.

"Thanks for checking in on me, Jo-chan. I'll turn in right after I finish up here, I promise."

Haru frowned at his tactful, tacit refusal. Then, after a beat or two, she sighed.

"Hahi, is that really Sempai's final decision? Sempai is truly unwilling to change his mind?"

He smiled at her again.

"Go to bed first. I'll join you in a bit."

That was what he had said the last few nights too, and Haru was not going to buy it this time. Enough was enough! For the past week or so, Haru had gone to bed before her husband but by the time she woke up he was already gone. She was getting quite concerned. The furrow between her brows deepened ever so slightly and she settled her hands over her hips, exasperated.

"Hahi, Sempai, you really leave Haru with no other choice, desu!"

Dino just continued to smile innocuously at her. Haru's eye twitched. Sometimes he really made her want to scream. She wondered if he would still be smiling then. For someone who was supposed to be easygoing and friendly, Dino could be really, exasperatingly stubborn too, and he went about it in such a pleasant and agreeable manner that it was hard to call him out on it, dang him. Well, she could be stubborn too! And in this case, she wasn't going to budge until she had her way!

"Haru wants to lodge a complaint against her Boss, desu!" She pointed at him, just in case he needed reminding that was who he was. Most importantly, a Boss was obliged to address the concerns of his followers, or at least that was how Famiglias like the Cavallone and the Vongola did things. Dino's brow slowly climbed at her statement. He turned his attention fully on her. She was up to something again, he knew. Dino was both bemused and intrigued.

"Oh…?" He asked slowly, swiveling that humongous leather chair of his around to face her, at the same time removing his glasses and setting them on the desk instead. "What's the nature of your complaint, Haru?"

Haru was starting to turn pink again, and it was a rather charming sight. She was trying her hardest to be assertive but also plainly embarrassed by her unreasonable behavior at the same time. Her myriad expressions, guileless and candidly flashing her every emotion across her features, were extremely endearing to him. He had no doubt that she was putting herself up to this for his sake.

"H-Haru is being n-neglected, desu!" she sputtered out at last, inwardly dying of mortification. This was the only thing she could think of at the moment to pry Dino away from his study and if she pulled it off, Haru told herself that she would do it even if she made a complete idiot out of herself in the process. "Haru's Boss has been neglecting Haru a lot lately and Haru is demanding immediate compensation, desu!"

He had to lean back in his chair, silently surprised by the unanticipated direction of this conversation. She, on the other hand, was bravely confronting him still, using every nerve she had to continue maintaining eye contact with him, even as red crawled over her cheeks and across the bridge of her nose.

"W-Well, desu?" she challenged, voice still wavering a bit despite her bravado and bluster. He shook his head slightly, lips twitching, trying not to smile and show his growing amusement. The way his topaz gaze softened with affection gave him away, though. She was plainly adorable. Did she even know what she was saying? Dino knew that he should let the innocents be, but it was hard not to want to bully her a bit when she was being like this.

"I apologize if I've neglected you for the last few weeks, Jo-chan." When he finally spoke, his voice was a low, deliberate baritone. His eyes remained trained on her hot face, imperceptibly sharpening with subtle intent. "Naturally, some form of compensation is to be expected."

The way he was looking at her made her feel strangely hyperaware of herself, hyperaware of him. She quickly shook those unnecessary thoughts right out of her head. Hahi! Focus on what's important, desu! She brightened at his agreement – she knew it; attacking at his stubbornness from the angle of a subordinate was still the most effective, after all! It was Dino's greatest strength and weakness; his complete and utter devotion to his Family.

"Hahi, if Boss is really ready to compensate Haru, then Haru wants Boss to listen to her and-"

His hand reached out again; this time, long adroit fingers curled around her slender wrist, interrupting her before she could finish.

"I think you're forgetting something."

She looked at him quizzically, her gaze darting from their joined hands to that look of fond amusement glimmering in his eyes.

"Hahi?"

"I'm not just your Boss. I'm also your husband."

And with that, he reeled her the rest of the way in, and tugged her right onto his lap.

She squawked in shock.

"Hahi?!"

His arm coiled around her waist, anchoring her firmly to him so that she would not fall off the chair. Not that she was flailing around wildly at the moment; no, Haru was still too astonished to protest her sudden change in position too much.

"Now, let's try this again." His voice was so near that she could feel the warmth of his breath brushing against her ear. He also sounded unreasonably cheerful, all of a sudden. "How would you like me to compensate you, Lady Cavallone?"

Haru was suddenly starting to get the impression that maybe her supposedly well thought out idea was perhaps not so well thought out, after all.

"E-Eh?"

He was quite happy to prompt her. "Something about not neglecting you any further, yes?"

The fact that he had lowered his head, and was brushing his nose against the jut of her clavicle as he murmured his query made the swift turn of events very confusing for Haru. She had to think about what he had just said for a beat or two before slowly, cautiously, nodding. Heat was unfurling everywhere he touched her and she could not quite decide whether if she wanted him to stop…or carry on.

"What do you want, Haru?"

His voice had taken on a silken timbre, and then his lips softly marked the side of her neck. His soft, wavy hair tickled her skin. She shivered.

"S-Sempai…is not being fair," she muttered at last, a faint note of disgruntlement creeping into her voice even as she flushed at his openly demonstrative demeanor. He had never been the kind to shy away from physical expressions of affection in the first place. "…Haru cannot think properly when Sempai is being distracting like this, desu."

He huffed out a soft laugh.

"At least I'm not neglecting you anymore, am I?"

Haru drew back slightly and glowered suspiciously at her husband, the latter looking quietly mischievous as only he could be.

"Hahi, is Sempai bullying Haru again," she blurted out. Once more, he flashed her that dazzling, artless smile, but she also could not help but notice that he wasn't denying her accusation. Her lower lip started to turn out just a hair, sulky. She probably should have rethought that act because the next thing she knew, he was there, kissing her pout away. Nipping at her tender flesh, his mouth brushed against hers softly before he exerted more firm pressure, a teasing dialogue between lovers quickly escalating into something more sensual and fervent. Hungry. She could barely breathe beneath his tender assault. Her eyes slid close and she melted into him, her arms coming up of their own accord to wrap snugly around his neck.

Pulling her closer into his embrace, he gently coaxed her to part her lips for him, tracing the seam of her mouth with his tongue, then pressing even deeper, boldly greeting her tongue with his own. She whimpered, voice muffled, overwhelmed by the sensations his kisses were bringing her. Quivering, her slender fingers tangled into his hair, earnestly returning his ardor with her own. She kissed him back, somewhat clumsy at first but so very irresistibly passionate and eager, and then she was licking sweetly at his mouth, feeding from his rising desire for her and further inflaming her own, struggling to turn around in his arms at the same time and straddle his lap, driven by an instinctive need to get as close to him as physically possible.

She was addictive warmth and sweet smelling softness all wrapped in one innocently enticing package, and he groaned when she rubbed up affectionately against him, like a lovely little feline. It was almost impossible to stop kissing her once he started, and truth to be told, he did not want to stop. His large, lean hands spanned her tiny waist easily, fingers caressing the small of her back and then trailing over the lithe curve of her hips. He broke the kiss, dragged his warm lips down that elegant line of her bared throat, and she gasped quietly.

"D-Dino," she breathed his name in a trembling, needy voice that made his abdomen grow taut with want. He wondered what she would sound like pinned beneath him, wild and frantic and crying out for release. His tongue darted out, tasting her skin, tracing that carelessly sexy line of her collarbone, exposed as the neckline of her shirt started to slide down one slender shoulder. She expelled a stifled whine at his deliberate, assiduous act. He glanced up to see her face flushed and so very vulnerable.

So cute.

"…You haven't told me what sort of compensation you're looking for, cara," he murmured, and there was no hiding the husky quality in his teasing tone, rich and mellow like aged cognac.

She opened her eyes, slowly licked her lips, red and deliciously swollen from his kisses. She looked visibly dazed, her doe brown eyes wide, limpid pools of glowing desire and attraction for this man currently wreaking havoc on her senses. One hand detangled from his hair, soft palm cupping his jaw, fingers tracing his cheek almost wondrously.

"…You. I want you," she whispered, aching. "Come back to bed. Love Haru. Please?"

He kissed her hand, more than willing to oblige her sweet request. He was smiling softly at her, eyes glowing, expression infinitely tender.

"As you wish, my lady."

::owari::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

At this point, I don't know who is seducing who anymore, ahaha. Whoever it is, they are definitely doing a great job for sure.

I also don't know if Dino actually got much rest as was Haru's original intention after this installment (I seriously doubt it), but at least there are no longer any tedious paperwork involved!

FYI, TYL!Dino is thirty three, and TYL!Haru is twenty-five.

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At this point of the timeline, these two have (finally) consummated their marriage – though it's still quite a recent development.

I'm slowly easing into the more physical aspect of their relationship, mainly because this particular pair demands it with their mutual care and affection for each other. So for the readers who are waiting for smut, do be patient for a little longer – this collection will probably be M-rated soon enough.

That's all. :)

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Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap