Title: Serendipity

Author: sllebswap

Characters/Pairing: Miura Haru and Dino

Type: OneShot/Drabble Collection (InComplete)

Genre: Romance/General/Humor

Word Count: 3227

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. Multi-verse. D86.

Verse: Marriage of Convenience AU

Chapter Last Revised on: 20/01/17

You're a falling star

The first time he held her hand, it was just shortly before they were due to stand in front of the justice of the peace, about to say their vows before the official to make this marriage of convenience ironclad, once and for all.

She had been beside herself with nerves. The civil ceremony in Japan would be a small and simple one with only friends and family members in attendance, with another much larger celebratory ceremony to be held back in Italy once she returned to the Cavallone stronghold with him as the new bride of their Decimo. Dressed in a modest, presentable white dress, the color on her face had been almost pallid enough to blend nicely with her outfit. This was definitely more than just pre-wedding jitters. She had looked so scared then, and so very young. But then again, there was also something keeping her from running off right there and then, from bailing out on this marriage which she had agreed to commit to, even when she was shaking like a leaf and looked like she might pass out very shortly from hyperventilating.

Resolve. It glinted in her eyes, that grim determination to uphold her promise for the sake of her Famiglia even when she was frightened and unsure of her future now, lost and completely set adrift with no one to turn to. That resolve that kept her glued to her chair, stiff like a board, vision not quite seeing, terrified but yet at the same time starkly resolute to follow through with her responsibility, for the dignity and good of the Vongola.

He had nothing but silent admiration for her dogged loyalty and bravery. So amazingly tenacious in spirit, she was. At the same time, that she was in this predicament in the first place also filled him with an echoing sense of responsibility.

He reached out to her, his hand covering hers which she had been unconsciously wringing on her lap. Her fingers were icy cold, he still remembered, her palms clammy. He did not retreat from her regardless, and simply enclosed his larger appendage firmly, steadily, over hers.

She had looked sharply at him then, her gaze a bit wild and panicky, like an untamed filly ready to run.

He squeezed her digits quietly, silently imparting a sense of unshakable calm and strength in his assuring demeanor. It'll be fine, his eyes and behavior wordlessly told her. I've got your back. You're not alone. I'll be with you all the way.

The malignant mass of worries and anxieties crowding her thoughts and vision seemed to slowly recede in the face of his composed, encouraging presence. Yes. Yes. She was not alone. She was getting married, but the other party was Dino-nii. He was on her side – they were in this together now. She was not alone. He was here, too.

The uncertainty was still there, constantly hovering in the back of her mind like a black murky cloud, but now she was also remembering her promise to him. She had vowed to do her best to be the wife of a mafia boss and she refused to fail him, right when they hadn't even started, yet. The warmth of his hand, the steadiness of his gaze as he watched her with concern, she focused on him, determinedly absorbing and taking everything that made him good and compassionate and faithful all unto herself, and borrowing his feelings to steel her nerves.

She was so silly.

She felt like crying then, felt that it would be okay even if she cried now, that Dino-nii would definitely understand, but in the end, she stopped short of doing just that. Because it wasn't right. Because Haru most definitely did not want to marry Dino-nii in tears. What kind of bad luck would that be? She thought. She was determined not to jinx her own marriage! So the young woman sucked it up and did her best to muster a smile instead, though she was not quite sure how successful she had been in her endeavor. She just hoped that she had conveyed the right message across, for Dino-nii's gaze softened, and he gently squeezed her hand once more.

It had seemed like such a small, insignificant gesture, but to Haru, it had meant the world.

Her fingers clutched his tightly for the rest of the day, even when they stood before the officiator to say their vows, and even after that. A lifeline. He was a lifeline that she was only all too grateful to cling to, when she was feeling so weak and helpless and not too confident of herself.

And Dino-nii, kind and gentle Dino-nii, he didn't let go either.

They held hands as she stood beside him before all the other Bosses in the Vongola Alliance, attending the annual dinner for the very first time as a Cavallone.

Tsuna and his entourage of Guardians were there as well, as were the Varia also, the latter group the hosts for this year's dinner. Haru had only just gotten settled in Italy a few months ago and there were still a lot of things that she hadn't quite gotten the hang of yet, so this first event had been daunting, to say the least. It had been hard for her to adapt to so many things all at the same time, even though she had not once complained about the difficulties that she faced. The language was something she was still in the midst of learning, the culture and the people who belong to her new Famiglia were so vastly different from what she was used to back in Japan, and she struggled at first, a lot.

The Italians were passionate and fiery in everything they did – they loved and hated with their entire sense of being and Haru admired how they always stayed proudly true to their feelings, regardless of what other people might think of their beliefs and opinions. While she had married their Boss, it did not automatically mean that she would be readily accepted by the rest of the Cavallone Famiglia. Beyond the obvious secured connection to the Vongola, her presence did not seem particularly useful or significant. She was plain, average and was not even fully capable of defending herself. She knew that some of the members of her new Family quietly questioned if it had really been the right thing for their Boss to marry her, so seemingly timid and fragile, even if none of them had actually come outright to say it. Haru did not blame them for their doubts – she did not bring much value back to the Family, as far as arranged marriages went.

But Dino-nii had never felt that way, regardless of what his followers thought. Ever since they signed that marriage certificate that legally bound them together in matrimony, he had been nothing but supportive and attentive, doing his best to help her transit to her new position as seamlessly as possible. He had never given her any cause to believe that he resented or doubted this marriage in any form, and Haru was infinitely grateful for his presence. He was familiar and he was a great friend and she was just really, really lucky to have him as her rock during this most turbulent and uncertain period in her life, and just as he had supported her the entire while with his belief in her and his steady encouragements, Haru yearned to return the favor too. She wanted to be there for Dino-nii. She wanted to be useful to him, she wanted to help him as best as she could, and even when her best now still did not feel good enough, Haru was still determined to start somewhere, and that was to keep putting her foot forward, to keep improving herself.

She was learning constantly these days. Learning the language, learning the culture, and most importantly, learning about the people whom her Boss loved so fiercely and fought so freely for. She was learning the intricacies of how this large, complicated network that was her Family now was being run, she was learning how to better defend herself, learning how to be stronger, not just in body, but in mental fortitude as well. It was difficult, and it was often exhausting, and there were consecutive days where Haru was just so worn out that it took everything she had just to crawl out of bed in the mornings. But she still did it all the same, even when it felt like she was simply, numbly, running through the motions for those days, she could not give up. Her new life was only beginning – if she could not even shoulder these that which were the bare minimum expected of her, how would she ever be of use to Dino-nii and her Famiglia?

"Are you ready?"

She looked up at the question, and met the calm, patient gaze of her companion. He was dressed smartly in yet another expensive designer suit, the sharp impeccable lines of the crisp, charcoal and white formal wear only serving to further accentuate his elegant, gilded profile. Sometimes, it seemed to Haru that Dino was one of those few individuals who gave off a subtle, alluring light all on his own, effortlessly drawing attention in the way that was not excessively blinding or painfully glittering, but one that glowed with a warm, inviting pulse. Like burnished gold. Like the promise of a beautiful morning slowly spreading across a lightening dawn horizon.

Was this phenomena something that all Sky Flame Wielders possessed? She sometimes wondered. Tsuna, she knew, also gave off a warmth that was vaguely similar, but at the same time vastly different. Tsuna's flame could be hot and consuming like an unrelenting supernova at times, but then could also turn flickering and soft as candlelight during others. Unpredictable. In contrast, Dino-nii's light was steadier; controlled, comforting, effusive.

She looked at her husband-in-name-only, slowly realized that she had been woolgathering for too long and he was starting to look bemused by her extended silence. A slight flush crept across her cheeks and she hurriedly nodded, smoothing out the skirts of her silk gown with her palms.

"Hahi, yes, Dino-nii! Haru is ready, desu."

He smiled and offered his hand to her. She looked at the proffered appendage for a silent moment, as if considering once more the rationality of her decision. He had always been the one to share his warmth with her, to offer her shelter in his encompassing shadow, to allow her the chance to rest against his back whenever she felt exhausted or beaten.

One day, Haru promised silently to herself, she would be the one to stretch out her hand to him first. To support him whenever he faltered. To watch his back whilst he strove to protect his and his own. To lighten the burdens that he carried on those broad shoulders of his. Her eyes grew firm with determination, her shoulders squaring, even as her initial anxiety started to slip away like an unnecessary cloak. She looked him in the eye and inclined her head once, resolve glowing on her features. His gaze gentled, alit with a faint admiration for her courage.

"Shall we head in?"

Her gloved hand reached for his, softly settling over his own. His long, adroit fingers closed reassuringly over her slender digits, and it was strange how he could make her feel so calm and at ease simply through the communication of touch alone. Her Boss was really something else, she thought with silent respect. And he was right beside her now. She had nothing to worry about.

The massive twin doors to the grand ballroom of the castle swung opened, and the Cavallone cavalcade's arrival was made known to the entirety of the mafia in attendance.

All the attention fell upon the charismatic Cavallone Decimo, who simply smiled and accepted the brunt of the immense pressure with regal grace.

And in his wake, Haru fearlessly followed her Sky as he led her into this glittering, dangerous world which he ruled supreme.

This was also her world now, reborn.

While he was no longer as clumsy as he used to be many years ago, there were still instances when the noble and sophisticated Cavallone would end up randomly tripping over air and faceplanting rather disastrously on the ground. Most of his men were already used to his random bouts of maladroit ungainliness, not even blinking an eye or flinching with dismay anymore whenever their Boss suddenly decided to kiss the floor or temporarily merge his forehead to the nearest surface his flailing figure could find. Just like the sun rises from the east and sets in the west, just like the grass is green and the skies are blue, they could hardly prevent their Master's catastrophic nature any more than they could disrupt the flow of Time.

No one seemed to have read that particular memo to Haru, however. Or if they had, she had simply chosen to completely disregard it, for every time Dino-nii had an 'accident' and she happened to be in the vicinity, the young woman never failed to run straight over to offer her assistance as well as to exclaim over the ruefully disheveled blond. It was something that Haru had always done even way before she became his wife – in fact, their first meeting all those many years ago had pretty much entailed the very same thing that was still happening, now.

Dino did not mind too much though, the way Haru always hurried towards his fallen form with an enquiring expression of concern on her face, coming to his side to check him over and ascertain for herself that he wasn't injured. If he was, she always had Band-Aids and alcohol swabs which she seemed to readily produce out of thin air to be applied on his various grazes and scratches – or at least it certainly appeared that way to him. Perhaps that was her special power?

If he had any complaints about her attention, it was probably that those tiny itsy bitsy pieces of soaked antiseptic disinfectants really stung like nobody's business and she was very thorough when it came to cleaning wounds. He didn't even mind the bright, colorful plasters which she would unfailingly stick on him in the aftermath. They were the physical proof of her consideration for him, so how could he resent them? These days, there was almost always at least some part of him that was marked by her, in the form of these cheerful, sunny little pieces of adhesive strips whose scattered presence all but spoke for themselves, all in undeniable shades of Haru.

Feel better soon!

Please try to be gentler on yourself!

Remember that your health is important too.

I only want you to be well.

They were like good luck charms; he thought fondly, imbued with her sincerity and kindness for him, straight from her heart.

Then, she would reach out, grab his hand and haul him back onto his feet, straining rather comically with all of the strength she had in that petite, waifish form of hers just to get him upright again, and he started to think about how well her slender, delicate hand fitted against his own, how her shimmering, feminine energy always felt so warm and mesmerizing…

Whenever people first met Haru, they often had trouble believing that she was the real deal; the genuine Cavallone wife. As far as first impressions went, she was so sweet-faced and wholesome and youthful looking that she often appeared woefully out of place beside the sophisticated and urbane refinement of her handsome spouse, all sleek, aristocratic grace and elegant, polished charm.

This made the brunette feel quite self-conscious, but bewilderingly enough, Dino never seemed to notice their apparently startling mismatch in appearance, let alone allowed himself to be fazed by the personal opinions of others. He also solved her dilemma easily as well; reaching out to hold her hand whenever they attended functions together, and that subtle yet affectionate act was enough to affirm their status quo as a couple. He was also often the first to introduce her to all acquaintances and allies alike, his gaze quietly warming, a note of genuine fondness filtering into his tone as he spoke of her, and his endorsement and support had only done wonders in raising her confidence levels, slowly but surely. Haru no longer shrunk away when people turned their attention to scrutinize her anymore, and started to hold her ground by his side better as time wore on, much to his pleasure – and pride. Watching her gently bloom and flourish before his eyes was both an honor and a delight…and unbeknownst even to himself, his eyes had been straying over to her more and more frequently, as their lives interwove intricately and slowly drew them closer and closer together.

They also held hands out of practicality. Although not as often lately, Dino's inborn clumsiness would unexpectedly rear its ugly head regardless of where he was or who he was with, at least that was until Haru entered the picture. The young woman quickly proved to be a surprisingly…effective deterrent when it came to preventing that kind of problem that had always been the norm for the Cavallone Famiglia, halting social disaster with nothing more than the grace of her physical presence.

This was because when she was around, Dino-nii tended to not be as accident prone as he usually was.

To the powerful blond who had quite literally made his family his most important motivation for going full out and giving his all, Haru was enough to keep his inherent klutziness at bay – at least so long as they were connected in some form. She was a Cavallone now, and his instinct to protect also encompassed her, even if that which needed defending against was his own clumsiness. And Haru was simply happy to be of use to her Boss, even if in such a simple, passive way. Dino-nii was an esteemed older brother figure whom she greatly respected, and she also knew that he cared for her. They were a family now, and family helped each other.

It was comfortable, mutual; their interactions. Reaching out, hands brushing, fingertips grazing, fingers interlinked. Over time, handholding became second nature, a familiar gesture shared between the two of them; soothing, supportive, reassuring.

An unspoken affirmation.

I'll walk beside you. I'll walk with you into whatever lies ahead.

Omake

Romario sidled up to his foolishly smiling master and commented, expression neutral. "She frets over you, tenderly treats and dresses your cuts and scrapes, and she's also willing to hold your hand so you don't trip and fall all over yourself." There was a momentary pause as the both of them silently processed these observations…and then the retainer blandly shared his conclusion. "…This is not good. You must be equivalent to a problematic three year old as far as our lady is concerned, Boss."

Dino spluttered, but the loyal servant wasn't even done yet. He calmly continued.

"…Though I suppose you'd probably be happy enough too if she starts kissing your wounds and bruises as well, no?"

"Romario!"

Admit it, Boss. You do like it so when she fusses over you.

::owari::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

…I did not expect to receive so many warm, positive reviews in response to my A/N the previous chapter, so I'm quite blown away right now. I was feeling frustrated and disappointed when I wrote that note, so to all of the lovely readers who had sent in the most encouraging words and feedback with regards to this fic, I thank you all once again for sharing your kindness and empathy. You made my week.

Serendipity may not be as popular as some of my other works, but…I think I will try my best to continue writing for this series and this fandom in particular. I was really happy to receive affirmation that there are indeed people out there who are also enjoying this series and this ship that is so dear to my heart right now, and I can only hope for and look forward to your continual support and patronage.

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Coming back to this chapter, yes –this is that couple who will hold hands a lot whenever given the opportunity, but the act of handholding can be something really meaningful as well, though often understated and easily taken for granted. So, I just really wanted to explore how such a gesture could have possibly begun between these two, as well as slowly reveal the progression of their relationship over time, beginning from something comforting and friendly and supportive…to something more.

I'm aware that there are some of you who are really curious about the circumstances revolving around this Marriage of Convenience AU, so consider this a teaser chapter of sorts…? More will be revealed eventually! I'm writing/uploading all these chapters in randomized, non-chronological order but if any of you have questions or discussions regarding this fic/ship, do feel free to drop a message and I will definitely get back to you. :)

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Also. Romario ships his Boss and his Lady, though he can never help trolling Dino at the same time!

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FYI, in this chapter, TYL!Dino is thirty-two, and TYL!Haru is twenty-four.

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

-sllebswap