Title: Serendipity
Author: sllebswap
Characters/Pairing: Miura Haru and Dino
Type: OneShot/Drabble Collection (InComplete)
Genre: Romance/General/Humor
Word Count: 4595
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: 30/03/17
Hold me close and hold me fast
The mission was a success, though it had taken longer than expected to complete. Dino was certainly happy to return to civilization after two months of being stuck in the middle of wildery and pretty much cut off from the rest of the world while he trained and evaluated the abilities of his temporary charge. The good news was that the kid definitely had potential, and he also reminded Dino a bit of how Tsuna had used to be pre-Reborn, with the same unassuming, diamond-in-the-rough quality and mild, gentle personality. Then again, Rome was not built in a day, and the preteen was going to have to receive more formal instructions before he was deemed fit to take over the mantle of his new role as Boss. At least the first step had been made in that direction, the initial hurdle crossed – the youth would return with Dino and his men back to Italy, where his rightful Famiglia would arrange for the rest of his mafia training now that his candidacy was approved and supported by the Cavallone Famiglia.
It was a great feeling to finally get to go home after this extended stint away from his Family. The reports from the other members of the Cavallone in their respective territories were already starting to trickle in the moment he and his group descended from the mountain range and communication was reestablished. There did not seem to be anything out of the ordinary beyond the usual greetings and communiques but that was as expected – his people were all very capable and well-seasoned when it came to looking after their individual responsibilities, and could function and manage their parts of the Family well enough even in his absence.
Evidently, there had been a small earthquake in Lazio a couple of weeks ago but he had been informed that all the necessary assistance and aid had been offered to the affected areas as well as to the people who lived there, and operations had largely returned to normal. There was also something about a couple of territorial disputes between a few of the minor allied Famiglias but apparently tensions had been smoothed over as well in a timely manner. It seemed like Dino would get to enjoy an actual break when he got home, as opposed to having to immediately set out again to deal with pressing issues in the name of the Cavallone even before he could take a quick breather from his previous obligation. The latter was more of the usual case for the blond, but he certainly wasn't going to object to some much deserved downtime, for sure.
Dino was eager to return to the villa; he wondered what Haru had been up to when he had not been around, and was quite looking forward to reuniting with his wife. He could already anticipate her delight when she set eyes on him; homecomings had become more and more enjoyable these days ever since he actually had someone to come home to, and Haru always had such a warm, exuberant manner of welcoming him back that it was impossible not to be affected by her earnest zeal.
He hoped that she had grown to lament his absence so much that she would fly straight into his arms and attempt to smother him with kisses again – just as she had before he left to take on this assignment. The tall, powerfully lean Cavallone Decimo could not help but smile at the thought – he had definitely missed her. It had been a long couple of months.
The flight back to Lazio took a good eight hours, thought thankfully there was no layover since they had opted to take the private jet. Within less than a day's worth of travelling, Dino was finally back on home soil. The very moment he stepped out of the airplane, the blond was immediately and rousingly greeted by the rows of men who loyally guarded and protected the Cavallone land in his absence, and so, as always, he had proceeded to thank them for their hard work in his usual genial, charismatic manner.
Dino was a bit surprised, though, that Haru had not been with all the others at the airstrip as well. In fact, she was nowhere in sight. Since no one was forthcoming about her absence, he was eventually forced to enquire about the obvious.
"Where's Haru?"
The men shuffled and exchanged awkward looks.
"…Boss, la signora wanted to come and greet you as well, but it's currently a bit…inconvenient…for her to move about freely. So it has been decided that she'll wait for you back at the villa instead."
Now, Dino was frowning with faint bewilderment.
"Inconvenient for her to move about freely?" he echoed, openly baffled. "Why is it inconvenient for her to move about in the first place? Did something happen?"
In the face of their master's quietly calm but no less implacable demand for an explanation, they quickly caved.
"Ah, la signora did not want us to tell you like this, but, uh, there was an accident."
Now, they had their Boss's full attention. He rounded on them immediately, eyes sharp and intent.
"What accident?"
Much to Dino's rising chagrin, no one could quite tell him what had been actually going on in his absence. The men just shuffled about awkwardly, mumbled a lot, but all of them were also quick to reassure him by letting him know that their mistress – his wife – was not in any immediate, life threatening danger. Contrary to what they thought, that was hardly reassuring to their Boss; Haru wasn't supposed to be in any danger in the first place, life threatening or not. However, Dino also trusted in his men's judgments – if his wife was in any serious trouble, he highly doubted that they'd all still be hanging around in such a relaxed manner. For one, those who had been specially picked to stay behind to guard their Lady Cavallone also belonged to the same group who were very fond of her, and this arrangement was no coincident.
And so Dino could only exchange looks with an equally bemused Romario, as they returned to the villa in the convoy that had come to welcome him, all the while wondering just what he would find once he reached home.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when they arrived right at the front porch of the sprawling property, but the moment the Cavallone Decimo stepped out of the car, there was a distinct crackle of energy in the air that gave him brief pause. The blond frowned imperceptibly at the unusual occurrence, trying to figure out what could be the cause of such a thing.
"I was told that there was a minor earthquake a couple weeks or so ago," he commented to one of his men. "How badly were we affected?"
Ivan, who happened to be the member in question, shook his head slightly. "Boss, the main territory was largely safe from the tremors, but there were some areas up north that were hit. We went and lent our assistance to those who needed it, Family and allies alike. Even the civies as well. La signora wanted to help out too, so she also went with us."
That was news to Dino. He looked to the man in interest.
"Haru went to the affected areas too?" In hindsight, he wasn't too surprised - Haru could never quite leave those who were in need of help be...
His subordinate nodded in affirmative.
"Yes, Boss. La signora insisted, and she was very good at organizing and assisting with the relief efforts. We were careful to keep her away from the danger zones so she was quite safe throughout the entire mission, Boss!"
The Decimo inclined his head in wordless acknowledgment, satisfied that Haru's safety had been carefully taken into consideration and prioritized. Ivan continued to give his report.
"We were also invited to put up at the residence of the Biondi Famiglia while we were helping out in their territory."
The blond had to pause at that, and even Romario stopped as well.
"Biondi Famiglia? Weren't they still feuding with-"
Dino nodded in agreement, blithely following up on his retainer's question.
"What about the Bruno Famiglia? I can't imagine that they'd be too happy about that invitation of hospitality."
The two aforementioned Famiglias were embroiled in an age old feud so deep, even Dino, with his well serving arsenal of diplomatic skills and Cavallone charisma, was unable to dissolve his allies' mutual enmity towards one another. The whole thing was a bit silly, actually. The cause for the feud had occurred so many generations ago that no one even remembered the actual reason anymore, and so at this point, the two Families were more or less at odds with each other just for posterity's sake…as well as the usual case of ego mongering, of course. The fact that they lived cheek by jowl just meant that the two groups were often in each other's business and territories, which really did nothing to relieve the tension between the antagonistic factions, who often competed in just about anything to one up the other.
The Cavallone member looked a bit chagrinned at his Boss's all too knowing question.
"Uh, the Bruno Famiglia extended their own invitation of hospitality also, so la signora just ended up accepting both, because she said, and I quote ad verbatim; 'it'd be rude not to do so.'"
Dino and Romario exchanged another look, vaguely surprised and confounded.
"Accepting both? How? I suppose one of you preempted Lady Haru about the feud?" the older man asked.
Ivan nodded.
"Yes. We solved the problem by alternating our stay between the Bruno and Biondi residences every other day. The two groups also wanted to battle it out to see who would have the honor of hosting us first, but la signora wasn't having any of that. She put her foot down and made them play a quick game of…rock-paper-scissors instead to get the details straightened out as quickly as possible. She, uh, made it very clear that she wanted to start helping the quake-affected victims immediately and had no time or interest to sit through a turf war."
The man started to look a bit bemused then, but no less impressed. "I don't think those guys expected her to be quite so assertive, but once she really got going…"
It was that helpless shrug again, the one that everyone within the Cavallone Famiglia was very familiar with, especially when their mistress was involved.
Dino could not help himself – he started to grin. It was not difficult to picture what had most likely happened, knowing his cheerfully indomitable wife as well as he did.
"Perhaps I should bring Haru along to help maintain peace and order the next time I have to mediate between those two."
"…Aha, Boss, I don't think you need to worry too much about that sort of thing anymore."
"What do you mean?" Now, Dino was very, very curious. And also a bit apprehensive.
The man scratched his nose, not for the first time regretting being picked to be the unofficial spokesperson for everyone else who had been in his mistress' retinue.
"Well…we were there for a week or so, and we managed to help a lot also, under la signora's directions. However, there was a minor incident…"
"What's this I hear about you inadvertently participating in a trial of challenge and then accidentally taking over two Famiglias as a result?"
Haru was so surprised to hear her husband's voice so close right behind her that she jumped a good foot in the air, squawking with shock. Of course, she had been already been informed that he was on the way home, but she had expected to at least be a bit more composed when she went outside to greet him – and certainly not like this! And why was he back so early?! She had thought that she still had at least another hour before he was due to arrive home! She wasn't mentally prepared yet!
"H-Hahi!" She whipped around and took a step back, mouth open and about to speak when she finally laid sight upon Dino. She paused, eyes widening slightly. She had missed him dearly for the last couple of months, homesick for his presence, his warmth, even the sound of his voice. His hair had grown longer since the last time she saw him; the wavy, golden strands almost reaching his shoulders now, and as usual, he cut a handsome figure, all sharp, lean lines and lithe, powerful musculature. Standing in their bedroom, still in his traveling clothes, he truly was a sight for sore eyes, and she was momentarily preoccupied just staring at him.
Dino was admittedly a bit more concerned about the news which he had just heard from his subordinate to fully appreciate this reunion. His intent gaze was carefully running all over Haru's slender, petite form, ascertaining for himself that she was perfectly hale and healthy despite the jaunty little misadventure she had gone on in his oblivious absence. It was difficult not to worry about her sometimes; she was always jumping from one thing to another with that innate exuberance of hers that almost bordered on careless, and he swore that she usually had him and the men on the back foot, always scrambling at least two steps behind trying to keep up while she blithely skipped ahead and did whatever she wanted to do. She also did not seem to possess any kind of instinct to be wary of people, and her guileless, trusting nature only made him more concerned at times like this especially.
"Sempai," she squeaked out at last, feeling a bit breathless and lightheaded all of a sudden, her heart beating escalating a bit more in her chest, a giddy joy spreading across her entirety now that he was right before her in the flesh, within touch. Oooh, he's home, he's finally home!
His brow was knitted slightly in consternation, since she did not seem all too concerned or contrite about the situation she could have gotten herself into, and appeared rather distracted instead. He stepped up to her once more and tried again.
"I know that you're always doing your best to help out, but please be mindful of your limits also, alright-"
She reached out and touched his face softly then, her eyes shiny and a warm, effusive expression on her pretty face. He broke off, now distracted as well, also starting to realize that she was not paying attention to what he was saying whatsoever. He paused, watching her closely to see what she was up to.
She smiled at him, bright and sunny and tremulous.
"You're really back, desu!"
"Yes, I'm home…?" He was bemused by her response, momentarily thrown off from his previous intention of gently reprimanding her about her reckless behavior, though he tried to get back on track.
"Jo-chan, I'm serious-"
She reached out and touched him happily again, a light, gentle caress along the line of his jaw this time, effortlessly breaking his concentration once more. It was impossible not to pick up on her glee, as well as how she could not seem to keep her hands off of him now that he was back.
"Haru…" he sighed at last. It was…difficult to remain strict with her when she was looking so happy and thrilled at the mere sight of him – he had never quite had anyone like her before, so…sweet…and openly loving towards him. In the face of her thoroughly addictive personality, he was fighting a losing battle, valiant as his attempt was in trying to resist her allure.
She looked at him, head tipped slightly to the side, still smiling innocuously. She was also tiptoeing now, one hand resting on his shoulder for balance, straining to pet and touch his tousled hair, which was apparently very fascinating to her at the moment, it appeared.
"Yes, desu?" Her slim fingers ran through his golden locks tenderly, and just like that, he was promptly overcome by an urgent need to love her.
…Oh, to hell with it. He could always read her the riot act later.
His arms coiled around her middle and he lightly tugged her up against him. She did not protest, a quiet laugh escaping her even as she quite happily situated her own limbs around his neck. She snuggled right up against him, unabashedly demonstrative. She rubbed her cheek happily against his shoulder, almost as if punch drunk on his very presence. Dino looked down at this warm, soft, utterly affectionate woman currently ensconced in his arms and wondered what he had done to deserve someone like her.
"Hahi, Haru is so, so, so happy that Dino is back!" she was confessing into his shirt. "Haru has missed Dino a lot…"
She sounded almost shy towards the end, and he simply could not help himself anymore. His hand came up, gently grasped her chin, and tilted her faintly blushing face towards his own. Leaning in, he brushed his mouth against hers, a near imperceptible caress at first, then with a gradual, more intent pressure that made her sigh softly, her sweet, supple lips parting, giving way to his gentle persuasion, her body wordlessly relaxing, quietly luxuriating in this intimate reunion, all too happy to have his attention on her again after so long. Without even her knowing, he had spoiled her thoroughly. He was so, so sly, she thought hazily – she hadn't even known that she had become so accustomed to his constant companionship and affection until she suddenly had to start going without.
Her fingers played restlessly with the tips of his hair brushing against his nape, mouth parting, slick pink tongue flicking out to trace his lips, small, pearly whites nibbling eagerly at his flesh, tugging, demanding. Her bossy, impatient demeanor succeeded in drawing a low growl from him, but instead of quelling, she just grew more nippy, hungrier. She was all but squirming against him with delight and want- more more more please kiss Haru more – and he gladly gave in to her sweet pleas, deepening their kiss, suckling at that pouting, rosy mouth of hers, sweeping his tongue between her parted lips to run along her teeth, then stroking and dancing with her tongue. He was relentless in the way he launched his sensual assault on her, pulling her tightly against him as if he could not quite get enough of her, greedily basking in her frantic ardor for him, taking and taking and taking from her until she was quickly growing breathless and giddy from being beset by him.
It was obvious that he had missed her too, and now that she was giving him permission to demonstrate his yearning, he was more than willing to press his advantage. She clung to him and kissed him back with equal, voracious need, her fingers tangled in his hair, a soft, urgent moan slipping from her lips, shivering with passion, silently thrilling in the way he seemed to want her so much. They parted briefly only when the need for air interfered, and he very quickly wanted to kiss her again, once his darkened gaze landed upon her glazed, desirous expression, bowed lips red and swollen, cheeks flushed, looking like she had been all too pleasurably ravaged.
"I want to spend tonight in bed with you, doing nothing but you," he told her very quietly, very seriously. She trembled in his arms, her eyes glowing, biting her lower lip in a very attractive manner that made him want to run his tongue along that puffy, abused flesh. Then, she spoke, just as softly as he had, and hopeful.
"…Promise?"
He smiled faintly at her, pupils dilating ever so slightly.
"Shall I start right now?"
She was so petite and light that it was an effortless thing for him to just sweep her into his arms – she yelped softly in surprise, but also quickly realized that he would not drop her. He cradled her against his chest in a bridal carry, and stole another kiss from her as he walked them straight to bed. She was always happy to kiss him, and this time was no different. He had a way of making her feel like a very precious, very cherished thing, with how he touched her, how he loved her. She did not quite understand it herself – it wasn't as if he always handled her with kid gloves, or as if she was something very fragile and could be easily broken. No, it wasn't anything like that at all, and she loved it, thrived under his special brand of love and care – if she was a wild thing, then surely he would be something she would always come back to, taming beneath the sweet pleasure of his caresses, the gentle timbre of his voice.
When they reached the edge of the bed and he lowered her onto the mattress, she refused to let go, her arms still curled snugly around his neck. She shook her head when he glanced at her.
"Hahi, Haru's not letting Dino go anywhere tonight, desu."
So she pulled him into bed with her, and he could not help but emit a soft huff of mirth at her stubborn insistence.
"I'm crushing you, cara," his voice was a bit dry, but she was undaunted, wriggling out determinedly from beneath all that six foot worth of lean, lithe muscles only to roll over and push him onto his back. She threw her leg over his middle and nimbly hauled herself upright, straddling him triumphantly. There was an impish light in her eyes as she looked down at him, perched on top of her newly elevated vantage point.
"Nope. Haru is uncrushable, desu!" she crowed playfully, and his brow lifted, lips quirking once more. He rested his hands loosely around her waist, feeling a lazy sense of amusement and contentment unfurling through him now that he was home, everything was fine, and she was within reach, safe and happy. He lifted his hand to her face, cupped her cheek, eyes gleaming.
"I beg to differ. You're very crushable."
She flushed a bit once she figured out his secondary meaning. "Maybe only to Dino," she demurred, becoming a bit abashed again. "Haru thinks Dino is very crushable too," she muttered, fiddling restlessly with the fasteners of his coat, then lifting to touch his hand with her fingers, at the same time softly rubbing her cheek against his palm. Their eyes connected, then locked.
"Tell Haru about your mission. What's Siberia like?" she asked softly. He was a bit lost at the sudden turn that their interaction was taking, but indulged her all the same.
"Mm, as you wish. …Siberia's a very beautiful, remote place. The way of mountain living is…harsh. But I feel that the nomads who has lived there for generations are somehow enviable… Life there is not easy, but there is a sense of unparalleled freedom in living simply."
She closed her eyes and let his quiet voice wash over her. He continued to gently stroke her cheek.
"Shall we go together one day? I think you'll enjoy the trip," he murmured. "By the way, I didn't run into any of those Abominable snowmen that you were so concerned about, but we can go looking for some when we go next time."
She sighed, a small, silly smile sitting on her face now, her eyes still closed. He watched her with a rising amusement. She was so cute, he thought fondly, like a very warm, cuddly kitten.
"Tell Haru more, desu," she insisted, and he was starting to suspect what was going on.
"…Are you actually picking up on the things that I'm saying, or are you just tuning in to the sound of my voice?" He was still rather good humored regardless, by now so used to her oft times endearing antics to be too flabbergasted anymore. She opened her eyes and gave him a faintly offended look.
"Hahi, how rude! Of course Haru is paying attention, desu! It's just that Haru also missed hearing Dino speak like this, is all…but Haru is paying attention!"
Phone communication between the two had been limited and really grainy in quality for the past couple of months, but it could not be helped. She hadn't complained or made any fuss at him, but judging by her telling demeanor and how happy she was at his return, he now knew how much his absence had affected her. It was probably terrible of him to feel happy at this moment, but he was.
The blond curled his fingers around her wrist and gently tugged her down to lie on him. After a moment's pause, she let herself be drawn back into his arms again, settling against his chest, her head resting on that comfortable crook of his shoulder, curled up into his side. He kissed the top of her head, ringed fingers gently sifting through the fine chocolate strands of her hair, his tone growing rueful when he spoke again.
"…Sorry, Jo-chan. I didn't mean to leave you alone for so long."
She shook her head.
"Hahi, Haru understands that Dino had to go, desu. Haru is just really happy that Dino is finally home." She brightened as another thought occurred to her. "Now Haru does not have to wear Dino's shirts to bed anymore, desu!"
She had missed him with increasing intensity while he was gone for the last couple of months. His absence had continuously gnawed at her to the point where she had eventually sought solace in the familiar scent of his clothes just to take that jarring edge of her lonely longing off for a bit, which she had ended up wearing to sleep sometimes because they almost made her feel like she was safely enveloped in his warm presence…
There was a significant pause as he considered her remark. When he finally spoke, there was a strangest, wondering inflection in his tone.
"…You wore my shirts to bed?"
She glanced at him, biting her lips hesitantly before nodding slowly. "H-Haru just wanted to feel closer Dino…" she trailed off, clearly having picked up the curious shift of his mood, though she did not know why. "If Dino is displeased…Haru won't do it again, desu…"
He slowly shook his head.
"I'm not displeased. You're free to use my clothes as and when you wish. I was just…attempting to picture the charming image of you in nothing but my shirt…" he trailed off, before turning his sights back on her. He smiled disarmingly at her. "Please wear my shirts to bed more often from now on, especially when I'm around to see you, okay?"
She spluttered and blushed quite a bit.
"Hahi, what is Dino thinking, desu!"
"Right now? I'm thinking that I really want to kiss you again and make love to you very soon," he murmured with a voice that was as soft and as sinful as crushed velvet. Just hearing him speak was enough to make her whimper and bite her lip again, that slowly rising tension sitting in the pit of her stomach growing taut at the unapologetic want in his words. Her eyes darkened, and her tongue darted out, wetting her lips. He watched her intently. Waiting.
"Okay?"
She jerkily nodded.
"O-Okay, desu," she whispered, yearning stark in her voice. "Haru really wants to, also…"
::tsuzuku::
Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:
Hence concludes chapter two of the five part mini-arc from the 'Marriage of Convenience' AU.
Has anyone caught a proper glimpse of the subplot yet?
I mean, beyond the obvious 'sexy tiemz imminent' undertone that I was totally going for towards the end of this installment, of course.
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The Biondi and Bruno Famiglias are once again new OCs that I have created for the purpose of this mini-arc. Biondi means 'blonde' in Italian, and Bruno translates roughly to 'brown,' and yes. Very creative and original, I know.
Interesting enough, these are legit family names in Italy, FYI.
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Ivan is not an OC, however – but an actual canon member of the Cavallone Famiglia.
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Serendipity was originally meant to be a D86 slice-of-life/fluff genre type of fanfic, and it still largely is, only with some random plots and different verses thrown in to make things interesting (ahaha). Hence why it's a multi-verse sort of storyline with the chapters posted all over the place and not really in chronological order. This means that for the most parts, I will be more focused on the relationship aspect of this pairing than anything else, though for the readers who are also looking for something meatier to sink their teeth into plot-wise, I will try to see what I can do!
To the Anon who requested a continuation of the 'You Belong with Me' AU – rest assured that I will indeed be delving more into that verse as well. Uploads may not be in sequence since I tend to post randomly and jump around different verses, but yes, you will eventually see the 'You Belong with Me' AU shuffled in with the other AUs that I have created for 'Serendipity' amongst my updates. Thanks for reading!
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FYI, in this chapter, TYL!Dino is thirty-three, and TYL!Haru is twenty-five.
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Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!
-sllebswap