Title: Serendipity
Author: sllebswap
Characters/Pairing: Miura Haru and Dino
Type: OneShot/Drabble Collection (InComplete)
Genre: Romance/General/Humor
Word Count: 1334
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: CEDEF!Haru AU
Chapter Last Revised on: 16/09/17
I knew you were Trouble
The last person Dino expected to run into while attending that dinner function with the Abbadelli and the Bulgari Bosses was his little brother's family.
But not Tsuna. Not Reborn. Not even any of the Guardians.
In fact, there was no Vongola presence whatsoever except for-
Haru-kun.
And she was… Heh?
To his credit, the Cavallone's double take was very subtle – just the slightest, near imperceptible widening of his eyes – and before he could do anything else, one of his hosts had stepped forward to greet him and he was forced to redirect his attention to the other man, while at the same time wondering just what exactly the young woman was doing in the middle of a potentially volatile situation between two warring clans smack dab of Sicily, of all places.
The current Tenth Generation Vongola was based in Japan, after all. And as far as he was aware, operations in Italy and even Europe in particular were mostly undertaken by the Varia, and also CEDEF.
…Which once again begged the question; what was Haru-kun doing here, so far away from home?
Puzzled as he was, Dino was too well trained to give away any of his thoughts, instead settling swiftly into his role as mediator, attempting to broker a truce between the two embattled clans. Faithfully at his back, Romario was professional as always and took his Boss's cue, even though Dino was equally sure that his retainer, too, recognized Haru's presence amongst this crowd.
Out of a partial sense of concern and responsibility as well as a favor to Tsuna, Dino kept an eye on young woman through the proceedings…only that she wasn't exactly behaving in a way that he had come to expect from her uniquely exuberant personality.
…Is this even Haru-kun?
"More wine for you, Sir?"
Her Italian was only faintly accented, and there were no hints of any of the obvious verbal tics that he had known her for. Dino gave the smartly dressed female sommelier a cursory glance that betrayed none of his thoughts and nodded.
"Yes, please."
Her manners were impeccable, her movements gracious and fluid as if she had indeed been trained for this role all of her life. There was not even a glimmer of acknowledgement in her polite gaze that hinted of the fact that they were acquainted, and after her duty was done, she executed a faint, graceful bow before excusing herself to attend to the other guests. Dino picked up his wineglass and took a sip; the red that she had chosen for him paired well with his meal… Turning to his fellow Dons, he proceeded to spend the rest of the evening sorting out the pair's displeasure with one another.
He had gone in hoping for the best but preparing for the worst, but fortunately, the talk went well. There were some bumpy patches here and there as well as several tense moments, but the blond was nothing if not diplomatic and tactful enough to steer clear of troubled waters. In the end, the two rivaling bosses grudgingly decided to call for a truce, and the remainder of the dinner party was spent celebrating the improved relationship between the two clans.
His main objective fulfilled, Dino took the backseat and let the rest of the evening play out without too much interference from his House. It wasn't long before the presence of the Cavallone faded almost completely from the night's revelry. There was nothing like an overabundance of alcohol and raucous frivolity to forge bonds amongst the Famiglias, as he had learned over the years. Meanwhile…
"So, what are you doing here actually, Miss Sommelier?"
Haru looked up from behind the bar counter situated at the back of the restaurant and met the patient gaze of one Dino Cavallone. She continued to polish the glass in her hands with a dishcloth while watching him steadily.
"I'm working, of course, Don Cavallone."
"Working?" Dino switched back effortlessly to Japanese since there weren't anyone else in their immediate vicinity. Haru set down the clean shot glass before him and poured him a glass of Scotch whisky on the rocks. The blond accepted the beverage; he was currently leaning over a bar, after all.
"Are you even of age to be serving me?" he murmured bemusedly before taking a sip from his drink. He looked all too casual and relaxed even dressed in a suit, as if making small talk with the 'bartender' after the high stress dialogue with two of Sicily's most powerful crime lords had merely been a walk in the park for someone of his caliber.
Some of Haru's earlier professional polish faded away and she huffed softly at his offhanded comment.
"I'm considered of age in this country at least," she replied faintly, narrowing her eyes slightly at him. "I'm not a kid anymore, Dino-nii."
She was eighteen and happy to finally be serving her Family, even if she had to do so in secret. It was an unexpected turn of events that she had run into one of their closest allies on her very first solo assignment. Said ally was now watching her over the rim of his glass, and he gave her a slight, wry grin.
"…Yeah. I know." He redirected the conversation. "I didn't expect to meet you here. Are the others somewhere around too?"
Haru shook her head immediately, before Dino's eyes could light up in anticipation of seeing his Vongola counterpart.
"No, they are not." Her voice grew even lower as she muttered under her breath. "Not the usual ones you're expecting to see, at least…"
Now, Dino was intrigued. He took another sip of his whisky and continued to eye Haru until she was finally compelled to elaborate.
"Turmeric-san is nearby," she uttered, looking down at the glass which she was intently polishing. The Cavallone's calm regard always had a way of making her feel like a child being caught in the act of doing something she was not supposed to do. But then her resolve caught up with her and she squared her shoulders, lifting her head to meet the older man's perceptive gaze again. "I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your knowledge of my presence here to yourself, Dino-nii."
The seriousness of her request was further compounded by the earnestness in her eyes. He was also quickly putting one and one together and arriving at a startling conclusion-
"Don't tell me that they don't know-"
She shook her head once, cutting him off.
"Dino-nii. Secret. Promise." Her gaze was slightly pleading now, fathomless pools of beseeching doe brown making it nigh impossible for anyone to deny their owner. "I'm not doing anything bad. Or dangerous."
His brow silently rose at her last statement, and she looked chagrinned at her embellishment.
He leisurely finished off the last of his drink, and then he set the glass back on the counter. "Here's not the right place to discuss this. Where will you be reporting in to Tumeric after this?"
She hesitated briefly before replying him. Her answer was deliberately coded, but it wouldn't be something that her blond companion was unfamiliar with.
"Right, I know that place. I'll see you there later." There was no mistaking the steely thread of command lying beneath his usual friendly, casual tone, and Haru sighed inwardly. She would not expect anything less from the Cavallone Decimo. Her shoulders slumped slightly, defeated.
"As you wish, Juudaime-sama."
She yelped faintly when long, graceful fingers reached over and tweaked her nose. Her hand immediately flew up to her poor, reddened appendage and she gawked briefly at her blond companion, who, in return, gave her a rather arched look.
"That's still Dino-nii to you, little missy." His rebuke was mild, tone almost amused.
She rubbed her sore nose ruefully and watched as the lean, lissome blond strode off to rejoin his hosts.
"…Yes, Dino-nii."
Maybe her secret life as a CEDEF newbie agent could still be kept under wraps, after all…
::owari::
Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:
As promised, an update ft. CEDEF!Haru! This is one of my older writings with regards to this verse, but when I was rereading/editing, I thought that maybe I should try exploring more of this verse because there definitely is potential in this plot…!
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FYI, in this chapter, TYL!Dino is twenty-six, and TYL!Haru is eighteen.
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Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!
-sllebswap