Title: Serendipity
Author: sllebswap
Characters/Pairing: Miura Haru and Dino
Type: OneShot/Drabble Collection (InComplete)
Genre: Romance/General/Humor
Word Count: 3070
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.
Chapter Last Revised on: 02/12/17
Stand by me
The whole situation occurred when he carelessly agreed to help watch over the younger Vongola children that day. I-Pin, Fuuta and Lambo's caretakers were preoccupied with their finals – in fact, almost all of the main Vongola members were busy preparing for their exams with varying levels of intensity, and Reborn was certainly going to town on the teenagers in his usual overzealousness.
Dino was privately relieved that it was no longer him who had to face Reborn's extreme teaching methods. Mentally wishing poor Tsuna all the best, he had turned up at the Sawada residence that morning to take the rambunctious and energetic children off of the hands of his relieved/harried little brother, freeing the latter up for his revisions which their assassin tutor was rather enthusiastically (read: sadistically) helping with. The blond had been putting up at Kyoya's place as he always did whenever he visited Namimori. The Vongola Cloud Guardian was a reluctant host as always but by now had grudgingly accepted the Cavallone's presence, if only to 'keep an eye' on the foreigners traipsing all over his domain. At least Romario and Kusakabe were having a grand time hanging out with each other, having struck up a firm comradeship while their masters were training together.
So Dino had innocuously turned up that afternoon to take the children out. Summer was just about to begin and therefore the weather was quite nice outside, and how hard could it be to look after a bunch of young kids? Not to mention, Romario would be with him to help out. This would be a piece of cake.
A couple of hours later, the harried young man was very much ready to take back his impressions from earlier. Obviously, some deity up there who watched over babysitters and caretakers of little ones had heard him and had decided to smite him for his arrogance.
Out of the three charges whom Dino had been originally entrusted with, he was only left with one. Fuuta had wandered off some half an hour ago without his minder's notice because the latter had been too busy attempting to mediate between I-Pin-chan and Lambo-kun, who had gotten into yet another fight which threatened to erupt in uncontrollable explosions as well as the unlawful and frivolous use of illegal arms and ammunition, all which would have most definitely brought the wrath of Namimori's infamously moody guardian down on their heads. Children or not, Kyoya was never one to go easy on anyone disturbing the peace in his territory. Then I-Pin-chan had ran off and Romario had quickly followed, promising to bring the upset child back together with the also missing Fuuta, which left an increasingly frazzled Dino attempting his best to calm down a wailing, tantrum wielding Lambo…all on his own.
The next time anyone dared say that babysitting was easy was going to get it from him, thought the beleaguered and mentally exhausted blond as the angry baby Vongola Lightning Guardian kicked him in the shin, tripped him, called him 'baka jii-chan' (he wasn't that old!), before booking it for the hills and rapidly disappearing out of sight. Great. Just when Dino thought that he could not sink any lower as a babysitter, he had gone and lost all of his charges. With growing dismay, the twenty-three year old just knew that Reborn was going to have something to say about his former student's incompetence when the latter learned about this later.
Dino groaned but picked himself up quickly from the faceplant on the ground, in the middle of the street where the crying Lambo had left him, not even concerned by the stares that he was being given by passersby. He resolved to worry about any possible retribution later – there were still the missing children to recover, though-
The blond man had clearly forgotten one thing. He was once again stranded on his own in a land that was not Cavallone territory, and none of his subordinates were anywhere in his immediate vicinity. That quickly proved to be a huge problem, especially when his inherently clumsy nature kicked in with a vengeance and a series of unfortunate accidents began to befall the mafia boss in chained succession.
…Fifteen minutes later, after tripping and landing face first onto a grocery booth displaying fresh cabbages and eggplants, being chased down the street by someone's escaped pet dog, slipping and then rolling down a steep incline along the boulevard of downtown Namimori, Dino was rumpled and covered in bruises but there was still no missing Vongola children in sight. The poor Cavallone Boss was starting to think that this…babysitting gig was even more dangerous and difficult than some of the other Famiglia related assignments that he had undertaken when his saving grace entered his vision.
A familiar face peered down at him from where he was still lying flat on the grass patch by the riverside where he had somehow ended up at amidst all the chaos.
"E-Eeeh, Dino-nii, you're really here, desu!"
The peach-hued, youthful visage of fifteen-year-old Miura Haru filled his immediate sight, and she appeared both surprised and pleased to see him. There was also a mix of amusement and dismay reflected in her tone as she took a good look at his less than neat appearance. Her presence prompted Dino to quickly push himself up onto a sitting position, one hand spearing through his messy, tousled hair even as embarrassment crept over his features. For a grown man to be caught in such an unsightly manner by a high school girl was quite mortifying. Thankfully, Dino did not have to spend too much time steeped in chagrin, for his eyes quickly settled on the thing…or rather, person, the brunette was carrying.
Nestled safely in Haru's arms was a sniffling, sulky Lambo. The cow print wearing baby was clinging to the younger woman and looking petulant with chubby cheeks still wet with tears and watery eyes that had only just stopped crying. He would have looked utterly adorable if not for the fact that this was also the same little devil who had caused all sorts of trouble for Dino today. The Cavallone Boss consoled himself with the reminder that the young Lightning Vongola's natural propensity for mayhem and destruction was only a boon for his Famiglia, especially when he finally grew up and would direct all that chaotic energy on the poor enemies of the Vongola, who really weren't going to know what had hit them, lord have mercy on those poor unfortunate souls.
"Eh, Haru-kun, you found Lambo. Thank goodness." Dino picked himself up from the floor and proceeded to watch as the younger teen quickly and successfully placated the sniffling child in her arm. He was amazed and impressed by her babysitting prowess. How is she doing that so effortlessly?
"Hahi, what's Dino-nii doing with Lambo-chan?"
Dino suddenly remembered that he was still missing two of his charges, plus one retainer.
"Gah, I still need to find Fuuta and I-Pin-chan!"
"Hahi?"
The whole story quickly spilled out, and sadly enough, even the young woman looked doubtful when he mentioned that he had been entrusted with the task of caring for all the younger ones.
"Dino-nii is having a really hard time today, isn't he?" There was a hint of sympathy in her observations – combined with his usual clumsiness and his ruffled appearance, he certainly did seem kind of sorry looking. By now, Lambo was sleepily observing the two from his perch in Haru's arms, docile now that he had tired himself out with his boisterous antics earlier whilst running all around town. His usual caretaker was still the best; Haru nee-chan always smelled so nice and she always knew the best games to play…
The baby nuzzled into the teenager's neck and the latter could not help but giggle at his affectionate demeanor. Haru obviously enjoyed being around children, regardless of how bratty or spoiled they were.
"Can Haru help also, Dino-nii?"
"You don't mind, Haru-kun? Don't you have exams too?"
She shook her head. "Haru's not from Namimori High. My school has an accelerated program so I don't need to take exams in order to graduate, desu." Her smile grew sheepish. "But Haru has had a lot of homework and club activities lately, so Haru didn't have much time to babysit even though she really wants to!"
"Are you sure that we won't be troubling you?"
The fifteen-year-old shook her head once again in cheerful refutation. "It's fine if it's just for a short while, desu! I can spare a few hours for my precious people too, hahi~!" The lilt of her voice coincided with the way she playfully nuzzled the baby in her arms, and Lambo sleepily plopped a wet, drowsy kiss on her cheek in return. Haru's features filled with color and her gaze was nothing short of adoring as she watched the afro-haired child.
Despite the hectic day, Dino found himself smiling faintly, warming up to Haru's offer.
"You really get along well with the little ones, don't you?" Decision made, he clapped his hands together before his face in that universally beseeching manner and flashed her a helpless grin. He was way over his head and he was smart enough to acknowledge it and accept her offer of assistance. "Then, we'll be depending on you today, Haru-kun! I'm in your debt!"
"Hehe, Haru is happy to help, desu! Dino-nii, you have been trying your best, haven't you?" she commented, more a matter of fact observation than an actual question, since she could see the physical proof of all the effort that he had made – the poor guy's appearance was rather ruffled, even more than he usually was. Her eyes landed on the grass stains on his clothes, and propping Lambo-chan higher up against the side of her hips, she freed one hand to briskly brush off the bits of vegetation stuck on his outfit. "Hahi, you look like you got ran over by a farmer's cart – even your hair has grass in it, Dino-nii!"
She let him deal with the mess on his head – he was way too tall for her to help straighten him up, anyway! Her companion immediately attempted to fix his appearance with a mutter of apology, but Dino-nii only seemed to be making things worse for himself, to the point where tufts of golden blond hair were sticking out randomly all over the place. Haru tried not to laugh at the comical sight. It was hard to believe that this man was the Boss of one of the largest Mafia clans in the world. Actually, it was astounding that said Boss had volunteered to babysit in the first place – and the fact that he was having so much trouble with the task was also very amusing to Haru. The brunette could not help it, her shoulders quivered with quiet mirth.
Once again, Haru found herself wondering how someone like him was the head of a Mafia syndicate, but then again, so was Tsuna-kun…
Haru's heart fluttered slightly at the thought of the brown-haired boy whom she admired so much. Her cheeks glowed faintly even as she cuddled Lambo to her even more, the stirrings in her heart heavy and sweet at the same time with puppy love. It had been two years since she had been rescued from that canal by Tsuna, and even now, her feelings for him were still unchanged. Tsuna-kun was kind and gentle and so very brave whenever it came to his friends and the people he felt he had to protect and keep safe, and his endearing qualities only made Haru strive harder to earn his recognition and approval. That was easier said than done, however, and Haru's shoulders slumped slightly at the reminder of how difficult it was to get across to the Vongola Decimo that she really did not mind becoming more involved in the triad business so long as she could be useful to him and the Famiglia.
But then again, how could she blame Tsuna-kun for his stubborn insistence to keep her out of his world as best as possible? It wasn't as if she had any special skills that could serve to help protect the Famiglia…
Haru mulled glumly over the reality of her situation, but paid enough attention to her surroundings to lunge out to grab hold of the back of Dino-nii's jacket and haul him backwards just in time to keep him from tipping face first into a telephone pole, going so far as to lean back desperately in the other direction so that both herself and Lambo did not end up falling together with the clumsy blond.
"Hahi, Dino-nii!"
By now, she was more or less used to the Cavallone Boss's…quirks. "We really need to find Romario-san for you, first thing first!"
Haru managed to heave the flailing blond back to his feet, and then just for further precaution, she also grabbed his hand and started to tow him along so as to make sure that he would not somehow cause further injury to himself.
"Sheesh, Dino-nii, you really are still as accident prone as ever-" Now that she was paying attention, she noticed the scrapes on his hands and palms, most likely a result of his various misadventures earlier. Shaking her head, she tugged the man towards the nearest bench and made him sit down. Then, she set Lambo down beside the older male and wasted no time fishing supplies from her schoolbag. A small juice box was handed out to the littlest Lightning Guardian before he could start to fuss, while for the Cavallone Boss, it was a generous pour of water to wash his raw cuts and minor bruises followed by a spritz of stinging antiseptic spray and a quick application of plasters, all over and done with before he could start to fuss as well.
Really, if there was anything that Haru had learned while neck deep in mafia shenanigans, it was that men could be such babies – some, like Reborn-kun, more literally than others.
Dino gazed bemusedly at the brightly colored, cartoon Band-Aids that now adorned the back of his hands and fingers. Then he turned his attention to the teenager who was now stowing her mini first aid kit back into her bag.
"Thanks, Haru-kun. You're really well prepared for this sort of things."
She shot him a beatific smile together with a thumbs up gesture.
"That's because Haru was really clumsy in the past and also used to fall down a lot during gym classes, desu. Haru is happy to be useful today, desu! Let's go join up with the others!"
Join up with the others, Dino repeated her cheerful declaration in his head. She sounded like they were simply embarking on an excursion, or an adventure. Lambo picked up on her upbeat, carefree tone and was more than happy to follow her lead, offering one chubby hand for her to hold as they led the way back to town. And then they were off.
Dino's new companion proved to be worth her weight in gold because she knew exactly where to look for the missing children. Fuuta was quickly found and picked up from a nearby bookshop and not long after, I-Pin and Romario were located in a ramen stall where the older man was attempting to bribe the fretting little girl with food. As with Lambo, I-Pin's mood quickly brightened once she saw Haru, the child all but leaping at her older sister figure with a gush of indecipherable mandarin.
"Go 'way, 'Pin! My nee-chan's mine!" Lambo yelled, attempting to scooch up Haru's leg like a capuchin monkey even as his 'rival' was clinging onto the teenager's other limb. I-Pin was hardly intimidated and frowned slightly at her playmate.
"Bu! Haru jie jie…is mine also!"
For once in quite a long time, the one being aggressively fought over was not him, something that Dino did not mind at all as he stood bemusedly by the side with Fuuta and watched the Vongola youngsters squabble over what appeared to be a long-disputed territory disagreement. Romario joined them, giving his Boss a careful once over to make sure that the latter was relatively well as he did so.
"Haru-nee sure is as popular as ever," the Ranking Prince commented with good natured humor. Easy for him to say, since his favorite person Tsuna-nii was nowhere near this childish powwow of juvenile proportions, or the boy might likely have waded in as well to claim his share of the pie. Haru tottered backwards at the combined weight of the squabbling children, though before it could degenerate into further chaos and mayhem like before, the girl burst into laughter and crouched down before the two younger children, her arms extended to engulf the pair in an affectionate embrace. Adorable squeaks of disgruntlement and token protests could be heard, but for the most part, the little ones settled in her arms.
"Hahi, Haru knows already! No more fighting, desu! You're both Haru's favorite people too, I-Pin-chan, Lambo-chan! Stop, okay?"
The twin growls of little rumbling tummies were almost timely in nature. Haru's shoulders trembled faintly with concealed laughter and she patted the kids' backs lightly.
"Let's have lunch together. Haru's sure that everyone's grumpiness will go away by then, and Haru promises to play with you two after that, okay?"
The two youngest Vongola agreed, and then they were breaking out of her hold and trying to drag her down the street by the hand, one on each side. Fuuta joined up with the trio, chattering to the brunette easily and helping to herd to two children along as well. Haru swiveled her head around to look at the two Cavallones. Her cheeks were high with color, and her wide smile was bright like the sun. She was in her element, shining like a jewel.
"Dino-nii, Romario-san; let's go!"
"It's fortunate that we ran into Haru-san today, isn't it, Boss?" the right-hand man murmured, echoing his master's thoughts.
Dino smiled slightly, beginning to enjoy the day more now that everything is falling in place. Absently, he fingered one of the Band-Aids on the back of his hand. The girl was aptly named, he thought, embodying a refreshing Spring zephyr that came and went easily just as she did. It was comfortable, warm, soothing.
"Yes, that's right."
::owari::
Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:
I'm alive! Just being super busy IRL and hence I didn't have time to indulge in writing/editing as much as I would like to. As always! Hope you enjoyed this update!
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Babysitting is hard work, as Dino had come to discover in this latest installment, haha. Haru totally deserves more credit in the series for 'just cooking, cleaning, and looking after the kids!'
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No particular verse specified to this chapter – this can basically apply to all the timelines of my canon-divergent AUs actually, so make this as you will!
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FYI, in this chapter, Dino is twenty-three, and Haru is fifteen.
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Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!
-sllebswap