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Renato indulged his beloved with a gentle lick to his neck and bare scrapes of his fangs to the skin where the vein pulsed with lifeblood. Softly, carefully, vampires only did this as a sign of respect and admiration to their mates.
Tsuna, the human, would be his first and last life bond against all odds in their race(s). The teen had come up to him one fine day and saw the vampire with only concern in his startling eyes as the brunet passed him his pencil. It was fang-gratingly rare to have someone - or anyone at all, really - not scorn in approach towards the pureblood who kept to the sun.
Suspicion had been the first reaction to come to Renato when he was approached. Finding the wooden pencil held firmly in Tsuna’s hands, the vampire refrained from rashly beheading the human despite the threat of a possible steak in his heart.
Renato recalled in annoyance of the indirect warning he received when the human-monster friendly relations project was set up. Or that was what the others have been claiming of the lack of coed-ness in their school.
If it was cooperation the school wanted, he would give them just that. Renato was confident, anyway, that a mere human with little strength and speed would not be able to harm him. Plus, vampires held their reputations above all else. It would’ve been somewhat belittling and shameful to have the small creature up to his shoulders injure the pureblood with a measly writing tool of all things.
But Tsuna only introduced himself politely and handed him the pencil without flinching or smelling of evil intent. Unusual, Renato thought, because if it weren’t hunters that came to take his life, people would normally be cowering in the presence of his noble blood with the exception of few, but they were each very powerful creatures in their own right.
Was this human boy not afraid at all? Or have I lost my touch?
Renato found himself glancing towards Tsuna in more than one way or time. The pureblood got himself obsessively curious with the kind smiles and non-racist ways of Tsuna and his group of friends.
The boy only seemed to stand out even more despite anything. Especially with those brown, fluffy spikes and gentle friendly touches; the teen had also unhesitatingly helped a fallen goblin (belittled even among their broad community) with little to no care of the unsaid hierarchy among the school’s strict ranks.
Tsuna had touched the goblin. He'd touched the lower ranked thing, and Renato caught himself drowning in unidentifiable jealousy from seeing so. Not disgust or repulsion - immense intrigue, yes, but jealousy above all else!
And maybe some endearment. The Vongola Clan Head damn him.
//
In the corner of Tsuna’s eyes, he saw the passing vampire and could’ve sworn it was the 4th time the raven-headed teen walked this specific route; back and forth, lingering without reason.
The brunet felt slightly distressed when the bell had already rung minutes ago. To see a fallen and unconscious freshman wounded his little heart. His friends had different schedules so Tsuna was alone. He already felt panicked enough and the ill kid turned even more green. Tsuna hoped it wasn’t with puke.
The human called out to the vampire. He remembered the albino, saw him around quite often these days. Might as well ask for help if he already returned the guy’s lost pencil. Quid pro quo, if he wasn’t wrong in use of the term. “Uh, A little help please?”
Renato’s breath quickened when his literal dead (well, not fully but very slow) heart throbbed life-threateningly strong. There was no jinx or cunning fox spirits around and humans had no powers so why did his chest feel like bursting out all of a sudden?
That damned Fon better not be out there somewhere. He’d suck him dry if the slit-eyed jiuweihu was.
To see those auburn eyes batting underneath thick lashes, Renato felt his heart on the verge of a heart disease even though technically, his kind were immune to physical and internal disease.
Was it the blood? But all packets were checked beforehand. A misconduct, mismanagement, even? Renato would suspect a conspiracy were he not endowed with the knowledge his fellow clansmen had also fed from the same source - blood separated neatly in plastic packets - and remained at the peak of health still.
It was then he fully took in the sight of Tsuna’s hands on the goblin’s neck and a growl of possessiveness overtook his better senses and logic. He scooped both figures up: one gentle and the other crass, effortlessly tossing both over both his shoulders. Jerking into a freeze, Tsuna felt quite stunned but refrained from commenting due to shock. The words were stuck somewhere by his throat and he settled wide eyes on the broad back of his senior instead.
The green goblin remained unconscious, unaware of the broken etiquette that might’ve shocked him to death it if it were awake. A vampire, one of the higher social ranking classes, carrying - much less helping - a goblin?! Scandalous!
Once the trio had arrived at the infirmary, the forest dryad nurse ushered both Renato and Tsuna out, driving them to go back to class after thanking the duo kindly. Tsuna moved to leave without hesitation, only to realize that he couldn't because of the cold hand clasped firmly on his shoulder.
The brunet frowned, and then released the tension piled in between his brows when he realized he’d yet to offer his thanks to the schoolmate that assisted him. “Thanks for just now, Ren. You really helped me good.”
Tsuna was going blind here. Ren was the guy’s name right? He’d been warned off the senior before. Dangerous they called the student with dark hair and darker eyes, of noble blood. Gee, it was the 21st century. Tsuna hadn't exactly scoffed outright for fear of Gokudera's well-meaning nagging.
Meanwhile, another static of electricity passed through Renato’s heart. What was with today, was someone trying to use a defib on his doppelganger? What was that shocking static that passed?!
And that term of endearment. High-classed monsters only addressed each other with surnames. To use another’s first name, and shortened at that… Renato wanted to know why he felt so undeniably pleased with the thought of taking Tsuna as his mate.
Tsuna was unaware of Renato’s thoughts, but seeing the confused expression on his school mate, he only felt concerned and approached the vampire. The guy was pale and slightly flushed which equalled to feverish in Tsuna’s humble opinion. Thinking back, Ren's touch had been unnaturally freezing too.
Stepping one step closer, an intense pale crept up the elder’s cheeks. It was awfully obvious even against Renato’s already pale complexion. More so in contrast to the light flush. Tsuna cocked his head to one side and asked: “Do you feel unwell? A fever? You need some liquids to drink or anything? Wait here, I’ll go ask the nurse for some.”
The brunet hurriedly knocked upon the infirmary door. “Liquids for Renato, you say? Here,” the nurse tossed the human a crimson filled packet, “type AB, chilled.”
The first thought to have crossed Tsuna’s mind was: ‘Did tomato juice even help with fevers?’ and ‘They had types? I hadn’t known.’
He casually handed it to the vampire, unknowingly shocking Renato for the nth time already this week. It was human’s blood. Yet, there had been nettle to no form of caution or fear on those rose-coloured cheeks.
It was also during the short time Tsuna headed into the infirmary to grab a blood packet that Renato identified his seeming symptoms of illness. The pureblood had simply fallen into something like love.
“Allow me to court you as my mate, dear Tsuna.”
“What?”
“I may be lacking in the cultural knowledge of humans, but I will try to reconnect and learn diligently. Please, would you offer your hand upon mine?”
Tsuna was confused. His mind slightly in a daze and tired from the earlier drama. The human carelessly put his hand on Renato’s either way, and he certainly was not expecting a kiss to his knuckle from the guy. The vampire looked smug in a way Tsuna couldn’t understand why after he then progressed to peck at the brunet’s lips, settling finally at his neck.
Inwardly, Renato was beaming. He’d always heard that human customs required a kiss to the lips when they were about to court. The act must’ve pleased his potential mate greatly. The vampire was elated to think so.
The kiss on Tsuna’s neck was to bring a claiming (invisible) mark that Tsuna was his. Only his to court. “You’re mine now,” Renato grinned.
“’m not an object,” Tsuna mumbled sleepily as he rubbed at his aching eyes. What a tiring day, he mused to himself.
Deciding to play along from curiosity at the attractive male’s actions, the brunet hadn’t thought of himself as gay before;
It was peculiar, but the indulging affection that glossed past the crimson eyed teen when Tsuna remarked of his apparent ‘worth’ was enough reason to have Tsuna continue to stay.
“Anything for you, sweet Tsuna.”