Chapter Text
Vampires were a thing.
Well, to Tsuna they were. Because he was one and his mother was too.
The problem was explaining the whole Reveal, the existence of supernatural creatures without getting crucified, or a stake to the heart – even though the latter was actually a myth – or dubbed as a crazy person.
Okay, honestly? Being labelled crazy was the least of Tsuna’s problems considering their clan of two lived in Namimori where everyone was short of a screw anyway.
The real problem lied in the attempted murder bit. The humans fear what they don’t understand, a talk his mother gave him when he was a young fletching of age two. Tsuna couldn’t even pronounce his name yet, but he got the idea after the fifth time.
Oh, but the Hibari were in the know because their territorial instincts were nosy like that, so Kyo-san and Tsuna were on pretty good terms as a result. Even better was the perks that came with the relationship: the no-questions-asked understanding from the school board that came with being friends with the scariest family in town.
Tsuna was thus able to take day offs without rhyme or reason.
(Human ones, of course. Human rhyme and reason. Tsuna would actually not live to his second century if humanity continued encouraging global warming as it were.
He does try to avoid skipping important tests or quizzes though. No matter what Kyo-san said about being Hibari heirs having special privileges and whatnot, Tsuna did picture himself having proper qualifications for a job.)
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Not once had Tsuna ever complained about his pattern of only attending classes when the sun wasn’t being so… sunny. His vampirism was a part of him and Tsuna had embraced it from the get go because he’d known nothing else. Skipping classes came with the born-vampire package. Just like the blood diet and enhanced senses, the severe allergy to sunlight and silver.
Reborn’s arrival was a major problem.
The baby that smelled like gunpowder and coffee and an ancient curse was the first person Tsuna contemplated implementing Plan M architected by his mother. The plan that was essentially telling the truth and hoping for the best. Because despite his deceptively harmless appearance, Tsuna was willing to reckon Reborn wasn’t one for bullshit like “Thanks for coming three hours early for home tutoring I don’t need,” in response to Reborn’s casual remark of an… academic evaluation of sorts? That eventually transitioned to:
“I can’t become a Mafia boss – which my mom is certainly in the know now because super hearing, by the way – because I’m a vampire with a terrible, very bad, no good allergy to sunlight and I have chronic low blood pressure that makes me feel like a dead body,” when Reborn isolated him in his room to give the good news of his Mafia boss candidacy.
Sawada Nana had married Iemitsu because he worked overseas and was never home, thus allowing them to feed their blood freely in the open safety of their home. There wouldn’t be questions or responsibilities, she said, and she wanted a child. Consequently, “It’s okay, Tsu-kun,” that Iemitsu’s scent was drenched in tobacco and blood.
Still.
Tsuna opted to keep quiet under the force of Reborn’s announcement then, unintentionally staring directly into the dark, calculating eyes of Reborn. Victory was lost on him either way when Tsuna ultimately cringed backwards. Plan M? Plan M.
Dear god, at least whatever was in that gun of Reborn’s was unlikely to be bullets that were at least 80% silver. Tsuna could recover. The fact his reflexes were unparalleled kind of helped too; what was not helping was Reborn unfastening the safety and taking off the firearm’s muzzle deliberately slowly, all while resting an unreadably blank gaze on him.
It was way too early for this. Plus, Tsuna had to feed like half an hour ago. Reborn who was warmth and blood and betrayal buried beneath his outward scent was starting to seem pretty damn appetizing. Not to mention how the hitman’s steady pulse in the opening and closing of his heart’s valves were crystal clear to Tsuna’s ears.
The combination of senses was illegally tempting. No drooling! Bad Tsuna! Crap, he really hoped his fangs hadn’t popped and his eyes hadn’t changed shaped into something more cat-like.
“Um.” Tsuna leaned forward over the desk in the middle of his room carefully, taking a discreet whiff and holy – Reborn was no slacker in his health, “I think we can discuss the Mafia boss thing with my mother? I’m not going to school today, Reborn-san, so we have time.”
Reborn arched a brow. He looked like a baby and Tsuna was really curious how he made a small quirked eyebrow feel so painfully condescending. “There’s nothing to discuss, Sawada-kun. Your mother will not know–”
From the kitchen, Tsuna heard his mother giggle. “Y-yeah,” he interrupted nervously, “About that. She already does, though.”
“Oh? And how would she, do tell.”
“She heard you. From – uh – downstairs.”
“Doubtful,” Reborn said blandly, and fired a shot just between Tsuna’s feet.
In response, Tsuna jerked a little before pulling a grimace because there was a hole in the floor now. In movies, hitmen with the title of world’s greatest were normally loaded, right? He sure hoped so. The slight tightening in Reborn’s stoically presented features told Tsuna that Reborn may be feeling the creep of irritation at Tsuna’s lacklustre reaction to his show of intimidation.
“She heard you,” he promised, “and that,” he pointed a troubled look at the round hole in the wooden boarding. His new tutor was, admittedly, unimpressed but Tsuna was already distracted by Reborn’s heartbeat that ticked up by a beat in emotion.
“I’m starving,” Tsuna suddenly blurted. It was for his mother to hear so she could take out blood from the fridge as Reborn’s mouth-watering scent was making Tsuna’s control dwindle. Yet for some reason, Reborn’s expression appeared to worsen as though Tsuna had personally insulted him.
Crap. He was supposed to live with the guy? Reborn seemed like a pretty determined person. At this rate, he’d find a way to kill Tsuna while he sleeps in a week flat.
Nana knocked before opening the door to his room. “Tsu-kun’s right,” she smiled, a palm cupping the side of her face, “I heard everything. Now come on down, children. I made breakfast.”
“She made breakfast,” Reborn parroted tonelessly.
“She made breakfast,” Tsuna confirmed kindly.