This contains light slash, which involves two people of the male gender, you have been warned.

Since it's summer vacation, and I had nothing better to do with my ample time (except for maybe, well, homework, but I'll ignore it for another week or two or five), I was rewatching ReboCon 2008 and saw 2010 for the first time. This has nothing to do with it, but was inspired by it.

Enjoy.

For all that he went through in the world nine years and ten months in the future, Tsuna's return to the past was without the pomp and circumstance that he thought it should deserve. But now, back in the past, he found himself slipping all too easily back into his old daily routine. He was still going to Namimori Middle School, still tripping over his own shoes in gym class, and still surviving hellish studying sessions with Reborn like he was right now.

Knowing that Reborn's eyes were on him the entire time, the boss-to-be made sure to give nothing less than his best on each math problem. Almost as if his life depended on it. If Reborn wasn't cocking a gun at him, Tsuna would have laughed at the irony. His life did depend on his ability to compute algebra, he thought in the privacy of his head. His hand frantically scribbled out equations and numbers and variables. Just about when it felt like his wrist was going to fall off, he set his pencil down triumphantly.

"Done!" Tsuna exclaimed, his eyes burned from staring at the stark black and white of his worksheet that they began to water. He blinked back what would have been tears.

Reborn hopped down from the lofty perch of his hammock, and landed with catlike grace onto the table. Tsuna found himself envious. His life sure would be easier if he wasn't so clumsy. "Read the answers out loud," Reborn instructed and Tsuna felt the sting of cold metal at his temple, and he paled as he went a cross-eyed to see that Reborn had a sleek revolver to his head. "Pray that your answers are right," the baby continued, sadistic words looking out of place with the youthful voice and apathetic expression on his face. There was a distinct click, and the ominous sound sent shivers down Tsuna's spine.

"Number one."

Tsuna gathered the paper in his hand and read off what, for the sake of his future, was the right answer. "X-x equals twenty-seven," he stuttered.

If the answer was wrong, the tutor didn't say anything to acknowledge it. Tsuna took the fact that he didn't have a bullet through his head to mean that his answer was correct. "Two," the tutor prompted.

Tsuna felt his confidence grow, but knew that he shouldn't get cocky, he still had four more problems to go. "P equals two, and the parabola opens to the right."

"Three."

Idly, Tsuna found it interesting how Reborn made everything into a statement. "The matrix has no inverse."

"Four." Reborn's eyes were trained on Tsuna the entire time, and Tsuna felt a bead of sweat run down his temple. He watched as Reborn's eyes followed the drop on a trail down his face, curve at his chin, and trace a lazy line down his throat. The teenager suddenly felt self-conscious- Reborn always had a way to make him feel preyed upon. "The center of the circle is at (8,0)".

Reborn made a humming noise, and Tsuna felt very, very afraid that his answer was wrong. The finger positioned at the trigger made no movement, and there was a tense moment where Tsuna thought that he was seriously going to die.

"Five."

Tsuna let out a sigh of relief and said, "Y equals plus and minus three." Reborn's stare seemed to burn a whole in him, and Tsuna thought he saw his tutor's hand twitch on the gun.

Reborn snatched the worksheet with his free hand, and seemed to glance at all the work. Tsuna waited with baited breath. He let out a sigh of relief when the pressure against his forehead was removed, and tucked into the hammer space of Reborn's suit. Reborn smirked and hopped off the table. "Don't get cocky," his tutor cautioned as he left the room.

Tsuna watched the baby as he exited his bedroom, and closed the door with a soft click. He looked left and right to make sure Reborn still wasn't watching him, and after a brief glance around the room, he deemed the coast to be clear. He slumped over the table and leaned his cheek onto the cool surface of the table.

With all that happened in the future, Tsuna found himself zoning out and thinking about small details that he had never considered before. One thing that he noticed was that his hands were different. Fighting with the X-Gloves had hardened his fingers, and he noticed that what once would have had his fingers bleeding (pressing too hard on a sharp object) left no blemishes on his now thicker skin. He idly squeezed one of his fingertips between two fingers, and suddenly had the image of squishing the pad of a cat's paw. It was squishy. He smiled and then prodded at his finger again. It was kind of addicting.

Still playing with his fingers, Tsuna turned his head so that his other cheek got some time with the refreshingly cold surface of his table. He grimaced when he noticed it was lukewarm with the heat of the previous side, so he scooted his whole body a little to the right and farther from the door and let out a sigh of content when his cheek settled on the virgin patch of table. Bliss. The way his head was turned, he could see the bedroom door, and the heir to the throne of the greatest Mafia family found himself wondering when his tutor would come back.

In the future, Reborn was dead.

The thought sent shivers down his spine. The Reborn that Tsuna knew seemed so invincible. It was inconceivable that such a ruthlessly strong being could be nothing but immortal. His teacher was with him since day one, always there for Tsuna. He was always pressing his student to surpass himself , there at every hurdle that Tsuna had to overcome, and at each and every battle that he fought.

Reborn was Tsuna's rock, and the knowledge that Reborn had died in the future made him look at his tutor for a few seconds longer than he would have in the past. Knowing that he lost someone so important made him feel lost. Tsuna suddenly found himself cherishing his tutor more. Though still reluctant, he'd listen to every word that Reborn said. His eyes would linger on his tutor longer, as if to memorize every detail. He was happy to have someone so strong and smart and reliable by his side.

Tsuna jerked himself from his thoughts and sat ramrod straight. He sounded like a girl! Thinking about his wonderfully amazing tutor that way… He slapped himself in the face to snap himself out of it. The way his thoughts were going, it sounded like he was, in love with Reborn!

There was a moment where he seriously contemplated that statement, before his mouth went dry and he blush red all the way to his ears.

That sounded so wrong, but it made perfect sense! Tsuna was so much more protective (he was sure that Reborn would pump his body full of lead if he heard his student make him sound so weak, even in the privacy of his own thoughts) of his tutor, and it always freaked him out if Reborn was out of his sight for too long. That was why he (although he faked annoyance) hung onto every word the Arcobaleno said and, and, and…!

He was in love with Reborn.

He fell back onto the floor and onto a pillow. He gathered the fluffy parcel into a death grip in his arms and rolled around excitedly. He was in love, in love, in love. He giggled nervously, and then laughed out loud at his revelation. This wasn't a puppy love like with Kyoko, he noted, a crush manufactured out of an admiration for her personality. This was love, love, love….and the emotion made him fell giddy and happy and ready to take on the world.

He didn't notice the door opening. Tsuna slowly stopped and lay flat to look at the ceiling, a content look on his face. He didn't notice his tutor's reemergence into the bedroom. He smiled cheerfully and hugged the pillow tighter. He didn't notice Reborn was coming closer, until his tutor was leaning over him. Tsuna blinked,

The infant lifted an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" The way he said it made the question sound more like a statement, more skeptical and uncaring and really more like of a "what the hell are you doing, idiot" than anything else.

If Tsuna had been thinking straight, and not in the afterglow of his epiphany, he would have stood up right there, proceed to shriek, and run away. But, right now, liquid courage ran through his blood. "I was thinking."

Reborn looked at him strangely, as if the concept of his student thinking was inconceivable. "About what," he said finally.

Tsuna looked at Reborn as if contemplating something, before he said, "I love you." He tugged on Reborn's tie, and leaned up to catch Reborn in a kiss. It was a soft kiss, nothing more than a prolonged brush of one pair of lips to another. Tsuna's eyes were opened the entire time, and so were Reborn's.

They broke apart, and there was a moment where they sat, just looking at each other. Realizing that he was still half-laying on the ground and propped painfully on one elbow, he pulled himself into a sitting position. Then he realized the full repercussions of his action, that he had just kissed Reborn. And he blushed, still under the scrutiny of Reborn's gaze, and began to play with his fingers nervously.

Just when Tsuna was expecting his tutor to go trigger crazy, the Arcobaleno smirked.

"It's about time," he said, and pulled Tsuna into another kiss.

Reborn is really good at everything he does, Tsuna realized as he let his eyes flutter shut. This was nothing like the clumsy amateurish brush of lips he had instigated earlier. It was harder and (he felt his manly pride wither) passionate. The way Reborn did that thing with his bottom lip…. Tsuna felt himself grab Reborn's hand, and the tutor weaved their fingers together. Like a lover's grip, Tsuna thought. He really did everything just right, that baby…

Tsuna broke from the kiss, panting and a little short of breath. Reborn watched with cool eyes as his protégé took deep breaths to calm down. After calming himself, Tsuna looked at Reborn, at their entwined hands, and then at Reborn again.

A guilty expression crossed his face. Or rather, it passed his face and was replaced by a different one, but immedietly came back and camped there.

If Reborn had felt irritated at the abrupt end in their make out session, he didn't show it, but there was an impatient tone to his voice when he asked, "What is it?"

Tsuna blushed and sheepishly scratched his head with his free hand. "It's just that…" He bit his lip, unsure if he should finish his statement.

"What?"

Tsuna nervously laughed under the gaze of his tutor. "I just realized that I'm a pedophile." The thought certainly had brought him from cloud nine and back to earth. The boy continued to look anywhere but at Reborn, until he seemed to decide that the floor was the most fascinating thing in the room.

Reborn stared at him unblinkingly, and Tsuna suddenly felt very self-conscious about his remark. Just when Tsuna felt that the intensity of Reborn's gaze was about to cause him to spontaneously combust, the infant let out a chuckle. "You're a pedophile? How do you think I feel?"

"Huh?"

"I only look this age because of the curse. Tsuna, I'm much older than you think." Reborn's gaze was steely, and there was a smirk tugging on the corners of his lips.

"I-I know that! It's just I feel like a pedophile when I m-make out with a baby!" His face still red with embarrassment, Tsuna retorted. He blushed even further when he stuttered.

"Well, I am a pedophile. I was sexually assaulting an underage boy much more than a few years younger than I am." There was a predatory look on his face and a flash of teeth, and Tsuna found himself swallowing. "And in fact, I have no plans on stopping any time soon."

The wide grin that Reborn had on his face made him realize how wrong it was of him to worry about violating the child-like hitman.

This child-like hitman was going to violate him.

...

Did anyone else go to the LM.C Concert at FanimeCon 2010? It was fun.

...

Also. CARD GAMES ON MOTORCYCLES!