The Swap by ficklepickles
From the moment he had sniffed him, he had already known. The frighteningly powerful animal instincts that had been forced into him told him what was important. It was his human mind and dedication to his boss that overrode the instinct the first few times.
It was easier when he saw him as an enemy. All he had to do was translate 'enemy' into 'prey' and he was fine.
Things became more complicated when his boss then became chummy with him.
That...was problematic.
"You're drooling."
"Shut up Kaki-pi!" Ken snapped. He wiped at his mouth with his sleeve. Yeah, he was drooling, so what?
It wasn't like it was anything new.
Instead of ignoring it, Chikusa fixed him with a stare. "What are you thinking about."
"Nothing, pyon!" Ken replied, turning around and scratching at his arms.
"You only drool when you're excited." Chikusa observed. "There's been a lack of prey recently...and you're itchy."
"So?" The blonde scratched at his head.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi." Chikusa deadpanned.
"Where!" Ken flew backwards and landed in a crouch, his head swiveling side-to-side in a nervous, searching, gesture.
"Hm." The bespectacled boy pushed up his glasses with a finger. He looked at his partner thoughtfully. "Mukuro-sama won't be pleased. He has already laid claim to the boy's body."
"Keh." Ken grunted, straightening. "That's got nothing to do with me, pyon." He stuck his tongue out and grinned.
"As long you know that."
Ken turned around and scratched his head again.
Chikusa stood and watched him for a moment. Unlike he who had been schooled to be emotionless, Ken was brought up to be the opposite. The chemicals that had so altered their bodies when they were young had left lasting marks, none so apparent as on the blonde.
The itchiness that occurred whenever Ken thought of the Vongola heir was an effect caused by his hairs rising up. It was a physical response. Ken was foolish to ignore it.
The drooling was an obvious and somewhat human reaction as well. If the blonde would not treat his condition, in time it would become troublesome.
From his satchel, Chikusa drew a pad of paper and a pen. He quickly scratched out an address in neat print. "Here." He said, tearing off the sheet and holding it out to his companion.
"What is it?" The blonde looked at it curiously.
"Just don't make yourself too noticeable." The dark-haired boy warned.
Ken's eyes widened. "Kaki-pi! Thanks." He took the paper and studied it, then looked down the road.
"I won't tell." Chikusa said quietly, easing the blonde's mind in case he worried about the boss.
Ken nodded and slipped a set of fangs into his mouth. "Cheetah Channel," he whispered, and raced off.
Tsuna rolled over uncomfortably. He had the oddest sensation of being watched.
Tossing a suspicious look toward his tutor, he was relieved to see the baby snoring peacefully in his hammock...with his eyes open.
Tsuna wasn't sure he could ever get used to that, those eyes constantly open around him. It wasn't the same sensation as the one he was feeling at the moment though. This was a distinct awareness of being spied upon.
Slowly, he shifted to face the window, his eyes open just a slit. Ah, there!
A lumpy shadow was perched outside. That was what watching him.
Moonlight glinted off two topaz colored orbs. They were vaguely familiar, but had not stirred his intuition.
He felt no animosity, no killing intent. Whatever was there hadn't come to harm him. Reassured, Tsuna closed his eyes the rest of the way, and fell back asleep.
Rabbit.
That had been Ken's first reaction upon seeing the boy. Large frightened eyes, and a meek demeanor, the boy screamed 'prey.'
Then after they had been beaten and captured, Ken had to revise his opinion. Though the impression was similar to a rabbit, Tsuna wasn't prey.
Ken wanted to keep Tsuna nearby, for whatever strange reason, or at least keep him in sight.
The blonde yawned from where he sprawled on a wall. He was in Wolf Channel after getting lost in town and having to sniff his way to the correct house. In this form, his night vision was terrible, but he consoled himself with the scent.
Tsuna's smell was strong from where it wafted from his open window. That baby was there too, but the blonde wasn't interested in him.
There were other smells in Tsuna's room as well. They bothered him a bit. Most of them were of the Vongola Famiglia, but there were extra male scents that caused his head to itch. He identified one as Lancia, and wondered what that man had been doing in the room.
A sharp smell caught in his nostrils. It was the highest ranked fighter at Namimori, Hibari Kyouya.
A soft growl rumbled from his throat. He was annoyed. Placing a set of feline teeth in his mouth, he silently bounded up the wall, and settled onto the Tsuna's window frame.
Carefully, he slid the window open just a crack. It was enough for him to sneak his arm through and reach Tsuna's cluttered desk. After a moment of deliberation, he unsnapped one of his barrettes and placed it on the corner of the desk. As he was about to leave, he saw something laying there and snagged it.
Then, he closed the window and ran off with his prize.
He met up with Chikusa, who had been waiting at their shared apartment, book in hand. Once the beanie-wearing boy saw him, his book closed with a snap and he wordlessly walked to his room.
"Heh, thanks Kaki-pi." Ken said once more, grinning.
Chikusa regarded him with a nod, and closed his door.
Ken scampered into his own room.
While the blonde hadn't done much, it made him feel a lot better. In his hand he clutched a tiger-headed mechanical pencil. He placed it on his own, somewhat barren, desk and chuckled to himself.
Happily, he lay down on his bed. Not only had he left something of his own scent there, but he had also taken something of Tsuna's, smell and all, with him.
"Oi, Reborn! Have you seen my pencil?" Tsuna called, lifting up papers in his search.
"Here." The baby held up a plastic object.
"That's not it." The boy said exasperated. "That's a barrette."
"Wear it." Reborn said, cocking a gun.
"Eep!" Hurriedly, Tsuna grabbed it and clipped it onto his hair.
Reborn looked at it. "Good." He said simply. "You can use this for a pencil in the meantime." The baby tossed him a crayon and strolled away.
Tsuna looked at the crayon and sighed. Whatever, he was already late for school. He pocketed the crayon and grabbed his bag to run out after his tutor. If he noticed that the barrette was strangely reassuring, he said nothing of it.
At school, Yamamoto commented on how familiar it looked and asked him where it came from. Reborn simply smiled.
end
Short and hopefully sweet. This was written in fifteen minutes at 3:00AM.