Title: Doing a Favor
Characters: Reborn, Skull
Summary: Skull finds himself stuck in a situation where Reborn's sadism seems to be at its peak. To think that he would take words from the past so seriously… maybe.
Notes: Eight hundred fifty-nine words. Reborn x Skull. For Lee on Tumblr.
"You're all talk," Skull announced nonchalantly. "Strongest assassin? What a short-lived title. You're going to die soon so why bother coming here!" He grinned. "Unlike the rest of you, even the grim reaper hates me because I'm the man who can even avoid death itself, so this fucking stuff is nothing."
It took only one swift punch in the gut and the sound of a gun cocked and pointing at his forehead for the stuntman to momentarily stop talking and look with annoyance at the attacker.
"Cocky brats like you hardly get anywhere," the other said coolly, gun still aimed at his head.
"Yeah? Well, I'd say you're pretty fucking arrogant to think that a stupid little gun like yours could kill me."
"If you want to die so badly, I will grant you that favor."
.
"Put your feet back on the ground, lackey." Reborn glowers at Skull, nodding his head to the muddy boots that now tarnished the table. "You're paying for a new one now."
"Oh, just clean it up, it's only a little bit of dir—"
It used to take several snarky comments, a couple punches and throws, and a rather bloodied Skull. Now, it takes only one look to quickly shut the Cloud Arcobaleno up and obey Reborn, who gives a nod of approval.
"So, why did you even call me over?" Skull looks uneasily at the man in front of him. It's rare for Reborn to ever ask for his presence, let alone send a cordial invitation (read: gruesome task which would kill the average being).
"I was just remembering the first time we met. And it occurred to me that I never did the favor of killing you," he says calmly, picking up a cup of coffee from the side table. "I figured I should do something about that now."
Skull looks at Reborn with alarm. "B-But even you must know that I only said stuff like that due to the fact that I didn't know better."
"A man never goes back on his word, Skull."
Skull looks at him, aghast, and quickly jumps over the sofa just in time to dodge a bullet that leaves a hole where the stuntman was mere seconds ago.
"R-Reborn, be rational now! I-I haven't done anything to yo—"
"Less words, more action."
Gun shots echo throughout the room with Skull sputtering and dodging. He leaps behind the grandfather clock Reborn seemed so fond of.
Bang!
"Okay, guess my death means more to you than this clock," the Cloud Arcobaleno mutters, quickly pushing the bonging clock to the floor. A cacophonous crash, two gunshots, and a variety of swears later, Skull dives for a potted plant. It's futile, since Reborn's aims are far too accurate for his own good.
"Jesus, I know your skills and prowess now, so give me a fucking break already, Reborn!"
"Not until you're dead," he says, his lips quirking into a smile. Or is that a grimace? Skull finds that running around the room with no particular weapons at hand helped to figure out what was going on through the mind of one of the most mysterious men.
Skull clutches his chest, his breathing getting heavier. He looks wildly at Reborn. "Have you gone insane?" He doesn't have the same stamina and skill as he did in the past, but just barely enough to hang on.
"You paused for too long."
Bang!
He staggers forward, falling to the floor, clutching his arm. Looking at his hand, it takes a couple seconds for his brain to register that he's actually bleeding.
"You… you fucking shot me."
"I did say I was going to kill you." Reborn walks forward, smoke still rising from the metal hanging casually from his hand.
An unfamiliar emotion flickers within Skull's heart, and his eyes dart around the room. He isn't one who's particularly familiar with fear, especially when it comes to death. Perhaps it's because he's so used to narrowly avoid entering a state of rigor mortis.
At least, until now.
"This is an incredibly anticlimactic way of dying," Skull finally says. "I kind of pictured more explosions and well… not in your fucking coffee-scented living room, which has now been destroyed thanks to your crazed ways."
Rather than responding, the Sun Arcobaleno sits roughly on the other's stomach. "Are you ready to meet your grim reaper?" He pushes the barrel of his gun to Skull's chest.
Reborn smirks as he leans down and presses his lips against the other's, taking a quick nip at the flesh, and then pulling away.
"Get out of here," he says, getting off of the other, "now that you've met your grim reaper. It's going to be a nightmarish life you'll be living now."
Skull looks at Reborn with incredulity, at first, but sighs, smiling a little. "You're a cruel, sadistic bastard."
"And you wouldn't have it any other way," he responds. And what do you know; Reborn is back to sipping his coffee as though nothing ever happened. He also adds, "Oh, and for your incompetence, you're also paying for the damages you have caused."
Skull's jaw drops.