I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.


Summary: The Mafia kids are hanging out at the Gesso Family home when Lambo has an idea. The package he'd been waiting for has finally arrived and it contains jellybeans. Not just any jellybeans—nasty flavoured jellybeans along with some sweet ones. It's the jellybean challenge, and despite their better judgement, they agree to play. With the exception of Daisy, who knows this can't end well.


BFF Faceoff: Jellybean Challenge

Fingers flying over the plastic video game controller, Nosaru only tore his gaze away from the plasma screen television when his pixel character perished by way of fire-breathing dragon. Scowling, he craned his neck to glance briefly at the arched doorway. "What did Lambo run off to get again?"

"A package," answered I-Pin, meticulously applying sparkling blue nail polish to Bluebell's toenails. "He ordered it a few weeks ago and I guess it just arrived."

"Were you not paying attention?" asked Bluebell.

Nosaru glared at her. "He didn't exactly say anything. He just said his delivery finally arrived and Yamamoto-san was bringing it here for him. I just don't get why he couldn't wait until he got home to open it."

"I think it's something he ordered specifically for all of us," said I-Pin, satisfied with her polish job and setting the strong-smelling bottle aside.

Bluebell carefully raised her feet and propped on the edge of the frosted glass coffee table. "You don't know what it is?"

"It's some sort of challenge."

Her nonchalant words sent her friends into a frozen, silent state. Daisy, who was sitting on the Persian rug, stared at I-Pin with wide eyes. "Challenge?"

"If you would have told me that beforehand I wouldn't have asked you to paint my nails," said Bluebell in agitation. "I can't evacuate like this."

Fran lifted his head from the arm of the white sectional, frog hood hanging halfway over his eyes. "Should have listened to my first instincts that said to stay home. Nothing good ever comes from socializing."

"How about we just lock the door and not let him back in?" suggested Nosaru.

No one got the chance to seriously contemplate the idea, for Lambo charged into the entertainment room, socked feet sliding across the hardwood floor. With a wide grin on his features, he brandished a brown package. "Talk about perfect timing. You guys ready to play a game?"

Nosaru narrowed his eyes. "I-Pin said it was a challenge."

Lambo shrugged. "Same thing." He ripped off the wrapping and revealed a colourful rectangular box. "It's the jellybean challenge, if you want to get specific."

"That's the latest Internet craze, right?" drawled Fran. "You watch too many videos."

"Come on, it'll be fun," insisted Lambo. "There are ten different colours of jellybeans. But each colour has two different flavours—a good one and a nasty one."

Daisy stood up and shuffled over, peering at the candy box Lambo held. He read the flavours off of the back and he frowned. "Barf?"

"I'm gone. I'll see you later," declared Bluebell, getting up from the loveseat. Nosaru immediately pulled her back down.

"If we have to suffer through this, so do you."

Huffing out a breath, Bluebell crossed her arms over her chest. "We're never inviting you lot over again."

"So, who's in?" pressed Lambo. "Take-nii is going to bring I-Pin and I home in about a half hour, so let's hurry up and do this!"

"Gimme those." Nosaru leaned over the back of the loveseat and grabbed the box from Lambo's hands. He studied it for a moment, nose wrinkling at the jellybean flavours. "I always thought you'd be the one to try and poison us."

Rolling his eyes, Lambo glanced at his best friend. "I-Pin?"

"Sure," she replied easily. At the baffled looks Nosaru, Bluebell and Daisy sent her, she added, "Hey, it's not his worst idea. I think it'll be fun."

"Fran?" directed Lambo next.

The illusionist shrugged. "Whatever."

"That's my guy."

"Fine, I'll do it," conceded Nosaru. "I'm no coward. It's just jellybeans. How bad can it be?"

"Famous last words," grumbled Bluebell. She then let out a sigh of resignation. "Fine. But if I throw up on this rug, you get to deal with Byakuran-nii."

Daisy regarded his friends for a moment before deciding, "I'll watch."

"Cool! Rock, paper, scissors to see who goes first," said Lambo eagerly.

As Daisy went to retrieve Nosaru's abandoned video game controller from the loveseat, the purple-haired teen found himself choosing scissors as the others picked rock. Scowling, he turned to glower at Fran, who did not seem inclined to move from his sprawled-out position on the sectional.

"Why do I feel you had something to do with this?"

Fran smirked. "I didn't, you just suck."

Lambo held out the jellybean box with a grin and reached inside, removing a white jellybean. "Which flavour is this one?" he asked suspiciously.

"Spoiled milk or coconut."

"I hate both of those." Nosaru eyed it with disgust before quickly sticking it into his mouth. He took one bite and his taste buds were immediately assaulted with a rancid, intensely sour tang. He turned his head and immediate spat it out. "Blegh!"

Bluebell let out a shriek of disgust at the white chewed-up blob that splattered against the hardwood. "Nosaru, that's disgusting!"

"So was that taste," snapped Nosaru, scrubbing at his tongue with his fingers.

I-Pin grinned. "I guess it wasn't coconut?"

"Did it really taste like spoiled milk?" asked Lambo with intrigue.

"Why don't you find out?" challenged Nosaru.

"I'd rather choose my jellybean by random. Makes it fairer," said Lambo hastily. He pulled out beige jellybean with multi-coloured speckles. "This is either tutti-frutti or stinky socks," he said, reading off the legend on the back of the candy box.

"I always wonder how they decide what stinky socks taste like," mused Fran.

Lambo popped it into his mouth and smiled at the sweet, fruity flavour that struck his tongue once he bit down. Nosaru scowled. "That's not the reaction of someone who just tasted the alleged flavour of stinky socks."

"I'm the master of candy," said Lambo smugly. "Fran, your turn."

"Just pick mine for me."

"I'll do it." Bluebell yanked out a blue jellybean and tossed it towards Fran, who caught it without opening his eyes.

"Mint," he spoke, rolling the jellybean around in his mouth.

"Shoot, I was hoping to get you a bad one." Bluebell reached into the box again and pulled out white jellybean with yellow speckles. "What is this?"

"Rotten egg or buttered popcorn."

"Ew, I want to switch."

Lambo yanked the box out of her reach. "You can't switch! That's not how the challenge works."

I-Pin rested her chin against the palm of her hand, eyebrow raising. "I didn't realize there were rules."

"Of course there are. You have to eat the jellybean you pick. And Nosaru technically lost, since he spat his out."

"Oh, wait a minute—"

"We're not looking for a winner this time," cut in I-Pin calmly. "It's just for fun. Right, Lambo?"

Shrinking slightly at the stern, warning glower she trained on him, Lambo muttered, "Yeah, yeah. So come on Bluebell. Eat it already."

Despite her growing apprehension, Bluebell stuffed the candy into her mouth. A foul taste overwhelmed her and she coughed it out. "Oh my gosh, that is so gross! Who's idea was it to make this stupid candy?"

"Bluebell, that's disgusting!" mocked Nosaru.

Bluebell punched him in the shoulder. "Oh, shut up."

She handed the box over to I-Pin, who removed a yellow jellybean with orange specks. She popped it into her mouth and ate it, nose slowly curling as she chewed. Scanning the legend, she swallowed the candy and said, "Yeah, that's definitely mouldy cheese."

"That's a very disappointing reaction," drawled Fran.

I-Pin shrugged. "I eat a lot of garlic. My taste buds are pretty much made of steel."

Nosaru gestured for her to give him the box and she complied. "Come on, give me something good," he muttered. It was the same jellybean Lambo had eaten and he gingerly popped it into his mouth. His eyes suddenly grew wide and he leaned forwards, hacking it out.

Daisy looked away from his video game and stared blankly at the glob on the floor in front of Nosaru's feet. "Byakuran-san doesn't like messes."

"He's going to give you a good swat if he finds this," agreed Bluebell.

"It tasted like sweat! How the heck did they manage to make candy taste like sweat?" demanded Nosaru.

"If you question the tactics of candy manufacturers you probably wouldn't ever want to eat candy again," replied Fran.

Lambo leaned over the back of the couch and reached over Nosaru, taking out a brown jellybean. His face immediately twisted in revulsion and he gagged. "Ugh, dog food!"

"I feel slightly better now," said Nosaru.

Bluebell watched, aghast, as Lambo swallowed the jellybean. "I can't believe you ate it."

I-Pin smirked. "It's not the first time he's eaten pet food."

"Shut up," snapped Lambo.

"You're always weirder than I think," teased Nosaru. He withstood the hit Lambo aimed at his head and tossed a dark orange candy to Fran.

"Peach," the teal-haired teen said.

"He's cheating," said Bluebell with a scowl. "It's his witchcraft."

"Or he's just lucky," drawled Nosaru. "Take one."

With a weary groan, Bluebell pulled out a jellybean, relief flooding through her when she discovered it was blue. She happily stuck in her mouth and said cheerfully, "Blueberry. Thanks for sharing your witchcraft."

"I didn't do anything," said Fran with a roll of his eyes, "but you're welcome."

Nosaru extended the box and I-Pin pulled out a green jellybean. An earthy taste coated her taste buds and she said thoughtfully, "Sort of tastes like dirt."

"That would be lawn clippings," said Nosaru. "And it's back to me." He pulled out a dark orange piece and reluctantly stuck it into his mouth. He immediately buckled over, clutching his stomach, head falling into Daisy's lap.

"Please don't puke on me," said Daisy, lifting the controller so it would not bang against Nosaru's head.

After several gags, Nosaru finally sat up, face tinged green. "That was barf," he rasped. "Definitely barf."

"You actually swallowed what's probably the worst one," said Lambo, impressed. He took out a jellybean, shoulders slumping when he realized it was the same one as Nosaru had just eaten. "Please be peach," he begged.

Three seconds later he was kneeling on the floor, gripping the back of the couch. Nosaru pumped his fist in the air. "Yes!"

"If you don't swallow it you're a wimp," called Fran. "Nosaru ate his."

With a great degree of difficulty, Lambo managed to finish the candy. "I don't know they came up with that flavour," he groaned. "It's revolting."

"Daisy, pick out a jellybean for Fran."

The green-haired boy complied, pulling out a brown jellybean and tossing it over to Fran. He popped it into his mouth and said, "Chocolate pudding."

Lambo frowned. "Maybe he is cheating."

"I told you, I'm not."

"Pick mine, Daisy," insisted Bluebell. She was handed a yellow-orange jellybean and the foul flavour immediately conquered the lingering blueberry taste. "Ugh! Daisy, you were supposed to give me a good one!" she gagged.

Daisy merely shrugged in apology and returned to his video game.

"Peach," declared I-Pin when she had selected her jellybean, grinning at Bluebell's pout.

"I quit!" declared Nosaru. "I keep getting all the nasty ones and we're not persecuting the cheater."

"I'm not cheating," snapped Fran.

"Take-nii will be up soon to get us," said I-Pin, checking her watch. "I guess we'll have to pick this up another time."

"Or never," countered Bluebell.

"One more," coaxed Lambo. "We all take a handful of jellybeans and eat them."

"No. Absolutely not." Bluebell crossed her arms over her chest. "Nosaru has nearly vomited three times now and this is going to put him over the edge."

"Probably," Nosaru failed to deny. "But I'm tempted, because it'll be impossible for Fran to get a handful of purely good flavours and he deserves this."

"My gag reflex is not nearly as poor as yours," returned Fran.

Lambo poured a handful of colourful jellybeans into his hand and held out the box, a anticipatory grin on his features. "Well?"

Struggling internally for a brief moment, Nosaru grabbed the box. "Let's do this."

"Gimme," ordered Fran. When the candy was thrown in his direction he dumped out enough to fill his hand. "Bluebell?"

Pursing her lips together, the girl caught the box when Fran tossed it at her. She slowly took her fill of jellybeans. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Iron stomach, don't fail me now," muttered I-Pin, letting Bluebell fill her cupped hands with candy.

"One," began Lambo, "two…three!"

Five minutes later, Byakuran, Yamamoto and Gamma made their way towards the entertainment room. They came to an immediate halt in the doorway at the sight they came upon. Nosaru was hunched over the loveseat, saliva and strands of vomit falling from his mouth as he retched. Lambo was curled in a ball on the floor, weeping in what seemed to be pain, though he didn't appear to be injured. Bluebell was sprawled out on the loveseat, a disgusting glob of chewed-up sweets on the surface of the table. I-Pin was meditating in the armchair, eyes closed and a tinge of green to her cheeks. Fran was splayed out across the sectional, fast asleep with drool on his chin. Daisy was focussed on the television, fingers jabbing the buttons on his controller, eyes shifting to regard his friends with bewilderment.

Gamma moved quickly to Nosaru's side, taking a light hold of the back of his neck. "Are you ill?"

"Did you overdo it on the candy?" asked Yamamoto in exasperation, kneeling beside Lambo and trying to get him to sit up.

"Daisy, what happened?" asked Byakuran in concern.

"Jellybean challenge," explained Daisy, pointing to the discarded box on the floor, dozens of pieces scattered across the hardwood.

Byakuran knelt down and studied the flavour legend, eyebrows raising. "Spoiled milk, dead fish, lime, barf—what kind of jellybeans are these?"

Daisy shrugged. "They took turns. You either get a good one or a bad one. They all ate a handful at the end. I guess it was really gross."

Gamma stared down at Nosaru, who was slumped over the edge of the couch. "My sympathy for you is now gone."

"I know," he groaned. "It was stupid. I couldn't help it. Fran kept getting all the good jellybeans and I wanted to see him suffer. But it backfired. He ate his and then pretty much fell asleep immediately after."

"I should have followed Daisy's lead," groaned Bluebell, rubbing at her mouth with the back of her hand. "I need to brush my teeth."

"Nuh-uh," uttered Byakuran when Bluebell made to get off the couch to leave. "You aren't going anywhere until you scrub this place down. This is disgusting." He glanced at Gamma and Yamamoto, adding, "I'm keeping them captive for another couple hours."

"More than fair," agreed Yamamoto, helping Lambo to his feet. "I suppose I know now what was in that package."

"Should have guessed," sighed Gamma. "It's always you who starts something."

"Not always," said Lambo weakly. "Just mostly." He glanced at Byakuran apologetically. "Sorry. I thought it would be fun."

"You'll be forgiven once you clean up this mess. I'll get the mop and bucket."

Byakuran swept out of the room to get the necessary cleaning supplies and Gamma rubbed Nosaru's back in fond exasperation. He glanced over at the still and silent I-Pin and asked, "Is she okay?"

"Perfectly fine," assured Yamamoto. "She's probably meditating to focus her mind on the state of her body and less on her stomach."

"Why do we leave them alone?"

Grinning, the Rain Guardian replied, "Because it's impossible to monitor them every second of every day, as much we might want to."

Another body appeared in the doorframe and they turned to see Levi standing there, car keys swinging from his finger. He took in the scene, particularly the slumbering Fran, and spun on his heel.

"You know what, tell Byakuran he can keep him."