"Ta-da." Skull moves the fabric aside and reveals the shiny all black motorcycle underneath, which Reborn's probably already seen. It's quite boring looking in Skull's opinion, but the hitman always had a taste for anything overpriced and boringly common. "A gift for you."

Reborn's leaning against the garage's door like the paranoid he is, as if Skull is stupid enough to try anything against him in an enclosed space. (He is, but it's not the point.)

He comes closer when he doesn't continue though, and stops when only the motorcycle stands between them, arms crossed on his chest.

"It's the most advanced model on the market right now, and the most advanced one anywhere really since I customized it. It's fast, and I mean fast, bulletproof right up to the tires, and of course resists to Dying Will Flames too. Also a two-place, for when you want to play Casanova." Skull wiggles his eyebrows at that and only get a dismissive tilt of the fedora for it, but he doesn't miss the little smile at the corner of Reborn's lips.

"Icing on the cake," he resumes, "the motorcycle has a reserve of Cloud flames Verde said you'd find a way to use. And Mist flames too, from Viper, who's hiding somewhere in the room."

Skull lets his eyes sweep over the room, not expecting much, then focus back on Reborn. Reborn who is looking pointedly at him. Very pointedly.

It takes him a moment to catch on because, surely, they wouldn't… ?

Skull turns around, his back to Reborn. "Are you using me as a shield Viper ?"

The Mist appears then, all but nose to nose with him — well, they would be anyway if they were the same height as him. "What makes you think that ?"

"The facts, Viper."

"How curious."

Skull raises his hands in the air but the click of a gun cuts off their discussion. He turns back to face the hitman and doesn't forget to side-stepped. (The Mist has the gall to huff at that.)

"Now then, in what honor is this —" Reborn gestures vaguely to the motorcycle with his free hand — "gift ?"

"What do you think ? It's a peace offering."

"More like a sacrifice in exchange of our life," Viper corrects. "So stop wasting my time."

How rich of them. They just had to mist themselves away whenever Reborn was around. Skull on the contrary spent these last few days jumping out windows or ducking behind furniture or being chased around in the mansion. (It's actually been fun if he's being honest with himself. A hell of a lot more fun than what their cat-and-dog type relationship usually entails, but he doesn't want to push his chance.)

Reborn goes around the vehicle slowly and sits on it. He keeps his gun pointed at them while he grazes the cold metal, always with his theatrics.

Skull do not yelp at the sudden gunshot. He's quick to raise his hands in surrender. "I swear I was thinking it as a compliment."

"Reborn is not a mind reader." Viper's tone is often annoyed, usually neutral, but rarely exasperated like it is now. "How many times the only psychic in this house have to tell you ?"

"Aw, still jealous Viper dear ?"

"We're leaving Skull."

He would have love that, but Skull hasn't the time to do literally anything that Reborn yanks him by his collar. He's standing now, like the gun under his chin isn't intimidating enough.

"I'll take your gift."

"Great. You're welcome." He wants to look away — at Viper preferably who maybe only needs his signal to try and help him — but Reborn blacks eyes are… really black. His breath smell like coffee, as usual, warm on his skin.

"It better not be one of your funny ideas, Lackey."

"Of course not Sir, I would never." The hand stays put despite his efforts to remove it so Skull just gives up. The hitman's smirk is infuriating, that's the only reason he's looking at it. Reborn slides the gun all the way up his chin to his lips, and stops it just right on the piercing there.

A chill run down Skull's spine. He feels hot all of a sudden.

"I wonder about that."

A flash goes off, blinding him from the corner of his eyes. The pure look of annoyance which crosses Reborn's face is so worth the end of the short-lived truce, Skull doesn't even mind. At least this time he's not to blame.

It's weird Skull had been asked to come on the mission, no matter how Viper recognizes he is the best driver of them all — or anybody really —, but he sure will do the most of it. Right now it means walking slowly, dragged by the hand as he is.

The neighborhood they're in isn't welcoming. The streets are full of mafioso who think they're being discreet in their side glances. If not them, the civilians present walk in hurried steps, heads down and close to each other. All the windows are closed despite the good weather.

Skull couldn't care less about all of it. All that's matter is that he is outside with the mansion nowhere in sight, the clear sky above his head and surrounded by noises of more than six people going on about their day.

He makes a face at a crying boy whose gaze he caught ahead of them, and multiple more until he gets a smile out of him. He's shifting towards him and his father intent on earning himself a laugh, when Colonnello tugs on his hand and brings him back to his side.

"Let's stay focused Skull. We're on a job remember ?" He only hums noncommittally, eyes already wandering around. "Should I put you on a leash then ?"

Skull would have tripped head first if not for Colonnello holding his hand. He gives the blond an incredulous look. "Kinky."

"Was that a yes ?" Colonnello's smile widens and maybe Skull goes the tiniest bit weak in the knees.

"Should I put both of you on a leash ?" Viper appears before them when they were farther ahead, and goddamnit they really need to stop doing that.

They stare at each other for a moment before —

"Kinky," both him and Colonnello say at the same time.

The Mist looks… like they have a hood covering half of their face, actually. But they're bonded, and they're a psychic, and so their want to bash them in the head doesn't go unnoticed.

Colonnello offers his hand. "You can have that if you want."

Viper hesitates for all of a second. They snatch the hand before them and resume walking like nothing is wrong. Skull gasps as loud as he can, and then some more just because.

"They really took it." Colonnello glances at him, unrestrained smugness all over his face. Skull saunters to him and intertwines their arms. "Aren't they so bold ?" He mock-gossips. "We're in public."

Colonnello's snickers are cut short when Viper yanks on his hand. They both fall down laughing.

Everything goes to shit as it often does. It started pretty well too, as it often does. Why they were three of them to meet with the client, Skull isn't too sure — something about the client's wish for them to complete the job the very same day, in the event they were to accept it.

He missed the signal which started the ambush, but he knows it isn't because of a refusal. They didn't even get the time to get there before guns were out and ready to be used — something about how Viper pissed the client somehow, he isn't really sure either.

Everything goes to shit and it actually doesn't matter. They know the song well enough, even Skull. Having his flames wrap around him and in stand-by right beneath his skin, then making it up as it goes is an exercise he's familiar with.

Except Viper and Colonnello go full battle mode with their flames and Skull doubles over in pain.

It takes him long seconds of white-hot blinding pain and panic to realize none of them got hurt. To realize it's the Bond, sharpened by the high use of flames. The high use of flames which sharpen in turn their Dissonance.

Mist flames take over the room and it feels like two sharps of glass grinding against each other. Like someone is trying to merge them together but only succeed to break them even more in pieces the more they tried.

Skull drags himself into a corner and makes sure to not act on his instinct. (He's not sure if he wants to make both him and Viper feel better, or rip his flames away from their Bond for good.) Between one man who falls prey to Mist flames and another, he wonders why Colonnello's bond doesn't hurt him the same.

A burst of pain takes his breath away, still not his, and his eyes fly open. He gets rid of the purple flames which blur his vision, and first notice the bodies lying dead at his feet.

The second thing he notices is Colonnello and Viper facing each other across the room, just before the Mist stumbles on his feet. Blood slip between their fingers where they're clutching their side.

He's by their sides with a few quick steps and leads Viper to the closest intact chair. He lets a hand on their back, rubbing it up and down.

Skull is weak on his feet still. If it's how the Dissonance feel between him and Viper, he wonders how much worse it is between Viper and the others. He thinks back of Reborn at this particular breakfast, paler than normal, eyes less sharp than usual. Is that how the both of them felt each time they were going out on their missions this last month ?

Skull never took the time to think about what the Curse would meant for Elements bonded more tightly than he ever was with the Arcobaleno. He feels guilty Viper has to get shot for him to do so.

He swallows around the lump in his throat, and takes notes of the tension between his two Elements only when Colonnello speaks.

"Let me look at it."

"I'm fine. I don't need your flames."

"Well I'll need them to slow the blood loss Viper." Colonnello puts back his anti-rifle on his back and crouches down in front of the chair. He has a first aid kit in his hands he found somewhere in the room. "I need to patch you up so you can last until we get you to a doctor. No one is talking about forcing a Bond on you."

Viper tenses under his hand. "You can always try if you want. But Lal was —"

"- Is." Colonnello's voice is like ice, low and warning. Skull looks at his face, all hard traits at the moment, and remember it's the man who took a curse meant for one of the Strongest in the world and survived it. He's glad he sounds a bit more like himself when he talks again. "It's complicated, but Lal's Rain flames are still there. And I would never even think to do something like that to her. Never insult me like that again."

The silence is tense around them, and Skull finds himself a bit afraid. He would try to pacify them through their Bond but he has no idea how to do that. He gets on his knees instead, redirects Viper's focus on him.

"You're hurting Viper. We just want to make it better okay ?" He squeezes their arm. "Please."

It takes another tense silence for Viper to lean against the chair, all will to fight seemingly lost from them. Skull stays on his knees, his arms crossed on the armrest and his head resting on them. They don't say a word while Colonnello gets to work. Apparently the bullet went through the body and didn't touch anything important so it isn't so bad.

He doesn't mean to say the words, actually holds them back as long as he can, but he blurts them out anyway. "Aren't you in Dissonance with us too, Colonnello ?"

The Rain doesn't miss a beat, doesn't stop in his movements. "Yeah I am. Well —" he glances at him, a little smile on his lips — "not so much with you anymore since we first introduced ourselves to each other."

Skull smiles back but it doesn't last. "Doesn't it hurt you then ?"

"Yeah it does. But differently than the rest of you as far as I know. Lal too I think, but we still have to talk about it."

Skull's heart squeezes painfully. At least if he'd ever want to talk about it with the others he knew they'd understand. Skull doesn't know how to consciously speak through their Bond, so he reaches a hand to stroke Colonnello's cheek.

Colonnello leans in the touch.

"You're taking advantage of him."

"Rain flames numb you down. You wouldn't want me to fall down the stairs, would you ?"

"They've got a point."

"They literally can fly Colonnello."

"Don't be jealous."

They have the time to come down another whole floor before Skull's making sense again. "It's a piggyback ride Viper. Not much to be jealous of."

Viper looks back at him, then in front of them again, and in a seemingly innocent gesture rubs his face against Colonnello. Colonnello absentmindedly rubs back and Skull is so fucking jealous.

He runs ahead of them before they can go outside, Colonnello's anti-tank rifle bouncing on his shoulder, then turns back to get in the blond's space, almost chest to chest.

"Woah, what are you —" His breath hitches when Skull runs his hands all over him, and he takes note of the fact somewhere in his head.

"Nothing," he smiles, slipping the phone from Colonnello's pocket to his. He lost his own sometime during the fight, and it's almost like the universe is trying to tell him something. If only he would listen. "Let's go."

Skull keeps the door open for them and try to make his grin as innocent as he can. It's Reborn who was going to be happy for this one particular set of photos he plans to take.

(Apparently you can't answer to guests' reviews ? Well i read your comment in any case lovely guest, and i'm glad you like this story. Thank you for your review !)

- I couldn't work out the trope where Colonnello get aquainted with Skull's driving skills and i'm really disappointed in myself for that

- Once Viper fell asleep on Colonnello's back, Skull all but did a photoshoot of them all fhjfhjsk (they do NOT try to take advantage of it and remove Viper's hood)

- He does show the pictures to Reborn and accept to give him a copy, that plus the fact that Viper come back hurt, Reborn let's go of his vengeance this one time

These chapters just keep getting longer and longer and IDK WHY (you'll be dissappointed when i go back to shorter chapters like promised :( ). I continue to only post past midnight too and i don't have an explanation for it either dsjkfhdsjf.

(Also i was wondering if maybe you minded my ramblings at the end of the chapters ?)

I hope you liked it. Any and all review are appreciated. Thank you for reading !

- w.h