TAGS: Pre-Canon, Pre-Arco Curse, The Chosen Seven Era, POV Third Person Limited

Swearing

Crack, Humor, Bonding, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Dad Skull, Arco As Family

Adult Arco, Immortal Skull, BAMF Skull, Nonbinary Mammon | Viper, Reborn Being Reborn

WARNING: Not Beta Read

"This is it, Reborn," Skull says, standing up from the table. "I'm so goddamn sick of your constant bullshit."

It's been—what, a month since Checker Face gathered them together? No, it has yet to even be a month, and though Skull's honed and expanded his patience through literal centuries, he swears to God he's going to murder Reborn with his bare hands if he has to look at that stupid, proud, unrepentant smirk of his a second longer.

"So?" Reborn taunts, crossing his arms on his chest, standing in front of the dining's room door, because of course he's not even made it as far as sitting at the table before starting up shit yet again.

Actually, and as much as it pains him to admit it in that moment, it is a testament to Reborn's skills he's made it that far in life without anyone managing to murder him. Skull could in a blink, without even touching him. And he swears that he will if Reborn keeps delaying his dinner any longer.

For God's sake, can't they just ever have dinner peacefully?

"So I'm going to be the one to gut you open if you don't quit it out right now. Lal, let go of that knife," he says, turning to her, and to be fair with her, she's still actually sitting at the table, unlike him.

"Make me," she says, willing Reborn to burst into flames with her eyes alone, and Skull wants to pull at his hair until nothing's left.

He can. He can do that so very easily, he can kill all of them in a blink, and you know what? You know fucking what? He's been far too nice with them and patient with their bullshit long enough, and it's way past time for him to instill some healthy dose of fear of him in them.

He goes stand face to face with Reborn, crossing his arms on his chest too. "Apologize to Lal so we can all get on with dinner."

Reborn scoffs, rolling his eyes.

"I won't accept anything less than you on your knees," Lal says, gloating.

"Bitch," Reborn says.

"Bitch," Lal shots right back.

"Is that a no?" Skull asks.

"Obviously."

He grins. "Thank you, that's just what I was hoping you'd say. Congrats, Reborn, you just earned to be the first one to test out my brand-new time-out corner."

Dead silence falls in the room, Fon, Viper and Verde who'd started eating through all of this, apparently freezing too. There's a comical, utterly dumbfounded look on Reborn's face, who's seemingly just heard the most incredulous thing in his life, but then he blinks, turning himself on again.

He huffs a laugh, then raises his eyebrow. "You think you're ever going to put me in a time-out corner alive?"

"You think you're in any way able to stop me?"

Without letting him the time to answer, Skull flares his flames. He doesn't light them, and keeps them focused on Reborn, but he hears everyone's sharp intake of breath, the chairs clattering on the floor as they stand, feels their flames instinctively flare up too, on edge and ready to defend like their lives depend on it.

They could be, if Skull ever feels like it, but he's just properly asserting dominance, because clearly it's the only language these guys understand, Reborn most of all.

Reborn, who doesn't look so confident anymore, all humor wiped out of his face. He grits his teeth hard, his eyes shining yellow, not all of his flames coursing through his body to keep him standing because he's too good to play all of his cards like that right away, but most of them for sure. He hasn't lit them either even if he really should—and really, that pride of his will be the death of him one day, and Skull will have to do something about it too—, a crater steadily appearing under his feet.

He remains standing all the same, unfaltering, not even shaking, and okay, fine, Skull's a little impressed. He's still pissed though.

"Get it, now? Don't fucking ever test me, Reborn."

Reborn, of course, does just that. He smirks. "Make me."

Skull grins, showing all of his teeth. "I was hoping you'd say just that. Let's go." He grabs one of his arm, forcefully uncrossing it from his chest, then holds on his wrist as he walks past him.

"No fucking way," Viper breathes out, sounding delighted. "For real?"

Lal bursts out laughing. "Bitch. Fuck him, Skull."

Reborn shifts so he can hold on his wrist with both of his hands and pull back as Skull drags him forwards, then does his utmost best to keep his feet rooted on the spot, with the help of no little amount of his flames.

Skull isn't slowed down whatsoever by it, the tiled floor giving way under Reborn's feet and leaving a trail as he drags him behind him, and he makes a point to let his flames hang in the air and weigh down on Reborn.

"Oh my God," Viper breathes out again, sounding ecstatic.

As he reaches the door Reborn holds onto the doorway, gaining enough leverage to stop Skull in his momentum. "You monster," he says, but he's grinning when Skull looks at him, because of course he's having fun with this.

"You're goddamn right I am, and you're best never forgetting it again."

"Let go before I scream so loud the neighbors call the police to come save me."

Viper loses it, bursting out laughing the loudest and most open they've been since they've all met each other. They stand near the others, because they're all apparently trailing after them, and near instantly need to lean against Lal to remain upright. Lal's barely keeping herself together herself though, grinning so wide Skull's honestly afraid she'll hurt her face. Meanwhile Luce had the bright idea to bring her plate with her, absentmindedly going through her pasta, her eyes intent on them, while Fon's drinking his tea.

"We don't have neighbors," Skull says, then adds just the tiniest bit of strength to his grip, pulling Reborn forwards again.

Cracks appear on the doorway where Reborn's holding onto it, but he's still slowly but surely pulled forwards, his feet starting to move again. But just as Skull forces him to let go, he holds onto Fon's arm instead, who's come closer to them to throw his teabag in the bin. His cup shatters on the floor as he's abruptly pulled forwards too, but he catches himself with one hand on the doorway like Reborn before him, stopping Skull's momentum again.

Skull sighs. "Let go of him."

"You do that, yes," Fon echoes, smiling tightly at him. "This is your problem."

"Don't be a fucking coward," Reborn edges him on. "Find your spine and stand your ground, will you? What is he, our fucking dad?" Skull rolls his eyes, and Fon looks just as unimpressed, not rising to the bait. But of course, Reborn always knows just what to say to get people to do exactly what he wants. "Unless, of course, you're that convinced you're no match to him whatever you'll do," he says pleasantly, understandingly, and Fon ever so slightly narrows his eyes. "I didn't think you were the type to back down against a challenge—"

"Oh, shut up," Fon cuts him off, and he grins victoriously.

"Fon," Skull warns, but Fon only throws him a fake, apologetic smile, and he rolls his eyes.

These brats are really such a pain in the ass.

Skull leaves him to it, to better prove his point later, lets him wrap his arms around Reborn's waist, lets him take a steady stance behind him, rooting his feet so steadily in the floor, it caves under them before Skull even does anything. Skull even lets Reborn holds on his wrist with both his hands again, and lets them silently agree on the best way to use their flames together for the most efficient result.

And then he starts walking again, dragging the both of them behind him through the hall, and they come just as easily as when it was only Reborn.

Fon chuckles, wonder in his voice. "Well."

"You're useless," Reborn spits out.

Viper is still laughing as hard as before—no, harder than before actually, choking on it but it doesn't make them stop, and Lal's practically carrying them forwards when he looks back. She's laughing too, cackling, and the both of them drown out Fon's, Luce's, and Verde's laughter.

"Actually, doesn't this look like a fun experiment?" Verde suddenly says.

Skull takes a deep breath instead of doing something he will regret, not stopping or looking back as a third weight adds up to the other two, as Verde flares his Lightning flames and uses them to strengthen Reborn's and Fon's.

Yet again it does nothing to slow him down, obviously, and he looks up to the heavens.

God does give him patience, because he swears he's going to kill these little shits.

Reborn bursts out laughing, and he sounds just as ecstatic as Viper. "What the fuck are you?"

Skull stops then just as he's about to walk inside the family room, because Reborn's not supposed to enjoy this. He clicks his tongue, turning to glare at him. "You do get that I'm trying very hard here not to break your wrist, right? That I'm being very careful not to rip your arms from your body? That I could do just that so very, very easily?"

Reborn grins. "Didn't you hear me when I said you're not getting me in that time-out corner alive?"

Skull takes another deep, deep breath, closing his eyes. "Luce, dear, please, be my favorite and do your thing, will you?"

"Yes, Luce, dear, do your thing," Reborn instantly rounds on her, sweet poison coming out of his mouth. "On him. Stop being a fucking coward."

Luce raises her eyebrows at him, and slowly slurps her latest bite of pasta as she looks him dead in the eyew. "You know, I was actually just about to plead for your case, and was feeling a bit conflicted about this situation, but because you just asked for my help so nicely, I now realize I'm very hungry."

"Get fucked," Lal says, and somehow manages to laugh harder than she already was.

Skull looks at Fon and Verde. "Let go, or I'm getting you both in the time-out corner too."

They let go of Reborn and Fon respectively as if burned, walking back to the others.

"Wow, really?" Reborn deadpans, looking at them like they're filth under his shoes. "You're disgusting me."

"Your problem," they both say at the same time.

"Lal, please, do your thing," Skull says.

"Oh, my pleasure, Boss."

She dumps a still laughing Viper on Fon, and eagerly catches up to them. She grins at Reborn with all her teeth out.

"I'm going to slowly kill you for this," Reborn warns quietly, smirking.

She grins wider, somehow. "Like I give a single shit."

She holds his face in her hands, then lights them up with her Rain flames. Reborn lights his flames too, but Lal has the advantage of not having Skull's flames suppressing hers, and as soon as he goes weak enough, Skull hauls him up over his shoulder.

"You're such a fucking pain in the ass." He wastes no time carefully putting him down in a corner of the room, then steps back, and creates a Cloud barrier to keep him confined in the now brand-new time-out corner of the mansion. "Here you go," he says, crossing his arms on his chest, grinning, looking down satisfied at a job well down.

Lal cheers by dissolving into another fit of laughter, once again drowning out the others' laugh.

Reborn glares up at him, glowing with his Sun flames, getting rid of the Rain flames inside him as fast as he can. "As soon as I get out of here…"

"You're only getting out of here if I feel like getting you out of here. And I won't feel like it until you've reflected some on your actions and showed me some genuine regret, got that?"

Reborn rolls his eyes, and Skull rolls his eyes right back at him. He swears to God—

He frowns, turning to look at the others, not having heard Viper for too long now. But no, they're right there on the floor, tears streaming down their cheeks, laughing so hard there's no sound coming out of them anymore.

He catches Fon's eye.

"They're fine," he dismisses. "They're still breathing."

Geez, well, if they're still breathing.

He turns back to Reborn, who's now sitting against the wall, his legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at his ankles, his arms crossed on his chest. He's smirking once again.

"You actually think I'll give in first?" Skull asks. "That I won't let you starve and die in here first?"

"I guess we'll just have to see," Reborn simply says, but his eyes tell another story.

Skull's about to say something to that, but then Viper's making sounds again, wheezing, and he turns to the others again. Viper struggles to catch their breath, on their knees, still laughing here and there.

"This is the best fucking day of my life," they say once they've gathered enough air in their lungs, and the others laugh.

"You think this is so funny, don't you?" Skull asks casually, and they all go dead silent, a wary look taking over their faces. He smiles. "This isn't only a Reborn time-out corner, just so you know."

"Get fucked," Reborn gloats.

A/N: Well, that just happened zsdfghjfd. Nothing else to say for this one lol.

I hope you enjoyed the story. Any and all review are appreciated.

Thank you for reading!

- Hope

Answers to Guests' comments:

Mori: cloud jail LMAO i'm going to call it that now thank you! and ahhh, thank you for the praise, this is such a silly thing but i'm super happy it's so well received haha. thank you for your comment!

Springsnap: haha, thank you, glad you think so! and the future will tell us if i ever come back to this one to add some more, but for now i don't plan to. thank you for your comment!