TW: Minor Violence

Skull knows something is wrong the second the mansion comes within his sensing range. He can't feel Viper's and Verde's flames barriers around it, while Luce's flames are all over the place when she's always so careful to keep them for herself unless explicitly welcomed otherwise.

There's nothing to show for it when he parks his bike right in front of the door, except for that faint odorless something in the air he picks up on as soon as he removes his helmet. He reaches for the doorknob but it breaks in his grip, and he takes a moment to get himself back under control, absentmindedly flexing his fingers.

"Easy," he says to himself in a low, casual voice. He breathes in, then slowly breathes out, settling down his flames. "Not yet."

Unsurprisingly, no one welcomes him back on the other side of the door. The mansion looks pretty much the same as when he left inside too, only some bullet marks and some broken walls here and there, as well as a good chunk of the stairs railing missing. And though that's just what he could have called a particularly good Tuesday, along with the silence and that faint odorless something in the air, stronger inside, it's a dead give away that the poison was incredibly potent and fast acting, leaving them little room to fight back.

He goes to the kitchen first, grabs the grocery list on the fridge's door, and briefly washes his flames over it. Viper's flames light up the paper then, and leave place to a new set of words, with what looks like the emblem of a family underneath.

AIO Poison. Small team. Weak but well-armed. Efficient.

The family's emblem doesn't ring any bell even when he lingers his eyes on it, and he puts the paper in his pocket. He checks the whole mansion just to be thorough, but as expected doesn't find anything else but other minor signs of a scuffle here and there.

"I see," he says, sitting up on top of the stairs.

Good new is, there's nothing about the situation for him to worry about.

The poison can only be new on the market if it took them by enough surprise not even Reborn, Verde or Fon could do anything about it, and prolly is still an experimental one. He'd guess it was even created specifically for them, but either way the effects must only be temporary. Whoever they were, they only meant to knock them out so they could secure them in a second location, where they're probably using more regular means to keep them harmless, be it flames suppressants or drugs still. Both, if they're any smart at all.

It's nothing they can't deal with on their own, whether they were all separated from each other or not, nothing they aren't dealing with on their own right now if he knows them at all, and nothing Skull has to get personally involved with.

Bad new is, he's incredibly pissed anyone out there thinks they're just allowed to try anything against them right under his nose.

Besides…

He checks the time on his phone, and clicks his tongue. "Yeah, no, that just won't do," he says, standing up. "It's well within the afternoon already, and I can't have them missing dinner, can I now?"

He sends a text, and if his flames are weighing heavy in the air, there's no one to tell.

Liv sits next to him on the bench without acknowledging him, nor does he acknowledge her, and for a moment they let the people in the park fill in the silence between them for them.

She sighs before lighting herself a cigarette. "Been a while since I've seen you with that look on your face."

He hums. "What can I say, we have a strict rule about having at least dinner together."

"You do, do you now?"

He laughs. "Okay, so I make us have at least dinner together through them kicking and biting to get away, but they're actually starting to become willing about it, so I'm not about to become lenient about it now."

She sighs again, but there's a faint smile pulling at her lips. "I keep telling you to leave survivors so people will learn to not mess with you, but when do you ever listen to me?"

"Maybe next time," he dismisses noncommittally in a low voice. "And don't say that about my face, I'm actually trying not to scare anyone here, you know?"

"Sure you are."

He smiles, allowing himself a glance at her. "How are your old bones holding up, Liv?"

"Eh," she says, before slowly blowing smoke out of her mouth. "They'll hold up as long as I need them to."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Yes, yes, cut the crap. I do not like you near me any longer than I need to when you're in that mood. What do you need?"

"A cure."

"To what?"

"Poison. The newest on the market, but it's probably not being sold or advertised. It must have been tested on other people before today though, so I'm sure you'll be able to track it down. It's a strong one, strong enough to be used on the strongest, but my guess is it's still under development and non-lethal."

"Surely not before tomorrow at the earliest, though? There's only so much even I can do."

He laughs, draping his arm over the back of the bench, and resting his foot on his thigh. "Don't lie, wouldn't you pull it off for me anyway? But nope, just get it for me for as soon as you can. Honestly I probably won't even need it, and if I do I can just take it from them directly while I'm at it, but you never know, right?"

"And? What do you need from me for right now?"

"Ever seen that emblem before?" he asks, taking out the paper from his pocket and sliding it to her.

Liv takes a glance at it before picking it up. "Not that I remember right now." She lets her cigarette hangs between her lips so she can take out her phone with her other hand. "Anything in particular you need to know?"

"I just need you to find where they'd keep highly dangerous and prized targets within reach of this territory, that's all."

Liv doesn't pause typing on her phone, but still gives him a pointed, knowing look. "That's all, is it?"

He smiles. "That's all I'll need. But you still can tell me all about them after if you want, what about it? Would hate to waste your work, you know that."

"And what use are information against dead men?" He smiles wider, and she rolls her eyes. She puts both the phone and the paper in her pockets, then takes a particularly long drag of her cigarette. "Someone is getting attached again, I see. Not that I'm not happy for you you are."

"Aw, don't say it like that," he says teasingly, lighthearted, but has to look away from her. "I'm attached to you, and when did that ever failed me?"

"Not yet."

"I'll be fine. Always being fine again no matter what I go through is my whole thing, don't you know?"

Liv blows her smoke right in his face, and he wrinkles his nose in distaste, but can't help but still snicker at the familiar action. "If you say so, you liar." She stands, putting out her cigarette under her boot, but instead of leaving right away, she reaches out to ruffle his hair. "I hope so," she says in a soft voice, and he smiles his first real smile since coming back to the mansion. "My team's already working on it, so just sit tight in the meantime."

"Yeah, will wait right here."

She raises her eyebrow, and he raises his right back. She huffs. "Fine, but do behave yourself. I'm quite fond of some of the people that come here."

He scoffs. "Um, yeah, me too? What do you take me for, a monster?"

"Yes, of course," she says without a missing beat. "What else?"

They hold each other's gaze for a beat before he lets a brief smile grace his lips. He puts both his feet on the floor again, straightening himself against the bench. "Will behave. So please, get me that info as soon as you can."

Skull parks in front of a lone, disaffected building at the outskirt of the town, but sees right through the Mist flames surrounding it. He walks right through them too, and though there's still only a lone building standing on the other side, it looks well-used and well taken care of.

A dozen or so men train their weapons on him, heavily armored, blocking the way to the building. It's only a three story building, but there's men at the windows too, either as backup or planning to attack him at the same time as the others.

Skull would give them all points for clearly knowing exactly what they were getting themselves into if he cared to keep count of points for dead men walking.

"Knock, knock," he says, never stopping walking towards them. "I've come to pick up my kids." He drops all smiles and pretense of humor of any kind then, and they flinch. "Hope you've been treating them well."

They shoot, some lunging at him for close range attacks, and he brings most to their knees by merely lighting up his flames, the bullets bouncing off of him, flames bullets or otherwise. He grabs the first one within range by the neck, breaking it in the same breath, then lights up his corpse with his flames and throws it on their friends. His Cloud flames make quick work of setting them on fire too, along with anyone not fast enough to get away, their screams tearing through the air.

The concerted fire from above does nothing to him either, but it's annoying. He picks up a handgun at his feet, takes the bullets out of it, and sticks three of them between his fingers. He throws them at the windows then the way he'd throw knives, using his flames to put more power and speed behind his movement. His flames light up the bullets, propagate them by the dozens and hundreds in a blink, and glass shatters, blood splattering on broken windows and walls.

He feels the shift then, the terror settling deep in their bones, shattering any resolve they had to fight him. From within the building he sensed them move, gathering together on the ground floor, though some of them were left to guard the second and third floor, but not one of them seems willing to step outside to help their friends.

Before any of them gets any idea, he sets up a Cloud barrier around the building, and reminds himself not to kill the Mist keeping a barrier of their own before Viper can set up their own.

He makes quick work of the ones outside, though is careful not to make it too quick and easy a death. No one moves to attack or stop him when he steps inside the building, and he barely spares them a glance, much more interested in the stairs leading upstairs and to the others.

"I'll kill only a third of you," he lets them know. He was going to say half of them, but most of them gathered here, and the others have much more reasons to be pissed at them than he does. It's only fair they'll get to kill their way through more of them than him. "I'll spare the first ones to surrender." Whether it's disbelief or skepticism or plain terror that keeps them frozen in their spot, no one makes a move to surrender or otherwise. He grins. "Good. I'll pick, then."

He gives them no time or warning before lunging at them.

Unfortunately, though he is very much here for exactly that, his priority is to make sure the others are okay, and soon enough he finds himself climbing up the stairs. Only a couple of fools choose to attack him on the second floor, and he's greeted with already dead bodies on the third one.

He follows their trail to a hallway with rooms at either side of it, the doors made of heavy-looking steel. They're all open, one broken off its hinges entirely, Fon's if he should take a guess, and the others are gathered together at the end of the hallway as Viper and Fon step out of the last room.

"You guys!" he shouts, lighting up. His flames eagerly reach out to them, but he calls them back to him before they can. Maybe later once they'd have work out through their anger of the day. Right now it'd just make them lash out at him.

He skips to them, grinning, and doesn't worry that he still can't feel their flames even from that close. They're still clearly under whatever flames suppressant they were given, but they won't need them anyway, as they've already proven it.

They look a little roughened up too, some bruises and blood here and there, but they mostly look furious and hungry for blood.

"What, so you actually came?" Viper asks when he stops in front of them, absentmindedly rubbing their wrists.

"Um, wow, rude, of course I did," he says, but doesn't stop smiling. "I mean, what the hell else I was supposed to do? The mansion is damn fucking big without you guys there. And we're a team, aren't we?"

"Don't even fucking start or I'll start with you, got that?" Lal says.

Fon huffs a small laugh. "Don't be like that. He has come all this way just for us after all." He bows his head slightly. "Much appreciated."

He smiles. "Anytime. But she's right actually, never mind that!" He intertwines his fingers together, and brings them next to his face. "Look at you, actually helping each other out before going on a rampage. I'm so proud of you guys." He gets exactly four displeased looks for that, but ignores them with the ease of practice, grinning wider. "Anyway," he says, lowering his hands, getting more serious, not that he didn't mean everything he said before, because he did. "Is everyone okay?" He opens his arms in invitation. "Does anyone need a hug? I've also left most of them alive as I'm sure you can tell, happy?"

"Honestly, yeah, I could use the hug," Luce says. "But only after, though."

"I could and will use the slaughter right away," Reborn says, starting walking, both his guns in his hands, and the others follow after him. "Out of my way."

"I have snacks too," he adds as he moves out of their way.

Viper pauses, turning to face him. "You do?"

He gives them a peace sign. "You bet. All your favorites too, and of course I've brought water along with them. I still expect us all to have dinner though, so I won't let you have much. Oh yeah," he says, raising his voice. "I've also brought change of clothes, so you can go all out."

That catches Fon's, Lal's and Luce's attention like he knew it would, pausing too and turning to him. He gives them two peace signs, waving them at them.

Verde stops walking then, and then Reborn too before he's out of hearing range, however annoyed Skull knows it makes him feel that they're wasting time, but he's never been one to pass up on information, however meaningless he finds them.

"Anything about the poison they gave us in that magic trunk of yours?" Verde asks.

Skull puts his hands on his hips, puffing up his chest. "Don't you guys know me at all? I mean, I'm sure you don't need my help for that, but yeah, you bet, I got you."

"Are we done?" Reborn cuts in, and Skull's sure he's not the only one to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, chill out," Lal says.

"Alright!" Skull says, watching them walk away. "I'll be waiting for you in the car. You deserve this, so have fun. Make me proud."

"So, are we just okay with the baby talk now?" he hears Lal asks the others after a beat.

"Couldn't give less of a fuck about it right now," Viper says.

"Just checking."

Skull grins.

A/N: The post where I talked about this AU is popular on tumblr, and seeing it in my notfis made me crave some more BAMF immortal dad Skull. You're welcome. :heart emoji:

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

Thank you for reading!

- Hope