It does take a while for the street to clear. At one point there are only several dozen people lounging around the streets, scattered but still waiting. Reborn thought it would be fine so while most of the others are out at their jobs, he leaves the house for a quick grocery run.

He immediately gets grabbed and dragged into a swiftly growing crowd, people clawing at his clothes and yanking him around hard enough that his joints strain, foreign flames battering against him.

The shovel is heavy and Colonnello is upset so the first swing hits hard enough that the person trying to drag Reborn by the hair staggers and is off balance when Colonnello swings again.

The crowd scatters at seeing a full Guardian and Reborn stumbles back up to his feet, smoothing out his suit and picking up his fedora off the concrete. The other man, a Storm actually, is very quickly on the ground and Colonnello is wailing on him and Reborn is staring because wow, alright, Colonnello is maybe not as okay as he says he is.

When the Storm stops moving, Colonnello places the shovel head against the man's neck and puts a foot on the in-built metal step.

"Nello," Reborn says. "Are you going to cut his head off?"

Colonnello pauses. "That's too messy for you, isn't it?"

Reborn doesn't know what to say because that isn't the problem here so he just gestures Colonnello closer. "And you know how unhygienic blood is – all those blood-borne diseases. I don't want you getting hepatitis."

Colonnello tosses the dented shovel aside, next to the large yellow road works sign where he found it, and lopes up with a roguish grin that shows maybe too many teeth to be charming like it usually is. Perhaps the whole Skull dying incident hit a bit harder than Reborn thought.

"My hero," Reborn sighs, theatrically swooning into the blond's arms.

"Why are you outside anyway?"

"Ran out of coffee beans."

"Oh, the horror," Colonnello laughs. His hands are shaking.

Reborn hugs back just as tightly.


"Do you want to talk about it?" Lal asks evenly over dinner.

Everyone focuses on eating.

"That's okay," Lal says firmly, looking up at them. "That's perfectly fine. If you want to, we can talk. If you never want to, I'm happy with that as well."

Skull's leg is bouncing as a nervous twitch. "I'll try not to die again."

Fon sips his water. "I'll train harder for the next time Reborn tries to kill us."

Reborn splutters and sits back. "That was. Sky flames. That wasn't me."

Viper slaps a hand down onto the table beside their plate. "I've never heard of a Sky trying to kill their bonded Guardians. That was all you, hitman."

Verde purses his lips and flicks a glance to Reborn. "I've also never heard of a Sky breaking a full bond and coming out the other side whole."

"Weaklings," Reborn scoffs dismissively, his confidence running on pure pride because goddamn it hurt so much and he never wants to do that again. "I was maybe a little out of it and made some…odd decisions. I won't be caught off guard the next time."

"Hopefully there isn't a next time," Colonnello chimes in and looks at Skull.

Skull winces. "I'll try? Either way, it shouldn't take me as long to get to Reborn again."

"Call one of us if it happens," Lal demands. "We'll pick you up, or even take Reborn to you."

Skull shrugs. "I did think about calling before - but I didn't know Reborn flipped his shit that hard, so I went for the casual approach instead."

Verde raises an eyebrow. "The casual approach is you stumbling barefoot out of a morgue and then stealing a car. A Ferrari, might I add."

"Casual for me," Skull admits.

Fon hides a smile behind his sleeve. "Casual like Reborn 'discussing' why he was disqualified."

Reborn tsks but he's smirking too. "I fully believe that was a proportionate response."

Viper props an elbow on the table, cheek in hand, other hand loosely holding their fork. "You know, I bet on you winning the World's Greatest title. And I never lose. The -new- committee will pick you, even if it is just out of fear of what you did to the last committee."

"I don't want it anymore," Reborn says primly, picking up his wine glass and sipping. "They can keep their dumb award, I know how good I am, I don't need them to tell me."

Skull nods along in agreement. "Yeah, you don't need those losers-"

"Instead, every time someone wins the title, I'll kill them as soon as they're called on stage - and then I'll murder another fucking committee while I'm at it."

Lal sighs and pours herself a glass of wine. "You know, you're really asking for it sometimes."

Reborn doesn't care how petty that is, he earned that title goddamnit.


After the street is mostly cleared except for some of the more weak-willed or the famiglia scouts sent to case the joint, the others head outside to 'clean up' the rest. Reborn takes the opportunity to head up to his -reclaimed- bedroom (he bought a king-sized for the space to roll around in, not to get squished by six others, they can get their own damned beds).

He finally manages to contact Daniella Vongola without his idiots constantly hovering over his shoulder, and tells her in a quiet tone -under the sound of the shower going full blast so hopefully all the extra recording devices Verde's been installing with manic fervour can't hear- that he no longer needs her services.

"I appreciate the time and effort that you've given to my request," Reborn says formally. "I will be paying you handsomely and of course I'll owe the Vongola a personal favour." Because he's not dragging his Guardians into this matter.

They end the short conversation with some bland niceties and Reborn hangs up.

He then goes back downstairs and settles into the chaos of his shithead Guardians trying to fake normal human social interactions like they even understand what the word normal means. Reborn doesn't say this aloud because that would be very hypocritical and Reborn is trying to be a good role model for the weirdos he's collected.

It is somewhat adorable, regardless.


.

A/N: Okay but buckle up because we're about to-