Skull felt his flames burn angrily, trying to escape his timid hold. He almost let them out, but fear for his child made him hold on tiredly. He should've known better. Reborn didn't know Severus's circumstances, he didn't know of the abuse but he did. He should've deterred the argument, waited until they were alone. But he didn't.

He left his room to clean what little he could. The house was never too dirty so there wasn't much to do, but it kept his hands busy so they didn't spontaneously combust into flames. He muttered quiet punishments to himself. He didn't deserve to be Severus's dad, he wasn't skilled enough nor could he protect him properly. Sev was better off with someone who could love and cherish him, but most importantly protect him. Sure, physically Skull could do that but mentally was a whole other ball game.

"This is all my fault," he whispered dejectedly. He couldn't get the image of the fear and tears in Sev's eyes out of his mind. Each time he tried, they would just come back more vivid then the last. He could remember the small little aborted sobs. He could also remember the strong face the child put up. Skull smiled sadly at the memory. He was so much stronger then any six year old should be.

Well, at least his flames no longer wanted to escape.

He was so busy wallowing in self-anger that he didn't even notice soft little feet making their way towards him.

"Dad?" Severus called out softly. Skull jumped slightly and turned towards the child. Sev was wiping the last remnant of sleep from his eyes while his hair looked more like a lion's mane. Skull grinned at the child, "Yes? Are you alright?" he asked just as softly. Severus frowned at him, his onyx eyes glaring into violet. Skull almost wanted to flinch. Curse this child, he definitely know how to read him.

"The better question is are you alright?" he asked. Skull's eyes widened. He felt the grin falter before he just grinned wider. He took a seat, watching as Sev moved to sit next to him. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" he questioned, trying to make himself seem exuberant. Severus just frowned even more. "That man almost made you cry," he answered with a scowl.

Skull did flinch at this. "The man's name is Reborn," he said softly. Severus didn't say anything for a long moment. "I don't want to be left to the next relative because of him," the child said sadly, looking down at his lap.

The violet was rightfully horrified at this. Did Severus think he would just up an leave him because he got into one argument with Reborn?! Then again, didn't Eileen hand over Severus because of her husband. Skull felt incredibly guilty for thinking Severus would be better off with someone else. It wasn't like he was actually going to do it, he cared too much for the child. He was one of his now, whether he knew it or not. That didn't stop the feeling of guilt and anger flooding his entire being, nor did it stop his eyes from flashing brightly in said anger.

"Severus, I need you to listen to me and listen very carefully," Skull started, his voice deepening and his eyes almost glowing in his anger and sadness. Severus felt his eyes widen, but he nodded silently. It wasn't often that his Papa got like this, but when he did, Severus always made sure to follow his orders to the T.

"I will never hand you over to anyone. You're my family, my child. I will never let you be hurt, go hungry, or feel like I don't love nor want you. Even when you grow up and move out, you will always have a place here. I want you to be able to trust me, to come to me for anything. No matter who comes into our lives, I will always be here to protect and love you. You will always come first. Now, do I make myself clear?" Skull finished. His violet eyes stared honestly into onyx which were wide in surprise. The small child could hardly even breath in his surprise. Skull just sat there patiently waiting for a response, but he was certainly getting nervous from the silence.

Severus didn't say anything, he just held his arms out with small tears in his eyes. Skull immediately picked up the other and brought him close to his chest. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. "I'm hungry," Severus said as he tried to pull away from the other with an embarrassed blush. Skull smiled softly at the other.

"Anything for mio principe," he said, standing fluidly. Severus nodded as he to stood. Skull browsed through the fridge with a sharp look. He not only had to feed Severus and himself, but also Reborn and Merlin save him that man had high standards. Skull, finally fed up with guessing what that man might want to eat, closed the fridge and made his way towards Reborn's room. Sev watched with a raised brow and scowl, but didn't stop his dad.

Skull, once getting in front of the door, stood there for a second. The argument was still fresh, seeing as it only happened early that morning. With a determined nod and shaky fist, he knocked on the hitman's door. It surprised him that it opened after his first knock. He still had his fist raised to continue as his eyes stared into Reborn's amused obsidian. "Can I help you?" he asked with a smirk. Skull mentally shook himself.

He straightened and nodded with a small, shaky grin. "I'm making dinner and wanted to know what you would like to eat," he said timidly. He mentally berated himself. He talked a big game while he was angry, but now he was like a trained dog. It boiled his blood, but he didn't physically show it.

Reborn stood there silent for a moment, his smirk vanished. "Anything you make, I'll eat," he said. Skull almost flinched, but that didn't stop the small blush from taking over his face. "R-right, so I'll just make something s-simple if you don't mind," he stuttered out. Reborn was smirking again and he leaned against his doorway. "Oh~," he teased while leaning forward, right into Skull's personal space. "If you truly wanting to satisfy me, then you could offer yourself," Skull almost felt faint at that.

He blinked owlishly, his entire face red. Reborn's smirk grew larger. Maybe instead of bullying him physically, since that seems to upset the brat and in turn upset Skull, he could do this instead. Besides, this is turning out to be quite amusing. Skull finally took a step away, his mind in overdrive.

There is no way that The Reborn would flirt with him, a lackey Cloud. He wasn't even that great at being a Cloud, something he was practically born into. There was nothing that Reborn would find attractive about him.

These thoughts just made Skull feel miserable, but again, he was a master at hiding his emotions. He just grinned crookedly as he slowly started to edge towards freedom. "W-well then. I-it should b-be r-ready here s-soon. I'll s-send Severus to t-tell you when I-it's ready," he stuttered out pitifully before making a mad dash towards the kitchen. He would also swear later, mentally, that Reborn chuckled.

He passed by Severus silently, his face still red. Said child just blinked at his dad with confused eyes. He's never seen his dad turn that color before.

Severus looked around for the most likely cause, i.e Reborn. Said man was nowhere in sight. This also left the window open for Severus to ask about a few concerns he thought of while he was in his room.

"Dad?" he asked. Skull jerked in surprise as he was busy pulling out the ingredients to make spaghetti. "Hm?" he hummed questioningly. "What are we going to tell him about my accidental magic?" Sev asked as quietly as he could. Skull stilled immediately. He had completely forgotten about that small fact.

And it was true, Severus did a lot of accidental magic. He made toys fly, things disappear, and once he even blew up something in his closet. (Skull never figured out what it was, but he did find its' charred remains.) It didn't happen often, but it still happened. Not only that but Skull is faintly sure that he has some things left in the living room that isn't muggle friendly. He bit his lip in consideration to the question.

He couldn't outright tell Reborn they were wizards, that went against the Statute of Secrecy. He could talk to the Ministry about it, get them to allow him to tell Reborn and the rest of the Arcobaleno in case they do show up. Then there was the last option of leave this house, their home, and live in the wizarding world. The last option, though it would cause less problems, put a bad taste in his mouth. There was a reason he left the wizarding world and he really didn't want to be pulled back into it. He knew sending his child to Hogwarts will definitely get him noticed, but that was years down the line. He would have time to practice his magic, get back in the swing of things, learn whatever spells he would need to protect his child before everyone knows about his return.

Moving into the wizarding world would paint a target onto their backs. Targets they didn't need right now. Skull sighed tiredly. He knew exactly what he needed to do, and he isn't going to like it. Most likely, now that he thought about it, they knew he was back in Britain. They just haven't done anything since he was hiding amongst Muggles.

"I'll go to the Ministry and talk about letting me tell them," he finally answered just as quietly, "Then we can continue what we have been doing." Severus thought it over before nodding. His papa knew what was best after all.

Skull spent the rest of his time cooking silently. He didn't really want to burden his child with his meaningless thoughts. He barely even noticed when Reborn walked into the room. He did notice how Severus stuck his tongue out at the other raven, who just glared quietly.

He actually almost started to laugh when Severus glared back.

"I'm making spaghetti for dinner. Afterwards, Severus and I are going to watch a movie together. You can join if you'd like," he said with a large grin. Reborn nodded silently while tugging at his fedora. It took a moment to realize that Leon wasn't on his master's hat and was instead playing with Severus. He blinked when he saw a small smile on Severus's face. He turned his curious eyes towards Reborn who was watching the child play with his chameleon. Skull's eyes widened comically when he saw the small, miniscule really, smile on Reborn's face.

He quickly turned back to cooking. "What do you want to watch tonight Serpe?" Skull asked, grinning at the small groan he got from Severus. He never did like it when he gave him little pet names in his native tongue. "Something good," he said. Skull groaned this time. "Marvel movies are good," he countered with a whine. Reborn scoffed at that.

"Sadly, I agree with the kid," he pointed towards the young raven. The child actually seemed to shiver at the thought. They both glared at each other. "What's wrong with Marvel?" Skull questioned. "It is completely unrealistic. A spider bites you so now you have super powers. It's stupid," Severus said, crossing his arms. "And don't even mention the Fantastic Four movie," Reborn said with a smirk.

Skull huffed at them. "You both are haters," he said snidely. Reborn shrugged his shoulders. "Let's watch Doctor Who," Severus suggested. Reborn rose a brow at the child, but didn't say anything against the idea. Skull nodded along with the suggestion as he put the finishing touches on dinner. "Sounds like a plan then since I don't hear any rejections," he said with a grin.

After finishing up making the food, Skull quickly set the table before making everyone's plate. Reborn only nodded in thanks when he received his plate. He looked at it suspiciously, having never tasted his lackey's cooking before, but he did watch the brat's reaction to it. Severus also nodded in thanks, but his eyes lit up when he took his first bite. Reborn slowly took his first bite and was surprised with how good it actually was.

He took a side glance at the violet, who was watching him for his reaction. He simply nodded, startling the teen, and continued to eat.

Dinner was surprisingly domestic. They chatted amicably, mostly between Severus and Skull, and any silences were pleasant. Leon even got to nibble off of Severus's plate. Reborn didn't know what to do in this scenario. It has been a long time since he had a pleasant dinner. The year of not knowing where Skull was made any and all dinner's with the Arcobaleno very tense, usually ending in arguments.

He once again thought of calling the others, but for some reason he dashed it from his mind. Watching Skull laugh, actually laugh, made something in the hitman hurt. He had seen the stuntman laugh before, but this time it was different. As if all the other times Skull had laugh were tense or forced. He thought back to all the times with the stuntman that seemed to be actually genuine. The only times he could think of though were the times when the stuntman had either been hurt or angry.

Only the times when the violet thought he was alone or when the curse was broken had he seen the other relax and happy genuinely, now that he knew what a genuinely happy Skull looked like.

Skull on the other hand was pleasantly surprised at everything since the argument. Dinner was going very well. Severus and Reborn weren't fighting and Reborn's infamous gun had yet to make an appearance. All in all, everything was going smoothly. It almost made Skull want to hide in fear. Nothing was ever this easy.

He was going to enjoy this for as long as it lasts.

I an so sorry for the wait! I lost basically everything! I actually forgot my email for this. I had to guess MULTIPLE times to finally figure it out. Luckily, I didn't forget my password (the thing that NORMAL people forget).

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I decided to do a fluff chapter so I wouldn't feel bad about making Severus cry. Sadly, it can't all be fluff. I might do a small time skip here soon. Also, so people aren't too confused. Skull was turned into an infant at age 18. He hasn't been in his adult form for a long while so it was newly cured. So KHR timeline, in the first chapter, had basically not been that long ago. It has been a year before Reborn found him, making him now 19. Reborn is only 24 when he finds Skull making him 23 when he was cursed. Now for HP timeline, I am bumping up when everything occurred slightly, but not too much. Just enough so that they are more technologically advanced then when they were in Severus's childhood. Tom still lived through the war though.

For people wondering, Skull did go to Hogwarts during Tom Riddle's time there. Eileen was a first year when they, Tom and Skull, were third years. All three were in Slytherin. So, with that in thought, I'll let you guys theorize what I plan to do in the future.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and once again, I apologize profusely for the delay.