The next few weeks were oddly domestic in Reborn's view. He seemed to always be arguing with the lackey's brat or suddenly finding himself helping said lackey. One day, he found himself actually fixing the plumbing to the bathroom sink and he didn't even remember getting there to be honest. That isn't to say he didn't make the lackey do anything for him. Of course he forced to poor teen to get him coffee from the best café in town or food from the best bakery, he wouldn't settle for less.

Of course, this didn't mean he didn't go on missions either. But for some odd reason he wasn't compelled to do anything too risky or even that exciting. He took small hits that he normally wouldn't bother with and made sure they all took place in England. He felt a frown tug at his face at his new thought as he walked to the kitchen.

He didn't expect anyone to be up so he walked the entire way silently, so as not to disturb anyone. He also didn't bother to put on a shirt seeing as no one would see him. Of course, that didn't stop him from walking around shirtless before. He smirked suddenly as he remembered his lackey's face turn red when he first saw him shirtless. The way he stuttered helplessly, and the sudden language change half way through, made the hitman preen.

He suddenly stopped in the doorway to the kitchen when he noticed he wasn't alone. Skull sat at the table nursing a drink and staring blankly at the table. His normally vibrant eyes were dark with thought and his posture was hunched slightly. What made the hitman stop was what the lackey was wearing, or, more importantly, not wearing.

He wore black slacks...that was it. His chest was bare for any who entered to see. What surprised the hitman most was the state of his chest and back, or what little he could see of either. He wasn't new to seeing scars, he had some mighty horrifying ones to look at himself, but seeing them on the teen made his eyes narrow and chest constrict. The scars were littered across the younger man. Some were long and others were small. Some were rough and others seemed clean cut. It was horrible to say the least. What made his blood boil with rage was the large 'T' that was cut into the teen's left shoulder blade.

He finally took a small step into the room and cleared his throat. Skull flinched and turned towards him with wide eyes. His mouth fell open slightly and he straightened, giving the hitman a better view of his torso. Reborn and Skull stared at each other before the violet suddenly remembered that he was shirtless. His cheeks reddened and he tried to cover as much of his chest as he could. "R-reborn!" he quietly screamed (more liked squealed), "I wasn't e-expecting you to b-be awake."

Reborn rose a brow as he walked towards the coffee machine. "Wasn't able to sleep," he said tersely. Skull flinched once more and tried to make himself seem smaller. "A-ah," he breathed out. They went quiet again as Reborn made himself a drink. He looked towards the teen and noted that the drink the other nursed smelled suspiciously like alcohol. "Drinking this late at night? Or should I say this early?" he questioned.

Skull smiled tensely at him. "Severus has had a rough life until I got him. His sperm donor would drink and then hurt him so I try not to drink when he's awake," he answered softly. Reborn instantly went stiff. "Hurt him?" he questioned darkly. Skull nodded with a grim frown.

"Tobias, his biological dad, wasn't a nice man. From what I was able to get out of Severus, he would drink and then beat the poor boy. There is much he hasn't told me about his stay there, most I think he purposely lets himself forget, but there are some things that I do know that he hasn't told me. Like how he was starved and most likely kept in a small room for long periods of time. He absolutely hates it when he is in a small, enclosed space and he was malnourished and hardly ate when I first got him," Skull explained, watching Reborn's actions carefully. He knew the man would be angry, but he wanted to make sure he wouldn't do anything to wake his ward.

Reborn for his part looked apathetic, but on the inside he was furious. He was already picturing the man and torturing him nice and slowly. Wouldn't want to make his end swift and painless.

Skull, knowing what Reborn was thinking, smiled softly at the other. "Thank you, Reborn," he said. The older raven blinked at the other while frowning. "Thanks for what?" he asked. He hadn't really done anything since he arrived but argue with an apparently abused child. It made every argument he had with the boy seem so much more important. He mentally cursed at himself for his idiocy.

Skull just smiled. "Thank you for coming here. I've never seen Severus so happy and alive," Reborn was confused at this. The boy was always scowling, only ever smiling at Skull. "I don't think me insulting him is making him happy," he drawled out with a smirk. Skull shook his head with a chuckle. "Sev never argued with me. He never made any choice in what to watch or eat. When you first got here and he said he wanted to go to Wimpy, I was so happy but also nervous. I thought you arriving could only be a bad omen. A very bad and most likely life endangering omen," he laughed quietly. Reborn just smirked as he finally was able to pour himself some coffee.

"But since you arrived, Severus has been becoming more...oh what's the word?" he questioned with a tilt of his head. "Outgoing?" he said before nodding. "He's been talking more, making his own choices, and just finally being himself. I honestly didn't think I'd get to see this until years down the road," he confessed. Reborn took a quick sip of his almost scalding drink before taking a seat next to the violet.

Their eyes met for a long moment. The younger's violet eyes looked conflicted and happy all at once. "I thought if Severus was around you and the others that he would retreat further into himself. I also wanted an out from being an Arcobaleno," he said softly. Reborn narrowed his eyes at what the other confessed. He was surprised when Skull not once looked away from him. "I especially didn't want him around you...but you are bringing out a side of him that I have never seen before. So thank you again. I...I'm strangely happy that you're here," he chuckled softly.

Reborn rose a brow at that. He was also strangely...alright with their current predicament. He refused to even think that he was happy with what the other man had said. "...You're welcome," Reborn said softly with a small tilt of his head.

The silence was actually soothing for both the daredevil and the hitman. They both calmly sipped their drinks. Skull's eyes suddenly darkened again. Reborn rose a single brow in confusion but otherwise didn't say anything. Said stuntman slowly set his cup onto the table as stared into it.

"Here soon," Skull started quietly, gaining the raven's attention, "I'll have to go and take care of an errand." Reborn tensed at the dark look in the younger's eyes. He nodded silently when Skull looked up at him, his eyes slightly glowing with checked anger. "I need you to watch over Severus while I'm gone," he continued with a frown. The raven was rightly confused. He hadn't been in living with Skull and Severus for very long and in all that time he was never left alone with the child. Skull was always either watching or was within earshot. So this request really stumped the older man.

"You want me to watch over your brat? The same brat you haven't left alone with me in over three months?" Reborn questioned. Skull just grinned shakily at him. "To be completely honest with you, the reason I haven't left you two alone was so I could see how you two interacted with each other so I could do this errand," he admitted timidly. Reborn just smirked at him.

"So do I get to know what this errand entails?" the raven questioned. He watched as Skull seemed to straighten and his eyes became downcast. "If everything goes well, then I'll tell you when you get home," he answered softly.

Home.

Reborn wanted to be persistent and even forcefully make the other answer his question but that last part struck a cord deep, deep, deep inside of him. Hell, they didn't even call the Arcobaleno mansion home, it was headquarters. But now that Reborn thought about it, this was exactly what they were doing. Playing house. Skull was the mother of Severus while Reborn was the father. It was strange to think like this, but they had all fallen into it naturally. Even the damn brat started to talk to him without scowling or glaring at him. They still argued, but it felt rehearsed slightly, like they fell into a rhythm that neither felt compelled to break. It was...

Nice.

Reborn just sat quietly for a moment before nodding. "I'll watch the stupid brat while you're away. But for how long?" he questioned. Time didn't really matter. He lived with both his students while training them to be bosses. Skull brightened immediately, his smile practically glowing with happiness. "Really?! You'll do it?!" he said excitedly.

The raven almost wanted to take his words back but just nodded along. Skull continued to smile happily at him, "It shouldn't take longer than three hours. I might even be back sooner," the teen said.

The teen quickly drank the rest of his drink and stood up sharply. Reborn felt his ire rise when he suddenly remembered the scars that the other had. "I'll be leaving around midday so I should be here to cook breakfast and dinner. Severus normally takes a nap around midday as well so it isn't too bad," Skull chatted as he went to wash his cup.

Silently, the hitman stood up and walked up behind the other as he continued to talk. With a single finger, he traced the large T on his shoulder blade. The teen instantly paled and turned sharply towards the other. His eyes glowing dangerously and his flames seemed to lick at his fingertips dangerously. The Sun Arcobaleno was suddenly face to face with the Cloud Arcobaleno, not Skull. His lips were pulled back in a snarl and he seemed to have an inner war taking place.

"Gentilmente rimuovi te stesso dalla mia persona," Skull hissed vehemently at him in his native tongue. Reborn stood his ground with a frown. "Who did it?" he asked in English. Skull hissed almost like an animal, a deep, dangerous growl escaping past his parted lips as he spoke, "It matters not who did it. Tieni il naso fuori dai miei affair."

"Does Severus know?" Reborn continued stubbornly. Skull flinched and hunched slightly into himself. "My figlio does not know and nor shall he. Il mio angelo prezioso does not need to know of this. It would make him worry endlessly. Please, don't tell him. Ti scongiuro," he said. His flames receded and his eyes lost their glow. They seemed to be almost lifeless. Reborn was struck then that his lackey was also abused. It was obvious by the obvious marking on his shoulder but now it seemed to not only be physical, but mental as well.

The silence that followed was unsettling. It was almost as thick, no, it was thicker then the time that Reborn first showed up. "I promise," he said almost silently. Skull shook with relief and didn't even notice when he sagged into the older man. Reborn, despite wanted to move the teen off, allowed him to lean against him.

His own eyes started to shine a bright yellow as his own flames started to writhe in anger.

This conversation was far from over.

Italian - English

Gentilmente rimuovi te stesso dalla mia persona - Kindly remove yourself from my person

Tieni il naso fuori dai miei affair - Keep your nose out of my business

Figlio - Son

Il mio angelo prezioso - My precious angel

Ti sconguiro - I beg you

Well, here is the next chapter. This time I almost made Skull cry...I am an awful person. I gave very large hints in this particular chapter on where I'm heading with this, but not everything has been revealed. I also used one of my reader's fanarts for the cover art. It is by . She did a fantastic job and I absolutely adore the picture. She has another pic up as well. I'll check with her before I post their links, but I really want to because they both are fantastic.

Sorry, I was gushing. Hope you all enjoyed it and I hope none of you are too angry that I almost made Skull cry. Small time skip, obviously, and there will be more time skips to come, also obviously.

Please review. I love it when you all do and leave little things you might like to happen.