Hayato has been stuck in this shitty hellhole for a week. He couldn't escape this wretched house with Lupin hovering over him like the fucking devil on his shoulder and Reborn simply being himself. (He knew for a fact that no one escaped from Reborn; he didn't need to experience it firsthand, damn it!)

Not only did he have to put up with Lupin and his sickening act of caring for Hayato, Reborn's refusal - which shouldn't hurt (but it did) - but also school, even though he already had several degrees (because he wasn't a genius for nothing). But if he didn't show up in school (Who the fuck enrolled him there in the first place? That meddlesome Lupin, no doubt.), there was this bloodthirsty (and as a Mafioso, he wasn't using the term lightly) motherfucker who has a tagline.

(And part of him wondered if he was part vampire since he seemed to be the type to literally bite people to death. But then vampires were adverse to sunlight. But then, there could always be exceptions.)

And worse, not only did he have to put up with people he hated both in school (because the place was filled with stupidly innocent kids - and he hated being reminded of himself when he was a child oh so long ago) and at his prison, but he still wasn't learning magic!

(Of course, he was not going to learn from the Master of Death. He did not trust the man.)

But the worst of all (because Murphy's Law was the guiding principle of his life) was the third occupant in this madhouse who was going to knock on his door in T minus five seconds and counting.

Three. Two. And there was the knocking like clockwork.

"Um, Gokudera-san," he said timidly, poking his poofy brown head through the slightly opened door. (And he had a field day telling the brunet off for calling him by his first name, as if they were close. What a joke.)

"It's dinnertime," he continued. (As if Hayato didn't hear Lupin shout it to the world.)

"Not hungry," he replied gruffly without skipping a beat. They've been doing this song-and-dance for the past week every mealtime. You'd think by now the kid would get a clue or something?

To be honest, he would love to give the kid a clue - in the form of his dynamites - but he knew better than to attack Reborn's favorite student, judging by the black fedora on his fluffy little head.

(And that's why he hated the fucking brat so much. What did he have - other than Reborn's visible approval - that Hayato didn't? He was weak, pathetic, stupid, and useless.

Does this mean Hayato was even worse than this kid?)

"Why don't you just fucking leave me alone?" Hayato snapped and he smirked when the tiny brunet flinched.

"Because you're hungry," he answered back, holding onto the door frame and looking at the ground in fear. But he still wasn't leaving Hayato's room.

"No, I'm not," he growled and he was delighted at the obvious fear in his stance. Maybe he would finally leave Hayato alone. (Like the rest of the world.)

"You are," he answered back and as if on cue, his stomach loudly growled.

"So what?" he snarled, flushing in embarrassment. It's a good thing that the bitch still wasn't looking up to see his reddened face.

"It's dinnertime. Hari-san prepared an Italian spread," he said and Hayato was only irritated with hearing the heavily butchered name.

"I don't care. I don't to eat," he huffed, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. (He usually didn't smoke indoors but he was perfectly willing to make an exception in this crappy place.)

"Why?" the fucking bitch spoke so softly he almost missed it.

"Why what?" he snapped, glaring at the brunet who looked at him with wide brown eyes, like a fucking owl.

"Why don't you like Hari-san?" he asked.

"First of all, it's Har-ry, not Hari. You and your fucking accent," he said, annoyed. "Secondly, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," he said, soft and resolute, despite his trembling frame and white knuckles. "You don't like to eat because Hari-san prepares all the meals in this house. That's why you take some money from the secret stash in the highest cabinet, underneath one of the mugs so you can buy your own food in the middle of the night."

"And how the hell do you know that?" he asked because he made sure that he didn't sneak out for too long, lest Reborn or Lupin look for him. He hasn't been caught so far, so how did this brat know what he did? And more importantly, did Lupin know that Hayato was stealing from him?

"I just do," he said with a shrug before adding, "And so does Hari-san, that's why he keeps replenishing it."

"He lets me steal from him?" he asked, flabbergasted.

"It's not stealing if he's willingly giving it to you. He worries about you."

"Why would he care?" Hayato growled, getting up to tower over the brunet. The kid just hunched onto himself, but he still looked at Hayato.

"Because you live here. It's what he does."

"Because he needs me to be in top form for one of his demonic rituals that requires human lives?" he asked, remembering reading a book (because he was going to learn about magic, one way or another) about that required someone's death to become immortal. Of course it also required splitting the soul, whatever that meant.

(And maybe Lupin did that ritual because he had eyes that belied his age and it seemed appropriate for the Master of Death to be a soulless immortal bastard.)

"What?" he looked at Hayato confusedly.

"Don't you know, kid? He's the Master of Death," Hayato said, and he only looked more confused.

"Master of Death?" he repeated.

"Yeah. As in the one who can control death. The one who can decide whether you live or die. The one who can control lives!"

(And Hayato was frankly sick and tired of other people controlling his life.)

"I…don't think that is what it means to be the Master of Death," he said before glancing to the dining area then looking back at Hayato. "In fact, I don't think that he even chose to be the Master of Death."

"What do you know?" he asked angrily and was only more incensed when the kid just shrugged.

"Hari-san isn't a bad person. He doesn't want to hurt you. He worries about you. And so do me and Reborn," he said, looking down at the ground.

"You're worried about me, huh? Worried that I'll finally blow you up for being such an annoying ass?" he asked sullenly.

The brat suddenly looked up, the fedora falling off his head when he did so. Sawada looked at him with brown eyes that faintly shone orange, if he wasn't mistaken.

"We're worried for you," he said resolutely, taking a step forwards towards Hayato.

"So will you please eat with us, Gokudera-san?" he asked, and the glow was gone as soon as it appeared.

It was odd that he couldn't the words to answer Sawada's question. He usually had a litany prepared but he was just stunned at his declaration.

Maybe it was the eyes that were mesmerizing. Maybe it was his tone. Hayato didn't know (and it would irk him later on when he gets his head screwed back properly) but he knew there was only one answer to that question.

"Okay."

Acquiescence - end.

so. yeah. not only am i obscenely late but this was a crappy filler chapter. but i needed a transition chapter so this came out and i'm sorry for everything. xcc

to KK, thanks for your review and i'm glad you enjoyed it. and to be honest, i'm still forming "my reborn". he's not as established as i try to make him out to be. ahahaha. and that actually makes sense, he is definitely a black in the way you described him. maybe he inherited more from tonks than her metamorphmagus skills. xDD

to Grayfia, thanks for your review. and yeah, that's how i'm trying to portray harry and reborn, complete with the "listen-to-your-mother-or-else" thing. ahahaha. finally, i'm getting something right. x3

so if life would let me, i'll post the next chapter on sunday this week. if not, i'll post sometime within next week.

so you know what would be awesome? reviews. please?