A/N: Don't mind me, this was just a headcannon that refused to die when I started listening to Night Vale. Not really planning a story for this, just thought it'd be a cool idea to share.

Disclaimer: Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! or Welcome to Night Vale.

Return to Night Vale

Lab accidents weren't common but occasionally an experiment would get out of hand. The common variable to these accidents was the presence of Skull whose very existence distracted the scientist, especially now that they were adults again.

"Why is it raining animal carcasses? Verde, put away the science instruments we need to find shelter!" Skull exclaims, Verde rolled his eyes and reached into a pocket dimension for a large umbrella. It was reinforced with a magnetic field that protected them from even the larger animals like dogs and armadillos. Keiman looked delighted at the all you can eat buffet around him.

"We've seen some weird shit over the years but what the hell is that?!" Skull exclaims, pointing at a glowing cloud above them.

Verde pushed up his glasses, a glint in his eyes that Skull both adored and made him want to hit his head against something. Never mind finding a way back home, Verde was already in research mode. "Intriguing. I've heard of spiders and fish being involved in such phenomena but not on this scale." He had vague memories of seeing this before but was unable to properly recall.

There was a building nearby that Skull had to drag Verde to, memories of childhood clawing at his conscious. His vision dimmed as Skull pounded his fist on the door, the sickening splat of falling corpses fading into the background. A man in a lab coat, face blurred, was asking if he was alright.

"Are time travelers legal yet?" Were the last words out of Verde's mouth before he passed out.

There were angels named Erika, killer librarians, and physics here often gave Carlos the middle finger. Why not run into a time traveler or two? The scientist thought in exasperation, helping the panicking Skull pull Verde inside.

When Verde regained consciousness, he looked... lost. "I am going to kill that bastard. He made me forget my family, Night Vale, and even my own name!" Skull was by his side immediately, hugging him and using his flames to anchor the furious inventor.

"Was it reeducation?" Carlos asks, recalling the run-ins that he and his coworkers often had with the police when they'd investigate various anomalies in Night Vale.

Verde looked up at him with wide eyes. "As an inventor, I went through reeducation on a weekly basis. Just standard brain washing techniques with a bit of physical torture. But two decades of my life were hidden from me for years just so I could be easily manipulated by a so-called god. I don't even know if my fathers are still alive in our time."

"Verde, that isn't normal. You were the first to fly off the handle when I told you what happened to me." Skull says, rubbing Verde's arm.

"That's different. A scientist is always fine." Verde retorts.

"Verde." An exasperated tone suggested this excuse was a common one. "You're human, not one of those robots you work on." And Skull would ignore the mutter under Verde's breath on how things would be so much simpler if that was the case.

"And look on the bright side, I can finally meet your parents!"

Verde burst into a fit of laughter, eyes glinting mischievously. "You've already met one of them. The other is currently narrating on the radio." The soothing voice that was in the background stopped for a brief second before giving a hurried exclamation about the weather.

"You're giving away a lot of information." Carlos says warily, Verde shrugged. "If this was going to affect my existence I wouldn't be here. Even if time doesn't work properly in Night Vale. And I can use a break from my experiments." Verde looked around. "Has anyone seen Keimen?"

XoXoXoXoXo

The door slammed open; a small alligator covered in blood waddling over to Verde. It gave a cute snort before curling up on Verde's feet. "That pet is as bad with hygiene as you are." Skull complains.

"And yours clings. Of course you'd have an octopus. You and dad are going to get along too well." Verde retorts, barely batting an eye as the small gator laid its bloody snout on his feet.

He looked at a calendar on the wall, noting the date. There was one day in particular that a cloud-like entity had arrived in the town, residents unable to remember the entirety of the day. Their arrival may have coincided with the event.

"Is the weather always music?" Skull asks, Verde raised an eyebrow. "What else would it be?"

"Weather?"

"You could just check outside for that. If it's serious there will be an emergency announcement." Verde states.

As Skull tried to explain that no, that's not how weather alerts normally happen, the sound of heavy thumps increased.

"Scientifically speaking, do you know what's going on right now?" Carlos asks, Verde shrugged. "That's just the Glow Cloud. It tends to do that from time to time, especially if the PTA doesn't agree with it's rulings for the local schools."

"That cloud is a parent?!" Skull exclaims.

Verde once again shrugged. "It would be rude to examine a valued member of the community but it will, eventually, reproduce. There are many strange phenomena in my hometown that normal people can't fathom."

Skull was beginning to see why the scientist hadn't raised an eyebrow about his "undying" status. And why someone so interested in science didn't dismiss supernatural phenomena or psychic abilities.

XoXoXoXoXo

Skull sighed, watching the two scientists discuss the strange phenomena happening in the small town. Verde had his usual hot chocolate with an espresso shot, occasionally taking a sip of the surprisingly bitter drink. Skull had stolen his drink before and grimaced, a sleep deprived Verde laughing hysterically at his misfortune.

Carlos didn't ask anything about the future, hadn't even asked their names. Skull was almost disappointed that there was no drama despite the unexpected family meeting. They just seemed content to be around someone on the same level of intelligence as themselves.

There was a knock on the door and Skull was mentally thanking whichever god decided to interrupt his boredom.

The man at the door was average, and not at the same time. If Skull had been asked to describe his face he wouldn't be able to remember. What wasn't average, however, was the man's fashion. It looked like someone had gone through the wardrobe of a broadway musical, blindfolded. There was old fashioned broadcasting equipment he was carrying, an almost supernatural aura coming from the man.

"The nerds are in the kitchen." Skull says bluntly.