Sunburn

Prologue

This chapter isn't edited in any way, shape, or form. So if ya' see a mistake, pls don't be afraid to call me out? :'D I'll try and get to it as soon as I am able!

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR, or any of its wonderful characters.

Chapter Warnings: General violence. Blood mention. Rushed writing. Slowbuild. Reborn being an asshole. Skull Abuse (#skulldeservesbetter).

A/N: I love Reborn, but he is kind of an arrogant asshole. So I had the thought of Reborn getting a taste of his own medicine, and who else but from himself? Or maybe this could be a long and drawn-out metaphor to coming to terms with an uncontrollable future, and coming to grips with your past…. Hm….

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I guess we'll see, lmao. I always ride the fine line of Angst and Humor, sadly. Every time I wanna write something funny, angst slips on in there. Every time I wanna write something angsty, humor is like ' it's free real estate'.

Who knows, maybe I"ll sprinkle in a lil' character study in there, maybe explore the Arcobaleno curse. (That being said, pls tell me if Renato/Reborn is OOC, and how you characterize him. :'D I'm almost always scared to write him, lmao)

tbh I only started this cause I just couldn't get the idea outta my head about everyone thinking Reborn is adult Renato's son, but Reborn is, well, Reborn . Everyone just kinda forces themselves to accept how weird Reborn acts simply because he is Renato's son, lolololol

This will be interesting! It will be fun to explore Renato/Reborn. I hope! ヽ(；▽；)ノ

Hope y'all enjoy!

Renato Sinclair was a busy man.

The smell of gun powder and ash, burnt flesh and blood; it sunk into his clothes like the cigarette smoke from his earlier break. In short, he smelled and honestly, that was offensive in itself because Renato held himself to high standards. But this latest mission from Luce did have him thinking a bit more than usual during a hit, and leaving him a bit more bloody.

It was, as ever, a bit exhilarating to have something that wasn't so boring.

At the same time, however—blood.

It was a bitch to get out, and Renato was a busy man. It came with the territory of being the world's greatest hitman. Thus, because he was a busy man due to his self-made status, and because blood was a tedious task to get out of clothes—

His current outfit was trash already.

Which was a shame because it was finely cut, tailored correctly and fit perfectly on him. But it was covered in blood, smelt like it, and it was making Renato just a tiny bit itchy wearing it. It made him a bit more irritable than usual, and he lit up a cigarette idly as he waited at the meet-up spot for his ride. His ride, who was late by approximately 4 minutes and 41 seconds.

Why Luce wanted him to work with a no-brained civilian was beyond him.

42 seconds.

It was annoying enough that he was supposed to be the world's strongest Cloud. Even though he acted nothing but, which was throwing everyone off enough. Renato wasn't one to gossip, but it was obvious from the short meetings he had with others when the civilian was with them. The side-eying, the eye-rolling, and the general annoyance the Cloud could make someone feel simply by breathing was astounding—

43 seconds.

Though Renato was sure it could all be chalked up to the mere lack of Flame etiquette the civilian had. He didn't know a single shit about Flames, had 'ooh'ed and 'ah'ed at Renato's like it was some fucking magic trick when they first met. And seeing as of that he had no control over his, his own Flames flared up at annoying times and felt so abrasive to be around.

Perhaps Renato should put him through some sort of Flame discipline training in their free time…

44 seconds.

"Skull-sama is here!" An annoying voice cut through the sheer quietness and darkness of the dark alley, the motorcycle being heard from kilometers away. The civilian Cloud pulled into the alley, coming to a rest in front of the hitman, and looked towards him expectantly.

It was obvious the stuntman was grinning that obnoxious grin.

Renato inhaled the last bits of his cigarette, igniting his fingers and burning the leftovers into ash so it could fall away.

And promptly drop kicked the Cloud off his motorcycle, sending him crashing into a nearby wall.

"Annoying lackey," Renato sneered darkly, brushing off his jacket. It was mostly for show, because dust wasn't going to further ruin his bloody and smoked dark jacket. "You're late."

Skull groaned, sitting up and taking off his helmet. He shook his hair out, before shooting Renato a look. "Skull-sama isn't late! You're just stupidly early, Renato-senpai," he snapped back, mulish. Renato gave him a sharp grin, causing him to pale and avert his eyes. "W-whatever, I'm here now."

"Your existence hangs upon a thread," Renato reminded gleefully. Darkly. Sadistically. Whatever. It caused the same effect of Skull becoming riveted, eyes snapping towards him and stilling; trembling like a mouse. Killing intent tend to do that to weak civilians. "And that thread depends on if you can shut up for the rest of the night."

Skull opened and closed his mouth, expression twisting up. Fear, annoyance, fear, and at last, resignation. He nodded, swallowing harshly.

Satisfied, Renato let up a bit and saddled the bike. It was a throwaway bike, not too shabby nor too expensive. It got the job done. They were going to have travel from Ravin to the edge of Arenzano, where a Giglio Nero pickup would escort them more firmly into Luce's territory and hopefully a nice bed and shower.

"If you can agree to that, then I guess you're not as stupid as you look," Renato smirked as Skull picked himself up from the ground. Skull shot him a sullen look and got on the bike behind him, shoving his helmet back over his head as he did so.

Luce was too kind to him, Renato mused. If she'd let Lal or Renato properly train him, he'd come out a whole new person. Perhaps this new person would be less annoying. That would be a godsend. Especially now that Luce has finally gathered them all into an estate for more close bonding, after a year of meetups and missions with mix-matched pairs/groups so they could at least come to some sort of semblance of trust.

It was in the dead of night, and with the authorities being paid off and locals being a bit too wary of people after dark, it was nice and quiet. Granted, Skull was fidgety behind him and the bike was purring a bit too loud that it always raised an edge of paranoia in Renato, but he shoved it all aside to focus on his goal.

Shower, change of clothes, sleep.

Luce had left the estate for a few days to monitor her Famiglia, but she promised to be back today; it was unfortunate that Renato and Skull had to leave for the majority of it. Renato had noticed her increasingly odd behavior, moments of where she spaced out and her brows furrowed. Her quiet moments weren't just that anymore, but more—

Contemplative.

Renato wanted to know what she was thinking.

(He knew the rumors, her Sky Flames, her power of foresight—what has gotten her thinking? Why wasn't she sharing with them, with him? She was supposed to trust them.)

It was a good 45 minute to an hour drive, especially when they were taking the backroads. It was on one of these backroads, with scarce forest and woods around them, that something felt off. Skull was too busy probably staring up at the starry night sky above them, and Renato perhaps a bit too lost in thought as he drove, but he definitely noticed when he felt like the world pulsed around him. It was inaudible, almost unnoticeable, but there.

A flare of Flames had both Renato and Skull perking up.

"What was that?" Skull shouted the question, and Renato, already on edge from the night and now the mysterious flare of a nearby powerful Flame user, gritted his teeth. He pulled over to the side of the road, sending dust and gravel up as he maneuvered the bike sharply, twisting as they braked.

It sent the stuntman spiraling off, but annoyingly, he caught himself in a tumble and stood up in one smooth motion. Never mind the fact that Renato was going 95 KPH, or that fact that that the sheer momentum from that should have at least seriously injured a normal civilian.

Too bad Skull wasn't a normal one. Just an annoying one.

"Renato-senpai!" Skull hissed at him, looking a moment too close to stomping his feet in a childish tantrum. Instead, he settled for crossing his arms and shuffling in place. "What was that for?"

Renato dragged the bike off to some nearby brush, sending the Cloud a saccharine smile full of teeth. "Oopsie, silly me," he drawled, making sure to keep his voice low. In a smooth motion, he drew his gun and made sure it was reloaded as he started to trek into the forestry around them. He memorized where the flare was, and if he was lucky, he could at least find them without too much searching.

"What are you doing?" Skull followed, tripping as he scrambled to catch up. At least he knew when the whisper, no matter how grating it was. "Is someone following us?" Renato was tempted to roll his eyes, but he was more than that.

He settled for stepping back, and stomping harshly onto Skull's foot. Despite the metal-toed boot being made of thick material, there was a satisfying crunch that had Skull cursing and bending sharply forward in pain. Not wasting a moment, Renato grabbed the back of the idiot's helmet and used Skull being off-balance to slam him face-first into the dirt, smiling viciously as he knelt down after him.

"Lackey," Renato hummed. "If you think that, then why are you being so loud?"

"I'm not-!" Skull snapped back, but cut off when Renato grinded his helmeted face into the ground. It creaked ominously, and Skull thrashed only once before stilling with a huffy whine.

"You are, both literally and," Renato flared his own Flames sharply, precise and burning. It encompassed their space, stretching and filling, and overlying Skull's own. As strong as they were, Renato's were stronger and hotter. Using the ridiculously thin connection they had, he managed to crowd and practically smother them back to their owner.

This caused Skull to thrash once more, practically growling and whining, "what are you doing—"

"Shut up." Renato dropped all pretense of his vague and passive-aggressive patience, voice becoming vacant. "I want to head back. I want a damn shower. In order to do that, I have to get rid of this damn tail. And how can I do that when you—" he lifted Skull's head up, and smashed it back onto the ground for emphasis. "are—" Again. "so—" Again. "loud?"

Aaand once more for good measure.

Skull grunted each time, but laid limp before him. Renato let up on his Flames a bit, gauging; thankfully, Skull's own abrasive Flames stayed close to him this time, drawn tight. No doubt it hurt to have someone else to smother his Flames, causing them to be defensive and drawn tight as they were, but this wouldn't even be a problem if Luce would just agree to Skull getting at least some form of Flame training so he could actually be useful for once.

As it was, Skull was nothing but a hindrance. The amount of times he almost ruined a mission was a time too many, his annoying civilian-ness counterproductive and throwing a wrench in Renato's carefully crafted control he had in practically everything.

Luce really was too soft; she was going to get someone killed if she kept on trying to preserve Skull's 'innocence'.

He was going to have to talk to her about it again. A civilian never lasted long in the mafia, and they usually caused more mistakes that took down others with them. Renato couldn't bare the thought of a mistake befalling him, because he worked too hard and got so far for it to not matter due to some annoying and mouthy civilian.

Renato would worry about all that after he got his damn shower and got the reek of gun powder and blood off of him.

Standing with the grace of a thousand predators, quick and quiet, Renato stepped on Skull as he passed. "Now that we got that sorted out," he chirped, a sharp contrast to his previous tone. "Keep up, lackey, or you'll be more of a deadweight than you already are."

"Fuckin' jerk," Skull groused, sniffing a bit. "You've got something wrong with you. Asshole." Renato didn't pay him any mind, hearing him gingerly get up and stagger after him. Stupid civilian, he couldn't help but think. Of course, compared to civilians, Renato wasn't exactly right in the head.

He was a hitman, not the epitome of morality, here.

At the very least, he had lines that he dared not crossed. It was Fon, after all, who suggested to have Skull kill someone as a way to break him in. While it was a common practice for children in the Triads, Renato had a degree in psychology and knew that probably wouldn't help Skull adjust much because he was much too old and young at the same time, old enough to have created his own morals and young enough to be stupidly stubborn over it.

If Luce wanted Skull to be clean, then what else could Renato do but agree? She was the Sky, after all, and if she wanted her potential Cloud to be an annoying civilian, then that's more on her and less on Renato.

(The thought of being apart of a Set with Skull was grating.)

As they neared where Renato thought was the site, his steps becoming quieter and quieter, Renato subtly adjusted his grip on his gun to be more lax. Ready for anything, his Flames simmered beneath his skin, warm sunlight encapsulating on the edges of an inferno that always threatened to burn anything and everything in its path. His vision became sharper, his hearing pinpointing every little creak and push of the scarce forest around them; his heart picked up a bit, enough to make his blood rush just enough to make him more alert.

With a sharp grin, Renato flared his Flames.

His world shone molten gold for a briefest of seconds, as his Flames engulfed almost the entirety of the small forest around them. And in a moment, Renato had all the information he needed to know and was already stalking through the woods with long strides. Skull lapped at his heels as they burst into a small clearing, and Renato raised his gun, calculating the correct angle and his Flames were still receding from the area around them to seep into his gun.

It was akin to the waves receding back into the ocean of Flames that Renato had, leaving mere traces.

Normally, this wouldn't be a problem; without Renato there to supply them with active Flames, any lingering wisps of his Sun Flame would dissipate. No one could track him unless they were there to snatch them up with their own Flames, supplement them and hope that they were strong enough to keep them active in order to even have a chance at tracking him.

No one dared track Renato, though, because it was a two-way street. And if someone knew where Renato was, then Renato knew where they were. It was a death wish for anyone to want the world's greatest hitman's attention.

The other Flame user greedily clung to his Flames, flaring their own as a response, before letting go.

It was comparatively smaller than Renato's own, and weaker than that earlier flare that got both Skull and Renato's attention earlier, but it was undoubtedly the same source. And though he only had brief taste of both times, there was an unsettling feeling that crept over him.

Especially when he finally could make out what his current target was, gun raised and finger gentle on the trigger. Renato could only stare at the small figure, sitting up in a pile of dirty rags that used to be clothes, and blinking dark eyes at them. The light of the moon illuminated the small figure—small figure, too small to be anything but a—

Baby.

Renato was pulling a gun on a baby.

Cazzo!

Skull squawked behind him, the tight grip he had on his Flames relenting. "I-It's a baby! Renato-senpai, it's a baby!" In a bout of courage that only came up when something questioned his civilian morals, Skull grabbed onto Renato's arm and brought it down in a crushing grip. "You can't—shoot a…baby…," the Cloud trailed off, as he got a better look at said baby.

And then back at Renato, and then to the baby again.

"Renato-senpai? When did you have a kid?" Skull sounded properly horrified, and Renato was almost tempted to shoot him. But Renato didn't, because that would feel too much like giving in to his own growing horror. Horror, what horror—that would mean loss of control, and Renato never lost that.

Not now, not then, and not anytime soon.

The baby blinked slow at them, his little head tilting ever so slightly. His expression was carefully blank, and Renato refused to say that it was mildly unsettling. Renato didn't know babies, he knew a lot of things, but not babies. So was this normal for a baby? No, it couldn't be—but Renato couldn't be a 100 percent sure, and that was unacceptable.

So, for now—Renato will confidently say, yes, this is how babies act. Sure, why not?

(To act as anything else would make Renato lose credibility, and he's come too far along to allow that to ever happen.)

Renato shook Skull off of him, putting the safety on his gun as he re-holstered it in a smooth motion. Striding almost too confidently in front of the baby, ignoring the anxious whining from behind him, Renato knelt in front of the baby he just pulled a gun on.

"Ciaossu," Renato greeted with his familiar smirk, tilting his head in response to the baby's. Skull whimpered pathetically behind him, but he ignored that as well. Cautiously, Renato stretched and reached with his Flames, gentle as he could be because he was the strongest Sun and the strongest in the Arcobaleno, to prod the baby's own.

Just to confirm—

What he felt had everything in his head come to a startling stop, static coming to fill the now empty space. All Renato could do was stare, and try to think and failing miserably. All his thoughts cycled back to the feeling of the baby's Flames, like a bad record on repeat. The baby's Flames were Sun, and so painfully familiar that it must be—

Renato felt like he was drowning on air.

The baby must have found something humorous in his expression, because he smiled with glee, his cherub features alighting in such a devilish cute way that reminded Renato too much of himself. It didn't help that the baby chirped out a greeting of his own, voice so small and childishly slurred that it had to be the only word he knew.

And the word he knew only further confirmed the sinking dread in Renato's stomach.

"Ciaossu!"

Skull promptly fainted behind him, and Renato, for once, couldn't blame him.

Review, favorite, follow, or whatever you do on fics that you read!

Sunburn, or Son Born, hmmmm? -insert thinkin' emoji here-

lololol

See ya'!

-mms