Author: The Plot Bunny Whisperer
Title: Colorire
Rating: T (Cuz, like… Reborn.)
Genre: Gen, Family
Summary: (Soulmate!AU; Gen) Everyone in the world is born colorblind, destined to only see color once they've met the eyes of their soulmate. Tsuna meets his soulmates one by one, and gains the ability to see a new color with each first meeting.
Pairing(s): None. Zip. Nada. You see Romance as a genre?
Warnings: Random swearing. Violence, maybe? Dunno. Can't write fight scenes to save my life.
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't care, don't sue.

AN: If you follow me on tumblr or Ao3 then you know I'm having issues with part four. Fortunately FFN updates are a while from reaching that point, so hopefully they'll be over with by then.

Updates for FFN will be on the 1st and 11th and 21st of the month, unless I'm less than four chapters ahead or sick or something. My tumblr (plunniewhisperer) updates first, usually weekly, followed by AO3 within 24-48 hrs if you don't want to wait.

So, enjoy!

Colorire
Part 2. Verde

Tsuna's day is... eventful. It begins with Reborn waking him up via a Leon-mallet at six in the morning. Still half-asleep, he is ushered into an old pair of sweats and chased outside for an early morning jog.

Tsuna is used to running (usually from bullies), but Reborn shoots at his feet when he slows down from an outright sprint after the first five minutes. After thirty, his lungs are burning and there is a persistent stitch in his side. After forty-five his legs feel like noodles and he is ready to collapse. Reborn seems to understand his limits, however, so he is allowed to slow down for the last fifteen minutes home.

When they return, Tsuna feels as though he could sleep for a week. The warm water of his shower is like a siren, but the proud look Reborn gives him when he sits down for breakfast and the short, "Good job, Tsuna," is invigorating enough that he makes it out the door with enough time for a leisurely walk to school.

He is met half-way by Sasagawa Kyoko, who gives him a bright smile, and Kurokawa Hana, who greets him with a simple, "Sawada," in place of her usual catchphrase. Tsuna doesn't question their companionship, however much he may wish to, and the walk to school is silent save for Kyoko's merry humming.

Their arrival is markedly different from what Tsuna is used to. Normally, he is ignored or jeered at by his peers, but today they seem to be watching him in a strange mixture of shock and contemplation, whispering quietly amongst each other. The change makes Tsuna apprehensive.

He has always done his best to stay as unnoticed as possible. Bringing attention to himself is like sending an invitation to anyone with the inclination to use his flaws against him, such as his grades or his small stature, wielding fists and words like knives piercing his heart. He expected some attention because of Mochida's challenge, however this isn't the mocking of peers but rather the judgement of the whole reassessing the thought-to-be weakest member of the group.

No one, least of all Tsuna himself, expected him to win that challenge… but he did, and now even they are unsure exactly where he stands.

He feels a bit of relief once he is seated at his desk, because although they are still staring and whispering to each other, there are fewer people in his class than in the hallways. What he overhears tells him they are talking about yesterday's kendo match, not that he's surprised.

Tsuna only hopes that the debacle won't give his tormentors ideas (such as retribution, or take the fact that he won to mean they can escalate the severity of their normal encounters), but it is likely a false hope so he does his best to try not to think or worry about it. His thoughts are racing, however, and he can't stop himself from picturing the mental map of his usual route and making contingency plans.

It's disheartening how necessary it is when he realizes what he's doing, and also how familiar. It's been a long time since he felt safe walking home. He has learned the best routes and shortcuts out of necessity; he wouldn't be in the least surprised if he knew how to navigate Namimori better than any other resident barring Hibari (who was a vicious zealot when it came to the protection of 'his' city.)

He is forced to put those thoughts out of his mind completely however as their first teacher arrives and classes start for the day.

(Just his luck. Math.)

—

Class has scarcely ended for lunch when Tsuna is all but ambushed by Kyoko, Kurokawa a patient, long-suffering shadow behind her. They are both carrying their lunches with them and looking at him expectantly. Tsuna pauses in the process of opening his bento to stare at them in surprise.

"Would you like to join us for lunch, Sawada-kun?" Kyoko asks cheerfully, giving him a bright smile. He blinks at her silently before sending Kurokawa a confused look. She rolls her eyes and makes a "go with it" motion with her hands.

"Um... Sure?"

"Yay!" Kyoko cheers. She grabs his upper arm and pretty much drags him out the door and down the hall, inciting more staring and shocked murmuring. She's a lot stronger than she looks, Tsuna thinks, and before he knows it they are ensconced within one of the few enclosed seating areas on the grounds, Kurokawa on one side and Kyoko sitting next to him on the other.

This is an unprecedented event, and it makes him almost too nervous to eat; he has not eaten lunch with anyone at school but himself for years. Kyoko is chattering happily, pausing only to takes bites of her food, looking as though nothing pleases her more than the fact that he is in their company. Kurokawa is silent, chewing absently on an empty yakitori stick. She doesn't appear to be paying attention, staring off into the distance, but her eyes are sharp and she spears Tsuna with a look when he fidgets with his hashi.

He hastily fits them back into the lid of his bento as he closes it, a little unnerved to see how much is actually left inside. After so many years of having his lunch taken or ruined, he never realized how little of it he actually ate. Like a Pavlovian response, the few mouthfuls he has managed - barely a third of the contents - is enough to satisfy him. He wonders for a moment of he should ask his mother to make him smaller lunches from now on, but quickly reconsiders. This could be a one-time thing, after all, and his tormentors would likely find a way to punish him for taking away one of their daily pleasures. Not to mention that it would make his mother think.

Nothing good lies in that direction. His mother wondering why he might want a smaller lunch when he has always done well with what she gave him before would lead to her asking questions. Questions would lead to observation would lead to realization would lead to... Well. At least the food is rarely wasted, and what she doesn't know won't hurt her.

(It will be a cold day in hell before he makes his mother cry again.)

Kurokawa is staring at him now with an eerily blank look in her eyes, the beginnings of a frown tugging at her lips as she looks between him and the bento and the school. Tsuna has always noticed how smart Kurokawa was; that she could take in all the clues and arrive to the most likely correct conclusion surprises him not at all. Subtly, so Kyoko won't notice, he shakes his head. She makes an abortive movement and scowls, turning instead to glare darkly in the direction of their classroom.

It moves him a bit that one of the most unapproachable girls in his class is showing obvious anger on his behalf. It's nice, and just a touch frightening.

Fortunately, Kyoko remains oblivious to this aside as she finishes her current monologue – something about a new cake shop she found, although Tsuna is ashamed to admit he wasn't really paying attention. She bends down to retrieve a small paper bag with a yellow smiley face drawn on the front and holds it out to him. Her easy smile is belied by the nervy look in her eyes that don't quite meet his.

"Here! I baked some cookies for you. I wanted to apologize for yesterday." She meets his eyes this time, wearing a disapproving frown that reminds him of his mother. "Mochida-senpai had no right to treat you that way. I already talked to him and cleared up the misunderstanding. Oh!" she exclaims as panic flies across his face. "Don't worry, I didn't say anything about your secret." Tsuna sighs in relief, the sudden flare of panic fading away.

"I also wanted to thank you." Kyoko smiles softly and looks down, biting at her lower lip. "That was a very nice thing you said. No one has ever said it quite like that; 'when I was ready', I mean. It's always, 'when I pick', or 'if they ask enough'. To be honest, I've always felt a bit pressured when it came to things like that." Her shoulders slump, a pouting moue pulling at the corner of her mouth.

Tsuna frowns at the sad look on her face. The resemblance to his mother is even stronger here, and just as when Mama is upset, he struggles to find some way to make her feel better.

"Have you ever told them you weren't ready?" Kyoko flushes and shakes her head.

"Well, no. I'm not really good when it comes to confrontation. Except with onii-san, but you have to be firm with him sometimes or he extremely won't get it." Tsuna huffs out a surprised laugh and Kurokawa groans exaggeratedly while Kyoko giggles.

"Well..." Tsuna bites his lip in thought. "I'm not very good at advice, but maybe... next time, imagine you're talking to your brother?" he offers unsurely.

Kyoko blinks in surprise. Kurokawa shakes her head and mutters, "Ugh. Why didn't I think of that?"

"I..." Slowly, Kyoko's face brightens until she's beaming delightedly. "Yes! I can do that! That's a great idea, Sawada-kun!"

Tsuna flushes in embarrassment. "You can call me Tsuna. If you want."

"Then call me Kyoko." She gives her friend a pleading look. Kurokawa sighs, but her voice is sincere when she offers to be called Hana. Kyoko offers the bag of cookies again, and he takes them with a small, pleased smile, sharing them with both of the girls.

Talking with them is easy, somehow. Kyoko is bubbly and cheerful, and now that she's relaxed from her earlier apprehension shows a surprisingly humorous side of herself. Hana has a dry wit and sarcastic overtone, which balances nicely with her childhood friend. They make him laugh and forget to worry about the possible consequences of yesterday and the waiting judgement of their peers.

Tsuna feels... warm. Happy, even. He wonders if this is what friendship feels like.

It's rather wonderful, if it is.