Lal wears a short, black, flared skirt with see-through black tights, and a soft, pastel blue sweater she pushed back the long sleeves off a little. Her dark red, strappy, heeled sandals clink against the sidewalk, her black, small purse hanging from her shoulder swinging back and forth at her steps. She chose to remain makeup free, wanting to give off an overall casual look even as she's dressed up, but adorned her ears with flower studs.

It's a sunny day warm enough for them to have chosen a table outside, and she spots them sitting face to face—spots Colonnello. He wears a fluorescent peach hoodie, but the color light enough it's easy on the eyes, and she lets hers linger where his hoodie hugs close his broad shoulders, where he pushed up the sleeves to his elbows, baring his muscled arms. He switched his usual green bandanna for a blue one, both highlighting the sunshine in his hair, and reminding of his blue eyes.

Lal smiles, fond and amused. Someone else has made themself pretty for how much they tried to play the lightheartedness of their crush, but it seems to be quite the big one already.

Lal walks past his—their date to stand next to him, turning around.

"Surprise," Colonnello says too cheerfully, finally deigning to notice her even when she knows he's seen her coming, and it's clear now he didn't want to draw Skull's attention to her until the last moment.

Because their date is Skull, but he's still Colonnello's crush, and she wants it to work from the get go if that's what will end up happening anyway, so she only winces inwardly. Skull is her coworker, and suddenly having to look at him as a potential future partner is…

Skull wears a mismatch of colors he somehow pulls off flawlessly, a yellow sport coat over a black turtleneck, the long sleeves pushed up to his elbows too, with his red, plaid, ripped pants tucked into his black doc martens. A yellow beanie hides most of his purple hair, pink see through sunglasses on his nose, shiny lip gloss on his lips, and a spiked, black bracelet around his wrist.

...very easy.

Lal looks him up and down again, and finds herself even willing.

Wow, okay—okay, that's—that's some whiplash she didn't expect.

"Lal, hey," Skull says, smiling, clearly surprised, but pleasantly surprised, and Lal almost feels ashamed. "So you're the lucky girl, huh?"

"Surprise," Colonnello says again with that too cheerful voice of his, sliding down in his chair at the corner of her eye, as if wanting to hide. Yeah, he does that, see if it'll save him.

Skull laughs, looking at them back and forth. "Makes sense. So that's why you were there that day too."

"Hey," Lal eventually says, remembering her manners, and Skull's eyes flick to her again.

"Hey. You look beautiful."

Colonnello laughs, as if he's achieved something. "Isn't she? Always is. Is always beautiful too."

"Oh, definitely. But it's worth keeping saying it anyway."

Lal raises her eyebrows, a grin pulling at her lips, heat warming her cheeks. Skull looks at her sideways as if shy, as if Lal has seen even a glimpse of shyness in him since they've met, that little, cheeky—

Someone's apparently not about to waste any time—and she's still grinning at him, isn't she?

Lal wipes her smile off her face, making it casual and natural so not to be misunderstood, even if she feels anything but. She's not about to—can't—won't fold so easily. To make it more difficult for Colonnello if nothing else.

She turns to him, staring him down.

"Surprise," Colonnello hurries to say yet again, all kind of too much cheerfulness and satisfying wariness both on his face and in his voice. "Lal, meet Skull. Skull, meet Lal. But obviously you already know each other, isn't that great? There'll be none of that first meeting awkwardness, aren't we all happier for it? I know, right?" he says right away before either of them can say anything, and Skull snickers quietly in his drink. "Awesome, great. Let's order now you're here, yeah?" He turns to the restaurant, raising his arm to the waiter cleaning another table.

Lal snatches his hand in hers, Colonnello reaching up with his other hand to stop her, but Lal snatches that hand for herself too. Lal pulls, forcing him to shift his body back to her.

Colonnello grins. "Come on, babe. Don't embarrass me in front of our date?"

Lal has purposefully caught his fingers in an awkward angle in her grip, and she squeezes threateningly. "Guess the things I want to do to you right now?"

"Hot," Colonnello breathes out. "You can do anything you want to me, always."

Lal hauls him up by his hoodie, resolutely ignoring her blush, and he comes easily, laughing. "Hold this for me," she says, handing her purse to Skull. "We'll be right back."

"Mourn me," Colonnello mock-whispers as Lal drags him along, and she looks above her shoulder in time to see Skull blowing him a kiss.

"Will do," he says, then laughs.

Lal drags Colonnello inside the restaurant, then near the bathroom, somehow hidden from the rest of the shop, then pins him against the wall. "Explain."

"Okay, first of all, this is a super distracting—"

"I'm going to distract you straight to hell, Colonnello, I swear—"

Laughter spills from his lips, and then it doesn't look like he can't stop even as he obviously tries to stifle it. It washes over her, tingling her skin, and she feels her own laughter rise in her belly. She bites her lip, but it spills out of her mouth anyway, and then they're giggling together like two fools embarrassingly in love with each other in public.

Lal lets go of his hoodie, straightening herself, and strokes the bridge of her nose with her finger even as she's still grinning. She tucks her hair behind her ears, smooths her face in a serious expression again, and crosses her arms on her chest. "Explain."

"Okay, okay, listen," Colonnello says, his hands on her shoulders, massaging them with his thumbs. "So, Skull, right? We met that night, and I've gotten a super good feeling from him, and I thought you'd like him too, so we agreed to agree on a date sometime soon. Well, he agreed on a date with me, but then obviously I've let him know about you too, and he agreed to have you here too—oh yeah, he's totally poly too and okay with us, obviously, I made sure to check—ah." He cups her face, stroking his thumbs over her cheekbones, to soften the blow she's sure, and she fears for the worst. "Reborn might like him too, though."

Lal barks a short laugh, entirely despite herself, but then bites down on it in the next second.

Is it what's been going with him all this time? Of course she considered it—what is she, stupid?—but—

You know what? She's not even going to touch that, not even with a ten-foot pole.

"When did you meet Skull?"

"Duh," Colonnello says, almost rolling his eyes.

"You don't say. You can't imagine my newfound thankfulness for how safer you made me that night."

Colonnello gaps, then opens and closes his mouth like fish out of the water. "That's not—I—you just didn't—okay, listen." He lets his hands fall from her face, leaning back against the wall, outraged, but so much more flustered, and it's very hard to keep up her act and not laugh in his face. "It's not like I went to meet him to flirt with him, okay? I mean—I was keeping you safe, are you—I was just doing my job, okay? I can't believe—" Lal laughs then, snorting, then snickering to his face as he goes speechless again, gaping. She leans against him, resting her forehead against his shoulder, her shoulders shaking with her laughter. Colonnello huffs, wrapping his arms around her all the same. "Yeah, yeah, shut up."

Lal turns her head, and sure enough he blushes down to his neck. She gives him a light kiss where his jaw meets his neck. "I left you alone—for what? One night?"

"Wait, didn't we literally just get pass that?"

"A couple of fucking hours? And look where you've gotten us."

"Do you mean somewhere where we might become a throuple in the near future? Because that's where we are, and I think I deserve you to praise me, actually."

Lal huffs, but she can't really argue with that, now can she? "What was that about Reborn?"

"He—"

"Don't say it again." She groans, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

Colonnello laughs, and she pulls back just enough to glare at him. Unimpressed, still grinning, he leans down to kiss her forehead. He pulls away, assessing his effect, then leans down again to kiss the furrow between her brows. He leans back again, and narrows his eyes challengingly at her still frowning face—which she has to try very hard to maintain.

Colonnello cups her face, and kisses her down the bridge of her nose. He leans back ever so slightly to catch her eye, then leans in again, but Lal playfully leans back. They stare at each other, assessing each other.

Colonnello assaults her face with kisses, and she bursts out laughing, melting against him even as she puts up a mock fight. Colonnello kisses most of her face in record time except for her lips, then pulls back, leaning his forehead against hers.

"We're going to spend a great time with him, yeah? Even if nothing comes out of this date."

Lal hums, leaning up to kiss him.

Skull smiles at them when they come back to the table, but he looks tentative. "Should I leave?" he asks as soon as they reach him. "Because I totally can, and we'll still be friends, obviously, no problem at all. You don't have to fight because of me."

"No one's fighting," Lal says, taking the seat between them which Skull hung her purse on. "Sorry for the way, I was just making sure we were on the same page. Should I leave?" she asks as an afterthought, playful.

Skull grins. "No way, you've just barely graced my eyes with your sight."

And here's that easy, sweet tongue again. Not unlike one she's intimately familiar with, and stills gets to her like the first day. "Why don't you tell me something I haven't heard before?" she makes herself say through her blush, because she isn't about to let it be that easy.

Skull gasps, delighted, then laughs.

"Let's order," Colonnello says, raising his arm for a waiter again, sounding so absurdly happy, Lal blushes harder.

She focuses on her drink, taking a sip through the straw, pleasantly surprised Skull had the thought to order one for her while they were gone. God, she's noticed before, but he's awfully easy to like.

"So, are you on the run or something?"

Skull huffs, mock offended, but she only raises her eyebrows. "You might not know that, but I'm like, super famous," he whispers, even leaning down towards her, and she rolls her eyes. "And as much as I love my fans to death," he continues at a normal voice, leaning back, "I want this to be only for us three as much as possible."

God, so awfully easy to like. "Famous, are you now? Anything else I should know about you?"

"Excuse you," Skull says, happy to take the bait, "I'm an interesting and complex man full of compelling multitudes and layers, I'd have you know. I've done so many things, and been to so many places, and met so many people. This month alone..."

Colonnello and her exchange a knowing look, smiling. He's a great talker too, likes the sound of his voice, she's noticed that before too, but it's not a bad thing. Annoying for sure when it's totally irrelevant to the situation, but always interesting to confusing to straight up worrying at times, she has to give him that much.

As it is, it makes him for a great company, naturally keeping the conversation lively and comfortable as they eat. He makes sure to never let either of them out of the conversion too long either, or at all, really, letting them have their turn to speak too.

Lal realizes at some point it's the first time she really gets to see him being a civilian in a fully civilian context, and it's not a bad look. It doesn't put her off, even if she doesn't let herself fall for civilians anymore since that one disastrous relationship. But Skull will never be a civilian again, even if he might still have to realize that, and he's not so bad mafia-wise either.

He has so much to learn—everything, really, as he's started from nothing—, but he clearly does have the potential that got him there in the first place, and he learns fast, if somewhat reluctantly. Not towards learning, but learning the way some of them teach him, without accommodating for his civilian background as much as they should.

Lal will admit she's among the ones being too harsh with him. It's something's she learned from the military, breaking people past their limits to see if they'll build themselves back up, then breaking them apart again, each time pushing their limits back further, each time building themselves back up stronger. She doesn't plan to keep it up forever, but she needs to know—they all do—if he has what it'll take in him, if he has that steel in him that'll be tested sooner than later.

If he doesn't, they'll all far better discovering it sooner than later, Skull first and foremost.

He does have it despite the appearances, and she likes it. She likes her men and women dependable and reliable, if not necessarily competent. Not yet.

"You're so full of bullshit," Colonnello says for what must be the fifth time, leaning back against his chair, playful doubt all over his face.

Skull throws his hands up in the air. "Why does everyone always tell me that? It's true! Just turn on the TV sometimes, or buy some DVDs, or google me."

"Yes, yes, you're famous," Lal says, putting down her cutlery on her empty plate, then leans down against her chair too. "Do tell us even more about it."

Colonnello and her laugh while Skull rolls his eyes, though he grins good-naturedly. "Yeah, okay, I get it, I get it, fine." He grabs his drink, then leans back against his chair too, all three of their plates empty. Lal wouldn't say no to some dessert. "So, you two, then?"

Colonnello brightens like the sun, grinning from ear to ear, and God, he's so—

Sometimes Lal thinks he loves her too much for his own good. And sometimes, like right now, when she feels like the most amazing thing that has ever graced the earth, she thinks he loves her too much for her own good.

Not that she's complaining, or will ever complain, not even when she feels herself blushing like mad.

Not that she has ever complained, but she'll keep that secret for herself for a little more.

"Yeah, us two," Colonnello says, catching her eye.

"How?"

"Love at first sight."

Lal scoffs. "Bullshit."

"What? It's true!"

"Bullshit," Lal says again, looking him dead in the eye, but then looks at Skull. "He couldn't stand the sight of me. Because of how much better than him I was if you ask me, enough to teach him, but what do I know?"

"Clearly nothing," Colonnello says, laughter in his voice. "And you're such a liar! Don't listen to her, Skull, she couldn't stand the sight of me."

"Right, that's why I'm the one who shamelessly started to hit on my superior."

"So you do agree it was love at first sight for me?"

"No, you started to hit on me later."

"Oh, come on—" Colonnello bursts out laughing, throwing his head back, and before she realizes she's laughing with him. "You're so stubborn. And so full of bullshit." Lal shoves him. "You are!" he says, shoving her back, and laughs again. "So full of bullshit," he tells Skull again. "Don't listen to anything she says, she's a lying liar—"

Lal swiftly leans forwards, yanks his bandanna over his eyes, then shoves him again for good measure. "Don't even listen to him, just forget him." Colonnello just laughs yet again, pulling his bandanna all the way down his face.

"You guys are like, super adorable, are you kidding me?"

Lal huffs. "Don't you start too."

Skull laughs, leaning on the table. "No, I'm serious. Like, super serious. Like—" he pauses, fidgeting with his glass, looking at them back and forth. "Like, super serious enough to wonder about you two… and me… eventually? Somewhere down the line? In the near future? No pressure," he adds when the atmosphere shifts, quiets down. "Just wondering."

Of course Colonnello stays quiet now, playing with his bandanna, but pointedly keeps glancing at her from under his lashes. Oh, he's letting this up to her, is he now? That little—

"Help, please!" someone screams. "This guy stole my bag!" Oh, thank God. "Someone stops him! Stop him!"

Lal stands, casually rounding the table to stand on the sidewalk. The guy doesn't seem to register her as a threat, running straight for her without slowing down or changing his path, the fool. Not that either of that would have helped him.

She lets him knock her shoulder past her, but grabs his arm as he does, and uses his momentum to spin both of them in a one eighty, then trips his foot to slam him flat against the floor. Some bystanders scream, but Lal digs her knee in his back, keeping his head against the floor with one hand, the other bearing down on his arm, and it wasn't much of an action.

"Damn," Skull breathes out, but she hears him clearly in the surprised silence around them. "Damn." Lal rolls her eyes. As if he didn't see her do much more impressive things in the month or so they've been working together. "Arrest me too, officer."

"God, me too," Colonnello says.

Lal looks at them above her shoulder, and they instantly look away, ducking their head down like they've found the most interesting thing in the world down there. They giggle, those idiots, trying to stifle their laughter but giggling again whenever the other slips, until they catch each other's eye and full on burst out laughing.

The woman who got her bag stolen finally reaches them, and Lal stands away from the thief once she takes her bag back, stepping back and turning away from him after making sure other bystanders will step up to take care of the situation.

She puts her hand on her hip, looking down at the laughing pair, who try to stifle their laughter with her eyes on them, but fail miserably to do so. They probably could do it if they were to look away from each other, but what does she know—and oh, that look on Colonnello—

That man is in deep already if she knows him at all, no matter what he says.

They eventually somewhat calm down, and Lal's about to roll her eyes again when Skull glances at her, catching her eye. He quickly glances away again, pulls on his beanie down his face, pushes his glasses back up his nose. He slumps down in his chair, angling his head away from her, playing with the collar of his sport coat, as if he wants to use it to hide part of his face, as if he wants to use his hand as a wall between her eyes and him.

Lal huffs an incredulous laugh, then actually laughs silently, because what is he even doing to her now? He doesn't actually turn shy around her, does he? Because that'd be really—

Lal catches herself when she realizes how wide she's grinning, pursing her lips, and looks away when she realizes she's staring, only to catch Colonnello's knowing look.

She halfheartedly glares at him, blushing. Oh, fine, fine. Lal doesn't like to blur the lines between her professional and private life, but she clearly fucked that up once, so what's one more time?

Lal holds her breath, wincing. She closes her eyes on Colonnello's questioning face, and breathes out slowly.

Ah, fuck.

Reborn's going to be such a pain in the ass to deal with though.

A/N: - idk why but i love the idea of skull being shy around lal. actually i love the idea of any man being shy around lal, really

- i also love so much the idea of lal being so fucking annoyed by reborn at all times, but in a good way. in a "might fall in love with him somewhere down the line" way. (and also the idea of reborn falling in love with her precisely because of that)

This one was inspired by:

a comment from Sleep_skull: "Colonello: Lal, I fell in love with a very handsome guy, cora, but I still love you and he is polyamorous, I clarified, don't worry, so everything is fine, and maybe you want to meet him too, because he seems to you like it too, and let it be our third?

Lal:

Colonello: but Reborn is in love with him too, cora.

Lal:

Lal: I left you alone for a fucking day"

The people have spoken again, and I was happy to deliver. And honestly if the people keep speaking, I just might end up writing Skull wrapping all of the Arco around his finger without even realizing lol (or won't he?), because this verse is super fun and really writes itself.

Also if this chapter has taught me one thing, is that I like a lot the trio Skull/Nello/Lal. Like they're super sweet and soft together? Work so well off each other and give off much fluffy wholesomeness? I like it a lot, lot.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Any and all review are appreciated.

Thank you for reading!

- Hope