Skull wasn't ever one for meditation but here he is, on the roof, trying to will his flames to hold on just a bit longer. He knows for sure Lal is the only one who still has to see go Verde, and then they'll be free to do and go wherever they want — he sure as hell fucking hopes so anyway.

He's looking up at an orange colored sky without really seeing it, focused on his breathing exercises. He comes sooner usually when he wants to see the sunrise, when the world is still colored in a dimmed blue, but it's yet too soon for them to fall back fully in their old habits.

A gentle breeze ruffles his hair and the leaves of the trees, some animals' noises can be heard from the forest around the mansion, and Skull could be lulled right back to sleep if he isn't careful. It doesn't sound like a bad idea but it isn't why he came up there.

The roof is comfortable though, thanks to the cushion-type eaves and the fluffy layer on the roof tiles. The temperature is just like he likes it too, even if he has only his pajama on.

It's his epiphany about not being alone out there that keeps him awake. Skull makes a face and hopes it isn't Reborn — he really doesn't want to hear about how he needs to be more aware of his surroundings right now, yet again.

He turns on his stomach to crawl up the roof, and peers cautiously down its other side. Somebody is there, sat on the eaves, a big pillow supporting their back and a green camo jacket too big for them on their shoulders.

"Lal," he almost shouts, "it's you, you're there, hi." She turns her head to look at him, her battle glasses around her neck, catching the light with their red-tinted lenses. "It's been… a while." He frowns. "Why do I feel like it's been a while ?"

"I was busy with Viper. We couldn't have seen each other much."

"Oh," he says dumbly, "makes sense. It's nice to see you again."

"Me too. I guess."

Well that was uncalled for. Skull opens his mouth to tell her just that, but the little smile at the corner of her lips stops him. When Lal turns back to her — is that a book ? — he's not sure what to do. What he wants to do.

He doesn't particularly feel like having company but doesn't exactly wish to be alone either. And he feels actually quite happy to see her again properly, to his own surprise.

He makes his way over in a crab-like posture and sits at her side. He waits a bit to see if she'll say something, swaying his feet back and forth, but she only glances at him before getting back to her book.

Skull doesn't stay quiet for long. "You were busy how with Viper ?"

"They're helping me to master my Mist flames."

"What ?" Lal flinches at his loud voice. "You were training ? But the pain —"

"Skull —"

"— Verde isn't' going to be happy about it. Or Reborn. Or —"

"Skull, shut up." Skull clicks his mouth shuts. They both strain their ears, but thankfully it doesn't seem he woke anyone up. Lal glares at him. "We were just doing theory alright ?" She shows her book as evidence, and he doesn't catch the title but he guesses it's about Dying Will Flames. Skull had no idea these types of books existed. "That and harmless, insultingly easy exercises. Nothing to lose your mind over."

Skull huffs despite the light flush on his cheeks. "Well sorry to worry about you."

Something flashes in her eyes he can't name but she stays unfazed overall. She still keeps her eyes on him, and when it doesn't look she plans to stop anytime soon, Skull turns away first. He lies down, and when she looks away too it's his turn to glance at her here and there.

Lal goes through three more pages of her book before she smashes it closed with a sigh.

"No Skull, I will not ask you to help me with my Cloud flames." The finality in her voice makes his hackles rise, against all reasons and logic.

He bolts upright.

"Why not ?" He almost snaps at her. "I know my flames aren't trained for battles, I get it already, but it doesn't mean I don't know how to use them. Only because i'm a civilian — was a civilian by the way — doesn't mean there's nothing worth I could teach you." He pauses to breath deeply, because he isn't finished, and Lal takes the opportunity to rest her head on her fist. "And —" She raises her eyebrow at him expectantly, and it throws him for a loop somehow.

"And ?" The word rolls on her tongue.

"And," Skull stutters, his anger turning into embarrassment, "uh, you — you don't know what you're missing." She tilts her head mock-contemplatively. "I'm just saying," he finishes lamely.

"You do have some pride in you then." Lal smirks, and he blushes harder. "Listen, of course I'd want to get my flames ready for battle first and foremost, isn't that obvious to you ? And once I do that, who knows," she pauses, and Skull has the distinct impression she's teasing him, "maybe I might just consider getting the secrets of the Strongest Civilian Cloud in the World."

"Ex civilian," he mumbles. "Whatever." Lal shoves his arm, snorting, and Skull shoves her back. "Oh shut up, I said whatever." His face is burning, and he lies back down to subtract himself from her gaze.

"What was that ?"

"Nothing."

"What a man you are."

"I said," Skull rises again because he's such a predictable idiot, "I'm glad you're okay and that it's working out for you." He crosses his arms on his chest and tries to hold back onto some dignity. "You know, with your new flames and everything."

"Yeah, I got it the first time."

"Okay," Skull says, trying not to shift because she's looking at him weird again. He breaks down after a minute. "What ?"

Lal blinks, and focuses back on the moment. She smiles. "Nothing. I just realized why Colonnello likes you, and was wondering how I didn't see that coming since the first time we met." She gives him a thoughtful once over before making herself comfortable against her pillow. Skull is glad she speaks again almost immediately. He wouldn't have known what to say to that. "I guess we never talked like that in these two years together. That's —"

"Sad," he hears himself blurting out.

"— telling," Lal says.

He shrugs. "Both I guess."

They fall back in a comfortable silence after that. Skull lets himself relax, not fidgeting at all, gazing at the sky. The sun went up a little further, and some noises from the house could be heard. He feels at peace, except not really.

When he sees Lal ready to go back to her book from the corner of his eyes he almost lets her, but he has to know.

"So," he starts. Lal doesn't react in anyway but he knows he has her attention. "Colonnello likes me ?"

Her startled laugh makes him blush all the way to the tips of his ears but he refuses to acknowledge it — or her.

"At least as much as you do, yeah. He likes you," she repeats like he isn't dying of embarrassment already — and smiling, but that's not the point. "And he loves me," she adds casually.

Skull pauses, taken aback. He turns his head so he can look straight into her red eyes. Lal stares back, unblinking.

"I know ? I mean, obviously ?"

She shrugs. "I'm just saying."

"Okay ?" Lal smiles, and it's nothing reassuring.

"Was just saying," she repeats, and Skull doesn't like the sound of that at all.

"I don't understand."

"Shhh," Skull complains, even when the TV is unreasonably loud already because they wouldn't stop talking.

"Why would she go against her family for this man ?" Fon continues. "For either of them ? You said they only know each other for a few months."

"Love at first sight," he tries half heatedly, making both Viper and Reborn scoff.

"She isn't even choosing the richer one. Why are we watching this ?"

Skull reaches over Fon for a cushion and throws it at Viper. He settles his head back on Fon's lap and ignore the cushion thrown back at him.

"It lacks dead bodies," Reborn pitches in.

"It's a romantic show."

"And ? Since when the two don't go together ?" Skull gives Reborn an exasperated look, sat on his armchair like it's a throne, playing with an empty cup. He became even more critical since he finished his coffee, and he would get up make him a new one if only to shut him up, but Isabella is finally standing against her family for Antonio and he doesn't want to miss it.

"Why are we watching this ? Do you play a role in it Skull ?"

Skull takes a sharp intake of breath. Reborn snickers in his corner, in that way where it sounds like he's trying to restrain himself while leaving no doubt he actually doesn't care at all. He rises on his knees, insulted to no point, so much so that his mouth stays open on words that don't come. There's an out of place sad music coming from the TV, because of Isabella running out of home in a dramatic montage or something.

Fon reaches to him and gently tilts his chin up to close his mouth, a sheepish expression on his face. "Yes, you're right, my mistake." His hand moves higher to smooth his frown with even gentler caresses. "Of course your talents would be wasted in these type of shows."

It leaves him speechless again, cheeks warm, and that's how Viper catches him with their phone, appearing behind the couch. Skull stands up too, his back turned on all three of them, a second away to just flee from the room to never been seen again.

"Aww, you're not leaving because of us, are you ?" Colonnello walks in the leaving room alongside Lal, a teasing smile on his lips. "Oh is that our show ? What happened ?

Skull latches on the new subject. He flops on the armchair Viper vacated. "Hell if I know. Don't ever watch anything with them."

"Don't make us watch boring TV then," Viper says, pushing him aside so they can sit too.

"How did it go ?" Fon is the first to ask.

Lal sits on the couch armrest, looking at the TV with a bored look. "Same as you I guess."

"Verde ?"

The couch bounces when she lets herself fall back on it. "In his lab, where else ?"

A distinct feeling of exasperation and resignation wash over them all at her words, but Skull can't help the small hope blooming inside him anyway. "We'll be free from there starting from tomorrow then, right ?"

He waits for an answer but no one dares opening their mouth, even when he can feel their own optimism through their Bond. Colonnello squeezes beside him on the armchair, and he finds himself sandwiched between the Rain and the Mist.

He thinks he can finally focus on the TV and actually understand what is happening when a pillow lands square on his face.

"Is that Verde's Flame Reading device around your wrist Colonnello ?"

"Why would you throw the pillow at me ?" He whines.

"Again ?" Reborn ignores him, and Skull throws his hands up in the air as best he can in his position.

"It's a modified one. Matched on the same frequency as Lal's or something."

"Poor thing."

For some reason the words make them exchange a loaded glance, not like Skull notices it because he's definitely not looking at either of them. He feels like throwing a pillow of his own but then Reborn will pull out the Leon Gun — or the real one, god forbid, seeing that no one rose yet to go make him another cup of coffee.

He clutches it against his chest instead, and makes himself comfortable against Viper, careful to not lean on them too much because of their healing wound. Isabella is making out with Emilio on the screen, and how did she even get there ? That backstabbing bitch.

Skull thinks it's an accident when Colonnello tugs his shirt. But then he does it again, more insistently, and again, but he doesn't acknowledge him. Colonnello shifts until he has his chin resting on his shoulder.

"Don't pout at me." His hot breath ghosts over his bare neck, and he shivers. "Come on, pretty please ?" He jabs a finger at his lower back playfully but Skull stands his ground. He holds his breath when he shifts again to get closer. His lips brush over his ear and he has to bite the inside of his cheek.

Lal sighs, loud and angry and frustrated. Colonnello is at her sides immediately, pushing her feet to the floor, and Lal straightens up to make him a place on the couch.

"What is it ?"

"What do you want me to start with ?"

Colonnello rolls his eyes but draws her closer. He brushes her hair aside, tucks it behind her ears, and slides his hands down to her neck. He strokes her jawline gently with his thumbs. "We'll live."

Lal's scowl doesn't change in any way and Colonnello's smile only grows softer. He leans down to kiss her scar, sweet and slow, then tucks her head under his chin.

Skull can feel the other looking at each other but he can't look away. When Lal catches him staring, she gives him a smile as foreboding as the one sooner that morning.

Skull really doesn't like the sight of it one bit.

Lunch stays a quiet affair, even with most of them there. None of them are of the morning, that's one of the few things they can all agree on.

Verde looking at them intensely from his perch on the counter top isn't part of their usual routine.

"This is a bit anticlimactic."

"Just get on with it Verde," Reborn says."

"Was there a new development I wasn't made aware of ?"

"Verde."

The scientist hums thoughtfully, takes a sip of his coffee. He doesn't push. "Well like I said, there's no need to stay confined in the mansion anymore. That's for the long story short. But before I get into the details, I'd like everyone to be here so I won't have to repeat myself. Where's Lal and Colonnello ?"

Reborn slurps his pasta uncharacteristically loudly and Viper isn't quick enough to left the kitchen. "Fucking, perhaps."

The tables shakes and Skull's plate almost topples over. He looks over at Fon, then down where he stabbed the table with his spoon. He does a double take just to be sure, but yes, it really is a spoon stucked deep in the wood.

Viper sits back down obediently with their plate.

"Careful there, you almost spilled your tea."

"That was very impolite Reborn."

The hitman shrugs. "Verde asked, I only gave him what I thought to be the most likely answer. Don't you agree ?" Fon's spoon disintegrates in his hand and Reborn purposefully doesn't look at it. Viper and him exchange a look. "I mean they're young, and in love, and just went through a Curse. Not to say, we're only just starting to get back our energy. That's a whole month of abstinence and — "

Skull chokes on his spoonful — forkful ? —, and quickly takes another one when Fon stares him down while smiling ear to ear. He reaches for Viper under the table, so they can mist him away too when Fon and Reborn start going at each other.

Verde has the good idea to break the tension. "I see, so this is what happened." He's the only one to turns towards him, while the Storm gets up to look for another spoon. "Interesting."

"What is ?"

"You know." Skull scowls, picking at his food, not so amused anymore.

Viper sounds deceptively unbothered. "You talk like you have nothing to do with this."

"Interesting," Verde says again.

When Colonnello and Lal come in the kitchen, there's thankfully nothing about them that corroborates Reborn's suspicions. Fon still can't look at them in the eyes, and it's the most adorable thing to witness.

Lal and Colonnello start spending time together, and they don't take it smoothly at all.

It's weird to see her in a relationship — just weird, not surprising. It was pretty obvious that the idiot-student she occasionally talked about — and more and more the more time they spent together — was her boyfriend, even for Skull, and way before she actually qualified him like that. When Colonnello showed up — in the worst of circumstances —, he doesn't know what he expected but it isn't this.

It makes sense though. Lal isn't shy about her feelings nor about expressing them, makes it pretty obvious who are the people she cares about and who aren't. She gets embarrassed about it, and doesn't stand when people comment on it, sure, but her life isn't stable enough for her to hold herself back.

And Colonnello is, well, Colonnello. It makes sense that whoever would end up as his girlfriend would be decently up to physical affection at the very least.

All that to say they're attached at the hip. Wherever Lal is, Colonnello is too and inversely. If not, they're not too far away from each other, or they know exactly where the other is. When they do have to leave each other's sight, it's never without a goodbye kisses from Colonnello to whichever body part is the closest, be it Lal's cheek or temple or shoulder or hand.

They sit legs entangle with each other, or sprawled over each other, or with Colonnello's head on Lal's lap with her hand in his hair, moving in a practiced and efficient pattern if the way the Rain's bond always end up purring is any indication. They are words too murmured at each other's ear Skull is glad he doesn't hear, because god knows what it is they're saying.

It's sweet. It helps both of them too. Lal spends more time with them apart from training with Viper, and eases back in their familiarity from Before. They're working out whatever there is between them too. Skull isn't sure what, but the more spontaneously and without hesitance they reach for each other, or talk, or joke, the more obvious it is there is — was ? — in fact something wrong.

They're still to witness any making out sessions, to the utter relief of all of them. Which is a bit ridiculous because they're not some hormonal teenagers anymore, and certainly were in making out sessions of their own — or were they ? Skull knows he was, and Reborn definitely was too, but he actually doesn't know when it comes to the others.

Skull doesn't mean to watch, really, but his eyes are drawn to them despite himself. They're drawn to their displays of affection, their playful banters, their silent conversations. The others don't far much better, which is only a poor consolation. He would feel bad to show himself so interested in their relationship, but it's obvious they couldn't care less of where they are or who are the people they're with — to Viper's increasing irritation.

They all come quickly to the conclusion that this is their new normal now, and they'd better get used to it. It can't be that hard anyway.

(Skull thinks it's a bit sad the way they look at them with something akin to awe and surprise and skepticism.)

They don't get used to it.

It's sweet, and heartwarming, and whatever else synonyms there are.

It's mostly frustrating as hell because Lal is merciless, and as it turns out quickly, she knows exactly how to keep Colonnello's focus on her. All the time.

It doesn't even involve keeping him away from them, which is just adding insult to injury. The Rain still checks up on them, do small talks, they eat together and share the same rooms. It always goes well too until their interactions start to turn into a meaningful one and Lal — Lal barely has to lift her little finger to stop it, actually.

She wavers her flames slightly, clears her throat, sighs or hums, reaches for him. When she can a simple look is all it takes, either that or saying his name in this particular intonation they're all learning to recognize.

When they start to fight back and on days she feels particularly shameless, she plays with her pacifier or draws attention to her scar. On days she doesn't give any fucks at all she just throws herself at him in a clear demand of attention, and Colonnello is always eager to comply.

All that to say, Skull is not happy about this decrease of bonding time with the blond.

"You're staring."

"At least I'm not the one studying them and taking notes."

Verde makes a dismissive noise and looms in his back where he is leaned against the doorway kitchen. Skull tuns out the scratching of his pen and looks back at the couple, in the middle of making a cake of some sort. He can't tell who is teaching who because they're both fucking around, and it looks like a scene of some comedic, romantic show.

"Maybe we should stop staring at them."

Fon gets ignored by the both of them, leaned against the doorway opposite him. Colonnello stands behind Lal to help her whisk the eggs, half hugging her, and he has to roll his eyes. What kind of Strongest in the World can't whisk some eggs without help ?

Reborn walks in the kitchen and leans against the wall because he always has to one-up everybody. "Aren't they cute ?" he says, and it's hard to say if he's serious or not. Lal's indignant scream makes Colonnello laughs, and she tries in vain to smudge his face in chocolate too. She blushes bright red when he licks it from her cheek. "Don't you agree Viper ?"

Skull glances sideways where the Mist appears in the middle of the doorway. "Let's just do something about it already."

A silent agreement passes between them, while the two Rain are too busy mock-fighting-but-actually-flirting with each other.

The cake turns out delicious, and Skull wants to throw his slice at Lal's taunting face.

Apparently when Viper said "Let's just do something about it already." they didn't mean it as a team effort. Which, to be fair, is entirely Skull's mistake. What do these guys know about team work after all ?

Stabbing people in the back, on the contrary…

Reborn comes down for breakfast the next morning looking like he didn't sleep all night, dark bags under his red eyes and skin pale. He has his suit on but it's all rumpled, hair messy and fedora nowhere to be seen. His flames send the familiar warning of "Breathe and Die" of Reborn's bad days, and Skull is surprised for all of a split-second.

Then he feels a deep sense of outrage.

It's makeup. He'd know, and it is. Or maybe it's Leon, who's suspiciously nowhere to be seen too, but he's not sure it's part of the chameleon's skills.

Point is, it's all fake. Reborn stumbles onward anyway, bumps against Colonnello's chair and topples over him like some damsel in distress, straight on his lap.

"Woah there, what kind of night did you spend ?" Colonnello catches him by the waist to steady him, and Reborn takes it at his cue to sit straighter and sling an arm around his neck. His chair scrapes backwards to make room for them. "Your chair is right over there you know."

"How cold," the hitman drawls lazily. "Can't you see I'm in desperate need of food ?"

"Just you try to steal my food, see if I'm not gonna stab you faster than you can blink."

"Tempting."

"Just shut up." Reborn gets manhandled so Colonnello has his head above his shoulder and both of his arms around his waist.

He goes back to his breakfast without others comment, and Reborn seems content enough to just lean against him for someone "in desperate need of food", while his scrambled eggs are forgotten at the other end of the table. He stares right into Skull's soul and gives him the most Reborn smirks of all times, then at Lal beside him, whose swift smirk makes him falter a bit. They both blink at her, not sure of what they've just seen.

Colonnello is done with his first toast when Reborn raises his hand without looking and tugs at his hair. He hisses sharply.

"You bastard. What the hell ?"

The sweet smile on the hitman's lips grows wider when he slowly tugs again. Skull wants to clear his throat to remind them that they're right there, lost in each other eyes as they seem to be, and what kind of uncomfortable position is that anyway ?

He wants to do much more than that really but he keeps his mouth shut. Reborn leans in close, and then closer, and all of them freeze.

"Food," he whispers, practically against Colonnello's lips.

The blond lets a long suffering sigh. "Yeah yeah, I get it, Jesus." He rolls his eyes and snatches Reborn's hand away from his hair. The hitman leans away, and Skull releases his grip around his fork.

He gets up to search for another, not bent one.

It happens again later that day. Reborn is one thing, but Fon — Skull actually feels betrayed.

He's on his way to the garage to go out for a bit when he spots Verde lurking in front of Fon's ajar door. He makes note to sit all of them down for a long time overdue discussion on creepy and stalkerish behavior, but he has more urgent matter to attend at the moment.

He gets on his tip toes to take a peek too, a hand against the wall to steady him. Fon is sat at his desk, products of some sort and a mirror in front of him, his hair loose and wet, tumbling over the chair. Colonnello stands behind him.

"Do you want to know ?" Verde asks in a low voice.

"Sure," Skull says. Know your enemy better than your friend and all that.

"Fon was coming from the training room. Hair loose and damp, even if I built the bathroom with all the necessaries utilities. He lurked near the stairs from some time, until Colonnello's voice was heard in the hallway up there." Skull holds back any comments. He knows already where this is going and he really should have seen it coming. "They exchanged a few words, during which Fon looked inexplicably irritated and dejected. He'd just come out from a training session after all. They both went into his room after that."

"He tricked Colonnello to braid his hair for him."

"It seems more like they're going over a whole hair routine." Verde huffs what sounds suspiciously like a laugh. "Isn't this all amusing ? The Seven Strongest, all reduced to…" Skull looks up when nothing else comes, and is barely spared a glance. "I haven't decided on a term yet."

He rolls his eyes and gets back to… collecting information. And indeed after drying his hair with a towel, and combing them with his fingers, Colonnello applies now some sort of lotion on Fon's long black hair. Is it even really part of his hair routine ? Skull wouldn't bet on it.

Colonnello is careful with his task, moving his hands up and down slowly, a serious but pleased expression on his face. Fon is busy with some calligraphy, looking up here and there to directs him or monitor his progress.

They work in silence like that, through the lotion and the actual brushing up to the braiding part, exchanging a few words from time to time. They both look content, and cozy, and like they could stay there for hours. There's certainly a lot of brushing and stroking and carding hair between each failed braid Colonnello makes.

Skull strains his ear when the conversation gets animated.

"— just don't entangle my hair alright ?"

"I won't," Colonnello mock-pouts, even if what he is doing right now doesn't look much like anything to Skull. "Wouldn't want you to become wary of me like Lal. She never lets me experiment."

"Really ? How else are you to get better ?"

Colonnello sighs. "You tell her." Fon tilts his head up, an amused look on his face, and the blond's hands immediately moves up to play with his fringe. He gives him a cheeky smile. "Well, I guess I'm not that good."

"Your words, not mine."

They laugh together, and Skull falls back on his feet. Verde grumbles when he stirres him away from the room but doesn't fight it. A door closes in their back, making them pause, and Skull is pretty sure it was Lal's.

He does not, as a matter of fact, find all this amusing at all.

Skull comes back at sunset, refreshed and his mood lighter. He walks past Lal on cooking duty, and has the urge to turns around when he notices a dark hood and blond hair on the couch.

He keeps walking, and here they are, not really snuggled against each other, but they might as well be since he's talking about Viper. Colonnello is slumped against the couch while they have their head on his shoulder and their legs drap over his lap. It doesn't look too comfortable to Skull but it doesn't matter much he guesses.

"Welcome back," Colonnello greets him. "You missed the first few episodes."

"Of what ?" He asks, but then turn to the TV where their show is on. "Oh."

"Viper bought the tapes. They said if it was to become a recurring thing they might as well know what's happening. They said they were going to fetch you since we didn't see the beginning either, but you were already gone."

"Oh ?" Skull didn't see a shadow of the Mist. "Did you ?"

"We must have missed each other. That's too bad." They don't sound disappointed at all but he doesn't want to give them the satisfaction of him pointing it out. "Want some ?" They shake a bag of chips at him and he shakes his head in turn.

Viper takes one, for themselves he thinks first, but offers it to Colonnello instead, who gobbles it without a second thought. Skull knows the Mist is looking straight at them when they lick their fingers, one by one.

"Stop tempting me," Colonnello jokes. "I'm on a strict diet."

"'Diet'," Vper mocks. They jab a finger at his chest, and let it slide downwards. "For what ?"

Skull flops in the armchair. He catches almost nothing of what's going on the TV. Lal glances at them from time to time from the kitchen, but looks content to not intervene.

Good for her.

First thing he does the next morning is to corner Verde before he can lock himself in his lab before breakfast. He catches him in extremis, and holds himself back to berate him. Verde looks a lot more healthy than a couple of days before, now that he actually sleeps and eat, but he still has a long way to go.

He takes a deep breath to give himself courage. "Be frank with me Verde okay ? You're the only one I can still trust."

"Yes, I heard you perfectly the two other times. Get to the point."

"Why don't you put some chairs out here ?"

Verde levels him with a deadpan look but Skull is actually serious. He makes them wait for hours at time before he lets them in his labs. They could be sitting comfortably right now instead of facing each other, stand against the wall.

"Does it have to do with Colonnello, by any chance ?"

"You're the only one that I can still trust," he says again. "I need to know your intentions."

Skull immediately regrets his particular choice of words when Verde lips curls upwards. "And here I thought Lal was the girlfriend."

"This is not — we're not talking about this." The blush on his face isn't helping him right now but he ignores it. "We're not talking about this. Just listen —"

"Why don't you simply throw himself at him too, if it bothers you that much ?"

"I don't need to throw myself at him."

There's a beat of silence during which Skull himself is thrown aback by his own words. Then Verde takes his notebook out of his pocket and writes god knows what in it.

"Interesting statement," he says out loud. "Uncharacteristically bold, too."

"I'm always bold," he mumbles to deaf ears.

"I understand even less your irritation," Verde continues smoothly. "If you don't feel threatened by the others, then what ?" He frowns, and Skull shifts uneasily under his scrutinizing gaze. "Is it that perhaps… you feel like the only one worthy of his attention ?"

"What ?" He widens his eyes. "No, of course not ! It's not —"

"Possessiveness then ? Is it your Cloud instincts which are taking over ?"

"What the fuck are you talking about ?" Verde opens his mouth but he doesn't actually want to know. "No, shut up, let's just stop talking about this. This isn't even what I came here to talk about, how did we get there ?"

He steps back when Verde steps forwards, fast, and gets in his space. His back bumps against the wall and there is a pencil pointing right in between his eyes. "You came here for advice —"

"Not really, I —"

"— and I can't give you ones that are helpful if I don't know the facts. So," he shrinks back at his tone, and hides his fidgeting hands in his pockets. "Deal with your jealousy on your own, I need to prepare some materials."

Skull chokes on his spit, in his hurry to lunge in a long denial speech, and Verde takes the opportunity to turn on his heels and enter his lab.

He goes after him, bangs on the metal door. "I am not jealous, do you hear me ?" He screams. "I'm not fucking jealous and if you don't open the door I'm gonna keep banging on it until you do."

Skull has to bang on the door for a whole two minutes for the scientist to surrender to his threat. He doesn't look happy to see his face again.

"You didn't answer me."

Verde sighs and pushes his glasses back up his nose. "I need data I can collect in an environment I have total control on, don't you think ?"

Skull blinks. "What the hell does that mean ?"

"I have a training session planned later today. With Colonnello. To get an idea of his skills and see how best we could use them in our missions." His incredulous and betrayed look doesn't seem to affect the scientist much. "It'll surely take us a few hours, but you understand the necessities of it, don't you ?"

Verde squeezes his shoulder, nods solemnly, and oh, he's fucking with him isn't he ? Skull doesn't need any other motivation to throttle the man but the smirk at the corner of his lips is his loss.

He opens his mouth only to have the door shut on his face.

Skull is not jealous, and he is not sulking, and he is not trying to avoid everyone by locking himself in the garage either. He's working on his motorcycle, he just has to come up with another way to improve it first before he can start.

He drums his fingers on the handlebar, thinking over it, and definitely not on how miserable he is, and how he's not doing anything about it, and how stupid he is to not do anything about it.

It's not like Colonnello and him are on bad terms. They could just talk about it — or, well, he could talk to him, he is the one being weird after all. Too bad it isn't a conversation he sees himself having, least of all with him.

Skull slumps forward and rests his forehead on his arms. The door opens behind him and he bites back a sigh.

"Busy." The door closes but footsteps draw near and stop in front of him.

"Yeah I can see that."

Skull shoots upright and Colonnello jumps back. He raises his hands in the air. "Woah, sorry, sorry. Were you actually busy ? Like, doing mental gymnastics or something ?"

"No — I mean yes ! I mean…" he trails off, lets his hands fall to his seat. "You can stay." The air between them is tense for a few seconds before Colonnello steps forward to rest his arms casually on the handlebars. He's in a black tank top and gray jogging pants, and smells like strawberries and mint. "Do you come from your training session with Verde ?"

"Yeah, it wasn't much fun. He's a fucking tyran."

"They all are. Are you ?" He adds as an afterthought. Colonnello only smiles at him and he rolls his eyes. "Yeah you're right, I don't want to know." He gets shoved backwards, and uses the momentum to slide in his backseat. He sits cross-legged on it and taps his free seat as an invitation. Colonnello takes it without a word, and Skull has to take notice of his great profile.

"So." The blond isn't looking at him. "You're avoiding me. No It's okay," he cuts him off before he can even say a word," I was avoiding you first after all."

"You were ?" Skull blurts out before he can stop himself. He curls on himself without realizing, a lump in his throat. Colonnello might as well have punched him in the guts.

He was avoiding him ? Why ?

Colonnello winces. "Yeah, but it's nothing — and it's definitely not you. I was just being stupid. Embarrassingly stupid. Lal-went-off-on-me stupid. Actually," he chuckles a bit, "so stupid I didn't realize it before Lal went off on me."

Skull tries for a smile but it can't look much convincing, not like the Rain is looking in the first place.

"Anyway —"

"Hold on, hold on a second. Anyway ?" The blond straightens up, a guilty expression flashing across his face. He glances at him. "Either you said too much or not enough. You can't just left it here."

"I was actually hoping —" Colonnello averts his eyes and Skull jumps on his feet to stand in front of him. There's a slight blush on his cheeks and oh, he has to get to the bottom of it.

He tries for stern and intimidating with his hands on his hips, and fails, if Colonnello's smile is anything to go by. He stands his ground anyway, and lets the silence takes over the room, waiting for a confession which doesn't come.

He turns around after a moment to see what it is that keep drawing Colonnello's focus, and going by the tremor of his flames he's on the right track. There's not much to see though. This side of the room is completely bare, exceptionally so, so they can line up their vehicles against the wall. There's a few that are Skull's, some Reborn's, and the van they use for missions or on the rare occasions they go out together.

Skull looks up to the blue and black wall — he'd get to paint the garage fully at some point, he swears —, but there's nothing unusual on it. He goes back to the vehicles, stops his gaze on an all black motorcycle.

"It's Reborn's motorcycle," he states the obvious.

"I know. Nice gift."

He turns back to Colonnello. "I wouldn't call it that. He kind of forced my hand, you know how he is."

"Still, he likes it. It's nice," he says again, and Skull crouches because he still isn't looking at him. He rests his hands on Colonnello's knees.

"Do you want a motorcycle ?"

"Not really," is the immediate response, and Skull almost gets frustrated. He has no idea what is happening, and was never much of an investigator to begin with. Although…

"Do you — do you want me to gift you a motorcycle ?" Baby blue eyes find his purple ones, finally, and Skull catches Colonnello by his chin before he can look away again. The blood rushing to his face is all the answer he needs.

Oh.

"Maybe."

Oh.

Colonnello's scowl looks more like a pout, and Skull's laugh just spills out of him. His eyes crinkle, and even to his own ears his laugh sounds like relief, and incredulity, and happiness. He bites his lip to try to muffle it when Colonnello looks ready to physically shuts him up, and stands back up to put his hands on his shoulders lest he tries to flee from the situation.

"You just needed to ask you know ?" He chuckles some more. "What color do you want ?" He twirls a strand of blond locks around his finger. "Yellow maybe ?" His hand slides up to brush the line of his cheekbone. "Blue ?"

"I like green."

Skull leans down until their foreheads touch. "Green it is then. One green motorcycle for you."

"Yeah ?"

"Sure. Anything for you."

They both freeze. Skull never had the tables turn on him that fast. He wishes for the floor to open and swallows him whole, but only get Colonnello's big, wide grin spreading on his face.

"That's not — it was just a figure of speech." Colonnello's hand on his mouth hide nothing of the delight on his face. "No, listen, it's true, I didn't mean it like that." A tremor runs through his body and he leans forward to hide his face against his chest. His shoulders are shaking. Skull groans, and hides his own face in his hands. "Let's just never talk about this ever again."

Colonnello's laughter is the only answer he gets.

Skull slams the door behind him and walks forwards like he owns the place. He tries to not look around too much, steps above clothes and weapons alike, which only put in relief the spotless area around the desk opposite him, at the room's left corner.

The bed bounces when he drops on it, lying flat on his stomach. Lal crosses her feet on his back from where she's leaning against the headboard. She throws her book at him but he dodges it.

"You got some nerves. I could have been changing you know ?"

"I knocked !"

"I didn't say you could come in. What do you want ?"

Skull huffs but only on principle. He feels too happy right now to take any digs the other might throws at him at heart. He raises on his elbows.

"Colonnello do likes me, doesn't he ? You might want to make a deal with me."

"Only you ?" She smirks when he stays tellingly silent. "Felling possessive already, aren't you ?

Skull averts his eyes. "Not at all. I just want you to give him back some space. With who he'll decide to share it with is — Hey !" He yelps, and Lal kicks him in the ribs again.

"First of all, I'm not taking anybody space. Colonnello chooses to share his space with me in his own free will. Second of all, no."

"Oh come on !" He gets on his knees and crawls towards her side. "You proved your point already, pretty sure we got it crystal clear." The smug expression on her face awakes thing in him but he bravely ignores it. "Besides, you already have him all to yourself every night, it's not like — like — okay, what ?"

"Nothing," she says, but her lips keep twitching and the gleam in her eyes doesn't spell anything good for him. Skull raises his eyebrows. "I just didn't know you already wanted to find your way to his bed."

He hasn't the time to process her words that Lal is already laughing, bright and loud and on the acute side, and he glances at the door afraid a certain blond would choose this moment to come in. The door stays thankfully close but Lal only seems to laugh harder everytime she peers up at his face.

In despair Skull tries to suffocate her with a pillow and gets elbowed for his troubles. Lal flips them around and suddenly he's the one trying not to die of lack of air, except she is much more efficient than him. She alternates between pressing the pillow against his face and hitting him with it, but at least she's not laughing anymore.

Skull tries hard to not think about how she's straddling him.

He takes a deep breath when she puts the pillow away. "Alright, you're right. I'm not insecure enough to give a damn about all of you swooning over him."

"I'm not —"

"But it's still not happening, I'm not going to make it easy for any of you." Skull tries to not show his disappointment too much but Lal's unimpressed look tells him he's not succeeding. "That said —"

He almost winces at how hopeful he sounds. "Yeah ?"

"— you can come share our bed on Tuesdays nights I guess."

The deafening silence rings in his ears, and is apparently affecting only him because Lal looks as casual as ever. She looks expecting too, but Skull's mouth is dry, and stays like that no matter how many times he swallows.

He uses his arms absentmindedly as a shield when she lowers back the pillow to lean on it. Her hair falls down like a curtain on either side of his face.

"Oh, tough in affairs I see." She sighs, but he can tell she's totally enjoying herself. "Fine then, Tuesdays and Fridays nights. What do you say ?"

His voice comes out as a pitiful little thing. "Sure." He clears his throat, but can't bring himself to say more.

"Great. You'll be the middle spoon."

Skull rips the pillow from her and hides his face with it. Lal just bursts out laughing again.

Tomorrow is tuesday.

- so maybe lal wanted to make it clear who is the one colonnello cares about the most in the house. but maybe she only wanted them to learn to not take her boyfriend's affection for granted. or maybe she wanted for them to take the initiative and give him some love too

- most likely it's all three at once because she is a badass like that- colonnello knows exactly what all of them are doing too but hell if he is going to let them know that (also jealous colonnello is jealous lkfvlwfùmll)

- jealous skull is SO jealous qfmijglbhskwlm ! also he is pinning hard already isn't he ? he is leaps and bound before the others in getting colonnello's favors tho (apart from lal), and the ohters might want to get their shit together

(- flustred skull is really flustred too uh?)

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Welp, there is Lal's chapter. Can you believe I complained about Verde's chapter ? This one was like pulling teeth.

You might have found it dialogue-heavy, and with not much of a pace, and a bit rushed too maybe (which would be pretty fucking ironic), but at least it's long ? I'm cleary not much satisfied with it, but at least it's there right ? I might or might not edit it at some point in the future.

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We're doing pet names next ! Let me know all of the ones you can come up with because i can come up with only, like, three lmaoo. Also tell me which one you'd see best use on whom, i'll take notes of it ! And i don't know when the next chapter will come out because i'm inspired for others fics right now, but i'll be working on it.

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(do you guys know i published a hogwarts au with the arcobaleno ? because i did that.)

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I hope you like it. Any and all review are appreciated. Thank you for reading !

- w.h