Work Text:
Bored.
Years passed and kept passing, yet he still stuck in the same, cursed body that'll never grow. His heart jaded, feeling restless, limited. Yes, he had somehow grown accustomed to the body after one damn year and the motorbike Verde made for him was helpful, but... Skull still felt empty, even Oodako couldn't cheer him up.
He reminisced on his past years, back to the days when he was a performer. Skull is a stuntman, it's true, but way before that, he performed on the stage as a renowned actor, who was famed for his androgynous look and the fact that he's daring to take a female role and acted perfectly.
He learned to wear his own makeup, all thanks to his teenage years of doing backstage jobs, handling costumes, and make up for a long while made him good at them. Maybe not enough to be called an expert but he knew how to don people in their style, and that's enough for him.
(It felt nice when he was praised and adored for something he's good at. When he entered the Mafia, he was met with nothing but insults and mockery.)
On one eventful day, Skull received a letter addressed from Sicily, Italy yet the content was fluently written in Russian. That's good, for his Italian was rather poor compared to his Russian and English. The letter was intriguing, or rather, dangerous? He didn't know how or why but he chose to go. Skull made a formal request to his circus master, asking for him to be excused for a month. She accepted it, good-natured as always as she bade him farewell and to have fun.
The flight to Italy would've been expensive for his budget but he's glad that a flight and suite for a week ticket was sent to him too along with the letter.
The next day, he wore himself as his stuntman persona. The letter told him so, rather descriptive to be precise. If not for it, he'd rather wear a formal suit and dyed his hair to black.
What happened next was something that he could've never imagined. He gritted his teeth beneath the helmet. Skull was glad that they switched their discussion from Italian to English after realising he couldn't speak their mother tongue, but he could sense their mocking undertone.
He got dragged into some Mafia mess without his consent, why would it be strange for him to be mad? Skull was at a disadvantage for his status as a civilian, he knew, so he needed to act. To pretend. Later he was called by "Skull" and "Skull" only, (or lackey as they liked to call him) never once again he'll become Nephele, his elegant actor side.
At first, their relationship was sour, no teamwork at all. Is this really how the strongest supposed to act?
He was always left out, most of the time. Just- he's glad that at least Fon was treating him quite nicely, he was the one who taught him about flames and other dynamics. A few months later and Skull realised that they started to accept him. Reborn's hit and insults were mostly just playful, never enough to actually hurt him and he sometimes found himself enjoying Viper's presence despite their nature.
But then...
(The curse happened and everything was taken away from him. His infant body made it harder for him to move, his eyes widened as he realised that he's not free anymore--!!)
He resigned from his job. There's no way he could've done his stunt in such a small body. He can't act either, nothing he can do. For one year he remained alone, feeling confused and betrayed. Only after a year, he got comfortable. 'Skull' somehow made his debut as a stuntman once again, nobody cared that he's an infant apparently. Carcassa famiglia wasn't a part of his plan but he just accepted it.
He didn't care about what the Mafia had to say about him. Finally, he found somewhere to belong-! Skull reformed his famiglia from the ins and outs as its shadow. Changed all the trades and stopped human trafficking, not that he officially announced it. What said inside of Carcassa remained there. His subordinates were loyal too, abode to his rules as the don's right-hand man, his sword.
For years he wasn't in contact with any of the Arcobaleno. He learnt that Luce had died, leaving her daughter behind. Was he bad for not weeping? Skull never harmonised with her in the first place. He didn't attend her funeral, instead continuing his life as usual, handling paper works and making sure his people weren't making more mess. (He promised them that only once a year they can invade Mafia Land for fun. They were a little unsatisfied but complied nonetheless.)
Then Tsuna happened.
Sawada Tsunayoshi was an interesting person, Skull concluded. An innocent civilian dragged (just like him) into the Mafia just because the other Vongola heirs had unfortunately deceased. His flame was sealed away at a young age, leaving him as a dysfunctional mess. Bullied and underestimated, then Reborn barged into his life and he saw hell-- it was impressive that he manages to remain sane after so much shit happened to him.
A boy destined to be the Vongola Decimo whether he liked it or not.
Many things happened in such a short while. The Arcobaleno trial, fighting, death-- before he knew it the curse was broken and he was able to grow up again! A huge grin curved on his face as he realised he can be Nephele once more. The pace was rather slow, but at least Skull knew he's growing up.
Verde, impatient, attempted to create a pill to make their growth a little quicker. His tests were proven to be effective, after what felt like three years Skull received a message by the former Lightning arcobaleno, asking him and the rest to return to his laboratory.
By that time, Skull, whose appearance already resembled a normal four years old child, quickly rushed back to Italy. His violet eyes gleamed in excitement, god, he can't wait.
The pill.. is effective, to say the least. If ignoring the fact that he felt like his whole body getting torn, scorching hot and fuck- it hurts! Skull was bedridden for more than three weeks, they said. His entire body burning with fever and was unable to move. His mind was in a subconscious state- Skull felt the pain and he can hear his surroundings.
When he opened his eyes, he realised that he's in the Carcassa headquarters, his own room. The don beside him, still asleep and IV tubes connected to his arm. Skull tried to sit up but found it rather hard to do. A dry cough escaped from his mouth, causing the man beside him to wake up.
His eyes- wide in surprise then quickly turned into relief, a small smile formed on his face. The Carcassa don, Marcio, pulled him for a hug. He breathed out, "God, I'm glad you're alright." His voice clear with concern, a little hysteric but it was understandable.
Usually, Skull would push away his affectionate hug and grin, teasingly boasting about how he, the greatest of all time, wouldn't pass away from such pain. But...
This time was alright. Just once wouldn't hurt.
He admired the boy reflected in the mirror. His hair had grown so long after he woke up, reaching up to his waist, purple dye only visible at the tip. Definitely hair worth the years his body had aged. Skull supposedly should've been 14 at this point, but then again he'd always been quite an early bloomer. He could pass for a 16 years old if he tried hard enough. Yeah, he hummed, he could.
Skull immediately contacted Verde. [Oh, you've finally woke up?] The man behind the phone mused. His voice sounded deep, how old was he supposed to be? [Almost two weeks later than the rest to recover. Not that bad.]
[...] He wasn't sure if that's meant to be praise or insult, but knowing the other man's personality, he probably shouldn't think hard about it that much. [I guess that's all? There's nothing else more to tell, the pills worked good, really effective. Thanks, Verde.]
[My pleasure] and he immediately hanged out. Definitely like Verde.
Skull sighed. 14 years old, huh? Nephele didn't exist until two years more and the first time he officially debuted as a stuntman was when he's 17. Not that much of time, just two years. Yeah, just two years...
His eyes gleamed brightly as a plan came creeping into his mind.
He was accepted for a local theatre community. Sweet, he cackled. Bless the fact that his legal documents were almost non-existent by this point (Getting stuck as a toddler for decades really did some wonders) so he could easily forge a new one. This time? Cher, an 18 years old androgynous lady.
It's much easier to find excuses with his youthful look and height when he played a woman. His long hair was cut into shoulder-length, dyed in the softest of lilac this time. He toned down his make up a lot, completely erasing the teardrop and wore his face as natural as possible. His natural amethyst eyes were hidden behind blue contacts. Cher was not related to Skull in any way, they looked completely different and came from different origins.
His fame quickly rose up, all due to the fact that yes, he's an experienced actor and wasn't picky with his role. Playing the leading character was amazing, but a small cameo was enough for him too. The whole town knew him, recognised him at first sight whenever he was Cher and god, he loved all the attention.
Puberty changed his voice, but heavens knew how relieved Cher was that he had diligently trained his voice. When he became an actor, his voice was soft, sultry even for some roles. Completely opposite of his stuntman persona, louder, braver! Cher loves his other side, but he deserved all the break from being a stuntman after playing 'Skull' for more than two decades without rest.
Surprisingly, those two years passed without any mess. He never forgot to spend some time with his famiglia, especially during their family day. (Which main activities included raiding Mafia Land for shit and giggles, exciting, he knew)
Also as the right-hand man of Don Marcio, he too often communicated with the man and handled some of the issues, also supplying him with some words of wisdom. Skull also joined most of the personal parties held by his famiglia, small and comfortable. Nothing too extravagant to the point of being suffocating, it's not really Carcassa style, anyways.
He's also fortunate enough not to meet any of the ex-arcobaleno or Vongola, as the only time he was Skull was only with his famiglia. As he walked away from their headquarters, he returned back to his Cher persona.
(Honestly being Skull without his spunky dark purple hair, all spiky and wild, felt wrong and incomplete, but dying back his hair from lilac to purple each time he changed persona wasn't ethical either. He'll go bald before he turned 30 if he kept doing that.)
Today marked his 16th birthday for the second time. His famiglia really wanted to hold another party for him, but Skull refused. This time he'd promised to his another family, the theatre community. He'd accidentally made Cher's birthday similar to Skull's and.. correcting it wasn't an option.
They were attached ot him (or her, seeing that Cher is a woman) a little too much, he thought. Even those who debuted the same day as him, instead of envy for all the exposure he'd been getting, they too, loved him dearly.
"Happy birthday, Cher!" Marie smiled fondly, giving a small gift to him.
Cher chuckled in return, bashfully returning a quiet thank you. The cake they'd baked for him, strawberry shortcake as Cher liked, tasted homemade- reminded him of his circus time.
His heart felt warm. And longing. God, he missed his old home.
Skull missed the adrenaline of riding his motorbike. The thrill of an actual, normal-sized one. It felt completely different, he would insist. He bought a new one, painted it purple and decided he's ready to blast it off. The first stunt as an actual adult after so many years!
Skull returned home with a few broken bones, bruises and a content smile on his face.
It pained him to say it but god, he missed them. Skull missed all the ex-Arcobalenos. He never knew whether he was harmonised with them or not but he's sure as hell longed for them.
At first it is relieving that none of them was around to mess with his life, but now.. it quite dull. Maybe it's because he'd strayed away from the Mafia too far. The only thing still keeping him tied with it was his relation with Carcassa famiglia. (But then again, he rarely handled with the dark side of it. Don Marcio insisted he should enjoy a normal 'civilian' life)
Is he being conscious? Just now, out of sudden? He pursed his lips. Skull really needed to talk to his don right now.
The man on the screen smiled casually. [My fairy, what's the deal?] There he went again with the ridiculous pet name, off to a great start.
Skull hid his pink dusted cheeks. This is really serious, Skull. Focus! He coughed softly. [Let me get this straight to the point. I know that I've once told you that I wanted to enjoy a normal life but- uhm..] He shifted uncomfortably, trying to find the right word without sounding too strange. [What's the news with the rest of the ex-Arcobalenos? Y'know... stuffs or like that? Are they like- still active or faded into silence like me?]
[Oh, it's about them.] Skull didn't know what, but there's something about the don's smile that made it looked so menacing right now. [Yeah, they're alive, active even. I think Reborn's still the same hitman as ever? And Lal Mirch and Colonello got engaged last year but I'm not sure about that... and Mammon...] He paused, deep in thought. [..still the same? Fon's with his triads and I heard Verde started teaching at a university, not sure which one. Aria's not that active, but she's alive.]
Skull felt relieved. He chuckled lightly. [I'm glad they're alright--]
Don Marcio hummed some more. [Oh and I think they're searching for you? I heard it's mostly Reborn and Fon, but the others are quite frantic as well. Verde once theorises that you might be dead, but nobody took his words seriously. He didn't either. It was on a rampage until last year..?]
[What.] Not a question, it's a statement. Skull repeated again, his eyes wide. [I say, what.]
The don shrugged. [Eh, the situation was really sticky last year, the fact that you're not there during Mafia Land's raid didn't help either. At some point Reborn came barging into my office, demanding to know where are you. His gun aimed at my head, of course.]
What the hell happened..? He massaged his temple slowly. He asked, exasperated. [Please tell me that this is just some dream...]
[No, it's not, my dear fairy.] The don clearly was having too much fun. [Oh and back to the story, I claimed I don't know. He threatened me to tell me the truth but my answer still remained the same. Let me tell you, it's really scary but funny at the same time.]
[God, is it really hard to find me?]
Don Marcio blinked. [You're overestimating them, Skull-chan. Try to look into the mirror and tell me you're the amazing, Great Skull-sama.]
He wanted to refute but realised the reasoning behind his words. [Wait a moment.] Skull walked away from the laptop's screen and sat facing the mirror inside his room. He smiled, still a little hysteric but soon found out why. Why the hell they still hadn't found him yet.
He returned back to the video chat, meeting with the don grinning ear to ear. Skull never realised his face wore the same expression. [Don Marcio, let's go on a date.]
"Nephele, there you are."
"Marcio!"
Mafia Land, what an ideal place for their date. Supposedly, both of them were forbidden to go there, since, the Carcassa famiglia's false reputation really stood out, (Also not to mention that they kept fucking around, treating invasion like some family day activity.) but one of the lesser-known famiglia, kindly allowed both of them to use their family name to enter the entertainment park.
This time he was playing as Nephele, an old persona he hadn't used for years. Outing himself as Skull immediately wouldn't be fun, also it's funnier to keep playing like this.
He wore a strawberry blonde wig and his eyes shined like amethyst. Nephele's makeup was done lightly, highlighting his natural charm. He wore a cream wrap dress matched with black sandal heels.
Skull remained close by his don's side, while his eyes kept wandering around, looking for any signs of his former teammates. A disappointed sigh came out from his mouth, they'd been here for almost an hour but he can't found any trace of them!
"Hey, you're alright?" Don Marcio asked. Skull shook his head. "Uhm, okay...” Awkward.
"I'll grab us some snacks." Smooth, Don Marcio, smooth. But Skull glad that the man went away even just for a short while. He needed some time alone right now. He leaned the nearest wall, both his eyes close, drifting into thoughts.
"Skull..?"
Who's that? He opened his eyes. Don Marcio wouldn't call him by that name. Oh, it's that Vongola's lightning. "Lambo," he acknowledged. "You're here alone?"
The now 12 years old boy looked at him, eyes wide in surprise. "Yeah- I mean no. Tsuna's here too with the rest." He was speechless. "Uhm Skull... you look different. Like really different."
Skull laughed cheekily. "Geez, thanks. I'm with a date today, that's why I'm under disguise." He winked. No way in hell he'll tell the younger boy that he's looking for his ex-teammates. That would be embarrassing.
Lambo nodded, understanding. He grinned ear to ear. "Oh, that's why. You don't want Reborn to bother your little date, right? If he knew you're here, he'll probably drag you away." He hummed before continuing, "And he's here today with us too. Better be careful."
"Wait, Lambo--"
"Alright Skull, bye!"
Before he could inquire furthermore, the boy was already out from his sight. A sigh escaped from his mouth. Boredom filled his mind, why did Don Marcio take such a long time? It'd been almost twenty minutes and the man still hadn't returned, which is strange. Today, Mafia Land's not crowded at all, probably because it's weekday. He took another glance at his watch once more.
"Damn, I should search for him now."
Change of plan. Don Marcio was nowhere within his sight. He'd walked quite a while and still hadn't seen any trace of the man. He stretched both his arms. Skull sighed, "I guess I'll have some fun here...” and he did.
Thanks to his Nephele façade, most of the gentlemen there treated him well, letting him pass first. Skull didn't refuse their treatment, instead, he smiled coyly and purred a soft "thank you", befitting of his elegant mask.
Some men tried to treat him for a drink too, but this time he firmly refused. The risk was high and goddamn it, he's a man with a mission. Somehow Skull regretted not following Lambo, he probably will meet Reborn way earlier and mess around with him too.
"Should I... change my make up?" He mused to himself. "Probably."
Skull walked into the female restroom. Taking small makeup kit out from his handbag as be stared into his reflection. A thought came creeping into his mind. What screams Skull? He almost applied a teardrop under his eye but no! That'll make things too obvious, and didn't match up with his attire.
He's a perfectionist when it comes to his disguise, that's important. Skull rocked purple so well that even Nephele can't do. He decided to change his disguise then. First thing first, he needed some new clothes. Maybe something bolder or masculine, none of the ex-Arcobaleno would've pegged him the type to dress as a woman.
He kept away his kit. Skull walked out after readjusting his wig a little. He huffed as he took his cell phone and dialled Don Marcio. (God, he could've done it way earlier. Why the hell he always forgot that he had the man's personal contact?)
"Marcio, I need some new clothes. Preferably something that fits Skull. Yes, shirt and ripped jeans sound neat and you know my size, right? That's good." He sighed. "I overestimate Reborn, I thought that jerk could've done a better job than this. Honestly, it's not that hard to identify me. Even Lambo can recognise me!" He ranted, this time not bothering to use Nephele's soft voice. "Yeah, I'll wait for you at the first cafe we went to, please be quick. I really want to meet them today."
Skull accidentally bumped into someone and he looked up. He saw a familiar face, smiling but his smile didn't quite reach the eyes.
"Change of plan. I probably can't come home with you."
"Now, explain."
He sweated profusely, didn't dare to look up. Skull knew that their first reunion wouldn't be a nice one but god this is torture. Some parts of him regretted his initial excitement of meeting them. Just... he felt somehow relieved that not everyone is here, just Reborn.
"Reborn, I've already told the rest about Skull." Came the Vongola Decimo, delivering news that made him felt like dying. The Italian hitman nodded.
"Alright, senpai...” Skull had nothing to say. In his defense, he did nothing wrong! He just lives the ordinary civilian dream and grew ignorant of what's happening in the Mafia side. He never hid or anything like that. "In my defense, I'm not hiding from you or anything like that."
Reborn raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh?"
"I'm just living normally, having a normal job-- working in my hometown, it's not my fault you couldn't find me!"
"Moscow?"
Okay, now he's curious about how the hitman knew his location but didn't mention that. "..Yes?"
"We spent an entire two weeks there, searching through every possible shows and circus, and never found you." He chuckled darkly.
Skull blinked. "When?"
"Last year, somewhere in March."
"Oh," he replied. "Honestly it didn't matter when or where circus, you'll never find me in any." Skull rubbed his neck and nervously smiled. "Because you see- I worked in theatre, as a woman, a completely new identity."
Reborn went silent. "..I do not expect that coming from you," he admitted. "Why?"
"It's easier to find excuses regarding my height as a woman and they don't accept minors working there, you know. Also have I mention that before I am a stuntman, I was an actor?" Of course, he never mentioned that, but it's fun to see Reborn's twisted expression. "Nephele and Cher, haven't you heard of them?"
His eyes clear with disbelief. "You are them?" He massaged his temple, trying to keep his calm. "Good grief...”
Suddenly the door banged open.
If Reborn didn't know any better, he would've already assumed the person in front of him was just another woman. Her hair reached her waist and was dressed rather simply, but still elegant. Too bad her eyes purple, and in a shade so familiar that no one could put off this well, even with contacts. It's Skull for god sake.
Also how carelessly she mentioned his name only confirmed his doubt even more! And... Lambo recognised Skull and never told him? He grumbled, that cow is going to be punished later...
But in all seriousness though, this Skull looked nothing like the little lackey he knew. Then again, had he even saw the cloud's bare face? Never, not even once. Skull always wore his face as a performer, painted in purple. Good news that he rarely exposed his face, kept hidden under a helmet.
Reborn knew how makeup worked, he'd worked with disguise once or twice during his mission, but hell-- not to this point of being completely unrecognizable. Feminine was Skull right now, and damn did he wear a corset? He never remembered the stuntman to be this slender, looked almost lithe in his sight.
He'll be lying if he said that the cloud wasn't pretty- no, beautiful. It made him even more curious, how would Skull looked without any masks, completely bare? and he won't admit that the thought excites him completely.
Before Skull would've said he felt nervous under Reborn's eyes, but now, with all his teammates surrounding him... ("God, please just kill me," he internally groaned. Lady Luck seemed to be laughing at his misfortunes.)
Even the usually calm Storm seemed like he could kill a man at any moment. Not to mention the others- if looks could kill, Skull would've already been minced meat right now.
He raised both his hands up, keeping the calm façade on his face. He said, "I never hide or anything like that- it's just y'all that couldn't find me." Shifting blame now, good job, Skull. "I'm not in any circuses but living as an actress instead. Y'know--"
"We don't know anything, Skull."
He coughed, clearly uncomfortable. "I never worked with stunts until I was 17, but somehow this time I figure out that attention as an actress is good too. So yeah... I still do stunts but mostly just for fun. My schedule with the theatre is tight enough, but right now I'm on a hiatus."
"Well... it's interesting that you fell completely out of our radar for an entire four years, but I'm glad you're alright," Fon said serenely, no killing intent this time.
Skull felt like his cheeks heating up. He chuckled nervously, "Uh, can I go back now? My uh- don would be worried if I'm not back early." That's a lie, of course. Don Marcio already knew that he's with the former Arcobaleno.
"You're still with the Carcassa?" Colonello asked, incredulous.
"Yes."
Both Reborn and he groaned. ("That lying fucker, I'll murder him," the Sun said under his breath. Skull sweated.)
"So I can go now?"
Fon chuckled. "No, Skull. We still have a lot of questions for you."
After what seemed to be an eternal amount of questions and answers, (It's really worse than one time that he was interrogated by the police) he was finally let go. Only after Skull promised- ("I swear that I, Skull de Mort or Cher or Nephele White, will stay in contact with all my former teammates. I also promise that I'll spend at least once a week with one of you.")
Holy shit now that he thought about it, wasn't it just like a date? and why the hell did he need to meet them once a week! Keep in contact, he'll understand but meeting..? Skull pursed his lips.
It would be pretty hard. His hands full enough with Carcassa and life as Cher. Only on Monday and Tuesday, he can finally rest, but now he got to spend them with the Arcobaleno, damn.
One unanswered question kept running in his mind. Why do they seem so obsessed with him now? He remembered during that time when he's still cursed, he never really kept contact with the others, but still ran into each other once or twice. They didn't care, or at least that what he knew. Now they almost seemed protective- err, possessive?
Whatever, he sighed. It's probably because he's still their Cloud. At least Reborn and Colonello stopped calling him lackey now.
Skull took a glance at the calendar on his wall. Just another 6 days until he rendezvous with the Sun.
The date with Reborn went better than he initially thought it would be. For most parts, he acted gentlemanly. (Skull would understand now why women were head over heels for him) They met at a high-class restaurant near to his place and god--
("If I didn't know you any better, I probably would have fallen for you," he joked with a small laugh.
"Shut up and eat your food, Skull.")
The way Reborn pronounced his name sounded interesting to hear. It's probably because he wasn't calling him 'lackey' anymore, he appreciated it. Yeah, he can get used to that.
Every time he's with Fon, he felt like he could melt. It was simpler than Reborn this time, Skull invited him to his apartment. They chatted, had some tea, hands intertwined while watching a movie and that's all.
("You're like a home I never had," he confessed quietly.
Fon just smiled and ruffled his hair.)
It was almost night when their little date's over. Fon left him with a small kiss on his cheek and his face flushed red.
With Lal Mirch and Colonello, err, it was pretty awkward at first, to say the least. Skull knew both of them are strict individuals, and the fact that Colonello is still salty that his famiglia kept invading Mafia Land didn't help either. They settled down in a small cafe, all of them arrived one hour earlier than the promised time.
("I heard both of you got engaged, congratulations!" He smiled.
The blond laughed heartfully, while Lal muttered 'idiot' under her breath. Even then, Skull could see how her face softened as she looked at her fiancé.)
The moment only lasted two hours. When Skull returned home, he received a short message from Lal.
[Y'know, we won't mind if it's you]
Skull would admit that he's not particularly close with his Lightning. They spent time together at his home for dinner. He wasn't the greatest when it comes to cooking, but his food was good enough after years of living alone.
(The dinner was filled with silence. None of them attempted to strike a conversation, but it was enough to see that the scientist was enjoying his food.
"Thank you, that was a nice meal.")
Oh my fucking god, he cursed. How the hell did he forget that he has a show on the same day that he promised to spend with Mammon? God- the fact that the timing was too close didn't help either. That's it. He can't keep the Mist waiting for 2 hours before their date, and there's only one solution. They can just enjoy his performance on stage before their date. He's glad that they accepted it without too much complaining.
(That time he was playing a side character, a loyal wife to the hero. "My dear husband, I'm glad you're alright!" he cried out, embracing the hero before they pretended a passionate kiss. He spared a quick glance to the audience, spotting Mammon amongst the crowd.
They seemed to be enjoying the play, and only that mattered to him back then.)
After the stage performance, they went to his home, had some snacks together and somehow ended up cuddling on the couch until he's asleep. When Skull woke up, the Mist was already gone.
Even how busy his life got, he always made sure that the dates kept running like usual. After a few months, Skull already got used to them, and it became a known fact amongst Cher's co-workers that he will never be free on Monday.
"Hey, are you already taken by now? Cause like-- you like always have a date every week and honestly, your expression reminds me of a maiden in love," Marie commented one day during their break.
Skull hummed thoughtfully. His relationship with the Arcobaleno was almost... romantic? He personally enjoyed their presence, even Reborn.
"Yeah," he replied, smiling. He would admit that he's content with his life right now.