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Gray metal walls were what he grew up with. It was a house with him as their genius child. He never once knew a life outside of his parent’s expectations. They’d always told him of the uselessness that was love.
The sound of chalkboards and whiteboards being written on repeatedly only to be erased afterward. That’s what he had grown used to day in and day out because, likey they would always say, who needs love?
He was like a computer by age five; he was able to recite almost anything he had read just once.
It wasn’t enough. It was never enough.
Verde had grown used to it by that point though. He came into the world cold-hearted, craving the knowledge that was embedded into the core of the Earth.
He worked harder to become better. It wasn’t for validation or anything silly like that, but he simply craved what was out there. He desired more than metal walls and chalkboards.
Complex college-level equations were too easy by seven.
It was after an all too easy math competition that a sniffling girl came up to him. Her eyes were shining with tears as she shyly looked around.
“H-Hello,” she whispered, glancing at Verde every once in a while. “My name is…”
He couldn’t quite remember what followed. Her name felt irrelevant while her disgustingly shy and sweet movements stained his mind. She bursted into more tears when Verde coldly brushed her off.
He left home at nine. Bored and alone. He had mastered everything and had long since outgrown what others would call a home. He simply found it to be a cage built for his cultivation.
The two that raised him didn’t care. In fact, they had expected it and were joyous to send off their scientifically built son into the cruel world.
After all, logic would always beat emotion. It was a simply fact due to the even simpler idea that emotions were useless.
Verde was the perfect, logical human.
Being found by a man named Checkerface at twenty-six was pure coincidence. An uncalculated opportunity that turned into tragedy barely a year later.
He had never meant to get so invested in his research of the ‘Seven Strongest’. He had honestly only ever wanted to know just enough and then leave. Perhaps Checkerface knew that Verde was a glutton for knowledge, craving more and more until there would be nothing left.
Reborn, an insufferable bastard, had boastful sun flames that could scour the planet. That demon certainly thrived off of others misery, so it was truly a mystery as to how the world had not been murdered. For Verde, there wasn’t ever much else to say about Reborn other than insults.
Lal Mirch, someone who was nearly perfect if it weren’t for one that factor. Her nearly wonderful rain flames had that tiniest hint of mist flames. She was easily the strongest flame user among them due to the way she could use those flames separately and together perfectly.
Not that someone like Reborn would ever admit. He had always been too caught up in his own strength to concede to others possibly being better than him.
Colonnello, the true factor that prevented Lal Mirch’s perfection, had pure rain flames that were extraordinarily powerful. So powerful that he took Lal Mirch’s place as the Rain Arcobaleno on that fated day.
He was an idiot. It was a plain fact that anyone could have realized. He was too overcome by emotion. Had he been any more logical, he would have turned his back.
Fon, with too much strength in his hands, had crimson storm flames that were kept on a tight leash. He wasn’t an idiot, but he had too much emotion.
Skull, an annoyingly bright idiot, had cloud flames so powerful they prevented the idiot from dying permanently. He would squeal at the sight of a bug like a child and run from Verde’s tests like a coward. Truly annoying.
Viper, a greedy little snake, had elusive mist flames that created reality rather than make-believe. That was the one brilliant thing about Viper. They were quite fond of money, valuing it in a rather logical manner. Verde could have respected that had Viper not been so emotional with Luce.
He never cared much about any of them, including the final person he’d list, Luce. Her smiles were so obviously strained, and she had sky flames. There wasn’t much else to say about her. She wasn’t worth much else to Verde’s unquenchable knowledge.
Not when Sawada Tsunayoshi existed. His sky flames were…warm. Tsunayoshi was warm.
So incredibly warm that an ache bloomed in Verde’s body each time he got close. Yet that ache only increased if he wasn’t close.
In all of his years and experience, Verde had never quite faced something like that. He threw himself into his research, desperate to find an answer to the mysterious aching. He wanted an end to the pain which caused him to act so recklessly.
However, he drew blanks with each piece of research that was found. He instead began to go through the equations, the medicine, and even the scientific side of all things emotional. It was a completely undiscovered territory.
It was after months of torturous research and experimentation that he was ready to finally give up.
His head hit the bar counter. He was tipsy at best when a hand landed on his shoulder accompanied by energetic rain flames.
“Colonnello,” Verde croaked out exhaustedly. “What do you want?” He sat up slightly and looked at the blond in annoyance.
There was worry in Colonnello’s usually confident grin.
The blond ordered a drink from the bartender as he answered, “Just thought I’d check on you. You’ve been surprisin’ everyone lately,” he said roughly as he gulped back his drink like an animal.
Verde cringed in slight disgust, instinctively moving his hand into his pocket for his handkerchief only to remember it wasn’t there. He had lent it to Tsunayoshi earlier in the day. He could already feel the smile on his face as he remembered Tsunayoshi fussing over a drink he had spilt on accident.
Colonnello continued, his eyes softened to look more friendly. “You actually showed up to me and Lal’s wedding, for starters,” he pointed out. “It was shockin’, but it was even worse when Sawada told us that he asked ya’ to come and then you did.”
Verde stilled in his seat, his heart beating erratically at the mention of Tsunayoshi. “Merely a coincidence…” he responded unsurely.
The idiot laughed at him, but he couldn’t find himself to care at that moment.
The mere mention of Tsunayoshi had lit his body aflame. Each nerve was working overtime to keep up with the way his face was turning red.
Colonnello seemed to have taken pity as he began to tell a story.
“I met Lal when I was still in training. She had taken my breath away. She was powerful, smart, and gorgeous. I knew immediately that I would love her for the rest of my life.”
Verde wanted to interrupt and tell the blond how dumb he was being. All of the former Arcobaleno knew that story like the back of their hands with the way Colonnello would tell it so often.
Colonnello only continued with his story in horrid detail like always, but there was something different this time.
Verde felt himself relate to most of the reactions Colonnello waxed poetics about. It was the most horrid and disgusting realization Verde had come to.
Colonnello described it as a fluttering sensation that lit him on fire. That he wanted to be near Lal Mirch at all times.
It was too similar to what Verde was experiencing with Tsunayoshi.
And for the first time, Verde let his emotions win for the first time. Maybe not completely considering how annoyingly meticulous he was being, but this was important. Letting out every pent up feeling and thought Verde had for Tsunayoshi was important.
Tsunayoshi was important.
He had begun to gather every detail to make the perfect confession for Tsunayoshi.
He even practiced his smile to be somewhat charming instead of awkward.
Verde collected all of Tsunayoshi’s favorite flowers in Tsunayoshi’s favorite color. He grabbed assorted chocolates, picking out the ones Tsunayoshi wouldn’t have liked and replacing them with the ones he liked.
And as he walked down the hall with flowers in his hands, he could feel his body begin to flutter and beat uncontrollably. He was so high on nerves that he nearly forgot one very important detail that had yet to be public.
He paused in front of the giant oak doors, his fist raised against it and-
“You should’ve focused, Dame-Tsuna. You’ll never get better otherwise.”
Reborn’s voice rang through the door like the whistle of a bomb.
“Can you stop calling me that already? Besides, you promised me a lunch date.”
Tsunayoshi’s voice drove that bomb into Verde’s heart followed by a knife.
There were no more words. There were none that were needed.
Verde went across the hall, straight to the window across from the door, and tossed the flowers outside of it. He pocketed the small box of chocolates just as the door opened.
“Verde? Is everything alright?” Tsunayoshi’s melodic voice sent tidal waves down Verde’s spine.
Verde looked over at the entangled pair coldly, “Why wouldn’t I be fine?” he responded defensively. “I was just taking notice of the horrible weather for one of my experiments.”
The lie fell off his tongue naturally.
Tsunayoshi smiled that gorgeous smile of his, “Alright,” he said, gently. “Will you be coming to the picnic next week?” he asked, his eyes shining expectantly.
His face was flushed and Reborn was a phantom looming behind him. It was all too obvious. Reborn’s smug, knowing smirk made Verde feel so much worse, but what else could he do?
Verde’s fists balled at his sides, his teeth gritted together as he responded. “...I have nothing better to do.”
The responding smile made it worth it.
Verde had been a fool.
Logic always beat emotion.