The training room was empty save for the two exorcists happy to finally get some much need practice together. Though, they both sticking to their individual routines instead of sparing together. On one end of the room, Allen could be spotted balancing himself upside down on a chair doing push ups in a handstand position, shirtless. Meanwhile, Lavi was just swinging his hammer around in more casual attire of short sleeves. He didn't really want to be there, but there were many a times in which Allen didn't want to sit with him in silence in the library, so he was willing to return his company from time to time.
For the most part, Lavi just watched in amazement as Allen kept huffing loudly with each press of his knuckles as he finished his last set of push ups, if they could even be called that. It always amazed the bookman with how much balance and control Allen had of his body to be able to do even just two or three, but 3 hundred push ups, one handed, in the middle of a handstand on a chair that was off balance?! The most Lavi ever did for training was swing his hammer around and use it to practice various stunts and flanking tactics. At least watching Allen was entertaining.
"I guess all that time you were in circus was good for somethin' wasn't it," he teased when Allen finally hopped down from his chair. He stepped forward as he reverted his hammer back to normal size and slipped it onto his belt. "What else can ya do? I mean I just thought you were a clown. Doesn't that just involve make up and juggling?"
Allen rolled his stiff shoulders back and forth while massaging them when he finally was standing on his feet again, breathing heavily all the while. A tired smile was held up, though his eyes remained focused on the finger work instead of the person speaking to him. "I did a lot of things in the circus besides just dance and juggle. I had to assist with knife throwing and acrobatics, too! So I got really good at keeping my balance on even the smallest points…like the corner of a chair."
Lavi just smirked for a moment, his tiny fang twinkling as an idea popped into his head. "Seriously?" he asked, feigning surprise. "So I take it you gotta be pretty flexible, huh?"
"Yeah, I mean I guess so. That's part of being an acrobat, after all. So I can do flips and splits, and stuff like that."
"Well…" Lavi reached back into his belt and pulled out his hammer to twirl around. In flash, the thing was giant, crashing into the training room's floor and kicking up dust. A fit of coughing sounded from Allen as he jumped back, trying to avoid getting specs in his eyes. "Care ta demonstrate, would ya?" There was sinister, malicious grin on Lavi's face as he stood on the bottom end of his upside-down weapon, handle stretching all the way up to the ceiling.
When the debris had cleared away and Allen got what Lavi was asking he pressed brows together, annoyed. "I'm not pole dancing for you, Lavi," he protested immediately.
"What?! N-no! That's not what I meant! C-Com'on, please?!" Lavi raised both his hands in apology as he bowed his head. "It's not like I have knives or anything for you to demonstrate with! I just wanna see what else you used to do. Pleeease, Allen? You just don't talk that much about yourself so…I thought it'd be a good chance for ya to show off!"
Allen's face brooded, pushing his mouth to one side and with a single eyebrow raised, questioning Lavi's motives. Even if he was being honest…he'd still be pole dancing, basically. It would matter how the other described it. The whole setup felt uneasy. He began tapping his foot as he starred at Lavi, still pleading for him to showcase his circus talents, thinking all the while. Truth be told, he didn't mind being allowed to show other talents, he would have just preferred something like juggling while on a balance ball, or any of his fire tricks, but there was no way they had any of the equipment on hand in HQ. A raised came up to pinch at his chin as he looked over Lavi and the hammer one final time…and then an idea came to mind, and his evil, twisted grin appeared for only a moment. "Alright," he finally sighed as he hunched forward, now faking annoyance. "…but on one condition!"
"Really? Oh, great! Anything- anything at all! What is it?!" Lavi's eyes sparkled when Allen finally broke down, all his teeth now showing in his smile. He shook his fists in excitement, ready to witness something spectacular as he hopped off the tail end of his hammer. He was so excited that he didn't notice the twinkle in Allen's eye as he stepped closer.
The air around the younger was different. Now he was cocky, confident, almost demanding. Allen patted Lavi on his shoulders lightly, eyes closed as he smiled up at him. "Oh, it's nothing big. I just want you to help me with a little circus act I could do for the entire Black Order. You won't have to do much of anything at all. Just promise me you'll be my assistant."
"It's a deal!" he agreed immediately before pulling Allen in for a quick embrace. "I get to see you do pole acrobatics and help you with somethin' cool for the whole Black Order? Hell yeah; that's a Win-Win! Now get up there and let me see what you can do! Oh boy, I'm excited!" With that, Lavi shoved Allen up to the hammer and quickly sat down on the floor, cross legged and hands on his knees, ready for what he had been anticipating for the past few minutes.
Allen…only smiled as he stepped up to the hammer's pole. He paused to take a deep breath and brush off whatever sweat there was off his body. Once ready, he climbed, breathing in tune with his movements and he lunged his body up the pole. It was just like old gymnastics to him even has he started swinging his body around, completely vertical to the floor. With momentum built up, Allen switched from spinning around to sticking a landing into a split, spreading his legs up and down each end of the pole before swinging around and tumbling down so that his body was once again vertical. He paused to gasp, and to catch his breath. His chest heaved out each time he inhaled until got control over himself once more and…he let go but didn't fall. His feet had wedged on both sides of the pole, and with the strongest muscle control, Allen slowly allowed his body to descend until it looked as though he was standing on the pole's side, hair hanging down across the side of his face.
Lavi could only stare, mouth wide open in amazement over how much control Allen had over his body to not plummet to the ground immediately. He thought he was pretty wild on his hammer when in battle but seeing Allen right now…he could only imagine how insane it'd be if Allen could wield his Innocence for a change. Now he was leaning forward, his head propped up on his wrist, elbow digging into his knee as he kept trying to watch Allen's work from any angle possible without having to move from where he was sitting.
The sudden release from the pole was concerning until he saw just how controlled Allen was when he began to fall, his whole body rotating in the air. The room thundered in an echo as the soul of his boots slammed into the rounded surface of the hammer's head. He remained standing up straight for only a moment until his knees started shaking, and he finally relaxed his whole body. Sweat dripped from forehead, down his back, and along his shoulders as he jumped to the floor. "I think I pulled a muscle…I should have stretched first, but I hope that was good enou- " Allen wouldn't be able to finish his sentence as Lavi charged up to him and embraced him once more like before, tightly held in his arms. He could immediately feel Lavi's hand spreading his back sweat all over him, and his body odor strong.
"THAT WAS INCREDIBLE, ALLEN!" Lavi cheered in delight. He squeezed Allen so close he could hear the other suffocating in his arms. "I can't believe you never showed off all that before! I knew you could juggle, but damn that was somethin' else, ya know?!" As he said all this, Lavi could help but show how excited he was and spin Allen's body out like they were dancing together. He'd hold onto his wrist and spin about in a circle with him before pulling him back into another firm hug. "If that's what you can do on the spot I can't wait to see what you have in store for the whole Order! I'll do anything ya need ta make it spectacular, I promise!" He continued hurling Allen about, moving with him in, hand-in-hand all the while. "What is you had in mind anyway?" he finally asked when they came to a halt.
Allen, thou out of breath, still found the energy in him to let out a quiet chuckle that slowly built up into an evil fit of laughter. "Why…just some knife tricks!" he said with a tired, but crooked smile.
"Seriously? Like juggling?! Damn, that sounds amazing! What do ya need me to do? Just toss 'em to ya when you're ready? That's easy!"
"Well…that and…" Allen paused to place his hand, his left hand, on Lavi's shoulder and grip him tightly so that he couldn't get away. "…be my assistant strapped onto the spinning target."
He could only watch in utter joy as Lavi's carefree face, filled with boyish charm quickly descended into the darkest pits of despair and fear. He could feel Lavi's body shake slightly, and he gripped tighter onto his shoulder.
"Hey, c-com'on man! You ain't serious about that, right?"
Allen just leaned forward and pressed a salty, sweaty kiss to Lavi's cheek. "You promised, now. Don't you forget…."