Author's Note: I am a horrible horrible person making promises I can't keep =_=. I'm so sorry I said I would be done by your birthday, then by Monday, and now look! It's motherfreakin' Wednesday! I'm eternally sorry and I hope this possible sort of somewhat makes up for it =w= Enjoy my lovely Shikyo~
Happy Birthday, Maya!
"Surprise!" cheered a chorus of voices.
Seventeen, now eighteen, year old Maya Petrova gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth.
The cafeteria was decorated with streamers and colorful balloons. A delicious looking spread of snacks surrounded a chocolate frosted cake. Confetti fluttered to the floor, popped from tiny paper cannons.
The ebony-haired girl who was covering Maya's eyes smiled at her, squeezing the blonde girl's shoulders gently. "Happy eighteenth birthday, Maya!" she exclaimed joyously.
The petite blonde grabbed her friend's hands, not hiding the surprise on her face. "Did you plan all this, Lian?" she asked breathlessly.
Lian beamed and nodded vigorously. "Of course!" she replied, "You're practically my older sister, of course I'd do this for you. It's nothing compared to the times you've saved me."
"Oh please," groaned Maya, rolling her eyes. She placed her hands on her arms and raised her eyebrows at her friend, "Don't start with that. We've always been even in that and you know it." Before Lian could protest, Maya turned to the group of people. "Thank you all so much, this is wonderful!" She hugged each of her friends and even made sure the sour Kanda in the corner received a bit of her gratitude.
During all the hubbub, one late guest came speeding into the room. "Whoops! Happy Birthday!" he announced, awkwardly stumbling in, "I didn't miss it did I?" Lavi Bookman grinned apologetically, catching Maya's eye. He mouthed, "Congratulations" one last time before an irritated Lian approached him.
As she scolded him, Maya stole glances at the casually dressed boy. Since they were all on missions most of the time, she'd hardly seen anyone out of uniform. It was a pleasant change, and especially pleasant for Maya.
He wore a slim-fitting navy-blue shirt with the first two buttons undone. The cloth hugged his torso gently, giving a little definition to his probably well-toned muscles. He wasn't wearing his trademark scarf as usual, so his long, sculpted neck was exposed. He had on his white skinny-jeans that he typically wore under his exorcist jacket. The best thing about his dress was that he was missing the green headband that kept his bright orange hair out of his eyes. His hair being loose was like a girl with a miniskirt; it was much sexier that his eyes were half-shaded. The way those emeralds glinted in contrast behind those flaming orange locks sent pleasant chills down Maya's spine.
She forgot how long she'd been staring, and looked around anxiously to see if anyone had caught her. She was almost positive that Lian would have been grinning at her cattishly by now, but Maya noted that she was getting very comfortable next to Kanda.
"Hey."
She looked up and met those glistening green jewels again. "Hey," she said scratchily; her throat suddenly went dry the moment she laid eyes on him.
He smiled at her kindly, flashing those pearl-white teeth of his. "Lian-chan really gave me a lashing out. I hope my present can make up for my lateness. Don't open it up until later though, 'kay?" Lavi handed her a small white rectangular box with a red ribbon tied around it.
She nodded and hoped with all her heart that he couldn't see her face turning red. Maya could feel her cheeks burning like a stove, and she really hated the way her cheeks bloomed with color like ink on wet paper. She managed to calm down as the two of them got into conversation.
Maya liked Lavi a lot, and only Lian knew about it. She suspected that Kanda might have gotten a clue, either from her gabby friend or a simple hunch, but it was evident that he wouldn't do much with it. She'd been surprised when she found out that he was a Bookman, and what being that sort of person meant. It was hard for her to accept that he wasn't always "Lavi" and that he may or may not have even cared about anyone in the Order. Oftentimes she dismissed the difficult thoughts and hoped that the kindness that came from him was really his own.
"Everyone! C'mon over, we're about to play a game!" called Lian, "That includes you Maya-chan!"
She raised an eyebrow at her awfully eager friend. Maya noted that Lian didn't even try to hide the mischievous glint in her eyes. "Something is up," she thought. Nonetheless, she sat down in the circle of people, knowing that Lian had prepared all this just for her.
"Time for a game I like to call 'Truth or Dare!'" she announced, clapping her hands together happily. "You chose someone and ask them if they want to give a truth, which means that they have to answer ANY question you ask them, or if they want to do a dare, which means that they have to do ANYTHING you tell them to! We won't judge anyone for their actions since it's just for a game."
Kanda looked like he was gonna blow a vein at some point in the near future right after Lavi whistled in approval. Allen appeared pale, and Lenalee smiled politely as usual.
"Che, I'm not playing this stupid game," growled Kanda, who was already far from the group circle. He jammed his hands in the pockets of his black jeans and clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
Lian shrugged as she sat down in the circle. "Too bad, you could make Allen or Lavi do anything you wanted, since you're not allowed to say 'truth' more than two times in a row." She glanced at him out of the corners of her eyes, wondering if she'd struck a chord with him.
He perked up slightly, but hardened his face. "Then they could do the same to me."
Lavi laughed and sang, "Yuu-chan's a chicken! I wouldn't have guessed!"
"Just wait you little rabbit I'll kill you," he barked, already grabbing at the red-head's collar.
Before it could escalate any further, Lian chirped, "Kanda, truth or dare?"
The irritable swordsman sat down next to her begrudgingly and grumbled, "Dare."
The circle went "Ooh" until threatened by his deadly glare. They sat silent, wondering what Lian would make him do, or rather hoping that it would be something hilarious and unforgettable.
She stared at the ceiling and rocked back and forth, pondering. Suddenly, her face brightened up and she turned to him. "I dare you to sing. You actually have to try. Any song is good."
He sighed and made a noise so that his discomfort would be known. Kanda shifted so that his arm rested on his knee and he kept his gaze fixated on her. "Leave it to you to pick something like that. Anything is fine, right?"
"Mmhm," she murmured, staring right back at him.
Maya observed them with a skeptical air, as many people did. It was easy to read the mood between them, and it was unexpectedly sweet. "You could lick the air right now and it would taste like sugar," thought Maya smugly, "I'm so bothering her about this later."
Scoffing, he ran a hand through his straight bangs. Kanda leaned back and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath.
Everyone watched intently for him to start, and once the first note came out of his mouth, they turned to stone. Jaws dropped, sweat dripped, and minds were subsequently blown.
"There I did it," he grumbled, avoiding all eye contact. He may not have seemed like it, but he was definitely embarrassed. "It's my turn anyway, right?" he added, cutting through the silence of stares. "Beansprout, truth or dare?"
Soon, the game made its way back around to Lian, and it was Maya's turn to ask.
The blonde girl cackled maniacally and threw her arm around her paling friend's neck. "Boy have I been waiting for this chance," she exclaimed, "Alright, truth or dare?"
Lian groaned, leaning her head back. "Oh God, I can't escape can I?" she whimpered. Laughing nervously, she rocked back up and looked directly at Maya, a nervous smile twitching on her face. "Since I'm gonna be stuck with something bad either way, I chose dare."
"Kiss the person you like most in this room," said Maya instantaneously.
The room paused, and then erupted in hoots and wolf-whistles. Anticipating who Lian would pick, and how she would live up to the dare excited the fellow players.
The poor girl's face had already lit up like fireworks and her shoulders had hunched up, making her look smaller. She shot a deadly glare at Maya who put her hands up, still with an evil glint in her eye.
"You chose it!" she argued.
Rolling her eyes, Lian moaned, "I get it, geez." She took a gulp of air and glanced at Kanda, who was sitting next to her. Murmuring, "I will get you Maya Petrov," one last time, she flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips onto his. "Truth or Dare, Maya!" she shouted, blushing angrily with her arms still hanging on Kanda.
"Dare," she challenged, "It's only fair."
Lian pointed at the broom closet door in the corner of the room. "In there with Lavi for ten minutes," she ordered, pouting like a little girl.
Her heart shot out of her chest at the sound of Lavi's name. It wouldn't stop racing, and Maya felt as if she were thrown into the middle of a wildfire. Placing a hand on her hip, she gave Lian what she hoped was a bored expression. "You couldn't come up with something better?" she yawned, despite cursing her friend in every language she could mentally.
Lavi got up, chuckling at the dare. "This ought to be fun," he mused, shoving his hands in his pockets. "C'mon Maya, let's go!" He took her by the hand and led her to the door, carrying with him a rabbit-like charisma. Closing the door, he wrapped her in his arms and grinned at her. "Hey there."
Maya was stunned, her brain going white like cotton. Trying to comprehend what he was doing made her head go hot like a computer, burning out. "Hey?" she squeaked, her face burning up. She couldn't even take the time to appreciate the darkness around her that was concealing her obvious feelings for him.
His warm breath got closer, brushing across her lips. Lavi leaned in, backing her against the wall…
"L-L-Lavi!" she croaked. Maya pressed her hands forcefully on his shoulders, holding him back a few more inches. "What are you doing?" she inquired, her voice climbing a few octaves.
Looking at her innocently, he tilted his head. "Well… isn't this what we're supposed to do?" He tightened his arms around her waist and gave his traditional grin. "It's like that closet kissing game, right?"
Her cheeks began to burn for another reason. It wasn't pure-hearted romantic feelings, her body burned with the rage of hell. "Lavi you…" she growled, "IDIOT!" Maya shoved him off of her, into the wall. She grabbed a broom from the corner and whacked him on the head with it. "What the hell is that? You don't kiss girls so frivolously! Go die you stupid playboy!"
Lavi tried to block and dodge her blows, but the small closed space made it difficult. "Ack, alright! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was just playing around!" he excused, bowing his head.
She glared down at him, still mad at him. "You're an idiot," she snapped, knocking him in the head one more time. Maya bit down the sadness that was crawling up her throat and looked down, hiding the tears of anger stabbing through her eyes. "You really are stupid," she muttered.
Lavi looked up cautiously, making sure she'd dropped the broom. He caught sight of something shiny fall from her bowed head, and felt a cool sensation on the back of his hand. "Aw shit. I'm so sorry, Maya. I didn't mean to make you cry on your birthday, dammit I really am a moron," he gushed.
Swallowing, she found her voice once more and hastily rubbed her eyes. "Don't make fun of me."
"I won't ever do it again," he promised, nodding vigorously.
Taking a breath, she paused. "Should I say it?" she wondered, her heart beat hastening. She felt like she was holding a bomb, something going "tick, tick, tick, tick" counting down to her decision. Her head spun, and she almost couldn't think properly. The only thought that she managed to pull out of the tangled mess was, "Oh God, I'm actually going to say it." She bit on her lip and pressed her nails into her palms. "Don't make fun of me…" she repeated, "because I like you."
"Excuse me, ten minutes are up," called Allen. He opened the door and found the two pressed against opposite walls.
Maya immediately pounced on Lian after she got out, beating the girl over the head. She couldn't look at Lavi in the face anymore for the rest of the party. In fact, she tried to avoid him as if he were the plague.
Later that night, Maya hung out on the balcony, looking out at the sky. It looked like black velvet dotted with tiny diamonds flecked onto it. She couldn't get Lavi's dumbfounded face out of her mind. "What does that mean?" she muttered exasperatedly, "I can't tell what you're thinking if you look at me like that, stupid…"
"Should I tell you what I'm thinking, then?"
She spun her head around so fast she nearly got a whiplash injury. Her heart had already stuffed itself in her throat, plugging up any words she could have formed. Maya swallowed several times, trying to gag down her nervousness. "G...God, Lavi, you nearly scared me to death." She groaned internally, "How original of me."
He ruffled his hair and sighed, looking frustrated. As he approached her, he bit his lips and shoved his hands in his pockets. Avoiding her eyes, he started, "So, about what you said earlier…"
She cut him off, not wanting to hear it, "Forget it. It was nothing." She slumped down, leaning heavily on the iron railing.
The air between them stilled, the conversation disappearing into the darkness.
Maya waited for him to excuse himself and leave. She just wanted him to get it over with and leave. Regret gnawed at her mind, making her wish she'd kept her mouth shut.
"You know I'm a Bookman, right?" he asked, bringing up new topic.
She turned her gaze to him and mumbled, "yeah" through her arms. "What does that have to do with anything?" she wondered bitterly.
"I used to think that humans were a really despicable and stupid race of people. Wars were always happening, crimes, political corruption; horrible bits of history that I had to learn to remember. It all changed when I joined you guys. I made friends, and actually, I was never supposed to," he chuckled, "History is always the big picture, but I instead learned about your guys' personal stories. And I thought, 'These guys are pretty cool.'" Lavi turned to her, searching her face for some sort of recognition. He lowered his eyes and gripped the metal, continuing. "I've always had to change personalities. I don't even know who I really am. I can't tell if I'm just acting as 'Lavi,' my 49th alias or if I really have these feelings. I'm taught to not make personal attachments; that's why I come off as a 'playboy.' I may live to see my comrades die, and I have to move on without caring at all." He sighed. "I don't want to hurt you."
Maya stared at him for some time. She processed all that he said, and pitied him a little. It made her wonder, too. "Do I like him or do I like 'Lavi?'" became a quick insecurity. She breathed and knocked her head on the bars. "I won't die!" she sputtered, "So, don't worry about that! You, just act how you want to. When you feel happy, smile, when you're sad, cry, when you're mad, lash out, but don't say you can't like me. Say yes you like me or no you don't! You don't need to explain all that." She stood up straight and clamped a hand on her arm. This time she let her blush shine through and looked him straight in the eye. "I like you! Even if you don't know who you are, I like the things that you've shown me. I like how you tease Kanda even though he may kill you, I like how you say 'strike' when you see a pretty girl, I like how you call Bookman 'Old Panda' because of his eyes, I like how you talk, I like, I like, I like—"
While she stuttered, Lavi yanked her by the arm into his chest. He enveloped her small body and rested his cheek against hers. "That's enough. I understand." His voice sounded shaky, like he couldn't breathe properly.
A warm tear pressed against Maya's temple. She slipped her arms around his shoulders comfortingly. "Thank you, Lavi," she whispered. Right then, she couldn't care less about being his girlfriend; their lives and feelings were deeper than that. All she wanted was to be needed and cared for by him.
"Let's try it," he murmured, pulling his head away from her.
She raised an eyebrow. "Try what?"
His goofy grin returned, but his emerald eyes sparkled more than usual. "This." Tugging on her waist, he bent his neck down and pressed his lips softly on hers. He slowly tightened his grip, sliding his arms across her sides.
It wasn't like fireworks blooming in her head, but it felt absolutely right. Like the way you lie down on the fluffiest mattress, or eating the perfect dessert. They parted ever so slightly, so that he could steel feel her smile.
"Let's keep this a secret."