Yay, I'm back with my next serious multi-chapter fic. Had a bit of time to muck about with Misunderstandings, which was fun and all, but it didn't have my usual angst factor, and I missed it! So anyhoo, welcome to 'Paper Hearts', my first proper Laven fic. I've not really investigated this relationship to any depth before, since I'm a KandaxAllen (and AllenxKanda) girl at heart, but I was asked ages ago way, WAAAAAY back when to do a Laven fic, but at the time I was still up to my eyeballs in the ATW's. This was pushed on me when several people asked for more on the once shot 'Left in the Dark' and so this little bunny popped up. I'll try and stick with my Thursdays updates, but it may be a bit erratic while I get going.

And to anyone who's not read anything by me before, I apologise if the big ranty author's note before you've even got to the story seems a little scary and off putting. It's how I am. If you carry on reading you're likely to learn an awful lot about me and my life as I use author's notes to rant about real life and its problems!

Please be kind enough to leave me a review, I enjoy reading them and will always reply to them at the start of the next chapter. I like to see names pop time and time again and hope to get to know my reviewers a little throughout the chapters.

So now I've convinced you all I'm a crazy stalker- ON WITH THE STORY!

Paper Hearts

Warnings: The usual… Yaoi- men who like men in ways that are not platonic. So if you don't like reading possibly very descriptive scenes of men touching other men in ways that are not platonic, don't read. Of course, you still could, but then it's your own fault if you either a) are offended b) become a yaoi addict or c) die of blood loss due to an unexpected nose bleed. In the end it's up to you. At the moment it's not an M rated fic, but that will quite possibly be subject to change.

Also doesn't follow the canon exactly, cos I haven't got round the clock internet access to double check everything!

Pairings: Laven, Lucky, teensy bit of Yullen and general Lenalee hate. YAY!

And of course, the obligatory disclaimer of doom: Just like everyone else who spends their time writing these fanfictions, I do so with characters not of my own creation. I do own the storyline, and the odd OC who may or may not pop up.

Summary: 'Lavi' was a persona, a mask to cast aside once the mission was complete. And the mission was to document the lives of those within the walls of the Black Order. "Lovers loose lips make" and Lavi wants to know everything. But there's another side to this war with its own secrets to spill. Can a bookman truly feel, or is his heart nothing but parchment and lies?

Prologue

Two Years Ago

The red-haired teen rolled his eyes. Well, his eye anyway. He'd been listening to Bookman's lecture for the last hour and was now frankly quite bored. It seemed like the first ten minutes of whatever Bookman had to say had been put onto a permanent loop. Luckily he had been listening to a similar speech for years, and, no matter what persona he had become, he found that he was still able to perfect the ability to sleep with his eye open.

As one hour threatened to turn into two, he decided enough was enough and allowed the hand that had been supporting his chin to flop back onto the table with a dull thud.

Bookman paused mid sentence and turned kohl-rimmed eyes onto his apprentice. "Yes?" he questioned, sounding slightly annoyed.

The youth shrugged the motion casual and thoughtless, but of course, none of his actions were ever truly made without prior consideration. "We've been through all this before" he said rather coldly "I hardly see why you think this is relevant now"

Bookman glanced around, though he already knew that they were the only ones on the library right now, and a truly angered expression crossed his wizened face. "You'd do well to remember why we are here" the old man said severely. "Contrary to what you seem to believe, we are not here to slack off and have fun."

The apprentice bookman scowled, his face dark with suppressed anger. "You think I'm having fun? What part of any of this do you think I'm enjoying?"

Bookman considered him a moment longer before offering a curt nod. "Good. Make sure it stays that way."

The redheaded youth huffed sullenly and tossed a folder onto the table with a dark look. "That's the last of it. I'm rather glad, I don't think I can keep this charade up any longer. I'm really starting to hate the guy."

Bookman began his intense study of the notes in the folder. "Excellent work, as always."

The young man nodded stoically in acceptance of the compliment, and it was high praise indeed from the elder bookman. "May I leave now?" he asked calmly, getting to his feet. The old man nodded, still engrossed in the words on the paper before him. "Dismissed. Go and end it. Don't let him kill you."

"As if I'm that stupid" the redhead scoffed.

"No, you aren't, but Lavi might be."

The teen rolled his eye, settling the headband into his hair and straightening his scarf, a wide grin appearing on his previously blank face. "Don't worry Gramps," he said, the grin becoming cocky even as his inflectionless voice became lighter and filled with suppressed laughter. A wicked twinkle appeared in his eye as he winked at the old man. "I can handle anything he can dish out!"

Bookman watched his apprentice leave. Really, he was questioning the boy's actions unnecessarily- he always got the job done after all, followed the rules to the letter. He sat at the desk and began meticulously copying out his apprentice's notes into the ledger- the final piece of the only (and hardest to obtain) exorcist background left to complete. At last everything was written down and he nodded in a satisfied way and closed the pages of the folder with a sigh, looking down at his ledger thoughtfully. He berated himself for ever doubting his apprentice, even if he didn't agree with his methods. It always seemed to work anyway.

With a final satisfied nod he flipped back a few pages to the start of the entry and re-dipped his quill into the inkwell, writing the name of the exorcist in a neat flowing script before closing the pages and gathering his books together.

Now he could only wait for the next enigma to enter the order.

Yes its short, thats why, in my benevolence, I also give you chapter one! Cos I'm THAT nice. LOL.