Forces Unite
"What are you looking at?" The hand waved again, up and down across the line of vision. "Hey, Yu!" A face now and Kanda snapped out of his reverie, thoughtful look instantly transforming into his usual cold glare of disapproval and antisocial facilitation.
"Che," he answered, sharply turning his face to the side, away from Lavi's intrusively close one only to find yet another invader of his personal space encroaching from the left. Allen leaned back quickly as Kanda's temporary surprise turned to fury and his situation turned potentially perilous. Kanda did not strike him however or draw his sword but merely, with a barely contained aura of rage, turned back to his small tray of soba and resumed eating. Lavi and Allen exchanged looks of uncertainty and then, painstakingly slowly, took seats on either side of the already vexed exorcist, eyes glued to see if Kanda would launch an attack against this unsolicited action. Only the smallest cringe of his facial muscles and a brief clenching of his chopstick-bearing hand indicated that Kanda had taken note of them. To Allen's horror Lavi relaxed immediately and, with a broad smile, repeated his question.
"What're you looking at?" Kanda maneuvered his noodles to his mouth and focused intently on his tray, blatantly ignoring the annoyance of his uninvited, curious guests.
"Lavi," Allen hissed without moving his teeth out of fear that movement would incite an outbreak. Lavi leaned slightly to see the white haired boy around their stony companion. Allen shook his head from side to side cautiously and mouthed, "Wait a few". Lavi tried the words as he watched Allen's lips form them,
"Call him Yu?" he mouthed back. Allen dropped his head, leaning closer in an attempt to discern what Lavi had said, which Lavi took as a nod of confirmation and he proceeded with the unforgivable crime of using the taboo first name. "Hey, Yu, what were you looking at?" Kanda rose stiffly, being careful to let his hair fall forward and veil his face to hide his countenance. Fingers and hands moved mechanically to lift the tray and legs bent effortlessly as they lifted feet over the bench and Kanda was five rows away before either of his fellow exorcists recovered from the shock that he hadn't delivered painful retribution.
"Was he…"Allen's mouth stayed open, the sentence dying in his throat, eyes expanding in something close to horror. Lavi's expression mirrored his own and after a few minutes of staring at each other, the two jumpstarted into action, scrambling over the bench and tearing down the aisles of the crowded cafeteria.
"There!" Lavi pointed to the clean-cut edge of Kanda's ponytail as their victim vanished out the door. They apprehended their moody quarry in seconds, Lavi snatching a much-bemused Kanda by the sleeve and forcing his shoulder against the wall. Kanda glared fiercely at his two assailants, gripping Lavi's wrist and shifting his gaze between them. "This I have to know," Lavi grabbed the hand on his wrist and forced the arm connected to it back against the wall, grinning wickedly, "what could make the unfeeling Kanda Yu blush?"
"Che!" Kanda made an attempt to get away with no success. The three boys stood, regaining their breath from their exertions and feeling pressure rise as the silence groaned with the weight of the roar of many conversations from the cafeteria. The door squeaked open and closed a few feet down the hall. Kanda, pale flush deepening slightly, flicked his eyes towards the noise and then down to his feet. "Let me go."
"Eh, eh, eh!" Lavi shook his finger at the scowling and flustered Kanda. "Talk," he emphasized with a push against the pinned arm. Allen was frowning slightly and Kanda was aware of the wide-eyed gaze boring into him.
"You already had your morning coffee!"
Kanda knew one of them would piece things together soon.
"Mid-morning then."
"Pssh!"
Allen followed the trail of Kanda's previous glance to the cafeteria door.
"What!? Where are you going? The office is this way and you know it… Hello! Answer me!"
Kanda made one final failed attempt at escape.
"Why are you following me? Don't you have work?"
"Gaah!"
Allen and Lavi turned their heads in unison. Komui was trotting sedately down the stairs sipping his coffee, Reever, gesticulating to express frustration too great for words, not far behind.
"Yu! Are you crushing on Komui?"
"No!" Kanda finally managed to pull his arm down, pinning one of Lavi's but still stuck by the other hand on his shoulder. The blush, so incredibly out of place on Kanda's angular face, deepened.
"Wenhamm?"
"Why-do-you-care-so-much?" Kanda and Lavi entered into a pushing combat, Kanda struggling to escape, Lavi determined to unearth the truth, and Allen staring confusedly at the spot where the two science department members had exited the circular hallway.
"Why-can't-you-just-tell!" Lavi succeeded in pinning both of Kanda's arms against the wall as Allen slammed a fist into his palm and looked back at the skirmish. Epiphany had struck in the even wider than before eyes.
"Kanda!" both exorcists looked his way. "You're playing matchmaker, Kanda, Aren't you?" Allen tried to meet Kanda's eyes but the obsidian gaze betrayed the crimson tinged face by staying intently trained on a spot between the toes of his boots. Lavi exploded into raucous laughter, foolishly releasing Kanda who immediately took advantage of his freedom by halting Lavi's outburst with a smack to the head.
"Shut up!" Lavi looked dazedly at Allen for the space of no more than three seconds before cracking a grin and resuming his heckling which crescendoed to raucous peals of laughter.
"Lavi, calm down, Kanda has a right to do whatever he-"
Slap!
"Ow!" Lavi whined, holding his head where he'd received a second smack.
"As if I need your assistance, Moyashi!" Allen attempted to remain civil by biting his tongue and forcing a smile up at the slightly taller boy.
"That's really quite a rude way to ask me not to help."
"Are we discussing manners now?" Kanda fairly shouted. "Because last I knew, harassment was under the title 'bad manners' along with shoving people against walls-"
"-and smacking people on the head-"
"-which was pure self defense-"
"-more like defending your pride and stupid ego-"
"-I'm not the one with the ego here, Mr. I-can-sit-by-whoever-I-want-to-even-when-it's-clear-I'm-not-wanted-because-I-think-I-own-the-cafeteria-"
"If you'd stop criticizing me I'd-"
"-because-I'm-still-a-completely-ignorant-" a crowd had accumulated, noticed only by Lavi,
"-If you'd let me get a word-"
"-rookie-with-absolutely-no-respect-"
"KANDA! SHUT UP!" Allen's shriek echoed up and down the tower of the Black Order.
"HI GUYS!" Lavi waved at the crowd and Kanda and Allen whipped their heads around to stare at the embarrassed oglers scattering.
"Baka!" Kanda spat the word out. "Both of you!"
"Kanda, you need to chill out and think about-"
"You know, they really are cute together."
"Yes, exactly, thank you, Lavi-wait, what?" Allen and Kanda broke their death glare contest to stare in confusion at the thoughtful and inspired looking Lavi.
"I bet we could get them together, the three of us. Komui and Reever I mean," Allen blinked, finally understanding, and Kanda rolled his eyes muttering,
"No… I just noticed, it's no big deal…"
"No, I think it's a fabulous idea!" Allen beamed at Lavi, radiating naïve excitement. "They're always so busy with work-"
"They practically live together, I mean they're working together all day-"
"-and they must have an already well-established relationship so it would be easy to nudge them a little bit-"
"-and they fight like they're a married couple already-"
"-and they are cute together, I can't believe I didn't see it!" Kanda glared in defeat from one bubbling exorcist to the other before turning and leaving the fools behind,
"Plus they both- Oh, hey, Yu!" Lavi reached to grab his sleeve but thought better of it. Kanda turned his head slightly and raised his eyebrows. Lavi slung an arm around both of his companion's shoulders pulling them as close as Kanda and Allen's natural repulsive force would allow into a huddle. "Yu, for once your angsty weirdo quirks have paid off with divine inspiration in the form of the KR unit, clearly meant to be and just too blind to see it. But luckily for the KR, help can be delivered. We've all got at minimum a week before our next planned missions, not much time, but three heads must be better than two. Plus, I can tell this will be one hell of a fun time!" Lavi winked his one visible eye roguishly. "All in?"
"Che." Kanda spoke over Allen's head, "He's just a Moyashi, is he himself even old enough to date?"
"I'm right here and I can speak for myself. And you don't know half of what I know about romance," Allen looked grimly at Kanda with the dark look in his eyes that signified bad memories from his time with Cross.
"Fine. Just don't get in the way."
"Alright!" Lavi grinned manically raising his head slightly to look at the stairs leading to the science department rooms. "I know just the right thing to start operation LAY."
"What?" Kanda glared derisively at the redhead.
"Lavi," he pointed to himself, "Allen," he patted Allen's head, "and you, Yu," he pointed at the now dangerously cold and quiet Kanda. "Just like in bed, LAY-"
"Lavi…" Allen let his face fall into his hands, unamused.
"Actually…" Kanda turned his stony scowl to Lavi, "You know just the wrong thing." He smacked Lavi once more and broke free of the huddle. "Meet me here tomorrow." Allen and Lavi watched echoing footsteps carry the mysterious exorcist off to unknown parts.
"Do you really have a plan, Lavi?" Allen inquired as the two set off back to their unfinished breakfasts.
"Of course!" Lavi replied brightly. "And it involves lots of coffee."
It seems pretty self explanatory except for a few dialog bits... so if you have any questions just ask... we'll see how it goes... thanks for reading!