Title: Week Love
Author: Calenlass Greenleaf
Disclaimer: DGM belongs to Hoshino. 七天愛上你 belongs to…whoever owns it (Mr. Cheung is the director of the movie, if I remember correctly). All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Rating: T/PG-13
Warnings: Angst? Bits of violence, some swearing…I don't know, really. Hopefully no triggers. If at any time anyone is bothered by anything, let me know and I'll tag it.
Characters: Lenalee and Lavi, with appearances from other characters.
Summary: Modern AU. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. When she looked up, she found herself kissed on the cheek by a stranger.
A/N: A friend showed this movie to me, promising it was good. I was sceptical of it until I saw just how much one character reminded me of Lavi. Since I have a soft spot for Lavi/Lenalee and this plot seemed almost made for it, I took it and sort of ran with it, and changed stuff to fit characterisations of Lenalee and Lavi, and played with the plot a little bit more to my heart's content.
To the readers—If you've seen the movie 七天愛上你 aka "Love at Seventh Sight," I ask that you not spoil it for those who haven't seen it. If you haven't seen it, I hope you can hold off seeing it until after this fic is finished. Not that I control what my readers do, but I promise you if you haven't see it, it'll be worth waiting for when you read this. (a fair warning that there is one racist comment in the film with I removed because it was really stupid and uncalled for and the movie could've done without it)
…or at least I hope this fic will be an enjoyable read. It's been more than a year since I last wrote anything and I'm gotten so rusty. Please excuse possibly shitty sentence structure or messed up typos in places as I try the writing fanfic again XD
Without further ado, here's it is.
Week Love
Chapter 1: The Ticket to Heaven
Someone asked me what my self-introduction would sound like. I'm not really the best at them, but I'll give it a try.
I won't give out my real name, but online I go by Lenalee. I won't consider myself someone who is good with words. I will, however, consider myself someone who is good with pictures.
My choice of career requires me to have a quick eye and mind, to find moments and to instantly remember them. I could be in Argentina one day and Russia the next. One moment I'm sitting down with a group of children, and the next I'm chasing a storm. Even though it seems like I'm everything, my specialty is in people. There's something about people that I'm drawn to. I want to know their stories, and I want others to see them in the light I did.
Yes, I'm a photographer. A photojournalist, to be exact. I document with pictures and interviews. Sometimes I get calls for specific jobs, but mostly I freelance, going from one job to another. On the side, I vlog a little and after five years of youtube, they finally pay me because of the viewers I've accumulated.
Here's the boring personal info: I'm currently twenty-six, and I've visited over fifty countries. I speak Mandarin, Japanese, English, and a little French. I have a brother related to me by blood, and I know two other idiots that are like brothers to me. My home is in China, and it's the place I'll always go back to when I'm free. My hobbies are dancing and running, and yes, I have a tumblr and facebook and I like watching Supernatural and I know what a ship is. I was born in China, moved to England for a while, and then moved back to do my BFA in China.
It's a good life. It's fulfilling. I'm happy and everything goes well.
But it's not complete. Not that any life is complete until you finish it, but I think I'm missing something. Maybe I want a sort of adventure, something that drags me off my feet. Something like skydiving.
Does it surprise anyone that I've been skydiving since I was sixteen? There's a thrill to it, the freefalling, the feeling when the air leaves your lungs and you open your mouth to catch it again, and get a lungful of wind and cold. Your fingers tingle, and you forget everything except the moment.
I wanted something that makes me feel like that, yet doesn't end when my feet touch the ground. I wanted something to keep me flying.
So let me tell you how I found it.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*
The bakery was out of her favourite bread. It was a sort of sponge cake, but lighter than cake, with a sprinkling of almonds and a hint of butter when you bit into it. Apparently, she had arrived just as the last one was sold. The lady behind the counter smiled apologetically, and promised to reserve one for her tomorrow.
Lena bit back her disappointment, and settled for the raspberry shortcake instead. At least it would give her something to look forward to. She sat down by the window to check her email and reply to a few responses on her various social accounts. The place was quiet; Saturday afternoons usually were.
The quiet pinging let her know someone was on Skype chatting; she checked the name and found .
A grin dimpled her cheek as she clicked on it.
: Hey!
: Hey :) isn't it 3 in the morning?
: no I'm in England atm so it's more like 6
L: what's got you up this early
A: Work. Shooting starts a 9
L: New role?
A: Yeah
L: are you the main character?
A: lol maybe ;)
L: come on you know I won't tell anyone
A: it has something to do with the Victorian Age…
L: …
L: …don't tell me—
L: IT'S NOT WHAT IT THINK IT IS.
A: maaaaaaybe
L: omg good for you Allen
A: hopefully it goes well :D So how's everything for you back at home?
L: *crosses fingers*! my brother is up to his eyeballs in paperwork because he keeps forgetting he can't just be a mechanic so that keeps me busy. Acual work-wise, I'm taking a little break
A: tired?
L: no just thinking about some things. Plus Kanda's visiting
A: wait he's still alive
L: Of course he is! Why wouldn't he?
A: I heard he was kidnapped by the mafia
L: where do you hear these things. He's got a tour planned in a few months so he's preparing for that. I drop in every once in a while to make sure he's not terrorising his helpers too much.
A: I don't even get how he's that popular…
L: Girls like their guys dark and moody haha
A: pfft does that include you
L: I've known him for too long lol. As one of the few people allowed to touch his hair I think we know each other too well
A: yeah well say hi to the jerk for me. When I'm not busy I'll come visit all of you. Say hi to your brother as well. I promise I won't eat everything in sight!
L: Allen, you always eat too much…
A: can't help it
L: that's what makes you Allen
A: hehe well they're calling for me. Take care!
L: tty someone other time. Good luck!
Lena leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms. Talking to Allen always left a smile on her face. He had been a foreign exchange student who had rented from her brother, with an enthusiasm for theatre and acting. After Gai-mu—or "Komui" as he'd been affectionately dubbed by Allen because of his horrible pronunciation at Chinese—made sure he had no plans on dating his sister, they had lived under the same roof for two years. Allen was polite to a fault, loved Supernatural just as much as she did, and would probably eat anything served to him unless it was bugs. She had visited him several times after he went back to England, and let him show her around Scotland, where they had ended up sleeping in a barn.
…not that kind of sleeping. Sleeping as in putting your head down and closing your eyes and getting rest. Allen was like a younger brother to her, someone who cared about her but wasn't overprotective and one of the best people to go to for advice. She was really, really fond of him and that fact that his career was finally taking off made her truly happy.
She tabbed through a few more emails, and finished her shortcake. The clock on her laptop told her it was nearly four; her brother would be home soon for dinner. Time for her to leave, then.
Someone tapped her on the shoulder.
When she looked up, she found herself kissed on the cheek by a stranger.
…
A redhead with a patch over one eye and a dusting of freckles on his cheek grinned at her. "So."
"Ah—?" Thankfully her mind was still in English after her conversation with Allen. "You're—"
He placed a finger over her lips. "I'll see you here tomorrow, at ten in the morning. Pack stuff to last for a week." There was that grin again. "Bye!"
Before she could even respond, he was out the door. With slightly clumsy hands, she threw out her trash and picked up her laptop. A glance outside told her he was long gone.
The warmth of his lips still lingered against her cheek, and she lifted a hand to touch it.
How weird…
*:*:*:*:*:*:*
She did not tell her brother. Some things were better off without him knowing. Goodness knows just how paranoid he is around boys that did or did not show an interest in her.
But he did notice when she nearly ruined the fish.
"Is something bothering you?" he asked as he opened a window and fanned the smoke alarm. "This is the first time in a long time that you've messed up while cooking."
"It's nothing." Lena yanked the balcony door open. "Things on my mind that I'm trying to figure out."
"I would tell you to take a break, but you're already taking one."
"I think I was visited by an angel…"
"Say what?" Someone was yelling up at their apartment from maybe two floors below. Sounded like Mr. Lo; he always made a fuss.
"Nothing." She went back to cooking while her brother stood on the balcony yelling back at.
Dinner was served, with perfect rice, nicely sautéed vegetables, and slightly charred fish.
"…Ge." Rarely did she use his fully naming, preferring to use the shortened version of "Ge-ge."
"Mhm?"
"I'm going on a week-long trip with a couple friends who are staying with their relatives."
"Girls or guys?"
She rolled her eyes. "I don't know any guys except Ri-gai and Shi-fu, and they don't count."
"Where are you going?"
"Countryside."
"Remember to buy a gift for the relatives."
"Oranges are good this time of year, right?"
"Yes."
"I'll leave tomorrow morning."
"…you're not telling me something, are you?"
Their front door slammed open. Gai-mu, lifting a bit of food with his chopsticks, looked at her. "You're not eloping with Kanda, are you?"
"I heard that." In stomped Kanda. "No, I'm not eloping with your sister. She snores when she sleeps."
"What!?" Lena's chopsticks clattered down.
"My sister never snores!" Gai-mu exclaimed.
A look of disgust appeared on Kanda's face. "…that was supposed to be a joke. That both of you missed."
"…" Lena pulled a chair out for him. "Sit down and eat before I decide to hit you. By the way, Allen says hi."
"Tch. What is the stupid beansprout even doing right now, dancing on Broadway?"
She smacked his arm. "What's wrong with dancing on Broadway? Anyway, he's not. He's got a major role this time."
"Did he?" Kanda speared the fish with his chopsticks, while she waited for his response to this. After taking a bite, he looked back at her. "Good for him, I guess."
This is as close to a compliment as Kanda will get. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Lenalee had inched her foot closed to Kanda's ankle, which she could very easily bruise if she wanted to. Maybe not. But at least conversation at the table today was civil.
Lena waited until her brother and Kanda were engaged in politics before she excused herself to go to her room. Kanda was…well, an anomaly. They had met in England as children; back then, he only knew Japanese and French, and she knew Chinese and a little bit of English. She taught him Chinese, he taught her Japanese and a little French, and they learned English together. Through circumstances he had left Japan and had been in France, and his adoptive father's job took him to England. He was sullen, laconic, and fought frequently with boys his age. But he understood what homesickness was, and it brought them together. School, Sunday dinners, bullies—they went through that all together. When Lena left England, he promised to visit her, and in her third year, he did—on tour. To him, music did what words couldn't, and she was glad that he had found his way. He had callused hands from playing the guitar, and his voice was rougher than she remembered it to be, but his eyes and way of speaking had remained the same. He was there at her graduation, and to this day, when he wasn't busy, a frequent visitor. To her, Kanda was the quiet older brother, in comparison to Gai-mu and his sheltering.
When she thought about it, she was really blessed. Like, really, really blessed. Her enemies were few and far, her career one of her choice, and things went her way. She had nothing to complain about.
But it was all really normal. Travelling had become something she just always did, as normal as brushing her teeth or eating a meal. A glance at her posterboard, willed with ticket stumps, said that travelling was her life. So did her vblog and nearly everything about her. It just…seemed to have lost some of that special spark.
She laid back on her bed, hands folded against her head. Her thoughts went back to the stranger at the bakery.
I'll see you here tomorrow, at ten in the morning. Pack stuff to last for a week. Bye!
Honestly, who said that? Who even did that? He didn't feel like a creeper stalker or pervert. All he had done was kiss her lightly on the cheek and then left. She had walked home with care, to make sure no one was following her.
Would it be insane to say that she was considering what he said and planning to go? Yes, she had told her brother she was leaving, but she could easily say it was cancelled.
"But it might be interesting," she said softly to her ceiling. "It's been a while since I travelled with anyone else…"
*:*:*:*:*:*:*
In the morning, she got her sponge cake. As she paid for it, the girl who swiped her credit card paused. "Are you waiting for someone?"
"I—" Lena blinked. "Yes, I am."
The cashier handed her a slip of paper. "You'll have to wait outside."
"I…see." Not really. Lena took her cake and stepped out, adjusting her backpack and duffel bag. She checked the paper and saw it read TAXI.
…should she take one? But where was her destination? Before she could think anything else, a taxi pulled up in front of her. The person in the back opened the door, and she was greeted by that mess of red hair and freckles.
"I—"
"Congratulations!" he interrupted, holding up an envelope. "You've won a free ticket to travel as my companion."
"What?"
He tilted his head. "You have five seconds before this taxi leaves."
Realising how stupid she must look with her mouth open, she shut it and wordlessly loaded her things in the back. The redhead held the door open for her before he himself got in.
"To the airport, please," he said to the driver.
She sat with her hands cupped around the cake in her lap, eyes darting from the window to the man next to her. "There isn't a camera in here, is there?"
"Nope!"
"Where are going?"
"The airport."
"I mean after that."
"Who knows?"
"…you're either insane or you have too much time on your hands."
"What if it's both?"
She didn't have a good comeback for that. "What's your name?"
Thankfully, he finally gave her a straight answer. "It's Lavi."
"I'm Lena." Lavi. She tested it out, and tried to place the origin of it. It didn't seem European. "Really, where are we going?"
"To heaven. Or, as close to heaven as it can get." He gave her the same smile she had first seen upon meeting him.
"Okay." Lena fiddle with the belt of her coat. Heaven didn't sound bad. "I…usually don't randomly travel with people I just meet."
"I haven't, but I guess you could say I'm sorta a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy." Lavi scratched his nose. "I'm not normal."
I'll say… She wisely didn't say that out loud. "So what made you ask me to travel with you?"
"Weeeeell," He dragged out the word. "Yesterday, I saw you and I recognised you. Lenalee, wasn't it? You make those videos on youtube and you take pictures as travel. You've even done some work for National Geographic."
"Ah, that…" She did, a year ago. Still, she didn't think she was that memorable. "Yes, that's me."
"I just wanted someone to travel with." He lifted his shoulder in a lazy shrug. "And you fit what I had in mind."
"I guess I did, too." The words were out of her mouth before she meant to say them. "Travelling with another person, I mean."
"Great!"
She smiled, albeit somewhat awkwardly because she wasn't sure what to say next.
"Mhm…would you like some?" She held out her cake. Usually she was okay at conversations, but today…today was different. Weird.
But laugh in response was warm and held no scorn, and it made her feel warm as well. Only a hint of a suspicion remained, but as far as first impressions went, his was a good one. After all, she couldn't help but like someone who enjoyed sponge cake as much as she did.
TBC
A/N: As someone who speaks Chinese, I can't tell you how much the name "Lenalee Lee" bugs me because it's halfway to being a proper name in Chinese. In all my fics I will use Li as her last name, and in Chinese her name is Li-Na, or Lina. Lenalee is her online handle, and also a sort of nickname. For the sake of reading/familiarity I compromised and used Lena. Komui is definitely not a Chinese name, so I chose to use "Gai-Mu" for his real name. Ri-gai and Shi-fu are Rikei and Shifu, because I needed extra names. (And this is the only headcanon that I ask that please no one else take. It took me time to figure out Lenalee and Komui's names and thus they're the only things I own.)
…I know in canon Lavi doesn't have freckles, but do you except me to not think that, after time spent in the sun, he wouldn't have them? On my tumblr dashboard I saw like five different fanarts of him with freckles, so fight me because he looks cute with them.
There's going to be mostly interactions between Lenalee and Lavi, but I promise characters like Allen, Kanda, Komui, and others will appear. I have about ten chapters planned, it may or may not be more or less than that. I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter!