Author's Note: All right, here's my first published Laven story. As I said in the summary, I wrote it for animeobsessed001, who I beta for. The original request was to have it be fluffy, but in the end, it turned out not to be very fluffy. There are some fluffy parts, however, so it's still good.
The ice skating idea was given to me by a good friend of mine, Night Fox15. I have actually never been ice skating, so if I somehow managed to fuck up writing ice skating, I take all the blame.
Uploaded on Leap Day because it's a cool day, and I like to upload things on cool days. I wouldn't have a chance to upload something on February 29 until four years from now, so I'm seizing the opportunity.
Onwards~!

Warning: Fluff; language; YAOI.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, it wouldn't be fanfiction.

A Friday Night

Allen lay in bed, his eyes closed, his restless fingers interlaced and lying on his stomach. He took a deep breath through his nose, filling his lungs with air, and then he slowly let it out through his mouth. I'm so bored.

He turned his head, staring out the second-story window. It was dark outside, the moonlight revealing amorphous mounds of snow along the sidewalk and in his neighbors' yards. The roads had been salted a few hours ago, but another plow truck zipped down the street below, dropping more salt as it pushed dirty slush onto the curb. Still, the streets were hazardous, and more car accidents were bound to happen. Earlier, on the evening news, they revealed that five people had already slid off the road—one of them into a lake. The passengers had gone into shock and hypothermia, which reduced their motor skills to the point where they couldn't move well enough to get out of the car. In turn, they died.

What a disturbing story. The news sometimes seemed only to bring you the latest depression inducers. Then, they'd show you the previous year's most popular baby names, as if that would make you feel better, before talking about more death. Well, people do like babies.

Allen remembered a Bob Ross quote he'd read regarding the news: "We want happy paintings. Happy paintings. If you want sad things, watch the news." And he was right. People always made fun of him for being such an optimist, but Allen considered them to be jealous towards Ross's positive outlook. Too bad Bob died, too, and it of course had ended up on the news.

Marian Cross was downstairs, occupied with something. Whatever it was didn't matter to Allen. What did matter is that although he was bored, he wasn't being asked for money or to go make money. It also meant Allen wasn't being beaten for ridiculous reasons, which seemed to be Master's favorite pass-time. The memories made him cringe. At least I'm safe with Master here. Maybe not from him directly, but I'm safe from anyone else.

He turned his head from the roads outside to his desk, where Timcanpy lay, resting. The golem was a great reminder of the good things in life, the positive things. Like Lavi, who had bought Timcanpy for Allen on Christmas of last year. Tim was the greatest gift Allen had ever received, he thought, and when he asked how much Tim had cost, Lavi refused to say. Allen smiled, staring at the golem. Lavi is such a great guy.

A grandfather clock sat in the corner, and he began to count its ticks, settling back into bed. His eyes began to get heavier, and he was starting to doze off.

. . . 15, 16, 17 ,18, 19. . . .

Cross yelled for him from downstairs.

He turned his attention back to his white ceiling, and he sighed, now feeling fully awake. "Coming!"

He trudged out of his room and through a small hallway. What is it now? Does he want my money or did I do something wrong without knowing it? His feet thudded complaint as he went down the stairs, finding Cross standing aside the front door in the living room, his hand resting on its knob.

"Allen, I'm going out to gamble. Empty your pockets."

Allen didn't sigh, nor did he complain. It was useless, and he'd just have to pay for it later—literally and metaphorically. So, he reached into his front pocket, feeling last night's poker winnings. Some of the bills were lightly stained with cheap bar food and liquor, and a particularly upset gentleman had decided to spit on his money before handing it over. It didn't matter; worse things had happened. Besides, the rest of the money was still usable, and the dollar the guy had spit on (and that he had to throw away) was just that. One dollar.

"Allen, you've been standing there looking dumb for ten seconds. Hand over the money."

"Oh, right." I really need to stop spacing out.

He handed a wad of money he'd won the night previously to Cross, who left promptly without a goodbye. The door closed with a small click, and Allen breathed easier. But I'm still alone on a Friday night.

On his way back up to his room, Allen noticed sudden hunger pangs, and his eyes shot toward the kitchen. He descended the stairs, instead walking to the kitchen and throwing the pantry door open . . . and the fridge door, and the freezer door. After collecting several items, he began preparations.

A time later, he sat at the kitchen table with a mound of various foods in front of him—three packs of Pop Tarts, two bricks of ramen, and a can of diced pineapple from the pantry; most of a whole turkey, plus gravy and instant mashed potatoes from the fridge—which were leftovers from Cross's previous night out (though Allen hadn't figured out where he'd gone for Thanksgiving food in February); and a medium-sized pizza from the freezer.

Taking a seat, he stared at the feast in front of him, his mouth watering. Eagerly, he picked up his fork and knife, beginning to cut the leg off the turkey.

A pounding on the front door caught his attention, and his eyes shot to it. Is Master back already? He sighed, putting down the utensils. Maybe he already wasted my money and wants to see if I have more.

Through the door, a muffled voice said, "Open up, Beansprout! It's freakin' cold out here!"

With a smile on his face, he walked toward the door. "My name is—"

"Your name is Allen, I know. Just open up the damn door!"

"Okay, okay."

He opened the door, and it swung wide, revealing Lavi with a stupid grin. "I got an idea."

The freezing draft poured into the house, and Allen's bare feet felt like they were on ice. He moved out of the way, and Lavi took two steps in, snow falling off his boots and littering the welcome mat as he stomped his feet a few times.

Allen stepped around him, closing the door. He turned to Lavi, noticing a small black bag on his back as the red head walked through the living room and to the kitchen.

Lavi said, "Jesus, who else is coming over?" His voice echoed off the empty walls.

"No one."

Reaching the kitchen, he gestured to the food on the table. "So you're gonna try to eat all this by yourself?" He shook his head. "That would be a waste."

Allen's brow furrowed, and he walked to the other side of the kitchen table, glaring at Lavi with his arms crossed. "You know I can eat all this."

Lavi grinned, taking a seat and propping his elbows on the table before placing his chin on his hands. He looked up at Allen. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Hey now, I never said anything about a challenge."

"I was gonna eat it all anyway," Allen said, taking a seat across from Lavi and picking up the fork and knife again. He began to cut the rest of the turkey leg off. "So what's this idea of yours?"

His face brightened, and he took the bag off his back, opening it and taking out two pairs of ice skates. He held them up by the laces, one in each hand. "We should go ice skating!"

Allen brought the turkey leg to his mouth, taking a large bite. He chewed quickly and swallowed. "But I don't know how to ice skate."

"But I can teach you."

Allen looked at him with doubt, taking a few more large bites. The turkey leg was now almost a bone.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" he exclaimed, putting the skates back in the bag and ripping the other turkey leg from its place. He nibbled on it.

"Okay, but if I fall on my ass and get hurt, it's your damn fault."

He looked at the food in his hand, still chewing his first bite. "Don't be such a pessimist, Beansprout."

"My name—"

"'Allen,' yeah, I know. Anyway, you can't spend all that time worrying about consequences. There wouldn't be sports like parkour and BMX and stuff if they were too worried about breaking a bone every once in a while."

Allen ladled gravy into the bowl of mashed potatoes, bringing it near him and grabbing the unused spoon. "So . . . you're saying that we'll go ice skating, and then I'll break a bone?"

With his free hand, Lavi facepalmed. "You're too difficult."

Laughing, he said, "Yeah, I know."

A few seconds of silence were filled with sounds of Allen eating, gulping, and chewing, and then getting up to pour himself a glass of milk after remembering he forgot it.

Lavi was still content with nibbling on that turkey leg, and he looked to Allen with slight concern. "You really need to slow down; I'm afraid you'll choke yourself."

Through a mouthful of mashed potatoes, Allen said, "Oh please, I've been doing this for years!"

"Okay then, but how long are you gonna take?" He dug his phone out of his pocket, taking a glance at it from under the table. "It's, like, 11:00."

His eyes narrowed and glinted. "I could eat quicker," he challenged.

Lavi held his hands in front of him defensively, the turkey leg still in one of them. "Oh no, you're fine now. Just keep goin' like you were, buddy."

—)O(—

Allen followed Lavi out into the freezing winds, not bothering to lock the door behind them. The wind blew snow from the sidewalk onto the road, though it dissolved quickly in the slush and salt.

Lavi turned around, walking backwards and facing Allen, his hair blowing forward. "I'm still wondering how the hell you managed to eat all that in twenty minutes."

"And I'm still wondering why you just waltzed in my house with some ice skates and decided to take me along for the ride."

"Hey, I didn't just waltz on in there. You're the one who opened the door for me. And besides, what else are you gonna do on a lonely Friday night? Stay home and watch those horrible Lifetime movies and eat ice cream straight out of the tub?"

"Damn, I wish I had remembered to get the ice cream out. . . . The Pop Tarts weren't much of a dessert."

Lavi laughed, turning around to face the wind as they walked down the street and under a light pole. "You gotta get your mind off food and onto something more fun—like ice skating!"

Allen shivered, and he clenched his jaw to keep his teeth from rattling together. With a wavering voice, he said, "Yeah, what's more fun than going out into the cold to fall on my ass every two seconds?"

"Oh, shut up! You'll have fun! And it might seem cold, but once you skate for a little, you start to warm up. It's really not that bad . . . but I will admit, it hurts like a bitch if you fall on the ice."

"Oh, I can't wait," Allen said sarcastically. "You know, if these winds died down, it wouldn't be so ridiculously cold out here. That would make it more bearable."

"The frozen over lake we're going to shouldn't be too windy. There's trees around it."

"So where is this lake exactly?"

"It's . . . uh. . . ."

Allen's eyes narrowed. "Go on. . . ."

He laughed, placing a hand on the back of his neck. "It's on some old guy's private property."

He sighed. "Damn it, Lavi."

"Hey, it's late at night! The old geezer's probably asleep already, and his house is pretty far from the lake."

"If you get me in trouble, I'll kill you."

"Psh, nothing's gonna happen. It'll all be fine. And if, by chance, he sees us, then we'll have the fun of running away from him!"

"I see we both have different definitions of what's fun," Allen mumbled.

"Man, you really gotta loosen up."

A car passed by them, going the opposite direction. Allen squinted at its bright headlights.

Whoosh!

I hope they don't slide off the road, too, Allen thought. "If you want sad things, watch the news."

There was a lump in Allen's throat. He swallowed it. "Lavi, you said there are trees around the lake that would block some of the wind, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it by the road?"

"It's kinda close, yeah. Why?"

"Is the lake enclosed by trees or is the side by the road open?"

"The side by the road doesn't have many trees, no. There are a few bushes, though."

Bushes wouldn't stop a car.

"Beansprout, why're you asking all these questions? You're kinda freakin' me out."

He thought of correcting Lavi for using that nickname he despised, but he decided against it, looking down to his feet. Snow drifted onto the road like salt water washes up on a beach. But the snow didn't recede back to its source. "No reason."

—)O(—

They crouched a few feet behind those bushes on the outskirts of the man's property, and Lavi peeked his head around to see if the lights were on in the house. It was still pretty far away, but he'd decided to play it safe and hide in case the old man had binoculars and a bad case of paranoia.

Allen had his mind elsewhere. He knew it was unlikely, especially because no sirens were heard, no ambulances or fire trucks or police cars were seen, and no news vans were parked on the scene—but there's always a part of you that wants your suspicions to be true, even if they are disturbing.

"Lavi, what do you see?"

"No lights are on in his house, so I'm gonna call it safe."

Everything's fine. "That's good."

"Everyone knows old people go to sleep way early." He turned back, no longer peeking around the bush, instead sitting beside Allen in the same fashion. He took the phone out of his pocket, light shining brightly from it.

Allen took a glance, noticing Lavi's wallpaper was a group picture of the red head, Lenalee, and of course, himself. They were all smiling, and where was that picture taken? The mall?

"It's exactly midnight," Lavi said. "Weird timing, huh?"

He put the phone away, taking the bag off his back again and placing a pair of ice skates in front of Allen. He smiled warmly. "Put those on."

Lavi's smile was infectious to Allen, and he found himself doing as Lavi asked. He took his shoes off, setting them inside the bag Lavi had taken the ice skates out of. Allen made sure not to let his socks touch the ground, and then he struggled to get the new footwear on. Lavi had already laced his up and tied them before Allen began to lace his.

He knelt in front of Allen, lacing the skates up like when your parents tie your shoes before you learn to do it yourself. But honestly, that's not how Allen had seen Lavi. Certainly not as a parent, and still not as a brother, and as much as he hated to admit it, Lavi was . . . something else.

"Lavi, I think you forgot something when you were planning this situation out."

"Huh?" he replied, pursing his lips in concentration as he worked to tighten the laces correctly.

"You said that if that old guy noticed us, we'd just run away, right?"

"Yep."

"Well, how the hell am I gonna run in ice skates?"

Lavi laughed. "Jee, I dunno. I guess we'll just have to find out if he catches us."

He threw his head back, his body propped up on his elbows. He felt like groaning and complaining, but he found himself grinning and laughing. He was even amused by his breath, visible in the moonlight.

Allen heard the engine of a distant car, its arrogant headlights shining through the frozen air. "Sorry to interrupt your concentration, but there's a car coming."

"Huh?"

"Car. Coming."

"Oh, shit!" He let go of Allen's foot, tackling him to the ground. Snow crunched under their combined weight, and Allen didn't feel the cold on his back. He was too caught up with Lavi's warmth against his chest, Lavi's face three inches from his own, Lavi's charming grin's return.

Am I blushing?

That tender gaze averted from Allen's eyes as the car approached, going fast. Lavi collapsed on top of Allen, squeezing him tighter. He placed his head aside Allen's—just like a tight hug but lying down. Though he understood Lavi was just trying to save their asses, he still wondered if maybe. . . .

He dug his nose into Lavi's orange scarf. It smelt musky but clean, kind of like a spray-down of that Axe stuff he'd smelled from a scratch n' sniff in a men's magazine. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. It smells so good. He tightened his grip on the teen, his toes curling and pressing against the insides of those ice skates.

Whoosh!

"Jeez, Allen, relax."

He jerked away from Lavi's neck, trying to contain the blush which began to spread across his cheeks. He hoped the moon wasn't bright enough for Lavi to be able to see it.

The red head stood up, holding an open hand out to Allen. His warm smile was back, and Allen could tell it wasn't fake. "Coast is clear and I finished lacing them right before we went to the ground."

Deep breaths.

Allen grabbed his hand, allowing the red head to pull him up. It felt odd to stand with ice skates on, and he figured it would be even odder to walk those few steps through the snow to the edge of the ice.

Lavi was already gliding along the lake, which was larger than Allen had predicted it to be.

"C'mon, Allen! I'll help you once you walk up here!"

Trying to whisper, Allen exclaimed, "Be quieter! You'll wake that guy up!"

"Oh, right."

Allen made progress, and Lavi skated back towards him, sliding to a stop and holding his hands out. Allen grabbed them, placing a foot onto the ice. He tried to keep his balance, and he realized it really wasn't as hard to do as he thought. His other foot left the snow, and Lavi let go of his hands, trying to see if he could stand alone.

He could. In fact, it wasn't too difficult to get around either. He pushed off one foot, moving slowly across the ice, and then he repeated the action but with roles reversed. He was a snail on ice, but at least he hadn't fallen.

Lavi's mouth was agape. "Well, I was gonna teach you, but I guess you already know. . . . You sure you haven't done this before?"

"Yeah, I'm positive," Allen replied, trying to turn directions and go back toward Lavi.

"Well, when you get over here, I'll still help ya out, okay? We'll do a lap around."

Allen had completely forgotten about the possibility of a car in that lake; he had completely forgotten about the possibility that there were dead people in that car. It really had been a stupid thought—there were no holes in the ice, and everything around them was still quiet. And as he lazed back toward Lavi, he also noticed how much warmer it was without the wind—just like Lavi said on the way there.

Lavi caught Allen by the waist, stopping his momentum after Allen had almost collided into him. He took Allen's hand, starting off slow and then getting faster, guiding him around the lake. Their skates made light carving sounds, and though Allen messed up a few times, he still hadn't fallen.

Lavi beamed, "Allen, you're getting really good at this! I'm honestly a little pissed that it wasn't that easy for me when I started!"

"I'm pretty surprised I haven't fallen yet. How about you let me do a lap by myself next time and you just watch?"

"Okay, buddy. If you actually do fall, I'll be right there for you."

After finishing the lap, Lavi let go of him, standing at the edge of the ice, his eye on Allen as he tried to go around by himself.

This isn't so hard, Allen thought as he repeated those two movements, pushing with the right foot and then pushing with the left. It had almost seemed like second nature. I wonder if I can go fast like Lavi.

He sped around the lake's continuous turn, happy with himself. He imagined how impressed Lavi must have looked.

Crack!

His foot slipped, and he tumbled down onto the ice, which broke upon Allen's impact. He clawed upward for something to hold on to, but his hands slipped, his legs and torso now submerged into the water.

"Lavi!" he screamed, trying desperately to claw into something, grasp something, do something. "Lav—"

His head went under the freezing water, his eyes still open and aware. His outstretched hand was the only thing left on the surface, and he prayed Lavi would be there for him, prayed Lavi would grab onto his hand and save his life.

But now the that final hand was submerged, too, and he felt odd solace—acceptance that he might die right here; acceptance that nothing more would become of his life . . . acceptance that he would never tell Lavi how much he meant to him.

Through his blurry vision, he saw a figure appear on the top of the water, and then he suddenly felt himself being jerked back through the hole he'd created.

His arm felt like it had hit cold air, and he could now feel someone gripping it, trying desperately to pull him back up. His vision cleared as his head came back to the surface, and his teeth chattered. He felt like he'd been in a deep freeze for three hours.

"Allen!" Lavi screamed, readjusting his grip to pull the rest of the boy out of that dirty ice-water bath. Allen looked up to him curiously, like he wasn't in his own body. The emotions he expected to feel were not felt, and he was limp.

Lavi pulled the rest of him out, laying him on his back and kneeling aside him. Allen's dazed eyes met Lavi's concerned one. "Are you okay, buddy? Do I need to call an ambulance or something?"

"No . . . I think I'll be fine. But there's something I've been waiting to tell you." He gestured for Lavi to move closer, and the red head complied. "I've been thinking about things. I've just been waiting so long for the right moment, and interestingly enough, I feel like that moment is right now." He smiled, staring at that curious eye, which was inches from him. "I think I'd be much happier if we were together."

Lavi lowered himself a bit more, closing the final distance and kissing the boy. Butterflies swirled and churned in Allen's stomach, but he placed a damp hand on Lavi's head, pulling him in closer. He saw the moon in the corner of his eyes before he closed them.

—)O(—

When they reopened, he was blinded by bright light. He squinted, putting his hand up to shield them as they adjusted. Slowly removing his hand, he realized the light was . . . streaming through his bedroom window?

He looked outside, groggy. The morning had come, the sun beginning its sluggish ascent across the sky.

He plopped his head down on the pillow, closing his eyes again. His mouth tasted sour—like he hadn't brushed his teeth. Was that really just a dream? He smiled. Well, at least it was a good one.

Aside him, he heard a noise—like a pebble hitting glass. He sat up, looking through the window and down to the street.

Is that . . . Lavi?

He opened it, and the chilled morning air flooded into his room.

Lavi called up to him, "I got an idea!"

Allen imagined the dumb grin on Lavi's face when he said those exact words in the dream. He shouted back down, "Does it have to do with ice skates and some guy's lake?"