Ablaze
Summary: An old shack, a lonesome miner, a curious bookman and what became of them. Lucky. Pre and post Ark references
Disclaimer: Don't own, never will.
A/N: Beware of clichés and, err, what do you call it? Fluff? Enjoy ;D
Fire crackling.
Even before he'd seen its faint light escaping the poorly carpentered shack, he'd actually heard it.
Or had he? …was it really the fire?
It had been so long he didn't really remember. It was odd, really. After all, he was one to never forget the tiniest detail. A bookman was trained to remember everything. And yet, his recollection failed him here. Why?
Why could he no longer tell apart the sound of fire…and the soft murmurs reaching his ear during those nights in which said fire was their only companion?
.
He'd been striding around town for the longest time. Aimlessly, lost in thought. When he'd returned from his latest mission, he'd felt tired enough to drop on the spot – and yet, when he'd finally collapsed on soft mattresses all fatigue left him, only to be replaced by an all too unwelcome feeling.
Emptiness.
Sadly enough, that emotion tended to ambush him far too often lately…ever since that day, ever since that battle.
He'd lost something valuable. Something so precious even he, who'd never wanted such feelings to begin with, felt at a loss without. They might have survived the ark – but something within him had died nonetheless, fading along with a lover he should never have had. Not as a bookman, even less as an exorcist.
.
His feet carried him without him knowing. Out of the room, out of the building. Down the road, down to town. Automatically, his eyes darted towards the one clearing that had once held the shelter he was longing for.
The hut was there. Still as shabby, still as pitiful. But it lacked what he sought - there was no light coming from inside.
No fire crackling.
He smiled bitterly. What had he expected? Even if his lover was still alive somehow, somewhere, even if he'd recovered from the wounds inflicted by Innocence, things wouldn't just return to the way they were.
…right?
He grimaced as he rested his forehead against the creaky wooden door that had rusted shut long ago, never daring to actually enter.
He'd seen it happening, and yet he hadn't been able to help him. He couldn't even tell what had become of the person most important to him. And worse yet, he had no way of finding out.
No way other than returning to their designated meeting point every once in a while, hoping to find it occupied after all.
He chuckled.
How pitiful.
.
-----
.
It was a cold night.
He'd come to town to breathe a bit of fresh air, but somehow, he hadn't realized winter had progressed so far already. Considering he was all but freezing right then, he should long be on his way back to the Order – but something hat piqued his interest.
It was just a tiny detail, really. Probably anything but important. The sound of fire crackling. He wouldn't have minded if he wasn't so cold, he wouldn't have minded if it wasn't so incredibly peculiar he had heard that sound from so far away – from a hut normally unoccupied.
Yet today, for the first time since he'd ever taken notice of this poor excuse of carpentry, light was coming from inside. A fireplace's warm, red light. All too welcoming, all too intriguing. So naturally, being the bookman he was, he couldn't resist the pull of curiosity.
Unfortunately, though, said pull was a tad too strong – as soon as he rested his ear against the door to catch some of the sounds from within, it fell open with an ear-splitting creak, making him stumble into an awfully shabby yet welcomingly warm room before swinging shut again.
He blushed furiously, mumbling something incomprehensible before he dared meeting the eyes of the shack's only occupant. Much to his surprise, though, the dark haired man sitting cross-legged on the mattress in front of the fire grinned up at him.
"Quite a nice catch I got myself, eh?" he laughed and nodded toward the codfish on a stick he was currently roasting on the fire, "Want a bite?"
Hesitating, the redhead didn't move an inch, rather because of those more than just suspicious glasses the stranger was wearing than anything else.
"You look pretty cold," the man continued jovially and patted the space next to him, "you could as well just warm up a bit."
"Well…" It was a forced smile that Lavi replied with, nonetheless he approached the man and sat down at last. After all, he had all but frozen out there. "…thanks."
For a while, they lingered in silence, with the redhead concentration on regaining some warmth while the other man seemed happy enough attending to his fish. Finally, the latter pulled his meal out of the fire and laid it down on an old tin can to let it cool down. "Sooooo," he drawled and examined his new companion at last, "What's such a pretty boy up to so late in this cold?"
Lavi choked at the stranger's choice of words and returned the other's good-natured gaze warily. "I'm …travelling," he replied slowly, carefully choosing his words, "I left the inn for a little walk, but somehow I got lost." He blushed a little, just for emphasis. "And then, well," he drawled and nodded toward the door, "it just got rather cold out there."
Leaning back, the stranger propped himself up on his arms and heaved a sigh. "Now that's unfortunate," he murmured thoughtfully, "I'm new to this town as well, so I can't tell you how to reach the inn, either."
"Don't worry," Lavi laughed nervously and shrugged, "my brain's unfrozen now. I think I'll recognize the way back."
According to the look he gave him, the stranger clearly doubted that. "This late at night?" he asked in apparent worry, "Even if, everyone'll be asleep already. They might not even let you in anymore."
Lavi blinked at that, not grasping the implication.
"…why not stay here for the night?" the stranger finished.
The redhead looked at him as though he'd grown another head. "…what?"
"I wouldn't mind some company," the man shrugged and sat up again to attend to his fish, "and you seem to be out of options anyway."
Slowly, Lavi's brain caught on. The hairs on the back of his neck stood at the mere thought, yet if he wanted to stay true to his alibi, he really had no other choice. …right? "But I…" he drawled lamely and looked away, "I don't even know you."
"I'm Tyki," the other man replied genially and offered his hand, "Tyki Mikk, miner by trade."
Sighing, Lavi accepted and shook the hand. "Lavi," he replied, "I'm an historian."
The worker's eyes widened at that. "Nice," he commented, sounding as surprised as he looked, "and there I thought all historians were old, boring men." He laughed and took a first bite of his fish. "You, however, seem rather…refreshing."
Lavi watched the man suspiciously. But his didn't meet his eyes – rather, his gaze wandered off to the fish in Tyki's hands. Admittedly, it did look delicious… especially since he hadn't eaten much all day, but that didn't change the fact he was…being flirted with? By another man? What the hell?
Noting the younger one's hungry gaze, Tyki took a second bite and offered the fish's remains to the boy. Startled, Lavi hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted the gift gratefully. "Thanks."
Tyki grinned and threw himself back on the mattress. "No problem, lad, no problem."
.
"Jeez," Lavi murmured as he turned for the umpteenth time that night.
He heard a soft groan from behind him. "What's wrong?" a tired voice grumbled back.
Lavi inwardly cursed himself. He'd temporarily forgotten he wasn't the only one in the room. But…of course, somehow that stranger had managed convincing him to stay, and somehow, he hadn't found a reason to say no. And now, here he was, struggling to sleep in an anything but comfortable old shack next to a man he felt absolutely awkward with.
"You're cold, aren't you?" Tyki suggested softly, "The fire's still blazing, but I do agree the floor is rather freezy."
"Yeah…" Lavi mumbled and curled up to save more warmth.
He heard a bit of shuffling behind him, but he didn't quite expect a hand to rest on his arm as the other man inched closer, draping the blanket they shared as well as their jackets around both of them before lying down just a tad too close for comfort. Lavi's tired mind was slowing down his reaction time, yet he did produce a "What the…"
Tyki shooed him with a soft murmur. "What's the problem?" he whispered into the boy's ear, "This way, we're both warm, no harm done." While he couldn't see him, Lavi knew the man was grinning. "It's a win-win situation, isn't it?"
The redhead grumbled in response, but didn't complain. They'd been talking all night without saying much – and he still couldn't quite grasp the man's true colours. He should be more careful, he knew that. He normally was. Always. But just then, he couldn't help snuggling towards that new, welcome source of warmth. Cold and fatigue had convinced him to make an exception to his usual paranoia – until he sniffed the air.
"You smell nice," he muttered drowsily, yet his words only registered in his brain when he'd already voiced them. His eyes widened.
"Thank you, my dear," Tyki hummed, pulling the boy closer.
"No…" Lavi muttered and put more emphasis on the words he'd just voiced, "You. Smell. Nice." His whole body stiffened, but considering the other man's iron grip on him, struggling would get him nowhere. "You're," he whispered hoarsely, "not an ordinary miner, are you?"
Shivers ran down his spine when, after a long, excruciating silence, a single kiss was placed on his neck. "So what?" Tyki murmured softly, "You're not an ordinary historian either, are you?" Placing another soft kiss, he added in a mere whisper, "Right, my lovely little exorcist?"
Lavi's heart skipped a beat.
Breathing became difficult, yet he tried to keep his calm. He tested shifting a bit and was surprised to find out Tyki's grasp on him wasn't quite as firm as he'd feared. Gathering his spirits, he took a final, deep breath. He'd be out of this in no time.
It was then that he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Sweat ran down is forehead as he dared looking down…
To find Tyki's arm coming out of his own torso. There was no blood, the pain had left as soon as it had come, but… "You're leaving already?" the man hummed into the redhead's ear, extracting his hand from the boy's chest to stroke his cheek instead. "That'd be quite a pity…"
Breathing heavily, Lavi stared straight ahead. He'd gotten that message. "What…" he stammered at last, his voice toneless, "what do you want?" He tried shifting as little as possible as he freed his right arm to feel around for his hammer. That was his only way out of this. …right?
"Hmhm, what do I want?" the alleged miner hummed softly, thoughtfully…
And suddenly he turned the boy on the back, stepping over him to straddle his hips, pinning his arms to the mattress, coming the boy's face dangerously close. "I want some fun," he rasped and smiled widely, "Can you give me that, Lavi?"
Meanwhile, the redhead stared up in shock. Grey skin. Golden eyes. Stigmata. "Noah…"
Tyki looked pleasantly surprised. "So you know about us, huh?" he pondered and smiled again, "But I'm not here to hurt you, you know." Leaning forward, he caught the boy's lips for a short moment only. "As I said, I'm here to have some fun," he hummed gently and let go of the boy's wrist to stroke his hair gently, "but that fun certainly doesn't have to be one-sided, does it?"
Still not moving, Lavi stared up. It was odd. He'd easily reach his hammer now, he actually had a chance to escape. But for some strange reason, the danger hovering above him – smiling down at him, for heaven's sake! – still left him immobile. It actually…intrigued him, in a sick kind of way. Somehow, disturbingly enough, he had an itch to find out what that Noah meant with "fun"…
…though, then again, judging from a set of wet kisses travelling down his neck, he guessed he already had a pretty good idea. His instincts were screaming at him to get away from that man, his mind told him to argue his way out of this. Yet still, his body was anything but objecting. And even though he knew he should run, something held him back. He wanted away, and yet he didn't want to leave.
Because, for some strange reason, in his tired, confused mind, he actually liked it here. He liked the warmth, he liked the attention, he liked his smell.
He knew he'd hate himself afterwards, but maybe…just maybe, something good would become of this…
.
He awoke to the fire crackling.
"…wake, my dear?"
And again, there was fear. But, in spite of everything rational, last night hadn't been unpleasant. As a matter of fact, it had been far from it. He hated himself for that realization, but…
Turning his head to the man lying next to him, he noted Tyki watching him.
"I'll be leaving soon," the Noah stated softly and sat up with a somewhat drowsy smile on his lips, "but I'd like to meet you again."
Lavi bit his lips as he discreetly grabbed his hammer. "Why…should I say yes to this?" he asked through gritted teeth, "You're my enemy, you could backstab me at any given moment." It was an impassionate glare he sent the Noah, but again, he only got a sly grin in return.
"'Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer,'" Tyki quoted as he put on his sneakers, "isn't that what they say?"
"That's not meant literally," Lavi countered with a frown, "and I'm still not interested."
Shrugging on his jacket, Tyki sighed dramatically. "That's a pity, really," he murmured and approached the exorcist still covered in blankets, "I thought you'd liked last night."
"You're full of yourself, aren't you?" Lavi replied tonelessly as he felt the man's hand running through his hair. Again.
"Well, I liked last night," Tyki whispered and placed a kiss on the boy's forehead, "Or rather, I like you."
Lavi wanted to object, yet again he was drawn into a deep kiss he didn't want yet couldn't resist either.
"I'll leave it up to you, my dear," the Noah breathed into his ear, "Next week, same time, same place – I'll be here, waiting just for you." After yet another short kiss, he got to leave at last, "Don't disappoint me."
.
Against his better judgement, Lavi spent a lot of time actually thinking about the Noah's offer.
He didn't know whether Tyki was trying to establish some strange kind of trust between them…or whether he was just dumb enough to offer something as naïve as this.
He couldn't understand why he was even considering it… Was it the passion he'd enjoyed more than he should? Was it Tyki's words that had reached him after all - his laughable argumentation about fun and likings? Or had the immediate danger just become so vast he failed to acknowledge it altogether? When had it turned into a risk he felt like taking? When had that man become someone he'd meet of his own free will? And when, for heaven's sake, had kisses gotten as intoxicating as that?
He couldn't believe what a situation he'd landed in. Couldn't believe what a person he'd just made out with. Couldn't believe there was any honesty behind what the Noah said and did.
And yet, in spite of everything reasonable, he ended up coming back.
.
Every single time.
.
-----
.
Blinking, he awoke from his stupor. How long had he been standing there, reminiscing?
It had been nightfall when he'd arrived, it was entirely dark by now.
And if that wasn't bad enough, he'd been resting against the wood all this time
Sighing, he straightened. It was time to go.
Just as he took one last, longing glance at that door, it happened.
Something gripping his shoulders, hard.
It felt like hands, coming out of the hut, reaching trough the wooden door, pulling him inside, slamming him against the wall.
His eyes wide open in shock, all he could see were two golden orbs flashing up in a catlike manner, vanishing as soon as they had come.
All he could feel was hot breath against his neck, soon to be replaced by soft lips kissing him passionately.
All he could hear was a raspy voice whispering his name.
"Lavi…"
It almost sounded like crackling.
With a smile, the redhead wrapped his arms around the person towering above him.
It was back at last.
The fire that was burning for him only.
The fire that made even his frozen emotions flare up with passion.
With pleasure.
His very own Noah of Pleasure.
"Tyki…" A single tear ran down his cheek as he dug his nails into his lover's back. "Don't you dare doing this to me ever again," he all but begged and drew the Portuguese even closer.
The lips pressed against his neck told him the other was smiling. "Don't worry," Tyki breathed and placed yet another gentle kiss on his lover's skin, "I'm not going to leave you."
Sighing softly, Lavi lead his hand up to the Portuguese's chin and made him meet his gaze again. "I'm not talking about that," he stated quietly.
Tyki didn't answer at once, but rather he lowered his head again. "Wouldn't it be nice?" he whispered in the redhead's ear, a strange kind of resignation in his voice, "We could be together."
Lavi bit his lip. "We don't have that kind of luxury," he muttered as he ran a hand through his lover's unfamiliarly long hair, drawing him closer again, "even if you'd become human, we still couldn't be together."
Again, Tyki smiled against the other's neck. "It's a pleasant thought, though, isn't it?" he murmured, "not to risk everything by meeting like this?"
"It's a scary thought," Lavi replied at once, pushing the Portuguese away again, "to loose you entirely because of such a naïve wish."
Golden eyes looked vaguely amused. "But you'll forgive me, won't you?" he hummed, inching forward, yet his lips didn't meet his lover's mouth, but his finger. "Don't…" Lavi rasped as he freed himself from the Portuguese's grip, "Don't kiss me if I can't even see your face."
Melodious laughter filled the room. "If that's everything you need…" A soft breeze, a bit of shuffling, and finally, the room was lit just the tiniest bit.
Taking in familiar forms and shapes he hadn't seen since the last times, Lavi almost felt…welcome? Or even…safe?
Smiling, he approached the person crouching in front of the fireplace.
The person responsible for the strange comfort he associated with this run-down hut.
Tyki.
As he was waving an old cardboard to ignite all the firewood, the man couldn't look any more relaxed. Lavi wondered whether his eyes were playing tricks on him. There were no crosses embedded in the Portuguese's forehead, and yet his complexion was so dark. His hair so long. When had it grown like that, Lavi wondered. …and he remembered. He remembered that horrible scene at the arc. He had been there, but he'd only regained his self-control when it was far too late already. When Tyki had already started transforming, loosing his mind entirely… Oh god, he didn't want to think about it. Tyki was right here, with him, completely fine, and only that counted. He should be angry with his lover for everything that had happened, should be angry for what he'd done to his friends – but he knew there was no helping it. Outside of their secret meetings, they were still exorcist and Noah. It wasn't a fate either of them had chosen, nor was it a fate either of them could escape – it was as easy as that.
With a soft sigh he sat down on the mattress next to the fireplace. "You've changed," he remarked quietly.
"I guess," Tyki laughed again and fell back, landing right next to the redhead, smiling up at him. "But you haven't changed a bit, you're still as lovely~"
When Lavi returned his smile with an unhappy frown, the Noah simply grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down. "May I…" he breathed against the other's lips, their noses mere inches from touching, "…get my kiss now?"
Lavi rolled his eyes, yet his lips curled upward. "But only…" he whispered as he lowered his head to taste his lover's lips for the shortest moment, "…because I missed you so much."
Tyki blinked at that, opening his mouth for more before closing it again. Instead, he reached up to caress the redhead's cheek.
"And I'm glad you waited," he smiled and pulled the boy down again.
.
They were lying next to each other, enjoying the company they hadn't had for far too long.
"Thanks for disproving my fears, Tyki," Lavi grinned as his fingers gently, fondly even, traced the scars on his lover's chest.
Shivering a bit at the sensation, the Noah blinked. "Huh?"
"I was worried you'd lost your passion," the redhead stated and smiled sheepishly, "but thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case."
While incredulous at first, Tyki's expression soon turned into something else. Something honest. Something fiery. Before either of them realized it, they were on top of each other yet again, kissing, touching, needing, halting just briefly to gasp for breath.
"What's Pleasure without passion, huh?" the Portuguese rasped in Lavi's ear and leant even closer, his voice dropping to a mere whisper, "What's fire that doesn't burn?"
.
"You're my oxygen," he breathed, taking in as much of his very own pet exorcist's precious scent as he could, "without you, I'm nothing."
Lavi's eyes widened at those unexpected words. Yet finally, he smiled warmly. "Then don't hesitate to use me up," he hummed and stroked his lover's hair affectionately, "I'm all yours."
.
FIN
And now for those who would have liked a bit more action, here's an awesome alternative to the last few lines:
.
"…but what happened to your kinky side?" Lavi asked out of sheer boredom, "Back in the old days, you'd bring a new toy every time we meet."
As he kept stroking his lover's hair fondly, Tyki dared leaning forward just so he could meet Lavi's eyes. "I wanted to give you a bit of a break," he smiled the most brilliant smile in history, "But since you're so eager…I'm sure you'll like my formidable new tentacles just as much as I do. :3 "
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A/N: I was experimenting with Lucky and felt like sharing this with you. Shame on me, but I haven't even read more than a handful of fics on the pairing so far - still, I hope you liked it. :)