As promised, lovelies, chapter 2. I hope you enjoy. (this chapter is much better than the first!)

Chapter 2

Lavi stood outside Allen and Kanda's apartment door, hands in pockets, waiting. He didn't know if Allen would be home or not, but he had come over at this time because he knew that Kanda had class. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and knocked once more at the door, a little louder this time. Allen had this knack of not really hearing if someone knocked when he was focusing. After a moment he heard footsteps.

"No, Timcanpy, move," Allen's voice drifted through the closed door and a second later the college sophomore appeared, his more-yellow-than-orange tabby cat leaning against the young man's leg. Allen nudged the cat a little with his foot. "Oh hey Lavi!"

"How's it going, Sprout?" Lavi asked as Allen let him into the apartment. He saw Allen's eyebrows raise slightly in curiosity. A moment later, after closing the door, he picked up his cat and let him settle on his slender shoulders.

"Alright," he replied. Lavi would never know how the cat was so well trained, although he could be such an ass sometimes. "Working on a paper for bio med. What's up?"

"What, can't I just come see you?" Lavi asked. "I like hanging out."

"You knew I had homework, so you obviously have a reason to come over," Allen said, stroking Tim's tail absently, blue-silver eyes on the redhead. Timcanpy's long tail twitched in Allen's grip.

Lavi let out a small, nervous chuckle. "I guess you know me well," he said.

"So, what is it?"

"Just wonderin' if we could hang out and chat," Lavi said. They did it a lot, but Lavi still really didn't know much of anything about Allen. After all, they had only known each other for two months. And he was very curious. And maybe Allen would lead into things dealing with sex if they started talking about his past.

"Look, Lavi," Allen said, crossing his arms. "Komui wants this paper by tomorrow and – "

"I'm sure you're close to being done!" Lavi said. "Take a break!" Allen let out a sigh and gave the redhead a playful glare.

"Fine, fine, I'll take a break," he said. He walked to the couch and flopped down. Lavi joined him and watched as Timcanpy minced his way off Allen's shoulders, across the back of the couch and to him, where he sat down in Lavi's lap. Timcanpy was an incredibly friendly cat—when he wanted to be. Other times he was a brat. Lavi had never seen this, but he trusted Allen when he complained about his cat – or when Kanda complained about him, very venomously, he might add. But he'd never say them to Allen's face, as Allen loved Timcanpy and would never get rid of the cat. "So…"

"Tyki does not give up, does he?" Lavi said and Allen's eyebrows raised a little bit at the sudden outburst. "He texted me while I was eating. We just saw each other."

Allen shrugged. "Usually he gets what he wants. But because he's not, it just makes it so he doesn't let up. He's ridiculously stubborn. He's also more than a little bit clingy."

Lavi looked at the silver-haired young man and wondered just how long they had known each other. "Does that mean he's just dating me for sex?" Hell, he wouldn't be too terribly upset if that was the truth, as he had done that more than once, but he wouldn't be too happy either. He did enjoy Tyki's company. And if the only reason he was hanging around and going out with the redhead was to get into his pants, then that would be a disappointment. Granted, Tyki had known Allen and Kanda, so maybe he would still see him around.

Allen let out a soft laugh. "Lavi, come on," he said. "If this was just about the sex, Tyki wouldn't have asked you out. He would have tried two, maybe three times to sleep with you, but when it was obvious to him that you weren't going to put out, then he would have moved on to the next target."

"Jesus," Lavi muttered under his breath.

"Hm?"

"I used to be like that in High School," he said.

Allen grinned at him. "I know, you've mentioned at least once that you were a player," he said. "But that's how Tyki works. I've known him long enough."

"Yeah, about that. How long exactly have you known Tyki?" Lavi asked, eye wide. "You seem to know him very well. Which for a guy like him, seems like…the only way you'd be able to do that is if you'd have known him for a long time."

"There must have been an easier way of saying that," Allen said, grin never leaving his face. "I've known him for a long while. Since before my father died."

Lavi stiffened a little bit. Allen had only mentioned the death of Mana once before. They had been in the group and both Tyki and Kanda had fallen silent. So he didn't quite know how to react. How was he supposed to react?

"Lavi, calm down. It's been eight years since he passed away," said Allen with a soft sigh. "The other two get all stiff, thinking it'll upset me. But it's fine. It's not going to upset me."

The redhead nodded and gave a small, if not nervous grin.

"That's a long time knowing a guy like Tyki," he said.

Allen nodded in reply. "And so I know that this isn't just him wanting to get into your pants," he told Lavi. "He would have given up by now. He does like you. But, well, how do I say this delicately? Tyki is a very sexual person."

"Surprisingly, that is very delicate," Lavi said, eyebrows raised a little. He ran his hand over Timcanpy's back, eliciting a loud purr from the cat, and continued to pet him. "I already knew that though."

"I think it runs in the family," Allen went on to say.

"You know Tyki's family?"

Allen looked at him, cocking one eyebrow. He chuckled softly. "I've known him for a long time, and you ask if I know his family. Yeah, I do. He's part of a pretty big family. I'm sure you'll meet some of them eventually."

"Do they visit him?" Lavi asked, shifting his weight so he was resting more comfortably on the couch. Timcanpy let out a grumpy little noise at the movement and twitched his tail.

"Sometimes," Allen said, nodding. "Not too often. But sometimes."

Lavi was quiet for a moment, busying himself on calming the cat on his lap. He scratched behind those yellow ears and Timcanpy settled down once more, closing his eyes.

"But let Tyki tell you more about his family. It's his family, after all," Allen said. "I'm sure he'd tell you, if you asked."

"He's too focused on coming on to me to tell me about his family. Or his past, for that matter," Lavi said grumpily, scratching under Tim's chin. The rumbling coming from the cat's chest became louder.

"That isn't true," Allen said, "Well, alright. Partially true. But not completely. He does care about you. It's just hard to tell, since Tyki's a strange guy."

"Tell me about it," Lavi muttered.

"You came to talk to me about sex, didn't you?" asked Allen.

Lavi looked up at him, trying and failing to hide his shock. "Sometimes I wish you weren't so smart," he said under his breath, causing Allen to chuckle once more. "Yes, part of the reason for me coming here was to ask about sex with a guy."

"It's not as big a deal as you're making it out to be," Allen said lightly.

"Easy for you to say! You've been doing this since, since…how long have you been having sex, anyway?" Lavi asked, as always, easily sidetracked. Questions always dragged his attention. Curiosity would one day be the death of the redhead and he knew it.

To his surprise, Allen's expression darkened. And then it went passed the I don't want to talk about it face that Allen sometimes got, when he was tired or cranky, into something completely different.

"Oh hello again."

Lavi's eye widened and stiffened just a little. Timcanpy raised his head and fixed his master with his golden gaze.

"What did you do this time?" the 14th asked, regarding Lavi with a dark curiosity, bordering on pleasure. "He usually has pretty good control over me."

"I didn't do anything," Lavi said in shock, voice strained. He continued to pet Timcanpy, although suddenly a wave of unease washed over him. There was no Kanda to save him from this situation. At least not for a while.

He would have to have a conversation with the 14th.

"Is that so?" he looked over his hand carefully, feigning disinterest. Lavi could tell that he was burning to know what they had been talking about, though, with the way his gaze (was it somehow darker?) flickered up for just a moment.

"Yes. It is so," Lavi replied, feeling ridiculously stupid. "We were just talking."

"About what, may I ask?" his voice was Allen's, but at the same time, not. It had a silky, excited quality to it that made Lavi's stomach turn.

"I don't think he'd like me discussing it with you," Lavi said, clearing his throat.

The 14th rolled his eyes. "No, of course not," he said. "He gets all of the fun, I tell you. I'm so jealous of that boy."

"Why do you even exist?" Lavi asked, unable to help himself.

The 14th's eyes lit up and a joyful smile curved those usually cheerful lips. But there was nothing pure about this joy. "Oh, you don't know? You don't know how I came to be?" He laughed, a harsh noise, coming from Allen's mouth. "Oh he must be ashamed! Oh that's wonderful. Wonderful I say!" He covered his mouth as he continued to chuckle.

"It's not like I've known him for long," Lavi said. "Some things are personal."

"But he's your friend, isn't he?"

"Yeah, of course. And I don't doubt him," Lavi said. "He'll tell me when he's ready."

The 14th gave Lavi an unpleasant look then his eyes unfocused for a brief moment.

"I'm sorry Lavi." Allen's voice had regained its usual quality. He raised a hand to his head and covered his face for a brief moment. "What…what were we talking about?"

"I, uh, well," Lavi said.

Allen's face contorted, twisting into an expression of what Lavi first thought to be pain. "He showed up, didn't he?" he asked.

"Ah, uh, yes," Lavi replied, looking both nervous and relieved. Nervous because Allen didn't look to good, and relieved because Allen was back. "I…I'm sorry. I think I was the cause of it."

"It's not your fault, Lavi," Allen said. "It really isn't. Certain things just, well, weaken my mental walls, I guess. That's as best as the doctors can figure, at the very least. What did you ask?"

"You don't remember?" the redhead asked, eye widening slightly. When Allen nodded, he continued, "it was nothing, really. I don't want to stress you out."

Allen scowled but didn't press it. "So, what were we talking about?"

"Uhh…sex, with guys," Lavi said, watching to see if there would be any shift in his personalities. Allen seemed fine though and he relaxed. He realized that Timcanpy had lowered his head when Allen had returned.

"Oh right, yeah," Allen said. He glanced at the clock on the stereo and winced. "Lavi, I do wanna talk about it with you, but I really need to work on my paper. I'm not as close to being done as I would like. And we could talk for hours about sex, trust me. Can we talk about it later? I promise I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"Yeah, of course," Lavi said with a small smile. He looked at the time as well and was surprised with how much time had passed. More time was spent speaking with the 14th than he realized. Maybe he should read up on Allen's condition. It might help him better handle everything. He gently moved Tim off his lap, causing the cat to walk off in an offended way, tail in the air, and stood. He straightened his shirt as Allen stood as well.

"Sorry," Allen said and he looked it.

Lavi just grinned. "School first," he said. "I understand. I'll see ya later, sprout." He clapped Allen on the shoulder, causing the younger to smile, and left.

He was just leaving the apartment when he saw Kanda, heading to the door. "You're back early, Yu-chan," he said cheerfully.

Kanda looked up and his eyebrows rose. "What're you doing here?"

"So mean," Lavi said. "I'm hurt. Crushed, even." Kanda glowered. "I was just hanging out with Allen. But he kicked me out because of an essay."

"If you were just hanging out, why do you look sick?" the man asked, eyeing Lavi suspiciously.

"Okay, am I just really easy to read today? Because you never notice anything," Lavi said, throwing his arms up into the air.

"Answer the damn question," Kanda said.

"I spoke to the 14th." Kanda stiffened, causing Lavi to speak quickly. "Allen's back now. Just unnerved me is all."

"What did you do?" he asked the redhead, voice low. Lavi stuck his hands in his pockets and scuffed his shoe on the sidewalk.

"Why do you think it was me?"

"It's usually triggered," Kanda said, eyes never leaving Lavi.

"Okay. I just wanted to know…some stuff. And kind of asked when he first started having sex," Lavi said swiftly. The reason he had come over when Kanda was in class was to spare the embarrassment of Kanda knowing he wanted to talk about that.

Kanda's hands balled into fists and his shoulders tensed. Lavi stepped back, eye wide. "Don't ever ask something like that again, do you hear me? Ever," he growled out, teeth clenched. His voice came out in more of a hiss than anything else, and it was frightening.

"Okay," Lavi said.

"Go home, Lavi," Kanda said.

"Yes, good idea," and with that, Lavi walked away from the apartment complex, to his car, as fast as he could get away with without running. That had been a very unnerving experience and he was more than happy to get away from it.

– Tell me about your family. It was three in the morning and Lavi wasn't asleep. He didn't even know if Tyki would be awake or not (really, he had no clue what the man's sleep schedule was), but he was curious and just couldn't sleep. Not after what had happened today.

– Why the sudden interest? And shouldn't you be sleeping? The reply came faster than he had expected and picked up his phone from where he had set it on the bed. He had texted Tyki rather early in the morning once, before a class, and the man had responded then. Did he sleep at all?

– I was talking to Allen earlier and he said something about how long he had known you. And how your family is big. I'm curious. And I would be asleep if I could. I can't get to sleep. As Lavi's texts went, that one was relatively long. He lied down on his back, looking at his phone.

– I could tire you out if you like. Then you could get to sleep.

Lavi scowled. Why did the man have to make everything sexual? And why did he dodge every personal question Lavi asked? He wanted to know more about his boyfriend. He hit the keys rather viciously as he replied. – Can't you just answer a personal question for once in your life?

– Sorry. Didn't mean to upset you, love. Just a bit of teasing.

Lavi sighed. He couldn't stay angry with the man. – I know. But I would like an answer to some of my questions. We're dating! The redhead shut his eyes and threw his arm across his face, blocking out the rest of the light of his room that was creeping in under his eyelid, phone still in his hand.

The light was bright when he pulled his arm away when his phone buzzed again.

– Fine, fine. Stubborn aren't you? Yes, I've known Allen for a long time. And yes, my family is big. Lavi smiled. Finally. He wondered how big his family was. If Tyki had siblings. Where he had grown up. How he had first met Allen. If he was close to his family. But that seemed like a lot of questions to ask the man at three in the morning, when he had finally admitted something personal about himself.

– I'm naturally a curious person. Are you close to your family?

– Some of them, yes. Others I would rather not see.

Tyki surprised Lavi. First of all, he had no idea someone could be that specific and still be ridiculously vague about everything he was telling his boyfriend. It would need some future prodding.

It did make Lavi realize that he hadn't shared much of his life to his boyfriend or Allen (or Kanda but that wasn't much of a surprise). They knew his past sexual experiences – or some of them, at the very least – but not much else. But Tyki didn't ask.

As a matter of fact, Tyki didn't ask any questions at all. He didn't touch on the topic of why Lavi was up so late. He didn't say anything about Allen. And he asked nothing about Lavi's family, all the while talking about his 'ridiculous family' but somehow never saying if he had siblings or how many family members he had.

Lavi had planned to ask Tyki why he was up so late, but as the clock approached 4:30 in the morning, he dozed off, phone falling from his hand to the ground as it rolled off his bed.

The next week passed in a blur for Lavi and he barely had enough time to eat, let alone talk to his friends or his boyfriend. His professors had decided that this was the week for papers, and it was spent going to and fro between library, class, apartment and food court or dining hall – and repeat. The only break he felt he had gotten was the one time he had run into Tyki as he headed to the library on Wednesday and got swept up into an intense kiss that left him breathless. He had had to drag himself away before getting too distracted (which was hard, but he had to!).

When Friday finally came around and he turned in his last paper into the professor, he felt like jumping for joy, if he hadn't been so exhausted. He headed outside with his pleasantly light bag and was greeted with a brisk breeze that tugged at the leaves of the trees and caught him by surprise.

Fall was finally here. And it had come abruptly. No lingering thoughts of summer sun and toasty, teasing winds. No sir. The air was cool and crisp. Was he really that out of it, during the week? To not notice all the signs, the colors of the leaves turning to yellow and orange and red, the temperatures getting cooler (not cold, mind you, Lavi came from somewhere much colder), the hint of decay. He had been engrossed in school; in all of the papers his professors had thrown at him.

Hunger gnawed at his stomach, reminding him he had not eaten much of anything today, too distracted by last minute touches on his essay. But first, he wanted to see if his friends were in their usual spot. Then maybe they could get food together.

Heading through campus, Lavi eyed the gently swaying branches, the way the leaves were no longer that pure green. He knew it rained here first, before starting to snow. But it still made him nervous. He pushed it from his mind and looked through an opening in the buildings, to the table he and his friends normally occupied.

Lavi's eyes went to Allen's silver head first, then registered Kanda and Tyki. A pang of guilt filled Lavi when he realized he hadn't noticed his boyfriend first, but hey, Tyki wasn't standing up and his dark hair wasn't that prominent. Sure, if he had been standing up, it would have been easier. The man was the tallest of their group.

Speeding up his pace, he reached them.

"Hi Lavi," Allen said with his familiar smile. "You look relieved. Turn in your last paper?"

"Yes, I did!" Lavi said, sinking down to sit beside Tyki on the bench. Immediately the man wrapped an arm around Lavi's waist. He didn't drag him closer or keep a tight hold of him, just a light touch. It was comforting. "And now I'm starving. Does anyone want to go get some food?"

"Of course!" Allen answered.

"You're always hungry," Kanda said, glancing at his boyfriend. Allen just shrugged in reply.

"Where do you want to eat, Lavi? You should choose, since you've been busy," Allen said, turning back to his friend.

"My treat," Tyki said.

"All three of us?" Kanda asked. "Or just your… 'bunny boy'." The words were forced out, obvious disgust tainting them.

"No, not you anymore," Tyki said with a small smirk. "Just because you said that. I'll pay for Lavi and Allen. You have to pay for your own meal."

Tyki ended up paying the entire bill, when it came down to it. He

Kanda grunted and glowered at the other man. Between the four of them, he butted heads with Tyki the most. Lavi wasn't sure why exactly, but he thought it had something to do with Tyki's naturally flirty nature and how he and Allen had known each other for so long. And their personalities seemed to clash greatly.

"Settle down," Allen said. "Let's just go get something to eat, we can figure out who's paying afterwards."

Sometimes they did this thing where they would set all of their cellphones in the center of the table during a meal and the first to look at theirs had to pay. It worked well. It got them to put their phones away and socialize with the people they were with and it was also a good way to decide who got the bill. Lavi mentioned this but Tyki waved it away.

"Lavi, choose where you want to go," Allen said as he packed up his bag.

"Okay, okay," Lavi said and leaned back, looking up at the trees as he pondered this. Finally he decided on a restaurant on main that had dishes all four of them enjoyed. Everyone seemed pleased with this and they all headed to their cars, deciding to meet up at the restaurant.

"Shall I drive you?" Tyki asked as they split up.

"Sure," Lavi said with a smile, looking at the taller.

Tyki smiled back and unlocked his car. Lavi got in. He always felt like he was sitting down into the most comfortable couch whenever he got into Tyki's car. It was the best car seat he had ever sat on and it made Lavi wonder just how much this car was and where it was from. He thought it was Italian.

"What's your apartment look like, if your car is like this?" Lavi asked as Tyki started it up with a purr of the engine. The man was showy, but not in the noisy, deafening kind of way, and his car was quiet and seductive and beautiful. Just like the man himself.

"Just as nice," Tyki said with a chuckle, leaving the school parking lot. He headed towards the restaurant but took his time. Lavi gave him a curious look as to why they were taking their sweet time, taking a longer, less direct but more pleasant route to the downtown restaurant. "Oh please, you don't think those two won't try and slip in a quicky on the way there? Just killing some time."

Lavi grinned at him, wondering if he was right.

Yes, Tyki had been right. When the two got out of Allen's care at the restaurant, Allen was straightening his clothes and Kanda was fixing his hair.

Lunch (or was it dinner?) was pleasant and filling and all sorts of relaxing for Lavi. He thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the other three, catching up with what they had been up too over the past week. Apparently Kanda had aced his Japanese literature exam (Lavi didn't even know he had had one, but apparently it had been very important) with flying colors. Lavi couldn't hide his amazement because, let's be honest, Kanda wasn't the sharpest knife in the kitchen. But he did have a knack for pretty much everything dealing with his culture. Allen had had a minor episode, completely forgetting he had a test until fifteen minutes before class started (Lavi really needed to read up on D.I.D.) but had somehow passed with an A. And Tyki had gotten into trouble while he was TAing, which wasn't much of a new thing.

By the end of the meal it was definitely dinner time, the restaurant filled with chattering couples and parties and Tyki had had a couple too many glasses of wine. Which meant he would not be driving his expensive pet-of-a-car. Even if it hadn't been expensive, Lavi wouldn't have let him drive. So…that meant he got to drive it. A little thrill of excitement and unease went through him as they headed out of the restaurant, Tyki keeping an arm around him rather tightly, a lopsided grin across his face. How much had he even had?

"Tyki, keys," Lavi said, holding out a hand.

"Drive safe, you two," Allen said as he and Kanda walked to Allen's car. Lavi glanced over and smiled and nodded.

"And that's why Tyki isn't driving!" Lavi replied and waved to the two of them as they backed out of the parking spot, before turning back to Tyki.

"'s okay, I'm…good to drive," Tyki said with a grin.

"No," Lavi said. "Tyki. Keys. Please."

Tyki groaned and said something that sounded like 'you're like Road' before handing over his keys. Lavi unlocked the car and Tyki sat down in the passenger seat as Lavi took the drivers seat. He had to move the seat up some.

"Who's Road?" he asked as he started the car up. It had been a while since he had driven a manual, and it took him a moment to remember everything, but he backed up the thing (very carefully, he might add) and started driving.

Tyki waved a hand. "Family. Little brat, is what she is," he said. Lavi glanced at him as he drove. The car was a lot smoother than his own thing and he could barely hear the engine as it glided along the asphalt. Where am I even going?

"How old is she?" Lavi wanted to find out as much as he could.

"16. Acts like she's 12 though," Tyki said, closing his eyes.

"Hey, Tyki. Should I drive to your place?" Lavi asked.

"No, no. Too far. Plus, you wouldn't be able t' get home," Tyki pointed out, squinting at him. He was a lot drunker than Lavi had realized.

"Okay, my place it is, then," Lavi said, a twinge of apprehension overcoming him. Tyki would be over at his house. Drunk. Allen had told him that when Tyki was drunk, he was more than a little touchy-feely and Lavi wasn't too sure he wanted to handle that. But he didn't seem to have a choice, because there was no way in hell that he would be letting his boyfriend drive home alone, and he didn't even know if Tyki, in this drunken state, could even navigate Lavi to his place.

So he turned the wheel and turned the direction of his apartment and soon enough he was there. He parked the car in guest parking and got out of the car. Tyki seemed to have dozed off and Lavi had half a mind to just leave him there. But he knew Tyki wouldn't appreciate that, so he should his shoulder. "Mm? We here?" Lavi nodded and Tyki dragged himself out of the car. Lavi locked up and led the man to his apartment.

Tyki had never been to Lavi's apartment before, and Lavi couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the man look around. "So many books, love," he purred out, honey eyes traveling over the bookshelves overflowing with books. Lavi just shrugged and turned, setting his bag down.

"Love." Tyki's breath was hot against his neck as the man spoke, and strong arms wrapped around Lavi's stomach. "Why don't we have some fun?"

"You are drunk," Lavi said, turning in Tyki's arms. "No. You already know that. Not yet."

Tyki let out a groan. "Such a stiff, lover," he said and nuzzled Lavi's neck, sending tingles throughout his body. "You know it'll feel s' good. I'll make y' forget why y' were ever nervous." His hands slid down Lavi's back slowly, as his lips moved up Lavi's neck until he had reached his ear. Tyki's teeth found Lavi's earring and tugged at it.

Lavi's breath hitched as Tyki's tongue traced the shell of his ear, sucking gently, a soft groan-like noise coming from Tyki's lips. "Come on, love." Lavi forced Tyki away a little, trying to regain his breath.

"No, Tyki. You need to go to bed," he said, a tad red. That had been unpleasantly pleasant. Wow, it's been a long time.

"Yeah, I'll go to bed if y' with me and I can get those clothes off," Tyki said and leaned forward once more. His arms slid around Lavi's neck, his lips finding the sensitive skin there and he felt the man's tongue, hot and slick.

"Tyki, stop," Lavi said, trying to push his boyfriend off. Tyki just sagged and before he knew it, Lavi was holding up Tyki's entire deadweight. "Oh god, Tyki."

The man was heavy and he was hanging off him. Lavi was pretty sure he had fallen asleep. He grumbled and half dragged (what else was he supposed to do? Tyki wouldn't let go) him to the couch, where he dumped him. He would have taken him to his bed, but that was a little too far for Lavi, and he wasn't sure he wanted to be in the same bed as drunk-Tyki anyway.

He straightened once he got Tyki settled on the couch and shook his head. He couldn't help but smile. The man was ridiculous. He turned the lights down and headed to his bedroom, pushing books off his bed so he could sleep.

Lavi sighed. Surprisingly, he was happy, even when his boyfriend was drunk off his ass and passed out on his couch and at his apartment at all, for that matter. But it felt good to be done with his papers. And he was pleasantly full. Even though it wasn't too late, Lavi decided to go to bed. It would be nice to get a goodnight's rest.