They all held their breaths as the head nurse jotted some notes down, flipped through some papers. She occasionally glanced at Mei before writing more stuff down on her notepad. It's been one full week since Mei was admitted into the medical ward and now they were awaiting news of her release and be put back on the field. Mei sat tightly on the edge of her bed with Lenalee, Allen, and Lavi scattered about in her room all silent and waiting. Everyone had been so gracious the week she was bedridden with the visitations and it was especially nice with Lavi's presence. There was a new level of understanding between them and a mutual respect for each other which came to a surprise to Mei. Her first impression of him resulted in her seeing him as an idiot, a clown that she couldn't take seriously. But impressively, he had proven her wrong.
His visits always came with heaping dose of new books to read and she secretly enjoyed his visits more than the others because of it, but of course she would never admit that to anyone. Their times together reading alone in that infirmary room, learning and traveling to new places via words were one of the few moments she treasured closely to her heart. She glanced at him from her peripherals and smiled silently to herself. She needed to thank him properly later for keeping her sanity intact while she was here, she would've probably been really bored without the books. Lavi was always there when she needed him, he was always saving her from the get-go. He knew when she was upset without her needing to say anything and always knew how to cheer her up.
The head nurse pursed her lips, narrowed her eyes before putting her clipboard away, "You're free to go," she said. There was collective sigh of delight as Lenalee gave Mei a hug, "But I still advise you to watch yourself, Mei, don't push yourself too much," Mei already back in her uniform nodded vigorously, she just wanted to get outside and smell the fresh air. She waved a small thank you to her nurses and threw open the doors.
"Freedom never smelled so good!" she squealed running down the hallway. Lenalee and the others followed her with smiles all around. They were glad that their friend was finally better, Lenalee had been worried sick the entire time. Komui just then passed by then and stopped when he noticed Mei walking about.
"Ah, I see you've been released," he called out pushing up his glasses, "You should give Renny a call when you have the time, she was a huge help. Lenalee, will you come to my office? There's some files I need you to help me with," Lenalee gave Mei one last hug as she jogged after her brother. Mei waved watching Lenalee disappear around the corner.
Allen checked his watch and sighed dejectedly, Lavi gave him a wry grin, "Checking in with Malcom?" emphasizing the last part as it enraged the Vatican inspector when people were on a first name basis with him and Lavi especially liked pushing his buttons.
Allen gave him a heavy smile, "Yes," he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Everyone thinks I did something wrong,"
Mei turned to him with a hard frown, "Don't let him get under your skin. He's always been like that, accusatory and using whatever means it takes to win this war. Such a little shit," he made her blood boil every time his name was brought up, "Ugh. Can't stand that guy, need to erase him from my mind. Let's go eat, guys," she suggested waving her arms up as if to clear the air. Lavi suggested katsu, Mei rejected the idea almost immediately. Lavi snorted and suggested ramen the second time around and she grinned. The way she gently touched his arm and laughed, she looked almost like she, no, both of them were finally happy. Allen smiled, it's nice. The expression Lavi normally wears with the one he shows to her is totally different. It's touching, endearing and genuine.
He didn't want to intrude, "Raincheck, Mei. I can't skip," Allen smiled apologetically with his hand up.
"Lame, you should totally skip. Rouvelier doesn't deserve your attention," Mei said folding her arms across her chest, obstinate.
Allen laughed, "You know we'd get into more trouble if I do. I don't want to cause problems for Komui,"
"Next time, I promise," Allen grinned. Mei sighed tilting her head and gave him a pat on his shoulder for good luck. Allen retreated and turned down the other hallway as he walked towards the administration building.
"That's a bummer," Mei said kicking a loose leaf on the ground, "I would've ditched,"
He gave her a smirk, "Of course you would," she stuck her tongue out, "Come on let's go get food," he threw his arm around her so easily that it surprised even her. She peeked up at him while he listed all the ramen toppings he wanted whilst beaming ever so joyfully. His smile, his presence made her so naturally drawn to him. Her heart was palpitating ceaselessly and she felt the butterflies hit, ah, she needed to calm down. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. She enjoyed being next to him, the soft smell of books always made her feel at ease. Without even realizing it, she leaned closer letting his warmth surround her.
They were debating whether kurobata was a better topping than cha siu when they happened upon a small green house on the way to the mess hall. It was a small glass house standing out towards the court yard where the sun was the most prominent. Inside were illuminating colors of different flowers and plants. Intrigued, Mei halted, "What's that over there?" she pointed to the glass house a few yards away.
"That's the science department's green house, specifically the biology sector. They grow various plants in it to test out different things for potions and stuff," he shrugged. He tugged her along but Mei didn't move, she looked up at him biting her lower lip.
"Are we allowed inside?" she asked nonchalantly brushing a few strands of her hair. She was looking longingly at the green house and he could see that the girl really wanted to go inside. Lavi let out his breath through his nose, stuffed his hands in his pockets and stepped off the concrete floor and onto the soft grass.
He looked back at her grinning softly, "Come on," Mei's lips parted in surprise before it was replaced with a smile. She happily followed behind as the two approached the glass house. It was warm inside with a bit of humidity when they stepped in, misters were turned on at some areas watering the plants. He heard her suck in her breath as she took in the sight before her, he couldn't help but laugh. She whipped around, red in the face.
"What?!" she stuttered.
"I didn't pin you the type to be into botany," he replied trying to cover up his laughter. She looked so embarrassed, it was cute. She stalked off while he silently laughed to himself behind her. They stopped at the rose garden of the green house when she reached out to touch one gently before smelling it.
"Not botany, floriculture," she corrected him. She brushed some hair behind her ears as she examined the petals of an orange pink rose in front of her, "It was one of my mother's specialties," she added softly with a tender smile. She was treating the roses like it was something precious to her. Lavi leaned against the glass wall watching her, the way the sun reflected off her wavy dark brown hair, the way her eyes danced and her lilting smile, had she always been this beautiful? He knew he thought she was cute when they first met, but she seemed to have become even prettier over time. Unconsciously, he reached out and touched a strand of her hair. It was as soft as he remembered it when her voice brought him back.
"Um," Lavi caught her eyes that were looking up at him, lips slightly parted and mere inches away, cheeks pink and an unsure gaze. He wasn't certain if it was the green house that was warm or was it because of the small distance between them that had caused a sudden spike in heat. She seemed troubled and flustered, before he realized what he had done.
"Oh," he dropped her hair like burning coals, "Sorry," he mumbled taking a step back. She nervously shook her head and silence fell upon them like a ton a bricks.
Shit. He'd done something weird.
She sighed, "its fine," she smiled again yet he didn't know why it looked so sad, "Nothing of it, right?"
Lavi scratched his head, "Yeah," they walked out of the green house, silence still hanging heavy above them. It didn't sit right with Mei as she furrowed her brows in agitation, it felt like there was something missing. The way he gazed at her, so gently and might she even dare say lovingly? It hurt to hear him agree that it had meant nothing less, nothing more. She wanted the possibility that he would've replied with something else. Mei suddenly looked up, what? No, she couldn't be thinking like that. That kind of thinking could end up breaking her heart, even worse, killed. She lightly tapped her cheeks to slap herself awake from such silly thoughts when she felt Lavi's hand on her head.
"What are you doing?" he laughed at her once again. She was giving him too many opportunities to tease her.
Mei crossed her arms, "Nothing," and like that it was like everything went back to normal, they laughed and he poked fun at her. This was the way it was supposed to be like.
x x x x
He couldn't help but watch her from the edge of his book, she was thrumming through an old encyclopedia about flowers as she hummed to herself, her legs kicking softly in the air. She had her shoes and socks off placed neatly in a pile by the door of their secret reading loft in the library. After lunch Lavi had taken Mei to his favorite hideout spot whenever he needed to get away from his grandfather, or just people in general. It was a reading area encircled by shelves of books on the third floor of the gargantuan library of the Black Order. It opened through a wooden circle door on the floor on the room after climbing a few ladders, the librarian had a soft spot for Lavi who was one of the few that frequented the library and showed him the loft when he was trying to escape the older Bookman one sunny afternoon. He had said it hasn't been used in a while and it was all his if Lavi chose to clean it up. There was a circular opening on one side facing the windows of the library that allowed in sunlight but still shaded enough by the other large bookcases to stay cool and invisible to the rest of the world.
She yawned and felt her eyes droop, it was so nice and quiet up here maybe a nap wouldn't be too bad. She folded her arms using it as a pillow on top of the book she was reading. The last image she saw was a hazy silhouette of Lavi across from her, he seemed almost amused, but she wasn't quite certain as her eyes finally closed sending her off into a dreamless world.
He watched her sleeping figure and found himself inching towards her. She seemed so serene at the moment with the sunlight splashing its golden color upon her hair. There was this strange longing in his heart. He reached out and gently stroked her cheeks, she groaned slightly and nestled closer to him. Lavi felt like an arrow had just shot through his heart, she was too cute. He buried his face into his knee and arms. This was bad, he was getting too close to this girl. His grandfather's sharp voice suddenly penetrated his concentration:
'Do you believe yourself to be God's apostle? You are the successor of the "Bookman" and nothing else. Haven't I taught you to be nothing more than an onlooker regardless of the situation? Don't be taken in by the war… We are only on the Order's side "by chance", all for the sake of recording history.'
His hand paused above her neck and Lavi frowned and laughed with much cynicism. This was so ironic. He was so deep in his own troubles that Lavi didn't notice the door handle shifting. The latch to the door suddenly opened and Lavi's hand jerked away from Mei's face and twirled around in reflex knocking down books that were stacked around them. The noise startled Mei waking her from her sleep as she sat up rubbing her eyes. Both of them looked up watching a slim, but tall old man appear from through the wooden door on the floor, Lavi sighed in relief, "Patrick, it's just you. You scared the bejeesus outta me," Patrick was the headquarter's head librarian, the one that showed Lavi the very room they were in.
The man cleared his throat and adjusted his monocle, he raised his brows at the boy, "Your grandfather was looking for you," his posh London accent very prominent. Lavi groaned inward, this is exactly what he needed right now.
Lavi gave Patrick a wave, "Thanks for always covering for me, Pat,"
Patrick didn't move but he momentarily glanced at Mei, "And the missus, the head branch called and he would like to see you in his office," Mei sat up straighter and nodded. How did Komui know she was here? Patrick gave Lavi a curt nod before descending down the ladder. They sat in the quietness of the room before Mei shifted towards her shoes, she placed them on before opening the door again, and she looked back at him.
"Are you coming?" she asked giving him a smile before pushing some hair away from her face. He stared at her briefly, the way her lips curved so easily into a sardonic grin at times, the way she looked at him and understood, and the way she didn't judge, he wanted to see more sides of her. He suddenly realized something terrifying yet exhilarating. He might actually kind of like her. With this realization, his heart dropped, this wasn't good news because things just got more complicated than it needed to be. Lavi Bookman had fallen so far into the rabbit hole he wasn't sure he could dig himself out of it.
He felt a hard flick to his forehead when he blinked staring into Mei's topaz colored eyes, "Lavi? You still with me?" she called out.
He rubbed his head, stinging, "Yes, yes," he answered hurriedly. He made his way to the door and dropped down to the other level looking up at her with a grin. He had to act normal and hope to god his feelings would dissipate on its own. They went their separate ways as they exited the library, she waved watching the small of his back stand straighter with each step. She couldn't bring herself to walk away just yet, there was something about Lavi that made her heart tighten unexpectedly. Just a little bit she reassured herself. He stopped briefly turned his head to look out a window then over his shoulder. Mei jumped with nowhere to hide as their eyes collided, but she subconsciously turned her head in reflex. She heard the ring of his soft laughter echo the hallway and her face flared. Well, this was embarrassing getting caught red handed staring. She turned her heels just as quick and ran the other way.
She didn't stop until she was in front of Komui's office out of breath, still red in the face. Mei straightened her skirt and knocked on the door. The familiar voice of the head branch granted her entrance as she opened the door to both Lee siblings walking about the office trying to what Mei would assume is an attempt to clean Komui's office. Well, it was more like Lenalee trying to clean while her brother made a bigger mess.
Lenalee stood up and beamed at Mei, "I hope you didn't mind me calling Patrick. I saw you and Lavi headed that way earlier today after lunch," Mei shook her hand brushing it off.
"You need me for something, Komui?" Mei asked putting her hands behind her back.
Komui whirled around with a huge smile on his face, "Yes! You're next job actually," he shifted through his table and pulled out two folders, "And my sister will be accompanying you this time," Mei couldn't help but smile looking at Lenalee whom returned the same expression.
"Your next location is Manchester. A local debutante from an affluent family has killed a diplomat for reasons that we have yet to understand, but my main concern is the repercussions of this attack. It's a very similar incident as the failed assassination attempt of Sheril Kamelot, the Portuguese diplomat. At this rate the world is on the brink of war," Komui said solemnly, "The Vatican needs us to handle the situation before it gets ugly," he finished looking back at them.
Mei snorted under her breath, "Don't we always," That was their job essentially, doing the Vatican's bidding.
"You two leave tonight at 0800, pack and get ready the carriage will meet you at the usual dock," the two girls nodded and headed out the office. Once the door was closed Lenalee turned to Mei with a soft grin.
"Not very fond of the Church are you?" she asked, although meant to be rhetorical.
Mei stared at the ground, her jaws tight, "Because they're hypocritical liars," she scoffed with an acerbic smile, "What kind of organization throws children into the battle field?" she asked pushing off the door of Komui's office. She gave Lenalee a wave letting her know she'll meet her later tonight. Lenalee's heart sank, this was usually the most difficult part of the job and like many, wasn't a topic they liked to discuss without much resentment towards the Vatican.
Lenalee looked at the clock against the wall, it was ten before 8:00pm and Mei still wasn't at the docks. A few more minutes ticked by and just when Lenalee thought Mei might be late the girl was bounding down the stairs of the font gates. Mei hopped onto the carriage just as it was about to leave as Lenalee shut the door behind her. Mei leaned back against the cushioned seats and took a deep breath.
"Almost thought you were going to be late," Lenalee laughed pulling out her her files.
"Sorry, got caught up with something," the girl on the other side replied still trying to catch her breath. Mei was actually making a phone call to Renny as she had promised only to find out that she was sending over someone to check up on her. When she heard who it was her heart almost stopped, Mei tried everything to convince Renny that she didn't need a babysitter. Although the truth was that she really just didn't want that person to be here at the moment. She had enough drama on her plate. Renny had asked why she was so against it and Mei couldn't really give her a legitimate reason.
Renny eventually was able to convince Mei that she was sending a person whether or not she liked it or not because it'll make her worry less about her. Renny had guilt-tripped her. Mei sighed leaning her head against the small windows of the carriage.
"Something wrong, Mei?" Lenalee asked.
"Nope, nothing at all," Mei replied feeling rather drained. Now she was to expect this person within the next few weeks. The dread was strong in her at the moment.
