Chapter Nine: Drive

Summary: His Facebook status let everyone know he wouldn't be back for a while: Allen Walker has gone for a drive. And then the two of them stole out of the room and into the night. AU.

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG-13

Content: Boys kissing, some swearing. :)

Author's Note: Part of the 100 Themes challenge on DeviantArt. 100 chapters about Lavi and Allen as a couple. Don't like it, don't read it.

Legal Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-Man or its characters. They all are property of Katsura Hoshino and I make no profit off these stories.

Thank You To: Dgm-yoai-lover, sweetpotato1992, Nella-has-a-clever-penname, Riyo-sama, BlueFox of the Moon, Ishikawa Yui, Sleeping Moon, Laven Walker, ShinigamixGirl, flicca, AkiChan323, MonElisa, and OyaSUMi-heart, along with everyone else's favorites/alerts. I really, really appreciate it, you have no idea.

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Autumn leaves were falling outside softly on shadowed sidewalks as Allen Walker sat in his room, up late to study for a test he knew he was going to fail the next day. He tapped his pencil irritably, not able to figure out the answers to his algebra study sheet, biting his lip in the steady glow of his desk lamp. Normally, Allen would have been able to study with his bedroom light on, but his Uncle, Cross Marian, was "kind of a crazy" as his friends put it. The man was controlling, and apparently didn't like Allen to be up during the evening hours, no matter what the reason. "This is crap…" Allen muttered to himself, unable to do the problem, unable to use his calculator because the lamp didn't provide enough light to turn the device on. Inside, he seethed thinking about Cross and how the older man thought he could get away with unfair bullshit just because of the forced living arrangements they were currently in. The fact of the matter was that Cross was the adult and Allen the child, and Cross made it very clear to him on many occasions that he could kick him out on the street anytime he wanted. And that was enough to keep Allen in line, especially now that he didn't have anywhere to go, now that Mana, his father, had…

The boy shook his head, closing his eyes as he tried to will away his thoughts. He told himself he wouldn't be sad about his father's death, but even so, he unconsciously touched the scar that marred the left side of his face. It was an everyday reminder to him exactly what had happened and who exactly had left from this world. And because he was thinking about it, Allen could hear the sound the car made as it crashed and the look on his father's face when he died right before his very own eyes...Al…len…I love…y—

It definitely called for some Facebook time. Allen went to the online social network with the hopes to escape from his thoughts and memories, messing around with some applications, commenting on friends' walls and whatnot. He went to one of his closest friend's page and checked out his status: Lavi Bookman is wondering if he can…Allen wondered what that meant, going down to the bottom right hand corner to see if Lavi was on the Facebook chat. He was, but he was idle, so Allen couldn't ask him directly. Instead, he commented on his status. Allen Walker: You can do anything if you try.Allen had no idea what Lavi was thinking about, but at least he was giving him support for whatever it was. And the light-haired boy smiled, thinking about his best friend as he browsed through Lavi's albums. They were mostly of him and Lavi and the few close friends the two of them shared at their high school.

Allen looked through them with a feeling of nostalgia at the grinning faces in all the pictures. They were from plays, field trips, and just random times when Lavi brought his camera to school for the hell of it. Most of them were funny, candid group shots, but then there were the few where it had just been Allen and Lavi hanging out and the redhead had insisted on taking ridiculous photos of the two of them together. The other boy always had his arm around Allen's shoulders, always so close, close enough that he could feel Lavi's pleasant warmth against him…

Flushing, Allen's attention was distracted when he heard a tap, tap somewhere in his room. Blinking, Allen looked around, then heard it again: tap, tap, tap. Glancing up, Allen nearly had a heart attack when the boy he had just been thinking about was suddenly outside his window.

"L-Lavi!" Allen gasped in a hushed whisper, his cheeks red as he went over to the window and opened it, letting in the October breeze. He was hoping to be quiet so he didn't alert Cross to the fact that he was still awake this late at night… "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd drop by," Lavi said easily, quietly slipping into the room from the sturdy tree branch outside, just as he had done many times before when Allen had wanted some company but wasn't allowed to.

"At…twelve-thirty at night?" Allen asked, glancing at the clock quickly before raising an eyebrow in Lavi's direction. Lavi just grinned his usual grin and plopped down on the bed, falling backwards on it.

"Yeah, I mean, why not?" Lavi answered. Allen averted his eyes from his friend, not trusting his traitorous thoughts at that moment. After all, friends didn't look at each other's abdomens when their shirts rode up so tantalizingly...Allen tried to not think about Lavi's nice stomach or the teasing bit of red hair that disappeared into his pants…

"W-Well, it's just…" Allen couldn't think of a reason why, except for the fact that he was slightly uncomfortable with the images in his head of him and Lavi doing some very un-friend like things. These images were enough to make him physically uncomfortable and he hoped that Lavi wouldn't be able to tell... "Ah, never mind…" Uncomfortable or not, Allen was just glad that Lavi was there, not realizing how much he had craved the redhead's presence until that moment.

"Studying for that test, huh?" Lavi asked, rolling over to look at Allen, his green eyes still vibrant even in the dark lighting. He was hugging Allen's pillow to his chest, and the boy could only hope that Lavi's scent would be on it later.

"Yeah…" Allen sighed, sitting down in his desk chair, breathing a sigh of relief at the shift in his mind and body back into 'Lavi-and-Allen-are-just-friends' mode.

"Fuck it, we're going to fail," Lavi said, throwing the pillow back where it had been on Allen's bed. He sat up and then stood, looking suspiciously around. "C'mon. Let's go."

"G-Go? Go where?" Allen asked, surprised at the sudden change of topic.

"I dunno," Lavi replied, scratching his head. "Let's just go for a drive." He had his keys in his hand, twirling the ring around his forefinger. Allen could see all the different keys he had: the ones to his car, his house, his bike, his gym locker, and even Allen's house. There were a few charms as well, like the one that the two of them had made at Wal-Mart some at some random two-in-the-morning trip where they paid five dollars each to make dog tags for each other. Lavi kept his on his keychain because it apparently entertained him: Lavi Bookman. Property of Allen Walker. Allen'ssaid the same thing, only in the reverse, but he had been too embarrassed to carry it around. He flushed again, wondering when the lines between friendship and something deeper had begun to blur…

"But…" Allen murmured, looking over at his desk where the homework he'd never do waited for him.

"Oh, c'mon, Allen," Lavi said, suddenly very close. So close that Allen could smell the faint lingering of aftershave and something cold and crisp like the air outside mixed in with warm chai tea. It was so enticing that Allen forgot how to breathe for a moment. "You need to have some fun."

"I have fun," Allen insisted weakly, his head spinning too much to make himself sound surer of himself. But Lavi was so close and Allen was right at level with his stomach, which he knew to be very nice…

"Allen…" Lavi said, putting his hands on top of Allen's, the ones that were gripping the arms of the chair to keep him from flying off into space. He kept his head bowed so Lavi couldn't see his flushed cheeks. Lavi's palms were so warm against his, Allen felt like melting. "You haven't been, not since…" he trailed off awkwardly, the worry apparent in his voice. "You just need to get out again! Be impulsive and do stupid things!"

"Why?" Allen asked, his previous mood leaking into his thoughts. After his father had died, what could he smile about? Lavi was the one to make him happy, but now when they were together, there were so many different kinds of thoughts that prevented Allen from feeling that friendship they used to share. Gods, when had it melted into such a crush?

"Because I miss your smile," Lavi said, crouching down in front of Allen so they were at eye-level. "And I miss your random, crazy, happy-side. I want Allen back." Lavi looked so uncharacteristically sad that Allen felt his chest get tighter because he knew he was responsible for it.

"Okay," Allen replied, his voice slightly choked. But he managed a small smile and Lavi's expression brightened considerably.

"Awesome. Let's go!" Lavi said, pulling Allen up out of his chair and toward the window.

"H-Hold on," Allen whispered, regretfully taking his hands back from Lavi so he could grab a coat and slip his shoes into some sneakers. His Facebook status let everyone know he wouldn't be back for a while: Allen Walker has gone for a drive. And then the two of them stole out of the room and into the night.

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Lavi's piece of crap car was parked around the block. The redhead had learned early on that Cross was strange, and appropriately called him a "crazy motherfucker". The few times that Lavi had come over during the night since Mana died, he was at least smart as to not alert Cross of the fact that Allen had company.

"Your door's still not fixed," Lavi told him, opening the driver's side door, which Allen habitually climbed in through, over the console and into the passenger seat.

"Your car is a piece of shit, Lavi," Allen said, and Lavi grinned at him as he got in and closed the door, shivering from the cold. Their breath rose in front of them in visible wisps of smoke.

"Yeah," he agreed, turning the key in the ignition, where it made a sad sound as the beaten Chrysler forced itself to start. "But as a person who doesn't have a piece of shit car, you can't insult my piece of shit that takes you places."

"True dat," Allen said, fiddling with the heat to see if it felt like working. The Sundance was almost as old as they were and was extremely temperamental. It was an ugly thing, with peeling white paint and a horridly blue interior. Lavi kept it pretty clean for a guy, and he had been known to sleep in the back when times got too rough at his place. It smelled like air freshener, coffee, and something that could have been marijuana. There was an underlying smell as well, pleasantly old, like the ancient books Lavi loved to read so much. "Where're we going anyway?"

"Wherever we want," Lavi answered, grinning as he held his hands up against the heater.

"Where do we want to go?" Allen asked.

"I dunno. Any place in mind?"

"Not really."

"Then let's just drive."

"Drive?"

"Yeah, just for the hell of it."

"But we have nowhere go."

"Do we need somewhere to go?" Lavi asked, looking at Allen with an intense expression. It wasn't a glare, per say, but just as forceful, as if he were studying Allen closely.

"Well, I guess not,'" Allen said, looking down at his lap where his hands were curled up against the cold. How would they feel in Lavi's, being held like the couples they saw everyday at school?

"Sometimes it's how you get there that matters. You know, the journey and not the destination, and all that jazz," Lavi said, flicking on his headlights. As the lights turned on, illuminating the street before them, Lavi smiled, as if something just turned on like a switch in his brain. "I have an idea."

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"I didn't know Dunkin' Donuts was open this late," Allen said, looking at the box on his knee full of delicious pastry.

"I'm so glad it was," Lavi answered, eyes on the road, but his hand was creeping toward the box. "I've been jonesing for a Kruller for days now." Allen handed him the donut so he didn't veer off the road any more than he was doing.

"I don't think the car should be driving like this…" Allen said, indicating the way it was moving and the sounds it made as it groaned down the highway.

"Yeah, it needs to go in for realignment and everything soon. I just don't have the cash for it now," Lavi replied, in between bites of his Kruller.

"I can front you the money if you need it," Allen said, picking at a glazed donut as he drank some hot coffee.

"I'm not taking your money," Lavi said, picking up his own cup of coffee for a sip after he was done with his food. Lavi was prideful like that, refusing any help anyone wanted to give him, especially when it came to money. To put it nicely, Lavi was poor and spent most of his time taking care of his elderly grandfather. When he wasn't doing that, he was working one of his two jobs, or going to school, or bouncing back and forth between two parents that didn't give a damn about him at all.

"But you're driving a death trap, Lavi," Allen replied, slapping the console.

"Shhh!" Lavi admonished Allen, stroking his steering wheel. "It's okay, babe, he didn't mean it." Then he looked back at Allen almost accusingly. "Don't say stuff like that! She'll get angry and won't run anymore!"

"It's a car, Lavi," Allen replied, rolling his eyes.

"Aw, babe, he really doesn't mean it…" Lavi said to his car, as if it were his lover. Allen wondered fleetingly what it would be like to be Lavi's lover…

"Where are we going, anyway?" Allen asked, not wanting to be lulled into strained silence.

"It's a secret!" Lavi said cheerfully, leaving Allen to munch on his donuts with a pout. It didn't take very long for them to get off the lit highway and to a dim off-ramp, which led them to a quiet neighborhood. A few turns here and there and then they were on a winding road of dark trees and scarce houses. When the car finally came to a stuttering halt, Allen looked around at where Lavi had pulled off, not quite understanding what was so great about the spot that looked like all the others.

"What're we—" Allen tried to ask, but before he could get his question out, Lavi had put the car into park and thrown the emergency brake down before he was climbing over the console and into the backseat. He flipped the seat down, exposing the long space in his hatchback.

"C'mon back here," Lavi said, waving him toward the trunk. "Bring the donuts, too." Allen complied, moving into the back of the car, which was padded with something he figured out was a thermal sleeping bag spread out. There were a few pillows and some blankets as well.

"What are we doing, Lavi?" Allen asked, glad that the only light was from the moon above them so that Lavi couldn't see the red blush that threatened to overwhelm his body. He and Lavi were somewhere private in the back of his car and they were so close and how easy would it be to say that one of them was cold so could they put their arms around one another?

"Lay back and look," Lavi said, stretching out on his back, his top half in the trunk, below the waist out in the backseat. There was enough room for Allen to do the same beside him, so he did, lying down. Lavi threw a few blankets over them and Allen wondered exactly what was going on.

"Look at what?" Allen asked, wanting to only look at Lavi.

"Up," Lavi said, and Allen turned his head to stare straight up. Through the curved glass of Lavi's hatchback trunk lid, he could easily see an indigo sky filled with twinkling stars. He took in a gasp of breath at how beautiful it was.

"Wow…" Allen whispered, staring at the night sky with awe.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lavi asked, so close to Allen that he could feel the warm length of his body against his, hear the brush of his hair against the blanket.

"It's amazing…" Allen said.

"I'm glad you like it," Lavi murmured against Allen's ear. So distracted by the stars, Allen didn't realize that Lavi had turned on his side until he felt the redhead's cheek against his shoulder.

"Lavi?" Allen asked, his heart beating so madly in his chest, he worried Lavi could hear it.

"Sorry," Lavi said, but didn't move away. In fact, he snuggled closer, moving his hands under the blankets to wrap around Allen's body in a sort of embrace. "'m cold."

"Are you?" Allen inquired, letting teasing disbelief color his tone.

"Yes!" Lavi answered, finding the hand Allen had hoped Lavi would hold and clasping onto it. His fingers were like ice.

"You are cold," Allen said, all teasing leaving his voice.

"Warm me up, then?" Lavi asked, still playful. Allen squeezed Lavi's hand before bringing it under his shirt, shivering in delight as the chilled flesh brushed his abdomen and rested on his chest. "Allen…?" Lavi's words didn't reach Allen's ears, as the boy was too busy feeling and touching, moving his hands under Lavi's shirt to feel the warm skin under his thermal. He felt Lavi shiver against him. "Your hands are cold too…" Lavi murmured, lips brushing against Allen's throat and fingers dancing over his nipple in a way that made the smaller boy arch into him.

"Warm me up, then," Allen said, opening his eyes half-way through the haze of pleasure he was experiencing. Above him there were the stars, so beautiful, and red hair beside him, belonging to the person that he had jumped over the line between "just friends" with. Lavi made a sound something like a whimper against Allen's throat and then his hand was gone from Allen's chest and rested against his scarred cheek.

"We…can't go back…to the way we were before if I do…" Lavi answered, his face still hidden, his tone sounding conflicted. Allen dragged his fingertips down Lavi's spine, reveling in the way he felt the redhead's skin tremble under the touch.

"I don't want it to," Allen whispered, and in the light of the moon and the stars their lips met for the first time. It was better than Allen could ever have imagined it: the feel of such warmth from another person, a hand cupping his cheek, the other holding him. And even when they parted, it was vertigo: the brush of Lavi's lips against his fluttering eyelids and Allen's cheek that had been scarred in the accident and then to his mouth again with an almost hungry intensity that continued to burn long into the morning hours.

When Allen awoke the next morning, it was in Lavi's arms, underneath a pile of warm blankets, to a car that was cold in the dawn. It smelled like donuts and coffee and fresh trees and something that attested to how Allen and Lavi had spent the better part of the morning. But it was all comforting and soothing, and Allen was perfectly content to wake this same way for the rest of his days, even if it meant being slightly sore and spending the nights on slightly damp sheets.

Lavi was asleep beside him, eyes closed peacefully in slumber, his red hair tussled and wild, the smooth arch of his bare shoulder peeking out from under the blanket. Allen smiled and pulled the covers over him a little more so he didn't freeze. Leaning forward, Allen gently kissed Lavi's lips overjoyed that this was real and not a dream after all…One of Lavi's eyes cracked half-way open to regard him.

"G'mornin'," he murmured, smiling sleepily. Allen smiled back, mussing up his hair affectionately before curling up against him for warmth, sliding his arm around Lavi's waist.

"Good morning," Allen said, nuzzling against Lavi's collarbone. He felt Lavi kiss the top of his head adoringly and he thought his heart might melt with happiness. Lavi settled back down after a moment, hugging Allen to him for a moment before he lifted his head tiredly and looked around.

"W'time izzit?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter," Allen replied, keeping him from moving any further by holding him tighter.

"School…?" Lavi wasn't one to easily be able to form sentences early in the morning apparently.

"We were going to fail that test anyway," Allen said. "Besides, we deserve a day off…" Both Cross and Lavi's grandfather would be pissed, but everything was so perfect and Allen didn't want it to end.

"Agreed…" Lavi yawned and then sighed, twining their legs together for more heat. His arm was around Allen, Lavi's fingertips tracing lethargic shapes on his shoulder blades and the curve of his spine.

"Lavi…" Allen said, his eyes closed, purring contently at their position and the way Lavi was so lovingly touching him.

"Hmm?" Lavi replied, his breath ghosting over Allen's hair like a caress.

"Thank you," Allen said, looking up at him with a smile. It felt like the first time he had truly smiled since Mana's death. Lavi smiled back at him adorably, still half asleep.

"For what?" he asked.

"For the drive," Allen replied, kissing Lavi gently on the lips again. He smiled and stroked Allen's cheek, leaning forward to return the kiss only this time it was deeper, more meaningful, like Lavi was trying to speak to him through such sweet contact.

Anytime.

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OMAKE

"Lavi."

"What?" Lavi asked, looking up when his name was called. Lenalee Lee was standing there, looking at him strangely. Allen glanced up from his book at her as well, wondering why she appeared so confused. Certainly she hadn't seen his and Lavi's clasped hands underneath the library desk?

"Aren't you hot?" she asked, indicating the scarf around Lavi's neck. He colored a little, but shook his head with a smile.

"Nah, not really," Lavi lied, the tone obvious in his voice. Truth was, Allen and Lavi hadn't gone to school the day after their drive. They had spent most of that Thursday doing some very un-friend like things that made it hard for Allen to sit properly in class the following day. And because of that, Allen retaliated by giving Lavi a hickey. It was fairly large, but Allen thought it was beautiful, feeling some sort of pride that he had marked Lavi in that way. Lavi was his and his heart was warmed by the thought.

"Allen?"

"Yes?" Allen asked, pulling himself out of his thoughts to look up at Lenalee again.

"Is that a…collar you're wearing?" Lenalee asked, making Allen go as red as Lavi's hair. He was wearing a choker-like object around his neck, but it was to cover up his hickey that he had been given by his boyfriend earlier that morning. Lavi had cornered him in the bathroom, pouting because he had to wear a scarf all day, and proceeded to snog the hell out of Allen, causing them to miss much of study hall. And then after the mark materialized, Lavi conveniently pulled out a small cat collar from his bag.

"N-No…"

But Lenalee didn't believe him, he could tell as she walked away, glancing over at them suspiciously. Lavi was laughing quietly beside him and gave Allen's hand a squeeze. The smaller boy's cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, the silver tag around his neck shining in the afternoon sunlight: Allen Walker. Property of Lavi Bookman.

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(Random ramble)

I love how my craptastic car had a cameo in this chapter. For those of you wondering, yes I do drive a POS Chrysler Sundance and it looks and acts exactly how it's described in this story. But if she asks, I love her to death. If anyone tells her that I've been talking bad about her, she won't work. And when Romilda gets mad, I don't get to drive anywhere…

Anyways.

Cuuuuute :D I love writing AU.

Chapter 9: Breathe Again

Allen nearly drowns, but Lavi helps him to breathe again.

Peace, love, and muffins, everyone.

Dhampir72