Naturally, nothing was ever set in stone. Nothing was ever promised, nor distributed without a price. Lavi, Kanda, Lenalee had expected nothing less from the Noah's, but rather than a simple obstruction here or there on the way home, something..unexpected had taken place, instead.
Yet, that wasn't quite right. It'd certainly been a long time coming indeed, but so suddenly..
The news was received on the exact day of Lavi's coronation, not an hour prior to the ceremony.
The kingdom of Noah had officially dissolved; that was nothing new. In fact, it had all but been determined long ago. However, no one had taken the time to separate and or restrain the family from one another. Although the story wasn't quite clear, it appeared that the Earl, understandably frustrated with his lineage for betraying his word, had felt it necessary to take his vices out on them. A plea from help was all it had taken to draw attention to the should-have-been abandoned castle, and cut the man off completely.
Actually, that wasn't it. Excommunication from the church and any and all kingdoms shortly followed afterwards, along with charges of the assault, battery, and kidnapping of Allen Walker. The Earl was sentenced to life in a maximum security kingdom for crimes against humanity, as similar charges against nameless, countless others began piling up as victims and the occasional bodies were identified.
The rest of the Noah family, depending on their claims, were taken into custody by royal officials from the Black Order, who kept them under constant surveillance. Each member of the family faced and was due to face questioning until Allen Walker was able to testify.
Ah-Allen Walker. On that note, he had yet to awaken from his week long slumber.
It was a shame, but all throughout Lavi's coronation, Allen remained fast asleep.
Lavi, though heartbroken, wouldn't let the situation deter his enthusiasm. Because in a matter of minutes, hours, days, months, years at best-Allen was due to awaken. That was that. He would awaken, in all but a matter of time.
"Aren't you the slightest bit worried?" Chomesuke whispered as she gave the former king an honest look of curiosity.
He gave her a glance in return, but kept his gaze focused on the boy-his son, holding the hand of his fallen friend as he sat solemnly at his bedside. He kept his voice low, "I'm not sure. If Allen, as Lavi believes, makes a full recovery..then I'm not worried at all."
She bowed her head, "But you aren't sure if that will happen, are you?"
"I can't say I'm sure of anything, nowadays. I was sure the Noah would have initiated some sort of counter attack on the kingdom, or at least stage a small rebellion, but attacking Allen..what were they hoping for?"
Chomesuke shook her head, "I've seen the signs all along, but..I'll..."
He huffed in flight annoyance, "I don't see how it's so complicated. I've seen it too, but Lavi is far too dense to catch on to even the slightest hint of-"
"Y-Your majesty, er, I'm sorry, Bookman, Lavi is speaking!"
"What's so great about that?"
She bravely hushed him as she lowered herself to the ground, in vain hopes of remaining as silent as a shadow. The king brushed it off and looked onward, hoping she'd begin to make a bit of sense.
"Hey, Allen." Lavi whispered as he gently brushed the skin of Allen's right arm. "I'm sure you can hear me, but you're not giving me any signs. What's up with you?"
His majesty decided that now would be a good time to let Lavi alone with his thoughts..and Allen. Chomesuke caught the look he was giving her and hurriedly followed, gently shutting the door behind them.
Lately, there's a constant pain in my chest.
Lavi never noticed. "You have to wake up soon, got it?" he clutched his limp hand with both of his own, "Your skin is getting a little cold. You need to wake up..don't you miss the sunlight? Spring will arrive soon, and I want you to be here. You haven't forgotten about that, right? You promised..before..you promised you would celebrate with me. You swore we'd lay there again.."
I don't know what you're trying to say.
Spring..That was right, it had been at least a month since they had retrieved Allen. Spring was approaching.
Truth be told, Lavi had all but forgotten. He'd kept his thoughts solely, foolishly focused on Allen as he tried to get on with life..Although, it felt a bit slow.
Life felt a bit slow. Without Allen around, he was just a little bit slower. But, he'd hoped that no one noticed.
I'm helplessly assuming that it's you, trying to reach out to me.
"You need to wake up, alright?" he let out a bitter chuckle as a tear slipped down his face. "I don't want to lose a friend, Allen. I can't lose another one..You're holding me together, alright? You once told me that I'd lose myself without you around, to keep me on my feet, remember?"
He loosened his grip on Allen's hand, in sudden fear that he might break the skin. He kept his hands on the bedside, but leaned in to touch Allen's chest with his forehead. "You can't tell me that you've forgotten."
And the images..they wont go away.
A world without you around..
A world where I've left you behind.
Lavi smiled to himself as he glanced up at Allen's pale face, "You..I remember, you once told me you didn't care. You're still alive..I know I can barely feel your heartbeat and I can't hear your voice, but if you truly.." he wiped away the tear that had formed on Allen's left eye, "If you truly intended to leave me behind, then why are you crying?"
But I'll wake up, because I can't bear to experience that kind of pain again.
Even if I don't remember..
I'll never leave you, got it?
A cold hand reached out to cup Lavi's crying face. His single eye was red and surely lacked sleep, but..
Allen didn't mind. Because he had survived, and he had lived to see today..
"A-Allen!" Lavi shouted as he hooked two arms around the boy and pulled him close, "You're here! You're awake!"
To which Allen simply chuckled as he wiped his own tears away, "I'm hardly in the position to disappoint his majesty."
And yet, that didn't feel right.
"Lavi..What day is it?"
Lavi smiled sadly, "Day before the first of spring. I thought for sure you were going to miss it."
"The..first day of spring? Has it really been that long?"
"It has."
He'd so much to say, so much to share, so much to get off his chest..so why were they making small talk?
There was no time to waste anymore.
"Allen, I know today isn't the day, and I'll be pushing you pretty far but..you have to come with me!"
"C-Come with you?" he threw the blankets off his waist, despite the hesitation, "Where are we going?"
Lavi grinned and rose to his feet, "You're going to have to find out. Come with me, got it?"
Allen nodded. He hopped to his feet.
..Only to feel the world shake and twist and turn to his disapproval, knocking him right back down.
"A-Allen, are you alright?"
Allen nodded, "My legs are a bit week..I'm not surprised. After all that time, I'm surprised that I'm able to move at all."
Lavi gave him a sad smile of knowing, to which Allen felt so ashamed.
After all he'd gone through..all this to let Lavi down in the end?
"I..I'm sorry.."
He shrugged, "It's fine, it's fine. I'll just..We'll have to improvise."
Allen, a bit frightened, opened his mouth in question but faltered in an attempt to conceal his squeal of fear as Lavi lifted the boy off his feet, and into his arms.
"L-Lavi put me down! This is wrong, someone will see us!"
He laughed, "If you can't walk, I'll just have to carry you there. Now quiet down, Allen! Someone might hear you."
"I hardly think my voice is the problem here!"
Yet, Lavi couldn't bring himself to care. He knew that Allen was going to protest, hit him, quite possibly kick him as he ran throughout the castle, up that corridor, out the door, past the throne room, and up to that hill where they would lay and-well, he hadn't really thought that far ahead. But once he'd reached that beloved spot, he knew it was all worth it.
"L-Lavi?"
He found himself smiling down at Allen as he'd reached the top of the hill. "We're here."
He laid Allen down on the grass. Although a bit worried that Allen may not be able to stand on his own, he shook it off. It was nothing that couldn't be remedied later. The strength in his legs would return, the violence and resistance would resume, but he would have his Allen back.
And Lavi bit his tongue.
Just when had Allen become his property? Perhaps the old man really did have a point..
However, that was a thought best saved for later.
For now all that mattered was the boy laying by his side, and the overwhelming sense of peace he'd obtained upon meeting Allen's eyes of beautiful silver. The nagging feeling in his chest prolonged, but he didn't mind. This was far too surreal.
A gentle, pale hand wrapped around his own. Lavi gave it a reassuring squeeze as he settled comfortably into the grass.
There was so much to say. But where was one supposed to start in a situation like this?
"..I really wish you could have been there for the ceremony."
Allen looked away, "I'm sorry about that, Lavi. You must have worried.."
He laughed, because that was far too obvious. "I can't exactly say that I was content with the fact the Noah's had kidnapped my best friend."
"Best friend?" Allen laughed along, "I'm your only friend, Lavi."
He hesitated; unsure of whether or not Allen was just crazy or..
Ah, that's right. He'd yet to meet Lenalee, or Kanda.
"I'll have to introduce you, later on. I'm sure they'll come looking for us soon enough."
"Who?"
"Nothing. It's not important, I'll tell you all about it later."
Yet the feeling was still there. The feeling that he'd done something wrong, avoided a serious topic, changed the subject..
But what was he so afraid of saying?
Was it the fear of dragging up haunted memories? The sadness that took hold when he thought of Allen's prior condition? He was sure there had to be more to it than that..It all seemed..so simplistic.
Or perhaps it was paranoia.. but not quite.
"Lavi..I have to tell you something."
Lavi perked up, "What is it?"
Allen looked a bit pained. Lavi noticed. "Hey, is something the matter? Do you want to go back inside?"
He shook his head and pressed his fingers to Lavi's lips as he felt the oncoming rambles of worry, "I feel fine, but..I don't know how to tell you this."
"Allen, you can tell me anything. We promised each other that freedom, right?"
His lips tugged into a bit of a crooked smile, "I suppose so, but.."
He frowned, "What is it? Are you unhappy?"
"I..It's just.."
Sudden realization hit.
What if Bookman was actually right?
What if Allen had no intention of becoming someone's property? Not that Lavi considered him such, but.. What if Allen really felt smothered by the former prince's presence and decided that enough was enough? Was he going to leave after all he'd been through? Not that anyone would blame him..
Oh god, no one would blame him. That also meant that nobody would stop him and if nobody stopped him..
He held his chest as it began to beat violently. For once, something actually hurt. Even after all these years of trying so desperately to disconnect his misplaced feelings, they resurfaced for Allen, despite his own selfish want of repression.
"Lavi, are you alright?"
He let go of his chest and feigned a smile. Yeah, I'm fine. What did you want to tell me, Allen?
It's what he wanted to say. God how he wanted to say it..How he wanted things to just return to the way they were, but.. That didn't feel right either. Rather than returning, he wanted to move forward. But where exactly would he go?
The words slipped out before he'd truly thought them through, "Allen, I want you to stay here."
"What was that?"
He covered his mouth, "I..ah, y'see.." How was he supposed to cover this one..?
"Did you say that..you wanted me to say?"
He laughed as he nervously rubbed the back of his head, "Well..sure. Why wouldn't I want you to stay? After all, you're..the best friend a guy could ask for, y'know?"
Allen chuckled, "I..appreciate that, Lavi. But you don't need to..lie to me. I haven't exactly told you all I know.."
"All you know?" he cocked his head to the side and looked Allen in the eyes.
Allen quickly looked away, but spoke in a soft whisper. "What if I were to tell you..that you don't know who I really am?"
"Who you really are?" he repeated, but the words still felt a bit foreign. How could Allen possible be anyone other than Allen? Did he even know what he was implying?
"I..should start from the beginning."
And so, he did. He started with the day he met Lavi, and quickly added in that his mind had been all but blank until the upcoming recent events. Despite not knowing who he was for the first few years of his life, and meeting Mana, he'd remembered very key elements of his life..yet, fractured memories, of the best of them. The first key memory being the day he was taken to the castle. The day Tyki had attacked him in that ally..the sly look the earl gave him as his eye was nearly cut into two..
But that wasn't where the memories began. Rather, they'd compiled into the forms of dreams that he'd often had in the wake of the Noah's dungeon. The beautiful music, the piano, the soothing voice that lulled him to sleep after a brutal beating, or a rough night. The former kept in mind, he recalled how he'd sometimes hum out the melody or absentmindedly sing along to the mysterious tune.
On that final night, it had all come back to him.
The white castle, the silver crown, the smiling faces as he was welcomed to the kingdom. His burning reddish brown hair as he held his father's hand, walking up and down the isle. The face of a man he barely recognized, but a name and a title came in mind.
That was when Allen told Lavi all about father Mana, and uncle Neah.
Then, he'd skipped to the day of the castle's collapse. Homeless and snowbound, he held Mana's trembling hand tightly as he tried to console him, offering comforting words of Neah's passing. It was a shame, truly, but..
Even so, they'd shared a love and a bond. Up until that day..
Retelling the story of that day felt similar to reliving it. As if impacted all over again, a few tears slipped down his pale face. Lavi, acting on impulse, held him closely, just for a moment. Until Allen had let out all his frustrations.
And was Lavi angry? Did Lavi hate Allen for sharing the past he'd never known he had? The memories that he could have lived with his father, should that day have never happened?
The hell that he'd been put through as a child..It was inhumane.
So, was he angry?
No. He couldn't have felt a bit of anger towards Allen if he tried.
"I'm sorry, Lavi.." he offered weakly as he pushed himself away from Lavi's warm chest, "I'm sorry that I've kept these dreams from you, all along.."
"It's not your fault, Allen. It's not my place to know."
"But you deserve-"
"I don't deserve anything from you, Allen. If you weren't comfortable with telling me..well, I wouldn't want to be the guy to force you, got it?"
He smiled, "Thank you, Lavi. I'm glad that..you don't hate me."
His chest swelled again. He knew he wasn't capable of hating Allen..he felt so much more than hate, but what was it?
"Allen.." he whispered as he tilted Allen's chin up toward his own, "You're comfortable with me, right?"
Allen shuddered, but nodded. He whispered as well, "Why?"
"I..just.." he trailed off as he inched closer to Allen.
Well, at least he wouldn't have to say it out loud..for now.
He planted a soft, gentle kiss on Allen's lips. Allen didn't move, nor fight, nor push him away. Rather, he pressed his arms against Lavi's chest and inched up to hold onto his shoulders.
When he pulled away, Lavi panicked.
"Ah, I..uh, Allen..I-I didn't-"
"Lavi.." he cocked his head to the side, before smiling what appeared to be, for the first time in what felt like forever, a genuine, real smile. "Thank you..for caring about me."
And suddenly, it felt like a dream come true.
The pain was gone, his heart stopped beating in the best way, and for the first time since coronation, he felt like royalty.
Was that really all it had taken?
"Ah, but..Bookman wont be happy."
"Why wont he?" he asked in a hurry. Bookman didn't seem like the type to prejudice, what with the regular freak show he'd come so prone to raising, but..
"Well..wont he want a son to inherit the throne one day?"
He..hadn't really thought about that. But if that was the issue, they'd work something out. They'd find a prince, eventually..After all, Lavi was prove enough that royalty didn't run by blood. Besides, what was a kingdom without Allen around?
He laughed and laughed and laughed as he pulled Allen into his chest, nuzzling comfortably into the side of his neck.
"Well, as they say, Allen. Long live the king."
A/N: This was originally a one shot are you kidding me what's wrong with me why can't I follow through with the goals I set for myself -tableflip-
P.S. That end, wouldn't it be king(s) instead of king? Oh well.
P.P.S. Someone needs to turn this into a lemon. I'd do it if I had the manliness. I don't know why, I just feel as though a lemon would fit. Maybe that's just Laven, though.
