White Demon, Red Scribe
A D Gray-Man and Assassin's Creed Revelations Crossover
Lavi led the way, stopping at different places marked in the Assassin's log book to confirm some of the information in it, and ask about rumors or recent happenings at some shops. After a time, they came to the district's blacksmith shop he had mentioned before.
Lavi didn't immediately see a shopkeeper, though his single, watchful eye soon found a figure within. A small one.
The figure was short and brown-haired, working the bellows of a furnace. It looked like only a kid, maybe twelve years at the most, skin tainted dark shades of pink and wiping sweat off his brow with the back of his sleeve.
"Hey there," he acknowledged, finally getting the kid's attention. Lavi wore a charming smile and leaned one elbow on the counter. "Say, you wouldn't by any chance happen to-" He didn't get the chance to finish as the boy ducked through a door into the back room, leaving the redhead to trail off mid-sentence. He glanced at Allen. "...well that was a little rude. Could've at least let me finish what I was going to say," he mused.
After a few seconds, a fully grown man appeared to greet them, wearing a deep-set frown.
"Is there something I can do for you?"
"Well first off, we might be interested in taking a look at some of your wares... any new weapons or armor you might have," Lavi spoke, starting off with an easier topic before he'd bring up the Assassin-targeted death. "Specifically ones you might have for my friend here," he motioned to Allen a moment with a small jerk of his head.
Allen chuckled at the boy's dismissal and greeted the blacksmith with a silent nod and a wave of his hand.
He kept silent as Lavi talked to the man. He stared at the door leading to the backroom for a while, spacing out. Suddenly, the door moved ever so slightly.
The brown-haired boy briefly glanced out from the back again warily. Allen smiled sweetly and waved his hand at him. The child didn't return the greeting, mostly watching the shopkeeper. After a moment, he re-emerged to take a seat at the far side with a flagon of water, drinking it down thirstily and leaning forward to dump what was left of it over his hair, shaking his head off. He looking sufferingly hot.
Allen's attention was brought back to Lavi as the redhead continued speaking.
"If not that, then maybe you could give some of his gear a look-over for damage?"
The man nodded and straightened up, eyeing Allen's assassin gear appraisingly, and tossed a glance over his shoulder at the child.
"Hey, boy, go in the back and check our stock," he barked. "-and when you're done with that, get back to those bellows, and make sure that furnace is good and hot! I didn't say you could take a break!"
The brunette gave the man a dirty glance, looking like he had some sort of biting retort just itching on the tip of his tongue, but thought better of it and disappeared into the back room again without a word, returning with a few items that he deposited on the counter and then quickly retreated back to work.
"Geez, and I thought my old man was a slave-driver," Lavi couldn't help but whisper near Allen's ear while the man's back was turned, too quietly to be overheard, and going back to looking as though he'd never said anything when the man turned back to them.
"These are what we have available at the moment in large weapons, if any of them interest you."
Allen leaned forward, sparing only a second to peek at the boy who disappeared into the shop again.
He had to admit that if it wasn't for Lavi, he would have probably made his life even more difficult than it already is. He hadn't thought about checking his armor and weapons in a long time. He was too used to wearing just light garbs. They made sneaking and fast killing much easier, and most of the time he didn't need any proper armor pieces.
Thinking about that and looking at the goods the blacksmith was offering he remembered another thing. Maybe he could finally put that armor to a good use. Allen made a mental note to check on it later. Patting his vembraces, he nodded to the man.
"How fast can you have this repaired?" he asked, mentally crying for his damaged and neglected gear. "Also, show me your small blades." He looked at Lavi and clarified: "Better to use those. I can't swing my broadsword around so freely here."
"Boy, go fetch the small blades," the man snapped over his shoulder, before grumbled something incoherent under his breath as he inspected the pieces of armor Allen indicated, idly grinding his jaw.
Lavi took the time that the man was inspecting the armor and humming to himself in thought to get a proper look at him. If he had to guess a place of origin, he'd have to say the guy was probably Finnish, perhaps a little bit Polish as well, with dirty-blond hair and a sturdy build.
His single eye slid to the kid, though it was a little harder to get a direct look at him. He'd probably have to guess Norwegian, or one of its neighboring countries, with maybe a little asian mixed in, though diluted across several generations. He had a small build and the white shirt he wore - which had several spots that were burned or singed, probably from working around hot metal and fire - was entirely too big for his slight frame, held in place from draping too low by a thick, leather, outer belt on his waist.
"...you've put some real wear and tear on these," the man finally spoke, breaking Lavi's train of thought. "-but I think I can fix them up adequately enough given a few days, or it could take longer. It depends on how quickly you need these back. The longer I have them, the more thorough of a job I can do. It would take less time if you'd get them maintenanced more regularly though."
Allen scratched his head and chuckled nervously at the scolding.
"Well, didn't get the time to think about that. Too busy for that. I can probably leave it here for a week. But anyway," he added quickly, "didn't you want something, too, Lavi?" he asked, watching the small boy stagger to the front of the shop with the daggers.
Lavi nodded, casually leaning against the wall alongside the counter and discreetly glancing about the street, just to be sure nothing looked suspicious.
"We were hoping you might also have some information for us," he began. "There was a murder recently, specifically targeted at the Assassins."
The man nodded his head distractedly as the boy deposited the blades and once again ducked away back to the furnace skittishly. Something about the kid's demeanor seemed odd to the redhead, but he couldn't place his finger on exactly what it was that was bugging him. He supposed it didn't matter at the moment.
"I heard about that. 'real shame." The man didn't sound like he particularly cared.
"It's possible that they could target any allies in the city as well, so I figured it might be a good idea to give you a heads up as well. It would be helpful if you'd heard or seen anything too," Lavi stated.
"Well, I'm just going to tell you what I told the ones that asked me the same thing yesterday. I didn't see nothin', or hear nothin'. If I do, you'll be the first ones to know."
Allen gave Lavi a pointed look and then glanced at the door where the little boy disappeared again.
"Nice blades." The white-haired man praised, carefully fingering the weapons. He needed something speedy. A slim, slightly curved blade caught his eye. "This one looks fine..." He trailed off, carefully dragging his finger across the sharp side. "Mind if I try it out?" He asked, only slightly turning to Lavi, trying to find out if he needed a distraction or not.
He liked the blacksmith less and less with every second. His goods were top quality, though, he thought, turning around the slim dagger.
"Go ahead," the man nodded. "Just don't go running off with it or anything."
Lavi exchanged the brief glance with Allen and eyed the inside of the shop, or the parts that he could see at least, his trained eye trying to pick out anything that might be amiss. Their enemy was likely part of the Assassins as well, after all, albeit a different location, so it wasn't entirely ungrounded to assume that they might have help. It didn't hurt to be absolutely sure.
Nothing immediately jumped out at him as potentially suspicious, though he did notice the kid watching the pair out of the corner of a blue eye. It was subtle, and likely someone else might have missed it, but not Lavi.
"What about him?" Lavi proposed with a discreet motion of his head. "Maybe he saw or heard something?"
The kid didn't acknowledge him, and after a moment the man straightened up and swiveled to look over at the brunette that either didn't hear or was pointedly ignoring them. Somehow Lavi guessed the latter over the former.
"Hey, boy! He's asking you a question! Did you know anything?"
"No," the boy finally spoke in answer without looking away from his work, Lavi having to strain to hear him. The brunette's voice was soft-edged and hoarse, either like he talked too much and was losing his voice, or didn't talk enough.
"What was that?" the man snapped, the boy flinching and finally stopping to look over at the blacksmith. For a moment, Lavi could almost feel the silent tension in the air between the two as they stared each other down, as if they were having a silent battle of wills, before the kid looked away again.
"No, master."
The man snorted again and turned back towards them, seemingly satisfied.
"Dumb brat can't even remember his manners. I doubt he'd remember anything even if he'd seen something," he dismissed with a sniff, before his attention went back to Allen. "So how do you like that blade?"
Allen frowned at the blacksmith's attitude towards the boy. Sure, he himself had to endure his own master's antics but Cross was never like this. He also knew that the children in the streets had a hard life but there was no reason to make it even harder.
His patience with the man was dangerously nearing its limit.
The assassin swung the blade and bore it into the wooden counter, right next to the blacksmith's hand, making the man jump slightly.
"Blade's fine." Allen gave a short answer with a sweet smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'll come back for that armor in five days." He jerked his head towards the vembraces next to the pile of daggers. "I'm sure you'll do your best with them," he said with false cheer. Glancing at the boy for the last time, he turned to Lavi again. "We're done here, I believe. Keep that blade for me, please!" Allen added, pointing at the dagger still wedged in the wood. "I'm going to pick it up later."
The man gave the assassin a glare though if he had anything to say, he kept it to himself, instead nodding with a scowl etching his features.
"Five days it is then."
Lavi gave the blacksmith one last glance before he moved to follow Allen, casually shoving a hand into his pocket as he trailed just a step or two behind. He didn't opt to speak until the shop was a ways behind them.
"You okay there, 'sprout?" he questioned, having noticed Allen's temper start to flare. Not that it was easy to miss. The other male could lash like a snake when something managed to get under his skin. "Y'know making the guy fear losing his hand might not be the best idea when he's the one you're relying on to work on your armor and weapons."
"Well, it's not like I can't punish him in case he chooses to sabotage my gear," Allen grumbled back. Really, when did he became so short tempered? Kanda sure started to rub off on him... "We need to speak to that boy," he said, sighing heavily. "He couldn't be any more suspicious... I bet he knows something. But anyway - how about the taverns? I trust Kanda's assassins but I'd rather make sure myself."
Lavi only chuckled and idly scratched the side of his cheek.
"Yeah, that's true, I guess," he mused. He nodded his head at the other bit about the kid. "-and I have to agree. Something about that boy is bugging me too but I can't place exactly why, other than maybe he's hiding something." He shrugged dismissively. "Anyway, we can always cross that bridge a little later. We'll try the taverns for now and see where that gets us."
He didn't comment about the part of the other assassins. It wasn't like double-checking and covering all of their bases was a bad idea, after all. Lavi had told him they should be careful before and this certainly fell under that advice.
Allen nodded, flexing his hands and trying his hidden blades few times. It somehow became a habit when he was nervous and it helped him to calm down.
"I could always come by later and tell him to send the boy with the gear. That way we will be able to talk to him properly. So, where do you want to start? It's not like we can only go in and start asking questions. We might as well enjoy ourselves while we do so. After all, people always talk more when they feel comfortable."
He would let Lavi decide which taverns were going to be first on their list. With a heavy sigh, he braced himself for a very possible hangover that might occur tomorrow.
Lavi nodded as he overtook Allen to lead the way. There were only a handful of places in town, but he had already learned where all of them were. He figured they'd start at the closest one and steadily go from one to another on their way back towards the Galata den. Taverns usually held a wealth of information and rumors, so long as one knew how to sniff them out, and Lavi was an expert at sniffing out intel.
"Sounds like a plan to me," he agreed. "Anyway, there's one this way near the center of town on this side of the water. We'll start there, then the one on the west end, and finish at the one by the docks in the Galata district."
"Your choice!" Allen chirped, bowing in mock and gesturing with his hand for Lavi to lead the way. "Any specialties you'd recommend, sir?" He laughed, adding a warning. "And be careful with the ladies. They tend to be more deadlier than men around here."
Lavi laughed heartily.
"I'd recommend keeping it light on the alcohol," Lavi teased. "Information is only useful if you're of enough sobriety to remember it, and we have three taverns to check before the night is over." They couldn't entirely not order something though. Lips were a bit more loose when those giving it were getting something in return after all. It was always wise to flash a little coin before getting down to business. "And please, you give me too little credit. You think I don't know how to handle tough ladies? Feisty or not, a woman is still a woman, and I can be quite charming if I do say so myself."
"We will see about that, but first..." Allen trailed off looking around. "I knew it was somewhere here! Come!" He said, urging Lavi forward.
They came to a halt in front of the tailor shop and Allen puffed his chest in self-satisfaction. No getting lost this time!
"Hello," he greeted, leaning over the counter, peeking inside. In short order, he arranged for some less flashy clothing and changed.
"I can't just run around taverns in my assassin gear - that attracts too much attention and even though it is good while I... interrogate people one on one, it doesn't help me much when we're in a public place," the white haired man said, tuning around and adjusting his new, much plainer clothes. "Now we are ready to go!" He exclaimed, saying his thanks to the tailor, reminding him to stash his original clothes somewhere and that he's going to pick them up later. "Lead the way!"
Lavi nodded his approval and once again took the lead once Allen was ready, thinking it a good idea that Allen was really using his head now and trying to be more careful than he had been before, with not trying to draw too much attention.
They went to the first and second tavern, and there were some rumors to be found - certainly and always - and none of it entirely worthless knowledge, but none along the lines of what they were searching for. They still had the one last tavern to check, however, which they headed to directly after stepping off the ferry.
When they reached the building, he set his sights on a few chairs around the bar, leading the way there. He greeted the barkeeper with an acknowledging smile as he took a seat.
"You two here for a drink?" Lavi nodded his head. "Can I interest either of you in our house special?" Lavi wasn't really sure what that was, but he decided it better not to chance it.
"No thanks, just something light to take the ease off. I still need a clear head for work I need to get done tonight," he explained, fishing out a few coins and sliding them forward. The man nodded in understanding and glanced at Allen.
"And what about you?"
Allen watched Lavi for a while in deep thought. One shrug later he sat down next to his friend and put his own couple of coins on the counter.
"Why not?" he said finally. Lavi couldn't help but glance at Allen in a warning sort of question, but didn't make a scene out of it, despite that he really wanted to ask if the other thought that was such a good idea. But whatever. Focusing on the task at hand was more important, and Allen ignored it anyway. He still didn't feel any side effects from the drinks he had in the previous two places, so really, why not? "I'll give it a shot."
Discreetly looking around the tavern, Allen spotted a man in the corner, sitting on the carpets on the floor alone, smoking a pipe. Allen jerked his head towards him without a word, glancing back at the barkeeper.
The man prepared two drinks and brought them over, Lavi taking a small sip from his as he also cast a brief look about the bar and saw Allen's small motion.
"So..." he began casually, once the barkeeper was once again close enough and not held up by other customers. "Any interesting new characters in town, or curious talk you might have heard? Especially anything breezing in from the west?"
The barkeeper tilted his head, his eyes jumping from Lavi to Allen.
"From the west, eh?" The man repeated slowly, taking his while to adjust few cups and bottles under the table. Pursing his lips, he looked around the room and then finally back at the two men by the counter. He continued with a nonchalant shrug.
"Only a couple of priests I believe they were, some scholars and some traders." He leaned forward, both Lavi and Allen unconsciously mirroring his move. "Some say the scholars came here to search for something that can make them immortal." He whispered, nodding his head.
Allen slammed his now empty cup on the counter, almost spitting the drink out. Forcing the liquid down he coughed, into his fist, covering his snort.
"Anything else?" He asked, trying to hide his amusement. Leave it to scholars to believe such nonsense.
The barkeeper shrugged. "Depends on how thirsty you are, sir," he countered.
Allen laughed and put another small stack of his money on the table. "One more, please."
Lavi listened intently and, unlike Allen, didn't sputter into laughter at the barkeepers words, though he couldn't help but be entertained by Allen's own amusement for a moment.
Though Allen was quick to dismiss the rumors, Lavi gave them a little more thought. Rumors and appearances were often more complicated than they first seemed and he didn't exactly expect whoever was after Allen to just walk into town announcing "Yes, hi, I'm an Assassin here to kill other Assassins", so to assume they would find out with direct information was improbable at best.
If he recalled correctly - and he rarely didn't - Rome was where the Vatican was located, so it was a possibility their unknown enemy could have come from their posing as, or even officially being, a priest.
Of course they could have also been in town as the aforementioned scholars seeking immortality. From what he recalled knowing of both the Assassins and the Templars, it fell under the type of things they often both seemed to seek after, either for their own gain or to keep others from reaching out of their own gain, were such a thing possible. Or even only believed to be possible. There was always someone searching after tales of immortality, but it still seemed suspicious to him. After all, who would probe too deeply into such an asinine endeavor? Their supposed goal would be seen and scoffed at as ridiculous, and therefore people would pay them no mind for thinking them crazy. It was a potentially perfect set-up for someone that wanted to remain secret in plain view.
Of course they could also be posing as a trader. Traveling merchants were probably the most common of temporary visitors to any place, especially a port city like Istanbul. They were as common as birds in the sky or fish in the sea and nearly impossible to track. That also made for an ideal catalyst for infiltrating the city unnoticed and hiding in open sight.
Of course all of these hypothesis' were purely conjecture, and perhaps he was simply overthinking it, but he was nothing if not thorough in his hyper-criticality, and it was better to keep his mind open to all possibilities than to overlook something that, given the circumstances, could either save or doom someone's life. And the one whose life was in the most peril right now was Allen's, which made it a little more important to the redhead than he usually expended the thought towards.
He plastered a smile on his face and decided he'd dig a little deeper and see what else he could squeeze out. Asking about the incoming traders would be a pointless endeavor already, with how many trade ships slid in and out of port on a daily basis, so he mentally checked that off his list without even bothering. He was still trying to figure out a tactful way to ask about more information on the priests, which he doubted the man would know much about, but he already knew how he could ask about the scholars without coming across as too suspicious himself.
He'd simply play into the image of believing such stories or as if he would like to chase such a rumor himself and let it pan out from there. If it turned out to be nothing, then he wasn't taking a big risk anyway.
"Immortality, you say? That's certainly a juicy rumor if I ever heard one. If it's people of high stature and education that are after it like you say, then perhaps there might be a hint of merit behind it," he smiled charmingly and put on his best look of rapt curiosity, resting his chin on palm. "Do tell me more, if you know anything, like... where are they coming from? -or where are they headed? -or perhaps you know where they're staying so I can go ask them myself?"
The man shot Allen an amused look when he finished his drink in one go again. It seemed like he wanted to comment that but he decided against it and started making another one.
"Well, I am not the best to judge accents, but I'd say Italy or Spain, perhaps. They were a funny bunch though - after a few drinks, that is. They started to argue after a while - shouting about that item of theirs. A philosopher's stone or some such legend."
He leaned against the counter on his elbows, putting the drink in front of Allen, watching him with an amused and kind of happy expression. "Something about heresy and things like that. Things got heated up very quickly. No fights, though, just lot of shouting. I have to disappoint you, though," the barkeeper said, waving his hand at Lavi. "My memory is really cloudy today..." he trailed off on purpose, tilting his head slightly, then glancing back at the still drinking Allen.
Lavi nodded his head, the part about Italy sticking out to him like a sore thumb. It might be nothing, but it was worth investigating anyway, just to be sure. He caught the hinting quality of the man's voice. He wanted the redhead to buy another drink, but he'd heard enough for the moment. If he needed to hear more, he knew where to come back to.
He finished his single drink off with a quick swig and swiveled around in his seat, sliding a few more coins over, mainly as just a little tip. A little thanks to the man for indulging them. It never hurt to win favor with the locals in case he needed to call upon them again, after all.
"Well thank you kindly," he offered up before his gaze slid to Allen. "Come on, 'sprout, I think we're done here."
Allen slammed the empty cup on the counter and blinked. "Oh my," he gasped, smiling at the barkeeper with his radiant smile. "The drink is very good, sir!" He stood up, nodding at Lavi. "Where's the next stop?" Allen asked, suppressing a small giggle after he shared another look with the man behind the bar.
"Careful, young man!" the man warned friendlily, half laughing and waving his hand. "Hope we'll see each other again!"
Lavi tossed an arm over Allen's shoulder and led him away, offering a casual parting behind him as he stepped out the door.
"We are, in fact, done for the night. That was the last tavern to check," the redhead told him, jabbing a finger into Allen's collarbone. "...and I told you to watch it with those drinks. Even if we still had more places to check, it'd be a bad idea to drag you around to them already drunk silly." Hopefully trouble wouldn't find them because it would be a bad time for them - and a perfect time for an enemy - to try and get the drop on them. Lavi himself was a little buzzed but he had been incredibly mindful of how much he drank and how heavy on the alcohol those drinks were, so he was still keeping alert. Maybe even more so because he doubted Allen could muster the concentration at the moment. "Anyway, we should get you home where you can sleep it off."
"Nooo~" Allen whined, stomping his foot childishly, bursting into giggles right after. "I'm sorry," he said, trying to hide his smile with his hand as he started walking. "Come on! But it's so much fun!" Another burst of giggles followed. "I am seriously not drunk." He said, but however much he tried, he couldn't school his expression into a serious one. "At least let's go th-" Allen turned around, fully prepared to dash off to another tavern but was caught off guard when he bumped into a man and collapsing on the ground.
"I'm sorry..." the man murmured quietly, patting the ground in front of him. Allen sat up and blinked.
"I'm sorry, sir! Didn't expect anyone to stand behind me!" He smiled, still sitting still.
"It is alright, young man," the man smiled, putting on the glasses he retrieved from the ground. "Good evening." He said and hobbled away.
Allen stared after him in silence for a while but that only lasted until the man was far enough for him to burst into another fit of giggles.
Lavi rolled his single eye at Allen's childish display, but of course the man was determined to be stubborn. That part of him never changed, even when he was drunk. He made a grab for him when he turned to run, but didn't get the chance before he ran into someone, Lavi watching both of them carefully, just in case, but there was no need for alarm, it seemed.
He shook his head and decided he'd better pick Allen up instead, lifting him bridal style and starting back towards the den again, which wasn't far off.
"No, you're definitely drunk," Lavi assured without hesitation. "When you're too inebriated to know your surroundings enough not to run into people the second you turn around, when there are barely even people out to run into, then you're too drunk to stay out."
Especially when there are people who would probably love to get the drop on you and kill you right now.
"Oh!" Allen cried as Lavi picked him up, immediately wrapping his arms around his neck. "Careful! Don't you drop me!" He looked around groggily. "Wow, why is everything spinning suddenly? It wasn't this bad a few moments ago." Another fit of laughter followed.
"I'm not going to drop you," Lavi assured, glad that Allen was a bit smaller and lighter than him, otherwise this would be a lot more difficult.
He made it to the den relatively quickly, deciding not to inform Allen that he was suddenly more dizzy because he was drunk - again- and simply focused on getting him home and to bed.
Having the man clinging to him was an extra bonus he secretly enjoyed the entire way. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. It gave him an excuse to have Allen just a little closer than he could normally get away with.
It was mostly quiet in the den once they arrived, most having either turned in or settled down to relax for the evening. He caught the eye of another assassin lounging in the front room and had to offer up a quick, "He got really drunk," as an explanation in passing, smiling wryly.
He made a bee-line for Allen's room to set him down, announcing, "Here we are. See? I didn't drop ya. You can stop hangin' on for dear life now," he teased, trying to pull away once he'd deposited the man onto his bed.
"Lavi!~" Allen smiled, "Don't leave!~" Tightening his grip on Lavi's neck, he used his weight to keep the redhead in place. "Come on..." He whispered into his ear.
Oh shit, don't smile at me like that, Lavi couldn't help but think, pulling away not going so well, and Allen acting adorably clingy was not helping matters at all. He pushed those thoughts away. He shouldn't even be thinking about it. Don't think about it.
"I can hang around for a bit but you really should let go," Lavi said carefully, having to force his voice level. "You're still drunk-" and despite how difficult Allen was currently trying to make things for him, he would never stoop to taking advantage. "-and we really shouldn't be seen like this either way."
"Nobody can see us," Allen whispered huskily, sitting up on the bed and pressing his lips to the redhead's ear. "Nobody'll know if you stay silent enough," he continued but with much sleepier voice, biting Lavi's hear and raking his hand through his hair.
Lavi couldn't remember Allen being a horny drunk - or usually getting drunk at all, but certainly not on the few times they had gotten drunk together - but this boded really, really badly since he was of enough coherency to realize exactly how compromising of a position they were both in. The fact that the heat rising to his face had yet to pool south was astonishing.
At least his body wasn't trying to be as uncooperative as Allen was. Yet. That was the key word, wasn't it?
Maybe he'll pass out before it can escalate.
"Th-that's not the problem, Allen," he managed to squeak out, trying to dislodge Allen's hands from him. "I don't think we should be doing this... you're still drunk and you'd probably regret it come morning." Hell, he was regretting it right now. "B-besides, even if that's not the case, there's no guarantee nobody'd walk in on us and I'd rather not be here when that happens, so just... let go, will ya?"
"This is new," the white-haired man giggled, throwing himself back which resulted dragging Lavi onto himself. "Stay here tonight. Don't go away! I missed you so much..."
He kept talking but his eyes were already unseeing. He put his palms on Lavi's cheeks, closing his eyes. "Why did you cut your hair...?" Allen asked, moving his lips to Lavi's. The kiss was short but sweet.
If anyone found them like this, Lavi was undeniably dead. Especially if certain people found them like this. And at this point he wasn't sure if he wanted to leave. He would, once he managed to untangle himself, but that didn't mean he wanted to.
Damn that guy... dragging him into this. Literally. He was never letting Allen drink around him again.
He froze as Allen pecked him on the lips lovingly, his mind taking a few moments to wind back to the question the other posed him.
…cut his hair?
"I haven't cut anything, Allen..."
He trailed off slightly, and suddenly it dawned on him, as well as confirmed what he'd been suspecting lately ever since he first heard about it. Allen didn't want him here. The one he wanted to have in his bed was Kanda.
Lavi wasn't sure whether to be relieved or hurt by that revelation.
He sighed.
"You should sleep," he murmured quietly. Maybe then he could get loose and slip away before anything regrettable happened.
"You're leaving me again," Allen whined, relaxing his hands slightly. "Why...?"
Lavi wasn't really sure this time who those words were directed at, but either way, they pierced him like a sword. He wanted to kiss those lips back and do everything to convince Allen that he wouldn't, but he couldn't do that. Not about himself nor Kanda. He supposed it didn't matter though. Allen passed out only seconds afterward, just before he heard an indignant shout behind him.
Lady Luck was not on Lavi's side that day because right as Allen fell unconscious, Emil walked through the door. The assassin froze on the spot with his eyes wide opened, staring at them.
"YOU!" He spat out, his voice laced with betrayal and outrage.
Oh fuck me. Out of the frying pan. Into the fire.
"It ain't what it looks like!" Lavi defended, untangling Allen from him, maybe a little more hastily than he'd originally planned. "He's just drunk! We weren't doing anything!"
Emil bared his hidden blades, taking a step forwards. "I should have known!" He growled, slowly advancing. "You…! You...! Harlot! I am not going to wait until my master comes back! I'm going to deal with you myself! Taking advantage of him like this! Have you no shame?!" He yelled, taking an offensive pose.
Lavi held up his hands in a placating manner as his single eye widened.
"I would never do something like that! This is seriously just a big misunderstanding!" he yelped, flustered. "It isn't my fault the guy has an iron grip! You try prying him off when he gets like that!"
"Liar! Come here!" He dashed forward, swinging his blade in a wide arch but missing as Lavi yelped and ducked just in time to avoid the assassin's blade, unless you counted a few stray hairs, leaving a scratch on the wall right about where his neck would have been.
Geez, this guy wasn't fooling around!
Emil was about to swing the other way when a deep, throaty moan echoed in the room and a shirt ended up on his face. When the piece of clothing fell on the ground, he was presented with his mentor's half-naked lover sleepily fighting with the sheets on the bed.
"Keep it quiet, please," Allen murmured absently, turning on his side and passing out again. All the anger changed to embarrassment, coloring Emil's cheeks a rose red hue.
Lavi almost wanted to thank a God, though he wasn't sure which one, when Allen stirred just enough to create a distraction for him. It didn't take a brilliant tactician like him to know when he had been given a perfectly exploitable opening and snuck by while Emil was busy being dumbstruck, retreating to safety and hoping the guy would let bygones be bygones and forget about it. Or just let it go. Either one worked.
Kanda's student recovered from his embarrassment a moment too late to catch the escaping redhead. He stood in the room, silently reciting every curse he knew in every language he could to keep himself from shouting.
He dashed out of the room but Lavi already had a head start, and he didn't want to cause any stir up at the moment anyway. He glared daggers at the bookman pervert until he disappeared completely, leaving him in the hall alone.
"Don't you think this is over!" He snarled before returning to Allen's room, sitting down by his bed and folding the clothes the white-haired man had shed. He knew glaring at an empty hallway wouldn't help much, but he still kept throwing nasty looks that way, as if hoping the redhead would return.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he put the clothes down next to him, paying attention to Allen's uneasy murmurs. It seemed like even despite being in this state, his mind still wouldn't let him have a peaceful sleep.
Emil sighed and slid against the wall, sighing once more. He'd rather stay and keep an eye on him, just in case...
Lavi sighed and massaged the back of his neck wearily as Emil gave up with a last, promising shout. His nape still faintly tingled where Allen had been clinging to him, but he tried to pretend he didn't notice. He was already in the dog-house with Emil and the man was likely to never once leave the two alone again, for even the briefest stretch of time. He'd probably be lucky to be able to take a piss without the guy knowing about it.
Oh well. Can't be helped.
Maybe some heavy reading would take his mind off it, something he had to really concentrate hard on. He still had that one book in his bag he'd never quite managed to get through... he kept putting it off because it was in a language he still had a hard time reading and understanding. That would be a perfect distraction.
He settled down once he'd retrieved it from his bag of personal belongings and souvenirs, flipping it open carefully as he mused aloud, "Hello, my old, difficult friend. Let's see if we can't get through a few more chapters before you kick my head into submission again."
He tried to focus on it, and for a while it worked, but in his frustration, his mind kept wandering back to what had, and what had almost, transpired. His eidetic memory kept conjuring up the feel of Allen's breath ghosting on his ear carrying seductive words, the warmth of his waiting body and affectionate lips, and that lonely, genuine smile...
THUNK.
"Damn it..." He hissed with face flush against the crease of his book.
Maybe searching out Allen after all these years hadn't been such a good idea. But he was over it. He was! They had just been two dumb teenagers listening more to their hormones than logic back then. It hadn't meant anything. Anything at all. Lavi had moved on and continued his work. Allen had moved on, and he'd found Kanda. They were over each other. It was done with. Allen didn't want him, he wanted Kanda. And Lavi didn't want him either, right? Right.
Liar.
He sighed and rested his head sidelong against the pages.
"Why'd ya have to go and do that, 'sprout?" Only the silence of scattered and shelved books answered him. He decided reading wasn't going to do him any good, so he put the books away and tried to find sleep, which he had about the same level of success with as the reading attempt had been. His mind just wouldn't quiet down enough for that, so instead he ended up staring at the same row of books for what must have been hours, thinking.
He guessed it was only natural, though. Allen was under a lot of stress. He'd gone through a lot in the last couple years. Betrayed by his comrades and almost put to death... and then to be separated from the person he loved, who was out risking his life for Allen without a word of reassurance shared between them. Plus it had only been two days since someone he cared about had been murdered, and they still had no idea who was responsible or where they could be hiding. And if there was one thing Lavi should have known, it was never take an overly stressed, lonely man out for drinking. In retrospect, that whole thing really was entirely his own fault. He should have been keeping a closer eye on Allen, because if he wasn't reckless in one way, it was always in another.
Carrying on with thinking about it for too long though was going to drive him insane, his mind still determined to flash back to that bedroom, so he tried to occupy his thoughts with something else.
He knew exactly what to do that would help settle the tempest in his head. Besides, Allen had it coming for more than one instance, and this was the best opportunity.
