In a world so cynical
You came in and changed the ball
From black to white
And made me right
This is all atypical
No one else has had the time
To read signs
You are the only one

No one else can keep me from
The danger of myself
You keep me stronger
You are the only one

And now I love you even more
Than I did before

Darren Hayes — The Only One

xXxXxXx

There was fighting, so much fighting. The scenes whirled in Allen's mind in an instant, but he could see each one in perfect detail as if he had been reliving them. He saw the tower on the cliff, dark and foreboding, but filled with friends. Allen saw his friends, but he also saw the monsters. He saw Kanda, cranky as always, fighting against the demons with a glowing sword. He saw Lenalee fly though the sky, strong and fast, destroying anything and anyone who would hurt her friends. He saw Lavi, with one eye and a charming grin, smashing those same demons into pieces with a hammer that defied gravity.

These images, they flickered through his mind, as if he had been looking at scrapbook of days gone past. He longed to see more of his comrades, but the images grew dark. Allen wanted to look away, but he couldn't. Demons upon demons fought them. People died; friends died. The lump in Allen's throat grew. Then the girl was there, the one he knew from somewhere. The girl with spiky blue hair looked at him with her golden eyes.

"Allen, it's time to play."

Allen's silver eyes shot open and he instantly regretted the action. Light poured in from the unbroken window, leaving him wincing and rolling over in the bed. He groaned and tried to see again, eyes cracking open slower this time around.

A chuckle from across the room alerted the white haired man that he wasn't alone. "Mornin' sleepy head," Lavi said, his voice a low whisper.

Allen sat up, sheets crumpling up around his hips as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. As he scanned the room, he found Lavi sitting on an ottoman next to the window. The shades were pulled up and he was using the natural light to look at a ratty notepad in his lap. A yellow pencil twirled between his fingers as he turned his attention to his boyfriend.

Allen realized it was much too late to be early morning, considering the brightness of the sun. "What time is it?" he asked, pulling himself out of bed slowly and making his way to Lavi.

"Almost ten," he replied, green eyes moving back to the notepad in front of him. He sketched again, the sound of the lead on the paper the only thing disturbing the quiet of the room.

"Why are you awake?" Allen asked, tip toeing over to him.

"Couldn't sleep once the sun was up," Lavi admitted. "Plus I had to call someone in to work at the bar. I'm not fit to do so today."

Allen nodded, understanding. He was glad he had the day off from work as well. He had no idea how he was going to explain his dramatic physical changes to his boss. Maybe he could say it was a new style for the band? He sighed, knowing that explanation was flimsy at best. He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Shaking his head, he looked down at what Lavi was preoccupied with. "What are you doing?" he asked, resting his chin on Lavi's shoulder as the redhead worked.

"Since I couldn't sleep, I decided to draw. I haven't in a long time."

"Have you been drawing since morning?" Allen asked, a little surprised. He had no idea Lavi was artistically gifted.

"Yeah," Lavi replied, still sketching. "I just couldn't put the pencil down. Here — Look." He had to force himself to give the notebook to Allen. Parting pencil from the page was more painful than it should have been, but he knew he had to stop before his hand cramped up. He stretched his fingers as Allen turned the pages over and over.

"Lavi, these are really good. How come you never told me you could draw like this?" Allen thumbed through the sketches. There were things he recognized on each page, and some that were only vaguely familiar. He saw drawings of Kanda, Lenalee, and some other weird things that he didn't recognize, but mostly there were drawings of him. One particularly beautiful sketch was of him sleeping in Lavi's bed. Allen's lips twitched into a smile. "Were you drawing me sleeping?"

"Maybe a little," Lavi admitted with a smirk that turned into a yawn.

Allen skimmed through the pages, taking each one in carefully. He paused on one that looked like him. The angles to the face were the same as his, as well as the build and eyes. He was in a black uniform, with an intricate star over the left breast. Lavi had drawn Allen as he was now, scar and all. The picture was meticulous. He smiled as he realized that most of the sketches Lavi drew of him were more thought out and detailed than the others. There was even a little winged creature that floated near his head in the drawing.

As he turned to the next page, he felt his heart stop. It was the girl, the one he had seen in his dreams – the same one that had appeared to him at the club and had disappeared without a trace. Allen could remember her words from then, clear as day. It's almost time to play again, Allen. You and your exorcist friends. He shivered as his fingers gripped the notebook a little tighter. He didn't like that girl.

Lavi noticed the shift in mood and looked down at the page, checking to see what Allen was staring at. "Oh, yeah. That one. Creepy, isn't she?" He stood up to stretch his back and arms, not realizing how long he had been crouched up on the ottoman.

"I've seen her before."

"What?" Lavi asked, suddenly startled. "Where?"

Allen scrutinized the drawing for a moment longer, making sure he wasn't mistaken. "Yeah, I've seen her. I saw her at Lime Rocket when Lenalee and I played there and I…" he trailed off, feeling weird admitting his next words. "I saw her in my dreams last night." He handed the notebook back to Lavi, suddenly feeling uneasy.

Allen, it's time to play.

The white haired man shivered as he remembered her words.

Lavi looked down at the picture. The girl had spiky hair and strange scarring on her forehead. "I saw her that night, too," he admitted, his fingers sliding over the edge of the paper. "At the club, just before we left." The incident had left Lavi feeling uneasy the entire night, and he had tried to put it out of his mind. The picture was proof enough that he couldn't scrub the memory completely away.

Allen sat back on the edge of the bed, trying to process the flood of information coming at him. It was as if they had parts of a puzzle, but no idea how to piece them together. "Do you know who she is?"

Lavi stared at picture for a long moment, a frown marring his face as he did so. "I feel like I should." After a moment, he tossed the notebook aside and rubbed his hands over his face. He had quite enough thinking about the strange occurrences. "Ok, enough of this. Let's get some breakfast and wake up the others."

Allen managed a smile and watched as Lavi pulled on a pair of sweatpants over his boxers. Quietly, he followed the redhead into the living room. Before he could take two steps past the threshold, Allen bumped into Lavi, who stopped abruptly in front of the door. Allen winced and rubbed his nose, then stepped around the redhead. Just as he was about to ask Lavi why he was standing there, Allen caught sight of what held Lavi's green eyes captivated.

During the night, Kanda and Lenalee had both ended up on the pullout couch. Kanda lay on his back, one arm resting over his eyes to block out the light. Lenalee was curled up next to his side, her head resting on his chest and her long, dark hair covering her face. Kanda's other arm was lazily wrapped around her shoulder as they both slept.

Lavi retreated back into the bedroom for a moment. Before Allen could question the redhead's disappearance, Lavi returned with his phone in hand. He quickly snapped photos of their two unconscious friends.

Allen sighed. "You shouldn't take pictures of sleeping people," he reprimanded him.

"You do when they are so fucking cute you can't stand it," Lavi added in, taking more photos with a grin.

Their banter finally roused Kanda, and when he realized his boss was taking photos, his glare was enough to freeze the sun. "You're dead," was all he said, though he didn't make a move to get up as Lenalee still had him half pinned to the bed.

"Aw, c'mon Yuu! Look how cute you two are!" Lavi walked over to the edge of the couch and pushed the phone in Kanda's face, showing off his captured even looking, Kanda grabbed Lavi's phone and tossed it behind him, chucking the offending object across the living room.

Lavi screeched in terror, chasing down the device as it skidded over the hardwood flooring and praying it didn't break. As the redhead picked up his phone, he sighed in relief. Not a scratch.

The disturbances finally got to Lenalee and she opened her tired eyes. Slowly, she sat herself up in the bed and looked around. "Morning already?" she asked, unaffected by her friends' bickering.

"It came too fast, didn't it?" Allen offered with a smile, helping her up off the bed.

Lenalee nodded, a slight blush tinting her cheeks. She didn't even realize she had snuggled up next to Kanda during the night. And of course Lavi and Allen had to see.

"Yes, it did. And I need to go to work in…" Lenalee looked at her phone and winced, "Two hours." How was it already so late? It felt like she had only gone to sleep five minutes ago.

"Just call in sick," Allen suggested, following Lavi into the kitchen to help prepare.

"Yeah!" the redhead added in, wielding a spatula as he spoke. "Let's all play hooky!"

Kanda still hadn't moved from the couch. "Great idea. I'll just call my boss and tell him it was your idea."

"Yuu, stop being a smartass," Lavi said, though a smile was on his face as he spoke. "Be helpful and tell me what kind of pancakes you want: Blueberry or chocolate chip?" He was already making said pancakes, whipping the batter together with ease.

"Why are you asking me? I don't even care."

"Ooh, do both," Allen interrupted, sliding up next Lavi and watching as he stirred the contents in the large, ceramic bowl.

"Your stomach has some pretty weird cravings," Lavi laughed, even as he did as Allen requested with a smile on his face.

Lenalee sighed as the topic devolved from that point on. Taking Allen's advice, she ducked into the bathroom, where it was blissfully quiet, and called in sick to work. Even if she could push herself to show up, she knew she would be dead on her feet by quitting time, and she wasn't willing to do that to herself for a few extra bucks. Once she finished her call, she returned to the living room and was greeted with the wonderful smell of fresh, hot pancakes. She smiled, and joined everyone for breakfast.

xXxXxXx

The bar was slow in the afternoon and left Lavi with too much time to think. It had been a week since the incident with the monster, and no one had had the guts to talk about it. It was as if once everyone had left the apartment that day, everything had returned to normal. None of them had seen anything or been attacked. Lavi wondered if they were all afraid to say something, in case speaking of it would make it happen again.

Lavi worried about Allen. He hadn't seen his boyfriend but once during the week, even though he received a few texts and phone calls. Lavi wasn't sure if it was because Allen didn't want to leave Lenalee alone in their apartment for too long or if coming back to Lavi's apartment simply reminded him of what happened that night. Either way, Lavi didn't like it. Tonight, he was determined to see Allen.

Sighing, the redhead pulled that morning's newspaper out and glanced at the front page. Usually, he wouldn't bother reading it, but he was so bored with no customers to serve at the moment, and there was nothing even remotely interesting on television. He couldn't stand the talk shows. Just as he was about to skip straight to the comics section, an article caught his attention. Multiple Disappearances Have Police Puzzled. Lavi swallowed down the lump in his throat and shook his head. The feeling in his gut made him recall the monster that had attacked them and somehow he knew there were more hiding out there.

No longer wanting the grim headline to be visible anymore, Lavi crumpled the newspaper up into a tight ball and promptly threw it away, comics be damned. A sudden annoyance crept up his spine as he pulled out his cell phone and started typing. It didn't take long for him to relay his message to Allen.

01:48 PM: Hey, when are you done with work?

After Lavi hit send, he tapped the bar with his fingers, impatiently waiting for a response. He was tired of being avoided and his brain was ready to explode with questions. It felt like an hour had passed before Allen replied.

02:02 PM: At six. Why?

Lavi wasted no time in replying.

02:03 PM: I want to see you. Can I pick you up?

Allen's reply came quicker this time around.

02:06 PM: I don't know. I'm really tired.

Lavi frowned. It had been the same excuse Allen had used all week long. The only time he had seen him was when the white haired man stopped by the bar to pick up something he had left at Lavi's apartment, and even then he only hung around for five minutes before making up an excuse to go home.

02:08 PM: Please? I haven't seen you since Sunday.

Allen took longer to reply than Lavi thought necessary, and he suspected the musician was combing his brain for reasons to decline Lavi's offer.

02:15 PM: Fine. I'll wait for you outside the shop at six to pick me up.

Lavi frowned at Allen's wording in the text. "Geez, don't do me any favors," he grumbled, shoving the phone into his pocket. At least he would see Allen, which was his original plan, but he didn't look forward to dealing with a cranky Allen. He had all he could do to deal with Kanda's constant surly attitude.

Sighing, Lavi looked around the bar to see if any patrons required his attention. The few people who were enjoying a late lunch or early drinks seemed to be quite content for the moment. With nothing else to do, Lavi grabbed a towel and started to clean the bar. It would be a long four hours before he could pick up Allen.

xXxXxXx

Allen pulled at the hood of his sweatshirt as he stood on the sidewalk, waiting for Lavi to pick him up. Even as summer waned, slowly turning into autumn, the days were still hot, even if the nights were cold. Allen could feel the sweat dripping down the back of his neck as the last of the day's heat hung around him like a buzzing fly. It would've been a pleasant day if he hadn't been swathed in his large, black hoodie and standing directly in the sun on a hot sidewalk.

Luckily, his boss hadn't given him much trouble about his newly colored hair or the scar on his face. Miriam was a laid back lady and seemed to buy his "trying out a new band look" excuse, but that didn't make Allen any less self-conscious about the physical changes he went through a week ago. It felt like every person who crossed his path looked at him, stared at him. It was unnerving and had been slowly chipping away at his confidence as the week dragged on.

Lavi's car pulled up to the sidewalk, distracting Allen from his thoughts. Without a word, he got into the car, slamming the door shut behind him. Once he was in the car, he pulled the hood down and buckled his seatbelt.

The terse behavior took Lavi by surprise. "Allen, are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

A frown marred Lavi's face as he turned his attention back to the road. Allen reached out and turned the air conditioner on at full blast, sighing when the cool air hit his sweat stained skin.

Lavi hazarded to speak again. "Why don't you take off your sweatshirt if you're hot?"

Allen stared out the window, purposefully not looking at his boyfriend. "I don't want to."

Lavi sighed. Allen was being more prickly than a porcupine and no matter what Lavi said, the white haired man was on the defensive. He refrained from asking anymore questions, leaving the car in silence, besides the soft tunes on the radio. Once they arrived at Lavi's place, they headed up to his apartment.

Allen kicked off his shoes as they passed the threshold, but still refused to take off his sweatshirt. It was starting to bother Lavi. There was no reason to keep on the extra layers, and Allen was even perspiring. Lavi could see the tiny beads of sweat prickling his forehead.

"Do you want something for dinner? I was thinking of ordering in," Lavi asked as he shuffled into the kitchen to get them each a drink.

"I'm not really hungry," Allen replied absently, sitting down on the end of the couch. He stared at one of the many bookshelves in the apartment, his eyes unfocused.

Lavi had just reached for a glass when he heard Allen's response. Those words were the last straw. Forgetting about the drinks, Lavi stalked back into the living room and didn't stop until he was standing right in front Allen. His eyebrows were furrowed in frustration as he stared at his boyfriend.

"All right – That is it! What is going on with you?"

"What are you talking about?" Allen asked, feigning ignorance. He refused to meet Lavi's gaze and pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

"You've been avoiding me all week!" Lavi started, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "And when I do talk to you, you do everything you can to get out of the conversation. You've been moping around since I picked you up and you don't want anything to eat? Since when have you ever turned down food?"

Allen took a slow, deep breath. He had known if he was around Lavi for too long, the redhead would pick up on his discomfort, which was why he had avoided him in the first place. "I don't want to talk about it," he said in a reasonable tone, though he could feel his body shaking with stress and fatigue.

"Obviously," Lavi replied, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "But I really don't give a fuck if you want to talk or not. You need to tell me what's wrong."

Allen finally looked back at Lavi, his glare piercing right through him. He said nothing for a long moment, simply staring at the redhead. When Lavi wouldn't back down, Allen stood up and headed for the door. "I'm leaving."

"No," Lavi said, grabbing Allen's wrist before he could even make it around the couch. "You're staying here and you're going to tell me what your problem is."

Allen jerked his hand away from Lavi and pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt over it. "No, you don't get it!" Allen shot back, losing his temper easily. "Talking will solve nothing!"

Lavi noticed Allen pull away and hide his left hand. Realization started to blossom in his mind, leading him to change his tactic. Before Allen could shrink away any further, Lavi pulled him back and trapped him in a tight hug. Allen was stiff in his arms, unable to relax.

Softening his voice and pushing his own frustration away, Lavi spoke into Allen's ear. "Please, Allen. Tell me what is wrong so I can help."

Allen's lip quivered before he pressed his face into Lavi's shoulder. Lavi was being too nice to him, even when Allen knew he was being unreasonable, and it made all the walls he had built up during the week crumble into dust. It was easy to shout at Lavi when the redhead shouted back. Allen couldn't put up a fight when his boyfriend held him like he would crumble to pieces if he let go.

"I'm so tired…" Allen said, feeling the weight of all his feelings bearing down on him. He couldn't hold up anymore.

"Why are you tired?"

"I.." Allen started, finally succumbing to stress and ready to spill his guts. "I keep having nightmares. They won't go away."

Lavi held him closer. "What kind of nightmares?"

Allen's fingers grip Lavi's upper arm as he remembered the images that flooded his head every night. "Terrible ones. I see more monsters. So many people died…"

Lavi nodded, understanding how frightening it was to have such dreams. He was no stranger to nightmares, and they attacked him near nightly as of late as well. "Are you worried another monster will attack?"

"Yes," Allen admitted, his grip on the redhead tightening. "I haven't been over here because I didn't want to leave Lenalee by herself at our apartment and…"

"And?" Lavi prompted, wanting to hear more of Allen's worries. He wanted the musician to air everything out, hoping that would make him feel better.

Allen swallowed. He felt so shallow and stupid, but he had to know… He had to know what Lavi thought. Lavi's opinion mattered most of all. "The… The scar and my arm…" he started, nervous and still pressing his face into Lavi's shoulder. "I… Do you…" Allen paused for a moment to clear his thoughts before finishing his sentence. "Do they bother you?"

Lavi sighed. He had a creeping suspicion that this was part of Allen's issues lately. Without a word, he pulled back and kissed Allen. The white haired man finally relaxed in Lavi's arms, their mouths molding against each other's perfectly. When the kiss broke, Allen's silver eyes shined up at Lavi. The redhead smiled back down at his boyfriend. "Of course it doesn't bother me."

"But…"

"No. No 'buts.' I don't care how you change on the outside, Allen. I love you for who you are on the inside."

Allen sighed with relief, still wrapped up in Lavi's embrace. His face flushed at the redhead's caring words. "Lavi…" he mumbled, his voice swimming in emotion, not exactly sure how to respond.

"But don't worry. You're still a total hottie," Lavi added in, a mischievous grin on his face. "I'll nail you to the wall right now if you want." He leaned in and nipped at Allen's neck and ear. Allen squeaked in surprise and jumped back, the romantic mood completely ruined. "Lavi!" he shouted, swatting lightly at the redhead's arm.

Lavi laughed, just happy to have Allen back to normal. "What?" he asked, feigning innocence. "I can't help myself! You just taste so good." He dove back in to attack the tender flesh on Allen's neck.

"Hey, stop! That tickles! Lavi!" Allen protested in between fits of laughter. He tried to get out of Lavi's reach, but only managed to trip and fall back onto the couch, Lavi following after him. The redhead continued to tease Allen's neck as he slipped his hands up his boyfriend's shirt, tickling Allen until he was nothing but a helpless mess of giggles

Lavi only stopped after Allen was unable to laugh anymore, breathless from the tickling onslaught. By that time, he was straddling the smaller man on the couch, staring down at him in triumph.

Once Allen caught his breath, he pushed Lavi's shoulder playfully. "That was uncalled for," he said, bushing back the hair from his face as he stared up at him.

The redhead grinned. "Well, at least you're smiling now. I much prefer it when you smile."

He leaned down and captured Allen's lips with his own, kissing him softly. He felt Allen respond, hands grabbing Lavi's shirt and pulling him down closer. Lavi moaned softly into Allen's mouth, getting caught up in the moment. He was about to take things a step further, deepening their kiss and moving his hands under Allen's shirt, when a familiar growling sound interrupted them.

Lavi chuckled as he sat back up. "Damn, Allen. I think your stomach is getting louder."

Allen blushed, aroused and embarrassed at the same time. "I haven't eaten since this morning," he replied, looking off to the side so he didn't have to see the amused look on Lavi's face.

Hopping off the couch, Lavi stood and grabbed his phone off the coffee table. He punched a few keys, looking for the right number. "Don't worry. I'll save you from starvation," he joked, pulling the phone to his ear as he waited for an answer. "Jade Fountain? Yeah, can I place an order for delivery?"

Allen sat up on the couch as Lavi ordered Chinese food, sighing softly and leaning back into the cushions. He watched his boyfriend pace back and forth in the living room, reciting by memory a list of their favorite dishes, and smiled. How did the redhead always know how to turn his mood around? It was insane how easily Lavi could cheer Allen up, almost as if it was his superpower.

Once the food was ordered, Lavi hung up the phone and looked over to Allen. "Thirty minutes for delivery. You think you can last that long?" he asked, laughter in his voice.

Allen rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep the smile off his lips. "Yes, I'll live. Somehow."

Lavi joined Allen on the couch, sitting right next to him and slipping his arm over Allen's shoulder. "What do you want to do tonight? You pick."

Allen leaned into Lavi's shoulder, nearly melting against him. Even with his stomach rumbling at him, he was close to falling asleep. Lavi finally managed to get him to relax for the first time in the past week and all the lack of sleep was catching up to Allen. "Let's just watch a movie or something. I'm so tired." He closed his eyes, resting against his boyfriend. Right then, nothing mattered except the two of them.

Lavi grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. He switched through the channels until he found a rerun marathon of Gilligan's Island. It didn't really matter what was on; Lavi and Allen weren't paying attention anyway. While Allen slipped in and out of consciousness, Lavi watched him quietly. They cuddled on the couch until the food arrived. Lavi managed to untangle himself from Allen without disturbing him too much to get the door and pay for the food. Unfortunately, his smooth maneuvers went to waste. As soon as Allen caught whiff of the Chinese takeout, he was up and ready to eat. Lavi should have known that would happen.

"Food's here," he said, even though it was obvious Allen was well aware of the food's delicious presence in the apartment.

"My hero," Allen said, plucking one of the bags from Lavi's arms and returning to the couch. They both unloaded the multitude of takeout boxes onto the coffee table, setting out the feast.

Lavi brandished a pair of chopsticks as he started in on a box of lo mein. "Now, you are going to leave me some food, right?"

Allen already had half a box of fried rice down his throat. "Well, not if you're going be like that," he joked before chowing down on a pair of egg rolls.

"Gah. I take it back. Just don't choke, ok? My CPR skills are rusty," Lavi commented, wondering if he had ordered enough food for Allen's ridiculously large appetite.

Allen finished off his egg rolls before picking up another box, this one containing a steaming heap of potstickers. "Sorry, Lavi. I haven't wanted to eat all week. I think it's catching up with me."

"No kidding."

They ate and watched TV, and eventually Allen's stomach was appeased. They camped out on the couch, full of Chinese food, watching the retro station. The hours passed by, the sun disappearing. Allen fell asleep on Lavi again, this time as they both stretched out on the couch. Allen rested on top of Lavi, his head buried in his boyfriend's chest. Lavi stared at the television, stroking Allen's hair as the man slept.

A loud laugh track on the show broke the peace and Allen woke with a start. He seemed disoriented for a few seconds before relaxing once more, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "What time is it?" he asked, his voice hoarse from sleep.

"Almost ten."

"Damn," Allen cursed, awkwardly pulling himself off of Lavi's chest and fumbling for his phone on the coffee table.

"What's wrong?" Lavi asked, sitting up with Allen as he watched the white haired man finally grab the device

"Lenalee's done with work soon. I should probably go home."

"No, stay here Allen. I missed you all week," Lavi said, pulling Allen closer and nuzzling his shoulder. The last thing he wanted was for Allen to leave.

Allen felt a blush creep up his neck as Lavi nibbled at his sensitive skin. "I don't want to leave her alone in the apartment." Even as he gave his reasoning, Allen's resolve was crumbling. He was still tired and Lavi was so cozy, not to mention the redhead was growing more bold with his touches. He didn't even realize Lavi's hand was already up his shirt until he felt the skilled fingers rubbing up against one of his nipples.

Allen nearly dropped the phone on the floor when Lavi hit a particularly sensitive spot on his ear. "Lavi," he whined, though whether it was for him to stop or keep going, Allen was unsure of at that point.

"Just stay here tonight," Lavi pleaded, his breath tickling the back of his boyfriend's neck.

"But what about Lenalee?"

Lavi was silent for a moment, then grabbed his phone. He dialed the number and waited for an answer.

"Who are you calling?" Allen asked, only to be ignored.

"Hey, I need a favor," Lavi said into the phone as he pulled Allen into his lap, his free arm encircling Allen's waist.

"What the hell do you want?" the surly voice over the phone asked.

Allen blanched as he recognized the tone. "You called Kanda?!"

Lavi shushed Allen and continued to talk to the bartender. "You're not working, right?"

"Is this a trick question?"

"No, I'm serious. I need you to do something for me."

"No."

"Yuu, c'mon! You haven't even heard my request!" Lavi cried out. "I promise you'll want to do it."

"I very much doubt that."

"Oh, that's a shame," Lavi started, his voice full of mock sadness, but his face lit up with trickery. "Lenalee will be so disappointed."

Silence echoed on the other end of the line.

"I told her you would be able to check on her since Allen's staying at my apartment. She's still worried about what happened last weekend and was concerned about being alone." Of course, it was a blatant lie. Lenalee had said no such thing, but Kanda didn't need to know that.

Silence.

Lavi decided to dangle his last carrot, hoping Kanda would go for it. "I guess I'll just call her and tell her you were too busy to stop by."

"I'll go, you jackass."

The phone beeped after that, the call ending. Lavi smiled triumphantly. "I'm a fucking genius," he announced, tossing his phone onto the coffee table.

Allen, however, had a frown plastered over his face. "You sent Kanda? Really?" He paused for a minute before emphasizing his shock once more. "Kanda."

"Hey, they are totally digging on each other. It's not my fault you don't see it."

"I don't think I want to see it."

"Hey, to each his own. But now you're mine for the night," Lavi pulled Allen down on the couch, letting the white haired man straddle him this time. Lavi's hands rested on Allen's hips as he looked up into his silver eyes. "What do you say we have some fun?"

Allen blushed, but a smile touched his lips. "You're impossible."

"I think you mean impossibly awesome."

Allen sighed, rolling his eyes. "Ok, you need to stop talking," he said. Before the redhead could counter the point, Allen swooped down and kissed him, silencing any words that might have come out.