news:
1) I changed my profile. Go check my projects... there's a surprise for you people who loved my first fiction -giggle-
2) My birthday was on the 30th of November, I celebrated it together with my best friend's one, who was on the 17th :) Thank you all for your wishes... I partied, ate cake(s), chinese, tunisian couscous and pizza, I drank wine, tequila, beer and champagne... and. I. did. not. throw. up. I'm so cool it's scandalous (who gets the reference?)
3) I love how enthusiastic your reviews are, it's cool that I managed to shock you with Kanda becoming Cross' apprentice... I love you all!
now, Enjoy!
The same day that Kanda walks in the walled city of Avignon, Allen is decreased his painkillers enough to wake up. After four days of limbo they both face the consequences of their actions, ironically at the same time, but in two different cities.
Avignon
The river flows meek and of a dark green colour. Its murky waters reflect the metal tinge of the grey sky and lazy ripples form intricate patterns on the slow surface. The air is cold and humid but it is a clear day and as Kanda stands on the bridge watching the river disappear behind a bend into the distance he shivers for the wet feeling creeping down his neck into the collar of the shirt. He flips the collar of the coat up, buttoning it up in an attempt to block the air out, and lazily wishes for Lavi's scarf, for once not annoyed by his own thoughts.
He is supposed to meet General Cross today and the awful weather sets a deign background for such a dreaded encounter. He was told to be on the bridge by 6 am, and despite the cold, and the definite feeling that Cross will have him freeze his butt before turning up, he still was on time.
His fingers have gone from red to white then to a sickly bluish colour and to no avail he is keeping them inside the freezing pockets.
"Che… not just Lavi's scarf, I'd need a whole flock of sheep here."
He will not pace the bridge in an attempt to keep warm. No way he will show Cross he is positively freezing.
So he stands still, his nose buried inside the collar of the coat and faint puffs of breath curling in the humid air around the rim. His toes are numb and his rosy cheeks sting, feeling both cold and sticky.
The sun is rising slowly but determined over the humid air but it will take it a few more hours to win its battle against the cold, and for now it shines low of a warmthless bright light on the horizon.
Kanda is focused on keeping his body warm through sheer will, failing miserably, but anything not to think about Cross. He has already gone through the questions a few times in the days spent travelling 'Will he ask for the reason for beating Allen up? Why has he accepted to take him? What will he make him do?" and so on and so forth. He doesn't like to spend time supposing things and now that the moment has arrived he doesn't want to be nervous.
However, he is.
Cross is despicable, but he can be pretty scary too. And Kanda knows it. So he glares at the innocent river and waits, furious to be left waiting in the cold, but determined not to show it.
He guesses at least two hours have already gone by but no sign of Cross around. His already notably absent patience is wearing thin and his pride hurts for being toyed with, so he grunts a curse and decides to go away, taking a step back from the edge.
"Already?" A low, amused voice enquires from just behind his shoulder.
Kanda gasps loudly jumping as far from the voice as possible, his eyes wide from shock and his hand already on Mugen's hilt. He pants heavily, honestly startled and while recognition seeps through his scared mind his brows furrow above the still wide eyes.
"Cross?!" "How the hell did he get that close to me without me noticing it?!"
Cross smirks, enjoying the look on the boy's face, a mixture of bewilderment, confusion and yes, a growing anger fuelled by the humiliation of being surprised. As Kanda understands Cross was using his Innocence's power to stay hidden he straightens himself up expressing all of his despise with a dark frown, and Cross lights up a cigarette, staring unconcerned at the river below.
"Were you going away already?"
"Already… Tch… You are two hours late!"
"So? Did I tell you you could go away after two hours waiting?"
"You said to meet up by 6. You should thank me I waited this long! Next time I…"
Kanda interrupts himself for Cross turns his face to stare at him in a surprisingly hard way.
"Next time? Next time you'll wait as long as I want you too. You are my apprentice now. And address me as General from now on too."
Kanda grits his teeth, he hates the man, oh he does, and he is sure Cross is enjoying himself too but there's no way he will be allowed to go back to the headquarters any time soon if he does not get along with him, so he whips his head towards the river and hisses a
"Yes, sir."
Cross, the pure bastard, isn't satisfied.
"Did you not hear me? I'm your General. Ge-ne-ral. Got it, kid?"
"Kid?!" Kanda is feeling homicidal. "Yes, Ge-ne-ral." He singsongs mimicking Cross's tone, clearly showing how little he is surrendering.
The General smirks… this boy is a tough one. "He'll be fun."
A seagull cries high in the cold sky as it sees the two cloaked figures leave the bridge. The smaller man keeps his distance from the leading one, following him stiffly a step to his left and as he coughs he evidently forces his own hand away from his sword's hilt. The other man clearly fakes unawareness and he keeps blowing puffs of smoke from under his hat into the breeze that carries them to the face of the boy behind him.
The bird's instinct tell him that those apparently calm individuals are actually tensed and on the brink of a deathly fight so he waits until they are at a safe distance before finally landing on the now empty stones. He then stares into the waters of the river below, in a much more interested way than any of the two men had done.
---
London
Lavi watches as Allen starts to wake from his drug induced sleep. He is both eager and wary to finally be able to talk to him, unsure whether to address the topic or wait for him to spit it out.
Allen groans and feebly shifts under the bed sheets while the nurse and Komui stand at his side to check on his condition as he wakes up. His internal haematomas are retreating but his bones are still broken and he will not be able to accept any mission or even exercise for a month.
Lavi has spent the last four days zoning off while working, continuously questioning the conclusion he has reached the day Allen was admitted to the hospital wing. As he watches Komui and the nurse leave the room he still fights against the Bookman inside himself, and against all the evidence.
"Allen would never do something like that! Crap, if Panda knew my friendship with Allen is making me question my Bookman intuition…"
He has already decided he will completely skip work today to stay with Allen and if Panda asked (kicked) about it he would simply say he was gathering information about the fight between Allen and Kanda, for the sake of the record. Not that the lame excuse would fool Panda but it probably would stop him from dragging Lavi away.
Lavi smiles at Allen, not in his usual cheerful way but Allen doesn't notice.
"Oy Allen, how are you feeling?"
"Beaten… Broken… Sore…"
"Right, right, I get it, it was a stupid question!"
He laughs and Allen finally smiles, albeit very sadly, and Lavi's smile fades into a more serious but uncomfortable look. It is clear that the topic cannot be avoided.
"Say… Allen… you know there's a question that's bugging everyone's mind…"
"Yeah... I can imagine what it is." Allen answers with a soft voice but he turns his head away from Lavi to stare at an empty chair.
"Would you… like to talk about it?"
After a moment of silence Allen softly whispers: "What did… Kanda… say? Oh, wait, I bet he kept his mouth shut."
"Yeah, pretty much, you know Yuu-chan isn't much of a talker." He omits the fact that Kanda has been punished and sent away to Cross, he feels a bit of a cheater but it is not the right moment to say it.
"Sorry, Lavi… I don't really feel like talking about it."
"So… what if I do the talking and you just listen?"
Allen turns his head to look at the redhead, he should have expected Lavi to have an idea of what happened. He fears how accurate it is going to be and he nods stiffly holding his breath unconsciously. Lavi starts talking putting his reasoning into words.
"Ok, then. Yuu-chan is a violent person and also a very proud one, but I don't think he would beat you up that badly for just getting drunk. Even more so because you didn't force him to drink so it was his fault completely.
So, I think, something else happened that made him this furious."
He pauses, waiting for Allen's reaction and the boy deeply sighs, nodding defeated and releasing the breath he has been holding.
"What happened… has happened after he got drunk. That's pretty obvious because he would have beaten you up that night if he was conscious during that something else, plus you showed me Tim's recording and nothing happened before or while he was eating…"
Allen just stares, waiting and listening.
"… and since you deleted the recording of the rest of the night before com..."
Allen blinks, and his lips stiffen. Lavi, who is studying every single movement of the bedded friend stops immediately.
"What?" He thinks back to what he has said and only one part of his reasoning was just an assumption.
"You didn't delete it?!"
Allen's eyes widen and he tries to hide the fact by turning to study the ever so interesting empty chair.
"You didn't."
Allen is like an open book for Lavi, he can read every single movement and understand what the friend is thinking, so he doesn't need an answer from Allen, he knows now that his friend hasn't deleted the incriminating part of the video. He shifts on the chair barely containing his eagerness, oh hell, what he would give to watch that part.
As he bits his lip not to freak out and blabber about it from excitement Allen shuts his eyes and groans.
"Lavi will make a great Bookman…"
"Ehm… Allen…"
"No way I'd show you."
"Damn!" "Right, of course. But, Allen? Is it… what I think?" His voice shakes slightly.
"It depends… What do you… think it is?" Allen is tensing. The chair fills his vision but he doesn't see it.
"I… that you… him…" Lavi can't continue. He chokes, but it is clear what he means. Allen doesn't answer, but his flaming cheeks confirm Lavi's insinuation, and the redhead gasps, murmuring shocked.
"You really did rape him…"
Wait. Na-ah. Allen's eyes flip open and he shouts in disbelief.
"No! No no no no! I didn't…" he stops himself from shouting the word, suddenly conscious of where he is. He lowers his voice to a whisper and with glassy wide eyes he stares into Lavi's, leaning closer and gripping the sheets with the uninjured arm.
"I didn't rape him! That's not what happened! How could you even think it?"
Lavi turns a bright shade of red, he is happy and relieved he was wrong but he is ashamed he could think something so bad of his friend. He leans closer and in the same conspirator tone of Allen he whispers:
"So what in the world happened??"
Allen calms down a bit, leaning back against the pillow once more, and he sighs heavily. It is too late now not to tell Lavi, so he starts his telling, unexpected relief washing over him with every word.
Did you like this double chap?
It's unexpectedly difficult to keep both stories going on at the same time, so don't think all the fic will have this composition :)
revieeeeeeeeeew!