"Mm" Allen mumbled, shifting in Lavi's arms as he slept.
"I guess he still conks out whenever he gets real happy huh?" Lavi smiled down at Allen who lay flush against his chest.
"Yeah." Kanda didn't trust Lavi or the weird feeling his presence left behind. Considering what he knew about Allen's past, - which wasn't much - he hadn't anticipated a visit from someone in it. Much less a queer, one-eyed, redhead.
"Aww, won't you talk to me more, Yuu?" Kanda stopped dead in his tracks.
"How the hell..." His eyes narrowed expertly on the cheery green ones.
"You'd be surprised how much you can learn from a panda. Like all of the things that you're hiding from Allen." Lavi raised his arm, trailing his fingers through Allen's hair.
"... That's none of your business." Kanda continued walking, hoping they'd reach the orphanage soon.
"Everything's my business, Yuu-chan."
"Don't call me that, baka!"
"Why not?" Lavi pouted "It's cute~"
"It's not cute. Plus if beansprout hears you say that he'll know something's up."
"Aww, how cute of you, giving Allen a sweet little nickname~" Lavi cooed, reminding Kanda of Jerry.
"Shut up, you dumb rabbit" Kanda would have left by now had Lavi not been holding Allen.
"Ouch, Yuu, you hurt me, right here" Lavi spoke, using his free hand to clutch his chest as he wobbled to and fro. Kanda's stomach did a flip thinking that this fool knew of his disclosed past.
"... How much do you know?" Kanda wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer or not, in all honesty he hadn't planned on ever telling Allen anything... well anything important. But if that dumb rabbit knew, and he blabbed through that overly sweet mouth of his, then there was nothing he could do about it.
"Probably more than you do." His plastic smile faltered for a moment; his eye seemed to change color from all of the images swirling throughout it, all of the memories being unearthed.
"Tch."
Lavi's smile returned as he looked down to Allen, matching his expression.
...
Allen looked down do to his arm, red protrusions extending out from the cross on his hand, almost akin to a web, trailing up to just below his shoulder. Tears mimicking their trail. He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, kid" It was a calm voice, but it didn't house the frost that the rest of the voices contained. Allen screwed up his eyes, peering through his tears and saw a red sun, with a glowing moon below. "I'm Lavi, what about you."
"..." Allen could only stare at the sunlight invading the never-ending night. He felt his tears being wiped away and deft fingers gently lifting his burning arm.
"Wow, what the heck are they doin' to kids now? Those swine made a candy cane out of your arm." Allen felt his face stretch and it took him a moment to realize he was smiling. "Hey~ there we go now, you look real good when you smile little man."
Allen felt his smile grow and he managed to whisper "Allen, that's my name." He heard the sun titled Lavi repeat the name, turning his arm over in his hands and pressing something cool into it.
"I have a buddy on the outside that does check-ups on the kids that won't pull through without some real help, he gives me some nice stuff sometimes."
"Thank you."
"S'no problem, we gotta be wary of each other in a place like this. Plus," Allen felt Lavi's gaze drift, landing above his left eye, "you were handed a pretty bad card right off the top of the deck."
Allen's smile slid into something more devious as he spoke. "If this is a card game, then I don't plan on losing."
...
Allen could feel warm arms around him as he bobbed up and down. Gravel was crunching under... two pairs of feet. Allen's eyes slid open to be greeted with red locks tickling his cheek. He straightened his arms distancing his body from the slender chest. "Lavi!" When Allen had remembered Lavi's appearance upon wakening he had thought it was a dream.
"Allen!" Lavi mocked. He smiled his sunny smile and whined. "I was so~ lonely with you asleep Allen-Chan, Kanda won't talk to me~" Allen looked to Kanda, who was walking beside Lavi. He glared and turned his head forward.
"He's just grumpy 'cause it's so hot." Allen stuck his tongue out at Kanda.
"I'm not grumpy."
"You're always grumpy, Bakanda- Wah! Lavi, hey!" Lavi was doubled over laughing and Allen hung onto his neck for dear life, praying that Lavi wouldn't let go.
"Ah, Bakanda, oh my gosh that's great! Beansprout and Bakanda!" He stood up straight and wiped the tears from his lone green eye.
"It's Allen"
"Okay Beansprout, but you two... oh gosh." Lavi smiled looking between a scowling Allen and an erupting Kanda.
"Lavi, you couldn't even make it a half a day before you got annoying?" Allen deadpanned
"Actually I don't think I made it half an hour, you fell asleep after like five minutes."
The look passed between Lavi and Kanda verified that statement. Allen giggled.
"I guess you can argue with Lavi now too, huh Kanda?"
"No" Kanda looked away and stated "... It's different"
Allen couldn't help the smile on his face. He looked to Lavi's questioning expression and grinned reassuringly. "Arguing's good."
"Okay?"
"Tch."
"Ah, I guess this is the place?" Lavi questioned.
Allen turned his head to eye the orphanage. "Mm" he felt himself being lowered and almost reached for Lavi's distancing figure. He felt fingers run through his hair.
"'S good seein' you again Allen"
Allen grabbed the arm that was linked to his head. "Won't you stay a bit Lavi, I got a friend Jan who you'd get along real well with." Allen saw Kanda grimace out of the corner of his eye.
"I wish I could little man, but I have to get back to the old Panda. I'll come around and find you next time I get a break, 'kay?" Lavi spoke, taking both of Allen's hands in his own.
Allen pouted but let it go. "Alright."
"I'll see you later Allen-Chan! And Kanda, you try not to miss me too much!" Lavi turned and blew kisses as he walked off.
"Just hurry up and leave" Kanda grumbled. Allen turned and smiled proudly at him like 'Isn't he great' and Kanda sighed.
"Yeah yeah, let's just get inside, I'm starving."
...
"Hmm, Allen hon, you are positively beaming right now, what on earth happened to put you in that good of a mood." Jerry queried as he prepared Allen's monumental dinner.
"I met an old friend Jerry. I haven't seen him in a good long while now and he's almost exactly the same 'cept he's got a few inches on me now and his voice got pretty deep." Allen could dance he was so happy to see his old mate. But Kanda would hit him over the head for acting dumb.
"Well that's real nice, sweetie. I suppose that's also the reason for Kanda's fouler than foul mood as well?"
Allen sighed looking at Kanda eat his soba with his eyes closed. He only did that when he didn't want to look at anything nor have anything send a look in his direction. "Yeah... Lavi's kind of like an older, weirder Jan, so Kanda wasn't all too fond of him."
"I can imagine." Jerry sung warily "Well good luck keeping those two in line dear."
"I think it might need more than luck" Allen mumbled as he walked off with his meal.
"So your new friend sounds like a stellar guy."
"Hm, why ever would you say that, Jan?" Allen teased.
"Well anyone who pisses your boyfriend off that much is fine with me." Jan smirked looking at the seething Kanda.
Allen sighed "Yeah, I'd be careful around him today. He might smash your nose again."
"What about you? It's not like you're going to stay away from him... or keep from getting under his skin for that matter."
"I can handle him." Allen said with a voice that sounded like he had thought about that answer a whole lot.
"Okay... just try to make sure I won't have to attend your funeral later on."
"Go sit down, Jan."
"Kay, see-ya" Jan said holding up a dismissive hand.
"Yeah, bye," Allen breathed. Allen sat across from Kanda and started the mighty task of devouring his meal.
Kanda kindly waited until Allen was finished until he decided to interrogate.
"Who was that guy?"
"Lavi."
"No shit Sherlock, how do you know him?"
"We stayed at the same place for a while."
"What place?"
"I don't really remember... some cast-off place."
"Liar."
"Am not."
Kanda huffed "Okay... how long were you with him?"
"Two years."
"... Why'd you freak so hard when you saw him?"
"Because I haven't seen him for a long while."
Kanda decided to ignore how vague the answer was "How long is a while?"
"Five years." Allen was covering his mouth with his hand and obviously wasn't comfortable with where this was headed.
"So... you stopped seeing him when you got adopted?"
Damn, Allen forgot he told him that. "Yeah"
"How come?"
"We went somewhere else." It wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the whole truth.
"How old is that kid."
"Old enough that you don't have the right to call him kid. He's got to be around fifteen now."
"Oh" For some reason Kanda relaxed.
"Are you done now?" Allen asked, gathering his dirty dishes.
"Tch."
"Well, you never answer my questions and you expect me to answer all of yours." Allen chided.
"Yeah whatever."
...
Pain surged through every nerve in his body. Then they became numb, he was aware of the constant spasms only because of the sound his body made against the metal table. Cold voices were discussing whether more would extinguish the 'temporary' factor to his wounds. Whether he would be able to take it. He felt his senses revive and he felt better than ever, powerful, mighty, unbreakable, invincible. But he had never felt more disgusting. He knew that this wasn't him. He was made this way. They stretched and formed him to their own will. He felt like a commodity being made in a factory, riding on a conveyor belt of conformity, waiting to be packaged and shipped. He could feel outsider's eyes on him, and he forced himself to keep calm. He wouldn't let anyone know of the conflict his body was dealing with.
"-anda. Kanda!" Kanda jumped, his momentary haze clearing at the sound of his name. Lavi's words had gotten to him.
"Kanda, what's wrong? You look spooked." Kanda looked up to worried gray eyes and wiped his expression clean.
"Shut up, I'm fine" He saw Allen's eyes lighten.
"Okay, geez, don't get your panties in a bunch," Allen mumbled. He was standing in front of Kanda in the middle of his room.
Kanda shot his leg forward, connecting his foot with Allen's shin. There was a rewarding grunt as Allen fell backward onto his bed.
"What the hell!"
"You were asking for it, it's not my fault you're a masochist." Kanda spoke standing up
"I am not"
"Then I suppose you argue with me because you like the sound of my voice." Kanda ridiculed
"No, I just like to yell."
"So you're a sadist?"
"Guess so" Allen affirmed raising his pinkie and pointer finger.
"And you can just admit that, without a second thought."
"Well it's true, plus you're in the same boat as me." Allen didn't think it fair that he was being accused of all of these things when Kanda did the same exact thing. In fact Kanda was probably worse off than him.
"Yeah right" Of course. Even if it was true, Kanda's pride got in the word's way.
"You must try real hard to be difficult." Actually Allen was pretty sure that wasn't true. Kanda did whatever he wanted. If he wanted to cooperate then he would cooperate, and if he wanted to be an insufferable prick, well hell be it if someone got in his way.
"Yet my efforts go unheeded in sight of your stubbornness." Kanda spoke airily
"Wow. Good for you, those were some big words there, Kanda."
"Sorry, do you want me to say them slower." Kanda smirked
"If you can manage to recall what you just said."
"Yeah, I can also remember a certain Beansprout saying how much he actually loved arguing with me."
"I never said that."
"Well maybe not those words exactly but quit complaining about our fights when they do more good than harm."
"Whatever, Bakanda."
They simply glared at each other for a while before Moore entered the room.
"Allen?"
"Yeah Moore?" Allen couldn't think of a reason why Moore would be here.
"Um, I heard that you met one of your friends today." She spoke rather nervously, making Allen worry.
"I did." Allen spoke, trying to get Moore to talk further.
"Well, was it a good friend?"
'Oh, that's what she was worried about.' "Yes Moore, a very good friend" He confirmed grinning
She let out a relieved, heavy sigh. "Oh good. That's incredible Allen; I wouldn't have expected anyone... I mean the chances just weren't in your favor on that one." She spoke, placing a hand on Allen's head
Allen smiled, "I'm pretty good with chance."
Moore returned the gesture and asked a few more questions. Just to make sure Allen wasn't pulling her leg.
"Who was it?"
"Lavi."
A pang of glee ran through Moore. Allen had told her about this boy. Although it wasn't much, it was clear that the two were incredibly close. "Is he doing okay?"
"Better than ever I'd say" Allen spoke with a thoughtful smile "He was smiling the whole time."
"That's great honey! Um..." She started glancing at Kanda, who was surprisingly calm. She whispered "How'd he get along with our little hot-head?" She hoped it was at least manageable.
Allen thought about it for a moment with a done-in expression. He spoke carefully, like he wanted to make sure that Moore got the gist. "Like a tense man and a time bomb."
Moore smiled a bit. "Oh, I see... But I guess it could be worse."
"It could always be worse."
"Yes, I suppose. But he seems okay now, he's in his right mind at the least."
Allen chuckled "Yeah. I think he actually liked him."
"You're wrong on that one, Beansprout."
"Shut up, Bakanda"
"Then quit making crap up"
"Bite me."
"I would, but I don't want to catch some rabbit disease from you, hanging all over that idiot like you were."
'Oh, maybe that's why he was mad.' Moore thought, ignoring the boy's argument, standing up to leave. She felt a tug at the bottom of her shirt.
"What's wrong Allen?"
"Um, about the… call a while ago." He spoke looking up with nervous eyes.
"Oh, honey you shouldn't have to worry about that for a while."
Allen relaxed slightly "Alright."
Kanda watched Moore leave and listened to the 'click' of the door closing. Allen sat across from him again. "What was that about?"
"A doctor called a while ago saying he wanted to run some tests and they usually aren't too pleasant."
'Liar' Kanda thought, but he knew he wouldn't get anywhere by prying. He took Allen's arm in his hand and tried to separate the image of the dark red arm and flaming red hair.
Omake
(While Allen's memory was recovering)
"What are you doing?"
"Meditating," Kanda spoke letting out a long, smooth breath.
"...What does it do?" Allen questioned, peering at Kanda's face.
"If it's quiet," Kanda spoke, opening his eyes slightly, gazing at Allen accusingly "then it clears your mind; calms your spirit."
"May I join you?" Allen questioned politely
"If you shut up." Allen felt like he should retort, but decided not to take the chance and sat down as stealthily as he could manage.
He tried to 'clear his mind' but every time he thought he had succeeded, a little voice in his head would say things like 'Am I thinking anything?' or 'I don't think I'm thinking anything'. It occurred to him that in the process of doing nothing, he had to try to do nothing, which was - in term - doing something. All of this made Allen's already sore head throb shockingly. It began to feel rather heavy and he let it rest on a surface to his left.
"What are you doing beansprout?" Kanda growled
"Meditating," Allen stated dryly
Kanda sighed, "Not like that you aren't"
"Mmm, you're just comfy."
"I'm not, now get off."
"Should I... or maybe it's would I?"
"Huh?" Kanda tried to look at the sprout on his shoulder, but could only view white tresses. "What are you talking about, Sprout?"
"Normally... if you told me to get off would I?"
"... I don't know"
"It's like... If I think about it, I'm not too sure what to do. But if I just go by instinct and what I feel, it flows better." Allen spoke lifting his hand so it brushed against the long black locks lying across Kanda's chest. "Like I think I should be arguing with you right now."
"Well what do you feel like you should be doing?" Kanda was actually interested in this. It had felt like Allen was being forced to fight with him. It held a different feel than the win win situation they had eased into.
Allen let his thoughts flow freely and let his instincts decide his next action. His head fell from Kanda's shoulder and landed with a soft 'thud' onto his lap. "I feel like I should do this, but... something says it's a bad idea." Allen realized why when he looked up to Kanda's red face.
Once again, sorry for the late update, I didn't think I would be put off this much. Lavi isn't going to be a threat to Kanda if you haven't figured that out already. For me Laven is purely brotherhood. Thank you Chibi123Poof for reviewing.
Thanks for reading