-Cantarella-
"Maybe next time we need to be a little more inconspicuous," Lenalee commented mildly.
"Just a little?" Allen raised his eyebrows.
The date, in retrospect, was good. Great, even. Other than the fact that they had noticed several people trailing after them with cameras. Which would've been more okay if people hadn't started to talk to them along the way.
The Chinese model met his eyes with a defeated smile. "I didn't think—"
The white haired boy immediately squeezed the hand he was holding. "I wasn't saying—" he started with a wry grin. "I'm not saying it's your fault. If anything, it's mine. I know you're famous—not as famous as Kanda but still, famous enough for us to be splashed on the front page of the papers tomorrow morning," he sighed. "I'm sorry, I—"
"Quit saying that," Lenalee elbowed him with a sharp look. "As I was saying, before you so rudely interrupted me," she huffed. "I…I'm sorry."
Allen stopped in his tracks which made her stop too. "…Are you…um, breaking up with me?" he asked carefully.
"What," Lenalee stared, incredulous.
"I mean," he bit back hastily at her glare, babbling quickly. "I won't blame you if you do, but—"
"Allen," at her tone, he silenced. "Do you even want to date me? Because we just went on our first official date, which was great, by the way, and you're already assuming I want to break up with you—I mean, come on, Al," she sighed. "What gives?"
"No—yes! I mean, yes, of course I want…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. "I—sorry, I—"
"Quit saying that!"
"Sorry—"
"Al—"
"Oh my god," Allen groaned, shutting his eyes. "I'm horrible at this."
But still, they stood hand in hand in the middle of the pavement. The cool evening air blew by and he felt her shiver slightly—she was only wearing a short sleeved dress after all. Quietly he debated whether he should hand over his jacket—it was just a couple of minutes more before they reached her house. Instead, before he moved, she turned his shoulder so she could speak to him face to face.
"Yeah, you are," Lenalee smiled, shaking her head. One of her hands came up to touch the scar on his cheek. "Al, I'm saying sorry because I didn't want us to come out this way. I wanted...I wanted us to do a proper press conference and everything but I wanted to ask you when…when I thought you'd be more comfortable with it. I know you hate the attention and if you're with me, there'll always be attention."
"I don't really mind it," he replied. "Because you're with me. I mean," he blushed faintly. "It's not something I'm bothered by, if it's for you. Wait, no—"
It was inevitable that she started to laugh. "Dude, can you get any cheesier?"
"Lenalee, quit laughing! I'm serious!" Allen groaned, ignoring the heat in his ears. "Lenalee!"
"I know, sorry, sorry," The Chinese grinned. "It's cute when you do that."
"As you've said," he responded with a sigh, but he was smiling.
"So, Monday?"
"Monday?" he repeated dumbly.
"The press conference, bud."
Allen blinked rapidly. "T-that fast?" he coughed. "I mean, sure, if you want then…"
"What about you?" Lenalee asked abruptly, staring at him. "You always say if 'I' want. What about you, Al? Do you want this? Because you don't seem very enthusiastic about us dating, and—"
He hugged her before she could say more, arm gripping her waist tight.
"Yes. Yes, I do," he said into her ear. "I'm just…" he swallowed. "I'm freaking out here, Lenalee. I've never done this before and I certainly haven't done this with you and I don't want to screw this up and," he breathed out slowly. "You know I love you."
He felt her tense in his arms, but she relaxed quickly. He was slightly afraid that she would push him away.
"Yeah," she murmured after a long while, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I know," she said into his neck.
Her fingers danced across the nape of his neck and he shivered under the light touch, eyes fluttering close. She smelt so good, she always did, and it was even better with her warmth against his body. Unthinkingly his lips brushed over her temple as they stayed in the embrace.
"I do like being with you, Al," Lenalee murmured.
"Y-yeah?" he replied, feeling his cheeks heat automatically.
He couldn't see her face from his position, but he felt her nod slowly. His heart was beating ridiculously fast and he was extremely aware of the rate that his pulse was rocketing. He held her quietly until she pulled back with a soft smile, taking his hand again to signal them to continue walking.
"Do you want to come in for dinner?" she asked when they were about ten steps away from the gate of her house.
Allen winced. "Love to, but Komui—"
Both of them stiffened when they saw that Komui was leaning against the doorframe, watching them with a silent gleam in his glasses. They did not miss the hard gaze he stared at their entwined hands.
"Allen," the elder greeted when they stood right outside. "Come in for dinner."
"Um—"
"Come on," Lenalee grinned, grabbing him by the arm to move forward. "He invited you himself."
"I don't think this is a good idea," Allen whispered frantically.
"I'll protect you," she smiled and patted his arm.
"That wasn't what I meant," he groaned, but let himself be pulled in anyway.
It seemed like Komui had planned the dinner ahead, because there was enough food to cover Allen's appetite. It was a simple meal of home cooked meat and vegetables with rice, but the sheer amount of it left Lenalee in the kitchen to oversee the serving into proper bowls, leaving Allen awkwardly holding the cutlery as Komui set out the placemats at the dinner table.
"Had fun today?"
Allen nearly squeaked in surprise at Komui's calm tone. "…Yes?" he answered cautiously.
"You don't sound so sure." The elder was now fixing upon him a look that was shielded by the glare of his spectacles.
"Yes," he hurried to reply. "It was great. Um, really great."
Komui held out his hand and Allen stepped back reflexively.
"The chopsticks, Allen," Komui sounded amused. "I'm not going to bite."
"But your robots," the younger blurted before he could stop himself.
"Well, that," Komui sighed, pushing up his glasses. "Kanda-kun was very rude to them the other day," he said as Allen busied himself to putting the cutlery down just so that he didn't have to face Komui's eyes.
"Why do you love my sister?"
The question was so abrupt that a spoon clattered out of his grip. "Um, sorry, I-I, I'll get another one—"
"Why do you love my sister?" Komui repeated, and Allen straightened himself up.
The CEO was watching him carefully and it made him swallow uncertainly. It took a while before words came to his mouth.
"Because she taught me how to live," he said quietly, looking at the spoon in his hands. "She…she was…and still is, the only one who gets me," there was a small smile at the edge of his lips as he admitted this. "She gets to me. I can't help but want her to be happy, in any possible way, I just…" he trailed off, stopping suddenly. "I'm sorry, that's not a very good answer," he said finally.
"No answer would be good enough," Komui replied honestly, but he did not look upset. "How long do you plan to be her…boyfriend?" he pronounced the word with a distinct scrunch of the nose like it left a bad taste on his tongue.
Allen looked confused. "How long?" he repeated. "Um. As long as she wants me?"
"And if she doesn't want you?"
Even if it was hypothetical, it still hurt. "…I let her go."
"Will you?" Komui countered. "Can you?"
The white haired male swallowed. "I…I will try."
"Try isn't good enough, Allen," Komui said, and Allen clenched his fists.
He knew Komui wasn't going to be easy. That was why he didn't want to come in and be grilled about it when he had no battle plan as of yet. This was something he wanted to prepare for because the winning was crucial—there was no second chance, and this was something he wanted more than anything—nothing but the first shot had to work.
"I know it isn't good enough," Allen replied steadily, forcing his voice to be firm. "I know nothing is good enough. I know no one is good enough for Lenalee. I know that," he continued. "But I want to do something for her. Be someone to her."
"And why should that person be you?" Komui retorted, but there was no fury behind his words, as if he was testing for the right answer.
"This isn't a competition, Komui," Allen answered softly. "You will always be someone to Lenalee. No one else can be her brother. I know how Lenalee is important to you. I know about…before," he made some sort of gesture with his hands to explain. "Before you brought her to Japan, about what she was forced to do. About what you had to do," Komui's face did not betray surprise, even if Komui had never told it to him. "And I don't want to break anything that you have with her…I mean…after Mana…I know how…how much it would hurt if someone who meant so much to you was taken away."
At Komui's extended silence, Allen ventured again. "You let me take her out the first time. Why?"
"I didn't think..."
"That she would like me back." he finished, looking at his feet. "Neither did I," he muttered.
At least a minute passed before Allen felt a hand on his shoulder and he bit back the shocked scream. Komui was staring decidedly at the kitchen door, like he wanted to move forward but didn't know how to.
"No staying overnight at your house," he spoke, then added with a scowl. "I don't trust you or Marian."
"N-noted," Allen blinked rapidly.
"If you want to take her on a date, clear it with me first. Her curfew is at ten. When you're in her room, keep the door open. Do not ever touch her where she doesn't want and definitely no having sex with her. If you make her cry, you will know pain. If you break her heart, you will yearn for something as sweet as pain," Komui turned to glare at him. "Is that clear?"
Even if Komui's tone promised death, Allen couldn't stop the smile that spread across his lips. "Crystal."
"I heard all of it, you know," Lenalee said to him when she walked him to the gate after dinner. "Your talk with Komui," she clarified.
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Allen mused. "I was expecting more uh, metal objects than actual words."
"I made sure he stopped with the robots, for now, at least," Lenalee smiled. "Everyone gives you that speech though. The, if you hurt her I'll kill you speech," she sighed. "I don't think that's fair."
"Well, you are the girl—"At her raised eyebrow, he stopped. "That was sexist. Sorry."
"What I was trying to say," Lenalee continued. "The person who ever gave me the closest version of that speech was Kanda-kun."
The bugged-out look on his face nearly made her burst into laughter, but she ploughed on.
"So, if…if I hurt you, you have to say something. Tell me. Or Kanda-kun. Or Lavi, Reiichi, someone. Just," she looked at him determinedly. "Don't just take it. If you want something, tell me. If you don't like where this is going, tell me. I want this," she gestured between them. "To work. Not just for me. For you too. For us. Okay?" When he didn't answer, she repeated more firmly. "Okay, Al?"
"I'm sorry," Allen coughed. "You lost me at Kanda."
"Space cadet," she grinned. "He cares about you," at his exaggerated coughs, she snorted. "As hard as it is to believe, he was really worried those months ago when I acted way out of line."
"Well, he didn't tell me."
"I said he was worried, not that a miracle would happen," Lenalee chuckled. "You understand me, right? If anything—"
"Tell someone, yeah, I know," Allen nodded. "I promise."
"Good."
"Okay."
There was a minute of awkward silence as Lenalee stared at him while he ruffled the hair at the back of his head in nervousness.
"Okay," Lenalee nodded slowly. "You…you look good today, you know."
"Yeah?" he blinked, looking down at his attire.
He was in black jeans and a dark blue collared shirt, plus a casual leather zip hoodie that Reiichi had made for him in thanks for the very first project she did with Kanda. Yes, he did fret over what to wear like a teenage girl—in the end he took absolutely no advice from Lavi and wore what he felt was best.
"Uh-huh," she fingered the collar of his jacket with a smile. "Well, today was great. I really liked it."
"Me too."
Another silence fell, and Allen fidgeted. "Well. Goodnight? I'll see you…Monday?"
"I'll let you know when the press conference starts so we can get ready."
"Sure."
Allen was pretty sure he was supposed to leave, but Lenalee was still holding his hands with no sign that she was going to let go. He looked at her questioningly, meeting her expectant gaze. After a few more seconds of the furrowed eyebrows on his face, Lenalee sighed.
"Are you going to kiss me or not?"
Allen flushed automatically. "Uh, your brother is staring at me through the window," he muttered quickly under his breath.
"So?"
"He'll kill me!" he protested, wide eyed. "I mean, he'll kill me more," he amended.
Lenalee was pouting now. "So I'm not worth it?"
"Lenalee," he growled, feeling himself blush harder.
She grinned in surrender. "Kidding. I'll see you on Monday, mister."
Before she could leave, Allen found himself grabbing her wrist. She looked back at him with a tilted head gaze, and he slid a thumb slowly up her arm, feeling the goosebumps that arose under his touch. She watched him lean forward, gaze flickering down to her mouth. His eyelashes were white, and they swept against her cheek as he touched their mouths lightly together. It was long enough that she had to gasp a little for air when he pulled back.
"You're always worth it," he whispered, giving a small smile before turning heel and disappearing down the street.
She could only stare after him, heart pounding.
"You're always worth it?" Allen repeated incredulously to himself as he hurried down the pavement, not daring to look back in case Komui came after him with a chopper—or a robot. "That was so, ugh! Goddamn—it!"
He needed a mouth filter.
When the front door of Kaori's place swung open, Reiichi was met with a girl whom she did not recognize.
"…I should be at the right place," she murmured, noting the apartment number.
"Kuroshi-san, right?" the girl beamed, stepping back to gesture her in. "Tanaka-san's inside, with the rest of your friends."
"Yeah," Reiichi nodded, muttering the customary greeting as she placed her shoes at the corner. "It's nice to meet you…?"
"Minori Mori," the other girl replied. "Likewise, it's great to meet you. I mean, wow, I can't believe it."
"You've met her, you can go along now," Kaori grinned as she came out from the corridor. "What's with the bags, Zero-chan?"
"I brought some cake," Reiichi smiled, setting the two large paper bags she was carrying. "Hey guys," she greeted Shizuka and Haru who trotted out of the kitchen to hug her in welcome.
"It's been ages," Haru agreed, but she let go quickly to peer inside the bags.
"I can't believe I actually met Kanda Yuu's girlfriend," Minori grinned to herself, sighing in content. "Right, I'll stop being creepy now. Enjoy your dinner, ladies," she gave a quick wave to them all after putting on her shoes, dashing out of the door.
"New flatmate?" Reiichi chuckled.
"Yep," Kaori answered. "She insisted on waiting for you to come before she left because she didn't believe me when I said you were coming over."
"Sorry, it took a while to convince Lavi not to come," she sighed.
"Zero-chan, you baked lemon cake? I didn't know you liked lemon cake." Haru blinked at the five cakes she set out from the paper bags.
Likewise, Shizuka was staring at them. "Why are there so many lemon cakes?"
"I had some ingredients lying around…" Reiichi started. "I've never eaten one before, so I thought—"
"But you made like, five?" Kaori raised an eyebrow. "I guess we can give the last one to Mori-san, but—"
"They're trial cakes, aren't they?" Haru stated with a smirk. "For Koibito-san?"
"Maybe," Reiichi admitted reluctantly. "And stop calling him that!" she scowled, then sighed. "He bought me an oven, remember? I just…want to give something back."
She had baked them while Kanda was working out or swimming during the nights, and since the cake had a relatively simple preparation, it took her barely two hours to make a batch or two if she made more than she estimated.
"I don't know how it's supposed to taste like," she continued. "I was hoping someone could tell me."
"I've never eaten lemon cake before," Shizuka stated.
"Neither have I," Haru added, but there was an interested gleam in her eye.
"I'm sure even if it doesn't taste like it's supposed to, it's still good," Kaori shrugged. "Which brings us to the main topic. How are things with you and Kanda-san?"
Reiichi still didn't understand how someone who (apparently) hated sweet things would like something like lemon cake. Granted it wasn't as saccharine without the icing, but there was still that particular tang of the taste of cake that she thought Kanda avoided with his life. But she supposed she was learning something new about him every day.
She was on her eighth try on a Friday night, arms propped on the kitchen counter as she stared at the cake baking in the oven. The seventh one lay a quarter eaten on the table—she liked it herself, but she wasn't sure whether it was good enough. Although Tiedoll had sent her the recipe he used all those years ago when she requested for it, she still squinted at the number of cups of sugar it required.
"What's that?"
She jumped in shock at the sound of Kanda's voice, realizing he had walked in soundlessly behind her and had poured himself a cup of water. His hair was dry for once, even though she knew he had taken a shower. He was looking at the cake on the table.
"I, um, I'm just testing out a recipe," she fumbled, not so subtly positioning herself in front of the oven.
"So what is it?" he asked again, giving her a raised eyebrow that she knew she was foolish to even attempt to avoid the question.
"Lemon cake," she acceded.
"Have you been baking the same damn thing the whole week?" he switched his gaze to the oven.
"No," she denied reflexively.
Kanda rolled his eyes. "Ï know how it smells like. The old man used to bake it all the time. I know he told you."
"If you knew you should have said something," Reiichi muttered, heat creeping up her cheeks in embarrassment.
If she had known he had known what she was doing, there wasn't any point in waiting till he was busy when she baked the cakes. Kanda shrugged nonchalantly and downed the last of his water.
"Do you want some?" Reiichi ventured nervously.
"Is it horribly sweet?" he countered.
"Maybe."
To her surprise, he walked over to the table and sat, grabbing the fork she had used. He stared at it like he wanted to kill it—like he did with all desserts, she noticed—but there was no doubt that he actually cut a small piece and put it into his mouth.
Reiichi watched him chew and swallow in the slowest, most obnoxious way possible.
"Huh," the model finally said, putting down the fork.
She blinked for a good ten seconds. "Is that a good noise or a bad noise? Because I can't tell," she frowned. "Does it taste like what it's supposed to? I've never eaten lemon cake before so I don't know if it's supposed to taste like that or—I mean, I made like six cakes before this but they seemed weird, but my friends said they were okay but then again they've never eaten it before either so—"
"Where's the icing?" Kanda interrupted her.
"Tiedoll said you don't like the icing," she replied without thinking.
She had just admitted clearly that all the trouble she had gone through was just so she could bake him a cake that he liked. Which was sort of ridiculous.
"Or do you?" she mused. "I can make that, I think I still remember—"
"Rei," he cut her off. "I was kidding."
She went silent, staring at him. "You don't joke," she finally said. "Okay, sometimes you do, in your weird way," she acceded. "So," she started cautiously. "Did you like it?"
Instead of answering the question (as always), he gestured towards her. "Come here."
She didn't expect him to grab her wrist to tug her down when she did so, where she ended up sitting on his lap. She tried not to lean too obviously against him, and the scent of white musk emanating from his skin was particularly distracting.
"Why did you make it?" he asked directly.
"Why can't you answer my question first?" she demanded, suddenly aware of how close they were.
He leaned forward so he could prop his arm on the table, effectively trapping her down.
"It was too sweet," he dismissed it quickly, making sure she wasn't trying to avoid his gaze. "Why did you make it?"
"Do I need a reason to give you something?" she asked back in return.
Kanda pressed his lips together, dark eyes holding hers steadily. Gently she undid the grasp he had around her wrist to touch the fabric over his chest.
"I just wanted to let you know that I…appreciate what you've been doing," she said quietly. "It still hurts...that you…that she…" she shook her head. "But, you're trying, and I really…appreciate that."
The vulnerable smile that she sent him made him swallow. It made everything worth it—how stupid and uncomfortable he had felt whenever he thought of all those things he planned to say or show to her—because she hadn't laughed at him once, instead, she looked at him like she understood.
His hand came up to brush against the side of her chin to guide her lips down to meet his mouth. She tasted exactly like the lemon cake he had eaten—of which he did not want to admit but he had been tempted to eat the whole thing after the first bite. Her sitting position on him was slightly uncomfortable due to the equal weight distribution, but he managed to coax her to move such that she was straddling his lap instead.
As he licked against her lips before taking her deeper, she cradled the column of his neck between her palms. Slowly they slid down to over his heart as he continued to kiss her carefully, slow and measured, and when they broke apart to breathe, she was smiling softly. He knew that she could feel his heartbeat that was thundering erratically, and somehow the warmth of her hands made his entire chest warm.
His own hands were sliding up her thighs, and he watched her flush darker as they arose to brush across the more sensitive areas of her skin. Their foreheads were pressed together, noses touching as they breathed for air. Kanda watched her lick her lips and captured it on reflex, muffling the soft moan that came after.
It was some time after the third round when Reiichi had her fingers threading through his hair at the back of his head that she flickered her gaze down and up quickly.
"I…I can feel your…um," she murmured, blushing.
"Ignore it," he muttered, reclaiming her mouth again.
Unfortunately Kanda wasn't helping the situation by grabbing her hips closer, pulling her flush against him. He trailed his mouth down her jawline and brushed over the smooth column of her neck—it had been too long since he dared to even think of marking her after she walked out on him, but now, it seemed like it might be alright.
Slowly he licked at her skin and sucked lightly, leaving a pale pink mark in its wake. Reiichi gasped quietly at the sensation but did not protest, to which he took as encouragement and continued his ministrations with a more dedicated fervor. Despite that, it was getting hard to ignore his erection poking against her thigh, especially when his hands were holding her down in place.
"Don't move so much," he muttered against her skin, hot breath causing her to shiver.
She shut her eyes tightly. "Do you want to do—something…" she didn't manage to finish the sentence, only to flush harder. "I mean…"
Kanda leaned back just enough to stare at her look of embarrassment. He cocked an eyebrow. "Are you 'offering' again?" he asked finally, making the quotation marks with his right hand.
She didn't know whether it was appropriate to find it funny that he actually did the gesture, but Kanda definitely beat her to the laughing compartment—or rather, he turned his head sideways and started coughing.
"Hey," she scowled indignantly, and tugged at his hair when he didn't stop with the exaggerated coughs. "It's not funny—Kanda!"
"Ow." Kanda coughed once more before facing her with a smirk. He didn't say anything, only to lock eyes with her and made a slow show of looking down at his crotch. As expected she followed his line of sight and then looked away quickly, ignoring the burn to her cheeks.
"I told you not to say it if you didn't mean it," the model stated.
She huffed. "What if I did?"
It didn't occur to her the whole weight of that challenge she threw out until she noticed he was staring at her with a different look in his eyes, one that was dark with all pupil. Never once did he break the eye contact but his right hand moved to take her left hand into his, guiding it to press against his stomach. Then, he slowly slid them down, over his abdominal muscles, watching her every reaction to the movement. But before it reached the hipline of his pants, he stopped.
"I can hear you freaking out," he raised an eyebrow.
She didn't realize she had shut her eyes, and she snatched her hand back quickly when he let go.
"Sorry if I haven't done this before!" she said furiously, covering her face with her palms.
She was so embarrassed that it hurt. It wasn't like she wanted to be embarrassed about it—but the thought of attempting and failing was humiliating, especially when she knew Kanda was not inexperienced at all in these matters. It seemed like he always gave in this aspect and she wanted to return something, but, being bad at it would probably be worse.
"It's not rocket science," Kanda rolled his eyes, but when she did not answer, he sighed. "Rei, look at me," he commanded, yanking her hands away so that she had no choice to look at him. "How far do you want to go?"
"What do you mean how far?" she asked cautiously.
He scowled, annoyed that he had to break it down into more words. "On a scale of making out to having sex, how far do you want to go?"
"Ï mean," she met his expression with the same in frustration. "What do you mean by in between that and that? I haven't done anything before but I…I'm not that oblivious about what else two people can do."
If she was throwing the ball into his court, then, "Do you want me to get you off?" he asked bluntly.
He wasn't sure if she understood what he had said because she blinked rapidly.
But of course before he could press further, both of them heard the jingling of keys at the front door. There wasn't time to curse his stupid best friend's timing because Reiichi jolted out of his lap when the knob turned like she just remembered their position, but she tripped in her haste and ended up being pulled back down when he grabbed her on reflex to catch her.
"'Sup people," Lavi grinned like a cat with a pizza box in hand as he entered the kitchen. "Did I miss a lap dance?"
"N-no," Reiichi denied, carefully moving off Kanda's lap. "We were just…talking. I don't even know how to—nevermind."
"Because that would so explain Yuu's boner," Lavi snickered whilst Kanda shot him a dark glare, daring him to say more. "And the hickey on your neck. And maybe also you guys look like you two totally made out."
"Talking," Reiichi emphasized, ignoring Lavi's words. "I made some cake, do you want some?"
"Did you even need to ask—wait, woah, fuck, Yuu just ate cake! Did—did I just, did Yuu just—"
The male redhead was clutching his pizza box that he nearly dropped when he saw the famed model put a piece of the cake on the table into his mouth while he was talking with his cousin.
"Shut up, I'm hungry," Kanda scowled, chewing. "Give me that pizza."
Lavi tossed the box over without complaint. "What cake is this?" he asked curiously, sniffing at the piece. "Is it magic? Does it have drugs? Or," a cheesy grin slid over his face. "Is it because Rei-chan made it?"
As predicted, Kanda ignored him.
"Lemon," Reiichi answered as she checked the oven for the one that was baking, smiling.
Normally Kanda did not like to work during the weekends, but sometimes his work—no matter how famous he was—entailed it. Shoots he could normally bargain to reschedule on weekdays, and most people tended to cater to his demands if they wanted him, which they always did. Runway shows however, were less forgiving. Because it was more for the invited, and the fact that the whole model cast had different schedules of their own, this particular weekend night had him walking down the runway for Issey Miyake.
The celebrated Japanese designer sometimes made really strange designs, but generally Kanda was made to wear the black collections which he would admit, he actually liked most of the time. Lavi and Reiichi were somewhere in the crowd with Allen watching, with him and most of the Innocence models at work. Unfortunately other models from other companies were also on the show, such as the Noah.
Thankfully the changing rooms were separated by gender over different parts of the building; moreover he had his own changing room thanks to his name. He hadn't seen Lulubell since their last encounter and he planned to keep it that way, because every time he thought about it he felt like throwing up.
He pulled on the shirt that he was changing into at the end of the night, buttoning it up with quick precise movements. Vaguely he wondering if he should do something about the clothes he left on the floor—Reiichi really hated that, he knew.
The door creaked open but he ignored it, focusing on the last button, but the voice that greeted him chilled him still.
"Hello, Kanda."
Lulubell stood back to the door that she clicked shut quietly.
Once the lights were back on, Reiichi yawned, stretching her shoulders discreetly. The runway show had been more than inspirational—Issey Miyake was definitely one of the designers that influenced her own style. Watching Kanda walk was just a bonus.
Every time they attended a runway show, she was reminded of the very first time she had seen Kanda strut down the runway, how she had been unable to deny the talent that he had for his job. It wasn't just the pretty face or the toned body, but Kanda Yuu had earned his name, and she had been wrong for judging otherwise.
"Supper," Lavi announced immediately, grabbing Allen's arm before he could leave.
"Lenalee and I—we have, um," Allen fumbled quickly. "We have plans."
The male redhead rolled his eye. "You mean you taking her home and getting tailed by the paparazzi?"
"No," Allen denied. "I meant taking her home so that Komui won't kill me."
"Relax," Lavi grinned, patting his back. "I'll call Komui and you guys have to hang with us. It's been ages, Brit," he smirked. "It's time to catch up with your buddies."
"I don't appreciate being interrogated just because we are official," Allen replied blandly. "I've had enough from the press."
Reiichi gave him a sympathetic smile, because she knew firsthand how the media went crazy over her own relationship. Allen and Lenalee had made theirs official on Monday afternoon, and given the nature of their long time childhood friendship to dating status, there was a lot of juice for the tabloids to work at.
"We know a dessert place that can keep even Yuu under wraps," Lavi smiled.
Allen looked at him.
"And I promise I won't ask if Lena-chan taught you to French kiss yet—owww!"
"Thank you, Reiichi," the younger smiled serenely at her. "I would've done twice as worse."
"Welcome," she huffed, smacking Lavi on the arm once more. "Behave."
"Fine, fine," Lavi muttered, looping his arm with Allen. "Rei-chan, I'm gonna go with Allen to get Lenalee in case they plan to elope, so go find Yuu and meet us at the front."
"There's really no need—" Allen started.
"Shush," Lavi elbowed him grinning hard. "Don't get in the way of their customary make out in the changing room time."
Reiichi ignored his words with a scowl, walking away.
"I didn't hear you deny it!" Her cousin shouted after her, laughing.
She was pretty sure Tyki Mikk wasn't part of the model cast, so she was justified in her surprise when she saw him leading against the wall along the corridor where Kanda's changing room was. The Portuguese model looked as bored as ever, dragging a cigarette from his lips as he blew the smoke out slowly through his parted lips.
"It's non-smoking area," she began, stepping closer.
He turned his head towards her lazily, taking another drag. "You caught me," he smiled. "Good evening, Reiichi. You look absolutely stunning tonight."
She resisted the immediate urge to look down at herself as his eyes did—she was wearing that crystal embroidered dress that came up to her mid thigh—the one that she had gotten at The Order two years ago and never wore. She felt much more exposed with the black heels she was wearing.
Ignoring the compliment, she frowned. "What are you doing here? You weren't on the runway."
"I'm touched you looked out for me," he smirked around the cigarette. "No, I flew in this morning from France. Just here to watch, this time."
"You didn't answer my question."
He smiled slow. "Why so suspicious, Reiichi?"
"You know damn well why," she retorted, unable to hide the anger from her voice.
Tyki clicked his tongue amusedly. "I am the innocent party, as you know. Relax, I'm just waiting for someone."
Reiichi froze. There was only one person he could be waiting for, and she was nowhere in sight, which meant…
Her hand was on the door knob before she even knew it, but Tyki caught her shoulder.
"I won't advise it," he stated calmly, golden eyes unblinking.
"Don't touch me," she muttered, glaring.
"She has something important to tell Kanda Yuu," he continued. "You don't want to hear it, trust me."
He was close enough that she coughed due to the smoke. Gripping the knob tighter, she pressed her lips together. "Are you sure that's all she'll be doing?"
"I mean it, Reiichi," Tyki retreated, flicking the cigarette to the floor and grinding it.
For a tense silence she stared at her hand on the knob. There was something in his voice that made her stop. Something that felt like a warning to be heeded. Biting her bottom lip, her grip on the knob was relaxing when she heard him chuckle, golden eyes glittering sharply.
"You really shouldn't trust me so much," he said, turning his gaze to the ceiling. "For all you know she could be having her way with him already."
She flung the door open.
"You wanted a family," was the first thing she heard.
"Not with you," was the second, a quick retort that was most definitely Kanda's voice.
Both of the occupants in the room turned to look at her when the door opened. They were standing at the opposite sides of the room, as far away from each other as the space could possibly allow. Kanda was standing against the wall next to the mirror and Lulubell was closest to the door, a paper folder in hand.
"But you did," Lulubell stated, eyes returning to Kanda as though Reiichi hadn't interrupted anything.
Reiichi could see how tight Kanda was clenching his fists and the tension in his jaw, and his eyes couldn't rise to meet hers.
"Get out," she hissed.
Lulubell met her glare with a disinterested gaze. "You can hold this for him," she said, pushing the folder into her hands, brushing past her coldly. "I don't care what you want me to do," she leveled a look at Kanda for the last time before she left. "But I'm keeping it."
There was only a quiet, "Let's go, Tyki," and then complete silence.
"Kanda?" Reiichi started, voice shaky.
The model let out a long tired exhale and shut his eyes. Worried, she dropped the folder she was forced to take and went to him.
"Are…are you okay? Did she do something?" she asked cautiously, hand brushing cross his cheek. "Kanda?"
He opened his eyes and they were dark and conflicted. She waited for him to say something—anything—anything about what had happened or even a weak brush off, but his mouth stayed close.
"Kanda?" she whispered. "It's okay," she mumbled, but whether it was for him or for her, she didn't know. He reached out to curl his fingers around her hip. "It's okay," she repeated, a lump in her throat. "It's okay, whatever she said, it's okay."
"Rei."
It was the way that he said her name that made her scared.
Beyond terrified.
"We're going to have supper with Allen and Lenalee," she started, swallowing. "We've already taken some time, I—"
"Rei," the second time he said it, her mouth clicked shut from the plea she heard in it. "She's pregnant."
If he hadn't said anything further, she wasn't sure if she would've realised she was just standing there in an utterly unreadable expression.
"That time when…she didn't—I wasn't…" he held on to her, afraid to let go as his tone edged into desperation. "I…I told her to get rid of it but she…she's not going to," his voice was hoarse.
She stepped back, but his hand caught her quickly.
"Don't leave."
She looked at the hand gripping her wrist, numb.
"Please."
His voice sounded muted.
"Rei, I…" He didn't finish the sentence, only to pull her roughly in. "I love you. So, please," he whispered against her neck. "Please."
She stood rock still, hands useless by her side.
"Stay. Please." It was only when he repeated his plea that her trembling hands reached up to clutch the side of his shirt, giving a small nod.
She didn't even notice the tears slipping down her cheeks.
A/N:
I AM ON MY SUMMER BREAK
But it also means that I'm doing an internship so unfortunately I can't spend much of it writing though if muse bites me hard enough, I will try. I also, unfortunately, got into Teen Wolf. Quite badly and deeply I must admit, because it's the reason why this chapter took so long to get out. STILES \o/ Scent marking is hot okay
Cheesy!Allen is my fav.
I don't really know what to say more about the Lulubell/Kanda situation except um, it's happening? Just wait for the next chapter :D
So here's the point in time when Kanda finally says those three words. I debated a lot whether to make him say it here or if he were to propose (IT WILL HAPPEN OKAY) but I feel like him doing the most unromantic proposal ever would be hilarious, so here it is. It won't be the only time he ever says it—I believe he would mutter it in very rare occasions. Like, once every five years or smth, idk.
I also wanted Reiichi to cry when he says it. Because it's significant in the way that she knows how much he's putting himself out there for her. I spent a lot of time imagining the whole scene but words just fail me D: I apologise for the sloppish writing this time but the next one will be better, promise.
Also general things:
Lavi/OC
I know I torture Lavi a lot, and yes, we all want a happy ending (I'm a sucker for happy endings). I do have someone for him, but it will be after Cantarella verse. It'll probably be just a couple of chapters in the epilogue series or something but I assure you it will be super lolz and cute so yeah. Just, it's going to take a while to get there (and by that I mean mostly on how long it takes for me to update, not the number of chapters left).
Also yes, I did think of writing a Lavi/OC fic that's not related to Cantarella but I'm really not sure how it would be received, considering OC fics aren't that popular in the first place. (in which it would be hilarious if Kanda wasn't paired up with anyone but his sour attitude (plot twist!) and he wants to kill himself when Lavi mopes to him every second of his life)
SEX SEX SEX SEX
I hope I got your attention with the headline.
SO. Yes. A couple of things I need to mention.
1) Reiichi will stick to her no sex before marriage rule. I think it's important that even if you do love someone, there are just some things that you should not make excuses to yourself. If Reiichi believes in no sex before marriage, she will not bend the rule just because she fell in love with Kanda.
2) On the other hand, I am still figuring out the boundaries that I'm willing to make them do that isn't considered sex. Eg. Kanda asks if he could pleasure her without penetration, is it still counted? (seriously there are so many ways he could do it ok) Will need some views on this please!
3) I really have no idea how explicit I can write. My imaginations are way vivid but that doesn't really come up on paper hahaha
4) Now isn't really the best situation for Kanda to think about sex though…dun dun dun
Some of you whom I can't PM:
waterlit: Thank you as always 3 I feel bad not PM-ing because you've been with me since Imitation Black and wow that's a really long time so thank youuuuuuuuuu
RoseCHan: Sorry but I really really cannot see Lavi/Allen seriously. I don't think it's plausible that Allen can like Lavi any more than a bro. Of course Lavi will never stop hitting on Allen (because it's funny and I think Lavi can be very objective if he thinks someone is good looking, but it doesn't mean he has feelings for whomever) but it's on the comfortable (for Lavi, at least) line that both of them know it will never be serious. Of course, that's just my take.