No one had seen Yuu Kanda in three days. Allen tried to call him several times since he left their apartment but either he had let the battery on his phone run dry or switched it off completely. It was hard to tell with Kanda as he kept a low profile normally. There would be times he would be totally off grid but somehow, this felt different; it felt off. Something dropped to the pit of his stomach and left him without an appetite, a fact that Link could not ignore. He had made several pies and a complex meals in an effort to get his partner to eat which only led to a fully stocked fridge of leftovers.
They had gone to the hospital, the NA Center of Health, to see if they could visit Lavi. It hasn't gone well for either of them. Bookman sat in the corridor entrance to the ward Lavi was stationed in and refused to allow the visit. Allen was too in a daze to remember all that was said. Something along the lines of Lavi being in too bad of a shape to take visitors. Link has taken charge with reason but reason just was not enough to convince Bookman to let them through. Link wondered if Kanda had been in to see Lavi again. Bookman insisted otherwise. No friends would be allowed, especially Kanda who had helped Lavi in his decision to forgo tradition. They left the hospital feeling utterly exhausted.
Allen had withdrawn into himself; he was a very emotional man, taking situations like these hard and taking it out on himself. He would drop everything and go to their aid if they called him. There were times he had jumped right out of bed at the most ungodly of times with a call from Lenalee, his closest friend and confidant. It was hard to see him, slumped into the couch, barely paying attention to the book he pretended to read.
"Howard," Allen called from across the room, "do you think Kanda will visit soon? I'm getting worried."
"I don't know. Maybe he's just in one of his usual moods," he shrugged, working on a new dish, " You know how he gets sometimes."
"Don't you find it strange that we weren't allowed to visit Lavi?" Allen closed the book.
Picking up his phone, he checked for any messages from his former rival. Nothing since the visit three days ago. Allen grimaced, threw the phone onto an empty seat and went promptly to bed.
A week had passed with no word from Kanda or Bookman. Both refused to return Allen's calls. Lenalee reported the same thing, sitting across from Allen and Link in a small cafe close to her home. Kanda would at least answer her calls if no one else and this worried her. They had been friends from childhood, bonding over a shared trauma that was their early boarding school life. He would ignore most people, but he wouldn't ignore her. She fussed with a few strands of her emerald hair, though dyed only a month before, its true dark hue showed at the roots.
"You know, I don't know why he wouldn't answer us," the strand wound tight on her fingers, "It's really not like him. I'm worried Allen."
"I'm worried too, the bastard always pops back up but..." Allen's voice trailed off into silence. His eyes grew wider at the couple coming into the cafe.
Lavi burst in gayly, all smiles and a pep in his step and his usual garb. Patterned eyepatch, bomber jacket and a scarf to match. The man with him, looking agitated to be in his presence was none other than Kanda.
"Is that... Is that Lavi?" he managed to croak quietly, "Don't turn around Lena, act natural. I don't think they see us"
"What do you mean act natural Allen? How is Lavi EVEN out of the hospital? When did he get out?" Lenalee made a move to turn but Allen held her head in pace with both hands.
"Allen, what are you doing?" she tried to move his hands away only to be met by Link's in turn.
"Let them see us first, it's strange the way he's acting," Link looked her in the eyes. It was enough to make her stop and calm herself. She wanted to look over, wanted to call to them but she could see where her friends were coming from.
Allen continued to watch and wonder what the fuck was going on. He hadn't heard anything about Lavi being discharged, yet alone being in the city this long after. The last time he has spoken to the ginger, he was with his grandfather in a rural town, his ancestral home. They stay in the city hospital made sense, it was the only one around aside from a few clinics in the smaller towns and the suburbs. If anything, he figured Lavi would have gone right back home after his stay. Bookman was strict about the rules for his successor to the business. At least, that's what Allen thought anyway.
With a nudge from Link, he stopped directly staring and turned his attention. The blond had begun a story of his days as an Inspector for the local university task groups. It was a story Allen particularly enjoyed and loathed simultaneously; the day they met. He tried to look normal, sipping at the mocha in front of him but it fell flat. He couldn't focus on anything when he heard the tone of Lavi's voice ordering food and drinks. Kanda didn't look too pleased to be in such a crowded cafe but the again, when did the bastard ever have a different face on him? Sighing, he resigned himself to focusing on the people in front of him, mainly Lenalee who was also trying to tell a story to pass the time. When had Link finished his?
"Ah Allen! Lena Lady!"
Snapping out of the conversation, the three looked to the source of the greeting. It was Lavi, on his way over to the table. Though they tried to hide their confusion, the ginger pretended not to notice but Allen could swear he saw the slightest of grimaces coming from him.
"Oy, Kanda you bastard, you never returned Allen's calls. What do you have to say for yourself?" Link folded his arms, looking upwards to glare at the navy haired man.
"I didn't know I was beholden to a Beansprout," Kanda smirked in return. The rivalry between the two ignited and threatened to consume the conversation. Lenalee took this as a sign.
"Lavi," Lenalee started "When did you-"
"Aww Lena did old Panda get ya worried for no reason? God the old man's so melodramatic over a lil pneumonia, "he scratched the back of his head.
"But Kanda said-"
"Aww yeah, Yuu was just another victim of Gramps. He got ya all worried, sorry!"
Lavi was clearly lying about his stay in the hospital but no one dared to push it any further once they saw Kanda's glare behind Lavi. That look alone said enough. Lavi was living in denial about what happened and if it made him feel any better, they would let him have it this once. Maybe in time, he'd tell them what really happened but right now, he was here and he was smiling.
"So what are you doing in the city? Just visiting or staying for a bit?"Lenalee smiled. She tried to make it believable but she knew she was failing.
"Staying for a while, Gramps decided to let up on the training for a bit. He said I could use a change of scenery and a vacation. Oh I missed the smog in the air and the weird smells from the alleys though I'd kill to be on a beach on Tahiti with a supermodel heeehee"
The moment seemed to hang in the air, both parties feeling the awkwardness of the situation despite the cleverly placed joke. Allen gulped, taking a long sip of his now cold coffee while Link blended into the background. Lenalee, as always and bless her sweet heart, looked as though she was on the verge of tears. She desperately wanted to say something to bring it back to reality but the wrods were caught in her throat. The saving grace was the barista calling Lavi's name, signifying their order was ready. It was packaged to go, a wave of relief washing over the trio. Kanda was left at the table with the gang, allowing Lavi to get out of airshot before addressing the situation.
"You should learn to pretend better. This was pathetic, even by your standards Beansprout. No time to explain anything, not my business anyway." Kanda was to the point, "I'll text you later Lena."
With that, he turned and walked to meet Lavi who had just received the order. They left in silence, Lavi pulling Kanda by the arm; this time in some level of urgency.