In Lavi's defense, he'd been having a bad day.
Panda had made him burn the midnight oil the night before, saying they were on the verge of a breakthrough concerning the Noah family. It took him up until four-freaking AM to realize that they had, in fact, been following a false lead. So Lavi had gotten next to no rest. You'd think Gramps would be mindful of that and let him sleep in, but no. It was up at seven o'clock, business as usual- so being swamped in paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork- with a side dish of Gramps' lectures. ("Lazy fool! You put the bookman legacy to shame with your sluggishness! Back in my day-")
By midday, he was really dragging. It was all he could do not to yawn in Lenalee's face when she suggested they eat their lunches outside.
At least it was nice outside. Really balmy. Lavi tilted his face up, savoring the tingle of sun on his shoulders. Where to sit? The Order didn't have any picnic tables, being a top-secret organization that encouraged secrecy and discretion amongst its members. That included eating indoors.
"I feel like we're breaking the rules," Lenalee remarked, uncannily voicing his thoughts. "It's just so gloomy inside, and so pretty out here- "
"Yeah. Pretty." The scraggy hill that the Order was built on hardly brought that word to mind. It was a bit barren in the vegetation department. "Want to pick a bouquet of weeds?"
She nudged him with her elbow and almost dropped her tray. "You know what I mean! Allen would agree with me."
"Good thing he's not here then," Lavi muttered. Allen had been sent on a solo mission the day before. "Let's find a place to sit. I'm about to fall asleep standing up."
Lenalee pulled a sympathetic face, brushing her bangs away. "Aww, sorry. We could sit against the wall, I guess." Carefully balancing her lunchtray, she broke into a light jog and drew up beside a bare patch of ground. "It has some lovely weeds you can stare at while we eat."
"Ha, fine."
They settled into their lunch routine, making fun of each other's meal choices and then swapping anyway. It was good, familiar; and Lavi felt himself loosen, soothed after his rough night. It had just been a bad spell, Bookman freaking out over the Noah. Things would get better from here.
He scooped up Lenalee's gyoza with the chopsticks she'd provided. Or rather, he tried to. The dumpling slipped from his deathgrip and bounced merrily away into the craggy underbush.
"Really?" Lavi frowned in disapproval.
"You'd better go find it," Lenalee prompted. She was happily demolishing his nice, normal roast beef sandwich. Of course she was. It was nice to eat without the act of spooning food made needlessly convoluted. This is why chopsticks are overrated.
"I'll let it frolic in the field of weeds," Lavi said with a yawn. "For the rest of its dumpling days."
"You really should pick it up, though." Lenalee was adamant. "I don't want the golems to eat it."
"Or Allen,'' Lavi added. "Fiine."
With a great sigh, he pushed himself up and slouched over to the weed bed, about ready to pitch himself in. Luckily, the dumpling hadn't gone too far. He bent over and pinched it up from the mud.
"Found it," he said, turning around. "It was an arduous journey-"
Someone was coming around the side of the building, to where they were sitting. Lavi's first panicked thought was of Bookman, come to drag him away for more Where are They Now? Noah research. But no. That darkened, undulating silhouette was none other than-
"Kanda!" Lenalee blurted. Her mouth was still full, so crumbs sprayed out. She gave an embarrassed laugh and swallowed. "Hi!"
Kanda inclined his head to her, like she wasn't even worth a verbal greeting. The dumpling squished in Lavi's clenched fist.
Both of them looked over at the squelching sound, and Lavi didn't miss the wrinkle of Kanda's brows, or the tinge of irritation in his eyes. He'd been trained to notice those things.
"You found it!" Lenalee said brightly, as if to ease the condescending shadow that was Yuu Kanda's presence. Kanda dropped his eyes to Lavi's gyouza-streaked fist, and turned all at once on his heel, as if the mere sight offended him.
"Yeah," Lavi dropped back down beside her, "I guess I did." A good couple feet of space between them, Kanda unwrapped his own lunch.
Lenalee smiled tentatively, and that was what ignited the vague stirrings of Lavi's ire into full-blown anger. How dare Kanda stride in here, disrupt everyone's fun, and then have the audacity to stay and eat? Where did he get off being so rude to Lenalee, and Allen, and everyone he came across? What a jerk!
"What's his problem?" Lavi muttered, trying to stay quiet. Only, it came out louder than he intended, backed by a sleepless night and months of accrued Kanda-anger. Lenalee looked at him in surprise.
"He's just tired," she said.
"Tired?" Boy, did that word grate on his ear. "I know for a fact that he went to bed at nine last night. Plus, he didn't even have a mission."
Lenalee picked at the ruffle around her cupcake, and yeah, Lavi felt bad, but he was tired (tired!) of people making excuses for Kanda's childish behavior. It was ridiculous. "He couldn't even say hi to you?"
"Oh, is that what you're worried about?" Lenalee sounded relieved. "I don't care about that. I've known him for years; that's just how he is."
"So a jerk, then."
"Noo," Lenalee said slowly. "He's actually pretty sweet, once you get to know him."
"No, I'm not," Kanda interjected, and then returned to his pursuit of eating as silently as possible.
Lavi grinned tightly. "You don't need to tell me."
"Oh, stop it," Lenalee said with a nervous laugh. She swatted Lavi's arm. "Want to eat with us, Kanda?"
"Hell no."
"Of course he doesn't," Lavi said. "He'd rather sit there and plot how to ruin everyone's day."
Kanda chewed ruminatively.
"It's like he just goes around with the intent to be as much of a stuff-it as possible. That's what this wounded Finder told me," Lavi remarked, warm with the heat of his anger. "He lost a leg because Kanda couldn't be bothered to tend to him."
Kanda balled up his sandwich wrapper.
"He doesn't care about anyone except himself. That's Yuu for ya."
In the blink of an eye, Kanda had crossed the divide and was up in Lavi's face. It was a little worrying, yes, but whatever malevolent spirit had taken hold of Lavi clearly didn't have self-preservation in mind.
"Need something?" he asked pleasantly.
"Never call me by that name," Kanda said hoarsely, his dark eyes tracing the contours of Lavi's face. "Who told you about that?"
"Guys!" Lenalee cried. From the corner of his eye Lavi could see her tugging at Kanda's sleeve. "Stop it! This is so silly!"
Kanda gently pushed her back with one arm and forcibly hauled Lavi up with the other. "Answer my question." His voice was low, intense; clearly unwilling to dismiss this as a joke.
And that poltergeist or whatever really had it out for Lavi, because it made a mocking laugh spill out, Kanda's narrowed eyes elongating further, and then it said, "What's it to…Yuu?"
Kanda knew, knew, knew what sense he meant it in, and his eyes widened now in fury, and he reared back and hurled Lavi into the adjourning brick wall.
The impact jarred every bone in his body. That's what he registered before he must have blacked out, because the next thing he was cognizant of was a hail of sharp pains on his thighs-Kanda was kicking him where he lay crumpled.
"Stop it!" Lenalee's voice, wavery with tears and high-pitched in her anguish. "He didn't mean it, Kanda, he's under a lot of stress-"
The kicking stopped and Kanda bent over him, blocking out his view of Lenalee. "So you're awake-"
In one fluid motion, Lavi ducked under his grasping arm, entangled his leg around Kanda's ankle, and threw him bodily to the ground. Kanda landed hard, and he glared balefully up, the wind knocked out of him.
Lenalee was chewing on her lip when Lavi turned to her. "Don't worry," he said and smiled, hopefully reassuringly. He could taste the iron of blood from his bitten tongue. "It's just a guy thing."
"Something so idiotic would have to be, I guess," Lenalee snapped, brusque in her concern. Kanda pushed himself up and made a beeline for Lavi. "I'm getting Komui."
Lavi felt a twinge of remorse as she turned and ran. This really was kind of silly- dang, Kanda had a long reach- and Komui was a busy man. Maybe he would-ouch- be more sympathetic considering Kanda's track record? But that wouldn't-oof-be right to put all the blame on Kanda. What in the world was the matter with that guy, Lavi had no idea, but he didn't deserve to be tormented.
His train of thought was rapidly derailed when Kanda caught hold of his jacket sleeve. Lavi twisted to break free, but Kanda gripped his wrists and shoved him forward against the wall.
"All right, all right," Lavi panted. The cool brick was oddly soothing against his aching forehead. "Truce, ok? I'll tell you how I learned your name."
Kanda didn't say anything, but the slack of the pressure on his wrists was enough of an acquiescence.
"I learned it from-"
"So!" That exclamation came from someone decidedly not Komui. Lavi couldn't see who it was, his face still pressed against the wall and all. "This is where you've run off to. I've been looking for you."
The grip on his wrists vanished altogether as Kanda stepped away from Lavi. "I didn't realize you were in residence."
He sounded awfully tense. Lavi braced himself against the wall and turned around.
The speaker had been Lvellie- Chief Inspector, emissary of the Vatican, and all-around ne'er-do-well, according to Lenalee. Gramps wasn't too fond of him either, come to think of it.
Speaking of Lenalee, that explained why she wasn't here. She wouldn't be within a two-mile radius of the guy.
"-fighting again? In some petty brawl," Lvellie was saying, and Lavi snapped to focus.
"It's my fault, sir," he said, stepping forward. "I was teasing him, and I went too far."
"Yes, yes," Lvellie didn't spare him a glance, "This and other matters need addressed. Come with me, Yuu Kanda."
Oooh, the look Kanda gave him! But he left willingly enough.
Lavi was left all by his lonesome in the yard. Not for long, though.
There was the rasp of silk, and scent of rose water that always suffused his senses when Gramps was around.
"Miss me?" he asked without turning around.
"Miss you-'' a blossoming pain erupted on the back of Lavi's cranium, coincidentally the epicenter of his aching from being thrown into the wall. Gramps stepped away from him, rubbing his fist. "If an hour passes with no sign of you, that has become my cue to go look for you, you insolent fool."
Lavi grinned fleetingly, even as the Bookman seized him the ear and hauled him out of the yard. The smile faded, though.
Was Kanda all right?
Kanda stood before Lvellie's desk, indecipherable as always.
But that was an act. Lvellie grinned tightly behind the mission report he held. Clearly Yuu Kanda was capable of feeling- emotive outbursts such as the one displayed in the tussle with the junior bookman. His indifference to the Order was most likely feigned as well, considering the contents of this report.
He tossed the sheaf of papers forward. Kanda didn't even blink.
"Is it true then?" Lvellie asked. "That finder-"
"Yes."
"Don't interrupt me," Lvellie snapped. He leaned back in his seat, considering. "He blames you for the loss of his limb. But you and I know better, don't we?"
No response.
"When someone- excepting parasitic exorcists- have taken the brunt of an Akuma virus onslaught, then they can expect to suffer heavy damages. In this case, it was his leg. Full-on. Moving him just hastens the rate of infection."
Kanda's throat worked as he swallowed.
"So you forced him to stay where he was. You guarded him and didn't let up no matter how much he pleaded for care. You don't know how to combat the infection, do you? But you know how to protect."
The last word fell heavily in the silent room. Lvellie met Kanda's gaze, unsurprised at the utter detestation hardening there. Let the boy hate him, the Order. As long as he achieved results- and he did, Kanda was an exceptional exorcist- then he could feel however he wanted. He was, in the end, a tool. One that could be disposed of if it broke.
Lvellie drew in a breath before continuing. "I'd like to offer you a promotion."
"No."
Of course he would say that. Lvellie smiled briefly before pressing on. "It is a waste of resources to have you in such a low position-"
"I'm an exorcist. That's as high as you get." A quick breath, then realization set in. "You mean-"
"Yes. I would make you a general."
You could have heard the proverbial pin drop in the room, due to the ensuing silence. It seemed quite vibrant and lively in here to Lvellie, though- the shock of his proposal brought out the full palette of Yuu Kanda's emotions. Disbelief was a white color-drain to his cheeks, while incredulity was the darkness of shadow. Two red spots of color high in his cheeks-anger-and then something unidentifiable altogether, sharp and sudden as a knife cut.
Kanda smiled. Kanda, who never laughed, whose every motion seemed streamlined to carry out a specific purpose, because second exorcists were created with fluidity in mind.
Enough, he smiled; and it was like being spun full circle. What on earth did he mean by such a display?
"So you'll take it, then?" His voice sounded croaky even to himself. Lvellie cleared his throat.
"Take it?" Kanda stepped forward, as long and gracefully as a feline. Instinctively, Lvellie pushed his chair back. "You may take it." He drew up to the deskfront and advanced no further, hands clasped behind his back.
"Excuse me?"
"And shove it up your-"
"Yuu Kanda!" Kanda stopped talking, but a patronizing smile danced at the corners of his mouth. "Are you threatening me?"
"Inspector, it has been as enlightening discussion," said Kanda. "I believe nothing further is to be gained, however."
It was such an about face that Lvellie was at a loss.
"Are there repercussions for fighting a bookman?"
"Yes! And this conversation is not over-"
"I will reprise my duties, as always." Lvellie opened his mouth to speak, but Kanda overrode him. "It would be quite unfortunate if I became a general. I feel as if there would be breaches of security. Information leaks."
"You wouldn't dare," Lvellie breathed.
"The penalties for fighting a bookman?"
Lavi wended his way between the bustling members of the Order's kitchen staff. He reached the very back of the kitchen, ducked his head to avoid the hanging strings of sausages, and opened the small door set in the wall.
There was an exclamation from outside, and he found that he couldn't push the door open all the way.
"Could you move?"
He tried again, and this time stepped out, into the cool air and dusky shadows of twilight. How fitting that Kanda was here, too.
Lavi dropped down onto the top step of the kitchen stoop and picked up one of the corn cobs laying beside Kanda, who was fervently shucking away with a small knife. It was slow going, peeling the husks and stringy fibers without a knife, but Lavi kept at it.
"I was surprised when Jerry told me you were out here," he commented after a little while, eyes on his work. Slow, easy, so that Kanda wouldn't feel pressured to give a response. He was encouraged when Kanda gave a grunt of assent. "I know I'm scary when I fight, but I didn't think I would make you give up exorcism altogether." He flicked a husk to the sidewalk. "Is Mugen up for sale?" He yelped when Kanda shoved his knee with his foot.
"As if," Kanda said, trying to inject some menace, but the slight upturn to his lips belied him.
"So what gives?" Lavi asked, and then quickly amended, "if you don't mind me asking." Kanda dropped his gaze to the corn in his lap, and it was clear he wouldn't answer right away. Lavi let him at it. Lack of respect for Kanda's boundaries was what had gotten them in this whole mess, as well as just misunderstanding him altogether. Lavi had had plenty of time to reflect after Gramps quit lecturing and they went back to working. So Kanda is standoffish; so what? In his heart of hearts, Lavi knew that Kanda cared very much about Lenalee and the people here, even if he wasn't very demonstrative of that. This is where it got back to Lavi. He had just been exhausted, first of all, but also annoyed at rubbing up against someone who regularly rejected his advances of friendship, like Kanda had something personal against him. Like he knew something about Lavi that he himself did not. Crazy, but that was those Bookman instincts kicking in. Thirst of knowledge, and maybe even a little fear of the unknown.
"I was sent here," Kanda said at last. Lavi raised his eyebrows. "By whom? Lvellie?" He was joking, and was consequently shocked when Kanda side-eyed him and nodded.
"What?" Lavi exclaimed, louder than he meant to. "Why?"
"For fighting you."
"And you listened to him?"
Kanda glanced at the corn and back at Lavi, as if to say, I'm here, aren't I.
"Wow," Lavi whistled. Who knew Lvellie would dish out punishments at all, not to mention lame ones? Food for thought. It was better than getting hit or yelled at, he supposed.
That reminded him of something. "Look what Gramps did to my ear," he said, leaning in. He rubbed it, feeling how swollen and tender it was, and winced. "He wouldn't let go until we got back to our room."
Kanda spared him a glance. "I'd kill anyone who did that to me," he said nonchalantly.
"Well, good thing you're not his apprentice," Lavi grumbled, still cradling his ear.
It was getting pretty dark, almost full-blown nighttime, and for convenience's sake Kanda took over the corn ears Lavi had been hoarding.
"Hey, those are mine," he protested.
"You shouldn't have left them lying around."
Was that a joke? Lavi peered suspiciously at him. Did Yuu Kanda just crack a joke?
"What are you staring at," Kanda said without looking up. "Quit it."
Usually he would punch anyone who so much as looked at him funny. Lavi smiled faintly. They really were making progress.
Kanda finished up the corn ears and Lavi started gathering the husks scattered about. It was good to be around Kanda without the perennial chance of slighting him in some way. He could see what Lenalee meant. Kanda would never be sweet, like she had said, but not unbearable either. His grouchiness was kind of funny, in a way.
Lavi straightened up with his armload of husks and made for the door.
"Hey, wait."
There was a darker note to his voice, tainting the near congeniality that had been his tone this evening, and Lavi groaned inwardly as he turned around. What had he done?
Kanda brushed his bangs away from his eyes, not it helped Lavi see him any better. It was darker than a stack of black cats out here.
"You never told me how you learned my first name," Kanda said.
"Ohh. Well, it's ok, I won't use it again-"
"Tell me." He stepped closer, and take Lavi's word, there's little more frightening than an annoyed, near invisible Kanda.
"Ok, ok," Lavi conceded with a sigh. "Don't get mad, but I learned it from, um, you. No pun intended."
"What?"
"I just overheard it, not on purpose," he said in a rush. "You were in the training room or whatever it's called, and you were teaching your golem your name." Kanda was silent. "I was walking by and you were saying it over and over."
"You-hmm." Kanda pushed past him and into the kitchen, letting the door shut in his face.
Too bad he left his corn behind.
"-and so, I had to put it all away for him," Lavi finished with a shake of his head. Lenalee made sympathetic noises around her straw. "But at least he didn't get mad about how I learned his name, you know? Still, carrying like four dozen ears of corn is pretty annoying. I was so pissed off."
"Glad to hear it."
Lenalee choked on her milkshake, and Lavi swiveled on his haunches. Freaking Kanda was looming over them, lunch tray in tow.
"K-kanda!" Lenalee exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
"Eating lunch," he replied. He sat down in the spot between Lena and Lavi. Despite the ease of his reply, Lavi could see the slight line of tension on his shoulders. If they made too big of a deal about this, Kanda would turn tail and leave.
Lavi wasn't about to let all that headway slide to the wayside. "I bet you had a nice night," he said archly.
"I did actually."
"And went to bed at a reasonable hour, because YOU weren't carrying corn for like an hour."
"An hour?" Kanda raised one fine eyebrow. "I could have done that in five minutes."
"Convenient that you won't be proving that any time soon."
"Guys," Lenalee chided, but she was smiling. In relief, probably. She reached over and patted Kanda's head like a caring mother. "Kanda really is that strong, you know."
Lavi rolled his eyes.
"And he's nice."
Lavi coughed in his sleeve.
"No, really. There was this sack of kittens someone left at a train station, and Kanda took them to find a new home."
"I wasn't being nice," Kanda corrected. "Their mewing was annoying so I wanted to get rid of them."
"He bought this girl an ice cream after she dropped hers."
"She wouldn't shut up, why would I let her keep screaming like a banshee."
"He moved my dresser for me-"
And it went on, Lenalee trying to convince Lavi of Kanda's goodness, with him finding some way to refute every one of her claims.
It felt good to laugh with Lenalee, to see some of the cares lifted from Kanda's pinched face. Lavi just hadn't understood him, that's all. But he did now, and he was in a position to learn more about him. Which would be interesting, to say the least; Kanda was a challenge, to be sure.
But, well. He had that Bookman charm.
A full night's sleep didn't hurt, either.
Absolutely NOT the fic I saw myself completing, let alone writing; but here it is.
I've rekindled my love for dgrayman, and I have so many stories on the backburner that I thought those would come first. Those nice, outlined fics.
But you get this instead. (Sorry)
The next time I write for it will probably be for the Allen/Road pairing, so look forward to that! If this story hasn't scared you off from me, that is.
On the off chance you enjoyed, leave a comment! It honestly encourages me to write faster ;)
P.S. What is with this site lately?!