One deep breath. Two, to try and settle the painful jumble ofnerves that'd settled into his stomach... Three-
"You idiot! Are you even listening to me?!" A swift pain at the back of his head had Lavi pulling both hands up defenselessly in a t-rex fashion. His grandfather wasn't as mean so much as nervous; must run in the family.
"Sorry, Gramps." Lavi rubbed at the back of his head before readjusting the leather messenger bag on his shoulder. It'd been a parting gift from the old panda and he still couldn't believe it- a good one of these cost a pretty penny. "I guess I'm just a little out of it, is all."
A cold, professional reminder over the intercom about flights leaving had the redhead looking at the ceiling causing him to miss the sympathetic pair of old eyes. Planes hadn't exactly been a family favorite, but sour memories were interrupted by a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Having his grandson's full attention, the older man smiled that kind, eye crinkling smile of his and cupped the boy's face.
"You're a lazy, distracted little brat," he smirked at the expression he received before continuing," but you're smart and more gifted than anyone could have imagined. They wouldn't have scouted you to fill out an application for attendance if you weren't. You'll do fine."
"Gramps. . ." Sniffling a bit he bent down and scooped the old man up in a bear hug and swayed him side to side. It was normally a gesture the old panda would greatly protest on, but not today, at least, not immediately.
"Alright, alright! Cut it out before you break my hip!" He swatted at the nineteen year old to distract from how his eyes had misted over. "Now get going before you miss your flight and then I'm stuck with you for another year!"
Lavi reached for his eye patch and readjusted it- a nervous habit since he'd needed the not-so-fashion statement- and nodded with a soft grin. "Catch ya later, ya old fart~!" It would take hips-forward prancing and clumsy leaps behind the security check point to avoid Gramps' retaliation.
"Don't forget to have your iPod out, you brat!" The old man's scowl turned into a soft smile, tinged with worry, as he watched his beloved grandson disappear into the crazy multitude of travelers.
Walking through the airport, or any crowded place really, was a living hell sometimes for the redhead. Though sweet, Gramps' reminder of Lavi's coping mechanism wasn't necessary as it was already out and earbuds were being plugged in. After My Morning Jacket filled his ears with soft, indie melodies, a green eye glanced down at his uniform and he dusted off imaginary debris.
This uniform belonged to a rather elite college for gifted students, and only several hundred from the nation were accepted in each year. Smaller classes meant more attention to the bright minds of the future! At least this was how it'd been pitched to them when the redhead had been asked to fill an application as a shoo-in. Lavi was gifted, or cursed, with eidetic memory. However, combine this gift with anxieties and it could be a crisp, overstimulating nightmare.
His eyes had been his mother's favorite- 'special' she'd called them. They allowed this recollection of information so that he could feign intelligence for any subject or task at hand. So many pieces of information, faces, and useless images could be recalled and collected at any time for any purpose- even with only one good eye!
Even when Lavi wanted his mind to just shut up.
Yellow heels dodged the crowd towards him, a harsh bump to the shoulder, older man with a balding patch, blurs of colors and faces that were painfully crisp- he could only imagine how chaotic the conversations were around him chorused with planes taking off...
His heart slammed like that ball in Pong and his hands felt clammy as hell... Lavi closed his eyes and shook his head trying to block the swarm around him out and focus on the gate numbers. Gate B-14... B-14... Swallowing the lump in his throat he rubbed the pressure point between his thumb and forefinger trying to use this technique he'd been taught and relax as he followed the signs that guided him to his destination.
A cool wave of relief washed over him at the sign B-14. Practically skipping happily over there to get out of the schooling masses on their cellphones, Lavi sat himself close to the gate's mouth, slung his bag down in front of him, and leaned forward shoulders-to-knees with a sigh. Shit. He'd have to do this two more times before arriving there, but there was no helping this. Gramps wouldn't have put him on a multi-stop trip if there'd been any way to prevent it.
He rubbed his temples, trying not to think about it too much, and leaned back to lose himself in music until they began boarding. Thankfully the boarding process went much more smoothly than expected. Finding his seat hadn't been too bad either (24 seat A), and Lavi even was ready to slide into his seat row when a familiar outfit caught his attention.
The Academy's uniform.
It stuck out like a sore thumb in the currently semi-empty plane but hardly as much as the person wearing it. Lavi had seen many faces throughout his lifetime, and could even fill a sketchbook with strangers, but never one as exotic and beautiful as this... man?! He had to blink and rub his eye, looking again a few rows back- yeah, that was definitely not a girl just wearing the boy's uniform!
Long, shining ebony hair was pulled into a perfectly crafted ponytail (not a strand out of place!), painfully flawless, creamy pale complexion, facial bone structure a painter could only dream of... The only thing that screamed male about the dude was his shoulder build-
"Could you move?" A tired and grumpy voice came from behind the gawking redhead.
"Shit- sorry, sorry!" Lavi bit his lip, looked at his seat, and then the emptied one next to his fellow- unnaturally beautiful- schoolmate. Should he?
"Hello?!"
Gripping tightly onto the strap of his leather bag, Lavi went gulped, took a breath, and went for it. Moving down the isle thinking of turning back the entire walk, but never doing so, he planted himself next to his new fascination. Er, well, maybe slipping. And... maybe dropping his bag on the guy's lap. Fuck.
Dark piercing eyes greeted him with the most enchanting scowl Lavi had ever seen. Double fuck. He blushed and stared back sitting himself straight and giving a boyish laugh as he rubbed at the back of his neck.
"Sorry 'bout that. They make these seats too small, ya know? Looks like we go to the same school-"
"Move it." Cheeks heated further at how dark and rich this guy's voice was; completely unexpected from that kind of face!
"H-huh?"
"Che, move your damned bag!"
"Oh! Yeah, right! Heh, sorry," Lavi said obeying promptly and carefully tucking it under the middle seat in front of him. To keep from being too obvious he kept his chin tucked and side glanced several times 'out the window' to get glimpses of this unreal dude.
The guy didn't seem to have a lot to say though. Maybe he was shy? Lavi's anxieties about flying were dampened so unexpectedly.
"Lavi."
Mr. Grumpy looked at the redhead as though he'd just said the most insulting phrase in the English language. "What?"
Still in awe these repulsions went ignored. "My name, it's Lavi, Lavi Bookman, but Gramps sometimes calls me Junior." Even though the stranger snorted and shook his head before looking back out the window, Lavi continued.
"Looks like we go to the same school, like I was sayin'... So what's your name?"
". . ."
This was so interesting that there was no stopping now. Lavi laughed. "C'mon, everyone has a name- and I promise I ain't carryin' a Death Note," he teased, hoping one of his favorite references wouldn't go unnoticed. "How 'bout I guess til I get it right? If you're on this flight that means we'll have a lot of time together~!"
"Will you shut up if I tell you?"
Lavi sucked in and bit his entire bottom lip, red brows raised, as he tried not to look eager or laugh when those dangerously gorgeous eyes graced him once more. Gods, he'd shut up if he could learn that name. He nodded.
"Kanda." Mr. Grumpy- now Kanda- shook his head and rolled those eyes before closing them and lowering the armrest between them as separation. Again, nothing could put a bummer on Lavi- he'd just learned that name!
As promised, he'd kept quiet for the rest of the boarding period. Gods of fortune smiled upon Lavi today seeing as the flight wasn't full, so his switching seats earned nothing more than a small chiding from one of the flight attendants.
It wasn't broken until the plane started moving and reality pulled Lavi from his high. The pilot's words were drowned out by the pounding of his heart that seemed to thump in his ears. Ever since that day... Squinting his eye shut, almost painfully, he gripped into the arm rest between him and Kanda accidentally taking hold of his new friend's sleeve.
"What the hell?! You're going to wrinkle it-" Kanda hesitated in his yelling to look over the redhead's condition. "What's wrong with you?"
Lavi looked over to his seat-mate with a troubled expression forgetting to fix his hold on Kanda's uniform. "I'm just- ah" The plane jostled a bit on a particular turn. "Don't like planes..."
"Che, great," Kanda muttered, sighing before turning his posture more to the other. "It's your first time flying, or what?"
"No..."
The longer haired male got annoyed when Lavi lost focus and closed his eyes and began to shake. God dammit, he'd never get peace and quiet on this flight, would he? "Oi! I'm talking to you, asshole."
A green eye popped open. "Y-yeah."
Kanda reached to shut the window and set his back against it, his face asking the most annoyed 'well?'.
"It's not my first time flyin' or anything, but-" Suddenly the plane surged forward and Lavi started to shake, really gripping onto anything he could as his open-mouthed breaths turned to panting. A hand gripped his face and turned it.
"Ignore me again and I don't care if we're on a plane, I'll kick your ass. Got it?"
Chest still heaving, the redhead nodded and rubbed his jaw as it was relinquished. "S-someone I knew died in a plane wreck. Just been... mm!" Shit! They were in the air! They were definitely going in the air! "Just been paranoid ever since, I guess."
"Idiot. If you're going to sit there and tell the flight attendant you were in the wrong seat because I'm your brother, then the least you could do is not be a pain in the ass to sit next to." Kanda, though annoyed, felt the edge lighten a bit seeing he held this idiot's full attention.
"Y-you were paying attention to that?! But your eyes were closed! I thought you were sleepin' or something..."
"Well, I wasn't." He set himself to sit in the proper position now that the worst of Lavi's panic attack seemed to be over. "Besides, planes are better now a days and safer than driving a car. So quit worrying. You'll freak the kids out."
"Hee, ya sure your attitude won't do that, Kanda?" Lavi smiled broadly when another scowl was flashed at him but it went away with a click of Kanda's tongue, probably when he realized that idiot-smile wasn't going anywhere.
Smitten, absolutely smitten he was! This plane right was still hell, but it could have been far worse without his new acquaintance.
A fucking child might as well have sat next to him for this damned flight- as if the multi-stops weren't going to be annoying enough! Kanda looked with a squinting rage at the chaotic fluff of red hair at his shoulder that shifted with each snoring intake of breath.
The fucker fell asleep on his shoulder a good thirty-six minutes ago, but Kanda decided better the guy was asleep than awake. He'd lost count how many times the air conditioning systems had been turned on and off for their seats, or the dozens of times that peanuts and sodas had been brought to them (Kanda yelled at the asshole for not eating properly before boarding), or any of the chatting word vomit, sketchbooks being brought out.
Kanda's dad did enough of that for the student to even pay attention anymore! Curiosity did have him somewhat interested to hear who could have perished in Lavi's life to have him so terrified of flying... Then again, it wasn't any of his business.
He rested his chin onto the platform of his fist and stared out the window into the clouded distance. As it always had for the past year and a half, Kanda's mind traveled to her...
"S'tho what gotcha into the stchool, Kanda?"
A dark brow ticked in annoyance. "Don't talk with your damned mouth full! You're as annoying as a damned rabbit!"
Lavi swallowed the food in his mouth before smiling. "Rabbit? Really? You're an interestin' slice of the cake."
Their second flight had gone about the same as the first- entertaining in Lavi's opinion but some form of cruel and unusual punishment in Kanda's. They now were spending their time at one of the airport's many restaurants, but this one was by the gate and Kanda would be damned if he sat another flight next to the bottomless pit for peanuts.
"Che, I hate cake."
"Huh? Really?" Lavi tilted his head and pursed his lips. "Nobody hates cake... What'd you have at your birthday parties, then?"
"Nothing, idiot rabbit! I hate sweets..." Kanda shook his head in disgust of all the memories of his adoptive father putting together the most ridiculously themed parties. Superheroes, stupid cartoon bugs with big eyes, and then the worst year- the one where his brother Daisya had been in charge of the budget- pink cupcakes.
"Bet you'd get a kick out of sour candy," Lavi said while reaching across to take a nacho from their appetizer plate.
"Che!"
"Seriously though, everyone that goes there is talented at something, right? So what's yours?"
"Like I'd tell you." He sneered before taking a proper bite of his dish.
"It's swordsmanship~!" A voice piped up from behind Kanda causing the darker haired to freeze with the most terrifying expression known to man, but Lavi looked up curiously to white hair and a rather curious scar-turned-tattoo.
"Huh?" The redhead looked at Kanda," huh? Really? Isn't that kind of a dead art?"
It seemed their subject of attention was about to explode. "You damned short-stack. . ."
This new face continued, completely unphased, and was bold enough to lay a hand on Kanda's shoulder. "Nah, Yuu here is gonna keep it alive with how good he is, and open up a school for it. We're so proud," he laughed and offered his free hand to Lavi. "I'm Allen, unfortunate friend since kindergarten to this guy."
"Lavi," he spoke distractedly and shook the guy's hand as he tried to absorb all this new information. "Wait, Yuu? I thought your name was Kanda? Man! You gave me a fake name? That's low..." Lavi feigned a hurt expression, to hide his bummed feelings.
"He didn't lie, Yuu is just shy about his first name. Yuu Kan-da~! Right, big guy?" Allen gave his target a small squeeze with his hand before sitting down betweetn them.
"I told you not to call me that! I'm already dealing with this idiot rabbit, there's no way I'm dealing with your annoying ass! Why are you even here?!"
"Idiot rabbit?" The white-haired male looked curiously at Lavi before helping himself to nachos. "What's Grumpy on about?"
"Oh, uh... I dunno, some nickname, I guess. I haven't quite figured out why Yuu picked that one out, though." Lavi shrugged and smiled at Kanda, completely intrigued by this guy once again.
"Che, I said it's Kanda!" He shook as he realized his protests fell on deaf ears.
"I'm surprised he even gave you one at all! He only gives them to people he has to tolerate," he finished, not thinking anything of it until the rabbit-boy looked confused. "It means he'll probably keep you around."
"Like hell I will!"
"And Kanda," Allen continued with a small gesture to his uniform," you know why I'm here. I just wasn't on your first two flights because my asshole-dad dropped me off at the airport closest to our house, not the city airport."
Lavi smiled and chuckled a bit to himself. At first he'd been worried about not fitting in at this school or making friends, but he seemed to be doing alright so far. Sure, Allen seemed a bit more normal than Kanda on the friend scale, but Kanda... That guy was still on a whole other level.
As the two 'friends' (could they really be called that?) bickered rather violently, the redhead watched with curious eyes. Did Yuu really tolerate him? And when did tolerance feel like such an honor? Even though it was masked by threats and a sour temper, Kanda had helped him get through the plane taking off...
Lavi bit his bottom lip in an achingly happy smile- maybe Kanda did kinda like him.
Just then the air seemed to have changed when the scarred kid looked at the darker haired in a serious- possibly worried?- manner. Kanda seemed happy to have some quiet and Lavi couldn't help but watch. Was something wrong?
"So... do you think she accepted the invitation to the school?" Allen watched his friend with very intent set of eyes. There must be something that Lavi was missing, but a small part of him was convinced he didn't want to know...
An even smaller part hoped this 'she', whoever she was, didn't have to come in and spoil anyone's time. Seemed like trouble if it halted an entire conversation. Kanda didn't seem to want to talk about it either until he seemed to realize Allen wouldn't look away.
"I don't know. And I don't care."
A part of Lavi now wished that sounded like it'd been true...
/||- Hey!
So this idea hit me from an au 'we're on the same multi-stop flights so we might as well sit together, by the way your shoulder makes a really comfy pillow!'
I couldn't jot my ideas down before returning to work, so now I overthought it and have an ENTIRE long fic plotted down. :3
Hopefully you'll love it and won't kill me haha.