Tentative Truce

Yu Kanda

Lavi stood frozen by the door like the idiot he was while Tiedoll looked at me like he was silently requested answers to what he had just witnessed.

"Che." Without bothering to supply the man with a response, I moved and sat down at my office desk, secretly pleased with myself for having managed to get the Moyashi to snap. It had taken me long enough; he possessed more persistence and patience than I gave him credit for – it was a good call on my part to have him do the speech. That had lead him to fall prey to sleep deprivation, which had in turn weakened his resolve.

Why though, had the brat gone and ruined it?

He still wanted to leave? Why? This was a good paying job, way better than what he was getting before, for sure. Did he not think it was enough? Did he want a raise? The kid was a hard worker, so I was willing to give him one. Good help was even harder to find than it should have been; people were getting stupider with each passing generation.

The speeches he'd written weren't half bad – he was skilled enough to deserve the honour of working with me. I could always modify his office if that's what he wanted. Did he want a new desk or something? New décor, maybe?

This shit was difficult to know when the kid wasn't the type to outright state the problem. Then again, he had snapped that first Thursday. The Sprout had made it clear back then how he felt; did that make me the problem?

Most left when they reached that point, but he'd stayed despite that.

I wouldn't change the I treated him. Watching my actions and behaving defeated half the purpose of having him as my PA.

Then was bribery the only answer?

"So are we getting an explanation… or…?" Lavi waved a hand at the door, invasively inquisitive as ever.

"I'd say we deserve one," Daisya chimed in, reclaiming his place by Marie on my futon. "You specifically made him your PA, so what's with all the arguing?"

I shot the irritating duo equally dirty looks for their pestering, but eventually bit out, "The little idiot didn't get any sleep last night."

"That's because he was doing your job for you," Tiedoll said, his aging face serious as admonished me for what I knew wouldn't be the last time. He held my gaze for one or two seconds before his shoulders slumped and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Why was he upset about being sent to File Storage?"

"Because he's directionally-challenged," I grumbled out, because unlike me Tiedoll wouldn't think that fact was amusing. "That's why I made him go down there."

Lavi planted his hands firmly on my desk and peered at me from over my computer. "It sounds to me like you sent Al down there so he could get some rest."

Fuck. Of course that was taken the wrong way. "No," I snapped defensively, and inwardly groaned at how quick I was to deny the claim. Now they'd think I was lying. "He was annoying. I wanted him out of the way."

Lavi's hand snaked around the computer screen and poked me, the redhead's eyebrows wiggling in a creepy manner that made me want to beat the ever-loving shit out of him. "He's got some fire, eh?"

I pushed him away and scowled. "Shut up."

"You don't seem too upset about being yelled at," he said, taking on a mischievous grin that I'd learned to hate. "Allen's pretty cute."

Tiedoll's head shot up like a starved animal that had caught the scent of food.

"So are dogs," I grunted, subtly trying to steer the conversation away from my PA before anyone decided to play matchmaker. There was no way I'd touch that brat. Appearance and personality-wise, he was basically a kid. Besides, virgins had never been my thing.

Lavi's grin grew, as did the twinkle in his eye. "You like dogs."

I bristled, half outraged by the insinuation while the rest of me was left wondering how the fuck he'd obtained that information. Alma must've told him.

That damned blabbermouth needed his lips sewn shut.

In an attempt to keep my hands busy so I wouldn't try to strangle the nearest asshole -who just so happened to be the little shit whose face I'd most enjoy watching turn purple-, I picked up the light stack of speeches from my desk to peruse and go over the finer details.

As if to try my patience, Lavi kept yapping, probably planting more ludicrous ideas into everyone's thick heads. "Are we going to talk about how my darling Yu-chan let Al leave early?"

Shut up. "It's in his contract to leave an hour earlier on Thursdays anyway," I offhandedly informed the group, flicking through the papers. "Since he pulled overtime last night and this morning, it's fine if he leaves now." After I said that, I paused, everything Lavi had said finally sinking in. "And don't call me that!"

VWV

Lavi shrugged off his jacket and let it fall to the floor at my front door because he's a lazy bastard who didn't care to look after his shit.

Both the heap of cloth and the other man earned a disdainful look. "I didn't say you could come over."

"Don't be such a meanie," Lavi drawled as he made his way over to my fridge. He opened the door and poked around, inspecting the contents of each and every level. "You love me."

That comment was so stupid that I didn't believe it warranted a comeback.

I pulled open the sliding glass door that led out onto the long terrace that curved around the corner of my floor, and I automatically tensed when a rush of cold air greeted me. My breaths formed small clouds which slowly rose and vanished, the sight almost hypnotic. What was even more alluring than that, though, was my surroundings. Up here, far above the rest of the insignificant world, was a miniature garden.

All around me in pots of muddy water were flowers, their delicate petals reaching up in varying shades of pinks, purples and whites.

I'd planted every lotus here with a friend. With Alma.

I closed my eyes and breathed out, enjoying the cold on the backs of my eyelids and the night wind that kissed my face. Regrettably, I was dragged from that pleasant peace by a nagging feeling that refused to be ignored - I suspected it stemmed from the fact that my condo was dead silent even though a certain someone had been left unattended inside.

After reopening my eyes and taking one final sweeping look out over the bright city, I returned and found that my uninvited guest had made himself at home on my couch with a can of beer.

Figuring he wouldn't just listen to me and leave, I fetched my own can, cracked it open and dropped down onto couch. Surprisingly enough, Lavi didn't speak, the man instead silently nursing his drink while looking at my blank television screen. That in itself was enough to draw my stare. "You're quiet."

He flashed me a smile and raised his drink in my direction. "You do care."

"Stop being an ass," I grouched, stretching out my legs and draping an arm over the back of the couch. "What's got you less loud?"

Lavi's smile did this weird spasm thing that the idiot tried to hide by gulping down some of his drink. When he'd finished drinking and had composed himself again, he let the can and his hands return to his lap. "I wasn't going to mention this in front of Tiedoll, but…" He turned to face me completely, the light and cheerful version of him that everyone was used to gone and replaced by a more serious one. "What's up with your PA?"

My fingers tightened around the can and the aluminium made noises of protest against the sudden treatment. "What about him?" The Usagi may have been an idiot, but he was smart and intuitive as hell; it made me wonder which of the Moyashi's quirks had tipped him off.

"He's a little weird, and I'm not talking about his appearance." Lavi's eye never left my face, searching me for any answers it could, even if they weren't spoken. It was unnerving as fuck to be looked at like that. "Did you notice?"

"Of course I did," I admitted, and decided to surrender more slivers of information to see what he made of them. "He hates being touched and rubs his left wrist whenever he's uncomfortable." And since he was uncomfortable more often than not, his wrist was almost constantly moving against the leg of pants. "He's a pushover and is weak to authority." That bit, however, I still found to be quite helpful. "He's less jumpy now though. He used to not make eye contact with me and stuttered too much." When I finished speaking, I touched my can to my lips, only to pause when I remembered something else that was fairly weird. My PA's actions weren't the only thing unusual. "There were also two calls with Lenalee and Komui. They told me not to mess with him too much."

That received a raised brow and a confused smile. "Calls? From Lady Lena and Mr my-sister-is-my-world?" Lavi hunched himself forward with his arms on his knees and his hands wrapped around his drink. "They know him?"

I knocked back more beer instead of responding, figuring he was smart enough to know the answer to that himself. My attention was more on my drink; if I continued, I'd get drunk, and if Tiedoll impulsively stopped by like usual, he'd give me an earful for being wasted while on the job.

As expected, Lavi completely ignored my lack of a reply. "I'd guess anxiety. Maybe some trauma."

That… actually made a lot of sense. The Moyashi had tons of nervous ticks and traits, along with a massive scar down his face, making trauma and anxiety highly probable.

I slowly finished off my drink as I thought about that, and then I leaned forward to move my now-empty can to the coffee table. Speaking about my PA, coupled with that long pause in conversation, had me recall the incident from earlier. I sent the other man a displeased stare. "What the fuck was with that today? Suggesting that shit in front of Tiedoll?"

Lavi's easy grin returned in full. "Oh I meant it." He reached for the TV remote that sat between us on the couch and smirked. "You even have nicknames for each other~"

VWV

The Moyashi stood in front of my desk, his eyes downcast and his mouth set in an unhappy line as he fiddled with one of his gloves. It was easy to see that there was something bothering him.

I propped my elbows up on my desk and entwined my fingers together, taking care to look at him with a stare I knew made people feel especially uncomfortable – it was the one that always caused my past PAs to stutter and mumble. "What can I do for you?"

He uneagerly lifted his head a fraction and started rubbing his left wrist again. "I… There's this thing… on the computer…"

Fuck this was fun. "I'm sure there is."

His cheeks became a muted red and he took a step back as his features shifted to form a small frown. "… I don't know… what to do…" Each and every word that left my PA's mouth sounded as if it had been forced out.

Ah. He wants my help.

No. He needed my help was a better choice of words. The Beansprout wouldn't ask for my assistance unless there was no other option.

"And I…" He wrung his hands, stubbornly refusing to look me directly in the eye. The Sprout acted like it brought him physical pain to ask for my help.

Allowing myself a smirk, I stood, finding satisfaction in the dumb shock that swamped his features. He hadn't expected me to put him out of his misery by keeping this from dragging on. What he didn't know was that this was only for now; work-related matters took priority over messing with my assistant. He hurried after me as I left the room, and I was the first to reach his work area. "Well?" I gripped the top of the backrest of his seat with both hands and leant over it for a better look at his black monitor. "What is it?"

He quickly slid into his seat and moved his mouse, waking his computer back up. On his screen was a list of designs and sketches that had been sent in from one of our branches.

"You don't really have to do much." I'd forgotten that he wouldn't have exposure to all this. He hadn't applied to be my PA, so it made sense that wasn't aware of how to fulfil every one of the responsibilities and tasks he was given. "Put your name at the bottom. It's company regulation since you're the one typing this up." My eyes scanned over the rest of what I could see of the document. "Don't forget to put the product number there," I reminded him, pointing to the little bordered square in the top corner. After he typed that in, I reached for the mouse, causing his hand to flinch beneath mine. Since he didn't seem to get the hint that he was supposed to retract his damn hand from the mouse, I dragged both and scrolled through the page. "The rest of it looks fine. Send it to me and I'll check it over."

"Okay." His head tilted back and he looked up at me with subdued relief, not moving even as the dark strands of my hair not bound by my red tie hung down and brushed his cheek. "Thank you."

My smirk returned. "What? Did you think I'd tease you?"

My PA nodded mutely, honest despite his hesitancy and apparent embarrassment.

"I see." It pleased me to see how fast he was developing. His attempts to anticipate me and his ability to so easily become on edge only served to make this game all the more interesting. It was a nice change from how things used to be. Since Tiedoll had taken me in during my final year of elementary school I'd had my fill of material possessions, and sex had been with whoever the fuck I'd wanted once I'd developed those desires because practically no one had refused the third son of the Chairman of The Black Order. I'd also basically been handed this company once I'd completed my college studies and Bookman had trained me up a bit. As this gig as Vice Chairman was my only real job and it offered me at least some challenge, I would fulfil my responsibilities to the best of my ability. "Well, maybe later, baka Moyashi." My new PA was now here to serve as my occasional entertainment, after all.

Silver eyes flared deliciously with anger, his mouth twisting into a satisfying grimace. "I have a name."

VWV

After my PA had gone down to fetch both his and my food, I'd let him eat in my office with me for our lunchbreak so we could discuss work. At first we'd talked about my schedule, but conversation had stalled a while back. Right now though, I couldn't stop staring at his face.

He was eating some kind of dessert and had yet to notice that cream had snuck its way into the depression of the scar curving his cheek. The cream had remained even after he had patted his face down with a napkin, pissing me off to no end.

I wanted to hit something. How could he not realise it was there? How'd it get so far from his mouth in the first place? And why the fuck was he eating a dessert for lunch?

Fuck it.

I snatched a handful of tissues from the box in one of my desk drawers, dragged him forward by the collar and attempted to rub his stupid face clean. This was so damn annoying. The Moyashi wasn't supposed to be here for me to babysit.

"S-stop! What are you doing?!" He squawked, the question followed soon after by words of protest as he tried in vain to push away from me.

When the cream was finally gone, I released my PA and threw the dirtied tissues in the trashcan that sat a foot to the left of my desk. "Learn to eat like an adult."

His gloved hands stilled, both in the process of reaching for his face. "Huh?"

"Messy eater…" I grumbled under my breath as I picked up my chopsticks and seized a soba noodle from my bowl. From the corner of my eye I watched the kid nearly fall out of his chair trying to lean far enough to stare into the bin. "They're tissues."

He righted himself and looked pointedly at me in a way that made my skin crawl. "Why?"

Growling from the back of my throat, I dropped my noodle back into the bowl and used my chopsticks to point at him. "Because you apparently can't eat properly. Idiot."

VWV

Lavi ships it?