Two hours later, Lavi and Allen met up in the large training gym. It was a rare opportunity, Allen thought, getting a chance to spar a little with Lavi. Usually, outside of missions, 'Bookman Jr.' was off doing Bookman stuff. Maybe now he could also get to the bottom of whatever was eating at his tight-lipped friend. In addition, since most other Exorcists were heading out on or still returning from missions, the gym was quite empty that day.

Allen played nice for two rounds before employing some of his usual dirty tricks. Lavi fought well, so Allen saw no reason to hold back. On the fifth go, however, Lavi hadn't complained or even at least teased Allen for his ongoing goads, cheating, and fakery. He hadn't even teased him at all. Had he misjudged? Was Lavi just going through the motions?

"How are you doing there, Lavi? Give up yet?" Allen panted. As he waited for a response, he took a sip from a glass of water and used one end of a white hand towel hung over his shoulders to dab at his forehead a bit.

"Hey Allen," Lavi was looking at the ground as he spoke. "Have you ever… uhh…"

"Have I ever what, Lavi?" Allen asked kindly, squatting down and looking up at the clearly troubled young man with the most encouraging smile he could muster.

"Well, ever been attracted to someone who isn't quite your type?"

"Not my… t-type?" he croaked, shocked, before losing balance and falling backward onto his butt.

Kanda. Allen saw Kanda. Heated looks, verbal fights, thrilling sparring sessions, clandestine caresses, fiery kisses, nights of passion… all with Kanda. Kanda.

Kanda, Kanda, Kanda Yuu, whom he missed and needed and wanted so, so badly.

And yet all of this was a secret…

"Uhhh… errr… um…" Allen felt his entire face heating up.

Lavi laughed— a bright, full and genuine sound. Though still embarrassed, Allen figured getting so flustered must have been worth it. "I'll take it the crimson complexion and crackly voice are a yes?"

"O-okay, you got me Lavi, yes. Yes I have." Allen offered a sheepish smile. "Obviously."

"Some reaction! She means a lot to you, huh?"

"Uh… I guess you could say that." Allen smirked a little, trying to hide his amusement at Kanda, of all people, being referred to as a 'she.'

"So d'you try anything with her? Were you dating? How'd it work out, since you're here now and all… or is she someone from the Order?" His face lit up. It was downright menacing.

Allen nearly choked on a sip of water from his glass. After coughing for a while as Lavi snickered, he cleared his throat. "Lavi, what's this all about? Is there somebody on your mind?"

"Uhh… yes?" He looked a little more serious now.

"So what's wrong? Is this person taken or something?"

"Y-yeah actually. She is," he mumbled, evidently upset again.

"Oh, I see— I'm sorry." Allen mentally chided himself for being so callous, asking this so directly. "Maybe when we both have some time off, we can go into town and—"

"It's just that it's so different with her. When I see her, it's not just 'Strike!' like usual. It's more like… this urge to see her smile, hear her laugh… to learn more about her, to— to hold her hand and go places together…"

"Sounds like you've got it pretty bad."

"Yeah. I know," Lavi despaired.

Lavi looked down, apparently lost in thought. Meanwhile, Allen paled and turned aside as a shiver ran through his body. He quivered in fear at the sudden thought of what might happen if he tried to hold Kanda's hand in public.

Allen patted the miserable redhead's shoulder and smiled reassuringly, though he was feeling extremely ill-equipped to deal with the elder Exorcist's girl troubles. "Um— Don't worry, Lavi. If it wasn't meant to be, someone even better will come along!"

"Yeah, I keep trying to tell myself that, but sometimes she offers me a mug of coffee in the morning, and I—" He stopped right there, green eye gone wide and a hand slapped over his mouth.

"Coffee?" Did he let that slip on purpose? "Wait, Lavi you're not talking about—"

BANG!

A tall, dark figure slammed the distant gym doors all the way open and stormed inside, looking ready to murder the first person he saw.

Allen Walker's heart skipped a beat.

oxo

He couldn't relax. He had to do something, or he was going to go crazy. And it was all that damn Bean Sprout's fault! It was little more than a near two-month habit now, but as soon as he was back from his trip and minimally settled into his room, Kanda was on his way to the large training room, paperwork be damned. He no longer had any expectations really, so when he stepped inside and found Walker there with his hand on that idiot rabbit's shoulder, he was momentarily shocked speechless.

"Yuu!"

Kanda glared; "I've told you not to call me—"

"Kanda!" The unreserved expression of joy that flashed across Walker's face just then went a long way toward clearing away the irrational cloud of jealousy he felt descending upon him. He didn't smile like that for just anyone. Kanda couldn't even stay genuinely angry at the young man for the prank he'd played, the last time they met. He just wanted… to touch him. Now.

"Looking for a rematch, Bean Sprout?" he taunted, forgetting about the other's repeat abuse of his given name.

"Thought you'd never ask." The fond smile on his lips already had Kanda's heart rate up.

From there, a strange little round robin ensued, of Walker's own devising. Kanda watched the other two as he warmed up, and could tell immediately— Walker was clearly letting the junior Bookman win, which meant Lavi would go up against him next. There was something decidedly off about that hyperactive historian today. Kanda would defeat him swiftly each time in order to go up against Walker next. Walker would then proceed to cheat his way to victory in order to go up against the dumb rabbit… only to clearly lose on purpose again.

Kanda didn't like it. Swords locked, he grumbled to his opponent: "You're letting him win. Why?"

"He's kinda depressed. Give him a break." Walker murmured, then pushed backwards before suddenly thrusting forward again.

"Depressed?" Kanda scoffed as he dodged to let Walker pass him by (and to surreptitiously check out his boyfriend's ass before he could round back in on him again). "He can barely fight…"

Walker rolled his eyes. "Kanda, not everyone fights harder when they're down."

He then flipped backward and as he watched, Kanda's heart just about stopped. Walker's pants had slipped just to the bottom of his hipbone in midair. It looked like they might even slip a little lower—

Next thing he knew, in a brilliant flash of Crown Clown's cape, he was pinned to the mat, with one Allen Walker sitting on top of him. "Fuck. Why are you cheating so much?"

"Like you said, I'm letting him win, so it evens out, doesn't it" His eyes darted to his left and Kanda followed his gaze. Lavi seemed especially spaced out. Taking advantage of their fleeting moments of privacy, Walker leaned in low, planting his huge Innocence sword beside them to block the view on the off chance Lavi came back to reality too soon, and whispered directly into Kanda's ear, hot breath sending goosebumps down the nape of the more experienced swordsman's neck— "How long are you here this time?"

"Komui guaranteed me no missions for at least two weeks," he whispered back.

"Awesome. I volunteered to help Jeryy out in the kitchen, so I won't be getting sent anywhere for a while, either."

Kanda questioned the wisdom of allowing the gluttonous Walker access to the Order's food supply, but it didn't matter, really. In a few more rapidly exchanged whispers outside of the long-eared earshot of the red-haired rabbit, the pair established they could finally, finally have another night together, that very evening.