Cleansing
AN: DD: sorry if this is a bit rushed! The idea for this was originally supposed to be about 3-4 chapters long and I had to cram it all into this little one shot. Its also unbeta'd so I'm sorry if it sucks...
Laven week, day three
Prompt; ocean
Cannon
Err; there are a lot of POV changes. So yeah. Sorry ^^''
Enjoy!
----
"ALLEN!" Lavi screamed, swinging his hammer wildly, destroying akuma after akuma, desperate to get to his struggling lover. Kanda was too far away and too outnumbered to be of any help. If something didn't happen, and happen soon, Allen was going to die. Lavi gritted his teeth, unleashing seal after seal, not caring if he was reckless, not caring or feeling the burns on his hands and arms from the fires around him.
It wasn't supposed to turn out like it had. It had just been a routine mission, just checking out some akuma sightings and a possible innocence together then splitting apart to go to their own solo missions. Lavi, to China, Kanda to Africa, Allen to Northern Ireland. It was supposed to be a short, easy trip to an ocean side village, a simple couple of mindless akuma to slay and then they were to be on their merry way.
But it was a trap.
Tyki Mikk, the Noah bastard himself had carefully planned, placed every piece of their deadly game on the board and surrounded them before they could blink. He was out for blood and he wasn't going to stop until he got it. He was going to Kill Allen.
"NO!" Lavi was irrational, he couldn't lose Allen, he couldn't lose the only person who had ever given a damn about him. Not again. The card that was always in his pocket felt like a lead weight, and Lavi let a frustrated cry out as more akuma blocked his path. Allen was fighting a losing battle on a seaside cliff, and all Lavi could to was smash any akuma he could reach as he tried to get to the younger man.
There was a pained yell and Lavi turned his head to the sound of his lover's voice. Time slowed to a crawl as he watched Allen's body being thrown over the edge of the cliff. "Clown Belt." Lavi thought desperately, as the boy's slender figure moved away from the ledge in slow motion. "Please, Allen. Use Clown Belt." But he didn't. Lavi saw the blood drip down from the wound on Allen's forehead; felt the vision of the crimson drops burning into his memory as Crowned Clown deactivated, and Allen's limp body vanished, plummeting towards the choppy sea.
The redhead felt an inarticulate scream leave his throat, unleashing a seal charged with so much energy that the akuma in his way were either destroyed or retreated from the raging fire and the Noah laughed at Lavi's horror, slipping away to let the two remaining exorcists suffer the lose of their prized warrior. Lavi paid him no mind as he charged towards the edge intent on diving off and dragging Allen back to the surface.
Just before he was about to do that, a pair of arms wrapped around his chest and pulled him back. Lavi thrashed, cursing the unseen person who held Lavi back from the one he loved.
"Get me go right fucking now! I have to get him! Allen needs me! GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" Lavi had tears streaming down his face as he tried to get out of the hold that Kanda had on him.
"Lavi, think for a fucking second! There's no way he survived the fall, let alone was aware enough to hold his breath! He's gone, and I'm not letting you kill yourself trying to save someone who is already dead! The order has already lost an exorcist!" Lavi's struggles slow and ceased as he went limp in Kanda's grasp.
"H-He can't be gone Yuu... he can't... Not again... please God, no... I can't lose him again... No, no, please..." Lavi felt Kanda release him, and fell to the ground sobbing. It was so unfair, so God damn unfair and painful Lavi couldn't think past the sobs wracking his body. He'd never been so attached to anything before Allen, never felt the pain of loss and now that he did he just wanted it to stop. Please God, make it stop.
He wanted Allen in his arms, safe. Allen. Please, Allen... come back...
Lavi heard Kanda sigh and sit beside him. Not offering any words to calm him or upset him further, just sitting and letting the redhead cry himself out. Part of Lavi was grateful for that, he wanted to cry, he wanted to mourn, he needed to say goodbye somehow.
They stayed there for a long time, even after Lavi's sobs slowed and stopped. They just sat, neither speaking or moving. They just sat there together and stared out at the choppy sea, almost as if expecting Allen to rise out of the dark waters.
----
Something was wrong. The silver haired boy opened his eyes slowly, looking around blearily at his surroundings. It was very dim and cold and he felt the odd sensation of falling in slow motion.
"Where am I?" he wondered, watching his white bangs swirl lazily. "Am I underwater? But I can breathe... this shouldn't be possible..." he took a deep breath anyway, feeling even more confused as oxygen filled his lungs. He knew that he was definitely underwater and he could breathe, but there was nothing else. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten in such a peculiar position, nor could he place his name, age, or anything that he got the feeling he ought to know.
His eyes felt heavy suddenly and through the muted sounds around him he heard a soft murmur. A quiet voice telling him to rest and forget his worries. It was soothing to hear something concrete in his confused state. He closed his eyes without resisting and felt sleep cloud his mind further.
There was a soft glow in the corner of his eye and Allen cracked his eye open, tipping his head to the side to see a pale green glow in the depths of the dark water around him. "Pretty..." he thought absently as he let his eyes slide shut again and surrendered to the awaiting darkness.
----
There were very few things in this world that shocked Koumi Lee. The moment he learned his parents were dead had been a shock, as had the moment his little sister had been taken from him. The last thing Koumi remembered that had truly horrified him had been the files on the experiments that had been conducted in the order before he had arrived.
But this was on a whole other level.
"...Dead...?" the room around Koumi went silent at the word. All eyes glued to him as he stared down at his desk. Everyone was tense, waiting to hear who had left their ranks in a twist of fate, whose face they wouldn't see walking down the halls of the order. Which exorcist the order had to do without.
"How?" they heard the muted voice of someone talking, and Koumi gritted his teeth. "I see. Thank you, Kanda." Everyone held their breath at those words. If Kanda was on the phone, it meant that either Lavi or Allen hadn't made it. Koumi hung up and looks around, noting everyone's gaze.
"Supervisor..." Reever was the first to speak up when the silence grew too long. Koumi didn't want to tell them which of the two they had lost, though he could see in their eyes that many had assumed the wrong answer.
"... Please prepare for Kanda and Lavi's return."
----
"Father! Father! He's waking up!" dazed silver eyes cracked open and the young man groaned softly, reaching up to touch his aching forehead. He was rather surprised to find a bandage across his skin. How had he gotten injured again? He sat up slowly, wincing as his body ached miserably. Whatever happened, it had not been a pleasant the boy thought, rubbing his left shoulder tenderly. The door to his room burst open as a little girl hurried in. She was only a little thing, perhaps seven or eight years old with unruly red hair pulled into pigtails on each side oh her head. Her bright hazel eyes glanced at him nervously as a middle aged man walked in. He eyed the silver haired teen for a moment before sighing.
"Do you know where you are?" The boy on the bed shook his head. "Do you know who you are?" another no, and the middle aged man sighed.
"I see... another one huh?" he nodded to the little girl who smiles and scampered out of the room. The man sat in the chair next to the silver eyed teen and smiled. "My name is Jonathan Parker. I live with my family in a very small English village on the coast. You were found just outside the village on a beach, face down in the sand. Are you following me?" the boy nodded slowly and Jonathan smiled.
"Good. Now, you're not the first person we've found there, so we'll take care of you until you get back on your feet alright?"
"A-Alright..." The teenager's voice was scratchy and he winced, rubbing his throat.
Jonathan chuckled lightly and stood, grabbing a bundle of clothing and tossing it to the boy who caught it and looked at it curiously, glancing up at the older man curiously. "Those are the clothes we found you in. If you find anything that you want to keep you should separate it. My wife wouldn't mind having some scrap fabric, and most of what you were wearing was ripped to shreds. She'll be along later to collect the scraps."
The young man looked down at the bundle of clothes in his arms and furrowed his eyebrows as he started going through it. He didn't notice his host leaving the room as he sorted thought the ragged clothing. A jacket that had been torn beyond repair, a pair of matching slacks, and a plain white shirt that was in a little better condition than the other items was all that there was. A glint of metal caught his eye and the teen blinked, moving the folds of his coat aside. A silvers cross shone against the black fabric, barely dangling by a thread. The boy grabbed it, pulling it away and lifting it up to examine. Something about it struck him as familiar, and he smiled slightly, turning the cross over in his hand.
"Allen... Walker..." the name sounded familiar too, and considering it had been on his person when he was found, the boy decided that must be his name. Allen nodded to himself, mumbling his name under his breath a few more times to make sure he remembered it as he carefully examined every bit of the clothing he was found in.
Allen looked up at the sound of a creaking floorboard, and caught a pair of hazel eyes peering at him from around the corner of the door frame. The little girl watched him for a moment before stepping in with a shy smile, which Allen returned.
"Hi. My name is Lucy. Do you know yours?" The older boy nodded, chuckling lightly at her disappointed face.
"It's Allen, Allen Walker. I'm pleased to meet you Lucy." The young girl tilted her head to the side, eyeing him thoughtfully.
"Yeah... same here..." Allen smiled a little nervously as the child stared at him, seemingly deep in thought. Her fiery hair made him think of someone but Allen couldn't place just who that person was, or the sound of their voice, or anything he felt he should know. It was a little frustrating to know something, yet have no idea how to connect the little tug in the back of his mind to his memories.
"You look like a swan." Allen blinked in confusion as the girl nodded to herself.
"A swan? What makes you say that?"
"Well, your hair is white and you're really pale all over. So you look like a swan." The teenager chuckled and reached out to pat the little girl's head with a friendly smile as she stared up at him.
"Well you can call me a swan if you like, but I'm more likely to respond to Allen." She nodded and climbed up on the bed, crossing her legs Indian style as she observed the older boy. When she finally spoke, it was light, casual, childish conversation, but Allen found himself drawn into it. All of the little worries in his mind vanished as they talked. It was like all of the traces of his past were slipping away, slowly but surely.
Almost like those forgotten memories never existed at all.
----
By the time Lavi and Kanda arrived back at the order, everyone knew. The destroyer of time was gone. The gentle smile and incredible strength of Allen Walker had been stolen by the sea. Lenalee was the first to spot their approach and she tried to run to them, but she was ignored by the one she went to first. Lavi didn't wan to deal with her, even if she was his friend. He just wanted- needed to go into Allen's room and lay down on the bed, breathing in his scent. He needed to remember the cool summer nights they had spent together in that bed, the soft whispers they shared as they settled into sleep together. So he pushed past the teary girl with a carefully schooled expression of indifference on his face.
Lavi heard Kanda talking to her softly, feeling as drained as Lavi while he tried to convince Lenalee that nothing she could do would help. The redhead snorted as he moved away from the pair. Nothing Kanda had ever said before had been more accurate. Lavi was not someone who opened up to just anyone, and when he finally had that person had been ripped away violently, before his eye(s?).
He scowled to himself as he opened the door to Allen's room and flopped down on the bed, listening to the slam behind him. Allen's scent almost overwhelmed him and he bit his lip, breathing slowly. He wanted to savour it.
Lavi sighed and rolled over, pulling absently at a loose string as he looked at the familiar room. It was strange, sitting there without Allen. He couldn't recall ever just going in there to sit when Allen was gone; he had never been a very sentimental person so he hadn't really seen the point in just sitting there for no reason other than to be there. Now he was wishing he had. It would only be so long before someone else was assigned this room, before they would change how it looked and made it their own.
The redhead pressed his face against the pillow and gritted his teeth. He cursed himself for not doing something, even though as he went over the ambush in his head he knew that it had been a hopeless battle from the beginning. They had been separated and concurred, completely taken by surprise and defeated. Tyki Mikk hadn't even cared enough after getting what he wanted to finish the task of killing the other two exorcists.
The cocktail of emotions Lavi felt was exhausting. He was angry more than anything, at himself, at Tyki, hell, even at Allen. How many times had Allen promised him he would be careful? That he wouldn't die? Yet his body was lying at the bottom of the ocean, while the order was putting up a tombstone over an empty grave in respect. It was something Lavi feared more than anything, seeing that name engraved in stone. That finalized everything, made it real. To Lavi, a tombstone would be tangible proof that the one he loved was truly dead.
But for now, he let himself believe that Allen would open that door any minute and smile, like nothing was wrong ing the world.
----
Before Allen quite knew it, six months had passed by him. The Parkers had been so very generous to him, and Allen was very grateful; they had given him everything he needed. Mrs. Parker was just as kind as her husband, cooking large meals for Allen's insatiable appetite, taking him to the village tailor and getting him fitted for some clothes of his own, all of the things a mother would do for her child. It embarrassed Allen sometimes, how she would scold him as if he were her own, but he didn't mind. It felt good to be part of a family. He worked hard for them, doing any errands and chores he could to repay the family for their kindness, even if they insisted it was unnecessary.
The people in the village seemed a bit wary of him at first, because of his odd appearance, but they were willing to get to know him before passing their judgement. According to the villagers there had been four or five other people who had been found on the beach before him, which struck Allen as odd.
How could so many people end up in the exact same situation as him? And even then, how had they all ended up on the same beach? It seemed highly improbable that it was just a coincidence, and Allen sometimes felt that odd little sensation in the back of his head, like he knew something about it, but couldn't remember it.
He went to Jonathan one day about it, told him his theories and suspicions, and how he thought he had some kind of connection to the strange occurrence. The older man had listened patiently, smoking his pipe as he looked out at the ocean while he mulled it over.
"They say the ocean cleanses the ones who survive its waters. Tell me young man, do you think that you had a past you needed to be washed away?" Allen blinked, looking up at the man with furrowed eyebrows, turning to gaze at the sea as he considered this.
"I don't know. I feel like there is something important I should be doing. A mission I was on, or some sort of purpose I had that meant a lot to me. And I have dreams... there is a person out there somewhere who was my everything, but I can't remember their face..." the boy sighed, rubbing the scar over his left eye absently.
"You remember more than the others then. There was nothing of their pasts left in their heads at all." The man puffed on his pipe and looked at Allen thoughtfully. "I think that whatever your past may be it will return to you when you need it to. You're a special kid, Allen. Whatever that purpose is, it will come back to you if it is important enough." Allen nodded, still looking out over the ocean.
"Do you think I'll find that person? The one I've been dreaming about?" Jonathan smiled and nodded.
"Love isn't something that can vanish, Allen. You'll find each other."
The silver haired boy smiled as he fingered the silver cross he wore around his neck. "Yeah, you're right."
----
"I hate to ask this of you, Lavi, I wouldn't send you or Kanda to that area again if it wasn't urgent. There are no other exorcists available and the situation could get dangerous. There have been reports of akuma around a village to the south of here. There is a barrier of some sort around the surrounding area; the finders can't get in. Though, it seems certain people can get out. We've found five people who have left the barrier. All of which had their memories completely wiped before they turned up in the village. Kanda is going to meet up with you after he finishes his mission in France." Koumi watched the redhead's face carefully as he talked.
Lavi had changed so drastically in the months since Allen's death; no one really knew how to react ho him anymore. He didn't talk much, stayed in the library aside from eating, bathing, sleeping and missions. When ever he was in the presence of other people he was bored and detached, taking little to no interest in the conversation. The bookman was happy, as his apprentice had finally started doing things when he was supposed to and remain aloof.
Lavi hadn't felt any desire to keep playing the part he had created for himself after he lost Allen; he just let the persona he had created go to sleep so it would stop hurting him.
"Whatever. When do I leave?" the expression of boredom didn't change and Lavi could see Koumi was trying to see past the blank look in his eye. The fact that this innocence was so close to where Allen had died didn't really bother him as much as the older man thought it would. Lavi had forced the part of him that cared into a dark part of his mind, where it wouldn't do any damage.
"Tonight would be best." The younger man gave a short nod and stood.
"Anything else?" Koumi shook his head and Lavi left without another word.
The train ride was short and boring for Lavi as he sat alone in his private compartment. The book he had brought to occupy time was sitting in his lap, untouched, as he stared out the window thoughtfully. He found himself fantasizing about what his life would be like if Allen was still alive. He did that often, actually, even had dreams about it.
If he closed his eye, he could still remember Allen's smile, he could see every detail of his face and body as he laughed, he could hear the sound o his breathing as the boy slept in his arms. Lavi sighed and leaned against the seat, fingering the fabric of his uniform. It was depressing to just sit and think, so he shook his head, trying to clear his head of useless thoughts and unrealistic fantasies.
All he had now were memories and his bookman duties.
----
"Allen! Allen!" The white haired boy looked up from weeding the garden at the sound of his name and smiled as Lucy Parker ran over to him.
"Hey there, Lucy. What's going on?" the red haired girl stumbled and slammed into the crouched over boy, effectively knocking him over. The girl blinked at Allen who chuckled and sat up, helping her to her feet.
"Sorry, Allen. I'm excited." Lucy smiled brightly, smoothing her skirt out.
"Oh? Why's that?" Allen asked, pushing himself up and brushing the dirt off the back of his pants. The young girl bounced with a smile plastered all over her face.
"I saw a redheaded pirate!"
Allen blinked at him for a moment, "A what?" she pouted as he raised an eyebrow at her.
"A redheaded pirate! He was walking down Main Street towards the tavern! He had crazy wild red hair and an EYE PATCH. A real live eye patch! It was so cool." She paused as Allen wiped his hand on the cloth he had kept near by. "He didn't have a peg leg though... and when I asked him how he got his eye patch he just ignored me." Allen sighed and patted the girl's head, offering her a smile.
"Well, I'm sure the redheaded pirate doesn't like talking about it. Try to be a little more tactful about what you ask people Lucy." The child huffed and crossed her arms, flipping a messy bang out of her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah I know... hey! Let's go find the pirate! You're a boy so you like pirates because they're cool so you should come see the pirate!" and before Allen could even protest, Lucy had a firm grip on his wrist and had begun to drag him towards where she had spotted the 'redheaded pirate'. Mrs. Parker came out onto the front porch and Allen waved at her apologetically as Lucy pulled him away.
Allen rubbed his forehead absently as the scar tingled, allowing the little girl to lead him as he tuned her chattering out. The oddly shaped scar had been feeling strange lately, tingling at odd times, making him jumpy and giving him trouble trying to get to sleep. It was annoying but nothing Allen couldn't handle.
"Look! Look! There he is! The pirate!" Allen was pulled out of his musings as Lucy's excited squeal sounded.
Just ahead of them was a tall red haired man, he just kept walking away from then, even though Allen was sure he heard Lucy. There was an aura of annoyance around him as he trudged towards the beach. Allen blinked as he took in the man's black and red coat, something about it seemed familiar. Though, he supposed it could have just been the man who was wearing it. Everything about the retreating figure struck him as familiar.
His young companion made an annoyed noise as the man ignored them, "Aw, Allen, he's being mean and ignoring me! Just like before! He didn't even turn so you could see his eye patch!" the man's footsteps faltered for a second, as if he was debating something before he sighed and turned.
"Look, kid, I told you before, I'm not a pirate. Stop saying that-" Allen froze as he got a good look at the man's face. He had seen him somewhere. Allen knew those features. The single emerald eye widened in utter shock as the older teen caught sight of him, recognition flashing across his face as he faced Allen and Lucy fully.
They stood there for a moment, staring at each other as Lucy looked between the two of them in confusion, and Allen spotted the cross sewn to the other male's chest. His hand instantly came up to the one hanging around his neck and he looked up at the man who was so familiar but at the same time a stranger.
Allen didn't know what to say, if he should say anything, or if he was just imagining things but the red haired man swallowed thickly, looking as if he was about to cry.
"A-Allen...?"
----
"This kid is annoying." Lavi thought to himself as the young girl bounced around him.
"Hey, you have an eye patch, are you a pirate? I've never seen a pirate before. What's it like? Do you have a sword? Have you killed anyone? Why don't you have a peg leg? I thought all pirates had peg legs. Oh well, its okay because you have an eye patch." She was smiling brightly, red messy red hair falling in her eyes as she looked up at him curiously.
"I'm not a pirate. Go away, kid." She ignored him.
"We don't get a lot of people come through here. Unless the live here. And we hardly EVER get pirates. Actually I don't know if there ever has been a pirate here." Lavi sighed and tuned her out; wondering vaguely if this was how Kanda felt when Lavi still talked to him like a friend.
"Oooh! I'll go get Allen! He'd love to meet a pirate!" and just as suddenly as the little demon child appeared, she was gone. Lavi blinked a little at the suddenness but sighed again, rubbing his temples. The kid had been down right bothersome, and the name she had so excitedly said hadn't gone unnoticed.
It was a bad habit of Lavi's to look every time he heard the name Allen, a little part of him hoping that he would see the white hair and slender body of his lover. So, that was probably why when he heard the annoying high voice of the little girl again, he hesitated, trying not to let hope surface.
"I won't look back, because my Allen is dead and I don't want to see some kid with her brother or something. I'm not going to look. I'm not." Lavi was going to keep going, but then he realised the girl had called him a pirate again. "Oh well. I can't let her keep thinking I'm a pirate." Lavi knew his reasoning was shaky, that he really wanted to look back because who ever the child had brought with her shared a name with the boy he loved, but he refused to admit it to himself. It was easier not to.
"Look, Kid. I told you before. I'm not a pirate. Stop saying that-" and that's when he saw him. All the words died in his throat as the teenager in front of him froze, silver eyes wide in surprise. There was no way it was real. Lavi told himself that as he faced them fully, eye fixed on Allen's face. He'd been there when the boy fell of that cliff; he'd witnessed Allen's death first hand this time. Timcampy hadn't played a blurry video, no one had implied it to him, it happened right in front of him. But here was Allen Walker in the flesh right in front of him. It was like some kind of dream, but Lavi didn't dream anymore so it couldn't have been...
"A-Allen?" The sound of his own voice startled Lavi. He hadn't thought about talking, hadn't even considered finding it in him to break the silence between them, but he'd done it. He'd risked breaking the illusion that must have been standing before him.
"O-Oh, um... H-Hello..." The white haired teenager smiled nervously. "Um, do you... know me?" Lavi was surprised by the question, blinking rather stupidly at his lover.
"Um. Yeah. How the hell could I not know you, Allen?" Allen winced slightly, looking very uncomfortable and that's when it clicked inside Lavi's head.
Allen didn't know him.
"O-Oh well... um... I-I... I lost my memories... recently... so um... who are you...?" That hurt Lavi, more than he had hurt since Allen's 'death'. His own lover not knowing who he was...
"I... I'm Lavi... we're uh... best friends..." Lavi swallowed, pushing away the hurt. Now wasn't the time for that. Allen didn't mean to forget anything, and once he remembered he would feel terrible for it so Lavi forced himself to forget about it. "I thought you were dead..." he took a couple of steps towards Allen and the boy didn't retreat. So Lavi broke into a run, throwing himself over Allen and holding him tightly. To feel Allen's body pressed against his, breath in his scent again, it was too much for Lavi.
He was embarrassing himself by clinging to Allen, trembling like a little girl and trying not to cry but he didn't care. "I-I thought... you were dead..." Allen was stiff in his arms, clearly uncomfortable but Lavi couldn't bring himself to pull away. After a moment Allen hesitantly wrapped his arms around Lavi, rubbing his back gently.
"I-I'm sorry..." Lavi shook his head, tightening his grip on the younger boy.
"Not your fault. D-Don't you dare blame yourself..." Allen swallowed and nodded, obviously not quite sure how to react to Lavi's affection. Finally Lavi pulled back, keeping his hands on Allen's shoulders, looking him up and down. He was a little taller than the last time they'd seen each other, but he still looked almost the same, the only real difference about him was his hair had gotten longer.
"So... you know me... from before?" Allen was hesitant to ask, but Lavi smiled reassuringly, the expression feeling almost foreign on his face. When was the last time he smiled?
"Yeah, we're really close... Heh, sorry I hugged you to death, Al. I just... well I never thought I would see you again and then well, bam, you're here..." Lavi wiped his eye, clearly embarrassed at his emotions and Allen smiled.
"It's alright, Lavi... um... why don't you come back to the house I'm staying? I'm sure we have enough food for one more..." Lavi nodded eagerly, mission pushed to the back of his mind as Allen took his hand to lead him away.
"Yeah, that would be great!"Allen nodded and grabbed the little girl by the hand, letting Lavi's go awkwardly and starting to walk. Lavi felt disappointed but once again pushed it aside. Allen was alive, and though he didn't remember anything, Lavi didn't care. They had time now.
----
It was late at night now, and they really should be sleeping but Allen found he really didn't mind. He and Lavi were sitting outside together on the grass, looking out at the ocean. Through out all of dinner with Allen's 'family' the silver haired boy had felt Lavi's gaze on him, and something about that knowledge made his heart beat faster. While they had been talking, Allen had been making connections to his life before he'd shown up on the beach outside this quiet little village.
"So... I'm an exorcist?" Lavi smiled at him, nodding as Allen looked thoughtful.
"Yup... I am too. We both work for an organization called the Black Order."
"That sounds familiar." Allen mumbled to himself, rubbing his scar. So many things Lavi had said made him feel like he should know about it, but his mind continued to draw a blank. "This is kind of frustrating." Lavi chuckled and wrapped his arm around Allen's shoulders, ruffling his hair with a smile.
"Don't worry about it too much, Bean sprout. We have time."
"I'm not a Bean sprout..." Allen mumbled, furrowing his eyebrows as Lavi chuckled. That name was ringing so many bells in his head it almost hurt. He heaved a sigh, leaning his head on Lavi's shoulder and closing his eyes. Lavi leaning his chin on the top of Allen's head and exhaled softly, making Allen smile a little. Normally, around people, he felt a little uneasy, uncomfortable with letting them in his personal space, but being close to Lavi felt like second nature. He felt Lavi's hand running gently through his hair and Allen leaned into the touch with a content sigh.
"... Allen?" Lavi sounded nervous and as Allen looked up, blinking a little at the slight blush on Lavi's cheeks. "Uh... how much do you remember about us?" the question was hesitantly asked and confused Allen slightly, but he thought about it for a moment for Lavi's sake.
"Nothing really... just that I'm really comfortable with you called us best friends." Lavi sighed, biting his lip for a moment.
"Well... Allen... we um... we're a lot closer than... best friends..." Allen's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Lavi looked away for a moment, as if debating something with himself. When Lavi did move it was so fast that Allen hardly could blink before a soft pair of lips pressed against his own.
Lavi was... kissing him?
Allen didn't resist as the redhead pulled him closer, too many things were racing through his mind for him to even think of doing anything.
And then it happened. A memory came into his mind, then another and another. Allen groaned as everything rushed back to him in a confusing wave, the inundation of experiences overwhelming him as he tried to focus on each thing.
Mana. Earl. Akuma. Innocence. Cross. Timcampy. The Order. Lenalee. Koumi. Kanda. Tyki. Lavi. Lavi.
Allen trembled, feeling Lavi pull back as if scared that he had moved too fast and frightened Allen but the boy paid him no mind, hands coming to his head as he groaned in pain again. There was too much filling his head at once, too many connections being made at the same time and it almost hurt.
"Allen? Allen!? What's wrong?" The teenager could hear the alarm in Lavi's voice but there was too much going on in his head for Allen to try and reassure him. Lavi started checking him over almost frantically, looking far anything that would cause Allen any pain.
But then, just as suddenly as it started, everything clicked into place. His head cleared and he sighed in relief, slumping against Lavi. "Allen...?"
"S-Sorry..." he mumbled, burying his nose in the crook of Lavi's neck, "That was rather unexpected." Lavi huffed a bit.
"That's more than a little obvious, Bean Sprout. What was that about?" Allen twitched a bit at the nickname but let it go with a sigh.
"... I remember." Allen didn't pull away from Lavi, didn't need to see the look of surprise to know it was there. "I'm so sorry, Lavi... I... I forgot you... I don't know how I could have done that to you... god, I'm so sorry..." Lavi gently pushed Allen back, smiling at Allen's distressed look.
"Don't be sorry, Allen. It's not your fault. I'm not mad." Allen looked uncertain as Lavi brushed a lock of hair out of Allen's eyes. "I... I thought you were dead for six months... you really think I'd be angry about something like that? I'm just glad to have you back." Allen shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed by his own emotions. It felt so strange to remember his life after so long of being in blissful ignorance. All he had known for a long time was his name.
"I've missed you, Lavi... I hadn't noticed it before but, God, I missed you..." Allen leaned up and kissed Lavi, feeling the familiar thrill as the redhead kissed him back, pulling him close.
"I'm here now, Allen. I'm here and I'm not letting you go again." Lavi whispered, and Allen smiled, leaning into Lavi's hold on him and closing his eyes listening to the ocean and Lavi's steady heartbeat.
They say that the ocean cleanses those who survive its waters. But as Allen laid there with the person who meant the world to him, he knew he would rather live with the past and have this present.
----
End
AN: D: this is made of fail and unbeta'd but oh well. It took me too long to write.
Happy Laven week all.
Please review~
