Chapter 4—Walk with me
August 6, 2014—Hospital in London
It seemed that Lavi's wish had finally been fulfilled, at least to some extent. The worst of his pneumonia had passed within the next three weeks, and by the middle of July, he'd been pronounced fit to leave. While he had been formally discharged and stripped of his bed, Lavi had taken it upon himself to stay in Yuu's. After all, his inner organs seemed just fine, he hadn't thrown up since that time in June, and the only thing he did was work diligently at his physical therapy. Things had taken a turn for the better. After months of little to no progress, Lavi could now bend his hands halfway, and though they ached horribly and protested to the treatment Lavi was giving them, they still moved. He cracked them often, urging the bones back into alignment. At first, Yuu had seemed disgusted, but now he was used to it.
As for his lover, he had been making enormous progress himself. Whenever Lavi was in the room-which was almost all the time, except when he popped to the bathroom or went down to physical therapy, Yuu was lifting light weights. The Japanese man spent as much time as he could working on restrengthening the muscles Lavi loved (but he'd never say that while anyone but Yuu was around. He knew what happened whenever he said sappy and potentially embarrassing things to his lover while others were nearby).
It was also odd, Yuu's strange affinity with the nurse. They'd bonded while she massaged his muscles back when he'd first awoken. She didn't hide her bandages very well, so Lavi knew exactly why they were drawn to each other. One tortured soul comforted by another, as it were. He was glad that Yuu had found someone to talk to, because even if the man pretended he didn't care, Lavi knew he needed someone who understood.
That was why he had told Yuu he was going to visit Chu-chan during the nurse's allotted time to stop by. Not that he would be visiting the man, seeing as it was obvious the Vietnamese general was brain dead-and besides, the redhead wanted to hear what his lover and the tiny nurse would talk about. He supposed that he should feel guilt for eavesdropping, but he didn't, so there was nothing stopping him.
At exactly 12:23 in the afternoon, Lavi left the room, walked down the hall a few meters, saw the nurse enter the room for her daily rounds, and then walked the short distance back to the door, making sure to be completely out of sight, which was easy, seeing as he didn't have to be that close to the door to hear, because his Bookman training had sharpened his hearing enough to filter out unimportant noise.
"How are you today, Mr. Kanda? Where's Mr. Lavi today?" Nurse Claire asked as she bustled around the room, cleaning up books that Lavi had left in piles next to Yuu's bed.
"Fine. He's visiting a friend down the hall." Short and concise, just as Yuu always was. "How are youtoday."
Well, that was a first. Yuu never asked anyone about their well-being. Hell, he didn't even ask Lavi how he was feeling. It had to have some special significance.
"Better, he hasn't been bothering me lately, so there really hasn't been a need." The young nurse spoke in a hushed voice, as if speaking it too loudly, would alert the whole world to some secret.
"Have you spoken to your brother about it? He helped you out once, he'll do it again." Lavi was really starting to get curious about what had happened to the small brunette. He'd managed to catch snippets of information from their conversations, but they had always stopped speaking when he entered the room.
From what he had gathered, Claire had been abused by her father, and her older brother, who had moved out, had called the police to save her. She apparently still struggled with the emotions the affair had caused.
"Well, he told me not to worry. The parole board denied his appeal, so he'll be staying in prison, but I just wish I could get them to deny his phone privileges. It bothersme when he calls. Brings up too many things to push away." Her voice was shaking slightly.
"You've changed the number?"
Lavi still couldn't wrap his mind around hearing his lover act so concerned over an almost stranger.
"Yeah, three times, but he still manages to keep calling. I'm thinking of moving, maybe with my brother. I'll feel safer."
He heard a half-thoughtful, half-satisfied hum, and he knew that Yuu thought the idea was a good one.
"The doctors say as soon as you're up on your feet, we can start thinking about discharging you."
Lavi heard a derisive snort and a low chuckle. "I've been able to walk for two weeks. I am on my feet." Yuu's voice sounded just as critical as the noises he'd just made. Lavi's breath caught in surprise, his saliva flying into his windpipe. He coughed. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around his mouth to stifle the noise, the ginger hairs on his arms tickling his nose. He bit into the soft skin of his inner elbow, used his lips as a seal against all sound.
Beyond the reconnaissance disaster and inside the room, there was an exasperated sigh. "Well, I mean like for longer distances than it takes to reach the bathroom. We'll be putting you on the treadmill next."
"Whatever."
There was a pause in their conversation. From the awkward shifting of feet, it sounded as if Claire wanted to say something.
"Hey, er, I just wanted to thank you. I know you don't want to hear it, but I need to say it, okay? You really helped me a lot. I mean, look, I don't even need the bandages anymore! I just didn't want them to discharge you without saying it. Now I gotta go before I get too far behind on my rounds."
The sound of footsteps close to the door indicated that the nurse was leaving, so Lavi made to make a hasty retreat down the hall when he was suddenly aware of a small person standing quite close by. Looking down, he saw a short girl with blonde hair. She was smiling up at him with shining blue eyes.
"What'cha doin'?" Sarah asked innocently, leaning into him.
Damn, he'd been caught.
"Er, nothing?" He tried, hoping she'd choose not to ask.
"You were eavesdropping, weren't you?" The Noah's gaze became a glare.
"N-no! I was just about to go back into Yuu's room." He looked down at the girl and noticed that the glare was gone, replaced with a blinding smile.
"I'm really not one to judge. I just wanted to give you this and hope you enjoy it. Have a nice day, Lavi!"
With a little suspiciously devious wink, the Noah of Love opened a portal to the Ark and was gone, leaving him standing in the empty hallway, holding a thin brown paper bag. Sighing, Lavi walked back to the room, carrying his bagged burden in one aching hand. He was surprised he could hold it at all, but then, it seemed rather thick. Obviously, it was a book, so he hurried back to the room just in time to see Yuu glaring angrily as he wheeled himself out of the room, having regained enough arm strength to move the contraption.
"Hiya, Yuu-chan!" Lavi chirped happily, walking in front of the wheelchair so that his lover would be forced to stop. He didn't even mind as the general glare Yuu sent out to the world narrowed into a personal scowl just for him. Swooping down, he captured the Japanese man's lips, releasing them after only a moment. Trotting back to the room, Lavi felt Yuu's heated scowl at his back, but he didn't care because the wheelchair prevented his lover from running after him and smacking him for kissing him in such a public place.
Of course, it was much worse since they were both frustrated. With Lavi sick and unable to move his hands, neither had been able to release the tension that had begun to settle soon after Yuu's awakening. The redhead sighed and plopped down onto the Japanese man's bed, making himself nice and cozy under the covers before slowly and excitedly pulling the book from the bag's brown recesses.
It was blank, a journal, with leather binding and two leather strings to tie it shut. Inside was a note.
"Hey, Yuu, come back in, ne? We've got a gift!"
The man didn't hear him, it seemed, and Lavi was pretty sure he was going down to physical therapy (where he was walkingwithout telling him, Lavi fumed internally), so he curled up under Yuu's covers and took a nap, clutching the leather book to his chest in a rather girly manner. He woke when Yuu, from the wheelchair, reached over and pulled the book into his own hands, taking the note out. Lavi leaned over to read it with him.
Dear Lavi, and Yuu, since I know you'll be reading this as well,
I know you are both on the mend. Congratulations. This is for you two in case you ever need an outlet. Remember that. Always.
Love,
Sarah
Yuu replaced the note and closed the book, putting it back in the bag for good measure. "That was kind of her. Odd girl." Lavi leaned into the pillows, squirmed a bit to make himself more comfortable. There was a deep rustling noise against his ear as he turned his head to better view Yuu. The man was next to the bed, and, once parallel to it, he hoisted himself upright and took two shaking steps forward before turning to his right and half-falling, half-collapsing onto the bed.
Lavi's single eye widened until it seemed round and glassy. He had to put on a good show, after all. And maybe he was a little impressed.
"What?" Yuu said, shooting him a look that expressed how little of a deal he wanted to make of this.
"You-you walked!" The redhead exclaimed.
Yuu snorted. "You just noticed?" He asked dryly.
"Well, it's not like you were strutting all over the place."
"I do not strut."
"Fine, then, you saunter."
"I-alright, I'll concede that."
Lavi grinned, opened his arms wide. Yuu snaked into position, his head resting on Lavi's chest, his hand poised lightly above his abdomen. With his eyes, he sought permission, and when Lavi nodded, the hand softly pressed into his left side, barely even grazing his stomach.
"Your shirt is ugly, Rabbit," he said.
Lavi resisted the urge to stick his fingers in Yuu's hair and mold it into a bird's nest. They still throbbed a little. "You can't really talk," Lavi muttered.
"Lenalee got it for me, so don't-"
"That's your excuse for everything, Yuu-chan. 'Lenalee got them for me.' Please. You enjoy her coddling and you like that shirt. It's just the shade of green makes you look yellow."
"I am yellow."
"Not in a good way, Yuu, and don't make that a racial slur. I didn't mean it that way."
The fingers at his side curled into the fabric of his lime green shirt. "I know," the man said. His head shifted more into the crook of his shoulder.
"Don't you dare say I stink, too."
Yuu smiled. "I wasn't going to, but now that you mention it..."
Lavi scowled and made to get up, but somehow, with some odd strength that Lavi hadn't seen since the battle months ago, Yuu lifted himself on top of the taller man. His face was barely an inch from his own. Lavi's breath caught in his throat. This was not the right time to be frustrated.
Cinnamon lips touched his own, lacking the undertone of lotus that had been there until their time in the hospital. Maybe it was because the spell was broken, but that sweetness underneath all the spice had been something Lavi had always loved about Yuu. It matched the man's personality exactly. He was angry a lot, and he often snapped at people, the redhead included, but beneath all that rage, beneath that mask he had worn so long it had become an integral part of him, there was fear and something so very soft and gentle. And sweet, of course. Sweet, like a lotus's scent on a damp afternoon after a good rain. With that scent gone, Lavi felt the other man was missing something very key to his existence.
Hands, hands that could move and grab and gently caress like Lavi's could not, tenderly brushed the skin of his face before moving to his bright red hair. As Yuu's tongue joined his own, swirling, dancing, those same hands pulled lightly in his hair, undoing knots Lavi had accumulated during his nap. Graceless fingers pulled at something, a persistent knot maybe, and when his eye patch fell to the ground, the redhead didn't care. He was too wrapped up in Yuu's arms, in his scent- still lacking but always intoxicating-in his soothing caresses. Hands moved to his back and then lower, but they never reached farther than what could be considered chaste.
Beneath everything was emotion, some his, some Yuu's, some another person's entirely, whorling around and reigniting flames from coals nearly extinguished by illness. Lavi made a humming noise, smiling against his lover's mouth as he reached his aching hands into Yuu's hair, but though he intended to bend them, to knead that one exact spot between the ever-present scars, he could not.
Grunting angrily, tears of frustration at the corners of his eyes-he would not let them fall, he would not cry now-he barely noticed the fingers wrapping firmly around his wrists.
"You don't have to," the Japanese man said quietly, searching his eyes before bringing their lips back together. Lavi shook his head, one of his damned tears flying down his cheek and pooling below his ear. Releasing Lavi's wrists, Yuu silently, comfortingly, brought his hands to the redhead's eyes, both of which were weeping persistently against his will, and wiped away whatever moisture had gathered at the corners. It was a sweet movement, something Yuu had never done for him before, something he'd never needed done to him before.
It was almost weird to have someone to care for him like this. He'd never had it in his home as a child, and he'd definitely never had it with Bookman. He didn't know how to respond-his mind was so useless-so naturally, more tears began to fall. Trying to hide it, he inclined his head to kiss Yuu again. The touch of their lips was nothing like it usually was-there was no roughness. It was all smooth and soft and something Lavi really liked. Breathing in deeply, he angled his head a bit more, and then there was the tingle that sparked its way to his middle. And once again, his eyes betrayed him; he lay helplessly as a tear, which had traced its way down his face, slid down his neck into oblivion. The Japanese man only ran a hand through his hair, shifting it against his scalp before it sprung back to its erratic position. He brushed his thumb over Lavi's ear and then moved his entire hand to his cheek, where he lightly brushed the tear tracks away. His dark eyes showed concern; there was no annoyance to be seen.
"Why are you crying, Baka Usagi?" Yuu asked softly, returning his hand to its place in the redhead's hair.
Lavi blinked, another tear falling. Yuu brushed it away before it had reached the end of the apple of his cheek. He should not have been surprised that this man could show such care. The potential had been in him all along, though it had been hidden by pain and cruelty.
"Yuu... what if... what if I can't get my hands to work properly?" He blurted out, wondering where all the anxiety he was feeling had come from. Maybe it was in light of what he wasn't able to do for Yuu that he was suddenly able to realize just what his injury meant.
Yuu pulled him so that they were lying next to each other on their sides, face to face. His hands were still in Lavi's hair. He looked deeply into Lavi's eyes, as if trying to convey something, but all the redhead could see was melted butter. He nearly laughed. The Japanese man's eyes matched his voice. If only all the rampant emotions he'd been suppressing for months would stop attacking him... maybe then he could properly memorize the fluid pattern those charcoal-colored irises were taking.
"I seem to recall a time back when we were sixteen when you came back from a mission, and due to your idiocy, you had broken your leg. For weeks you were literally begging me to spar with you so you could get back out there sooner. Where's that determination to get better?" Yuu asked in a slightly rougher tone.
"That determination was fake," he said.
"Che. So, what, are you going to give up just because it hurts?"
"Well, I had a purpose then, I had a reason to do that, even if the over-zealousness wasn't real."
"And you don't have one now? How about living a normal life?"
"But Yuu-chan, I can't do anything without my hands. Hell, I can't even turn a doorknob!"
"Well then, we'll get doorknobs that you can push down." Yuu shrugged nonchalantly, as if this was an obvious fact that Lavi should have considered.
"Wh... what?" Lavi asked eloquently. He had absolutely no idea what Yuu was going on about.
"Well, when we're out of the hospital, we have to live somewhere, don't we? We'll just get cabinets and other things that are more accessible for you." The dark-haired man sounded like he was talking to the very, very dull, but Lavi thought he heard an undertone of something more serious, something... pained.
"But I still don't understand."
"Huh, so you really are that stupid after all. I promised you we would go to Japan together, didn't I? What did you think that meant?"
"That we were going to visit your Mother's grave in Japan. And that you love me?" He added hopefully at the end.
"Well what did you think we'd do after that? Just go our separate ways?" Yuu raised an eyebrow.
"No, well, I... I don't know. I've never thought about it." And it was true, he'd never considered a life outside of war and objectivity. His whole life he'd lived through war after war. He didn't remember anything other than pain and misery from before that. The thought of peace was foreign to him.
"Che.Why don't you think about it for a second. What do you want to do?" It seemed like such a simple request coming from the Japanese man, but as hard as Lavi tried, nothing came to mind.
"I-I don't know. Whatever you want to do, I guess."
Yuu scoffed again, this time with an almost exasperated sigh attached to the end. "That defeats the purpose of what youwant to do, idiot."
"But... but, there's no more war..." He argued lamely.
"Yes, and that means that you can live a normal life," Yuu added, and that was when Lavi finally figured out what was different.
"You're happy now. Is that what Mugen did for you?" He asked, not meaning for his tone to come out as accusingly as it did. Instantly, he knew he was right. Yuu's face was still too thin from the three months of only intravenous fluid for nourishment, even though so much time had passed since then, but everything about him seemed much more... alive. It was as if his entire aura had changed. Instead of a dark, swirling air of anger and dismissiveness, Yuu was giving off something distinctly light and radiant. His skin was brighter, healthier than it had been (and though Lavi would never say anything about it, he assumed it was because the other man was finally getting a balanced diet), if a bit too yellow from the hue of his shirt. There was no longer a tightness around his eyes, and the negative emotions portrayed in them were replaced with only sparkling content.
"I told you, he was restarting me. He was breaking barriers that the Lotus had built to help me survive."
"So that's what you meant. I thought Mugen was just staying there to help you wake up." Lavi shrugged and then smiled genuinely. Because Yuu being happy meant he was happy, despite how weepy he'd been just moments before. Suddenly, he had to clarify it. What if he was wrong? What if Yuu had learned to act? "But you are, though, right? Happy, I mean."
The Japanese man grunted, a tiny frown pulling down at the corners of his lips. "Not as happy as I will be once we're out of here, but yes, I am, because now I don't have to fight for survival every day. I can live a normal, boring life."
It surprised Lavi somewhat that Yuu had been thinking about all this. But then, the man had been all alone in his mind for three months, two weeks, six days, twenty-three hours, forty-one minutes, and two seconds, so he must have had time to really decide what he was going to do once he awoke. The redhead could do nothing more than gape, though, his mind barely processing what the man had just said. "Wow, I just... I never thought about it that way, I mean, when I woke up and you weren't there, I guess I just decided that I'd never experience that."
"I wasn't there?"
Lavi was surprised the man hadn't been aware of that fact.
"I was in the low immune system ward for a couple months. Back when I was really sick and no one would tell me what was wrong with you."
It was the first time in his life that Lavi had ever seen Yuu gape. But the expression was real, uncomposed. The Japanese man's eyes were wide, lightening in his shock, and his mouth was hanging open in the most undignified manner. It was as if the man had not realized they'd spent any time apart, as if he had assumed they'd been together from day one. "What?" He asked hoarsely.
"Well, of course. You woulda gotten me sick."
"You thought I was dead?"
It wasn't really a question, it was more like the dark-haired man was confirming something to himself, putting something together in his head that had not made sense until this conversation.
"Well, yeah, I mean, you weren't with me, so of course I thought..." Lavi said, trailing off at the end. They both knew what he thought, and they both knew how he had reacted. It was obvious. After all, hadn't Yuu reacted the same when he'd thought the redhead had killed himself?
"But I'm here now, so you don't have to worry about it anymore. You can think about the future because you have one."
"But you... could disappear again... you could go back to sleep and not wake up again! Coma patients do that, I keep thinking that when you fall asleep I'm never gonna see you again."
He was suddenly overcome with the urge to make sure Yuu was still there next to him. He pulled the Japanese man into his chest, not caring about the startled grunt or if it annoyed the other. And to the redhead's surprise, Yuu didn't push him away or scoff at him, he actually returned Lavi's embrace.
"Baka, I told you that I was only in the coma because of Mugen. Now that it's gone, I don't need to be unconscious anymore. I'm not going to leave you."
They stayed like that for a few moments. Lavi breathing in the scent of his lover's hair, even though it smelled of industrial soap instead of lotuses and cinnamon.
"So, Yuu, where are we going to go after we get to Japan?"
"Well, I don't even know where she is buried, or whether she is even buried under the Kanda name. I don't know if the cemetery even exists anymore."
"Well, here, what part of Japan did you come from?" Lavi asked, pulling out the laptop the Coalition had given him.
"Outside of Edo, more toward the countryside so I don't think it was destroyed when the Earl leveled the city."
Lavi searched for old cemeteries near Tokyo and found only three. All with multiple listings for the surname Kanda.
"I've got three results, none too far apart, so we can take our time and search though all of them."
"Good."
Yuu didn't need to say more, nor did Lavi need him to continue. Instead, the redhead set his laptop on the table at the foot of the bed, closing the top to conserve energy. He smiled at his lover and sat back next to him. The dark-haired man got the message and pulled Lavi into his arms.
Lavi liked moments like these, the moments that lasted forever. It was moments like these that Lavi realized he had a future.
August 10, 2014- Hospital in London
Yuu was acting suspicious. The man had come in the night before with a suspiciously satisfied smirk on his face, and if Lavi hadn't seen the dancing happiness in the man's eyes, he wouldn't have believed it possible. It almost looked as if the Japanese man was suppressing a genuine smile.
He'd looked like the Cheshire cat incarnate itself when he'd gone down to physical therapy, walking more steadily than he had in the previous four days. Sighing, Lavi lay down on Yuu's bed and threw the covers over his legs. He was tired, and a bit of a nap would probably help him figure out exactly what the Japanese man was planning-
The door crashed open. Cracking his good eye enough to see the fuzzy forms of Allen, Lenalee, Amanda, Miranda, and Lolek stream in like a never-ending train of sleep-deprivedness, Lavi decided feigning unconsciousness would be the best route.
"Oh, look, he's sleeping," Amanda said in a stage-whisper, laughter in her voice. It was a strange thing to hear, given that every visit prior to this one had been an example of just how miserable the American girl really was. Still, she sounded better, though Lavi knew that was no indication to how one actually felt.
"Oh, that's a shame," Lenalee's voice said, clear and crystal just like always. "He'll miss all the cake, then."
Lavi sat bolt upright in the bed. "Cake?" He asked, looking around expectantly. He was never one to miss out on free cake.
"Happy Birthday, Lavi!" Amanda exclaimed, throwing her arms around his shoulders and squeezing with all her strength.
He paused in his attempt to extricate himself from the American girl's bear hug.
"It's my birthday?" He'd lost track of time, apparently, something he didn't often do.
"Of course, Lavi, why else would there be cake?" A very pregnant Miranda exclaimed at the foot of his bed. Adding up the months quickly in his head, Lavi realized the German woman was just a few days over seven months.
"Because you're fat?" Lavi tried innocently, batting his eyes. Three decidedly female hands hit him right in the face, but he managed a wink as his head fell back into the pillow. Raising his still aching hands, Lavi grinned widely and laughed. "Just kidding, just kidding, Miranda, you're a beautiful lady, made ever more radiant by the wonderful miracle of childbearing."
The brunette didn't look appeased, but she did back down when Lolek put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I think the birthday boy's just a bit grumpy because he feels inferior. Womb envy, they call it," Lolek countered, his tone light and airy, like a rustling breeze on a spring morning.
Lavi scowled, knowing he deserved it, and stuck out his tongue. "Can't argue with that," he said finally. "Cake time?"
Lenalee sighed and rolled her eyes, obviously exasperated. "You're such a man, Lavi. Think with something besides your stomach."
"Yuu time?" Lavi asked jokingly.
Amanda snorted, though Lenalee was far from amused.
The cake was cut, and though Lenalee thought they should have waited for Yuu, Lavi knew the Japanese man wouldn't care. He would have scoffed and said something along the lines of 'I don't eat sweets.' It was all a moot point to Lavi, because that just meant more cake for himself.
As Lavi put down his plate to alleviate the pain in his hands, he noticed that Amanda was pulling something from her backpack. It was colorfully wrapped and had a large, ornate bow on top of its rectangular surface.
She smiled widely, and fakely, and handed the box over to him with a "happy birthday, slut."
"Thanks, whore!" He responded in kind.
Tearing at the paper as much as his hands would allow, he eventually worked the large gift free. It was a set of pastel blue towels. Both monogrammed with His.
"Are you serious?" Allen asked.
Amanda nodded shortly and gave him another of her outrageous smiles, which Lavi had the sneaking suspicion was one the few real ones she'd given in the past few months.
"Thanks, Amanda" Lavi said shakily, not exactly sure how to respond, as he placed the towels at the foot of his bed and took the package Lenalee was handing him.
He opened the impeccably wrapped gift, recognizing the electronic jargon immediately.
"I figured that since you two will be out in the real world, you'd need some way to contact each other." Lenalee explained as Lavi examined the two cell phones. She had known that theirs had been destroyed in the weeks leading up to the final battle, which had everything to do with Yuu throwing them out the window of their room in the Ark after Amanda had texted him twenty-seven times in a half an hour and when he didn't respond had taken to Lavi's. He'd mumbled something about "annoying things should join your ugly carpet."
Lavi smiled at Lenalee, hoping that his gratitude was expressed and knowing it was because of the way her eyes softened and she returned the expression.
His expression was soon dropped as Lolek plopped a rather heavy and square package right on his groin. He let out a rather un-manly sound.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think you could feel it because you're so fat," the Pole growled. Miranda giggled in the background.
"Oh, yes, I'm so fat, look at all of it." He tried to squeeze the flesh on his arm, but there was no flab to be seen. He really did need to gain weight. That meant more cake.
He ignored the throbbing pain and opened the large gift, surprised to see a set of plates and bowls. Now he felt bad for insulting Miranda, she really did look as most people would say, "glowing," and it was an extremely thoughtful gift.
"Thanks," he whispered in an apologetic tone, and Miranda smiled at him in a way that told him all was forgiven.
The door opened again and Yuu swaggered in, his expression only slightly fatigued. He looked oddly satisfied with himself, and the glint in his eyes made Lavi feel like he was missing something huge. The Japanese man took in the surroundings, smirking all the while, before taking a seat at the foot of his bed.
"Oh, Yuu-kun, you're back!" Lenalee exclaimed, rushing over to his side to give the man a hug. When she pulled away, he looked kind of rumpled, but Lavi took it as a good sign that he was able to endure-and perhaps even enjoy-touches from others. It was an encouraging sign, like maybe Yuu was finally starting to see that he didn't need to fear others.
Perhaps the redhead should follow his lover's example. But the Bookman-drilled paranoia would probably take much longer to eradicate completely.
"So, Yuu-kun, what did you get Lavi for his birthday?" The Chinese woman asked sweetly as she discreetly squeezed Yuu's hand.
"Nothing. He doesn't deserve a gift," Yuu responded evenly. Lavi's face dropped from an expecting smile to a contemplative frown. Yes, Yuu was angry with him that he hadn't tried harder with his hands and would probably never regain complete mobility because of that, but he wouldn't ignore the redhead's birthday just to drive home a point. Yes, there had to be an angle, something Lavi wasn't considering, something larger or perhaps more private that the Japanese man didn't want others to see.
Or maybe he just didn't want to seem weak in front of everyone else.
Lenalee slapped his shoulder lightly. Her strike might have been harder, but she knew just how hard it still was for Yuu to stay upright, even if he didn't broadcast that fact. He buckled slightly under the pressure anyway, but his face remained composed, with only the slightest hint of a scowl.
"That's not very nice!" She scolded. Yuu didn't look the least bit affected.
"Yeah, Yuu-pyon, be nice to your lover!" Amanda exclaimed running over to Lavi and grabbing his shoulders in a show of support. "'Cause I said so!"
"Don't call me that," Yuu growled. Lavi snorted and leaned over to drag his lover back into his chest. He shifted in a disgruntled fashion as the conversation picked up around them.
They talked for an hour or two more before Miranda rocked back and forth a bit and mumbled something to Lolek, who nodded and announced they were late for an obstetrician appointment. They walked out in a bustle, and Lavi noticed how uncomfortable Amanda seemed to become. A few minutes later, Allen and Lenalee opened the Ark and went to meet with a caterer for their wedding, leaving just Yuu, Lavi, and the American girl.
"I'll-I'll just go," she said awkwardly, half-sprinting to the door in her haste to leave what must have been a hard situation for her to handle. In the past couple of months, she'd called Lavi often, and was usually at his side after she left school. More often than not, she was crying. The redhead understood, to a degree, that she didn't handle loss well, and being parted from Darcy was hitting her almost as bad as her lingering depression over Artemis's death. He also knew that she'd been coming less and less since Yuu had awoken, obviously uncomfortable with the loving atmosphere Sarah said they gave off.
When the door shut, Yuu extricated himself from Lavi's grasp, something the redhead couldn't really complain about, since the man turned to face him instead, keeping their bodies in close proximity.
"You really didn't get me anythin'?" Lavi asked.
"Baka Usagi."
That didn't really answer his question, so he rephrased it. Yuu scoffed.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'd really prefer to get out of here."
The redhead gaped. "You can't just leave! You have to get the doctor's approval and-" he cut himself off, because the dark-haired man was laughing quietly.
"They discharged me last night," Yuu finally said. A strong, euphoric emotion bloomed somewhere in the pit of Lavi's stomach and began to spread like a chain reaction throughout the rest of his body. He didn't even realize he was smiling until his lover hit him lightly and scolded him for "making an idiotic expression." Yuu's scowl was back, but it somehow retained the Japanese man's own happiness.
Quickly, Lavi gathered all the books that had spread out over the entire half of the room-the other side since reoccupied by a snot-nosed little brat who thought he was the shit. And who mimed vomiting every time he was in the room-which wasn't often, as the boy spent most of his days down the hall visiting with other kids his age-and the redhead and his lover were "embracing" (Yuu still wouldn't call it snuggling) or flirting (well, mock-fighting) with one another. Stupid immature little twelve-year-old.
As they stepped out of the room, Yuu put up a hand and walked over to their nurse, who must have been reassigned, because Lavi hadn't seen her all day. With his keen ears, the redhead was able to make out most of their conversation.
The petite brunette gave him a small smile and put down the clipboard she was carrying.
"Leaving so soon? Ah, well, can't be helped. I hope you have a good life and that I never see you again," she said with all the happiness in the world in her voice. "That's my way of saying be safe and don't put yourself in another coma."
Lavi couldn't help but chuckle at Yuu's surprised expression, but he swallowed it when Yuu gave the nurse a small smile of his own. It was a calm smile, one he'd never directed toward anyone except Lenalee and himself.
"You know... you really helped me out a lot, even though I'm the nurse. I'm moving in with my brother next week, so I'll be safe until I find an apartment of my own. Er, I know you don't really want to hear this, but again, thanks a lot."
Yuu had turned away from Lavi so that the redhead couldn't read the dark-haired man's facial expressions, but he could tell that the other man was embarrassed, as well as grateful, and maybe even a little relieved.
Then in a classic Yuu-chan style, he turned his head to the side and mumbled gruffly under his breath, "I trust you."
As he turned to leave, Claire grabbed his arm, stuffing a small white piece of paper into his hand.
"If you need anything, just call." With a final nod, she turned, grabbed her clipboard, and strode down the hall.
Yuu returned to Lavi's side and grabbed his hand. Together, they walked out of the hospital. Once outside, they opened a door to the Ark and followed the hall of doorways down until they found one labeled Tokyo, Japan. Still holding hands, they walked through, hopefully to begin their new life.
A/N: Next chappie=AlLena! :D You'll finally find out what happened to everyone else in these last coupla months. ^_^
BTW, Lavi's winks are essentially just blinks because of his eye patch. XP