Crash & Burn

Blood and dust flew into the air, staining porcelain skin, dirtying jet black locks. Mugen moved swiftly and rhythmically, each individual step perfect and precise and just like Kanda had practiced time and time again.

Finally the last akuma fell, and pain flared through Kanda's body as he finally allowed himself to relax. It rattled him from the inside out and he dropped to the ground, on his knees, Mugen painted with blood, and he gasped for air. He finally felt as though he could breathe again.

Nine days. He'd been out here for nine bloody days, with little rest. The town was dead, the buildings in ruins, the people no more. Gone was the last soul with that last akuma and as antisocial as Kanda was, he craved human contact more that anything he ever had before.

The finder who had accompanied him hadn't even made it to the godforsaken town, for he was killed when they were attacked in the forest the first night away from the Order. Red burned itself onto the back of Kanda's eyelids. Red blood, red fire, red hair… and again he gulped in oxygen greedily; face turned heavenwards, eyes closed against the silent battlefield before him.

Shakily, Kanda pushed himself to his feet, using Mugen as a crutch. He was too tired to care for such disrespect towards his own weapon. He was lucky to be awake and each tiny movement of whatever tiny muscles lay beneath his skin took way more energy than it should.

But Lavi was waiting, and Lavi was human contact and a relief from heartache and pain, so to Lavi he would go.

-

Yuu's home soon, I hope, mused Lavi as he walked through the halls of the Black Order. You've been gone so long, my beautiful darlin', he thought, lips curling into a smile as he pictured Kanda's blush had he known what Lavi was thinking.

He almost walked right past his room, so deep was he in his thoughts, and with a sharp, surprised jerk of his head, he snapped to reality. The sight that greeted him when he opened his door filled him with mixed feelings and he stood there in the doorway, mouth agape, for at least a minute before he managed to get a word out.

"Y-Yuu."

Tired, tired eyes, oh so very tired, glanced up at him. Yuu was laying on the cold floor of Lavi's floor, dried blood coating patches of his beautiful ivory skin. Lavi slammed his door shut, shielding Kanda when he was at his potentially weakest, then moved forward on shaky legs to gather up the broken Japanese boy and cradle him close.

"You're home, home, home, home," he whispered, rocking Yuu back and forth. He felt Yuu breathe deeply, releasing it in an exhausted sigh. He didn't want to think about what Yuu'd been through, when he'd last slept or ate – not yet anyway.

Lifting him gently, ignoring the heartache when Yuu whimpered and keened loudly, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was injuredand in pain, Lavi placed him on his bed and began to remove the other teen's Exorcist jacket. Next came the white – now stained red – button down that Yuu always wore and as inch after inch of creamy skin was revealed to him, Lavi laid butterfly kiss after butterfly kiss. Kissing his way up Yuu's chest, up his throat, along his jaw to end at the corner of his lips, he waited, perfectly still.

Kanda felt each kiss tenderly brushing against his skin but he was so tired, all he could do was try keep his eyes open – and he was damn near failing – as he lay there on his back, hair unbound, arms limp by his sides. He was too helpless to react to the delicious skin on skin contact and he groaned somewhat irritably when Lavi tried to coax him into manoeuvring his arms out of his sleeves.

Shaking his head and smiling softly, Lavi sat up and figured that Yuu would probably sleep better in the infirmary where they could drug the boy up and make sure he slept for at least 12 hours. Lavi knew that Yuu would protest but then thought better and realised the boy didn't have the energy.

He made it half way there, Yuu in his arms, bridal style (and yes he was thankful for the fact that Yuu was too tired to try gut him for carrying the Japanese boy like a girl) before Yuu pulled at his shirt, clenching his fists, keening desperately. Lowering his head, Lavi pressed his lips to Yuu's, ignoring any and all looks, eyes widening when Yuu sobbed into the kiss.

Kanda's eyes were definitely open now as he felt himself sob uncontrollably. "What's happening to me?" he managed to gasp out, curling into Lavi the best he could. Kanda fell deathly silent, but Lavi was sure that he was screaming, scared, confused. Yuu didn't cry.

"You're exhausted, hon," he whispered soothingly and decided then and there that he probably should have just stayed in his room with Kanda and that they were never going to make it to the infirmary.

Instead, he walked to the wall, slid down it and pulled Yuu onto his lap. Yuu fell asleep almost instantly and for the first two hours, he was plagued by nightmares and he screamed, finally fucking screamed, and sobbed and called for Lavi repetitively. But all Lavi could do, as they attracted worried attention, fearful attention – was there an attack? What the hell was happening? Kanda?! – was coo to him and tell him to just breathe again, that he wasn't alone, that everyone deserved to fall apart at some time.

And before long he too fell asleep.

-

Because there has always been heartache and pain

And when it's all over you'll breathe again,

You'll breathe again.

-

If you need to fall apart,

I can mend a broken heart.

If you need to crash then crash and burn,

You're not alone.