Chapter seven – Piano and Cards
It took Allen moment of steady blinking to recall where he was.
Seeing his bed across the room when he had woken up had been rather disorientating. It took a minute of scrambling through his brain to recall exactly the occurrences of the previous night.
Kanda's slow steady breathing beside him signaled that the owner of the bed himself was still asleep.
Allen sat up slowly, the blankets bunching around his waist. There was a carefully kept gap between himself and Kanda and he found himself thinking with amusement that to maintain it Kanda most certainly would have had to wake up several times during the night and shuffle over.
There was a certain chill in the air and after a few minutes of sitting up Allen shrunk back into the covers and lay down beside his roommate. It was nice and warm in the bed through the combined effort of the covers and two lots of body heat and Allen found himself drowsy, drifting back into sleep.
It wouldn't hurt, really. The clock beside Kanda's bed read 6:30 in the morning. He had another half hour before he had to get up.
With that thought in mind Allen allowed his eyes to shut and snuggled back down on to the pillows.
He'd just started to fall asleep again when a loud crash tore him from the edge of sleep.
"Yu-chan! Moyashi! Guess what hap – Eh?"
Loud swearing came from beside Allen and he found the sheets tossed over him as a bright flash followed by a crash caused him to fall off of the bed.
"It's not what you're thinking you fucking rabbit!" Kanda hissed and Allen climbed to his feet to see Lavi sprawled on the ground while Kanda repeatedly – and violently – stomped on him.
Lavi was curled protectively around his phone – which seemed to be the main target of Kanda's violence.
"Delete it! Delete that photo right now!"
"No! You two look so cute in it!"
"NOW!"
"Gch!" The noises Lavi was making were really quite entertaining but Allen had the feeling he would be dead soon if he didn't interfere.
"But – Y-you were – ."
"Not what it looked like!" Kanda roared.
"Guys! You're going to wake the whole dormitory up at this rate!" Allen pleaded, crossing the room to grab Kanda's arm and yank him off of the gasping red head.
Kanda glared viciously at Allen. "This misunderstanding is all your fault, Moyashi."
"Mine?" Allen asked, miffed. "How is it my fault?"
"It just is."
Gritting his teeth but deciding it was best to just settle the damn thing Allen turned to Lavi as he searched his mind for how to explain away this particular predicament.
"It's really not what it looks like, Lavi. I couldn't sleep so –."
"The Moyashi was having loud fucking nightmares so I couldn't sleep. It was the only way to get him to shut up." Kanda cut in, beating him to the punch. Lavi looked at them both skeptically.
"I don't know… You looked awfully cozy before."
"It's the truth you know." Allen sighed. "Now pray tell, why are you here at six in the morning making enough noise to wake up the entire academy?"
"Wake up the whole academy? Everyone's already awake! I can't believe you two slept through it." Lavi shook his head in mock disbelief. "Or maybe you two were awake the whole time but were just too comfy to –."
A fist crashed into the wall just above Lavi's right shoulder as Kanda glared at him. "Get on with it Baka Usagi."
"Eh? So mean Yu! Well, anyway, one of Komui's crazy robots got loose again and it destroyed a wing of the school. Classes are canceled for today and everybody's expected to help with the clean up."
"You're fucking kidding me? We have to clean up that idiot's mess?" Kanda hissed.
"No, that's exactly right." Lavi said with his usual good humor.
"We haven't even been back a week." Kanda protested. "Normally he waits to destroy the school after we've been back a month or so." Lavi shrugged indifferently.
"I think I would have rather attended classes." Allen sighed, rubbing his head with one gloved hand. Lavi smirked at him.
"It's not all that bad. It's normally quite fun. I advice you two to get dressed and get down to the café for some breakfast before the big cleanup starts. Casual clothes are just fine." Their eye patched friend grinned and gave them a wave before ducking out the door.
Allen watched him go glumly. "This promises to be an eventful day."
Kanda snorted and pushed past him. "Hurry up and get dressed Moyashi. I want to get this over with."
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Allen was surprised when he found his breakfast waiting for him when he arrived at the cafeteria. A quick wink from Jerry told Allen exactly who was responsible for it.
Lenalee smiled as Allen took his seat and began tucking in. Kanda returned from the counter with his soba and watched Lavi wearily as he sat down.
"What?" Lavi asked innocently, batting his eyelashes.
"You look like you're up to something." Kanda disclosed. Lavi snorted and gave an exaggerated eyeroll as he bit into his croissant.
"You're paranoid Yu."
"Don't use my first name." Kanda growled, snapping his chopsticks threateningly at the redhead. Lavi's grin only widened.
There was a crackle over the loud speaker and Allen cocked his to listen.
"Give me that! No – Here!"
There was the sound of a light scuffle and someone seemed to wrestle control of the microphone.
"Attention students, this is your headmaster speaking. During the cleanup if you find anything that looks like it may have belonged to, say… A robot, can you please return it to me as - ."
There was a burst of static as the transmission cut off, followed by a heavy thunk of flesh hitting flesh and a low curse.
"This is Reever-sensei, if you find any of the robot pieces can please put them into the buckets just outside the main office so that they may be burnt later. Thank you."
A low giggle swept through the cafeteria and Lenalee shook her head sadly. "Ni-san..."
"Robot pieces, eh?" Lavi asked with a glint in his eye.
"No." Kanda deadpanned.
"No what?" Lavi asked innocently.
"No to whatever the fuck you're thinking." Kanda answered curtly, setting his chopsticks aside.
"Naww… You're no fun." Lavi pouted and Allen had to smile.
"Come on, let's get started. I want to finish this in time to do some training." Kanda muttered darkly and the group dutifully headed outside.
Miranda was directing students as to where they would be clearing, as she herself was banned from the cleanup for everybody's safety. Their own group was directed to clean up around the music room much to their relief. The group before them had been sent to the semi demolished toilets.
The music room itself was relatively intact; a hole in the ceiling through which much debris had tumbled being the main culprit for its current state.
"This is bullshit." Kanda muttered as he picked up a clod of rubble and tossed it in the large metal wheeled crate in the centre of the room.
Allen shot him a look from where he stood, gently shifting cement rocks off of the grand piano.
"Will that thing even still play?" Lavi asked mildly as Allen brushed a layer of dust off of it.
"I hope so." He murmured. Lavi grinned widely from ear to ear and hopped down from the desk which he'd been slacking off on.
"Only one way to find out." He said cheerily and bounced over to take the seat. Allen stepped back and watched as the redhead flexed his fingers carefully.
"Do you know how to play?" Lenalee inquired.
"Doubt it." Kanda scoffed.
"Aww, you're just jealous Yu-chan." Lavi cooed as he set his fingers down on the ivory keys.
The sound of badly played 'twinkle twinkle little star' flooded the room and Allen winced back as if he had been bitten. Kanda threw the chunk of rock he was holding at him and Lavi feel backwards off the piano stool.
"It's not my fault." He protested. "The piano's broken."
"No, I think the piano's fine." Allen disagreed.
Lavi shot him a look. "Fine then mister British perfection. Show us the power of your magical gloved fingers."
"Can you play?" Lenalee asked, brushing a strand of dark hair from her face. Allen shrugged modestly.
"A bit."
"Give it a go." Lenalee encouraged brightly, wiping her hands free of dust.
Allen gave a gentle smile and took the piano seat. "It's been a while." He warned. "I might be a bit rusty."
He began to play and Kanda nearly dropped the brick he was holding.
To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. He never thought that the bony Moyashi could play such beautiful music. Although not gifted in the music department himself he could recognize easily the complexity of the music and detected the faint underlying strands of a lullaby. He had never heard anything like it before.
The work came to a stand still as the group stared openly at their friend, watching as his fingers danced across the keys with apparent ease.
Allen for his part was completely focused on the piano, neither smiling nor frowning, just looking like he was at peace and lost in his own world full of swirling melodies.
The music slowed down and finally came to an end. Allen sat back in the seat and looked over at his friends.
Lenalee was first to find her voice. "That was amazing! I never knew you were so good a playing the piano! What song was that?"
Allen smiled sheepishly. "It's my own composition."
"Seriously?" Lavi choked out. "Where did you learn to play?"
Allen shrugged. "I'm mostly self taught."
"Self taught?" Kanda found himself asking in disbelief. Allen arched an eyebrow at him.
"Surprised?"
"Che. I never thought a Moyashi like you could be good at anything. Now stop slacking off and help us."
Allen spluttered wordlessly at him and Kanda nonchalantly returned to shifting the rubble off of the carpeted floor.
Lavi frowned. "You should be nice, Yu-chan."
"Don't call me by my first name."
Lavi continued as if he had not just been scolded. "I mean… There's a certain picture that may get around campus if –."
The second the word picture left Lavi's mouth Kanda pitched a hefty stone at him which Lavi only just managed to dodge.
"Woh! You could have taken my head off with –."
Another brick came flying his way and Lavi dropped to the ground to avoid it.
"Yu-chan, just –."
A third and fourth rock came his way and only Lavi's quick reflex's managed to dodge it. Allen was torn between helping and enjoying the fact that Lavi could do nothing with the picture if he was dancing around like that.
Finally Lenalee stepped it. "Come on guys. We're almost done here. Don't muck it up now." She sent a pleading look to both males and Kanda narrowed his eyes but tossed the rock in the bin as opposed to Lavi.
The clean up progressed quickly after that, the highlight being the uncovering of several robotic parts which Lenalee confiscated from a very disappointed Lavi.
Allen was more than glad when the music room was back to normal – disincluding of course, the giant hole in the ceiling.
The group stopped by the buckets quickly to deposit the robot parts – the bucket which was being lorded over by a very tense and annoyed Reever while Komui hovered in the background – before escaping to Allen and Kanda's room.
"We've got the whole day left, what to do…" Lavi pondered as he hung upside down off of Allen's bed.
"You could leave." Kanda suggested irritably. "Why are you even here?"
"Don't be like that Yu-chan. It's just so boring with out you."
"We could play a card game?" Lenalee suggested, tugging at a lock of her hair.
"Strip poker?" Lavi suggested hopefully.
"How about just normal poker?" Allen said and a pack of card seemed to magically slide out of his sleeve into his gloved hands which Kanda found slightly strange but decided it was best not to ask.
"I warn you Moyashi, I'm the champion." Lavi crooned as Allen dealt.
A small smirk slide across the Bean sprout's lips. "Warning headed." He said smoothly and the game began.
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A/N: I know, you must all be simply amazed by the fast update! Yaaay for the holidays! I'm glad I finally worked Allen's piano talent in.
Not much dark angst stuff in this chapter, but rest assured the plot will emerge! (If there is one -.- Which I would like to think there is)
In any event feel free to leave a review!