Chapter twelve – 'Sorting themselves out'
Lavi was pulled from the edge of sleep by the sharp pounding at his door.
His first thought as his eyes flickered open to stare hazily across the room was that he would much rather stay where he was, drooling on his desk with a crick in his neck then get up and answer that potentially threatening sounding knock.
His next thought was he probably should answer it before whoever it was broke his door down.
"I'm coming, I'm coming…" He mutter grumpily as he pushed himself up right and wiped a strand of drool hanging oh, so elegantly from his mouth. Rubbing his poor and aching neck he opened his door and stared in surprise at his late night visitor.
"Yu-chan? What are you –."
"Have you seen Allen?" Kanda abruptly cut over him and for the first time Lavi's sleep depraved mind registered just how unusually agitated Kanda was.
It had been a long time since he has seen his friend so tense. Kanda was as stiff as a board and his eyes were alert and flickering with whatever unyielding emotion washed over the samurai wannabe.
It took Lavi a moment to recall he was supposed to answer. "Uhh… No? Should I have? Wait, did you just call Allen, Allen?"
But Kanda was already pulling away. "Call me if you see him."
"Call you – wah? Did something happen? Wait, are you going outside! It's pouring out there! Wherever Allen is I doubt it's out there in the – are you even listening to me?"
Apparently not as Kanda had already ducked through the door to the stairwell and was long out of sight. Lavi stared bemusedly after him before ruffling his messy red hair and yawning loudly.
"Gah… Those two give me a headache."
Lavi vanished back into his room and set his head back on the comfortable – and priceless – book Bookman had leant him and resumed his drooling.
They'll sort themselves out…
OoO_oOo_oOo
Allen trudged along the rain slicked path, shuddering in his thin white shirt. His cheeks flamed with chagrin as he fervently wished he'd grabbed a coat before fleeing from the dorm room. It would have been the smart thing to do.
Speaking smart things, he should have at least taken his mobile so he could call Cross and ask him to remove him from the school. He wasn't sure his Master would be too pleased but it still bet the alternative of staying.
Maybe, just maybe I should have waited and… given Kanda chance to –
The image of Kanda's facial expression upon seeing him shirtless flashed through his mind again and he barely had enough time to throw up a defensive wall against the startling pain of loss that assaulted him.
And just when we were starting to… Well, it doesn't matter now, does it? His seen and that'll be it. I'm going to have to…
Allen found he was having a hard time keeping his mind on track and he grimaced and decided to place his plight out of his mind for now and instead focus on finding somewhere to wait out the rain.
He had long since slipped free of the school and the pathetic security they had guarding the gate. Although helpful, Allen had found it rather disturbing. Anyone could slip in while the guard hopped about in hopes of avoiding the rain.
An empty phone booth stood sentry by the rapidly flooding road. Allen gratefully slipped in, not allowing its lack of door to discourage him from the welcomed shelter of the rain.
If I had just locked the bathroom door I'd likely be comfortably asleep with –
Allen cut his own thought short, mortified that he had just missed the familiarity of sleeping alongside Kanda to still his feverish dreams.
Even so, the humiliation of sleeping alongside his sworn rival was not nearly as bad as the night terrors that lurked on the edge of sleep, forever patient and waiting to pull him into their inescapable, iron grasp.
And if having Kanda's arm wrapped tightly around him served to free him of that grip he would welcome it – Stop thinking depressing thought! Allen berated himself, and then weary and exhausted from the fruitless struggle with himself and his confused emotions sunk to the floor of the booth and watched as water steadily seeped into a small crack on the path outside.
He was to tired and body sore for this endless battle against his ever changing feelings. It didn't even seem worth the effort to put up a fight against the tide of exhausted defeat that washed over him.
I should never have agreed to start school. It was a stupid thing to do.
With that thought dancing on the edge of his mind he drew his legs up and wrapped his slender arms around his knees, burying his face in the sodden fabric.
If even just one person… shun me… wish…
Allen pulled himself into a tighter ball, trying to take comfort in the sudden smallness of the world his hunched position offered him.
Allen didn't know how long he stayed that way. It may have been seconds, minutes or even – though highly unlikely – hours.
But what did rouse him from his exaggerated misery was the splashing of searching feet tromping through puddles.
His breath caught in his chest. It wouldn't be…
The splashes came louder, closer and then came to an abrupt stop, splattering Allen with dirty rain water.
It's not…
But as a hand grasped his wrist in a painful hold and yanked him to his feet with a muttered, Fucking idiot!
Allen had to hope.
oOo_oOo_oOo
Allen was not in the school grounds. That Kanda had determined as a fact. He wasn't in the dorm, any of the bathrooms, the library, the classroom or even Kanda's training building.
That only meant the annoying sprout had snuck out in to the city.
Does the fucking sprout have a death wish? After tonight how can he even think about going out alone! And in the middle of a bloody storm to boot! Has he never seen a damn horror movie?
Although Kanda knew his thoughts were unreasonable, he couldn't stop the images of Allen in various dangerous situations from flitting before his eyes. The predominant images were not morbid predictions though, but the horrified, blood splattered Allen he had rescued earlier that day.
I don't want to see him look like that ever again, Kanda swore to himself. Never.
Although Kanda was not in the honorable business of making promises and protecting those weaker than himself he could not help the possessive surge of adrenalin that came when he imagined his Beansprout in those kinds of situations.
But Allen was far from weak, as Kanda had to firmly remind himself. In fact the sprout had proven himself Kanda's equal on more than one occasion. Kanda was not yet ready to concede to defeat though, but he was even less ready to allow Allen to snake his way out of his life with the same quickness and dexterity he had thrust himself into it with.
If the sprout thinks he can flit through my life as he pleases and leave when he sees fit he has another thing coming!
By the time Kanda himself had snuck free of the school gates his surprise and agitation of Allen's sudden leave and statement had turned into a gentle, simmering anger that was nearing its boil.
He did not appreciate hunting through the rain in naught but his long sleeved white shirt, jeans and a heavy, hooded black jacket.
As the rains tempo increased, he too hurried his footsteps until he was splashing loudly through the puddles overflowing from the wasted gutter.
Up ahead in the dim light offered through the spluttering streetlamps Kanda saw the indistinct shape of what he assumed was a phone booth. And curled on the floor was…
His heart lurched as he saw the familiar, annoying mop of white hair.
He skidded to a stop and stared down at the figure. A spray of water from his sudden halt was flung into the air and landed with a soft plink on the already soaked figure before him.
"Fucking idiot!" Kanda growled and snatched Allen's arm in his hand, yanking the beansprout to his feet and throwing him violently against the inner wall of the phone box before stepping in and out of the rain himself.
Allen struggled to gain his balance and looked up at Kanda, pure surprise cast across his pale figures. His lips formed the syllables of Kanda's name but Kanda was having none of this.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing running off into the storm like that?" He demanded. "Are you a fucking retard? Or did your brain shrink and die from starvation? I know you're no fucking genius but a two year old could tell you that was dangerous!"
Allen's eyes grew steadily wider as Kanda ranted and he could feel the slight tremors that rent the sprouts body vibrating up his own hand that clenched the sprouts wrist defiantly.
"I – I thought t-that –."
Kanda had had enough. Angrily he yanked Allen toward him and ignoring the boys shouting protests yanked his shirt sleeve up and tore his glove off his hand.
"Stop it! I –."
"- You think this bothers me?" Kanda growled, shaking Allen's arm in front of his face.
"Do you honestly think me that shallow that a disfigured limb and a few scars," Kanda used his other hand to yank the collar of Allen's shirt down just enough to show the particularly nasty wound that started high up, "Would disgust me enough that I would throw out somebody how just earlier that day I admitted to caring about?"
Kanda flung Allen's arm back at him and scowled at the shocked sprout before him. "Do not insult me like that again beansprout or it'll be the last thing you do."
Allen showed open confusion at how their positions had become so turned around. Should it not be him shouting at Kanda?
Instead he gaped openly at him for a moment before choking out, "But you were so…"
Kanda snorted. "You never cease to disappoint me with your lack of brainpower. Anyone would be surprised at that – it doesn't necessarily mean that they instantly consider you a leper."
Allen's experience argued other whys and that was why he could not think of a single thing that befit the situation he currently found himself in. So, instead, he kept his mouth clamped firmly shut for fear of saying something that may change Kanda's mind about him.
Two people were not meant to be crammed into one phone booth at a time and the close proximity had Allen's soaked clothes clinging uncomfortably to him from the sudden temperature change.
Kanda stepped out of the phone booth and waited impatiently for Allen to do the same. When he did not Kanda snorted and reached back in to pull him out, nearly sending him sprawling on the pavement when his sneaker caught on the edge of the phone booth.
Back out in the rain was even worse than being in the stuffy phone booth and Allen felt his shirt greedily soak up the downpour again. This was going to be an uncomfortable return.
As if sensing his discomfort Kanda shrugged out of his thick jacket without a word and – ignoring Allen's feeble protests – draped it over his shivering frame without letting go of his hand he had used to pull him from the phone booth.
"C'mon you fucking moron. It's cold and wet and I want to get back to school like I never have before."
Allen had to smile at Kanda's black humor and allowed himself to be led back along the path to the school.
They walked in relative quiet for a while before Allen finally decided to give voice to one of the questions bothering him.
"Aren't you going to ask? You know… About my…" Allen trailed off. His meaning was clear enough without the need for finishing his sentence.
Kanda replied with a flippant, "Not until I feel like it."
And that, Allen decided, was good enough reassurance for now.
OoO_oOo_OoO
The next morning when Lavi came to pester them shortly after they had woken up – and not before thankfully, because he would never have let them live down the sight of the two of them comfortably sleeping together in the one bed with their hands linked – apparently interested in what had transpired the previous night to send Kanda into such a panic.
Allen raised an eyebrow at this but Kanda said gruffly, "You're reading too much into this Baka Usagi."
"I think not!" Lavi grinned widely and pulled up Kanda's desk chair to sit beside Allen who was dutifully doing his homework that had been miserably neglected.
"It's nothing Lavi, really." Allen said as he tried to recall just how many questions had asked him to find x already. "Kanda and I simply had a fight."
Lavi's eyebrows rose further at this. "Wow. Seriously? He went looking for you, in the rain, after a fight?"
Allen shifted uncomfortably in his chair and was saved by answering Lavi's prying questions when the redhead suddenly keeled over on to the ground, Kanda standing behind the chair the apparent cause.
"Mind your own business." He snapped angrily, but no amount of scolding could hide the slight tinge in his cheeks. Thankfully, Lavi was to busy nursing his aching head to look up and remark.
"And here I was being nice enough to invite you all out with me today."
"You were?" Allen asked.
"After last time, I'd rather rip the balls of a charging bull." Kanda send bluntly and Lavi winced in dismay at his crude language.
"Nothing's going to happen to Allen-chan this time; I swear it on my life." Lavi twisted his hand over his heart in a mockery of swearing fealty. Kanda just glowered at him and Allen frowned.
"I think I can decide for myself, thanks." He snapped at Kanda.
"You can go, but I won't."
"Fine then. Stay cooped up in the room and become a dusty old hermit you know you'll never –."
"- Get laid that way." Lavi chipped in.
Allen choked and stumbled over whatever it was he was really going to say and a burst of laughter escaped him and Kanda went from looking like Lavi had suddenly grown two wings and flew away to looking like he planned to tear of those wings so he could never fly again.
"You know what Moyashi-chan; I don't believe it's safe for me at the moment. I think I'll meet you back at my room in half an hour. If you can tame your little samurai over there, feel free to bring him along." Lavi winked at him and just managed to doge a thrown textbook as he danced towards the exit, fleeing out into the hallway as Kanda skidded out after him.
The door slammed shut leaving Allen alone in the room and he couldn't help the small smile that slide across his face as he heard the loud yelp of a caught Lavi and a stream of swearwords from Kanda that sounded as if he had just been kicked between the legs.
Maybe, just maybe, Allen pondered, school life isn't that bad after all.
oOo_oOo_oOo
A/N: Just a quick question I've been debating since I started this story; should I change the humor category to drama?
I'd like to think that it's funny enough, but at the same time it does have a bit of a dark, elusive plot to it that'll become more clear as the story progresses.
So please, vote on the new poll in m profile on weather to change it or leave it as it is. And as always, you're welcome to review.