It was dark.
He'd had that thought before, but he kept forgetting how long it had been since it'd recurred to him. He thought that it must have been a while since he'd been visited last, but he had no way to prove it really. It would explain the confusion that settled over his mind like a heavy blanket, at least.
Footsteps in the hall made him jerk, but he made himself still.
Lavi didn't move when the door opened, light spilling into the room from the hallway. He kept his eyes closed and hoped that he was being brought food and water. There was a murmur from outside. A voice he recognized as Tyki Mikk's, and another that his mind couldn't place in the haze it was in.
He was trained, of course, to withstand the worst the world could offer and maintain enough mental fortitude to continue recording his surroundings but his body was human. He licked his lips and tried to remember if he'd passed out recently but came up empty. His head was tipped back and a groan slipped past his lips, unbidden.
It felt like he was rubbing sand against his eye when he cracked open his eyelid, seeing the black haired Noah look down at him, amused. He poured some water into Lavi's mouth- enough to make him choke in surprise and get a few mouthfuls down. His body was heavy and aching but his mind sharpened enough to focus his eyes on Tyki. The man smiled and fed him some more water before letting Lavi's head flop back down to his chest, well aware that the redhead couldn't lift it again.
"You sure we shouldn't just kill him at this point?" There was an edge in Tyki's voice that made Lavi try to raise his eyes.
"No. Allen wants to see him." The other voice said smoothly. Lavi frowned, trying to place it but not being able to come up with a face that matched.
"Yeah? Not the girl?"
"Well, I'm sure he wants to see her too, but he wants to see the Bookman Apprentice the most." The voice was decisive and Tyki chuckled, running his fingers through Lavi's hair.
"I'm surprised." There was a rustle of fabric from the door, and Lavi could only assume the speaker made some gesture- a shrug or wave of the hand, maybe, "We don't have time for that right now though." Tyki said, lifting Lavi's head again and feeding him a small bit of bread. Lavi chewed ravenously, looking at Tyki then trying to see over his shoulder. The man didn't move, holding Lavi in place so that the door was perfectly blotted out.
Lavi's heart was pounding in his chest and he wondered if he was having a heart attack, swallowing the bread and accepting another piece from Tyki's fingers like a stray dog. The other person walked around his bad side, a hooded shadow in the corner of his limited peripheral vision. He tried to turn his head to get a look, but Tyki kept his head in place.
"Does the Earl know you're here?"
"Of course he does. It's part of our agreement."
Tyki grunted and shoved the last of the food into Lavi's mouth, letting his head drop again. Lavi let his head roll to the side, eye straining to see. Well worn black boots were all he could see and he frowned, watching them walk around to the front of the chair. The toe tapped lightly and a hand- smaller than Tyki's rested on his head for a moment, smoothing a limp curl out.
The hand slid down, cupping Lavi's cheek for a moment before lifting his head up. Lavi felt the urge roll his eyes at the theatrics, but when his eyes met gold everything stopped.
Allen's face wore the wrong expression, and the golden eyes sized him up with a glint of indifference. Then he smiled, a little too lopsided and a little too cocky and Lavi wondered if this was what getting stabbed felt like. He couldn't tear his eyes away, but every second he looked it felt as if his heart was being squeezed in a vice.
"Allen's got weird taste." Neah said in Allen's voice, with Allen's mouth. Lavi realized he hadn't recognized Allen's voice then and another shard sank into his chest.
"I'm not sure you're one to talk." Tyki said, drolly.
Neah shot a look over his shoulder then turned back to Lavi with a contemplative stare. He leaned his head back gently so it was cradled in the back cushion of his chair and stood tall, still just... Looking.
"Al...Len..." Lavi wheezed out, licking his lips and taking a moment, "d...dead? Is he..."
"No." Neah said, putting his hand on Allen's hip, "For now."
Lavi closed his eye, clenching his teeth and trying to swallow the lump in his throat. He didn't want to see any more, didn't want to think, but he tried to make himself stay together. He heard Tyki chuckle and some more water was splashed on his face, making him jump and peek his eye open again.
"You should drink more, Lavi. You need to regain your strength before we can proceed." Neah said lightly, turning his head to glance at the door. Lavi saw the light dance across the grey skin and the scar on his cheek and felt his stomach turn.
"Proceed?" Lavi ground out, glancing between Neah and Tyki.
"Mhmm." Neah's skin shifted in the blink of an eye, turning to the ghostly white Lavi remembered. Allen's face smiled at him and for a second, Lavi could have believed that it was the boy he loved in front of him.
"Leave him a pitcher of water out with a straw or something. How long will the paralysis take to wear off?"
Tyki shrugged, looking annoyed, "Not my ability. Get one of the Akuma to give him water or something."
Neah smiled and tilted his head, "Ah, right, I'm sorry." The taller man walked to the door and vanished into the hallway with a huff, and Neah watched the door for a moment before moving to follow him. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at Lavi and smiled again, then closed the door behind him and left Lavi alone in the dark.
Lavi's heart thundered in his chest and he closed his eyes against the darkness of the room, hoping that Neah hadn't lied to him when he said that Allen was still alive in that body. His mind whirled around in panicked circles, trying to make something coherent of the scene he'd witnessed. He came away with very little, and gave up, resigning himself to the ache in his chest and the weight of the stale air in the room.
A/N: hello naughty readers its suffering time,