Exception

By: Aviantei

65. Picking Up Some Pieces

It was the afternoon following the soccer match, school having just left out, and Lavi was feeling more than a little bit nervous—and it wasn't even because he was worried about Ari sweeping down and providing divine retribution or anything! Besides, she'd managed to wrangle the promise of couple more boxes of cookies and a sibling movie marathon together, so Ari had walked out of the exchange once again content and no longer in the mood to bombard her brother with round-shaped implements—neither of the sports variety nor otherwise.

No, Lavi was nervous because he'd thrown a paper airplane at Kanda during their afternoon history class and received a pretty nasty glare in response. But that part was par for the course, and wasn't anywhere near enough to cause nervousness in Lavi, not after their long years of tenuous friendship! Rather, it was that said paper plane had contained a note in it, asking to meet up for a chat after school.

What's that you say? Lavi could've just sent a text with his request instead of potentially getting in trouble in class? Yeah, sure, but you would be severely underestimating the lengths Lavi was willing to go to when the end result was being extra as fuck.

And, well, the paper plane strategy also meant that Lavi could be sure that Kanda saw it instead of being in a phase of straight up ignoring his phone, but that was only if you wanted to be all logical and stuff, which kinda sounded boring, tbh.

Regardless, Kanda had received said paper airplane, the request to meet up scrawled across its wings so he couldn't miss it, and that was about all Lavi could be certain of. Now he just had to lie in wait at one of the study rooms and see if Kanda accepted the invitation. If not, Lavi had other ways of getting his grumpy friend's attention, but he wanted to leave those in reserve.

I mean, I can't just go ahead and talk about it at lunch or whatever with everyone around; Yū-pon wouldn't be honest with me at all then. 'Sides, my super awesome ninja instincts are telling me that he'd hate for anyone else to notice what was going on, so I don't wanna make this any harder than it needs to be. Not that his current strategy wasn't harder than it needed to be for a normal chat, but Lavi wasn't the type to be concerned with such trivial matters. That said, he couldn't help but glance at the door every thirty seconds or so, as if that was going to make Kanda appear. Man, with my luck today, I bet he's just gonna go straight home and not even bother to let me know he's not showing up…

There weren't any conveniently timed miracles that the moment he thought that, Kanda showed up. Instead, Lavi was left dawdling around for a handful more moments, halfway playing a chess game in his mind against an imaginary Ari to pass the time. He was about to pull off a pretty kickass strategy with his bishop (which would never work against Ari in reality, seeing as she liked to make non-optimal moves to throw him off his game, but a man could dream, dammit!) whenever the door at last opened, sending the mental chess pieces flying everywhere.

Throwing the mental chess pieces flying was just Lavi's way of playing up the situation, and no game boards were harmed in the making of this chapter. Even so, he couldn't deny that the nervousness was creeping back up on him all over again, but he put on a smile anyway and held up a hand in a wave. "Yū-pon."

"Why do you sound so surprised? You're the one that invited me here." Lavi half expected his friend to walk right on out, considering things a waste of time, but Kanda surprised him by shutting the door and taking a seat at the table. His backpack even dropped to the floor with a thump, signaling that he was at least willing to stick around for more than a few seconds. "I assume you have something to say, so spit it out."

Lavi did, in fact, have something to say. He kinda always had something to say, which could cause more problems than it could solutions a decent handful of the time. But even now, after a couple of class periods to mull things over, he was finding himself at a loss for words, so instead he let out a nervous laugh. "Wow. Gotta admit, Yū-pon, I didn't think I'd get this far…" Even Lavi in all his brazen attitude, could recognize how that sounded, and he grimaced. "No, sorry, I mean you're…"

"You don't have to sugarcoat it," Kanda said, not wanting to hear it. Lavi didn't need to apologize for just saying something that was true. Of course, Kanda was also slowly becoming aware that his own attitude wasn't helping the situation much, so he tried to get himself to sound calm. "You didn't even think I'd bother to come and talk to you today, did you?"

"I gotta be real with you, Yū-pon: not really." Lavi recognized that it wasn't time to beat around the bush, either—not that it ever really was when it came to conversations with Kanda. As far as he was concerned, talking should be as efficient as possible or not happen at all. "But, hey, you're here, and that's super cool of you. So I'm just gonna go ahead and get to it… Earlier, during gym, when you went to start the game back up…I kinda got the impression that you were sorta kinda maybe trying to help me out a little? Just a bit?" Wow, now that he'd said it out loud, it just seemed super unlikely, maybe he should backtrack while he still had the chance. "You know, what, Yū-pon, never mind, that's kind of a silly idea, just forget I—"

"So what if I was?" The response was so gruff that Lavi couldn't help but flinch—and then he recognized the content of the words, which then took a further moment to process. The result? One redhead blinking like a dear in the headlights at a true and complete loss for words. Kanda, having just given a roundabout admittance to the fact, crossed his arms and looked away. What a waste, him pulling off such an archetypical tsundere action, and here Lavi was not even in the state of mind to appreciate it! "I meant what I said about wanting to get things back in gear for class. But also watching you get laid into by your sister was kinda pathet—I mean tiring to watch, so I put a stop to it."

Lavi's lips quirked into the beginnings of a smile. "You don't have to sugarcoat it, Yū-pon," he sang, and Kanda clicked his tongue at having his words parroted back at him. "But for real, though. You've been the one laying into me tons of times before. What makes today any different? And if you give me some line about wanting to be the only one that beats me up, I don't think I could handle that, so don't, maybe?"

Yeah, Kanda wouldn't be caught dead saying anything like that—but not too long ago he'd also thought he'd never be trying to have a genuine conversation with Lavi, and yet here they were. My how the times can change a person, even if they didn't realize it was happening. Still, no amount of time would make Kanda better at talking about his feelings, at least without a concentrated effort, so he was a bit stuck on what kind of response to give, and the anticipation was killing Lavi, dammit!

"I don't know," Kanda eventually said, which was sooo helpful. Well, he was trying at least, and you couldn't fault him for that much. "I know I don't have room to talk considering how I've treated you before, but it just seemed fucking stupid to go that far, so I made sure she knocked it off. Though maybe it was none of my business."

"I mean, I wasn't saying that I didn't appreciate it or anything," Lavi rushed to say. This was in no way shape or form a complaint. "In fact, I don't know what I would've done without you, Yū-pon. Whenever Ari gets worked up like that, it's kinda impossible to make her stop. I guess she and I have that in common, heheh…" Great, now the awkward was setting in, and Lavi was getting the pretty distinct urge to bury his head in his scarf and never emerge. "I guess…we've both caused each other a lot of trouble over the years, huh?"

"…Yeah."

Aaand the two of them were stuck without anything else to say. They'd probably been subconsciously thinking about it before, but now it was out in the open, and they were forced to confront it. Sure, no friendship was perfect, especially when you're teenagers, but there had been some serious lack of boundaries and general respect floating between the two of them, though Lavi's half had for the most part been with good intentions.

So where do we even go from here?

"Um, Yū-pon?" Lavi said, not knowing what he was gonna follow it up with but hoping that saying something would prevent the conversation from stalling out. "I mostly wanted to talk with you today to confirm what I thought about gym, and I figured you wouldn't want anyone else overhearing it, but now that we're here…I guess I wanna know if things are gonna change at all?" Sure, Lavi understood that something probs had to change if they were gonna have a healthy relationship and all that from here on out, but there were still parts about their dynamic that he enjoyed.

Kanda sure wasn't going to say it, but the fact that he hadn't made a serious effort to ditch Lavi was proof enough that he didn't find the redhead completely unbearable all of the time—just most of it. "Depends. Do you want something to change?"

"I mean, I wanna still be friends if that's what you're asking." Kanda kinda just stared in surprise, not having expected that sort of response to come so readily. If he'd been in Lavi's shoes, he probably wouldn't have wanted to bother—or at least kicked the other party's ass for being a dick by now. Hearing a genuine plea of friendship at this stage was kinda outside of Kanda's purview. "And I don't expect you to be a different person or anything. That grumpiness is part of what makes Yū-pon, well, Yū-pon. But I wouldn't mind if you tried to be nicer to me? I was a little thrown off my game today, but now that it's had time to sink in, I kinda liked it…"

Kanda, as Kanda was wont to do when embarrassed, grunted in acknowledgement. You might think with Lavi's personality of hyping his friends up at every occasion, Kanda would be used to it, but hearing Lavi sound a bit more vulnerable than usual just made it embarrassing. "I don't have a problem with that. So long as you don't make a big deal about it." Kanda was trying, but even he had his limits.

Lavi could already imagine it now, himself tossing confetti every which way in celebration, causing Kanda to snap and toss him into a trashcan or something. Yeah, I think I'd rather avoid that all, please and thank! "I'll do my best," he said, waving the fantasy aside. "Though I guess it feels kinda unfair that you're the only one that has to change stuff, Yū-pon. I mean, I've kinda been a pain in your ass all these years, too."

"Oh, so you are self-aware."

"Don't be like that; I'm trying to have a moment here!" Well, at least Kanda looked far more amused than annoyed, so that had probably been a joke. If it was, Lavi was so frickin' proud of him! "But I know I piss you off a lot, and maybe that's not something friends should do? But it's hard for me to tell, 'cause a lot of what I do is just what I see as being friendly, and a lot of other people don't mind. Not that I'm saying that's an excuse or anything!" he added, not needing Kanda to tell him that he should approach different situations in different ways. People were complicated, yo. "Just I thought that I was helping you come out of your shell, which is dumb, 'cause it's your business how you interact with the world. So, um, I guess that I'll try and pay attention to shit I do that bothers you and not do it anymore?" At least he thought that sounded like a fair trade for what Kanda was offering.

Kanda's first instinct was to react with pure skepticism, which he still felt, but saying anything about it sure seemed like breaking the agreement they'd just come to. It didn't stop his expression from twisting in doubt, but we're talking baby steps here, folks. "At this point, I'd rather you just ask me than guess about it." Making assumptions was just asking for more unnecessary shenanigans, and the whole point was to keep any and all shenanigans to the absolutely necessary variety. "Of course, what I need you to do is listen when I tell you something." Half the reason things had gotten to the point they were at (putting Kanda's own bad attitude aside for just a moment), was because Lavi didn't know when to stop. It was kinda a miracle that their conflicting personality types hadn't ended in disaster yet, though they had gotten pretty close.

Yeah, Lavi could recognize his own fault in that scenario, so he nodded. Playing the blame game wasn't going to accomplish anything, anyways. "I'll do my best. Though I'm willing to give you a little grace to start with so long as you give me the same in return." It wasn't like one conversation was going to fix everything in an instant, so mistakes were to be expected. A little patience would go a long way. "Sound like a deal then, Yū-pon?"

"Yeah, deal." It seemed like the occasion deserved some sort of formal recognition, like they were sealing a pact or whatnot, but Kanda didn't have the slightest clue what that should be. Did they need to, like, shake hands or something? Nah, that was ridiculous, so he'd just stick to the classics. "…I look forward to working with you."

Well, it was just a matter of time before Lavi couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing, and it seemed that time had come. "Dude, what're you being all polite for? You don't have to push yourself." Out of pure habit, Lavi went to sling his arm around Kanda's shoulder, but then stopped himself. "Um, should I…"

"It's fine, but if I tell you to get off, you get your ass off, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear." Lavi grinned, finishing what he set out to do. Yeah, baby. That's the smell of friendship in the air. "Wow, Yū-pon's willingly letting me touch him. This is kinda like a dream come true."

"I don't think I'm ever gonna get what goes on inside your head." Not that Kanda particularly wanted to know what was going on in that chaotic mess; that just seemed like some sort of horrific mindbender waiting to happen. Lavi gave Kanda a curious look, though, so he supposed that he should go ahead and explain. "I've been nothing but an asshole to you, and yet you're still here wanting to be friends with me. I don't get it. Hell, Ivy's dating me, and I don't even know why she likes me sometimes."

It was an exceptional show of vulnerability, and Kanda was already starting to feel his skin crawl. "Well, in Ivy-chan's case, I'm sure it helps that you're pretty handsome," Lavi said, trying to crack a joke to lighten the mood. Still, he didn't want to linger on it too long, lest he chase Kanda off like some frightened wild animal. "But I guess it's 'cause I kinda guessed that you were just bein' mean to me to try and scare me off and that you kinda only half meant it? Though maybe that was wishful thinking on my part. But the point is, I stuck around, and this moment is making it super worth it."

"Ridiculous," Kanda said, though the word didn't have any venom to it. In fact, his heart might've been getting that warm fuzzy feeling to it, but there was no way he was gonna say that shit out loud. "Whatever, though. It's not my job to tell you what you want, so—"

The door flew open, closing soon after with a slam and the distinct sound of the latch locking, something it seemed Kanda and Lavi had both forgotten to do. In their combined shock and haste, Lavi half jumped up with Kanda attempting to shove him away in the same moment, which just made a mess of things, but at least Lavi was respectful of the fact that Kanda wasn't anywhere near comfortable enough to show off their mending friendship to others yet—not that it would've mattered much, since it was none other than Lenalee who'd found her way in, and she was taking a moment to catch her breath.

"Um, hey there, Lenalady," said Lavi, not used to using their friend look so not quite put together in public. "You okay over there?"

"Of course not!" Lenalee snapped before she caught herself. "Sorry, Nī-san was being ridiculous again, and I just needed a break. I can go somewhere else if I'm interrupting something?" Because of course Lenalee would be able to recognize that something was going on within five seconds of showing up.

Lavi glanced to Kanda, letting him take the lead. Being that Lenalee was one of the few people that Kanda did in fact give a damn about, that made the answer simple. "Don't worry about it. We were done here anyways," he said. "Do you need to talk about it?"

"Not yet. But can one of you give me a ride if you're free? Nī-san's busy, and even if he weren't I wouldn't wanna deal with him right now."

While neither Kanda nor Lavi could fault Lenalee in the slightest for that, there were still plenty of questions that particular statement happened to raise, and Lavi was going to be the one to ask them. "I don't mind, Lenalady, and I'm Yū-pon doesn't either, but where do you need a ride to?"

"That's easy," Lenalee said, toying with one of her pigtails. "I'm gonna go cut my hair off."

[Author's Notes]

I'm going to a con this weekend so I don't have much time to leave notes have fun with the chapter okay bye.

Next time: "66. Spooky Scary Hairstylists (Send Shivers Down Your Scalp)." Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[2 March 2024]