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Kanda sighed. Why had he listened to Lenalee and actually bothered to show up to the yearly Christmas party. The raven sat in a corner with a flute of champagne in hand, absolutely bored out of his skull. His colleagues were chatting and it was far too loud for the architect, but Lenalee had driven so he had to wait to go home.
“Yuuuuu!!!” Lavi said loudly, draping himself over the grumpy man's shoulders with a drunken grin. He had his tie around his head and shirt unbuttoned.
“Oh fuck off, you're drunk!” He hissed, shoving the redhead off for the third time that evening. Lavi pouted and sat on Kanda's lap.
“But you have to meet my new secretary, he's soooooo cute!” He waved to Lenalee, grinning as his girlfriend walked over.
"We should totally trade secretaries Yuu-chan ~"
Lenalee was Kanda's secretary and had known him for years even prior to working with him. They had even tried dating but decided it was too awkward and to just stay friends. She was now dating Lavi, Kanda's "rival" in the business.
Alma Karma was Lavi's new secretary. Lenalee had met him at meetings and in the break room and had hit it off as friends. She took his hand and lead him over to the boys.
"Hey Kanda I'd like to introduce to you Alma Karma. Alma this is Yuu Kanda." Lenalee introduced the two. She smiled as she had plans for Kanda and Alma to hook up. They'd be perfect for each other. Plus Alma had said he had a crush on Kanda.
Alma smiled and blushed a little. "Hello Yuu." He said and held out his hand to the other.
"It's Kanda." He replied sharply. He wasn't really in the mood to be sociable and the Chinese woman dragging him about was the only reason he hadn't committed a felony yet. Kanda didn't take Alma's hand, not accustomed to touching others even during meetings.
Alma slowly slipped his hand into his pants pocket a little embarrassed. He wore black dress pants and a festive red "ugly" sweater.
"Kanda be nice." She smacked his arm playfully. Lenalee wore a dark green short strapless dress with black pantyhose and black pumps. She went to Lavi's side and kissed his cheek. "You behave too."
"Tch." The raven huffed lightly in feigned annoyance, turning his attention to a few of their coworkers. kanda couldn't say who any of them were, nor did he really care.
Lavi grinned foolishly, all rainbows and sunshine. He draped his arm around Alma's shoulders.
"Don't let Yuu-chan get to you, he's as rough as a cat's tongue!"
Alma frowned for a moment but then smiled getting an idea. "That's okay." He said thinking all he had to do was get Kanda alone. Maybe one on one they'd be able to get to know each other better.
Lenalee had been drinking quite a bit that night and was tipsy. She leaned heavily into Lavi and nuzzled his neck. She knew Kanda, who was more like a brother to her now, didn't like the fact they were together but Lenalee couldn't help her attraction and Lavi was all in all a nice guy.
Kanda grumbled lightly to himself, wanting to just go home already. "I'm heading home." He announced. He didn't live that far, so he could technically walk or even call for a taxi.
Lavi whined. "But Yuu-chan!" He clung to Kanda while pulling Lenalee and Alma close with the other arm for an impromptu group hug.
Kanda hissed loudly, trying to shove the redhead off. It didn't work.
Alma ended up close to Kanda his face mer inches from Kanda's. Their eyes met for a few seconds, bright blue eyes meeting Kanda's dark blue ones. Alma looked away blushing.
Lenalee giggled. She loved group hugs. Suddenly one of her favorite Christmas song started playing, “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree”. “Oh Lavi let's dance! Please!” She said enthusiastically.
Kanda scowled lightly, stepping back from Alma's too close presence. He'd already been threatened for punching Lavi in the face... multiple times. "What the /fuck/?" He growled, clearly annoyed with the purple-haired secretary.
Lavi grinned, sweeping Lenalee out onto the dance floor to leave the unlikely pair together. "Yuu-chan is gonna kill Alma..." He said quietly, the music blaring.
"No... I think they'll hit it off." Lenalee said as she danced with her boyfriend. "Let's wait and see what happens." She smiled.
"S-sorry Yuu. I didn't mean to get so close." Alma's blush grew as he backed off a little. But that didn't mean he wasn't determined to get closer to Kanda. It could be the booze talking or his heart he didn't know but he just HAD to get with him.
"Tch." Kanda huffed and sulked towards his desk with the grace of an indignant feline. He sat down on the seldom used chair, looking idly on his computer screen at the project he was working on before the stupid party begun.
Alma followed like a lost puppy dog. He looked over Kanda's shoulder. "That looks neat." He said more interested in the way Kanda smelled than what was on the screen.
"It's a hotel." He replied flatly, clicking away at this and that. The rooms varied from modest to rather extravagant, something for everyone so to speak. He was working on building an Olympic sized swimming pool room with sauna, hot tub and children's pool when he heard Lavi's loud footsteps and a hushed giggle from Lenalee.
"Oh interesting..." Alma lied. He chanced a whiff of the other man. He smelled SO good! *Like tea and flowers but like manly flowers.* Alma thought.
"Shhhh! Quiet quiet" Lenalee drunkenly giggled.
Kanda continued his work in silence, knowing Lenalee and Lavi were on the other side of the divider wall. He was busily putting in the side room for the pool and hot tub machinery when he heard Lavi trip over something and a sprig of plastic mistletoe covered in glitter descended over his head on a string.
"Ne, ne Yuu-chan!" Lavi chimed.
Alma heard Lavi as well before he saw him. He looked up and noticed something green on the end a piece of string. "Hey Yuu... I think that's..." Alma blushed and couldn't finish his sentence.
Lenalee continued to giggle.
"The fuck do you want, rabbit?!" Kanda seethed, scowling as he turned to look up, seeing the damned tacky looking mistletoe suspended on a string tied to the end of a yard stick. 'Real creative' he thought to himself.
Lavi popped up with a cheesy grin. "Now you have to kiss!" He said loudly, toasting Lenalee with yet another flute of champagne.
"kiss kiss kiss!" Lenalee chanted completely smashed at this point.
Alma blushed more. "Lena... Lavi... You're drunk..." Alma whined not sure if he wanted to go through with this. *Well I guess Yuu's not drunk so it shouldn't matter...* Alma thought. He had taken a step back and was looking down fiddling with the hem of his sweater.
Kanda was scowling and REALLY wanted to stab Lavi with something. Maybe a pen to his good eye, that sounded like a great idea. The raven saved his work and stood, face to face with the irritating redhead.
"If you were sober I'd kill you right here." He hissed at the beaming 'rabbit' as he called Lavi for his energetic attitude and tendency to actually bounce in place when excited.
"Kanda come on... Be a sport. You might like it~" Lenalee said in a sing song voice. "Plus it was my idea."
"Maybe...." Alma began, paused, before speaking up again. "Maybe just a quick peck to appease them?" The scarred man said now looking up still blushing.
Damn Lenalee and get ability to make Kanda do anything she wanted! He turned sharply, navy eyes falling on Alma. He was kind of cute, although he wasn't looking for a partner in particular; the raven had been single as long as he could remember.
"Kiss!" Lavi said loudly, waving the mistletoe above their heads.
"Please!" Lenalee said looking cute with big violet eyes.
Alma finally stood up straight and took a big step forward toward Kanda. "I'm okay with it, really..." Alma consented and closed his bright blue eyes.
"God fucking dammit." Kanda swore, unable to resist his best friend and her damn cute face. Navy eyes fell on Alma, noticing he was still blushing and seeming too eager for such a kiss
Kanda awkwardly leaned in to give Alma the most chaste and awkward kiss Lavi has ever seen. The redhead booed them, fixing a dramatic thumbs down. "Do over!"
Alma blinked, was that it? He couldn't help but frown. That was nothing... It left him wanting more though. Alma whimpered a little and looked like a sad puppy dog.
Lenalee agreed with Lavi. "Come Kanda. Really get into it." She smiled and she jeered.
"Oh shove it, I don't suck face half the day at the office like you two do!" His lip curled into a half-hearted snarl and his attention turned back to Alma and his sad puppy dog eyes. Okay, so he /was/ cute. Lenalee had been right and apparently knew Kanda's type even before Kanda himself knew.
Without warning, Kanda grabbed Alma's sweater front and planted a rough and forceful kiss on his pouting lips.
Alma's eyes went wide and he moaned in surprise. The kiss was rough but it was something that Alma liked. He wanted more! He grabbed Kanda's shirt just as he had done to Alma and kissed the long haired man back. Lustful and forceful.
Lenalee cupped her hands putting them around hey lips and cheered. "WhoooOOoooo!"
Kanda's chapped lips only left Alma's when they parted for much needed air, a thin glistening string of saliva connecting them still. His hand relaxed from holding Alma's sweater so tightly. The raven looked away with an embarrassed blush that went clear to his ears.
"Hell yeah, Yuu-chan!" Lavi cheered, wiggling the devious artificial mistletoe over their heads.
Alma was in a daze as he breathed in air. "Wow..." Was all he said under his breath. He liked it. A lot! And he wanted more of it! But how do you ask someone for another kiss who's practically a stranger?
"You got what you wanted, now fuck off!" He said loudly, sadly not getting Lavi or Lenalee to leave. He huffed in irritation, eyebrow twitching dangerously. All Kanda wanted now was to go home.
Lavi was still grinning, phone in hand. It was obvious he's been recording.
Alma winced. "But Yuu... Didn't you feel anything at all? I know I did..." He said quietly. He was trying his hardest not to cry at this point though.
Lenalee frowned. Maybe they did take it too far. "Come on Lavi let's leave them alone..." She trailed off tugging at her boyfriend to leave the two strangers alone to talk.
Kanda turned to look at Alma. His irritated expression disappeared almost instantly, although the perpetual scowl remained. He sighed, sitting back down in his chair. "They're idiots." He said, the tone awkward almost as if apologetic for their actions.
"No, no it's okay! I like... I liked it..." Alma trailed off blushing once more.
Wordlessly Kanda rose again, fumbling with something on his desk for a moment. He then looked at Alma, noticing how flustered he was. It was probably the still slightly buzzed feeling Kanda had, although from that kiss or the bit of alcohol was unclear, but the architect stepped forward to stand in front of Alma again, this time just kissing him. This one wasn't as rough, although he lacked any form of skill or finesse.
Alma kissed him back gently this time. One of his hands going to Kanda's forearm to hold him there. Alma had a slight blush and felt a little dizzy. Was it the alcohol? Or the kiss? When they parted Alma's eyes met Kanda's "You're gorgeous..." He said breathlessly.
"You're drunk too, aren't you?" He asked, wondering if Alma had been into the booze half as much as Lavi and Lenalee. Kanda had no alcohol tolerance after one final binge in college where he woke up leaning on a toilet.
"No... I don't think so... I only had 2 eggnogs." Alma confessed. It was the kiss that was making him so lightheaded.
"You know Moyashi spiked those, right." He rolled his eyes a bit, referring to his albino coworker that he had a mostly hate tolerate-hate relationship with. "You should go home." He added, eyebrows knitting slightly in silent concern. If two eggnogs had Alma tipsy, he hated to think of what had been poured in.
Alma opened his mouth to speak but only a whimper came out at first. "I... Can I at least get your number?" He asked quietly.
Kanda handed Alma a business card after scratching his personal cell phone number on the back in neat, small handwriting. "Do you have a ride?" He asked, sighing while shutting down the computer. Kanda lost several hours of work time for this stupid party, even if it wasn't /all/ bad.
Alma took the card and looked at the number. It looked legit, and not just a fake number to shut him up. He stuffed the card in his back pocket next to his wallet. "I... Can take a taxi." Alma said looking away from the other man. He had come with Lavi but he knew the man was drunk and preoccupied.
"I'll go with you." He said without thinking, hastily adding "because you're drunk." Kanda could actually be a reasonable person when he felt like it, which was about twice a year.
Alma blushed for the millionth time that night. "Thank you but... I'll be fine honest." He said smiling.
"Shut up, I'm going." He replied sharply, turning the desk light off and pushing his chair in quietly. Most of the party was going strong and he was pretty sure that was Lavi dancing on a desk shirtless. Kanda huffed in annoyance; why did he have to work with people like that?!
"O-okay" Alma gave in pretty easily. "Let me go get my coat then." He said before turning. He went down to where the coast racks were and searched for his coat. It was a dark red color with white faux fur lining. He was now starting to get nervous. Why did Yuu want to come with him so bad? Was he feeling the same sparks that Alma felt?
Kanda was waiting by the door with a look of disinterest at what everyone else was doing. He looked bored and irritated, but was he really? It was obvious the raven tended to look angry when he wasn't, although when he was angry he exploded like a grenade. He pulled the office door open, grateful for the rush of snow-kissed air and the chill of a winter night.
Alma followed Kanda out of the office pulling his coat on up around him. Then a thought occurred to him. "Are there even any taxis this time of night here?"
"If you know who to call." Kanda waved his phone lightly. A taxi was rolling up, sleek black and subtly marked. The window rolled down and a man wearing a strange hooded cloak grinned up at Kanda.
"Bro! What's up?" Daisya said, leaning on the door.
"Shut up and drive." Kanda grumbled while climbing into the back after Alma.
After Alma crawled into the back of the car it was then he wondered if he was safe or not. Them again Kanda was a friend of Lenalee's and if she trusted him then so should he. Alma asked the driver if he could take him home giving Daisya is address.
"So ~" Daisya began as the car shifted into gear. He glanced in the rear view, noticing his foster brother sitting as usual, as closed off and uninviting as possible.
Alma was chatting as usual. He was his normal happy self. It was almost as if the awkward kisses never happened. "Oh right here! Turn in there. That's close enough." Alma said pointing up a head a little.
"Wow, you live in the same building as this surly grump?!" Daisya said with surprise and amusement. Kanda had a nice apartment, too hyperfocused on work to bother with a house, and the building had about everything a bachelor could want - catering, laundry and a gym.
"We do? Wow! All this time and we never ran into each other. I live on the fourth floor." Alma said as the car stopped in front of the apartment complex.
"Sounds like a match. I'll tell Dad -"
"Don't you fucking dare."
"You're no fun!" Daisya pouted, leaning back over the seat to grin at Alma. "Don't take him seriously, he has been a grump since I met him." He laughed, letting them out.
Kanda snorted in irritation, a hollow threat really. He flipped Daisya off as he drove away before stuffing hands in pockets. "Fourth floor too?" He asked as they ascended the elevator. Kanda usually took the stairs, but Alma was fuzzy and his own mind was dull from what he assumed was alcohol.
Alma was a little embarrassed. "Yeah 4D" Alma answered. How had they never seen each other before? Sure Alma saw Kanda at work and he thought he saw him at the apartments once or twice but Alma just thought it was his imagination. Alma was deep in thought when the elevator doors opened.
"4B." He replied. The alphabet ran odd down one side and even, like numbers, corresponding to position. Apparently they even shared a wall. Kanda walked to the door of his apartment, Alma's literally a few feet from his own.
"Well I guess I'll see you later Yuu?" Alma asked hopeful as he unlocked his door. He looked up to see Kanda almost inside his own apartment.
"Breakfast. 6 am." Kanda replied flatly before disappearing into the coffee- ended confines of his dark apartment.
Did... Did Kanda just ask him out on a date?! Alma quickly went into his apparent, stripped his coat and cold weather gear and went skipping through to his bedroom. "YIPPIE!" He shouted as he jumped on his bed. This had to be the best night ever so far! Alma was too tired to even change into pajamas as he crawled into bed, a smile embedded in his face as he soon fell fast asleep.