Chapter Text
Allen strapped his duffel bag onto the back of his motorcycle.
The bag contained the three changes of clothes he'd need for the trip and dog food for Timpcanpy (Since that dog ate much like Allen, it took up almost a quarter of the space). Allen would be renting the tux when he got to Florida, making that one less thing he had to pack for the wedding.
Only one thing concerned Allen – his motorcycle wouldn't start.
It was only ten years old. A sleek, apple-red Harley-Davidson. The first thing Allen had bought (and actually owned himself) while living with Cross Marian. The motorcycle had never failed him – not during his last year of high school (when Lavi had locked the tires together during finals), not when Allen had started college (located over twenty miles away), and not last week when he'd needed to escape a particularly vengeful band of card sharps.
Allen's faithful bike had even accommodated Timpcanpy – the golden retriever fit snugly in the ruby side-car Allen had installed years ago; he'd felt bad leaving him alone all the time, and Timcanpy was surprisingly well-adapted to life on the road (probably thanks to his puppy-hood at Cross' side).
And yet, when he needed the bike to travel across the country for his best friend's wedding…
It wouldn't start.
Allen's mobile rang. He answered, adjusting it against his ear when Lenalee spoke. "Hi Allen!"
Unable to help it, he smiled. "Hey, Lenalee. What's up?"
"Oh, just checking in, I guess. How's the trip coming? I worry about you on the road."
Allen took a look at the bike he'd owned for almost a decade, gaze traveling from the metal wracks in the back, already strapped down with his duffel bag; across the smooth leather seats; over the cherry-red side car; up the speed dials set beneath the wind screen; and finally to the keys still in the ignition.
"I'm just about to take-off, actually."
That's how it looked to the casual observer, so Allen wanted to think positively. The bike was probably just… warming up, or something. It'd be fine if he left it for a few minutes, right?
A bark echoed in the garage as Timcanpy came in. The dog was carrying his red leash in his mouth as if to remind Allen not to leave him behind.
"Tim's ready to go, aren't you?" Allen smiled, rubbing him absently behind his ears. "How's the wedding planning coming?"
"You know, Bookman seems like a quiet guy, but he's actually very…"
"Traditional?"
"Yeah," she laughed, voice was absent the stress most women had when their wedding was in less than eight days. "I love him to death, but between him and my brother… At least Klaud is here. She's great at keeping everyone in line. Without her, the wedding would be a mash-up of tea-drinking and stiff-collared dresses." Her voice lowered and seemed to get closer to the phone. "Personally, I'm looking forward to the honeymoon. Lavi's found us a place by the beach so we can jet-ski, and then at night he's going to take me out on the water for some- well- I mean, he's so good in bed it's just-"
Allen felt his face heat. "Lenalee! Please, you're like my sister, I don't need to-"
She laughed. "Okay, sorry Allen! I'll save the sordid details for Kanda."
Allen rolled his eyes on instinct. "You mean Bakanda?"
Ignoring the derision in his tone, she continued, "Yeah, he got back from Japan just fine… actually, he's driving too, and he should be passing through your area sometime this afternoon! I just talked to him and he said he's making good time."
Figures. "I guess I'll see you in a few days."
"Of course! Keep me updated. I worry about you and Tim on the highway, especially with that bike of yours."
Allen spluttered, "What's wrong with my bike?!"
"Er, well, it's kind of old, you know. I mean, you're what, a thousand miles away? Are you sure it can handle that long of a trip?"
Actually, it was more like two thousand miles, but no need to sweat the small stuff. "Don't worry. It'll be fine."
"Uh huh," Lenalee said, obviously disbelieving.
The bike only had to make it from Portland, Maine to Key Largo, Florida (Lavi had chosen the destination for the ceremony because of an obsession with Humphrey Bogart, and for some weird reason, Lenalee hadn't objected). Allen had the route already planned and would make it not only in time for the wedding, but the rehearsal dinner and the bachelor party (And, no, Allen wasn't best man – Komui had been given the honor… something about winning over the in-laws? Allen couldn't remember all the details, just the intense groveling Lavi had done when he'd broken the news).
Lenalee continued, "Well, see you. Oh, and maybe text Kanda before you leave home – you still have his number, right? Maybe you guys could get dinner or something. Hey, you could even travel together!"
Sure. When they're selling snow cones in Hell. "Yeah, I doubt he'd want to do that."
"…You might have a point. But just- oh shit, I've got to go – Bookman and Klaud are arguing over the flower arrangements. Love you!"
Allen sweat-dropped at his disconnected phone. Had Lenalee just… swore?
Maybe the wedding-day stress was getting to her more than he'd thought.
A bark from Timpcanpy brought Allen back to the task at hand: getting his bike started.
And, staring at the leather seats, a grin crept onto his face – he'd get that thing running even if it meant spending the rest of the day at the mechanic's shop; There was no way in hell Kanda was beating him to that wedding.
XXXXX
Kanda entered New York state just after lunch time.
He'd crossed the Canada-America border at nine, just four hours before. The weather was great for the time of year, highs in the eighties, and he'd even managed to leave early when his flight came back on time.
With his music and some books-on-tape, Kanda didn't even need to make many stops. Not to say he had a problem staying awake, but he knew from experience that long drives got tedious quickly. There was no reason to make the remaining 21 hours of American countryside (regardless of how beautiful its forests were) any longer than it had to be.
Why he had to drive so far in the first place was beyond him. Just because that stupid Usagi didn't want to hold the wedding in Boston. No, in his typical fashion, Lavi had insisted on making it difficult for everyone involved, holding the ceremony almost two thousand miles away. Kanda hadn't been going to go at all when he heard about that.
But… it was Lenalee, and therefore, impossible to say no.
What she saw in that stupid Usagi he could only guess.
With the help of said music and a week of preparation, Kanda was finally starting to relax. Or, at least, as much as Kanda Yuu could ever relax about something he'd been forced into doing.
That relaxed state quickly vanished when the Bluetooth in his car started ringing.
The word 'Moyashi' flashed over the screen on his dashboard. Kanda would have lunged for the 'decline' if he hadn't been busy trying to merge with the 87 loop around Albany. Which was unfortunate, because a moment later, the automatic setting answered for him on the second ring.
"What," he snapped, passing an old car going the speed of snails.
"Hello to you too, Bakanda," the Moyashi snapped. "Are you still in Albany?"
"No," Kanda growled, which was technically true. He was just entering the outskirts of Albany – not the same as being there.
"I know you're lying. Lenalee put a tracker on our phones, remember, in case we had problems on the road? She told me you crossed the Mohawk River ten minutes ago."
"Why the fuck do you care where I am? Worry about yourself on the damned road."
"I am! That's why I'm calling." An irritated sigh crackled over the car speakers, as if Allen were trying to reign-in his anger. "I need… ugh. Damn it, I…"
What followed were words spoken too quietly for him to hear. "Speak the fuck up, Moyashi," he snapped after navigating a particularly aggressive 18-wheeler.
"Shut it, Bakanda! I'm… I need. Your help."
"You need someone's help."
"My bike broke down. I'm stuck in Albany. I need you to come get me."
Kanda didn't bother trying to suppress his smirk. He could just imagine how much that statement burned coming out. "Take it to a mechanic."
"Already did. He said it's going to be five days before they can get the right part in to fix it."
"Take a bus."
"You know it's not going to get there in time! And before you say it, the flights are still booked – I already checked."
"Sucks for you."
"And you too," Allen said in a voice that suggested he was getting the upper-hand in this debate. "How are you going to explain to Lenalee how you showed up at her wedding without one of her best friends? A friend you left stranded in New York?"
"You were stranded when I got here," he snapped again.
"You sure that's how she's going to see it?"
Kanda couldn't help thinking the two of them were like kids threatening to tattle to their mom. Strangely, that thought didn't make him any less concerned over testing Lenalee's patience. Especially when she was already stretching her sanity pretty thin on the wedding planning.
Yet, he wasn't about to give in that easily.
"You have to spend time with Lavi."
"Uh…"
"Keep the Usagi the fuck out of my hair," He growled, irritation with the whole event returning.
The last thing Kanda wanted – and knew without out a doubt would end up happening – was the stupid rabbit nagging him about hooking up with the bridesmaids. Between Lavi's yammering and Tiedoll going on and on about Kanda (still single) settling down and getting married… there would be a lot of red at that wedding. And he didn't just mean because of the Chinese décor.
"Sure. Fine.". There was a rustling noise, then a ding indicating an incoming text. "I just sent you the address for the diner I'm at. See you."
With that, he hung-up.
XXXXX
Kanda shot the Moyashi a quick text as he exited the interstate. After all, if Allen were waiting at a diner, there was no telling how long he'd would end up waiting should the Brit get too involved in his meal. The more notice he gave, the less time he'd have to spend in this damned town.
And, sure enough, when the black sedan pulled up at the curb outside the sixties-style tin-sided restaurant, a familiar young adult was already waiting outside.
Allen stood on the curb with a dark duffel bag at his feet. He looked borderline cold in his cotton cargo pants and muscle shirt, even if it did manage to show-case surprisingly toned arms, the mottled left-hand and red-striped tattoos standing out like a brand on his pale skin. Allen had even pulled his ivory hair into a low pony-tail, leaving only a few strands around his face, not bothering to hide the scar over his left eye like he'd done when they were kids.
He looked… surprisingly good for someone bumming a free ride.
Kanda had just rolled his window down, about to tell the Moyashi to put his stuff in the back, when he spotted a large breathing carpet on the curb.
"Hell no."
Allen, whose face had been shadowed by the sun at his back, stepped closer to the car. "What's wrong?"
Kanda glared. "That is not getting in my car."
"What? But, Kanda, he's… He's Tim! I can't leave him," Allen said, hands ruffling his furry head.
"That thing sheds." Not that he needed to explain himself. "It's my car for fuck's sake, and that isn't going."
Instead of getting enraged like he predicted, Allen crouched beside his dog on the cement walkway. Holding the dog's boxy head with one hand, he drew the panting muzzle to his own cheek.
"But… Kanda... how can you turn this face down?" Allen pouted, trying to act like seventy pounds of hairy, slobbery dog could be diminished to a pair of sweet chocolate eyes. Eyes that were more interested in the bird overhead than his master's attempts at bumming a ride.
Kanda started rolling up the window.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Allen pleaded, crawling over to the car, hands grabbing the top of the window glass. Kanda, however, was perfectly willing to crush those fingers, only stopping when Allen continued, "I'll clean the car! If he sheds, I'll pay to get it cleaned."
He scowled. "Leave him in a kennel."
Moyashi rolled his eyes. "Please. Like you do that with Golem."
"Cats don't need to be boarded anywhere," He countered, almost offended Allen could compare Golem to… whatever that was on the sidewalk.
Allen tried to copy Tim's impression of puppy eyes. Grey pupils widening, looking up at Kanda from the windowsill like a begging child. "Come on, Bakanda. Tim's never been by himself. He always goes with me. He gets anxiety attacks. I can't leave him alone in a kennel."
Even if the pleading and begging was so stupid it was almost laughable, it didn't hurt Kanda's ego any. "He makes a mess," He said, enunciating clearly, every word dripping with threat, "you're dead."
Allen scoffed, dropping his pleading façade now that he was home-free. "Lighten up. The journey is half the fun."
"I'm not taking a journey with shitty dog puke in my thirty-thousand dollar car, Moyashi," Kanda snapped.
"It's Allen, Bakanda."
Kanda watched him pull a coral beach-towel from his duffel. After opening the back car-door, Allen threw the blanket over the back leather seats. He gave Timcanpy an 'up' command, the dog obediently hopping inside, ruby leash clamped in its mouth.
"Thanks Bakanda." Allen was in the shotgun seat, mood evidently improved (the mooch). "This is a pretty nice car. You just buy it?"
"Yes. If you like it that much, tell that dog to quit slobbering."
"I can't. He's nervous – happens all the time. Maybe roll the window down and he'll feel better."
"No," he snapped.
"Why?"
"It gives me a headache."
"Surely you can suffer a small headache for the dog. Or, you know, your leather seats."
"I don't have to suffer anything - He's your damned dog." A bark from the back row startled Kanda so bad he nearly jerked the car into the neighboring lane. "What the fuck?"
"Tim, it's okay," Allen soothed, hand reaching back. "Kanda's just being his crabby self. No need to get angry."
"Keep that dog in line or you can walk to Florida."
"Okay, okay, sheesh, I'll be quiet," Allen appeased, as if Kanda had been the one in the wrong. "So, time for some music?"
"Forget the music. Tell me if this is the right exit."
"What do you mean? It says the exit number right on your fancy GPS. Can't you read?"
"I'd read it just fine if you hadn't been so busy distracting me," He snapped. "Answer the damned question."
"It says to… Wait, why are you exiting here?"
"Because," Kanda said from between his lips. God damn, he was already regretting this.
"Then take the 84 to Scranton instead. It's more direct than the 90 to the 88 or whatever the hell this thing's talking about."
"The GPS is taking us on the route I planned three days ago. Leave it alone."
"Hey, I've driven this before, you haven't. Might be time to benefit from my vast years of experience."
Kanda scowled, hands gripping the wheel so tight they were starting to cramp. "Your 'vast years' as Cross' caddy do not count."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Allen's grimace. "Fine. Get lost. See if I care."
"We are not getting lost. It's New England for fuck's sake. There are too many interstates to just 'get lost'."
"Um, actually, New York isn't part of New England. And we left that like an hour ago."
Oh, for the love of…
"Out," Kanda snapped, jerking the car into a shell station exit. Time to kick both the Moyashi and his slobbery carpet out of the car. Let them walk to Florida. Lenalee be damned.
"Wait, Kanda! Okay, okay, you can decide the route!" Then, not-so-quietly, Allen added, "Even if it's a stupid one."
"Stupid is driving a bike that doesn't work across country, baka. Shut the fuck up."
"My bike works just fine!" Catching Kanda's scoff, he amended, "Okay, well, it did, but that wasn't my fault. It just needs some extra care. It's ten years old, so I guess it's expected."
Fifteen minutes later had the dark sedan pulling back off interstate 90 and onto the 88 southwest. Loaded with one Kanda Yuu, who was seriously starting to think he'd been played as a barking carpet slobbered all over his back windows.
It was going to be a long, long, 21 hours.
Key Largo: 21 hours