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FINAL WARNING!!! PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ CHAPTER 252!!! VIEWER'S DISCRETION ADVISED
“Sooo, Lavi, What do you like doing?” Allen asks.
It was a simple question to act as a friendly icebreaker, but it turned into something more than that. Despite being together for a couple of months, they didn't do much talking. It was mostly them focusing on Nea, talking about different survival tips and tricks and their future plans. There's nothing like getting to know each other or anything of the sort.
Currently, the two wanderers were bored out of their minds. There was nothing to do in the middle of a thick forest. The only “fun” that could be had was sparring, but the pair were rather exhausted from navigating the harsh forest for 9 hours. As of right now, they set up camp near a small cave. Lavi made sure to do the fire test to see if there was oxygen in the cave and since the little fire stayed lit, it was deemed “safe”. Allen learned a lot about survival from Lavi. Some of the stuff was astonishing to him; one of them being that fire trick.
“Hmmm, good question…” Lavi presses his curled index finger under his lower lip and looks down. His brows furrowed and he let out another hum.
Allen patiently waited for his reply. Lavi was an interesting fellow. Lavi abandoned his duties in search of his purpose in life and now that Allen has “accidentally” taken that from him, Lavi declared he'd protect Allen with his life! It was absurd to him. Lavi had only just met him a few minutes before declaring that! He knew Lavi would make a great ally, but he also worried about him. No sane person would simply promise some stranger they'd be their sword and shield. Allen wanted the man to care about his well-being too and he'd make sure he did.
“I'd have to say sewing~” Lavi replied in song.
Lavi's answer caught Allen off guard. Sewing? He didn't expect Lavi to enjoy sewing. But, if anything, it's a good activity to enjoy doing. Sewing is important for mending things or making things for various purposes.
“That’s definitely a useful enjoyment,” Allen comments.
Lavi wraps his arms around his knees and looks at Allen with a warm look. “My turn~! What do you like doing?”
Allen looks off to the side and thinks for a moment. What did he enjoy doing? He was a military man, but nothing about being one was enjoyable. He went fishing once when he was 9, but he doesn't remember the experience well. Allen's face grew a frustrated look on it and Lavi looked at him in amusement. Who knew a simple question like this could make someone make such a hilarious face?
Allen sighs and slumps his shoulders. “I have no idea,” he admits.
Lavi chuckles. “Well, maybe today we can find you one, together.”
Allen lets out a soft little laugh. “In our condition? I think not. We'd have to wait thirty days just to be able to continue walking.” Allen jokes
Lavi laughs. “Well then, in thirty days we'll find you a favorite activity! I promise you that!”
Day 3:
The duo decided to go fishing two days after their favorite activity conversation. They weren't as sore anymore and they had plenty of energy. The weather was nice and a decently sized creek was nearby. They were hungry and running low on food, so fishing was their go-to food source. Neither of them wanted to forage for edible plants all day.
“Do you know how to fish?” Lavi asks.
“Not really. I went one time, but I don't remember it clearly.” Allen replies.
Lavi chuckles and smiles. “Then I can be your guide~!”
“Alright then.”
“Now, we already picked a great time to fish. Fish are more prone to come during dawn and dusk. Be lucky to be an early bird!” Lavi says.
Allen nods.
“Now, we need to pick a lure. Usually, bait works better, but we don't have that luxury.” Lavi teaches while digging around in his bag for some lures.
Allen nods again.
Lavi takes out a few and shows them to Allen. “Which one feels lucky?”
Allen looks at them and goes with his gut feeling. “The weird orange one.”
“The minnow? Alrighty~!” Lavi puts the other lures away. “Now, we just have to tie a knot around the hook in a noose-like fashion. Do you know how to tie a noose?”
“Yeah,” Allen replies.
“Okay! No need for instruction there!” Lavi says as he finishes tying the hook to the rod. “We want to tie a bobber to the top of the line so we can see if a fish bites.”
Allen nods once more.
Lavi gets behind Allen and fixes his posture. He puts the rod in Allen's hands and guides his hands in the correct position. “You want to pull back and throw the hook forward,” Lavi instructs. “The fish should bite soon.”
Allen was surprised by the hands-on fishing guide. He wasn't expecting Lavi to have such a gentle touch. It was forceful since he had to guide a surprised Allen's body, but still held enough care in it to be considered gentle. Normally, people would just show you but he knows Lavi is abnormal, so stuff like this shouldn't surprise him. It was more helpful than looking though. He's thankful Lavi is an odd guy.
Allen felt a tug on the rod. “Oh, I see that bobber bobbin’! Pull your rod up a bit so the fish can get hooked.” Lavi says while guiding Allen's arms up about three inches. “Now, reel it in!” Lavi pulls Allen's body back and Allen begins fighting with the fish.
“You got this!” Lavi cheers as he backs away from Allen.
The struggle only took about a minute or two before he finally caught his “first” fish. “Oh wow! Look at that! Looks like you have breakfast, lunch, and dinner right there!” Lavi jokes.
The fish was humongous. He'd be able to eat a lot of it for breakfast and save some for lunch. He'd probably need one or two more fish for a full day's worth of food though.
“You did amazing! I'll set up my rod now so things go by quicker.” Lavi says.
“Alright.”
The two spent most of the morning fishing, smoking their catches, and chatting. It was fun for Allen, but he wouldn't say it was his favorite activity. It was pretty fun, but Lavi made it even better than it actually was. It was fun socializing with him while fishing.
Day 4:
Lavi wanted Allen to try his hand at cooking. Allen was argumentative about it but yielded after Lavi threatened to not cook anymore. Allen didn't know the man very well, but what he did know was that he was true to his word. He didn't want to risk Lavi or himself getting ill from improperly cooked food. The two were now sitting down and chatting.
“I went ahead and got some spices and other ingredients while you were asleep. We'll use these for our lesson today! Yummy food boosts morale.” Lavi says confidently.
“And it helps annoying men shut up.” Allen half-heartedly insults.
Lavi smirks. “So, you?”
Allen rolls his eyes. “I mean a one-eyed book nerd.”
Lavi bursts out laughing. “One-eyed book nerd?! Where?! He owes me money!” Lavi jokes.
Allen smiles and lets out a soft chuckle. “He's right behind you!”
Lavi quickly looks behind him and gasps. “Oh, you sneaky bastard!”
Allen lets out a happy sigh and stretches his back. “Let's finish this cooking lesson before I run away.”
Lavi smiles and nods. “Alrighty then! Let’s make some zarzuela de pescado for dinner. It’s an easy dish. A rather delicious one at that!”
Allen looks at Lavi in intrigued confusion. “I’ve never heard of that dish before. What exactly is it?” Allen asks.
“Seafood stew,” Lavi replies
“Hmm, that sounds good,” Allen says.
Lavi stands up and walks over to a tree stump that is as tall as his torso. It was a very wide tree stump and looked like it had just been cut. Lavi places his hand on the top of the stump. “This will be our preparation table. Come over here!” Lavi demands playfully.
Allen stands up and walks over to the preparation stump. Allen was a little worried about this; the stump is most definitely unsanitary and if they were to chop up onions or whatever food that was to leave residue when chopped, wouldn’t the stump absorb the residue and taint the other foods? He knows they don’t have the luxury of a cutting board, but it was still a concern nonetheless. Again, he didn’t want any illnesses being spread to Lavi or himself through food.
Lavi notices the concern on Allen’s face. “Whatcha thinkin’ about?” he asks.
“Won’t we get sick from the stump? Termites live there and possibly other things.”
Lavi smiles and waves off his concern. “Yes, this may be unsanitary, but the heat from us cooking it will kill any bacteria or pests that might have unwelcomely joined us.”
That didn’t make sense to Allen, but Lavi knew what he was doing, so he wouldn’t complain. Lavi hums as he rummages through his bag. “We need to mince these,” he says as he pulls out a dozen garlic cloves from the bag and sets them on the stump. “Take out your pocket knife and hand it to me,” Lavi instructs. Allen does as Lavi says. He takes out his pocket knife and gives it to him.
“Good! Now cut vertically like this,” Lavi cuts one clove into 9 vertical pieces and hands over the knife. “Now you try!”
Allen retrieves the knife and mimics Lavi’s cutting movements. They weren't as good as Lavi's, but at least he was cutting decently sized pieces. It was satisfactory for Lavi and they moved on to the next step. After 50 minutes of instructions and making the food, the dish was finally done. It looked and smelled amazing. Allen felt his tummy rumble and his mouth water as the zarzuela de pescado looked at him with delicious temptation. Lavi was amazed by Allen's love for food. He never disliked any dish Lavi made, but he did favor the sweeter ones. Lavi would have to buy Allen some sweets the next time he was in town.
“The zarzuela de pescado is finished! Good job Allen! You did great!” Lavi complements.
“Thank you, Lavi,” Allen says as he eyes the pot. He's never had this dish before and is excited to try it.
Noticing this, Lavi softly chuckles to himself and grabs the pot’s big spoon. He pours some into a bowl with a spoon already in it and hands it to the wanting boy. Allen swiftly grabs the bowl and begins eating his reward. After three bites, Allen had to stop and pant a bit.
“Too hot?” Lavi asks.
“No, just- just a bit spicy. I'm not used to spice.” Allen replies as he urgently sips his water.
Lavi laughs. “Oh my! Maybe we put too much of that red bell pepper.”
“Yea-Yeah, maybe we did,” Allen says. “But it's fine. I can quickly build a spice tolerance this way!”
Lavi smiles and nods. “Yeah! We can try chorizo next!”
Day 5:
Allen and Lavi decided to do some endurance training. They did have to evade potential threats from Akuma and other insidious foes. Not having enough stamina to outrun or fight them would cause huge problems for both of them. So, they decided that swimming would be their choice of training. Allen does need to improve his swimming skills. What if they fought Akuma in water? It wouldn't be good if he drowned halfway through the battle. Now, they were doing laps back and forth in a big, but not too big, lake.
“Break! I need a break!” Allen cries as he reaches his 30th lap.
The two swim to shore and get out of the murky water. They dry off and Lavi starts a fire so they can warm up. Allen was furthest from the fire as he wasn't that cold, but Lavi sat closest because he was more sensitive to the cold.
“You alright? You're shivering.” Allen comments.
“Uhm- uh yeah! I'm- I'm j-just a bit cold is- is all!” Lavi replies with a wavering smile.
Allen moved closer to Lavi so their bodies were touching. “Here, let me help warm you up,” Allen says as he holds Lavi close to him.
Lavi's heart skips a beat and his face heats up. “And let me help your hair. We don't want to de-knot, defrizz, and detangle it now.” Allen says as he moves Lavi's head closer to his stomach.
Allen takes the ribbon from Lavi's left wrist and bites down on it. He twists Lavi's long white hair and rolls it around itself like a cinnamon bun. He then takes the ribbon ties it nicely around the new bun and returns Lavi to his original position where his head is rested atop Allen's head and his body encased in a warm embrace. Lavi was too stunned to speak during this entire event. He didn't know what he was feeling. It was almost like embarrassment, but it was different . He couldn't put his finger on why he was feeling this way or what he was feeling. He felt like he was about to burn at the moment, but he didn't tell Allen about it because he also didn't want to leave his embrace. This was foreign to Lavi, but he brushed it off as maybe he was getting a bit sick.
The whole time Allen held him wasn't as awkward as Lavi thought it was going to be. It felt pleasant. He felt like his skin was on fire and like an army of bugs was going to burst out of him like a volcano, but they weren't terrible feelings. He was glad those feelings were there. It was nice. It doesn't sound like a pleasant experience, but it was the only way he could describe the feeling. He would probably find ways to make Allen hold him like this more often. The care Allen put into it made the embrace all the more enjoyable. Allen’s firm grip made him feel secure and melted away his worries. He wanted to stay there for a long time, but sadly after 20 minutes, they resumed their endurance training. Lavi was… upset for the first time in a long long time and he truly didn't understand why.
Day 9-10:
Allen was not having a good time. He had a nightmare about something that happened on the battlefield. Allen hated these kinds of nightmares; they were too real and they made him relive some of his worst memories. Sweat coated his body and his thin shirt clung to him. He breathed heavily and tried to regain composure so he could fall back asleep, but his mind was too much of a mess to do so. Allen pressed his knees against his torso, wrapped his arms around them, rested his head on his knees, and silently sobbed. He didn’t want to wake Lavi up. It would be rather embarrassing for him if Lavi found him in this weakened state.
Allen tried controlling his breathing, but it was difficult. He was too freaked out to focus on that. The nightmare he had was of his worst memory. His heart aggressively thumped in his ears and his nails dug into his calf muscles. The air whips at his flesh harshly. Bile crawls its way up his throat as a harsh revelation hits him.
“Oh God, I killed them,” he whispers as the emotions overwhelm him.
Allen's arms start frantically moving and grabbing things subconsciously. He starts hyperventilating and his sobs get louder. This silence of the room other than his sounds overwhelms him greatly. He needs noise or at least something to distract him from his thoughts. It could be any sound; a cricket, a bird, or the rustling leaves blowing in the air, but he can't hear them. It's just silence. Inpenetrable silence.
Lavi wakes up at the sound of heavy breathing and sobbing. He adjusts his eyes to the darkness and after a minute of adjusting, Lavi notices Allen’s shaking form. He gets worried and sits up.
“Al?” he calls out.
His call was only met with a hard sob. This worried him even more. What was wrong with Allen? Allen has never acted this way before. Why was he now? Lavi would get to the bottom of this. He stands up and slowly approaches the trembling man. He sits down beside him and ultimately decides not to touch him right now.
“Al, what's wrong?” Lavi asks softly.
Allen could only sob.
“Allen. Listen to me. Is everything alright?” Lavi says more firmly.
“I- I- It's all my-” Allen kept hyperventilating. “It's all my fault…”
Lavi needed to calm his friend down before he could do anything else. Lavi noticed that Allen’s nails were dug deep into his arms and decided to start there. Lavi tightly grabbed Allen’s wrists and pulled them away from his arms. “Allen! Look at me!” Lavi shouts.
Allen looks at Lavi. “Listen, you’re okay! You’ll be alright! Calm down and let's talk this through, alright?” Lavi says.
He lets go of Allen’s hands and wraps his arms around the man. Lavi brings him closer to him and puts his hand on the side of Allen’s head. He pushes Allen’s head on his chest softly and rubs his back with his other hand. Lavi starts humming and saying sweet words to Allen until an hour later when he calms down. Lavi was a tad bit disappointed when Allen calmed down because Allen tuckered himself out and fell asleep while clinging to Lavi. He’d have to interrogate him in the morning after breakfast. Gently moving so he doesn’t wake Allen, Lavi holds Allen firmly while lying down and readjusts their position so they both can sleep comfortably. Allen might need somebody next to him while he slept just in case something like this happened again. Lavi would be easily accessible.
The two slept undisturbed for the rest of the night. When they did awaken, Allen was the first to do so. He woke up and was content with how warm and cozy he was until whatever he was clinging to moved. Allen snapped out of his groggy state and realized he was cuddling Lavi. Allen yelped and sat up hastily. The memory of what happened last night entered his mind and Allen groaned. He felt a bit guilty for inconveniencing Lavi but a bit embarrassed for showing Lavi that side of himself. Lavi woke up due to the amount of movement Allen was doing.
“Is everything okay, Al?” Lavi asks groggily.
Allen’s face goes red. “Uhm, I uh, I’m okay…” he mutters.
Lavi sits up and rubs his working eye. “We’ll talk more after breakfast. Pancakes?”
“Yeah.”
Lavi gets up from Allen’s sleeping bag and prepares breakfast. While Lavi was busy, Allen got dressed and fixed his hair. He sat down next to the fire and patiently waited for Lavi to finish making their breakfast. The whole time they were silent but surprisingly it was a comfortable silence. It gave Allen time to sort through his hectic thoughts and figure out what to say to Lavi when he asked about last night.
Lavi finished making breakfast and handed Allen his plate. The breakfast smelled and looked amazing as always. Allen quickly ate the sweet pancakes and placed the plate back in his bag. There wasn't anything on the pancakes so the plate didn't need any cleaning.
Lavi chuckles at Allen's now happier face. “I take it you liked them?” he asks.
Allen nods. “I always like your cooking.”
Lavi smiles widely. “Why thank you, kind sir!”
Allen softly chuckles.
Lavi rids himself of his own empty plate and sits closer to Allen. “So, about last night-”
“Forget it. It's nothing. Don't worry about it.”
“Al, it's not ‘nothing’. It's something that caused a panic attack! Please tell me what's wrong!” Lavi begs.
“I said I'm fine! It has been happening for a while now and won't go away. It's whatever. I don't need to talk about it.” Allen sighs.
“I don't care. You absolutely must talk to me about this! Keeping it to yourself will make it worse.” Lavi says.
Allen stands up. “I need to go for a walk. I can't.”
Lavi stands up as well and grabs Allen's wrist. He looks firmly into Allen's eyes and says, “I'm coming with you whether you like it or not. I won't stop buggin’ you until you fess up!”
Allen lets out a cry-like sound and takes his arm out of Lavi's grip. “Fine.” Allen huffs in defeat knowing he can't get his stubborn friend to drop the topic.
Lavi sighs and reaches for his boots. He grabs them and swiftly puts them on. “Alrighty, let's go on our walk~”
Allen sighs and grabs Lavi's coat. “Don't forget this. It's cold outside,” he says as he hands the coat over to its rightful owner.
“Thank you! Now, let's go chat.”
Day 12:
Lavi wanted Allen to learn how to sew. It's an important skill, but he mostly wanted a buddy to sew with. Sewing was fun for Lavi. He could do so many creative things with it! He plans on doing custom embroidery on Allen's coat. He thinks it would add to Allen's overall attractiveness.
Allen yawns. “Lavi, I'm tired… I just woke up!” he complains.
“Hi tired, I'm Lavi!”
Allen groans. “If I get through this without complaining, do you promise to not annoy me for the rest of the day?”
Lavi nods. “I promise~!”
Allen sighs and rolls his neck. “Alright, teach me how to sew.”
Lavi excitedly prepared the needle, thread, and cloth they were going to use today. He organized everything neatly and patted the empty spot right next to him. “C’mon now! Let’s sew~!”
Allen sits on the spot that Lavi patted and the sewing lesson begins. Putting the thread through the tiny hole of the needle was difficult, but he eventually got it. Lavi taught him different sewing styles and what they’re good for. Allen found that part interesting. He didn’t know there were different styles. He thought sewing was putting the needle in and then out.
Lavi was surprisingly very easy to understand and he actually learned how to sew. He wasn't as good as Lavi, but he'll get there one day. He didn't particularly like sewing, but having Lavi teach him was fun.
Day 14-18:
Lavi got bedriddenly sick. He drank unfiltered water thinking that it was filtered and was now suffering. Allen had to play nurse for him. They couldn't afford a doctor so Allen did the best he could to help his poor friend. His efforts were somewhat in vain. Lavi only got worse as time passed and Allen was freaking out. He went to several libraries and bookstores to find anything that could help Lavi and he even paid what little money he had for information from doctors, but barely anything worked. He even overworked himself so he could afford an inn room so Lavi wouldn't have to stay outside. Allen was getting frustrated and desperate. He barely slept a wink!
“A-Al…” Lavi breathes.
Allen rushes to Lavi's side. “Yes, Lavi?”
Lavi weakly smiles at the man and weakly lifts his arm to touch Allen's face. He rubs Allen's cheek with his thumb. “Get some rest. You… you look awful.”
“Not as awful as you. Your skin is the same color as your hair.” Allen jokes in an attempt to bring some good emotion to both of them.
Lavi chuckles. “And your eye bags are- are as dark a-as your hair” Lavi jokes back.
Allen softly smiles. He's learned to like Lavi's touch and his little jokes. His touch is always so gentle and makes him feel a happiness he's never felt before. Allen's glad that Lavi is a touchy-feely person because that means he gets to enjoy the feeling more often. He normally didn't like when people touched him, but for some reason, it was different with Lavi.
“If you get some rest then I'll get some rest as well.” Allen bargains.
Lavi chuckles and puts his arm back down. “Alright,” he says as he closes his eyes.
Allen sighs and stands up. He walks over to the sleeping bag on the floor and lies down on it. “Goodnight, Lavi.”
Lavi coughs. “G-goodnight, Allen.”
The pair got a somewhat peaceful slumber when they slept for the night. Allen slept like a long for 14 hours straight and Lavi was sleeping on and off. Lavi would take this to his grave but he wasn't as sick as he acted. Yes, he was a tad bit bedridden, but he was faking most of his weakness. He could talk just fine too, but he chose to fake his impaired speech. Lavi wanted Allen's attention. He wanted to be cared for by the younger male and he would make that happen. He felt incredibly guilty about making Allen worry and exhaust himself over his “severe illness”. Lavi would be fine in about a week tops, but poor Allen thought the older male would die if he looked away for even a second. Lavi would definitely make it up to the poor lad once he was better.
Day 20:
It was lonely in the inn room. Lavi went out for a reason he didn't share with Allen. Lavi forbade him from following him, so he decided to catch up on his reading. He enjoyed reading but wished Lavi was there to theatrically read it to him. The book would definitely be more interesting that way.
Nevertheless, it was nice to read something else for a change. For the past few months, all Allen had done was read about important things for his survival, but now he could actually read a book he could get lost in for a few hours. It was nice not worrying about living or thinking about Nea for once.
Reading would have been fine if he wasn't so lonely. He didn't realize how much Lavi filled the void of loneliness until he was gone. Lavi had been missing for an hour now and Allen was getting bored. He wanted him back so they could chat, but Lavi needed to attend to business, so he wasn't too antsy to get him back. It's also nice to have time to himself so he can think. Especially when it came to his weird feelings for Lavi. Allen had friends before and neither they nor he had mentioned or felt what Allen had been feeling for Lavi. He felt giddy around the older male and felt clingy. He never acted upon his clinginess because he himself wouldn't want to be clung onto for long periods of time and Lavi doesn't seem like the type to want that either.
It was hard not knowing what this emotion was. It swallowed him whole and didn't leave a crumb. Sighing, Allen decided to stop thinking about it and progress through his book. He did just that for a few minutes until he started to shiver. It was freezing the past couple of months, but he could easily combat that with his coat. Sadly, he lost his coat in a fight with a particularly nasty Akuma. He hated not being an innocence accommodater. All he could do was act as bait while Lavi did all the work. Maybe once the parasitic nature of Nea progresses, he'll be able to offer better help.
Sighing, Allen puts his book down and looks around the room. He spots Lavi's cloak on the bed. He must have accidentally left it there. Allen goes over to grab it and puts it on. He hopes Lavi won't get mad that he's wearing his clothing without his permission.
The cloak was surprisingly heavy. It was like being wrapped in a hug. Allen thought Lavi would be wearing a lighter one due to mobility issues, but he thought wrong. Lavi could move surprisingly well in this thing.
Allen walks back over to the beaten-up desk and sits down. He wraps the cloak fully around himself and snuggles into it. He breathed in and it smelled just like Lavi. That brought him more comfort and made him feel even warmer than when he initially put it on. It was as if Lavi was hugging him. Maybe he'd steal Lavi's cloak more often.
“Brilliant…” Allen says as he retrieves his book and continues to read it.
Two hours later the story was coming to an end. He was in the final 10 chapters of his 40-chapter book. Allen related to the main character a LOT. The main character was feeling unknown emotions toward his companion in the same fashion that Allen was. Allen was intrigued. He wanted to know if the main character discovered that unknown emotion. He kept reading and reading- making sure to analyze each word- until he found out the mystery of what he and his fictional counterpart were feeling… then, one simple line hooked the fish out of the water:
“I now know where my heart wants to go! This feeling of overwhelming intensity isn't dread nor anxiousness, ‘tis as complex as love! For I have fallen deep into the depths of love like the fool I am… But how should I render this difficult feeling?”
Allen took in a sharp breath and put the book down. He didn't even bookmark it before closing it. He leaned back in his chair, covered his face with his hands, and screamed. It was a mixed reaction scream. One of secondhand embarrassment from reading that cliche line and one of realization. He truly liked Lavi in that way… But then again, it was just a fictional book. That couldn't be the case…. but then again, books take after reality. Whatever the case may be, Lavi wouldn’t like him in that way. Allen knew that in his heart and it hurt to think about it. Lavi was a lone wolf kind of guy.
With a sad smile, Allen snuggled more into Lavi’s cloak and closed his eyes. He meant to do this to clear his mind, but he ended up falling asleep. During the time he was asleep, Lavi came back with a gift for Allen. He saw that the younger male had fallen asleep and decided to give it to him later. Upon walking closer to Allen, Lavi saw his cloak wrapped around him. That put a smile on Lavi’s face. He carefully picked Allen up and walked over to the bed. He set him down, pulled the cloak off him, and pulled a blanket over him. Lavi put the cloak in Allen’s arms and Allen immediately snuggled with it again. Lavi found that adorable and kissed Allen’s forehead. He would confess one day, but today wasn’t the day.
Day 25:
Allen had been tasked with “arts and crafts” as Lavi called it. The older man handed him a sharpened pocket knife, a large block of wood, said, “Carve me something cute~!”, and then left. Allen was bewildered. What did Lavi want him to do exactly? Allen didn’t have any artistic talent whatsoever nor did he know how to wood carve. And what exactly did Lavi mean when he said he wanted something cute? He’ll never understand the man.
Knife and wood in hand, he tries to think of something cute that Lavi would like. Allen thought Lavi himself was cute and wanted to attempt to carve him, but this wasn’t about what he thought was cute. What cute things existed? Dogs were cute, but they were going to prove a challenge to carve. Cats had easier shapes, but he doesn’t know if Lavi likes cats. An owl would definitely suit him, but their faces were hard. Allen starts thinking hard; energetic, cute, bold, suggestive comments……… a rabbit! Allen would carve a rabbit because Lavi reminded him of one. He’d even make it look like Lavi! It was the perfect plan!
Allen began working on the project. He eyeballed it because he didn’t have a pen to draw outlines. It was going “great”! Allen finished the project after 2 hours of strife and it looked like a rabbit that was severely mutilated with Lavi’s glasses and eye scar. Allen was embarrassed. Lavi wouldn’t like this. Not one bit. Defeated, he puts the materials down and decides to go fishing. He’ll eat his mistakes away now that he knows how to cook and catch fish.
Lavi returned 4 hours later with next week's supper in hand. He places it down next to their tent and enters. He finds Allen nose-deep in his book and smiles. “Aaaaaallllllllllleeeeeeeennnnnnnn~ Guess who’s baaaaacccckkkk~”
Allen looks up from his book and blushes a bit. Lavi’s hair was messy. The inference he could make was it was like that from the harsh winds outside. It was attractive. He liked it when it was messy. Lavi’s face was pinker from the cold weather and it added to his attractive features. Allen was going to die one of these days and it would be Lavi’s fault.
“Soooo, that little thing I tasked you with, did you complete it?” Lavi asks with a sparkle in his eye.
Allen sighs and nods. “It’s… right here,” he says hesitantly as he pulls it out from behind him.
Allen hands Lavi the fucked up rabbit wood carving and Lavi squeals. “It’s so cuyte!!!!! Oh my stars! You even made it look like me! Oh, Al, you know just what I like~” Lavi winks at Allen.
Allen blushes heavily and looks away. “Yeah yeah, Merry Christmas or whatever.”
Lavi chuckles. “Christmas in January… I like it!”
“And rabbits can breathe underwater.” Allen retorts jokingly.
“This rabbit certainly can!” Lavi says as he points to himself.
This caused Allen to roll his eyes and smile. His friend is such a dork.
Day 30:
Allen was having a terrible day. He and Lavi got robbed by some thieving scum while they were out shopping for some supplies. Lavi seemed too calm about this while Allen freaked out. Lavi tried calming Allen down by saying it “happens all the time” but it made things worse. Then it started snowing and they had to take shelter in the filthiest alleyway in the world. There was piss, trash, mystery stuff, and shit everywhere. It didn’t help that it was an alleyway between a hospital and a brothel. The two places where noise complaints are common ground. At least Lavi was there with him. He made things much better.
“Comfy place for the night, huh?” Lavi says to try and lighten the tense mood.
“Mn,” Allen says and shivers a bit. The coldness of the night is getting to him.
Lavi notices this and wraps his around Allen’s shoulder. He pulls him closer and hugs him fully. “There, that should help keep us warmer~”
Allen blushes at the intimate and kind gesture. “Thanks…”
“Anything for my favorite,” Lavi says.
Allen blushes even harder. “This doesn’t help with the smell though.”
“You’re one to talk, Mr. I-Haven’t-Bathed-In-7-Weeks.” Lavi jokes.
“Oh sod off, Lavi!” Allen shouts.
“You had all the time in the world to while we were in that inn room.” Lavi points out.
“You were sick! I had to take care of you!” Allen justifies.
“Yuh huh. What about the day we left? We still had an hour left for that room. Plenty of time for a bath.” Lavi says.
Allen huffs and crosses his arms. “You’re a terrible person.”
“Hey! I could tell you all about Nea and how terrible he is compared to me!”
“Whatever,” Allen says as he wraps his arms around Lavi. He needed more warmth. It was freezing.
“Y’know, we could gather up the trash and make a fire,” Lavi suggests.
“And make the place smell even worse? No thanks.”
Lavi chuckles. “You’re so cute.”
Allen looks up at Lavi. “And you’re stupid.”
“And you’re strong.”
“And you reek.”
“You squeak.”
“Do not!”
“Do too!”
Allen huffs. “You’re lucky I like you.”
“Like me? I feel like it’s a little more than that~” Lavi teases.
Allen stays silent.
“Oh come on! I’m right! You’ve been too obvious! Even a blind and deaf guy could tell you have a crush on me!” Lavi teases.
Allen turns a brighter shade of red. “Then why didn’t you say anything!”
“Because it was so cute! Watching you blush and get all shy! It’s so adorable when you cuddle with my cloak~” Lavi teases even more.
“You’ve been leaving your cloak behind on purpose, huh?” Allen questions.
“Yep!”
Allen sighs and rests his head on Lavi’s shoulder. “Do you like me too?”
“Why else do you think I’ve been so cuddly with you?” Lavi asks.
Allen sighs again and puffs out his cheeks. “What do we do now?” he asks.
“What do you want to do?” Lavi asks as he looks at Allen.
Allen closes his eyes and leans forward. He softly places his lips on Lavi’s and Lavi softly presses his lips against Allen’s. They both felt an electric spark set off inside themselves while they happily prolonged their first kiss. It was magical. All of Allen’s worries melted away.
“Ngh ahhh~”
The two break apart quickly and look at each other in surprise. They then laugh as they remember where they are. “I don’t think being near a brothel is the most romantic place.” Allen jokes.
“Well, it is the place we confessed to each other,” Lavi says.
“Whatever.”
“Hey, Al. Remember that question I asked you a month ago? The one about your favorite activity? I promised to get you one in 30 days! Do you have your answer for me?” Lavi asks.
Allen thinks for a moment. He didn’t particularly enjoy anything, but he did enjoy Lavi’s presence. This was a hard question to answer, but eventually he found one. “I think my favorite activity is spending time with you.” Allen quietly answers.
Lavi blushes a bit and smiles. “I’m glad.”