overjoyed_logs | closed | world forgetting by the world forgot

Entry tags:

closed | world forgetting by the world forgot

Who: Lavi, Kanda
Where: Various locations
When: ... Various dates!
Summary: Keeping my non-plot stuff in here!
Restrictions/Warnings: We're aiming for cute so expect extreme angst in like five tags.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Navigating the dark labyrinth of Old Town is ordinarily a fairly easy task. He remembers the grooves in the streets, the feel of stone as his heel makes contact--an uneven space here, a slope there. Lavi could slip through this world blindfolded, and in his current circumstances, he can't help but think it'd be easier.

Of course, he may just be thinking particularly unkindly of his partner because he wanted that kitten.

Its paws and pink nose.. it was so cute..

So add the lack of a kitten, a drunk partner leaning heavily on him, and the general interruption to his well-earned beauty sleep, and the bookman apprentice is downright sullen. His silence hangs heavy with accusation, though he is most certainly not pouting--it's more like brooding.

(Evidently, his capacity to look menacing is strong enough to deter any would-be night creatures on the return trip as well, though he's at least half sure it has something to do with the heavy armaments shared between them.)

A heavy breath, somewhere between a huff and a sigh, though the majority of its volume is lost to the sound of Noah's ramp lowering. ]

C'mon. We're home.

[ His mastery of language makes the tone of that really sound more like, "But I wanted a kitten." ]

[ The bazaar on Leith is one of Lavi's favorite parts of the Quad. Backroom deals that move stolen material, an undercurrent of crime that slides under the more legitimate business like a shadow--but most importantly, the antiques.

While the day crowd of the market tends to hold themselves in reserve and the wares are more uniform--an old tea set from Qresh, a delicate brocade from the far reaches of Telen--the night merchants are transient, and so likewise are their goods. Lavi makes a point of scouting out the most unfamiliar when he gets a chance to visit the enclave, knowing that he might never see the same artifact of history twice.

But he usually does this alone. No gun, no badge, plain civilian clothes and all the worries and warrants of the world left back on the ship.

So when Kanda volunteered to join him, he was, sufficed to say, suspicious. And still is, actually, because it's not like his partner to willfully go into crowds of people if there isn't some kind of payoff waiting at the end of it.

Still, most of his wariness slips away once they cross into the bazaar, smile lighting his face on cue. The hum of the crowd pushes at his thoughts of discontent until they fade into the background and his resolve is born anew. Even if Yu is here for a warrant he's not telling Lavi about (still the prevailing theory), Lavi is going to have fun. He's going to enjoy a night off--one he would dare say is earned after his recent brushes with mortal danger--and he's going to get some damn antiques.

Hands normally kept in his pockets dance on the air for a moment before he claps them under his chin, happily beaming at his ever-taciturn company before his grin falters. ]

Nope.

[ Said like a proclamation of law, Lavi pivots to step in front of Yu and block his line of sight. This earns them a few irritated glances from others trying to enter or exit the bazaar, but he ignores them.

Waving a long finger in admonishment, the redhead goes right back to grinning. Though his words carry the weight of warning, they're lightly delivered, and his determination to be happy is without falter. ]

We're here to have fun. Quit casing the place, they've got better security than Noah.

Oh, look--food on a stick! I love stick food.

[ That's about all the warning Kanda will get before he's bounding off towards the kiosk in pursuit of tiny, mystery meat spheres on a skewer. ]

[Even if he'd been stone-sober, Kanda would have had difficulty in telling Lavi 'no' to that damned cat. And not because it had the cutest little paws, and the softest, most pleading cries...

He's never seen Lavi pout quite like that, and it leaves him feeling oddly guilty.

But even drunk, he's all too aware of the fact that a ship is no place for something so small. There are just too many places for the little critter to disappear into, to get hurt or caught. A ship is no place for such a small animal.

And he keeps telling himself this during the walk home - to both keep from turning back, and paying too close attention to the body pressed close to his.

Because unlike the man at his side, a receding disease failed to take the memory of warm lips and warmer hands from Kanda's mind as it disappeared. And much as he'd tried to drink the memories away, all it had taken was this lack of space to remind him.

It also reminds him of a realization held earlier - namely that he's tired of trying to match memory loss with feigned ignorance.

Because the truth is that... well, he'd liked it. More than liked.

He wanted to catch that feeling again.

Which is a problem, given that Lavi well and truly seems to have no recall of it.

Perhaps this, then, is the reason he turns his head, cheek resting against the taller man's shoulder, nose just barely teasing against the curve of Lavi's neck as he listens to the bay door lower before he speaks. Voice low and breath a warm whisper against skin, he hums a quiet note.]

Don't be mad at me, Rabbit. It could get hurt on a ship, an' I don't want to see that.

Edited 2017-02-17 05:03 (UTC)

[Dressed as casually as Kanda gets - little more than jeans and a navy blue button-up, sleeves rolled - Kanda has the appearance of someone relaxed.

Even if he has a firearm concealed in an ankle holster, a switchblade in his pocket, a garrote weaved through the rope holding his hair back, and a long knife sheathed at the small of his back. These, he weights against the choke points he can see, offshoot paths that lead in winding directions, places that could be used for concealment or to organize an ambush--

Busted.

Blinking (up) at Lavi, Kanda's mind is already forming words to provide justification to siphon the warning out of the words and anchor that particular smile in place on his partner's expression - to defend a habit long since ingrained - but then Lavi is off.

Shaking his head in bemusement, he shoves his hands in his pockets before following at a more sedate pace. At the kiosk, the hint of a frown touches into place as he arches a brow at the questionable food being handed over to Lavi.]

...Do you even know what kind of meat that is?

Edited 2017-02-17 06:00 (UTC)

[ With the threat of danger largely behind them (there's still the lingering crews here and there, their voices faint but distinct murmurs against his awareness), Lavi's attention narrows, constrains itself in the here and now rather than the there and then. His sensorium, released from the reigns of combat proficiency, filters in the weight against his side first, summoning confused snippets of dreams.

--a tenuous meeting of lips and fragile hearts, wanting and demanding for so much more than they can take--

He pushes the confounding visions aside, seeking the petulant frustration of his lack of sleep and decided lack of furry friend to ground him. It's difficult to keep his sense of anger when warm breath washes against his skin and a low voice vibrates throughout his ears, but he's as determined as he is stubborn, and those forces together are nigh unstoppable.

Lavi takes a calming breath, consciously drawn and measured, before attempting a reply. ]

I'm not mad.

[ Careful steps lead them up the now waiting ramp, one hand gripping into the other's wrist, the other curled around a lean side to facilitate the motion. ]

I'm just tired.

[ Though he still sounds fairly accusatory in that. His face softens after a moment, mature enough to concede that a pet isn't in their best interest but not so mature to let it go in entirety.

(When did he start thinking in long-term goals? He won't be here more than a year, possibly less, with the current political climate. A pet is a commitment well past what he can make.)

Leaning away enough to hit the control console beside the ramp, Lavi grumbles to himself, looking down at the man playing torture on his nerves. There's no way Kanda knows of those confusing dreams, so he can't hold it against him, but damn if the proximity isn't making it difficult to concentrate.

A second sigh, heavy and long-suffering, flows past slightly curved lips as he regards Yu sullenly. ]

I didn't even know you could get this drunk. Is there any hokk left in Old Town or did you just crash the economy?

[ Brows knitting together, he seems to consider the question seriously for a moment, glancing around the kiosk for any indicator of what carcass he might be purchasing. Finding nothing particularly illuminating, Lavi pays and then shrugs, the first sphere dragged between his teeth and disappearing. ]

At this price, you kinda just agree not to ask.

[ Besides, it's on a skewer. Any food item which comes presented on a barbaric stake is automatically superior to food items presented through any other means.

The redhead extends the skewer in offer, lively grin right back in place. Now that Kanda seems slightly less concerned with their security (he's sure, of course, that the man is considering all the ways he might kill someone with the mystery meat and/or its delivery mode), Lavi's hopes for a true, honest-to-Trees night off are faring much better. ]

You should try it. Kinda chewy but it's not bad.

[ Not that he gives Yu much opportunity to actually accept the offer, dragging another meatball off the stick with his teeth while surveying the night market. There's a fair few vendors he hasn't met yet, which is a good sign--they'll probably have all sorts of interesting goods, and most of them will even be legal!

Humming with excitement, he turns back to Yu: ]

We should start with the book shops first. And then maybe the office shops--they had those pens with the feathers last time.

[ Well known fact: everything written with a feather is also automatically superior to things written without a feather. ]

If anything, I boosted the economy.

[Laughing softly at that as they stand beside the console, the sound low and rich, he shifts a little more, enough to step half in front of the other...

And then, quite deliberately, reaches up to drape his other arm over Lavi's other shoulder, lets his body rest more solidly against Lavi's before he closes his eyes on a sigh.

It's a gamble, true... but in this, he just wants to see his partner's reaction. To see if the memory is utterly gone, or just buried beneath a fevered curtain, waiting to be drawn back.

(And if it gives him a chance to breathe in that familiar scent, steal a moment of comfortable warmth under the guide of drunken laziness, he's not above thievery.

Not when others given are still there to haunt both waking hours and dreams alike.)

To this end, he draws a deep breath, sighs it out in a warm breath against flesh as he reaches a hand up to poke the back of Lavi's head.]

Don' lie to me - you're a little mad so... 'm sorry. Idiot.

Edited 2017-02-18 06:43 (UTC)

[Snorting at that, because those words are in no way a reassurance, he can only stare at the offered skewer distrustfully while it waves near him, debating the capabilities of his his nanites to combat something as dubious as street food, before it disappears again.

Still silent, he watches white teeth catch on another morsel, watches Lavi tear the piece off with careless ease as he turns away to survey their surroundings - and this isn't the look of a hunter assessing strengths and weaknesses.

It's just observing the ebb and flow, reveling in the moment for nothing more than personal enjoyment.

To say it's a rare sight to see is an understatement, and one that he can, in turn, appreciate seeing. So much so, that the faintest hint of amusement pulls at the corners of his lips, brighten his gaze as he listens to his partner ramble off a frightening list of locations to explore.

Before they have the chance to dart off in whichever direction Lavi's impulse is determined to take them this time, he pulls a hand out of his pocket and snaps it out to curl around his partners before slowly, deliberately, drawing the offered and withdrawn skewer to his lips.

Just a bite, to steal one of the pieces, before he lets go and straightens up, chews thoughtfully.]

...not horrible. Soba's still better.

[A beat, as he continues to chew, the hint of mischief there in his eyes. ]

Speaking of, I want to stop and get more after we're done finding feather pens.

[ Turning away from the panel to lead his drunk partner to a reasonably soft enough surface to pass out, he's caught by surprise in more ways than one when Yu steps forward and.. hugs him.

Lavi stiffens, his muscles solidifying into stone, arm lifted and held rigid at Yu's back as if he expects the man to fall at any moment. He tries, desperate for an explanation that won't feed into his misconceptions about their relationship, to come up with any other word for this action but hug.

But there's no other descriptor that fits. Yu isn't falling over, he's falling forward, into Lavi, and it's--

Three times as difficult to keep focus for it. Fantasies, half-lifted from burned memories and fevered dreams, interplay across his vision, his body yearning to crumple and fold around his partner even as his mind protests.

(A controlled breath between set teeth, willing himself not to forget his anger and ignore the heat growing between them.

It works, for a moment. It works up until the point that Yu starts slurring and apologizing, and then the threads of irritation loosen and drift away before he can reach for them again.)

This time, the sigh that echoes out from him is soft, the irritated edge of dampened with a note of defeat. The tension leaves him for a moment, the statuesque arm folding neatly around Kanda's ribs while his other hand reaches up to brush back long hair.

He smiles, soft and a little wistful, chin set against temple. ]

Geeze, you're making me feel bad. Fine, I'm a little mad.

[ And you're a lot drunk, he adds mentally, chiding himself for enjoying the fruits of that inebriation as he draws back from the embrace. Grinning a little more ruefully than he intends, he offers in a teasing tone, forgiveness clear but not without its price: ]

But I guess you're a handful enough without adding anything else to the mix. Think you can make it to your room?

[ Initially, he doesn't think much of Yu reaching for his hand--that sort of casual touch has become fairly commonplace for them, especially if the other is holding something of the edible variety. So when he feels those fingers curl around his palm, he just assumes the skewer will be claimed in a moment and goes back to mapping out his plan of attack for the night.

(No, not of attack, Lavi reminds himself, censuring his thoughts before they can slip into those battle-cast molds.)

But when it's his hand, and not just the proffered food item being drawn up to Yu's mouth, he starts, blinking wide as he turns his head back to watch.

His mouth parts to offer question or protest, both of which die to the sound of a hard swallow. He's not sure what's worse: that he's caught between being turned on and simultaneously threatened by the action, or that he's enjoying the dichotomy.

Ah--he's staring, isn't he?

Pulling in a sharp breath, Lavi offers a wordless nod at first, shuffling weight from heel to heel as he draws his hand back and tries to reorient his thoughts.

(Most of which just end up back in that gray area of being wary of those teeth and wondering what they feel like--) ]

Right. Sure.

[ Soba. Books. Feather pens.

Swiftly turning on his heel, he picks the closest direction of distraction, a stand three stalls down with the hint of rolled scrolls peeking out from beneath its colorful banner, and makes a beeline for it. Once control is (mostly) regained, he manages to speak with his usual cadence the second go around, tone even and casual despite his adamant refusal to make eye contact again. ]

You should really invest in a soba shop, you know. You already donate enough of our accounts to funding them.

Dunno what you mean by that shit, but 'm fine.

[His indignation at being called a handful would probably be more believable if he hadn't made as face as he'd stepped back, hadn't swayed a little too much for the effort and thrown his hands out to capture a semblance of balance once again.

Sniffing, he cuts a sidelong look at his partner, a glint of triumph in his gaze - and not just because he'd managed to not fall on his ass - but because he'd caught the shift from wary tension to something almost like that night.

A hint of affection in the brush of fingers along his side, the tease of a smile against his forehead.

It's enough to let him know that, even if Lavi never managed to recover those memories, creating similar ones while they're both aware isn't so impossible as he'd thought.

Humming softly to himself, he then scoffs as if accepting a challenge.]

But if you wan'a handful... okay. Challenge accepted. Hm.

[Spinning abruptly on his heel (and almost losing his balance in the process) he grunts and catches himself on the side of the rover before stepping with all the resolute determination that a thoroughly drunken Kanda Yu can manage.]

Too much commitment. Besides, this way I'm supporting the local economy or some shit.

[This... is going to be fun.

It's a surprising thought, one that's swiftly followed with a smirk as he shoves his hands back into his pocket, follows at a more sedate pace as a plan of attack - and this is definitely more strategy than anything else - starts to form in his mind.

Because he knows now, doesn't he?

Yes, that undercurrent of attraction is still there between them, now that he understand what it feels like, how to see it through Lavi's facade, but to push at it carelessly would be dangerous. Both to their friendship (and much as the 'bookman' side of his partner has tried to negate it, it's still there), and to whatever this is.

Figuring out the how of it, unfortunately, isn't something that comes easy to him.

For now, little things - gestures, breeches in personal space - will have to be enough. They should set Lavi off balance, force him to think, to try to interpret Kanda's intent (and then likely second-guess that conclusion because the first would have been seemingly impossible even three months ago), but it's a start.

At least, until he can figure out a better approach.

Otherwise, his own impatience and inclination to action will have him simply cutting to the chase and as much as he's sure he'd enjoy another kiss like the ones they'd shared that night... he's fairly sure Lavi would deck the hells out of him at this point in time.

Finally catching up to Lavi, he glances from his partner to the scrolls that seem to have his attention, brows furrowing slightly with feigned curiosity.]

How do you decide which one you want? They all look like old rolls of paper to me.

[ He considers doing as he as often done in this moment: letting his unusually malleable partner make his own mistakes--ones which he is evidently convinced must be done in the name of honor or pride--without interference. Expression twisted into contained amusement, his once-full arms fall loosely at his side, swaying idly.

(Think not of how cold they seem now, how empty the air and atmosphere feels without the weight and warmth of him; let these thoughts scatter and wait for a safer moment to return, because you've given up on the idea that they'll stay gone for good.)

But what he has always done, it occurs to Lavi, has seldom truly worked for him. Swearing off attachments has not lessened his ability to form them, it has simply made their severing more painful for it. Likewise, telling himself--or indeed, even telling Yu--that he won't intervene in the natural consequences of actions has done little to actually curb such intervention.

It's just a form of denial, a crudely shaped, easily broken, wholly transparent kind of denial.

He steps around the rover, eyebrow raised, his indecision clear. But now it is not a matter of deciding between actions for the sake of duty or the sake of personal attachment--now it's just a choice between whether his sense of humor is more vindictive than his sense of concern.

In the end, his concern wins, announcing itself in the low laughter off his still contained mouth. ]

Yeah, you do that.

[ Accept his challenge, he means. Repositioning himself, he takes ownership of Yu's arm again, pulls it over his shoulders with a weary sound as his other arm finds purchase in a trim side. It's not strictly gentle, this action, but it's not overly rough, either, exerting only as much force as he needs to make his point.

He will carry Yu's drunk ass to bed with little room for negotiation. ]

Tomorrow. You can do that tomorrow and thank the trees I can't record and carry your dumbass at the same time.

They're not old.

[ It is an easy, absent reply, one that's devoid of inflection or the need to modulate reactions because it's an observation, flat and given freely, of an expert. From the moment he came to touch them, no, from well before then, he knew the deceptive nature of their appearance.

He gave himself to that study nonetheless, because although the scrolls are obviously manufactured and forged, they are no less interesting for it. He is rarely concerned with the genuine nature of a thing (how could he be? He would know not where to look), but of the history it contains, folk lore or otherwise.

And in no particularly small way because it's an action which divorces him from the shakiness of his less scholastic thoughts. His hands, working gently at unfurling one of the bundles, do not tremor with the effort to mind themselves, and his gaze is likewise devout in its pursuit of the words written, though not entirely without fault.

It's only polite to look at someone when you speak, after all, so he chances a glance to the side, smile twinging on cue. For a moment, all is well and right, but soon his sight tracks a little too low, as the wandering eye of infatuation is wont to do, and Lavi's mind again turns with thoughts of lips and teeth and the stuff of confused dreams.

Abruptly he turns his head again, swallowing much too loud for his liking before covering it (poorly) by clearing his throat. ]

The paper has been yellowed with heat, not age. The ink is hand-laid but too uniform--old stuff wasn't as smooth as this. That, and--

[ Firmly within his element again, his nervousness edges away, smile carefree and postured relaxed as he turns the scroll over to expose its sepia-toned back, decidedly matte by comparison to the waxy surface of the front. ]

--they didn't treat both sides of it. If you were tryna' preserve something, you wouldn't just half preserve it, would you?

[ Ah, but the trouble of being so discerning: several of the nearby customers caught enough of his explanation to put their potential purchases away. He's now faced with a particularly angry vendor who is forced to announce a discount. In earnest defense, Lavi holds his palms up, the usual sign of surrender: ]

They're great reproductions, though!

I will. Bastard.

[There's an indignant grunt when he's pulled to Lavi's side, the world shifting rather precariously for a moment. A slow blink and the world settles right side up again, prompts him to turn to glare at his partner as they continue out of the hanger.

Much as everyone assumes Kanda is the stubborn one of the two of them, looking at the set of Lavi's jaw, he's not so certain that's the case. Because for all that Lavi teases, the grip holding him is strong, sure, and (a little) unyielding.

It's nice...

Blinking at that, he shakes his head and draws a deep breath, lets the dizziness jar him out of his senses because even now, some vague part of him relieved that his inebriated state is... probably... enough to cover the sharp spike of want that being this close, that feeling the firm press of a hand at his hip, that seeing the hard line of that jaw elicits.

Impulse is not usually something Kanda has to work to contain, but this walk?

It's going to kill him, long before the copious amounts of alcohol has the chance.]

It is tomorrow. Or today? Mmm... Today.

[Another slow blink as he keeps his gaze turned to the side, watches the corridor slide by, his thoughts trying to drift back to the last time they were so close, though at the opposite end of these halls. Talk about symbolism even he can see.]

Don' regret it when I do. I won't lose.

[Muttered words, barely breathed out, but there's a definite ring of something almost fierce, determined, in the warning.]

[The thing about Lavi, and all his masks, is that while he cannot always interpret what's behind them, he can infer the slight differences in them. Like now, when he falls back into the analytical scholar - not quite the bookman, but someone confident in their assessment based on a refined understanding of his topic.

And that shift, the edge of distraction that he'd tried to hide?

Those looks he's seen before, been subjected to before. They're the ones slowly taking over his dreams, taking an edge off the worst of some of his nightmares.

Those looks are the ones that, more than anything else, give proof that what fever has temporarily wiped from his partner's memory, hasn't been banished entirely.

I warned you, didn't I? I won't lose, not this time.

Stepping closer, to look around Lavi's shoulder at the scrolls in question (after having only caught the last of what his partner had been saying to begin with) he spares the merchant a sharp glade before reaching around his partner to pick one up, turn it over in his hand before tapping it lightly against Lavi's chest.]

...So did you actually want one or not?

[Because, ultimately, Kanda could give less than a damn about the lost patrons, or an annoyed vendor. Instead, he's curious to see if the content is worth it, despite the lack of originality.]

[ Lavi speaks several languages--most of them lingua franca, of course--as a result of his long travels. He's versed in the syntax and patterns of speech that many within the Quad have never heard of, let alone absorbed with their own ears.

Which is to say that Lavi considers himself something of a communication expert and yet for all his years and studies, he has no freaking clue what Yu is on about.

Drunk Kanda, alas, is not a tongue he's ready to translate without a reference dictionary nearby.

Not that he doesn't try, studying his partner with an askance look that conveys much of his frustrated confusion. It's a blessing in itself, too, because as long as he's trying to decipher exactly what challenge Kanda has accepted and will not lose (to be a handful? He's fairly sure there's a rule against professionals competing--), he's not thinking about the thundering heartbeat in his ears or restrained quiver in his spine.

So he takes this challenge with perhaps more zeal than he normally would, bemused smile still in place when he answers that warning agreeably (though he's still not sure what he's agreeing to, exactly). ]

I'll hold you to that then.

[ He sounds almost sincere, even, and the short nature of the answer almost keeps the laughter from spilling through. It's not quite successful (it never is), and when he glances down to catch Yu's eye, he notices the distinct absence of a meeting gaze.

Humming softly, the fingers at Kanda's side dance lightly in place in a tease as he tilts his head down to bump his nose against Yu's cheek. It makes the walk a little awkward for a moment, but he's never been one to forgo aggravating his partner just because of a silly thing like logistics. ]

Are you mad now? C'mon, I was only joking. Yuuuu. [ Pleading, albeit still somehow laughing. ] Forgive me? Please?

[ If his laughter sounds a little too high-pitched, that's likely because he had to pry his jaw open and force distance between teeth to make the sound. Paranoia is ordinarily a dear friend of his--occupational acquaintance, he likes to say--but at the moment, it's whispering nonsensical suggestions into his burning ears and making it that much harder to keep his cool.

He's doing it on purpose, that vicious voice suggests, he knows.

The thought, however, is fleeting, because as soon as it rises in his bubbling mind, he's quick to set it aside and gently, ever so gently, tell it to go to hell. If that were true, even if it were meant to be some unkind joke, it would require Yu to not be reviled by the thought of it. That has about as much of a chance as the Nine choosing to abdicate their rule and give their lands to the people of Westerley.

So no, it's nothing so insidious as that, it's just Lavi being far too easily distracted by proximity and the sensation of someone so close to his neck. ]

I'll take both!

[ Gulping a third time to quiet himself, he flashes a quick grin at the vendor, eager to take up that discount in spite of the (noticeably more restrained) dirty looks being volleyed his way. Gathering the scroll tapping against his ribs in hand with the other under inspection, he pays wordlessly, sliding to the side of Kanda to avoid meeting his gaze again.

Man, this is gonna be a long night if this keeps up, he thinks to himself before remembering his earlier determination to have fun no matter the cost.

No, he corrects, all resolute and certainty, it's all in my head. We're gonna have fun and I amnot going to dream about this later.

Granted, he might have to drink himself to an oblivion to guarantee that, but where there's a will, there's a way!

So with that in mind, he twists on his heel, flashing a wide grin and borrowing some of his earlier carelessness. ]

It's fun having you here. I get discounts but everyone is too afraid of you to get angry. Hey, think I can convince them their hokk isn't authentic either?

[ He seems to consider this for a split second before shrugging it off, belatedly realizing he never asked (nor was it offered) for a bag to hold the scrolls. He considers going back for it, but without Yu around to mollify understandably irritated vendors.. ]

Anyway! Where do you wanna go?

[ Bouncing on his heels a bit? Yes. Whether that's excitement or nerves, though, he's not telling. ]

What? Why 'm I the one that's mad? Maybe you're mad an' you need to forgive me

[He's pretty sure that makes no sense, positive, really, but in his defense he's too busy thinking This proves it. If those bastard Trees are real, they fucking hate me.

Because he can hear the laughter warming Lavi's taunt, feel that hum shiver down his spine before the trace and flicker of fingers against his side.

He tries to ignore that, too, and almost succeeds - but then warm breath teases along his neck and Lavi's face right there, and he can't help the way his body jerks as if to lean closer, hand fisting in the fabric of his partner's jacket, right between his shoulder blades.

You're gonna be the death of me, he thinks with a moment's clarity, even as his face jerks to the side, towards the source of his latest torment.

Noses bump, lips passing tantalizingly close but not quite touching before they brush past each other, before he - in an equally clear moment - purposefully lets his feet stumble, as if balance lost.

His grip tightens a little more in Lavi's jacket as he completes the move, drops his forehead to the curve of his partner's neck with a soft curse and a prayer to any god or overgrown shrubbery for a reprieve, before he does something completely and utterly reckless.]

Bastard! You're gonna make me fall. Imma take you with me though.

[If Kanda could hear Lavi's thought, he'd have to admit to guilt. Because he does, in fact, know.

Just like he knows the feel of that smile against his skin, knows the sound his partner makes when he catches that lip between teeth...

He'd even agree that this is going to be a long night if this keeps up, because it will. Because he has every intention of continuously treading that line.

Especially because, during the three-plus years that Kanda has known him, he's fairly certain he's never seen Lavi this unsettled, save for the height of delusion - and even then, that was something entirely different.

This... he knows.

Lavi can see what he's doing, threads doubt in Kanda. Is it too much? Should he back off?

This is why this shit is too damn complicated. Attraction should come with a field manual.

And since this isn't something he wants to get wrong... maybe backing off, reassessing his plan of attack, is a necessary step.]

I thought you said you wanted to go to a bookstore? Or someplace for those feather-pen things.

[Cutting Lavi a sidelong glance, he offers a wry smirk.]

Let's see how much of a discount my glare can get you there, idiot rabbit.

Edited 2017-02-21 05:49 (UTC)

[ Another failure of translation, he thinks with no small amount of amusement, he's babbling like a brook.

It's endearing, if mildly frustrating, and there can be no more succinct summary of his emotions up to this point. First he's stirred from his sleep to discover Yu missing (so rare that he falls asleep early or first), and then he's summoned to retrieve the man in question after an evident night of debauchery.

That, of course, had been the frustrating parts to now. The more endearing aspects are fresher, a recent arrival to the course of the night. The warm, buzzing distraction of Yu's body leaned into his--the tease of breath on his neck stirring up senses he's desperate to quell and answer simultaneously.

These things, albeit frustrating in their own right, are among the perks of this strange journey.

Lavi is given precious little time to enjoy or reflect on these thoughts before the world shifts.

At first, the spasm felt beneath his hand and the subsequent twist into him is received as just another aspect of this strangely uncoordinated creature. He anticipates it, choreographs the completion of the movement before it's come to pass, and still he--

Gets it completely, utterly wrong, breath catching in his throat, lips parted slightly as if in protest or yielding to the abrupt change of position. Dreams press to his mind, scattered images of moments like these interlacing in the present. If he just leaned forward that little bit more, he could..could..

Could what? Carry out decisions he's fully cognizant of being entirely wrong and foolish? Break the precious balance of their friendship?

He's caught off guard, blissfully and gratefully so, as Yu stumbles instead, a mix of absolute thankfulness and self-loathing washing over him as he releases that breath and reaches to catch on the wall. Yu isn't particularly heavy, but he's also fairly close to Lavi's height, so the threat issued is one he believes--if he's not mindful, they're both going to end up falling down.

Despite--or perhaps even because of--internal berating, Lavi manages to keep himself from falling prey to the misstep, arm tightening that much more around Yu as he stabilizes them.

Just a few more steps. That's all he has to do before he can deposit Yu on his bed and call the night done between them. ]

Easy, easy. We're almost there.

[ He's not sure who he's reassuring at that point, but it doesn't matter, because he's telling the truth. Just a few more steps and he motions the door panel to Yu's room open, belatedly realizing he's yet to loosen his grip since their near fall. ]

Here we are. C'mon, I'll help you change. I'm starting to get buzzed off the fumes coming off you.

[ ..yeah he's not going to realize the folly of that until it's too late, but at least his temporary ignorance lets him keep steady as he turns them around to drop Yu back first on the not-at-all made bed. ]

[ This, at least, isn't a complicated thing to consider. Skin cooling and reactions losing their sharpness, Lavi considers Yu's answer with a careless shrug. His idiotic crush and hopeless distraction aside, he'd been sincere when he said having the other man here made it fun.

Not just for the potential discounts (he's of the mind not to abuse that tactic too many times, having a good relationship with the different vendors and staffers at the Bazaar has considerable perks), but more generally for having the company. They may live and work together, but there's seldom an activity they do where someone hasn't ordered or paid them to participate.

(Not, of course, that he hasn't dragged Yu with him to bookstores before, but those are almost always under the strained air of a bet lost or favor owed. This is the first time his partner has willingly volunteered himself to a social outing without some measure of coercion or necessity.) ]

We're on an adventure. Adventures are meant to be shared, y'know?

[ There's a breath of hesitation in him as he shifts the scrolls to one arm, but it lasts for a mere second before he turns to sling his arm along Yu's shoulders. They're friends, he reminds himself, and friends--at least those like him--occasionally hang off each other like small woodland animals on branches.

He's just going to have to learn to live with the distraction until he can get it out of his head. The last thing he wants to do is shy away as if Yu has done something deserving of recoil when it's Lavi's own damn fault in the first place. ]

So I wanna do stuff you wanna do too. You don't come here much during the night, right? I bet we could find you all sorts of cool things. Manly things. Small things. Shiny things.

[ cue disney soundtrack: a whole new world ]

[More than a little drunk and even more aware of the person currently holding him and walking him backwards towards his room, it seems easier to Kanda's mind just then to simply trust in his partner's guiding steps and remain hidden against the other man's shoulder.

(That it gives him the chance to simply close his eyes and breathe deep the familiar scent, allows him a few moments of stolen intimacy, their slightly out of pace steps much like an unfamiliar dance, is simply a bonus.)

That is, until Lavi oh so helpfully offers to help him change.

Immediately, his mind supplies him with the memory of Lavi's fingertips sliding around his sides, slipping beneath his shirt... provides fuel to imagine those same hands slipping apart buttons, prying apart a belt--

Fuck.Fuck.I'm so fuckin'-- Shit. Get it together, idiot. He's gonna see...

Kanda (mostly) manages to push the images aside, to suppress a shudder and a groan at that, a shiver of pure anticipation before he finds himself rather unceremoniously dumped onto an annoyingly messy bed. The world spins disarmingly and he has to snap a hand out to the side, fingers curling, twisting, in the bedding beside him in a futile attempt to dispel the dizzying sensation.

It's a loosing battle, however, and so he lets out a huff of a breath as he falls back in the bed, eyes nearly shut as he turns his head, focuses on keeping the edge of the bed in sight.

That is, after all, worlds easier than focusing on his partner's... everything... just then.]

...Can sleep like this. 'S fine.

[He'd started a tentative plan as they'd left the vendor's stall, scrolls in hand. Or at the very least, he'd started to think he was overthinking how he was approaching this evening.

Because Lavi does have a point - they'd come out tonight just to relax, given everything that had happened these last few weeks.

But then Lavi had to go and invade his personal space once again.

And while he gets it - this is an echo of behavior long since turned habit between them (in the sense that Lavi ignores the glares at the breech and Kanda swallows his irritation and settles with resignation), he's simply too aware now.]

...stuff I want to do, huh?

[He opens his mouth, and then immediately closes it because his first thought is to look for a new weapon, but he has the distinct impression that such a suggestion would be met with nothing except exasperation. Weaving through the crowd, he absently slips an arm around Lavi's waist as they shift around a rather boisterous group of brats, an almost thoughtful frown slipping into place.]

Alright, but... I'm not sure what that is yet, if it doesn't include weapons or training, so for now we can go get you lost in that one bookstore you like - that one that has the really old books and shit.

[ Bemused (and luckily for Kanda, because he doesn't think much of that twisting hand and the thin line of tension in him, writing it off as an expected byproduct of entirely too much to drink), Lavi shakes his head, moving around to shift Yu's legs so he can sit on the bed. ]

Yeah, well, I can't sleep like this.

[ And since he's more or less started staking his claim on the land that is Yu's bedroom, the bed is equally his to mandate or not make as he pleases. He can sleep through a lot, but trying to drift off into sweet dreams while laying next to a hokk distillery in human form?

Even he's not that good.

Capturing one of Kanda's ankles, he huffs, deftly plucking at the tied threads of laces. At least Kanda wears shorter boots than him so this process shouldn't be overly difficult if he can coax some concentration out of his partner.

He still hasn't started thinking about the ramifications or where this could lead, entirely too tired to throw himself into the frenzy of analytics just yet. Boot tossed haphazardly somewhere off to the side (where Kanda has thankfully not yet noticed a nest of papers beginning), he moves to the opposite ankle, clicking his tongue in light disapproval. ]

You could've called if you were gonna be out this late. I wouldn't have gone to sleep so early.

[ ...totally a thing that platonic partners do, right? And the bristling, that's normal too.

Huff. Again. (Okay, he's still mad.) ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 3

closed | world forgetting by the world forgot

W4D6; Old Town

Leith; W6D2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject