A Game of Poker, Chapter 23: Test a Theory
Title: A Game of Poker
Author: Bookkbaby
Rating: Teen
Warnings: YAOI
Summary: LUCKY Pair, Yullen. It started as a simple game of poker, but a little white lie from Lavi changes everything. ['If you lose... you spend the night here, with me, and let me do whatever I want with you.']
A/N: This is my first multichapter fanfic for the DGM fandom! Yay! I’m fairly new to the fandom, but hopefully I haven’t made any unforgivable mistakes.
Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Limes are in the future, and lemons in the uncut versions (not on fanfiction(dot)net). Maybe some OOC, spoilers for the end of the anime later on.
Disclaimer: I don’t own these lovely characters, that honor belongs to Katsura Hoshino. (Though if Hoshino-sama ever has a sale, I call dibs on Tyki… what?) I don’t own anything but a copy of the anime series and all volumes of the manga in English. Anything you don’t recognize (like the plotline of ‘A Game of Poker’) does belong to me. Everything else… not so much. Please don’t sue.
Kudos to the awesome SisterWicked of AssHat Productions (a group I am now a proud member of), who got me started on Lucky and lets me use 'lovely'! Beta’d by N.H. Arawn and Misster Cackles! All remaining mistakes are mine.
Last Time On ‘A Game Of Poker’:
Hoping that Alex never talked was probably too unrealistic. Hertz just hoped that the story wouldn't spread to the higher-ups too quickly and when it did, he hoped it was untraceable. He would rather not suffer whatever the punishment was for disobeying orders and letting a Finder whose past hadn't been thoroughly checked by Komui near the Noah.
It probably wouldn't be pleasant.
He sighed again, wishing the next shift would hurry up so he could report to Komui and go to sleep. He'd probably have damage control in the morning and would need to cover that idiot's tracks before Alex got them all caught.
And Now, The Continuation
A Game of Poker, Chapter 23
Test a Theory
Bookman sat at his desk, staring at a blank sheet of paper. In one hand he gripped a pen, poised to write, but for once the old man's mind was not concentrating on the task before him.
With a soft sigh he set the pen on the desktop and turned in his chair to stare at the set of bunk beds he had shared with his apprentice since joining the Black Order. He had retired the night previous without seeing the redhead. That wasn't unusual in and of itself - Lavi often enjoyed roaming the halls or reading late at night in the library when there was no one to disturb him, but the boy had always returned before Bookman was awake the next day.
This time, Lavi had not come back.
The redhead had still been absent when Bookman had woken up this morning. His bed was still made and obviously hadn't been slept in. The redhead's late hours ensured that he never woke up before his mentor, so Bookman doubted that Lavi would manage to wake up, make his bed, and dress without waking the old man up.
Lavi had been out all night and had to still be inside the Order. Komui would have informed Bookman if his apprentice had been sent out on any last-minute missions or if he had been injured severely enough to warrant an overnight stay in the medical wing. That knowledge, coupled with the rumors Bookman had been overhearing as of late, painted a very disturbing picture.
"Kanda said Lavi brought him here. It's probably Lavi that Mikk switched for-"
"-do you think they're sleeping together?"
"-The Earl found out that one of his Noah was having an affair with an Exorcist and Lavi had to go save Tyki-"
Lavi's behavior for the past few months only added weight to the theory. His actions definitely indicated that the redhead hid an enormous secret. If that secret was that Lavi had been meeting with the Noah, then that cleared everything up neatly.
Perhaps it was finally time to have that talk with Lavi. He had been putting it off ever since the redhead had returned with the unconscious Noah on his back. Regardless of whether or not Bookman's suspicions were correct, the redhead needed to explain his absence this morning.
He stared at Lavi's bed for a few moments more then stood stiffly. His joints ached and creaked, each sound ringing in his ears and reminding him that - spry and agile as he may be - he was no longer young. Finding another apprentice was not an option at this point.
He sighed quietly and though his perfect posture did not relax an inch, there was a slightly defeated air about him. He slowly gathered up his materials - ink, pen, paper - and headed for the door.
It was impossible to concentrate in this room with the made but unused bed and the ramifications of that distracting him. Perhaps the library would offer a better atmosphere.
If he didn't see Lavi until later, then so be it.
Tonight would be early enough to talk to his apprentice.
Line Break
Lavi's consciousness returned slowly, piece by piece. The first thing he was aware of was the pleasant heat surrounding him, radiating both from his side and beneath him. He nuzzled closer to that warmth and felt the light weight on his side shift and a gentle press on his back. He 'mmm'd contentedly, feeling his pillow expand and contract in time to the barely-there, warm breeze that blew across his scalp and teased his hair.
He couldn't remember the last time he had woken up so leisurely or so comfortably, and he had a very good memory.
He inhaled through his nose, part of his brain - still fuzzy from sleep - taking notice of the scents around him. The air was heavy but not suffocating, filled with a familiar, soothing scent of spice and soap, and another scent... Upon realizing what that smell was, Lavi's eyes snapped open and his body stilled. His breath caught in his throat, the contented feeling vanishing to be replaced by something cold and unfriendly.
His mouth went dry and his throat constricted. Lavi tried to take deep, even breaths to calm his suddenly racing heart, but he could feel himself tremble ever so slightly. In front of his eyes was his own hand, lightly tanned fingers resting softly on an expanse of olive-colored skin. Lavi could see his hand move as Tyki breathed in and out. The warm puffs of air that moved through the younger man's hair now sent chills down his spine. Lavi could hear his bedmate's heartbeat, the sound an almost lethargic one when compared to his own. The scent of Tyki and sex was thick in the air, the latter scent the one that had broken through the sleep-fog shrouding the Exorcist's mind and woken him up completely.
Slowly, trying desperately to not wake the man sleeping next to him, Lavi shifted his arm and placed his palm against the mattress before pushing himself up. The arm that had been resting across his waist tried to hold on to him but slid off as the redhead moved away from the sleeping man. Lavi slowly slipped out of the bed, putting his bare feet on the cold stone floor and hardly noticing the chill. As soon as he was safely off the mattress he sprung into action. Now all he had to worry about was making too much noise and waking Tyki, rather than worry that he'd accidentally shake the man awake.
He quickly but silently grabbed his underclothes and pants, yanking them on over his bare form while cursing mentally. He reached down and grabbed his eyepatch and bandanna, tying the patch back on to cover his eye and shoving the bandanna into his pants pocket.
His socks he pulled on over his bare feet, hopping slightly and still keeping up a steady stream of curses inside his head.
He hadn't meant to fall asleep! Five minutes in Tyki's arms shouldn't have been that comfortable; he had been fully prepared to leave as soon as his five minutes were up!
Staying a few hours was one thing and could possibly be explained away if anyone got suspicious, but an entire night...
Lavi glanced out the window, motions becoming more jerky and frantic as he noticed the time. The sun was well past the horizon, judging by the amount of light outside, and Bookman would doubtless be awake by now.
"Shit, shit shit..." he hissed, pulling his shirt roughly over his head, mentally berating himself. How had he just let himself fall asleep? Unless he was incredibly lucky and Bookman hadn't woken up yet or hadn't noticed his absence, he would have a lot of explaining to do when he got back to his room and then...
He swallowed heavily, movements stilling as his whirling thoughts began to rotate around one point, one single thought that he hadn't let himself consider since waking up next to the Noah.
This had to end. This would end the moment he went back and talked to Bookman - he would certainly never be allowed to come back.
Last night had truly been the last night.
Lavi finished pulling on his shirt, not bothering to tuck it into his loose pants and simply tugging on the bottom to make the material lie flat across his chest. His throat seemed to have developed a lump and he could feel something ache inside his chest. No, not just ache... there was a stabbing pain, a feeling of impending loss. It wasn't something he could shake off easily, but rather settled around him like a heavy stone cloak.
Lavi finished dressing quietly, motions slower and less frantic, but much more tense. Maybe... maybe there was some way to explain this to Bookman too? Bookman didn't know - there was no way he could know - that Lavi was already attached to Tyki. Perhaps if he told the old man he was just doing it to get information from the other side, that his heart wasn't involved...
Lavi sighed quietly, walking across the room to grab his boots. There was little chance that that particular lie would work, especially since Bookman had been interviewing the Noah just about every day since Lavi had brought Tyki to the Order.
The redhead leaned over and shoved first one foot then the other into his shoes, not bothering to tie them.
The quiet noise of sheets rustling drew his attention back to the bed. He turned, nervously hoping he hadn't woken the older man up and letting out a soft sound of relief when he saw that Tyki had simply rolled over in his sleep, now occupying the warm patch Lavi had vacated a short time before. He studied the man for a moment, almost mesmerized by the sight of Tyki's face and body relaxed in sleep. It was a sight he hadn't seen before and would probably never see again, since he probably couldn't explain away his absence so far this morning to Bookman.
Lavi's eye traced the soft contours of Tyki's face, wondering how the Noah managed to keep that air of experienced seductiveness about him even while asleep, when people were supposed to look innocent and childlike. He wanted to step forward, to press a kiss to those slightly parted and inviting lips like he had done when the Noah had been unconscious in the infirmary, but restrained himself. On the off chance that Bookman hadn't woken up yet, he couldn't afford to dally.
Jerking his gaze away from the sleeping man, he took a deep breath and steeled himself. He plastered his usual 'Lavi' grin on his face, wishing it didn't feel so forced. He opened the door and walked out into the hallway, surprising the two Finders who had been half-asleep while standing guard.
"Good morning!" the Exorcist said, giving a jaunty wave as he walked away from the room and the Finders. He ignored their shocked expressions and turned away, a small part of him hoping that, if he acted like everything was normal, rumors of him spending all night in Tyki's room wouldn't be all over the Order by lunchtime. Those rumors would certainly make it more difficult to get Bookman to believe him, no matter what story he came up with. He could always lie about why he had been in the room, but crafting a credible reason would be difficult.
As he moved away, he could hear excited whispering break out behind him between the two Finders. While he couldn't make out the exact words, he could tell the gist of it plainly enough.
He'd be lucky to make it to lunch without overhearing a rumor about himself and the Pleasure. He'd be even luckier if Bookman didn't hear before that.
With a mild curse, Lavi began to quicken his pace and then broke out into a sprint halfway down the hall.
Line Break
Tyki breathed in deeply, still half-asleep and quite comfortable. Perhaps a bit chilled, but he blamed that on the thin blanket, his current state of undress, and the dank room the Order kept him in.
The familiar scent of his recent... activities was still in the air and he smirked contentedly, reaching out blindly for the Exorcist that had fallen asleep next to him the previous night. He moved his arm along the rumpled covers, frowning slightly when his hand only met the other half of the mattress, an annoyingly empty half.
He opened his eyes, his frown deepening when he didn't see Lavi sleeping next to him. Slowly, with what remained of his good mood fading quickly, he pushed himself to a sitting position and looked around the small room. His eyes briefly caught on the mirror, but nothing he saw reflected in the glass interested him. Lavi was gone, only slight traces remaining to show that the redhead had even been there. The slight warmth radiating from the other side of the bed, the afterglow Tyki could still feel deep in his bones, the younger man's scent all over the pillows and sheets and in the air...
The Exorcist's clothes and shoes, however, had disappeared from the floor. Tyki sighed quietly, laying back down on the bed and letting his arms fall where they would. He stared at the ceiling, unfamiliar with the slight bitterness welling within him. He very much doubted that he would have slept through it if someone had come into his room uninvited and taken Lavi away, and given Lavi's previous track record... it seemed likely that the redhead had simply left before the Noah woke up.
The bitterness inside him grew stronger and more heated as he pictured the Exorcist waking up and sneaking away without so much as a... something, Tyki wasn't sure what. A good morning kiss? No, that was too cliche. His body was much too satisfied for him to even begin to think that he wanted more of what he had last night-
Though, he had to admit, he did want more. More nights spent just like the night previous, though a different conclusion would be best. Waking up together somehow sounded infinitely more satisfying than waking up alone.
Tyki's thoughts paused and his eyes widened slightly. Then he chuckled, rolling over on to his side.
How many nights had he snuck out of his partner's bed, determined to escape to his own room? How many mornings had his partners woken up just like he had today, expecting to see someone who was no longer next to them?
How many had felt this bitterness he was coming to recognize as disappointment, maybe even a little bit of anger and resentment?
Probably many, if not all, of them. He had always been careful to avoid hinting at any sort of possible future between him and his conquests, but that didn't mean that some people he seduced didn't expect more. Those that had met him at fancy parties and lavish banquets had probably fancied themselves the one to be able to make Lord Tyki Mikk finally settle down. None of them had ever even come close.
None of them... briefly, his mind flashed to the color red and the sound of a breathless, pleasured call of his name.
His mirth faded and disappeared. He stayed on his side, staring at the wall pensively but without seeing the stone construction at all. He tracked the somewhat disturbing route his thoughts had taken, wondering how they had ended up in dangerous territory without him realizing.
He was the Noah of Pleasure, not the Noah of Monogamy. Up until now, he couldn't think of a single relationship he had been as invested in as he was in this one now. 'Affection' was simple and safe enough; there was nothing unusual about becoming fond of the Exorcist. Still, to even consider for an instant that it wouldn't be so terrible to put an end to his bachelor life so long as he was ending it for Lavi...
That was absurd.
His eyes narrowed in a glare, shifting his focus to the glint of metal he could see draped across the mattress. The damn shackles... he had thought before that they not only altered his appearance but changed his thought processes too, and wasn't this just more proof?
It had to be. There was no way he was actually considering... that.
As he sighed and rolled on to his back, he couldn't help but long for a cigarette and wish that the bed didn't feel so depressingly empty.
Line Break
Komui buried his head in his hands, his beret off for once as he tangled his fingers in his hair and pulled. Intellectually he knew that, no matter how hard he pulled, the motion wouldn't jumpstart his brain and allow him to come up with a solution to his current problem.
He exhaled slowly and removed one hand from his hair, yanking his tangled fingers free of the dark strands. He let his hand fall onto the desk then slid his fingers underneath a paper sheet filled with complicated calculations, half of which were scribbled out. He picked up the broken pencil that lay on another, similar sheet, and began scratching out his latest brainwave. The formula just wouldn't work, he knew it wouldn't.
He let out a frustrated sigh, dropping both pencil and paper as soon as the damned formula and the calculations accompanying it were obliterated. He slumped back in his chair, shifting so his forehead rested on his palm and the other arm draped across the armrest of his office chair.
That had taken an hour to create, and ten minutes into calculating the specifics needed, he had realized that there was no way for it to work.
He slumped even further into his chair, lifting his resting arm to reach for the cup of coffee on his desk. He reached blindly for a moment, not bothering to lift his head. When his fingers only encountered empty air and more paperwork, he raised his gaze. There sat his blue rabbit coffee cup, resting on the other side of hid desk and several inches beyond reach from his slumped position.
Lacking the energy to even chuckle humorlessly, he dropped his arm again and shifted in his chair to try and be somewhat more comfortable. It didn't work.
He shifted again, now resting the side of his face on his palm instead of his forehead. He studied his desk, at the crumpled balls of paper and the exploded pens, the worn-out pencils and the stacks of undone paperwork.
The last sight made him smile a bit wryly. At least Reever wasn't on his case to do the boring but necessary paperwork that came with being the head of the Science Department for the Black Order. Reever was actually the one who had asked for his help on the current project as none of the other scientists were having any sort of luck coming up with a working formula.
Komui's smile faded, expression turning resigned.
That Reever had needed to come to him was a bad sign. Even worse was that he couldn't figure out a solution either.
He leaned forward once more, shuffling through the other sheets of paper that lined his desk. Perhaps he could work on the designs and make some headway on those, though without the formula and the invention of some sort of round chamber, the designs would be next to useless...
Komui ignored the pessimistic thought and scanned the few designs on his desk. Most were variations on a theme, the only major variance the length and width of the barrels and the size of the chamber area. In total, he had just five different designs. All five were simple, ready to be mass produced the moment a workable chamber was created for the type of ammunition they were going to be using.
It had seemed like such a simple, brilliant idea at first. Sure, Komui had expected some challenges, but nothing like this. Sure, the Noah had freely admitted he wasn't sure how the Akuma made the bullets from the virus in their blood, but Komui hadn't expected the process would be so difficult to figure out, or so difficult to apply to another type of material. Not a virus, but an energy.
Komui frowned at the designs, putting them aside. There was nothing he could do with them, not until he figured out a way to turn the Innocences' surplus energy into bullets so that even the Finders could be armed with anti-Akuma weaponry. Crystallizing the energy, however, was presenting more headaches than expected.
He ran the fingers of one hand through his hair, picking up his beret with the other hand. He fit his cap firmly on his head and straightened his glasses then leaned forward towards a small stack of notes.
He'd review the data on the Innocences' energy output and then try to come up with another solution. If the Earl could turn something as miniscule as a virus into a deadly bullet, surely the Order could transform the Innocences' nearly-tangible energy into the same?
Line Break
Devitto lounged on a chair, one leg thrown over one armrest while his other foot rested on the floor. His hands were folded behind his head and he was scowling up at the ceiling.
Or at the hair that constantly drifted over his eyes and forced him to blow a stream of air at the offending strands until they no longer obscured his vision. He hadn't decided which.
Jasdero was kneeling over the floor, on elbow and knees as he drew the number five over and over again on the expensive hardwood in permanent marker. Devitto wasn't even about to ask where the blonde had found the marker, since those things were usually kept far away from them to avoid mayhem. One of Road's schoolbooks - probably math, but for all Devitto knew, it could be geography - was abandoned several feet from Jasdero's current position.
Devitto looked at the workbook for a moment, briefly wondering where he tossed the English essay he was supposed to be writing. If nothing else, he could doodle offensive images on the blank sheets to get rid of some of the boredom he felt. Helping Road with her homework had become a fairly common task lately, ever since that dinner where everyone had learned that the Noah of Pleasure, their very own Tyki Mikk, was a traitor and had defected to the side of the Exorcists.
The Earl just simply wasn't around to help the 'little' girl anymore. Devitto scowled as he recalled all the times Road had burst into his room, bored and demanding a playmate. With the loss of both the Earl and Tyki as partners in one fell swoop, it seemed the task fell to Jasdevi to entertain the Noah of Dreams. The Earl had been shut up in his lab more and more often as of late, working on something mysterious. Devitto didn't know what (apparently Road didn't either, which annoyed the girl to no end), but it made his skin crawl every time he walked by the locked door.
Jasdero apparently felt the same, though the blonde didn't know the cause either.
Devitto shifted, making himself more comfortable in the plush armchair. His gaze didn't move from the ceiling (or the annoying strands that were back again) as he tried to imagine what the Earl could be working on.
If it had something to do with the Innocence the Earl had insisted be brought back intact, that would neatly explain the creepy-crawly feeling Devitto and Jesdero got whenever they walked passed the room, but what on Earth would the Millennium Earl be doing with Innocence?
Line Break
Komui stared blearily at the latest failed formula, ready to just throw in the towel and admit defeat. There was no way he'd have this ready any time soon. If he had a month, maybe, but the Earl could strike whenever, unexpectedly. The sooner the Finders had arms, the better.
He threw down the sheet of paper in anger, hearing the pencil strike the paper-lined desk with a muffled 'clack' and then roll along the surface to fall once more and hit the ground. He groaned, knowing that he had probably just broken another pencil tip. If he wanted to write more, he would need to locate his buried pencil sharpener and sharpen at least one writing utensil (or more - he was going through these things like a fat, greedy child through gumdrops).
Too irritated to bother with that just yet, he reached for his coffee cup and took a long gulp from it. The contents burned his tongue a bit, but he ignored the pain. He had to have gone through at least two full pots already tonight and he was no closer to finding a solution...
He set the cup down firmly, almost slamming it onto one of the stacks of paperwork he had been allowed to ignore all day long. It made a dull noise, the dullness of the sound adding to his frustration rather than alleviating some of it.
He removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair, resting his hand on the back of his head and lightly tapping his knuckles against the back of his skull. If only he could get some sort of handle on how the Akuma's virus was turned into bullets, maybe then he could duplicate the process with energy, but with only Mikk's sketchy understanding of it it would be almost impossible to figure out how to turn Innocence into bullets-
A sudden thought struck him, rendering him speechless. Komui's eyes widened behind his glasses, suddenly feeling as awake as if he had just had five shots of espresso. He remained frozen in his chair for several long heartbeats, stunned into motionlessness. When he finally did move, it was in a flurry of activity as he sprung out of his chair and headed for the office door.
If he was remembering correctly - and he would check the file to be certain - then he had something better than knowledge of how to create a blood-virus bullet at his disposal. If his memory wasn't failing him yet (and it shouldn't be, he was only 29!), then there was someone currently inside the Order building who knew how to create a bullet using on the energy of Innocence.
He would just check the files first. The Ghost of Matel was a fairly recent mission - hopefully the mission reports would not be buried too far down.
Almost giddy with excitement, Komui practically ran out of his office towards the storage room where the archives were kept.
TBC…
A/N: Sorry about the long wait! Since I last posted, I have moved into my dorm and started classes. First year of college for the win… -_- I’ve been busy, but hopefully the next chapter will not take me as long to write.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review, it means a lot to me!
Author: Bookkbaby
Rating: Teen
Warnings: YAOI
Summary: LUCKY Pair, Yullen. It started as a simple game of poker, but a little white lie from Lavi changes everything. ['If you lose... you spend the night here, with me, and let me do whatever I want with you.']
A/N: This is my first multichapter fanfic for the DGM fandom! Yay! I’m fairly new to the fandom, but hopefully I haven’t made any unforgivable mistakes.
Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Limes are in the future, and lemons in the uncut versions (not on fanfiction(dot)net). Maybe some OOC, spoilers for the end of the anime later on.
Disclaimer: I don’t own these lovely characters, that honor belongs to Katsura Hoshino. (Though if Hoshino-sama ever has a sale, I call dibs on Tyki… what?) I don’t own anything but a copy of the anime series and all volumes of the manga in English. Anything you don’t recognize (like the plotline of ‘A Game of Poker’) does belong to me. Everything else… not so much. Please don’t sue.
Kudos to the awesome SisterWicked of AssHat Productions (a group I am now a proud member of), who got me started on Lucky and lets me use 'lovely'! Beta’d by N.H. Arawn and Misster Cackles! All remaining mistakes are mine.
Last Time On ‘A Game Of Poker’:
Hoping that Alex never talked was probably too unrealistic. Hertz just hoped that the story wouldn't spread to the higher-ups too quickly and when it did, he hoped it was untraceable. He would rather not suffer whatever the punishment was for disobeying orders and letting a Finder whose past hadn't been thoroughly checked by Komui near the Noah.
It probably wouldn't be pleasant.
He sighed again, wishing the next shift would hurry up so he could report to Komui and go to sleep. He'd probably have damage control in the morning and would need to cover that idiot's tracks before Alex got them all caught.
And Now, The Continuation
A Game of Poker, Chapter 23
Test a Theory
Bookman sat at his desk, staring at a blank sheet of paper. In one hand he gripped a pen, poised to write, but for once the old man's mind was not concentrating on the task before him.
With a soft sigh he set the pen on the desktop and turned in his chair to stare at the set of bunk beds he had shared with his apprentice since joining the Black Order. He had retired the night previous without seeing the redhead. That wasn't unusual in and of itself - Lavi often enjoyed roaming the halls or reading late at night in the library when there was no one to disturb him, but the boy had always returned before Bookman was awake the next day.
This time, Lavi had not come back.
The redhead had still been absent when Bookman had woken up this morning. His bed was still made and obviously hadn't been slept in. The redhead's late hours ensured that he never woke up before his mentor, so Bookman doubted that Lavi would manage to wake up, make his bed, and dress without waking the old man up.
Lavi had been out all night and had to still be inside the Order. Komui would have informed Bookman if his apprentice had been sent out on any last-minute missions or if he had been injured severely enough to warrant an overnight stay in the medical wing. That knowledge, coupled with the rumors Bookman had been overhearing as of late, painted a very disturbing picture.
"Kanda said Lavi brought him here. It's probably Lavi that Mikk switched for-"
"-do you think they're sleeping together?"
"-The Earl found out that one of his Noah was having an affair with an Exorcist and Lavi had to go save Tyki-"
Lavi's behavior for the past few months only added weight to the theory. His actions definitely indicated that the redhead hid an enormous secret. If that secret was that Lavi had been meeting with the Noah, then that cleared everything up neatly.
Perhaps it was finally time to have that talk with Lavi. He had been putting it off ever since the redhead had returned with the unconscious Noah on his back. Regardless of whether or not Bookman's suspicions were correct, the redhead needed to explain his absence this morning.
He stared at Lavi's bed for a few moments more then stood stiffly. His joints ached and creaked, each sound ringing in his ears and reminding him that - spry and agile as he may be - he was no longer young. Finding another apprentice was not an option at this point.
He sighed quietly and though his perfect posture did not relax an inch, there was a slightly defeated air about him. He slowly gathered up his materials - ink, pen, paper - and headed for the door.
It was impossible to concentrate in this room with the made but unused bed and the ramifications of that distracting him. Perhaps the library would offer a better atmosphere.
If he didn't see Lavi until later, then so be it.
Tonight would be early enough to talk to his apprentice.
Line Break
Lavi's consciousness returned slowly, piece by piece. The first thing he was aware of was the pleasant heat surrounding him, radiating both from his side and beneath him. He nuzzled closer to that warmth and felt the light weight on his side shift and a gentle press on his back. He 'mmm'd contentedly, feeling his pillow expand and contract in time to the barely-there, warm breeze that blew across his scalp and teased his hair.
He couldn't remember the last time he had woken up so leisurely or so comfortably, and he had a very good memory.
He inhaled through his nose, part of his brain - still fuzzy from sleep - taking notice of the scents around him. The air was heavy but not suffocating, filled with a familiar, soothing scent of spice and soap, and another scent... Upon realizing what that smell was, Lavi's eyes snapped open and his body stilled. His breath caught in his throat, the contented feeling vanishing to be replaced by something cold and unfriendly.
His mouth went dry and his throat constricted. Lavi tried to take deep, even breaths to calm his suddenly racing heart, but he could feel himself tremble ever so slightly. In front of his eyes was his own hand, lightly tanned fingers resting softly on an expanse of olive-colored skin. Lavi could see his hand move as Tyki breathed in and out. The warm puffs of air that moved through the younger man's hair now sent chills down his spine. Lavi could hear his bedmate's heartbeat, the sound an almost lethargic one when compared to his own. The scent of Tyki and sex was thick in the air, the latter scent the one that had broken through the sleep-fog shrouding the Exorcist's mind and woken him up completely.
Slowly, trying desperately to not wake the man sleeping next to him, Lavi shifted his arm and placed his palm against the mattress before pushing himself up. The arm that had been resting across his waist tried to hold on to him but slid off as the redhead moved away from the sleeping man. Lavi slowly slipped out of the bed, putting his bare feet on the cold stone floor and hardly noticing the chill. As soon as he was safely off the mattress he sprung into action. Now all he had to worry about was making too much noise and waking Tyki, rather than worry that he'd accidentally shake the man awake.
He quickly but silently grabbed his underclothes and pants, yanking them on over his bare form while cursing mentally. He reached down and grabbed his eyepatch and bandanna, tying the patch back on to cover his eye and shoving the bandanna into his pants pocket.
His socks he pulled on over his bare feet, hopping slightly and still keeping up a steady stream of curses inside his head.
He hadn't meant to fall asleep! Five minutes in Tyki's arms shouldn't have been that comfortable; he had been fully prepared to leave as soon as his five minutes were up!
Staying a few hours was one thing and could possibly be explained away if anyone got suspicious, but an entire night...
Lavi glanced out the window, motions becoming more jerky and frantic as he noticed the time. The sun was well past the horizon, judging by the amount of light outside, and Bookman would doubtless be awake by now.
"Shit, shit shit..." he hissed, pulling his shirt roughly over his head, mentally berating himself. How had he just let himself fall asleep? Unless he was incredibly lucky and Bookman hadn't woken up yet or hadn't noticed his absence, he would have a lot of explaining to do when he got back to his room and then...
He swallowed heavily, movements stilling as his whirling thoughts began to rotate around one point, one single thought that he hadn't let himself consider since waking up next to the Noah.
This had to end. This would end the moment he went back and talked to Bookman - he would certainly never be allowed to come back.
Last night had truly been the last night.
Lavi finished pulling on his shirt, not bothering to tuck it into his loose pants and simply tugging on the bottom to make the material lie flat across his chest. His throat seemed to have developed a lump and he could feel something ache inside his chest. No, not just ache... there was a stabbing pain, a feeling of impending loss. It wasn't something he could shake off easily, but rather settled around him like a heavy stone cloak.
Lavi finished dressing quietly, motions slower and less frantic, but much more tense. Maybe... maybe there was some way to explain this to Bookman too? Bookman didn't know - there was no way he could know - that Lavi was already attached to Tyki. Perhaps if he told the old man he was just doing it to get information from the other side, that his heart wasn't involved...
Lavi sighed quietly, walking across the room to grab his boots. There was little chance that that particular lie would work, especially since Bookman had been interviewing the Noah just about every day since Lavi had brought Tyki to the Order.
The redhead leaned over and shoved first one foot then the other into his shoes, not bothering to tie them.
The quiet noise of sheets rustling drew his attention back to the bed. He turned, nervously hoping he hadn't woken the older man up and letting out a soft sound of relief when he saw that Tyki had simply rolled over in his sleep, now occupying the warm patch Lavi had vacated a short time before. He studied the man for a moment, almost mesmerized by the sight of Tyki's face and body relaxed in sleep. It was a sight he hadn't seen before and would probably never see again, since he probably couldn't explain away his absence so far this morning to Bookman.
Lavi's eye traced the soft contours of Tyki's face, wondering how the Noah managed to keep that air of experienced seductiveness about him even while asleep, when people were supposed to look innocent and childlike. He wanted to step forward, to press a kiss to those slightly parted and inviting lips like he had done when the Noah had been unconscious in the infirmary, but restrained himself. On the off chance that Bookman hadn't woken up yet, he couldn't afford to dally.
Jerking his gaze away from the sleeping man, he took a deep breath and steeled himself. He plastered his usual 'Lavi' grin on his face, wishing it didn't feel so forced. He opened the door and walked out into the hallway, surprising the two Finders who had been half-asleep while standing guard.
"Good morning!" the Exorcist said, giving a jaunty wave as he walked away from the room and the Finders. He ignored their shocked expressions and turned away, a small part of him hoping that, if he acted like everything was normal, rumors of him spending all night in Tyki's room wouldn't be all over the Order by lunchtime. Those rumors would certainly make it more difficult to get Bookman to believe him, no matter what story he came up with. He could always lie about why he had been in the room, but crafting a credible reason would be difficult.
As he moved away, he could hear excited whispering break out behind him between the two Finders. While he couldn't make out the exact words, he could tell the gist of it plainly enough.
He'd be lucky to make it to lunch without overhearing a rumor about himself and the Pleasure. He'd be even luckier if Bookman didn't hear before that.
With a mild curse, Lavi began to quicken his pace and then broke out into a sprint halfway down the hall.
Line Break
Tyki breathed in deeply, still half-asleep and quite comfortable. Perhaps a bit chilled, but he blamed that on the thin blanket, his current state of undress, and the dank room the Order kept him in.
The familiar scent of his recent... activities was still in the air and he smirked contentedly, reaching out blindly for the Exorcist that had fallen asleep next to him the previous night. He moved his arm along the rumpled covers, frowning slightly when his hand only met the other half of the mattress, an annoyingly empty half.
He opened his eyes, his frown deepening when he didn't see Lavi sleeping next to him. Slowly, with what remained of his good mood fading quickly, he pushed himself to a sitting position and looked around the small room. His eyes briefly caught on the mirror, but nothing he saw reflected in the glass interested him. Lavi was gone, only slight traces remaining to show that the redhead had even been there. The slight warmth radiating from the other side of the bed, the afterglow Tyki could still feel deep in his bones, the younger man's scent all over the pillows and sheets and in the air...
The Exorcist's clothes and shoes, however, had disappeared from the floor. Tyki sighed quietly, laying back down on the bed and letting his arms fall where they would. He stared at the ceiling, unfamiliar with the slight bitterness welling within him. He very much doubted that he would have slept through it if someone had come into his room uninvited and taken Lavi away, and given Lavi's previous track record... it seemed likely that the redhead had simply left before the Noah woke up.
The bitterness inside him grew stronger and more heated as he pictured the Exorcist waking up and sneaking away without so much as a... something, Tyki wasn't sure what. A good morning kiss? No, that was too cliche. His body was much too satisfied for him to even begin to think that he wanted more of what he had last night-
Though, he had to admit, he did want more. More nights spent just like the night previous, though a different conclusion would be best. Waking up together somehow sounded infinitely more satisfying than waking up alone.
Tyki's thoughts paused and his eyes widened slightly. Then he chuckled, rolling over on to his side.
How many nights had he snuck out of his partner's bed, determined to escape to his own room? How many mornings had his partners woken up just like he had today, expecting to see someone who was no longer next to them?
How many had felt this bitterness he was coming to recognize as disappointment, maybe even a little bit of anger and resentment?
Probably many, if not all, of them. He had always been careful to avoid hinting at any sort of possible future between him and his conquests, but that didn't mean that some people he seduced didn't expect more. Those that had met him at fancy parties and lavish banquets had probably fancied themselves the one to be able to make Lord Tyki Mikk finally settle down. None of them had ever even come close.
None of them... briefly, his mind flashed to the color red and the sound of a breathless, pleasured call of his name.
His mirth faded and disappeared. He stayed on his side, staring at the wall pensively but without seeing the stone construction at all. He tracked the somewhat disturbing route his thoughts had taken, wondering how they had ended up in dangerous territory without him realizing.
He was the Noah of Pleasure, not the Noah of Monogamy. Up until now, he couldn't think of a single relationship he had been as invested in as he was in this one now. 'Affection' was simple and safe enough; there was nothing unusual about becoming fond of the Exorcist. Still, to even consider for an instant that it wouldn't be so terrible to put an end to his bachelor life so long as he was ending it for Lavi...
That was absurd.
His eyes narrowed in a glare, shifting his focus to the glint of metal he could see draped across the mattress. The damn shackles... he had thought before that they not only altered his appearance but changed his thought processes too, and wasn't this just more proof?
It had to be. There was no way he was actually considering... that.
As he sighed and rolled on to his back, he couldn't help but long for a cigarette and wish that the bed didn't feel so depressingly empty.
Line Break
Komui buried his head in his hands, his beret off for once as he tangled his fingers in his hair and pulled. Intellectually he knew that, no matter how hard he pulled, the motion wouldn't jumpstart his brain and allow him to come up with a solution to his current problem.
He exhaled slowly and removed one hand from his hair, yanking his tangled fingers free of the dark strands. He let his hand fall onto the desk then slid his fingers underneath a paper sheet filled with complicated calculations, half of which were scribbled out. He picked up the broken pencil that lay on another, similar sheet, and began scratching out his latest brainwave. The formula just wouldn't work, he knew it wouldn't.
He let out a frustrated sigh, dropping both pencil and paper as soon as the damned formula and the calculations accompanying it were obliterated. He slumped back in his chair, shifting so his forehead rested on his palm and the other arm draped across the armrest of his office chair.
That had taken an hour to create, and ten minutes into calculating the specifics needed, he had realized that there was no way for it to work.
He slumped even further into his chair, lifting his resting arm to reach for the cup of coffee on his desk. He reached blindly for a moment, not bothering to lift his head. When his fingers only encountered empty air and more paperwork, he raised his gaze. There sat his blue rabbit coffee cup, resting on the other side of hid desk and several inches beyond reach from his slumped position.
Lacking the energy to even chuckle humorlessly, he dropped his arm again and shifted in his chair to try and be somewhat more comfortable. It didn't work.
He shifted again, now resting the side of his face on his palm instead of his forehead. He studied his desk, at the crumpled balls of paper and the exploded pens, the worn-out pencils and the stacks of undone paperwork.
The last sight made him smile a bit wryly. At least Reever wasn't on his case to do the boring but necessary paperwork that came with being the head of the Science Department for the Black Order. Reever was actually the one who had asked for his help on the current project as none of the other scientists were having any sort of luck coming up with a working formula.
Komui's smile faded, expression turning resigned.
That Reever had needed to come to him was a bad sign. Even worse was that he couldn't figure out a solution either.
He leaned forward once more, shuffling through the other sheets of paper that lined his desk. Perhaps he could work on the designs and make some headway on those, though without the formula and the invention of some sort of round chamber, the designs would be next to useless...
Komui ignored the pessimistic thought and scanned the few designs on his desk. Most were variations on a theme, the only major variance the length and width of the barrels and the size of the chamber area. In total, he had just five different designs. All five were simple, ready to be mass produced the moment a workable chamber was created for the type of ammunition they were going to be using.
It had seemed like such a simple, brilliant idea at first. Sure, Komui had expected some challenges, but nothing like this. Sure, the Noah had freely admitted he wasn't sure how the Akuma made the bullets from the virus in their blood, but Komui hadn't expected the process would be so difficult to figure out, or so difficult to apply to another type of material. Not a virus, but an energy.
Komui frowned at the designs, putting them aside. There was nothing he could do with them, not until he figured out a way to turn the Innocences' surplus energy into bullets so that even the Finders could be armed with anti-Akuma weaponry. Crystallizing the energy, however, was presenting more headaches than expected.
He ran the fingers of one hand through his hair, picking up his beret with the other hand. He fit his cap firmly on his head and straightened his glasses then leaned forward towards a small stack of notes.
He'd review the data on the Innocences' energy output and then try to come up with another solution. If the Earl could turn something as miniscule as a virus into a deadly bullet, surely the Order could transform the Innocences' nearly-tangible energy into the same?
Line Break
Devitto lounged on a chair, one leg thrown over one armrest while his other foot rested on the floor. His hands were folded behind his head and he was scowling up at the ceiling.
Or at the hair that constantly drifted over his eyes and forced him to blow a stream of air at the offending strands until they no longer obscured his vision. He hadn't decided which.
Jasdero was kneeling over the floor, on elbow and knees as he drew the number five over and over again on the expensive hardwood in permanent marker. Devitto wasn't even about to ask where the blonde had found the marker, since those things were usually kept far away from them to avoid mayhem. One of Road's schoolbooks - probably math, but for all Devitto knew, it could be geography - was abandoned several feet from Jasdero's current position.
Devitto looked at the workbook for a moment, briefly wondering where he tossed the English essay he was supposed to be writing. If nothing else, he could doodle offensive images on the blank sheets to get rid of some of the boredom he felt. Helping Road with her homework had become a fairly common task lately, ever since that dinner where everyone had learned that the Noah of Pleasure, their very own Tyki Mikk, was a traitor and had defected to the side of the Exorcists.
The Earl just simply wasn't around to help the 'little' girl anymore. Devitto scowled as he recalled all the times Road had burst into his room, bored and demanding a playmate. With the loss of both the Earl and Tyki as partners in one fell swoop, it seemed the task fell to Jasdevi to entertain the Noah of Dreams. The Earl had been shut up in his lab more and more often as of late, working on something mysterious. Devitto didn't know what (apparently Road didn't either, which annoyed the girl to no end), but it made his skin crawl every time he walked by the locked door.
Jasdero apparently felt the same, though the blonde didn't know the cause either.
Devitto shifted, making himself more comfortable in the plush armchair. His gaze didn't move from the ceiling (or the annoying strands that were back again) as he tried to imagine what the Earl could be working on.
If it had something to do with the Innocence the Earl had insisted be brought back intact, that would neatly explain the creepy-crawly feeling Devitto and Jesdero got whenever they walked passed the room, but what on Earth would the Millennium Earl be doing with Innocence?
Line Break
Komui stared blearily at the latest failed formula, ready to just throw in the towel and admit defeat. There was no way he'd have this ready any time soon. If he had a month, maybe, but the Earl could strike whenever, unexpectedly. The sooner the Finders had arms, the better.
He threw down the sheet of paper in anger, hearing the pencil strike the paper-lined desk with a muffled 'clack' and then roll along the surface to fall once more and hit the ground. He groaned, knowing that he had probably just broken another pencil tip. If he wanted to write more, he would need to locate his buried pencil sharpener and sharpen at least one writing utensil (or more - he was going through these things like a fat, greedy child through gumdrops).
Too irritated to bother with that just yet, he reached for his coffee cup and took a long gulp from it. The contents burned his tongue a bit, but he ignored the pain. He had to have gone through at least two full pots already tonight and he was no closer to finding a solution...
He set the cup down firmly, almost slamming it onto one of the stacks of paperwork he had been allowed to ignore all day long. It made a dull noise, the dullness of the sound adding to his frustration rather than alleviating some of it.
He removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair, resting his hand on the back of his head and lightly tapping his knuckles against the back of his skull. If only he could get some sort of handle on how the Akuma's virus was turned into bullets, maybe then he could duplicate the process with energy, but with only Mikk's sketchy understanding of it it would be almost impossible to figure out how to turn Innocence into bullets-
A sudden thought struck him, rendering him speechless. Komui's eyes widened behind his glasses, suddenly feeling as awake as if he had just had five shots of espresso. He remained frozen in his chair for several long heartbeats, stunned into motionlessness. When he finally did move, it was in a flurry of activity as he sprung out of his chair and headed for the office door.
If he was remembering correctly - and he would check the file to be certain - then he had something better than knowledge of how to create a blood-virus bullet at his disposal. If his memory wasn't failing him yet (and it shouldn't be, he was only 29!), then there was someone currently inside the Order building who knew how to create a bullet using on the energy of Innocence.
He would just check the files first. The Ghost of Matel was a fairly recent mission - hopefully the mission reports would not be buried too far down.
Almost giddy with excitement, Komui practically ran out of his office towards the storage room where the archives were kept.
TBC…
A/N: Sorry about the long wait! Since I last posted, I have moved into my dorm and started classes. First year of college for the win… -_- I’ve been busy, but hopefully the next chapter will not take me as long to write.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review, it means a lot to me!