[ Kanda knows that tone of voice well. it means Lavi is about to routinely rearrange his life again which, come to think of it, is probably why they're even in this. state of being. to begin with. a modest house with a well-tended garden, cobblestone front path and a lawn no one dares to heedlessly trample on except maybe Lavi. it's ridiculous and normal and nothing at all like what he'd ever expected for himself. on bad days, when the orb in his chest threatens to come apart with every breath, Kanda can almost admit to someone other than himself that he's more than okay with this.
today is not one of those days.
it's not even one of those other days circled in red on their calendar, when Lavi gets more ridiculous than usual and Kanda has to remind himself to blunt the edge of his words.
so.
after the customary frown and an instinctive step back-no, make that two, he's learned the hard way that some of Lavi's bad ideas bite-he crosses his arms and stares, making absolutely no effort to conceal what he thinks of this. this. ]
...Is that a flying cat?
[ actually, never mind. let's nip this in the bud asap. ]
[And don't forget the white picket fence. Lavi wouldn't dream of living in a house without one of those. A white picket fence and a porch swing so he could laze about while the sun went down (or up depending how godawful early Kanda wanted to wake up), waiting for Kanda to come back after training or tending to his garden so Lavi can motherhen him with tea and soba and make sure that the tattoo hasn't gotten any bigger. That was usually the time when Kanda could be at his sweetest (if Kanda Yuu could ever be called sweet)]
[Oh, but today Kanda had the looks of being an incurable grump. Incurable and more irritable than usual. Was Kanda's eye starting to twitch again?]
But he's lonely, yeah. And he doesn't have anyone to turn to. You wouldn't really condemn him to a life outside in the cold, would you?
[The cat swivels it head to look at Lavi, little furry gears in its mind turning. Perhaps with a little work, it could secure itself an endless supply of food, a roof over its head, and all the flowers that it could ever want to eat]
[And thus the cat rubs up against Kanda's leg, arm, or whatever it can reach and starts purring as loud as it can. This only adds to Lavi's whining]
[ they do indeed have a white picket fence. Kanda probably pointed out, repeatedly and with increasing exasperation, that it makes no sense to have white fences when they never stay white for long, then gave up because it made Lavi happy and didn't really bother him either way. the porch swing concerned him only because it looked like an open invitation for all the neighbourhood brats to invade their lawn, but then he came home from training one morning to find Lavi sprawled on it in a sleepy, boneless heap, looking about as content as Kanda ever remembers seeing him (and he has). it ended in him waking Lavi up with a gruff scratch of his fingers through red hair, followed immediately by the tip of Mugen's sheath grazing the other's nose ("You're getting soft, Rabbit"), but he hasn't said a word about the swing since, except when it creaks and he makes Lavi oil it.
no, it's not twitching yet, but it very well might if he stares any harder at those. wings. if this turns out to be one of the science division's many questionable accomplishments...
hell, no. he's not going to let some beast invade his house. moves his arm out of reach with a one-shouldered shrug. ]
[Of course he was getting soft, although Lavi would argue he had been always a bit on the soft side. A little cushioning to go with Kanda's bony elbows and sharp tongue. And speaking of mouths, Kanda was probably rewarded with a very grateful 'thank-you' kiss after days went by and the swing was still intact. Not that Kanda probably knew what the kiss was for, but Lavi liked keeping him guessing in the first place. Sadly such events are what probably what started the trend of Lavi asking for forgiveness instead of permission. It made things much easier in the long run. No need to raise Kanda's blood pressure at the laundry list of things that Lavi would need to ask for]
[Like one flying white cat who happened to match the white picket fence. If it was white at the moment. Lavi was going to get around to repainting it. Someday. Eventually]
[Lavi scoops up the furball, and it seems content for the moment to purr in his arms. And probably looking more than a little smug at the moment]
But Yuu, we don't have a neighbor for miles. [One of the major perks of living out here] And who would take him? He wouldn't get along with Timcampy so Allen's out. ... I don't want to even think what Komui would do with him, so that strikes out him and Lenalee. Marie's half a continent away. And Miranda...
[Bites the inside of his lip like he always does when he's trying to figure out a way to tip the scales in his favor]
If we kept him, he could help keep the mice out of your garden~
[ Lavi's right, he had no idea what the kiss was for. the matter's been stamped with a big red mental 'case closed' by then, and while Kanda was initially suspicious of what could've brought it on, he'd eventually chalked it up to Lavi feeling particularly affectionate for no good reason and carried on. it's questionable, though, as to the number of times Lavi asked for forgiveness and actually got it. some items on that laundry list were probably met with forced eviction at sword point.
like one flying white cat will be, unless it wipes that look off its face real soon. Kanda doesn't care if it matches the fence or the drapes or the couch or every delicate flower in the goddamn garden. no one looks at him like that.
and Lavi's wheedling now, meaning he's gotten himself attached to this particular bad idea, and will be nigh impossible to live with for the next few days if Kanda says no. on the other hand, he'll be just as impossible to live with if he gets to keep the thing, and Kanda will have to put up with two of them plus the possibility of finding cat poop in utterly unreasonable places. say, the top of a closet. whoever thought it a good idea to give this cat wings clearly hasn't thought very far beyond that.
typical. ]
Who cares? Dump it on Beansprout anyway. Or hell, put it back where you found it.
[ such a simple solution, Lavi. why don't you see it. ]
It's a flying. Cat. [ ...repeated because one of them has to keep things in perspective, and it sure isn't going to be Lavi. ] You don't even know if it's safe. I can handle my own garden.
[Not just the idea. Lavi is very much in love with this cat and already has a hundred cute little scenes dancing in his head about how it can be incorporated into their makeshift family unit. Like the three of them watching fireworks from their rooftop, the cat flitting her and there as he pleased. Or the little furball gliding alongside Lavi as he practiced using the brakes on hammer travel (which Lavi had still not perfected after all these years). Or best yet, someone (or something) Lavi could send out into the garden to let Kanda know that dinner (soba, of course) was ready. All the possibilities!]
[Have an exasperated sigh there, Yuu ol' pal. Kill joy]
I care, yeah. I mean, look at this face!
[Lavi practically shoves the flying fluffball two inches from Kanda's face as if Kanda couldn't see it from where he was standing]
How can you say no to this face? And does this look like the face of something dangerous?
today is not one of those days.
it's not even one of those other days circled in red on their calendar, when Lavi gets more ridiculous than usual and Kanda has to remind himself to blunt the edge of his words.
so.
after the customary frown and an instinctive step back-no, make that two, he's learned the hard way that some of Lavi's bad ideas bite-he crosses his arms and stares, making absolutely no effort to conceal what he thinks of this. this. ]
...Is that a flying cat?
[ actually, never mind. let's nip this in the bud asap. ]
Put it back.
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[Oh, but today Kanda had the looks of being an incurable grump. Incurable and more irritable than usual. Was Kanda's eye starting to twitch again?]
But he's lonely, yeah. And he doesn't have anyone to turn to. You wouldn't really condemn him to a life outside in the cold, would you?
[The cat swivels it head to look at Lavi, little furry gears in its mind turning. Perhaps with a little work, it could secure itself an endless supply of food, a roof over its head, and all the flowers that it could ever want to eat]
[And thus the cat rubs up against Kanda's leg, arm, or whatever it can reach and starts purring as loud as it can. This only adds to Lavi's whining]
See! He likes you!
Reply
no, it's not twitching yet, but it very well might if he stares any harder at those. wings. if this turns out to be one of the science division's many questionable accomplishments...
hell, no. he's not going to let some beast invade his house. moves his arm out of reach with a one-shouldered shrug. ]
So make someone else take him. He's noisy.
[ and he makes you noisy. ]
Reply
[Like one flying white cat who happened to match the white picket fence. If it was white at the moment. Lavi was going to get around to repainting it. Someday. Eventually]
[Lavi scoops up the furball, and it seems content for the moment to purr in his arms. And probably looking more than a little smug at the moment]
But Yuu, we don't have a neighbor for miles. [One of the major perks of living out here] And who would take him? He wouldn't get along with Timcampy so Allen's out. ... I don't want to even think what Komui would do with him, so that strikes out him and Lenalee. Marie's half a continent away. And Miranda...
[Bites the inside of his lip like he always does when he's trying to figure out a way to tip the scales in his favor]
If we kept him, he could help keep the mice out of your garden~
Reply
like one flying white cat will be, unless it wipes that look off its face real soon. Kanda doesn't care if it matches the fence or the drapes or the couch or every delicate flower in the goddamn garden. no one looks at him like that.
and Lavi's wheedling now, meaning he's gotten himself attached to this particular bad idea, and will be nigh impossible to live with for the next few days if Kanda says no. on the other hand, he'll be just as impossible to live with if he gets to keep the thing, and Kanda will have to put up with two of them plus the possibility of finding cat poop in utterly unreasonable places. say, the top of a closet. whoever thought it a good idea to give this cat wings clearly hasn't thought very far beyond that.
typical. ]
Who cares? Dump it on Beansprout anyway. Or hell, put it back where you found it.
[ such a simple solution, Lavi. why don't you see it. ]
It's a flying. Cat. [ ...repeated because one of them has to keep things in perspective, and it sure isn't going to be Lavi. ] You don't even know if it's safe. I can handle my own garden.
Reply
[Have an exasperated sigh there, Yuu ol' pal. Kill joy]
I care, yeah. I mean, look at this face!
[Lavi practically shoves the flying fluffball two inches from Kanda's face as if Kanda couldn't see it from where he was standing]
How can you say no to this face? And does this look like the face of something dangerous?
[Not waiting for a reply]
I didn't think so.
Reply
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