[fic] The Rise of Odette
Title: The Rise of Odette.
Summary: He was mistaken for someone else, yet the feeling of being accepted made him warm inside.
Rating: PG-13.
Word Count: 1714.
Pairing: Leviathan/Kyouya Hibari.
Prompt: Five years later.
AN: I wasn't going to write for this round, yet my_name_is_yui and I decided to write companion crack stories at the last minute. Please, keep in mind this isn't to be taken seriously. All of the speech for Kyouya is by my_name_is_yui while everything else is by me.
Rejection was a normal occurrence, yet it never stopped the thoughts that ran through his mind. If he became stronger, would his boss acknowledge him then? The constant ring of the clocks within Levi's room were becoming insignificant, the different types of bells and tones that his ears were accustomed to carrying on to ring. The footsteps outside of his door were ones he recognised, he concluded, as he was fiddling with the switches upon the clocks.
“Levi-chan,” the male crooned, pushing the door open noiselessly. “You know what you have to do today.”
The frown was noticeable on his face. “Stop with the honorifics,” he demanded, “we're in Italy, not Japan. It just makes you seem like a fool.” The constant drawl of his name with the honorific slapped on the end was horrifying, an insult if he acknowledged it that way, too. Lussuria was simply implying who was more trusted in a roundabout way. Their boss preferred someone else to have Levi's missions-he'd found out the hard way, hearing the one he respected mutter-preferably someone who didn't have their imaginary tail wagging whenever they were spoken to.
But Lussuria of all people? Levi was horrified the first time he'd found out. Of course, he knew the the flamboyant male who wore sunglasses as a necessity could fight fairly well. After all, the Varia was made up solely of the best assassins in the world. Whenever he was reminded of that fact, he puffed his chest up with pride, pushing the shine of his piercings that caught his eye out of his mind.
“No,” he refused bluntly, shaking his head in exasperation. “I only agree to your little bets when I'm drunk, I'm not doing it now.” Levi raised his chin in indignation. “I don't see Belphegor carrying them out.”
A muffled voice came through the wall beside him. “You're forgetting I'm a prince, Levi!” Lussuria grinned in agreement, bobbing his head for a moment.
If Levi was a cat, his skin would've bristled, displaying his displeasure. Walking away quickly with only the sound of footsteps as company, annoyance was clear in his face. Levi walked for minutes on end, dismissing when Mammon popped up as he usually did, waving his hand dismissively as he passed.
When he was aware where he was, moonlight was streaming through the cracks in the trees, bushes were surrounding him and the fact he had too little clothing on came to his attention. Outrage flashed across his face when he saw the tutu around his waist, the black vest across his torso compared with the lack of footwear. It should have been obvious that stones were pressing against the hard skin of his heels, yet he hadn't paid attention.
“Damn it, Mammon,” he cursed, blaming the arcobaleno entirely for the outfit change. That had to have been why they had passed each other in the hallway. Incredulously Levi reached down, in an attempt to shake the illusion off, somehow, but his plan backfired. “Shit.” He ended up with his back in a bush, the leaves obscuring his vision as the pain became apparent. There was no laughter in the air, a clear indication that it was only him alone in the park. Scurrying out of the bush, Levi spat on the ground a goblet of saliva, the liquid intertwined with some of the leaves that had gotten into his mouth.
As he was pushing, a voice cut through the air, their tone livid. “Who’s there?” Levi's eye twitched; although it had been a little over five years, he recognised it. It wasn't as though he could forget the male, though, to his own distaste, it was someone who was imprinted within his mind.
Kyouya Hibari had the nerve to mock his boss, not caring about the hateful eyes that stared at him after. The younger male needed his ego damaged, for blood to have poured from an orifice, too, yet with Levi clad in the outfit he was, he growled under his breath in frustration. How could he make his boss proud of him like that? All that would happen would be his own pride being damaged, although it had already been from the years within the Varia.
“Shouldn't that be directed at you?” Levi replied, finally standing firmly on the ground. The dirt was brushed off of his outfit, drawing more attention to the garments. “Why are you in Italy?” Was it to taunt him more, even though five years had passed?
“The reason why I am in Italy should be of no concern to you,” the male replied, his attitude as stubborn as ever. It irked Levi to no end the way Hibari placed himself upon a pedestal, deeming himself more important than anyone else. Xanxus was the way who was like that, not him. He had no right to show that attitude to him-it only reminded him of the past. “Hi-Hibird?”
Levi blinked. Was that some sort of an insult, one that he couldn't understand? It was possible, after all, he wasn't incredibly fluent in Japanese. They had been exchanging in that language since the beginning, paying no respect to what country they were in. “Show some respect,” he demanded since Xanxus was within an hour distance. If he caught word that someone was there, disrespecting as usual, the order to slaughter them might have been said. The corner of Levi's lip twitched as he considered the possibilities. Not acknowledging the degrading outfit, he weighed the pros and cons of trying to injure the foreigner.
There was one problem, though. His umbrellas weren't present from the illusion that had been cast.
Hibari smirked. “Oh, I see you gained an attitude since I've been gone.” The comment stung, Levi's eyes narrowing as he took in the words fully. So, he was known for who he was, yet the younger male had underestimated him. He possessed the same attitude as before; it was just the outfit he was lacking back then.
“I've always been like this.” Levi took a step forward, his arms firmly by his side. “You just never took notice.”
Levi stiffened when arms were around his waist, pulling him closer to the younger male. He looked down incredulously, his expression aghast as he put his hands onto his shoulders. “I'm sorry, Hibird. I'll make sure to pay more attention to you from now on.” Levi was awkward, not sure whether to push him away. It wasn't the reaction he was expecting-more than anything, a fight should have been what was happening. “I missed you. Don't ever leave me again.”
Hibird had to have been an insult. Levi pushed the male away from him, frowning. “Kyouya Hibari,” he said testily. “You have nerve.” What was the attachment the Japanese male was showing? It should have been anger, pure and simple anger reflected in the form of his tonfas being thrown.
“Will you at least sing for me?” Hibari asked suddenly, his voice solemn. “Just one more time?” He had looked away, as if in embarrassment while emotions were travelling across Levi's face at light speed. He couldn't sing, he knew that for sure, yet the lack of rejection was getting to him. Why was he being accepted all of the sudden, even without introducing his name? It wasn't... right. Not at all. “I feel as though we're drifting apart.” They were never together to begin with. “We've known each other for more than five years. We've been through so much... I don't want it to end like this.”
“I will never sing for you,” Levi announced, pushing Hibari away from him. “I am not loyal to you, nor will I ever be.” There was only his boss for him, not a kid-even though he was over the age of twenty-who had managed to mistake him for someone else. The acceptance was a fluke, much like their meeting. “The most I can do, however, is fight you.” Simply to win someone's favour. “Kyouya Hibari, today, you will meet your match,” he proclaimed, stabbing his finger in the air, “my name is Leviathan.”
The threat didn't go through to the other. “Let us make peace, not war.”
“No, I will obliterate you, Kyouya Hibari,” Levi hissed, his hands searching behind him before he realised his umbrellas were still gone. Mammon was having too much fun with keeping the illusion active, the bet that had been lost coming back to his mind. Damn it, he cursed in his mind, hating luck at that moment. “I will gain respect by showing your wounded body.”
“Baby, don't you see?” Hibari muttered, a real expression being reflected within his obsidian irides. “You're already hurting me!”
Hibari wasn't acting anything like Levi remembered he did. He was supposed to be strong, arrogant and all knowing, not an utter idiot who was spouting nonsense in the middle of a park. Levi took a cautious step back, narrowing his eyes as he stared at him. “You're not how you used to be,” he said tentatively, not deeming the male worth a fight. Bringing someone without a backbone, no matter how injured they were, back to the Varia wasn't a good idea. Even if it was Tsunayoshi Sawada, the one who had stolen his boss's rightful place, if his personality had completely swapped, he wouldn't drag him back. “Fix yourself.”
Levi pivoted on his foot, walking away quickly. He blocked out the noises at that point, his embarrassment, too, from being seen by someone he was acquainted with in such an outfit.
It was odd, to say the least. Rejection was normally what he encountered; rejection of all kinds. It didn't matter what gender it was from, it appeared. He wasn't deemed good enough, nor did anyone apologise to him. Yet, why the hell had Hibari acted that way? He ran his hand through his hair, thoroughly confused.
“Children are scum,” he murmured, mimicking what his boss would've said.
All he had left to do was shout at Mammon until the illusion wore off.