It's your birthday!! apapazukamori

[sincere]

Happy birthday,
apapazukamori~!
You wanted more 14th & Lavi, so... here we go!


He fell asleep on the sofa in the library, even though after years of disuse it was stiff and covered in dust. Ever since the music had started, Lavi had spent all his time in this room, reading everything he could get his hands on. It was terrible stuff: a lot of fiction and the only theses -- mostly philosophical and humanitarian -- were some fifty years out of date. If he read with even half of his attention, he could impassively find and dissect pieces of their arguments that had been countered or re-considered in the intervening decades; and the fiction wasn't even worth reading with half of his attention.

But it wasn't really about the reading. It was about escaping the music.

So falling asleep on the sofa in the library, some random book splayed over his chest, had been his refuge for nearly a week now. General Cross brought him meals from who the hell knew where -- Lavi was personally rather surprised that the man was cooperative enough to do anything of the sort, considering his usual behavior -- and the 14th stayed away from him.

Waking up to find the 14th curled up on the armchair across from him was definitely not part of the routine.

Lavi shot upright quickly, grabbing for the book that had been resting on his chest before it fell noisily to the floor.

It didn't really look like him. It looked like Allen: stayed up too late out of concern for someone else, asleep with his legs tucked up against the chair, boots off; his features slack and peaceful in sleep; and most importantly, his skin creamy and flushed with health, and forehead unmarred. Like Lavi could just reach out and touch him, and he would--

He opened his eyes and smiled.

Lavi almost choked. Allen murmured, "You're overstressing yourself. Don't worry so much."

"Don't worry so much?" Lavi echoed.

"It worries me," Allen said, and then he laid his head back down. A second passed in stillness before he seemed to shake himself awake a second time, this time slowly prying his eyes open and looking up, shifting position and stretching his muscles discreetly. His gray gaze fixed on Lavi, and his lips curved up. "You were watching me sleep?"

...he doesn't remember? His brain kicked itself into activity. "Of course. It's like one of those newspaper features, what's wrong with this picture."

Walker sat straight up, running a hand through his hair. "You'll find more than usual. I've been feeling rather odd in the mornings after I stay up late composing. I shouldn't stay up so long -- this body isn't accustomed to my ways." He sounded wry.

He has no idea what happened. Hell, I have no idea what happened.

But he had one guess -- maybe more of a hope.

Lavi let out a small breath. "Yeah," he said distantly. "Wouldn't want to stress out that body."

Maybe he would go downstairs for breakfast today.

Comments

[apapazukamori.livejournal.com]

*_________*

*GLOMP* Thaaaaaank you. ♥♥

"It's like one of those newspaper features, what's wrong with this picture."

Ohh, Lavi's bitterness hurts. D: As much as I understand it, I still feel bad for the Fourteenth, because of what you've established in the other stories.

And the little flicker of hope that Allen's still there. :*D I love this storyline so much, omg.