[Fic] When Kanda Smiles pt 3

[harmony283.livejournal.com]

Characters: Lavi, Bookman
Rating: T 
A/N: third drabble in the series. Set sometime after the previous one. Tried to add in a bit of humor near the end, though it's definitely the most serious one to date. Yes I can't help but add angst into my writing. I really can't T^T *sobwhine*

Warning: mild violence, mild language, phallic objects, mentionings of strange neighbors, two convenient time skips, and too much mascara 

He decides early on that pleading is his best option, when the older man scowls firmly at the very much lack of work he had done in the two hours he had given him before his return. Plead and plead and hope to high heck that what he spent those two hours doing got shoved somewhere to the back as a small detail among many.

Except he knew it was all a crapshoot to begin with. Of course the man would notice. He might-nearly-be-90, but that didn't stop him, or how painful it was when a hand connected to his head and from the pitiful state he was on the floor, cowering in fear.

"B-But Jiji!" He tries, more like whines, and the scowl deepens, "Y'can't expect me to do so much in two hours!" 

"Of course I can. You're my apprentice." Maybe he wishes the response wasn't so cold, but what can he do? Sit and watch, mostly, as the man flips through each log to check for completeness, "I expect more than this." And maybe he should expect more than a bit of elation at the approving gleam that rests there for half a second, but he knew better than to hope, "But I will let this slide. For once." The gleam is gone and Lavi feels something else connect to his head--the logs, the piles, dropped...

"Ouch--shit!" 

"Such vulgar language." And maybe the old man was teasing him, and maybe that was just a bit creepy, "Put them away. We're going out to eat tonight." 

Lavi blinks and stares at the smaller man's back, "Eh?" 

The man reaches the staircase leading up to the first floor, "You heard me. You might as well attempt to throw something nice on, the restaurant is quite the fancy place." 

He doesn't get a chance to reply again, before Bookman (at a much faster pace than should be capable of his age) disappears up the stairs and through the door, leaving him sitting there amongst a pile of books, and a cellphone that's going off again. He chooses not to answer (when Bookman said hurry, it meant hurry) and, after all, they hadn't exactly gone out to eat much lately. He was getting tired of cooking.

~(Convenient Time Skip)~

Well if that wasn't just a little awkward.

Oh god, stop touching me please

Lavi shifts in his seat a little as the woman bats an overly mascara-applied eye at him. How do her eyes not stick together? No, he didn't necessarily need to know that, but above all else. Where the heck had Bookman gone? Lavi did a once over of his surroundings, doing his best to keep on an attentive smile as the woman blabbed on and on about something to do with crappy drinks, overly expensive shoes and--damn...he knew he had a bit of money (with their job description, they couldn't not be paid enough) but frugality was second nature to him, and the fact that someone could spend so much money was so far beyond him that when she mentioned her next purchase--her 3rd vacation home, in the Bahama's--he nearly choked on his drink.

Nearly, of course, but he was trained better than that.

"But you know, my neighbors just act so strange there." The shift in tone made Lavi's ears perk up Oh? "I mean...not that I want to speak badly about anyone, but...one neighbor in particular bothers me. He's somewhat of a recluse, I guess you could say, and he must be a big fan of Dracula, because I've never seen him in the daytime, yet I hear him play an organ at night!" She let out a shiver, "How creepy is that?" another..batted...thick...eyelash.

"Neh, very, when did you buy this house again?" Because he was pretty sure she hadn't mentioned that, she almost looked surprised that he asked.

"Oh! Yes, how rude of me, to leave out that one itty-bitty," Oh god my ears, "detail." her fingers clinked against the table as she picked up her glass, "It was actually quite recently--last summer. June sixth if I remember correctly." 

Yuu-chan's birthday?

The woman took a sip, "But these neighbors didn't make themselves known, you see. Everything seemed so cheery." She paused before she took another sip, and sighed, "Though it might just be me, hmm?" 

"Depending on how often you go there." He didn't want to sound mean, but, "You went there for summer, and winter, I'm assuming?" The woman nodded her head, "How many weeks, and, well, the Bahama's are known to be a hot vacation spot. You're bound to get a few weird ones in there." 

The woman bit an overly plump lip, "I suppose your right." Then she fell silent, eyes turning back to the crowd, and Lavi was almost thankful except for the fact he had been told to keep the woman talking.

He didn't think he could hate his job anymore than he did right now.

But thankfully the hating was nearly quite snuffed out.

Nearly

If it wasn't for the scowl on Bookman's face, as he came up to the table from wherever he had disappeared off to. The jolt of the woman next to him nearly sent alarms going off in the back of his head but--oh, oh--

"Lavi," he almost flinched, but didn't, at the harshness of the others voice, "I don't believe things are going well, do you?" He glanced at the woman but didn't smile. The woman didn't smile back either.

"Neh, I dunno gramps, the foods takin' a while." Because it was the first thing to pop into his head, and hopefully he wouldn't be blamed if it was the wrong thing.

Apparently it wasn't.

"Hum, well," and the chair next to him was pulled out again, as the Bookman sat down plainly, like his last words hadn't meant a thing, "I suppose that's good then. What did you order me?" 

"What you usually like." And then Lavi pointed to the small menu (displaying the newer things) that always rested on the center of tables in a fancy restaurant such as this one. Though maybe that had been a little mean, because he already knew Bookman really, really, disliked anything banana flavored. But it was a form of payback for leaving him here.

And if the man could damn order him Wasabi then of course he could. Of course.

The scowl was gone in an instant, "Ah, of course." 

Well who's going to be complaining in the morning? Not me

~(Convenient Time Skip #2)~

"Oww shit!" 

"You know I don't like banana's" 

"And you know I don't like Wasabi!" 

"That isn't my fault" 

"Well it isn't my fault you hate bananas!" 

Silence

"Why do you hate them anyway?" 

"That's not a question." 

"Yeah it is. See the question mark." Lavi traced it in the air with his free hand, holding his head with the other, "And I wanna know. You never even touch 'em, heck, I bet you'd rather die than eat banana's if that was the only food on a deserted island." 

The man made some sort of choking noise, as he lit up a cigarette. Lavi pretended not to cough as the smoke wafted under his nose, "I certainly would eat them, if that was the case." He remarked offhandedly, tossing the burnt out match into the gutter.

"Yeah but I'd like to see you do it on a regular basis." A pause, "They're a good source of Potassium, y'know." 

"So are many other things." 

"And they're yellow--a happy color." He got a muted nod in response, "Oh--and they're phallic shaped, sorta. Used in tons of--OWW!" 

Another direct hit, straight to the head.

"Jiji!" 

"Stupid apprentice." Lavi raised his head in time to see the man's quickening pace, he was far ahead of him by the time he managed to stand.

But not far enough away to ignore his shout, "So that's why you hate them?" 

He didn't get a response, obviously. But then, he figured, being locked out of his house was enough.

Dammit.