Lavi sat up in bed, scratching the back of his head. It was just barely two in the morning, and already he was awake. He looked over by his side to see his partner sleeping. His chest rose and fell with his silent breaths, sometimes groaning in his sleep. Lavi reached over and stroked the long, flowing beryl hair.

Yu Kanda had always said that Lavi was a nuisance, and he wouldn't dare think of the Bookman-in-training as even a friend; now, here they were sleeping together every night and making love. Lavi smiled to himself as he remembered an old conversation that the two had shared just a few days ago.

"Akai Ito, the Red String of Fate." Lavi looked up as Kanda spoke to himself.

"Sorry, what?" Lavi asked. Kanda smirked as he caught the Bookman's attention.

"Akai Ito." Lavi was lost. "In my country's beliefs, the Red String of Fate connects soul mates together by their smallest finger. It can bend and tangle and stretch as much as it needs to, but it won't ever break." Lavi saw something glow in Kanda's eyes as he explained, despite the permanent line on his face.

"And do you believe in that?" Lavi asked. A small hue came to Kanda's cheeks, and he looked slightly flustered. "I guess you do~"

"Oh shut up!" Kanda stood and left the table to go train. Lavi chuckled to himself. After a few moments of thought, he went to Komui to ask for a favor. He was glad he did.

"Time to get to work!" Lavi hissed.

Slowly, and without disturbing his bedmate, Lavi stood from the bed and walked around in the dim moonlight, trying to find where his clothes had been thrown. Kanda's aim was random when the two were caught in what they were doing. He managed to find his pants hanging from the desk in the corner of his room and fished out just what he needed.

"Gah!" Lavi slapped his hand over his mouth as he kicked the chair. He looked over at Kanda, but the Exorcist was in deep sleep and didn't hear the squeaking scream that came from his mouth. Slowly, he crept back to the bed, hands moving back and forth in front of him to check for any furniture that he might run into. His shins found the bed for him.

After a few moments of blinking back tears and fighting pain, he sat back onto the bed and grabbed Kanda's hand. The young Exorcist's brow came together before he opened his eyes, frowning at being awoken. He heard a pleased giggle and sat up, rubbing his eyes. The other person squeaked.

"Lavi?" he asked, looking over at the red-head whose face was turning paler by the second. He felt something tugging at his hand. He looked down, a slight gasp coming from his lips, and Lavi smiled.

A small, thin red string was tied tightly around his pinky finger, trailed around the bed messily, and ended at Lavi's hand. He blinked a few times and then looked at his partner, confusion obvious in his face.

"Well...uh, you know how you...ya know, you told me about the, uh, the Akai Ito? Yeah, um, I kinda... I did this." He blushed and laughed nervously, holding his hand up. Kanda was speechless. He couldn't think of a sarcastic retort or insult to reply to what Lavi had done.

"Y-You don't like it?" Lavi asked with a slightly downcast look. His face become hot with embarrassment. "I'm sorry...that was kinda stupid..." He stopped talking when Kanda leaned forward and pressed their lips together.

"It was stupid," Kanda said when they parted. He kissed him again. "Thank you."