It was bullshit. That's what it was — utter and complete bullshit.

Lavi had spent the entirety of his college career focusing on the important subjects: Literature, History, Languages, all the things he needed to successfully reach his career goals. He'd been studying for three and a half years for this, on the cusp of graduating, and what happened?

His advisor threw him a fucking curveball.

Lavi sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face and let out a long, exasperated groan. He got a few amused looks from the other groups of people in the common area. "Lena, what the fuck am I supposed to do now?"

Lenalee rolled her eyes as she continued to chew on a handful of trail mix. She set her book down, resting it against her lap. They were sharing a couch in the Student Center, Lavi on one end with his laptop on the table next to them and Lenalee stretched out across the rest of the couch with her feet perched on his lap as she read her book.

"I think you already know the answer to that question, Lavi," she said looking over at the redhead with amusement. "Just take an art class. It's not hard."

"It is a waste of time. I don't want to spend my last semester as an undergrad fucking around with charcoal and oil paint." He kept his gaze on the laptop, clicking through the course catalog and frowning at every page.

"Well, you're the one who didn't pay attention to your class schedule. You should've taken the art requirement in your first year." She pulled her book back up and tried to keep reading.

Lavi chewed at the inside of his cheek and tapped at the keyboard. "I don't need your negativity right now. I have enough of my own."

Lenalee closed her dark eyes and sighed. Pulling her feet off of his lap, she sat up and set her book down once more. She peered over his shoulder to look at the computer. "Stop being a baby and just take a class. It doesn't matter what art class it is, right? You just need the one class for the credits?"

"So says my advisor. I still think she's full of shit."

"Just take Intro to Drawing. I'm taking that this semester. Because, unlike some people, I pay attention to graduation requirements and don't spend all my time in history classes."

"Goddamn Liberal Arts college…" he mumbled, still clicking through the online catalogue.

"Lavi…"

"Lena…" he mocked, not looking back at her.

Lenalee frowned and flicked him in the back of the head. "Don't be smart."

Lavi whined and rubbed at his head, finally turning to look at her. "That was uncalled for. Is this how you treat all your friends?"

"You need to just take the damn course, Lavi. C'mon, if we take it together, it'll be more fun. We can walk to class together and get lattes beforehand." Lenalee leaned over him, taking control of the laptop. She moved back to find the page with the art classes. "Take the class with me. It'll be easy. You can draw, right?"

"No."

"Oh, shush. Just take it. All you have to do is pass and you can graduate. Unless you want to stick around just for me? Keep me company while I finish my own degree?"

"As tempting as that sounds, I don't want to deal with the Old Panda bitching me out for missing my graduation deadline. He might skin me alive if he has to shell out any more money for tuition." Lavi pushed Lenalee's hands away from the keyboard and grimaced as he signed up for the drawing class.

Lenalee smiled, then kissed the top of his head. "There. Was that so hard?"

"Yes. I think I'm dying now." He stared at his course selection for the next semester, looking like a man on death row.

Lenalee shook her head and slipped her sandals back on as she stood up. "You need to stop exaggerating. No one takes you seriously anymore." She closed Lavi's laptop to keep him from moping any longer and grabbed her book. "Let's go to the café. I think I need some caffeine."

"Fine, fine," Lavi grumbled, packing the computer away into his messenger bag and shouldering it as he stood up to follow. "But don't expect me to like this. I'm going to bitch the whole semester."

"How is that any different from normal?"

"Hey!"

xXxXxXx

The smell of paint and charcoal permeated the studio, though Lavi had grown used to it after the first few weeks of class. Large windows let in the natural light, illuminating his sketchpad as he stared at the subject in the middle of the room. There were only fifteen students in the class, and during every session, they arranged their easels in a circle around the room. Professor Tiedoll set up a new subject every day, and gave them two hours to draw it. They had to use different mediums, sometimes pencil, sometimes charcoal or pastels. Today, he stared at a basket of fruit — red grapes and apples, bananas, and a few oranges. The class was supposed to draw the still life with pastels, incorporating as much color as they could into the piece.

Thirty minutes had passed and Lavi continued to stare at the basket, while his sketchpad remained blank.

"Lena," he said in a hushed voice.

"Hm?" she mumbled, her hand gracefully gliding over the paper. She already had her sketch half completed. She didn't bother to look at him.

"Do you think those grapes have seeds?"

It took her a moment to pull herself from her work, but when she did, she gave Lavi a confused look. "Why do you care? And how should I know? I'm not exactly a produce expert."

Lavi twisted a piece of brown pastel in his fingers before he answered. "Because I'm thinking of eating them and choking on the seeds. If I die, I don't have to finish the class."

"See, I knew you were gonna be dramatic," she said going back to her own work. "And you'd better draw something. Tiedoll will actually fail you if you don't try. Then you'll have to take the class over again."

"Fuck my life," Lavi mumbled, rubbing his face with his clean hand before staring back at the basket of fruit. This was the worst. How the fuck was he supposed to pass the class when his professor refused to listen to reason?

After a few more minutes of silent debate with himself and internal whining, Lavi put his brown pastel to the blank page. The sketchpad was large, 18x24 inches, and the paper crinkled easily if he wasn't careful with it. He had bought the cheapest sketchpad he could find, only realizing a few days into the course what a mistake he had made.

With a sigh, he slid the oily stick over the paper, carefully working the lines of the piece: First, the bowl, then the grapes, then a few of the apples and bananas. After he worked the lines, he grabbed some colors – reds, purples, yellows. His eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated, analyzing the bowl of fruit like he would one of his history texts. After an hour of quiet concentration, he was pulled out of his work when Lena nudged his shoulder.

"Hey, that looks nice," she said, admiring the drawing. "More accurate than mine." She pointed at her own work. With the class nearly over, she had completed the assignment for the most part (there was always something little she would find to tweak on her sketches), but it looked nothing like Lavi's.

He compared their two works. Lavi drew as close to real life as he could. His drawing almost looked like someone had snapped a photograph and put on an artsy filter. The shapes and lines were dead on, and the colors were as close as he could come with the paltry supplies he had to use. Lenalee went the opposite route, using crazy colors to create her work. The bowl of fruit was clearly visible in her drawing, but the colors and shapes were slightly off.

Lavi shrugged at his friend's praise. "Yeah, but mine is… It's not right."

Lenalee shook her head. "You know it doesn't have to look exactly like real life, right?" She pulled out a pink pastel and highlighted some of the apples on her sketchpad.

"Then what's the point?" Lavi asked, frustration clear in his voice. "If it doesn't look exactly the same, then it's not right."

"Maybe you should've taken photography," Lenalee mumbled under her breath, but her taunt was lost on the redhead. He continued to glare at his own drawing.

Their conversation caught the professor's attention, and Lenalee smiled back at him as he hovered behind her shoulder to inspect her work.

"Ah! Another beautiful piece, Ms. Lee. Your color sense is so bold. Are you sure this is your first college level art class?" Tiedoll asked, his eyes never leaving the sketchpad.

"Thank you, Professor," she said, blushing under the praise. "And yes, it is."

"You should think about taking more classes. I'd love for you to try oil paints," Tiedoll said, sighing as if he were imagining all the possibilities.

When he moved behind Lavi, the redhead's shoulders hunched up and his jaw tightened. He didn't look back at the professor, but could feel his judgmental gaze on his drawing.

Tiedoll sighed, exasperated. "Oh, Mr. Bookman. I just… I don't know what we're going to do with you."

Lavi bristled at the phrasing, but kept his mouth shut. This had been the same reaction he'd received for every single drawing he'd turned in. They weren't bad – far from it. He knew that technically, his art was good. He could copy any line and recreate an image, and if he had the right materials, he could get the colors spot on as well. But it all came down to the same thing—

"I just don't see any emotion in your work," Tiedoll said, shaking his head. "There's no soul."

Losing his cool, Lavi turned on the professor and glared up at him. The effect was less than menacing as he sat on a rickety stool, his hands covered in various pastels like a toddler in art class. "How exactly am I supposed to put my soul into a bowl of fruit?"

"The subject of your piece shouldn't matter," Tiedoll explained, adjusting his thick glasses. "No matter what you work on, you should put your heart into the project. Art is as much the execution as it is the finished product."

Lavi scowled and turned back to his drawing, fighting the urge to rip the damned thing in two right in front of his professor. Before he could say anything, Tiedoll was called away by another student, leaving Lavi alone with his destructive thoughts. After a moment, he turned to Lenalee, frustration still shadowing his face.

"He's crazy, right? I can't be the only one who thinks it."

Lenalee gave him a pitying look. "Well… I don't know. I mean… Your drawing is nice enough to look at, it just…"

"Just? Just what, Lena?"

"It's… lifeless."

"It's a still-life! How am I supposed to put life in it when there is none?" Lavi complained. He rubbed at his hands on his face, trying to calm himself before he left class in a huff.

"Uh, Lavi. Your hands…" Lenalee said, wincing at her friend's breakdown.

When Lavi pulled his hands back, he realized his mistake – they were covered in the pastels he'd been using all through class. He didn't need a mirror to know he'd just smudged the colors all over his face. "Goddammit."

xXxXxXx

"I'm not going."

"Lavi, you have to go. If you start missing class, you really will fail."

Lavi stared up at the ceiling of his dorm room, the white texture reminding him too much of his empty sketchbooks. He turned to his side on the bed, scowling as he pressed the phone to his ear. "I don't wanna."

Lenalee sighed. "Just come to class. I promise you that you'll like this one."

"Doubt it."

"I'd bet money on it."

This perked Lavi's interest. "How much we talkin'?"

"Five bucks? Let's just say if you don't like the class, I'll buy your coffee tomorrow morning. Deal?"

Free coffee? Well, he couldn't exactly say no to that. "Fine. Are you coming by my room beforehand?"

"No, I'll meet you at class. Just make sure to show up, okay?"

"Fiiiiine. I'll be there." He ended the call then groaned. He should have known better than to call Lenalee before class — she had a knack for talking him out of skipping every time. Now he had to show up, or risk a lecture later on how he was wasting his extremely expensive education by not attending every class he had.

Even though he wanted nothing more than to quit out of sheer frustration, he wouldn't give Tiedoll the satisfaction. He would pass the class, and with high marks, too. He'd be damned if he let a stupid art course get the best of him. He was better than that!

Checking the time on his phone, Lavi whined and pulled himself out of bed. Class would start in twenty minutes, and considering it would take him fifteen minutes just to cross campus, he had to get his shit together and leave now before it was too late. Cursing under his breath, he shoved his art supplies into his backpack and grabbed a few essential items (phone, wallet, extra strength aspirin to deal with Tiedoll's idiocy), then headed out the door.

The walk to class left Lavi feeling morose without Lenalee's presence to keep him upbeat. They had walked to class every day so far that semester, and Lavi only now realized how easy it would've been to skip if she didn't keep on him like a parole officer. Had she not bribed him over the phone, he would've stayed in his room to take a long nap. But the bribe alone wasn't enough to get him to class. What really had him moving in spite of his complete and utter dislike for the required course was Lenalee's insistence that he needed to be there. She had been certain he would like class today — but why? Why today?

He had to know — the curiosity was killing him. He could stand being high on paint fumes for two hours if it meant solving the mystery.

Lavi arrived with a few minutes to spare, scanning the room as he entered. The easels stood in a circle like usual, and most of his classmates were already settled into their usual stools. However, two things were off.

First, there was no subject set up in the middle of the room. Professor Tiedoll had been consistent in preparing something different for them to sketch each class. Lavi wondered what the old codger was up to.

And second — there was a stranger in his stool.

Lavi raised one eyebrow as he approached his usual seat, eyeing the guy up. He was talking to Lenalee, each of them face to face as they chatted, not noticing his approach. Lavi had seen him on campus before, maybe once or twice, but only in passing. It was hard not to notice that shock of white hair on someone so young. He wasn't sure if it was dyed or natural, but it had always caught Lavi's attention when he saw him.

The only other noticeable feature on the guy was a strange scar over his left eye. It seemed faded, but the skin was pink and jagged, leaving Lavi to wonder what could've caused such a scar. As he approached the two and continued to study the stranger, Lavi couldn't lie to himself — the guy was cute.

Lenalee caught his eye first, then waved as he dropped his backpack near his assigned easel. "So, you managed to make it after all?"

Lavi sighed, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "I couldn't say no to our little bet."

"Bet?" the white-haired stranger asked, turning to Lenalee in confusion.

She shook her head and laughed. "It's nothing. Oh, but I should introduce you!" Lenalee gestured to Lavi. "Allen Walker, this is Lavi Bookman. Lavi, this is Allen. He's helping out in class today."

Allen turned to Lavi and smiled, his smile softening. "Nice to meet you, Lavi."

"Likewise," Lavi returned, unable to keep himself from grinning back. "So, you're helping out in class? Is that why Tiedoll hasn't set up another fabulous still-life for us to draw?"

Lenalee chuckled and curled her hand over her smiling lips. "Yeah. Allen's modeling for us today."

"Oh, really?"

"Mm. I do it on occasion. I usually get compensated for it," Allen said, tucking a few strands of loose hair behind his ear. "Lenalee told me that Professor Tiedoll wanted a model for class."

"Well, this will be better than that goddamn bowl of fruit," Lavi commented, pulling out his sketchbook and clipping it to the easel.

Allen stood up, leaving the stool to Lavi when he spotted Tiedoll entering the classroom. "I should get ready." He turned to Lenalee. "I'll see you after class?"

She nodded and grabbed the sticks of charcoal from her bag. "Right! We're still on for lunch?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Allen added before heading over to talk with the professor.

Lavi watched Allen leave, then turned his gaze over to Lenalee, a mischievous smile on his face. "Lunch, huh? Why, Lenalee. Don't tell me you're seeing this guy? And you didn't even bother to tell me? I'm hurt."

Lenalee rolled her eyes. "Okay. First, Allen is as gay as Elton John riding a unicorn and waving a rainbow flag—"

"That is very specific."

"—And second," Lenalee continued, ignoring Lavi's interruption. "Like I wouldn't tell you if I were dating someone. Please, have some faith in me. Allen and I are just friends."

"Fine, fine," Lavi said, his tone just short of teasing. "I suppose I'll let it slide this time. I'm just surprised you haven't mentioned him until now."

"Well, it hasn't come up until now," she replied, scrutinizing her supplies. "And what's the big deal, anyway? You're acting like you're personally crushed I haven't introduced you sooner."

Sitting down on the uncomfortable stool, Lavi sifted through his bag, searching for something to draw with. "Hey, it's not my fault you're hiding all your cute friends from me," he said, offhandedly.

"Cute?"

Lavi realized his mistake instantly. "Aw, shit."

Lenalee laughed, then handed Lavi some of her extra charcoal. "If you think he's cute, then you'll really appreciate today's assignment."

Taking the stick, Lavi eyed her suspiciously. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you'll see."

Before Lavi could try to wring the truth out of her, Tiedoll clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Class, we have a special assignment for today's lesson." He grinned as Allen stood behind him, smiling sweetly at the students surrounding them. "I've arranged for Mr. Walker here to model for our class the rest of this week. Please, treat him well."

Lavi tested the charcoal in his hand as Tiedoll spoke, wondering if he could manage to make it through another class without wanting to jump out of the window. He looked up as the professor continued to talk, barely listening to the words, and instead watched Allen. Lavi cocked his head as he watched the other boy take off his shoes, then socks. His eyebrows arched on his forehead as Allen continued to strip down, casually unbuttoning his shirt in front of the class.

Once the shirt slipped over Allen's shoulders and hit the floor, Lavi expected him to stop. But just as Allen's hands went for the button of his jeans, Lavi finally caught on to the theme of Tiedoll's lecture.

"—and the human figure has been studied by countless artists over the centuries. Every semester, I like to have the class work on a nude study to broaden—"

Lavi stiffened at the word nude, realizing now why Lenalee had insisted he show up. He shot her a glare, only to see her grinning like a demon next to him. Averting his eye, he stared at the blank canvas as Tiedoll droned on. He couldn't focus on the words, not when the sound of clothes being discarded echoed in his ears.

He was going to kill Lenalee.

"I'm very excited to see everyone's interpretation of today's lesson!" Tiedoll said, the excitement bubbling in his voice. "Let's begin."

While the other students quickly put their charcoal to paper, Lavi continued to stare at his canvas as a nervous sweat broke out on his neck. How was he supposed to look at someone he barely knew and draw them in the nude? How was this a thing they forced art students to do?! He didn't sign up for this — nowhere in the course description did it indicate he had to draw some other dude's dick.

"Problems, Lavi?" Lenalee asked, her voice hushed as she spoke. Her eyes never left the paper. She already had a decent sketch started on her tablet.

"Why didn't you warn me?" Lavi grumbled under his breath, his lips pressed into a thin line as he refused to look at today's "subject."

"Since when are you a prude?" Lenalee returned, stopping to smudge a line with her thumb. "I happen to know for a fact you've got quite a number of hidden folders on your laptop filled with smutty pics."

"What?!" Lavi snapped back, louder than he intended. A few students turned to see what the commotion was. He only thanked his lucky stars that Tiedoll played music most classes, and the sound drowned out Lenalee's earlier comment. "How the hell do you know about that?"

"Lavi, please. I know everything," Lenalee said, her lips tipping up into a grin, even though her eyes never left her work. "Anyway, I know you've got enough pictures of naked men and women on your laptop to keep a small country satisfied with smut."

"Okay, now you're just exaggerating—"

"—So, get over it and draw Allen already. He's an amazing and professional model. The least you could do is stop acting like a thirteen year old who doesn't know what to do with his boner."

With a huff, Lavi swallowed what was left of his pride and finally let his gaze fall on Allen.

His breath stilled in his throat as he took in Allen's form. Allen leaned against the back of a chair, the only prop set up in the center of the room. The first thing that drew Lavi's eye were the scars. Allen was covered in them. Most were smaller, explainable, and Lavi already had seen the scar on his face, but the most gut-wrenchingly painful one drew a jagged line from his hip to his collarbone. Lavi had never seen someone with a scar like that who lived to tell about it after. It almost looked like his entire body had been ripped open at one point, and the thought left Lavi shuddering.

In spite of the scars, Allen's face was serene. He leaned against the wooden chair, silver eyes cast downward, refusing eye contact with the students around him. The lighting from above the studio cast around him, his white hair resembling a halo around his head. His pale skin glowed like moonlight, and in that moment, Lavi thought he was looking at an angel. He had never seen another person embody grace and beauty to the extent Allen Walker did.

Swallowing down a lump in his throat, Lavi's fingers twitched, the charcoal in his hand itching to be used. Even as red as his face was, still embarrassed to be working with a nude model, he couldn't keep his eye off of Allen. Taking a breath to steady his hand, he drew the first line.

Time passed in hazy bursts, fuzzy around the edges as he worked. It wasn't until Tiedoll rested a hand on his shoulder, that Lavi snapped out of his trance. His head buzzed with annoyance when he caught sight of his professor, but that feeling quickly died out when he saw Tiedoll's face. The man looked impressed.

"Mr. Bookman, I don't know what to say. This… This is a complete turnaround from your previous work!"

"I take it that's good?"

"Absolutely! This sketch is vibrant! It has a soul. Heart. Emotion!" The old man practically shook with excitement. "Keep up the good work, my boy."

"Uh, thanks?" Lavi said, confused as the professor left to critique another student's work. Looking back at his own sketch, Lavi tried to see what Tiedoll did, but he couldn't pick up the difference.

"Lena? Lenalee, look at this and explain to me what I did different." He grabbed Lenalee's arm and tugged her over to his easel, heedless of the fact that she was still sketching.

"Hold o— Dammit, Lavi. You almost made me smudge this." Lenalee glared at him as he pulled her over to look at his work. As soon as she saw on the piece, her eyebrows went from pinched and furrowed to high and amazed. "Holy shit. That's really good."

"Okay, but why is it good?" Lavi watched her expectantly, as if she held the meaning of life at the tip of her tongue.

Lenalee shook her head and took a breath before focusing on the drawing. "Well, let's see…" Her violet eyes scanned over the sketch, her lower lip tucked between her teeth the way she always did when she was deep in thought. "This drawing has more life than all the others you've done this whole semester."

"Yeah, but what does that mean?" Lavi insisted, still flummoxed. "I don't understand what you mean when you say the drawing has life. That's fucking non-sense."

Rolling her eyes, Lenalee pointed to some of the lines on the sketch. "See this? These lines are rough, less refined than your normal attempts. This doesn't have the cold and calculating feel that your other drawings did. Your other work might as well have been a photo for how you replicated it. This sketch, though? This has feeling."

"Cold and calculating? You make me sound like a robot."

Lenalee laughed, then moved back over to her easel. "Maybe you are, especially with that memory of yours. Anyway, this one is a lot better. Maybe Allen jump-started the circuitry in your robotic heart?"

Lavi glared at her before catching sight of the time on his phone. When he looked up, Allen was just slipping back into his shoes, already fully dressed, and most of their classmates had left. He gave Lenalee back her charcoal and looked over his sketch once again. It wasn't just his professor; even Lenalee could see the difference in his work.

Grabbing a cloth to clean the black off his hands, Lavi heard Lenalee speak up, though not to him.

"Hey, nice work today," she said, smiling brightly at Allen as she tucked away her supplies.

"Thanks. It was a good session, but tiring. I'm definitely ready for lunch," he said, brushing back a few strands of hair from his eyes.

"Tired? How can you be tired! You just stood there for two hours."

"You try it and see how well you fare," Allen said back, looking at her work. "Ooh, I see you did right by me. I look quite handsome."

Lenalee shooed him off and carefully ripped her work out of the sketchpad before he could comment further. "I'm handing this in. Go bother Lavi," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

At the sound of his name, Lavi looked up, his gaze landing on Allen's amused face. He almost thought his heart stopped, looking at that smile.

"Do you mind if I see your sketch?"

"Be my guest," Lavi answered, moving back so he could see it. He watched Allen walk around to the front of the easel, admiring the smoothness of his movements. Lavi shook his head, trying not to notice how fucking graceful Allen was in everything he did.

Allen smiled as he looked over the sketch. "Wow, this is amazing. I feel like you took a picture of me, instead of drew it."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Lavi said, scratching the back of his neck. He continued to watch Allen, a nervous flutter in his stomach. "This is actually my best sketch so far."

"Well, if this is your best, I'm curious to see what your worst is."

"Eh, it's shit," Lavi admitted, trying to busy himself by shoving supplies into his backpack.

"I'm sure it's not."

Lenalee returned, saving Lavi from potentially embarrassing himself. "Ready for lunch?" she asked Allen, shouldering her already packed bag.

"Is that even a question?"

Lenalee shook her head, then turned to the redhead. "Lavi? Did you want to come with?"

He glanced at Allen for a brief moment before returning Lenalee's gaze. "I don't wanna intrude…"

Allen jumped in then, waving off Lavi's concerns. "You won't be. Besides, you've seen me naked now. We might as well have lunch together, right?"

Lavi flushed at the joke, but tried to hide his embarrassment with an exasperated sigh. "When you put it like that, how can I refuse?"

"Then hurry up and hand in your assignment!" Lenalee added, excitement in her voice. "I'm starving and you owe me a latte!"

xXxXxXx

Lavi learned that Lenalee and Allen ate lunch at least three times a week at the same cafe — The Sunshine Diner. Lavi had never been, even though the establishment was right on the edge of campus and considered quite the hangout for students. When they entered, he counted at least ten open textbooks in front of frazzled twenty-somethings taking advantage of the free coffee refills.

The decor reminded Lavi of a diner that attempted to emulate the 50's style, but hadn't been renovated since the late 80's. Everything looked old, broken, or barely functioning. He even spotted a yellowed paperback keeping one of the table legs level. Lenalee and Allen walked in like they owned the place, and sat down at a corner booth. Lavi found himself sitting right next to Allen, and it didn't help the nervous butterflies fluttering around in his stomach.

They didn't even have a chance to properly settle in before their waitress slid three glasses of water on the table and pulled a ratty notepad and pen from her apron. She scratched the back of the pen into her curly red hair, loudly chewing gum. She looked to be at least fifty, with bright, mismatched clothing and large rings on each of her fingers.

"What'll it be, kiddos? The usual?" she asked grinning at them as she scribbled on the pad.

"Yes, please," Lenalee replied, folding her hands in her lap as looked up at the waitress.

"Same, but with extra fries for me," Allen said. As the waitress wrote down a few notes, Allen elbowed Lavi.

The jab grabbed his attention, and Lavi looked up at the waitress like a stunned deer in headlights. He had no menu in front of him, and she hadn't offered one. "Uh, cheeseburger and fries?" he offered, hoping the items were on the menu.

She smiled and nodded. "You got it, sweetie. It'll be up in a flash." She turned and left, disappearing as quickly as she had appeared.

"Excellent improvisation," Allen said, grabbing his glass to take a sip.

"Meh. I'll give it a five out of ten," Lenalee added, grinning over at the redhead.

"You could've warned me I had to guess the menu," Lavi grumbled, leaning back in the booth.

"Debbie does that to all the new people she sees here," Allen added, a sympathetic look on his face.

"It was fun watching you squirm, though," Lenalee said as she pulled out a textbook from her backpack.

"You would think that, wouldn't you?"

"Love you, too, Lavi," Lenalee replied, not bothering to look up at him as she grabbed a highlighter and started noting the text for class.

Allen shook his head. "Already ditching us for homework?" he asked her.

"Gotta keep up this 4.0 GPA somehow, right?"

Lavi laughed. "Just ignore her. She's a perfectionist at heart."

"Look who's talking," she snapped back, still keeping her violet eyes glued to the pages.

Allen laughed, waving off Lenalee's comment. "Never mind her, then. We'll keep each other company," he said, silver eyes focusing on Lavi as he turned towards him.

Even though the words were innocent, they left a lump in the redhead's throat. "Ah, yeah."

If Allen noticed his discomfort, he didn't show it. "All right, standard student to student questions. What's your year and major?"

"Fourth year, and a double major of English and History."

"Ambitious," Allen replied.

"Well, I couldn't pick between them. So, I did both. It's my last semester, so I'll be out of here come summer."

"It's your final semester and you're only now taking introductory art?"

Lavi sighed. "It's a long story."

Lenalee took the chance to pipe in. "He forgot to take an art class until now."

Glaring at his friend, he frowned. "Okay… Maybe not that long."

Allen chuckled at their bickering, but continued on without a care. "I'm in my second year, like Lenalee, and I'm majoring in music."

"You should hear him play the piano sometime," Lenalee said, finally looking up. "It's like hearing angels sing."

"Really?"

"That might be an embellishment."

Lenalee poked the capped end of her highlighter into Allen's arm. "I've seen some of the co-eds literally swoon when you play in the music wing. Don't even undersell yourself."

Allen shrugged, giving Lavi a look that clearly said "you know how she is" once Lenalee turned her attentions back to her textbook.

He nodded, then leaned against the table. "So, if you're majoring in music, how did you start modeling? Is this something you do a lot of?"

"Ahh, well I wouldn't exactly say I do a lot of modeling. I started just after high school, to get some extra cash for college. I only model for local art classes or on campus, so it's not a regular gig. I do a lot of odd jobs."

Lavi nodded, recalling the image of Allen posing in the studio for class. He couldn't get it out of his head, his perfect memory burning the picture in his mind. "I'm a little surprised that you do that sort of work."

Allen tilted his head, watching Lavi's face for a long moment. The redhead realized, his mistake too late, already trying to think of way to talk himself out of it, when Allen nodded and spoke up. "You mean because of my scars?"

"Uh, well… yeah, I guess." Allen didn't appear offended, but Lavi should've known better than to ask acquaintances about deformities. Hell, he'd recounted enough stories about his bum eye that he'd grown numb to it by now, the story cut down to a succinct sentence to explain it away.

"It's the reason I only model for artists. Many find my scars interesting to capture in their medium." Allen turned his gaze out over the diner, avoiding eye contact.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"—It's okay, Lavi. I don't mind talking about it," Allen insisted, cutting him off.

"Yeah, Allen's a mature adult, unlike you," Lenalee interrupted.

Lavi frowned, a blush spreading over his cheeks. Lenalee seemed determined to only chime in when she wanted to embarrass him further.

Allen laughed at Lenalee's jab, but continued on with his story. "I've had the scars for a long time. I'm used to people asking about them."

"Sounds familiar," Lavi replied, tapping at the patch over his right eye.

Allen nodded. "Car accident. You?" he asked, keeping it so quick and vague that Lavi couldn't help but smile.

"Birth defect," he answered, a grin slipping onto his lips.

"There," Allen said, collapsing back against the cracked booth cushions. "Now that we got that out of the way, we can get to the really pressing questions. Like vanilla or chocolate?"

Lavi snickered. "Jam or jelly?"

"Cats or dogs?"

"Morning person or night owl?"

"Pitcher or catcher?" Lenalee added, her nose still buried in her textbook.

Lavi and Allen colored immediately, knowing she was in no way talking about baseball. "Lena!" they both cried out simultaneously.

She simply laughed at them.

xXxXxXx

That had been the beginning of their friendship. Allen modeled a few more times for Lenalee and Lavi's class, but they continued to meet up for lunches, dinners, study sessions, and the like. The more Lavi spent time with Allen, the harder he felt himself fall for him. Getting through those last few nude study classes had been more difficult than Lavi had anticipated, but somehow he managed to keep himself from popping a wicked boner and wow his professor with his newfound skill for art.

But everything fell apart when Tiedoll went back to still-life drawings.

Lavi glared at the props in the middle of the studio: A few weathered crates, tangled fisherman's nets, dried up starfish, and sand. Lots and lots of sand. He had thirty minutes left of class and he wasn't anywhere near completed with the drawing — not that it fucking mattered anyway. What he had managed to accomplish so far was complete shit, not even worthy of finishing. All he wanted to do was rip the paper from his sketchpad and slam-dunk the shit in the trash where it belonged. However, that meant turning in nothing at the end of class, and he couldn't have a big fat zero on his record.

He'd rather eat that fucking bag of sand Tiedoll dragged into class.

Leaning over Lenalee's shoulder, Lavi took a peek at her work. Again, she managed to capture the subject in her unique style, the same style that their professor salivated over at every class.

"How the hell do you manage it?" he asked her, eyebrows furrowed as he glared at her drawing.

"You'll have to be more specific," she said as she added in some color with a blue pastel.

"I can't do these still-lifes to save my life. How am I supposed to get through the rest of the semester?"

When Lenalee looked over at Lavi's work, she winced at what she saw. "Oh, honey… What happened? I thought you got through your drawing block?"

"So did I," Lavi grumbled, turning his gaze back to his own work. "Apparently sand is not inspiring."

A suggestive grin spread over Lenalee's face. "I'm wagering that a certain musician was more your speed."

Lavi groaned, wanting to deny the claim, but knew she was spot-on like always. "What the hell am I supposed to do? I can't keep on like this."

Lenalee nodded. "Yeah, you'll flunk for sure if you keep this up. Too bad your muse isn't here anymore"

Lavi's eye widened then, a crazed smile spreading over his face. "That's it! Lenalee, you're a genius!"

"Well, obviously," she agreed. "But why this time?"

"I'll just go find Allen and get him to inspire me again! Maybe if I can do that, I can get through this class!" He turned towards her, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. "Do you know where he'd be right now?"

"Um… I'm pretty sure he'd be in the music wing," she said. "He tries to get as much time on the grand piano as he can."

Lavi stood up, ready to leave class, but Lenalee snagged the back of his shirt before he could get far. "Hey, aren't you forgetting something? Class isn't over."

With a heavy sigh, Lavi sat back down and glared at his half-finished drawing. He'd have to endure another thirty minutes of torture.

xXxXxXx

The music wing of the Fine Arts building spanned the entire fourth floor. Only a couple classrooms filled the wing, leaving most of the space for small, soundproof studios used by students to practice privately. Rooms needed to be reserved, and all the music majors ravenously defended their practice time, desperate to get in the required amount of hours for music study.

Lavi found that most of the art departments were nothing but trouble. Traditional art professors like Tiedoll loved to focus on inane theories, forcing their own aesthetic on their students. Music professors weren't any different — touting their prodigies around like they were the second coming of Christ. Big egos and even bigger competition ran rampant among the students and professors. Hell, he wasn't even going to get into the Drama department. That department was its own cluster-fuck of insanity.

History, now there was a subject Lavi could get his head around. He could see a linear path, it made sense to him. Something happened, it was written down, and thus, remembered. Simple. Clear-cut. Definitive. No one could change the past — it had already happened. Not like art, or music, or any of that other nonsense. Those things changed constantly, evolved and morphed into something Lavi couldn't understand.

That was why he needed Allen's help.

Lavi heard the music before he found the classroom. The school only had funds for one grand piano, and the instrument was far too large to fit in one of the soundproof rooms. Instead, it resided in the largest classroom on the fourth floor. The sounds were faint, but as he neared the source, they grew clearer, until Lavi could discern the piece — Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

Peeking through the glass next to the door, Lavi saw Allen alone in the room. With his back turned to the door, too focused on his playing, Allen didn't see as Lavi quietly slipped in. He had rushed through the halls to find Allen, but upon seeing him play, Lavi couldn't bring himself to interrupt.

Allen sat with his back rigid, fingers gliding over the ivory keys as he played each note to perfection. The hauntingly beautiful melody ripped into Lavi's soul and squeezed his heart until it grew numb. He suddenly felt dirty, like he was seeing something he shouldn't — like he peeked into Allen's soul as he watched him play.

Shit… Why did Allen have to be as beautiful inside as he did on the outside?

Allen stopped playing suddenly, turning around and smiling at Lavi. The redhead wondered then if he'd said this thoughts out loud.

"Well, this is a surprise," Allen said, taking the interruption as a chance to stand and stretch. "What brings you to my end of campus?"

Lavi crossed the expanse of classroom, walking around the neatly lined desks as he spoke. "I had a favor to ask of you." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans just to keep himself from fidgeting.

Allen stretched his hands and arms, carefully moving each muscle group to undo the tension from playing. "Oh? And what's the favor? I don't have to help you bury a body, I hope."

"Nothing quite that labor intensive." Lavi chuckled stopping just a few feet short of him. "I've actually got a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

Lavi avoided eye contact, knowing that Allen would easily pick up on how nervous he was. "Just… I'm having trouble in art class again."

"I see," Allen replied, a small smile on his face. "Were my sessions during your classes not effective enough to clear your art block?"

"No!" Lavi shouted, instantly regretting how loudly he spoke up. He winced and tried to calm his tone. "I mean, when I drew you in class, those were the best pieces I'd ever completed."

"Going right for flattery," Allen teased, reaching down next to his backpack for the water bottle tucked in the side pocket. "Continue to stroke my ego. I enjoy it."

"I'm serious," Lavi said, shuffling awkwardly. "I tried to do a still-life again today and it didn't work at all. I'm back to square one and there's still over a month left of classes."

"And what exactly is it that you want me to do?" Allen asked, an amused look on his face.

Lavi sighed. "I dunno! I guess I thought that maybe if I drew you one more time, I could figure out what it is that I'm doing right with you and what I'm doing wrong with everything else."

Allen rolled the water bottle between his hands as he studied Lavi's face. The redhead refused to meet his gaze, and a hot flush stained his cheeks. With a soft hum of deliberation, Allen finally spoke up. "Okay, then. My place. Seven tonight. Bring me food and you've got yourself a deal."

"What?" Lavi asked, his mind not keeping up with Allen's. He was too frazzled to follow Allen's train of thought.

"Come draw me tonight," Allen clarified. "Maybe we can get you past whatever mental block you've got?"

"Really?" Lavi asked, surprised that Allen accepted so quickly. "You don't mind?"

"We're friends, aren't we? Just make sure to bring a lot of food."

Lavi chuckled, scratching at the back of his neck. "We are, and you have yourself a deal. Anything in particular you're in the mood for?"

Allen's eyes lit up at the question. "Chinese take-out."

"You got it."

xXxXxXx

Lavi followed the directions to Allen's place, and made it with a couple minutes to spare. Behind the Soapy Times Laundromat, Lavi had climbed the rickety metal stairs and knocked on the large, dirty door. Allen had rented a studio apartment above the laundromat, but the seedy neighborhood and creepy entrance left Lavi to worry if he had the right place.

As he stood there with his art supplies in one hand and a large bag of Chinese take-out in the other, he started to wonder if this was a good idea. He and Allen had never hung out without Lenalee present, and even though they both did their share of light flirting, this would be a completely different dynamic. Lenalee had always seemed to chime in at the right moment to keep their banter harmless. His stomach rolled and his heart fluttered at the thought of being alone with Allen. He didn't know whether to stick it out or high-tail it back to his dorm room.

His window of opportunity to escape disappeared as Allen opened the door and grinned. "You made it."

Lavi matched his grin, hoping to hide his nervousness. "With Happy Family," he said, lifting the bag of take-out

Allen laughed and opened the door all the way. "Come in."

As soon as Lavi passed the threshold, he saw Allen's reasons for living there, even in the sketchy neighborhood. The room sprawled out, open and wide, with windows lining the entire front side of the building. Light poured in past the sheer, white curtains, a few potted plants resting near the windows.

Aside from the bathroom, everything else occupied the main living area, including the tiny kitchenette and the bedroom. A mattress and boxspring sat pushed up against the far wall with no bed frame, the sheets and blankets neatly folded and tucked in. The only other furniture in the house was a beat up desk and chair where a laptop resided, a dresser, and a small kitchen table with two chairs — all of which looked like they had been bought at a flea market, or more likely, fished out of the trash.

Even with the eclectic collection of furniture and the bare cement walls, the apartment looked more homey than Lavi's dorm room.

"Just put the food on the table," Allen said, closing the door behind him and heading to the kitchenette. There were a few cabinets above the stove/refrigerator combo, and he pulled out some chopsticks and glasses.

Lavi dropped his supplies next to the table before carefully setting the food down as well. Before he had a chance to pull anything out, a small cat hopped onto the table and meowed loudly at him. It had a white stomach and feet, but the rest of it was a mottled tabby with browns, blacks, and oranges. Lavi grinned and pet the cat behind the ear.

"Who's this now?"

Allen set the dishes on the table and sighed. "That's Meat Bun, and he knows he shouldn't be on the table. Shoo."

Meat Bun ignored him and leaned into Lavi's touch, purring away like a revving engine.

"Meat Bun? You named your cat Meat Bun?" Lavi asked, trying not to laugh.

Allen grabbed the cat and gently set him back on the floor and away from the food. "He earned it. I ended up with him because he tried to steal my meat bun while I was eating at that Chinese restaurant a few blocks down the street. They have a eating area outside, and he just jumped on my shoulder and took the damn bun right out of my hand. I chased him two blocks before I caught the little devil."

"And you kept him around after that? I thought no one stole food from Allen Walker and lived to tell the tale?"

Allen sighed. "Yeah, but Meat Bun has a cute face. He gets special treatment." He unpacked the square, white containers and gave the cat a warning look. "Watch your dinner, though. He won't hesitate to steal out of your hand."

"Duly noted," Lavi said with a chuckle. "I hope I brought enough food."

"It'll last the night," Allen assured him, popping open a bag of crispy wontons and chowing down.

Lavi fished out some egg rolls, handing a few off to Allen before taking one for himself. "So, any ideas on how to cure me of my drawing block?"

"Other than eat and have you draw me? Not really," Allen answered, shoving the egg rolls into his mouth as he moved back over to the sink to fill each glass with water.

"I see I'm not the only one who's philosophy is to wing it." Lavi opened a container of curry chicken and ate directly from the paper box.

"I like to call it spontaneous," Allen added, handing Lavi a glass. "Either way, I'm eating first. I couldn't sit still long enough for you to draw me with the smell of food in the air."

Lavi smiled. "I think I can handle that."

xXxXxXx

Lavi couldn't handle that.

After the food had been consumed and Lavi had set up his sketchpad, Allen had stripped down to nothing again, just as he had in art class, and laid against the bed so the redhead could draw him. The curry chicken and lo mien churned in his stomach as he tried to focus on the drawing, instead of the indecent thoughts spinning in his head. Allen stretched out on his stomach, ass and feet in the air and face turned to the side as Lavi tried to put pencil to paper. But each stroke of lead against the page grew more unfocused than the next. Fifteen minutes had already passed, and he'd only managed to draw a few lines.

Allen must've noticed his impatience, because he spoke up then, something he'd never done before. "Are you all right? You seem frustrated." He didn't move from his pose, or look at Lavi, but the words still struck him hard.

"I don't know anymore," he admitted, frowning at the sketchpad. The words were a lie, at least a partial one. He knew he was distracted, too embarrassed to be sitting alone with Allen in his apartment and drawing his friend in the nude. Sure, he'd done it in class multiple times, but it felt more intimate when it was just the two of them.

Allen hummed and dropped his head to the mattress to relax while Lavi quietly panicked. "Maybe you should try to remember how you drew in class and do the same thing? Would it help if I switched positions and we start over?"

Lavi shook his head. "No, you're fine how you are. The issue is me." He didn't mention how he liked the position Allen was in because it showed off the perfect curve of his ass, nor how much it turned him on. In fact, he was doing everything he could to not think about it and keep his mind focused on the task at hand.

Allen adjusted his head into the position he had before and Lavi put pencil to paper.

Lavi sighed and cleared his mind, thinking back on how he felt drawing Allen before. He recalled focusing on one part at first: his face, his arm, his hips. As he stared at Allen, he remembered feeling excited and nervous in those previous sessions, his hands tingling with energy as he drew. Whenever Allen had posed, Lavi's heart had thudded hard in his chest. He had felt connected to Allen as he drew him, and the same feelings crept up on him again.

He realized then what he was feeling — admiration. Allen let others draw him in the nude, allowed them to see all his scars and flaws, yet never showed one hint of modesty. Lavi knew he couldn't be so strong, so secure in himself to do what Allen did. Lavi talked big, tried to act like he didn't care what others thought of him, but it was all show. Allen lived it, owned it, and Lavi could only stand back and watch with awe.

Time passed as Lavi drew, his thoughts focused on nothing but Allen. After nearly twenty minutes, he had a fully developed sketch. He paused, breaking his concentration to check his work. He smiled and admired the picture. Just like before, he had crafted another beautiful sketch of Allen.

"You've done it again, Al," he said, setting down his pencil. "Another amazing sketch."

Allen relaxed his pose and grinned over at Lavi. "Let me see."

Lavi sat down on the edge of the bed next to Allen and handed over his sketchpad. He watched as Allen appraised his drawing, a smile on his friend's face.

"It's beautiful, Lavi," Allen said after a moment of critique. "I don't know why you're having trouble drawing everything else. Your skill is so apparent in this drawing, and all the other ones you've done of me."

Lavi kept his eye focused on Allen's face and hands, trying to ignore the fact that Allen was casually talking to him while naked. "It's different with other drawings. Tiedoll brings in stupid shit to draw, like bowls of fruit. Today he had a bunch of shitty ocean themed crap, and a bag of sand. How am I supposed to work with that? Those things aren't beautiful like you are." The words were out before his brain could catch up with his tongue.

Allen looked up at Lavi, their gazes meeting briefly. A smirk crept up on Allen's lips, but he said nothing on Lavi's slip up. Lavi felt his face flush as bright as his hair, and turned away.

"You know… Maybe you need to focus on the beautiful parts of the still-lifes," Allen offered, looking back down at the sketch.

"In what way? They're just objects, and they're certainly not beautiful," Lavi grumbled still looking out over the apartment. He spied Meat Bun lounging in one of the open windows, oblivious to the tension in the room.

Allen shook his head and chuckled. "You're not seeing the whole picture. Imagine you're drawing a bowl of fruit."

"Been there, done that."

Allen smacked him lightly on the arm and continued. "You're not just drawing a bowl of fruit. You're drawing what the fruit represents, the feelings surrounding it. Instead of thinking of it as just a bowl of fruit, think of it as tastes, smells, sensations." Closing his eyes, Allen continued to illustrate his meaning. "The mellow squish of a banana when you chew it. The tart crisp bite of an apple. The burst of berries on your tongue, filling your mouth with flavor."

Lavi looked back at Allen, watching him as he described his point. Maybe it was just because Allen had a way with words, a way to make Lavi see things differently, but it was starting to make sense.

Continuing on, Allen added more examples. "You said Professor Tiedoll brought in stuff from the ocean? For that, think of the sound of crashing waves, the smell of salt in the water, and the sun beating down on your shoulders. It's not the objects themselves that you should draw, but what they represent. That's how you get emotion into the piece."

"Wow," Lavi mumbled, his fingers picking at the edge of a blanket on the bed. "When you put it that way, it makes more sense."

With a nod and a smile, Allen handed Lavi back the sketchpad. "I'm glad I could help." He rested his head against his folded arms, eyes following the sketchpad as Lavi looked it over once more. "…Do you mind if I keep that drawing?"

Lavi blinked, not expecting the request. "Not at all." He carefully ripped the page out of his sketchpad, handing it to Allen. "Why do you want it, anyway?"

Taking the paper with a careful hand, Allen looked over it once more. "No one has ever drawn me like you have."

"Oh?" Lavi asked, folding up the pad and setting it on the floor. He watched Allen look over the drawing, seeing a fondness in his eyes that made the silver color sparkle like stars. "And how do I draw you that's so different?"

Allen turned his eyes to Lavi's, a smile on his lips. "With love and care."

Lavi swallowed at the lump in his throat, wanting to avert his eyes, but unable to look away from Allen. He spoke up then, unable to keep the truth from spilling out. "That's the way you deserve to be treated, drawn or otherwise."

The silence in the room rang hard in Lavi's ears. For one painful moment, he thought he had overstepped his boundaries. Allen continued to watch him, his gaze never wavering. Just as Lavi was about to move away and apologize, Allen dropped the sketch on the floor, reached up to his shirt collar, and pulled Lavi down to meet their lips.

Lavi gasped into the kiss, Allen's mouth hot and wet like a sauna. He stiffened up from the initial shock, but when Allen didn't back down, he relaxed, one hand resting on Allen's shoulder as they continued to kiss.

Allen's grip on his shirt was like iron, and Lavi felt himself be tugged closer. With his eye shut, Lavi went with the beckoning movements, his lips never straying from Allen's. He sighed into Allen's mouth, and before he knew it, another tug had him sprawled on the bed, his body pressed right up against Allen's.

The suddenness of the movement startled him enough, but the feeling of Allen's naked hardness pressed up against his stomach left set a panic in his chest. Lavi scrambled to get up, an embarrassed flush over his face. Before he could get far, Allen reached out and cupped Lavi's face between his hands, forcing the redhead to look at him. While Lavi was nothing but a nervous wreck, Allen seemed cool and calm, simply smiling up at him.

"Where's the rush?" he asked, pulling Lavi closer. "Unless you don't want to…?"

"No, I do. I mean— Well…" Lavi's words became a jumble as he tried to keep his thoughts straight. "Allen, I didn't come here for this…"

Allen shrugged, immune to the awkwardness exuded by the redhead. "I figured as much. But, here we are," he said, amused by Lavi's shy demeanor. "I really like you, Lavi. And unless I'm wrong, I'm pretty certain you like me, too."

In spite of his nervousness, Lavi managed a short laugh. "That's the understatement of the year."

"Then, if you're willing…" Allen began, running his fingers down Lavi's neck. "…I would love to test the waters of our relationship."

Lavi's breath stilled in his lungs as he looked down at Allen. His heart pounded against his ribs, every sound in the apartment muffled. With a quick nod, Lavi parted his lips. "I want to," he whispered, his hands gripping the sheets next to Allen's head.

Allen's hand trailed back up to Lavi's face. He rubbed his thumbs over his cheeks in a soothing motion. "Don't be nervous." Without another word, he pulled Lavi in and kissed him. His lips were gentler than before, pliant and soft.

A whine rattled in the back of Lavi's throat. Allen's hands moved away from his face and slipped up his shirt, slowly hitching up the fabric to reveal the smooth skin underneath. Allen's skin was cold from being naked while Lavi sketched, and the night air that had began to cool the apartment didn't help. Goosebumps prickled over their skin.

Before he realized what had happened, Lavi's shirt came off and fluttered down on the ground. Then, with a strength Lavi didn't know he possessed, Allen flipped their positions on the bed. He pinned Lavi down, a smile on his face.

Allen's fingers worked the button and zipper on Lavi's pants, and in a matter of seconds, had them pulled halfway down his thighs. Lavi looked away, still embarrassed over their predicament. Before he could voice his concerns, Allen stopped and sat back on his thighs.

"Lavi, you seem uncomfortable. Do you want me to stop?"

"N-No. I'm fine…. Just nervous," Lavi admitted, still keeping his gaze averted.

"Mm," Allen mumbled, leaning forward. He reached out and ran a hand through Lavi's hair. "Close your eye and relax, then. I'll take care of you."

Lavi snickered, an uneasy laugh floating in the air between them. "You make me sound like a virgin who's never been kissed."

"Well, are you?" Allen asked, a teasing tone in his voice.

"No, I am n— Nnn!" Lavi's words died as he moaned. Allen had wrapped his hand around both their lengths, jerking them off at the same time. Lavi tossed his head back against the bedsheets, his hips thrusting up in time with the movements of Allen's hand.

Allen watched Lavi's face redden as he continued to work his hand between them, letting out soft gasps every so often. He bit his lower lip and kept his timing steady.

Lavi panted harder, more sensitive than he had wanted to let on. The minutes ticked by, and with each passing moment, he felt the tightening of his guts as they twisted into a pleasurable knot. Each stroke of Allen's hand brought them both closer to completion.

The air between them grew hot with shared breaths, and before Lavi knew what had happened, he moaned loudly and came undone. Allen joined him not more than a moment later, their pleasure-filled groans echoing in the apartment, and the hot mess of their spent bodies sticky between them.

Allen pulled his hand away, wiping the slick mess on his hip before looking back down at Lavi. "You seem more relaxed now."

Lavi snorted, trying to sit up without spilling the mess on his stomach. "Yeah, I wonder why."

Hopping off of Lavi's legs, Allen reached for a box of tissues and sat down on the edge of the bed. He grinned as he helped clean their mess off of him. "Was it everything your virgin heart had hoped for?"

Lavi playfully swatted him away and finished cleaning himself up before pulling his underwear and jeans back on. Allen bit back laughter as he grabbed his own clothes and dressed. As Lavi fished on the floor for his lost shirt, Allen moved to the kitchenette and pulled out a container from the fridge.

"Lavi, do you like cheesecake?"

Back on his feet, he followed Allen into the kitchen area. "You can't still be hungry! I saw you eat at least three boxes of Chinese food."

Allen shrugged and grabbed a fork. "Sex makes me hungry." He stabbed the utensil into the cheesecake, smearing the cherry topping as he took a bite.

"I'll leave it for you," Lavi said. He waited until Allen finished the bite, then kissed him. The night hadn't turned out exactly as he had planned, but he couldn't deny that it was better than expected.

xXxXxXx

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the graduation ceremony?" Lenalee asked, glaring at Lavi from across the corner booth at the diner. Allen sat between them as he normally did, picking at the heaping plate of fries as he watched Lenalee and Lavi snap comments back and forth.

"Am I sure I want to skip a pompous celebration where they charge me more money just to wear an ugly gown, sit on metal chairs out in the heat, and walk across a stage to shake some old man's hand? Yeah. I'm sure."

"Lavi, you're missing out on an important ceremony!" Lenalee insisted, folding her arms on the table and glaring at him.

"It's stupid. I'm not going."

"What about your Grandfather? Doesn't he want to see you graduate?"

Lavi shrugged. "He's too busy and I don't care."

"Don't you want to celebrate at all?" Lenalee asked, still perturbed by the redhead's uncaring attitude.

"Who said I wasn't celebrating?" Lavi wrapped an arm around Allen's shoulders. "The three of us are going out on the town. I need to drink away the memory of finals week."

"You and me both," Allen added, popping another fry into his mouth.

Lenalee sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Great, I get to be the third wheel again. Why do I hang out with you both when I should be finding my own boyfriend?"

"Because we're adorable and you love us?" Lavi offered with a smile.

"Sounds about right," Allen agreed.

"You two are impossible." Shaking her head, she stood up. "I'm going to pay the tab. If we're going out, I need go dig an outfit out of my closet that isn't yoga pants and a t-shirt and it may take me the rest of the day."

"But I hear that's all the rage with kids these days," Lavi added as she walked away.

"She's going to smack you if you're not careful," Allen warned him, still munching away.

"Eh, she'll be fine." Lavi looked back at Allen, watching him as he ate. "Hey, I have a question for you."

"Oh?"

"It's, uh, kinda serious."

Allen still didn't meet his gaze. "Yes, you can top tonight."

"Not where I was going, but I'll still take you up on the offer."

"Then what is it?"

Lavi took a breath, looking out over the diner before he moved his gaze back to Allen. "I start my new job next week."

Allen tensed up next to Lavi, a fry paused halfway to his mouth. He set it back down on the plate before he commented. "Oh. So soon?"

"Mhmm. They wanted me to start right away."

"Sounds like it's perfect for you. When do you leave?"

"…I don't, actually. It's just in the next town over."

Allen perked up at that. He finally met Lavi's gaze, eyes wide. "You… I thought you were going to take that position on the other side of the country. You said it was your dream job."

Lavi shrugged, smiling as he reached for his soda. "Yeah, well… There's something here I just can't quite let go of. So, I got Gramps to get me an interview with the library. A friend owed him a favor. It's only a forty minute commute."

Allen pounced onto Lavi suddenly, making him nearly spill his drink in the process. "I can't believe you're staying," he mumbled into Lavi's shirt. "I've been preparing myself for you to leave all week, you asshole."

"Sorry," Lavi said, setting his drink down in favor of holding Allen. "But there is one catch."

"And what's that?"

"I sort of need a place to stay since I'm officially kicked out of the dorms this weekend," he explained, a smile ticking up on his lips. "I was hoping I could stay with you, at least until I find my own place."

Allen looked up at Lavi, a smile of his own matching the redhead's. "Are you asking to move in with me?"

"I think I am."

"Then the answer is yes."