Shuffle

Prompt: Music Meme

Fandom: D. Gray-Man

Pairing: Laven

Meme Rules:

1. Pick a pairing or fandom you like.

2. Turn your music player on shuffle/random.

3. Write a drabble/ficlet to each song the plays. You have the duration of the song, when the song starts, your start, when the song ends, you end/stop. No lingering. No matter how weird, horrid or whacked out your drabble/ficlet is. (A/N: There's no way I'm posting it without editing. God knows if you'll even understand with all the grammatical errors...)

4. Do ten of these, then post them.

5. Have FUN.

I. Peter Pan — Kelsea Ballerini

I love you.

Love. It wasn't a word that Allen was familiar with. He could understand familial love, to an extent, considering his background. That is to say, being an orphan who lost his foster father when he was ten. Yeah, it was shady at best. He was familiar with platonic love, of course. He had always been the weird, strange, loner kid who no one wanted to befriend but that didn't mean that he didn't have friends. Sure, they weren't from his school or even his country but that was fine with him. At least, they cared. Romantic love, on the other hand, was a completely different topic. Not to mention, Lavi was one of the popular teens in their high school and even though they got along a few times they had talked, he could only call him an acquaintance at best. Someone he conversed with from time to time, that was it, he wasn't even a friend.

So, could you blame him when he did not believe the redhead's confession?

Now, if only there was a book on how to get rid of persistent stalkers. No, he was not taking up Tyki's offer, no matter what he said. He was sure that the man's method wasn't a peaceful, or painless for the matter, one. He wasn't that heartless.

II. You Found Me — The Fray

Bleary eyes blinked in the darkness. Lavi didn't know how long had he been stuck here, helpless against the Noahs and reduced to a mere hostage, but he felt as if an eternity had passed without his notice. His body hurt, feeling heavier than it had any right to, in his opinion. A breath left his lips as familiar footsteps echoed in the silence.

"Lavi?" The voice was faint as if he was he hearing it from underwater, but there was no mistaking it.

He knew it wasn't a good idea. Looking up, that is. His mind wasn't above playing tricks on him after all, not to mention the Noahs had tried to use the same method against him. Needless to say, he was quite satisfied with the fact that they didn't succeed. This time, however, it felt too real and his walls were already so worn down. He couldn't help himself. He needed to know if it was real or not. A single green eye met a pair of gray. He almost sighed in relief. He sat stiff as board, staring in disbelief as the boy approached him slowly, as if he were a frightened animal, whispering soothing words that fell on deaf ears. Was he really here? Could he finally be free from this hell now? Was he allowed to believe in this mirage? Allen was close now, so close he could almost breathe him, but still not close enough. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, the world crumbled. Wide eyed, he could only sob internally as reality came crashing down around him. He was still captured. Allen wasn't here. The Noahs were mocking Bookman again. Allen wasn't here. Allen wasn't here. Allen wasn't—

He felt a hysterical laugh bubble in his chest yet, at the same time, he wanted to cry.

III. Of These Chains — Red

The afternoon bell, signifying the end of the period, rang just moments before the hallways were flooded by chattering and grumbling teenagers in varying state of exhaustion. A tall redhead made his way through the suffocating crowd with practiced ease, thankful that he didn't have to sit through another tedious class just yet. His lone green eye narrowed in annoyance as he internally lamented his crappy day. He had, for once, managed to wake up earlier than normal but after taking a single look at the barely lightened sky went back to sleep soon after and somehow slept right through the blaring noise of his alarm. It wasn't a good start of the day, although he did manage to reach school in time — if only barely. To add salt to the open wound he had forgotten all about the science assignments he was supposed to bring today, add his general clumsiness in the mix and he could safely say that his day was turning excellently worse. A deep yawn broke through his gloomy thoughts as he lifted his right hand to scratch the itchy scalp under his headband, only to freeze right in his tracks as someone walked past him. The more functional part of his brain realized that he probably looked ridiculous with his mouth frozen mid-yawn and his hand hanging limply in the air, but he couldn't bring himself to care as his gaze followed the stranger until he vanished around the corner. Something tugged at the back of his mind, telling him that the young man wasn't as much of a stranger as he believed. Why that was, he had no idea.

The boy looked to be a year or two younger than him, with average height and fairly light build. His outfit consisted of a formal white button-up shirt with a grey sleeveless sweater and dark blue jeans. A medical eye patch covered his left eye —well, Lavi was assuming since his right eye, the one facing in his direction, wasn't covered— and there was a scar peeking across his nose. He wondered if it was the only one he had. His pale hair fluttered in the wind as he hummed an unfamiliar tune under his breath. Something that reminded him of clear water and dew covered leaves filled his senses before it faded along with the mysterious teen.

For reasons still unknown to him, the redhead felt the sudden urge to talk with the boy. It was only too bad for him that they didn't seem to share the same lunch break.

IV. My Funeral — Dope

The cafeteria buzzed with activity even though it was past twilight hours and they should've been long asleep. They needed the rest if they wanted to be in their top condition for the upcoming battle. It was difficult though. The dawn they had been waiting for was just around the corner and it was difficult for them to not be restless. A dark orb observed the surrounding people with a critical eye. He could see the forcefulness of the laughter and chatter they had been indulging in for the past couple of hours. He knew that they could feel it as well but that didn't stop them from engaging in meaningless talk anyways. Perhaps it was the fact that this may be the last time they could see each other. After all, there was no guarantee that all of them or any of them would return alive. Perhaps, if such was the case, they wanted their last memory to be a happy one. Perhaps they wanted to forget about the war for a few final moments. Lavi didn't pretend to know their reasoning, even if he had a fair share of guesses in his mind. Perhaps, in another world, he might have joined them. Perhaps he might have also pretended to forget that there was war they were fighting in — a war that they didn't join willingly but were now fighting for as if they did, if only for their sanity. Perhaps —in a world where he never met Allen Walker, never knew the said boy— he might have joked around a bit to uplift the somber mood, even if, in that world, his smiles would still be a falsified quirk of his forty-ninth persona. This, however, wasn't that world. He had met the prophesied Destroyer of Time. He knew the boy now, much more than he had ever expected to and came to care about. Sometimes, he didn't know whether he should be glad or curse the heart-that-shouldn't-be-there.

Only T-minus fifteen hours forty-seven minutes and six seconds till the Final Battle. He was already feeling so blue.

"Lavi?" The voice bringing him back to the present couldn't belong to anyone else. "Here, you should eat something. Don't want to fight on an empty stomach, eh?"

His gaze dropped on the table where the younger boy had set a plate for him. Any other day, he would have instantly cheered up at the sight of his favourite food but that was not today. What was he even doing here? Wasn't he talking to Krory just a minute ago?

"Lavi…? C'mon, it's not the end of the world." The resounding 'yet' echoed in their minds even if it wasn't spoken aloud. "Don't make that face now."

He felt the concern —a gloved hand on his cheek— bleeding into his tone before he heard it and the redhead couldn't help but look at him. Pale eyebrows dipped downwards in a frown and those clear eyes shined with unmistakable worry as he looked up at him. Lavi wanted speak, say something, anything, but he couldn't get past the lead in his throat. He could only interlace his fingers with Allen's and hold them close to his face. The said boy pressed his lips in a thin line but didn't comment and that was fine with Lavi because the thoughts he couldn't voice still rang in the air around them.

'How do you expect me to do that when you're marching to your funeral?'

V. Save Yourself — My Darkest Days

Despite all the talk about his superior memory, Lavi couldn't honestly recall how they both ended up in such a situation like this. The said situation being Allen trapped between a wall and his body as the redhead leaned on the elbows on either side of his confused face. Just a few minutes ago, from what he remembered, they had been in the cafeteria in the middle of a celebration. Truth to be told, he didn't even know what the party was about and couldn't help but feel a little bad. Was it someone's birthday? Did a new exorcist join the Black Order? It could something else entirely too, like a tradition. Religious tradition? What day was it anyway? He really couldn't remember. The hallway was deserted at this time of night and almost everyone was a floor below them. The moonlight illuminating the walls could only reach so far but it was enough for his green eye to map out the face in front of him. Gray eyes stared back at him in silence but the quirk of lips belied his incredulity at their position. In the end, that was what prompted him to break the silence.

"Lavi? What are you doing?" His tone, contrary to Lavi's expectations, was light and more curious than anything.

That aside, however, even he didn't know what he was doing. One moment he had been laughing along with Reever and a few other scientists and the other he was looking in the eyes of one Allen Walker. It was insulting, to say the least, for someone training to be a Bookman that he couldn't recall how he got there. Perhaps, participating in that drinking contest had been a bad idea after all. Not that he got drunk easily, mind you, but even he would feel more than a little tipsy after the amount of alcohol he had consumed only minutes prior to this. There were many things that could have led up to the words tumbling from his mouth in that moment but he still found himself unable to explain it in his head.

He was going to regret this later, wasn't he?

VI. Kindest Regards — Witt Lowry

A pair of dull gray eyes stared blankly at the ceiling above him. He didn't feel like getting up. Truth to be told, he didn't feel like doing much of anything. Not since he had been left behind once again.

The white-haired teen didn't have many reasons to keep on living. At least, after Mana, bringing salvation to the Akuma had kept him going for years. Allowed him the small shred of strength to keep upholding the promise he had made to his foster father. After they had defeated the Earl, however, the creatures had dwindled down to mere handfuls in the following years. Now, four years later, not even one Akuma could be spotted anywhere. He supposed, in the dark corners of his mind, had he still had his other reason to keep living he might not have fallen this far but…

He had already known though, that the day had been long approaching. It was one of the reasons he had dreaded defeating the Millennium Earl, no matter how sickening and dangerous the thought of letting him live was. He had known, even if Lavi had said nothing, always skirting around the topic should it ever come up. The older boy had ignored it, like most of his problems. Allen, on the other hand, had not. He knew what the other would choose — between his dream and Allen. It was so damn obvious. It was also why —because he had known, because he had accepted it— that he had turned away from him instead of watching the redhead walk away. There had been a few outcries from their friends, even as Komui came forward to explain, a familiar hammer in his hand for everyone to see. He didn't know if Lavi had turned around, or said something, the sound of his breaking heart was already too much to bear.

His gaze wandered over to the clock on the wall.

07: 05 am.

Huh. Maybe he should get up. There was work to do after all.

He hoped that Lavi was happy now. He really hoped he was, because Allen couldn't say the same for himself. He didn't even know why he got up every day.

VII. Runnin' — Adam Lambert

"I…- Allen, did ya know you're really cuute?"

Curious eyes prompted him to go on and he got the feeling that he would've tilted his head like he usually did if it was a normal situation. That is to say, if he wasn't trapped within a limited space and there was nothing normal with this situation. He gulped.

"Well, you are. Cute, I mean." Really, what was he doing? "Spe-cially when you're smilin'. Not to say you don't look nice other times too, because ya do, but there's just this… thiss thing about when you smile. I mean when ya smile for reeal, not those po-politely pretty smiles. And I really, reeeally, like you. I just wanna stay with ya… hic And-… I me-mean um… ya know— Ugh… This pro'lly doesn't even make sense an' I don't even know what I'm sayin' anymrrr." He stopped to take a deep breath, wanting to be closer to the intoxicating smell that was entirely Allen but too terrified to even move a muscle.

"Lavi… are you drunk?" Well, that was certainly not what he was expecting or hoping for, really.

"No! I'm not drruuuu-n hic…!" Maybe he was though, a little bit. Yeah, just a teeny-tiny bit because he sure as hell wouldn't have up and confessed if he was sober. His elbows slid along the wall, palms pushing him slightly further from the white-haired teen so he could look down at him, more than he already was that is.

"Are you sure? You certainly seem like it."

"And I'm tell-in' you, sweet bean, I'm nooot!"

"Yes, yes, let's just get you to your room."

"Allleeeenn…"

The said exorcist was not amused when five seconds later, the drunk-not-drunk redhead proceeded to pass out on him. He was, however, highly entertained to remind the older boy of the events that took place that night at every chance he got. Lavi could not determine whether the fact that he could actually remember something like that happening, if only vaguely, was a good thing or not. Nevertheless, he spent the following days in absolute mortification. Allen took pity on him after three days.

VIII. Glittering Cloud — Imogen Heap

The moon was high in the dark sky as footsteps made their way towards their destination. It being the corner of the library he usually occupied. There was silence among the tall shelves of his sanctuary. No one was awake after all, save for a select few from the science department. Imagine his surprise, when he found someone else already there. Sitting across from his usual seat was none other than the famed Destroyer of Time. What was he even doing here, at this hour especially? Apparently though, he hadn't been as quiet as he had hoped because the second he reached the table, steel gray eyes turned towards him questioningly.

"Hey there, Allen! Wasn't expecting anyone else to be around here." He almost cringed at his upbeat tone. It was only his bad luck to run into someone when all he wanted was solitude. Tonight was not his night it seems.

"You're not Lavi." The tone was so flat he almost jumped. A pair of red eyebrows disappeared under his hair.

It wasn't as if it was a lie. He was merely surprised that this… boy could tell. After all, everyone believed that his persona "Lavi" was his true self. Well, in a way it was, but at the same time it wasn't.

A smile curled his lips upwards. Oh, if only Lavi knew that Allen could tell. He'd be horrified. Serves you right for getting attached, you idiot rabbit. Well, he mused, they'd have to cross the bridge if he came to it. A few weeks later, Lavi was left wondering why he felt so tired recently, as if he had been going on a little less than an hour of sleep, even when he slept more than five hours at night. He frowned, why was Allen smiling at him like that? The redhead certainly didn't see what was so amusing.

IX. Hero — Darren Hayes

Allen frowned at the mirror, glaring at the faceless shadow behind his reflection. Ever since he had restored the strange ship, the person… being, whatever it was, had been following him everywhere. Not that anyone else could see. He was the only one who could and, for some unknown reason, it only ever appeared in the reflective surfaces. The first time he had seen it outside the Ark he had been so shocked, he was surprised he didn't give the Vatican anymore reason to be suspicious of him. Thankfully, his friends had not noticed any changes in his behavior.

Long arms wrapped themselves around his shoulder and midsection as a nose nuzzled his cheek. It was —perhaps— night time, though he couldn't really tell since he had been hiding out inside the Ark for some time now. Conjuring up a room for himself hadn't been all that difficult, hiding it from everyone else even less so. The peace would only last for so long, he knew, but at least he didn't have to face the world just yet. His fellow exorcist had been a surprising addition, one he couldn't bring himself to mind much, if he were being honest.

"Allen…?" The redhead's voice was thick with sleep and he could feel the eye drooping in tiredness. "Why 're ya awake so late?"

Well, most of his friends anyway. At least, Lavi hadn't asked too many questions about it. Yet.

"Nothing." He didn't want to lie. He just didn't want to talk about it at that moment. "Let's go back to bed. You're tired, right?" He merely received a hum in response.

It was only a matter of time though. He didn't want to acknowledge it but he knew what was happening, if only subconsciously. He was much too connected with Crowned Clown to not know. He could almost feel the tension building up underneath his skin, as if a war was waiting to break out at the tiniest signal. He didn't want this. He didn't ask to be the hero everyone was expecting him to be, the monster he knew he was going to become. He was already so broken. What else did the world want him to lose? He had only ever wished that he could live a relatively normal life and he knew it was never going to happen. Not with this—… The young boy buried his face in the crook of his best friend's neck, the fear gripping his heart too tangible to not be obvious. He didn't care though. Not at that moment, not when it was Lavi. If it had been anyone else he would but it wasn't and he was so, so thankful for that.

X. Breathe Into Me — Red

'Lavi… how dare you…'

'We're not just ink on papers, Lavi!'

The ground was bathed in red as the aforementioned redhead tried to get away from the parodies —sick, sick parodies— of the people he called comrades following him. Looking crazed and bloodthirsty and wrong, as they usually did in his nightmares. When the numerous footsteps ceased their chase he should have felt relived. He did not. It only meant that the worst part was about to start. This wasn't the first, nor would it be the last he knew, time he was living through his personal hell after all. The ace of spades fell from his pocket. No… A pale hand entered his vision. No, no, no, nonononono. Stop, stop! Don't—

There was a fire. He screamed.

A choked gasp left his lips as he tried to get his bearings straight. It was only a few moments later that he finally recognized the unfamiliar ceiling above him. They were on a mission. Right. They had successfully retrieved the Innocence. On their way back they had stopped to rest at an inn. He remembered now. He was sharing a room with Allen. Releasing a shaky breath he pressed a palm to his uncovered eye. He gritted his teeth, trying to will away the horrible images from his mind. A hand on his head alerted him of the new presence beside him. The white-haired teen didn't say anything, merely running his cool hand through the unruly mop of hair in silent comfort. Lavi rolled on his side, burying his face in the toned stomach to stop himself from whimpering pathetically. His only consolation was that he could feel the living, breathing —he wasn't dead!— boy in his arms.

A/N: Well, it took me three tries get it right. I hope I didn't fuck anything up. (I've never tried this kind of prompt before to be honest.) I wish more people did this shit. For Laven. If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out. ^^

You Found Me: I have no excuse for this.

Of These Chains: For your information, no, Allen does not have the pentacle scar on his forehead. And no, he is not blind in his left eye either. Let me tell you one thing though, I do not believe in the red string of fate —and isn't a thread too flimsy?— so I linked their hearts and souls with a chain.

My Funeral: I couldn't help but remember about the time when Lavi tried to burn himself. But I didn't want to write about something that already happened in the series.

Save Yourself/ Runnin': Yes, they are companion drabbles. I don't even know why it is funny. But yeah, Lavi's (drunk) confession was a massive fail. "Sweet bean"? Don't look at me. I actually thought these two would inspire something serious but meh.

Kindest Regards: You cannot tell me that you honestly believe that there isn't a chance that Lavi will leave the Order when everything is said and done. (Well, I also think that Allen could die, remember the "My Funeral" drabble above?, but let's just say he lived in this AU.)

Glittering Cloud : Would you look at that, it's Junior. I don't like him, can you tell? Though I guess, "dislike" wouldn't be the correct term. Let's just say I find him amusing. I think Allen does too. /giggle

Breathe Into Me: I typed "life" instead of "bearings" and I was so sorry. So, so sorry. (Lavi, don't look at me like that, please.) But couldn't help but laugh at Shade's comment — "There's no way that kid is straight."

Thank you for reading this. And please, don't be shy, I'd love to hear what you think and discuss any of the AUs mentioned here or otherwise with you. :)

P. S. Oh yeah, I'm also doing a bunch of drabbles and ficlets, and a sentence for a word too, for DGM so prompts and suggestions are welcome! Any character and any pairing is allowed! Just some ground rules: Do not give me a complex plot that'll make me want to turn it into a multi-chapter fic. I can choose to pick your suggestion or I can choose not to, there's nothing more to that. No Kanda x Lavi or Tyki x Lavi or Lena with those three boys... well, actually, I don't do any Lena pairing so yeah... Sorry.