A/N:… I have learned an important lesson here. Never re-read your stories. Ever. You will then realize how utterly corny and cliché it is, then have such a hard time finishing it, because you keep thinking "What the hell was I thinking when I wrote this?! Was I on crack!?" and realize that you have to keep writing corny and cliché things. You also realize that you are more suited to dramatic and angst-driven romance, rather than the pure-hearted, sweet stuff you are attempting to write, because you've never been in any sort of pure-hearted relationship until now, and you wonder if everything's really that sappy, and then your head explodes because, regardless, you enjoy writing it, but you know someone out there is gagging like you did when you reread your own story... AND THAT IS WHY THIS CHAPTER HAS TAKEN SO LONG. Thank you, enjoy. (I've also been busy with school and exams, but school's out now. And Emiggax is probably laughing her ass off at me.)

Convergence Three: Trusting Escape

The next night, Allen was still missing, so Lavi decided to look for him: there was no time to waste.

Not knowing where else to look, the Exorcist went to the maze.

"I need to find Allen," he said softly, placing his hands against the glass plane, exhausted.

The horizon stretched, then shrank quickly, racing through different paths in the labyrinth, locating Allen after a long moment.

When the view finally settled, Lavi gasped in horror, his fists tightening against themselves.

Allen was huddled against a dead-end, bruises covering his body, dried blood caked against his pale skin. His hair was matted and he was shaking uncontrollably. He was crying violently, his mournful tone matching the stricken inhumanity of his screams the day before.

But what scared Lavi the most was the fact that Allen was completely naked.

"ALLEN! Allen! Are you okay?!" Lavi began to punch the glass, putting all his strength into it, fully intending on breaking through the glass to get to the boy. Small cracks began to spider-web under Lavi's fists.

Allen slowly raised his head, his eyes dim and glassy with pain. He winced when he looked at Lavi, curling tightly against himself.

Lavi began to pound the glass with renewed fervor, screaming. "Allen! ANSWER ME! Allen!!"

The silver-haired Exorcist ignored Lavi, the only signal that he knew that the older boy was there were his wails as he began to sob harder. Enraged at the poor progress of breaking the glass, Lavi pulled out his hammer and slammed it against the wall.

It crumbled easily, the view of Allen receding quickly. Luckily, the redhead had memorized the boy's location. He grabbed the handle of his anti-Akuma weapon, and rode as it extended right to where the cursed boy was curled.

He jumped off of his weapon, leaning over Allen. "Allen, are you okay?" he whispered, gently touching the boy's bare shoulder.

Allen raised his hand, brutally smacking Lavi.

Lavi stumbled backwards, and Allen dropped his head. The older teen wiped away a small rivulet of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Allen?" At this point, the red-haired Exorcist was scared.

Allen didn't answer, sniffling quietly. Lavi reached out again, and the boy's head snapped up. "Don't touch me!" he shrieked, sobs catching his voice.

"Is this about waking you up?! Please, Allen, I didn't know! I'm sorry," Lavi begged, dropping to his knees. He reached out and gently tipped Allen's face up, leaning close.

The boy flinched violently, his eyes wild. "No, no, no, no! Don't touch me! I'll hurt you if you touch me again! NO!" His hands caught Lavi's arms, and he held fast, his nails digging into the cloth of the older boy's shirt.

Lavi sighed sadly, and dropped his hands, sitting back on his haunches. "Alright," he whispered. "I won't touch you."

Allen's lip trembled, and he threw himself against Lavi, shaking and crying horribly. "I'm not just a sex object, right?! You love me! You're my Lavi, right?!"

Lavi gently held Allen, pressing his face into the boy's matted snow-white hair. "Fuck," he swore. "Where did you get such a stupid idea, Allen? I'll be your Lavi as long as you want me to be; I'll love you as long as you want me to love you. And I'll never think of you as anything other than my Allen."

Allen hiccupped, coughing against Lavi's shoulder. Slowly, the elder boy let of the other, pulling his jacket off. "Come here," he whispered softly. He wrapped it around Allen's bare shoulders, finally getting a full look at the bruises.

"Allen… did… Were you raped in one of your dreams?" he asked, stricken.

Allen gulped, and gave a shuddering nod, flinching away. Lavi stood, holding Allen bridal-style against his chest. "Let's get you somewhere warm, alright?"

He grabbed the handle of his hammer, holding Allen tight as they flew back towards the platform.

Allen pressed his face into Lavi's shoulder, shivering; the older boy kissed the top of his head.

"I love you."

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Once back in their room, Lavi bundled Allen up in a light blanket, and gently combed the knots out of the boy's soft, white hair. He kept quiet, waiting for Allen to allow for conversation; at the moment, the boy seemed content in staring at the fireplace, holding Lavi's arms around his waist.

"It wasn't you," Allen whispered hesitantly, his gaze far away. "It wasn't my Lavi. He kept saying that he was. But that Lavi wasn't my Lavi!"

Lavi closed his eyes in pain, squeezing Allen's middle gently. He felt sick. Allen… a dream… he had… He pressed his face into the smaller teen's hair, a shuddering sob leaving his mouth. "Allen…"

"He wouldn't stop. And I… I enjoyed it…"

Tears were falling freely into Allen's snow-white hair. Lavi couldn't take it. He wanted Allen to stop.

"Because… I… I gave in and began to think it was my Lavi… But you… you…'d never want to… take me, right?"

Lavi swallowed. "Never without your consent, Allen. Hell, sometimes I do want to grab you and… but I'd never… Never. If you said not to, I'd back off," he promised.

Allen squirmed away, and Lavi let him go, keeping his eyes tightly closed, awaiting another blow to the jaw.

Instead, Allen pressed himself flush to Lavi, hugging the older boy tightly. "I want my real Lavi. That's who I want," he whispered, crying softly.

Lavi pressed his lips urgently to Allen's mouth, lifting the boy into a kiss.

Allen shyly pulled away after a moment—Lavi was content with that—and he nuzzled his cheek to the other boy's neck. "I love you," he whispered. "So take this… and save me. I promise, once you save me, you can have all of me."

Lavi felt something hot and hard being pressed against his chest, and he looked down, surprised. Allen's human hand was pressed against Lavi's body, a small beaded loop visible through his fingers.

Allen dropped it into Lavi's hands, his face loosing all color as the Innocence left his grasp. He began to hack, and wounds began to open all across his body.

"What?! Allen, what's wrong?!"

Allen shook his head, blood spraying into his hands as he coughed. "I'm dying," he whispered.

Lavi stared blankly at the boy, and Allen deftly reached out and smacked him again with a blood-smeared palm.

"Take it, Lavi! Hurry!!"