Hello everyone! I'm going to try to participate in Laven week! Hopefully, I don't get too lazy to see it through ^_^;;; so, I thought I'd start off with the culture theme!

AU, modern day, South Jersey. Why? Because Jersey in it's self is a culture XD One crazy, toxic waste infested culture. Pre-existing relationship.

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

The wind ripped through Allen's hair, tugging at the silver strands like an infant would.

He sat straight, fingers wrapped around the leather strap attached to his seat. Lavi's hair kept blowing in his face, so he had to keep leaning farther and farther back, loosening his hold on the tether to do so. It made him nervous, but he trusted Lavi's driving enough to allow himself this small feat of bravery.

He looked down at the street as it flew under him. It seemed like the world was moving, not Lavi's bike. He had a nice little street bike that he rode around, red of course. Allen didn't really want to make the hour trip on the back of Lavi's "baby", but decided to allow it. Lavi's eyes had shone with such excitement the instant Lenalee had mentioned it, and Allen just couldn't refuse. Well, forty five minutes and ZERO cushioning later, he was already dreading the return trip.

But then he just looked back to Lavi.

And it was worth it all over again.

The serene look in his only visible eye, the smile that refused to leave his lips, no matter how many traffic lights they came to. Allen looked away, letting his own hair hit him in the face to hide his blush. Allen recoiled his hands more, blushing harder. Why, why would they put the equivalent of a seat belt directly behind Lavi's ASS?!

Allen couldn't help himself from, essentially, face palming.

God, what was wrong with him? He couldn't remember a time when he didn't have a crush on the redhead. He also couldn't remember why he still hadn't confessed. He knew Lavi was gay, he knew that he has been in quite a few relationships over the course of their friendship. So why couldn't he bring himself to be one of those relationships? Allen wasn't someone to deny who he was, and he'd been in relationships while knowing Lavi as well. So what the hell was wrong with him?!

He sighed as he smelt salt water.

He knew why. He'd always known. It was because he was afraid. Afraid of losing Lavi, afraid of him shaking his head, trying to not be too harsh as he said "sorry, there's someone else," or "wouldn't it be weird after all this time?" or even "sorry Allen, you're just not my type!"

Allen bit his lip.

It was always days like this that made Allen feel that emptiness inside him the strongest. He looked down to his left hand, gloved.

The only memento his parents left him.

He saw his reflection in Lavi's mirror, saw his scar.

The only memento Mana had left him.

A dying, delirious man had seen a creature with silver locks looking down on him, and thinking it was Death, attacked it. He had said that death should be marked clearly, that everyone should be able to see him coming and know their fate.

And now Allen had a bleeding pentacle above his eye.

It marked him as Death.

Allen looked down.

Lavi slowed down.

They parked next to a meter, Lavi sticking quarter after quarter in. Allen calculated their time based on how many times he heard the change drop in.

"Alright then, let's go!" Lavi started running. Allen had to try harder than usual to make his boots leave the ground. Panting, they approached a sand dune with a well-worn path through the middle of it, allowing a sneak preview of the gray horizon beyond.

As they crested the hill, Allen took a brig intake of air, closing his eyes as he was hit it in the face with that first blissful breath of the never-ending sea breeze. Lavi was already removing his boots by the time Allen looked around again.

"Come on Allen, stop being so slow!" Lavi recklessly threw his shoes in the sand and began running for one of the jetties that jutted from the shoreline. Allen tried to give a chuckle, tried to not be so depressed, and let his boots fall to join Lavi's. He sort of wished he had kept them on, actually, as he felt small bits of shells and beer bottle sea glass dig into his heels. One of his favorite things was sea glass, actually, once containing something as crude as alcohol, only to be washed clean, broken, smoothed and sanded by forgiving waters.

He found he didn't mind the pricking sensation in his feet so much after all.

Lavi was waiting patiently for Allen to finish hobble-running his way over to where the rough, eroded rock began. "Come on, or it's gonna disappear," he turned, beginning the trek over the harsh stones, trying to avoid any sharp edges while Allen mounted the first rock.

"Oh come on Lavi, we still have a few hours before the tides change. We'll be fine," Allen finally managed to catch up, narrowly avoiding a nasty fall caused by the large amount of slippery seaweed and algae clinging to the rock's porous features. The rocks narrowed, became farther spaced apart as they progressed, a good fifty feet from shore at this point.

"You know Allen, you could slow down and just follow me." Lavi sent him a challenge with his eye shining bright the other hidden away behind his black patch. Allen huffed indignantly.

"Yeah right, and who would be there to save you when you fall into the ocean?" Allen chose that exact point in time to stumble over some driftwood and blushed as Lavi laughed at him.

"Oh, yeah right. I think it's the other way around, moyashi." Lavi kept smiling despite Allen's scowl. He'd used that nickname again, the one he'd picked up in his linguistic studies, and Allen didn't like it. Lavi wouldn't tell him what it meant.

They came to the very last rock, an impressive, large, flat one that stood out in the water to bravely break through the onslaught of waves that forevermore pounded against it. It was angled just right so that the sea spray would go around it, instead of over it, so it was their favorite place to sit.

And sit they did, not talking, just staring into the cloudy, cold March horizon. It was warm that day, for the time of year, and no one would be here so early in the season either. They always made the same trip on those days. The same days that Allen would do nothing but remember all day long. It started out as a way to comfort him after all, a way to distract him from the fact that he'd been abandoned, hurt, scarred, and forgotten over and over again. A way to make him blissfully unaware of the fact that he was living with his demon of an uncle instead of his real father. Allen never even considered his biological parents to be anything close. He couldn't even remember them.

"You're thinking too loud again."

Allen snapped out of his musings to look at Lavi's smiling face. Allen smiled back, apologetic. "Sorry, you know how I get."

"I do," Lavi nodded, turning his face back to the waves. "but you should still try to relax. Here," Allen gasped as his head was pulled into Lavi's lap, his coat scraping against the stone beneath his side. "Just relax Allen."

Oh HELL no, this wasn't happening.

"N-no, I think I'll be fine just sitti-" Allen was pushed right back into the lap below him before he could get even two inches away.

"Relax," Lavi started threading his fingers through silver thread, scratching gently, stroking in an almost loving manner.

And it was ripping Allen apart.

He tried to make his eyes less wide, his blush less prominent, but he just couldn't stop his heart from beating in double time. The salty air was starting to burn his hyperventilating lungs. He actually started to feel tears form, feeling so betrayed by his body and angry and frustrated and he just wanted to scream because of how unfair this situation was, how his feelings collided and contradicted.

Soft lips press against the corner of his eye.

"Relax Allen, I came out here for a different reason today."

Allen. Could. Not. Move.

Couldn't breath, couldn't see, couldn't speak, couldn't think, couldn't feel his heart beat.

Lavi kissed the same spot again, tasting Allen's tears; salt water.

"I wanted to tell you that I felt the same, that you could relax now," He bent over further to nuzzle his nose against Allen's cheek. "You don't have to be afraid anymore Allen."

Allen let his tears slip quietly down his face as he turned to place his lips against those above him, not saying a word.

After all, he knew that Lavi knew now, so there was nothing to explain, nothing to blubber and cry over as he tried to force his feeling out of his mouth like bile. There was no confession, no disgusting feelings, no fear or betrayal.

Only understanding, and the feeling that something wonderful had just bloomed between them, something soft, gentle, understanding.

Loving.

Allen held onto Lavi on the ride home, his hands wrapped around the other's chest, unafraid.

MWUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW! FLUFF!! I tried. Also, I didn't really mention too much about their clothes, because it's hard for me to see them in modern day clothes in the first place, let alone anything suitable to be worn on a bike in the middle of March. I used to go down to Ocean City like this in February with my sister and a friend. It was very cool, but we never got to the last rock, but it was something I've always wanted to do. Also, my friend got a video of a baby seal on the beach there once! It was AMAZING! Anyway, please let me know what you thought of this, it was just something that came to me as I wrote it, so please forgive any dumb stuff.