D. Gray-man Fan Fiction ❯ A Game of Poker ❯ Amusement ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: This is my first multichapter fanfic for the DGM fandom! Yay! I'm fairly new to the fandom, but hopefully I haven't made any unforgivable mistakes.

 

Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Limes are in the future, and lemons in the uncut versions (not on fanfiction(dot)net). Maybe some OOC, spoilers for the end of the anime later on.

 

Disclaimer: I don't own these lovely characters, that honor belongs to Katsura Hoshino. (Though if Hoshino-sama ever has a sale, I call dibs on Tyki… what?) I don't own anything but a copy of the anime series and all but volume 7 of the manga in English. Anything you don't recognize (like the plotline of `A Game of Poker') does belong to me. Everything else… not so much. Please don't sue.

 

Kudos to the awesome SisterWicked of AssHat Productions (a group I am now a proud member of), who got me started on Lucky and lets me use 'lovely'! Beta'd by Misster Cackles! All remaining mistakes are mine.

 

Last Time On `A Game Of Poker':

 

Tyki turned back to face the redhead, hand automatically coming up to brush some of those fiery red bangs from the young man's face. His smirk faded into a smile as the Exorcist unconsciously followed the contact, leaning in to the Pleasure's palm. Realizing what he was doing, he jerked his hand away and turned, quickly gathering his things, turning off the lights, and leaving the room and the redhead behind.

 

And Now, The Continuation

 

A Game of Poker, Chapter 3

Amusement

 

Two eyes, one emerald green and the other changing into a variety of otherworldly colors, slowly opened. Their owner blinked, not recognizing the hotel room for a moment before memories of last night flooded his brain.

 

The Noah. Tyki. A poker game.

 

His lie.

 

He pushed himself to a sitting position, wincing as a soreness he had never before experienced made itself known. He glanced over at the other side of the bed, shoulders slumping slightly as he noticed the lack of another warm body. Tentatively he reached for it, noting that the bed was cold on the older man's side. Tyki hadn't been in the bed for a while. If Lavi had to guess, the Pleasure had left just after he had fallen asleep.

 

He moved his hand, looking aimlessly around the room. He knew he needed to get back to his own hotel, to the Finder that had probably noticed him missing by now, so he could continue his mission, but he didn't have the motivation to do anything at the moment. He had known it wasn't likely that Tyki would stay the night, or proposition him again, but the reality still wasn't pleasant to wake up to.

 

His eyes landed on the nightstand, first spotting the hammer and then the card beneath it. Curious, he reached for the card and drew it up to eye level.

 

The King of Diamonds, along with a small note in an elegant, graceful script. Lavi spared only a moment wondering when the Pleasure had figured out that Lavi had lied, since he doubted the Noah's choice of a card to leave a note on was coincidence, but pushed the thought out of his head for later consideration and read the words.

 

"'We'll meet again, Exorcist. Soon.'" Lavi read, more mouthing the words than saying them. He grinned, the day suddenly brighter. He swung his legs gently over the side of the bed, pushing himself up to stand slowly. A hot shower should help sooth his muscles and he'd need to wash up before heading anywhere anyway. He slipped the card back under his still-intact hammer and began walking towards the small bathroom, the soreness becoming more tolerable with every step.

 

Line Break

 

Lavi sipped his drink, nursing his coffee for just a few more minutes before he'd have to get up and go back to his room to pack. The Finder had already headed back to her room to start packing, as they had retrieved the Innocence earlier that day. Tomorrow they would start making their way back to Headquarters, having missed the train back for today.

 

The redhead set his coffee cup down, the china making a quiet 'clack' on the wooden table. Releasing the cup's handle, he reached into his breast pocket and drew out a playing card. Again his green eye scanned over the short note written there.

 

'We'll meet again, Exorcist. Soon.'

 

It had been almost five days since then. Apparently Tyki's definition didn't match his for how soon was 'soon'. The Exorcist had hoped to see the other man again before leaving for Headquarters, but it didn't seem likely. The part of him that was optimistic still held out some hope that the Noah would show up, if only so Lavi could ask him some questions, but even his optimistic side was losing faith.

 

He would have to save his questions for the 'next time', the 'again' Tyki had implied. Being a Bookman's apprentice meant that Lavi was never satisfied until he understood both sides of any event, and he was still in the dark about what Tyki had gotten out of their night together, besides the obvious. He didn't understand why the Pleasure had apparently sought him out. Even if a Noah and an Exorcist were in the same town, they didn't need to cross paths, but Tyki had come to him that night. It made no sense, unless there was something in particular about Lavi that the Pleasure had wanted.

 

The redhead mentally shook himself. He wasn't going to let his thoughts go down that particular path, at least not anytime soon. He had slept with the man once, and as much as romantics disagreed, sex didn't necessarily mean that there were any emotions involved. Sex was just bodies and that was all he and Tyki had had. That wasn't to say Lavi didn't want it to happen again, that he didn't want Tyki again, but his own thoughts were far too confused yet for him to deal with.

 

He sighed and picked up his cup, nearly draining it in one gulp. The hot liquid burned his tongue and throat, but he didn't care.

 

Logically, it would probably be best if Tyki never showed up again except on the battlefield. A Bookman couldn't have attachments and this thing between them could turn into one if Lavi wasn't careful or forgot to remind himself that he meant nothing to Tyki.

 

He stared blankly at the card he held and tried to shake his thoughts away, realizing he was getting nowhere. His thoughts were just going in circles, as they had been so often for the past few days, and that wasn't even to mention the dreams...

 

A soft chuckle drew him out of his musings. He jerked his gaze from the card, heart accelerating slightly. He recognized that chuckle.

 

Tyki Mikk sat across the table, an amused gleam in his golden eyes. The Noah looked deliberately at the King of Diamonds Lavi held.

 

"I see you found my note."

 

Lavi quickly shoved the card back into his pocket, which only served to amuse the Noah further. Tyki chuckled. Lavi drained the rest of the coffee from his cup, then set it back down.

 

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon." he lied, covering up the unexpected surge of happiness he had felt at hearing the older man's voice. Bookman's training was sometimes helpful in the weirdest ways. The Noah raised an elegantly arched brow.

 

"Oh? Is that so..." The redhead pretended to take another sip from his now-empty coffee cup, waiting for the Pleasure to continue. Tyki, however, seemed content to simply watch him. Lavi set down his cup again and cleared his throat, meeting the other man's gaze seriously.

 

"Why are you here?"

 

Tyki held up his hands in a mock-placating gesture, eerily reminiscent of that night less than a week ago when they had met out on the streets. The Noah smirked, apparently also realizing the parallel.

 

"No need to be so suspicious, Lavi. I simply noticed that you were here, alone, and wanted to ask if you'd play a few more hands of poker with me. I found our game the other night quite... entertaining." Tyki's voice dropped lower on the last word, heat and invitation underlying currents in his voice.

 

Lavi could feel his own body heat up, both at the Noah's tone and the reminder of their previous 'game'. For a moment, he could almost feel Tyki's hands on him again, caressing him, stroking him, moving inside him. He held back a shiver, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible when he spoke.

 

"What are the stakes?"

 

"The same." Tyki replied.

 

"You don't have my Innocence this time." Lavi pointed out, smiling thinly. "What do I get if I win?"

 

"You're a Bookman-in-training, correct?" the Pleasure asked rhetorically, not even waiting for the redhead to nod before continuing. "I'll honestly answer any one question you have about myself, the Noah, or the Akuma, within reasonable limits, if you win. Are those stakes satisfying?"

 

Lavi struggled to hold in his shock.

 

"Any question?" he repeated. The Noah nodded calmly.

 

"Within reasonable limits."

 

The Exorcist didn't say anything, pretending to take another sip of his long gone coffee. He wasn't sure if he wanted to win or lose the proposed game, which was disconcerting. As Bookman Junior, the heir to the title, he shouldn't care about... that. Winning should be his main priority, since he could get all kinds of information with just one well-worded question. He knew the other wouldn't answer any question that could help the Black Order win the war (hence the 'reasonable limits'), but so little was known about the Noah or the Akuma that the restriction didn't feel like a hindrance. He could learn so much if he won, but he wanted to lose just as much as he wanted to win.

 

He wanted another night like that first night, even though he wasn't supposed to want. He knew that Tyki would make it just as good, knew how it felt to have the Noah inside him, and he wanted that feeling again. Desire swept through him, pooling low in his stomach at the mere memory.

 

He carefully controlled his outward reaction, setting his coffee cup down again. He grinned at the Noah sitting across from him.

 

"Sounds fine to me." He was about to add something along the lines of 'your room or mine' when a new voice interrupted them.

 

"Excuse me, Lord Mikk?"

 

Lavi turned, the Noah's gaze following a fraction of a second later. A waitress bowed politely to the Pleasure.

 

"There's a phone call for you at the front. I was told to tell you it was urgent." She straightened and waited by the older man's chair. Tyki sighed, pushing his chair back and standing. He bowed his head lightly in apology to the redhead.

 

"It's a shame we couldn't have that game, Exorcist. Perhaps we will the next time we meet."

 

Lavi nodded dumbly, but Tyki had already turned and begun following the waitress. As he watched the man leave without even a backward glance, he couldn't stop or understand the crushing disappointment that welled up inside of him. He took a slow, even breath, controlling his emotions. He had no reason to be disappointed. It was only a 'game', after all.

 

He stood, abandoning the table. The innkeeper knew to charge the Black Order for everything anyway, and he had packing to do.

 

Line Break

 

Tyki mentally heaved a frustrated sigh, swirling the red wine in his long-stemmed glass idly. He was at yet another dull party so that the Earl could further his cause, stir the nobles up enough for them to support a war and create a world ripe for more Akuma. Tyki disliked these parties, since he was the most eligible bachelor among the Noah and tended to get paraded around like a prize stallion. The noblewomen, after all, tended to be more agreeable to the Earl's plans if Tyki was present.

 

He kept his face carefully polite yet blank, trying not to let his thoughts show. He had been looking forward to continuing the game with the red haired Exorcist, but that had been interrupted by the Earl's phone call. Even if he wouldn't quite admit it to himself yet, he had been gleefully anticipating this night for that past five days. He had wanted and waited to take the redhead again and now his frustrations had no outlet and his plans for the night were ruined.

 

He took a sip of his wine just as a woman walked up to him and abruptly curtsied.

 

"Lord Mikk, I presume?" she asked, not rising from her curtsy. A bit taken aback, Tyki replied to the affirmative. The lady straightened and offered him her hand, which he grasped carefully. "It is such a pleasure to finally meet you. I have heard so much about you."

 

She touched her small bosom with her free hand.

 

"I am Lady Sarah. Would you consent to be my partner for the next dance?"

 

She was very bold for a woman, Tyki thought as he bowed over her hand to press a kiss to the back as custom dictated. The woman again surprised him by flipping her hand in his grasp so he kissed the palm, rather than the back. An invitation.

 

"It's an honor to meet you as well, Lady Sarah." he said as he straightened, giving her a slow once-over he was sure she noticed. Her eyes were a rather fetching shade of green, matching the emerald of her ballgown and the gems of the silver hairpins in her golden hair. She was slender, the large ruffles on the bodice of her dress not quite concealing the fact that her bust was small. She wasn't quite to his normal taste in women, but she was pretty and her eye color was lovelier still. The word 'lovely' didn't quite fit her, but she would be an acceptable stand-in for his amusements that evening.

 

Perhaps his original plan for the night was shot, but at least his frustrations had found an outlet. She had made the first move, after all, flipping her hand so he could kiss the palm.

 

"I'd be further honored to be your partner, my lady." He allowed his voice to take on an inviting tone, one that told the Lady he was more than amiable to her suggestion of other activities.

 

She smiled, playing coy and demure by glancing up at him through lowered lashes.

 

"I am tiring of this party, Lord Mikk. I do have a room upstairs, where I think we might find better amusement. If you would care to join me?" She half-turned and waited for his response. His smile took on a heated edge. He could practically feel her shiver and saw the desire intensify in her beautiful eyes.

 

They were, really, her loveliest asset.

 

"I'm certain we can find better amusement there, Lady."

 

Line Break

 

Two hours later, Tyki reported to the Earl with his shirt buttoned but untucked and his hair released from his usual high ponytail.

 

It had been a disappointingly unsatisfying tryst. The woman had been as bold in bed as out of it, but the encounter had left Tyki wanting something more. Even in the heat of the moment, his mind had gone back to the redhead. Perhaps especially in the heat of the moment. Lady Sarah's eyes had been green, nearly the same shade as Lavi's normal eye, but she lacked something the Exorcist had. He wasn't referring to body parts either.

 

She, at least, had been satisfied, leaving his reputation with the ladies unaffected though his distraction had been noticeable. He would simply have to find a more satisfying partner, possibly locate the red haired Exorcist again. The young man had been more than willing to play the offered poker game, though Tyki didn't normally bother with such pretexts to lure someone to his room. He normally didn't need them.

 

"Tyki-pon!" the Earl said delightedly, breaking into Tyki's thoughts. "Did you have fun?"

 

The Pleasure nodded, forcing a smile and moving his thoughts to the present.

 

"Yes, my dear Millennium Earl. It was a wonderful party." he lied. The Earl probably saw right through the falsehood but dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

 

"Good, good! I have a new job for you, Tyki-pon. More nasty Exorcists are being made, meaning more of my cute little Akuma are dying. I need you to go around and destroy Innocence for me." The large, ever-grinning man tossed a card, which Tyki caught. "Here's a list of some of the places you'll need to check. Please do start right away."

 

Tyki knew that tone, the falsely pleasant request that was actually a command in thin disguise.

 

"Of course, Earl. I'll leave first thing in the morning-" Tyki was tucking the card into his breast pocket as the Millennium Earl spoke again.

 

"Right away, Tyki-pon."

 

The Pleasure felt his blood chill and nodded. The Earl had to be furious over the death of his 'cute little' killing machines.

 

"Right away, Earl. Do I have your permission to use the Ark, then?" Most of the second Ark had been lost because of the incomplete download, but some 20% had been salvageable, though the doorways were rather fragile. The old Ark would have been able to withstand an atomic bomb, but the new doors and the pieces of the second Ark were not nearly so durable. The incomplete download of the original Ark was to blame and the lack of a Musician to reinforce the damaged parts.

 

The Earl nodded, waving as the Noah turned.

 

"Goodbye, Tyki-pon!" the fat man called. Tyki paused, turning back and bowing slightly.

 

"Goodbye, Earl."

 

Line Break

 

Lavi sighed, taking a spoonful of soup and lifting it to his mouth. The always-noisy lunchroom of the Black Order Headquarters seemed even louder than usual today, though all Lavi heard was a buzz in his ears. He was too lost in thought to even pay attention to the hum of conversation.

 

He had gotten back to HQ a few days ago and already he wanted to leave his temporary home. There was no way Tyki would visit him here - even a Noah would have a hard time surviving a stroll through a den of Exorcists and high-tech anti-Akuma weapons. He had never desired a mission more, since he was normally quite happy to stay in Headquarters and learn the secret skills of a Bookman.

 

His friends had noticed his subtle (180 degree) shift in outlook, and speaking of friends-

 

"Hey Lavi!"

 

He looked up, spotting Lenalee, Allen, and even Kanda (who was seemingly being dragged by the white haired boy) moving towards him and the empty seats around him. He pasted on a large smile as always and waved.

 

"Oi! Over here!" His table was almost empty except for a group of Finders at the opposite end, so the other Exorcists had more than enough room to sit down around him. Kanda took a seat a few away from Lavi on the opposite side of the table, setting down his soba and ignoring the 'moyashi' when Allen sat directly across from Lavi and put his trays of food down. Lenalee sat next to Lavi, on the side closer to Kanda and the opposite end of the table from the Finders.

 

"So, what brings you three over here?" Lavi asked, turning back to his soup with the smile still fixed firmly on his face. He picked up the bowl in both hands and gulped at the hot liquid. Allen had started on his first plate of some kind of meat and dumpling dish while Kanda was ignoring them and eating his soba. Lenalee was just holding her sandwich and watching the redhead, a bit of concern on her face.

 

"We just wanted to sit with you, but I have noticed you're a bit... well, distracted lately. I just wanted to know if you were feeling all right." The Chinese girl delicately lifted up her sandwich and took a small bite, chewing thoughtfully as she waited for the Bookman in training to reply.

 

Allen, who had long ago perfected the art of talking with his mouth full without showing the contents of his mouth or spraying food particles everywhere, piped up.

 

"I thought you had hit your head or something - Lenalee is right, you have been out of it." The white haired boy swallowed the mood and smiled wide, totally open. "We're here to talk if you need us!"

 

Kanda huffed.

 

"You may be here for that, but I have better things to do than listen to the stupid rabbit whine. If that's why you dragged me here, I'm leaving."

 

Even though he spoke so harshly, the long haired Exorcist didn't make a move to get up from the table and find a new seat. The action - or inaction, really - spoke volumes about Kanda's actual feelings on the situation. While probably not worried about the redhead, Lavi could tell the Japanese man was at least curious or concerned. With Kanda, it was difficult and sometimes dangerous to try and differentiate.

 

Still, Lavi had never been one to run from danger...

 

"Aw, Yuu-chan, were you worried about me?" the redhead joked, moving just slightly so he dodged Mugen's automatic thrust towards his face. It was almost a game to him now, since he had pissed the sword-wielding Exorcist off so much, to see how narrowly he could dodge the sharp metal. As always, he pretended to freeze in fear, laughing nervously at the murderous aura surrounding the swordsman.

 

"Call me by my name again and I'll decapitate you." Kanda growled, then returned Mugen into its sheath on his back. Allen was staring at the Japanese man, eye twitching a bit and his expression one of exasperation.

 

The cursed boy was probably curious as to the cause of Lavi's distraction and knew that threatening the redhead would get no results. It was almost funny how easy his friends were to read, if he paid any amount of attention. Reading people was a skill handed down to him by Bookman, since body language was a major way to communicate and a dead giveaway when a person lied. The knowledge had come in rather handy, especially when Lavi had to lie his way out of trouble. It was easy enough to project sincere body language when you knew what a liar looked like.

 

"But you do know that you can talk to us- any of us -" Lenalee shot a pointed look at Kanda, who huffed again and deliberately turned back to his soba, ignoring her. She turned back to Lavi with a bright, wide smile that was completely genuine. "-when ever you need to, right?"

 

"Of course, Lenalee-chan!" Lavi forced his grin back and stretched it wider. "I don't have anything to talk about though, honestly." He turned his focus to Allen as the Chinese girl began to open her mouth again. "So, Allen, I heard you had a tough mission to... Italy, was it?"

 

Allen wasted no time in launching into his story, allowing the matter to drop or just disregarding it as something Lavi would tell when he was ready. The redhead kept a smile on his face, nodding at all the right parts of the story and chiming in with a comment or two to show he was listening as he let his mind wander.

 

He could feel Lenalee staring at him, even as she too tried to pay attention to Allen's informal report. Kanda made no show of paying attention, acting as if he was ignoring the white haired boy but Lavi could see his ears twitching ever so slightly. The samurai was paying attention, and close attention too, if the way he flinched when Allen started describing a particularly intense battle was any indication. Lavi snickered to himself, curious and already forming a hypothesis for why, exactly, Kanda seemed so tense when the cursed boy a few seats down from him spoke of his dangerous battle. Why, if Lavi didn't know Kanda, he would have thought the Japanese man was worried.

 

Lavi's grin stretched a bit wider at the thought. Maybe the swordsman was worried and maybe he had a thing for the resident male cutie of the Order. Not only was Allen strong, but he was polite and kind to just about everyone, always willing to lend a hand - except, of course, to Kanda. Half the girls in the Order had huge crushes on the white-haired boy, and more than a few of the boys did too.

 

As he had said, resident male cutie. The female cutie, of course, was Lenalee, though no one was suicidal or masochistic enough to tell Komui that. Lavi hadn't been completely unaffected by their charms, but he had stopped seeing them romantically a long time ago and only saw them as younger siblings now. Their position in his platonic affections had been cemented when...

 

The redhead controlled his urge to reach into his breast pocket and draw out the playing card hidden there. It wasn't likely that anyone would recognize it, though Allen might recognize the brand of playing cards. He had been carrying the King of Diamonds with him for almost a week, ever since he had last seen Tyki.

 

That man - that Noah, he corrected himself - was the reason he had been so distracted lately. He wasn't about to share that information with his friends, though it would be funny to see their reactions of he told them his distraction was the direct result of lack of sleep due to dreams that woke him up at midnight, hot and sweaty and hard. The dreams were actually memories, though the results of said dreams were normally cured by a quick jump into a cold shower. That said, Lavi couldn't remember taking more cold showers in a week than in any other month of his life. More than once he had needed to resort to using his hand when the cold water didn't work, relying on his perfect memory rather than a fantasy. It worked, but was never as good as when the Pleasure touched him.

 

It was as if that night - had it really only been a few days less than two weeks ago? - had awoken a hunger in his blood, one he'd managed to dam up and suppress until that game of poker. That event had broken the dam and now it seemed as if his body was making up for lost time.

 

He had been so happy to skip the 'hormonal teenager' phase Bookman had warned him about (and what an awkward conversation that had been) but it seemed as if his hormones had just hit him late. Lavi had once read that the average teenage male thought about sex more than once every ten seconds, but he had thought the study was a hoax until now. Now, it seemed as if all he could concentrate on were those memories.

 

"Lavi?" Allen called, with the air of having tried to get the redhead's attention for a while. There was a slight edge of worry and exasperation in the white haired boy's tone. The Bookman in training mentally shook himself.

 

"Yes?" he asked, hoping he hadn't actually missed anything important. Allen peered closely at Lavi, the worry more prominent in his eyes now.

 

"You spaced out again. I've said your name at least three times."

 

"Did I? Sorry about that." The redhead laughed, trying to brush it off as no big deal. He couldn't tell them the truth, not now and quite possibly not ever, and lying would be difficult since the best lies were those told with a grain of truth. Not impossible, just difficult. No matter what he told them, it would end up being unacceptable to Bookman or just plain unbelievable. Not that anyone would believe the truth, either, but that was a moot point.

 

"Lavi, what's wr-" Lenalee started, but he didn't let her finish the question. Acting as if he hadn't heard her start to speak, he asked a question of his own.

 

"So, what have I missed here since I was on a mission?" He kept his voice cheerful, noticing how Kanda was glaring suspiciously at him and Allen seemed to be eyeing him curiously too. Lenalee was a bit put out, though mostly she seemed worried, especially since Lavi was dodging their questions or just avoiding them entirely.

 

"Well... Komui-niisan thinks the Earl is planning something big." The Chinese girl began answering the redhead's question. She took another bite of her sandwich.

 

"There are fewer Akuma who actually attack Exorcists, and just the bare minimum guarding Innocence when we're sent to retrieve it." Allen continued. "Komui seems to think the Earl is trying to conserve his forces for a major attack, or something, though we don't have much information. No one has seen any of the Noah clan in months either, so most people seem to think this is the 'calm before the storm'."

 

Lavi felt a slight pang of guilt at the mention of the Noah clan, since he had in fact seen a Noah less than a week ago, but he let his smile fade slowly into a serious expression.

 

"It makes sense. I thought something was odd about the number of Akuma on my last mission, but I wasn't sure." he said, picking up his soup and downing the rest of it. He stood, grabbing his tray and waving a small goodbye to his three friends still at the table.

 

"I gotta go. That old Panda expects me for lessons soon." he lied as he turned away to drop his tray off to be cleaned.

 

"Bye Lavi!"

 

"See you later!"

 

"Che."

 

As he left the lunchroom, the redhead made a mental note to be more careful about spacing out. He obviously hadn't meant to space out, but that was what made his inattention so dangerous. Bookmen always paid attention to everything and he was in training to become a Bookman since that was what he had always wanted.

 

Right?

 

As he began walking down the hall, a voice stopped him.

 

"Lavi-kun."

 

The redhead turned to see Reever walking towards him, a permanently bored look on his face.

 

"Komui wants you in his office. He has another mission for you."

 

TBC…