D. Gray-man Fan Fiction ❯ A Game of Poker ❯ Mirror, Mirror ( Chapter 22 )

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 volumes 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 N.H. Arawn, SisterWicked, and Misster Cackles! All remaining mistakes are mine.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Starting from now, I will be posting the uncut versions of my chapters on FF(dot)net. I will be going back to the other censored chapters and replacing them with the uncut versions.

 

WARNINGS: This chapter contains LEMON (NC-17) content of the M/M (malexmale) variety. Do not read if you are considered a minor in your country or if you take offense to one man loving another man.

 

Last Time On `A Game Of Poker':

 

As he settled down to meditate, brief flashbacks of his verbal fight with Allen kept playing in his head. Most annoying was the several too-short moments when he had pinned the white-haired idiot to a wall, noses and chests just barely touching and the scent of mitarashi dango thick and sweet on Allen's breath.

 

For some reason, that scene would not leave him alone and, most peculiarly, he had a sudden craving for dango.

 

He scowled.

 

He hated sweets.

 

And Now, The Continuation

 

A Game of Poker, Chapter 22

Mirror, Mirror

 

Lavi walked down the darkened hallways of the Order, hands in his pockets. His face was blank and impassive, eyes downcast as he walked aimlessly.

 

Well, perhaps not totally aimlessly.

 

He sighed, not really paying attention to his feet. His body knew where it was going, which left his mind free to think about other things. He snorted quietly at the thought.

 

His body definitely knew where he was going.

 

His footsteps slowed, then stopped. His forehead creased as he frowned, more in thought and - though he'd rather not admit it to anyone, especially himself - slight hurt than displeasure. He was angry, somewhere under the hurt and partial numbness that had crept in after lunch.

 

He hadn't been sure if Bookman had known it was Lavi who had brought Tyki to the Order; at least, he hadn't been sure until today when Kanda had thrown his actions in his face and let the Finders sitting within earshot in on the information. By dinner the information had spread to the point where conversation stilled when he walked into a room and eyes followed him when he moved.

 

Bookman, of course, had already heard. That man had ears and eyes everywhere.

When Lavi had returned to the room he shared with the old man, Bookman had been working at his desk. The old Panda had looked at him only once when Lavi had first entered the room. His gaze had been cold and distant, disapproval radiating from him silently.

 

Then the old man had turned back to his work, occasionally muttering something about a few ancient wars and something that, disturbingly enough, sounded like ruminations on whether or not their time at the Order would need to be cut short.

 

After three hours of that, Lavi had left. Fled, more like, but he preferred not to think about it.

 

He really should end his visits to Tyki before Bookman found out (or at least before he had concrete evidence) but he already knew he didn't have the strength to do that. He would just have to try his best, and while he could, he wanted to see the Noah, be with him one more time.

 

He looked up, walking forward again and letting his feet carry him on the route he had traveled so many times in his thoughts during the past week, traveling on the path he had set for himself months ago.

 

<hr>

 

Lavi silently pushed open the door to Tyki's room. The hooded Finders had let him pass without a word, though he could feel the two men watching him speculatively. He hadn't met their eyes.

 

As soon as the door was closed they would cease to matter. Cease to exist, really, though Lavi knew he was just kidding himself with that line of thought. They would still be there on the other side of the door, listening for anything they could use to fuel the rumor mill.

 

Sighing quietly, he stepped through the open doorway and shoved the door closed behind himself. He was half tempted to lock it, since he hadn't been specifically told not to this time, but he doubted that would go over well with the guards and nothing would be more embarrassing than for the two Finders outside to break down the door in order to get into the room if they heard anything... strange.

 

Lavi began toeing off his shoes for something to do as his face heated at the memory. He wasn't sure exactly how loud they had been last time, but he was aware that during the course of their... activities that night he had forgotten to keep quiet. He hoped the Finders hadn't heard anything and that seemed likely since he hadn't heard anything and any definitive proof connecting Tyki to an Exorcist (especially 'romantically') would have spread through the Order in less than a day. He stepped out of his boots and nudged them over to the side of the door with his foot, making sure they were out of the way.

 

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, lifting his gaze from the floor.

 

Tyki apparently hadn't noticed him come in. Lavi smiled slightly. The Noah was standing by the window, leaning slightly against the wall and windowsill as he looked out into the night sky. The older man was apparently absorbed in thought, though Lavi couldn't be sure without seeing the other man's face.

 

His eyes lingered on the man's slumped shoulders. His smile faded and disappeared and he glanced at the floor for a moment before swallowing and looking back up. He stepped forward, letting his foot make a soft noise on the stone floor.

 

Tyki's shoulders tensed for a split second before they were forcefully relaxed and the man turned around, a look of wariness not completely hidden by the mask of nonchalance he wore. Surprise flickered briefly over that mask and just as quickly the Noah adopted a seductive smirk and leaned his back against the window. The chain connecting the manacles around his wrists seemed to glow in the moonlight coming in from the window. Tyki's eyes didn't travel over the redhead's body, but they didn't need to. The heat in Tyki's eyes as his gaze bore into Lavi's was hint enough.

 

The redhead grinned slightly, knowing his expression probably looked strained. Seeing the older man just now had raised a question in his mind, one that was lightly nagging at him now and had probably been buried in the back of his mind for some time.

 

"Do you miss them?" he asked. The words sounded loud in his ears. Tyki frowned slightly, straightening up and moving towards the redhead without haste, his expression somewhere between confusion, surprise, and feigned disinterest.

 

"'Them', lovely?" he asked, turning towards the small night table next to the bed and opening the drawer. A twinge of bitterness tightened Lavi's chest for a moment, but he fought the urge to go over by the man and slam the drawer shut. The lotion could wait - or was it that they weren't supposed to talk? Lavi was only there for one thing, after all, and it wasn't conversation. Half of him almost didn't mind only being here for one thing; probably the half that was dedicated to the way of the Bookmen and knew this couldn't be anything else.

 

Swallowing the bitter feeling, he compromised between his urges. He walked across the room towards the bed, not looking at the Noah.

 

"The other Noah. Your... family," he said awkwardly, sitting down. The sound of Tyki rummaging through the drawer was audible for a few more seconds before the sound of wood scraping wood replaced it. The older man had apparently found what he was looking for and had closed the drawer. The redhead raised his eyes, expecting to see the bottle of lotion in the older man's hand as he turned around.

 

To his surprise, the Pleasure held the deck of playing cards Lavi had abandoned after their last encounter.

 

"My 'family'..." Tyki repeated slowly, a hint of amusement in his voice as he sat down on the mattress next to the Exorcist. "No. I don't miss them. Perhaps I miss the freedom to move and do as I please, but I don't miss their company."

 

His eyes seemed to soften in something like regret but before Lavi could make certain, the expression was gone and Tyki was smiling seductively at him again. He began to shuffle the cards expertly, apparently paying no attention to the motions.

 

"Do you miss your family, Lavi?" Tyki asked, tone conversational as he shuffled. "Bookman is not your father, is he? Perhaps your grandfather, but-"

 

"I don't," Lavi said shortly, looking away from the olive-skinned hands shuffling the deck. He absently put a hand to his eyepatch, running his fingers over the cloth and the band holding it in place. "I never knew them. Bookman took me in when I was very young, so I don't remember them at all."

 

That was a lie. He could remember them, though vaguely, and what he could remember he'd rather not dwell on.

 

He could sense Tyki's eyes following the motion of his fingers and self-consciously jerked his hand away from his face. Silence fell, broken only by the sound of the Noah shuffling. Lavi shoved his thoughts away and looked back towards the older man. Their eyes met for a moment, a second of quiet semi-understanding, then both looked away. Lavi's gaze dropped to study the cards being shuffled once more while Tyki looked down towards the mattress.

 

After a long minute, Tyki finally stopped shuffling.

 

"Would you like to play?" he asked, already moving to begin dealing the cards. Lavi hesitated, then reached out slowly and laid his hand on top of the Pleasure's.

 

"No," he said, tightening his grip slightly when the older man tensed briefly in surprise. The redhead looked up, meeting the Noah's eyes with a guarded expression. He tugged gently on the hand he held, pulling the Portuguese man closer. "I don't think we need to play anymore, do we?"

 

He tried to keep his voice light, but the question was serious. The Noah could hear just how serious in Lavi's tone. He relaxed his hands, slipping one from beneath the redhead's grip and lifting it to gently cup the Exorcist's face. He leaned forward, Lavi moving to meet him halfway. Their lips met in a kiss more sweet and tender than any they had yet shared, born of that semi-understanding they had reached a few moments ago. Lavi let his eye drift closed, trying to enjoy the kiss for what it was and ignore the tight pain in his chest the gentle brush of lips caused.

 

This had to be a lie... but maybe not as much of a lie as the previous soft kisses had been, since there could be an understanding between them. This kiss was just `understanding', not `feeling'. Mutual understanding wasn't 'feeling', was it? Was he allowed to have this at least?

 

If not, then he supposed it was just one more black mark against him.

 

Tyki broke the kiss first, before it had the chance to get heated. The Noah pulled back, hand slipping from Lavi's cheek as he turned to put the cards on the night table. Lavi watched him, heart still aching and his lips tingling in the aftermath of the kiss. He was half tempted to lift a hand to touch his mouth but fought the urge down. He watched as Tyki opened up the drawer once more and rummaged around briefly before locating and grabbing the bottle of lotion. The Noah placed it on top of the bedside table and shoved the drawer shut. The chains clinked with the rapid movement, the sound banishing thoughts of the kiss from his mind.

 

'"Perhaps I miss the freedom..."'

 

Tyki was a prisoner here. The Noah didn't have many - or any - options with some things. He couldn't let himself forget that.

 

The older man turned to face the redhead once more, his dark eyes lustful though the desire was tempered by something that seemed softer. Lavi refused to think about what that something was, drawing in a shaky breath as Tyki reached for him again. The Exorcist moved forward willingly, shifting his weight more firmly onto the mattress and putting one hand down to help himself balance as he leaned forward to meet Tyki's mouth as the older man moved closer.

 

Tyki's lips met his, still gentle but more demanding with an edge of heat that sent a thrill of desire through the redhead's body. Almost before the Pleasure's tongue asked for entrance into his mouth, Lavi parted his lips. The Noah tasted him slowly, tongue moving as if they had all the time in the world to enjoy the taste and feel of each other. Lavi moaned lightly, unconsciously moving even closer to the older man's body and shutting his eye.

 

A hand settled on the side of his head, pulling him more firmly towards the Noah and then sliding backwards. Fingers tugged at something - the knot holding his eyepatch on, he figured out a moment later as the patch came loose - and then slid through his hair, underneath his bandanna. Both patch and bandanna were lifted up over his head and tossed aside.

 

For once, Lavi didn't move to grab the black patch that had been covering his eye. He did break the kiss somewhat uncertainly, moving back slightly and opening his eyes. He was still close enough to Tyki that their breath mingled between them, but far enough away that he could see the man's entire face. He watched the Pleasure's expression, unable to find anything but want and that soft emotion he refused to name. Naming it would change this into something he couldn't throw away when the time came.

 

Tyki leaned in again, brown eyes shutting, and gently pressed his lips to Lavi's cheek. He moved again and the redhead instinctively closed his eyes. There was soft pressure on the eyelid of his cursed eye, just enough to let him know where Tyki's lips were before that soft pressure moved, sliding up to kiss the ridge where his eyebrow should have been. The Noah's hands were cupping his face, keeping him in place firmly but not harshly while the older man's lips slid to softly kiss the corner of Lavi's eye. The redhead was tense in the Noah's hold, straining just slightly against it in an unconscious attempt to move away.

 

Lavi swallowed heavily, shaking from something that wasn't lust. He tentatively reached out with both hands, grabbing on to the Noah's shoulders and then pushing. He jerked his head away from the other's soft touch at the same moment, turning his face towards the mattress before opening his eyes. His throat felt tight, as if a lump of some sort was blocking the flow of air. He swallowed around it.

 

Tyki didn't move. He held perfectly still and Lavi refused to look up and see the man's expression. Something - an instinct? - told him that looking up would be a very bad idea though he couldn't pinpoint why that was.

 

The redhead relaxed a fraction after a few moments and took a deep breath, trying to will his muscles to relax completely. They wouldn't. He took another deep breath, trying to calm down. His heart was racing in his chest and he felt light, like each of those soft kisses had stolen a heavy weight from him and that couldn't be a good sign. Not if he was going to break this off, which he was. Definitely. Before Bookman found out.

 

Absolutely.

 

The feeling of being in something resembling conventional views of Heaven, of Paradise, were bad signs. Lavi frantically shoved the feeling down, bringing himself back to reality by reminding himself of exactly why he was there.

 

He was there to fulfill Tyki's needs. He was there to make a few more memories so he could enjoy them later, once the Noah was beyond his reach. There was no way this could continue forever. He couldn't let himself get any more attached than he was now and if those sorts of kisses continued...

 

Those soft kisses... didn't seem like lies, but they had to be. Their eventual but inevitable separation would be too painful otherwise.

 

"What..." the redhead asked slowly, voice choked. He swallowed heavily, hands tightening on the Noah's shoulders. "What are... why..."

 

What are you thinking?

 

Why are you doing this to me?

 

Lavi bit his lower lip, swallowing his questions. He couldn't know the answers to those, not when the answers were just as dangerous as Tyki's soft kisses. He consciously loosened his grip on the Noah's shoulders, aware that the older man hadn't moved at all during his brief mental struggle. Slowly, he lifted his head, eyes meeting the Pleasure's fleetingly before he turned his gaze to the man's lips.

 

Tyki's eyes were dangerous too.

 

The redhead slid his hands to the front of the Portuguese man's shirt, grabbing large handfuls and pulling the Noah to him. He heard a slight grunt of surprise at the action but ignored it, more intent on pressing his lips to Tyki's as passionately as he could. He reached down inside himself for the memories of what the older man could do with his hands, with his mouth, memories of how the other's touch affected him physically. He drew up those feelings and poured them into the kiss, trying to change the painful sweetness of the moment into something a great deal hotter and less personal. It was safer.

 

Tyki's shock at Lavi's forwardness allowed the Exorcist to dominate the kiss for once and the redhead intended to take advantage. It was his tongue that brushed against soft lips and slid in between them when they opened. It was his tongue that coaxed the other man to action, moving against the slick muscle in Tyki's mouth with all the skill the older man had taught him in the course of their involvement.

 

At the first brush of his tongue, the Noah began reacting. Tyki's hands settled on Lavi's hips, pulling the younger man closer. The Pleasure started to take control of the kiss, using his greater skill and experience to slowly shift dominance from the redhead to himself and just as slowly began to gentle the exchange.

 

Lavi made a small noise, both frantic and irritated. His grip tightened on Tyki's shirt and he arched his back, pressing himself to the Noah's body and gently - still somewhat shy - rocking against it. He moaned lightly at the friction, breaking the kiss as his body finally reacted to the older man in a way he could allow and not analyze. Tyki growled softly, then suddenly pushed Lavi backwards and pinned him to the bed as he claimed his mouth once again.

 

This kiss was not gentle or soft. It was passionate, lustful, impersonal. It was allowed, more permissible than anything else in this twisted relationship had been.

 

Lavi felt something inside his chest relax - or perhaps 'let go' was more appropriate, since there was a sudden sharp longing and an emptiness where that disconcerting lightness and warmth had been several moments ago. He allowed himself to be pinned to the mattress, arching his body to press himself against the Noah on top of him.

 

Tyki broke the kiss and ground down harshly against him, drawing a low gasp from the redhead's lips.

 

"Fine," the Noah said, voice slightly rough though with what emotion Lavi couldn't tell. "If this is the way you want it..."

 

The Exorcist wasn't given time to wonder what the older man meant before his lips were once again claimed. He could feel Tyki's hands slide to his waist, tugging impatiently at his shirt and pulling it free of his pants. The redhead loosened his grip on the Noah's shirt, moving his hands under Tyki's arms to clutch at his shoulders from behind.

 

The Pleasure's mouth separated from his with a wet smacking sound, tongues still touching for the briefest of instants after their lips parted. The redhead was breathing heavily and the brunet moved down the younger man's body to his waist. He put his lips to Lavi's belt buckle and settled his hands at the Exorcist's hips before slowly moving upwards. The redhead drew in a sharp breath as the Noah's hands began to slide up his sides. The cooler metal of the cuffs and chain dragged across Lavi's skin and created a sharp contrast with Tyki's mouth as the older man pressed open-mouthed kisses to Lavi's abdomen.

 

The Exorcist squirmed when the Pleasure pressed his lips to the redhead's navel, tongue dipping inside in mimicry of what another part of the Portuguese man would be doing to Lavi's body later. The younger man wiggled, moving one of his arms under his body to prop himself up as he reached for the head of dark hair with his other.

 

With a sudden surge of motion, Tyki moved up his body and shoved him down. The Noah kissed him roughly, biting then sucking at his lower lip before forcing his tongue into the redhead's mouth. Lavi made a small noise of frustration and distress, half whimper and half moan. The sound was lost, swallowed by the tongue ravishing him thoroughly and the hot mouth insistently pressed to his.

 

Just as he was beginning to feel light-headed from the lack of air, Tyki broke the kiss and moved back down his body. Lavi laid on the bed, breathing heavily through lips that were kiss-bruised and swollen. He moaned when the Noah's tongue drew a lazy circle around his nipple, purposefully avoiding the peak of the hardening nub, then drew the chain across the redhead's chest harshly enough to draw faint red lines of abraded skin where the links were not quite smooth. The Exorcist jerked backwards in surprise, hips bucking instinctively though Lavi couldn't say if the motion was to try and get Tyki off of him or for the friction against his hardening manhood. He was reminded uncomfortably of a day not too long ago when he had been in a similar position, one where he wasn't sure whether to push the Pleasure away or not. That day in the alley when his inability to decide on a course of action had caused him so much pain...

 

The Noah chuckled darkly, running his tongue along one of the long, thin scratches and causing it to sting.

 

"Tyki-" Lavi managed to say, ending in a strangled moan when a hand slipped down to rub him through his pants. Tyki's tongue and mouth made a path of hash nips and licks that were barely soothing up his neck to his ear. Once there the older man drew Lavi's earring and earlobe into his mouth and bit down hard enough to leave a mark. The redhead cried out, more in surprise than pain as he lifted his hands to push the Pleasure away.

 

The older man's hand instantly went to the Exorcist's mouth, covering it and squeezing the flesh of the redhead's cheeks into his teeth. Tyki's mouth released his ear, but the man didn't move away.

 

"Quiet, Exorcist," the Noah whispered, stroking him more firmly through his pants. Lavi squirmed uncomfortably. "Unless you want to give those Finders outside a show or force me to find a better use for your mouth."

 

The words weren't said kindly and Lavi mutely shook his head, knowing he wouldn't be able to get any words through the hand that gagged him. Tyki released him and he winced, working to ease the pain caused the indentations of his teeth on the inside of his cheek. A pang of something went through him at the term of address the Noah had used, something a lot like pain. He opened his mouth to protest the rough treatment but was once again cut off by the Pleasure.

 

"Arms," Tyki said coolly, pulling at Lavi's shirt and clearly intending to yank it over his head. The redhead complied unhappily, dropping his hands from the older man's shoulders and moving them above his head. He arched his body into a concave bow, allowing the brunet to pull the shirt over his arms and head. The Exorcist tilted his head up expectantly afterwards, half-hoping for a kiss as a reminder that the Noah could be gentle, not just coldly lustful. His silent request went unanswered as Tyki's hands went to the redhead's belt and began undoing it with quick, uncaring motions.

 

Something in Lavi's chest tightened, a sudden surge of regret spurring him to action. He used one arm to push himself to a sitting position while the other hand moved to cover the Portuguese man's hands, both of which had stilled when the younger man had begun to move.

 

Lavi swallowed heavily, looking at his hand as he slowly tightened his grip rather than look at the Pleasure's face.

 

"Stop," he said, a bit unnecessarily as the Noah wasn't moving. "This isn't - I didn't..." He trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

 

The mattress shifted slightly as Tyki moved, untangling his hand from Lavi's grip and the redhead's belt. The Exorcist let him, still not looking up. He felt the brunet move closer and then felt a hand carefully grip his chin. The hand firmly lifted his head, forcing him to look up though Lavi did his best to keep his gaze averted. He wasn't sure what he'd see if he met Tyki's eyes.

 

Lips were pressed to his, unyielding and firm but not as harsh as before, nor as soft as the kisses that had scared Lavi before that. The younger man slowly relaxed, tentatively returning the kiss. The Portuguese man pulled back a moment later, making certain to catch Lavi's gaze this time.

 

"What's wrong, Exorcist?" he asked, voice and expression guarded. "I thought you didn't like me gentle. Isn't this what you wanted?"

 

Tyki's voice said that he knew perfectly well that wasn't what Lavi had wanted, but the redhead shook his head anyway.

 

Tyki moved in again, pressing his lips to the Exorcist's once more and kissing him softly, sweetly, with the same care and gentleness that had frightened the redhead earlier. Lavi trembled slightly, struck by the stark contrast of Tyki now and Tyki five minutes ago. He willed himself to not respond, putting his hands to the Noah's shoulders and pushing gently. Tyki backed off, a small sigh of frustration escaping his lips.

 

"Which is it?" the older man asked. "Do you want me to take you like you're just some random person I picked up off the street or would you rather I hold you gently and whisper soft nothings in your ear?" His tone was bitter and ever so slightly mocking. Lavi flinched minutely, mistaking the cause of that bitterness.

 

The redhead fought the urge to look away, chest tightening further. He didn't know why the Noah's tone had come as a shock; he knew he could never have a real relationship with the older man and not just because Bookman wouldn't allow it. Tyki wouldn't have allowed it either.

 

"Neither," he replied finally, taking a deep breath. "Just..."

 

He released it, leaning in to touch his lips to the Noah's with a calculated mix of emotions. Too gentle was dangerous, too harsh was no good, both too painful in their own way. He was a firm presence against Tyki's mouth, letting his lust dominate the kiss and letting only some of his feelings be displayed through the action.

 

The brunet didn't move except to open his mouth slightly when Lavi's tongue brushed against it in a silent plea for forgiveness and reciprocation. The redhead felt his way through the kiss clumsily, a bit unnerved at the older man's lack of response. When it became clear that the man would not respond at all, Lavi drew back.

 

"Just... like this," he finished somewhat lamely, beginning to remove his hands from Tyki's shoulders. A hand caught one of his wrists, not letting him withdraw entirely. Lavi's eyes widened as the kiss was returned, lips pressing his with the same amount of lust and caring he had used on the older man.

 

"'This'," Tyki echoed, breaking the kiss and staring into the redhead's eyes with an unreadable gaze. "I can do it this way."

 

Lavi nodded quickly, almost nervous, then leaned in for the second familiar kiss the Noah offered him. He gently tugged his wrist from the older man's loose grip, dropping both hands to Tyki's waist and pulling at the material of the Noah's shirt to free it from his pants. Once it was loose, he slid his hands up under the cloth and laid them flat on the Portuguese man's chest. He ran his hands over Tyki's soft skin, tracing the lines of defined muscles and smooth planes he could remember the sight of perfectly. The Noah 'hmm'd encouragingly, one hand resting on the redhead's hip and the other running gently up and down the younger man's side.

 

Lavi shifted closer, shyly slipping his hands down to the older man's pants and fumbling with the button. Tyki's lips moved from the Exorcist's mouth, trailing slowly up his face towards the redhead's usually covered eye. Lavi tensed slightly, hands stilling briefly as his mind flashed back to the soft (near reverent?) kisses his cursed eye had received not even thirty minutes ago. He hastily resumed his task - getting the Pleasure out of his pants - and shut his eyes as Tyki's lips reached the hard ridge of bone just under his eye.

 

As those lips began to slide up further, Lavi inwardly flinched and shifted away from the Noah. To cover up the unintentional motion, the redhead leaned forward almost immediately. He moved around Tyki's head, dropping his face to the Portuguese man's neck and kissing the column of flesh tentatively.

 

Lavi could feel Tyki pause for a moment, then a hand slide up his back to tug gently on the hair at the back of his head. He allowed himself to be pulled, making eye contact with the older man for an instant before he lifted a hand. He grabbed Tyki's wrist and pulled the man's hand away from his head, dropping his gaze to the buttons of the Noah's white shirt. Lavi moved to begin undoing them, but Tyki caught his wrists.

 

"Look at me, Lavi," the brunet commanded quietly. Lavi did as he was told, face heating as he tried to subtly tug his wrists free. Tyki just looked at him for a moment before his grip tightened and he looked over the redhead's shoulder towards the wall. His face broke out into a grin. The Exorcist wasn't allowed time to wonder at the expression before the Pleasure released his wrists, one hand going to the redhead's shoulder and the other dropping to his hip.

 

"Turn around," Tyki said, tugging on his shoulder and pushing at his hip. Confused, Lavi once again did as instructed. He turned slowly, keeping his gaze on the Noah for as long as he could more for reassurance than lack of trust. There was an oddly intent gleam in the older man's dark eyes, Lavi noted, then the movement of his body forced his head to turn as well.

 

When he finally directed his gaze towards the wall Tyki had looked at over his shoulder, his breath caught in his throat for an instant before he realized what he was seeing.

 

"A mirror?" he asked, confused. He stared at his reflection, flushing a bit with embarrassment at his semi-clothed state, and then lifted his focus to his face in the mirror.

 

He half-lifted his hand towards his face then paused. That seemed to be some sort of cue to the Noah behind him; Tyki reached forward and tugged the Exorcist backwards, drawing a startled yelp from the redhead as the brunet pulled him close to his chest. One of the Pleasure's arms snaked around Lavi's waist while the other came up under the younger man's arm and rested across his chest, the hand lightly gripping the redhead's opposite shoulder. The chain connecting the manacles was pulled taut and dug into the redhead's back a bit, but he barely noticed. Most of his attention was focused on the contrast between his own tanned skin and the olive color of the older man as well as the lust-darkened brown eyes he could see watching him in the mirror. Not only those sights, either; the Exorcist could feel something hard pressing against him intimately. Lavi's flush deepened.

 

"What's with the mirror?" he asked, shifting a bit. Tyki groaned softly, arms tightening their hold, and the redhead stopped, face now matching the shade of his hair.

 

"What do you see, lovely?" the Noah asked. The Pleasure moved his hand from Lavi's shoulder and gently touched his cheek, coaxing the Exorcist to turn towards him. Lavi did, not breaking the eye contact he held with the older man through the mirror. Slowly, Tyki stretched slightly to press his lips to the corner of the redhead's cursed eye. "This is something I thought about trying with you after your last... visit."

 

"Oh?" Lavi asked, unconsciously edging away from the Noah as the older man's lips traced the ridge of bone above his eye and then slid down his cheek. Tyki's grip tightened and Lavi stilled, allowing the brunet to continue to run his lips down the side of the redhead's face. The Noah soon broke away, smiling seductively at the Exorcist via the mirror.

 

"You've never seen what you look like when someone else touches you, have you?" Tyki asked rhetorically, sliding his hand from the Exorcist's hip down slowly. Lavi squirmed, more in anticipation than discomfort, as the older man's hand slipped lower and lower. He gave a small gasp, staring as through transfixed into the mirror, as olive-skinned fingers played with the button on his jeans and gently pushed it backwards through the buttonhole. Those same fingers slowly pulled the zipper down and the redhead almost jumped in surprise when a hand touched his hardening flesh; watching himself and Tyki in the mirror had divorced his mind from the reality, as though he were a voyeur watching another couple touch each other and wasn't actually participating. The firm touch on his manhood brought reality back and he moaned, arching into the touch as Tyki began moving his hand.

 

"Watch yourself in the mirror, lovely," Tyki murmured into his ear, caressing the redhead's chest with his free hand. His fingertips idly traced the hardened peaks of the younger man's nipples, lazily drawing random designs on the smooth skin. Lavi nodded, vaguely wondering why the Noah would tell him to watch when it was clear that he could not tear his eyes away from the hands touching his body. Wasn't he already watching?

 

As if sensing his thoughts, the Pleasure chuckled. The sound reverberated through Lavi's body as well and he leaned back to press himself more firmly against the older man's chest, moving his hips slightly to rub against the hardness he could feel touching him intimately. Tyki groaned softly, bucking lightly into the motions of the redhead's hips before he removed his hand from the Exorcist's pants and gently gripped his chin.

 

"I meant watch your face. I want you to see the face you make when I touch you." The Noah locked eyes with him for a moment then deliberately looked away. He moved both of his hands to Lavi's hips and began pushing the material of his pants and underwear down. The redhead arched slightly to help the Portuguese man pull the clothing off, pulling both articles off (and snagging his socks) himself when Tyki could no longer reach. Lavi settled back against the Noah's chest after dropping his clothing off the side of the bed, only then catching sight of his reflection and blushing hotly at his exposed state. Somehow seeing himself naked and in bed with someone else was more embarrassing than simply being naked and in bed with someone else.

 

Especially when that someone else was unashamedly staring at him via the mirror's reflection, holding his hips and grinding something hard lightly against his ass. His flush deepened and he lifted his hands, moving to cover himself when suddenly his wrists were grabbed. He tried to tug them free, but to no avail.

 

"Don't cover yourself. You were never embarrassed about being naked in front of me before..." Tyki said in his ear, chuckling quietly again as though he had known Lavi would react in such a manner. The Noah pressed his manhood more firmly to the redhead's backside, groaning softly. "Keep watching the mirror, lovely. I want you to see your expression when I do this."

 

Lavi opened his mouth to ask what the Pleasure had planned, but his words were cut off by a deep moan when his wrists were suddenly released and Tyki's hands dropped to play with the sensitive flesh in between the redhead's legs. Lavi arched into the touches, moaning quietly and letting his hands fall to grip the material of the sheets on the other side of the Noah's legs. Remembering the brunet's quiet order he kept his eyes open, slowly lifting his gaze from where the older man's hands were caressing him to his face. His mouth was open, quiet or inaudible sounds escaping it with every stroke of the Noah's skilled hands. His face was red, flushed with embarrassment and passion, and his eyes-

 

Well, his green eye was darkened by lust, as he had expected. He avoided looking at his other eye, knowing that he would see an ugly collection of scars and an iris that wouldn't stay one color unless he was using one of the abilities. He looked away, gaze moving to focus on Tyki's face rather than his own. The Pleasure was watching him with an oddly intent expression. Lavi looked away from him as well, pushing back against the brunet's manhood with a needy whine.

 

"You're still dressed," the redhead said, slightly breathless and trying to sound disapproving. Tyki 'hmm'd in acknowledgement, removing his hands from the Exorcist's hardened flesh. Lavi moaned quietly in disappointment then stiffened in surprise when one of the hands came up to gently trace the scars around his cursed eye. The Noah's other hand pressed against his sternum, preventing him from moving.

 

"'Lovely'..." the brunet said, making eye contact with the Exorcist through the mirror's reflection. "I've never once thought it didn't suit you."

 

Lavi stilled completely, the implications of those words hitting him hard. He drew in a shaky breath, lifting one of his hands and placing it gently over the olive-skinned hand next to his eye. Tyki allowed him to pull the hand from his face, the Noah turning his wrist so that their palms could touch and fingers could lace together. The redhead swallowed, moving his gaze from the mirror to stare at their clasped hands.

 

Somehow this felt more intimate than anything else they had done and it terrified him.

 

Heart in his throat, he pulled his hand away. He covered it with his other hand and held both clasped to his chest, not looking in the mirror or at the man seated directly behind him. He willed his heart to calm down, shocked and a bit afraid that such a simple sentence, one keen observation, could affect him so much.

 

He hadn't thought that anyone but Bookman realized that he considered his cursed eye a disfigurement and he was fairly certain that even Bookman didn't know that Lavi would have preferred a blind but otherwise normal eye to the multicolored thing he currently had. He wanted a face unmarred by burn scars, one he wouldn't refuse to look at in the mirror without an eyepatch.

 

At least, one he had refused to look at until now.

 

He lifted his gaze from his clasped hands to the mirror, looking at his reflection. He could see the Noah behind him watching him quietly, seeming to recognize that this was an important moment for the redhead. Silently grateful, Lavi turned his full attention to the face he could see reflected in the mirror. He put a hand to his cursed eye, covering it, then moved his hand and slowly trailed his fingers over the scarred flesh.

 

It would never be pretty in any sense of the word - or 'lovely', for that matter - but maybe it wasn't as bad as he had thought. Maybe, if he spent more time with Tyki, he could learn to look in the mirror without that damned patch-

 

He cut the thought off there, dropping his hand from his face as though burned by the scars and mentally slapping himself. He suddenly felt unbalanced, like the world was tilting and gravity no longer pulled straight down but was tugging him sideways.

 

Impulsively, he turned around and pressed a soft kiss to the Noah's lips. He didn't give the man a chance to respond before pulling back, looking him in the eyes and speaking.

 

"Thank you." He wasn't sure if the Noah knew exactly what he had done to deserve the thanks or if the man had been operating on some unconscious clues the redhead hadn't been aware he was giving, but he felt the need to say the words. Even if this feeling of acceptance couldn't last or if the Noah was just playing a part to get him to come back, for making him feel that his eye's appearance wasn't something to be ashamed of the least he could do was say 'thank you'.

 

Tyki leaned forward and captured his lips again, keeping the contact as chaste as Lavi's kiss moments ago had been.

 

"It was my pleasure, Lavi," he said as they broke apart. At the mention of 'pleasure', Lavi flushed. He glanced downwards, looking at the older man's - likely uncomfortably tight - pants.

 

"You're a bit overdressed," he replied, moving his hands to the button and zipper. Tyki groaned as the redhead's hands brushed the bulge, shifting a bit to generate more friction.

 

"So why don't you remedy that?" the brunet asked, capturing the Exorcist's face with his hands and kissing him heatedly. Lavi's moan was muffled by the older man's lips and he fumbled with the fasteners of the Noah's pants, tugging the button free and pulling down the zip as quickly as he could with shaking hands. Tyki let out a sigh of appreciation as he was freed from the constricting material, shifting to help Lavi remove his pants and underclothes. The redhead tossed the two articles of clothing over the side of the bed, leaning forward for another kiss as Tyki's hands slid to his back. Lavi moved with the Noah as the older man shifted, the Pleasure leaning forward and gently laying the redhead on the mattress.

 

"You ready?" Lavi asked breathlessly as Tyki raised himself to a kneeling position and turned to reach for the bottle of lotion he had left on the night table earlier. "I haven't, uh... touched you..." His voice trailed off into somewhat embarrassed silence. With the lotion in hand, the brunet turned back towards the Exorcist with a slight smirk.

 

"You may not have touched me much, Lavi, but I thoroughly enjoyed touching you." The word 'enjoy' seemed to be tick with innuendo and Lavi flushed. "Can't you feel it?"

 

Tyki moved, leaning forward and placing one of his hands on the mattress next to Lavi's head. Slowly, teasingly, he rolled his hips forward and brought his obvious hardness against the Exorcist's own aching arousal. The redhead moaned, hands fisting in the sheets beneath him as he arched into the contact.

 

The Portuguese man chuckled lowly and pulled away, opening the lotion with a sharp 'shck' that seemed oddly loud in the younger man's ears. Lavi spread his legs wider, tensing a bit in anticipation. The Noah squeezed out a generous measure of lotion on to his hand and slicked two of his fingers before dropping the still-open bottle next to the redhead's hip. He lowered his lubricated fingers to Lavi's entrance, making a circular motion with one finger around the small ring to spread the lotion around.

 

"Relax, lovely," Tyki coaxed, slipping one finger into the tight passage. The redhead forced himself to do so, taking deep breaths and resisting the instinct to tense against the intrusion. The Noah continued making small circles with his finger, spreading the lubricant and loosening the muscles inside the younger man. Lavi wriggled, slightly uncomfortable, and again resisted the urge to tense when a second finger slid into him.

 

The two fingers worked inside of him, scissoring and circling and stretching him for what was coming next. He groaned as they brushed that spot inside his body, thrusting lightly into the motion of Tyki's hand.

 

The Noah withdrew his fingers - a barely audible complaint escaping the redhead's throat - and coated three of his digits, though not as thoroughly as he had the first two. Lavi spread his legs wider, breath quickening, as Tyki dropped the bottle and moved his hand back to the Exorcist's entrance. The Pleasure sank his fingers into the younger man one after another in rapid succession, the partially stretched muscles yielding to him. He kept his fingers moving, brushing against the Exorcist's prostate teasingly as he loosened the younger man enough to allow another part of Tyki's anatomy to sink inside the redhead.

 

Lavi groaned at the barely there touches, hands tightening in the sheets though he managed to keep the rest of his body relaxed. When the redhead began earnestly moving against the older man's hand, breathlessly moaning the Noah's name, the brunet withdrew his fingers.

 

"Are you ready now, Lavi?" Tyki asked, reaching for the lotion bottle one last time and squeezing a fair amount on to his palm. He closed the bottle and dropped it over the side of the bed before moving his slicked hand to his erection, spreading the lotion over his manhood and hissing quietly as the cool gel touched his heated skin. Once satisfied he had covered himself sufficiently, he wiped his hand clean of any remaining lotion on the sheets beside his leg.

 

"Yes," Lavi replied. He tentatively released the sheets with one hand and lifted his arm up under Tyki's, clutching the man's shoulder blade through the cloth of his shirt and urging him to lean down. The Noah did, meeting him halfway as Lavi pulled himself up for an open-mouthed kiss. Just before their lips met, the redhead spoke again.

 

"Do it."

 

A hand was at his entrance again, helping to guide Tyki to the mark. Lavi moaned as he felt something large and hot press against him, the sound lost between their lips. His slightly pained grunt was similarly lost a moment later when Tyki began pushing into him. The redhead kept his breathing deep and slow as the Noah's length moved deeper inside of him. When the Pleasure was fully sheathed he stopped, giving the younger man a chance to adjust.

 

Still using one arm to keep from resting all his weight on the Exorcist, he moved his other hand soothingly down Lavi's side from his ribs to his knee before gently coaxing the redhead to lift his leg and wrap it around Tyki's waist. He curled his fingers under the redhead's leg, lifting slowly. Lavi quickly caught on, moving the limb the rest of the way and lifting his other leg to completely encircle the Noah's waist.

 

Tyki broke away from the redhead's lips and rested his forehead against the Exorcist's, resting his other arm on the mattress on the other side of Lavi's head.

 

"Your other arm too, lovely. I want to be completely surrounded by you," he murmured, his own harsh breathing mingling with the younger man's. Slowly, Lavi lifted his other hand and wrapped his arm around the man above him, clinging desperately to the material of the other's shirt.

 

"Move," Lavi said quietly, flexing his legs to try and pull Tyki closer and deeper. The word was more a plea than a command, only a hint of urgency in the redhead's voice. His arms held tighter to the Noah as the older man began to pull back slowly, back arching when the man thrust in with his hips angled perfectly. Lavi gave a hoarse cry of the man's name as pleasure shot through him, clinging tighter as Tyki drew back. The Noah chuckled at his reaction, pressing his mouth to the Exorcist's as he thrust in again. Lavi's hips came up to meet him, welcoming the older man into his body enthusiastically.

 

They quickly built a rhythm, falling into a natural pattern of deep, hard strokes and breathy moans that could have been anything from 'more' to quiet cries of the other's name. At some point - Lavi couldn't remember when - Tyki's hand wrapped around the redhead's manhood and pumped it in time to his thrusts.

 

Lavi clutched tighter to Tyki, his only anchor to reality as the world faded into nothing more than white-hot sensation. The only thing he could feel at all was pleasure; Noah's Pleasure, a small corner of his mind supplied helpfully. The redhead's existence seemed to have been boiled down to nothing more than feeling and every sense was overwhelmed with the man moving inside of him. Tyki's scent - warm and clean and him - was all around. He could taste the remnants of the Noah's kiss on his lips and tongue and tasted the man himself again when the brunet's lips came down on his and the thrusts against his prostate became harder. The sight of Tyki's eyes - so dark a brown they were almost black - and his pale olive skin, lightly flushed and with a sheen of sweat, were intoxicating. Tyki's voice was calling his name and somehow the knowledge that it was the Noah who was making those sounds and himself who was the cause sent a feeling of rightness through the redhead, as if this was where he was supposed to be.

 

And the feeling... the sensation of the brunet's hard arousal thrusting into him, sending waves of bliss rolling through him, and a slightly callused hand stroking his most sensitive flesh... the touch of the man was indescribable.

 

"Tyki... I- I'm-" Lavi moaned, jerking his hips up erratically and noting with some satisfaction that the Noah's movements were just as erratic as their rhythm began to fall apart and they both began to lose themselves to pleasure.

 

"Me too, Lavi," the older man breathed. "Come."

 

The redhead cried out as the bliss he felt suddenly spiked, muscles tightening around the hard length inside him and arms and legs gripping the Portuguese man. He held the other man close, hearing the low moan and feeling the hot rush that signaled Tyki's release.

 

They rode the high for several long moments, both breathing heavily as their bodies slowly calmed down. After a few moments, Tyki carefully pulled out of the redhead. The Noah settled himself on the bed next to the Exorcist, lazily reaching for the sheet pinned beneath them and tugging until he had enough of the cloth in hand to wipe off some of the sticky mess. He drew the edge of the sheet over his own body first, giving himself no more then a cursory wipe down before moving his hand towards the redhead. Lavi shifted towards him, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion as he allowed the older man to clean off some of the mess drying on his chest and between his thighs.

 

Lavi knew he had to get up. He couldn't stay here, in this bed, and simply fall asleep. He didn't have a hope in hell of keeping this quiet if he spent the night, never mind the fact that Tyki would probably resent him for it even if the man did allow it. Still...

 

He watched the older man as Tyki tugged at the blankets, shifting to allow the brunet to pull the bedcovers over their bodies. The Noah sat up briefly to grab a pillow from the head of the bed, placing the pillow beneath where his head would be instead of moving to lay down with his skull at the headboard. The redhead was too exhausted from the events of the day and the more recent activities he had enjoyed with the Portuguese man to feel more than mild surprise when Tyki maneuvered an arm under the Exorcist's head and pulled him close.

 

They were laying face to face, nude bodies covered by the blanket and breaths mingling together in the narrow space between them. Lavi's head was mostly resting on the Noah's arm, a position he found oddly comfortable. Not sure what to do with his hands, he let them lie in between his chest and Tyki's. It was so warm where he was, warm and comfortable and he was just so sleepy...

 

Just five minutes of this wouldn't hurt, would it? After five minutes he would get up and leave, but he could let himself enjoy this peace for five minutes, right?

 

Hesitantly, he moved closer to the Noah. He felt the other shift, then the warm weight of Tyki's other arm came to rest on his waist. He didn't look up to see what kind of expression the older man had, instead allowing his heavy eyelids to close. He unconsciously snuggled closer to Tyki, unaware of the motion and failing to notice the instinctive tightening of the older man's arms around him.

 

Just five minutes wouldn't hurt anything...

 

Before three minutes had passed, Lavi was more than half-asleep. By the time five had elapsed, he had been lulled completely asleep by the comforting sound of familiar breathing and the reassuring scent of the older man in the air.

 

<hr>

 

Tyki stared at the redhead who had fallen asleep some time ago. His breathing was even and deep, eyes shut and body limp; if this was an act, it was a good one.

 

The Noah smiled sardonically to himself. Perhaps this time the Exorcist would adopt the brunet's usual habit and leave after Tyki himself had fallen asleep. He wasn't entirely sure why Lavi would do that, but the redhead hadn't stayed the night after the first time they had been intimate inside the Black Order's headquarters.

 

His eyes scanned the Exorcist's face, lingering on the slight bags underneath the younger man's eyes. Slowly, not wanting to wake the redhead, Tyki lifted his arm from Lavi's hip and moved his hand to touch the marks. He trailed his index finger lightly over the skin underneath Lavi's normal eye, stilling when the Exorcist shifted and removing his hand entirely when the younger man had settled.

 

As an afterthought, he brushed some of the red bangs to the side before moving his arm back down to drape over the Exorcist's waist. Perhaps this time Lavi was simply more tired and their activities had completely exhausted the redhead. Tyki smiled at the thought, letting his eyes shut as well.

 

He could wake Lavi up and send him on his way, but he rather liked having the Exorcist exactly where he was. That 'thing' he had been missing after their previous encounter had been this; sleeping next to the softly snoring redhead.

 

Tyki drifted into unconsciousness as well, more content than he could remember being in a long time.

 

<hr>

 

The Finder moved away from the door he had cracked open shortly after the red-haired Exorcist had entered the room, a lecherous grin on his face. He turned towards the other guard, pulling down his hood and slowly shutting the door. He leaned back against the wall, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair and letting out a contented sigh.

 

"You missed a great show. I knew that redhead would look great all flushed and-"

 

"You can stop that now, Alex. I don't want to hear it," the other Finder replied, pulling off his hood to reveal a head of wavy blond hair pulled back into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. He pressed one finger to the bridge of his nose, eyes shut in irritation. "We're only supposed to watch for any possible codes or messages the Noah might be giving the Exorcist to pass to the Earl, in case the Exorcist turned traitor. You're not even supposed to be here."

 

Alex shrugged carelessly, still grinning.

 

"Not my fault Hisoka didn't want to cancel his dinner reservations. You know how picky his girl is and that restaurant gets booked months in advance. Hisoka wasn't going to let babysitting the asshole in there ruin his plans." Alex turned briefly and scowled at the door, then smiled again and turned back to the other Finder. "Besides, I owed him a favor. Though after seeing that show-"

 

The lecherous grin widened, memories obviously playing behind his blue eyes.

 

"- I think I might owe him more now." Alex shook his head in mock disbelief. "I can't believe you didn't want to watch that. You had to at least have heard him, right? What a voice..."

 

The other Finder just stared at him, a mixture of disgust and incredulity on his face.

 

"Supervisor Komui told us that we didn't have to watch if anything strange but obviously not dangerous began happening. I should have known a pervert like you would have watched the entire thing..." He pressed his index finger to the space in between his green eyes again as he shut them, obviously irritated. "I told Hisoka not to pick you as his replacement-"

 

"Oh, shut up Hertz," Alex replied, annoyed as he turned towards his slightly shorter friend. "You owe Hisoka too; he'd get in just as much trouble as I would if you told Komui that an unauthorized Finder played nanny for the whole shift."

 

Hertz scowled, opening his eyes again.

 

"I know that. I won't tell-" he started, but he could see that the brunet's eyes had already moved away from him. Alex's focus seemed to be leveled at the door, blue eyes boring into the wood as though he could see through to the occupants within.

 

"Wonder what you have to do to get a 'special visit' from one of them Exorcists..." Alex mused out loud, tapping his chin. "Bet you the Noah pays with information; do you think Komui let's him have a different one every time?"

 

The other Finder's scowl deepened.

 

"Watch your mouth. The Exorcists aren't whores," he said warningly. Alex waved him off with an impatient motion.

 

"Details, details. This one sure moans like he is, doesn't he? With a voice and body like that..." Alex gave a low whistle. "He could make some serious money if he started selling some of that. I wouldn't mind a piece-"

 

Alex broke off the sentence as the sound of hurried but quiet footsteps approached from down the darkened hallway. With a quiet curse, the brunet pulled his hood back up and went to stand next to the door, counting on the hood and the dark to keep his face hidden just in case...

 

He shot a quick glare at Hertz. The man just smirked back at him, not needing to hide his face since he was actually on guard duty and not just an unauthorized fill-in.

 

Moments later a figure could be seen heading towards them. The figure was dressed mostly in white and Alex tensed, but as the figure drew closer he could see that the white was a Finder's robe. Still, Alex did not relax until the figure slowed and halted in front of them, hood already down to reveal straight black hair cropped close to the skull and the dark, slanted eyes Alex was familiar with.

 

He pulled back his hood, a large grin on his face as he stepped away from the wall.

 

"Hey, Hisoka - how'd it go?" he asked, high-fiving the newly arrived Japanese man. Hertz was more subdued in his greeting, simply shaking the man's hand. Hisoka grinned at each of them in turn, practically glowing in happiness.

 

"Wonderfully. She said 'yes'," he replied. He smiled apologetically at Hertz. "Sorry to stick you with this loser. I know you two don't get along-"

 

Hearing the teasing for what it was, Alex mock-growled and quickly put the dark haired man into a headlock, twisting his closed fist on top of the man's head. Hertz just shook his head despairingly, turning away from the scene to stare at the closed door of Tyki's room.

 

"'Loser', huh? Who's the idiot that's going to get himself married and tied down to one woman for the rest of his life, huh?" Abruptly, Alex released Hisoka. The Japanese man straightened, laughing as he finger-combed his hair to get it into some semblance of order.

 

"You know you're jealous," Hisoka teased. His expression grew serious as he turned to Hertz again. "Did anything important happen? If Komui asks me questions-"

 

"Nothing happened," Hertz answered quickly, turning towards the other men. He wished he was close enough to elbow Alex, especially when the familiar perverted grin spread across the brunet's lips.

 

"That wasn't 'nothing'," Alex said, nodding towards the door. "You missed a really good show."

 

Hisoka frowned, confused. He looked from one of his friends to the other, then shook his head and shrugged.

 

"Whatever it is, it can't be that important." He smiled at Alex gratefully. "Thanks again for your help. The next shift will be here soon, so you should probably leave now..."

 

Alex nodded, already turning to go.

 

"Anytime, buddy, anytime. Believe me - next time you don't want your shift, I am your man." Whistling cheerfully, Alex headed away from the door he had so recently been guarding with a light heart and lighter feet.

 

Hisoka turned towards Hertz, a question in his eyes. Hertz shrugged irritably, glaring at the spot where Alex had disappeared into the darkness.

 

"I don't know. Don't ask me," he replied through gritted teeth, turning to face the wall opposite the room and folding his arms as he leaned against the stone at his back. He hoped that Alex had enough sense to keep what he saw to himself, but knowing the dumb playboy's mouth...

 

He sighed and relaxed a bit against the wall, letting the uneven stones dig into his back and ignoring Hisoka as the man began to talk about his date and proposal.

 

Hoping that Alex never talked was probably too unrealistic. Hertz just hoped that the story wouldn't spread to the higher-ups too quickly and when it did, he hoped it was untraceable. He would rather not suffer whatever the punishment was for disobeying orders and letting a Finder whose past hadn't been thoroughly checked by Komui near the Noah.

 

It probably wouldn't be pleasant.

 

He sighed again, wishing the next shift would hurry up so he could report to Komui and go to sleep. He'd probably have damage control in the morning and would need to cover that idiot's tracks before Alex got them all caught.

 

TBC…

 

A/N: I know there was almost a two-week wait for this one. I'm sorry - at least you got a long chapter in exchange? I'll post chapter 23 as soon as I'm done with it and my betas have looked it over!

 

Thank you for all the reviews! They make my day, honestly, and helped me get this chapter done as quickly as possible. Please keep reviewing and let me know what you think of the story!