D. Gray-man Fan Fiction ❯ Canis Luna ❯ Moonlit Walk ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
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. Possible OOC. Alternate Universe.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but Katsura Hoshino owns all.
Notes: Well, this fic started as a oneshot based off of Little Red Riding Hood. About two pages in, I figured out that this no longer had anything whatsoever to do with Little Red Riding Hood. >_< I hope you all enjoy!
Dedicated to SisterWicked, Niamh (both of AssHat Productions, a group I’m a proud member of), and Cackles for reading this over before I posted and giving me tips and the confidence boost I needed so I could make this fic available to the general public. All remaining mistakes are mine.
Super special awesome thanks to Niamh for coming up with the title of this fic!
Last Time:
Lavi smiled hesitantly, turning away from the man and walking towards his house. It wasn't quite predawn yet, but close enough.
As he entered his house he glanced back, able to see the eyes of two wolves watching him from the tree-line. He gave a small wave and opened up the door, letting himself in.
When he shut the door and looked back, the wolves were gone.
And Now, The Continuation:
Chapter 3
Moonlit Walk
Lavi waited in the kitchen, dressed in his day-clothes instead of his pajamas. A shirt made from homespun cloth hand-stitched for him by his good friend Lenalee kept his torso warm and his pants were made from the tanned hide of a deer to protect his legs from the chill. A candle was lit on the table behind him and he looked around the room aimlessly, waiting for the sound of a knock. The flickering flame cast strange shadows on the wall, but he barely took notice of them. Every few moments, his gaze would be drawn to the door and he would stare at the window, willing the shape of a man's head to appear in a silhouette.
He stifled a yawn, keeping his eye on the door. He was exhausted, the past two mostly-sleepless nights taking their toll on him and his energy. Still, the thought of crawling into bed and falling asleep only to miss Tyki's knock was somehow repugnant.
Lavi stared seriously at the door, not really seeing it.
He still didn't understand. 'Intended'? It certainly sounded like 'soul mate' to him, especially the way Tyki had been describing it. Though he could admit he did feel something for the strange werewolf, he still didn't believe in love at first sight. Hearing that someone he had just met considered them soul mates...
It was ridiculous. Utterly preposterous, and yet...
Being Tyki's 'intended' would explain why the man hadn't attacked him that first day. Chased him, sure, but Lavi couldn't recall so much as one instance that the gray wolf had bared its fangs in a threat or tried to take a bite out of him.
A quiet knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Lavi looked up, unable to help the small, uncertain smile that stole across his face when he recognized the outline of Tyki's head in the window. Before Tyki could knock again, Lavi had blown out the candle and stood up. The redhead walked over to the door, opening it up as he reached for the cloak on the peg by the door. With it in hand, he turned his gaze to the man waiting outside.
Tyki, as expected, stood there, smiling. Not quite as expected was the little girl standing next to him. Road smiled cutely up at Lavi, waving her hand in silent greeting. Lavi looked towards Tyki for an explanation. The man shrugged.
"She asked to come along. I saw no reason to deny her," he said. Road nodded in agreement, then looked searchingly up at the redhead.
"Uncle Tyki told me that you're his Intended," she said, tone assigning great importance to the final word. Lavi nodded bemusedly, not entirely sure what the girl wanted from him. Her grin brightened. "Wonderful! Papa's always told me that finding your Intended was the best thing in the world, so I always felt sorry for Uncle Tyki that he hadn't found his."
"You haven't found yours either," Lavi said, almost defensively. Road shrugged, still smiling.
"I'm still young. I have plenty of time. Uncle's already nearly thirty!"
Lavi looked towards the man, opening his mouth to ask, but Tyki shot a small glare towards the girl.
"I'm twenty-six," he corrected her. She shrugged, as though twenty-six and thirty may as well be the same age. Tyki turned back to Lavi, extending a hand. "Shall we? I doubt you want to wake the old man living with you - your grandfather?"
Lavi nodded, pulling on his cloak and securing it before hesitantly accepting the offered hand and allowing himself to be led from the house. He let the door shut behind himself and he was off with the two werewolves, Road trailing behind while Tyki walked next to him, hands clasped together.
Lavi half-expected them to head into the forest, but to his surprise Tyki turned on the dirt road that skirted the woods and began walking alongside the trees, away from town. Lavi looked back at the dim, flickering lights of the small village before looking at Tyki curiously.
"Where are we going?" he asked. Tyki smiled, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.
"I have no particular destination in mind, Lavi. Is there anywhere you would like to go?"
Lavi shook his head, turning his gaze towards the stars. They twinkled brightly down at him, so clear in the midnight sky.
"Not really," he said. They walked in silence for several more minutes, only their quiet footsteps and Road's occasional giggles sounding in the night. Lavi spoke again.
"Why did you bring me out here?" he asked, tone conversational rather than irritated. Still, Tyki paused in his steps briefly, just long enough for Lavi to notice before the werewolf was walking again.
"Would you rather I had left you at home and not come to see you tonight?"
Something inside Lavi rebelled violently at the thought, but he just shook his head.
"That's not what I mean. It's just..." He sighed, slowing to a stop and letting his hand drop out of Tyki's. Tyki stopped as well, though Road didn't notice and ran right into Lavi before she stopped. The redhead barely even noticed, turning his gaze to Tyki. "I know almost nothing about you. I just feel..." He put a hand to his chest.
"Strange," he concluded. Tyki turned to face him.
"What would you like to know?" he asked. Lavi shrugged, looking around helplessly for some sort of clue.
His eye landed on Road, who was watching their exchange with interest.
"You mentioned that I was lucky I had run into Road and not one of your other relatives." He looked back at Tyki, seeing the man's face close up and turn guarded. "What are they like?"
Tyki chuckled dryly and turned away, looking at the surrounding landscape before heaving a heavy sigh. The man was quiet for so long Lavi just about gave up on getting an answer when the older man began to speak.
"I have an older brother - Sheryl, Road's father-"
Lavi looked at the girl, frowning in puzzlement when he saw he bow her head and kick at a pebble in the road disinterestedly.
"- a pack-sister, Lulubell, and three pack-brothers - Devitto, Jasdero, and Skinn."
Lavi actually heard Road shiver at the last name and glanced towards her. She looked up at that moment, meeting his eyes before looking towards the older werewolf. Lavi followed her gaze. Tyki was staring off into the distance.
"An older wolf - we know him only as the Millennium Earl and don't know his real name - recently became our pack-master. Shortly after that, I left the pack. I didn't approve of their new... activities."
"Activities?" Lavi asked before he could stop himself. Tyki looked at him, opening his mouth to speak, but Road beat him to it.
"The bodies in the woods. They're mostly Skinn's doing, though Lulubell helps out when she's told and Jasdero and Devitto have gotten used to it. Papa doesn't like to get his paws dirty, so he hasn't helped. Much." Road met his gaze, her eyes cold and distant. "The Earl hates all humans and he's trying to wipe them out. Lulubell never particularly cared, so she'll stay with him. Skinn's always angry and Devitto and Jasdero think it's fun to hunt them."
Lavi's eye widened. So the deaths had been caused by the wolves, but from the sound of it, neither Road nor Tyki had had any part in the killings.
"I left as soon as I found out what the Earl planned to do. I knew my intended was human and the Earl would kill him before we could be joined," Tyki said softly. Lavi turned his gaze back to the older werewolf, feeling his body respond to the blatant heat and intensity in the man's gaze. His breath caught and he forgot everything else but Tyki's eyes, the amber gaze drawing him in-
"I've tried to, but Papa won't let me leave the pack and join Uncle Tyki," Road said petulantly, breaking the spell the gray wolf's eyes had placed over Lavi. The redhead tore his gaze away and looked at the girl, lost for words.
"That is why you can't go into the woods at night, Lavi," Tyki said, drawing the human's attention back to himself. Their eyes met again and just like the time before, Lavi couldn't tear his eyes away. "My family members would likely kill you for sport. The forest is their playground. Promise me you won't go in."
Lavi was drowning in amber. Slowly, he felt himself nod.
"I promise."
Tyki smiled, extending his hand for Lavi's again. The redhead took it and the pair continued forward. Road followed after a minute, running up to walk by Tyki's side and latching on to his free arm.
Line Break
Hands were everywhere; smoothing over his chest, tangling in his hair, stroking the hardness between his legs. He wanted to be afraid, but he could smell the scent of damp earth and pine and couldn't feel fear.
There were only two hands. He knew that, and yet it felt like there were four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two touching him and caressing his bare skin. He moaned from the sensations and felt lips capture his own and swallow his sounds. Other sets of lips brushed his skin, moving silkily over his heated flesh and drawing out his pleasure.
He heard his name moaned in his ear, lustful and possessive and so familiar and deep. The sound traveled through his body as a shiver of desire and he cried out wordless pleas for more - more of those hands, more of those lips, more words in that voice and tone, just more of the other man-
"Lavi?"
He shook his head in denial. That voice was all wrong - too gravelly, too old, and with none of the passion he had heard seconds ago. The hands began to fade, the lips leaving only lingering heat on his skin as the scene around him began to disappear. He reached for it desperately, calling for the man whose hands he had been able to feel-
"Lavi, wake up."
No, he wouldn't. He wasn't asleep, was he? Those sensations, he could still feel-
"Lavi!"
The redhead woke with a start, his eyes snapping open. With his one good eye he could see Bookman standing over him and he sat up, eyes darting to the window.
From the amount of sunlight pouring in, the sun was probably fairly high in the sky though it couldn't yet be midday. Lavi groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead. He had overslept; no wonder his grandfather had decided to wake him up.
"Sorry," he said, removing his hand and turning towards the old man. The motion caused the blankets bunched around his waist to brush against him and he had to fight back a sudden gasp at the spike of unexpected pleasure. In horror, he glanced down and saw the blankets tenting over his crotch. His face instantly went bright red and he grabbed the blankets, franticly moving them to try and conceal his state from his grandfather though he was almost certain the man had already noticed.
Or heard. His face grew even darker as he wondered what kind of sounds he had been making in his sleep.
Bookman's face was a carefully neutral mask as he nodded and then turned towards the door. Lavi watched him go, waves of embarrassment pouring over him.
"Breakfast is already on the table, though by now it is probably cold," Bookman said, exiting and shutting the door to their shared room behind him to allow Lavi some privacy.
Lavi folded his legs up to his chest, crossed his arms over his knees, and buried his face into said arms, groaning.
It hadn't even been three full days and he was already having dreams about Tyki! They had kissed once and had nearly kissed again last night, but they hadn't done... that. They hadn't gone nearly that far.
He turned his head to the side, resting his cheek on his crossed limbs as he stared at the wall.
Last night, Tyki and Road had dropped him off at his door about an hour after they had begun walking. He could have sworn that the older werewolf had almost kissed him then. Lavi had paused in the doorway and Tyki had leaned in, mouth coming closer and closer. Lavi had tilted his head, leaning forward just a little-
And then Road had asked if they were going to kiss. Both men had frozen and turned to look at her, then moved apart. They had said goodnight and then the two wolves had disappeared into the woods and Lavi had snuck into his room and gone to sleep.
At least Tyki had promised to come again tonight, though if this morning was any indication, today was going to be a long day.
Line Break
Lavi walked next to Tyki, holding the werewolf's hand as he had done the night before. True to his word and to tradition - and it hadn't even been a week, so how was it that they had a 'tradition' already? - he had knocked softly on the door in the middle of the night. Lavi had been waiting, dressed only in his usual animal-hide pants and shirt of homespun cloth. He had foregone his cloak since the night was unseasonably warm, and had opened the door almost before the knock had come, eager to see the two wolves he knew were waiting for him outside.
Road had latched on to his waist, nearly tackling him in a hug that had taken him by surprise. After looking at Tyki - who had been amused, damn him - for help, he had tentatively put one hand on her head and wrapped the other awkwardly around her shoulders. She had smiled up at him and then released him to go back to her uncle's side. They had fallen into the formation they had found the night before - Tyki and Lavi holding hands with Road alternating walking behind them, skipping ahead, and clinging to Tyki's free arm. They talked as often as not, but it was rarely anything of consequence or anything as heavy as the redhead's question about Tyki's family.
They hadn't brought the subject of 'intended' up again, though it did hover in the air between them. Every so often, Lavi could feel the werewolf watching him intently as though trying to figure him out. The redhead doubted the older man had been able to discover anything; these days, he didn't understand himself. It felt so natural to trust Tyki, like the wolf-man was a person he could trust unquestionably with anything and be confident that Tyki would return the trust in kind. Lavi had never felt such easy acceptance in any relationship he had had, romantic or platonic, and especially not so quickly. It was almost frightening, but for some reason he wasn't afraid of Tyki or of anything having to do with him.
They walked in silence and it was an easy silence, not strained or made awkward by the issue hanging over their heads. It was oddly peaceful, though Lavi had always been the type who liked to fill silences with talk.
Lavi looked towards the trees, idly scanning the dark forest as they walked along the dirt road.
His gaze stopped being so idle when he saw a shadow moving through the woods next to them. He squinted, unconsciously stepping towards the trees in order to get a better look.
"Lavi?" Tyki asked, feeling the slight pull on his hand. He turned, glancing in the same direction Lavi was looking in, and stilled suddenly. Lavi glanced back towards him, concerned.
Tyki's eyes were narrowed into a glare as he stared at the apparently dead forest, then his gaze softened somewhat as he looked towards Lavi. He tugged the redhead's hand, pulling the human to his side. Lavi followed without complaint, glancing towards Road to see if she could give him some idea of what had Tyki acting the way he was.
The girl's eyes were fixed on the woods as well, a disappointed look on her face. Lavi looked at Tyki again, puzzled.
"Tyki, what-"
The werewolf shook his head, clasping his hand tighter around Lavi's.
"You can come out now, Sheryl.”
TBC…
A/N: Okay, so show of hands, who wants to kill me for the cliffhanger?
The next chapter will be posted in two weeks. Thanks to everyone who has read my other DGM fics! I promise AGoP will be updated as soon as possible. The sequel to ‘Tradition’ will be posted as close to New Year’s Day as possible. (Yes, it will be a oneshot series)
To those readers on Mediaminer or AFF, please go to my FF(dot)net account to see my other fics. (The penname is Bookkbaby)
Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but Katsura Hoshino owns all.
Notes: Well, this fic started as a oneshot based off of Little Red Riding Hood. About two pages in, I figured out that this no longer had anything whatsoever to do with Little Red Riding Hood. >_< I hope you all enjoy!
Dedicated to SisterWicked, Niamh (both of AssHat Productions, a group I’m a proud member of), and Cackles for reading this over before I posted and giving me tips and the confidence boost I needed so I could make this fic available to the general public. All remaining mistakes are mine.
Super special awesome thanks to Niamh for coming up with the title of this fic!
Last Time:
Lavi smiled hesitantly, turning away from the man and walking towards his house. It wasn't quite predawn yet, but close enough.
As he entered his house he glanced back, able to see the eyes of two wolves watching him from the tree-line. He gave a small wave and opened up the door, letting himself in.
When he shut the door and looked back, the wolves were gone.
And Now, The Continuation:
Chapter 3
Moonlit Walk
Lavi waited in the kitchen, dressed in his day-clothes instead of his pajamas. A shirt made from homespun cloth hand-stitched for him by his good friend Lenalee kept his torso warm and his pants were made from the tanned hide of a deer to protect his legs from the chill. A candle was lit on the table behind him and he looked around the room aimlessly, waiting for the sound of a knock. The flickering flame cast strange shadows on the wall, but he barely took notice of them. Every few moments, his gaze would be drawn to the door and he would stare at the window, willing the shape of a man's head to appear in a silhouette.
He stifled a yawn, keeping his eye on the door. He was exhausted, the past two mostly-sleepless nights taking their toll on him and his energy. Still, the thought of crawling into bed and falling asleep only to miss Tyki's knock was somehow repugnant.
Lavi stared seriously at the door, not really seeing it.
He still didn't understand. 'Intended'? It certainly sounded like 'soul mate' to him, especially the way Tyki had been describing it. Though he could admit he did feel something for the strange werewolf, he still didn't believe in love at first sight. Hearing that someone he had just met considered them soul mates...
It was ridiculous. Utterly preposterous, and yet...
Being Tyki's 'intended' would explain why the man hadn't attacked him that first day. Chased him, sure, but Lavi couldn't recall so much as one instance that the gray wolf had bared its fangs in a threat or tried to take a bite out of him.
A quiet knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Lavi looked up, unable to help the small, uncertain smile that stole across his face when he recognized the outline of Tyki's head in the window. Before Tyki could knock again, Lavi had blown out the candle and stood up. The redhead walked over to the door, opening it up as he reached for the cloak on the peg by the door. With it in hand, he turned his gaze to the man waiting outside.
Tyki, as expected, stood there, smiling. Not quite as expected was the little girl standing next to him. Road smiled cutely up at Lavi, waving her hand in silent greeting. Lavi looked towards Tyki for an explanation. The man shrugged.
"She asked to come along. I saw no reason to deny her," he said. Road nodded in agreement, then looked searchingly up at the redhead.
"Uncle Tyki told me that you're his Intended," she said, tone assigning great importance to the final word. Lavi nodded bemusedly, not entirely sure what the girl wanted from him. Her grin brightened. "Wonderful! Papa's always told me that finding your Intended was the best thing in the world, so I always felt sorry for Uncle Tyki that he hadn't found his."
"You haven't found yours either," Lavi said, almost defensively. Road shrugged, still smiling.
"I'm still young. I have plenty of time. Uncle's already nearly thirty!"
Lavi looked towards the man, opening his mouth to ask, but Tyki shot a small glare towards the girl.
"I'm twenty-six," he corrected her. She shrugged, as though twenty-six and thirty may as well be the same age. Tyki turned back to Lavi, extending a hand. "Shall we? I doubt you want to wake the old man living with you - your grandfather?"
Lavi nodded, pulling on his cloak and securing it before hesitantly accepting the offered hand and allowing himself to be led from the house. He let the door shut behind himself and he was off with the two werewolves, Road trailing behind while Tyki walked next to him, hands clasped together.
Lavi half-expected them to head into the forest, but to his surprise Tyki turned on the dirt road that skirted the woods and began walking alongside the trees, away from town. Lavi looked back at the dim, flickering lights of the small village before looking at Tyki curiously.
"Where are we going?" he asked. Tyki smiled, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.
"I have no particular destination in mind, Lavi. Is there anywhere you would like to go?"
Lavi shook his head, turning his gaze towards the stars. They twinkled brightly down at him, so clear in the midnight sky.
"Not really," he said. They walked in silence for several more minutes, only their quiet footsteps and Road's occasional giggles sounding in the night. Lavi spoke again.
"Why did you bring me out here?" he asked, tone conversational rather than irritated. Still, Tyki paused in his steps briefly, just long enough for Lavi to notice before the werewolf was walking again.
"Would you rather I had left you at home and not come to see you tonight?"
Something inside Lavi rebelled violently at the thought, but he just shook his head.
"That's not what I mean. It's just..." He sighed, slowing to a stop and letting his hand drop out of Tyki's. Tyki stopped as well, though Road didn't notice and ran right into Lavi before she stopped. The redhead barely even noticed, turning his gaze to Tyki. "I know almost nothing about you. I just feel..." He put a hand to his chest.
"Strange," he concluded. Tyki turned to face him.
"What would you like to know?" he asked. Lavi shrugged, looking around helplessly for some sort of clue.
His eye landed on Road, who was watching their exchange with interest.
"You mentioned that I was lucky I had run into Road and not one of your other relatives." He looked back at Tyki, seeing the man's face close up and turn guarded. "What are they like?"
Tyki chuckled dryly and turned away, looking at the surrounding landscape before heaving a heavy sigh. The man was quiet for so long Lavi just about gave up on getting an answer when the older man began to speak.
"I have an older brother - Sheryl, Road's father-"
Lavi looked at the girl, frowning in puzzlement when he saw he bow her head and kick at a pebble in the road disinterestedly.
"- a pack-sister, Lulubell, and three pack-brothers - Devitto, Jasdero, and Skinn."
Lavi actually heard Road shiver at the last name and glanced towards her. She looked up at that moment, meeting his eyes before looking towards the older werewolf. Lavi followed her gaze. Tyki was staring off into the distance.
"An older wolf - we know him only as the Millennium Earl and don't know his real name - recently became our pack-master. Shortly after that, I left the pack. I didn't approve of their new... activities."
"Activities?" Lavi asked before he could stop himself. Tyki looked at him, opening his mouth to speak, but Road beat him to it.
"The bodies in the woods. They're mostly Skinn's doing, though Lulubell helps out when she's told and Jasdero and Devitto have gotten used to it. Papa doesn't like to get his paws dirty, so he hasn't helped. Much." Road met his gaze, her eyes cold and distant. "The Earl hates all humans and he's trying to wipe them out. Lulubell never particularly cared, so she'll stay with him. Skinn's always angry and Devitto and Jasdero think it's fun to hunt them."
Lavi's eye widened. So the deaths had been caused by the wolves, but from the sound of it, neither Road nor Tyki had had any part in the killings.
"I left as soon as I found out what the Earl planned to do. I knew my intended was human and the Earl would kill him before we could be joined," Tyki said softly. Lavi turned his gaze back to the older werewolf, feeling his body respond to the blatant heat and intensity in the man's gaze. His breath caught and he forgot everything else but Tyki's eyes, the amber gaze drawing him in-
"I've tried to, but Papa won't let me leave the pack and join Uncle Tyki," Road said petulantly, breaking the spell the gray wolf's eyes had placed over Lavi. The redhead tore his gaze away and looked at the girl, lost for words.
"That is why you can't go into the woods at night, Lavi," Tyki said, drawing the human's attention back to himself. Their eyes met again and just like the time before, Lavi couldn't tear his eyes away. "My family members would likely kill you for sport. The forest is their playground. Promise me you won't go in."
Lavi was drowning in amber. Slowly, he felt himself nod.
"I promise."
Tyki smiled, extending his hand for Lavi's again. The redhead took it and the pair continued forward. Road followed after a minute, running up to walk by Tyki's side and latching on to his free arm.
Line Break
Hands were everywhere; smoothing over his chest, tangling in his hair, stroking the hardness between his legs. He wanted to be afraid, but he could smell the scent of damp earth and pine and couldn't feel fear.
There were only two hands. He knew that, and yet it felt like there were four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two touching him and caressing his bare skin. He moaned from the sensations and felt lips capture his own and swallow his sounds. Other sets of lips brushed his skin, moving silkily over his heated flesh and drawing out his pleasure.
He heard his name moaned in his ear, lustful and possessive and so familiar and deep. The sound traveled through his body as a shiver of desire and he cried out wordless pleas for more - more of those hands, more of those lips, more words in that voice and tone, just more of the other man-
"Lavi?"
He shook his head in denial. That voice was all wrong - too gravelly, too old, and with none of the passion he had heard seconds ago. The hands began to fade, the lips leaving only lingering heat on his skin as the scene around him began to disappear. He reached for it desperately, calling for the man whose hands he had been able to feel-
"Lavi, wake up."
No, he wouldn't. He wasn't asleep, was he? Those sensations, he could still feel-
"Lavi!"
The redhead woke with a start, his eyes snapping open. With his one good eye he could see Bookman standing over him and he sat up, eyes darting to the window.
From the amount of sunlight pouring in, the sun was probably fairly high in the sky though it couldn't yet be midday. Lavi groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead. He had overslept; no wonder his grandfather had decided to wake him up.
"Sorry," he said, removing his hand and turning towards the old man. The motion caused the blankets bunched around his waist to brush against him and he had to fight back a sudden gasp at the spike of unexpected pleasure. In horror, he glanced down and saw the blankets tenting over his crotch. His face instantly went bright red and he grabbed the blankets, franticly moving them to try and conceal his state from his grandfather though he was almost certain the man had already noticed.
Or heard. His face grew even darker as he wondered what kind of sounds he had been making in his sleep.
Bookman's face was a carefully neutral mask as he nodded and then turned towards the door. Lavi watched him go, waves of embarrassment pouring over him.
"Breakfast is already on the table, though by now it is probably cold," Bookman said, exiting and shutting the door to their shared room behind him to allow Lavi some privacy.
Lavi folded his legs up to his chest, crossed his arms over his knees, and buried his face into said arms, groaning.
It hadn't even been three full days and he was already having dreams about Tyki! They had kissed once and had nearly kissed again last night, but they hadn't done... that. They hadn't gone nearly that far.
He turned his head to the side, resting his cheek on his crossed limbs as he stared at the wall.
Last night, Tyki and Road had dropped him off at his door about an hour after they had begun walking. He could have sworn that the older werewolf had almost kissed him then. Lavi had paused in the doorway and Tyki had leaned in, mouth coming closer and closer. Lavi had tilted his head, leaning forward just a little-
And then Road had asked if they were going to kiss. Both men had frozen and turned to look at her, then moved apart. They had said goodnight and then the two wolves had disappeared into the woods and Lavi had snuck into his room and gone to sleep.
At least Tyki had promised to come again tonight, though if this morning was any indication, today was going to be a long day.
Line Break
Lavi walked next to Tyki, holding the werewolf's hand as he had done the night before. True to his word and to tradition - and it hadn't even been a week, so how was it that they had a 'tradition' already? - he had knocked softly on the door in the middle of the night. Lavi had been waiting, dressed only in his usual animal-hide pants and shirt of homespun cloth. He had foregone his cloak since the night was unseasonably warm, and had opened the door almost before the knock had come, eager to see the two wolves he knew were waiting for him outside.
Road had latched on to his waist, nearly tackling him in a hug that had taken him by surprise. After looking at Tyki - who had been amused, damn him - for help, he had tentatively put one hand on her head and wrapped the other awkwardly around her shoulders. She had smiled up at him and then released him to go back to her uncle's side. They had fallen into the formation they had found the night before - Tyki and Lavi holding hands with Road alternating walking behind them, skipping ahead, and clinging to Tyki's free arm. They talked as often as not, but it was rarely anything of consequence or anything as heavy as the redhead's question about Tyki's family.
They hadn't brought the subject of 'intended' up again, though it did hover in the air between them. Every so often, Lavi could feel the werewolf watching him intently as though trying to figure him out. The redhead doubted the older man had been able to discover anything; these days, he didn't understand himself. It felt so natural to trust Tyki, like the wolf-man was a person he could trust unquestionably with anything and be confident that Tyki would return the trust in kind. Lavi had never felt such easy acceptance in any relationship he had had, romantic or platonic, and especially not so quickly. It was almost frightening, but for some reason he wasn't afraid of Tyki or of anything having to do with him.
They walked in silence and it was an easy silence, not strained or made awkward by the issue hanging over their heads. It was oddly peaceful, though Lavi had always been the type who liked to fill silences with talk.
Lavi looked towards the trees, idly scanning the dark forest as they walked along the dirt road.
His gaze stopped being so idle when he saw a shadow moving through the woods next to them. He squinted, unconsciously stepping towards the trees in order to get a better look.
"Lavi?" Tyki asked, feeling the slight pull on his hand. He turned, glancing in the same direction Lavi was looking in, and stilled suddenly. Lavi glanced back towards him, concerned.
Tyki's eyes were narrowed into a glare as he stared at the apparently dead forest, then his gaze softened somewhat as he looked towards Lavi. He tugged the redhead's hand, pulling the human to his side. Lavi followed without complaint, glancing towards Road to see if she could give him some idea of what had Tyki acting the way he was.
The girl's eyes were fixed on the woods as well, a disappointed look on her face. Lavi looked at Tyki again, puzzled.
"Tyki, what-"
The werewolf shook his head, clasping his hand tighter around Lavi's.
"You can come out now, Sheryl.”
TBC…
A/N: Okay, so show of hands, who wants to kill me for the cliffhanger?
The next chapter will be posted in two weeks. Thanks to everyone who has read my other DGM fics! I promise AGoP will be updated as soon as possible. The sequel to ‘Tradition’ will be posted as close to New Year’s Day as possible. (Yes, it will be a oneshot series)
To those readers on Mediaminer or AFF, please go to my FF(dot)net account to see my other fics. (The penname is Bookkbaby)