Another short oneshot for Laven Week 2017, this time for day 2, enjoy!

Song the fic was written to: Mercury by Sleeping At Last

Warnings: none

It was one of the rare moments where they could be alone together.

No Link tailing behind Allen's heels, no Bookman demanding why Lavi's perpetually ink-stained fingers weren't busying away, forever more records to write. Nothing stirred but the slow rise and fall of their chests, the gentle motion of Lavi's thumb moving back and forth against the side of Allen's hand. The silence that surrounded them was peaceful, if a little pensive - there was always so much left unsaid between them, no matter how much they tried to say what was on their minds - and it eased away most of the tension that a day's worth of fighting had given them. Lavi shifted where he lay, left arm going numb from where Allen was tucked into the crook of it, and winced as a sharp pain shot up his side from the injury he'd gained only a few hours earlier. Allen noticed, raising his head a little, voice husky from exhaustion.

"Are you alright?"

Lavi nodded, moving his arm down a little so he could place a hand on Allen's side and shift him over a little, to take the pressure off of his arm. Allen gave him a look, lips pulling up into a smile.

"If you want me to move, just ask."

"Nah, you're fine, just hard to get comfortable with this stupid thing." He gestured at his bandaged torso with a grimace. "Should've been more careful."

Allen scowled up at him, poking the end of his nose with a finger. "You should have been, yes. If I hadn't cut that Akuma in two you probably would have gained a lot more than a gash and bruised ribs."

Lavi groaned, head falling back against the pillow beneath him with a huff. "Yeah, yeah, Nurse Allen, I'll try harder not to get myself hurt next time."

Allen shook his head, pushing himself up to press a gentle kiss against Lavi's cheek before settling back down, wrapping an arm around Lavi's middle. It was still new, this gentle intimacy that they shared with one another, and such soft gestures still felt a little overwhelming. Lavi pulled Allen closer, burying his face in his hair with a tired smile.

They were both exhausted, but it was not the kind that would lull them into blissful unconsciousness. Days like this left them with a lot on their minds, reminding them rather harshly about the reality of their situation. They had ignored all the warnings and possible consequences, knowing that regardless of how much they should have remained as friends and nothing more, it was already too late. It was too late the moment Lavi held onto the card left behind in the wake of Allen's near-death. It was too late the moment Allen pulled Lavi into a tight embrace and begged him to come back from the dark place Road's influence had taken him to. All they could do was appreciate the time they had, while it lasted, no matter how bittersweet it felt.

Lavi raised a hand and ran his fingers through Allen's hair, smiling at the appreciate hum Allen gave in reply. It was one of the rare times where he truly appreciated having a perfect memory, knowing that this quiet moment between them would be so vivid in his mind, even months or years later. The thought that memories may be all he would ever have left of Allen one day made him falter, fingers nestled in between snowy locks, heart twisting painfully in his chest. No, he told himself, now isn't the time for this. It was impossible not to think about the consequences, he knew, but it was pointless to torture himself with eventuality upon eventuality until the sheer burden of it became a heavy weight upon his shoulders.

Allen felt Lavi tense up beside him and turned to pull him into his arms, burying his face in his shoulder. Lavi mimicked his actions, and for a long time they did nothing but hold each other, breathing in tandem, trying to think of nothing beyond the beating of each other's hearts and the warmth emanating between them. After a while Allen shifted in Lavi's arms, raising his head up to press a kiss against his lips before pulling away slightly, running a thumb against Lavi's cheek with a gentle expression. The edge of his thumb brushed against the fabric of Lavi's eyepatch, and the curious glint in his eyes made Lavi feel… not uncomfortable, not quite, but on edge enough for his heart to skip a beat.

"I don't think you ever told me why you wear this."

Lavi remained silent, tensing up a little in Allen's arms, trying to look at anything but the silver eyes gazing up at him. Realising he'd raised a difficult subject, Allen frowned.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise it was -"

"It's fine."

Lavi's reply was too quick and Allen knew he'd made him uncomfortable. He sighed, shaking his head a little.

"You say that, but I of all people should know better than to pry about such things."

Lavi paused for a moment before smiling, pressing a kiss against Allen's forehead and mumbling his words against his skin. "You of all people would understand, though."

The question of why it still remained unsaid arose within Allen's mind, but he had realised rather quickly that Lavi would only speak of what burdened him when he was ready to; trying to pick apart his words would do nothing more than make him even more withdrawn. So, when Lavi continued to speak in a subdued tone, Allen hardly dared to breathe, eyes wide.

"I don't know how you keep yours out like that, I couldn't handle it... ya know, bein' stared at and pointed at and made to feel like some kinda circus performer."

Allen smiled, bitterly. "Guess I'm just used to being the circus performer."

Lavi shifted a little to rub a thumb along Allen's shoulder. "Sorry."

"It's alright."

Allen wanted to ask Lavi to continue, but knew better not to. The fact he'd made the comparison between them said enough about what lay hidden behind black fabric, and knowing that Lavi felt comfortable enough with him to admit even that much was a comfort to him. After a moment of silence he smiled, and pulled back a little to meet Lavi's gaze with a quiet laugh.

"Well, at least we match." When Lavi's eye widened, a nameless emotion showing in his face, Allen smiled all the brighter, laughter tinging his words. "I guess that leaves two good eyes between us!"

Lavi stared at him for a moment before his mouth twitched into a pained smile, and then they were both laughing, hearts gripped tightly by a feeling that was difficult to describe with words. It was a shared connection between the both of them, a shared burden that they'd carried their entire lives and would carry until the day they died. Lavi had never been able to handle the burden of it, been able to do nothing beyond hiding it behind fabric and string and hoping that no-one would ever know the truth. But Allen bore that burden, not with pride but with some semblance of acceptance, and though Lavi knew better than to praise him for such a difficult thing he still admired him for it.

As silence befell them, they looked at each other as if for the first time, and saw themselves in each other so strongly it was almost painful. Lavi raised a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Allen's ear, and smiled when Allen leant into the gesture, eyes closed and a content hum escaping him. When Allen opened his eyes, all the hope and light that Lavi admired showed so strongly it was overwhelming. He was so kind, despite how flawed he saw himself, and he could never express with words how much Allen had given him in all the time that they'd known each other.

He had spent his entire life distancing himself from others, and to be this close with someone was terrifying. It left him feeling vulnerable and wondering how much it would hurt to lose something - someone - that now meant so much to him. Maybe someday he would share his past with the boy in his arms, would lay himself bare and unmasked before him and hope that it wouldn't hurt, that there would be acceptance and not rejection. And he knew that Allen had his own hidden secrets, that there was so much he didn't know about him. It was what had drawn Lavi to him in the first place, like looking into a mirror and seeing someone else instead of your reflection. And as Allen pressed a gentle kiss against his lips before closing his eyes and settling into the crook of his arm, he knew that of all people Allen would understand that some things needed to be kept hidden until it was time to let it go.

His right eye was his burden to carry, but knowing that the boy in his arms understood and carried the same burden upon his shoulders, that they shared a connection with something so personal to the both of them, was comforting enough.