Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-Man

Rating: K+

Warning: Spoilers. Set after the Third Exorcists arrive, since the series is on hold anyways…

Summary: Lavi and Allen were just friends. They were closer than anyone else in the Order, which was plain by the way they interacted, but how can that friendship possibly lead to something more? No one ever expected it to, no one even thought about it, but everything changed on the night of the festival…

Day One: Culture

The Clown's Frown

The townsfolk suspected nothing, everyone was happy, there were no Akuma anywhere, yet Allen couldn't seem to calm down. Something was off, something that he couldn't put his finger on. Lavi seemed to think everything was fine, that nothing bad would happen, but Allen just couldn't agree with him, no matter how hard he tried to settle the funny feeling in his stomach.

"Come on, Allen! Relax! There's going to be a huge festival tonight; it's the one night where there would be the least chance of an Akuma attack." Lavi said lightly, his relaxed demeanor beginning to both irritate and rub off on Allen. He wasn't sure if it was just him or if it was actually happening, but during the past two months, which had been spent solely with Lavi on this mission, he had been becoming more relaxed and less worried about things.

But tonight he just couldn't settle the horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Maybe you should just try and be a bit more on guard. The way you've been acting lately has been getting us into trouble with Akuma. You're not being careful enough." Allen snapped, attempting to wipe the confident smirk on the redhead's face.

"Who, me? Cause trouble?" Lavi asked, pointing to himself with mock surprise. "Never!"

"You make it sound like you do it on purpose…" Allen muttered, sighing and rubbing his face.

Lavi frowned, not sure he had been expecting that reaction. Usually, Allen would suddenly get insanely defensive and snap at him, which would then result in some sort of one-sided argument in which Allen yelled his head off and Lavi would make fun of him, but Allen seemed different today. Maybe there really was something to be worried about.

"You know, if you want to talk about anything…in particular, I'm willing to listen." Lavi said, reaching out to Allen. His fingers nearly touched the boy's shoulder before Lavi retreated, unsure if it would be appropriate to touch him. Lavi wasn't very respectful to people's personal space, which was easily proven by the many things he did to Yuu and everyone else in the order, but when Allen was in a mood like this Lavi was always cautious.

He didn't like to admit the reason for this, though he knew Allen already understood. No one else but Lavi knew his secret, and with a normal person this would most likely be a huge responsibility, but Lavi was used to knowing things others didn't. It was easier for him to stay quiet, to not do anything about it or pretend nothing had happened, or that something never existed even though he knew it did.

He knew this was the reason he had been chosen to go on this mission with Allen.

Komui had told him before they left to keep a close watch on Allen. He hadn't needed to explain any further than that, and Lavi had already been suspicious beforehand. Lavi was the only one who knew Allen's secret, and therefore he was the only one who would be able to watch Allen in the right way. Also, he may very well be the only one they could've trusted with this secret besides the old geezer.

"Thank you, Lavi, but I should be fine." Allen whispered, dropping his hand and looking Lavi straight in the eye. "I think the thing that would help most right now isn't you listening, but being a little more on guard. You've been lacking lately."

Lavi winced, not liking the blunt way he had stated this. "It's not my fault."

"You don't need to watch every single move I make!" Allen snapped, sitting up fully. His face suddenly filled with its old fire, though there was something new added to it—fear?

Lavi was surprised Allen had noticed, but how couldn't he have? Allen had noticed the secretive glances, the way Lavi's weapon would pause every time Allen would strike at an enemy, the way he would stare at Allen's face for minutes on end before paying attention to the things going on around him again. He had also noticed the way Lavi had been hesitating lately, and the way he had been trying too hard to be cheerful.

He had seen Lavi reaching out to him just then before retreating. He wasn't an idiot. He could see why Lavi was being like this.

"I'm not a child, and I don't need you watching me like a hawk." Allen continued. "It's not like the change is going to happen without you noticing from looking away for two seconds. Once the change is there it wont disappear, and it'll be a lot more dramatic than sitting here at a coffee shop waiting for an enemy to show up!"

"Allen…" Lavi tried to interrupt, but Allen shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about something that you obviously don't want to hear. You probably just want to forget it, just like I do…" Allen whispered, his head falling into the palm of his hand. A tear dropped onto the surface of the table, a tiny little pebble that stayed in a perfect circle before slowly spreading apart.

"Maybe we should go back to the hotel…" Lavi suggested cautiously. He wasn't really sure what to do when it came to Allen. His reactions, his thoughts, the way he moved, everything was unpredictable to him, yet somehow there was still understanding there.

Although it wasn't really the same thing, Lavi understood how Allen felt. Changing identities every time he was told to, leading a life of secrecy and deceit, always learning and never feeling or experiencing. Everything to do with his life was memorizing and observing, never to be the one who led a real life.

Allen dealt with something similar. His own identity was changing against his will, he was no longer leading his own life but observing it, being controlled by the Order and forced to watch himself slowly get torn apart and watch as the people he loved no longer became his. Lavi felt Allen had it much worse than him, and it was only going to get worse the more time passed.

"I'm going to go have another look around the town. There might be something we may have missed, or an Akuma that we didn't notice earlier." Allen whispered, standing up without looking at Lavi. Lavi wanted to point out that his eye would have sensed it whether he had been looking at it or not, but he knew the real reason Allen wished to patrol.

As Allen walked away, Lavi began to wonder what had happened between them that had made this happen. He had felt that Allen was his closest friend in the order, closer than even Yuu, but one little argument had caused such terrible feelings to erupt in his chest, churning inside of him and making him feel like dirt.

More than anything, Lavi wanted to get back the happy feeling he always had with Allen.

Fourteenth or not, Allen was Allen, even if it would only be for a little longer. Lavi needed to enjoy the time he had left with the boy, and when he wasn't with him…

Lavi hadn't mentioned it to anyone. He hadn't told Bookman, he hadn't confided in Lenalee or asked permission from Komui, but every night he had been researching, sneaking out, experimenting in any way he could, searching for an answer. He had been trying to find a way to stop the transformation, and had even decided to resort to something much worse than a mistake in research or defying Bookman if the chance became available.

Slowly, Lavi's life was beginning to revolve around Allen, and Allen's future.

He hadn't been sure when exactly this had happened, or why Lavi felt so strongly to keep Allen here, as himself, but he refused to question it. He was afraid of the answer he would come up with.

"Mana…has some sort of connection to the 14th, doesn't he?"

"Yes. The fourteenth had an older brother. There was only one person who was with the fourteenth up until the moment he betrayed the Millennium Earl and was killed, and that was Mana Walker."

Allen bit his lip, keeping his face hidden from the people who spread apart to let him pass. A few of them muttered under their breaths, pointing and asking each other questions none of them could answer.

Just like the questions Allen had that could never be answered.

"You had the fourteenth's ' memories' implanted in you. You're the host necessary for his revival."

Those words wouldn't stop echoing through his head. Lavi's face as he heard this hadn't helped, either. Allen had seen his face. Allen had been watching him. His eyes had strayed to him often during that session.

"No matter what, I'll still be your friend, silly!" Lavi chimed, his smile stretching across his face. "This doesn't change a thing. Right now you're still Allen, aren't you? We don't have to worry about that until it actually happens."

Lavi had said that right before the mission, when he had found Allen in the ark to tell him it was time to go. He had found him in the secret room, sitting there with Timcanpy like usual, staring off into space. Somehow, he had understood exactly what Allen was thinking about; or maybe he had just been thinking about the same thing.

Allen wasn't sure he could believe him. He wasn't sure he could believe anyone who had witnessed that to actually want to be friends with him anymore. His friendships with the people in the order had felt awkward and constantly on edge before, mostly on Allen's part, so what would it be like for something like this to be known?

Yet, a part of Allen wanted to believe in Lavi. The redhead was Allen's closest friend, both in and out of the order, and Allen wanted more than anything to believe him, to confide in him. He held himself back though, too afraid to get hurt.

"Sir, would you like a rose?" Allen jumped, his attention once again coming to the present. A young woman, possibly the same age as him, was standing there, smiling sweetly. Her words seemed to strike something much deeper in Allen, despite the fact that she had only asked if he wanted a rose. Her blue eyes bore into his gray eyes, and her long brown hair was tied behind a bandana.

"I-I'm sorry, what?" Allen asked, a little embarrassed. She held a red rose before her, thorns and all.

"A rose. For you, it can be free of charge. You look like you could use one." The girl said, still smiling sweetly.

"Oh…uh…sure…" Allen said, unsure of what to say. She wasn't an Akuma, so there was no harm in accepting something from her. Yet, he was still curious as to how she was so easily able to approach him. Didn't his outfit strike her as odd? If not his outfit, then definitely his appearance? Yet she stood there, smiling at him.

"Here you go." She said kindly, handing him the rose she held. The red petals were smooth as Allen lightly ran a finger over the flower. Its sweet aroma drifted to his nose, making him feel a little better.

"Thank you." Allen said as earnestly as he could.

"Of course. Remember, when life gives you something, you shouldn't reject it. You should embrace it." The girl leaned closer to him, her smile only growing kinder, almost sad. "You shouldn't deny love."

"Love?" Allen asked, startled. The girl nodded, leaning back again.

"The expression on your face is of forlorn love." She explained, her voice soft.

Love? Why love? I love the people of the order, but the way she's talking, it seems like she's not talking about that kind of love…

"That rose," the girl said, interrupting Allen's thoughts. "You should give it to that person."

"That…person…?" He asked, turning. At that moment, a picture of Lavi walking towards them entered his head. However, no one was there.

"The person you love." The girl explained. Allen turned back to her. "Maybe something will become clear."

"What do you mean?" Allen asked, confused. The girl just smiled again, and backed away. Allen blinked, and when his eyes opened again, she was gone.

Immediately, he was on guard, but there was no trace of the girl except for the rose in his hand. It was clear he hadn't of been imagining things, but the way she had suddenly vanished, he couldn't help but wonder. At the same time, if she had vanished like that, could it be possible she was actually an enemy? Was there something to fear from the rose?

Allen looked at the rose, frowning. With a small, decisive sigh, he dropped his arm and turned around, back to where the hotel was. Back to where Lavi was.

"You're back quick." Lavi commented when Allen walked through the door. He was laying on his bed, a book laying open beside him, long forgotten. Lavi had taken to staring at the ceiling instead.

"I decided not to go too far, since preparations for the festival are almost over." Allen replied, sitting on his own bed. He leaned over and took his boots off, leaving the rose beside him. Lavi's eye strayed to the blood red flower.

"Where's that from?" He asked. "Did a girl confess her love to you and then offer a beautiful rose, saying that it was nothing in comparison to your face?" He teased, and Allen froze. Despite the fact that this was not what had actually happened, his face began to turn red. "You mean it actually happened?" Lavi asked, sitting up, his mind automatically taking Allen's reaction as a yes.

"No!" Allen snapped, tugging off one of his shoes with a little more force than necessary. "A girl was selling them and she gave me one for free because…" Allen stopped, his face beginning to turn more red. He wasn't sure he wanted to confess to Lavi what exactly had transpired.

"So she thought you were beautiful, but she didn't confess her love?" Lavi asked, continuing on with the absurd story he had made up.

"No!" Allen repeated. "She…saw that I wasn't happy." He muttered, in a best attempt at explaining what had happened without giving the whole story. It seemed pretty lame.

"Oh." Lavi said, surprised. He hadn't really been expecting that, although he hadn't really thought his little theory was actually true either. In fact, he had thought that Allen had simply picked it up somewhere and thought it was pretty, so kept it.

"So quit it with the stupid theories." Allen muttered, tugging off his other boot. "Nothing like that would happen to me."

There was a long silence, in which Lavi could neither agree or disagree. On one hand, Allen was pretty gorgeous for a guy, and had a great personality (when there was nothing to do with Cross or gambling around), and he was kind and caring, and would probably be able to take care of a girl if he so decided.

However, on the other hand, he was an exorcist. People didn't approach exorcists because of their strange appearances. The automatic thoughts that rolled through a person's head were usually weird, danger, or important. Generally, all three of those things could make a person stay away from someone. Plus, for an exorcist to suddenly be involved in a love life with someone outside of the order, who couldn't understand the sorrows and pains and risks of being an exorcist, there would probably be more problems and heartbreak than anything.

He knew that Allen was referring to his eye, his white hair, and the innocence he had been both blessed and cursed with. Yet, Lavi found that these things didn't make him hideous, but rather, added to his character and his beauty. Without them, Allen wouldn't be the same person he was today. Just like one day he won't be anyways.

"Lavi?" the redhead jumped, shocked by the weakness in the boy's voice. When he looked at Allen, he was bent over, hugging his knees, his eyes hidden behind a curtain of silver. "What's it like…to love a person?"

Lavi stared at Allen for a long time, unsure what to say or do. The question confused him, and it was also the one question that he had no possible answer to.

As far as he knew, he had never experienced love before. There was no logical explanation to how a person feels, or why they do the things they do. There was no theory or proof or history. Love was something that was unpredictable, and something that couldn't be recorded. It was something a Bookman couldn't cover.

It was something Lavi was sure he would be unable to experience, no matter how much he longed for it. Something he had longed for since he had first met Allen.

"You shouldn't ask me." Lavi finally said, falling backwards onto his bed.

"Why not?" Allen demanded, not liking this answer. He had expected more, something he could use, something that could explain the churning feeling in his stomach every time he thought of the word, which was often since talking to the vanishing girl.

"I'm a bookman, even if it is only apprentice." Lavi whispered. "I don't feel love."

"Bookman or not…" Allen whispered, lifting his head from his knees. "You can still feel love."

"Then why are you asking me this question? It should be the same for you." Lavi replied.

"The only love I've ever felt…is for the people of the Order, and Mana. That's not the love I'm trying to ask about." Allen replied, sinking back down. This time, it was to hide the blush that was beginning to appear.

Lavi was silent for a moment, mauling over his answer, trying to figure out a hidden message that could have been there. Finally, he said, "How could I have experienced that love when I haven't even felt the love you have?"

There was a shocked silence, and something inside of Allen broke. "You don't…love me?" he whispered, for some reason the words that Lavi had spoken bringing that up as the very first thing.

This time, Lavi did not ponder his words or stay quiet. He hadn't realized that he would have insinuated that when he said that, and immediately sat up, looking at Allen in worry. "That's not what I meant." He blurted, then smacked himself. "I mean…it is…but it isn't…"

Why was he suddenly so guilty? Why did he mean what he was saying right now? He wasn't just trying to make Allen feel better, it was true. He hadn't meant it, not towards Allen.

Why was Allen always the exception to everything?

"Not towards you…" Lavi whispered, letting out a heavy sigh. Bookman was going to kill him for what Lavi was about to do. "You've always been my exception…"

Allen said nothing, and Lavi thought maybe he didn't believe him, but in reality, Allen was just too shocked to say anything. He stared at the floor with wide eyes, the words sending unexplained butterflies to his stomach.

Before anything else could be said, a loud cheering was heard from outside. Lavi jumped, scrambling off the bed and going to the window, where tons of people were beginning to gather, heading towards the main street, where the festival was going to be held. "The festival's about to start. Let's go."

"You want to?" Allen asked, finally looking up. His stomach was squirming as he looked into Lavi's eye.

"Well, yeah, sure. Not like we have anything else to do. We can't start traveling until morning, and the only thing to do besides go to a festival, which provides perfect entertainment by the way, is sleeping. So, festival." Lavi clapped his hands together, and Allen, knowing the redhead wouldn't take no as an answer, stood up.

"What are we going to do?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Well, the first thing we're going to do is take off our exorcist coats. If an Akuma appears, we'll know right away anyways, so there's no point in wearing coats. That way, we can join in a bit more." Lavi smiled gently, taking off his coat as he spoke.

Allen, hesitant, slowly unbuttoned his coat. Lavi, the impatient person that he could be sometimes, gave an exasperated sigh and closed the distance between them, unbuttoning Allen's shirt for him.

"L-Lavi!" Allen stuttered, his face growing red. "I'm not a child! I can take off my own coat."

"You're taking too long. I want to go to the festival." Lavi looked into Allen's eyes and smiled gently. "Together."

Allen blushed, looking away from Lavi's deep gaze. "R-right." He muttered, clasping his hands together behind his back. Lavi finished, and Allen was quick to slip his coat off his shoulders. Throwing it onto his bed, he stood there, unsure of what to do, while Lavi began to run around the room doing random little things.

"All right, let's go." Lavi finally said, grabbing something off the table and putting it in his pants pocket. Allen nodded, turning and heading for the door, feeling oddly shy. Had it been because of that girl? Why were her words striking so deep? They shouldn't have really meant anything.

A few minutes later and they had reached the main event, crowds of people roaming the streets and standing at booths and doing random little events. The first thing Lavi did was drag Allen to a pie throwing contest.

As they went around the area, going to the different attractions and buying random food, mostly for Allen, Lavi began to notice a change in Allen's behavior. Instead of getting angry at little things Lavi did or said, Allen would either laugh or just blush. As they walked around, he would answer Lavi as politely as if he had just met him. When Lavi wasn't talking to him, or when he thought Lavi wasn't paying attention, Allen would get a sort of glazed look in his eye.

Something was going on inside that boy's head, and Lavi was beginning to get unbelievably curious.

"Lavi, let's go there," Allen stated suddenly, pointing to a small booth carrying odd little trinkets. An old woman stood there, her face covered by a hood, greeting people and beckoning people over. Lavi frowned.

"Why do you want to go there?" He asked.

"I saw something I liked." Allen muttered, looking away. "If you don't want to go, then we don't have to."

"No, no, let's go." Lavi grinned, trying to show that he didn't mind, but Allen let out a small sigh.

"Lavi…" he muttered, looking up at the redhead. His heart nearly stopped, the look in Allen's eyes making his throat clench.

"Y-yeah?" Lavi stuttered, trying not to look at him. In an attempt to make it seem like he was interested in something else, he looked at the booth that Allen had pointed to, but found himself looking away immediately. The old lady was staring directly at him.

"Lavi…let's go back to the hotel room." Allen whispered, also looking away from Lavi. He was unsure of what he was doing at the moment, but felt that he needed to follow through with it.

"The…hotel?" Lavi asked, returning his attention to Allen. "What about the festival?"

Allen winced, and bit his lip. Why not finally admit why he didn't want to be here? Why not confide in Lavi? Why not finally let it be known why he had been so uptight since that morning?

"Mana…and I…we used to be performers. We used to live traveling to various festivals and circuses in order to earn money, since it was something where we could show our talents." Allen looked up at Lavi, who was now staring directly at the cursed boy. "I've been to too many festivals, Lavi. Enough to last me a life time."

Lavi had known about Allen traveling with his step-father, that he had been something of a performer, but Allen's words still came as a surprise. "Then…we can go back…"

"Lavi, have you ever done something so much that you've just become sick of it?" Allen asked, looking to where the old lady was at her booth. She was still watching them.

Lavi took a while to answer, refusing to look at Allen's face as he told himself to be honest. Not just with Allen, but with himself. "Yes." He whispered finally, and Allen smiled gently.

"Then you understand, don't you? Why I don't want to be standing here right now, having this conversation with you?" Allen asked, watching as the old lady pulled something out of her cloak.

"I guess so." Lavi whispered. "Let's go back, then, Allen. Besides, we need to make plans for tomorrow."

But Allen didn't answer. He stared at the old lady, his heart beginning to beat faster with every second. The old lady stood there, holding out a blood red rose, thorns and all, an understanding smile on her features. A very familiar smile.

Before Lavi could stop him, Allen ran to the booth, stopping in front of the old lady. "That rose…" he said, as soon as he stopped. "Where did you get that rose?"

"Do you want it, child?" The old woman asked. "You can give it to the one you love, and it may bring you luck."

Allen stared at the old woman, the same smile as the young girl he had seen earlier on her face. Trying to see past the wrinkles, he reached forward. Maybe…if he touched her…

"Allen?" Lavi's voice broke into Allen's trance, and he jumped. He looked at Lavi, and then back to the old lady.

"How much would you like for the rose?" Allen asked, trying to ignore the suspicious stares he was receiving from the curious redhead.

"You can have it, dear. Consider it a gift from me to you. You look like you could use it." The old woman winked, and Allen stared at her in surprise, before realizing that Lavi was there and he could not question her, otherwise Lavi would most likely do something unnecessary…or at least, that's what he told himself.

"Thank you," he said, taking the rose.

"Allen, what're you doing?" Lavi asked, confused. "You have one on your bed at the hotel."

"I need this one," Allen muttered.

"Why?" Lavi asked, beginning to get a little wierded out. They had gone from happily going through a festival to admitting feelings to…this. What exactly was this, though?

"Lavi, let's go for a walk." Allen blurted, his face beginning to grow red. Lavi blinked, raising both eyebrows.

"Say what now?" he asked, looking around. Had Allen seen something, or maybe a girl he wanted to follow? "If it's to follow a girl, I'm totally there for you, man."

"Shut up!" Allen snapped, and then grabbed Lavi's sleeve. "It's for you!"

"For…me…?" Lavi trailed, allowing Allen to suddenly drag him off.

Allen didn't say anything, his face burning the whole time as many different thoughts and emotions ran through him, the thoughts of his past long forgotten as he focused on the many options that could be his future. He was also focused on one other thing, something he wished he had noticed a little earlier.

Perhaps it was because of the girl that he had realized it, or maybe it was the festival. Maybe he had just realized it out of nowhere, or maybe it had been seeing that beautiful, blood red rose, a rose that resembled Lavi with its untouchable thorns, yet still so unbelievably mysterious and gorgeous.

Something that Allen hadn't realized before.

He dragged Lavi into the forest outside of the town, deep into it, to the point where Lavi was beginning to wonder if maybe Allen had somehow been possessed and was about to kill him where no one could see. Of course, as absurd as it may have seemed, the option was still there, and because of it Lavi needed to be on guard. His fingers brushed against his Innocence, ready to grab it if necessary.

One other option made Lavi's heart clench. The fourteenth may have finally made its appearance.

As Lavi continued to think over his options, paying attention to any significant landmarks or odd trees and paying attention to when they turned or when they had to step over something, Allen's sudden epiphany was becoming more and more clear.

Allen stopped abruptly, and Lavi walked directly into him. Lavi reached for his hammer, closing his eyes, his heart squeezing in regret, his inner self battling with him, when something unexpected happened.

Allen's lips connected with his, his arms suddenly throwing themselves around the redhead.

In that moment, something became very clear in both of their minds.

Friendship was something that could not be replaced. It was something that everyone needed in order to survive, something neither Allen nor Lavi would have ever been able to understand had they not met each other. But sometimes, it was because of friendship that something much more, something amazing could happen.

Maybe friendship was just something that led up to it. Maybe it was always there, waiting to reveal itself at the right moment, but always there. Maybe it had always been there, since the moment they had met, since the time Lavi had forced Allen to make snowmen with him, since Lavi had saved Allen in that cobblestone street, where Allen had been offered a flower during a time of vulnerability.

Just like now.

"Lavi." Suddenly, Allen's voice was so much stronger, so much more determined. "I love you."

There was a very long silence, in which Allen stared into Lavi's eyes with such fire that the redhead couldn't help but feel submissive. In answer, all he could do was press his lips to Allen's again, to feel that wonderful feeling that only Allen could give him.

Something wet was running down his face. Surprised, he pulled away from Allen, reaching over the boy's arms in order to touch his face. When he saw the tear on his finger, more came.

Lavi's body suddenly shook, and he laughed. His arms wrapped themselves around Allen's slim waist, pulling the boy closer, and he rested his forehead on the shorter boy's shoulder.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. "I lied…"

"About what?" Allen asked, his innocent voice making Lavi's heart squeeze.

"I have felt that kind of love before." He whispered, a small smile forming on his lips. Allen's body shook as he laughed.

"I forgive you." He whispered.

A long, comfortable silence passed by, in which Lavi shifted his position from resting on the boy's shoulder to burrowing his face in the snow white hair. After a while, Allen pulled away from him.

"Lavi…" Allen muttered, looking into that single, mysterious green eye. "I wanted you to have this," he whispered, and held out the blood red rose. Lavi stared at it, the soft petals blowing in the gentle breeze that swept by.

"Keep it." Lavi said firmly, looking into Allen's eyes. Suddenly, the boy looked anguished and rejected, before Lavi smiled. "Consider it a gift. You look like you could use it. Besides, we have another one waiting on your bed."

Immediately, the anguish disappeared, replaced by a beautiful smile. Lavi felt his heart go out to the boy, who, only minutes ago, had been so burdened by his past.

Now, he would be burdened by his future, because Lavi knew that his choice would only bring trouble. However, there was nothing that said it wouldn't be happy.

"I'll find a way to save you." Lavi whispered, lifting his hand and placing it on Allen's cheek. "And when I do…"

Lavi didn't finish. He left the rest unsaid. He had a feeling Allen understood what Lavi wanted to say.

He had a feeling that this wonderful, mysterious boy would always understand him, whether he knew it or not.

His frown would be something that Lavi would be sure to eliminate every passing minute, and if Allen were to frown, Lavi would only let it be because of him.

The clown's frown would never be seen again.

Culture: Fin

A/N: Wow. Seriously, I had no idea what to write for this one. I guess it went something like this:

Culture…culture…culture…hmm…festivals…festivals equal culture…therefore, festivals can be used for culture. Huh…I wonder if many people will use festivals for culture…hmm…well, whatever. Culture equals festival. Good enough for me.

Or, something like that. I also had carnival as an idea, but I decided I'd go with a festival. Obviously this little story wasn't actually about the festival…but whatever.

Let me know what you think! And happy first day of Laven week! It's gonna be fun.