Ammunition
Summary: He expected his death to be of noble cause, really, and this was anything but. Of course he could never be so lucky. Yullen.
Warnings: language, innuendo, attempt at humor, not beta-ed
Disclaimer: All material belongs to the rightful owners. I'm not one of them.
…
The most probable threat to Allen's imminent death was anything but expected.
Really, it was far more deadly than Mugen, which Kanda drew so unpredictably all of the time. It didn't even compare the absolute horrors of Komui's experiments and the events that nearly always followed. Even the Noahs didn't seem so scary anymore—not with this new threat so close to completely and utterly breaking him.
Allen didn't really know when it all began. He couldn't exactly pinpoint a time and place that marked the beginning of this madness. For, truly, that is what it was, madness.
Of course, like anything, this all started and ended with Kanda. It always really did. The events leading up to this sudden revelation went a little something like this—
"Watch where you're going, Bakanda!"
"Tch, you ran in to me."
"Yes, because obviously the one sprawled on the floor would be the one at fault!"
"Would you be sprawled out on the floor for any other reason, Moyashi?"
Allen paused for a moment in his attempt to get up, catching the possible double meaning in his words, as he caught an almost uncharacteristic mischievous look in Kanda's eyes. Is he... no, no. My God, what am I thinking? Brushing himself off and standing up, Allen continued on smoothly.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"
Turning sharply away from him with a quick gesture, Kanda replied, "I don't know what you're talking about," before making his way down the hall. As Kanda disappeared from view, Allen was left in a state of disorder, both inside and out.
He ended up brushing off the whole incident with a simple, easy explanation—Kanda is, and always will be, just plain strange. Foreign. Difficult to understand. Normal people, such as Allen himself, cannot even hope to comprehend what all goes on in the mind of said weirdo.
If only that was all it was.
Later that same afternoon, Allen found himself taking a relaxing bath to help unwind from this morning's encounter with the Order's resident anti-social samurai and his increasingly strange attitude. The steam from the hot water was rolling throughout the room lazily and Allen was content with the lethargic feeling settled in his body due to the calming atmosphere. Of course, though, all good things must come to an end.
Eyes closed, Allen heard the door to the room open quietly and the rustling of clothes soon to follow. Cocking one eye open, Allen took in the scene before him.
Oh God.
It had to be him. Of course it did. Because really, when it matters, it always is.
Kanda was standing there in all his naked glory looking down at Allen with this expression on his face. Allen sat frozen in place, not knowing where the hell to look because oh my god this was just too awkward. Did he seriously have to be so—dare he admit it—attractive? Honestly, some just had all the luck. And, apparently, none of it was left over for Allen. So, he just settled for closing his eyes again. There. No Kanda to be seen.
While Allen tried his best to relax his suddenly tense muscles once again, he found it to be nearly impossible. He could feel the smirk coming off the bastard still standing across from him.
"Do you need something, Kanda?" Allen inquired, slowly opening his eyes. Sure enough, the self-satisfied smirk was plastered all over his face as Kanda stood oh so lordly over Allen. Damn him.
Kanda didn't answer as he slid into the bath on the opposite side, far away from Allen. They sat in an uncomfortably charged silence for quite a while. Allen could not help himself as he glanced over at Kanda—more specifically Kanda's chest—taking advantage of the fact that Kanda's head was tilted back, eyes seemingly shut. His loose, dark hair fell about his broad shoulders and down his very nicely toned, lightly muscled chest. It really wasn't just himself being a creep, Allen thought with false assurance, anyone would have taken the chance to ogle the normally covered and uptight man. It was quite the sight to see, after all. Besides, with the way Kanda was positioned, one would almost think he was trying to show off—
"What?" Kanda snapped as he sat up fully to look over Allen head on, his mouth downturned in displeasure, but his eyes secretly dancing with mirth. Caught in the act. Really, it couldn't be more embarrassing.
"Really, Bakanda, I should be asking you that. Is there a reason you have to bathe during the same time I do? In fact, I didn't really think you bathed at all what with your normal smell…" He was totally lying. Kanda always smelled curiously pleasant for a male.
"Tch. You're the one that smells."
"That's really the best insult you could come up with? You're losing your edge. That is, if you ever had it to begin with." Kanda's eyes narrowed at the accusation and he began to open his mouth. Allen beat him to the chase. "Also, you never did answer my question. Why are you here now of all times?"
Kanda shifted slightly in the tub, exposing even more of the skin of his abdomen while taking the opportunity to stretch. Allen gulped.
Kanda smirked. Again. Bastard.
"And you never answered mine, Moyashi." The challenge in his voice was unmistakable. Both refused to back down from their inquisitions, though neither wanted to answer.
Eventually, Kanda rose up out of the water and went to grab his towel and clothing. Allen's eyes squeezed shut, learning the first time exactly what prolonged exposure to Kanda's naked body could do to him.
"I have better things to do than sit around and look at your fucking ugly mug."
"What, like braid that pretty hair of yours?" Shit. He did not just call Kanda pretty. Oh, God help him.
Allen heard the vicious growl from his comrade and instinctively ducked as an unidentified object flew over his head and shattered upon impact by the wall behind his head. The sound of the door slamming was soon to follow. Allen, as he finally commenced with his bathing ritual, could only thank his lucky stars he got off easily for that last comment.
It wasn't until later he realized Kanda never actually bathed himself.
Training, Allen thought, was always a good activity right before dinner. It allowed him to work up an appetite and he always felt relaxed for the rest of the evening. Kanda or Lavi would normally join him in his nightly activities, but today, it seemed as if he would be alone in the training hall. He didn't mind so much. In fact, alone time would be nice due to the fact Kanda and that damnably attractive body of his kept invading his thoughts, a place where he was certainly not wanted.
Allen started out simple with his workouts, as per usual, and slowly worked up to more difficult maneuvers. Concentrating on the task before him, Allen failed to recognize the now familiar presence of Kanda as he entered the room with the silence only one so practiced could achieve. Allen bounced back to his feet and crouched into a defensive stance as he heard a chuckle from the back of the room.
"Those stupid push-ups are not going to get you anywhere in battle, you know."
"Are you actually trying to give me advice? That's almost kind of you." Allen kept his stance steady as Kanda stalked forward aggressively.
Kanda stopped a few feet from him. Allen belatedly noticed how nice that tight shirt looked on him. "No. Pointing out your flaws is just what I do best." A smile crept onto Allen's face at that comment.
"So you admit I'm better than you in fighting?"
"Hell no. I just said it's what I do best, not that it's the only thing I'm good at. I'd have to be impossibly incompetent to be worse than you."
"We'll have to see about that."
In an instant, Allen switched from defense to offense as he lunged toward Kanda in a quick dash, initiating the fight. Not to be outdone, Kanda matched the intensity in which Allen fought. In flashes of tangled limbs and quick feet, the two engaged in a relentless battle. Punches without purchase and kicks that glanced off their intended target were common; both were on equal ground, quick and powerful.
A slight slip-up on Kanda's part gave Allen the chance to swing a leg out under Kanda's and knock him to the ground, gaining the upper hand. Before he could react, Allen had Kanda pinned with a triumphant smile upon his face. "Who's better, Bakanda?"
Allen expected Kanda to snarl, counter his attack in some violent way as was traditionally the outcome of their mock battles. He was shocked when such a reaction never came. Instead, the strangest thing happened.
Kanda's tongue darted quickly out of his mouth, dampening his lips tantalizingly. Some emotion played in his dark eyes and Allen became absolutely entranced. His grip on Kanda's wrists loosened as he became less aware of his total situation and more concerned with his partner's newly interesting lips. Kanda's hands started to snake up his own arms, almost caressing as he went. Allen was too lost in his eyes to even notice.
That is, until his back was suddenly slammed into the floor, Kanda no longer below him, but gloating down at him as he held Allen in an iron grip.
In anger at being duped so stupidly, Allen struggled futilely against his captor. He had been in complete control—or perhaps Kanda had proved his point; Allen was not as in control as he was led to believe. Kanda bent down until he was only a few inches away from him and Allen stilled. Why is he so goddamn distracting?
With Kanda in such close proximity, Allen could feel the grin forming maliciously on the other's face.
"Yet another thing I'm much superior in." Still pulling off of the distracting display, Kanda pulled back slightly only to mock Allen further. "Yes, who is better, Moyashi?"
Allen bared his teeth, preparing to make a biting retort when Kanda's lips ever so slightly met his own, silencing him. It was hardly a kiss, but even so—
Kanda pushed himself off of the ground and strode toward the door. Allen was still lying on his back, stunned by all the events that had just occurred in such quick succession. His jumbled thoughts tried to make sense of the situation with little achievement. With one glance back, Kanda left the room.
Allen sat up slowly, bringing a hand softly to his lip. "What the hell, Kanda?"
Dinner made for an awkward affair. The group talked and joked normally about the day's activities. Kanda seemed intent on ignoring everything awkward and abnormal that had occurred within the past twenty-four hours and Allen couldn't even possibly hope to forget. He kept hearing the other's deep voice, despite the fact he wasn't even talking at the moment. He kept seeing the naked skin exposed to him earlier in the day, though now the other exorcist was donned in his typical modest garb. He kept feeling the sensation of Kanda's toned body pressed against his own, the feel of his lips—
"Okay there, Al?" A concerned Lavi scooted over toward him on the bench and pressed a hand to Allen's forehead. "You're looking a little red. Getting sick or somethin'?"
Nervous laughter erupted from Allen's mouth as he waved off Lavi's concern. "Oh, no, really, I'm great. Perfectly fine. Just a little out of it is all."
Kanda coughed.
Allen glared. He knew.
With a small side glance, Kanda continued eating his soba, taking care to eat slowly, almost seductively, capturing Allen's full attention once again. Lavi and Lenalee noticed the unspoken exchange between their comrades and the strange behavior coming from both. Allen felt the stares from everyone at his table and suddenly, he stood up.
"You know, I'm not hungry today." He quickly threw away his many plates and made to exit the dining hall much to the surprise of his friends.
Before he completely left, he heard Lavi's loud comment, "He's definitely sick."
"Perhaps," Lenalee agreed with a sly smile.
Allen ended up back in his room with little idea as to what was wrong with his brain. Because, obviously, something was wrong if the most important thing on his mind was that idiot, Kanda. He should be thinking of akuma, the Noahs, how to actually win this seemingly impossible war, and actual pressing issues that concerned the Order's well-being. Well, said a little voice in the back of his mind, Kanda certainly does seem to be affecting your well-being. That should count for something. Tired of his insistent pacing and endless thoughts, Allen fell back on his bed with a loud sigh.
That is when it hit him.
Kanda had always been pretty scary, what with Mugen and all. He was so practiced with the blade, that anyone in their right mind would be terrified if it was directed at them. Kanda had always known that and had the deadly glare to accompany his powerful aura.
It seemed now, though, Kanda had a new weapon. One that, with practice, could be just as deadly as any blade, if not more. Something that, really, if Allen wasn't careful, would be the absolute death of him.
Kanda had discovered his sex appeal.
Lord, help him.