Disclaimer:I have conquered many lands in the past and look to conquer more in the future, but for now… I'll just have to settle with invading the land of D. Gray Man.

A Day in the Life Of…

A D. Gray Man Fanfic

Part I. The Poker Demon

Allen Walker was many things. And he was different ones to different people.

While he roamed the halls of the Black Order Headquarters he was an Exorcist. He was a symbol of hope, a beacon of light in the war against the Millennium Earl. That was his purpose, to fight the akuma and win. He was an accommodator for the Innocence and a chosen disciple of God. Each and every Finder, scientist, fellow Exorcist and various other members thought if him this way and Allen did not try to say otherwise.

Within his home with the Black Order, he was more than an exorcist to a handful of people.

To Lenalee, he was a cherished friend, an indispensable part of her world. She always greeted him with joyful acceptance and a smile that made his heart skip a beat.

To Komui, however, Allen was someone else to experiment on with his grandiose inventions. His equipment used to fix damaged anti-akuma weapons instilled fear in the boy even more than most and motivated him to keep his arm in good condition. Yet, Komui's enthusiasm was hard to diverge. It was all in the name of science of course.

To Kanda, he was a nuisance. A bean sprout that was so beneath his attention that, despite Allen's constant reminders, he didn't even bother to learn his name, and, if he had, he most certainly didn't use it.

To Lavi, Allen was both a friend he could depend on and a sucker he could prank. In battle, there wasn't anyone else he wanted to stand back to back with- them against the world. He even could count on the exorcist as someone to talk to, as long as it wasn't girls. And, even when Allen was unconscious he provided a measure of entertainment for the Bookman. Asleep, Lavi's markers went to work on his face and he became the sucker he knew and trusted.

But, this time, at this moment, Lavi didn't have an inkling of trust in the white-haired exorcist.

He was grinning as though someone had just given him a month's worth of free food (which was a small mountain for Allen) and it was sending chills up and down his spine.

No, Lavi definitelydidn't trust him and he didn't like the feeling he was getting from the boy either. A type of dark amusement had been emanating from Allen for a while now and it was quickly becoming an even darker triumph.

Lavi groaned aloud and nearly raised a white flag right then and there. He had come quite close to tossing his cards into the air a few times already. Inching a few inches farther back from his evilly smirking friend, he stared at the cards in his hand again.

In all honesty, it was more of a glare. It was in desperation, as if Lavi could somehow scare his cards into changing into ones that he actually wanted and could win him at least one damn hand. In a mere four rounds, Allen had managed to rid his red-haired friend of everything of value on his person.

The Bookman could only be glad that he hadn't had much to begin with and that he had yet to be forced into betting his clothing. Though, he wouldn't put it past this new, black version of Allen that he had only witnessed once before.

Why? Why had Lavi been so stupid to play poker with Allen of all people? He'd seen what the deceivingly innocent boy could do, cheating people so skillfully and mercilessly that all they could do was sit there, gape and lose every last penny they owned. So, why had he still picked this… humiliation to relieve his boredom?

Racking his brain, the best answer Lavi could come up with was that it had seemed less frustrating as an onlooker than being on the receiving end. Though, he had considered that, with his exceptional observation skills, he would be able to call out Allen's cheating, but the boy was just so damn smooth.

He'salmostlikeadifferentperson, Lavi cursed and passed another anxious glance over his hand.

Ugh, it was close to hopeless. He peered over his cards to give Allen a suspicious glare, and reeled back at what he saw. He was radiating a freaking aura of… he don't know what, but it was terrifying as hell.

Allen made eye contact and smiled again. He shuffled his cards and finally, inevitably he flipped over his hand to reveal…

"Royal straight flush!" Allen exclaimed with his twisted grin.

The finishing blow and Lavi tossed his cards to the ground in complete hopelessness.

Yet, Allen determined Lavi's guess to be right as he turned and asked all too innocently, "Want to play another hand?"

Lavi's one eye widened and he backed away instinctively. Scratch that, the expression on Allen's face of complete, wicked enjoyment proved it.

He hadn't merely become a different person; he had turned into an entirely different being.

There was one thing that Lavi knew Allen was above all, and he knew that he couldn't win against the poker demon.

0~0~0

Author'sNote:This was literally a spur-of-the-moment idea and since I had the motivation to quickly write this up, I didn't want to wait. It began with the truth that I and many other fans probably share- I love Allen when he plays poker. There's just something about good guys having a hidden dark side and its all the better when it's brought out in something so simple as a card game. I know that the idea of Lavi daring to play Allen at poker has been examined from various angles by many people, but I had to get this out of my system and I figured the best way to do so was to trick you guys into thinking I was writing about something else altogether. Hence, the title and if you noticed it said this was only part 1. Yes, this is a multi-shot with ADayintheLifeOf… short story for a collection of D. Gray Man characters. Expect mayhem and examinations into their many personality quirks. ;) I hope you enjoyed my take on poker Allen and please review!