A/N: Hey! *bounce* This is the first of two Christmas fics I have planned - the second is only about half-done, so expect it come, say, New Years. That's what I'm targeting, anyway. *laugh*
Title: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Author: liketolaugh
Rating: K
Pairings: None
Genre: Friendship/Family
Warnings: None
Summary: In which Allen gets candy, Lenalee gets a day of happiness, and Mana is the kindest man in the world. Secret Santa prompt.
Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man.
The streets were too crowded, this close to Christmas. Everyone was excited, talking loudly to each other in a deafening chorus, and merchants called out to the passersby, announcing roasted chestnuts or dried berries. Snow covered the ground, crunching under Allen's worn boots, and fell around his shoulders and on his hair.
Mana walked beside him, humming a Christmas carol under his breath and holding Allen's hand like he expected him to try and wander off, which… He probably did, come to think of it.
Stupid. If Allen was going to run away from him, he would have done it a long time ago.
Allen tugged impatiently at Mana's hand and, when the man finally looked down, humming coming to a halt as he gave his attention to Allen, he asked, "When are we buying food?"
Mana blinked at him for a moment, one hand coming up to adjust his top hat, and then he laughed, eyes crinkling even as people turned to look at him oddly. Allen scowled at him, hand tightening warily. After a few moments, Mana shook his head and promised, "Soon – within the hour, I expect."
There, see, how hard was that to say?
Satisfied, Allen turned his gaze back onto the crowd around them, and then noticed something. He faltered, squinting through the forest of people.
Someone was running away from something.
He glanced up, wondering briefly whether he should say anything to Mana. He'd started travelling with the man a year ago, but he was still wary of making too much trouble for the man. Mana hadn't left him yet, but he still could. It was be all too easy.
As it turned out, though, he didn't need to. The running girl passed through the crowd as if making a beeline for them, though she wasn't looking, and then bumped right into Mana, still going full-tilt. Mana barely even stumbled, stopping in place. Around them, the crowd moved to flow around them.
Allen hissed at one man who bumped into him, annoyed, and then looked down.
A girl about his age was staring up at them, wide-eyed and eyes shining with unshed tears, breathing too fast, either from fear or flight.
Allen looked back up, hesitant, and found Mana still smiling, though it was a little gentler now.
He bent down and offered the girl a hand, as insufferably gentlemanly as always. "Hello," he greeted cheerfully. "Lovely day, isn't it?"
The girl blinked up at him without speaking, the fear not quite fading from her eyes.
Allen elbowed Mana, hard. "She's running from something," he hissed at the man, irate, because fuck, Mana could be dense.
Something Allen didn't recognize glimmered in Mana's eyes, but a moment later it was gone, leaving Allen frowning at the man in confusion. Then the girl, oblivious, reached up hesitantly to take Mana's hand, and Mana tugged her easily to her feet.
Allen could see the girl thinking of running – she was standing like it, ready to flee, her eyes flicking between Mana and him, her breathing speeding up until clouds of mist spilled from her mouth to dissipate into the air.
A hand landed on his head, and with a short huff, Allen realized that he had started to mirror her, just the suggestion of conflict making his heart speed up. He dropped his gaze, studying the trampled snow on the ground.
"I was just thinking of taking Allen to the candy shop," Mana continued cheerfully, smile bright and warm enough to bring the summer. He tilted his head toward the nearby sweetshop, brightly colored candies filling the window. "Would you like to come?"
The girl looked a little less tense now – more confused, still wavering in place. Then she glanced back, and Allen noticed someone else making their way through the crowd, rapid and pushy. Someone shouted.
She looked back up at Mana, and nodded hesitantly.
Mana's smile, if possible, broadened, and he made a large gesture onward to the shop, bowing dramatically. "Then after you, young lady!"
Allen scowled at Mana, forcing down the annoying blush on his cheeks. "Shut up, stupid Mana," he growled at the man, edging around him to walk past the girl. He glanced at the girl, judged her to be losing some of her fear, and then hesitated. After a moment, he asked, "What's your name?"
The girl blinked at him, and then almost jolted into action, walking beside him and a little ways away, while Mana walked behind them, humming to himself.
"Lenalee," the girl said at last, soft and tentative. "W-what's yours?"
Allen opened his mouth, glanced at Mana, and stuffed his hands in his pockets, gaze softening. "…Allen."
She smiled, a small thing like she wanted to but wasn't used to it. "Hi," she said quietly. Then, "Why… why is your father helping me?"
"He's not my father," Allen corrected her, frowning. Without waiting for a response, he added, "I dunno, Mana's weird." He paused, glanced back at Mana, and huffed. "Nice weird, though."
Her smile steadied a little. It looked nice. "He seems nice."
Allen hummed his agreement. "I've never been to a candy shop before, though," he commented, glancing up. "You?"
Lenalee nodded. "Once," she answered. "A finder took me, because I was upset and he wanted to cheer me up."
"What's a finder?" he asked, but before she could answer, Mana opened the door to let them into the store – when had he gotten ahead of them?
Then they walked in, a bell ringing to signal their entrance, and he forgot his question entirely, slowly turning his head to look around, wide-eyed. Beside him, Lenalee made a small, longing sound.
It was warm in there, like they'd stepped out of the winter season entirely. Displays lined with jars and boxes of bright candies were everywhere, and it smelled like sugar. A few tables were set around the room, away from the counters, and a man waited behind the back counter, looking bored.
"Merry Christmas!" was Mana's cheerful greeting to the owner, making him start and smile at the sight of them.
"Merry Christmas to you as well!" the man returned, smiling behind his stubbly beard. "Candy for the kids?"
Allen glanced up at Mana, faintly startled. They didn't have a lot of money, they never did, so they didn't usually buy things like candy. He'd sort of expected to just duck in here and hide for a bit, but then again, Mana had told him it was rude to come in and not buy anything. And Mana was never rude.
But Mana was smiling, already shuffling through his pockets for his ever-elusive wallet. "Of course, what else?" Mana replied warmly. He found his wallet and looked up at the man. "How much for two peppermint sticks?"
"Just a penny each," came the prompt answer, the man himself already moving over to a display full of clean white sticks. "Haven't seen you around before. Passing through?"
"Always," Mana chuckled, offering the precious coins as the man pulled out two candy sticks. "Thank you very kindly. Mind if we take a seat for a while?"
"Not at all!" the man assured him. "It's quite chaotic out there, I'm sure it's nice to sit down for a bit."
"Even more so with a few children!" Mana laughed.
Allen took a short breath, still surprised, and glanced over at Lenalee, who was shuffling uncomfortably, glancing out the window. He frowned – Mana always liked to cheer people up, and he usually encouraged Allen to do the same, but-
Allen wasn't good at that sort of thing, really.
Lenalee turned her head to meet his eyes again, uncertainty gleaming in them, and he shrugged at her, then looked at Mana, who had sat down at a table and was waving them over.
"You don't live here?" Lenalee asked after a moment, too quiet for the man to hear. Allen shook his head.
"We don't live anywhere," he informed her, taking the lead to go sit by Mana. "Mana's a clown, so we're always travelling." He shrugged. "He says he likes it, anyway."
"Do you?" she asked him, pausing briefly before choosing a seat not quite away from the two of them.
"I don't care," Allen answered honestly. As long as he was with Mana, it didn't matter where they went.
"Ta-da!" Mana announced, breaking into their conversation, if you could really call it that. He brandished the peppermint sticks at them, one in each hand, beaming as proudly as if he'd done a magic trick. It sort of felt like he had. "Two candy sticks for two cute children!"
Allen scowled at him, feeling his cheeks burn again. "I'm not cute!" he snapped, and then immediately regretted it. What if Mana took it back?
But Mana just kept grinning, reaching out to bop him on the nose with the stick. "Take it anyway," he encouraged, eyes sparkling. "Maybe it'll improve your temper for a few minutes!"
Allen huffed, but reached out to take the stick he'd been offered, while Lenalee hesitantly went to take the other. While Allen frowned at the wrapper of his, trying to figure out how to open it, Lenalee gazed at Mana, looking strangely vulnerable – enough that Allen kept his gaze away.
"Thank you," Lenalee said at last, so soft she almost couldn't be heard over the noise outside, audible even through the closed door.
"You're quite welcome," Mana assured her, and then grinned at Allen, looking almost sly. "At least you know your manners."
Allen scowled, copied Lenalee as she opened her peppermint stick, and then bit the end of the peppermint stick grumpily. It crunched between his teeth, and his eyes widened.
It was sweet, of course – the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted. It was also cold, like the wind outside if it had been a flavor, almost harsh enough to make him swallow on reflex. It made his teeth stick together, too, as he chewed slowly, eyes focused on nothing in particular.
It was amazing.
Mana's smile softened, but all he said was a cheerful, "It'll last longer if you lick it instead."
Allen nodded quickly, swallowing around the lump in his throat, and moved to lick the red-striped stick, slow and careful.
Across from him, Lenalee was doing the same, expression soft and pensive even with the small smile. She looked sad, Allen realized, and he paused.
Mana already knew, of course. "Are you looking forward to Christmas this year, Lenalee?" the man asked, smiling kindly at the girl.
Lenalee blinked up at him, slowly removing the candy stick from her mouth. After a moment, she shook her head. "Not really."
"Ah, shame!" Mana exclaimed, clapping a hand to his forehead dramatically. "The woes of children nowadays." He grinned as Allen scowled at him. "Aren't you even looking forward to seeing what Father Christmas brings you?"
Both children gave him flat looks – Allen's more irritated and dismissive, and Lenalee's almost pitying. His grin never faltered.
"I always end up with the cynical children," Mana lamented, shaking his head. "Aren't you excited for anything at all, Lenalee?"
For a moment, Lenalee was silent, her gaze growing distant even as she kept her eyes on the table.
Then, abruptly, she shook her head. "No."
Allen kept his gaze on the table, too, feeling a tightness in his chest even the candy on his tongue couldn't loosen.
Just a year ago, he wouldn't have been looking forward to anything, either.
Above them, Mana cleared his throat. "Then we'll just have to have a little celebration now!"
When both children looked up at him, startled and more than a little confused, he had stood up, pushing his chair back and swinging his hat off his head to wave it in a rhythmic fashion, and Allen had barely a moment to let the dread form before-
"Ding dong merrily on high-"
Allen groaned dramatically, leaning down to press his forehead to the table and hide a smile against it, good hand still holding the candy half in his mouth.
He turned his head to look at Lenalee, who looked surprised, eyes on Mana. Then she glanced down at him questioningly, and he shrugged at her, not bothering to conceal the faint half-smile he was wearing now.
"Mana's silly," he mumbled around the peppermint candy, and turned his head to watch Mana as he started to dance nonsensically, brandishing his hat as if it were a prop.
She smiled hesitantly, lifting her gaze back to Mana. After a few moments, her feet started to slowly tap along to the carol, and Allen couldn't miss the way Mana's grin broadened.
"Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!" Mana crowed, and then beckoned them with the hat. "Come on – get up and dance with me! It's Christmas!"
The delight in Mana's voice with those last words made Allen's faint smile widen a little, and with a roll of his eyes, he slid off the chair and then stood by Mana. Then he faltered, not sure what to do.
Without even pausing in his song, Mana took him by his left hand and dragged him into a silly little dance, entirely made from broad, overdramatic swooping movements. Allen let the candy slide from his mouth, still clutching it tightly in his opposite hand, and struggled to keep up with his shorter legs, eyes on Mana.
Before Mana was even done with the song, he looked to Lenalee and beckoned again, eyes bright. Lenalee hesitated, but then she smiled, broad and real this time, and joined them – like Allen, still holding her candy, but other hand in Mana's as he guided them both through the improvised dance.
Mana finished the first carol, and without missing a beat, switched to, "O come, all ye faithful-"
By the third song, Lenalee and Allen were both laughing.
Allen didn't know how long they were there, the three of them being stupid behind the window of the candy shop while the crowd passed them by and people occasionally passed in and out, casting them odd looks even as the owner tolerated them with clear amusement. But by the end, his face was flushed and his cheeks ached, and when he glanced over, Lenalee looked just the same.
Finally, Mana let them go, grinning broadly as if he'd won some great triumph. "I knew you had it in you!" he said happily.
Lenalee laughed, reaching up to wipe tears out of her eyes. "Thank you," she said, much louder and more confident than at the beginning. She glanced out the window, and it faltered, just for a moment, starting to fade. "It's getting dark out."
Mana looked over and gave an overexaggerated jump of surprise. "So it is!" He looked
She hesitated for a long time – long enough that Allen started to feel uneasy, wondering if she-
But eventually, she nodded.
"Yeah," she said, quiet again. Allen, to his own surprise, regretted the change instantly. "I should go."
"Alright," Mana agreed, as if he hadn't noticed – and Allen knew he had. He always did. "Good luck, then, Lenalee!"
Allen hesitated, and then nodded his agreement. "Yeah," he said, voice low and rough. "Good luck."
She nodded without looking at either of them, but she did, as she stepped out the door, cast a brief, brave smile over her shoulder. And then she was gone.
Mana turned to grin at the owner, who started, looking surprised at the abrupt movement. "Thank you very much for allowing us the use of your shop!" Mana called, smiling.
"Not at all," the man dismissed, waving a hand. "You made my day quite a bit more entertaining than it might have been. Are you heading out now?"
"Just so," Mana confirmed. "Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!" the man echoed warmly, and then they, too, left.
Allen shivered at the rush of cold outside – he'd forgotten, for a moment, in the warmth of the shop, but now the snow crunched once more under his feet, some of it fresh, though it was no longer falling, and the wind blew through his thin coat.
With one hand, he held onto Mana's hand the best his weak left hand could manage, and with the other, he stuck his not-quite-forgotten candy back into his mouth. It still tasted just as sweet.
He wondered if Lenalee was going to enjoy hers on the way to wherever she was going.
"Come on, Allen!" Mana said cheerfully, tugging Allen onward. "I know for a fact that Father Christmas has an amazing present waiting for you to open come tomorrow morning."
"Father Christmas doesn't exist, Mana," Allen complained, stumbling after him, distracted from his thoughts.
Mana laughed, never to be deterred. "Alright, then – I have an amazing present for you."
"What is it?" Allen asked, though with the way his heart had started beating, he didn't think he would have cared if it was nothing but a used match.
"You'll have to wait and see!"
*smile* It was meant to be fluffier, but early Lenalee and Red don't really roll that way, haha. At least I've finally written some good Mana fluff. Thanks for reading, and please review! And Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you!