This is my contribution to the DGrayMan Big Bang 2018 that was organized on tumblr. limesicle made beautiful art for this fic, so make sure to check it out! The chapters aren't even in length, because I wanted each one of them to fit one of the artworks.
I hope you'll enjoy reading my fic


Lavi looked at his watch, then folded his arms again. The pole he was leaning against was starting to draw all the warmth from his back, making the wait even more uncomfortable. He'd missed one train already, if that other guy from The Order wouldn't arrive soon he would miss the other of today too and they'd have to wait for tomorrow to leave.

If only he had just gone on his own he might already have found one of the books, but Komui, nor Bookman, would listen to him when he said he didn't need this "Allen" as a bodyguard. That he was perfectly fine on his own. He wasn't too surprised the agency valued him enough to protect him when he went out looking for information, but he had expected better from the old man. However, the only thing Bookman had said was to pay extra good attention to this Allen, because apparently he was very interesting.

Too bad he couldn't observe this guy if he never even showed up.

A high, unbearable screech announced the arrival of yet another train in the station. As its doors opened, people streamed out in an unorderly chaos. Lavi's green eye scanned the crowd, looking for the familiar black uniform with the silver cross that marked every member of The Black Order. He sighed and slumped back against the pole when it seemed it was another miss this time, but then a hand stopped the closing doors and forced them back open. The person almost fell out of the train in his hurry, then needed to take a moment to straighten his long black coat that made his icy white hair stand out even more. He sighed and looked around as if he was searching for something.

With relief Lavi finally disconnected himself from the cold pole and made his way over, maneuvering between the groups of people, all moving to their own destination.

"Hey there, I take it you're Allen?"
The boy turned his head quickly in surprise, then he smiled so radiantly that even his bright hair seemed dull compared to it. "Then you're Lavi?"
Despite his annoyance the redhead couldn't help but grin. "That's me."

Allen sighed again, radiating relief in such heavy waves that Lavi almost got worried. "Thank the stars. I thought I would never arrive. I took the wrong train somewhere and I got hopelessly lost. I almost didn't notice this was the right stop either."

Well, at least that explained some of the boy's tardiness.

"Good you found your way anyway. Our train is leaving in ten minutes. If we go over there now, we should still make it easily."

"Okay! I'll be following you, before I get all lost again." He laughed hesitantly as he stroked a hand through his hair, probably to tidy it, but it just got messier instead.

That seemed like a good idea. He didn't feel like spending even more time on a train station. He just wanted to get on his way so he could do useful stuff, like reading or looking for the books he had to find for The Order.

"This way then." He took the lead, noticing with satisfaction that Allen was following him, though the boy kept looking around like he'd never been on a station ever before.

No wonder he had gotten lost earlier.

As they weaved through the crowd, he finally took the time to estimate his new partner.

A nasty looking scar marred the guy's left eye, pulling deep red stripes over the surrounding skin and ending in a pentacle on his forehead… Strange shape for a scar. However, that, and the so-bright-it-hurt-the-eye white hair, seemed to be the only outstanding details. He couldn't help but frown at the thought of this boy being his body guard. Allen was so scrawny he doubted the guy could even lift a weapon and his cute face made him look like he needed protection more than anyone else.

"Lavi, is anything wrong?" Two curious silver eyes fixed on his one after they seemed to have subjected him to a comparable check.

"No, nothing's wrong." He stopped as they reached the platform their train would leave from, staring in the distance to see if it was arriving, then he turned to his partner."No, actually, there's one thing I'd like to say."

Allen nodded and seemed to pay him all his interest.

"I'm sorry if this sounds a bit crude, but I don't really need protection. I don't mind you tagging along with me, but I just wanted to let you know you don't need to worry about me. I'm perfectly fine taking care of myself." So, he'd said it.

Luckily, Allen smiled in response. "I could tell that much. Don't worry, I never thought you couldn't take care of yourself. I think you misunderstood anyway. I was never assigned to you to really protect you, we're just assigned to each other because our missions take us in the same direction and Komui would like us to keep an eye out for each other. It's safer to travel together."

"Really?" Well, that would explain a lot more.

"Yeah, that's all. But I look forward to working with you." There it was again. That smile that showed all those too-white-to-be-human teeth and melted all of his negative feelings towards the boy.

"Me too."

At that point the train pulled over next to them and opened the doors.

"Let's get inside, before you get lost again."

An embarrassed blush spread on his partner's cheeks, but he laughed. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."


Being a member of The Order had its benefits. A first class compartment got prepared for them the moment they entered the train, so Allen and Lavi were the only ones in the little room. They sat on the couches opposite of each other next to the window. As Lavi dug out a book and started reading, Allen refrained himself to staring to the outside world as it passed by.

However, he soon realized he wasn't picking up much from his text. He caught himself lowering the book a tiny bit every time to steal a glance at his partner, wondering what exactly had to be so special about him that the old man had found worthy enough to mention. A few minutes went by, without anything changing at all, then he finally put the book on his lap, giving in to his curiosity.

"So, Allen, what does a beansprout like you have to do in those places the Order is sending us?"
The boy lifted his head from the hand he'd been leaning on. "Beansprout?" he repeated with a frown.

"Yeah, well, you know…" Lavi clarified, "You don't look like much of a fighter. I always thought most members of The Orders were good at combat, protecting all the innocent people and all."

The frown deepened even more and the boy sounded a bit defensive as he answered: "You're mistaking. I can fight perfectly fine. I was sent on a mission to defeat enemies of The Order."

Lavi grinned. "You must be kidding. What kind of weapon do you specialize in?"
"None really. I don't usually use any human weapons. And what about you?" The silver eyes narrowed a little. "You don't look much like a fighter yourself."

Ouch, he could have known he would get the sentiment returned. However, he was right. "I'm not much of a fighter indeed. My grandfather is a librarian at The Order. I help him out and at some moments that means I need to go out and look for new information. But I have a hammer in case I need to protect myself, which is at least more than a certain beansprout."

Allen didn't seem to like the joke so much. "Sounds like I must have been mistaking. If you're just a librarian Komui probably thought you could use a strong partner for protection."

This guy was taking it all way too serious. "Well, now you've done it." He grabbed the first soft thing he could feel in his bag and threw it at his partner.

The feather hit him on his pale, delicate nose and made him sneeze. "What was that for?!"
Lavi grinned and leaned back in his seat. "Payback for thinking you're any better than me. How old even are you? I bet I'm older than you."

"You wish."

He hadn't really planned on starting off on the wrong foot with Allen, but the way the boy snapped at his teasing was just way too amusing. "Oh, so that's why you have the white hair."

"Oh, shut up."

With a soft swirl the feather floated through the air and almost hit Lavi's eye. He blew at it in reflex.

"You know, if you want to look old you'd better get a mustache. That might help." He let one of his hands glide in his bag. As soon as he felt what he was looking for, he started loosening the lid of the tiny bottle.

Allen had crossed his arms now and leaned his face against the window, not paying much attention to his partner anymore. "I think I've got enough whiskers as it is."

"No way. You're definitely missing something." It wasn't smart of the boy to look out of the window. Because of it he didn't see the feather approaching in time and the moment he finally pulled back in shock he already had a first black stripe above his lip.

He looked at the redhead with an incredulous expression, then felt at the line that smudged over his fingers.

Lavi grinned challengingly, swirling the feather between his fingers.

However, with his small body, the beansprout was faster than he'd expected. Suddenly the boy was right on him already, feather stolen from his hands and the tip scratching over his face. Lavi dug to the couch, rolled out from under Allen and hit the ground. As the boy tried to regain his balance he reached forward and snatched the feather out of his hands.

"You thought you could beat me to it?" He dodged another attack from his partner, dug under his arms and took that chance to draw another line on the pale face. "You'll be getting a mustache first."

"Get off me."

Suddenly a pale hand was planted in his face, making his grip on his weapon loose enough for Allen to take it back. He shook his head, trying to free himself, but his opponent took that moment to hook his legs around him, imprisoning his arms to his chest with incredible power for such a scrawny guy. He wriggled to get free, but Allen had more than enough time to fill his face with doodles.

"Hmm, I need more ink." The boy reached back to dip the point in the ink bottle.

Lavi immediately noticed his chance. With the balance of the boy shifted he used his legs to push off against the couch, shoving himself under Allen so the boy toppled over with a surprised yelp and landed on him, relaxing his legs in the process and thus unlocking Lavi's arms again. However, he didn't get much time to feel victorious, because then something wet splattered on his face and the sound of something hard hitting the ground distracted him from their little fight.

Allen scrambled up with a confused expression, feeling his head with one of his hands. Both were pitch black. Half of the usually so white strands was covered all over with the ink, making the boy look spotted like a cow. The rest of the liquid was dripping down, staining his pale face and making the scar almost invisible.

The sight was so ridiculous that Lavi burst out in laughter.

For a moment Allen looked even more surprised when he took a look at his now black hand, making all of it even more funny.

"Allen, you… you look ridiculous." He managed to force out, even if he could barely breath between the fits of laughter torturing his chest.

Finally the boy looked at him and started to smile. "Have you taken a look at yourself?" And as he stared at Lavi, Allen finally seemed to start to grasp the full hilariousness of their situation, because finally suppressed chuckles turned into a laughter synchronous to Lavi's.

"I can't believe we got ink all over each other in the first hour we've met." Allen chuckled.

"You were a worthy opponent though," Lavi answered with a grin when he finally was able to breathe again. "I'll take back my doubts of you being a good fighter."

"Are you taking back me being a beansprout too?"

"Oh no, you're still a beansprout. You can't run from your true nature, Allen."

It probably wasn't very smart to anger his opponent once again. He was in a disadvantage, still lying on the ground with Allen sitting on him.

As expected the boy was not going to accept it. He pushed a black finger against Lavi's nose. "Oh no, you're going to take it back."

The redhead turned away his face. "Never. Once a beansprout, always a beansprout."
"I'm not a beansprout!" Suddenly Allen leaned forward and did the last thing Lavi had expected. He bowed his head and shook the hair, still dripping with ink, right in his opponent's face.

Lavi spluttered as the piercing taste of ink filled his mouth together with strands of hair. He could feel the skin of his face get wet of the black liquid.

Allen finally ceased his attack, leaning back with a victorious grin. "Are you admitting defeat?"

"Definitely not, my face is already dirty, there's nothing you can threaten me with anymore."

"Oh yeah?" A devilish look crossed the once so cute face as Allen snatched the forgotten feather from the ground and held it in front of his victim's face. "I can still tickle you with this."

Lavi's eye widened. "No way. You're the devil."

"Admit I'm not a beansprout."

"But I'm taught I can't lie."

"Admit it!"

The tiny ends of the feather were brushing over his nose, making him feel ready to sneeze.

"Alright, alright, I give up!" He raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. "I shouldn't have called you beansprout."

Allen smiled in satisfaction and finally stood up, putting the feather next to Lavi's bag. He brushed through his sticky hair as he sent a quick glance at his reflection in the window. "We should go clean ourselves. We look horrible."

"Doesn't mean you still aren't one though," Lavi protested softly under his breath.

He earned a sharp silver look that immediately shut him up.

However, Allen let it slide. He opened the door and stepped out. Lavi followed him, but got stuck in the doorway when his companion froze.

"Something's wrong." All jokes were gone from the boy's voice. "I smell blood."

"Are you sure?" He sniffed himself, but he couldn't smell anything strange.

"This way."

Allen crept through the hallway silently, leading them to the second class cart. He pushed himself against the wall next to the door and Lavi followed his example on the other side. Together they turned and tried to peer into the hallway sided by simple chairs.

By now Lavi could smell it too. The metallic scent of blood made the hair in his neck stand up, but it didn't prepare him for the scenery they found in front of them.

A man was standing in the middle with bloodied hands. At his feet lay a person who was probably the owner of the red liquid. Most of the other people had fled, but some red smudges on the windows told him not all of them had been as lucky. With a nauseous feeling Lavi pulled his head back and pushed himself flat against the wall.

"It's an akuma," Allen whispered softly after he'd pulled back as well.

"Akuma?" He'd heard about it before, but he couldn't believe he was finding one here.

However, Allen understood the question wrongly. "Wyverns that take the form of a human and take orders from the Millennium earl. This is what I was sent out for: to defeat as many of them as I can."

"How are you so sure it's an akuma and not just a human murderer? It doesn't look like a wyvern at all."
Allen wrinkled his nose. "I can smell it."

"You can smell it?"

"That's why I was assigned on this mission. Because I can take them apart in contrary to other members of The Order." He detached himself from the wall. "I'll take it out now."

Lavi stared at his scrawny partner for a moment, then pictured the bloody scene in the carriage. He had to be joking. This guy could never survive something like that.

"No, I'll take him on." He pulled his hammer from the belt around his hip.

However, Allen was not going to give in so easily. "Definitely not. This is my mission."

"It's too dangerous. What can a guy without a weapon do?"

Silver eyes narrowed, but a playful spark jumped through them. "Fine, we'll make it a challenge. The first to kill the akuma wins."

Before Lavi could even respond the boy jumped around the corner and shot inside the carriage.

"Allen!" He jumped after his partner to stop him, but he wasn't nearly as quick enough.

Allen raced through the path between the chairs with such speed that he was already there when the wyvern raised his head and noticed him. Before the akuma could do anything, the boy was already on him and forced him to the ground.

When Allen stood up again the body under him didn't move anymore.

Lavi was still standing in the doorway, feeling like he was slow as a snail.

"Are you sure it's dead?"

Allen nodded, then grabbed his victim at its collar and started pulling it over the floor with him. It was quite a large man, but the boy made it seem like it weighted nothing.

"So, what do we do now?"

"I get rid of the body while you start washing your face. There's still ink all over it," Allen stated. "The Order will take care of the expenses of cleaning up."

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Only now Lavi noticed one of the pale hands was stained with more than just ink. The blood seemed to come out of the corpse's neck.

"Did you do that with your bare hands?"

"I told you I don't use human weapons. I've got more than enough with just my own." Allen passed him. "Now go the bathroom. I'll be there soon too."

Lavi stared at the boy until he got out of sight, then sighed and shook his head. Allen was right, he had to get this ridiculous black stuff off his face.

So he followed his partner's orders and looked for a bathroom. There he washed his hair and scrubbed his face until every bit of it was gone. It wasn't easy, but he was used by ink stains by now. When they got on his hands he wouldn't even bother getting them off, but this wasn't the first time he got them on his face or hair either.

As he came out he found Allen on the other side of the door waiting for him.

One question kept bothering him: "How did you get rid of it?"

Allen looked up in surprise, then smiled a little ominously. "I ate it."

"Right, it's totally credible a cute beansprout like you eats wyverns."

He got a flick on his nose for the language. "You'd better watch out before this beansprout gets hungry and decides to eat you too." The tone of his voice matched his dangerous expression earlier. Luckily, he passed Lavi instead and disappeared into the bathroom to wash himself as well.


As Lavi waited on the other side of the door, he replayed all the minutes he'd spent with Allen in his head to try to understand more of the strange boy. Slowly he was starting to get the feeling the old man might have been right, but he couldn't quite see who Allen was yet. Maybe it would be better to ask some questions later.

"Allen, are you almost ready?" It was taking ages.

Allen sounded a little stressed as he answered through the door. "I'm sorry, I'm really trying, but I just can't seem to get the stains out of my hair."

Suddenly picturing the snow white hair Lavi sighed in understanding. He opened the door and peered inside. "Do you need any help?"

The boy was standing in front of the mirror, his dripping hair soaking his coat as he looked at the grey strands he was holding between his fingers. The expression on his face was a little desperate, so Lavi tried real hard not to laugh as he stepped in.

"Here, dip your head back in. I'll try to get it off for you. I'm used to this kind of stuff."
With a defeated sigh Allen followed the order, plunging his head back under the tap.

Slowly but efficiently Lavi set himself to work. He massaged the strands with skilled hands and rubbed the ink off of them as he would do on his own. The white hair didn't want to return to its color as quickly as his, but since he was standing over it, he could easily see where it needed a little bit more persuasion.

Allen sighed under him as he worked through the strands almost mechanically, like he was enjoying the free head massage. The thought made Lavi's fingers tingle a bit, or maybe it was just the hair rubbing his skin continuously. It was kind of satisfying to see the dark shadow disappear and the more he worked on it, the more he was starting to like the soft, though wet, strands that brushed over his hands. Unexpectedly he found himself wondering what it would feel like when it was dry and he felt a strange longing to find out.

When he really didn't seem to be able to make any progress anymore he turned off the tap, helped Allen wring most of the water out of it and then stepped back to let the boy flip it back and raise his head. His partner checked the progress in the mirror, his eyebrows knitted together a little.

"You can still see it. It's not as white as the rest."

"I'm afraid the rest will have to come off on its own. But I'm sure it won't take long. Others probably won't even see it if they don't know about it."
Allen's frown deepened a little. "I hope so." Then he turned around and seemed to shake off his trivial worries. "We should check the rest of the train. There might be more akuma aboard. I just want to be sure there won't be more people dying when I can prevent it."

Lavi nodded. "I can't smell them, so I'll just follow you."


They patrolled from the front, where people were working hard to satisfy the locomotive with its never ending desire for coal, all the way to the back, but no other akuma were discovered. As they finally stepped through the last door, ending up outside on a little platform with a fence and staring out on the rails disappearing from under them, Lavi felt like this was the right time.

"So, Allen, who are you really?"

His partner turned away from the passing landscape in confusion. "I told you. I'm Allen walker, member of The Order and I was sent out to fight the millennium earl and his akuma."

Lavi studied the boy's face, but he really seemed honest. "But that's not all, is it? Everyone keeps saying you're very interesting, so there must be something special about you. Something you aren't telling me."

Now Allen seemed to understand it even less. "The only thing I could think of that's special about me is that I'm the last dragon, but you already know that."
Lavi froze, staring at his partner in shock. "Say what now?"

"You mean you didn't?" Silver eyes widened in surprise. "You were assigned to me, with the statement that I'm 'interesting' but they didn't think of telling you the most important part?"

"Well, it seems so." He let his eyes travel over his partners body, but couldn't find anything that seemed to prove his statement. He seemed perfectly human to him. How could such a scrawny beansprout even be such a giant reptile? It just didn't make sense. "So, how does that work, being a dragon?"

Allen shrugged his shoulders. "I usually walk around as a human because it makes my job easier and because there are still many people who would hunt me if they'd see a dragon, but when I want to I can turn back. To fight for instance, or to fly." As he mentioned the last word he dipped his head back to stare at the blue sky longingly. "Then I can feel closest to home."

It really sounded unbelievable, but his curiosity was fueled. "Would you show me?"

Allen seemed to awaken from his daydream and smiled. "Sure! But not now. This isn't really the time for a dragon to start flying around. The people in the train are scared enough already because of the akuma. I promise to show you soon."

If there was something Lavi didn't like, it was having to wait to quell his curiosity, but he knew patience was needed for that more often than not. So he held out his hand and grinned. "Deal."

Allen's silver eyes flickered like little stars as he shook it. "Deal."


Their carriage was covered in ink, to the horror of the train personnel, so they had to move rooms. The black liquid was a hell to wash off and Lavi foresaw a very disappointed Komui when he'd hear the Order would have to pay for this.

Maybe ink-fights could better be avoided in the future. Allen seemed to share that thought, because he looked hopelessly embarrassed by the whole incident.

The train still had a long way to go, so as darkness set in, the two males made themselves comfortable on the couches the best they could and closed their eyes to catch some sleep before they would arrive at their destination.

Lavi didn't sleep very well. His mind was restless and dreams woke him up every few hours. Some time before dawn he went to use the bathroom, but when he returned he realized something was off.

The other couch was empty. The used, thin blanket lying on a messy heap in one corner.

Where was Allen?

Images of the bloodbath earlier made him feel anxious, until he decided he wouldn't be able to sleep like this anyway and stepped out into the hallway.

All the carriages were quiet and peaceful. Most people were still sleeping, making the train engine sound incredibly loud.

He searched the carts one after the other, but never did he see the familiar white mob of hair. Allen would definitely stand out if he were anywhere, so that meant he was gone.

There were just two possibilities: either he had gotten off the train, or he had gone somewhere not inside of it somehow, which left the roof. It didn't seem very likely, but with the ominous feeling building up inside of him, Lavi found himself at the back of a carriage, climbing the ladder, anyway.

It was still very cold outside. His breath left his mouth in tiny white puffs, though they seemed almost grey compared to the white hair of the one he was looking for. Without the moon he might not have been able to make out where he was putting his hands, but the giant boll was floating in the sky proudly, showering the world with light as silver as Allen's eyes. It revealed the empty landscape. Mountains at one side, a huge plain reaching out to the horizon on the other. Lavi halted at the top of the ladder to admire the beautiful scenery, then turned his head and finally found the icy white figure he'd been looking for.

Allen was sitting with his legs folded under him, his eyes staring into the distance. With his pale skin lighting up under the moonlight and his eyes glittering like stars, he seemed almost unreal. More like a ghost than a human… or a dragon.

"So this is where you were."

Allen looked up in surprise as Lavi finally stepped onto the roof and crawled over to him carefully.

"What are you even doing here? It's the middle of the night. You ought to be in bed right now."

The boy revealed two rows of perfectly white teeth is response. "I could ask you the same. Aren't you sitting on a train roof right now too?"

"Because I was looking for you!" Lavi protested as he scooted over to his partner. "I noticed you were gone and I got worried you know."

Allen's cheeks flushed a little and he looked away as he apologized: "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. I just felt like getting out early."

"Early? The sun hasn't even risen yet!" As he said it he eyed the huge collection of stars scattered in the black sky.

"That's the best time." Allen put his hands behind him and tilted his head back to look at the heavenly lights as well. "I like to look at the stars. They remind me of home."

That comment raised one particular question inside Lavi. "What does the home of a dragon look like?"

Allen laughed like he hadn't ever had the question before. "Like that." He nodded upwards.

As much as he had thought this guy took things way too serious, he was starting to come back from that conclusion entirely. "I guess you have stars anywhere, but seriously, where do dragons live? Or at least used to before they almost went extinct?"

The boy tilted his head to the side, reflecting the stars directly towards Lavi with his eyes. "I don't know. I'm not like most other dragons. I wasn't born down here, but up there."

Alright then, he would play this game with him. "How do you get born in the sky?"

Allen smiled, but it wasn't an entirely happy expression. "By being a star of course."

"So why would a cute, shiny star like you be here on our puny earth?" This was almost turning into some kind of lame flirt starter now.

However, the nostalgia nestling deep into his partner's face was very real. "Because I was sent here to complete a mission. I need to find a certain man and stop him." He sighed longingly. "I miss it though. My father, Mana, is up there. I really want to see him again."

Lavi followed his gaze, but however much he stared at the stars, they just seemed like bright spots in a dark sky to him. They were just balls of fire he had read in scientific books. However, Allen seemed to really believe what he was saying. "Then why don't you go visit him for a moment?"

"Because they'll just send me back like last time." Allen pulled his knees against his chest and wrapped his arms around them like he was cold. "This mission is very important. I need to find this person before the millennium earl and his wyverns do."

So the millennium earl was looking for the same thing. "What kind of person are you looking for?"

"Someone who will take down the stars and burn the earth," was the ominous answer.

"Does someone like that really exist?"

When Allen's eyes fixed on him he could feel the full extent of the boy's believe wash over him. "Yes, Lavi, that person exists. That's why it's crucial I keep looking for him before it's too late. I'm starting to run out of time."

He nodded. He couldn't possibly argue with that.

Suddenly Allen stretched himself and yawned. "It's about time I go stretch my muscles a little."

"Didn't you just do that," Lavi teased as he looked at how his partner got on his legs.

Allen sent him an amused look. "All of my muscles. I'm going to take a little flight before the sun comes up and we get into inhabited area."

Despite his disbelief Lavi felt excitement wash over him. "So I get to see it now?"

However, his partner smiled apologetically. "Not yet, sorry. I wasn't planning on going into a full transformation. I don't want to scare any of the passengers more than needed. But I promise you it will be soon."

Lavi sunk back in disappointment. "Then how are you going to fly?"

Allen shrugged his shoulders. "By unfolding my wings, I guess."

And as he said it two white structures spread out from his back. Membranes as grey as the moonlight stretched out over bony limps, sparkling with tiny, shiny scales. Though they would seem small for a dragon, the wings looked huge on Allen's small stature. They swayed a little in the breeze of the train.

"I'll see you at dawn," Allen promised when Lavi didn't speak of surprise. Strong muscles lifted the bat-like limps, then forced them down with multiple times that force. Lavi's hair blew around his face from the pressure created. As he watched, the boy rose to the sky, turned his wings and soared away. After a few moments he disappeared out of sight behind one of the mountains.

"This is ridiculous." He was so going to yell to the old man to tell him important information like this beforehand next time.