Disclaimer: I will only say this once. I DO NOT own D. Gray-Man. Everything goes to the amazing authoress Hoshino Katsura. Ya gotta love her.
Warning: Slight shounen-ai later. Much later.
Dream Drug
Summary: I'm Allen Walker, 21 years old and I work in a casino as a full time job. I had a history involving drugs and it decided to come back and haunt me. A man comes to me in an alley way and hands me a needle. Who knew the drug would make me have such vivid dreams that resemble reality? That the dreams were better than reality? What if everyone in there was real?
Allen's POV
I dealt out yet another set of cards, covering my mouth to prevent a yawn that threatened to escape. Working for ten hours with only getting one half-hour break isn't good for you body and mind apparently. My name is Allen Walker. I'm just the usual abnormal twenty-one year old who works at a casino known as the Black Order. Unfortunately, I only have one friend here who goes by Lenalee. She's a sweet girl with long black hair which I swear has a tint of green to it in just the right setting of light. She usually dresses in anything she finds cute, which pretty much consists of something fluffy, pink, frilly, or childish. Sure it looks great on her, don't get me wrong, but her wardrobe usually earns her a lot of stares. Or maybe it's just me. It's not like I'm one to talk though, someone with completely white hair that isn't dyed, and is under sixty years old, would probably get quite a few stares.
At least she was able to change that on will. My hair is permanently white. Why? A couple of my friends from seventh grade decided that pouring bleach onto my head would be a good prank. Not the anime, the washing liquid. We were all drunk and they weren't able to read the label. Good bye beautiful brown hair, hello old man hair.
I blinked a few times in a vain attempt to clear my blurry vision, and dealt out three cards to fill up all but two of the five empty spots. I sat indifferently as I watched the only two players left play the last round of their game. The guy to the left looked wealthy enough to play in the casino for the whole year, and no matter what the outcome would be he'd still have enough money left to buy at least four BMW's. To my right though, was a man with a pair of sunglasses sitting snugly on the bridge of his nose. He gave off the look to be a newcomer, but with the way his hands moved, proved that he was anything but. He had skills alright.
Just as I was closing my eyes for a bit of shut eye, a string of curses jolted my eyelids open. Jerking into perfect posture before looking at the two men confusedly, I realize that the bearded man had won. He wore a triumphant smile while the rich man ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, cursing enough to make even a sailor blush. I smiled to myself and picked up their cards as they left.
"Allen!" A feminine voice sounded behind me and I turned to look, not the least bit startled as I simultaneously picked up what little cards were left.
"Hey Lenalee." I gave her a soft smile as I watched her run over to my currently empty table.
"I just wanted to tell you that your shift is done." She tucked the circular tray under one arm as the other hand rested on her hip.
"Thanks for letting me know." I replied and set the cards in a neat stack, ready for the next dealer. Lenalee worked as a waiter here as I worked the tables. We went to the same high school together and planned to stay with each other too. No, there's no romance here, we're just really close friends.
Lenalee left to gather more orders from the customers while I stood up and stretched my stiff back. I walked over to the men's changing room and opened my locker before starting to change. Though our uniforms are plain, the casino is not. It's so bright and lively that sometimes, I don't understand how I could keep coming here day after day. I'm not a black and white kind of guy, but I'm also not that cheerful and colourful.
I slipped off black vest and equally as dark gloves before unbuttoning my white dress shirt and slipping off my black slacks. Shoving them into my locker, I retrieved my jeans and sweater before closing it. It only took a second to redress and it was finally time to go home. Pausing from my inner monologue I sighed depressed, if what I go back to could really be called a "home". I had to live in the shabbier part of town since the casino is my only job. Sure I get paid pretty well, but since I have a fast metabolism and bottomless pit of a stomach most of my money on food. Damn them.
As I stepped outside, my eyes took in an accustomed sight. Bright searchlights danced in the night's sky and the streets were mostly empty. It wasn't abnormal, considering the fact that it was 11 pm; the only people who are out are usually drunks and a few stragglers coming home from a long day at work. Like me.
Most parents wouldn't let their children out this late. They're lucky their parents loved them enough to keep them. I was adopted when I was eight years old by a kind couple with three other kids. They decided on having another child, but thought: hey, let's be good people. They adopted one child from the local orphanage, and guess what? It was me. Sure they were nice and all, but I never truly felt as if I were really part of their family.
They would allow me to do whatever I desired, even if I got into trouble they'd just lightly scold me and make me promise I'd never do it again. I guess they just wanted to come off as nice and supporting. Fat lot that did. Because of the freedom I went to nightclubs, got drunk, did drugs…among other things to test how far I could go.
My adopted father had a brother that would visit every week. To me, he was more like a dad. We played together, he talked to me bluntly, and properly reprimanded me when I did something wrong. What I was surprised to find out about one day was that he had a significant other. I found out when my uncle came to my adopted father's house with another man. Saying I was surprised was an understatement. They'd even make out in front of me just to tease me! Eventually I got used to it though.
I shook my head at the strange memories and took a short cut through an alley way, looking around before hand to make sure there wasn't anyone lurking around to rape and/or kill me. Not seeing anything move, I deemed it safe enough to enter.
My eyelids drooped as I stumbled through the alley way, the first thing I was going to do once I got home was take a nice long nap. There wasn't much else to do anyways. I have a lot of free time, and what do I do in that free time you might ask? The answer was simple. Nothing. I hit a low once and tried drugs, but it wasn't really my style. Sure it felt great, but the guilt afterwards was hard to handle. If only they could make a drug that could both knock me out for eight hours straight and not make me feel guilty about using it. Now that would be great.
Blowing out a breath through my mouth I shrunk my neck into the warmth of my sweater, keeping my head down as I continued my trip home. Of course with my bad luck, just as I was nearing the end of the alley, I ran into something solid. Ouch. Oh god, I hope I wasn't so out of it that I ran into a wall. I looked up and didn't find the pattern of brick or the cement wall I expected, instead it was a coat. A white one with black buttons to be exact.
"Hello boy." The figure seemed to smile at me and I moved away.
"Sorry for running into you." I apologized and made to move around him. It was in cases like these where I think it's a good idea to just ignore the crazy man before you turn into one yourself. Trust me; I've seen it happen before. Just as I took a step to the right, he followed my actions and stood in front of me once again.
"I'm here to make you a deal." The alley was dark and the only other thing I could make out was his top hat. Huh, since when did people wear those again?
"Sorry. I'm not interested." I tried to walk past him again only to get the same result as before. Now I was getting annoyed.
"It's a drug. A new one to be exact." The man took a plastic bag from his pocket and held it out for me to see. It contained three needles that contained a translucent white liquid.
I raised an eyebrow before repeating myself, "I'm not interested."
"Don't be like that, Allen." I froze and stare at him.
"How do you know my name?" My eyes narrowed as I took a step back. I hardly talked to anyone anymore, I prefer to seclude myself in my room and damn the world for being what it is. Depressing, but sadly, true.
The man shrugged his shoulders, "I have my ways. All you need to know is that I know you've tried every drug in the book." I winced at his statement and frowned. It was true, but I didn't like admitting it. It's not exactly something you want to show off to everyone. "If you have, then why don't you try this one?"
"I don't have enough money." I tried but I guess he wasn't going to let me off that easily.
"Well that's alright." He smiled at me and placed the bag in my hand, talking over his shoulder as he walked away. "You can have that as a free trial. If you like it, come back here any day at the same time. I'll be waiting." He waved goodbye before disappearing into the darkness, not a single thing being left behind that marked his prior presence.
I looked down at the bag in my hand and heaved out a sigh. I promised myself I wouldn't take up drugs again…but then again…promises were made to be broken. A smile tugged at my lips as I remembered the last time I did drugs, the feeling of loosing myself to a world of unconsciousness and euphoria was great. Although there were some side effects to the drugs I did, it was never something too serious. It wasn't something my body couldn't deal with.
Shrugging to myself, I stuffed the baggie into my coat pocket. It's not like I had anything better to do, I mused to myself as I whistled a tuneless song. It would also mean I wouldn't have to spend as much money on food this month. I'd also be able to pay off my bills with some cash left over. I smiled happily at the fact and walked back home with a small skip in my step.
I fished the keys out of my right pocket and slid it into the lock. Pushing the door open and turning on the lights, I dropped the keys on the side table near the door. I lived in a cheap apartment complex which had old paint peeling off of the walls and in some spots you can see parts of the original structure. After slipping off my shoes I walked into the living room which only held a couch and a rickety coffee table. The wooden floor had cracks in it and squeaked loudly as I walked towards the far wall, throwing my jacket onto the worn brown couch as I passed it. Sliding down to a sitting position I took the bag out of my pocket, ignoring the grumbling of my hungry stomach.
The first needle looked like a frosty window, murky just enough to not be able to see through it clearly, but not opaque enough to block out everything. Taking off the cap and flicking it a few times to get any possibility of air out before I squirted a bit out onto my finger. Taking a small sniff, I found that it was scentless. At least now I know it's not vinegar or anything else equally disgusting. I rolled up my left arm's sleeve and sunk the sharp needle into the soft skin of my inner elbow, right into the major vein. I emptied the needle's entire contents before retracting the needle, letting the empty vial clatter to the floor. I felt the effects almost immediately. My eyes drooped down and my body went numb.
I had no control over my body now, and I fell onto my side with a harsh thump. I finally allowed my eyes to slip close and let the drug take me off to my unconsciousness.
Or so I thought.
A/N: Hey! I'm back with another story line you've never seen before! This is a prologue of sorts, I'll update as soon as I can. As long as I'm not too lazy... Thank you to my amoiiizing beta- Rayany Amor! *bows head with reverence* you have no idea how many times she's helped me...Well, please R&R! I won't beg you for reviews, just saying.