Disclaimer: I don't own D.Gray-man in any shape or form.
A/N: I can't believe the reaction I have gotten for that one little one-shot and as such I was able to do this second one-shot that follows on to the end of Snow. I hope that all of my new readers will enjoy this story and know that I plan on taking this story line even further, how far is yet to be seen, but I hope you all will like where I eventually take this story line.
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Deal
Location: Train to Paris
'Vineyard, vineyard… oh look. More vineyards.' Allen was bored, watching through the window as the train carrying him and Lenalee sped through the country side.
A week in the Himalayas saw both of them wanting to get back home and perhaps relax a little. They had found no sign of an Innocence in the mountains and were heartily tired of ice and snow.
More fields of grapevines passed and his eyes wandered to something much more pleasing than the endless vines of the French countryside. Lenalee was dozing across from him.
'She is defiantly cute when she is asleep.' He settled down to watching her sleep, finding he was enjoying this vision of beauty before him a lot more than the miles of Vineyards.
"Is there something on my face?" Lenalee opened one eye, having felt the weight of his regard settle on her as the minutes ticked by. 'Please say he was just admiring the view and I don't have a pimple growing or breakfast on my chin.'
Caught staring Allen blushed and turned away, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his head and laugh nervously.
"No, not that I can see."
Lenalee raised an eyebrow at the embarrassed whisper. There was something in the tone of his voice that kept her silent, hoping he would continue without her pushing.
In the reflection of the window beyond which more grapes were passing Allen caught the inquisitive lift of her eyebrow. Allen sighed not sure he would be able to keep what was really going through his mind away if he looked directly into her eyes.
"I was just thinking you…" He trailed off, ducking his head.
Lenalee was unable to hear the mumble which trailed into silence.
"What was that?" Sitting up straighter and resting her hands in her lap she experienced a flash back to the hut in the mountains, his head resting where her hands now lay.
Fighting back the blush at the image she coughed, ducking her head to cover up her blooming blush.
"Nothing." Allen straightened in his seat and, nervous, reached for his coat pocket.
For want of something better to do than pull her into an embrace or kiss her Allen removed a deck of cards and began to idly leaf through them. Timcampy flapped around the carriage for a moment then landed, perching as he so often did on Allen's head.
Deciding to let well enough alone Lenalee regarded the cards as Allen started to perform a complex shuffling routine.
'He is defiantly good.' She leaned back, watching as Allen brought his hands forward and passed the cards from one hand to the other in a spray and perfect stack. 'Some of those moves I've only seen pros use.'
Watching him for a few more minutes Lenalee gave the passing vineyards a look and decided anything was better than sitting here twiddling her thumbs. Besides, she might just teach Allen a lesson.
"Care for a friendly game of poker?"
Looking up, surprised at her offer of a game, Allen nodded, hesitantly smiling. He grasped the cards, preparing to deal when Lenalee held out her hand, halting him.
"I'll deal. The first thing you will do is remove that coat and roll up your sleaves."
Allen froze, blinking, understanding immediately where Lenalee was going with her directive.
"No, that's alright. I'll deal. They are my cards after all."
He was almost panicking at the thought of baring his arms during a poker game. If he broke and stripped down he would be unable to cheat and would likely lose at poker for the first time in years.
"Allen," Lenalee smiled, hand held out for the cards. "Give me the cards now and off with the jacket, sleeves rolled up. This is a FRIENDLY card game. We both know you will cheat without meaning to when it comes to poker."
He made the fatal mistake and looked at her, eyes locked and the eyes of doom struck. Sighing unhappily Allen removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves as Lenalee happily shuffled the cards.
"I don't cheat when playing with friends," Allen commented, laying his coat on the seat. "Not much, anyway."
Rolling his shirt sleeves up revealed a deck of stacked cards strapped to his right arm. Lenalee knew in less than the blink of an eye he could use them to stack the deck in his favour or replace cards in hand.
"I'll take those and any other cards you have hidden on you." Lenalee smiled sweetly.
Allen handed over the deck and the dozen other cards he had. It was just a friendly game of poker but it was the principle of the thing, playing an ordinary game of poker sucked.
Settling down to play it became apparent Lenalee had every intention of remaining the dealer. She trusted Allen to watch her back in battle and to look out for her where ever possible, she just trusted him to cheat at cards as well. It was second nature to him and she knew he might not realize what he was doing.
'Given where and why he learned to play, it is no wonder he cheats all the time.'
After losing a third hand in a row Allen looked at the cards he had just been dealt, frowning. "Lenalee, clearly I am not going to be able to cheat, so how about a little wager?"
"What did you have in mind?"
"If I win the most hands between now and Paris, you have to pay for dinner."
"And if I win?" She asks studied her cards, working out which ones to throw out.
"If you win, I'll pay for dinner, as well as a dress for the evening. How's that sound?" Allen looked up over the edge of his cards.
After a moment to consider the wager Lenalee nodded. "I like that offer. Alright then, if you win I pay for dinner in Paris. If you win you pay for dinner and a dress for me to wear."
Allen nodded. Discarding two cards and waiting for Lenalee to deal him two. "It will be a nice change from eating with the Order, wouldn't you agree?"
"Indeed. I'm not sure how my brother will deal with you taking me out to dinner, Allen." Lenalee hid her smile behind her cards at how pale Allen suddenly looked.
"You wouldn't tell him about this bet would you?" Allen asked nervously, failing to notice the evil smile from Timcampy.
Lenalee, concentrating on her cards also did not see the golden golem's evil smirk. "Of course not, but you know Paris, being the closest city to Headquarters, has dozens of surveillance Golems trying to spot Akuma's before they get to close to HQ."
Allen considered his cards, frowning as he considered the chances of it being the winning hand. "I guess we better be careful not to get spotted on this date."
A long moment of surprised silence followed his off hand comment in which Allen realized Lenalee was staring at him and he realized what he had called the bet.
"Ahm…"
Lenalee hid her face behind her cards to hide her blush. "This dinner will be a date, Allen?"
"Ah."
Allen cut himself, feeling he was gaping like a fish, thinking back to the hut in the mountains and how he had thought over his feelings for the Exorcist-no, young woman. They were Exorcists and there were Akuma to be hunted. He could not tell her of his feelings any more than she, if she chanced to feel the same way about him, could acknowledge how she felt to him.
"No. No, I didn't." He eyes were wide behind the shelter of his cards and he wished his voice did not sound so much like a squeak. "We are friends playing a round of poker to see who pays for dinner."
Lenalee stiffened, disappointed but nodded from behind the shelter of her hand. Throwing the cards down she waited for Allen to reveal his hand. She knew what she had heard and was sorely disappointed at how he had denied that single glorious word. Date.
Having won the hand Lenalee gathered the cards up to shuffle and deal again.
'I guess he only sees me as a friend.' She considered her new hand. 'At least I didn't let him know I have a crush on him.'
Allen watched Lenalee as another hand was dealt and played and he knew he had disappointed her. The sad look in her eyes suggested she might like to be a young woman occasionally and not always an Exorcist. Should he try to mend whatever was broken or should he leave well enough alone? He was sure to make matters worse if he tried to lighten the mood but…
"You seem kind of down all of a sudden." The pressure was getting to him.
He should have kept playing cards and kept his mouth shut. He knew he should have said nothing, but she hadn't cheered up in five hands and when she was mad or upset with him she tended to be dangerous.
"It's nothing." Showing her hand and winning the game gave her a total of four wins to his three and she began to shuffle the cards.
'Could he be any more thick headed? Why can't he just admit to saying the word date? If he had I might have been welling to share my feelings with him. Men!'
Seating back sharply at the arctic chill emanating from her tone Allen knew he should kept quiet. He had upset her even worse than she had been and he ducked his head, hiding behind his white bangs.
Timcampy flew up at the sudden movement and promised himself, in his silent Golem way, to bite Allen at the first opportunity to present itself for so rudely dislodging him.
"If I said something to upset you, Lenalee; I'm sorry." For something to do he glanced at his cards and discarded them all. He had nothing to build on.
Lenalee stifled a sound hideously like a sob, discarded her own hand and moved to the door. If he had said something to upset her! If indeed!
"I'll be fine." She paused at the door and without turning around sit her hand to the door. "I'll take a rain check on that dinner and dress. I suddenly feel the need to go for a walk."
Allen didn't even get a chance to respond as she slammed the sliding door in her wake, her voice dripping ice and hurt. He felt that he had taken a blow to his gut from Lavi's hammer even though he was not sure what it was he had said which affected her so deeply.
Allen turned back to the view from the train and sighed. "Maybe I should have just asked her out to dinner instead of making that stupid bet."
Unknown to Allen, Lenalee had stopped to one side of the door and slid down to curl up on the floor, hugging her legs, eyes pressed to her knees. She would not cry, she refused to cry. So what if Allen did not want to take her out to dinner? He only wanted to honour a friendly bet and they were Exorcists anyway.
'It's your own fault for reading too much into this bet.' She scolded herself, raising her head a little to watch the door through which she could now hear the sound of pacing steps.
Allen, fed up with the view of vineyards had fallen to pacing and grew bored with it quickly. He determined to go in search of Lenalee and actually ask her out, the Order be damned, but as his hand closed on the handle he stopped dead. The world took on a slanted aspect as the gears and sensors of his cursed vision came on line.
He shuddered, still unaccustomed to the differing view afforded by the upgraded curse.
"Damn it all, not now." He pulled the door intending to scream for Lenalee only to stop dead at the sight of her seated on the floor, head bowed as she fought back tears.
Lenalee was uncertain exactly what she would have said or done when she looked up, probably a snide comment to put the annoying boy in his place, but at sight of the cursed eye all that was the exorcist within her aroused. Coming to her feet her fingers were already loosening the buttons to discard the dress coat. She was not going to ruin one of the few decent articles of clothing she had in battle.
"How many and where?" Beneath the dress coat she wore her Exorcist uniform and she tossed the coat into their carriage.
Allen paused, appreciating the sight of her toned legs and shook himself, forcing his feet to move down the narrow hallway toward the next car. He forgot his coat and did not bother rolling down his sleeves, his focus now on the Akuma.
"Four and coming up from the left side of the train." He threw open the door between the cars and grabbing hold of the railing as the high wind pushed him back.
Lenalee activated her Dark Boots to level one, jumping over Allen to float alongside the train. She could just make out three level one Akuma. After a moment a fourth could be seen and as it looked much like a normal human except for the long whips in place of arms and the head and chest armour she sighed. A level two.
"I'll take the level two, you get the level ones." Lenalee shouted against the wind.
She could see the level two intended to board the train and slaughter the people there while the level one Akuma were moving along side the rear most car, guns moving as they took aim.
'Their timing could not have been better. I need some stress relief.' Lenalee set herself and with a burst of speed laid a kick into the Akuma, hurling it from the rear car.
Allen activated his Innocence, using the claw to gain a grip on the next car and pull himself to the roof. He smirked as the first of the level one Akuma spotted him and began to move closer, intent on attacking.
Bringing the claw around he activated the cannon and blasted the lesser Akuma into pieces. His smirk became a feral grin and he nodded, acknowledging the soul now freed, before running the length of the car, drawing the attention of the remaining two Akuma.
Lenalee, glad of the chance to vent some stress, was kicking the daylights out of the level two; it didn't get the chance to mock her, though it did try, its every attempt silenced by the thunder of an Innocence empowered boot into its face. Zipping effortlessly around the Akuma Lenalee allowed her irritation to guide her feet, picturing another face in place of the demonic shape before her.
"Your timing couldn't be better." She snarled, kicking the Akuma in the back, causing it to crash into the roof of the rear car.
Hovering over the downed monster she watched as it stirred, moving her position a little to allow her to come in for another kick where it would do the most good.
"Ahhh, did the boy you are crushing on not ask you on a date?" The Akuma mocked as it scrambled to its feet, bracing itself and preparing to attack. "Got too much class for you, eh?"
Lenalee's eyes narrowed and before the Akuma could react she launched herself forward, kicking it in the head, flashed past and back kicked in passing, sending it tumbling from the train. So irate was she with the Akuma for rubbing salt into her wounds the force of her kicks split the armour plating.
Watching as the Akuma hit the ground and start to roll as the train sped on, Lenalee set herself to finish off the monster when a half dozen beams of light pieced its body and it exploded.
Turning sharply Lenalee glared at Allen who was standing on the next car up from her, the train receding from her and Allen's arm and eye reverting to normal. The danger was over, there were no further Akuma in the vicinity.
"I told you to leave the level two to me." She snapped.
"I know you did, but I saw an opening and finished it." Allen smiled. "If you want to tell me off you had better come and catch the train!"
Infuriated Lenalee caught up with the train, stepping lightly onto the roof of the car and before she could say or do anything Allen lifted his left hand to rub off a smear of Akuma blood.
"That's better," he murmured.
Lenalee fought down the urge to flinch at the cold fingers on her cheek and the stronger urge to slam a boot into Allen's skull.
She knew Allen hated it when people flinched from the touch of the hand containing his Innocence. She was angry but not cruel enough to do that.
"I know I upset you earlier and I want to make it up to you." Allen paused and lowered his hand, turning to look out at the countryside and down at the side of the train, counting the heads of passengers trying to see what was happening on the roof of the carriage.
Lenalee deactivated her boots and watched Allen. He would need to watch his tongue or he would find her Innocence empowered boot up his butt faster than he could blink.
Turning Allen walked up to Lenalee's side and held out his right hand. "Would you do me the honour of joining me for dinner after we have reported back to HQ?"
Lenalee's eyes widened and she took a step back in surprise. The tone of his voice suggested he was aware of his gaff. It even suggested to her he might not mean he was inviting Lenalee the Exorcist out to dinner, but Lenalee the young woman. If, she told her self, he saw anything beyond the need to kill Akuma and free souls.
"You are asking me out to dinner?"
"Yes, I am." Sucking in a huge breath Allen stepped forward and offered her a hand, a nervous smile wavering. "We might not find out anything other than we are good friends, but I would like to find out if, maybe, we can be more."
Lenalee looked at the hand extended to her for a moment then smiled at Allen, taking his hand. She pulled gently and started to walk along the roof of the cars, heading for the first class cars and towing him along.
"I should have known you would ask a girl out after a battle."
She jumped to the platform between the cars when they reached their car, Allen only a second behind her.
'I guess it is better late than never. Maybe there is hope for him yet.'
'Komui is going to kill me, but I can die happy. I had the courage to ask her out.' Allen could not hide the self satisfied smirk as he was towed to their carriage. He wanted to laugh at the skip in her step, but given what she could do with those feet if he ticked her off again so soon after his peace offering, he decided discretion was the better part of valour. He was horrified when a wheezing little snicker escaped him.
Spinning around Lenalee pocked her tongue out; she was delighted the boy she had been silently wishing to ask her out had finally grown a pair. 'Nice to know he is male. Now what to wear to dinner?'
Timcampy flew along side the train, keeping up and wondering how Komui was going to take the information he had just recorded; the most interesting part being the conversation between Allen and Lenalee on the roof of the train.
End