A/N: Hey! *wave* This was a Tumblr idea, again. For shame. *wry smile*
Title: Fair Play
Author: liketolaugh
Rating: T
Pairings: None
Genre: Family/Drama
Warnings: AU
Summary: Cross hated his master. Really. Allen fucking Walker was the most infuriatingly mysterious human being on the planet - but even Cross couldn't say that Allen had done a bad job looking after him.
Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man.
Cross felt naked without Judgement by his side.
He hadn't ever gotten a chance to notice this before; he'd hardly put Judgement aside since he'd first activated his Innocence. It had always been nearby.
But if he wanted to go in that room- If he wanted to talk to Allen- He had to hand it over.
He did it without a second thought.
The zombie incident aside (Cross loved the Science Department, he really did) Cross hadn't seen his master since the Level Four attack, when the man had swept in at the last moment, taken it down with visible effort and a terrifying amount of blood, and collapsed.
(Cross had collapsed as well, shortly after, so it unfortunately he couldn't make fun of his master for that, because Allen would turn it around on him.)
The point was, though, that Cross had a few – more than a few – questions for his frustrating master.
Why had Allen been able to control the Ark?
Did Allen really know the Fourteenth?
Why hadn't he told Cross any of this?
So he surrendered his weapon, and he walked into the room, and he looked around.
Allen was standing by the window, leaning against it, watching Cross with his characteristic smile gone – something that frightened Cross more than he'd ever admit. His arm was bound thickly with long binding spell ropes, and Allen was listing to that side, so subtly that Cross didn't think anyone else would've noticed. His long white hair was tied back in a ponytail for once, and the scar on his face stood out even worse than usual.
There were guards at every corner of the room, spell strips lining the walls, and out of the corner of his eye, Cross spotted Lavi, in his Bookman getup and wearing a neutral expression. It was almost reassuring.
"You look like shit," Cross told Allen, deeply disturbed by how tired he looked.
Allen smiled at him, and Cross scowled. "I know," Allen admitted, with a hint of wry amusement. He pushed off the window and approached Cross, as easily as if he wasn't burdened by any spell at all. He stopped in front of Cross – Cross noticed, annoyed, that the man was still taller than him – and his smile slipped off again, grey eyes solemn. "Are you alright? I heard that they put a watchdog on you. I'm sorry."
Cross scowled. "Whatever," he mumbled, and then, "Look, are you talking or what? Are you finally going to say something honest for once in your overlong life?"
Allen laughed. Then, to Cross' surprise, he replied, "Yes, I am." His smile softened and became sad, and Cross' scowl faltered. "I owe you an explanation, I think."
"Damn right," Cross snapped, forcing the hurt out of his voice even as his fists clenched, red eyes glaring into Allen's. "You couldn't find time in five fucking years to tell me any of this?"
"You weren't ready," Allen returned, still infuriatingly steady, with that same soft, sad smile that made Cross want to kill something. "And neither was I."
That caught Cross off-guard. Of course it did. Catching Cross off-guard was what Allen did best, apparently. Before Cross could respond, Allen added,
"Let's sit."
And then he sat down, right there on the ground, and looked at Cross expectantly until the boy followed with an irritated huff, so that they were cross-legged across from each other.
"Spill," Cross half-ordered his master, who chuckled, but complied nonetheless.
"I am the Fourteenth," Allen told him, simple and accompanied by no explanation whatsoever.
Cross felt his heart skip a beat, and jolted slightly, half-making as if to rise. Allen held up a hand, smile once again gone, and Cross sat down, stomach churning, eyes locked on Allen, the beginnings of betrayal crawling up his spine.
"Or rather," Allen corrected, "I hold the memories of the Fourteenth. This lets me use the Ark, but I am not a Noah yet."
Cross relaxed.
"Asshole," Cross complained, reaching up to rub a hand over his face and cursing when he encountered the porcelain mask. "Why couldn't you have just said that?"
Allen smiled, quiet and fond, and, without answering, continued, "Over time, the Fourteenth will wear me away, and eventually, I will be gone, and the Fourteenth will take my place in the world."
Cross tensed all over again and cursed that man to hell and back.
"Great," Cross half-growled, scowling at his master, mind kick-starting to try and dredge up everything he knew about the Noah (very little). "Fucking fantastic. How do we get rid of it?"
Allen blinked, clearly startled. "Hm?"
"Suicidal idiot," Cross snapped. "How do we get rid of it? You know, so that you don't fucking die like a dumbass?"
Allen laughed. Cross hated that laugh. He had always hated that laugh.
"We're not going to," Allen explained to him gently. "I asked for this, you see. Thirty-five years ago, I promised the Fourteenth that I would host his memory." Allen blew out a short, soft breath while Cross froze again. "I'm sorry. I tried to avoid making friends, so no one would be unhappy when I was gone. But I kept you."
"That was a stupid thing to do," Cross growled at him. Allen ducked his head, so his hair hid his eyes.
"I know. I'm sorry. I should have sent you on to the Order." Sigh. "Tiedoll would have taken care of you, or Nyne."
"Not that, you idiot," Cross snapped, reaching over to slap Allen upside the head. "Agreeing to host his memory! I don't give a shit that you think you'll 'make me sad' or whatever the fuck, but why the hell would you agree to die?"
Allen blinked at him, visibly startled, and Cross scowled at him, insides rolling with apprehension and a fear he would never admit to.
Then Allen sighed again, and beckoned Cross. Against his better judgement, Cross leaned forward, and a moment later, Allen did as well, so his mouth was right by Cross' ear.
"I must ask… something very selfish."
Cross didn't reply. Allen continued anyway.
"I ask that, when the Fourteenth takes my place, you listen to what he has to say." A brief pause. "I won't ask that you abandon the Order, or all your friends here – but there is more to this war than there seems, and the Fourteenth's cause… Is a very good one, I think." Pause, longer this time. "So, please… Listen to him. And think about it."
Cross shoved Allen away roughly and scrambled to his feet, stepping back to clench his fists and glare at Allen, who was giving him a startled look again.
"Fuck you," Cross spat. "Fuck you and your fucking peace bullshit and your goddamn sympathy for things that want you dead."
And Allen did not smile, and he didn't apologize. His eyes were sad again, and Cross hated it.
"I need to do this," was what Allen said instead. "I won't ask you to understand or even to help, but you cannot stop me either, Cross. Not this."
Cross glared at him, and he knew he was shaking, but he couldn't do anything about it.
Allen looked over and nodded. "I'm done," he said quietly. "Do as you will."
The next thing Cross knew, he was being hustled away, and Allen was still there, looking at him, with eyes that knew that he was going to die soon, and he-
He was just going to lie down and take it.
Cross felt betrayed by that, he realized abruptly. He felt betrayed by the revelation that Allen wasn't even going to fight it. He was just going to die quietly.
"Fuck you, Master," Cross muttered under his breath, ignoring the looks he got. "Fuck you."
Maybe Allen was going to just let it happen, but Cross sure as hell wasn't.
Fuck, did Allen know Cross at all?
There we go! *beam* It was inspired by a drawing of roughly this concept, and of course, I was instantly off. This is going to be a oneshot series, and like Building Elysium, I can't say that it'll update regularly, sorry. And it won't be in chronological order, either. Anyway, I hope you liked it - thanks for reading, and please review!