Allen, for the first time in his life, was not hungry. He poked at the dango on his plate, his mind elsewhere. Lavi and Lenalee arrived to the table, looking to each other worriedly. The two had been dating a month now, if he wasn't mistaken. Of course, it was a secret to Komui.

"Hey, you okay, Bean Sprout?" Lavi asked with a worried grin. Allen did not answer, barely heard him. Lenalee only sat across from him and took his hand. He looked up with all but dead grey eyes.

"Is it that?" she asked him. After admitting his sexual preferences to her just a few weeks earlier, his kindhearted friend took it in stride, knowing how hard it had to be of him. It explained his jumpy, guilty actions before he told her. She stilled loved him the same, and kept her lips together about the topic.

Allen only nodded, sitting up and taking his hand before Lavi killed him, the latter already hand on his weapon. The redhead sat down, beginning to eat his meal. He knew not to ask if it was a secret between two like siblings.

He stood suddenly, almost too quickly. His eyes blacked, and he blinked, holding the edge of the table. He much didn't like the darkness these days. Too many memories, filled with passionate lust and throaty ecstasy. He only waved away hands to help him, and, once his vision cleared, painted his mask with a red smile. He told the happy couple, whom he filled his heart with envy of, that he was in perfect state, and sealed himself in his room, like the rotting corpse of Tybalt. And he laughed quietly to himself.

"No," he said aloud, "I am more like Juliet, waiting in a cryptic sleep for my Romeo." Realizing how foolishly romantic and desperate he sounded, Allen mentally slapped himself and undressed in his dimly lit room.

The steamy shower helped him clear his thoughts, forgetting the Noah of Pleasure. That man certainly knew every aspect for the word. How many times had Allen thought he would best him, seeing as he had become numb and silent to those sensitive spots, only for that despicable, erotic man to find yet another way to make Allen scream in pleasure, to make his chest heave with gasps of air like a man oxygen-choked from floating face down in the Thames, barely with the world. Allen felt himself getting too excited with the memories, and turned the water to a boiling hot until his mind was clear once more. His skin singed with the recent torture.

As he exited the small stall, he was surprised to find a Teeze sitting near his clothes. His breath caught as it eyed him, regurgitated a royally embellished envelope, and then disappeared in a flashing black mist. Allen, hand trembling not from the cold of the dissipating steam but of the fear of the note's contents, held it between wet hands and opened. He was careful of the ink, of the intricately art-ed words on such simple yellow parchment. His eyes skimmed the words over and over, not fully taking in their meaning.

"We have to talk, my love. You know where to find me."

How silly, he thought, that Tyki would send a letter. In the past, if they had fought, Tyki would catch Allen walking alone in solitude, transported by a door created from Road's power. Though she loved Allen, she loved him even more as a possible "mother," and so was willing to do anything Tyki asked to help repair any damage. A simple orgasm, however, usually did the trick.

Well, he decided, he wasn't going to meet him. When he had said that he hated Tyki, he never wanted to see him again, he certainly meant it. At least, back then, in anger and spite and rejection, he had. These days Allen questioned his choice of words.

Allen sighed, dropping the note in his wastebasket. If Tyki wanted to see him, he could pull him out of the Black Order himself. After dealing with that, he dressed again, yanking his hair dry with a towel.

"Hey, Allen?" Reever pounded on the door lightly. "You feeling okay?"

Allen composed himself, smiling when he opened the door. "Yes," he answered. "I wasn't feeling well, but I took a shower, so I'm better."

Reever failed to see the logic, but he delivered the message that Allen had a job. The young exorcist followed the scientist to Komui's office. Lavi was leaving, looking dejected and like a whipped dog. He only glanced at Allen and walked away.

"Lenalee announced the two of them were together." Reever explained. "Naturally, Komui did not take lightly to the news."

Allen could understand. As he approached the horror movie that was the chief's desk, he could feel the tension between the two siblings, and Komui was in a bad mood. He barely briefed him, Kanda, and Lenalee for the mission.

The three set off with an agitated Lenalee, and he and Kanda bickered the entire walk to the train station. Waiting for their ride, a small girl in a dark coat too large for her grabbed Allen's arm.

"Please!" she cried. "You have to help me, exorcist, sir!" She had begun to pull him away, and Allen realized he knew the girl. Lenalee's eyes went wide, and Kanda grabbed for his sword.

"No!" Allen said, hiding his eye from the general public. "She's human."

"Please!" she begged, and pulled him away. He only sent an apologetic look behind as the train pulled up.

The girl led him to the dark alleys of Alsatia, where an elderly lady walked by (more like stumbled by), drunk on her cheap gin. Road lowered her hood and scowled at Allen.

"Road, why am I here?"

Road replied with a slap to his face. Tears sprung to his eyes and his cheek sung, but he blinked them away and looked back to the younger girl. "I like you, Allen, but my family comes first," she said. "Tyki isn't happy."

Allen felt the guilt beginning to eat at him, but he shoved it aside. "Well, I don't care. I've missed my train because of this."

"He's been depressed since you left that night."

"It's over, Road."

"Tell him that. Coward!" she added, and Allen closed his mouth. She could read his mind at times.

The old lady was back. She swayed, staring at the two of them, then leaned over and vomited. She dropped her alcohol, spilling it onto the streets. After finishing her retching fit, she knelt down and began to lap up the gin. Road did not look amused.

"Okay...well, you're coming with me." A door appeared and Road had to fight to drag him through. The place they came out was one Allen would rather forget.

It was a cheap motel, where the beds squeaked if you were just breathing too hard and the place smelled like a wet dog. The paint was damp and chipping like there was no tomorrow. The fat man behind the counter knew Tyki and Allen, favoring them as a couple of his best visitors. He only told Allen, "Usual," and Road pushed him into room 108.

She shut the door behind him. Her power of controlling the space around the room as activated, because when Allen tried to leave, he found himself back in the room, just as Lenalee explained what had happened to her when they first met Miranda.

"Allen?" That velvet voice behind him made Allen feel hot all over. He turned around to meet the surprised gaze of Tyki Mikk. He swallowed, closing the door. No chance of escaping, anyhow. Tyki seemed to take a moment for his mind to process that he was there, and then a smile.

Dear God, Allen though, lowering his eyes. Don't do it.

"I'm glad you came to meet me." Tyki reached out for him, and Allen took a few steps back. He knew Tyki would resort to cruel measures that would make him weak at the knees if he resisted. Allen was going to fight, though a small part of him hoped Tyki would do such things, to punish him as he saw fit. But the Noah was smiling like their fight of words and battery had never happened.

"I didn't." he said. "Road forced me here."

"She did?" he looked genuinely surprised at that last statement. But then he smiled at the fond memories of his adopted daughter. "I must find a way to thank her."

"I'm going to leave." Allen said. Tyki looked at him, meeting his eyes. Allen turned his gaze away, anywhere but those beautiful eyes that could make him do anything. But he knew Tyki was smiling. He could hear it in his voice.

"Whatever for?"

"It's over, I've already told you." he said. Allen chewed on the inside of his lip, waiting for a response.

"I love you."

"Well, I don't love you."

"I'll believe that when you can look me in the eyes." Tyki had moved closer. In an attempt to avoid something Allen knew he was going to be ashamed of later, he backed away...right into the wall. And Tyki knew he had won.

The Noah took the exorcist's chin softly, tendering his lips with a kiss. Allen swallowed a moan, wrenching away. His mouth tingled for more, screaming loud pleads, but he was ignoring them. He shouldn't, his mind told him. He would never be able to end it if he gave in now.

But Tyki was too persistent. He began to stroke his jaw with his lips. His long eyelashes tickled Allen's cheek, and he felt a familiar heat spread across his nose. He suddenly felt it hard to swallow. Tyki was grinning. He could feel it on his neck.

"Let...me go." he gasped as the older man's lips fell lower. If he continued, Allen was going to give in. But Tyki knew he was stubborn. He had to break that.

He stopped his journey to pull Allen's chin. He made the boy look him in the eyes. Allen was shaking from the rush of erotic pleasure still pounding in his body. Tyki studied him carefully, feeling triumphant at seeing the lust in Allen's rebellious grey eyes.

"I love you, Allen." he murmured. Allen sad nothing, wanting to tell him just what happened the last time he said that. His lips didn't move to speak, and Tyki smiled. He had won.

He took Allen to the bed, hearing that comforting shrill of the springs. Allen wasn't fighting anymore. He quickly stripped his lover of his annoying clothes. The boy shuddered as their bare skin touched, and Tyki broke their lips apart. As Allen pulled air into his lungs, Tyki looked at Allen's taut, muscular body. The boy wore nothing but the glow of firelight. He was beautiful.

Tyki had been away from Allen for too long, had forgotten how tender the boy was. He had almost broken him, and he watched with amusement as his sleeping exorcist twisted and tossed himself, no doubt his ass burning.

He stroked the boy in his lap after being brutally elbowed in his stomach. He was sure it would bruise. Tyki's eyes wandered to the black skin of Allen's arm, and he stroked it gently. The small boy shuddered, and his eyes opened. He blinked, sitting up and rubbing sleep from his eyes. Tyki pulled him closer, and Allen hesitated before snuggling into his chest. He could feel his heartbeats against his ribs.

"I love you, Allen." he said again, running his hands through that soft, silver hair. Allen buried his face into Tyki's neck, allowing himself to be cradled like a child. The Noah and the Exorcist. Allen began to laugh quietly to himself, smiling lightly.

"My Romeo."