Summary: Nobody really liked wizards, but everybody liked using them. It wasn't really a surprise that a brawl broke out just because Allen decided to defend himself. "Allen, why do you have a goose?" AU, Poker Pair

Genre: Humour, Drama

Rating: T for mild violence

WARNINGS: Yaoi, violence, possible OOC

AN: So I have writer's block at the moment and to get myself out of it, I'm using random word generators to give myself word prompts. Prompt Words: Hand, Staff, Pub, Goose. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own D. G-M or its characters


It had been a pretty rough day for a young wizard – his group had gotten attacked by monsters, he had gotten separated from the group, proceeded to get extremely lost, the sun had gone down and forced him to camp under the stars, he had only just now wandered out of the hell hole that had been that particular forest, and his magic was still extremely low, even after a relatively decent night's rest (he couldn't really sleep with all those creepy-crawlies out there). Allen sighed in aggravation as he wondered towards the Inn he saw on the side of the road. Honestly, it was a miracle he had even found the road in the first place, given his luck so far.

Allen wandered in through the open door (open, really, this close to the forest?), resisting the urge to lean on his staff for support. He quickly took in the contents of the room. It was a rather large establishment, considering the area, though this was considered a waypoint. It had several tables scattered around the room, stairs leading up to a second floor (presumably for lodgings), and a rather large counter hiding the door to the kitchen behind it. There was another door off to the side, but Allen really didn't care about that, making a beeline for the counter. He really needed to get some rest.

He barely made it half way across the room before he was stopped. The teen sighed theatrically and looked up at the burly man before him, only to be greeted by an ugly sneer. Nobody liked wizards. No, they feared the magic coursing through their veins, even though most had no desire to use it on people. Only a handful of wizards even existed any more. Many were out there, but they either didn't know they had magic, or hid their powers for fear of rejection. Allen had been lucky enough to get picked up by someone when he was fairly young. Mana had taught him everything about magic, and Allen had grown up in a fairly good environment because of him. But the man had disappeared when the boy was eleven, leaving Allen to the care of a grouchy, alcoholic, womanizing bastard. But that was the past, and Allen should probably focus on the bastard that was currently barring his way. The man was smirking nastily now, looking Allen up and down like he was a piece of meat.

"Well, well, well… What do we have 'ere? A little wizard a long way from home." There was a resounding chorus of chuckles and Allen resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Honestly, why did everyone just assume he was from Central? Sure, it was where a lot of wizards lived, but they were pompous assholes and the teen would rather go back to living on the streets than go live there. Besides, Central was expensive and what little money his group did earn usually went towards food. Wizards always ate a lot more than normal people, using magic used up a lot of energy after all. Wait. Did that guy just call him little? Allen's eye twitched, but he forced a pleasant smile onto his face.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't insinuate that I was short. Now, would you please move out of my way?" He requested politely. It didn't usually work, but sometimes people were surprised enough by his attitude that they let him slip away. This did not seem to be the case. The man laughed obnoxiously, dragging the entirety of the Inn's attention to them. Allen sighed in distress, he really didn't want to make a scene.

"What was that, little boy, I didn't hear you since you're all the way down there." He sneered, gaining laughter from those that sat at the table he had come from. Allen bristled, but forced himself to remain calm and brush it off.

"I said, I'd like you to move." Allen repeated, moving to walk around his blockade. The man laughed again but didn't make a move to stop the boy. For this he was grateful, for a moment anyway.

"What's the matter, wizard, don't like attention?" He crowed slapping Allen's ass and squeezing. Allen spun around angrily, effectively breaking the man's hold, grabbed his hand and twisted. The resounding snap and the man's subsequent outcry of pain were heard throughout the room.

"Do not touch me." Allen growled. He didn't usually let his anger get the better of him, not since he met Mana, but he was absolutely sick of the way people treated wizards like things to be owned. Nobody liked wizards, no, but they loved using them. Another man quickly rose from the nearby table, he was skinny and greasy and downright gross.

"Why you little…" He started angrily, but then there was another, taller man standing between him and Allen. The wizard blinked in surprise that someone had actually come to his aid. From what Allen could see, he had shoulder-length black hair and really thick glasses.

"Now, now! I think we can all agree that he deserved that." The man said with an almost chipper smile, like somebody hadn't just gotten their wrist snapped.

"Hah?! That brat's just wizard scum, he don't deserve no special treatment!" The skinny man snarled, making a move towards Allen again.

"Well that's just rude…" Thick-glasses muttered, placing his hand on the other man's chest to stop him from moving forward.

"And I think you should calm down." He advised, pushing the other back slightly.

"I think you should mind your own business!" The skinny man roared, throwing his fist forward in an imitation of a punch. The taller man dodged it easily, laughing lightly as he used the other man's momentum to send him sprawling to the floor. The reaction was instantaneous, the rest of the people from the first table and the others from the taller man's table all stood up and clashed. Thick-glasses looked momentarily startled, like he hadn't expected the reaction. The moment passed quickly though, and the man simply shrugged and joined in the quickly escalating brawl.

Chairs were being thrown, tables bumped into and drinks spilt. Soon, most of the crowded Inn had joined in on the fight and Allen was getting jostled this way and that, trying to make his way outside again. The skinny man managed to scrabble off the floor and make his way towards Allen. He sneered angrily and tried to attack the teen. Tried being the operative word. His movements were sloppy, and Allen wasn't only skilled in magic. He dodged the man easily, and just as easily incapacitated him with a quick hit. He started weaving around the now segmented fights, noticing a few people starting to fight dirty. He saw a flash of silver and immediately used his staff to knock the knife out of the hand wielding it. There was a startled yelp and that person was taken down.

At this point, Allen could barely tell left from right, and was having a difficult time trying to figure out where everything was. It was then that he saw then man who tried to help him being ganged up on, though he was doing an impressive job of fighting them all off. Allen decided to help anyway, since the man had helped him. He darted over just as one of the offenders came at the man from behind, and quickly jabbed him in the stomach with his staff. The man doubled over and was subsequently bowled over by another two who came crashing past. The tall man threw him a grin and rushed one of the other men attacking him. He managed to get the man down but was tackled and thrown backwards by the other. Right towards Allen. The taller man managed to stop himself from crashing into the wizard by catching himself against the wall behind him, effectively trapping the teen beneath him.

"Hey there!" He grinned goofily, seemingly enjoying himself immensely. Allen didn't bother to respond, simply raising a brow and nodding over the man's shoulder pointedly to warn him of the incoming danger. Another man was rushing towards them with a chair raised and ready to be used. Thick-glasses made a disgruntled noise and pushed himself off the wall. He easily disarmed the man and delivered a knockout punch, but was soon dragged back into another fight. Allen used the momentary distraction to slip out the back door he had spotted earlier.

He sighed in relief as the fresh air hit his skin. He looked around the small enclosure he was in. It was fenced off from the rest of the world, and there were several coops scattered around the area as well as a large pond. He felt a flutter in his sleeve and smiled as his Familiar flew out to investigate the area. Only to get captured by one of the animals. The teen gasped in horror as he saw the flailing golden ball get swallowed.

"Not again…" Allen mumbled despondently, watching the tail disappear and a small bulge move down the creature's throat. The teen sighed and picked the animal up, sitting down and gently placing it in his lap to wait for his Familiar to get back out. He was only out there for a few minutes when the door banged open and a man stumbled out. Allen almost gaped. The man was gorgeous! He had to fight off a blush as the man grinned at him and sauntered over, plopping down right next to the teen. The man pulled a pair of thick glasses out of his pocket and brought them up to his face, only to make a disgruntled noise upon finding the lenses cracked. Allen stared for a moment and just barely recognised him as the man who helped him earlier.

"Ah! You look really different without your glasses…" Allen couldn't help but mumble. The man blinked in surprise and then smiled ruefully.

"So I've been told!" He said playfully. He smiled amiably and held out a hand.

"I'm Tyki. Tyki Mikk." He introduced pleasantly. Allen smiled back happily and took the proffered hand. It was large and warm, and it sent pleasant tingles up his arm.

"Allen Walker." He replied almost bashfully, then looked at the glasses apologetically.

"Ah… I'm sorry, that's probably my fault… I'd offer to pay for a new pair, but I don't really have that kind of money at the moment…" He apologised heartily, but Tyki just smiled, finally releasing the teens hand.

"Don't worry about it, I've got it covered." He said, putting them back in his pocket and not elaborating in the slightest.

"So~ What's a cutie like you doing in a place like this?" He asked cheesily, even adding a wink. Allen rolled his eyes and batted at him playfully, Tyki grinned goofily.

"I'm on a mission with some of my companions, but we got separated in the forest." Allen explained, gesturing to the behemoth that was the nearby forest. Allen lived at a place called the Black Order. While the name may sound a bit evil, they were actually the good guys. They sent out their resident wizards on missions to help the citizens of the world who were plagued by monsters. While the living conditions weren't as good as those in Central, the people were genuine and that was what Allen loved about it. Tyki whistled lowly as he regarded the dark trees contemplatively.

"I'm headed to the next town over, but I can't move on without my friends." Not to mention he'd probably get hopelessly lost without them and end up in a different region. Again

"To further complicate things, I can't communicate with them at the moment." Here, Allen glared at the animal in his lap for reasons unknown to Tyki and jabbed it softly. The creature let out a noise of protest, but didn't budge from its spot.

"Hmm… I guess you'll have to pass some time then." He hummed, a smirk playing at his lips. Allen eyed him, a small smile creeping at the corner of his lips.

"What did you have in mind?" He asked, slightly wary but very curious. The man grinned.

"Do you play poker?" Allen beamed.

"Yup!" He chirped happily, blinking in surprise when the stone atop his staff glowed. The staff itself wasn't really that fancy, gnarled wood making up the base and curling around the rough-cut crystal at the top. The stone was almost clear in colour, though it possessed a faint green tinge.

"What's the matter?" He asked it soothingly, Tyki looking at him like he was crazy. The teen flashed him a sweet smile.

"Have you ever heard of Living Stone, also called Innocence?" He asked curiously. The man blinked in surprise, but nodded.

"Yeah, it's that really rare stuff right?" He said thoughtfully, looking down at the stone again.

"Isn't it really difficult to use?" He asked, brow furrowing in apparent confusion.

"Not difficult per se, just… temperamental." Allen mused.

"Since they're semi-sentient, they have their own personalities and only get along with certain people. If you don't treat them right, or they don't agree with something you're doing, then they won't help you." He explained. The stones themselves possessed powerful magic, and they would only amplify a wizards own magic if they chose to. Tyki hummed lightly, and the teen couldn't help but notice the strange look in his eyes as he stared at the crystal.

"Something wrong?" He asked worriedly. Tyki startled slightly, smiling ruefully.

"Ah, no…" He mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

"So, poker?" The man suggested, pulling a deck of cards from his person. Allen smiled, allowing the evasion. The two played for hours, chatting and bantering. Allen found himself eagerly taking in any information about the man, and watching the way his eyes sparkled when he spoke about something that interested him, the flashes of fire and something almost predatory when something excited or angered him, the intensity of his stare. It pinned Allen to the spot and made his breathe hitch the moment he caught it, those beautiful eyes that almost seemed to flash gold in the right light. He didn't even realise that Tyki was doing the exact same thing… Allen felt himself getting far too caught up in the moment and quickly decided a change of topic was in order. He straightened up a little, immediately catching Tyki's attention and curiosity.

"Why did you help me? Earlier, I mean. Most people fear wizards, or see them as nuisances..." Unless we're saving their sorry butts… Allen asked curiously. Tyki hummed, discarding a few of his cards and taking some from the deck. Allen discarded some of his own, easily slipping the cards he needed out of the deck unnoticeably.

"My mother was a wizard." Tyki finally replied, staring at his cards.

"Eh?" Allen squeaked in surprise. The man hummed again, revealing his cards. Allen placed down his hand also, exposing his winning cards. Tyki shook his head in exasperation and continued to talk.

"It always amazed me, how she could hide it so well. She'd always use magic around the house, just little things you know, to help with chores. But she never spoke about it. Never defended it when we went out and heard people talking. I took cues from her, never talked about it, never told anyone who she was but… I always got mad, when I heard them talking… I couldn't stand the way they talked about people with magic… They were talking about my mother, after all, even if they didn't know it." Tyki mused, a far off expression on his face. It turned mildly disgruntled for a moment, he had never told anyone that before. He quickly put on a façade, giving the boy an easy-going smile that soon turned sad.

"She died when I was thirteen… Wouldn't even use her magic to save herself against a threat…" He murmured sadly.

"Enough about me!" He said suddenly, shaking himself out of his melancholy and giving the boy an inviting smile. Allen gave a sad smile of his own. Since Tyki had told him something so personal, it was only fair that Allen did the same.

"I lived on the streets until I was 7, then I was picked up by a travelling wizard. In the place I grew up, magic was treated like heresy and because I could use it… well, they didn't treat me very good. When he found me, I was…" Allen paused to grimace and sighed sadly.

"I was not a nice child… But he put up with all the crap I gave him, treated me like a human being for the first time in my life, and I grew to love him for that." The wizard smiled fondly at the memory of the man, always smiling and trying to make Allen laugh.

"He disappeared when I was eleven. Something happened, something bad... I can't remember though. After that a friend of his picked me up and took me with him." His brows were furrowed in frustration, trying to grasp at the black hole where a memory should be, he could never remember what happened that night. Cross rarely tried to ask what happened, and never pushed when he did. After a few years of travelling, the man gave him some crappy instructions and ditched him. He'd been with the Black Order ever since. Tyki smiled softly and brushed Allen's hand with his own, a gesture of comfort. The teen watched their hands as Tyki's crept further, gently wrapping his fingers around Allen's and squeezing gently before catching the teen's eyes. There it was again, that intense stare that made Allen want to close the distance between them. He ducked his head quickly, a blush creeping onto his features. They stayed like that for a moment, Allen started to nibble on his lip in thought.

"You know… If your mother had magic, you probably do too…" He murmured. The teen didn't want to scare the man away, but he also... He almost wanted the man to stay... Tyki merely hummed again, an unreadable look on his face. Allen didn't press, putting his cards down. Tyki cursed theatrically, dramatizing severely as Allen laughed at him. Their hands were still entwined.

"Do you give up?" Allen crowed teasingly, hours later.

"Never~" Tyki said defiantly, amusement and determination dancing in his eyes. The sun was starting to get rather low in the sky now. That was when Allen heard voices, and they were coming closer.

"See! I told you he would make it out eventually!" He heard a familiar voice cry.

"Yes, and it was the eventually that worried me!" Another familiar voice retorted in exasperation. He turned around to see his companions coming down the road. Lavi and Lenalee started running towards him, while Kanda kept to his own pace, evidently not bothered by his reappearance.

"Hey, Al!" Lavi greeted chirpily with a wave of his hand when he reached the edge of the enclosure. Lenalee elbowed him in the stomach with a small glare. He pouted and rubbed the spot gingerly, not daring to say anything.

"Allen! Are you alright? You aren't hurt are you?" The girl asked worriedly, learning over the fence slightly to get a better look. Allen waved her off immediately.

"I'm fine, Lenalee." He reassured gently. It was then that Lavi looked over to what they were doing and winced.

"Ooh, playing poker with Allen? Bad move, man…" He muttered. Tyki merely rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, but I'd already figured that out for myself." He said dryly, immediately turning his attention back to Allen.

"Full House." He called, throwing his cards down almost carelessly. Allen smiled innocently.

"Royal Straight Flush~" He said sweetly, showing his own hand.

"Again?" Tyki groaned, running a hand through his hair. He shook his head slightly, though he was still smiling. Lavi grinned widely, but then blinked.

"Allen…" He said suddenly, pointing to his lap.

"Why do you have a goose?" The red-head asked, positively baffled. Allen pouted.

"It ate Timcanpy…" He grumbled sulkily. Lavi sweat-dropped.

"Eh… That's different, usually it's a cat..." Lenalee murmured. Allen's pout deepened, Tyki merely stared in bewilderment. What in the hell was a Timcanpy? The goose honked suddenly, flapping its wings indignantly and raising its head high. A golden ball with wings and a tail popped out of its open mouth not a moment later.

"Timcanpy!" Allen cried happily, reaching for his Familiar eagerly. At the same time, the goose honked angrily and made for the golden ball as well. They both grabbed the Familiar at the same time.

"Let him go!" Allen cried out, trying to pry the golden ball out of the goose's beak. Tyki clucked in annoyance, glaring disdainfully at the goose that was quite clearly distressing the boy. He reached forward and promptly plucked one of its feathers out, making it squawk loudly and consequently let go of its prize. The animal immediately rounded on Tyki, who was currently holding it's feather up with a mocking smirk. It honked loudly once again, and made to bite the man but Allen was fed up.

"Enough!" He cried out, grabbing his staff and bopping the creature on the back.

"Calm down." He commanded simply, a wave of his magic seeping into the animal. The goose ruffled its feathers, but didn't seem angry anymore as it wondered off further into the enclosure.

"Geese are weird…" Lavi muttered in bewilderment. Allen sighed, this was going to be a long mission.

END?


AN: This fic got away from me a bit, I wasn't planning on writing this much to begin with. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

Omake: After the Fact

After saying their goodbyes, Tyki watched as the boy climbed over the fence, talking animatedly with the redhead who looked excited for some reason. He waved the boy off and continued watching until he was out of sight before heading back inside. His friends were eagerly awaiting him at the door.

"The fight's over…" Eeze informed quietly, clutching at his companion's pants.

"Ah! Your glasses didn't break again, did they?" Clark asked worriedly, noticing the missing item immediately. Tyki grinned.

"Don't be such a worrywart!" He teased, fishing his glasses out of his pocket and putting them on. The unbroken lenses shone brightly in the setting sun, obscuring his eyes effectively.

"If your mother had magic, you probably do too…"

Tyki smirked, he knew that already. Not that he would tell anyone that, especially not someone from the Light. He probably should have destroyed the crystal while he had the chance, but he liked the boy and he would have had to kill him to keep his secret, and that just wouldn't do. No, he was far too interesting, not to mention cute. He sincerely hoped they met again under amiable circumstances.

"What are you smirking about?" Clark prodded.

"Ah, nothing… I just met someone interesting is all…" He explained.

"Ah! You mean that cute little wizard?" Momo questioned teasingly, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Tyki shoved the man playfully, grinning broadly. Yes, the boy was interesting, that was the only reason he couldn't stop thinking about that sweet smile and those beautiful silver eyes…