Disclaimer: No.6 and -man aren't mine, but that doesn't stop me.
Rating: T for language and BL.
A/N: Thank you for all the feedback! I never expected to get any readers, so you can guess how happy I was to get 10 reviews.
In response to the messages, I'll try to keep the characters as in-character as I can, so please point out what you think is OOC so I can work on it. Also, it's not beyond me to get things wrong (such as the Lost Town reference. Thanks Kini-Ainotsuki~), so I'd appreciate it if you warned me of whatever mistakes you might come across, may they be of spelling/grammar or concept wise.
Regarding the setting, I'm not entirely sure whether No. 6 is in Japan, since the anime is really vague regarding that, but if it isn't, I'm claiming artistic license and making it into such. Also, Allen is English, but speaks Japanese, and vice-versa with the other characters. I'm not sure how evident this is, but Shion speaks English with Allen, and Kanda and Nezumi are speaking Japanese.
Sorry for the long note!
"We've been watching for long enough," Kanda replied gruffly. "What's with this, Allen?"
Kanda had just used the younger exorcist's real name. That's when one knew things were serious.
Nezumi, for his part, also went straight to questioning Shion about the make-out session he'd just witnessed between the two boys.
"Imagine my surprise, coming out of the bath to see the two airheads sucking face. And to think you were such a prude when that prostitute kissed you back in your first days here," Nezumi said, to Shion's embarrassment.
"Allen and I weren't sucking face," Shion protested. "He was crying, and I wanted to comfort him─"
"By kissing his brains out?" Nezumi laughed bitterly. "You really need to learn other methods, Your Majesty."
"It's not like I have to explain myself to you," Allen was discussing with Kanda. "What's it to you, who I kiss?"
"It's not what we're here for!" Kanda exclaimed. "We're leaving right now."
"No, we're staying right here!" the other shouted back, calling Shion and Nezumi's attention.
"We're leaving!" the Japanese exorcist insisted. "Now come before I drag your ass out of this rathole."
"No, Kanda-san, wait! It's my fault, not Allen's! Please don't leave," Shion said, moving closer to the duo before Nezumi grabbed his wrist.
Shion turned to look at him, and Nezumi merely grunted, "Let them go, Shion."
"How can you say that?" Shion asked, yanking his arm free and stepping beside Allen. "I'm not letting you go."
"It's not like you can stop us," Kanda said, eliciting a growl from Allen when he stepped closer to the boy with his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Don't you dare threaten him, Kanda," Allen spat at his fellow exorcist. "I won't let you."
"Get out of my house," Nezumi growled, stepping around the white-haired boys to glare at Kanda. He didn't look directly at Allen, but the young exorcist felt like the order was directed at him, too.
"Stop it!" Shion shouted, surprising everyone, who turned to look at the pink-faced boy. "Quit all the arguing, alright? This is how it's going to work: Kanda-san, you and Allen aren't going anywhere. You'll spend the night here and tomorrow morning we'll go closer to the city to see if you can spot any of the Akuma you're after. Nezumi, they'll be staying here with us, and I don't want to hear any complaining. Allen, you can take my spot on the bed next to Nezumi."
Shion's little rant triggered yelled protests from everyone else.
"There's no way I'm sharing a bed with the strange oyaji-haired kid you were just making out with!" Nezumi said.
"I couldn't possibly take your place in the bed, Shion!" Allen said.
"Who'd want to sleep with the sewer rat?" Kanda said.
"I've already decided," Shion insisted, crossing his arms. "Now excuse me while I go take a bath."
With that, Shion headed to the bathroom, leaving the three men in the room by themselves. Although that would've given them the opportunity to ignore Shion's orders and just do whatever they felt like, they didn't. Kanda sat back on the ground with a long sigh, Allen sat on the edge of the bed he and Shion had been on, and Nezumi went to get dressed.
"Did you get those scars from the Akuma bees, too?" Allen asked, eyeing the scars on Nezumi's back when he turned around.
"No. 6 gave me these," Nezumi replied without turning to face the boy.
"Where did you find that kid?" Kanda asked him from across the room.
Nezumi threw him a glare from over his shoulder, but replied anyway. "He saved me 4 years ago, and I'm just paying my debt."
"Is that really all you're doing?" Allen asked. Nezumi ignored him and got dressed.
When Shion came out of the shower, he arrived back in the room to see Kanda apparently snoozing against the wall, Nezumi laying on the bed facing the wall, and Allen laying beside him, turned towards Shion but with his eyes closed.
Shion tiptoed across the room in an effort not to wake anyone up, but the drawer where he kept his clothes in creaked when he pulled it open. Allen immediately snapped his eyes open and sat up on the bed. "You can have the bed!"
"Oh, I'm sorry I woke you," Shion apologized. "It's okay, you keep it. You need your rest more than I do."
Allen waited until was dressed before he grabbed the boy - who was on the process of laying down on the red couch next to the bed - and pulled him down on the mattress next to him.
"So we'll just share it," Allen announced.
"I don't think Nezumi will like that," Shion said, noting on how the single bed was a tight fit for the three of them.
"He's already asleep, he won't even notice," the exorcist said. "Besides, we can take up the space of only one person."
"That's impossible!" Shion laughed. "Two entities of matter cannot occupy the same space at the same time!"
"I'll show you," Allen said, and reached an arm over the other boy, splaying his hand across the small of his back and dragging him closer until he was pressed flush against the exorcist. "See?"
"We're not exactly occupying the space of only person, but I see wha─ aah!" Shion's sentence was cut off when Allen flipped him over so he was laying directly on top of the slightly taller boy.
"Now?"
"Now's as close as it can get, I guess," Shion said. The was a moment of silence before both boys broke out in laughter.
They tried to stifle their laughter until it died down, and Shion lazily rolled off Allen to lie next to him. He pulled the sheets over their bodies, their legs tangling in the process.
"Good night, Shion," Allen said.
"Oyasumi, Allen," Shion yawned.
"Oy, omae."
Allen opened his eyes to see Kanda towering over the bed he was sleeping in. "Nn?"
"Get out of bed. And wake the other moyashi. We have work to do," he said.
"In the middle of the night?" Allen rolled over and buried his face on the crook of Shion's neck. The boy was still sleeping, and his warmth, along the steady rise and fall of his chest, was very calming.
"It's morning already, but this goddamn place has no windows," Kanda explained.
"You sure it's not night still?" Allen mumbled, wanting Kanda to leave him alone so he could fall back asleep.
"I checked. Now move your ass. I don't have the whole day, you good-for-nothing exorcist."
"Chikusho, what's with all this talking?" Nezumi complained from his place on the bed. "You, be quiet. I'm trying to sleep here."
"Sorry, Nezumi," Allen said. "Kanda's just being his usual annoying self."
"Che," Kanda bit out angrily, and grabbed Shion's shoulder, shaking it violently. "Moyashi. Wake up."
Shion cracked his eyes open and looked up at Kanda. When he saw the long dark hair and scowling face through his sleep glazed eyes, he smiled and wrapped both arms around Kanda's neck. "Eve…" he mumbled happily, pulling Kanda down to his level.
"O-oy! Let go!" the exorcist was blushing furiously, but did his best to hide it. "What the hell?"
Allen and Nezumi both sat up on the bed quickly, yelling "Shion!" in unison. That woke the white-haired boy enough for him to notice that the man he was currently nuzzling against was not Nezumi's stage persona.
"Kanda-san!" he gasped in recognition, letting go of the exorcist, who immediately jumped away from Shion. "I'm sorry!"
Kanda turned away from the bed, so no one could see his expression when he said, "Just get out of bed already. You have to take us to the possible Akuma source."
"Who do you think you are, throwing orders like that?" Nezumi snapped at Kanda, pushing past Allen and Shion to get out of bed.
"The one who's doing you a favor, that's who I am," was Kanda's snarky reply.
"…Not again," Shion sighed. "Guys…"
"Favor? What favor? You and the white-haired gaki over there come strolling in, thinking you own the place, and for what? To run after some so-called demon bees, swinging some old sword around. Tch, please. You're doing me no favor," Nezumi said.
"Let's see if you still think that when you're infected by that Akuma bee, you damn sewer rat!" Kanda glared at the other man.
"Pfft, as if I'm stupid enough to let myself be bitten by those bees," Nezumi said, tying his hair up.
"Your moyashi was, wasn't he?" Kanda retorted.
"Because he's an airhead," Nezumi said.
"How do you know that, Kanda?" Allen asked, but his voice was lost in the two's loud bickering. That or he was ignored by them.
"And you're a brainless idiot that lets himself get kissed by that," Kanda replied.
"You damn..!" Nezumi lost his temper, taking out the knife he'd slept with the previous night. He'd usually leave it on the table when it was only Shion and him, but there was no way he'd sleep unarmed with two strangers around. Kanda, too, had slept holding the sheath of Mugen, and he drew his blade the same time as Nezumi.
"Alright, enough!"
Everyone turned to look at the boy standing beside the bed. Shion's face had turned red, his hands were closed in tight fists, and he looked like he was about to either scream or cry. Possibly both. Allen felt sorry for his friend, but thought it was actually kind of funny…
There was a strangled cough from Nezumi, and stunned silence from Kanda. Both were trying to hold on to their anger towards each other, but…
"Hey… It actually worked."
It's unclear who started laughing first, but Shion's happy expression quickly dissolved as all three guys broke into uncontrolled laughter. Realizing how the smaller boy had gone into a sulk, Allen forced back his own laughs to comfort Shion. The other two were still laughing by the time they left to No. 6.
It was a long walk to the walls of the Holy City, and when they arrived, the sight was discouraging.
"What's with this skyscraper of a wall?" Kanda grunted, looking up at the impossibly high walls that separated the West District from the city of No. 6.
"I wish Lavi or Lenalee were here," Allen sighed.
"What, isn't flying or jumping high among your super demon-killing powers?" Nezumi mocked.
"Innocence, activate!" Allen recited, and his appearance shifted with the invocation of the Crown Clown.
"What the..?" Nezumi jumped back, never having seen the boy take the form of his Innocence before. He stared, dumbfounded, at the completely transformed Allen as he stretched his long black claws.
"Clown Belt!" Allen called, and the cape of his cowl released into a web of Innocence energy that stretched upwards until it grasped the top edge of the wall. "I think I can make it," he announced, then looked at Shion and Nezumi. "Thanks for your help. We'll take it from here."
"I want to go with you," Shion immediately said.
Allen frowned. "Shion…"
"I'm going," the white-haired boy stated.
"There's really no need for you to get involved─" Allen started, before the other cut him off.
"Allen," Shion said, stepping closer to the exorcist and touching the side of his neck.
The action sent a jolt through both Nezumi and Allen. The former, because it reminded him of how Shion had once done something similar to him, and the latter…
"I want to see. I have to make sure that… what you're going to do… will get rid of the bees. It's very important to me," Shion continued.
"Just take him already," Kanda said, breaking the brief silence that ensued. "Not our business if he wants to risk his life."
"I won't be risking my life," Shion protested. "I lived on the other side of this wall my entire life, you know."
"Okay," Allen hesitantly agreed. "Hold onto me."
Shion wrapped both arms around the exorcist's torso, and Allen held him with the arm of his Innocence, careful not to hurt him with his razor-sharp claws. He extended his free hand towards Kanda, who resentfully took it.
"If you're taking the airhead, you're taking me, too," Nezumi said.
Not in the mood to argue anymore, Allen said, "Take his hand, Kanda." Both dark-haired men started to protest when the exorcist shouted, "Shut up and grab him!"
Looking away from each other, Kanda and Nezumi clasped their hands tightly together. With them being almost the exact same size, it was kind of awkward.
Allen closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing himself to pull them up. Observing him with concern, Shion said, "Wouldn't it be better if you took two trips?"
"It's okay," Allen said, smiling reassuringly at him. "Ready. Set. Go!"
With that, he pushed them up and off the ground, letting the Clown Belt pull them all the way up the tall wall. In one fluid movement, he settled them on the top, all four of them falling on their backs as he released them. Allen tried to catch his breath, feeling like he'd overexerted himself by pulling the four of them up using his Clown Belt. Maybe Shion had been right when he'd suggested he take two trips to bring them up instead of only one. And to think he still had to lower them to the ground…
Seeing how the action had tired his friend, Shion went over to Allen and took his arm in his hands. Holding his hand gently, he rubbed tight circles on his wrist, keeping in line to his pinky bone.
After a minute under Shion's expert hands, Allen felt noticeably relaxed. "What are you doing?" he asked, sitting up facing the other.
"This is the Heart 7 point, the Spirit Gate. By applying the right pressure to it, you stimulate the release of endorphins, which reduce pain, calm an overactive mind, and produce feelings of well-being," Shion told him.
"Aaah, that's really cool," the exorcist said, "And it feels nice."
"I'm glad," Shion smiled and stood up, offering Allen a hand. The exorcist took it and pulled himself up.
"Thank you, Shion," he smiled, still holding the boy's hand in his. Then he turned to Kanda and Nezumi, who were watching them like vultures. "Shall we?"
Begrudgingly, the two stepped closer and resumed their previous positions, letting out the exact same "Che," when they took each others' hand.
As Allen lowered them to the grounds of No. 6, Shion caught Kanda watching him when he looked down. The white-haired boy smiled at the Japanese exorcist, who immediately looked away, with no way to hide his flushed cheeks. And Nezumi stared up at Allen, impressed at the boy's ability, though he'd never admit it.
"Phew~," Allen said as their feet hit the ground and they released the grips they had on each other. "We're here."
However, looking around, they saw no sign of the actual city. There were only trees, and even a few mountains off in the distance. "This must be the North Block," Shion said. "We have to move before we're spotted by the Central Control Committee."
"What's that?" Kanda asked.
"You can't enter the North Block without permission from the Committee," the boy told him.
Reaching into his coat, Nezumi let out one of his robot rats. "He'll take us to the city center," he said, following after the rat Shion had named Hamlet, who'd scurried towards the wild forest in front of them.
"You keep rats in your clothes?" Kanda asked, disgusted at the prospect.
"Don't say that, Kanda-san," Shion protested. "They're robots Nezumi created by himself, and they're very helpful. And they're our friends."
"Ro…bots?" Kanda repeated, frowning.
"Automated machines, not real live rats," he explained.
"Ehhh? Sugoi! You're incredible, Nezumi!" Allen praised.
"Betsuni," Nezumi replied. "It's nothing like what you did with your arm or anything."
It literally took hours of following unpaved roads through undeveloped areas of the city before they reached a fence that announced their arrival to the populated areas. Kanda cut them a path through the metal fence with one easy swing of Mugen, earning a protest from Shion. By the time they reached the city center enough that they could see the Moon Drop towering over the woodland park, the sun was already at its peak in the sky.
"You can't walk around looking like that," Nezumi said, jerking his chin toward the exorcists' uniforms. "You'll stick out like a sore thumb."
"Che. What else can we do?"
"I should've lent you some of my spare clothes," Shion frowned, frustrated at himself for not considering that obvious detail.
"Like your moyashi clothes would fit," Kanda scoffed.
"Mine might not, but Nezumi's would fit you for sure," Shion said, and his mind formed a plan. "Kanda-san, strip."
"What?" all three men asked at the same time.
"Both of you, take off your clothes," he instructed, looking at the dark-haired men. "Nezumi, you give Kanda-san your clothes."
"Do you suggest I stroll around naked, your majesty?" Nezumi smirked. "That eager to see how much I've grown, hm?"
Shion blushed and hit Nezumi's shoulder. "You'll put on his clothes and wait for us here with Allen, while we go to my mother's."
"What for?" Kanda asked.
"To get my clothes for Allen. I'll see if I have something bigger for Kanda, and then you can have your clothes back."
"So why are you going with him instead of me?" Nezumi asked.
"Because that way we'll cover more ground. Besides, they're the ones who hunt Akuma, and I know Allen will know what to do if the bees show up," Shion explained.
Nezumi opened his mouth to ask why he was taking Kanda instead of Allen, then, but knew that the white-haired exorcist's clothes wouldn't fit him like Kanda's would. Besides, he didn't want to spend time with the Japanese exorcist anyway. Not that he did with Allen.
"Fine," Kanda and Nezumi agreed at the same time, then turned to glare at each other.
"Don't let Kanda get under your skin," Allen warned his friend as the taller men walked back into the forest to get changed.
"Same to you with Nezumi," Shion replied, then lowered his voice, just to be sure he wouldn't be heard by the other two, "And please take care of him if you find the bees. He can be a bit stubborn and reckless."
"Leave it to me! Your most important person is in the right hands," Allen smiled.
A little farther off, Kanda and Nezumi both stripped, wearing the same begrudged expression. After they were done, they tossed each other their clothes and proceeded to put them on. Although Kanda was slightly taller than Nezumi, their clothes fit on the other just as snuggly as they had on their true owner.
"Put your hair down," Nezumi ordered Kanda.
"Why should I?" the exorcist narrowed his eyes at him.
"Because it looks weird."
Offended at the comment, Kanda glared at Nezumi. "Your hair is up, too."
"Yeah, but mine's much shorter than your girly hair. Paired with that girly face of yours, people will mistake you for a girl."
"Who has a girly face?" Now the exorcist was angry. He already had to put up with Allen saying that, and now this sewer rat?
"Just admit it already. And I never said it's a bad thing. You could work at my theater. We could use another actor to play female roles," Nezumi said, adjusting the coat of the uniform over his shoulders.
"How does that moyashi put up with you?" Kanda grumbled, pulling his hair down anyways. He felt restricted somewhat, but he guessed that'd be better than calling attention to himself with his samurai-styled hair. Not that having it down would be much better…
"I could say the same about your airhead. I wonder how anyone could get along with you," Nezumi replied.
"Who said we get along?" the other bit back. "We're nothing like you and that other guy."
"Don't say it like you know what we're like," Nezumi said.
"Hmph. He said you're his most important person, and he did mention kissing."
"He said that?" Nezumi asked, turning completely to make full eye contact with Kanda. The exorcist nodded. "When?"
"Saa."
"Che," Nezumi snorted, irritated. Just when Kanda was about to leave, he called, "Oy." The exorcist stopped, but didn't spin around to face him. "You'd better protect the airhead."
With that, Nezumi walked past Kanda and back to where Allen and Shion waited for them. Kanda cursed the gods that had gotten him into such a predicament and followed after.
To Shion, seeing Kanda with his hair down was like seeing Nezumi as Eve. Even without all the makeup to make him look more feminine, the exorcist looked the part. Even more so with Nezumi's scowl darkening his features.
"Ready to go, Kanda-san?" Shion asked, trying not to stare too much at the exorcist or Nezumi, who looked surprisingly good in the black and white uniform.
Without a word, Kanda followed Shion away from the group and towards the center of the city, leaving a grumpy Nezumi and worried Allen behind.
"Quit staring, baka moyashi."
"Sumimasen," Shion scratched the back of his head with a smile. "It's just that I can't help but think how beautiful your hair is, Kanda-san."
Kanda just grunted and continued walking. Between his long dark hair and Shion's stark white one, the people they passed always turned to look at them. They received unusual looks of people who mistook the exorcist for a girl and observed how much taller than the boy he - or she - was. Kanda's fingers twitched as he held back the urge to draw out Mugen, which was safely hidden from view inside his borrowed trousers, at some of the looks they received.
"I really want to feel it."
"What?"
"Your hair. It looks so soft."
"As if I'd let a moyashi like you touch it," Kanda snorted.
"What's with that name?" Shion frowned. "My name is Shion."
"So?"
"So why don't you call me that?"
"I'll do whatever I want," the exorcist said. "How much farther?"
"We're not even in Lost Town yet," Shion said. "So quite a bit."
Silence settled over them after that.
"Is this really okay?" Allen asked, looking down at the city if No. 6 and wondering how the others were doing.
"Yeah, they don't need us to babysit them," Nezumi said, lying down with his eyes closed under the shade of a big tree, his crossed arms supporting his head.
"Don't be so cold, Nezumi," the exorcist said, sitting down beside him. "I know how you feel about Shion."
Nezumi's eyes shot open to stare up at Allen. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
"You like him."
"Betsuni."
"So why would you kiss him?"
"It means nothing."
"A kiss means you like someone," Allen said.
"No, it means you want to kiss," Nezumi disagreed.
"No, it─" Allen's sentence was cut off by Nezumi's lips pressed to his.
"Why do we have to go all the way to your house?" Kanda asked. "Can't you just buy some new clothes?"
"Not without my identification bracelet," Shion replied.
"Why don't you have it?"
"I had to get rid of it when I ran from the city. It had a tracker on it." Before Kanda could ask, he said, "They were accusing me of a crime I didn't commit."
"Hm."
"So, Kanda-san, why is it that you and Allen bicker so often?" Shion asked, trying to divert the topic from himself. That and he found the exorcists' relationship interesting.
"Che, because he's a stupid moyashi, of course."
"And what does that mean?"
"He irritates me. What's it to you?"
"Just curious." He smiled, thinking of his friend. "I like Allen. He's nice."
Kanda gave him a weird look.
"Nezumi!"
"Just making a point," Nezumi said, kissing Allen again, longer this time. The exorcist frowned and pulled back.
"What point?"
"You don't have to have feelings for someone to kiss them. You just have to want it," Nezumi explained. "You should know that, too."
"Me? Why?"
"You kissed Shion, didn't you?" he said, then frowned. "Or are you going to tell me that you have feelings for the airhead?"
"I do. I like him. And kissing him felt good."
"Wait. Do you like him, or do you like him?"
"Ahhh, I don't understand," Allen said.
"Do you want to kiss him like this…" Nezumi leaned in again and crushed his lips against Allen's. The boy gasped in surprise and Nezumi took the opportunity to thrust his tongue inside the other's mouth. Their kiss deepened and their tongues slid past each other, sending tingles through Allen. Nezumi was more skilled than Shion, and it was obvious that he knew what he was doing. It felt good, and when Nezumi pulled back, the exorcist almost voiced his protest.
"…Or like this?" Nezumi continued, leaning in for another kiss. Allen immediately parted his lips, offering the other easy access to deepen the kiss, but Nezumi shut his mouth by pushing his chin up gently with two fingers. He merely pressed his lips to Allen's, one of his hands tangling in his white hair while the other caressed the side of his neck. It felt good, too, but not nearly enough. It was kind of awkward, having the harsh Nezumi treat him like he were a fragile doll.
When Nezumi pulled away, Allen immediately said, "The first."
"See? You pick lust over love, like most people. Me, too."
"But was your and Shion's kiss like this first one?" Allen asked.
"Yeah," Nezumi lied.
Karan looked positively dejected when Shion and Kanda entered her bakery. When she looked up and saw who her customers were, she let out a little surprised squeal, her hands flying to her mouth.
"Kaa-san," Shion grinned, embracing his mother when she ran into him.
"Shion!" she cried, burying her face in his shirt. "I can't believe it!"
Shion pushed his mother away to look at her face. "How have you been?"
"I missed you so much, Shion! I was so scared! What happened to your hair?"
"It's a long story." He kissed her forehead, truly happy he got to see her after so long. All the little letters just weren't enough. Too bad he wouldn't be able to stay…
"Is this Nezumi-san?" Karan asked, looking past Shion at an uncomfortable Kanda.
"No, this is another friend, Kanda Yuu. Kaa-san, look at me. I can't stay for long. We just came by to grab some clothes, then we have to go."
"What? No!" she cried, grabbing Shion shirt tightly. "I saw them take Safu today, Shion. I can't let you go now."
"Sa…fu? What happened to Safu?" Shion asked worriedly.
Karan shook her head, realizing she'd said too much.
Shion shook his mom lightly, "Okaa-san! Where's Safu?"
"The Security Bureau took her. To the Correctional Facility, I think," she said.
"Why? Why did they take her, Kaa-san?"
"I don't know, Shion! They just shoved her into a car!"
Kanda, who had been awkwardly standing close to the door, spoke for the first time, seeing how flustered Shion was, "Who's this Safu?"
"Shion's good friend of many years," Karan replied when the white-haired boy didn't.
"I have to save her," Shion stated with an unsettling calm.
"You can't!" his mother cried, shaking her head desperately. "Not in the Correctional Facility. No one ever leaves that place."
"I have no choice," he said in that same tone.
"What have I done..?" Karan covered his mouth with her hands, tears streaming down her face as her son pulled away and climbed up the stairs to get what they'd come for.
"You have to stop him, Kanda Yuu-kun," she pleaded, giving the exorcist such a helpless look that he simply couldn't refuse. Something about seeing Karan - who looked so much like Shion - cry for her son and look so desperate tugged at Kanda's heart strings, no matter how much he tried to ignore it.
He found Shion in one of the upstairs rooms, grabbing different clothes from his drawer and carelessly throwing them on the bed behind him. "Would you try these on, please? I want to make sure they fit."
"Oy, moyashi─"
"The clothes are on the bed," Shion's voice was perfectly even as he continued to dig through his neatly folded clothes, disarranging them completely. He didn't seem to care.
"About your friend, you should listen to what your mother says and not do anything rash," Kanda said, ignoring the other's request.
"I'm not sure I know what you mean. Now would you hurry up, please?"
"There's nothing you can do about your friend now."
"Would you please try on the clothes?"
"If she really cares about you, she wouldn't want you to risk yourself for her sake."
"Put on the clothes, Kanda."
"Besides, we have more pressing matters at hand than wasting precious time to rescue some girl. You should just forget it and─"
"I told you to put on the fucking clothes!" Shion yelled, spinning around and facing Kanda. The exorcist seemed unfazed by the usually gentle boy's outburst, and opened his mouth to speak again.
When he did, Shion shoved him hard enough to send him toppling down onto the bed, bouncing slightly as his back hit the mattress. Before he could get up - or react in any way, for that matter - Shion mounted him, straddling his hips and pinning him down on the bed by holding his wrists above his head. Kanda could have easily thrown the much smaller boy off, but didn't, for some reason. The younger boy yanked down the zipper of Kanda's borrowed jacket and pushed it open with one hand, still pinning the exorcist's wrists above his head with the other one.
In the position they were in, there was no way Shion could further remove Kanda's clothes. Noticing that, the white-haired boy yelled in frustration and frantically yanked at the yellow shirt Kanda was wearing. All he managed to do with that was rip a little of the collar before he tiredly sagged down against the man beneath him. Kanda, who had passively stayed still during the other's outbreak, pulled his hands free from Shion's now loose grip and softly raked his fingers through the boy's white hair. Shion lifted his head to look at the exorcist, tear streaks marking his pale face.
He looked so soft, so pure, and so desolate at that moment that Kanda couldn't help but want to comfort him.
Closing the distance between them, the exorcist pressed his lips against Shion's parted ones, mentally urging the boy to respond to his kiss. After a moment that, for Kanda, seemed to last an eternity, Shion started moving his lips against his. The dark-haired man pushed up, supporting their weight on one of his forearms, smoothing his hand up and down Shion's back with his free one. The boy took the opportunity to feel Kanda's hair then, fisting the long strands in his hand and reveling in the soft texture of it against his skin. Shion snaked his other hand between them, feeling the contours of Kanda's chest and biceps, which strained and stood out with the effort of keeping them up, through the fabric of his shirt.
Kanda broke free of the kiss, letting his head fall back and trying not to make any sounds that'd give away how good Shion's hands against him felt. The action made the hand that Shion had in his hair pull on the strands, eliciting a groan from the exorcist.
"Gomen…" the white-haired boy mumbled, letting go of his hair and sitting back on the bed. He sighed and wiped at the tears staining his face, sniffing and forcing back his feelings.
"Gomenasai," he repeated, pushing away from the bed and standing up. Kanda lifted his head to stare up at Shion, who now had a full-blown smile across his lips.
A/N: Thank you everyone for reviewing last chapter! I hope to hear more from you this time around!
Japanese phrases (not including the basic ones from last chapter):
Oyasumi - good night
Oy, omae - rude way of saying "hey, you"
Chikusho - damn it
Gaki - brat
Betsuni - not particularly
Saa - who knows
Sumimasen - excuse me/sorry
Kaa-san - mother
Gomen/gomenasai - forgive me