[A/N] - Hi~ Read this please?
Another short gift for all my readers - my reviewers might've known this was coming if I remembered to mention it in their replies.
Please enjoy the ninth chapter of For the First Time!
Recommendations: Read in 3/4th page size. I personally think it looks cleaner.
Disclaimer: I do not, cannot, shall not, will not, could not, and probably should not ever own D. Gray-man.
A few more days passed and Lenalee returned from China, pulling up in the same black car she had left in and stepping through the gate with arms full of nothing because Komui had insisted on carrying it all for her. She waited for him to set them down next to the gate before rummaging through her bags and pulling out a large panda plush that doubled as a pillow for Lavi and a large bag of assorted candies for Allen. The two boys accepted their gifts with smiles and hugs.
"So how was China?" Allen asked, breaking into his bag of candies right away and popping one in his mouth as the trio walked slowly from the South Gate to the center of the courtyard.
"It was nice – way too hot for me, but I liked seeing everything again. I hadn't been there since I was a little girl, so I go this feeling of nostalgia when I saw all the markets and streets." Lenalee smiled. "They had a lot of street vendors there – I always imagined you eating them all out of food whenever I saw them."
"He tried to do that to Jerry here," Lavi piped up, trying to steal a candy from the bag in the crook of Allen's arm and failing. "We haven't been up to much besides eating and sleeping. It was probably as hot here as it was in China."
The three sat down on the edge of the fountain, Allen in the middle with Lavi and Lenalee on either side.
Lenalee laughed. "Somehow I doubt that, but I'll take your word for it… Hey, Lavi! You pierced your ears!" She pointed at the bright green stones set into Lavi's earlobes, leaning around Allen to get a closer look.
The red-haired boy grinned, shouldering the panda plush as if giving it a piggy-back ride. "Allen's birthday present to me."
"They look good on you! You should have gotten them earlier," Lenalee said. She turned to Allen and scanned his face for a moment. "You know, you'd look pretty good with earrings too."
"Do you think so?" Allen mused.
She nodded vigorously. "You should consider it."
He made a noncommittal hum, starting on his next piece of candy. Lavi made a lunge for the bag and missed, nearly falling into the fountain when Allen switched to holding the bag behind his back.
"Come on, Allen," Lavi whined. "There're so many in that bag – you can spare one…"
"I could, but I won't. They're Lenalee's gift to me, not to you."
"Sharing is caring!"
"I don't see you trying to share your panda with me."
Lavi's face flushed. "Well, of course not. It'd be pretty awkward to share a pillow."
Allen raised an eyebrow. "If you say so. Either way, no candy for you."
Lenalee giggled, breaking up their minor spat. "Lavi, I think you'll live without it."
"You're both against me now," Lavi mourned, standing up. "I'm just going to go back to the room and sulk with the panda."
Allen looked up at the darkening sky. "It is getting late. We should let you rest, Lenalee. I'm sure the long plane ride back here wasn't all that comfortable."
"It could have been better," she agreed, getting up and brushing off the hem of her skirt. "Now that you mention it, there was actually this one little boy that was sitting behind me that just refused to stop kicking my chair…"
Together, they walked to the East Wing, exchanging stories and chatting about random nonevents until they reached Allen and Lavi's room. There, the boys said good night to Lenalee and thanked her once more for the gifts before closing the door behind them.
Allen borrowed the bathroom first, but not before stashing his bag of candies under his nightstand and warning Lavi that he knew exactly how many candies were inside. Lavi dropped his panda onto his bed, where it settled among his pillows with a soft thump. He changed into a comfortable set of clothes to sleep in before Allen emerged from the bathroom, eyes half-closed and fluttering with sleep.
"I'm all done with the bathroom," Allen said, yawning as he passed the other boy entering the bathroom after him.
"Alright."
Lavi took a few minutes to prepare himself for bed before exiting. He made his way over to his bed and noticed the conspicuous absence of his panda from his bad. He was confused for a moment before he noticed a single piece of candy resting on his pillow. He looked over to see Allen with his arms wrapped around the big plush, watching Lavi pick up the candy and toss it up in the air before catching it.
"It's not that awkward sharing the panda," Allen told him.
Lavi scratched his head. "I guess not, but only one piece? Stingy."
Allen turned over, his back facing Lavi. "If you're going to eat that now, brush your teeth again."
"Good night to you too." Lavi chuckled before unwrapping the candy and tossing it in his mouth.
[A/N] - And there you go. For anyone that might have missed her, Lenalee's back home.
Please consider reviewing after reading~ All the virtual hugs I can give are yours if you do~
Bribery(?) aside, Happy New Year's Eve and Happy New Years to everyone! May the coming year be filled with happiness and cheer!
