Chapter ten – Coffee and pills

It took Allen a moment to realize he was awake and even longer to realize why.

It hadn't been nightmares. He had been enjoying a rare sleep of blissful darkness. 'Blissful darkness' meant no dreams, not tossing, no turning and most of all no nightmares, something Allen rarely experienced these days.

For a moment he thought it may have been light filtering in through the shuttered windows but a quick glance upwards revealed pitch blackness outside, the moon hiding behind the sheltering grey clouds.

Allen frowned and slowly sat up, allowing the blankets to bunch around his waist. As he did so it finally dawned on him what the cause may be.

Sometime during the night Kanda's arm had withdrawn from being lightly draped around him and its absence must have weighed down his mind enough to pull him from sleep.

Allen felt his cheeks flush red. Being dependant on Kanda sleeping beside him to aid his own decent in to the dreamworld was bad enough, but not being able to sleep at all without his touch was just humiliating in its childishness.

"Moy…ashi…"

Allen flinched as Kanda's annoyed groan intruded upon his self reflection. He looked back down at the pillow and was greeted with the sight of sleepy grey eyes peering grumpily up at him.
"Why aren't you asleep?" Allen muttered. There was a shift in the beds coverings as Kanda propped himself up on his elbow and glowered over at him.

"Because a certain moyashi woke me up."

"… Oh." Allen wasn't exactly sure what to say. He considered apologizing but couldn't find the grounds needed to do so, so instead he settled with looking blankly down at his gloved hands.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Kanda asked in return and Allen felt his cheeks flush slightly. It was silent for a moment. "Did you have another nightmare?"

"Ahh… No, that's not it. I just sort of… woke up?" It came out as more of a question then a reply and Allen winced at his own awkwardness.

Kanda heaved an exhausted sigh and before Allen could comprehend what was going on a hand closed around his wrist and he found himself yanked back on to his back.

"Kanda!" Allen yelped, caught off guard. "What are you –?"

"Shut up and go back to sleep." Came Kanda's grumpy reply and before Allen could object he was pulled in close against his chest by a firm and unyielding arm.

Allen let out his pent up breath and allowed himself to relax back into Kanda's arms. He couldn't think of anything stranger than this. The two of them who did nothing but fight lying like this, side by side in one bed. After a brief moment of deliberation Allen resolved that he would try to fight less with Kanda from now own.

With a light smile tingeing his lips he allowed himself to slowly fall back into the welcoming embrace of darkness.

OoO_oOo_oOo

"Hurry up Moyashi."

Allen could feel a slight tick developing over his eye and he knew the silent vow he had made in the early hours of the morning wouldn't remain unbroken for long.

Kanda was tapping his foot irritably by the dorm room door, hair once again up in it's usual pony tail, courtesy of ducking out of the room just after awakening to go visit Lenalee.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Allen growled as he worked to straighten his vest. He was just folding back the cuffs on his shirt when he felt an unpleasant squirming sensation in his sleeve. A moment later Timcanpy burst free of the fabric and collided with a resounding whack with Kanda's face.

"God fucking damnit!" Kanda shouted, swinging wildly at the golem as it danced away, one hand pressed against his rapidly reddening cheek. Allen snickered and Kanda quickly looked back over at him to glare.

"Tame your fucking snitch." He growled.

"He's not a snitch, he's a golem." Allen stressed, holding out one hand for Timcanpy to land on.

"Snitch, golem, fucking messenger of god! I don't give a damn what it is just control it or I'll introduce it to Mugen."

Allen scowled and pulled a face at Kanda's tasteless and vulgar language, but he was too used to it to really make an issue out of it.

Timcanpy fluttered off of Allen's finger and danced around Kanda's head in a flurry of wings. In one smooth move Kanda had caught the golem in his hand and threw it in his desk drawer as if it was a poisonous viper.

"Hey!" Allen objected as the drawer rattled madly, no doubt Timcanpy wanting out.

"Now come on Moyashi or we're not going to get to eat breakfast."

Allen bit back his sharp retort as his stomach gave a loud rumble like a starving animal and followed the victoriously smirking Kanda out of the room.

His breakfast was waiting next to Kanda's soba on a table with an anxious looking Lenalee and Lavi lording over it. Upon spotting a relatively healthy Allen arguing with Kanda their expressions changed to ones of relief.

"You're looking better to day." Lavi observed as Allen sat down heavily at the table and began digging into a stack of toast waiting for him.

"I'm feeling better." Came the muffled reply.

Lavi grinned widely from ear to ear and Lenalee put her coffee mug down with a smile playing along her lips.

"Must have been the chocolate bar." Lavi boasted. "Told ja' it would do you good."
Kanda snorted loudly as he unsnapped his chopsticks. "I'm sure that was exactly what made him feel better, Baka Usagi. A chocolate bar."

"I don't see you helping him feel better." Lavi said affronted. "Unless…"

Allen raised an eyebrow as he dusted bread crumbs from his hands. "…Unless?" He prompted but a moment later regretted it.

"Unless you two were sleeping together again!"

Kanda choked on his Soba and began performing the Heimlich maneuver on himself as Allen's face blew up to bright red.

Lavi looked back and forth between his dying friends and seemed to draw a conclusion from their shocked states. In one swift move he leapt out of his chair and pointed victoriously at them both.

"You did, you did!" He cackled evilly.

Lenalee was busy thumping Kanda on the back and Allen was shaking his head furtively.

With one last thump the soba blocking Kanda's throat seemed to move and he gave an annoyed cough and snatched Lavi's glass of water and drained it in a second. Lavi ducked in case his beloved Yu-chan chose to throw it but Kanda just thumped it loudly back down on the table before hissing, "don't make assumptions based on your half assed fucking deductive powers you mediocre detective!"

Lavi looked insulted as he straightened up. "That's not very nice Yu-chan. Do you mean to say you didn't comfort your poor little Moyashi all night long?"

There was the sound of glass shattering as the previously secure cup was thrown at Lavi but was ducked.

"You're so angry all the time, Yu-chan. You should really see someone about – Neh, where'd Moyashi go?" A quick look up showed a familiar white head bobbing its way through the students leaving the café.

"Neh, Moyashi-chan! Wait for me!" Lavi wailed as he dashed after his friend. Lenalee heaved an exasperated sigh as she Kanda got slowly to their feet and followed after the pair.

oOo_O_oOo

The day was over before it even begun in Allen's eyes and he found himself thinking with bemusement as he followed Lavi and Lenalee into town that he may finally be adjusting to high school life.

Kanda had 'politely declined to go with them' Lavi had told Allen with what may have been some tattered remains of his dignity, seeing as how he was suddenly sporting an amazingly purple bruise on his forehead after the so called 'politely decline'.

"It's Friday tomorrow." Lavi crooned loudly as they walked through the central business district of the town. He appeared to be in high spirits today as he rambled on and on about what they should do on the weekend.

"So, how was you first week at black order academy?" Lenalee asked softly as Lavi proclaimed loudly – with his two friends ignoring his tirade – what a beautiful day it was.

Allen smiled warmly up at her. "I think I'll do just fine if Komui doesn't set another robot loose on the school." Lenalee gave a nervous chuckle and averted her eyes as if to say, can't guarantee it.

"Hey! Look this store's having a sale on!" Lavi called brightly, pausing in front of a large window.

Lenalee raised an eyebrow. "Lavi, that's a coffee shop. You don't even drink coffee."

"Yeah, but someday a might and it's on sale." Lavi emphasized the sale part with great enthusiasm and Lenalee sighed but none the less following the impulsive redhead into the store.

The store was littered with giggling teenager and Allen found himself unconsciously flipping the hood of his jacket up as he walked in to better hide his snowy hair and extravagant scar.

Lavi had drifted off to look at what the sign proclaimed as chocolate flavored coffee beans which seemed a bit contradicting to Allen.

"Hey, Allen! Come here!" Allen drifted over to Lenalee and she grinned at him, gesturing at the price of some fancy coffee beans in front of her. "Look how cheap it is!"

Allen shook his head. "Don't get taken in by the sale, Lenalee." He warned.

She frowned. "You're so careful with your money, Allen."

"Eh? Not really… Old habits die hard I guess…" he gave a nervous chuckle but his eyes darted about as if they were searching for possible escape routes. "Oh, hey look! That looks nice over there! I'm going to go have a look!"

Lenalee sighed as he dashed away into another isle.

oOo_oOo_oOo

Kanda could feel the pencil nearly snapping under his unrelenting grip and he forced himself to calm down. It was just like his math teacher to pile up the homework for him like this. It was like he was asking to be sent to his grave early.

One more problem then I'll go meditate for a while, he promised and let out his breath. Just one more.

With his vitals revived he looked back down at the paper and tried to focus in on a problem asking him to find x. He resisted the childish impulse to circle the one in the problem.

This is bullshit, I can't do this! He felt his grip on the mechanical pencil rapidly tightening again.

Snap!

Kanda let out a yelp and felt his cheeks burn red at the pathetic sound that had escaped his lips. He looked down at his hands and let out an irritated sigh. His work was splattered with a light smattering of blood and small green tinted plastic fragments were embedded in his flesh.

"There goes my homework." He said disgustedly as he tossed the remains of the mechanical pencil down onto his ruined work.

He rinsed the blood off his hands in the bathroom sink, wincing as he tugged the chipped plastic out of himself and watching as it fell into the red tinted water swirling down the drain.

With his hands smarting painfully he bent down and opened the bathroom cupboard and wrestled the first aid kit out.

"Eh?" Sitting harmlessly at the back where the first aid kit had been a moment ago was a small, yellow bottle.

He paused for a moment and raced back through his memories. It hadn't been there a few days ago when his first moved in. He had to shift the first aid kit to check if the sink was leaking – which it had been – so it must have been put there since.

Puzzled and injuries forgotten Kanda reached in and drew it out, turning it over in his hands. It was unlabeled and a shake made the contents rattle noisily.

Curious, he unscrewed the cap and raised an eyebrow and the many small, white pills inside. Shit.

If it had been put there since there was only one person who could have possible put it there.

Allen Walker.

There was the sound of metal jingling and the doors lock clicked open.

"Hey, I'm back Kanda!" Called a cheerful voice. "Lavi got you some coffee so he gave it to me to pass on –."

Allen stopped talking as he saw Kanda leaning on the bathroom door way looking very pissed off.

"…Kanda?"

Kanda held up his hand and unclenched his fingers. Allen was greeted with the sight of a familiar pill bottle.

"What are these?"

Allen looked from Kanda's hard face to the pill bottle again and felt his heart give a weak beat.

… Shit. Pills meet Kanda. Kanda meet pills. The two of you have seemed to team up against me and that's the real problem. Now, excuse me while I think up a valid excuse for this.

oOo_oOo_oOo

A/N: I know this is going to be a long authors note, but bear with me.

First off, my computer has died. Kicked the bucket. Croaked it. Gone to hard drive heaven. And I won't be able to get a new one or have it repaired until Christmas. In its death it took my half finished chapter with it so I had to rewrite it all on here.

I'll be sharing my brother's computer for now so hopefully updating will still be on time :)

I'm also very sick at the moment with a painful cough and a never ending need for tissues so I'm spending a lot of time in bed and away from the computer, so I don't know when the next update will be but I'll try to get it up soon.

Thank you to all the nice messages relating to my convention. In answer to any questions I went to AVcon, I did not cosplay but I will be going as our favorite Yu-chan next year.

….

A usual thank you all for reading and please leave me a review ^_^