I love you all and I am so sorry for updating this late! I swear I'm not doing it on purpose. This semester simply will not allow me to slack off as much as I could last semester. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. Your reviews, favorites, and follows support me, so I wanted to thank everyone.

Chapter 11

Allen's POV

I drank the tea Tiedoll gave me, relishing the soothing sensation as the liquid went down my worn throat. I had never sang so much in my entire life, and it was beginning to affect my voice. Tiedoll, being a father-like figure in this household, decided to pamper me. I would enjoy the treatment, if it hadn't meant that he kept me at home too. I don't particularly like school, but it was better than doing nothing at home.

"How does your throat feel?" Tiedoll asked me as he washed out the pans he used this morning to make us all breakfast. I learned what it was like being a family these past few days. Every day, Tiedoll woke up at six to make breakfast and coffee. Then he came to wake all of his children up, made sure they took turns showering, getting breakfast, etc. He gave everyone equal amounts of attention, scolding, urging. Then he took us to school. When he came back home he would do the dishes, clean the house, and then work on his paintings. For me, this was a foreign concept. I always thought of housework as slave work. Cross never did it for me, except on rare occasions where I would fall sick. But for Tiedoll, I think he enjoys doing little things for the people he loves.

"Better," I replied truthfully. He glanced over his shoulder at me with a warm smile.

"I'm glad. It would be awful for the lead singer to lose his voice."

I chuckled, pulling out my phone when it vibrated. My eyes widened when I saw who it was. A blush heated my cheeks, a bubble of excitement and uneasiness pooling in my stomach at the same time.

Hey Allen. Are you at school at the moment?

It made me happy to see a text from my boyfriend—it seemed like centuries had passed since we last spoke. In the hectic changes and resurfacing of memories I almost forgot that I even had a normal life. And he was a part of it.

No. Why? Did you want to call me? If you did, you're just going to have to wait. I sent him the text, knowing that he would understand I was not serious about making him wait. He replied back quickly.

Why do I have to call you when I can see you in person?

My stomach dropped, my air completely stilling in my chest. I saw Tiedoll drying his hands from the corner of my eye, but could not bring myself to do anything more than stare blankly at my phone. Then an ecstatic feeling burst in my chest. I eagerly exited out of the messaging system and dialed my boyfriend's number. He picked up on the third ring. He was laughing.

"I thought you said I would have to wait to call you," he teased.

"Forget that, what did you mean you could see me in person?" I demanded. I felt Tiedoll's gaze settle onto me. I couldn't bring myself to bother returning it.

"Well, I just so happened to land at the airport of the same city you live in," he said slowly. "I may also need a ride from my beloved boyfriend."

I was speechless, unable to formulate a single word in my brain. And yet my mouth seemed to work completely on its own.

"Are you serious?"

"I am dead serious," he replied with a laugh. "I told my family about the university I applied to, and they let me come here to visit it on a few conditions."

I wondered if it was my imagination; the end of his sentence began to sound more uneasy and hesitant to speak. Almost regretful.

"These conditions don't sound so good," I remarked. HE was silent for a moment, indicating his mood had fallen and he was more serious.

"Well, I will tell you about them later," he promised. Then his voice became cheery. "All of that aside, are you going to come get me or not?"

I looked at Tiedoll, putting the phone against my chest

"I have someone who needs a ride from the airport," I told him carefully, a little reluctant to abuse his help. I felt like all I ever do is owe him for such kindness. Asking for yet another favor…it simply did not settle well in the pit of my stomach. "Do you mind picking him up? I swear I will go with you."

Tiedoll gave me a soft smile.

"I don't mind picking up one of your friends," he assured me as he dried his hands. "Do we need to go now?"

I relayed the question to my boyfriend and he replied that he could wait as long as necessary. It wasn't like he had anywhere to be today.

"No," I answered after hearing the response.

Tiedoll nodded, gesturing towards my cup of tea. "Then drink up while I go get change. Then we'll leave."

::

I sat in the passenger seat of Tiedoll's car (a rare privilege since the others usually called shotgun before I could), gazing out the window listlessly as we drove by buildings and trees and other cars. We didn't speak for about ten minutes. I didn't mind, since Tiedoll's disposition could make anyone feel at ease with him. Even in the past he was like that.

The memory made a small smile form on my face. I recalled that even though I had never written about Tiedoll as a major part of my life, I enjoyed his presence in my life more than I knew back then. Whereas Cross was a stern father figure who made sure I could persevere through anything, Tiedoll was gentle and loving. He would be the one to literally through himself in front of a bullet for you.

"Who is this person we are going to pick up?" Tiedoll asked. "A friend?"

I laughed.

"You could say that," I agreed. "He's actually my boyfriend. We've been together for five months now."

"Five months? Then you knew him before you came here," said Tiedoll. He cast a worried glance over me. "Does he know what is going on right now?"

I knew he didn't mean about the band or school work. He meant about my past life, what I did and the fact I remembered it.

"No, he doesn't," I admitted. "And the moment, I don't even know if I should. How would I explain it? Will he think I'm crazy? Even if he believed me, he may leave me because being with me could put him in danger."

I felt my eyebrows furrow of their own accord. Such things did not fit my boyfriend's personality, but irrational fears never needed to make sense.

"I understand. It certainly would be a lot for an outsider to take in, let alone accept," said Tiedoll. "You must really care about him."

I recalled how we met. The occasion wasn't anything special. I remember running away from debt collectors. During my escape I managed to cut my arm on a wire. He found me at the store buying supplies to deal with it. After buying the supplies for me (he insisted, pointing out that the cashier would be appalled by the state of my arm) he took me to a park nearby and patched me up. He made sure I kept in contact with him so that my injury wouldn't get infected. We became friends, and our friendship blossomed into a relationship like we have now. It is still a young relationship, but my feelings for him never diminished.

"Yes, I do."

Tiedoll met my gaze in the mirror.

"You know, I really thought you had a thing for my son, or that red head," he told. Suddenly I became embarrassed and looked away. "You don't?"

I didn't answer him, my guilty silence enough to tell him what he wanted to know. Tiedoll pulled up to the parking garage's entrance, receiving a ticket from the machines. The bar raised up and he drove through.

"You know, you can't keep this a secret. Your boyfriend and those other two deserve to know," he told me.

"I know that," I replied automatically. I realized what I said and blushed lightly. "However, I am loyal, Tiedoll. I love my boyfriend a lot. Even though I care for Lavi and Kanda, and see them both as attractive people, I will not give up the one I am committed to. This is the proof of my love."

"But you're denying your heart," he pointed out, pulling into a parking space.

"Tiedoll, I don't even know if what I feel towards Lavi and Kanda is love or not. And even I did love them, what do I do? I can't very well choose between anyone," I argued. "I love the one I'm with now and I don't want to push him away or break up with him. For that reason alone…I won't look too deeply into the way I feel for the other two."

Tiedoll parked, unbuckling his seatbelt, and he turned to face me, his gaze unusually sharp.

"The heart will choose for you," he said in a warning tone. "Your logic will do you no good."

"I'll keep that in mind," I responded drily, unbuckling my own seatbelt. We both clambered out of the car, ending our conversation. We made our way through the parking garage, to loop where cabs and buses picked up landed travelers to carry them to other places. Tiedoll seemed to know his way, so I simply followed him, a growing sense of giddiness invading my stomach along with a ton of butterflies.

We came to the loop, and when I saw my boyfriend sitting on the bench, waving at me with a large grin on his face, it took Tiedoll's quick reminder to look before crossing. As soon as I cleared the asphalt, he began to rise. I immediately threw my arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around my waist and he spun me around.

"Allen, it feels like I haven't seen you in forever!" he exclaimed. I laughed happily, the sound coming from deep within my belly. It was a pure sound, and I knew without looking that it surprised Tiedoll.

"It has been!" I shouted back happily. He set me down (much to my chagrin I had to tilt my head back to look into his face). I had barely looked at his face before he stooped down to press a kiss against my lips. My cheeks heated up almost instantly, embarrassed by such an obvious display of affection in public, and especially in front of Tiedoll. But I pressed my lips right back against his. When he pulled away he was grinning proudly.

"It's great that you haven't shrunk any—"

As soon as he said that I thrust my fist into his gut. He let out a whoosh of air, immediately folding in half and hacking. I turned to Tiedoll then, smiling innocently to hide my annoyance.

"Tiedoll, this is my boyfriend, Narain. In case you couldn't tell, he is a little bit of a moron," I told him. The older man chuckled as he looked over Narain, amused by the hunched over form. I waited for my boyfriend to straighten. It didn't take him long to recover, and when he did, he immediately offered his hand to shake with Tiedoll.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir," Narain said politely. Tiedoll took it.

"The pleasure is mine," he returned warmly. "I must say, you are not what I expected a boyfriend of Allen to look like."

"What do you mean?" he asked in surprise.

"Well, you simply look more normal in appearance than I thought you would," Tiedoll explained. "However, just now when I saw you recovering from Allen's punch, I knew that only a very special kind of person can withstand that kind of abuse regularly."

A redhead automatically popped into my head, Lavi. He certainly ended up being punched or elbowed by me more often than Kanda. Or anyone else for that matter.

"Ah, I see now," Narain said good naturedly. He smiled down at me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Briefly I felt constricted, his arm heavy and made it awkward since I was not that much shorter than him. But I allowed him to do it, since I loved him. "So where are we going?"

"Tiedoll's house," I replied. "He's taking care of me right now since Cross left me with him."

Surprise flittered across his face. He turned to Tiedoll in surprise.

"Really? Are you sure about that?" he asked incredulously. Tiedoll nodded.

"Absolutely," he replied. He gestured in the direction of the parking garage. "Let's go ahead and get going. I'd like to get you settled in before I go pick up my sons. Do you have any bags?"

"Just one," Narain answered, eyes wandering to the bench. Before he finished speaking Tiedoll strode past him and had it in his hand. "…thanks."

The older man winked at me marching back towards the car. He stopped by me to whisper in my ear.

"Your boyfriend is going to be going through the Inquisition tonight," he told me softly, eyes twinkling. As he walked away I felt my face pale. Narain noticed it and frowned. His arm tightened protectively around me.

"What's wrong?" he wanted to know, concern coloring his voice. "Are you alright?"

I couldn't bring myself to speak, couldn't tell him that I was living with the most insane people in the world, and that for dinner we often had the most protective people in the world. I could not bring myself to tell him he may not come out of that house with all of his limbs or sanity intact.

I have been working on this chapter for over a week, so I apologize if it sucks. I would like to thank those who read this, and congratulations for everyone who guessed it was Narain (I tried to hint at it, but I might have been too obvious). The next chapter may or may not have an inquisition, but it will DEFINITELY have drama, so buckle your seatbelt for that!