Disclaimer: I don't own D Gray Man or any of its characters.
Can't believe the summer is over. I'm afraid I won't be able to update as often. So please be patient with me and I'll update as soon as I possibly can. Thank you and enjoy this!
Chapter 20 - Warmth
Every time she breathed, a puff of mist would appear before her eyes.
When she was younger, she took delight in making images sparkle and waver from the cold mist, opening and closing her mouth like a frog, to create the shape of her desire. But now, her mind was not on making these beautifully crafted shapes. It was keeping her hands warm.
A mission to the north of Russia had her and Allen wandering in the wilderness for hours, having lost their Finder and their guide. The snow, up to their knees, was relentless and bitter, slowing their movements, threatening to drag them below. And having lost her mittens earlier and her pockets not being very deep, she had no protection against the cold.
Allen was lucky enough to have at least a pair of gloves with him, despite them being pretty thin. She didn't have the heart to ask him for even one of his gloves, because he was suffering just as much as her in this weather. So she would silently endure it.
But eventually, Allen noticed. How she struggled to shove her hands into her pocket that wasn't big enough to fit her hands in.
" Are you cold, Lenalee?" he asked, gazing at her in concern.
" A little," she lied through chattering teeth and a cheerful smile.
He shot her a half-disbelieving, half-pitying look. " Here. This might help." Allen took her shivering hands with his own and began gently rubbing them. " Warmer?"
Giddy that feeling had returned to her fingers, Lenalee smiled genuinely this time. " A bit."
Then, to her shock and embarrassment, Allen dipped his head down to her hands, cupped neatly in his much bigger hands, and breathed into them.
A flood of heat blossomed over her hands, coursing through her blood and making their way to her cheeks.
" Better this time?"
" A - a lot better," she stammered, turning red.
Allen simply smiled and held her hands for just a little while longer.