The first time Kanda met Allen Walker, he'd been arrested and brought in for trespassing.

His white hair was coarse-looking from bleaching, brown roots showing a little. And, as if that on its own wasn't enough to make him stand out, his left hand and face were tattooed – the ink across his left eye startlingly red, a pentagram shape partially covered by his bangs. Some piercings and black, tattered clothes only completed the look, especially the circled "A" sewn onto the back of his spiky, poor quality fake-leather jacket.

"It's 'A' for Allen," he answered pleasantly enough when asked about the symbol. Pleasantly as far as his tone and expression were concerned because, other than that, this first lie didn't show good promise for his impending questioning. After all, it was beyond obvious to everyone at the station that it was an anarchist symbol – that's why he'd been asked about it in the first place.

He did make an impression but maybe not that big – not immediately. After all, as commented by one of the older officers, 'his sort' were frequent guests at the station. Not as frequent as the commenter would have liked though.

"I was chasing a cat," Allen insisted endlessly during his questioning, never dropping the fake smile on his face. More often than not it was followed by "Heyy, can I get a cola? No? Some peanuts, then? Potato chips?" or "I'd accept a cigarette, too" or "It's too hot here. Can you uncuff me just for a moment so I can take off my jacket?"

Overall, he seemed dead-set on wasting everyone's time.

Kanda wasn't sure if it was some elaborate mental-fatigue application tactic devised by one of the detectives, or were they really just getting desperate for anyone to get through to the guy but, eventually, everyone available at the time were to take turns trying to talk to him, not only the people strictly-speaking qualified.

After a few hours, even Kanda's turn came – not even minding the fact that he'd still been very green then. It was to be his first, and most likely last, ever questioning of a suspect. If he were to be honest, he'd definitely say that doing something like this was definitely not why he had ever thought that he could be well-suited to be a cop.

Yet it did turn out that he would be the one to break this stalemate.

Kanda had been fully brought up to speed by others before entering the questioning room and, from the moment he stepped in, Allen had shown something new.

"Oh," he said, smile becoming a little different. "Hello, officer. I think I won't mind you asking me questions. You can even get my phone number if you'd like."

"We already have it, smart ass," Kanda immediately bristled at the flirty tone, putting in extra effort to give off an imposing aura. It was something he was good at by nature but the effect it had turned out to be opposite to his intentions. Allen only looked more eager to mess with him.

"Then, ask me on a date. I promise I'll say yes." A once-over. "Or actually, we could even skip the date."

As problematic as that fact was at the time, Kanda did find him—interesting, in terms of looks. He made himself completely ignore it and strode towards the empty chair to take a seat.

As he did so, he said "I don't date criminals."

"Criminals!" Allen gasped. "Such a strong word. But you do date men, I see."

Kanda ignored the last comment. "Can't imagine what else you'd call someone who breaks into people's houses."

"Did you check your facts, officer?" The word 'officer' sounded much different from his lips than when he was flirting. It was tinged with contempt, warm gray eyes suddenly reminiscent of steel. His smile dropped, too. "There was no break in. The door was unlocked."

"And did you or did you not jump over the fence to find that out? "

The expression on Allen's face could count as a grimace just as much as it could be a pout. He didn't answer.

"Even if you don't confirm, there was a witness."

"Fine!" He was mad, now. "You do know nothing was taken from that house, right?"

"Yeah. Because you got arrested quickly enough."

"Now you're just assuming things!"

"Why the hell else would someone enter a person's home!" Normally, Kanda certainly had no issues snapping at people. But he probably really shouldn't let that happen at work so easily.

"Why?" Allen looked honestly furious, eyes flashing, cheeks a little red in either anger or embarrassment. Or maybe both. "You won't guess it! Because! I was! Chasing! A cat!"

Kanda paused; stared. Allen's chest was heaving, the emotion in his eyes impossible to have been faked.

It was understandable in a way, if he'd really been telling the truth this entire time.

It dawned on Kanda then – was this guy just the most fucked up kind of clumsy?!

Kanda closed his eyes, trying not to let out the snort that wanted to get out. This room was pretty much constantly being video recorded.

The situation was beyond ridiculous.

When they re-established eye contact, Kanda tried to tell him with his eyes what he couldn't with his mouth – You know no one would believe this shit by now even if I insisted, right?

He cleared his throat. "This is not a place where you should be embarrassed and hide behind this kind of a ridiculous excuse. If in reality you thought the house was vacant and were looking for a place to sleep at night, you better say it now. You've already wasted hours of everyone's time. You could already be charged for obstruction of justice for this."

"I—!" He was about to deny it.

Kanda stared at him harder.

I know, idiot. Go the fuck along. He knew that couldn't be it. Allen didn't smell or look like someone who slept on the street.

Allen's mouth closed with a snap, only to then open again, gaping.

"I was— Yes— It's cold out tonight." He dropped his gaze to the table between the two of them, looking ashamed for all intents and purposes.

It really was cold, even for October.

Kanda nodded at him and promptly went to report his 'findings'. He knew he might get reprimanded for suggesting to the suspect what he should say if anyone watched the tape. But it was his first time interrogating, so he counted on being let off the hook this one time.

Besides— He's already seen enough to know that it happened often. Except that it was usually a bluff of 'You did it, right? Just admit it, we already have evidence'.

The senior Kanda reported to snorted very derisively and said "These fucking dirty punks. Fine! Bring him to a cell for the night and then he can get fucking lost."

Kanda really didn't appreciate this kind of generalizing talk but he swallowed his complaints and gave the man a cold look and a passive face. Then, he nodded.

Kanda re-entered the interrogation room and did a quick work of undoing the handcuffs, untangling them from the chair Allen sat on, and then closing them securely again. He tried not to pay attention to Allen's gaze burning the side of his face.

"Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Allen asked, a little hopeful.

"Cells."

As soon as they were out of the room, Kanda hissed quietly "You're such a fucking idiot."

"Excuse me?!"

"A little quieter, maybe." Kanda pushed him along, making him walk in front of him. Having made sure they haven't really attracted any unnecessary attention, Kanda continued quietly "You're staying in for one night. If you were more fucking cooperative in the beginning, maybe someone would have believed that ridiculous cat story. Instead you were there asking for peanuts like for goddamn popcorn." For good measure, Kanda added "Idiot beansprout."

"Beansprout?!"

"Shut it." Another push.

This time, Allen answered at a volume more reasonable for the situation. "That was only after a while, I'm hungry. Why are peanuts bad? I would have maybe asked for a candy bar if you lot weren't so fucking salty all the time, okay? And I was as cooperative as I could. Maybe you didn't notice but I'm not a fan of cops.Also, you seem to be into pushing me around, officer. I don't appreciate it."

"Can you stop saying 'officer' like that? It's annoying."

"Not as annoying as you, though. You didn't even introduce yourself, you know."

Right.

"I forgot."

Allen snorted.

Kanda pushed him again.

"It's Kanda."

"Well, nice to fucking meet you, Kanda." A pause. "And thanks."

They got to their destination by then and Kanda freed Allen from his handcuffs before crowding him inside one of the cells. Allen's eyes on him were not thankful but they were also not hostile, just— wary.

Kanda left without a word after closing him in. Few minutes later he came back with a bag of potato chips and a chocolate-covered waffle from a vending machine. It was very late at night already. He also knew no one would be very interested in going out of their way to get Allen a meal after all the trouble he caused.

The potato chips didn't fly very well, but the waffle did and Kanda managed to hit Allen squarely in the forehead.

"Hey—!"

"I want a waffle, too!" someone in a nearby cell shouted but Kanda shot them down with a firm "Piss off".

Kanda turned on his heel and left the cell area with a "Don't go chasing cats into stupid places anymore. Beansprout."

The day following Allen's release, four different homeless people committed various acts of vandalism about which they came in to self-report themselves, all of them saying a variation of "Now I'll be brought in for the night, right?".

It was almost as if someone recommended the station's accommodations to them.

The area where the cells were located stunk for a week afterwards.

The second time they met happened only some days later. Which probably said something about what a magnet for trouble Allen was.

This time though, Allen's 'crime' was driving a car that would be typical for Roma people in the area, meaning an old van. The senior that was showing Kanda the ropes on that day – delegated by the captain who was meant to be the one doing it but who declared he was busy – decided that stopping such a car is obligatory, even though it was going well within the speed limit.

The car pulled over and Allen was behind the wheel, a guy with curly hair and thick glasses occupying the other seat in the front.

Allen seemed just as surprised to see Kanda as Kanda was surprised to see Allen.

But Kanda was not the one supposed to talk today. He and Allen just silently held a look for a short moment.

"Documents," the older officer said without preamble.

"Naturally," Allen said; with that fake smile of his that Kanda now decided he found really annoying.

In this situation, Kanda would have found Allen glaring much more acceptable.

The officer studied the documents very closely, Kanda eyeing them over his shoulder – the car was registered in Allen's name and his driver license was valid so everything checked out.

Much to the older officer's disappointment.

"Are you transporting anything that we should know about?"

"My family jewels?" Allen grinned, the guy next to him bursting out into a very loud laugh. He sounded a little high, maybe. "Other than that, no."

Kanda's senior looked very displeased at his humor, and answered with vengeance "We'll see about that. Open your trunk."

"May I know the reason?" Allen asked, bleached eyebrows raising a little.

"It's a routine check" was the cold reply.

Both people in the car looked mildly displeased but definitely not surprised, as if this sort of thing happened often. Allen first turned off the ignition to take the key and only then undid his seatbelt, throwing the senior a look – probably knowing exactly that he could have been ticketed for doing this the other way around. He then swiftly got out of the car to manually unlock the trunk.

Despite Allen looking like he could have been transporting a kilo of crack and a dead hooker, they've only found empty food crates and a few gasoline canisters (upon closer inspection containing only water).

Kanda was not really participating in the search, only observing his older colleague and being silently displeased at the irrationality of this situation. Allen has been waiting a few steps away, only silently throwing Kanda a look that he interpreted as 'Are you seeing what's happening?'

Kanda wanted to snap at him. Yeah, no shit that prejudiced cops were a thing. Didn't that just mean that every addition to the police force who wasn't was a good thing?

It helped that Allen didn't exactly look like he was gloating. It was more like unimpressed resignation.

As soon as Allen had been allowed to close the trunk, he did so. Then he went straight back to his seat.

"You're so patient, Allen" Kanda heard his friend say with an unconcealed admiration.

Kanda couldn't help but privately agree with the comment. He already had a pretty good idea how spunky the guy could be, yet he was being almost docile.

"You know how it is, Johnny. Who's in the right is already assumed."

Kanda's senior wasn't even done. He circled the car, watching it like prey. Kanda noticed his triumphant smirk when he was passing the front and had to tighten his jaw and cross his arms not to do or say something that could get him in trouble.

His hunch was right on the money because the senior officer re-joined him at the open window of the driver's seat where he's been having a silent staring contest with Allen and said "Seems like one of your headlights is dying. You should have gotten that looked at as soon as it became like this." He was already jutting down the details on a ticket form.

Kanda had to put in all of his efforts not to snap. How was this guy not even embarrassed to be saying something so transparent?

"How fortunate," Allen clapped his hands as if in excitement, his smile only wider than before. "That you were here. To stop this crime in the making."

The senior snorted. "A mouthy one, aren't you? I'm afraid that wouldn't be enough to make you popular with the ladies, champ. With all those spikes on your clothes, none would even give you a hug."

Allen's eyes drooped a little. "It's alright, officer. I only hug men who aren't afraid of spikes." With those words, he gave the still-silent Kanda a wink.

It was hard to say if he meant even a bit of all of that, or if he was merely trying to make this exchange as uncomfortable as he could in retaliation.

The older officer only scoffed, handing him his ticket.

Allen waved the paper at them and drove off, saying "Here's to another productive day, officers!"

"We got them good, eh, Kanda?" the senior chuckled when they were gone.

You must be fucking joking.

Kanda didn't remember the last time he felt so embarrassed.

"What a character," Lavi, the junior criminal profiler, surmised with a whistle right before stuffing his face with more food.

"Shit is usually fine and I know what we're all doing here but then this guy appears and throws everything in the shitter," Kanda growled irritably, stabbing his food with vengeance.

He was not okay. He wished he could stop thinking about the things Allen made him see but he couldn't. To the point when he finally caved in and mentioned him during lunch with the two people he considered his friends at the station.

"He's not at fault though," Lenalee from the archives commented.

"His fault is not being at fault," Kanda clipped unreasonably, for now giving up on his meal in favor of crossing his arms.

Lenalee and Lavi exchanged a look that ticked him off even more.

"Sounds to me like what you need is a conversation with the guy. If it's not leaving you alone that much" Lavi said, smiling in a knowing way that made Kanda's insides twists unpleasantly.

"Yeah. Out of work," Lenalee supplied, sparks in her eyes making it obvious that her thoughts strayed far from something as grand as law and order.

"I don't," Kanda said, maybe too quickly. He tried to ignore the way he was already imagining the things he could say.

He briefly thought back to what he told Allen during their first meeting – about the station already having his phone number.

How stupid. Obviously he was not going to break the rules to— to what? To call Allen and argue with him about world views?

Ridiculous. As if he'd even want to talk to a cop.

The next time they met was… not out of work.

But the circumstances were much less restricted. Not to say almost inverted.

Allen was not in any kind of trouble this time. Kanda had been just walking around an area near a very recent robbery, trying to keep an eye out and wondering where to start. The senior delegated by the captain this time was away for the moment. He went— well, supposedly to get himself some coffee but Kanda was not really sure if that was the case. Showing rookies around seemed to be a great excuse to either show off – as the man who ticketed Allen the other time was surely trying to do – or slack.

Kanda had been trying to take his task seriously though, so he decided to move along instead of waiting for his senior to be back. He could be reached via the comm anyway so he saw no harm in it.

He was just starting to consider simply asking someone, whoever looked to be living here and not just passing by, when he turned around the corner and suddenly found himself facing a gathering of people.

Allen was there, smiling. He and four others were set up near a fountain with two camping tables and two gigantic cooking pots that were steaming in the chilly air. They've been serving some kind of food onto plastic containers, giving them out together with plastic spoons.

A sizeable crowd was queuing in front of the tables in a semi-orderly manner. It seemed to consist mostly of people who looked like they could definitely use warmer – or just less tattered – clothing for the current weather, at least when evening would arrive.

One of the tables was adorned with a white sheet, words "Food not bombs collective" simply spray-painted onto it. The banner on the other one though surely required some actual skill from whoever made it – it depicted a pink fist, raised in a manner that would bring to mind the word 'revolution'. Except, it was holding a carrot.

Almost immediately as Kanda stepped into the area in his uniform, he attracted some unpleasant stares.

Soon, Allen noticed him, too.

Kanda was not entirely sure what was happening, or why was it happening, because the next moment had Allen waving his arm above his head, now smiling wider and calling out to him "Kanda! Hey!"

As if Kanda hadn't already been staring at him.

Unsure of what else to do, Kanda walked around the crowd and towards the tables.

Upon closer inspection, the food inside the pots seemed to be some kind of stew. It didn't look like it contained any meat and it actually smelled pretty good. The people who already had their portions were either perched around the fountain or standing just nearby, eating eagerly.

Allen stepped away from his spot where he'd been handing out the stew, shoving his serving spoon at one of his companions. He approached Kanda where he stood a little off to the side.

"Beansprout," Kanda said with a light grimace, feeling awkward.

"It's Allen," Allen refuted with a frown. "Don't you already have it in your fancy database and on wanted posters or something?" He then sighed deeply as if in resignation, seizing him up. "No one should look like this in that uniform, you know."

Kanda clicked his tongue. "Didn't you get by now that those comments don't make me as uncomfortable as you'd like? You can stop doing your bullying cops thing."

"Oh." Allen's smile was back quickly. "Are you sure that's what I'm doing?"

Kanda crossed his arms and just gave him a look.

Allen bit his lip, fighting his amusement. "So? What are you doing here?"

"An apartment in the area had been robbed" was the entire explanation Kanda gave.

"Oh, you mean the Johnsons' place, right?"

That was indeed the name of the family that had been robbed. This was a very poor neighborhood and the Johnsons were an elderly couple who lived here. They didn't trust banks so they kept their long-hoarded savings at home. Or at least they used to.

Kanda stared at him.

"What? It was not me, officer, I swear!" Allen raised his palms in mock surrender. "I'm here every Tuesday." He gestured back at the tables with his thumb, implying this was a regular thing. "You'd do well to talk to the guy who lives just down the street by the way, under number thirty two."

Kanda stared some more, eyes now narrowed. Nonetheless he made a mental note of the information.

Allen sighed and shook his head. "It's not like I agree with robbing people."

"That doesn't make it normal for you to be helping me."

"I suppose it doesn't. But I wouldn't want to owe a cop."

There was a hitch in the conversation then, Allen looking a little off to the side. Kanda was just about to say 'You still owe me the cat story though' when Allen suddenly pushed him backwards.

Kanda was immediately about to snap at him but then he took note of spit landing right where his shoes had been.

Allen wasn't looking at him anymore, instead facing a person who seemed to be a sixth one of his group, judging by the patches on his clothes and the closed pack of plastic bowls he was carrying. They were running low on those with how many people came to eat.

"Hey!" Allen called out to him, sounding irritated. "A little more open-mindedness, yeah? Can't you see I'm talking to him? Doesn't that tell you something?"

"There is no such thing as a good cop, man" the guy replied, careless.

"But there is such a thing as a decent person unfortunately being a cop, alright? Do we need to have a serious conversation right now or are you going to get your head out of your ass?"

He turned back to Kanda after giving the person a stink eye, getting an eye roll in return.

"Sorry." Allen said, grimacing a little. "I have a pretty good idea you could defend yourself but these guys really need to hear their own people say some things sometimes."

Kanda couldn't answer immediately, a little speechless.

First of all, he didn't get called a decent person all that often. And that coming from an anarchist, especially while Kanda was on duty, was just— a lot, all of a sudden.

It might have been for the best that their interaction was interrupted again.

"Allen! Allen!" A small girl, looking maybe around six, called towards them. After a woman that seemed to be her mother pushed gently against her back, she came running, almost tripping over herself in excitement.

"Annie! I almost thought you were not coming today," Allen called back cheerily, already crouching to talk to her. "What's up?"

"I have a gift for you!" She announced, hiding something behind her back.

"A gift? For me?" Allen was all smiles and delighted gasps, his eyes sparkling.

"You have to lean closer!"

He did and she reached towards him, something pink showing in her small hands. A moment later, Allen had a glittering hairpin with a heart on it holding up the bangs on the right side of his head.

"Oh my! Thank you so much!" He seemed incredibly amused.

"There was another one in the pack so this one is for you! My mom bought them!" she said, sounding proud.

Allen just laughed.

All of this dazzling brightness was turned to Kanda in the very next moment, Allen saying "Kanda, Kanda, how do I look? Does it suit me?"

Even the little girl turned to Kanda at that point, innocent eyes wide.

Under such an intense assault, Kanda had no choice but to concede "It does." And it really did, in the most fucked up way.

Not as fucked up as the feeling in Kanda's chest though.

"You have a good eye, cop bastard!"

Kanda didn't even want to know what kind of face he made.

Allen was trying and failing not to laugh, giggles escaping. "A-Annie! We don't call people bastards when we want to be nice to them."

"But isn't he a cop bastard? Mom always calls people in these uniforms that!"

"Y-yes but. Uhh."

"Don't bother, beansprout." Kanda didn't mind. Respect was something to be earned anyway, not assumed because of his profession. It was also clearly not like the girl meant anything bad by it, either. It was only fair if she'd only ever heard people around her talk about police in that way.

Annie ran off towards her mother, waving to them both and Allen straightened up, looking at him with curiosity. He cocked his head, no longer laughing but smile still very much intact. His new pink hairpin sparkled in the winter sun. "You really are something different, aren't you?"

They didn't get to talk more on that day because Allen had then been called back over to the tables. It seemed like more hands were needed.

It was not like Kanda minded. He did feel like it was time to evacuate the area, anyway.

After following the lead Allen gave him, the case came to an abrupt close. The guy who opened the door was so terrified of him that he basically confessed right on his own doorstep only after a few simple questions.

Apparently, this was a person who helped the Johnsons around their house sometimes but they didn't even think to suspect him so they didn't mention him to the police. Besides fear, he seemed to be dealing with a fair amount of guilt over what he did. He was actually close to tears when Kanda made the arrest.

Kanda briefly considered making a quick look around for the money but at the end decided to follow protocol and call to dispatch so that whoever was nearest to him at the moment could take care of that.

After that was taken care of, he led the handcuffed guy back to his cruiser.

When his partner for the day finally came around, he indeed had two cups of coffee in his hands, apparently having gotten one for Kanda. After Kanda briefly told him what happened, making sure to keep his informant's name and political association out of the conversation, he also made a very stupid face which probably shouldn't have pleased Kanda as much as it did. He hid his smirk behind his coffee.

Later, Kanda made sure to mention the arrested man's state and lack of resistance in his report.

For the next month or so, work went smoothly. By the time it was late November, Kanda had already learned a lot of things and was perhaps even starting to earn some respect. His quick arrest the other day might have played a role in that, which made him feel a little strange.

It was as if Allen was boosting him.

Even if Kanda had been doing pretty well overall, that one arrest was perhaps the most impressive so it was really hard for him not to think so.

Kanda had seen Allen only once during that time and even calling the meeting 'chaotic' wouldn't really do it justice.

There had been a protest in front of the headquarters of a cosmetics company after some details about their animal testing and overall work ethics leaked out to the public. The company called in for police to keep things peaceful almost immediately but it quickly became obvious that it had the opposite effect.

As was maybe to be expected, Allen was there. He was one of the people who shouted the loudest and, by the time the situation started getting out of hand, he'd most definitely been the one to bring ink balls into play, both distributing and using them.

It was also Allen who triggered the officer oldest in rank enough to make him call to start making arrests. The cause was Allen's well aimed-throw, one that had one of the officers covered head-to-toe in red paint.

Granted, they were all fully geared-up so nothing really happened.

But it had been enough.

Kanda rushed to Allen immediately, making sure to get to him before his furious paint-splattered colleague.

He handled him very decisively, not going that easy on him as he made the arrest, pressing him hard against a window pane. After all, even if pretty epic, what Allen did could have only ended this way so Kanda hoped to make him less reckless next time.

He swore that Allen bit down a moan then, saying "Fuck, Kanda. You're my favorite."

It was a moment that Kanda's thoughts might have strayed to a little too often, especially during endless hours of paperwork that he needed to both learn about and actually do.

By the time December rolled in, Kanda had finally been assigned a partner.

His name was Daisya Barry and he was a little too cocky, a little too annoying, but overall a pretty alright kind of guy. Their cooperation went fine.

That is, until being abruptly interrupted one day in mid-December because…

A tall and bulky dark-skinned man had been arrested and brought in on that day. His name was Noise Marie and he was being accused of a jewelry store robbery.

A pretty sloppy one, too. Because there was CCTV footage of the entire event, clearly showing him as the perpetrator.

Or so the paperwork said.

After hours and hours of the man insisting he was innocent with an unchanging calm and peaceful demeanor, everyone present at the station had noticed the detectives getting frantic while complaining loudly in frustration.

Kanda felt like the situation was oddly familiar – a person was claiming their innocence despite supposedly iron-clad evidence being present.

Kanda had an itching suspicion that he couldn't let go of so he pestered the captain to let him get involved in the questioning.

This time, it only really took one sentence from the accused.

"Please view the CCTV footage," he insisted calmly, sounding like he'd probably repeated the very same thing more than once.

"I will," Kanda had told him.

Kanda insisted on the footage inspection multiple times, completely uncaring about the claims of the person who made the arrest – that of course he had viewed the footage and that the guy who'd been arrested was basically caught red-handed anyway.

After finally getting his hands on the footage and fast-forwarding to the time when the robbery occurred, it only took a few seconds for the truth to come out.

The robbery had been committed by a white male who shared no similarities with the suspect at all and the officer who made the arrest and filled in the paperwork was a racist, lying motherfucker.

Noise Marie had only been at the wrong place at the wrong time – bumped into the wrong cop.

After all the trouble that Kanda went through only to find out about something this pathetic, he could not reign in his rage.

He had punched the lazy asshole hard enough for blood to splatter from his lying mouth onto a wall.

He'd been swarmed by other officers immediately; harshly pushed down and handcuffed.

He put up no resistance. His goal had already been accomplished.

He sat on a chair in the waiting area together with other people – civilians – waiting to be 'dealt with'. As he stretched his fingers, handcuffs clinking, steadily watching his tender knuckles, he noticed Noise Marie being released.

He threw Kanda a look and nodded at him, smiling.

Kanda nodded back.

Worth it.

That sentiment didn't change even after he found out that he was to be suspended until the end of the year.

The fact that the officer who lied also got in trouble only made it better.

Being suspended was… shit.

It was very, very shit.

Kanda didn't remembered the last time he'd felt this intensely bored. And that was on day four.

Free days had been… easier when Tiedoll was still alive. They didn't even need to talk – it was not about that.

Sometimes he wished Tiedoll could have adopted someone else, besides him. In this aspect, things were easier even back at the orphanage, despite the unpleasant parts, just because Alma was still…

He did have Lavi and Lenalee but recently they got together and nowadays they weren't really enough anymore – not like when they were younger and in the police academy, or just with Lenalee before that.

What he normally did to fight this feeling that was plaguing him as he sat alone in his small apartment was to focus on work – plan for it or think about it, if nothing else. it usually worked pretty… okay.

But he didn't exactly feel like doing that after having been so disappointed, maybe even disheartened, by what he'd experienced.

So his thoughts have just drifted off towards a direction that… should have surprised him much more than it did…

And then day five of his suspension was… a Tuesday and…

And Kanda tried to fight it. He really did.

But he found himself being drawn towards where he knew Allen would be, anyway.

That day, Kanda didn't have his uniform on. He only wore a plain long-sleeve t-shirt and a jacket, together with jeans. This was completely fine during the day, only the nights really got colder.

He wandered towards the small open plaza around a fountain and, sure enough, the 'food not bombs' collective people were there.

They were a few more on that day than last time and Allen didn't look very busy. He noticed Kanda almost immediately, throwing him a smile that was a little different than others before it. Maybe a little— proud. As if he was proud of Kanda.

Kanda should have probably been offended by this level of familiarity. Wasn't this kind of thing reserved for… family? …Lovers?

Kanda couldn't get himself to be offended, not exactly.

He stayed just by the edge of the plaza, right on the corner, near tiny stone steps in front of a church.

Allen approached him.

When he did, already while he did, Kanda's eyes on him were greedy. It was stupid but he couldn't help it. He really did think about seeing him for many days now.

So he stared his fill. At Allen's smile as he approached him unhurriedly, maybe for once a little hesitant. His piercings, his tattoos, his overall image designed to shock, his expression. He looked… gentle. And hot. Kanda's eyes lingered a little too long on a new addition, a choker on Allen's neck that was just a simple black stripe. It added an unexpected touch to his look, provocative in a new way that made Kanda's mouth abruptly went very, very dry

He felt like he should be stopping this but…

He was just looking, right?

"Kanda, hey." Allen sounded relaxed but his eyes betrayed him a little, upon closer inspection, when he stopped just a step away. He actually looked… nervous.

"Looking for trouble, punk?"

Kanda needed Allen to take a step back.

After all, only because Kanda could get over his staring at Allen relatively easily, that didn't have to mean he wanted them to have another moment, right?

He just came because he was bored. He was feeling pretty firm about that point.

Allen's laugh wasn't offended. Probably. Though Kanda was less sure with every note of his voice. "I deserved that." Despite their last meeting culminating with Allen's arrest, Kanda wasn't very sure Allen did. But he was not going to apologize, not even as Allen's expression got briefly desolate as he asked "Not playing such a good cop anymore?"

Kanda answered plainly "I'm not on duty right now."

"So I've heard."

Kanda gave him another look, now inquisitive. He wasn't entirely sure he liked that Allen knew.

He supposed that's what his proud smile earlier was for. But, again, it was not like he came looking for something like that.

He felt his eyes narrow a little. "And how did that happen."

"Are you… honestly surprised? They've made you wait for over an hour, you know. Together with other…" Allen made a thoughtful face, maybe mocking, maybe something a little different. "How did you put it before? Oh yes, 'criminals'. Just like me, right?" He shrugged. "People like to talk and I suppose you've made an impression."

Kanda rolled his eyes, pulling a face. That definitely hadn't been his goal. He was not trying to stand out in this kind of manner.

Allen fell quiet with Kanda's lack of answer. He was hiding well whatever he was feeling but he definitely looked—thoughtful.

In the end he gave Kanda a smile that was probably a little fake and said "It's probably stupid of me to even say. But I thought we were off to a good start. As unlikely as that should have been." He paused, observing him.

When his lips were about to open again, Kanda felt like he shouldn't let him speak this time. It felt like he would go away.

He interrupted with "A start of what?"

He was not sure about his goal with that question but he didn't achieve much of anything besides making Allen surprised.

Just surprised. Or at least only this much Kanda could see.

"I was actually not trying to imply anything this time." Allen shook his head a little. "Of an acquaintance? If you really need a name for it."

They stared at each other in silence, almost seizing up one another. Eventually, Kanda sat down on the small, stone steps without a word.

After just a moment of staring more, Allen joined him. The distance between them grew to two steps now.

Probably both of them would need to give something for that distance to truly be covered.

Kanda chased away that observation, clicking his tongue. It was at least twice as annoying as swatting at flies.

Allen looked at him from his spot, eyebrows raising in question.

And Kanda said something that honestly felt too long overdue to still bring up; "You still owe me the cat story."

Allen actually made a face at him. It wasn't clear if he was more weirded out or annoyed. "It's not that much of a story."

"I need to know if I have to start digging for dirt on you to make up for the light treatment before."

Allen looked annoyed. "Is that really how you ask me to talk?"

"Yeah."

Kanda just waited as Allen measured him up, clearly deciding.

"You're really weird, you know."

Kanda was unable to really comment.

It was really everyone else's problem but he did know that he generally did make this sort of impression on people – weird and unpleasant. It's always been like this and he didn't really question it anymore.

If anything, Kanda only wondered why did Allen arrive at this conclusion only now. Usually it was a first meeting kind of thing – for some it passed pretty quickly, for most not at all.

Was Kanda really that different when he tried to be fair and professional at work that they were only having this kind of exchange now?

Or did this actually make Allen weird instead – that he didn't seem to have noticed what others did straight away, first seeing something that made him proud instead.

Kanda considered this.

Ultimately, it was probably the cameras.

He wouldn't want to be accused of abusing his authority or mistreating a civilian. It didn't really matter what other cops did.

Allen's decision turned out to be—

"Do you know that the house touches up to a forest? It's right at the edge of where the street is developed."

"The house you entered?"

"Yeah," Allen nodded.

Kanda remembered something about a forest. It must have been mentioned in the arrest report.

He frowned a little, focusing.

What was it that the owner claimed?

There were a handful of punks who loitered around his property sometimes. 'It was only a matter of time before one of them did something' he had claimed.

It was a big part of the reason why everyone was so hell-bent on there being a grand story behind Allen's break in, completely dismissing his simple cat explanation as him being a brat and trying to make things difficult in retaliation for his arrest.

"I've read something," Kanda commented. "Is that forest your spot to smoke weed or something?"

Allen threw him an unimpressed sort of look, but his tone was mildly annoyed "Not mine, specifically."

Kanda didn't believe him and maybe it showed on his face.

"I'm not saying I didn't have any." Allen made a gesture with his hand, showing impatience of some kind. "I'm just saying it's not like I'm there often, personally. You're interrogating me instead of listening."

Kanda didn't really notice.

"Maybe you're just shit at telling stories."

Allen just sighed and started properly explaining "The guys who really are there often basically invited me to come along and I did. Timcanpy was there with me and—" He paused, as if remembering something. "Oh. Timcanpy is the cat."

"I can't believe it was your fucking cat and you didn't even mention it." Kanda wasn't sure what to make of it. Was Allen an idiot?

That would be nice, in a way. Helpful in ignoring him.

"It's—! I suppose he did come to this city with me but I wouldn't call him my cat exactly. He's just been around and comes to see me whenever he feels like. I don't really normally know where he is. I live in a squat and sometimes he enjoys being in a place with so many people, sometimes he doesn't. But, again, that is not the point! I'm saying that Tim was there with me."

Kanda didn't ask about the squat to stop him from getting so annoyed.

He did have a general idea what a squat looked like anyway. It was people living in a house that none of them bought, people who were most times not members of a family. They were just occupying the same place, a place which without them would stand empty, with no owner to show up for long stretches of time. Sometimes it would drag on long enough that the place would become lawfully the people's living there – the period of time required for that to happen around these parts was ten years.

Allen continued. "So, the man's house being on the edge of the forest is one thing. These guys just like that spot. Another thing is that the backdoor was open and the old man keeps many birds in the house." Allen made a face that was a little troubled. "You can think I'm exaggerating but Tim would have absolutely ransacked the place, his ears got all twitchy as we passed by. And I knew from my— um, friends, that they were really his wife's who passed away some time ago and I thought that wouldn't be very nice, so."

"How did you know about that?" Kanda was wondering if Allen really did know everyone wherever he went – maybe the entire city? – or if Kanda was just imagining it.

Allen looked a little away, shrugging. "The other guys…" He seemed to hesitate on his words. "Let's say they mentioned him on our way into the forest; Tim had only ran off on the way back out. The old man… hasn't been doing very well since his wife passed. Apparently he spends a lot of time talking to the birds. Though at that moment he seemed absent. I didn't hear him try to chase Tim away so I got in."

Kanda felt almost betrayed. This was meant to be a stupid story; Kanda had been so sure it would be. He gave up staring at Allen then. Instead he lounged on the steps more comfortably, and looked off into the distance.

"I… just didn't want Tim to harm them and entered to try to stop him. He can be really impossible… I'm not saying he's a bad cat. He's the best, honestly. But he can get playful to the point where I couldn't guarantee the birds' safety so I had to go in."

"To protect the birds of some old man who probably shouted insults at you by the end of it? You've set yourself up for this, beansprout."

Allen shrugged. "Yeah. What I heard about him reminded me of someone…" Allen didn't seem very eager to show his face at that moment.

The someone Allen got reminded of must have been a topic he didn't really intend to touch upon because he got up almost abruptly, after just a brief pause. Did it slip?

He said "I must have bored you with this but you're the one who asked, so." He still looked thoughtful as he faced him but something did soften up in his eyes.

Kanda wondered if it was because of him or because of the memory.

Then, Allen added "Do you… want to eat? I was just about to have some when you came." He made an uneasy sort of face, gaze maybe a little hopeful. "We have rice with vegetables today. Jeryy from my squat makes the food for us, even though he's not in the collective. It's really good, honestly." He was smiling now, praise in his voice honest, even if his cheerfulness felt a little forced.

It actually was around the time Kanda would normally eat. "If you have some for a cop."

"We have some for everyone." Allen smiled. "Plus, as you said, you're not on duty anyway."

Allen looked like he was waiting for him to get up too but Kanda felt like people would recognize him, at least whoever was also here last time. It was something that tended to happen. He supposed it was because his face was just too… eye-catching.

"I can bring your share if you prefer to wait here," Allen offered, as if he could understand.

Or maybe he just assumed something that worked just as well.

Kanda nodded.

Allen cocked his head and smiled in a way that almost confirmed he did assume something. He looked pleased with it.

Kanda felt his ears go warm and wondered if it showed.

"I'll be right back," Allen grinned, going away with a light bounce to his step.

Kanda stared at him go, maybe glaring.

That. It did not. Count as a moment, right?

He was trying not to let that happen!

Goddamnit.

It was not meant to be this glaringly obvious that Kanda came here for Allen specifically.

Kanda was not— He was not trying to do anything.

After all, it was not like Allen meant anything to him. If he was anything at all, it would be just… someone interesting. Stupidly caring, empathetic. Bratty but in a charming way.

Wait.

That was not supposed to sound so…

No.

Kanda was just bored. This was not—

Allen came back with the food in no time at all. One of the portions looked a little unreasonable but it seemed like Allen intended to keep it for himself because he held it close to his body very protectively.

Kanda really wished he could have taken just a moment longer before coming back.

Whatever expression was on Kanda's face, it made Allen smile in a way that made Kanda's stomach do something incredibly uncomfortable. Fluttery.

Allen didn't say anything though, just handing him his food.

Allen sat closer this time.

They ate in silence, Kanda enjoying the food fairly okay and Allen devouring his enthusiastically.

When Allen finished, he was absently looking towards the people on the plaza. He eventually said "I bet it gets boring, right? A suspension."

So Allen did understand then. That made everything easier because—

Allen turned to face him and they shared a brief look. He looked like he was searching for something. Kanda felt like he might have looked the same himself.

Maybe Allen's search was successful because he broke out into words a little suddenly. "Do you… maybe want to help me out tomorrow? I can't offer more than another free meal if you would. But, you know, I suppose it's better than being… bored. I was looking for an extra pair of hands anyway, to be honest. It's already the 21st. It's—you know. It's Christmas soon. And most people I know are a bit busy with preparations to visit their families. But people at the squat do still need to eat for the next two days. So. I was going to pick up some food from the fresh market."

Allen was maybe starting to sound like he was rambling but Kanda didn't have the heart to call him out on it. Maybe because the look in his eyes was a little hard to bear. It seemed very familiar.

Maybe that's how Kanda knew that, amongst other things, it meant that Allen wouldn't take it very well if he asked questions about his Christmas plans.

Not that Kanda was about to.

Kanda shrugged. "It does sound better than TV."

Allen seemed genuinely pleased. He laughed lightly before adding. "Sounds like you will be getting my phone number after all." He winked.

Kanda tried to pretend he wasn't privately appreciating his high spirits.

He was also starting to be very sure Allen really didn't mean anything by his flirting. And that was probably for the best.

Allen's good mood persisted after the number exchange.

At one point, he said "I suppose… You didn't get many praises back at the station? For what you did for Marie."

Did Allen know that guy, too?

"You could say that," Kanda said evenly. He didn't really care what others thought. He knew that Lenalee and Lavi tried to speak for him though. It was enough.

"If you'd… care about my opinion, I—" Allen was maybe a little closer than Kanda consciously realized just a moment before.

His eyes drooped a little and Kanda was starting to feel like maybe he'd been the one looking for trouble all along.

Allen continued "I personally think you deserve all the praise."

He got a little closer still and something must have been wrong with Kanda's reflexes and his body in general because he was still unmoving as Allen's breath met the skin of his cheek and the voice near his ear lowered in both volume and tone "Good job, officer." He punctuated that with a kiss on his cheek. A simple one, lingering just a little.

Kanda felt very warm.

And he should have hated it. But he didn't.

Allen withdrew with a smile, eyes sparkling with humor. He got up and gathered their empty food containers and went away with a wave of his hand, saying "See you tomorrow! Be ready around ten in the morning. Noon latest if that's too early for you!"

Kanda couldn't fathom why it suddenly sounded like a date.

Fuck, he thought with passion.