Allen was perplexed as he laid in bed, softly tapping his finger. He had his hands folded on his chest and his gaze was fixed on the ceiling. He couldn't stop thinking about what Lenalee told him. 'Kanda spoke on my behalf before he came looking for me… Why would he do that if he didn't have feelings for me yet?' He thought, brows furrowing as he thought. Something wasn't adding up.
Kanda told him he didn't feel anything toward him until after he found him. But then, why would the samurai come looking for him in the first place? Allen narrowed his eyes at the ceiling a bit, starting to nibble the inside of his cheek.
Suspicious.
"What's that look for?" Allen glanced over to the bathroom door where the subject of his thoughts was standing, fresh out of the shower. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and was using another to dry his hair.
"I'm thinking." Allen answered, continuing to tap his finger on his chest.
"You shouldn't think so hard. I can see the smoke coming out of your ears."
"Shut up!" Allen huffed, crossing his arms.
"What are you thinking about, anyway?" The Japanese man asked as he looked in the mirror, still drying his hair.
Allen bit his cheek again answering simply. "You." He heard the other one snicker quietly before he sat up and threw a pillow at him, hitting him in the back. "Not like that! God!"
Kanda made sure his lower towel was still secure before turning to look at him, tossing the one for his hair aside. "Then what are you thinking about?"
The white haired boy pursed his lips a bit. "Thinking about what you told me in the motel."
Kanda was a bit confused, raising an eyebrow a bit. "Yeah?" He didn't really know what he could be talking about, besides when he confessed his feelings.
"You told me you realized you liked me when you were trying to rub my face off like a demon." Allen said, ignoring the glare his boyfriend sent him.
"Mhm. That is what I said." Kanda replied as he grabbed his brush from the dresser. He started combing out his dark, midnight black locks. He didn't know where he was going with this.
"Yeah. And then Lenalee told me something."
Kanda stopped mid stroke, eyes wide. Oh, he knew where he was going with this.
Allen knew he had him there. "Why didn't you tell me that you defended me in front of the Great Generals?"
Kanda tried to hide his blush as he lowered his head, putting both of his hands on the dresser, one hand still tightly gripping the hair brush. "Because I was grateful to you for what you did for me and Alma." He mumbled. It was only half a lie. Maybe that would be a good enough answer for him.
"Are you lying to me?"
Kanda groaned in annoyance and threw his head back for a second as he turned around. "What are you interrogating me for? What are you trying to prove?"
Allen sat up all the way and threw his legs over the edge of the bed, eyes locked on his boyfriend. "Because I think you liked me well before you came looking for me." Kanda looked at him, his annoyance rising. Allen had that irritating little grin, the innocent looking one he used when he was trying to kiss up. "Do you remember what you said to me in Mater, Kanda?"
"No."
"Yes you do. You told me if I got into trouble, you wouldn't help me. I won't mention how you defended me there after you said that," Allen began, ignoring the murderous glare the other was sending in his direction, "but you defended me in France, when that level four had me cornered." The older teen opened his mouth to speak, but Allen cut him off. "Not to mention, you helped me fend off the level four that attacked Headquarters." He crossed his leg over the other and folded his hands on his knee. "You pretty much held my hand there."
"Hey, hey. Lavi grabbed your sword, too, not just me." Kanda shot back, crossing his arms. His face was completely flushed. Allen had to suppress a bratty little chuckle from leaving his mouth.
"But you grabbed it first." He reminded him.
Silence fell between the two for a bit before Allen spoke up. "Well?"
"You're so fucking annoying." Kanda muttered, turning his head to the side.
He heard the bean sprout snort as he stood from the bed. Allen made his way over to him, looking up at him. Kanda absolutely refused to look at him, arms still crossed over his chest. The younger of the two rested his head on the older's shoulder, looking up at him with striking silver eyes. The stoic samurai lowered his gaze to meet the other's.
Allen's grin widened again. Kanda kept frowning, cheeks blushing again. "... It started after you brought the city back on the Ark. I thought nothing of it, but then after you and Lenalee defeated the level four, I couldn't get you out of my mind, no matter how hard I tried."
Allen pulled his head back to look at Kanda, blinking. That wasn't exactly what he expected to hear. He rested his hands on Kanda's arms, causing the other to uncross them. They wrapped around Allen's slender waist, hands locking together on his lower back.
"I can't describe the regret I feel for the way I acted toward you when I was fighting Alma. I was blinded by rage and maybe if I would've kept a clearer head, I wouldn't have stabbed you. And then… Maybe you wouldn't have…" He trailed off, avoiding his gaze. He felt a hand on his cheek before Allen rested his head against his other cheek. "But just before you sent us through the gate… I think that's when I really realized how I was feeling. And even though I was trying to hide it, it just came out when I caught you. You just looked so lovely, I couldn't help it."
"I was so sweaty and disheveled." Allen snorted, closing his eyes. He opened his eyes again when he felt a hand gently grab his chin and tilt his head up. Lips pressed together in a tender kiss. Allen melted, letting out a soft hum.
After they broke the kiss, Allen smiled softly, in bliss. "You know, you can be really romantic when you want to be."
Kanda snorted and rolled his eyes. "And you can be alluring when you're not acting like an insufferable brat."
Allen gasped and Kanda cut him off with another quick kiss, chuckling as he pulled away. He turned to the dresser to keep brushing his hair and Allen gaped at him. His eyes slowly drifted down to the towel and he smirked.
A brat? He'd show him a brat.
It didn't register right away in Kanda's head that his towel had been plucked off his body. Unfortunately, his reaction came too late as the towel was wound up and the younger of the two whipped his naked ass with it.
The terrified screaming that followed rang throughout the entire Order.
"Allen, why don't you sit down?" Komui offered, taking a sip from his coffee cup.
The boy discreetly had his hand on his aching backside, smiling through the pain. Maybe whipping Kanda with a towel wasn't his smartest idea ever. It was fun until the demon incarnate blacked out into a full rage and spanked him back with his bare hand, ten fold.
The demon in question was sitting on the end of the couch, one leg crossed over the other with his arms crossed. He was scowling, waiting to hear what their supervisor had to say.
Komui finished taking a sip from the mug and put it back down on his desk, switching it out for a folder. "I'll get right to it, then." He started off, opening the document. "We'd like to send you on your first mission, Allen." Komui looked up to immediately find Kanda throwing him a threatening glare. "Hold on, before you bite my head off, just listen." He looked over to see Allen with an excited shimmer in his eyes. "It's a minor mission, nothing big. There's been a possible innocence sighting and a few stray akuma."
"I'll do it." Allen said quickly, Kanda whipping around to aim his glare at his fellow Exorcist.
Komui's lips twitched into a small smile at the boy's eagerness. It was relieving to see the familiar attitude from him, to know he wasn't too far gone. "If you're feeling up to it, and the General here thinks it's wise-"
"No."
"Kanda." Allen breathed out, eyes wide. "Please, just think about it for a second."
"Absolutely not." The elder said firmly, shaking his head once. "You've only been back for a short time."
"It's almost been a month." Allen argued.
"I don't think it's a good idea." Kanda shot back. "I think it's too soon. Who knows what will happen if you just jump haphazardly into battle? The Fourteenth just made an appearance last night. You remember how the akuma flooded to you when he was prominent."
Allen bit his lip as he frowned, unhappy with what he was hearing. "... Don't you trust me, Kanda?"
The question caught the two others in the room slightly off guard. To be honest, Komui was extremely curious to hear the General's answer, given the two's rivalry relationship.
Kanda didn't say anything for a minute, just staring at the young boy. "Of course I do. You're a powerful Exorcist."
Allen swallowed and clenched his fists, his heart beating rapidly. "Then you need to trust me on this. I know I'm ready. I can do this!" He exclaimed with desperation laced in his voice. "I'm not going to let the Fourteenth interfere anymore. But just sitting here won't keep him at bay. I have to continue my duty as an Exorcist. I need to fight to keep him away."
Their eyes locked as Allen gave the most determined and desperate expression he could. "Please."
Silence filled the room as they waited for Kanda's answer. He took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth, eyes closed and brows knit in frustration. As much as he wanted to disagree, the brat was right. Kanda couldn't keep coddling the boy and he couldn't keep him locked up in the Order forever. He'd be no better than Central.
So, after what seemed like an eternity, he let out a sigh. "Fine. But, the second you disobey my commands, I'm taking you out of the mission and you're going home. Understood?"
It took a moment for Allen to comprehend what he just heard. His face suddenly lit up. "Yes! Yes, understood!" He exclaimed. He desperately wanted to hug the man, to squeeze him tight and not let go. But in the presence of their boss, he figured he would probably be assassinated on the spot.
Standing up from his seat, Kanda dusted himself off. "When will we be leaving?"
Relieved that the General had agreed to the mission, Komui handed files to the both of them. "Tomorrow morning. You'll be heading to Wales."
Taking the document from Komui, Kanda made his way to the door. "I'll start making preparations." He said, walking out. Just before closing the door, he stuck his head back in. "Don't forget the golem." He said in Komui's direction, taking his leave.
Allen's face fell a bit, remembering Timcanpy. When they returned to the Order, Kanda told him that the golden golem had been destroyed. Allen cried for days, his heart absolutely shattered.
Komui, however, seemed optimistic. "That's right! I almost forgot!" He said, shuffling through numerous drawers, intent on finding something. "After what happened to Tim, we began constructing you a new one."
Allen nodded softly, not knowing how to feel about that. He knew he needed a new one for tracking and communication, and he appreciated the gesture, but he couldn't just replace Timcanpy. He was his partner in crime, his little buddy. They'd been through so much together.
Finally finding the box he was looking for, Komui placed it on his messy desk and opened it. And out of it flew the familiar golden golem, flying right into Allen's face, nuzzling his cheek.
Said boy gasped loudly, barely comprehending what just happened. "T-Timcanpy?!" The golem perched himself on top of Allen's head, getting comfortable in the soft, white hair. "Is it really you?!"
Komui was smiling proudly, hands on his hips. "Really, really!" He confirmed. He saw the look of confusion on the boy's face and went ahead to explain. "Kanda brought me the fragments. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to revive him. HOWEVER," he suddenly exclaimed, making Allen and Tim jump, "I was able to extract his data and place it into a new body. I tried to make as little changes as possible."
The white haired boy was completely speechless, unable to stop himself from smiling and letting out a happy laugh. "I can't believe this! Thank you, Komui!"
The Chinese man smiled widely. "While I am amazing at what I do, you should also thank Kanda. He was the one who gathered Tim's fragments and brought them to me."
Allen fought back the blush that wanted to rise onto his cheeks, focusing on Tim's swishing tail. "I'll have to thank him too. I'll go prepare for the mission now." He said, taking his file and offering a nod to the older man as he made a beeline right to a certain someone's bedroom, as quickly and sneakily as he could. He slipped inside to find Kanda packing a bag already, his back to the door.
"You're the best, Kanda." The boy said, shutting the door behind him. He heard a snort come from the other man.
"I know how you can't function without the little bastard." He said, not looking up from his task. "I really don't need your goofy ass getting lost, either." Looking down, he saw arms hook around his waist and felt Allen rest his head against his back.
"Well, my goofy ass appreciates it." He said calmly, closing his eyes. "I appreciate everything." Inhaling softly, the boy took in his lover's scent, a gentle smile resting on his lips. He was content.
The two stayed like that for a few minutes as Kanda continued to place clothes into his bag. "Okay, time to let go." He said, patting the hands on his chest. Allen whined in disagreement, not letting go. "Hai, I have to get some things from the bathroom and you still have to pack. Let go."
Allen groaned in annoyance, tightening his arms around Kanda's waist and squeezing him, eliciting a gasp from him before letting go. He giggled, backing up as Kanda whipped around, fist clenched.
"Baka moyashi-" He growled, annoyed as the bean sprout rushed from the room, giggling and smiling like a clown on his way out, hopefully he was on his way to pack. If not, it was going to be a long night.
The next morning, Allen was awake, bright and early, mostly by himself in the cafeteria. He was shoveling down food, determined to get a good start off to the day. He slipped out before Kanda had awoken and he was proud of himself for it.
Being alone, besides having Tim perched on his head, in the cafeteria was a nice change. It gave him a chance to think some things over before clearing his mind. The conversation he had with Lenalee, talking it over with Kanda, the weird dream of a woman's voice he had last night, all of it. Then he began to think of their mission. Part of him was nervous despite his excitement to go back to the battlefield. What if it was more difficult than they thought? Komui said there were only a few straggler akuma hanging around where the innocence was expected to be. What if they sensed the Fourteenth and summoned more to their location?
What if something happened to Kanda because of him?
Allen softly chewed his bottom lip before shoving a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth. Now he was just putting too much thought into it. Maybe eating alone wasn't as good as nice as he thought.
"Allen! Long time no see, buddy!"
Allen shot his head up at the familiar voice as the redhead in question set his tray down across from the boy. In his company was also Krory and Miranda, who both looked relieved to see Allen.
"Lavi! I haven't seen you in so long!" Allen exclaimed, jumping from his seat. "Krory and Miranda! Oh, I missed you guys!" He couldn't contain himself, rushing to the other side of the table. Lavi practically bear hugged the shorter Exorcist, letting out a small chuckle.
Miranda teared up, clasping her hands together. "It's so good to see you, Allen! I thought you'd never come back!" She said, stifling a sniffle.
While still hugging Lavi, Allen reached his hand out and gently held one of hers, smiling. "I could never stay away forever. This is my home, remember?"
A few tears ran down her cheeks, clutching the boy's hand, offering him a smile.
Krory put both hands on the boy's shoulders, squeezing them gently. Lavi suddenly pulled the tall man into the hug, Allen letting out a laugh as he pulled Miranda in.
Sitting there for a moment, he was filled with a familiar, warm feeling. A feeling of safety and happiness. A feeling he was afraid he'd never feel again. As much as he didn't want to let go, he had to keep preparing for his mission. "I wish I could stay like this forever," he started out with a smile, "but I should really finish my breakfast before Kanda has a fit that I'm dragging my feet on a mission day."
Lavi chuckled, letting the boy go with the other two, ruffling the snow what hair afterwards. "Yuu's still a hard ass, huh? Especially now that he's a General."
"He's always been so intimidating to me." Krory added, taking a seat next to Lavi.
Even though the comments were pretty tame, Allen felt the urge to defend his lover. He fought it, not wanting to draw attention to that. They were his friends, but he didn't know if he should disclose his relationship to them or not. The more who knew, the more likely it was the information would make it to Central. He picked up a strawberry with his fork. "Yeah, he's pretty strict."
But much to his inner delight, Miranda had some pretty nice words for the General in question. "He may be a little frightening, but I think he really does care! He once defended me against an akuma. And even though he scolded me for being so reckless, he made sure I was okay." She told them all, grinning.
The words brought a smile to Allen's face. Lavi shoved a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "He probably didn't want Marie to be pissed off at him. I wouldn't want to be on his bad side."
"I'd rather be on Marie's bad side than Kanda's." Krory insisted.
"I don't even think Marie has a bad side." Allen said, swallowing his fruit. He looked over to Miranda, who was still smiling sweetly.
"He doesn't." The German woman said, taking a sip from her cup.
The way she said it made Allen snicker, moving to cover his mouth slightly.
"Speaking of bad sides." Lavi said, chewing with his mouthful. "Did you guys know we got a new group of nurses? One of them is so scary." He said, splaying his hands out as he spoke. "Like, Head Nurse scary."
Allen almost choked on his food, letting out a small cough. "Head Nurse isn't scary. She just cares a lot."
The redhead let out a scoff. "Whatever you say, buddy." He said, pushing his food around. "Krory-kins over here almost fainted when he first met her a few days ago."
The vampire's face soon turned red as everyone turned their heads to look at him. "Now, that is just not true." He insisted, pulling at his collar ever so slightly. "I was being treated for an injury and I was light headed!"
"I'm sure that was the reason!" Lavi laughed, throwing his arm around Krory's shoulder as the group shared a laugh at the expense of the Count's pride.
The cheerful atmosphere continued through the breakfast, even as the cafeteria soon filled with people. Lenalee replaced Allen as he finished and said his goodbyes, leaving to catch up with Kanda and the Finder they would be leaving with.
Allen was previously asked if he had ever been to Wales, to which he responded with a no. That meant they would have to get to their location by train, but would have permission to use the Ark to return home. Allen found Kanda waiting for him, leaning against the wall. Approaching him, he smiled eagerly, both in excitement for their mission and happiness to see his lover.
Kanda turned his head to see his white haired boyfriend walking up to him. He couldn't help but give the smallest smile. "Get that dumb look off your face."
"Can't." Allen said, stopping in front of him with a slight hop in his step, holding his suitcase. "I'm too excited."
"I can see that." Kanda said, standing up straight.
Allen glanced around to see if the Finder was approaching them. Seeing no one, Allen lowered his suitcase to the floor. "I didn't see you at breakfast this morning. Did you eat?"
Not looking at him, the samurai stretched his arms above his head. "Yes."
"Why are you lying to me?" Allen asked calmly. Kanda huffed in annoyance and rolled his eyes.
"Because I want to eat after we get to our hotel. Okay?" He asked, a little bite to the end of his statement.
Allen huffed as well, crossing his arms as he paced around a bit. "Fine. But you better, or else I'll-" He tapered off, seeing someone approach out of the corner of his eye. Their Finder finally arrived, walking fast toward them. He appeared out of breath.
"You're late." The General growled, picking up his suitcase from the floor.
The Finder was a young, nervous man, fumbling for his words as he tried to think of a decent apology to give to the two Exorcists for wasting their time. Allen could see this and he shot his dark haired companion a look. "Be nice, Kanda. Everyone shows up late every once in a while."
Walking off toward the door, Kanda scoffed. "Except you. You're late, always." Before pushing the door open, he glared at their Finder. "Don't be late again." He warned, walking through. He left the two alone for a moment as they gathered their things.
Allen offered a smile, trying to relax the young man. "Don't worry about him, he's just being a hard ass." He said, sticking his hand out. "I'm Allen Walker, by the way. I don't think we've met."
The Finder's face perked up a bit. "Allen Walker?" He repeated. "I've heard so much about you! It's my pleasure to meet you, Sir!" He exclaimed, shaking his hand firmly, nearly catching the Exorcist off guard. "My name is Stefan Baum. You can call me Stef, if it's easier."
Allen smiled as they shook hands, trying not to put too much thought into all of the things this Finder had heard about him. Were they good things? Bad things? They finally gathered their things as they heard a booming "LET'S GO!" come from outside, the Finder flinching. Allen looked at him apologetically. "Sorry again, he skipped breakfast this morning."
One thing Allen missed since the Order began incorporating the Ark into everyday transportation were the train rides. It may have taken longer to reach their destinations, but there were so many sights to see as they passed, so many things to learn about. And it also provided a little extra time to relax before each mission.
Allen was alone in the cabin with Kanda, Stef standing outside to keep watch. It brought back memories of their first mission together. Looking over at his lover, he noticed he was sitting in a nearly identical manner to that day, reading over the mission report. That day, Kanda explained to him about the occurrences of unexplained phenomena in connection to innocence. That's the day where he really got to know Kanda, where all of this basically started.
His thoughts were disrupted when the focus of his attention spoke, not looking up from his report. "What?"
A small smile appeared on his lips. "I was thinking of Mater again."
Kanda gave a snort in response. "You think about that a lot, don't you?" He glanced up and saw a nod from his boyfriend.
"It was our first mission together, obviously. But other than that, I learned a lot of things about innocence and being an Exorcist that I didn't know before. And I found out a lot about myself, and… It was thanks to you." The boy finished, flashing one of his trademark smiles that made Kanda melt.
A rare smile of his own came to Kanda's face as he looked back at the mission report. "I didn't ask, Moyashi."
Allen knew he was just saying that to get a rise out of him, but he kicked the snarky bastard in the shin nonetheless.
After their bickering session, the two stopped to have lunch, talking over their plan of attack with Stef. Once lunch was over, the two settled back in the cabin, but things were hazy after that.
Allen was standing alone in a dark space where there were no walls, no floors, just complete and utter nothingness. He took a step forward, finding that his footsteps offered no sounds. He could vaguely make out a voice, a woman's voice, speaking softly to him. He couldn't hear what she was saying no matter how hard he listened and he couldn't tell where her voice was coming from.
Then there was silence.
After wandering around for what seemed like forever, the voice returned, still soft, but he was able to catch what she was saying.
"... Come back to bed…"
The words echoed in his mind as he was suddenly jolted awake, eyes blown wide in alarm when he felt tiny little hands tapping his forehead. It was Tim. Kanda was knelt in front of him, both hands gripping his shoulders firmly. Confused, Allen blinked. "W-What? What's the matter?"
Kanda breathed out through his nose. "You were talking in your sleep." He muttered. "I thought it was… him." There was a hint of bitterness in the last word. Kanda absolutely refused to refer to his lover's uncle by his name.
Allen looked concerned upon hearing that. "What was I saying?"
Standing up and sitting down to the right of his bean sprout, he crossed his arms and kept his eyes fixed on him. "You just kept muttering 'I'm sorry' over and over. Were you having a nightmare?"
Allen rubbed at his left temple softly, letting out a sigh. "I wouldn't say a nightmare." He admitted. "It was just a very odd dream. It was like I was standing in the void or something. Someone was talking to me, but I couldn't see who it was." Kanda didn't look happy at all and Allen could tell. He probably thought it was a Noah memory, which it could have been. But why would this have any relevance to Nea's awakening? Turning his head to look at his dark haired companion, he moved his left hand to rest on one of the other's crossed forearms. "It was just a silly dream. Don't put too much thought into it, or I'll start to see smoke coming out of your ears." Allen said, smiling comfortingly.
Recognizing the joke, Kanda let out a heavy sigh through his nose and closed his eyes, resting his head back against the seat. He felt Allen lay his head against his arm. The two sat like that for the rest of the train ride, in comfortable silence.
After a few hours, the group arrived at the motel where they'd be staying, depending on how long it took them to complete the mission. Since it was just the three of them, they shared a decently sized room with three single beds.
They made their way into town, walking through the crowds of people on the street. "The akuma have been spotted on the edge of the city." Stef began to explain. "The innocence is thought to be around that area. There is an open field there, so we're not completely sure where it could be."
Allen was only half listening to what the Finder was saying. Most of his attention was focused on the occasional glance people cast in their direction. It was something he was completely used to.
Prior to the three months of hell that the Fourteenth put him through.
He was afraid. He was afraid that the attention being drawn to them would also draw the attention of the surrounding akuma, that they would sense the Fourteenth.
He was afraid that he would be outed as a Noah. Those words that he never wanted to hear, the ones that occasionally haunted his thoughts.
'You blasted Noah!'
"Moyashi."
Allen was startled out of his thoughts by the deep voice. He hadn't even noticed that he had begun to hyperventilate, his hands trembling as he looked down at them. His head turned fast to the man standing to his right.
"Are you okay, Sir Walker?" Stef asked, concern in his voice.
He knew Kanda would never believe the lie, but it still rolled easily off his tongue as he faked a smile, scratching lightly at his face. "I'm fine! I just got lost in thought for a moment!" He opened his eyes to just catch Kanda rolling his own at Allen's words, continuing to walk forward. Letting out a sigh of relief, Allen was glad that Kanda decided not to call him out. They continued onward, walking past people of all kinds. As people began to taper off the farther they got from the center of the town, it got quieter and calmer. Most shops were closing up for the day. There was a nice little cafe and across the street was a flower shop.
Allen thought about how nice it would be to have breakfast there with Kanda.
As if on cue, Stef piped up. "There were reports of strange happenings in this area. Specifically the flower shop."
"What were the reports?" Kanda questioned, eyes looking over the small building.
"The shopkeeper told us that there's been an unnatural overgrowth of the plants in her shop starting from about a week ago." Stef explained. "She also said it was like some plants had lives of their own."
"How so?" Allen asked.
"She told another Finder that some of the plants grabbed hold and attacked some of the customers." He answered.
Allen looked over at Kanda. "Maybe they were akuma."
"Maybe." He answered back, looking at the shop again. He started to walk forward a bit before Allen grabbed his forearm. He whipped his head around to look down at him. "What?"
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to go in there and look for the innocence."
"Are you kidding? They're closing up shop for the night. You can't just barge in there." Allen insisted, still gripping the arm of the General's coat.
"Why the fuck not?" Kanda questioned, pulling his arm away, making Allen gasp softly.
"Because that would make you an asshole. Bakanda." Allen said in a mocking tone, huffing in annoyance. "We're already staying here overnight, there's no reason why we can't just go in the morning."
Kanda turned and scowled at him. "If we wait until morning, there could be an akuma attack."
Allen glared up at his commander. "And we'll be there to stop it."
Kanda's patience was beginning to wear thin. "Remember what I said about disobeying orders, Moyashi."
That seemed to shut the younger Exorcist right up, making him pout and turn his head away. The small satisfaction he felt soon dissipated as he let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. Tomorrow, as soon as the shop opens."
Sleeping that night wasn't as hard as Allen thought it would be. He was almost certain he would be visited by Nea, given the strange dream he had on the train. Instead, he woke up feeling refreshed, the first thing he saw being the empty bed across from him. Picking his head up, he saw that Stef was still asleep. Sometimes Allen wished that Kanda didn't wake up so early. His favorite thing was to wake up and see the swordsman sleeping calmly and to hear his soft breathing. But he almost always woke up before him and deprived him of those moments. Huffing as he sat up in the bed, he stretched his arms above his head. His movements stirred the Finder awake.
Letting out a yawn, Stef gave the Exorcist a smile. "Good morning, Sir Walker."
Allen returned the smile, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Good morning, Stef." He stood up, looking around. "You didn't happen to see Kanda, did you?"
Shaking his head no, Stef sat up as well. "I'm afraid not."
After both getting ready, the two of them left the room together. Timcanpy flew by Allen's head as the two talked to each other. The chit chat included Allen insisting that Stef could call him by his first name and Stef arguing that that would be impolite of him. Soon, beautiful black hair caught his eye and Allen saw Kanda talking to the shopkeeper, arms crossed. Seeing him brought a smile to his face and it only widened when the man noticed him staring. Out of the corner of his eye, Allen saw a man walking behind his lover.
And then his eye activated.
There was an explosion and people were screaming, running away from the smoke as Allen ran toward it. "Kanda!" He shouted, activating his innocence. He let out a cough, covering his mouth.
The smoke cleared a bit and Allen found Kanda between the buildings, shielding the young woman with his body. Picking up his head, he suddenly yelled. "Moyashi, behind!"
Jumping out of the way he turned his body to see the level 2 attacking, its attention now completely on Allen. He watched as the shopkeeper ran off in Stef's direction, taking advantage of the moment. He extended his Clown Belt, whipping the akuma around as Kanda activated Mugen and attacked, destroying the machine.
Smiling proudly, Allen looked down at his hands. He almost forgot how good this felt. He was beginning to feel like his old self again.
He almost didn't notice when another level 2 sprung up behind him, only to be captured in Stef's talisman. A breath of relief left his lips just before he felt something wrap around his ankle. Looking down, he saw a vine tightening around his limb.
The plants being affected by innocence must have been after the akuma. But since it was restrained and out of their reach, they went for the next closest thing...
"Oh, f-" Letting out a scream as he was whisked into the air, Allen tried his best not to accumulate too many injuries. In a blur, he managed to see Kanda running to his aid as he heard his name being yelled. "Just destroy the akuma! Worry about me later!" He yelled back just before being smacked against the side of the building. He was going to feel that later. The plant held him there for a second, dangling him in the air like a piece of meat. From there, he got a nice view of Kanda delivering the killing blow to the encapsulated akuma. And just like that, he was dropped. He let out an alarmed shriek as he tried to stick the landing as best as he could. He wound up rolling his ankle by accident.
The sudden cry that the boy let out startled Kanda a bit as he rushed over to him, along with the Finder, who knelt down beside the white haired Exorcist.
"Sir Walker, are you alright? Are you hurt?" He questioned. "Is it your ankle?"
"Did you break it? You fucking idiot." Kanda said after. Allen caught the concern laced in his voice, even though he knew the other was trying to hide it.
"I just landed on it wrong. I'll be fine." He insisted, standing up. There was a shooting pain emanating from the joint as he stood up straight, making his eyes widen. He caught a scream in his throat and held it back, faking a smile. He could feel Kanda glaring at him for lying. "Let's just go get the innocence and get back home, okay?"
"You're taking your little punk ass right to the infirmary as soon as we get home, got it?" Kanda hissed under his breath. Stef walked off to get the shopkeeper so they could ask her a few final questions.
Allen rolled his eyes and smirked a bit. "Yes, Daddy."
Seeing Kanda's horrified expression after the words slipped from his mouth brought Allen great joy and momentarily took his mind off of the pain in his ankle.
Inspecting the shop, the three saw that the plants really did have an unnatural overgrowth. Vines spilled over from pots and littered everything from tables to the floors. Flowers covered the walls and windows. When questioned about when this all started, the keeper told them about a pair of gloves she had bought. When she put them on, it felt like her hands were being electrocuted and then all of a sudden the plants seemed to come alive and she hadn't been able to stop it or touch the gloves since.
Taking the gloves into his left hand, Allen felt the familiar aura of innocence. "This has to be it." He said confidently, looking to the General. He smiled at the shopkeeper. "Do you mind if we take these?" He asked politely.
"Oh, by all means. They've caused me nothing but trouble anyway." She insisted.
Allen thanked her before he handed over the innocence to Kanda, who then stuck it in one of his inner coat pockets.
Once gaining permission from Central, Allen was allowed to open an Ark gate. Walking through, he couldn't help but feel good about their completed mission. For the first time in months, it felt like things were finally falling back into place.
Sorry for absolutely shitting out this chapter! But it needed to be done. It would have been awkward to just suddenly start throwing Allen into missions without easing him in first. May have to go back and proofread again since I was just trying to get this chapter out on a Monday. Next chapter I'm gonna get the ball rolling, so keep hanging in there with me!
D. Gray-Man belongs to Katsura Hoshino.
