"Did you know?" Allen asked, opening his eyes to the familiar white landscape.

"Know what?"

"About the baby. Did you know?"

The woman smiled at him. "If I say yes, will that comfort you?"

Sighing heavily, Allen held his head in his hands. "What would comfort me is having answers. I hate being so confused about everything."

"All in due time, love. You already have some answers, no?" She asked, resting her hand on his back.

Allen picked his head up from his hands. "Well, I know about the baby now… And that your name is Agnes." He said slowly as he remembered. Her smile widened. "But I don't know how the baby is even possible. And I still have no idea who you are. How are you connected to Nea?"

Agnes let out a soft chuckle as she carefully tucked his hair behind his ear. "Time is your friend, Allen. You have plenty of it to answer all of your questions."

"Noooo…" Allen whined quietly in his sleep. Kanda opened his eyes from meditating and turned his head to glance down at him, snorting softly. Soon after that, Allen opened his eyes slowly, the man next to him coming into view. He smiled warmly, adoration filling his eyes.

It was something Kanda would never admit out loud, but he loved when Allen looked at him like that. There was something so pure and genuine about it and it just reminded him how madly in love with the bean sprout he was.

"Good morning." Allen said softly. He reached his right hand out and rested it on the mattress next to Kanda's leg.

Kanda moved his own right hand to rest on top of Allen's, gripping it softly. "Morning, Moyashi. How did you sleep?"

Allen hummed softly, yawning a bit before he pulled his hand back, sitting up to stretch his arms over his head, yawning a second time. "Great." He said genuinely, giving another smile.

"How are you feeling?" Kanda asked, relaxing his posture a bit. Looks like that was it for meditating.

"Fine, fine." Allen said, stretching his arms out in front of him. "Besides feeling bloated, I feel great."

Kanda gave half an eye roll, standing up from the bed. He pulled his hair back, tying it up into his signature ponytail. "What're your plans for today? To fuck around?"

"Shut up." Allen said, standing up next. "I might do some light training. Maybe go to the library. What about you?"

Kanda instantly looked annoyed. "A meeting with the other Generals later. I've been to one already. They're a pain in the ass."

"Doesn't that mean someone from Central will be there?" Allen asked, brows furrowing with concern for a moment.

"Yes, but it won't be Rouvelier." Kanda assured him. "Just one of his lackeys doing his bidding for him. Nonetheless, keep your eye out. I'll come look for you when I'm done."

Allen nodded, going back to what he was doing. He pulled out a pair of pants and a button up from the dresser, making sure he didn't grab one of Kanda's by mistake.

Kanda got himself ready in the bathroom, taking a quick shower. While he bathed and brushed his teeth, he began thinking of his upcoming meeting, wondering what it could be about. When he finished, he walked into the bedroom to find Allen in front of the mirror, fidgeting with the waistband on his pants. "What are you doing, Moyashi?"

"They're too tight." Allen grumbled, trying to loosen them up to no avail.

"I thought you were going to have Johnny fix them."

"Yeah, I was." Allen said, huffing as he unbuttoned them before buttoning them again.

"So why didn't you?"

"Why?" Allen repeated. "Because I don't want anyone to know I'm gaining weight, and I'm embarrassed."

"Why are you embarrassed? You don't look any different." Kanda told him, looking him over. "You just look… Softer."

"Oh, gee, that makes me feel so much better. Thank you, Kanda." Allen said sarcastically, huffing as he left his pants unbuttoned.

Kanda rolled his eyes, snorting softly. "Listen, just wear a pair of my pants until you bring yours to Johnny. Just wear a belt and roll them up a bit."

Allen pouted at his boyfriend for a moment before he walked over to the dresser, pulling out a pair of the other's pants, taking him up on the offer. They were a little big on him as expected, but he did what Kanda said. He put one of his own belts on and folded up the legs at the bottom. They didn't look bad on him at all, but to him, they looked awful. "I look stupid."

"You look stupid regardless." Kanda said, giving Allen a kiss on the cheek as he walked to the door. "Now, go get them fixed. And talk to idiot if you see him to see when we should have that check up or whatever the hell it is."

Allen snorted and watched him go. "Have fun, wherever you're going." He said as the other closed the door behind him after saying goodbye. Before putting his shirt on, he got a good look at himself in the mirror. Kanda was right, he did look softer. His stomach didn't look as toned anymore, looking ever so slightly swollen. Sighing to himself, he pulled a muscle shirt on before his button up, leaving the top few buttons undone. "Come on, Tim." He called, slipping his shoes on as the golem took his place atop the white hair.

Allen had taken a few pairs of pants with him, hastily making his way to the science section to find Johnny as fast as he could. Walking in, he held the clothes draped over his arm, holding them against his stomach. Many of the scientists greeted him as he walked in, making him smile.

"Morning, Allen." He heard a tired voice call out from where they sat at their desk.

"Reever, good morning!" Allen greeted cheerfully, walking over to the Section Leader. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm just… So exhausted." Reever said, letting out a dry laugh. "How about you, Allen? You seem well."

"I am well." Allen responded, smiling. "I was just looking for Johnny. Have you seen him?"

Reever nodded. "Yeah, he should be back there somewhere. Just watch out, I think he's being evaluated by someone from Central right now."

Allen's face fell a bit. "What? Why?"

Taking a deep breath, Reever leaned back in his seat, folding his hands behind his head. "After he left to find you with Kanda, Central deemed him a traitor for conspiring with the Fourteenth." Reever explained. Allen's heart broke hearing that. He swallowed, biting the inside of his cheek a bit as he listened to the rest of Reever's explanation. "After the three of you returned and everything got sorted out, Central decided to keep a close eye on him, much like they decided with you. Although, not as closely as they do with you. They just want to make sure he doesn't do something like that again, which I think is stupid, because you're back now and he has no reason to leave again."

Allen didn't know what to say, guilt beginning to eat at him. If it weren't for him, Johnny wouldn't have had to risk everything like that, and now he was suffering the consequences.

"Allen!"

Turning his head around toward the familiar voice, Allen plastered a smile onto his face as the man in question ran toward him. "Johnny! I was just looking for you!" Allen exclaimed as his friend made his way over to him. "I had a favor to ask you."

"What's up?" Johnny asked, fixing his glasses as he watched Allen hold the three pairs of pants up.

"I was wondering if you could move the buttons on these over for me."

Johnny took them, looking at them. "Are they too big?"

Allen held back a blush as he clasped his hands together. "No… They're a bit snug."

Picking his head up to look at the younger man, he tilted his head. "Really?"

Allen nodded, trying to act as normally as he could, really not wanting to tell anyone about his pregnancy, at least not yet. "Yes, I must have picked up the wrong size when I got them." He said.

"No problem, it'll be an easy fix." Johnny said. "Do you mind putting one of the pairs on for me so I can get an idea of where to move the button?

The request made Allen a bit nervous. He had to convince himself that he looked practically the same, Johnny wouldn't be able to guess his predicament from something like this. So he agreed, taking a walk with Johnny to somewhere less crowded. It was near a closet so Allen could step inside to change his pants.

As he waited for Allen to step out, all Johnny could think about was where Allen got the pair of pants he was wearing from. They definitely weren't his. He probably just borrowed them from one of his friends, probably Lavi. But then he wondered how his friend could have managed to buy three separate pairs of pants in the wrong, identical size. Maybe it really was just a mistake. But something still felt off to the scientist. He stopped his thoughts as the white haired Exorcist stepped out, attempting one last time to button his pants comfortably.

"I can still button them, they're just too tight." Allen explained, finally just leaving them open.

Johnny chuckled, grabbing a pin. "That's fine, you want them to be as comfortable as possible." Sticking the pin into the fabric, Johnny pulled his hands away. "Would that be okay?"

Allen tested the spot out, confirming with a nod. "Yes, that'd be perfect."

"Alright. Just give them to me and then I'll mark up the other pairs. I should finish up pretty quick and give them to you later." Johnny said, smiling.

Allen returned to the closet to change back into Kanda's pants, careful not to knock the pin loose by accident. He started thinking about what Reever said about Johnny being under investigation. The guilt began to eat away at him again. When he came back out to hand Johnny the pants, he stopped him before he walked off, grabbing him gently by the wrist.

"What's the matter, Allen?" Johnny asked, turning back to face him.

Allen kept his gaze on the floor, brows knit with sadness. "Johnny… I'm so sorry for putting you in this position…" He said softly.

Johnny blinked in confusion. "What position?"

"Being questioned by Central. I understand why they do it to me, but all you've ever done was try to help me, and now you're paying for it. I'm so sorry." He apologized again.

"Allen…" Johnny whispered, looking at his young friend. "Don't be sorry, Allen. If I had to, I'd do it all over again." He said with a smile, placing a hand on Allen's shoulder.

Allen felt as the tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. Now was not the time for tears. He hated how quickly he seemed to be able to turn on the waterworks since becoming pregnant, and he swore it would be one of the things that people would notice and start to realize something was up.

"Hey, don't be upset… Everything is okay! Promise!" Johnny assured him again. "You're probably hungry. Go get something to eat and I'll fix your pants."

Letting out a small laugh at his words, Allen wiped his eyes and smiled. "O-Okay… Thank you, Johnny!"

Johnny watched as the young Exorcist left the science division. He couldn't help but worry about him a little.


Arriving in the cafeteria, Allen noticed that it was a bit more crowded than usual around this time, the atmosphere giving off pleasant vibes. There was a small line at the ordering window, which Allen didn't mind much. Once it was his turn to order, he remembered to order a bit more than he normally would, thanking Jerry once he was done. As he began to walk away, he heard Jerry call out, "Uh uh uh, come here, you." He gestured him over with his finger, a stern look on his face. Allen gulped, feeling like he was in trouble. But what did he do? Why would Jerry be upset with him? He guessed he would find out, walking back into the kitchen, where Jerry pulled him aside to speak with him privately.

Jerry crossed his arms, keeping his stern expression. Allen tensed under his gaze, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "... So… How are you, Jerry?"

"I heard from a few different people that you've been getting sick after eating." Jerry said. Allen's face burned red.

'Lavi.' Allen thought to himself, mentally cursing his redheaded friend.

"Why wouldn't you tell me that you're feeling unwell? I would have made you something else that wouldn't upset your stomach. Or, or-" Jerry continued, "you should have told me in case the food itself made you sick! Oh, Lord, I could never live with myself if I served bad food-"

"Jerry, Jerry, calm down." Allen said, letting out a somewhat nervous chuckle as he held his hands up. "I promise you, it wasn't the food that made me sick."

Letting out sigh of relief, Jerry followed it up by putting his hands on his hips. "Then what is it?"

Allen swallowed softly, lowering his hands. He remembered vaguely that Komui told him that if he was going to tell anyone about the pregnancy, it would be Jerry, which Allen didn't disagree with. He trusted Jerry as much as any of his friends.

Yet, he still couldn't seem to get the words out. They were caught in his throat, refusing to leave his mouth.

"You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable." Jerry told him, noticing how uneasy the boy looked.

Allen appreciated that, but he knew it was still something that needed to be done. Swallowing once more, he made sure his voice was low so Jerry was the only one who heard him. "Komui told me I should tell you… I'm… Kind of…" He tilted his head back, rubbing the back of his neck. "... Pregnant."

Allen didn't miss the look of shock to come across the older man's face, giving him a somewhat nervous smile. "So… Yeah… I'm sorry for letting you think the food was making me sick."

"Oh, honey. You definitely should have told me sooner." Jerry said. "But it's better late than never. Are you still having morning sickness?"

To be completely honest, Allen was a little thrown off by Jerry's acceptance and willingness to jump right in. "Yes, I am."

Nodding at the answer, rubbing his chin slightly as he thought. "Alright. Then I'll brew some ginger tea for you to help try to ease that. Go, wait for your food. I know what I'll make." He said, shooing the boy from the kitchen.

Allen felt like a bit of weight was lifted off his shoulders. Well, that was easy enough. Maybe it would be that easy to tell his friends the news, too.

He soon joined his friends after his food was ready, thanking Jerry again.

"Let me know if you need anything else!" Jerry called out, getting to work on the next order.

Taking a seat next to Lenalee, who smiled at him, Allen began to dig into his meal, occasionally stopping to take a sip of tea, while Timcanpy took a seat on his head.

Lavi and Krory sat across from them, Chaoji sitting next to Lenalee. "Hey, where's Yuu?" Lavi questioned, looking around.

Allen shrugged. "I'm not with him twenty four seven, you know."

"Isn't he at the General's meeting?" Lenalee piped in.

"Oh yeah, he did say that." Allen said, rubbing his palm against his eye. Did he really forget?

"It's still so strange seeing you two together so often." Krory said, stirring his cup of coffee. "You're at each other's throats so much, it must be a pain having him over your shoulder constantly."

"Can't be that bad." Lavi commented. Lenalee slammed her foot down on his a moment later, making him scream in both pain and alarm.

Allen snorted. "Playing footsies under the table, Lenalee?" He teased, giving a slightly sly smile as he rested his head on his hand.

"I-I'm… Not!" Lenalee exclaimed, cheeks pink. The little brat! She was trying to help him!

Chuckling, Allen took a sip of his tea again, wondering why he hadn't started drinking it sooner. Maybe his nausea wouldn't have been so bad.

"Anyway, what we were talking about before you got here was poker." Lavi said, tucking his foot away from further abuse.

"Poker?" Allen repeated, a hint of interest in his voice.

"Yeah, poker. We were talking about how bad at it Krory-kins is." Lavi giggled, the Count glaring at him.

"And then Lavi said that you can't actually play without cheating." Krory said, crossing his arms.

Lavi's laughter ceased as a sudden darkness enveloped the youngest member sitting at the table. "... What was that?" Allen asked, scarily calm.

"I said, Lavi said that you can't actually play poker without cheating." Krory repeated, slower this time.

Lavi put his hands up, his laughter returning, only now it was nervous laughter. "I was just kidding, Allen, buddy-"

"I can wipe the floor with every single one of you without cheating." Allen said confidently, voice unwavering.

"Are you gonna test that out?" Chaoji suddenly asked, crossing his arms.

"It depends on whether or not you all feel like leaving here in your underwear." Allen said, smiling sweetly as he closed his eyes.

Several people took the challenge.

To make sure he wasn't cheating, they made sure he removed his button up so he couldn't hide any cards in his sleeves. He was glad he wore the muscle shirt underneath. He reached to shuffle the cards, but Lavi stopped him, telling Lenalee to do it.

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the deck of cards, shuffling them as best as she could. She could tell from the way Allen watched her that she was doing it wrong, but she didn't really care. She thought this whole thing was stupid.

Having set the cards on the table, Allen sat patiently. "Is someone else going to deal the cards?"

Everyone looked at each other for a few seconds before Lavi reached forward and began dealing them out. Now, Lavi was no dummy, no matter how people liked to tease him. He was pretty smart, and he was sure he could handle a game or two of cards.

If he was playing against anyone besides Allen Walker, that was. The kid was a heartless beast when it came to gambling and Lavi knew he'd have no problem letting every single person leave the room without their clothes. His only hope was that Allen was complete garbage at gambling without cheating.

After just a few minutes of gambling, the faith that Lavi had in that thought quickly faded away. Allen's poker face alone was too good. Lavi felt intimidated as his friend watched him over his fan of cards, silver eyes hard and observant as the redhead hesitantly looked over his own hand.

It seemed like it only took a minute for Lavi to get stripped down to his boxers, ashamed. Scooping the cards up off the table, Allen smiled brightly as he shuffled them. "Alright! Who's next?"

A particularly ballsy Finder was up next, taking a seat across from him. He was having a good time as person after person lost, almost entirely from pure nerve. He didn't notice when Kanda walked into the cafeteria, taking in the sight in front of him. He walked up to Lenalee, confused. "What's going on here?"

Lenalee huffed, her arms crossed as she continued to watch and keep score. "Lavi said Allen can't play cards without cheating."

Lowering his eyebrows a bit as they came together, Kanda kept watching the bean sprout from behind. "Isn't that true?"

"Say that again and you're next." Allen warned, not taking his eyes off his hand.

"I don't play cards." Kanda said a bit louder so he could hear him. He knew the little brat was still cheating somehow, but just couldn't figure out how.

As they stood and watched for another few rounds, Lenalee remembered something. "I thought you were going to the General's meeting."

"It's not until later." Kanda responded, watching as the third Finder slapped his cards on the table in frustration, storming from the table. Allen's smile widened as he began arguing with his friend standing behind him.

"I thought you were gonna pick out the right ones!"

"Oh, sorry! Maybe play on your own next time!"

The arguing only fueled Allen's ego, gathering the cards up once more to put them away, smiling triumphantly to himself.

"Allen, you're a demon." Lavi told him, crossing his arms as he pouted.

"Don't you forget it." Allen said, tossing the stack of cards in front of Lavi.

Things were slightly chaotic in the cafeteria now, Allen looking around at the mess he created.

"Oi, Moyashi. Come here, I have to talk to you." Kanda said. Lenalee smiled at her friend, waiting for him to join them.

Standing up from his seat a little too fast, Allen could feel his body sway for a moment as he placed his hands on the table to steady himself. Things started to get blurry as the room started spinning. Allen closed his eyes and pressed his palm to his forehead.

"Allen? Are you okay?" Lenalee asked him.

Allen didn't have a chance to answer. He didn't notice when someone backed up into him. Normally, that wouldn't have done anything but maybe make him take a step back. But during this dizzy spell, it felt like he was bulldozed over. He fell backwards, his feet getting hooked on the bench he was sitting at as he hit the floor, his head hitting the bench of the table behind him, Timcanpy freaking out as he flew over his owner's limp body.

"Allen!" Lenalee shouted, rushing over to him in a panic, Lavi jumping up from his seat across the table. Lenalee held Allen up, checking to make sure he didn't crack his head open as he began to regain the consciousness he had momentarily lost.

"O-Ow… Ow…" He muttered, opening his eyes slowly.

The Finder that bumped into him didn't even get a chance to take in what had happened before he was thrown into the table, the feared Exorcist, Yuu Kanda holding him down with rage in his eyes. "You fucking idiot!"

That Finder really thought he was about to die right then and there before others began pulling the General off of him, Chaoji being one of them. "I didn't mean to knock him over!"

Kanda yelled in frustration, trying to pull away from those holding him back, which was no use. Chaoji had a firm hold on him.

As Allen's vision started to clear, he looked at Lenalee and Lavi, blinking a few times, realizing he was on the floor.

"Maybe he has a concussion." Lavi said to the girl, looking at her.

The fall wasn't that bad. His head hurt a little, but Allen doubted it gave him a concussion. In fact, he was more worried about-

"Oh, God, Allen. You're pale." Lenalee said, her concern beginning to rise. "I think we should take you to the inf- Allen? Where are you going?" She called out after him as he got up, sprinting from the cafeteria, leaving his two friends in confused, shocked silence.

Allen's legs carried him to the infirmary as fast as they could, his heart racing so fast that he swore it would beat out of his chest. Throwing the door open and entering, the young man frantically began asking for the Head Nurse. He begged the nurses trying to calm him down to let them see her, struggling to keep himself from crying.

Head Nurse soon came, being led to him by her niece. "Allen, what's wrong?" She asked, seeing how shaken up he was.

"I-I fell and I hit my head, a-and I might have a concussion, and I got dizzy-" He babbled quickly, trying to gather his jumbled thoughts into one coherent one. Realizing what his concern was, she took him back to a private room, closing the door as he finally broke down into tears.

Head Nurse pulled the young man into her arms, rubbing his back as she hushed him, trying to calm him down. "Shhhh. Take a deep breath."

Allen's breath hitched as he tried to do that, taking deep breaths in, letting them out slowly. "I-I stood up from the table in the cafeteria and I got really dizzy, then I fell, and I think I hit my head." He explained, sniffling a few times.

Letting him pull away, she handed him some tissues. "That's not why you're upset." She said in a definite tone.

Allen started to get choked up again, shutting his eyes. "Did I hurt the baby? Did I kill it by accident?" He asked, immediately bursting into tears again.

Head Nurse carefully led him to sit on the bed in the room, leaving for a moment to get some things, finding Allen's friends in the main part of the infirmary.

"Head Nurse! Is Allen here?" Lenalee asked, catching her before the older woman walked off.

"Yes, he's here. I'm going to check him for a concussion before I let you see him. Except you." She explained, looking at Kanda. "Come with me, General. You two, stay here until I tell you to come back."

The two stayed back and watched as their friend walked off with Head Nurse. Lavi looked down at Lenalee. "Yuu really went off on that Finder back there." He mumbled.

"I know." Lenalee said quietly, letting out a sigh. "He's going to make people suspicious if he keeps doing that."

Lavi didn't say anything. He already knew some people were suspicious, Chaoji included. He folded his hands behind his head, sighing heavily. "Jesus…"

Upon entering the room where Allen was, Kanda stared at his boyfriend silently while the boy looked up at him, his breath hitching. "K-Kanda…" He whimpered, rubbing his eye.

"Why are you crying, Moyashi? Stop it." Kanda said softly, walking over to him, sitting next to him on the bed. "Hitting your head isn't something to cry over."

"I'm not crying over my head, Bakanda." Allen said, sniffling again. "I'm worried about the baby."

"The what?"

"The baby, dumbass." Allen said, sounding a bit annoyed. "Remember, the one you put in me?"

Kanda zoned out for a second. The baby was the last thing on his mind at that moment, more concerned for his boyfriend's health. He had completely forgotten about the child, who was also at risk.

Head Nurse took the opportunity to put the stethoscope she grabbed on, asking Allen to lift his shirt. Doing that, he watched anxiously as she placed the cold metal on his stomach, trying to keep his own heart from racing so much.

Head Nurse's smile immediately comforted him. "Rest assured, boys. There's still a heartbeat, much stronger than two weeks ago." She told them.

Covering his face in his hand, Allen let out another soft cry of relief, shoulders trembling. "Oh, thank God…"

Kanda stared at the piece of metal silently, brows furrowed. He was still having trouble getting through his head that there was a child growing within his partner. His child. Part of him couldn't grasp that it was real. He snapped out of his thoughts as Allen rested his head against his shoulder, finally calming down.

"You can put your mind at ease for now. Everything seems healthy. The reason you were dizzy is probably a symptom of your pregnancy, due to the increase of hormones at work in your body. I'll explain it in more detail for you when you meet up with the Chief." Head Nurse told them. "That being said, I'd like to take the opportunity to tell you to be much more careful in the future, since Chief Komui has informed me that you intend to carry on with your missions."

Allen lowered his head before nodding. "Yeah… That's what I told Komui."

He could see her look of disapproval. "I'm just a nurse, so I can't tell you what and what not to do," she said, "but I will tell you to be as careful as possible. The battlefield is nowhere for someone who is pregnant to be."

Nodding slowly, Allen swallowed. "I understand… Thank you, Head Nurse." Allen said, smiling gratefully at her.

She returned the smile, nodding. "Be careful with the dizzy spells, try not to get up too fast or rush around too much. Oh, and Lavi and Lenalee are waiting outside. Shall I send them in?"

Allen looked at Kanda for a moment, who was clearly spacing out for a moment. He'd speak with him later. "Yeah, they can come." He told her before she left, pulling his shirt back down. He gently placed his hand on Kanda's arm, making the other man shudder slightly. Giving the older boy a reassuring smile, he kissed him softly on the cheek before the door opened, both of their eyes landing on their two friends.

"Allen…" Lenalee sighed in relief, smiling as she entered. Lavi followed suit, closing the door behind them. "How is your head?"

Chuckling as he rubbed the place where his head hit the bench, Allen smiled again. "Just a little sore. No concussion for me."

"I'm so glad. I got scared there for a minute." She told him, hugging him.

"Did she tell you why you fainted in the first place?" Lavi asked, sitting in the only chair in the room.

"I didn't faint, Lavi." Allen corrected him. "I got dizzy and fell over."

"Right, and then you fainted." Lavi responded, smiling cheekily.

Allen huffed, pouting at his friend. "She said I'm not drinking enough water." He lied.

"At least that's an easy fix." Lenalee said, rubbing his shoulder gently. Allen put his hand on top of hers and gripped it gently. "Maybe you should go rest, Allen. Get some of your energy back."

That didn't sound like a bad idea to Allen at all. Standing from the bed, he fixed his shirt a bit before he and Lavi walked out the door. Kanda began to follow when Lenalee put her hand on his shoulder. He looked down at her. "What?"

"Seeing you stand up for Allen today was really nice, Kanda." She admitted. That's what she wanted nothing more than to see, to see all of her friends getting along and especially the two lovers getting to express themselves the way they deserved. "But, if you're going to keep this a secret, you have to be more careful." She told him, keeping her voice low. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "People will start to figure it out if you and Allen are too reckless."

As much as he wanted to refuse what she was saying, she had a point. Unless he could slowly ease his way into publically tolerating his boyfriend, people would find out, and the news would eventually circle back to Central. He sighed, giving one nod. "Did baka Usagi tell you to say that?"

"He did say that I should be the one to tell you, since you'll listen to me, not him." She admitted. Kanda rolled his eyes again. "But I thought it, too. I just don't want you guys to get in trouble."

"We won't. Not if I can help it." Kanda said to her, looking down with her. She gave him half a smile before withdrawing her hand.

"Kanda! Hurry up, you butt!" They heard Allen call out from the hall. Lenalee giggled as Kanda blushed in embarrassment, clicking his tongue.


Once they returned to Kanda's room, Allen got a nap in, Timcanpy resting next to his head on a pillow. Kanda got some meditation in, trying to prepare himself for this damn meeting. Once it was time for him to start getting a move on, Kanda walked over to Allen's side of the bed, leaning down to kiss his head as he placed his hand on Allen's lower back. "Moyashi, I'm going to start getting dressed. I think you should wait for me in Komui's office until I'm done." He said, waiting for him to fully wake up.

Allen groaned softly, opening his eyes. "Why?"

"Because I don't want you to bump into anyone from Central on your way there." Kanda said, helping him sit up. "I'll be there as soon as the meeting is done."

"Okay…" Allen yawned softly, Timcanpy stretching his wings next to him. After the two were ready, they walked together until Allen was at the Chief's office.

Komui didn't mind Allen staying there for a while, agreeing with Kanda's plan. He wasn't doing much anyway, besides sorting through papers that were just going to end up on the floor again anyway.

"Why aren't you at the meeting?" Allen asked curiously.

"Hm?" Komui hummed. "I wasn't required to be there." He said. "I'm just busy trying to figure out how I'm going to be able to safely send you on missions." He said, tossing another paper behind him.

"What are you thinking?" Allen asked curiously.

Pursing his lips for a moment, Komui sat back in his chair. "A few things. Either Innocence retrieval missions with sightings of low level akuma, to which the fighting could easily be left to Kanda or anyone else you go with." He said first. "I was also thinking of sending Kanda out on a typical General's mission and have you tag along. I don't like having to do this because it gives a higher chance for Innocence to be destroyed if it falls into a Noah's hands, but he'd be given a few pieces of Innocence and sent to look for new Accommodators."

Allen scrunched his nose for a moment. "That's boring."

"That's safe, Allen. I'm not sending you out on high risk missions and risking you and your child's life. Not willingly. No way, no how." Komui said, dropping another paper on the floor.

"Okay, dad." Allen said with a hint of sarcasm.

They wound up waiting a long time for the meeting to end, Allen falling back asleep on the couch with his head tilted back, mouth opened as he snored softly. Tim was sitting on his lap, also sleeping. There was a knock on the door that just barely woke Allen up.

"Finally." Komui muttered. "Come in!" The door opened and Komui glanced up to his visitor, eyes shooting open as he stood up straight. "D-Director Rouvelier. I wasn't expecting you today."

The words froze Allen's blood as he fully woke from his sleep, eyes widened in fear. Rouvelier was here.

Kanda wasn't.

"I hope you don't mind the interruption, Komui. I just wanted to see how my friend, Mr. Walker was doing. I had a feeling he'd be here." Rouvelier said with fake friendliness, entering the room with a Crow by his side. "I noticed that we hadn't had his scheduled examination yet and I thought we'd get it over with while General Kanda was in his meeting, just so we don't waste anymore time."

Everything passed in slow motion as Allen turned his head to look back at the Director with wide eyes, seeing the smile that made him feel sick to his core.

"You don't mind, right, Mr. Walker?"


I am so sorry about updating so late in the day. AGAIN.

I've gotten distracted by writing a few au drabbles and, I'm gonna be real honest with you guys. I am addicted to Animal Crossing. I've sold my soul to Tom Nook and gotten semi distracted by paying off my loan.

And once again. Thank you SO MUCH for the nice reviews. The ones for the last couple chapters have actually brought tears to my eyes. It makes me so glad you guys are enjoying it so far. Thank you again and thanks for hanging in there with me!

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino