DISCLAIMER: I own nothing for D.Gray-man. Just borrowing the characters

The walk from one station to another wasn't in our plans. I had wanted to ride straight through but my travelling companion seemed to have other ideas in mind.

It was because of this that we found ourselves lying under the shade of a tree. Though the area we were in wasn't exactly secluded, it was fairly less travelled. I might have been a little more concerned otherwise. What would people think if they saw two male Exorcists so close together? I had to admit that Rabi made a comfortable, make-shift bed.

"If we take this station, we can bypass the extra transfer here." A slender finger pointed at the map in front of my nose, nearly hitting it in the process due to my mind wandering. Clearly he noticed this and I heard him chuckle slightly. "Or I could just lay here and talk to myself."

Blinking and shaking my head to clear it of its thoughts, I smiled at him, looking where his finger was pointing. It seemed to be a considerable distance from where we currently were. "But that's so far away," I whined, vocalizing my displeasure.

The map was taken away and folded neatly to be put down beside us, feeling his hands press at my sides and lift me up further from my resting spot on my boyfriend's body. No matter how often I referred to him as that in my mind, it was still difficult to say it. When you have to hide something, the transition between what you see and what you want others to see is difficult.

"It's not that far, yeah? And we don't have to be there for another three days," he said quietly, grinning up at me with that little grin that broke my resolve every time I saw it.

"What are you suggesting?" I ask, a small and mischievous smile playing on my lips. His only response was to widen his grin slightly and arch his visible eyebrow.

It wouldn't be the first time we'd wasted time that could have been used to go to our original destination. He was a terrible influence on me, this Bookman-in-training. I used to be so punctual, so "by-the-rules". Now I found that I liked breaking the rules and being late. But breaking the rules was something that couldn't be helped considering our situation.

"But we can't afford to be late this time. What if they start to suspect something?" I knew it was really futile to argue but I had to at least try, right?

As expected, Rabi shook his head and kept on grinning at me. Even through the thick cloth of my Exorcist's robe I could feel his hand lightly rubbing at my back. His other hand came up to rest on my cheek, the serene look on his face being all I needed to smile back and ignore my own worries.

We lay like this in silence for what felt like an eternity to me, letting the rare, peaceful moment speak for us. Being Exorcists, we rarely got the opportunity to relax. It was even more precious for Rabi and me, considering our obviously conflicting stations in life. Even if we tended to ignore them, it didn't mean that everyone else would.

I remembered the shaky beginning of our relationship. I don't know who was more nervous but it was me who let his emotions get the better of him first. I know how lucky I am to have him return my feelings but, at the same time, I worried for him. With that title of "Bookman" hanging over his head, it was something that was more difficult to ignore. At times I've felt incredibly selfish, wanting him to just forget it and to keep him to myself. I love him but I know I can't ask that of him.

"It's been nearly a year now, hasn't it?"

I blinked as my lover's voice cut through my thoughts. "Already? It feels like it's been shorter somehow."

Rabi shook his head just once, the thumb from the hand on my cheek brushing over my curse mark gently. "I'm more surprised by the fact we haven't even come close to being caught." His soft smile turned to a grin that was almost too mischievous for an Exorcist. "But that's just part of the fun, yeah?"

I could hear the tone in his voice; guilt mixed with nervousness. As I always did when his own worries got the better of him, I put a reassuring hand on his cheek. My fingers lightly brushed the patch over his right eye, the one part of him I still haven't seen what was underneath. "We're too clever to get caught," I whisper to him gently.

This seems to soothe some of his fears but I feel his hand press me closer to him possessively. "We can't hide forever, beansprout."

Frowning slightly, I knew he was right. No matter how good we were with being secretive, our relationship was bound to be discovered at some point. But the thought didn't bother me so much now as it did in the first few months of our sneaking around. I knew now what I wanted.

Possibly sensing my thoughts or simply for his own reassurance, Rabi lifted his head and pressed his lips to mine. He was an amazing kisser, knowing just what would incite certain reactions in me, as if he'd memorized every last inch of my mouth.

Now smiling again, he ended the kiss, releasing my lips and resting his head against the tree trunk again. "Things will work out, yeah?" he mumbled and this time, I could hear the conviction in his voice.

I licked my lips, which still had the lingering feelings of his on them. Smiling contentedly, I nodded once in agreement.

Somehow, I knew that Rabi had made his decision, too. It wouldn't be easy but we would make it work and overcome the obstacles in our way. As long as he was by my side, nothing would tear me away from him.