Thanks for the reviews, everybody! I appreciate it! And don't worry...there's plenty more drama to come! :P

Disclaimer: I don't own D Gray Man! I just make the characters naughty!

Kanda jerked in surprise beneath him at the sound of Lavi's voice calling down to them. "Shit," he whispered. Allen was holding stock still in shock. Oh god, had Lavi heard them? If he had been standing there for more than two minutes, there was no way he could have mistaken the sounds they were making for anything other than...his cheeks flushed with color. Allen couldn't even think the word, it was too mortifying.

"Allen? Are you guys down there?" Lavi's voice had taken a tone of worry, pulling Allen from his embarrassed internal monologue.

"Uh - yeah! Yeah, sorry, we'll be right up!" Allen winced at how hoarse his voice sounded. "We were sleeping!"

"Well, you might want to hurry! The Akuma spotted me, and they're on their way over here!"

Allen struggled to his feet, grimacing at the cooling spot in his pants, giving a prayer of thanks for his long coat that would hide the evidence of what they had done. Running a hand through his hair to put it into some semblance of order, he fumbled around for the entrance to the cave's hole, doing his best to clear his mind of what had just happened for later contemplation. Right now he had some Akuma to fight.

***
With Lavi and Bookman's help they had quickly disposed of the Akuma, though the destruction that the creatures and wreaked on the area while searching for Allen and Kanda was shocking. Huge holes marred the rock face, and where there had once been a slightly navigable trail there was now rubble, huge boulders, and places where the whole thing had been wiped out. This made getting back to the ridge difficult and exhausting, and it took longer than Allen would have liked. He kept shooting fervent glances at Kanda, who looked just the same as he always did - unconcerned and slightly annoyed. Allen was thankful for Lavi, who filled what would have been an uncomfortable silence with his usual chatter, stopping occasionally only to argue with the Bookman. Timcampy fluttered around Allen's head, distracting him when he felt his exhausted body start to rebel.

The throbbing in his leg had increased to an almost unbearable level, the rough terrain of the ravaged landscape making the injury flair. Why was he always getting hurt? At least it hadn't been his arm this time. Allen shivered as he remembered the torture that was Komui's treatment of any injury sustained to his arm.

Despite his best efforts Allen was falling behind the other three, and his limp was becoming more pronounced. Finally Lavi stopped his chatter to study him with a critical eye. "You shouldn't be putting weight on that, Allen. Here, I'll carry you on my back the rest of the way."

Ignoring his protests, Lavi took a few steps towards Allen. Neither one of them noticed Kanda striding forward past Lavi until he had already scooped Allen up bridal style. Allen yelped in protest and immediately began struggling.

"Kanda, you idiot! What are you doing?"

"You're slowing us down. We need to get to the train before more Akuma come looking for the innocence," He said shortly.

"I could have carried him," Lavi muttered, falling into line behind Kanda. "I didn't spend the night in a hole, after all."

Allen's cheeks reddened at the reminder of exactly how he had spent his night, and he shifted uncomfortably in Kanda's arms, shooting a furtive glance to discover he wasn't the only one with color in his cheeks. Apparently Kanda did blush. That was the only indication of emotion Kanda gave for the rest of the trip, however. The lack of emotion was both unnerving and disappointing, and Allen wondered why he had even bothered carrying him. He was pretty sure Kanda would have been happier leaving him in the hole if his cold countenance was anything to go by. Allen's anxiety turned into depression, and he couldn't help but wonder why he had given his first kiss to someone who obviously despised him.

When they got to town Jean, Toma and Yin were anxiously waiting for them in front of the Inn. Well, Jean and Toma were anxiously waiting, Yin just looked bored. Allen thanked God that he had insisted Kanda put him down before they made their way into town. He wasn't sure he could handle more snide remarks about his 'boyfriend' at this point.

After hearing about where they had hidden out while waiting for reinforcements, however, Yin still gave Allen a knowing smirk. He simply glared, too tired and distracted by racing thoughts to pay the annoying woman any mind. What was her problem, anyway? She barely even knew them, why would she be giving them so much trouble?

"You lived. How disappointing." Yin said to Kanda. Allen winced and waited for sound of steel leaving its prison, or at least Kanda's annoyed "che." Instead Kanda just smirked at Yin. "Likewise."

Allen's jaw dropped open as his brain function sizzled to a halt. Did Kanda actually just engage in friendly banter with someone? Well, friendly for him. Allen had been trying for months to get the stupid exorcist to like him, and this girl waltzed in and Kanda inexplicably feels a 'connection?'

"So, what, now you two are best friends?" He found himself blurting out, ignoring the inner voice that was saying something along the lines of jealousy is unbecoming. And the other voice whispering about the type of attention he had just received from Kanda not two hours before. Allen felt himself blush when the shocked faces of the group turned towards him. Even Kanda looked a bit taken aback. "Whatever. I'm going to get my things and clean up, and then we can go home."

Allen swung through the door, inexplicably close to tears. What is wrong with me? An inner voice chided. He was acting like some jealous, jilted lover. He was pretty sure he and Kanda were not going to become intimate again. Kanda had probably just hit his head when they landed or something.

A quick shower in the shared bathroom at the end of the hall did little to improve Allen's mood. Especially since Kanda had come in about two minutes after he had to wash off the day's activities. Allen quickly turned off his shower and grabbed his towel, drying himself off quickly and striding across the white tile to the bench where he had set his clean set of clothes. He wanted to get out of town as quickly as possible, before more Akuma came to crash their party. Plus he wanted to get out of the bathroom before Kanda finished his shower.

Allen had barely pulled his underwear up over his hips when he heard the shower behind him shut off. Unbidden, his eyes moved to the mirror in front him. Through the steam he could see an arm snake out of the stall behind him to grab the towel hanging beside it. A moment later the curtain was moved aside to show a very wet Kanda stepping from the stall, towel slung low about his hips. Water dripped from his long black hair and down his perfect chest, marred only by his tattoo, to disappear beneath the towel. Dark eyes slowly raised to meet Allen's own, and he became aware of the fact that he was staring, wide eyed, hand paused above his pants. With a jolt he looked away, blushing, and grabbed his pants, frantically shaking them out and hopping on one foot as he put the other into a leg.

"Bean sprout."

With an eep, he struggled to get his other foot into the pants, panicking as it caught and Kanda moved closer. "Allen. What are you doing?" With a panicked wrench his pants were finally pulled up over his hips. Something didn't feel right though. Looking down he saw he had put them on backwards. Once again his eyes prickled with tears, and he furiously blinked them back, forgetting that Kanda could probably see his face in the mirror as he pulled his pants back down and stumbled out of them. Before he could try again, though, Kanda was behind him. He shuddered as warm hands touched his shoulders and spun him around. He kept his head down, knowing he was ridiculously close to actually crying in front of Kanda. Allen resisted the hand that cupped under his chin and tried to raise his head. Instead he kept his eyes glued to the floor.

"Bean sprout. Why are you always upset with me?"

Just like that, the tears were gone, replaced again by burning anger. "Are - are you kidding me?" Allen raised his head and stared at Kanda furiously, trying not to be distracted by the dripping body of the man in front of him. "You treat me horribly for months, like I'm nothing but an annoying, cursed fly, despite how friendly I try to be. And then you suddenly decide that you're bored, or something, and - and attack me in a hole." He ignored Kanda's raised eyebrows, and the fact that he himself hadn't exactly been unwilling, in favor of continuing on his tirade.

"And then you act like it was nothing, despite the fact that it was my very first kiss," Kanda opened his mouth to comment, but Allen was not going to be interrupted. Raising his voice so that he couldn't even hear what Kanda was going to say, he continued.

"You're just as cool and collected as always. 'Oh, I'll carry you Allen, and then I'll be sure to not even look at you or talk to you once the whole way, so that you can feel the weight of the burden that you are to me now that you aren't getting me off.' And then," Allen continued forcefully as Kanda once again opened his mouth to speak, "You flirt and act friendly with some girl you barely know - when I don't even get the time of day, not two hours after taking my - my..." he flailed for the right word for a moment. "My innocence!" he finished proudly.

"So I guess the answer to your question, Yuu, is that I'm always angry with you because you are a jerk." With that Allen wrenched himself from Kanda's grip and bent down to swipe up his pants. He didn't care who saw him walking out of the bathroom in his shorts, he was getting out of the bathroom and he was doing it now.

Allen had just turned to grab the rest of his clothes, chest heaving, from the bench behind him when a hand on his shoulder spun him around to face Kanda once again. All the fire left him when he saw those black eyes glittering at him. Kanda was scary when he was angry.

"You truly believe," Kanda started, taking a step forward and forcing Allen to take one back, "that I was simply" - step - "bored. And that I have no feelings for you other than annoyance?" Another step and Allen felt the bench at the back of his knees. "That I would rob you of your first kiss? I don't just do those things with people." The hand on his shoulder pressed down, and just like that Allen was staring wide eyed at the man standing above him, eyes flashing, from where he was seated on the bench.

"You annoy me because you are so ridiculously..." Kanda paused for a moment, and then spat out the next word like it was poison. "cute."

Allen blinked. Had Kanda just called him cute? "You run around with that dopey smile on your face, eating huge amounts of food, making everyone feel like you're this precious thing to be protected, and then you turn around and do something stupid like almost getting yourself killed to try and save everyone. And then you try to get me to leave you behind?"

And then Kanda was dropping on his knees in front of him. Allen figured his eyes were the size of saucers. Had Kanda just said he was precious? Was the world ending? The next thing he said was in a low voice. "And then you're sitting in my lap, in a dark hole...even my self control has its limits."

"Oh." Allen said in a squeak, eyes still wide as Kanda leaned towards him, eyes fastened on those thin, red lips as they whispered their next line.

"And as for Yin, I find her charming," Allen tried to turn away from Kanda, chest tight, but a hand on his cheek stopped him. "but not attractive. And I would certainly never do this with her."

And then Kanda leaned forward the rest of the way and put his lips on Allen's. With a moan, every feeling but that of Yu's lips on his own flew out of his head like so many moths, and his arms came up to bury themselves in that ridiculous hair. Allen opened his mouth to Kanda, stopping the last thing on his brain as that tongue pushed its way into his mouth. Allen turned his head as he allowed his tongue run up the length of Kanda's, the other man's appreciative grunt making him almost dizzy with the force of his want. How had he never noticed how sexy the sounds that Kanda made were before last night?

Allen allowed his hands to wander from Kanda's hair down to his shoulders, shuddering at the soft skin that met his hands. Kanda growled and took his lips from Allen's, who was about to protest until those lips moved to his ear, licking the shell of it before nipping at the lobe. The feeling of those teeth sent jolts straight to his groin, and he couldn't help his moan as he bared his neck to Kanda's ministrations. As the other man moved his lips down the soft skin of his neck, Allen allowed his hands to wander down Kanda's chest, making an appreciative noise as muscles bunched and quivered beneath his palms. Hands splayed wide, he swiped over nipples, surprised when Kanda's breath hitched and he paused in his kissing to pant against Allen's neck.

Curious, Allen did it again, a feeling a power overtaking his psyche as the man quivered against him. Slowly, feeling unsure of how it would be received, Allen allowed his fingertips to play over the small, now hard nubs. He was rewarded with a rather enthusiastic nip and suck to his neck, ensuring that if he wasn't hard before, he certainly was now. Emboldened, he allowed his fingers to tug and squeeze at the two spots, the panting in his ear driving his own need to new heights. Kanda allowed his exploration for a moment, until standing with a growl, grabbing Allen's hips and taking him with him.

Shocked, Allen wrapped his legs and arms around a now nude Kanda (where had his towel gone?) as he was spun around. Eventually they came to a stop with Allen against the door and Kanda pushed up against him. Lips crashed together again, and Allen moaned into Yu's mouth as the other man thrust against him. The only separation between their now aligned lengths a thin layer of fabric, Allen couldn't help but call out at the sensation, arching his back and hitting his head against the door, leaving his neck exposed to more nipping and sucking.

Kanda continued to thrust against him until Allen was practically sobbing his name in pleasure, shaking his head back and forth as the pressure built. And then Kanda was stepping back, and Allen's feet were touching the floor. Dazed, he stared at Kanda in confusion, but then the man was back to attacking his neck, and then his tongue was licking the sweat from Allen's collarbone. Unbidden, his hands were once again in that hair as Yu kissed his way to a nipple. When his soft but slightly chapped lips wrapped around the little nub, Allen thought he was going to climb over the other man in his surprised pleasure. "Yu," he moaned.

Kanda stopped for a moment, obviously shocked, before tentatively swiping a tongue over Allen's nipple. When his response was Allen's head hitting the door behind him as he arched into Kanda's touch, Kanda was emboldened, swiping a firmer tongue over the nipple as Allen's fingers gripped at his shoulders.

Allen was reduced to a sobbing, moaning mess as Kanda worked first one nipple with teeth, lips, and tongue for what seemed like an eternity before moving to the other. When Allen thought he couldn't take one more minute of the torture, he finally let out a strangled "Yu, please." He wasn't even sure what he was asking, but apparently the other man knew, because he let up on his torture to quickly kiss his way down Allen's body until he was kneeling in front of him. Flushed and panting, Allen looked at the man in front of him, eyes riveted on the length proudly jutting from a patch of dark curls, as Kanda's gaze rested on the bulge in his own underwear, and the wet spot where the tip of his penis strained against the fabric. Slowly, as though moving through molasses, Kanda's hands made their way towards the waistband until his fingers slid beneath it, Allen shivering at the feeling of his fingertips brushing the sensitive skin.

And then he was pulling them down to reveal the waiting flesh beneath. For a moment Kanda just stared, and Allen found himself holding his breath. Finally, Allen reached for his underwear, uncomfortable with that hot gaze on flesh that no one else had seen since he was a child.

A hand shot out to grab his and stop its progress, and then Yu was leaning forward and licking a stripe over the tip of him, and once again Allen's head was hitting the door, and stars were flying in front of his eyes as a hot mouth slowly took him inside. From far away he heard his own mouth babbling nonsense as he entwined his fingers in the hand still holding onto his, squeezing it in what was probably a bruising grip. "Oh god, oh Yuu, please, yes, yes," His hips bucked forward of their own accord hitting the soft back of Kanda's throat and making the other man gag. Kanda growled and put a stilling hand on Allen's hip. Allen open his eyes and looked down, expecting a glare, but those eyes were closed, as if in bliss, lips stretched over his length, and as Kanda's head began to bob up down his member,he effectively cut off Allen's apology and turned it into a moan.

Allen was glad Kanda had a hand on his hip, because once that mouth started moving down his length, and then pulling back with hollowed out cheeks, he lost all control. His free hand tangled in Kanda's hair, and, back arching, it took only another minute before he was choking out a warning, light exploding before his eyes, and Kanda pulled his mouth off of him and finished him with sure strokes of his hand.

Shuddering, Allen slid down the door, Kanda's fingers slipping out of his own, his shaky legs no longer able to support him, as he pulled in lungfuls of air. When he finally opened his eyes, it was to a sight that made him moan, and a small twitch of interest came from his recently abused member, despite the fact it would be awhile before it was ready to go again.

Kanda was still on his knees, staring at him hungrily as his hand worked between his legs, the other, still covered in Allen's seed, supporting his weight. Allen stared at the tip as it moved in and out of that hand. Kanda's gasps for air became more urgent, and Allen realized he was going to come. With a burst of energy, Allen sprang forward, placing his hands on Kanda's shoulders and pushing. With a yelp, the other man was falling backwards, hitting the tile with an undignified thud that Allen would never have expected from him.

He didn't dwell on it or bother with an apology. Instead he laid over the top of him, hungrily kissing Kanda's lips. Those arms wrapped around him and enthusiastically kissed him back. Allen didn't stay for long, however, before he was moving down that body, leaving hot, open mouthed kisses in his wake. He moaned at the slightly salty but fresh taste of Yu as he kissed his way down that stomach, growling his approval as hands laced themselves into his hair. Finally, he was facing Kanda's glistening tip. He gulped - it seemed much bigger when faced with what he was planning to do.

"Allen, you don't have to -" that voice broke into his reverie, and with renewed determination Allen leaned forward and licked the tip, causing Kanda to break off his sentence with a strangled sound. Allen realized he had the power to break that infuriating facade. He smirked as he rolled the taste of Yu on his tongue, deciding he liked it much more than he had expected.

Almost lazily he lowered his head towards the hard flesh, licking from the base to the tip, over and over, loving the way Kanda gasped and moaned as his hands tightened in his hair. Goosebumps broke over Allen's skin at the sounds, and unable to bear the wait any longer, he stretched his lips over the tip, slowly working his way down, concentrating on keeping his teeth covered with lips. He was surprised at how much of Kanda he could take into his mouth before his gag reflex kicked in, and couldn't help humming in pleasure as the bitter taste of Kanda hit the back of his throat, resulting in a twitch from the member in his mouth. Flattening his tongue against the underside, reveling in the weight of it and the moans coming from his partner, he hollowed his cheeks and sucked as he moved up the length. He pulled off almost all the way, taking a moment to swirl his tongue around the tip before moving back down.

It took only three more bobs before Yu was pulling at his hair, warning him in a choked voice that he was going to come. Allen resisted the pull, however, a crazy need to taste coming over him. He pulled back until only the tip was still in his mouth, and his hand came up to work up and down the rest of the length before the first pulse hit his mouth, the odd taste and texture both sexy and odd, the pain of Kanda pulling his hair as he panted his name encouraging him to swallow as it hit his tongue.

Finally, Kanda collapsed, spent, pulling Allen up his body to lay across his chest. Allen closed his eyes and laid his cheek on the warm skin, a smile playing about his lips as Kanda ran fingers through his hair, thinking he should be shocked at his own contentment.

"Bean sprout," Kanda's rough voice flowed over him, "I think you killed me."

Allen's chest moved in a silent laugh, and he brought himself to his elbows to lean forward and press his lips to Kanda's, still vaguely surprised at his own level of comfort after what had just happened. Shouldn't he be a blushing, blubbering mess right about now?

All thoughts of freaking out flew from his brain as Kanda wrapped his hands around him and pulled him tightly to him as he deepened their kiss and hummed in contentment. Allen's brain was becoming deliciously fuzzy when the sound of the door to the bathroom opening had his eyes popping open in horror as he remembered that they were in a public bathroom.

The only thought he had was please don't be Lavi...

"Oi! Bean sprout! Yuu! What are you doing? Our train is..." the voice cut off with a little 'eep.' Kanda swore, and Allen found himself flying across the room to his pile of clothes before he even realized he was moving, as the door closed with a slam and he heard the sound of running footsteps fading down the hall, leaving the two men staring at each other across an empty room.

_

The train ride home was one of the most awkward times of Allen's life. Kanda had turned back into grunting, cold Kanda, though now Allen was starting to realize he couldn't trust the exterior, and at this point Kanda obviously felt more than simple annoyance towards him. He thought he was cute. And precious. Allen blushed again as he remembered those words, and stole a glance at the man sitting next to him, his chest warming as he caught Kanda looking back at him.

The other man held his gaze for a moment before his lips quirked up in a half smile, and Allen found himself grinning back until a whimper across from him pulled his attention the the Bookman and his student, whose eyes had looked slightly wild and seemed to have developed a twitch since the bathroom incident. Allen sighed and looked down at his hands in his lap, looking forward to the end of the train ride, and some semblance of normalcy. He ran his hand over the back of his hair, wincing at the sore spot he found from his repeated banging of it against the door. He was thankful the Inn had been empty. How embarrassing would it have been if others had heard the sounds they were making? The ruckus from the Akuma blowing the canyon to bits had run off anyone not related to the order, however, leaving only Lavi to deal with the consequences.

The first thing Allen did when he got back was to take another shower. He and Kanda had used only towels to clean up before quickly getting dressed, and he was still feeling a bit sticky. He felt his chest tighten in a warm feeling as he remembered the awkward, fumbling kiss Kanda had given him before they stepped out of the bathroom into the hallway.

Shockingly, Lavi had apparently kept his mouth shut, though he had admittedly looked pretty haunted when he caught sight of the two other exorcists. Bookman had given them all a suspicious look, which wasn't surprising considering Allen's red faced stuttering, Lavi's uncharacteristic, wide eyed silence, and the effort that Kanda was putting into avoiding all of them. In fact, Kanda had walked to the train station ahead of everyone with only Yin for company, something that gave Allen a jolt of annoyance despite what Yu (or was it Kanda?) had said to him earlier. The annoyance had quickly faded when Kanda had allowed him to board the train ahead of him, putting his hand on Allen's lower back in a short caress as he had boarded behind him.

Allen still did not say goodbye to Yin, instead lingering over his farewell to Jean, promising to give his best to Komui, and to try for appreciation the next time he brought one of his machines into play.

Allen sighed as he flopped down on his bed, too exhausted to even make a trip downstairs for dinner. He decided to take a nap, and go to the cafeteria later for a snack. He briefly wondered if he would see Kanda when he went down.

As it turned out, he slept through the night, only his grumbling stomach - which thought the small meal he had consumed on the train was not enough to sustain it - awoke him with a jolt. He sleepily shuffled into the cafeteria, and a quick look around confirmed that it was practically empty, and no long haired, cranky, sword wielding japanese men were in sight.

He was quickly distracted from any disappointed feelings by the pile of food that appeared in front of him. He cheerfully plopped himself down at an empty table before beginning to stuff his face with enthusiasm. He was on his third bowl when someone sat down beside him. He slowed his chewing nervously when he saw that it was Lavi, luckily with a more cheerful and less traumatized look on his face.

"Oi, Bean Sprout!" he said cheerfully. Allen swallowed and smiled back at his friend, wondering if Komui had given him a memory wiping drug to ease Lavi's mind.

"Hello, Lavi," he said timidly, studying his friend closely for signs of discomfort. When he saw none, he shrugged and went back to eating, taking a huge bite of eggs.

"So, you and Yu, huh?" Lavi said casually, causing Allen to inhale half of his bite and then cough and splutter for a few moments.

Lavi hit him on the back until he regained his composure and gulped down some water. Once he could breath again, Allen turned his shocked gaze on his friend. "Um...kinda?" he said, since it was obvious Lavi was waiting for his reply.

Lavi nodded and looked down at his plate. "I guess that explains all the...tension," he said quietly. Allen was silent as he watched the other exorcist's face. He looked concerned for a moment until, finally, his expression cleared and he nodded his head as if deciding something.

"Right, well. Sorry I reacted so badly before. I was...surprised is all. But I really don't, um, have a problem with it."

Allen was surprised at how relieved he felt to hear Lavi say that. The implications of what he and Kanda were doing - had done - hadn't fully set in, but he was aware not everyone would approve of two men...well...canoodling.

"Thanks, Lavi," Allen whispered. He friend smiled, and then thankfully launched into the latest gossip, allowing Allen to get his bearings and continue his meal - which his stomach was grateful for.

Allen hadn't realized quite how obvious his furtive glances towards the door were until Lavi finally interrupted his own story to address it. "So...you know Kanda got another mission last night, right? He left on the early train."

"He...did?" Allen asked, turning towards his friend.

Lavi suddenly looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Yeah. I think I heard him tell Toma that he would be gone for a good week. Sorry, I thought he would have..."

Allen didn't need Lavi to finish his thought. He stared at his plate, and tried to tell himself that Kanda didn't owe him anything. He had never given any indication that Allen was more than...someone to do...things...with. But that goodbye kiss at the bathroom door said something! a mutinous voice in the back of his head said.

Allen was saved from his embarrassing display of shock by Alex sitting down across from him, his sunny smile making it impossible not to smile back. His hair was even more messily arranged than usual, if that was possible. Now that Allen knew the things he liked to do with the opposite sex, he admitted to himself that Alex was quite handsome.

"Allen! Hi! I heard you got trapped in a hole all night on your latest mission. With Kanda." And his mock horrified face was so funny that instead of getting upset at the mention of the love 'em and leave 'em Kanda Yu, Allen found himself laughing, the depression from earlier lifting. How does he DO that? he wondered, chalking it up to a special Alex skill.

After an hour in the cafeteria with Alex and Lavi, Allen was feeling much better. He was even beginning to chalk up Yu's departing without a word of goodbye to Allen - when he had a whole evening and night to come find him - to typical Yu emotional idiocy. As interesting as the last blow out they had had been, Allen was hoping they could communicate in a less explosive way. He supposed only time would tell.

_

Time, Allen discovered, was not telling him anything. Two days after Kanda he had gotten his own assignment. By the time he returned nine days later, Kanda had already been sent on another errand. It had been 13 days since they had seen each other last by the time Kanda and Allen found themselves standing next to each other waiting for their food to finish. As soon as he had seen the other man, Allen's chest had constricted so tightly that he was having trouble breathing. Memories from the bathroom and their 'hole' bombarded him, and before he knew what was happening, he had taken the three steps to close the distance between them.

"Yu," he whispered, eyes on Kanda's. For a moment those eyes stayed cold, but then they thawed, and Kanda actually took a small step towards him.

"Bean sprout." He said back, voice quiet. "You - "

Allen never found out what he was going to say, however, because Alex chose that moment to intervene. Allen felt arms come around him from behind, and then he was being spun. "Allen! I haven't seen you for days!" the cheerful voice said before setting him down and spinning him around to face him.

Allen craned his head towards where Kanda had been standing, but all he got was a view of the other man's back as he stalked away with his food. Allen knew Kanda well enough that he recognized angry stalking when he saw it. Why was Kanda angry? Had he changed his mind? For the first time since meeting him, Allen couldn't help but curse Alex. He turned back towards him when he realized he was talking.

"What?" he asked, rather irritably, then instantly regretted it at Alex's downcast expression.

"I said...did I interrupt something important? I'm sorry, I thought you might need rescuing..." He trailed off, rather lost looking as he wrung his hands together.

Allen immediately felt guilty, and reached a hand out to his shoulder. "No, no, sorry. I shouldn't have snapped, I wasn't really upset with you."

Alex immediately brightened, and Allen couldn't help but smile back. His smile quickly faded, however, when he sat down at the table Kanda was currently at, only to have the man stand up without meeting his eyes and stalk over to drop off his half eaten plate before leaving the room.

Allen could only wonder if he had imagined that softening of the eyes, and the way Kanda had said his name like he was happy to see him. Not even Alex's smile could cheer him after that.