A/N: So late last night it occurred to me "Hey, I don't really need to keep the Barcelona and Sète scenarios in the same chapter, do I?" and thereby realized I've actually been done this chapter for a little while now, and written probably more than halfway through chapter 18 as well! :Db
That said, apologies for the delay (again)! Thankfully I'm down to more regular pressures on my daily life and not as much of the extra stuff (& drama) I had going in the past few months. Hopefully it stays that way. ^_^;
By the way, for those of you who don't know, I have a poll up which is halfway to what I'd consider an acceptable stopping point. If you haven't yet, please consider answering that poll question on my profile.
Thanks as always, and I hope you enjoy!
In Barcelona, three Exorcists, a golem, a Finder, and two further acquaintances gathered to share a morning meal, seating themselves on the patio outside the hotel where they were staying. Since several of his numerous platters of food began to be delivered first, Allen ignored Kanda's look of distaste, tucking into his breakfast with as much gusto as he could muster. Madame Jeanne Jugan was smiling curiously at him however. The small boy Christophe leaned into the table too, fascinated. Their new Finder rested the side of his head in his hand in apparent amusement.
Allen laughed, and rubbed his left arm nervously under the scrutiny, at first. Regardless, he promptly immersed himself in his dining experience, expecting to have lost track of all sets of eyes by the time the others' food arrived. The very last pair, however, only left him when the eight-or-nine-year-old boy's porridge arrived.
At that point, Luke the Finder distracted the child by decorating the steaming surface of his dish. In order to create a silly face, the exuberant Finder formed lips and small rosy points for the cheeks from fresh berries, a banana-tip nose, and streaks of yogurt with sprinklings of granola in it for eyes and hair. When Luke was finished he caught Allen watching, and shot him a wink. Kanda let out a dismissive 'Tch,' though Allen had not a clue as to why Kanda cared one way or another about some harmless fun the Finder was having.
Fancying himself the little artist, Christophe took the nondescript smiley face and began tweaking. The Finder laughed as the small boy re-imagined his crude creation, adding finer details. And he was pretty good!
"Heyyy…" It seemed Luke was pleased; the type to encourage a child, rather than be jealous or defensive. Allen appreciated that. "Unlike me, this kid's got talent!"
Maybe Luke isn't so bad…
"I never cease to be amazed by Christophe's genius, if I may say so." Madame Jugan cheerfully shared. The mid-twenties-looking young man smiled winningly back at her, pushing chin-length blond curls behind his ear with an absent hand.
Allen slowed his eating to a near-normal pace in his awe. (Having noticed this, Timcanpy began to seize his own share of sausages, potatoes, and other items to chomp on.) Two seats away from Allen in a saucer of still-quite-hot cereal, white teeth appeared between precision-shaped, oatmeal-and-berry-blended lips; realistic highlights and shadows took form; a distinctive head of white hair was sculpted; and at last, strawberry-stain-streak pentacle and scar line decorated one side of that oddly intricate visage.
Everyone turned expectantly toward Allen as his cheeks heated up. "Umm…"
"Tsk. You made a bit of a mistake there, Christophe," Luke teased. He spoke from the boy's left and Allen's right; pointing at the wide and shallow bowl.
"Did I?" The child asked skeptically; one tiny, narrow eyebrow raised.
"Yeah. Check Allen now. His skin tone's way off," Luke poked his tongue into his cheek playfully.
"H-Hey now—" Allen replied lamely as Christophe, Madame Jugan, Luke, even Marie's smile told him he was caught… red-faced. He looked to Kanda, for what he wasn't sure, but the man simply sipped at his tea in a disinterested manner. Somehow Allen found that reassuring until— and it was almost too faint to hear, but —he snorted into his teacup. "I heard that, BaKanda!"
Suddenly, Christophe let out a surprisingly hearty laugh. How a skinny little thing like him might come to sound like that, Allen didn't know. Nevertheless, the boy rocked back and forth, holding his sides like the precocious little imp he apparently was. Once he calmed down, however, he picked up his spoon again, and turned straight to Allen to ask with a grin: "Do you like it?"
"I'm flattered, Christophe!" Allen flashed that toothy smile the boy had replicated. (Now satisfied with his mini-meal, Tim hovered near Allen's portrait for a closer look.) "You're like… the Edouard Manet of food decoration. Isn't your dish getting cold though?"
Really, Allen was shocked Christophe had held off eating for so long. Well, it was only a couple of minutes, but still. Even now, the boy's attention only turned to another bowl just delivered to his only neighbour at the table.
"Wanna do another portrait?" Luke gestured toward the fresh, steaming canvas with one hand; resting his head on the other. A relaxed, lazy elbow supported him on the table. To follow up on a plate of eggs, he'd ordered his own bowl of the now-popular dish.
"Can I?" The way the kid's face lit up was outright adorable. Allen's eyes flicked over to Madame Jugan, wondering if she would disapprove of them playing with the food even more than they already had, yet she simply smiled on and went back to carefully chewing her granola-topped yogurt.
Allen was so gratified to see the stern expression taking shape in the next bowl, he almost forgot to wonder just why that person in particular was chosen.
"Oh, great choice! Everyone back at HQ says these two get along faaamously." So it wasn't Luke's idea, but he clearly found it highly entertaining.
Kanda appeared torn. Allen wasn't sure what, but something was having an effect on the man right now. Concern shot through him as he realized his boyfriend hadn't said— and wasn't saying— anything. But it wasn't like he wasn't reacting at all. His eyes may have seemed locked on his food, but Allen knew that creased brow anywhere And that unmistakeable curled lip. Why was he remaining silent?
"Mr. Kandaaaa~ he's almost doooone~" Luke sang teasingly. "Have a closer look?"
Neither wanting to draw attention nor cause a scene (perhaps), Kanda finally took in the sight of the rapidly-decorated bowl.
"Oh!" Madame Jugan clapped her hands together lightly. "It's a lovely likeness, Master Christophe."
Master Christophe? Is she his servant? Nanny? Governess?
"Lovely?" Kanda finally snarled. Yet as if it was the source of the offending word, he directed his scowl toward his own food!
"Mr. Kanda's very finely-featured," the little boy explained. "The lines of his face are almost like a woman's, but definitely a man's. He possesses that kind of beauty."
Allen almost choked to death on a sweet bun he happened to be slowly inhaling. (Timcanpy readied himself to capture the bun, should Allen drop it.)
"What did you say?" Kanda challenged the little boy.
"Your countenance is almost that of a woman, but more like that of a man." If Allen didn't know better, he'd swear the child was provoking him. "Is there a problem?"
"Are you calling me a woman?" His eyes narrowed once again.
"Is there something wrong with being a woman?" Little Socrates asked. The only actual woman at the table tilted her head, endeared somehow to the child's fighting words.
"What!"
"Kanda, don't make that face!" Allen chided him from across the table. "Christophe, it's not that there's something wrong with being a woman. Just… we all want recognition for who we are, and… maybe respect for how we see ourselves. I guess? I don't know…"
Kanda gave him a strange look that was obscured with that damnable teacup before Allen could decipher it.
"Good answer," Christophe nodded approvingly.
Huh?
Were he and Kanda just tested? By a little kid?
"Nice job there, Allen," Marie commented from Kanda's side, wearing that strange new smirk of his. Allen observed this almost from the corner of his eye, while Tim landed on his head for a rest.
Luke patted Allen's right shoulder and he was so visibly startled, Tim took off. "A little jumpy now, aren't we?"
Kanda stood abruptly.
"Hold on," Luke urged him, raising his right hand to request he stop, while still resting his other hand behind Allen's shoulder. Something was twinkling there, in Allen's peripheral vision. "We still haven't had a chat with our new acquaintances here, Mr. Kanda."
Luke spoke as if he wasn't a 'new acquaintance,' to them himself. His use of 'Mr.' seemed knowingly designed to provoke Kanda…
Gingerly removing the hand from his shoulder, Allen piped up; "H-he's right, Kanda."
Kanda looked to Marie— who also nodded— then grudgingly reseated himself. The sour, sulky face he now wore was entirely too attractive to Allen. Attractive in the sense that it posed a challenge. If he teased Kanda some more, the man would blow up and he could get a rise out of his partner's inability to keep his reaction proportional to the provocation at hand. That was always good for a laugh. Or alternatively… he could try getting Kanda to calm down a little. Maybe bring out that rare ghost of a smile (if that's even what it was—? Allen still wasn't completely sure).
Though perfectly prepared to stay with the others until now, it made him want to be alone with Kanda again. So he could poke and prod at him. So they could explore each other's company some more.
A little over a month ago, Allen wasn't above torturing Kanda with a booted foot to his crotch under the dining tables of the Order canteen. Even if it was out a fit of annoyance, he was still able to be that vindictive. Now, however, angry though Kanda may still make him at times, Allen wasn't so sure he'd be able to just leave after pulling such a stunt off, like he did that time. Or to pull that stunt without intent in the first place.
Lately, Kanda's presence was getting to affect him in ways it hadn't before.
The smallest brush of his shoulder; the hints of vulnerability in his body language; the occasional revealing notes in his guarded voice; the flickers and flare-ups of emotion swirling behind his eyes… it all drew Allen in, fading his surroundings out a little at a time until all he could think about was how badly he wanted to shut everyone and everything out for a little while in hopes that Kanda might let him in just a little bit more.
This… was what it was like for Allen Walker to be in love with Kanda Yuu.
"Excellent, so now we can start!" Luke began, clapping his hands together authoritatively. Meanwhile, Allen put on as generic a smile as he could manage and dabbed as inconspicuously as he could at his forehead. "Jeanne and Christophe have some things they'd like to say to us, I understand?"
"Yes, that is correct, dear," Madame Jugan replied with a faint eagerness to her dusty green eyes. Her eyes took on the same twinkle they had toward the end of that strange first meeting he and Kanda had with her and Christophe on the ferry to Barcelona.
When she first appeared in the lower deck of the boat, she was like a spirit medium at a séance; ominous and otherworldly. However, the moment Allen returned her her hat, she had all-at-once changed her affect to that of a kindly middle-aged lady— and that was when Christophe appeared as well. Then the two of them ran like the wind! Even as normal as they appeared right now, there was certainly something off about the aging woman and young boy. Somehow seeming a little wary of their guests, Timcanpy perched on Allen's right shoulder to observe the proceedings.
"Begin whenever you're ready." Marie urged. "We're all ears."
"There's no need to wait for each of us to finish eating first. We can simply start now," Christophe insisted, suddenly impatient. Did he have something to say to them too?
"O-okay…" Marie nodded jerkily, apparently a little confused himself, now.
"Yes, let's begin," Madame Jugan began again, her face lighting up with a carefree youthfulness alien to most middle-aged persons. "My dear Exorcists."