Gah! Not only do I have a dodgy 'x' key, the 'l' has gone weird too. That's not helpful when more than one of the character's names has two in it. This chapter has been a nightmare to type!
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Chapter Twenty Eight
Last time:
"We've got to get you back to the Order as soon as possible. By now the Earl will know about you, it's not safe for you to be out and about anymore."
Great, more house arrest Allen thought mutinously.
"Anyway, we've been sent to escort you back, but Komui's calling everyone home now. He's getting suspicious about something and wants to have everyone safe until we know what's going on."
The sound of the door opening and closing was all the warning they got before a bottle of pills hit Allen square in the face. "Get them down you and get ready. We're leaving in ten minutes" was all Kanda said before sweeping back out of the room.
"Allen! I'm so glad you're ok! I was so worried when I heard!" Lenalee gushed as soon as the four exorcists stepped through the Ark portal into the bustling science department.
Jim looked insulted. "And what about me? You haven't seen me for months, you only just Allen a couple of weeks ago."
She reached up to rub his hair in the way she always had, treating the New Zealander like a little brother, but found she couldn't quite reach to do it properly. "Of course I was worried about you Jim. Mainly because I thought Kanda might have tried to kill you."
"Tch."
"Thanks Lenalee, your trust in my abilities is very reassuring" Jim grinned, not at all insulted.
"My brother's in a meeting at the moment, so he said go and grab something to eat and stuff and he'll send for you went he's free, but it might not be 'til tomorrow now." Lanel gave her a small bow of acknowledgement and left the room without a word. Jim's stomach rumbled loudly and he blushed, announcing he was going to go and see Jerry. Kanda started out of the door, turning curiously when he realised Allen wasn't with him. "Moyashi?"
"He'll be along in a moment Kanda!" Lenalee waved from the other entrance, where she was dragging a very confused looking Allen along with her. "I won't keep him long!"
Allen half-shrugged, giving him an apologetic smile as he was yanked around the corner and out of sight.
"Lenalee, wait! Where are you taking me?!" Allen flailed helplessly as the woman dragged him down the corridor.
"Oh hush Allen!" she scolded as she tugged him into an abandoned room on her left. It was obvious to see why the room was abandoned. It was filled from floor to ceiling with boxes containing items of a dubious nature, probably all from some sort of experiment stemming from Komui having too much free time.
"Well?" he asked, finally managing to free his arm now she was no longer dragging him around.
"I had to go and see the nurse in the infirmary."
Allen didn't need her to explain any further. "And?"
She bit her bottom lip and blushed, merely nodding in answer.
Allen made a noise that made her wonder if he was secretly a woman and had been lying to them all these years as he squealed before grabbing hold of her in a crushing hug. She would have been a bit worried had she not been so happy to just see him smiling genuinely for the first time in months.
"So have you told Lavi yet?"
She shook her head in the negative. "I haven't been able to find the guts to do it. And every time I try, Bookman's always there. That's why I need your help."
"Alright, I'll help you corner him, but first things first, I need to go and eat something before I forget."
0o0o0o0o0
Allen yawned quietly, feeling incredibly relaxed and still sated after a particularly long and satisfying night of him and Kanda taking full advantage of the fact that they were home and were not expected anywhere but in Komui's office later on that evening. It was still early in the morning, a fact that surprised him a little as he expected to be asleep a lot later than this. He wondered what had disturbed his sleep as he watched the sunlight try and force itself through the drawn curtains. The room was still cool and dark and there didn't seem to be anything different about it from when he had fallen asleep the night before. After a couple of minutes of lying in silence he realised he wasn't the only one awake.
"Yuu? You ok?" he asked without rolling over, feeling the warm body beside him stretching out along his back, running his hand over his bare back.
"I'm fine" the reply came, a little terse, as though Kanda was thinking hard about something.
"Oh, ok" Allen said, choosing to let Kanda speak in his own time and allowing his eyes to fall closed as Kanda's hand continued to move in soothing circles along his lower back, something that felt exceptionally good against his sore muscles.
Silence returned once more and Allen almost found himself dozing back off again.
"Allen?"
The use of his name caught the white-haired general by surprise and he rolled onto his back, gaze snapped onto the man lying at his side.
"Yuu?" he prompted when nothing further seemed forthcoming after several moments.
Kanda rolled onto his side, one arm snaking across Allen's bare waist to tug him closer. "Shit" he said after a couple of false starts. "I…ah fuck." Instead of talking he opted for burying his face in the crook of Allen's neck and inhaling deeply.
Allen rolled within the embrace to face the other man, fixing him with worried silver eyes, but he didn't say anything, knowing Kanda was having enough of a hard time getting his emotions under control without Allen drawing attention to it.
When the Japanese man pulled away, his face was dusted with a light blush and he couldn't quite meet Allen's eyes. It was rather cute actually. As cute as a twenty-six year old scowly exorcist could get anyway.
"The night of the party… I… asked you to… uh… do"
"You?" interjected Allen helpfully, earning himself a glare, though the edge was taken off it by the deepening blush and the British exorcist was forcibly reminded that in the area of sex, at least knowledge-wise, Kanda had always been the less experienced of the two. They might have only ever been with each other, but during his travels with Cross, Allen had witnessed (albeit unwillingly) enough various sexual acts to compile his own encyclopaedia on the subject.
He did try to hold the growing grin in check. Even if he failed. Spectacularly.
Kanda's glare intensified along with the now particularly rosy blush spread enticingly across his nose and cheeks. The glare was no less potent for it, nor for the fact that it was directed at Allen's neck instead of his face. "Yes. That. But you wouldn't."
"You were drunk" Allen reminded him "and the next morning you were very hung-over and that afternoon we had to leave, so…"
"But I wanted you to" mumbled Kanda, still focused on Allen's neck. "I just couldn't tell you sober." He pushed his face closer, pressing his nose against the pale throat as though trying to hide his embarrassment.
Allen's thoughts went on holiday for a moment while he processed this. When his mental capabilities had returned, sporting a suntan and clutching a sombrero wearing straw donkey, he blinked slowly, hardly daring to pursue this, but knowing he'd regret it 'til he died, even of that was only likely to be days away. "Why are you telling me this?"
Kanda finally looked up at him. "That day in the baths, you were so…" he looked away again as he spoke, voice so quiet that Allen hardly heard him. "…controlling." His voice lowered further as his dark eyes closed, displaying his awkwardness. "I liked it."
Allen's grin became suddenly very wide and slightly sinister. "You liked it?" He rolled over on top of the older man, looking down on him with a predatory gleam in his eyes.
He bent down to kiss Kanda, grin still in place as he nibbled his lower lip and trailed his tongue lazily inside the other man's mouth, moving at an excruciatingly slow pace, trying to reassure the older man and at the same time to keep some semblance of self control, knowing that if he moved too fast he might spook the embarrassed man beneath him. He really wanted to ask Kanda more about this sudden change, but he was worried that if he tried to get chatty, the other man would balk completely and he'd miss his chance all together.
Although, as he felt Kanda arch against him, throwing his head back with a low groan rumbling in his chest, he doubted that he was going to change his mind. The thought made him smirk as he moved his mouth to that exposed neck, dragging his teeth along the smooth skin as his right hand tangled in Kanda's hair, still down from the previous nights' activities while his left traced down Kanda's bare side, pressing lightly over dips and flat planes as the other man shivered.
"I thought I was the patient one" Kanda groaned as Allen abandoned his throat in favour of sucking on his ear.
"Hmm?" Allen hummed in response
"Get on with it" the older man growled, arching again and feeling slightly pleased that they'd not bothered redressing after their shower the night before when bare skin brushed bare skin.
"Not getting cold feet are you?" Allen asked, pulling his upper body away to look at Kanda's face, though this unintentionally pressed his lower body closer and he began to wonder if he'd be able to stop if Kanda actually did change his mind.
"Tch." Kanda's arms came up from his sides and swept along Allen's back. "Idiot."
Allen laughed. It seemed as though Kanda was back to normal. "Ok then." He felt a little nervous about all this, but he wasn't going to let that stop him now he'd finally had an amenable Kanda positioned under him. The question was, what to do? He wasn't stupid; he knew this could quite possibly be the one and only time this ever happened, so he wanted to get his monies worth, as it were. However, there were so many possibilities… He hadn't realised the slightly creepy smile had made its way back onto his face, and as a result Kanda was giving him a vaguely wary look. "Stop making evil plans and get on with it" the man groused, feeling a bit put out that Allen's mind was wandering while he was lying on top of a very naked and willing Kanda. Although the willingness was slowly leaking away the longer he was made to wait.
Allen glanced down at him, the threatening smile transforming into a definite smug smirk. "Sorry, I was just thinking of all the things I could do to you while I have your attention." He ground his hips down as he spoke, acknowledging that it was not Kanda's mind that was being so attentive, and that the anticipation and slight nervousness on his lover's part was only fuelling the desire that swept through the room.
Whatever Kanda was about to retort was choked off as Allen moved, sliding down the older man's body quickly and engulfing him in one swift movement.
While he was keeping Kanda's mind fixed firmly on the sensations running through his body, Allen was seeking the discarded bottle of oil that was somewhere among the bed sheets from the previous night. At least he hoped it was still there- the thought of actually having to go and find it if it wasn't didn't sound all that appealing, especially since Kanda was making those wonderful sounds and doing odd little contortions as he tried to hold them in. Perhaps it was the prospect of what was to come that was making the other man react in this way, mused Allen as his fingers scrabbled in the bunched-up material for the illusive little bottle, since it was hardly the first time he'd done this, in fact, their very first sexual encounter started off this way, yet he'd never had such a violent reaction before.
He spotted the bottle at last, half hidden under the covers between Kanda's spread legs, and without thinking, reached down to get it, not ceasing in his oral administrations. As his knuckles brushed along the sensitive skin, Kanda suddenly cried out, though he desperately tried to hold it back, and came violently and without warning.
Allen, with his mind half-elsewhere was completely unprepared and choked a little in surprise as his lover released forcefully into his mouth. He swallowed rapidly to avoid suffocating; since he was pretty sure 'death by semen' was not an acceptable way for the so called Destroyer of Time to kick the bucket and looked at Kanda's face with a curiously raised eyebrow. The older man was staring at the ceiling, something like shock buried beneath the more familiar look of satisfied indolence. Chuckling a bit to himself, Allen took advantage of Kanda's relaxed state to quickly unfasten the lid of the little bottle and coat the fingers of his right hand, applying the oil liberally. While these days he hardly ever got the full treatment himself, since any activity tended to be fast paced and spontaneous, he was determined that Kanda deserved, and probably needed for his first time, careful handling, and though Allen didn't mind a bit of rough treatment, Kanda had never understood how any form of pain could be enjoyable in any way, since the need to look after his body was something firmly ingrained in his psyche.
With his oil slicked hands, Allen lazily traced a line down Kanda's reawakening erection, resting his head on his thigh and trailing absent-minded circles on his stomach with his left hand, before, making sure not to move too quickly, he slipped his right hand lower, sliding between his slightly trembling legs and circling his (criminally under-used, in Allen's opinion) entrance.
It seemed that Kanda was forcing himself to relax and Allen paused. "Are you sure? I won't mind if you don't…"
In response Kanda's had came up and grasped Allen's right arm, pressing it against himself more insistently. "If you keep asking me that, I might start to think you're chickening out"
With that said, Allen decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and, slowly and carefully, with all the patience he didn't know he possessed, pressed his finger into the tight warmth. Kanda moved as though trying to get away from the invasion, but caught himself and still, forcing his body to relax as Allen moved the finger to prepare him for what was to come.
Deciding that keeping asking if the older man was ok with this was probably just pain annoying, Allen didn't wait for permission as he widened the passage by entering first one, then another extra finger, working them in a swirling, scissoring motion. Kanda was bad-tempered enough as it was lately, he didn't need to add more pain to the balance and tip him over the edge from grouchy to homicidal. He curled his fingers and was rewarded by the Japanese general voice crying out in pleasure, head thrashing and hair spread out in a tangled mess than once again made Allen curse for not pushing for this sooner. He pulled his fingers free after a couple of more flicks that had the other man writhing and pressed a soft kiss to Kanda's stomach before drawing back. His own breathing was almost as ragged as that of the man beneath him as he pressed Kanda's legs back against the older man's chest and lined himself up before pressing in without hesitation.
After several moments while Kanda got used the sensation, a brief nod was given and Allen began to move, slowly at first, withdrawing almost completely and rolling his hips as he pushed back in. It didn't take long for Kanda to start moving with him, meeting his strokes perfectly as he threw his head back and moaned. It wasn't a noise Allen often heard from the other man, but there was no denying that it was a sound of pleasure as the pace increased. Allen allowed his hands to roam the bare expanse of toned chest as Kanda's own clamped onto his shoulders.
"Harder" the man below him commanded and he obeyed, the pace picking up as he changed the angle slightly to allow him to thrust deeper with every stroke.
Allen moved his hand from Kanda's chest to lay it along his length, pressing the hard flesh against Kanda's stomach so that each rocking motion of his body caused his hand to stroke it. Kanda choked a little at the dual sensation and Allen knew instinctively that he was getting close. Which was a good thing since he didn't think he could hold himself back for much longer. It only took a few more strokes of his hand and his body to drive the older man over the edge at almost the same time as, with a shuddering groan, Allen released deep inside him, hot sticky fluid hitting Kanda's prostate and drawing another low tired groan from the man.
Allen pulled away, looking down at the other man with a soft smile as Kanda's eyes slid closed with a sigh. He seemed completely worn out, collapsed on the mattress with limbs spread and a rather dopey smile on his face.
Allen sat at the foot of the bed, watching him as he slowly gave himself over to slumber. Once he was sure the other man was asleep, he pulled the sheet free and covered him up, fighting to keep the tears at bay. It wouldn't do for Kanda to wake up and see him crying, but he couldn't help it as the first drops fell from his eyes as he brushed the stray locks of midnight hair from his lover's face and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before sitting back once more. He didn't know whether Kanda had truly wanted this- perhaps that was just his own insecurities coming through, but he did know, had known all along from the first time he'd looked at Kanda upon waking an hour earlier, that whatever the man's true desires, he had wanted to do this for Allen- one last thing he could do to make sure there were no regrets. And this only made Allen cry more as he recognised Kanda's on special way to say goodbye.
0o0o0o0o0
It was only Allen's sharp glare that made Lavi's surprised and all too knowing grin fade a little the following day when they all came up to Komui's office and the red head spotted the tell-tale limp that the Japanese exorcist was sporting.
In the office, Lanel, Jim, Lenalee, Lavi, Kanda and Allen all waited for Komui to speak.
"We have an emergency" the Chinese man said eventually and pulled a sheet of paper from a drawer and handed it to Allen, the most senior exorcist in the room. Allen's eyes flicked across it rapid, his face becoming more drawn the more he read. Wordlessly he passed it to Kanda to read before turning to Komui. "What do we do?"
Komui's lips thinned. "No one will believe me unless I show them the note… however…"
Dear Exorcists,
I would like to extend an invitation to you all to come and meet myself and my Akuma army. It is time for the final act.
I would also like to invite Noah Allen Walker to join me at my side to witness the destruction of the Black Order. I will be waiting for you at one of three locations. Which one is up to you to decide.
Below the short note were three sets of directions to three separate locations. They were all close together, a matter of a few miles.
"How did this get here?" asked Lavi as he and Lenalee read the note over Jim's shoulder.
"An Akuma delivered it to the front gates before self-destructing" Komui explained. "I can keep this away from the Grand Generals for a while, but this is the best chance we have of ending this war."
"If you show the note, they'll know about Allen, or at least suspect something" Lenalee pointed out.
Komui nodded. "That's why we're going to move out quickly before word reaches the top. But…"
Allen smiled sadly. "You want to tell the other exorcists. I understand, they need to know."
Kanda whirled on him, spitting with anger. "Like hell, Moyashi, they'll kill you!"
Komui shifted uncomfortably.
Allen shook his head. "It's too late, Komui's already done it."
The other exorcists stared at the supervisor, who nodded with a sigh. "I had to. Every exorcist and general had to be called home. The first will arrive shortly. Including Cross" he added looking at Allen. "Who already suspected."
Allen pulled a face. "I'm surprised you found him" he muttered bitterly. "I suppose you used a tracking signal in Tim like you did for me that time?"
For the first time since they'd arrived home, Komui looked like his usual manic self. "Yes, I did! A wonderful feat of scientific genius!"
Everyone rolled their eyes.
"So anyway, three locations, three teams. Two generals to a team. Kanda and Allen, Cross and Cloud and Sokaro and Tiedoll." Komui ran his eyes over the gathered exorcists. "With the addition of Danny, since I'm sure this team will need his innocence, you are all together." He looked like he wanted to say something else, but in the end just shook his head.
"When do we leave?" asked Jim hesitantly.
"As soon as everyone is gathered and briefed. Two days at the most."
You know how much I love you lot? Well, I love you so much, I haven't actually gone to sleep yet since I was up all night typing up this chapter, which suddenly decided it needed to be a humungous one of doom for reasons unknown. Well, not so unknown, its humongous because the lemon sneaked in and decided to make sure it was noticed since it is the last one.
And now I must once more write like a mad woman, since chapter twenty nine hasn't even been started yet. ARGH! And I just realised that I'm missing a scene from chapter thirty. I really wanted the last three chapters up next week but… well, we'll see how it goes.
