Chapter 12: 25th December
In matters of the heart, nothing is true except the improbable. - Madame de Stael
Silver eyes widened as large as saucers at this direct and bold action. He could felt Kanda's tongue wetting his lips and nudging it lightly, seeking for entry. The silver-haired teen struggled and thrashed against his chest, wanting to get free, but Kanda gripped both of his hands roughly and rammed them against the door. Allen gasped loudly in pain, and Kanda made use of this to slip his tongue into his mouth.
He could feel something extremely warm inside his mouth. His hands clenched into fists as Allen continued to struggle in an attempt to break off from his grasp, but Kanda did not give way as he moved in between his legs, trapping him in that current position. He pressed his lips hardly onto his, deepening the kiss forcefully. Their tongues entwined and moved together, fighting fiercely for dominance. He lost eventually, and Kanda slithered his tongue deeper into his warm cavern, tasting every bit of it.
He could feel the burning heat radiating from their two bodies leaning closely together, and it was slowly numbing his senses, one by one. A soft moan escaped out of his lips as Allen closed his eyes, feeling himself sinking further into darkness. He took a deep breath, and the rich scent of jasmine from the other only caused his inner desire to surface. His hands slowly stopped struggling, and as Kanda loosened his hold, they reached out and wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him even closer so that he could taste more of him and take in more of his intoxicating scent which was driving him completely insane.
It burnt, so much that it scorched his skin, and engulfed his entire soul into flames.
And that was when they realised their mistakes. Kanda broke away from the kiss, horrified at what he had done. Allen stared at him, clearly seeing the shock, guilt and remorse reflected in his eyes. They held onto each other tightly, but as he slowly felt his hands leaving his, he knew that all of these were nothing but a dream. Silver eyes stared painfully at the raven-haired man as he redrew his hands and murmured something which shocked him.
"Sorry."
His eyes widened. Kanda turned and left without a word. Allen just stood there, not knowing what to do. He gazed at the ceiling with blank eyes, his cold body slowly slumped down onto the ground. As the storm continued to rage through the painful night, Allen hugged his knees together, biting his lips to control himself from trembling in coldness, but he could no longer differentiate whether it was because of the weather, or the warmth that came and went away quickly.
"Allen did not return last night?" Lavi exclaimed. Lenalee nodded her head in solemn, stirring her drink with the straw as she pondered in anxiety. Ever since Allen stepped out in the morning, she did not receive any calls or messages from him for the whole day. Plus, the news on the sudden snow storm worried her as the silver-haired teen might be stranded outside and did not have a way to come back home.
"He did not call back, Lavi! Was he stranded outside?" Lenalee asked with a frown. Lavi clasped her hand and gave it a comfortable squeeze to calm her down.
"Don't worry. Allen will be alright," He said. She also hoped that Allen was really alright. He was probably staying over at his friend's house right now. The olive-haired girl frowned as she stared at the screen of her phone. Worrying like this wasn't going to change anything. She had to believe that the silver-haired teen was fine somewhere.
"Let's go! We have a lot of things to do!" She said, standing up to face Lavi. It was officially Christmas day today and they had to make the last preparations before the guests arrived. She took up her handbag and was about to leave her seat when she felt a hand clasping over hers. Lenalee stopped as she stared at her hand, before looking at Lavi in slight astonishment.
"Lavi..."
The redhead said nothing and just smiled at her, slowly leading her out of the cafe. She followed behind, feeling slightly embarrassed and happy at his sweet actions. Lenalee walked a little faster to his side, and as they walked together under the sunlight, she couldn't describe how pleasant it felt. Even though today's outing was meant to buy stuffs for the Christmas party, it somehow felt like a real date with Lavi.
They walked around the shopping malls, entered the market located deep inside the districts and tried the food at road stalls as they walked past. When they were tired, they would take a rest on the bench, admiring the peaceful scenery and chatting between themselves. Lavi would tell her many jokes, which she would respond with fits of giggles.
"Oh, wait a moment," Lavi said as he stood up and walked away. Lenalee just peered at the redhead in puzzlement, wondering what he was going to do. She then saw him stopping by a roadstall selling cotton candy, and she remembered how much she loved that sweet and soft candy which would instantly melt inside her mouth, but how did Lavi know that she loved to eat this kind of sweet?
Lavi went back with one strawberry-flavored cotton candy in his hand. Lenalee smiled as she tore one small piece and popped it into her mouth. Violet eyes slowly closed as she savoured the creamy feeling when the candy melted inside. It just tasted so heavenly good.
"Is it good?" He asked. She nodded her head. Lavi intended to give her all of it, but she insisted that they should share the candy.
"Well, let's eat together, shall we? I eat the right side, and you eat the left. But we have to eat from the stick," He said with a mischieveous wink. Lenalee knew he was playing around, but she agreed to it and they began to eat. Her lips tore off the puffy candy lightly as she slowly chewed on it. As they ate, the candy slowly got smaller, and she could somehow feel the warm breath of the other across her. Deep shades of pink appeared on her cheeks, and before she could pull away, she felt something warm and soft on her lips.
Violet eyes widened, seeing the pair of emerald eyes staring back at her.
Lenalee pulled back immediately in shock. She turned away, feeling different gazes onto her. She then remembered that they were in public and some of them would have seen it clearly. As thoughts processed in her mind, her flush on her face turned three shades darker.
"Lenalee."
She turned, and was met with a soft peck on her lips. Lavi pulled back and gave a small lick at his lips.
"Sweet," He whispered with a smirk. Lenalee blushed again, her hands now covering her face which was burning red with embarrassment.
"Lavi!"
The redhead chuckled. He then turned to her and reached out to her hands, pulling them down from her face. Lenalee was making a pout in slight displeasure, so cute that he could not resist stealing another kiss from her lips, but knowing that she was too embarrassed, he decided to let it go and held her hand, standing up.
"Let's go. We need to finish buying the things by afternoon. It looks like we have to hurry now."
Lenalee stared at him and nodded her head with a smile. The couple then continued on their journey around the neighbourhood, their hands clasping together.
Allen grimaced at the glaring sunlight shining in his direction, his eyes slowly opening to adjust to the sudden brightness in the late morning. The silver-haired teen blinked as he stared at the ceiling of the room he was in, wondering where he currently was. As he moved his legs beneath the warm blanket covering his body, he realised that he was sleeping on a bed that was too wide and too spacious and too comfortable from his own bed. He then looked around, spotting some furniture and a laptop which was on a small table in front of him...
Wait.
He sat up instantly, his eyes went wide as his thoughts went to a complete dead end. Just how did he end up sleeping on the master bed of the hotel room? He did remember that he was staying in Kanda's room for a night because of the storm. He was sure that he was sleeping on the couch instead of the bed. It was small and hard and narrow to sleep on, and the presence of Kanda made it even harder for him to sleep. After that, for some reasons, they started to quarrel. He wanted to leave, but he didn't because...
Bright red hues appeared on his face as his body went completely rigid in mortification.
The memory of him and Kanda kissing last night crashed in his head. The silver-haired teen wanted to faint instantly. Just how did THAT happen in the first place? He was certain that he wasn't drunk, and he was extremely alert around Kanda in case something weird happened, and it DID happen! His hands ran through his messed hair in frustration. Just what had happened after the kiss? He was sitting at the door in a daze, and he just dozed off just like that? And how did he end up here anyway!
Allen sat there, contemplating for a few minutes. In the end, he decided not to give himself more frustrations and stop pondering about it. He pulled the covers aside and got out of the bed, walking over to the couch at the living room to get his phone in his bag. He had forgotten to contact Lenalee that he was staying outside due to the bad weather and she must be extremely worried about him.
Allen took the phone from his bag and was about to dial when something caught his eye. He turned, seeing a sketch book placed beside the laptop. He raised his eyebrow in slight curiosity as he went over to the table and took a good look at it. The silver-haired teen slowly flipped open the large pages, his eyes widening at the sketched pictures he was seeing. The sketches that he did were far more complicated than the drawing he did during the Christmas Eve night. The papers were rough and slightly torn, and the drawings were done over and over again, showing the hard work that the raven-haired man had put in through the years.
As he continued to flip, he stopped at a particular drawing which was different from the rest. Allen peered closely at the soft black pencil lines sketching out the background - the large parade square, the clock tower at the far right corner, people around the area, and the young boy which seems to be the main character of the whole picture.
Somehow, this picture seems so familiar to him, as though he was there himself...
Silver eyes widened. Allen frowned as he took up the sketch book, staring at the picture more closely. He was there yesterday afternoon, meeting his college friend to get back his notes! He was standing at the parade square where the clock tower could be seen from that spot. His grip on the sketch book tightened as he noticed the light scar drawn at his left eye. He slowly put down the book, not believing what he was seeing.
This person in the picture was him.
Kanda was drawing him.
Allen blinked, not understanding what was going on. Kanda was at where he was, but why did he draw a picture of him? He peered back at the drawing, his hand reached down and felt the pencil lines lightly. His lips formed a thin line. The sketches that Kanda drew was beautiful as always, but this one was far beyond beautiful. He could feel the overwhelming emotions from this drawing which was starting to sway his own feelings.
Allen took a deep breath as he closed the sketch book. He went to get his bag and his coat, before he opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him. The silver-haired teen walked to the lobby and pressed the down button. As he waited for the lift to come, he wondered where Kanda might be.
A sound was heard, before the lift doors opened. Allen stepped in and pressed the close button. As the lift slowly descended, he turned, looking out at the neighbourhood which was decorated in complete white thanks to the heavy snow storm. He leaned against the solid glass, letting out a soft sigh. Staring at the phone screen, he was about to make a call to Lenalee when a partial memory of Kanda stopping him by the door and kissed him flashed across his mind. Silver eyes widened as his fingers jerked slightly, stopping by the keypad.
He then wondered what exactly he was doing.
The lift doors opened. Allen walked out to the main hall, seeing many people at the counter. They were probably the same people who were stranded yesterday, and were now on their way back to their homes to celebrate Christmas. But after Christmas, what would happen from then onwards? Everyone had to go back to where they belonged, and that included him and Kanda. He had to continue his studies, and Kanda would eventually return to Canada. After all, he just came here for business.
As much as he wanted to give up his feelings, part of him still wanted to keep it, and the desire to hold onto his feelings only became stronger when he saw that drawing. Kanda might, even if it was only an extremely small percentage, have slight feelings for him, but he did not know, and he wasn't sure whether he wanted to know.
Allen slowly stopped in his footsteps, watching the people immersing into the conversations among themselves with smiles on their faces. Soon, they split into two groups - one of them staying behind, while the other group decided to leave first. They said their goodbyes with reluctance, before they parted ways. It won't be as hard if they were going to meet again, but would there be any chance he could meet Kanda again?
Allen stepped outside, gazing at the clear white sky. He then walked to the nearest bus stop to take a bus back home.
Kanda was sitting at the cafe in the main lobby, staring at the cappuccino that he bought, but instead of enjoying his favourite coffee which he usually would do, he wasn't in the mood to do so. He did not sleep well last night either, and he knew very well the main reason behind all these frustrations. Sapphire eyes glanced at the English paper that was left untouched for the last forty-five minutes, before he stared at the light brown beverage in a slight daze.
He thought that his slight attraction - or should he say, curiosity - towards the beansprout was only something which he caught up for a moment, but no matter how much he wanted to deny or ignore, he knew it wasn't like that. After the sudden confession for him, he knew that everything had completely changed since then. Before he could realise it himself, he took a glimpse into Allen's new life, and had witnessed every bit of his change. And for once, he wanted to understand what Allen Walker really was. Not as an Exorcist who was cursed, not as a Noah who was detested between two sides, but as Allen Walker himself.
And when he said those hurtful words to him, he was infuriated. It wasn't because of what he said. It was because he was affected by the pained emotions that Allen showed to him, which he shouldn't be. He began to feel for the silver-haired teen, and that was why he was so angry that he slammed him against the door to stop him from leaving. Not knowing how to express his current feelings, he just let his body respond on its own.
But he never expected himself to kiss Allen directly on his lips.
His mind turned completely blank. He knew he could no longer turn back the moment they kissed. He began to kiss Allen deeply and passionately, wanting more of his taste, wanting more of his warmth which completely ignited a flame within his heated body, wanted more of...him. And when he almost went out of control, something jolted him awake, and when he realised what he had done, it was all too late. Allen was staring at him with a confused look, and he sank deeper into his mixed emotions and denial.
He did not know what to do. All he could think of at that moment was one word.
"Sorry."
Kanda left the table and walked to the life lobby. He took the lift up, and as he opened the door of his room, there was already no one around. The raven-haired man threw the keys on the table as he peered inside the bedroom, seeing no one but white sheets on the bed. He leaned against the wall, wondering what he was hoping for. Allen wouldn't be here when he returned.
He walked over to the table, flipping open his sketch book to the very page which was the drawing of the silver-haired teen. That memory was still etched deeply in his mind. It was probably at that time that he realised that he had slight feelings for Allen.
Kanda closed the book and walked over to the window, looking at the sky. His long hair strands fluttered slightly to the soft breeze, brushing across his face. As he saw little flakes of the remaining snow falling down, he stretched out his hand, watching it as the snow landed on his palm and slowly melted into water.
Would they meet again after Christmas?
He took out his phone and dialed a number, putting at his ear to listen. After several beeps, the line was connected. Kanda was silent for a few seconds, before he finally spoke.
"I want to book a flight back to Canada on the 28th of December."
"Merry Christmas!" Lavi and Timothy shouted at the door, frightening Miranda a little as she entered the apartment. As Lenalee chided them slightly not to scare off their guests, the two men just grinned evilly between themselves, having other thoughts in mind. Rou Fa and Fou were in the kitchen, helping Lenalee out with the Christmas dinner. Tiedoll was chatting with Komui, Krory, Reever, Bak and Wong were watching television shows together, while Marie and Chouji were playing a game of chess.
"Do you think Kanda would come tonight?" Timothy asked as he put the Christmas cone hat on his head properly.
"Of course Yuu will come! He never breaks promises!" Lavi said, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey Tim, let's think of something to scare Yuu off later when he comes?"
Timothy gave a hesitant look and backed away, wondering whether it was even possible to scare the raven-haired man. He would be frightened of the darkened expression he would have on his face first when they tried to scare him later. Except for Allen, Lavi and Lenalee, no one had ever dared to challenge themselves to do something which Kanda totally hated. He remembered a time when a Finder said something bad behind his back and was caught red-handed by Kanda on the spot. Something happened and it was rumoured that the Finder stayed in the infirmary for three whole weeks.
"Uh...can we...don't do that?"
"Don't do what? Oh, you want to back away from this challenge is it, Timothy? Once you agreed to do this with me, we have to do it till the end!" Lavi peered closely at him and asked with a stern expression.
"But that is because you said we are welcoming them, so I agreed! Frightening them is fun, but it will be disastrous if we do that to Kanda!" Timothy answered with a frown. He was not going to risk his own life to do something that was simply impossible to accomplish.
"Don't worry, I'm with you, so nothing will go wrong! In addition, don't you want to have the best and memorable Christmas with everyone this year? In order to make this Christmas a special one, some changes will have to be made. I will ask Allen to take down the comical expression Yuu is making," Lavi explained, snickering to himself at the brilliant idea that he thought of.
"What! Do you know that you are wishing for your own death, Lavi?" Timothy exclaimed, shocked at hearing what he was saying. Before the redhead could reply, the doorbell rang, telling them that the next guest had arrived. Lavi signalled Timothy to stand closer to him, before he turned around, seeing Allen walking down the stairs with a camera in his hands. The silver-haired teen noticed his gaze and nodded his head, getting ready to do something which he would only do once in his lifetime. Everyone gradually quietened down, all eyes set on the door.
"Okay, let's do it." Lavi opened the door. At seeing the shadow stepping inside, both of them jumped out and shouted a loud 'Merry Christmas!', but it turned out to be previous General Sonako who was just slightly stunned, but Allen just took down the picture nonetheless. As the photo slowly came out of the Polaroid camera, he took it out and stared at the black space where the photo will appear later. Meanwhile, Timothy just heaved a sigh of relief and apologised to the ex-general for their actions.
"The dinner is almost ready! Is everyone here?" Lenalee asked, coming out with a large plate of roasted turkey in her hands.
"Yuu isn't here yet! Geez, why is he so late?" Lavi whined softly as he stared outside the window. The sky was slowly darkening in the late evening, and street lights flickered, shining faintly on the streets. Allen peered at the door, recalling Lavi's words. He wondered whether it was because of what happened between them last night. His hand tugged his sweater in slight nervousness, his heart gradually beating faster at recalling that particular moment when they kissed.
The doorbell rang again. Allen stiffened, having a slight hunch on who he was.
"Merry Christmas!" Lavi and Timothy shouted at Kanda who was standing at the doorstep, staring at them with an expressionless face. The two teenagers blinked and glanced at each other, wondering whether they should just pretend that nothing had happened or run for their lives. Allen just stood there, his role to take pictures of the guests coming in forgotten. He looked up, and their gazes met each other.
That night when they kissed and the regret reflected in his sapphire eyes flashed in his head momentarily. Allen turned away and walked upstairs. He entered his room and placed the Polaroid camera on his desk, telling himself that what had happened between them was all but a mistake. The silver-haired teen forced out a smile to comfort himself, before he turned and walked out of the room. He walked down the stairs, seeing that the girls were almost ready with the dinner. Kanda was sitting at a corner, reading a book in his hand.
"Guys, time to eat dinner!" Lenalee shouted. Everyone cheered as they stood up and walked over to the dining table. It was a magnificent spread of food, although it wasn't as much as what Jerry prepared in the headquarters, but it was more than enough. Everyone got to their seats they wanted, and when Allen reached the table, he realised that there were only two available seats next to each other.
"Come and take a seat, Allen! Yuu, come here and sit quickly!" Lavi shouted at the raven-haired man who took his own time to come over. He glanced at Kanda who stared back at him. Allen looked away and sat down beside Lavi, while Kanda went and sat beside him.
"Let's tuck in!"
It was a hearty Christmas meal tonight. There wasn't much of a food fight unlike what they usually did in the Black Order. Lenalee had warned them with a rather fierce expression that they had to clean up themselves if they wanted to do that, and from her character, she really marked her words. Everyone was chatting happily among themselves, mostly reminiscing about their past in the Black Order.
"I remember that Allen always lost his way in the Black Order! I can still imagine the frustrated look written all over his face when he tried to find his way back to his room!" Lavi laughed as he took a slice of ham and put it onto his plate. Allen shot a glare at him.
"The Order was just too big and I cannot remember most of the places I went," The silver-haired teen rebuked. His sense of direction had improved a little when he moved out of the Order. Furthermore, the headquarters was so big that he was sure there were still some places he had never been there before. And it wasn't as bad as what Lavi said. He was still able to find his room by himself.
"Is it? But the funniest thing was, Krory-kins had mistaken wasabi as green tea paste and tasted it. God, he is literally blowing fire out of his lips!" Lavi exclaimed in laughter, his arm wrapping around his hurting stomach. He managed to control himself, but seeing Krory's face and imagining that particular scene made the redhead roar out in laughter again.
"Oh I remember that! He can only calm down when Jerry gave him around...twelve glasses of cold water?" Chouji said, pondering. Krory blushed in embarrassment. After that incident, he swore that he wasn't going to touch pastes that were green in colour.
"I think it is only fair to say something relating to Lavi..." Allen's words trailed off as he smirked darkly in triumph. The redhead stopped laughing instantly and paled at seeing the silver-haired teen's sadistic expression, having a slight bad feeling about this. Everyone glanced at one another in slight anxiousness, wondering what was going to happen.
"There is a dark secret about Lavi, and no one knows except me. Want to know...more about it?" Allen leaned a little closer to the table, whispering in a soft but slight eerie tone. Kanda raised his eyebrow in slight curiosity.
"What is it?"
"Tell us!"
"Hurry up, Allen! Stop keeping up with the suspense!"
Allen smiled, his eyelids narrowing halfway as he spoke,"Lavi has a...thing for older women."
Krory choked in his soup, Chouji dropped the serving spoon he was holding, and Lenalee stared at the redhead with wide eyes. Lavi was laughing nervously, staring at his plate of food to distract himself from their uncomfortable gazes. He could hear Allen sniggering with glee, and the former bookman junior could not stand it anymore and stood up.
"What is wrong...with liking older women!" He shouted.
Everyone just stared at him in silence. Then they continued eating and serving food to one another as though nothing had happened. Lavi glared hardly at Allen who was smirking in victory at getting back at him. The silver-haired teen was about to get another serving of soup when two hands touched the tilt of the silver spoon. He blinked as he turned to stare at Kanda who had the same intention. His face heated up slightly as he slowly redrew his hand, continuing to eat his plate of food.
After dinner, the group decided to play games that they usually played when they were still in the Black Order. The Christmas lights shimmered brightly as they gathered around the coffee table, playing games ranging from Monopoly, UNO to poker. Speaking of poker, silver eyes lit up as a devilish smile was hanging at a certain midget's face.
"Royal straight flush," Allen said with a smirk as he put his spread of cards on the table, grinning. Several groans were heard as they had lost a total of twenty games. The silver-haired teen just grinned happily as he took all his earnings he won proudly.
"Are you sure you did not cheat?" Lavi asked in slight suspicion. Allen just raised his eyebrow.
"Why would I cheat? My hands are perfectly clean." He showed out his hands, letting the redhead inspect for himself that he wouldn't resort to a dirty trick, but from the smirk on his face, Lavi wasn't so sure. After all, Allen was famous for winning strip poker in the past, and the devil wasn't kind to let the person scot-free if he lost everything to the game.
"Argh, I'm done with it," Bak sighed as he slumped on the table, losing all of his money. The rest nodded their heads in agreement.
"Why not we play a game of Truth or Dare? It has been a long time since I played this game, and we can make use of this to...discover secrets of one another? If he or she refuses to answer or do what he or she has to do, he or she will be punished by drinking up a glass of beer!" Tiedoll suggested with a playful wink. Allen flinched slightly at hearing what the old man. He looked around, but Kanda was nowhere in sight. He decided to retreat this time, but Lavi blocked his way purposely, grinning at him evilly.
"Let's play together, shall we, Allen?" He asked with a smirk, bringing Allen to sit beside him. Seeing everyone's gazes, the silver-haired teen had nowhere to go but to join them. Allen sighed, fidgeting a little as he pondered on what they would ask. He just hoped that he wouldn't have the luck tonight.
"Spin the bottle!" Lavi shouted. The empty beer bottle began to spin quickly, before it gradually slowed down and stopped, pointing towards Miranda who panicked immediately, not expecting that she was the first.
"Okay, Miranda, Truth or Dare?" The redhead asked. Miranda gulped nervously, not knowing what to choose.
"U-Uh...truth?"
"Okay! Here is the question. Miranda, have you ever been fired for more than five times?"
The woman paled instantly. Timothy poured a glass of beer to the brim and placed it in front of her.
"Isn't this a little too personal?" Allen asked.
"But that is the main reason why we play Truth or Dare. In this game, all the secrets left unrevealed will be known by everyone here!" Emerald eyes narrowed as he leaned towards him and smiled. "Is this why you do not want to play? You have secrets that we do not know?"
"N-No, I don't have secrets," The silver-haired teen shrugged and pushed him away. Lavi chuckled, before he turned to Miranda, waiting for her reply. Everyone turned and stared at her intensely, wondering what she would say. Miranda swallowed, her gaze looking elsewhere as she thought of an answer to this. After a few minutes, she finally let out a loud sigh and closed her eyes.
"...Yes."
"You could have chosen not to answer and drink this glass of beer as punishment," Fou pointed out. Miranda's eyes widened as though she realised this fact only at this moment. She groaned as she covered her face in embarrassment and shame.
"I know that I'm useless."
"No, you aren't. In fact, your powers help us a lot, Miranda." Miranda slowly looked up and stared at Komui in astonishment as the former Supervisor placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. She then turned and stared at everyone. No one laughed at her blunders or stupidity. Instead, they smiled and placed their hands on hers, and even without words, she could tell that they did not blame her on her clumsy behaviour one bit. A smile slowly crept up to her lips as she nodded her head.
"Okay, next!" The bottle was spun, and it stopped at Fou.
"Dare!" The robotic girl shouted before Lavi could ask her.
"Alright. I dare you to...go to former General Sonako and seduce him!" Lavi exclaimed. Everyone gasped in shock, before turning to stare at the former general who was engaging in a conversation with Bookman. Allen frowned, wondering whether this could even be done. The members in the Asian Branch rarely met them in headquarters unless necessary. He doubted that General Sonako even knew Fou by her existence.
"Okay!" To everyone's shock, she readily agreed to the challenge. Fou stood up and slowly approached the general who did not even know what was going on. She licked her lips as she slowly placed her hand softly at his shoulder blade, bringing his attention to her. Bookman stopped talking and stared at her in slight bewilderment, but glancing at what the group and his stupid apprentice were planning under their sleeves, he decided not to do anything and just watched the show in silence.
"General..." Fou asked with a low purr as she shot him a heated gaze and rubbed her thigh against his purposely. They could see that Sonako wasn't expecting this and was panicking slightly. This didn't stop her as she continued with her teasing, her hand sliding down his chest in such a painfully slow speed that the general stiffened on the spot, his hair standing on ends. The robotic girl showed a cute pout as she leaned against his chest.
"What do you...think of me?" She whispered softly. Rou Fa blushed at the sight and covered her face from embarrassment. Krory and Lavi almost had nose bleeds, while Allen just gaped in shock. He was speechless, not knowing whether to congratulate her for her excellent acting skills or to say she was a genius in the beginning. The former general's face had already turned white, probably too shocked at what he was experiencing. Fou walked back to the group and sat down with a triumphant smirk on her face.
"How do I fare?" She asked.
"Full marks..." Everyone muttered with a sigh.
"Okay let's continue with the game!" Lavi said and spun the bottle. The bottle slowly stopped at Rou Fa who was the next person to play the game.
"Truth or Dare?"
"Truth," She replied timidly, not having the courage to do the dare game after seeing what Fou did just now.
"Okay, it's my turn to ask! Rou Fa, do you love Allen?" Fou asked. Rou Fa stiffened at her question, while Allen flinched and stared at the robotic girl in slight astonishment, not expecting her to use such a strong word. He then turned and stared at the brunette whose head was staring at the floor, silent. Everyone's gazes were onto the both of them.
"I didn't know that Rou Fa likes Allen," Krory said. Chouji and Marie nodded their heads.
"So...what is your answer? Or you prefer to take the penalty instead?" Lavi asked, pushing a glass of beer to her. Rou Fa slowly looked up and stared at the beverage in slight fear. She swallowed, her lips parted as she almost answered that she did confessed to Allen that Christmas Eve night. She wasn't sure whether it was love - after all, it was just one-sided, but from Allen's reaction that night, she already knew the answer. Although she had prepared herself for it, it still hurt a little. And now, for her to bring it up again, she just...couldn't do it. Rou Fa glanced at Allen who was staring elsewhere, showing a grim and uncomfortable expression.
She breathed hardly as her hand slowly reached out for the glass of beer.
"I drink for her." Everyone slowly turned to the voice as Allen took the glass and chugged it down his throat. It felt raw, and tasted so bitter that he almost gagged everything out, but he swallowed everything down forcefully. The silver-haired teen drank to its last drop, before he slammed the empty glass on the table, touching his forehead in slight dizziness. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily. It was his first time drinking alcohol, and because he drank everything in one shot, his body couldn't get use to it and was reacting slower than usual. Allen placed his hand at his wet lips as he slowly opened his eyes, seeing double images dancing in front of his vision.
"Allen, are...are you okay?" Lavi asked in concern, patting his back to ease him up. Allen shook his head and slapped his face, keeping himself more awake.
"I'm...I'm f-fine..." He slurred slightly, a faint smile forming on his lips.
"I'm sorry, Allen..." Rou Fa apologised profusely, feeling thankful and slightly guilty for his doing which was for her sake.
"It's okay..." Allen replied softly. Fou frowned, suspicious of their behaviours. Why did Allen offer to take the penalty for Rou Fa instead? There must be something more to this. She wanted to ask further, but knew that in this game, she could only use her turn once. The robotic girl let out a soft frustrated sigh, deciding to let this go for now. Others were also slightly puzzled by this, but they could only see what would happen from now onwards.
"Okay, let's continue!" Lavi took the bottle and spun. Allen groaned at his throbbing headache from the effects of the alcohol which seems to hit him hard. Silver eyes stared at the spinning bottle, his subconsciousness gradually taking his senses over as he recalled back to that night when he and Kanda stayed together. They chatted, bickered, and through that particular when he leaned closer and kissed him, his heart beat wildly in reply, and Allen realised that he had fallen hard for Kanda. That playful smirk hanging at his lips, his beautiful sapphire eyes, his strands of soft hair touching his face and shoulders covering everything in sight as they faced each other, feeling each other's breaths. He wanted everything. He wanted everything of Kanda, all to his.
"Allen, it's your turn."
Allen stared at the bottle which was pointing at him.
"Truth or Dare?"
He realised that he could no longer ignore his feelings anymore.
"Dare."
Lavi was staring elsewhere for a moment, before a devilish grin slowly crept up to his lips.
"Allen, I dare you...to kiss Yuu-chan on his lips."
It was only then when Allen was completely awake. He stared at the redhead, shocked.
"Wh-what?"
Everyone seems to be staring at another direction, shocked looks on their faces. Allen blinked, and as he turned and stared at whatever they were staring, he froze.
Kanda was standing right behind him.
Everything seems to come to a standstill. Silver eyes widened in slight panic, not knowing what to do. He assumed that Kanda had heard every single word Lavi said. He knew that he couldn't take a single drop of alcohol anymore, but his body refused to move at the sight of the raven-haired man. He couldn't look at his face which reminded him about what happened that night repeatedly.
"...Allen?" Lenalee asked, getting worried when she saw the silver-haired teen's face turning into a pale white when he was staring at Kanda.
Allen winced at the pain from the effects of the alcohol hammering hardly on his head. He swallowed as he slowly stood up, his eyes never left Kanda. He then walked closer to him, his eyes focusing on his lips rather than the burning gaze in that pair of sapphire eyes which had been staring at him for at least a few minutes. His heart pounded hardly on his chest and his hands began to shake uncontrollably. Just one more step, give that baKanda a swift brush at his lips, and it will be over. Allen forced out a shaky smile, his trembling lips parting slightly as he took another step. He placed a hand at his shoulder, and to his surprise, Kanda did not push him away. Allen closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
The whole apartment was deadly silent, all eyes fixed onto the two of them.
He slowly reached up, his lips brushing softly against his. It was soft, yet extremely warm, and as he was embraced with his warmth again, he wished that this would not end. His eyes slowly closed, and as he was about to let go, he felt slight movements from the other responding to the kiss. Silver eyes snapped open as Allen stared at him in shock, but his dizziness kicked in and he lost his balance and fell. Kanda noticed in time and caught him by his waist before he collapsed onto the floor.
"Allen!" Everyone stood up, shocked and worried.
"Are you alright?" Kanda asked. Allen slowly nodded his head, gripping his shirt as he forced himself to stand on his feet. He pushed away that pair of arms encircling him and walked back to the group with a faint smile on his face. Everyone just stared at him, speechless.
"I'm done with the challenge. Shall we continue?"
"I...never expect Allen to kiss Kanda..." Krory muttered, not knowing what to say. Even Fou was lost for words.
Kanda turned and walked away. Allen did not look back. Lenalee frowned, thinking that it wasn't as simple as it was. She knew that something was definitely amiss, especially when Kanda did absolutely nothing when Allen kissed him. The olive-haired girl turned around and walked, searching for the raven-haired man. As she peered out of the opened balcony, she saw Kanda there, standing at the edge of the wall as he peered at the night sky.
"Kanda."
He turned, seeing Lenalee walking to him. Kanda said nothing and continued to stare at the stars shimmering in the sky. The reason he came here was not solely to admire the beautiful night scenery. He was slightly pissed at the kiss, and though it was just a slight brush, his emotions surged at the burning heat at his lips, and he wanted to slip his tongue into his mouth and taste him once again. When Allen broke away, he could not believe that he felt disappointment instead. Sapphire eyes narrowed as he let out a low hiss. Does that mean that he had always wanted Allen in...that kind of way?
"What happened between the two of you?" Lenalee asked as she stood beside him.
"Nothing happened," Kanda replied coolly, refusing to look at her.
"Something must have happened!" Lenalee shouted, getting frustrated over this...problem that was in the middle of him and Allen which was the cause of their contradictions and denials between their own feelings for each other.
"I will not believe anything you said when...when you did something like that with Allen!"
"That was just a game!" He turned and glared at her.
"Are you sure? Kanda, you just allowed Allen to kiss you just now! You don't even allow anyone to touch you, let alone Allen who was your rival! Why?" Lenalee exclaimed loudly.
"I don't know!" Kanda yelled back, sapphire eyes glowing darkly in anger. "I don't know why the hell I allowed myself to be kissed by that beansprout, I don't know why! I don't know!" The raven-haired man turned and slammed his fists down on the wall. He gritted his teeth, his feelings and thoughts completely disorganised. He did not even know what the hell he was exactly doing ever since he kissed Allen during that night. Everything was so messed up that he did not know how to get it right. Kanda cursed under his breath, his fingers clawing against the hard concrete surface. His feelings was fucking screwed up badly, and it was literally driving him crazy.
He slowly closed his eyes, showing a slight pained and frustrated expression for the first time. Lenalee stared at him, completely stunned and speechless. In all her life ever since she met Kanda, she had never seen him like that. Kanda rarely showed his emotions - whether he was injured or hearing the news that he was just a host of someone who was labelled the third Exorcists - he always had a stoic expression worn on his face.
"Kanda, do you like Allen?" She asked quietly.
Kanda turned back to her quickly, his lips opening slightly. Lenalee thought that he was going to dismiss that ridiculous idea with a snap, but to their astonishment, no words came out of his throat. His eyebrows furrowed in extreme annoyance as Kanda shut his mouth and turned away, choosing to stare at the distant lights from the neighbourhood. Lenalee sighed, leaning against the wall slightly as she stared at the night sky.
"Allen has lived on together with his feelings for you, and it is why he is still in pain. He still cannot forget you, no matter how hard he tried. I know you are struggling with this, but please don't let him wait for too long. If you have no feelings for him, please tell Allen such that he can officially move on," Lenalee said as she turned, staring at his dark sapphire eyes which was covered partially by his raven hair strands.
Kanda said nothing.
"You have to face your own feelings, Kanda. It is the best choice for the both of you."
His frustrated mood slowly settled down as his heart beat more calmly, his ears filled with the soft whispers of the night breeze brushing lightly on his face. He thought of the words that Lenalee said to him. He then recalled the moments shared between him and the beansprout last night and the unexpected kiss. Heated emotions slowly surfaced and Kanda covered his slight flushed face with his hand. As far as he did not want to admit, he did not dislike the kiss in the least.
His finger glossed through his lips. Even now, he could still feel a little warmth lingering behind. The kiss just now was quick and hesitant, unlike the one they had during that stormy night. He could feel the tension and slight fear from the beansprout, and Kanda knew what caused Allen to react like this.
"Sorry..."
Suddenly, he felt something cold descended onto his arm. Kanda looked up, seeing little flakes of snow falling from the night sky.
"Beautiful..." Lenalee murmured, reaching her hand out as the snow landed lightly onto her palm. Sapphire eyes gazed at the accumulating snow from the sky, slowly recalling back to a particular period when they were still Exorcists working in the Black Order.
It was a cloudy night, and snow was falling endlessly from the sky. He remembered himself walking alone around the Order in slight boredom, having nothing to do in mind.
He walked over to the training room, which should be empty around this time he supposed, but he detected an existence inside. Kanda slowly approached the wooden door, his hand at his sword as he was ready to pull out and deal with those irritating intruders, but when he opened the door, astonishment got to him as he saw the silver-haired teen sitting inside, holding something glowing in his hand.
"There you are, Kanda!" He saw him and greeted loudly.
"Why are you here?" Kanda hissed coldly. Allen just smiled and gestured him to come. The swordsman frowned as he paced over to his side, raising his eyebrow slightly as he saw a plate of cake with a small candle lit with a small flame. He stared at Allen questioningly.
"What do you want?"
"Sit down," Allen merely replied. Kanda sat down on the mat across him, peering at him in slight suspicion. He had no idea why the beansprout would appear at the training room in such a late hour.
"Four more minutes," Allen whispered. Kanda cocked his eyebrow in bewilderment. He stared at the clock which showed four more minutes before hitting twelve of the next day, 25th of December. The raven-haired swordsman gazed at the silhouette of the silver-haired Exorcist, and he couldn't help but admire his slender yet slightly masculine body. Silver eyes met his, and as Allen smiled at him again, Kanda grunted and stared elsewhere, wondering why he was getting uncomfortable over a stupid smile.
"It's twelve!" Allen shouted, seeing the needle hitting twelve. He then stared at Kanda and grinned, stretching his hand out. Kanda stared at his hand in confusion.
"What?"
"Where is my present?"
His frown deepened at his senseless question, but as he thought deeper, sapphire eyes widened in realisation as he stared back at the silver-haired teen.
"Yes, it's my birthday today! Though it's not official, but it is the day Mana took me home, thus my birthday lies on the 25th December. So...where is my present, Kanda?" Allen asked with a frown.
"Che. You know that I don't give presents," Kanda replied in a monotone voice, but he couldn't understand why Allen chose to celebrate it together with him now when he could celebrate it together with his friends later. Allen noticed his questioning gaze and laughed softly.
"Because...I just want to spend the start of the day with you."
"Why?" He asked.
"There isn't any reason. I just want to spend it with you," Allen replied with a smile.
"Che."
"Let's finish this small piece of cake, shall we?"
"You know that I hate sweets."
"...eat it with me?" Allen asked with pleading eyes. Dark sapphire eyes narrowed in annoyance. Before he could snap, he felt something soft and...extremely sweet being stuffed into his mouth. Kanda blinked, swallowing down the cake and cream as he glared darkly at Allen who was laughing away.
"It's...his birthday today."
Lenalee slowly turned to stare at him in slight astonishment. Kanda continued to gaze at the sky.
"How...do you know?"
"Lenalee!" She turned and saw Komui standing at the door. He nodded his head, and she knew that it was time. Lenalee turned and nudged Kanda's shoulder. The raven-haired man turned to stare at her.
"Let's go. It's time."
Kanda grunted and followed her inside. As they walked into the living room, the former swordsman noticed that the group had settled to a quiet movie session. He was about to take a sit on an empty couch when Lenalee tugged his sleeve and pulled him into the kitchen. Kanda growled in annoyance and glared at her, but his thoughts were cut off when she handed him the birthday cake with two large candles shaped like a number 'two' and 'zero' consecutively.
"What..."
"We will switch off the lights. You will present the cake to Allen," Lenalee said with a wink. Kanda just stood there, completely stunned as he received the cake from her. Sapphire eyes widened in realisation.
"Wait, why should I-!"
"Nii-san is switching off the lights now!" Lenalee whispered. Kanda cursed under his breath.
As they were watching the movie, the lights were suddenly turned off. Allen blinked at the darkness and looked around, wondering what had happened. His eyes then turned to stare at the flickering candle lights hovering at the kitchen door as everyone started to sing.
"Happy birthday to you..."
Silver eyes slowly widened in shock and surprise as Kanda came to him with a birthday cake in his hand.
"Happy birthday to Allen, happy birthday to you!"
Allen gasped, his hand covering his trembling lips as he stared at the cake in front of him, tears welling up his eyes. He had totally forgotten about his birthday, but what he did not expect this year was...all of this. Allen looked up at Kanda who gave a light smirk and said something which he would never forget in his whole life.
"Happy Birthday, Moyashi."
Hi guys! Sorry for the late update again! It's Allen's 20th birthday! I know it's my fault for not updating this chapter during Christmas but...well, at least you get to enjoy this chapter now! Mainly focusing on their Christmas celebration and Allen's birthday, so the paragraph on their Christmas party is a little long. And I assumed that only Allen knows that Lavi has a thing for older women. This story is AU, not focusing on current manga chapters.
As I promise, there is light LaviLenalee fluff! Yullen is practically all over this chapter, and it's getting there...ALMOST there...
And I really want to thank all of you reviewers/readers for the wonderful reviews! Thank you so much for supporting this story even though updates are slow. I will try to update a little bit faster. This story should end in about 3 - 4 chapters. I know that I said that it would end at around 10 chapters but the storyline is longer than that so...please bare with me a little longer! I hope that I could achieve getting a total of...100 reviews for this story? Would all of you help me to achieve that goal? :)
Okay, I am thinking of writing a lemon for this story. Sorry to say but this lemony goodness is only for Yullen and not LaviLenalee. Are you guys HAPPY? It should be around the last 2nd chapter, so please look forward to it! :D
Please review! Help me achieve a total of 100 reviews for this story! Thank you very much!
SingingBlues