Claimer: I own all OC's. Not that they're any in this story...

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own D. Gray-Man. Otherwise, this would have happened a lot earlier in the manga.

Plot: CHAPTER NINE!

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Kanda would have argued further, making the boy sit on the couch just until he could re-wrap his healing ribs and stick some of this pain relievant on it. But the pasta was sizzling, and Kanda knew that the bottom was slowly sticking. Not wanting to serve Allen burned food, the raven sighed; Allen could win this one.

A few minutes passed, and the mac and cheese was done, Kanda turned the fire off and gave it a final stir before deciding so. Allen didn't look too hungry, but Kanda made him a normal plate anyways. If he didn't finish it that was fine. "Here." Kanda sat the plate down, confused when Allen slightly jumped. What was he thinking about so intently?

Allen jumped slighlty when Kanda put a bowl of horglorshmia down on the table. Wow, was he thinking that intently? Smiling at bit at Kanda, Allen ate semi-enthusiastically, his mind still half on what he was thinking before. Allen took a look at Kanda, and frowned when he noticed his sword resting casually at his side. He was putting Kanda in danger, and even if Kanda was willing to go into this with Allen, the fact of the matter was, Allen hated putting people in danger. And that's just what he was doing with Kanda. And for what? A couple of more days in his prescence? Was it worth it? Allen mentally shook his head. Of course not.

"Allen, if something's up let me know." Kanda said, making his own plate. He should have made a salad to go with all the starch, but he wasn't feeling the whole "toss salad chop carrots wash vegetables" thing. Looking at Allen, he looked utterly miserable; even with the not-quite-right smile plastered to his face. "Even if it doesn't have to do with Steve or whatnot, I've listened so far, haven't I?" At the last bit Kanda sat across the little two person table, looking over at Allen for his reaction.

Allen's eyes flashed guiltily, and he opened his mouth to explain, setting his horglorshmia to the side. "Mr. Kanda," Allen said, back to formality. "Remember how I told you how Steve was banished? Well, he wasn't the only one. There were about ten others. I didn't think it was important at the time, seeing as we banished them to different corners of the earth. But...what if, what if they found eachother? Even after all these years? Mr. Kanda, you're in danger for just associating yourself with me. A-and Solen is vicious. He won't stop until I'm dead or he's dead. His cronies are willing to do anything for him, and that includes -" Alen dropped off, not wanting to say the words killing you. "Anyway, Mr. Kanda, you're in some real trouble, and I wouldn't feel bad if you didn't want to deal with me anymore. I put you in so much danger, and that's just not right." Allen finished, spilling not quite everything, but close enough, on the dinner table. Great, he had ruined dinner.

Kanda grunted. Ten? He had to fight ten of these monsters? Were they all as srong as Steve was? He couldn't take them all at once even with Mugen if they were all like that cracked up freshman. Still, he let Allen finish, now understanding why his thoughts had been so grave.

"And let everything I've done so far go to waste?" Kanda said, but at the sadness on Allen's face, he knew that wasn't going to cut it. The bean sprout really did feel like he was imposing, huh?

"Allen, I want you here, alright? I might not know what I'm getting into, but quite frankly I don't give a damn." Kanda couldn't help but smirk at the statement. Rushing into danger...he was so screwed wasn't he? But the thought of letting Allen fight these monsters alone was just as perposterous in Kanda's mind as letting him stay until these monsters either grouped up or came looking for him individually. "I'm not letting you leave, and I don't want you to." Was that so hard to understand?

Allen looked up and studied Kanda, looking for any inconsistancies in his eyes. But no...Kanda seemed to be telling the truth. He really did want Allen here. But...why? "Why?" Allen whispered. "Why do you want me here when I've caused nothing but trouble for you? Nothing but disorder?"

"Why not?" Kanda whispered back, a bit more forcefully than he meant. He didn't understand why Allen thougt that he couldn't actually want him to stay around? Was it that hard to believe that Kanda wasn't completely against humanity? But then ...this was Allen he was talking to. The boy without an angry bone toward him in his body. "Trouble? Is that really the only thing you think you've brought?" Kanda's voice was gentler this time, but no longer in a whisper. "Allen, you're obviously much more important to me than any alien that comes after you." When that didn't seem to do the trick, "I care about what happens to you genius." He said with a sigh and a small snort; but never lost eye contact with Allen. The boy was so perceptive if he looked away now he'd think he was lying.

Allen had to remind himself to breath. Kanda...cared about him? As a friend, right? Just as a friend. But the look in Kanda's eyes and the frantic beating of his heart told Allen the same thing that he had known for a while. Somewhere, during all of this, Kanda had come to care for Allen more than just as a friend. Allen blinked back unexpected tears and smiled a little. "Mr. Kanda, I care about what happens to you too." Allen thought, then nodded. This would be a nice time to tell Kanda that he liked him. "In fact Mr. Kanda, I think I have a crush on you." Allen said, nodding. Now Mr. Kanda knew that he liked him too!

Kanda Yuu had not been expecting that one. A confession was usually no big deal to him. He'd roll his eyes and give the stupid fan girl the cold shoulder. He'd ignore the puffy eyes and the solemn faces, leaving them to their self caused drama. Easy as that.

But this was Allen, and he... well, he deemed to be different in this situation too. Did he even know what a crush was? Damn, I knew I shoudln't have let him near those girls. But did he have to know the definition of 'crush' in order to like someone? Now that he thought about it, Kanda didn't think so either.

But he had to tell Allen that he didn't... that he didn't mean that he liked him the same way before. But now that he was so sure instead of moping around like he was before; and Kanda hated before, moping Allen apparently wasn't good for his health. Blushing tomato red, Kanda suddenly felt this universe? It hated him, and already had this answer planned for him. "I've never had a crush on someone but..." (Unless you count that time he followed Lenalee around like a lost puppy... it wasn't his fault he was new and sixth grade was a terrifying place to be). "I guess you could say I have a 'crush' on you too." Then why didn't crush feel like the right word?

Allen lit up like a christmas tree when Kanda said that, smiling larger than ever. Yay! Now Mr. Kanda had a crush on him too. Now that they both liked eachother, they could stay together. Right? Allen turned thoughtful, then opened his mouth. "Mr. Kanda, now that we both have crushes on eachother, can we stay together?" Allen asked. He blushed a bit at the thought, happy internally at the thought of staying together with Mr. Kanda.

After all, he did have a crush on the man.

Kanda blinked, he...didn't want to go home? Allen would rather stay with him than go back to his universe? "You're with me now aren't you?" Kanda certainly wouldn't make him leave if he didn't want to...but the doll did need to be pieced together sometime soon, right? If they could put it together, couldn't Solen? "I'd never make you leave if you didn't want to."

Allen's impossibly wide gray eyes grew even wider; his smile stretching from ear to ear. Mr. Kanda wasn't going to make him go home. He wanted him here! For now at least, and that was enough for Allen. Allen stood, his joy refusing to be contained and scurried over to Kanda's seat, bending down and giving the older a hug. "Mr. Kanda, I'd never make you leave either." Allen said in the man's ear, then smiling and going back over to his seat, finishing his dinner rapidly.

Kanda's heart did a little flutter at Allen's smile, and Kanda wasn't sure if he liked the feeling; caught between scowling at it and being all googly eyed like his foil across the table. But he settled with a small smile, and though he tried to fight it his eyes softened as well. Great; look at what the Great Kanda Yuu had become. A lovesick puppy...if only Tiedoll could see him now. The man had told him that he couldn't stay on his high horse forever; but he didn't expect the crash to be this hard.

When Allen hugged him, Kanda was careful of his ribs, but managed to hug the bean sprout back. He was warmer than he looked; all of that white could make anyone look a bit colder than the average person.

The spell was broken after Allen sat down and...wolfed down his food like a hungry carnivore.

Allen finished his food and stared at the empty bowl for a moment, wondering if it was impolite in this world to lick the plate. Allen looked up at Kanda and back down at his plate, wondering if he could get away with a tiny lick. Probably not, seeing as Kanda was watching Allen rather intently. Allen looked up and saw Kanda's smile, his heart doing this weird skipping thing. That was strange. Allen was pretty sure that you needed each beat to survive; but as he looked back up at Kanda's smile, his heart skipped agian, and Allen figured that he was okay, as long as he got to see that smile a little longer.

"You want any more? You finished that pretty fast..." Kanda snorted, more like he finished it like a dinosaur that had fasted for weeks before... but he wouldn't point that out to him. Not yet. He'd have to if he started brining Allen to school with him though, if you eat school lunches too fast it could kill you.

Allen nodded happily, pushing his bowl over towards Kanda and surprising himself with a large yawn. Allen blinked, then looked at Kanda and yawned agian. Was he sick? What were these things that were making him take large gulps of air? Why was he doing it? Allen yawned agian, and this time, his eyes started watering. What was this? Was he going to die? Allen looked at Kanda and started to ask, but was inturrupted by another yawn.

"Tired?" Kanda asked, snickering at Allen's multiple yawns. He looked like he hadn't expierienced one before, his face looking utterly confused before being overtaken by another yawn. At that one, Kanda ended up yawning himself, covering his mouth as he did so.

Kanda grabbed Allen's bowl, filling it up again and sitting it on the table. "Here, after you finish that I'll re-wrap your side and call it a day."

Allen poked at his horglorshmia and lifted the spoon to his mouth, closing his eyes in a blink. Allen almost forgot to open them agian. His eyes were really heavy, almost to the point of pain, and he just wanted to obey their silent command to close them. And not open them until they weren't heavy agian.

This time, Allen slowly finished his horglorshmia, then he placed his head down on the table and just listened to his eyes commands. Then his ribs made a twinge and Allen jumped up, glaring at them. Of course they would remind him of what had to be done. Allen looked at Kanda and smiled, too tired to speak. Instead he raised his hands in a silent gesture and told Kanda that he needed his ribs taped agian, without speaking.

Kanda was already washing his bowl and sticking it on the shelf. He was a bit of a neat freak, and since it was just him it wasn't something that was ever a problem. Well, it hadn't been just yet. Looking back at Allen who had made just a little bit of a mess with his pasta, Kanda had a feeling that was about to change. Though it might have just been Allen getting tired; the white haited boy was starting to sway in his seat.

Kanda let out a sigh of a laugh, he was more tired than he thought he was too, and pulled out the bandages and cream that the nurse had given him. Allen had quite the way of communicating when he was too tired to speak. After a quick washing of his hands, the raven pulled Allen's shirt off. There thankfully wasn't any blood on his current wrappings, Kanda was half expecting it after all of the snapping and popping that evening. When he pulled the bandages off, the spot was a purplish color, but fading quicker than he thought it would be. It was supposed to get worse before it patched itself up; but Allen seemed to be on his third or fourth day of healing already.

"You heal fast." Kanda stated, more of a fact than a question. He wasn't surprised, if headaches and pains healed that fast, they must have been non existant in Allen's universe. Kanda shrugged the thought off, rubbing the cream onto the bruised area as gently as he could.

Allen barely nodded, his eyes drifting shut with the gentle pressure of Kanda's fingers on his wound. He supposed it should have hurt, but with the numbing cream doing as it was supposed to. Allen couldn't feel the pain, only the gentle pressure. He smiled slightly and forced his eyes open agian, looking towards the cabinet. He couldn't sleep just yet, he had to wait until his ribs were all wrapped up. Allen directed his eyes downward towards Kanda, and noticed that the wound on his face was slowly turning a blackish-purple color. Allen frowned and reached his right hand down, touching the wound.

"Mr. Kanda, does it hurt?" Allen asked as he slowly traced the edge. It would have come from Solen's fist, he knew. Allen knew also that Solen did not hit lightly. Frowning at the greenish edge of the bruise, Allen stopped tracing, instead clenching his hand in a light fist. Solen and all his buddies would get what was coming for them. But first...Allen needed sleep.

I hate my job. I hate my job. I hate my job. Maybe if I say it enough, I'll get a new one.

Eh, probably not.

Well, there's your "yullen worthy" ticket for today. Sucks, doesn't it? But, that's the best that we can do for right now. There are your feelings, they have been stated and understood. Crushes and all that. Now...now I'm going to bed.

Oh, and:

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!

Now do it agian. Please. *smile*

Kiyoko-kun

Kitty-chan (Neko-Kyoutan)