A/N: Hm. Honestly, this one was a little difficult, if only because the only romance I've ever written was mostly little-kid stuff for Kuroshitsuji and implied for Ouran, and then there's the fact that my only real pairing in DGM is Miranda/Marie (which is, admittedly, adorable). The universe just doesn't lend itself to pairings. Too much angst and death. *amused*
Thank you to Word eclipse, The-Allenfangirl, Relena Duo, InsanityOwl, karina001, Lena-luvs-cats, and guest for reviewing!
Title: Conundrum
Author: liketolaugh
Rating: T
Pairings: None
Genre: Friendship/Angst
Warnings: None
Summary: For the 220th night countdown run by lenaleelee17 on Tumblr.
Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man.
Day 5: OTP
Miranda was staying up again.
Marie sighed and entered the infirmary, closing the door behind him so softly that even he could barely hear it, and then crossed the room to sit in a chair beside Miranda, who didn't move.
"They'll be okay," he said quietly, not even bothering to ask what was wrong. He reached and took one of her hands gently, feeling it tremble in his.
Allen and Lavi had been out on a mission with Chaoji. It wasn't the best of ideas, Marie would later admit, because Lavi still hadn't forgiven Chaoji for his transgressions against Allen, and Chaoji still didn't trust Allen, and Allen was still uncomfortable around Chaoji because of that.
Really, it had been doomed from the start.
They'd come back badly injured, and Chaoji was noticeably shaken, carrying them back as quickly as he could manage, and Miranda had frozen their time as soon as she'd seen them so he could bring them to the infirmary without doing further harm. He was back in his room now, probably trying and failing to sleep.
Miranda, on the other hand, was here, holding vigil over her fallen friends, as she tended to do.
Miranda worried too much. Marie knew that, and he loved it about her, but she needed to take better care of herself, and making sure she did that would always be his first priority.
"B-but what if they get worse?" Miranda fretted quietly, mindful of her volume. He felt her lean her head against his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her a little closer. This close, he could feel her breath hitch. "W-what if Allen has a nightmare and reopens his wounds, o-or Lavi rolls over and falls on the ground and hurts himself more, or what if-"
"Sh," Marie murmured, making her stop talking abruptly. "If any of those things happen, Head Nurse will know." He rubbed her shoulder gently, up and down, feeling the curve of her arm and the soft slide of her clothes. "Allen and Lavi have done their job, Miranda, and you've done yours. Now trust Head Nurse to do hers."
"But-"
"Sh," Marie repeated. "They'll be okay."
Miranda exhaled, a long, shuddering breath, and after a moment, sat up. Marie released her, feeling the expanse of her back slide past his fingertips, her heartbeat slowing down as her fear eased. "Okay, Noise," she said at last, soft and still anxious.
"Okay," Marie agreed, smiling softly. He stood up. "Now let's get you to bed. We need you in good health too, Miranda. Don't forget."
He could almost hear Miranda's smile. He wondered what it looked like.
"I won't."
Okay, guys, this looks to be the last chapter before the last one, which is a reaction to the new chapter. So don't read the next chapter until you've read the DGM update! Until then, thanks for reading, and please review!