Hana: This chapter is the calm before the inevitable storm.
Allen: Why...?
Hana: Because, Allen. Because. Xavier and I don't own D. Gray-man! Enjoy the new chapter you guys! I have a math test to go take really soon, so I'm posting a little earlier today!
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+ - Chapter 41 - +
Silver eyes widened in fear. What was all this?
Blood...
Blood. Blood...blood...
Everywhere he looked the crimson lifeblood had found its way upon the walls and floor of the home he shared with Kanda...where was Kanda...? Frantic, he looked everywhere, but found nothing. A dream...this had to be a really bad dream!
Yeah! He just had to wake up...a soft groan was heard behind him. Stiffening, he slowly turned, seeing the man he had previously been looking for. "Moyashi..."
"Y-Yu...?"
"Why...?" The man's head tilted up, and Allen gasped at the imagery. Empty eye sockets stared back at him, and blood cascaded down his face where eyes of the deepest blue used to rest. The corners of his mouth too had blood trailing, all of which stained the once pristine shirt he wore. "Why would you...?"
"Y-Yu..." He felt weak...he felt sick...the longer he stared, the worse his lover appeared...blood blossomed under his clothes, and all Allen could do from screaming was cover his mouth with his hands. It did him no good when he tasted copper...that most definitely was not his blood. "O-Oh my g-god...n-no...th-this can't be h-happening...I-I didn't do this...th-this—"
"Wasn't my fault? Is that what you were to say, Allen?" Silver eyes looked away from the mutilated form of his fiancé, and stared fearfully at...himself? No...not him...but Crowned Clown. "It was only a matter of time. We're one in the same. Deluding yourself into believing otherwise...it's laughable...and now look at what you've done...you've ruined everything you worked so hard to achieve."
"N-No..."
"Moyashi..."
"St-stop it...!" This wasn't real! This wasn't real! God dammit, this wasn't really happening!"
"But it is~ all because you thought keeping things would save people the heartache!" The other him cackled, and Allen began crying in fear as everything began to close in around him...
...until nothingness was all he knew...
(* - *)
"MOYASHI!" Kanda's voice rang about the room, startling the younger out of his nightmarish hell.
"Y-Yu...?" He was...he was alive? He is alive... "YU!" He jolted up, grabbing his fiancé in a life-or-death hug, reassuring himself of the man really being there.
"What in the hell did you dream about to make you so freaked out?"
But the boy was still crying, still trembling and squeezing Kanda with all his might.
"You're alright, moyashi...I'm right here..." He tried to comfort the younger, "Stop crying, you're safe..."
That only made Allen sob and cling harder to the older male, the memory of his fiancé's mutilated form still fresh in his mind.
"Oh for the love of..." Kanda glowered. "You're not making it easy to comfort you at all."
"S-Sorry...I-I'm so...so sorry...Y-Yu...m'sorry..."
Kanda suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "I'm not mad..." And a bit guilty. "You can keep crying... I'll keep comforting you..."
"M'sorry...m'so so-sorry..."
He was actually at a loss...just what was Allen apologizing for if not for him being angry? The more Kanda thought of it, the more he started wondering if maybe...there was something the younger hadn't told him. It hurt to even think of that, but with everything going on, he was pretty sure that was exactly what was going on.
Kanda pulled the boy up into his lap so that he could hold him more comfortably.
"I-I'm so s-sorry...so sorry..." Holding the younger tighter, Kanda sighed. It was only three in the morning...
"Calm down...Aren...I'm right here..."
After another choked sob, Allen pulled back a fraction, his sad silver eyes filled with tears. "Y-Yu..."
"Yeah, Aren?" Kanda lifted his arm to rub the boy's leaking nose with his sleeve, scanning his lover's distressed face for any hints as to what was wrong.
"I'm s-sorry..." Allen whispered, before bursting back into tears.
(* - *)
The sun rose, and Allen snuggled closer to the warmth presented to him...actually, there shouldn't be anything warm around him...a silver eye peeked open, and was greeted with the torso of his fiancé. Why was he there?
Carefully, Allen extracted himself from the man's tight hold and sat up.
Wasn't Kanda supposed to be at work?
Wait, what happened last night? They...didn't have sex, he knew that from the lack of pain in his ass...why couldn't he remember?
Looking at Kanda, Allen noticed the shadows beneath his lover's closed eyes. Did the man not get enough sleep last night? Odd. He knew they'd gone to bed at around the same time...
Did something happen? Allen was very confused at that point. It also occurred to him, his eyes did feel puffy...was he crying last night? Why couldn't he remember?
Had Kanda been comforting him? Was that why he was awake first?
Allen stared at the older male's sleeping face, feeling bad for keeping his fiancé up last night, even if he had no memories of doing so.
He decided to do Kanda the favour of preparing breakfast. It would serve as thanks for last night, as well as a chance to convince the man that he has some skills in the kitchen.
Quiet as a mouse, the Brit slid out of the bed and tiptoed out of the room, wearing only his boxers.
He was sure they had eggs, so he could make omelettes... They also had bacon... All he had to do was put it on a pan, so there wasn't much he could do wrong there... He could also cut up some buttered toast... maybe with a side of fruit...
(* - *)
Kanda awoke to the sound of the fire alarm going crazy.
He threw himself out of bed, instantly awake and searching for the source of the alarm's distress. That was how he found a distraught Allen on the floor of the kitchen, smoke wafting up from something on the stove that looked a lot like charcoal.
"Why can't I cook?" Allen asked sullenly, curling in on himself and hugging his bare knees.
Instead of answering, Kanda went around and opened nearly every single window in the apartment, trying to get the smoke out so 1) it didn't stink as much, and 2) the fire alarm would shut the fuck up.
When Kanda returned to the kitchen, he promptly turned off the stove and removed the pan from the heat, before filling it with cold water from the tap, charcoal-like abomination and all. He then took in the grapes spilled on the floor and the poorly-sliced watermelon drenching one of the benches, eyebrow twitching when toast popped out of the toaster, already buttered and burnt.
He went to glare down at the idiot on the floor, when a red mark caught his eye. It wasn't a hickey, because he hadn't touched his lover since yesterday, and even then, he hadn't left any marks.
Kanda pulled the boy to his feet, a frown in his eyes and on his lips.
The mark was on his fiancée's right bicep, and it was shiny and close to pink in colour. From what he could tell, it appeared to be a burn from where something had splattered.
He growled, seizing his lover's slim wrists as he inspected for more damage. "This is why I told you not to cook. Leave that shit to me." As spoke, he saw the Band-Aids circling two of the boy's fingers on his right hand, and another three burns on his right thumb, chest and stomach. He couldn't tell if there was anything different with left arm. "What idiot goes into a kitchen without clothes on?" He sighed again, before continuing, "What in the hell did I say about using the kitchen?" Kanda groused.
"...to not to." The dejected male muttered.
"Next time, listen." Kanda knelt down, looking at the burn on his lover's stomach. It was a little bigger than the rest... The idiot had most likely bumped himself on something hot... He tenderly kissed the mark, lips lingering there for a moment.
The next thing Allen knew, his fiancé was on his feet and angry again.
"You're banned from everything in the kitchen except the fridge."
"..."
"Speak up."
"I didn't mean to nearly blow up the kitchen..."
"Just..." Kanda groaned. "Do something while I clean up this mess."
"I could help y—"
"No. You've done enough," the Japanese male said. When his lover made to walk away, he frowned. "Wait." After Allen stopped, the older male looked directly into his young love's eyes. "Last night... you were..."
Curiosity, getting the better of him, Allen turned to look at his fiancé. "I was...?"
"Don't you remember?"
"No..."
Kanda's shoulders slumped. "Then never mind." It was better if the kid forgot.
"Yu..."
"It's nothing important, moyashi." Kanda stated, as he began to get the cleaning supplies. He was stopped when a pair of arms wrapped around his middle, a cheek pressed against his back.
"Did I...keep you up last night?"
Kanda's form stiffened, before sighing, "You did. From what I gathered..." He carefully said, "You were having a pretty bad nightmare."
Allen was a little confused, for he didn't recall such a thing at all last night. "Are...you sure? That I...?"
"Yes." The older male solemnly answered, "You were...apologizing."
"Apologizing?" What would he had been apologizing for?
"Any idea what for?"
Allen only shook his head. He had no clue for the life of him. "M'sorry..." He then muttered. "You have bags under your eyes too because of me..."
There was pause, before Kanda let out a drawn out sigh. "Not because of you, idiot. It's mostly from work, and the occasional idiot I deal with there."
"For real, Yu?"
"Yeah. Losing sleep isn't anything new to me. It literally comes with the job."
"Mm...I guess...you want to clean the mess I made?"
"On the other hand I should be making you do it, but I'm afraid you'll somehow blow up the cleaning supplies while you're in here."
"Yu!" Allen pouted, releasing the older male in favor of glaring up at him, hands at his sides clenched to fists. Kanda turned, and smirked down. "That's mean!"
"Be a good moyashi, get dressed, and I'll clean up this mess." He told the younger, as he shooed the younger out. He heard Allen complaining the whole way there. "He's an idiot...but I guess he's mine either way." He murmured, before getting to work.
...this could take a while.
He eyed the steaming pan in the sink.
Allen Walker was officially banned from the kitchen.
(* - *)
After three hours of cleaning, and pondering how the fuck a mess got onto the ceiling, Kanda was finally done getting his kitchen back in order. Allen sat at the table, pouting, having gotten there just an hour prior. He had also been sneaking glances at Kanda's bare back as the elder worked...at least he got something good out of this, right?
"If you're done staring, I'm going to go get cleaned up and then dressed."
Ah...he was caught... "Uh, right..."
"Don't touch anything in the kitchen, Moyashi."
"I won't!" Allen huffed.
The second Kanda disappeared into their shared room, Allen was in the kitchen and opening the fridge. His hour spent cooking and his lover's three spent cleaning meant that he'd been without breakfast four hours after waking up.
He was famished.
He still wished he could've made something for his lover...taking a glance at the kitchen clock, Allen deducted that maybe he could just make sandwiches. He knew how to make those without blowing up a space. No cooking needed after all. Sighing, he pulled out the marshmallow fluff, and the peanut butter, along with the bread to start making his brunch, rather than breakfast or lunch.
"At least this much is easy." He muttered getting a butter knife from the drawer. He was so going to get Wisely to teach him how to cook and not destroy anything...then by his fiancé's birthday next year...he'd make his lover breakfast in bed, and it wouldn't suck! "I wonder if I can get Link to teach me how to bake..."
How hard could baking be?
...with his luck it probably had an 11 out of 10 rating with his lack of skills.
"I thought," Kanda growled from the entrance to the kitchen, having been just about to move to the bathroom when he'd suddenly gotten a bad feeling and decided to check on his little lover, "that I said not to touch anything."
"It's just sandwiches," Allen said, unscrewing the lid to the peanut butter. "I can do this."
"I just spent three hours cleaning this room. I'm not about to let you destroy it again."
Allen's face fell. "But I'm starving."
"Too bad."
He pouted Kanda, then glared at the food he'd set out. "Fine then." Allen returned the bread and marshmallow fluff to their original places, before pulling out a spoon and picking up the peanut butter with his left hand.
"You're not eating peanut butter out of the jar."
"You wouldn't let me make a sandwich," Allen grumbled, "so this is all I've got." He scooped out a spoonful of the jar's contents.
"Moyashi," Kanda snapped, reached for the jar. "Your diet already sucks. I'm not letting you make it worse. Also, this is wasting peanut butter." When his lover tried to move the jar away, Kanda changed tactics, grabbing the boy's thin, pale hand and applying some pressure, and the Brit reflexively loosened his grip on the spoon and gasped in shock.
They both stared at the peanut butter and spoon on the ground, the former having left a slight smear on the recently-cleaned floor of the kitchen.
"That was your fault," Allen quickly pointed out.
"Moyashi." Kanda said through ground teeth. Realizing the danger he was in, he ran away, Kanda close behind him as he ran. "GET BACK HERE!"
Allen barely made it to the bedroom when he was caught, finding himself pressed up against the wall, his lover's arms either side of his smaller body. "U-um... Th-that was y-your fault... s-so..."
"You're going to go back into the kitchen and clean up your mess," Kanda informed the boy, glaring. "And you can forget about breakfast."
"What about brunch?"
"Forget about that too."
Allen looked horrified. "But I have to eat, Yu!"
"Clean. Your. Fucking. Mess."
The younger pouted. "Tim could eat it..."
"And get dog drool over my floors? No."
"But he's eating it up now. I can hear him..."
Kanda's head snapped towards the direction of the kitchen. Scowling, he pointed a finger at the ground. "Stay," he said, and then hurried towards the kitchen, cursing the whole way.
Allen wasn't sure whether or not he should obey his fiancé or quickly grab his wallet and hightail it out of there.
If he went through with the latter... Kanda would be really pissed. Also, he was still being targeted, so...
There was just no winning with him, was there?
Allen stood by the bedroom doorway, wincing when he heard his lover scolding Timcanpy. Now the man was gonna be in an even worse mood... and he wasn't going to be getting any food...
It couldn't get much worse than this.
"I...hope I didn't just jinx that..." Allen sighed, before reluctantly heading towards the kitchen once more.
"I thought I told you to stay put," Kanda said as he rinsed the spoon off under the tap.
"Y-you said that I h-had to clean my m-mess..."
"Che."
"Don't go telling me to do something, only to change your mind, BaKanda!"
"I can do what I please, Moyashi." The elder groused.
Allen bristled, glaring up at the taller male, "Dammit, if you tell me to do something, of course I'm gonna have to do it! Hell, even if you don't ask me, I'd do it either way, you arrogant jerk!"
A bark made itself known, and both occupants looked towards the happily panting Timcanpy.
Allen sighed. "Why are you so worked up? It's because you didn't get enough sleep at all, isn't it?"
"That's not—"
"Sorry for being such a bother," Allen said, calming down.
Caught off guard, Kanda closed his mouth, before sighing to himself. "No...you're not a bother."
"Then...?"
"I've...been on edge these last few days." Kanda finally admitted, feeling himself deflate. "This whole Crowned Clown business I just want the damn thing to end...and finally be able to spend more time with what really matters."
A soft smile tugged the corners of Allen's mouth, and he gave his lover a hug. "I want this case over as well." Except he didn't want Kanda to come into contact with Raku. He didn't want Kanda to know.
So why was it...he suddenly had a bad feeling come over him? Come to think of it...where did he leave the folder?
Somewhere safe, he was sure. Somewhere Kanda wouldn't find it...
At least, where he couldn't find it on purpose. The chances of Kanda finding anything, were slim at best. He even kept it out of Timcanpy's reach...making sure the dog couldn't smell anything, and thus putting it in a box. In the closet. Away from prying eyes.
Kanda didn't go into the closet all that much, so Allen didn't have anything to worry about.
"Now," Allen said, pushing himself up on his tiptoes to peck his lover on the cheek, "about breakfast..."
"The answer is still no."
"Why?" Allen whined, "Yu~ I'm hungry!" And really, he was. "You have to feed me, otherwise the kitchen might blow up!"
"First of all, moyashi. It's just about time for lunch, and secondly, I don't know if I should feed you after that fiasco."
"Pleeeeaaaaase?" The Brit pleaded, staring his lover straight in the eyes. "I'm starving."
"Consider it punishment for destroying the kitchen, even though I told you that you weren't allowed to touch any cooking tools."
"Yu's a meanie!"
"And you're an idiot," countered Kanda.
"Forgive my idiocy...and make me delicious food...and I'll get that stupid costume sooner..." Did that really just leave his lips?!
Kanda stared down at the boy, conjuring up the image he'd thought up earlier of what his lover would look like in a maid outfit.
"Yu-shishou... The skirt's really short you know. If I bent over, you'd see everything," Allen said, hands pressing against his fiancé's firm chest. "Don't you want to see me wearing something like that?"
"Sit at the table." The elder tersely relented. If that wasn't something he was eager to enjoy with his moyashi...he wasn't sure what would be.
Allen's face lit up, and he did as he was told. "Thanks Yu!"
Kanda sighed, and picked out ingredients from his fridge. He'd have to make do with what he still had...which miraculously was still enough to feed a very hungry Allen...and himself for one meal.
"Great. Food shopping." He grumbled, before heading to the counter with his ingredients.
Allen's smile only widened. "We can go together."
"Fine. After I feed you, and after I clean up, we'll go."
"Sounds fun," the boy replied happily, folding his arms across the tabletop.
"You'd better get that outfit."
"Fine..." Was Allen's glum reply. Great, now he really did have to get that stupid costume.
And knowing his lover, Allen doubted either of them would be leaving the bedroom for quite a while.
Unless they never made it to the bedroom and he was taken at the front door.
...actually was he ever taken at the front door? No...he didn't think he ever was...
"What are you thinking about?"
"Surprise!" Allen quickly answered. Kanda gave him a confused look but shrugged it off. "I-I'm thinking of a s-surprise..."
"Alright then."
Allen really needed to get his thoughts straightened out. Daydreaming while his fiancé was around was a sure-fire way to end up pinned to the nearest surface by six feet of perversion and muscle.
... and there he went again.
He was seriously not winning with his thoughts today. The younger sighed in defeat.
. . - * - . .
"And we need more milk too." Allen said, reading off their ever growing shopping list. How was it, he wondered they started out so small, only to get larger once you hit the supermarket?
"What did you do?"
"It smelt like hell, so I threw it out, Yu." Allen said.
Kanda growled.
"Next?" Allen asked, ignoring his lover's anger.
"I swear Moyashi—"
"We're low on Soba now that I think of it..." Okay...Kanda would admit, that was a must to buy.
"We don't have any dango..."
"And we're not getting any," Kanda said, rolling his eyes.
"B-But Yu-shishou~" Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck...
Kanda glared at the boy, who was doing his best to appear completely innocent with his eyes wide and head cocked to the side.
"FINE." Kanda growled. "We'll get the fucking dango."
"Yay~ We'll get extra soba for Yu~!"
"And I'll be the one paying for it all."
Allen glanced guiltily down at the list. It wasn't fair if he left everything to Kanda... "I'll pay for the dango."
"It's fine, Moyashi." The elder relented.
"But..."
"I'll buy the dango and you buy the maid outfit," Kanda reasoned, smirking when the Brit blushed. "That way it's fair."
"F-Fine..."
"And I'll be watching you buy it so I know you won't back out."
"F-FINE!"
"When we get back home," the Japanese male purred, "I'll have you try it on to make sure it fits."
"I-I can o-only buy it o-online th-though..."
"Oh?"
Allen nodded frantically.
"Why?"
"Er...s-sold in Japan..." He admitted sheepishly. "But they ship internationally...s-so...that's w-why I could e-even get the other one by y-your birthday th-that time..." Gods, admitting this was humiliating!
"Hmm..." Kanda thought it was a pity. He'd wanted to see lover in the outfit. "Then when we get back home, you're going on to the computer and buying it."
"O-Okay..." For some reason, the thought of his lover actually looking over his shoulder as he looked at scanty, after scanty outfit while looking for the costume they...and by they, it was actually he...was going to use.
Why'd he have to go and say that he'd buy the damn thing? That was stupid... Like they actually needed a reason to have any more sex than they already did.
Not...that he didn't like the sex...his fiancé was...that train of thought was too dangerous in a public setting like this, Allen quickly amended. "So...what else do we need?" He needed to distract himself.
"You're damn dango, soba, juice...we're low on eggs."
"Sorry...?" Allen sheepishly apologized.
"You'd better be," Kanda muttered. "We probably need more fruit."
"That was an accident."
"Che Of course it was."
"Yu!" Allen pouted. "Seriously though..."
"You can't cook, and should therefore never set foot in the kitchen again." Also, Kanda would really prefer it if all of the rooms in his apartment remained intact.
"The kitchen wouldn't have blown up if you had at least taught me how to cook."
"If, and only if you learn to cook, it'll be in someone else's kitchen, and not mine." Like hell he was going to take that risk.
Allen cocked his head to the side, "So~ if I decide to go to Wisely's place one day, and he offers to teach me, then that'd be okay?"
"You can learn there, but you'll have to prove to me that you can actually handle yourself in the kitchen before you're allowed back in mine."
"Fine! When I learn how to cook, I'm gonna make you the best meal you'll ever eat!" The younger had so much dedication in his words, Kanda couldn't help but let a small smile slip.
"Will you now? Let's see you cook within a month."
"Deal!"
"Not in my kitchen."
"Fine!"
"Though I doubt it'll be edible," Kanda mused, "Even if you do somehow manage to not burn down Wisely's kitchen while making it."
"It'll be super edible!" Allen declared. "And I won't burn down Wisely's kitchen if he's gonna be supervising regardless." He added as an afterthought.
"I'm not paying for renovations if you destroy it," Kanda warned the boy. When you destroy it, he amended in his head, but didn't say it aloud. Allen would hit him if he did.
"Meanie." the younger pouted. "Let's just get everything we need, and go back home."
"And I can make sure you buy that sexy little costume." the elder purred. Allen cursed how his body was reacting to the vision he once again was fighting to subdue.
"Let's just get the food," the Brit said, cheeks red.
"Fine." Kanda said with a smirk.
... ... ... ...
I really do have a test today...I only hope I'll actually pass.
R&R ain't for Rest and Relaxation, but after today? I just might need it. Leave a review and let us know how we're doing! Show the story some love and favorite this work! Don't forget to follow to stay up to date with new chapters, and we'll see you next week!
On Fade to Gray!