Hana: The twins are definitely pleased in this chapter.

Allen: ...that doesn't make me feel any better.

Hana: Not supposed to. Now then! Xavier and I don't own D. Gray-man. For the sake of Allen's sanity...or maybe there lack of?

Allen: HEY!

Hana: Would suffer greatly~ Happy readings~

... ... ... ...

+ - Chapter 47 - +

It was Saturday. Devit was on one side of him. Jasdero on the other. "I change my mind, there's no way I can do this!"

"Don't worry! This person is great." Devit said. "Super great, right, Jas?"

Jasdero giggled, "Tyki got a butterfly done on his—"

"I DON'T WANNA KNOW!'"

"Party pooper." The twins pouted.

"But he was drunk that day...doesn't remember why or when he got it." Devit snickered. Jasdero nodded, cackling in agreement. "Though it is a freaky looking butterfly...it has a skull on its back with sharp teeth...a cannibalistic butterfly?"

"Teez!" The blond twin helpfully piped up.

"Lovely..." Allen sighed, looking at the tattoo pallor. "...where do I even get one?"

"How 'bout your shoulder?"

"Get something that makes your ugly arm look super cool, hee-hee!"

The younger visibly deflated at the mention of his arm, and the word 'ugly'. "Ah...I think you brought up a traumatizing memory."

"Oops~! Sorry~ Sorry~"

"I wish." Allen muttered.

"Go in!"

Allen stared at the store, a sinking feeling in his stomach. "I don't even want a tattoo."

"You promised," Devit reminded the Brit.

"That's right! You promised~" Jasdero repeated, grinning and pushing the boy forward a bit.

"I-I can't do this! Nope, I'm sorry, British gay boy is OUT!" Allen turned on his heel, only to find both his arms being hooked by two other arms pulling him backwards.

"No backing out~!" The twins grinned as they dragged Allen Walker into the Tattoo Pallor.

"I can almost hear Wisely taunting me..."

"Too bad!" Jasdevi said.

"I really think we shou—"

"No," Devit interrupted. "We won't let you chicken out."

Allen visibly deflated again, as he was dragged into the tattoo pallor. "Mana, I'm so sorry you must be turning in your grave right now..."

"Dango." Devit said.

"Huh?"

"Go through with it, Jas and I will make Tyki-pet pay for all the Dango you can eat."

"Really?" Allen queried, his interest now piqued. He knew that the twins would get Tyki to do that for him if they really wanted to...

"Yup! We'll make sure Tyki pays every last dime for ya~!" Jasdero said, cackling at the end.

"If Tyki is going to be...ah, willingly paying for my treat...then..." Why was he so easily bribed with food? "Alright."

Devit turned and high-fived his brother. "Told you it'd work."

"Hee~ You did~"

Allen grinned manically, "Tyki gets my dango...you get me all I can eat at any eatery of my choice."

After a short silence, Devit frowned. "You want us to..."

"Yep!"

"But we trialed that possible-poison you made."

"And you survived!" Allen gleefully said. "But because you're so insistent on me getting ink on my being...and you called my arm ugly just moments ago..."

"Damn," the black-haired twin muttered. Maybe Jasdero should have kept his mouth closed.

The blonde twin seemed to have had the same thought, as he looked apologetically to the older twin. Dev couldn't ever be mad as Jas. He put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Maybe if we appologize we'll get off easier?"

"Nope~" Allen said. "Now, I'm very hungry~ let's go get that permanent life choice I'm already regretting, and then we feast!"

"By 'we', you mean 'you'." The twins stated bluntly. Already they're wallets were hurting.

"Of course I mean me," the white-haired boy responded, a big smile in place on his face.

(* - *)

Allen looked around, feeling maybe a little awed about the whole thing. He'd never even spared places like this a first glance to begin with...but he had to admit, he was pleasantly surprised. "It's...different than what I saw on the Telly..."

"Dude, you're Englishman is showing~" Devit snickered. "There's the gal in question!"

"Huh? Girl?"

"She's super good at what she does, hee!" Jasdero said with glee. "She knows what you'll want even if ya don't!"

"How does—?"

"Well, if it ain't Jasdevi. I hadn't seen you two in ages." A woman walks to them, half her head was shaved, and the hair that remained had black locks that side swept over her eyes. She had four, and Allen did count, piercings on her left ear, three on top, and one stud on the lobe. She herself was decorated in sleeves of tattoos all along her arms, with smaller ones scattered here and there anywhere else that visible skin was shown. "Who's you're innocent friend?"

"This, Maddie, is Allen." Devit said. "We ate something he made and didn't die from it—"

"So we're making him get his first tattoo!' Jasdero finished.

"It's a lifelong commitment, you sure you okay with that, little guy?"

"No."

Maddie, as Allen had heard her name to be, laughed, and whacked the younger on his back, nearly making him fall over. "I like you kid. Where would you like it? Somewhere you can hide it, I'd guess, right?"

"U-Uh...w-well...yes...?"

"I'll give ya three choices. High up on your leg, on your butt, or your shoulder."

On his butt would require Allen to pull his pants down and... yeah. No way was that happening. High up on his leg made him feel mildly uncomfortable... so... "Shoulder, I guess."

"Cool. Which one?"

"U-Um..." Left...? Right...? Allen bit his lip, eyes trailing to his left.

"Such a cutie." The woman mused. "C'mere, to the chair with ya. Remove your shirt, and don't get all bashful on me, I'm pretty sure I've seen it all by now."

"You...sure about that?"

"Kiddo, I've seen bodies with scarring so bad it'd make your skin crawl if you were a lesser person. I doubt someone as young as you would have it that bad."

"Famous last words~!" Jasdero chirped. "He had it bad!"

Devit elbowed his brother, "Do you want to pay even more for his meal?" He hissed.

"I'm beginning to think that one meal isn't enough," Allen told the twins as he undid the first few buttons on his shirt.

Both Jasdevi felt as though they had just died a little on the inside.

(* - *)

Allen wanted to move around, but dammit, he just couldn't. He shifted slightly every time Maddie had stopped to check her handiwork, or when she had to replace the ink that one time. Otherwise, he'd been sitting in the chair for hours...how many hours? He had no clue anymore. All he knew was that the artist was doing a design in which Allen had just kind of come up with on the spot. He had assumed it wouldn't have taken so long, but he'd misjudged the lengthy amount of time it really takes to do one small section of tattoo on its own.

Maddie looked at the design, and followed it to a tee, though he was also sure she was editing some things if the needle's route was anything to go by. He suddenly had a little more respect for all the bikers, gamblers, and so forth who had art works of ink upon their own skin now. They had to sit so still, and not mess up the one giving them their tattoos...and for Allen Walker, this was harder than he anticipated.

"Almost done, sweetie." Maddie told him, wiping away excess ink, and continuing her needle ink work where it was needed. She had suggested little by little would've been just fine for a first-timer, but Allen being who he was, just wanted it done. The pricking of the needle wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. But he still saw that some areas of his skin was a little red. He felt oddly lucky that his current tattoo artist was nice enough to explain the procedure as she went. How to care for the first few days, when he could take the plastic off his arm and shoulder...and to keep it out of the sunlight for a while.

That part wouldn't last long, but after that period, Allen could go back to doing things as he normally would.

Not that he really had much to do nowadays. It was pretty much just classes and cooking lessons.

Well...that was rather depressing...he was learning to cook so he could prove Kanda he could make food that wouldn't kill them...and yet...

"What's on your mind?" Maddie asked, stopping her work for a moment.

"Huh?"

"I've seen that look before. So, tell me what's wrong." Allen looked quizzically at the woman, before sighing. It wouldn't hurt to get things off his chest...besides the twins seemed to have inexplicitly disappeared somewhere.

"I...broke up with my fiancé a few weeks ago, is all." He softly said. Understanding dawned on the woman's face, nodding solemnly. "We...we started out alright, I guess...but then...things happened, and secrets started piling up...and...yeah."

"Mm. Keeping secrets is a recipe for disaster for any relationship. If you want my opinion, I'd say you call him."

"Eh!? I-I never said it was a he!" Allen said, eyes wide in surprise.

"Please. You act like a heartbroken school girl who got dumped by her crush. Plus, you didn't even give that woman here earlier the time of day."

Allen vaguely recalled the woman in question, but didn't understand why she was being brought into the conversation. It wasn't like they'd really talked or anything. "Maybe she just wasn't my type."

Maddie snorted, then went back to her work. "Is he hot?"

The Brit blushed. "...yeah," He said in a small voice. "Really hot."

"Personality?"

Allen's blush lightened, cheeks now only slightly pink. "It could be improved, but I liked it."

"The sex?"

Allen nearly choked on his own spit. "W-what?"

Maddie looked up from her work and rolled her eyes. "You heard me."

The boy, his face now back to a brighter red, cast his eyes down to his lap as he admitted, "It was great."

"Do you love him?"

Allen remained silent, but nodded after a moment's thought. "W-with all my heart..."

"Then get your ass back to him."

"I don't know if that's a good idea..." He mumbled.

"Honey-pop. Believe me. Not going back to him could be the worst mistake of your life."

"...have you gone through this yourself, Miss Maddie?"

"I lost my man because I was stubborn. It's the biggest regret of my entire life."

Allen remained silent after that, mulling over what the tattoo artist was saying. Maddie continued her work in equal silence.

. . - * - . .

"Wow!" Devit said as he eyed the new ink staining Allen's skin. At the moment, his arm and shoulder were wrapped in plastic until it was time to remove it so it could be properly cleaned.

"Please stop that." Allen sighed. They decided that until after he was able to remove the plastic, and clean his new tattoo as he was instructed, they'd stick around Wisely's for the time being before heading out to a dinner or something.

Allen was tired and sore after having had to sit still for so long. That respect he'd only earlier that day began to hold for those men covered on tattoos had grown astronomically.

"But why arrows and lines?" Jasdero asked.

"Problem with it?"

"No, just why that design? Seems kinda random and pointless." Devit admitted.

Allen only smiled and looked down. "Well I like it."

"And that's what matters," Devit said as he slung an arm over the Brit's slender shoulders. "Aren't you happy that you got the tat?"

"No."

"How mean." Devit huffed.

"No fun at all." Jasdero agreed.

"I got a damn tattoo, you should be shutting up about it." Allen mumbled. "I guess we're not going out any time soon."

"Nah, if we went anywhere you'd probably bump your arm, and hurt yourself."

"I can't believe you actually got a tattoo." Wisely's voice sounded as he entered. "And you honestly stuck around for more than half a day? Just to get that thing in one go?!"

"Um...yes?"

"That's sad."

Allen shot the other white-haired male a glare.

"Most normal people go in for tattoos at various intervals with tattoos like that."

"Shuddup." Pouted the younger.

"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with doing that," Wisely said, "but you lost most of the day sitting in a chair while a woman used a needle to put weird black arrows in your skin."

"Sorry for being a complete novice at tattoos." Allen groused, crossing his arms.

Devit laughed, slapping the youngest on the back, though was surprisingly considerate of the newly inked skin. "If anything, I think you got the respect of everyone in that building~!"

"Respect!" Jasdero happily agreed.

"And?" Wisely asked. "The respect of a room full of strangers you'll never meet again means no—"

Devit signaled Jasdero, who shut Wisely up by crushing the other's foot beneath his own.

"YOWCH!" The mind-reader exclaimed, as he held his foot in a comical manner jumping around on his only good foot. "WHY!?"

"Because you're annoying," Devit said with a shrug.

"I hate you all."

The twins cackled. "We're gonna go see Lero~" Jasdero said.

Allen blinked, his grin falling at the mention of the child's name. "Lero?"

"Oh! Right, that's what we forget to tell ya." Devit said, upon realization. "Neah found Lero on the streets one day. He's letting him stay with him."

Lero... was staying with Neah? When had Allen become so out of the loop?

"You're not the only one out of the loop." Wisely said, "I hadn't been told about Lero either. No one even thought about him apparently."

"Wow...we kept Wisely out of a loop!" The twins exclaimed in glee. "Yeah! We rock~!"

"Er...yay for you...?" Allen asked.

Wisely sighed. "Well, now we know. Should we go check up on him to make sure he never killed Neah yet?"

"Is that really a good idea?"

"If we're lucky, he might not try to kill us," Wisely mused.

"You're making that idea sound less and less appealing." Bluntly stated an unamused Allen Walker. "I say we leave them be."

"But you do want to see your uncle."

"Stop picking my mind!"

The twins laughed.

"I wouldn't annoy me if I were you," Allen informed the twins. "You two still owe me food. I might up the amount."

. . - * - . .

Reading and signing several papers, Kanda grumbled under his breath, as he finally managed to get through all the paperwork. He stood the moment the last one was finished, and promptly grabbed his coat in favor of heading out. "I'm going."

"Where to?" Robin's voice sounded, as she looked up from her desk. "Home? Finding your missing fiancé?"

"The fact you're asking makes me want to answer less."

"Now that's being rude." The white-haired woman sighed. "Honestly, you'll find him. I'm pretty sure of it."

"I-I'm sure t-too!" Miranda spoke up, having been ready to pack up and go home herself.

Kanda shrugged, before leaving the workspace. Making sure to clock out on his way outside. "Where the fuck are you, Moyashi?"

. . - * - . .

"What?!" Lenalee asked in exasperation. "Lavi, I thought you were going to handle it!"

"I was!" Lavi argued. "But you have to know; getting through to Allen is super different than getting through to Yu. Y'gotta be a little more assertive, otherwise nothing might get planted in that dense head of his."

"Urgh! I should have dealt with both of them," Lenalee said, realizing her mistake. If she'd done it, there was more of a chance of both those stubborn idiots actually listen.

"Don't worry, Lena-lady. They're both big boys, I'm sure they'll suck it up, and accept their wrongs for what they were."

"Why do you sound so sure of yourself?"

"Because I've known Yu since we were kids, and Allen is sort of similar to him." Explained the red-head. "Besides, even Marie agrees how alike those two really are, despite how different they tend to be."

"I hope you're right."

"Don't sweat it, Lena. They'll sort it out, then we'll be back to the days where our dear sweet Moyashi is molested in front if us by the perverted and somewhat scary Yu-chan."

Lenalee cracked a smile at that.

"Besides, they're a perfect match, y'know?"

"I guess so." Lenalee smiled. "But I still hope you're right."

"And Yu-chan should be at his limit right about now. I reckon he would have gone looking for Allen eventually."

"You found him, didn't you? Why don't you tell Kanda where he's staying? Or at the very least tell me so I can stop worrying as much?"

"He's nowhere dangerous, if that's what you're so worried about. He's with Wisely."

Lenalee nodded, "And where might our favorite mind-reader be?"

"Nice try Lena. But seriously, let nature take its course with those two." Lavi said, placing his hand atop her head. "Like I said, it'll turn out alright."

"You can't know that for certain," the young woman said, looking away.

Lavi only smiled at her response. "But I have faith that it will."

... ... ... ...

And that's all there is for today :) Allen officially has his tattoo design that we all know and love~

As always, R&R ain't for Rest and Relaxation, no matter how much I may need it. Show the story some love by favoriting this work, and don't forget to follow to stay up to date with new chapters as they come~! Go check out my co-author's work, and as always, we will see you next week...

On Fade to Gray!