D. Gray-man, "Learning to Breathe"
A dream of a peaceful day a short distance from the Order HQ; in which Link relaxes a notch and Allen learns about the classics.
No warnings, no spoilers, no pairings. Just cute. Written to the fanfic100 prompt "Shade".
.learning to breathe.
"Now, this is an unexpected role reversal," Allen said cheerfully, dropping down into a crouch and leaning forward, balancing his weight on his knees.
Link didn't respond, posed neatly under a tree, reading glasses on and book spread open over his chest. He was asleep, napping in the kind of warm, pleasant afternoon that was so rare in England. The breeze stirred at his hair, but otherwise he looked perfectly composed. At any moment he might open his eyes, sit up, and be completely unruffled.
"I know you probably found a spot like this because you were up late last night handling mission reports. I appreciate that, by the way." Allen rested his chin on a hand. "Still -- it's a little funny for me to have to be the one hunting you down. Like an errant child."
Link didn't respond, as he was still asleep. Allen found himself strangely loath to disturb the peaceful moment, so he kept his voice down, and settled down on the grass himself. "I won't tell anyone you were sleeping on the job," he added confidentially.
The breeze was warm, too. Allen let out a slow breath and just enjoyed it, whispering over his skin, stirring at the edges of his thin practice clothes. For at least right now, the war -- the Vatican -- the cruelties of the world they lived in all felt very far away. He tried to let it all slip away from him, half-thinking about maybe taking a nap himself.
But he opened his eyes again after a beat. His adrenaline was still up from sparring with Lavi, and if anything, the serenity of the moment was unsettling for him, when he could never, ever forget that there were people and akuma that needed him to save them.
"Let's take a look at this," he murmured to himself, shifting so that he could gently reach out to Link's book. It was brown and unmarked, and he was curious and had nothing better to do with himself...
When his fingers closed on it, Link's hand snapped out to catch his wrist, and his eyes opened. Not the slightest trace of sleep lingered in his blue eyes.
Allen froze, briefly embarrassed. He quickly turned that embarrassment back around, putting on his most innocent expression. "You were awake?"
"How could I not have been, with you chattering away at me?" Link returned, still holding onto the hand.
"So you were just pretending not to hear? That's not very nice! Were you hoping to hear me go on about how cute you look when you're asleep?"
Link scowled at him, and Allen smiled back easily. He was a master of deflecting, and honestly part of him enjoyed making Link uncomfortable, so if doing so deflected attention from his own awkwardness, that was a delightful bonus.
"What do you want, Walker?"
"I went out to look for you, obviously. There's no rush, it just suddenly occurred to me that I was missing some baggage."
The blond released him, rolling his eyes and picking up his book again, starting to straighten out. " 'Baggage.' "
"Is that the wrong word?"
"Never mind." Link flicked at his sleeves, brushing off imaginary dirt that, in real life, would never dare to stick to his uniform. "What did you want with my book?"
Allen smiled at him a little in spite of himself. "It isn't your usual one, is it? I was curious."
"If you mean my journal, no, this is a different book." He flipped it around briefly, to show the neatly printed words, instead of his neatly written script. "I would certainly not have permitted you to read my journal."
"I don't need to read it." Allen rolled his eyes. "It's filled with your rants about how poorly I eat and how no one respects you. I know."
For a moment he thought that Link was going to give himself away, but he just said, stiffly, "Then you have even less reason to read it."
Damn. So close. Still, Allen grinned and rolled to lazily sprawl on the earth. He was in a good mood, and the quiet and warmth of the day were somewhat infectious. But he still found himself surprised when Link just opened his book again and resumed reading.
Allen propped himself up on his elbows. "Aren't we going?"
"Why would we?" Link returned, still reading. "You said there wasn't anything pressing going on."
"No, but..." Allen trailed off, thinking about the right words to say to get across his opinion on the matter. "But nothing is going on out here."
It was a lovely day, and he appreciated that. He really did. But to just sit out here for minutes on end, maybe more, maybe an hour, maybe multiple hours, while Link entertained himself -- he'd be bored senseless.
Link offered no sympathy. "It's good for you to be out of the headquarters every once in a while," he said simply. "Try to relax a little, Walker."
"Have you really been writing about me enough to fill a book without noticing that I get very fidgety when left to my own devices?"
That time Link outright ignored him, turning the page of his book and busying himself in its pages. Allen huffed out a breath and considered his surroundings. He could go back to the castle, but it felt a little like giving up when Link put it in such flat terms. So he laid on his back again and stared up at the sky above him. Maybe he could do some more physical training... He'd already done his exercises in the morning after waking up, but it would pass the time and he'd technically be enjoying the outdoors. Or he could jog around the castle...
He was already bored just thinking about it. But he rolled nimbly to his feet and casually spun into a cartwheel, stopping effortlessly when he was balancing on his hands. Then he started doing pushups, starting on both hands, and then switching to his left, and then to his right.
It was about ten minutes before he had run out of his momentum to continue, and then tumbled gracefully into a sitting position, sighing. He darted a hopeful dance at Link, but the man was still reading contentedly.
...Damn. Well, he could be more direct. If he was annoying enough, surely Link would acquiesce and let them go back inside.
"So you never answered me about what you're reading," Allen observed.
Link's lips twisted slightly, rueful perhaps, before he answered, "Don Quixote."
"That doesn't sound like it's in English."
The blond glanced up at him, peering over the edge of the book with his eyebrows lifting eloquently. "--You aren't familiar with Don Quixote."
So it was in English? "I'm not really much of a reader," Allen explained, privately amused. He had been eight before anyone had bothered to teach him to read and he had never attended a school, so his reading skills were rudimentary at best.
"It's a literary classic. The story of an older gentleman who becomes obsessed with chivalry and sets out on a foolish mission to rid the world of evil." Link's lips twitched very slightly. His features could say a remarkable amount without varying significantly from the same expression he usually wore. "It seems like the subject matter is right up your alley, at the least."
In spite of himself and the fact that it had very likely just been Link teasing, Allen did rather like the idea of the story. It sounded sweet -- an old man trying to right the wrongs of the world, even if it was impossible.
"Read it to me," he prompted whimsically.
"Absolutely not."
"Link! Don't you want me to read the classics?"
"I do not read aloud," Link said, with great finality.
"Are you embarrassed?"
"I am not interested."
He was really so stubborn. "You'd keep me out here, doing nothing, so you can selfishly read a book that I'm curious about and have never read before? When you've already read it?" That seemed a reasonable assumption, if Link was emphatic about reading the classics.
Link frowned at him for a long minute, and he genuinely wasn't sure whether or not that last gambit had achieved the desired effect or not. Finally, Link closed the book -- and then held it out to him.
"You read it," he said.
Allen blinked, surprised. "Me? What about you?"
"As you guessed, I have in fact already read this story."
Allen straightened up, rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn't meant to deprive Link of his book... "Is it in English?" he hedged. "I only read English. And Hindi. It isn't in Hindi, I assume."
"Yes, it's in English, Walker. Just read it."
He hesitated another beat, feeling awkward. He could read letters, and menus, and newspapers. But novels...
"What if I don't understand some of the words?" he asked sheepishly.
The older boy glanced away, reaching up to remove his reading glasses. "You can ask me. I'll explain them to you."
Allen took the book, gingerly, as if it might suddenly open itself and bite him. Link settled down again, apparently prepared to lie back and resume his interrupted nap. It was uncomfortably comfortable, and Allen felt strangely aware of Link's presence, not doing anything, probably being bored...
But after a few pages, he lost track of time, and they sat out there in the shade of the tree, enjoying the day.
No warnings, no spoilers, no pairings. Just cute. Written to the fanfic100 prompt "Shade".
.learning to breathe.
"Now, this is an unexpected role reversal," Allen said cheerfully, dropping down into a crouch and leaning forward, balancing his weight on his knees.
Link didn't respond, posed neatly under a tree, reading glasses on and book spread open over his chest. He was asleep, napping in the kind of warm, pleasant afternoon that was so rare in England. The breeze stirred at his hair, but otherwise he looked perfectly composed. At any moment he might open his eyes, sit up, and be completely unruffled.
"I know you probably found a spot like this because you were up late last night handling mission reports. I appreciate that, by the way." Allen rested his chin on a hand. "Still -- it's a little funny for me to have to be the one hunting you down. Like an errant child."
Link didn't respond, as he was still asleep. Allen found himself strangely loath to disturb the peaceful moment, so he kept his voice down, and settled down on the grass himself. "I won't tell anyone you were sleeping on the job," he added confidentially.
The breeze was warm, too. Allen let out a slow breath and just enjoyed it, whispering over his skin, stirring at the edges of his thin practice clothes. For at least right now, the war -- the Vatican -- the cruelties of the world they lived in all felt very far away. He tried to let it all slip away from him, half-thinking about maybe taking a nap himself.
But he opened his eyes again after a beat. His adrenaline was still up from sparring with Lavi, and if anything, the serenity of the moment was unsettling for him, when he could never, ever forget that there were people and akuma that needed him to save them.
"Let's take a look at this," he murmured to himself, shifting so that he could gently reach out to Link's book. It was brown and unmarked, and he was curious and had nothing better to do with himself...
When his fingers closed on it, Link's hand snapped out to catch his wrist, and his eyes opened. Not the slightest trace of sleep lingered in his blue eyes.
Allen froze, briefly embarrassed. He quickly turned that embarrassment back around, putting on his most innocent expression. "You were awake?"
"How could I not have been, with you chattering away at me?" Link returned, still holding onto the hand.
"So you were just pretending not to hear? That's not very nice! Were you hoping to hear me go on about how cute you look when you're asleep?"
Link scowled at him, and Allen smiled back easily. He was a master of deflecting, and honestly part of him enjoyed making Link uncomfortable, so if doing so deflected attention from his own awkwardness, that was a delightful bonus.
"What do you want, Walker?"
"I went out to look for you, obviously. There's no rush, it just suddenly occurred to me that I was missing some baggage."
The blond released him, rolling his eyes and picking up his book again, starting to straighten out. " 'Baggage.' "
"Is that the wrong word?"
"Never mind." Link flicked at his sleeves, brushing off imaginary dirt that, in real life, would never dare to stick to his uniform. "What did you want with my book?"
Allen smiled at him a little in spite of himself. "It isn't your usual one, is it? I was curious."
"If you mean my journal, no, this is a different book." He flipped it around briefly, to show the neatly printed words, instead of his neatly written script. "I would certainly not have permitted you to read my journal."
"I don't need to read it." Allen rolled his eyes. "It's filled with your rants about how poorly I eat and how no one respects you. I know."
For a moment he thought that Link was going to give himself away, but he just said, stiffly, "Then you have even less reason to read it."
Damn. So close. Still, Allen grinned and rolled to lazily sprawl on the earth. He was in a good mood, and the quiet and warmth of the day were somewhat infectious. But he still found himself surprised when Link just opened his book again and resumed reading.
Allen propped himself up on his elbows. "Aren't we going?"
"Why would we?" Link returned, still reading. "You said there wasn't anything pressing going on."
"No, but..." Allen trailed off, thinking about the right words to say to get across his opinion on the matter. "But nothing is going on out here."
It was a lovely day, and he appreciated that. He really did. But to just sit out here for minutes on end, maybe more, maybe an hour, maybe multiple hours, while Link entertained himself -- he'd be bored senseless.
Link offered no sympathy. "It's good for you to be out of the headquarters every once in a while," he said simply. "Try to relax a little, Walker."
"Have you really been writing about me enough to fill a book without noticing that I get very fidgety when left to my own devices?"
That time Link outright ignored him, turning the page of his book and busying himself in its pages. Allen huffed out a breath and considered his surroundings. He could go back to the castle, but it felt a little like giving up when Link put it in such flat terms. So he laid on his back again and stared up at the sky above him. Maybe he could do some more physical training... He'd already done his exercises in the morning after waking up, but it would pass the time and he'd technically be enjoying the outdoors. Or he could jog around the castle...
He was already bored just thinking about it. But he rolled nimbly to his feet and casually spun into a cartwheel, stopping effortlessly when he was balancing on his hands. Then he started doing pushups, starting on both hands, and then switching to his left, and then to his right.
It was about ten minutes before he had run out of his momentum to continue, and then tumbled gracefully into a sitting position, sighing. He darted a hopeful dance at Link, but the man was still reading contentedly.
...Damn. Well, he could be more direct. If he was annoying enough, surely Link would acquiesce and let them go back inside.
"So you never answered me about what you're reading," Allen observed.
Link's lips twisted slightly, rueful perhaps, before he answered, "Don Quixote."
"That doesn't sound like it's in English."
The blond glanced up at him, peering over the edge of the book with his eyebrows lifting eloquently. "--You aren't familiar with Don Quixote."
So it was in English? "I'm not really much of a reader," Allen explained, privately amused. He had been eight before anyone had bothered to teach him to read and he had never attended a school, so his reading skills were rudimentary at best.
"It's a literary classic. The story of an older gentleman who becomes obsessed with chivalry and sets out on a foolish mission to rid the world of evil." Link's lips twitched very slightly. His features could say a remarkable amount without varying significantly from the same expression he usually wore. "It seems like the subject matter is right up your alley, at the least."
In spite of himself and the fact that it had very likely just been Link teasing, Allen did rather like the idea of the story. It sounded sweet -- an old man trying to right the wrongs of the world, even if it was impossible.
"Read it to me," he prompted whimsically.
"Absolutely not."
"Link! Don't you want me to read the classics?"
"I do not read aloud," Link said, with great finality.
"Are you embarrassed?"
"I am not interested."
He was really so stubborn. "You'd keep me out here, doing nothing, so you can selfishly read a book that I'm curious about and have never read before? When you've already read it?" That seemed a reasonable assumption, if Link was emphatic about reading the classics.
Link frowned at him for a long minute, and he genuinely wasn't sure whether or not that last gambit had achieved the desired effect or not. Finally, Link closed the book -- and then held it out to him.
"You read it," he said.
Allen blinked, surprised. "Me? What about you?"
"As you guessed, I have in fact already read this story."
Allen straightened up, rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn't meant to deprive Link of his book... "Is it in English?" he hedged. "I only read English. And Hindi. It isn't in Hindi, I assume."
"Yes, it's in English, Walker. Just read it."
He hesitated another beat, feeling awkward. He could read letters, and menus, and newspapers. But novels...
"What if I don't understand some of the words?" he asked sheepishly.
The older boy glanced away, reaching up to remove his reading glasses. "You can ask me. I'll explain them to you."
Allen took the book, gingerly, as if it might suddenly open itself and bite him. Link settled down again, apparently prepared to lie back and resume his interrupted nap. It was uncomfortably comfortable, and Allen felt strangely aware of Link's presence, not doing anything, probably being bored...
But after a few pages, he lost track of time, and they sat out there in the shade of the tree, enjoying the day.