Covert Birthdays
Series: D.Gray-man
Summary: Crow trainees Madarao and Tevak quietly plot to celebrate the birthdays of Link and Tokusa. Only the harsh regulations of Central stand in their way.
Note: Commentfic written for harmony283 for the prompt "Madarao & Tevak - planning a birthday party for another Crow." Has been edited slightly since first posted. This was written before the release of information about Tokusa's birthdate or the characters' relative ages.
Madarao was on his hands and knees in one of the classrooms, scrubbing away at the hard tile floor with Tevak. His sister worked closer and closer to him until her face was five inches from his. She tilted her head.
"Big brother, it's almost Link's birthday," she said in a voice used for passing secrets, "and Tokusa's as well."
Madarao sat back on his knees. She was right. It wasn't long till Christmas, and Link's birthday was only four days after that. As for Tokusa, he'd once claimed (sitting in a alley between Madarao and Kiredori one rain-damp day) that his was sometime in January. Madarao had assumed that birthdays no longer mattered after the moment each of them had been placed in their training level in Crow.
"And?" he said.
"Let's wish them a happy birthday," said Tevak. Goosebumps prickled her bare arms. Crows didn't need heating. Besides, being indoors was better than being out in the rain, dirt, and wind like they'd been not so long ago.
Madarao frowned, but he was already making plans. "Sure," he said.
That Sunday, Madarao and Tevak sat in the pews near the back of the cathedral with the other trainees. Madarao was staring straight ahead with the other trainees, but he wasn't really listening. He didn't think there was a God. Even if there were, he didn't see what it had to do with him. Madarao knew that Link, sitting a few people to his right, and Tokusa, wherever he was, felt otherwise, but that was their problem.
Hymnals were stored in the back of the pews and candles in a small shelf underneath. When they next had to refer to the hymnals, another movement caught Madarao's eye--Tevak slipping a candle into her spacious red sleeve.
The kitchen staff guarded their domain against all comers. Or at least against all hungry trainees. Madarao, Tevak, and their former companions had found the source of food days after arriving at the Crow training quarters. Although they lived on regular meals now, habit died hard.
Sometimes after training Link went to the kitchens. The kitchen staff didn't give him any food, but they let him stay. He just watched them cook. Madarao didn't see what was so interesting about that.
But today Madarao went to the kitchens. He pushed open the door and immediately faced the turned heads of four or five people working away over sinks and stews.
"I'm looking for Howard Link," he said.
An aproned cook pointed to the corner. Madarao edged forward past the door. On the right side of the kitchen was a worn wooden table and a set of chairs. Link sat in one of them with his hands folded in his lap. When he saw Madarao, he stood up and followed him out.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Nothing," said Madarao. He hadn't been looking for Link, that had just been his excuse.
Link gave him a critical look.
"But listen. Four days after Christmas, come to the storeroom near Tevak's quarters. At mid--" No, then the birthday would be past. "An hour before midnight."
"Isn't that past curfew?" asked Link.
"Yes. Come there anyway."
"I really don't think we should be out then..."
Madarao put his hands on Link's shoulders. "Trust me. Just be there."
"Storeroom, eleven p.m., four days after Christmas," repeated Link, though he still looked doubtful. "All right."
Madarao didn't think he'd guessed what he and Tevak planned. Crows didn't have birthdays.
Madarao had been unsuccessful in raiding the kitchen, but, come to think of it, he'd recognized one of the Crow trainees on kitchen duty. A boy halfway through adolescence who demonstrated forms in their martial training sessions now and then.
So he kept his eyes open over the next two days. Then he cornered the older boy in the kitchen one evening, after the cooks had left.
The boy turned from putting away a stack of plates. "You shouldn't be in here, trainee. Get out."
This could be dangerous. Madarao eyed him, judging. "I saw you behind the pillar with Cavinato." Even the youngest trainees heard rumors Cavinato had relations with one of the squad captains.
"What!?" The older boy paled.
"Can I have some of that?" Madarao asked, pointing at a jar of peppermint candy.
"Wait...what?"
And Madarao left smuggling a few pieces of peppermint from the back of the jar.
Christmas came and went with an extra serving of sweet bread and an extra-long mass. Madarao caught Tokusa when the he lingered in the cathedral.
"Come to the storeroom near Tevak's room an hour before midnight," said Madarao.
Tokusa looked puzzled, then broke out in a sly smile. "Why, Madarao, I thought you were the one who told me not to make trouble."
"Just show up," said Madarao.
"Why? You aren't planning to..." Here he lowered his voice. "...run away or anything drastic like that, are you?"
"Don't be stupid," said Madarao. "By the way. How old are you next month?"
"Oh...thirteen or so. Now that you mention it--isn't December 29th..."
Madarao nodded.
Tokusa's mood brightened visibly. "Well then, I'll be sure to come."
Tevak was waiting for Madarao in the hall leading to the trainees' quarters. "I found this yesterday," she whispered. She pulled the end of a frayed black ribbon out of her sleeve. "I didn't steal it, someone threw it away."
"Good work."
"Link's hair will be longer soon--I want to give it to him."
"Let's do that," said Madarao. If all were fair there would be another for Tokusa, but he didn't think Tokusa would mind if he didn't get anything more than candy. He hadn't looked like he'd cared about his birthday any more than Link had remembered his.
Tevak concealed the ribbon and smoothed her sleeves. "And I told Kiredori about how we're meeting and Kiredori will tell Goushi."
So far their plan was working.
Somehow all six of them made it into the storeroom. Madarao had picked the lock beforehand while Tevak kept watch. (It was an unimportant storeroom, not worth sorcerous wards.)
The six of them sat in a circle in the dark. If there was a window, it was behind a cobwebbed stack of crates. The only light crept in through the space at the bottom of the door.
Tevak held up the candle. It was white, so Madarao could just make it out. He lit it with a spell he'd learned from overhearing older trainees in class. Crows didn't need matches.
Orange light illuminated five other faces. The others looked cleaner and healthier than they once had. They watched the candle with solemn eyes. Tevak tilted it carefully so that wax dripped onto the stone floor, and when there was enough she settled the candle into an upright position.
"Tokusa, big brother Lin, happy birthday," she said.
Goushi and Kiredori chorused the birthday wishes.
"You called us here after curfew because it's my birthday!?" said Link. He looked scandalized--but, Madarao thought, slightly pleased.
He allowed a smirk to show itself at the corners of his mouth.
"Shh," warned Goushi.
"Right," said Link.
"And Tokusa's birthday soon too," Tevak said.
"Oh, Tevak, Madarao, you two are embarrassing me," said Tokusa.
"Does he blow out the candle?" asked Kiredori, who had heard about proper birthdays but never experienced one.
"No, then it will be dark," said Madarao. The solemn looks had vanished from his companions' faces, and there was an air of excitement to the small gathering. Madarao felt a little proud.
He broke off bits of peppermint from the flat chunks of it and passed them around to suddenly eager hands. Link even smiled as he took his. Madarao hadn't seen him smile in a month or more, now that he thought about it. Tevak was twining the ribbon around between her fingers.
Then Madarao heard multiple footsteps, and a voice from outside--was it the one he'd blackmailed?--and froze. Someone pounded on the door.
Madarao spent the rest of that night sitting in a bare cell used for exceptionally recalcitrant trainees such as-just this once-himself. The others were in similar straights nearby, even Kiredori and Tevak, the youngest. “And you’re to go without lunch and dinner tomorrow,” the adolescent trainee from kitchen duty had told Madarao and Tevak as their section supervisor unlocked their cells. The two of them shared a last grim glance until freedom before entering.
Crows didn't get to have stories that ended with happiness and smiles.
But some of them smiled anyway.
Summary: Crow trainees Madarao and Tevak quietly plot to celebrate the birthdays of Link and Tokusa. Only the harsh regulations of Central stand in their way.
Note: Commentfic written for harmony283 for the prompt "Madarao & Tevak - planning a birthday party for another Crow." Has been edited slightly since first posted. This was written before the release of information about Tokusa's birthdate or the characters' relative ages.
Madarao was on his hands and knees in one of the classrooms, scrubbing away at the hard tile floor with Tevak. His sister worked closer and closer to him until her face was five inches from his. She tilted her head.
"Big brother, it's almost Link's birthday," she said in a voice used for passing secrets, "and Tokusa's as well."
Madarao sat back on his knees. She was right. It wasn't long till Christmas, and Link's birthday was only four days after that. As for Tokusa, he'd once claimed (sitting in a alley between Madarao and Kiredori one rain-damp day) that his was sometime in January. Madarao had assumed that birthdays no longer mattered after the moment each of them had been placed in their training level in Crow.
"And?" he said.
"Let's wish them a happy birthday," said Tevak. Goosebumps prickled her bare arms. Crows didn't need heating. Besides, being indoors was better than being out in the rain, dirt, and wind like they'd been not so long ago.
Madarao frowned, but he was already making plans. "Sure," he said.
That Sunday, Madarao and Tevak sat in the pews near the back of the cathedral with the other trainees. Madarao was staring straight ahead with the other trainees, but he wasn't really listening. He didn't think there was a God. Even if there were, he didn't see what it had to do with him. Madarao knew that Link, sitting a few people to his right, and Tokusa, wherever he was, felt otherwise, but that was their problem.
Hymnals were stored in the back of the pews and candles in a small shelf underneath. When they next had to refer to the hymnals, another movement caught Madarao's eye--Tevak slipping a candle into her spacious red sleeve.
The kitchen staff guarded their domain against all comers. Or at least against all hungry trainees. Madarao, Tevak, and their former companions had found the source of food days after arriving at the Crow training quarters. Although they lived on regular meals now, habit died hard.
Sometimes after training Link went to the kitchens. The kitchen staff didn't give him any food, but they let him stay. He just watched them cook. Madarao didn't see what was so interesting about that.
But today Madarao went to the kitchens. He pushed open the door and immediately faced the turned heads of four or five people working away over sinks and stews.
"I'm looking for Howard Link," he said.
An aproned cook pointed to the corner. Madarao edged forward past the door. On the right side of the kitchen was a worn wooden table and a set of chairs. Link sat in one of them with his hands folded in his lap. When he saw Madarao, he stood up and followed him out.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Nothing," said Madarao. He hadn't been looking for Link, that had just been his excuse.
Link gave him a critical look.
"But listen. Four days after Christmas, come to the storeroom near Tevak's quarters. At mid--" No, then the birthday would be past. "An hour before midnight."
"Isn't that past curfew?" asked Link.
"Yes. Come there anyway."
"I really don't think we should be out then..."
Madarao put his hands on Link's shoulders. "Trust me. Just be there."
"Storeroom, eleven p.m., four days after Christmas," repeated Link, though he still looked doubtful. "All right."
Madarao didn't think he'd guessed what he and Tevak planned. Crows didn't have birthdays.
Madarao had been unsuccessful in raiding the kitchen, but, come to think of it, he'd recognized one of the Crow trainees on kitchen duty. A boy halfway through adolescence who demonstrated forms in their martial training sessions now and then.
So he kept his eyes open over the next two days. Then he cornered the older boy in the kitchen one evening, after the cooks had left.
The boy turned from putting away a stack of plates. "You shouldn't be in here, trainee. Get out."
This could be dangerous. Madarao eyed him, judging. "I saw you behind the pillar with Cavinato." Even the youngest trainees heard rumors Cavinato had relations with one of the squad captains.
"What!?" The older boy paled.
"Can I have some of that?" Madarao asked, pointing at a jar of peppermint candy.
"Wait...what?"
And Madarao left smuggling a few pieces of peppermint from the back of the jar.
Christmas came and went with an extra serving of sweet bread and an extra-long mass. Madarao caught Tokusa when the he lingered in the cathedral.
"Come to the storeroom near Tevak's room an hour before midnight," said Madarao.
Tokusa looked puzzled, then broke out in a sly smile. "Why, Madarao, I thought you were the one who told me not to make trouble."
"Just show up," said Madarao.
"Why? You aren't planning to..." Here he lowered his voice. "...run away or anything drastic like that, are you?"
"Don't be stupid," said Madarao. "By the way. How old are you next month?"
"Oh...thirteen or so. Now that you mention it--isn't December 29th..."
Madarao nodded.
Tokusa's mood brightened visibly. "Well then, I'll be sure to come."
Tevak was waiting for Madarao in the hall leading to the trainees' quarters. "I found this yesterday," she whispered. She pulled the end of a frayed black ribbon out of her sleeve. "I didn't steal it, someone threw it away."
"Good work."
"Link's hair will be longer soon--I want to give it to him."
"Let's do that," said Madarao. If all were fair there would be another for Tokusa, but he didn't think Tokusa would mind if he didn't get anything more than candy. He hadn't looked like he'd cared about his birthday any more than Link had remembered his.
Tevak concealed the ribbon and smoothed her sleeves. "And I told Kiredori about how we're meeting and Kiredori will tell Goushi."
So far their plan was working.
Somehow all six of them made it into the storeroom. Madarao had picked the lock beforehand while Tevak kept watch. (It was an unimportant storeroom, not worth sorcerous wards.)
The six of them sat in a circle in the dark. If there was a window, it was behind a cobwebbed stack of crates. The only light crept in through the space at the bottom of the door.
Tevak held up the candle. It was white, so Madarao could just make it out. He lit it with a spell he'd learned from overhearing older trainees in class. Crows didn't need matches.
Orange light illuminated five other faces. The others looked cleaner and healthier than they once had. They watched the candle with solemn eyes. Tevak tilted it carefully so that wax dripped onto the stone floor, and when there was enough she settled the candle into an upright position.
"Tokusa, big brother Lin, happy birthday," she said.
Goushi and Kiredori chorused the birthday wishes.
"You called us here after curfew because it's my birthday!?" said Link. He looked scandalized--but, Madarao thought, slightly pleased.
He allowed a smirk to show itself at the corners of his mouth.
"Shh," warned Goushi.
"Right," said Link.
"And Tokusa's birthday soon too," Tevak said.
"Oh, Tevak, Madarao, you two are embarrassing me," said Tokusa.
"Does he blow out the candle?" asked Kiredori, who had heard about proper birthdays but never experienced one.
"No, then it will be dark," said Madarao. The solemn looks had vanished from his companions' faces, and there was an air of excitement to the small gathering. Madarao felt a little proud.
He broke off bits of peppermint from the flat chunks of it and passed them around to suddenly eager hands. Link even smiled as he took his. Madarao hadn't seen him smile in a month or more, now that he thought about it. Tevak was twining the ribbon around between her fingers.
Then Madarao heard multiple footsteps, and a voice from outside--was it the one he'd blackmailed?--and froze. Someone pounded on the door.
Madarao spent the rest of that night sitting in a bare cell used for exceptionally recalcitrant trainees such as-just this once-himself. The others were in similar straights nearby, even Kiredori and Tevak, the youngest. “And you’re to go without lunch and dinner tomorrow,” the adolescent trainee from kitchen duty had told Madarao and Tevak as their section supervisor unlocked their cells. The two of them shared a last grim glance until freedom before entering.
Crows didn't get to have stories that ended with happiness and smiles.
But some of them smiled anyway.