[Fic]: To None But Us: Fingertips
Title: Fingertips
Fandom: D.Gray-Man
Rating: T
Genre: Gen
Characters/Pairing: Kanda, Allen.
Wordcount: 1,349
Disclaimer: Not mine. Hoshino-sensei owns D. Gray-Man!Summary: Master Cross once said that one could learn all about a man by his fingers.
Note: For Yullen Week. Before Alma Arc. Canon! Kanda does not have the scars that I mention in the fic.
Master Cross once said that one could learn all about a man by his fingers. Granted, Master Cross was talking dirty to a couple of women, and no, Allen wasn't going to think about what Master Cross wanted to do to the ladies with his fingers, but it didn't make the statement any less true. Kanda's fingers, for example, said a lot about the kind of person he was.
They were on the way back from the last mission. The train jostled as it entered the tunnel, and the lights over head brightened to life. Allen stiffened and tried to make as little movement as possible because Kanda would be angry again if he moved, even if it was unintentionally.
"Ouch," Allen winced as the wound on his chest flared again.
"I told you not to move," Kanda scolded.
"I didn't," said Allen. "The wound just hurts. I can't make it stop."
Kanda said nothing as he finished redressing Allen's wound. Allen never thought that Kanda would do this for him even if Kanda was forced to, let alone offered willingly. But then again, Kanda disliked being in debt to anyone even more than he disliked Allen.
"What is it?" Kanda asked when he caught Allen staring at him.
"Nothing," Allen said, pulling his shirt back on. "It's just-you have the fingers of a swordsman."
"Obviously," Kanda said.
"I was just thinking about what my Master said," Allen continued. "You could tell a lot about a man from his fingers."
Kanda said nothing, and Allen held back a smile. Kanda was probably thinking something along the lines of "why is this bean sprout still talking to me?" but Allen had no intention of stopping until Kanda forced him to. Finishing buttoning up his shirt, Allen pulled his coat on, taking time to consider his next words.
"Callus on the web between your thumb and your forefinger from gripping your sword," said Allen. "Scar on your left thumb from sliding Mugen back to its sheath."
"Any ten year-old could tell you that," Kanda said dryly, but Allen was not deterred.
"There's also a large scar above your right wrist, too large to be from a sword," Allen rubbed his thumb and forefinger underneath his chin in a mock contemplation pose. His right fingertips were smooth. "Ah! An axe is more correct. Someone tried to chop your hand off!"
"Mission went wrong," Kanda conceded. "I got a clean cut on his neck before he tried anything else though."
"Your nails are cut short," Allen continued. "And you have calluses on all of your fingertips from heavy training."
"Unlike you." Kanda gave Allen's long fingernails on his left hand a pointed look.
"Ahahaha," Allen chuckled nervously. He knew that they were longer than regulations (although no one really followed regulations saved for the uniform), but most of the time, he forgot to take care of his left hand. It was something... different from the rest of his body. Monstrous. Untouchable.
Kanda seemed to be tired of Allen's random ranting. He held the medical kit up to Allen and gave him a look.
"Oh, right," Allen said. "I'll just stop talking and redress your shoulder wound then."
Kanda took his shirt off with a look on his face that Allen interpreted to be "Thank god." Allen bristled indignantly-he didn't think he was being that particular chatty, was he? He only talked for five minutes and already Kanda was annoyed. Clearly, Kanda was an antisocial twat who needed to be around people more often.
Allen winced when he saw that the wound bled through the bandages again. There was a character tattooed on Kanda's left chest, but Allen wisely chose not to comment on it. What did interest Allen, however, was a long scar that seemed to wrap around Kanda's upper left arm. Allen didn't mention it until he had finished redressing Kanda's wound.
"Your left arm," Allen began, and Kanda gave him an irritated look. "The angle of that scar. Someone attempted to cut off your left arm but you didn't try to get out of the way. Someone you knew well." A dear friend, Allen thought, but didn't dare to voice aloud.
Kanda stiffened. Allen didn't realize that Kanda's posture was relaxed until his body tensed, as if anticipating a fight. Allen clenched his left fist, wishing that he had kept quiet for once. He braced his body for an attack.
Kanda's hand twitched on Mugen.
Then the train got out of the tunnel, and the compartment was flooded with bright sunlight.
Kanda retracted his hand from Mugen.
Allen relaxed.
"Keep your contemplation to the hand," said Kanda, and Allen knew that he was temporarily forgiven.
"Alright," said Allen. He didn't ask what happened to that friend who attacked Kanda, and he thought that it was best that he didn't know. There were some things about Kanda best kept hidden.
They were both men of secrets, after all.
However, as if he was trained to make Allen felt uneasy, Kanda pointed to his upper left arm and said, "This, the person who tried to cut my arm off."
Kanda narrowed his eyes. "I killed him."
A dark silence fell over them. A chill permeated through the compartment, even though the sun was out and there was no sign of the usual morning fog.
Kanda turned his attention to the scenery outside the window, ignoring Allen. Yet, Allen could still feel a heaviness pressing upon him, as if Kanda was waiting for his response. He would laugh if the situation was less serious because he'd never thought that Kanda would one day want him to speak.
"Alright," Allen said, taking everything Kanda said in stride. "Your turn then."
Kanda didn't turn his head, but he peered at Allen from the corner of his eyes.
"You are who you are," Allen said with a shrug.
Kanda said nothing.
"It's only fair that you get to assess me too," Allen continued. "Go for it. Hit me with your best shot."
Kanda returned his gaze to the outside scenery. He refused to speak.
Allen sighed. Perhaps it was too much to expect from Kanda, after all.
Silence fell in between them again. A man with a rolling cart of food stopped by their compartment and asked if they wanted anything, but Allen smiled and refused. He was hungry, but they were almost to their destination anyway.
Outside, spring spilled over the gentle green slopes.
"You don't have the fingertips of a pianist," Kanda shattered the silence, startling Allen.
The train jostled as it rounded around a hill.
"Oh" was all Allen could say.
He thought of the spirit of the 14th cocooning within his body, waiting for an opportunity to shred Allen into existence. The 14th with his ambiguous smile and pianist fingers and Mana's love and the Earl's affectionate resentment. Allen had to borrow the 14th's ability to save everyone back at that Ark.
It was the 14th who had saved them, not Allen Walker.
Allen could feel the 14th growing stronger within him, eating away at who Allen was.
"You could have the fingertips of a pianist," said Kanda. "It's your choice."
"Is it really?" Allen couldn't stop the 14th from manifesting within him. It was only a matter of time. It was not his choice to make.
"You could accept it," said Kanda. "Or you could fight it."
"And that's all I have?" Allen said, feeling irrationally angry. At what, he didn't know. Fate? God?
"What more do you want?" Kanda crossed his arms.
Allen wanted to punch him.
The train let out a loud whistle as it came to a stop.
"We're here," Kanda said. "Let's go."
Allen grabbed his things and rose from his seat.
Forget it.
He didn't know much about what his fingers told others about him, and he didn't care if he did not have pianist's hands. He was going to do whatever with his hands as he damn like.
"Stop lagging," Kanda called out.
"I'm not," Allen protested, and ran to catch up to Kanda.
<<< Shadow
Lies >>>
Fandom: D.Gray-Man
Rating: T
Genre: Gen
Characters/Pairing: Kanda, Allen.
Wordcount: 1,349
Disclaimer: Not mine. Hoshino-sensei owns D. Gray-Man!Summary: Master Cross once said that one could learn all about a man by his fingers.
Note: For Yullen Week. Before Alma Arc. Canon! Kanda does not have the scars that I mention in the fic.
Master Cross once said that one could learn all about a man by his fingers. Granted, Master Cross was talking dirty to a couple of women, and no, Allen wasn't going to think about what Master Cross wanted to do to the ladies with his fingers, but it didn't make the statement any less true. Kanda's fingers, for example, said a lot about the kind of person he was.
They were on the way back from the last mission. The train jostled as it entered the tunnel, and the lights over head brightened to life. Allen stiffened and tried to make as little movement as possible because Kanda would be angry again if he moved, even if it was unintentionally.
"Ouch," Allen winced as the wound on his chest flared again.
"I told you not to move," Kanda scolded.
"I didn't," said Allen. "The wound just hurts. I can't make it stop."
Kanda said nothing as he finished redressing Allen's wound. Allen never thought that Kanda would do this for him even if Kanda was forced to, let alone offered willingly. But then again, Kanda disliked being in debt to anyone even more than he disliked Allen.
"What is it?" Kanda asked when he caught Allen staring at him.
"Nothing," Allen said, pulling his shirt back on. "It's just-you have the fingers of a swordsman."
"Obviously," Kanda said.
"I was just thinking about what my Master said," Allen continued. "You could tell a lot about a man from his fingers."
Kanda said nothing, and Allen held back a smile. Kanda was probably thinking something along the lines of "why is this bean sprout still talking to me?" but Allen had no intention of stopping until Kanda forced him to. Finishing buttoning up his shirt, Allen pulled his coat on, taking time to consider his next words.
"Callus on the web between your thumb and your forefinger from gripping your sword," said Allen. "Scar on your left thumb from sliding Mugen back to its sheath."
"Any ten year-old could tell you that," Kanda said dryly, but Allen was not deterred.
"There's also a large scar above your right wrist, too large to be from a sword," Allen rubbed his thumb and forefinger underneath his chin in a mock contemplation pose. His right fingertips were smooth. "Ah! An axe is more correct. Someone tried to chop your hand off!"
"Mission went wrong," Kanda conceded. "I got a clean cut on his neck before he tried anything else though."
"Your nails are cut short," Allen continued. "And you have calluses on all of your fingertips from heavy training."
"Unlike you." Kanda gave Allen's long fingernails on his left hand a pointed look.
"Ahahaha," Allen chuckled nervously. He knew that they were longer than regulations (although no one really followed regulations saved for the uniform), but most of the time, he forgot to take care of his left hand. It was something... different from the rest of his body. Monstrous. Untouchable.
Kanda seemed to be tired of Allen's random ranting. He held the medical kit up to Allen and gave him a look.
"Oh, right," Allen said. "I'll just stop talking and redress your shoulder wound then."
Kanda took his shirt off with a look on his face that Allen interpreted to be "Thank god." Allen bristled indignantly-he didn't think he was being that particular chatty, was he? He only talked for five minutes and already Kanda was annoyed. Clearly, Kanda was an antisocial twat who needed to be around people more often.
Allen winced when he saw that the wound bled through the bandages again. There was a character tattooed on Kanda's left chest, but Allen wisely chose not to comment on it. What did interest Allen, however, was a long scar that seemed to wrap around Kanda's upper left arm. Allen didn't mention it until he had finished redressing Kanda's wound.
"Your left arm," Allen began, and Kanda gave him an irritated look. "The angle of that scar. Someone attempted to cut off your left arm but you didn't try to get out of the way. Someone you knew well." A dear friend, Allen thought, but didn't dare to voice aloud.
Kanda stiffened. Allen didn't realize that Kanda's posture was relaxed until his body tensed, as if anticipating a fight. Allen clenched his left fist, wishing that he had kept quiet for once. He braced his body for an attack.
Kanda's hand twitched on Mugen.
Then the train got out of the tunnel, and the compartment was flooded with bright sunlight.
Kanda retracted his hand from Mugen.
Allen relaxed.
"Keep your contemplation to the hand," said Kanda, and Allen knew that he was temporarily forgiven.
"Alright," said Allen. He didn't ask what happened to that friend who attacked Kanda, and he thought that it was best that he didn't know. There were some things about Kanda best kept hidden.
They were both men of secrets, after all.
However, as if he was trained to make Allen felt uneasy, Kanda pointed to his upper left arm and said, "This, the person who tried to cut my arm off."
Kanda narrowed his eyes. "I killed him."
A dark silence fell over them. A chill permeated through the compartment, even though the sun was out and there was no sign of the usual morning fog.
Kanda turned his attention to the scenery outside the window, ignoring Allen. Yet, Allen could still feel a heaviness pressing upon him, as if Kanda was waiting for his response. He would laugh if the situation was less serious because he'd never thought that Kanda would one day want him to speak.
"Alright," Allen said, taking everything Kanda said in stride. "Your turn then."
Kanda didn't turn his head, but he peered at Allen from the corner of his eyes.
"You are who you are," Allen said with a shrug.
Kanda said nothing.
"It's only fair that you get to assess me too," Allen continued. "Go for it. Hit me with your best shot."
Kanda returned his gaze to the outside scenery. He refused to speak.
Allen sighed. Perhaps it was too much to expect from Kanda, after all.
Silence fell in between them again. A man with a rolling cart of food stopped by their compartment and asked if they wanted anything, but Allen smiled and refused. He was hungry, but they were almost to their destination anyway.
Outside, spring spilled over the gentle green slopes.
"You don't have the fingertips of a pianist," Kanda shattered the silence, startling Allen.
The train jostled as it rounded around a hill.
"Oh" was all Allen could say.
He thought of the spirit of the 14th cocooning within his body, waiting for an opportunity to shred Allen into existence. The 14th with his ambiguous smile and pianist fingers and Mana's love and the Earl's affectionate resentment. Allen had to borrow the 14th's ability to save everyone back at that Ark.
It was the 14th who had saved them, not Allen Walker.
Allen could feel the 14th growing stronger within him, eating away at who Allen was.
"You could have the fingertips of a pianist," said Kanda. "It's your choice."
"Is it really?" Allen couldn't stop the 14th from manifesting within him. It was only a matter of time. It was not his choice to make.
"You could accept it," said Kanda. "Or you could fight it."
"And that's all I have?" Allen said, feeling irrationally angry. At what, he didn't know. Fate? God?
"What more do you want?" Kanda crossed his arms.
Allen wanted to punch him.
The train let out a loud whistle as it came to a stop.
"We're here," Kanda said. "Let's go."
Allen grabbed his things and rose from his seat.
Forget it.
He didn't know much about what his fingers told others about him, and he didn't care if he did not have pianist's hands. He was going to do whatever with his hands as he damn like.
"Stop lagging," Kanda called out.
"I'm not," Allen protested, and ran to catch up to Kanda.
<<< Shadow
Lies >>>