All Exorcists have piercings, but Timothy doesn't yet.

Promises

[Chut, je rêve] series

Timothy huffed and turned his head aside, crossing his arms and face set in a frown. Beside him on a stool sat Allen, who looked more amused than exasperated. Johnny smiled gently from in front of Timothy, and he shifted on the examination bed.

"No." Timothy said stoutly.

Allen smiled. "Come on, Timothy. It's how we communicate - see?" He lifted a hand up and traced the ruby red gem on his ear cuff, showcasing it against his pale hair.

Timothy scowled and pointed indignantly. "Then why can't I get one of those? Why do I gotta get my ears pierced? I want a cuff!"

Johnny shook his head mildly, carefully handling the machine in his right hand. "Only Allen and Kanda have those - they're more experimental, and because they tend to always break theirs we only made two for the moment. Everyone else has the earrings Bak designed." Johnny paused thoughtfully. "Allen had that one too, but he broke it."

"It was dangling," Allen muttered. "Not my fault."

Johnny stared. "It was made of metal and you broke it clean in half!"

"How was I supposed to know the akuma would aim for it?" Allen countered, offended.

Johnny paled, eyes growing wide, and Allen suddenly realized that mentioning how physically close an akuma got to cutting his head wasn't quite the best choice for his tender-hearted friend. Allen smiled quickly and waved his hands. "Anyways! They're still fine-tuning it, so for now everyone gets the piercings. I think the gold would look very nice with your hair, Timothy," Allen added, glancing at the stubborn boy. Timothy flushed.

"I don't care!" He insisted, scowling when Johnny got too close.

"The cuff is more hassle," Allen continued. "It's hard to take off and hard to put on, and it's delicate, too. You hit the gem one too many times and it'll begin to malfunction - and you're a very rambunctious boy, Timothy."

Rambunctious? Timothy mouthed the word silently, tasting it, then scowled. "I'd be careful!"

Allen shook his head, but before he could respond there was a sharp crackle in the air and Timcanpy flew violently around Allen's head before settling in front of him. "Allen?"

Allen blinked in shock but quickly focused on the golden golem. "Yes Komui?"

A crackle. "Ah, could you come to my office? We have a new mission for you and Kanda - including the Thirds."

Timothy didn't miss the flash of irritation that crossed Allen's face, but it was gone as soon as it came, and Allen smiled pleasantly. "Yes, Komui. I'll be right there."

"Great." The line cut off, and Allen turned to Timothy, eyes softening. When Allen gently ruffled Timothy's hair, warm and smooth with the gentle tug of his glove, Timothy turned away, embarrassed. Allen sighed softly.

"I have to go now, Timothy. I hope when I come back you'll have the piercings."

Sudden fear loomed in Timothy and he jerked to face Allen, wide-eyed. He grasped Allen's sleeve and shook his head fiercely. "No! I'm not getting them unless you're here!"

Allen jerked at the sudden contact, stilling, before he stood to move closer to the boy. Wrapping his arms around Timothy, the boy eagerly returned the embrace, ignoring the way the jeweled decorations on Allen's uniform dug into his face. Allen was warm and steady.

"Johnny wouldn't hurt you," Allen promised, and Timothy stiffened at what felt like a rejection. Allen smoothed a hand down Timothy's back. "But if you'd like, as soon as I come back from my mission, I'll come find you. We can try again then, okay?"

Timothy nodded against Allen's chest and felt the soft rumble of his laugh. Then Allen was pulling away, ruffling Timothy's hair again before bidding them both good-bye and leaving.

For some reason, Timothy's heart constricted in his chest with sudden fear, and he felt the childish urge to beg Allen not to leave.

He sat at the wooden table by the window, chewing his food morosely.

Everyone was gone.

Tears welled in his eyes and his throat tightened and Timothy desperately wondered how so much could change in so little time. Allen never came back from that mission - not really. He'd simply disappeared from Timothy's sight, followed by Kanda, Lavi, Link, Johnny, and with two of their best exorcists missing, along with the dead General, all the other remaining Exorcists were working even harder.

No one had realized how much weight Kanda and Allen carried until it was suddenly dropped on them. So many more akuma, so many more injuries, and so much more fear without Allen's eye. It was all so much harder, and Timothy thought they deserved it.

They deserved it, for betraying Allen. For locking him away and making him suffer. For driving him away. They deserved it. It was their punishment.

"You're here again."

Timothy looked up to meet Komui's kind eyes, and then looked back down to his cold meal. He nodded.

"You know," Komui began, sliding into the seat across from Timothy and pushing a fork through his food. "We never did get around to those piercings. Would you like to do it soon?"

"I have to go now, Timothy. I hope when I come back you'll have the piercings."

Timothy felt his heart swell in his chest and he looked at Komui, eyes bright. "Yeah," he said. "I should've got them a long time ago, huh?"

Komui simply looked sad.

A crackle. "Allen Walker has been spotted on the edge of the town - exercise extreme caution when approaching him. Do not attempt to approach him on your own."

Was Timothy a traitor for the almost irrational surge of happiness he felt? It streaked through his heart into his veins and into his very lungs when he gasped, tears smarting in his eyes. Allen! They'd found Allen!

General Nyne was gone, and everyone else was scattered across the town, battling akuma and Noah alike. Timothy had been strictly instructed to not battle alone, and to definitely not approach a Noah. If either occurred, he was to run away.

Looking around and finding the crumbling buildings and crushed grass empty, Timothy turned from the center of town, creeping to the edge. It was a moderately sized town - Timothy had been in enough of them by now to see the differences between villages, towns, cities - and most of the fighting was concentrated on the North end, where Allen had first been spotted. There akuma had been born and the Noah had descended, both to fight Exorcists and taunt and protect Allen.

Timothy didn't really understand. He stumbled over a large fallen piece of rock, determining it to have formally been a large chunk of wall from the building beside it. How could the Noah both antagonize and then try to help Allen? He was hesitant to ask anyone, too. He turned the corner, finding less and less buildings and debris. The sounds of fighting was drifting away.

Master, Tsukikami whispered, and Timothy tilted his head up to the Innocence. If you're looking for the boy, he's over there. A ghostly finger pointed right of Timothy, where a lone small house stood, crumbling at the edges and missing a thatched roof, the only remains of it being the criss-crossing slender wooden beams.

"Allen?" Timothy breathed quietly, and Tsukikami nodded. Heart pounding viciously in his chest, Timothy crept closer, thanking his small size that despite the ruined building he still stood shorter than the broken walls.

The door was missing and weeds were growing at it's entrance. Heart hammering and breath caught somewhere between his lungs and his throat, Timothy peered around the empty wooden frame.

His eyes widened and he began to cry.

Innocence shimmered like angel feathers, shrouding and expanding from Allen like the wings of an angel. He sat slouched against a low wall, chest heaving with breath and silver eyes glazed. The feathers covered him all over, and Timothy recalled the story of Michael, fierce and lovely and terrifying.

"Allen?"

His voice was so soft he barely heard himself, but Allen stirred, eyes blinking wearily. Timothy earnestly began to cry when Allen met his eyes.

"Allen," Timothy sobbed, stumbling forward. His gaze blurred as fat tears tipped over. "Al-len," he cried, walking on shaking legs. It was only a short distance from the door to where Allen sat, but he stumbled and fell to his knees just before Allen.

"Is it you?" Timothy begged, desperate somehow. "Is it - is it re-eally you?"

Allen still had a faraway look in his eyes, but the longer he focused on Timothy the clearer his gaze grew, and then there was that soft familiar smile on his lips, eyes warm as he looked at Timothy. "Timothy," Allen said, and Timothy cried.

With reckless abandonment Timothy stumbled on his knees the few remaining steps and fell onto Allen's chest, wrapping his arms and burrowing his face there. Allen's arms easily swept up to cradle Timothy gently, one hand soothing the strands of Timothy's hair.

"Shh, shh," Allen coo-ed softly. "Shh, Timothy, please. Your cries are very loud. Please, don't cry."

Timothy tried to stop, rubbing his face into Allen's shirt to remove his tears. He almost started again when he felt Allen's soft chuckle.

"Oh," Allen said, one hand coming forward to flutter around Timothy's head and cup one ear. With as soft sadness, he said, "You got your piercings."

It hurt for some reason. He wanted Allen to have been there. He wanted Allen to have been there while Timothy got them. It was stupid, it was useless, nothing would have changed. But he wanted.

Timothy leaned back to see Allen's face. "I got them!" He said. "I got them, and I can possess more Level 2 akuma now, and I can skate backwards, and and and I can eat almost as much as you, and I finished my geography studies and Krory said my writing got better!"

"Mm-hm," Allen said, still smiling, open and kind.

"And I- I know how to multiply, and I can do back-bends now. I can do them really well! I can do handstands, too. I can do it for a long time now! And I got taller, and they had to give me new skates cause the others got too small. And I'm learning German now with my French but it's really hard - but I can do it! I can do it!"

"Yes, I'm sure you can," Allen murmured gently.

"I got sick," Timothy continued. "I got really really sick - but I'm better now!"

"You are?"

"Lots better! Better than better! I went to China and to India and to Germany and to Spain and to Russia. Russia's really cold, super cold!"

"Is it?"

"Yeah! So cold my eyes started crying and then the tears froze right off! I almost lost my nose!"

"Timothy," Allen said softly and Timothy shook his head.

"I possessed Kory the other day - he's so tall! I hit my head in a doorway! Krory freaked out so much when he realized where he was! I accidentally possessed Lenalee too, and Komui got so mad at me! Komui made me a golem! It's ugly, but I kind of like it!"

"Timothy."

"They let me share Lenalee's room - the training one, not her actual room! I get to do all the stretches and stuff, and it's all padded there, right, so it's easier to practice some of the tricks you taught me! I can almost do a backflip!"

"Timothy," Allen said firmly, and the words died on Timothy's tongue. His eyes watered.

"What?" He asked quietly, afraid. Allen brought him close, hugging him tightly until all Timothy could see was white glowing Innocence and the red of Allen's tie.

"You have to go, Timothy," Allen whispered, and Timothy fiercely shook his head. "No, you must. I missed you," he confessed, and Timothy shook his head harder.

"Don't make me leave," Timothy begged, clutching Allen's coat. "I don't wanna leave you."

"You must," Allen said. "You have to. General Nyne would be so worried. And... it's dangerous to be around me."

"You wouldn't hurt me," Timothy said with conviction, grimacing when he felt Allen still beneath him. "You wouldn't," he repeated firmly.

"I wouldn't," Allen said, but with an odd inflection. "But you have to go. I can't let you come with me. Please?"

He remembered the last time Allen had asked him something, and how Timothy refused. Then, the long long months stretched in between then and now. Timothy trembled.

He leaned back, taking in Allen's soft eyes and shining white hair. The curve of his scar and the dip of his brows and the dimple in his cheek.

"Okay," Timothy whispered. Allen's eyes creased with his smile, and he traced a hand along Timothy's cheek, before tugging Timothy back into a hug. It was all so final.

"Go now," Allen whispered into his ear. "I'm so proud of you Timothy - so very proud of you. Be good, okay? Be strong."

"I will." Timothy promised. "I will, I will, I promise!" He stumbled up and away, knowing if he lingered any longer not only would he not be able to force himself away, but that he would put both he and Allen in danger. In the doorway he stopped and looked back, staring at Allen and the glow of his Innocence.

Will I see you again?

The question burned where it stuck in his throat, and Timothy hurried away. He didn't want to know the answer. And... maybe... maybe if he kept this promise, Allen would return like last time.

Be good, be strong.

I will, I will.

A/N: I ordered vol 23 of DGM and in the back was a short comic of Timothy looking sadly at a table where they all used to eat. Komui comes by to cheer him up, but in that moment I noticed he didn't have piercings.

It was originally supposed to be a funny piece where Tim fights against it because obviously he's frightened of getting metal punctured through his ear, but then it got sad lol. Ah, well.