As Allen ate his lunch in solitude, he quickly decided that there was really nothing worse than your best buddy leaving you behind on Valentine's Day. He chewed on his sandwich slowly, stubbornly holding a phone in his free hand as he pretended that he was paying attention to whatever he was scrolling and not to the loud and cheerful student body swarming around the lecture halls. Normally he liked seeing people happy, it lifted his spirits. Today though… well, today it felt as if everyone was mocking him.

People around, even those that claimed they didn't care about the 'stupid holiday', were looking awfully nice today. Nicer clothes, more make-up, it was very easy to notice once you actually took it all in and observed. Then there were also the lucky ones – a girl was passing by with a flower in her hand, throwing quick glances at it with a smile as if she received it from someone special; a guy not very far from him, leaning on a wall with an unfocused distant stare, was on his phone, probably planning a date with his girlfriend for the evening.

Allen huffed under his breath slightly. And to think he could be with Lavi right now, just having fun while the guy flirted with literally every girl around, more often than not making Allen drown in laughter at his awful pick-up lines. Lavi liked to say 'Look, even if they roll eyes at me, it's still worth it. Everyone likes being appreciated, you know. And no beautiful lady should feel lonely on Valentine's.' It was like a tradition at this point. Every year they would just wander around the campus, his best friend stubbornly 'spreading the love'.

And so, not being a beautiful lady a probable cause for his loneliness, here was Allen, sitting alone on the corridor. The mid-semester exam hell of his fourth year was just barely over and he really counted on having fun today. Lavi, however, as he explained him yesterday, finally found 'the one'. He ditched classes to stay at home, planning to have a whole-day long online date with a cute, level 80, dark-elf sorceress. Allen assured him that he will be fine, of course. With a light-hearted laugh at his friends' antics, he simply told him to grab the chance and have fun. He meant it, too – he really wished Lavi all the best, but… well, he was probably not exactly as 'fine' as he promised he would be.

He had a couple of other friends, naturally, so it wasn't like the day was completely doomed to be void of any social interaction. Unfortunately, however, nothing was ever so simple, was it?

There was Marie and Miranda, both of them great friends, but there were two main problems. Firstly, Marie clearly had a crush on Miranda. Secondly, Miranda clearly had a crush on Marie. He would never dare to get in-between them on a day like this. That already crossed two people out of Allen's mental list. Next, Daisya popped into his mind. The guy was friends with Marie and he was a blast to fool around with in a group, but they were admittedly never really close. It would be beyond strange if he asked him to hang out on Valentine's, Allen couldn't even remember if they ever even talked without someone else acting as a social glue. The glue was usually Lavi, since he was basically great friends with everyone. Alma was a similar kind of guy, too. Well, in a way. People liked him tons and he was always very friendly, but Allen honestly always felt like he was oddly secretive and he could never feel entirely comfortable around him.

That left him with only two choices then. Both were his close friends, as close as Lavi to be honest, but… yeah, well, there was always a 'but'.

Lenalee. At first, she sounded like a great choice. They were never hiding anything from each other, could talk about literally everything and everyone. Actually, the amount of gossips they shared was kind of embarrassing. Both of them were really good at keeping their mouth shut about things, which left them in a strange sort of situation where they were never spilling other people's secrets… except for to each other. The girl was also very attractive. Actually, that was probably an understatement. Lenalee was basically every guy's wet dream, except that neither Allen, nor his wet dreams, were ever very straight. Which was a part of the problem in a way, because she sort of confessed to him once, a bunch of years back. He firmly believed that she was beyond over it by now though. The event in question was actually what cemented their friendship anyway. Allen still remembered very vividly how breaking her heart also broke his own and he chose to be as honest with her as he has never been with anyone else. She was the first he ever told about his sexual orientation and the night of both their confessions found them basically crying their souls out into each other's shoulders. She was crying over the fact that they were not meant to be, he was crying over his very lonely and very gay puberty. As pathetic as that sounded, it would always be a very fond memory of his. However, being the guy that dumped her precisely on Valentine's, Allen was definitely not about to ask her to hang out with him on that particular day. He just preferred to be tactful about it.

So, that left him with his last possible choice – Kanda. And oh boy, where could he even start. First of all, out of the whole bunch, he was the only person that he believed calling a 'friend' was a bit of a stretch. They were just… clashing so much. Always fighting, always getting into trouble. They even attempted to beat each other up more than a few times. The strangest thing about it was how they were both calm and collected usually, unless the other was around. And many things about their already long-lasting relation were just plain messed up because― Shit, they were basically flirting with insults and their fists, as fucked up as that sounded. Or at least that's how it felt to Allen anyway. And he just really, really would love to spend Valentine's Day with Kanda. Or any other day. Preferably at his place. Preferably fucking.

Allen finally decided to get up and just screw his classes for today. He was done. The wrap that was left of his sandwich suffering from the overload of emotions in his head as he clenched his fists, he thrown his backpack over his shoulder and wandered off, trashing the scrap of aluminum on the way.

Now, where to go.

His mind was honestly not being helpful on the matter, apparently having screeched to a halt since Kanda first popped up in his thoughts.

The guy was just so… so insufferable. He admittedly just couldn't stand him sometimes. Even more so since he became painfully aware of his massive crush on the man. I mean, was it even a crush at this point? Last year, maybe, but definitely not now. Allen's head was spinning just thinking about him, blood racing through his veins. It was like Kanda existed just to torture him. He was giving him absolute zero chances of ever receiving affection from him, but at the same time he was just always so― so interactive with him. Usually those weren't very friendly interactions, but still, they were there. Strangely so. The more he knew the man, the more he realized that he was probably the one lucky person Kanda actually talked the most with. While that was almost flattering, to be honest, he just never really got why. Quite often, there was definitely some― special kind of tension between them, but nothing that would be really enough for Allen to feel encouraged. And especially not when compared to the amount of time they spent just plain trying to offend each other. It still made Allen hope though, even if he sort of hated himself for it.

He was getting too deep in thought for his own liking, so he was grateful to suddenly hear a familiar voice calling him.

"Allen!" His attention jumped to Lenalee, who was waving at him from the main gates as he was approaching it. He skipped to her immediately, also waving slightly and smiling in greeting. It was honestly stupidly good to see her. He should have just messaged her straight away instead of trying to find excuses. "I was looking for you! Why aren't you answering your phone?" she accused with a hint of annoyance and Allen immediately fished his phone out of his pocket, brows furrowing.

"Ah, sorry. It was muted," he replied easily, fixing the problem with one quick tap. He always forgot to do that during lunch breaks.

"It's fine, it's all good now," she sighed, clearly nervous about something. Then she exhaled, visibly relaxing. Allen thought it strange, but said nothing, waiting for her to tell him what was up. She just moved swiftly to his side, hooking their arms and leading him out of the campus. "Now, I hope you were not intending to go to Philosophy. I'm taking you on a date," she said happily, laughing as he momentarily stopped walking with a very stupid look on his face.

"What. Lena, what are you― what?" he tried to ask what the hell did she mean by that, but failed, then just gaping silently.

Lenalee just laughed some more.

"Look, just trust me. You're gonna be kissing my feet in thanks tomorrow," she giggled, a light blush on her cheeks. She was very clearly super pleased with herself, too. "If you want a tip, totally buy me chocolate. Everyone just gave me flowers today. Flowers are so useless, you know." She shook her head, Allen immediately pitying whoever it was that confessed to her today.

"Lena, I'm not gonna hide that you're confusing the hell out of me right now," he said slowly, but let her lead him again. They were going to a bus stop, apparently.

"That is completely fine. You're adorable when you're confused. Still, for now just shut up, follow me and have fun." Her instruction seemed simple enough.

And so Allen followed, his internal panic about Lenalee's feelings towards him slowly dying out as they got into a bus that conveniently stopped just as they got to the stop. Well, whatever was happening, he did trust her, so it should be fine. With that though, he let himself be kidnapped to wherever she was taking him.

Which turned out to be their favorite café. Well, that was fair enough, but what was the point of all this again? By the time Allen ordered some chocolate cake and a tea and it seemed like Lenalee was finally going to at the very least let him ask questions, he was admittedly pouting.

"Look, what is going on?" he asked simply and the sly smile that twisted her painted lips had him on edge.

"I don't know what do you mean," she feigned innocence and he was really not able to take this any longer.

"Lenalee," he started seriously, his brows furrowing. "Answers. Now."

She just laughed again for a moment, but then her shoulders slumped. She slowly took one of his hands into hers and looked him right in the eye with a smile.

"Allen. I'm really bad at hiding things from you, that's why I'm not really trying. Nonetheless, I can't really answer your questions. I need you to just accept it though. For now." Her eyes were twinkling happily as she said all that, but her sincerity was basically palpable.

"Lena," he whined. "Just― what the hell? Please tell me this is not about― you know," he finished lamely, but, thankfully, she understood.

"Jesus, Allen. Of course not. I really don't feel about you like that anymore." She rolled her eyes. "You know I love you completely, but definitely not like that."

"Well, I do know that. Just― you know, you're being very strange," he said weakly, still staring at her in still very obvious worry.

"I know. But look, just use logic, okay? I know basically everything about you, yeah?"

"Yeah. I guess…," he admitted with some reluctance.

"And you know that I want all the best for you. Yes?"

Allen looked at her in resignation, his shoulders slumping.

"Yeah."

"Good. So do what I tell you to today, you'll catch on soon enough," she said with satisfaction, only know letting his hand go.

Their orders arrived at exactly that moment, the waitress smiling at them warmly as she served them their teas and desserts. They probably looked like a couple. Or rather, they most definitely look like a couple. What with the hand-holding and Valentine's and all. Well, whatever.

"And now," Lenalee started, putting a spoonful of her fluffy cheesecake into her mouth. "To business."

Okay, Allen was definitely scared after all. She paid his expression no mind.

"Do you have any bleach left at home?"

He was admittedly stunned at the seemingly random question for a moment, but eventually answered.

"You― you mean the one that I use for my hair, right?" he stuttered a tiny bit and Lenalee eyed him warily for a moment.

"Allen. Do you use any other bleach? And no bullshit about clothes." Her face was dead serious.

"N-no! I don't, Lenalee. Fucking just― I was just making sure, okay?" At that, she just squinted her eyes, gazing at him suspiciously.

Fucking hell! She was being really though to deal with today. He was most definitely not going to talk with her about anal bleaching in a café!

"Yes, Lenalee, I have a bit of my hair bleach left at my apartment," he answered her initial question quickly, but as calmly as he could, just praying for her to drop the topic. Thankfully, she did.

"Great! Do you think it will be enough?" she asked, eating another bit of her cake.

"Enough for what?"

"Allen! Your roots are showing! You know that, yeah? As good as I think you look with white hair, you really need to pay attention to that! It's so glaringly visible that it's basically killing me," she explained, energetically waving at him with her spoon.

"Well, look, you know that I usually don't leave it be for long," he said defensively. "It's just that exams…"

"Excuses," she interrupted him. "It's fine though. We're going to fix it."

"We are?" he asked. And then again, "Today?"

"Yes, today. We also need a nail polish," she glanced at his left hand purposefully and Allen immediately hid it under the table. What was with all that inspection?

But yes, he knew that bleaching his hair and painting the nails on his left hand were things that he should do regularly. Since he decided to have that hair color and a full-arm tattoo, he should take responsibility and make sure he doesn't look like a retard.

"I have that, too."

"We're still gonna buy a new one. As far as I remember, the one you have is way past the expiration date. It's not that good to use it, you know. And you need a better hair conditioner, too," she scrunched her nose at him and he rolled his eyes.

"Yes. Fine, fine! Anything you want. What is this? A makeover?" he asked her incredulously.

"Of course not, you're so silly. You're the one that gave himself a makeover, I'm just trying to make you keep up with it. You know, just fixing this and that," she explained and gestured at his cake, making him notice that he still didn't even touch it. To his defense, she kept him busy.

"Okay, sure. And the purpose is…?" he asked, finally letting the sweet chocolate melt on his tongue.

"Well, making you look as good as you can, obviously. We're going to a party today."

Allen didn't really do parties, at least not often. But, apparently, Lenalee was going to hold to her threat no matter what. The whole afternoon passed basically in a flash. At first, Lenalee dragged him to a drugstore, so they could buy the nail polish and the conditioner she mentioned earlier. To be honest, the damned thing was so expensive that it almost physically hurt him to pay for it, but the girl insisted. At the end, he could only be glad that he was normally very good at saving money.

After the store trip they, pretty predictably, went to his apartment to deal with all the 'fixing this and that' business. Once safely inside, Lenalee made him do all sorts of unspeakable things, going even as far as to force him to trim his pubic hair - how did she even know he needed to do that was completely beyond him.

And, honestly, after all the humiliation, – unfortunately including her making him admit that he did try anal bleaching once, but found it very bothersome and unnecessary – Allen was beginning to understand where this was going. Okay, so it was actually pretty obvious, wasn't it? Lenalee was clearly trying to drag him to a club or something and get him to get laid. He huffed in exasperation just thinking about it. The thought in itself was maybe pretty nice and he really appreciated her initiative, but didn't she know? It was not going to work. Simply. Allen was, regretfully, way too far gone with his feelings towards their mutual friend. He mentioned nothing of it, however, and decided to just let her lead him towards the inevitable disaster. It was making her happy, at least.

To Allen's bewilderment, their destination wasn't a club at all. It was just an apartment a bunch of streets across from his own. Apparently, one of Lenalee's collage friends was throwing a party today, Valentine's being on Friday this year and all. That just made things worse though. Did she really want to hook him up with someone that he could bump into in-between classes? That idea of hers started to seem plain horrid. Allen could no longer hold down his commentary.

"Lena," he started as she guided him towards an elevator. "This is a bad, bad idea. You know that, yeah?"

The girl actually had the nerve to give him a surprised look.

"Bad how exactly?" she asked, incredulous.

"I can't believe that I really have to explain that to you, but I'm definitely not gonna sleep with someone that I can easily bump into on a daily basis," he explained seriously, shaking his head in disbelief. She straight up laughed at him.

"Oh, Allen," she tried to tone down on her mirth and failed. "You really have no idea still, do you? And I thought you knew me well," she said cryptically and even if he wanted to ask questions, he wasn't given such a chance. The elevator took them to the top floor and then they smoothly flowed into a bustling apartment, immediately thrown into tons and tons of social interaction.

Amazing. Honestly, Allen wanted to go home already. He didn't feel up for this.

And then it happened. Once he was more or less done greeting the many familiar faces around with as much friendliness as he could muster, Lenalee dragged him into the biggest of the rooms and one glance across told him everything. He would recognize that lean silhouette everywhere. Not that many guys wore such long ponytails anyway, so it really didn't take a genius.

He was wrong. So, so wrong. Whatever he thought about Lenalee's idea before, now he knew that is was worse. No, not worse – the worst. It was possibly the worst idea in history of ideas.

He sharply twirled the girl in front of him around and leaned close to her.

"I'm leaving," he said, holding her stare. "I appreciate your effort, but this― this is definitely not going to happen."

"Indulge me, please?" She cocked her head with a smile, but he just shook his head and she sighed. "I'm not even trying to make you do anything special, you know. Maybe just be a bit more straightforward than usual. Look there again. He's with Daisya, yeah? As far as I know he was dragged here, too. Just go there and talk to him. Or, you know, whatever it is that you two usually do."

Well, that at least explained why Kanda was even here in the first place. Maybe Daisya somehow blackmailed him into coming. He honestly couldn't imagine the serious guy in such a place otherwise. He stuck out like a sore thumb. He was standing with his back to them, but he could see his whole body was tense. Meanwhile, the people around were laughing and talking loudly, alcohol already flowing. At least no one seemed to be in a dancing mood, thankfully, or at least so far. Some kind of pop music was still playing, but it was more of a background noise.

But never mind the details, there were major flaws to Lenalee's reasoning and he was adamant to make her realize it before he left.

"What we usually do? You mean fight? How does this make any sense?" He didn't intend to be rude to her, but he was aware his tone turned a bit harsher.

"Allen. You call it fighting, I call it foreplay. Now go." She clearly had nothing more to say to him, turning around and walking back to where they came from. He could bet she was planning to be more or less guarding the exit, blocking him from fleeing too easy.

He stared after her in disbelief for a moment, but then, slowly, he turned around to gaze at Kanda's back again. He bit his lip. Could he really try? Could he possibly try to be a bit more straightforward with the man? He was just― so hyper aware that he could be making a huge mistake.

Like he said, they were arguing more often than not, but he was still not keen on losing even those moments - should his attempts at flirting go even worse than usual.

He maneuvered around other people to go to were Kanda was, a bit further from the main crowd, tucked away in a corner. He had no problems not being noticed by the man. Kanda was next to a table with drinks, so he could use this chance to make it seem a bit more coincidental than it really was. He approached the section of the table that was just out of Kanda's sight, taking an empty glass to fill it with vodka and a juice. Of course, that was because it just so happened that the juice was right next to his target. Inhaling through his nose, he got closer, then reaching for the drink, not very accidentally bumping into the man. As Allen predicted, he turned with a frown at whichever idiot bumped into him. There was a small glint in Kanda's eye as he recognized him instead and Allen felt his heart jump. Maybe that look was all he needed to risk trying.

"Watch how you walk, bean sprout," he said it with slight disapproval in his voice and Allen jumped on the occasion.

"You know that you're standing in the way, Kanda," he said it with a smile, one of those that always made the man's blue eye twitch. "It's not my fault that you don't pay any attention to your surroundings."

Past the dark-haired head he seen Daisya slowly slip away. Yeah, well, people didn't like too much being caught into Kanda and Allen's crossfire. He thanked for that fact. As strange as it was to sometimes cool down after an argument only to realize that whoever was with him before has already left him, this time he was very thankful for it.

"You should pay attention, brat. You can get your ass kicked if you bump into your seniors like that," Kanda squinted at him with some hostility, but that just made Allen worry a bit about tight pants versus erections. He knew he would regret listening to Lenalee and her fashion choices, damn it.

"You failed a year and with what I've heard, soon you're hardly gonna be my senior." Not for the first time, Allen was really glad that his bad grades were still better than Kanda's abysmally bad grades. Honestly, the man just didn't give a shit most of the time, just doing the bare minimum for all of his classes - it wasn't that strange that one year he did just a tiny bit not enough and had to repeat some of his course, but Allen liked reminding him about his failure anyway. Especially since he noticed that it made the man actually try harder. They even studied together once, even if it ended in both of them getting kicked out of the library for throwing books at each other.

Except that Kanda didn't seem to care much about it today, just holding his stare for a moment. Was he drunk? That would be, honestly, hilarious. What was also nice was how all the previous tenseness in Kanda's stance seemed to have evaporated in contact with Allen.

"Did you come here to pretend you have friends?" Allen spoke up again eventually, teasing him lightly. He then let himself rest his hips on the edge of the table right by the man's side. He eyed him appraisingly while sipping his drink. Fuck, why did he always have to look so damn good.

"No." Kanda rolled his eyes at him, sliding into a very similar position, just barely far enough so that their hips were not touching. "Daisya just decided that it would be fucking hilarious if I was here and he stole the keys to my apartment."

Allen looked at him with some amusement, his lips twitching.

"And you didn't take them back why?" He knew Kanda more than well enough to know that he usually wouldn't let something like that just slide. Then again, he rarely bothered actually arguing with people other than him. Most times everyone tried not to give him a reason to anyway. Allen, however, really enjoyed pulling his strings. "Decided to finally get laid for once?"

Kanda, to his surprise, just smirked at him, reaching for his own drink that was abandoned on the table before. He sipped it while throwing him a sideways glance.

"Maybe," he murmured and Allen immediately felt heat spreading all the way down his neck, blood ringing in his ears. Fuck. Kanda was straight up flirting with him, wasn't he? The precious few other times that happened ended up in a disaster, but maybe… maybe it was worth a shot.

What happened last year briefly flashing in the back of his mind, Allen threw him a look, eyes hooded.

"Well, Lenalee dragged me here to get laid, actually," he snorted into his glass slightly, embarrassed, but resolved. At that, a very curious expression flashed on the other's face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.

"Figures you would need her help," Kanda scoffed at him and Allen cringed a bit inside, trying not to feel like Kanda rejected his, in his opinion obvious, invitation. This asshole always needed to be like this. He told Lenalee it wouldn't work! Well, that was why.

At this moment Kanda noticed his expression and attempted to add something, but Allen was not about to let him.

"Implying you wouldn't? With your attitude, you would need people to pay you." Allen glared, both already changing their relaxed positions. Glasses back on the table, they fully turned to each other slowly, glares meeting.

"Same to you, dipshit. You always have to be such a smartass, don't you? Saying shit like that when you look like an old man with that stupid hair. Aren't people disgusted by you?"

Allen felt his palms roll into fists, getting a bit closer to the offensive presence before him, anger clear on his face.

"And you, Kanda? Did no one beat you up yet for trying to look like a trap? Your hair is looking very pretty tonight, did you use your best conditioner or did you go to a hair salon?"

Kanda scowled at him and then their foreheads were almost bumping. "Piss off. I don't have to listen to someone that looks like a damn fuckboy."

Allen furrowed his eyebrows, bristling. He was as respectful to his one-night stands as he could possibly be, what idea did the guy even have. "You know what, I am sorry I'm bumped into you after all, fucking asshole," he spat into his face, promptly turning around on his heel and intending to leave. He was definitely not up for a fistfight, and especially not at Lenalee's friend place, surrounded by people he knew. Fuck Kanda and his fucking gorgeous face and amazing body. It was not worth it.

He completely forgot about it, but, as he should have known, Lenalee was waiting at the exit.

"Don't even try," he groaned at her, still very tense, but quickly calmed down under her disapproving look.

"So, that was fast," she laughed at him good-naturedly and he let out a long sigh. "What happened this time?"

"I told you, Lena, it was not a good idea. It's like always! He just really likes insulting me," he looked at her with a slightly hurt look.

"I know, I know. But just― can you not leave just yet? Please." She smiled at him and he slumped in resignation.

"But what for?" Allen, admittedly, whined at her. She just shook her head though and turned him around, pushing forwards with no further comment.

Allen just sighed again and maneuvered through the crowd. "Excuse me", he said with a charming smile when he bumped into a short girl, making her blush. He winced to himself. Fuck, he was not a fuckboy! Stupid asshole Kanda. He needed some air, he decided. Spotting a balcony door just a bit to his left, he made a beeline in that direction. As his luck would have it, amongst other people smoking outside, out of which some gave him curious looks, there was also the bane of his existence.

"What. You're stalking me now?" Kanda barked at him as he got close, but still offered a cigarette, which Allen accepted with some of his previous scowl still remaining intact.

"Yeah. Why not," Allen conceded, lighting it up with a borrowed lighter. It was whatever at this point, the bastard could say anything he pleased. He was not going to let himself be provoked this time. And even if Kanda raised an eyebrow at that answer, it was only his next words that actually surprised the man. "Wonder how many times a day would you manage to insult me if I did that."

"Since when are you so easily offended?" Kanda scoffed, observing with a bit of disbelief as that just made Allen bristle even more.

"Maybe since I have an unhealthy crush on you, you fucking idiot," he spat, a bit of red adorning his face. Other than that though, he just blew out some smoke, throwing Kanda a daring look. Well, was that straightforward enough? The man couldn't just easily turn it into an insult this time without actually answering him, could he? Judging by his stunned silence, definitely not.

The blue eyes eventually hooded as they bore into him, egging him on.

"Date me, Kanda." Allen was aware that with his tone and the intensity of his stare, he could have as well proposed sex.

For one beautiful second, the long haired man looked positively intrigued, but then a slight scowl twisted his face and the younger of the two immediately knew he just made a terrible mistake. Honestly, he wanted to run away even before he got any answer.

"That sounds awful," he almost spat and the gray eyes flashed with hurt. Well, that was it then, wasn't it?

For two excruciating minutes, they just stood there staring at each other, smoking. Allen was trying not to crumple down, the slowly approaching sense of finality making his body shake, eyes fidgeting uncomfortably. Something was admittedly off about Kanda's face, but it was not enough to give him any kind of doubt about what has just happened. He was― he was actually dumped just now, wasn't he?

Kanda was standing there with his lips pressed into a thin line when Allen threw him the last look. If anything in the other's expression changed as he moved close, squishing the rest of his cigarette on the windowsill ashtray just behind the man's back, he didn't witness it. Eyes on the ground, he turned around and left.

Well, wasn't this just the perfect Valentine's finale. It served him right, honestly. He knew that Lenalee meant well, but he should have predicted that he wasn't about to get lucky just because she said so. He passed the girl near the exit, but apparently one look at him must have told her enough. She just froze with her hand mid-reach to him, expression shocked. He even noticed Daisya somewhere in the kitchen area, the guy only throwing him a worried look. And, just like that, he managed to slip outside, choosing to slowly walk back to his place instead of taking the bus.

It took him close to an hour, but that gave him enough time to stop the shaking. Kanda was by far the most fucked up thing that could have happened in his life, in Allen's opinion. What was his problem? This whole situation would have never taken place if the man didn't flirt with him in the first place!

This was even worse than last year, honestly! And that's saying something. Having Kanda scoff at his erection as they were almost about to kiss was not a very pleasant memory.

Or the year before that, when the man had the nerve to call him easy just because he flushed when Kanda murmured something obscene about his ass into his ear.

Valentine's was a very special torture day, apparently. But, honestly, there was plenty of other, minor incidents, too. He remembered how he took the man calling him an eyesore particularly bad. Plenty of people told him that white hair fits him well, thank you very much! It was a bit funny to think how Kanda asked him since when is he so easily offended. Well, if all of that counted as easily, then clearly since ever. Maybe he was a bit too good at not letting it show then. But that was definitely not something he had to worry about this time, the offense was too direct not to reflect on his face. And as horribly exposing as him standing his ground has felt, at least Kanda got a good eyeful of what he was actually doing to him.

He was still a bit shaken as he reached his apartment, but it was already ways from what he felt initially. He undressed in the safety of his bedroom, wishing nothing more than for the day to just end. He scoffed bitterly as he remembered that Lenalee insisted on him having his best boxers on tonight. She said they made his ass look amazing. Some good that did to him now. This was all so stupid.

He rolled the bed covers around his body tightly, staring at the too-bright screen of his phone. It was midnight, apparently - Valentine's officially over. Better luck next year. Maybe.

His musings were interrupted by a very familiar sound of Messenger. He muted his phone with mild irritation, but still tapped on the small bubble with Lavi's dorky profile picture. The message made him frown.

'Man, look, just kill me 'kay.'

Curious what happened, Allen quickly sent a bunch of question marks. The reply was instantaneous.

'My date was a guy.'

Allen really tried not to laugh, he did. It was not funny after all. I mean, his friend was probably completely crushed. But holy hell, that was so cliché.

'Mine was a girl,' he wrote with a small smile at the irony.

Well, didn't this year just suck.

That's what Allen thought to himself as he was falling asleep. As much as it hurt, he should probably ignore Kanda altogether for a while, maybe eventually both of them could forget what happened today and nothing between them had to change. He was actually positive that it was possible - it felt as if he wasn't even taken all that seriously today.

His sleep was very light. He was waking up many times and just rolling from side to side, unable to really rest. That's why when he was suddenly woken up by the sound of his doorbell, he knew that whoever it was that decided to visit him at night was definitely to be held responsible for him not being able to fall asleep anymore.

He dragged his feet tiredly as he walked, throwing on a shirt for a bit of decency. He could hardly imagine who could be coming at this hour. I mean, it could be Lenalee, but usually she respected his need to shut down for a bit in these kinds of situations, giving him some space before trying to cheer him up.

To be honest, not that many people ever visited him besides her, so the sight of his worried friend would still surprise him less than what actually greeted him at his doorstep. None other than Kanda, that damn jerk, had the fucking audacity to look pissed - and maybe embarrassed? Allen froze the moment he seen him, not being able to put any reasoning behind the other's actions. Why would the man dump him and then come to his fucking place? This was completely beyond his ability to understand.

"Hi," Kanda grumbled, not even properly looking at him.

"Hi," Allen responded very warily. What the hell was going on. "Did… Lenalee ask to you come here, maybe?" he asked before he could bite his tongue. It was a very, very stupid question. Very obvious, too. 'Hey, did my best girl-friend, that I obviously tell everything, ask you to come to my place in the middle of the night? You know, since she thinks that I'm probably brooding over you right now' would be the full-length version of it. Despite everything, however, the question at least made Kanda look at him. And roll his eyes, but still.

"No, she didn't fucking ask me to go anywhere. I told her to go get you," he snapped and as Allen gaped at him in confusion, he clearly didn't care enough to clarify. There was complete silence between them for a moment and then a distant ding of the elevator down the corridor made Kanda tense.

"Just let me in," the man growled, clearly not wanting any audience, but needing to talk to him. Which, frankly, was making Allen's brain explode. Since when was Kanda eager for conversations?

Maybe because of that shock, his body just moved without his conscious consent and stepped aside, letting Kanda in. He felt himself thinking a bit more clearly only when he was already locking his door behind them.

"Before you say anything, Kanda. Just fucking know that I'm definitely not in the mood to take any shit from anyone, especially from you, okay? Either respect my feelings or I'll kick you out," he said seriously as he faced the man. He was too busy dealing with his disappointment to have Kanda bitching at him just yet.

"Look, this is only happening because you didn't let me talk, so shut the fuck up, okay?"

Allen felt his eyebrows shoot up. Was Kanda for real? He had plenty of time! Allen didn't run away straight away, despite wanting to. He gave the man enough time to stop him from going! He was proven foolish for doing so, too. So what the fuck did Kanda even expect?

"I didn't? So speak now, then." He thrown Kanda a stern look and, as he predicted, the man didn't say anything for more than a full minute, making him scoff. "Yeah, that changes everything."

"Can't you really fucking figure out why I'm here?"

"No, Kanda. I can't! If you changed your mind about that date, feel free to say so. Other than that, you can honestly just piss off. Whatever it is you want to tell me, it really can wait."

"I don't want to fucking date you. Dating is disgusting. We're not going to any fucking restaurant or a cinema, so don't fucking mention it again." The man's eyes were shifting uncomfortably.

Allen observed him for a moment, trying to piece together what Kanda was trying to tell him, just from the scraps that he was, still grudgingly, giving him. Was he getting that right? Did Kanda actually want something with him after all? Allen was doomed to feel a tiny bit hopeful at that, but he just choked the feeling down.

"Dates are really besides the point right now! Look, you basically came here to me at like…" he glanced at the clock in the hall before continuing "four fucking a.m. right after you dumped me at a stupid Valentine's party."

"Dating is all the point, because that's what you asked for! And I didn't dump you," he grimaced while Allen threw him a deadpan look. "It's not my fault you're so stupid that you never understand what I say."

"Never understand what exactly? If going somewhere with me is disgusting to you, I really don't think I misunderstood anything, Kanda!"

"What the fuck are you talking about? I go somewhere with you all the time, you retard!"

"What does that even have to do with anything! You mock me for getting excited when you flirt with me! You fucking call me an eyesore as you're basically fucking undressing me with your eyes! You have a serious problem, you know that?" Okay, so Allen knew there was definitely no backpedaling through this later. As the situation stood, he could as well just dump all of the jerk's shit right back at him. "Or maybe calling me easy was like a compliment to you?" Kanda admittedly winced at that particular comment, but he still held his stare.

"It's just that you never fucking listen properly!" He just noticed now how serious the look on the man's face was. "It's almost as if you're trying to get rejected, you damn idiot! We've known each other for like a fucking eternity and you still just don't get it!"

"You…," he started, but then just gave up. Kanda logic was clearly very far from normal, human logic. It seemed like explaining anything to him just made no sense. "Can you just… tell me what do you want exactly…?" Allen was about to start rubbing his temples, brain basically frying at that― that guy was just― why― It was just so fucking impossible to communicate!

Kanda growled in response and finally snapped at him, his temper flaring. His face was basically red and his body so tense that Allen was about to die from second-hand embarrassment.

"What do you want? I came here at fucking four in the morning, like you said. Isn't it fucking obvious! What do you want me to do! Should I give you the keys to my damn apartment or something! Just fucking live with me, be with me! Fucking something, okay? Fuck, you're just so fucking clueless―"

Kanda clearly decided that he said more than enough at this point, shutting down with his lips pressed tight, arms crossing against his chest. Allen was sort of just― internally bursting with emotions, uselessly staring at the side of the man's face, eyes wide. Both of their cheeks were flushed at this point, awkwardness pretty much almost drowning out everything else. The younger man was well aware that with the amount of time he just stood there without answering, he probably beat any of Kanda's records. Maybe he could feel some empathy for the jerk, after all. Was giving answers always so hard?

"O-okay," he stuttered after millions of seconds with a broken voice, looking everywhere but at the other person in the room. Fuck, he was basically rooted in place. If Kanda didn't do something in the span of next two seconds, he swore that he was just going to punch him.

There were lips on his suddenly, just as he was about to lose it, and Allen found himself kissing back as soon as he got over his complete petrification. Kanda wrapped his arms around him so tight that they were almost crushing him. He felt so― so confused and just so, so embarrassed. What the hell! That was the single most amazingly confusing non-confession he could possibly imagine. And he just wanted Kanda to― to fucking hear the "yes!" that he was screaming at him in his fucking mind and―

It looked strongly like they finally understood each other though, because their kiss turned from an embarrassed, messy and painful clusterfuck into this burning, ecstatically shocking, absolutely amazing sensation that made Allen finally understand and feel Kanda. God, he felt it. Everything, every single thing. So he just― just clung to the other's body, twisting his tongue against his, hoping that Kanda understood everything, too. And apparently he did, because when Allen pushed him away sharply, he seemed to get his intentions correctly. The intense, heated stare he gave him was proof enough.

"For all the trouble you've caused, you'll still have to beg for it, Kanda," he murmured against the man's lips, pushing him in the direction of his bedroom. The body against him remained very willing as a sultry "we'll see about that" reached his ears, so his threat was obviously taken lightly. Well, that just simply couldn't do. He straddled Kanda's hips immediately after pushing him flat on the bed.

"I was perfectly serious, just so you know," Allen growled at Kanda with a wicked glint in his eye, then dipping down to initiate a kiss again. He was very happy with how responsive the lips beneath him were, rolling his hips as he felt hands reach for his ass. God, this was surely about to be the sex of his life, he hardly remembered ever being this excited before. He grinded down again as Kanda tugged at his hair, their tongues still connected. Before he realized, they have been flipped around, teasing bites on his neck sending shivers down his spine. Fine then. He will get his revenge when it's the least expected. For now he could just― arch into the touch as a hand reached down their bodies, rubbing his erection through the thin fabric.

"Ahh, fuck," he moaned, heated blue eyes looking at him victoriously as he hastily undid the already messy ponytail, clawing at the man's shoulder blades as he pulled his body close.

"Who's gonna be begging now?" Kanda hissed into his ear, his words accentuated by the way Allen rolled against him.

"I never said I'm above it" was the answer laced with a gasp, but the look in the gray eyes clearly said that retaliation could still be expected at any given point.

They completely tangled again, Allen not even sure when did his shirt end up bunched around his armpits. He pulled it off impatiently, then sitting up to undress the other man. He was still wearing a coat of all things, but soon there was nothing preventing him from sliding his palms against the broad, naked chest anymore. And so he did, undoing also Kanda's zipper while he playfully caressed the hard abdomen, feeling heat tingle in his whole body. A pair of jeans got pushed down with a joined effort, both of them groaning into each other's mouth when their erections pressed together with just the underwear in the way. And soon that was off, too, Allen wrapping his legs around the narrow hips as he got aggressively flopped down onto the bed again. The hot weight of another body was crushing him, but he didn't mind in the least, writhing more fiercely this time. The arousing friction was enough to make him throw his head back with a loud moan.

"Touch me," Allen almost purred with a dirty look, proving the point he was trying to make earlier. At that, Kanda raised up a bit, his hand reaching to slide on his cock, making his hips twitch upwards impatiently. He groaned, fully aware of the blue hooded eyes watching him closely, already darkened with lust. The slender fingers squeezing him were driving him mad with every stroke and he was determined to make a display out of it with his legs spread wide, very satisfied as it seemed to be working wonders. Kanda's face was an amazing sight at that point, no frowns or scowls in sight. Just this― fascination. The man must have noticed he was being studied, however, because he bent down, busying his lips with leaving open-mouthed kisses on Allen's chest. He seemed to enjoy it, too, if the way he started rubbing his cock against the other's inner thigh was any way to judge. And then he just― moved his lips to start doing the same around the tattooed patterns around Allen's left shoulder, almost straight up licking at them, making Allen tense briefly only to feel excitement wash over him with doubled intensity. He was worried for a second there, since Kanda teased him about the tattoo multiple times, going as far as to say that his arm didn't even look human. But the man actually liked it a lot, didn't he? Allen filed away that fact very carefully, fully intending to throw it at Kanda's face the next time he got the chance. He wondered if there were other things that Kanda actually liked after all, contrary to what he always made Allen believe.

Any conclusions he might have reached in that moment were instantly forgotten as Kanda slid down his body, ragged breath escaping him when lips wrapped around his cock. Allen stared at him with basically unblinking eyes, taking in the sight. And maybe the man didn't necessarily know what he was doing exactly, but Allen could feel that he was definitely very eager. And above all else, Allen was just unable to wrap his mind around the fact that it was really Kanda pleasuring him. Just looking at it made his head swim.

"Kanda," he gasped, his abdomen constricting madly. His toes curled painfully as the man gave one particularly harsh suck and Allen's hands, already shoved in-between the long, dark tresses before he even realized, tugged sharply in reflex. That was when Allen made an earth-shattering discovery. At the tug Kanda completely just― fell apart, moaning with cock slipping out of his mouth, eyes shut tight and the column of his neck stretched upwards, following the hand. That― that was easily the most erotic thing he has ever seen. And Allen had a fortunate trait of making his lovers very comfortable, so he has seen plenty.

And then Kanda tensed, eyes flying open, a very, very self-conscious scowl on his face. He clearly tried to glare, but the look that he ended up giving was surprisingly vulnerable.

Oh no.

Allen gulped, knowing exactly what was going to happen if he didn't fix this fast. He was absolutely not about to have Kanda embarrassed about his own pleasure.

His hands slid down, carefully leaving the long hair, one of them lingering on the nape of the man's neck and he guided him upwards with a small, reassuring smile on his face. Before Kanda had any time to comment on anything, Allen was kissing him slowly, caressing his lips more than anything and only when he felt the man's muscles relax, he plunged his tongue inside. He loosely held Kanda's chin, starting to slide himself down the bed. The contact broke as he moved further away, eventually sitting up on the edge.

"Come here," he said, turning over his shoulder to the man behind him with, gray eyes promising pleasure.

And so Kanda did, looking maybe just a bit unsure, both of them standing up. Allen just kissed him again, hands caressing the sides of the taller man. He put all of his patience into this, making the man unwind with his lips and tongue, his body heating up again under Allen's expert attention. And then he moved away just slightly, his lips trailing down Kanda's neck and collarbone, palms loosely on his hips. And then Allen just― dropped down to his knees, the excited gray eyes never breaking eye contact. He wrapped his hand around Kanda's cock, pumping it into full erection again as he left wet kisses on his abdomen and hip bones. He turned his attention to the engorged member after a short moment, sticking out his tongue with a dirty stare into Kanda's face, closing his eyes as soon as it made contact, deep appreciative hum bubbling in his chest. He slid the wet muscle along the length, his hand resuming movement only when his lips closed around it. He took it very shallow at first, his palm still supporting. He let the man get used to it, the pressure of his ministrations increasing steadily only when Kanda let out a deep sigh, a hand resting on one of the kneeling man's shoulders.

Allen stopped altogether then, smiling a bit to himself as let his palms caress Kanda's inner thighs sensually, just inhaling the man's musk. His hands eventually travelled to Kanda's ass, fingers digging into the plump flesh lightly. And only then, Allen took him back into his mouth, this time sucking fervently from the start, his head bobbing rhythmically.

Kanda's breath was turning ragged very fast, moans waiting somewhere there, near the surface, but stubbornly not spilling out. Allen didn't mind working for it though. He withdrew a bit just to circle his tongue around the head, aware he was giving the man quite a sight, Kanda's hand twitching on his shoulder. Then he inhaled through his nose deeply, relaxing his jaw as much as he could to then lower himself again down the heated flesh, this time fully taking him in. Kanda let out a sharp gasp, fingers clenching around the tattooed arm.

Allen moaned, the voice never leaving the back of his throat and then he just started bobbing his head again, sucking, letting Kanda slide fully in each time. A loud moan resonated through the room this time, which Allen rewarded with pressure against the man's buttocks, the motion making the erection in his mouth almost hit the back of his throat. He continued, repeating his actions every time and Kanda was just this painting mess, finally thrusting his hips on his own accord, the hand that was free before now twisting in the white hair. Allen let him do as he pleased, making a swallowing motion from time to time, knowing that Kanda was hyper aware of it whenever it happened because of the way his throat constricted. Each time he did, Kanda let him hear his groans again. He palmed himself jerkily, needing to relieve some of the tension. It was just― letting the gorgeous man use him like this and hear him like it was more than a bit of a turn on and he found himself too excited to have his breathing restricted like this for much longer.

He stilled Kanda's hips, receiving a displeased grunt, and withdrew slowly. Giving just one last unhurried shallow suck, he opened his eyes. When he looked up from his knees, he had to bite his lip at the expression on the man's face. He was flushed and still panting, chest moving unrhythmically as he was staring openly, arousal very clear in his eyes.

"I can do whatever you want," Allen heard himself murmur, kissing his stomach. He knew he was basically worshipping him right now, but he didn't care. There was no need to hide anymore. And if that didn't make Kanda comfortable, he couldn't imagine what would.

A hand moved from his shoulder up his neck and with one glance Allen understood that Kanda wanted him to get up. When he did, the man pulled him close, engaging in a messy kiss as he caressed Allen's back.

"We'll need lube," Kanda murmured into his lips and Allen panicked just a bit, internally.

"It-it's already there," he answered, just really not wanting Kanda to misunderstand. It's not that he had anyone over, for a while now anyway. He just― well, he could get quite needy sometimes and recently he took to keeping the bottle in-between the bedframe and the mattress, just behind the pillows.

Desperately not wanting them to get side-tracked again, Allen decided he needed to distract Kanda. And so he quickly maneuvered them, straddling the man's hips on the bed, much like before. This time though, he moved a bit higher, wanting the man's erection to press against his ass.

His heart was beating furiously in his chest as he stared down at the man. Kanda's arms were just spread relaxedly at the sides of his head now, hair splayed in all the directions. It was such a beautiful sight. Even more so because the blue eyes were just gazing at him, waiting, lips parted as Kanda was drawing in short breaths.

Allen bent down for one short kiss, his arm stretching over Kanda's head to fish out the lube bottle. He pondered what to do for around two seconds, but then shoved the lube at the man's chest. Allen just― didn't really care about technicalities. They could do whatever Kanda wanted, so better to just leave it to him. Except that the long-haired man seemed kind of displeased with this turnout, glaring at him. Meanwhile Allen really wasn't sure what did he do wrong, so he just cocked his head slightly, hoping that the question was obvious enough on his face. Maybe it was, because Kanda clearly wanted to say something. He ended up only swallowing though, messily shoving the lube back at Allen.

"Look, you clearly know what you're doing," Kanda managed in-between his breaths and when Allen raised his eyebrows at him, the glare the man gave in response was surely weaker than he intended. "Don't make me say it twice," he growled and Allen blushed a bit at his own idiocy, suddenly understanding.

He nodded tersely, feverish. So Kanda wanted Allen to fuck him then. Well, that was just― a bit unexpected. It was his turn to swallow and he shifted his position, heart pounding somewhere in his throat. He felt like he was about to burst with how hot he felt, excitement making him dizzy.

Sitting in-between Kanda's long legs now, Allen bent down in a daze, peppering wet kisses on the man's tights as he opened the bottle. For Kanda to trust him so openly― Allen resolved not to make him regret it. Applying light pressure with his palms, he made the man spread his legs a bit wider and then lift them, biting down his own shuddering moan at the sight.

"God, Kanda." The name rolled off of his tongue as if it was the most precious thing he ever handled, to the extent the he embarrassed himself silly, but he wasn't going to get distracted from this. His tongue was on Kanda's cock again, palms caressing the buttocks, stretching the skin between them. Kanda's breath hitched somewhere above him and he finally put some lube on his fingers, rubbing them to warm up the substance. Then he slickened the man's sensitive skin messily, applying some pressure as he lightly sucked on one of the man's balls.

There was hands in his hair and Kanda wriggled a bit, impatiently. Allen moaned against his skin, pushing one finger inside, the heat there making him tense in anticipation. As one of the well-slickened fingers started moving, the man's hips twitched, Allen understanding that he was given a leeway to put in another. He did, scissoring after a few testing thrusts, easily locating Kanda's prostate. He rubbed it teasingly, his lips closing around the head of the man's cock, sucking.

"Fuck," he heard Kanda groan, his own erection starting to seriously hurt from the strain. He continued stretching though, the man wincing almost inaudibly when he added a third finger eventually. He was sucking on one of the veins on the side of Kanda's erection now, quickly lapping with his tongue at a bit of precum that leaked out. As nice as preparing the man was, the sounds spilling whenever he prodded at the prostate very gratifying, Allen was extremely relieved when the man seemed to be ready.

He withdrew his fingers and backed away, Kanda sitting up as if on cue. With an intense stare, he scooped up the abandoned lube bottle, Allen groaning helplessly when he felt an eager hand slick up his erection, the coolness of the liquid making his senses hy-wire as his chest heaved.

"Kanda." The name rumbled in his chest ferally, both of them locked in a stare as the man flopped back down to the bed, practically shoving his hips onto Allen's lap as he panted harshly.

Allen reached for one of the pillows blindly, putting it under Kanda's hips in a hurry. His hands knew what to do better than he did at this point, one lifting a long leg to rest on his shoulder as the other grabbed his own cock, steadying it into position. His mind was blank when he started pushing in, barely registering anything besides the tight heat enveloping him excruciatingly slow. He tried to relax once he was completely in, now noticing that Kanda was trying to do the same, eyes shut as he was biting his lip.

Allen's hands were soothingly caressing the leg in his hold, giving small kisses on the soft skin as his head turned to the side. He would be damned if he didn't do this properly, he was quite sure he never felt so completely adamant about someone having the best experience he could possibly give them.

When he noticed Kanda opened his eyes, throwing him an expectant look, he moved his hips experimentally, his chest constricting when the man thrown his head back in approval, gasp leaving his parted lips. The man was clearly beyond comfortable with him now and nothing has even turned Allen on that much. It was honestly hard to control himself, but he gave another single thrust, his fingers digging into Kanda's flesh.

"Move, you idiot," Kanda spat at him, eyes squeezed shut. When he did, the thin black eyebrows scrunched in the sexiest expression Allen has ever seen. He moaned loudly, thrusting his pelvis at a controlled pace repeatedly. He quickly understood that Kanda didn't mind him being a bit rougher than that though, so he quickened up, forced to bite his lip almost bloody to regain some composure.

He knew he was hitting the prostate when Kanda's hands fiercely twisted in the bed covers and he struggled to keep the angle, head rolling backwards as he heard a low growl. Allen was going insane, he was pretty sure.

His pace was frantic now, mismatched hands clutching at Kanda's hips that were trying to meet him halfway as he bent down, wanting to be just a bit closer to the man. He growled his appreciation when it turned out Kanda was flexible enough to lift his torso off of the bed, strong arms wrapping around his shoulders crushingly, Kanda's teeth biting Allen's lip before he initiated a very messy, needy kiss.

"Shit," he managed in a raspy voice, slowing down his movements to prolong the moment, eyes staring at Kanda's face. They were both completely feverish, focusing on another kiss for a few seconds, basically attempting to devour each other. Allen really wanted to press against this amazing body more comfortably, he needed more contact. He broke the kiss then, slowing his thrusts even more until they stilled. "Turn around, Kanda," his voice broke embarrassingly as he said that, but Kanda didn't seem very keen on being mean right now. He nodded sharply, blue eyes burning up.

They repositioned then, Kanda turning and supporting his weight on his knees and one hand, head straining to turn over his shoulder. Allen gripped his hips maybe a bit too harshly and easily slided back inside Kanda's ass, his harsh panting hitching at the sight as he stared helplessly.

This was not going to take long, he knew. Every single curve and muscle of Kanda's body was downright asking him to devour it. He gave a few harsh trusts, the body before him flexing in appreciation, but then he stopped just for a second, reaching for Kanda to pull him up into his arms, wrapping them around him desperately. He groaned almost into the man's ear as he pressed them close, resuming his trusts again. He was far beyond controlling himself now, hips pushing upwards and back down hard and fast. Kanda leaned into him with his back, groaning at a particularly deep shove, his hair all over Allen's face by now.

It made him absently remember Kanda's reaction to him tugging on the strands before. His breath hitched, fingers itching to just― try. And so he did, hand tangled in Kanda's hair somewhere close to the scalp as he tugged lightly. The man was clearly too far gone to object to this anymore, throwing his head back to rest on the tattooed shoulder, sinful rumbling moan spilling easily.

Allen felt like he was burning up. He tugged again, insistently keeping the pressure, both of their hips moving uncontrollably. He felt his pleasure turning too intense. This― this was too much. Especially when he realized that Kanda was jerking himself off now, feral growl rumbling in his chest.

The body in his arms turned very still and as he gave a harsh tug at the black hair in his grasp, he felt Kanda convulsing, immediately understanding that the man reached his climax, choking on the air. He was gasping for breath shortly after, the side of his face pressing against Allen's. Turning to have his nose against the man's cheek, Allen managed a few final thrusts, stilling deep inside, his body shaking and a long quivering groan spilling from his lips as he came.

Allen was mind-blown, his arms wrapping around Kanda's torso, forehead dropping onto the man's shoulder.

"Fuck, holy fucking shit," he mumbled tiredly. His heart was racing and thumping hard enough that he was sure Kanda could feel it against his back. His head was all fuzzy, too, and he couldn't do anything else than just pant against the pale skin, his hold on Kanda's body relaxed, but persistent.

The man in his embrace didn't seem to mind at all, his breathing more or less normal now, but his whole stance still completely relaxed. Allen decided to move only when he felt his legs shaking, refusing to support him in this kneeling position anymore. He gripped Kanda's hips one last time, wincing slightly at the oversensitivity of his flesh as he slowly pulled out of the other's body. He gave a shuddering sigh, collapsing sideways onto the bed. The other man joined him quickly enough, turning around to lie down facing him, their bodies barely apart.

"You can insult me all you want now. I think I won't mind anymore," Allen admitted with some amusement in his voice. His eyelids wanted to drop shut, but he didn't let them, thoroughly enjoying staring at Kanda's face.

The man managed to roll his eyes, scoffing weakly.

"I liked you moaning my name better than your stupid comments," Kanda said, but his lips were twitching, eyes glinting almost happily.

Shit, Kanda was completely fucking smitten about him, wasn't he? Allen could barely breathe. How didn't he realize before was completely unbelievable to him now.

"I think I love you," Allen confessed easily, tossing an arm around the other's body and Kanda actually squinted at him warningly.

"Think again," he grumbled.

And so Allen did, not missing the obviously embarrassed slight flush on the other's face.

"Yep, definitely," he said with a brilliant smile. Kanda just grunted, his gaze straying a bit to the side, but this was enough for Allen to understand. He decided to push his luck a bit more. "Were you serious before, Kanda? About the keys and― and everything." Above all else, Allen was always very practical about money and just thinking about living together - cutting the costs while also spending way more time together seemed more than appealing.

"Who would want to live with you," Kanda tensed as he said that, short of defensive even if he was glaring.

"Well, you, obviously," Allen answered with a smile that made the other man's eye twitch. "I think you should move in here though. Your place is damn depressing, you know."

"God, you're so annoying."

"Well, that's a yes then," Allen concluded, shamelessly rolling onto the other man, laughing at his mortification. He gave him a deliberately loud peck on the lips, Kanda wincing in response. "Perfect."

"I can stay tonight," Kanda conceded eventually, visibly giving up.

Allen was about to mention how it was almost morning now and Daisya supposedly had Kanda's keys anyway, but decided against it, letting the man feel secure about making this decision. He resolved to make him more honest about his feelings eventually. But with time, for now Allen just smiled to himself quietly.

Fifteenth of February found him waking up in the afternoon and even then, actually getting out of the bed took him an extra hour or two. Because Kanda was there, naked and uncaringly relaxed - clearly not giving a shit about pretty much anything.

"Hello, gorgeous," Allen murmured, just to have the beautiful man scowl at the cheesy line in distaste. Ah, yes, wasn't this just perfect. The gray eyes danced with mirth, straight up laughing at his lover. Well, partner, actually. Kanda could deny all he wanted now, but after all that was said yesterday - the situation between them was quite clear to Allen.

"Shut up" the low voice growled in response, but then Kanda just kissed him, long mass of hair mussed all around his face.

More towards the evening, his ass hurting, but overall in the best mood since ever, Allen told Kanda that he had to leave for a moment. The man just shrugged though, clearly signalling that he was not going anywhere. Allen immediately remembered to make him a copy of his keys sometime soon.

He left the apartment alone after that, just leaving the man be. He went to a nearby store, honestly in quite a hurry to come back home already, Kanda was waiting for him after all. He bought the biggest box of chocolate he could find and, next thing he knew, he was already pressing the doorbell in front of Lenalee's apartment. The door revealed his friend after a moment, a surprised expression on her face. She blinked twice at his relaxed smile before giving him a long, meaningful stare.

"Someone looks well-fucked today," she said happily, one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows shooting upwards.

"You could say that," he answered easily, playfully looking to the side. Privately, he thought she should have seen Kanda yesterday then. Actually― on a second thought, definitely better not. "I brought you the chocolate, you sly fox." He basically shoved the box at her, but it only made her laugh. "Just so you know though, I've heard it was him that asked you to drag me to the party, so I suppose you deserved a smaller box. If anything."

Lenalee gave him the look.

"Please. You guys were trying to get together like the fourth Valentine's in a row already. I made him ask for my help."

Lenalee was, Allen decided, quite scary sometimes. However, she was also an amazing friend.

Kanda, on the other hand, was the most embarrassingly dishonest person on the damn planet.