D.Grayman - One-shot - PG13
May. 1st, 2008 10:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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snippetsTitle: Coffee Run
Author’s Name:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
parsnip_chan
Requester’s Name:flashslut/empath_eia
Characters: Lenalee-centric with Komui/+ Lenalee connation and Fou/+Lavi, and Bak/Lenalee (all depending on how you squint)
Rating: PG13
Word Count: About 2,200
Squicks/Spoilers: Everything through Chapter 156. Incest, depending on your interpretation.
Author’s Note: I was originally going to do Miranda/Lavi but Plan A kept growing with every 200 words I wrote in plot and the deadline was fast approaching. So Plan B was devised instead (even though it still ended up at 2K words). I attempted to use humor but I'm not sure how well it works and if it doesn't work, well, sorry for making you read it XD I did try to leave all relationships ambiguous depending on how you'd like to interpret them.
Summary: Komui is wading his way through the science division backlog after the Level 4 smashed near everything to bits. With the rest of the division incapacitated, it's up to Komui to take up the slack and Lenalee's there to help him. Or at least get him coffee.
Coffee Run
A stocking foot eased its way out of the ark, followed by an arm and then a blue clad body. Lenalee landed lightly on the platform that had been built underneath the portal and smiled, waving her greetings to the technicians who were enmeshed in dissecting the ark’s mechanics and amassing a map of its byways. It was not a job for the faint-hearted or the slow-witted.
Many had been nearly lost to frying pans and rolling pins to the head as more than one frightened housewife sought to protect their pies, virtues, and families from intruders. These maidens were so effective, the order was seriously considering recruiting them to the Finder Squads, but meanwhile, each brave soldier was assigned a field medic. Just in case.
Or at least as many medics as could be spared from nursing the wounded from the HQ assault.
“Lenalee!” Bak gushed, turning red with effort as he rushed to her side and grabbing her hand. “Let me help you down from there.” Bak pulled her down the steps with an enthusiasm Lenalee was unaccustomed to, mostly because Komui would assign said man to the furthest reaches of the planet if he could.
Scientists and exorcists truly were the worst patients a nurse could ask for.
“Thank-you,” Lenalee replied, extracting her hand as surreptiously as possible from Bak’s grasp. He hardly noticed anyways, as he appeared to be hyperventilating. Was he starting to break out in a rash or was his wound aggravated from the speed with which he had hobbled over to her? Lenalee glanced down at her hand, half expecting to see a similar malady coating her skin. She wiped it against her skirt just to be safe.
“We’re almost done assessing the damage at HQ but there’s still a lot of work to put things back in order. And since Komui’s motivated at the moment, we’re doing as much as we can before he drops. I should really hurry and get back to him before he does more harm than good, though. He doesn’t do well when left unsupervised.”
Bak nodded, pulling the neck of his shirt away from his skin, flushing. “Then we won’t keep you.” He fiddled with his collar again, pulling on a loose string. “Just know that we’ll be keeping the best room in the branch open for you when you return. It’s the least we can do!”
Lenalee could practically hear the glee crackle in his voice even though it cracked in the middle. A technician glanced up and glared at the branch chief.
“I would hate to displace anyone,” she said tentatively, hoping to ease the technician’s ire. Was it his room she would be taking over or was it high pitch Bak’s voice reached when it cracked?
Bak waved his hand in dismissal while the other continued to hold onto the frayed edge of his color for dear life. “No worries, no worries. It’s not anything the owner wouldn’t mind doing for you. I’d be more than happy to take you there myself, but duty is calling me.” Bak gulped and scurried back to his place at the radio station, cramming a listening device back over his ears and turning red from neck to ear.
No one had ever behaved as Bak did around her. It was endearing, but disconcerting. But, even though she knew a dismissal when she heard one (Komui was a master at that although never had he used it on her), Lenalee still hesitated before striding over to the sole medic on hand.
Softly, Lenalee whispered, “You might want to make sure Bak gets some help soon. I think he’s breaking out in a rash and his wound might be aggravating him as well. He’s not acting himself at all.”
The medic started blankly at Lenalee before laughing. “Don’t worry. It happens to him all the time!” Her smile widened in a grin.
Confused, Lenalee nodded and turned away after getting a pat on the shoulder and a wink from the medic. She would get to the bottom of Bak’s behavior, eventually, but later when she had more time. For now, she had her own mission to complete. Sighing, Lenalee wondered if Komui would let her investigate Bak’s strangeness without throwing a fit first. As it was, the longer Komui waited for his coffee, the more likely he’d do someone harm once he got it.
-|-|-
The kitchen was quiet at this hour, with the fires banked low and the head cook asleep in her corner. Lenalee snuck into the room, holding a finger up to her lips to placate the cat nestled on Cook’s lap. He flicked his tail and settled back down for his nap, ignoring Lenalee.
Smiling, she put a pot of water on to boil, keeping the gas flame low while she ground the coffee beans she unearthed from a tin. Lenalee loved making coffee for Komui and her friends. It was a simple task, but one that gave her more joy from her family than fighting Akuma ever did.
“Do you think I could have a cup or two?”
Lenalee jumped, clutching a mug close to her chest. “Fou?!” she gasped, turning to find herself nose-to-nose with the branch guardian. Gulping, she took a half step back. “Of—Of course,” she murmured, wondering what Fou wanted with the coffee. This was the first time she had ever intimated enjoying the brew. Or drinking anything for that matter. There were some secrets even Komui didn’t know; if he did, he had never told her.
“Thanks!” Fou said brightly, stepping back to allow Lenalee to continue her preparations. “I was thinking Lavi might want some. He’s been wandering around the branch all night by himself and scaring half my people to death.”
Lenalee frowned and made a mental note to check up on him later. “That doesn’t seem like him. Are you sure no one’s with him?”
Fou leaned against the counter. “Positive, and he seems pretty used to it to me. Being alone that is.” Fou rolled a coffee bean around between her needles while her brow creased in concentration. “I’m more interested in testing that memory of his though. Just how much does he see with that eye of his?”
Lenalee wondered if that glint in Fou’s eyes was a by-product of the firelight or a plot in the making. “I’ve never known Lavi to be wrong. He was even able to tell the difference in a single key out of over a thousand when we were trapped in Road’s dream.”
Lenalee paused. “How long as Lavi been like this?” Lenalee bit her lip; she couldn’t stand the thought of her friends being alone. Why couldn’t any of them simply ask for help, rather than holding it all in? She thrust the tin back into it’s place on the counter.
“Since he moved in two days ago.” Fou’s smile widened as the kettle began to whistle. It seemed she kept a close eye on both the inhabitants within and the foes without. It was as guardians should be. Lenalee mourned the need for such a function.
Quickly taking it off the stove, Lenalee added hot water to the French press, just enough coffee for eight; she would leave some with Bak and the other technicians on her way back to HQ. It was the least she could do for their aid.
“Thanks!” Fou said, her voice morphing into a similar timbre.
Pressing down on the press, Lenalee slowly strained the beans out of the water. “No problem,” Lenalee murmured, pouring the coffee into the cups before setting it the press in the sink for washing. Thoughtfully, Lenalee asked, “So do you know what’s going on Bak? I think he might be coming down with something.”
It was as good as any time to go fishing for information, and if anyone knew anything in this place, it was Fou.
Fou laughed, matching the tone and quality of the earlier medic’s laugh almost perfectly. “Don’t worry about him. It’s just a nervous habit of his. He’ll get over it in a day or so. Maybe longer if things keep going as they are.”
Lenalee glanced over her shoulder. Why couldn’t anyone give her a straight answer! But the thought flew her mind almost as soon as it entered it. Standing in front of her, was a perfect replica copy of herself.
Fou twirled. “Do you think this will do?” She smirked with satisfaction.
Lenalee gulped and closed her mouth. “You look just like me.”
“I hope so! I want to know how bright Lavi is or whether or not my program can fool even a bookman. Do you see anything out of place?” She twirled again, this time more slowly.
Lenalee tried to pay attention, but it was disconcerting seeing what she was seeing. “I—I think so.”
Fou tilted her head, one pony tail sliding off her shoulder. “Good. Then I’ll just go ahead and give this to Lavi.” She picked up one of the cups and set it on a tray to. “Is there anything in particular you would say to Lavi when you give him the coffee?”
Lenalee shook her head. “Um, maybe just, ‘Hello,’ and ‘Would you like some coffee?’”
Fou grinned and waved. “Thanks! I’ll let you know how things go with Lavi. I also hear he likes older women…”
Lenalee watched herself—Fou—stride away, wondering if she flounced half as much as Fou was doing. Shrugging, and fully expecting to hear how things went in the morning, Lenalee picked up her own tray and walked back to the ark.
-|-|-
Komui glomped her from behind as soon as she entered the room, the research division scattered with more papers than usual seeing as the shock of the level 4 attacks had toppled almost every single teetering stack.
“Lenalee!” he whined, rubbing his head into Lenalee’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you so much!”
Lenalee patted Komui’s hair with her free hand instead of pushing him away as they usually did. Everyone else had already retired for the night, which was good considering there were only one cup of coffee left on the tray now; the others had long since been deposited next to Bak (he was still flushed and short of breath) and his crew.
“Your coffee’s getting cold.”
Komui turned his face, resting his chin on her shoulder and reaching out for the still steaming cup. She could feel his throat muscles working as he gulped down a sip or two. “Delicious,” he sighed into her ear, making her shiver.
Was it only two days ago that she had thought she was going to die?
Lenalee leaned back slightly, relishing the touch of her brother against her back. She was glad to be alive.
Komui nuzzled her ear before drinking again. “I think I should keep you as my bodyguard. The akuma are obviously coming after me, and what would my Lenalee do if I wasn’t around anymore?!”
Lenalee’s eyes went blank, both from the hot breath against her skin and at the thought of living life without Komui. She had friends and family, yes, but to go back to a time when he wasn’t by her side or a phone call away?
She would rather die with him or else die in his place.
Turning in his embrace, Lenalee grabbed his coffee cup away from him, setting it on the desk next to her. “Don’t say that,” she scolded. “Don’t ever say that.”
Komui leaned his forehead against her own. “I won’t as long as you promise never to do anything half as foolish as you did with your innocence again.”
Lenalee hesitated. She couldn’t promise that; not if it meant keeping everyone else alive. She hated fear. “I can’t.”
Komui nodded and let go, snagging his cup of coffee again and peering around the room in earnest. “That just means I’ll have to make sure you’ll never have to.” Blithely walking across the room, he began to pick up a few papers before setting them down again after scanning the contents. Lenalee smiled.
It would seem Komui was finally starting to work on organizing his files. With half the science division confined to bed rest, he was going to be a busy man indeed.
“Komui?” Lenalee asked, breaking his concentration. “Why don’t we call it an early night?”
Komui’s eyes rounded as he looked up from his seat on the floor, coffee mug pressed against his lips. Lenalee clasped her hands in front of her nervously. It had been a long time since she felt the need to seek comfort in her brother’s bed. It had only been for that first year after he returned when she needed the assurance. And now, well, perhaps she still needed the assurance that he was always going to be there.
His smile deepened. “I think we should, but I call dibs on the pillow. You always steal it from me anyways.”
“Thanks, brother.”
Hand in hand, they adjourned to Komui’s chambers, one of the few still intact and habitable.
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Author’s Name:
parsnip_chanRequester’s Name:
flashslut/empath_eiaCharacters: Lenalee-centric with Komui/+ Lenalee connation and Fou/+Lavi, and Bak/Lenalee (all depending on how you squint)
Rating: PG13
Word Count: About 2,200
Squicks/Spoilers: Everything through Chapter 156. Incest, depending on your interpretation.
Author’s Note: I was originally going to do Miranda/Lavi but Plan A kept growing with every 200 words I wrote in plot and the deadline was fast approaching. So Plan B was devised instead (even though it still ended up at 2K words). I attempted to use humor but I'm not sure how well it works and if it doesn't work, well, sorry for making you read it XD I did try to leave all relationships ambiguous depending on how you'd like to interpret them.
Summary: Komui is wading his way through the science division backlog after the Level 4 smashed near everything to bits. With the rest of the division incapacitated, it's up to Komui to take up the slack and Lenalee's there to help him. Or at least get him coffee.
A stocking foot eased its way out of the ark, followed by an arm and then a blue clad body. Lenalee landed lightly on the platform that had been built underneath the portal and smiled, waving her greetings to the technicians who were enmeshed in dissecting the ark’s mechanics and amassing a map of its byways. It was not a job for the faint-hearted or the slow-witted.
Many had been nearly lost to frying pans and rolling pins to the head as more than one frightened housewife sought to protect their pies, virtues, and families from intruders. These maidens were so effective, the order was seriously considering recruiting them to the Finder Squads, but meanwhile, each brave soldier was assigned a field medic. Just in case.
Or at least as many medics as could be spared from nursing the wounded from the HQ assault.
“Lenalee!” Bak gushed, turning red with effort as he rushed to her side and grabbing her hand. “Let me help you down from there.” Bak pulled her down the steps with an enthusiasm Lenalee was unaccustomed to, mostly because Komui would assign said man to the furthest reaches of the planet if he could.
Scientists and exorcists truly were the worst patients a nurse could ask for.
“Thank-you,” Lenalee replied, extracting her hand as surreptiously as possible from Bak’s grasp. He hardly noticed anyways, as he appeared to be hyperventilating. Was he starting to break out in a rash or was his wound aggravated from the speed with which he had hobbled over to her? Lenalee glanced down at her hand, half expecting to see a similar malady coating her skin. She wiped it against her skirt just to be safe.
“We’re almost done assessing the damage at HQ but there’s still a lot of work to put things back in order. And since Komui’s motivated at the moment, we’re doing as much as we can before he drops. I should really hurry and get back to him before he does more harm than good, though. He doesn’t do well when left unsupervised.”
Bak nodded, pulling the neck of his shirt away from his skin, flushing. “Then we won’t keep you.” He fiddled with his collar again, pulling on a loose string. “Just know that we’ll be keeping the best room in the branch open for you when you return. It’s the least we can do!”
Lenalee could practically hear the glee crackle in his voice even though it cracked in the middle. A technician glanced up and glared at the branch chief.
“I would hate to displace anyone,” she said tentatively, hoping to ease the technician’s ire. Was it his room she would be taking over or was it high pitch Bak’s voice reached when it cracked?
Bak waved his hand in dismissal while the other continued to hold onto the frayed edge of his color for dear life. “No worries, no worries. It’s not anything the owner wouldn’t mind doing for you. I’d be more than happy to take you there myself, but duty is calling me.” Bak gulped and scurried back to his place at the radio station, cramming a listening device back over his ears and turning red from neck to ear.
No one had ever behaved as Bak did around her. It was endearing, but disconcerting. But, even though she knew a dismissal when she heard one (Komui was a master at that although never had he used it on her), Lenalee still hesitated before striding over to the sole medic on hand.
Softly, Lenalee whispered, “You might want to make sure Bak gets some help soon. I think he’s breaking out in a rash and his wound might be aggravating him as well. He’s not acting himself at all.”
The medic started blankly at Lenalee before laughing. “Don’t worry. It happens to him all the time!” Her smile widened in a grin.
Confused, Lenalee nodded and turned away after getting a pat on the shoulder and a wink from the medic. She would get to the bottom of Bak’s behavior, eventually, but later when she had more time. For now, she had her own mission to complete. Sighing, Lenalee wondered if Komui would let her investigate Bak’s strangeness without throwing a fit first. As it was, the longer Komui waited for his coffee, the more likely he’d do someone harm once he got it.
The kitchen was quiet at this hour, with the fires banked low and the head cook asleep in her corner. Lenalee snuck into the room, holding a finger up to her lips to placate the cat nestled on Cook’s lap. He flicked his tail and settled back down for his nap, ignoring Lenalee.
Smiling, she put a pot of water on to boil, keeping the gas flame low while she ground the coffee beans she unearthed from a tin. Lenalee loved making coffee for Komui and her friends. It was a simple task, but one that gave her more joy from her family than fighting Akuma ever did.
“Do you think I could have a cup or two?”
Lenalee jumped, clutching a mug close to her chest. “Fou?!” she gasped, turning to find herself nose-to-nose with the branch guardian. Gulping, she took a half step back. “Of—Of course,” she murmured, wondering what Fou wanted with the coffee. This was the first time she had ever intimated enjoying the brew. Or drinking anything for that matter. There were some secrets even Komui didn’t know; if he did, he had never told her.
“Thanks!” Fou said brightly, stepping back to allow Lenalee to continue her preparations. “I was thinking Lavi might want some. He’s been wandering around the branch all night by himself and scaring half my people to death.”
Lenalee frowned and made a mental note to check up on him later. “That doesn’t seem like him. Are you sure no one’s with him?”
Fou leaned against the counter. “Positive, and he seems pretty used to it to me. Being alone that is.” Fou rolled a coffee bean around between her needles while her brow creased in concentration. “I’m more interested in testing that memory of his though. Just how much does he see with that eye of his?”
Lenalee wondered if that glint in Fou’s eyes was a by-product of the firelight or a plot in the making. “I’ve never known Lavi to be wrong. He was even able to tell the difference in a single key out of over a thousand when we were trapped in Road’s dream.”
Lenalee paused. “How long as Lavi been like this?” Lenalee bit her lip; she couldn’t stand the thought of her friends being alone. Why couldn’t any of them simply ask for help, rather than holding it all in? She thrust the tin back into it’s place on the counter.
“Since he moved in two days ago.” Fou’s smile widened as the kettle began to whistle. It seemed she kept a close eye on both the inhabitants within and the foes without. It was as guardians should be. Lenalee mourned the need for such a function.
Quickly taking it off the stove, Lenalee added hot water to the French press, just enough coffee for eight; she would leave some with Bak and the other technicians on her way back to HQ. It was the least she could do for their aid.
“Thanks!” Fou said, her voice morphing into a similar timbre.
Pressing down on the press, Lenalee slowly strained the beans out of the water. “No problem,” Lenalee murmured, pouring the coffee into the cups before setting it the press in the sink for washing. Thoughtfully, Lenalee asked, “So do you know what’s going on Bak? I think he might be coming down with something.”
It was as good as any time to go fishing for information, and if anyone knew anything in this place, it was Fou.
Fou laughed, matching the tone and quality of the earlier medic’s laugh almost perfectly. “Don’t worry about him. It’s just a nervous habit of his. He’ll get over it in a day or so. Maybe longer if things keep going as they are.”
Lenalee glanced over her shoulder. Why couldn’t anyone give her a straight answer! But the thought flew her mind almost as soon as it entered it. Standing in front of her, was a perfect replica copy of herself.
Fou twirled. “Do you think this will do?” She smirked with satisfaction.
Lenalee gulped and closed her mouth. “You look just like me.”
“I hope so! I want to know how bright Lavi is or whether or not my program can fool even a bookman. Do you see anything out of place?” She twirled again, this time more slowly.
Lenalee tried to pay attention, but it was disconcerting seeing what she was seeing. “I—I think so.”
Fou tilted her head, one pony tail sliding off her shoulder. “Good. Then I’ll just go ahead and give this to Lavi.” She picked up one of the cups and set it on a tray to. “Is there anything in particular you would say to Lavi when you give him the coffee?”
Lenalee shook her head. “Um, maybe just, ‘Hello,’ and ‘Would you like some coffee?’”
Fou grinned and waved. “Thanks! I’ll let you know how things go with Lavi. I also hear he likes older women…”
Lenalee watched herself—Fou—stride away, wondering if she flounced half as much as Fou was doing. Shrugging, and fully expecting to hear how things went in the morning, Lenalee picked up her own tray and walked back to the ark.
Komui glomped her from behind as soon as she entered the room, the research division scattered with more papers than usual seeing as the shock of the level 4 attacks had toppled almost every single teetering stack.
“Lenalee!” he whined, rubbing his head into Lenalee’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you so much!”
Lenalee patted Komui’s hair with her free hand instead of pushing him away as they usually did. Everyone else had already retired for the night, which was good considering there were only one cup of coffee left on the tray now; the others had long since been deposited next to Bak (he was still flushed and short of breath) and his crew.
“Your coffee’s getting cold.”
Komui turned his face, resting his chin on her shoulder and reaching out for the still steaming cup. She could feel his throat muscles working as he gulped down a sip or two. “Delicious,” he sighed into her ear, making her shiver.
Was it only two days ago that she had thought she was going to die?
Lenalee leaned back slightly, relishing the touch of her brother against her back. She was glad to be alive.
Komui nuzzled her ear before drinking again. “I think I should keep you as my bodyguard. The akuma are obviously coming after me, and what would my Lenalee do if I wasn’t around anymore?!”
Lenalee’s eyes went blank, both from the hot breath against her skin and at the thought of living life without Komui. She had friends and family, yes, but to go back to a time when he wasn’t by her side or a phone call away?
She would rather die with him or else die in his place.
Turning in his embrace, Lenalee grabbed his coffee cup away from him, setting it on the desk next to her. “Don’t say that,” she scolded. “Don’t ever say that.”
Komui leaned his forehead against her own. “I won’t as long as you promise never to do anything half as foolish as you did with your innocence again.”
Lenalee hesitated. She couldn’t promise that; not if it meant keeping everyone else alive. She hated fear. “I can’t.”
Komui nodded and let go, snagging his cup of coffee again and peering around the room in earnest. “That just means I’ll have to make sure you’ll never have to.” Blithely walking across the room, he began to pick up a few papers before setting them down again after scanning the contents. Lenalee smiled.
It would seem Komui was finally starting to work on organizing his files. With half the science division confined to bed rest, he was going to be a busy man indeed.
“Komui?” Lenalee asked, breaking his concentration. “Why don’t we call it an early night?”
Komui’s eyes rounded as he looked up from his seat on the floor, coffee mug pressed against his lips. Lenalee clasped her hands in front of her nervously. It had been a long time since she felt the need to seek comfort in her brother’s bed. It had only been for that first year after he returned when she needed the assurance. And now, well, perhaps she still needed the assurance that he was always going to be there.
His smile deepened. “I think we should, but I call dibs on the pillow. You always steal it from me anyways.”
“Thanks, brother.”
Hand in hand, they adjourned to Komui’s chambers, one of the few still intact and habitable.
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![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 04:37 am (UTC)Just. Komui and Linali taking comfort in each other and chasing the nightmares away ajgkadslfjsa yes. So much yes.
LOL at Fou impersonating Linali to mess with Lavi, naughty girl! XD
BUT SERIOUSLY OMG KOMUI. AND LINALI MAKING THE FIRST MOVE. *___________*
lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove
Thank you so much. ♥♥♥
no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 04:47 am (UTC):D I'm glad you enjoyed it! I find it
utterly delightfulironic that the last section was the easiest one to write.*laughs in glee*
And why wouldn't Fou mess with Lavi? It's a perfect match! Just think of what games they could play ^_~
I'm not obsessed with Fou's shape-changing abilities whatsoever. Nope. Not at all. *dies*
no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 04:49 am (UTC)FOU TOTALLY WOULD MESS WITH LAVI BECAUSE SHE'S AWESOME AND HE'D BE FUN TO PLAY WITH. It would be a total challenge for her to pull off being Linali, with Lavi's memory... one freckle out of place and she's screwed. :D
no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 04:56 am (UTC):D
I find it fascinating how easy my headcanon for this pairing is growing.
*shifty eyes*