midnightstar | A SURPRISE LENALEE APPROACHES; Command?

Despite all of everything the Black Order has been through, it was business as usual for the various teams. Lenalee and Allen were in one team with Miranda and a few Finders. Lucky them, their mission took them to the mountains - beautiful scenery, but cold weather. Fortunately they managed to find a small inn with vacancies, so they could stay indoors. Amazingly, Miranda was actually sleeping more peacefully than Lenalee at the moment.

Although after all of the scenarios and seeing all of the deaths in the war with the Earl and fighting the akuma, (...not to mention what she personally has been through), it really should come as no surprise that Lenalee's sleep was less than restful. While she managed to snatch an hour or two here and there of sleep, worries about her friends, her brother, and one exorcist in particular all contributed to making her nightmare particularly bloody and gruesome. When she jerked awake for the second time that night (or was it third, she wasn't sure), she knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep right away, so she silently slipped out of her room, padding down the hall. Maybe a glass of water would settle her nerves.

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Allen was just as over the moon to see Lenalee, his arms opening wide to catch her after the initial surprise passed. She'd jumped quite a bit but like hell he would allow himself to miss Lenalee. He caught her in his arms and spun her around two times with a laugh before finally setting her down on the ground.

"God I have I missed you." He said pulling close to Lenalee's face by cupping her cheeks lovingly.

She couldn't even begin to express how elated she was to see him - and hear how much he missed her too. Laughing as he caught her, when he finally set her down she hugged him tightly, her pulse racing at those words. "I've missed you too," she murmured happily, breathless and pink cheeked from laughter. "Every night all I could think about was see you."

Getting hugged again after setting her down was a pleasant surprise. He'd been intending to settle for holding her hand a bit more. But now this was much much better.

"It was the same for me too. You were on my mind every moment I had a moment of peace to myself." Allen said and pressed a light kiss to Lenalee's forehead.

After spending so many days away from him, she didn't want to just settle for holding his hand. At least not right away. She wanted to be close to him for a little bit longer. Though eventually she does loosen her desperately tight hug, and lean away, the happy, warm smile never leaving her face, especially after that forehead kiss. "How did your mission go?" Well, she would assume, and considering he was on his feet, but she wanted to hear it from him directly.

He missed it so much. That smile. That warmth. Even her scent. Everything about Lenalee, everything that made her precious and dear. Allen couldn't help himself. Not anymore. Why would he though?

"It went without a hitch. Saved the village and took care of the Akuma base without losing a single person."

She gripped his hands in hers, squeezing them lightly, "That's wonderful, Allen! I knew it would go well for you too." She's ..not going to admit she was worried those Noah would show up, one in particular. Or the Earl. Oh she had a great many worries for Allen, especially with the Earl and the Noah's interest in him.

But she wasn't going to dwell on any of them right now. "And my brother? How is he holding up?"

"He's behaving for the most part. Oh and about that thing you asked him to do while you were away." Allen started before he playfully made a half-lidded gaze in Lenalee's direction before he pulled her by the hand to start walking away from the sailors and troops that were likely praying for Allen's unfortunate accident right about now.

Oh a great many of them were wishing for that - sure they were busy with unloading cargo but most of them were shooting dark glares at Allen's back when they started to walk away. Especially the Finders. Even the Captain of the ship! And he was three times Lenalee's age!

Dirty old man.

"I'm relieved," Lenalee sighed, lacing her fingers through his as they started up the path back to the Order. Though her expression was momentarily confused, "That thing..?" ... oh.. OH. WOW he got on that quick.

She flushed a deep red at the playful look Allen gave her, stifling a giggle as she glanced away, "O-oh... -That- thing..." Ahem. Quit looking at her like that, Allen, it's making her blush!

They would have to get in line as Allen had plenty of enemies in the war who either wanted to capture or kill him. Regardless he could not care less since now that Lenalee was there, he finally felt that missing part of him slide back into his existence, completing him.

"Yes that thing. Though he also took that chance to place some traps in the corridor leading to your room as well." Allen chuckled. He wasn't really worried of course. He had means to make it past.

She leaned against his shoulder with a mock exasperated sigh, "Oh, that Komui. I might have known he'd do something like that." She paused, "Wait, so then, does that mean he's finally realized about... us?"

"I don't think so. Or else I wouldn't be here with you right now. No I think he's just playing it safe or he might suspect something." Allen chuckled softly. Either way he wasn't going to think too much about the what iffs. They would find out one way or another. But right now he just wanted to get as much of Lenalee as he could before she would have to separate from him to give her brother the debriefing for her mission.

"That's true. I was surprised to see you waiting for me when I got off of the ship, actually..!" But it was the best sight she'd ever seen. And to be honest, were their roles reversed, she'd have wanted to meet him when he came home too.

"Am I terrible if I say I don't want to go back to the Order just yet..?" Except the Finders will surely mention that they saw her, and that she should have arrived ahead of them, and then Komui will panic and.. yeah.

"Not really. That would make me terrible too. But considering the alternatives, I think it's best you take care of speaking with your brother." Allen said with a disappointed sigh of his own. He really wished Komui would stop being so...Komui. But this wasn't something they could rush sadly.

She wouldn't mind him being... him so much as long as he accepted the fact that she and Allen were together, and weren't going to separate by choice. Ever. Chuckling softly, she nodded, "You're right.. at the very least we can relax once we're inside. And I do have to bring my belongings back." She glanced over to the knapsack she had brought with her, letting go of his hand only long enough to collect it.

"Shall we?"

Maybe it would bake a more direct confrontation to make him see. Or perhaps some kind of agreement. It was something they would have to figure out eventually because clearly the last time didn't get through to him. Allen looked over to the knapsack and quickly moved to pick it up for her first.

"Please allow me~" Allen said with a bright smile.

They'd figure something out down the line. For now they at least didn't have to feel guilty or feel like they were keeping their relationship a secret. They -did- tell him. He just ... managed to pretend it was a dream. Somehow.

"Oh!~" Lenalee had been about to get her bag, but now she didn't have to, yay. "Thanks, Allen," she grinned. So, she made her way back to his side, to slip her arm around his free one, as they made their way back to their home.

True. Time would provide them the way. Or either him or Lenalee would get the courage necessary to confront the man on their own and not together. It all was a cointoss in the end.

He pulled her closer with his free arm and laughed softly before their steps took them both up to the front entrance to the Order Headequarters. Eventually. Both him and Lenalee were quite content in their own private bubble boundary just taking their time slowly walking.

"It's going to be very hard to let go of you when we get inside. I hope you know that."

She let out a long sigh, her body craving the closeness he represented. But that had to wait just a bit longer, unless she wanted to knock him over.

Pausing before the door, she leaned over to press her lips against his cheek gently, "I know," she murmured softly. "Please, bear with it just a bit longer. I still need to greet Komui and tell him how things went... and then we can catch up."

"I will only because you asked me to." Allen said with just a hint of rebelliousness. Honestly it wasn't like he had a choice. But that didn't mean he couldn't try and make a jest of how impossibly wound around each other the two of them were.

"I'll take your luggage up to your room then?" He offered.

Lenalee chuckled at the response, "Yes, please," she agreed, "Wait for me there? And..watch out for the traps and Komurin. I don't know what Komui may have set up there ahead of time, obviously." But may as well have told Allen to watch out for rain - the Komurin and boobytraps certainly posed no threat to him.

"Consider it done~" Allen smiled and finally forced himself to let go of Lenalee but not without quickly snatching her hand and bringing it up to his lips briefly for a parting kiss.

"I will see you soon." He said with a coy smile before quickly going down a different corridor towards her room. Komui's trigger points in the hallways were quite obvious though part of him was surprised he didn't decide to use a Golem camera for detection. Maybe...maybe that was Reever's doing. He couldn't get rid of the traps completely but making them easier to avoid for anyone but an average human was the best compromise he could think of probably.

Regardless after a few feats of athletic prowess and one use of Clown belt, Allen let himself into Lenalee's room and set the bags down by the bed before actually taking a moment to look around. This was Lenalee's true room and not the one Komui had defaced by printing his face on EVERYTHING.

Lenalee's smile warmed at the tiny gesture, so innocent and yet it said so much at the same time. Innocent and intimate in a way. Watching him turn the corner to head towards her own room, Lenalee sighed, resisting the urge to scamper after him, and instead headed off for Komui's office for the mission debriefing.

Of course, Lenalee's room was probably the largest of the rooms for the Exorcists too - Komui would naturally have moved Lenalee into the biggest and best room, since she had to have the best. There was still a bit of a mess from where the men had wrapped up working and forgot to pick up and throw out some things in the process of soundproofing her room. But her bed was made neatly (Well, naturally since she hadn't slept in it before she left) and now had a cute little plush doll of one brother that was presumably a welcome back gift from Komui himself. And despite that it was a plush of Komui himself, it was surprisingly not bugged or boobytrapped or anything. It was just a doll.

Allen didn't take any chances and inspected the doll thoroughly the moment he laid eyes on it. Once he confirmed it was exactly what it seemed to be, he took a moment to just walk around the room. So this was where Lenalee spent her nights. When not seeking him out that is. He wasn't surprised by the size difference or the various items of convenience most rooms didn't have. He wasn't envious though. Nor did he blame Komui. After everything Lenalee had gone through the girl deserved to live like a queen in a palace. Though of course she wouldn't want that. A normal life...that was likely her greatest wish. A wish Allen wanted to grant.

A normal life with -him- and her brother, now. It was her goal, what she wanted most. Even if they lived in poverty, she would be happy so long as they were living together.

Of course with the room soundproofed, her footsteps couldn't be heard approaching, but the sound of the doorknob turning could, roughly twenty minutes later. ... It wasn;'t so much that the debriefing was long, but Komui had grilled her with a million questions, and then it was general sibling chatter, even though she had been antsy to hurry back to Allen's side.

Still, she was finally returning, slipping silently into the bedroom and turning away in order to close the door behind her. If Allen hadn't noticed her by then, she weas totally going to sneak up on him.

Another aspect of Lenalee's room asignment was the absolutely BREATHTAKING view from her window. An aspect Allen quickly took advantage off after he was done looking around the room as much as his decency would allow him to. Which was why his back was facing the door while he looked out into the twinkling curtain of the sea outside.