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 simply nodded to her words, finding himself absolutely sucked into her adoring gaze. "Would you like to just...stay like this for a while now?" While he did want to get back to that kind of kissing and whatever else his instincts were pushing him towards, Allen felt this moment needed a moment of respite to truly sink in.

Lenalee paused for a moment, and nodded slowly, grateful for the suggestion. "Yeah I... for a little while." The moment they shared had been simply that intense, a short breather was definitely appreciated.

Allen flashed a relieved smile and gently reached back up to put Lenalee's head on top of his shoulder while he just held her close, feeling the beat of her heart against his chest while their breathing slowly leveled out.

"I've never felt anything like this." Allen confessed softly.

She nestled against him with a soft sigh, relaxing as her head came to rest on his shoulder, closing her eyes and listening to him. His confession brought a small smile to her lips, as she nodded agreement. "Neither have I... I never thought I would." Not just because of her brother, but..everything else.

"Heh. And yet somehow I can just feel that...this is just the beginning." Allen added with a small chuckle before he turned his face to as to nuzzle against Lenalee's soft hair, breathing in the scent of her shampoo and doing so with deep deep breaths.

Lenalee chuckled softly, "The beginning of everything. Our ..relationship and love..and it's only going to get even better from here on out." She nuzzled against his neck with a content sigh, "I feel like it's going to be difficult to be without you even more now, though."

"Hearing it said out loud like that makes me feel bashful." Allen joined in with a chuckle of his own before settling in a bit more comfortably. Here in their secret hiding place, surrounded by flowers and nature in general. It almost felt like the war was a distant illusion. A bad dream.

"Mmmngh don't remind me. But it can't be helped. We can only make up for it the next time we're together~" That was a very dangerous solution though especially given how far they'd gone today and they didn't have the longing and love built up nearly as much as they might during a mission.

Lenalee certainly had put thought of the war as far from mind as possible. How could she think of terrible things like that when she was with him in a special place like this? "You're going to have to get used to it sooner or later," she teased. "...we both are."

Giggling at the 'don't remind me' she reached up to brush her fingers through his hair gently, "Or before." Before might be safer right? Though she paused, and quickly moved on, a little embarrassed, "I'm sure that it won't take long." SHe hoped.

"I never said I wouldn't get used to it. It's not something I'd want to stop anyway." Allen quickly reassured Lenalee before leaning up to briefly press a kiss to the girl's temple.

"Mmm before is an option too yes." Though he was convinced it wouldn't tide them over for too long.

"I should hope so."

Lenalee smiled, nodding agreement. Depending on how long their mission took them, spending time together before they left would likely not tide them over. Especially when you could count them spending time right now, as their time together before their mission. She didn't know when Komui was sending them out, but it seemed like it would be soon.

Shifting in his lap slightly, she brought her hand over to gently touch his neck, memory bringing a deeper blush to her cheeks. Though whether that was to her surprisingly bold affections, or to how vocal appreciation of them, she couldn't say. ".. you're going to have marks." she noted, almost apologetically.

Well that was something to ponder later. Right now they still had a few more hours to burn together so why would they choose to spend that precious time worrying about how they would handle their temporary separation?

That being said Lenalee's confession about the state of her work actually made him flinch as his face turned red once again. "A-Ah is that so? Well I um don't really mind it."

She absently traced a finger over each spot she found she 'marked'. She really did get in over her head there. "No? Still I feel like I overdid it a little... I just couldn't help myself when you..erm..." made those -noises-.

"W-Well it's not like they hurt or anything like that. I'm sure it will fade in time." But until they did, ALlen would likely admire them in a mirror every opportunity he got and would remember the moment they shared here on this day.

"When I what?" He inquired softly as he remembered Lenalee trailing off like that

ACK he heard her. Oh..well, to be fair there was no way he could have -not- heard her when she was in his lap like this. "O-oh, um..." He ..didn't notice? "You made... noises ... when I did it." She said hesitantly, blushing again. "I liked hearing them so .." Uh. Yah.

Allen pondered that for a moment replaying those events from moments before. Noises....noises....oh! Now it finally clicked and the color in his cheeks grew a little redder.

"You liked hearing me like that? Well then....maybe next tine I can see if I can't make you do the same too~"

Lenalee smiled, "Well... it meant that you liked what I was doing. That I was making you happy, and that's what I want most." She stopped in surprise at Allen's suggestion, and blushed again, "That's... that would be..." Nice? No - incredible? Mm, maybe. What's a good word to describe her approval of the idea? "I'd like that..a lot." Meh, that was such a poor summary - but just based on Allen's behavior, it would definitely be something she'd approve of.

There she went again stealing the words he would have said to her. But pointing out that fact wasn't even worth the effort. They both already knew these facts. So because they knew it meant they didn't have to pretend.

"R-Really? Well then umm look forward to it." Allen said hiding in Lenalee's hair for a moment before he finally pulled back up to the surface.

"I like how you feel sitting in my lap though. That makes me sound like Lavi doesn't it...?"

Lenalee giggled softly at the way he hid against her hair. Honestly he was entirely too cute sometimes. Most of the time really.

"Lavi?" She paused, grimaced slightly, "Not at all." She said firmly. The mental image of Allen saying "STrike" whenever he saw a pretty woman was ...horrifying. Friend or not, it was a tasteless habit. She wasn't going to mention that some at the Order thought Lavi had an interest in her either.

"Would you feel more comfortable about it if I said that I like sitting in your lap, like this?"

Yes Lavi had teased him in the past about how he would be interested in Lenalee even though from what he knew, Bookmen weren't supposed to look for relationships of any kind. Well that was all pointless now since Lenalee was off the table and unless he wanted a boot and crown CLown to set him straight he would do beter to just stay away.

"!!! You do? It doesn't bother you at all?" Because he was sounding very hopeful for a positive answer. After all it meant he could probably persuade Lenalee to sit like that with him more often or whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Aww, stop being so precious Allen!~ Lenalee's smile widened a little more at how hopeful he sounded. "It doesn't." She confirmed, "... like this I can be closer to you." Whether she wanted to hear his heartbeat, hold him close, or kiss him. So he wouldn't have too much trouble persuading her - depending on where they were of course.

It was far too easy for her to take off that mask he put up in front of most people. But that just proved how deeply entrenched she had become in his heart.

"I'm so glad to hear that!" Allen nodded happily before giving Lenalee's body a brief squeeze of his arms. The joy in him was simply impossible to contain without some kind of way to show it.

She didn't want him wearing masks in front of her anyway. She hated it when he did that - she'd mentioned it to him once before, when he put a smile on just for her benefit. She giggled at the squeeze, leaning against him, "You're going to spoil me if you let me stay in your lap like this."

Well she would shatter those masks with utmost ease now. Something she would no doubt engage in regularly.

"Hm? Well if you feel that way I could maybe use your lap too~" Oh he was getting ideas. At least they were mostly innocent ones for now.

Somehow the first thing she thinks of is Allen -sitting- in her lap, and the mental image was too funny for words. She giggled, "That might get you strange looks - but I wouldn't mind, as long as you were still close to me."

"What's so funny? I was just thinking of a lap pillow so how is that funny?" Allen asked, looking up at Lenalee curiously. He didn't think it was anything to laugh at personally. But it seemed Lenalee found something amusing about the idea.