#this is not the first time I've given Allen a dog called Muffin but that fic was really bad I hope no one ever reads it again

[chomesuke]

Hey @emoqueee!!! I’m your dgm secret santa!

@dgmsecretsanta2k17

Prompts: "subtle yullen fluff writing omg. But also just a cute portrait of a single character would also be nice (i know this is the number one spot i dont mind either!) "2 characters interacting!"

I think I managed both subtle yullen and fluff?? I don’t know. I’m too tired to tell right now. Also, I hope you like dogs. Because I gave them a dog.

Allen was sitting on the back porch of Komui and Lenalee’s house, and watching Kanda garden while an enormous puppy tried to “help”, and for the first time in a while Allen was truly content.

The sun was shining brightly golden in a sunset glow. It made the scene feel like something from a fairy tale, if fairy tale characters were in the habit of swearing loudly and viciously as they tried to stop a dog almost as big as them from destroying all the plants. Despite his language, Kanda was gentle as he repeatedly pulled the puppy away from whatever destruction she was wreaking.

It wasn’t long before he gave up and turned to Allen, who was watching them with a wide, stretching grin. ‘Your dog is a menace, beansprout. Take her away before I kill you for bringing her here.’

Allen waved his hand lazily. ‘You don’t mean that,’ he said. ‘And Muffin’s just trying to be helpful. You might as well let her.’

Muffin’s tail thumped against the ground when she heard her name.

‘Maybe her “help” is useful for someone you, you one-armed bastard, but these vegetables are supposed to be used for our food, not some mongrel’s playground.’ Kanda was glaring at Allen, but while he restrained Muffin it was also possible to see that he was trying to sneakily pet her.

It was cute to see someone as grumpy as Kanda being a dog person. It made Allen want to laugh at him, and leave her there because it was obvious neither dog nor grump truly hated it. But...

Food. He could not let her ruin the food. Allen stood up so suddenly that he felt a little dizzy. ‘Muffin!’ he called, holding out his hand. She perked up immediately, and bounded out of Kanda’s arms, her tongue lolling out into a sweet doggy grin. She was smart enough to realise that knocking into people was bad, so she slowed down just before crashing into him, and tried to wash his face in her excitement instead. The drool got everywhere.

‘Even now after all this time, when you don’t even have your parasitic innocence making you have to eat so much, food is still the most important thing to you.’ Kanda followed behind her, rolling his eyes. Apparently being close to the dog was more important than fixing the vegetable garden.

‘That’s not true!’ Allen protested, wiping dog slobber off his face with his sleeve. ‘Money is important too! And my friends!’

‘So what? Food and money are more important than us?’ Kanda flopped down next to him and Muffin, somehow making his casual movements look graceful. His hair was let down and he wore a smirk as his expression. He looked beautiful in the lighting. It really was only the lighting that made Allen think that. Probably.

‘Oh? You consider yourself my friend, Kanda? That’s news to me.’ Allen was smirking too, only stopping to pop a sweet into his mouth from the open bag he had on his other side.

‘Fuck you,’ was Kanda’s only reply. He leant back on both hands and stared up at the sky above their heads and he smiled just a little when Muffin dropped down and rested her snout on his lap, watching him imploringly with her big dark eyes.

Allen was close to popping another sweet in his mouth when Kanda smiled, and he froze instead, his hand with the sweet just centimetres from his mouth.

‘What are you doing?’ Kanda frowned when he noticed Allen staring at him.

Allen tore his gaze away and went back to munching, saying nothing.

‘The beansprout’s being weird,’ Kanda told Muffin, his voice gravely serious. ‘I’m sorry you have such a weird owner.’

Muffin let out a whine in response and snuggled closer to him.

‘Even after all this time, you can’t be bothered calling my by name.’

‘That’s because beansprout suits you better, beansprout.’

Allen wanted to punch Kanda for that, but didn’t for fear of dislodging or upsetting Muffin, so he settled on petting her instead. She was covered in dirt from playing in the garden, and Allen’s hand came away dirty. She wasn’t so dirty as to need a bath, so Allen decided that he would steal Kanda’s hairbrush and to brush it all out.

‘Where’d you even find her?’ Kanda wondered.

‘Ah.’ Allen frowned and didn’t look at Kanda. ‘I’ve said before that I tried joining a circus again for a bit, right?’

‘Huh? Yeah. Were they stupid enough there to mistake her for a circus elephant or something?’

‘I don’t think anyone would be that stupid,’ Allen said drily. ‘But no, she was the ringmaster’s dog. He didn’t treat her very well though, and…’ Allen shrugged his shoulders, and tried to keep any emotion leaking out from his voice. ‘It reminded me of when I was a child. Of the original Allen, and everything else too.’ Even now Allen didn’t like to talk about back then.

As if sensing some distress, Muffin stood up and licked his face. Her nose was wet and cold against his cheek and she ended up getting some of his hair in her mouth.

Allen scratched her gently behind her ears, and laughed. It was half genuine.

Kanda was watching them, looking even more annoyed than usual, but it wasn’t Allen or Muffin he was annoyed at. ‘I hope you punched him.’

‘Of course!’ Allen said, indignant. ‘He was a bastard. He even told me that I should be a part of a freak show instead of a clown because I only had one arm. And then I stole his dog.’ He smiled at Muffin who sat on him in response. Being a very giant newfoundland dog, she was very heavy, and her great big paws dug in hard.

Allen had trouble pushing her off with one hand, but Kanda came to the rescue and distracted her with one of the dog toys that had been left everywhere around the entire place in the few days that Allen had come to stay with the Lee siblings.

‘Pathetic, beansprout, and you used to call yourself an exorcist.’ Kanda didn’t look at him, too busy starting a game of tug of war with Muffin, who boofed happily.

‘Hey! I haven’t been an exorcist for years now! You try doing everything one handed.’

‘I have lost an arm before, if you don’t remember.’ Kanda’s face screwed up in concentration as Muffin tried to pull his arms out of their sockets.

‘Oh,’ said Allen, who had forgot. ‘Sorry.’

‘Whatever. So what are you going to do now, join yet another circus?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Then stay here.’

‘What?’

‘I said stay here,’ said Kanda, finally retrieving the toy and throwing it for Muffin to chase after. ‘Lenalee misses you whenever you leave, and it’s not like you ever look all that happy about what you do when you’re gone.’

Kanda was sort of right, but Allen didn’t want to admit that. ‘You’re sure you’re not the one missing me instead of Lenalee?’

‘What?’ Kanda’s eyes went wide, and his face was all confused and surprised and maybe angry and a bunch of other words Allen didn’t bother with right then. ‘Why would I…? Who the hell would miss you, beansprout?’

‘As you just said before, Lenalee. Oh, and also you. You’re not very in touch with your feelings, you know that, Kanda?’

Kanda grabbed Allen by his shirt, and Allen might be worried right then if Kanda still had his mugen. Luckily, he didn’t, so Allen grinned mockingly at him instead.

Kanda gritted his teeth and was about to say something, to turn their talk into a proper argument, when Muffin returned, bounding up the stairs and shoving herself between their bodies.

She whined pitifully and stared at them. Don’t fight, her big dark eyes seemed to say.

‘Okay,’ Allen said after a moment. ‘No fighting. Got it.’

‘I suppose I can stop myself from cutting the beansprout’s head off if it keeps Muffin happy,’ Kanda agreed.

‘What was that, bastard?’

‘Fuck off,’ Kanda replied. ‘And don’t think I didn’t notice that you ignored the second part of what I said.’

Allen wondered if dinner would be ready soon.

‘Hey. Don’t ignore me.’

Allen wondered what there would be for pudding.

‘Hey, Muffin. Do you think your owner died? I think you should bite him to check.’

‘Kanda! Don’t be such a bad influence!’ Allen slung his arm around Muffin’s neck and told her not to listen to a thing Kanda said, because it was all rubbish, okay? Muffin just panted contentedly.

‘So you were listening,’ Kanda said.

‘Shut up.’

‘Then tell me why you always leave even though it always makes you miserable. It’s not like you have to, idiot.’

‘Fuck off,’ Allen muttered.

‘Allen.’

Kanda’s voice shocked Allen. Hearing his name in Kanda’s voice shocked Allen. It made him shudder. He was a little bit relieved then, that Kanda almost never used it. Because it would be weird if he reacted like he did then every time it was used.

It also showed how serious he was.

‘Are you going to punch me if I don’t say anything?’ Allen asked dully, keeping his attention focused entirely on playing with Muffin’s shaggy black fur.

‘So you do have a brain.’ Kanda leant against the porch railing, and he watched him, his eyes level and never looking away. The sensation of being watched was strong and impossible to ignore.

Allen fidgeted, silent still before giving up.

‘Is there really a place for me here?’ Allen asked in a small voice.

‘You seriously have to ask that?’ Kanda stared. But it was a different stare than before. Like he was just baffled more than anything. Oh. That was probably exactly what he was feeling.

Allen fidgeted, uncomfortable.

Kanda’s confusion lasted a few moments more before he rolled his eyes and made that irritated ‘tch’ noise he sometimes did. ‘There’s already way too many people staying here and they all love you for some reason. There’s no way they wouldn’t want you here.’

There was silence while Allen digested those words. Then he started talking again, ‘I feel like I can’t stay still. Like I have to be out there doing something. But I can’t be an exorcist any longer, and for so long that was my reason to keep living. I don’t know what to do anymore.’ It was a small relief to say that out loud.

‘Why do you have to do anything?’

‘Never stop walking,’ Allen said. ‘Keep moving forward.’ He shook his head. ‘Even now I don’t want to abandon those words.’

‘Then stay here while you figure out what to do next, idiot.’ Kanda spoke like what he was saying was completely obvious. And maybe it was.

‘Huh?’

‘It’s not like you have to be moving around to actually do anything. And besides, after all that time we spent fighting, it’s all right to take a break, for a while at least.’ Kanda was staring at the horizon, where the sun was disappearing.

‘Do you want me to stay, Kanda?’

‘Everyone wants you to fucking stay, beansprout. Even Lavi misses you whenever he turns up.’ Kanda wasn’t looking Allen in the eyes now, and it irritated him.

‘No. Do you want me stay?’

Kanda said nothing, uncomfortably looking anywhere but at Allen.

‘If you tell me you want me to stay, then I will, for a while at least.’ Allen said it seriously. A break… time to relax, and laugh with friends… it sounded nice.

‘Stay,’ Kanda finally said, after a minute or two, his voice quiet.

‘What? Kanda, you might have to repeat that. I didn’t hear you.’

‘What, are you deaf as well as annoying now?’ Kanda scowled at him.

Kanda was still grumbling when Allen stood up. Muffin cocked her head, confused as he moved. Allen sat again, but this time right next to Kanda, leaving no space between their bodies. Kanda was frowning, obviously confused by Allen’s actions, yet he didn’t move away when Allen leant his head on his shoulder. Muffin padded after him and curled her large body against their backs.

‘What are you doing, beansprout?’ Kanda asked, voice wary.

‘Nothing,’ said Allen. ‘I was just thinking that the sun sets so early these days, and that it might be nice to spend whatever time there is enjoying myself.’

Kanda sighed, and didn’t offer any reply. Instead he curled an arm around Allen, and that was enough of an answer itself. Dinner would be soon, food to be eaten, and friends happy to see him, but for now Allen was content to stay still.