Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/667706.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage, Rape/Non-Con
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      D.Gray-man
  Relationship:
      Cross_Marian/Allen_Walker, Cross_Marian/Tyki_Mikk, Kanda_Yuu/Allen_Walker
  Character:
      Lavi, Kanda_Yuu, Allen_Walker, Cross_Marian, Tyki_Mikk
  Additional Tags:
      Alternate_Universe, Alternate_Universe_-_Prostitution, Prostitution,
      Minor_Character_Death, Non-Graphic_Rape/Non-Con, Happy_Ending
  Stats:
      Published: 2013-02-02 Updated: 2016-08-20 Chapters: 7/? Words: 8168
****** The Playboy, the Maid, and the Samurai ******
by Denshi_Alpha
Summary
     General Cross, an expensive gigolo, decides that his young ward Allen
     must follow in his professional footsteps. But the first client Allen
     gets demands something Allen never expected...
***** The Rude Awakening *****
‘General Cross! General Cross!’
Allen tried to wake his guardian, but in vain. The man groaned and pulled his
blanket over his head. Allen sighed in annoyance. General Cross had been out
all night again, and was probably having the grandfather of all hangovers.
‘General Cross!’Allen tried again, but no answer.
‘That jerk,’ Allen thought. That man wasn’t even a real general. Once, during a
spring cleaning, Allen found some documents about honourable discharge from the
army, and Cross was only a captain. But he called himself General to impress
the ladies.
‘Honourable, my arse,’ uncharitably thought Allen. It was not like making a
living as a high-class gigolo was all that honourable.
‘General!’ Allen shook the man by the shoulder.
‘G’way ‘n die,’ mumbled Cross.
‘Your client will be here in an hour,’ Allen tried to appeal to the few Cross’
brain cells that had woken up.
‘Tell ‘er ho go away and die,’ Cross growled.
‘It’s Count Tyki Mikk,’ Allen said.
‘Oh, damn it to hell,’ Cross grumbled, and finally threw off his blanket and
padded to the shower stark naked.
‘Cook me some food,’ he ordered Allen before closing the bathroom door. Allen
finished making Cross’ bed and went to the kitchen.
When Allen was younger, he had often wondered why Cross did not decide to give
Allen away after Cross’ wife died. Allen had not managed to get to know Anita
well, but she seemed to love children, and obviously Cross only agreed to adopt
him for her sake. And after that horrible car crash it would have been
reasonable for Cross to give Allen up. But after all these years of living with
Cross Allen knew for sure – Cross just wanted somebody to cook, clean, do the
laundry, and wash the dishes. And Allen was stuck with General Cross until he
turned eighteen.
General Cross, dressed in his luxurious purple bathrobe, walked into the
kitchen towelling his hair.
‘What’s that? Bacon and eggs again?’ he poked his plate with disdain. ‘Oh
well.’
Despite all the grumbling, he ate the food quickly, and downed a large cup of
coffee.
‘Tyki will be here soon, so scram. And don’t come back for three hours,’ Cross
told Allen.
Allen nodded, quickly washed the dishes and left.
He was just walking out of their house, when he met Count Mikk.
‘Isn’t that Cross’ boy? My, how you have grown!’ the count noted.
‘Good afternoon, Count Mikk,’ Allen greeted politely, though he didn’t really
feel like talking to the man. There was always something mocking about his
manner of speech. Like now – Allen knew he was shorter than most guys of his
age, was Mikk trying to point that out?
‘Maybe you’ll join Cross in entertaining his guests soon?’ Count Mikk asked,
and lewdly winked to Allen.
Allen cringed – he had no intention to lead the same lifestyle like his
guardian. Allen answered: ‘I’m sure General Cross can take care of his business
himself.’
For a second Count Mikk looked annoyed at being referred to as ‘business’, but
then he flippantly said: ‘I suppose I’ll go and see if he can!’
Count Mikk tipped his hat to Allen and walked towards the lift.
‘Too posh to use the stairs, huh?’ Allen thought mockingly. But then he pushed
Mikk and Cross out of his mind and started thinking about what to do for the
next three hours.
***** A Persuasive Argument *****
Chapter Summary
     Cross reveals his plans for Allen’s future and uses dishonourable
     methods to make Allen agree.
After three hours of aimless wandering around the city Allen finally walked
home. He rang at the door, and Cross let him in. General had an unusually
thoughtful expression, but Allen did not find the cause of it until later, when
they had had a supper.
Cross lit his post-meal cigarette and asked: ‘Hey, Allen, how old are you?’
Allen suppressed a resigned sigh – Cross did not remember Allen’s birthday, so,
of course, he would not remember his age, either.
‘Seventeen, why?’ Allen replied.
‘Tyki gave me a rather interesting idea today,’ Cross explained, and Allen felt
worried – what idea could that man have given Cross?
‘I raised you practically like my own son, so isn’t it time you repaid me for
that favour?’ Cross asked.
‘I didn’t ask you to raise me,’ Allen replied indignantly. ‘And payback – all
those years of cooking and cleaning should be enough!’
‘Mouthy little ingrate,’ Cross smirked. ‘But I’ll fix that. Allen, are you
still a virgin?’
Allen’s train of thoughts was completely derailed by that question. Despite
Cross’ line of work, they never really talked about sex, so the subject was
uncomfortable for Allen, and he tried not to blush. Judging from Cross’ amused
expression, he failed.
Well, the fact of life was, Allen was indeed a virgin. He considered it Cross’
fault, or rather, the influence of Cross’ clients. He didn’t meet them often,
but those women he had seen generally wore too much make-up, and too much
perfume, and were too loud, and tried to pinch his cheeks. Not always the ones
in his face. Allen thought that the girl of his dreams would have to be
absolutely different, and he had not met anyone who would fit his criteria yet.
‘I thought so,’ said Cross with some satisfaction. ‘I’m gonna show you how fun
my profession will be, and after that you’ll be begging me to let you repay the
favour!’
For a lazy man Cross could move surprisingly fast, and, before Allen even
managed to ask whether Cross had lost his damn mind, he was pinned to the
kitchen wall, Cross effortlessly holding both Allen’s wrists in one hand, and
his other hand possessively grabbing Allen’s hip.
‘Let go!’ Allen ordered, and tried to struggle.
‘Nope,’ Cross grinned, and bent down to plant a kiss on Allen’s lips. It was
too unexpected, and when Allen understood he should try to bite Cross or
headbutt him or do something, Cross had already moved away to press fully
against Allen, not giving him any space to manoeuvre and kick.
‘Relax and enjoy,’ Cross purred, and gave Allen’s neck a long lick culminating
with a firm suck on Allen’s earlobe.
Allen tried to jerk away, but Cross held him firmly. Allen felt really angry at
the whole situation, yet he could not help but react to that hot, wet tongue
travelling over his skin. Cross let go of his ear and slid down Allen’s body.
It would have been a good chance to do something for Allen, but he forgot all
about struggling when Cross’ mouth descended on his nipple and bit it through
the thin cotton T-shirt Allen was wearing. The slight pain felt like a jolt of
electricity, and Allen shuddered.
‘Responsive,’ Cross commented, and pulled Allen’s shirt up to expose Allen’s
chest. Allen squirmed to get the shirt back down, but Cross twisted the hem
behind the collar, not giving Allen the possibility to cover himself.
‘Stop that,’ Allen tried to reason with Cross again, but the man just gave him
a predatory grin, and this time licked over Allen’s naked nipple. Allen bit
back a surprised gasp – it felt good! It would have been much better if it were
not Cross doing it. Allen could not tolerate that, he started struggling for
real, and Cross painfully squeezed his wrists.
‘Don’t do that, Allen, you’ll hurt yourself,’ Cross said with a mocking care in
his voice, and once again directed his attention to Allen’s nipples, biting,
suckling and licking them. Allen was getting lost in the pleasant sensations
when suddenly Cross stopped.
Allen dazedly looked down at Cross, who grinned and pressed a hand against
Allen’s crotch. Allen gasped. Previously he was too caught up in the situation
and did not notice, but now it was clear that he had an erection.
‘So hard already,’ Cross commented. ‘Ah, to be young again!’
Cross gave Allen’s cock a light squeeze, and Allen could not help but thrust
into that touch.
‘That’s right, enjoy it,’ Cross encouraged. Allen gritted his teeth – that
bastard Cross was making fun of him! Cross apparently noticed that Allen was
not going to enjoy, and single-handedly unzipped Allen’s jeans, pulled them
down a little and grinned.
Allen’s rigid cock was tenting his grey cotton briefs, and there was a
noticeable wet spot at the cockhead. Once again Cross squeezed it, and Allen
moaned despite his desire to keep quiet. It felt so much better when only a
thin layer of cotton separated them – Cross’ had felt hotter, and its grip was
stronger, and in general it was much more intense! Allen rocked his hips into
the caress, and Cross took his hand away.
‘We’re not going any farther until you tell me exactly what I want to hear,’
said Cross in a no-nonsense tone. Allen bit his lips stubbornly – no matter how
good it felt, he was not going along with Cross’ stupid idea.
‘Oh, you want it the hard way?’ snorted Cross. He continued stroking and
squeezing Allen through the underwear, until Allen was panting with need. He
had never experienced somebody touching him so intimately, and, though
humiliating, it felt good.
‘Why don’t you be a good boy and tell me you’ll work for me?’ Cross suggested.
‘I’m getting tired of this.’
‘Let me go,’ Allen weakly said. He was not sure how long he could keep up his
plan of not giving in to Cross’ demands. The sensations were too overwhelming.
Allen’s legs were already trembling with the effort of keeping him up.
‘You are so stubborn, it pisses me off,’ Cross growled, and carefully tugged
Allen’s underwear down. Cross gazed down at Allen’s cock and smirked as the
organ twitched under his scrutiny.
‘So eager!’ Cross remarked. Allen fought a blush and tried to look away.
And then in a blink of an eye Cross was on his knees sucking Allen’s cock.
Allen almost screamed at that. All the previous touching and teasing had left
him hyper-sensitive and aching for relief. It did not occur to Allen to push
Cross away now that his hands were free – his mind was too concentrated on the
delicious suction between his legs, on the wet heat that surrounded his dick...
And it was gone in a second again!
‘No!’ protested Allen.
‘Will you join my profession?’ Cross asked.
‘N-no,’ Allen gritted out. Cross gave Allen’s cock a brief lick, making Allen
gasp.
‘You sure?’ Cross asked. Allen panted. He could not concentrate, his cock
started to hurt. He needed just a little more stimulation... He reached down to
jerk off, but Cross slapped his hand away.
‘P-please,’ Allen stuttered.
‘Please what?’ came Cross’ mocking reply.
‘I want to... I...’ Allen could not complete the sentence.
‘Give me what I want, I’ll give you what you want,’ Cross said, and softly blew
on Allen’s cockhead. Allen moaned.
‘So you agree?’ Cross asked.
‘Yes, yes,’ Allen almost screamed. He could not bear this torture anymore.
‘Good,’ Cross said, and swallowed Allen’s cock down to the root. Allen thrust
in Cross’ mouth once or twice and came with a scream. Cross let Allen’s cock
slip out of his mouth and got up. Allen tiredly slid down the wall and slumped
on the floor.
Cross rinsed his mouth at the kitchen sink and remarked to Allen: ‘See, was not
so bad!’
Allen buried his face in his hands. Now that the arousal was gone, he was
absolutely horrified by what had just happened, and what it meant for his
future.
‘You’ll start working as soon as I find a good customer for you,’ Cross said,
and walked out of the kitchen.
***** Business As Usual *****
Chapter Summary
     Allen deals with the aftermath of his experience, and arrangements
     for his first client are made.
The next couple of days passed uneventfully. Cross obviously decided to pretend
that nothing had happened. He never even talked about work with Allen, and
Allen had begun hoping that the whole idea about work was just Cross being a
bastard, that Cross did not actually intend to prostitute him.
Could it be that the whole conversation about work was just an excuse for Cross
to get his hands on Allen? But it made no sense – Cross had never shown any
sign of sexual interest in Allen before, and continued not showing any after.
It was not like Cross would actually commit a full-fledged rape, was it? Or
maybe it was Allen’s fault that it had come to that – if he had resisted more
forcefully...
That was the thing that bothered Allen most about their encounter with Cross.
He had had many opportunities to fight against Cross – push him aside, pull his
hair, anything would do. Allen had no illusions that he could actually
overpower Cross – after all, Cross was bigger and had probably retained some
close combat training from his soldier years. But the way Allen just stood
there, taking it, begging for it...
Allen blushed with shame and humiliation every time he thought back on that. He
could not even begin to think what would happen if Cross was really serious
about Allen working. Still, nothing indicated any new developments in that
respect. Nothing, until that fateful Friday happened.
When Allen returned home from school, he saw an unfamiliar pair of shoes under
the coat hanger, and was surprised. Cross usually arranged his work so that the
clients came either early, while Allen was still at school, or late so Allen
could go away. Of course, sometimes it did not work out quite as nicely, like
on that memorable occasion when Allen had the flu and was in bed in his room,
getting an earful of Cross’ client’s screams about the General invading her
vital regions and such.
But usually the clients did not get to see Allen, so some sixth sense told him
that the stranger in their home quite likely meant something bad for Allen.
Allen tiptoed to his room, trying to avoid being seen, but it didn’t work.
‘Allen, come here!’ Cross called from the sitting room. Allen considered not
answering the call, but it would be worse if Cross had to come and drag him to
that room. Allen sighed and did as he was told.
In the sitting room Allen saw Cross and another guy comfortably lounging on a
sofa. The stranger was quite young, Allen guessed he could not have been older
than twenty-five. His most notable feature was his hair, the colour so intense
Allen decided to call it orange.
‘Say hello, Allen!’ Cross ordered. Allen was tempted to say ‘Hello, Allen!’
just to annoy Cross, but he did not – after all, it was not yet unmistakeably
clear what the orange-haired man wanted with him.
‘Good afternoon,’ Allen greeted politely.
‘Hello, I’m Lavi!’ the orange-haired guy smiled.
‘Allen, have a seat!’ Cross waived in the direction of the chair, and Allen
nervously perched on the edge of it, feeling the weight of Lavi’s gaze on him.
Could this guy be his new client, Allen uneasily wondered. He glanced at Cross,
but the man was wearing his best poker face, and his intentions could not be
read.
‘So, Allen, General Cross tells me you’re new to this business?’ Lavi asked
cheerfully.
‘This business?’ Allen echoed, his mind racing. That Lavi person was definitely
a client! Oh crap, what now? Maybe put him off the idea of sex with Allen
somehow? But how? Or get up and run away immediately? But where? And how far
could he get before getting caught? And what would Cross do when Allen was
brought back?
‘He’s still a bit shy, but we’re working on it,’ Cross reassured Lavi,
simultaneously giving Allen an evil glare that unmistakably meant that Allen
was doing something wrong.
‘That’s ok; I’m pretty sure that small, shy, and cute is Yuu’s type,’ Lavi
replied, still eyeing Allen. What was that supposed to mean, Allen wondered.
Was Lavi going to hire a prostitute for someone else? This only made things
worse somehow.
‘And General Cross, are you sure he is a virgin?’ Lavi asked. Allen gritted his
teeth – they were discussing the most intimate aspects of his life as if he was
not even there. He would not tolerate that sort of attitude. He would stand up
and shout that it was sick and wrong, and disgusting, and he would never do
that.
Apparently Cross was something of a mind reader. He got up from his sofa,
walked up to Allen and put his hand on Allen’s shoulder. To a casual observer
it might have looked like an encouraging gesture, but Allen felt that hand
press on some particular point that nearly reverberated with pain through all
his body. It took all he had not to whimper.
‘Of course he is,’ Cross replied. ‘Don’t worry, this boy will do perfectly.’ He
removed his hand from Allen, and Allen gasped with relief. Damn Cross, Allen
though. What an unspeakable bastard, to bully him into not arguing using such a
dirty tactic. But it was not a lost fight yet.
It occurred to Allen that he would probably get paid for what he did, and, from
what he knew, prostitutes earned quite a lot of money. If Allen went along with
Cross’ disgusting scheme, just this one time, he would actually get enough
money to leave the city, and with some luck, go so far away that even Cross,
with his acquaintances and connections, would not be able to locate him.
Allen resurfaced from his thoughts just in time to hear Cross say: ‘Very well,
I’ll just give Allen some last minute advice and he’ll be ready!’
Cross dragged Allen out of the room and, when they were well away from Lavi’s
hearing, said in a low, angry voice:’ That’s a very important customer I’m
giving you! If you screw up... Well, you’d better not to, is what I’m saying.’
Allen gave Cross a defiant glare, but Cross continued: ‘Just sex is ok, but
don’t agree to any weird shit, that’s not for a greenhorn like you. Don’t do
anything that might leave permanent marks. And take this!’
He thrust a tube of something at Allen, who took it, and read the label that
said ‘Intimate lubricant’.
‘What?’ Allen asked.
‘Use it before sex, idiot!’ Cross replied. ‘And this, too, and make sure that
guy wears it.’ He gave Allen a tiny foil package, which Allen recognised to be
a condom.
‘Now, be polite to your client, and don’t let me down!’ Cross said in mock
fatherly tone, and went to fetch Lavi, leaving Allen in despair – not only was
he going to be a prostitute, his first client would have to be a guy!
***** On the Road *****
Chapter Summary
     Allen comes to a decision about his predicament.
Allen suspected he might find men somewhat attractive, but he had not given it
much thought, as his interest in sex was not so developed. However, when he did
think of his first time, he imagined a girl, with a big rack, and possibly a
good personality. Losing his virginity with a man had not entered his plans.
That was the thought that occupied his brain all the way while he was walking
downstairs.
Seeing Lavi’s ridiculously flashy lime green car did make Allen forget about
his thoughts for a moment, only to wonder why anyone would ever buy a car that
hideous. However, Allen’s foul mood returned soon enough, and he did not pay
attention neither to the music Lavi listened while driving, nor to Lavi’s
incessant chattering.
Still, one bit of Lavi’s monologue caught Allen’s attention: ‘...will totally
give a huge tip...’
Allen felt startled – a tip? Wasn’t he supposed to get paid for this properly?
‘He is not going to pay for this?’ Allen asked carefully.
‘Nah, I’ve settled all payments with Cross. It wouldn’t be much of a birthday
present, if Yuu had to pay for it himself, right? Didn’t Cross tell you?’ Lavi
asked.
‘He didn’t,’ Allen replied hollowly, barely resisting the urge to bang his head
against the dashboard. There goes his plan of getting money and leaving the
city. That bastard Cross had probably foreseen this! Maybe Allen should try
running away without any money? But how far would he get before Cross’ buddies
noticed him and brought him back? Cross had contacts everywhere, Allen had no
idea why a gigolo like Cross was so influential, but that was the fact of life.
‘Allen! Hey, Allen!’ Lavi’s voice penetrated Allen’s consciousness. Allen
resurfaced from his gloomy thoughts and found that the car had stopped, and
Lavi was looking at him worriedly.
‘You ok, Allen? Looked like you totally spaced out there,’ Lavi said.
‘Yeah, I’m ok,’ Allen said automatically, not quite sure whether it was true.
‘Look, I know you don’t have to tell me your story or anything, but Cross said
you’re totally ok with doing this,’ Lavi said with a frown. ‘He didn’t lie, did
he? Is he forcing you or something?’
Allen hesitated. Lavi seemed to be a decent guy. Only a decent guy would ask
that sort of question. But what could Allen answer? Tell Lavi that Cross was
forcing him to sell his body? And what then? Would they go to the police? That
would get Lavi in trouble for buying a prostitute. Allen could bet Cross didn’t
even tell Lavi that Allen was not even of legal age yet.
Allen could go to the police alone, but what proof did he have? And most of the
police were Cross’ friends, anyway. And if Lavi just took Allen back to Cross,
Cross would just find Allen a new customer, and nothing will have changed.
Allen did not know what to do.
‘Allen?’ Lavi asked again.
Allen sighed. No, he should not get Lavi involved. Unlike most Cross’ clients,
he seemed to be a decent guy, and it was not Lavi’s fault that Cross had taken
all the money. Allen would have to see the whole thing through himself, without
involving anyone. He would confront Cross and make clear that he was not Cross’
property and would not be treated as such. Still, the problem of the current
client remained. Doing it would mean Cross had won, not doing it would mean
cheating Lavi of his money... Allen clenched his teeth. He decided he would not
run away.
‘I’ll do it!’ he told Lavi.
‘You sure?’ Lavi asked carefully.
‘Absolutely!’ Allen reaffirmed.
‘All right. Then get out of the car, we’re here,’ Lavi said with a little
shrug.
The client seemed to be rich, it was a rather posh neighbourhood. Living there
probably cost a whole ton, thought Allen. They walked up to the entrance of one
of the buildings, and Lavi pressed the one of the doorphone buttons. ‘Yuu
Kanda’ read the note at the button. The name seemed familiar to Allen, but he
could not quite remember where he had heard it before. There was no answer, and
Allen hopefully thought that the man was not home.
‘Yuu is so stubborn,’ sighed Lavi, and held the button down.
The speaker cracked alive with an angry voice: ‘Stop that, or I’ll come down
and tear you a new arsehole!’
‘Hi, Yuu! Open the door, your birthday present is here!’ cheerfully answered
Lavi. Allen rolled his eyes. Great, now he was being treated like a thing.
‘Lavi, go the hell away and leave me alone,’ the voice growled.
‘Not a chance!’ Lavi replied. ‘Don’t be a spoilsport, open the door! I’ve got
to deliver the present!’
‘Stuff it where the sun don’t shine and leave!’ the voice said. Allen was
getting seriously worried already – his first client seemed to be a horrible,
mean person.
‘Not gonna,’ Lavi replied. ‘I’ll stay here and press the doorbell until you let
me in.’
There was a silence, and then the voice said: ‘You will just deliver the
present and leave, yes?’
Lavi snickered and said: ‘Absolutely!’
‘All right,’ the voice grudgingly replied and the door lock clicked.
‘Come on in,’ Lavi motioned to Allen, and Allen followed him inside the
building. Unsurprisingly, Yuu lived on the top floor, and they had to take a
rather long lift ride. Lavi did not seem nervous, he was humming a little tune,
but Allen felt his stomach was all in knots.
At last, the lift stopped with a little ‘ding’, and they stepped out to see a
dark polished wooden door.
‘Here we are,’ Lavi smirked and knocked at the door.
***** The Unexpected Request *****
Chapter Summary
     Allen finally meets his first client.
The door opened, and Allen finally saw his first client. Allen could not help
but gasp in surprise. He knew he had heard the name somewhere, but now, when he
saw the person who that name belonged to, it was finally clear who he was. Yuu
Kanda, a currently popular actor in some sort of historical melodrama series –
all girls in Allen’s school were crazy about him.
Allen himself was not into romance, so he only knew what he had heard about the
series. Apparently it was set in ancient Japan, and Kanda was a noble samurai
or something. Well, he definitely looked the part – his glossy long hair was
tied up in a ponytail and the frown on his subtly Asian features made him look
like a warrior before the battle.
‘Hello, Yuu!’ cheerfully greeted Lavi, disregarding the frown.
‘Good afternoon,’ mumbled Allen, still somewhat overwhelmed at such a
surprising development.
‘Come in, don’t stand like an idiot,’ said Kanda, and stepped aside, letting
them into his flat. Allen quickly glanced around and was a little disappointed
– the design of the flat seemed to be minimalistic and severe. Allen certainly
had expected something more impressive from a celebrity.
‘What the hell possessed you to congratulate me, Lavi? You know I hate
birthdays,’ grumbled Kanda. ‘And who is this beansprout?’
‘I’m Allen,’ said Allen, feeling irritated again, despite the fact that close
up Kanda looked much more striking and attractive than in the TV advertisements
and billboards. If only all Yuu Kanda’s fangirls knew what a grumpy arsehole
that guy was, they wouldn’t be so crazy about him.
‘Nice to meet you, only not really,’ said Kanda. ‘Seriously, Lavi, give me the
present and piss off, I’m not in the mood.’
‘You’re never in the mood. I think that’s because you need to get laid,’ said
Lavi, and continued over Kanda's indignant growl: ‘And Allen is here for the
purpose of making your birthday enjoyable in exactly that manner.’
It took Kanda a couple of seconds to work it out, and then he hissed angrily:
‘You bought me a whore for birthday? Are you completely out of your fucking
mind?’
Allen flinched. Kanda sounded really mad, and looked like he was about to punch
Lavi. But Lavi apparently was not bothered by that at all. He said: ‘Allen is
not a whore, he is a paid companion! And he is a virgin, too! You said it
yourself, that’s your kink. Remember, that one time you got drunk?’
For a moment Kanda looked embarrassed and said somewhat quieter: ‘That wasn’t
how I meant it...’
But he immediately recovered and snarled: ‘I’m not that desperate. The whole
idea is sick, you moron!’
‘There is nothing sick in blowing off some steam once in a while,’ giggled
Lavi.
Before Kanda even managed to protest again, Lavi said: ‘Allen is yours for the
next three hours. I’ll come by and pick him up afterwards!’ With that, Lavi
turned and walked out of Kanda’s flat, closing the door behind him with a
clicking sound that felt like a death sentence to Allen.
Kanda was speechless for a moment at having been so completely ignored, but he
got a hold of himself and gave Allen an angry glare.
‘You, get the hell out of here,’ Kanda ordered Allen.
‘Where am I supposed to go?’ asked Allen, getting really fed up with Kanda's
attitude.
‘Somewhere that’s not here,’ Kanda gritted.
‘But Lavi will come to pick me up. If I’m not here...’ Allen let the sentence
trail off meaningfully.
‘That shit will make a fuss if you’re not here, I get it,’ sighed Kanda.
They both were quiet for a moment, Allen feeling somewhat uneasy as Kanda eyed
him speculatively.
‘Hey shorty, do my dishes!’ suddenly said Kanda.
Allen had a brief, horrible vision of trying to have sex with a teapot. But
that could not be what Kanda wanted, could it? ‘What?’ he asked, forgetting
even to get angry at being called shorty.
‘Come with me,’ Kanda ordered, and they went down the hall and came to a
kitchen. It looked like something from a magazine on modern design, but all
impression was spoiled by a huge pile of dirty dishes in the sink. Allen
shuddered in disgust, he could have sworn some of the plates had mould growing
on them.
‘Make yourself useful and wash these,’ Kanda said with a nod in the direction
of the ghastly pile of dishes.
‘Don’t you have a housekeeper for that?’ Allen asked. It was not like he minded
doing the dishes, he was used to chores after all these years with Cross. But
somehow the whole thing was turning terribly anticlimactic.
‘Yeah, I had a housekeeper. Have had several. Had to fire the last one – bitch
stole my underwear and sold it on Ebay,’ Kanda sighed.
Allen could not help but snort in amusement. And the previous housekeepers
probably left because they couldn’t stand Kanda's temper.
‘I’m glad you find my problems funny, beansprout!’ said Kanda in a voice that
definitely was not glad. ‘Now get to washing!’
Allen complied. It was not so horrible, when he got down to it – all the dishes
were done in just thirty minutes. He put the last plate on the dish rack and
sighed with the satisfaction of a job well done.
‘I guess I have to tell Kanda I’m done,’ Allen sighed. He left the kitchen and
went into what he supposed should be the living room. What he saw there made
him stop in his tracks – Yuu Kanda was shirtless and doing some sort of karate
or some other martial art exercise thing Allen had no idea how to call. It
looked fascinating, Allen had to admit. Kanda moved with a fluid grace and
elegance it had probably taken him years to achieve.
‘Maybe Kanda is not just a pretty face,’ Allen though.
‘How long are you going to stare?’ Kanda asked in a surprisingly civil tone.
Apparently the exercises did a great job calming him down.
‘Oh, sorry. I just wanted to say I’m done with the dishes,’ Allen said.
‘No shit?’ Kanda asked with surprise. ‘That was quick.’
Allen just nodded in reply. Kanda looked at the clock on the wall and looked at
Allen thoughtfully.
‘There is still lots of time. What else can you do?’ Kanda asked.
‘What do you mean?’ Allen wanted to clarify.
‘Vacuum cleaning. Can you do that?’ Kanda asked in a doubtful manner.
‘Sure,’ Allen said, trying not to roll his eyes.
 
In the next two hours Allen had vacuumed carpets all over Kanda’s flat, dusted
the shelves, watered some poor half-dead plants and washed the bath. The last
chore was the most unpleasant, the bath felt almost slimy. Kanda was not just a
grumpy unpleasant person, he was also a horrible slob, thought Allen.
‘Hey, beansprout, finish it up, your time is almost over,’ Kanda said, standing
at the bathroom door.
‘I’m Allen!’ Allen said almost angrily – he deserved being called by his name
after doing chores for three hours.
‘Whatever,’ Kanda said, and left.
Allen quickly put away the cleaning utensils and washed his hands. The reality
of the situation caught up with Allen again – Cross still wanted Allen to work
as a gigolo, so even if this time Allen got away with not having sex, next time
he might not be so lucky. Maybe Kanda would give Allen a huge tip for all the
cleaning?
Allen went to the living room again. Kanda was looking out of the window, but
immediately turned and gave Allen another one of his thoughtful looks.
‘Listen, you’re not half bad at this cleaning thing,’ said Kanda. ‘Do you want
to be my housekeeper?’
Allen was somewhat shocked at the offer, he definitely had not expected that.
But he thought quickly and asked: ‘How much will you pay?’
Kanda named the number, and Allen had to try very hard to suppress a surprised
gasp – with that sort of money he could live happily ever after! But there was
still the problem with Cross – that man was Allen’s legal guardian, and will
remain that until Allen was eighteen. That was still several months to go.
‘That is a very generous offer,’ Allen said. ‘I accept! But is it ok if we
pretend that I’m not here for housekeeping?’
‘Why?’ suspiciously asked Kanda.
‘Well, my guardian sort of wanted me to choose another job,’ Allen explained
awkwardly, not wanting to get into sordid details of his relationship with
Cross.
‘Your guardian thinks that whoring is better than an honest job?’ Kanda
grimaced in disgust, but added: ‘Whatever, you can tell him anything you wish.
But if you tell anything to the press, I’ll rip your balls off. And I want you
to be here tomorrow and finish the cleaning.’
‘Wait, do I have to come here every day?’ Allen asked. Chores were not bad, but
doing them every day was just too much.
‘Three times a week will be sufficient. If you clean everything well, that is,’
Kanda said.
Allen didn’t manage to assure Kanda that he would do everything well – the
doorbell rang, and Kanda went to get the door.
It was Lavi, and he looked even more cheerful than before.
‘So, did the two of you had a great time?’ he asked.
‘Fantastic time,’ sourly said Kanda. ‘In fact, I want to hire the beansprout
long-term for three times a week.’
‘Wow, Allen, you must be great in bed!’ Lavi said, making Allen blush. ‘Ok,
I’ll ask General Cross about it.’
‘You don’t have to, I can...’ Allen began, but Lavi interrupted: ‘No, no, let
me! It’s rare that Yuu likes my presents this much!’
‘Don’t call me Yuu! And get the hell out of here already!’ Kanda ordered, so
Allen and Lavi left.
***** Lived Fast, Died Young *****
Chapter Summary
     Allen witnesses an outcome of a tragic event.
On the way back Allen’s mood had really improved. Life didn’t seem so bad
anymore. He just had to pretend that he was being intimate with Kanda - that
would keep Cross satisfied. Meanwhile he would save money and then, when he
turned eighteen, Cross would have no legal reasons to keep him, all his
connections be damned.
Lavi seemed to be in a good mood, too, judging from his constant leers and less
than subtle attempts to find out how Kanda behaved in bed. Of course, Allen did
not say a thing about that – simply because he didn’t know, but even if he did,
it would not do to tell such intimate details. The car ride back to Cross’
seemed shorter than the time it took them to get to Kanda’s place, and soon
Lavi’s flashy car was parked in front of Cross’ house and Lavi and Allen were
walking up the stairs to Cross’ flat.
‘You don’t have to come, I can arrange everything myself,’ said Allen again. He
felt that it would be easier to deal with Cross on his own. In all these years
he had gained some understanding about the workings of Cross’ mind, so he was
somewhat sure he would be able to lie convincingly about today’s client. But
Lavi might end up saying something that would make Cross suspicious.
‘Nonsense!’ cheerfully replied Lavi. ‘I want to talk to him, maybe he has
someone suitable for me too! Although, sorry, Allen, but I’m into girls only!’
Allen rolled his eyes – no need to apologise, he did not feel disappointed by
that. Besides, Lavi could not know for sure, just a couple of weeks ago Allen
also thought he was into girls only, and look at him now, almost having sex
with a guy. Well, in the end he didn’t have sex, which was good, Allen
supposed. Kanda was attractive and all, but that personality made him cringe...
Anyway, it won’t be so bad if he didn’t interact with Kanda, after all, he
would only have to do the chores.
They finally reached the doors of Cross’ flat. The door was slightly ajar.
Allen frowned – leaving it like that was quite unlike Cross. He pushed to door
open and invited Lavi inside. No strangers’ shoes or clothes on the hanger,
Cross must be alone, then.
‘General Cross!’ Allen called. ‘I’m home!’
No reply.
‘He’s probably in the bedroom,’ Allen told Lavi. ‘I’ll just go and check...’
‘Nah, I’ll go. You probably want to take a shower, don’t you?’ Lavi winked.
‘Yeah, but...’ Allen tried to object, but Lavi already cheerfully bounced along
the corridor towards Cross’ bedroom, Allen trailing behind him.
‘General Cross, your young ward is back!’ Lavi announced, pushing open the
bedroom door. He suddenly froze and Allen heard his horrified whisper; ‘Oh
shit...’
‘What?’ Allen asked nervously. Lavi blocked all his view of the bedroom, so
Allen could not see what caused that reaction. Lavi slowly backed away and
closed the door.
‘What happened?’ Allen repeated with some apprehension.
Lavi gave him a serious look. ‘We need to call the police. Sorry, Allen, but
Cross is dead!’
‘What? No way!’ Allen made to open the door again, and Lavi grabbed him by the
hand.
‘You should not look, it’s really not pretty!’ he said.
‘I need to see!’ Allen pushed Lavi aside and went into the room. He stopped
immediately and took in the scene in front of him.
Lavi was right, it was not pretty. There was no blood or carnage, but Cross was
unmistakably dead. Nobody could lie in bed so stiffly, with limbs in such
awkward positions, have such bulging empty eyes and such a horrible purple
bruise around the neck, and be alive...
‘Oh god...’ Allen whispered. He felt almost sick. Was this, this thing that
looked like a broken doll, really the same person who had talked to him just a
couple of hours ago?
‘We need to check the pulse, he might be alive!’ Allen said quietly, even
though it was obvious that it was a foolish hope.
‘Allen, he’s definitely not alive...’ Lavi said with some pity in his voice.
‘I’ll check!’ Allen said. He moved close to Cross’ body and hovered near it in
indecision. How did one check the pulse, anyway? On the neck? On the wrist?
Allen decided he was not touching the neck, not when it looked like that, with
all the bruising. He carefully grasped Cross’ wrist, and almost immediately let
go – it was pointless to check the pulse, nothing living could feel that cold.
‘Ok, I’m calling the police now!’ Lavi said, and Allen nodded.
He walked out of the room, plopped down on the sofa in the sitting-room and put
his head in his hands. His brain felt like in a jumble. Cross dead? It seemed
impossible! Not Cross, who always seemed more full of life than other people.
Talking louder, laughing more, drinking more than everyone else. Suddenly all
the troubles Cross had caused to Allen seemed almost to melt away, leaving only
emptiness. After all, even though Cross was a complete jerk, he was the only
family Allen had had. And now he was gone... Allen pinched his nose bridge to
distract himself from tears that prickled at his eyelids. No way he would cry
for that old bastard. Now that Cross was gone, Allen would finally be free!
Only why did that feel so sad?
‘Allen?’ Lavi’s careful question intruded on Allen’s thoughts. ‘The police
should be here any moment now...’
‘Yeah, ok, thanks,’ Allen muttered.
It took longer than a moment, but the police arrived almost quicker than Allen
would have liked. Now that he thought about it, all the explanations about who
Cross was, and what he did, and where Allen had been during the time Cross died
– it would all be pretty suspicious and probably get the attention of the
police.
And now that Allen though about it, Cross didn’t just die – that bruising on
the neck was a definite sign of strangulation. Cross had been killed!
***** Murder Mystery *****
Chapter Summary
     An investigation of Cross' death has begun, and Allen experiences
     some unpleasant moments.
Chapter Notes
     Uh, how do I even start apologising for three years without updates
     of the story? I really am sorry, you guys. But I'm also lazy and
     easily distracted by other fandoms. But this time, I hope, I will be
     able to continue this fic more or less regularly, after all, the new
     anime has somewhat revived my interest in the fandom. And I'm also
     sorry if the quality of my writing has decreased because I'm out of
     practice. Basically, I'm very sorry for everything in general! But I
     still hope you will like this chapter. Even though not much happens
     in it and it's just mostly preparation for the next chapter.
There was a knock on the door, Lavi went to get it and ushered into the room a
stern woman dressed in a police uniform. Allen felt like he had seen her
before, she looked rather imposing and cold. She was followed by a couple of
police officers and people Allen guessed where from the forensics, since they
were wearing masks and gloves.
‘Good afternoon, I am Inspector Epstain. So what happened here?’ the woman
said.
‘Me and Lavi were visiting a friend, and then we came back and discovered that
General Cross was dead,’ said Allen before Lavi tried to speak up. Allen
figured at this point the reason why he was away in the first place did not
matter, and he did not want the whole prostitution thing to come to light just
yet.
‘I see. That is a pity, I knew General Cross quite well,’ Inspector Epstain
said, and Allen wondered if she would have been one of Cross’ clients, after
all, he recognised her from somewhere. But then she did not seem to be the type
of person who would need paid companionship.
‘Show us the body,’ she said. Lavi started to get up, but Allen waved him to
stay, he felt like it should be his duty to show the police around, it was his
home, after all. He took the police to Cross’ room, but did not go inside, he
did not want to look at the dead body again. Allen heard some noises and bits
of conversation from the room, obviously the officers were investigating the
situation.
‘Hey, Allen, you okay?’ Lavi came up to him, probably tired of staying in the
room with a silent police officer watching over him.
Was he okay? Allen wondered. In his heart he knew he should be upset or
worried, or feel at least something, but instead there were just annoying
little thoughts buzzing around his heard – would he have to arrange the
funeral? Would he have to sell the flat? Would he be a suspect? But Lavi had
nothing to do with all that, so Allen just nodded.
‘Look, Allen,’ Lavi whispered, ‘about Yuu... It would look bad if the press
found out about today, so maybe you could just keep silent about it?’
‘But they will ask where I was at the time when Cross died,’ Allen whispered
back. Lavi rubbed his forehead.
‘We need to think of something. Earlier, you said we were seeing a friend, so
maybe just repeat that, if they ask?’
‘Kanda is not my friend,’ said Allen. Who would even want to be a friend with
that guy? But he did offer him a job... ‘I know! You can tell the police that
he is your friend and you took me to see him because he was offering a part-
time job and I needed one.’
Lavi looked rather doubtful and looked like he was about to object, but at that
moment Inspector Epstain stepped out of Cross’ bedroom.
‘Yes, unfortunately there is nothing we can do any more, your guardian is not
among the living,’ she said to Allen. He narrowed his eyes. He never said
anything about Cross been his guardian, so the woman really did know a lot
about their situation. She seemed to sense his distrust and said, ‘Why don’t we
sit down and talk, just the two of us?’
Allen wordlessly took her to the kitchen.
‘Aren’t you going to say that I have the rights to remain silent or something?’
he asked. Inspector Epstain gave him a small, thin smile.
‘You are not being arrested, Allen. It’s obvious you couldn’t have killed
Cross, even if you wanted to. For one thing, he was stronger than you, and for
another, your hands are much narrower than the marks on his neck. We police
officers notice these things immediately. Your friend however... Lavi, was it?
He might be a likely candidate.’
‘Lavi?’ Allen repeated. That made no sense. ‘He barely even knew Cross, he
wouldn’t!’
‘I believe you, but we need to consider all possibilities. Now, why don’t you
tell me what happened today? Any detail could help.’
Allen chewed on his lip. Inspector Epstain seemed to know some things about
Cross, but did she know what he did for a living? Allen did not want to talk
about it much, the topic was not something he could comfortably discuss with a
stranger. And yet, she did say any detail could help. He did not want Cross’
murderer to go unpunished.
It was as if Inspector Epstain sensed his doubts because she said, ‘Don’t
worry, Allen, I know about the lifestyle of General Cross. I never approved of
it, but it didn’t hurt anybody, so I did not intervene.’
‘Well, it sort of hurt me,’ thought Allen, remembering that one time Cross
tried to push him into participating in his business. And in the end it really
hurt Cross himself. But the Inspector was waiting for his answer so Allen
sighed and started his story.
‘It was just an ordinary day, I went to school in the morning and then I came
back and Lavi was here.’
‘So who is Lavi, a friend of the General?’ asked Inspector Epstain.
‘I don’t know,’ said Allen, ‘I had never seen him before. But he offered me a
part-time job with his friend and the general agreed.’
‘What sort of job?’ asked the Inspector.
‘Just cleaning,’ said Allen casually. ‘So me and Lavi went to that guy’s house,
I cleaned it for a couple of hours and Lavi took me back here.’
‘Interesting,’ remarked Inspector Epstain. ‘Doesn’t Lavi have anything to do?
He was just driving you around all day. And where was he while you were
cleaning?’
‘I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter, Lavi has nothing to do with this!’ Allen
was already getting annoyed. Why did the Inspector insist on dragging Lavi into
it?
‘I just find it curious how you defend a person you have never even seen before
today,’ said Inspector Epstain. ‘Unless of course you actually know him quite
well, and orchestrated all of this to get General’s money.’
‘What money?’ Allen asked.
‘General Cross was really rich, didn’t you know? But I guess he did not share
much of that money with you, since you had to look for a part-time job. So
maybe you just got tired of him not giving you any cash? A growing boy has his
needs...’
Allen jumped from his seat, making his chair fall, and yelled,’ How can you
even...’
But at that moment Lavi appeared at the door and said, ‘Inspector Epstain,
sorry to butt in, but did you know that Allen is in fact underage? Shouldn’t
you talk to him only in presence of his legal guardian?’
Inspector Epstain once again smiled, ‘Indeed, how remiss of me. But who is
Allen’s guardian now that General Cross is dead?’
Allen did not know that. A relative of Cross’? Did the General even have
relatives?
‘Very well, I will have to investigate it. In the meantime, I will have to ask
both of you not to leave the city. As soon as we have found out, who Allen’s
legal guardian is, we will invite you to a conversation at the police station.’
The Inspector went to gather her subordinates and soon left, taking Cross’ body
with them. The flat seemed very quiet now.
‘That was unpleasant, wasn’t it?’ said Lavi with forced cheerfulness. ‘Do you
think that Inspector woman has something against Cross? She said she knew him,
but maybe she didn’t mean it in a good way.’
‘I don’t know,’ Allen said. He suddenly felt really tired. Lavi noticed that.
‘Hey, you are about to fall asleep right here! But maybe you should not stay
alone tonight? Do you have any friends you could go to?’
Allen shrugged. He got along with his classmates just fine, but he didn’t
really have close friends, at least not the kind he could call at night and ask
to let him stay with them. But staying alone right where Cross had been killed
did not seem pleasant.
‘I wish I could take you home with me, but I’m staying in a hotel, I just came
here for some business and for Yuu’s birthday really,’ said Lavi
apologetically, and then suddenly grinned. ‘That gives me an idea!’
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed a button. Allen understood
what he was planning and tried to grab the phone, but it was too late.
‘Hi, Yuu! Sorry I’m calling you so late, but I need your help!’
 
In the next chapter – Allen spends the night at Casa de Kanda and finds out
that his host is not an ice-cold jerk he seemed to be at first.
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!