Epilogue
The Late Gift

Allen felt nothing, if not warm. His body was curled up with his partner's and they had a decent selection of blankets containing that warmth that was making Allen feel like he was in a pleasant haze. Kanda was turned on his side, with his arm slung over Allen—keeping them close. They had both just come down from a frenzied high and they fell into a soothing silence for the moment—breathing in each other, devoid of conflict for a change.

The way Kanda's head was leaned on the pillow made Allen smile. The man's neck was wide open and a perfect spot for him to move his face and snuggle right up to. This was, perhaps, what Kanda had been referring to when he expressed any worry about Allen cuddling up to him—because Allen sure was. He was tangled with Kanda's limbs and pressed close enough to feel his heart beating through his chest. It was great, because Kanda was still awake. Awake and not having a fit over Allen's current place. It was really nice.

He couldn't help but inhale and shift in place—just enjoying the way Kanda's skin felt against his. He could even ignore that they both were probably in a great need of a bath. It didn't really matter to him anymore. Anything they did in that bed was done without remorse and Kanda seemed like the type to bleed in the med he made, so Allen would too.

"Merry Christmas, Kanda."

"Tch," Kanda muttered, eyes fluttering lightly. "Christmas was over like three hours ago, beansprout."

"…Th…three? We were…for that long?"

"Yes. You came in here at about ten."

Allen's face turned, sliding his cheek against Kanda's collar bone and he did the mental math. "We were going for five hours?"

"I'm not sure how this surprises you," Kanda nearly shrugged with a slight hint of a chuckle. "We went through like five rounds. When I gave you the key, I didn't think you were going to pounce like a dog in heat."

"I didn't see you saying no. In fact, I distinctly remember you giving a thumbs up."

"That wasn't a thumb."

"..I…you…Kanda!"

"Puts a whole new perspective on twiddling thumbs."

"Kanda, no."

"I won't tell anyone about your thumbsucking problem."

"Kanda please, oh my god." Allen rolled a bit and pushed his hand into Kanda's face—to which Kanda responded with something between an annoyed grunt and an amused chuckle. Leave it to Kanda to fluster Allen up that much from just stupid metaphors.

"You opened the door to that one, dumbass."

It was also entirely like Kanda to blame him for his horrible way of thinking about everything; and yet, Allen simply exhaled and accepted that Kanda was just a terrible person all around. It wasn't a surprise and he was okay with it ultimately. It did help that his partner was terrific in bed, but that was neither here nor there. "Yes, but you really didn't have to kick it in the rest of the way, you know."

"Yes I did."

"No you didn't, don't you know that's impolite?"

"So is sneaking into a man's room, climbing in his bed and giving him an unannounced mouth hug."

"We dropped the innocent metaphors didn't we?"

"Where was your first clue?"

"…I still didn't see you complaining," Allen grumbled and rolled over on Kanda until he heard the man make a strained huff. He sprawled his body along Kanda's—who was pushed to laying on his back for Allen's change in laying.

"Who in their right mind would actually complain to that—that would be absurd." With a flick, Kanda rolled his eyes at Allen's new way of being over affectionate—just like he predicted would happen. Stupid beansprout. "You've gotten better at it, in any case."

"Since when are you the master of …that?"

"I hate to break this to you, beansprout. But I'm way better at sucking dick than you are."

"Are you sure you want to be proud of that?"

"It's not a matter of pride, you dumbass," he pauses to shift and lift his arms so he can shove his hands behind his head. "It's a simple fact. I am just better at it."

"That's because god gave you a magical lack of gag reflex."

"That doesn't change the facts."

"Fine Kanda, you're the king of sucking dicks. There, are you happy?"

"Ecstatic."

Allen would have called him an idiot if it didn't amuse him as much as it did. Despite Kanda's strange way of expression—and apparent need to be recognized for the abilities of his mouth—was what kept Allen where he was. Whether they lasted or not, Allen could appreciate what he had at the moment.

Listening to Kanda's heartbeat was a soothing rhythm that almost put him to sleep until he jarred himself out of it. There was still something he needed to do before they finally submitted to oblivion—which he was certain would hit both of them very hard when they finally did give in. As much as he didn't want to, this thing he wanted to do required him to get up and leave Kanda's body and as such, his warmth. He turns his face into Kanda's chest and licked his skin with a fond mumble before he pushed himself up and rolled back off him.

When the cool air hit him, he almost crawled back in, but he steeled himself and slid off the bed and let the sheets slide off his body—leaving him exposed to the cool air entirely. With anyone else, he would have felt awkward and uncomfortable being naked and just moving around, but it felt second nature to Allen. He didn't know if this was a good or bad thing, but he stopped caring to think about it.

"Hey, where are you going, beansprout?"

"Relax, I'm not going anywhere. I can't find half of my clothes without proper light anyway." Even as he said that, he set a small lamp to at least give enough light in the room for Kanda to see him—definitely not enough to provide the light he'd need just to find out where the hell his pants disappeared to.

"Well what are you doing anyway?"

"Just shut up and wait," Allen stuck his tongue out and rummaged through a pile of clothes from days before. That pile of clothes had been the perfect hiding place for what he was fishing out. He didn't bother to really wrap this thing he brandished, but he wrapped a silk cloth and tied it at the top so that it would at least be a small bit of a surprise. "I just remember that I have something for you."

"Something for me?" A fine brow arched and Kanda squinted to try and make out more than shadows on Allen's left. Fortunately, he didn't have to struggle too hard or for very long, because Allen returned with the item in hand.

"It's something I got you for Christmas and before you get pissy with me, it's really not a big deal okay. Don't have a cow." It was a preemptive attempt to keep Kanda from hissing at him for participating in the holiday in any sort of sentimental way. Allen didn't really care if Kanda got mad, but it would be a lot easier giving him the gift if Kanda wasn't acting like a little bitch about it.

He shuffled back to the bed with the item in one hand and proceeded to huddle back under the covers because, damn, it was cold. He situated himself so that he was lying shoulder to shoulder with Kanda and holding the item up in front of him—and subsequently, Kanda. The item hovered over Kanda and Allen urged him to take it.

"What is this?"

"You're supposed to open it and find out, jackass."

"Damn it, beansprout…" Even though he let out an outward display of annoyance, Kanda took the item and easily pulled the tie free so the cloth would slide off it. The item itself was light—it felt hollow, like glass. When the light gleamed off the item, he was proud to confirm his guess that it was glass. What he didn't expect was that the glass shaped to be once the cloth dropped—settling in a pile on his chest.

"It's sort of an apology for being the reason the other one is cracked…I couldn't replace the other one because I couldn't just take it…So I…I found a different one and I'm sorry if it's the wrong thing, but…"

"Shut up," Kanda's voice cut Allen's words apart and the boy shut up while Kanda was staring at the glass object in his hands. His fingers grazed over the finely blown glass that came to an hourglass shape. It wasn't like the hour glass that had been on his desk. It was a bit smaller, yet some how more ornate. He couldn't explain the feeling that hit him when his thumb brushed over a fine etching in the front of it. Right into the glass was an engraved image, sketched to be obvious and yet not glaringly so.

For many reasons, Kanda couldn't speak right away. One reason could have to do with the singular fact that the engraved image was a lotus. How and where Allen had gotten the idea to have that placed on there was very far out of Kanda's ability to really fathom. He hadn't made any indication there was a lotus connected to him in anyway. But despite that, there lied a symbolism with its placement. The flower was situated at the top half of the hourglass. Permanent. Not moving. Unlike the illusion of that flower he'd always seen in the empty one before it. This one wasn't an illusion and this one wasn't taunting him. "Why a lotus?" He finally asked quietly.

"That's what you smell like all the time and I know you enjoy botany."

Did he really smell like it? He hadn't really been aware, but perhaps he'd learned to ignore the scent of the flower he always assumed would haunt him forever. Even so, that could be ignored. The main thing was that he was staring something he'd grown to despise, with something that could only be described as fondness. Allen's gift was strangely lifting a dreadful weight off his chest; like he'd been waiting his whole life for someone to tell him—even if wordlessly—that his entire life wasn't based on a projected path. This flower on this glass would never descend. It was etched into the glass permanently. Even if he wasn't permanent, this flower wasn't there to count his life down like a misery wielding death clock.

Damn it.

"Did I do bad…?" Allen had worried about this gift and no one could deny that Kanda's reaction was looking very strange for a man who could usually scoff anything off.

He shook his head and lowered the hourglass, taking the cloth and wrapping it back around it so it wouldn't scratch. With a stretch, he leaned to place the hourglass on the table by his bed. He wanted it safely out of the way for what he was preparing himself to do. It was all really Allen's fault and Kanda had to pay him for making him feel things that he didn't think he could feel. With the fragile item set aside, Kanda shifted and swiftly rolled himself over until he managed to slide his body over Allen's—a knee on each side of Allen's hips. The sheets tumbled over them and Kanda's tongue moved over his teeth, leaving Allen with the image or a predator.

"K…Kanda?" Allen squealed under him, unable to deny the warm tingling sensation pouring back through his body. "A…are you okay?"

He was certainly okay. His cool hands raked down Allen's naked body until the boy was shivering just a bit from the way his muscles twitched. "It's fine, Beansprout. Just close your eyes and think of England."

"I…bluh….Abuh…" Allen babbled when Kanda's tongue connected with skin by his ear and the very last thing he was thinking about was damned England.

The End

A/N: Convenience on my part has me posting this on New Years so I can wish you all a happy new year! It's a bit late, but I suppose that gave me New Years well wishing. Thank you all for following this story from its birth to completion. I'm not going to lie, that I was able to write nearly 50k words within the span of a month is both amazing for my recent motivation and for irony that I failed Nano so hard last month. Ah well.

I hope you all enjoy the conclusion and i apologize for ugly typos. Let me know how you feel about it! With the completion of a longer story I always like to know things like "What was your favorite part", "what part made you laugh most", "what things did I neglect/or what really shined". It helps me on my trek toward future projects! That being said, I bid you all adieu and have a safe entrance into a new year!