[fic] 24hour_themes: Psychological Contract
Prompt: 10h00 ; Improving personal convictions and resolutions.
Title: Psychological Contract
Fandom: D.Gray-man
Characters: Kanda Yuu, Li Lenalee
Rating: G
Summary: “Because God knows how irritating it is when you start crying.”
Disclaimer: D.Gray-man and all of its characters belong to Katsura Hoshino.
Notes: It wasn't really stated when Kanda acquired that pretty tattoo on his chest, was it? So I assumed it was after he came to the Order, seeing that only two of the thirteen petals of the lotus had fallen. But then again, I can be mistaken and this will most likely be edited once Hoshino decides to tell us more about him darn it. Oh and psychological contract = promise. Yes, I'm making things more complicated for me.
Psychological Contract
The moment she had heard the news, her mind went blank, the hand holding her luggage dropping it heavily to the stone floor. She had just arrived from a mission with thoughts of a late breakfast, the clock pointing exactly at the ten o’clock mark. For a full minute, she simply stood there, uncertain of what to think of. She could hardly hear the other voices around her, calling her name, reassuring her. She could hardly feel her brother’s hand on her shoulder, squeezing and trying to gently shake her back to reality. Time seemed to have stopped for her fleetingly, numbing her, and her breath hitched in her throat, a quiet gasp leaving her lips. Without another word, Lenalee suddenly took off from her brother’s office, her legs already knowing where to bring her.
"Something happened earlier. Kanda was brought back here by General Tiedoll and Marie, covered in blood. We're not sure what had taken place exactly."
Even if she was away on a mission, even if it was the same for him, how could she let it happen? She scolded herself for not being able to do anything for him. She scolded herself for not being there at his side immediately. Warm tears stung her eyes, blurring her vision, as her pace quickened. Why didn’t anyone inform her? If she had known, then she would’ve promptly finished her assignment and returned back to the headquarters. If she had known… She closed her eyes, pushing the thought back at the back of her mind. Even at such an age, she had already realized how life was even more fragile in their line of duty. She had already realized their mortality, watching so many fall. Even her dreams reminded her of such.
She rounded a corner, her mind still full of thoughts and questions, and consequently slammed into someone bigger, someone harder. She reeled back, rubbing her offended nose, and then looked up, her mouth opened, poised to start apologizing. However, the words died in her throat, replaced by only one name.
“Marie,” her voice cracked from the emotion threatening to overwhelm her at any moment then. She couldn’t see him clearly anymore, tears welling in her eyes.
Marie blinked at her then smiled gently, like a big brother to his little sister, placing a hand on her head. It was warm and light, despite his bulk, gentle and reassuring. “Have you come to see him?”
She simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak clearly. The older Exorcist understood almost immediately and she found herself being ushered into a room similar to hers yet even sparser. Her eyes barely flickered on what was on the desk, an hourglass with a flower suspended inside. Instead, her attention quickly moved to the boy seated on the bed, a book in one hand, his expression sour as she stumbled inside unceremoniously. Kanda Yuu was hardly the person who appreciated being disturbed.
“Tch. What are you doing here?”
She was imagining things again, his white shirt stained crimson, his entire body bandaged. She had imagined him lying in bed, pale, unmoving. She had imagined him like how she would see him in her dreams. But not like this, reading a book even nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.
A mixture of worry, of relief, of thankfulness flooded her system, her emotions too much that she couldn’t help but cry. Her hands rose to cover her face as she sobbed, crumpling to her knees beside the bed. She didn’t hear his surprised, almost panicked reprimand. She didn’t hear his heavy sigh, exasperated. She didn’t hear his voice, for a moment softening as he reassured her that he was fine. What she felt was his hand on her head, awkwardly patting it.
“I don’t understand why the heck you’re crying, for God’s sake.” He was muttering darkly, sounding very much annoyed. “You’d think I died or something.”
There was a long pause afterwards, the silence disrupted once in a while by her sobs. She slowly calmed down, the tears stopping along with her sobbing. Kanda still was wordless, even as she looked up at him from her hands, his gaze averted to the window. There was a certain thoughtfulness in his eyes, one that disappeared when he turned to look at her. At once, the scowl returned.
“Are you done crying now?”
“I…” She quickly found her voice, her relief melting away into something similar to provocation. “I was just worried! When Brother said that you were brought here covered in blood, I had thought that something - That you were-”
She began crying again, furiously wiping away the tears that had fallen with her hands. Kanda, on the other hand, was looking away uncomfortably, muttering incoherently under his breath, words like ‘stupid girl’ and ‘kill that idiot’ coming up every few minutes. He sighed heavily then without warning grabbed her hand with his one hand while the other he used to brush away her tears. He was looking at her intently, sternly, that Lenalee stopped crying altogether.
“I won’t die, okay?” he told her, his thirteen-year-old voice richer and deeper than usual. “I will never let myself die so stop crying already.”
“But you almost-”
“Almost,” he harshly cut her off, shaking his head once. “But I’m not going to let it happen again. Never again. So you’re not allowed to cry like this again, understand?”
Lenalee slowly nodded but she couldn’t help but open her mouth one last time. “But are you sure… I mean, you’re still human and…”
“I won’t die. Period.” Kanda’s frown became more pronounced, an annoyed sigh leaving his lips again. “Because God knows how irritating it is when you start crying.”
Title: Psychological Contract
Fandom: D.Gray-man
Characters: Kanda Yuu, Li Lenalee
Rating: G
Summary: “Because God knows how irritating it is when you start crying.”
Disclaimer: D.Gray-man and all of its characters belong to Katsura Hoshino.
Notes: It wasn't really stated when Kanda acquired that pretty tattoo on his chest, was it? So I assumed it was after he came to the Order, seeing that only two of the thirteen petals of the lotus had fallen. But then again, I can be mistaken and this will most likely be edited once Hoshino decides to tell us more about him darn it. Oh and psychological contract = promise. Yes, I'm making things more complicated for me.
Psychological Contract
The moment she had heard the news, her mind went blank, the hand holding her luggage dropping it heavily to the stone floor. She had just arrived from a mission with thoughts of a late breakfast, the clock pointing exactly at the ten o’clock mark. For a full minute, she simply stood there, uncertain of what to think of. She could hardly hear the other voices around her, calling her name, reassuring her. She could hardly feel her brother’s hand on her shoulder, squeezing and trying to gently shake her back to reality. Time seemed to have stopped for her fleetingly, numbing her, and her breath hitched in her throat, a quiet gasp leaving her lips. Without another word, Lenalee suddenly took off from her brother’s office, her legs already knowing where to bring her.
"Something happened earlier. Kanda was brought back here by General Tiedoll and Marie, covered in blood. We're not sure what had taken place exactly."
Even if she was away on a mission, even if it was the same for him, how could she let it happen? She scolded herself for not being able to do anything for him. She scolded herself for not being there at his side immediately. Warm tears stung her eyes, blurring her vision, as her pace quickened. Why didn’t anyone inform her? If she had known, then she would’ve promptly finished her assignment and returned back to the headquarters. If she had known… She closed her eyes, pushing the thought back at the back of her mind. Even at such an age, she had already realized how life was even more fragile in their line of duty. She had already realized their mortality, watching so many fall. Even her dreams reminded her of such.
She rounded a corner, her mind still full of thoughts and questions, and consequently slammed into someone bigger, someone harder. She reeled back, rubbing her offended nose, and then looked up, her mouth opened, poised to start apologizing. However, the words died in her throat, replaced by only one name.
“Marie,” her voice cracked from the emotion threatening to overwhelm her at any moment then. She couldn’t see him clearly anymore, tears welling in her eyes.
Marie blinked at her then smiled gently, like a big brother to his little sister, placing a hand on her head. It was warm and light, despite his bulk, gentle and reassuring. “Have you come to see him?”
She simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak clearly. The older Exorcist understood almost immediately and she found herself being ushered into a room similar to hers yet even sparser. Her eyes barely flickered on what was on the desk, an hourglass with a flower suspended inside. Instead, her attention quickly moved to the boy seated on the bed, a book in one hand, his expression sour as she stumbled inside unceremoniously. Kanda Yuu was hardly the person who appreciated being disturbed.
“Tch. What are you doing here?”
She was imagining things again, his white shirt stained crimson, his entire body bandaged. She had imagined him lying in bed, pale, unmoving. She had imagined him like how she would see him in her dreams. But not like this, reading a book even nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.
A mixture of worry, of relief, of thankfulness flooded her system, her emotions too much that she couldn’t help but cry. Her hands rose to cover her face as she sobbed, crumpling to her knees beside the bed. She didn’t hear his surprised, almost panicked reprimand. She didn’t hear his heavy sigh, exasperated. She didn’t hear his voice, for a moment softening as he reassured her that he was fine. What she felt was his hand on her head, awkwardly patting it.
“I don’t understand why the heck you’re crying, for God’s sake.” He was muttering darkly, sounding very much annoyed. “You’d think I died or something.”
There was a long pause afterwards, the silence disrupted once in a while by her sobs. She slowly calmed down, the tears stopping along with her sobbing. Kanda still was wordless, even as she looked up at him from her hands, his gaze averted to the window. There was a certain thoughtfulness in his eyes, one that disappeared when he turned to look at her. At once, the scowl returned.
“Are you done crying now?”
“I…” She quickly found her voice, her relief melting away into something similar to provocation. “I was just worried! When Brother said that you were brought here covered in blood, I had thought that something - That you were-”
She began crying again, furiously wiping away the tears that had fallen with her hands. Kanda, on the other hand, was looking away uncomfortably, muttering incoherently under his breath, words like ‘stupid girl’ and ‘kill that idiot’ coming up every few minutes. He sighed heavily then without warning grabbed her hand with his one hand while the other he used to brush away her tears. He was looking at her intently, sternly, that Lenalee stopped crying altogether.
“I won’t die, okay?” he told her, his thirteen-year-old voice richer and deeper than usual. “I will never let myself die so stop crying already.”
“But you almost-”
“Almost,” he harshly cut her off, shaking his head once. “But I’m not going to let it happen again. Never again. So you’re not allowed to cry like this again, understand?”
Lenalee slowly nodded but she couldn’t help but open her mouth one last time. “But are you sure… I mean, you’re still human and…”
“I won’t die. Period.” Kanda’s frown became more pronounced, an annoyed sigh leaving his lips again. “Because God knows how irritating it is when you start crying.”