"Red" - D.Gray-Man, drabble - Link!Centric

[panda-pon.livejournal.com]

Title: Red
Author: panda_pon
Characters/Fandom: Link!centric (also features Allen--slightly implied Allen/Link, but Your Mileage May Vary.)/D.Gray-Man
Rating: PG-13, I'd say. Due to the dark content, and...some vagueness.
Warnings: Multiple!character death. Doesn't explicitly state who (nor the cause of death), but given the context, it--should be obvious enough? Link attempting to crack a joke...at a not-so-appropriate moment. Also, angst. But depending on how well you know me, that really shouldn't need to be a 'warning' anymore.
Wordcount: 300
Author's Note: Written for a prompt given to me by harmony283. I'm actually rather proud of this one...even though it came out a lot darker than I originally intended...or expected. Also, cross-posted.



It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

If there’s one thing of which Howard Link is absolutely certain, it’s that this--none of this was supposed to happen.

There aren’t supposed to be five caskets lying side by side; all cold, and white, and surrounded by black as Exorcists and Finders alike crowd around them. Even a few select members of Central have attended, and--really. It’s all just so wrong.

Walker isn’t supposed to be standing next to him, sniffling and wiping at his eyes with an ungloved hand, still somehow doing absolutely nothing to stop the wet trail leaking down his cheeks, and Link certainly isn’t supposed to be feeling sorry for him.

I knew them better.

But such thoughts are juvenile, and the Inspector knows he shouldn’t be thinking them anyway. He shouldn’t be sitting here, confined to a wheelchair, and wrapped with bandages; his breathing heavier than he’ll ever admit to when this is all over.

He shouldn’t feel relieved when Walker’s hand drops back to the boy’s side, and Link moves his own ever so slightly to brush against it, drawing what little comfort he can from the short moment of skin-to-skin contact.

“Appropriate attire for a funeral does not include red, Walker.”

It’s an out-of-place attempt to lighten the mood, but he shouldn’t have tried in the first place, because his heart just isn't in it. He shouldn’t have this heavy, empty feeling sinking into his chest as Walker looks down at him suddenly, eyes wide in surprise as he blinks away the tears, and then somehow--somehow he smiles, and Link just knows that that shouldn’t make him feel worse.

But it does.

And most of all...most of all, Howard Link knows that he shouldn’t be wishing it were him in their place.

Comments

[churchninja]

Please excuse the RP account. I just wanted to say this was very well done and I really liked the subtlety. The part about the wheelchair and heavy breathing really struck me—that's good writing! Thank you for sharing.

[panda-pon.livejournal.com]

No worries about the roleplay account--I'm just happy to have received a comment! ♥

But seriously...you have no idea how much you just boosted my barely-existent ego, dear. -preens-
I really am glad you like it, though. I seem to really enjoy writing with subtlety, and vaguely implied hints at stuff...and half the time I don't even realize it, until I'm finished. xD But thank you. -very pleased-

[kitkii.livejournal.com]

This is really beautiful and well written. You captured so much in just 300 words. I could really feel the grief of the characters in this, too. Thank you so much for sharing!

[panda-pon.livejournal.com]

Fffff, you're much too sweet. Thank you!! ♥
-grabs your compliment greedily, and stuffs it in her pocket- \( ¬ ∇¬)/