TITLE: The Time Between Us
SUMMARY: When a baby is suddenly dropped into 2nd year student Alois' life he decides to raise it in his dorm. Keeping this baby hidden from their teachers peers brings four unlikely friends together. Through the ups and downs they form what feels like a strange but happy little family. How long will this happiness last when life seems to want to tear these unlikely couples apart?
STORY PAIRINGS: Ciel+Sebastian, Alois+Calude
PLEASE NOTE: This story is rated M. According to the FF site, that means it has to be appropriate for ages 16+ WITHOUT explicit content, which includes adult language, themes, and suggestions. This story meets those requirements.
THIS IS US, was written in all caps on the top of a photograph featuring a blonde haired boy dressed in a suit. He was holding a small baby with little tuffs or orange hair. Beside him was a tall Japanese kid wearing a graduation uniform that was decked out with tassels and other things signifying he was the top of his class. He had black hair and glasses and though he looked rather stoic in his features. His eyes had a softened expression to them as he glanced down at the baby in the blond haired boy's arms. At the left of these two was a kid of about 16, also in a suit. He seemed to have been in a fight recently and was looking over the graduate's shoulder down at the baby, but even though his face was turned toward the small child his eyes were glancing over at the fifth boy in the picture who was standing a little too formally for this kind of photograph. He too was looking at the baby. However, you could just barely see in a small gap between the two boys in the middle, that the kids on the outside were holding hands behind their backs.
It was an important photograph.
However, what led to this photograph was a series of strange events that seem too far-fetched to believe...
The first day at a new school would make some people nervous. The first day at a new school, in a new country would make most people nervous. The first day at a new school, in a new country, where you barely speak the language, would make pretty much everyone nervous. But Ciel wasn't…
He knew he should be, but… he just wasn't. To be honest. He didn't really care. His parents had kind of shipped him here saying something about studying abroad will teach you a lot. Which was the same thing they said before shipping him to Spain for the beginning of his middle school years. Then France for the end of them. Now, he found himself in Japan for what his parents said would be the entirety of his high school career, but he knew at any time they could change their mind and decide he needed to go to Germany or Russia, or someplace like that. Now, he didn't have anything against Germany, Russia or anywhere else really. He was just sick of all the moving. If he could stay in one location more than a couple years he would have been happy.
The bottom line… His parents didn't seem to want him around for more than a holiday or week break.
He had done little else besides study Japanese when he knew he was being sent here. However, their simply had not been enough time to become conversational. So he knew he would have to learn quickly and total immersion was the best way to do that.
Ciel went up to the main registration desk and in the best Japanese that he could manage, he explained to the woman that he was coming from England. He showed her his passport which was completely in Japanese and she motioned for him to follow her.
Alois was back as a ninensei this time, and he could not have been happier to return from summer break in order to be back at the school he loved. It had its problems like any school, but any place was better than being at home in France, with his Father and sickeningly oblivious mother.
He waved to some old acquaintances and headed to his dorm. All he wanted to do was set up his side of the room and fall happily asleep. When he opened his door he saw someone was already there, and they had taken his side of the room. He frowned. Well, he supposed it was a new year, so he couldn't expect to keep his side. But he hadn't expected a new roommate.
"What happened to Arthur?" he asked in Japanese to the new guy laying in his bed.
He peeked out a him from under the arm he had thrown across his eyes. "Who?"
"Arthur Doyle, he was my roommate last year…"
"How the hell should I know?" he answered frowning.
Alois frowned at him and took out his phone to text Arthur. They weren't overly close, but he did have his number. After he sent it he dragged his suit case over to the opposite side of the room that he was used to and began to set up his things.
At this point the teen sat up yawning. "So what's your name?"
"Alois Transy," he answered without turning around.
"Sebastian Michaelis," his new roommate responded as he jumped to his feet. "Let's go have some fun."
"Huh?" Alois turned. He found this request odd considering how coldly Sebastian had addressed him earlier. Then he learned it wasn't a request at all for Sebastian had wrapped an arm around his shoulders and practically dragged him out the door.
"This is our top student Lord Phantomhive," said Principle Spears who spoke English quite well. "His name is Claude Faustus, he speaks both English and Japanese fluently and has said he will be happy to give you extra help should you ask."
"Nice to meet you," Ciel said holding out his hand which Claude shook.
"He will also be your roommate, tough just for your first year. He's a fourth year, so he'll be headed to a university after this."
"I see…" Ciel answered.
"Well then, he will show you around. I'm heading back to my office but feel free to pop in anytime if you have some questions. Good day to you Lord Phantomhive."
He left after that and Claude motioned for Ciel to follow him. He began to show him the main sites around the school. The cafeteria, the library, and other such places. It was a pretty average tour until Claude stopped before two rather rambunctious students who were throwing rocks at a potted plant on a balcony above them.
"And just what are you two doing?"
"We're knocking this plant down. What's it look like…" Alois said before glancing to see who it was. "Oh…"
Sebastian grinned. "One more year dumbass," he snapped. "Then I don't have to worry about you ratting me out ever again."
"You wouldn't have to worry about anyone ratting you out if you would stop doing stupid and illegal shit…"
"Why one more year?" Alois asked.
"Perfect student Claude here is a fourth year, and thus he's going to be out of my hair by then."
"Wow, lucky," Alois said smiling. "I'm only a second year and I'm already ready to graduate…"
"Well, I haven't see you before," Sebastian said spotting Ciel who had been silently trying to translate their words as quickly as possible. But Sebastian was using a lot of improper and slang terms. So much of what he was saying was difficult. "Aren't you cute. My—"
Claude placed a hand on his face and pushed him back so he stumbled a bit. "HEY!"
"This is Ciel Phantomhive, he's an exchange student from England, and his Japanese isn't quite up to par. So he doesn't need to learn any bad language habits from you…"
"He doesn't speak Japanese?" Sebastian said grinning. "Great! He can't rat me out then…"
Sighing Claude put a hand on Ciel's shoulder and in English he said. "Let's go."
"Bye Ciel!" Alois called in English as well as the two left.
"Tsk… I know some English," Sebastian said frowning trying to rack his brain back to the things he had learned in Elementary school. Which had been the last time he was forced to formally study English. But he had slacked off in that class. A lot…
"He sure was cute for a Brit boy," Alois said smiling.
"Why?" Sebastian asked letting the rocks he was holding drop. He wiped the dirt left on his hands from holding them on his uniform jacket.
"Well I mean, you know. British people aren't exactly known for winning beauty pageants. French people on the other hand are gorgeous 99.9% of the time."
"Let me guess," Sebastian turned to him. "You're French."
"Oui!" Alois answered.
"Figures," he checked his watch. "Well, let's go get some food. I'm starving."
"I gotta go back to the dorm first then, I left my ID card there..."
So they headed back to the dorms making small talk along the way. Alois learned that Sebastian liked fighting, and he was in the process of asking if he had joined a martial arts club when they arrived back and he noticed their dorm door was opened a crack.
"You didn't lock the door when we left?" Sebastian asked frowning.
"You sort of dragged me out of the room," Alois snapped. "How was I supposed to lock the door?"
"Please, don't have taken my stuff. Please, don't have taken my stuff," Sebastian said this like a quick prayer before he opened the door. When he did, it looked as though nothing had been taken.
"Yeah! It's still here!" he cheered. "Oh look, whoever was in here they even left us more stuff."
Their looked to be a baby carrier in the middle of their floor that was under a blanket. Looking confused Alois went over and took off the blanket to find a small baby.
"What the hell," Sebastian knelt down starring at it.
Alois reached in and picked the child up, and they found a note below his bottom. "Here take this a sec," Alois said handing the baby to Sebastian who held it like he was holding something gross.
He opened the typed letter and read it out loud. "Alois Trancy. You do not know me, but I know you. Last year sometime your Father came to visit you and he stayed in Hotel room 233 a mile from your school. I ended up sleeping with him and this child is the result. Please tell your Father and have him look after my baby. I know he has money and a big house and that my baby will be far better off with your family then he ever would be with me. The paperwork I was given at the hospital is below the cushion of his carrier. When he gets older, tell him I'm sorry, and that I loved him…"
"What?!" both Alois and Sebastian exclaimed together.
Alois looked under the cushion and found the birth certificate and a list of other documents she had promised him. He read the name on it. "Luca Macken…"
Sebastian glanced at the baby. "Um… well… Good luck with this," he said handing the child back over to Alois.
"But…"
"Man, I'd sure hate to have to make that phone call to my Dad," Sebastian said frowning.
"I can't do that," Alois said looking slightly panicked.
"You have to," Sebastian said falling back on his bed.
"No I can't… My… My Father is a Senior Minister."
"A what?"
"He's a member of my country's government, we can't have this sort of scandal…"
"It'll blow over," Sebastian said dully. "Political scandals only last like a year a most and then people are onto other topics."
"I can't!" Alois said defiantly.
"So what? You want to send him to an orphanage? Instead of a nice and safe, not to mention probably fancy home where he can eat tons of food and get a good education—"
"He's not going to an orphanage, and he's not going to my home. I… first I need to figure out if he actually is my brother or not…"
"Well as I said, good luck with that," Sebastian sighed heading to the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Gonna get something to eat of course, see ya later," he answered.
"You're just gonna leave me here… With a baby?"
"Kid, I just met both you and that baby today. I gave you two perfectly logical scenarios that would help you. You didn't like either of them. Thus, I'm out of ideas, and I'm off to get some foodl. Have fun," with that he closed the door behind him.
Alois turned back looking at the child whose dark grey eyes were round as marbles staring up at him.
"If you really are my brother, then I will take care of you," Alois said frowning.
"But… I won't send you home. I won't do that to you."
Sebastian returned about an hour later to find Alois playing with the baby.
"That thing is still here?" he sighed. "Please tell me you're not going to keep it."
"Of course I am."
"Dude, they won't even let us have cats in here... What makes you think they're going to let you keep a baby?" Sebastian asked frowning. He (personally) would have really liked to bring a cat into his dorm. But it was against school policy. No pets.
"If we don't ever have visitors over, we should be fine," Alois explained.
"Whoa, wait," Sebastian hurried over so he could be in-front of Alois. "I like to date, and I like to bring my dates back to my dorm. If I can't bring my dates back here how the hell am I supposed to fool around with them?"
"Go to their dorm," Alois suggested.
"No, Alois please. Just call your Father and tell him about his kid."
"I told you, I'm not doing that! It'll cause a scandal..."
"Ugh," he sighed. "You can't just not tell him he has a kid..."
Alois had begun humming while he changed the baby, and while he was sure the smell had been their before, he hadn't fully realized it until Alois had taken his diaper off.
"Ehhh," Sebastian scrunched up his nose and turned away completely mortified.
"Calm down, it's just shit," Alois explained as Sebastian made a rather annoying show of hurrying to the door and escaping the smell.
Hell no... HELL NO! He was NOT going to live with that baby and it's pooping and it's crying, and whatever else they did...
Lucky for him he spotted perfect student Claude walking away at that precise moment.
"Claude!" he called rushing over. He threw his arm around him smiling. "Have I told you lately how handsome those glasses make you look?"
"Whatever you want, the answer is no."
"Okay... here's the thing. My roommate wants to keep a cat in our dorm. But he wants to hide it, which means I would not be allowed to have visitors over when I want because they would see the cat, and they might tell..."
"You realize you just told me..." he explained. "And I cannot condone animals living in the dorms. It's a health hazard..."
"Um... well... You see. This cat is like... Well it's very important to Alois. Basically his whole life and he would just be, heart broken if he had to get rid of it. He's foreign student, he's miles from home and family... So... just let him keep the cat, and maybe... You and I could switch dorms?"
"..."
"Please?" Sebastian frowned putting his hands together.
"No."
"C'mon, it's not like you have many friends who would be coming over, you're a bookworm. You never go anywhere."
"You think insulting me is a way to get what you want?"
"Okay, I'm sorry about that too, but you know it's true... Please... Please..."
"Ugh... You will not vandalize anything on this campus for the remainder of the school year, or I WILL tell the Principal about this cat, and the fact that we switched dorms. Do you understand?"
"Yes, totally. Not one thing will be harmed, broken, or drawn on with graffiti on this campus by my hands for the remainder of this year. I promise!"
"Fine," Claude said. "I will move into your dorm. That means you'll be rooming with Ciel. He is an honors student and is here to study. So absolutely do not interfere with his work."
"I will not interfere," Sebastian said crossing his heart. "Cmon, let me introduce you to the cat."
He grabbed his arm and steered him back towards his dorm where he opened the door. Alois looked up and his face fell when he saw who Sebastian was with.
"Oh, by the way," Sebastian said. "I forgot to mention, the cat isn't a cat. It's actually a baby."
Before Claude has a chance to answer he turned to Alois. "Guess what! Claude's gonna be your new roommate. We're switching."
He grabbed his blanket and pillow and hurried to the door. "I'll be back for the rest of my stuff later. See ya!"
Alois blinked and Claude glanced from him to the baby and back again. Slowly he fixed his glasses and sighed, "Well... shit..."
Okay, hi everyone! So I posted this on FB quite awhile ago. I took down for lack of interest a couple months back. But I happen to like this idea so I wanted to give it another shot. So reveiw if you like it. If it not, happy hunting for other stories. :)
