A/N: Rated M for violence and sexual material. Please note that though a few characters (namely Claude and Sebastian) are OOC in the beginning of the story, they have more canon personalities as the story progresses. Also, because I am not from England, I set the story in America. I thought it better to have a super AU setting than to misrepresent a culture/geographical area that I'm not incredibly familiar with.

Noise. That one word encompasses all of downtown Chicago. From the business men yelling at their blue tooth ear pieces, not paying a lick of attention to the world around them, to cars honking at said jaywalking business men, to tourists yelling over the sound of honking in order to figure out where the best pizza place is, to homeless individuals shouting at the tourists in hopes of filling their empty bellies. Even those who live several yards above the noise in skyscraper penthouses can't shake the sound that buzzes through their brains all day. There's no place for peace and quiet in Chicago, and the briefing room of the 26th precinct is never an exception.

Bits and pieces of bickering seeped through the concrete seams, though no one on the outside could make out the words. While some civilians were annoyed that the precinct meeting was holding them up, others found slight comfort in knowing that their tax dollars were hard at work.

Oh, if only they had known the subject up for debate.

"Bard, this a police precinct, not a cartoon."

Bard pouted. "Oh, c'mon Captain. It's the most fun you can have when there's a serial killer on the loose."

"It'll give everyone a good laugh!" Finny added. He cocked his head to the side and smiled cheerfully.

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," Captain Ciel Phantomhive hissed.

"Well, maybe we can just call him that among ourselves. We won't tell the press or anything," suggested Mey Rin. "That's a good compromise, yes?"

"Everyone thinks we should call him that except for you," Soma complained, "so therefore, that's what we're calling him. This is a democracy, right?"

"No, the country is a democracy. This precinct is a monarchy. Ruled by a very kind monarch who considers most of your opinions. Just not the outrageously stupid ones."

"Please, Captain!" Elizabeth begged. "Wouldn't it be fun-"

"Captain Phantomhive!" Lau shouted as he entered the briefing room. "I am afraid I have to agree with your comrades."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "Were you listening outside the conference room? Don't you have your own precinct to be in, Lieutenant?"

"Well, I was just stopping by, so I figured I could pop in for a bit-"

"No you said you could."

"-and I overheard this intense debate you guys were having. I thought my opinion might have some weight-"

"It doesn't."

"-so I decided I'd chime in. You should go with what Bard's proposal, Captain. For the good of the spirits of your men."

Ciel's eye shifted from one glowing face to another, measuring the resolve of each police officer.

Eventually, he sighed. "I'll consider it." Cheer erupted from the crowd. Bard looked as though he was legitimately going to cry.

"Glad that's settled," Lau said. "So, what was the debate about?"

"How did I not see that coming?" Ciel sighed.

"We were talking about the serial killer case that the board assigned us," Bard replied cheerfully.

"Serial killer?" Lau whistled. "Impressive, Phantomhive. You're moving up the ladder quickly."

Ciel shook his head. "We haven't officially decided this is a serial killer. There have only been two murders, hardly serial. However, it does seem like the killer is trying to develop an MO."

"So basically, it's a soon-to-be serial killer case," Elizabeth told Lau.

"How similar are the circumstances?" asked Lau.

"They're both made to appear as though they're crucifixions, though the bodies were clearly hung up postmortem. There are signs that they were tortured before they died, and in both cases, the cause of death was a gouged heart."

"Victim connections?"

"None."

"Anyway, we wanted to give him a code name. I just rewatched the Dark Knight trilogy, so I think we should name him Scarecrow," Bard said.

"Why?"

"Because he wears a mask while torturing people."

"And your real life killer does as well?"

"We have no idea," Ciel stated firmly. "Which is part of the reason I don't want to name him that. I don't want any false equivocates arising because of some stupid comic book."

"Stupid?" Bard yelled.

"Cool, calm, collected, emotionless," Lau said. "The perfect Captain."

Ciel smirked. "Your words sound so sweet. So why do I feel like I've just been stung?"

Lau returned Ciel's smile, sarcasm and all. "You're imagining things, I'm sure. Captain. I'm merely commenting on your new found prestige. After all, that's quite a case you've go there."

"I'm looking forward to working on it," he replied. He turned to his subordinate. "Bard, this meeting is adjourned until we get more information. We've held up the civilians outside long enough."

Bard saluted. "Yes, sir!" He turned to the other police officers. "C'mon guys, you heard the Captain. Let's get outta here."

"Hey," Elizabeth began, "before we go, Captain, I had a question about some paper work. There's been some kind of error and-"

"In a minute, Midford. I'll be right out."

Elizabeth nodded to Ciel and smiled at Lau before shutting the door behind her.

Ciel sighed. "Well, Lieutenant Lau, if you have something to say, now is the time."

"Who me? Oh, no, you know me. Nothing but the most sincere intentions. Good luck on your case. Better just hope the FBI doesn't swoop in and take all the credit."

"With any luck, we'll have this all sorted out before they can even catch wind of it."

"For your sake and for the sake of the citizens of Chicago, I certainly hope so. Keep up the good work, Phantomhive. Maybe after this one, you'll get a promotion. At this rate, you'll end up exactly where your dad did."

"Oh?" Ciel said. He begin flipping through the file in front of him as though he had already lost interest in the conversation. "Any by that do you mean I'll end up as the Superintendent, or I'll end up dead?"

The corner of Lau's mouth twitched. He turned on his heel and started for the door. "We all end up dead someday, Phantomhive."

"Yes," Ciel agreed as he stared at the picture in the file. It was of a college-aged girl in a white sundress, palms nailed to the wall, blood and chunks of flesh dripping down her chest. "Indeed we do."

Ciel assaulted the "home" button on his phone like his finger was a jack hammer. He tried to ignore the murmurs that came from other subway patrons, but he couldn't shut off the thought in the back of head that told him he was being judged.

5:30. 5:30. 5:30. 5:30. 5:30. 5:31.

Damn it. He was officially late.

Hardly my fault, he told himself. If Bard hadn't dragged that meeting on so long... For nothing more than a comic book villain. He was beginning to wonder how Bard got hired at all. Chalking up a real murder to the work of someone who doesn't even-

His phone vibrated in his hand. He barely even bothered to check the caller ID. He knew exactly who it was.

"It's not my fault," Ciel said the moment he picked up the phone. "Those imbeciles at the office-"

Laughter rang out from the other side of the phone. "Calm down, Ciel. I was just calling to make sure you were okay. Didn't get lost, did you?"

"Of course not!" Ciel said, face flushing red.

"To think you still need a GPS to get anywhere after living here for ten years."

"Well, believe it or not, I can get from the office to the red line without help."

"One would think you'd have a map of the city memorized, being a cop and all."

"Shut up! I'm getting better."

"Are you on the train now?"

"Yes, and thanks to this phone call, I think everyone on this train is about to kill me." Out of the corner of his eye, Ciel caught the man next to him nodding.

"Well, that's your fault for talking so loud, not my fault for calling you."

"No, it's you-"

"Now arriving at Fulton," the train's automated voice announced.

"I have to go," Ciel said. He hated giving up the last word.

"I'm at the station, actually. Can you see me?"

Ciel stepped off the train to see Claude Faustus's smug grin.

"No," Ciel responded, "I have no idea where you are."

Claude laughed. "Hang up the phone. Let's go get coffee."

The instant after Ciel hung up the phone, Claude strode over to him and laced his fingers in Ciel's. "Let's go. You have a hot date who's been waiting for approximately 270 seconds."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "You'd think we'd had a reservation at some high end restaurant, the way you get on me for being late."

"No, just a special table in Starbucks," Claude said with a wink. "So, anything exciting happen at work today?"

"I was assigned a rather work intensive case," Ciel said.

"Oh? About what?"

"Nothing I can legally discuss."

Claude frowned. "Is it dangerous?"

"Claude, my job is dangerous."

"I know, but—"

"Look, I can't tell you anything about it, but as a captain, it's not like I do a ton of field work anyway, okay? That's up to my lackeys. I'll be fine."

Claude slid in front of Ciel, nearly causing his lover to fall backwards on to the pavement. He grabbed both of his hands. "Promise me, Ciel." His grip tightened. "Promise me nothing will happen to you. I need you."

Ciel shifted his weight. He loved Claude, he really did, but these moments of intense affection made him apprehensive for some reason. "Yeah. I promise."

Luckily for Ciel, Claude never seemed to notice his discomfort. Ciel was relieved when the desperation in Claude's eyes were replaced with his usual cool smugness. "Good." He weaved his fingers in between Ciel's. "Let's get moving. My brother's been dying to meet you."

"Wait, what?"

"Oh, good, he's working the register," Claude noticed as they entered the coffee shop.

Ciel stared at the profile of the man Claude was indicating to. His pitch black hair fell over his cheek as his leaned over the register. His brow furrowed above his garnet eyes as he scrutinized the screen, black nails drumming on the counter top, much to his customer's annoyance.

"So, are you going to give me my change or not?" she asked. Her arms were crossed. "You're not new here, are you? Please tell me you're not new. God, I've got this meeting and-"

"Actually, I am sort of new," Claude's brother interrupted. Ciel noticed his rich, velvet voice soothed the customer slightly. Like Claude, he had a slight British accent. The man tapped a few more buttons, looked up at the woman and smiled. "But a Starbucks employee who can't fix the register isn't worth his salt." Ciel realized he liked the brother's smile also. He found it hypnotizing. It wasn't beautiful. As a matter of fact it was slightly unnerving, but enchanting all the same.

Ciel wasn't bothered in the slightest by his attraction to Claude's brother; in the past, he'd had plenty of crushes on many different beautiful men, but soon found that they were all dreadfully dull. Claude was the first to capture his interest for more than a week, and now they'd been dating for six months. He doubted these illogical, hormonal reactions would hinder his relationship with Claude in any way. After all, the man works in a Starbucks. He's basic at best, dirt poor and unmotivated at worst. Nothing there for Ciel.

"Sebastian!" Claude called, waving from across the room.

The man, Sebastian, looked over his shoulder and flashed Claude his bizarre smile. "Claude! I'm so glad you came." He addressed the girl next to him, "Hannah, is it okay with you if I take five?" After receiving conformation, he asked Claude, "Can I get you two anything?"

"Mocha light frappuccino and a caffe latte." He smirked at Ciel. "Right?"

"Read my mind."

"It helps that you get the same thing every time."

"Memorizing his Starbucks order? That's like second base for you, Claude," Sebastian teased.

Claude rolled his eyes. "Just do your job, yeah?"

"Just making an observation," Sebastian said.

"I can't decide if you two get along or not," Ciel stated as Sebastian prepared the coffees.

Claude shrugged. "We're brothers."

"Yeah," Ciel agreed.

Sebastian returned with the two drinks. "Order up."

Claude snatched the drink away. "Thank you, baby brother."

Sebastian smiled. "Anything for you."

Ciel began to realize how creepy this relationship was.

After thirty seconds of gloriously awkward silence, Ciel said, "So, Sebastian. Are you a student? Do you work here to pay off loans or something?"

Sebastian shook his head, terrifying grimace still plastered to his face. "No, I simply make make one hell of a latte. I'll admit, my life is fairly boring."

You don't say.

"But your life must be riveting. First openly gay captain in Chicago and all. How did you manage that?"

"Nepotism," Ciel replied. "My dad was the Superintendent for quite some time."

"Oh," Sebastian said, "I suppose I was hoping for something a little more inspirational. But I bet you at least get some interesting cases."

"More than I'd like, actually. Interesting ones come with the most paper work. But then again, they make for the most fun games."

"Like what? Have you gotten anything good recently?"

"I have, but I can't legally discuss it yet."

"Well, when you can, please tell me about it. My life gets to be rather dull when it's as monotonous as this, but you-"

"Sebastian," Claude said. His voice was low, threatening. His eyes turned to ice, and his smirk was pulled into a thin frown. "Are you flirting with my boyfriend?"

The smile on Sebastian's face disappeared. "Of course not, Claude." He turned to Ciel and bowed slightly, making Ciel feel moderately uncomfortable. "I'm sorry if I seemed to make any advances. I didn't mean to." He returned to his previous soldier stance and smiled again, though not with his eerie enthusiasm. Now it seemed weaker. "I was just begging Claude to let me meet you. I'm glad I finally got the chance." He started towards to the counter. "Thanks for holding down the fort, Hannah!"

Claude shook his head. "I'm sorry, he crossed a line. He's very sociable, my brother. Very popular with women. Got him into trouble when he was younger."

"Women? I thought he was gay."

"What? No, I don't think so."

"Then why did you say he was hitting on me?" And why is he wearing nail polish?

"Hm? Oh well, you know. He's not very picky. Prefers one team, but I'm sure he'd bat for either if given the opportunity. That's just how his is."

"Yes, I suppose."

"Pay him no mind. Like he said, his life is nothing special. Incredibly inconsequential, really. And knowing him, he'll go looking for trouble in a superficial attempt to spice things up. Really, I just brought you to get this sort of meeting of the family formality out of the way, and he insisted. But honestly, I'd recommend staying away from him if I were you."

"Is he dangerous?" asked Ciel.

Claude snorted. "Hardly. He isn't clever enough to be dangerous. But I just know he wouldn't be good for you." Claude reached down and squeezed Ciel's hand. "Promise me you'll stay away."

"I promise," Ciel agreed, unsure of whether he meant it or not.

"Goddman this thing," Ciel said. He tapped on his phone screen furiously. "What good's a GPS if it can't get a decent signal?"

After bidding farewell to Claude at the coffee shop ("Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?"), Ciel realized he had no idea how to get to his apartment from there. Though he considered going back to taking Claude up on his offer, he knew he needed a moment to process whatever had just happened. Claude's unorthodox relationship with his brother made Ciel uneasy. Ciel knew that Claude had lost his parents when he was very young. ("Two gay orphans?" Claude noted on their first date. "Perhaps it's meant to be.") Ciel assumed that if anything, this would make Claude closer to his younger brother. At least his protective instincts as the older sibling would cause him to defend his sibling. Instead, Claude seemed rather disgusted by him. Perhaps Sebastian did something to betray his trust, Ciel reasoned. He could've stolen from him or— Ciel shook his head. Sebastian didn't seem like the type. Then again, Ciel's years as an officer had taught him that people are rarely what they seem.

It was at this point in his thought process that Ciel realized he was completely and utterly lost. He hadn't been checking his phone for quite some time. And now that he actually was trying to check it, the thing had the audacity to claim it had lost the GPS satellite signal.

"Oh, to hell with me," Ciel sighed. And it was that moment he heard them. Footsteps. Approaching from behind. Ciel could feel his humming bird heart pounding against his chest. No gun. Had to leave it at the office while he wasn't on duty. He clenched his shaking fingers into fists. Maybe if he could just get the drop on the guy—.

The footsteps quickened. Ciel whirred around, fists raised.

Right before everything went black, Ciel heard himself scream.

Ciel woke to a stinging sensation on the back of his neck. High-power electroshock weapon, he reasoned. He tried to move his hands to his neck, then realized they were bound behind him, tied to the back of a chair. His calves were pressed against the chair's legs, also bound. He tasted a cloth in is mouth and felt the press of a blindfold across his eyes. Calm, stay calm. He needed to decide where he was. Listen, listen, he told himself. Listen for clues. He could feel himself hyperventilating. No street noise, no street noise. What else, what else. Focus... His whole body shook.

"Ah, are you awake?" asked a deep, distorted voice. Ciel's back stiffened. Voice scrambler.

"It's so wonderful to meet you, Captain Ciel Phantomhive," said the voice. "It's a shame we can't talk much longer. You already know who I am, I presume?"

Yes, Ciel thought. I never thought you'd come for me, Scarecrow.

A/N: Review, pretty please! Love, criticism, and flames (that are not homophobic hate speech) are welcomed!