It's a rather sunny afternoon as Ciel steps from the classroom, throwing up a hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight. Hoisting his backpack atop his shoulder, he trots to the library, ignoring the dull tinge of an ache that echoes through his wrists.

He steps into the library, sighing in the cool silence. The space seems almost reverent, with the silence of the students broken only by pages turning and keys tapping. He slings his backpack across the back of a chair, pulling out The Catcher in the Rye.

''Oh, Ciel?''

Ciel blinks, looking up. He almost doesn't recognize the tall, dark-haired figure until… "Se…bastian. I didn't know you came here." He quickly closes his book, standing. One hand pulls at the thick sleeves of his oversized hoodie, tugging them down to cover his wrists completely. He smiles, his face feeling strained, like fabric pulled too far. "What are you doing?

"I didn't know you came here either." Sebastian smiles, his eyes softening somewhat as they drop to watch his hands, then back to his eyes. "Well, I'm here to study. My roommate, Agni, keeps offering his assistance even though he knows little about economy and continually confuses Spanish and French." He sits down at the table, gesturing the boy to sit down again. "Not that I don't appreciate his help, but I truly do need to work."

Ciel nods, retaking his seat. "I'm not actually studying. Lizzy's at the apartment having a row with Finny, and I thought I'd take cover here." He picks up his book again, flipping the pages until he regains his spot. "My classes are easy, once you get on the teachers' good sides."

Sebastian nods as he opens up his text book, chuckling a bit. "Yeah, I guess." He looks up from his book, eyes focusing back on Ciel. "So, how long has it been since we first met? A week? I actually saw you a couple times around campus, but you know, didn't want to bother you."

"You could have if you wanted. I'm not particularly busy most of the time." Ciel tugs at his boots a bit, pulling the tops until they brush his knees. "I think… it's been around a week and a half. Have you been busy?"

"No, not really. I've been working a lot with my band, when I was supposed to study…" Sebastian shakes his head a bit, picking up his notebook from his bag. "So, I'm trying to catch up a bit." He returns his gaze back to Ciel. "How have you been doing?"

Ciel shrugs, fingers tapping restlessly on the cover of his book. His fingers duck beneath the hems of his sweatshirt, rubbing softly at the raised lines there. "Playing a lot. I'm accompanying five people this week. Which reminds me… I thought you told me I could hear your band play some time. What do you call yourselves?"

''My band is called Beyond the Veil.'' Sebastian smiles at the boy, scribbling with his pen on the margin of his notes. ''We're actually having our first appearance at a pub in town on Saturday, so if you want to, you can come.''

He nods, frowning. "I can't come then. I'm nineteen, and it's not like I've got a fake license."

"Don't worry about it; I'll make sure to get you in." One corner of Sebastian's mouth turns into a slightly crooked smile as he leans back in his chair. "Oh and before you become concerned, I just need to tell them that you're one of my bandmates. I've done that before, works great."

Ciel raises a slate eyebrow. "All right. Thank you. You'll have to tell me where it is."

"The pub is called Jaguar. It only takes fifteen minutes if you walk from here." Sebastian straightens again, picking up his pen. "I could write down the address and exact directions if you want."

"It's all right. If you give me the address, I can find it on my own." Ciel fiddles in his pocket, finding a receipt. He slides it across the table.

Sebastian nods, taking the paper and quickly scribbles down the address. "I hope you can read it." He chuckles as he slides the piece back to the boy.

Ciel squints at the handwriting, which is so hurriedly scribbled that he can barely tell the letters apart. "I believe I can decipher it a little. I… think?" He blinks, looking sheepishly at Sebastian once again. "Perhaps you should tell me it, and I'll write it down."

"Franklin Street." Sebastian says, moving his pen back to his notes again. "By the way, the pub has a big red sign, so you won't miss."

Ciel nods, quickly writing the directions on the paper. Then he glances at his watch. "Mmm... I suppose I ought to go. I'm accompanying again, although I dislike the girl… Honestly, she's the vainest, most unpleasant… anyways."

"Oh, alright…" Sebastian smiles a bit as he watches the boy stand, taking his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. "Guess I'll see you on Saturday, yeah?"

Ciel nods. "I'm looking forward to it." With a final smile, he gathers his things and walks off.


Ciel's phone buzzes, the sound cutting through the silence of the room. He glances up from his assignment, sees the professor's eyes on him. "Phantomhive. Is it an emergency?" Professor Agares' cup, hastily set on the desk's edge, teeters toward him, on the verge of falling. The professor looks down in barely enough time to catch it.

Glancing down at his phone, Ciel sees Lizzy has texted him. The message, winking at the bottom of his locked screen, is brief, but seems urgent. "I'm not sure, sir. Can I call her, then return?"

The professor nods shortly to him, so focused on wiping the tiny stains of coffee drips from his shirt that he doesn't notice the steady stream from the overturned cup across his papers.

Ciel bounds out of the room, already dialing Lizzy's number. "Lizzy… what's..."

Her voice breaks in, breathy and excited. "Ciel, can you…"

A deep velvet voice behind him makes him turn. "Wait… Sebastian?"

Sebastian turns his head, eyes meeting Ciel's. "Oh, hey, Ciel." He walks up to him, smiling. "Nice to see you again."

Ciel smiles, holding the phone away from his ear to give it a break from Lizzy's shrill voice. "Give me a second, I'm on the phone but I want to talk to you."

Lizzy bubbles in his ear. "...And we can have popcorn and soda as snacks, and don't worry I'll pay for it, but I'm worried that Finny can't make it. He's been dying to come, but he works tomorrow all day, so..."

"Wait, what?"

"I told you. The new festival downtown, the one everyone's been excited about? You know. You were talking about it the last two weeks until I thought I'd pull my hair out. I bought tickets already, so you're coming. Don't try to wriggle out of it." Lizzy sounds excited, almost flustered.

"Well… Lizzy, can I call you back? I'm trying to talk with Sebastian." He glances out of the corner of his eye, feeling those burning hot eyes on him.

Sebastian smiles when the boy finally turns to him. "Sorry… didn't mean to interrupt your call.."

"No, no you're perfectly all right. Lizzy's trying to drag me to the music festival. Which I suppose it wouldn't be bad… but the two of us, alone for hours…" He shifts. "Anyways. She's bought the tickets already, although Finny shan't be able to make it."

"Music festival, you say?" Sebastian raises an eyebrow. "Do you by any chance mean the Electric Diamond Festival downtown?"

Ciel blinks. "Yes, actually. You've heard of it?"

"Really?" Sebastian smiles. "Well, you're lucky. I planned to go with one of my bandmates, but it turned out that she couldn't go, so we had to cancel it."

"Then maybe you can come with us," he smiles. "I'm actually glad... I didn't want Lizzy to think this is a date."

Sebastian's eyes light up with excitement, his smile showing nearly dazzling teeth. Ciel finds himself smiling in return, unsure why. "Yeah sure, that'd be awesome."

"All right, meet you at the front gate. Say around nine?"

Sebastian nods with a smile. "Sounds good."


The air is foggy, holding a slight trace of dampness that strokes Ciel's face, leaving behind a faint smear of water like half-dried tears. He curls back deeper into his hoodie, scanning the crowds. "Sebastian!"

Lizzy stands beside him, pouting softly as she shifts almost too close for comfort. "Why'd you invite him? It could have been just us."

Sebastian smiles as he spots the two, lightly jogging towards them. "Oh hey." He breaths out, eyes now solely focused on Ciel.

Ciel smiles at him, pulling his coat tighter around himself. "I'm glad you made it. Did you have a hard time finding us?"

Lizzy drifts toward the gate, holding her ticket out to the teller. Ciel barely notices her go, only feeling slightly cooler without her body heat against his.

"Ah, yeah…" Sebastian chuckles. "There are so many people around here." His eyes roam the crowds as he walks toward the gate as well.

Ciel follows behind quickly, pulling out his ticket to show the teller. They pass the gates, and he pauses a minute to simply take in the sheer mass of people, all milling about, so densely packed there's little room to walk. "My god."

Sebastian smiles apologetically as he tries to press through the masses, each person glaring at him with slight anger. He glances back to check on Ciel. "You doing okay back there?"

Ciel presses forward, only to be shoved back by the other passersby. One man plants a hand on his chest, pushing his back with a snarl. "Hey! Wait for me!" he shouts, trying to see above the crowds and find his companions.

"Ciel?" Sebastian calls out, eyes searching for the boy. "Ciel?" He calls once again as he finally spots the boy, hurrying up to him. "You all right?"

He rushes forward as well, pulling his coat tighter. "Fine. Stupid idiot, though. Shoved me so hard I thought I'd fall." He glances around, trying to spot Lizzy. Her long mess of blonde curls is nowhere in sight, however.

Sebastian nods, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder as he points to the distance. "There're fewer people over there, we just need to push through this crowd first."

"God, I hate crowds. Everyone seems a thousand feet tall." Ciel gestures him on, ignoring the tiny smirk on his face. "You go first, clear everyone out of the way."

Sebastian nods again as he begins to walk forward, making his way through the crowd. He glances back at Ciel again, smiling as the boy looks up at him.

"Finally." Ciel breaths out as they finally break free from the mass.

Ciel pushes forward, standing beside him with a smile. "Thanks, by the way. For everything."

God, Ciel, why don't you give him a love letter and a box of chocolates? Stupid fool.

Looking away quickly, he asks, "You want some coffee? It's damnably cold."

Sebastian smiles, nodding his head. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

They walk into a nearby coffee shop, Ciel pulling out his wallet. "One coffee, one white chocolate mocha... Do you want sugar?" he calls back.

"So. That's why you brought him." Lizzy's voice is disappointed, seeming to come from nowhere. She rises from a nearby table, abandoning a half-empty cup of something sweet and minty-scented. "You two... I thought there was something going on."

Sebastian slightly tenses as he hears the blonde. His dark eyes locks with her green ones, only to quickly turn his head back to Ciel again. "Um, no… No sugar."

Ciel grabs Lizzy's arm and pulls her away for a moment, his face tense. "What do you mean? Sebastian and I are simply friends, nothing more. Don't be ridiculous."

"Oh, please, Ciel. I'm not blind." Her eyes become watery as she pulls his face closer, cupping his cheeks. Her thumb traces his lower lip as she tilts her head. "Don't you care about me?"

He twitches back, eyes flickering up to Sebastian, who's toying with his phone in an effort to ignore them. "We're not together any more. You know that. You're dating someone else!"

"He's just a fling! Just until we become serious again. We backed up in our relationship, yes, but we can be together again!" Lizzy wraps her arms around him, burying her face in his throat. "Please, Ciel, I love you."

Ciel pulls away. His chest feels numb, cold, like ice has taken place of what might once have been a heart. "My coffee's ready. Sebastian and I will look around, maybe you should do the same." He takes his cup, tugging Sebastian's sleeve. "Are you ready to go?"

Sebastian looks up from his phone, putting it back in his pocket again. "Oh, yeah."

Ciel half-drags him from the room, then slumps against a nearby building. "I'm sorry about bringing you into that. She overstepped the bounds."

Sebastian smiles. "It's fine." He pulls out a cigarette from his jacket, lighting it up before he inhales the toxic smoke.

Ciel hums, taking out one of his own. "May I? What would you like to do? I've heard there's a fabulous band at around 10:30."

Sebastian nods, lighting up Ciel's cigarette as well. "Oh really? We should totally check them out then." He puts the cigarette between his fingers. "We could grab a bite later on, maybe just roam around if you want."

"That sounds lovely. Although I'm not usually hungry. I don't get hungry a lot."

Sebastian raises his eyebrows as he breathes out the smoke, his eyes becoming a dark brown, like cocoa. "Really? That's kind of… odd."

Ciel shrugs, glancing at the ground. "Whatever."

Sebastian watches the boy, taking in his features and skinny frame. "You need to eat more, you know."

"I'm fine." Ciel turns away, throwing his half-empty cup into a waste receptacle nearby. The cup clanks dully in the can.

A soft sigh, followed by the crinkling of the cigarette package being opened and closed. Sebastian's warmth reaches out to Ciel as he stands closer behind him."Do you want to look around, then?"

"Yeah, sure." Ciel breathes in the last of his cigarette, crushing the stub under his feet. "I really love this festival. Ever since I heard about it, I've wanted to come."

Sebastian smiles. "Yeah, same here. I'm glad I was able to go with you."

Ciel feels his cheeks heating, so he quickly ducks his head toward the ground.

Stop it, Ciel, what are you doing? Don't act like a lovesick puppy.

"So... you want to just walk and look, or talk to some artists…?" He holds his breath, silently hoping for the former.

"Well, we could do both." Sebastian glances down on the boy as he puts both of his hands in his jacket pockets, slowly strolling forward. "Or what would you prefer?"

Ciel follows beside him, watching the ground as it falls away behind his tiny booted feet. "Well… I'd like to just look… but if you'd rather not…"

Sebastian smiles. "That's perfectly fine with me."

Nibbling his lower lip, Ciel drifts beside the man silently, watching his expressions flow as he examines the nearby stalls. For some reason, he finds himself wanting to draw closer, to stare into Sebastian's eyes so he can see them flash from warm brown to hungry maroon. Those eyes wander around the crowds. The buzz of thousands of voices laughing and chatting surrounds the pair, almost covering a distant wailing guitar.

Sebastian glances down at Ciel after a while, smiling softly. "What time did that band play that you talked about?

"10:30. They're supposed to be very good. Visual kei electric, coming all the way from Osaka for the festival. All male, but some of their singers are said to be able to sing as high as females." Ciel's eyes glow with excitement. "They're called Lavender Star, and they're somewhat of celebrities in the electric genre. The main singer is…" he coughs, cheeks pink. "Well."

"That's pretty cool. I look forward to hearing them."

Ciel tucks his hair behind his ears. "Yeah. So... do you have a girlfriend?" Instantly, he curses himself for the seemingly random question.

Sebastian chuckles a bit, shaking his head. "No, I don't."

"No? I would have figured you'd have girls all over you." Despite his bold words, Ciel feels a flush of heat rush through his body.

"Well, you're not wrong." He sighs deeply. "Honestly… I'm not very interested in them. They're… too clingy for my tastes."

Nibbling his lower lip, Ciel coughs. "So... you're more into… the… you know… guys?"

Sebastian smiles a bit, not sarcastically but almost sweetly. "Yes, so it would seem."

Ciel's cheeks burn. "I... um... Yeah."

My god. He's… we could. God.

Sebastian stares down at the ground for a few moments, during which time Ciel feels like the largest fool who ever opened his mouth, before turning his head up to glance through his raven locks at Ciel. "So… What about you? That… What's her name, Lizzy, right? She's your ex?"

Ciel blinks. "Uhm. Yes. But I'm… My time in a relationship with her simply let me know I'm even less into girls that I had previously thought." He flushes, his hands burying themselves deep in his pockets.

"Oh, I see." Sebastian holds his gaze on Ciel a little longer, before he turns his head away to look down on the ground once again, a small smile forming on his lips.

Ciel presses his lips together to try to hide a smile. 'I... I'm..." his cheeks flare as he stutters, eyes glittering bright sapphire. Licking his lips, he steps forward...

Only to stumble across a stack of disks, falling headlong into the street. On the way down, he manages to twist, falling instead onto his side with a loud yelp.

Sebastian hurries up to the boy, reaching out his hand for him. "My god… You all right?"

Ciel takes his hand, pulling himself upright. He stumbles again, feeling the man's arm wrap around his lower waist to steady him. Slowly, his eyes float up to Sebastian's, then down to the man's lips. "Sebastian…"

"Oh my god. I… I'm going!" Lizzy's shocked voice breaks his stupor. The girl, who was watching them with wide eyes, quickly turns, darting away with a quiet gasp.

Sebastian slowly turns his head to watch her leave, releasing Ciel the instant he hears Lizzy's voice. "I'm sorry…" he murmurs.

"No... don't be," Ciel smiles, looking down. "Thank you. Besides… her reaction was rather amusing?" he offers.

Sebastian returns his gaze up to Ciel, smiling back. "Oh… Yeah. I guess it was, in a way."

Ciel flushes gently, his hands on Sebastian's chest. "But, really… thank you. For everything."

Slowly, Ciel pulls away, his face and chest hot with warmth he hasn't felt in ages. As he falls into step behind Sebastian, he wonders… not daring to hope…

I… am I… in love?