A/N: Okay so here's chapter 7 people :3 I wanna thank coopt98, promocat, NVCiel and a guest for their uplifting reviews :) I hope everyone likes this chapter.
Can't wait for today's episode! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY GONNA END SOON ;;.;;
Chapter 7.
Ciel opened his eyes, sensing the change of lighting in the tent. His mind was still hazy from sleep and his limbs were stiff. He sat up in the bed and rubbed his eyes, just to notice that he hadn't taken off his eye-patch to sleep. He suddenly became aware of the intense gaze resting upon him and met with Sebastian's scarlet eyes. Of course! He'd slept in Black's tent, now he remembered. He'd been too tired from sex —and as he thought of that word, a deep blush dyed his cheeks— to leave.
Shit.
"Is there something in my face?" Ciel asked sarcastically, averting his eyes. Sebastian squatted in front of him.
"How did you sleep?" he inquired innocently.
"Fine."
"Really?" Sebastian placed his hands on Ciel's shoulders to force him to look at him. "Did you really rest well?"
"Yeah," Ciel replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Why shouldn't I?"
Sebastian's arms fell at his sides when he realized that Ciel was truly asleep the night before and remembered nothing about his nightmare.
"Never mind. Let's go, everyone must be having breakfast by now."
Ciel frowned. He didn't know if he was right, but he swore he read concern in Sebastian's features the moment before. It wasn't like he cared, but...
Sebastian helped Ciel dress, and Ciel let him. When Sebastian finished, he planted a short kiss on Ciel's lips.
Ciel felt heat rise to his face, but he didn't mind. He didn't want Sebastian to pull away so soon so he held him, stubbornly so, until they both ran out of breath. Sebastian smiled on Ciel's lips as a thread of saliva disconnected them. Ciel's stomach growled —'what a good way of ruining the moment,' he thought, but Sebastian chuckled.
"C'mon. Let's have breakfast, or else you're gonna pass out."
"Tsk."
Ciel looked away, cheeks burning, yet he still let Sebastian hold his hand and guide him out of the tent.
"Look! There you are guys," Freckles announced once they were outside, and Ciel and Sebastian immediately let go. She didn't seem to notice, nor the Indian duo standing behind her.
"Smile!" Soma exclaimed, approaching and hugging him with all his strength. "Where have you been?! You had us all so worried about you!"
"Sorry," Ciel said, strangled voice as Soma placed him on the ground again. "Seb— Black was taking care of the wound in my hand, but I was so tired I fell asleep while he did."
"Yeah. You should've seen him; he was sleeping so deeply he even snored... I didn't want to wake him up, so I let him," Sebastian played along with a wicked smirk.
"Hey! That's not true! I do not snore!" Ciel seethed, punching Sebastian's arm. Soma, Agni and Freckles laughed.
"Aww, Smile, that's cute!" Freckles giggled, making him blush.
"Whatever... But I do not snore."
"How would you know, if you were asleep?" Sebastian teased. Freckles gave one last giggle before her face went serious and she stared at Ciel.
"Umm... Smile, I wanted to apologize for yesterday."
Ciel recalled the events. Of course, Freckles had exposed his slave mark and caused Ciel to run away in shame.
"Oh... yeah. Don't worry about it," Ciel dismissed.
"No," Freckles insisted. "I'm really sorry, ya see..."
"I know. And I'm serious. Don't worry about it, Freckles. It's okay."
Freckles nodded before giving a bright smile, so typical of her. Her features weren't meant to frown, and now that Smile had forgiven her, how could she be sad?
"Anyway," Agni said, a little sorry to interrupt the nice conversation, but there were other matters to talk about. "Smile, why don't we go grab breakfast?"
Ciel's eyes narrowed. That cold look on Agni's eyes probably meant that they had discovered something important. Of course, how could he forget? He was on a mission, for God's sake, he needed to take things seriously! This wasn't a game, and this irresponsible attitude wasn't like him!
"Sure. Let's go."
They left. Sebastian narrowed his eyes with the intention of tagging along before Freckles stopped him.
"Black," she said, tugging at his sleeve. Sebastian turned around, slightly annoyed as the trio vanished within the circus.
"What is it, Doll?"
She fidgeted nervously in her place. "Er... Black... you 'n Smile... you like 'im, don'tcha?"
Sebastian was taken aback.
"...I mean, you two guys're so alike, I'dn't be surprised if... Oh, just forget it, I don't even know what I'm sayin' anymore," Freckles stuttered. Sebastian swore he'd never seen her so red and he let out a chuckle. Sometimes, women were really perceptive.
"Clearly, you don't," he ruffled her hair affectionately. "But you like him, don't you?"
"WHA—?! NO! I don't... I-I..."
Sebastian gave another chuckle.
"Don't worry, he's all yours. I wouldn't trust him if I were you, though," he warned. His eyes narrowed; half playfully, half threatening. Doll swallowed in fear and embarrassment. Most of the times she didn't understand Black's intentions or what he meant with his words. He was a good man and a part of the family; but he was still a complex, mysterious character.
"Anyway. Shall we go have breakfast, my Lady?" Sebastian offered.
Doll shook her head.
"I think I've lost my appetite."
"So, where's the damned photograph you talked about yesterday?" Ciel asked as soon as they entered Soma and Agni's tent after eating breakfast. Normally Ciel would've put the work first, but he was starving and the idiotic duo wouldn't tell him anything until they were sure he ate something. Geez, sometimes they were so overprotective.
Agni gave him the picture.
"There were more," he informed, "but I could only take one. She would've noticed other way."
Ciel nodded, analyzing it.
"The man in the middle, he would appear in all the pictures," Soma added, according to what his lover had told him. Ciel glanced at them, a bit intrigued, and then at the picture again to find any other clue about the man or the circus. If he wasn't mistaken, the children surrounding the man in the middle were the first-tiers. And at the bottom, Ciel managed to read:
Workhouse.
Workhouse? They were from a workhouse? Joker had said that most of them were from the same place, so it made sense... But still, what did a workhouse have to do with everything? Where was it? And who exactly was this man and what was his participation in all these events? Ciel didn't know, but he looked like a rich man. Was he a noble? A noble in a workhouse... Maybe he was a philanthropist.
"Oh, and Ciel Sir," Agni spoke, pointing at the picture; "If my eyes are not deceiving me, I can swear that the hallmark of this man's signet ring is the same of Miss Beast's prosthetic leg."
"Agni," Soma muttered in astonishment; "You didn't tell me that."
Agni man gave a condescending smile and shrugged. "Sorry, Prince. I didn't think it mattered."
"Of course it matters!" Ciel snarled. "Agni, do you remember how the hallmark was like?"
Agni gave another shrug. "I guess. I think I can draw it for you, if you'd like me to."
"Yeah, you do that!" Ciel said, suddenly in a hurry.
"Where are you going?" Soma asked.
"We still haven't checked Joker's and Black's tent. Everyone must be busy with chores or practice now, so it's the time. Maybe I can find something else that'll give us another clue."
"Okay! I'll go with you then!"
"No. You stay here with Agni, get him something to draw. I'll be back in a minute, if everything goes well."
"But— okay," Soma shut himself up at the glare Ciel cast at him. "Just be careful, Ciel."
The boy nodded and left them as he ran to Joker's tent, but he stopped before entering when he heard whispers inside. There was someone else besides Joker, Ciel concluded. And... wasn't that Sebastian's voice? He wasn't sure. He leaned in to eavesdrop, but he couldn't hear any words in particular.
Sebastian sat in Joker's bed, toying with the letter in his hands and staring at the words that read:
To Tom, the Piper's son.
Joker paced to and fro around the place, rubbing his chin in deep thought.
"I don't get it," he said; "'s been days already, 'n nothing suspicious 's happened."
Sebastian snorted.
"Tch. Call 'nothing suspicious' to the fact that four strangers have entered the circus in the last two days."
"They not dangerous," Joker stated wholeheartedly. "Those two foreigners're kinda naïve, 'n Suit's with Red Death all the time."
"What about Smile?" Sebastian inquired. Joker trusted these people really easily. No, he didn't actually trust them: he was shamelessly underestimating them.
"Smile's a child, Black."
"The Earl of Phantomhive's a child, too, and you know it."
Joker shrugged his shoulders indifferently, and Sebastian felt the need to slap him for once. A side of him was screaming to tell him; to pull Ciel's hair and bring him to Joker to expose him to each one of the circus members. And there was the other side of him that actually cared for Ciel despite everything he was capable of doing. Sebastian wanted to give Father a taste of his own medicine, but he didn't want his circus mates to be affected by it.
What an inconvenient contradiction.
"You know why I'm not worried, Black?" Joker said after a minute of silence.
"Why?" Sebastian met Joker's eyes, snapping out of his thoughts. He was smiling as always, but there was something dark about him now.
"'Cause I know ya, and I know that if you truly found this situation risky, you've already killed 'em."
Sebastian's eyes widened before going downcast again. Too bad, Joker was wrong for the first time.
"Sneaky," Sebastian commented, giving the letter back to him. Sebastian was probably Father's favorite but Joker was the one who always got the mail, maybe because of his devotion towards the man.
Joker hid it under his pillow.
"Damn... I can't hear anything," Ciel hissed before hearing steps coming towards him.
"Shit," he cursed, giving a few steps back. This had been a complete waste of time: he'd left Soma and Agni alone, he hadn't been able to check Joker's or Black's tents and he hadn't gotten any information.
"Smile!" Joker exclaimed as he met him. "What you doin' 'ere?"
Ciel went pale. He was probably going to be interrogated, or discovered, or punished if he didn't think of a good excuse...
"Nothing," he answered automatically. "I... I was looking for Black to practice."
"For me?" Sebastian said, appearing behind Joker.
"Yeah."
"Ci— Smile!"
Ciel tossed his head to meet with Soma and Agni. The latter quickly hid a folded paper behind him. Ciel assumed it was the drawing.
"Guys."
Luckily, Soma and Agni were sensible enough not to say anything suspicious; for they noticed that Ciel's mission had been frustrated. Sebastian narrowed his eyes and held Ciel's wrist tightly. The fact that he wasn't on Father's side didn't mean he was on Ciel's, either.
"Well then, let's go."
"Wait! What?"
"You said you were looking for me to practice. There's no time to lose then," Sebastian reasoned as he pulled Ciel away with him.
"Oh, that. Of course," Ciel spat between clenched teeth. Once more, his plans had been thwarted, and there was nothing he could do about it. Yet, what irked him the most was that deep down, he wasn't as angry about it as he should have been.
He stared at the confused faces of his friends from the distance, and shrugged his shoulders as he let Sebastian take him away without any objection.
"I can't believe you."
"Do you honestly think I like this?"
"First you cut your hand, and now you sprain your ankle. What's next? Breaking your skull?" Sebastian teased as he carried Ciel bridal style. The blushing boy glowered.
"It could happen to anyone, you know. Not everyone's a freak like you."
"I'm just one hell of a performer, you see."
"Tsk."
They arrived to Sebastian's tent. The man placed Ciel on his bed to treat the injured limb. Sebastian took off the shoe and sock and observed the swelling ankle. He took care of it in silence, and Ciel scrutinized his face as he did. He looked so handsome focused in his work like that, a slight frown decorating his face.
How sad, he was probably going to end up dead anyway.
No matter how much time they were to spend together or how strong their connection could be, a mission was a mission and there was nothing to do about it. It was sad, though, that Ciel was growing fond of Sebastian: he was hard-working, smart and sneaky, just like him —and he was terribly good in bed.
Saying goodbye would be painful, but it would happen eventually. That was the reason why Ciel never bonded with anyone, unless there was some sort of benefit for him in the end. But that was how love was. It was selfish and always inconvenient. It always brought the very best and the very worst of people, and he was no exception. At first he'd let Sebastian in because he thought it would be a good way to obtain information, but he quickly discovered that it wouldn't happen. Sebastian was like him, he wouldn't tell his secrets to anyone.
And still, Ciel kept that excuse. Maybe it was his stubbornness, or the fact he was still a child and for once he wanted to be immature. Or maybe it was that he finally felt identified, connected to someone no matter what; because they could communicate without words, they could enjoy the silence together and mend their loneliness at least for a while. Because the first time Ciel looked into Sebastian's eyes he read suffering in them, the same suffering that his sapphire blue eye mirrored.
Now he knew.
And Ciel knew, as he lifted Sebastian's chin, that he would never feel so understood again. Sebastian held his stare, somber and decided. Ciel lent forward until their lips touched. Soft, ghostly and delicate, until Sebastian placed his hands at the sides of Ciel's head to keep him still and ignited a flame of passion within him, the decision Ciel was lacking due to his strong sense of pride. But as Sebastian kissed him, Ciel let himself go.
Ciel's kisses were messy and untrained, but filled with a passion that made up for his inexperience. Sebastian smiled on his lips as he guided him with his tongue, teaching him the right way —practicing. Ciel moaned because it felt so good; and he asked himself why sex was always a taboo, why adults never spoke of those things in public or why no one ever told him that this was the best sensation in the world.
Their first time had just been sex.
Like a game of kisses and caresses and love bites to see who was the dominant one, but they were just kids anyway. It was just desire and heat and it didn't mean anything; and it didn't matter that the bed was too small and anyone could enter the tent at any moment, but they wouldn't, because it was Black's tent.
This time was different, though. They did it once, twice, thrice... three times in a row in just one evening. Ciel dozed off after the first time; when he was suddenly awaken by the unbearable, delicious heat between his legs and the pleasant sensations and tickles, and he lifted his head to find Sebastian's black mane between his legs and let a moan escape his lips.
"You shouldn't trust me, Sebastian," Ciel had warned him after the second time, not even caring if he was being obvious or not. He had the feeling that somehow Sebastian already knew, anyway. "I wouldn't hesitate to kill you if you got in my way somehow. I could kill you tomorrow, for all I know, so don't think you're safe just because we had sex."
Why did he say that? God, it was almost like he was preventing him of what would come. As if he wanted to protect him... What was becoming of him? He wasn't a good person.
"And what makes you think," Sebastian breathed on Ciel's lips, "that I wouldn't kill you too?"
Ciel's smirk broadened. He moved away a tress of hair from Sebastian's lovely face.
"Good," he replied; "That's why I like you."
Sebastian chuckled darkly before kissing him again. And then it happened: the third time was sweeter and slower.
Their first time had been just a fit of passion. They had let themselves go with the moment: it had been the culmination of a battle in that implicit war where each side's representatives fought to see who was leading. This time, however, it was different. It wasn't a war anymore, but a truce. When they were on the bed the war ceased, and it didn't matter who was who. So it was comprehensible that they didn't want to leave the bed anymore; because that would mean ending with that ephemeral moment of peace and go back to war, at least until the night came again and they could go back to the bed where no one would bother them, to pause their worlds again until the morning came or obligation arose.
Although their bond was recent, it was already too deep. After all, they were nothing else but teenagers used and abused by life; so it was obvious they would get along. It was normal that they would like to enjoy the little time they still had and forget about their responsibilities and prides for once in their lives.
The young earl knew about sex, rape, and torture. But that day, Sebastian taught him another thing; for the earl of Phantomhive learned what it was like to make love.
This time, Sebastian was the one to fall asleep first.
It wasn't that much of a surprise, though. The man was always working and slept too little; so it was obvious that the recent activities with Ciel finally worn him out. He could be the closest thing there was to perfection, but he was still human.
Ciel observed him doze. His mouth was slightly open and a disobedient strand of hair floated up and down according to his breathing.
Ciel smiled a little.
He was tired for sure, but he had no time to lose. He liked being with Sebastian and everything, but that didn't change the fact that he was still on a mission and he had things to do.
Dressing himself without waking him up was an odyssey. He was used to people dressing him: in the mansion, Tanaka. While he was with Sebastian he dressed him kindly, so Ciel thought he wouldn't have problems with that anymore; but he'd been wrong. Like during his first day in the circus, he struggled trying to bottom his shirt and put his shoes on. Putting his pants back on wasn't any easier either, since somehow they ended beneath Sebastian. Ciel had to be very careful to remove them from there. Sebastian rolled in the bed and for a minute Ciel froze, planning an excuse, but when he started snoring softly Ciel knew danger was over for now.
Giving up after his fifth attempt of tying his shoelaces, he decided he didn't need to. He stood up from the bed, making sure not to make any rough movement that could wake Sebastian up.
Ciel exited the tent successfully. He tried to run to Soma and Agni's tent but realized he couldn't with an injured ankle, so he walked slowly until he arrived.
"Ciel! What happened to you?!" a worried Soma inquired the moment he saw him. Soma and Agni were sitting on the bed, discussing something. At least he didn't catch them doing anything embarrassing, Ciel thought with relief.
"Nothing," he lied, embarrassed when Agni knelt down in front of him and buttoned his shirt correctly. "I fell."
"Did Black do something to you?" Soma asked, narrowing his eyes.
"No!" Ciel answered a little louder than necessary. Agni and Soma stared at him with shock, and Ciel cursed inwardly for snapping like that. "I mean, no. S— Black just took me practice, but I fell and sprained my ankle. He took me to his tent and took care of it, that's it."
"Hm... I still don't like that man."
"He's clever," Agni said, and Ciel didn't know if he meant it in a good or a bad way. "I think he suspect us."
"That's highly probable," Ciel admitted. Details, though, were not necessary, so he skipped them. "I think he's trying to keep us apart, so we need to move fast. This night during the function we need to explore the missing tents. You'll check Joker's while I do Black's."
Ciel suddenly noticed his stupid mistake. He could've had checked the tent while he was there! How didn't he think about it before?! He'd been too busy admiring Sebastian's face.
"Won't you perform tonight?" Soma questioned, snapping him out of his thoughts. Ciel pointed at his foot.
"Sprained ankle. I can't, Black's gonna need another partner."
"By the way," Agni said, holding out a piece of paper in front of Ciel; "Here's the drawing you asked for, sir."
"Keep it," Ciel ordered. "Black's after me, it seems. It wouldn't be good if he finds it. It'll be safer with you two."
'You're not the ones in risk of being undressed by him,' Ciel thought. Luckily, Soma and Agni weren't the kind that usually asked a lot of questions.
"Okay. Count with us, Ciel sir."
Ciel nodded and left carefully.
"Uff..." Soma exhaled, letting himself fall on the bed. "Ciel's actually focusing on the mission. I was starting to get worried."
"What do you mean, Prince?"
"I mean," Soma's brows knitted, and he ran a hand nervously through his plum hair as he sat up again. He didn't know how to voice out his thoughts without making it sound bad. "Agni, do you think Ciel and Black are—"
"No!" Agni answered, a little faster than necessary. He knew what Soma was implying, for he himself had been thinking about it too; and he didn't like where this was going. "N-no," he composed himself; "Master Ciel... he's on a mission, it must be all a coincidence... Besides, there's Lady Elizabeth too, and, well... He couldn't. He wouldn't."
Soma laughed awkwardly. "You're right, you're right. What am I thinking?"
Agni nodded slowly, gaze downcast. Soma grinned sympathetically and stroked one of Agni's white brows, trying to undo the twitch that had formed in his face. Agni met his eyes, his cheeks dyed slightly pink and let a small smile grace his lips. He cupped Soma's face in his hands and gave him a modest kiss.
Soma's eyelids lowered when Agni finished, and he whispered with flushed cheeks:
"I just wanna go home soon."
Agni nodded once again, embracing his Prince as they let themselves fall on the bed.
The night arrived sooner than expected. The main tent was a disaster, just like always before a show. Nerves and excitement floated in the air, colorful clothes and accessories here and there and people running everywhere to make sure everything was ready.
Ciel was exhausted.
Once he finished helping Dagger however he could, he sat down on the floor to have a little rest before Agni and Soma arrived. They should be with Beast and the animals, getting everything prepared for her performance.
He closed his eyes for a minute and let the numbness of sleep rub at the corners of his tired mind, when...
"You left," Sebastian said in a harsh tone. He wasn't angry or hurt, he felt simply... fooled. Ciel sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Sorry. I thought you'd want a good rest before tonight."
"So you're performing?"
Ciel's eye snapped open. "Are you crazy? Did you forget about—?!"
"I'm not performing without you," Sebastian stated firmly, though it sounded more like a warning.
Ciel winced deeply.
"Sebastian, please..."
"What's happenin' 'ere?" Joker appeared next to Sebastian, followed by Beast, Agni and Soma. "'S there any problem?"
"I sprained my ankle," Ciel said, raising his leg so Joker could see the bandage. "It's obvious I can't go out there."
"I see," Joker murmured thoughtfully. "Well, it seems we'll need another replacement."
"Joker, I refuse to perform without Smile," Sebastian insisted stubbornly.
"Oh come on! Stop being so childish!" Ciel bit out with poison. What was his point now, always ruining his plans?! He was starting to get tired of this.
"Black," Joker interceded; "Don't be hard on the boy. 'S obvious he's injured. Why don't'cha act with Suit or Red Death? I'm pretty sure—"
"Did someone call me?" Grell burst into the place, a strong grip around Suit's arm, but he didn't seem to mind. Sebastian snorted. She finally deigned to appear on time now that he didn't want her to. Could she be more inopportune?
"Guys!" Joker said cheerfully. He looked happy to see them, unlike Sebastian. "Yeah, we've got a lil' problem 'ere. Smile's sprained his ankle 'n I was wonderin' if one of you could—"
"I told you. I'm not going out there with anyone but Smile, and Smile only."
"Fine!" Ciel stood up, grimacing from the pain of the abrupt movement. "If you insist so much, why don't you let them do the whole act?!"
"That's—"
"Me?!" Grell huffed dramatically. "Kid, you're absolutely mad if you think I'm climbing on a trapeze. After all the effort I've made dressing up and doing my hair!"
"Alright, alright, why don't we chill out a lil'? I'm sure we can work this out," Joker interceded. "Now, Suit, d'you think you could give us a 'and up there?"
William shrugged indifferently. "I guess."
Joker seemed mildly relieved. Ciel was relieved also, until Joker turned to face Soma and Agni.
"What 'bout you? I know this'sn't what you do, but d'you think one of you could help us 'ere?"
"What?!" the three of them —Ciel included— exclaimed in unison. Sebastian smirked, he hadn't been expecting this, but if those two were not by Ciel's side then he couldn't do much.
"That's a wonderful idea. In fact, why don't you two do the act?"
"N-no," Soma stammered. "This wasn't part of the plan, you see, and I'm a little... Kinda afraid of heights, so there's no way..."
Whether it was a lie or not, Ciel didn't know, but he mentally thanked Soma for that excuse.
Sebastian's eyebrow twitched. "Oh, please—"
"We'll do it," Agni said confidently. Both Soma and Ciel looked at him like he'd lost it. "Soma and I. Mr. Suit can stay here if he prefers that."
Joker smiled. William remained stoic and pushed up his glasses with his scythe.
"Whatever."
"But... Agni..."
"We can do it," Agni smiled sincerely at his lover to give him confidence, and then stared back at Joker. "But first, please allow us to take Smile back to his tent, since he can't walk well."
"Of course. Just remember, yer act's at 19:30 and the encore's at 20:00. Thank you so much, guys," Joker said, giving them a tight hug. "Owe you a big one."
"We're glad to help."
The ginger gave a curt nod and winked, leaving with Beast. Agni carried Ciel on his back and they started heading towards the exit of the tent. Before Sebastian could offer himself to take Ciel to the tent instead, he was interrupted by Grell who clung at his neck all of a sudden.
"Wait, Sebas-chan, where are you going? You still need to try on the new outfit I designed for you~."
"I'll go in a minute, Grell, it can wait..."
"Wait?!" Grell seethed; "Are you telling a lady to wait?! No way, you're coming with me now. Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with you lately, Sebas-chan. Just because I've been spending more time with Will these days doesn't mean you have the right to disappear and neglect our act. I know you're one of the ringleaders and everything, but I've been busy too and you don't see me abandoning our performance! We're still a team, you know? Tsk, I hate when men don't appreciate my job..."
Sebastian had two options. He could punch Grell, tell her that she had actually been neglecting their act those days and try to reach Ciel. He could also keep quiet and go with her. The former sound more like something he wanted to do, but it would mean trouble for later. The latter meant that Ciel would won another battle, but it wasn't that important, after all, he couldn't do much without his friends' help and a sprained ankle.
So he decided to swallow his pride and chose the latter.
"Fine," he spat to stop Grell's rambling; "Let's do this fast."
Grell huffed, clearly offended, but she did shut up. Sebastian let himself be pulled outside by the irritated redhead. He was stronger and could have easily gone away, but that would mean Grell would've started another of her tantrums and Sebastian certainly wanted to avoid that. The sooner they finished with this, the better. He turned and caught sight of Ciel and his friends walking away. Ciel turned at the same time, too, and Sebastian swore he could see him smirking victoriously at him as Agni carried him away.
Sebastian frowned. All right, he had won this one.
"Hey, Agni. You weren't being serious about going on stage, right?" Soma asked with a trembling voice as they changed their direction to the first-tier members' tents once they noticed no one else was near. Said man gave him an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, Prince. It was the only way that man would leave us alone."
"But—"
"Prince. Trust me, I'll never let anything hurt you, so please don't be scared."
"Agni..." Soma whispered, his eyes bright.
Ciel cleared his throat. "Keep it to yourselves."
"Sorry," Soma apologized, looking at the ground in embarrassment. "Anyway, Ciel, what's the plan now? We won't be able to help you..."
Ciel sighed. Soma was slow.
"We're just missing two tents, so I don't really need your help. You'll just take care of the snakes, take me to Black's and then go to the show. All the first-tier members' tents are close to each other, so it won't be a problem for me to go from one to another. Once you're finished with the act, you'll release the snakes again and return for the encore."
"But Ciel, isn't that dangerous?"
"There's no other way. I'd rather do it like yesterday, but it can't be helped. I'll be fine."
The Prince and his servant didn't seem very convinced, but they had no other option; so they didn't argue and exchanged a worried look which Ciel didn't miss.
They could only hope for the best.
"This is it," Agni stated as they caught the last snake.
"I swear, it's getting easier!" Soma giggled as he gave the flute to Ciel for him to hide.
Agni carried Ciel again. He could walk more or less well, but it would take him more time and that was exactly what they didn't have. They ran to Sebastian's tent just in time and Ciel ordered them to leave. Soma still looked unsure, but Agni dragged him away tenderly and gave him some words of comfort, which Ciel tried to ignore. Ugh, sometimes they were just so sickeningly sweet...
They finally left, and Ciel found himself alone.
He didn't like it.
Standing there, in the same place where he and Sebastian had shared a bed, made love, and now it felt like he was betraying him. And he was, but that wasn't what bothered him. He'd never had trouble before about betraying people whenever it was necessary, but now it felt different, and he hated it. It was asphyxiating him, being there. What if Sebastian caught him? He wouldn't be able to stand it. Why, why now? What had the man done to him?
And yet, Ciel searched. He carefully inspected every nook and cranny of the room to make sure there wasn't anything suspicious. And there wasn't. Just a few old pictures; but no letters, weapons, or anything else. Nothing but clothes, books and some hygiene products.
Ciel couldn't help sighing in relief.
Honestly, the fact that there was nothing too personal in the tent was off itself, but Ciel chose not to worry about that. It was better like this. He should be mad he found nothing, but he couldn't bring himself to be. It was better this way.
Some rambling voices outside put him on alert, until he recognized a language he didn't understand: it was Hindi. Agni and Soma were approaching.
"Ciel," Soma whispered, his head peeking into the tent. "How is it?"
"Nothing here," he answered as they both entered, glaring at them. "Anyway, what are you doing here? You're supposed to release the snakes."
"We thought you might need some help to go from Black's to Joker's tent, sir," Agni said; "So we came here as soon as we finished."
Ciel wanted to scold them, but it was actually a good idea. He wouldn't refuse a little bit of extra help.
"Alright, thanks. Let's do this quickly, and then go and release the snakes as I told you."
"Okay," they both said as they left him in Joker's. Soma added: "Ciel, be careful. And don't forget time's almost over."
"I know, don't tell me what to do. Now go back, is almost time for the encore," Ciel beckoned them to go away. They did reluctantly.
Like the other ones, Joker's tent was simple too. Ciel rummaged in his chest, but it held nothing important. He was about to leave, when he caught sight of a piece of paper folded under the pillow. He took it curiously: it was a letter.
The remittent was ambiguous: it was signed as 'Tom, the Piper's son'. Ciel immediately thought of Mother Goose as he read it. He grimaced. What did that have to do with everything?
However, his eyes widened and his blood froze in his veins when he opened the envelope and found no more and no less than a letter that contained his name, birth date and some other information about himself. He suddenly felt the need to throw up.
What was that supposed to mean?
Could it be that... maybe... they wanted him? But why?
Or maybe... oh, no. Maybe he'd been discovered already! That was why Sebastian was always trying to mess up with his plans!
No, but that wasn't possible. If someone did know about his identity, they would've done something to him already, wouldn't they? Sure, Joker could be really friendly, but he wouldn't be that stupid to let him stay after finding the truth about him. It simply made no sense.
Or perhaps... Perhaps Sebastian was the only one who knew already, but he had no evidence. Although... it wasn't like he actually needed proof, for everyone in the circus trusted and admired him for his hard work and talent. It wouldn't be hard for him to tell everyone and...
The sudden noise outside drew Ciel's attention from the thousand theories he was formulating in his mind. Dammit, he had completely forgotten about it, despite Soma and Agni's warning: his time was over. The troupe was back.
He stood up with difficulty and walked as fast as he could. His ankle ached, but it wasn't time to think about that. He could heal it properly and deal with the swelling once he was back in the manor.
It was hard trying to walk swiftly but at the same time smoothly so he wouldn't make any noise. He hid behind some boxes as he watched Joker and company chatting happily. Ciel held his breath and thought he was safe when they passed by right in front of him, but he was wrong, because right in front of him was a snake hissing at him dangerously. His heart skipped a beat. How was he supposed to escape now? And like that wasn't enough, then...
"Hey. What're you doin' there?"
That was it. He'd been discovered.
Ciel tossed his head and met with a girl in a white outfit with lots flowers, staring accusingly at him. His mind raced to think any kind of believable excuse that could save him; but before he could voice it, the girl put her hand on his mouth to shut him up and ordered him not to move.
"Hey, Doll..."
"Doll, what you doin'?" Ciel recognized one of the voices, it was Dagger's. He hadn't heard the other one before, but he knew it was Snake's only because 'Doll' muttered his name in a surprised tone before letting go of Ciel and facing them.
"A venomous snake was slithering about. Didn't I tell you not to let them loose outside? You'd better put 'em away in your room properly now," she lectured while Dagger squealed in fear and the snake hissed uncontrollably in her hand. Snake apologized and took the animal as both men left.
Once they were far away enough from them, the girl stared coldly at Ciel. "This way," she said, grabbing his wrist and taking him away. What was she doing? Was she going to expose him to Joker? Or even worse, to Sebastian...
They walked a long way. She guided Ciel and warned him what to and what not to do. Ciel followed her in silence; he didn't need more trouble wherever they were going and preferred to observe quietly and think of all the possibilities and solutions he could reach.
"It should be fine now since we came so far," she finally announced, coming to a halt and checking if there were people close.
Ciel coughed, shocked. Did she just...?
"Why did you help me?" he dared to inquire.
She huffed.
"You still don't get it? It's me," she announced, taking her flower arrangement off her head and repeating: "Me!"
"Ah!" Ciel exclaimed as he recognized 'him'. "Freckles?! You're a guy... yet you wear that costume?!"
"How rude! Here. It's obvious that I'm a girl." She took Ciel's hand and placed it on her blooming breasts. Ciel recoiled in the blink of an eye, face burning.
"You can take a peek downstairs next if you want?" she offered mischievously, amused by his reaction.
"No, thank you!" the boy shouted back, mortified.
Doll chuckled as Ciel finally regained his composure.
"So..." she began. Ciel coughed; "why were you in there anyways? Didn't Joker tell you about the venomous snakes?"
Ciel's expression went bitter. He disliked the path this conversation was taking, slowly cornering him. It left him with no other option than to pretend he was a thief. Vulgar, but it might save him.
"I'm sorry! I didn't actually steal anything today, though. Please don't boot me out of here!"
"Today?" Doll's features hardened on him. "You..."
"Before I became a page boy I was actually in East End having to do all I could just to help myself," Ciel lied. "The mansion I worked for previously found out about it... I... If I was driven out of here, I'd have to live on East End again..."
A silence settled between them. Ciel tried his best to look miserable, and eventually, Doll's features softened. This boy... he was so little and forlorn, she couldn't do anything bad to him. He wasn't actually a bad person; for anyone in his position would've probably done the same.
Oh, she knew about surviving.
"So you really didn't steal anything, eh?"
"No, I didn't. I swear to God."
What she didn't know was that swearing to God coming from Ciel Phantomhive didn't really mean anything. She sighed.
"Oh well, I have no choice then. It's okay. Anyhow, I owe you."
"Thank you so much!" a wave of relief washed over Ciel. It had been close.
"I think everyone has some things about them they don't want anyone to know," she muttered in deep thought; "Besides, I did something bad to you yesterday."
Ciel suddenly understood why she was being so kind. Apparently, and despite he'd forgiven her, she was still feeling bad about the baths' incident last day morning.
"So, I won't tell anyone about this," she went on, a friendly beam on her face. She looked prettier like that. "But now we are even. However, don't steal again no matter what!"
"Yes," Ciel promised in vain. "Um... can I ask you something?" he inquired. "Why does a first-tier member like you share a tent with me?"
"Ah..." she suddenly looked gloomy, as if Ciel had touched a nerve; "I'm just not a fan of private rooms. Staying with someone else seems to make me sleep better sometimes. I hope that you don't mind sharing a tent with me now that you know I'm a first-tier member."
"Of course not."
Is this what Joker meant when he said everyone here has been through something?
"Hehe, neat," the grin returned to her face and she stretched a hand towards Ciel; "So we will keep what happened today our secret."
"Okay," Ciel faked a smile and shook her hand merrily. Then she walked away and waved him goodbye. He mirrored her action.
She seemed nice, but that wasn't enough. He still didn't trust her. He didn't trust anyone, because humans were always disgusting liars that acted according to their interests. So Ciel had to be careful, because there was no proof that she wouldn't betray him right away.
'All humans are liars, including me,' Ciel thought bitterly. The night was cold and he could see his breath in the air. Somehow, and now that he was alone to think about it, he felt so helpless. So broken, so empty. This circus... He knew from the very beginning that something was off about it, and he wanted to leave oh so badly, but at the same time there was a pain inside of him so burning, so aching at the thought that it was almost comparable to that night's freezing wind. And it was frustrating, though, that his heart was crumbling so desperately and he had no tears to shed. Not even he had enough enthusiasm to scream or throw a fit rage as he insulted everything and everyone around him while he tossed and broke everything within his reach, like a madman. No, the pain was so drowning, so hard but there was no voice to express it. It had no body, like an incorporeal spirit wandering hopelessly around every nook of his mind and heart, seeking freedom, but unable to leave nonetheless.
The sound of clapping interrupted his thoughts, starting him.
"You just deceived Doll," he heard Sebastian speaking behind him, cold as the night around them. "Great job."
"Sebastian," Ciel coughed, and he knew he had gone paler than normal. Still, full of pride, he turned and met him with a defiant glare. "What," another cough; "are you talking about?"
Sebastian narrowed his eyes and feigned a laugh. He was still wearing his circus attire.
"Yeah, right. Act like you don't know."
"I do not know!" Ciel insisted between coughs, but it was useless. His throat itched and his chest felt heavy, and under any other circumstance he would have noticed he was in risk of suffering an asthma attack, but now he was too focused in the readable disappointment in Sebastian's eyes and the danger that would mean were his identity discovered.
Sebastian seethed. He knew almost from the very beginning that Ciel was lying to his face so shamelessly, and the worst part of everything was that he'd let him. Dammit, he even played along for a while... He even let himself fall for him, knowing he was a sham. And now Sebastian was reaching the end of his rope, and he couldn't bear that Ciel, such a very good actor was trying to deceive him in his own game like he'd just done with Doll, sweet innocent Doll.
Sebastian gave a few strides to approach him. Ciel recoiled in response; for he didn't like the fury in those scarlet eyes, that of a madman's.
Sebastian was quicker, though. He grabbed Ciel's shoulders as he knelt down to be at his height. He could read the fear in his cerulean gaze, and Ciel mentally cursed himself because he knew Sebastian could read him so well.
"You liar," Sebastian hissed, "Stop trying to make a fool out of me."
Ciel looked down, unable to meet his gaze. He hated that tone: so low, so bitter, so restrained. Like a father disappointed of his son, trying his best not to insult him, but lecturing him nonetheless. It made him feel guilty. It would've been better if Sebasitan screamed, maybe even hit him, but no. He was destroying him slowly and cruelly from the very inside.
After two of three coughs more and seeing that Ciel wasn't going to admit any of his lies, Sebastian frowned even more deeply. He stood up, grabbed Ciel's wrist and pulled him.
"What are you doing?! Let me go!" Ciel shouted, trying to get away. In response, Sebastian tightened his grip around the delicate wrist.
"I'm taking you to Joker's. You're going to tell him all of your lies and you and your friends will be killed once and for all, just like you deserved from the very beginning."
Ciel didn't even believe he dared to say it.
"I don't know what you mean! SEBASTIAN, LET ME GO!"
Ciel's squirming frame was able to get away. Maybe because he'd put up a little more of resistance, or maybe because Sebastian feared that he could wake everyone up with the piercing shriek that had torn his throat, as if he was being tortured. Or maybe it was how the coughs were interrupting his sentences more and more often and Sebastian swore, he swore he heard a whistling sound coming from Ciel's chest. Whatever the reason was, or maybe all of them together, Sebastian froze on his tracks, forgetting his anger and turning to look at Ciel, completely aghast.
"Smile?"
Ciel was trembling, giving his back to him, a few steps away.
"Leave me alone," Ciel whispered quietly.
Sebastian blinked, involuntarily stretching his hand at him. "But—"
"I SAID LEAVE ME AL—!"
Ciel didn't get to finish the sentence. A wave of vomit interrupted him, coming out of his mouth, and he helplessly raised his hands to cover it uselessly. Sebastian gasped.
"S-Smile! What's wrong?! Smile!"
But it didn't matter, because Ciel didn't know either and he looked at him, still trembling and covered in vomit, and Sebastian saw how his exaggeratedly opened eyes fluttered weakly and Ciel swayed.
Sebastian ran towards him, forgetting completely about the discussion from minutes before and held the frightened child's body within his arms while Ciel shivered and struggled to breathe.
"It's asthma," Doctor said, but the answer didn't ease Sebastian's guilt. "An attack can be caused by a sudden chill or stress."
Sebastian was still frowning. If he hadn't treated Ciel so harshly, maybe he wouldn't have reacted like that and the asthma attack would've been avoided, therefore the visit to Doctor too.
Sebastian actually knew that it hadn't been his fault and it would've happened sooner or later anyway, but the remorse didn't go away anyway. Because when you cared for someone and something bad happened to that someone, the heart had bizarre ways of reacting. Remorse was one of them. Damn it, damn that boy for making him care!
A single, dazed blue eye fluttered open.
"A-auntie Anne?"
"Oh, that's great, you have regained consciousness!" Doctor announced. Doll and Sebastian stood behind him, unable to do anything but stare. Ciel asked for water, which Doll offered to him. Sebastian was paralyzed, torn between his worry and the feeling of betrayal in his chest. As Doctor made a few recommendations, Sebastian was the first one to leave, having nothing to say at the moment and wishing for some moments of peace by himself.
"Black."
Sebastian sat up in the bed and looked blankly at the intruder.
"Joker. What is it?"
"Pack up your stuff. We need to see Father."
Sebastian blinked as he stood up. "What? Why?"
Joker narrowed his eyes. This was odd, the ginger was being unusually serious.
"Snake saw Agni, Soma and Smile in my tent. Think they were lookin' for summat."
Sebastian felt the blood drain from his face. He didn't think Snake would've seen anything. At least it seemed that he'd gone unnoticed.
"I see. So they know," Sebastian muttered like it was new information, when in reality he was just expressing a fact he had long known about and yet he'd done anything to prevent it. Joker studied him carefully, but he found nothing in that expression of his. There was a hint of dread, but he attributed it to the fact that they were about to be discovered, when it truly was just the weight of reality finally starting to fall on Sebastian's shoulders and the consequences of his impassiveness during the entire charade. This wasn't a game where he could play both sides anymore, but the calling of his obligations within the group he truly belonged to —because he belonged to Father, he belonged to the circus just like everyone else, no matter how much he despised it.
"'Tis possible. Anyway, we need to consult Father first 'nd as soon as possible."
Sebastian nodded.
"Give me half an hour," he asked.
Sebastian tiptoed quietly as he entered Ciel's tent. Doll was in the bed, her arm and leg around Ciel. A look of surprise crossed Sebastian's countenance before turning into a faint, tender smile at the sight that greeted him. They both looked so peaceful...
He pressed his hand to Ciel's forehead slowly. His brows and mouth creased at the feeling of overheated skin. Was Ciel getting any better?
Well, at least it seemed like he was in a deep slumber.
Sebastian withdrew his hand with a sigh and wondered what he was doing there. Somehow the prospect of leaving without checking how Ciel was doing bothered him, but not as much as it bothered him the fact that he was there, standing on one knee next to the bed of the sick boy.
Damn, he was weak.
Deciding that it was time to finally leave, he motioned to get to his feet, when he caught sight of a blurred, half-lidded blue eye trying to focus his surroundings.
Ciel blinked. Sebastian blinked.
None of them said anything for a little while. Doll was snoring, but they ignored her. Ciel blinked again and Sebastian uttered another defeated sigh and sat in the bed, carefully not to wake the girl up. He looked at Ciel, tenderly, lovingly; his heart full of a feeling so intense it was overwhelming and almost left him breathless.
Sebastian's fingertips danced gingerly on Ciel's flushed cheeks, lips and sweaty forehead. He moved away the tresses of damp, darkened hair and then went down to touch his cheeks again, admiring his unchanging expression. Ciel's lips were parted, exhaling shallow puffs of breath. His lid fell over the visible eye once again, hiding it from Sebastian. He sighed, again, so tired and full with this strange emotion he didn't know how to control. "What kinds of horrible things has this eye seen in such a short life? Enough to drive a grown-up man mad," Sebastian whispered as he caressed the eyelid and the lashes that had just closed. He caressed the other eyelid, too, and removed the eye-patch. And Ciel was still so beautiful, no one would ever notice he was missing something if you saw him like this —just a pretty little porcelain doll with big and dark eyelashes and silky closed eyelids, one that would remain closed forever on an eye that didn't exist anymore.
Sebastian liked it, though.
The single azure eye greeted him again, still cloudy. "I'm sorry," Ciel mouthed before closing it again, and Sebastian understood.
"No. I'm sorry," he replied, knowing that this routine of mistrust and lies and twisting the knife was far from over and yet they couldn't do anything about it. They were far too deep in the game now. This was the point of no return.
Ciel smiled sweetly, airily, and opened his eye one more time. It was unfocused, which made Sebastian wonder if he really knew what was happening and who was actually with him. He could be having delusions or fever dreams, who knew? The world made no sense at all as Ciel twirled and danced in a world of nonsense and fantasies blended so tightly with reality it was actually confusing...
Or maybe he was aware of everything.
Whatever the truth was, Sebastian found out that he didn't care. He got closer to the fevered boy and pressed his lips against his forehead affectionately. When he broke the contact, Ciel was still staring at him, and Sebastian thought that he looked so much like an adult at that moment, so serious and dazed and yet so conscious...
"Was that a goodbye kiss?" Ciel whispered hoarsely, a smirk twitching his lips if ever just slightly. Sebastian smirked back, somewhere between bitterness and love, and he bent down once again, this time kissing his lips.
He lingered there. Unmoving, just lingered.
Ciel blinked.
Sebastian stood up and walked towards the exit without saying anything more. It would just ruin the moment.
"Well then. Goodbye, Sebastian," he barely heard behind him. He smiled painfully as he left both Ciel and an asleep Doll behind.
He knew.
"Oh, no. This isn't goodbye, Ciel," he muttered to himself.
"Where are you going?"
Joker turned around at the source of the voice. Feminine, accusing. That voice he knew so well.
"Ah... I'm off to see Father. Waitin' for Black, tho. What about you? Can't you sleep?"
"Let's quit."
Joker's eyes widened, but he didn't reply. Instead, he let Beast speak. She seemed upset, and Joker did want to hear what she had to say, no matter how unviable it was.
"We have this circus. We can work it out. So let's stop doing these things and escape to a place where Father can't find us."
Joker almost giggled. Almost. Instead, he just offered her an incredulous smile. And yes, she looked lovely like that, all determined, brow knotting in her typical scowl and offering him dreams that would never happen, and yet she seemed so resolved about it.
How beautiful and naïve.
"Cross over the mountain to you? That's impossible," Joker replied, turning his back on her. "I don't have time to talk about such things."
"Wait!" she yelled, clinging to him desperately. She couldn't let him go, she couldn't...
Joker smiled bitterly.
"What's wrong? This isn't like you. This is what we decided. We decided to protect our most precious thing. For that, we will do anything."
Beast's grip tightened around him. Joker grimaced, but she couldn't see it. It wasn't about the physical pain but how much he hated to hurt her, and yet, he couldn't stop doing it. It was beyond his reach.
"But... but I don't want to see your painful face anymore!" she exclaimed, voice loud and steady despite how much she wanted to cry. "Because I...!"
"Did you forget?" Joker's firm grip on her arms stopped her as he faced her. He was frowning deeply. "We can't turn back now."
Her lips trembled and Joker smiled at her sympathetically, hoping to soothe her a little. He didn't want to see her cry, so he carefully took off his scarf and placed it around her neck with such delicacy it left her speechless. "Joker!" she was able to voice after a while, but he was already leaving.
"Good night."
Too late.
No, it wasn't! She ran towards him, crying already, and caught him right away. Joker trembled. He faced her and held her, and she closed the space between their lips while sobbing. He kissed her back. If this was the only solace he could give her, he would. He loved her so, maybe not how she wanted him to love her, but he loved her anyway. He knew that sometimes, like this once, she cried when no one could see her. And he hated it so much, he hated himself so much it hurt and for a minute it was comforting to have Beast's lips on his to forget about everything. 'Maybe,' he thought to himself, 'if this were another time, another place... If the circumstances were different...'
He would've allowed himself to drop his distance and fall for her. But that was...
"Cross over the mountain to you? That's impossible."
Please don't leave me, her kiss meant. I'm sorry, meant his; for everything, but I'll come back for you.
You promise? her lips expressed wordlessly as she kissed him with passion, tears still rolling down her cheeks. I do, he assured her, hands tangled in her hair. She gasped for air and they broke away, exchanging gazes of love in different stages, different intensities, but love anyway. He wiped what was left of her tears away and smiled, his hands falling at his sides.
"Don't cry."
She nodded and hugged him goodbye. She was willing to wait, to wait all the time he needed to heal, like a princess waits for her prince, though she knew those were just fairytales and she wasn't a princess. She wasn't the beauty, but the Beast...
He placed a quick kiss on her lips and watched her go to her tent. He would've liked to accompany her, but that would only make his heart break even more and he couldn't break, not in front of her, not when she needed to be protected and assured that everything would be fine in the end, even if it was the sweetest of the lies.
When she finally disappeared from his sight, his smile dropped. He knew we would never keep his promise, because, even if he came back safely —and he would, he knew he would— he would never be able to come back to her, not the way she expected him too. Because Joker could never be the same anymore.
"What are you doing here?"
Soma's eyebrow twitched. Behind him, Agni held a severe expression. Sebastian's bittersweet smile faded right away.
"That's none of your business."
"Hey, if you dared to do something bad to Smile, we—!"
"I didn't do anything. And you're gonna wake them up if you keep talking so loud," Sebastian retorted, holding Soma's index finger which was poking his chest in an attempt to threaten him.
"Them?" Soma asked in bewilderment, exchanging glances with Agni. The latter gave a few steps forward, standing just a few centimeters away from that one they called 'Black'. They glared at each other before Agni said very quietly:
"Listen to me carefully. If you did something to our friend, you can say goodbye to your pretty little circus and friends. Did I make myself clear?"
Sebastian scoffed. "Be my guest, then. I despise this place almost as much as you do. And I am not afraid of you. So come on, take a look for yourselves unless you wanna fight right now —I didn't do anything."
Sebastian left. The inseparable duo entered the sick tent to check on how his friend was doing. Of all the places, of all the times, he had to get an asthma attack here, where they couldn't take care of him properly.
Ciel was fine. Sick, but not newly injured nor dead, proving Sebastian's words true. It was good, however, it left them with a bitter taste in their mouths: what was that man doing then, if he wasn't trying to harm Ciel? Would he have gone to visit him just to see how he was doing? But why would he even care?
Wait a minute...
Did he care?
Somehow, they didn't want to know. And Ciel wouldn't tell why Sebastian was there, or why they were so close lately. Therefore, those questions remained unanswered as Ciel just gave them quiet instructions about going to London's crest office and finding out who owned the seal he saw and the letter he gave them before that night; and coming back to pick him up in the morning.
"Joker."
"Yer here. Let's go," the ginger whispered tonelessly when Sebastian arrived. Joker didn't look him in the eyes, for Black had startled him and there was a possibility that he'd seen the scene from before, because Beast had just left.
And yes, indeed, Sebastian saw.
Just when he left the sick tent, he caught sight of Beast and Joker kissing at the distance. But Sebastian had just smiled softly and let them share their moment. After all, who was he to scold them for their forbidden love, anyway? He was the one to talk about love and its irrationalities, for he had broken all of the rules just because of his own feelings and selfishness. He was no one to judge.
And so, Noah's Ark Circus was left behind them as they walked silently into the night.