Disclaimer: Kuro isn't mine.

Warnings: None.

A/N: The second chapter this week! So, if I had to give this chapter a colour, I'd go for a lighter grey. It's not as light as the very light chapter 7. But let me say that I like it when shit gets bad in a subtle way only to have it get real bad later. There you go. Enjoy! =D

Chapter 10

Ciel had managed to talk Lizzie out of visiting after her Aikido lessons on Friday, but in exchange he had to agree to a… friendly date with her at the weekend.

So, as not-quite-expected-but-still-expected, she rang the doorbell at eleven a.m., demanding that they have their date now.

Ciel, who had slept longer than usual and necessary (almost half a day), just stared at her, still a little bit drowsy from sleep, while he noticed Sebastian tilting his head to the side at the word 'date'. The boy had just came from the shower, dressed in a designer shirt and loose-fitting pants, when she – rather rudely, he thought in retrospect - had glomped him right there and then, in front of the bathroom, with him half out the room.

"You've got to change your clothes, Ciel," she said as soon as she finished telling him her plan (café, cinema, shopping, because she needed 'some stuff'; the nearest park, depending on where they ended up; also, take it into consideration - Ciel, listen - an early dinner, maybe?), "I can't compliment you with my clothes if yours don't fit."

Ciel, having lost the thread a while ago – it had always been hard listening to her high-pitched chatter -, continued staring, trying to look as if he'd understood everything, and said, "Sure." At the back of his head, he didn't wonder for the first time whether this was how Ronald must feel when Grell started abusing his ears. Or William, for that matter… But no, that one cut the redhead off before too much could be said.

"Good," Lizzie said and pushed him into his room. Sebastian didn't even move a finger to help him, yet again, Ciel didn't really wish for the demon to do it. Ciel might owe him afterwards.

The girl started going through his wardrobe, choosing an outfit for him. Seeing the clothes unfolded and put on his desk, bed, chair, Ciel hoped that Sebastian would put them back where they belonged before he followed him and Lizzie. The demon was going to follow, of course, seeing that Ciel couldn't last two hours without craving the demon like a drug.

His friend finally shoved a casual set into his hands before leaving the room. While he changed into those clothes without further ado – he really (curiously) was too tired to protest -, he briefly wondered whether she was peeping through the keyhole. He shook his head and pulled up his trousers. It was a good thing that Lizzie hadn't looked too closely: The bruises around his neck were still there. Green-yellowish by now, but there. Bruises shouldn't take that long to disappear, should they? It had been three weeks now…

He left his room, not realizing that he was frowning again until Lizzie told him to put on a happy face. Ciel merely stopped frowning.

Sebastian wished them a nice day and closed the door behind their backs. Ciel dearly hoped that the demon wouldn't have another sadistic moment and just not follow.

They went to Lizzie's favourite café, having pies for lunch. Ciel couldn't complain about that one and ordered a slice of cheese cake while Lizzie giggled at his sweet tooth. They sat in comfortable silence. While the girl was looking out the window with a content smile on her face, Ciel wished that his relationship with her ancestor could have been as easy as it was with her (even if it didn't make her less troublesome): They were just friends, as far as – thankfully - both were concerned, and it should stay like that.

She was eyeing him strangely from time to time. Ciel wondered whether it was because of his appearance (he looked as if he'd just caught a deadly disease) or because she was happy that they finally went out together. She'd tried getting him out of the house for quite some time now. Somehow, Ciel appreciated her persistence and endurance.

"Hiya, you little ghost!" a voice said from behind Ciel. The boy flinched and spun around, looking into Ronald's grinning face. The reaper wasn't dressed in his usual suit, which surprised Ciel. Instead he was wearing a green shirt under a black coat along with a pair of denims. It was rather strange seeing him in his free time attire.

"Cousin," the boy said lamely, remembering that he'd referred to the reaper as such in front of Lizzie.

"So, you two are on a date?" Ronald asked.

"A friendly date," Lizzie piped up, adding an extra-emphasis on 'friendly'.

"That's nice, kids," the reaper said, taking a sip from his beverage.

"What are you doing here?" Ciel asked slowly, searching for Grell. He wasn't there.

"We have a free day today." Ronald smiled. "Because there are very little… entries in our books today, nothing that the new ones can't fix. Will offered us a break. And you just don't say no when he does such things. Happens once in five decad—years, I mean." Before Ciel could say anything, he pinched the boy's cheek with his gloved fingers. "I recall telling you something about getting a tan, kid."

Ciel pushed the other's hand away, scowling. "I feel very fine, thank you."

Ronald shrugged, went over to kiss the air next to Lizzie's cheeks (which had her blushing furiously), ruffled Ciel's hair and headed for the door. "Maybe we'll see each other again today."

"I hope not," Ciel murmured under his breath, flattening his hair.

Lizzie, too paralyzed by Ronald's sudden attack to react, sat very straight and very still in her chair. Pushing the empty plate aside, Ciel went to pay for their food and drinks. He got Lizzie's coat and helped her in as soon as she snapped out of her trance. "Are all of your cousins like that?" she asked.

"Why?" Ciel shot back, a teasing smile on his lips. "Are you intending to marry into my family?"

Her cheeks flushed a dark shade of red as she sputtered. "Not at all!"

He gave a short laugh, feeling her warm fingers wrap around his own. She clicked her tongue. "Low blood pressure?" she asked. "Your hands are ice cold. And you know, my mother has that too, cold hands, I mean. She says it comes from her low blood pressure."

"That's what I have," Ciel said automatically, even though he knew that his blood pressure had been in an optimum range the last time he'd went to a check-up.

Lizzie droned on about what to do with that 'little problem', as both daughter and mother called it while she and Ciel walked to the cinema. Ciel barely listened, but it seemed that it kept Lizzie happy, having a reason for the coldness of his hands.

At the cinema, she wanted to watch a romance movie.

Seeing that there was nothing else that caught his attention, Ciel didn't even put up a fight as she bought tickets and beverages and lead the way. Once they had found their seats – "Just in time," Lizzie said and Ciel tried his hardest not to groan – the girl began telling him the plot of the movie, clapping her hands when the advert started as if it were something very special.

A man in a dress shirt sat down in the seat next to Ciel, pushing his glasses up his nose. The boy made a double-take, realizing who exactly it was. "Mr Spears."

The reaper blinked before he slowly turned his head to the side, facing Ciel. He looked faintly uncomfortable. "Ciel."

"What? Ciel?" an annoying voice behind the reaper said. Grell leaned forward, Ciel leaned forward (just a tad), and while the former automatically started searching for 'Sebby' in the auditorium upon recognizing the boy, Ciel noticed that the guy was wearing a dress that would have been more appropriate for summer.

"Isn't that your other cousin?" Lizzie asked. "Why is he wearing a dress?"

"He's embracing his feminine side," Ciel said.

"Are those two going out?" She lowered her voice, sounding girlishly excited, and pointed to the manicured hand curled around William's. "As in, are they a couple?"

"They've been together for longer than I can remember." Ciel smiled, knowing what would follow.

At this, William's head whipped back to him. It seemed as if a response was ready to be shot at him, but Grell gave his boss a bear hug from the other side, squealing something about how they could finally go public with their relationship.

"I don't know where you get those fantasies about us being together from, Mr Sutcliff," William said as the actual movie started.

Somebody told them to shut up.

William gave him a glare that could freeze an entire ocean. Somehow, this glare was not as effective with Grell cuddling his back. The man was successfully frightened anyway and left them to it.

"You know," Grell said as he freed his boss only to lean over him, "we received a note again."

Ciel didn't answer to that, feeling a weird twitch somewhere inside his body.

OOO

After a lot of tears caused by the movie which were now drying on his sleeves along with some mascara, Ciel found an outlet for his frustrations in spending Sebastian's or the Undertaker's money on a new set of clothes and sweets and a pair of shoes.

Lizzie was buying one frilly, pink/blue/yellow/orange thing after the other, sometimes it glittered; sometimes it didn't even look wearable, and most of the time it looked as if it just came from Barbie-Land. While he was already finished, she was still looking around in the same shop he'd left her at a while ago, asking him whether those clothes made her look cute.

He found she just looked like a mountain of ruffles, but that might just be the trick.

Ciel, knowing why he shouldn't go shopping with females now, sought his escape when a friend of Lizzie's found them in a shop. Knowing that he didn't come around returning home with her, he said he'd take a quick walk through the mall and left the shop. He thought he saw the reapers again, actually stopping and turning to catch a glimpse – just to make sure -, but it wasn't them. Just another obnoxiously loud redhead hanging off the arm of a tall man with a blonde in tow.

He turned back to resume his little promenade through the mall, not looking up and thus walking into somebody else smelling distinctively of myrrh. Surprised, he jumped back, opening his mouth to apologize. His eyes locked with a pair of yellow-green ones, one of which was decorated by a scar.

His breath caught in his lungs.

The Undertaker looked a little bit surprised. As he took in Ciel's appearance, his mouth got stuck in a half-smile before it left his lips completely. He gently took the boy by the wrist and went to the next best shop (which looked rather expensive) before letting go. Ciel just followed, feeling a little overwhelmed with the sudden amount of emotions that was coursing through his veins, one of them being anger, the other relief. Again, those two didn't fit which had him wondering how the appearance of a demon could change him from a collected old man to somebody who could only be confused at his emotions.

The Undertaker picked a shirt in Ciel's size and urged him to the changing rooms. A woman was leaving at the moment, and the Undertaker pushed Ciel into the cubicle at the end, following him inside. "Couldn't think of anything else that quickly," he said, sounding almost apologetic.

Ciel stared at him for a moment, listened to his voice, the light cackle before he spoke, took a deep breath and slapped the man across the face.

Cheek reddening, the Undertaker looked stunned for a moment. When Ciel slapped him on the other cheek, he giggled.

"I guess I deserved those," he said with a smile. Then he leaned forward. "Why not another one?"

"You like them, don't you," Ciel muttered, annoyed by the other male. It wasn't even possible to punish him; he'd just love it. Ciel didn't hit him again. "I'm not up to fooling around." He turned to leave the cubicle.

The Undertaker's arm wrapped around his middle, pulling him back. Ciel's back connected with the mirror; the Undertaker was now effectively blocking his exit. Cocking his head to the side, the reaper regarded him. "You look horrible."

Ciel's eyes narrowed.

The reaper mimicked the expression. "Are your lips blue?"

"I'm just cold," the boy said defensively.

The Undertaker reached out to pull at Ciel's scarf; the accessory fell to the floor without either of them giving it a second thought. Even though Ciel knew that the Undertaker's hands were always a little cool, the reaper's fingers were hot against his skin this time.

"Why do you take my advice – things that I'm actually serious about – as jokes?" the Undertaker asked, his voice swimming giddily in the air, matching the wide smile on his face that couldn't reach his eyes.

Ciel pressed his back against the mirror, refusing to look at himself. "You know what's happening."

"Not really," the Undertaker said, his smile belying his words , his eyes belying his smile and his tone belying his eyes. "I just know that you shouldn't do this anymore."

"That is insufficient," Ciel said, finally feeling this little tweak in his insides that – even in his opinion – was coming very late. "Give me a proper reason. You've always encouraged my experiments."

"I shouldn't have let you kill yourself that often," the Undertaker said. "No matter how fascinating it was."

"A reason."

He shook his head. The refusal made Ciel slightly nervous.

"How come the demon hasn't stopped you this time?"

"He didn't know."

Taking a step towards Ciel, the Undertaker curled one hand around the boy's throat where the bruises were still fading. "You were distressed."

Ciel didn't answer, wondering when he'd regain a normal body temperature.

"What did he do to you?"

Ciel contemplated telling the Undertaker about the trick that the demon had played on him but realized that… "He did nothing I couldn't have prevented."

If he hadn't been so irritated by the demon, he could have asked him about his definition of 'close' and what distance would result in. He could have told Sebastian to follow him to school like he'd done the day after the disaster.

He also could have told Sebastian to stop touching him as soon as the side-effects had vanished-

"And you didn't because you enjoyed it" the Undertaker said.

"I certainly did not enjoy it," Ciel muttered. "Because of him, I fainted at school, vomited and went home early for the umpteenth time."

Silver eyebrows drew together, contributing to the Undertaker's confused expression. "What."

"He altered the contract. He wasn't supposed to touch me but he managed to get his hands on me by making me feel incredibly sick and yearning his touch like an addict." With a short exhale, he watched the Undertaker process his words. "So, how about killing him now?"

The smile came back to the older male's face, even if it wasn't as wide as before. "I'd love to. But you'd hate me for it."

"This again?" Ciel asked. "I'll hate you if you don't do it."

"I strangled and left you and you still don't hate me," the Undertaker said. "You'll forgive me again."

Ciel felt the tension leaving his body at a slow pace despite the fact that his wishes were being denied. "I am going to hate you. And I'm mad at you already."

"I deserve it," the Undertaker said again, his hot breath ghosting over the boy's temple. He planted a short kiss on the boy's mouth before straightening. "You know, every time I see you alive could be the last."

Ciel huffed. "Don't get sentimental with me."

The Undertaker giggled. "I won't." Starting to hum a song under his breath – it sounded terribly similar to something from Madonna or Lady Gaga or some other blond (or not-blond-anymore) woman -, he grabbed the shirt that he'd taken with him. It was of a vibrant blue. "And Ciel? Whatever you two did, you still enjoyed it. I've known you for ages, you cannot fool me."

"I'm going to slap you again."

And finally, a real, wide grin came that was present in his eyes, too. "Please do." He looked absolutely ridiculous with red marks on his face and asking for more. Ciel felt the rest of his tension disappear.

"Okay, so maybe I enjoyed it a little," – right until the demon had stopped, but that wasn't the point - "but what he did was still wrong. I would never have allowed him to do anything to me, yet he forced himself upon me. He's possessive and sadistic and plays around with me."

"Yet you still don't want me to kill him," the Undertaker said as if Ciel had never demanded it. Before the boy could open his mouth, he went on, "I don't know whether you've noticed this, but how come that a possessive demon doesn't take his plaything away when it's with his rival? When I left, I basically told the demon that you are free to have and that I wouldn't try to claim you, yet, considering our past relationship, I have been the closest person to you and therefore left my mark on you. He tries to get if off by having me out of your life." He smiled when Ciel frowned. "Now, do you see him anywhere around? I know he's been following you, probably because of that new arrangement. He must have seen me walk away with you. Maybe he's waiting in front of the changing rooms, maybe he isn't."

Ciel couldn't say that he understood. It was his business with whom he went away, Sebastian simply always thought that it should be his business, too. At that thought the boy's eyes widened.

"The thing is," the Undertaker continued, "that he isn't here, trying to pull you away. That the two of us aren't fighting right now. He lets you talk to me despite seeing me as an enemy. I see a willingness to change in that, don't you?"

So that was it. Ciel almost huffed in exasperation. Sebastian was probably thinking that he was doing him a great favour, that idiot. He wasn't going to change; he simply wanted to get on Ciel's good side.

… Yet again, it was still a favour.

(Something inside him told him that the Undertaker - the only one who could look through him as if he were made of glass - had another message in his words, but unfortunately, this time he didn't understand what was being implied.)

"Think about it," the reaper said as if having read his thoughts, before he seemed to remember something. He rummaged around in his pocket. "I found something that you might like. Thought I'd have to sneak it into your room again, but now that you're here…"

"I hope it's not make-up," Ciel said dryly, his thoughts still revolving around Sebastian.

The Undertaker snorted. "It's not." He took out a little square box, opened it and showed Ciel a sapphire ring.

It wasn't the very same one he'd been wearing back then (at least he thought so), but it immediately reminded him of the old days in Victorian London. His breath got stuck in his lungs as memories of his parents, of Soma and Agni and his incompetent staff returned with full force. He'd always avoided thinking of them, not able to acknowledge his loss.

The Undertaker was silent for a minute before he cackled weirdly. "Will you marry me?"

Ciel couldn't suppress a laugh this time. Slapping at the man who stepped back in a fit of giggles, he pressed a hand to hide his own mouth. "Proposing to me in a changing room? You're useless."

"I was always of the opinion that changing rooms are incredibly romantic." The Undertaker recovered from his fit long enough to take his hand and slide the ring on his thumb. "You can still make it smaller; I just thought you'd prefer it this way."

Ciel nodded. Realizing how long they have stayed in the small room, he withdrew his hand, feeling a familiar weight around his thumb. "We should get out of here."

His movement was restricted by two thin yet surprisingly strong arms as the Undertaker wrapped them around his body. Ciel stared at the offending limbs before raising his gaze to the Undertaker's face. "Why are you hugging me?"

"Call it provocation," the mortician said, cuddling him as if he were a stuffed bear.

"You're spreading your scent all over me, aren't you?"

The staccato in the Undertaker's chest replaced the answer.

OOO

After he and the Undertaker had left the shop with one shirt, they went different ways. Ciel was stuck with Lizzie for another three hours full of annoying, increasingly girlish chatter and clothes and an early dinner.

Worried about his sanity, he hoped they wouldn't have another friendly date soon.

Sebastian must have left during their dinner, for when Ciel came home the unpleasant tingling in his eye had started. The sound of the hoover was heard from upstairs as he entered, and the scent of chocolate filled his nose. Briefly wondering whether scepticism was appropriate, Ciel took off his shoes and went upstairs to change into more comfortable clothing. While he stepped out of his pants, he heard the faint thud of the demon's footsteps as he went downstairs. Putting on loose-fitting pants he exited the room after a short moment of contemplation, thinking 'Why the hell not' and went to the demon's room. Rummaging in his wardrobe, he found a navy blue pullover which he put on. He was used to the Undertaker's scent of myrrh, so that dark, almost dangerous… thing in the demon's scent that sent shivers down his spine was very new and unsettling.

Afraid of the consequences that would come from delaying contact with the demon now that the side-effects had kicked in, Ciel went to the kitchen only to be greeted by a small chocolate cake. In the living-room, the sounds of a talk show could be heard, but not for a long time as Sebastian switched channels. Ciel, feeling the urge to be close to the demon (damn that altered contract), put a slice of cake on a plate and went to sit with him. But sitting at the other end of the couch wasn't satisfactory enough.

Feeling Sebastian watching him, Ciel grudgingly shifted closer. The smaller the distance was between them the greater was the urge to come even closer. He shifted a little more before he rolled his eyes, stood up and sat down with his left side pressed against Sebastian's right.

There. Better.

"You are allowed to touch me in a non-sexual manner," Ciel said, feeling – but not acknowledging – relief wash over him as the demon simply put his arm around his shoulder. "I was right not to trust you," he muttered, seeing, realizing and knowing that this was some kind of new level that the game had risen up to.

"This again," Sebastian said.

Ciel cut a small piece from the cake.

This again.

Sebastian was a demon. Even if he couldn't lie anymore, it didn't mean that he couldn't betray and stomp down a person's trust. It didn't mean that Ciel was safe just because he had restricted him a little. It didn't mean that he couldn't have his fun.

It was impossible to appeal to a demon's conscience. That was the reason he'd made another deal with him. A demon didn't love or feel bad for someone; Ciel doubted they even knew what betrayal felt like. They would probably only get angry at having their plans crossed or at having lost an accomplice.

"Yes," he said, "this again. But I'll let it slide since someone like you has never trusted and therefore will never understand what betrayal feels like."

Sebastian switched to the news channel. "I trust," he said, "that our deal will have positive results."

Ciel huffed. "That's not the same thing."

"You're awfully cold," Sebastian said and pulled the boy on his lap.

Ciel's mind went curiously blank. "Are you feeling me up?"

Skilled fingers started massaging his shoulders. Ciel forgot about the plate in his hand. "Opportunities need to be seized… You're quite tense."

"You can't blame me for being on guard in your presence."

A quiet exhale, but Ciel still heard it.

He sometimes wondered whether it was himself whom he felt betrayed by. Even as a child, he'd known that as a demon, getting too comfortable with Sebastian would be more harmful than beneficial. He'd trusted himself to act according to this fact.

And he hadn't done it.

He leaned into the demon's hands - his death's hands - and wondered about this thing constricting his chest.

So, chapter 10. And the Undertaker appeared! I always enjoy writing him (it's a guilty pleasure to do that in a Sebastian/Ciel fic, but whatever XDD)

Anyway, I'll see you in chapter 11 =D

Two more things:

1: We can start a countdown! Four more chapters to go and 'Lay Me to Rest' will come to an end!

2: Due to the countdown and the fact that the last chapter's being written at the very moment, I can update twice weekly. I'll post the last four chapters on Wednesdays and Saturdays =D That is if I get feedback, dears. Every author likes to see it and know what the readers think =P