( Hey guys! I'm probably not going to get this posted on Halloween, but I hope you still enjoy it~! And I know I've been getting mowed over by people wanting more Ciel X Mai moments.. well, I'm not going to say any more. Enjoy that chapter! )
"Ugh." Mai sighed as she dusted off of Ciel's priceless mantle of the Phantomhive emblem. 'Must..fight the urge...' She coaxed herself as she dusted, trying with all her might not to smash it to pieces. She smiled at the thought of knowing Ciel's face would be priceless!
"Speaking of his being horrified.." Mai's thoughts drifted over to her favorite time of year; Halloween. Was is just last year she was with her father, making Halloween decorations and dressing up? Was it just last year that the two of them went out with worn pillow cases to get candy? Was it just last year her father was well and alive..?
"Why the long face Mai?" Mey-Rin called, walking towards her with an arm full of cleaning supplies. 'Give it to Mey-Rin to come at all the wrong times..' Mai thought half amused.
"Oh, um.." Waves of heat came over Mai's face in the rare occasion- though not so rare anymore- of embarrassment. 'Would Mey-Rin know of Halloween?' A more horrifying thought came to mind. 'Do they even celebrate it?' "I was actually just..thinking about Halloween."
Mey-Rin's eyes lit up like stars and she got dangerously close to Mai's personal space. "I LOVE Halloween!" She yelled a bit too loudly. Instead of flinching back like she wanted to, Mai felt herself smile instead. She was more than glad to know that somebody in the household celebrated Halloween.
"We all love to decorate the manner for Halloween! Though we have to keep it in certain areas.." Mey-Rin lowered her voice and whispered into her ear, "The Young Master doesn't like Halloween. He doesn't even like the name." Mai's eyes shot open in disbelief.
"He doesn't like Halloween?" She said dubiously before coming up with the best idea she's ever thought of. "Well then... why don't we pull a little Halloween prank?" She said in a dark, playful tone. Pranking Ciel would be the best thing ever next to not having to work for him. Mey-Rin fidgeted nervously, not taking a great like to the idea.
"I don't know.. the Young Master would be very furious, yes." Disappointment hit Mai harder than expected, so she tried again.
"It wont be a bad prank. Just a simple boo should do." Mey-Rin seemed to think for a second before responding,
"Okay! It should be fun! I'll get Bard and Finny to help too!" Mai smiled, taking a liking to Mey-Rins spirit. On that note, the two went downstairs to dispose of their cleaning supplies and talk to the others. The storage closet was located on the left side of the stairs and Mai never went in it. She couldn't bring herself to say why, though she knew exactly why she couldn't go. Stopping near the narrow door, Mey-Rin went ahead and stuffed the cleaning supplies into the small shelves before heading off to the kitchen. They poked their head in the door, hoping to see Finny or Bard, but neither were there. A confused expression crossed their faces before they went off to look for the rest of the missing trio.
Thankfully Mai didn't have to worry about crossing Sebastian's path; he and Ciel were in a meeting for the afternoon, so she was safe. Well, as safe as she could be around there. A few minutes of searching has gone by, but the two still saw no sign of Finny or Bard.
"Where could they be?" Mey-Rin murmured as she quickly checked the ball room.
"Finny are you sure this is a good idea?" Bards voice floated down the hall, catching Mey-Rin's and Mai's attention. It seemed to have come from the music room. The two quickly walked down the hall and swung the door open.
Their jaws fell open and a scream of horror escaped their mouths before they covered each others mouths with their hands. Gardening tools were hanging from thin wires on the ceiling, ranging from the hedge clippers to the sharp metal rake.
"What are you doing?!" Mai asked after removing Mey-Rins hand from her mouth. Finny and Bard were in the middle of setting up a netting trap in the center of the room around all the tools. The room was now literally a death trap. Finny smiled sheepishly, and Bard rolled his eyes and said,
"Finny and I wanted to set up a room to make it look scary for Halloween. But I think the netting is a bit much.." He trailed off as he tried to make it blend in with the flooring. Mai felt her eye twitch slightly. 'The netting is too much?!' She thought in complete shock.
"Isn't this all very dangerous?" Mey-Rin asked as she slowly backed away from the door. Being who she is, a room with her and sharp tools is probably the worst combination anyone could think of.
"Don't worry, it isn't dangerous. Finny and I made sure we hung up everything good and tight." He winked and gave them a thumbs up, which was very un-reassuring.
Meanwhile, Ciel, Sebastian, and Tanaka were talking to a representative of a national toy company, who wanted to spread Phuntom out to different countries. Just as they were about to seal the deal, the screams of the maids was heard from down below. Everyone froze, wondering what was going on before Sebastian interjected,
"I'm sorry for the disturbance. Those are just the maids. They get frightened so easily, especially on Halloween." He smiled innocently while silently planning on how to kill them. Ciel wanted to get angry, but he couldn't when he was so close to making an important deal.
"I apologize for their behavior." Ciel said smoothly, hoping just to blow it off as nothing. The man nodded and smiled,
"Yes, well, maids can be a handful." He laughed before Ciel signed the contract of agreement.
"Yes they are.." Ciel agreed quietly, thinking of his own revenge he could do later on.
Once Finny and Bard finally finished getting the net up, the four of them left the room, making sure to close the door behind him.
"So what's the whole point of this?" Mai couldn't stop herself from asking. She was much too curious as to why they were planning a murder of sorts. Bard got a determined expression on his face and said,
"Every year we try to scare Sebastian, but he scares us instead. That man is never scared of anything!" He raised his fist in the air and got an evil glint in his eye. "But this year it's out turn to scare him!"
"It probably wont work out, and Sebastian usually get's very angry at us for trying, but we can't help but try anyways." Finny said, putting a hand behind his head. Mai felt herself crack a smile. True, Sebastian would probably murder them, but she had to admire their spirit. Suddenly something crossed her mind and she hesitated before asking,
"Well, why don't we show him the true spirit of Halloween? For both him, and Ciel?" Finny, Bard, and Mey-Rin looked at Mai frightened, but also in curiosity. What was she planning?
"What's the plan?" Bard asked, crossing his arms in interest. Mai felt her smile grow wider, liking that they were taking her seriously.
"As you and Finny have said, you two try to scare Sebastian every year, right?"
"Mey-Rin too." Finny interjected before letting Mai continue.
"Of course, and Mey-Rin too." She glanced back at her, smiling kindly, before continuing. "Why don't you three come up with an idea to scare Sebastian, and I'll scare Ciel?" The three hesitated about scaring Ciel before nodding in agreement. They then huddled together and discussed their plan.
"It's quiet around here." Ciel noted after the representative left. Sebastian nodded in mute agreement, also suspicious of the silence. He knew Finny, Bard, and Mey-Rin try every year to unsuccessfully scare him, but Mai is being quiet too. Sebastian heaved a silent sigh, wondering what kind of plan they would come up with this year. Of course, he didn't make his thoughts known to Ciel. He knew the Young Master hated Halloween, so he tried to avoid the subject when he could. He looked over at his Young Master, who seemed to have a faraway look about him.
Ciel thought various ways he could get revenge on Mey-Rin and Mai, though he thought more about getting revenge on Mai. He knew Mey-Rin was the type that messed up often, so he didn't think of her as much. He thought about sending Sebastian out to scare her, but found it to be a waste. For once, this is something he'd like to do himself.
In the end, he decided to lie low about it, and get her when she least expects it. She'd never expect him to do anything of the sort to her, or anyone for that matter. A devious smile appeared behind his folded hands.
'This might do just the trick..'
After coming to an agreement on their plan, and figuring out what areas of the house they were going to be in, the four broke up and went off to get their costumes on. Of course, they would have to try to keep away from the Young Master. Halloween was usually celebrated among the servants anyways. While Finny and Bard both went to get ready, Mey-Rin took Mai in tow to dress her in one of her costumes.
"Mey-Rin you really don't have to-" Mai protested on their way up the stairs.
"Of course I don't have to, but I want to! Besides, you said you love Halloween." Mey-Rin said, cutting Mai off. Without getting a chance to make another protest, Mey-Rin had Mai in her room and she was rummaging through what little clothes she had in her closet. After a minute, Mai hoped that Mey-Rin wouldn't have anything for her. Not that she didn't want to wear a costume, but she felt uncomfortable wearing more of her clothes.
'The maid outfit she gave me is enough really... ' Mai thought, picking at the hem of the fabric. Then, just as she hoped, Mey-Rin heaved out a sigh.
"I'm sorry Mai, I don't seem to have anything." Before Mai got the chance to fake her disappointment, Mey-Rin whipped out a headband with black, fuzzy cat ears on top. "Except for this!" She said excitedly. "This would go perfectly with what your wearing!" 'You would know since it's your outfit.' She thought sarcastic before taking the cat ears. If she had to wear something, this was probably the lesser of the 'evil.' Besides, she really did want to dress up for Halloween one way or another.
"Thank you. This actually means a lot to me." She said sincerely as she stuck the ears on her head. Mey-Rin stared at her for a moment before giving her a giant hug. "Gah!" Mai yelped as she almost felt the life being squished out of her.
"I'm sorry, but you look so cutee~!" Mey-Rin exclaimed before letting her go. Mai took a deep breath and took a step back.
"Thanks." She breathed before walking out the door. "Come on, let's see what Finny and Bard came up with."
"Wait, I still need to put on my costume! I'll meet you down there." Mai nodded and closed the door behind her before making her way downstairs. She glanced out the window and saw it was already dark. To be honest, it was a pretty uneventful day, 'But not for long..' She thought before she walked into just the person she was planning to scare.
Ciel walked down the darkened hallway, and spotted Mai coming down the stairs. He composed his face to looking bored, though the cat ears immediately caught his attention.
"Is there any certain reason why your wearing cat ears?" Ciel asked smoothly, making Mai jump slightly.
"Don't scare me like that!" She breathed, though she meant to snap at him. She knew she was being a hypocrite, but she was trying to feign innocence until the deed was done. Ciel nodded to the ears again,
"The ears?"
"Oh these?" She teased lightly, rubbing her fingers against the soft fuzzy fabric. "Nothing. Just thought they'd keep me entertained while I worked. They did just the trick." She said with a smile before passing him to find the others. She wasn't even sure if they were ready yet. Mai decided to make her way towards the music room, since that's were Finny was supposed to be hiding out while Bard somehow lures Sebastian there- which would honestly have to be a miracle for it to work. Though after walking a ways, Mai heard footsteps behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Ciel walking behind her. Mai raised an eyebrow and asked,
"Need me for something?" She asked skeptically, wondering what he was up to, but quickly brushed it off. 'He hates Halloween.'
"No. I'm merely just walking in the same direction as you." Ciel said as he walked past her. Mai looked after him feeling a little annoyed but quickly walked after him. Maybe she could somehow prank him twice in one night. Mai smirked at the thought but quickly composed herself as she now walked next to Ciel.
As they walked, Mai thought of ways to prank again, maybe sticking her foot out? As much as she wanted to prank him twice, she was too focused on her first prank to really focus on anything. A minute of silence has passed, Ciel thinking of his own trick himself. A few more seconds passed and Ciel couldn't wait anymore. He slowed down his pace, making Mai look over her shoulder questioningly. Despite herself, she felt herself slow down as well before stopping.
"Is something wrong?" Ciel looked straight past her towards the music room, which was actually a few door down.
"I see dead people." Ciel whispered, sending chills up Mai's spine. Nobody knew this, but she really wasn't too fond ghosts. Of course she could be around them, but with her experience, she'd prefer to keep away.
"Yeah right." Mai rolled her eyes at his exclamation. "Your joking right?" Ciel stared blankly at her, though he felt his heart beat quicken from the anticipation.
"Have I ever told a joke before?" He asked seriously, looking her straight in the eye. Which made his heart beat spike even more.
Mai thought back all the months she's worked here. She's worked here for 9 months now, and she's never recalled Ciel telling a joke. Ever. Mai couldn't stop herself from stiffening from fright.
"Oh yeah? Show me where they are." She refused to let Ciel notice that she was indeed frightened. He could never know that.
"Suit yourself." Ciel nodded once before leading her further down the hall to the music room. Mai's eyes widened as she eyed the door. 'Is Ciel in on this, and everyone is trying to scare me? Or is this just purely coincidence? Mai thought suspiciously as Ciel opened the door. The door creaked open, only adding to her silent fear. There was enough lighting to see the tools still hanging from the ceiling, but no sign of Finny. Ciel's eyes widened as he yelled,
"WHAT IS-" Mai clamped her hand over his mouth to shut him up. If Sebastian heard him yelling, he would surly come running. Mai couldn't let that happen, mainly because that was Bard's job. Ciel immediately took her hand off his mouth before hissing, "Don't touch me so easily!" Mai crossed her arms, now forgetting about the 'ghosts.' 'Where have I heard this before..?' She wondered sarcastically before saying,
"What? Didn't your ghost friends tell you they were decorating?" Ciel turned around and glared at her. He refused to lose to her now; he never lost.
"Yes, they did. But I had to pretend to be scared." Mai didn't hesitate to tap her fingers on her arm, giving the, are you kidding me, look. But decided to play along. Obviously he didn't know how to scare people without using Sebastian. 'Guess I'll have to show the kid what true scaring is all about.' She was still planning to hide in his office later on. She knew he stopped working in an hour, but he usually roamed the hallway before Sebastian sent him back.
Seeing that Mai was far from believing him, or even being scared for that matter, he had to resort to pushing his plan further. He closed the door behind him, letting what little moonlight there was to offer from the waning crescent and said,
"Their behind that door." He pointed to the small wooden door at the end of the room and began walking towards it.
Mai sighed and followed him before something came up.
"Wait.." She spoke to herself, now remembering something important. Before she could step back, or even give Ciel a warning- this was, after all, for Sebastian. Not Ciel.- the two were strung up in the net and were now dangling in the air. What made it worse was, the netting was small, and Mai was straddling Ciel! Her hands were on his shoulder to help keep her up, and the two blushed crimson in the dark.
"Did the ghosts just so happen to plan this too?!" She said as she struggled to sit up right, though no matter how she moved, she was still stuck in that horrifying position.
"Ugh, get off me!" Ciel said quietly, not wanting anyone to find them like this. He would never live it down.
"Oh like I'm not trying!" She snapped back before taking a deep breath. "Okay, I think I can get us out of this. It's just a few simple knots." She said as she leaned over Ciel to begin untying the thick knot above his head. She would have preferred to untie any of the other ones, but this one was far away from the others, so she wouldn't have to spend as much time untying knots when she can untie just this one.
Ciel tried his best to lean back, but the netting was too thick to stretch. His face flamed by now, and he felt a strange spark of desire. He tried to look away, but there was nowhere to look, so he settled for closing his eyes, though he found himself almost not wanting to.
"Come on Bard! How did you make these knots so tight?!" Mai spoke to herself in frustration. The knots were way too tight for any normal person to do. Yes, Mai has made her fair share of netting's, but even she couldn't do this. She dug her nails into any crevices she could find and tried moving it around to loosen it up. After what seemed like an eternity, she managed to loosen up a part of the knot enough to release a section of the rope.
Mai smiled victoriously and slowly began unwinding the knot, having to use her nail here and there. All the while, she tried her hardest not to think that she was sitting on Ciel's waist.. that he was so close to her. 'stop it!' She scolded herself for thinking such thoughts and got back to business. As soon as the knot was weakened enough, the weight in the net dropped to one side, making Ciel and Mai tumble out.
Ciel was now on top of Mai, and once again they blushed deeply. Their faces were just inches apart, the moonlight shining on both of their faces, and making their eyes shine. Before they realized what they were doing, Ciel and Mai leaned in and softly kissed each other for one blissful second, when all of a sudden,
'BAM!' Bard kicked the door open, making Ciel and Mai jump off of each other and scream, which in turn made Bard- and the now appearing Mey-Rin- jump.
"What are you guys doing in here?!" Bard asked as he stepped into the room. Mai knew this looked bad, but she tried to explain it the best she could, but even she really had no idea what happened.
"What about you!? Isn't Sebastian supposed to be with you?" Mai asked in return, though she thanked her lucky stars he wasn't with them. Bard closed his eyes in defeat and said,
"Bah.. we couldn't find him. We searched the whole manner, and there's not a sign of him." Mai then noticed bards apron had blood on it, Mey-Rin was a female outlaw, and Finny was dressed as an adorable bird.
Ciel got up and brushed himself off and said,
"What is the meaning of all this!?" Sadly for Ciel, he spoke to soon, for a silhouette holding a knife crept up from the hallway and stretched across the door. Red eyes appeared in the dark, and a sinister grin followed after. Everyone screamed and jumped together, though Ciel- and even Mai- were uncomfortable being squished together by everyone, but too frightened to care.
"Who wants cake?" Sebastian asked, appearing out of the dark, smiling innocently.
Ciel growled lowly before saying,
"SEBASTIAN! What is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of all of this?!" Everyone quickly broke away and gave him some space.
"W-We were just..." Finny began, but Mai knew he- as well as the others, not including Sebastian- would get in trouble, so she said,
"We were just celebrating Halloween. We know you don't like that holiday, so we kept it a secret from you, so you wouldn't get angry. We're all really sorry." Everyone in the room stared at Mai in stunned silence. Never has she apologized to the Young Master and truly meant it. A soft pink came to his cheeks and he closed his eyes for a moment, seeming to take a deep breath.
"It's fine. Just make sure you get the messed cleaned up." He looked around at everyone in the room as he spoke this before he walked out of the room.
Complete silence filled the room from utter shock. The Young Master would have never let them get away with this unpunished. On that note, Sebastian too left the room, and the others worked on cleaning the music room.
"Thank you so much Mai." Finny said, giving Mai a soft hug. Mai hugged him back and said, "Anything for you guys."
"Yeah, thanks Mai." Bard said, patting Mai's shoulder.
"You saved us so much trouble." Mey-Rin said, also moving in to hug Mai.
"Don't mention it." She said, and the group began to clean up.
"By the way Mai, what did happen in here?" Bard asked as he examined the net.
"Oh, nothing really. I just got caught up in the net.." But the blushing creeping up on her told another story.
After the room was as good as new, everyone retired for bed. Mai headed upstairs after lingering downstairs for a moment, recapturing everything that happened that evening. 'Ciel is so horrible at scaring people.' She thought, softly laughing to herself.
"I didn't expect you to apologize. Especially on partly my behalf." Sebastian spoke from behind, making Mai jump for the what feels like the third time that night She turned around and narrowed her eyes at him.
"I didn't do anything on your behalf. It was for the others; don't forget that." Sebastian nodded and smiled mischievously.
"Of course, I'll remember to keep that in mind." Mai studied Sebastian carefully and quickly stepped back. 'He knows something.' She thought in horror. "And you may want to remember where the traps are hidden next time your with the Young Master" He said as he quietly slipped past her. Mai felt the color drain from her face as she tried to gather up some dignity and walk to her room. 'He knows.' She repeated to herself over and over in her mind until someone called out,
"Mai." Mai looked down the hall and saw Ciel standing by his doorway, one hand on the knob. "Happy Halloween." He said before going into his room. Knowing she was all alone, Mai smiled. His words warmed her from the coldness she just felt. Mai then slipped into her room and quietly closed the door behind her.