~o/0\o~
Ciel was sitting in his study, Sebastian by his side when they both heard the front door slam hard. Sebastian calming looked to Ciel, who nodded before he headed out of the room to investigate. Slowly, he made his way to the door. As he reached the hallway, he noticed the other three servants standing, guns ready to go. It seemed the intruder hadn't moved. The four pounced, gunshots blazing.
"What the fuck!" The four paused as they noticed Yuri at the doorway. She had fallen over and was now sitting by the door, a dazzled look on her face. "Jesus, you all scared the shit out of me."
"Are you in trouble?" Sebastian asked.
"In a way," Yuri said. The four took a step up to help. Yuri gratefully took the hand and stood up, brushing herself down. A heavy pounding resented through the room and Yuri quickly pulled open the door, shoving her brother into the hall before slamming the door which resounded in another loud bang. Due to the racket, Ciel had now appeared from his study. "how far away are they?"
"Not far," Ryu choked out. "But they know I'm here-" A loud bang resonated through the room. Both twins cringed and Ryu hopped away from the door. Sebastian moved his gaze from the two before slowly approaching the door.
"Don't-" The door was open and twenty or so children came running in.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Ryu and Yuri both sighed as Party hats and streamers were set off in a mass of celebration.
"Can I-"
"No. You cannot kill him." Ryu sighed. A young boy, no older than five, pulled on Yuri's skirt.
"Mama?"
"Yes, sweetpea?" Yuri asked, bending down to reach eye-level.
"Did we surprise you?" He asked, giggling. A soft smile spread on Yuri's face as the nodded.
"Yes, George. Pops and I were very surprised," she replied.
'They can you mama and pops?'
'They do when they're little, but when they're older, like six-ish or older, they call us our names'
"We're not that easily diverted," Sophie said, stepping into the room as Yuri picked George up. "Now. You cannot avoid us, come home and let us throw you a party." Yuri sighed as the kids began to herd out of the house, being led by Sophie. Ryu gave a curt no to the Phantomhive Household before he too left, casting Yuri an unreadable look. Yuri turned to leave before turning around to the five very confused 'outsiders'. She smiled at their puzzled faces.
"Well, aren't you coming?"
~o/0\o~
The noise that filled the room making it impossible for anyone to even think clearly. The youngest of all the kids all wanted to be picked up. Sebastian noticed that both Ryu and Yuri, two hard characters, turned very soft around the young children. As Yuri said, the older kids all called them by their names. It was very obvious that everyone there adored Yuri and Ryu. The elder kids all wanted to give the presents they had made and no matter how bad they were, the twins smiled brightly and thanked everyone. The door opened as a middle-aged man came in. He has blonde hair, though the sides were shaving and a skull and bones were shaken into the very thin layer of hair. The top of his head barely had an inch of greying blonde hair and he helps two bottles of vodka, one in each hand, and another man followed after him carrying two parcels.
"Happy birthday kiddos," the elder of the two said.
"We're seventeen, old man," Ryu said. "We're not 'kiddos'" The man looked confused.
"No, you're not seventeen."
"Yes, we are." Ryu sighed. "Honestly Sting, it's a good thing you brought the vodka."
"True that," Yuri said, collecting the bottle and putting them behind the bar. "What's in the boxes?"
"Open them and find out." The twins each too the parcel with their name on it. Opening it, both marvelled at the black hand pistol.
"Holy shit..."
"Look at the grip," Ryu said. Yuri looked, seeing her name in Japanese engraved into the leather.
"These are amazing..." Yuri tossed it to her other hand. "Light..." She checked if it was loaded. "Damn, it can fit nine bullets. These are awesome." She held it up as if to shoot. Ryu nodded. They both hugged the man again.
"Glad you like them," He said. Scanning the room, Stings' eyes landed on Ciel and Sebastian. "You invited the dog?"
"I invited my adopted son, my boyfriend and my friends."
"Boyfriend?!" Ryu choked out. The whole room exploded.
'When did we decide we were courting?'
'Right now?' Sebastian shook his head smiling.
"My life, back out of it," Yuri said. "You guys hungry?" The trio, who had previously been quiet all nodded. "Sophie-"
"Dinner's nearly done," she said, coming out from the kitchen. "Hi, I'm Sophie, Yuri's best fr-"
"Don't even finish that sentence," Miki said, coming into the room.
"I have more than one best friend," Yuri said. The two ignored her and still shot each other a dirty look. "So, Miki is the one with brown hair, Sophie's the redhead. The redhead behind the bar is Micheal - he's new enough here - and we're missing David - Bones sent him on a job - and Mark is probably asleep. And we have about fifty to sixty kids here, and then about ten families that we mind." Meyrin was eyeing sting. "Oh Meyrin, Sting, you remember her?" Sting nodded, remembering Meyrin's past as an assassin.
"Wait, you knew who I used to be?" Meyrin asked. Yuri nodded.
"You were my idol. So cool and collected," Yuri said.
"What kinda institution is this?" Finny asked, looking around nervously.
"Gang mostly, sometimes we work with the mafia but they're fickle bastards so not usually." Yuri sent the kids off to wash their hands, while the trio watched in shock.
"No wonder you've got so many weapons in our room!" Meyrin said, referring to their shared room in the manor.
"Habit."
"Why didn't you tell us before?" Bard asked.
"Some people can be really judgy about this way of life." Sting moved forward to bring both twins into a hug at once.
"You're both so grown..." His voice was sounded thick and his eyes were full of adoration.
"Woah, old man." Another male stepped into the door. Sting narrowed his eyes. This man, dark brown skin with the darkest green eyes, came in, carrying two small bags in his hands. His white hair grew past his shoulders and he looked so intimidating but as soon as his gaze landed on the twins, it softened. Yuri smiled before both twins ran over into his open arms.
"You're both so much older!" He said. He looked intimidating but he had the voice of a gentle giant.
"Bones," Sting said.
"Sting." They both looked at one another before cracking a smile. "You're still alive? You're such a dumbass I didn't think that could happen."
"I'm surprised you're still alive too, you're gang is so small that I didn't think you could pull off anything." Bones laughed.
"I see you're still as venomous as ever," he said, chuckling.
"I play to win."
"Presents," Ryu said, staring at the bags. Yuri hit her brother.
"Ignore him. Thank you both for coming," Yuri said. "But also presents!" Bones handing them the bags. Ryu pulled out a hard copybook.
"Charles Dickens! A hardback copy! Oh my god! I love it!" Yuri smiled at her geeky older brother as he hugged the elder male. She opened her back and pulled out a wooden box. Opening the box, she heard a soft melody begin to play. Yuri gasped.
"A music box! I love it"
"Well, I thought you might like it, to keep you calm," Bones said. Yuri smiled as she closed over the box. She hugged Bones.
"Thank you, both of you." Bones smiled before noticing Ciel and company. He raised an eyebrow but extended his hands.
"Josiah Okeke. African American gangster, known as Bones." Yuri bit back a smile. Bones was so civil. When Sebastian shook his hand, his marvelled at his grip. "I was hoping to shake the Lords' hand, but I know I can be quite intimidating." He said, chuckling. As the children returned, the few who remembered Bones came running up and he picked them up and soon they were all trying to climb him.
"He's harmless really. Very soft to kids but can be very cruel if someone wrongs him," Yuri said.
"And Sting?" Ciel asked, looking at the man who was sending him a severe glare.
"An Australian runaway who hates the English. His mother was an aboriginal but was brutally raped and forced to marry an Englishman. His mother died and Sting killed his father at seventeen and founded his gang." Yuri closed the music box and put her gun back in the box, stacking them on top of each other. "there my dads," she said breaking the silence. "I was broken when they found me and they taught me how to deal with it. They gave me a choice."
"Do you ever wish you hadn't made it?"
"No." There was silence before Yuri turned around smiling softly. "I would have never have met you then. And that wouldn't have been worth it at all."
~o/0\o~
Maybe it wasn't deliberate, maybe it was just a coincidence. Ryu was at one head of the table, Yuri on the other. Somehow, Sting and Ryu sat beside each other, along with Miki and most of the people who were glaring at Yuri's guests. Bones was seated in the middle, helping the younger kids chop up their food. The Phantomhive group were around Yuri and she had narrowed her gaze at the group on the other side, both locked in a whispering discussion and several times they looked down at the staff, missing her gaze every time. A hand on her drew her attention back to the group in front of her.
'Are you okay?' she smiled at him.
'yes.' He returned the smile.
"You never told us you had such a big family, it must be so nice!" Finny said. "Everyone is so kind!" Yuri doubted that very much considering a lot of them were ignoring Yuri's guests.
"Yes," She said, returning her gaze to her plate. "They have been. Considering that you guys are really important to me, and they've been so welcoming and sweet to you. Especially when they knew I was nervous to introduce all of you to them, and you're respectful to them, so I'm glad they returned it." She picked up her knife and fork and chewed slowly. "It just means so much to me-"
"Oh, you drop the third degree," Ryu said, throwing his knife and fork down. "You're not fooling anyone."
"Oh sorry, did I say something to offended you," Yuri said, looking down the table at her brother. Ryu shot up at that.
"You don't wanna pick a fight." Yuri stood up slowly, her glare landing on her brother.
"Last time I checked, it wasn't me who started it."
"What? So you invite a bunch of random people, two of which could haul our asses to jail, and expect me to be respectful?"
"No, I invite my friends to my fucking birthday and I expect you to be respectful, cause I always am to you. No matter what shit you pull yourself in," Yuri shouted back. "And no matter who the fuck you bring into this house."
"Kangaeru dareka kara no ōkī tango wa watashitachi yori yoi (big words from someone who think they're better than us)," Ryu said.
"Aru dareka kara no ōkī tango wa jiga heya yori ōkī (big words from someone who's ego is bigger than the room)," Yuri snapped back. The two siblings stared at each, and as Ryu opened his mouth, Yuri snapped "Suwari, sore o, sorera todomaru koto o koko ni aru sui nasai (sit down and shit up, they're here to stay)." With that, she sat back down and continued to eat. Dinner, after that, was a silent affair, except for the sound of Ryu cutlery stabbing his food and Yuri's heavy breathing.
~o/0\o~
Yuri was sitting in the sitting room with some of the younger children surrounding her. Sebastian could see through her smiles as her eyes kept glancing at the door Ryu had walked through ten minutes ago. The Phantomhive staff were currently helping cleanup but soon joined in babysitting the young ones. Yuri was distracted for a moment before her face fell as she looked back over at the door. Yuri handed the boy she was bouncing on her lap to Finny, who seemed delighted, though the others panicked that he would hurt the baby. Sebastian's eyes followed her to the door.
She opened the door and shivered, quickly grabbing a shawl from the coat rack, before heading up the slightly steep stairs before making it to a flat roof they had. Ryu was sitting, smoking his cigarette. He was looking out over the city, but Yuri knew he had heard her come up.
"I'm sorry for what I said at dinner." They both said in unison. Yuri went over and sat down next to her brother, resting her head on his shoulder. She took the cigarette from his hand and snubbed it out. He rolled his eyes and her but exhaled the last of the smoke. He soon lit up another one, much to Yuri's silent protests
"I'm so scared." Yuri's head snapped up as she looked at her brother who had tears rolling down his cheeks. "I can't lose you. Khun's death wasn't even that long ago." Yuri flinched at the word. "That's what it was. Death, murder. And I know you're throwing yourself into your work because it's easier for you than to admit that you're sad. Or Scared." Yuri looked away, wiping a few stray tears. "And I know you can handle yourself, I know that. But, he... he just irks me. Because I know that he's more powerful than me, and you... you always help the worst people." Yuri let out a wheezy laugh as she wiped more tears.
"I do sometimes." Ryu nodded, taking another drag of the cigarette and exhaling slowly. He breathed in and wiped his face.
"And I want to trust him, and I know he's probably saved you a hundred times, but I just can't stop thinking that he and that Phantomhive boy are unleashing you to new dangers. Dangers even I can't help you with. With Jack the Ripper and that time you literally almost got human trafficked." Ryu took a shaky breath. "And I know in both those situations it was your choice, but it terrifies me you're even given that choice. I don't really know what it was like for you when we were... when we were with those monsters, and I know you longed for a choice but I just feel like you keep making the ones that might get you killed." He took another long drag and blew out the white smoke. "And I'm also scared that you're not gonna need me anymore."
"What? No-"
"Look, I know you love him. But I just... I don't know. Losing Khun has made me realise that you're one of the last family I got. You're the only immediate family I have here, in London. And I love Japan and everyone there, it's my birthplace for godsakes, but this," he looked around. "this is home. And you're the last biological family I have left to share it with. I don't wanna lose you. Through death or anything. And I'm somewhat selfish. I want to be the most important guy in your life, cause I always have been. I don't want to give that spot up." He took a shaky breath. "He called me when you had that fit or whatever it was. And the first thing I thought was 'what if I don't get to say goodbye again?' Khun... one day, she was here and safe and alive, then she was gone and I- we, didn't even get to say goodbye." He was ugly crying now. "And I know you blame yourself cause I do. And I can't help but feel that if I let you help them, and you die, then it's my fault because- because." He broke off, his words being lost in his sobs. Yuri pulled him into his arms, crying hard. She held him as he shook out the heartbreaking sobs.
"Hey, look at me," She said softly, her voice thick, after a moment of heavy silence. She gave him a small smile and wiped the tears off his cheeks. "I'm always gonna need you. Always. For one, you are my co-owner. This is our home, our streets and I need you by my side to run it. But beyond that, you're my big brother. Pretty much all of my logic and common sense most days. And I love you, in a whole other way. You're in my past and my present but you're also in my future. And you are the most important guy in my life." Technically she wasn't lying, but also technically Sebastian wasn't really a 'guy'. They were both fell silent as Ryu finished his cigarette, dropping it to the ground and stepping on it, and they both wiped their eyes. "And that fit... I don't know what it was but he saved me. I don't really know how it happened or what it was but I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I'm not gonna leave you." Ryu pulled his sister close and for once she didn't give out about the smell of the cigarette, though he knew she wanted to. They simply just hugged and Ryu very reluctantly let her go.
"I can't promise I'll always be nice." He was looking at the stars again but Yuri knew he had stopped crying. "He still irritates me when he acts all high and mighty and there's something about him that tells me he's no good."
"I just want you to try, to see him as I do." Ryu was silent, and Yuri knew that he was thinking about it, weighing the pros and cons. It was such a Ryu thing to do. Eventually, he turned and, extending his hand, said;
"I'll try." Yuri looked at his extended hand before she pulled him into a hug. They hugged silently, just savouring this moment before they pulled apart. "Happy birthday baby sister. A whole other year older and yet somehow, you're still that stupid."
"At least I'm not that ugly, brother dearest." With that, Ryu chased Yuri back into the room. Yuri burst through the door as she and Ryu both panted in, laughing at their own antics. They both straightened themselves up. Ryu looked over to the butler before walking over and extending his hand.
"I'm Ryu."
"Sebastian." He took Ryu's hand and they both held firmly. Ryu pulled him and down and whispered into his hear.
"Hurt her, and I will tear you limb from limb, rip out all our organs and sell them back to your master as beef." Sebastian hid his smile.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Ryu nodded, dropping the butler's hand and walked away. He turned back to Yuri and began talking to her.
"What did he say?" Bard asked, coming over to the butler.
"He was just being a big brother." He caught Yuri's eyes from across the room and she let the warm smile spread over her face.
'He didn't scare you too bad, I see.'
'No, but I guess that makes me lucky.' She rolled her eyes, looking away.
'Your ego is almost as big as his.'
'Then I look forward to the many times it'll clash.' She rolled her eyes again, but couldn't hide the smile that was lightening up her face. Sebastian even managed to let his lips curl up.
"Oh my god, he's smiling!" Bard remarked as the other two servants gasped. Ciel chuckled.
"Be careful, or else they'll think you have a heart," Ciel remarked. Yuri snickered from across the room.
"Who knew an immigrant could melt Sebastian's heart. It's almost poetic," She teased. And just like that, the tiny curve or a smile was gone as he scowled at the human's around him. What idiots.
~o/0\o~
"Goodbye, thank you for coming!" Yuri shouted, waving off the Phantomhive crew.
"You're not going with them?" Miki asked as she cleaned up the empty bottles.
"Nah. I've missed you all. So, as a birthday present, I asked for tomorrow off."
"Just tomorrow?"
"Oi, don't get greedy." Miki smiled, pulling Yuri into a hug.
"I'm sorry I was so hostile." Yuri hugged back tightly. "I know you've probably already forgiven me, but I'm gonna try too."
"You'll probably do better than my brother," Yuri joked.
"He just cares. He gets so worried at night, and even more worried when you don't stop by to say hi," Miki said. "Neither of you will admit it, but losing Khun has scared you both." Yuri looked over at where her brother was lying down on the couch. Her eyes watered and she started crying.
"I just miss her so much. I love her and it feels like this part of my soul is never gonna heal," Yuri sobbed. Miki wrapped her arms around Yuri. Ryu, from where he was sitting, woke up with a jolt. He heard his sister's sobs and ran over to her.
"Yuri-"
"I miss her." Ryu looked at his sister's tear-stained face and his own eyes watered.
"I do too." Tears slipped down his cheek. "I miss her so much. But we have each other. And... and that has to be enough for now." Miki slowly backed away, allowing the two siblings to be alone together. She closed over the door and wiped her tears away. If anyone deserved some alone time together, it was those two.
Just as the clock was striking twelve, both siblings were huddles together on the couch, exhausted from both the crying and the day. Ryu pulled a blanket over the two of them.
"Daisuki, Ryu (i love you, Ryu. *This form of I love you is said to a family member, there are loads of different ways of expressing love in Japanese*)," Yuri mumbled. Ryu smiled, hugging his sister closer.
"Daisuki. Eien Ni. (I love you. Forever)."
-x-
So. That was fun. Did we all enjoy? Well, hope this doesn't flop.
Well, its been fun.
Fairy OUT!