The party ended without further incident, much to the surprise of the hosts and a few of their guests. The rest were simply oblivious. Audrey, Kris, and Logan were obviously in the network and had already been told of both the incident with Renee and with Ciel having some sort of unspecified "episode," which they didn't ask too many questions about. Knowing Ciel, he wouldn't want them to. They weren't stupid. They were able to infer enough to figure it had something to do with his past, so there was simply no need. They were friends and they were cool with it. Their help was available to him, even if it was unlikely that he would call upon it.

Apart from all of that, the evening was generally a success, despite the initial goal not being fulfilled. Renee was still single, but she seemed to learn a thing or two, so that was something, at the very least. Logan had a plan in place to move to the next stage in his relationship with Kris and Audrey had successfully given a girl his number. Now time was the only thing in their way of knowing how all of this would pan out.

Ciel was relatively calm in the days following the event, although his behaviour was still a bit atypical. He wasn't having any attacks, but he was still anxious. Now that Jim could recognise it for what it was, he could see it very clearly. The Earl was intensely focused on his work, attempting to distract himself from what he was feeling. Yet, his preoccupation with knowing where the members of the household were and how they were occasionally gnawed at him until it was unbearable, forcing him to get up from his desk and go investigate.

He could look out the window and see Finnian in the garden raking leaves. That was good. Nothing was amiss there. Sebastian was any number of places in the manor while fulfilling his duties, making him harder to find. Ciel wasn't too worried about him, so it was rarer for the thought to enter his mind and easier to shoo it away, but occasionally he needed to go check. Luka was a lot harder, as he was in school most days. He was completely inaccessable during that time, but when he came home, Ciel saw him and felt relieved. The lad would normally be in the entertainment room or kitchen, which was fine, but being an otherwise ordinary teenage boy, he liked to shut himself in his room for large swaths of time, so Ciel had to rely on his ability to sense him as to not disturb him and get on his nerves. He knew what it was like, wanting privacy, and it was his responsibility to not allow himself to negatively affect others. Still, he was always relieved when he could actually see Luka walk by. His age made Ciel anxious in a very peculiar way, more than likely due to Luka's proximity to the age Ciel was when he lost his parents, became the Watchdog, and became a demon. Difficult times, the teenage years.

Jim, however was the person he was most anxious about. He was closest to Ciel and the one who Ciel was most vulnerable with. That sort of vulnerability, while help Ciel grow as a person, also left him open to experiencing emotional pain when something happened to Jim. It wasn't like he was trying to make it all about himself on purpose, but Ciel knew that and wanted very much to avoid it. Jim did what he could to alleviate the stress, sitting in the same room with him, but there were times when that simply wasn't possible. Furthermore, he, too, had a right to be by himself at times, and was not so codependent on Ciel as to need to be attached at the hip with him. Ordinarily, that would be true for Ciel as well, and like with Luka, he did his best to not allow himself to falter. As far as he was concerned, however, he was putting on the appearance of nothing being wrong.

Earl Phantomhive was a very proud man and subsequently, a rather stubborn one. He was not ashamed of the fact that he had experienced trauma and "shame" didn't quite fit what exactly it was he felt about his symptoms. It was an aspect of it, but there was also the mere fact that he didn't like people fussing over him. It was fine. It wasn't that bad, he felt. He could manage on his own until it passed, just like always. Maybe he would lean on Jim for some support, as he wasn't ashamed of that, either, but he felt like it simply wasn't a matter worthy of that sort of theatrics.

Thus, Ciel would simply continue what he had been doing: Distracting himself. Luckily for him, he had no shortage of projects to turn his attention to instead. For example, he had promised Logan that he would help him raise some money for an adequate ring and wedding for his own beau. That was why he was outside on this rather chilly fall morning. First, he needed to show the incubus what exactly it was he was getting into.

You see, the lands of the Phantomhive family had once spread rather far out, but times had changed and the need for Earls to govern the people in the nearby communities diminished, negating the necessity of this. He had drawn new boundaries and sold off many plots of land, although others, he merely rented—like that of the farm just a little ways down the road from him. The house he had picked out for Logan to work on was even closer than that.

It was an old farmhouse made of stone. The inside was what he needed Logan to fix. The place had sat abandonned for over a hundred years, so the floors were undoubtedly rotten or at the very least dilapidated. The staircase was horrendously unsafe and more than likely wouldn't support more than the weight of a small cat. The windows were filthy and some were broken. The yard was horrendously overgrown, so it was a bit of an issue just marching up to the front door, but the two manage to get out there and look at it, even if it meant causing Logan's confidence to wane.

"This is it." Ciel said, standing with his hands on his hips, looking up at the property. "I'm honestly not really sure if you can fix it, but we'll never know unless we find out."

"The outside doesn't look too bad, but it's always the inside that's a mess." Logan nodded. "It was sort of the same in Gehenna before the rejuvenation. I can tell you right now that front door's gonna need replacing."

"Figured. Let's see if it stays on the hinges long enough for me to unlock it."

Ciel had searched high and low for the key to this door, so if he had grabbed the wrong one, he was going to be incredibly upset. Luckily for everyone involved, the door opened right away, it's hinges crying out in agony as it was gently pushed open. Stalling the inevitable, Logan straightened the hardhat on his head and followed his potential client's lead inside the dilapidated building. Right away, he was assailed by the old, musty, stench of the house.

"Stay close to me," he said. "And catch me if I fall through the floor…"

"Of course." Ciel replied. "Don't worry. If you do get injured, I will happily pay your medical fees and a little extra for your troubles."

That could be a lot of money all on it's own, but Logan knew better than to actually hope for something to happen. Knowing Ciel, he would make good on his promise, but the incubus decided that it simply wasn't worth it to hope. He was a professional and sought to do a good job. The only problem was that this job was very extensive indeed. There was graffiti on the walls, broken glass bottles and crumpled beer cans, rotting wood and bugs, and clear signs of someone having squatted there previously.

"This is going to take my whole staff…" he stated, furrowing his brow at a support beam. "And a lot of time… Honestly, it would probably be easier to just build a house here and be done with it."

"Really? What a shame. An old farm house would be much more charming and blend into the landscape much better than something modern. I suppose there are more rustic designs, but still…"

"The stones look like they're still good, so you could probably reuse them. It's just that the wooden support structures are failing. It would be incredibly difficult and expensive to replace, and I'm not really sure if my team could to it."

"So you would have to essentially gut it and rebuild it, correct?"

"Correct." Logan paused, watching the Phantomhive ponder this. The demon furrowed his brow in thought, seeming displeased, but to be entirely fair, it was hard to tell whether or not he was, of if that was simply his face. "I'm really sorry I can't help you fix it… Is it sentimental?"

"Hm? Not at all. That's why it's in such sorry shape in the first place. I've only ever been here once while examining the grounds after the war, so I'm not exactly attached." Ciel informed, somewhat surprising Logan with that. "Do you think you can rebuild it?"

"Of course. As long as the actual foundations are still good. It won't be the same house, but it would be something similar. It won't take as long, either, I don't think."

"Excellent. When do you think you can start?"

Logan felt like he should have known better by now, but it was surprising, to say the least. He knew that Ciel was wealthy, but also that he couldn't quite wrap his head around exactly how wealthy the Earl was. He could casually drop some money on a new house and not experience any negative consequences at all. It wouldn't even make a dent in his finances, even with the special "add-ons" he requested: Some anti-freak measures, a few secret compartments to hide contraband in—chiefly weapons-and a few other homey touches to suit the family business. Even if Revy wasn't an assassin himself or that he could regenerate far better than they could, it made Ciel and Jim both feel better if he had some sort of arms in the house in case he ran into trouble. They couldn't help but worry about him. Jim knew and accepted that it was time, even if he didn't like it, but Ciel was finding it difficult in his current state.

It would be difficult to put his mind at ease if Revy wasn't readily accessible to him, but he knew that this was what needed to happen. Revy had already waited long enough for this and was excited to start this new chapter in his life. It would be wrong for Ciel to try and stop it. Revy may not have been his brother, but he was his brother-in-law and a member of his family, so it was only natural for him to care about him. As strange as they all might be, they looked out for one another, even if things got ugly. In reality, Ciel didn't expect much to happen, but he knew that it could and that's what scared him.

For now, the Earl simply focused on the house itself, trying to quiet the nagging voice in the back of his mind, reminding him of all of the terrible things that could potentially happen and all of the terrible ways his family could be hurt. Taking a deep breath, he did his very best to relax, despite the commotion around him. Logan pried up a floorboard in order to look underneath. It was a terrible racket, but at the very least, Ciel could focus on how unpleasant the sound was instead of his anxiety. Then things got quiet again and he was left alone with his thoughts once more. He couldn't have that, so he turned his attention to the house itself, staring idly at this and than while Logan went about his business.

Ciel didn't even remember what the contents of the house looked like before he stepped inside. Like he said, the first time he had been here was after the war—it was only the once, even though this house had stood since before he was born. He wondered when the original occupants left and why. Maybe they got too old and couldn't take care of it. Maybe their children didn't want it. Maybe there were no children to inherit it. Regardless, there it sat for all of this time. It was the Earl's property, yet he was unfamiliar with the place. Wasn't that a detriment of some sort? He should probably be more acutely aware of the contents of the buildings on his property. He didn't want any shady folk occupying them without his knowledge, after all, and besides, it was the Earls' job to govern his land and this was simply part of it. That aspect of his duties has all but vanished in recent years, but surely the principle still applied. It was his and he should be responsible for it. Maybe then the place wouldn't have been such a mess, leaving Logan to grumble while opening half-rotten cabinets and yelping when the door suddenly fell off of them. Maybe then, this place would be up to snuff.

Being the Earl was difficult. Ciel had just regained his title after a hundred years without it, so it was about high time he did something about this, he supposed. Really, he should've been doing it all along, but see how that went. It is the Earl's duty to make sure that the property is well maintained and profitable, and that the people who live within his borders are well taken care of, happy, healthy, and safe. The latter was more of his focus, it seemed.

In his efforts to make his way through the house, Logan accidentally rolled an empty, glass, bottle across the floor by accidentally backing his heel into it. The incubus didn't even look up from his work, hearing the noise, but not acknowledging it. Ciel, however, stopped it with his foot, pressing down hard enough to bring it to a halt with his toes, but not hard enough to shatter it. This place was filthy. How could he have let it get this way? He should have been taking care of it. It was difficult keeping up with it all, though. If his somewhat tattered memory of his early days held true, he felt as though he recalled his father making occasional visits to these homes. The previous Earl was very much well liked by the people he governed and they welcomed him into their homes without hesitation. Knowing him, Vincent would have acted like it was a mere visit, but would definitely have been using that as a premise to inspect the houses. He was clever like that, while Ciel had became careless and shirked his responsibilities upon becoming a demon. No more. Ciel needed to step up and take charge of things. The problem was, he didn't always really know how.

He could throw money at it, of course. That ought to fix it in the short term. Maintaining them in the long term would also require money, but also some attention. Perhaps he would have to hire someone to go around and check these places more often? Perhaps he should just bite the bullet and do it himself? He didn't know. He didn't know how to bring these places back to life. It had took so long for the main house to regain its vibrancy, that he hadn't even considered it before.

The countryside, which was once lush with farmlands, speckled with the occasional farmhouse was shrinking. He remembered the way it used to look, but now, the town was inching closer and closer to his domain every year. He refused to sell any more properties as a result. If he was too careless, ordinary humans might get too close to his house. It just wasn't as small or as simple as it once was, and maybe that was part of it. Maybe it was just a symptom of his rocky relationship with his own Earldom. That wouldn't have been surprisng. After all, it wasn't as though anyone had taught him how to do any of this. Day by day, it was all one big experiment to see if things would go right. There were times when it did, of course, but when it didn't, it really, really, didn't—Hence why he was in this situation in the first place.

Would his father have let this happen? Ciel didn't know. He felt like he wouldn't. Had it been him who ruled for this long, he wouldn't have made any of the mistakes that Ciel had. Even if it wasn't by some unknown, innate quality that the previous Earl might have possessed, it could certainly have been attributed to experience. Lord Vincent was taught by his father how to lead, and his father was taught by his father's father, and so on and so forth. If anything was to blame, it should be Ciel's lack of tutelage by his predecessor. Then again, he had only known the man for ten years of his life, so how much information could he have possibly retained? For reference, he had known his husband for far longer than his own father, and had been in a relationship with the menace for just a few years shy of ten. It would be rather sad when that day came—joyous for the obvious reason that Ciel loved his husband dearly, but the bluenette couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness at the thought.

What was he upset about? Oh, right—the house. The cruddy, ruddy, muddy, mess of a house, with it's rotting walls, disgusting floors, and ceiling that looked like it may cave in at any moment.

"Are you alright?" Logan's voice caused the Phantomhive to blink awake. Turning his head, he could see the incubus crouching, having looked up from the floor. His thick eyebrows were tilted upwards with concern, but the Earl simply gave him a wave of his hand.

"I'm fine." Ciel stated matter-of-factly. "Just thinking."

"Well, I think I should be just about done here… I could do more if I had brought a crew with me, but I think I have a few ideas. I can probably give you a rough estimate in a day or two, but it'll be really rough and the actual total will probably be different. Already, I can tell you this could be a hundred-thousand pounds, though. Maybe more, maybe less."

"Is that all? That seems hardly fair. This seems like much more work than that."

"I guess? Prices are different in Gehenna, so I dunno what the market value in the human world is. It'll be more than enough. Once I've paid the crew, I should still come out with enough to buy Kris a good ring, so it'll be fine."

"Well, let me know when you've got a price so we can draw up a contract. My guess is that Revy won't be moving in anytime soon?"

"I'm afraid it'll take a few months for this. Three, if I'm fast and don't take any other work, but it could be more. Hopefully he's not hoping to move out immediately."

"Hopefully. But if he is, we'll figure something out, even if that means the house gets renovated and I move in a different tenant. Hopefully not, though. He certainly has the ability and funds to do so, but Jim and I would still prefer it if he lived closer."

"Yeah, that's older brothers for you." Logan answered with a chuckle. "Mine probably felt the same about me when I moved in with Kris. He's warming up to him now, at least."

"We're not that close but yes, I suppose it's similar. I certainly do care about his well being, even if he can't be killed by normal means."

"Always with the death with you… Do you ever worry about normal stuff, like, 'what if he doesn't budget well,' or 'what if he gets a flat tire and we're not nearby to come get him?'"

"We live in different worlds, Logan." Folding his arms, Ciel's brow furrowed a bit more than usual. "I've been having attempts on my life before there even were cars, so that sort of thing tends to feel a bit small in comparison."

"It's more likely to happen, though." the incubus shrugged, prompting the bluenette to pause.

"Hm, well… I suppose you're right about that… Sorry, I didn't mean to be so severe."

"It's alright. You're a bit of a serious person and can be a little…intense, but you mean well, so no foul. It's a big change." Logan replied, tentatively putting weight on a suspicious-looking floorboard. Without a word of communication between them, Ciel unfolded his arms and stepped toward him in the event that he fell through. Loudly, the floor complained beneath them both.

"Change… Is difficult, I'm finding. I still don't quite know what to make of it, really. In my time, family stuck together—In that they might still live in the same house…"

"Well, Earls have inheritance issues that mean that's convenient, I suppose." The creaking stopped as Logan's foot settled in place. He let out the breath he was holding and smiled. "Yeah, I'm definitely going to have to do something about this floor. It's not safe at all." Tentatively, he lifted his other foot and began to place it in front of him, scrunching his face when the floor complained and sagged. Still, he did his best to continue the conversation. "There just comes a time for people to want to set off and be independent."

"I didn't." Ciel attempted to justify before realising how that must sound. "Alright, point taken. Maybe I became independent a bit soon."

"How old were you?"

"Ten."

"Probably."

Ciel felt some recoil from that. While Logan was indeed correct, it still didn't feel too good to have it laid out like that by a "normal" person. He scrunched his nose at Logan's back, still following behind him, ready to catch him if he fell or something else in the house broke while they were in it. This house falling apart and likely to cave in at any moment, with spiders in the corners and rot in it's walls. All the while, the stable, fortress of a mansion that Ciel lived in was just over yonder.

Somehow, even after a few hours of stepping carefully around the problem, they made it through without anything horrible happening to them and they made their way back to the main house. Logan stayed for a cup of tea and some conversation with the Phantomhives, only to ultimately be on his merry way before nightfall. Ciel was reserved the entire time, allowing for Jim to lead the conversation in his stead. Despite liking Logan very much and considering him a close friend, Ciel found it difficult to approach him. There was just a peculiarity in the mood that he could not place, even after the incubus had left.

The cobwebs were absent. The rot was gone. All that was left was polished brass, swept hallways, sturdy wood, and the like. At the same time, something felt wrong upon entering this space. His house was alive and well, unlike the miserable shack he had just spent the day in, yet there was a hollowness inside that he could not articulate, even if he wanted to. Ciel, being as strong and sturdy as he was, however, was determined that it would soon pass, as would his atypical nervousness as of late. All he had to do was wait.

He waited until dinner, he waited through dinner, and until it was time for bed. He sat there under his sheets with his back against his headboard, reading by the light of the lamp on his bedside table. A smartphone was a wonderful tool. If he grew board of his novel, he could always read the news, even though he almost always regretted it. There was always some idiot pundit ranting about something that doesn't exist, an article about how the city is putting in even more benches that discourage the homeless from sleeping there like it's a good thing, some moronic think-piece about something horrendously inane—wasting his time and killing his braincells by appealing to his curiosity just enough to make him click on it. Pointless. Don't you have real problems to worry about? There were maniacs out there and monsters beyond human understanding stalking the night, and you're worried about the ethics of such-and-such and who cares?

The Phantomhive sneered at the device in his palm. Disgusting. Annoying. It got on his nerves. Then, when he looked up from his screen, he was back in his house again. He was still sitting in the master bedroom—the very same room that his parents used to stay in, as did all other Phantomhives who had resided in this house before him. Irritating. Painful. Let's see what else there is to look at. An advice column: "Help! My Daughter Cut Me Out Of Her Life." Alright, maybe not.

"Ugh…" Ciel closed the tab and set his alarm for the next day before placing his phone on the wireless charger pad on his nightstand.

"'Ugh?'" called a voice from the other room. The door to the bathroom had opened some time ago. Crossing the threshold between the dressing room and their bedroom, Jim paused, rubbing his towel into his hair. "What's so 'ugh,' darling?"

"Oh, the usual… I read the news…"

"I keep telling you, the BBC's got you covered." Pulling the towel from over his head, Jim revealled a still somewhat damp and tangled mess. His hair wasn't parted and hung in his eyes in an unkempt manner, but then again, so did Ciel's at that moment. "Fwah! Right?"

"True, but I need something to do while you spend ages in the shower."

"Oh, I spend ages? You're the one who has to soak in the tub for hours." Ducking his head back through the doorway slightly, the menace balled up the towel in his hands and threw it in the direction of one of the two laundry baskets in the dressing room. "Oof… Just missed." he said, making no effort to go back in there and fix it. The blonde pulled up his sagging pyjama pants and tied the chord in the front in a bow to help rectify that problem before heading over to the vanity.

"I don't bathe for hours," Ciel replied with a half smile and an arched eyebrow. "You're just impatient."

"What? Me? No, never. How could you make such an outrageous statement?" Jim said with a laugh, pulling out the chair in front of the vanity and sitting down. He picked up a comb and began attempting to undo all of the knots he had made, watching the other man in the reflection in front of him. The Watchdog simply watched right back from his own spot on the bed, waiting for a chance to ask a question that would never come. So, Ciel decided to ask anyway.

"Would you like me to comb your hair?"

His beau didn't stop his movement right away and gave a little hum. "Oh? Think I can't handle it on my own?"

"Obviously not, since you learned before I did." the Earl smiled back. "I just want to."

"Well, if that's the case," Jim replied, stopping and holding out his comb, "Sure."

Lifting the sheets and swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Ciel stood up and made his way over to the man at the vanity. Gingerly, he took the comb from Jim's hand and set to work, carefully holding locks between his fingers before he ran the comb through them, ensuring that the process wouldn't hurt, even if there was a tug. His husband watched him in the mirror with a slight smile, finding amusement in how serious Ciel seemed—even if he almost always looked like that.

"It's been a while." Jim observed. "My hair was longer last time. There's not as much there to play with, I'm afraid."

"I don't mind. Your hair is lovely, no matter how it's styled." answered the Watchdog, not looking away from his task. "I really love it, you know."

"I'm glad. You're a lot gentler with it than I am."

"Am I?"

"Yeah, it feels nice. You're always so sweet to me."

"That's only because I love you." Ciel replied.

"I should do your hair tomorrow night." announced the menace, reaching up and behind him in hopes of brushing his fingers against at least a lock of his husband's hair. "It's so pretty."

"Thank you. It's a family recipe." The strange wording caused the other man to laugh, just as Ciel thought it would. Smiling softly, he ran the comb through his husband's hair one more time before placing his hands on the other man's bare shoulders. "There. All done."

"Thank you, my good man. Let me repay you for your efforts." Standing up, he took the comb from Ciel's hand and placed it on the vanity again before placing his hands on either side of the bluenette's head and pulling his face closer. "A dozen smooches for you."

He pecked the Earl's face all over, his lips, his chin, his cheeks—all the while his beau gladly accepted them. He got really close to the full dozen before pulling away with a large grin, checking to see if the other Phantomhive was still enjoying it before deciding whether or not he should continue. But, what he saw displeased him, yet not for more selfish reasons. His eyebrows bent upwards, wrinkling his forehead a bit as he gently stroked Ciel's cheek with his thumb. It wasn't fun if Ciel wasn't enjoying it, either, but the Earl's expression was a bit complex. He was smiling, indicating that he was pleased with the game, but his eyes didn't quite match the rest of his expression in a way that Jim found concerning.

"What's wrong, Poochie?" the menace asked.

"Hm? Nothing's wrong." Ciel immediately answered. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"You've got kind of sad eyes today."

"'Eye.'" the Earl corrected.

"The eyepatch is off, so 'eyes.' Don't change the subject."

"I'm not sad." It struck the Watchdog how little Jim seemed convinced. It was somewhat scary, how he could read him like that. Sometimes, it felt like he could never just drop something. "I don't know." Ciel sighed. "I don't know… I don't think I'm sad, but can't we just let it slide today?"

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it—"

"There's nothing to talk about." Insisted the bluenette, reaching up to grab his husband's hands. He started to pry them off, getting them a centimeter away from his face before stopping and just holding them there. It felt cool without them there. The absence left behind was unpleasant, so the bluenette slowly put them back. His brows furrowed and his nose wrinkled for just a moment before suddenly, he relaxed. Closing the distance between them, Ciel took a step forward and wrapped his arms around the menace as he suddenly found himself craving closeness. He deflated as he let out another breath. Jim could feel his body trying to relax against him. His muscles became less tense, but he couldn't seem to sink into Jim like he normally could.

"I just don't really have any reason to be sad." he continued, closing his eyes. "Whatever this is, it'll pass soon, so don't worry about it too much. Let's just call it a night, alright?"

His husband was wholly convinced that there was something the matter, but if Ciel wasn't in blatant distress or willing to talk about it with him, then there simply wasn't much that he could do. Being affectionate seemed to soothe him somewhat, though, so Jim was more than willing to provide that when the bluenette sought it out. He seemed to often, lately—not that he was normally withdrawn in the slightest. Ciel was more than accustomed to Jim's doting and in fact found comfort in it.

When they laid down to sleep, the Watchdog settled with his head against his husband's chest, closing his eyes and focusing on the rhythmic thumping of the other man's heartbeat drumming in his ear. The menace pulled the covers over them both and wrapped his arms around Ciel, shielding him from the shadows hiding in the corners of the room.

They were in every nook, every cranny, in the trimmings, in the chimney, behind the candelabras, and underneath the chair Jim had just been sitting in moments prior. This house was beautiful and well maintained. Everything was polished, tidy, and in order. People lived in this house and did so happily, getting along with one another well in the family that Ciel had cobbled together, yet somehow, the old house that was falling apart just a little ways away from here felt safer.

The farmhouse had undoubtedly been passed through generations much like this one until one day the family decided it was time to leave it for good. Ciel's family was settled here, too. It was their home and they were glad to be here. They were glad the Lord was here and let them live with him, as it was sort of a safe haven for their kind. Those who existed on the fringes of society found comfort in this place. To them, it was a symbol of peace, prosperity, freedom, safety, and family, all at once. It wasn't the societal ideal, of course, but they were happy. Wasn't that enough?

Ciel, on the other hand, had a somewhat different relationship with this place. It was power, it was legacy, and it was haunted—the most haunted place he had ever been. Jim and the others could not see this, however. How could they? They only knew it as it was, not as it was once previously. The life and vibrancy of the place was slowly returning, but something still lingered that only Ciel could perceive. It was in the walls, the floors, the ceiling, around every corner, and in the air around them.

There was something here from the time of "before" that wasn't meant to be. Something lingered and refused to leave—was unable to leave, and unable to move on from what once was. There was a ghost in this house and while Jim didn't know it, it was in the room with him as he slept. Jim held him in his arms, making him experience a taste of respite, but Ciel still felt somewhat out of place, regardless. The Phantom was in his mind, soul, and in his veins. He haunted this place, having known it for longer than anyone else and in return, it haunted him back. It refused to let him feel at home again and refused to let him sleep.


A/N: Hello~! How is everyone~! Are we all enjoying being done with the party~?

I sure am, even if not a lot really got done in this chapter. I was hoping to move on to the next one by tonight, but that just didn't happen. I did get done sooner than usual, though! I'm happy about that, at least.

I do worry if I'm hammering this concept to death, though... Oh, well. You're gonna see a lot more of it in the near future, so oh well, I guess lmao

Anyway, I don't have a lot to say about this one, so I think I'll leave you here, for now.

Until the next chapter, my duckies~!