Jim didn't know exactly how long he had been staring at his laptop. It felt like ages, just blankly trying and failing to read the document in front of him. Nothing would stick, despite the importance of the task at hand. As head of the Supernatural Relations department, he was tasked with negotiating information in exchange for asylum with what was rumoured to be a rather difficult vampiress. Should he succeed, HELLSING would have access to all manner of information about the remaining large vampire covens and some of the smaller ones that wished to break into that inner circle. Should he fail, then the deal might not be on the table again for who knows how long? Could be a century; could be forever. Unfortunately for him, he just wasn't retaining the intel in front of him. His mind was busy and distracted—so much so that his screen eventually went dark, alerting him to the fact that his mind had wandered in the first place.

He wiggled his finger on the trackpad, waking the computer up again. Squeezing his eyes shut, the baronet rubbed them, wrinkling his nose and furrowing his brow as he tried to wake up. Huffing, the blonde tried again to focus himself.

Henrietta Van Volkinburg was the head of a relatively sizable hive of vampires simply known as "The Van Volkinburg Family;" Not very creatively named. What they lacked in cutesy little identifiers, they more than made up in bloodshed. They weren't perverse like Beau Brummel and his associates—they were efficient, striking the weak and disenfranchised; those who society wouldn't miss. There were plenty of homeless in London, after all. Prostitutes, too.

Henrietta herself was rumoured possess aristocratic blood, herself, but as to whose was lost to history when she became a creature of the night. Ciel had nothing nice to say about her, at least. If Ciel didn't like someone, then that definitely was something Jim needed to consider. He knew her, somehow, although he was… A bit vague… Ciel…

Focus.

Their numbers had dwindled over the years, much like the Lapointe family, it seemed. A group with around fifty members and about forty familiars was reduced to hardly anything. Some of the vampires had splintered off to form their own, smaller, groups; although several of them were already broken up by HELLSING. Some members live in Gehenna and spouted off a number of unconvincing claims as to why the group fell apart in such a short span. Some joined other covens. Intel reports that hardly anyone lives at their former headquarters anymore, but the leading lady herself has been seen popping in and out.

As a potential member of the old upper class and an apparent lover of finer things, Jim decided that it was probably best if he attempted to speak her language. It was a pain, but he would live. All he had to do was put on a nice suit, wear the right accessories and essentially put on his best impression of Ciel. Maybe he could even convince his husband to let him borrow a watch? Like that Patek he wore the other night. It ticked really loud, though. Jim could hear it on the nightstand after…

Goddammit, will you focus already?

It was no good. It was just no good at all. Jim had been zoning out a bit, lately. While he did feel better and sharper since his date night with the Watchdog, his distractedness was still a bit ridiculous. Even the others noticed it, though he was able to play it off as stress about the multiple negotiations he needed to participate in.

Scooting back in his chair, the man raised his hands over his head and flexed his muscles. With a grunt and a sigh, he stretched, having realised how stiff he was getting from just sitting there in the same position for a while. His bones popped nicely before he finally slouched back down into his seat, leaning forward while resting his chin in his palm. Face flushed, he closed his eyes and groaned to himself.

The door to the office opened with a light clatter, jolting the man back to attention. He sat up straight again and urgently resumed his attempts at studying. Finally, he scrolled down the page a bit, although he hadn't really retained any of the information he had been reading. He continued to look at it, now pretending to read it while being acutely aware of Ciel as he entered the room.

"Still at it?" questioned the bluenette, making his way around to his side of the desk. He sat down and scooted his chair closer to his computer, giving the mouse a wiggle and typing in his password.

"Uh, yeah…" was all the blonde could answer with.

"Well, let me know if you need anything. I can't tell you how much help I'll be, though."

"You actually knew her, though?"

"Briefly and not well. She was incredibly rude, though."

"As you've said…"

Jim let the conversation die as he hadn't really anything to say or ask about. He just sat there, continuing to try and read his screen, scrolling back to where he left off and trying to read it again. Where was he, again?

Right, so while the Van Volkinburg family was not a particularly powerful coven anymore, they still had some level of prestige. Rumour has it that they even have sorcerers on their payroll; what for, no one really knew. Jim would have to be particularly wary of magic-based attacks and trickery if this were indeed the case, however. It was probably a good idea to not go into this alone. Fortunately, Ciel's probation with HELLSING just so happened to have expired, so now the Earl was free to accompany him. First, the menace needed to ask.

"Hey, Ciel?"

"Mm?" the bluenette hummed in response, turning away from his computer to face his beau with a bored expression.

"I'd like to bring someone in with me as backup when I visit Van Volkinburg. How bad is your relationship with her?"

"Uh… Well… We haven't spoken since the eighties and we did part on bad terms…"

"So pretty bad, right?"

"If you can do the talking, I could get through it." Ciel stated. He watched as the other man furrowed his eyebrows in thought.

"Maybe you're not the best option, then…" Jim pondered while rubbing his chin. "I'm not sure who else I can bring, though. I've never gone solo with Finny before and Sebastian has the tendency to act too independently if you're not around to reel him back in…"

Pausing, Ciel turned in his chair the rest of the way to watch the blonde mumble to himself. He liked this side of Jim. Despite being a notorious menace and penchant for being more impulsive than Ciel overall, when Jim thought things through, he took them very seriously. He had a nice expression on his face, Ciel decided, and was completely unaware that he was even making a face.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked why we're on bad terms, yet." the Earl finally stated.

"Really? Huh… I haven't, have I? I guess I sort of figured it was just typical you getting smart with somebody and them taking exception to it…"

"Just what horrible things are you saying about your husband? That's not very nice, you know…"

"Am I incorrect?" Jim questioned, only to receive silence and a guilty expression from his beau. "I take that as a 'no…'"

"To be fair, she started it."

"Uh-huh… They always do, don't they, darling? And how, pray tell, were you provoked, this time?"

"Well, I, um… She…" The hesitance with which the Watchdog spoke actually made Jim look in his direction. Arching his eyebrow, the blonde waited for his spouse to continue. "She… Suggested that I may have… Some… Homosexual leanings…" he mumbled out.

This, of course, was immediately met with the baronet blowing air out through his teeth, hissing like a laughing gas leak. "What? You? I simply cannot—just utterly cannot imagine how, Ciel!"

"Yes, yes… Laugh it up…"

"And you seriously got mad about that?!"

"It was the eighties and that was not a light accusation. Besides, I didn't know that about myself at the time… Although, I may have started to get a small idea..."

"I mean, you did fancy me back in the 1880's, so… Oh, right… Then again, you did try to kill me afterward, so no, I think you might be onto something. The eighties just aren't good decades for you, are they?"

"Apparently not. Things were said. I have since learned my lesson." Ciel stubbornly stated while folding his arms, turning his nose up in the air in the manner of someone who most definitely had learned their lesson and was most certainly not trying to pretend they weren't bothered.

"Mm-hm… Yeah… Like the time you said a Phantomhive soul isn't cheap and I couldn't afford one? Hm? Oh, and then you went and married me, making me a Phantomhive! That must be really embarrassing for you…"

Ciel rolled his visible eye in response. "You know, perhaps it isn't a very good idea if I accompany you."

"Yeah… You might get made fun of if you turn up with a husband."

"Alright, alright… If that's how you're going to be, funny man, why don't we see what you've got in store, shall we?" Standing up from his seat, Ciel made his way around to Jim's side of the desk. Moving to look at the blonde's screen, he leaned over, placing one palm on the desk's surface and the other on the back of Jim's chair.

He was close enough to the menace that Jim could smell his cologne. Although the Earl was oblivious to Jim's plight, the baronet was acutely aware of Ciel's presence. His muscles stiffened and he found it difficult to continue scrolling while Ciel scrutinised the page.

"Sorcerers on their payroll?" tsked the Watchdog with a shake of his head. "Who gave you such shoddy intel? The Van Volkingburgs don't employ sorcerers-Their leader is half one! That's specifically why she's in charge. It's awfully rare to find a vampire who can use proper magic outside of Draculian lineage, so I suppose that's how they came to that conclusion…"

"Oh, really?" This was good information and Jim knew it. He needed to ignore Ciel's person for a moment and just pay attention to his voice. "What can she do?"

"Nothing you wouldn't find peddled around Gehenna, as far as I know; unless she's expanded her arsenal, of course. There were a few wards around her house to disorient people and point them away from it, but nothing that our senses couldn't see through. I would stay vigilant, however, and bring a hagstone just in case."

"I see…" Jim tapped his keys without actually pressing down on them. "I think I have one, somewhere…"

"Order one from Supplies if you can't find it. Just don't let her see it. Who knows how she'll react…"

"Ah, right…" The blonde's response was uncharacteristically unenthused. Normally he would give input, ask a question, or offer some well-timed quip when working, but here, he seemed subdued, finally prompting his husband to look at him. The motion from Ciel turning his head caught Jim's attention and their eyes met. The Earl raised an eyebrow at the pink tint that formed on his beau's face, while the baronet in question, seemed to get defiant at the gesture. "What?"

His posture didn't seem right to Ciel, either. The blonde was stiff and didn't either move away nor close the distance between them. That combined with his embarrassed reaction got the cogs in the Earl's brain turning.

"Nothing. Are you… feeling alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Your face is red." Shifting so that his weight was no longer supported by the hand on the desk, Ciel motioned to touch his beau's cheek with his palm. The menace's bright blue eyes contrasted his complexion greatly as they widened and looked to the side of Ciel's face as Jim twisted his eyebrows upwards. Inadvertently, he moved toward the Earl's hand instead of away from it, having seen motion in the corner of his eye. The side of his mouth made contact with his husband's skin.

"Whoa…" Ciel was impressed by the unusual expression, but this utterance, the blonde grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled his hand away.

"Cut it out…" growled the menace despite still holding Ciel's wrist a few inches from his own face.

"Oh… Is this… Uhm… Is this like our 'talk' the other day?" The question made Jim's mouth form a thin line. He still refused to look at Ciel, but also didn't answer. With a nod, the Earl interpreted this silence. "Do you… Want me to 'assist' you later?"

With a full-on pout, Jim finally attempted to explain himself. "I want to work!" he said.

"Am I bothering you?"

"No! Yes! ...I don't know! Kind of? In a way?"

"I'm afraid I don't know how to interpret that, Jimmy."

"There you go, calling me that!"

"Sorry. 'Jim,' then."

"'Jimmy's' fine! You can call me that!"

At a loss, Ciel allowed Jim a moment to sort himself out. His husband could be contradictory when his head felt "messy," as he would sometimes put it. It was hard for even Jim himself to decide what he wanted at times, but he usually knew deep down what he was trying to say. Sometimes, he just needed a moment to think and a slight nudge.

"Alright." the Watchdog replied. "Why can't you work?"

Jim's jaw moved. Right away, he wanted to say something. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he thought against it. Patiently, his husband waited, stubbornly refusing to just go away and ignore the issue.

"You can't laugh…"

"I won't laugh." Ciel stated. "I'm notoriously humourless."

"I want to work. I need to work, but I can't focus at all. I need to be thinking about this…" Jim explained, motioning to his computer, "and not this!" With the same gusto, he motioned up and down toward Ciel. "Understand?"

"Not really, I'm afraid."

"Are you doing this on purpose?"

"I don't even know what 'this' is, Jimmy." Taking his hand away, Ciel stood straight up before leaning back against the desk again, this time with both palms on its surface. "If I'm a distraction, I could always try to work somewhere else. It's no trouble…"

"No, it wouldn't do any good…" the baronet sighed. "It doesn't matter if you're here or not. I wasn't making any progress before you showed up, either…"

"Then what is the problem, exactly? I'd like to help you, if I can."

"Don't laugh."

"I solemnly swear, I will not."

Although still wary, the blonde nodded at this, seeming content with Ciel's answer. "Uh, well, it's just…" With only a bit of hesitation, he finally looked Ciel in the eye and spoke with a quiet voice. "The other night… It was really awesome…"

"Pfft-!" Swiftly, Ciel jerked his head to the side and bit his lip to stifle his expression. It was too late, though. The damage was done and met with a shaking fist.

"Wanker! You wanna fucking fight?! Huh?! You said you wouldn't bloody laugh!"

"I didn't laugh."

"You did too, you fucking liar! I'll kill you! You know I can kill you!"

Clearing his throat, Ciel turned his head back toward the menace, keeping his face as emotionless as he could. "I didn't laugh." It was no use, though. Seeing the blonde's face, he immediately had to cover his mouth with his hand and turn the other way. "I'm not laughing at you…"

"I want a bloody divorce…" huffed the menace. "Go ahead. Be all smug about it. I'll wait…"

"Well, I have to admit," the Earl grinned, "I am a bit flattered, yes. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Uh-huh…"

"If it's really a distraction for you, I'm more than happy to-"

"I don't want it to be, though! I want to work! I want to work~ Ciel!" Frantically, the menace gesticulated toward his computer, which had since entered sleep mode. Then, he leaned back in his seat, pulling on his own hair with a groan. "It's so stupid! I am Sir Jim Phantomhive, head of the Supernatural Relations Department, and I need to sort out this plan for this important meeting that's supposed to happen—oh, I dunno—in a week?! But no! I'm still acting like some horny teenager despite already having dealt with the issue! It's stupid! My brain and my body aren't listening to me and it's stupid! It's stupid, Ciel! Stupid~!"

Leaning his head on his desk, Jim sulked, having run out of steam for the moment. A crisis had encapsulated him and there was seemingly no escape. It was embarrassing. It was really embarrassing. He didn't know how to deal with it. Worse, despite his spouse wanting to be a thoughtful ear, Jim was surprised to find little sympathy from the bluenette.

Smiling, Ciel mercilessly deadpanned his spouse. "Jimmy… That's how I feel all the time when you, you know, do your thing? I am rather pleased, though. I'm happy you feel enough pride as a Phantomhive to care about that."

"Yeah, but it's only funny when it's the other way around, though."

"Wow. Alright. Well, at least you're honest about it…"

"Was there ever any doubt?"

"No, not really. I'm pretty sure I knew that already."

"You still let it happen, though…"

"This conversation is not about me." Ciel swiftly corrected. "If you're still… in the mood, then why not correct it? It really isn't an inconvenience to me."

"Yeah, I know that for sure…" scoffed the menace.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You certainly got into it, for someone who hasn't been peckish for a while…"

"I-ahem—Ihave to admit, I may have gotten perhaps overly-excited and lost a bit of control, there…" somewhat sheepishly conceded the Earl. A pink tint dusted his cheeks, now, and he covered his mouth to hide his expression. He always tried to hide his face when he asked such questions. "Was I—Was I too brutish?"

Thunk!

The impact of Jim slamming his forehead into the table actually made the other demon jump. All poor Ciel could do was look on in concern while Jim slowly raised it again. Folding his fingers together and resting his elbows on the table, he propped up his head by resting his nose on top of the bridge he made, furrowing his brow.

"'Too brutish,' he says…" he muttered.

"Is that… Is that a 'yes?'"

"Ciel, that's just it… That's just the thing…" Jim continued. Then, he suddenly came alive again.

"You were so fucking sweet while doing it!" he declared, taking his beau aback a bit. Placing his palms on the sides of his own face, Jim could feel it burning. "You were more assertive, sure, but you still cradled my face and looked at me like I'm the most important person in the world and your voice was so soft and gentle while you said all that sweet shit—telling me you love me so very, very, much and that I'm so precious to you—all while topping me! I was just expecting a quick romp to take the edge off, but no~! You pull that on me and make me feel all delicate and shit while giving it to me like it's your fucking job! It's not fair, Ciel! It's just not fair! Ugh! I feel so stupid…"

He covered his face, including his eyes, just knowing that Ciel was staring at him with some shocked expression. It was embarrassing. Jim felt so embarrassed that he considered just curling up and dying on the spot. It wasn't like that would've been the worst thing to ever happen to him. Worse, he knew that Ciel wasn't going to get where he was coming from. Sure enough, he was right.

"I see…" He didn't. Ciel was just saying that. "Well… Isn't that the sort of thing we normally do?"

"Yeah, but not really?" Jim opened his fingers so that his eyes were visible, yet still refused to open them and look at his spouse.

"Well, I'm normally on top and I normally do that sort of thing, don't I? How was this time so different?"

"You—You-! Ugh…" Deflating, the menace was on the verge of just giving up. "It doesn't matter. Normally… Normally, I'm still in charge… This time you took control. I'm not used to that. It's like—I was pretty much like putty in your hands and it's embarrassing! God… Just you seeing me like that and then… You were so nice to me…"

There it was: out in the open. No taking it back, now. Jim would have to live with this confession for the rest of his life; and what a long life that was going to be. This was absolutely going to be something Ciel would hold over his head; he was sure of it. As the Earl's declared arch-nemesis, it was a sure thing, really. Jim was admired by Ciel for his power and competency and he knew that. Everyone did. Loudly and often, Ciel would brag about how Jim was the only person to have ever defeated him soundly and completely. It was a victory that still stood, as Ciel was seldom able to acquire the upper hand when facing the menace.

But how was the blonde meant to keep his interest now? Jim had showed an incredibly uncool part of himself just then and the way he carried himself during the act was particularly embarrassing. Jim really didn't want to think about it. He had said a lot of things that he normally wouldn't and he very much would like the Earl to delete them from his memory.

He waited for his husband's reply and expected some sort of jab. There would be a joke, some bout of teasing, or some other such humourous slight at the blonde's expense. Surely, there would. Yet the Earl simply looked down at him for a while, eyebrow's raised and cheeks tinted pink. Then, he moved forward, prompting the other man to turn his head.

"Jimmy, it's alright." softly spoke the Watchdog. His voice came from lower down than his beau expected, making Jim look at him again. Instead of towering over him while the blonde was sitting down, Ciel lowered himself to Jim's level, kneeling on one knee at his side as he tenderly took the blonde's hand.

"Being vulnerable is difficult, isn't it?" Ciel continued. "I've become well acquainted with the idea, especially as of late. I don't think any less of you, Jimmy. I want you to know that."

Bashfully, the blonde mumbled: "I know…"

"I'm not sure you do. No matter who is 'in control,' it takes a lot of trust to be intimate like that. It's a vulnerable state, no matter what, where pride and physical well being are very much on the line. I am extremely happy that you trust me with it. It's a privilege and one I do not ever intend to exploit. I would not ever dare to. I have no interest in inflicting unnecessary cruelty on anyone and especially not one the person I have vowed to love and protect. Such a betrayal… The thought disturbs me, but also saddens me. Jimmy, when we're close, I want you to always know, without question or doubt, that I love you. Every time."

Gently, Ciel wiggled his fingers from being tangled up with Jim's, yet used them to still take the blonde's hand in his. Tenderly, he placed a kiss upon other man's knuckles before holding them against his chin.

"You know how seriously I take my vows, right?" he smiled. "Becoming your husband and giving you my name are not hollow gestures. They never were."

The way that his visible eye wrinkled as his smile pushed up his cheeks got to the menace. There was something in them that Jim had seen countless times, yet there were still moments where it was somewhat overwhelming to try and accept. Flushing bright scarlet at the Earl's words, what choice did he have? When Ciel spoke so openly, there was no doubt that he wasn't lying. Ciel looked up at him with a look of adoration and Jim had to believe that it was sincere. It was just scary, sometimes, being so loved.

"I know…" the blonde said again. "Logically, I know… You're not the sort. You won't hurt me. It's just… It kind of scared me, just how readily I accepted that—uhm, y'know… In the moment..."

"Is there anything I can do to put you at ease?"

"I don't know… Just… Keep doing what you're doing, I guess…" Jim paused before his face suddenly became very lively. "Not that I want to do it like that every time! I still like it the other way! It's just that this is fine every so often! Probably…"

"Noted. I will be sure to consider your preference."

"No need to be so smug about it…"

"Now that, I'm afraid, is an impossibility." Ciel chuckled, but the other man didn't laugh along with him. "Is there something else that bothers you?"

"Oh, uhm… Well… It's kind of a stupid question, but…"

"Yes?"

Covering his mouth with his other hand, Jim shyly looked to the side. "You… You don't think I'm easy, do you?"

Suddenly, his knuckles were headbutted as Ciel still held onto his hand. Suddenly not being able to see the Earl's face didn't sit well with the menace, as he was almost certain that it was to hide his amusement. "Hey! You said you wouldn't laugh!"

"I'm not laughing." Ciel replied. His tone was serious and he wrinkled his brows, bending them upwards. With a sigh, he raised his head. "I know that you're seriously concerned, but Jim… Darling… You're just so adorable…"

"I am not!"

Ignoring his husband's outburst, the Watchdog continued. "Well, to answer your question: No, I don't think that you're 'easy' at all. It would be rather ridiculous to think that about someone in a committed marriage to feel desire toward their spouse, I believe, so feel free to consider me amorously as much as you like."

His smile faltered as Jim removed himself from his grasp. He moved slightly backwards to avoid being hit by the armrest of the chair as the baronet turned, only to lean foward and wrap his arms around Ciel's shoulders. He could feel the blonde's heated cheek against his ear and smell his shampoo as he was held, prompting his visible eye to droop slightly.

"I can't believe I'm married to you..." Jim lamented with a deep sigh. "You're too good… You're just too good! How is it even possible to have a husband as good as you?! Did I trick you, somehow?!"

"No, you were merely yourself. You're extremely likable, you know… I'm the idiot who took so long to see it. Now that I have…" Ciel trailed off, slowly rising to his feet. He reached up to hold onto the blonde's arms, silently instructing him to keep them around his shoulders. Then, he held the menace around his ribs, slowly bringing him up with him as he stood. The Earl laughed at the surprised expression on his beau's face, leaning in close to it while clasping his hands together to form a loop around the menace in the small of the man's back.

"...I have absolutely no intention of letting you go." concluded the Watchdog. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me for a while, it seems. Do you think that you'll find a way to cope, somehow?"

Without answering right away, Jim seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had been stuck in. The surprise at suddenly being picked up so effortlessly got to him for a moment, there, and now he had enough sense return to him for him to look to the side and let go of the Watchdog to close the lid on his laptop.

"Are you going to kiss me already, or what?" he asked, finally addressing his husband with a slight pout.

"I was getting to that part, but you don't seem to be playing along with my flirting that well."

"Why does everything have to be some complicated chess game with you?" pouted the menace, "If you're going to kiss me, then just kiss me!"

With a glimpse of a rather wicked smirk from Ciel, Jim watched in what felt like slow motion as the Earl's deep blue eye closed and he closed the gap between them. Purposefully, Ciel gave his beloved time to pull away if he felt so inclined, but the menace didn't. Instead, Jim clung to Ciel's shirt and closed his eyes just in time for their lips to touch.

It was soft, it was warm; the Watchdog's hand cupping Jim's already warm cheek made the blonde feel a bit weak in the knees, yet he still kissed back just as he had countless times. He didn't even need to think about it, which was good because he was drawing a complete blank. His laptop was sitting right there on the desk next to him with all of the briefs he needed to read in preparation for his meeting at the end of the week. It was serious business. The future of an entire group of vampires and the access to a goldmine of intel for HELLSING depended on it. From the way his body was heating up, however, it was probably going to have to wait. Jim's brows only furrowed deeper when he could hear his beau chuckling into the kiss.

"Fuck…" he sighed, finally pulling away. He paused to catch his breath, but didn't take long to address Ciel and his haughty-looking smile. It was the expression of someone rather pleased with himself and the fact that he was able to get under Jim's skin, which only seemed to provoke the menace further. "Fine! You win, alright?! Just hurry up and make it quick, okay?!"

"I simply don't know what you're talking about…" the Watchdog replied.

"Bastard…"

"I really don't! You'll have to elaborate, if you want me to know what you're thinking."

"Oh, I'll give you 'elaboration,' fancy boy..." gruffly answered the menace. Ciel did his best to not let his grin widen, but the rough, low, and slightly out of breath way of speaking that Jim addressed him with pleased him immensely. "You're gonna fucking do me, that's what. You're gonna take care of the problem you caused and you're gonna be fucking quick about it! Fuck, you're—wipe that fucking grin off of your face!"

"I… I can't help it… You're just—You're being so adorable right now…" Ciel finally had no other option but to cover his mouth to stifle a laugh,. He was shaking, just trying to hold it in, but it was only made worse when the agitated look on Jim's face amplified.

"What?! I'll kick your fucking arse!"

"Oh, good lord, Jimmy! You-! I'm sorry… You just-! It's so adorable!" A thought had occurred to Ciel. He had noticed a pattern rather suddenly and it had hit him in just the right way to tickle him. He debated on whether or not to actually tell the menace that he used the word "fuck" more often in this state like some sort of Freudian slip, but ultimately, he decided to keep it to himself. It would be a terrible shame if Jim were to try and correct it. So he was left with no other option but to try and control himself. Despite having spent much of his life controlling his emotions, he couldn't help but find it a bit humorous how such a thing could open the floodgates like that. "Alright, alright, I apologise. Really, I do, darling…"

"Doesn't seem like it…"

"I promise… I swear on my name. Well, then…" Once again, Jim found himself being picked up, only for him to find himself sitting on his own desk. "Since I so boorishly provoked you, it's only the gentlemanly thing to do to help you resolve your… 'problem.'"

"You're really irritating like this… I should have never let you do it the other day..."

"Sorry to frustrate you. Please allow me to fulfill my husbandly duties…"

"Really irritating!" the blonde snapped, only for him to stop his posturing for a moment when his partner suddenly looked rather serious.

"Although…" Ciel pondered, furrowing his brow as if he were in deep thought and raising one hand to rub his chin.

"What? What is it?"

"It would be best to do this in our room. I want to be able to hear more of your voice and you'll have to stifle it in here…"

"But-! If—if we do that-!" His bashful expression suddenly returning, Jim surprised Ciel a bit while gripping onto the Earl's shoulders tighter.

"What? Is something wrong with it?"

"I'll—I'll…" Letting out a bit of a huff, the menace finally turned his head and pouted. "Fucks' sake! I know I'll want more than one round, okay?! I really have to get back to work today! I already had to cut things short the other day so we could leave on time and I don't know if I can hold back a second time! God! You're fucking killing me, Ciel!"

"We're doing it in our room."

"You don't have to be so immediate about it! It's the middle of the day! There's things to do! You have work, too!"

"We're doing it."

"At least pretend to think about it!"

"No."

That was that. With both of their minds made up, they set off to do the things that they were going to, retiring to their room for a few hours with the hope that no one would need to find them for a while. Normally at this point in the day, it was a bad idea with other people still in the house, but luck was on their side that day and there were no interruptions. It was a good thing, too, as neither of them were in any state to answer sensibly. With curling toes, ragged breaths, and many, many, kisses, they answered the call of their more carnal impulses, leaving them with still a few hours until dinner—and a particularly exhausted Earl.

When his eyes cracked open, he was laying on his side and found that the room was significantly darker than he remembered it being before. A light was on behind him although a shadow was being cast over his head. He thought about closing his eyes again, only for the faint clicking of keys to pique his curiosity enough for him to keep them open.

With a sigh and a groan, he crawled over to the edge of the bed, flicked on his lamp and turned over to investigate; All while both noting and ignoring the faint stinging sensation on his back. Jim was sitting there on his own side of the bed, dressed in a T-shirt with his legs bent to form a makeshift table for his computer. The blonde wore a rather serious look on his face as the dim glow of the screen in front of him reflected in his eyes, which then turned to glance at Ciel.

"Good morning." Jim finally greeted, reaching over to gently stroke the bluenette's hair. His eyes went back to his work.

"What time is it?" the groggier of the two Phantomhive's questioned, rubbing his bad eye.

"A little after five."

"Is it actually morning?"

"Evening. You should probably put some trousers on before it's time for dinner."

Taking in a deep breath, Ciel let out a deep sigh. "Don't want to…" Instead, he closed his eyes again and scooted closer to the blonde, wrapping his arms around his waist in a needy fashion. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, actually! I've been able to get a lot done. I think it's finally starting to come together, now that I can actually focus on it." Jim glanced down at his husband again as the other man relaxed right where he laid, cuddling up to the menace. "Oh, and, uh… Sorry about your back, by the way…"

"It's alright. It's not really a habit of yours and that side of you is adorable, too, so I think it's fine if you get a pass…"

"There you go with 'adorable,' again…" With a roll of his eyes, the baronet continued to work, filling the silence with the sound of his keys. After a while, however, he noticed that his spouse's breathing was getting suspiciously slow.

"Trousers. Now." he insisted again, this time patting the man's shoulders with each word for emphasis. "Go. Put. Some. On."

Naturally, his beau was not too terribly pleased with this. "Fine…" he said, letting go of the menace and forcing himself to sit up, yet he still stayed close to his beau. "I want a kiss."

Despite the tone of his request, it was happily met. The blonde turned his head and pecked Ciel on the lips readily and without complaint. That was enough to satisfy the Watchdog, however, mentally preparing him for the real challenge that came afterward.

Sitting up was a serious chore for him, it seemed, but then he dragged out every step of getting his legs over the side of the bed. He sat there for a while, getting himself ready for the tedious task of standing. With an unsteady gait, he made his way across the room. About halfway, he found his footing and was able to stretch a bit along the way.

"It was good, by the way!" Jim called after him.

"I know. You already told me. Repeatedly…"

"Wanker... Well, anyway, your husband and your country thanks you for your service."

"Well, you know me. I've always been incredibly patriotic. I'm going to take a shower. Enjoy your mission, Sir Jimmy."

"Thanks, Earl Cielykins. I will." replied the menace. He paused, only to remember something important. "Oh! Tell me more about Van Volkingburg when you're done, though. I wanna hear more about her sorcerery."

"Yes, your highness…"

"And forget everything you heard earlier!"

"It's too late. It's already burned into my brain, so there's no helping it, I'm afraid. Such a terrible pity."

"You're evil!"

"I am shocked and appalled. No one has ever called me that in all my life." Ciel replied. His voice was completely monotone as he entered the dressing room, only for Jim to once again be able to hear his smile. "I love you, too."

"I know…" Jim answered bashfully, returning to his work. "You already told me. Repeatedly..."

A/N: Listen... I was not in the mood to write anything sophisticated. I just wanted to get in as many dirty jokes as I could so it would be out of my system for writing semi-serious shit lmao. I feel like we're repeating ourselves a bit, but I thought it was really funny and now I am inflicting this chapter on all of you. That's how fanfiction works (?)

Ciel is very difficult to write like this, tbh. I feel like once he gets over his pride and sense of embarrassment, his capacity for evil and just general mischief increases because that is all that is left. Truly, he must be stopped.

Don't worry, I will have plot... eventually...

Just kidding. I'll be serious, I promise.

Anywho, until the next chapter, my duckies~!