"Bravo, this is Echo; is the watchdog in position?" called a voice over the radio.

"Affirmative. The watchdog has given us the signal. The mission has started." Answered the soldier seated across from Alois.

The blonde menace found himself in one of three armoured cars stationed several blocks away from the theater. Two were full of troops and one was nearly empty, and to be used to transport the victims. Once given the signal, they were to storm in and take the captives to safety while eliminating all threats. Alois uttered a sigh and put his cellphone back in his pocket.

"You know, if he had your numbers, he could've just texted you guys at the same time." The Macken pointed out, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back in his seat. He had plenty of room, since the human soldiers made a point to sit as far away from both him and Amelie as possible despite the somewhat cramped conditions.

These were grown men and women, grizzled from conflict with hellish creatures, afraid of what appeared to be a teenaged girl and a young, almost effeminate-looking man. It was logical, though. Those monstrous beasts were of a similar breed to these two, and could look just as harmless. Many of them have most likely lost at least one friend or comrade to the supernatural. Some of them might be lost tonight. It wouldn't be at the hands of these two, however. They were on the same side. In addition, they had other things on their minds than killing humans. Alois and Amelie were more worried about their respective partners, who had just set foot into the lair of the beasts.

"It's unprofessional to exchange personal numbers with higher-ups." One soldier said.

"Oh. I do that all the time." The blonde stated, somewhat striking a small nerve, unwittingly. After all, the fact that a demon could have access to the personal information of members of the Round Table was absolutely inconceivable! Despite this, the blonde kept talking.

"Are you also not allowed to call him by name, or what? Or do you guys just use codenames on missions?" he asked.

"We use codenames for key figures, and last names for general agents." Answered another soldier, this one friendlier than the others. She actually prompted to sit next to the menace. "For example; Sir Integra is 'Babylon', Miss Victoria is 'Mignonette', Sir Phantomhive is 'Watchdog', Mister Michaelis is 'Poe' and Amelie over there is 'Beowulf'."

"Huh?! Even Amelie has one!?" demanded the Macken, turning his head to look at a grinning werewolf.

"Oui!" the silver-haired girl replied, holding up two fingers. "Charlotte is 'Spotted Lily'."

"Wait, do I have one?" the blonde asked, looking toward the others.

"No, at this point, you're still 'Specimen #D-03'." Answered the soldier seated next to him. "No one was sure what to call you, it looked like." She added.

"How very dare they?" Alois said, crossing his arms over his chest in an overly dramatic fashion. "Am I unworthy of recognition?"

"How about 'Goldilocks'?" suggested one of the other men, earning a few chuckles. It seemed as though the conversation was helping them loosen up.

"Nah. First of all, I'm not the only blonde out of us 'high-ranking snobs', and secondly; I'm a man."

"Could've fooled us." Joked one of the others. "Put some meat on your bones, get a couple of battle scars, kid."

"I can't! I have to stay pretty for my watchdog!"

"That's not very manly…"

"Sure it is, when you're able to make the watchdog beg." Alois said, prompting a few hoots and hollers from the other agents.

"Say what you want, gents, but it takes a brave-ass motherfucker to date that guy." The soldier seated next to him pointed out. The relationship of the demonic duo was by no means a secret at H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G; so with that, the soldiers nodded and mumbled in agreement at that.

"Damn straight." The Macken said. "I was tortured, sold my soul twice, got stabbed, and tricked the shit out of a bunch of demons by the time I was fourteen! Ciel is no problem." While his tone was cheery, the grins of the other agents faded when he said that.

For a moment, Alois actually became a little nervous; or rather, more nervous than he was at the start. These men were extremely intimidating, after all. They were muscular, with scars and stern faces. Part of him was still a bit afraid of older men, even if he didn't let it get to him, the majority of the time. Now, he had somehow managed to upset this bunch. Did he say something wrong?

"Shit, kid…" the soldier seated directly across from him said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "Why would you keep coming back to this? You're even involved with one of the most dangerous blokes in London… Why do you do it?" There was no hesitation in answering on the blonde's part.

"Because I'm really happy, now." He said with a smile. "Ciel may look like a total arsemonger, but he's a real sweetheart and takes really good care of me. As for this, I guess it's sort of become kinda like a normal job, I guess." He laughed nervously as he was met with silence for a few moments as the others tried to process this information. Soon, however, their grins came back.

"You're alright, kid." Said the soldier across from him as the one to his side playfully punched his arm.

"I'm Brasher. On my right is Denzil and Huckabee; to the left is Eustis and Grant, and next to you is Harland." He listed off, introducing himself and the others. "I'm guessin' you already know 'Wolfy', since she doesn't seem bothered by ya."

"Is she usually hostile?" asked the blonde, looking to his friend.

"Nah, she just doesn't seem to like it when people sit too close to her. We've been on a few missions before, but she hardly says anything." Brasher answered. "And yourself?"

"I'm Alois." Answered the Macken. He leaned forward as the soldier offered to shake his hand. "Or '#D-03', apparently."

"That won't do. You need yous a proper codename if you're a 'higher-up snob'." The soldier jested. "Whad'ya say, lads? What's this macho-man's name?"

"I dunno, mate. It's gotta be somethin' good." Said Eustis.

"How about 'Goldfinger'?" joked Denzil.

"Nah! That makes him sound like a stripper." Said Grant.

"He kind of reminds me of a lion." Suggested Harland, thinking aloud. Brasher snapped his fingers and pointed at the woman.

"That's it!" said Brasher. "We'll go from there. Lions, people think lions!"

"'Leo's' pretty obvious, innit?" said Grant.

"What about 'Mufasa'?" asked Huckabee.

"Mufasa dies, you twat!" said Harland. "He looks more like a 'Simba', anyway."

"Or 'Aslan'?"

"Aslan's good." Said Brasher with a nod. "What do you think, kid?"

Alois was quiet for a few moments, furrowing his brow in thought. Whatever he picked was going to stick with him for a while, so he had to think carefully. Finally, he decided on what he should say next.

"You wanna know what I think?" he asked, his face completely serious. He paused, waiting for things to get quiet before continuing. "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight~!" he sang. It only took a few notes before the others started laughing. Pretty soon, everyone in that armoured car was singing off-key and being merry as they passed the time with Alois Trancy leading them. Maybe being on backup wasn't so bad after all.


A/N: Fucking idiots...

Yeah, I wanted to start the mission this chapter, but then this happened.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. The next one, I promise.

Do tell me what you think Alois' codename should be, though. I'm curious.

Until the next chapter, my duckies~!


CHARACTER SHET

Question: "How different do you think things would be if you and ciel or you and alois were together?" by just obsessed

Sebastian's Answer:"They would probably be very different. I don't think I would have been able to change them in the way that they have. In fact, since I don't really understand romantic love, I afraid I would have only made them worse.

I would not be able to give Alois the sort of care that he needed, which would have inevitably destroyed him. As for the master, his trust in me would most likely be shaken, simply because I cannot give my heart to someone in way that he can.

I'm glad things turned out the way that they did. They've caused the worlds of a lot of people to become a bit brighter with their change, including my own."

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Question: "Question for alois and ciel.- alot of talk about marriage lately. When I think of marriage I also think about babies! Do either of you think you want a child? I know you can shape shift into a female but can you stay in that for long enough for pregnancy? (If it works that way). and if so then if you did decide to have a baby which one would carry the child and would you want a boy or a girl?" by lynnstormfiction

Ciel's Answer:"I don't know. I don't think I'm ready for that sort of development. I can't shape-shift into the form of a woman at all. (not that I've tried) I have no idea what I would prefer. A son would be nice, but then again, Phantomhive girls are remarkably powerful... I would probably be proud to have either."

Alois' Answer: "Isn't it a bit early on to be thinking about this sort of thing? I would have to talk about it with Ciel, first, but to be frank, I don't think I'd be a very good parent. Uh, I can hold a female form for a little over an hour, now, so it would take us a while to get to that point. Honestly, though, I prefer being a man, so I'm not sure if I could go through with that. I dunno if I'd rather have a boy or a girl. Like I said, I don't really think I could take good care of them, either way..."