Quietly, the doppelganger tried his best to swiftly make his way through the building so that he could finally escape. It was difficult with two demonic detectives and sometimes-assassins after him. He knew the Macken gentleman was still somewhere behind him, but he had no idea where the Phantomhive was. That seemed to get to him. His senses weren't nearly as sharp as those of the two demons. He as a "fake", after all.
Even still, he was able to move out of the way when he was attacked from above. His visible eye widened as the true bluenette's fist whizzed by his face and impacted the ground, cracking the cement. Ciel attacked with lethal force, and almost lopped off the tip of his opponent's nose. The Phantomhive straightened his back, removing his fist from the ground, leaving a hole in the concrete floor.
Without the blonde's face, the doppelganger was open to attack from the watchdog as his only shield had vanished. This was bad. The doppelganger would have to make an opening and run for it. He wasn't certain of his physical strength, even while in this form. He could probably last a little while, but this certainly wasn't an easy match. Still, the imposter took on a fighting stance, firmly planting his feet on the ground and keeping his eye on the watchdog.
"I told you to run." Ciel stated, flexing his hand so that the joints popped. "Did my partner find you?"
"Tch." The way that the Phantomhive asked that struck a nerve with his lookalike, causing the faux-Phantomhive to clench his fists. It was a strange sort of anger that was sparked by those words- one that the doppelganger couldn't quite place. He knew that the blonde menace belonged to the true Ciel and that he never was, nor will be in the possession of the fake, but why did it make him angry?
Ah, jealously. The false watchdog felt just as the real one would have in his position, after all. He was slightly possessive of the man who hated his existence, but he simply couldn't help himself. In a twisted way, the doppelganger harbored some feeling for the blonde. He wanted to stop, but couldn't. He needed another face. At the same time, however, he wanted to bash the smirk that his twin wore right off of his visage.
"What is it?" the Phantomhive asked, taking a step forward. "Why are you angry? There's nothing for you to be angry about. After all, he isn't yours. Jim is mine, and mine alone; just as I am his. There is nowhere for you to fit into this equation, copycat."
"You're absolutely right, watchdog." Spoke the phony. "There is no way that your beloved will ever be 'mine', and yet…" He paused, watching as the other bluenette's smirk fell.
"He couldn't finish me off, either." He continued. "I am within his soft-spot. Perhaps I could steal him from you? After all, we both know what it's like to be 'fakes'."
"Am I really that arrogant?" inquired the bluenette. "That's not funny, even as a joke! I don't recall ever having that sort of wishful-thinking, either. You will never have him."
"And just what makes you so certain?"
"The fact that I won't allow it!" the Phantomhive roared, taking a few steps forward before swinging his leg at his duplicate's head in a round-house kick. The doppelganger ducked, knocking the watchdog's grounded leg out from under him, forcing the demon to put his hands out in front of him in order to catch himself. With that, he swung his legs again, only to be dodged once more as his foe leaped into the air.
The lookalike kicked downward, trying to land a strike from the air. His foot cracked the concrete as it only hit the floor. Ciel straightened his back and went for a punch, only to have his face struck as well by his copy's fist. Both of them went for a follow-through, attempting to strike with their other fist as well.
Blood dripped from the men's noses as the gashes on their lips from where they were cut with their own teeth healed shut along with any other blemishes. They separated, trying to create some distance until their next strike, but the doppelganger had other ideas. After dancing with the demon to see who would move first, he turned to the side and jumped, leaping off the wall and up onto one of the machines. The fake now had the high-ground.
It didn't last, as the Phantomhive followed, bringing them to both duke it out on top of one of the conveyor belts. The watchdog continued to chase his faux counterpart, leaping over things and sliding under them. Suddenly, the doppelganger jumped, grabbing onto a chain that hung from the ceiling, and using the inertia he swung back around and kicked the Phantomhive square in the jaw. He let go of the chain and landed on a platform covered with switches and buttons.
Quickly, the fake started messing with the controls, turning on the lights to the factory and starting up machinery. Ciel almost lost balance as the conveyor belt that he was standing on moved. Now, he had to run against it in order to get to his phony. It was easier said than done, as he was nearly crushed and flattened by some of the stations that lined the track, and almost sprayed with toxic chemicals at others.
Meanwhile, the false Phantomhive leaped down and made a run for it. He had to get away. Faster. Faster! He had to escape the building. The doppelganger's legs carried him as fast as they could as he navigated the maze of machinery. Onward! Just a little bit more! Once he was out of the factory, he could escape the demons for good! That thread of hope was cut, however, by a single sound.
BANG!
The doppelganger grunted and grasped at his shoulder, his movement stopping for just few moments. It hurt. It really hurt! Just that night, he had been hit by a car, and it still didn't hurt this badly! When the phony forced his hand a way to inspect the damage, it was covered in red liquid that boiled as it seeped from the festering wound. Anti-freak bullets did not take kindly to supernatural beings.
Still, he had to get away. He was so close to the exit! At a slower pace, the copycat put one leg in front of the other and trekked onward. That is, until the second shot went off.
BANG!
Right in the doppelganger's kneecap. This time, he actually let out a pained cry as he fell to the floor. He let go of his shoulder and clasped his hands over the damaged joint in a vain attempt to absolve the agony. The doppelganger's body tensed up and he hid his face in the floor in an effort to save himself at least some dignity. Yes, even now, he was still acting as if he were the Phantomhive. He only looked up as he saw a shadow looming over him, peeking up in order to get a glimpse of who it was. When he saw them, however, he did a double-take.
"Jim?!" he gasped, staring up at the blonde menace in shock. It stung. Why did this hurt so much? He wasn't "betrayed". They were never on the same side! Even still, for the blonde to be against him- it hurt to see.
Alois had shot the doppelganger, not once, but twice. They were only aimed to incapacitate the creature, as the menace wasn't sure if he had the resolve to actually kill the copycat. Still, he pointed the gun directly at the false Phantomhive's head, looking down at him with a concerned look. It was hard to see the image of his beau on the ground in pain before him, but he just had to keep reminding himself of the truth. It blurred, however, at what the doppelganger did next.
"Jim…" it said sadly Alois had made his choice. There was no going back now. Even still, the sadness that he felt in that moment was very real. The copycat let go of his knee before using his arms to crawl toward the menace, wrapping his arms tightly around the man's leg, hiding his face in the fabric of the blonde's pant leg.
Naturally, Alois took a step back from the phony at the action, but once it had him in its grip, he couldn't move. All he could do was gawk at what was happening. His foe was showing him affection, and sincerely, too. His hand began to shake as the body of the man at his feet did. He felt a warm wetness on his leg where the copycat's face was. At that, Alois couldn't pull the trigger. Thus, his hand fell to his side as he tried to figure out what to do. In the end, however, the decision was made for him.
A shoe harshly made contact with the copycat's head, knocking him from the blonde's leg. In a daze, the doppelganger rolled over on his back, as he tried to stop seeing stars. Alois saw nothing at all as a familiar hand came up from behind him and covered his eyes. Those of the imposter widened as he found himself in trouble yet again.
"Wait-!"
BANG!
Alois flinched as the gun went off and he reached his free hand up to grasp at the one on his face. He needed the bluenette's touch as the doppelganger was rendered silent. He could hear the body hitting the floor, falling completely limp. The menace didn't even want to look at it, and was thankful that the true Phantomhive took that into account.
Keeping his hand over the menace's eyes, Ciel placed his gun back in its holster before using his freshly freed hand in order to grab Alois' shoulder and guide him so that his back was facing the body on the floor. With that, he took his hand away so that the blonde could see again, cupping the man's cheeks in his palms.
"Are you alright?" the bluenette asked with a worried look on his face. Yes, his face. He was now the only owner of it once more. Alois smiled and turned on the safety on his own weapon before putting it away. He placed his hands over his beau's and said:
"Yeah, I'm alright." He paused and his smile faded. "What about you? Didn't you just like, kill yourself?"
"I suppose I did, didn't I?" the bluenette chuckled nervously. Indeed, he was a bit spooked, but it was more of an afterthought. "I was more worried about you at the time." He softly rubbed the blonde's pale cheeks with his thumbs in a soothing fashion. "You looked so scared…"
"I was…" Alois admitted. "I just couldn't bring myself to shoot him. I know it wasn't really you, but… It would have been like watching myself kill you, somehow… You know?"
"I understand. I had the same problem…" spoke the Phantomhive, taking one of his hands away before running the other through the other's flaxen locks, placing a few behind the man's ear so that they weren't in his face. "Let's go home, shall we? This was a lot more trouble than I thought it was going to be…"
"Yeah… Should we call H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. to clean up?"
"Probably." Ciel replied. He stopped playing with the blonde's hair before moving to place it in the small of his back in order to usher the menace away from the grisly scene. "Let's get in the car, first. Looking at my own corpse is making me nauseous."
"That'll do it." The blonde jested, walking along with the bluenette as they made their way out of the factory. He put his arm around the Phantomhive as well, somewhat craving his contact. He was frightened. That person who looked just like the one whom he was in love with was just murdered in cold blood. He wanted the real one as close to him as possible, as if to make sure that he was safe. Soon, his eyes started wandering, soon making their way to the Phantomhive's visage.
Ciel had a pretty face. He had long eyelashes and pretty eyes- a cute nose and an overall cute face. It was Ciel's face, and he was the only one allowed to wear it as Ciel. It got the blonde wondering, though. What about his face?
"Hey, Ciel?" Alois called, capturing the Phantomhive's attention.
"Hmm?"
The Macken flashed a teasing grin and asked: "Do you really think I'm 'stunning'?"
Poor Ciel almost choked on his own spit. His face heated up and he coughed into his fist. How on earth did the blonde know about that?!
"U-uh…" began the Phantomhive, pausing to clear his throat. "Yes…" He bashfully admitted. While it wasn't the first time that the bluenette had told his beau something similar along those lines, the way he was suddenly caught off-guard by the question seriously affected his demeanor.
"You're handsome, too." Alois replied, pecking the other man on the cheek as they reached their vehicle. Paused to unlock the door before speaking again. "That said, I like having only one of you best."
"Oh? Does it matter which one?" the bluenette teased back, trying to regain the upper hand as he crawled inside the passenger side.
"Yeah. I want the original one. That's the best one." Answered the Macken, sitting down in the driver's seat and shutting the door. "I love him the most. He's kind of a weirdo, but he's sweet and takes good care of me."
"Sounds like I should meet him sometime." Ciel jested, earning a playful slap to the bicep.
"Ow."
A/N: Pfft, fucking losers.
Ah... This would have been longer and more in-depth, but it's late and I was exhausted hours ago...
And no naps!
Naps are so important...
What? Did you guys think I was going to let him live?
No way, that'd be super-awkward.
The demonic duo aren't the type to be interested in a ménage à trois, I'm sorry...
Only in a really weird dream that one of 'em woke up from awkwardly, or something. I dunno. Write your fanfics.
Questions?
"Hate-senpai: How do you keep focused?! I lose my interest so quickly with some projects, and it burns long in others. How?!" by CiaranMichaelis
I dunno. I never stick to the same plot for too long? That's what I usually say. Like, I keep using the same universe, but I can write almost any kind of story that I feel like. Angst? Sure. Murder-mystery? Uh-uh. Supernatural fuckery? Can do. Cheesy rom-com? Oh yeah, we got this.
So I don't get bored because I'm always writing what I feel like that arc, but I'm just sticking with the same world and rule-set. If I lose interest in one, I wrap it up and start another one that better catches my fancy. Easy.
The only time I sorta broke that rule is toward the end of DLTD, when I took up... 100-ish chapters ending that shit? I dunno. It was all really intense, though, so it was hard to be bored while writing that.
Just build you a world that's flexible, so you can do all kinds of things. And think outside the box. Shit happens in the real world, so why not here?
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
CHARACTER SHETHOGRIOJIPGRIIOREGROLKFALIEHGAPWIEGHPOOPALSHGOWHG
Question: "Alois, math debates. Say 'I won a math debate' out loud. It'll make more sense." by CiaranMichalis (again)
Alois' Answer: "Oh. Oooooooooohhh! That is not what I was thinking... Anyways, I don't go at it solo that often because it's like a million times more fun with Ciel. So pretty rarely."
