The demonic duo walked through the door as if nothing happened. While taking off their coats, their eyes scanned around for Elizabeth, but she wasn't anywhere in immediate view. Both of them jumped to the conclusion that Luka had been showing her around, but they both sensed her presence nearby.
"Elizabeth?" Ciel called. Lo and behold, the woman stepped out of her hiding place and appeared from around the corner.
"It's 'Lizzie'." She corrected. Less-than-casually, she leaned against the wall, trying to seem nonchalant. "So… What was the hold up, out there?"
"We were just talking." The bluenette answered, putting his coat away. He arched an eyebrow at the woman's odd behaviour. Something wasn't right. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason." Elizabeth stated. That was a lie. She knew what the pair was doing and simply wanted them to admit it. It was presumed that calling someone out about the fact that they haven't quite properly introduced their boyfriend was a major social faux-pas.
"So, what's the plan, man?" questioned the menace. "I take it that Luka's already showed you around, then?"
"'Man'?" asked the woman, arching an eyebrow in confusion. The blonde didn't speak as though he were trying to insult Elizabeth, but she certainly wasn't sure why she was being referred to as such.
"Modern vernacular." Ciel informed. "He's being friendly."
"Oh! Alright then?"
"Sorry…" spoke the menace shyly, averting his eyes as though he were searching for an escape route. "I wasn't thinking."
"Oh, that's quite alright. I just didn't understand it." Stated the Hellsing woman. "I'm not entirely sure what to do either. I'm fine with almost anything, really."
"Unfortunately, I'm not too creative when it comes up with fun things to do." Ciel replied. Immediately, his eye turned to the blonde menace. "You've always got something up your sleeve, do you?"
"I don't really know…" the blonde said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe play a game? I don't know what, though… Nerf battles are out of the question."
"Nerf battles?" echoed the angel, now somewhat intrigued by the menace's strangeness.
"They're toy guns that shoot foam darts that stick to things. It's like tag. Ciel and I play all the time, but it wouldn't be any fair—us against you…" Alois said. "A master monster hunter against demons? I would be terrified…"
Giggling, Elizabeth answered. "I suppose you're right. Though, my specialty is swords, not guns." She said with a grin. A small smile appeared on Alois' face as well at the positive response.
"Also, you and Ciel wanted to talk, didn't you? It's hard to do that while shooting at each other." He said. "How about something more tame? Like Jenga."
"Once again, I haven't the faintest clue as to what that is…" the woman admitted.
"Perfect. You now have an opportunity to learn!" replied the Macken. With that, he led the Hellsing into the entertainment room, followed by a very pleased-looking bluenette.
Ciel continued smiling as he watched Alois explain the rules to Elizabeth and start building the tower. Despite how knowledgeable he seemed about the game, it was usually Alois who made the tower fall in the end. Perhaps he chose it for this very purpose. Who's to say? Alois was very clever, so he might have a bit of a strategy to win the girl over.
Either way, it warmed the Phantomhive's heart a bit to see the pair at least making an attempt to get along, especially given how the blonde was reacting before. Ciel simply looked on with a small grin as the menace gently nudged one of the blocks out of its place and gently put it on top of the tower. Elizabeth did the same, doing exactly as Alois had demonstrated. After a few moments, both of them turned their attention to the bluenette.
"Well?" asked the menace, arching an eyebrow.
"Well, what?" answered Ciel with an inquiry of his own.
"It's your turn." Alois stated. "You'd know that if you weren't staring dreamily off into space." He added, causing the angel to giggle. With a roll of his eye, the bluenette took his turn, removing a block and placing it on the top of the tower.
The trio took turns doing this until they had to start standing up in order to place their blocks. The tower was in shambles. It was surely on its last legs. Peg upon peg had been removed without stopping, and surely the tower would fall. Of course, it was now Alois' turn again.
Icy blue eyes scanned the tower, searching for the right brick to remove. He actually got up and circled it a few times, but given the tension of the situation, the other two did not find anything silly about it in the slightest. As Alois set his sights on a block, his hand hesitantly reached out and he began tapping it out of place with his finger. Ciel and Elizabeth unconsciously began to lean forward as the block was displaced, and Alois' brow furrowed in deep concentration.
A sigh of relief escaped all of them as the wooden piece was finally free. The tower still stood and the game could continue, but it was still Alois' turn. He now had to carefully set the block on top of the tower. Slowly, steadily, the menace began to place the block in position. When the tower seemed to protest, he drew back again and reconsidered. Alois then tried again, this time placing it somewhere else. His eyes never strayed from what he was doing, and neither did his competitors. At last, the tower felt steady and the blonde drew back. His turn was over. The tower was still standing.
"YES!" the blonde celebrated, throwing his hands into the air. Out of nowhere, however, an orange dart made out of Styrofoam came hurling toward his masterpiece, hitting it. The tower came crashing down with a loud barrage of clattering. Immediately, Alois' hands found themselves on his head.
"NO!" he shouted, looking up to the sound of mischievous giggling. "LUKA!"
Lo and behold, the youngest of the Macken brothers stood with a toy gun with a naughty grin on his face. The adults were having so much fun without him, so he decided to crash the party. Unfortunately for Alois, it had cost him the game.
"I'm gonna get you!" declared the blonde, leaping over the table toward his brother. Luka immediately dropped the gun to the floor and tried to run away so he could hide, but Alois was simply too quick.
"RRRrrRAAAGH!" roared the menace as he scooped up his laughing younger sibling. He swung the boy around a bit before placing him over his shoulder. "I'll be right back." He said to the others before walking off with his captive. The other two adults simply laughed.
"Alright. You do that." Ciel said, shaking his head with a smile while beginning to pick up the wooden blocks that had scattered all over creation.
"Should we play again or find something else?" he asked, looking up at his cousin. He arched an eyebrow at the woman's continued giggling. "What is it?"
"It's nothing." Elizabeth answered, shaking her head. "It's just… the way he jumped over the table and…" She couldn't even finished her sentence before erupting into another fit of giggles.
"That's just Jim." The man stated with a smile. "He's almost always like that."
"He reminds me of Isaac a little bit." The Hellsing woman said, joining the other in picking up the blocks. "Only, he wouldn't have jumped over the table like that. He would have ran around it."
"He sounds like a very good man." Ciel replied. "I'm really glad you found someone."
"I am too." Spoke the angel. "Without him, I wouldn't have been able to have done a lot of the things I did. Working with H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. was very fulfilling. It felt like it was my calling, almost."
There was a long pause while the two picked up the pieces, both trying to think of something else to say. Ciel felt guilty that he left the woman, but then Elizabeth seemed as though she lived happily without him. He furrowed his brow in concentration while he thought, but nothing ever came to him. How could he say what he wanted to without making things feel awkward again?
"So you don't have to worry about what happened." The woman continued, surprising Ciel. He looked up to see her staring directly at him. "I still lived happily ever after. My 'prince' might not have been as high-status at the time, but I loved him, and he loved me. We went on adventures together and started a family. I was still worried about you, of course, but… we all lived, didn't we?"
"Yeah…" Ciel answered quietly with a nod. Truly, he was happy for Elizabeth and relieved that she lived well. "We did, didn't we?"
"Isaac was also better at dancing." The woman suddenly teased.
"Now, that's just mean." Chuckled the bluenette, unfazed by the "ruining" of the moment. "I've gotten better, I'll have you know."
"I'm sorry." His cousin insincerely apologized with a laugh. They resumed picking up the blocks again, reaching the last few pieces.
"What about you?" she asked, placing another brick back in the box. She already knew the answer, but truthfully, she wanted to hear it from the man himself. "Have you found anyone in all this time?"
A blush immediately formed on Ciel's face at the question. She was close. She was very close to receiving the truth of the situation. Meanwhile, the Phantomhive faced a very tricky dilemma.
Should he tell her about himself and Alois or not? Elizabeth had always been the type to adore romance and romanticism. The idea of the princess marrying her prince was always the best possible outcome. That, however, was not the case for Ciel. There was no princess, but Ciel did love Alois. He loved the man in the same manner that any other man would love a woman, but he was uncertain as to how the angel would take this. She didn't at all seem phased by the fact that he was a demon, but being in a homosexual relationship might be over the line.
That aside, it wasn't fair to Alois to keep him a secret. Ciel didn't want to. He wanted to love the Macken out in the open without a single shred of apology. He wanted everyone to know that this person was his and vice versa, and yet before his former fiancée, there was hesitation. Ciel did want Elizabeth to know, but he had feared her rejection before, and now he was at risk for it again.
Alois had said something on the matter before, however. Even if Elizabeth didn't accept the Phantomhive as he was, then he still had a family. It was the one that he had scrounged together, and while they might not be at all related by blood, they all still cared about each other deeply. He was accepted amoung the Macken's, as well as by his butler and colleagues. Surely that was enough. Although Ciel desperately wanted to incorporate Elizabeth back into his life, he still had people who liked him as his is.
"I have." He said vaguely, trying to test the waters. "We aren't married, but we still love each other."
"Really?" asked the Hellsing, eyes lighting up. "Ciel, that's so wonderful!" she said excitedly, reaching out and grabbing the bluenette's hands. "What are they like?"
"Well…" the bluenette began, blush darkening. It didn't at all go unnoticed by Elizabeth, but she refrained from commenting until the bluenette bashfully thought of a way to describe his lover. "They're very smart— very witty and clever with a good sense of humour… though, it can be rather 'odd' at times. While they have their faults, I only seem to find them endearing. It's like they're just as strange as I am…"
Elizabeth's smile only widened as the demon seemingly got lost in talking about his love. She merely watched as the man described them while idly picking up the blocks. For a moment, he looked for more after he put the last one away.
"What do they look like?" she asked, snapping the other back to attention. The corners of Ciel's mouth twitched as he tried not to smile.
"Stunning." He said, accidentally spouting the first thing that came to mind. Embarrassedly, he shook his head as he sat down on the floor where he was gathering the blocks, only to be joined by his cousin.
"I mean—well, yes, they're very beautiful… You couldn't miss them in a crowd. They're really pale all around, with their skin, eyes, and hair…" he trailed off. That was sort of a giveaway, but perhaps the woman wouldn't make the connection—
"It sounds like you're describing Jim." Elizabeth pointed out, startling the man and dashing his hopes. He couldn't hide his flustered self any longer as the woman tilted her head and looked at him with knowing eyes. "Are you?"
Ciel's mouth opened and closed like a fish on land trying to breathe. He tried to form words, but he had none. There was no backup plan or witty remark that he could default to. Taking a deep breath, he looked down at his hands.
"Yes…" he bashfully said, at long last deciding to come clean. He braced himself for whatever harsh or disgusted words that were sure to come from the angel's mouth, but they never did. In fact, she said something directly opposite.
"I know." Elizabeth stated. "I read your files while I was at the Hellsing estate, and I saw you two from the window when we first arrived. I just wanted to hear it from you. You really do love him, don't you, Ciel?" Swallowing his pride, the man looked up to address the woman.
"More than anything." He simply replied. An earnest look adorned his face as he spoke with all sincerity. Slowly, the angel cupped his cheeks in her hands.
"I'm so happy for you." She said quietly, a smile still prominent on her face. "You've changed so much… I've never seen you like this before."
"Time heals all wounds." The man stated, the corners of his mouth gently turning upwards. "Sometimes, it takes a little more than most people have."
"You look so handsome." Elizabeth uttered, stroking the demon's cheek affectionately with her thumb. "You're much taller than me now. Anyone would be lucky to have you."
"I wouldn't say that." The bluenette answered. "I still have my faults."
"I still love you."
"I love you too."
With that, the Hellsing woman pulled the Phantomhive into a tight embrace, wrapping her arms around the man's neck while he did the same with her waist. It was a bit awkward while sitting in the floor, but they still managed. Even after all of this time, they still cared about each other, even if fate had other things in mind for them. It was love, but not the romantic sort. Instead, it was a more familial bond, but that wasn't how it appeared to Alois in that moment.
He stood there in the doorway, mouth agape and eyebrows bent upwards. His heart dropped from his chest at the scene while it felt as though he had been simultaneously punched in the stomach. He wanted to run away— just run away and hide for a while, taking as long as it took to forget what he had just seen and heard, but he couldn't. Alois' limbs were cold as they were numb, rendering him unable to move. Throat tying itself in knots and stinging appearing in his eyes, the blonde was paralyzed and helpless to do one single thing about it.
Those words of encouragement; that promise that Ciel's heart belonged only to him seemed to be part of one massive and elaborate lie. Now that Elizabeth was here, Alois was surely going to be replaced. It was naïve for the menace to think that a noble such as Ciel would ever love someone of such low status, let alone a man. It was disgraceful. Now that Ciel's fiancée was here, it would be they who upheld the Phantomhive legacy. How on earth could Alois have been so stupid to believe that he would be the one to stay at the bluenette's side?
Doubt now ruled over the Macken as the bluenette looked up and spotted him. The smile on the watchdog's face only stung, as it felt like Alois was being laughed at. Ciel's smile dropped as he witnessed the menace's mouth press into a thin line and the man clutch at his own shirt. The expression on Alois' face caused the Phantomhive physical pain. As Elizabeth turned her head in order to look at the blonde as well, the gears in Ciel's head started turning. He looked at the angel, and then back to his beau. His eye widened as he finally figured it out.
"Jim…" Ciel began, gently pushing the woman away and standing up. He reached out a hand, but the blonde only took a step back. "Jim, wait!"
Alois did not. He turned around and walked back in the direction he came. Quickly, the bluenette started after him, being swift enough to grab his arm.
"Jim, please, just listen." Continued the watchdog. His voice was gentle as he pleaded with the menace. "It's not like that… She's just—"
"Leave me alone…" Alois interrupted, keeping his head turned away. His voice was weak as his lower lip quivered. "I don't want to talk to you."
"Jim, it's just a misunderstanding. We need to sit down and talk about this."
"What did I just fucking say?" spouted the Macken, his voice more firm. At last, he turned to face the other, his eyes angry and hurt.
"Your fiancée's back. Good for you." He continued, staring the bluenette square in the face. "I'm happy for you, but I will not be your mistress!"
On the final word, he wrestled his wrist free from Ciel's grip before storming off. For a second, Ciel tried to go after him, but he was stopped by an arm blocking his path. Elizabeth stood between them, allowing the other man to get away.
"Leave him alone for a little bit." She instructed. "If you go after him right now, he'll blow up again…"
"I can't just leave him like that, though…" Ciel protested. "I have to talk to him!"
"You will. Just give it a minute or two." The woman said, lowering her arm. "Trust me. I've had children!" She stated with a smile. The bluenette, however, did not smile back. In fact, he said nothing as he merely averted his gaze toward the ground.
"It's going to be alright…" the angel said reassuringly, rubbing her cousin's back in a soothing fashion. "Come on, let's work out how to fix this…"
