"You've grown up quite nicely, Jim Macken."
Alois didn't want to hear it. The roughness of the man's voice harshly scratched his ears and dug into his mind, forcing the menace to recall things that he would much rather keep hidden from himself. In seconds, entire scenes would flash before his eyes, only to subside and show what was right in front of him in the "real world" before repeating the process again. His body jerked abruptly, his legs feeling weak and as though they wouldn't be able to support him any longer. They buckled, eventually causing him to collapse. Snow seeped through the fabric of his pants, but he didn't notice. He was already too frozen to do so.
His vision blurred, his eyes becoming unable to focus and blocked by the tears that silently collected before finally spilling over. He hiccupped. He shook. The Macken's breath started coming out more rapidly—more strained. He was hyperventilating. All the while, however, his eyes never strayed from his enemy; that man, that man who warped him almost beyond repair.
It was the Earl before him.
Despite knowing it was possible, Alois couldn't believe it. He didn't want to. He didn't want any of it. It had to be all a lie. It wasn't, though. This fact became apparent when the man reached out to touch the Macken, causing the blonde to flinch and utter a small squeak as he tried to pull away. Araneus held him still, however, gripping his chin between his index finger and thumb. Alois wanted to utter a scream at the coarse contact, but all that came out was a whimper.
In that moment, he forgot that he was a demon. He forgot that he was a man. Alois' power was stripped away by the mere sight of the spider, reverting himself back to a small, frightened boy.
"Look at you…" grinned the older demon. "Such dashing features… You always were beautiful when you cried."
Alois' eyes widened, his mind shutting down completely as his body tensed. The lion was helpless as he was restrained by his own fear. He did not want to turn back into a doll, but his will was gone—or rather, trapped for the time being.
Suddenly, Araneus leapt backward, dodging out of the way as a blade slashed between them both. The sword then slashed in his direction, creating a gash in the man's forehead. The older demon clutched his wound as if he were trying to hold the blood in while it dribbled down his face. The injury failed to heal quickly, as the blade that had cut him was blessed.
A dog clad in black stood between the boy and the monster, guarding the menace while staring down his opponent with cold eyes. While he wasn't entirely sure what was happening, he knew that the menace was in trouble. He was frightened, which was no ordinary feat as the man possessed seemingly boundless courage. It was obvious from the moment that the Phantomhive set his gaze on the pair that he needed to separate them. Sword drawn, the tip of his blade staring straight at his enemy's throat, Ciel was ready to render him limbless as soon as he deemed it suitable.
"Araneus." The bluenette greeted.
"Oh, so Jim's with the guard-dog, him?" asked the other man. "A stray with a pure-bred? How sweet…"
"What. Did. You. Do." Demanded the Phantomhive, having none of Cerberus' games at the moment. His beau had been hurt. That was a crime punishable only by death.
"Nothing." Answered Araneus. "I merely said 'hello'! It's been a long time..."
Ciel furrowed his brow for a moment and looked to the silently weeping menace, taking in his visage for a moment. He analyzed how the menace was shaking, how his eyes were glazed, and how he braced himself for some unknown force to strike him. Then, the bluenette's gaze shifted back to the other demon, taking in his features. He looked familiar; like he was in a dream of Ciel's a long time ago; or rather, a nightmare. It was then that the Phantomhive's eye widened, his blood running cold. Upon seeing that smirk, taunting him, reveling in the dismay of the Macken, it began to boil.
"You…" growled the watchdog, his single, sapphire eye changing into crimson as it viewed his target with hatred from the bottom of his heart. Ciel understood. He knew Alois, after all. Knowing that the man who nearly broke his beau was right in front of him-that the man who defiled the one he loved most was delighted in the fact, and would jump at the chance to do it again—Ciel had to make him suffer.
"Now, now, don't get mad at me." Araneus said, shaking his head. "Just look at him. Could you blame me?"
The older demon's eyes widened and he tried to dodge again as the Phantomhive unleashed a mighty slash. It cut cleanly into the brick wall behind him, in a neat line. With that, the Cerberus demon began to run away. On instinct, the watchdog took a few steps forward in order to give chase, but stopped dead in his tracks as the sounds of the blonde's sobbing reached his ears.
Turning his head, he eyed the menace in his weakened state. Alois was a complete mess. It seemed as though it was taking every single fragment of his energy to try and get a grip on himself, but judging from the blonde's actions, his efforts were in vain. Alois openly sobbed as though he were the only one there, shaking, hyperventilating, and whimpering when he ran out of the air necessary to sob properly.
Ciel's body jerked to go after Araneus, as it was the most practical solution, but Ciel's heart said otherwise, forcing him still again. With that, his legs began, to move, but not in the direction of the older demon. No, instead the watchdog hurried to the blonde's side, crouching down on the ground next to him as his beau continued to panic.
"Jim…" he called. "Jim, it's alright. He's gone. He can't hurt you." He reached out to caress the blonde's cheek, only to have his hand swatted away.
"Don't touch me!" snarled the menace, eyes wide and aflame as he glared at the startled bluenette. Once they focused a tad, they softened before his face contorted into another pained expression as he bent his head forward, facing the ground as he pulled at his own hair. "Ciel… Ciel…"
"I'm here." The Phantomhive replied, with a worried look. "I'm here, Jim. Jim… You have to listen to me. What do you need?"
Without a word, the menace let go of his blonde locks before reaching out and gripping the watchdog's hand. He seemed to calm down slightly at the gesture, his breathing slowing, while still ragged. Ciel covered the blonde's hand with his own, encasing it in heat.
"You're safe." Ciel insisted, gently rubbing the Macken's hand with his fingers. "I'm here for you. I won't let anything hurt you…"
Soon, Alois took his hand away and crawled over to the Phantomhive, forcing his way into the man's arms. He pressed his face against Ciel's chest, trying to hide his hysterics and muffle his sobs, but the watchdog could feel tears seeping through his shirt. Ciel wrapped his arms around the man, bringing him close, and shielding him from anything and everything. Right now, Ciel was the only security for Alois at the moment, and the bluenette was more than happy to oblige. Still, he had to call in the encounter.
"This is Phantomhive." The bluenette spoke into his phone. "The male demon known as 'Araneus' was spotted by the library. We engaged him, but he got away. Try to keep tabs on him."
"No…" the blonde finally said, his voice weak and airy. It genuinely surprised the watchdog, forcing him to attention.
"Jim?" he called, and the Macken pulled away slightly, revealing eyes that were puffy and red around the edges, but that was not the most peculiar thing about them. Their hue was icey, but their gaze was ablaze with coldest of fire.
"I'm going to kill him…" declared the menace. "I have to kill him… It's the only way. If I don't, I'll stay the same frightened little kid that I've always been. Now that I'm strong, this is my fight. Whatever little bit of dignity I have left… It's mine, and I have to let him know! I have to let him know that he hasn't crushed me!"
