Time passed and the duo made their way to their next stop. It was a slow process, but the demons made it worth their while. They continued to tell stories, and Alois would try to imitate whatever the GPS just said whenever they were interrupted. Traffic was extremely congested, so the device would act up on multiple occasions as they sat still surrounded by cars. They really did pick the wrong day for this. Holidays were terrible, and so were weekends, mornings, and afternoons. Both gentlemen were almost considering abandoning the car in favour of continuing on foot so they could get there before nightfall.
Despite this, they held fast with virtuous patience and were rewarded with making it to their destination. By then, however, both of them weren't sure if they wanted to continue. Just making it there was such a hassle and lord knows just what lies ahead.
"C'mon, then." Alois said, letting out a sigh as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "Let's go fuck shit up."
"We don't have to if you don't want to." The Phantomhive meekly stated. He had caught onto the Mackens tiredness and was worried that he wasn't having any fun at all. "We can just go home and save it for another day, if you want."
"But I want to spend time doing things with you!" the menace replied, offering a smile toward the bluenette. It would appear that even Ciel wasn't perfect when it came to planning, but Alois found it endearing, especially considering how worried the bluenette was over how entertained his beau was.
"That's all that really matters to me right now." He continued, leaning over to peck the man's cheek and nuzzle his shoulder the best he could while still in the vehicle. "I want to be all lovey-dovey with you and stuff. So mushy, that it's almost gross."
Ciel uttered a small laugh at this as he seemed to calm down just a tad. Reaching up, he ran a hand through blonde locks as his shoulder was leaned on, looking down at the menace's irresistible grinning face. "Well, how can I say 'no' to that?"
"Good! Let's go, then!" the blonde declared, pulling away and scooting out of his seat. Once he stood up, he leaned down in order to peek inside the vehicle one last time. "We must go. It's hard to act like gross lovebirds in the car. Well, in the front seat, at least."
The door slammed shut, leaving the bluenette with no other options but to exit the car as well. Immediately after closing the door, the menace pushed the "lock" button on the keyring remote and then latched onto the watchdog's arm as they walked toward the restaurant. It was in a sort of niche location, and looked very small. Once they opened the door, however, they discovered that it was in fact, much bigger on the inside.
It was a dimly lit establishment with a bar. Toward the back was a dancefloor and a stage with various unmanned instruments sitting on it. Cool music played over the speakers—some sort of Jazz music that Alois couldn't quite name the style of. It wasn't as packed as the other place. There were couples seated at tables and at the bar, but the bar was still predominantly occupied by singles. As Alois looked up at his beau's face, he decided that the place suited him, somehow. It was dreary with an interesting sort of energy bubbling up from underneath the surface.
"Shall we take a seat, then?" the Phantomhive asked, prompting the menace's attention.
"Sure. Hope you don't mind if I cling to you a bit longer, though. This is your coat and I want the smell to stick instead of cigarettes." Alois replied, noting the smoky scent that filled the air.
"I don't mind. We can get a booth and sit on the same side." The bluenette suggested and not soon after, he was tugged along by his lover, who was oblivious to the glances that they were getting by other patrons as they sat down. Ciel didn't like it, but he was confident that he and the menace would be able to handle anything a room with a handful of humans in it could dish out.
On that note, the waitress immediately walked up to their table to take their order, not seeming to pay much attention to any of the other patron's behaviour or that of the duo. After briefly looking over the menu, both demons quickly decided on what they wanted—a massive improvement from the other place—and once that was settled, the waitress took up the menus again and disappeared into the kitchen.
"Is this better?" questioned the watchdog, looking over at his beau and grinning when the other man leaned on his shoulder with a hum.
"Much. It's certainly not as festive, but this should be fun." Alois replied. Casually, he reached down in order to grasp at the blunette's hand, bringing it up and setting it down on the table before playing with his fingers. "Seems to suit you a little better, too."
"Really? How's that?"
"Not as… 'fairytale-ish'?" the blonde said in an almost questioning tone. "I never thought the whole 'prince charming' role fit you."
"Then what role does suit me?" asked Ciel. He arched an eyebrow as he watched Alois fiddle with his hand some more while thinking. The blonde paused for a while as he pondered just what sort of part did suit the watchdog, but with that thought, he found his answer.
"'Being Ciel' is what suits you best." He said with a small laugh. "You're smart, funny, cute, and a very bad man. At the same time, though, you're a very good man; awkward, sweet… Nothing else fits you, because, well, you're you, and nothing else would really be the same, would it?"
Looking up, he could see a blush form on the Phantomhive's face, even with the dim lighting of the room they sat in. He stared quietly with a grin on his face until Ciel leaned forward, planting a kiss on his forehead. Alois' lips parted slightly, his smile becoming smaller as he continued to look the watchdog over. A small shudder ran through him as Ciel's gaze seemingly pierced him, all while the Phantomhive's face remained perfectly serious. At last, the bluenette smiled softly, and his gaze lost the intensity it had moments before.
"You have really got me beat." Stated the bluenette in a quiet tone. The blonde sat up slightly in order to get a better look at his face, now holding the noble's hand in his own. Even though Alois wasn't all over him, Ciel's expression remained consistent as he continued. "How am I supposed to win you over if you already beat me to it?" he asked.
"Like you have to try." Alois retorted. "I love you, no matter what you do. You could be at your goofiest, and I would still find you attractive."
"Perhaps, but I want to make you feel special." Answered Ciel. "You're important to me, and sometimes, I'm not the best at showing it. You should always know, however, just how special you are."
"Just who is beating who, now, Pooch?"
"Don't know, don't really care." Ciel looked up and saw their waitress exiting the kitchen with what appeared to be their orders. "We'll find out after we eat, though."
"Is that a challenge?" asked the Macken with a small smirk.
"No, because that would imply that I have the chance to not be the one making you swoon." Whispered the Phantomhive before the waitress got to the table. She set down the plates and confirmed their orders before leaving again.
She didn't seem to bat an eyelash at their proximity, but looking around, a few others did. A man and a woman seated a few booths in front of them occasionally looked over, the woman's eyes darting toward them while the man looked over his shoulder at them. Quickly, they both averted their gaze upon having been caught. The woman whispered to her date, while grinning, but neither of them could see the man's reaction.
"Looks like we've got fans." Alois mused, putting his straw in his drink and taking a sip. He looked down at his plate and liked what he saw, so he wasted no time separating his hand from the bluenette's in order to dig in.
"We seem to be really good at attracting them." Answered his beau, picking up his own utensils. Glancing at the menace, Ciel chuckled. "So I take it that the food is more to your liking?"
"Mm-hm~!" hummed the Macken in agreement, opting to not open his mouth full in order to answer. He continued to eat as the other did the same, rather content with this turn of events. Occasionally, he would pause to suck the grease off of his fingers left from the fish and chips in front of him, only to get more on them as he continued.
"So what do you want to do after this?" asked the bluenette between chewing. In truth, he had a few ideas, but he still wondered if the blonde simply wanted to go home or not.
"I dunno." Alois stated, finally tearing his attention away from his food. "Is there nothing left on the agenda for today?"
"Oh, I have an idea or two. I was just wondering how you were holding up."
"Pretty well. You've got me curious, so now I have to listen."
"Finish your food first." Instructed the watchdog, earning a nudge to his side from Alois' elbow.
"Mean." The menace accused with a pout. "Why can't you tell me now?"
"Because if I told you, you might want to get up and go, but you seem to be really enjoying your food."
"I can listen and eat…" Alois insisted.
"Well, I was wondering how inviting you thought that dancefloor over there seemed." The watchdog stated, a small blush on his cheeks. His demeanor seemed cool—smooth, in a way that was uncommon with the bluenette. Ordinarily, he would have averted his eye upon asking such a question, but instead, he kept his gaze fixated on his lover's as he intently waited for a response. Something about the Phantomhive's demeanor caused Alois' stomach to do flips, despite the fact that this certainly wasn't the first time that Ciel had asked him to dance.
Unfortunately, the bluenette was right. He did want to immediately vacate the table with his beau in arm. Alois' eyes shifted from Ciel to his plate again, debating on how long it would take for him to finish it.
"Maybe." He said not-so-cryptically, taking a swig of his drink. His face turned a little pink as his beau leaned closer to him with a soft sort of half-smile.
"It's alright if you're not up to it…" the Phantomhive reassured in a hushed tone.
"I want to!" protested the menace, furrowing his brow with a small pout as he turned his attention back to Ciel. "I'm just debating on whether or not I want to finish my food, is all."
"See? I told you." The watchdog pointed out, his grin widening. "I knew you'd just want to skip right to it."
"Glad I can stroke your ego with that. Jerk."
"Well, while it does give me a bit of an ego boost, I also just think it's cute."
"Don't you have food to finish, too?" questioned Alois. He grumbled as he turned his attention back to his plate and filled his mouth with food, forcibly giving his boyfriend a reason to stop trying to provoke a reaction from him. Much to his dismay, however, the Phantomhive opted to laugh at him, enjoying the display immensely. Ciel soon shook his head and started eating again, himself, using utensils, rather than his hands, thus leaving most of the disposable napkins to the menace to use.
"Yes, sir." He jokingly replied, but he did notice how his beau was eating rather fast. "Don't choke." Ciel warned, but his words of caution fell on deaf ears as the menace nearly inhaled his meal. Eventually, the menace pushed his empty plate away and wiped his hands on a napkin.
"Scoot over." Alois instructed, turning his whole body in the seat in order to face the Phantomhive, to which the bluenette, being the devious man he was, did as instructed, but in the wrong direction. He slid himself further toward the Macken, eventually pressing him against the wall and earning a delightful string of complaints from his lover.
"Ack! Rrgh! No! Not that way! Gah!" the menace whined, trying to push against the watchdog. "I need to go wash my hands! Quit it!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. You should have specified then." Mischievously smirked the bluenette as he continued to not budge.
"I will wipe my greasy hands on your suit!" threatened his beau, only making him laugh. Still, he did as he was told, and stepped out of the booth so that the Macken could get by.
Once he was out, Ciel sat back down, chuckling to himself as he noticed the other demon pluck a mint from the bowl on top of the bar as he passed. When the Phantomhive decided that his boyfriend was out of sight, he reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and took out a slip of paper, furrowing his brow as he carefully examined the words written on it. The man blushed slightly as he read, and nervously chuckled when the waitress came by to collect empty plates, leaving complimentary mints on the table before she left. Popping on into his mouth, he sensed the menace rounding the corner and quickly folded the paper before hastily shoving it back in his pocket before standing up to greet him.
"So, how about that dance?" he questioned, pecking his lover on the cheek. When he pulled away, he was rewarded with a bright grin and a giggle from the menace, who took his hand gladly.
"Was there any doubt that I wouldn't?" Alois asked in reply as he was led to the dance floor.
"Maybe a little." Admitted Ciel. "I was afraid that you were getting bored and wanted to leave."
"Bored? On a date with you? Never."
Alois' feet hit the hardwood floor first, leading his beau after him. As the sound system started playing a new song, they got into position, ignoring the other people around them. They didn't matter, despite the fact that the duo stood out more than a little.
Ciel took the lead, catching the blonde off guard with moves that he hadn't seen before. He actually faltered on the first few steps, causing his beau to chuckle, but Alois soon got the gist of things. It took lots of staring at the Phantomhive's feet, but they were soon in perfect synch as if they were able to predict the other's movements. They stepped lightly along with the rhythm of the music, dodging people when they accidentally got too close, but expertly making it part of the dance.
Both men were laughing and having a good time as Ciel took the blonde's hand and caused him to twirl, and twirl and twirl, almost as though he were making it a game before pulling him close to his chest. He held Alois with one arm around his waist while holding the Macken's hand in the other. It was almost as though they were embracing more than dancing, but that certainly didn't stop them.
A blush formed on the fair-haired demon's face and his grin fell with his lips parting slightly, as their gazes met—artic blue on sapphire. The fair-haired demon's heart nearly skipped a beat and he almost stopped his movements altogether as the soft, gentle smile of the watchdog registered in his mind. He almost melted under Ciel's gaze, as it spoke volumes about how the bluenette truly felt about him. The way he looked at the Macken was as though the entire world was before him—like Alois was all he cared about. Alois' grip on the fabric of his beau's jacket tightened as the red hue on his face darkened under the intensity of the bluenette's stare. He almost wanted to look away, but couldn't. It was almost as though he was afraid that if he did, he wouldn't be looked at like this again.
"I love you." The bluenette said. His voice was tender, but it pierced through the blonde, causing the butterflies in his stomach to flutter faster and warm him from the inside out. "Although I might not express it blatantly as often as I should, you're precious to me. Someday I hope I won't need a holiday as an excuse to tell you that."
"Then don't…" the menace replied, his voice shook a bit, but he had to force back a wide grin. "You don't have to wait…"
"I just lack confidence." Ciel admitted. "I'll get there, though. When that happens, I'll be able to tell you just how much I love you every day. For now, though, I'm just not sure how to put it into words."
"It's okay." Alois stated, letting go of his partner's hand in order to cup his cheeks in both palms. "This is enough for me. Just as long as I know you love me at all, it's enough."
"Oh, but I don't think so." Answered the watchdog. "You know me. I want to be thorough. You mean the world to me, and you deserve to know that in detail!"
"Then I'll wait for you. As long as you keep looking at me, I'll wait as long as it takes you to find the words even if it takes years."
"Are you sure you want to put up with me for that long?"
"Of course I can. I love you, so putting up with you is more than a pleasure!"
A grin graced the bluenette's face as he wrapped both arms around his boyfriend. Their foreheads touched and their noses nuzzled together. All was missing was their lips touching, and everything would be perfect.
Before that could happen, however, Alois uttered a sound of surprise as he found himself being dipped by the watchdog to the sound of shattering glass. Reflexively, his eyes closed at the feeling of liquid being dripped on his face. Once he opened them again, he saw Ciel staring down at him, still maintaining his grip on him so that he doesn't fall with a foul-smelling substance soaking his hair and dripping down from the strands. Occasionally, a shard of glass would fall as well, but the man shifted so that it would miss his lover. When the watchdog's eye turned it's attention to his back, the menace looked over Ciel's shoulder as well to see an intoxicated man standing behind him, oblivious to the gasping crowd around them.
"Fucking fags!" the man said, snot dripping down his reddened face and tears pooled at puffy, reddened eyes. In his hand was the neck of a shattered beer bottle, still aimed at the two demons. "Fuck you."
"I'm sorry, sir, but do you mind?" the Phantomhive asked. "We're kind of having a moment, here."
"You think I give a fuck?!" barked the drunkard. "It's 'cause of you cocksuckers she didn't think I was good enough!"
Upon further inspection, the Macken's eyebrows raised as it occurred to him that he was the man sitting with the woman who was laughing at them before. It would seem that she dumped him, and now he was irritable and taking it out on the duo.
"So the gays really are threatening other people's relationships." The blonde mused. His eyes traveled toward the broken bottle, as pointed shards were still pointed at Ciel. His attention then turned to the watchdog, silently asking him how he was going to handle this. If the Phantomhive could wink, he would have, but instead he offered his lover a knowing smirk, to which the blonde nodded.
"Together?"
"Together." Said Ciel as Alois' arms wrapped around his shoulders. Tapping his foot, he counted. "One, two, three…"
His foot stopped tapping as he pressed it further into the ground, supporting the blonde's weight as he lifted the man and swung him. They moved from their previous position as Ciel used Alois like a weapon, gripping him and swinging him at their opponent. The Macken's shoes struck the drunkards face, and not softly. The man was out like a light just as the song over the sound system ended without skipping a beat. Alois' feet touched the ground again, safely being held in the watchdog's arms again, impressing the crowd, but he wasn't thrilled when he tried to run his hands through the bluenette's hair to find that the back of his man's head was bleeding.
"Ciel?!"
"It's okay, I'll heal with no problems. Headwounds just bleed a lot." Grinned the Phantomhive, letting go of the menace in order to take off his jacket. "My suit may be ruined, though." He added, drapping it over his forearm.
"Aw… I liked that one…" faux-pouted the blonde.
"Why do you think I wore it today?" his beau answered, grabbing his hand with his free one. "It's alright, though. There's always extra work clothes in the back of the car, so it's not a big deal."
"You're so weird…" giggled the menace as he was led off the dancefloor. "Cute, but weird."
"That's my thing, though, isn't it?" the bluenette mused, glancing over at the other as he recalled their prior conversation. Alois simply shook his head, but his grin remained as they were approached by the staff of the restaurant.
Two free meals in one day was remarkable, but the restaurant had to do something, since the Phantomhive had been injured in their establishment. After thanking the staff, the duo simply retreated back to their vehicle, and the menace opened the trunk for Ciel to reach in and grab the bag with extra clothes in it—pants, shirt, tie, jacket, and even underwear and shoes was inside. Since his shirt was still dry, the Phantomhive simply grabbed the jacket before closing the trunk again.
"Can you hold this?" he asked, extending his arm with his soiled jacket draped over it to Alois. Silently, his beau obliged, nodding as he took the garment and watching as Ciel swapped. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he saw something fall from the jacket in his arms, and quickly moved to catch it.
A slip of paper, carefully folded into a small rectangle. Ink had seeped through it, indicating that something had been written on extensively. Out of curiousity, the menace unfolded it and read the contents. The grin that formed on his face was the biggest one yet, but alas, he was caught by his beau.
"Don't read that!" the Phantomhive said, quickly grabbing for the paper. It was too late, though, Alois was already reading it, and he wouldn't be stopped. He moved to keep it out of his beau's reach, keeping his body between his outstretched arm and the bluenette as he continued to read.
On it were notes for the date. There were instructions on how to get to the first restaurant, and the second one was jotted down as "backup". Dance steps were on it as well, and a few things that ended up not being used, like the original location that they would be dancing together at, and conversation topics that the bluenette seemingly forgot from the disarray of being thrown off by the first restaurant being a flop. Additional comments written by what appeared to be Sebastian's handwriting showed up occasionally as well along with general things for Ciel to keep in mind. "Be honest" was a big one. Oh, how the watchdog's face turned bright red at the find was too much for Alois to handle.
"You did all of this?" the Macken questioned, grinning enthusiastically with light pink dusting his cheeks. "You even asked Sebastian for help?" With a small groan, the bluenette looked away, crossing his arms while trying to hide his face.
"Yes…" he answered, unable to say anything else. There was no point in hiding it at this point. He had tried to aim for the most romantic date he could think of, although it didn't exactly go as planned. The poor man even went through the embarrassment of having his butler help him learn dance steps in order to please the Macken, but fortunately, Alois wasn't so cruel to bring that up. Uttering a sound of surprise, he found his face being pulled toward the blonde's, and his lips being assailed by a delighted Alois.
"You're so cute!" declared the fair-haired demon upon pulling away. "The best! You're so brilliant, I don't know how to deal with it!"
Alois was touched. Truly, he was. He knew that Ciel wasn't the most naturally romantic of people, but he tried his hardest, and for the most part, succeeded. He wooed the menace and made it seem effortless, but now that Alois knew, the blonde was ecstatic. Everything that Ciel had said before was obviously true. He meant it. He really did want the menace to know how he felt and wanted to make the Macken feel special.
"You really are amazing…" Alois said softly, nuzzling the Phantomhive's cheek. Stunned, Ciel stood frozen for a few moments before finally wrapping his arms around his beau.
"Not really…" he answered. "I just wanted to make sure you had a good time…"
"It was better than 'good'." The blonde stated. "You're just… I love you so much…"
Awkwardly, the watchdog stood there as he was being hugged by his boyfriend, blushing like a madman while he tried to think of something to say. He couldn't, though, so he simply cracked the tiniest of smiles and returned the other man's affections. He was taken by surprised when Alois pulled back and looked at the paper again, though, causing another flash of nervousness to run through him as he wondered what was wrong.
"There's one thing missing, though…" the blonde stated.
"Wh-what's that?" his lover asked. Alois smirked mischievously and shot the Phantomhive a devious look as he touched the tips of their noses together.
"There's no hotel listed on here." Pointed out the Macken. "And I want to treat you extra special tonight!" he added with a sweet tone of voice that made Ciel shudder.
"I, uh… I may or may not have already made arrangements for a suite." The other man answered, earning a small peck on his chin.
"Perfect!" Alois said as he pulled away again. He threw his boyfriend's coat in the trunk and closed it before walking around to the driver's seat of the vehicle. "Let's be sure to get there quickly, then! You're taking a shower, first, though. You smell like alcohol."
"U-uh…"
"I'm keeping this, by the way~!" he declared in a sing-song voice as he waved the paper over his head. With a laugh, he plopped down in the driver's seat, snapping the other man to attention.
"Why would you want that?! You are not!"
A/N: 4,550 words long...
UGH
Whelp *cracks knuckles* time to move onto plot!
But first, questions?
"What self respecting Londoner actually tries to drive in London. There is never not traffic and places like Covent Garden where Clos Moggiore is are tourist traps. You'd think Ciel would be smarter than that." by Grumylar
Because the author has never set foot in England, let alone London, pfft. I don't even live in a big city. I have no clue, maaaaan. I don't even know where Clos Maggiore is. I'm just rollin' with shit, yo.
Also, please imagine Alois on public transportation, though.
That is also why.
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
