Ciel sat in his office, attempting to decipher more of the Scarlet Order's secrets. They haven't made another move, but they have compiled a possible list of suspects. Several citizens have been reported missing from Gehenna after the attack in front of the police station. After having their homes searched, they turned up with a few incriminating articles. Boxes of bullets, and make-shift weapons crafted from whatever could be found. Several of them proved dangerous. Millwall bricks, Molotov cocktails in the making, tonfa clubs, blackjacks, knuckledusters, dartmoor spikes, whips, flails, and even guns all fashioned out of found items! That evidence was hard to ignore.
Upon finding out the identity of some such individuals, H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. interviewed residents about them, finding out what they were like and what they did around the neighbourhood. They even brought in a sketchartist to create pictures of the suspects when actual photos couldn't be found. Posters started to appear around the area, offering rewards to those who came forward with information. Despite this, none did, and Ciel was stuck at his desk trying to tie pieces together.
They had everything they needed for arrests, except for the locations of the criminals! It was surprisingly difficult to find them in a city as large as London once they started to run away. It's always best to catch things early, but that isn't what happened this time. The enemy was getting away, and could be virtually anywhere within city limits.
Sighing, the bluenette rubbed his temples. He really didn't want to be working on this at the moment. He had other things to do. The man had a massive project that needed done, and it probably would have been completed by now if it weren't for all of this "Scarlet Order" mess. Tiredly, he looked over at his beau, seated in his usual spot on one of the office's notoriously uncomfortable sofas, leaning against a cushion that he had actually bought recently for the specific purpose of making it bearable.
The Macken sat with tablet in hand, scanning local news sites for anything of interest. Occasionally, the media does find things before either the duo or H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. Then again, the organization had a special team to do this for them. All they did was browse articles all day in order to make sure that any missions that may have otherwise slipped past stay under wraps. There were occasions, however, where they were wrong. Alois browsed with an almost blank expression since he sat down, but eventually, his eyes lit up. A scoff escaped him as he sat upright in his seat.
"Hey, Ciel, look at this." He called, standing up and walking around the other man's desk in order to show his beau his find. "'Werewolf Sighting Near Soho Has Chinese Restaurants Worried.'"
"What?" gawked the bluenette, leaning over to get a better look at the article.
"Yeah! That's what it says! Look!" pointed out the menace. "'A man wandering through Soho Saturday evening sought out strangers on the street in order to find Lee Ho Fooks, a Chinese restaurant in the area, eyewitnesses stated, before lashing out at passersby. The man started acting suspiciously before beginning to snarl, scream, and swipe at bystanders. Some witnesses claimed that he grew hair as his face contorted painfully, before eventually fleeing when people began shouting at him to leave.'"
"Sounds like an addict of some sort." Ciel dismissed. "You see them in that area on occasion."
"Who knows? Maybe somebody forgot it was a full moon?"
"It wasn't a full moon…"
"How do you know? We were inside all Saturday evening." Alois answered, taking the tablet and pulling up a search engine. "I'm gonna look it up…"
"Why?"
"I'm curious!" stated the menace as he typed in his search and pressed "enter". When the results came up, a wide grin appeared on his face. "Oh, man, look at that! Full moon. Right there. Boom."
"It's probably just a coincidence." Replied Ciel. "Why on earth would a werewolf be in Soho during a full moon?"
"I dunno. Maybe he's new and didn't check before going out." Shrugged Alois. "It's probably some hokey bullshit story. You see those on occasion. I just thought it was interesting, is all, given the current situation."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Scarlet Order stole some serious shit. They didn't just take guns, remember? They took DNA samples. Amelie's was some that was stolen, so who knows? It could happen."
For a moment, Ciel stopped to think, furrowing his brow. What the menace was suggesting did make sense. Nodding, Ciel provided his own speculations.
"That would explain the amateur way of going about this." He said. "They must be someone who approached this willingly."
"Why?"
"Because someone who didn't would fret about it and never forget that their first full moon is near." Ciel explained. "Someone who approached Scarlet Order for lycanthropy would most likely do so for the power and invulnerability involved. That kind of arrogance will lead them to make more mistakes."
"True. So, do you think it really could be Scarlet order?"
"In truth, I have no idea. It really could be a hoax, or someone making up tall-tales, but there is a chance that it could happen, given the circumstance."
"Should I look for more articles?" offered the menace.
"If you think that will help." His beau replied.
"And what about you?"
"In truth, I have no idea." Ciel stated, rubbing his temples. "Maybe I'm losing my touch…"
"Nah, it's just hard to locate people."
"A bunch of supernatural beings?"
"In a city of over eight-billion? Hell yeah." Chuckled Alois, walking back over to his seat. "They've got a genetics expert and a computer genius with money to burn. I don't assume that you've tried to track his spending, have you?"
"I have. It's been moved. Probably overseas. We can't track it. Purchases, too. He's probably using a proxy server to order anything he needs. Like lab equipment, for example. All he has to do is have it delivered to a fake address."
"So he's too good for you?"
"Maybe, maybe not. It's hard to say until we catch him." The bluenette answered. "It's very rare for someone to get away from a Phantomhive."
"So a few have?"
"Of course. You're one of them."
To this, his beau laughed. "Not true. I'm here now."
"But did I capture you?"
"You captured my heart." Alois teased, putting a hand on his chest as he plopped down in his own seat once more. "I'm sure we can catch them. We've done more impossible things before. Eventually, these fucks are gonna get cocky, and when they do, we'll be there to swoop in on their cocky cock-up."
"Cocky cock-up?"
"Yeah. They'll make a mistake and be like: 'knock-knock: who wants some cock?'"
"That doesn't even make sense." Ciel said, shaking his head and chuckling at the other demon's vulgar humour.
"Maybe not, but neither does half the shit in this scenario." Answered and menace, pointing his finger toward his partner. "If you think about it, the more time goes on, the less things make sense. You fought a fucking dragon, Ciel. Seriously."
"That's why I have you, who actually understands that kind of bizarre unlogic, I suppose."
"Also because you love me."
"That, I do." Ciel replied with a grin. He leaned back in his chair and looked up. His eye was trained on the ceiling as he sighed. "I want this to be over already."
"Why's that? Your 'secret project'?" questioned his beau, his eyebrow arched as he faced the other man.
"I was thinking along the lines of how tedious this is, but yes, that too."
"Good. I've been dying to see what it is already." Alois said, turning his gaze toward the tablet in his hand as he swiped his finger across the screen. "That why you haven't been going to meetings lately? Is Funtom really okay with you pushing back something so important?"
"'Funtom'?" mouthed the bluenette, furrowing his brow for a moment before he remembered. "Well I am their boss." Ciel answered. "They shouldn't be too upset."
He didn't notice, but his hesitation caused a look of confusion to appear on his lover's face. Ciel spoke as though he knew what he was talking about before, didn't he? Yes, of course he did. Ciel wouldn't lie to him. He's learned his lesson already. Alois shook away the thought and continued his search.
"Nice brainfart, mate." He said. "I guess even world-class detectives can get them."
"'Brain… fart'?" quoted Ciel in confusion.
"Yeah, it's when… It's like when your brain hasn't quite processed something in the middle of a conversation, so it's kinda takes a minute for it to catch up." Alois explained, looking up at the bluenette and waving his hands around as he spoke. "S'pretty normal."
He waited for a moment, but the bluenette didn't respond. Either there was another lapse in what the bluenette was thinking, or there was something else going on. Alois trusted Ciel, but he was one to worry over little details of his relationships on occasion. It was something that he couldn't help. The Phantomhive was one of the first genuine and healthy relationships that he had in a long while. The other being his relationship with his brother Luka.
"Ciel?" he asked, his face worried and his tone uncertain. "What is it?" This seemed to snap the other demon out of his daze.
"What?" asked the bluenette. "Oh. It's nothing. I've just got a lot on my mind…" Watching his lover carefully, Alois had to pursue the matter further.
"Is it the project?" he questioned, averting his attention from the tablet in his hand completely. The blonde picked up on the hint of surprise and worry on Ciel's face, and hoped that it was only his imagination. "Is it really important?"
"Extremely…" muttered the Phantomhive through his teeth while rubbing his forehead. Nervousness built up in his chest over the matter, and it was easily read by Alois.
"What's so important about it?" the blonde questioned. "Talk to me."
"I can't…" Ciel replied, sheepishly avoiding eyecontact with his beau. "It has to remain a secret, for the time being."
"Ciel; babe… I'm a secret agent. I think I know how to keep a secret." The blonde asked. Standing up again, he walked over to the bluenette's desk and placed his hands on his surface. Alois examined the man's face carefully, trying to detect a single hint of deception or guilt.
"I know, and I will tell you…" answered the bluenette. "…but not now."
"Ciel." Alois said. His tone was slightly stern as he looked to the Watchdog. "You're not hiding something from me, are you?"
"Well, that's kind of what a 'secret' is…" Ciel said, finally facing the blonde and being taken aback by how completely unamused his face was. Sighing, he apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry… But I really need to keep this a secret. I don't like doing so and I really don't like lying to you…"
"Lying?" Alois echoed confusedly. "Who said anything about lying? Ciel, don't do this to me. We both agreed not to do this."
Colour drained from his face at the realization that he may have just given himself away. His eye was wide as he looked up at the menace and his stomach dropped as those two icy blue eyes stared back at him with such intensity. Indeed, there was a falsehood or two in the information that he gave Alois. He hated it. He didn't want to keep it a secret for any longer, but he had to, or else it would be all for nothing. Sucking in a breath, Ciel tried to compose himself before he spoke.
"You're right…" he replied. "I did lie in a few places in my story. My intention was not to harm you or violate your trust in me."
"What is the lie, Ciel?" Alois asked with a frown, his voice calm, but cross. "Tell me."
"The project is not for Funtom. It's actually a personal one." The bluenette answered. "I said that it was for Funtom because I didn't want you to ask too many questions about it. It's nothing harmful or dangerous, though! Believe me, I would tell you if it was… It's just… I need it to be a surprise, so I can't let you know what it is, yet…"
"You aren't really helping your case, you know…"
"I know… I just… I need this. This isn't like Rio de Janeiro. This is different." Ciel said, looking down as he spoke. When he finally looked up again, he reached across the desk and placed a hand over Alois'. There was a sense of determination and sincerity in his eye as he stared back at the platinum demon in front of him. "I promise you, I'm not up to anything nefarious, and after this, I'll never pull another stunt like this again. I wanted to tell you, really I did, but this case we're working on pushed that back. As soon as the mission is over, I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything." Pausing for a moment, he squeezed the Macken's hand.
"Please… I need this, Jim." He said. "Just this once. Just this one last time. Then I'm an open book for you to read as you see fit. Right now, though, I need to have this secret. It's important to me that I keep it for the time being…"
There was a long silence. It loomed over the duo like a poisonous miasma that clogged their lungs with uncertainty. Both parties were waiting on Alois' response with their eyes trained on each other, gauging their reactions. Alois had to think, however. He had to think about exactly it was that the Phantomhive was saying, and needed to determine whether or not he wanted to take the man on his word. Alois wasn't sure about this. He wasn't confident in it at all. He was confident in the bluenette, however. After all that they have been through together, it has been proven time and time again just how much Ciel cares for him, loves him, and is devoted to him. Alois could trust Alois with anything, be it a secret or his life, but now, Ciel has neglected to do the same.
As he searched his lover's eyes, however, that pool of sapphire had something else to say. There was desperation in Ciel's plea. There was worry, and even a slight hint of fear. Still, there was something else. Trust. Ciel trusted that Alois would accept this, and not out of any gullibility. Ciel respected him, and wanted Alois to respect him as well. They were on equal terms. With all sincerity, Alois did want to trust Ciel. That said, he certainly wasn't at all too keen on being lied to.
"What you did was wrong." The menace said finally, pressing his lips into a thin line in between sentences. "You know that, don't you?"
"Yes." Ciel answered. "I know. It was wrong and I shouldn't have done it."
"And you're not just saying that because you're in trouble, right?"
"Never."
The word resonated in Alois' mind as he stood there, leaning on the desk and staring at the Watchdog. He read every centimeter of the Phantomhive's face for any indication of falsehood, but he found none. Instead, he found nothing but truthfulness. Ciel did not like lying to Alois, and Alois knew it. He couldn't keep secrets for long, and he didn't. There was always a rational reason for it, and Ciel always came clean in the end. The Watchdog had learned to do this, not because it made him look bad, but because he learned that it was not only disrespectful to his lover, but violated his lover's trust in him, and made Alois upset. None of those things are acceptable by Ciel's standards.
With lips pressed in a thin line and a stern expression that wavered, Alois weighed the situation. Passing judgement on Ciel was no easy task. Still, at the end of his pondering, Alois relaxed and let out a sigh.
"You will tell me at the end of the mission." He said. Slowly, his eyes looked down at the hand clasping his own before placing his free one on top of it. "I trust you to do that, alright?"
"Yes. That isn't up for debate. I'll be prepared by then." Gently, the watchdog took his hand out from under Alois' and took both of them in his own as he stood up from his seat. He stood slightly bent over the desk between them so that their eyes were at the same level. "That's a promise. And I never break a promise to you."
"Good…" Alois' response caused the bluenette's expression to soften a bit.
"So… are we good?" he questioned. "At least for the time being?"
"For now." stated the menace. "But you do realise that I'm mad at you, right?"
"As you should be. I would honestly be surprised if you weren't."
"You don't seem too upset by it…"
"That's not it…" answered the watchdog with a sigh. "I'm mostly just relieved. It was part of my plan all along to tell you. It's a massive part of it. Right now I'm just trying to solve this case so that I can do so that much faster."
"Aren't you afraid of what that means?" questioned the menace. "Preston…"
"True… That complicates things…" Ciel mumbled. "It would probably be better if we waited a little longer then…"
"No. You already promised. No take-backs."
Ciel looked up in surprise, not expecting that. His gaze softened, but he was still frowning. He didn't much care for that option, and he showed it. There was a smidge of disappointment on his face combined with something that Alois couldn't quite decipher. Still, the Phantomhive agreed.
"You're right. I'll keep my promise." He said. "Ordinarily, I would read the mood to tell you something like this, but…" Ciel paused in order to sigh. "I already promised…"
"Ciel?" called the menace. To say that he was concerned about Ciel's expression was only part of it. He was afraid of what it could possibly mean. Why did he seem so let down by this?
"I'm sorry. It just seems so insensitive." Ciel stated. "It's also inappropriate for me to be wanting to make haste in this mission. Killing Preston is something that I want to avoid if at all possible, but…" He looked down for a moment, lowering both of their hands. "I just want to get this off my chest… It's selfish, I know… Cruel…"
"Ciel, you're not cruel…" Wiggling his hand out of his beau's grip, he reached up and cupped the man's cheek. "You're wonderful. This is obviously something really important to you, so you want to take care of it. Then there's the added pressure of… Preston's situation. You're conflicted, and it isn't easy. Tell me soon, but… Don't hurt yourself."
Placing a hand over Alois', the watchdog stared at his lover warmly while wearing a soft smile. Turning his head slightly, he kissed the other man's palm before looking at Alois again. The gesture combined with the expression on his beau's visage caused a small blush to appear on Alois' face. He hadn't expected Ciel to look at him like that. Not right at that moment, at least.
"I love you." Ciel said. "I love you so much. I really don't deserve you."
The menace was taken aback for a moment before conjuring up a retort. "Too bad. You're stuck with me because I love you, too- Even if you're a complete ass."
"I'm glad."
"You're weird, that's what you are." Alois replied. Despite the fact that he was shaking his head, he smiled. "Just what am I supposed to do with you, you silly thing? Aren't you supposed to be working?"
"You needed my attention more." His boyfriend answered as though it were the most obvious fact in the world. He turned over Alois' hand, and as he continued to speak, he would pause on occasion in order to kiss the man's fingers and knuckles. "What was I to do? Refuse to speak with you and continue to work? That would hurt you, which is completely counter-productive. That is something that is never an option."
Smiling, the Alois' blush darkened at the other's words, and his heart fluttered at the romantic gesture. Just what had gotten into Ciel? Had Alois done something to spark the Watchdog's passions? There was nothing that Alois could think of. He had been angry at Ciel for lying, but right now, he could tell that the man was speaking from the bottom of his heart.
Ciel would tell him his plan. It wouldn't happen that day or the next, but he would tell him. All that was necessary was some hard work and patience.
