All was peaceful at Phantomhive manor that morning, and those who lived there enjoyed much needed normalcy—or rather, what passed for "normal" for them. The only thing that was different from usual was the bluenette waking up before his spouse against the norm of the menace merely pretending to sleep. Alois was out cold, still, rendering the Watchdog immobile by using his chest as a pillow. Ciel didn't mind, however. He understood that the other hadn't been sleeping well, recently.

Following the full moon, the menace had difficulty falling asleep and had nightmares more often. They had gotten better over time, but right after witnessing his friend's painful transformation, he was a tad restless. Waking up to check on his spouse and having to be persuaded that Kristopherson was perfectly fine were typical behaviour for a few nights. Alois was tempted to text the faux-blonde in the wee hours of the morning in order to see how he was doing a few times. His spouse was patient, however, and didn't mind comforting him.

Ciel could only imagine what Alois had seen. Skin stretching over bones too large, almost to the point where one was afraid it would shred, the cracking of bone and the bulging of muscle disproportionate to the body, and the sounds of agony spanning from the room itself into the hallway. It was a bit much to see.

Still, both blondes were otherwise alright. The nightmares lessened with time, especially with updates on how Kristopherson was doing. Other than the transforming and grooming, the faux-blonde was even enjoying his new supernatural self a bit. He felt fit as a fiddle, and was able to explore Gehenna freely with his new friend. He even taught the local hairdresser how to trim beards like he does. It was a relief for the menace and he was able to rest easier.

Now, he slept peacefully while nestled up against his beau, who simply continued to lie there and hold him. If there was one perk about waking up first, Ciel found, it was that he was able to see the blonde's sleeping face. It was serene and beautiful, with fair skin and long lashes. His body was warm as he slept quietly, with only the sound of soft breathing audible. Running his hands through the blonde's messy hair was one of the Watchdog's favourite pastimes, so that's what he did, soothing the other man as he slept. Ciel could only hope that his spouse couldn't pick up the sound of his heart beating slightly faster at the endearing sight. Sometimes, Ciel had trouble understanding how he could find a person so adorable.

The moment was almost ruined, however, as the bluenette's phone went off. Like a flash, his arm reached out and clasped the device and muted the sound. Looking down, he witnessed Alois stir slightly, only to settle down again by nuzzling his face further into Ciel's chest with a sigh. Promptly, the Watchdog answered it, keeping his voice down as much as possible.

"Hello?"

"Phantomhive?' called a familiar voice. The Watchdog wanted to groan at hearing Detective Michael Bailey, but had to be quiet. "Why are you talking like that?"

"My husband is asleep." Ciel answered in a hushed tone. Getting straight to the point, he questioned: "What is it? Terrorists? Murderers? Your tie is stuck in the printer again?"

"How did you know about that?!"

"I'm friends with your father, now what is it?"

Clearing his throat, Bailey could almost be heard straightening himself on the other end of the line, but Ciel waited patiently nevertheless. "Mysterious deaths." He said. "We suspect foul play, but we're not entirely sure how to rule this."

"'Mysterious' how, exactly?" pried the bluenette, running his hand through his spouse's hair as he seemed to stir again.

"Well… People are dying in their sleep, it looks like." Answered the Scotland Yard cronie on the other end of the line. "It started with a handful of people not being able to wake up, but then when they were admitted to the hospital, more people started suffering the same thing."

"Why do you suspect foul play?"

"After the first few, this… whatever it is seems to be confined to the hospital. Patients, nurses, and even doctors aren't able to wake up, and some of the earlier victims have died within a few days. It's like if you fall asleep, you're not guaranteed to wake up."

"That must be rough for surgeons. Even a nap can be fatal, I assume.'

"Yeah… A couple of surgeons actually have fallen under the spell."

"Think it might be supernatural?" questioned Ciel. "I mean, if you didn't, I'm not sure why you'd call me. You would just let some doctors figure it out."

"There was a sighting of something…" began Bailey. "A nurse suddenly felt drowsy for no reason, and collapsed on a hospital bed. When she woke up, she reported a… a creature sitting on her chest."

"Could be sleep paralysis, but it doesn't knock you out."

"Could you just go over there and have a look around? That place gives me the chills…"

"If you're scared of monsters, then don't become a cop." Said the Phantomhive, causing the other to grumble.

"Just go over there!" barked the detective, causing the brow of the menace to furrow. Ciel stroked the blonde's hair again to soothe him back to sleep, and pressed for further information, such as the name and location of the hospital in question. He would have to meet the detective there, eventually, even though he didn't want to wake his beau. He had to, as the Bailey was acting incredibly impatiently, and Ciel knew that he would only continue to call if he didn't show up swiftly.

"Hey, Jim?" called the Watchdog in a soft voice, putting his hand on his husband's shoulder and squeezing it lightly.

"Hmn..?" hummed the menace with a sigh.

"We have a job today, dear. Bailey called."

"Can't it wait?" sleepily mumbled Alois, reaching up to rub his eye.

"I'm afraid not. People are dying."

"Can't they do it later?"

"They don't have much say in it, I'm afraid." Ciel replied, patting his beau's shoulder. "Hop up. We need to get over there quickly."

"Why does this shit always happen in the morning?" groaned Alois, slowly sitting up with a grunt. He sighed, watching the bluenette do the same. "Murderers need to stop being so proactive."

"We're not sure if it's murder yet."

"Then what do they need us for?"

"Could be something supernatural." Pointed out the watchdog. "Come on. We need to get ready. We can take the motorcycle if you don't feel like driving, or we can hail a cab."

"The motorcycle is fun…" mumbled the blonde, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as his husband stood up.

"Then we'll take the motorcycle." Ciel smiled, placing his hands on the mattress while leaning down to peck his spouse on the lips. "Dress warm. It's supposed to be a bit nippy today."

"Alright… I'll steal one of your jackets, then…" Alois replied, causing the other man to roll his eyes before standing up again.

"That's the spirit." The bluenette said before turning around and heading toward the bathroom. "Don't you dare fall back asleep while I'm in the shower."

"I will make no such promises."