Alois raised a hand to shield his eyes, squinting as he waited for them to adjust to the sudden brightness. Slowly, he lowers his hand again, realizing that he knew this place. Sunlight shined brightly through the tall windows of the Gehenna church as he found himself up at the front of the room. He knew this spot well, as it was embedded in his memory. It was here where Ciel revealed himself to the residents of Gehenna, and it was here where Alois became his spouse.
Looking around the large room, he found it to be completely empty. There wasn't a single soul in sight. His canine friend hadn't passed through the door with him, and he wondered if he was supposed to wait or not. Where on earth he was supposed to go from here, he had no idea, and venturing off alone was a scary thought, given what has happened thus far.
Desperately, Alois wanted to go home. It showed on his face and in his posture. He leaned with one hand on the podium at the front of the church, trying to collect himself and regain the courage. His anger had subsided for now, so he lost some of his drive. He would not give up, however. If there was one thing that Jim Phantomhive did not know how to do, it was give up.
The feeling of the cold wood against his fingertips was soothing, somehow. It was then that he realised just how much he was sweating. This wasn't surprising, given what he just violently escaped. Part of him was horrified of what he did to those clones. They wore the faces of his friends and his spouse. Part of him felt as though it shouldn't have been that easy to fight them. It seemed like the sort of thing a monster would do.
With that sombre thought, Alois let out a sigh before slowly slinking to the floor. He rested for a moment with his back against the podium. There were plenty of pews to sit at, but the floor was Justas good. Besides, it was never wise to have one's back to the door in a potentially dangerous area. That was one of the first things Ciel taught him when they started working together, and Alois has found that Ciel never does so even in mundane situations.
Alois closed his eyes at the thought of the bluenette, absent-mindedly tracing the outline of his wedding band through his blood-soaked gloves. He was worried. If he was having a hard time fighting the nightmare realm, how much difficulty was his spouse facing? Ciel is strong, so Alois was confident in him.
He could still sense the bluenette with his contract, so he knew he was still alive. In fact, he felt him strongly. Alois' eyes suddenly snapped open, because for the first time since the ordeal, he could sense Ciel clearly. Sixth sense indicated that he was straight ahead, coming closer, and closer, and closer.
Shuffling to his feet, Alois reached into his coat and gripped the handle of one of his pistols as his eyes trained on the door in front of him. His brows furrowed, and he stood on edge as the presence approached. While it was Ciel's signature, he had become expectant of trickery in this world. When the door did open, however, none of that mattered.
Ciel clumsily stumbled out into the room, putting his hands in front of him in order to shield his eye from the sudden bright light. He squinted as he registered a figure at the front of the room, but then his senses caught on. Alois perked up at the sight of the other and relaxed his grip on the weapon. When his beau's gaze adjusted and the Watchdog and transfixed on him, he let go completely. He didn't think before his legs started moving. Neither did Ciel's.
The bluenette went from dumbfounded to ecstatic in mere seconds, prompting him to move forward as well. Both men ran to one another from opposite ends of the aisle and crashed into one another in the center in a firm embrace. They didn't second guess that their beau was real—not for a moment. Their arms wrapped around one another securely, not giving room for the other to escape. Fortunately, neither of them wanted to. It was obvious from the way they held each other so tenderly, caressing one another with gentle care as they placed light kisses on their cheeks. They did all of this without words, as words were unnecessary. All they needed was each other.
"Thank god…" Alois finally said, breaking the silence as he squeezed the other's middle a bit tighter. "You're okay… I was so worried…"
"I'm glad to see you, too." The bluenette replied, pausing to place a kiss to his beau's temple. "When you disappeared, I didn't know what to do…"
"You collapsed in the hallway." Explained the Lion. "You scared the shit outta me in the process. The nurses took you to a room and I watched over you for a while, but then I fell asleep, too… I never saw what did it…"
"It doesn't matter right now. What's done is done. Fortunately, I think I've found a lead on how to get out of here." Ciel informed, pulling back from the other in order to look at his face more thoroughly. Surprise washed over his face suddenly as he finally noticed his husband's attire.
"Is that blood?" he asked, grasping the man's chin for a moment and inspecting him worriedly. "Are you hurt? We need to get out of here right away—"
"Don't worry, it isn't mine." Interrupted the blonde, wearing a reassuring smile. That was just like his beau to be concerned like this. Stoic as he may be, Ciel always was a bit of a worrywart when it came to his menace. "I'm okay. I just had to knock a few heads on the way here."
"Oh…" answered the bluenette, releasing his spouse with a relieved expression. "Of course it is… My mistake."
"You're such a silly dog." Alois teased, tilting his head upward in order to peck the other on the lips with a grin. The Watchdog smiled in return, elated to see his spouse again. Both of them now felt as though the journey was almost over. However, there was still the matter of actually making their escape.
"I know." Ciel replied. "But, I did managed to sniff out a clue." He said, reaching into his coat to retrieve his memopad again and held the drawing up to his spouse's gaze.
"That's… It looks like Harland's tattoo?" the menace said inquisitively. "Why's it important?"
"Because I saw Harland." Informed the Watchdog. "However, it wasn't the real 'Harland', of course, but a copy. The only thing is, the copy couldn't replicate her entirely. It couldn't replicate her arm at all."
"The arm with the tattoo?"
"The same."
"And since H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. does those supernatural sigil tattoos… It really could be used to ward off this creature!" pieced together Alois, prompted his spouse to nod.
"Precisely. The creature already felt aversion to this incomplete version, so I'm on the right track." Ciel replied. "Problem is, I can't remember the rest of the pattern…"
"Let me see…" The blonde took the memopad and examined it closely, furrowing his brow. "You got a pen?"
Taking the writing instrument from the Watchdog, Alois began to scribble in a few details. Judging from the air around the paper, he was close. With each line, the symbol distorted the air around it like it was emitting heatwaves, causing the duo to look to one another, flashing hopeful smiles. Still, it was not complete.
"That's all I can remember based on this." Alois stated. "I don't know the rest…"
"That's alright. We've got something, at least." His beau reassured. "We should try to hurry, though. We don't know how much time we have left until the next bizarre thing happens…" Ciel trailed off as he absent-mindedly glanced to the side and froze. His expression suddenly changed to one of astonishment, but it was not frightful.
"Hand me a few pieces of paper, and I'll sketch a few versions." The menace suggested in an attempt to help with the plan. His gaze suddenly fell on his husband's however, and he was suddenly concerned again.
"What is it?" he questioned, unaware as to whether or not there was a threat in the room. Following the Watchdog's eye, he saw someone sitting in the pews.
It was another man of similar stature and likeness to Ciel's, but in a grey suit with a black tie, black shoes, and black gloves. In the seat next to him was an umbrella of a similar shade, and in his lap there was a bulldog, panting happily. The man's face was calm as he looked down at the animal and gently scratched its head, but as soon as he felt the demons' gaze upon him, he looked up. On his face spread a warm, gentle, genuine smile as he locked eyes with the pair, prompting him to offer a friendly wave.
"Smiley..?" Ciel questioned allowed, followed by Alois' own observation.
"He's got Fido!" The blonde said, pointing as the dog barked.
"Let me guess, the dog is the one who led you around?" asked the Watchdog. "And 'Fido'? That's not a very unique name, coming from you."
"Well, Fido has a man's voice some of the time, and a woman's at others, so I couldn't figure out if it needed a boy's name or a girl's." Alois explained. "It started off as a joke, but it kinda stuck along the way, so 'Fido'. I gotta say, though, 'Smiley' seems to suit your tastes."
"His name is Chuckles Smiley, also known as 'Chuck'." Ciel stated, causing the blonde to giggle.
"You're so stupid…" his beau said, playfully punching him in the arm.
Their attention was soon captured once again by Smiley as he stood up from his seat, canine still in arm. His expression changed, although it was only slightly, as he pointed to the building's exit. Even now, Smiley was still directing the Watchdog, and the man now trusted him.
"We should go." Ciel said, turning to his beau. "If he's telling us to go somewhere, it must be important."
"So I take it your guide was more helpful than mine?" inquired the menace as he reached down to intertwine their fingers. "Just don't let go of my hand. I don't wanna have to find you again."
"Deal." The bluendette replied, placing the notepad back in his coat with his free hand.
With that, the duo were off yet again, making their way toward the front door swiftly as they ran down the aisle and passed their respective guides. It was then, however, that something unexpected happened. Ciel almost froze in his tracks when he heard it, and had to look over his shoulder to make sure what he thought happened actually did.
"Have a safe journey home." The smiling man had said to him, in a voice that almost sounded like a child's. Turning around to meet the Watchdog's gaze, he waved at him again.
"Goodbye." Smiley added before the doors opened. That was the first and last time Ciel had ever heard his counterpart speak.
"CIEL!" the Lion shouted in alarm, and it was like all of the sound in their surroundings hit Ciel at once.
Crashing, booming, crackling, and whistling. Ciel turned around to face forward, only to see London on fire. The familiar smell of soot and ash filled his nostrils, and the sight of the blaze made his blood run cold. Up toward the heavens, he could see the outline of zeppelins in the sky. By the time his eye was fully focused, his blonde was screaming as a massive object was dropped from overhead. Instinctively, Ciel wrapped his arms around Alois and acted as a shield, holding him as tight as he could as the bomb hit and everything exploded into white.
The world of blackness had changed into an endless landscape of white surrounding them as they fell into its expanses in a freefall. They had this falling dream many times before during this ordeal, but this time, they were together. Their grips on each other never wavered.
"Don't let go!" pleaded Alois, gripping his beau around the waist for dear life. The wind whipped past them as they made their descent, flailing their coats and ruffling through their hair. Alois' eyes were scrunched shut, as were Ciel's.
"I won't!" Ciel shouted in reply. "I promise! I won't ever let go of you!"
They fell, and they fell, and they fell, until not even the sound of their voices could reach each other. Deafening silence. A white abyss. Even the direction they were falling wasn't clear anymore, as they were the only things that remained.
