For an entire day, Alois was finally able to enjoy the bliss of rest and sleep. He was tired, and his wounds were still bad, despite being nothing he couldn't recover from. It was the recovering that was the worst part about them. When he finally woke up, his family was contacted and they rushed over to visit him. As he waited, he wondered what would be said. With great sadness, he rubbed his naked ring finger, realising how bizarre it felt for it to be empty. By the time his family arrived, the menace was looking around the room, bored out of his wits.
As the Macken brothers stepped through the door with the Phantomhive butler in tow, Alois smiled warmly at them and held out his arms. Immediately, the two younger boys began to tear up at the sight of their eldest brother and ran to him. Both Luka and Revy held onto him tightly, and he held back despite his discomfort. He would endure, however, as his siblings needed him right then and there. Even Revy, who was often "too cool" for emotional meetings was sobbing uncontrollably.
"I'm okay." cooed the menace with a smile. In a soothing motion, he rubbed the boys' backs as they clung to him. "It wasn't anything I couldn't handle."
"But still!" Luka protested, trying to control his sobbing long enough to speak. Tears streamed down his face, staining his cheeks. "You were gone for days and- and- you're in the hospital..."
"It's going to be okay. All I need to do is relax and regenerate." Alois replied. "Then I'll be back home, good as new. Very soon, I promise."
"But… But Araneus..." began Revy, unable to see through the fogged lens of his sunglasses.
"Araneus is dead. I killed him before he could try anything." the eldest brother stated. "Gouged out his eyes and filled him with bullet holes."
As the younger Mackens blubbered and hugged the menace, Alois looked up to glance at the butler, who was smiling warmly at him. Alois shot him a smile, which was sincerely returned by the man clad in black. Sebastian, too, was worried, while he failed to show it throughout the ordeal.
"Welcome back, Master Alois." the older demon said.
"Good to be back. I can't wait to be home, though." the blonde Phantomhive replied. He still held his brothers against him gently as he addressed the butler, but Sebastian didn't mind in the slightest. The man knew that the little ones missed Alois dearly and were worried for his life! It was best to spoil them a bit, for now.
"The Master is looking forward to your return." the butler answered with a smile. "He will be along shortly. He has to stop by the mansion and prepare something."
"Oh no, what has he got?"
"I can't tell you. It'll ruin the surprise."
"As long as it's not too exciting." Alois smiled. "I'm kinda feeling a bit low-key for the time being..."
"I'm sure that what he has planned will be wonderful."
The crying eventually began to wane and the Phantomhive and his siblings were all sitting on his bed discussing what all had happened while he was away. He told them of what he saw, omitting the particularly gruesome details, of course, and they told him how things were doing around the house. Revy told of how he brought doughnuts to work as a joke, only for everyone to love them and pool money to buy more. Luka talked about how school was going and everything that was happening there. He told his brother about how he gave his friend one of his hotwheels and how he was getting better at sign language. He even showed what he knew to Alois, earning a big grin from the menace. Sebastian sat on the edge of the bed and occasionally offered input when asked for or needed.
All of them, however, talked about Ciel. They talked about how his gloom and doom had returned while he was away, but abruptly vanished when he came back. Alois was informed that the extra blankets were provided by his husband, as well as a change of clothes when he needed it. The Watchdog even threw in a few of the blonde's favourite snacks, much to Alois' amusement. All he could do was nod, smile, and occasionally chuckle or offer a sympathetic sound while hearing about his husband's behaviour. Knowing the man, however, Alois was not surprised in the slightest and honestly hadn't expected anything less.
Hours passed like this, and eventually, it was time for the others to go home. So, they waved "goodbye" and bid the blonde "farewell" while wishing him a comfortable stay and a swift recovery. Then, he was left alone once more.
Truth be told, he was surprised that his spouse wasn't there yet, and was a bit concerned. Ciel was swift, and knowing him, he would be hasty in visiting the menace as quickly as he could. It was out of character. Another hour passed, however, and a blue head eventually peeked in the doorway, practically beaming at Alois.
Ciel made the trip from the doorway to the bed in three large steps before wrapping his arms firmly around the man. His hug was returned with equal enthusiasm before he pulled away to plant a kiss on the blonde's lips. Both of them lingered like this for a while before eventually breaking it, but still maintained their hold.
"Hello, dear." greeted the bluenette. "I'm here, just as promised."
"I'm glad." Alois answered, pecking the other man's lips once more. "The others left already."
"I can see that. I'm sorry. It took me longer than I thought it would to get your 'welcome home' gift in order."
"Sebastian told me you had something planned."
"He didn't tell you what it was, did he?"
Smilng, the menace reached up to stroke his beloved's hair. With amusement lacing his tone, he said: "No, he wouldn't tell me no matter how many times I asked. Show me."
"Alright, but first, give me your hand." instructed the Watchdog, and with an arched eyebrow, the blonde did as told, and offered the man his left hand. "Now close your eyes and cover them with your other hand."
Giggling, Alois shook his head, but still did it. He closed his eyes and covered them with his right hand, not looking at what his silly husband had in store. With this, Ciel reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black, box. He very quietly opened it, revealing a freshly cleaned ring. After taking the object out of it's container, the box went back into his pocket and he very gently turned Alois' hand over so that their palms were touching.
Alois' brows furrowed momentarily before they raised in shock. Once his mind had a guess as to what his husband was doing, he uttered a small gasp. He could feel Ciel very tenderly slipping a ring onto his vacant finger, and was dying to open his eyes. Once the ring was firmly in place, Ciel took his hand away and looked up at the menace with a wide grin.
"You can open them now." he said, watching as his husband very eagerly did so. Icy blue eyes widened as Alois looked at his hand, uttering a loud squeak in surprise. With his other hand, he covered his mouth, covering his impossibly big smile.
"My ring!" Alois exclaimed, overjoyed at being reunited with his wedding band. "Where did you get it?!"
"The captain of the Prudentia sent it in her last letter." his husband informed. "She said she couldn't bear to have it destroyed. I would have given it to you sooner, but it really needed cleaned. It was very difficult to find a jewelry place who would do it without asking to many questions about the blood, so that's why I'm la-"
"Ssssh." hushed the menace, placing a finger to the other's lips. "Just c'mere and kiss me, you silly thing."
Ciel's eyebrows raised momentarily, but soon fell as the menace gently held the sides of his head, tangling his fingers in blueish-black locks as he guided the Watchdog closer. Standing up slightly by placing his knee on the side of the bed, Ciel obliged his husband while reaching an arm around to press against the blonde's back and hold the back of his head. Their eyes fluttered closed and their lips met in a much-needed kiss. It lasted seemingly for ages with the occasional separation for them to adjust their head or turn it a different way. Sometimes, they would rub noses, but they would go right back to kissing like they weren't going to be able to for a while. Really, it was just making up for lost time.
Finally, they did separate at last, only to touch foreheads instead. Their grins persisted as the two of them simply paused to enjoy their closeness. The silence was broken, however, when Ciel couldn't bear it anymore.
"I missed you so much..." he said, his tone hushed and soft. "I was so worried..."
"I heard." answered his spouse. "I'm sorry, baby..."
"It's not your fault. I highly doubt you chose to be kidnapped this time." Opening his eye, Ciel uttered a sigh as he gazed upon the other's face. As soon as he did, he immediately wanted to move back in for another kiss, but settled for stroking the other man's cheek affectionately with his thumb.
"That's true..." Alois said, pausing. Slowly, his smile dropped as his thoughts wandered back to what happened. "I heard about Preston..."
"I don't want to talk about him right now." the other replied. "We'll discuss everything when we're back home. Right now, all I want to think about is you."
"Good. I want to talk about it, but… I also don't… Kinda need to take a moment, don't we?"
"Yes..." Ciel agreed. "Right now, it's just us."
"I don't really have anything else to talk about, though..." A slight hint of pink tinted Alois' cheeks for the first time in a week. "Is it okay if we just… cuddle?"
Pulling away, Ciel pecked the other's forehead before answering. "I'd like that." he said.
"You're going to have to lay down with me, then." Alois reminded. "I need to still lay on my back, though."
"That's fine." the Watchdog stated before releasing the menace.
He shifted his weight on the bed and adjusted his position before laying down. He was on top of the blonde's covers, still, but he didn't mind. Neither of them did. His head rested between the blonde's neck and shoulder, where he breathed in the man's scent without drawing it to his spouse's attention while laying an arm across his torso. The two stayed like this for ages, just enjoying each other's presence. Occasionally they would say something or lean up to kiss, but for the most part, they were content like this.
Time escaped them as they healed themselves from the battle before. Things weighed heavily on their minds, and this was the best medicine they had. It was a particularly bad one, this time and they desperately needed it. At last, they were reunited, but there was much discussion to be had. There were many things to process, but that would have to wait until later. Right then, the Phantomhives wanted nothing more than to have a well-deserved rest with the man they love.
A/N: This was entirely necessary.
It was good for my soul.
I am still sad...
So sad...
More sadness after this, probaly.
Save me
I must mourn
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
