Gentle sighs were uttered as the room brightened with the rising of the sun. The demons didn't want to get up, but an alarm made them. Reaching over to the night stand, Alois shut off the offending sound coming from his phone before dropping right back into his original place, only to be squeezed upon returning to the bluenette's arms. Contently, the bluenette kissed his husband's forehead.

"Good morning." he said.

"Mornin'." the other replied. From his actions, he seemed like he had no intention whatsoever to get up, despite the day it was.

"Don't you have school?"

"Why? Are you trying to get rid of me?" jested the menace. "I didn't think you were the kind."

"You haven't been going lately. Shouldn't you be?" questioned Ciel, although in truth, he didn't want his beau to leave either. He was surprised when instead of an answer, he received a sigh of displeasure at the question.

"It's too heavy to talk about first thing in the morning..." Alois complained. "There's not much point in going. There's no chance of me not flunking the semester, anyway."

"Comes with the territory, I'm afraid." Soothingly, Ciel rubbed the other demon's back in hopes of comforting him, all while drawing him close. "I'm sorry, dear..."

"Not you're fault… There's always next time I guess, but who knows what kind of shit we'll be getting into then. Maybe I should just drop it and focus on work..." Closing his eyes, the blonde sleepily said: "I'm not going today..."

To this, Ciel wasn't sure of what to say. If that is what Alois felt he needed to do, then that is what he needs to do. At the same time, Ciel realised how important it was to have the same title as he possessed. Alois wanted there to be two "Doctor Phantomhives". It would take a while for a normal person. It would take longer for his husband due to his occupation and everything that came with it.

"You'll get there as long as it's important to you." the bluenette said at last. "That's how you've always done things. If it takes you longer than most, then so be it."

With a hum, his spouse replied. "Think so?"

"I know so." Ciel stated surely. "If there's one thing I know to be true in this world, it's that Jim Phantomhive is the most capable person there is."

"Oh? Tell me more." Alois said. A soft smile crept onto his face.

"You're able to do anything. You're clever, intelligent, and are tenacious as all get-out. Furthermore, you're the only one who can beat me."

"You're dumb." chuckled the menace, kissing his husband's neck before tilting his head upwards and kissing his chin.

"I'm serious!" chuckled the bluenette while flashing his teeth in a bright grin. "You're a superior fighter and a chessmaster, to boot. I'm not even a good rival to you."

"Good, because I don't like being rivals." said the menace, rolling over so that he was on top of the other. Looking down at the other, he was able to see Ciel's blushing face and was rather pleased with the sight. Resting on his elbows, he caressed the other's head. "Things are much better this way, don't you think?"

"Agreed." replied the Watchdog plainly, pursing his lips and inviting the other to kiss him. The offer was accepted as the blonde leaned his head down, but the exchange ended much too soon for the Watchdog as the other rolled over again, being careful not to fall off the side of the bed before sitting up.

"Good." stated Alois. "I'm thinking about taking a shower. Do you care?"

"A little." Ciel answered, watching the blonde wiggle out of the blankets that had wrapped around him while rolling. "Especially since you took all of the blankets with you. Also, I wanted to cuddle more."

"True, but I didn't shower yesterday and am kinda gross."

"I don't mind gross."

"I do." scoffed the menace, standing up and tossing the blankets back onto the bed. "You should consider putting on pants."

"Oh? Am I not allowed to join you?"

"You can, but it won't be exciting or anything." Turning around, Alois began the walk to the bathroom, fully aware that he was being watched as he did.

"That's debatable." Ciel said with a somewhat suggestive tone, sitting up as his beau made it to the bathroom doorway.

In an instant, he leapt out of bed and trotted after his spouse, playfully grabbing the other man's hips. He was rather pleased with the yelp that Alois let out that quickly transformed into laughter. With this, the two men entered the bathroom and together, they took a shower that was a bit longer than necessary.

They weren't missed, as they often missed breakfast with the rest of the family. Unfortunately, a change in behavior would be noticed, as the two became even more amourous in their daily life. They kissed more often on the lips and spoke sickeningly sweet words to each other more in front of others. Poor Luka made faces at the gestures, being an eleven year old boy, while Revy simply avoided the pair entirely. Still, things were even more ridiculous in private.

"Is that my sweater?" questioned the bluenette with a grin, already knowing the answer. Smiling, the blonde leaned back in his office chair.

"Mmmaaaaybe~" he answered wrapping his arms around himself, feeling the deep blue fabric that hung loosely on his frame. "It's cozy."

"It looks good on you." Ciel replied. He took the long way around to his own chair in order to peck his husband on the lips.

"I like it on you, better. Shows off your pecs, real good."

"Is that why whenever you buy me clothes, they seem a bit snug?"

"You say that as though it wasn't obvious, Ciel." the menace stated, causing his spouse to roll his eye.

Sitting down in his chair, the bluenette uttered a content sigh as he got comfortable. Looking over at his smiling spouse, he reached out his hand across the table that divided them at their shared desk, only for the blonde to meet him halfway. The two did this for a while, although they did wish that they could cling to each other more.

"We should replace the couch." offered Alois, reminding the bluenette of his little tantrum while searching for their wedding album. He thought it was missing during the scuffle with Wakefield and his accomplices as they broke in, and in his time of emotional unrest, he tossed one of the sofas across the room, the sound alerting the blonde that he was there.

"Yes, we should, now that we have a perfect excuse." replied the Watchdog."We should go furniture shopping sometime."

Alois opened his mouth to reply, but very quickly faced interruption by the shard office phone ringing. With his free hand, Ciel reached over and picked up the device, placing it against his ear. His husband listened in.

"Hello?" he greeted, instantly recognising the voice on the other end. "It's good to hear from you, Elizabeth. How are things?" For a while, he simply made noises indicative of him listening to the angel on the other end of the line. Eventually, however, he took the phone away from himself before offering it to the menace.

"It's for you." the bluenette stated, prompting Alois to pick up. Confusedly, the blonde took the device.

"Hello?" Elizabeth seemed distracted for a moment as she didn't answer right away. There was the sound of shuffling of papers before the woman returned.

"Oh! Hello, Alois! Sorry, I was looking over this stuff." she said in a friendly tone. "How are you? Feeling better?"

"Much better." Alois answered with a smile. "I'd pick this over being memoryless and sad anyday. Whatcha need?"

"Well, unfortunately, I'm calling for business, which is why I called the office." the Hellsing woman replied. "I have good news, though! It was decided that the assets seized by the Round Table in the Wakefield case are to be used to furthering the 'Supernatural Relocation Project'."

"You took his money?"

"Yes. We didn't take the school, however. It's now government-owned."

"That's gonna piss some snooty parents off."

"Indeed. That's not everything, however." the woman continued. "We also have an idea for location and have been negotiating for a while to use it. It's currently government property, but another private company has offered to turn it back into some plant."

"Power plant?" questioned the blonde.

"I have no idea what kind of plant… If we can convince them, we can get started."

"Do you need me to use a little persuasion power?"

"No, what I need from you is… a little more tricky."

"That doesn't sound good." Alois observed, now completely and utterly curious. "Lay it on me, sweet cheeks."

"Don't call me 'sweet cheeks'." Elizabeth scolded in complete monotone. Speaking normally, she added: "While Wakefield's money should cover a lot, several other countries were alerted of the situation and were curious about our supernatural towns."

"Ooh, that's a big deal, right?"

"Very. They want to see our first town, Gehenna, in the near future." the woman informed. "Your job, basically, is to fill them in and persuade them that this is a good idea. There is funding in it, so it would be in everybody's best interest if you succeed."

"What?!" barked the menace in surprise. His smile was completely gone and he leaned forward. "That's like, international business meeting crap! I don't know how to do that! Wouldn't it be better to ask, y'know, Ciel, or somebody?"

"Since you're the 'face' of Gehenna, it was decided that you're the best person for the job."

"A terrible decision." insisted Alois, unaware of the eyeroll that was being made on the other end of the line.

"Don't be dramatic. Just ask Ciel for help and you'll be fine. We have documents on your way with all of the details. It should be there by this afternoon."

Ciel could hear Alois' replies delude into various sounds of reluctant agreement, often accompanied by a sigh. The menace was not thrilled with this at all. Eventually, the man handed the phone back with a forlorn "you're turn."

Placing the device back to his ear, Ciel asked: "Are you there?"

"Yes. I need you to help him with that showcase." Elizabeth stated.

"I will. I'll teach him what to do." the Watchdog replied. "I think that once he gets started, he'll be fine."

"I hope so. Thank you for all of your help."

"No problem. Just doing our job." Saying his goodbyes, Ciel hung up the phone before turning his attention to a terrified Alois. Smiling, he offered his condolences.

"It's not going to be that bad." he said. "You're very good at working the crowd. All we need to do is have our talking points and be able to answer questions. That's all you really need to do."

"But… Talking to all of those people… Like… Important people..."

"You talk in front of the council all the time, don't you? You're able to persuade them?"

"Yeah, but usually, there isn't much at stake." Alois stated. "Whether or not all these people will get homes is at stake. The country's reputation is at stake. Integra's reputation is at stake, too. Should that kind of responsibility really be given to me?"

"I'll be there to help you." Ciel replied, reaching out his hand. He smiled as his husband took it, watching his face carefully. "Just stay calm, take deep breaths, and start talking. You're really good at working the crowd. More so than you give yourself credit for."

"I don't know… Maybe? Ugh..." Keeping his hold, Alois laid his head down on the table between them. "I don't wanna..."

"Hmmm..." hummed the Watchdog, perplexed by how to make the other feel better. "Well, instead of thinking about failure, you could try thinking about success."

"How the hell is that gonna help?"

"Well, focus on what happens if you do succeed. Think about how many lives you will improve and give a better chance at living." Ciel tried to explain. He wasn't certain if he was making any impact, but it was worth a try. "Think about why you need to give it your best, and then do just that."

"I guess..." Alois replied, trying to change his line of thinking for the better.

It was true that Alois was incredibly fond of Gehenna. Those people looked up to them. He was a hero to Ghennans and was the reasion why lions adorned everything from crafts to the town's flag. In fact, he was the one who changed it for the better in the first place. Surely, he could do it again for those left stuck in the Phantom House or in tents on the street. That is what everyone believed but Alois himself. He was stuck on the "what ifs" in relation to failure.

"Those people look up to you." the Watchdog reminded. "You've changed their entire world for the better. They need you. That's why you need to use your power."

"I know." sighed Alois, looking up. "It's just… I've never had that kind of pressure before. I don't want to let anyone down..."

"With this sort of thing, there are always multiple chances. Even if it takes a year, there is always a chance to reintroduce the idea. You can do it."

Pausing, the menace thought for a moment before raising his head and sitting up slightly. "Do you really believe that?"

"Of course I do! You're Jim Phantomhive! The Lion! The Master of the Demon Master! The Man Who Cannot Die!" declared the bluenette with pride radiating from every part of his being. "The Hero of Gehenna. No one involved in this doubts you. No one except you. If you can't have faith in yourself, have faith in us."

"Pfff!" scoffed the menace. "I guess… Maybe you're all just overestimating me, though. How do you know it's not that?"

"Because I've seen you work. Who in blazes do you think you're kidding? You're so good that it's almost scary..."

"Ha! Wimp!"

"Either way, you're doing it, so might as well try to be positive."

"Fiiiiiiiiinnnnnneeee..." groaned the blonde, rolling his eyes. "I'll try. Will I be successful? Who knows..."

"I do. I'll tell you the basics of what you need to say, and then you add that 'Jim Phantomhive' flair." Ciel replied.

"I take it you don't mean 'add lots of swear words'..."

"Yes. Please don't do that." the bluenette clarified, raising his brows as the other let go of his hand. Standing up, Alois hopped over the middle segment of desk, taking care as to not knock the office phone or the printer off. With that, he sat in the other's lap, wrapping his arms around the Watchdog's neck and putting his legs over the side of the arm rest.

"Just be that way…" joked the blonde, wiggling a bit to get himself comfortable. "What are the others even like, anyway? Does every country have an organization like H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G?"

"No, and I've never met most of them. I knot there's B.I.G.F.O.O.T. in America, but I don't know any others. I guess we'll just see."

With a snort, Alois echoed "B.I.G.F.O.O.T..."

"It stands for something, but I forgot what it was."

"Well, whatever… Maybe that file Liz was gonna send has the list in it. She said it wasn't here until after noon."

"We have time to kill, then..." Ciel trailed off, taking a moment to think of something to do. There weren't any other urgently pressing matters at the moment, so there wasn't much. "What do you want to do?"

"Hmmm…. Wanna make out?"

"Forward." noted the bluenette, causing his spouse to snicker.

"What? Would you rather I do that weird coy shit where I hint at what I want without telling you what I want?" asked Alois before shaking his head. "Nope. That ain't how I roll."

"Oh, so you weren't joking?"

"I would never joke about something like this after mind-blowing shit like last night."

"Oh, so that's what you want. What happened to being direct?"

"Nah. Too soon. A kiss would be really nice, though." stated Alois, causing his husband to laugh. Leaning in, their lips met for a few moments before pulling away. "Comfort me. I have many things I have to do but don't want to."

"Alright, you can sit here." the Watchdog conceded. "But when the files come, we really should get started."

"No talking about work. Only hugs, now." instructed the menace, earning an eye-roll from the other. The two of them sat there, both in silence and in conversation until the time came that they couldn't any longer.


A/N: "Next chapter will be cleaner". I lied. I lied so badly.

Not sorry.

Only under a hundred chapters left until we catch up with the same amount of the first story... Damn... Oh, well. I'm in no mood to cut this one short, so I guess all of you are stuck with it for a while hahaha.

Also, is it just me, or has Alois been swearing a lot more? He's starting to talk like me...

I mean- How inappropriate! This guy, amirite?!

Someone said something about how the characters speaking patterns are different a while back, and I wonder if this is what they meant...

In other news, I'm still looking for names and ideas for the antifreak organizations/groups/families/etc. of the world, so if anybody has any ideas at all, hit me up, bro. Doesn't matter if it's only a name or something.

Also, I got questions.

"A while back the circle of life was explained as something kind of an eight with the rebirtg of the soul thing, but at the beginning DLTD Maxwell mentioned 'Paradiso'. I was wondering if thats like the place the Angels stay when they aren't at earth or something, and when yes if the Demons have a similar place." by Angels Wood

The honest answer is that I have no idea. First because I can't remember what chapter that was in and also don't remember what he said. I do remember it being a shitty Bayonetta reference, though, so there's that. I wonder where the angels go...

Maybe they wander the earth, helping people however they can. Maybe they stick with one person. Maybe act as sort of a drifter. Or, maybe they're an organised group, instead? Honestly, I don't know. In all honesty, though, I like the prior idea. You could write a whole spin-off on that shit. Sorry. I'm not helpful.

"Been to any Anime conventions lately, cause I just went to one and a couple of girls where calling someone Mamma Ducky, was it you Hate?" by BlazeingEcho

Nope. I don't go to anime conventions anymore. No one to go with, and honestly, they've kind of underwhelming and exhausting. If anyone at an anime convention is claiming to be me, they are full of lies.


CHARACTER SHET

Question: "No one gives Baldassare questions so here's one...I've never got what you looked like as a child vs how you look when you use the potions." by Novasix

Ciel: "(Because Baldassare is unhelpful) As a 'kid', he looks like a tiny mobster from the seventies who wears lots of black and turtlenecks. He has black hair that Jim says 'looks like a duck's ass' in the back. He also wears shoes that are way too expensive. Always angry-looking, and that's coming from me. As an adult, he looks like that but bigger."