Work was called off for the rest of the day instead of moving onto the next building right away. So, now everyone was readily preparing their temporary lodgings, as rooms hadn't been assigned in the new buildings just yet. Once they were habitable, people went right to being merry as they let out their excitement over this new adventure. Many shared their speculations about what was going to happen next, and occasionally, the duo was able to set things straight with the information they had. For the most part, however, there was singing and dancing with a little bit of drink around the fire. A beat was struck on boxes and someone brought a guitar that had been fashioned in Gehenna.
All Ciel could do ways roll his eye with a bit of a grin as they sung a folk song that had persisted about him for ages. In it, he drags away naughty children and criminals into a fog, never to be seen again. It was a warning to kids so they wouldn't act bad, but now that the man was harmlessly sitting alongside them, parents will have to come up with a different strategy. The reason why they chose this song in particular was simply to mess with him and he did get a chuckle out of it, making it all in good fun.
He even danced with his spouse in a merry fashion. The two of them spun and twirled, with the Watchdog only occasionally stepping on Alois' foot. They were offered drinks as well from the others, and while Ciel turned his down, Alois did accept some tea. It was supposedly a healthy blend made by the witches, so he trusted it more than booze. Perhaps, however, alcohol would have been the better choice, given that the blonde started to feel odd very quickly after.
With each sip, it grew worse and worse, but his concern lessened. The blonde stumbled when he tried to stand up and laughed for a somewhat inappropriate amount of time as he fell on his rear. It was a cause of concern for Ciel, as this was very unlikely to happen. It wasn't supposed to, at the very least. While other onlookers were amused by the lion's stumbling and slurred speech, declaring that all he drank was just simple tea, the Watchdog grabbed him from under his arms and tried to hoist him up as the menace remained unhelpful. Once he had the blonde up in a seated position, Ciel picked up his cup and sniffed the contents, recognizing a familiar scent.
"Is there rosemary in this?" He asked of the witch who dispensed the drink, only to receive a nod.
"Of course." she answered. "It's rosemary tea?"
"That explains it." sighed the Watchdog setting the cup down. Turning to his spouse, he placed his hands on his hips before shooting the other man a look.
"Come on, dear. Let's get you to the hotel." he said, causing the blonde to pout.
"I don't want to go yet." Alois stated, his tongue not quite cooperating with him. "I want to stay and dance, some!"
"You won't be able to dance in the state you're in, so I'm afraid it's a fruitless effort."
"Nuh-uh!" insisted the lion. In protest, he tried to stand up but fell forward. He managed to put his hands out in front of him and grab onto Ciel's shoulders while the other man caught what wasn't steady. Pausing, Alois looked up and poked his husband's nose with his own. "See? I'm fine."
"You most certainly are not." replied the Watchdog, finding no humour in the situation. "You've ingested quite a bit of rosemary. We need to get you out of here before something weird happens. If you won't go willingly, I'll carry you."
"Oh, come on, it's not that bad." giggled the menace with a goofy grin. "In fact, this feels pretty good. I don't see what's the big deal. Have some fun!" With that, he startled Ciel by bringing his hands down and groping at his chest. He leaned in to kiss the other's lips, only for the blue Phantomhive to dodge his advances and grab him around the waist before hoisting him up over his shoulder.
"This is why." Ciel said, pausing to wave at amused onlookers. "Come on, Jim. We're leaving."
"You're no fun at all!" childishly protested the menace, but ultimately surrendering and allowing himself to dangle. Looking down while he was carried away, he realised that he could see more than just the other's back. Moving his arm, he was able to get a handful of poor Ciel's buttocks, causing the man to jump, and he smiled at his findings. "Nice."
"Please stop." scolded the Watchdog. "We're in public, Jim."
"Fine~" Alois whined, letting go. With that, he allowed himself to be carried off toward the car as Ciel spotted their butler and instructed him to meet them there.
Sebastian opened the door for his master, allowing him to set the menace inside as gently as the stubborn blonde would allow before starting the vehicle. Ciel did his best, buckling Alois into his seat, but the blonde was irritable at both being taken from the party prematurely and from hitting his head on the way in the car, but the latter was his own doing.
He mumbled incoherently with occasional glimpses of what looked like sobriety, but was not in the slightest. All he could do was lean with his head resting on the other's shoulder and sulk, displeased, but pleased at the same time, as he would occasionally laugh at seemingly nothing. There was an odd pressure or lack thereof on his head that made him giddy. His senses were warped, he noticed, but he liked it. He wasn't concerned at all as to whether or not it was normal. Alois just wanted to have fun. Their fingers intertwined as Ciel rejected his many attempts to kiss. It was a long car ride to their lodgings especially with time moving oddly for Alois. When they got there, Sebastian turned off the car and secured their reservations while the bluenette made his attempt to wake his love.
Clumsily they walked to their room after being given a key. It was right next to Sebastian's room and the walls were thin. It wasn't the nicest establishment and certainly would not have been suitable for the posh Watchdog if it hadn't been the only place around for miles. It's paint was old and its décor made Ciel feel as though he were still in the 70's, but it was a roof over their head and the staff promised that there were no diseases hidden inside.
After sitting Alois down on the bed, the bluenette instructed him to stay put while he brought in the bags. One of them contained a change of sheets and pillows for them to use for the night, as Ciel didn't quite trust the ones that came with the room. He had heard ghastly rumours about what goes on in hotels such as these, as though the ones that he chooses are any better in actuality. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling and had to fix it.
His spouse agreed to behave and he left only to come back with everything his arms could carry. The weight was no issue, but balancing it all was slightly difficult. When he came back, however, he ran into a bit of a dilemma. It wasn't the fact that his hands were full and he had to put things down to unlock the door, it was that when he went inside, he found his spouse laying back on the bed, legs partially spread as he stared up at the ceiling. The moment the blonde heard him return, he sat up and smiled. Then, he got up and stumbled the Watchdog's way.
"Jim, wait, my hands are full..." Ciel tried to reason, but the menace still tackled him anyway, causing the two of them and their luggage to come crashing down. The Watchdog landed with a grunt, instinctively wrapping his arms around his beau as the pair laid there on the carpet. Nuzzling the bluenette, Alois demanded his focus and was determined to commandeer it.
"We're not in public anymore." Alois pointed out. "We can do whatever now."
"Well, not, we can't. First, I need to get the bed ready." the bluenette stated. "Then I will give you all the attention your little heart desires."
"I want you to pay attention to me now, though."
"Patience, my love. You will have me soon enough." Sitting up, the bluenette got to his feet, moving the menace to the side where he continued to sit. The Watchdog got started on stripping the bed and replacing the essentials, all the while his beau folded his arms and pouted.
Alois laid down on the floor as some sort of protest as he watched the other with an exaggerated scowl. He was trying his very best to be mad, but the euphoria he was feeling was making it difficult. The man craved close contact. He ached for it. To be denied was irritating as it felt as though he was being denied something he needed. When the other was done, he placed his hands on his hips and turned to face the blonde, stopping in his tracks momentarily as he wasn't expecting to see the blonde with that expression.
"Having fun?" he asked, only for the other to shake his head.
"Nope."
"I'm finished making the bed, if you want to lay down on it."
"What if I don't wanna?"
"Don't you?"
"Well..." slurred the blonde. "Maybe for a little bit."
With a roll of his eye, the bluenette bent over and surprised Alois by picking hip up once more. This time, he carried him bridal style, completely ruining the lion's plans of feigning anger at him by making him giggle with delight. The sound was infectious, as it caused Ciel to smile as well. Delicately, the blue Phantomhive set the other down, making sure he was comfortable before laying him down himself.
"We probably should have changed first." offered the Watchdog.
"Too late. I want to cuddle now. You promised." Alois reminded.
"I thought you weren't sure?"
"I changed my mind." he said, scooting closer while putting an arm around the other. "I want to." Chuckling, his husband obliged, doing the same. Softly, he pressed a kiss to Alois' forehead, causing the blonde to blink and giggle.
"What's so funny?" questioned the Watchdog with a smile.
"You. You're just so gentle. I really like it."
"I'm glad to hear that. I like it too."
"It would be easier just to let me do whatever, but you can't do that, can you?"
"No. I can't."
"You put up with my whining and then let me cuddle."
"That's what I do."
"You're the best." Alois stated, nuzzling his face against the other's neck. "I feel safe with you. I matter."
"You matter with or without me, but I'm happy I make you feel that way."
"Mm-hm..." hummed the menace, closing his eyes with contentment as he hugged his beau and sapped up his body heat. He was enjoying the way he was being held and the hand running through his hair immensely. Sleepiness crept in and his body grew heavier, but he didn't want to surrender the ability to consciously enjoy this just yet. Taking a sharp, deep, breath, he opened his eyes and blinked as he tried to stay awake.
"If you want to sleep, go to sleep." softly spoke Ciel, hardly above a whisper.
"I don't wanna..."
"Yet you can barely keep your eyes open..."
"I want to keep looking at your pretty face." Alois declared. "Pretty eyes, long eyelashes, a cute nose, sexy jawline, and kissable lips… In fact, I wanna kiss you, too."
"As long as that's all you wish for."
"Well, I'm a little horny, but I know you'll say 'no'."
"You are correct in that assumption."
"Nailed it." the menace said. "See? So considerate and shit. I could be stark naked and waiting for you, and you'd still refuse me, since I'm high as fuck."
"I will admit, you're impressively lucid." Ciel pointed out. "I assume that's because while you drank tea, I was hit with a bomb. Not as concentrated."
"I'm going to pretend to understand your nerd words at the moment."
"Thank you for trying."
"No problem, guv." Once again, Alois' eyes fell shut. He hummed with a sleepy smile as his beau pulled him closer and kissed his head.
Sighing, he added: "Ugh, it's no good, I'm gonna pass out..."
"We should get changed before you do that." suggested the other Phantomhive. As he tried to let go in order to fetch them fresh clothes, Alois clung to him with impressive strength for a man who was on the border of dreaming and being awake. Ciel was careful as he pried the blonde's hands off of his shirt before getting up. He swapped clothing with impressive speed, the menace's eye opening slightly at the sound of Ciel's belt buckle being unfastened. Then, it was Alois' turn.
"You're going to have to strip." Ciel instructed, earning a abrupt laugh that sounded like a bark.
"I don't think I'm coordinated for that."
"I don't want to take your clothes off for you." the bluenette stated, placing his hands on his hips.
"Why's that?" Alois asked.
"It feels unethical."
"How? You don't plan on looking at me junk, do ya?" A teasing grin half-heartedly appeared on Alois' face, discouraged both by the rosemary and by the blonde's sleepiness.
"Well, no. It just feels dirty..."
"I can see that… There's only one time you take my clothes off for me, after all." With a loud grunt, the blonde extended his arms out and stretched every muscle he could before pulling his arms into his shirt.
From there, he removed the article of clothing while still laying down, messing up his hair and haphazardly tossing it aside on the floor for Ciel to bend down and pick up without looking. There was struggling as the pants came next. He couldn't maneuver himself enough to free himself, leaving his pants bunched up at his knees. Without being asked, the Watchdog grabbed a pant leg in each hand and pulled, taking off the pants and draping them over his arm before removing the man's socks while he was there.
"Thanks, poochie..." spoke the menace, summoning his energy by sucking in some air. He scrunched his face for a second or so before releasing his breath, scratching his neck. With that, he reached his hands down and hooked the hem of his briefs before tugging on them. Meanwhile, Ciel had put away the dirty clothes in a plastic bag to be washed when they get home, and placing some clean, sleeping clothes on the bed next to the menace. Even though he was helpful as can be, that did not save him from the briefs that struck him in the face.
"Bulls-eye." giggled Alois, finally sitting up in the bed despite being nude.
"Here I am, being nice to you, and this is how you repay me?" playfully questioned the bluenette. "Underpants to the face?"
"Some guys are into that sort of thing." spoke the menace, grabbing the shirt that had been provided.
"I'm not so deprived and depraved that I would stoop to collecting underwear, Jim."
"I love you too, muffin." grinned the blonde Phantomhive and with that, Ciel gave up before crawling into bed with his freshly clothed spouse. The pair of them drew each other close and the Watchdog looked into Alois' eyes, only to see that they still weren't quite focused.
"You should go to sleep now."Ciel said. "We have to go back to work tomorrow."
"Fine… I want kisses first, though. I don't mean on my face, either. I want a real one."
"Those kisses are 'real'. They're just not on your lips."
"You know what I meant." Alois huffed, only to relax as his husband pressed their lips together. It was then that the blonde's eyes fluttered shut for the final time that night, even after the other pulled away. His breathing grew softer each time her drew air in and Ciel could feel him go limp. Poor Alois was asleep, leaving his husband awake on his lonesome with nothing to do but watch him. Gently, Ciel pulled the blanket up to cover Alois better and placed a kiss to the man's forehead.
"Goodnight, darling." whispered the Watchdog, getting comfortable where he was. It wasn't long after that he joined the other in sleep, dreaming of nothing in particular.
A/N: Alois is a lot more tame than Ciel on rosemary, isn't he? Then again, it's like Ciel proposed: Alois drank a bit of tea while Ciel was hit with a bomb designed for the greatest impact. Maybe if Alois got nuked with spices, he'd be a bit more out of it as well.
I don't know if we'll do more work on this place next time. They're only going to be there for another day and then they're gonna go back to London. Because reasons. Just sayin'.
How does this place sound, by the way? I'm curious. If you had a choice to live in either Gehenna or here, which would you pick?
Come to think of it, I haven't said its name yet, have I? I guess we are doing that other chapter, then...
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
CHARACTER SHET
Question: "So Danny boy, has anyone caught your eye? *Wink wink nudge nudge say no more say no more*" by Guest
Daniel: "Eh, not really, actually. I'm in an office most of the day. There was this one guy who came in, but... I sound horrible for saying this, but I don't know what to do about goat legs, so..."
