Days came and went, and so did the day of the meeting with the citizens of Gehenna. There, Alois dispensed all of the information that he was permitted to, in addition to presenting ways that the public might be able to avoid Belmont, which set them a bit more at ease. People like to believe that if they do all of the right things, nothing bad could ever happen to them, but Alois knew better. Certainly, it would lessen the chances, but it was never a guarantee. He stressed that to an appropriate extent at the meeting, telling them that these are only precautionary measures and that they would only help, not promise. At the same time, however, he felt like he didn't get to say it as much as he liked. He had to keep everyone calm and help them feel safe. That was his job.
Yet, even people who would ordinarily never go off with strangers did in fact do so, according to some of the survivors of the underground incident in their interviews. They were told to follow their captors or get in vehicles, and no matter how much they thought that was a terrible idea and that they needed to run, their body moved in the wrong direction. "It was like being in a trance!" was a common saying. If Belmont can make psychics, surely they can make hypnotists as well. What a pain.
HELLSING was doing everything they could, and were furthering their investigation bit by bit every day. At this time, they were trying to get permission from the Round Table to search the Belmont property in Manchester. It would take a bit more deliberation, but in the end, everyone knew that they were going to get their way.
If it happens while Alois is away, Ciel may have to be called in, but he might not be, either. Alois hoped that he wouldn't, but knew that Sebastian would back the Watchdog up if he needed support forces. Still, up until they day he left, Ciel was with him, apart from two times: One was when he was in Gehenna to be on the panel. The other was when he went to Gehenna on a scheduled visit to Kristopherson.
They had arranged to chat prior to Alois being summoned and the blonde wasn't one to back out of things at the last minute for no reason. So, he pecked his husband on the cheek and headed off to Gehenna again. He chose to drive through the town rather than walk, as every time he did the latter, he was stopped by multiple people in order to talk about his exploits and such. It was nice and he really regretted feeling frustrated, but they always wanted to talk about the same things and spoke as if they knew him. He was not a character from a novel, he was a real person who had a life outside of work. Truly, he loved Gehenna and its people. It was his pride and joy– Probably one of the best things he had ever done. But being stopped five times while walking only a few blocks was excessive. Thus, he decided to protect himself with tinted glass.
Getting out of the car, he paused, but only to make a face at Kristopherson through the window before he opened the door to go inside. There were people shopping inside, like usual, but Kristopherson made time, stepping out from behind the counter. Opening a door behind him, he called out to someone to take his place.
"Kyung-Soon! Alois is here. Can you cover the register?" he asked, only for a woman to step out. Alois recognised her as the girlfriend of Police Chief Sibyl, and apparently, her name was "Kyung-Soon." Her hair was still bleached although black roots had started to show, and her clothing choice was slightly different. There was a bit more thought put into it, it seemed, but that would make sense given her new profession.
"Yeah, fine." she said. "I've got it."
Despite her somewhat nonchalant demeanor, according to Kristopherson, she was quite the hard worker. She wanted something to do aside from being a hoodlum and didn't much care for the idea of mooching off of Tegwen forever. Dutifully, she took the seat behind the counter, where she would sit until a customer needed something while her boss gestured for Alois to come follow him to one of the back rooms.
"Is it just me, or do you get fuzzier every time I see you?" the menace remarked as they sat amoung extra stock and fabric. Indeed, the wolfman's facial hair was a lot fuller, having almost a beard, rather than his usual goatee. Alois laughed as the other man instinctively reached up to rub his chin. "Is it a werewolf thing?"
"Kind of?" Kristopherson answered. "The full moon was only a little while ago, and I haven't gotten around to shaving. It takes hours! I'm thinking about giving it up. Maybe just styling my face?"
"Is it really that bad?"
"Yeah. Look." With that, the faux-blonde rolled up one of his sleeves to reveal a rather scruffy forearm.
"Whoa! How does that even work!?"
"By being a mammal? People do that? It's just a little thick because of my make-up, is all."
"I guess it's just something I don't think about or see it a lot?" theorised the menace in a thoughtful manner. The genuine tone in his voice was strange enough to make the other man raise an eyebrow. "Everybody I know wears long sleeves and pants, most of the time."
"What? You don't have any?"
"I'd have to shape-shift it and I don't really know what's stylish, I guess?"
"What about Ciel?"
"About the same."
"Even below the belt?"
"Oh! Nah, we have that. It looks kinda weird without, don't you think? I don't want me or my husband to look like a kid. It's gross."
"Can you really say that without it anywhere else?" inquired the wolfman, resting his chin in his palm. Pausing, he furrowed his brow and rubbed his temple. "Wait, how did this conversation start again?"
"Your beard." blunty answered Alois. "Don't act like this is the weirdest conversation we've had. You know things that I would have to kill other people for."
"Yeah, I've even seen you in the middle of getting laid..."
"Delete that from your memory!"
"Sorry. I would if I could. Unfortunately, it's burned into my skull." Kristopherson stated. "I'm still traumatised. I thought I was gonna be killed."
"You probably should have been. I was surprised by how calm Ciel was, actually."
"His territory's been claimed. He is aware that I know my place. By the way, how is the blue bastard, anyhow?"
"Same as usual, just about." The Watchdog was consistent in his demeanor and changed very little since the last time he and the wolfman met. Really, he hadn't changed at all and there were no new developments, other than the recent trip Alois had to go on. "Still dopey as ever, though he seems a bit uneasy about me going to Pyestock for a week. Just about the same as I am. We've never been apart since getting married. Well, not without kidnapping involved, anyway."
"I can see getting stressed because of that." the other nodded. "When every time you separate, it's because of some terrible bullshit, it's pretty understandable that you might associate it with negativity. Any ideas on how you're gonna cope?"
"Well, Ciel and I plan on calling each other every evening, so we'll still be in contact and have updates on how we're doing." As Alois spoke, there was a bit of a sigh mixed in with his words. "It's still gonna throw off my whole routine..."
"Well, yeah. You're going to be in a new place and doing things you don't normally do..."
"No, I mean like, in the morning. The going off and working thing doesn't really bother me as much as Ciel not being there when I wake up. Usually, I just lay there and pretend to sleep while he's still snoozing, and then I lay there until he's done with the shower. Going straight from alarm clock to shower? That's gonna suck..."
"As much as I wanna say 'that's stupid,' I kind of get what you mean..." Kristopherson said with a bit of a chuckle. "When one thing is missing or added, it can throw off everything."
"Do you run into that problem with Logan?"
"At first, when I was getting used to waking up with another person. Usually, it's only once or twice a week, though, so it was easier."
"For some reason, I kind of forgot that other people don't live with their boyfriends?" laughed the menace. "Sorry. Good to hear that you're doing alright on that front, though. Any other developments?"
"It's a still bit early to think about moving in together, and even if it wasn't, I don't think Logan would want to leave Gehenna. Things have been going pretty great, though… You'd think that it would be tought to get used to each others' supernatural quirks, but it was actually surprisingly easy? We still get each other. It's kind of amazing."
"Well, when you like someone, accommodating for their needs sorta becomes second-nature. If you don't or if they don't, then can you really say you care about each other? Everybody has weird shit going on with them, and accepting that is just part of loving somebody."
"I thought it would be hard because of the supernatural stuff, but it's weirdly normal?" the Miles attempted to explain, waving his hands around as he talked. "He's perfectly fine with me transforming and acting weird once a month, and the idea that he survives off of sexual energy just isn't that big of a deal. I thought it would be really hard, but now I think the world would be a weird place without it. Sometimes, I forget that other people don't even know we exist."
"Yeah! I couldn't imagine not working for HELLSING or not being a demon anymore!" agreed the Phantomhive in a rather excited fashion. "At first, I was upset about not being human anymore and that I was gonna have to work for these weird people who probably wanna kill me, but now it's just my job and the way my body is." As he continued to speak, a soft smile began to form on his face. "I really love living life!"
The other opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but when his friend added that last bit, he had to stop and smile. Truly, he was happy for the Phantomhive, despite never having known the man's past self. Alois was one of the happiest people he knew. Just the idea that he had somehow started from a place so low was almost unthinkable, but it was proof of the man's strength. Truly, Alois was a man worthy of being a hero to supernatural beings everywhere.
"You know, I used to not understand what you and Ciel were talking about when you were going on about men and monsters, but I think I get it now..." the wolfman began, folding his hands on the table in front of him. "When I was bitten, I was so scared that because I had lost my humanity, I had lost myself. I couldn't accept what I am, but now I think I get it. Just because I sometimes take on a shape that doesn't really resemble a human being, doesn't mean that I'm not a person anymore. In fact, I think that this has made me more understanding! I'm really lucky that I had you and Ciel, or else I might not have figured it out as quickly as I did… You're both so happy… You can feel things and you support each other. You're both really kind people, too. In a lot of ways, you're more 'human' than actual humans!"
"I just think people have the right to live comfortably and be happy." the Phantomhive stated with a nod. "I don't ever want anybody to go through the kind of hell I did… Obviously, I can't save everybody… I was too late to prevent the underground incident… Hopefully, they can all continue on and live. That would be better than nothing..."
"How the hell did you end up being the most grown up of all of us?"
"Huh?"
"You went from wearing booty shorts and crashing school plays in drag to saving lives, becoming a folk hero, and being partially responsible for the golden age of an entire society. How the hell does that work? I'm still working on living like a normal person. You just can't, can you?"
"I'd rather we never talk about the days of those shorts ever again..." shuddered the menace, recalling his younger self. Honestly, he now had no idea how on earth he thought any of that was a good idea at the time. Yet, it truly was remarkable how he managed to climb all of this way. The man had the tenacity to accomplish virtually anything he sought out to do, whether he knew it or not. All he knew was that his secondary school self is perhaps the most embarrassing version of himself. Truly, he wonders how on earth the Watchdog ever agreed to date him in the first place.
"Doesn't Ciel have a thing for your legs? Why don't you wear them anymore?" questioned the Miles in an unusually serious fashion. "He'd probably appreciate it."
"I only wear them around the house when it's not too cold." huffed the blonde while sticking his nose up in the air. "Aren't you the same way, but with Logan's ass? What does he do to show off?"
"Do you think he really knows about that, even?"
"Kris, he's an incubus, and you're gay as hell. I'm pretty sure that he can figure out that you have a focus on his blue ass."
"You got me on that one. Does Ciel show off to you any?"
"He doesn't have to, really. His clothes are tailored, so they always fit well, and I can see him whenever he gets out of the shower." Alois said before smiling. "He does fulfill requests if I have them, though. He's kinda funny about it. He's like a dog trying to get your attention."
"I've always had the sinking suspicion that he's clingy. Though it could be the fact that every time we all sit together, he puts an arm around you."
"There's not much anybody can do about that. Besides, it's cute."
"Logan and I mostly do that stuff when we're alone."
"I would recommend it. It's nice. You should try it."
"Maybe. Poor guy, though. Is he gonna be okay while you're gone?"
"He'll live." nodded the Phantomhive with a smile. "He'll be grumpy, but he'll live. By the way, have you thought about opening a second location in Pyestock? Where they're at, it'll be difficult for most people to get fabric and stuff, but if they had an Andrea's, they'd be set."
"I have, but I have no idea where to start. I'd need a place, and I'm not sure how to manage more than one store without being physically present." Kristopherson said.
"You should talk to Ciel about that while I'm gone. He'll know." replied Alois. "He could use the company. Snitch to me if he's up to no good."
"That sounds dangerous. Isn't it a bad idea to snitch on a Phantomhive?"
"Not if it's to a Phantomhive." proudly grinned the menace. The name was now a source of pride, just as his husband hoped it would be. Most of it was the fact that he was married to Ciel. Some of it was the fact that he was married at all. Then, admittedly, some of it came from the nobility of it, but not because it somehow made him better than other people. It was because he had started from so low and got to the place he is now by his own power. That was something to be more than proud of. "If you're telling me, then there's nothing he can do to you. There isn't much he can do to challenge that other than to respectfully disagree."
"I hope so. I'm too young to die."
"He only kills people who he is ordered hits on and/or who deserves it." reminded the blonde, and the conversation just went on and on and Kristopherson didn't get much work done that day. The two simply had too much to talk about and it ate up all of their time. It was a bit late in the afternoon when they finally decided it was time to part.
The next day, Alois would have to leave for Pyestock. Despite all of his complaining and touch of nerves, he was excited. He had a lot of work to do while there, but until then, he had an entire evening and a night. He only hoped that things were going to go as smoothly as he was told would happen.
