Alois felt like his body was made of lead. The air whipped against his skin, leaving invisible lashes as the biting cold began to burn him. The searing pain in his fingers had turned to numbness and he was hardly aware as to whether or not they were still there. He couldn't move. He was locked in a kneeling position by having metal rods impaled through his body. Alois had no idea how long he had been there as his condition was starting to induce some delirium. People occasionally spoke to him, but all he could register was the sound of waves.

There was no escape from the aching he felt throughout his body and the pain he felt from his wounds. Eventually, it started to fade into the back of his mind as he grew more and more accustomed to it, but staying mentally present enough to listen to the people talking to him was becoming harder and harder with each passing moment. All he wanted to slip away. There were moments where he was completely unresponsive. Pale blue eyes glazed over and stared blankly ahead during these times, but this was when he was most at ease. The spears piercing his back and exiting his stomach and the screws fastening his hands to the apparatus was forgotten.

He was home with his family, safe and sound. Sebastian was dusting and making terrible puns, while Luka and Revy were arguing over some game. Ciel was there with him and they would talk about this and that with an arm around each other. Then he would wake up and be back in the middle of the ocean, waiting. It felt like he was waiting for months, when only days had passed. He didn't know what he was waiting for, but he hoped it would be someone who could rescue him. Alois was in no condition to try for an escape. It was cold, lonely, and painful. He didn't ever want to feel this way ever again.

Then, his eyes snapped open and he shot up. Sweat coated the blonde's skin as he struggled to keep air in his lungs. It took him a moment to figure out that he was in his room in Pyestock, but it was not as comforting as it should be.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Alois stood up and began to pace, feeling his hands and stomach in order to make sure he wasn't riddled with holes. His eyes were wide and his breath was shallow as he walked around in the dark, trying to calm himself back down, but the silence was deafening and he couldn't quite get a grip on himself. His diaphragm shook against his will, and his face contorted as he choked out a sob. Fear had him in its grip and was not going to let go so easily. While he still had his wits partially with him, he hurried to grab his phone, but his hands were so shaky that he dropped it on the floor. Crouching down, he fumbled to pick it back up and dial it.

Alois knew full well that speaking to Ciel in this state would throw the other man into a tizzy. There was no way that his voice was steady. It would give his condition away immediately. Yet, the only thing he could think of that would give him any sense of stability was hearing Ciel speak. The sound of his voice was calming, and in this moment, he desperately needed it.

Sniffling, he tried to compose himself while he listened to the dial tone. He knew he wouldn't make it in time before the bluenette picked up, but he could try.

"Hello, Jim." Alois let out a breath that he didn't realise he was holding at the sound. He could hear the smile in his husband's tone and felt compelled to match it. Yet, he couldn't think of anything to say. He left the bluenette hanging for quite some time, in fact. "Jim?"

"Hey..." abruptly began the menace, unsure of where he was going. "How are you doing?"

Now Ciel was no stranger to the menace's voice either and just as the blonde predicted, his distress was picked up on immediately. "I'm fine?" confusedly answered the Watchdog. "What about you, are you okay?"

Opening his mouth to speak, Alois realised that he had no words. Thinking of something to say was a hassle. Did he tell the truth or did he gloss over some of it? Did he withhold everything and pretend to be fine or did he simply try to change the subject? In the end, all that came out were his intentions.

"I just needed to hear your voice..." he confessed, allowing the other to draw his own conclusions.

"Did something happen?" questioned the bluenette. "Where are you?"

"I'm in my room. I'm safe, I think." Alois reassured. "It was just… a bad dream..."

Hesitating, Ciel weighed his options before choosing the response that he felt would work the best. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know if it would help. It was about the Scarlet Order base in the middle of the ocean." A nervous laugh escaped the menace as he tried to relieve tension and keep the mood from getting too dark. "It sucks."

"Are you okay?" Ciel already asked this, but he needed to know. His husband could hear shuffling on the other end like the Watchdog was standing up and his chair was scooting back in the process. Here we go. Ciel was going to get worried and it was going to be hard to stop him.

"I'm gonna be okay. Just… stay on the line for a bit, alright?"

"Alright..." The bluenette sounded unsure. "Do you want to talk about something else?"

"Sure. Dunno what about, though… What's something happy?"

"Uh… I don't know… Um… Am I really the person to ask for something like that?"

"Why not? You make me happy all the time."

"Well..." With that, Ciel had to answer now. There was no choice. "I saw part of a dog show today on TV. It was just on."

"Oh yeah? What was your favourite dog?"

"I liked… the doberman..." Ciel was struggling to find things to talk about, so he spoke only what came to mind immediately. He could still hear his husband sniffling and had half a mind to get up and start the drive over to Pyestock. "The corgis were cute, too, I guess… Their heads are so huge in relation to the rest of them..."

"Pssh is that why her majesty is so keen on them?"

"I guess..." This was going horribly. The conversation died as soon as it began. Silence held the line while Ciel thought about what to say next. He wasn't very good at calming people down with his words. He had just gotten used to using action to speak his mind, and speaking was something he still needed work on.

"Ciel?" Alois called with a small hiccup.

"Yes!?" eagerly greeted the Watchdog.

"Oh, I just wanted to make sure you were still there… You got quiet..."

"Sorry… I'm trying to think of things to say…" He confessed. "I'm not very good at this… All I want to do is be there so I can make you feel safer more directly… I can make the drive down there in no time, if I speed."

"You can't keep talking to me while on the bike, though. That's all I need from you right now." reminded the menace, leaning on the edge of his bed from his position seated on his legs in the floor. "Just… Just let me hear you and that's enough..."

"I don't know what to say to fix it. I can tell you that you're okay until I'm blue in the face, but… It might not be about what you hear… Would that make you feel any better?"

"No…"

"See? You feel scared and upset and words can't fix it. It's not what I say..." Ciel pondered aloud before pausing. "Is it that I'm saying anything at all?"

"Kind of..." Alois replied. "I don't need you to lose your head over me. All I need is for you to keep talking and let me know that you're there."

"I am." insisted the Watchdog. "And if you need me to come, I'll-"

"I'll be fine." the blonde said, with a chuckle. Thankfully, he sounded a bit more genuine. "All I need is your voice."

"Alright… Well… I love you."

"That's a good start."

"And I think you're gorgeous."

"Mm."

"If you were a sculpture, Michelangelo would be jealous." Ciel continued. "People talk of angels being beautiful, but none will ever know true beauty until they see the demon Jim Phantomhive. I miss your face. I miss your smile and your laugh. I miss hearing your voice more than twice a day. But I'm proud. Nothing fills me with more pride than seeing you go off and accomplish great things. I love that pride and passion that you put into what is important to you." He trailed off for a moment, having realised that he had started to ramble and the blonde had fallen silent.

"I'm sorry," he said, "is that too much?"

"No, that's perfectly fine." Alois was still sniffling, although he seemed to have perked up, slightly. He shuttered at the feeling of having his back to the open room, so he moved from his current position and crawled over to his suitcase. He told himself that he wouldn't need it, but he still brought out the plastic bag that had his husband's shirt in it and opened it. It was embarrassing, but it was all he had of the Watchdog with him.

"Keep talking." he added. Ciel could hear him shuffling around with the phone as he tried to balance it between his shoulder and his cheek. The menace sat down on his bed and was trying to rearrange things so he was comfortable.

"What are you doing now?" questioned the bluenette.

"Most definitely not getting ready to lay back down with your shirt in my hand." said the menace. "Definitely, definitely not."

"That's so cute..." absent-mindedly spoke the Watchdog, more to himself than to his spouse. "My offer to go over there and hold you still stands."

By this time, despite how tempting the offer was, Alois was feeling significantly better. Part of it was Ciel himself and part of it was the distraction. It helped to have the reassurance that if something were to happen, Ciel would definitely drop everything and come help him, however.

"Nah, I only have until the afternoon, right? I can probably hold out until then." he answered.

"Alright… Do you want me to put one of the kids on the phone?"

"'The kids?'"

"Luka or Revy."

"What time is it?"

"Almost four in the morning."

"Don't wake them, then."

"I'm not sure what else to talk about, is the problem." the bluenette confessed. "Uhm… Oh! You got some mail from the Hachioji family. I didn't open it, though, so I don't know what it says."

"Go ahead and read it to me. I would probably tell you about it, anyway." Alois replied and shortly after, he could hear the ripping of paper. After a moment of silence, the other demon had an idea of what it said.

"It's from the head of the family- the woman who was on that tour we gave?" Ciel began, only continuing after receiving acknowledgment from the other. She says that she thanks you for the opportunity and apologises for sending this letter so long afterwards. It would appear that she has gotten married and would like to thank you for helping her have the courage to do so despite the protests of the family elders."

"Why is that my doing?"

"Remember that man who was with her? We were right about him being a supernatural. He's a kitsune and now he's her husband."

"Aw, that's sweet. Should I write back?"

"Who knows?" chuckled the bluenette. "I'm not good at that sort of thing."

Although there were times when Ciel struggled to keep the conversation going, he did so for the sake of his husband. The pressure to speak made it difficult, despite the fact that he was usually quite talkative with the menace. This conversation was going to add up on their phone bill, but they didn't care and continued to talk until it was time for the menace to get up and start the day. By the time he needed to be presentable, he was perfectly calm and eager to get as much done as possible so that he could return to home to his family. This was going to be an okay day.


A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. I was trying to get it just right, and I'm honestly still not too happy with it. I wanted it to be more emotional, but it turned into something kind of silly. It totally doesn't fit the tone I wanted at all. I guess the point was to distract Alois from the dream, though.

I'm just gonna jump into some nonsense in the next chapter. I feel like I need a smooth transition, but screw that. I want action! Darkness! Angst! Or something...

We'll see what happens. Shockingly, it's never really in my control...

Also, it's really nice to see a slight resurgence in "Character Shet"? Send questions if you have them. It's still on as long as there are questions.

Until the next chapter, my duckies~!


CHARACTER SHET

Question: "Who would you rather be stuck in a room with, Alois or Ciel? There's no choice of choosing no one! For our favorite child looking Vampire" by Novasix

Baldassare: "UGH! What kind of bullshit question is that? Guess if I HAD to pick one of them... Maybe eyepatch. At least he knows when to shut the fuck up sometimes."