The sound of Alois' alarm immediately made him want to retreat into the warmth in front of him. With a small whine, he buried his face in his husband's chest without even realising what he was doing. After a few more moments of the horrible noise and some stirring from the bluenette, his mind caught up with him and he pulled away. He sat up and turned off the alarm, waking up his beau the rest of the way in the process.
"It's cold..." the Watchdog complained. Reaching out, he grabbed what was in reach and hugged his husband's arm. The gesture was small, but surprised the menace somewhat. It was as though Ciel had already forgotten what happened the night before.
"Did you still want to go somewhere today?" Alois questioned. "If you do, we'll have to get up."
"Mmn… Maybe in a minute..." Ciel replied, alerting his spouse to the idea that he may in fact not be completely awake.
With a somewhat frustrated grunt and a pout, Alois laid back down, knowing that he was going to have to dwell on his husband's ambiguity for a while longer. To kill time, the man reached for his cell phone so that he could at least figure out what they might do if they did in fact get out of bed that day. He hated this. He hated every second. Ciel was so angry yesterday, but was now acting as though nothing had happened! Poor Alois couldn't decipher what he was thinking and almost went so far as to suspect that he was being messed with.
When Ciel opened his eyes again, he saw Alois lying next to him with an unusually serious look on his face. This wasn't good. The blonde was usually quite chipper and eager to just lay back down and cuddle some more, but he didn't seem to be following the usual formula on that day. As much as neither of them really wanted to have a deep conversation as soon as they got up, it seemed unavoidable. Thus, with a groan, the Watchdog forced himself to sit upright. His husband looked at him with raised brows as he anticipated what was going to happen next.
"Jim… about last night..." The Watchdog began, noting how the other man's body suddenly tensed up. He reached over and held Alois' hand, offering a reassuring expression. "You're not in trouble. You're my husband. It's just that sometimes, you say things that kind of hurt without meaning to."
Alois sat up abruptly, surprising his husband. His face was perfectly serious and determined. "I know." he said. In his eagerness, he may have cut Ciel off, but he wanted things to be as clear as possible before either of them continued. "The more I thought about it, the more times I remember saying things that… well… are offensive. I know that you don't agree with that stuff and didn't pick where you were born, but that doesn't mean that you have to put up with me saying things that are downright nasty..."
He took a moment to pause, allowing for Ciel to have a chance to comment. "So you do understand why I was upset? It wasn't that particular moment, but a few moments over time."
"Yeah… I didn't realise until now…"
"And you understand why what you said was hurtful?"
"Yeah… I'm sorry..." Alois looked the other in the eyes as he said this, showing no ounce of insincerity. "Anyone would get offended if I said that about the way their family did things. You shouldn't have to put up with that shit from anybody, let alone your husband. In my head, I thought I was just ranting about inequality between the rich and the poor, but in reality… I went off course a bit..."
"You compared us to corgis a while ago..."
"I know… That one was especially vulgar and uncalled for. It's such a nasty thing to say to someone! And I know that you're not into arranged marriages or..."
"...'inbreeding'?" Ciel continued for him with an arched brow as he basked in the shame that overtook his husband's visage.
"That was an especially disgusting thing to say…"
"It was. I'm not going to revel in how wrong you were, though. I'd just like it if you'd refrain from saying things like that in the future." The bluenette watched as his husband opened his mouth before closing it again, stifling himself before he said something he might regret.
"You don't have to back down from your principles or beliefs." the Watchdog added. "I really love that you're passionate about it. Do feel free to rant and rave about inequality all you like, just be careful that you don't get personal. I will say that my reaction to you just talking about the house, though? That was my fault. You didn't actually say anything that bad that time."
"No, I did. I insulted your childhood home. It's the house we live in together as a family. I love it and I love being a Phantomhive." Alois said. "I feel so proud to be part of this family and most of all, I feel proud to be your husband. Even if it seemed small, like you said, it's something that's been building and bothering you for a while. Sometimes, there's a last straw."
"Mostly, I think I just wanted to finally bring it up. I feel like I chose a bad time."
"It was as good a time as any." There was silence, but then for the first time all morning, Alois smiled lightly as he looked to his husband. Raising a brow, the Watchdog grew curious.
"What is it?" he asked, wondering why the other man was looking at him like this.
"I don't know." the menace replied. "I think I'm just relieved that you don't hate me."
"Jim, I could never hate you." Ciel cooed. There was a long pause where Alois simply stared at him before letting out a snort. It took the Watchdog a moment before he remembered their shared past. "Wait, I mean I couldn't hate you now that you're my husband!"
"I get what you mean, but it was still funny. I love you, too, muffin."
"How dare you mock me, The great and noble Sir Ciel Phantomhive?" the bluenette jested. "You're supposed to respect and admire me."
"You dare talk down to me, the mighty and most honourable Jim Phantomhive?" his spouse joked right back. "You're supposed to love and support me as your kinsman and life partner."
For a moment, Ciel tried his hardest to suppress a smile, but the glint in his eye gave him away. Snickering, his husband added: "You really like it when I call myself that, don't you?"
"What can I say? I love seeing you all prideful and confident."
"I like my name. 'Phantomhive' is certainly less plain, and whenever you tell people you're a Phantomhive, they get all nervous and it's really funny."
While the Watchdog's smile was small, he was practically beaming at the blonde's words. Alois was pushing all of the right buttons. One of the things that Ciel held the most 'noble' pride for was his name, and seeing the menace talk about how he was proud of it too made him happy. His giddiness was not at all lost on Alois, who was subsequently happy to see his beau so happy. He also didn't miss the fact that his beau loved to see him confident and proud was no lie. All of this combined with the insinuation that Alois was using his power to strike fear into the hearts of others made Ciel's heart sing.
"You're not just saying all of this so that you'll stay out of trouble, are you?" the Watchdog inquired with a raised brow.
"I thought you said that I wasn't in trouble in the first place?"
"That's true..."
"The answer is only a little bit. The rest is just because I actually like it and like seeing you get all dopey about it." Alois said with a wide grin. "I love this family. I don't wanna be anywhere else."
To his surprise, the bluenette wordlessly moved closer. Suddenly, Alois was trapped by the other demon's arms wrapping around him securely while Ciel rested his forehead on his shoulder. All the menace could do was chuckle and tilt his head so that it sat on top of his husband's. He felt as though it was safe to assume that Ciel was no longer angry with him, but he felt as though it was unwise to let his guard down so soon.
"If we're planning on going somewhere today, we should probably get up soon." Alois reminded, only to be met with a rare pout from his beau. "Huh. Maybe you are a bit spoiled..."
"But I want both." the bluenette replied with a somewhat mischievous glint in his eye. "I want to relax here with you and go out. We could get started later."
"But I want to spend the day having fun with you." the blonde stated, grabbing the other's attention. "If we stay here for too long, we won't be able to stay out and do a lot."
"Was there stuff you wanted to do today?"
"Ah… Well..." Alois paused to think momentarily. "I wanted to go shopping and dancing with you. Though, I must confess, I also need to get a new watch. My last one got blown apart by machine guns."
"Let's do it." Ciel replied with a determined look on his face. His husband wasn't exactly sure why he was all fired up, but Ciel was a strange man, so perhaps it was just another one of his odd moments. Somehow, Alois was able to convince him to allow him to get ready for the day.
The both of them went through their usual routines. They fixed their hair and fulfilled basic maintenance before picking out their clothes for the day. The only strange thing was that when they both turned around to face each other, they realised that they were completely not on the same page. Alois was wearing one of his more expensive suits in a more tame colour, while Ciel was wearing something more casual. The bluenette wore a maroon sweater over a white collared shirt and had the audacity to wear jeans of all things. Jeans! It was a rare sight for the man. He wasn't even wearing a tie, either, although he did wear a blazer to maintain a somewhat formal image. The both of them just stared at each other for a moment, daring each other to say something first.
"Why are you all dressed up like that?" Ciel questioned, breaking the silence as the blonde was still a bit hesitant to try the Watchdog's nerves at the moment. Yet, the question brought on a sudden realisation for the menace and it was one that embarrassed him greatly. With cheeks stained pink, he regained his composure and answered:
"I thought we might go somewhere a bit more fancy, today." he explained. Alois' accent had shifted from his usual sound to a somewhat more "posh" tone, instantly adding more to the pile of evidence that his beau was currently examining. "We always go to pubs and burger joints, so I thought we might shake it up a bit."
Ah, Ciel knew exactly what he was doing, now. The realisation was too much for the Watchdog to contain. It hit him suddenly, forcing out a puff of air. "Pfft!" A snicker soon followed accompanied by the bluenette unceremoniously covering his mouth with his hand.
"What?" Alois demanded, the stain on his cheeks growing darker. "What's so funny?"
"You." bluntly stated Ciel with a smile. "You don't have to force yourself to go do bourgeois things. Like I said, you're not in trouble."
"Who said I was forcing myself?"
"Jim, you hate fancy restaurants." elaborated the bluenette. "I'm very glad that you tried them and made a sincere effort to like them, but it's already been established that you just don't like them. It's perfectly alright to go to a pub. I don't mind in the slightest."
Reaching up to rub the back of his neck, Alois pouted. "I wanted to treat you, though. You like those places. It's not fair that we always go to places I like..."
"It's not that big of a deal. Pubs are good, too, and it isn't as though I never go to more expensive places. Part of going places with other people is negotiating in favour of everyone's best interests."
Unfortunately, the blonde still seemed unconvinced, although it was obvious that he could no longer argue. It was true, he absolutely hated overly expensive and "fancy" restaurants. The menus were hard to read, he didn't recognise any of the dishes, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched and judged. He didn't know exactly how obvious it was upon entry that he didn't possess the cultural capital to blend in with those around him, but knew that it was only a matter of time.
"Jim," began the bluenette, placing his hands on his husband's shoulders, "remember the 'steak tartare incident?'"
Immediately, the pink of the blonde's cheeks turned red at the memory of sitting on a date with his husband, only to realise that he hadn't ordered an ordinary steak. No, what the waiter sat in front of him was raw, ground beef. This was 'steak tartare,' a dish that the menace had never even heard of before, nor could imagine. Yet, in an effort to keep his cool, the menace pretended as though he was not ignorant to this and that he in fact ordered this on purpose. The ultimate result of this was his cover being completely blown as he nearly vomited from trying to actually consume the dish. While his husband was understanding and supportive of him throughout the entire endeavor, Alois would not set foot in that restaurant again for years to come.
Defeated, the menace hung his head in shame, letting out a long, disappointed sigh. He wasn't disappointed in not going, however. Oh, no. He was disappointed in himself for not being able to go through with it.
"I'm sorry..." he apologised, but the other man shook his head.
"It's perfectly alright." Ciel moved his hands from the blonde's shoulders to his cheeks, caressing them with a gentle smile. "Don't concern yourself with it. I'm actually rather touched that you'd do this for me. It's awfully sweet of you. Is this your way of trying to apologise?"
Just then, the menace bashfully looked away. "Yeah..." he confessed, but Ciel's gaze held nothing but affection for him.
"Like I said, you don't need to change yourself drastically for my sake. All I wanted was to be more mindful with your words, not alter yourself to act more like an aristocrat." the Watchdog said. "I have no interest in your typical rich boy. Those are plentiful and irritating. There is only one person like you in the entire world, however, which is why I had to make you mine."
"Who says I belong to you?" Alois questioned, but it only seemed to please his husband more.
"There it is. I love your spirit." the Watchdog proudly declared. "This is how you should be. An untamable force of nature that I merely have the privilege of being in good graces with." Inching closer, he touched their foreheads together, enjoying every second of his husband being flustered. "I love you, so don't worry about where we eat, alright? That's not important. Let's just have a good time."
"Okay..." the blonde relented, but there was one thing that he could not budge on. "I'm still treating you, though. I'll be paying the bill."
"Alright, alright, but on one condition."
"What is it?"
"I get to buy you a new watch."
"Ciel, that defeats the whole point..."
"I want to treat you as well. We're both men, you know. Neither of us can just sit back and let our partner pay for everything."
"Elizabeth would kick your ass for saying that..."
"Either way, I'm still buying you somethi-" Suddenly, Ciel cut himself off. His husband's confusion at his actions turned to surprise when he shifted so that his face was buried in the blonde's neck. Then, just as abruptly as he had stopped, Ciel started talking again, but this time, he changed the subject.
"Are you wearing cologne?" he asked, but the menace wasn't shocked by this. Nothing got past Ciel, it seemed. Nothing.
"Yeah. I thought I'd try it out." Alois replied. "What do you think?"
"It's nice." answered his beau with a light nod. Yet he didn't seem finished talking. "That said, your natural musk will always be the best."
Silently, Alois stared at his husband as he tried to come up with something clever to say. The more he thought, however, the more nothing seemed to concisely sum things up. Thus, he instead went for the logical question that lingered on his mind.
"Ciel, you've gotten really soft on me. And you're getting more bold in more ways than one..."
"Hm? Is that so?" obliviously questioned the bluenette. "Did you want me to still be mad at you?"
"No, but forgive me if I'm hesitant to think everything is just that easy." the menace replied.
"Usually, that's a good way to think, but really, I'm not mad..."
"I still need to impress, Ciel. I still need to impress..."
"Well, then you can get dressed properly to go to the pub that you're paying for." Ciel suggested, giving his beau a pat on the shoulder before turning to walk away. "Tell me when you're ready to go."
"Fine. I'll change. Is the usual hipster getup acceptable for his lordship?"
"More than 'acceptable.' It's cute."
"Give me a few minutes, then." Alois stated, practically shooing his spouse out of the room. "Give me space."
"But we just got dressed in the same room a few seconds ago?"
"Yeah, but now I'm the only one doing it so you'll be staring at me."
"Why is that a bad thing?"
"Thirsty little buggar, aren't you?"
"Positively dehydrated."
"Go." the menace instructed. With a roll of his visible eye, Ciel reluctantly obeyed. He sat in the front room and played on his phone until it was time to officially start the day. Hopefully, things would turn out better than they had the night before.
A/N: This one just wasn't happening for some reason. I don't know what the deal was... I think I was preoccupied while thinking of too many other ideas that I forgot to focus on this one...
So many ideas, yet which one do I pick? Ah... I really don't know... That's the problem with a lot of things at once...
Maybe more of the Westleys? I'd like some Revy and Geraldine, too... But I also wanted to do a chapter with Kris and Logan... Hm... Which one sounds the most fun? I also want to do something with Audrey because he's kind of ridiculous, but I've got zero ideas for him.
I'll come up with something eventually...
Before I go, kei-kanna-chan asked what year it is in DLTD and how old the characters are. Well, it's currently 2016, meaning that Ciel is turning 140-141. Alois is turning 21, I think, and the others are around 21 as well. Sam and Gerry are 18-ish, Luka is 12-ish, and Revy is who-the-fuck-knows.
On tumblr, there's a blog called "dltdinfo" that actually helps me keep track of this shit. They're really great and helpful. They help maintain this kind of continuity that isn't always 100% consistent (because I can't remember shit). I think they actually posted about the character's ages recently...
Also they're funny, so u should like, look at that shit.
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
