PP12: *emerges through smoke and rubble* I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!
Ciel: Huh. She's not dead. That's a surprise.
PP12: RUDE, Ciel. Anyway here's another chapter that took longer than it should have to be uploaded, sorry to keep you guys hanging (seriously just call me the turtle writer because I am SLOOOOW) but HERE IT IS!
Ciel: Wait why the hell am I wearing cat ears-
PP12: Shhh...eat your icecream sundae you spoiled brat
Sleep dragged on like a languid cloud for the teenage girl, in fact not even the thriving sound of thunder could open her eyes. She found it difficult to escape to dreamland like she usually could after her encounter with the strange man last night, and spent the remaining long hours leaning over her bed to check for any visitors underneath it.
The girl was vaguely sure she heard muffled voices trying to get to her as she slept, but fatigue overtook her and she ignored them.
If only she could witness how ridiculous she looked at this moment.
Her elbow was poled upon the pillow and her hand dangled above her face, merely touching the saliva that trickled from her mouth. She was snoring faintly and her hair was all over the place, and how her broken leg was placed complemented the hilarious picture.
The teenager ruffled her nose after something soft was placed beside it. It felt like cotton and instinctively she wrapped her arms around it to squish it against her face, making it a comfortable cushion. It was when it was abruptly pulled away from her that she finally opened her eyes and became eye to eye with a pair of lime-coloured ones, blinking inquisitively at first before they widened ecstatically.
"You have got the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen!" a high-pitched voice exclaimed.
The teenager rubbed her eyes and when her vision came into view, she saw a young girl with big blonde hair in spirally pigtails, peering at her with the widest smile. She was holding a plush cat that was the size of her head with a pink collar around its neck and coated with white fur.
"Huh…?" The teenager yawned as she tried to wake herself up. Her eyes suddenly focused on the dress that the young girl wore. It was pink and poufy with ribbons and bows trailing up and around the dress, making it look as sweet as a lollipop. The girl looked like a life-sized living doll, like the expensive ones that are displayed in antique shops and spookily looked real.
Maybe she's into Lolita, the teenager thought.
"About time you woke up." Ciel grumbled, fidgeting with the pair of cat ears that were placed on his head. The teenager covered her mouth when she saw them, on the verge of squealing at how utterly adorable he looked.
"Ciel, don't take them off!" the Lolita girl exclaimed and re-adjusted the cat ears. Ciel folded his arms and huffed.
"I don't see any point in wearing them."
"They make you look cute! Now just stay still…"
When the ears were firm in place, she took a step back and squealed, jumping excitedly. "Eeee! You look perfect!"
Ciel heard the teenager trying to hold back her laughter and shot her a glare. She pressed her lips together to fight a smirk away, but it failed, for the cat ears only made him look loveable than threatening.
"This isn't funny," Ciel spat.
"Yeah it is," the teenager smirked, "You're a freaking cat, Ciel. How can I not find this hilarious?"
"Be quiet."
The teenager snickered behind the palm of her hand. "Right."
"Oh! I forgot you, too!" The Lolita girl reached in her bag and grabbed a spare set of cat ears. The teenager raised an eyebrow as the girl dashed to her bed and raised them to display above her head. "Sorry that they're black. I know it's not a pretty colour, but I'm sure you'll look adorable in them."
The teenager stared at her in bafflement. "Okay then…."
"Great!" She stood on her tiptoes and reached for the teenage girl's hair, clipping them on and smiling with delight. "There, now you look the cutest!"
Unexpectedly a peculiar chuckle sounded in the room. The teenage girl froze; she had definitely heard that voice before.
"Oh I beg to differ…."
Undertaker appeared from behind the curtain with a wide grin, giggling with glee and also adorned with cat ears. The teenager shrieked and pulled the blanket over her head.
How long has he been there?!
"My, did I cause a scare?" Undertaker questioned as he touched the cat ears attached to his head, "I didn't think these would be too intimidating."
"See? Even they look cute on him!" the Lolita girl beamed as she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a bright pink bow. Ciel sighed, exasperated.
"If you're done playing dress up-"
"No, not yet!" the girl exclaimed. She skipped over to Undertaker and he lowered his head without hesitance to allow the girl to attach the bow on his head. The girl fitted the bow behind his cat ears and gushed at his plaited silver hair. "Your hair is so lovely! Someday I'll have to braid it with flowers, you'll look gorgeous!"
Undertaker responded with a giggle. "Why wait, princess, in fact I think a bee-hive would look much better."
"Oh yes and lots of daisy chains too!"
The teenager stared in astonishment at the strange friendship between the two, wondering how someone like Undertaker would approve to frilly dresses and rainbows. She turned her attention to Ciel, her eyes darting questionably from him to the strange girl. "Who is she?"
"She's...a friend of mine," Ciel said and glanced at the estatic girl fitting a bonnet on Undertaker's head. "Her name is Elizabeth."
"Ciel, I said don't take them off!"
Elizabeth ran over to him and seized his hands. "And I keep telling you to call me Lizzy," she pouted. "How can my own boyfriend be so forgetful?"
The teenage girl nearly spluttered and looked at Ciel in surprise.
"Ciel, you never told me you had a girlfriend!" she said, unable to hide her wide smile. Instantly, a very noticeable blush plagued the boy's cheeks like a light bulb in a dark room.
"I-it's not like that!" Ciel stammered. Elizabeth laughed and Ciel groaned as he swatted her hand away, his skin left with a pale red mark.
The teenager snorted. "Smooth Ciel," she smirked.
"Just so you know, we are cousins," Ciel stated with a firm edge in his tone, but it was no match to the afflicting blush of embarrassment. "Our relatives thought is was funny and she keeps joking about it ever since we were little."
Elizabeth beamed widely and flung her arms around Ciel, "Because you're so adorable, my little poodle!"
The three suddenly heard hysteric laughing coming from Undertaker. He tumbled off the chair in a cackling fit and Ciel snarled at him.
"Oh, shut up will you?!" he barked.
Undertaker laughed breathlessly and wiped a tear from his hidden eye, causing Ciel's face to burn hotly either from mortification or anger; most likely both. The teenager held her hand out to Elizabeth with a friendly smile. "My name's Honey, by the way. And I like your cute dress."
Elizabeth happily took it. "Nice to meet you," she beamed. "It's really a shame you have to stay in bed all the time, do you ever get bored?"
"Not at all," the patient answered as she watched Undertaker admiring his hairdo in the reflection of the window, and looked at Ciel who tried his third attempt at removing the cat ears. She smiled cheerfully. "It's surprisingly entertaining being here."
Elizabeth beamed and nodded her head, agreeing with her. "Not all hospitals are like that. I visit here all the time to see Ciel and it's never gloomy and sad here. That's what I like about this hospital." She lifted her sleeve and pointed at the skin just below her shoulder. "I had to get my first needle when I was little, and I remember being so scared. But the doctor made funny faces to distract me and make me laugh. His name was Tanaka, I think, and even at my check-up he told funny jokes and was cheerful so that I felt comfortable."
Elizabeth took a hold of Ciel's hand, giving it a little squeeze. "I want the same for Ciel, since he's going through something much worse."
Ciel huffed a laugh dryly, bringing attention from the teenager.
"Only miracles can achieve that," he murmured, staring silently at the hand that tightened around his. The teenager's eyes filled with concern and began to feel uncomfortable when the once cheery atmosphere disappeared in the room. She opened her mouth to say something until a knock on the door cut her off.
"Pardon me." The door gave way and Sebastian greeted the group, momentarily looking at Undertaker before shutting the door behind him. "You look lovely today, Undertaker. Have you done something with your hair?"
Undertaker smiled widely as he took out his phone with a skull keychain dangling from it, raising it to take a selfie. "You bet," he grinned.
Sebastian smiled pleasantly at Elizabeth. "It's good to see you as always, Elizabeth. I presume you're here to see Ciel, right?"
"Don't you mean boyfriend, right, Ciel?" the teenager smirked playfully, winking at the annoyed youth who just ignored her teasing. He angrily managed to swipe the cat ears from his head and Elizabeth whined with frustration.
"That took forever to adjust!" she huffed, placing the cat plushie on the teenager's lap. "Hold this, please."
The doctor suddenly froze when he noticed the teenage girl, or rather, what she was holding in her arms. His eyes widened as he stared at the little black beads above the tiny pink nose of the cat, then they trailed up to the little black ears that the teenager accessorized, that all of a sudden started moving like actual cat ears. The teenager noticed this and looked up in surprise.
"Are they moving right now?"
"They sure are!" Elizabeth smiled and held up a remote she pulled out of her bag. "I forgot I set them on automatic, but they're remote controlled. Pretty neat, huh?"
Sebastian moved to stand beside the teenager's bed and didn't take his eyes of the white plushie cat. "May I?"
"May you what...?" The teenager looked at the plushie and back at Sebastian's hand that reached out to stroke the artificial fur. A long silence grew and the teenager watched in confusion, wondering why the doctor looked so concentrated on a...toy cat. "Uh, sure. Okay."
She gave him the plushie cat and his reaction afterwards was absolutely comical. He held it up in his hands and the look of adoration in his eyes caused her lips to twitch into a giddy smile.
Oh crap. He's adorabbe! How did this happen?
"Oh fuck all kinds of duck," Ciel groused, the sound of a facepalm being made. "Sebastian, could you not be a cat freak for once? You're a bloody embarrassment."
Ignoring him, Sebastian brought his attention to the black cat ears on the teenager's head. "Tell me, where did you get them?"
"I...dunno." She glanced at Elizabeth who fiddled with the remote, making the ears move again. Sebastian blinked at the sight and the look on his face was something that could be perfectly described as seeing the tinest, most adorable kitten in the world. Slowly, his fingers touched the soft fur of the ears and the doctor smiled fondly.
"My, how soft," he said, his voice coated with adoration, "So delicate and the perfect shade of black. I must say you suit them nicely." Sebastian kept feeling the cat ears as the teenager tried to remain calm at his - once again - smooth doctor flirting skills.
Wait, no. Why would he be flirting with me? I mean, it'd be nice bit...ah jeez!
Furrowing her eyebrows she furiously shooed her thoughts away and Sebastian looked at her questionably. "Honey, why are you making that face? Are you feeling nauseous?"
The girl jerked her head up abruptly. "Huh? No, not at all," she responded with a smile at the doctor, trying to make it not looked strained. She turned her head to look at Ciel in case another fateful blush made its way on her face, but the action didn't go unnoticed by the boy.
"By the way," Sebastian mentioned, turning to Undertaker, "Shouldn't you be working in the morge right about now? Your shift beings at one, I presume."
Undertaker looked up from his phone. "Mmm...I suppose so," he hummed before quickly snapping another photo. "But first let me take a selfie."
"Aw, how sweet." Elizabeth noticed the written messages on the teenager's plastered leg and read them with a smile. "Who are they from?"
The teenage patient smiled back at her. "My parents. I hope they didn't write anything too sappy on it."
Fishing through her pocket the girl took out a bright purple pen. "Mind if I?" she asked.
"Go ahead." The teenager nodded and Elizabeth reached so her pen touched the surface on the cast. Very quickly she wrote 'Get well soon' with her signature and added some small little hearts, leaving a sweet message in purple ink. She waved at Undertaker to gain his attention. "You should write one too!" she insisted.
A chirpy chuckle left Undertaker's lips. "Oh I would, but I have a pressing schedule so maybe another time." His smirk widened intensely. "Besides, I don't think the young lady would like a curse put upon her."
The teenager stuttered. "W-what?"
"Haha, joking." He rose to his feet and headed for the door before Sebastian tapped him on the shoulder.
"Are you thinking of keeping that accessory on you?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow, referring to the bow still clipped to his hair. Undertaker paused for a second and felt the material above him.
"Well what do you know," he affirmed with a large smile, unclipping the bow and motioning to give it to Elizabeth until she objected.
"Oh no, you keep it. It looks so great on you!" the girl chirped.
Well at least he looks less creepy with it on I guess, the teenager thought in agreement. Undertaker waved goodbye to Elizabeth and proceeded to walk out of the room, not taking note of Ciel staring at him judgementally as he did.
"That man is unbelievable," he remarked.
"I think he's great!" Elizabeth said happily.
"I don't know what to think of him," the teenager murmured, shaking her head in bemusement. Sebastian smiled amusedly at their reactions.
"He is an odd fellow, but if you take the time to know him you may find intrest in what he does."
The teenager eyed him doubtfully. "As in burying people?" she asked.
The doctor chuckled and tilted his head up to look at the clock on the wall. It was early in the afternoon and the thunderclouds in the sky had reduced to let sun rays sheen through the windowsill. Sebastian prepared a wheelchair. "So," he smiled, "I suppose you're eager to be out of bed for more exploring, right?"
The teenager pratically bounced with excitement. Her last tour of the hospital was more than enjoyable and there was still so much she hadn't seen yet.
"You bet," she beamed.
"However I won't be able to guide you on this tour for I have to move on to my next patient, so I will send Bardroy up here momentarily."
"Oh, ok." Admittedly she was looking forward to another tour with Sebastian and spending time with him, listening to him chat about the hospital with generosity that made her believe he was the very definition of perfect. She especially remembered the flower he put in her hair and her smile widened a bit.
"Same goes for you, Ciel." Sebastian drew the curtains wider to let more light into the room, making the boy squint. "It'll be good for your health to go outside for a while. Plus, staying in bed must be boring for a child."
Ciel glared daggers into his skull. "Call me a child again and I'll throttle you."
"He's right though," the teenager piped up, smiling when she thought of an idea. "You should come with me."
"No thanks."
Her face fell at his rejection. "Oh come on. At least get out of bed."
"I'm already getting plenty of light from the window," Ciel opposed, frowning at the warm light on his face. "In fact it's too much for my liking. And if I wanted fresh air I could have the window open. There's no need for me to leave this room."
"You could at least try."
Ciel huffed impatiently, scowling. "Is it too much to ask for a bit of peace and quiet?"
The teenager stopped when the look of irritation coated his face, not wanting to cut a wire. Ciel sighed and closed his eye. "I had enough of visitors. I just want to rest, okay?"
"Very well then," Sebastian allowed, nodding at him understandably.
"Now can someone get these damn things off me?" the boy muttered while tugging at the cat ears. "They itch like crazy."
Elizabeth laughed and went over to his side to remove them while Sebastian unclipped the strap holding the teenager's leg and scooped her up to place in the wheelchair. She couldn't help marvelling how graceful the motion was and, as cheesy as it sounded, made her feel like a bride being swept off her feet.
Sebastian turned his head to Elizabeth with a polite smile. "Elizabeth, as much as your company is always pleasant, would you mind giving Ciel some time alone to rest for an hour?" he requested.
She nodded. "Of course, I have to go anyway," the girl said and bent down to give Ciel a feather-like peck on the cheek. "Hope you get better soon," she whispered.
"Thanks," Ciel said softly. The teenager didn't expect to see a small smile on his lips after they parted. Despite her hyperactiveness there was something about the girl that made Ciel smile even a little bit and the thought to her was adorable.
"Right, just wait here while I fetch Bard for you," Sebastian instructed when he wheeled the teenager close to the door. She looked over at Ciel and tilted her head at him.
"You sure you don't want to come, Ciel?"
"I'm fine. Go ahead."
The teenager decided to focus on her growing anticipation, wondering what else there is to behold within Critical Care Centre and the new people she will meet. Her excitement occupied her from realising that her phone had been ringing and the screen lit up with the contact of the person she nearly forgot about.
Alois.
PP12: Reviews always make me happy and just knowing that you guys are enjoying this is enough to send me rolling down a hill of flowers :D Also, happy Halloween! (not really that time yet but oh well)