A/N: Sorry it took so long! Writing briefly took a backseat while I was on vacation, but thank you to anyone who came to read the new chapter and thank you for your patience (: I will probably be starting a series of Noctis/Ignis one-shots on the side but this still will be updated regularly. The only problem is that everything in the FFXV fandom is beautifully written and I'm way out of my league, so those one-shots may or may not happen.

Happy New Year, everyone!

In just a few shots, Sebastian's anger was long forgotten. He sat his empty glass down with a loud clink. Ciel looked around the table as he nursed his second Long Island iced tea, which was further evidence of just how drunk his father was, to not only allow him to drink but offer for him to. He felt very sober looking at the rest of the group. Vincent had called William to join them, and Sebastian's brother had taken over bartending for the night since Sebastian was off work for his birthday, but at some point his twin had joined them at the table. Alois and Grelle were gushing over some upcoming fashion show as they made steady progress on their girly mixed drinks.

"I'm going to go run the DJ off," Vincent declared.

Grelle stood up. "Let's go!"

The rest of the group followed them downstairs. Alois began whining for Sebastian's twin to dance with him, but he was too busy watching Grelle walk. Ciel walked behind everyone else as they made their way to the front of the dance floor to watch Vincent and Grelle take the stage. They stumbled into each other as they shooed away the DJ. Ciel snickered into his drink; he was never going to let his father live this down. A hand on his shoulder drew his attention from his alcohol to Sebastian, who had come to stand next to him.

"Aren't you joining them?" Ciel asked.

"Maybe later." Sebastian began to step from side to side, hips rolling into smooth movements carried out by his legs. "Aren't you going to dance?"

"Absolutely not."

"I bet another drink would change your mind."

"Don't take those betting skills to Vegas."

Sebastian ignored him and disappeared to the bar anyway. Ciel watched him until he was swallowed by the crowd. He sighed, stirring the ice in the bottom of his glass. He still didn't know what to think of all this. Sebastian being old friends with his father meant they were both betraying Vincent, a thought that made his gut clench with guilt. He looked up from his drink and let out a horrifically effeminate squeak when he found a pair of gold eyes staring at him from no more than a foot away.

"Um, hi?" he said.

Sebastian's brother didn't break eye contact. "Hello. I don't think we have been properly introduced."

"Ciel Phantomhive," he said, extending his hand.

The hand that reached for his was smacked away as Sebastian appeared next to him. He retracted his own hand, but Sebastian's glare seemed to be only for his brother. "Claude, shouldn't you be busy looking up Grelle's skirt?"

"I can't do that from down here, obviously," the man said in earnest.

Ciel turned to Sebastian as his twin, Claude, melted into the crowd. "Well, he's creepy."

"I'm aware."

He took the glass from Sebastian's hand and turned it up. It wasn't Long Island iced tea, but it was delicious. For a few minutes they didn't say anything, just watched Grelle and his father sing to some awful song about liking it and putting a ring on it. He was surprised by how soon he was looking into an empty glass. He found himself pouting up at Sebastian.

Sebastian chuckled. "Gone so soon, is it?"

"I want more. Get me more of this."

"My, aren't you demanding when you're tipsy."

Ciel narrowed his eyes and thrust the glass into Sebastian's hands. "I'm merely telling you to do your job. Fetch me another drink."

"Yes, master."

He smirked and watched Sebastian leave again, a sight he never tired of. He turned back to the stage where Grell and Vincent were singing face to face, both of their mics off the stands. They were both a mess. Her eyeliner was smudged and there was a dark patch on both sides of his father's collar where he poured sweat. Ciel squinted as the harsh strobe lights illuminated the lines of her face. Most of her makeup had worn away throughout the night. Underneath it were the same high cheekbones but also...something else. Something about her just wasn't right. He was still pondering this when Sebastian returned with another drink.

"You might want to sip a bit slower this time, you don't share my tolerance," Sebastian advised.

Ciel took a long drink. "Is that a challenge?"

"No, that was an earnest warning. I don't want to see you fall ill."

"Funny coming from the man who said he would 'show me a predator' a couple hours ago," Ciel yelled back over the music.

Sebastian slid his arm around Ciel's waist, moving their bodies languidly across the floor. He leaned down to Ciel's ear to keep from having to shout. "If you think I was threatening you sexually, you are mistaken."

Ciel let himself be spun and pulled back in. "Excuse me if I got the wrong idea while you held me down on my bed."

"I told you I would never force myself on you in any way. I get my thrill from you giving yourself to be willingly, there is nothing to gain from taking you by force. Earlier, I only meant to warn you that by nature, I am dangerous and even I have my limits."

"Oooh, scary," Ciel said, deadpan. He finished off his drink and dropped his glass on a table off to the side of the dance floor. As much as he hated dancing he was actually content doing so at the moment. Grelle and Vincent were off the stage and the music had slowed down, as did the lights, going from a constant pulse of different colors to a slow morph of paler tones. Ciel let his arms rest around Sebastian's shoulders and watched his skin turn pink, mint green, and the yellow color of first morning light. He peered up at Sebastian as they were bathed in pastel purple. "I'm not afraid of you."

"I know."

Though they stood mostly still, just shifting their feet from side to side, the room was spinning. Ciel rested his head on Sebastian's chest. Somehow he was dizzy even with his eyes closed. A thought occurred to him that was probably too late to do any good. "Sebastian, what if father sees us?"

"That is unlikely."

"Why?"

Sebastian laughed. "When I went to get your last drink, he was passed out on the couch over by the bar."

Ciel frowned. He had wanted to see Sebastian destroy his father at karaoke as promised, if for no other reason than to give him something to hold over both their heads. "Speaking of drinks, I want another one."

"I don't think you need another one."

Ciel glared up at Sebastian, not that he was sure how effective it was with what he could only assume were bleary, hazed eyes. "Drink."

He wasn't sure how he ended up on a couch upstairs, but that's where he was when Sebastian returned with the drink he requested. The upper level was closed to patrons after a certain hour so they were wonderfully alone. He sat up straight and made grabby hands for the glass being held hostage by Sebastian. The older man looked hesitant to give it to him, but Ciel clamored onto his lap and left him no choice. He felt a warm tingling as the liquid hit the back of his throat.

"Ciel," Sebastian murmured.

"Hm?"

Sebastian cast a pointed look up and down Ciel's body, which was still sitting sideways in his lap. "I would hate to take advantage of you in this state, but I'm only human."

"Oh, yeah?" Ciel leaned back and put his drink on the table. He turned back to put his hands on either side of Sebastian's face, thumbs tracing bone structure that could have been carved by one of history's great artists, running across velvet soft lips. He couldn't resist kissing them. It was clumsy but Sebastian didn't seem to mind, as his arms went around Ciel's waist and his mouth opened willingly to the exploration of his tongue. Ciel gasped as gloved hands slipped under his shirt to clutch at his back.

"Maybe I want to be taken advantage of," he breathed against Sebastian's mouth.

He sighed happily when he was pushed back onto the couch and Sebastian knelt over him. Sebastian sat back, making to tease him, but Ciel jerked him down by his shirt into another kiss. Sebastian's chest vibrated against him in a low growl. He swallowed it up greedily, tangling his tongue with Sebastian's. A bass drop from the speakers reminded him they were still in public. There were people just over the railing from them, barely out of sight, and the thought only made him want Sebastian more. He wrapped his legs around the tall man to pull him closer.

He felt the solid weight of Sebastian's arousal when their bodies collided. It brushed his own and he couldn't help but rub against it, seeking friction. As soon as he did there was a hand on each of his shoulders, pushing him back down. He blinked in confusion as Sebastian sat up and away from hm.

"What's your deal?" Ciel demanded. "I know you want this."

Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, only for it to fall stubbornly back into his eyes. "I want you to give yourself to me with a clear head, with no hesitations, and no regrets. I don't like to win by cheating."

"I'm not a game!" Ciel said, pulling himself into a sitting position. They were now nose to nose, barely far enough away for him to be able to look into Sebastian's eyes.

"Aren't you?"

Ciel knocked his drink back and didn't sit it down until it was empty. Though the words were like ice water being thrown on him, he grabbed Sebastian with renewed fire. He kissed him that much harder knowing it wasn't what Sebastian wanted. It thrilled him as Sebastian's lips moved against his, knowing the power he had over this man who seemed to be in control at all times. He should have hit Sebastian over the head with his glass but this was far more satisfying. Physical pain, he knew Sebastian could handle, but using his own desires against him was just too good. Sebastian kissed him back like an addict getting a fix, who knew their drug of choice was destroying them but couldn't possibly refuse.

His dizziness from earlier returned. As he moved his lips down Sebastian's neck, he felt like the couch was sinking out from underneath him. He nipped at Sebastian's throbbing pulse. Sebastian ran his hand through his hair, sending chills down his spine along with the growing fear that perhaps he was the addict of the two of them. Sebastian was as toxic and delicious as a drink from the poisoned chalice.

"I guess I should wish you a happy birthday," Ciel said, cupping the bulge in Sebastian's trousers.

Sebastian tilted his head back against the couch. "Ciel."

That was the last thing Ciel could recall distinctly hearing. He was aware of zippers being pulled down and clothing being shed, but the remainder of the night passed in a blur. All he knew was the way the drink warmed his body from the inside and the heat of Sebastian against his skin. After awhile the music pulsing beneath them stopped and he knew the club had closed down. In its place, he could hear only the music of gasps and panting as they moved together.

Sebastian lowered his head and jolted Ciel with the sensation of cold metal on his desperate, hot skin. Then Ciel was pulled under by every sort of oblivion.

The pounding bass had returned by the time he opened his eyes. He groaned and rolled over. Instead of rolling off the side of the couch, he found a far more forgiving mattress. He cracked one eye open against the harsh light to locate the source of the music. It didn't turn out to be music at all. The reverberating sound that awoke him came from his own head, sending a fresh bout of pain with every pulse. He looked around. He seemed to be on a futon in the small office he found the first time he explored the back of the club.

"Good morning," Sebastian greeted, leaning in the doorway.

Ciel jumped and sat up. He eyed Sebastian warily as the man came and put two pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other. "What is this?"

"It's just Advil."

"Oh...right."

He swallowed the tablets with a drink of water and handed the glass back to Sebastian. As he did, the blanket fell away from his chest and he realized it was bare. Along with everything else. He snatched the blanket up around his shoulders, panic rising and sending his heart into a cacophony of mismatched beats. Sebastian leaned on the edge of the desk across from him, and looking at him, Ciel recalled the previous night. Jesus, he had been wasted.

"We..." He looked between Sebastian and his own naked body, covered though it was by a blanket.

Sebastian tilted his head. "What?"

"We copulated, didn't we?"

For a long, horrible moment Sebastian stared at him. Ciel met his stony gaze with mounting acceptance that he was no longer a virgin. Then Sebastian started laughing. It wasn't the sarcastic little sounds he usually made, but genuine, all out laughter. Ciel fought the urge to smile in response; it was contagious, that laughter.

"No, we didn't copulate," Sebastian said with a chuckle.

"Then why am I naked?" Ciel said, lowering his voice with the last word, unsure if anyone was in the hallway.

"You were sweating through your clothes, I undressed you and left you here to sleep it off."

"Where's everyone else?"

Sebastian stretched, briefly pulling his shirt up over his navel and revealing the V of his hips that disappeared into his jeans. "Home, your father came to a couple hours after you passed out. I told him to leave you be unless he wanted his upholstery thrown up on. He was quite agreeable after that."

Ciel nodded. He had been expected much worse news about the night he barely remembered. In that moment he decided he hated alcohol, both for the way it was making his stomach roll at the moment and also how it took his control from him. It seemed to possess his body and act of its own accord. "I'm never drinking again."

"That's what they all say. Your clothes are folded on the desk, get dressed and meet me out at the bar."

"Sebastian?" Ciel said as the man left the room.

Sebastian paused in the doorway and gave him an inquisitive look over his shoulder.

"Thanks for taking care of me last night. I'm sorry if I was any trouble."

"Not at all, love. Put some clothes on."

Ciel waited for him to go before pushing the blanket aside. He didn't know what to think of Sebastian anymore. Not only was there the possibility that Sebastian was twice his age, but he seemed to have a long list of secrets that involved his family. On top of that Sebastian had mastered pissing Ciel off in one breath and making his stomach do backflips in the next. It was sickening. Or it would be if Ciel wasn't already nauseated from his hangover. He had to dress carefully, as every time he moved it made him want to retch.

He emerged from the room and looked both ways. It was tempting to investigate the store room, where he had found the door with no apparent way to open, but that would be pushing his luck. Sebastian was a wild card and Ciel would bet he would go far to protect his secrets. He decided to snoop around at a better time, and cut through the kitchen to the door leading out to the club. Sebastian looked up from polishing bottles with a smile. Damn it. Ciel would be okay, if Sebastian would just quit with the smiling.

"Were you here all night?" he asked, leaning against the bar next to the taller man.

"Indeed. The couches out here aren't as uncomfortable as they look."

"Why didn't you go home? I hope you didn't stay on my account."

Sebastian threw the cloth over his shoulder. "That was part of it, but Grelle left with William so I don't want to be anywhere near our place for awhile."

Ciel huffed. He'd had an ongoing bet with Alois for years that Mr. Spears was gay. "That loud, is she?"

"Not exactly. Let's just say she has a way of...surprising people."

Ciel wanted to know what he meant but there was a note of finality to his tone that told him to leave it. He changed to another subject, but one that interested him just as much. "I know yesterday was your birthday but I never heard how old you were turning."

He saw Sebastian's lips move but he didn't hear what he said. Someone was beating on the door to the club, hard enough to trigger the alarm system. Ciel's head felt like it would split in half as the alarm wailed through the nightclub. He put his hands to his ears and closed his eyes, trying his hardest not to throw up. There was a much louder noise and he was unprepared for what he saw when he opened his eyes.

The lock on the door looked to have been shot, undoubtedly by the man now walking onto the empty dancefloor. His eyes were a peculiar shade of grey that would have commanded more attention if not for the revolver in his hand. At his side was a taller man with similar features and a firearm of his own. Ciel felt his legs begin to shake, and spun toward Sebastian.

In a blur of motion and a resonant click, Sebastian had pulled a semiautomatic pistol from under the bar and brought it to bear. Ciel staggered back, hearing glass rattle as he hit the shelves on the wall. He turned wide eyes on Sebastian but there was a stranger before him. In the place of the flirtatious bartender was a man prepared to kill, with not one tremor to be seen going through his body. Ciel realized the click he'd heard was the safety being turned off.

He didn't know what to do. Taking cover behind the bar meant he lost sight of the two men but standing left him vulnerable. He curled his fingers around the shelf behind him to stay upright as his knees knocked together. His hears rung in tandem with the shrieking alarm, making it hard to keep his eyes open for the pain lancing his skull.

"Charles," Sebastian said, eyes locked on the shorter of the two.

Across the bar, the white haired young man raised his revolver. "Sebastian."