A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter .-. Truthfully, I was just writing away. I really do hope it's not boring or tedious. I don't actually know how this story is doing on a whole. I know that I'm going to continue to write it, even if I don't get reviews, but it's a bit upsetting sometimes to check, and see that no one has reviewed on new chapters. Does that mean it wasn't good? I'm sorry, I'm just a little bit low is all. So long as this is being read, I'll be happy.

Warnings: Some language.

Act V

"I hope everyone enjoyed the cast party last week," the Director's booming voice echoed around the studio, drawing the attention of the mingling cast. He gave a genial smile before continuing on. "Today we will be doing a run-through of the script, nothing too strenuous, after we go and explore the numerous sets so that you may familiarize yourself with them. Once the run-through is completed, our costume designers will be taking each of your measurements so that the costumes may be completed for the dress rehearsals that will take place next week. You don't have to have your lines memorised, but I hope that you have studied them enough to decide how you will portray your character." Here he paused, his sharp eyes scanning the many faces of the people he would be directing. "Of course, those of you who will be in the filming of the first episode must have your lines completely memorised by the time we begin dress rehearsals."

"If that is all, Director," Leffew cut in, her red-painted lips curling into a professional smile. Henry gave her a short nod, which she returned before turning her dark gaze onto the cast. "If you would please follow me, we will begin the tour of the studio."

Several small groups of cast members converged to form one massive gaggle. Ciel, being quite short in stature, stood towards the back; it would be easier for him to see without having to try and catch glimpses over the giant beasts he called fellow actors, as well as saving him from being trampled by them. Alois waltzed over to him, all smile and sunshine, even though he earned a vicious glare from his best friend.

"Oh come one, Ciel. You aren't still mad about the party, are you?" The blond asked, nudging the darker haired male's ribcage with his elbow. "I don't know how many times you want me to say I'm sorry."

Ciel scoffed, not dignifying that with a retort, before glaring off in the opposite direction, arms crossed tightly across his chest.

"Ciel, really? The silent treatment? Aren't you supposed to act your age, not your height?" Alois whined pitifully, throwing his arms over the tinier shoulder's of his counterpart and going slightly limp.

The shorter male growled, but before he could hiss at his friend that he was a heavy fuck and to release him immediately, a velvety voice cut in, sending those hated shivers running over his skin. "I do believe that the correct phrase is 'act your age and not your shoe size'." Ciel's royal blue eyes flicked to Sebastian's angular face as his head snapped in the direction of that disgusting (beautiful) voice. "Though, considering how dainty his feet are, I'm sure either is an accurate statement," he added with that blasted smirk. The scowl he earned from Ciel didn't even deter him, merely caused his smirk to grow.

The little blond looked up at him, a questioning stare lighting up his pale blue eyes. A tiny "huh" passed his lips as he gave Sebastian an appraising glance.

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting. I'm Sebastian," he said, bowing his head slightly and offering a hand to the boy attached to his current interest.

The blond opened his mouth as if to speak, but another voice broke in, smooth and deep, with that sexy bit of underlying roughness. "Alois," was all that was said, but the blond's face lit up. Instantly he released his best friend, turning and giving a glowing smile to the man that had called his name.

"Claude!" the blond practically launched himself at the tall plum-haired man that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Catching the little manic ball, a tiny chuckle worked it's way up from his throat.

The two shared a very friendly hug, as Alois secretly breathed in the heady scent of Claude; tangy and sweet, like ginger and cinnamon, with a tiny hint of tobacco. It was like a drug to the blond, something he couldn't get enough of.

"You act like we haven't seen each other in years, little dove," Claude stated teasingly, though his tone held the warmth of fondness.

"It's been like a bazillion years," Alois said with a pout, looking up at his taller counterpart through his lashes.

"What nonsense. We had coffee last night." The taller of the two cracked a slight smile, which didn't seem to fit his face. He seemed the type to keep a stoic expression, never smiling or showing any emotion.

Ciel had been glaring mutinously at the two, silently fuming over the fact that Alois had abandoned him for that piece of work, twice. Sebastian cleared his throat to gain the attention of his smaller counterpart, who shot him a dirty look.

Cracking a smirk, Sebastian laced an arm through the younger male's and pulled him along. "We're falling behind already, Ciel. We wouldn't want to face the vicious dragon that is Leffew, now would we?"

The blae-haired male sputtered indignantly, trying (and failing) to pull his arm free of Sebastian's grasp. "Unhand me, you oaf!" he hissed through thin lips, yanking hard on his arm.

The raven-haired male ignored the demand, turning his sanguine gaze back on the two males that seemed to be in their own world. "I do hate to interrupt, but the tour is starting." This statement seemed to snap the two out of whatever conversation they had been having, causing Alois' cheeks to flame brilliantly.

With a satisfied smirk, Sebastian faced forward once more, keeping the same pace as the others ahead of him, but lagging a few feet behind. He wanted to be able to converse with Ciel without being eavesdropped on, though the younger male continued to struggle in his grasp.

"I was hoping I would be able to walk with you," Sebastian said amiably, glancing down into the fierce blue eyes that glared at him angrily.

"If you release me, you'd find I would be much more agreeable," Ciel hissed, tugging harshly once more. After realising that Sebastian had no plans to let go, he sighed heavily and ceased struggling. "You're quite annoyingly strong," he mumbled under his breath, looking away and trying to focus on Leffew's voice as she explained things.

"Your friend doesn't seem to be very happy," Claude observed, twining his hand with Alois', who blushed furiously at his side.

Shrugging, he turned his cerulean eyes up to the molten gold ones. "He's not a particularly happy person, nor is he very sociable. But once you get to know him, he's much more friendly; he's even known to smile sometimes. I mean sure, it's generally at the expense of someone else, and he's a bit of a spit-fire, and he's really hard to get along with, but," Alois pursed his lips, realising he wasn't arguing his best friend's case very well. "I'm going about this the wrong way. He wasn't always like this, especially when we were kids. It's just, his parents have to be part Dementor or something; they made him kind of bitter, sucking the joy right out of his life. They've never supported him, or shown him any love, or encouraged him in his pursuits. They're such unhappy people, without the capability to love. Ciel doesn't trust anyone, really, except for me. It's hard for him to open up and trust, or even love.

"I'm really worried about him, you know. He's very insecure and doesn't believe in himself. If his parents hadn't made him so desperate to find some sort of job, I don't think I would have been able to convince him to audition." Taking a deep breath, Alois shook his head. "I probably would have had to drag his stupid ass here, fighting tooth and nail. But I do know that being cast as the lead and being able to finally drag himself out from under his parents' clutches made him happy. I have a feeling that maybe he'll start opening up, and believing in himself. He deserves to have a good life," he said softly, staring at the slight back of his best friend with worry and warmth.

"He's very lucky to have a friend like you," Claude said simply, making the younger male smile. "Though, I'm not sure I would trust that man." He jerked his chin at Sebastian, eyeing him suspiciously. "Something tells me that he doesn't have good intentions."

"Ciel doesn't seem all that interested in him anyway, and if he did, well, it's his decision. All I can do is simply offer my advice and opinion, and hope he makes the right choices for himself."

"You're very mature, little dove, for someone so young." Alois squeezed tightly onto Claude's hand, his cheeks once again flushing with happiness.

Walking around the sets was like stepping straight into the Victorian Era; the furniture was beautifully crafted, and everything was elegantly placed. Sounds of awe were drawn from the cast, murmurs of excitement echoing around. Even Ciel was drawn in by the wonder of it all, temporarily forgetting that Sebastian was latched onto his arm like a leech. His eyes grew to the size of saucers as he tried to take everything in. The thing that drew him the most was the life-size replica of the streets of Victorian London; he carefully walked over the cobblestone roads, curiously glancing at the painted fronts of shops, the street lights that were oil lamps.

"This is where any scenes that take place in London will be filmed." Leffew's voice echoed around them, and Ciel turned his attention back on to her. "The shops, of course, are just painted onto plywood. They don't lead onto another set, save for the few places, like Undertaker's, that characters will actually enter. For scenes that take place on the grounds of the mansion, we'll all take a little fieldtrip to an actual mansion, which we have permission to film at. All in all, every set is extremely expensive, so please do try to not break anything. Accidents do happen, but we're hoping this will all last for the two seasons we have planned."

"The set builders have done a remarkable job, don't you agree?" Sebastian murmured in Ciel's ear, causing him to shiver deliciously. It didn't go unnoticed by the raven-haired male, and he had to fight off a smirk.

"It certainly is beautiful," the younger male agreed, too much in awe with everything to continue being vicious with Sebastian. At least, for now.

"All right, that's about all I can show you for now. When we go to the mansion for filming, we'll quickly show you around the grounds so that you become familiar with them. If you have no questions, we can go back and get started with the run-through." No one had any questions for Leffew to answer, so she merely led them back the way they had come.

"Ah, done with the tour already? Well, if everyone could have a seat, we will begin the run-through in a few minutes," the Director announced.

Sebastian finally released Ciel's arm, much to his relief, and he glanced at the long table that took up most of the room, searching for a seat. He really didn't want to sit next to Elizabeth, who was waving and trying to catch his attention. Alois had already selected a seat next to Claude, and noticing that his friend was trying to avoid the bubbly blond, he called him over.

With a grateful look flashed his way, Ciel sat down beside his best friend, giving out a weary sigh. "Thank you," he said, before chewing on his bottom lip. "And, I'm sorry for being unreasonable."

Alois only smiled at his friend, which quickly fell from his face as Sebastian walked up behind his friend, smiling politely.

"Ciel, do you mind if I take the seat next to yours? All the others are taken." He was much too close, causing Ciel to flinch slightly at the strange desire his velvety voice always seemed to strike him with.

Trying to sound indifferent, he shrugged his shoulders. "Do what you want."

This caused a smirk to curl Sebastian's lips, and he leaned down, placing his lips dangerously close to the younger male's ear. "Is that an invitation?" He whispered seductively, sanguine eyes flashing.

Almost immediately, Ciel spun around, glaring at him and hissing "hell no" with vehemence. Sebastian chuckled and sat down next to him.

"If you will all take out your scripts, we will begin. Sebastian, if you will," the Director stated, leaning back in his seat.

With a nod, Sebastian read the opening line. "Think carefully. Should you reject your faith, even this once, the gates of Paradise will forever be out of your reach."

Without even a sideways glance at Sebastian, Ciel took a deep breath and read his lines. "Do you think, one who was among the faithful, would ever go so far as to summon someone like you?"

Sebastian's chuckle made goosebumps raise on Ciel's skin. "I'll ask but once more: do you wish to form a contract with me?"

"I do!" Ciel said sharply. "Now stop asking these tedious questions and let me know if we have a deal!"

"End scene," Rorke spoke, his tone filled with boredom. "Begin the next scene."

"Master, it is time for you to wake up..."

On and on it went, nonstop for several hours, with Rorke announcing the ends and beginnings of scenes. Ciel's throat was feeling particularly raw, and he tried to gently clear his throat. His whole body ached from sitting in the same position for so long, and his stomach protested the long length in which it had gone without sustenance. Stretching out in his seat with his eyes closed, he didn't notice that Sebastian had walked off, until he felt a tap on his shoulder. Opening his royal blue orbs, the first thing he saw was Sebastian's smiling face.

"I thought you might like a snack," was all he said, that velvet voice of his wrapping around his shorter counterpart.

Ciel accepted the bottle of water and the cupcake graciously. Forgoing the water for now, he tore right into the cupcake, a moan of pure happiness rising up in his throat. He enjoyed every delectable bite of the cupcake, licking his fingers even after it was gone. He had even forgotten that Sebastian had been watching him the whole time, at least until he had leaned towards him.

"You missed a spot," he murmured, before licking the corner of Ciel's mouth free of frosting.

Stuttering with flushed face, Ciel flailed about, glaring accusingly at Sebastian, who merely chuckled. "Y-you bastard!" He finally spat, jumping out of his seat and stomping off towards the costume designers. The sooner his measurements were taken, the sooner he would be able to escape the raven-haired male.

Ciel was very much confused; Sebastian seemed to raise all sorts of conflicting emotions and feelings within him, and he did not like it one bit. All he could decide on was that Sebastian was just messing with him, that he was toying with him and seeing what kind of reactions he could get out of him. There would be no way that he could actually like him, especially with the way he kept teasing the younger male. He probably just wanted to lead Ciel on, possibly get into his pants along the way, and then ditch him. That was not going to happen, not if the blae-haired male could help it. Perhaps he'd toy with the older man. It would be a game, and he wanted so badly to break the man that was so desireable and detestable all at the same time.

With a renewed determination, Ciel let the costume designers take his measurements without much fuss. Afterwards, he caught Sebastian staring at him, and he gave the male a flirty smile.

"Beware, Sebastian. You picked the wrong person to play games with," Ciel muttered darkly as he left the building, a cruel smirk twisting his lips.

E/N: I'm going to take a moment to talk about Uke. A typical uke seems to be the shorter or smaller of the pair, cuter, more femme, submissive yet putting up a bit of a struggle. It seems like the stereotypical uke always struggles before they give in, which I don't know why. Since I'm not one to perpetuate stereotypes, the uke in this story will be quite different. I mean, sure Ciel and Alois are shorter, cuter, possibly the feminine types, but does that mean that they have to be totally submissive, yet half-heartedly struggle against their seme? Hell no. I don't want to get into it very much, and ruin the story, but Alois and Ciel will definitely not be your stereotypical uke. Please, please review; they make me happy to see, and they really do motivate me to write and get chapters out more frequently.

Kisses, Ritsy.