A/N: Another double update! It's because I love you all so much, little doves/sweet kittens (PICK YOUR SIDE). Anyways, get ready for some feels~ because they're a' coming, regardless of if you are prepared or not. I know this is pretty short (hell, all my chapters are "pretty short", sorry about that) but I hope that it's enjoyable enough that you can overlook that. There's little tiny mentions of Ciel's and Alois' pasts in this, but I'm not going to get too in depth. That will be for later (maybe, if I'm not a lazy twat). Anywho, enough of my chattering. Enjoy!

Warnings: Vulgar language, fluff, angst, feels.

Act IX

The last time Alois had seen Ciel, he had been conversing with the Director, something about being sick. He had certainly sounded sick, what with how his voice made him think of a cat with it's nuts stuck in a circular fan; it was rough and kept tapering off as if he was losing it. The Director ended up giving him a few days off, and Ciel had limped out of the studio. Limped! It was worrying the manic blond to no end, because he still hadn't had the chance to talk with his best friend, and he was pretty sure that the reason he was so bedraggled was Sebastian. He had witnessed them leaving the party together, with an extremely drunk-looking Ciel glued to his side. It didn't even sound right that the blae-haired boy was drunk, because it was physically impossible for that to happen. He had an amazingly high tolerancy for alcohol, what with his family having a glass or two of wine at every meal ever since Ciel could walk.

Alois could remember all the parties they had attended in high school where Ciel would drink guys 3 times his size under the table. He never vomited, never slurred his speech, never got anything but a buzz. It didn't matter how much he drank or for how long, he had an iron stomach. The only thing he could think of that sounded logical was that Ciel had been pretending to be drunk, but for what purpose? Suddenly, it hit the blond in the stomach like a ton of bricks; it had to have been because his best friend was trying to get Sebastian's guard down enough to seduce him. He had probably had sex with that giant, and that thought made Alois' stomach turn with anxiety.

His phone rang, snapping him out of his worrisome thoughts. Jumping up off his tan leather couch, he waltzed over to the kitchen island, a fleeting hope that it would be Ciel. He wanted so badly to talk with his best friend, and after two days of silence, it would be nice to put his consuming worries to rest. Though it wasn't Ciel, he was not at all disappointed to see Claude's name on the screen. He quickly hit the talk button and brought it up to his ear, giving a cheery hello.

"Would you like to go on a date, little dove?" He asked without any preamble, bringing a smile to the blond's lips. He loved that Claude didn't beat around the bush.

"I'd love that. Pick me up in an hour?"

After they hung up, Alois danced to his room, searching through his massive amount of clothes, trying to find the perfect outfit. He settled on a dusty blue cashmere sweater, tight short shorts the color of Claude's hair, and a pair of worn converse. He brushed his feather-soft hair and applied a light coat of mascara to make his eyes pop. A quick dash of lipgloss and he was ready. He sat impatiently on his couch, practically bouncing out of his seat. All thoughts of Ciel and his downward spiral were efficiently pushed to the back of his mind, replaced with excitement for his date.

Three knocks on his front door announced Claude's presense, and he about flew out of his seat and over to the door. Alois smiled brightly as he opened it to reveal the impeccably dressed golden-eyed male. He was ready to melt into a puddle when Claude took his hand and led him outside, locking his door for him.

"I got us tickets for a show, but since we have time before it starts, I thought we could get some coffee. Afterwards, would you like to have dinner?"

"Of course, Claude," Alois gushed, entwining their fingers. The coffee shop that they always went to in the month that they had been dating was only a couple of blocks from his house. Still, they took Claude's sleek black car, since they were going to head into town to catch the movie.

Once inside, the smell of coffee and pastries tickled the blond's nose, and he sighed contentedly. Claude ordered a black coffee, and Alois got a mocha frappe with a couple extra shots of espresso. The taller man rolled his eyes and joked about how his counterpart didn't need the extra caffeine. They picked the corner table, sitting down with their drinks and just enjoying each other's company. The best part about being with Claude is that he didn't feel the need to fill in every silence with his mindless chatter, because it was completely comfortable. The only other person he could enjoy silence with was Ciel; with everyone else, if there was a lull in conversation, he got anxious and would start psychobabbling about meaningless things. Silence was not something he did well with.

"Your friend is sick, isn't he?" Claude asked, the first to break the silence.

"I'm not so sure about that," Alois bit his lip, looking down at the cup he twirled between his hands.

Claude nodded knowingly, a sigh on his lips. "I didn't think so either. Have you had the chance to talk to him?"

Running slim fingers through his blond hair in frustration, he shook his head. "He hasn't tried to call me. I'm going crazy with worry. I feel like he's just made a huge mistake." He looked up as Claude took his hand and released his finger's hold on the locks.

"Let's not worry about that, little dove. Just release your worries for now and enjoy yourself." Alois gave the man a grateful smile and squeezed his hands. He was so lucky to have such a sweet and caring man. "The show is going to start soon," he announced, leading the blond out of the coffee shop, their half-consumed drinks left behind on the table, forgotten.

After the movie and dinner, the two walked around downtown, window shopping. Claude surprised Alois by pulling him to a stop and bringing his lips to his, giving him a warm kiss. It left Alois breathless and with flushed cheeks. As it was getting darker, Claude suggested that they return home. When he pulled up in front of Alois' house, the blond turned to him, his cerulean eyes begging.

"Will you stay the night?" He asked, holding his breath as he waited for the answer. He didn't want to be alone right now.

"Anything you want, little dove," Claude replied, his voice full of a loving warmth.

Once inside, Alois pulled Claude towards him, standing on toptoes to kiss him. His lips parted as his taller counterpart's tongue prodded them, seeking entry. The muscles danced together in earnest, exploring each other's mouths as the plum-haired male's arms circled around the youth's back. Alois purred delighted into the kiss, arms tightly wound around his strong neck. They slowly trailed towards the couch where they fell, the elder on top of the youth. The kiss changed from sweet and gentle to passionate and hungry, and Alois could feel Claude's hand trailing up his side. He shivered in delight, his mind raising with the high that being with Claude gave him. He hoped tonight would be the night that they would finally have sex; he had never abstained from sex for so long into a relationship, and it was starting to worry him.

Sadly, Claude broke off the kiss, closing his eyes and gasping for air. He sat up, leaving Alois lying there panting, as he tried to control his urges. It broke the blond's heart, and he bit his lip; he felt like he was being rejected, time and time again. When their makeout sessions got to this point, Claude would always stop, removing himself from his person and make sure they weren't touching. The elder stood, heading into the kitchen as he called back that he was getting a drink.

Alois could feel tears filling his eyes as a lump grew in his throat. He had broken down and confessed to Claude that all his "relationships" had ever been about was sex. He was used, and in return he used. He had never been with someone who had genuinely cared about him, but with people who had only desired the pleasures of the flesh. Maybe that was why Claude wouldn't have sex with him, because he thought he was filthy, a dirty thing, with semen-begging eyes. He probably didn't want him that way, or any way at all, and it hurt him more than anything had ever hurt him in his life.

Slowly, the youth sat up, trailing into the kitchen after Claude.

"Did you want something to drink as well?" The plum-haired man asked when he heard the soft footsteps of his counterpart.

"Why won't you have sex with me?" Alois asked, gaze glued to the floor as his hair fell into his face, hiding his eyes.

"What was that, little dove?" Claude asked, sounding unsure.

The petite male took a deep breath, looking up at him even though it hurt to do so. "I asked why you won't have sex with me." His voice wavered and his lower lip trembled. "You think I'm disgusting, right? Because I'm not a virgin? Because I've fucked countless men? Do you not... want me? Is that why you only kiss me? Why you stop touching me when you break off our kisses?" Tears spilled over his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. "That must be it. I'm vile, filthy, unworthy of your love or your touch. And I know it, I know I'm all those things," he sobbed, his eyes falling back to the floor because it hurt too much to look at the man he was falling in love with.

He heard footsteps approaching him, and felt the large warm hands cup his cheeks. They gently forced his head to tilt back, waiting until his watery eyes met the golden ones.

"Little dove... Alois, I do not think any of those things. We haven't had sex yet, because I want to show you that what we have is so much deeper than that. I want you to see that I care about you, that I love you for who you are, and not what your body can offer me." His thumbs wiped away the trails of tears, brushing back the blond locks that had fallen into his face. "You are so far from disgusting... Your past doesn't define who you are today. Those men don't matter, because here in the present, we're together. It's you and me, baby."

"S-so you don't hate me?" Alois whispered, his eyes pleading.

"I could never hate you," Claude murmured comfortingly. As if to prove his point, he kissed the shorter male's forehead, then each of his eyes and cheeks, the tip of his nose, before brushing them against his lips. "Please don't cry, little dove. It breaks my heart to see you in such pain."

Alois clutched onto Claude as if his life depended on it, and he hiccuped, trying to calm down. After a while, the tears stopped flowing and his hiccups faded. "Let's go to sleep," he murmured softly, wanting nothing more than to be held against and reassured by the older male.

Claude scooped Alois up into his arms bridal style, and cradling him against his chest, carried him to his bedroom. They shed their clothes, leaving on their boxers, before crawling into the bed. Alois pressed into Claude, head resting in the crook of his neck as strong arms wrapped around him. A large hand stroked his hair as his eyelids began to droop. Before sleep claimed the blond, his last thought was I'm falling in love with him, hard and fast...

E/N: Ah, so sweet. This is how Claude should be, forever. I hate him for what he did to Alois in the anime. I really do, especially because of how much Alois loved him, and wanted his love in return. Anyways, this is definitely my second favorite pairing, and their relationship in this story is just so fluffy and heartwarming. See what I mean that Alois is experiencing a healthy relationship? That's all for now, little doves and sweet kittens. I apologize for any spelling errors, I'll get around to fixing them eventually. I'm also sorry if this is crap, I'm really just pouring little bits of myself into this story as I write. Please, please review, and make my day!

Kisses, Ritsy