A/N: Hello again, sweet kittens and little doves~ I have updated sooner than I thought I would, and that is because I've had the motivation of SebasuchansKitten~ I have wondrous news: we have decided to beta for each other~ So, if you notice a lack of typos in this chapter, it is all thanks to them! Honestly, I am the happiest person in the world right now (albeit exhausted) because my inspiration is editing my works, which is fucking awesome. Make sure you please check out SebasuchansKitten's (you can find them on AO3) works and give her lots of loving words. On another note; because the votes were inconclusive, I decided to double update. I stayed up until 7am writing, because I want everyone to be happy. Sadly though, I ended up passing out on the floor in the spare room from sheer exhaustion. This chapter is all about Alois and Claude. It has a bit of angst (sorry I love to torture you), but I think it's a good chapter nontheless. Act 17 is solely focused on Sebastian and Ciel. The best of both worlds~ What I do for all you darling readers. I would bend over backwards for you. Enough babble, enjoy~

Warnings: Slight angst, alcholic consumption, almost smut.

Act XVI

The small apartment was dark and silent, though soft murmurs and a sliver of light filtered through the cracked bedroom door. Inside, Alois was lying on his back, half wrapped up in his sheets, his head dangling off the edge of the bed. Claude was pacing back and forth, his eyes intently studying the script as he and his shorter counterpart exchanged lines. The fickle blond was growing bored with the near constant state of rehearsing; he felt as though that was all he and his boyfriend had done on their whole break. They hadn't even gone on any dates, and Alois was getting cabin fever from being cooped up in either his or Claude's place. Stifling the urge to scream, he merely let out a soft sigh, letting his eyes drift from the page that they were on. He had his lines memorized, and it was fun to practice with Claude, so that wasn't the real issue. It was the script itself he had a problem with. The way Claude's character behaved towards himself and Ciel's character unnerved him. He was already worried as it was that Claude would lose interest in him, especially because he so rarely touched him with a fiery passion. Hell, he wouldn't even go to second base with him, and it was wearing him down, slowly but surely.

"Little dove?" Claude's questioning baritone broke through Alois' reverie, drawing his eyes to those liquid golden orbs.

Sitting up, the blond cocked his head to the side. "Yes?"

The taller male set his script down atop the bedside table, and walked over to stand in front of the daintier male. "You stopped." With probing eyes, he studied his boyfriend, concern evident in his face. Something was bothering Alois, that much he could tell, but as for what, he could not begin to fathom.

Alois waved off his concern, pouncing from the bed and waltzing off toward the bedroom door. He pressed it open and began heading to the kitchen, calling over his shoulder. "Sorry, I was getting bored."

Claude frowned; that was queer. Alois never got bored of rehearsing with him, and they had been at it for almost two weeks. Maybe it was because they both had already memorized their lines and perfected their approach. Or maybe he was lying, and it wasn't boredom at all. Nevertheless, he decided a break would be for the best; he was feeling guilt for focusing solely on their scripts for the majority of their miniature vacation. He hadn't even thought to take his little dove on a date in all the time they had spent together. Making up his mind, he headed out of the room, following the sounds of things being moved about in the kitchen. Sticking his head round the doorway, he watched Alois move things around and reorganize them, a weary look aging his face.

"Shall we go to a bar?" the dark-haired man asked, smiling when the little blond's azure eyes lit up.

"That sounds fun!" he squeaked, prancing back to his bedroom to get ready.

10 minutes later, the pair were leaving the apartment and walking at a brisk pace in the chilly air, heading for the nearest bar. Claude had decided it was a better idea to walk than to drive, as he would rather be safe than sorry; they could always walk home drunk, but he refused to let either of them drive if they were going to drink. Though his decision was based on safety, Alois complained unrelentingly about how cold he was, his full lips pouting, and his arms waving manically in the air.

Claude merely chuckled, shaking his head. "If you hadn't worn those delicious short shorts, you wouldn't be so cold, little dove." This, at least, stopped his boyfriend from chirping complaints at him, and brought a lovely blush to his cheeks.

Even though the walk was short, it gave both men enough time to withdraw and turn their thoughts inward. Alois still worried over how Claude felt about him; no amount of affection could release him from his constant doubt; it never reassured him for long, always returning and everpresent. It weighed him down, dragging him into the depths of depression. Why did Claude still refuse to have sex with him? Surely he had proved to him that he wanted that connection to him, and yet his devilishly sexy boyfriend still denied him the thing he so craved. With a worried glance in his taller counterpart's direction, he bit his lip and looked downward, wrapping his arms around himself. Claude was thinking, he could tell, but what he was thinking of, he could only wrongly assume. It must be about how he's growing tired of me, the wretched thought tore through him, making his heart squeeze painfully.

Alois could not have been more wrong; Claude was thinking about what had been on his mind with persistence in the past week that they had spent together. The man wanted nothing more than to ask Alois if he wanted to move in together. It was a logical idea, though it scared him. What if Alois said no? What if it was too early to be thinking that far ahead into their relationship? Was he rushing things? They had only been dating for around 4 and a half months, but Claude had a rule that he wouldn't start a relationship if he didn't plan to be with that person, and only that person. He refused to string somebody along, only to end the relationship a short while after. No, Claude was the kind of person to choose a partner based on having a future together. He would be lying if he said he didn't see himself proposing to the little bipolar blond in the future. His feelings for Alois were genuine, he was just afraid to rush things, and that fear was keeping him from letting his desire to have him fully take over. Claude didn't want Alois to start thinking that he only wanted sex from him, even if that was something that he did want. It was not the only thing, and he was out to prove it to his little dove. Maybe I should ask him to move in with me...

The cacophony of voices, slurred from alcoholic consumption, pulled them both from their thoughts as they neared the bar. Alois perked up visibly and began bouncing as his stride picked up. This brought a smile to Claude's face, and he too picked up the pace to keep up with his boyfriend. The bouncer recognized the couple, and let them in without hesitation. The blond squealed in delight as the smell of sweat, tobacco, and booze hit his nostrils. Finally, he was out of his wretched apartment; it had begun to feel like a cage. Making a beeline for the bar, he avoided bumping into any drunkards and hopped up onto a bar stool, flashing a flirty smile at the female bartender to get her attention. She came over as Claude reached the bar and sat next to Alois, her cockney accent thick as she asked what she could get for them.

"The strongest fruity drink you have," Alois purred, leaning into the counter top and bouncing in his seat.

Claude smiled slightly at his shorter counterparts excitement before answering her. "I'll have the Black Death."

Alois jolted in shock, turning to look at his boyfriend. "You do know what's in that, don't you?"

The golden-eyed male nodded, his lips curling into a smirk. "A little bit of everything."

This caused Alois to giggle and shake his head. "I see someone's looking to get wasted, and fast."

"It's been a while," Claude replied, smirk still present on his lips. "I figured we deserve to let loose."

The blond nodded his agreement, but didn't reply because his drink was set down in front of him. Without any hesitation, he threw it back like a shot, licking his lips and relishing in the sweet taste. Claude did the same with his drink, although his nose wrinkled with the strength and conflicting flavors. The Black Death was not the most delicious drink, but it got the job done fast.

Several drinks later, Alois was pleasantly tipsy, leaning more towards drunk, and his boyfriend looked positively smashed. Seeing it as his chance to seduce the brick wall that he had claimed as his, Alois clambered atop the bar with confidence, if a bit wobbly.

"Little dove," Claude slurred, reaching forward and trying to get a grip on his slender hips. "What are you doing?"

Azure eyes flashed deviously as the blond scooted out of his reach, standing fully on the wooden surface. He began to move his hips to the beat of the music, arms raising above his head as he let go and danced. Each movement was precise and well thought out; his body moved sensually and his eyes never left Claude. His counterpart was staring at him with hunger in those molten gold eyes, which was exactly what he wanted to see. With each song that played, his dance got more seductive, sweat glistening on his skin. Alois' shirt was riding up, exposing the creamy flesh that wrapped around his midriff. He rocked and rolled his hips provocatively, daring Claude to reach out and touch him with his heated gaze.

Claude could feel his trousers constricting as his dick hardened and strained against his pants. He wasn't thinking clearly, his mind muddled with alcohol and lust. Not one to back down from a dare, he stood, grasping his boyfriend's gyrating hips and practically snatching him off the bar. Alois squeaked at the rough handling, his heartbeat kicking into overdrive. The taller male refused to let the blond stand; he held the youth against him, throwing billets onto the bar before exiting the building so fast, you'd have thought it was on fire. The walk back to Alois' apartment was quick, though it felt excrutiatingly slow, as the blond purposefully writhed and wriggled against Claude, rubbing against his throbbing length quite lewdly.

The younger male positively purred, his hands wandering all over his counterpart's muscular body, his lips and tongue trailing over his neck, teeth nipping. He was driving Claude absolutely insane with need and lust. As soon as they were inside, he kicked the door shut, forcing Alois' head up and smashing his lips against his. He kissed him hungrily, his feet taking him to the bedroom from memory, as Claude couldn't be bothered to look where he was going. They fell onto the bed, Alois keening and writhing beneath his massive body. His heart was ready to jump out of his chest, his need making his hands shake and he unbuttoned and peeled the shirt off of his taller counterpart. Curious, cold fingers danced over the rock hard muscle, committing the way they felt to memory. Claude's hands had none of the grace that Alois' had, as he practically ripped the shirt off of his small body. His hands roamed over every inch of the heated skin, and he groaned from how soft it was. How he wanted to mark this skin as his.

Pressing and grinding his hips into Alois, he drew a breathy moan from the youth. The blond dragged his nails roughly down the chiseled chest, fingers brushing against the hem of the taller male's trousers. Finally, he thought. This is it. We're going to have sex! Shaking digits slipped the button out of its hole before a chilled hand slipped inside. The cold touch to his throbbing need finally snapped Claude to his senses. He hurriedly pulled away from his boyfriend, leaping back from the bed. His golden eyes were wild as he took in the look of shock on Alois' flushed face. Shock quickly melted into hurt, and the blond pulled his knees into his chest, feeling the unwanted tears well up in his eyes.

Claude was torn between wanting to sate his lust and ravishing his younger counterpart, and the need to wait, to prove to him that he wanted more than his body. With a decision that tore him up, he turned away and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it behind himself. He leaned against the cold door, gasping for air. A glance at the mirror showed his disheveled appearance. All his work toward proving his feelings for the azure eyed male were genuine had almost been thrown away. If he hadn't stopped, he would have reaffirmed to him that all he was worth was sex, nothing more. Claude could not do that to his little dove.

The sound of sniffling hiccups echoed around the dark bedroom. They had been so close, so close, and yet Claude had stopped once again. Alois was heartbroken. Why? Hadn't his boyfriend proved many times over that he cherished the blond? Wasn't he satisfied that his point had been proven, that Alois could see how much love Claude had for him? He must not have realised that this was the reassurance that Alois needed. This would seal the deal; he would know for certain that Claude wanted him, every part of him, even if he were soiled goods. A whimpering sob left his trembling lips, and he closed his eyes tightly, trying to stop the tears.

Before he could cave in on himself in sorrow, Alois quickly searched for his cellphone, desperate to reach out to his best friend. He scrolled through his contacts, quickly finding Ciel's number, and shot him a short text. SOS: we need a girl's night. Soon. Ciel's reply of "tomorrow" came quick, easing some of Alois' heartache. Tomorrow, he would see his best friend. He would see how he was doing, and maybe he could help shed some light on his situation with Claude.

Curling up in his cold bed, he let his tears slowly fall until they dried up, before falling asleep, still half-dressed. Claude spent the night in the bathroom.

E/N: Did you enjoy it loves? I hope you did, I worked hard on this, and SebasuchansKitten helped me with the overall plot, because I was stuck on how to proceed. Give them lots of love and thanks~ I'm going to take this time to tell you all how much I appreciate and love each and every one of you. Review/comment or not, you are important. I thank you for all the support you have offered me and this work, and without you, I wouldn't be this far, and still going. Thank you!

Kisses, Ritsy