DISCLAIMER! This story involves characters that belong to Taboso-sama. I own nothing except the made up story, and I do not profit from this in anyway.
ALSO, FROM THIS POINT ON THERE WILL BE YAOI AND HINTS OF YURI. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS OR YOU ARE NOT GOING TO RESPECT THE IDEAS WITHIN, DO NOT READ! 3 Thank you!
Chapter 12: Infection
The final bell meant it was time for Ciel to leave school, once again, with Sebastian. He sighed and looked at the clock to make sure it was actually the final bell, and much to his dismay, it was. He gathered his books and waited for the class to clear before he began walking to the door.
He entered the hallway and walked to his locker, half expecting Sebastian to be waiting there, but he wasn't. Ciel's chest was hurting because his heart was beating so fast, but he was also shaking with fright.
'What if Claude won't let me stay with him any more? What if I'm kicked out in the streets?' Thoughts were racing through his mind as he was returning his books to his locker. His fingers lingered over his math homework book, and he eventually decided to grab it, just in case Sebastian wasn't in his line of vision as he was leaving.
'If I don't see Sebastian as I'm leaving school grounds, then I'm going home.' He decided as he grabbed the rest of his homework.
He closed his locker, half-expecting Sebastian to be there, but it was clear. He looked around the hallway casually as he was walking towards the exit, and there was no sign of Sebastian. Ciel approached the steps when he heard an all too familiar giggle.
He looked to the left and saw Mae-Rin sitting on the railing for the stairs, and Soma was looking up at her and whispering. Ciel darted behind one of the pillars and watched the two.
"Will you be ready when I come to pick you up at 7?" Soma asked.
Mae-Rin blew a bubble and winked in response, then giggled as Soma picked her up and placed her on the ground, but glanced over to lock eyes with Ciel.
Ciel's hands shook, but he shook his head. He waited until both of them separated at the gate before he left his hiding place and started scanning for Sebastian. He didn't see him at first, so he walked casually toward the gate and found Alois, and he quickly tucked behind the wall by the gate and listened closely.
"I suppose I'll have to see you tomorrow, Alois." Ronald said.
Alois giggled, "It's too far, isn't it?"
Ronald paused, "I wish I could see you more than just at school, but my home is too far away for you to walk."
"But you walk it everyday. It can't be that far." Alois added.
Ronald smiled, "I wouldn't want you to walk that far just for me."
Alois smiled, "You could always come to my house!"
Ronald paused, "Could I?"
"Sure! I don't live far away at all, and you could even spend the night if you wanted! Claude wouldn't mind as long as I was home."
Ronald hugged Alois, "You'll never know how grateful I am!"
Ciel peaked around the corner slightly further to reassure what he was seeing was fact, and Ronald looked directly at him.
Ciel gasped and ducked back around the wall so he could avoid that entire situation, but he was feeling worse as each moment passed. He covered his mouth with one hand and waited for them to leave, and before he realized it, he was completely alone in the school yard.
He looked left and right, but there wasn't a single student in sight, not even Sebastian. He sighed and memories of his previous lifestyle came flooding in, as if he had never left those lonely ways.
He gathered his books and began walking toward his house, not the one he was sharing with Claude, but his home; the one he carved out for himself. Ciel kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk and slowly trudged toward his run-down home, pausing only to glance at Alois and Ronald as they were welcomed in with warmth and smiles.
It began to sprinkle rain.
He turned his head and looked at his run-down building he called home, and smiled a melancholy smile; one filled with bittersweet memories. He made it to the back door before the rain started coming down hard, so he quickly kicked the door in and shut it before his papers got any more wet than usual.
He looked at his cabinets, which were still open, and it reminded him of how he had given everything to Claude and Alois; how they took everything from him while promising him the world, and now he's back to square one without even a cent or crumb to his name.
He threw his books down on the sofa, like he usually did, and tossed his overshirt on the back before he continued on to his bedroom so he could take off his uniform and put it away for tomorrow. Ciel looked around his room and noted how completely bare it was now, as if it had ever been full.
"At least I had something to call my own, now it belongs to Alois." He said to himself, just like he used to do when he was alone, except now the entire notion seemed crazy and it reminded him of how utterly alone he was.
Ciel returned to the living room and sat on the sofa, "Well, I had better do my homework while there is still some daylight."
He opened his workbook to his assigned page, but then realized he hadn't attended lecture because of Sebastian, and he didn't bring home his textbook out of habit of relying on the lecture. His thoughts suddenly went to Sebastian.
"Why is it that I can never be happy? Alois didn't give me a second thought, and I know Claude saw me! Then Sebastian goes and makes me crazy with all these weird feelings, and doesn't even show up today like he promised!" He chucked his workbook across the room out of anger.
He stood and stormed off to his room, flung himself on his completely bare bed, and openly wept. He lifted his head just long enough to take a breath of air, and plunged himself back down into his disparity.
"You don't like me, you just want the attention!" He shouted in his bed.
He raised his head back up for another gasp of air, which was harder to take than the last, and tried to calm himself down to a normal level.
His hands were shaking and his chest felt cold and fuzzy. Ciel sat up on his knees and wiped his eyes clean.
"I'll…make them…regret taking adva-" He realized he couldn't even speak to himself without growing short of breath.
His body was trying to cough, but he couldn't manage to gather enough air for a cough, so he was somewhat stuck in a mode of expulsion.
Ciel searched his pockets for his emergency inhaler, but realized he left it in the living room with his over shirt and books. He fell to the floor and tried to catch as little breath as he could, but he could only manage wisps of air that taunted more than they helped.
He was in panic mode. He took small steps to ensure he didn't become more winded as he would if he ran, like his body was screaming to do. Ciel reached his over shirt and fumbled in the pockets for his inhaler.
The pockets were empty.
Ciel really began to panic at this point, as his only spare was at Alois's house, which meant he had to walk all the way there.
'I'll run. Even if I lose more breath, I'll get to my inhaler faster.' He thought to himself as he moved to the door.
Ciel tried to wiggle the handle, but it wouldn't give. He pulled at the door instead, but it seemed more solid than when he had kicked it in earlier. He let go immediately and looked to the front door. He wasn't thinking clearly, but he dashed over to the front door and remembered it was completely sealed.
'Just for looks.' Ciel repeated to himself in his head because that's what he said when he finished sealing it himself.
He fell to the floor in both disparity and weakness. He needed oxygen, fast, he could feel himself starting to fade into unconsciousness.
He managed to grab a single breath, and used it to try and calm himself.
'If I calm down, I'll be able to breathe. I don't need an inhaler.' He tried to tell himself, but his chest was on fire and his hands were shaking too much to even try to aid in convincing.
There was a sound at the back door, and Ciel could only manage a slow turn.
Grell entered the doorway with a black cat on his shoulder, "My, how vulnerable you seem!" He began approaching Ciel.
Grell looked down at him, "This is what Sebastian is leaving me for? A child?! Hah! Look at you now, you're on your knees before me!"
Ciel tried to move further away, but his back was completely against the door.
Grell smiled, "These are the cause of all your problems, hm?" He moved down closer to Ciel's level so the cat was even closer to Ciel's face.
Ciel was completely out of breath, and he was quickly running out of time to be conscious. He wheezed in an attempt to breathe.
"Is this what you need?" Grell reached into his pocket and retrieved an inhaler.
Ciel's eyes widened and he reached out for it.
Grell snatched it away, "I know your weakness, and I know you need this, so let's make a deal. Stay away from Sebastian, or else." He stroked the cat on his shoulder.
Ciel's chest ached for relief, but he hesitated.
"Sebastian's no good for you anyhow. He loves cats, and he could never have one as long as he was with you." Grell taunted the inhaler in front of Ciel.
Ciel reached out quick enough to take Grell by surprise and he struggled with the lid.
"I suppose we have a deal." Grell winked and popped the lid off for Ciel.
Ciel pressed the dose down and tried to suck in the medication. After a moment he could gasp more air, so he waited before taking another puff.
"Stay away from his house, avoid him at school, and don't even think about calling him from home…not that I need to worry about that anyway, seeing as you don't have much here." Grell smiled before standing.
"Take care of yourself!" He said with a smile as he winked and closed the back door.
Ciel curled into a ball and shook, still trying to regain control of his breathing. His head was throbbing and this throat burned worse than his chest.
'I need to lie down.' He thought to himself as he struggled to crawl over to the sofa. He lifted himself onto the sofa and rested his head back onto one of the broken-down arms. His gaze shifted to the floor where he threw his homework earlier.
'You're all I have in the whole world, and I threw you out just like they did to me. Never again. I'll make something of myself and show them where I stand. Mae-Rin and Alois have abandoned me, but I still have Finnian and Baldroy. Actually, where have they been? I can't remember the last time I saw them…or even the last time I checked my grades. I can't remember…I can't…'
Ciel's racing mind eventually wore him to the point of exhaustion, and he fell asleep.
~*~
Ciel stirred with the morning light and figured it was still early, as the sun was only coming up. He felt as if a cinder block had been strapped to his chest, but he assumed it was from his attack yesterday. He moved slowly into his room to gather his school uniform and he remembered he hadn't showered in a while. He decided to head out early so he could use the shower in the gym's locker room.
He put his uniform on, deciding to use the home economics' washer and dryer while he showered. He gathered the rest of his books and headed out into the early morning, being sure to take his inhaler this time.
Ciel carried his shoes so the mud wouldn't coat them, he didn't have time to wash those and his clothes. His bare foot sank into the mud, it must have rained all night, so he decided a quick pace would only spread more. He slowly moved through the mud, and the suction caused loud cracks to echo with every step he took forward. He hoped he didn't drop any of his homework pages in the mud because he would never find it again, but he still pressed on with a determined pace, and after he reached the sidewalk, he went from a slow, uneven stomp into a light-hearted jog. The sunlight was behind him and cast his shadow on the ground in front of him, but he didn't have time to look down. He was too preoccupied with looking ahead of him, to the road ahead.
He quickly turned right in toward the school, past the gates, and he avoided the front entrance. Ciel quickly went around to the left side of the building that housed a separate building for the entrance to the gym. He knew they left it unlocked as a courtesy to the soccer players who may need the shower, just like he did at this moment.
There was also an entrance to the school just across from the building, so he took the opportunity to sneak in and go to the home economics room. Once there, he undressed and found a towel so he could wash his clothes.
"I'll take a shower now so I'll be ready to put them in the dryer, then I can wear them to class." He said to himself as he finished with the settings.
"What would you do if someone were to see you like this?" A voice came from behind him.
Ciel gasped and dashed behind one of the counters used for storing pans, "What are you doing here Sebastian?"
Sebastian offered a robe to Ciel with his eyes closed, "I'm looking after you."
Ciel snatched it out of his grip and covered himself, "I don't know why you're covering your eyes, I have nothing you haven't seen already."
"It was out of respect." Sebastian said and opened his eyes.
"You say it's out of respect, but you didn't bother to show or say anything to me yesterday? I don't care. Just leave me alone." He went to leave to go to the showers, but Sebastian stepped in his way.
"I'm sorry." Sebastian said with a lowered head.
"I doubt that." Ciel said as he shoved Sebastian out of the way.
Sebastian closed his eyes and clinched his fists while trying to fight back tears as Ciel slammed the door especially hard.
Ciel paused once outside the door and glanced over his shoulder at the door when it came back into focus. He reached out to touch the doorknob, but realized it was just out of arm's reach, just like all his other failed attempts at happiness. He let his hand fall and he walked off slowly to the showers.
Sebastian had moved over to the door and was trying to listen for Ciel, but could hear nothing. He pressed his ear gently to the door and heard the light retreating footsteps, and his heart fell faster than his inevitable tears.
He backed away from the door and wiped away a streaming tear before turning around to watch the washing machine. He glanced over at the door once more before looking back at the closet filled with robes.
Ciel folded his robe and placed it on a bench before he walked over to the lockers and began searching for a bottle of shampoo and some soap. Luckily, two of the lockers were opened, and one contained soap and shampoo while the other contained a comb. It was more than he hoped for, so he rushed over to the shower and turned up the heat so it would be steamy when he was finished.
He lathered up a handful of shampoo in his hands and started scrubbing his scalp, and as he began to lean back to rinse he closed his eyes and saw Sebastian. They flew back open in shock.
"Not again. I can't stop thinking about him!" He said out loud to himself. He shook his head and closed his eyes again so he could rinse, but the scene from the elevator began to replay in his mind.
He squinted his eyes harder and tried to expedite the process, and when he finally opened his eyes, he saw Sebastian in front of him.
"Even when my eyes aren't closed he's here!" Ciel shouted.
"What are you talking about?" Sebastian asked in a concerned tone.
"Sebastian! What are you doing in here?" Ciel asked frantically.
"I can't tell you how sorry I am, Ciel. I came to ask if I could wash you so you wouldn't have to bother."
"Like hell! Get out of here!" Ciel went to push Sebastian, but his foot slipped and he was about to fall.
Sebastian squatted down and caught Ciel before he hit the hard tile, "You need to be more careful! Do you understand what a fall here could do to you?"
Ciel braced himself against Sebastian, "Why do you care?"
"I love you!" Sebastian shouted.
"Then why didn't you show yesterday?!" Ciel demanded as he pounded his fists on Sebastian's chest.
Sebastian pulled him closer in a tight embrace and sat down completely, "Grell said he would kill you if I showed."
Ciel pulled away, "He was at my house! I-I couldn't breathe! I couldn't move without coughing, everything was spinning, I was so scared! His cat is that caused it all! He knows I'm allergic to cats and he used it against me, and even teased me with my inhaler! Sebastian, I-" He was cut off with a cough.
"Calm down, Ciel. You need to breathe." Sebastian said as he smoothed some of Ciel's hair out of the way.
Ciel was trying to calm down, but he couldn't stop. Finally, one hard cough covered Sebastian's chest with blood.
Ciel's eyes grew wide and his face went pale. Sebastian looked down and then back to Ciel.
"We're going to a hospital, now!" Sebastian said as he lifted Ciel in his arms.
"Robe." Ciel managed between coughing spells.
"I know." Sebastian grabbed the robe Ciel left folded on the bench as well as his own and rushed to his car.
He opened the door and placed Ciel in the passenger seat so he could sit up and cough.
"I'll get us there as fast as I can. I promise." Sebastian said as he stroked Ciel's cheek.
"My inhaler?" Ciel asked.
"It's with your clothes, but we'll be to the hospital soon enough, just hold on." Sebastian said as he threw the car in gear and exited parking lot.
Ciel was trying to hold in his coughing because he could feel more blood pouring down his throat, but his efforts were wavering.
"I don't care about my floor being covered in blood. I can get it cleaned again, but I can't replace you." Sebastian said as he took a hard turn.
Ciel felt queasy and lost his stomach along with the blood in the floorboards.
Sebastian was trying to get to the hospital, but didn't want to hurt Ciel any more than he already was. His eyes were beginning to swell with tears.
Ciel's small hand reached out and touched Sebastian's leg, and somehow he found that everything would turn out in the end.
It had to…right?