Ciel hopped over a large rock and heard a loud crunching noise as his feet hit the ground, breaking numerous twigs and smashing up dry leaves. The boy led the way through the woods, winding in-between trees and hopping over fallen logs. Claude's sleek figure followed gracefully behind, keeping his distance. His devious eyes watched as Ciel stopped in front of a small stream cutting through the thick forest. He knelt forward and dipped the tips of his fingers into the chilly water, shuddering and extracting them quickly.
"Maybe he went back already. Alois likes to separate himself from people every once in a while. He's never gone too long though. Besides, he doesn't have anywhere to go." Ciel stood up and flicked the water off of his fingers, turning around to meet Claude's amber gaze.
"Hm. Maybe you're right. Want to head back?" Claude smiled sheepishly at the boy and shrugged his shoulders. The boy nodded and flashed a sweet smile at the man. As he began to take a step forward, he felt Claude's hand press firmly against his chest, keeping him from moving.
"Claude, wha-"
"Shh." Ciel's eyes darted up to meet Claude's. His eyes were wider than usual and his mouth was parted slightly. Ciel gave the man a questioning look and shook his head, attempting to walk forward one more time. The man's hands came up and held the boy in place, his fingers digging into his skin rather uncomfortably.
"Claude, that hurts." Ciel felt his stomach fill up with a sense of worry. He watched the man's eyes flicker occasionally from side to side, like he was watching something being passed back and forth by from behind them.
"Claude?" The man shook his head and glanced down at the boy. His eyes softened immensely and he flashed Ciel a calm, reassuring smile. He quickly released the boy from his clutches and backed away.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." Ciel held his hands up and smiled at the man.
"It's okay, don't worry about it. What the hell did you see?" The boy's head turned to the side and he glanced at the thick mass of trees behind them. There was nothing there. He must have been seeing things. Ciel didn't want the man to feel bad about it so he shrugged it off and decided to leave it alone.
"Ah, nothing. Just my imagination. Me getting a little paranoid." Claude's voice was different, he sounded much huskier and his words were raspy now. Ciel missed that silky smooth voice of his. Shuddering at the thought, he bit down on his lip and began to march back through the trees from the direction they came.
"Let's go. I'm hungry." The boy's voice was chipper and Claude couldn't help but smile at how sweet and innocent he could act. He took a step forward but froze momentarily to glance over his shoulder at the tall, piney trees. His eyes narrowed and he snarled at the illusion of a never ending forest. He turned back to watch Ciel hop up onto a log and shook his head.
'Something's not right.'
Eventually the two men arrived back at the house and Claude hopped up the steps to open the door for Ciel. The boy smiled and shuffled inside.
"Alois?" Ciel's soft voice echoed throughout the living room and kitchen and he heard shuffling coming from the bathroom. A small blonde head popped out from around the corner.
"Yeah?" The boy's eyes were wide and vibrant. His cheeks were tinged with a pale pink blush and his lips were covered with a barely noticeable pink lipstick and clear lip gloss. It was modest but still sexy. Ciel smiled and scurried over to his friend, pushing him back into the bathroom before shutting the door quietly.
"What are you doing?" The dark haired boy said grinning like mad.
"What do you mean? And where have you been?" The boy stared down at the tiled floor and chewed bashfully on his lip.
"Oh come on. You're trying to look all nice for Claude, aren't you?" Ciel crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at his friend. Alois's bright eyes widened and he flashed Ciel a shocked look.
"No!" His blonde eyebrows furrowed and he glared at his friend. Ciel remained silent and continued to smile at him, tilting his head to the side.
"Okay, maybe I am. But don't you dare say anything!" Ciel hopped up and clapped his hands together excitedly.
"I'm excited for you! You're getting a little too dressy though aren't you? I mean, we're in a cabin in the middle of the woods, not at a club." Alois flashed a curious look at Ciel and shook his head.
"Didn't Sebastian tell you?" Ciel's eyes widened and he arched an eyebrow at his friend.
"Tell me what?"
"Sebastian." Claude pushed open the door to the bedroom and quickly slammed it behind him.
"God Claude, have you not fucking heard of knocking?" Sebastian turned around quickly and covered his exposed front side with a pillow. Claude's eyes widened momentarily and he smirked after catching a glimpse of Sebastian's cock.
"Need a hand?" Claude's weight shifted and he flashed the man a wicked, seductive look. Sebastian rolled his eyes in annoyance and quickly tugged his underwear up, covering himself for the most part. Tossing the pillow back onto the bed he glared at the man standing in front of his bed.
"What do you want?" Claude's smug expression faded and he walked up to Sebastian, standing mere inches away from the man.
"We have a serious problem. There was someone out in the woods with Ciel and me earlier." Sebastian's eyes softened a bit and he brought a hand up to his face, massaging the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"I've been feeling uneasy all day. Now I know why. Go get dressed." Claude shot the man a questionable look and smiled.
"Why?" Sebastian pushed past the man and snatched a pair of black pants off of the chair placed in the corner of the room. Yanking them on, he glanced out of the window in his bedroom and examined the mass of trees off in the distance.
"I have a plan." Sebastian glanced down at his pants as he stuffed the pockets back in.
"And, it would be?" Claude placed both hands on his hips and grinned at the man, waiting patiently to hear his response.
"We're going out."
"We're going out? Seriously?" Ciel's eyes lit up and he smiled goofily at his friend running lip gloss over his already sticky lips.
"Sebastian said he felt like taking us out. So hurry up and get ready!" Alois tossed the tube of gloss into a bag and began fishing around for something else.
"Where's my bag?" Ciel spun around in a circle looking for his makeup bag and grinned when he saw it lying on top of a stack of towels. He quickly unzipped the makeup bag and pulled out a case of loose powder. Unscrewing the lid, he dipped a fluffy, oversized brush into the small pile of mineral powder and dusted it over his face. He now looked a bit more pale and shimmery than before. He tossed the case onto the counter and proceeded to pull out a tube of mascara and a blacker than black eyeliner pencil. He ran the pencil over his top lid with precision and smudged the corners before opening up his mascara and running the wand through his already dark eyelashes. Satisfied with his eyes, Ciel rummaged through his bag looking for a blush.
"So did you tell Sebastian that we quit?" Alois asked while running a smokey grey eyeliner along his waterline. Ciel froze for a moment and stared at the counter in silence.
"No, not yet. I will though." He pulled out the blush he was looking for and gently brushed his cheekbones with the bristles of a new brush and smiled when the color came out just the way he wanted it to.
"You know, if we don't find something else to do we're going to get fat." Ciel chuckled at his friend and gently bumped him with his hip.
"Speak for yourself. You're the one who eats like a freaking whale." Ciel heard Alois gasp loudly and giggled when his friend threatened to smear his mascara across his face.
"You are right though, we're going to have to find something to do now." The dark haired boy murmured while applying a delicate, sparkly nude lipstick to his lips. He pulled out a tube of clear lip balm and ran it gently over his glittery lips.
"What would we do though? What are we good at?" Ciel stared at himself in the mirror and thought.
"Taking our clothes off and dancing around poles." The two laughed and Alois finished running a brush covered in a light brown shadow across his eyelids. The two looked at each other and smiled. Ciel brought a hand up and brushed a strand of hair away from Alois's porcelain face.
"We'll find something to do. Let's not worry about it right now though." His friend nodded and nuzzled into his hand.
"You sure are calm about all of this. Aren't you worried?" Claude muttered while slipping on a pair of dark blue jeans Sebastian had handed him.
"Why would I be worried?" Sebastian retorted quickly, sliding a loose black button up shirt on.
"No reason I suppose. Just don't get too caught up tonight, we're not going out to have fun." Claude snapped, shuffling through Sebastian's assortment of shirts hanging up in the closet. Sebastian scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Same goes for you. No screwing around." Claude turned his head to the side, yanking a shirt off of its hanger.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He growled and ripped off his shirt, exposing his slender, yet toned upper torso.
"It means, no messing around with Alois. Or anyone else. You're not bringing some stranger back here." Claude shot Sebastian a mocking look and his mouth twisted upward into a wicked smile.
"Why? Would that make you jealous?" His words were as silky and seductive as always and he watched and waited for Sebastian to flash him a mean, nasty look.
"Not me. But someone else in this house would be a little more than heartbroken, I'm sure." Claude's expression faded and he stared at Sebastian in disbelief. What the hell was he talking about? There's no way he could have known about what happened between him and Alois earlier. He felt his heart begin to beat irregularly and shook his head, trying to ward off any oncoming feelings.
"Yeah, okay. Whatever you say Sebastian." The man slipped on his skin tight black shirt and adjusted it, pulling it down to the rim of his pants. It was a remarkable fit. He and Sebastian had always been about the same size, in every way. It was almost as if they had been made from the same mold. Claude glanced over at Sebastian who was busy fastening the buttons to his shirt. He felt his heart ache a bit, staring at the man's hands. Those hands used to comfort and caress him in the same way they now comfort and caress Ciel. He tried not to think about it too much, fearing his emotions would distract him and keep him from focusing on the task at hand.
"Ready?" Claude's eyes darted up as Sebastian began walking towards him. He nodded and glanced around the room, looking for his shoes. He snatched them up and turned towards the door, reaching for the handle. Before being able to pry the door open, he felt Sebastian's hand latch around his wrist.
"Claude, please don't make me regret all of this." The man turned his head to the side and caught a glimpse of Sebastian's porcelain face. His eyes were soft and his grip wasn't forceful. The feeling wasn't going away. The pain in his chest, in his heart. Claude nodded and flashed the man a real, genuine smile.
"I won't, Sebastian. I promise."