"So. What exactly are we hoping to accomplish?" Claude's head fell back against the cushioned couch and he stared blankly at the ceiling.
"We're going to take the boys out. Whoever is out there in the woods will have a choice to make. They can either tail us and you and I can deal with them. Or, they can stay here and will have to deal with the house." Claude's eyes shot open at Sebastian's last remark. He chuckled mockingly at the man and shook his head.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Claude's amber eyes watched as Sebastian moved swiftly across the living room floor, approaching a small brass framed picture mounted directly between two windows.
"Move your head to the left." He held a hand up to corner of the picture frame and waited for Claude to lean over. His finger swept over a small, protruding button and Claude pushed himself off of the couch, dodging the small arrow headed straight for his head. He spun around and stared at Sebastian in shock, then at the wall, then back at Sebastian.
"Dick!" Sebastian smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. Claude knelt forward onto the couch and examined the metallic arrow piercing the faded, floral wallpaper. He grasped onto the exposed shaft and yanked the arrow out of the wall. Examining it carefully he flashed a curious look over at Sebastian.
"How many of these are there?" Claude spun the arrow between his fingertips and pricked the pointed end, flinching a bit at how sharp it still was.
"They're everywhere. This whole house is pretty much one giant minefield." Sebastian glanced around the room.
"So, how is it we're all still alive?" He asked, his eyes dancing around the room, looking blindly for other traps.
"I turned off the motion detectors. Once we leave, I'll turn them back on. If anyone steps foot in this house while we're gone, they're in for an unpleasant surprise."
"Not bad Sebastian. It's dirty and cruel. I like it." Claude tossed the extracted arrow at the man and relaxed on the couch.
"Don't tell the boys though." Claude waved his hand up and down and rolled his eyes at Sebastian.
"Don't tell us what?"
Both men glanced over at the boys standing in the archway leading into the living room. Ciel was wearing a pair of tight, white skinny jeans with an eye-catching black belt and a simple, skin tight, white long sleeved shirt. Alois was wearing a similar pair of skinny jeans only in a coal black color with a black V-neck shirt clinging tightly to his upper body, exposing small slivers of skin where the shirt had rode up around his hips. Claude and Sebastian smiled simultaneously at the two and each extended a hand out for the boys to take hold of.
"Where we're going." Sebastian spoke softly, pulling Ciel to his side and wrapping an arm around the boy, caressing his waist. The boy shuddered and tried not to laugh at Sebastian's hand tickling his side.
"Whoa. What the hell happened to the wall?" Ciel stopped and stared at the gaping hole in the ancient wallpaper. He flashed Sebastian a curious look and then continued to examine the wall. Sebastian began pulling the boy away and patted him on the butt.
"It's been that way forever." The man flashed a convincing smile at Ciel and guided him out of the house behind Claude and Alois.
"Huh. You'd think I would have noticed it earlier." Ciel murmured, walking past the front door and up to the car. Sebastian yanked the door open for Ciel, waiting patiently for him to plop down into the seat. Ciel flashed a look at Claude and pointed towards the passenger door. The man shook his head and motioned for him to go ahead and sit next to Sebastian in the front while holding the door open for Alois. Ciel smiled and slid into the car, biting his lip and smiling up at Sebastian. The man winked at Ciel and flashed a smile back before slamming the door shut.
Sebastian ran back up to the house quickly and stepped inside for a minute. Ciel leaned his head back against the headrest and stared into the rearview mirror at the two sitting in the backseat. It was almost sad how awkward they looked sitting next to one another. Claude's eyes occasionally flashed over to glance at Alois but the boy continuously stared blankly out of the car window. Ciel shook his head and sighed in relief internally when he saw Sebastian pull the door shut behind him before gliding up to his door. Within a few seconds, the engine was purring and the car was moving.
It didn't take them long to reach their destination. Sebastian drove for about ten minutes before pulling into a parking lot packed with cars. As he swiveled through the rows looking for a space, Claude kicked his foot forward and heard something rustle from underneath Sebastian's seat. His eyes fell down to the black strap of a bag shoved underneath Sebastian's chair. Claude smirked and shook his head at Sebastian's carelessness.
'Dumbass.'
"There's a spot right there." Ciel pointed towards a spot and Sebastian pulled into a space quickly with precision. Sebastian and Claude both, nearly in unison, flew out of their seats and rushed over to let the boy's out of the car. Sebastian snatched up Ciel's hand and gripped it firmly before leading him towards the door of the club.
Once passing the threshold, Ciel felt a welcoming haze of smoke waft past his face. It smelled sweet and the boy looked around after inhaling deeply. He followed behind as Sebastian tugged him forward, gently. Passing by other couples and groups of friends gathered in the halls of the building they made their way through everyone loitering around making a generous amount of noise. Ciel's glazed blue eyes peered back to see Alois following them from a distance with Claude directly behind him, guiding him with a hand on the boy's shoulder. Turning his attention back to Sebastian's backside, he noticed them approaching a tall, velvety black curtain. He stared intently as Sebastian tugged back the cloth and allowed him to pass through the entry way.
His eyes danced around the large, uncrowded room. The dance floor was massive but unoccupied. There was no DJ situated behind the booth at the front of the room and everyone in the club was either up at the bar counter or sitting at a table or booth.
"Excuse me, I'm going to look for the restroom." Claude flashed a sweet smile at Alois and glanced over at Sebastian, his eyes hardening for a moment. Sebastian nodded and he beckoned Alois to follow him and Ciel.
"It's early. We have a while to kind of get situated. Do you want something to drink?" Sebastian's voice was smooth and Ciel felt his stomach flutter at the sound of that exotic accent of his. He nodded and peered over at an empty table and snatched up Alois's hand. The blonde haired boy smiled and the two scurried over to the empty booth. They each plopped down onto either side and faced each other.
"This place is huge." Ciel nodded and stared up at the roof. The ceiling was covered in a gorgeous mixture of pink and blue paints, melding together to form a sky with millions of small, twinkling lights flickering like stars. Ciel sighed in awe, not being able to take his eyes off of the ceiling.
"I think Claude is going to make a move on you." He expressed nonchalantly. Alois's eyes widened and he stared at his friend.
"What!" The blonde haired boy playfully kicked his friend underneath the table and Ciel laughed at his friend's reaction.
"Oh come on. Seriously? He's been gawking at you since we got in the car." Ciel smiled as he watched Alois's cheeks redden, even in the darkened corner of the club. The boy's eyes fell down the table and he began to twiddle his thumbs.
"Really?" Alois couldn't help but smile a bit and bite down on his lip.
"Oh yeah. He's got the hots for you." Ciel said playfully, watching Alois smile even more.
"What can I get for you?" The thin woman standing behind the counter said cheerfully to Sebastian. Her hair was up in an elaborate bun with multiple strands falling free, accenting her face nicely. She had a metal piercing fashioned in-between her outlined eyes and her lips were stained with bright red lipstick. Sebastian smiled at her and leaned against the counter, staring up at the neon chalkboard behind the woman.
"Ah, I'll have two Purple Rain's and two Kamikaze's, please." The barmaid smiled and nodded, getting straight to work on the drinks.
Sebastian turned around and leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest and scanning the room, looking for any available exits or easy escape routes. His eyes found the two boys sitting at the booth near the corner of the club and he smiled. He felt a presence approach him and without breaking his stare, he tilted his head slightly to the side.
"Anything?"
"The bathrooms don't have windows and there's only three ways out of this building. The front entrance, that exit near the DJ's booth and a backdoor in the prep room behind the bar." Claude murmured quietly. He tapped on the countertop quietly and Sebastian in turn spun around and glanced around until he spotted the swinging doors leading to a back room behind the counter.
"That'll be our way out, if anything happens. It's closer to the car than the other door in here and less obvious." Sebastian stared down at the wooden countertop and trailed his finger along the fine lines under the thick layer of lacquer.
"You really think someone is going to show up? And if they do, what are we going to do? Beat the shit out of them in the middle of a crowded club?" Claude flashed a quick smile at the woman approaching them with their drinks.
"Thank you." Sebastian handed the woman a bill and grabbed the two shot glasses. He stared at Claude and motioned for him to grab the two girly glasses and smirked. Claude snatched them up and they began to walk towards the table the boy's had picked out for them.
"I won't hesitate to take care of the problem, Claude. Feel free to sit back and let me do all of the work though. That is, if it's too much for you to handle." Sebastian smirked as he heard the man scoff from behind him.
"Just leave the bastard alive, I need him."
"Yeah yeah."
The two boys glanced up and smiled as their escorts approached the table with drinks. Placing them onto the mounted table, Sebastian positioned a hand on Ciel's head and gently twirled a finger around a lock of silky hair. Claude gracefully slid into the booth next to Alois and instinctively draped an arm along the back of the seat. Alois felt his stomach flip at the sudden closeness of the two. He could smell the faint hint of HUGO BOSS cologne Claude was wearing. He recognized the scent, he wasn't quite sure where from though.
"You smell nice." Alois muttered. He instantly regretted opening up his mouth and felt himself reddening. His heart was pounding and his blood was boiling. He was beyond embarrassed and felt himself slouch slightly in his seat, wishing he could just bury himself in the ground and hide. Sebastian and Ciel were busy talking to one another and hadn't even noticed Alois blurt that out. His eyes shifted upward and met Claude's. Those heart melting, honey colored eyes of his were staring down at the boy's foamy blue ones. His lips curled up into a sweet smile and Alois felt a hand playfully flip a small section of his hair. The man leaned in dangerously close to Alois's face and the end of his nose gently brushed against his ear. Alois felt his warm breath caress his naked neck, causing his head to feel light and his body tingled with a sensation unfamiliar to him.
"Mm. So do you." Claude murmured. His voice was low and growly with a hint of playfulness. Alois felt his body shudder and his eyes began to glaze over. He felt the man's lips, for the briefest moment, meet his skin.
'What is he doing?' Alois's mind was screaming. His body was reacting to nothing. Claude had completely seduced him in a matter of seconds without doing anything! His eyes watched Claude carefully as he returned to his upright position. The boy's eyes were curious and he waited anxiously for the man to say something else or do something. Claude smiled at him and nonchalantly shifted his gaze to a group of people making their way onto the empty dance floor, as if nothing had happened. As if THAT had not just happened!
'What an arrogant man. So full of confidence and obviously in love with himself. He is snooty and obviously thinks he's superior. He's way too cocky for my liking.' Alois thought to himself. He stared at his drink placed carefully in front of him on the table. Small droplets were trickling down along the outside of the curvy glass. Taking a long, everlasting drink, he sighed quietly and shook his head as the mix of the cool liquid and the heat of the alcohol made their way down his throat. He felt his head buzz for a moment. He glanced over at the man quickly before he could be caught and bit down on his lip.
'But his eyes, his mouth, his sexy, smooth voice. His gentle touch. His sense of selflessness when it came to others. His playfulness and sense of self control. Dammit.' Alois shifted and sat up straight, turning towards Claude. All three of the other men glanced over at him.
"I need to get out."
Claude smiled. That goddamn smile.
"Of course." Sliding out of the booth, Claude offered a hand out to the boy which was ignored. Alois stood up and quickly began shuffling over to the bar. Claude glanced over at Ciel who was already staring at him.
"What's wrong with him?" Ciel snapped. Claude shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Ciel's small body quickly jumped up from the seat and chased after his friend.
Claude dropped himself back down onto the seat and allowed himself to slouch a bit, snatching up his drink and downing it quickly. He dropped the glass onto the table and sighed heavily. He glanced up at the man sitting opposite of him. His arms were folded across his chest and his eyebrows rose slightly.
"What did you do?" Sebastian asked.
"I didn't do anything. He told me I smelled nice so I returned the compliment." Claude muttered. Sebastian shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"Could you please try not to piss him off? We need to stay together. I can't have one of them running off like that."
"Whatever." Claude snapped.
The two of them sat in silence for a few moments and waited for their two companions to return to the table. After a few minutes of waiting patiently, Sebastian shot a look over at Claude who was already staring at him.
"Something's not right. They've been gone too long." Sebastian's dark eyes darted across the room.
"Relax. The lights are all still on, there's no music or sex crazed kids on the dance floor. They're just talking. You're being paranoid." Claude exclaimed. Sebastian felt those words sink in and felt a bit relieved for a moment. Claude was right. They were fine.
A few loud gasps were heard as the lights were all blown out in unison. Sebastian's head snapped up and his instincts began to kick in. He watched Claude stand up quickly and they looked around together to try and figure out what was going on. Seconds later, numerous arrangements of colorful lights lit up the DJ's stage and a man shuffled out onto the platform. People in the club cheered and women began to flood the dance floor, making the room appear much more crowded. There was a loud robotic screeching sound coming from the speakers and as a beat dropped strobe lights began to flash, leaving them in a black abyss with flashing white lights. Sebastian felt that small shard of easiness sink to the bottom of his stomach as he glanced over at Claude. His eyes narrowed and he shook his head.
"I hate you."