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[fic] The Devil's Canvas [chapter thirty-six] (part one)
Title: The Devil's Canvas
Chapter: 36 (part one)/?
Authors: Akiru chan & Disgruntled Minion
Pairing/Characters: Sebastian/Ciel
Rating: M
Summary: Ciel's skin was marred with ink and blood, telling tales twisted in darkness. What an evil path the devil walks, tainted hands staining the innocent canvas. For the most beautiful art is painted in blood.
Warnings: Violence, adult content, yaoi, and language
Chapter Thirty-Six
Sebastian huffed as he balanced on the tree branch outside of Ciel’s classroom. After the last incident in his art room, Ciel had stated that they would be better off if Sebastian kept some distance between them so they wouldn’t cause a scene again. Sulking at being left outside like some dog, Sebastian looked around the campus once more, trying to find any source of harm.
On Ciel’s part, he was doing his best to ignore Sebastian. He could vaguely see the man through the window, hidden by the bright green leaves of the tree. It was making it hard to concentrate in class. Not that he needed to pay too much attention to the sixth still-life they had done that month, but he had already miss shaded a jar that had once held a human heart, or so the Undertaker had said. Ciel wasn’t sure if he believed the story or not.
As Ciel turned back to his drawing, Sebastian grumbled to himself and moved back to his own job. As annoying as it was, it was best that he was out here. Away from Ciel, Sebastian could focus more on the task at hand; and it was a job that he took very seriously.
His eyes watched as a sports team ran laps around the track, the coach yelling at them from the side to pick up the pace. Turning his attention from them, Sebastian glanced to the side, bringing up the scope to look out at the parking lot.
It was full, with only a few people walking through the cars as they either finished classes or were arriving for them. He watched as a male pulled a gym bag from the trunk and slammed it shut before walking towards the campus.
Sebastian’s eyebrows furrowed and he trained the scope on the male. He looked to be about Ciel’s age and to the normal eye, the individual looked like an average male student. But he walked carefully and his eyes were moving around too much, taking in the area around him.
Without thought, Sebastian slid down from the tree and dropped lightly to the ground. He wasn’t going to take anything to chance, especially after the incident at the market not too long ago. Tucking the scope into his pocket, Sebastian jogged up the steps of the building Ciel was in and quickly moved down the halls to find the proper classroom.
Ciel was just about to put the finishing touches on his drawing when the classroom door flew open. The whole class jumped and turned, and even the Undertaker seemed mildly surprised. When Ciel’s eyes fell upon Sebastian he frowned and grew nervous, not knowing what to expect.
“Pardon the interruption,” Sebastian said, eyes darting around the room. “But there’s a family emergency and I’m afraid that Ciel needs to leave class now. His family is insisting that it’s urgent.”
Not bothering to argue, Ciel quickly packed his things. His senses were on high alert and he knew something was up. They left the room quickly, Ciel not even bothering to say goodbye to his professor; the Undertaker would understand.
“What’s wrong?” Ciel managed to ask as Sebastian hurried him down the halls.
“I think someone’s coming after you,” Sebastian stated as they rounded a corner. He stopped quickly, feeling Ciel run into his back and he fluidly pushed Ciel around. “Move,” he whispered in a hurried tone.
A bullet flew by them, a muffled pop being the only indication that they were being shot at. It nicked the corner of the wall and Sebastian hissed as a small piece of rock hit his cheek. His gun was drawn as he pushed Ciel further down the hall.
“On campus?” Ciel nearly shouted as he went for his own gun. “Are they daft? They’re going to get spotted and have the cops called.” Another bullet whizzed by, and despite the use of a silencer, the shot still made enough racket to draw passing attention.
Sebastian didn’t answer as he shoved Ciel down a flight of steps. A bullet lodged into the wall over their heads as they jumped down several steps. He skidded around the corner, making sure to keep Ciel in front of him as they sprinted down the corridor.
Another stairwell came into view and Sebastian yanked Ciel into it, ushering him back up. They needed to make it up to the roof where they wouldn’t draw as much attention and where they could possibly spot any snipers. It was a gamble, but it was just as big a gamble as running across the campus grounds.
This was really beginning to annoy Ciel. His everyday, normal life was being threatened and he was not about to deal with this. “This shithead is going to die,” Ciel ground out as he was forced every which way by Sebastian.
Footsteps sounded behind them as they climbed up another flight of steps and onto the top floor. Sebastian didn’t even need to tell Ciel where they were going and without a word, they were running down the hall toward the steps that led to the roof.
Sebastian sent Ciel up first, covering him from behind and trusting that the younger male would cover their front until they reached the door. Once Ciel was up, Sebastian finished shutting the door as their pursuer rounded the corner.
“Cover my back,” Sebastian ordered and moved up to the roof’s door. It was cracked open, light streaming in as Sebastian peeked out, making sure the roof was clear before calling Ciel out.
Ciel followed, looking around to the other buildings on campus. From the naked eye, there wasn’t anything that looked out of place, and it seemed their pursuer was working alone. Probably for stealth reasons, although Ciel failed to see what was stealthy about shooting in a heavily populated area. The man was obviously an amateur.
“I think we are clear here,” Ciel said quietly as he turned to where their main threat was coming at them.
Sebastian nodded and continued to scan the area around them as Ciel watched the door that they had come from. It was a fool’s mission to come at them now; they had the high ground.
“Should we rush him now and save us the trouble?” Sebastian asked and turned his attention back to the door.
“I don’t see why we should do anymore running,” Ciel said, not feeling up to further exertion. Having the guy come at them and taking him down with the pull of the trigger sounded far better.
Sebastian gestured to the door, his gun ready to shoot as soon as it was opened. Ciel circled around and pointed his gun at the door as well. With careful movements, Sebastian pulled the door open, the barrel pointing down into the narrow stairwell.
Silence met them and a quick scan showed that it was empty. Scoffing, Sebastian took a hesitant step forward. “He’s gone,” he stated.
“Bastard would run.” Ciel peeked around the door, seeing that the stairway was indeed empty. It figured that they had run for nothing, and now they didn’t have a body for all their trouble.
“Let’s go,” Sebastian muttered. “We need to get you home. Hopefully this won’t interfere with our upcoming mission. This might be the final straw that forces Tanaka to keep us on lock down.”
“Can we not tell him?” Ciel asked hopefully. “After all, nothing happened.”
Sebastian frowned as they moved down the hallway. He still kept an eye out for their would be assailant, knowing that he could just be waiting for the right time to strike. “I should report it,” he stated. “We were shot at. But I have a feeling that you wouldn’t like that.”
“We could be mistaken. It could have all been a figment of our imaginations.” Ciel was feeling oddly cheerful despite what had just happened. Perhaps it was the secret brewing between himself and Sebastian that had him giddy.
For a few moments, Sebastian looked torn. Duty and family were warring once more against Ciel’s wishes; he knew that Tanaka would be furious if they kept this from him. But would it hurt that much to wait until after the assignment to tell the older man what had happened today?
Sighing, Sebastian turned to Ciel. “We’ll still tell him. But we’ll wait until after this assignment. It might’ve been a fluke.”
Ciel flew up and kissed Sebastian on the cheek. “This is why I love you,” he said, looking like a happy little child, albeit a deadly one. They walked towards the exit and Ciel contemplated going back to class. He had left most of his supplies there in his haste to leave, but going back to look at heart holding jars did not appeal to Ciel at the moment.
“Let’s just go back to the mansion and get ready for this assignment,” Sebastian murmured as they finally emerged outside. It was bright and Sebastian slid some sunglasses on as they walked to the car.
“You still haven’t told me exactly what we’re doing,” Ciel said as he tried to keep pace with Sebastian. All the while they kept an eye on their surroundings but nothing suspicious was standing out. It was indeed like the happening had all been in their heads. Ciel should have bothered to see where the bullets had been wedged into the hall walls.
Sebastian waited until they were in the car to answer, not wanting anyone to overhear the rest of their conversation. Once they were on the road, Sebastian glanced at Ciel and watched as the trees flashed by while Finny drove. “We’re doing a close range assassination,” he finally answered. “Poison will be the choice weapon this time. Just a small prick of the needle and no one will know.”
The thought of using poison excited Ciel, and he perked up at this news. “Well that’s new,” he said as he turned to Sebastian fully. “Are you going to teach me something new?”
A small chuckle escaped Sebastian’s lips. “That depends. Would you rather dress up as the girl, or be the one injecting the poison?”
“I think it’s your turn to dress as the woman,” Ciel snapped, earning him a look from Finny. The man seemed like he wanted to make a comment but the glare he received from Ciel kept him quiet.
“Then I’ll show you how to subtly inject the poison while I talk with the target.” Sebastian leaned over and nipped Ciel’s lip. “And I’ll show you my female disguise that you’ve wanted to see so badly.”
“Let’s just hope I’ll be able to control myself.” The look on Ciel’s face was hard to put a name too, and he just sat there leering at Sebastian.
Sebastian blinked once before leaning back with a small chuckle. “We’ll see what happens,” he stated, humor present in his voice. Leaning his head against the window, Sebastian watched as the mansion grew larger, signaling the end of their conversation.
Ciel quieted, seeming put out that they had arrived home so soon. Finny pulled in front of the stone steps of the main entrance to drop them off. “Mums the word?” Ciel asked as Finny drove away and they stood staring up at the front door.
“For now,” Sebastian answered with a smirk. They climbed up the steps and Sebastian held open the door for Ciel. “Until then, shall I go show you how to properly administer the poison?”
“Sounds like fun.” The door opened and they moved across the entrance way. A few people lulled about; some smiled and others frowned. It was something Ciel was quickly growing used to and he no longer batted an eyelash at the disapproving looks.
Ciel’s bag was dropped off in the room and Sebastian plucked out a small syringe that would be good practice for Ciel. This was something that Ciel would excel at, Sebastian had no doubts about that. For now, they would work with water for safety reasons, but on the actual day, the syringe would be filled with a poison of their choice.
Sebastian smirked. That was always the fun part; picking out the right poison that would be the most deadly. Or perhaps one that would cause hallucinations or even a high enough fever to make the body go into shock as the internal organs slowly shut down.
“Who am I going to poke?” Ciel found himself wondering, smirking down at the long needle. He had never been a big fan of shots; it wasn’t that they were painful, they were just unpleasant experiences.
“A member of the house,” Sebastian answered. “He’s been taking bribes and funding a rival gang. Tanaka won’t stand for it anymore. The man is abusing his power after we helped him get there and he’s stabbed us in the back.”
Ciel waved the information away, not really caring. “I don’t mean our target. Who am I going to practice on?” He looked eager and had a slight manic gleam to his eye.
Sebastian cocked his head to the side. “Perhaps Claude? Or would you rather use Alois?” He bowed slightly. “The choice is yours, my lord.”
“Choices, choices.” Ciel thought it over, wondering just who he could target. Alois was always fun to mess with, but the boy had no decency for respecting those above him. Ciel could see him being more difficult than what he was worth. Claude, on the other hand, knew how to grin and bear it while sneaking in amusing yet snide comments when he could. “Claude perhaps?” Ciel suggested, although the man had been slightly less annoying as of late.
Sebastian nodded and padded out of the room. “Let’s go get him then,” he stated as he walked down the hall. “So much to practice and not enough time. This has to be done perfectly, and Claude will be a tough target.”
“All the better to use him then.” Claude would indeed force Ciel to be at the top of his game. This was going to turn interesting, Ciel just knew it. They ventured around, trying to find where the man might be. His room was vacant, and the kitchen empty.
“He might be down at the shooting range,” Sebastian suggested and checked his watch. If they didn’t find Claude soon, they would have to go with someone else; it was already getting late and he wanted to get in enough practice time.
The shooting range was a little further out on the property, past the gardens. It would be a long and unneeded walk. “Don’t you have his number or something? You did date the guy.” Calling Claude up would be so much easier, but something told Ciel that that was asking for a little too much.
Sebastian pulled a face. “I have a feeling that’s a trick question,” he stated.
Ciel shot him an unamused look. “Frankly, I don’t care if you have an ex’s number in your phone. Considering you work so closely, it’d be stupid not to have it,” he quipped and stopped walking down the hall. There was no way he was going to walk any further without knowing if he had to or not.
Grumbling, Sebastian pulled out his phone and flipped through the contacts until Claude’s name popped up. Without a word, Sebastian pressed the talk button and brought up the phone. “Where are you?” he asked. An eyebrow twitched and Sebastian’s hand tightened around the phone. “Yes Claude, I’m so horny for you that I couldn’t help but call you to demand rough and wild sex.”
The phone was snatched away quickly at that response and Ciel took matters into his own hands. There would be no wild and rough sex for Sebastian tonight unless it included Ciel and only Ciel. “Where are you?” Ciel reiterated, expecting a different and more professional response from the other man.
“Why hello, Master Ciel,” Claude drawled. “I take it you don’t like sharing. Not that I can blame you but still, you acted rather fast. And if you must know, I’m in the library, researching.”
Ciel didn’t bother to comment on Claude’s tone, knowing there was no point. “When’s the quickest you can get to our room? We need your help,” he said quickly, having no time to dally.
“Really now?” Claude asked, a smirk present in his voice. “Are you taking me up on the offer of a threesome? I’ll claim Sebastian’s ass and he can have yours. I figure that’s fair.”
“Only if you’re taking me up on my offer to castrate you,” Ciel said in too sweet of a voice.
A small grumble settled over the phone. “Fine. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Good boy.” The phone was hung up and tossed back to Sebastian. “He’ll be here in a moment,” Ciel informed and began the trot back towards their room.
Sebastian blinked briefly before reaching forward to grab Ciel. His possessive side flared as he dragged Ciel back against his body and captured Ciel’s lips in a fierce kiss.
A squeak left Ciel’s mouth as he was caught completely off guard. He wasn’t sure what sparked the violent passion but he couldn't care as he pushed himself into the warmth of Sebastian’s body. It didn’t even matter that they were standing in the middle of the hall where anyone could see them. Let them gawk at their affection for one another. Ciel had nothing to hide when it came to his love for Sebastian.
Tongues met, and Ciel’s hand came up to clutch at the material of Sebastian’s shirt. The buttons declared their anger at being mishandled as Ciel pulled tightly at them and threads screamed out before a button came snapping off. Neither man paid it much mind, even as Ciel pulled away to lick his now swollen lips.
“Later,” Sebastian murmured against Ciel’s lips. He licked at the wetness covering the younger male’s lips before nipping at them. “I have plans for you.” He pulled back completely as footsteps sounded down the hall and he turned around to face Finny who smiled as he caught sight of the two.
Ciel returned the gesture with a wave of his hand. “I thought you went off to do... something with Bard?” He couldn’t remember the exact thing Finny had told them he had to do, and quite frankly Ciel didn’t care.
“He’s still away,” Finny stated. “So Tanaka is having me do inventory of weapons and letting me take care of the gardens again. It’s almost spring, you know. Lots of work to be done before anything new can be planted.”
“Well the gardens are looking lovely already.” There wasn’t much more that needed to be done in Ciel’s opinion, but then again what did he know about gardening.
Finny beamed. “Thank you! They’ll look even better in the spring when everything is blooming. The butterflies come too and it just looks wonderful.” He spun around in a circle to emphasis how everything would look.
The action made Sebastian chuckle. “Make sure you plant some white roses this time. The white would be a nice touch in all the colors that will bloom.”
Finny nodded quickly. “On it, Mr. Sebastian,” he stated and snapped a quick salute. “Shall I leave you two alone now?”
“Unless you want to see Claude get poked a few hundred times with a needle,” Ciel said, looking entirely too pleased with the prospect.
A small chuckle left Finny’s mouth. “That would be interesting, but I have to pick up some new scopes before I run out of time.” He grinned widely. “Poke him extra hard for me, Ciel.”
Ciel and Sebastian waved their goodbyes. “I didn’t know Finny could be so ruthless.” Ciel laughed and looked up at Sebastian who had a smile quirking his lips.
“He can be quite cruel when he needs to be,” Sebastian stated with pride. He turned around as more footsteps sounded down the hall and he saw Claude walking towards them with a scowl.
“So what mundane task am I helping you with?” He asked and looked over them. “Something stupid or just a waste of my time?”
Sebastian glanced at Ciel before turning back to Claude. “Why don’t you come with us and we’ll explain along the way,” he stated with a grin.
--------
Ciel’s pocket felt heavy, as if it were laden with lead. It was the mere thought of what settled there that weighed Ciel down. He felt increasingly nervous, and shifted carefully upon his seat. The needle and contained poison nestled cozily against Ciel’s thigh and he prayed the tiny bit of plastic that encased the needle of the syringe did not snap off. Ciel didn’t even want to think of the consequences of injecting himself.
Instead, Ciel’s eyes stayed glued to a pretty woman sitting a table away as she sat in a man’s lap and played coyly with his tie. The man, gruff and stout, ran his hands over her pretty curves and touched too familiarly at her thighs and chest. Ciel did little other than bat an eyelash as he turned back towards the bartender at the bar and ordered another beer which he would sip leisurely from. It would do him no good to get drunk.
The woman giggled slightly at something the man whispered in her ear and batted him away. A hand covered her mouth to help hide the blush that was present on her cheeks, not wanting the man to see her embarrassment. She tilted her head to the side as the man tried to kiss her cheek and nearly flew from his lap as hands tried to slip up her dress.
Giving a nervous laugh, she stood up and fixed her dress with the promise to be back with some drinks for them. With a small sway of her hips, she moved towards the bar and stood next to Ciel so she could order the drinks.
“I can’t wait until this guy is dead,” she murmured, lips not moving.
Ciel looked green, and kept himself from looking at the lady, once man, that stood next to him. Whatever fantasies he had about Sebastian in women’s clothing had been trampled the minute he had seen Sebastian walk out of the bathroom in his disguise. It was almost impossible for Ciel to look the older man in the eye.
Sebastian made a very attractive woman, but there was something slightly disturbing about a female Sebastian. Ciel vaguely wondered how Claude had managed to go from chasing after a female to a male. If he had been in the same situation, only backwards, Ciel wasn’t sure he could bring himself to pursue this version of his lover.
It was slightly disappointing. Ciel had wanted some payback from Christmas, but his dick didn’t seem willing to chase skirts, even if said skirt was hiding a tempting ass. Cross dressing was now one kink Ciel could cross off his list. He didn’t mind doing it, but Ciel preferred his partners to be all male, even in their dress.
“I just want you out of that dress,” Ciel snapped as soon as the bartender walked away to fill Sebastian’s order. The tone and look he sent the other man left no room to mistake the meaning of Ciel’s words. There were no hidden innuendos to be found in that clipped statement.
"Understood," Sebastian murmured. "I'll get him in an ideal spot and you can make your move." After that, the disguise would be discarded once more and Sebastian could return to normal; after a very long and thorough shower.
The drink order was placed in front of him and Sebastian smiled at the bartender before moving back to the waiting man. Once he was close enough, he was pulled back down into the waiting lap and Sebastian had to force an embarrassed smile, despite the growing murderous intent.
The politician took a sip of his drink before picking up Sebastian’s. “Shall I offer you a drink?” he asked, holding the glass up to Sebastian’s mouth. The cup was tilted up, some of the drink splashing into Sebastian’s mouth but most of it spilt down the front of his body. “Shit, let me help you with that,” the man said quickly and helped Sebastian to his feet.
Before Sebastian had a chance to protest, he was pulled down the hallway. They passed by the bar and Sebastian tossed Ciel a quick look before he followed the man further into the depths of the building.
Ciel downed the rest of his beer, the alcohol doing little to help settle his turning stomach. They would have to work quickly. From the way the man’s hand traveled dangerously low on Sebastian’s backside, there was only a matter of time until Sebastian’s cover was blown. There would be nothing stopping their target from taking advantage of Sebastian once they were alone in a room. Only so much groping and clothing (changed from ‘clothe’) removal could be done before the man figured out his lovely lady for the night was actually very male.
Getting up, Ciel placed some bills on the bar and left. No one paid him much mind, and Ciel found it easy to slip past the crowds of men and some woman. He coughed as he inhaled smoke from a cigar and moved fast to reach the back rooms of the bar. Ciel couldn’t be sure what room they had disappeared in, but there weren’t many to choose from.
Reaching the second door down, Ciel heard some hurried talking and he opened the door wide without much preamble. Both their target and Sebastian looked up. The target currently had his hands too far up Sebastian’s thighs, pushing up the small, tight skirt he wore.
“Sorry,” Ciel slurred, acting like a drunken fool. A perverse grin spread across his face. “Someone’s trying to get lucky.”
“Get out of here boy,” the man shouted and stood up. Behind him, Sebastian quickly pulled the skirt down, acting like a flustered young girl who had just been caught by her mother doing something inappropriate. “This is a private room.”
“Was looking for the bathroom. Don’t s-suppose you know where...” Ciel trailed off as he allowed himself to look around the room as if a neon sign flashing ‘restrooms’ would appear over the closet door.
The man looked livid. “They’re obviously not here. Now get the hell out of this room.” He turned to look back at Sebastian and flashed him a fake smile. “I’m sorry about this, love, he’ll be gone soon.”
Ciel tried to move from the room but lost his balance and slid down the door frame. He giggled cutely and looked up at the two others in the room. “I fell,” he said simply, looking quite pleased with himself.
Sebastian hid his laughter behind his hand and quickly averted his eyes at the politician’s heavy glare. It seemed as though he didn’t like someone else stealing the attention from him. With a small growl, their target stormed over to Ciel and grabbed him under the arms to help hoist him up.
Smiling dumbly, Ciel let his hands rest at his sides. He could feel the bulge of the needle through his pants, and his fingers dipped into his pocket low enough to wrap around the syringe. “Th-thank you sir,” Ciel said, saluting the man with his free hand.
“Just get out of here,” the man stated. “I’m a little busy here and you’re being annoying. Here’s some cash; go buy yourself some drinks so you can get out of my hair.” Bills were pushed into Ciel’s hand and the politician waved his hand, trying to shoo Ciel away.
Ciel looked as if he was going to pitch forward to grab at the money that fell from his hands, but with a fit of sudden vertigo, Ciel fell right back into the man’s arms. “Sorry,” Ciel said, voice suddenly clear and eyes bright. The syringe that had been pulled out during his fall was stabbed into the man’s shoulder and the poison was injected quickly.
A low growl escaped the mans mouth and he raised his hand, getting ready to backhand Ciel across the face. The motion was halted by Sebastian and they glared at each other for a brief moment.
“It was just an accident,” Sebastian stated, pouting slightly for emphasis. “If you’re going to be that rough with him, I’d hate to see how you’d handle me.” The words made Sebastian cringe, but he didn’t give the man any time to think about them. Without another word, Sebastian pulled Ciel out of the room and back down the hall. By the time the poison took affect, the politician would have another girl and she would be under fire for a while.
“Bastard didn’t feel a thing.” Ciel looked down at the syringe for a moment, glad that they had gone with a short butterfly needle. That, coupled with the roughness of Ciel falling into the man and his fingers digging into his back to hold on, made it easy to confuse the pinch of a needle with the pinch of nails.
Sebastian shook his head. “Too hyped up on adrenaline, too. You did a good job; your acting was perfect.” He paused to look around the room. “You leave first and I’ll settle the bill for the drinks. We can’t be seen together.”
“Fine by me.” Another disgusted look was shot at Sebastian’s state of dress and Ciel shook his head before turning around to leave. It would be good to get a breath of fresh air. He waved the bartender goodbye and slipped past the door and into the night air. It was warm but still cool when the wind blew and tousled Ciel’s hair. Moving quickly, he moved down the street and headed towards their rendezvous point.
Ciel took his time, not in any hurry. If he was lucky, Sebastian would catch up with him before he had to walk all the way down to the corner hardware store. The syringe was recapped and tucked away safely in his pocket. He no longer had to worry much about it and it would be disposed of as soon as they got home.
Walking past a side street, Ciel slowed, an odd rustling noise gaining his attention. He turned quickly when it got louder, his vision going black as a hand wrapped around his eyes and a cloth was forced against his nose. Ciel struggled, feeling panic grab at him as his consciousness slipped away.
The body fell limp in the attacker’s grip before Ciel was hoisted into the person’s arms. Silently looking around to make sure that no one was watching, the attacker moved back into the side street and vanished into the shadows.
----
[Part Two]
Chapter: 36 (part one)/?
Authors: Akiru chan & Disgruntled Minion
Pairing/Characters: Sebastian/Ciel
Rating: M
Summary: Ciel's skin was marred with ink and blood, telling tales twisted in darkness. What an evil path the devil walks, tainted hands staining the innocent canvas. For the most beautiful art is painted in blood.
Warnings: Violence, adult content, yaoi, and language
Chapter Thirty-Six
Sebastian huffed as he balanced on the tree branch outside of Ciel’s classroom. After the last incident in his art room, Ciel had stated that they would be better off if Sebastian kept some distance between them so they wouldn’t cause a scene again. Sulking at being left outside like some dog, Sebastian looked around the campus once more, trying to find any source of harm.
On Ciel’s part, he was doing his best to ignore Sebastian. He could vaguely see the man through the window, hidden by the bright green leaves of the tree. It was making it hard to concentrate in class. Not that he needed to pay too much attention to the sixth still-life they had done that month, but he had already miss shaded a jar that had once held a human heart, or so the Undertaker had said. Ciel wasn’t sure if he believed the story or not.
As Ciel turned back to his drawing, Sebastian grumbled to himself and moved back to his own job. As annoying as it was, it was best that he was out here. Away from Ciel, Sebastian could focus more on the task at hand; and it was a job that he took very seriously.
His eyes watched as a sports team ran laps around the track, the coach yelling at them from the side to pick up the pace. Turning his attention from them, Sebastian glanced to the side, bringing up the scope to look out at the parking lot.
It was full, with only a few people walking through the cars as they either finished classes or were arriving for them. He watched as a male pulled a gym bag from the trunk and slammed it shut before walking towards the campus.
Sebastian’s eyebrows furrowed and he trained the scope on the male. He looked to be about Ciel’s age and to the normal eye, the individual looked like an average male student. But he walked carefully and his eyes were moving around too much, taking in the area around him.
Without thought, Sebastian slid down from the tree and dropped lightly to the ground. He wasn’t going to take anything to chance, especially after the incident at the market not too long ago. Tucking the scope into his pocket, Sebastian jogged up the steps of the building Ciel was in and quickly moved down the halls to find the proper classroom.
Ciel was just about to put the finishing touches on his drawing when the classroom door flew open. The whole class jumped and turned, and even the Undertaker seemed mildly surprised. When Ciel’s eyes fell upon Sebastian he frowned and grew nervous, not knowing what to expect.
“Pardon the interruption,” Sebastian said, eyes darting around the room. “But there’s a family emergency and I’m afraid that Ciel needs to leave class now. His family is insisting that it’s urgent.”
Not bothering to argue, Ciel quickly packed his things. His senses were on high alert and he knew something was up. They left the room quickly, Ciel not even bothering to say goodbye to his professor; the Undertaker would understand.
“What’s wrong?” Ciel managed to ask as Sebastian hurried him down the halls.
“I think someone’s coming after you,” Sebastian stated as they rounded a corner. He stopped quickly, feeling Ciel run into his back and he fluidly pushed Ciel around. “Move,” he whispered in a hurried tone.
A bullet flew by them, a muffled pop being the only indication that they were being shot at. It nicked the corner of the wall and Sebastian hissed as a small piece of rock hit his cheek. His gun was drawn as he pushed Ciel further down the hall.
“On campus?” Ciel nearly shouted as he went for his own gun. “Are they daft? They’re going to get spotted and have the cops called.” Another bullet whizzed by, and despite the use of a silencer, the shot still made enough racket to draw passing attention.
Sebastian didn’t answer as he shoved Ciel down a flight of steps. A bullet lodged into the wall over their heads as they jumped down several steps. He skidded around the corner, making sure to keep Ciel in front of him as they sprinted down the corridor.
Another stairwell came into view and Sebastian yanked Ciel into it, ushering him back up. They needed to make it up to the roof where they wouldn’t draw as much attention and where they could possibly spot any snipers. It was a gamble, but it was just as big a gamble as running across the campus grounds.
This was really beginning to annoy Ciel. His everyday, normal life was being threatened and he was not about to deal with this. “This shithead is going to die,” Ciel ground out as he was forced every which way by Sebastian.
Footsteps sounded behind them as they climbed up another flight of steps and onto the top floor. Sebastian didn’t even need to tell Ciel where they were going and without a word, they were running down the hall toward the steps that led to the roof.
Sebastian sent Ciel up first, covering him from behind and trusting that the younger male would cover their front until they reached the door. Once Ciel was up, Sebastian finished shutting the door as their pursuer rounded the corner.
“Cover my back,” Sebastian ordered and moved up to the roof’s door. It was cracked open, light streaming in as Sebastian peeked out, making sure the roof was clear before calling Ciel out.
Ciel followed, looking around to the other buildings on campus. From the naked eye, there wasn’t anything that looked out of place, and it seemed their pursuer was working alone. Probably for stealth reasons, although Ciel failed to see what was stealthy about shooting in a heavily populated area. The man was obviously an amateur.
“I think we are clear here,” Ciel said quietly as he turned to where their main threat was coming at them.
Sebastian nodded and continued to scan the area around them as Ciel watched the door that they had come from. It was a fool’s mission to come at them now; they had the high ground.
“Should we rush him now and save us the trouble?” Sebastian asked and turned his attention back to the door.
“I don’t see why we should do anymore running,” Ciel said, not feeling up to further exertion. Having the guy come at them and taking him down with the pull of the trigger sounded far better.
Sebastian gestured to the door, his gun ready to shoot as soon as it was opened. Ciel circled around and pointed his gun at the door as well. With careful movements, Sebastian pulled the door open, the barrel pointing down into the narrow stairwell.
Silence met them and a quick scan showed that it was empty. Scoffing, Sebastian took a hesitant step forward. “He’s gone,” he stated.
“Bastard would run.” Ciel peeked around the door, seeing that the stairway was indeed empty. It figured that they had run for nothing, and now they didn’t have a body for all their trouble.
“Let’s go,” Sebastian muttered. “We need to get you home. Hopefully this won’t interfere with our upcoming mission. This might be the final straw that forces Tanaka to keep us on lock down.”
“Can we not tell him?” Ciel asked hopefully. “After all, nothing happened.”
Sebastian frowned as they moved down the hallway. He still kept an eye out for their would be assailant, knowing that he could just be waiting for the right time to strike. “I should report it,” he stated. “We were shot at. But I have a feeling that you wouldn’t like that.”
“We could be mistaken. It could have all been a figment of our imaginations.” Ciel was feeling oddly cheerful despite what had just happened. Perhaps it was the secret brewing between himself and Sebastian that had him giddy.
For a few moments, Sebastian looked torn. Duty and family were warring once more against Ciel’s wishes; he knew that Tanaka would be furious if they kept this from him. But would it hurt that much to wait until after the assignment to tell the older man what had happened today?
Sighing, Sebastian turned to Ciel. “We’ll still tell him. But we’ll wait until after this assignment. It might’ve been a fluke.”
Ciel flew up and kissed Sebastian on the cheek. “This is why I love you,” he said, looking like a happy little child, albeit a deadly one. They walked towards the exit and Ciel contemplated going back to class. He had left most of his supplies there in his haste to leave, but going back to look at heart holding jars did not appeal to Ciel at the moment.
“Let’s just go back to the mansion and get ready for this assignment,” Sebastian murmured as they finally emerged outside. It was bright and Sebastian slid some sunglasses on as they walked to the car.
“You still haven’t told me exactly what we’re doing,” Ciel said as he tried to keep pace with Sebastian. All the while they kept an eye on their surroundings but nothing suspicious was standing out. It was indeed like the happening had all been in their heads. Ciel should have bothered to see where the bullets had been wedged into the hall walls.
Sebastian waited until they were in the car to answer, not wanting anyone to overhear the rest of their conversation. Once they were on the road, Sebastian glanced at Ciel and watched as the trees flashed by while Finny drove. “We’re doing a close range assassination,” he finally answered. “Poison will be the choice weapon this time. Just a small prick of the needle and no one will know.”
The thought of using poison excited Ciel, and he perked up at this news. “Well that’s new,” he said as he turned to Sebastian fully. “Are you going to teach me something new?”
A small chuckle escaped Sebastian’s lips. “That depends. Would you rather dress up as the girl, or be the one injecting the poison?”
“I think it’s your turn to dress as the woman,” Ciel snapped, earning him a look from Finny. The man seemed like he wanted to make a comment but the glare he received from Ciel kept him quiet.
“Then I’ll show you how to subtly inject the poison while I talk with the target.” Sebastian leaned over and nipped Ciel’s lip. “And I’ll show you my female disguise that you’ve wanted to see so badly.”
“Let’s just hope I’ll be able to control myself.” The look on Ciel’s face was hard to put a name too, and he just sat there leering at Sebastian.
Sebastian blinked once before leaning back with a small chuckle. “We’ll see what happens,” he stated, humor present in his voice. Leaning his head against the window, Sebastian watched as the mansion grew larger, signaling the end of their conversation.
Ciel quieted, seeming put out that they had arrived home so soon. Finny pulled in front of the stone steps of the main entrance to drop them off. “Mums the word?” Ciel asked as Finny drove away and they stood staring up at the front door.
“For now,” Sebastian answered with a smirk. They climbed up the steps and Sebastian held open the door for Ciel. “Until then, shall I go show you how to properly administer the poison?”
“Sounds like fun.” The door opened and they moved across the entrance way. A few people lulled about; some smiled and others frowned. It was something Ciel was quickly growing used to and he no longer batted an eyelash at the disapproving looks.
Ciel’s bag was dropped off in the room and Sebastian plucked out a small syringe that would be good practice for Ciel. This was something that Ciel would excel at, Sebastian had no doubts about that. For now, they would work with water for safety reasons, but on the actual day, the syringe would be filled with a poison of their choice.
Sebastian smirked. That was always the fun part; picking out the right poison that would be the most deadly. Or perhaps one that would cause hallucinations or even a high enough fever to make the body go into shock as the internal organs slowly shut down.
“Who am I going to poke?” Ciel found himself wondering, smirking down at the long needle. He had never been a big fan of shots; it wasn’t that they were painful, they were just unpleasant experiences.
“A member of the house,” Sebastian answered. “He’s been taking bribes and funding a rival gang. Tanaka won’t stand for it anymore. The man is abusing his power after we helped him get there and he’s stabbed us in the back.”
Ciel waved the information away, not really caring. “I don’t mean our target. Who am I going to practice on?” He looked eager and had a slight manic gleam to his eye.
Sebastian cocked his head to the side. “Perhaps Claude? Or would you rather use Alois?” He bowed slightly. “The choice is yours, my lord.”
“Choices, choices.” Ciel thought it over, wondering just who he could target. Alois was always fun to mess with, but the boy had no decency for respecting those above him. Ciel could see him being more difficult than what he was worth. Claude, on the other hand, knew how to grin and bear it while sneaking in amusing yet snide comments when he could. “Claude perhaps?” Ciel suggested, although the man had been slightly less annoying as of late.
Sebastian nodded and padded out of the room. “Let’s go get him then,” he stated as he walked down the hall. “So much to practice and not enough time. This has to be done perfectly, and Claude will be a tough target.”
“All the better to use him then.” Claude would indeed force Ciel to be at the top of his game. This was going to turn interesting, Ciel just knew it. They ventured around, trying to find where the man might be. His room was vacant, and the kitchen empty.
“He might be down at the shooting range,” Sebastian suggested and checked his watch. If they didn’t find Claude soon, they would have to go with someone else; it was already getting late and he wanted to get in enough practice time.
The shooting range was a little further out on the property, past the gardens. It would be a long and unneeded walk. “Don’t you have his number or something? You did date the guy.” Calling Claude up would be so much easier, but something told Ciel that that was asking for a little too much.
Sebastian pulled a face. “I have a feeling that’s a trick question,” he stated.
Ciel shot him an unamused look. “Frankly, I don’t care if you have an ex’s number in your phone. Considering you work so closely, it’d be stupid not to have it,” he quipped and stopped walking down the hall. There was no way he was going to walk any further without knowing if he had to or not.
Grumbling, Sebastian pulled out his phone and flipped through the contacts until Claude’s name popped up. Without a word, Sebastian pressed the talk button and brought up the phone. “Where are you?” he asked. An eyebrow twitched and Sebastian’s hand tightened around the phone. “Yes Claude, I’m so horny for you that I couldn’t help but call you to demand rough and wild sex.”
The phone was snatched away quickly at that response and Ciel took matters into his own hands. There would be no wild and rough sex for Sebastian tonight unless it included Ciel and only Ciel. “Where are you?” Ciel reiterated, expecting a different and more professional response from the other man.
“Why hello, Master Ciel,” Claude drawled. “I take it you don’t like sharing. Not that I can blame you but still, you acted rather fast. And if you must know, I’m in the library, researching.”
Ciel didn’t bother to comment on Claude’s tone, knowing there was no point. “When’s the quickest you can get to our room? We need your help,” he said quickly, having no time to dally.
“Really now?” Claude asked, a smirk present in his voice. “Are you taking me up on the offer of a threesome? I’ll claim Sebastian’s ass and he can have yours. I figure that’s fair.”
“Only if you’re taking me up on my offer to castrate you,” Ciel said in too sweet of a voice.
A small grumble settled over the phone. “Fine. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Good boy.” The phone was hung up and tossed back to Sebastian. “He’ll be here in a moment,” Ciel informed and began the trot back towards their room.
Sebastian blinked briefly before reaching forward to grab Ciel. His possessive side flared as he dragged Ciel back against his body and captured Ciel’s lips in a fierce kiss.
A squeak left Ciel’s mouth as he was caught completely off guard. He wasn’t sure what sparked the violent passion but he couldn't care as he pushed himself into the warmth of Sebastian’s body. It didn’t even matter that they were standing in the middle of the hall where anyone could see them. Let them gawk at their affection for one another. Ciel had nothing to hide when it came to his love for Sebastian.
Tongues met, and Ciel’s hand came up to clutch at the material of Sebastian’s shirt. The buttons declared their anger at being mishandled as Ciel pulled tightly at them and threads screamed out before a button came snapping off. Neither man paid it much mind, even as Ciel pulled away to lick his now swollen lips.
“Later,” Sebastian murmured against Ciel’s lips. He licked at the wetness covering the younger male’s lips before nipping at them. “I have plans for you.” He pulled back completely as footsteps sounded down the hall and he turned around to face Finny who smiled as he caught sight of the two.
Ciel returned the gesture with a wave of his hand. “I thought you went off to do... something with Bard?” He couldn’t remember the exact thing Finny had told them he had to do, and quite frankly Ciel didn’t care.
“He’s still away,” Finny stated. “So Tanaka is having me do inventory of weapons and letting me take care of the gardens again. It’s almost spring, you know. Lots of work to be done before anything new can be planted.”
“Well the gardens are looking lovely already.” There wasn’t much more that needed to be done in Ciel’s opinion, but then again what did he know about gardening.
Finny beamed. “Thank you! They’ll look even better in the spring when everything is blooming. The butterflies come too and it just looks wonderful.” He spun around in a circle to emphasis how everything would look.
The action made Sebastian chuckle. “Make sure you plant some white roses this time. The white would be a nice touch in all the colors that will bloom.”
Finny nodded quickly. “On it, Mr. Sebastian,” he stated and snapped a quick salute. “Shall I leave you two alone now?”
“Unless you want to see Claude get poked a few hundred times with a needle,” Ciel said, looking entirely too pleased with the prospect.
A small chuckle left Finny’s mouth. “That would be interesting, but I have to pick up some new scopes before I run out of time.” He grinned widely. “Poke him extra hard for me, Ciel.”
Ciel and Sebastian waved their goodbyes. “I didn’t know Finny could be so ruthless.” Ciel laughed and looked up at Sebastian who had a smile quirking his lips.
“He can be quite cruel when he needs to be,” Sebastian stated with pride. He turned around as more footsteps sounded down the hall and he saw Claude walking towards them with a scowl.
“So what mundane task am I helping you with?” He asked and looked over them. “Something stupid or just a waste of my time?”
Sebastian glanced at Ciel before turning back to Claude. “Why don’t you come with us and we’ll explain along the way,” he stated with a grin.
--------
Ciel’s pocket felt heavy, as if it were laden with lead. It was the mere thought of what settled there that weighed Ciel down. He felt increasingly nervous, and shifted carefully upon his seat. The needle and contained poison nestled cozily against Ciel’s thigh and he prayed the tiny bit of plastic that encased the needle of the syringe did not snap off. Ciel didn’t even want to think of the consequences of injecting himself.
Instead, Ciel’s eyes stayed glued to a pretty woman sitting a table away as she sat in a man’s lap and played coyly with his tie. The man, gruff and stout, ran his hands over her pretty curves and touched too familiarly at her thighs and chest. Ciel did little other than bat an eyelash as he turned back towards the bartender at the bar and ordered another beer which he would sip leisurely from. It would do him no good to get drunk.
The woman giggled slightly at something the man whispered in her ear and batted him away. A hand covered her mouth to help hide the blush that was present on her cheeks, not wanting the man to see her embarrassment. She tilted her head to the side as the man tried to kiss her cheek and nearly flew from his lap as hands tried to slip up her dress.
Giving a nervous laugh, she stood up and fixed her dress with the promise to be back with some drinks for them. With a small sway of her hips, she moved towards the bar and stood next to Ciel so she could order the drinks.
“I can’t wait until this guy is dead,” she murmured, lips not moving.
Ciel looked green, and kept himself from looking at the lady, once man, that stood next to him. Whatever fantasies he had about Sebastian in women’s clothing had been trampled the minute he had seen Sebastian walk out of the bathroom in his disguise. It was almost impossible for Ciel to look the older man in the eye.
Sebastian made a very attractive woman, but there was something slightly disturbing about a female Sebastian. Ciel vaguely wondered how Claude had managed to go from chasing after a female to a male. If he had been in the same situation, only backwards, Ciel wasn’t sure he could bring himself to pursue this version of his lover.
It was slightly disappointing. Ciel had wanted some payback from Christmas, but his dick didn’t seem willing to chase skirts, even if said skirt was hiding a tempting ass. Cross dressing was now one kink Ciel could cross off his list. He didn’t mind doing it, but Ciel preferred his partners to be all male, even in their dress.
“I just want you out of that dress,” Ciel snapped as soon as the bartender walked away to fill Sebastian’s order. The tone and look he sent the other man left no room to mistake the meaning of Ciel’s words. There were no hidden innuendos to be found in that clipped statement.
"Understood," Sebastian murmured. "I'll get him in an ideal spot and you can make your move." After that, the disguise would be discarded once more and Sebastian could return to normal; after a very long and thorough shower.
The drink order was placed in front of him and Sebastian smiled at the bartender before moving back to the waiting man. Once he was close enough, he was pulled back down into the waiting lap and Sebastian had to force an embarrassed smile, despite the growing murderous intent.
The politician took a sip of his drink before picking up Sebastian’s. “Shall I offer you a drink?” he asked, holding the glass up to Sebastian’s mouth. The cup was tilted up, some of the drink splashing into Sebastian’s mouth but most of it spilt down the front of his body. “Shit, let me help you with that,” the man said quickly and helped Sebastian to his feet.
Before Sebastian had a chance to protest, he was pulled down the hallway. They passed by the bar and Sebastian tossed Ciel a quick look before he followed the man further into the depths of the building.
Ciel downed the rest of his beer, the alcohol doing little to help settle his turning stomach. They would have to work quickly. From the way the man’s hand traveled dangerously low on Sebastian’s backside, there was only a matter of time until Sebastian’s cover was blown. There would be nothing stopping their target from taking advantage of Sebastian once they were alone in a room. Only so much groping and clothing (changed from ‘clothe’) removal could be done before the man figured out his lovely lady for the night was actually very male.
Getting up, Ciel placed some bills on the bar and left. No one paid him much mind, and Ciel found it easy to slip past the crowds of men and some woman. He coughed as he inhaled smoke from a cigar and moved fast to reach the back rooms of the bar. Ciel couldn’t be sure what room they had disappeared in, but there weren’t many to choose from.
Reaching the second door down, Ciel heard some hurried talking and he opened the door wide without much preamble. Both their target and Sebastian looked up. The target currently had his hands too far up Sebastian’s thighs, pushing up the small, tight skirt he wore.
“Sorry,” Ciel slurred, acting like a drunken fool. A perverse grin spread across his face. “Someone’s trying to get lucky.”
“Get out of here boy,” the man shouted and stood up. Behind him, Sebastian quickly pulled the skirt down, acting like a flustered young girl who had just been caught by her mother doing something inappropriate. “This is a private room.”
“Was looking for the bathroom. Don’t s-suppose you know where...” Ciel trailed off as he allowed himself to look around the room as if a neon sign flashing ‘restrooms’ would appear over the closet door.
The man looked livid. “They’re obviously not here. Now get the hell out of this room.” He turned to look back at Sebastian and flashed him a fake smile. “I’m sorry about this, love, he’ll be gone soon.”
Ciel tried to move from the room but lost his balance and slid down the door frame. He giggled cutely and looked up at the two others in the room. “I fell,” he said simply, looking quite pleased with himself.
Sebastian hid his laughter behind his hand and quickly averted his eyes at the politician’s heavy glare. It seemed as though he didn’t like someone else stealing the attention from him. With a small growl, their target stormed over to Ciel and grabbed him under the arms to help hoist him up.
Smiling dumbly, Ciel let his hands rest at his sides. He could feel the bulge of the needle through his pants, and his fingers dipped into his pocket low enough to wrap around the syringe. “Th-thank you sir,” Ciel said, saluting the man with his free hand.
“Just get out of here,” the man stated. “I’m a little busy here and you’re being annoying. Here’s some cash; go buy yourself some drinks so you can get out of my hair.” Bills were pushed into Ciel’s hand and the politician waved his hand, trying to shoo Ciel away.
Ciel looked as if he was going to pitch forward to grab at the money that fell from his hands, but with a fit of sudden vertigo, Ciel fell right back into the man’s arms. “Sorry,” Ciel said, voice suddenly clear and eyes bright. The syringe that had been pulled out during his fall was stabbed into the man’s shoulder and the poison was injected quickly.
A low growl escaped the mans mouth and he raised his hand, getting ready to backhand Ciel across the face. The motion was halted by Sebastian and they glared at each other for a brief moment.
“It was just an accident,” Sebastian stated, pouting slightly for emphasis. “If you’re going to be that rough with him, I’d hate to see how you’d handle me.” The words made Sebastian cringe, but he didn’t give the man any time to think about them. Without another word, Sebastian pulled Ciel out of the room and back down the hall. By the time the poison took affect, the politician would have another girl and she would be under fire for a while.
“Bastard didn’t feel a thing.” Ciel looked down at the syringe for a moment, glad that they had gone with a short butterfly needle. That, coupled with the roughness of Ciel falling into the man and his fingers digging into his back to hold on, made it easy to confuse the pinch of a needle with the pinch of nails.
Sebastian shook his head. “Too hyped up on adrenaline, too. You did a good job; your acting was perfect.” He paused to look around the room. “You leave first and I’ll settle the bill for the drinks. We can’t be seen together.”
“Fine by me.” Another disgusted look was shot at Sebastian’s state of dress and Ciel shook his head before turning around to leave. It would be good to get a breath of fresh air. He waved the bartender goodbye and slipped past the door and into the night air. It was warm but still cool when the wind blew and tousled Ciel’s hair. Moving quickly, he moved down the street and headed towards their rendezvous point.
Ciel took his time, not in any hurry. If he was lucky, Sebastian would catch up with him before he had to walk all the way down to the corner hardware store. The syringe was recapped and tucked away safely in his pocket. He no longer had to worry much about it and it would be disposed of as soon as they got home.
Walking past a side street, Ciel slowed, an odd rustling noise gaining his attention. He turned quickly when it got louder, his vision going black as a hand wrapped around his eyes and a cloth was forced against his nose. Ciel struggled, feeling panic grab at him as his consciousness slipped away.
The body fell limp in the attacker’s grip before Ciel was hoisted into the person’s arms. Silently looking around to make sure that no one was watching, the attacker moved back into the side street and vanished into the shadows.
----
[Part Two]