Treat Me Like A Lady 〖Claude x Alois〗

Chapter 12: A Lady's Consequences (TW: VIOLENCE)

It had only been about an hour since the butlers had set out on their journey to find the young Trancy boy. Sitting in his study with a dark aura glowing around him, the young Phantomhive earl stared off into space and sighed. He was infuriated, but trying his hardest to hide it. His butler just... up and left him for his worst enemy? What the hell was up with that? And not only that, but now one of his servants had run off... The whole manor was falling apart, what was he supposed to do about it?!

He'd become a bit irritable just sitting there at his desk and stood up from his fixed position, angrily scooting his paper all to the side. He couldn't take this waiting game anymore, he wanted answers... If only he knew how to get them.

"I wish I would've killed that brat when I had the chance to.."

Ciel mumbled to himself quietly. Though he said that now, he didn't know if he really did have the heart to kill another boy his age with his own bare hands. his head perked up suddenly as he heard the faint sound of the the door at the front entrance of the manor slamming loudly. He lowered his head a bit in curiosity and hopped off of his chair to inspect the situation.

Ciel headed downstairs and surveyed his surroundings well, not noticing anything out of the norm. Sebastian had always told him that answering the door alone was quite dangerous, but he didn't care about that dark-haired backstabber right now. Hearing heavy boots shuffling across the carpet, he looked to his side and gazed at... Quite a sight to behold. His very own kitchen servant, puffy-eyed and half-burnt, carrying around his arch enemy, who wearing an oversized trench coat and seemed a bit beaten up.

"What... In bloody hell is going on...?"

Ciel asked with a look of disgust and confusion in his eyes, glaring right at the other young boy. Alois looked away shamefully and clung tightly to the man holding him, not having any clue what Ciel might do to him if had happened to get a hold of him. Seeing the obvious tension between the two, Bard turned slightly to cut the interlock of their eyes, like separating two dogs about to fight. He answered very carefully, knowing very well how easily his little master was irritated.

"...Young Master... I understand you're agitated, but earl Trancy was in dire need of help. It would have been irresponsible to allow something so vile to continue."

Ciel looked up at his servant in sheer horror. How could he say something like that...? Ciel had been through hell and back, and did he get any special treatment? Not at all! Anything this brat could have been through couldn't have been nearly as traumatic as the pain and heartache of his own past. After all, he'd lost his entire family. The blunette's demeanor changed completely suddenly and a smile crept onto his face.

"ah... Yes... How silly of me. Do let him in. Baldroy... You go make us some tea, I'll keep earl Trancy company."

The words crept from Ciel's lips like the serpent in the garden of Eden. If only the poor man had been superhuman, if only he had sensed the boy's vile intentions... Maybe, just maybe... He wouldn't have made the wrong choice.

"Well... If... If you say so..."

Bard's voice was unsure, but despite his fears, he ordered his master. Alois clung to him tightly as he tried to set him down, trembling and panicking as he knew what could happen at the hands of the Phantomhive. The cook finally got him pried off and secured the coat tightly to his body, making it look more like a house robe so he wouldn't feel quite so exposed. They both watched carefully as Baldroy left the room, down to the second he disappeared into the hallway. There was silence between the two boys, both refusing to look the other in the eye. That was, before Alois felt a hand with a firm grip on his shoulder. He looked over at the boy who stood beside him and trembled a little, really not liking the smile on his face.

"You know, Alois... Enemies who invade on my property deserve punishment."

Ciel said this and chuckled to himself a little. What a dumb blonde.

Alois looked at him with fear in his eyes, not being able to respond. He didn't want this... Why was this happening? What did he do? He didn't understand...

"Please... Don't hold my shoulder so tight, Ciel. It's bruised bad right here..."

Alois said in a weak voice, swallowing his words directly after. Ciel gripped on tighter to his shoulder, causing him to wince.

"Oh, is that so? I suppose it's your unlucky day... You know why?"

As Ciel spoke, he gave the other earl not even a moment to respond before shoving him roughly against the wall and pinning him there. For once, Ciel felt power over someone... With Alois in this weak state, he didn't even have enough strength to fight back. Being stronger, even just once, for Ciel... It was absolutely invigorating.

"Because today is the day you get the living shit beaten out of you."

With that, Ciel gave him a rough uppercut to the chin, causing him to bite his own tongue. He covered his mouth as the irony taste filled his mouth and began to leak off of his lips. The blonde only panted and prayed that Ciel would find his better sense, knowing it was in there somewhere.

"This is for humiliating me..."

Ciel delivered a knee into the stomach.

"This is for being so arrogant..."

A smack in the face.

"And this... This is for living, you pathetic excuse of a noble.."

Ciel's fingers wrapped around the other boy's slim and pale neck, the smile still stuck to his face... Until, that was, he saw the look in Alois's eyes. It was a deadpan, almost lifeless, but damn did it look scary.

What Ciel had just said... It struck something within the boy. Something he hadn't felt in a long, long time. Utter hatred. Suddenly, from adrenaline, the strength returned to his body and he shoved the other boy off of him and into the floor. He hovered over him dominantly, breathing heavily.

"Ciel... There are a lot of things in sorry for. I'm sorry for the harm I've caused you. I'm sorry for distracting your butler. I'm even sorry for pestering you."

Alois paused then, and looked the other dead in the eye. there was a point at which a person snapped, and the blonde boy was right there at it.

"But I am absolutely fucking not apologizing for being alive. Do you understand me? I have survived. I am a survivor. And you know what? I am damn fucking proud of that. You think you know everything, don't you? Don't you?! Ciel... I grew up without parents. I lived off of garbage and pond water. I watched my village burn before me, I watched the only thing precious to me die beneath my grasp. I held my dead brother in my arms as I cursed the wind and sky. I've been violated, I've been beaten, I've been on the bottom of the bottom... And look where I am now. Not in a million years would anyone imagine me, Jim Macken, as an earl... A noble..."

As Alois spoke, tears formed in Ciel's eyes. He didn't know where they were from, but... Something had hit him hard.

"The next time your curse my existence...Take a moment to think about that."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Alois, I..."

Just as Ciel was about to spill his feelings out, the door swung open. Sebastian walked in and huffed upon seeing the two, his eyes looking kind of shell-shocked.

"I knew I followed the scent right.."

Following him was the frantic spider butler, shoving him out of the way to get through the door. As the two of the Trancy family locked eyes, Alois immediately teared up. Claude allowed his emotions to get the best of him and quickly approached his master, falling onto his knees and picking him up and pulling him into an embrace. As the blonde sobbed against Claude's chest, he clung tightly to the fabric of his jacket. Ciel only watched his display in shock... He'd never seen Claude weak like this. It was almost... Not natural.

"You're okay... I'm so relieved..."

Claude spoke very gently, his calming voice quite therapeutic for the young Trancy. Reunion had finally come, and it was sweeter than ever.