riverviewlogs | A celebration of family, eh?

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A celebration of family, eh?

who: Ciel Phantomhive, Undertaker, Vincent Phantomhive, those invited to spend the holiday
what: Celebrating Hygge with cocoa by the fire
when: Second day (and on? maybe?)
where: Phantomhive/Undertaker house
warnings: None

He'd spent a late day in the store the day before, having several Bitter Rabbits customized to share at least a passing similarity to their recipients. And when they'd been finished, he carefully wrote out notes for each, boxed them, and set them out to be delivered the next morning. Two of them, he packed up to take home with him, to give to their new owners personally. They were in an unmarked box at least, easily covered up as something for work that he didn't want to leave.

He hoped the invitations would be accepted. At least in their own home, his father and Undertaker seemed at least a bit excited for Hygge. Even if it was something unique to this world.

Ciel also made sure the had plenty of ingredients for cocoa and plenty of marshmallows for it. His sweet tooth demanded as much. Anything else he was sure would be asked for. A shop wasn't too far away that they couldn't get anything needed or wanted. Or so he hoped.

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The look on the boy's face was something he hadn't quite expected, much like the outburst of laughter from him moments ago. Something seemed different about Ciel now, made more certain by its mere presence, and it softened a place in him that the young Earl had been chipping away at in the months since their arrival.

"One of my treasures, yes." He stood and moved around the table, feeling a tad playful still, and opened his arms in invitation and waited.

Meanwhile, Undertaker had spent those months dealing with Ciel constantly having his walls torn down and insecurities exposed, all while acting as his stability and making little holes here and there where Ciel had hardened himself. Helped by several others, of course, but he'd been a constant. Even moving in with the teen.

Even if it had helped him as well, getting him out of a more crowded living space.

With all the influences he's had, with how close he'd gotten to Undertaker, the offer of a hug wasn't refused. The teen standing up and stepping into the embrace, slowly, still wrapping his thoughts around a stuffed bunny being close to his mourning lockets.

As expected, Ciel stood and moved to embrace him and he permitted it for a few moments. His own arms encircled the boy and held him close, but when he stepped back, he kept one arm about the boy's shoulder. Then, moving quickly, he ducked down to scoop Ciel up behind his knees and held him close once again as he spun around with the boy, giggling and giddy.

What had taken ahold of him, he couldn't say, but it had started in Ciel's delight and blew over into him like wildfire.

Of course, being picked up is something he's not used to, not really. He didn't cound the times Sebastian did it, it was necessary then, for the sake of speed or if he'd been hurt or sick, so when Undertaker just scooped him up, arms immediately wrapped around his neck and the boy let out a little squeak of surprise.

As he was held though, he did let himself smile. He could remember being held like this so long ago before he'd let go of ever being a child again. It was nice.

This was probably a good holiday for this reminder to.

One spin around is all it takes, all he needs, to get a reaction from the boy. The squeak pulls another bout of giggles from him, but he'll grant Ciel a little mercy and stand with him there, still held off the ground, peering down at him through a split in his bangs.

"My lord, I do believe that's one of the most amusing things I've ever heard from you. Shall I try this again some day and see if you do the same?"

Ciel still held on even if he knew there was never a danger of him being dropped. Undertaker would have found a way to catch him if Sebastian had failed to on the Campania, he was sure.

He looked up under those bangs though, too those phosphorescent eyes and smiled again. Then tilted his head a little, curious.

"What's so amusing?" He knew he probably meant the squeak but he wasn't about to mention it.

Here was another application for his hair that he hadn't considered - a miniature veil under which to hide a shared glance. He watched Ciel watching him, far too close to make out anything else other than that they were looking at each other, but it was all that they needed for the moment. He couldn't help a grin at the boy through it all.

"You are, of course." As if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world.

Well, there was Albert, but all he did was stand in a corner all day long, waving hello or goodbye to everyone, regardless or whether or not they were actually there.

It was good for them, Ciel was just short enough to be able to look up under his bangs. Being able to see his eyes, one of the few that really ever got to do as much, sometimes made him think. Funny how close they were and both had problems with their vision. One near-sighted and one half blind.

He did let out a little huff at the answer though. Even made a face and gave Undertaker a friendly, gentle, shove. And the leaning against him immediately after.

"It's just nice seeing you so relaxed. And seeing you enjoy your gift. I wasn't at all sure what you'd like."

The boy's weight put no strain on him. If anything, it alleviated some of the gravity other stresses had tried tying to him, and the little push helped to knock that off all the more. As they were, he gave Ciel a gentle squeeze and held him steady, rocking him side to side for the sake of doing so, much like he might with the boy as a young child.

"Me relaxed? I should say the same about you. You're the one always with such a severe face, sometimes I wonder if you'll ever look any different."

He didn't think it would make any difference to him, having seen how strong he was before. And nobody could be called weak who handled the dead or a scythe that size. Ciel was sure he'd fall flat if he even tried holding it. So he'd never ask and didn't let himself entertain the thought further.

"I've... gotten better though." He couldn't help how he looked most of the time. Years of habit, out of self defense mostly, was hard to break but he slowly let those walls down in the past few months.

With a giggle, he leaned down to set the boy on his feet again and let him back to his tea. "You have, my lord. You have."

It had been hard not to notice. Even in so short a time, he'd seen Ciel loosen up and become almost a different person. Granted, circumstances beyond the boy's control had certainly contributed, but it was what it was. He eyed the plush bunny as he made his way back around to his chair, reaching out a hand to rub its soft head.

"Now that you've given me a gift, I think it should only be proper that I give you one in return. I had wanted to wait until a little closer to your birthday, but I think now is appropriate."

He settled on the floor easily, slipping back over to the table himself. Really, Ciel didn't notice much difference in himself except that he felt lighter, he didn't have to worry about letting people close- his secret didn't matter here.

And he really was glad to see anyone enjoying their gifts. Gift giving, it wasn't a skill he'd ever worked on, and he wasn't skilled at much, but Funtom's dolls always seemed popular. It seemed like a good choice, and he was glad to be right.

He wasn't expecting that to be returned though, the teen blinking and watching Undertaker almost owlishly.

"My birthday?" Oh. That was soon, wasn't it? "You don't have to." Undertaker knew, he was sure, that he hadn't really celebrated in years.

Didn't have to, no, but it was necessary for one reason or another. He grinned, planting himself back in his seat while one hand idly toyed with the bunny's little arm. "Call it a gift of the holiday, then. You can still say no, but allow me to explain first."

He let the bunny's hand go, intertwining his own fingers over the table and leaning in to look at Ciel. There was no way the boy could have seen this coming. He had taken pains to hide his own surgery, an experiment to make sure he knew just how it all worked and what the teen would expect if or when he chose to undergo it himself. "There's a mark on your back, one I know you're not proud of. What would you say if I told you there was a way to remove it? Permanently?"

Being told he could still say no, he wasn't sure if that was more reassuring or concerning about what the subject would be but he did know Undertaker was treating it seriously. He could see as much in the way the man sat, the way he entwined his fingers. It was strange seeing him so serious.

And then he got right to it and Ciel couldn't help but tense up a bit. They hadn't touched on the subject of his brand much since Undertaker had first seen it. The thought that crossed his mind, briefly, was of a conversation he'd had with Sebastian, asking if it still pained him. And his answer had been no, it only filled him with a burning hatred.

It also filled him with a sense of shame that he'd been marked by that cult, that in some way he was always going to be one of their lambs.

"That's..." He licked his lips, heart beating wildly. "That's not possible.

He nodded his head once, then lifted a finger and leaned back in his seat. Fingers undid the buttoning down the front of his shirt enough so that he could pull one part of it aside and show the boy his chest. In polite society, such a thing was frowned severely upon, but he cared little for modesty. What mattered to him was showing the boy a patch of skin, imperfect and smoother than it should have been, but clear and with color to match what was around it.

"The medical technology of this world is truly incredible. There was once a scar here, same as you've seen on me before, but look at it now. Hardly there at all. Looks like just a minor scratch from long ago rather than the deep cut it had been, doesn't it?"

Edited 2017-12-07 22:09 (UTC)

At first he wanted to be embarrassed about Undertaker's lack of modesty but then he got curious and watched as the skin was revealed. He didn't remember every scar Undertaker had, there were so many he had seen, but that spot did stand out. That one he could remember. And then slowly, he reached one hand back to where his brand sat. His shirt ensured he couldn't feel it but he knew exactly where it was, it's exact shape and the color of the scar.

"If I didn't know you'd have a scar there..." He might not have ever noticed the difference. Then a question came to mind:

"When did you do that?"

Once Ciel had seen proof enough that such things could still be done, he worked the buttons back in place and straightened his shirt back out again, seemingly unconcerned about having just bared his chest for the boy. He knew Ciel recognized the scar well enough. It was the very one that wrapped around under his arm, right below where glass caught him on his shoulder the night the boy's memories awoke him in a fright and caused him to break their lighting fixture in the apartment. It wasn't likely the boy would forget something like that.

But he wondered about the business trip he'd gone on not too long ago. His grin widened, almost sheepish, if he could be. "There was an incident I was called away on for work some time back. You remember it. While I was gone, it wasn't a body I was examining. I had your friend, Doctor Crusher, take care of this for me then." He shrugged. "Forgive the deception, milord, but it was necessary at the time."

Oh no, Ciel wouldn't have forgotten that. Seeing Undertaker hurt was more of a shock than seeing the shape he'd left Sebastian in on the ship. Undertaker had been untouchable then, only to have glass spill his blood. In a morbid way, it could have been hilarious.

"Your work." He said it slow, letting his mind register that. Those days had left the house more quiet than Ciel or Vincent had liked. It had been lonely. And instead of work, he'd been doing this? He probably should have been a little angry, but he was more surprised, the dots not fully connecting yet.

"Why?" Why was it necessary? Why get rid of one of his own scars? He'd never seemed bothered by them before.

"Oh, I don't know." He reached out and took hold of the bunny again, sitting it in front of him on the table. He bounced it idly, watching it and not really paying attention to it at all. "I wanted to see how it works, if it could really do what they say it can. Things here are so different, even I'm a little lost in all of it."

The look he directed to Ciel held meaning, and he hoped the boy caught it. "You don't have to say yes, milord. You don't even have to decide now. I only wanted to give you the option and let you know that it does work."

The dots connected. And all Ciel could do was stare at him for the moment and think about not having to hide brand, not having to be so cautious about changing his clothes or seeing that reminder in the mirror.

It was hard to picture his back without the mark. 'The Mark of the Noble Beast.' he could still hear, ringing in his ears.

"Their brand would be gone." Was all he could say at first, all he could focus on. His hand brushed over that spot again. "Would it hurt?"

Would it hurt like getting it had?

Edited (typo) 2017-12-08 01:01 (UTC)

Rather than getting a giddy sort of response from the reaper, the boy's reaction toned down his own. He hummed softly, tilted his head with his shrug, and let his chin rest against a wrist.

"You won't feel a thing while it's removed, but you'll be a little sore for a day or two following. I was given medication to ease that pain. Made me feel like I hadn't slept in days when I took it, and that's really the worst of it." Then, he did grin and giggled. "Coming out of that anesthesia though, oh, that was fun."

For a moment, he looked unsure. He was used to pain but he still had an aversion. Any child his age would, especially after what he'd endured. Still, he had to admit that it was nice to think of the brand being gone. That the cult would have less of a hold on him than before.

"I..." Let go of one of the things that kept his seething hatred alive, that kept him angry over the attack and his families murders. His father was there at least, and Undertaker was there. And neither had given him any kind of encouragement to continue seeking revenge.

He felt like he was ten years old again, and afraid.

"You'll be with me? And father?"

As he watched the boy's face shift through a hundred different emotions in his blurry vision, he felt he should perhaps offer some manner of support, but he hesitated. He let Ciel sort his thoughts, sitting there in his chair, ready to move as it became necessary.

"If you need us." He smiled and waved the bunny's hand at the Earl again, even if it would do no good and go unnoticed. "If you want to do this. The option is there for you, milord, but it isn't something you need to do right off, or next week, or next month or year even."

He was torn, it was a big change for him. Back home he could look at it and it would settle his mind more firmly on revenge, on hatred. Here, it was harder to hold onto things of that nature with any hope of revenge millions of miles away and no assurance of going back.

He didn't really want to go back. What he wanted was to ensure Elizabeth was safe but beyond that, he was happy in the Quarantine, in this little house with his father and Undertaker. Ciel had friends and a business not unlike he one he had in London. He had the dream he'd wanted as a child, back home and here, but here he could keep it growing. The company wasn't going to lose it's founder out of the blue.

"I... I don't know..." It was tempting, so tempting. And he knew he'd want the two of them close if he did it. His birthday was also less than two weeks away.

"I hate the brand..."

It was no easy decision for Ciel, anyone could see that, with or without eyes in his head. He could ask the boy nothing, could help him with this in no way.

"I know you hate it. I remember well how you flinched when I saw it the first time." That was something he wouldn't soon forget. He knew that brand, knew the way that Ciel resisted even being without his shirt when he thought someone else might see the mark. "But it is your decision, to make or not at your leisure."

And then, upon seeing that frown wasn't budging, he grinned and tilted his head. "Shall I get up and dance?"

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