When their spiritual bodies returned to their physical ones in the study, Ciel tried to stand up but his eyes rolled into his forehead and he blacked out a second time. George had been scared witless but thankfully an examination by Hong Yang confirmed that he had only been exhausted and was just sleeping. George heaved a sigh of relief as he cradled his beloved in his arms. Seeing as there was nothing much that could be done, George had said goodnight to the other two and brought Ciel back to their room.
The scales were gone; Hong Yang had confirmed it and George had felt warm, soft skin over where there had been cold, hard scale previously. The dragon had thankfully been repressed. But his face darkened when he remembered how that dragon had tormented Ciel. The image of a crying, broken Ciel only made him hold the man in his arms a little tighter. You shouldn’t be able to break the sky; gales could come and clouds could obscure the sun. But every storm would pass, no cloud could stay forever.
His heart was bigger, stronger than that. Ciel might not believe him but George knew no other person who could still keep his heart pure and his kindness overflowing despite the hardships and challenges he had been through. There would always be a trace of bitterness, a hint of caution; no one could be so trusting, especially to the one who had hurt them. With a little time and a whole lot of love, Ciel would get over the mental attack and come out stronger for it. But it didn’t stop his murderous intent on that accursed dragon.
Reaching their room, George gently laid Ciel onto the bed, intending to get him comfortable and remove his outer robe and boots. But Ciel had clutched onto George’s robes and would not let go. Despite his gentle prying, Ciel had them in a death grip and he frowned when George had tried to remove them. Rather than upset or wake him, George just gave a helpless smile and got into bed with him, holding him close. Covering the both of them with the quilt, he gave Ciel a kiss on the forehead before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
When he awoke, the first thing he did was to check on Ciel. The defenceless sleeping face was adorable, as always. People might call him biased but he was sure Master Gin and the rest of Ciel’s family would beg to differ. He slept soundly and his calm, even breathing put George at ease. As usual, he couldn’t resist temptation so he planted a kiss on Ciel’s forehead before he rested his forehead against his. Before he could enjoy a few more stolen cuddles, there was a tentative knock on the door.
George sighed and this time, managed to disentangle himself from Ciel’s grip. He straightened his robes and went over to open the door. A servant smiled apologetically at him.
“My apologies, sir but lord Hong said that he would like to meet with you and the other young master once you are available.”
George looked at Ciel, who was still asleep, loathe to wake him up. He turned back to the servant with a small smile.
“If it’s urgent, I’ll see lord Hong first. Or else, please tell him that his nephew is still resting.”
“Of course, sir. Should I bring something to eat first?”
There was a sound of rustling; it seemed like Ciel would wake up soon. George nodded at the servant.
“And some hot water for washing as well.”
The servant bowed and left. George returned and sat on the bed, brushing Ciel’s hair from his face. The creased eyebrows relaxed and Ciel, who seemed to have been on the verge of waking up, returned to sleep. George stared at him helplessly, wondering if he should let him continue or wake him up after all. He sat there, staring at Ciel‘s even breathing as he absent-mindedly stroked his hair. After a while, there was another knock on the door. George was surprised at the speed and efficiency of the staff but he supposed that they had been given preferential treatment. He got up to open the door, not noticing that Ciel had frowned in his sleep the moment he left.
While he stood at the side to allow the staff to bring the food and hot water in, there was another rustle.
“George?” A faint and sleepy voice called out. George nodded at the leaving servants and went over to the bed again. Ciel was sitting up, somewhat dazed.
“Awake?” George stroked his hair and gave him another kiss to the forehead. “You’re just in time. Breakfast is ready.”
“Mmmm….” Ciel stretched and yawned, before getting out of bed. He was surprised to see that he had been sleeping fully dressed.
“Sorry, you wouldn’t let go of me so I couldn’t even take your boots off.”
Ciel blushed when he heard that but kept silent. He went behind the screen where the hot water had been prepared and washed up. George could hear the rustle as he also changed his clothes and redid his hair. He had to smile; it felt so domestic. He imagined a life where the two of them spent it together, just waking up together, having a meal… he shook his head. Maybe that life would be a reality, maybe it wouldn’t; but as long as he could spend his time with Ciel, as long as Ciel considered him his most important person after his family, then he was satisfied.
Don’t be too greedy…
“Come have breakfast.”
Ciel who was done changing walked over and sat down. He smiled when he saw the pile of meat buns that were arranged on a plate, reaching for one immediately.
“This is good.” He munched happily.
“Eat more then. Later we have to go see your uncle.”
“Did he ask for us?”
“Yes. Hopefully he has news about Kou and Yue.”
Ciel’s happy smile faded. Everyone was worried about the missing duo so it was understandable. They ate in silence but quickly. Ciel did not want his uncle to wait but George was more concerned about him choking and kept insisting that he slow down. In the end, Ciel looked at the rest of the buns longingly before George tossed everything into his spatial ring.
“There, now you can have more later.” It was silly though, since they could have stopped at the stall and gotten more. But he would indulge Ciel any way he could; and that smile Ciel gave him was worth it. Hong Yang was in his study when they arrived, looking through a few documents that had arrived. Feng and Yun were there with him.
“You’re just in time. They just came back to report to me.” He tossed something at Ciel, who caught it on instinct.
“This…” it was a spatial ring similar to the one George was wearing.
“It’s a generic one that anyone at the clan can get their hands on. But it has your brother’s qi on it.”
“Yes. Since his memories are sealed, father did not let him take anything that belonged to Dawn. Where did you find it?” Ciel looked at Hong Yang who looked at the other two.
“We followed the trail that we had initially shown Young Master Kou. Initially, there was no problems but several miles down, we found traces of a battle. It was a large battle.”
George frowned. “How big?”
“Lóng big.” The frown got deeper.
“Rather than to sit here and talk, is there any way for us to go there and see for ourselves?”
Feng and Yun exchanged glances and then looked at Hong Yang, who gave a slight nod. Feng removed a talisman and passed it to Ciel.
“This is a locating talisman. It will lead you to the spot where we found the ring.” With that, they excused themselves and left. Ciel looked like he wanted to head to the site immediately.
“I understand your concern but you might want to cool down a bit. Your brother and his boyfriend couldn’t handle whatever happened to them and even transformed. You on the other hand just fainted last night due to the exertion of sealing that dragon in George. Preparation is needed.”
“But…”
“It’s just until I’m done with my duties. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours.”
George nudged Ciel. “It’s better to be prepared. Your father will kill me if anything happened to you.”
Ciel could only agree. There wasn’t much choice, since he couldn’t go alone and George wouldn’t compromise on anything that could affect Ciel’s safety. Lovey-dovey time alone was good and all but not if it meant risking their lives. They returned to their own room and seeing as Ciel was still a little listless. George forced him to take a short nap before they set out. Ciel gave a small pout but agreed. It wasn’t long before he fell asleep. Reassured, George got up to take a turn about the garden. He saw Madam Huo sitting in the pavilion, drinking a cup of tea and staring at the plum trees.
“Master.” He gave a bow while paying his respects. She looked at him before turning her gaze back to the trees.
“I can’t be considered your master. All I did was throw some instructions your way. It was your diligence and intelligence that helped you learn.”
“And that is enough for me to call you my master.” A teacher was one who showed the way at the right time and place. As long as he had learnt something from it, he considered that person his teacher. Madam Huo looked at him again.
“Suit yourself.” She waved at an empty seat, indicating that he should join her. After another bow, he sat down. Almost immediately, a staff appeared with another teacup and a fresh pot of tea. George had to admire their efficiency.
“I’m surprised you’re letting Ciel go along later.” Madam Huo’s voice broke the quiet tranquil.
“I don’t want to but I can’t stop him.”
“He could get hurt.”
“I will be there.”
“You’re very confident.”
“I’m not, actually. If I could, I’d lock him away at the club, where he would be safe. But Ciel is only Ciel when he’s doing the things he wants.”
“That’s very wise of you.” Madam Huo finally looked at George in the eye.
“That was something my husband and even Gin did not understand. That keeping us safe at the cost of our freedom is not worth the price. Don’t ever look down on your loved ones.”
“I can’t do that. I want him happy first and foremost. I have a lot of things to make up to him.”
“If you want to keep him happy, stop thinking that you need to atone. Meet him as an equal. There’s no such thing as ‘we can only be together after I’m done paying for my sins’. When do you logically think that you would be done? You have too much blood on your hands.”
“You’re right about the blood…” He looked at his hands, his heart crushed. He really did have too many sins. Blast that infernal dragon to hell and back.
“And yet… he chose you.” His master’s words were like rain on a withered flower. She was right. He had gone to Ciel with all his faults and weaknesses laid bare. Ciel had seen him for who he was and still accepted him; loved him. It would not be fair to Ciel to love him because he was trying to make amends. He wasn’t. He just loved Ciel because he was Ciel. Now that this had been made clear to him, he understood; that dragon and his sins had always made George hold back. As if he was not worthy of Ciel. But if he was not worthy of him, who was? George would fight anyone tooth and nail if they wanted his sky. He would not allow it. He finally showed Madam Huo a grateful smile.
“Love him because he is Ciel, not because you want to atone. If that’s how you think, we can meet on the training ground again.”
“I would rather not, thank you. But you are right. I love him because he is who he is.”
“Good. I don’t want to meet you on the training ground either.” She cracked a rare smile.
“George?” A call intruded upon their finished conversation. They looked up to see a sleepy Ciel approach them. He looked more awake when he realized his grandmother was there. "Grandmother."
“Why did you wake up so soon?” George got up and ushered Ciel to sit between him and his grandmother. Again, an efficient staff appeared to place a teacup for Ciel. This time, he also placed some pastries on the table.
“I just woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.” Ciel stifled a yawn.
“It’s almost time to meet with your uncle anyway. Eat something and we’ll see if it’s time.” Madam Huo was all but forgotten. But her lips were tilted up when she saw the interactions between the both of them. George would not treat her grandson badly. And with a little guidance in the right direction, they would be all right.
A/N: I apologize for the horrible delay! Let's hope this is the last of it...
