dealwithademon | [ Dream ] -£- 002

Warnings: none
Effects: a feeling of warm happiness.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen this, but it had still been quite some time. The familiar gardens of his family home, bright and green in summer sunlight, thin wisps of clouds striping the blue sky. It looked the same as it did every summer, but even now, he could tell it was from a time, removed from time. Nothing but a distant memory now, but somehow so familiar it surged in him feelings he'd long forgotten.

There was laughter in the air. A little girl, in ringlets and lace. A young woman, sitting to the side, with a parasol in hand. The sun obscured her face, but the single ringlet of strawberry blonde fell over her shoulder. He was so close to the ground, couldn't recall feeling so small in quite some time. More laughter. And there he was, a dog, lean and long haired, black as night. How he missed that dog. Sebastian.

And there was the little girl again, eyes bright like emeralds, a smile so wide it nearly split her face.

"Ciel, Ciel, come on!" she squealed, grasping his hand, pulling him along. And he ran with her. More laughter, and he recognized it as his own -- young, high, a sound he hadn't made in what must have been years. He could feel it in his chest, his throat, a light and dancing feeling.

And then, there was that splash of red against the green. A set of arms around them both, and over his beloved aunt's shoulder, the light lifted from his mother's face. She smiled, the parasol resting over her shoulder. Days like these had always been his favorites. All his most loved people, all in one place. The only person missing was--

"Good afternoon! I see I've been missing out on all the fun."

And Ciel turned, his eyes landing on the tall, dark-haired man, Sebastian already at his side, tail wagging. His mother's head turned, and he felt as though the smile on her face was the direct mirror of the one on his own.

"Father!"

The man smiled, knelt down, held his arms out.

And Ciel felt like he was running. Running...

* * *

[ And the light faded. The sunlight disappeared, and everything he was running into, running away from, melted into shadows and silence. When Ciel opened his eyes, the garden was far away, and all those faces and sounds were gone.

Ciel reached over and grasped his dreamberry, before sulking and turning it off. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The eyes adapt to the darkness easily when given enough time, and the room isn't exactly hard tight closed to avoid any kind of light to filter in it. Still, Lizzie keeps moving away from him as much as possible, one arm clutching her pillow, the other feeling behind and around her to avoid bumping into anything.]

It's not my house. Neither is the Phantomhive manor. I couldn't sleep, either.

[Although he's now fully awake, he's still groggy. Even so, he's beginning to understand that he's probably not going to get rid of her so easily.]

Do you want me to walk you back to your room? [It's worth a shot.]

[Tricky question. If she answers negatively it would be even a bolder move than coming here, it may even give him a wrong impression of her if he doesn't already have it. If she answers positively she will have to leave and he will return as soon as he leaves here at her room.

Ignoring the question then.]

I want to be with you.

[A deep inhale, and exhale. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with in the middle of the night. Maybe it was the fact that Lizzie was, really, alone in this place except for him and Sebastian... he felt even more obligated to her here, than he had back home. Back home, there were other people to tend to her needs, look after her.. and while he had the inkling that Sebastian was probably awake somewhere, he knew that asking the Butler to see to her likely wasn't going to resolve anything.

Lizzie, like himself, could be incredibly stubborn]

If I promise to stay with you until you fall back to sleep, will you go back to your room?

If you promise.

[A simple and plain reply in a soft but serious voice. It's a promise and she will make him hold it up.]

I promise. [He moves around the bed, looking for the wardrobe. He's not about to go wandering the house is nothing but his nightshirt.]

But it's only until you fall asleep, alright?

Of course.

[Contrary to what many could believe she knows how to be happy with what she's given and not ask for more, specially when she knows that a concession is being made already. And there would be little reason in him staying if she was asleep anyway.

She moves again, this time closer to where she guesses he is. Signal that she agrees on the terms of the deal.]

[There's a few moments where Ciel is quiet. He's digging around in the wardrobe, until he finds the robe. There's a little shuffling and clattering, as Ciel has no grace with things like this. He finally retrieves the robe, and pulls it on. Slipper? ...oh, hang the slippers, he doesn't feel like looking for them]

Okay. Come on. [his voice is soft, and he slows as he draws closer to her, just because he doesn't want to bump into her. He reaches out, find her -- shoulder. Moves his hand down to her elbow, tugging gently.]

[She knew he was looking for her but the hand on her shoulder still surprises her a bit, in the darkness it's hard to be aware of the other's movements or be ready for contact. The feeling of his hand moving to find her elbow reminds her of her dressing attire, but it's too late now to keep having doubts.

She moves her arm away from his hand, but only for a moment as she replaces her elbow with her hand, holding his tightly. She steps forward, closer to him, ready to go.]

[He pauses, feels her hand, holds on firmly, and then moves for the door. Pulls open the door, making sure the hinges don't squeak, then leading her out into the hallway. He doesn't shut the door all the way behind him, all for the sake of making less noise. He's silent almost the entire time they walk, as if there's anyone else they have to worry about waking up.

Really, he's more interested in making sure they aren't heard by Sebastian]

[She's silent as well, she doesn't want to be caught either. And she's thinking of what to say once they reach her room. She wants to distract him, maybe have him have some fun? Or at least to relax talking with her. She walks close to him, her hold on his hand never changing from a tight grip.

Silence seems to be the pact between the two cousins as they move to her room. Lizzie appreciates Sebastian, she owes him a lot and she knows he's important for Ciel. But right now, the butler appearing would just complicate things, right? Wouldn't Ciel use it as an excuse to have Sebastian deal with her and be done with it? Though Ciel promised to go and stay with her until she fell asleep, he wouldn't break the promise, right?]

[Ciel, for his part, while he would not mind the opportunity to pass Lizzie onto Sebastian... at this point, he would rather not risk the humiliation and teasing that would come with being discovered in his night-shirt, wandering around with Lizzie.]

..This is your room right? [He's whispering, and unsure. he's never actually been in the room that was made up for her.]

[...]

[She blushes, why do you have to ask it like that?]

Y-yes, it is! I'm sorry for being so troublesome...

[She whispers too but her embarrassment causes her voice to go on the high-pitched side for a second there.]

[Ask it like what? It's just a question. It's just a good thing it's dark. He can't see her blushing, and likewise, she won't be able to really make out the awkward expression on his face. If he had even half a thought to try lighting a candle without burning himself, this might have been a little less strange.

Even so, it's been a very long time since Ciel has snuck out of bed.]

Don't apologize. You asked to stay with me, and I'm the one who offered to walk back with you. So, I'm saying it's fine this way. Just for tonight. [And then, he gently turns the knob, trying to be quiiiiiet, easing the door open, quiiiietly... then grasping her hand again, he leads her inside. It's hard to navigate in the darkness though. ]

[ Dream ] -£- 002

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