Alois Trancy felt compelled to stare into the mirror.

There was nothing about the mirror that really peaked his interest, as few things truly did, nothing that caught his eye about the way the silver gilding was polished or the way the vibrant colors of his room were reflected in a way that almost outdid reality. It was a simple mirror, a looking glass, and even as he stared in the depths of his own eyes and into the black suit of his butler behind him, there was nothing that struck him as unusual. Still, something about the mirror reached into his frigid heart, something about the mirror bit at him, tore at his soul. He couldn't stand it. Turning on his bare heels, he made a face to his butler, Claude. Trying to extract a shred of emotion from him, he stared up with pure hatred in his eyes, twisting his face into a sinister smile. The butler's expression remained blank, his mouth a pale line drawn against his pale flesh, his honey colored eyes narrowed and seemingly unloving.

"Claude," The boy began, in a whispering tone, mocking yet somehow curious. "When you look at us in the looking glass what do you see?" The boy turned back to the mirror, lifting his leg and posing, wrapping his arms around the butler's waist. Claude's pale face was unmoving, Alois's small arms disappearing behind his servant and reappearing to interlace fingers. Alois's leg began to falter and shake as he directed his gaze up, as if looking away from their reflection could possibly do anything to erase what he felt.

"Us." The reply was simple, and true, but only in a sense. The butler looked down at Alois with unchanging eyes, and the boy caught a glimpse of his reflection yet again in the glasses steward wore. There was nothing in those eyes, nothing in his reflection that matched the desire for answers building inside of him. Because of this, Alois gave up, pushing himself away from the tall form of the butler and letting himself fall back into the bed, the sheets wrinkling beneath the force caused by his weight. He stared into the ceiling, the creamy white sea of paint, thinking of what it would look like burning into ash, one violent extreme contrast to another. What would it be like to kiss that ash, to put it to his lips, to taste it with his cursed tongue? His thoughts wandered the recesses of his mind, the white of the walls becoming the pale hue of skin, and the flesh becoming that of Claude. What would it be like to put Claude's lips to-

"Breakfast will be served soon." It was a perfect interjection, as if the butler knew exactly what was going through Alois's blonde head. Even the look he gave him, over his black clad shoulder, seemed to suggest that he could feel the desire radiating off the boy's lips. The look the butler emitted was meant to ask where Alois would want his breakfast, but the boy's frame of mind was in an entirely different place. Rolling onto his stomach and glancing back at his butler, smiling wickedly, the boy replied

"I'll take it in bed."

The look Alois received in return was akin to the venom of a black widow. If there was any doubt Claude knew what was in his mind, it had been vanquished. Alois smirked, rolling onto his back and kicking his leg into the air, playfully, and waved his butler off with his foot. His butler turned, adjusting his glasses and replying lowly:

"Yes, your highness."

Alois's smile faded as soon as his butler left the room. Scooting up to the edge of the bed and hanging upside down, Alois once again studied his reflection in the mirror. There was something in his reflection that wasn't real, but he couldn't touch it. Annoyed, he jerked upright, wearing an expressionless face.

The mirror had to go.

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The mirror had to go

Ciel Phantomhive's dual colored eyes focused in on his reflection as his butler prepared him for bed. It felt like something was there, on the other side, a waiting nightmare that threatened to steal his very existence. Normally, he found unrealistic problems worth intrigue or fuss, but the mirror was unnerving, yet… what would Sebastian say if he ordered it gone? How could he explain himself? That vague presence was there to stay, to watch him as he slept, whether he liked it or not. His butler, crimsoned eyed, stared at him as a cat might stare at milk, trying to anticipate his thoughts. His gloved hands gently unfastened the boy's shirt, folding it and setting it atop the rest of the day's outfit. He took a sleeping shirt and deftly wrapped it around the young lord, who obliged, yawning.

"Sebastian?" Ciel whispered quietly as Sebastian fixed his clothing. His eyes barely looking down as the steward fussed over him.

The butler barely responded, his eyes transfixed on a wrinkle in the nightshirt, and his hands occupied with removing it. "Yes?"

"When you look into the looking glass what do you see?" It sounded like a dumb question, and Ciel went about it more gently then he had originally intended, but still he looked down into his servant's face, his eyes genuinely curious, awaiting an answer.

"Us." Sebastian replied, now smiling slightly as the wrinkle began to yield. "That's all there is to see. That's all that matters." He looked up, eyes gleaming, as if he was daring someone to prove him wrong, daring someone to show up in the glass. Ciel stared into those eyes, it was comforting, yet, the young lord couldn't help but wonder what Sebastian was capable of. How much trust could he put in a demon? There had to be something that he was hiding, a dark, vile secret that hid itself in Ciel's own reflection. Shaking his thoughts off, Ciel stretched, his pale arms reaching up towards the now darkened white ceiling in another yawn, the young lord took a final glance at the mirror. His radiant reflection stared back at him, and for a fraction of a second he thought he could see another boy, a blonde boy, his face a twisted smile and another butler at his side. The boy's smile faded as he stared at Ciel, and his face became perplexed. Saying something to his butler, he wrapped his arms around his waist and-

"Is this all you require, bo-chan?" Sebastian took a step in front of the mirror, cutting off the strange illusion. Although the steward delivered his line with a smile, his lower lip twitched and he shot a nervous glance over his shoulder.

Ciel wondered that if there truly were demons in this world, then why couldn't there be a nightmare in his own reflection? Another half of himself? Making a slight "tch" sound with his teeth, the young lord fell across the bed, turning on his side to avoid looking at either his butler or the looking glass. Maybe he was seeing his own reflection, or maybe it was a game, a game he had not yet heard of. Sighing as Sebastian pulled up his covers, Ciel replied as seriously as he could. "Yes..Leave"

Sebastian's smile was well hidden as he dropped down, facing the boy's back, whispering,

"Yes, my lord."

Ciel watched as Sebastian left, slightly nervous. He would not be able to sleep with the mirror at his back, as he could not shake the feeling of the boy watching him. Pushing the covers off himself, he turned and hung off the edge of the bed, examining his reflection upside down. There was another part of him. A part everyone was hiding and no one could vouch for. Throughout the night,

Ciel Phantomhive felt compelled to stare into the mirror.