AUTHOR's NOTE: Hallo. I got around to typing this at home just a few hours before going back to the university to take a Spanish test :3! It's hardly checked for spelling and errors, but I tried my best XD. I want to thank everyone for the lovely reviews so far. I understand that this story is very much complicated...taking too long, blah blah...hell, it's taken me four chapters to go through one day in Sebastian and Ciel's life lol. It kills me too:D. but I hope you guys can drag along with me and enjoy it. It gets better...hopefully :D!

I hope you enjoy reading it ^ ^. Please read, enjoy and leave reviews :)!

A word you may not have come across which is in this chapter...

Meplat- The tip of a bullet.

CHAPTER 5.

"You're fucking annoying." He said nonchalantly, his slender finger composed against the trigger. He had the calmest demeanour about him, his breath evenly spaced, his body lacking any traces of a shiver, despite holding a gun to another's head. But I definitely did not miss the fast heartbeats against his chest…or the tiny glaze of panic his exposed eye let escape.

I grinned, keeping up with the cold, lone eyed glare he was bathing me with.

This could be bad.

I could withdraw, take a step back and unwind his buttons, or, I could answer at least one of the many questions for myself.

I stepped forward -clearly up for the second option- and rested my left palm on the door, just beside his head, closing the little space between our bodies.

"Is there a question you'll like to ask? A lingering thought to confirm?" I teased, pushing my head forward, and his gun-hand slipped to his side as I breathed a ghost of warm air over the side of his neck. His slender frame tensed further at the subtle invasion, and he raised his gun once again to the side of my head in a swift, anger driven motion.

And shot.

My eyes burned crimson for the slightest of seconds as the bullet passed through my skin, and I withdrew a few steps from him, to catch his gaze.

I couldn't help but smirk as his eye travelled from mine…to the side of my head, a transfixed look of panic and amazement gracing his features.

"I'm guessing that this answers one question for the both of us." I said calmly, raising my hand in an attempt to feel the depth of the wound, but stopping midway, to clasp my palm against it instead. I didn't feel up for making too much of a mess, especially when the smell of my blood was already burning into my senses with every lengthy drip.

His lips remained slightly agape now, and his eye was noticeably widened.

"What do you mean by that?" he muttered, glancing sideways before curiously looking back at my dripping palm.

"You shot because you knew it wouldn't kill me. You can't afford to jeopardize your life and career by murdering someone in your house."

He quickly put on his best glare. "I shot because I wanted to kill you."

Quite stubborn even when caught red handed, wasn't he?

"You knew what I was even before I rang your doorbell. It could have been anybody…and yet you came out of your house, completely exposed. If there is anything I have gathered from today, Ciel, it's that you aren't the type to allow such carelessness."

A mild grin rose from his lips hesitantly, and he looked up to catch my gaze in a defiant manner.

"Really now…Mr. Michaelis?"

"Yes, really. Here are the results of your contemplation…as you probably thought; the bullets did not kill me. Yes, the wound will heal whenever I will it to. And yes, I am a demon, as you may have noticed." I stated.

He parted his lips to make another comeback, but stopped once he saw I would have none of it, and resorted to plainly staring back at me. The silence remained for a little over a few minutes, with nothing but our breaths speaking –one needed and one not. And the fact that we still remained at a close proximity did not help put him to any comfort.

Would you like another obvious comment, Ciel?" I asked, this time not in order to aggravate him, but to break the straining silence and gain his attention.

His face tightened at the familiar use of words, but quickly eased once he knew that my intentions were far from angering him, for once. His exposed eye lowered ever so slightly, giving me the impression that he was now open to hear my comment.

"Whatever you have hidden behind that eye patch is beautiful-"

He grimaced as the last word infiltrated the air, his hold on his gun tightening to mask the light tremble going through him.

Beautiful.

"Shut it…"

But I couldn't- couldn't let him say any more words until I was done with what I had to say. It had to be one step forward, no steps back.

"And my obligation is to let you know that, Ciel." I said, reaching for the thread holding his eye patch to his right eye. As expected, he quickly slapped my hand away, his breaths now in uncoordinated huffs.

"Why the hell are you telling me this?" He whispered hoarsely between his breathing, raising his arm to cling to his chest, as if I had used knives and not words to stab into his consciousness. It seemed as though he was battling with himself over the possible implications of hearing anything I had to say regarding this matter. I was not planning to go into details; it was too sudden for such discussions. I expected that to come with time, after all, I had much to learn about him. All I needed right now -all we needed right now- was the smallest token of his acceptance. Just about anything that showed it, in fact.

I watched in silence as his calm demeanor shattered, and for a split second wondered why I was telling him this again…

Because I had to.

Because if I didn't, the contract would never progress.

Because, despite my ability to walk away from this one contract… I had made up my mind to fulfil Vincent's wish right when I walked through this door.

And of course, it was for the sake of my pride and the sheer curiosity I had towards understanding this human.

"Because I'm sure that you don't need to hear the obvious, that you're unique…different…complicated. I know that you want to be able to understand you, to lose that fear of yourself. And this will only happen if you continue with the subtle first step you took when you knew I was about to ring your doorbell." I concluded soothingly, hoping what I said had gotten at least halfway to him.

He stood stock-still, eyes staring at nothing in particular, and his gun clinging loosely to his hand. It now seemed like he was struggling to attain a calm expression.

I watched as it all came up to a painful smile, and couldn't help but offer a calm one –filled with assurance over everything possible- as the lone cerulean eye looked up to mine once again.

"I did not ask you for any favors…". It wasn't the usual, brash comment, but one that showed his honest stance in the matter.

"I know." I smiled lightly, edging a step forward as he placed his gun into his jean pocket.

"And the reaction that occurred earlier today while you were on the couch…it was just a functional alert to tell you of what I was and vice versa, I believe. It won't be happening again."

And with that, his expression calmed noticeably, and his eye darted towards the bullet halfway lodged into the side of my head. I must have slipped my palm away from my face at some point…

I witnessed the tiniest wave of guilt wash over his face for the first time.

"It's alright. It'll heal once that little foreigner is out of my head." I smiled.

A small smile reached his eye, but never met his lips, and at that moment I thought 'That was some great progress for one day', which was quite the candid thought. I couldn't remember feeling so relieved by such a small progress as a smile in any of my previous contracts. But then again, 'this was a contract of great differences'; I had to tell myself over again.

He closed his eye, moving his upper body from the door to allow me access to the knot on the eye patch. I loosened the knot slowly, letting his eye patch drop into my palm.

I enclosed the material in my palm, and then stepped back to watch as he revealed the pair of blue eyes with such hesitation that it almost seemed like I had never seen them before. The pair of eyes that I saw was of course, no surprise. After all, even with the little knowledge I had regarding individuals like him, I knew that any change of color in his eye was only triggered by extreme emotions and conditions. But the action behind this unveiling was…I couldn't supress the smile tugging at my lips.

"How's that?"

He flushed slightly, looking away from me.

"Shut it."

x * X * x

I walked into the bathroom with a face towel in hand, closing the door behind me. Ciel had retreated for his room after the whole fiasco died off, saying something along the lines of 'needing sleep for a long meeting tomorrow'. His use of the word 'meeting' was as ambiguous as ever possible, given the contrasting career paths he chose for the different variations of himself. A university graduate, a scholar, a prodigy in fact. Someone who had been recently hired as a visiting professor at such a young age should be branded as such. A prodigy.

And a very strategic robber.

I headed for the mirror above the sink, observing the bullet halfway lodged into the side of my head. Allowing the bullet to go further than halfway would have just been quite gruesome...more for him than I.

Well, wasn't today a rather interesting day?

From composed negotiations to undisputable restrictions…shopping-hope destructions to bullet intrusions. The entire incident that was today did make for a very lousy nursery rhyme.

Hanging the towel on the rail against the wall, I turned back to the mirror to face the 'little foreigner'.

I placed my thumb and index finger around the tail of the bullet, slowly pulling it out, so as not to cause further damage. It stung more than I had expected, and I winced when the meplat of the bullet finally came out, leaving a gaping hole on the side of my face.

I sighed heavily, dropping the bullet into the sink and looking at the wound one last time, before turning the tap on. Clasping my palms together, I collected some water, bending towards the sink to wash the pasty feeling of drying trails of blood from my face. I turned the tap off, reaching for my face towel to give a good tap to every wet area of my face.

Tap, tap, tap…

"And voilà!" I said with content as I turned my face to the right, observing through the mirror once again. No scars, traces of a wound, blemishes…

Absolutely perfect.

But it was nothing surprising, of course.

I picked the bullet from the sink -as it dripped water for once- in an effort to throw it in the waste. I stared wearily at the trash bin, and then at the intruder in my palms…and in an impulsive notion I couldn't bring myself to understand, I wrapped it in my towel to rid the bullet of its moisture.

It was a first for me. To actively, or inactively keep anything of physical form in remembrance of an event, place, person…or for any born reason at all. I walked away from the mirror without basking in one last look, clasping my hand around the small towel, and walking out of the bathroom.

This once, I was not going to ask myself a question. Just this once, 'for today…' I thought. I already thought I knew the answer anyway.

This contract was compelling, twisting, and ever so dangerous. I had managed to untie one knot today, but was still unaware of how many millions were lying in wait before my reward could come. I was even starting to vaguely doubt whether this contract could be completed. It was not in my nature to doubt, but I could assure myself-

- that keeping a memento of this day was definitely nothing out of a demon's nature.

x * X * x

I walked through the hallway to head for the room Ciel gave me when I thought I heard him call my name. I stopped a few steps from the door of his room, waiting to see if I had heard right. Then his door creaked open slowly, and I got my confirmation.

I walked back towards the sound, stopping in front of his door to face him.

"Still awake, I see."

He gave a small nod, looking back into his room for a few seconds, before turning to face me. Or rather, to try and catch a glimpse of the side of my face.

I smiled at the curious look on his face, knowing that he was not going to ask for any favors. I turned my head to the right, to give him a satisfying view of the area where he had shot. His breath skipped its usual composure as he observed my face.

"Amazing…" He whispered almost to himself, through the darkness that surrounded us.

I quickly noticed that every light in his house had been turned off, including that in his room. There was no sign of light bleeding though the bottom of the door. He hadn't struck me as someone who slept without the lights on…or someone who could see so well in the dark.

"You can see vividly through the dark…" I said, more as a statement, than a question.

He nodded. "It's one of those things."

By 'one of those things', he most likely meant his capabilities. Being around him was only making me realize how little I knew about the characteristics that make a compatible human. I sighed inwardly. Maybe I was as lost as he was regarding this entire issue. The only difference between us was that I was not bringing myself to quite accept it yet.

"I see. It's actually a quite outstanding feature. Saves you some bills, I'm guessing."

He had a look of hesitation, and then a mild grin at my words.

His look suddenly became serious, and I turned to face his form squarely.

"You're a demon." He stated matter-of-factly, taking me aback by the sudden outburst.

"I thought you may have noticed by now." I smirked.

"I'm having none of that, Sebastian. This entire thing with my father…I'm beginning to understand what it is about. And the more I understand, the more disgusted I feel. Why would he do something so selfish, as to give up his soul in the name of 'reaching to me?"

My eyes widened noticeably at his comment, and I did my best to compose myself.

"It was not out of selfishness. It was something he recognized as his last resort."

Ciel hissed.

"His last resort? He knows where the hell I live!" He was torn from trying to understand the whole matter. Angry.

Of course, he was angry. It was his first day realising that his father had made a contract to give up his soul to a demon in order for him to find his own path in life. It was obvious that he would be unwilling to walk into a path in which every step forward for him, was a step closer to his father's death.

"I believe that it was the fact that he knew he was unable to give you answers to the questions you have, that made it quite overwhelming for him. I need you to understand that he is doing this for you, in its entirety. Not for anybody else or himself. And as much as I am a demon, who despises such reckless actions, I have to respect the fact that it is one of the greatest sacrifices I have come across in regards to my contracts."

The defensive stance I took on the matter quite surprised me, but as I spoke to him, to allow him to understand, I realised that I was beginning to understand some of the underlying issues with him and his father.

His pearl-blue eyes settled considerably once I had voiced my stance on the matter.

"He wants me to accept this…" He breathed, a look of defeat circling his eyes.

"He wants you to accept you. Not Marcel Smith, not the most mysterious robber in London. That is exactly what he wants." I stated firmly, and I realised that he wasn't looking at me anymore, but the look of anger and defeat had long passed him.

We remained in silence for a few more seconds, before he took a step back into the comfort of his room.

"Goodnight." He said in a low, but raspy voice, closing the door before I could return the greeting.

I stared at the shut door, puzzled by the sudden change, until I caught the scent of tears permeating the surrounding. I couldn't ascertain whether they were tears of acceptance of his part in this contract, along with the pain that followed it. I stood there for some more minutes, doing nothing more than just that. Standing and waiting…waiting until the scent slowly dissipated from the air. And waited until his ragged breathing dissolved into soft intakes and out-takes, recognizably due to sleep.

Only then did I turn away from his door –my memento in hand- and head for my room to call it a day.

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