[It had been as much out of necessity for his own sake and purposes as it was for Astre's. The longer no one was any the wiser, the longer he had to bring Ciel back to true life. He could talk about all those little details later, but he's not sure Astre wants to try and stomach them right now. That hand over the boy's abdomen hadn't gone unnoticed.]
So he told you about that, did he? I guess I can't be surprised. I did ruffle his feathers a little. [Only a little. But really, the man didn't even look the same anymore. He sits with the boy and makes his own tea, waiting until he has it just right, the cup between his hands, before he speaks again.]
With everything we've been through, you deserve the truth. It was a selfish thing. Maybe you won't see it the same way, but I needed the body I had to come back. You and your brother are all I have in this world anymore, or any other, unless your father is alive still in one of them. We were fortunate enough to land in a place that could help me free you from the demon's hold, but in England you must understand I'm still struggling with how to do such a thing. We don't have the same technology there that we have here. Removing your eye and the curse thereafter won't be possible there the way it was in Riverview.
[Another sip.] There, I still fear for your soul, but I doubt I'll be able to convince you to want to keep it.
[Oh, of course the German had mentioned it. His feathers had been thoroughly ruffled indeed.
His stomach though, there's not a lot he or it can handle at the moment. The tea is probably the only thing besides their conversation that he's going to be able to deal with.]
Said you headed towards France.
[He probably could have had Sebastian handle Wolfram and Sieglinde from that point, or Tanaka and the other servants, and gone after him but he hadn't bothered. He hadn't even thought about it then.]
It... [Astre can't help but agree, really, but he can't condemn him for it either. Having his twin back, in those earlier days, he would have given anything. It's a little more awkward now that he's older, but he is still glad to have him.] You would have found a way. You're nothing if not determined.
[Finally he sips at his own tea, stares into the cup, and then shakes his head.] I'm not going to sell it again. I like what we have, even if Ciel is different now. I like our little family, our house.
[Even if he's still not sure how to fully cope with all this.]
[He just offers a shrug. What he was doing in France is irrelevant now. It's done and that's the only thing that matters.]
I would have tried, yes, but I wasn't willing to risk losing everything again. Funny how your twin became the spare, isn't it? [Astre worried so much about being thought of as less than nothing for the same when Ciel had been the backup plan. Lucky for the three of them, it worked.]
I should hope not. I went to a lot of trouble trying to get you out of it and I'd be right cross with you if you threw that all in my face. [He's grinning now, but quite serious even if he knows it's not a threat.]
[That's true. It's done and over now, though he is a little curious. Maybe, someday, he'll ask. For now though, he lets it pass.
The mention of spares though, whether him or his brother, brings him down a bit. And he's back to staring into his cup. It had always hurt, still did, and he didn't really think of his brother that way even now.] He thinks of me like one still.
[But then, Undertaker gets the teens lips to quirk up a little at the corners. Even though he knows he's serious, he can't help but be just a little amused. And a little touched.] Don't worry. I'm happy like this.
[The way nobles treat others, sometimes he wonders why he let himself get mixed up with them at all. He doesn't regret his time with Claudia, but she wasn't any different. His own indifference to it was something he missed now and then from his days with the reapers.]
He also still has his nose in the air to anything and everything he considers beneath him. There's a lot he'll have to learn if he's to survive here. People in this world don't answer to rank and file like they used to, but he'll see that sooner or later. [A sip of that tea.] He'll have to. You did yourself. Give him time to figure it out.
[Rather than answer, he'll simply point at the boy and let it linger a few moments. He means it.]
[Now that he's spent time outside of England and away from nobility, Astre can see that more clearly. And it bothers him more now than it ever had.]
It was easier to adjust in Riverview, I think. [Maybe.] You're right though, he will adjust. It just... [Hurt. Hearing that from his twin.] It'll get easier.
[He can't help how his smile grows a bit more.] My soul is mine. Besides, I have no other obvious places to put a contract seal. [It's a joke, he promises.]
[Things aren't quite the same when you're born into privilege, he has learned, having seen one life closely and lived another.]
Might be he has a smaller learning curve here. The population is smaller, but no less likely to tell him right where he can put his demands if he starts making them. [That thought gets a giggle out of him.] Would that be the first time he's ever had to deal with someone other than his parents telling him no?
[There's a groan from him and he lets his head tilt back just enough. Really?] You lack a certain creativity, but I'm not inclined to elaborate.
[At least they're all on equal grounds here. As things should be. Astre wouldn't want to go back to how things were anyway, knowing how happy they've been.]
I think it would be. Least he has us if he needs help with anything. [Not everything though.]
I promise you, I won't be selling my soul again. You worked hard to help me, taught me how to be happy again and helped me grow. It's a gift I can't thank you enough for. [Look at Astre, getting all sappy.]
[As it should be, he's sure. Things are heading in that direction anyway.]
It's a better cushion than I could offer you. He has both of us. [No doubt the damn demon won't be any help there, and he'll insist the demon doesn't.]
[But he does appreciate that sappiness. He's been used to it, in a way.] It isn't a gift, it was redemption. And you needed it. But I thought you knew as much. Still, it's good to hear you got something out of it, something worthwhile.
[They're smart and crafty. And Astre is trying to do what he can to help with their farm. There's not a lot he's good for yet but he's trying.]
You were all I needed though. And I made a few friends that helped ease your burden of dealing with a spoiled noble. [He knows he's been spoiled, he'll fess up to that.]
Could be both. You could easily have given up on me, after all. And I did. I have our little family now and we have a cozy house. Even if we may have to add on to it.
[He could beg to differ but why bother? The boy can make a good cup of tea and that's all he really cares for at the moment.]
Spreading the pain, as it were. [But he giggles, and it's a little more like his old self.] Truly though, if I'd given up on you well and completely, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. You know my feelings on that matter, I think. Also, I think we could use better Halloween decorations, but we'll work on that.
[He'll listen to Undertaker more readily now, at least. And he's made efforts to learn how they both like tea so he can make it when Undertaker is tired or cold.]
More people who would agree with you about my nonsense. [He likes that. It's nice, hearing that laugh.] I'm glad you didn't.
[He glances around and there's a wistful sigh.] We really could. It just doesn't feel entirely like home yet without a few, does it? At least, the ones we would keep up after Halloween.
[Trouble isn't a route he'd take the boy down. Not unless they somehow ended up with half the kitchen covered in flour again.]
It was either you or the decorations and I can't see myself living without both, so I had to compromise somehow. Seems like it would be more fun to keep you both around. [He looks to one of the chairs in the corner and points.] There for the skeleton.
[Now, how is that trouble? That just sounds like fun.]
I'm glad I rate as being just as important. [He teases, laughing softly before he eyes that chair.] That looks perfect. He'll be cozy there. Should we buy him some pants or do you think they'd go to waste?
[Only if they want to spend an hour cleaning the one counter top again.]
You always were, even if I never said it. [He reaches out a hand, palm up and open in invitation.] Why bother? He'll take them right back off again. Indecent exposure was always one of his favorite pastimes.
Astre doesn't hesitate to put his hand in Undertaker's, smiling up at the reaper.]
We'll have to be careful then. He may bring some trouble down on us like that. We're very respectable, after all. [He can't quite finish that without another soft laugh. Respectable indeed.]
[He has to. There's no other reason for them to ever bake. At all. Just cleaning.]
Indeed. Living with skeletons, here and not. Baking half of the kitchen for a plate of biscuits or a cake. The smells of tea everywhere. Feels like home. [It really does, in a way.]
[He hums in agreement in return and settles hands about those shoulders, keeping him there without restraining him.]
It would help if I knew who lived here before I did. At least in England, your manor was your family's. I wouldn't have liked to live there, but you were raised in it.
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So he told you about that, did he? I guess I can't be surprised. I did ruffle his feathers a little. [Only a little. But really, the man didn't even look the same anymore. He sits with the boy and makes his own tea, waiting until he has it just right, the cup between his hands, before he speaks again.]
With everything we've been through, you deserve the truth. It was a selfish thing. Maybe you won't see it the same way, but I needed the body I had to come back. You and your brother are all I have in this world anymore, or any other, unless your father is alive still in one of them. We were fortunate enough to land in a place that could help me free you from the demon's hold, but in England you must understand I'm still struggling with how to do such a thing. We don't have the same technology there that we have here. Removing your eye and the curse thereafter won't be possible there the way it was in Riverview.
[Another sip.] There, I still fear for your soul, but I doubt I'll be able to convince you to want to keep it.
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His stomach though, there's not a lot he or it can handle at the moment. The tea is probably the only thing besides their conversation that he's going to be able to deal with.]
Said you headed towards France.
[He probably could have had Sebastian handle Wolfram and Sieglinde from that point, or Tanaka and the other servants, and gone after him but he hadn't bothered. He hadn't even thought about it then.]
It... [Astre can't help but agree, really, but he can't condemn him for it either. Having his twin back, in those earlier days, he would have given anything. It's a little more awkward now that he's older, but he is still glad to have him.] You would have found a way. You're nothing if not determined.
[Finally he sips at his own tea, stares into the cup, and then shakes his head.] I'm not going to sell it again. I like what we have, even if Ciel is different now. I like our little family, our house.
[Even if he's still not sure how to fully cope with all this.]
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I would have tried, yes, but I wasn't willing to risk losing everything again. Funny how your twin became the spare, isn't it? [Astre worried so much about being thought of as less than nothing for the same when Ciel had been the backup plan. Lucky for the three of them, it worked.]
I should hope not. I went to a lot of trouble trying to get you out of it and I'd be right cross with you if you threw that all in my face. [He's grinning now, but quite serious even if he knows it's not a threat.]
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The mention of spares though, whether him or his brother, brings him down a bit. And he's back to staring into his cup. It had always hurt, still did, and he didn't really think of his brother that way even now.] He thinks of me like one still.
[But then, Undertaker gets the teens lips to quirk up a little at the corners. Even though he knows he's serious, he can't help but be just a little amused. And a little touched.] Don't worry. I'm happy like this.
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He also still has his nose in the air to anything and everything he considers beneath him. There's a lot he'll have to learn if he's to survive here. People in this world don't answer to rank and file like they used to, but he'll see that sooner or later. [A sip of that tea.] He'll have to. You did yourself. Give him time to figure it out.
[Rather than answer, he'll simply point at the boy and let it linger a few moments. He means it.]
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It was easier to adjust in Riverview, I think. [Maybe.] You're right though, he will adjust. It just... [Hurt. Hearing that from his twin.] It'll get easier.
[He can't help how his smile grows a bit more.] My soul is mine. Besides, I have no other obvious places to put a contract seal. [It's a joke, he promises.]
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Might be he has a smaller learning curve here. The population is smaller, but no less likely to tell him right where he can put his demands if he starts making them. [That thought gets a giggle out of him.] Would that be the first time he's ever had to deal with someone other than his parents telling him no?
[There's a groan from him and he lets his head tilt back just enough. Really?] You lack a certain creativity, but I'm not inclined to elaborate.
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I think it would be. Least he has us if he needs help with anything. [Not everything though.]
I promise you, I won't be selling my soul again. You worked hard to help me, taught me how to be happy again and helped me grow. It's a gift I can't thank you enough for. [Look at Astre, getting all sappy.]
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It's a better cushion than I could offer you. He has both of us. [No doubt the damn demon won't be any help there, and he'll insist the demon doesn't.]
[But he does appreciate that sappiness. He's been used to it, in a way.] It isn't a gift, it was redemption. And you needed it. But I thought you knew as much. Still, it's good to hear you got something out of it, something worthwhile.
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You were all I needed though. And I made a few friends that helped ease your burden of dealing with a spoiled noble. [He knows he's been spoiled, he'll fess up to that.]
Could be both. You could easily have given up on me, after all. And I did. I have our little family now and we have a cozy house. Even if we may have to add on to it.
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Spreading the pain, as it were. [But he giggles, and it's a little more like his old self.] Truly though, if I'd given up on you well and completely, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. You know my feelings on that matter, I think. Also, I think we could use better Halloween decorations, but we'll work on that.
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More people who would agree with you about my nonsense. [He likes that. It's nice, hearing that laugh.] I'm glad you didn't.
[He glances around and there's a wistful sigh.] We really could. It just doesn't feel entirely like home yet without a few, does it? At least, the ones we would keep up after Halloween.
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It was either you or the decorations and I can't see myself living without both, so I had to compromise somehow. Seems like it would be more fun to keep you both around. [He looks to one of the chairs in the corner and points.] There for the skeleton.
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I'm glad I rate as being just as important. [He teases, laughing softly before he eyes that chair.] That looks perfect. He'll be cozy there. Should we buy him some pants or do you think they'd go to waste?
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You always were, even if I never said it. [He reaches out a hand, palm up and open in invitation.] Why bother? He'll take them right back off again. Indecent exposure was always one of his favorite pastimes.
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Astre doesn't hesitate to put his hand in Undertaker's, smiling up at the reaper.]
We'll have to be careful then. He may bring some trouble down on us like that. We're very respectable, after all. [He can't quite finish that without another soft laugh. Respectable indeed.]
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Indeed. Living with skeletons, here and not. Baking half of the kitchen for a plate of biscuits or a cake. The smells of tea everywhere. Feels like home. [It really does, in a way.]
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It... it really does. [It might have felt odd saying that in their first few months living together in Riverview but not anymore.]
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Too bad it wasn't in a manor made far too large to hold the people who live there.
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I like it better here. At least, I like our little cozy houses. They feel more like home once we settle properly.
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Let's not do this again, shall we? I'm no stranger to uprooting, but I like the stress of it less than I should.
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Agreed. Feels like it takes too long for us to make it our own each time.
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It would help if I knew who lived here before I did. At least in England, your manor was your family's. I wouldn't have liked to live there, but you were raised in it.
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It would but at least we're together. And it's warm, with room to expand. We could have a room added so we have a library again.
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I thought about that. We had quite a developing library back in Riverview and now we've next to nothing. It's awful.
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