Pain

I don't need help

It was about two months later, and they had been released. The seasons were changing to autumn, and the servants had long-since come back from the Bahamas. Currently, the Trancy servants were to be staying at the Phantomhive Manor for a little while, since they were needing help caring for Alois' medical needs, and not only them- the Phantomhive servants needed help keeping an eye on Astre and his sneaky attempts at skipping meals. He refused to eat most of the time after leaving the hospital, and no matter Sebastian's many threats and telling him he was weak and pathetic for letting a few insults bring him down- Astre wouldn't budge. He was not weak, he was stubborn, and very ill, that much was certain in everyone's minds.

It was about a week after Astre and Alois came back, and Astre was already going back on his word. He had thrown up every night- but the servants caught onto the events of their pain and sorrow being spilled into the toilet bowl, and even as they tried to stop the little blue-haired child, telling him he was thin and sick... he just couldn't see it. And truly thought he still had weight to lose. So he stayed on his limit of 200 per day, and threw up when he thought he ate too much.

Despite Astre trying repeatedly to get Alois to eat at least a little per day like he did- since Astre was still smart enough to acknowledge he needed a steady intake of food and water -Alois wouldn't listen. He just began crying whenever it was brought up and people often drifted away from the subject, they often began talking about something else whenever it was seen that the normally confident and happy child bawling and breaking into tears and curling up into a fatal position of sadness and heartache. NO ONE wished to see Alois in such a dire state.

Not even Ciel.

Ciel overheard the butlers talking about how Alois may not make it out of this and how they should call the Undertaker to plan a coffin and funeral for the little blonde... NO! No no no no no no no! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!! Ciel was not going to allow that to happen to such a child. And afterall, it was truly Astre's fault he was even like this in the first place- NO!- Ciel was not about to blame his brother's disorder that HE CAUSED for Alois' starvation. It did not even MATTER whose fault it was. Both Alois and his brother were innocent in this and Ciel was going to help them both, as were the demons and the servants and everyone in that blasted manor... even if it meant doing what he hated most in the whole world... admitting he was in the wrong.

Ciel walked into Alois' room, knowing by now the blonde was probably sobbing under a cover of blankets. And he was correct-ish... Alois was under covers of blankets, but he wasn't sobbing.

At first, Ciel assumed the blonde-headed child was asleep, and was about to leave him to get the rest he very well deserved, but then he saw Alois' head move ever so slightly out from under the covers, and noticed his eyes were open. The looked so dark and lifeless, but were starring out the window directly across from his bed. He was awake... but dead at the same time. Alive and dead. Breaking inside, yet functioning as good as ever outside.

Or, at least as well as 64 pound, 5'2, 14-year-old little boy could.

Ciel stepped towards Alois, and shock him slightly. "Alois?.. Hey, are you awake, little one?" He always seemed to either call Alois 'little one' or 'sunshine' whenever he meant to cheer him up. It usually worked- but this wasn't anything usual.

Alois looked at him with the same dead stare he had given the window. "Ciel?" He asked. As if his name were a question. "... Why are you here?" He asked the blue-headed twin.

Ciel gave a sigh, his two blue eyes looking away from the blood he spotted on the blonde's bedsheets. It was no secret the Trancy Earl self-harmed... nor was it a secret why... but that was a story for another day. "I..." He paused, as if thinking on what to say to the depressed little one, who was anorexic and starving himself to death, "I wanted to apologies."