Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Author's Note:  So, you all know how much I love to add music references to my story, right? At the end, there are lyrics to a song which best describes the tone of ASASS. If you want to get the full effect, go ahead and have a listen, it's beautiful. And now, onto the epilogue.

One year later . . .

"And I told her, that's what she said!" He paused, waiting for the laughter to ensue only to receive four pairs of eyes rolling in unison. "Aw come on, you get it, right? That's what she said." Bard reiterated, giving the joke one last go before sitting back and taking a sip of his beer. "You guys are boring." He muttered.

"No, we just have taste." Mey-Rin pointed out, giving him a knowing look over her glasses. The blonde grumbled something about needing to find new friends as she turned her attention back to those sitting across from them. "Speaking of good taste, have I mentioned how much I like those earrings, Ciel?" She purred, winking at the young man.

It was just like old times, the group had assembled at their favorite table at Ted Montana's on a Friday afternoon. The only difference was the addition of Sebastian, who sat by casually sipping on bourbon, observing the interactions of the people he used to call his subordinates. Now, they were just great acquaintances, each one having moved onto to something else and living their lives separate from one another.

Finny, who quietly nursed a soda through a straw, had gotten job at the Bronx Botanical Gardens. Ciel was surprised when he first heard of the new employment, but when he thought back, he remembered a large collection plants throughout the New York office that Finny used to tend to. He was always watering them and carrying on conversations like they were real people. Once when Ciel had asked Finny about it, the short blonde had just smiled and said that plants had feelings too. By the silly grin that appeared on the former receptionist's face every time he spoke about his current job, everyone knew that he was in the right place professionally.

Mey-Rin had left the financial world to pursue her dream of opening her own rifle range. She apparently had licenses to not only own guns, but also to teach and sell them as well; something that in the liberal state of New York was very difficult to come by. Ciel now wondered if she had concealed hand gun on her the entire time that they had worked together. When he asked, Mey-Rin just laughed nervously and changed the subject, the obvious avoidance of the question making him narrow his eyes in scrutiny.

Bard, however, could not keep himself away from the alluring call of business and so, he let his inner entrepreneur run free in the form of a food truck. Bard's Bangin' BBQ was now situated on various street corners throughout the Big Apple. Serving up flame kissed (burned) pieces of meat (maybe chicken) covered in a savory sauce (ketchup, it really is just ketchup) to the hungry masses (tourists). Ciel had somehow managed to avoid eating there, even though Bard had promised him a free meal. As much as the young man applauded the endeavor, getting food poisoning was just not on his to-do list this year.

"Don't even think about it, Mey." Ciel smirked as he fiddled with the jewel on his earlobe. "These were a gift from Prince Soma himself and I'm not lending them out to anybody." She stuck out her lower lip in an over exaggerated pout, feigning massive disappointment.

"He's not lying." Sebastian commented, poking a finger playfully at his lover's cheek. "He won't even take them out when he showers." A quick swat of his hand had the man chuckling. "It's an absolute bear to deal with when we're making out; always getting stuck on something." He teased, earning a scowl in return.

"I thought you said you liked sucking on them during sex." Ciel stated boldly, raising a taunting eyebrow and moving his face closer so they were eye level. "In fact, I seem to remember you mentioning wanting me to get another piercing on my di-"

"Ahhhhh, that's more than enough information, Ciel!" Bard cut in quickly, the entire table giving him surprised looks at the outburst. "I don't need to know what it is that two dudes do together in the bedroom." He stuck out his tongue while making a gagging noise. "If you keep talking about stuff like that I won't be able to get it up later for Sierra." Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes again at the mention of Bard's new girlfriend; everyone except Finny who just kept smiling and slurping on his soda.

"Really, Bard. Can't you call her by her real name?" Mey-Rin chastised lightly. "I mean, we all know what she does for a living and have met her, so you don't have to keep reminding us of her place of employment." Heads nodded in agreement as a single one just shook negatively.

"Nope." Bard stated proudly, puffing out his chest like the alpha male he thought he was. "If I call her by her real name then it destroys the mystique of her being a stripper." He hummed happily at the logic in his mind. Glancing down at his watch, he stood up. "Speaking of which, I need to get going. Sierra is off tonight and I promised to make her dinner at my place. "

"No wonder she stays so thin, if she's letting Bard cook for her." Ciel whispered loudly so the entire table could hear. They all laughed, resulting in an annoyed Bard stomping out of the bar and yelling back about one day they would miss him when he was gone. "We need to get going as well." He noted, receiving an affirmative nod from Sebastian.

The group stood and said their goodbyes, Mey-Rin and Finny heading in one direction while Ciel and Sebastian went hand in hand in the other. The weather was balmy with a slight breeze that seemed to hint to the chillier days ahead. Ciel snuggled closer next to the warm body as they continued back to the condo. Once home Sebastian sighed as he pulled the buzzing blackberry from his pocket and frowned at the number.

"Is it Tanaka?" Ciel inquired as he walked into the living room. He stretched his back and groaned a little as it made a low popping sound. In the background he could hear Sebastian having a conversation with whoever had just called him.

True to his word, Sebastian had formerly introduced Ciel to his mentor. Approximately six months ago, the two men had rented some office space downtown. It wasn't anything fancy, just something small and simple that they could use as a professional location to put on letterhead and bring clients to for meetings; and bring clients they did. Business was going very well for the small financial firm and pretty soon they were going to have to start searching for a larger office to house the new employees they would be hiring.

When FPE eventually went belly up, old clients of Sebastian's sought him out. The word through the grapevine being that Prince Soma Kadar had signed a rather lucrative deal with a former Funtom executive and his partner and that their boutique firm was about to be the next big thing in private investments. Before long, the pair actually had to turn away business and it was about that time Sebastian had brought in Ciel as a junior consultant.

The young man was thrilled to be an integral part of the firm's growth and he relished the fact that he got to work with Sebastian again every day. Ciel had been working behind the scenes up until this point, being the men's assistant/office manager/web designer/gopher and anything else they needed. He was learning more about the industry than ever before, but it was Tanaka that seemed to provide him with the most knowledge interestingly enough.

When Ciel met Sebastian's mentor he thought the man looked more like a grandfather than a consultant. Tanaka was tall and slim with a kind smile and gentle demeanor; he spoke in a firm, but soft voice, never showing his temper and doting on Ciel like he was his grandson. However, it was in a meeting with a new client that the young man finally got to see the man in action and he realized the unassuming persona was only a guise Tanaka used in his personal life. The professional version of the man was polite with a take-no-prisoners attitude that instilled confidence in prospective clients and brought fear to competitors. All in all, Ciel couldn't be happier with his professional life now.

"Hey you." He smiled, looking down at a fluffy black tail curling around his leg. Ciel bent down to pick up a purring Krimson, scratching the tuxedo's head between his ears. "Did you miss us? Hmm?" The cat butted the small chin in response making him chuckle as the action tickled. "Who was that?" He asked as Sebastian sauntered out of the kitchen and into the living room. Krimson struggled in his grasp, demanding to be let down so he could go exploring again.

Ciel complied and released the animal, curiously wondering where and what the animal was going to do next as it sprinted out of the room. Long arms wrapped around the small waist from behind, startling the young man for a moment as a light kiss was placed in the crook of his neck.

"That was Agni, if you can believe it." Sebastian nipped gently along the delicate throat, trailing his way to the soft earlobe and sucking gently on the pierced ear. Ciel shivered at the feeling and closed his eyes, leaning back into the firm body. "He and Soma are at JFK right now. They will be here within the hour." Blue/violet snapped open as the Ciel whirled around, mouth gaping wide with disbelief.

"You mean they just showed up unannounced?" He squeaked, Sebastian chuckling at the predictable reaction. Grinding his teeth together, Ciel huffed in annoyance. "That's such a Soma thing to do. Show up with no warning or any notice whatsoever." He whined as he was pulled into his lover's chest, burying his nose into the broad shoulder and inhaling deeply.

"Don't worry about it." Sebastian soothed, smirking. "We'll just introduce him to Alois. I'm sure those two will get along famously." Ciel laughed lightly, tilting his head up to look into the warm red eyes.

"Yeah, after a week of watching Alois and Luka being all lovey-dovey twenty-four-seven, Soma will be begging to go back home." The two laughed at the mental image and Sebastian leaned forward to press their foreheads together. "Soooo, we have an hour, huh?" Ciel purred, his voice laced with intention.

"What should we do until then?" Sebastian hugged the small body closer, rubbing the tips of their noses together. He hummed as he thought, crimson burning into indigo. "I have an idea. That is, if you're up for it?" Ciel smirked at the innuendo, pushing up onto his toes to meet the parted lips hovering above his own; giving an answer filled with promises of love, hope and happiness in that one kiss.