#┈ ┊ with a mask of grins ┈ CIEL. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dookie-system · 2 years ago

Text

Solace

(Media: Black Butler)

In his dream, he had once again been brought to the moment that continues to haunt him. Lustful men and women with masks glare upon his minuscule body.

His arms and legs are pinned down on a tall rectangular platform, as he is displayed and observed by the masked individuals. His crying and harsh breathing were heard throughout the room, that even the children within the cages heard and weeped for him. As his shirt is lifted up, he smells a heavy sensation of iron as a raging heat grew closer towards his lower back. All of a sudden the frightened boy was stricken with an abnormal pain on the right side of his waist. A mark had been placed on him.

As he was branded, his frail voice cried out in sheer agony and pain, longing for the gentle solace of his mother, no longer present. The masked people giggled all around the fallen Angel as its torture continued. The hands gripping his wrists and ankles were replaced with chains and shackles straightening his entire body on the platform like a patient in an operation room. The men who had pinned him down had proceeded to strip their clothes and reveal their filthy bodies to the poor boy. One of the men proceeded to climb onto the high platform where he was pinned and slowly slithered towards his face, grinning a horrifying smile. A knife was clutched in the hands of another man. The events that would occur would go on for hours upon end.

As he continued to bare the pain of his circumstances, he looked towards one of the cages, noticing the absence of his younger twin brother. They killed him, he had thought. He is no more. A statue looking upon the vileness from above caught the attention of the poor boy. I am alone. There is not a place in the world I can receive solace from this cruelty. I can no longer understand the meaning of comfort. The very idea already seems distant. He eyed the statue and was enraged by its gentle smile. “Dear god…why are you smiling?” The young Ciel quietly wept as the statue’s eyes, though gentle, showed no mercy for his grief.

꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂

Before finally crying out in his dream, he awoke screaming, pale faced. His whole body tricked with sweat from the top of his forehead to the bottom of his back. Though his hands shivered like they were in a blizzard. His continuous gasping for air and his frightened wails awoke his startled wife. She jolted straight up from the commotion beside her.

The 25 year old Earl Ciel Phantomhive was helpless before his beloved wife Janaki Mudaliar Vennila Sethupati. Distraught by the situation, she had never seen her husband behave in such a way. His calm and gentle personality was all she had known for the first five years of their marriage. If this had been a frequent occurrence in her absence, he clearly did a spectacular job at preventing her from discovering. But on this night, behind his dull and composed face, Janaki finally saw the crying child bottled up within the poor boy that was her lover.

She tried to hold his hand for a while to soothe him. That was until finding out that her actions worsened his anxious behavior with even the slightest touch. As she quickly tried to reach for his jittering hands, her hurried clasping caused him to slightly crawl away in fear, not glancing up once. What other option was there besides physical comfort?? Perhaps physical correction. With a second attempt, distressed for her dear husband, Janaki slapped the neck of her husband. And to no one’s surprise, he began to scream and pant more. Sweat and tears streamed down Janaki’s face as she tried to reassure him verbally. Her words, however, were drowned out by his cries for solace. Solace…of course!

Realizing her final option, she gently placed her soft hands on Ciel’s trembling shoulder. She suddenly noticed a quick response within her husband as his harsh pants and yells rapidly softened to timid breathes. With her last resource, she used her gentle voice to soothe him.

Lavender’s blue, dilly, dilly, lavender’s green, When you are king, dilly, dilly, I shall be queen; Call up your men, dilly, dilly, set them to work, Some to the plough, dilly, dilly, some to the cart; Some to make hay dilly, dilly, some the thresh corn; Whilst you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm.

A small grin emerged from Janaki’s lips as she recited the last lines of the ballad. Ciel’s breathing became silent. At last he looked up from his dozens of sheets and found himself in the lonesome bedchambers of the Phantomhive manor. His horrified wife looked upon his eyes with fear and confusion, as they were drowning in streams of tears before her as he sunk into guilt and despair.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, I didn’t…I’m sorry….,” the helpless lord murmured to his wife under a congested voice. He continued to sniffle, trying to hold back the sea of tears and mucus. “I didn’t want you to know,” he spoke with a hoarse voice. “I feared you would...” Janaki’s face now wet and salty, bared pitiful and sincere eyes that yearned to give solace.

“Oh Ciel,” she quietly shouted, banging her fists onto a pillow sitting between them. “I don’t know what to say. I’m at a loss for words. In our five years of marriage, you have kept this from me. What am I to you? Do you fear my knowledge, my comfort, my kindness? What is it that am I not giving?” She looked towards her lap, lost in nostalgia. “When you conveyed your vows,…you swore you would keep no secrets from me. And I believed you…”

“NO, IT’S NOT LIKE THAT,” Ciel blurted out. “My dearest, please have merc-“ “I AM NOT LEAVING YOU!!” Janaki yelled back. The red veins in her eyes brightened as she glared furiously at her husband. But no amount of rage could bring her to hate him. Not a single ounce of hatred boiled within her for the deception and lies kept by the man she devoted her existence for.

When he asked for solidarity, she complied, thinking that outside the racing heart she never heard, he was a busy Earl with matters to attend to. When he suddenly left the bedchambers to call upon the butler Sebastian, she was fast asleep, as he practically skipped with light bounces off the marble floor. When she asked all those times if he was alright as she noticed his hand shaking and his breathing quicken, he would simply nod, smile, and reply “My fairest dove, you need not worry for this foolish Lord.”

And lord almighty, it all boiled down to this. Janaki’s voice cracked as she spoke. “I just…you promised….I could have…I could have been there...” Before she could finish the sentence, she too sunk into a ball of sobs and wails as she wiped away her fresh tears with her wrists.

He couldn’t take it anymore. His promise had been broken all those five years ago. He clasped her hands, now shaking just as his had, and cradled it back and forth until he brought her cold fingers to his dry cheek. He looked at his beloved, the woman he fell in love with, the selfless maid who loved everyone, the lonely princess who, in addition, needed solace.

“I will never keep anything from you…again.” His deep blue eyes shimmered under the moonlight as the stared back at his lover’s caramels’. He leaned foreword and kissed her pouting lips, striking a look of shock on her face as he leaned back. He was so foolish. But that didn’t matter. He was in pain all this time. Had she have known sooner, how much easier it would have been. She slowly wrapped her arms around her husband and rubber her face against his. “And I shall never let you suffer in silence. I am your wife. If something like…this…happens once more, call for my name and I shall appear by your side. My love for you extends beyond the stars.” Ciel sighed and gently whispered, “the very same on my end.” “Now come.” She pulled him closer. “Now you may find solace within me. Sleep well and dream fair dreams. You are never alone. I remain at your side…always.”

☾☾☾☾THE END!☽☽☽☽

Note: I hope you enjoyed this composition! I wanted to make Ciel the main focus of this and kind of convey how his trauma could have potentially affected him in the future. In the movie Book of The Atlantic, in a flashback scene we see Ciel wake up from a nightmare, screaming. Based off this information I felt like due to his trauma and his response to it over the years, it is possible for him to experience panic attacks and anxiety stemmed from his paranoia. As someone who also experiences panic attacks and has anxiety, I tried my best to convey these emotions through this character. I’ve never described panic attacks through writing so this can be regarded as my first attempt at doing so. I would very much like advice if it is not to your expectations if you are someone who struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. I hope the fic was to your liking and I wish you a good night :D!

#black butler #ciel phamtonhive #kuroshitsuji #black butler fanfiction #fanfic #original character #ocs #oc x canon #sebastian michaelis #grell sutcliff

3 notes · View notes

manias-wordcount · 3 years ago

Text

Despite the Differences (Sebastian Michaelis, Claude Faustus)

Kinktober 2022 Day Thirty: Overstimulation

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

To you, they always looked so different but felt so similar.

Something in the look of their eyes. Something in the way that they moved about the room. The way they talked. The way they conducted themselves. Their manners- everything. One had a clear way of going about things while the other went a separate way. Yet they did the job right. With different expressions. Different looks about them. Different methods. Yet so, so similar.

For a while, you supposed it was just their training as butlers. You’ve been around many throughout your entire time. You were of noble blood- it was only natural considering your upbringing. But when you finally stopped to think about it, you realized that you’d never been around butlers this young looking before you met Sebastian and Claude. And then again, you’ve never gotten stares this intense from men. And for the longest time, you wove stories in your head about why their eyes might linger on your form as long as they do.

You’re the only girl in your direct family line and could still be considered young despite your status as the oldest. Yet at eighteen, you were hardly seen as the child that your cousins and siblings still are. You imagined the stares you received from your butlers were because you were unmarried despite the long list of suitors that line up every day in your sitting room. You imagined the loaded words they delivered to you were because of your naturally spoiled nature. They also did keep their words clipped with a promise of punishment if you continued to test them. A promise you thought they would never keep.

But it never occurred to you, that one day you could push them both too far. Between the two men, they seemed to have an abundance of tolerance. Sebastian treated your cousin Ciel with such care and patience and Claude handled your other cousin, Alois, with so much precision. You thought that nothing you could ever do or say would ever cause their mask to crumble. It just never occurred to you that you’d be the one to cause them both to snap. Because they were so different, even if they felt the same. But were quick to learn that their difference are not what mattered. And that what you did is not what mattered either.

Because a man is a man is a man. And when a man says he’ll keep his word to you. When men say they’ll keep their word to you. No, when men say one day, they’ll fuck the disobedience out of you- you know you should listen. But you didn’t.

And that’s how you ended up here.

“Oh…! Oh~”

Your voice takes a new form. A form you’ve never heard it take before. It’s light and it’s airy and it’s uncontrolled by your thoughts. Rather, it comes out in response to their hands and their gazes. Their words and their attention. Something that feels so different from what you know. Something that feels so similar to what you’ve witnessed.

Though you suppose it’s a reaction only natural for you to have now that there has been a man sitting behind you, his legs on either side of yours as he undresses you while a different man sits and settles in front of you, his hand disappearing between your thighs for what feels like hours.

“You know,” Sebastian begins softly, his velvety voice going directly into your ear as he purrs at you from behind. His hands are if anything, careful as he takes the bottom of your nightgown and holds it up to expose your delicate skin. It’s bunched up in his glove-covered fists, clearly ruining the ironing job that one of them did earlier this day. But when you turn your head to try to spare the best glance you can at Sebastian’s face, the grin upon his lips tells you that he couldn’t care less about his now ruined work. As long as he’s awarded the opportunity to ruin you. “I always found you to be the most tolerable of my charges.”

There’s a weapon in his voice. One that’s sharp and pointed at your throat. One that gets you to whimper and whine as he forces your legs to open wider to allow his partner to continue his onslaught on the most precious part of your body. A feeling in your lower stomach sits there, building pressure. It’s a feeling you know they want you to feel. A feeling they refused to explain no matter how many times you begged and pleaded with them. No, instead Sebastian would just chuckle, and let his hands run over your soft mounds before playing with your pebbled nipples. No, instead Claude just sneers, moving his thumb to rub against the sensitive button settle between your shaking legs. Again, and again, again.

“You always were agreeable.” Claude agrees while clicking his tongue. Unlike Sebastian, you can see this devil as he tortures you. The expressions he makes. The way he expressions he takes from you. But to see, it’s not enough for him to get his message across. And so the disappointment in his voice becomes obvious. It surrounds you much like the heat of this room. Much like the musty scent that grows and grows and grows the longer they take their time with you. Much like their touch and all the feelings that it brings. The conflict and the frustration. The hate and the desire. “Until you’re not.”

There’s no running as Claude continues to bury two of his fingers into your entrance. He pulls them out just to push them in again, moving at a rough, rough pace as his eyes never leave yours behind his glasses. Watching you moan and cry out as you’re forced to feel this confusing and delicious feeling to you over and over again. And there’s no running from Sebastian either as he keeps you trapped between his body while his hands glide and grope across your body. Reminding you that this was all your doing. Reminding you to take your punishment like a good girl. Even if your mind is far too gone to even recall what brought you to this situation in the first place.

Growing up, you thought of Sebastian as the nice one. And Claude was the cold one. But now, you can’t help but think that they’re equally as cruel as Sebastian allows him to do this. Because it’s your slick wetness that casts a glaze over Claude’s gloves, shining in the light as he touches you in a way no man has ever done before. And it’s Sebastian’s hands that expose this intimate part of your body to both of their eyes, showing them your body as it reacts to these new feelings in a way that no man has ever seen before.

In a way, no one has ever seen or done before.

But a man is a man is a man. And these men made a promise to you. A promise to drive you to the edge and make you feel things you’ve never felt before because of your behavior. Under their watchful eyes. Because of their practiced touches. And you should have listened. You should have listened. Because despite their difference…

They always did feel the same.

862 notes · View notes

the-letter-horror-lover · 3 years ago

Text

Kuroshitsuji: Book of One Shots

AssassinOrTemplar

Summary:

A collection of short stories involving you and all your favourite Black butler characters.

I sincerely hope you enjoy~

Chapter 1: To Summon a Demon (Ciel x Demon¡Reader)

Chapter Text

Someone. Anyone. Help me!

The empty scream was all that was required to wake you from a decade long slumber; it was a common occurrence to slumber on for years after a feeding as you chose to dine only on souls of a superlative quality – and they were quite a rarity.

Darkness – your darkness – emerges from the ground like a living, breathing creature, prepared to devour all who are idiotic enough to interfere with the finalization of your summoning. Inky shadows writhe across the blood stained floor and walls, reaching out with grasping fingers and silencing those who cower underneath masks and velvet robes.

Tortured eyes watch from beneath overgrown bangs as blood dances mid-air, porcelain masks shatter, and lives become non-existent.

And then, the creature – you.

A demon.

His demon.

It was a female, from what he could derive in his current state; she was little more than a wisp of a creature with diminutive limbs, though it was terrifyingly clear that bulk was unnecessary, as she seemed many times stronger than her human prey. Bipedal with an elongated muzzle which consisted of inch long teeth, each one serrated like a carving knife. Truly this was a creature conjured from the deepest pits of the Underworld.

Stooped and drenched in blood, you incline your head towards the incarcerated child in a graceful, near elegant manner. There resides a trauma deep within those azure eyes which sends a delightful thrill coursing through your bloodstream – forming a contract isn’t any fun if the signatory shows no fear.

With a predatory grin, you stalk towards the cage. “You have summoned me here.”

The child shifts further away to a safer distance.

That’s right. Cower you pathetic little brat.

“That can never be changed,” you continue, every step, every word, slow and deliberate, “and nothing sacrificed can ever be regained.”

You squeeze yourself through the metal bars keeping him contained and claw your away across the ground, eyes dilated and dancing with a maddening hunger. It was an over exaggeration but you were the epitome of fear – it would be an embarrassment to your very reputation were you to suddenly begin playing nice.

“Now...choose.”

The scent of desperation was absolutely mouth-watering. Surely no one would begrudge you a taste? Just a lick?

Yanking the child forward by the wrist, you relish the sight of fear contorting his features before you drag your tongue up his cheek at an agonisingly slow pace. Oh, yes. Purely delicious.

The child recoils and aggressively wipes the saliva from his skin using his sleeve. “Stop playing games.”

You fight the desire to laugh in his face. “Oh, feisty, aren’t we?”

It was adorable when these humans attempted to intimidate a demon with false bravado. They seemed convinced that their pathetic excuse for lives were somehow untouchable...but you were more than happy to rectify such arrogant optimism if given the opportunity.

“Demon,” the child begins, expression growing harder, “I want to form a contract with you!”

You lick the blood from your claws and smirk. “So you have chosen to stray from the light and traverse the path towards Hell. Very well. I will happily oblige.” Your claws take possession of his face, piercing the flesh enough to draw blood. “Let us engrave the contract on each of our bodies. The more conspicuous the location, the more power you will control. Now where-”

“I don’t care where!” He interjects and slaps your hand away. “I just want power strong enough to never lose anyone again!”

“Such greed for one of such a small stature.”

Perhaps this kid wasn’t as bad as you thought.

“Alright then, we shall use the part in which reflects this entirely hopeless world: that freakishly large eye of yours."

A scream is wrenched from the back of his throat as your hand shoots out and collides with his right eye. High-pitched and raw. The type of scream only a young child could conceive. You observe him with great intensity, deriving pleasure from the little boys agony; the eyes wide with horror, mouth rigid and open, chalky face gaunt and immobile, and fists clenched with blanched knuckles and nails biting into the dirtied skin of his palms.

Blood cascades from the freshly branded eye and stains the ground, letting you know the contract had been completed. You relinquish your hold on him and cup his chin.

“Now you have obtained the power of a demon. You shall never have to bow down to anyone ever again.” You rise to your full, intimidating height. “You may be as proud as a King. And as loud as a beast. Release your inner desires and fulfil your wildest dreams.”

With a flick of the wrist, the cage imprisoning him collapses, granting him a freedom you doubt he’s had in a very long time. You offer a hand. “Come now, young Master. What is your name?”

The trepidation is erased from his features as he accepts your proffered hand and lifts himself to his feet. You tighten your grip on him as he stumbles.

“My name...,” he begins slowly, almost hesitant, “is Ciel. Ciel Phantomhive. Next in line for Head of the House of Phantomhive.”

“Oh, is that right?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that. Humans were such an awful bunch of liars – and everyone called you a monster. But his name mattered little anyway. As long as the brat honoured the contract and you were rewarded with his soul, then he could call himself anything he liked.

“In that case,” your lips twitch in amusement as a swirl of shadows envelops you, “I must also take a more appropriate form as a servant in one of that position.”

The shadows dissipate and a soft sigh falls from the lips of your new human form. You roll your shoulders and neck, loosening the muscles. These human bodies were always such a pain to break in, but with every new contract comes unpleasant requirements.

Feeling a tad more relaxed, you place a hand over your heart and bow. “I am at your service, my tiny Lord.”

The young child’s reaction....was not what you were expecting. Was your new appearance really so baffling to comprehend? Oh dear, you didn’t accidentally give yourself an additional limb that had no place on a human body, did you? A quick glance reveals the perfect amount of appendages. So what was the problem?

You had to ask, “Is this form not to your liking?”

When he hesitates your eyes narrow.

“Does this lack of response stem from the fact that I am a female?”

“What? No, I—”

“Because I have heard such bias is considered sexist and quite common amongst humans.”

“No!” He shouted, appearing rather flustered by your accusation. “That form is fine.”

You eye him suspiciously for a few seconds more before smiling. “Wonderful. Then let us get down to business.” A table and two chairs materialise from a mist of darkness. “We must now discuss the details of the contract.”

An undignified ‘huh?’ was the response given.

Children. How annoying.

You take him by the shoulders and force him into one of the chairs. “You wished for power strong enough so that you would never lose anyone ever again, and that is fine. However, we must go into more detail with that request.”

“More detail?”

“No being will ever enter a contract of eternal work with no concrete goal. Trades and deals only work because both sides have something to gain; no one willingly enters a contract from which they only stand to lose from.”

Ciel stiffens upon feeling nails dig into his shoulders. You smile at him in a way which could be friendly or threatening. “You understand, yes?”

The fear is once again wiped from his face and replaced by indignation. “Don’t touch me."

Normally you would have been highly offended by such rudeness – especially from a child of all things – but this time you simply couldn’t be upset no matter how hard you tried. Why? Simply put, it was because he was absolutely adorable. That jutted lower lip mixed with such raw hatred...lovely.

This child was every demons dream.

Cupping his cheeks – and ignoring his protests in the process – you lean in close, fighting the urge to take another lick of his porcelain skin. You grin.

“We are going to have a lot of fun together, my young lord.”

Chapter 2: A Kitten's Greed (Sebastian X Neko¡Reader)

Chapter Text

Dedicated to my dear friend ScreechingLife

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another sneeze.

That’s the fifth one in twelve minutes.

Sebastian placed a slice of Gateau au chocolat in front of the young Earl with narrowed eyes. “Are you coming down with a cold, Master?” He removed an embroidered handkerchief from his breast pocket and proceeded to wipe the snot currently escaping the teenagers’ reddened nose.

Shock flittered across Ciel’s face before anger – caused by embarrassment, no less – contorted his features. He slapped the butler’s hand away with a scowl. “Don’t be ridiculous; I don’t get sick and I certainly don’t need you to clean my nose. I’m not an invalid.”

Amusement danced in a pair of crimson orbs. “Did I overstep my boundaries? My apologies, Master. In the future, I shall stand aside whilst you spread your mucus over every surface.”

Ciel’s eyes narrowed faintly as they peered over the top of the paperwork in his hand. “Don’t get cheeky.”

Sebastian simply smiled and stood off to the side as Ciel set down the paperwork and took a bite of his cake. But then the young Earl’s face became rigid. His nose twitched, azure eyes turning watery. Sebastian glanced at him with furrowed brows, the top half of his body angling away slightly as the young Earl sneezed, mucus and cake crumbs splattering across the desk.

An awkward silence settled over the room as the pair stared at one another.

“Just walk away,” Ciel eventually grumbled, dark lines covering his face.

Sebastian didn’t need to be told twice.

“As you wish, my Lord.”

The demon butler departed and smiled once alone in the hallway. There was no mystery as to why his young master was currently suffering: you had returned. He removed his pocket watch to check the time. Ah, right on schedule; your punctuality was impeccable.

Sebastian made his way to the kitchen, locking the door behind him after ensuring none of the other members of staff were lurking. “Now...where are you hiding?” He murmured, crimson orbs doing an acute sweep of the area.

And there you were, hiding; your long, lustrous tail swayed in a way that was most enticing – it was enough to have the butler’s cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink.

Sebastian stalked forward and peeled open the pantry door even more to find you stooped behind a few hefty bags of flour, a slice of crustless bread in your possession. Your head shoots up, startled, causing an amused smile to spread across Sebastian’s face.

“Must we go through this rigmarole every day? If you desire something to eat, you need only ask.”

Removing your fangs from the slice of bread, you leave the pantry and straighten up. “You criticise despite knowing I’ll never change – perhaps instead of trying to reform me, you simply plan ahead and greet me with something tasty that I can sink my fangs into.”

One dark brow arches. “You wound me, my Lady; all this time I was led to believe that I was the tasty morsel in which you cared to sink your fangs into.”

A soft noise of amusement slips from your lips and you smile. “You are, but despite how delicious you may be, a lady still requires an entrée before digging into the main course.”

The butler shakes his head in a manner which insinuates you were a troublesome child. “A proper lady knows not to be so greedy.”

Your ears perk at the slight disapproval woven into those words. It would appear that he was in one of his ‘moods’ again; they occurred typically after a particularly strenuous day of dealing with the young Earl of Phantomhive - however, he knew better than to take his bitter exasperation out on you.

Cupping his chin, you offer a pout which could be taken as an act of condescension, “Our tongue has clearly tasted sour grapes today, hasn’t it?” Your hand retracts and you turn your back on him. “If you’re not going to fawn over me today then there’s really no point in staying.”

Unexpectedly, the demon chuckles, a low and husky sound which causes goosebumps to rise on your skin. An arm slithers around your waist and the firm line of Sebastian’s body suddenly presses against your back. “Stubborn and greedy,” he purrs, the damp heat of his breath tickling your ear, “what an entitled kitten we are.”

The gentle caress of gloved fingers does not go unnoticed and you find yourself mewling, already close to melting in his embrace.

“I suppose I only have myself to blame,” he sighs, though the corners of his mouth quirk upwards into a faint smirk. “After all, I have spoiled you.”

A pleasurable shiver shoots down the length of your spine upon feeling the moist flick of a tongue across your cheek. “You love spoiling me,” you force out, the words a mere whisper. Damn this creature. Everything about him was so intoxicating – and the bastard knew it.

He turns you around in the circle of his arms and cups your chin, the pad of his thumb smoothing over your bottom lip. “How could I not? When I first saw you, you were far too irresistible to ignore – those large and frightened eyes, those perfectly pointed ears raised in alarm, that irresistibly coloured tail bristled and damaged.” He smiled, the tip of his finger slipping past your lips and grazing your tongue. “So frail. So dependent. I couldn’t just leave you out in the cold.”

In the back of your mind, you couldn’t help but wonder whether or not the amount of delight he received from your previous incompetency should concern you, but you came to realise after months of being treated like an invalid, that he rather enjoyed having you rely on him...or more that he loved to dote on you. Bathing, feeding, even dressing – whatever it was you needed, he gave.

Your fingers curl into the lapels of his tail coat, “Will you continue to spoil me, Sebastian? No one treats me as good as you do.”

Crimson orbs flash and a set of fangs reveal themselves when he smiles. “I find it rather unnecessary to ask such a question.” He takes your hand in his and his lips sweep upwards from your knuckles to the exposed skin of your neck, “To hold out my hand and save you from the darkness is what I’m here for after all.” He meets your eye and smirks. “And I’m not particularly fond of the idea of someone else trying to lead my kitten astray, especially after it took me so long to tame her.”

You scoff and angle your head away from him in a stubborn manner. “Tame? You flatter yourself, darling; no man can tame me.”

The sound of his laughter occupied the kitchen, and if the sound wasn’t so delicious, you probably would have slapped him. Or at least tried to.

“Is that so?”

He smiled and something flashed within his eyes. Next thing you knew, you were sandwiched between the wall and hard line of Sebastian’s body, his face hovering dangerously close to your own.

“S-Sebastian!” You gasp, breathless, crimson slowly devouring your body as both hands are suddenly pinned to the wall above.

His voice lowers to a deep and seductive purr, “Clearly I’m going to have to try even harder this time.”

Chapter 3: Fear Won't Last (Agni x Reader) (Modern AU)

Chapter Text

Social Anxiety Disorder • SAD • Social Phobia •

--------------------------------------------------

Meaning:

A chronic mental health condition in which social interaction causes irrational anxiety.

------------------------------------------------

The first encounter had been a mere accident.

Cersei Lannister's permanent conniving smirk remained frozen on the television screen whilst you lolloped about in the kitchenette, preparing a hot drink and something sweet to sink your teeth into.

The thunderstorm that had been impertinent enough to negate yesterday's promising forecast had finally begun to settle down, now leaving only the comforting pattering of raindrops against the windows in its place. Not that you minded the more miserable side of the weather – it was actually the perfect atmosphere for a relaxing day at home crammed with television and fatty foods.

During the short journey back to the couch, you can't help but steal an innocently curious glance outside the window, or more specifically, into the apartment directly across the street. You hadn't meant to be a nosey Nellie, but it was a lovely apartment – so much nicer than your own. Expensive furniture, immaculate, exquisite artwork...truly an interior worthy of admiration.

A flash of exotic olive skin captured your attention.

And that's when you saw him.

The man with the silver eyes.

He must have only moved in recently for you were fairly certain that apartment previously belonged to a middle-aged fellow morally opposed to showering.

But this man...

As though sensing someone gawking, the man abruptly paused mid push up and angled his head towards the window. He caught your eye and held your unwavering stare.

Now a normal person would have hastily turned away by now after getting caught, but you were unable to move. Fear kept you firmly rooted to the floorboards, unwilling to relinquish its possessive grasp. Those piercing orbs of molten gold tore open your chest and invaded your soul; even though being wrapped up in a pair of fluffy pyjamas, you had never felt so naked and exposed.

Then he smiled, and the chains that bound you were broken.

With a frightened squeak, you rushed towards the window and yanked the curtains shut, keeping you safe from the world's prying eyes.

At least for the time being.

********************

The second encounter occurred a few days later.

Wrapped in nothing but a towel and free of burdens, you danced jovially around the lounge, belting out lyrics in time with the Hamilton soundtrack currently blaring in the background – for those twenty minutes, you were Alexander Hamilton.

You prance across the rug, gaining momentum, and leap onto the couch cushions. You dip and sway, bounce and wiggle, all for an imaginary audience.

Or so you thought...

Turns out there sat one highly invested onlooker across the street; sultry lips had curled upwards into an amused smile when first catching sight of you attempting to perform a pirouette, only to lose your balance and flop haphazardly onto the couch with a giggle. His smile morphed into a grin when you finally looked over, (colour) eyes blinking owlishly.

How long had he been watching?!

Nearly choking on your own humiliation, you scramble off the couch and fumble towards the window with the intent of closing the curtains. But once touching the heavy fabric, you find yourself pausing, and instead redirect your undivided attention to the silver-eyed stranger.

Why was he smiling? Rarely anyone even glanced in your direction, let alone smile – and without a single trace of mockery!

The man raised a hand and waved.

You would have reciprocated had you not been more inclined to admire the defined, deliciously toned muscles decorating his shoulder and arm. When he lowered his arm, those muscles moved and rippled under satin looking skin.

You find your gaze automatically drawn to him despite the fear currently worming its way into your heart. There was something hypnotic about this individual. Something that went beyond the perfectly sculpted torso he so proudly left on display for all the neighbours to ogle. He must have been working out again if those flushed cheeks and glistening bare chest were anything to go by. You try not to come off as a pervert by allowing your eyes to freely roam his body, but it was difficult to ignore the tantalising sight of a V-line peaking out over the dipping waistband of black sweatpants.

After a highly thorough visual examination, your eyes finally settle on his face, just in time to catch his eyes finishing their own perusal.

And then you shut the curtains.

******************

The third meeting...

You had been confronted by rhythmic rap upon the front door one evening, which was extremely peculiar – for the past three years residing in the same apartment, not one person had come to visit, which is what your heart desired. To be quite honest, you doubted many people were actually aware of your existence.

The walls appeared to be closing in with each hesitant step taken towards the door, the air decreasing until only shallow sips of breath were attainable.

Silver eyes were the first thing to greet you.

His smile was warm and genuine; he had come to visit in hopes of striking up a conversation, apparently intent on getting to know you better. But your fear would not allow that. He was too close. Far too close. Your personal space was being invaded and you didn't much care for it.

A large male hand slammed against the wooden surface of the door when you went to slam it in his face, only serving to create additional stress for your person, but this exotic stranger failed to take notice of how distraught you were becoming. Instead he introduced himself – Agni was his name – and asked for an invitation inside – though that was an invitation which you hastily declined. More force was applied to the door on your end but it had little to no impact.

My, my, the man was persistent.

Most women would probably find such a trait to be endearing, but for you it was nothing short of an inconvenience.

It was obvious the look of distress upon your face went unnoticed as Agni continued speaking, hoping to obtain as much information from you as possible; what your name was, what you did for a living, if you were currently involved with someone, what your hobbies were, how you spend your evenings, if you'd like to grab a drink sometime?

But all you could do was choke out breathless strings of nonsensical stammers and incomprehensible syllables, feeling beads of perspiration poise delicately upon your hairline. The familiar sting of tears is the cue your bottom lip needed in order to begin quivering.

Crying before a stranger...how humiliating.

Agni seems taken aback by the reaction to his persistence and his hand slips from the door, granting you the opportunity to swiftly throw the door closed, locking it for good measure.

You have just enough time to shout an apology before hearing him disappear down the hallway.

****************

Agni raises his glass to the window with a smile warm enough to melt butter.

Your own glass is raised.

Were anyone to cast an inquisitive glance in your direction, they'd no doubt come to the conclusion that you had fallen victim to insanity. But they would be wrong. For if they looked hard enough, they would eventually see that, despite there being no one else in the apartment, you were in no way alone.

Agni presses an open notebook firmly against the window of his apartment. You look beautiful is scrawled across the pages in letters large enough for you to read from your current position.

Interaction of this sort had been occurring on a daily basis for the past two weeks. You still couldn't understand why the man was so relentless in his pursuit of your affections, but the amount of effort he put into creating some type of relationship with you was incredibly flattering. No one had ever gone through so much trouble solely for you, so when he offered an invitation to dinner, you had to accept.

Of course, it wasn't what anyone would call a typical dinner; you'd much rather be by his side, feeling the soft, hot touch of his hand across a dinner table, losing yourself in the intoxicating scent of men's cologne, rather than being tucked away in your apartment having to fantasize. But you weren't ready to take such a humungous step, and somehow, Agni understood and accepted such a fact.

With your own notebook ready and waiting by your hand, you flip to a fresh page. You're going to make me blush again. You hold it up for him to read.

There was that gorgeous smile again.

If that happens, it means I'm doing a good job!

As if on cue, heat clawed its way onto your cheeks, leaving you to momentarily wonder if Agni could see the effect he had on you from where he sat.

You give a shake of your head. So cocky!

I believe the word you're looking for is ‘confident'.

Hmm...no. No, cocky was definitely the right word. I could have been rude and used the word ‘arrogant' instead.

His hand shoots upwards and clutches at his chest. You know where to strike so it hurts!

A soft laugh slips from your lips and you rest your elbows atop the table, taking a few seconds to admire him. There was a new beauty to his face every time you saw him. In the beginning it was mostly physical attributes, such as the unique colour of his eyes, or the perfectly sculpted physique which he allowed you to ogle as much as your heart desired. But lately, you could notice the things not everyone could; there was always a glimmer within his eyes whenever the pair of you conversed, or a smile which always threatened to split his face in half the moment your eyes connected, or the way he'd continuously steal glances into your apartment when he believed you weren't paying close enough attention. They were only little things, but they were what mattered most.

Agni wiggles his notebook against the glass to earn your attention. You're staring.

You smile softly. Is that a bad thing?

No. As long as you don't mind being stared at in return?

If you're the one doing the staring, then I don't mind.

He sets his notebook aside and places both hands against the glass, which compels you to do the same. It was crazy. You both were close enough to see one another's entire life, yet it felt as though there was so much more than a narrow street separating you – keeping you from being together.

Guilt had your hands falling from the glass and towards the notebook.

You needed to know.

Why are you doing this?

Even from here, it was easy to spot the confusion contorting such handsome features. He picks up his own notebook. Doing what?

Wasting time on a lost cause.

I don't understand.

Agni...surely you can't be happy with this arrangement? I'm not, and I'm the one that's keeping us divided! How can you be so willing to accept this situation?

Agni brings the marker to his lips and reads your words over and over again. You watch him with bated breath, fearing his response.

He begins to write, holding up his answer a minute later. I know what it's like to be consumed by fear. Every day is a struggle. A battle no one else can see. But fear is never permanent. It goes away. And until that happens, I will be here, waiting to help you take the next step.

Something clicks inside of you after reading those words.

You find yourself writing a response before your brain even has a chance to comprehend it. You press it against the window.

I'm ready to take the next step...♡

#black butler fanfiction

2 notes · View notes

ta0ken · 4 years ago

Text

attachment – act i scene ii (3/??)

Just saying, the ages of Ciel and those around his ages (still figuring out the love interests) will most likely be raised since I'm not here to promote odd things (no, seriously). So, just a small note: Ciel's age is either 14-16, around those ages, but who knows, maybe I'll include Elizabeth as a love interest. Depends.

CHAPTER 2

YOU STOOD IN THE CORNER, staying quiet as the other three just rummaged around the room, looking for tea. You were zoning out a little when you had gone to your corner, so you weren't really sure what the others were saying. You instantly diverted your gaze, straining your ears for any sound. Ah, wait... you sweat-drop, I think...that the Earl and his butler is coming. You glance over at the door, awaiting the two to enter.

And once you did, you could hear the faint voice of Sebastian saying, "Sometimes, getting away from the mansion can be a good change of pace. Those four aren't accompanying us, so we should be able to enjoy some peace and quiet."

"Peace and quiet, huh?" Ciel's voice repeats the last part, his footsteps faintly approaching the door you were looking at.

I...somewhat feel bad for them. You only peek your head out of the corner, hearing the door click open. You only greet them by waving and went back to your corner.

"Grief! Just where have they hidden the tea in this house?"

"It's nowhere to be seen!"

"There's no way it would be in there!"

You didn't know why the Chinese man was looking into the pot for tea, but you chose to not say anything about it. Grell was looking through... something, you couldn't see very well, and Madam Red was looking through a shelf.

"Madam Red! Lau!" Ciel exclaims with shock, "Why are you here?"

"My, you're early!" she glances at him with a smile, turning away from what she was looking at.

Lau's lips slowly stretch into a smile as he says, "Since you have come, it must mean..."

"The Queen's Guard Dog is on the move, correct?" Madam Red finishes.

'Queen's Guard Dog'? you tilted your head, leaning your head against the wall with a raised brow. Huh, didn't know that they had titles for people who work under the Queen, you muse, glancing at the young boy. You rest your head on your knees, tearing your gaze away as you let out a small sigh. You were about to take a nap due to boredom, but you instantly jolt at the sound of your name being called.

"[Name]! Grell! Go help Sebastian," says Madam Red without sparing a glance at the two of you. Your eyes take in the rapid blinking from her, and you move to stand up.

The other butler ushers you, pushing you towards the direction Sebastian was heading to already. You scrunch your face, silently protesting and holding back a sigh as you follow the Phantomhive butler in the kitchen.

You bow your head to the black-haired butler, slowly slinking away to help provide the tea. You eye him from the corner of your eye, warily watching him as he prepares the pastries at great speed. Already, you had finished prepping the tea, so it was just ready to be served but you were more focused on Grell almost cutting their finger.

"[Name], do you mind serving the others the tea?" Sebastian requests you, giving you a small smile (it always seemed to be permanent on his face...). "I'm sure Madam Red and Lau would want to drink as they were looking for it a while ago."

You nod your head, grabbing the tray and walked away, ducking your head. You served the tea, mumbling, "Today's tea is..." A slap on the back made you straighten up, startled.

"Say it with more confidence!" Madam Red exclaims in exasperation, "Louder!"

Your face faltered for a split second out of irritation, but it instantly lifted. "Today's tea," you state in a much louder voice, "is Jackson's 'Earl Grey'." Bowing slightly, you resumed talking in your usual voice, "...The others will be here shortly."

This is exhausting... you sigh inwardly.

It didn't take long for the others to settle down and have the pastries, sandwiches, and all that be served.

"Yesterday, at White Chapel, another prostitute was murdered," Ciel states, taking a sip of his tea as he sits down in front of you all. "It wasn't just your average murder; it was bizarrely vicious... No, you could actually call it 'supernatural'."

"The victim this time, a Miss Mary Nichols, was cut down by a special kind of blade that sliced her up completely, unhindered by any resistance," informs Sebastian, standing beside the Earl.

You sweat-dropped from your spot behind Madam Red, thinking, is this really something people should be conversing about with just tea...? This seems more of something suitable after the tea. You heard Ciel talking about the killer's name 'Jack the Ripper', and you refrain from sighing. What a unique name.

As the young Earl continues to explain his reasoning for hurrying to London and the current situation that was happening, a small smirk started to form on Lau's face. You narrow your eyes at the man, before looking away, expression remaining neutral.

"Do you have the guts to visit the crime scene?" the same man asks, putting down his teacup.

With narrowed eyes, Ciel asks, "What do you mean by that?"

"The darkness and the scent of evil that now seep through that place will call out to those of the same breed and eat into them." Lau stands up, beginning to walk towards the blue-haired boy, "If you set foot in that place, it's possible that you will be engulfed by the madness. Are you prepared for that," he holds the boy's cheek, "Earl Phantomhive?"

"I came here to avenge her distress." Ciel's eyes darken, "Don't ask unnecessary questions."

"That's excellent," praises Lau. "Those are good eyes."

You raise a brow at the man's unusuality, deciding to not question him. An odd man that is.

✧✧✧

Apparently, Scotland Yard didn't want the Earl to take the case as they (more like Sir Arthur Randall) didn't really provide him much info, nonetheless, give him a glimpse of the corpse. You give the detectives a fleeting glance before looking away, walking towards the group that began to leave.

"What are you going to do?" inquires Madam Red, eyes attentively looking at the young boy.

"Asking him would be the best option," he answers.

Lau's face twitches. "Earl, you can't mean..." the man trails off, speaking as though he knew what the boy was referring to.

"It's just as you suspect."

And when you all arrived at the place, your eyes trailed to the Chinese man, expecting him to know where you were all taken to. If he doesn't know where we are, I'm going to...

"So, where are we?"

"YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON A MINUTE AGO!"

You slump in exasperation, your glasses sliding off the bridge of your nose, humans are tiring... You wearily glance at the Earl and his butler, already knowing that they at least knew where you all were.

"This is the undertaking establishment of one of the young master's acquaintances," Sebastian finally explains, opening the door to the 'fine' establishment.

You all walk inside, glancing around the dark, dreary place.

"Are you here, Undertaker?"

"I thought you would arrive sooner or later," a voice giggles.

You turn your head towards the sound, blinking at the sight of a coffin's lid sliding open. Your jaw slackens in shock, everyone else (minus the Earl and Sebastian) gawking, terrified at the sight of the man inside the coffin.

"Have you finally decided to get into your own, special casket?" he asks, his voice entirely made of amusement and wicked curiosity. Getting out of the coffin, Ciel responds with:

"As if anyone would come to do that. Today, we're—"

"You don't have to say it," Undertaker says, cutting him off by covering the Earl's mouth with his fingers. "I understand completely." Your eyes dart to the man's nails, they're long. Reeeally long...

"That particular guest is in an unfit state to be seen by those from the world of light. I made her all pretty, you know?" a grin forms onto Undertaker's face.

"I want to hear more about that," the Phantomhive Earl states uncaringly.

"I see. So, being an undertaker is just your cover," Lau hums with a smile. "How much is your information?"

You lean back, startled by the speed of the Undertaker when he's in the Chinese man's face within seconds. You could practically see blue lines forming on everyone's faces, exasperated and scared of the silver-haired man. It was further revealed what his motives were: the 'finest laughs'.

Lau was the first one to try and make the Undertaker laugh—a fail. Then, came Madam Red (you were not looking forward to it), which was... quite vulgar, in your opinion—another fail. Your face a held a grimace as you handed the lady a mask that had a big red 'X' on it, thinking to yourself, if he laughed at your 'top-secret' gossip, I'd be concerned for his own sense of humour.

"Well then, the only one left is the Earl! Last time, I lost, but I won't this time," pointing a finger at the boy, Undertaker grins, slightly drooling.

Ciel's face pales as he scowls, muttering a curse under his breath.

When all hope was lost, Sebastian decided to step up and volunteer. When he told you all to go outside, you were positive that you were the first to walk out of the place. Though you had some doubts that quickly diminished at the sound of Undertaker's laughter blasting to the point the sign fell off. You back up, blinking, only to slightly jump when the door opened, revealing Sebastian with his signature smile.

You took a seat down on one of the coffins, shaking your head when offered tea.

"Recently, I've been seeing something every so often, 'customers' who a little missing," Undertaker grins, calming down with a few chuckles leaving his lips.

"A little missing?" parroted Sebastian.

"Yes, a little missing," the other replies, holding up a fake body of a human. Deciding to elaborate a little more, he lowers his voice, "Like a uterus."

Your fingers twitch, eyes squinting.

"It was a pretty harsh splatter, but her uterus alone was precisely cut out."

Sebastian raises a brow, saying, "While it may not have been a largely populated street, would it not be difficult for an amateur to perform such a precise task there in the pitch black?"

The silver-haired man turns his head towards the former, smiling widely, "You're quite a sharp one, Mr. Butler. I thought the exact same thing." He approaches the Earl, wrapping an arm around his shoulder as he explains, "First, to cut the prey's neck, then to cut here," motioning to lower abdomen (where the uterus would be), "and steal what's important."

You inquisitively take a glance at Madam Red, wondering what was going through her head. Hm... you look up at the ceiling, bored with what was going on, I wonder if she'll get caught or not, I'm only here to do my job.

✧✧✧

You were currently squished between Lau and Sebastian, an uncomfortable expression washing over your face as you could feel yourself bumping into the Phantomhive butler with each rock that Grell accidentally rides over. You rub at the gloves that you wore out of slight nervousness, a bead of sweat dripping down the side of your face.

At first, it was just nothing but a few minutes of you all looking at each other, staring before moving onto a different object or person; in other words, it was just awkward silence. Then, the Earl had broken it, stating:

"That narrowed it down quite a bit."

"Firstly," Sebastian starts, holding his chin, "it is an individual quite expert in medical dissection. Also, someone of that sort who has no alibi for that night and, from the fact that they took the organs with them, someone involved with some manner of ritual, sect, or even black magic."

Madam Red twitches, raising a brow in suspicion. "Just how does that narrow it down?" she inquires, leaning forward, "Dissections are something that any doctor—even I—can do. Summer is almost at an end, too. In one more week, when the season ends, all the nobles will return home with the personal doctors they brought with them."

"Well then," the butler interjects, "we should just investigate until that time."

You give him a look from the corner of your eye, narrowing. Is that possible? Well... you glance out the window to your right, if you're superhuman, it would be easy.

"What?"

"It is only natural for a butler of the Phantomhives to be able to do that."

Actually... it isn't natural, but continue on, you sweat-drop with the others, crossing your arms as you lean back in the seat. You felt like you were going to have whiplash at the sight of the butler exiting the carriage through the door, despite it being a moving carriage. Peeking outside of the small window, you mutter, "...He's gone."

You directed your gaze towards the Earl with an inquisitive stare, trying to understand what he was trying to do. A peculiar kid... I might have to go through... you sigh inwardly, sitting back in your original position, well, we'll see.

And when you saw the Phantomhive butler at the place you were all heading back towards, you stared, aghast. Whatever the man was, he definitely wasn't human; your nose slightly crinkles at the foul smell before you resume to being the same person you were. Your gaze averts at the sound of him retelling the information that he gathered for persons of suspicion, though you already knew that it was narrowed down to at least two.

(Honestly, everything was just a jumble to you because you weren't understanding a single thing that was happening).

✧✧✧

"Aleister Chamber, one of the Druitt Viscount family. He received his degree in medicine at university, but has undertaken no work," Sebastian states, pushing up his glasses. "He seems to have held many parties at his home. However, behind the scenes, he invites those to whom he is especially close to secret parties."

You adjust the small ribbon tied around your neck, loosening it a little for breathing room as Madam Red continues to speak:

"There is a rumour going around that he is involved with black magic."

That checks out with his description... you thought, remembering the small list that you were given (secretly, of course) as you looked at the others—no, you weren't looking at Ciel; it was embarrassing.

"It has been said that ritualistic events go on at these secret parties," Lau adds on, "and prostitutes are made into living sacrifices."

You quietly cough into your fist, sweat-dropping at the fact that the Earl had to dress up as a girl due to...certain circumstances (it was apparent that the Viscount was a womanizer). Your current 'mission' was to be the informant or something along those lines as it was hard to do most things when he was in his current state—you didn't know why you were helping, you just know that Madam Red actually wanted to go to the party (from what you've seen).

Hey, if you're good at your job, you gotta do what you gotta do—and dealing out information is your job apparently, though it was more of information gathering... At least you got something to do.

You walk around the place, trying to figure out where the hell the Viscount would be, and to your surprise (not really), he was interacting with a woman. However, you could hear a familiar voice piercing through the air, causing you to look over with slight curiosity; it quickly diminished into horror once you realized who the person was. That's... Lady Elizabeth, I believe—and Ciel's fiancee... you sweat-drop, directing your gaze to the young boy and his butler. They appeared to realize that she was at the part as well.

A small sigh left your lips, your hand reaching to rub the temples of your head, exasperated with the events that were going on. Squeezing your eyes shut, you reluctantly open them and exhaled slowly through your nose, and made your way towards the two.

"[Name]?" Ciel mutters, turning his head to you, "You're supposed to find the Viscount, what in the world are you doing here?"

You lean to his ear, cupping your hand as you whisper:

"...The Viscount isn't that far, you can see him mingling with the other women in the party." Straightening up, you glance at the butler, "And...if I were you... I'd deal with that fiancee of yours." You crane your head to where you last saw Elizabeth, muttering, "She's practically looking at you with adoration..."

"On the topic of Lady Elizabeth," Sebastian chimes in with a smile, "do you mind doing the two of us a favour? Could you...distract her for a few moments? Young Mas—Mistress and I will deal with Viscount Druitt, but she's going to be an obstacle in our plans."

You merely nod your head, not wanting to make any more conversations with the two. You mosey on your way, approaching the young girl nonchalantly, closing your eyes. Now, how do I want to do this... you hum, thinking of numerous scenarios that ran through your head, trying to pick out which one was the most optimal and efficient way to distract her.

The sound of instruments being played echoed within your head, giving you a small idea of what to do. Your eyes shift over to the duo, seeing them dance their way towards the Viscount and you chose to do the same with Elizabeth.

You 'accidentally' bump into the blonde girl, apologizing as you try to accommodate her for forgiveness, only to be forgiven within the first few seconds. Well, I don't think that's how most people would forgive but whatever works, I suppose... you then offer a dance with her, outstretching your hand, and to your surprise, she accepts.

The ideal plan would be somehow managing to dance the opposite direction the Phantomhive duo were heading as you were sure that the girl you were dancing with was trying to chase them down (for reasons you didn't really care about).

"Hm? Mister, have I seen you around before?" she inquires, looking up to you with scrunched brows, her lips tilted to indicate that she was trying to remember you.

"...You must have taken me for someone else," you say whilst smiling at her, almost akin to how the butler would smile; always close-eyed and fake. You discreetly take a glance over at the two to check up on them, seeing that they were already with the Viscount, Sebastian leaving the two.

"Ah, where'd she go?" Elizabeth's voice breaks through your thoughts, making you blink rapidly.

"Pardon?" you ask, sweating.

"There was a girl that had a really cute dress!" she pouts, frowning as she glances around the place, "I wanted to tell her, but... she ran away..." At that, you sweat-dropped, rightfully so, too... The 'she' she was referring to was her fiancee, but you wouldn't tell her that.

"Oh! There!" her exclamation catches your attention, and she runs away from you in an instant. Oh, wait—

Clearly, you and the Earl didn't expect her to just...run out of your arms like that, especially considering it was a dance but thankfully, you (or rather, Ciel) has Sebastian to distract her.

It caught everyone's attention.

"I would like to display a little magic to all the ladies and gentlemen here assembled," he states, but the one thing you were really questioning is how no one recognized him (he was just wearing a mask and no one has red eyes but him). "The gentlemen over there," he directs his gaze to you, "may I request for your assistance?"

You point at yourself for affirmation, blinking slowly. He nods, and you simply nod, walking to the man. You can see him glance over at the Earl and the Viscount from the corner of his eye as he moves to block it from the others' vision, a smile washing over his face.

"Once I have entered, please lock it up securely with the chain," he requests (it was more of an order), and then takes out a sword, adding on, "Then, please skewer the wardrobe."

Everyone mutters, finding the magic show a little odd.

"Let this proceed splendidly. There are no tricks or traps. Please bear witness to this rare magic," Sebastian smiles, closing the door on himself. Once it was fully shut, you proceeded to do what he instructed, securing the wardrobe with the chain. Then, you held up the sword he had handed you, looking at it inquisitively.

"..." You silently jab the top of the wardrobe with the sword, shocking everyone. After that, you begin to repeat the same process with the other swords, bowing when you were done as the chain breaks and the door opens to reveal that Sebastian was safe and sound.

"Amazing! It's a miracle!"

"Bravo!"

Madam Red approaches both of you, clapping her hands as she praises the butler. Your face held a small grimace, but that quickly went away when you felt gazes on you. Lau was the next to approach you two, also clapping.

"Really, for a moment there, I thought he might have done you in," he says, amused.

Sebastian merely smiles. "That did smart somewhat. I did not anticipate him coming immediately from above. Had it not been me, that would have been fatal."

"So, what kind of trick was it?" Lau asks, turning to you with a grin.

You shrug.

"You don't know after you stabbed him that much?" Madam Red says in exasperation, facing the butler.

He turns around, smiling.

"I told you, didn't I? There are no tricks or traps."

It was the next day with everyone at the same place the Earl and his butler had been staying in. However, when you thought everything was over, the newspaper clearly stated otherwise:

"Jack the Ripper strikes again," Lau states, reading the headline.

You disinterestedly look away.

"So, it wasn't the Viscount?" Madam Red inquires, peeking over his shoulder.

You can see a glimpse of Ciel trembling with anger and the fact that the case wasn't solved; not one bit. For a second, you can see Sebastian staring at Madam Red with a neutral expression, but the narrowed eyes tell a different story.

You hum.

Let's see how this plays out.

𝘰𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥—𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.

#black butler #x reader #black butler x reader #kuroshitsuji #kuroshitsuji x reader #yuureoo

23 notes · View notes

daquanfromthetrap · 5 years ago

Text

Sebastian Michaelis x Reader Ch. 5

Sebastian stared at you, expecting an elaboration of the very vague answer you had just gave him. However, you wouldn’t give him the satisfaction and left it at just that. An abomination. You thought to yourself, brushing passed a suspecting Sebastian. He huffed at your silence, seeming to accept the answer you had just given him. For now. There’s no reason he should know father’s and mine’s secrets. How can we know that they are trustworthy? He is a demon after all, and his master’s primary goal is still unknown. I cannot risk Father’s safety.

“Come now, milady. The young master must be waiting for us at the inn by now.” Sebastian sighed still unsatisfied with your answer. What a strange woman. I must say, it does intrigue me even more. I still don’t sense a threat from her but I would like to know who exactly she is.

You and Sebastian continued your walk back to the inn in an awkward silence. The tension between you was heavy but neither of you dare spoke. You could feel Sebastian’s red eyes watching you from behind. You were glad to look up and see the familiar entrance of the inn with the young lord impatiently tapping his foot outside, waiting for the two of you to get back. You chuckled at the sight. In this moment, Ciel Phantomhive did not look like a brooding Earl of a large estate and the Queen’s Watchdog. He looked like a regular boy, impatiently waiting for something. It truly was a sight to behold, that was until a velvety voice cut the silence.

“My, my, Young Master, did we have you waiting for long?” Sebastian stifled a laugh, obviously enjoying the look of irritation plastered on the boy’s face.

Ciel huffed, “What took you two so damn long?! I was waiting here for hours!!”

You bowed your head, trying to mask your amusement in the young lord’s tantrum. “Apologies, my Lord. There was a bit of a mix up at the market.”

Although still quite obviously irritated, Ciel softened his voice a bit in response to your apology. “Well, don’t let it happen again. I hate to be left waiting.” He then turned to Sebastian, “And what took you so long?!”

Sebastian smiled, placing his hand on his heart to feign innocence, “Why I was only worried about how Lady (Y/N) was getting along in her investigation.” You furrowed your brow, looking at Sebastian in the corner of your eyes to see where exactly he was going to take this. “It’s a good thing I came too. A strange man had her in a dark alleyway all by herself. I had to run him off before anything escalated.” He finished off his story, shooting you a look.

You rolled your eyes, turning to the questioned look of the earl. “Now, now, Sebastian, everything was going on well before you came along. That boy thought he was saving me from a rude shopkeeper. He actually would’ve been great to question but somebody’s butler decided to butt in.” You added a fake sweetness to your tone and shot back the same fake smile Sebastian had plastered on his face.

Ciel looked between the two of you with a raised brow before sighing in defeat, “Well, did either of you at least find anything interesting?”

Sebastian and you shared a look before shaking your head in unison.

Ciel groaned at the lack of information from his “parents”. “Ugh, well lucky for us, I found something rather interesting. Some children I found playing in the streets were talking about somebody they call ‘Granny’.”You and Sebastian nodded as you listened to Ciel continue on. “Apparently this ‘Granny’ will visit children each night, asking them about the kinds of treats they love and if their parents give them those treats. Granny will then come back the next night with your favorite treats and offer you a chance to get more treats in her cottage. As many treats as you would like. If they decline the offer, they are given their treats and told to go back to bed.”

“And what happens if they accept?” You questioned.

Ciel shrugged. “According to the children, Granny takes you away to her cottage and you could eat all the sweets and treats you’d ever like.”

“Well that doesn’t sound suspicious at all.” you say sarcastically.

“Hmmm. It seems like a trick question. Why, if you say ‘no’ you get rewarded with a treat. But If you say ‘yes’, you are still rewarded but with a significant amount more than if you were to answer ‘no’.” Sebastian thought aloud, stroking his chin.

You nodded in agreement. “Why would you want just one treat when you can have as much as you’d like? Of course, children will lie a bit to get what they want. Especially if they don’t know the consequences then and there.”

“And who wouldn’t trust a grandmotherly old woman?” Ciel added. “Yes, this ‘Granny’ may be who we are looking for after all.”

-----------------time skip to night fall--------------------------------------------------

Exhausted from the day out, you were glad to be able to wash the day away and slip into your night gown. You heard a knock at the door. You smirked, knowing exactly who could be knocking on your door at this hour.

“Enter.” you answered, mindlessly brushing your wet hair, turning to speak to your visitor. “You know Sebastian, you shouldn-” you cut yourself off, surprised to see who stood in front of you. Instead of the man you were expecting it to be, it was the man you had met earlier in the market place. Henry. You remembered.

It seemed that he was just as surprised to see you as you were to see him. A blush crept up on his cheeks as he was trying to find the words to speak to you. You broke the silence first.

Time to play up the charm. What a bother, I just wanted to go straight to bed. Maybe irritate Sebastian a bit if he came for a visit. You thought to yourself. “Why, Henry!! It’s marvelous to see you again! And so soon!” You gave him a warm smile. “But if you don’t mind my asking, what exactly are you doing here?”

Henry laughed a bit in response, obviously still at a lost for words. “Well me mum and dad run this inn, you see. I come in from time to time and offer my assistance. I was actually told to bring more linens to this room but I had no idea you were in here (Y/N).” He said with a boyish grin. He looked around the room a bit, “By the way, where’s that big scary husband of yours? He didn’t leave you all alone here did he?”

Shit. It wouldn’t look right if Sebastian and I had separate rooms as a married couple. “Oh, I’m actually not too sure. I do believe he might still be putting our son to bed. To be honest, I thought you were him when you knocked.” you chuckled.

Henry raised a brow, a playful grin playing at his lips. “Well, it wouldn’t be good for business if I were to leave a guest lonely and unsatisfied, now would it?” He was saying as he made his way to the bed and placed the fresh linens on it, while taking a seat himself. He really emphasized the words “lonely and unsatisfied”, making a point to stare into your eyes.

You laughed. Cheeky bastard. “I can assure you there is no need for that Henry. I do thank you for your hospitality, however, my husband should be returning very soon. I don’t know how he would react with a strange man in the room alone with me... sitting on the bed.” You shot him a playful smirk, amused at his shamelessness.

Henry held his chest, feigning an injury to his heart, “Strange man?! Is that anyway to speak to your host and savior from earlier? I just wanted to make sure our guests are well taken care of.”

You rolled your eyes in response. This man is quite amusing and charming. He must be very popular with women. You could say he has a ‘demon’s tongue’ by the way he can so easily charm you. You thought to yourself a bit before looking back up at Henry. “Actually, there is something you can help me out with if you don’t mind.”

Henry sat up, eagerly waiting for your request. Wow he’s characteristically similar to a dog. Before you could even ask him about any strange happenings that he may know of, you heard a familiar voice slice through the air. “What can he help you with, that I can’t already do for you?”

You and Henry both turned to see Sebastian, standing at the door, glaring at Henry. Henry shot up from the bed, making a point to pick up the fresh linens and set them on the bed again. You wanted to laugh at the scene unfolding before you, but you decided it was in everyone’s best interest (especially Henry’s) that you didn’t. “Now, now Sebastian, that’s no way to speak to our host. It was purely by luck that we ran into each other again. Isn’t it wonderful?” Your last sentence was meant to add fuel to the fire. You liked this game. Sebastian was definitely an interesting game piece.

Sebastian looked at you with that devilish glow in his eyes before turning back to Henry with his signature fake smile. “Ah yes Harry isn’t it? (Y/N) told me all about that fiasco you saved her from earlier today. I must express my gratitude to you for assisting my darling wife.” Ugh why am I feeling this way again? He’s nothing but a human pest. Sebastian questioned himself. It must be this girl, casting some type of spell. Sebastian concluded that you were a sorceress of some sort, since that was the only thing that could make any sense to him. After all, he only had feelings of incredible hostility towards Henry when he was with you.

“It’s actually Henry. And it’s a pleasure to see you again, Steven.” Henry bowed a bit still upholding his duties as our host.

Sebastian gritted his teeth, “Hmph, my name is Sebastian.”

Henry completely ignored Sebastian’s comment before continuing, “My family runs this inn here, you see. I was told to bring in some fresh linens for our guests and it was just my luck to run into this pretty lady again.” He finished turning to you with a warm smile.

You returned the smile, eyeing Sebastian in the corner of your eye. You could visibly see him getting increasingly irritated by Henry’s presence in the room.

Ugh the testosterone in this room is quite suffocating. You rolled your eyes at the display of passive aggressive challenging between the man and demon before you. I have to admit that this is quite entertaining, but with Sebastian here, Henry might not be able to speak as freely as he would like to. I have to speak with Henry alone.

Sebastian glided to you in a few steps, placing his hand on your shoulder. “Well darling, what was it you needed help with? Surely we can stop bothering this man as he has many other guests to attend to.”

You let out a breathy laugh, a mischievous idea to poke fun at Sebastian popping into your head, “Well, actually, I’m glad that both of you are here now... Why have one, when I can have two at the same time?” you paused looking at the puzzled look on Henry’s face, a deep red blush blooming onto his face, and the glare coming from Sebastian. Sebastian squeezed your shoulder a bit, almost as a warning. You placed your hand on his and squeezed back before swiftly brushing it off your shoulder.

You innocently elaborated with, “We don’t have many friends and I love having guests. It’s like our own little after dinner party isn’t it?”

Henry cleared his throat, pushing away any thoughts your previous comments may have ignited. “Well, either way, I’ll be happy to assist you again Miss (Y/N). With anything.” Henry winked at you.

This cheeky brat. What game is Lady (Y/N) playing at by entertaining this fool. Sebastian huffed to himself, his demon eyes having a low glow in irritation. He sighed grinning to himself. He then bent down and scooped you up, carrying you over to the bed, all the while speaking to Henry without looking at him. “Well, Harry, it is getting to be quite late. It’s about time I put (Y/N) to bed. Although...” He paused a bit, gently placing you onto the bed and placing himself at the edge but still leaning over you territorially. He began unbuttoning his shirt and looked back up at Henry who was now standing at the door, “She won’t be getting much sleep tonight...” Sebastian smirked, placing his gloved hand on your thigh. “You can see yourself out, sir.”

Your eyes widened at Sebastian’s wickedness, turning your head to see Henry’s reaction. His face was red again, but this time he stared at the floor looking disappointed. He cleared his throat, “Goodnight Miss (Y/N). Sleep well.”

“Oh, she will.” Sebastian answered, earning a glare from Henry as he slammed the door shut.

Poor boy. You thought, noting the look on Henry’s face at Sebastian’s actions and words. He shouldn’t look so disappointed. I am “married” with a “child” after all. You were too busy thinking to yourself to even notice that Sebastian had climbed on top you, placing his hands on either side of your head. You were met by demon eyes, glowing dangerously bright.

“Jealously is a strange look on you Sebastian.” you said coyly.

Sebastian laughed, “Jealousy is not a feeling typically known by demons. However...” he leaned down to where his lips brushed against your ear, “I do know what feels good.”

You raised a brow, “I’m sure you do.”

Placing a hand on Sebastian’s chest, you gently push him off you so you could sit up. This simple gesture seemed to surprise him a bit as you watched his widened eyes return to their usual red color. He sat in front of you, staring at you suspiciously.

“You should stay in here tonight.” you stated. Sebastian snapped his neck to look at you again with a surprised look that soon turned into a devious smile.

You laughed at his reaction, bringing your hand up to gently poke the middle of his forehead. This earned yet another bewildered look from the demon in front of you. “I mean, you should stay here tonight because it will look suspicious if we are sleeping in different rooms when we are supposed to be a married couple.”

Sebastian seemed to think for a bit before nodding in agreement to you. “You are correct. It will look a bit strange if we do not share a room as husband and wife. Especially with that cheeky fellow running around.”

You nodded. “Well that settles it, you’ll stay in here tonight. Don’t worry about your master, he is in the next room and we can both hear if something happens.” You patted the spot next to you, “Why don’t you try to sleep? Demons use sleep for recreational purpose, don’t they?”

“Milady, how did you kn-”

“Ugh never mind that Sebastian. Unlike you, I actually need to sleep.” you cut him off, turning on your side to go to sleep. “Tomorrow, I will try to get any information I can by speaking with Henry... alone.”

“Bu-”

“It would be a great deal of help if you were not present, my dear husband. I don’t need to witness another masculinity match between the two of you.”

Sebastian was a bit taken aback by everything you just said and your casualness about it, but he just laughed, “As you wish, milady.” He answered before climbing over to the spot next to you, laying down on his back.

You rolled over to face him, “And don’t you try anything funny while I’m asleep. I am a light sleeper and I will not hesitate to break your arms.” you huffed at him before rolling back over to fall asleep.

Sebastian smiled at the back of your head, his heart thumping and a strange feeling creeping up Into his stomach. Ugh why am I feeling this way? I feel sick. But it’s also a nice feeling... I’ll have to ask the young master about it tomorrow. He sighed to himself before closing his eyes and drifting off into slumber.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey guys!! I know this part is a bit short but hope you enjoy it!! Lemme know if you have any request or suggestions :)

#sebastian #sebastian michaelis #sebastian michaelis x reader #sebastian michaelis imagine #imagine #imagines #fanfiction #anime imagine #husband #demons #ciel phantomhive #ciel #earl phantomhive #black butler #black butler imagines #black butler x reader #Kiroshitsuji

98 notes · View notes

floweryfreelance · 4 years ago

Text

𝕴𝖓𝖌𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖆 𝕽𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖙𝖚𝖘

CHAPTER FIVE

Table of Contents

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |

This work of fiction is an original collaborative work between tumblr users @theearltrancy and @floweryfreelance. Its original format was in that of a roleplay, and has been edited to be a more cohesive story. This work was created on 11.10.20 and completed on 11.30.20.

Please consider following each author for more fictional works.

Morning light poured into the room, illuminating the entirety of the mess they made the night before. Clothing strewn all over the floor, closet door still open, the dent Alois made the night before in the wall now revealing also ripped wallpaper frantically trying to cover the damage. This room was undoubtedly the taller man’s, bleeding disorganization after just one night of his return to it. It was a wonder that he kept anything in his life together, let alone an estate and an alliance with the Queen herself.

Icy blue eyes fluttered open to witness it, first confirming that his lover was still by his side. Ciel consistently woke up later than he did by mere minutes, but he still enjoyed the time he had with the peace. These were the moments he felt the most peaceful, these secret moments in the early morning that he didn’t need to spend alone. He shifted in bed, stretching his arms over his head, realizing he was still unclothed from the night before. The sight made him smile, reveling in the taste of the memory.

Feeling the movement beside him, Ciel groaned softly, his nose scrunching up as he turned his head towards Alois. It appeared he might be waking up then, but that wasn’t the case. His side felt a breeze as a result of Alois shifting in the bed, and so in a deep sleep he turned over, wrapping his arms around Alois’ arm and buried his face between his shoulder and the pillow. Warm again, he sighed contently, continuing to sleep.

At this point in the morning, it was mostly a waiting game. The Earl, whichever one it was in their respective homes, would wait in his bed until his butler came to wake him. He would carry a warm and damp cloth to wipe his face down, as well as prepared suggestions for both his attire for the day, a memorized breakfast menu, and a list of any duties they had for the day.

The only question now, considering they both resided in the same bed this morning, was which butler would appear first.

Alois smiled at his lover beside him, taking in the structure of the man’s face as he slept peacefully. This scene was perfection to him. While the evenings were consistently foggy, the mornings were normally quite bright and welcoming. The sky opened up, illuminating the softer side of this sin they shared.

In that moment, there was a soft knock at the door, causing the blonde to look up quickly and pull the sheets up to his collarbones. He prayed silently that it wouldn’t wake Ciel too quickly, and hopefully it wasn’t-

“Good morning, your highness.” The demon greeted cooly, walking into the room with a cloth draped over his hand and a smug look on his cold face. Making amends, perhaps? No, he wouldn’t hope for that - just grin and bear it like every other morning. Claude never said sorry. Alois rolled his eyes, sitting up fully in bed but discreetly placing his other hand on his lover’s shoulder so as to hopefully wake him gently.

He was dreaming about a party, a grand one at that, a scene in which Ciel Phantomhive would rarely be found taking part. But in this dream, Ciel and his love attended together; they sat together while eating and talking with other guests, hung on one another’s arm, and danced around the room, most of which was Ciel fumbling and trying to keep up with Alois who was a natural at navigating such parties.

But the dream faded away as the sun hit his eyelids, Ciel groaning softly as he was gently shaken awake. He rolled onto his back, letting out a cutely impolite yawn, his fingers wrapping around Alois’ wrist. “Mm, it’s bright..” he whined. But something was off, he could tell Alois was focusing on something else. Had Sebastian already come in?

Ciel turned over to look towards the door, his heart dropping into his stomach as he recognized a butler standing a bit too close to the bed for his own comfort, though it wasn’t his butler. He sat up quickly, using one hand to pull the sheets up to his chest as his other hand quickly covered his contract-stained eye, averting his eyes so as not to make direct eye contact with the demon in the room.

Alois again used his hand to gently comfort the other man, keeping one hand on the other’s shoulder. The butler was a problem, but it was his problem and it would deal with it, especially after years of fighting with the man. He sighed, irritated, reaching out for the towel reluctantly.

Wiping his face with it, he then wadded it up and tossed it right into Claude’s face. The act of defiance barely phased him, eliciting only a long blink. The blonde huffed as if he were still a young teenager.

“Would you like to know the options for this morning’s breakfast?” The demon offered, emotionless.

The blonde pursed his lips, returning the damp hand to the pillow and tossing himself back in bed in reluctance. It was heard to believe this man was an adult when he did things like this. “Not really. I’ll have whatever he does.” He said blankly, pulling the sheets over his head now. “Get out.”

With Alois hiding beneath the covers, it created the illusion of Ciel and Claude being alone in the room together. That was the last thing Ciel wanted; he was often faced with the dilemma of being close in proximity to someone who wanted him dead, but something about Claude made his hair stand on end.

Despite his order from Alois, Claude didn’t immediately act. He stood there a moment longer, his eyes moving from his own master to the vulnerable bluenette sitting up in bed. Still concealing his contract eye, Ciel glared him down, masking the uneasiness he felt in the moment.

“You heard your master.” He spoke harshly, clutching the sheets tightly against his chest. “Get out. Sebastian will come, he’ll be responsible for the both of us.” The command didn’t leave Claude with much to do, but Ciel didn’t really care. He was afraid of this demon, knowing what he knew now.

The faintest sneer crossed Claude’s face, though it quickly returned to the same old emotionless slate. He bowed, folding the cloth over his arm before backing towards the door, eyeing the Phantomhive Earl over his shoulder as he exited. As the door closed shut, Ciel released a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding, falling back into the pillows.

“Motherfucking scum.” The man grumbled to himself with his lover’s return. He remained hidden in the sheets, pulling them down only slightly to reveal his golden head. His hair was now disheveled, staticy despite the silk sheet, the cotton of the pillowcase betraying him. “I hate him, I hate him..”

The morning still held the same playful, light atmosphere even though the blonde was in a mood now. Somehow, he felt better knowing that his lover knew not even he approved of the attitude coming from the evil that unfortunately followed him. Without another word spoken, the man childishly reached out to the other smaller man, holding him tightly to his own chest. At least he had someone to ground him.

Ciel returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling into the crook of the other’s neck, blonde hair tickling his nose. He could hear his heart beating, elevated and frustrated.

“He knows..” Ciel commented, halfheartedly attempting a joke. He sighed softly, his hot breath hitting Alois’ neck. He decided to change the subject. “What will you do today?” The still half-asleep bluenette inquired, lifting his head so as to be understood more clearly. “Will you go home? Or will you stay? The weekend hasn’t ended yet..” He snuck in that little side comment, hoping Alois would stay at least for part of the day, if not another night. There were so many things he wanted them to do together; play chess, walk outside in the garden, even read in silence and just enjoy each other’s presence. He dreaded the thought of him leaving again.

Alois let out a half-hearted snort. Despite the interruption, his love was fairly good at grounding him. If he hadn’t been still feeling such an annoyance, one would think that the butler had never entered the room. It was a skill, a deadly one if used in the right context. Alois relaxed into the embrace, half-smiling at the thought of being wanted. It wasn’t new, but it took him by surprise constantly.

“I’m not leaving.” He stated, realizing only afterwards how matter-of-fact he sounded. “I mean, I want to stay. Hell, it’s been almost ten years since I saw your home.” He commented, the picture of the garden in his memory crossing by. He wondered if any flowers had been planted in his honor; perhaps there were bluebells now, his favorite flower, planted absentmindedly in an effort to forget. “I plan to stay as long as you’ll let me.” He mused, hand finding its way into the man’s dark blue hair and running it through his fingers. Alois hoped the notion was appreciated, knowing he’d stay forever if fate only allowed.

Ciel eased into Alois’ hand, closing his eyes as his fingers combed gently through his hair. “Then you’ll stay another night,” He remarked, tracing light circles on the blonde’s shoulder with his finger. “Elizabeth likely won’t return for another week, but I have a case I need to take care of after tomorrow.” He sighed, recalling the piles of paperwork on his desk in his study. “So, you’ll stay until then.”

The moment was interrupted yet again with another soft knocking on the door, although it was Sebastian who opened it this time. He smiled at the two young men, presenting himself with a half bow as he stepped into the room. “Good morning,” he cooed, approaching the bed with a hot towel for Ciel, and an additional one for Alois in the off chance he would want another upon seeing the one for the other man. “For breakfast this morning is a full English breakfast, with porridge, bacon and eggs.”

Sitting up now, Ciel wiped his face down with the hot towel, sighing into it as he attempted to fully wake up. “And how is the weather?” He inquired.

“A bit chilly, master, but the sun is shining brightly.” Sebastian replied, taking the towels back.

“I see,” Ciel noted, glancing at the window before turning back towards his butler. “We’ll have breakfast outside in the garden this morning. Ready my coat in case it’s colder than expected, and Mr. Trancy’s traveling coat as well.” By now he was already sitting up, rolling his shoulders as he stretched and pulled on his undergarments that had been discarded on the floor the night before.

Sebastian nodded charmingly, then turning his attention towards the Earl Trancy. “I’ll return my master to his bedroom to prepare him for the morning. Your butler will return here shortly to do the same for you, if it pleases you.” He said, picking his master’s eye patch up from the floor and beginning to fasten it onto his head once again.

Alois sat up as well, taking the towel and actually wiping his face with it, still groggy and irritated. Recognizing he was being addressed, he set the towel down beside him. Letting out a long sigh, he pushed a hand through his hair, moving it from his face.

“I’ll allow it.” He stated, cold. The rivalry between the two was completely gone by now, Alois unaffected by Sebastian’s presence. He grumbled once again under his breath, crossing the room to put his own undergarments back on and half-heartedly picked up some of his other clothing. Though rudely interrupted, this was still a better morning than any he spent at his own home.

As he was escorted from the room by his butler, Ciel smiled softly over his shoulder at Alois. Something in his smile was reassuring, reminding him that even with that awful demon’s presence, they had a nice day ahead of them; hours and hours to spend with one another, uninterrupted. For the most part.

An hour passed, as each of the young men bathed and picked out their attire for the day. Ciel, with the help of his butler who always seemed to have an eye for that sort of thing, chose a dark green ensemble, all velvet with black lace on the ends of his sleeves and coat tails, golden buttons, and a black dress shirt underneath. It wasn’t as formal as he would usually wear out, but seeing as he was staying in today, he felt the outfit was appropriate enough.

He arrived at the table first, just outside the back of the manor in the center large patio of his garden. It was a simple black table with a glass top, and elegant chairs to match. Breakfast was already being set out; steaming bowls of porridge and plates of bacon and eggs, all covered to trap in the heat, accompanied by a lovely tray of sliced fruits and Earl Grey tea. His favorite.

Ciel sat down in the chair Sebastian pulled out for him, scooching in close to the table. He took a deep breath, feeling clean and awake and refreshed, and admittedly quite hungry. But he would wait here, just like this, for lover to arrive, hopefully just as clean and awake and refreshed.

The hour was long, but Alois made it his prerogative not to start an argument this time. Some days were better than others between him and his butler, most of them passing uneventfully. While slightly more difficult in a home away from home, and particularly the home of his ex-rival, most actions went off without a hitch.

His morning bath went fine, no conversation or lingering needed, and he preferred to do much of it on his own anyway. The Earl chose a maroon ensemble for the day afterwards, gemstones embedded in the buttons and black velvet on both pocket flaps. He spent quite a while in the mirror afterwards, adjusting it to make sure it sat at the exact point in his waist that he wanted it to. The velvet coat was one of his more expensive Parisian items, though being how he was, he didn’t particularly care if he was to go out in it or not. Besides, it would keep him warm enough in the brisk London morning.

Just as the clock hit 8am, he finally left the room as his butler picked up and sorted the clothing all around the floor. This was one of the better sides of his stolen wealth; he never had to account for his tantrums. As he walked out into the garden with Hannah by his side now, the man even allowed a tinge of excitement to spend the morning with his lover.

“Quite the classic spread,” he commented, as if he hadn’t been in a dark mood just an hour earlier. Hannah took more joy in her work than the other despite her lower position as a maid, pulling his chair out for him and calmly standing several feet behind him once he was settled.

Seeing as the two Earl’s were now both seated at the table, Sebastian took it upon himself to lean over, removing the covers from their breakfast platters. He hummed a small “Please, enjoy” before returning to stand behind his own master.

Ciel nodded, beginning to stir his porridge. “Indeed,” he agreed, blowing on it before taking a bite. A hot meal like this was perfect for the blustery morning. “The tea is Earl Grey, I hope it’s to your liking.” The commented, looking up at Alois as he took a sip from his own cup. “It’s still my favorite. I like to have a cup every morning with my breakfast.”

The blonde beamed at the meal, closing his eyes to take a big whiff of it all, for this was a special morning. Excited, he lifted his own teacup with an undue amount of care, careful not to spill any of the drink. Although it was a simple pleasure, it was rare that he got to share it with anybody. He blew on the cup before taking a small sip of it, still just barely too hot but he didn’t mind.

“It’s always been mine as well,” he commented, looking up to meet the other’s eyes. They shared a soft smile, pleased to simply be across from the table from one another. The blonde wanted to soak in every moment they had, for it was never enough.

The two young men continued their breakfast peacefully, unable to remember the last time they both felt this tranquil, especially together. They talked about all sorts of things: Alois’ adventures moving back into his estate, Ciel’s overload of work and desperation for a good long holiday, and even some talk about the places they would go together if they ever had the chance.

Upon finishing their hot breakfast and tea, Alois and Ciel left the cleaning up to their servants, rising from the table and subconsciously making their way deeper into the garden, not wanting their time alone in the cool morning air to end just yet. The strode side by side along a fine gravel path paved between rows of rose bushes and fully grown trees, the leaves of everything beginning to turn yellow and orange with the changing of the seasons. Feeling their hands brush against each other, they linked pinkies, keeping contact with the other without the “dramatics”.

“If it wouldn’t be so bloody suspicious,” Ciel began, a faint pout on his face as he inspected his rose bushes. “I’d keep you here forever in that room. Even with Lizzie here.” Of course such a thing would never be possible, but daydreaming about it would be harmless.

The blond laughed joyfully, having dreamt of that exact thing for years now. He’d attempted to do just that in his second home, failing miserably but not for a lack of trying. Alois swung their hands back and forth as they walked together in the crisp fall morning. The action felt so casual, so everyday, that he could forget their circumstances if only for a moment or two.

“And forever I’d stay,” he added, smiling to himself as he eyed the red roses and the tall trees. They’d been much smaller last time he was here, having grown enough to likely shade them in the summer, months ahead now. It was freeing to daydream, planning to stick around for as long as the other would allow. He wondered idly what would happen if anyone else knew of them; of course they couldn’t marry, but he’d thought of many ways to run away together. Though, none of them were logical.

A long academic retreat. A business trip, ending in false tragedy, presumed dead only to secure land in Austria, perhaps America even. A secluded “business partnership…” Alois’ smile grew wide picturing it all. Maybe in some universe, Lizzie would understand, marry for love but not the romantic kind they shared. Oh, one could dream..

“Sometimes I just wish it was all so much simpler.” He admitted, reaching out to hold the stem of a rose between his index and middle fingers.

Ciel hummed in response, gazing in admiration at Alois observing the rose. “I wish things were simpler all of the time.” He rolled his eyes, his comment sparking a new train of thoughts. “It all seems so fictional. Demons, curses, forbidden romance and secrecy..” He trailed off, sighing to himself. “Sometimes I wonder if this is all real, or if I’m just stuck in a twenty-one year long dream.”

They wandered further, continuing to take in the natural beauty around them, and occasionally sneaking longing looks at one another. Ciel thought Alois looked like a painting in a museum with the roses and stone statues behind him.

He looked around them nonchalantly, checking to see if there was anyone near them who could be watching. Seeing no one, Ciel tugged on Alois’ sleeve and pulled him just behind a nearby rose bush to the side of the paved pathway, cupping his cheeks and pulling him in for a soft kiss. His pale cheeks quickly turned pink, hoping the sudden action didn’t come off as too needy.

Startled and stumbling slightly, Alois caught his balance just in time to return the kiss. The gesture made him laugh against the other man’s lips, placing his hands around his shoulders to steady himself. Gentler now, he pulled back only to place another kiss on the man’s soft pink lips. He stood back, running a thumb against them, taking in the texture of his skin to memorize it. His eyes were soft, searching for confirmation that the other felt the same in this moment - joyful, light, playful, and completely in love.

“I’ve heard there are groups,” he mentioned softly, his tone hopeful, “There are other men like us… maybe someday this part of our lives will at least be less fictional.” He paused, brushing a strand of hair behind the other’s ear, distant. “Maybe we’ll even finish these contracts someday, be normal people as best as we can…”

One of Ciel’s more negative traits was his pessimism. As much as he wanted that ‘normal’ life with Alois, he didn’t believe they would ever have it. It was like Alois told him the night before; the two of them were doomed to live in sin, tied to demons who one day would take their souls. There wasn’t a way out of it.

But he refused to let those thoughts spoil this moment. Alois’ breath smelled of Earl Grey tea, and Ciel’s mouth watered a bit. He would pocket this beautiful memory as well, tucking it away to remember when he felt alone; two young men taking a morning walk in a rose garden, sharing kisses just out of sight.

“Perhaps..” Ciel hummed, resting his forehead against the other’s. “Perhaps we will..”

Alois reached down, grabbing both of his lover’s hands in his tightly. Keeping their faces close, the man closed his eyes, a wistful smile resting on his lips. Despite his lover’s pessimism, he wanted to believe in something.

“We’re not the only ones,” He said quietly, reassuring the other. “Not everything about it is completely unnatural. We may be doomed, but we’re at least not the only ones..” He repeated, thinking about the headlines he’d read in the papers recently. “There’s one thing we can stop worrying about. Maybe someday they’ll change something.”

There was a group of men just like him, right in London. The article that followed was filled with hateful words, as expected, but it was the idea that he clung to. Before then, he had accepted that he would never love a woman, but he always assumed that it was tied to a life of sin. While he never internalized it and lived as if it were normal, it struck him to have confirmation that other people did in fact feel just as he did- purely in love with other men, wholly human and wholly raw, perhaps unnatural but real.

He relaxed slightly as his hands were squeezed in the other’s, and he nodded, trying to muster up even a bit of optimism. “I hope they will.”

Ciel had seen it too, the articles in the papers. There were in fact other men like them, although their existence was met with disgust and hatred from the public and from the churches, calling them abominations and demanding horrible things be done to them. It was difficult for Ciel to focus on anything other than the public’s disgust for men like him, but he admired Alois’ ability to hold onto the fact that they weren’t alone- that they weren’t some strange mistake in the universe that wasn’t supposed to occur in the first place. They weren’t alone, that much was true.

The two young men spent the rest of the day together, just as they planned. They spent much of it sneaking away from their servants for just a bit of private time, looking for any opportunity to sneak a kiss, sit closer together than normal, or intertwine their fingers together. They held a lively conversation over several games of chess, only one of which Alois was able to win. The pair enjoyed an hour or so of light reading, most of which was Ciel actually trying to read while Alois did his best to distract him, and even shared another walk around the property. Lunch was held inside as the weather grew colder, the air smelling of rain once again. Across the table from each other, they talked while sharing glances out the window at the tiny droplets of rain beginning to lightly tap against the large window beside them.

8 notes · View notes

theunredeemable · 4 years ago

Link

“Hi there! I’m Ruby Rose.” She held out her hand towards Ilia, who stared dumbly at it before remembering her manners.”

“O-oh!” Taking the offered hand and giving what she hoped was an appropriate shake, she smiled at the pirate. “I’m Ilia.”

“Ilia, huh? Pretty name for a pretty girl.” She winked at the other woman, causing the faunus’s scales to turn a bright pink. “Big Puma said you’re looking for a new crew?” Trying to get her blush under control, Ilia gave Ruby a confused look. Ruby just laughed as she signalled for a drink. “That’s what we call Tukson. Just like how he calls me Red. We’re just a big ol’ family here. Aren’t we, big guy?”

Tukson grunted slightly, placing two large glasses in front of the pair, pouring in an amber drink as he shook his head. “Big old family of misfits is what we are.”

“Damn straight.” Ruby beamed in delight at Tukson, taking her glass as soon as it was full and taking a deep swig from it. Placing it back down on the counter, she frowned at the glass and looked at the man with what Ilia could only describe as puppy eyes. He let out a low sigh and refilled the glass, making sure to place a small umbrella in it. Ruby broke out into a huge grin of delight, that the Atlesian spy found incredibly cute.

“I...suppose that makes sense.” Picking up her own drink, she gave it an experimental sniff as she continued. “But yes, I am looking for a new crew. Somewhere I don’t have to hide what I am anymore.”

“Tired of that military life, then? Can’t say I blame you. I’ve heard some scary things about The Nevermore’s captain.” Ilia spluttered in surprise, choking on her drink. Ruby simply smiled as she watched, bemused with the evident shock as she held out a napkin for her.

Taking the offered cloth, Ilia attempted to pat dry where the drink had spilled on her clothes, giving the other woman a curious look. “How did you-”

“Did I know? It’s rather obvious really. Tukson said you want to escape the empire, which means you’re tired of their way of life or running from something. You’ve got that fancy Atlesian accent you only get from certain upper tier schools. You’ve just arrived on station, and the only Atlesian ship to dock today has been The Nevermore . Now, either you’re a very talented stowaway, or you’re a deserter. I’m placing money on deserter.” Ruby counted off each reason on her fingers, a small smile never leaving her face as she looked at Ilia. “Am I right?”

Ilia looked shocked, and briefly considered lying before nodding her head. “You….are correct. Winter Schnee is a better captain than most, especially for a Schnee.” The name near dripped with malice and hatred. Though it was largely an act to help sell her story, the hatred was something long buried within her and all too real. “But it’d be only a matter of time until I was reassigned again, and to someone far less forgiving of faunus crew members.”

Ruby nodded knowingly. “As I said, I can’t blame you for getting tired of being under the empire’s thumb. But if you join my crew, you won’t have to worry about ever being treated like that again. The Sanguine Dream doesn’t tolerate such sentiments. Much like here, we’re a family on my ship.”

Ilia, having just braved another drink of the surprisingly sweet and delightful alcohol, started to choke on it again at the name of the ship. “I-I’m sorry…did you say The Sanguine Dream !? You’re the infamous Crimson Rose?”

Ruby beamed in delight, offering a mock bow from her seat. “One and the same! Fastest ship in the Expanse.”

“You know….you’re the reason The Nevermore has even been assigned to this sector. They’re meant to be hunting you down.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow and that, then shrugged as she finished off her drink. “Well, if that’s true they’re headed in the wrong direction. They just jumped out of the system.” Getting up from her seat, she patted Ilia on the shoulder. “Finish your drink, it’s on me. And when you’re ready, head to docking station 72B. I’ve got some more business aboard the station to finish, but then I’ll take you to your new home.” Ilia nodded in conformation, and Ruby started to head off, calling to the station’s owner once more. “Hey, Big Puma! Get any more of those parts I requested in?”

“Go ask Mell. She got a new shipment in, might be that it includes what you're after.”

“Thanks, I’ll go check out her stall.” Ruby waved Tukson goodbye as she moved away, leaving Ilia alone as she vanished into the crowd. Weaving her way through the mass of people, the pirate captain did a mental checklist of all she had left to do. Recruiting a new crew member hadn’t been on the list, but was quite a pleasant surprise. She smiled briefly at thinking of the faunus, especially on how cute she was. “Hmm...I should probably call ahead.” Slipping in a comlink into her ear, she tapped it and waited for an indication it was on. “Ciel, you there?”

After a few seconds, a beep played in answer to her question, before the voice of her subordinate came in. “Yes Captain, I’m here. Are we almost ready to leave? We’re already behind schedule.”

“Soon, Ciel. Soon.” Ruby chuckled at the exasperated sigh from Ciel. “Just got a few more things to take care of.”

“Ma’am, with all due respect, what’s the point of bringing me along to keep you on schedule, if you never stick to the schedule?”

“Maybe it’s cause I like your company, or maybe it’s so you can loosen up and get to know your fellows better. It’s been five years Ciel, you don’t have to stick to the Empire’s strict time schedule.”

“I know Captain...but it gives me comfort being on schedule when away from the ship.”

Ruby paused midstep, tilting her head in thought, before resuming her path. “I never thought of it like that. I’ll try to do better in the future, but this was a special circumstance. We’re bringing a new family member aboard.”

“I see. What does she look like?”

“Brown hair, gray eyes. Super cute.”

Ciel sighed, and Ruby imagined she was shaking her head on the other side. “Anything else to go on, Captain? Something a little more identifiable?”

“Oh believe me when you see her you’ll agree she’s cute.” Laughing, Ruby paused to briefly examine a weapons stall, humming as she glanced over the various guns there. “Do you think Yang would like a new gun?”

“She already adores the custom one you made for her, now please focus.”

“Right, sorry. What else. Oh, she’s a faunus. Chameleon I think.”

“I’ll keep an eye out. Does she know to come here?”

“Yes, I told her to head to you when she’s ready. I may have forgotten to mention that you were there, so don’t scare her too much.”

“Of course, Captain. I’ll behave. How long until you return?”

“Shouldn’t be too long. I’m just checking in with Mell to see if any of the parts came in. See you soon.” Turning off her comlink, she looked up at the bright neon sign reading ‘Mellon and Berry’s Robotics’, though several letters were unlit due to age. Shaking her head with a smile, she entered into the built in workshop, calling out over the sound of power tools at work. “Still haven’t fixed the sign then, Mell?”

Sparks stopped flying as Mell put down her blow torch, looking at Ruby from behind her welding mask. “I’ll fix it when I need to. You can still find yer way easily enough.” Lifting up the mask to reveal her grease covered face she beamed at Ruby, wheeling her wheel-chair over to the captain. “What brings you to my neck of the woods today then, lass?”

“Big Puma said you might have some things for me.” Ruby smiled brightly at the auburn haired mechanic, bending over to give her a hug before looking at the chair. “Robotics on the fritz again?”

“Nah, Berry thinks she can make more improvements to them so she’s tinkering again. Aren’t ya Berry?”

“They can always be better! I demand the best for my wife!”

Mell gestured in the vague direction of the voice. “I woke up with her trying to tinker with them in the bed, despite the fact that they’re perfectly fine!” She near shouted the last words, but a fond smile never left her face. “Anyway, come over here Red. Let’s see what we got.”

“Good to see you Berry!” Ruby shouted into the adjacent workshop, receiving only a grunt of acknowledgement. Chuckling, she followed Mell over to where several large crates sat waiting.

Mell picked up a data-slate and started swiping through it with a hum. “Now let’s see...Tukson, Ivory, Orchid, Mason, Ah! Ruby.” Tapping on the name, she read through the invoice while nodding to herself. “Hmm, well we got a few of the parts you wanted, but not many. But we did get something else for you.” Tapping the data-slate a few more times, the crate started to float.

Looking at the crate, Ruby smiled at seeing the secondary data-slate lying on top. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Depends on what you think it is.”

“A list of ships that might be carrying the parts I’m after?”

“Then yes, it is what you think it is.”

“Mell, you’re the best!” Quickly glancing through the device, her smile grew wider. “Oh, this is perfect. Ciel will love going through this.” Beaming with delight, Ruby hugged Mell again. The mechanic chuckled lightly, returning the hug.

“Yeah, yeah I know I’m the best. Now go ahead and take your stuff and get out of here.”

Nodding, Ruby put the slate back on top of the crate and started to push it out of the shop. “I’m going, I’m going. See you next time Mell. Take care Berry!”

“Bye Red, good to see you!” Berry cried out, though never left her private workshop, causing Mell and Ruby to laugh.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Ilia made her way through the station, weaving through the people in the crowded market as she tried to reach the elevator that would take her to the docking platforms. While she didn’t know what she expected, she didn’t think that a simple neutral station would be so populous. What astounded her the most was seeing people from all corners of the galaxy getting along. She had paused outside one bar where she saw Atlesian soldiers drinking and conversing with those from the Regime, surprise evident on her face. Outside of this station, they’d be mortal enemies, fighting and dying on the whims of people they had never met to protect their territory. Seeing them drink together, laugh together, had given Ilia something to ponder over as she walked.

So distracted by this line of thought was she, that she stopped paying attention to her surroundings and walked straight into a mountain of man. The force of their impact knocked her on her rear. “Oof!” blinking she looked up at the individual who slowly turned to look down at her. Feeling a spark of fear, she looked up at him in turn, eyes wide at the masked face that greeted her. Turning in full, he reached down towards her, arm tattooed and large, and offered her a hand.

“Are you ok, Madam?”

Blinking, Ilia gingerly took the offered hand with a sheepish smile. “Y-yeah. Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

The giant helped her up, almost sending her flying with the strength behind the action as she stumbled to find her footing. “Nonsense, such things happen more often than you think, so there is no need to apologise. Now, is there anything I can do to assist you?”

“U-uh yes, actually. I’m trying to get down to docking station 72B. I’m not really sure which direction I’m meant to be going though?”

The man nodded, tapping the chin of his full face mask as he turned to look about. “Understandable, it is very easy to get turned around in the markets, but you are in luck.” He pointed to an elevator a short distance away. “That over there will transport you directly to Deck B, and from there it is a matter of simply following the signs to the correct station. If you get lost, one of the guards will be more than happy to find your way.”

Ilia nodded and opened her mouth to reply, but another voice cut her off. “Lieutenant! You’re needed at Dandelion’s. Another drunken brawl broke out.”

The lieutenant sighed, shaking his head as he rolled his shoulders. “Sorry madam, duty calls. I hope you find your way.”

“Oh, of course. Thank you, sir.” Ilia watched the man walk away, marvelling at the way the crowd of people parted before him, either out of respect or fear she could not tell. Probably a mix of both, she mused quietly as she went the direction shown to her. Stepping into the elevator, she soon found the button to take her where she needed, and waited as the machine moved. Readjusting the back on her shoulder, her foot tapped impatiently as the hum of machinery filled the air. It took several minutes, but soon the doors reopened before her, revealing that she had traded one busy area for another.

Stepping out onto the deck, she watched as several workers ran about in controlled chaos. Some were simply unloading cargo ships, directing the crates to the various service lifts that would take them through the trading station. Others were in the process of refueling shuttles that would soon be departing. Looking up, she found herself standing on platform 43B. A glance to her left showed the numbers descending, and ascending to the right. Nodding to herself, she took off in the direction she needed, keeping a careful eye on the platform numbers, and the people rushing around her. She didn’t want a repeat incident of running into someone, especially when this time there were fuel canisters and hanger controls that could accidentally be hit.

Twenty minutes later she finally found herself standing at platform 72B. It was far quieter than any of the other platforms she had come across, the red coloured shuttle having already been refuelled. Quickly glancing around, Ilia didn't see any sign of the pirate captain, and made her way towards the ship to wait. As she approached, the rear door to the shuttle hissed open, lowering as a semi-familiar face appeared. The woman walked out of the ship, still looking at her data-slate. "The ship's all ready to leave as soon as you get the cargo aboard and our new crew member arr-" She stopped as she finally looked up, eyes wide in recognition. "Operative Amitola!"

"Operative Soleil!" Both stood there, mouths agape, before pointing at one another and speaking in unison. "What are you doing here!!"

"I work for Captain Rose." Ciel stood a little straighter, pride emanating from her. "Why are you here, Amitola."

"I'm sorry, you're working for The Crimson Rose? All this time?" Ilia looked astounded. "We thought you had died…"

"I almost did… Ruby saved me after I was left behind by the Empire. I couldn't go back after what they did… so I joined her crew. But that still doesn't explain why you're here."

"Ah, I see you two already know each other! That saves on introductions." Both jumped at Ruby's sudden appearance. She smirked at the pair as she pushed the crate out of the service lift she had ridden in. "Ilia here is joining our family, just like I said."

Ciel sighed, shaking her head as she moved to help Ruby load the cargo. "You might have given me more to go on than just descriptions, Captain."

"Probably should have, but it worked out in the end. Come along Ilia!" Shaking her head, the Faunus Operative followed closely behind. "Got all your belongings with you?"

"Yes ma'am. At least, everything I could carry."

"Then make yourself comfortable. Time for us to head home. Oh, and Ciel, I got you a gift." The captain passed the data-slate over to Ciel, who instantly brightened up as she started to work her way through the information and decrypting it's secrets.

"Ah, wonderful. Thank you captain."

"Thank me by finding a good target. We still need a lot of parts for our little project. Now, Ilia. Come help me out in the cockpit." Nodding, Ilia once again followed behind Ruby and took a seat in the co-pilot's chair, helping her new captain go through the process of getting the ship ready for launch.

A short while later, the shuttle flew through the void and away from the station, carrying Ilia to her new home for the coming months.

#stealing the rich #ruby rose #ciel soleil #ilia amitola #white fang lieutenant #RWBY #Tukson #I'm back bitches!

2 notes · View notes

k-s-morgan · 5 years ago

Note

Are you planning to end “Those Gentle Slopes” at the end of S2 or will it continue past that? I’m curious. Also I loved the last two chapters so much! Thank you for continuing to update the story! It’s my favorite 💕. I hope you’re doing all right with how insane this year has been!

Hello! Thank you again so much, the comments you left made me grin non-stop)) I plan to continue after S2. I don’t like endless stories, but I do intend to cover several important arcs. Ciel and Sebastian are at a very fascinating point at the end of S2: Sebastian knows he can kill Ciel to end his servitude but he finds himself unable to do it; Ciel knows Sebastian can kill him any moment but doesn’t for whatever reason, and Ciel masks his confusion under the mask of arrogance and confidence. They both pretend nothing changed, which is shown in their silly stubbornness in following the rituals that no longer hold any meaning. Like Sebastian pretending to make tea and Ciel pretending to drink it. Exploring and resolving it will be amazing, I can’t wait to get to it.

#sebaciel #my fics #black butler

15 notes · View notes

fandomlife-giver · 5 years ago

Text

Beacon Maid - 5

Summary: So, you’ve invited us to a ball at the Trancy mansion? Very well. I’m happy to let you dance to my tune for an evening. Butler who does a graceful, subtle dance, one to which I am more accustomed to than you. Next time, ”Beacon Maid” Surely, you jest. If I couldn’t dance to that, what kind of maid would I be? One, two, three…one, two, three…

Pairings: Sebastian X Demon!Reader X Claude

@wintersdoll @naniky @danabuggxd @redryderdesigns @inumorph

Word Count: 2865

Warnings: Mild language, Implications of sexual themes

Your name: submit What is this?

Sebastian held a longing stare at the ceiling, a small ping of regret hitting him as he thought about the fact you were off exploring on your own and trying to keep it hidden from him.

He tried to shrug off the feeling as he moved on to the next room. Once he opened the door, his eyes scanned the interior from top to bottom. He allowed the door to shut behind him while he moved to the drawers sitting on either side of the bed. However, when he moved to open one, a sudden painful ping hit him, seeming to vibrate throughout his entire being.

He glanced down at his stomach as he steadied himself against the beam of the bed, cursing under his breath.

“Oh dear, it’s becoming even worse now.”

He regained his balance and sighed. “But never mind the hunger. Let’s see what Trancy has kept away from sight.”

He opened the drawer and his eyes widened.

There lay the shattered remains of what was once the ruby ring worn by his mate. His eyebrows furrowed, his mind wrinkled at the pondering of why it was there, of all places. He had witnessed her throw it down the well…

In a flash, he grabbed the ring’s corpse one the door to the room opened and he turned around, giving the newcomer a smile.

“This is an immaculate room. Everything is perfect from the neatness of the bedclothes to the placement of the artwork. I can tell how much care you took to properly prepare it. I find it most...educational.”

Claude kept no emotion on his face as he eyed Sebastian’s clenched fist and the opened drawer.

“I am pleased to be of help. Though, I find your willingness to stoop to petty thievery in service to your master more impressive.”

Sebastian’s smile briefly grew in response.

“You flatter me.”

He stepped closer as if he was going to leave, then paused when he was right beside Claude’s face.

“I will not let you have my young master, I am his butler. Come hell or high water, that remains.”

Claude practically cut him off as he locked eyes with him. “My master’s orders are absolute.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed at him, while he only smirked. “You see, I am one hell of a butler, too.”

There was silence for a moment, Sebastian’s face being unreadable as the tension in the air grew.

‘Sebastian, come here this instant. I have something to discuss with you.’

He finally smiled and stepped away from him, proceeding to walk out of the room. “If you’ll excuse me.”

“Felis seems to be quite irritated with you. You have all your attention on your master. What a cruel thing to do to a mate as wonderful as her. Perhaps you should appreciate what you have more.”

Sebastian’s foot hovered over the threshold of the door, seemingly paralyzed by Claude’s words.

Claude couldn’t help but hum in amusement.

“You never know when you might lose it.”

●●●

“Master, I simply won’t allow myself to wear such a distasteful costume.”

Ciel smirked at Sebastian as he menacingly glared at the clothes Ciel had chosen for him. “You don’t have a choice. I ordered you to, didn’t I?

His gaze slowly moved over to Ciel and he could practically feel his anger in the room. It looked as if he wanted to say something, but he didn’t and only continued to stare.

"Stare or don't, it won’t change anything." Ciel had a way of not mincing his words, arms folded tightly over his freshly ironed pirate costume. For such a small boy he had a subduing stare; Sebastian only raised an eyebrow at it.

“Well, It could change the outfit.”

He sighed once Ciel gave him an annoyed look and reached over to grab the laid out outfit, clenching his jaw as he looked it over.

“There wouldn’t happen to be a reason why this was chosen over all others, would there?”

He merely shrugged in response. “It seemed fitting. You are a tremendous fool sometimes.”

Sebastian hummed, disregarding his minor insult. “And what of Y/N? Has hers been chosen?”

Ciel sat on the edge of the bed as he placed his chin in his hand. “Lau hasn’t told me anything. Apparently, he wants it to be a surprise. But according to him, it’ll be enough to make you grovel at her feet. And he said something about it showing her true self but I don’t care enough to know what he means.”

A smile threatened to pull at his lips as he imagined how much you were probably hating this as much as him and it slowly fell when he remembered the anger you held toward him.

“That reminds me, I have something to discuss with you concerning Y/N.”

Sebastian glanced at Ciel with furrowed brows. He suddenly stood up and stared up at Sebastian, his jaw clenching.

“She is off-limits. You are not allowed to be intimate with her.”

●●●

“Well, what do you think, darling? Simply breathtaking! Aren’t I a genius?”

Your eyes were trained on the so-called ‘outfit’, your heavy eyelids a fraction too slow to blink, your irises too stationary. It was as if your brain was suffering a massive short circuit and was struggling to compute.

Lau stood with his arms stretched out as he proudly displayed the most humiliating mockery of yourself to you with so much pride that it made you feel annoyed beyond reason.

Your eyes snapped back to his face, a seething rage clear within them. And you laughed. “Surely, you jest. I am not wearing that ridiculous thing. I’ll look as if I’m a mistress of the night.”

He looked at you like you were stupid. “Well, of course, that’s the whole point, isn’t it?”

Your jaw clenched as you rolled your eyes. “If my master and my fellow servants see me in a thing such as this, that would ruin their image of me, don’t you understand?”

He took a long inhale of his pipe and only shrugged. “Not my problem, love. Now be a good kitty and put it on, would you?”

In one swift motion, you raced forward, claws bared, and fangs out as you attempted to attack his annoying face. However, his companion Ran Mao was just as fast, holding the blade of her sword to your throat.

Lau looked up at you as he exhaled the smoke and chuckled. “Oh, I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean to offend you. But the party is starting about now and if you please would just make it more entertaining for all of us, put it on and get out there. You do want to have that mate of yours a drooling mess, don’t you?”

You took a step back, your fangs going away but your claws still out in a threatening manner. He grinned and gestured to the cat costume once again.

“So, shall we?”

●●●

“Have any of you seen Y/N?”

The servants turned to look at Ayani, who had a worried look on her face. “I don’t mean to sound disturbed, it’s just that she hasn’t been back for a while, I’m afraid something could’ve happened.”

Bard tilted his head at her. “Like what? Nothing here seems to be alarming so I bet she’s just enjoying herself.”

“Oh!” Mey-Rin suddenly gasped. “I think Finny said something about helping Mr. Lau with her costume!”

Said person had actually walked up behind them as she spoke. “What about me?”

Bard turned when he heard his voice and smirked, though you couldn’t see it behind his mask. “Oi! There you are. Finny, you know where Y/N is, right?”

Finny eyebrows raised. “Oh, um, she should actually be on her way down. She was just having a little trouble figuring out how to put it on, ‘cause how tight it is.”

A hint of a blush went across Bard’s cheeks. “T-tight?”

“What’s tight?”

Everybody jumped, letting out mini screeches when Ciel and Sebastian appeared beside them.

Ayani was about to answer him until her eyes landed on the tall fool behind him. Her jaw dropped from trying to process what he was wearing. “Sebastian, you look, um…”

She didn’t get a chance to finish once the servants began to laugh until their lungs were on fire.

“Look at this! He’s finally lost it!” Bard dropped to the floor, gasping for air.

“Oh my, I never thought I’d see Sebastian like this!” Mey-Rin’s cheeks were red as she rested a hand on Finny to steady herself.

“I’d say he’s doing his job right, he’s certainly making me feel happy!” Finny held his sides, nearly falling into Ciel as he continued to laugh.

Ciel smirked at their reactions, completely enjoying every second of his humiliation.

It wasn’t long until their laughter ceased the moment they saw the look on Sebastian’s face. His eyes flashed with indignance and anger, much like lightning on a pitch-black night.

Bard quickly stood, all of them regaining their posture. “Sorry, sir. It’s just we’re not used to seeing you like this.”

When he spoke, his voice was ice cold. “Don’t. It’s not happening again.”

Ciel chuckled and began looking around. “Now that that’s over, where is Y/N-”

He froze, making everyone turn to see what had stopped him. It felt as if the whole room moved it’s attention to the three figures that entered the room. Or, more specifically, the woman dripped from head to toe in a very revealing, and very tight spandex black bodysuit. But with the boots, the ears, the tail, the gloves, and the collar, she became the alluring cat known as Y/N.

It was as if Sebastian’s brain had been reprogrammed within a few seconds, overridden. It was as if all his previous interests had been deleted and replaced with the current image of her and the feel of her gaze as she locked eyes with him. He could hear the murmurs of the guests as they took in the sight of her.

“Breathtaking…”

He looked at Ciel, who was still gawking with a blush now on his cheeks, but then realized that it wasn’t him who said it. He suddenly heard a fast heartbeat and his sight landed on Claude, who was staring at you so hard he thought you’d catch on fire.

His fists clenched, a wave of anger pooling in his core. He was looking at you. He was longing to touch you. And no one was allowed to think of you that way. You were his.

Ciel snapped out of it as Sebastian stomped passed him, headed straight for you. “Sebastian?”

●●●

You rolled your eyes at the longing looks you received from the men and perhaps even a few women in the room. Lau placed an arm around you proudly. “Well look at you, our very own belle of the ball!”

The glare you gave him made his arm disappear. When you saw his eyes widen, you turned, nearly gasping at the sight of Sebastian coming at you at full speed, wearing a...court jester costume?

Your eyebrows raised when he stopped in front of you and you tried so hard to keep in your laughter. “Interesting choice.”

He seemed to ignore your comment, his eyes never leaving your figure. “You look gorgeous, kitten. So much that it makes me want to take you right now, with everyone to see.”

You bit back a grin at his fantasy. His hand took yours as he kissed the back of it. “Y/N, my beautiful mate, will you do me the honor of dancing with me?”

You giggled at how sweet he was being. “Of course, my dear fool.”

He narrowed his eyes while pulling you to the dance floor, the orchestra beginning to play as he did.

So you started to dance and spin. The lights were twinkling with every step as you spun in delicate circles, your glued tail billowing out. You used to love things like this, the pressure of a warm hand on your back, and the feeling of your small agile feet gliding along the floor. You had always felt like a small bird learning how to fly, flailing around, and finally taking off with outstretched wings and windswept feathers.

The slow music twirled like thread around you. You rested your head on his chest, and let him sway your body 'round and 'round again. The violins came in, then the piano, and then the slow and sure beating of a drum. It felt like forever since the last time you two danced or even had a moment as intimate as this. By feeling the fast beating in your heart, you knew the way he made you feel was more than what typical mates had. And whether or not he felt like this too, you at least knew it for a fact.

You loved him.

It wasn’t long before you could hear the music slowing down. Feeling dejected that it was ending, you looked up at him, only to realize he hadn’t even been giving you any attention. You followed his line of sight to see he had been staring at Ciel the entire time.

Worry struck your mind as you whispered in his ear. “Sebastian, what is it? Is there something wrong?”

He seemed to break out of his trance and returned his gaze to you, smiling at your adorable face. “No, I’m just worried for the young master, that’s all.”

You frowned at his answer. “Oh…”

When he realized you had stopped dancing, his hands dropped from your waist and looked at you apologetically. “Do forgive me, my kitten, but I have something to attend to.”

He moved to leave, but not before grabbing you and kissing you with such passion that it nearly knocked you off your feet. He pulled away after a few seconds and stroked your cheek, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.

You stared after him, saddened by his departure. You touched your cheek where his fingers were just before, missing his warmth already.

“Well, wasn’t that sweet?”

Your neck turned violently at the male voice, your eyes flashing demonic when you saw who it was.

“You. What are you doing here?”

He removed his hat, his steel-blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “You know, it’s funny, I was about to ask you the same thing.”

His eyes scanned you up and down. “How fitting. It’s so ironic, it makes me wanna laugh.”

“I asked you a question!”

His lips curled in amusement. “Skipping the small talk, are we? That hurts my ego, you know.”

There was no trace of humor on your face, which he took as an answer.

He sighed and placed the hat back on his head. “Well, alright, since you asked so nicely.” He crossed his arms as he beckoned you over. “But not here. This way.”

You followed him cautiously, weaving through all the people and ignoring their stares. As you were about to enter a hallway, a person suddenly bumped into you. You caught the familiar clothing pattern, recognizing it as the Trancy uniform.

“Out of my way.”

You ignored the rude manner of the maid, though you remembered how before she was quieter than that. Stealing a glance at her, you hurried into the hallway where he stopped and turned around to face you.

“Alois Trancy is as stupid as he is childish. He’s employed me to trade an instrument in my collection for a certain object I need. It’s all part of this plan of his to separate your master and your mate from this party and hold its occupants hostage. And this device requires the sacrifice of a human that has been marked by a demon.”

You held up your hand, signaling him to stop talking. “I know the instrument you’re talking about. But what I want to know is how on earth did he find out about the nun and where you fit into all of this.”

He hummed as he rubbed his chin. “Well, I’m not sure, but I think he mentioned a connection he has in town. It must be someone close to you.”

You looked away, your teeth grinding as you thought of a certain person.

“But as for me...well, this is kind of what I do.”

Your eyes snapped back to him. You then shook your head when something came to mind. “Hold on, who even are you? The first time I met you was back on that boat and you never even told me, seriously, what kind of demon does all of this?”

His eyes widened as a smile spread on his lips, a laugh passing through them. “Oh! Well, um...see, I’m not actually a demon.”

You grew confused and stepped away from him.

He raised his arms and shrugged as if it weren't a big deal. "They call me Uriel."

The moment you heard the name come off his tongue, your eyes darkened and your claws once again came out as you took an attack position.

He only smiled at this.

"I'm an archangel."

#sebastian michaelis x reader #sebastian michaelis #kuroshitsuji #black butler #demon!reader

7 notes · View notes

fragmentedshards · 6 years ago

Text

The Final Curtain, Chapter Seventeen

Disclosing Not His Lover

The night of the party arrived more swiftly than they expected. With the addition of the servants, their party had grown considerably. It was decided that Bryony would stay at the manor and help Tanaka care for Ephraim, and since Snake had no interest in attending a fancy ball, he took on the task of looking after the ballerina. The others would all go as one; Ciel, Elizabeth, Prince Soma, Lau, Ran Mao, Sebastian, Paula, Agni, Bardroy, Mei Rin, Finny, Matilda, and to Matilda’s great surprise and joy, Undertaker himself.

“You’ll really attend?” she exclaimed happily when he ventured to the manor to tell her the news.

“Of course dearie,” he chuckled. “I might not be one to frequent these parties myself, but as your husband and escort, I ought to go and keep watch, oughtn’t I?”

Matilda rushed to embrace the mortician gleefully, then looked up at him through his bangs. “What about Grell, is she coming?”

Undertaker stroked Matilda’s hair, which she had taken to wearing tied back these days rather than letting her curls explode like she ordinarily did. “I think William stuck her with some paperwork. Besides,” he added dolefully. “I don’t think she enjoys these as much anymore, partly because she remembers Madam Red, and partly because she can’t wear dresses the way she wants to.”

“I’ve been working on something that may help her!” the maid grinned, cupping her husband’s face. He smiled down at her, full of admiration. “Tell her to just hold on!”

Paula helped Lady Elizabeth into her favorite crimson dress, adding a white mask with tiny red roses around the eyes. “Oh, Paula, don’t forget,” the young lady reminded her maid, who smiled coyly at her before reaching for Lady Elizabeth’s secret weapon to hide it in the back of her dress.

“I’m so happy to see you finally putting all that training to use,” Paula gushed as she tied all of Lady Elizabeth’s many fastenings. “It’s been torturous to watch you pushed aside all this time, milady, simply torturous.”

Elizabeth smiled at her faithful Paula, trying to shake away her nervousness.

Meanwhile in another room, Ciel glowered at his reflection as Sebastian dressed him. Viscount Druitt’s party was not so much a costume ball as it was a masquerade ball, so instead of wearing a full costume the earl merely donned fine evening clothing with a black lace mask over the top half of his face.

“Frankly, it’s a relief to have this off from time to time,” he said as he undid the string of his eyepatch. “I may as well leave it off when I’m at home, now that everyone knows. At any rate, this mask covers my eyes well enough so nobody can tell.”

Sebastian, having finished dressing the earl, bowed and headed downstairs to don his red mask and cloak. Before reaching his room, he spotted Mei Rin sitting on her bed and puzzling over her eyeglasses. Tentatively, he knocked on the door. “Is everything alright?”

Mei Rin glanced up momentarily at the knock, then returned to what she was doing. “I’m torn,” she admitted. “These were a gift from the young master. They helped me hide my ability. But... they created lots of problems, didn’t they?”

Sebastian, to his own surprise, smiled fondly as he remembered Mei Rin’s numerous housekeeping blunders. “We did offer to get your prescription changed, more than once,” he reminded her.

She gave a soft laugh, but not out of humor. Then, without warning, she broke the glass out of the lenses, sending shards scattering onto the floor. Sebastian’s jaw fell open, unsure what to do until he saw the blood on the maid’s fingers, which she seemed not to have noticed herself. Stepping into the room, he brought the water basin from the dresser to the bed and gently placed her hands in it, taking care to delicately search for any pieces of glass that may have stuck in her fingers.

“Mei Rin, honestly,” he chided as he worked. “Why do you always break things?”

Rather than be insulted, Mei Rin laughed. “At least this time it was on purpose,” she replied, getting a laugh from the butler. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of this. Sebastian was never this careful with anyone but the young master, and yet here he was checking her fingers for glass and wiping away blood with his handkerchief. She hadn’t even seen where he had produced the bandages from, but next thing she knew the cuts on her fingers were wrapped up and the butler was staring at her, exasperated but satisfied.

Just then Bardroy rounded the corner, snapping them back to life. “Oi, Mei Rin, are you-” Seeming to notice Sebastian for the first time, he turned red and backed away silently.

“There,” Sebastian sighed, placing Mei Rin’s hands back in her lap. “Those should hold nicely, and I doubt they will be visible through evening gloves. I’ll leave you to get ready now.” As he was leaving, glass crunching beneath his shoes, he turned and added, “You could always use the eyeglass frames for your mask, if you chose. Though, I think we have all become quite accustomed to seeing you with them, so it wouldn’t be much of a mask.”

When the group arrived to the party, the moon was already high in the velvet sky, and lively music pervaded Viscount Druitt’s home.

Lau guided Ran Mao through the sea of people, saying to her “I suspect this will be even more interesting than the last costume ball we attended. What do you think, Ran Mao?”

Instead of answering his question, Ran Mao muttered, “This is not a costume ball.”

The Viscount was easily spotted among his guests, wearing a garish mask of all colors, with feathers and other adornments all over it. Elizabeth grasped Soma’s hand and nodded her head in the direction of the Viscount, whispering a hasty summary of her plan to him.

“I’ll strike up a conversation with him about something unassuming, such as clothing,” she whispered as the two danced awkwardly. “With any luck, he will ask me to dance, and then I can get closer to him, allowing me to investigate further.”

The prince nodded, spinning her with more grace than she expected as the music stopped. Viscount Druitt had noticed them and was walking towards them from the far side of the ballroom. “What do I do?” Soma whispered back, pretending to kiss her cheek.

“Find someone else to dance with, or better yet, you and Agni create a diversion with traditional Bengali dancing!” Elizabeth whispered just as the Viscount reached them.

“You both dance most intriguingly, young ones,” he smiled down at them, placing his hands together. “Watching you was fascinating.”

Elizabeth curtsied, nudging Prince Soma to bow. “Thank you very much, my lord,” she said, making her voice as sickly-sweet as she could manage. “I’m so flattered that you noticed. And this party is, naturally, as wonderful as your other ones.”

“Oh?” the Viscount tilted his head slightly to the side. “Have you been to my previous balls? I cannot discern your face through your mask, my dear.”

“Certainly you don’t expect me to remove this mask without a dance first, my lord?” Elizabeth ran a finger over the edge of her mask and smiled coyly.

The Viscount smirked. “Sir,” he addressed Prince Soma. “Might I borrow this young lady for the next dance?”

“Be my guest, Viscount Druitt,” the prince bowed again, smiling as he turned to leave. He glanced back at Elizabeth, who winked at him through her mask.

Ciel scoffed. “A silly ball with people I hate and where Lizzy is dancing with a creepy man who I want to kill. Somehow this seems familiar.” he rolled his eyes at his own sarcasm. He was glaring at Elizabeth and the Viscount when he felt Sebastian’s hand on his shoulder.

“Young Master,” he whispered. “Your... er, well, demon shadow... it grows and billows when you become enraged,” he explained. “I need to teach you how to control it.” Sebastian sighed when Ciel just continued to stare at him. “Sir, do not worry. Lady Elizabeth is in no danger. She is surrounded by friends, family, demons, reapers, and whatever Matilda is. She will be perfectly safe at all times.”

The earl scoffed again and looked back at Elizabeth flirting with the Viscount. A moment later his eyes widened and he turned back to his butler. “Wait. You said whatever Matilda is. So you also get the feeling she is inhuman?”

“Yes sir,” the butler confirmed. “I cannot tell what she is... and I assume neither can you. But, she is here to help us, whatever she is. We will find out one day, young master. After all, you and I have all the time in the world now, even until the final curtain falls on this world.”

Ciel stared at the throng of dancing people. “They’ll all be dead one day,” he said, watching as Agni and Prince Soma clapped their hands and commanded everybody’s attention for their performance. “I’ve always known this, but it feels different knowing they will all die and you and I will live on. Well, and I suppose Undertaker and Matilda will live on, also.” he turned to Sebastian. “What do you think happens to shinigami when the world ends?”

“My theory would be that nothing happens to them, my lord, and that they continue with their work as before.” Seeing the earl’s confused expression, Sebastian smiled and raised one eyebrow. “Young Master, surely you aren’t so arrogant as to believe that there is only one world?”

The earl wanted to ask more, but he noticed Prince Soma’s very pointed looks at him and the head tilt towards Elizabeth and the viscount. Lizzy had one hand behind her back and one hand holding her fan in front of her mouth, looking coquettishly at Viscount Druitt. When he bowed to her and offered her his hand, she took it, giggling, and let him lead her outside into the gardens. Before walking out the door, she shot a look to Ciel and Soma that clearly meant Now.

Ciel and Sebastian looked at each other. “This is an order; make sure everyone is in place in the gardens for the next phase of the plan. Within the next few minutes, Viscount Druitt should be right where we want him.”

Sebastian smirked. Finally. He bowed with his hand over his heart. “Yes, my lord.”

Elizabeth had her hands full trying to keep the Viscount on the hook while avoiding his touch as much as she could. She flirtatiously waved her fan. “My lord, are you absolutely certain this is appropriate?” she giggled. “We mustn’t forget ourselves.”

“No danger in that, my little cardinal,” Viscount Druitt smiled down at her, and something in his smirk made Elizabeth squirm. “My my, you remind me so much of a lovely little robin I once knew. But there is no need to dwell on past loves tonight. For this night, though my mansion is full of people, we are all alone in this paradise. We are in Eden together, my cardinal, free to explore as Adam and Eve.”

They walked together during his pompous speech until they reached the fountain in the center of the garden. It was a strangely simple fountain for such a grand garden, with four herrings spraying water into a pool. As soon as they neared it, Elizabeth snickered to herself. “We’re not as alone as you think,” she said with a short laugh.

Suddenly she reached to her back and drew a sword which Paula had neatly hidden, pointing the tip directly under the viscount’s chin. “It’s time for your true reckoning, Aleistor Chamber!” Elizabeth declared, unmoved by the fear in Viscount Druitt’s face. Seemingly out of nowhere, Agni, Sebastian, Ran Mao, Matilda, and Mei Rin emerged like spirits from the bushes, wrapping long ropes around the viscount’s body and securing him tightly to the fountain. From all around, the rest of the party appeared from the hedges; Undertaker, Bard, Finny, Prince Soma, Lau, Paula, and Ciel. Elizabeth approached Viscount Druitt and traced the point of her sword over his jugular. Smirking, she removed her mask and tossed it into the fountain at his feet.

#fanfic #fanfiction #my writing #write #writer #writing #black butler #black butler fanfiction #kuroshitsuji #kuroshitsuji fanfiction #the final curtain #sebaciel #matilda livesey #undertaker x oc #sebastian x meyrin #soma x lizzy #ciel x lizzy #viscount druitt

11 notes · View notes

grimalkinmessor · 6 years ago

Text

Newt sat stiffly in the metal chair he’d been tied to. He had schooled his face into an emotionless mask, but inside he was cursing himself. Albus had taught him better. Theseus had taught him better. And while Percival may have made his mistakes as well, he would have certainly known better.

But Newt had been desperate. It had been years since Theseus had pressured him into joining the Ministry Family, but he was still underestimated. Overlooked. Well, he supposed that was part of his job description, but still.

He was the best spy the Ministry had, and they hated to acknowledge it. So they put him down, stifled him, again and again. It was beyond patronizing. Irritating.

No one was telling him anything, his friend and old professor Albus had almost been killed, and Theseus had gone off on a secret mission that he couldn’t tell Newt anything about. So he decided to take matters into his own hands.

Somehow, he thought of approaching Nurmengard. Alone. Like an idiot.

Newt should have known something was up. There were only three guards around the entire perimeter, and he hadn’t even thought of casting a spell to check for more. Newt’s eyes were good, and he relied heavily on being able to go unnoticed by most people, but really, he should have at least checked. He hadn’t told anyone where he was going either, so he couldn’t count on a rescue.

The sound of squealing metal made Newt jerk a bit, just minutely, and his eyes darted up to see the lift grinding down from the cieling. He steeled himself and made sure his expression revealed nothing. Theseus had trained him well. Harshly, but well.

The gold lattice clanged to a halt and squeaked open. Newt held back a wince. The Dark Lord himself, Gellert Grindelwald, stepped out of the lift, a coy smile on his lips and his hands clasped behind his back.

“Hello, Newton,” Grindelwald mused as he made his way leisurely forward. “Welcome. Do you like the mountain?” Newt stayed silent, jaw tight and eyes icy. Grindelwald chuckled. “I prefer the tropics myself. Sand over snow. My Oma owned a private island, you know—small thing, nothing to boast of. One summer however, I went for a visit and discovered the place had been absolutely infested with rats.”

Newt swallowed. His glare sharpened.

Grindelwald took his hands apart and placed them in his cloak pockets. “They would ride over on the fishing boats and devour the coconuts. But how does one get rats off an island?” He held up a finger with a sly smile. “My Oma showed me. We buried an oil drum and changed the lid to one wired with coconut bait. Then, we left it. The rats would run to the coconut and,” He trailed his fingers down in a jerky flutter. “They would fall into the drum. And after a month? You have trapped all the rats.”

Confusion and apprehension swirled in Newt’s mind, but he didn’t let it phase him. The longer Grindelwald rambled on with pointless stories about rats, the more time Newt would have to figure things out. But Newt was oddly...enraptured with the story.

“But what do you do then? Throw the drum into the ocean? Burn it?” A grin curled Grindelwald’s lips and he shook his head. “No. You simply leave it. And then they begin to get hungry. Then, one by one—they start eating each other,”

Newt’s eyes flashed.

Grindelwald spread his hands as he waltzed into Newt’s space. “Until there are only two left. The two survivors. Then what? Do you kill them? No! You take them, and release them into the trees. But now they do not eat coconut anymore—they only eat rat. You have changed their nature.”

Something in Grindelwald’s posture changed then, softened and straightened at the same time. He stopped in front of Newt, looked down at him. “I have heard a lot about you, Newton. Your tenacity, your penchant for trouble, your apprenticeship to Albus,” He murmured, gaze dim and glittering. Lifting his chin, his eyes sharpened, searing. “The two survivors. This is what he made us.”

Newt met Grindelwald’s corybantic gaze with a cool stare of his own. His chest felt flinty. “I made my own choices.”

Grindelwald laughed then, a gritty thing. He wagged a playful finger at Newt. “You think you did. That is Albus’ genius. His master manipulation. Getting everyone else to do his dirty work for him.”

Theseus’ stern face flashed in his mind. Newt leveled Grindelwald with an unimpressed look, a copper curl in his eyes. “Godric’s Hollow. Ariana. He told me.”

“My late teen years, I remember. I had thought Albus easy—I was the most important thing in his world back then. But then he turned his back on me when I least expected it. And now he has you.” Grindelwald tipped his head, curious. “I wondered what it was about you. You are not nearly the wizard I am. A bit pathetic, if I am honest. A mess held together by his brother’s iron grip and few unruly pets in his basement.” It was a clear jibe. An pointed insult.

“Don’t forget my horrific love of muggles,” Newt drawled, unruffled.

Grindelwald laughed again, his condescending smirk morphing back into the glimmer from before. He leaned back and sat down in the chair placed across from Newt, hands folded in his lap. “You are still clinging to your faith in that old man,” He sighed. “When all he does is lie to you.”

“He never lied to me.”

“No?”

“No.” Newt answered immediately, perhaps a little more sharply than he’d meant to. He grit his teeth and soothed his ire down.

Grindelwald grinned. “Tell me, what did he say to you about the attack? Did he tell you to come after me?”

Newt stared forwards, resolutely not looking at him. “I came of my own accord.”

“No, you came of Albus’ accord.” Grindelwald leaned forward and fixed Newt with an intense stare. “Did he tell you that it was clearly me? That the Ministry would not take it seriously? That he had very few he could trust with the information that he had handed to you?”

Newt’s nails dug into his palms. That was exactly what Albus has told him. His silence was enough of an answer.

“And your brother.”

No.

“He prodded you into your position, yes? Told you they wanted you there?” Grindelwald shook his head. With a flick of his wrist he had a file in his hand. He let it fall open. “Newton Artemis Fido Scamander. Subject is uncooperative, unpredictable, and impulsive. Immediate suspension from government and traveling advised. Overridden by Theseus Apollo Fortem Scamander.” Newt chest froze. Grindelwald stood again, file thrown aside and arms up as if in question.

“What is this if not betrayal? Albus—not your brother, perhaps, but your mentor—sent you off to me, knowing you were not ready, knowing you would likely die—Albus is a very bad role model, Newton. He will lead you, blind mule that you are, to ruin.”

Grindelwald leaned down and curled his fingers around Newt’s collar, then down to flick open the buttons of his dress shirt. Newt tensed but kept his gaze level, breathing even. Lithe fingertips smoothed the right side of his shirt away to reveal the claw marks of a nundu. One that had gotten him expelled. One that Albus had known about.

The Dark Lord clicked his tongue and slid his palm almost pityingly along the gouges. “Oh, look what he has done to you.”

“Well, he never tied me to a chair.”

“His loss,” Grindelwald purred, pity vanished in the face of something sly. Something sensual. His fingertips trailed lightly over Newt’s chest to tap lovingly at his collarbones.

“Are you sure this about Albus?” Newt raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the hand tracing over his chest. Surely this man hadn’t gone through all that trouble to incriminate Albus, deprecate Newt’s confidence, just to try and seduce him? Perhaps without the ropes and the ever-close threat of painful death, it would have worked.

“It is about him,” He mused, a bit distractedly. “And you, and me. We are the last two rats on the island, Newton. So we can either eat each other...” He trailed off and cupped Newt’s neck, a thumb across his jaw. “Or we can eat everyone else.”

He smirked. Newt’s pulse was quick beneath his palm, the barest hint of a flush on his cheeks, hidden by freckles.

“Oh, how hard you are trying to remember your training now, hm? What is your Ministry’s regulation for this?” He slid his hands down to squeeze Newt’s thighs, slid them up and back to his knees. “Well, first time for everything.”

He expected a flush, perhaps anger or embarrassment. Grindelwald did not expect Newt to raise his eyebrows, lean forward, and murmur, “What makes you think this is my first time?”

Startled, but not one to be deterred, Grindelwald flourished a hand to his own chest with faux innocence. “Oh, Mr. Scamander. To find the physical things so dull!” He stepped back and swept around Newt to tap his wand to the ropes. They fell away and Newt quickly swung his arms around to rub at his wrists. Grindelwald smirked. “Ha! England, the empire. With their complacencies and corruption—ruin. You are living in their ruin as well; you just do not see it yet. At least here, there are no old Professors skating around orders, yes?”

Grindelwald walked away from Newt to stand in front of him again. “If you wanted, you could rise above them all, as I do. With me, you would be able to pick your own path, as you currently do, just without consequence. With praise. Name a place, name a person, and you may go. You could live a life without restrictions, Newton.”

“Just your restrictions, you mean?” Newt muttered, eyes narrowed.

“You wound me, Newton,” The Dark Lord was amused. He stretched an arm out. “I offer you a way out of Albus’ web, a way to freedom, and how you scorn me.” He spun on heel and tipped his head meaningfully. “Come. Perhaps if I show you what I mean, you will see sense.”

Newt bit down on the caustic remark that wanted to escape and stood. He followed after Grindelwald silently.

He wasn’t the Ministry’s best for nothing, after all.

For @needycharcoal

#grindelnewt #skyfall #spy!newt #gellert grindelwald #newt scamander #fbawtft #fbcog #needycharcoal

87 notes · View notes

clavis-est-fatum · 6 years ago

Note

Abandoned Mask

Abandoned Mask : Meet a muse I’ve had in the past that I no longer roleplay.

{• I’m not sure how I’m supposed to do this tbh, but I used to RP Ciel Phantomhive from Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler. I’ve thought about reopening his blog because I kinda miss him lol! ANyway here’s a small sample of me writing him. Putting it under read more because it’s kinda long and includes some Finny I also wrote whoops. •}

“…Sebastian told you to get rid of these?” Ciel finally acknowledged the boy, turning his body slowly to face him. In all honestly, Finny had surprised Ciel slightly, but the small twitch of his body had gone unnoticed, “Yes…’m sorry, but I just thought…well they’re so pretty! and all…” Finny grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, “’m so sorry, young master…” “Oh…no…you needn’t apologize. I’m not angry at you. I was just…curious. I had a feeling that was the case…I mean they were hard to find. You did a wonderful job hiding them…” Ciel twisted the flower he had in his hand slowly, glancing down at the half of the blossom that was still left, “You’ve taken great care of them too. No thorns…how often do you check on them?” Finny tilted his head in mild surprise, a smile ever present on his face, “Oh! Everyday! I was tryin’ to maybe use ‘em as practice! I want to be able to care for your garden all on my own without messin’ it up! If I can do that, Mister Sebastian won’t have to worry about it~!” Ciel’s eyes widened slightly. It was amazing how much each of the servants seemed to adore Sebastian. How absurd the idea was to Ciel; liking Sebastian and admiring everything he did. Of course, they were ignorant, unlike Ciel. They had no idea what he truly was, “I see…you’re doing a fine job, then. I’m sure you’ll make a fine gardener with a bit of practice as you say…but I do have one request,” Finny unintentionally leaned forward, watching his young master with eager eyes, “Anything Young Master! Just say the word and I’ll have it done!” He chirped with a grin. It was fairly obvious just how devoted Finny was to Ciel. The boy was a savior in Finny’s eyes and he’d give his life to protect the small Earl and his home, “Plant some of the roses around the garden. You do such a nice job taking care of them it’d be a waste not to see them in bloom around the garden…" Ciel allowed a smile to grace his features as he spoke. The gardener’s face lit up and he straightened, attempting a short salute with his hand, "Yes, my lord!” With a triumphant laugh, Finny ran off to go and replant the rest of the flowers, jumping and grinning as he went.

#;ask #;ask answered #ventyven

2 notes · View notes

pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer · 6 years ago

Text

Mega Man ZX Termination

Part 7

Fleuve stepped into the training bay and glanced about. It appeared to be empty, but the lights were still on, and it was where Aile had said she would be…

“Aile?” he called. “Are you here?”

There was no response.

“Aile?”

“Yeah?”

Fleuve jumped. He turned and looked up, seeing Aile merged with Model PX and hanging upside down from the ceiling, a smug grin quite visible beneath her mask.

“Don’t do that!” he grumbled. “Surprising a man my age—you should know better!”

Aile dropped to the floor, crouching as she touched down and resting her head in one hand. “Oh, hush. A little fun isn’t gonna kill you. Anyway, what brings you down here?”

Still looking very annoyed, Fleuve walked past her to the nearest bench. “Thought you might want to know...I’ve made a minor breakthrough in decrypting Ciel’s research data.”

Aile shot up. “Really?”

“I’ve been able to analyze the encryption that Prairie used, and it’s one that I know how to break. But I will need more time to find and execute the exact right solution.”

“That’s great news! Prairie will have a pleasant surprise to wake up to.”

“She shouldn’t be too surprised I figured it out,” Fleuve scoffed.

Aile waved dismissively, saying, “Right, whatever.”

“But I have noticed something odd now that I know what I’m looking at. The data appears to be sectioned off, with slightly different encryption on each individual piece. It seems Ciel left behind quite a bit after all…but my point is, each piece will need to be decrypted individually. I can’t say how soon we’ll have total access.”

Aile nodded, and then looked upward silently. Fleuve sighed.

“Also…what about the boy?”

Turning to him, she said, “Hm? You mean Grey? What about him?”

“He’s been working that Legion job for over a week now, and we haven’t heard from him.”

Aile gasped. “Fleuve…are you actually worried about Grey?”

“Don’t be absurd,” Fleuve sneered. “But if the brat gets imprisoned or killed, we’re going to be shorthanded for Thomas’s next scheme.”

“Happy thoughts, those,” Aile murmured. “I’ve got Guardians nearby, and they’ve caught enough glimpses to know that he’s okay. You know contacting us from in there wouldn’t be easy. He’s only to call if there’s an emergency—no change is good…”

She trailed off, turning away from Fleuve. The old man said, “Nonetheless. Thomas hasn’t acted, and Grey hasn’t found anything of use. How long is this stalemate going to go on for?”

Aile crossed her arms as she thought. After a few seconds, she deactivated her Megamerge, and the six Biometals began to float in a ring around her.

“Let’s rush in and level the place!” Model F said. “We’ll take Thomas by surprise, and leave him with no way of striking back!”

“F, you need to think of the collateral damage that would entail,” X said. “There are hundreds of people working in Legion HQ—there’s no need for them to get hurt.”

“I think we should continue to wait it out,” L said. “With Grey there, we have eyes and ears on the inside and can react as soon as Thomas tries anything. It’s the safest route.”

“Is it, though?” Z asked. “We’ve gotten lucky so far, but if we keep letting Thomas make the first move we’ll always stay one step behind. Taking back the initiative might put us in a better position.”

“Yeah, so let’s attack!” F said.

“Hold on,” H said. “We still don’t know what to expect. Thomas has had years to craft this plan, and has been unusually silent since requesting Grey at his base of operations. That’s more than enough time to steel his defenses.”

Z muttered, “Of course. Isn’t that how we got Grey inside in the first place? His heavy hitter is on our side.”

“But he’s likely hired others, others who have no idea what they’ve gotten into,” X said. “A frontal assault is too reckless.”

“Right,” L said, “so again: let’s just wait. Sure it’s boring to stay on defense, but what’s the alternative?”

Aile glanced at Model P. The purple Biometal simply floated in silence, facing directly at her. With a shrug, she said, “Well…we’ll just get around the defenses and go straight to Thomas. You and I can handle that, right P?”

“It would be exceedingly simple,” P replied. “The perfect solution to our dilemma, really.”

“Oh, shut up,” L said. “You act like getting in without a single person noticing is a walk in the park.”

“It will be.”

H said, “You underestimate our foe…but I must admit, your talents do seem well-suited to this situation.”

“Well, better than sitting around doing nothin’,” F said.

X turned to regard P, and then faced Aile once again. “Yes…I think that would be best. We shouldn’t just leave Thomas to do as he pleases. But Aile, you must be careful: if we are spotted even once—“

“I’ve got this!” Aile interrupted. “Don’t worry so much, X. No one but Thomas will even know we’re there.”

Fleuve cleared his throat. “Seems you’ve decided?”

Spinning to face him, Aile said, “Yep! I’ll warp to the nearest Transerver and make my way in—tell the pilots to head in that general direction just in case I need back-up, but not too quickly. We don’t want Thomas to see the ship closing in and get suspicious.”

“Why would we need back-up if no one will know we’re there?” X groaned.

“I mean, we won’t need it,” Aile said, “just, you know…never hurts to be prepared.”

“That’s not very reassuring.”

Aile grabbed Model P and headed for the door. “C’mon, P. Looks like some people need to see to believe!”

***

“Perhaps it would have been wiser to train a bit longer,” Model P said.

Aile leapt from one of several expensive-looking chandeliers to another, keeping a close eye on the guards patrolling below. As they moved away from her, she whispered, “Hey, we’ve made it this far! Quit complaining.”

“We’ve nearly been detected five times.”

“And I escaped detection every time! I didn’t say it would be perfect, the point is it’s working! Now can I get some quiet?”

Aile made it to the far side of the room and checked the guards again. She waited until none of them were looking her way, and then silently dropped to the floor, ducking into a hallway with a lower ceiling and keeping her eyes and ears peeled. With Model PX active she could sense the general layout of her surrounding area and the presence of nearby lifeforms, but she had learned long ago that relying too much on that sense would get her into trouble. So, even though she didn’t sense anything ahead, she opted to be as careful as she possibly could.

“…Isn’t this strange?” X asked. “If Thomas is worried Aile might attack, then I would expect to see more guards.”

“Too many guards would get conspicuous,” Z said. “He still has the eyes of the public on him, and seeing Legion HQ crawling with security could make people nervous.”

“Even still, none of these hallways seem to have any security—only the wide-open areas where it’s easy to evade their line of sight. Isn’t it a bit too easy?”

“Maybe he was expecting a frontal assault over a sneak attack,” L said. “If we came in guns blazing he’d have time to mobilize more troops, so maybe they’re all on standby somewhere else.”

“Hm…maybe…”

“We’ve almost reached Thomas’s office,” P said. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

Aile came to a door and paused. A guard was on the other side, pacing slowly; when he was facing away, Aile threw the door open and clamped her arm around his neck, pulling him back and rendering him unconscious. She bounded up the now-unguarded stairs and down another short hallway, coming to a stop in a rather large room with a skylight and tall double doors on the wall farthest from her.

“Here we are,” Aile said. “Now we just need to—“

She whipped around. Someone was coming. Aile scaled the wall quickly and then leapt for the edge of the skylight, clinging to the ceiling just next to it and flattening herself as best she could. She watched the entrance as footsteps drew closer, even creating a shuriken in one hand in case she needed it. The guard walked in a few seconds later.

“You sure?” Grey asked as he passed under the skylight. “I don’t see anyone here.”

“I’m positive I heard something!” Model A said. “Take a closer look!”

Aile narrowed her eyes. Right, should’ve figured Thomas would want to save a Mega Man as his last line of defense. So…do I tell him, and we break in together?

Grey sat down in front of the door. “If someone’s here, they’ll show themselves soon enough. Let’s just wait.”

X might’ve just been worrying too much about the lack of guards…but, Thomas knows what we’re capable of. He made it easy for me to get all the Biometals back, so he knows exactly what skills are at my disposal. It would make more sense for him to prepare for every possibility…which could mean he wanted me to sneak in like this…

“Who could get this far, though?” A asked. “You’d think we would have heard about an intruder by now.”

…If this is part of Thomas’s strategy…then maintaining Grey’s cover could be a useful backup plan. I don’t have anything to lose by being cautious on this one.

Grey said, “Yeah, that’s why I think you were just hearing things. I mean, who would even—“

He cut himself off as Aile struck the side of the skylight with her shuriken. She jumped down as he looked up, delaying her throw just enough that he had time to Megamerge and leap out of the way.

“Aile?!”

“So, that’s how it is!” Aile declared, pointing dramatically at Grey. “You’ve taken Legion’s side! I’m sorry, Grey, but I won’t let you stop me! If you’re my enemy, then I’ll fight you!”

Grey stared at her for a moment. “What are you…”

Aile switched to Model ZX, brandishing her saber. “Take this! HA!”

Grey jumped backwards. Aile struck the floor, then backed up a half-step, and then ran forward to make another clumsy swing. Grey seemed to understand as he ducked, because he fired a shot that missed Aile by quite a bit.

“Um, Aile!” he declared as she backed away. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but, uh, i-it’s my job to guard this place, so…I’ll do what must be done!”

Yeah, he’s got it.

Purple light shone from Grey’s buster. Aile kept moving backwards to stay out of its range, firing her own weapon with every step and only landing a few glancing blows. Eventually she bumped into the wall, and Grey charged. Leaping up, she narrowly avoided the targeting beam, and when she landed she pointed her pistol at Grey’s back. The boy rolled aside to dodge the blast, and then began firing wildly as he circled around. Aile took a hit to her shoulder and stumbled back. Readying her sword, she began to deflect the bullets and moved at the same pace Grey did, maintaining the distance between them until she stepped under the skylight; the sun glinted off her armor, temporarily blinding Grey, and Aile used the opportunity to bound forward and execute a diving slash, not hitting Grey directly but kicking up some loose debris that bowled him over.

“Give up!” Aile said, pointing her saber at him. “You can’t defeat me!”

Grey rolled his eyes. He moved his buster, but then paused for a moment. Aile held a defensive stance, but when the pause seemed to go on too long, she cleared her throat and started forward. A flash of light enveloped Grey, and when it faded, Aile was staring at a perfect duplicate of herself.

“Then maybe this will turn the tables!” Grey said as he locked swords with the real Aile.

Aile felt a chill run down her blade and through her spine. She didn’t let her face show it, but a deep unease swelled in her heart, tensing her muscles and making her next swing short and slow. Grey dodged easily, activating his buster pistol and shooting her in the side. Aile grimaced as she stepped back.

“Er…not bad!” she said. “But let’s see how well your imitation holds up to the real deal!”

She feinted, drawing Grey’s attention, and then made a high swing that Grey just narrowly ducked under. He moved to counterattack, but Aile was closed enough now to kick him in the midsection, sending him rolling back while she charged her buster. The shot hit the wall—Grey was already moving again, dashing in close to use a rising cut that very nearly met its mark. Aile hopped back and took her pistol in both hands. She lunged, swinging the weapon horizontally as if she was shifting it to its sword form and prompting Grey to parry. He took the bait, and she landed a clean shot on his helmet, sending him sprawling. Aile chuckled to herself. When she realized that, she frowned darkly, but quickly caught herself.

“Is that the best you can do?” she asked, spinning her pistol around her fingers. “I’ve wasted enough time here!”

She faced the door to Thomas’s office and took a step. Grey dashed between her and her goal, glowing as he came to a stop, and emerged in the form of a massive, blue and white machine that barely fit in the room, its enormous, icy teeth snapping directly in Aile’s face.

“Think again!” he bellowed.

A whirring sound could be heard. Aile jumped back as Grey opened his maw, narrowly dodging the bladed wheel that shot out at her. She aimed at the side of his face, but he spun around with surprising speed, using his tail to smack her into the wall before facing her again. Though a bit dazed, Aile got moving: icicles were flying at her, burying themselves deeply in the wall when she stumbled clear of them.

He’s taking this a bit seriously…

Aile returned to Model PX and threw a kunai at the corner of Grey’s mouth. He snapped his jaws shut, and then Aile came forward and grabbed onto his nose, clinging tightly as he opened again so that she would be flung up and land directly on top of her foe’s head. Grey did his best to dislodge her, but she held fast nonetheless. Eventually, Grey transformed again, leaving empty space beneath Aile and forcing her to make a hard landing on the floor. She looked up to see Grey in the body of Siarnaq. Rolling back, she avoided a storm of kunai, and then retaliated with some of her own; Grey knocked each of her knives out of the air, and then he formed a shuriken in each hand and leapt forward as Aile raised her hands. A barrier of solid energy wrapped around Aile, blocking Grey’s attack but vanishing instantly, and then she grabbed him by the neck and hurled him to the other side of the room.

“Ah, that’s more like it!” Aile declared.

Grey next took on Atlas’s form, so Aile merged with Model FX. The two ran forward and punched, meeting each other perfectly and causing a wave of fire to burst out from them. They backed up and swung again, and again, matching each other blow for blow until Grey aimed at the floor. Aile held her ground as a wave of fire sprang up from the point of impact—not only that, she leaned forward to throw her own downward punch, this one colliding with Grey’s head and smashing it into the floor. Aile paused to laugh, giving her opponent enough time to recover. Activating A-Trans again, Grey shapeshifted into a vulture-like robot carrying an electric guitar, a sight that stunned Aile long before a blast of weaponized sound rammed into her. Getting back on her feet, Aile switched to Model HX and began dashing away, but Grey’s wings lit up and he lifted off the ground, shooting forward through the air after her. Aile tried to bank off a corner to take the advantage, but Grey swung his guitar up and knocked her off-balance, and then another blast of sound grounded her. Her ears were ringing as she worked to get upright.

“Um, you should give it up, Aile,” Grey said as he landed nearby. “If you surrender now, there might still be…a way for this to turn out…well…for you…”

Aile grinned. “I’ll agree on one thing…this has gone on long enough!”

She swung her arm as she switched to Model LX, allowing her to hurl its halberd the second it formed. The polearm buried itself in Grey’s guitar, flustering him and giving Aile the chance she needed: she bounded forward and punched Grey across the face, and after yanking her weapon back out, she swung it around, sent him flying. A quick blast of ice froze him to the wall, and Aile allowed herself a quick sigh. Grey didn’t say anything.

“You fought valiantly, Grey! But it’s over! I’ll be on my way, now.”

Figuring that was the end of their performance, Aile turned and began walking towards the door. She stopped when she heard A-Trans activate. Turning around, Aile found Pandora locking eyes with her, the ice that trapped her falling away bit by bit. Instinctively, she switched to Model ZX.

“It’s over, Grey,” she insisted. “Walk away while you still can!”

Grey lifted his staff. Two pieces of his helmet detached and levitated to either side of him, floating farther away as energy began to build up around them. Blasts of ice and thunder came at Aile, and she carefully dodged each one, trying to work her way over to Grey. The blasts changed their angle quickly, however, forcing her back; she switched to Model HX and tried using its maneuverability to circumvent the attacks, but all it did was drive her up towards the skylight. Grey pointed his staff at her.

“Disappear,” he said.

Aile’s eyes widened as a massive blast of electricity came at her. There was no time to dodge, so in the split-second available to her—

KA-BOOOM!

The blast detonated on contact, blowing out the skylight and raining sparks and glass down on the room. Grey stared blankly up as the smoke cleared, and when it did, Aile was nowhere to be seen. A few moments later, a look of horror crossed his face, and he returned to his normal form and ran over to the center of the room. Before he could do anything else, a loud creaking sound reached his ears.

“My word,” Master Thomas said as he emerged. “It would seem you’ve learned some new skills as of late, Grey.”

“U-Um, yeah,” Grey said. “S-Sorry about the mess.”

Thomas shook his head. “Nothing to worry about. I cannot tell you how grateful I am, Grey—even when faced with your old friend, a fellow Mega Man, you honored our agreement and fought to defend me. Thank you.”

Grey nodded, a short, jerking motion. “Right, right. You’re welcome.”

“Why don’t you go get some rest? I’ll call someone else to take care of the cleanup.”

Grey thanked him and hurried off, and Thomas headed back into his office, shutting the doors behind him. He crossed the wide-open room to where a desk sat, and then stood there perfectly still. It wasn’t long before the window shattered, and Aile came crashing into the room. She rolled to her feet, pointed her ZX Buster at Thomas, and then froze as she caught her breath. Thomas didn’t even face her.

“Master Thomas,” Aile said, slowly walking towards him. “If you’re not busy, I was hoping we could have a word with you.”

Finally turning to look at her, Master Thomas folded his hands and regarded her with a cold, clinical gaze. Aile stopped mid-step.

“I must say, Aile, I’m surprised you waited so long to launch your attack,” Thomas said. “Perhaps you’re a bit more rational than I thought you were. An excellent show, by the way—maintaining Grey’s innocence was quite the tactical decision…if ultimately futile.”

“…So you knew? Then why’d you hire Grey for this security gig?”

“I still needed a chance to observe Model A up close. But, I believe I have enough data now. His services will no longer be required.” Thomas held out one hand. “Well then. Where shall we begin?”

Aile adjusted her grip on her pistol. “Well, I’d say I’ve used up most of patience already. Why don’t you just tell me what your plan is and why you think I should let you get away with it? Or, we could always just go straight to the part where I take you away if you’d prefer.”

Thomas shook his head, turning his back on Aile. “It would seem you haven’t changed much after all. Hmph. Disgraceful. Humanoids are the result of over 400 years of cumulative scientific breakthroughs, and still they cannot grow beyond the same stubborn limitations that have always plagued beings of this world.”

Gritting her teeth, Aile said, “Oh, right, you want to ‘reset the world’ or whatever. Just what is it that makes you any different from Albert?”

“Albert was a fool. What he saw as ‘resetting’ was just continuing the stagnant trend this world has been locked into for centuries, pushing it further into decline and handing the reigns off to whoever he decided should have them. I hear that his Model W drove him to nearly give up his plan and simply destroy the world. Fitting, for that is exactly what a ‘Mega Man King’ would have ultimately done.” Thomas looked up at the ceiling. “I, on the other hand…seek to truly start things anew. I aim to wipe the slate clean and begin a new world from nothing. No Reploids. No robots. No humans. Only what comes next.”

Aile squinted at him. “…And what exactly ‘comes next’?”

Thomas laughed. “Curiosity—good. You’re not a complete waste.”

“My gosh, do you even know what a straight answer is? Look: I know you’re trying to make your own Biometal, same as Albert. Is that what you’re planning to build your new world out of?”

Thomas sighed. Facing Aile, he asked, “Aile…do you know where your name came from?”

Aile blinked. “My…what the hell are you on about?”

“Parents don’t often realize how the name the give their child reflects back upon them. You see, I was named after a distant ancestor of mine: a scientist who lived before our current recorded history, but whose notes my family have been able to preserve and keep hidden away all this time. He was a man truly ahead of his time, a genius even by our modern standards. It is because of him that the world as we know it exists.”

Thomas frowned then, every line in his face darkening as his eyes burned with frightful intensity.

“It was his name I was given. A call to the far reaches of time, pleading for someone else to be here in my place. Do you know what that is like, Aile? To live your entire life in the shadow of such greatness, to know that it is the standard to which you will forever be measured? To know that no matter how much you achieve, and how far you go, all you will ever do is confined within the world created by someone who you were asked to be…yet could not?”

Aile gaped at him for a moment. “Seriously? That’s your tragic backstory? Wow, yeah, now I’m definitely glad I never bother to ask.”

Thomas turned sharply. “Fine, mock me. But do not call my story a tragic one. When my plan is complete, the world of my ancestor will be brought to an end, and a world of my making will come to stand in its place. My story will be one of triumph—I demand it to be so.”

Aile loudly stepped forward, keeping her gun pointed at Thomas. “Take it easy. Let’s say I believe you: if everything in this world can be traced back to your ancestor, then doesn’t that hold true for Biometal too? Why build a plan around it?”

“You misunderstand,” Thomas said. “I am using Biometal for only the first part of my plan. The second phase will be entirely of my own design.”

“Right, first phase being…?”

“The destruction of the current world. It will be done using the very technology that birthed it, the only end that is fitting. Time and again, the Reploids derived from my ancestor’s design have nearly brought this world to ruin—even if I did not will it, this lineage of technology would still bring about its own end. I will only quicken it, and build the next world once it is done.”

As Aile tried to make sense of this, she heard Model X say, “Aile…I think, maybe…he’s telling the truth about his ancestor.”

“What? Does that even matter right now?”

“You don’t understand, Aile. All Reploids…they were made using my original body as a basis. This world is derived from the achievements of one man…the man who created me…”

Thomas smiled at Aile. “That’s right, X. I may have needed to study the other Biometals, but capturing you was never necessary. I already have all the notes I need on you.”

“…So I guess this is like a family reunion for you, huh?” Aile said. “Sorry to say, X, I’m not a fan of your relatives.”

X paused a moment, and then quietly said, “This could be my chance…to finally learn more about my creator. I’ve had so many questions for so long…”

Aile was taken by surprise for a moment. Shaking it off, she said, “Well, you’ll have plenty of time to talk once we take him in. Fascinating as this all is, Thomas, none of it changes the facts. You’re trying to destroy the world. It’s my job to protect it. Now, let’s go.”

For a few moments, silence covered the room. Then, to Aile’s surprise, Thomas took a step forward. She now noticed that he carried a sheathed sword. “And what are you going to do if I do not cooperate?”

Aile pulled down the trigger of her pistol, letting a charge build up. “Then I’ll stop you by force.”

“Please, surrender peacefully,” X said. “There’s no need for any life to be lost today!”

Thomas took another step forward. “I would rather die than give up. The thing that I’ve yearned for my entire life is finally within my grasp, and you expect me to just relinquish it like that?”

“Don’t be an idiot!” Aile said. “Just put your hands—“

Thomas didn’t wait for her to finish. He drew his blade, and in a flash, he rushed forward and aimed for Aile’s face. Automatically, Aile released the trigger. The barrel had been pointed straight at Thomas’s head.

At first, all she could do was stare. She was in shock. But slowly, her brain began to process what she was looking at, and she dropped her pistol and stumbled over backwards.

“Aile…” X said. “He’s…”

“I-I didn’t…m-mean to,” Aile stammered. “H-He…I was just…”

She sat there in silence for a minute.

“Well,” Z said, “that’s that, I suppose. C’mon. Let’s collect Grey and go home.”

Slowly, Aile got to her feet. There was a pause before she deactivated her Megamerge.

“Z,” X said, “how can you just dismiss this?!”

“What else would I do?” Z replied. “Aile had to defend herself. This is hardly the first time we’ve had to do that.”

“It is the first time we’ve killed a human,” H muttered. “I believe that’s worth noting, at least.”

“So what? Society has spent the last couple centuries doing their best to blur the line between human and Reploid, to make them truly equal. Are you saying it’s still fine to kill all the Reploids we’ve been fighting, but humans deserve more protection?”

“Of course not!” X said. “No life should just be thrown away like this! There should never be a need to kill anyone!”

“X,” Z said. “Aile gave him plenty of warning. He chose to die. That’s all there is to it.”

Aile held up her hands. She watched them shake for a moment, and then buried her face in them. “He wasn’t a combatant…if I had just subdued him right away, this wouldn’t have—“

“Aile, cut it out,” Z said. “You’ve got nothing to feel guilty over.”

Aile looked back to Thomas’s corpse. “This…isn’t the kind of Mega Man…I want to be…”

Suddenly, the lights in the office went out. Before Aile could even react, a terrible screeching sound pierced the air, forcing her to clamp her hands over her ears in an attempt to block it out. The sound slowly went away, and she became aware of a screen on Thomas’s desk that was now lit up.

“How touching,” said a voice that come from the device. “But there is no need to grieve, Mega Man. Save your tears for the death of your world.”

Aile’s eyes widened. “M…Master Thomas?!”

“Did you really think I would face you without precaution? I was fully prepared for you to strike me down—in fact, that is exactly what I needed. My body had grown frail and weak, rendering it useless even with all the enhancements available to me. I needed a new one…however, my soul did require an extra push to make the change.”

The blank light on the screen gave way to an image. A figure stood there, eight feet tall and covered from head to toe in red and purple armor. The face atop it looked human, save for the glowing red light that poured from its eyes, and its features were unmistakable.

“This,” Thomas said, “is what my new world will look like. But I am afraid this small glimpse is all I can afford you at the moment, Aile. While I have gathered much data from the Biometal you so graciously loaned me, I feel a bit more testing is required before I construct my final weapon. You have been so very helpful thus far…I would be honored if you would continue to lend me your aid.”

Four smaller windows appeared in the corners of the screen, each showing a different location with coordinates listed beneath.

“Four Pseudoroids have been set loose at these locations. They have no orders, no goals…no restrictions. They are free to do whatever they please. Some are closer to human settlements than others, but none are especially far. I wonder what how they will end up behaving?”

It was a bit much for Aile to take in. She could feel something rising up within her, but whatever it was, she was disconnected with it somehow, unable to truly feel what it was.

“I look forward to seeing what results our work turns up, Aile,” Thomas said. “We will meet again, when the time is right.”

The screen shut off. Aile remained where she stood, staring at it silently as she tried to bring the world back into focus.

“Aile!” X said. “We need to get moving!”

She could start to feel it now.

“Let’s bring Fleuve down here to inspect the terminal,” Z said. “I’m sure he can extract those coordinates, and we can plan how to proceed from there.”

Yes, she could feel it quite clearly. She gripped the desk and hunched over, clenching her teeth as he entire body started to shake.

“Aile?” X asked. “Aile!”

It was all too much for her. Aile reared back, faced the ceiling, and screamed at the top of her lungs.

#Mega Man ZX #fanfiction #Aile #Termination

5 notes · View notes

forlornprodigy · 6 years ago

Text

⊰ 𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖊 ⊱

The Phantomhive manor was at rest, it already night time and the young noble child had already been put to bed my his loyal butler Sebastian. His day consisted of nothing but work and restless business deal, although for a young age like his dealing with stressful work was enough to make him dreadfully exhausted at the end of the day – thankfully the devil always had a way of making his meal calm, in other way to say why would be want to torment his precious meal and cause him more stress? At any rate the best thing he could do was give him is favourite cup of Earl Grey tea with a few night snacks. But Sebastian had spoiled the young Earl tonight, he wasn’t allowed to have snacks in the night due to the fact that sugar would make him stay up and make him feel restless in the morning. Everything was scheduled, it wouldn’t be too good if something went out of line or out of schedule. The young bluenette was just a mere teenager, fourteen years old meant that he wasn’t just a child but rather a teenager – but to some people he was still just a baby, sitting in an adults chair playing the noble Earl; but little did they know who ever wished to mess with Ciel would be screaming for mercy – it was a mere cruel game both the sinner and the devil loved to play.

But now Ciel was tucked into his bed, sound asleep finally while everyone else in the manor was also in a slumber; besides Sebastian. Demons did not sleep, it was more of a luxury, but the demon himself could not rest when he had to prepare for the next morning, instead he stayed up and took care of his own business and prepared other things just to keep himself tidy. Although despite him being busy the young Earl was feeling rather unpleasant now, but now that both of them were separated from each one none of them knew what will happen to them. At the moment the young noble child could have a nightmare without the demon even knowing, sadly he won’t be there for him to cure his nightmare.

If you enter the bedroom of the sleeping Earl you would see a bump on the bed, and under those covers was the little noble of darkness curled up under those blankets, burrowed and tucked away from everyone. But suddenly his breathing pattern changed, he began to pant and breath a lot faster and heavier – slightly squirming around he furrowed his brows; it was a mere nightmare from his past, and sadly there was no one around him to wake him up before the worst would happen.

“Let me go, don’t touch me!” The young Earl yelled, squirming around and trying to be released from the grip of the other people whom wore masks and capes; the only visible sight he could see was their cruel devious grins, those smirks made him sick and he couldn’t possible imagine what they will do to him. Ciel kept yelling, squirming, kicking his legs and doing anything possible to be released from their grip. Unfortunately he was too weak, at any rate the only thing he could do was scream and hope that nothing would happen to him, but sadly he had no more positive thoughts – no superhero was going to save him, no angel, no one. He was alone now, and he would have to endure the pain.

“Stop it, it hurts! Don’t! Please it hurts stop!” Ciel screamed, arching his back and throwing his head back he kept screaming as loud as he could from the pain he was now receiving. He wasn’t going to open his eyes, he did not want to see the faces of those cruel perverted people – by his best guess is that they were smiling and grinning right now, because he definitely heard their laughter. Although the young bluenette could no longer hold it in, fighting back tears for so long without breaking he had finally broke into pieces, tears were streaming down his pale bruised base – screaming, crying and his body violently shook; this was too much for him to handle, at the moment he wished he was dead…– he wasn’t going to be able to endure this any longer. He never understood why he deserved this, his had a loving family and he was still just so innocent, still so young and still so pure – but now that all changed, now being completely nude and enduring the most painful thing he had ever gotten in his entire life he slowly felt the darkness surround him, his innocence was gone now – and there was nothing he could do to take it back.

“Ah!” The young noble child widened his eyes, his body jolted and he sat on the bed, all the while he threw the bed sheets aside and screamed in fright. At the moment he couldn’t tell himself that it was just a simple nightmare and how it wasn’t real, that did not apply to him anymore because that did in fact happen to him – it was like a cinematic record being put on repeat to that event, playing it over and over again in his mind, tormenting the young boy. Screaming and panting he had somehow manged to fall of the bed as he tried to fight the ‘people’ away, sadly he did not know which was reality or a simple nightmare – it was a fragment of his imagination. Although without even realizing that he was now int he arms of the demon.

With a terrifying look he peered his eyes open once again, capturing the demons crimson orbs he looked at the demon completely aware of what just happened, although with the way Sebastian’s arms wrapped around his frail body wasn’t just a simple gesture – it was some sort of sense of protection. Suddenly the demon placed the Earl’s head against his chest, his ear right against his chest as he heard the demons heartbeat – it was calm and soothing, hearing the beats of his heart calmed in some sort of way; soon enough his own heart beat had the exact same rhythm as his. No words were needed now, nothing needed to be said to reassure that this was just all a nightmare, Ciel was aware that he had a nightmare and he didn’t need to tell his own butler whom knew him more than he knew himself. But the night was still young, and the Earl was not releasing his grip from the demon, instead he kept listening to his heart beat and curled his dainty fingers around his suit; gently resting against the demon both of the being stayed like that – with Sebastian’s arms around the young and frail boy, and the young frail bluenette clung to the demon desperately while resting his head against his chest.

At the end of the day they always ended up in each others arms, and that’s how it always going to be.

#【 ( IC; ) PRATTLE. 】#tw #long post

2 notes · View notes

the-letter-horror-lover · 3 years ago

Text

Syrenne turns hearing the alarms sound from inside the estate, her eyes flitting back to the demon before. Gone is Sebastian's look of complete rage, replaced with a confident grin. His arms are folded over his chest eying her like a bored instructor may a sleeping student. His demeanor was like night and day, like taking off a mask.

"Something wrong Syrenne?" He asks, thin lips curling in question, he's amused because he knows something she doesn't.

A Trick.

The she-devil sneers, "It doesn't matter because your out there. You may think you have the upper hand Michaëlis but you don't, you don't have anything! Now if you'll excuse me I think I've a naughty kitten to correct." A grin of wild insanity breaks across her face. " you know when I'm done I'll be sure to bring you the leftovers."

Sebastian narrows his eyes, not quite loosing his edge but still hoping his plan has worked. Ciel is smart enough to know if he sent Dante there is a reason he didn't come himself. Although, in his mates current stat the crow can not be to sure if the once earl will be lucid enough to make the connection. All he can do is hope that in the commotion the barriers key will be destroyed enough for him to enter.

As much confidence as he has in Ciel; Syrenne is a predator with nothing to loose. She knows her plan is disintegrating in her hands and she will not allow herself to be on the losing end again. She will take any semblance of victory she can, and killing Ciel would do that.

The panther stalks down through the halls as the sound of thundering footsteps' grows louder. A pair of large icy blue eyes flash fuchsia in the darken halls as fine Italian marble is coated in a sheet of ice.

Ahead the guard skid to a halt, looking with fearful eyes at the massive creature slowly prowling toward them. One of the guard raises a gun in his trembling hands. However before he can shoot a small flash of black races down the hall and leaps at the mans hand.

Dante's fangs sink deep in the flesh of the mans palm causing the gun to shoot up into the ceiling and his arm to fling wildly.

Ciel's roar shakes the display cases and cracks the glass.

The little cat is thrown of by her attacker and strikes the wall with a hard thud. The men realize there mistake in harming the small animal as the demon cat launches at them. There is the repeated echo of gunshots in the enclosed space. The sounds turn to pitching screams as they are torn limb from limb and blood paints the walls.

Misha watches from a security camera upstairs in his office, his hands shake violently before the man flings a crystal decanter of liquor at the wall. When he looks back at the video feed the beast is gone. "Syrenne!"

"Sic vis pacem para bellum - if you want peace, prepare for war."

― A.J. Darkholme, Rise of the Morningstar

Chapter 20: Rage of a Serpent

Chapter Text

Syrenne stalked down the hall her heels clicking on the hardwood, or rather stomping on it as her gate was as agitated, the thick burnish aura coming off her in waves. She had planned everything to the letter and yet again that damn crow had managed to ruin all of her hard work. She should have killed them both outright, but no she wanted to savor this like a fine wine. She wanted to see the look on that ravens face as she crushed his very heart.

How dare that little blue haired nuisance ruin her plans!

This was all Ciel Phantomhive’s fault, Misha’s little pet had become a liability that she would have to correct.

Before she could go down and amend the problem a certain bumbling human rounded a corner, his hands shaking as they grabbed her shoulders.

“Syrenne! You must protect me!” Misha cowered, his face ashen with worry as another chorus of screams lit from the lower levels of the estate. More of his staff being slaughtered by the demon panther as he made is way up through the Estates lower level.

The she-devil looked bored as her eyes flitted to where the human’s palms clutched at her desperately. With a delicate hand as is flicking of an offensive incest she plucked his grip away from her person. “Misha dear your wrinkling the Dior,” she stated impassively, brushing past him.

The man sputtered where he stood and shouted after her, “I don’t care about your damned clothes you promised me that that demon would be immobile and now he’s gone on the lose, he means to kill me don‘t you understand?!”

Syrenne looked over her shoulder, eyes flashing dangerously. “Foolish mortal, I never promised you anything. In-fact I believe I said once Ciel was captured he was then your problem. I never gave a damn about that runt. The only reason I’m going to go down there and put the cat out is that he has annoyed me. I do nothing for you Misha; your usefulness has run its shelf life. Now if I were you I’d get out of here because when I’m done with the kitten and his crow I might just get hungry.”

Troyeski shivered as the woman’s fans dipped over her garnet lips. He had played with a devil and lost. The human turned and ran, keen on heading the demons warnings.

“Here kitty kitty, I have a saucer of milk for you?” Syrenne sang in sweet false voice, her reptilian eyes adjusting to the dark of the lower corridor.

The backup generator had failed and the florescent lights lay in piles of glass on the now frosted floors. The only light in the narrow winding halls was the intermittent blinking of red alarm lights. The pulsing crimson casting eerie shadows.

“You’ve set quite a stage for yourself Phantomhive, right out of a made for television horror. Tell me am I supposed to be impressed? Am I supposed to be afraid of the big bad cat?”

Her footsteps crunched on the flecks of glass as she walked, the resounding tip, tap, of her designer heels following the crushed echoes.

A voice from the darkness replied, “Afraid? No, I do not expect you to be afraid of me personally. However, I believe I know what might instill something to that affect. I must admit, Sebastian did not give your talents nearly enough credit. Truly creative, I suppose that little display of death was jarring for me. Unfortunately, I never was one to shy away from the things that cause me pain. I just had to go back for a second look.”

The snake followed the voice into the darkness the air growing colder the deeper she descended into the lower levels of the compound. The demon had to step over the half eaten corpses of guards and staff members. “Let me guess, you swore to avenge the desecration of their final resting place? Perhaps you even wept and discovered the last remnant of your humanity. Now you are going to tell me what a monster I am for separating you from your one true love. Really dear I didn’t bring my pocket tissues.”

A low slow chuckle lifted from the murky haze just ahead, throbbing red light flickered to illuminate the cold thick rolling fog of white. A figure walking through the miasma could be seen in the signal shine, a man with blood dripping over his bare body like sweat. He carried himself with an air of nobility, his once cobalt locks now inked black with carnage. “Monster? Oh no dear, I’ve meet monsters and you Syrenne… your just a vindictive woman. As for vengeance for people who have been dead over a century? Now that’s just a waste of time isn’t it? I tasted that revenge long ago, served to me by one who knows how; so no there was no weeping or epiphany of what I shall do to exact my pound of flesh.”

She paused crossing her arms, the she-devils eyes narrowed into slits. Growing tired of the demoness soliloquy. “Then what prey-tell is this little speech of your suppose to mean to me? Other than to aid in dragging your feet to the grave?”

“You see Syrenne in your whimsical need to have flare for the dramatic you neglected something.” Ciel said holding up a small medallion of glass. The little sphere spun as it caught the light, the intricate etchings over it surface glittering and casting prismatic lines on the blood spattered walls. “A child’s memories of his mother are quite good, and mine never wore jewelry beyond her wedding band.”

The demoness’s eyes widened. “..No.”

It had been a spur of the moment decision to hang the barriers talisman around the remains of the former Lady Phantomhive’s neck. She wanted to enjoy the idea it being right there, freedom right in Ciel’s face and he would never know it.

She underestimated him, Sebastian’s words flashing in the serpents mind.

Ciel snapped the little babble between his fingers with a theatrical ‘oops’. The demon smiled as the air around them suddenly swirled and warmed with a flurry of jet-black feathers. “Now, if you’ll excuse me Syrenne, I have to go express my dissatisfaction of my stay here at this establishment with your employer. You on the other hand have an appointment with my husband.”

“Hello Miss Valencia.”

The she-devil turned slowly to see a pair of glowing crimson eyes behind her. The subtle glint of his fangs as large wings arced in the narrow hall, the feathers flexing and scraping the walls like knives.

Ciel strode right past her pausing at Sebastian’s side to press lewdly against the man‘s side, melting to his mates side to indulge in a moment of comfort. “Kill her, that’s an order.”

“Yes. My love.”

“You wanted to drown in a woman. Here's your chance. Drown in her blood"

~Violence(Maddox)” ― Gena Showalter, The Darkest Night

Chapter 21: Wrath of a Panther

Notes:

AN: As always with my work, music inspired this chapter heavily!!! So here's a short play list I has rolling while writing, feel free to check it out.

Blood is all I need -by- Twiztid

Death of it all - by - Rob Zombie

Been to hell - by - Hollywood Undead

These make writing violence better and what not XD. Also I'm taking a lot of liberties with demonic powers in this one, so I hope you all don't mind that. Its just my head cannon with Sebastian there is a lot of imagery with fire through out the series so I feel like Ciel would be ice, my supporting cannon for that is he is born in December and the character pallet is always very cool colors, the imagery of the white roses = snow, I don't know, I just really get that. So I hope that makes sense in the way I'm presenting this. Any who enjoy this chapter.

Warning: Violence, Gore

Chapter Text

Ciel continued down the corridor absentmindedly humming along to a tune in his head, Dante marching proudly, if limping a bit, behind her master.

Entering the main floor the estate seemed deserted, until Ciel walked from the foyer into the dining room. He smirked at the sight of littered bodies all with dinning forks impaled in their skulls.

"It would seem Sebastian did a bit of tidying up on his way down." The neko commented, receiving an affirmative mew from his little companion. "Dante stay,"

With the command, the feline limped off into the parlor bounding up onto a silken cushion, turned a few times before settling down.

Ciel directed his gaze back toward the dinning hall, the doors had been torn off and glass from the broken windows powered the floors like fresh snow. The demons eyes flared as he looked around the room, so much death. He vaguely wondered why no reaper had made it to the scene, considering all these bodies with three demons on the premises and none of them with a viable contract. Though the neko had to wonder if perhaps someone had ordered the shinigami back.

Crossing the dinning hall the demon stopped noticing a smear of blood on the door jam. Ciel raised his head breathing in the tick coppery tang of the air, easily pulling out the speck of life under all that carnage.

"Hiding is so unbecoming Mr. Troyeski... So cowardly. I truly expected more from you, if anything you should welcome this death as it is far more interesting than any way you could have gone out had this whole mess not transpired." Ciel spoke allowed as he walked from the dinning hall and stood before the grand staircase.

The palm shaped smudge transferred onto the while railing and trail up to the second floor. He sighed sounding very put out to have to continue this meaningless little game of hide and seek. "What did you hope to accomplish by running up here I wonder, surely your not so foolish as to trap yourself. Oh but you are only human after all, you see this is why mortals should not meddle in the affairs of the underworld." Ciel said as he walked slowly up the staircase, following the droplets of blood down to the door to the master bedroom.

The demon eyed the closed entry and trailed his fingertips over the glass doorknob. Fleshing his palm his claws elongated scratching as the drug over the clear glass. With a single tap, the clear decoration fell away in cut cubes. "So fragile..."

Ciel leaned against the door, his voice low and sultry verging on the obscene as he pressed his warm body flush against the wood grain. "This is what you wanted wasn't it? To see me in all my glory, the beautiful specimen that your ignorant mortal mind thought it could cage. Tell me ... was it worth it?" Ciel took a steep back and kicked the door in sending the frame exploding off its hinges into the room.

Stepping inside the demon rolled his eyes at the sight of feet behind the curtain. "Seriously?"

Misha threw the curtain too the sides reveal the shoot gun in his hands pulling the trigger in an instant. The demon flew backward his eyes wide with surprise as his body crashed against the wardrobe and lid down to the floor leaving a wide streak of red.

"Ha...ha . . . Ah! I did it! I did it! Not so all knowing now you see! Your time is done your no more mythical or frightening than any man or mutant!" Misha laughed wildly gazing down at the neko's body that lay with a gaping wound to this abdomen. "I won! Me! I am the master of this house!"

The human ran from the room panting and laughing on a high of victory.

"Oh you know that was rude, really it was Do you have any idea how long I had to wait to grow into this body?"

Misha turned at the voice, still trembling and clutching the weapon. There walking out of the bedroom behind him...was Ciel Michaëlis.

The demons wound closed before his eyes, Ceil coughed once hacking out the shrapnel buck shot. " lovely, I'm going to be doing this for days now. So disgusting..."

Misha dropped the gun and fell backwards on the carpet scoot backwards babbling nonsense and pleading for mercy.

"What's the matter Mr. Troyeski? Are we not having fun anymore? To be honest I had hoped for a bit more, you see I have always been partial to games, so how about you play one of my favorites shall we? Hide and Seek, I will even give you a head start." Ciel said prowling closer until he leaned down face to face with the spoiled billionaire. "Go."

Misha ran, his first thought was to bolt out of the main doors but as soon as the human was in sight a thick shards of ice spiking up from puddles created by the grounds sprinkler system.

"Now now, you must stay in the bounds of the game."

Misha looked around his eyes fearful and wide as the demons voice seemed to materialize out of thin air.

The human darted to the left intend on running to his hidden office, unfortunately when Troyeski flung open the door to the suitcase he was face with the creeping black smoke. His hands clutched the door from looking between the lit parlor and the decent into darkness. Frustration bubbling in his chest, Misha pounded his fist against the wall.

He could not leave and he could not stay. This was not a game he was going to win, the only choice remaining were he would make his last stand. Would he die here on the Persian rugs of his grandiose library, or in his office - his sanctuary of power.

The darkness suddenly looked more inviting.

Troyeski made his way down the spiral staircase and into the dark room below; there was a humming sound before the light about the massive fish tank lit. The greenish white light cast an eerie glow through the room. The human allowed his eyes to adjust; he quickly noticed the drop in temperature. His breath coming out in puffs of condenses air.

Misha looked around the room scanning the area for movement. Nothing. It appeared he was alone but appearances could be deceiving.

Suddenly the ground shook with a loud boom from below, Misha fell to his hands and knees and crawled under his desk. This should have never happed, he had taken every precaution; everything was planned out flawless.

Troyeski looked up at the ancient fish that moved slowly through the murky water. This is what he did, he possessed beautiful things, rare things, However; most things did not bite back.

The human had reached to high, he wanted to much and now he would pay dearly for it

"Cowering under a desk like a frighten child? I expected more."

Misha froze at the sound of the demons voice, he covered his own mouth to keep from screaming.

There was a thump and sudden weight on the top of the desk. He breathed as quietly as possible willing himself not to look.

"I know your under there, tell me Mr. Troyeski, was lining your self with that slithering b!tch all you thought it would be? You never answered me when I asked you if it was worth it. I'm truly curious" Ciel asked as his claws dug trenches into the mahogany desktop.

"No comment? Funny you were awfully chatty during our visits. Or was that because you had that little toy of yours to keep me compliant?"

"I.. I'm sorry please.." Misha stuttered out

Ciel rolled his eyes and stood up on the desk, turning a Amber paperweight over in his hands. Inside the golden stone lay some prehistoric insect, forever frozen in time. "Yes because your apology touches my heart." He said, words dripping with sarcasm.

"Unfortunately I'd rather touch yours...right through your rib cage" With that the demon flung the small stone with the speed of a bullet at the wall sized fish tank.

The sound was like a bomb exploding, a wall of glass shattered in an instant sending gallons of water flooding into to room.

Misha scrambled as he was swept out from his hiding place by the sudden surge of aquarium water. He hacked and coughed as the disgusting water filled his mouth and nostrils. The human tried to stand and run only to slip and fall in the mixture of underwater foliage, sand and broken glass. Troyeski was soaked to the skin floundering on the floor. Behind him the aquarium light fizzled and blinked.

He looked around desperate for an exit, Misha jumped at a heavy slapping sound; only to find one of the massive fish flopping on the floor a few feet away. He pushed his hair back with a wet bleeding palm, the crimson liquid running down his face.

The humans heart pounded with each flash of light throbbing in the darkness, he squinted his eyes trying to locate the demon in the strobe.

Ciel swaggered through the wet floor, his skin washed clean of the blood from his initial escape. The demon cast an impressive figure, long and lean. The shadows playing on his face, removing any lingering boyish fullness in his features and highlighting the hard-line of his jaw and cheekbones, the dip of his cupids bow. "Your making this all very boring for me, I hoped that I would have some satisfaction from this. Your all the same though begging in the end."

The room shook again with an other powerful crash from below. Ciel smirked glancing down. "sounds like my mate is having fun."

Misha struggled to his feet, "How do you know, it could be Syrenne is winning... she, she might come up here and kill you next!"

"Oh and what, that your she devil will be your savior? I know you're not that stupid, one way or another demon will kill you." Ciel said in smirking at the human as Troyeski trembled with fear.

The temperature began to drop and the water hazed from murky transparent wash to a lazy gray as it solidified into ice. Misha found himself stuck by the ankles in the ice, there was no escape. The human panicked tugging at his legs in a futile effort.

"How dose it feel being trapped?" Ciel asked stopping a few feet from his prey, eyes glowing with ill intent with each step he closed between them.

Misha's eyes were wide with terror, the demon grabbed his face holding it steady and staring deep into his eyes. As if measuring the worth of his very soul. He tried to scream as he felt the claws piercing through the tender flesh of his cheeks, scraping against his teeth and filling his mouth with blood.

"So pathetic, this is what passes for cunning in this age. I was dealing with men with twice your ambition and only half the intelligence when I was just a boy. What is the matter Troyeski? Cat got your tongue?" Ciel smirked at his own cruel joke before snapping his wrist in a quick motion to the right. The loud pop and scream that left the human as his jaw broke echoed through the room.

Misha crumbled to the floor when the demon released him, blood pouring from his mouth as he cradled his ruined face.

"You kneel so wonderfully, I can see the attraction in it now... having someone prone in subservience. I used to enjoy it myself once upon a time. However, you lack poise." Ciel said snapping his fingers. A spike of ice shot up from the ground and up through the human's right shoulder.

Misha howled as his back was brought straight and he was forced to stare up into the face of his death. The demons once fine porcelain sin was now tinted black fading to grey blue up his limbs. Blood painted the ice below him and began to freeze a dusky rose color. He could not speak to beg for his now shattered mandible.

Ciel reached down winding his fingers in the human is salt and pepper hair griping the strands and tugging the humans head back. The moment was silent looking into the mans dark eyes wide with fear and glistening tears.

"Checkmate..."

Misha Troyeski felt the impact in his chest; he felt his torso jerk back and forth but his brain did not compute the feeling as belonging to him. There was a strange sense of floating in the cold and then. Horror. He looked down as the demons hand soaked in blood retracted from his cavity.

He had always loved oddities, seeing and possessing things that others did not. In those last few moments as the demon took his hand and placed the warm trembling organ in his own hand; the concept that this was his own heart seemed so far away.

The final few neurons firing in his brain as his vision and motor function ceased he looked up through the dying light and said... "No"

None of this was worth it.

"Criminals do not die by the hands of the law. They die by the hands of other men."

― George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman

Chapter 22: Salvation of a Raven

Notes:

AN: This is our final full chapter, we will see what Sebby has been up to!!! I'm really sorry if this seems...idk anti climactic. I'm honestly not that good with fight scenes at least I don't think I am. I tried though so I do hope you enjoy this chapter for what it is. Fear not though dear readers there shall be an epilogue. There will be a 3rd book, it will deal in mpreg so if you dont like that then yep dont go to that one then XD

As soon as the barrier dropped Sebastian was unleashed on the estate like a tornado, killing everything in his path to get to his mate, his Ciel. A singular focus in the mists of destruction, take back what belongs to him.

Making his way down disposing of any unfortunate human to stumble across his path, they were no different than the snake that stole his love and they deserved death.

Once Sebastian fooled the screams into the depths of the Troyeski manner he knew his love was well. The trail of dismembered bodies and walls painted with blood stood testament to his beautiful panthers rage.

Seeing that beautiful body dripping with the blood of his kills made the bluenette all the more desirable, the dominant demons primal brain sang with contentment. 'Our lover is strong and vicious' it purred.

Now he had to reestablish his dominance before reclaiming what was his.

To do so Syrenne was going to pay for what she had done, he would not be able to kill her but he could send her back to hell. There she would receive her just deserts at the hands of their kind.

"Hello Miss Valencia."

Ciel strode right past her pausing at Sebastian's side to press lewdly against the man's side, melting to his mates side to indulge in a moment of comfort. "Kill her, that's an order."

"Yes. My love."

Syrenne sneered baring her fangs "This doesn't mean anything Michaëlis! You haven't won!" her tone marked in disdain for the male before her, why must they always ruin her plans?

"Of that I am aware since I have yet to send you back to hell." Sebastian smiled his eyes glowing in the darkness.

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides."Enough of these games!" The she-devil shrieked, her lower body leaving its illusion and becoming the massive serpentine tail her kind was known for. Moving the powerful muscles and launching her self at the younger demon.

Sebastian's form moved in a blur dodging the snake to kick her in the back, propelling the demoness into the floor.

Syrenne growled and contorted her body in the cramped hall to round on the raven, only to find nothing but a trail of feathers in the flashing red warning lights. Enraged the snake flew deeper down the hall, her massive tail batting the wall as she slithered at such speeds. The flashing light bursting from the impact, she would chase down her prey and end this for the last time.

The hall way opened at its end to a service room, it held the electrical, gas water systems for the entire estate and featured its own elevator to the main floor. The snake weaved into the tight quarters slowly, "Running and hiding are we Sebastian? How cowardly of you, did you learn this little trick from your little pet?"

"I've learned a great many things from him actually," The velvety baritone echoed off the pipes.

She turned her head to the voice and narrowed her eyes in the darkness; the copper orbs slit at their center and glowed, a vertical inner lid blinking over them shortly as her vision adjusted to seek out the male's body heat. A glimmer of movement in the far right corner had the serpent coiling her body to move but then a sharp ping to her left distracted her. "What the..."

A dart in a pipe.

Her curiosity was short lives as the pipes pressurized contents bucked the intrusive little weapon and burst, sending a stream of boiling hot steam in the she-devils face.

She screamed trying to bend and move away only to feel something heavy land on her back, disoriented by the trick she spun to her back in an attempt to pull her large tail forward and coil around the demon.

Syrenne however forgot the close-nit quarters she was currently in. She had been trapped, lured in and trapped.

Sebastian grinned down her as his hands wrapped around her throat. "I'm going to enjoy this!"

Grabbing the male's wrists Syrenne let her lower half return to its human guise and wrapped her legs around Sebastian's torso in an attempt to throw him off, rolling them both into a wall. She could feel his claws sinking into her flesh as the blood pooled around his fingers. Reaching out blindly the serpent took hold of metal cord running up the wall ripping it loose. The wire sparkled blue as it was torn free and the snake jammed the live end into the younger demons side.

The electrical current sent Sebastian off his opponent shaking his entire body, it was then the familiar metallic taste he had felt across his bond entered his mouth. Therefore, that was it; they had been electrocuting Ciel to insure his compliance.

Rage surged through the demon as he got to his feet, glaring at the battered snake as she wielded the cord still attached to the wall. "You have been so very vocal about honor among our kind but now look at you Syrenne. I may have fallen for my contract but at least I didn't willing become a lap dog for nothing."

"I did what I had to in order to survive! Thanks to you, I was banished from hell, left to rot in this mortal realm. You sold me out for a reaper!" Her hair was wild and clothing torn, her bloody scalded face was not healing. She had spent all this time on revenge and cared little of contracts, revenge had consumed her.

Sebastian took a step back eying the mad woman carefully, "I did not sell you out Syrenne, I would have to have some feeling toward you in order to enact malice and I can assure you I was indifferent to your existence. I simply had a very attractive offer at my fingertips. As for the reaper, well you did that to yourself didn't you? An act of antisocial aggression; you knew the consequences and yet you did not care."

"SHUT UP!" Her voice cracked waving the wire wildly.

She didn't even notice the subtle movement of the Michaëlis as his fingers deftly loosened a small nozzle labeled. 'Danger flammable.'

"Oh but I'm not finished yet," Sebastian grinned, "Say hello to my brother for me."

Before Syrenne could question the raven tore the nozzle from the propane tank and spun his body away to the left, wrapping his black wings around him to guard from the explosion. The gas shot out in an invisible mist, Syrenne had no time... The fumes caught the spark of the wire and her body was engulfed in a ball of flame.

Sebastian was knock off his feet from the blast as pipes all around the service room began to burst, the flames being half eaten by water and half feed by other gasses. He peered over as the demoness's form melted to a streak of ash against the concrete wall.

It was over.

Sebastian bounded up the elevator shaft to the main floor. The main floor was silent, he could feel Ciel was nearby. Actually he could smell the neko a good bit as well, Ciel had been forced into heat. Sebastian had know that the moment he steeped on to the property but now it was permeating the air with thick stick aroma beckoning him closer. However, there was a sickly undertone he did not favor. His mate had been through an ordeal weather or not Ciel was willing to admit it.

Walking through the halls Sebastian finally located to parlor, spotting the bluenette wrapped in one of the satin window treatments on the sofa.

"I take it you have had a word with Mr. Troyeski?" Sebastian commented, eying his mate with a smirk playing on his thin lips.

"You could say that, no hurry up and take me home birdbrain." Ciel groaned twisting in the fabric, arching and contorting against to soft pull of the satin.

Sebastian nodded heading over picking up his mate in his arms and taking a sleeping Dante up by her scruff and placing the feline in Ciel's arms. "As you wish."

"In war, the key to victory is the ability to surprise one's opponent."

― Paulo Coelho, Warrior of the Light

Chapter 23: Epilogue

Notes:

AN: Here we are Loves, you don’t have to read this bit unless you want to as it’s…ahem…well I think we all know what this chapter is. It is for the grown folks. So that said, you know how I do things I’m not terribly graphic at least I don’t think I am I tend to lean more on feels but hopefully it will be enough for you fangirls and boys.

In addition, this was inspired by the song “Love me like you do - Alice Olivia version” Incase you were wondering…

Warnings: lovin, discussion of mpreg - if don't like it why are you here?

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The house was dark when they arrived, silent as a tomb as the raven ascended the staircase. Each board creaked his under bare feet. The long white satin drape that the neko was swaddled in skirted the hardwood floors as they walked. The couple’s way lit by decorative candles that flared to life as the demon passed carrying his precious cargo.

The bluenette wrapped his arms around his mate’s strong neck and threading slender fingers though locks black as the night beyond their walls.

The bedroom door creaked open in an unseen wind, the master bed in the center of the room fitted with beige Egyptian cotton and black fur. Luxurious textiles that kissed and caressed the skin.

Sebastian lay Ciel down on their bed snatching away the submissive’s covering in fluid motion. The fan of snowy satin drifted to a heap on the floor as crimson eyes fell on the supple body before them. “Your exquisite.” he said reverently before letting his fingertips dance over impassioned flesh. Tracing every dip and valley of the sweat-stippled skin, from the slender males pectorals, oblique, and abdominals that fluttered under each touch.

The younger demon arched, his face painted in flush and eyes hazed with want. “For the love of …ah…everything unholy! Nghh…Se-Sebastian hurry will you!”

The raven smirked as he took his time unbuttoning his dress shirt. “Patience my love, I intent to give you the best of me. I want you to be well aware of who I am to you…” His voice dripped with promise shedding the garments and climbing on top of the younger man.

Ciel keened opening willingly to his lover and offering his neck. “Do not just tell me then. Show me… impress me you arrogant old crow, make me scream if you think you can.”

Sebastian trails the tip of his tongue from the hollow of his loves throat and up along the jugular arch, “I am your faithful servant, your lover, your husband, and soon the Sire of your children.” He punctuated each statement with a luxurious open-mouthed kisses. Laving the neko’s peach skin from his neck and along Ciel’s jaw line before claiming the lean male’s mouth.

Navy lashes fluttered closed as Ciel moaned into the kiss, arching his hips and coiling his legs around the taller demons waste. His mind went blank and the world outside his dominants lips, ceased to exist. This was his world caged by these strong arms, he was brought to life by the other mans breath. Every inch of his skin set on fire by skilled hands and wandering lips.

The younger demon took a deep shuddering breath as their body melded together, the delicious burn of being stretched open and held down. Black nails digging into his pale lovers shoulder blades, raking down leaving trails of red.

Shadows moved in unison over the walls as every corner echoed the desperate breathless words; “More”, “Yes”, “Don’t stop.”

Sebastian looked down, the sweat rolling from the bridge of his nose and down his chest. His mate never looked so handsome than now, the vague feeling of de ja vu tingled the edge of his senses. Some far away dream from long ago. This was better than any dream because it was real, it was here and it was now. Gazing at long navy hair that had darkened to black with perspiration as it fanned over the pillow. The once soft rounded features that had gained beautiful definition over the years. Pouted open lips now ruddy and kiss bitten. Dilated eyes of royal blue that looked at him with such reverence.

“Se..Sebastian.. I want it... please.” Oh that voice, that rich warm tenor with just a hint of childish lit. The fact that it could be so posh and yet sound so deliciously debauched.

Warm palms ran up over his chest and over his shoulders drawing him down in a sweet kiss, so much sweeter than a demon should be worthy of.

Wave after wave of frenzied and slow love making, screaming names and cracking the headboard. Hours turning into days and days into nights. Moments between spent pampering his little lover like as he would have over a century ago, only with a bit more care and a lot more possession. They had grown used to this over the years; the custom of the season. This time however was special; Ciel could feel the warmth inside of him and wanted to believe it meant something wonderful. He was not as snappish in between and allowed Sebastian to fawn over him, as the elder daemon had wanted to do in these times.

Things would be different now, Ciel was ready for that. They were ready for that.

The last evening as they lay in bed Ciel curled to his lover’s chest, Sebastian looked up at the ceiling painting in the golden glow of evening. Feeling the warm summer breeze as it ruffled through the curtains and the cicadas singing in the distance. For all they had gone through, he hoped for more moments like this. In truth a seed of pride grew in his heart at the thought that perhaps one day in the near future this moment may be shared with another.

A small perfect little being made from the one soul he loved more than anything, a living breathing new life that would be theirs. It was freighting and thrilling all at the same time, but things change and evolve.

It was time for the next adventure.

“But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:

To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.

To know the pain of too much tenderness.

To be wounded by your own understanding of love;

And to bleed willingly and joyfully.

To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;

To rest at noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;

To return home at eventide with gratitude;

And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise on your lips.”

― Kahlil Gibran

Notes:

Authors Note- Book three

Ok dear hearts yes there will be a book three and it is called Kuroshitsuji: The Empty Room.

OUT NOW! (or like 5 mins of this post..you get it )

Series this work belongs to:

← Previous Work Part 3 of Kuro after years Next Work →

#black butler fanfiction

0 notes