#the first day of pride month is here with Sebastian and Ciel !

[fionnalovesanimeboysandholo]

It was so precious how Sebastian was holding Ciel in his arms and Ciel looking at him so softly and then resting his head against his chest like brooo the feels 💕

[natsuki208]

The Almost Cat-astrophe! 🐾

The story of how Sebastian discovered baby Ciel’s developed cat allergies.

———

It’s bitter cold outside but inside of the Phantomhive manor is cozy warm. Perfect timing for the growing heir’s first birthday.

Everyone of the servants are gathered within the main room; preparing food for the dinner later, and listening in on the baby’s tiny laughter. His new father, Sebastian Michaelis, is the one who cannot stop smiling - for the past six months have been warming him up to this very moment more than the fireplace.

It’s also probably because he’s ready to give his own present to his child, for the more presents the baby receives, the more impatient Sebastian subtly gets (even though he suggested to save the best for last). After one new pair of unfitting footwear, it’s finally Sebastian’s turn even though the little one sitting on his leg begins to tilt sleepily.

“Now don’t fall asleep yet, Ciel.” He speaks softly. “Papa still has something special for you.”

The man gently places his child on the sofa and stands up to get his gift; no longer being in his father’s arms widens his eyes immediately. It doesn’t take long for Sebastian to turn back around holding a box twice the size of Ciel, this grabs everyone else’s attention as their temporal master slowly takes off the lid with a smile.

Inch by inch, the box begins to move. The sight of fur becomes very clear to the others in the room, along with sky blue eyes peering out, the color of light and dark grey stripes pop out and the tiniest sound ever heard spills out:

Meww.

A kitten. A four week old kitten the size of a full-grown hand peaks its head over the top to look at the baby in front. Ciel spreads a little smile as soon as he sees it, clapping his hands as to pet it himself. Both little ones take a liking to one another already with one purring and the other patting repeatedly while giggling. Sebastian though feels much happier than the two combined and Tanaka, the butler standing next to him, can read him like an open book.

“I’m not too sure whom the kitten is suppose to please here.” He jokingly comments, keeping his laughter to himself.

Sebastian of course notices this. “Really. Well you can’t blame me for how precious they are.”

Little Ciel starts whimpering when his father pulls the kitten back towards him for a moment to get a better look at all the features.

“Look at her. Those innocent eyes, the softness to her fur, how plump her paw pads are and her elegant sounds that’s enough to put my child at ease. She’s perfect.”

Suddenly the whimpering gets a little louder, accompanied by the tugging on his sleeve, which is enough to bring Sebastian’s focus back onto Ciel. The realisation dawns on him and gently picks him up with his free arm.

“Oh. Of course I cannot forget you, bluebird.” The smile grows bigger by looking at those big, sapphire eyes again. Having both a tiny kitten and the only tolerable human to him close manages to bring HIM to ease, which use to be very rare in mundane scenarios such as today. “I’m sure you and Lady will go swell together.”

Oh yeah. He gave her such a sophisticated name for such a small feline (he was gonna go for Lilith or Lamia but it was too on the nose for him).

Tanaka gives another smile after hearing such amusing words coming from usually a calm and collected person (but is well aware how his behaviour can change around the little one) and he continues to view them with pride.

“If you say so, sir. Ho, ho.”

-

A few days have gone by and they felt like a dream to the normally practical demon like Sebastian. Who can blame him for now looking after two adorable pint-size creatures in his new life? Whenever they are around for asleep in his arms, it puts him in a mellow mood - dare he say it’s as pleasant as most worthless human souls.

His mind cannot focus on anything else right now but those cuties, not even whilst he’s suppose to go over some paperwork sent to him by the Queen herself. Such bothering work does not entertain him in the slightest, he’ll gladly admit it’s not the thing he signed up for when becoming Ciel’s new father but it must be done nonetheless.

“How tiresome.” Sebastian sighs, plopping the papers on the old desk.

The need for entertainment rises as he grows ever more unmotivated to finish it swiftly, and just from looking at it too. Then it pins to him, of course he’s gonna pay a quick visit to the nursery to see the precious pair again - it may be during Ciel’s nap time but still.

Sebastian slowly opens the office door and glances around for any witnesses, gladly nobody is present which releases a soft breath from the demon. He’s now standing outside the nursery and is just about to grab the handle when… he hears crying.

This is definitely not good. It sounds more chesty than usual which makes it worse. Sebastian hurries in fast and immediately sees what’s wrong; the wailing baby in the crib is coughing between cries, a runny nose and has small red spots planted on his cheeks. He cannot open his eyes due to tears but does his little grabby hands for whoever he thinks is in the room. The demon doesn’t hesitate to answer his gesture and picks him up, this gives him the chance to better check the sudden aching changes.

“Goodness, Ciel! What happened?!” The baby continues crying breathily. He is worried, actually worried. How rare for him to feel yet another common and strong emotion, especially towards a human.

Is it a cold? No it can’t be. Ciel never grew red spots like this before. He looks at every corner of the nursery to find some form of evidence for this calamity. That’s when he hears it; the small adoring sound from near his foot:

Meww.

Little Lady is innocently pawing at her favourite toy, jumping at it every time it got away from her, even if it’s cute it raises questions. She couldn’t have scratched him on accident, did she?… No! There’s no possible way that Lady can be possible for such a horrendous deed, nor does Sebastian ever want to suspect her either.

Suddenly, a knock at the door pipes up. Who else but Tanaka is currently standing by politely, and he immediately notices something is not right while seeing Sebastian’s troubled expression.

“Whatever is the matter in here, sir?” He asks. “Shouldn’t you be working?”

“I… was indeed working until…” This is no time to give away that he grew bored of the assignments, the sick Ciel is whom he cares for right now. “Something is wrong with Ciel and it doesn’t appear to be yet another cold.”

It must be serious if even Tanaka grows cautious of what has happened to the young heir. The butler requests if he can call over a doctor for assistance, Sebastian agrees and off both men head for downstairs; Lady is obviously taking down with them too because Sebastian.

-

It didn’t take long for a doctor to get here; but sadly Angelina aka Madame Red was the only one available at this hour. It took even longer to persuade Sebastian to lend Ciel over to her for examination, luckily Lady can calm him down during this dreadful situation. As he sits alone (minus Tanaka nearby) he gently plays with the tabby kitten and her tiny meows are like music to his ears, not to mention her soft nature while purring and rolling over on his lap just lifts his mood a teensy bit.

But it isn’t enough to bring his mind out of this current state of worry he’s trapped in. Sure, there were moments in his past contracts over the centuries when he felt some form of concern for his masters, but it only lasted temporarily and he never gave it a good thinking. Today however actually got to him; he’s already grown really attached to his new son so it shouldn’t be a surprise… but it is.

A few more minutes pass by until there’s a knock on the door, Sebastian tells Tanaka to answer it for him which he kindly does. Words of knowledge are shared, heads nod and a silent glare peeked over at Sebastian in the distance. Once that was taking care of, the butler proceeds to spread the information to him with a relieved smile.

“Good news, Sebastian - it’s nothing serious.”

Just a few words relaxes Sebastian firmly. “Well, that’s quite a relief. Would you mind telling me what it was then?”

Tanaka clears his throat before answering, losing that smile and looking down at Lady in Sebastian’s hands (not really a good sign).

“I’m afraid… it turns out Ciel has developed a allergy… towards cats.”

Sebastian’s eyes widen in genuine surprise. Not with the fact that Lady really was responsible, but due to the fact he doesn’t have full knowledge on something like allergies. He has heard of the word before and knows it mainly applies with certain foods, but animals as well? He honestly had no idea.

“Do tell, Tanaka. I don’t quite follow.”

“It simply means the fur is harmful and can cause one to gain a rash as we’ve seen on his skin. But don’t fret, the boy received some medicine and is sound asleep, so he’ll recover very soon indeed.”

While good news, Sebastian can’t help but sadden at the fact that is pointed out next.

“But I apologise for this dearly when I say we’ve been informed to keep felines out of the mansion.”

There it is. As it does break Sebastian to see his child sick AND to now give away such a cute little kitten which was a gift to said child, he eventually accepts what must be done and silently agrees, keeping those feelings to himself.

“If it’s what must be done to keep him safe… I’ll allow you to find a more suitable home for Lady. Be sure that it’s a sensible one as well.” He informs regrettably.

“Yes. Of course, sir.”

Whilst Tanaka takes away the now sorrowful kitten, squeakily meowing non-stop, Sebastian is allowed to check up on the sleepy Ciel in the bedroom. Thank satan that the rashes have toned down along with the redness, although he occasionally sneezed during his slumber (but it didn’t wake him up) and all Sebastian can do is gaze down at him, stroking his hair softly. It’s a shame the young Lady couldn’t stay around as he had hoped, but human nature can be torturing, and as long as Ciel is safe once more he’ll eventually move on and wish luck for her.

Even after the unfortunate event has cleared up, it was still an intriguing experience in its own way.

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

A scenario where the one(s) Ciel is after revenge for is already dead and gone. Sebastian's reaction to being stuck with Ciel till he dies and even then he doesn't get his meal and how Ciel and his soulmate feel. (I'm thinking they just met shortly before Ciel finds out those he was after are dead).

ohohohoho

At the end of his quest for revenge, which spanned years, CIEL was hoping there would be some kind of satisfaction at the end of it.

Instead, he’s left with nothing but a hollow sort of relief as he looks down at the bodies of the people responsible for ruining his entire life.

Is he glad to have them gone? Of course. To know that the proof is right there, that they can never hurt him or anyone he cares about or anyone at all ever again is a weight off his shoulders.

He’s just angry that he wasn’t the one to take them out of this world. It’s frustrating in a way he doesn’t fully know how to describe.

He’s sure the ride home in the carriage is going to be a long one, full of too many thoughts and not enough words to express them all. When he settles in beside (Name), his beloved, the other half of his soul (which will get to exist and persist now), he already knows he’s going to be too tired to sleep.

SEBASTIAN gets as comfortable as he thinks a demon can possibly get across from the two of them. It’s a moment before anyone speaks; presumably none of them really want to address anything that’s hanging in the air. It has to be done, though.

“I should have known a little brat like you would find some way to not keep your end of the bargain, my lord.” Sebastian’s eyes flicker briefly toward (Name), then his gaze returns to Ciel. “Shall I assume you’ve told them of our deal?”

“And everything it entails. Which is now a moot point.” Ciel removes his hat and sets it on the other side of him, his free hand being held by (Name)’s. “Am I correct about that part?”

(Name) squeezes Ciel’s hand before looking over at their soulmate’s butler. “… Is that true, Sebastian? Does that mean―”

Sebastian lets out a small huff; Ciel hasn’t heard this tone since the very first days of this demon serving him. It’s been a while since he let the mask slip. “Yes, it does. Congratulations, you’ve solved the mystery. I no longer get to eat your lover’s soul. What do you want me to do, bake you a pie?”

“Shut your mouth, Sebastian. Talk to them like that again and you’ll be relegated to playing hall boy for a month.” Despite everything, Ciel hasn’t lost a bit of his spine to be ordering Sebastian around. In fact, he feels might he might have more authority than ever before. “I don’t care that you’ve known (Name) for less than six months. I don’t care that you’re upset over this. I don’t care. You will not speak to them with anything less than respect, and that’s an order. It certainly won’t be the last one I ever give you.”

Sebastian raises an eyebrow. Clearly, he isn’t happy about the situation. Ciel doesn’t think he’d be happy in Sebastian’s position either, but, well, that’s the chance he took with a deal like this, isn’t it? “Oh, yes. Put your ego on full display to soothe your wounded pride, as usual.”

“My pride isn’t wounded, thank you very much. You’re lucky I don’t order you to carve out your own tongue.” The city goes by outside the windows, shrouded in darkness. Ciel spares the buildings a passing glance and, for the first time in a while, thinks about how he might pass his whole life here now.

“… You know,” (Name) murmurs, “I know it isn’t what you wanted, Sebastian, but I’m glad things turned out this way. Now I get to have a future with Ciel, and you won’t just vanish from our lives. Even if you didn’t like it, you’ve taken care of him for all this time. I’m grateful that you’ll be around.”

Ciel snorts, and it’s the first time since the revelation that he’s felt a little lighter. “Even if he acts like a complete bell-end?”

Sebastian’s eyes glow fuchsia as if he’s barely restraining himself from showing off a taste of his full power. “I follow every single order you give me, only to be cheated out of my meal, and I’m the bell-end? I’d like to see someone else do everything I’ve done since I came into your life, in exchange for the promise of a dinner that never comes.”

“And you’ll be continuing to do it until I die,” Ciel snaps.

Sebastian snarls back at him. “Don’t give me any ideas.”

“Ideas we both know you can’t act on, thereby doing nothing but tormenting you? In fact, I think I will.” He smirks. “Just wait until (Name) and I start a family. I can’t even begin to tell you how many nappies I’m going to make you change.”

(Name) beside him bites down on a laugh. “Ciel.”

The rest of Ciel’s life is laid out before him, and he’s so confused as to what he’s going to do with it when he couldn’t conceive of having a future less than an hour ago.

He may not have vengeance, but he has his life back. And he has (Name).

He thinks he’d rather have those things.

[funtomfactory]

A Kuroshitsuji Christmas

A little Black Butler Christmas thing I threw together, enjoy!

Sebastian: *narrates* It was Boxing Day, late 19th century. Just outside of London, UK, lay the grand Phantomhive manor. Its rooftops were decorated with a sheet of white snow, and its windows shimmered with light coming from within. All of the household was in high spirits; the maid, Mey-Rin, was donning some wreath in her hair. Finny, the gardener, had helped to set up real trees inside. They were decorated with candles and ornaments, and proven to be capable of taking a blow, which was proven by the cook Bardroy when he tried to set the Christmas pudding alight. Old man Tanaka was resting near the fireplace and the footman Snake was handing out hot chocolate to everyone. The season had everyone in its grasp. Everyone, safe for the young master, who was sitting cross-legged in a chair near a tree ladened with presents.

Ciel: *shifts in his chair and grumbles* Ugh, I can't believe how much time I've wasted on social frivolities these last few days, I'm horribly behind schedule on my paperwork....

Sebastian: *whispering, while smirking mischievously* Come now young master, this is a special day for us servants. You owe it to us for all our hard work.

Ciel: *sighs* I suppose you're right. Well then... *turns around towards Finny* Finny, would you be so kind to hand out the first box?

Finny: With pleasure, young master! *Finny jumps up and grabs the nearest box* This one is for... S-Snake... Hey! It's from Lady Elizabeth!

Snake: *takes the box from Finny* From Smile's fiancée? How nice, says Webster.

Ciel: Yes, she was pretty thorough with buying presents this year...

Snake unwrapped the box and looked inside. He pulled out a handful of what appeared to be tiny scarfs and hats.

Bard: Are those...

Ciel: Lizzy insisted that she wanted Snake's snakes to wear matching clothing. She insisted it would make them... *twitches his fingers* That much cuter.

Snake: That's a lovely idea! We'll wear them with pride, says Emily.

As Snake tried to fit his snakes with their new ensemble, the young master guestured Finny to hand out the next gift.

Finny: Here you go, Mey-Rin!

Mey: M-My turn?! Thank you Finny!

Mey-Rin unwraps her gift to reveal a lavishly decorated hair clip.

Mey: Oh my! It's stunning yes it is! Thank you young master!

Ciel nods in approval as Mey-Rin tries to put the clip in her hair. Meanwhile, Finny reads the tag on the third present.

Finny: This one is yours, Bard!

Bard: Alright! Let's see what we've got here! *tears off the wrapping paper* A metal cigarette case!

Sebastian: Since you're prone to... Flammable accidents we thought it suitable to buy you something to at least keep your cigarettes safe from anything catching on fire. It would be a waste if you didn't get to smoke them.

Bard: I don't know if that's a compliment... But I'll take it. Thank you very much!

Finny: *frowns at the next present* This one is for... All of us?

Bard: Well then what are you waiting for?

Ciel: Go ahead Finny, open it up.

Finny rips open the box to reveal a stack of Chirstmas hats. The hats are covered in glitter and ribbons. Ciel moans.

Ciel: Lizzy... What have you done?

Sebastian: It would be an insult not to wear them.... *takes one from the stack and puts in on his young master's head, then puts one on himself* Now we're actually dressed for the occasion.

The other servants cheer as they put on their hats. Ciel slumps in his chair, looking miserable.

Finny: Ah, this box is if you, mister Sebastian!

Sebastian: *looks surprised* For me?

Ciel: *smirks* Did you really think you would be spared?

Sebastian: *takes the box from Finny* I... Well thank you!

Ciel: I wouldn't be so quick with the gratitude...

Sebastian unwraps the present. Inside is a calendar for the new year, each month containing a drawing of cats.

Sebastian: Aah... How adorable...

Ciel: *annoyed* And here I was thinking Lizzy would give you something more...

Sebastian: Unsuitable? That thought hardly fits with the Christmas spirit, young master...

Sebastian hugs the calendar to his chest as Finny hands the next gift to Takana.

Tanaka: Ho ho ho...

Finny helps Tanaka open his present. Tanaka got an expensive looking set of tea cups.

Tanaka: Hoh!

Finny: One for you, young master! *hands Ciel a box*

Mey: Oh! That's from all of us!

Bard: Please enjoy it, young master!

Snake: And a Merry Chirstmas to you! Says Oscar.

Ciel has a quizzical look on his face as he opens the package. The servants got him a set of eyepatches.

Ciel: Wha-... Thank you...

Bard: There's no need to be embarassed about receiving a gift young master!

Finny: Now you can match them with your outfits!

Mey: Me and mister Snake picked them especially for you, yes we did!

Sebastian: *has a look of malice in his eyes as he takes out a bright, crimson eyepatch* How about you try this one, young master? It matches the hat....

There was no room for protest as Sebastian swapped the regular, black eyepatch for the coloured one. Ciel's face was barely a shade away from matching the new ensemble.

Finny: Ah, this package is for Mey-Rin again!

Ciel: Wouldn't you want to unwrap a gift yourself first?

Mey: You can't skip yourself, no you can't!

Finny: O-Okay!

Snake: Here's one with your name on it, says Wordsworth.

Finny took the box Snake pointed at from the stack.

Finny: I wonder what it is... *unwraps his gift* ... It's a book!

Bard: *reads the title over Finny's shoulder* "20 Christmas stories and carols, bundled".... With this, you'll be an expert on Christmas before the next year rolls around!

Finny: Thank you young master!

Ciel smiles as Finny stares at the cover, tears in his eyes.

Ciel: I hope you've been practising your reading skills.

Finny: I have! I'm still not that fast, though... Hey... Here's an idea... Could you read us one of these stories tonight, young master?

Ciel: Wha-

Mey: What a splendid idea that is!

Bard: Hey yeah! That would be fun! We've never heard you read something aloud like that.

Ciel: *blushes* And you never will...

Sebastian: Come now, young master, don't be a spoilsport...

Ciel: Why you... *sighs* ... Fine. But only one, and you'll have to work extra hard to do all the cleaning up in the morning.

Servants: Will do!

Ciel: *flips through the book* Hmm... Ah, here's one. A visit from St. Nicholas.

The servants leaned in closer as Ciel cleared his throat.

Ciel: 'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care-

Finny: Stockings?

Bard: Yeah some people put the presents in socks above the chimney.

Mey: Really?!

Finny: That sounds fun! Let's hang our socks above the chimney too!

The servants scrambled on thier feet and ran out of the room.

Ciel: Hey! Wait!

After a while, the servants returned, each carrying a sock. Snake's sock looked wrinkled, and Bard's contained a hole. Ciel blinked in surprise, then shook his head in annoyance. The servants hung their socks on the chimney mantle, then settled down again.

Ciel: Could I please continue the story without any interruptions? ... Here we are... The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads, and mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, had just settled down for a long winter's nap, when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below, when, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

Finny: Wow! Santa really has that many reindeers?!

Snake: Do they all have names?

Ciel: *sighs* I'll get to that in a minute... Now... With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, and he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name; "Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN! On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

Finny: They can climb walls?!

Mey: Hush Finny, or we'll never hear the end of the story!

Ciel: As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky, So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too. And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

Finny: *rushes to the fireplace, knocking over Tanaka* Santa! Santa are you in the chimney?! But the fire is on! It's hot!

Tanaka: Hoooh!

Bard: Finny! Would you please calm down?!

Snake: You know he's not real, right? Says Webster.

As Bard and Snake tugged Finny back to his place and Sebastian helped Tanaka upright again, Ciel continued.

Ciel: He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow; The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath; He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

Finny: *sighs dreamily* With a description like that... How could he not be real?

Bard: You can't be serious, right?!

Ciel: This is indeed a rather joyful version of Father Christmas. He has also seen other iterations, though... *smirks impishly*

Finny: *a little scared* R-Really?!

Ciel: Read the rest of the book and find out for yourself... Now where was I... Ah... He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk, and laying his finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose-

There was the sound of something clattering. Looking around with a jerk, the household saw Finny laying on his back on the floor, blissfully asleep, his cup of hot cocoa rolling on the carpet.

Mey: Oh dear...

Bard: He couldn't even finish the story...

Ciel: *snaps the book shut* Well I guess that's the end of it for now then... Sebastian, Bard, bring Finny to his bed. Mey-Rin, Snake, clean away the cups and then it's off to bed. We'll finish the rest of the presents tomorrow.

Servants: *nod* Yes sir!

And so, Sebastian carried Finny downstairs, with Bardroy in tow. They entered thier room and lay Finny down on his bed. As Sebastian pulled him under the covers, Bardroy put on his nightwear.

Bard: I swear he's still just a kid, despite his ridiculous strength.

Sebastian: Kid or not, I'll expect him to work hard tomorrow to mkae up for the ruckus he caused.

Bard: *slides into his bed* Geez, lighten up a bit, it's the one time a year we servants get to taste a bit of magic... Who's the spoilsport now... *turns around and starts snoring*

Sebastian: Magic, hm? *grabs the red duvet from Finny's bed and swings open the window, jumping on the windowsill and climbing towards the roof, the duvet draped over his shoulders*

The cold draft from the open window made its way to Finny, who stirred, searching for his covers.

Finny: Hm? Ah! *spots the open window and scurries over, looking around over the landscape, and spots something crimson* Santa Claus?

Meanwhile upstairs, Snake and Mey-Rin just finished their tasks.

Mey: I know I shouldn't ask, young master, but just how does the story end?

Ciel: *reopens the book and points at the last few lines of the poem* He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight-

At that moment, Sebastian soared from the rooftop towards the trees, guised under a blur of red. Ciel looked in disbelief as the jaws of Snake and Mey-Rin dropped to the floor. A few flors below, Finny cheered with delight.

Finny: Santa! Santa! Bard! Look!

Bard: *Sleepy* huh...? Wha-!

As he flew by the windows, Sebastian shouted.

Sebastian: Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

[random-yandere-fandom]

Hi, I had a good idea to order, if you accept of course! What would happen if Yandere Ciel and Yandere! Alois (together) were transported to our universe (21st century) and with that the reader found them and took them home and took care of them, maybe the boys would explain that they are from another place and the reader believes in them and helps them adapt to this century, being kind and patient with them and of course they had to be a little independent (knowing the basics of making something to eat or taking care of the house) especially when the reader goes out to work or something thus. So, over time, they fall in love with the reader, so what happens next? And what will happen if the boys return to their universe without the reader, maybe their demons have found a way to bring them back to their universe.

Ooh, I love the idea!

Yandere Ciel and Yandere Alois transported to our world

It certainly wasn’t a sight you had expected to see so early in the morning. Two men, dressed very strangely, obviously fighting each other on the side of a road. Their clothes, their accent, even the mannerisms felt totally out of place. Were the two of them part of a theatre group or something?

Still, your gut was telling you something strange was going on and so you decided to approach them, furrowing your brows in question when you caught bits and pieces of the argument. Seeing them both alert at your approach you stopped, inquiring what they were doing and if they perhaps needed help. The one with blue hair answered, or rather, questioned where they were and especially when they were. Now, you’ve watched enough movies that your first thought was Holy shit, time travellers!, before you considered them to be on drugs. Engaging them in a conversation, which made it very clear that Ciel and Alois weren’t really on good terms, you picked up quite a few clues as to who these two were, namely, time travellers. Not that they told you themselves yet, but you wished to believe that, notably because your follow up offer would really and truly put you in danger otherwise. 

It takes some time before the two of them warm up to you, but after you had taken them in and cared of them, teaching them some simple housework and basic knowledge with varying degrees of success it was hard not to grow fond of you. For you, it was quite the experience. You had quickly noted that the two of them really weren’t from here and now. You also learned how tiring it is to have two entitled brats trying to one up each other in a childish approach of trying to be better. If it weren’t for their intellect and the way they so easily managed to grasp complicated  new concepts you would have guessed that these are children in adult bodies.

For real though, even though Ciel was extremely prideful he was also grateful and so he worked hard to make up for your kindness. Alois on the other hand often had more difficult times and you’re sure that if Ciel wouldn’t keep him somewhat in check your home would have been trashed once and again. The blonde got better over time though, showing his gratefulness through actions and becoming quite clingy, complaining that you should return earlier from work because he doesn’t want to be left alone with Ciel, cue a fight breaking out on who has it worse with the other. It’s better to give the two of them work to concentrate on while you’re away.

Alois notices his feelings for you first, he has grown dependent on you and he really wouldn’t mind staying at your place. He doesn’t try to hide them either, declaring his affections in ways so blatantly open and unashamed that you can’t help but think of it as simple gratefulness mixed with dramatics for the fun of it. He doesn’t try to deny it either, the thought of you rejecting him otherwise and the more than annoyed looks from the Phantomhive enough to keep his advances going. 

In that process, Ciel will realise his feelings with the help of good old jealousy. The twist in his heart whenever you accept his rival’s admiration, even if you don’t recognise it as such, is enough to make him aware of his own admiration for you. He won’t truly act on it though, too much in the way to act on how his heart wishes him to. Instead he’ll tell himself that it’s just a little crush, nothing much to worry about, even if it’s hard to deny his attraction towards you.

From then on there will be war between the two of them, each compliment and each smile from you remembered and later on shoved into the others face, Alois almost shouting and Ciel replying in snide remarks. 

There comes a fateful day where everything changes and it appears in the form of a silent home with empty, cold rooms devoid of the usual live they seemed to hold. As you turn the key behind you, you call out their names, confused at the lack of any notable sound. You will search each room for the two men that have accompanied you in the last few months, worry creeping into your heart as you are the only person in a home used to host three. There is no use though, the two noble men having returned to were they belonged (even if they’d insist that was by your side).

Back with Ciel and Alois, the two of them had appeared back in their respective bedrooms, a worried demon in the one and an annoyed in the other greeting them. Turned out the butlers had worked together to create a method to bring back their masters only to separate once the means were acquired and they were ready to get a hold on their masters. 

Alois reacted in tears and yells and sobs and wrath, destroying the room in frustration as he realised he was torn from the person he loved as Claude watched in exasperation. Nothing will calm him down, your name leaving his lips in desperate cries until finally the spider demon relents, suggesting to bring you to his master. Trancy will freeze before replying in utter happiness and hope, tears still streaming down his face, ordering his butler to get started, seeing as there isn’t any time to waste.

Ciel is shocked before he feels his heart clenching, the thought of never seeing you again causing his insides to churn in such an awful manner it’s impossible to not grasp his chest in pain as his butler checks him on injuries. He is quick to think of the solution himself, ordering Sebastian to bring you here, to bring you to him, using whatever god forsaken method he used to get him back in the first place. If he wasn’t sure about his feelings before, he sure as hell is now when he risks having lost you.

It doesn’t matter on who summons you, on who gets his hands on you first. There will be a full blown war between the nobles all the while you’re being kept safe, taught of this world you entered against your will as they will be there for you just as you were for them. The only difference is your utter lack of possibility to return to your own home.

[crimson-violets]

I know this is a bit early.

But here’s what some headcanons on what the Black Butler characters are doing to celebrate Pride Month.

Ciel- Reading up on LGBT History. His favorite LGBT icon is Oscar Wilde.

Sebastian and Agni - Vacationing at an LGBT friendly destination and resort with his boyfriend Agni for a few days.

Grell and William-Going to the pride parade in London with her boyfriend William. William is a great ally and celebrates alongside her watching the parade go by. Taking out his hedge trimmer scythe in a threatening manner does the trick in communicating to transphobic and homophobic crashers that they should stop while they’re not on the To Die List.

Mey Rin- Watching and Rewatching sapphic movies such as Ammonite and Blue Is the Warmest Colour with some friends while eating takeaways and sipping wine.

Finny: Donating to LGBT charities

Soma: Going to a get together hosted by Alois Trancy and mingling with old friends as well as making new friends who are part of the community.

Alois Trancy: Going on a romantic dinner date with his boyfriend and walking the streets of London at night time.

Hannah Annafellows: Attending a wlw speed date to meet other women and hopefully find the girl of her dreams. 💜 She’s a bit shy and timid at first but opens up to some of her speed dates once they make her feel at ease.

Madam Red: Is the one organizing the speed date and she has her eye on Miss Annafellows ❤️.

Lau and Ran Mao: Ran Mao just came out to him and he came out to her. There were tons of Hugs and affirming words of acceptance.

The Triplets: Going on a trip to an LGBT friendly destination with the support group all three of them attend.

Sascha and Ludger: Ludger bought them their first binder and now they’re going out to dinner at a restaurant owned by their friend who is also part of the community as friends to celebrate pride month. I headcanon them as having a sibling type bond rather than being a couple.

Eric/Alan: Part of the pride parade with his boyfriend Alan and they are proud to be part of the BDSM community.

Ronald: Dressed in drag and marching in the pride parade.

Hope you enjoyed the headcanons friens and Happy Pride Month! 🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

[sinnergism]

[ Mood Test ] SebaCiel AU: 1960′s Paris

Paris, 1968

Sebastian watched the smoke curl in the evening dusk above the yawning street below, and thought about the boy sitting on his desk behind him.

 Paper crackled as he turned a page. Clothes rustled with an occasional shift of his hips. The boy was still reading, on that lone reading desk that Sebastian kept cramped in his apartment. He had been reading for hours while Sebastian had tidied up the apartment as best he could and had taken cigarette breaks at regular intervals to slink back and watch him from the dim corner beside the window.

The boy would only ever look up sometimes to stare off into space, as if reciting a passage back to himself, to try to commit it to memory. Sometimes, he would do it long enough so that, after minutes of Sebastian staring at him, he'd finally become cognizant of Sebastian's watchful gaze, and roll over his eyes to meet it.

He always averted them again right away after that. Quick enough that he would not have to see the grin that sliced Sebastian's face.

But even within those fractions of moments, Sebastian saw all that he wanted to see. That twitch in his eyeballs, and the pulse that would slowly spread over his fair British skin for minutes after he'd looked away. The way his spine stiffened and his shoulders locked and his toes curled, just a little. 

Maybe today would be the day, then. 

Sebastian closed his lips around the cigarette, inhaled deeply and exhaled with, "I must say... I'm intrigued." 

The boy stayed silent.

Sebastian breathed out the smoke, watched it curl in on itself and dissolve in the room.

The boy's eyes finished their sojourn across the line he was reading, and, with the snobby air of finally deigning his comment worthy of a response, said, "Yes, your ongoing intrigue with life has been well-established. Will you still be talking about phenomenology? Before we go on about this, shut that window, if you're going to insist on chain-smoking; I'm getting chills."

Sebastian took a defiant drag off his cigarette. Took time to enjoy the slow palliative pulse of the nicotine. Then extinguished the flame in the ashtray on the windowsill and shut the window with a click.

He turned around and leaned against the frame of the window.  "Most things I say are in some way or another about phenomenology. Though what I'm wondering at the present moment is not so much an analysis on the nature of it but a question that naturally presents itself if logically following its tenants.  Tell me, Ciel, how long has it been since you came to Paris?"

Ciel looked at him sharply. The boy seemed to know that that wasn't really what Sebastian was asking, but seemed to also not know what he was really asking, so he just said, "Three months, a week, and two days."

"Ninety-eight days, hmm. And how many of those have you spent here with me, in my apartment?" 

The boy rolled his eyes. "If you want me to leave, just say so."

"Ah, but that isn't what I said, is it? Pas du tout."

"What is this about, Sebastian? You're getting more than enough out of this, aren't you? I paid for that, if you recall." He gestured toward the mahogany bookcase in the corner. 

Heavy red sunlight gleamed on the polished wood. It was getting dark. Only a little more now, until the sun would be gone completely, and the boy would leave, as he always did, to march down the streets of Canal St Martin toward that fancy place he rented all by himself near Neuilly-Auteuil-Passy, where all the rich people lived. 

Sebastian wondered if the boy ever stopped along the way to stare out into the Seine, stared into its black depths, and thought of all the things they'd been talking about. Or would he be thinking of that family he left behind in England that he would not speak about? Was the distraction that Sebastian provided enough?

What is on your mind when you're alone in bed in this foreign city, little lordling?

With a smile, Sebastian said, "You know I would let you borrow those books you like so much. You could read them within the privacy of your home. At the Café de Flore. At Les Deux Magots. Or a quiet river bank along the Seine." He dropped his smile, and took a few seconds to pretend he was thinking hard. "Hmmm. So many possibilities. No need for you to be here, really. No need for a superior British noble boy to enter the enclave of a morally suspect Frenchman, and even less of a need to stay."

The boy's temper roused: Sebastian saw it in the sharp look he sent over. The boy pushed the book forward a little as if to stand up in indignation.

The boy reigned in his temper in time though; he stayed silent. He regarded Sebastian coolly. Dissected him. Daring him to speak the truth.

But ah. Sebastian always said the truth, but he wasn't going to just lay it all out. Where would be the fun in that?

Besides, he'd just caught a glimpse at the book Ciel was reading: Being and Time by Martin Heidegger. Hmm.

"I find you interesting enough company," Ciel said. "Your proclivities aside, I will not deny that you make for better conversation than most other people."

Proclivities. Sebastian was silently grateful for the many, many tourists whose portraits he'd drawn along the churn of the Seine or along the gothic awnings of a cathedral. Without them, his English would be far too poor to take full advantage of the excellent diversion this boy provided.

"Which makes you feel good?"

"Stimulated." Quickly: "Intellectually, that is."

"I wasn't talking about the conversations," Sebastian said, "But sure. The conversations are what you're here for. You do enjoy the times we've spent debating at the cafés with my friends, didn't you? Your intellectual appetite is forecious.”

“Voracious,” Ciel corrected him.

“Eh bien. Voracious, then. Of course: from the Latin vorare. To devour. Which is what you do, with knowledge. You are just a being made up of rational thought, aren’t you? Cogito ergo sum."

"Yes."

Sebastian gave him a sharp smile. "And why did you agree with that, if you're currently reading an entire book dedicated to the notion that being is being in the world?"

"... You baited me and didn't give me time to think," Ciel said scornfully. "And apart from that, the fact is that I would be a very undiscerning reader if I agreed with every book I read; we can have this discussion when I've finished it.  Besides, Descartes' ideas on reality, and not necessarily Je pense, donc je suis can be interpreted as an ontological proof of existence for thought itself. The main premise of that particular quote is that there can't be thought without a thinking entity -- so the thought proves the existence of this entity, the being -- but it also more generally asserts the existence of thought itself. One cannot simultaneously deny the existence of thought while one does so using thoughts. The existence or relevance of all other things -- including my possible motivations -- is neither proven nor disproven. This has nothing to do with your assumptions."

For some reason, Ciel preferred to quote philosophers in French, even when Sebastian first introduced concepts in Latin. Sebastian didn't know the reason but was amused by it anyway.

"You're right," Sebastian said.

The boy glowed with pride.

Sebastian smiled. "Do forgive my provocation; it was a mere diversion. Un peu d'amusement."

"Which seems to be your being's primary motivation," the boy said with a chill.

Sebastian smiled. Ciel was quite the precocious student, though still sometimes unrefined in thought, and woefully resistant to the embodiment of that philosophy which he was so attracted to. 

He understood Sebastian's ideas, grasped them quickly and curved them around the edge of his mind. It made the part of Sebastian that loved to teach positively giddy inside. 

But there was another aspect to this boy, as well: the one that resisted the logical consequences. That refused to follow the tracks to inevitability. The logic gate that guarded the logical necessity of following the truth not just in mind but in body and spirit were still closed, but opening up only bit by bit, and that part, ah...

Perhaps it was time to give it a little push.

"There's also a Latin de cuisine version of Descartes' most famous quote. Ah, how do you English say it…"

The boy blinked. "Dog Latin?"

"C'est ça. Dog Latin. Well, they do say that unexpected brilliance can be found in the simplest minds…"

Ciel raised an eyebrow and waited.

"Coito, ergo sum," Sebastian said. "Through coitus, I am."

Sebastian had given it a fifty-fifty chance whether the boy would find this awfully amusing or amusingly awful. The scales tipped in favor of the former when he stifled one of his rare laughters. "Oh. That's. A little clever."

Sebastian shifted his legs forward, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned against the window. The coldness of the glass against the back of his turtleneck made him shiver, once. 

Maybe it hadn't been just the glass, though. "So?" Sebastian prompted the boy with a raise of one eyebrow. "This diversion aside, I was making a valid observation. You seem awfully fond of staying here with me. Alone." He pushed himself off of his causal position and threw a look out the window. The rococo-style building on the other side of the street was already enshrouded in shadows.

"Your lack of tact is shocking, but not unexpected," Ciel said coldly. "As is your lack of imagination when it comes to my reasons."

"Ciel," Sebastian, and gave him a quick smirk, "I think you'll find my imagination is as fine as it is vivid. As is yours, judging by the way you look at me."

In the ensuing silence, Sebastian sauntered over to his desk, and slowly, carefully, deliberately lowered himself on its edge. 

The boy's spine straightened. He looked up at Sebastian. A frown cut over his eyebrows, but there was also a leap of nervousness that made his lower lip quiver and his eyes flicker up and down Sebastian's form once, from the line of his hips up along his black turtleneck and to his face.

"Enough of that," Sebastian said, calmly and decisively. "Let's not talk about what you think anymore. Although what I'm going to ask you is something you're doubtlessly thinking about already..." 

Sebastian leaned in. And closer.

The boy never batted an eye. 

What he did do was swallow. Thickly.

Sebastian led his voice drop and drop to something barely above a whisper, and said, "Tu veux?" 

You want to?

The boy inhaled sharply. 

Sebastian's eyes flickered over to the corner, behind Ciel, toward Sebastian's bed. 

Ciel's eyes followed him. They widened in realization as the full weight of the implication settled in. He looked back at Sebastian.

This precious, this willful, this obstinate boy in front of him looked nothing if not reluctantly aroused.

And, through the thrill of that little victory, Sebastian dropped his tone just a little lower.

"Tu veux... ou pas?" (Update October 2020: this fic has now been reworked into a longfic. Read it HERE :))

[redrobin-detective]

The Tragedy of Kuroshitsuji

I’ve recently caught up on Kuro and it’s got me thinking about the series as a whole. Its one of those series that I love and adore but I don’t often recommend it. It’s also one I don’t read monthly updates for, rather going months between looking for updates. Both reasons are because it is a bleak, dreary, depressing series. Sure it’s got mystery, gorgeous art, eye-popping supernatural fights and teasing bantering between the characters. But every panel, every action carries a heavy sense of futility, of loss. Maybe not now, but eventually.

The twin formally known as Ciel Phantomhive (Our!Ciel) was kidnapped from his home at ten years old along with his brother, the Actual Ciel Phantomhive (Real!Ciel), and sold into slavery. The twins were used and abused for weeks before Real Ciel was killed, his soul being used as payment to summon the Demon soon to be named Sebastian. This is a tragedy in and of itself but that’s not the source of what makes the main Kuroshitsuji story so sad. 

When O!Ciel made his contract with Sebastian, he didn’t realize at first that by agreeing to the deal that Sebastian would also get HIS soul at the end. O!Ciel was led to believe that Ciel’s soul was the price of contract while Sebastian later clarifies that Ciel’s soul was the price for Sebastian’s passage to the human world, NOT for the contract. So faced with the knowledge that at 10 years old, he’s just bargained away his soul to a demon for the cost of his revenge, Ciel reacts very passively which leads to this exchange.

O!Ciel is viewing the whole affair rather clinically. I think he’s not only disassociating a bit from the heartrending last few minutes but he’s also 10 years old, mortality is a bit hard to grasp. I don’t believe the full understanding will hit him until later but he’s also the son of an English Earl, he was raised to believe in duty and composure which he falls back in this trying time. But look at the panel on the left. He believes he has nothing left other than revenge which is a sad state to be in. And why does he believe that exactly? Because he is the Spare, the one to inherit only if his older brother were unable.

O!Ciel was always sickly, shy and following the beat of his brother’s drum. Would the others have been as happy if he had returned alone? There would have been the trouble of having the Manor and title passed to him as he couldn’t exactly prove his brother’s death. Plus would anyone truly fear a small, asthmatic boy as the new Watchdog? O!Ciel was twisted by his experiences but he is still, at heart, a considerate boy. He knows he doesn’t have much time left due to his contract with Sebastian so he decided to live a lie to make the people he has a duty to: Lizzy, Madam Red, the Queen, happy. But that’s an exhausting burden for anyone, to assume an identity not your own, to the live the life his brother was unable to. It sounds very trying. 

When he asked what would become of his soul when eaten, he is told he will simply disappear. O!Ciel sounds relieved at the prospect. He’s already exhausted by the idea of living as Ciel, fulfilling everyone’s wishes, reclaiming the title of Earl and becoming the new Watchdog. How many times have we gone through tough circumstances and said “I can endure this if it’s only X amount of time”, that’s what O!Ciel in doing here. He can fulfill his revenge and not have to worry about the long term effects. He’s not going to marry Lizzy and be a ‘disappointing’ husband to her, he’s not going have to deal with the pressures of Earl and Watchdog for long, he’s going to complete his business and then just fade away. 

That was all immediately after R!Ciel’s death and the formation of the contract. Now we flash forward three years and we see the effect this self-deprecation and knowledge of his impending death has had on O!Ciel which I think is best summed by Soma. 

Despite his best efforts, O!Ciel has made connections in the real world. Soma calls himself his best friend and unofficial big brother, his servants adore him and would do anything for him, he forged new relationships with people from his past (Lizzy, Tanaka, the Midfords, Lau, Deidrich, ect) with the person O!Ciel is today not who R!Ciel was yesterday. He has a life, he has love, he has respect but he does not have his revenge and that is all O!Ciel wants. As Soma said, O!Ciel has so many people who love him and he’s given ample opportunities to form new relationships (in society, with his servants, in Weston, with Sieglinde). But he rejects it all, day after day. 

Why should he invest in relationships when the demon is going to eat his soul any day? Why make it any harder for his loved ones (though he dares not call them that) when his time eventually comes? But it’s more than that.

The Green Witch arc did a lot to highlight how much of O!Ciel’s motivations is driven by his revenge. It’s not so much about getting revenge for his brother and parents as it is making the perpetrators pay for taking away his family and happiness. He holds onto that anger so tightly, he uses it to fuel everything he does and he will not compromise for anything or anyone. While he can feel affection for the people in his life, can feel pride in the hard work he does, he pointedly makes sure none of those things are ever above his desire for vengeance.  

And that is the true tragedy of Kuroshitsuji.

Sebastian notes this of O!Ciel after he was appointed Earl, when he denied himself any future happiness for the sake of revenge. O!Ciel knows what’s coming, he brought it on himself and he still refuses to back down. He is going to claim what is his and take all the misery and anguish that comes with it, eyes wide open. We read, month after month, of O!Ciel solving crimes for the Queen, dirtying his hands and his soul by taking care of the underworld’s problems. But he doesn’t care, he damns himself every day, knowingly and without care. Though he took R!Ciel’s name to appease his living relatives, he is living entirely for himself and leaving no options for escape or redemption. He does not care what happens in the long run as long as he can make those who hurt him suffer as he has suffered, only then will he be satisfied.

And that’s what I think the arc of R!Ciel/Undertaker vs O!Ciel/Sebastian is going to come down to. R!Ciel wants to save his brother, to get him out of the contract that will eventually make him disappear. But O!Ciel doesn’t care, he’s going to fight against everyone’s attempts to save him from his own destruction because it’s the path he chose and he will not let his own life take precedence over revenge.

He is a chess master, a genius, a cunning brat who does still care for people beneath his bitter broken heart. We love him and yet we cannot save him. We can only watch him slowly burn himself on the pyre he himself lit, sitting back and watching us with his imperious mismatched glare. 

[fearsome-perfect-beauty-eren]

Sebaciel - Nightmares and Revelations

AUTHORS NOTE: I want to thank @ciel-plusultra for being a really great friend over the past few months and being there to gush with me about our feels of sebaciel. Because you have written for me so many sebaciel fics throughout time I wanted to pay you back with this massive fic as my gratitude! I hope you like and enjoy it because I sure did while writing it. Everyone who is also a big fan of sebaciel please savor it and enjoy each and every paragraph as I worked hard to deliver this to you all as well. (Especially since we sebaciel shippers have been left to dry without much content over time so I hope I feed you all well)!!

-

Ciel had been working extremely hard recently on all of the abundant new cases he'd been given from the Queen that he hadn't been getting much sleep for the last couple of days now.  Being the Queen's guard dog was an honor and a prestigious title Ciel carried out with great pride as the head of the Phantomhive family even though it demanded high stakes of self-sacrifice. Nevertheless, he'd been putting aside the importance of his health recently no matter the constant worry of his demon butler. Sebastian, however, pushed his agenda forward and managed to convince the young Earl to take a break and finish off his assignments tomorrow morning since it was already past a quarter after 11 pm. Even though Ciel didn't want to and was going to pull an all-nighter to finish off the stack of cases plaguing his desk he was convinced otherwise. After being peppered with kisses all over his face for an entire "agonizing" 15 minutes of his life he accepted his fate and was prepared and sent to bed.

The peaceful and quiet night had been disturbed however when a sudden jolt of the body beside him woke Sebastian up from his recreational sleep. Ciel had instructed Sebastian to sleep with him for the night as it was cold and thundering outside the manor and didn't want to sleep alone in his massive bed. Since a young boy, Ciel had always been terrified of thunder and would always run to his parents' room for comfort and protection. Even though the demon had thankfully provided that and the much-needed warmth to ease Ciel off to dreamland, due of the current circumstances, it inevitably lead him to sprung up from the bed in a massive cold sweat. Ciel frantically looked all over the room out of breath as he shivered in fear and tears welled up in his sapphire eyes. "Bocchan, what is the matter? Are you okay?" Sebastian asked in a concerned sleepy voice as he sat up to turn on a candelabra before facing him and rubbing Ciel's back gently. After seeing he was safe in his room and in the protective arms of Sebastian, he sighed in thankfulness and relaxed his previously tensed muscles. "Nothing it was just a dream," he said quickly turning away from Sebastian and wiping his tears away. "Go back to sleep you must be tired from all your duties and having to babysit the servants," Ciel continued trying to change the subject as he tried to regained his composure around the demon and forced a fake smile. "Ciel..." the butler said in a silvery tone "You and I both know what a terrible liar you are when you try to save face," he said as he crossed his arms and looked even more concerned at what his young master was not telling him. "I said it was just a dream so stop your worrying," Ciel retorted back semi-harshly as he kept his gaze low at the white sheets he was clinging onto. "Just... a bad dream is all," he said troubling with a hint of sadness. "Do you want to talk about it love?" Sebastian asked as he wrapped his arms around Ciel's waist lovingly. "No, not really," he whispered underneath his breath but just loud enough for the demon to hear.

Sebastian softly stroked his young master's hair and kissed the top of his head to assure him he understood. "Okay, how about we have a little fun then to get your mind off of it? Come on!" he stated as he got up from the bed and extended a hand for Ciel to take. Ciel looked puzzled and a little taken aback. "What!? You're not serious, are you? This is so unlike you to suggest such a thing at this time of the night, in the history of ever?" Ciel said in a shocking voice. "Do you really see me like a stick in the mud or something? Why, I am deeply hurt bocchan," Sebastian said in a dramatic tone while gripping his heart in pain at his partner's commentary. Ciel huffed out a laugh as he jerked his head to the right with a small but visible smile at Sebastian. The butler grabbed the earls' hands and pulled him out of bed and led him to the living area. As they made their way downstairs the thunder outside seemed to shake the manor and Ciel unconsciously clung tighter to the black butler and Sebastian held him closer to him reassuring him he had nothing to fear. As they finally made it to the living room Ciel sat on a red sofa. Sebastian illuminated the chimney near Ciel and then proceeded to one of the cabinets in which contained all of Ciel's board games. Sebastian had pulled out two black velvet blindfolds and two rolled-up newspapers in which made Ciel feel flushed and caused his mind to chase an origin high. "What-what are you, uhmm... planning on doing?" Ciel stumbled on his words with a little rush of panic in his eyes as he looked over at Sebastian with the items in hand as he swallowed hard on his hot and thick saliva. Sebastian caught on immediately what the young master must have taught what was going to happen and chuckled a burst of laughter before covering it up with his hand that revealed their contract sign. Ciel's wide comical eyes lessened as he blushed in embarrassment though clearly annoyed with himself as to how bad he had read the situation. "Ciel..." Sebastian started as he tried to control his composter, "No we aren't doing anything of that sort so you can relax. This is just for the game I had in mind. Though we can disregard this silly game and do what you had in mind if you like my love~ that sounds even more fun~~" the demon growled as he teased his partner while bringing the blindfolds up to his mouth as he bit the end of it seductively. Ciel unclung his tight grip from his nightshirt with a sheepish grin. He got up from the sofa abruptly and walked towards Sebastian to snatch the items away from his hands. "So what is the name of this game anyway? How could you possibly have fun with this stuff? What are the rules?" Ciel rambled on in which brought a playful side smirk to Sebastian's lips as he looked down upon the love of his life. "Well, you see this game is called 'Are You There, Moriarty?' in which has been a common game since the early 1800s. Two players are blindfolded, given a rolled-up newspaper, and made to kneel down opposite one other. The first player asks, "Are you there, Moriarty?" to which his opponent replies, "Yes sir, I am here!" Player 1 then has to hit Player 2 with the newspaper, judging where he is only by the sound of his voice. Player 2 can try to dodge the blow, but his knees must remain in place at all times." Ciel eyes the smiling butler after he's finished with the instructions and agrees to the rules of the game, activating his competitive side to get the best of his partner. "Let's do this!"

Ciel and Sebastian on both opposites side of the room tie their blindfolds and hold their newspapers close to them. "Are you there, Moriarty?" Ciel goes first as he carefully begins to crawl across the living room knowing very well he must be silently quiet in order to get close to the demon and best him. "Yes, My Lord," Sebastian replies in a hot whisper right against Ciel's ear in an amused tone as he flashed himself across the room next to him. Ciel jumps at the hot breath against his left ear so suddenly and tries to hit towards Sebastian's direction. The demon, however, dodges the blow and ends up back to where he was at the start of the game. Ciel grumbles and again calls out to him "Are you there, Sebastian?" The demon butler smirks and raises his left eyebrow animatedly. He then flashes upon Ciel and leaves a wet kiss against his jawline before he tries to get hit. Ciel somewhat melts into the feel of Sebastian's kiss before he shakes off the feeling and once again swats his newspaper into the air in vain. "This isn't funny Sebastian stop trying to cheat," he states gritting his teeth and turns his head in every direction as if trying to see where his partner could be. "Why I would never my love you just don't seem to be very good at this game," Sebastian retorts nearly 5 feet across Ciel's right side. "A-ha!" Ciel yells out as he nearly jumps across the floor and ends up hitting a flower pot in the place Sebastian had previously been before he dodged away. Sebastian chuckles another laugh imagining the face his partner could be wearing at thinking he almost got him. "My dear you sure do know how to entertain me," he says. Ciel tries to brush off his knees one at a time before grabbing his newspaper tighter in determination. Meanwhile, Sebastian is already at his side and waiting as to what Ciel will say next. "I thought you were supposed to entertain me isn't that the point of this game?" Sebastian raises his eyebrows before knitting them together and taking action on his next move.

Sebastian then takes both of their blindfolds off and Ciel turns to look towards Sebastian's direction and playfully glares at him as he pouts cutely. Ciel then grabs Sebastian's chin and pecks his lips sweetly as he hovers his body on top of the demon. Sebastian stares at him and bites his lips sexily before crashing his lips onto the earls. Ciel kisses him back and wraps his slender arms around the neck of the demon in need. "What was that for?" Sebastian asks, "Not that I'm complaining or anything of the sort..." he says. Ciel now wearing a sad face he avoids his butler's gaze and begins to speak, "I lost you. In my dream. And I- I just don't want that to ever become a reality. I can't bear to lose you. Not now or ever." Sebastian gets the hint and knows all too well where he is coming from due to all the hardships the young Earl has been through. He cups Ciel's soft cheeks and looks genuinely into his deep ocean eyes. "I will never leave you my dear bocchan, not for anything or anyone until the end of time. Even if it wasn't for this contract that binds me from ever doing so, I will always be by your side because I care about you more than I thought I could ever care about anyone in my entire life. In which I have never, if I may add because I have fallen in love with you. I love you Ciel Phantomhive, I am deeply and madly in love with you." Sebastian says reassuringly and hugs him tightly almost as if trying to absorb Ciel into himself. Ciel drops his head against Sebastian's shoulder and begins to tear up from the much-needed words from his partner, the love of his life, his entire world. Sebastian soothingly pats Ciel's hair and threads their fingers with his free hand. "Want to sit down?" he asks and Ciel nods his head.

As they make their way to the red sofa next to the warm chimney Sebastian pulls Ciel into his lap. The butler's arms go back around holding Ciel close to him as Ciel does so as well. They sit huddled together in a comforting silence as the fire warms up their bodies and there's only rain outside the manor. Ciel stared at both of their interlaced fingers that found their way ever so naturally back together. As he seemed lost in thought of how perfectly their hands fit each other Ciel gently brought their clasped hands to his lips and kissed each of Sebastian's fingers woven together with his. Sebastian's heart swelled up and left him feeling tingly and further wanting to be cherished. Ciel suddenly noticed the black butler watching his every move which left his face to flush with embarrassment as he ducked his head into Sebastian's toned chest and grinned. Though Ciel carried himself with an exuberant quiet strength, as soon as he knew the butler's sole attention was fixed in his every move Ciel would become the shyest person Sebastian ever met. Using his free hand Sebastian lifted his partner's face and brushed his thumb across his porcelain cheek. "Don't be shy," he said above a hot whisper. "Touch me." Ciel smiled and lightly traced his fingers along the veins that very much stood out from the demon's hand and then flipped it over to have his palm facing up to draw light figures upon it. The touch was slight but surely gave Sebastian a shaking chill all over his body which surprised Ciel because he couldn't believe he was responsible for affecting him in such a way. Sebastian gulped in slight embarrassment and looked down at Ciel as he knew the young Earl had no idea of the hold he had on him. Ciel then stopped and turned up to look at Sebastian, "Kiss me," he said as the butler answered, "Gladly."  

Though Sebastian being the demon, the experience of both their bodies pressed up together in harmonious sync and passion for each other consumed him. With each kiss, small lower lip nibbles, and exploration of their tounges in each other's mouths took away any and almost all of the demon's energy from sustaining his human form. Sebastian began losing all his senses in the intimate and burning sensation to further be engulfed by Ciel in this very moment which led him to revert into his true form. Behind those crimson eyes displayed the slitted pupils in them as they shined even more brightly as his sharp fangs also made an appearance.  As a tiny bit of Sebastian's more demonic side made an appearance once his claws and horns came out he finally took notice of his demonic transition. The demon broke away from his partner's lips and embrace and pushed him off of him as he turned his back against him. "I'm sorry. It's better if we stop right here before I lose control over my human form and you see how disgusting I truly am," Sebastian said as he tried to regain control over himself as he covered his face with both his claw hands. "Don't!" Ciel commanded, shocking the demon from his concentration. Ciel moved over to Sebastian and removed his hands with sharp claws away from his face and cupped his cheeks, "Never apologize for who you are, understand?" The young master retracted his hands and took in Sebastian's true form. He noticed how long his knife looking claws were and how up to half of his arms was black as the night before reaching to tint the demons entire body. As his gaze went up higher he noticed strained veins covered the sides of his lovers face especially beside his glowing vertical slit eyes. "Does it hurt?" Ciel asked as he caressed his even paler looking face where the bulging veins were located as Sebastian nodded no. Ciel shook his head and noticed the set of strong and thick curled black horns above his head, admiring the intricate details that shaped the horns. The young Earl chuckled and wore a smile none that Sebastian had ever seen before. "I actually find you rather beautiful, just like this. So don't you ever change nor try to hide it from me." Ciel gave him a peck to his lips and wrapped his arms around him as he nuzzled his face into Sebastian's neck for warmth.

The demon was utterly shocked to say anything. Never had he come across a human even less his own kind to see his true form as anything but beautiful. Most saw it as completely disgusting and unsightly. Gazing back down at his not so little lord anymore the demon smiled ever so slightly, revealing just a hint of his terrifyingly sharp fangs, crimson slit pupils now multiplied and covering his entire form glowing with an intensity he no longer could hold back. A phantom wave took over Sebastian's entire black body as he shook away the cold air around him and black feathers fell to the ground. He knew that Ciel really had the devil at his feet with everything the boy had and everything the boy was.

[tothelasthoursofmylife]

August 8: Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbour’s Porch Day - Part 3 (Finale)

London, England, United Kingdom – August 1887

At the age of eleven, Ciel Phantomhive had seen and experienced more than other children his age: He had become the Queen’s Watchdog when he was only ten years old and established his own company in the same year. He had worked hard for it, and it was quickly gaining its place amongst the kingdom’s biggest concerns and in the people’s hearts.

He had survived the raid on his manor, survived a month with cultists, made a demon his butler, outwitted and murdered numerous people double and triple his age as the Watchdog.

Still, Ciel had never heard of something as ridiculous as what his fiancée told him one August Monday when she paid him a surprise visit at the townhouse while he was having breakfast.

“Can you repeat what you have said?” asked Ciel and put down his cutlery. His fiancée Elizabeth Midford became a whirlwind when she was overtaken by her own excitement. He sometimes had problems following her rapid speech – though he was not sure if this had been the case today or if the ridiculousness of her words had indeed reached him, but his brain was still attempting to process it.

“Of course,” Elizabeth said with a bright smile. Like a sun, she was always bright and full of energy. Sometimes, Ciel caught himself wondering how they could be related to each other when she was like that and he was her opposite. The reminder that she had inherited her bright passion from her father, who was only Ciel’s uncle by marriage, always came a second later.

“Would you like to take a seat first, Lady Elizabeth?” Sebastian Michaelis enquired. He had been standing silently by his master’s side while he had eaten – an oddity because Sebastian usually alwayshad something to say – and had kept his silence when Elizabeth had barged in and started to talk. He likely had not found any opportunity to raise his voice due to her rambling until now.

“Oh, of course, thank you, Sebastian,” said Elizabeth and sat down on the chair Sebastian swiftly pulled out.

“Ciel, I was saying,” she continued when she was properly seated and Sebastian had fetched her a plate and cup, “that today is a special day for our family.”

Ciel blinked at her. “It is?”

“Yes. Since our grandparents’ youth, the Phantomhives have been observing a tradition every August 8th.”

“‘Every August 8th’?”

“It’s not quite ‘every August 8th,’” Elizabeth admitted. “One year was skipped, but, apart from that, it was an annual event.”

“‘Every August 8th but one’ is still very frequent. How come I have never heard of a tradition connected to this date before?”

Elizabeth smiled sheepishly. “Well, you see, Ciel… The tradition can only be upheld here in London, specifically in this neighbourhood, and it is an ‘embarrassing’ tradition. Mother and Uncle Vincent have been upholding the tradition on their own for years: They met here at the townhouse for this day and then continued with their regular lives afterwards. They only told Father and Aunt Rachel and kept it a secret from us children. However, Mother told Edward and me about the tradition a year ago as it can only be done in pairs, and last year… last year, she could not do it with Uncle Vincent anymore.” Her voice cracked at this part and her gaze momentarily turned sad, but she quickly caught herself and continued as cheerfully as before. The break had only lasted a second or two, though Ciel had still noticed it. It was always easy to spot a cloud in an otherwise clear blue sky; even if it appeared for only a moment.

“At any rate, it was Edward’s and my turn last year. I wanted to tell you about it then, Ciel, but Mother insisted that it may be better to wait at least one more year. After all, you were so busy arranging your business under your new title and building your company,” Elizabeth went on. “I am sorry for not telling you sooner, Ciel.”

“This is fine,” Ciel replied. “It was very considerate of you not to tell me about it last year. I was indeed very busy a year ago around this time; I doubt I would have had time to worry about an old family tradition. What is it about anyway?”

“We have to sneak zucchini onto the neighbour’s porch,” Elizabeth said as if it was the most normal thing in the entire world.

He stared at her and blurted out a “What?”Sebastian would scold him for his bad manners later, but he could not care less about it now. Learning more about zucchinis and neighbours and porches was the priority.

He couldn’t believe he had just thought this.

“Forty years ago, our grandparents started to sneak zucchinis onto the Lincolns’ porch. Everything started on a Sunday when the Lincolns were being even louder than they usually were – I do not want to say this, but you know how they are – and our grandparents decided that the only way to retaliate against the noise was to sneak zucchinis onto their porch and thoroughly confuse them. Mother said that while she understands that something had to be done against the Lincolns, she cannot understand why her parents had to use zucchinis to retaliate against them. She asked but never got an answer for this.”

Ciel wanted to reply something, even opened his mouth, but closed it when he couldn’t think of anything. What could anyone respond to something like that?

“Although this annual event definitely confused and horrified them,” Elizabeth continued nonchalantly, “the Lincolns never moved. Therefore, the tradition was continued. Our grandparents upheld it until their passing, then Mother and Uncle Vincent took over. Last year, Edward and I did it. Since 1847, ‘Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbour’s Porch Day’ has only been missed in 1866. It is a well-kept family secret, and the Lincolns have never suspected that the Phantomhives – or, now, the Phantomhives and the Midfords – are behind the yearly appearance of zucchini on their porch.”

Ciel rubbed his eyes – another action that would bring him a scolding; he did not care. He thought about how he had woken up and seen that it was August 8 on the calendar, remembered that it had been August 7 yesterday, August 6 the day before yesterday… It was not April 1st. He had not fallen asleep one day and slept through months.

It was not April Fool’s, but it sure felt like Elizabeth was trying to fool him with this story.

“Lizzie,” Ciel eventually said, “this is the truth, right?”

Much to his disappointment, Elizabeth nodded. “You know that I dislike lying to you,” she said. “Last year, Edward and I struggled a little to accomplish the mission, but it went well in the end.”

“Then, I wish you both the best of luck for this year,” Ciel replied and took hold of his cutlery again.

“Where is Edward anyway?”

“Why should Edward be here?”

“For the…” he hesitated to say it out loud himself, “Zucchini Day.”

Elizabeth chuckled. “Ciel, I am here and am telling you all this because it is your turn this year to do this with me.”

***

“What?” Ciel exclaimed and nearly let go of the cutlery. He felt Sebastian’s disapproving eyes on him, but the warm panic that was slowly filling his body was stronger. “Lizzie, I am sorry, but I cannot do this. There is no way I will try to smuggle some zucchinis onto the Lincolns’ porch, no matter how insufferable they are and how many sleeps they have disturbed. How would we even do this? As far as I know, the porch is fairly visible…”

He saw Elizabeth inflate a little, and he felt a slight pang seeing her like that, but the panic, the almighty panic triumphed over that too. He was the Queen’s Watchdog, the Earl of Phantomhive. He had no athletic bone in his body; if the mission went wrong, there was no way he could escape on time. This might be the year when the secret would finally come out. He was eleven years old, and people already did not take him seriously – how would they treat him if they learned of his participation in such an event? Treat Elizabeth and the others too? Ciel did not particularly care about what anyone thought of him. However, he could not, would not hurt his pride like that. But then, it seemed important to Elizabeth to continue this absolutely ridiculous tradition, and he hadmade a contract with a demon for whom it would be easy to place some zucchinis on a porch undetected after all…

Ciel looked over to Sebastian who must have realised what his master was planning because he said, “If the family tradition requires physical activity and prowess, the Young Master may not be suitable for it. He is rather helpless when it comes to such things. Considering that you had difficulties partaking in this tradition with your brother, Lady Elizabeth, it may be better to find someone else to help you with it. If there is too little time to invite Lord Edward, we may need another substitute…”

Ciel narrowed his eyes at his butler. There was a slight, mocking smile on Sebastian’s lips as he said all that. He did not like that smile, did not like Sebastian’s tone, and, most importantly, Ciel did not like being called “helpless” and being talked over by his own butler. And while Ciel knew that Sebastian had deliberately said all that to provoke him, he also knew that all Sebastian had said he actually thought. After all, Sebastian could not lie.

Sebastian thought that Ciel could not do anything on his own? He would convince him of the contrary.

“As this is a family tradition,” Ciel said, glaring at Sebastian, “I can and will handle this myself.”

“Really?” exclaimed Elizabeth and nearly jumped up from her chair. “I am so happy to be able to do this with you, and don’t worry, Ciel: We don’t necessarily have to engage in much physical activity.”

“That’s good to know,” Ciel replied and then something clicked in his head. “Lizzie, why was upholding the tradition so difficult for you and Edward last year?”

“Well, you see, Ciel…”

***

Ever since Aaron Lincoln had been old enough to understand what was happening, he had wanted to find out how zucchinis always appeared on his house’s porch every August 8th. His father was fantastically apathetic towards everything – Aaron often wondered how he had managed to get married and have a child – and never cared much for August 8. Every year on the same day, zucchinis appeared on his porch. Every time they spelled out “silence.” Every time, Cosmo Lincoln only nodded when his servants hysterically told him about the zucchinis’ reappearance before he went to do something else he could not care for but had to do. He had no sense for anything but stagnation. The family wealth had not risen since he had succeeded his father. The décor in the townhouse had not changed, neither had the interior of their countryside manor. The gardens wore the same flowers and trees. He hosted parties the same way his parents had. If something had worked for a long time, there was no reason to change it – that was Cosmo’s philosophy. And if something did not work at all, it was too bothersome to change it too.

Cosmo simply did not like to do anything at all.

His mother Danielle, Aaron’s grandmother, was both horrified of and fascinated by Zucchini Day. Forever intrigued by this event, the Viscountess had tried to find out its origins but settled on the belief that the Lincoln townhouse had been built on an old graveyard and they were disturbing its ghosts who had decided to send them a firm message every year – in zucchinis, no less. Maybe ghosts had easy access to them, who could know?

Aaron, however, was not like his father or grandmother. Unlike his grandmother, he did not firmly hold onto the first idea that came to his mind, especially not one as ludicrous as “ghosts.” He regularly asked Danielle how ghosts could even carry zucchinis and she would always think of another outlandish explanation. It was a true talent: to say so many words and say so little still. He loved her regardless.

And unlike his father, Aaron had an actual drive. He stood up early every day to go on a run. He studied for hours on end. He always got perfect marks on his exams. He did his fag work at Weston College with utmost care and diligence. He wished to be Green House’s prefect one day. Weston was a prestigious school, the best in the kingdom, perhaps even in the entire world, and becoming a prefect at such a school could open many doors. And Aaron was very eager to open them. He wanted to get to the top. The letter “a” was in his name twice, one after the other. He was an “ace,” a born winner. He could and would master every challenge. He was born for greatness, and he would show the world how great he was.

To Ciel, seventeen-year-old Aaron Lincoln was nothing but an obnoxious idiot with no sense of personal space or sense for anything, really. Ciel did not know much about fashion; an array of people was involved in his wardrobe – Sebastian, Nina, Elizabeth – and he was only there to be turned around, measured, and dressed like a doll. He vetoed the most outrageous outfit suggestions, but otherwise, he wore everything life, or, rather, Sebastian, threw at him. Still, he knew that when he had seen Aaron wearing a bright yellow waistcoat over an aubergine shirt and green-grey trousers that he was what other, sensible people called a “fashion disaster.” Even Elizabeth who always found something to compliment on was at a loss for words whenever she met Aaron. Ciel was not particularly fond of being hounded every time he needed new clothes, but then he remembered Aaron and thought “Maybe that’s what would have become of me too if I had free reign over my wardrobe.”

Then, he remembered how Aaron had once tried to convince him how platypuses had to be alien creatures from outer space which had come to Earth and failed spectacularly trying to camouflage themselves as Terran animals.

No, Ciel would have only ended up like Aaron if he somehow lost at least half of his brain matter.

Knowing very well that Aaron’s attempts at throwing himself as far away as possible from his ancestral apple tree were futile at best, Ciel reacted to Elizabeth’s retelling of last year’s August 8 with only a tired sigh.

Apparently, Aaron “Ace” Lincoln had made it his holy mission to get to the bottom of the strange zucchini appearances. And while he had no wit to spare, he had persistence in abundance. Last year, he simply did not want to leave Edward and Elizabeth out of his sight and gave them lectures on his numerous ridiculous theories (but then, considering the event in question, ridiculous theories might be the only way to go). And when Aaron began one of his lectures, there was no escape. That boy could talk. It was impossible to simply ask for a bathroom break because he did not allow interruptions of any kind. Elizabeth and Edward had eventually managed to turn his attention to only one of them, and the other had had to sneak away and place the zucchinis in a ridiculously short time before Aaron noticed that something was off. They had barely succeeded and had to return home with a serious headache. Elizabeth sheepishly admitted that she had dreamed of zucchinis going on a walk and then dying of exhaustion right in front on the Lincolns’ porch. When breakfast was over and they left the parlour, Ciel made sure to walk past the calendar in the entrance hall. No, it was truly August, not April.

“Now, Ciel, what are we going to do?” Elizabeth asked while he was leading her from the drawing-room to his office. Sebastian followed them like a gloating shadow.

“I am not sure yet,” Ciel replied. “However, we cannot start now: I am not as busy as last year, but I have to do some paperwork now. Also, Her Majesty has given me a task and I need to talk to Undertaker today. I am sorry. Unfortunately,” he said, “Fortunately” he thought, “the meeting cannot be postponed to tomorrow. It will not take long though, so we will have enough time for… to…”

“To sneak zucchinis onto the Lincolns’ porch?” she came to his rescue.

Ciel nodded, and Sebastian opened the door to his office. “Exactly.”

Ciel sat down at his desk and read through the pile of documents on his table. At least, it was fairly small today. Elizabeth walked around the room and inspected the books and the décor while he did his best to finish his work quickly.

“May I come too?” Elizabeth eventually asked.

Ciel looked up from a report on a manufacturing mishap at his Yorkshire factory (his Bitter Rabbits were wonderfully cute and widely popular, but Bitter Rabbits with upside-down sewed-on heads were neither cute nor would they be in any way popular; Ciel pondered over consulting Elizabeth on this matter, but ultimately decided against it).

“Come – where?” Ciel wanted to know.

“To Undertaker.”

He nearly let go of the report in his hands. The Midfords, of course, knew about his occupation, but he did his best to keep them away from everything concerning it. Now, most of his Aristocrats of Evil were remnants of his predecessor’s generation; because of this and the circumstance that Elizabeth was very fond of surprising him with visits, she knew Undertaker and the others. However, apart from Pitt (the Lark Photographic Studio was a normal enough place and also used to belong to his predecessor), Elizabeth only ever met the Evil Nobles at the manor or the townhouse. The sheer thought of bright, radiant Elizabeth in Undertaker’s gloomy funeral parlour gave Ciel a headache. Also, these days, Ciel met Undertaker solely for business reasons – and this business was the one he wanted to keep her away from.

“It won’t take long,” Ciel said. “Maybe an hour or two. You can wait here; you don’t have to come with me. What could you even want there? It’s not a nice place.”

Elizabeth turned away from the painting she had been looking at and to Ciel. “I do not mind that it is not a ‘nice’ place.”

“I’m certain that it was cleaned for the last time before any of us was born, Lizzie.”

“I doubt it has been that long. How could Undertaker live in such a place then?”

“You would be surprised,” Ciel mumbled, and Elizabeth did not seem to have heard him as she continued, “Also, it took so long last year to get the zucchinis onto the Lincolns’ porch. Edward and I had a plan. It was maybe not the best of plans, but Aaron destroyed it and nearly made us fail our mission. I think it would be good to scheme something in the carriage so that we will not lose more time.”

He wanted to reply, but then her gaze softened and he knew that she was not done yet. “And we have barely been able to spend any time together lately. The last time I saw you was on Easter when I invited you to our manor to celebrate – and then you got an urgent message from Her Majesty and had to leave early. I’ve been looking forward to spending time with you again.”

Ciel put down the report. He wanted to respond that they would still be spending time together after he had wrapped up his business at Undertaker’s. However, when Elizabeth looked at him like that and said such things, it was difficult to refuse her.

“Very well,” he said with a sigh, and Elizabeth beamed before he had even finished speaking. “You can accompany me to Undertaker.”

***

Seeing Sebastian’s grin when he and Elizabeth had got in the carriage had put Ciel in a terrible mood, and it took a few minutes and multiple “Oh, look at this place, Ciel!” from Elizabeth to lighten him up again. Ciel asked Elizabeth to tell him one more time about her experiences from last year. At breakfast, he had still been in shock after hearing about Sneak Zucchini Day. Now, he was able to fully process what she was saying – though, frankly, he wished he did not have to – and his brain, very reluctantly, ran at full speed to think of a strategy. When they arrived at the funeral parlour, Ciel had still not been able to think of anything. His brain worked and worked, but it seemed blocked. He simply did not want to think of this silly day and tradition. Why did he have to endure this again? Ah, because of his grandparents, the Lincolns, and Sebastian.

When Ciel got off the carriage and helped Elizabeth out – Sebastian insisted; she was his fiancée after all, and he had to be a gentleman – his brain had something new to focus on: thinking of areas in a townhouse that can get very, very dirty and are extremely difficult to clean.

Like Ciel had thought, Elizabeth stood out like a sore thumb in the alley alone. She was all smiles and sunshine at his side. She pointed out some beautiful flowers growing out of the broken street for him when Sebastian went to knock on Undertaker’s door, and Ciel felt the corners of his mouth go slightly up, but only for a moment because the door opened a second later and they went inside.

“Hi hi…” it sounded from one of the numerous coffins propped messily against the walls, and Ciel sighed. It was one of thosedays again then.

“I’ve awaaaaaaited you, Earl.” A coffin opened and Undertaker stepped out of it. “Though I have not awaited Lady Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth curtsied to him. “Nice to meet you again, Undertaker.”

“Nice to meet you again too.” His reply, like most of his sentences, was followed by a laugh. Undertaker then walked to the back. “Please take a seat. It is a bit early, but let us have some tea. Hehe.”

Smiling and without question, Elizabeth sat down on one of the coffins that had been placed on the ground. Ciel looked at the coffins in disdain for a moment before Elizabeth took his hand and pulled him down to seat him next to her.

Undertaker returned a few minutes later with an actual tea service instead of the usual beakers. If he had not brought his usual urn-biscuit jar as well, Ciel would have told Sebastian to get this impostor here and there. Ciel wanted to ask Undertaker about the unusual change of dishes when Elizabeth exclaimed, “Oh, you still have the tea set I gifted you!”

Ciel stared at her. First, the revelation of the Zucchini Day, and now he learned that his fiancée apparently sent gifts to Undertaker? Of course, she would. But still.

“The Lady gave me this tea set,” Undertaker answered Ciel’s unspoken question while he poured tea in cups, “because the last time we met, we had tea at your townhouse, Earl. You were busy and could not see me immediately, so we talked and I commented that I did not usually drink or eat from such fine china. I got this gift a few weeks later in the post.” He smiled at Elizabeth as he handed her a cup of tea. “It is a treasure. Thanks,” he said with a chuckle.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”

Ciel leaned towards Elizabeth. “How did you know his address?” he whispered.

“I asked Mother,” she whispered back.

“Would you like some biscuits, Lady Elizabeth?” Undertaker asked and held the urn-jar out to her at the same time as he stuffed a few biscuits into his own mouth.

“Sure. Thanks,” she said and took out one. Undertaker held the urn-jar out to Ciel who declined. He liked sweets, but he was not in the mood for Undertaker’s odd bone-shaped biscuits. “Bone-shaped biscuits for humans” like he called them. Ciel always wondered why Undertaker insisted on the “for humans” part. Were they actually not for humans and he wanted to hide this or…?

At least, Elizabeth seemed to enjoy and even praised them. Undertaker only responded with a “Heh, thanks, Lady Elizabeth” before he leaned back on his desk, biscuits in mouth, teacup precariously held in his hands.

“Now, Undertaker,” said Ciel, “about the reason why I am here…”

“Hehe, I know why you are here,” Undertaker replied and leaned back even more and was now almost half-lying on his desk. “You know what I want for paaaayment, hehe, Earl~”

Ciel tensed, having forgotten until now that Undertaker’s information was not paid for in coins but in laughter, and Elizabeth tilted her head in puzzlement. Usually, Ciel let Sebastian give Undertaker his payment, but if this turned out the way it had earlier…

Ciel braced himself and was about to say something when Undertaker continued, “Only there is nothing to pay for today, hehe.”

Ciel blinked at him.

“Undertaker, we have come here today because you said you had the information we needed,” Sebastian said.

Undertaker held out a finger. “No, I didn’t. I said that I would maybe have the information by today. It was an estimate. The bodies have still not been delivered to me. Apparently, the transporter changed and has a terrible sense of orientation… Went to another ‘Undertaker’s funeral parlour’… My name is surely popular.” He laid down on the desk and giggled.

Ciel pinched his nose. “So we have come here for nothing?”

“Oh, not for nothing, Earl. Didn’t I give you tea and biscuits?”

Ciel scowled at him. Then, in one fluid motion, the teacup still precariously held, Undertaker got up and sat down on his desk. He crossed his legs and propped his arm on them and held his head. “Also, Earl, if I remember correctly, it is that day today.”

Ciel groaned. “How do you know?”

He chuckled. “You are not the first Phantomhive I got to know, Earl. And you know how much I love all that is full of laughter… It’s been forty years now since the first time if I am correct…”

“Were you there then?” asked Elizabeth.

Undertaker smiled crookedly. “Maybe, I was. Maybe, I wasn’t.” He laughed. “Your father, Earl, would always tell me about what he and his sister did that day. Lady Francis was often there when he told me and was not amused that he shared it but they always had such fun stories… They usually just knocked, went inside, and hoped for the best; one distracts, one places the zucchini. Once, your father was chased by the Lincolns’ dog. He tried to climb over the fence, fell, and then lost consciousness. I wished I had seen that, hehe.”

“My predecessor did what?” said Ciel blankly.

“Never shied away from anything, your father. Made him such a fun person, hehe.” Undertaker grinned. “Promise that you will tell me about your Zucchini Days.”

“Absolutely not,” Ciel said at the same time as Elizabeth said, “If we can meet, of course.”

Undertaker laughed. “It’s your turn this time, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” Elizabeth replied. “Edward and I upheld the tradition last year – next time we meet I will tell you about it in detail! – and this time, it is Ciel’s and my turn.”

“Quite busy, aren’t you? What’s next year? The Earl and Lord Edward?” He took another biscuit. “There have never been that many of you before. Rotations, how entertaining.”

“We are not sure yet. We have to see if it works out like that next year.”

“I hope it does.” Undertaker put down his cup. It had, to Ciel’s surprise, survived the mortician’s constant erratic movements. “I hope today will be as fun as the last years, Earl.” He grinned. “The story of today will definitely pay for the information you came here for~”

***

“You don’t have to push yourself that much to think of something, Ciel,” Elizabeth said when they had returned to the townhouse and gone to sit in the drawing room.

Ciel blinked at her.

“You have been looking quite anguished for the carriage ride and you still do, and I said in your office that we could think of a plan.”

He nodded. “Right.”

“And you still haven’t said anything regarding a plan, so I guess you are thinking about it? We can both think of someone; it doesn’t have to be just you.”

“I know. It’s just…” Ciel sighed.

To his surprise, Elizabeth took his hand and looked sternly at him. “Today is supposed to be a fun day, Ciel. You are thinking too hard about this. Who is our opponent?”

“Aaron Lincoln.”

“And what do you think of him?”

“He is an obnoxious idiot,” Ciel said. It felt odd to say this out aloud to Elizabeth.

“Then why are you worrying so much about this?”

He looked at her.

She was right. Why was he worrying so much about someone like Aaron? Pondering so much about a day like Sneak Zucchini Day? Thinking so hard about a strategy when those before him had only waltzed into the Lincoln townhouse as a distraction while their partner placed the zucchini on the porch?

“Like Undertaker has told us,” Ciel said, straightening up, “we will split up: One will distract Aaron and anyone else inside the Lincoln townhouse. The other one will place the zucchini when the coast is clear. The one inside will give the one outside a sign to indicate that Aaron’s attention is fully elsewhere. The sign will be…” Ciel wanted to say that it would be delivered via Sebastian: that the one inside would give a sign, Sebastian would see it from the townhouse’s window and give a sign to the one outside. Only, that would not work as he and Elizabeth had to do this all alone; they couldn’t ask Sebastian to do even such a minor thing. Ciel took a deep breath and then began again, “Aaron may not be particularly intelligent, but he is persistent. He will be vigilant all day to catch whoever has been placing zucchinis on his family’s porch for forty years. A full distraction will likely only last a few minutes. The one inside will give a sign by a window. The other one will wait in the townhouse for the sign and have the zucchinis ready and…” He gulped. “… run outside and to the Lincolns’ porch to place the zucchinis and hurry back. It would be better to wait inside so that Aaron would not spot someone hiding in the bushes. I can put the zucchinis in place. Can you distract Aaron for five minutes, Lizzie?”

Elizabeth nodded. “I can.”

“So the Young Master wants his fiancée to be the distraction?” Sebastian said because, of course, he did. “I doubt that this is something a true gentleman would do.”

Ciel wanted to tell him that sneaking zucchini onto his neighbour’s porch was not something a true gentleman would do either, but he held himself back. Instead, he replied, “Still, this is the best course of action.”

“Is it? Young Master, if you have forgotten Lady Elizabeth is a young lady. It will be highly inappropriate for her to go to the Lincolns’ unannounced. She can do this here as she is your fiancée, but not anywhere else.”

Ciel gritted his teeth. “We can send a calling card.”

“What if they decline? A visit from Lady Elizabeth would also lead to raised eyebrows and heightened suspicions. A visit from their neighbour would be less suspicious, Young Master,” Sebastian said with a smile.

Ciel glared at him. “Very well. Lizzie, do you think you can run out of the townhouse, place the zucchinis, and run back in five minutes? I know your attire is not well-suited for something like this but…”

“No, I will be fine,” Elizabeth said and smiled, but she seemed oddly nervous.

“Are you sure?” Ciel asked, and Elizabeth nodded fiercely.

“Good.” He stood up. “Then let us go to the kitchen and see if we have enough zucchini before we start the mission.”

Elizabeth stood up too and followed him out of the parlour. “Mother told us that we need exactly twenty-two…”

***

Ciel took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He had expected to see Gisela, the Lincolns’ wicked housekeeper with the small evil eyes and the shrill voice and who defied every logic about ageing and longevity (Sebastian had already assured Ciel that she was not a supernatural being), but Aaron Lincoln himself opened the door instead. Today, he wore a green-red plaid suit as if it was Christmas and he was a Scotsman. Neither was the case. He had even paired this abomination with bright yellow shoes.

“Earl Phantomhive,” said Aaron. “I almost didn’t see you there.”

That was another reason why Ciel didn’t like Aaron. Ciel forced himself not to scowl or turn back. “Hello, Aaron. Curious that you opened the door,” said Ciel.

“I am on a mission, Earl,” Aaron replied and stepped out to look left and right with squinted eyes. “I’ve been waiting at the door since midnight. You see, since primaeval times, this place has been haunted by an odd zucchini infestation. Well, maybe ‘infestation’ is not the right word, but for ages, the word ‘silence’ has been written on our porch by an unknown hand every year. Tales have been spun around this event, and I am eager to uncover the truth! I will wait here until the culprit arrives and catch them red-handed!”

Ciel blinked at him. Did Aaron seriously believe he was the protagonist of some detective story? “What tales have been spun around this event?” he asked innocently, regretting having ever woken up today and hoping that his grandparents were happy that their descendants continued their ridiculous tradition.

Thankfully, Aaron did not think that Ciel’s presence or question was suspicious, so he told him about his grandmother’s idea of animate zucchinis or his own about alien lifeforms. While Aaron talked and talked, Ciel scrutinised him. He had said that he was up since midnight: dark rings were under his eyes, his usual loud speech was subdued, his eyelids fell closed every now and then and he would immediately tear them open. Aaron was very sleep-deprived; it should be easy to distract him.

After the alien theory, Aaron made a pause, and Ciel could finally speak. “Aaron, I want to know more about this odd event, but how about we go inside before you continue? Maybe if we stay in the threshold, whoever is putting the zucchinis on the porch will not appear.”

Aaron looked at Ciel. “Earl, you are right. We should go inside, come.” They went in, and Ciel sighed in relief when Aaron closed the door. Aaron had put a chair by the door, and besides a pair of opera glasses, there was nothing else here. For someone eager to hunt down the Zucchini Distributor, Aaron was painfully unprepared.

“You can sit on the chair, Earl,” Aaron said. “You are, after all, the guest.”

“Thank you,” Ciel replied and sat down.

“I do not mind standing,” Aaron continued. “It is good to stand and move around a bit. Keeping yourself active is essential for your health. Doing sports is essential for your health. Doing sports even helps people grow,” he said with a side-glance at Ciel.

Ciel cleared his throat. “Do you know what else people offer to guests except for seats?”

Aaron stared blankly at him.

Even mannerless Undertaker who is who-even-knows-how-old knows that, Ciel thought. “Something to drink.”

“Something to drink! Right, where are my manners?”

Where your intellect is.

Aaron called for a servant to bring them drinks; Ciel requested water. When the servants came with the drinks, Ciel’s plan started.

Self-righteous as he was, Aaron would keep standing. However, he could not refuse to drink with Ciel. It was good manners and good for health. Also, he kept talking about extra-terrestrials, dolls he swore moved overnight, and the ground opening up, vomiting out twenty-two zucchinis in “silence”-formation, and closing up again, etc. He needed to drink to keep his throat hydrated and be able to keep talking and talking.

Ciel, on the other hand, only had to nod now and then and ask questions to further Aaron’s torrent of words whenever it seemed as if he had problems to keep on going. He could sip a single glass of water for a long time without raising suspicions while Aaron burned through glass after glass. Ciel really struggled to hold back a grin.

And soon, Aaron would struggle to hold in something else.

Of course, Ciel still had to actually drink and empty and refill his glass, but the lower frequency and the fact that he was sitting made it easier for him to “hold it in.” Aaron who insisted on standing, who was now talking about star constellations and planets in the right – or maybe even wrong – order, and who was on his thirty-sixth glass of water did not have it as easy.

Any second now, Aaron had to excuse himself for a bathroom break. His anguished face did not lie.

Ciel counted until it was finally time. When Ciel arrived at twenty-seven and Aaron at something about twins and cake and bangs (Ciel was barely listening to his words as his headache was awful enough already; how were those things connected to zucchini anyway?), the time finally came. Aaron said the glorious words, “Excuse me, Earl, but I need to refresh myself very quickly.”

Ciel nodded, said politely, “Of course, take your time, Aaron,” and as soon as the idiot was out of sight, he got up from the chair and walked to the closest window that faced his own townhouse. The bathroom was not far from the entrance hall, and with Aaron on a mission to catch the mysterious Zucchini Distributor, he would be back again in no time.

From now on, everything had to go quick.

Ciel fumbled out the sheet of coloured paper from his pocket while he counted the seconds again. They had thought about using a mirror but ultimately decided that it was too noticeable. He held the sheet to the window and saw a movement at one of his townhouse’s windows. Elizabeth was on the move.

Ciel sat back down. He had never run from the townhouse to the Lincolns’ because he neither liked to run nor the Lincolns. Therefore, he had no idea how much time Elizabeth needed to get to the porch and escape afterwards.

Would Aaron return from his bathroom break before Elizabeth could sneak the zucchinis onto the porch?

Ciel hoped not and crossed his fingers for Elizabeth’s success. He didn’t want to cook up a Plan B or be the first failure in forty years of this nonsense.

Ciel had counted to 207 when he heard Aaron’s hurried stride. He reached 213 when Aaron reappeared next to him and put a hand on the doorknob.

Of course, he would want to check if he had missed anything while he was away. Ciel held his breath.

I hope he would not see Lizzie when he opens the door. I hope she was fast enough.

The door opened.

Aaron screamed.

Ciel rose from the chair, fearing the worst. Then, he realised that it had been a scream of frustration, not one of shock and followed by a perplexed “Lady Elizabeth?!”

He walked to the threshold, stood next to an annoyed Aaron.

“Silence” was written in twenty-two zucchinis on the porch.

There was no sight of Elizabeth

She did it.

A smile broke across Ciel’s face. Thankfully, Aaron was too focused on the zucchinis to notice.

Now, it was time for the last step: To say “Oh, no, it has happened right in front of our noses! I remembered that I still have a lot of paperwork to do, so I, unfortunately, cannot stay and help you figure this out. I am sorry for this, Aaron.” and leave in triumph.

Of course, it was never that simple.

To Ciel’s horror, Aaron then started to talk– about his frustration, about zucchinis, about all sorts of cucurbits.

Once, Aaron Lincoln had started to talk, there was no end until he wanted it to end. He would make you listen.

Aaron closed the front door again, and Ciel was trapped.

***

Elizabeth looked at the clock in the living room. She had successfully finished her part of the mission twenty minutes ago. Ciel should have long returned from the neighbours. Where was he? Aaron couldn’t have guessed that it had been their doing, could he?

Whatever happened, it made her restless.

She stood up and told Sebastian that she would go and look for Ciel. She had waited long enough. Ciel had participated in this tradition because of her, and she would not abandon him now.

With sure steps, Elizabeth went yet again to the Lincolns.

At their front door, the fruits of her “crime” to her feet, Elizabeth knocked on the door. Perhaps it was improper to visit without announcement, but as long as she had a good reason to come by without calling ahead first – like searching for her dear missing fiancé – it would be fine.

Hopefully, Gisela doesn’t open, she thought. That woman always made her shudder.

The door opened, and Aaron stood in front of her. He barely paid any attention to her as he was deep in a very one-sided conversation with Ciel who looked more and more uncomfortable and anguished with every word that came out of Aaron’s mouth. What was he even talking about? The Great Pumpkin and his second coming…?

“Mr Lincoln,” Elizabeth said. “Mr Lincoln.”

His talking was known to be unbreakable but he also put great value in etiquette – he could not possibly let a lady stand by his doorsill and ignore her. Also, Aaron looked quite tired today.

Aaron turned to her, and she hurried to speak before he could. “I am sorry to come by unannounced and bother you, but I have been looking for Ciel and…” Elizabeth looked at Ciel and feigned surprise. “Oh, there he is! Thank you, Mr Lincoln, you were a great help. I don’t want to disturb you any longer.” She took Ciel’s hand and dragged him away before Aaron’s exhausted brain could process what happened and respond to anything.

Elizabeth had to aide Ciel all the way to the Phantomhive townhouse. Aaron must have really exhausted him. When they returned, Sebastian helped to get Ciel first to the bathroom – she wondered why but didn’t ask – and then to the living room where he collapsed exhausted next to her on a sofa.

“We did it, Ciel,” Elizabeth said with a smile.

And then, in a rare moment, Ciel returned her smile with a lovely one of his own, and Elizabeth almost burst into tears of joy. “We did it, Lizzie,” he replied and promptly fell asleep. She took his hand. Despite everything, Ciel seemed to have enjoyed their day.

Holding his hand in hers, Elizabeth began to chuckle uncontrollably and was thankful that Ciel did not stir from it.

Her mother had told her that Zucchini Day, albeit it was ridiculous beyond words, had always been a day of great happiness and laughter. Ciel had been too tired to laugh but was now asleep with a smile on his face. That was enough for him. Next year, she hoped that he would laugh too.

Elizabeth squeezed his hand. Undertaker was right: It would be fun if Edward and Ciel would partner up for next year’s Zucchini Day. But she hoped that it could be Ciel and her together again.

[facadesmiled]

A REALLY LONG CHARACTER  SURVEY. RULES.  repost , don’t  reblog  ! tag  10  ! good  luck  ! TAGGED.  @maxabre​ ( thank you mate ! ! ♥ ) TAGGING. Imma tag some of my new followers, so @suitshinigami​, @hackinggod​, @pareidae​, @animaltamerbeast​, @bcwtruckled​, @hypnohatter​ and also @kniifethrower​, @godschose​, @solisnumen​, @moanaialiki​, and... oh heck, whoever feels like it. You go guys. *thumbs up*

❤ FULL NAME :  Edmund John Clemence Taylor NICKNAME : Joker ( technically his name / alias, since his real one is unknown. ) AGE : 25 BIRTHDAY : April 2nd, 1863 ETHNIC GROUP : English NATIONALITY : English LANGUAGE / S : English, some French and German. Learning Spanish currently. SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Asexual ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Panromantic. Has no preference to either women or men. Basically swings every which way. RELATIONSHIP STATUS : Is normally single, though is mainly dating Beast or Clopin ( @pitroi​ ). CLASS : Circuses don’t really have a set class. Though, as he was adopted by Baron Kelvin, he technically is from a high class. HOME TOWN / AREA : London, England, specifically the East End. CURRENT HOME : the grounds of the Noah’s Ark Circus. Secondary home is the manor of Baron Kelvin.  PROFESSION : Ringmaster and part time clown of the Noah’s Ark Circus, Joker leads his family and enjoys making their audience laugh. Behind the vibrant curtains, however, he’s a kidnapper for Baron Kelvin; he kidnaps children and kills anyone who gets in his way. In the Alive!AU, he works tech and backstage in general at an Opera House in London.

❤ PHYSICAL. HAIR : Ginger, hangs down a little bit past his ears when not pulled up. Tied into little braids at the back, which are bleached at the end and hang down to the top of his back. EYES : A vibrant purple colour. FACE : Very soft and gentle, with little lines around his eyes and corners of his mouth from where he’s been smiling all the time. He also normally wears makeup, though it’s mostly around his eyes. A light blue teardrop made of facepaint droops down from his left eye. LIPS : Average sized, though occasionally covered in some kind of clear gloss. A little snaggletooth can be seen peeking out from the side. COMPLEXION : Not exactly pale, but not exactly a normal white skin tone either. He’s somewhere in between. BLEMISHES : Not really considered a blemish, but he has freckles that he hides with makeup on his face, and is also peppered with them on his shoulders and upper back. SCARS : Generally all around his body. Joker has a missing right arm, obviously. Though other than that, he has a bullet hole scar in his upper left shoulder on his back from where he was shot once on a kidnapping mission. There’s also some cuts on his forearm from mishaps with his swordcane or a knife. On his back as well are general scars from where he’s been beaten, both by Kelvin and by people on the East End. And finally, there’s a small burn mark on his butt from where Jumbo’s fire got.... a little too close to him during a show. TATTOOS : N/A HEIGHT : 6′1″ WEIGHT :  Not entirely sure. BUILD : Average body size, but curvy. He’s stronger than he looks, even with a missing arm. Most of his muscles are in his legs. FEATURES : A skeleton-shaped prosthetic right arm. ALLERGIES : N/A USUAL HAIR STYLE : Pulled back by pins until it looks something like a lion’s mane. A small but hangs over his left eye, directly over his teardrop facepaint feature. The longer, bleached pieces of hair are in small braids and cascade down his back. In the Alive!AU, it’s all short and down ( a little bit past his ears, like in canon ) and the longer pieces have been cut off, though occasionally he clips back his bangs when he’s working. USUAL FACE LOOK : Smirk, casual smile, or a full blown ( often fake ) performer's smile. USUAL CLOTHING : His circus outfit, which consists of a white dress shirt, a ruffled elastic belt that hangs loose a little at the end, a grey and black diamond vest, big yellow bow, black poofy pants with grey diamonds on the side hem, black and white curly toed boots, and a purple coat that adorns his shoulders that has gold trim and diamonds on the ends of the sleeves and bottom. For a full reference, see here and here. When not in his circus outfit, he wears a normal Victorian style suit, as his other job is a butler. The only circus-y thing about this suit is a black and grey diamond bow at his neck- it’s not as big as the one on his circus outfit though.

❤ PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : Loosing those he loves, being abandoned, death, life after death, heights, people finding out what he really is, his family receiving a terrible fate of some kind. ASPIRATION / S : Getting his family ‘ over the hills and far away. ‘ Nothing else matters. POSITIVE TRAITS : Caring, cheerful, joking, helpful, consoling, sympathetic, encouraging, positive in general, complimentary, passionate. NEGATIVE TRAITS : Liar, stoic, full of self-hatred, rarely lets people in, negative in mentality, strict, oblivious, basically a living, breathing, walking facade of a human being. ZODIAC : Aries

TEMPERAMENT : Melancholic: The melancholic temperament is fundamentally introverted and thoughtful. Melancholic people often were perceived as very (or overly) pondering and considerate, getting rather worried when they could not be on time for events. Melancholics can be highly creative in activities such as poetry and art - and can become preoccupied with the tragedy and cruelty in the world. Often they are perfectionists. They are self-reliant and independent; one negative part of being a melancholic is that they can get so involved in what they are doing they forget to think of others. SOUL TYPE / S : Caregiver: If you recognize yourself as a Caregiver, you may already have noticed the tendency to put others’ needs ahead of your own. This trait makes it essential that you go out of your way to take care of yourself as well as those around you. Remember that you’re no use to others if you’re not healthy or fit enough to help them. You are loyal to the extreme, and you guard those who are entrusted to your care with your life. Fighting another person’s battles can be important if that individual is unable to stand up for themselves, though you should be cautious not to disempower those in your care by not allowing them to do things for themselves. Your empathy allows you to understand nonverbal emotional signals. This ability will tell you when someone needs your help, and how best to assist them. It is common for Caregiver types to intuitively know what someone needs at any given time. VICE HABIT / S : Drinking ‘til drunk, spiraling into numb depression, holding in emotions. VIRTUES / VICES: Charity, diligence, kindness, patience. / Pride, sorrow, wrath. FAITH : Believes in God, Jesus, Angels, the Devil, ect. No set religion though, just general beliefs.   GHOSTS ? : Definitely. He believes in all manner of the supernatural. AFTERLIFE ? : Yes- and he’s scared of it. REINCARNATION ? : Yes. He feels like a spirit can choose to be reincarnated, if they so wish to be. ALIENS ? :  Maybe? In a modern verse, he probably would. EDUCATION LEVEL : Just basics- how to read and write. He wasn’t taught much else at Kelvin’s manor. Performance style education is high, obviously. He knows his way around the arts.

❤ FAMILY. FATHER : Unknown birth father / Baron Kelvin MOTHER : Karen Taylor SIBLINGS : The first tier of the Noah’s Ark Circus, and the circus in general really. Also, the children at Renbourn Workhouse. EXTENDED FAMILY : N/A. NAME MEANING / S :  The name Edmund is derived from the Old English elements ēad, meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and mund, meaning "protector". HISTORICAL CONNECTION ? : N/A. ( Thanks Yana T. :/ No I’m kidding. Really. I swear. )

❤ FAVORITES. HOLIDAY : Christmas! He loves the joy and cheer, and also giving out gifts. MONTH : November. SEASON : Autumn. PLACE :  London, since that is and always will be his home. Though, he also like Paris! WEATHER : Snow, or a brisk fall day. SOUND :  The bustle as the audience dims down to silence, in anticipation for a show. SCENT / S : Anything that reminds him of a stage. TASTE / S : Caramel! Also cheese. FEEL / S : Being warm when it’s cold outside, the slight heat from stage lights, getting tingly from excitement, joy, fluffy things. ANIMAL / S :  Any and all! COLORS :  Purple, orange, and yellow!

❤ EXTRA. TALENTS :  Juggling, cracking jokes, leading, preforming, singing, playing a few instruments- he can do a lot.  BAD AT : Opening up to people, high wire/tightrope ( he did it once- never again ), thinking things through. TURN ONS : N/A. Asexual, and doesn’t really care for it, regardless. TURN OFFS :  See above. HOBBIES : Attending all kinds of shows ( operas, orchestras, musicals, other circuses, ect. ), reading, practicing his skills, writing small poems or short stories. TROPES : Above Good and Evil: He didn’t care what he had to do, as long as he thought it would save the other children.

All For Nothing: He believed he was protecting his “brothers and sisters” back at the Renbon Workhouse by obeying Kelvin. After he and all the first-tier members of the circus die because of it, Ciel and Sebastian find the Renbon Workhouse abandoned. They assume Kelvin allowed Doctor to kill the children for his experiments with artificial limbs. Joker and the rest died for nothing.

Knight Templar Big Brother: He will do anything for his foster siblings, even kidnap children because his demented “father” makes him believe he’s protecting his brothers and sisters back at the Renbon Workhouse by doing so (although there are actually no children there anymore).

My Master, Right or Wrong: No matter how much he hates to kidnap innocent children and force them to perform in dangerous shows in which they die gruesomely; if that is what his “father” wants he will do it, since he’s still the man who saved him and his “siblings”, and the one supposedly protecting the other children at the Renbon Workhouse.

Not So Different: To Ciel. When he begs Ciel to not kill Kelvin he states that the man is the one who saved them and is helping all their friends at the orphanage. Even if Joker and the others had to do commit horrible actions to further their cause, he still feels it’s right if it gives all the abandoned children a better future. Ciel’s response shows that he understands their need to better themselves, even if it’s at the expense of other people, and replies: “To save your own skins, you obeyed him and sacrificed others… You fought to protect your world. What’s wrong with that? In the end, "justice” is just an official line taken by those in power to serve their own ends. No one’s looking out for others. If you’re careless, you’ll be robbed. There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who steal, and those who are stolen from. And today, I steal your futures. That’s all this is.“ AESTHETIC TAGS : circuses, stages, blood over flowers,  fairy lights, autumn leaves, warm colours.

❤ FC INFO. MAIN FC: Himself ALT FC / S : N/A OLDER FC / S : N/A YOUNGER FC / S : Also himself VOICE CLAIM: Mathew Mercer ( see the BOC dub, here. ) Singing voice claim, Miura Ryosuke ( see the Noah’s Ark Circus musical, here. ) GENDERBENT  FC / S : N/A

[cielizzydefencesquad]

a very 1920s au (part v)

Parts 1-4 can be found under the fanfiction tag below! :) 

It was January 22nd, 1924 and Sebastian was half out of his mind with boredom. The Phantomhive brat had been clever enough to deprive him of all company (i.e. chess pieces) and while Elizabeth Midford had transferred him into a more comfortable holding cell, there was still little to do. He was denied anything that could be used as a weapon—including silverware for goodness sake; what was he going to do with a butter knife? Stab someone with it? (Though, in retrospect, he did once kill a man with an empty lipstick tube.)

Lying on the hard bunk mattress, Sebastian’s glittering mahogany eyes were fixed on the cement ceiling, mind whirling with thoughts, schemes, and the question of escape. He needed at least three days to send Phantomhive down the wrong path and a few days more to get to Rosewood Clearing. From the limited amount of information he managed to piece together, Rosewood was about two and a half miles away from Phantomhive Manor—it’d been built in 1897 by Vincent Phantomhive as a wedding present for his blushing bride-to-be.

Not that she was ever there all that often, Sebastian snorted, crossing his arms behind his head. This new prison had a small slit window that allowed some sunlight into the cloistered little room and judging by the faint orange-pink rays, it was near sunset.

That was when he heard her footsteps—light and dainty, the faint click of a woman’s shoe…

The brat’s fiancée.

“Miss Elizabeth.” Sebastian acknowledged once she was close enough. He rose out of polite formality and gave her a short bow.

The girl seemed embarrassed. “I’m terribly sorry if I woke you.” She apologized, hands clasped together and golden curls loose. The lady wore a gown of dark blue satin that displayed her snow pale shoulders and exquisite décolletage. A heavy gold pendant hung round her neck.

“Not in the least.” He reassured, eyes meeting hers. “But the caverns of another man’s prison is hardly the place for a lady such as yourself.”

“Oh yes, yes I know.” She took another step forward. “Only…only I—“

“Yes?” He prompted—perhaps a touch too carelessly—and was surprised when he saw a brief hint of steel in her otherwise angelic expression.

“I need to know if what you said was true—if you’re genuinely unable to return to England.”

Sebastian eyed her warily and briefly debated on toying with her but—no. He needed to have a source on Phantomhive and while he doubted that the girl would actually betray her fiancé, it would at least be interesting to try.

“Yes,” he admitted, crossing the few feet of space he had to meet Elizabeth face to face. “Returning to Birmingham would be as good as signing my own death warrant.”  

“But Mr. Churchill seems rather insistent on catching you.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

“So would it be out of the realm of possibility for him to send a federal agent across the Atlantic and to America in the hopes of tracking you down?” Her eyes were wide with false innocence and Sebastian felt a mixture of annoyance and grudging respect towards her. The girl certainly used her beauty to her utmost benefit, he’d give her that.

“What a thing to wonder.” Sebastian chuckled, looking the very essence of calm—if not somewhat amused. It was a trademark of his since the early days of his career when he ran cocaine for the London boys. “Why do you ask, Miss Midford?”

“Because it’s not everyday that the Chicago police department comes knocking on our front door. They’re either too scared or too inefficient but now we’ve had three visits in the span of five hours.” She pressed her palms against the prison bars. “Please be straight with me, Mr. Michaelis—would Mr. Churchill send a government agent cross continental in the hopes of capturing you?”

Sebastian liked the earnestness in her eyes—it was one of her greatest strengths—but otherwise chose to ignore it. After all, he was a creature of guile and opportunity and he would not be swayed by a little girl with sweetness in her soul. “Perhaps.” He allowed, half-smile still in place. “The man is rather temperamental—made a terrible ruckus during the war and was relegated to office duty. Shame, really. He would have made one hell of a prime minister.”  

“I know about Gallipoli.” She countered icily and Sebastian was mildly impressed by the harsh tremor in her voice. “I know Winston Churchill was willing to open a second front even after the Allies lost millions in the first four months of the war. I know Winston Churchill was willing to sacrifice 50,000 soldiers and betray the trust of his commanders in order to destroy the Ottoman Empire.” She leaned closer. “From what I can tell, Mr. Churchill doesn’t do things by halves and he’s come too far to sink back into obscurity. Can you imagine? One more political blunder like Gallipoli and he can kiss his dreams of becoming prime minister goodbye. How do you think the British public will feel knowing that good Winston Churchill had been consorting with mobsters and murderers?”

“Davenport—“

“He used to be head of the Irish mafia until Churchill made a deal with him. Trade in your mafia gun for a government badge and you escape persecution.”

“My, my—the lady knows her blackmail.” Sebastian’s smile was sharp as he traced Elizabeth’s palm with the tip of his finger.

She shuddered but refused to back down.

“Tell me,” she urged, “are those policemen here because of you?”

Sebastian shrugged, insolent to the last. “It seems that way, Miss Elizabeth.”

“Oh god.” She breathed, pressing one hand to her mouth.

“This is hardly a chapel, my dear.” He taunted lightly. “And I am no priest.”

“Ciel will kill you in twenty seconds if he thinks your presence will compromise his business.”

“Very well then. He’ll simply have two items of contention he needs to clean up.”

Elizabeth frowned. “Two items?”

“Oh yes,” the mobster replied blithely, “the first being my decaying corpse and the second being…well, you already know that.” He winked, sly and insincere.

The girl looked more confused than ever. “What are you talking about, Mr. Michaelis?”

“You’re a clever girl.” He leaned closer, breath ghosting across her cheek. “Figure it out.” Sebastian smirked. “Though I pride myself on notoriety, I hardly think Winston Churchill, admiral and protector, would go to all this trouble just to persecute me at the London courthouse.” He took two steps back, allowing the newly formed evening shadows to wash over him. “You remember the incident that occurred a few months ago? Just days before Christmas, Miss Elizabeth?” His voice turned to cold silk. “The orphanage that burned down, killing all those innocent children?”

“The…fire—it was an accident. Ciel…Ciel got there too late. A murder-suicide.” Her voice was a whisper.

Sebastian chuckled as he prowled the darkness, a demon hunting for his next meal. “Come now my dear, you’re more intelligent than that. A baptism of fire for those kidnapped children—a fire that just so happened to kill the only man who could’ve had your fiancé indicted for treason.”

“Ciel wouldn’t—“

“Oh but he would, my dear.” Sebastian smiled, teeth glinting in the faint moonlight. “He most definitely would.”

“Do you think it was wise, young master?” Tanaka inquired as he polished the silver, movements smooth and sure while his employer read by the fireplace.

Ciel, seated in a high-backed armchair, turned a page. “Do I think what was wise?” His voice was calm—monotone even—but his spine was rigid, his entire posture coiled like a spring.

“To send Miss Elizabeth down there to interrogate him. The man has a talent of planting seeds of doubt in even the most faithful of people.”

“If you think Elizabeth will be swayed by any of his arguments then you’re sorely mistaken.” He closed his book. “She’s strong. The strongest woman I know.”

“Aside from her mother of course.” The old butler chuckled.

Ciel winced. “Yes…Francis Midford is certainly…interesting to say the least.” He paused, almost half in thought. “My future mother-in-law. Thank god she lives in Boston.”

Tanaka laughed before turning around, giving his master a short bow. “I should think so, my lord. But all the same—I worry for Miss Elizabeth.”

“Have you so little faith in her abilities, Tanaka?” Ciel demanded. “She learned from my hand how to interrogate prisoners. I’ve seen her wheedle information out of the devoutest Catholic and most lascivious politician. Sebastian Michaelis will be no different.”

“Oh young master I have complete faith in my lady’s skill and strength, but the child she carries should not bear such a burden.”

“…Child?”

“Indeed, my lord.” Tanaka bowed again. “Your child.”

A/N: Yayyy part V of my 1920s au series! Plot’s finally rolling along—I’m hoping Alois gets to make his big debut next chapter (: Thanks for reading!