Case 1: Ciel Phantomhive

'Day by Day'

"Ciel~. Wakey Wakey. Poke."

Every morning began this way for me. It's a routine I've become very fond of despite the everlasting displeased expression that graces my facial features. Another playful poke by a soft slender finger dug into my cheek, followed by a familiar giggle. My eyes slowly cracked open to my dismay and came into contact with the dreadful morning light that shown through my bedroom window. I always left my curtains closed. Too much sunlight gave me headaches, but my gracious alarm clock that came in the form of my flat mate always drew them open in the mornings. I groaned in obvious irritation, hoping he would get the hint to leave me be, but he wasn't the type of guy who could read the mood or maybe he just simply ignored it. I'm going to go with the latter.

"Alois. Please. 5 more minutes." I groaned sleepily, before turning onto my side, successfully tossing the happy-go-lucky blonde from my tired body.

The blonde pouted. I couldn't see him, but I knew when he wasn't talking that was the expression he was making. It was the only emotion he could express that required minimum to no talking. Even though I loved to bask in the silence, I admit 9 times out of 10, I always fell victim to that protruding plump bottom lip that was usually glazed with some kind of gloss. Since plan A failed, Alois will now resort to plan B. Persistent whining.

"But Ciel~~ I made breakfast. It's your favorite. I even went to the store and bought that Earl Grey tea you like so much." Alois sniffled. "You rarely have breakfast with me."

Liar. I have breakfast with you every morning. But I knew he was never going to give up. With a heavy aggravated sigh, I threw back my blankets and scowled when I saw his glistening clear blue orbs. And as expected, the infamous puppy pout. "I'm awake." I mumbled grumpily. Alois' mood instantly did a 360, which it tends to do very often. I watched as the blonde jumped up and down like a kid on Christmas while clapping his hands in pure excitement. It should be a sin to be that energetic in the morning. "What's for breakfast?" I managed to ask while forcing myself out of bed.

"Oh. Umm." I cocked an eyebrow at Alois' sudden hesitation. I could see the sweat beading down his flawless porcelain skin from here. I gave the boy a glare, telling him to get on with it. "Sebastian…" My body tensed visibly as I squeezed the crisps sheets I sat on a bit too harshly. "…h-he came by this morning with leftovers. They actually looked really yummy. Its stuffed French toast topped with strawberry whipped crème. Sebastian's sweets are always so good."

I clicked my tongue at Alois as he talked about that dick in such a dreamy manner. "Throw it away."

"Eh?" Alois looked at me in shock. Not because I wanted to throw away something Sebastian gave us, but because I was wasting food. Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing me, knew I was a tight ass about money and cleanliness. "B-But Ciel."

"NO buts. We are not eating anything that disgusting 'person' makes. No telling what we'll contract. Throw it away Alois." I ordered once more with a sigh.

I watched as a frown graced Alois' too pretty lips. "Fine. I'll eat it by myself. You can eat cereal since you want to be sucha tight arse."

"I will! And best believe I will enjoy my bloody bowl of Corn Flakes!" Before I knew it, Alois was out the door. If any of you were wondering, yes this is a normal occurrence for us. Our 'arguments' never lasted long though. People always wondered how Alois and I managed to stay friends for so long. Our personalities are complete opposites. Hot and Cold. Once I think about it, which I rarely do, Alois and I have little to nothing in common. He enjoys staying out late partying. I prefer a nice schedule where I am home hopefully by 9pm. Alois is a charmer. He can charm the pants off anyone…literally. While I am socially awkward at best. Alois isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, if you catch my drift. I on the other hand have been labeled as a prodigy lacking proper ambition. And that's okay with me. I'd rather tour the lively streets of London with Alois than chat with a bunch of rich, stuck up blokes any day. After tending to my hygienic needs, I met Alois at our small but somewhat elegant kitchen table met for two people and if you tried hard enough maybe you could squeeze in a third. With a sigh, I grabbed the cereal box, a bowl and a spoon that was laid out ready for me.

"The hospital called." Alois announced while cutting another piece of the creamy delight with his fork.

"Lovely." I replied in the most uninterested tone I could muster.

"They said their going to be short staffed tonight so it would be appreciated if you took the overnight shift."

"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?"

Alois giggled at my outburst. "Neighbors~. Do you want another visit from that tranny witch upstairs?"

"OH FUCK NEIGHBORS!" I groaned loudly while dipping my head and massaging my temples, the sudden symptoms of a migraine fast approaching. "I swear Alois those bastards always do this. Have they no decency? Do they not understand how aggravating their last minute crap is?!"

"Well it is a hospital Ciel. It's not like people are going to stop dying because of your OCD." Alois teased.

"Great. This is just fucking fantastic. And I have a morning course tomorrow too. I'm going to get little to no rest. Plus Lizzy is visiting. Oh Gods just kill me now."

Alois rolled his eyes. "So skip class and I've been telling you since day one to get rid of that Lizzy problem."

"Lizzy isn't a problem. We're in love—" I was quickly cut off by a mocking laugh. Here we go again.

"No Ciel. You aren't in love with that frilly pink cartoon-looking annoying twat. You only think its love because she's your first and your parents wanna make her your last. But you're just too lazy and OCD to actually get off your ass and find someone who suits you."

"I don't understand why you detest her so much. I mean sure she can be a bit overwhelming sometimes—"

"A BIT OVERWHELMING?!" Cut off again. Gods I hated being interrupted. "Lizzy is the soul definition of annoying. Not to mention she's stuck up, spoiled, prejudice—"

"Wait. How is she prejudice?"

"Oh come off it. Don't pretend Ciel as though you don't hear the little comments she makes about my sexual orientation." I stayed silent and watched the rage slowly blossom in Alois' eyes. Alois usually didn't get upset or mad, but when he did it was always wise to not make a sound. Like a deer in headlights. Quiet, still, silent. The blonde clicked his tongue and with one swift movement grabbed the shoulder bad that rested on the back of his chair and threw it on.

"Where are you going? It's only 10AM."

"Out mummy." He hissed in my direction. "I'll be back in the early morning."

"Ring me if you need—" The front door slammed in my face before I could finish. Sigh. This day was going to suck. I could feel it. I finished off my mediocre breakfast before properly discarding my empty bowl and Alois' abandoned plate into the dishwasher. I then checked my cell and noticed I still had a while away before my 1st course of the day began. I could sit around and watch a bit of telly before leaving, but that always managed to quickly lose my interest when Alois wasn't by my side making comments about every little thing. With a bored sigh, I decided on leaving early and entertain myself at the uni library. Once doing a quick touch up on my appearance. Which I decided to go casual today or as casual as I possibly could get. A crisp white button up under a plaid blue and black sweater vest, tanned trousers and a pair of black and white vintage Demonia Creepers. And if you're wondering yes Alois did buy them for me, because never would I spend so much on shoes. I neatly combed down a stray hair and I was on my way. After locking up, I turned and at that moment I swear I could feel a blood vessel pop. I grit my teeth in silent anger as I watched him mimic my earlier action and lock up his place as well. He then gazed in my direction with those sinful unearthly crimson eyes, a smirk on his thin lips. Be the bigger man Ciel. Just ignore him. With my head held high, I walked past him as though he were nothing, which he is. Nothing.

"Hello neighbor. Got any sugar I can borrow?" he questioned in that disgusting playful teasing tone of voice.

"Borrow this, arsehole." I replied nonchalantly while politely flipping him the finger and continuing my way to the lift. So much for being the bigger man. He merely chuckled as expected and to my dismay he followed me into the vacant lift. Dammit. "You know there's stairs right?"

He grinned in my direction and I shuddered. Sebastian Michaelis. Age 22 and one of the biggest dicks you could ever meet in the UK. He was cocky, terribly blunt, and a bit selfish. He was the type who could insult you endlessly with a smile on his face. But despite his shortcomings, his appearance, I admit was something to look at. If he past you by on the street, one might even mistake him for a model. He was tall, with a muscular slim built, olive toned skin, unbelievably silky raven hair and his eyes. I shiver just thinking about them. I sneaked a peek in his direction and gazed at his current attire. A grey shirt that hugged his muscles under a black vest and a pair of black jeans with chains hanging on either side and to top it off combat boots.

Sebastian chuckled as he pulled a pack of smokes from his pocket. "See something you like?"

I didn't blush at being caught staring. "You fucking wish."

The man took a drag before exhaling the toxic smoke, totally ignoring the twisted look of disgust and discomfort on my face. As I said before, the biggest dick you'll ever meet in the UK. "Even more of a bitch in the morning. Anyway, did you and Blondie enjoy the leftovers?"

"No. As a matter of fact we didn't and we'd appreciate it if you'd stop sending your scraps our way."

Sebastian just laughed and took another hit. "Well what else am I supposed to give a bitch?"

My anger reached new heights and as if the very Gods above knew of my rage they spared the bastard of it by opening the lift's door on my exit floor. I gave the bastard a mocking chuckle. "I would say it was nice chatting with you, but I would be lying wouldn't I? Burn in Hell." Not giving him the chance to utter another word, I exited the lift as fast as my short legs could take me. The bright morning sun struggled to peek from behind the cloudy blue sky. It was a bit hot out today but a gentle breeze managed to kiss my cheeks every now and again. I loved spring, almost as much as I loved winter. Alois preferred summer. He claimed it had the best 'naked weather'. I found that to be irrelevant since he always walked around with little clothing as possible, no matter what the weather was like.

"If you're going to stand around like an idiot at least do it in a place where you're not in the way of others. Believe it or not some people have a respectable day job." Sebastian stated in his normal rude manner. I instantly snapped out of it. A blush flamed my cheeks. I was so lost in thought that I haven't noticed that I was standing idly on the sidewalk. Before I could give that fucker a piece of my mind for his earlier comment, I saw him jump on a bus across the street that was seconds from departing.

"Wait. Oh crap. That's my bus also." With every athletic bone in my body, which wasn't much by the way, I darted after the bus in desperation. Waving my arms like a mad man. "Please stop! One more!" My lungs were on fire. I struggled to breathe. Oh please don't let me have an attack over a damned bus. My eyes traveled upward to one of the bus windows after pursuing it for over a good minute. All hell broke loose as I saw Sebastian waving at me with that devilish grin of his. Kill. Kill! KILL! Nothing could explain what came over me then. Like a professional track star, I raced towards the front entrance of the bus, ignoring the burning in my chest. "STOP THE BLOODY BUS!" The driver saw my hectic form and immediately came to a halt. The doors opened. I panted like crazy as I boarded. I knew my appearance must be something to gawk at. After paying the fare and kindly ignoring the looks I was getting from the other passengers, I stumbled down the aisle.

"Hey. Ciel, there's an available seat right next to me mate." My eyes widened in blood shot anger as I watched Sebastian wave me over so innocently as though he took no part in my current disheveled state. I clutched at my chest as my coughing fit seemed to escalate. "Hey. Hey. Are you alright? Let me help you." Sebastian assisted in feigned concern. Don't touch me, but I couldn't fight back. I hadn't the energy plus even if I did I didn't want to risk getting kicked off. Then all my earlier efforts would have been for nothing. To my utter displeasure, I allowed Sebastian to guide me to the available seat that was beside his. Then without my permission, the bastard began to rummage through my bag and pull out my inhaler and my emergency water.

"Here sit up straight." Sebastian ordered while practically shoving the device towards my mouth. I quickly wrapped my lips around the nozzle and gently took in the medication as Sebastian fed it to me. How lovely. My life was in the hands of the very bastard that tried to kill me. Once my breathing reached its normal levels, I snatched my water away from the demon and gulped it down as if my life depended on it. "Ha. Just imagine you could have died all because of a little running. But it's no surprise really. You do have the body of an under-aged girl." That was it. Without another thought I gave the bastard a much deserved strike across the cheek. The passengers near us gasped in shock, but I didn't care.

"You have to be the biggest fucking cunt I have ever met in my entire life!" I hissed through clenched teeth. Sebastian stayed stunned by my action as though he absorbed what happened actually happened. He then smiled and licked his lips in the direction where I slapped him.

"Are you upset?" he questioned simply, but in a way that said 'I wouldn't care if you were or weren't'. My body still trembled from adrenaline. This man was unbelievable. How could one be so inconsiderate towards other people's feelings? I glanced around and it was just my luck there weren't any free seats nearby. So I have to resort to option 2. Ignore him. I stayed quiet at his stupid question and pulled a compact mirror from my bag. I groaned at my now sloppy hair.

Sebastian snickered. "For a heterosexual man that pink mirror looks kind of homo to me."

I frowned. "It was a gift from Alois. But you wouldn't know about friends now would you?"

"Ah~. Blondie eh?"

"Alois." I corrected bitterly.

Sebastian grinned. "Is he working tonight? A lap dance would be really nice."

"Are you working tonight?!" I retorted angrily. I never approved of Alois' job, but I'll be damned if I let anyone belittle him for it, especially this whore.

A devilish yet seductive glint emerged in Sebastian's ruby eyes. "Why do you want to make an appointment?"

"Tsk. In your dreams. Your legs is like your mouth. It never closes."

Sebastian let out a hearty laugh that drew more attention, if possible, our way. "Gods. You're too funny. If you weren't such a bitch you'd be my type."

"Well lucky for me I am." The bus finally came to a scheduled stop and Sebastian rose to his feet.

"This is me. See you lately mate." He said with a grin while heading up the aisle.

"Not likely and we're not mates!" Determined to not let that bastard's unexpected presence ruin the rest of my day, I enjoyed the rest of the solemn bus trip. 10 minutes later I departed and checked my cell to not only discover I was still on schedule but I missed a series of calls and texts from Lizzy. Sigh. Just great. She disliked it when I kept her waiting or made her worry. I quickly dialed her back.

"Hello Ciel?" she giggled in that shrill yet bubbly voice of hers.

"Hello love. I'm sorry I missed you. I was on the bus and unfortunately my neighbor was there. He doesn't know when to shut up."

She giggled again. "That's alright. I was worried maybe something happened to you. Ciel is getting so popular lately. Soon you won't have time for me." Lizzy pouted.

Popular with who? People avoid me at all costs. I brushed off the ridiculous statement with a forced amused chuckle. "You know I'll always make time, love. I can't wait until this lecture is over so I can see you."

"Hehehe. Ciel stop you're making me blush. Do you work today?"

"Ah. Yes unfortunately. The jerks surprised me this morning with the overnight shift. Sorry. I wish I could decline."

"That's fine. Daddy wanted me to invite you out for dinner. He says you two haven't talked in so long you're practically strangers. I told him over and over Ciel is busy with work and school and me. He rarely has any free time." I nodded my head in agreement while adding a few 'hmm' every now and again. Lizzy was a nice girl, but she always had the tendency to blabber on and on to the point where she's having a conversation with herself. I took this moment to enter the nearest washroom. Set my cell to loudspeaker before placing it on the clean marble counter. I then pulled my brush and sanitary napkins from my bag. I wanted to vomit at the sight of my reflection. My hair was out of place and a mess, my face was coated in a light sheen of sweat and I just realized that I didn't wipe down that disgusting bus seat before sitting down. Damn that demon. I could feel them. The bacteria leeching my skin and digging through me like maggots. I attempted to calm myself before quickly washing my hands for a good 4 minutes, not an ounce of skin was missed on the appendage, and then I worked on my face and neck with sanitary wipes. I always took care of my hair and used no products that wasn't organic, so with a few quick swipes it was orderly as it should be. Lizzy continued talking, but I lost interest a long time ago. She was now rambling on about something involving a garden party she attended 2 days ago. I took a deep breath and it felt as though it was the best one I had all day. My supplies went back into my bag.

"Ciel? Are you still there?"

Somewhat. "Of course. I was just tidying up a bit before my first course of the day."

Lizzy giggled once more. "Oh Ciel. You're such a cute little neat freak. You don't have to try that hard sweetie. You're already perfect to me."

Yes. 'Perfect to you' but to myself is a totally different matter. Besides it's not about perfection. It's about order and balance. Without it there is chaos so things must go accordingly and abide by a schedule. When the schedule is changed, the balance is disturbed. One cannot perform properly imbalanced… "You know I like to stay neat Lizzy. I'm sorry it's a terrible habit. But I rode the bus this morning and-"

"The bus?" Lizzy questioned in a sickly sweet voice. "Where's your car Ciel?"

"Oh. I let Alois borrow it for the day. He has an interview for that fashion magazine I told you about." Lizzy interrupted me with a sigh and I knew she was displeased with the news.

"Ciel. Honey. Alois…I hope you're not planning to stick with him for long. You have so much potential and he's a—a…stripper." She uttered in disgust. "I mean you're even lowering yourself to UCL when you can get into Cambridge or Oxford easy. And for what? All because of some tranny who has delusions of being a fashion designer?"

"Lizzy. Alois has been my friend since 5. We grew up together and—"

"—and now you are adults. Ciel, you need to think about the future. About us. Don't you want to get married and start a family with me? Don't you want to become the doctor you've always dreamt of? I mean you don't want to be a medical receptionist forever right?" Lizzy questioned 'sadly'.

I sighed. I always hated these conversations. I hated choosing sides. "Listen Lizzy. I love my life at the moment. I like living in London. I like UCL. I like living with Alois and despite the idiocy I'm faced with on a day to day basis, I love my job and I love you. Look, I'm sorry but my first lecture is going to begin soon. I'll call you after."

There was silence, but soon it was replaced by not the bubbly voice I was used to but instead a cold and distant tone. "I'm sorry sweetie. But I'll have to cancel our date for today. Mum is feeling down about being runner-up in that hunting competition, so I was thinking about treating her—"

"NO. No. That's fine. We can meet tomorrow. Maybe an hour or so before having dinner with your dad, so we can have a bit of alone time before you know. Tell your mum I said 'hi'."

Lizzy let out a soft giggle. "You're so understanding Ciel. I miss you already."

"I…I miss you too. I've got to go now bye."

"ByeBye. I love you~."

"I…love you too, Lizzy."

Fortunately I only had one lecture today. Despite my interest in the field I study, I was never enthusiastic about the lectures. Maybe it had something to do with my classmates. The nasty glares and mumbles I got for answering a 'difficult' question correctly soon became unwelcoming. Not as if they were welcomed to begin with. Now I know what some of you are thinking. That I'm being negative and maybe if I tried and maybe even smiled for once—blah blah. Trust me, I have. But every attempt failed. For some reason people always labeled me as stuck up or too serious or a freak because of my unhealthy hygiene habits. I was so desperate to have human contact, I even tried chatting with the suck ups. You know who the suck ups are. The people who crawl out of their hole and into your lives when a major group assignment is due. Yes, them. Fucking parasites. Sigh. At times I wish I could 'disappear', but due to my disorder I know that won't be happening anytime soon. That and we're broke. Ever since I got the receptionist job and moved Alois and myself to a better flat, which isn't cheap by the way, all our money has been going strictly to the necessities only and maybe if we're lucky we go out for drinks once a month. If I weren't so afraid…I could do so much more with Alois. I remember one time. It was summer 2 years ago. He said 'Ciel wouldn't it be cool if we could just get on a plane and go?' Go where? 'Somewhere. Anywhere. Outside the UK.' Like Italy? 'No. That's still in Europe.' Alois laughed then a gasp suddenly left his lips and with twinkles in his beautiful eyes said 'America! We can go there. New York or Miami or Los Angeles. Hollywood! Where the stars are at.' Maybe…one day. 'Promise?' I promise.

Before I realized it my lecture ended and I was back on the bus (I didn't forget to wipe down the seat this time) home. I was right when saying this day was going to suck. Now I have no plans until work. Alois wasn't expected back until early morning. Lizzy canceled our date. I could just sleep. After reaching my floor and passing the demon's flat, I pulled my keys from my pocket, but to my surprise the door was already unlocked. Sigh. Oh Gods, please tell me this isn't a burglary. I cautiously pushed the door open and heard the sound of the telly from the entrance.

"Hello. Alois?" I walked into the living room to find the young man on the floor gathering a scattered pile of papers in a frantic manner.

"Oh, Ciel. I—I thought you said you were going to be out with Lizzy. Sorry for the mess." He apologized with a light chuckle. My eyes cast downward as I couldn't help but notice the red rings and the puffiness around his normally joyful eyes. He's been crying. I listened to him ramble on, asking questions about my day. Without a care, I dropped my bag to the floor and walked over towards him, dropped to my knees and hugged him tightly from behind. Alois gasped in surprise but laughed. "C-Ciel what's up?"

"Let's go out for lunch." I mumbled into his shoulder as I inhaled the sweet scent of vanilla.

He laughed again. "Are you sick? Did something bad happen? What about Lizzy? Y-You're acting weird."

"Let's just go. Go outside…"

There was silence. "Okay." Alois finally answered in a whisper as he leaned back into my embrace, despite the fact he was slightly taller than me. At that moment I wondered who was really holding who back…

Hello. This is my first Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) fic. It will contain Ciel/Alois/Sebastian. It isn't purely a smut fic per say. Its a story about 3 men who each struggles with their inner demons and life itself. There will be an actual story and each chapter is going to be in the point of view of a different character. Today as you see it was Ciel. Chapter 2 will be Sebastian or maybe Alois. It's mainly Ciel/Sebastian, but does contain 'situations' with all 3. LOL So please leave me a pretty review and share your thoughts. What did you like about it or didn't. ^^