Hello! I'm back with another Kuroshitsuji story!
This is just a random idea I had. In this story, Vincent is alive and he is the one who made the contract with Sebastian. Ciel is four years old.
There will be four chapters! Ignore any historical inaccuracies etc, I purely wrote this for fun and fluff!
I apologise for how mean I make Sebastian sound in this chapter, but there is a point to this story :-)
Also, I misspell Sebastian's name throughout this chapter but it's not an error, it's to show Ciel's pronunciation of it.
Hope you enjoy!
I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of these characters.
~princess
"Sebastian, I'm going to London on urgent business," said Vincent Phantomhive. "I will be there for a few days; a week, at most."
Sebastian nodded. "Am I to accompany you?"
"No," said Vincent. "If you don't mind, I want you to stay here and take care of Ciel."
Sebastian's eyebrow twitched, but he forced a smile. "Of course, I would be happy to."
Sebastian had had no experience with children; he disliked them, and avoided them whenever he could. He couldn't stand their piercing screams and how they seemed to have no control over themselves. Ciel, his master's four year old son, was the same. He cried all the time; it annoyed Sebastian how his master was nearly always woken at night by Ciel's wails, and it took a long time to get Ciel back to sleep. Ciel was also a brat, and Sebastian had to force himself not to slap the child when he threw a fit at Vincent because the earl wouldn't give him sweets. Ciel frequently had accidents and was sick, and it almost made Sebastian himself sick to see it. Luckily, the butler had almost no contact with Ciel; Vincent took care of him, and Mey-Rin cleaned up after him. Sometimes Ciel would tug on Sebastian's tailcoat inquisitively or gaze up at Sebastian with his huge blue eyes, but Sebastian would remove his clothing from the baby's fingers and politely tell him to go and play with his father.
"I know you haven't really spent much time with him before but I'm sure you can handle him," continued Vincent.
"May I ask- is it not at all possible to have one of the other servants do it?"
"I'm afraid not." Vincent shook his head. "Mey-Rin is good enough with children but she's clumsy and incompetent and besides, she's far too busy with her jobs as the maid. Finny is kind and gentle, but he could easily crush Ciel with his strength and he can be careless sometimes. As for Baldroy, I really wouldn't trust him to take proper care of a child. There is no time to look for a babysitter to I must ask you, Sebastian, to fulfil the role."
Sebastian bowed. "I will do my utmost."
"You shouldn't have any trouble. You'll need to play with him and see to his meals, but of course Baldroy will help with that. He does require nappies at night, the trauma he experienced…causes him to have accidents sometimes. Also, he may have a bad dream or become distressed during the night in which case you will need to comfort him. I usually rock him, that sends him to sleep."
"I will do as you say. When do you leave?"
"Early tomorrow morning. I'll say goodbye to Ciel tonight."
Ciel wasn't disturbed that night, so Vincent got a good night's sleep. The child was still asleep when he was ready to leave and he didn't want to wake him up, so he said goodbye to the other servants and to Sebastian and went on his way.
Sebastian's heart sank as he bid his master farewell. He really wasn't looking forward to taking care of that little brat.
"Keep my baby safe!" called Vincent, waving as the carriage departed from the manor.
Sebastian raised his hand. Once the carriage was out of sight, he sighed and went back into the manor.
Two hours later:
"I suppose I must wake the little master up now," frowned Sebastian, checking his watch.
Having prepared the baby's breakfast, he put it on the cart and wheeled it to the nursery. He opened the door and entered the unfamiliar room.
Ciel was curled up in his cot in the corner, his thumb in his mouth. A stuffed lamb was in his other hand and his blue-grey hair was tousled. His eyes were closed and his tiny body moved up and down as he breathed deeply.
Sebastian knew that this kind of image was what typical humans thought of as 'cute', but the demon only felt distaste and even an urge to hurt the defenceless baby. He smirked at the thought, but pushed it out of his mind and leaned down to awaken Ciel.
As he gently shook the child, Ciel's big blue eyes slowly opened and he sat up, pulling his thumb from his mouth and yawning.
"Good morning, young master," said Sebastian. He hadn't been sure how to address him; 'Ciel' was too familiar, but he couldn't call him 'master', for that was Vincent's title. So he had finally settled on 'young master'.
Ciel gazed at the demon in confusion. "Butler…?"
"Yes, it's me," said Sebastian. "Your father isn't here for some days, so I will be looking after you."
"Seb…astan!"
Sebastian chuckled. "Not quite. Say 'seb-as-tee-an'."
Ciel frowned in concentration as he shoved his thumb back in his mouth. "Sebasteen."
"Almost, young master," praised the butler. "Now, I have a bowl of porridge for your breakfast this morning. Shall we get you dressed so you can eat it?"
Ciel nodded and scrambled to his feet, raising his arms.
At first, Sebastian was unsure what the baby wanted, but he quickly realised that Ciel was too small to get out of the cot on his own. Reluctantly, he leaned down and lifted him up. Ciel clung onto him; it was a dizzying height for a child.
Sebastian bent down and placed Ciel on the floor, then fetched some clothing from the wardrobe. He kneeled down and unbuttoned Ciel's sleepshirt, almost flinching when he saw the nappy.
He had forgotten about that.
Supressing a groan, Sebastian unpinned the nappy and, grimacing at the smell, discarded it into the bin. He then dressed Ciel in his normal daytime clothes.
"Now, where do you normally eat your breakfast?" enquired Sebastian.
Ciel stared at Sebastian like he was stupid. "Here!" He pointed to a small table and chair in a corner of the room.
"Ah, of course. Would you like to go and sit down?"
Ciel toddled over and sat down. Sebastian placed the bowl of porridge in front of him, and handed him the spoon. He also gave him a cup of fruit juice.
There was a short silence. Then: "Would you please eat your breakfast, young master?"
"No."
Sebastian's eye twitched in annoyance. "Why not?" The demon tried to keep the anger out of his voice.
"No." Ciel was starting to fuss.
Sebastian sighed and kneeled down. "Young master, you need to eat so you can grow. Don't you want to be big and tall like your father?"
"No, I want to be big and tall like you, Sebas…tan!"
Sebastian was unsure how to take that. It seemed to be a compliment, so the butler cracked a small smile. "Then you need to eat, little one."
Ciel shook his head.
Trying a different approach, Sebastian picked up the spoon and scooped up some porridge, then put it to his mouth and swallowed it. Being a demon, human food actually had no flavour to him, but he pretended to love it. "Mmm!" he said in delight, licking his lips.
Ciel gazed at him uncertainly.
Sebastian took another spoonful, shoving it into his mouth and beaming.
After the third spoonful, Ciel lost it. "Nooo!" he wailed. "That's my breakfast!"
Sebastian put on an astonished expression. "Oh? But you said you didn't want it?"
Ciel pulled the spoon from the butler's hand and began to eat quickly, as if he was trying to finish it all before Sebastian could steal any more. The porridge was soon all gone and Ciel snatched up the cup of juice, downing it in seconds.
Sebastian smirked at his success at getting the baby to eat, but then frowned as he realised another problem. Ciel now had porridge and juice on his face and clothes.
"What a messy child," he sighed, wiping at Ciel's face with a damp cloth. "I shall have to send that shirt to be cleaned, or the stain will never come out."
He changed Ciel's shirt and shoved the dirty one into a bag, ready to send to the cleaners'. "Now, young master, what would you like to do?"
"Play."
Sebastian was a demon and a butler. Playing wasn't something he did often.
"What would you like to play?"
"Catch me if you can!" Before Sebastian could react, Ciel had rushed out of the room.
Blinking in surprise, the butler hurried to catch the child. He didn't know which direction he had gone in until Ciel poked his head round the wall to the right to Sebastian. Sebastian spun round and sprinted round the corner after the giggling Ciel.
Knowing that it was supposed to be a game, Sebastian slowed down and didn't use his full speed; if he did, he would catch the child in seconds with his much longer legs. So he let the chase continue for a few minutes.
When Ciel began to slow down, Sebastian dived forwards and picked him up. Ciel squealed in surprise as his feet left the ground, then laughed loudly as Sebastian tickled him. He squirmed and thrashed in the demon's hold, his bright smile and adorable giggles even making Sebastian smile back. After a few moments, the child asked him to stop and Sebastian stopped immediately, leaning down to place him back on his feet.
'Did I really just play with a child? My master's four year old toddler, of all children?' thought Sebastian. He was distracted from his thoughts by Ciel tugging at his trousers, and he looked down at the small boy. "Hmm?"
"Now you run!" Ciel pushed at Sebastian with his tiny hands. "I catch you!"
Sebastian sighed, but ran away down the corridor, hearing Ciel's pattering feet behind him. He ignored Mey-Rin's astonished look as he passed her, instead wondering when to stop.
When he heard Ciel's breathing become a little ragged, he slowed down enough for the child to catch up easily. Ciel leapt onto him and 'tackled' him to the ground, then scratched at the butler's tummy with his hands. "Your turn Sebastan!"
Sebastian smirked, pushing the child away. "I'm afraid I'm not ticklish," he said.
"Really?" Ciel pouted.
"No…but you are!" Sebastian scooped up the baby and tickled his tummy, making Ciel squeak and giggle.
"All right, playtime's over now," said Sebastian, releasing Ciel from his grip and standing up.
"No!" Ciel glared at Sebastian.
"Yes!" 'I may have just been playing with him, but I only did so because my master requested it. I still can't stand children, especially this annoying little brat.'
Ciel stamped his foot and folded his arms. "Play with me longer!"
"I have work to do."
"No you don't!" Ciel reached up and grabbed Sebastian's sleeve, trying to pull the butler to him like a dog.
With a snarl, Sebastian snatched Ciel up and marched to the nursery. Ciel whimpered and trembled in his hold. He placed the child down and took some paper and pens from the drawer, slamming them onto the table. "Enough! I'm going to prepare lunch and I don't want to hear a sound from you."
The demon left the room, hearing Ciel burst into tears but ignoring the little boy.
Half an hour later:
As Sebastian dusted books in the library, his mind drifted back to Ciel. Had he been too harsh on Ciel? In his defence, the brat had thrown a temper tantrum…but was ignoring a baby's cries ever justifiable?
Sebastian gritted his teeth and continued to work, but he couldn't rid of the feeling of a guilt that only increased. How was it that he was feeling guilt for mistreatment of a child? If anything, it should make him happy.
At last, Sebastian threw his duster down and strode upstairs to the nursery. Ciel was asleep on the floor, his cheeks flushed and tear stained. The paper Sebastian had given to him was on the floor a short distance away, covered in red scribbles.
With a sigh, Sebastian crouched down and lifted Ciel up.
The child's blue eyes fluttered open. Instantly he tried to wriggle out of Sebastian's hold, tears threatening to spill out again.
"Young master, please stay still."
Ciel sniffled and ignored Sebastian, continuing to struggle.
"Young master, please listen to me…I'm sorry."
Ciel stopped squirming and gazed up at Sebastian, as the butler sat down on the table and placed the child in his lap. "It was wrong of me to treat you so harshly. I'm sorry for making you cry."
Ciel, who had been terrified of Sebastian a few moments ago, now held just as much trust for the butler as he had earlier that day when they were playing. He smiled at Sebastian, sucking on his thumb.
"However, it was rather naughty of you to be so demanding," continued Sebastian. "I simply don't have time to spend all day playing and you must understand that."
Ciel frowned and nodded slowly. "I'm sorry…" he mumbled through his thumb.
"That's all right. Would you like me to bring your lunch upstairs?"
Ciel nodded, and Sebastian placed the baby in his chair and walked downstairs. He returned with a sandwich, strawberries and a chocolate chip cookie.
"There you are." Placing the food down on the table, he stood back to allow Ciel to eat.
Ciel stuck out his bottom lip and pointing at the sandwich. "You didn't cut it properly!"
"What's the problem, young master?" Sebastian bristled.
"I want it in quarters! It has to be in four pieces!"
Sebastian sighed heavily. "Why?"
Ciel gave an adorable smile. "Because I'm four!"
Supressing a chuckle- he couldn't find the child cute or funny, that would be preposterous- Sebastian took the sandwich downstairs and cut it again. When he brought it back up, Ciel had eaten the cookie.
"Young master! You mustn't eat treats before your main meal," scolded Sebastian. "Eat the sandwich immediately."
"I'm not hungry!"
Sebastian groaned and covered his face with his hands. 'Is the child always this difficult to feed? How does Vincent put up with it?'
"All right then," said Sebastian with a smile, picking up the plate. "I'll take your lunch away and since the young master clearly won't be hungry later either, I won't make any more meals today."
"NO!" fussed Ciel. "I want my sandwich!"
Raising an eyebrow, Sebastian put the plate back down and smirked as Ciel devoured the sandwich. However, he frowned when the child pushed away the bowl of strawberries.
"Young master, you must eat your strawberries. They're very good for you."
Ciel smiled innocently up at the demon. "I will if Sebastan feeds me!"
Sebastian kneeled down and picked up one of the strawberries, grimacing slightly as he placed it in the baby's mouth. 'How revolting,' he thought, as Ciel loudly chewed the strawberry.
They repeated the process until the strawberries were all gone and Sebastian smiled triumphantly. That was the second time today he had successfully persuaded Ciel to eat. 'I may detest children, but I can still force them to bend to my will,' thought the demon, going up a little in his own estimation.
"Right, what do you want to do now?" sighed Sebastian, checking his watch. Babysitting the brat was harder than he had thought.
"Daddy says I have to go outside every day because I have bad lungs and the fresh air is good," babbled Ciel.
'Ah yes, I remember Vincent mentioning the child's asthma.' Out loud, he said, "That sounds wonderful. Let's go out to the garden, shall we?"
Ciel raced outside, ignoring Sebastian's calls for him to slow down. Hissing in annoyance, Sebastian shut the front door behind them and ran to catch the child.
"All right, calm down," said Sebastian, throwing Ciel into the air and catching him, making the baby squeak in excitement. The demon felt a twinge of embarrassment as he did so. What would people think if they saw him playing with this child?
"Let's play hide and seek!" said Ciel, pulling on Sebastian's tailcoat. "Count to fifty, Sebastan!"
"Very well." Sebastian closed his eyes and began to count, hearing Ciel laugh and rush off.
"Ready or not, here I come!" called the butler, opening his eyes. Due to his demonic powers, he knew exactly where Ciel was- in his 'den' in the bushes. Such a predictable hiding place. To humour the child and let him think he was winning, Sebastian wandered around for a few minutes before going straight to the bushes.
"Found you!" he said, snatching Ciel up and holding him upside down as he walked to the starting place. Ciel giggled hysterically.
"Now I count to fifty," said the child as he was put back on his feet. He closed his eyes and started to count.
Sebastian wondered where to hide. If he hid somewhere too obscure, it could take Ciel all day to find him. Then again, being 6'1", there weren't many places for him to hide.
He eventually settled for standing behind a large bush. It would give Ciel a bit of a hunt, but the child could find him without too much difficulty.
Sure enough, five minutes later he heard the pattering of small feet, and Ciel beamed as he pointed at Sebastian. "Found you!"
It was Ciel's turn to hide again, and when Sebastian opened his eyes after counting, he focused and sensed where Ciel was hiding. A horrified expression appeared on his face. Ciel was hiding up the apple tree!
'How did that tiny child even get up there?' thought Sebastian frantically, as he raced to the tree. Peering up into the branches, he was correct; Ciel was perched dangerously on quite a high branch.
"Young master! Get down this instant!" called Sebastian.
Ciel jumped. Feeling a little scared of the butler's angry voice, he began to climb down. After a moment or two, he stopped.
"Come on, young master!" Sebastian's anxiety was increasing. Much to his confusion, he wasn't thinking about how angry Vincent would be if Ciel was hurt; instead, his thoughts were full of genuine concern for the child. There was no time to puzzle over that, however, because Ciel had started crying. "What's wrong?"
"I can't get down," sobbed Ciel.
Full of despair, Sebastian climbed the tree a little way and gently encouraged the child. "It's all right little one, you can do it…here, put your feet on this branch." He guided Ciel's feet and hands until the small boy was close enough for him to reach. Then, he picked Ciel up with one arm and held the baby tightly as he climbed back down the tree.
"I think that's enough playing outside for one day," said Sebastian, looking gently down at the child in his arms. "Are you injured, young master?"
Ciel shook his head, still clinging onto Sebastian. "Thank you for helping me…"
