A/N: This is my first fic ever, and I have no clue what I am doing tbh. Very OOC.
Enjoy the chapter.
Ciel desperately needed a job. At this point, anything but stripping and selling drugs would do.
The college sophomore had been in New York City for over a year now, and he'd been coasting without a part-time job. His dad would send money when he was able to, and on top of that Ciel had a bit saved up from all the summers he'd slaved at the local coffee shop back in London. But now things were changing. He was barely hanging on by a thread, and earning some money of his own would be necessary.
Unfortunately, his father made a little too much money for him to be eligible for financial aid, but not enough to actually be able to cover his tuition, rooming, and cost of textbooks—not to mention having to pay to feed himself. New York—as beautiful as it was, and as at-home as it felt—was expensive as shit. The scholarship that Ciel had received didn't help as much as he'd hoped.
Last month, there was a job fair that Ciel's friend Alois dragged him to. Friends were hard to come by for Ciel, and needing the money, he decided to attend as well. As great a guy that Alois was, attending a job fair with him probably wasn't the best idea Ciel had ever had.
They were complete opposites; while Ciel was the nerdy, dweeby kid who barely spoke above a whisper and tended to keep his head sheltered between the pages of a book, Alois was the type to dominate a room. He had personality and could get along with just about anybody. No one walked all over Alois. Ciel left the fair feeling extremely small that day. Though he gave out his resume to tons of places, he knew that none of them would call. They wouldn't even remember who he was. Alois on the other hand did amazing. He spent his evenings and the weekends working at a recording company.
That was just the way things went in Ciel Phantomhive's life.
There were very few places hiring. All of the jobs Ciel thought he'd be successful at were taken.
A local bookstore wasn't hiring. A local coffee shop wasn't hiring. His stint as a customer service worker in the mall didn't last long. It had only been a week before asshole customers were demeaning him, saying horrible things without even thinking twice. His supervisor wasn't helpful at all. He only got 15 hours a week. It wasn't worth the stress.
It was actually when Ciel had gone to a small Indie bookstore tucked somewhere in Midtown Manhattan that the teenager received some helpful advice. Though the manager of the family owned business wasn't in the position to hire anyone right now, she handed Ciel a small card and smiled sweetly as she spoke.
"This is the agency that I used when I was looking for a nanny. They are looking for babysitters as well. I don't know if you've ever worked with children, but I think you'd enjoy it Ciel."
Ciel was unsure. He'd babysat before but it was for an hour or two at a time, giving his neighbors back in London a chance to go out for date night. The experience wasn't the best because little kids were assholes, but he had to admit that it paid.
"It's one of the most sought out agencies in the city," she continued. "And even if this isn't what you want to do, at least give it a shot until something else opens up, you know?"
Ciel looked at the Absolute Best Care business card. It couldn't hurt to try. "Thank you," he said with a smile, nodding to the woman. Juggling his textbooks and the card she'd given him, Ciel slowly turned to exit the store. He decided that if the Science Museum he applied for didn't get back to him, then he'd give the agency a try.
The Science Museum did get back to him, but only to say that they wanted to thank him for applying but another candidate was chosen. Ciel didn't know what he expected. He sucked at interviews. He was much too shy, much too book nerdy and not quite the outgoing personality many companies looked for.
The Absolute Best Care Agency seemed to like him, though. The woman who interviewed him was named Ms. Red, and she admired how intelligent Ciel was. It went without saying that he had a good head on his shoulders. They discussed babysitting "etiquette" and what parents were looking for, and before Ciel knew what was going on, he was in orientation with a bunch of women ages 25-55. It wasn't exactly what he thought would become Ciel Phantomhive, but money was money.
A few days later, Ms. Red called to let him know that he'd been placed. A family in uptown Manhattan needed a babysitter from Monday – Friday, and it was perfect because it wouldn't interfere with Ciel's classes. He told her that he was interested. Like the manager of the bookstore said, you gotta start somewhere. This little gig couldn't hurt too badly, could it?
The interview was for Monday morning. Ciel fixed his hair as he rushed down Fifth Avenue.
The sun was hiding behind clouds as rain threatened to fall on the windy, April day. After checking his leather band watch, Ciel realized he had two minutes to be at the Michaelis residence for his interview, and as he stood on the corner of 100th Street and 5th Avenue waiting for the traffic light to change in his favor, the teenager acknowledged that he already failed at the punctual part of the interview.
This was just his luck.
By the time he reached 102nd street, rain started to pour. Ciel hadn't bought a new umbrella after the last one he owned was destroyed by the wind and abandoned on Broadway, so needless to say he did get a little soaked. As he entered the building, he got an odd, distasteful look from the doorman.
"Can I help you?" he asked. The doorman was a big, burly man who seemed to not want to be there.
Ciel groaned at how wet he was, lowering his jacket from over his hair where he'd been using it as a shield from the rain. He was late. It probably made no sense to go to the family's condo now. Ciel surveyed the lobby of the building. They were loaded. They wouldn't have the patience for someone who didn't show up on time for a job interview.
"Can I help you?" he repeated. This time, there was a hint of annoyance in the older man's voice.
Ciel gave a small smile before replying.
"I'm sorry. I'm here to see Hannah Michaelis. I have an interview."
The doorman watched him for a moment before picking up the telephone on his desk. He had a hushed conversation before hanging up and gesturing to the elevator. "The floor is 15. It'll be the only condominium on that floor."
Ciel nodded to him and walked over to the elevators. He did so slowly to observe the leather couches and marble floor of the lobby in the luxury building. Everything told him to leave—he didn't belong here. He just couldn't see a rich and more than likely snobby family hiring the likes of him.
"She's late. I'm calling the agency."
Sebastian hardly had a chance to enter the room before his wife had begun. He rarely got a 'good morning' from her nowadays. "Anything could've happened, Hannah. Give her a chance to get here."
"Daddy!" black pigtails bounced as Sebastian's daughter hopped up over the couch.
Sebastian smiled, allowing the little girl to jump into his arms.
"Well if this nanny doesn't know any better than to leave a little early in case something was to happen, then she clearly lacks common sense. I don't know if she'd be the right choice to care for our daughter, Sebastian, or to even be trusted in our home."
Sebastian didn't know if he should answer his wife or let her continue to talk over him. It wasn't like she was going to let him win anyway, even if she was wrong and lacking a bit of compassion at the moment. A couple minutes late wasn't the end of the world.
The phone rang and Hannah stalked over to answer it. As she held the receiver to her ear, she played at the expensive pearls around her neck. "Yes, we are expecting someone. Send them right up. Thank you."
Sieglinde played at her father's tie as per usual. The six year-old was without a doubt daddy's girl, and the way he rocked her in his arms and blew raspberries into her cheeks was a testament to that. After hearing her laughter, Sebastian pulled back to look into the beautiful green eyes.
"Are you ready to meet your new nanny?"
Sieglinde shrugged at that, and her father could understand. The last one the agency sent was about 50 and not much fun.
Hannah hung up the phone and looked at her husband. "Aren't you going to be late for work?"
"I'll be fine," Sebastian responded. He let Sieglinde down and sat her on the sofa, and she picked up the book she'd been reading. "If it's fine with you, I'd like to hang around to see the person the agency sent. They'll be spending a lot of time here with Sieglinde, after all."
The doorbell rang and Hannah took a deep breath, fixing her blouse. Sebastian looked away from the woman as she pulled back her long lavender hair, shaking his head and going to answer the door. He was about to say hello and introduce himself when the person standing there wasn't the person he expected to be there at all.
"Um… can I help you?"
Ciel stepped off the elevator once it reached the 15th floor. He didn't have any money to tip the attendant who pressed the button for him, so he shyly smiled and walked off without a word.
Pushing his ash blue hair behind his ears, he looked around the beautiful halls and approached the front door of the Michaelis residence, tapping the doorbell twice.
It was quiet inside, and he waited patiently for the door to be answered. The top of his black vneck shirt was damp and the bottoms of his pants were as well, and he didn't know if he wanted to enter their condo with his wet shoes. This was shaping out to be a trying day. He should've stayed in his dorm room and faked the flu.
After a moment, a man dressed in what was without doubt a designer suit opened the door. He looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s when Ciel got a good look at him. But when Ciel got a good look at him, he damn near fainted.
He was handsome beyond words.
The man with the raven hair stared at him dubiously at first. His shirt fit him perfectly; just enough to make out the lines of his pectoral muscles beneath the soft black fabric, and Ciel really liked his red skinny tie. Before he could examine the man any further, he spoke.
"Um… can I help you?"
Ciel stood there with his lips parted. Answer him, idiot!
A lavender haired woman with blue eyes and a beautiful floral dress stepped up behind him. She was a bit shorter but her presence definitely dominated the room. "Can we help you?" she repeated.
"Uh, I…" Ciel shook his head to gather his thoughts. "I-I'm sorry. My name is Ciel. Ciel Phantomhive," he rushed out. "I'm with Absolute Best Care and I was sent here for an interview with the Michaelis'?"
The man looked him up and down and then a smile crossed his face. That was the last thing Ciel expected to happen. The woman however only rolled her eyes.
"They sent a boy? How old are you? 15? I thought the agency was more reliable than that—"
Ciel watched as the man he assumed was her husband shushed her. "Please come in… it was Ciel, right?"
Ciel nodded, otherwise silent. "I um, it's raining out there."
The man with the dark hair smiled at him, and Ciel felt weak. Staying at the dorm would've been a great decision. "I can see that. You can leave your shoes here if you'd like," the man told him, gesturing to the mat inside. "I'll take your jacket for you."
So Ciel did as he was told. He handed his jacket over to the man in the suit and smiled at the little girl he saw curiously watching him from the living room.
This place was enormous.
The living room itself was like four of the dorm rooms at his university. The kitchen was massive, and covered in marble and stainless steel and sheer beauty. Ciel couldn't imagine the rest of the place.
"My name is Hannah Michaelis and this is my husband, Sebastian," the woman told him.
Gorgeous wasn't good enough a word to describe her. Ciel forced a smile as he offered his hand. He'd need to take a class on how to be sociable because he'd never quite mastered that.
Ciel didn't master a lot of things. After the intimidating woman shook his hand, doing what Ciel was sure was covering up her disdain, Ciel turned to Sebastian and shook hands with him. He blushed at how Sebastian looked at him and then faced the woman again.
"They didn't tell me they were sending a boy. I've never heard of a boy live-in nanny and I don't know how good an idea that is."
Ciel had his hands at his side as an eyebrow went up. "L-Live-in nanny? The agency said you needed a babysitter."
Hannah laughed. "A babysitter? I'm an editor of a fashion magazine, married to the partner in a law firm. We have a six year old. A babysitter won't cut it. Can't they get anything right?"
Ciel didn't know what to say to that. He closed his mouth though and nervously played at his blue suspenders. Live-in nanny? No way. Not with this lady.
"How about we take a seat?" the husband asked. He smiled at Ciel, placing a hand on the small of his back and urging him towards the living room. "I'll get you some coffee so you can warm up. Darling." He turned to his wife and gave her this smile that covered an expression Ciel couldn't quite decipher. "Would you like anything?"
Hannah shook her head no as she glared back at him. "I'm fine, honey. I just don't know if Ciel would be the best choice for what we need and I'd hate to waste his time like the Absolute Best Care Agency has wasted mine."
Ciel took a deep breath. "I-If you're uninterested I can tell my boss and she can get someone better suited—"
"Please have a seat, Ciel. Hannah," Sebastian said. "We can't have Ciel travel all the way here in the rain and then write him off before he gets a chance."
Ciel looked between the both of them before staring down at his feet.
"Get out of those shoes and I'll get you some coffee," Sebastian told him. The man walked off; his expensive shoes sounding against the gorgeous parquet floors as he went.
Hannah smiled at Ciel, though it was incredibly forced. The blue eyed teen bent down and untied his laces before pulling off the shoes. He stood up, forcing a smile back.
Sebastian peeked into the living room as he poured a cup of coffee for their guest. He listened to the conversation between his wife and Ciel, which seemed to be a bit one-sided. Most conversations that involved Hannah tended to be one-sided.
It was a bit of a shock that their agency sent a male to be their potential nanny but if they sent him, they must've thought he was right for the job. Sebastian watched as the young man nodded at whatever his wife was saying, and watched as his daughter looked at Ciel curiously. He smiled, grabbing a few sugars and the cream and heading into the living room.
"That's why I explained to the agency that we were looking for someone who could work Monday through Fridays and live in our home. The weekends would be theirs. Sebastian and I do have some late days at work, and even bring work to home. We need someone to get Sieglinde ready for school and take her to her dance lessons and help with homework, light housekeeping when the maid isn't in. Things like that."
Sebastian nodded to Ciel when he said thank you and accepted the coffee. He then picked up his daughter and sat on the sofa beside Hannah.
"Where do you go to school, Ciel?"
"I go to NYU," he said, playing at his glasses. He seemed nervous and like he wanted to be anywhere but here. "My major is journalism and I'm usually in class between 9:30 and 2 from Monday to Thursday."
Sebastian nodded and looked down at his daughter who pulled at his tie. "Have you ever babysat before?"
Hannah looked at Ciel, curious as to his experience. He shook his head a little, fingering the rim of the cup.
"I've only done so around the neighborhood when I was in high school but the responsibilities you all need," Ciel said and then trailed off. "Your daughter is beautiful and I can tell she's a priority of yours. I don't want you to have to settle for someone like me."
Hannah watched her daughter blush at the 'beautiful' part. "Someone like you? Meaning?"
Ciel swallowed hard and sighed. "I'm 19 years old. The only full-time job I've ever had was at a coffee shop in London. I don't have any siblings so the whole being responsible for someone's daughter throughout the whole week is definitely a foreign concept to me." He fiddled with the cup. "I'm not saying that I couldn't do it if you wanted me to. I'd do an amazing job. But I'm only looking for something because I need a job. You both are probably looking for someone who has been in the field forever and is passionate about it."
Hannah turned to her husband. Sebastian lifted his eyebrows and smiled a little. He liked the kid, and he knew Sieglinde did too.
"This is probably the most I've spoken since Thursday," Ciel said with a blush, looking down at his hands.
Sebastian smiled at him. Ciel seemed like the bookish type, but there was nothing wrong with that. Bookish was a good type to be around his daughter. "You're from London? I'm from Birmingham ."
That got the timid teenager to smile a little. "Yeah. A couple hours away."
"Ah." Sebastian nodded. He then looked at his wife. "I know he isn't exactly what we expected…"
"He isn't," Hannah said quickly. "No offense, Ciel. But I have a six year old daughter. I don't think I could trust a boy around her."
Ciel nodded his agreement. "I completely understand that."
"I trust him," Sieglinde said. Sebastian looked down at her and Ciel smiled a little. "And I like your suspenders."
"I like your shoes. I used to have shoes that lit up, too."
Sieglinde smiled at him as she moved into her father's side.
Hannah resumed. "Someone your age… I don't want to seem like I'm being discriminatory but I can just imagine a teenage boy bringing girls back to my home and I can't have that. Not around Sieglinde."
Sebastian watched Ciel swallow the coffee and shake his head, looking around condo for the umpteenth time. "I suppose that's true too. If I were in your position I would make the same assumption. But, I'm not interested in girls at all, Mrs. Michaelis. If I were, I doubt a guy like me could get a girlfriend."
"So you're gay?" she asked.
"Darling," Sebastian said.
"I am," Ciel told them. "Even if I wasn't, I wouldn't disrespect your home by bringing other people here while I was taking care of Sieglinde. I know I'm young, but I'm not irresponsible."
Hannah stared at him. "So you have no interest in live-in?"
Ciel almost dropped the cup and silently cursed himself. He couldn't even hold a cup correctly.
"If—Are you really interested in me working for you?"
Sebastian was still stuck on the gay part. He looked Ciel over once more before he heard the tail end of what his wife was saying.
"…the agency. You're majoring in journalism. I work in the journalism field. I can get you at the very least a desk job at a magazine company if you work for us the next two weeks. You don't have to live-in, but Sebastian and I do need help getting Sieglinde to school and back home and getting homework done too. You'll be free to go as soon as one of us gets in from work."
Ciel looked like he was thinking about it, and he seemed to be very unsure.
"Two weeks is the max. Maybe this shamble of an agency can find us someone to live-in before then."
Ciel looked at Sebastian and the man smiled at him, though Sebastian wasn't sure if his wife was serious. Maybe Ciel being gay made everything alright. She was extremely stereotypical about gay people. She thought they made fabulous friends and they were great at decorating. There was definitely a reason she was suddenly interested in hiring him now.
"I… I guess I can help out. I really do need this."
"Excellent," Hannah clapped her hands together and then looked at Sieglinde. "You can start today. Our driver will drop you off at NYU after you get Sieglinde to school. I've also prepared this packet for you with her schedule, allergies, hobbies, bedtime information, everything. You also have contact information for me and for Sebastian."
As the woman went on and on, Ciel nodded, taking it all in. He looked through the book and then back at Hannah, and then eventually to Sieglinde as he smiled and shook her hand. Sebastian watched the three of them before acknowledging that he needed to get to work. He stood and kissed his daughter goodbye, followed by his wife, and then shook Ciel's hand.
"It was lovely meeting you. Thanks for helping us out with this, Ciel. I'll be home at 5 today." He handed him a copy of the keys and a couple hundred bucks. "Call if you need anything."
Ciel's eyes went wide and he nodded. "I will. I can give you both my cell number now."
Sebastian nodded, pulling out his phone. The group exchanged numbers.
"Now," Hannah said, smiling at how Sieglinde took Ciel's hand. "We're going to do a quick tour of the place. We'll start with Sieglinde's room."
Sebastian smiled at them all before leaving. He nodded to Ciel as the teenager locked the door behind him and then went on his way. It shocked him that his wife seemed ok with such a young kid taking on the responsibilities of a nanny. The last one had they had was substantially older than both him and his wife, and she spent more time with Sieglinde than they had. It was unfortunate. Sebastian swore he'd change that.
Ciel had one hell of a morning. For one thing, he spent an hour with Hannah Michaelis. They talked about virtually everything under the sun. Ciel was nervous, but he believed he could do the job. She even showed him his bedroom if he were to decide to move in and take the job permanently. Ciel didn't know about that.
But then he got to hang out with Sieglinde as the Michaelis' driver took them to her school.
Sieglinde was brilliant. She was only six but he swore that she was smarter than him. After making him promise to read her five stories when she got home from school and watch her TV shows, the girl joined her class in line at school. Ciel smiled and instructed the driver on where he was going, thanking the elderly man when he let him out at the NYU campus half an hour later.
"So do you like it?"
"It's too early to tell," Ciel whispered to Alois as they sat in class. "The family seems nice… well I thought the mom hated me but I don't know. She seems ok."
Alois scribbled in his notebook. "Well those condos on Fifth Ave are worth millions so I'm guessing they're fucking loaded. You better hold on to this gig. And if they want you to move in, I'm sure living in a Fifth Avenue condominium is better than living in an NYU dorm room with Ronald."
"Ronald is a great roommate. He can be a little loud, but he's cool. I like him."
Alois nodded. "Uh huh. That's the problem. You like watching him bang other guys when he thinks you're asleep."
Ciel checked his phone and read the text that caused it to vibrate.
From Mr. Michaelis:
Hey, Ciel. How'd everything go this morning? Did you find your way ok?
"Who's that?"
"Mr. Michaelis," Ciel told him. He typed out a response. "I should've asked the driver to pick me up after classes today but I didn't want to push my luck."
Alois scoffed. "You're a dumb ass."
Ciel pushed his hair behind his ears, shrugging. "This is five hundred bucks a week. I don't want to screw it up."
His friend hummed acknowledgment.
To Mr. Michaelis:
Everything went great. Thank you.
From Mr. Michaelis:
I'll bring home dinner so you don't have to worry about cooking tonight. What would you like?
Ciel smiled at the message. Sieglinde's dad seemed really cool.
To Mr. Michaelis:
Whatever Sieglinde likes to have is fine with me. :)
From Mr. Michaelis:
So you want a happy meal? Whatever floats your boat.
Alois tried to sneak a peek at the phone when Ciel started to smile. "Are you banging the dad, Ciel? It's been one day. I respect you, bro."
Ciel rolled his eyes. "I'm not dignifying that with a response."
To Mr. Michaelis:
On second thought, I'll take a salad, if it isn't too inconvenient.
From Mr. Michaelis:
That's more like it.
"You're totally banging him."
Ciel gathered his things as the class ended. He didn't know what to with Alois sometimes.
When Sebastian arrived home that evening, he struggled through the door with dinner and his brief case. He hated to work from home because Hannah often made that difficult, as did Sieglinde with her constant desire to play. Sebastian really couldn't say no to his little girl. But it seemed that tonight, saying no wouldn't even be necessary.
Ciel was at the dining room table, laptop open and textbooks surrounding him. He fixed a pair of reading glasses on his face and laughed at Sieglinde; the pigtailed haired girl singing along passionately to a cartoon theme song. Sebastian smiled, closing the door behind him.
Ciel looked over to him and rushed to help out. Sebastian nodded, allowing the kid to take the bags of food. "Thank you."
"Yeah," Ciel said, carrying everything to the table. He smiled when Sieglinde realized her dad was home and ran to attack, getting kissed dozens of times by the man.
"How's daddy's Princess doing?"
"Great! Ciel helped me with my homework and we read a bunch of stories. I helped him with his essay too."
Sebastian smiled at her. "Did you, now?"
Ciel turned around after clearing his things from the table. "My professor would love her. She should apply for a TA position."
Sebastian laughed, running his hands through the little girl's long hair. "Go get washed up for dinner."
"Ok!"
She ran off, and Ciel was about to go to follow her when Sebastian called out to him. Ciel stopped and about-faced, watching as the man pulled off his coat. Mr. Michaelis was way too handsome. Even taking off his coat was sexy. "Yes sir?"
"No sir," Sebastian told him with a smile. "I'm Sebastian. Ok?"
Ciel nodded, ducking his head a bit. "Sebastian. Got it."
Sebastian looked at him for a while, only looking away when the teen cleared his throat.
"I was wondering if you considered the whole live-in thing. I know you weren't looking to be a nanny but I'd be willing to work with you, and I know Hannah will as well. You have a good head on your shoulder and I can tell my little girl is already getting attached. I don't think Sieglinde has ever warmed up to someone so quickly."
Ciel looked up at him and then smiled, glancing away. "I wasn't planning on it to be honest, but I don't know. You and your wife are really helpful and Sieglinde is incredible. I think I'd be kind of stupid to reject a position as sweet as this."
Sebastian nodded. "Yeah, you would."
Ciel laughed and Sebastian saw him blush, smiling at the look of it. He raised an eyebrow when Ciel took his coat and gestured to the hook, going to hang it up for him.
"Thank you."
Ciel nodded. "No problem."
"So." Sebastian folded his arms over his chest as he heard his daughter singing aloud. "You don't have a boyfriend?"
Ciel was taken aback by the question, but only shook his head no as he nervously fidgeted at his glasses. "I don't. I'm not exactly looking right now."
"Oh," Sebastian said. He then smiled. "You can go wash your hands too. I'll get the food ready."
Ciel smiled too, but walked off without looking at his boss's face. He headed back to the bathroom and smiled at Sieglinde as she came prancing out, sticking their tongues out at each other. Sebastian smiled at them as he undid his tie.
After eating dinner, Ciel cleaned up a bit and went into the living room with his new friend so that they could watch TV together. Sebastian focused on the case he was working on. He had to be in court early the next morning, so getting this done early would be great. Yet he couldn't stop watching Ciel; the teen smiling as Sieglinde ran her mouth, the both of them discussing their favorite shows. Sebastian smiled and went back to his work. The agency made a pretty good choice.
A/N: Please leave a review if you think I should continue.
Thank you for reading!