The full moon, slightly chipped
That's so me, so please
Save me and hold me tight
Alois Trancy had known what he had gotten himself into when he had made his contract with Claude. He had known that there was no way the golden-eyed butler would ever care for him in any form. Yet when he summoned him, told him to free him of that disgusting old man, Claude had done it without question.
"Kill him, Claude…Make it look like his health failed."
"Yes, your highness."
He had thought that maybe…things would be different than what he had initially imagined.
Just make me all right
And when nightmares had plagued him, dreams of the corpses which had plagued the streets of his village, visions of Luka's empty, lifeless eyes, and memories of being beaten and used by a filthy old man, Claude had been there to comfort him. He hadn't meant it, Alois knew, but he had done a damn good job of pretending he did.
"Claude, you have to promise me…Never leave me. Ever."
"Yes, your highness."
Those three words which were spoken with such a lack of emotion had comforted the young earl for some unfathomable reason. Perhaps it was because Alois knew he had the demon completely in his control.
Or perhaps it was simply because he deluded himself into believing the butler would ever care.
Under the dark clouds
Wingless swans in my soul
From the fortress, a pessimist
Slowly, he had fallen in love with his black butler. He hadn't known quite how to express his feelings, however. Alois knew he had irked Claude endlessly. He became nervous around the demon, and, unknowing of love, but quite aware of sex, used heavy flirtation as an attempt to attract him.
My howl in the night
To the isolated star
Don't drive me crazy
Everything seems too far
The sky so deep, spread endlessly
How on Earth can I get to the strawberry field?
Alois had never felt at peace. In the village, when he and Luka were living on the streets, when the townspeople would spit on them. In the late Earl Trancy's home, with all of the other little boys, waiting to be abused. And in the Trancy manor, free of the old man, but imprisoned by his own mind…and the demons surrounding him. He hated all of them. His maid, Hannah Annafellows, and the servants, the triplets Thompson, Timber, and Canterbury.
But not Claude. Never Claude.
The full moon slightly chipped
Uncertain, oh please
Save me, and make me smile
Just make me all right
Claude had always been there through it all. He had obeyed Alois's every whim without fail or question. He had done each task quickly and efficiently, and he seldom accepted any thanks or praise (not that Alois was one to give it anyway).
"Day into night, sugar into salt, living into dead, and dark blue into gold. That's what makes a Trancy butler."
And when Alois had set the plan in motion to exact his revenge on that monster, that demon who had killed his beloved brother, Claude obediently obliged. Until, of course, the demon's master had captured Claude's fancy.
Ciel Phantomhive. Alois grimaces at the name. The Queen's guard dog who had stolen away his only constant. How had things gone so horribly wrong?
Over the bed of trees
My heart spins around
He now sits leaned against a tree, bleeding from the wound in his stomach that Ciel Phantomhive had inflicted. He thinks of what Claude had said before, so casually, as if he had been discussing the weather.
"Perhaps if he'd been calm as he'd driven it, he would've killed you."
"Claude…you almost sound as though you wish he had."
"Not at all, your highness."
And that was all that was said.
Here he is, dying, alone, and surely forgotten.
His head snaps up as he hears a low, feral growl coming from somewhere to his left. A wolf approaches, mouth practically foaming at the sight of the fourteen-year-old boy. Alois closes his crystal blue eyes, silently accepting his fate. He waits for the dog to tear him to shreds.
But it doesn't.
My howl in the night to the isolated star
I dare to forgive you
Everything seems too far
He opens his eyes to see his stoic butler, Claude Faustus, staring down at him, the wolf's carcass in his hand. He throws it carelessly to the side, golden eyes locked with icy blue ones.
"What are you trying to do, master?" he asks. "Why are you here?" The adolescent can't bring himself to say anything. "Your goal is incomplete. You do not have Ciel Phantomhive," he says, referring to their contract. But Alois doesn't care about that anymore.
"It's just you now," Alois murmurs. You're all that I have."
"Come now, master. Don't say such ridiculous things," Claude says, dismissing Alois's feelings yet again.
"Shut up…shut up, shut up! You're all that I have!" Alois cries, repeating himself. He can't find other words. Claude stands perfectly still as Alois clings to his leg like a petulant child. "Hoheo taralna…you can't ever leave my side…never! Not you!" His voice softens. "Please, Claude…"
He pauses, daring to tell his butler…his demon butler…what he has tried to hide for the past several years. He moves forward, ignoring the searing pain in his side. "Claude…I think…you're…m-my highness…" He expects Claude to remain cold and stoic as ever, or perhaps to tell him that he was being ridiculous.
But care for me tenderly
But instead, the spider demon gives Alois a soft smile, one that he had only shown Alois perhaps once or twice before. He kneels down to his master's level, gently wiping away his tears. At the touch of the butler's gloved hands, Alois lets out a small gasp.
"What a thing to say to a butler…" Alois relaxes at Claude's words and sighs at the sound of his voice. Claude tilts the Earl's head up slightly, and the latter closes his eyes, preparing himself for the kiss he has been waiting for since the very beginning of the pair's contract. He feels the demon caress his face gently, then slowly apply an uncomfortable pressure to the boy's head.
Then everything fades to nothing.
How on Earth can I get to the strawberry field?
Author's Note: Hey, guys! Can you tell I love writing about unrequited love? xD Anyway, thanks so much for reading! Feel free to leave a review if you liked it (or didn't!)! Have an amazing day/night!
~ Belle