His Butler, In Heat
*Chapter 1 – A Butler's Simple Suggestion*
Pair: SebaCiel (Sebastian x Ciel)
POV: narrated - mainly Ciel's side of the story
Footsteps. Loud footsteps. Slow footsteps.
They are coming closer. Closer. Closer. Ciel looks around him. He does not know where he is: there is only black and blue and an ugly green surrounding him. He sees a fog or mist but cannot tell where it is coming from. He hears the footsteps yet again. They are growing closer by the second. Closer. Closer. He shivers. Was he cold? No. There was no sign of weather or life besides he and the sound of footsteps floating throughout the area. Scared. He was scared. But why? All he heard was footsteps. Loud footsteps. Coming closer and closer. Pounding on the ground. Stomp. Stomp. Step. He felt a bead of sweat slide down his forehead. He was shaking violently. He was terrified and didn't know why. His stomach twisted into a tight knot. He felt the need to vomit but nothing would come up. He tries to scream but it dies in his throat. He tries and tries until his throat aches and he is gasping for air. He struggles to move, soon realizing he cannot; his ankles and wrists are bound. When was he bound? He felt them before on their own just a moment ago. But now he is bound, wrists tied together, ankles tied together. He cannot escape. He cannot get away. His mind will not allow it. The footsteps grow louder by the moment; they are almost here. He is not sweating anymore, he is sobbing. He cannot figure out what to do but sob. He does not know why he is acting so pathetically. An ugly disfigured creature comes into view. What to does he do…What can he do? It was a dream, he knew. But he couldn't wake up. He has to wake up. He needs to wake up. He must wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up! WAKE UP!
His sapphire irises opened slightly to a sea of darkness. They move rapidly around the room. Where am I? Ciel lays frozen for a single moment, calms himself down. His labored breathing seemed to be in perfect unison with his erratic heartbeat. He calms slowly.
He chuckled lightly: the dream had simply reminded of his own life, his own mindset. The real world was full of scary monsters and creepy crawlies and much worse, but the world inside his own head could be the most terrifying of them all. Especially when they made it the surface. Though, his nightmares were not usually so harrowing that he would wake in the middle of the night. Night.
Those same eyes began a scan of the room, finally adjusting to the darkness within. The only light in the room was pale moonlight creeping in through the curtains. Usually Sebastian would make sure that the curtains were fully closed so that not a speck of light whatsoever could enter.
Into the room it slightly illuminated the furniture: it casted eerie shadows. He was in his mansion - currently filled with many vacated rooms and deathly silence - coddled under a large blanket in his spacious and soft bed. He allowed himself to just feel the space around him, the feather-filled pillows under his head, the plush of his bed, the smoothness of his blanket and covers. No, I am not bound. I am at home resting. What the hell is wrong with me?
The young earl was now wide awake and already dreading the fact. He has many busy days ahead of him, and has left quite a few behind, so he quite needs his sleep. Yet his body seemed to dislike this night and would not allow him any further rest. Meaning he must either try and lull himself to dreamland or he would have to get out of his comfy bed and find a way to make himself tired.
A loud sigh escapes Ciel's lips as he slowly sits up in bed. Ciel already knew that there was no way he could make himself fall back asleep, especially after he had such a horrid dream. He groans loudly, rubbing away the last of the sleepiness from his eyes since he wasn't going back to it anytime soon. Having to be awake in the middle of the night, where everyone was asleep and there was nothing to do, was already seeping annoyance into mind, possibly causing a headache.
He slowly scoots to the edge of the bed. He takes a deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. Slowly. He proceeds to throw off the blanket and swing his legs over the side, letting them dangle over the edge. He sits there quietly, letting his mind wander, hoping maybe, just maybe, he moved enough to go back to sleep. But of course, his mind disliked him, so he still had to get up.
Trying to think of what he should do now that he was so restless, Ciel finally stands and stretches a bit. His eyes wander around the room as he does and sees a titanium white, stuffed bunny with a large pink ribbon with lace frills tied around its neck. It was in the corner, staring at him with its button eyes, as if attempting to stare at his soul. Why the hell is this in my room?
He then begins to the recall the events of the day: he woke up to a bunch of squealing and loud talking and finds Elizabeth in his bedroom, sitting on top of him. After finally getting her off - which is not as easy as it seems being that her mother is stronger than a damn bear and Elizabeth does contract some of that strength - he stares in horror as his room has been turned into a wonderland of pink, frilly, girly, and just completely cute. Luckily, Sebastian persuades her out of the room long enough for Ciel to get dressed and Sebastian to take down a few decorations. Ciel was then forced to entertain her craziness until his aunt finally came and took her away, scolding Elizabeth as they walked to the carriage. Just when the earl thought that the hell was over, his butler Sebastian decides to be the demon he is and place three stacks of paperwork onto his desk placed in the ongoing list of "Paperwork to be Finished Today." Ciel had decided to get it all finished within the day; hence he spent four hours, with minimal breaks, doing all of the paperwork. He finished that and assumed he could finally go and entertain himself. Unfortunately, Lau and his little maiden decided to pay him a visit, followed by Soma, prince of India, soon after that. They didn't leave until after dinnertime, feeling content with their fullness and freeloading. By the time they'd left his home, Ciel was too tired to even stand and decided to go to bed early in which Sebastian, albeit clumsily, carried him to be bathed and dressed for bed.
Now he has had a nightmare so terrible it has awoken him from his slumber and now is running on about three hours of sleep. Hence, his current predicament and headache.
Ciel walks to his door slowly, rubbing a crick out of his neck. He damned Lau and Soma because if they had not stayed so late and caused such a ruckus after an already hectic morning, he wouldn't be up in the middle of the damn night. He swings the door open and immediately regrets it because of the slight breeze coming in. He walks back over to his bed and tugs the blanket off, wrapping it around himself as he walks through the door.
Ciel wanders aimlessly down the dark hallways of the mansion, bored out of his mind. He could – and should – get a candle so he could actually see down the damn hallways, but he was pretty much used to the darkness at this point. There was no point in being afraid of the dark. Not at this point in his life. Too much has happened both in the dark and in the light that there seemed to be no difference. It was all the same to him.
He ends up at the grand staircase leading down to the foyer. He slowly creeps down the steps, snuggled up in his blanket, cursing himself for not wearing slippers because the marble flooring was frigid. He decides to go on a search for the kitchen and see if Sebastian has hidden a sweet treat somewhere in said area. Something sweet sounded quite good at the moment.
Step. Step. Ciel hears faint footsteps and freezes. It was just a dream, it was just a dream, it was just a dream. Though he repeated this phrase like a mantra, he was truly afraid. He chose not acknowledge it but his body had become stone a statue, his heart fighting its hardest to escape through his throat. He truly hopes that his most recent nightmare hadn't come to the light.
Ciel lets out the breath he had been holding and allows himself to think: it's not as bad as you think it is, just remain calm. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. You are okay. It may be one of the servants.
He strains his ears to listen in the loud silence. The footsteps move swiftly and quietly, walking through the halls knowingly; most likely one of the servants. They probably decided to look around once they heard my footsteps. At least I'm not the only one getting no sleep. His fear subsiding and heart resting, he decided to call out to the person walking so quickly.
"Who's there? What are you doing walking about so quickly?"
The figure seems not to have noticed him at all, continuing its current actions. The figure was now close enough for Ciel to see their shape and movement. A tall figure walks from one area to another quickly, moving a dark blob, which he assumed to be their hand, quickly up and down before moving on the next area. The figure is cleaning. No servant cleans that quickly and efficiently. Except…
"Sebastian, what in the bloody hell are you doing making so much noise this late in the night!?"
The figure looks up from its area and pauses for a moment. "Young, master? What are you doing up so late?" Sebastian asks sounding worried.
"That should be my line, dog." Ciel said, agitation evident in his voice. He pinched the bridge of his noise and sighed, ignoring the voice in the back of his head that noticed the tone of voice Sebastian had used. "You were so loud that I couldn't even sleep properly, all that stomping around and such." It was a lie, such and obvious lie, but he needed someone to blame for his annoyance and restlessness.
It worked: "Oh, dear, I am terribly sorry for that, young master. I was feeling a bit restless, so I decided to make myself useful by cleaning up a bit."
Ciel looks at him suspiciously; why the hell was the damn demon so restless? Could it be that- Ciel stops his mind before it went down that dangerous path.
Ciel sighed, as he seemed to be doing a lot that night. "Well, at least you made yourself useful while you were awake."
Ciel could not see it but Sebastian was surprised at his young master's [somewhat] optimistic reply.
Sebastian was out of it, Ciel knew just from hearing his voice. He hadn't wanted to acknowledge it but it was true, shown trough the butler's own actions. The young earl didn't know how badly his servant's mindset was, but he knew that Sebastian had a loose screw or two.
"Well, since you woke me, go get me something sweet to eat and quickly. I would like to go back to bed at some point tonight." Ciel ordered. Again, he lied, but he was quite annoyed and quite restless and craving something sweet on his tongue.
Sebastian's figure bowed. "Y-Yes young master, r-right away. I-If you would p-p-please follow me." He began to walk forward and Ciel followed him, albeit cautiously.
The earl's suspicions grew: when did the cool, calm demon butler stutter in his speech? And so much in one sentence. The answer: he doesn't. Sebastian rarely looks nervous in most situations even if they are last minute, rushed, or outrageous. Ciel became annoyed with his curiosity.
He walked behind said butler to the kitchen area where Sebastian went and lit a few candles, one on the counter, one in his own hand, and one he handed to Ciel. Sebastian silently pulled up a stool for Ciel to sit on and once his young master was comfortable, began to search for a dessert.
Ciel watches as this trusty, strong, and faithful butler scrambled around, knocking over pots and pans, acting as clumsy as a bull in a warehouse of glass. He sighed for the umpteenth time that night and stared down at the floor, seeing if he can spot any dust or scuff on the floor. Finding nothing but his immaculate reflection on the tiles, the earl becomes bored easily. He takes to looking up to see Sebastian taking out what looked to be pans for baking.
"What are you doing, Sebastian?"
The butler looks behind him, a kind smile on his face. Ciel feels his heart skip.
"I was going to bake a simple dessert for you, young master. It shall be quick, I promise."
Ciel mumbles his affirmation and Sebastian begins the preparations. Ciel watched as Sebastian gets out a few more pans, walks to a cabinet and grabs a large bowl, goes to another cabinet and goes some other objects that he did not know the name of but infer that they were used for baking.
His heart beats a bit differently. A bit harder. A bit faster. A bit louder. A bit stronger. What is wrong with me? Ciel thinks, I've been this way since last week… I don't need to notice every little thing he does but I do! Ugh, this is frustrating. Damn, dog of a butler. What has gotten into him anyways? Contrary to his inner thought processes, the young earl clutched at his heart, the darn thing seeming to want to escape its bony chamber.
It's been like this for days upon days and Ciel was finding it to be rather tiresome. And as he thought about it, Ciel realized that around the same time that Sebastian began to act odd is when Ciel's heart began to beat oddly. He was truly beginning to become angrier. It is about time he gave me an answer…
"Sebastian, stop." Ciel commands, a sense of dominance honed in his voice. He used this tone rarely, as his servants had enough respect for him to simply do as he said without any extra incentive. He could tell that this tone would better get through to his demon butler as his butler was contemplating whether or not to use sugar in a dessert.
Sebastian turns his head, a slight look of surprise. Ciel watches as Sebastian places the sugar back into its specified area and turns around, walking towards his master. Ciel could see nervousness seeping from the seemingly calm butler, steps a bit more cautious.
The earl raised an eyebrow, suspicious of what his servant had done to be acting so obvious. He groans, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes, breathing in and out slowly. "Sebastian," Ciel begins, "what are you hiding?"
Sebastian looks a kid caught stealing candy. "Y-Young master, I would n-not-"
Ciel raises his hand to quiet him. "Hush, I know you are lying and were about to lie to me just now. You have been acting strange these past few days: messing up my blankets, giving me the wrong information, not bringing me tea when you need to. And tonight, I walk through the halls to discover you cleaning like a madman. You lead me to the kitchen - a place not meant for nobles, mind you – and therefore proceed to create a 'quick' dessert with only the use of candlelight. What in the bloody hell is wrong with you?"
"Young master, I am sure that you are misunderstanding the situation."
"Are you calling me a liar? A dunce, perhaps?" Ciel got up from his seat.
"Young master…"
"What have you been hiding? Answer the question."
"But-"
"That is an order…"
Sebastian hung his head a bit, a heavy sigh seeping from his mouth. The air in his body seemed to seep out of his body with just that one exhale. That is not something he will usually do, at least not in front of others.
Sebastian looked up, straightened up, and stated plainly to the earl, "I seem to be in heat."
Ciel was shocked. Very much shocked. His eyes were rounded, his mouth slightly agape. His face betrayed him as it began to burn bright red.
"S-Say what now?" he says, unable to stop his voice from breaking.
"I am in heat, young master."
"I understand that I call you a dog quite a bit but this may be taking it a bit too far."
Sebastian again sighed. He began to explain his predicament: "It has nothing to do with the type of demon. This is common for all demon-kind. Demons do not sleep; we do not need to sleep. Demons do not have much of a need to feed, or to have companions, like humans need. We, unlike your species, are not as fragile. Hence, we tend to overexert ourselves easily without even realizing it. In order for a demon to retain or regain energy in some way, we go into a state where we will need to use a host to 'feed' off of. Basically, we need to have se-"
"Stop!" the earl demands. Ciel let out a deep sigh; his head hung low and his hands covering his face. "Just stop. I believe I understand your predicament now."
The pair stood still, allowing for a deafening silence to overtake the room. It was deathly silent in the mansion, save for the quiet breaths in the kitchen. Ciel hoped that Sebastian could not hear how loud his heart was beating or see the obvious flush rising up to the tip top of his ears.
After a while, Ciel was tired of the silence. Once he was able to contain the redness only to his cheeks and felt that his voice would not crack, he uncovered his face and lifted his head. He stared straight at the button the butler's jacket, refusing to look his servant in the face. He spoke up finally, asking, "What is it that you may need so that you can take care of your…condition?"
Ciel could feel Sebastian staring at him: the young master had actually asked what he wanted instead of just demanding him to do something about it himself.
"Young master," Sebastian started after getting over his state of shock, "are you sure that is a good idea?"
"I cannot have my servants stay in a situation that will make them unfit for their tasks; that would make me seem inhumane."
Ciel knew that the two had seen, been involved in, and done far worse than mistreating a servant, but he needed a valid excuse as to why he so desperately wanted to stop his heart from beating so loudly.
Sebastian had stayed silent for a few moments and Ciel was becoming annoyed. "Hurry and spit it out before I change my mind." He demanded, still refusing to look Sebastian in the face. On a good note, the redness had finally left his face.
Sebastian contemplated for a bit, causing Ciel to become even more suspicious than before. Why do I feel so uneasy? He will most likely ask me for time off to go resolve the issue and then we will be done with this matter.
Sebastian finally spoke up, but with a question and not a demand, "When you asked what I had needed, did you truly mean that I could ask for anything that I may 'need'?"
Ciel said, agitation obvious in his voice, "Yes, that is what I meant so get on with it."
Ciel had become so annoyed with his butler he did not realize that the servant had been slowly moving toward him since he had made the offer. So annoyed that he did not notice calm maroon had been exchanged for a swirl of blood red and a hint of something more sinful. Too annoyed to realize where the conversation was leading up to until Sebastian was nothing more than half of an inch away.
Ciel at last looked towards the face of his servant: Sebastian allowed a sly smile to slowly creep up onto his face.
Ciel swallowed a lump in his throat. He could clearly see the change in Sebastian's eyes. He could hear that the breathing had become shallow, though he couldn't tell whose breath it was. He felt the heat radiating off of the butler, a fireplace filled with dark flames and in the shape of a man. He had finally realized that his tone had went from nervous to sultry almost instantly.
The earl backed up slowly, asking, "What are you smiling about? What do you want?" He could not hide the tremble of his voice. He wasn't truly frightened of Sebastian, but air had become a bit warmer, a bit unsavory.
"What if I suggested…that you become the one to help me with my…condition?"
Ciel looked at Sebastian, eyes filled with horror but heart filled with another feeling.
Sebastian licked his lips, eyes glowing in the dark kitchen. They seemed brighter than three candles waiting on the countertops. What happened to other candles?
To be continued…
Disclaimer:I do not own Black Butler, Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian Michaels, or any of the characters in this anime/manga. All rights go to its respectful owners and creators. I recommend reading this manga, though.
Author's crap:Decided to completely renovate (and complete) this series because it has been too long since I've updated this story and I want you all to see the ending before I have to start school again. Also, my goal is to get at least 3,000 words per chapter as a slight incentive to make my stories better detailed (as well as better written). I shall do my best to post every week or two so that I can finish the stories and special extras at the end.
Also, I don't know what the hell it is with me and a simple "suggestion" but you know what, it's already here, so let's keep going cx I hope you like the renovated version~ Have a great day!