Ciel Phantomhive couldn't sleep. Perhaps it was the house. Yes, he assured himself, it was just the house. Moving was always a hassle, and it always took him a while to get used to a new place. The large abode was situated just outside of Westminster, and he'd thought it was very grand, though quite old. That must be why it made such unusual sounds. The thought reassured him a little, and he rolled over, lulled towards sleep until there was a loud thunk. He shot up, sitting rigid and staring at the door. Slowly, he crept out of bed, armed with a cricket bat he took from his wardrobe.
'Who's there?' he asked, trying to make himself sound as threatening as possible as he pushed open door after door down the hallway. He paused at the last door down the hallway, and pushed, only to find the door locked. Cursing, Ciel unlocked the door and entered, the bat raised above his head, but as he looked around the room, nothing stirred. Looking to the floor, he found an old, beautifully crafted doll.
'So this is what fell,' he murmured, looking at it. One of the eyes didn't close, and Ciel found them to be haunting. He laughed nervously, feeling foolish for being startled by a doll, and he brought it back to his room, placing it on his bedside table. As he slept, he couldn't help but feel as if the doll's red eyes were staring at him.
Morning's obnoxious light filtered through the windows into the room, waking Ciel, and the young man groaned. He could've sworn he'd closed them. He looked over at the doll he'd found, and marvelled at the fine craftsmanship. Fine black hair framed the pale doll's face, and it wore a fine suit, though it was a little tattered. Ciel turned it over to find a small tag, reading Sebastian. The young man smiled as he looked at the doll. It was a fitting name.
Ciel had gone into town to look around, and the antique store he'd seen had many pretty things in it. He dreaded entering the store, however, when the owner approached him with a small box in his hand. He was a creepy old man, with long, wispy silver hair and it took Ciel a moment to realise that he did not, in fact, have talons, just long black nails. 'Eh heh… I believe this is for you,' he smiled, handing the box to the blue-eyed man, and then shambled off somewhere else in the store before Ciel could reply. He looked at the box, and wasn't sure if he had to pay for it or not, and he noticed a small silver key sticking out of the lock. He pulled it out and looked at it, seeing his name carved into it. 'How odd,' he whispered, absent-mindedly leaving the store.
Ciel sat on one of the sofas in his living room, staring at the box. He hadn't opened it yet, and part of him didn't want to.
'Here goes nothing,' he said to himself, holding his breath, and unlocking it. He opened the lid, and stood up abruptly, the box and its content falling to the floor. Inside was Sebastian, though he looked brand new. His suit was mended, his eye was fixed, and he seemed to be a little more… vividly coloured. Ciel fled the room, leaving the doll and the box as they were, and he scrambled up to his bedroom.
'How in the hell did Sebastian get in there?' he cried, sitting on his bed, shaking. The young man curled up, hugging himself, and fell into a troubled slumber, all the while feeling those wretched, crimson eyes on him.
Months had passed, and Ciel had gotten used to Sebastian's… odd habits. Like talking. He was fairly sure that the doll should not talk to him, but it did, and when it stopped, it simply had a knowing smile its face.
'I'm hungry,' the doll had said whilst the man was making lunch, 'can I have some too?'
'You're a doll, you don't need to eat,' was the reply. Sebastian also seemed to show up in places where the blue-eyed man was sure he had not put him. For instance, one night he came home quite late from work, and found Sebastian on the counter where Ciel put his keys.
'You're late,' he'd said simply, 'I waited up for you.' Ciel wasn't sure if Sebastian slept to begin with, but he didn't argue, simply taking himself and the doll off to bed. For such a small thing, though, Sebastian sure did take up a lot of room in the bed. The man groaned, unable to sleep due to having to accommodate the doll in his bed. Some tea would calm him, he assured himself, and he went downstairs to put the kettle on.
'Do you really need so much sugar?' Sebastian asked, startling Ciel, and causing him to spill tea everywhere.
'This has gone far enough, Sebastian,' the young man snapped, picking the doll up and putting it in its box, locking it inside. But what to do with it? He wandered the house, thinking, all the while Sebastian complained and whined from inside the box. Ciel eyed the fireplace in his small library, a cruel thought coming to mind. Closing the door behind him, Ciel placed the box in the fireplace, and lit it, causing the doll inside the box to shriek and cry and beg to be let out. The young man, however, could not hear Sebastian as the smoke filled up the room. He coughed violently, the smoke filling his lungs, and he struggled to get out. Too late he realised that he could not get rid of the doll, and his now lifeless body gripped at the doorknob uselessly as the flames began to eat him. Almost invisible in the ash and flames, Sebastian's smile was wider than ever.