Violet started to walk to Luke's house, wearing all black and her normally curled black hair now strait as a knife. It's been four months since she met his family when she had lost everything... her family, lifestyle, and friends. Her aunt, who was now her and Jasper's legal guardian decided to move to Washington D.C. where her parents' house used to be and where the Michaelis home was, making it rather easier now for her and Luke to keep in touch and see each other often.
She didn't know what to think of what her life had come to, demons, eternal life, and revenge. More importantly… her future. She remembered the morning when she woke up in the Michaelis home after Luke had saved and contracted himself to her. How he explained there were two fates that she could have. One was to simply die, which is what apparently about ninety eight percent of people involved in contracts with demons actually chose… the other two percent were people who indeed chose to become demons as well. However, that two percent normally chose that fate because they wanted to become their demon's mate. For the other ninety eight percent, they had pretty good reasons to be involved with a demon in the first place so after their wish was complete it was common for them to simply now want to be done with their lives. There was also the fact not every demon tells every master this little detail, hoping to avoid recruiting the dumbest and most arrogant people from joining the demon race. Luke agreed to not rush her decision about which one she wanted, waiting until she was eighteen years old for her to make such a big choice. She had no idea which choice she really wanted…
All she knew is that she as lost everything, including her mind and soon her soul… She knew in the past months that she's become reckless and has been acting stupid. She kept getting herself into trouble, Luke kept saving her and telling her to be more careful. When she'd go walking on the edges of rooftops, or playing chicken with trains, or go and talk to very much the wrong people to talk to. She had even tried to convince Luke to get a piercing with her, but he would not give in. She decided to drop it since she didn't want to order him to do something against his will.
Luke's twin brother Malcolm however, got his belly button and tongue pierced that night with Violet. Malcolm was practically his twin's polar opposite. Malcolm looked just like a fourteen year old version of his mother with his Dad's fierce red eyes. Malcolm was also completely different from his brother in personality. Malcolm was gay, very punk rock, wild, ornery, stubborn, open minded to practically everything, and seemed to have a new flavor of arm candy on him every week or so. Maybe more than one at a time. He loved dressing in tight gothic or bubbly clothes, and he was really into animation. He also had no interest in ever being anyone's servant, therefore would never hunt for a master. Malcolm did however love his family dearly, even if he'd break his parents' rules sometimes... or often. Violet loved when she and Malcolm would go on a little joyride or go shopping together.
But the truth of Violet getting herself in danger was, she liked feeling saved. She reveled in the excitement of danger, and the high all of it gave her. She felt invincible with her demon to go and save her from the most horrific of deaths. Violet decided during their recent time together that she liked Luke. Luke was nice, and he was cool too, but Luke was quiet and calm, and well… she wasn't.
Even before her parents died, she had been the reckless one, even for a fourteen year old girl, drinking, trying some drugs but none any horribly addictive or really dangerous... She even got her nose pierced and now had a tattoo on her ribcage area of her Father and mother's names.
She had no grip on what was real and what was total bullshit, but she liked it like that. Anytime she had a break of reality, it hit her like a wave that crashed into the beach from the summer before when her family visited Florida, she almost drowned in the ocean, her parents saved her, and now they're gone and she can't be saved… not completely anyway. But when Luke saved her? It made her feel closer to that feeling…
Luke, now making lunch for his Lovely Flower who had texted him she'd be coming over, had been in his new role for almost four months now. He was very thankful that unlike his father, his new "Master" didn't demand to change his name.
To this day, nobody knew what Sebastian Michaelis's real name was. He had been in nicer clothes lately as well, trying to look better for Violet. For a soul and as a person, she wasn't exactly a bad person... she just exhausted him. He could understand why after trauma you wouldn't care enough about how much longer you yourself live, but he saved her for a reason. He himself couldn't really explain it, but in his gut, he just... knew. He knew to answer her wish, to come at her call, he just didn't know why.
Living in a family of demons, you'd think by now he'd be used to it... but life never ceased to amaze and pester him. As he continued to make her grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup from scratch he thought to himself quietly about the effect that Violet seemed to start to have on his twin brother, Malcolm. Ever since Violet came into their lives, more and more each day Malcolm seemed to act... happier. Malcolm finally having a genuine friend around to go along with is crazy stunts and to shop for skinny jeans with him, and it seemed to make the wild child very much happier than he had been. As the teenaged boy continued to cook intensely, determined to make his master happy, he couldn't help but wonder exactly how much he'll need to keep saving her. Luke had heard stories of how often Sebastian had to save Ciel when he was kidnapped, but this was just silly.
Violet walked up to the door of one of the many mansions in Washington DC, and rang the doorbell and waited for Luke... In the past four months, there had been a difference in their normal routine of her coming to visit and him yielding to her every word and waiting on her every need. Before it was that he had to, now it seemed that they just understood each other. They had grown closer, especially after she admitted to him him of her condition of being addicted to the rush of being saved or dying.
Luke finished the last touches of a beautiful arrangement of grilled cheese and tomato soup and was quick and happy to let Violet into the house. He slightly nodding in respect as he let her in, knowing that she knew food was waiting for her in her usual spot at the dining room table. He smiled the famous Michaelis smile at her as he closed the door.
"This afternoon, I've made you Grilled Cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, all made from scratch myself." He bowed a little, hoping she'd enjoy the meal.
"That sounds great! It smells delicious, Luke!" she responded, turning and smiling at him.
Luke smirked triumphantly, at least Violet was honest and grateful to him. His mother happened to have a bad habit of being so jealous of how well his father could cook, he'd occasionally fib and say the food wasn't as good as it obviously was, which matter since Ciel didn't even eat that much, anyway.
Violet smiled at him from across the table. She couldn't help but feel like there was something different about him, something different about her, and something different about them together… their chemistry was stronger, somehow. She looked at him smiling before she started eating.
"So what are we doing today?" She asked, tucking some hair behind her ear.
"Whatever you'd like to do, I suppose… as long as it's safe, of course." Luke stared at her the way he always did when he would speak about her health and safety. It had become a rather large concern of his since she confessed to him she was growing addicted to being a daredevil.
"You don't have to treat me like I'm going to break, Luke... I'm right here. I'm fine." her eyes softened and they became darker, like how clouds block the sun. A moment later, she smiled and the clouds disappeared from her eyes and her face lit up, making her look childlike. However, at the same time she seemed older than fourteen with her depression she hid and the dark circles from staying up all night with nightmares that she tries so hard to hide with her makeup as well as her fragile state of mind.
Luke sighed lightly in frustration. She still hadn't quite learned that demons always knows a human's lies.
"You should still be careful, beautiful flower. Because you know exactly how strong you really are. But that's none of my business, I suppose." He said it in a voice of caring, not condescendence. He moved back into the kitchen to begin her small chocolate lava cake, knowing chocolate normally helps her sleep easier when she does sleep.
She sat there and stared into an empty corner shadowed by the storm clouds that were forming outside. She hated how Luke always treated her like she was going to break at any second. She knew that she could break, but she hated how he knew… Even though he is supposed to know. She wondered if he could feel it too… She shook it off as he walked in after watching her carefully looking for a sign of the crazier Violet that comes out when upset. No, crazy wasn't quite the right word. He wasn't sure what the right word was, but it wasn't crazy. Things were very different between them, because now, Luke genuinely cared... in a different way. He refilled her drink and gave her a reassuring smile, that one friend would give to another.
"Do you think I'm crazy?" she asked as the lights shut off, the storm building outside causing a blackout.
"Be honest now." she says as she stood up and a bolt of lightning strikes outside lighting up her face for a quick second it was emotionless and empty. Luke may have been a demon, but he had seen enough horror movies to know when things looked bad. Damn, did they look bad right now.
"I think that you're hurt." He responded honestly.
"Yeah... hurt? More like destroyed." She responded rather quietly, losing any emotion in her voice. Another flash of lightning struck.
"I... I... I have to go?" Another flash as she wiped away a few tears and ran past him and out the door.
Luke knew he'd be in trouble for following, but she didn't order him to stay there... he quickly took the lava cake out of the oven so it wouldn't burn and then proceeded to easily catch up to her out the door, and she ran unknowingly right into his arms to be met by the best hug she'd probably ever had in her whole life.
She gasped with her eyes wide open before pulling away and slapping him as he stumbled. He had been more shocked then hurt, as it started to pour down and she started to cry and rushed into his arms, hugging him this time. He sighed and returned the hug, stroking her hair comfortingly.
"I don't just want to be your butler, Violet. I want to be your friend. I care about you." He admitted to her. He had been told about his boundaries as a butler and how to behave with his master, and he knew he just broke serious protocol. But his lovely flower needed him, and he was going to be there for her.
She stared up at him, her makeup running down her face badly as her eyes for once were genuinely bright and beautiful, just as they were the night they met. She almost looked like a new person. Luke smiled at her very much preferring this version of Violet.
"I don't know why you wear so much make up, lovely flower. I like your eyes better this way." He admitted as he took a handkerchief from his pocket using it and the rain water to help clear her face.
"Oh! Um..." She blushed and looks at up Luke, neither one letting each other go of their hug. She then looked deep into Luke's eyes as he finished cleaning her face.
"Um… friends... I can do that." She smiled nervously and took three strides backward away from him, leaving a big open spot between them. Luke then stepped closer to her and wrapped his jacket around her and slightly over her head.
"We should go back to my house, or you'll get a cold." He said with a friendly smile. She looked at him and smiled appreciatively, a smile that said she like being his friend. She then took his hand in hers, in a friendly manner.
"You're great guy, Luke! One day when this is done, I hope you find a nice girl who is just as great as you." She then walked past him still holding his hand back to his house. As they walked in she saw that everyone was home now. She had gotten well acquainted with all of Luke's family as well, seeming to fit in quite nicely. However, they all now looked at violet like she were a different person, now that her dark makeup was gone and the humidity and rain made her straighten hair go to her normal wavy raven black curls. Malcolm looked the most surprised.
"What did you...? Well hell, you do have a face under that raccoon mask. You look nice." He commented, trying to joke around playfully giving a thumbs up in approval.
"Yeah everyone says that I look like my mother." She responded choking on her words a little and placing some hair behind her ear.
"I think you look very lovely." Ciel responded to her, honestly. Violet really did appreciate Ciel's kindness towards her, since he was the only one who could really understand what she was going through right now.
"Thank you." She responded smiling as Luke walked in behind her. Sebastian's eyes shined in a teasing manner at them, more specifically his son though, as he smiled his infamous smile.
"Did you two have fun?" The man smiled wider knowing the double meaning on his own sentence, sending Luke into a deep blush.
"Did something happen that I don't know about?" Violet asked looking between from Sebastian and Luke.
"Not at all. Come, Violet. I know that your lava cake is still warm and intact, I made sure it will be. After all, I am simply one hell of a butler." Luke responded simply and lightly sending a glare to his father as he went to get her lava cake. Sebastian's head whipped towards where he was walking and he stared a little annoyed raising one eyebrow in response to his son's back.
"Oh no he didn't…" Malcolm said mumbling under his breath before returning to his Nintendo DS game trying so hard not to laugh at his father's face while his mother chuckled hard. Violet decided to follow Luke, briefly stopping by Sebastian to stare at him questioningly, before deciding to drop it and continued following Luke. Luke then looked to her worried about if she'd get sick.
"Are you feeling alright? I don't want you to get a fever from the storm." He explained as he went to try to find the thermometer. It wasn't always easy for the young demon to find everything since his brother loved to hide and misplace things just to make him mad. She smiled at his concern and walked up to him.
"I'm fine Luke, I promise. Stop worrying about me."
"Well, alright then. However, I will always worry about you. Would you like to finally eat your cake?" He asked pointing to the delicious chocolate lava cake.
"Absolutely!" She said as she rushed to pick up the plate and go back to the dining room. Luke made sure to follow her with a fork, and the girl ate it appreciatively. She always thought his cooking was amazing and never failed to bring her joy. She wondered if one day he'd cook her soul. How did demons eat the soul anyway? Would he rip it from her body? Tear her open? Dear God, how do they eat souls? She tried to force such questions out of her mind as she continued to eat her cake until she finished.
"Hey, Luke? Um… I'm going to head home, okay?" She said, some of the images unable to leave her mind. Luke nodded in understanding and gladly walked her to the door.
"Shall I call you later?" He asked her with a light smile. She looked back to him and forcing a smile while she nodded. She felt bad for not being able to block the demon image of him from her mind. Luke really was a good person, better than most humans she met. She couldn't help but think he was probably even better than her. As she finally left, he slowly waved goodbye to her. He noticed for some odd reason, he felt a lot sadder than he thought he should be. Once she was out of sight and he closed the door, he frowned deeply and wondered if the habit of falling for one's master had now plagued him as well. He knew it was possible, seeing as that is exactly what happened to his father and he knew he was so much like Sebastian sometimes.
"Son?" Ciel called to the boy standing at the door.
"Yes, Mummy?" Luke responded turning his head to his mother. The blue haired man chuckled to his son before walking to Luke and pulling him in a quick head placing a kiss to his son's forehead.
"Would you mind helping your father and I do the laundry?" Ciel asked. Luke chuckled at his mother.
"Since when do you do chores, Mum?" Luke asked teasing his mother a little. Ciel rolled his eyes at the other.
"I swear, you and your father both... Your Dad thought it'd be funny to challenge me at a list of household chores, saying I couldn't do it. So I told him that I accepted his challenge, because as a man with Phantomhive blood I refuse to lose to my butler. I was wondering though if I would recruit you to help a little since you also have Phantomhive blood. Also, I don't want to ask your brother because knowing Malcolm he'd instead purposely wear more clothes today so I have to do more clothes… He has the will of a wild horse, that one. So what do you say, want to help your favorite Mum?" His Mom explained ending in a little bit of a cheesy smile. Luke smiled back rolling his eyes before nodding yes and going with his Mom to the laundry room.
Meanwhile, Violet kept playing with her now curlier head thinking of how Luke said that he liked how she looked better without make up. She wondered why he wanted to be her friend. He had after all seen her going slowly insane… He saw how she loved to get in trouble, actually, his whole family had said it. She ran her hand to the back of her neck lightly tracing the skin that showed her contract mark to Luke, thankful she had long hair to cover it. It was a pentagram with lined connecting the middle of each triangle to the inner pentagon inside, inside that pentagon was another smaller pentagram, and the pattern would repeat seeming endlessly until it looked like it dissolved into a dot. The largest star of the pentagram was encloses in what looked like two crescent moons touching making it look like an odd circle with very small pentagrams in the spaces between where the triangle edges of the pentagram separated. On the outside of the crescent moons were smaller crescent moons facing back to back surrounding the whole outside of the mark with another occasional tiny pentagram as well.
She chuckled as she remembered Luke saying he didn't need to cover his on his hand because now with the current invention of tattoos, he had a good excuse for having it. Luke would surprise her when he would try to be funny. She was appreciative of him actually caring about her as a friend rather than seeing her as some kind of obligation, that she was his friend and not a job. But she still shuddered every time she remembered no matter what else they were, he still wanted her soul. As she finally arrived in her new home she barely even spoke to her aunt who was busier caring for Jasper anyway, headed up to her room that Luke helped her decorate and threw herself onto her bed. She couldn't stop thinking and wondering about Luke as she let sleep consume her.
That night, Violet kept tossing and turning furiously as her nose smelled cinders and smoke… her ears heard the crackling of fire… her skin felt the shocking ice cold water… her muscles were screaming for release from ropes, and her lungs were burning with the need for air that seemed to never be able to come. In her awful nightmare setting her back to the worst mark of her whole life, she kept screaming over and over a name… the name was Luke's. She kept screaming for his help as loud as her lungs would let her before she was shaken awake and her eyes flashed into midnight blue ones.
She sat up, breathing heavily still feeling the freezing on her skin and turned over looking around the room, Luke sitting beside her on right side of her bed, looking at her tired and worried. She noticed the boy was in pajama pants and a shirt. She smelled the air and listened carefully before realizing where she really was and sighed in relief that she was safe, thankful Luke had come to her rescue… even if he was only rescuing her from a nightmare. Luke was awoken by his mark burning his hand, realizing she was calling for him and had ran as fast as he could to her when she screamed. Once she calmed a little, Luke quickly got off the bed and got her a cold rag to wash off her sweating forehead to relax her a little better.
"Let me be Captain Obvious here… You had dream, right?" He asked, making sure to wipe her sweat careful to not let the cold water get in her eyes or anything.
She looked at him as he worked before nodding and taking the rag from him. She scooted over letting him know it was fine and welcomed for him to sit beside her again. He smiled at her lightly with that damned smile she had no doubt came from his father and sat beside her humming lightly to her what he knew to be one of her favorite piano pieces, trying to calm her down so she'd relax and stop tensing up thinking about the dream. Once she was truly relaxed again she looked and smiled at him.
"Thank you, Luke." He could see her eyes shine bright even in the pitch blackness of her room... He always liked it when her eyes shined, it made him feel better to know when she felt better. Also, she wasn't trying to get herself killed when she felt better. Luke smiled to her again.
"You're welcome, Lovely Flower. If I couldn't do this much for you, then what kind of a friend would I be really?" He smiled even wider, being as he always wanted to say that. She stared at him again for a while, before looking at the ceiling wondering if he found it weird that in her nightmare she had called out Luke's name for help.
"So… I have been wondering this for a while now, especially when you went after me in the rain today… You told me that all I have to do is order you to do something and by the rules of the contract you literally have to do it. So I was wondering… do you have any free will?" Violet turned her head to the side to watch at Luke contemplated her question before looking back to her and answering.
"Well, that depends on you. It is limited in some ways… For instance, if you say 'I want you to make me lobster with a side of oven French fries and a tall glass of water and biscuits for dinner' then that's what I'd do. However if you simply said 'make me dinner' then I would be in the one making the decision of what you eat. That's the level of free will that I have with you." He responded remembering the ways his father would use that to his advantage against his mother when Ciel wasn't specific enough.
"Oh, cool..." she said. She didn't want to completely take his free will from him, her own life had been going insane as of late and she lost more control every day… she didn't want to do that to someone who was being as kind as Luke was. He had left the comfort of his own bed and his own house to come wake her up from a nightmare, just because she called his name. She felt back she had to wake him.
"Why do you ask?" he asked.
"I don't know… I guess because you were probably asleep, and now you're here. I was just thinking you didn't have to come, but you did..." Her words made the boy laugh a little.
"Demons don't have to sleep very much anyway, we do it more recreationally since we don't have to be awake and keep everything perfect all the time. God bless the man that invented the vacuum cleaner and dishwasher… But more to the point, I'll always come for you lovely flower." he said reassuringly. That made the girl smile.
"So what happened in the dream?" He asked next, remember being told that sometimes people who would talk about their nightmares would feel better for doing so. She looked away and looked at the dark vacant room and fought back the wave of reality that brought tears and pain with it.
"It was happening again… I was drowning and my rope cuts were bleeding, they were bleeding badly and in my mind something said that you were supposed to save me. So I called and called… but you weren't coming. I just kept sinking and yelling your name… and you never came. Now, here we are. "She avoided eye contact. He stared at her a second before tilting her face towards him and locking eyes intensely with her.
"Violet, I promise you that I will always come save you. Always." She looked at his dead serious face taking in every detail of it. His insanely soft raven hair the way it almost looked like the darkest shade of blue in the moonlight… the way his strong sharp chin looked invisible, the way his cheekbones were crafted perfectly… The way his midnight blue eyes could look so serious. The way that his nose turned up just slightly, and the way his left eyebrow furrowed very slightly when he was being serious. He was always so handsome… He was different in the best way. Violet felt an urge inside her and then moved closer and hugged him tight, a kind of hug that people could fall into and never ever want to leave.
He tensed up in shock at the hug before slowly and gladly hugging her back and lightly breathed her smell in. The feelings inside his chest and stomach were fluttering and making themselves known. These were not feelings that he wanted to have for the girl he was technically one day very likely going to kill in the most painful way known to the universe, but he had these damned feelings within him anyway. He tried so hard to ignore it… but there was a reason he wanted her so much. She had a fragile and yet indestructible strength in her soul. This girl wasn't just different... she was special. She finally looked up at him after taking a deep breath.
"Luke? Would you, um... stay here with me, tonight? I feel safer near you, and more like myself... the way that I used to be, you know?" She smiled lightly with tired and sad eyes. This was dangerous… this was becoming very dangerous quickly. Sleeping in the same bed as his master? Oh that was so against protocol. Not to mention, if his mother ever found out, his ass would be whooped so hard with his mom's pimp cane he could never sit down again. Every instinct and voice of reason was screaming at him to use his free will to say no and take his ass home. Luke instead found himself nodding his head.
"Yes, I can stay with you." he continued to hold her in their light hug, hoping to any god who'd bother to listen to him that his voice wouldn't crack and that his self-control wouldn't break and he make a very, very wrong move. This was so wrong. He could already hear his brother laughing and his mother freaking out in his head. He tried to push all of that out of his mind as his fourteen year old master smiled wide pulling him down to lay beside her and she cuddled into his chest and fell asleep smiling and in the warmth and safety of her demon's arms. Luke was trying like hell to sleep as much as he could, but it feels impossible as he recognizes with disgust of himself that he is enjoying holding Violet in his arms while she slept.
When she woke up again, it was morning and instead of lying beside her with his arms around her, Luke had been standing by the window. He was now dressed in regular clothes, black slacks and a button up white shirt with some nice shiny shoes. She wasn't sure when he had left her house to get dressed, but he looked pretty damn nice. His face looked unchanged, besides the glow in his eyes. It made her smile at him, fascinated with how his eyes would change. Luke smiled back as he served her a tray of breakfast in bed which included crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, chocolate chip pancakes, and a small bowl of cut fruits along with a mug of coffee.
"Good morning, beautiful flower." He finally said to her. She smiled wider as she picked up a piece of bacon and ate it.
"Good morning, Luke. Did my aunt see you?"
"Of course not, I'm not that careless. After all, I am one hell of a butler." Violet laughed and gave him a piece of her bacon as a reward.
"Go ahead and eat some, consider it a thank you for not leaving me alone last night." She explained. Luke really hadn't expected that. Instead of commenting on it, he appreciatively accepted and for some reason, as he ate it, Violet couldn't help but feel the way he was eating it was somehow… strangely almost seductively.
"Good cause I don't want her to think you and I are having sex, or anything." She said looking him in the eye biting her bottom lip. He had been so shocked by her statement he actually choked a little on his bite of bacon coughing roughly into his hand trying to process what she just said before finally responding with rather red cheeks, now.
"I agree… That would be most unfortunate."
"Yes, yes it would."
As the two looked at one another, they had unintentionally started a staring contest with intensity so fierce sparks could flying and they wouldn't even notice. Violet kept her stare as cool as the ocean for a long time and actually beat him, further surprising him. Luke smiled in return, more amused than anything.
"Do I amuse you, Luke?" She asked as she continued to eat her delicious breakfast, her voice slightly challenging.
"As a matter of fact, you do." He says responded honestly. She cocked her head to the side and the morning light haloed around her head and she smiled wide.
"Oh really, how so?" Luke once again found himself amused by her angelic glow. He almost could've laughed about it. Violet was many things, but angelic wasn't one of them.
"You just... do." Luke stated simply.
"You know… I'm going to have to go back to school on the fifth. It'll be harder for you to take care of me and protect me like this all of the time. Unless you followed me or something." She once again saw his amused face and her eyes widened in shock.
"Wait a second Luke, you're not going to actually follow me there… Are you?"
"On the contrary lovely flower, Malcolm and I will be attending school there as well. So rather than following you, I will coincidentally be going to the same place that you do for coincidentally the same reason every day. Not following, simply coincidence." He smiled at her. Violet had a good half a mind to call him a stalker as she raised an eyebrow, but she thought better of it. She decided she'd rather have her only friends with her there instead of being by herself in a new school all alone.
"Great." She said under breath as she kept eating in smiling while Luke couldn't help but keep smiling. She truly did amuse him, to no end.
