A/N: Hello all!
Okay so our poll is in and it looks like Mpreg for the win by only one vote. It was an awfully close one! So, I will be updating the warnings from now on to include the new addition and I will not fault those of you who voted against it if you don't wish to continue. HOWEVER, there will also be adoption included, I've decided, not just mpreg. That way, everyone wins! :)
Also, for those interested, the chapter title song below is Harry and Sebastian's sort of informal theme song, so if you want to get a better sense of their relationship at this point in the story, give it a listen. ;)
Disclaimer: Nope.
Warnings: Slash, dub-con?, mpreg.
Chapter Four... "Well touch my mouth and hold my tongue, Ill never be your chosen one...The pull on my flesh was just too strong, stifled the choice and the air in my lungs. Better not to breathe than to breathe a lie, 'Cos when I open my body I breathe a lie."-Mumford and Sons, Broken Crown.
"This is very difficult." Ciel groused, his pale cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment as I mopped up the small spill he'd caused when his cup tipped over.
"You will adjust, little lord. You're having to take on a large change to your life and habits and it can be frustrating at first adjusting to having only half of your vision. Now, let's try again. Remember, when at the table, Sebastian will always endeavor to place your cup on your visible side but for silverware, it will help you to touch the ends of the utensils first to find out where they are before your grip for them. Eventually, this will become such a smooth motion that an observer won't even be able to see it for what it is." I explained with an indulgent smile while pouring him another small glass of water.
We were practicing out on the patio today while Sebastian was out searching for new staff. The old man Tanaka sat on the green nearby with a piping cup of tea, enjoying the sunshine. Ciel was having a difficult time adjusting to having only half of the sight he had before and I had volunteered my services to help him work through it. The wind was cool and warm and whipped through my obnoxiously long hair pleasantly. This was a day for cat-naps and sunbathing, not for work. An idea popped into my head and I gave the child before me a grin.
"How about this. You successfully show me the use of all of the utensils on this table the way we've talked about and I will dig out the strawberry and chocolate mousse cake that Sebastian has been hiding in the back of the icebox for a rainy day, yeah?"
The promise of sweets perked him up just enough that when he reached for his cup this time, instead of just reaching for it quickly and upsetting the glass like last time, Ciel's fingers paused just for a split second before making the rest of the journey for the cup, giving his finger the chance to feel for the cool surface before wrapping around it at last. The relief of finally succeeding was evident in his eye, even though he hurried to cover it up with haughty indifference. The beaming smile I gave him as he continued to do well bolstered his confidence and by the time we had finished, it was as if he had never lost his sight to begin with. At the table at least. I had other designs on offering cake, too. He needed to be able to practice with real food, not just cups of water. It would do no good for our favorite little lord to look like an uncivilized heathen at the dinner table, now would it?
The praise I gave him, as well as the sweetness of chocolate and berries, uplifted the child and instead of railing against the humiliating exercise, he took to the next with more gusto and eagerness than before. How could I not find him endearing? I was right. I was in trouble with Ciel Phantomhive. He was too easy to adore, too easy to love. How could I defend against such an assault on my emotions?
And yet...could I bring myself to love someone in his situation? Could I allow myself to care about a child who would eventually be food for the very demon who named himself my master?
The bigger question was really, could I stop myself from loving this lost boy? This child who so badly needed someone to love him? And if I couldn't stop the affection from growing, what was I going to do about Sebastian? Could I stop the demon from eating him? He had already forgone a meal when he had decided to turn me instead of devouring my soul, bully for him. Certainly, he had other meals before Ciel but according to him, they were never as satisfying. It didn't stop him from forcing a soul or two down my throat whenever he desired.
…...Memory...
His fingers ran down my arms, nails biting in halfway down to bely his annoyance with me. The scrapes drew a hiss from between my teeth and I gave the blasted crow a deep glare.
"I wouldn't have to do this if you would just hunt on your own, my raven. You have to make everything so much more difficult than it has to be. You stubbornly cling to that humanity inside you and it will only bring you suffering in the end." He purred, enjoying the intimate position we found ourselves in despite his scolding words. I jerked away from him as he buried his face in my neck, scenting me lightly. His hands only tightened punishingly where they held me down against the red brick wall of the Spanish alley.
"I'll take my pitiful humanity over you any day, you bloody great bird."
He laughed in the face of my disdain, grinding down on me experimentally. I snapped enraged, elongating canines at him furiously but it only appeared to encourage him. How did I always get stuck with the freaks?
"Ahh, such endearments you whisper to me, my love. But I digress, the night is young and you are in need. Allow me to alleviate your appetite."
I tried to move my face away, to keep him away from my mouth, but he had me bound tight and fast. His lips captured mine painfully, punishing the soft flesh with every inch. Teeth nipped and bit at me. Blood ran down my chin after mere instants. When the pulsating warmth of a soul filled my mouth, spicy and pleasant and so good, I was powerless not to swallow it down, to take in that energy. Michaelis was right, I had been starving. The aching in my bones drank in the soul greedily and, unconsciously, I found myself gripping the demon close, kissing him back in order to draw another meal from his body. Sebastian grinned against my lips, offering up a second soul eagerly. I took a third from him and sat there basking in the full haze of contented bliss, the aches that had long plagued me fading. My body felt like mush, my senses sleepy and languorous. It was a long moment before I realized that Michaelis had been busying himself by licking the blood from my chin and neck like an overgrown feline. My heavy attempt to swat him away was met by amusement. He caught my slow movement deftly and brought my hand to his lips to deliver a gore-coated kiss to my palm. As if I were some poncey maiden he'd saved from certain death.
"Mmm, one day, my little raven. One day I will enjoy all you have to offer and you will take pleasure from me just as greedily as you fed from my body just now." He purred, crimson eyes heated and aroused.
Even my tongue felt heavy, stuck to the roof of my mouth making speech a chore.
"Not...a chance."
I was left alone to only the echoing sounds of his laughter ringing throughout the alley.
~"And my head told my heart, "Let love grow". But my heart told my head, "This time no". Yes, my heart told my head, "This time no, this time no". Oh, the shame that sent me off from the God that I once loved, Was the same that sent me into your arms."-Mumford and Sons, Winter Winds.
Meeting the staff Sebastian had picked out was...interesting. Bardroy was a pyromaniac that could've managed to give Seamus Finnegan a run for his money. Mey Rin was a hazard waiting to happen and Finnian, well, he reminded me so much of Hagrid that it actually hurt my stomach to look at him. He was like an overgrown puppy, unaware of his own size and strength but so sweet and loving all at once. They were lousy at housekeeping. Absolutely atrocious. Yet all three had heavy combat experience and the idea of Ciel and his home being protected when I was away soothed and pleased something deep inside of me. No doubt it was why Sebastian had chosen these three in particular to begin with. The demon sent the three with Tanaka to explore the manor and familiarize themselves with the grounds. Ciel had retired to his office to work through the mountain of paperwork concerning the Funtom company, leaving me and Sebastian alone together. I crossed my arms and adopted the bored, disdainful mask that had become habit when dealing with the one who sired me. It had become such a custom when interacting with Michaelis that neither of us even questioned it anymore. It was just one more way of resisting his pull on me.
"How did the young master's vision exercises go today?" Ahh, good. He wanted to talk about Ciel. The one topic where we had discovered a newfound mutual cooperation. I hummed, taking up a thoughtful position against the nearest tree. I don't know what it was about me and trees but I always inexorably found myself drawn to them. Perhaps because of my token animal, who found shade and safety there. I had certainly used them to put some distance between Sebastian and myself on more than one occasion.
"Remarkably well. He only needs practice. He will be more than ready to face his Queen when she calls her guard dog back home." Was that affection in my voice? Egads, it was. My companion apparently made note of it too. I could see his muddy eyes narrow and I cleared my throat for a quick topic change, "Where did you scrounge those three up from?"
"An assassination here, a disputed barricade there. What kind of butler would I be if I couldn't manage such a thing?" His easy commentary was tinged with amusement at his own little inside joke. I rolled my eyes. Only Michaelis would have inside jokes with himself. Well, him and Undertaker.
"Merlin forbid you actually have a human limit, Sebastian." I snarked lightly, earning a snort for my wit.
"Human limits are trivial and boring." The suited man waved off my words with disregard, taking a step forward instead to ignore something else entirely, namely my personal space. Again. His dark hair leaned forward to shade his face as he came close enough that he had to look down at me and I cursed my perpetual lack of height. That was what happened when you never aged, I suppose. His gloved hand came to slip around the back of my neck in a playful yet possessive grasp. It reminded me of lions who pawed harmlessly in sport, only to turn around and eviscerate you the next moment. An apt comparison, I thought, "How I wish you would say my name, my little raven."
I scoffed, trying to hide my unease at his proximity. Trying to hide the pounding of my heart on my rib cage. Why did he always undo my control so easily? Was it because he had sired me? Oh, how I loathed.
"I say your name all the time, you dunce-"
"My true name. Say it for me, Harry. Oh, how I would love to hear it pass through those lips of yours. No doubt you would choke on it like glass or sandpaper, but your resistance only makes it that much sweeter when you finally cave in the end. Say it. I'll grant you a boon if you do. Our own little contract. I'm sure you haven't forgotten what making a contract feels like." His voice was dangerous, seductive, both purr and serpentine hiss all in one, egging me on.
Oh no, I hadn't forgotten. The evidence of our contract covered the entire expanse of my back.
Sizzling, searing. Words, symbols burning into my skin while their creator ran a finger over each individual inch, paving the way to that connection, that bond. I don't care about the pain, just save him! Take it, take it all! More powerful the more visible the contract mark. Then why not bigger. A Faustian Mark burning, carving into the entire back of my body. Then...the change.
I came back to myself quickly, shoving the butler away with a glare while the mark on my flesh throbbed with the memory and it's creator's desire.
"One contract with you is enough, Sebastian."
His only answer was an indulgent little smile that I knew only covered for his vexation. I could have kissed Ciel then. Naming his proud leashed demon after his dog? Priceless.