Hello, dear readers! I apologize for my slight delay in posting - classes and professors have been killing me. Hope this chapter makes up for the delay, and hope you enjoy it!
"Rise and shine, my lovely eromenos."
This was the statement Ciel woke up to that morning, his eyes slowly cracking open to find Sebastian standing in front of the window, spreading the curtains open to let in the bright sunlight. The tall man's back was facing Ciel as he was straightening out the brown curtains.
Ciel groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes as he grumbled, "I'm not your eromenos…"
"Is that so?" Sebastian said, finally turning to face Ciel with a smirk on his face. A ray of sunlight hit Sebastian's red eyes, creating a glimmering flash in them. His crimson eyes locked with Ciel's blue ones and slowly traveled down the boy's throat, stopping where his collar starts. He then glanced back up at Ciel, his smirk widening and eyes glinting with amusement. "I've decided otherwise."
Ciel stared at Sebastian with tired, lidded eyes before he covered his mouth, yawning tiredly. He then pulled the covers over his head and plopped back on the bed, saying irritably, "Leave me alone."
Ciel heard Sebastian's footsteps approaching before the covers were yanked off of him suddenly. Sebastian then gripped Ciel's wrist and pulled him off the bed, causing the boy to almost topple over. Sebastian held his waist, steadying him. "I said it's time to wake up, Ciel."
The blue-eyed boy immediately flinched away from the man, backing up into the wall. His eyes focused on the man's thin, long fingers and black nails. I wonder why his nails are black. Does he really paint his nails black? Seems… odd. But then Ciel remembered that these were the same fingers that touched him just last night. Memories of what happened flashed through his mind. Right after it had happened last night, he was so shocked by the incident that he couldn't react properly, but now… Now it all finally sank in.
His face reddened as he continued to stare at those pale hands. Ciel had been touched somewhere his parents constantly forbade him from allowing others to touch. "Only a suitable erastes can touch you there, and only after you've given him Hell," they would say. Ciel would nod obediently and vow that he would do as he was told.
Last night, he didn't do as he was told.
And not only that, but he had enjoyed it last night. He had enjoyed the feeling of that area being aroused, he had enjoyed the heat that built up in his stomach, he had enjoyed the flutter of his heart… Even though he was confused and bewildered by what was happening, he had enjoyed it.
The boy's face reddened even more, and he couldn't bring himself to look away from Sebastian's hand; he couldn't bring himself to look into the eyes of the man who participated in such an intimate act with him last night.
His voice shook as he asked slowly, "What do you want from me?"
Sebastian chuckled and moved to place an arm around Ciel's shoulder, leading him away from the bed. "I merely wish to… show you something."
Sebastian finally stopped in front of the mirror. Ciel was still looking down at the floor, his stomach churning. He felt like he was going to vomit. Sebastian's hand wrapped around the boy's soft chin and tilted his head up, forcing the boy to look at himself in the mirror. Ciel tried to turn his head away from the blushing face in front of him, his eyes again glancing down at the floor, but Sebastian held his chin tightly, forcing it in its place.
"I want you to see this," the older male said.
Ciel's blue eyes moved to stare at his reflection, with Sebastian close behind him. He glanced up at Sebastian's reflection and gasped when he saw the man's red eyes glowing. He backed away, but all that met him was Sebastian's torso, holding him back. "W-what's going on?! Why are your eyes glowing?" Ciel managed, looking bewildered. His eyes were locked with Sebastian's glowing ones, the horror he felt inside refusing to allow him to look away.
Sebastian chuckled lightly, and the temperature of the room suddenly dropped. A chill ran down the boy's spine, but he swallowed thickly, willing himself to stay calm.
Sebastian finally spoke. "As you know, Ciel Phantomhive, I saved your life…"
Ciel did nothing. His fear was now replaced by anger as he glared at Sebastian's reflection. He's bringing this up again. What's his problem?!
Sebastian's smirk widened as his hand grazed down Ciel's neck. "Therefore, you owe me so much…"
Ciel finally spoke up, his voice shaking with anger, a deep frown set on his face. "I owe you nothing. You helped me out of your own choice. I did not force you to help me."
Sebastian chuckled again, causing another chill to run down Ciel's spine. He could feel the color drain out of his face, and when he glanced down at his reflection, he found his pupils dilated and his face white as a ghost.
"Whether you asked me to or not, I still saved your life," Sebastian said. Without me, who knows where you would be?"
Ciel shook his head. "This is ridiculous. What do you want, then? Some monetary compensation for the trouble I put you through?" Ciel's voice held a thick tone of sarcasm when he said the last sentence, his eyebrows furrowed with frustration at this older male.
"More than that. You are to be my eromenos until I have found no more use for you."
Ciel's eyes widened, and he yelled out, "What do you think I am, some sort of object that you can use and throw away?! I refuse to be the eromenos of someone like you!"
The side of Sebastian's mouth twitched before his right hand wrapped around Ciel's neck, pulling the boy's head close to Sebastian's chest.
"Ngh!" Ciel struggled to move his neck out of Sebastian's tight grasp, thrashing against the male's body, but Sebastian wouldn't budge.
The dark-haired male then moved his left hand to Ciel's right eye.
What the hell is he doing?! What is he doing?! Ciel thought, his eye quickly closing when Sebastian's hand came too close.
Sebastian forced the lid open, holding it up with one finger. The boy's eyelid fluttered as he continued struggling and yelling, "What are you doing?! You're insane! Something's wrong with you!"
Sebastian's mouth twitched yet another time before curving upward into a sinister smirk. He then moved his index finger so that his black nail rested on Ciel's iris. Ciel could see his the whites of his eyes turn red from the dryness and irritation, and he thrashed again, trying to escape Sebastian's seemingly insane actions.
But Sebastian's grip was too tight, and even as Ciel's iris moved around, his nail followed. His patience was persistent through Ciel's struggles, and when Ciel weakened only for a second, his nail dug into the iris.
The young boy screamed a hollow, pain-filled scream. He could see the blood trailing out of his eye and down his cheek as Sebastian began to carve a pattern into his iris.
As the older male was doing this, Ciel could notice a pattern forming on Sebastian's left hand, the one he was carving with. But his attention was quickly drawn away by the excruciating pain, and he continued screaming and writhing in Sebastian's grip, his body threatening to crumble to the ground without Sebastian's support.
The blood trailed down to Ciel's lips, and because the boy's mouth was open and screaming, the blood seeped onto his tongue, some making its way down his chin and neck, staining the collar of his white chiton.
It seemed like hours before Sebastian finally pulled his finger away, his white hand bloodied by the brutal action. He wiped his hand on Ciel's chiton and said, "Look what you've become…"
Ciel swallowed as he stared at his reflection. His right iris was no longer that deep, dark blue. It was now purple, with a contract symbol that was now glowing a light pink. A five-point star occupied his pupil, and a circle adorned with spiky lines surrounded that star just outside of his pupil. Horror struck the boy. What was this symbol? What did it mean? How could he be forced into it like that? Why did Sebastian do this? A similar symbol was on Sebastian's left hand. Why?
"I'll be back in a few hours," Sebastian said. He released Ciel, causing the boy to collapse to the ground, before walking away from Ciel, opening the door of the small guest room, and leaving the boy on the ground.
When he closed the door, he was faced by one of his servants, a young boy with light blue eyes and unkempt blond hair. He looked concerned as he asked suddenly, "What was going on in there, Sebastian?! I heard screaming!"
Sebastian locked the guest room with his master key and pushed the servant out of his way, saying coldly, "It's none of your business, Alois."
Alois followed close behind. "Is it that same boy you rescued from the sacrifice? I talked to him last night! He was asking for a room. Is it him?"
Sebastian's eyebrow twitched as he continued walking, not turning to face the blond boy. "I said it's none of your business. Keep out of it."
Alois was finally able to run and stand in front of Sebastian, causing the older male to stop in his tracks. Sebastian looked down at him threateningly, his eyes cold and left hand hidden from the boy's view.
Alois wasn't threatened, and he didn't back down, a frown set on his face and eyebrows furrowed with determination. "I won't let you break another heart, Sebastian!"
Sebastian chuckled humorlessly. There was a certain look in his eyes, a mix of bitterness and hopelessness, as he said, "His heart can't be swayed, much less broken."
Alois looked on with confusion. "What do you mean?"
Sebastian sighed before once again pushing the boy out of his path. "I said it's none of your business. Finish your work."
The older male continued to walk, heading to his bedroom. He entered, closed the door, and sat on his bed. He swallowed thickly as he stared at the marble floor, his eyes trained on one blue marble, rare among the brown and beige ones.
What have I done? he thought. As quickly and as suddenly as that thought came, it was chased away with cold, senseless thoughts.
He owes me his life. This is the least he can give me.
But at the same time, he still couldn't chase away that one thought: What have I done?
Back in the guest room, Ciel's body shook with pain, rage, and disbelief. His face was pressed against the hardwood floor, cold against his cheek. He willed himself not to cry. He had promised himself he wouldn't cry again, he had promised himself he would be strong.
He had already sealed his heart, and he couldn't go back. It wasn't grief that would help him get over his troubles now; it was revenge.
As his cold heart pounded and stiff body shook, he began to plot out his revenge against Sebastian. Pale lips tilted upward into a baleful smirk as he decided on how best to make Sebastian pay for what he did.
It couldn't be something simple. Not deadly snakes, not poisonous scorpions… Not a broken leg or a broken arm.
Something big. Something serious. Something like what happened to Ciel.
His eyes only saw red as his smirk widened, loose thoughts tying together to plot out something that will satisfy his desire for revenge.
His stiff body finally rose up from the ground as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He gripped onto the dresser, steadying himself. His contracted eye was glowing strongly, and his blue eye was devoid of all feelings. Ciel could barely recognize the boy who stared back at him in the mirror. This was not the person he was just yesterday… This was not how he was before.
This person was someone else entirely. Someone cold and heartless, someone who washed away pain not with tears, but with revenge.
And though he hated this new person, somehow, for some reason, the boy staring back at him in the mirror was the only person Ciel could ever love.
