Trapped

Sebastian was walking down the hallway. It was about half past two in the morning and it was the time of his regular patrol. The only thing left to do was to visit Ciel's bedroom and prepare his clothes, and then he could go after his other duties.

Silently, he opened the door, so that he wouldn't wake the earl up just yet. It would be undesirable for the both of them, especially so considering their recent history of secret night affairs. Ciel, for sure, would prefer to sleep while he could, so...

Damn it to hell.

He was gone. Gone, as in, absolutely gone. He didn't even go to bed, it looked freshly made, untouched, just like Sebastian left it in the morning. A quick look over the room let Sebastian know that the earl most likely left the mansion after visiting his butler in his room, and said butler didn't have to stop and think about it to realise what the teenager went off looking for. Some of Ciel's clothes and a pair of his shoes was missing. As Sebastian recalled, there were four bars the earl liked and used to visit often, before Sebastian butted in, but neither of them was too far and since Ciel always took a cab anyway, there was no way he wouldn't be back already, considering his personality and habits. He was not the type to cuddle – or fuck – until sunrise, after all.

Something must have happened to the young heir of the Phantomhive, and Sebastian became aware of it far too late.

"Fucking shit," he hissed through his teeth, turning around. Where to begin his search? He knew that going through the bars one by one would cost him precious time, not to mention it was dangerous, since his appearance was far too easily memorable.

Leaving the bedroom, he looked around to make sure none of the other servants is around. It was unlikely, considering the late – or early – hour, but the last thing he needed was having one of the morons cause a ruckus that the young earl was gone and probably in trouble. Indeed, he knew they weren't just ordinary servants, he had checked their backgrounds thoroughly and found some very interesting information, but all in all, they were more suited for house defence rather than for going out into unfamiliar territories. Sebastian himself was more flexible. He had to. His past as an assassin made him fortified, swift, ready for almost any situation.

He entered Ciel's study. He had an idea it wasn't unlikely that somehow, Ciel's disappearance was related to whatever he was researching ever since before Sebastian'd started working here. He did organise Ciel's desk before, so he knew some fragments and figured that if Ciel kept sticking his nose into dangerous matters, he had to get caught up in them sooner or later. Although, at that time, he figured he would be at Ciel's side to aid the young earl.

He flipped through some notebooks that were on Ciel's desk. Never mind the situation, it was almost funny; in the day and age of computers and tech, the earl preferred to write his findings on paper and it wasn't unusual for him to receive a letter. Not like Sebastian would mind; that way, it was easier for him and much harder for any snoopers to go through Ciel's notes.

Yes, he remembered correctly. Ciel was investigating kidnappings, and for some reason, he had been asked by the Queen herself to do so.

Sebastian sighed and took the liberty of reading the letter Ciel'd received. He didn't learn anything new, the letter was just urging Ciel to hurry up with the investigation. Well. That didn't help, and Sebastian didn't even know if he was on the right track.

Clenching his teeth, he grabbed his phone to call Lau. To his surprise, that cursed Chinese picked up right away, though it was so early in the morning.

"Well, if it isn't the butler of the Phantomhive household. How can I help you?"

Sebastian swallowed a retort that struggled to get out. "I hate to admit it, but I need your help."

"Oh my, again?"

"... Yes."

"Well then, I'm listening."

"... This is going to cost me, isn't it." The butler pinched the bridge of his nose. "Anyway. The earl's disappeared. I need you to give me fo- no, three people to assist me with finding him."

"What a situation. Well, I must admit, you surprised me. I thought for sure you'd never talk to me again."

"Spare me the pointless blabber. I can't waste time. There are four bars, all of them open nonstop, and I believe the earl must've gone into one of them. He hasn't come back yet, something must've happened."

"Okay, okay. The earl's disappeared due to your negligence, and now is in danger due to your negligence, and you have to ask me for help due to your negligence, because you lack resources and you can't afford more negligence and have the other servants leave the house. I get it. I get it."

"... you're doing this on purpose, aren't you." Sebastian bit his lip shortly. "Listen," he said after that, "send the people, have them inform me about their findings, I'm going to have to go. The bars are-"

"Don't bother, I know them," Lau interrupted him. "At least, if we're talking about Rose, King of Spades, Diamond and Knight's Watch. Quite high-class, even if I say so myself."

"Oh, that's right. Your people run three of them, don't they? In that case, I'll be going to the last one. That's not yours, right? So... Keep me informed."

"Hold on," Lau's voice stopped him just when he was about to end the call. "Don't you want to know the price for my help?"

"Let's talk about that later." Sebastian ended the call and quickly made his way to his room. While changing into clothes that were less conspicuous than the butler's tailcoat, he wondered why it was that Lau named only the gay bars in the area. The butler thought for sure that Ciel's acquaintances – apart from Alois, perhaps – didn't know about his... preferences. Somehow, he felt rather disappointed, although he wasn't sure why. There was no logical reason for such an emotion, and yet, it bit him much harder than it should have.

Perhaps they've run into one another in one of the bars accidentally. That would make sense. Right?

He messed up his hair a little and left the house in a rush. At some point, he was going to have to come up with an excuse for both the head of the household and his butler to be gone, but that could wait for the time being.

He took a cab and was in front of Knight's Watch within ten minutes. There was no need to waste any more time, and so he went inside without any hesitation. Despite the late – or early – hour, the bar was still very lively. Maybe a little too lively to Sebastian's liking.

The moment he entered the bar, he could feel several pairs of eyes on him. He knew he was one to catch anyone's eye one way or another, but an unpleasant chill down his spine from so many stares. It wasn't unusual for him to be ogled, yet he never felt such a strong intent. Walking over to the counter, he ordered a whiskey and ostentatiously ignored the barman winking at him.

Taking his drink, he went to lean onto the wall to be able to see everything that was happening in the whole hall. Just when he was about to take off and start searching for someone to talk with, he heard a voice. "Hey there, good-lookin'. Can I get you something?"

He turned that way to see who was talking to him. It was a rather average guy, nothing special about him at the first glance, except for his mildly Asian features, and he certainly didn't cause any stones to settle in Sebastian's gut, like it was whenever he had to talk with the earl; he was not unlikable, though. This man was about the same age as Sebastian, maybe a year or two younger, with short hazelnut hair and dark brown eyes. He was shorter and overall smaller than Sebastian, but not by much.

"Not really, I'm good at the moment," the raven raised his hand to show the glass he was holding. "I could get you something, though?" he smiled, moving his eyebrows a bit.

"Ah, I knew it, you're the dangerous type," the young man chuckled and leaned on the wall next to Sebastian. "Looking for someone… in particular?" he added.

Sebastian thought about it shortly. The honest and truthful answer would be yes, but considering the situation, saying that so frankly might either turn out to be misleading, or to have the man leave, and Sebastian needed information. "I guess you could say that," he half-smiled eventually, glancing sideways to both see the man's reaction and to suggest subtly that there's a chance they might end up sleeping together; of course, only to increase the likelihood of finding useful information.

"That so? How about me, then? I'm fine with either," the man winked. Sebastian didn't say anything, he only shrugged his shoulders and took a sip to gain time.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. "Oh, do excuse me," he slipped into the polite way of speaking he got used to so quickly. Looking at the screen of his phone, he checked the text. There were no signs of Ciel in any of the remaining bars. "Damn," he sighed, then smiled apologetically at his companion. "Sorry, you were saying?"

"I said I'm fine with either, but you seem busy, so I'll find someone else…" the brunette turned to leave.

"Wait," Sebastian reached his hand out to grab the other's forearm. "That was rude of me. I'm sorry. Let's try again?"

The man stopped and hesitated for a moment, then he turned to Sebastian again. The butler smiled and repeated what he was told moments ago: "Hey there, good-looking. Can I get you something?"

"Ah, actually, I don't drink alcohol."

"Why not? Some sort of medical condition?" Sebastian tilted his head.

"Not really, I just can't hold my liquor."

"Oh, I see." Sebastian smiled again, reaching out his hand and wrapping his arm around the other's waist boldly. "Not even a beer? Just one?"

The young man inhaled sharply. "… Maybe one, then."

"See, I knew it. Don't worry, I won't let you get too drunk." Sebastian dragged him to the bar and ordered a beer for his companion. "So, what do I call you?" he said after the bartender, slightly disappointed by Sebastian's lack of attention, served the beer and left them alone so he could serve another customer.

"I'm Chang. Well, it's my nickname around here."

"Nice to meet you, Chang." Sebastian raised his glass with a smile.

"And you are?" Chang leaned his head on his hands.

"Call me whatever you'd like," Sebastian shrugged his shoulders. "Truth be told, I'm not here to find a partner tonight. I'm here for information… but," he wiggled his eyebrows, taking another sip, "if you tell me what I need to know, or otherwise help me find the info I need, I might consider seeing you again, if you're interested."

"Depending on what kind of information." Chang leaned on the counter, slightly disappointed, and eyed the still very lively club.

"I need to find someone. Since you're not a reckless drinker and are still mostly sober, maybe you've noticed him. He's about this tall," he raised his hand shortly, showing Ciel's height nonchalantly, "has a strange, greyish teal shade of hair and looks sort of fragile, but is most likely an exclusive top." When he said that, he felt a small stab of guilt in his gut. Judging by just how bad a state Ciel was in after their night of shame, he was clearly not used to it, and even though it technically was not Sebastian's fault, he hated the taste of failure.

"Why are you looking for him?" Chang's eyes narrowed. "I don't see why I should tell you."

"Well, simply put, he was supposed to be home already." Sebastian made a worried expression of which only half was true.

"… you two are dating or something?"

"If we were, would I casually suggest I'm not against seeing you again?" Sebastian shook his head. "Not to mention, we're both tops."

"I don't know many guys who wouldn't happily spread their legs for you," Chang glanced at Sebastian and the butler felt a chill. No, this man was not able to make him excited, let alone interested. It was not revolting, but if he had to choose whether to sleep with Chang or not, he would definitely go for the latter option. "He isn't like that," he shook his head. Of course, a big lie, but he was just adding one more to the pile, so it didn't matter much.

"I did see a guy like that here," Chang nodded after a while of silence. "He left soon after he appeared, though. He used to come here more often, I think. He was not my type and we've never really spoken, but he is eye-catching."

"Do you know where he went?"

"No…" Chang responded. "There was this guy who kept trying to get his attention for as long as I remember. They left together pretty early."

"… Who was it?"

"Who was who? The other guy? I only know him by his alias, like most guys here."

"Tell me at least what he looked like."

Chang chuckled. "I will, but only if you reward me, Mr. Incognito."

Sebastian turned to face him with a short, almost unnoticeable dangerous gleam in his eyes. "What kind of reward would you like, then?"

"At the very least, a kiss," Chang demanded, grinning.

This is the last thing I want to be doing right now, Sebastian thought as he set down his glass. "Okay, come here, then," he said and before Chang could say anything, he grabbed the other by the hips and yanked him closer, kissing Chang deeply while kneading his ass.

The kiss tasted of beer and it didn't make him feel any more interested.

When their lips parted, he simply let go of Chang and took his drink again. The other stood there perplexed, just blinking and trying to catch his breath. "… whoa," he said eventually, leaning onto the counter again to regain balance. "That was… something."

"Of course it was." Sebastian looked at the whiskey he had left in the glass. He didn't feel like drinking any more of it, but he didn't like the taste of beer which lingered on his tongue, so he downed the rest in one go.

"I… for a while, I thought you weren't… never mind. You asked me to describe that guy, right?"

That's because I'm not. You were spot on, I don't belong here. But, the brat I was supposed to babysit has vanished off the face of Earth and it became my responsibility to make sure I find him, preferably still in one piece, Sebastian thought as he answered: "Please do."

"He's about as tall as you are, brown hair, dark eyes, and he's kind of… famous here for favouring cute-looking boys. Lot of people dislike him, he's an arrogant prick, if you ask me. He's quite good-looking, but there's something unsettling about him. Oh, and he has a scar on his lower lip and chin, and I have caught a glimpse of a tattoo on the back of his neck. I don't know what it was, it probably goes all the way down. Generally speaking, he seems like bad news."

The butler went silent for a while. "… Which way does the scar go?"

"Like this." Chang brushed his fingertip over his chin.

"Damn it." Sebastian cussed silently, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What's wrong? You know him?"

Sebastian nodded. "Most likely," he sighed. "I need to go, immediately."

"Okay…" Chang's disappointment was apparent. "Come see me if you find the time."

"Sure." I'll be damned if I ever set my foot here again. As quickly as possible, he left the Knight's Watch behind.

I'll be damned if I let that bastard have the young master.

I was the one to give him that scar.