Chapter 21 – Speechless

"Urm…" Bard looked at his master, his employer with a slacked jaw, he had just witnessed the butler and the earl making out, and he didn't know what to say or what to think.

Ciel looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, it wasn't like they could tell him what to do or anything, but this was a dangerous situation, homosexuality was illegal. Bard could report them to the police, then Sebastian and Ciel would be arrested, the Phantomhive family name would be dragged through the mud.

Ciel wasn't the type to always obey the law, his role as the Queens Guard Dog was the reason behind that, it was under the Queens orders that he disposed of those who broke the rule of the underworld. But other than that, Ciel had to follow the law like every other citizen, the queen had never expressly given him an order, enabling him to form a homosexual relationship, so he was indeed breaking the law.

"Well?" Ciel asked, wanting to move the conversation on from the slight awkwardness there was.

"I just came into see if you were alright." Bard finally said after looking between Sebastian and Ciel. "Were you two just serious about what you were doing?" he added, just wanting to make sure.

"Thank-you," Ciel said with a small smile, "I'm feeling better." He replied, "and yes, were serious about what we were doing." He added in response to the second question, well Ciel didn't feel like lying to him, he had caught them after all. "Now what are you going to do with that information?" he asked.

"I'm not going to say anything, if you two want to break the law, then you're more than welcome to, I mean it's not like you could end up pregnant from it." He added joking a little, if only he knew the extent of the situation. How wrong he was at that. The moment those words left his lips, Ciel and Sebastian looked at each other, a small smirk seemed to grace Sebastian's lips as Ciel lightly punched him in the stomach, silently telling him to not alert Bard to the fact that he was pregnant.

Bard, on the other hand, was quietly observing his master and the butler. "Males can't get pregnant, right?" Wow, he sounded a little bit like Finnian just for a moment there, Bard was the one who was obsessed with women, so he should most definitely know that men cannot get pregnant, but he was doubting that.

Ciel sighed a little, "no men cannot get pregnant…" he said though he certainly sounded like he wanted to say something else at the end of that.

"Go on." Bard goaded slightly, "men can't get pregnant, but…" he paused for a moment. Looking at Ciel who was eyeing Bard, wanting to know just how much he was figuring things out.

"You have to promise that you won't tell a soul what I am going to tell you," Ciel said, watching his reaction, "because if you do, I won't hesitate in having you killed, you have no idea what it could do to my family name." Bard nodded,

"I promise." He replied, "You gave me a second chance, Sebastian here taught me things that I wouldn't have learnt, I'm not going to betray the trust we have."

"I have a rare condition, it's a genetic defect, and as a result I have unintentionally become pregnant, we weren't expecting it to happen, as you yourself said, men cannot have children normally," Ciel said, watching Bard who kept a neutral face. "But, I am pregnant."

"I see," Bard said pondering slightly, "and it's superman's here, isn't it?"

Ciel laughed slightly, "Yes, it's the superman here's." he replied pointing to Sebastian. "But like I said, you cannot tell anyone, I don't think you would like us to be arrested, and it would mean that you won't be able to find other employment." Well Ciel knew that the servants weren't exactly the best in their job roles, but they were improving, it was just that if anything happened to Sebastian and Ciel, Bard and the other servants wouldn't be able to find jobs like their current ones easily.

Bard nodded quietly, looking at Sebastian, though the demons eyes were fixed on his contract, his lover, his mate. "So there will be a little tot to protect soon then."

"In about 9 months or so," Ciel replied, "Yes there will. Do you want to make a bet as to what gender it's going to be?" he added, wondering if such an idea would interest Bard.

"A bet, as to the gender?" Bard parroted, looking at him, "what's the reward?" he asked.

"Hmmm," Ciel pondered, "If you win, I'll give you £40 and the opportunity to choose the child's middle name."

"Deal," Bard said, mainly at the £40, money was always a big incentive, "I bet it's being a girl." He said with a smile.

Ciel nodded, reaching out to shake on it, Bard smiled and shook his master's hand. "I assume you think it's going to be a boy?" Bard asked the young Earl.

Ciel nodded in response. "Well, I do need an heir to my estate and title." He smiled, that was a fact of life.

Bard only nodded, "well I'll wait until you lose." He said with a chuckle, before leaving and going back to his duties.

Sebastian looked at his master. "Why did you tell him the truth?" he questioned slightly.

"The servants are going to find out at some point, so why not?" Ciel replied, "Plus he would help when it comes to explaining to the other servants, he could make up a convincing lie. Finny will be easy to convince, Mey-Rin I'm not so sure about, but other than that those three are quite gullible."

Sebastian nodded, "in that case then." He murmured pulling Ciel into another kiss.

Author's notes

Homosexuality was indeed illegal during Victorian England and wasn't legalised until well into the twentieth century.